s.jy || falling for the starboy.

chapter 23: princess treatment

first person pov.

it's funny how just nearly a year ago, everything was still... normal.

university was my safe space. the one place where i wasn't jake's girlfriend or the subject of anyone's gossip. i was just harin, a student like everyone else.

but today, as i walked across campus, i could feel eyes on me from every direction. it was like the air had shifted, and suddenly, i wasn't invisible anymore.

i tugged my hoodie tighter around my face, trying to hide behind the fabric. it didn't help. the whispers followed me down the hallways, growing louder the closer i got to the entrance. when i finally stepped outside, i froze.

cameras. reporters. some of them were actual paparazzi, but there were also students mixed in, phones raised, ready to capture the moment. the questions started coming before i even had a chance to process what was happening.

"miss jang harin, is it true you're dating jake from enhypen?"

"how does it feel to be in a secret relationship with a celebrity?"

how the hell did they know?

my heart was pounding so hard i thought it might burst out of my chest. i knew this was going to happen eventually.

after the airport incident with jake, it was only a matter of time before they started putting the pieces together. but i wasn't ready for it. i wasn't ready for them to find out who i am this quick.

some desperate people must have really dug into the photos dispatch has released before. it also didn't help that jake had been fetching me from school lately. that was the fuel to the fire.

i kept walking, my head down, trying to act like i didn't hear them. but the crowd only grew larger. i could feel the panic rising in my chest, my breathing getting shorter and shorter with each step.

one voice stood out, louder than the rest, "miss harin, did jake write that song for you? do you love him?"

i flinched. it felt like a punch to the gut, like they were peeling away every layer of privacy i had left.

i hate being in the spotlight.

my mind raced, trying to figure out how to escape, but i felt trapped. completely cornered.

just as the panic was about to consume me, i saw a familiar black car pull up. and there he was-jake. he stepped out, his expression calm and controlled, but i could see the tension in his eyes.

he moved through the crowd like he was born to do it, his hand reaching for mine as he got closer.

"come on, let's get you out of here," he whispered, his voice steady despite the chaos around us.

his fingers wrapped around mine, and just like that, i felt a small wave of relief wash over me.

i didn't say a word. i couldn't. i just let him lead me into the car, the door shutting behind us with a thud that muted the noise outside.

my head was spinning, my chest tight. i felt like i was still suffocating.

the silence inside the car was thick, almost suffocating in its own way. jake sat beside me, his hand still holding mine. his thumb traced soft, reassuring circles on my skin, but i could sense the worry radiating from him.

"i'm sorry," he said quietly after a long stretch of silence. "maybe i didn't think this through enough."

i shook my head, forcing a weak smile even though my heart was still racing. "it's not your fault, jaeyun," i whispered. "i knew this would happen eventually. i just... didn't realize how overwhelming it would be."