The All-Rounder || Karina X Male Reader

8. Understanding Gone

Jaeyoung strolled through the school gates, his usual calm confidence keeping his stride steady. But there was something different in the air today, a strange tension he couldn’t quite place. Everywhere he went, people were glancing his way—some whispering, others giving knowing smirks, as if he were the center of some joke he didn’t know about. But he shrugged it off, assuming it was just another day at Fourth Haven where people often had nothing better to do than gossip.

However, by lunchtime, the unusual attention started to wear on him. He headed to the cafeteria, finding his bandmates, Jihoon, Daehyun, and Sanghoon, already sitting together. They looked up as he approached, wearing identical expressions of shock, amusement, and maybe… a touch of worry?

“Hey, guys,” Jaeyoung greeted, sliding into his seat. “What’s with the looks?”

They exchanged glances, an unspoken conversation passing between them. Finally, Jihoon leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Uh… Jaeyoung, you do know, right?”

Jaeyoung frowned, his nerves beginning to prickle. “Know what?”

Sanghoon pulled out his phone, handing it over. “You posted something… interesting last night.”

Jaeyoung’s heart dropped. The first thing he saw on Sanghoon’s screen was his own Instagram story from last night—the picture he had taken of Jimin. Her back was to the camera, her silhouette softened by the night lights of Seoul, her posture carrying a gentle, unguarded beauty.

He stared, frozen, his mind racing. How… How did I even post this? He remembered looking at the picture before bed, but actually posting it? That wasn’t the plan.

“Dude,” Daehyun said with a mixture of awe and laughter, “you’ve basically announced to the whole school that you’re obsessed with her. You might as well have written a love letter.”

Jaeyoung’s cheeks burned. “I… didn’t even mean to post this,” he muttered, his mind spinning as he tried to process the situation.

Jihoon raised his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair. “Well, whether you meant to or not, it’s out there. And everyone has seen it by now.”

Jaeyoung covered his face, the reality of it hitting him hard. No wonder everyone was staring.

He stole a glance around the cafeteria, catching sight of Jimin and her friends across the room. The Queens were huddled together, whispering intensely, with Jimin looking uncharacteristically flustered. Wonyoung caught his eye and raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching in a half-smile that seemed almost… triumphant.

Jaeyoung quickly looked away, his face heating up all over again. His bandmates snickered.

“Bet she’s gonna think you’re in love with her,” Daehyun teased.

“Or maybe she’ll be flattered,” Jihoon added with a grin. “I mean, that’s some dedication.”

Jaeyoung sighed, not sure whether he wanted to laugh or hide under the table. “I don’t even know what to say to her now.”

“Maybe nothing,” Sanghoon suggested, shrugging. “Act like it’s no big deal. If she brings it up, just… play it cool.”

But Jaeyoung wasn’t so sure he could pull that off. His mind spun with ways to fix this mess, but a part of him wondered if there was anything to fix at all. The picture itself was innocent—just a moment, a memory. Yet, now it felt like a confession, one that he wasn’t ready to make.

Across the cafeteria, he caught Jimin glancing his way, her expression unreadable. Was she… embarrassed? Amused? He couldn’t tell, but he knew one thing—he was in deep, and whatever happened next, there was no going back.