Breaking The Bully ⚊ Enhypen Jay

✗ 36 ✗

On a Wednesday morning, I woke up with a stuffy nose to an entirely new Seoul, a crisp and cold one. As I walked to class that morning, the frosty grass from the ground crunched beneath my shoes.

Before I could even say the day would be a hell for me, the teacher went to say we were dismissed for the whole day due to the power going out for the whole day and god knows, they would hate to teach in an oven-like classroom.

So I invited Jake to my dorm since it was nearer than to his house and Jessica was the only one there, saying Candy left to go for a swim with one of her boyfriends. It was safe to say that the day would be amazing.

Once we were in my room, Jake and I worked to open up all the windows to let the wind inside. As we both lied next to the floor, Jake was holding a lighter and decided to suddenly make one of his project where he picked up a large, homemade volcano from the back of his car.

"Don't burn yourself", I said as the flame crept up towards his hand.

"Relax, I've been doing this longer than you know", he said without looking up.

"Okay, just don't burn our dorm. I wouldn't be able to pay for it", I reminded him, lying down on my back.

With his free hand, he grabbed my phone when it rangs up and passed it to me, "You got a text", he said, "From Heeseung? I'm surprised by that"

"Oh, we've been getting acquainted nowadays. He's not that bad like Jay"

"I know. Even their friend, Sunghoon", Jake said without a trace of irony. I smiled, but he didn't notice. "Does it seem at all odd to you that Jay was their friend?"

"Maybe there was a side to Jay that we didn't know?", I answered doubtfully.

He sighed, "Maybe he does. It still doesn't explain why he bullied you before", then he looked at me, "It will please me if you help me here, will ya?"

I sat down next to him with my legs crossed and our knees touching. He pulled a clear plastic crate with the chemicals he was using. He looked at it for a moment, then handed me a test tube and a lighter.

We spent all morning testing his innocent experiment - well, and occasionally lighting off a burning candle just to see the reaction inside his volcano. Over the course of two hours, we added a full foot to the summit and a clay figures to act as the people living near the dangerous volcano.

At 12:30, after two hours of me begging him to take me at Mcdonald's, Jake decided it was time for lunch. As we began to walk to his car, we saw a bus stopped by in the corner of the street. At least two person stepped out of it. One was wearing a black beret.

I've seen that before, I thought. Where have I seen that? And then Sunoo and Niki came running to meet us in the sidewalk.

Rather than like, I don't know, "hello", or something, Sunoo began, "My mom wants to invite you at our surprise family gathering"

Jake whispered something to my ear, and then I laughed before saying, "As long as there will be food, we're in!"

So we walked over to Jake's car, and sped away from my dorm, off into another adventure together.

⚋

Sunoo explained it to us on the two-hour car ride south. His mother heard that the power was out in the city and couldn't bear the thought of not inviting us into their gathering.

Niki seemed so excited on the whole idea, "We got to sleep in a tent. I'd like to make a bonfire!", he said and we laughed at his eagerness.

"Will we be fishing?", Jake excitedly ask to Sunoo who shook his head.

"We'll only be at a camping site, but it was not near to any lake", Sunoo said with a shrug.

Except it turns out that the gathering was just Sunoo's family and they all welcomed us with the the tents already prepared. They rented a trailer as well, as in the kind of thing they used in a luxurious camping.

The place was really one long room inside with a full size bed in the front, a kitchenett, a living area in the back with a TV, and a small bathroom - they attached it to another trailer for extra rooms.

"It ain't much of a celebration", Sunoo's mom told us, "But it's been a long time since we go out and we missed our Sunoo", she laughed after letting us walk around the camping site.

Sunoo ushered us out of the trailer immediately after a brief tour, and we walked through the whole area, to see a small creek in the side and there's a whole large of woodlands surrounding us.

They even offered to played games, but as much as Jake and Niki wanted to, I refused with Sunoo, knowing they'll never stop if so allowed.

"This was a good place to rest from the bustle of the city", Jake commented once we were in the swing that he prepared.

I almost didn't reply to him because I was busy reading Heeseung's message to me. I can't even understand myself why am I smiling the whole time.

"We should do it at our break before we get home", I suggested, my eyes glued to my phone.

"Fishing. That's what I'd like to do with Niki for a long time", Jake wondered aloud, looking up to the sky in awe.

The said boy was now playing with those toy guns while Sunoo is happily playing with some bubbles.

"Am I included in the plan?", I asked absentmindedly, still focus on the text.

Heeseung was telling me about how Sunghoon dragged him for a walk on the park since he wanted to take his dog on a walk. He hadn't mentioned Jay, not even once.

"Sunoo would throw a tantrum if you're not there", he chuckled, knowing the younger boy was more attached to me.

But before I could make out a retort, my phone dings and it's Heeseung again, he was asking to see me again for a walk. Maybe to the place where we first talked.

At the stream.

I feel my stomach burst with butterflies. Is that even a thing? If it was, perhaps that's the reason why I was overjoyed by that very simple fact. This is like the first time a guy was direct enough about their intentions.

With Heeseung, I feel like everything was right.

Enjoy your day with your friends, okay? I'll text you later.

I don't want to intrude with your fun.

- Heeseung.

Because of this, I let out a sudden squeal out of my mouth and looking like one of those girls who was noticed by their crush.

After a few minutes, I felt Niki's eyes on me and I could tell he was judging me by the look in his eyes before he glances to Sunoo who were having the same reaction to me.

I then realized the look on Jake's face from beside me in the swing.

"What's wrong?", I asked him.

He looks down at the ground, and I see his once shining bright eyes, flash with hopelessness and unbearable pain that I can't understand I'm even seeing at him.

"You okay, Jake?", I whispered this time, so the two could not hear.

He lets out a weak laugh, running his fingers through his hair, "It's nothing", he began, "it's just that.. you're not mine anymore"

It was fairly simple; I shouldn't even take a second to guess what he meant.

But is Jake telling the truth? Or maybe it was just one of his harmless jokes?

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