𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄? // 𝐉𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

𝟎𝟎𝟏

The campus was bustling as usual, students scattering across the quad, their laughter filling the crisp autumn air. Jake Sim sat at the edge of the fountain, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. To anyone passing by, he looked calm-confident even-like someone who had their life together. He had that reputation after all, the kind of guy who could light up any room with his smile, but it wasn't the whole truth.

His heart was somewhere else, distracted and heavy. Across the quad, Sunghoon was walking toward him, his black coat billowing slightly in the wind, his expression as unreadable as always. To the world, they were the perfect couple-two athletes, handsome, successful, admired by nearly everyone on campus. But lately, cracks were forming beneath the surface, cracks that no amount of charm or well-rehearsed smiles could cover up.

Jake shoved his phone into his pocket as Sunghoon reached him, the tension between them palpable, even in the middle of a busy courtyard.

"Hey," Jake said, forcing a smile. "You heading to practice?"

Sunghoon's dark eyes met his for only a second before glancing away. "Yeah, I've got a lot to do." His voice was clipped, distant, like it had been for the past few weeks.

Jake stood up, the awkward silence between them stretching. "You wanna grab something after? We haven't hung out in a while."

Sunghoon shifted, his gaze finally locking onto Jake's. There was something cold in his stare, something Jake couldn't quite place but could feel deep in his gut. "I don't think that's a good idea. Not today."

Jake swallowed, trying to ignore the sharp pang of hurt that surged through him. "Right. Okay."

Sunghoon hesitated for a moment longer, as if he had more to say, but instead, he turned and walked away without another word. Jake watched him go, the distance between them feeling bigger than ever.

Behind him, Jake heard footsteps approaching, and before he could turn, someone clapped him on the shoulder.

"Trouble in paradise?" a familiar voice teased.

Jake didn't need to turn around to know it was Heeseung, his best friend and the one person who probably understood the mess inside his head better than anyone else. Heeseung sat down beside him, casually draping an arm over the back of the bench.

Jake ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "It's not paradise anymore, man. I don't even know what it is."

"You guys have been weird for a while," Heeseung said, leaning back. "Is it just me, or is Sunghoon pulling away?"

Jake stared at the path where Sunghoon had disappeared. He hated how right Heeseung was. He felt Sunghoon slipping away, like the more he tried to hold on, the faster he was losing him.

Heeseung raised an eyebrow. "You think there's someone else?"

Jake's chest tightened at the thought. He shook his head, though uncertainty gnawed at him. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Whatever it is, you need to figure it out. You can't keep pretending everything's fine when it's obviously not."

Jake clenched his fists, his jaw tight. The worst part was, Heeseung was right-he always was. But it didn't make the truth any easier to swallow. Things with Sunghoon weren't working, no matter how hard Jake tried to fix it. And pretending everything was fine wasn't going to change that.

The wind picked up, and Jake shivered, feeling the coldness seeping into his bones. His gaze drifted back to where Sunghoon had been, a part of him wondering if their relationship had ever really been solid in the first place-or if it had all been a fragile illusion, ready to break the moment the cracks started to show.