𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 - 𝘚. 𝘑𝘢𝘦𝘺𝘶𝘯

Art of Revenge

Jake woke up the next morning with one overwhelming thought: She knows. Yeri's quiet, knowing smile from the previous day haunted him like a bad horror movie. He groaned, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, his hair a wild mess. "It's fine," he muttered to himself. "She probably doesn't know. Probably."

By the time he made it to school, he had convinced himself—almost—that he was overthinking. But the moment he spotted Yeri near the lockers, talking quietly with Ningning, his stomach flipped. Don't panic. Play it cool.

"Jake! Hey, wait up!" Niki's loud voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts.

Jake turned just in time to see Niki jog over, flanked by Jungwon and Sunoo. "What's with the face?" Niki asked, grinning. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No reason," Jake said quickly, glancing nervously at Yeri.

The girls were too far away to overhear, but Yeri's eyes briefly flicked in his direction. She gave a small smile before turning back to Ningning. Jake's heart dropped into his stomach. She knows. She definitely knows.

"Dude, chill," Sunghoon said, smirking. "You're acting like you committed a crime."

Jake shot him a glare. "I might as well have," he muttered under his breath.

Sunoo perked up, clearly loving the drama. "Wait, did something happen with Yeri? Spill!"

Jake groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Nothing happened. She just... might know about the package thing."

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow. "Might? Or definitely does?"

"She's dropping hints!" Jake hissed, keeping his voice low. "I swear she's onto me."

"Hints?" Niki asked, clearly amused. "Like what? Did she start calling you Mr. Rude Neighbor?"

"No," Jake grumbled. "But she said something about cookies and apologies yesterday, and I think—"

"You think," Sunoo interrupted, a teasing grin on his face. "Classic Jake. Always overthinking everything."

Before Jake could retort, a shadow fell over them. He looked up to see Yeri walking past, Ningning by her side. Yeri didn't stop, but as she passed, she said softly, "Careful with deliveries, Jake."

Jake froze.

Ningning stifled a laugh as the two girls walked away, leaving Jake gaping after them. His friends burst into laughter.

"She's definitely onto you," Niki said between wheezes.

"Man, you're doomed," Sunghoon added, clapping Jake on the back.

Jake groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I'm gonna die. This is it. She's going to tell everyone, and I'll never live it down."

___

Yeri couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at her lips as she and Ningning walked to class. Her heart was still pounding from the brief exchange. "That wasn't too much, was it?" she asked, glancing at Ningning.

"Not at all," Ningning replied with a mischievous grin. "It was perfect. Subtle, but enough to keep him sweating."

Yeri bit her lip, feeling a mix of nervousness and satisfaction. She wasn't used to being this bold, but something about Jake's nervous energy made her want to push just a little more. She wasn't trying to be cruel—she just wanted to see how far she could go before he cracked.

"What if he figures it out and gets mad?" Yeri asked, her voice quieter now.

"Jake? Mad? Please." Ningning rolled her eyes. "That boy is too busy panicking to be mad. Besides, he deserves a little payback for being a jerk in the first place."

Yeri nodded, but her stomach still fluttered with nerves. She wasn't sure what her end goal was. Did she want him to confess? Apologise? Or was this just... fun?

___

Jake's day didn't improve. Everywhere he went, it felt like Yeri was there, her quiet presence unnerving him. At lunch, he tried to avoid her, but his friends had other plans.

"Hey, Yeri! Ningning! Come sit with us!" Sunoo called out, waving them over.

Jake shot him a look of pure betrayal, but Sunoo just smirked. "What?" he whispered. "You're the one who likes her."

As Yeri and Ningning approached, Jake sat up straighter, his palms sweating. He avoided Yeri's gaze, focusing intently on his food.

"Thanks for letting us join," Ningning said cheerfully, taking a seat next to Sunoo.

Yeri sat quietly across from Jake, her expression calm but her eyes sparkling with amusement. Jake could feel her watching him, and it took everything in him not to look up.

"So," Sunghoon said, breaking the silence. "Jake's been acting weird all day. Any idea why?"

Jake shot him a panicked glare. "I'm not acting weird!"

"You're definitely acting weird," Niki chimed in, grinning. "Maybe it's because of the cookies?"

Jake's fork clattered to his plate. He dared a glance at Yeri, who was looking at him with the faintest of smiles.

"Cookies?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing!" Jake blurted.

The table went silent for a beat before Sunoo snickered. "Smooth, Jake. Real smooth."

Jake groaned, wishing he could sink into the floor. Across the table, Yeri took a sip of her drink, her expression serene. But as she set her glass down, she said softly, "You know, it's always good to own up to your mistakes. Clears the air."

Jake stared at her, his brain short-circuiting. Was she talking about the packages? Or something else? He couldn't tell, and it was driving him insane.

___

After lunch, Jake found himself pacing behind the school, trying to calm down. He couldn't take this anymore. He needed to do something—anything—to fix this.

But as he stood there, trying to summon the courage to talk to Yeri, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see her standing there, her hands tucked into her cardigan pockets.

"Hey," she said softly.

Jake swallowed hard. "Hey."

For a moment, they just stood there, the air thick with unspoken words. Finally, Yeri broke the silence.

"You don't have to look so scared," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'm not going to bite."

Jake laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not scared."

"Sure you're not," Yeri said, her tone teasing.

Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, about the packages—"

Yeri raised a hand, cutting him off. "Don't worry about it," she said lightly. "I just wanted to tease you a little."

Jake blinked, caught completely off guard. "Wait... so you're not mad?"

Yeri shrugged. "Not anymore. But you do owe me an apology. And maybe an explanation."

Jake nodded quickly, relief flooding through him. "Deal."

As they walked back toward the school, Jake felt a strange sense of calm. Maybe this wasn't the end of the world after all.