Love & War | heehoon

his jealous side

As Heeseung and Jungwon stepped out of the classroom, the echoes of their footsteps still faint in the empty hallway, they spotted Jake striding toward them.

Jake’s usual confident swagger seemed to falter just slightly as his gaze settled on Heeseung, a quiet, almost shy smile playing at the edges of his lips.

“Hey, Jungwon. Hey, Heeseung.”
He greeted.

“Hey, Jake.”
Jungwon replied.

Heeseung returned Jake’s smile, a simple, genuine curve of his lips.

They didn’t linger, though.

With a wave, Jake passed by, his hand raised in a casual goodbye, but the faintest hint of pink colored his cheeks as he turned away.

As they continued down the corridor, their pace fell into a comfortable rhythm, the silence between them content and easy.

And when they rounded the corner to the cafeteria, they spotted Sunoo waiting just outside the door, one foot tapping impatiently against the polished floor.

“There you guys are!”
Sunoo exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as they approached. “I thought you’d ditched me for some secret chemistry experiment.”

His gaze shifted to Heeseung, his brow arching with a mischievous glint.

“You look different.”
He observed, his tone playful but curious, as if trying to pinpoint the change he sensed in his friend.

Heeseung let out a soft laugh, unable to suppress the smile that had somehow lingered since the moment he’d stepped out of that classroom.

“I don’t know.”
He admitted, a little sheepishly, “maybe I just decided to stop waiting around for things that might never happen.”

Sunoo grinned, nodding approvingly as he looped his arm through Heeseung’s, tugging him toward the cafeteria doors.
“Well, it’s about time, if you ask me.”
He said, his tone gentle but full of encouragement.

Just as they were about to enter the cafeteria, Sunoo paused, reaching into his pocket with a dramatic flourish.

"Oh! Almost forgot.”
He announced, a sly smile creeping onto his face.

He pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, slightly crinkled from its time in his pocket, and held it out to Heeseung.

"For you."
He said, his tone light but with a hint of mystery.
"From Jake."

Heeseung blinked in surprise, glancing from the note in Sunoo’s hand to his friend’s mischievous expression.

Taking the paper carefully, he felt a spark of curiosity ripple through him.

Jake hadn’t given any hint in the hallway about having something to pass along.
Just that small, almost shy smile.

What could this be?

As he slowly unfolded the paper, he noticed Sunoo watching him with eager anticipation, as if he’d been waiting all day to see Heeseung’s reaction.

Inside, in Jake’s neat handwriting, were a few lines written with obvious care.

Heeseung’s fingers barely brushed the words before the paper was snatched from his hands.

His head shot up, eyes widening in surprise, as Sunoo’s mouth dropped open.

Standing in front of them, holding the note between his fingers with a smug little smirk, was none other than Sunghoon.

“What do we have here?” Sunghoon drawled, his tone half amused, teasing.

He held the paper just out of Heeseung’s reach, unfolded it, reading it with exaggerated slowness.