Chapter Five: “I Still Don’t Like You, Okay?”
Min Aeri’s POV
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If I had known today was going to start with Jay acting like he’s auditioning for some tragic movie role, I’d have mentally prepared myself. But there he is, sitting on the center’s front steps, staring off into the distance like he’s questioning every life choice he’s ever made. There’s no grin, no cocky one-liners. Just… silence.
I take a deep breath and decide to approach him. Who knows? Maybe he got dumped. Maybe he found out he’s actually failing all his classes. A girl can hope.
“Are you here to brood professionally?” I ask, sliding down onto the step beside him, making sure to give him my best deadpan look.
He glances over, managing a weak smirk. “Can’t a guy just sit in peace without commentary?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Not if you’re gonna sit there looking like a moody vampire at sunrise. It’s weird.”
He chuckles, but it’s flat, and it bothers me more than I care to admit. I hate this—whatever this is. This whole serious, somber Jay vibe. Give me back my sarcastic, annoyingly cheerful rival, thanks.
---
Inside the Community Center
By the time we’re inside, Jay seems to have shaken off whatever dark cloud was following him. We’ve got a new task today: painting some hand-me-down shelves the center picked up. I don’t love this. I’d already sworn off paint after our last disaster. But here we are, surrounded by more cans of brightly colored paint than anyone should ever be trusted with.
Jay pulls on a pair of gloves, grinning at me over his shoulder. “So… last time, I was thinking maybe yellow would suit you better.”
I roll my eyes, snapping my gloves into place. “I swear if any of this paint gets on me, I’ll start a paint war you’ll never recover from.”
He laughs, but I catch that glint in his eyes, and I know he’s considering it. I shift to put some distance between us, just in case. But as we paint, he actually behaves himself—for the first fifteen minutes, at least.
---
The “Friendly” Banter Begins
Jay starts humming a ridiculous, cheesy love song under his breath, and after a few minutes, I can’t ignore it anymore.
“Is this your way of telling me you’ve finally realized you’re madly in love with me?” I say, not even glancing up from my paintbrush.
He snorts. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I thought, ‘what better way to confess my undying love than with a weird rendition of Endless Love?’”
I smirk, glancing at him. “Well, they say admitting it is the first step.”
He rolls his eyes, grinning. “If that’s true, then you should be on step five by now.”
We both laugh, the kind of laugh that makes the room seem a little smaller and a little warmer. Get a grip, Aeri. It’s just paint fumes. That’s all.
---
Lunch: The Accidental “Date”
By the time lunch rolls around, Jay’s back to his usual self, cracking jokes and making ridiculous faces at me over his sandwich. We’re sitting outside again, and today he actually remembered to bring me a lunch—probably because he lost that book race yesterday. Still, I give him a hard time for it.
“Is this your pathetic attempt at an apology?” I ask, inspecting the sandwich like it might explode.
He scoffs. “More like me being nice. But, hey, if you’d rather go hungry, feel free.”
I take a bite, trying to hide my smirk. “Just don’t get too comfortable, Jay. Buying me food doesn’t make us friends.”
“Oh, trust me, I know,” he says with a smirk. “Besides, I’d make a terrible friend for you. I don’t do quiet study sessions or sad romantic dramas.”
“And I don’t do egomaniacs with an inflated sense of charm,” I shoot back.
He laughs, nodding. “Guess we’re safe, then.”
There’s a beat of silence, a comfortable one, where we just sit there, eating side by side. And I hate that I don’t hate it.
---
A Surprise in the Art Closet
After lunch, we head to the art supply closet to gather more paintbrushes, but the closet door creaks shut behind us, and the handle won’t budge. We both freeze, staring at each other.
“No. No way,” I say, already rattling the handle.
“Don’t worry,” Jay says, his tone way too calm for my taste. “I’m sure someone will find us before we start talking about our feelings or anything.”
I glare at him. “Over my dead body.”
He laughs, then slides down to sit against the wall. After a moment, I sigh and join him.
“This is a nightmare,” I mutter, half to myself.
He shrugs. “Eh, it’s not so bad. I mean, there are worse people to be stuck with.”
I glance at him, and the way he’s looking at me—so relaxed, like we’re actually friends or something—sends my heart skidding a little. But I force a scoff.
“Please. The only reason I’d ever willingly hang out with you is if it somehow helped me win the scholarship.”
“Yeah, sure,” he says, leaning back and closing his eyes. “Keep telling yourself that, Aeri.”
There’s an edge to his voice that makes me wonder if he’s half-joking or if he actually thinks there’s something between us. I’m not even sure myself.
---
Escape… Sort Of
After what feels like an eternity (but is really only fifteen minutes), someone finally opens the closet door. We practically leap out, muttering our thanks and brushing ourselves off, but there’s this weird tension hanging between us now. Like something’s shifted.
As we head back to the library, he breaks the silence. “So, now that we’ve shared that beautiful bonding moment, does this mean you’ll admit that you secretly like me?”
I roll my eyes, scoffing. “Not a chance. If anything, I’m more convinced than ever that you’re the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”
He grins, looking way too satisfied. “And yet, here we are. Maybe we’re not so different after all.”
I scoff, even as my cheeks heat up. “Don’t flatter yourself. We’re nothing alike.”
But the truth is, I don’t hate this strange, reluctant truce we’ve found. And I hate that realization even more.
---
End of Chapter Five
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best worst match ➵ park jongseong
Fanfiction"𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨" Park Jongseong - Jay - 제이 AU Rivals-to-lovers 'Just-maybe' romance College love
