✓ | cool for the summer, sim jaeyun

𝟐𝟕. ( wasn't he gay? )

IT WAS SAFE to say that Isabel Park did not want to be at school. She hadn't realized how much she hated the place until the obnoxiously bright lights that lit up to corridors beamed in down into her eyes and the posters that had been slapped onto every locker with the words 'WINTERBALL' plastered across it, making her roll her eyes.

It hadn't even turned eight am yet and she was already being informed about a prom she knew didn't want to go to.

All she wanted was for it to be summer again. She wanted the sun to shine down onto her and feel it kissing her skin, whilst being able to wear shorts and tank tops while watching her brother and his friends play in the pool. She wanted to go to beach parties again. She wanted to eat from the barbecue her father had going in their holiday home's garden. She wanted Jake Sim. She wanted to be in his presence again. She wanted to feel his lips against hers and have his hands explore her untouched body.

It had been a week since returning to Seoul and to say the two had kept in touch would be an understatement. She even had to change his contact name from 'Jake' to 'Amazon' they spoke that much, afraid that her brother would spring a surprise visit on her and her family and for some reason go through her phone.

They managed to call each other every night without being caught, and sometimes it'd be face time, where Isabel would watch as Jake played on his Playstation or build one of his many Lego models, laughing at how frustrated he got, and Jake would watch in awe as she re-organized her shelf of albums, telling her he'd buy her some from Australia.

If there was a night where they couldn't face time for some reason, then they'd voice call. They enjoyed hearing each others voices and hearing about each others days and Issy would get the older boy to speak to her in English, telling him that she liked his accent whilst he told her to get some sleep due to the two hour time difference they had.

"Issy!" She heard one of her friends call out to her, making her break away from her thoughts and look up from her locker and in the direction of the overly-hyped girl that was hurrying over to her. "Did you hear?!?" Lee Hayoon wondered with a wide beam on her lips.

Confused, Isabel furrowed her brows and shook her head, waiting for her friend to continue. "There's a new boy in our year."

"Really?" Issy questioned, quite shocked at the information she was told. It wasn't often a new student would join the school, so it was an exciting event for her and her classmates. It was a fresh face and a new personality to add to the rather small school.

"Yeah, and so far, everyone says he's nice." Hayoon explained as the two girls soon began to make their way to their first class of the long and dreaded day. "Though, some think he's gay, but they could always be wrong." She shrugged, the same cheery smile not once leaving her thin lips. "I hope they are wrong, my Grandma's really getting onto me about getting a boyfriend." She huffed out, slumping her shoulders.

"It'll happen eventually, Yoon," Issy reassured, a chuckle falling from her lips as she looked down at the shorter girl. "Don't worry and don't force it, it won't be natural then." She explained and all Hayoon could do was bob her head in agreement, thanking her friend for her advice before they parted ways.

As soon as Isabel entered her French class, a sense of annoyance filled her body and she immediately groaned. It was her most hated lesson and so when she walked in and noticed that her usual seat at the back had been taken, she couldn't help but roll her eyes before making her way over to the front of the class.

She sat in silence as she retrieved her work book from her bag, hoping and praying the lesson would go by faster than ever. She really hated the subject. She always struggled to find the point to it and what didn't help her hatred for the lesson was the teacher, who always seemed to pick on her for answers.

"Is this seat taken?" An unfamiliar voice politely asked, causing her to look away from her book and up at the pretty-looking boy that was stood at her desk, motioning to the empty seat beside her.

His features were divine. His dark eyes were fierce and they couldn't help but remind her of a fox as she looked into them. His face was round and his nose was sharp and pointed and his lips were pink, plump and glossy.

Immediately, Issy smiled up at him and shook her head, allowing him to sit down beside her; his floral scent hitting her nose as he sent her a wide grin.

"I'm Kim Sunoo, by the way." He introduced and held his hand out for the girl to shake — which she gladly did. "The new boy." Sunoo explained further, and Isabel couldn't help but let out a chuckle. He seemed friendly.

"Isabel Park."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." He complimented, in what Issy thought would be a friendly tone, however the smirk that was appearing on his lips and the flirtatious glint in his eyes made her think otherwise.

Wasn't he gay?

✿

When Isabel's French lesson eventually finished, she walked out with a laugh escaping past her lips instead of a frown and Kim Sunoo talking her ear off. He had managed to make (what would've been) one of the worst experiences of her life into a fun one, where it seemed her laughter never stopped.

"You should sit with me at lunch and meet my other friends," Issy suggested as they walked side by side and Sunoo nodded his head, his cute cheeks becoming as big as red apples. "I'm sure you'd get along with them just fine." She stated.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll catch you later, Issy." He happily waved his hand before heading down another direction of the school to find his lesson.

All the Park girl could do was smile slightly as she stood in the schools corridor, thinking over her interaction with the new boy. She hadn't even told him to call her Issy and yet he was already doing so.

She could tell they were going to become close.

✿