moonstruck. | 정원

027 | second guess.

★ | twentyseven. second guess
05:43pm : tuesday.

JAY STEPPED OUT of Hyerin's house, the borrowed shirt neatly folded in his hands. he turned back to see her standing in the doorway, offering him a small, warm smile. But behind that smile, Jay noticed something else -a flicker of unease in her eyes.

"thanks again for the shirt," Jay said, holding it up. "I'll return it as soon as I can."

Hyerin glanced down briefly, her fingers fiddling with the edge of the door. when she looked up again, there was a slight blush on her cheeks, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "don't worry about it," she replied softly. "take your time."

Jay nodded, sensing something was off. "is everything okay?" he asked, his voice gentle.

Hyerin hesitated, her smile faltering for a moment before she quickly covered it up. "yeah, I'm fine," she said, but the guilt in her expression was unmistakable.

Jay wanted to ask more, but he decided against it. "alright, take care, Hyerin."

as he walked away, the door quietly closing behind him, Hyerin stood alone in the doorway, the moment felt natural and easy, a moment she wished could last a little longer. but, she also couldn't ignore the guilt weighing on her- guilt because of Jungwon.

;

what Hyerin didn't know was that someone was watching them from a distance. Jungwon had been standing across the street, clutching a small box in his hand. he had come to apologize to Hyerin, to try to fix the awkwardness that had grown between them over the few days. he had even brought her favorite cheesecake, hoping it would help ease the tension.

but just as he was about to go inside, he saw Jay standing there with her, their smiles bright and genuine, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. the sight of them together, so comfortable and happy, made his heart ache in a way he hadn't expected. Jungwon had come with the intention of making things right, but now, all he felt was an overwhelming sense of defeat.

seeing Jay there made him second-guess everything.

he watched as Jay leaned in closer, saying something that made Hyerin laugh, her face lighting up in a way that he hadn't seen in days. Jungwon's grip tightened on the box of cheesecake, his knuckles turning white. this wasn't how things were supposed to go. he was supposed to be the one standing there with her, making her smile, not Park Jongseong.

his presence there, in front of the place Hyerin called home, bothered him more than he wanted to admit. his mind raced with unsettling thoughts- had something happened between them? the idea of Jay and Hyerin being close, maybe too close, gnawed at him.

the fake dating plan was supposed to be harmless, just a way to get Jay to notice Hyerin. but now, seeing Jay leaving her place, Jungwon's stomach churned with unease. he didn't like the thought of Jay being so close to her, especially in a setting like this.

Jungwon couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. he was hurt, jealous even, but he knew he had no right to be. still, the thought of Jay and Hyerin together -doing something he couldn't bear to think about- made it hard to breathe. confusion and a sense of betrayal clouded his mind, and all he could do was watch, feeling more lost than ever.

as Jay finally walked away, Jungwon took a step forward, ready to approach Hyerin. but something stopped him. the image of her happy and carefree with someone else played over and over in his mind. he suddenly felt foolish standing there with the cake, thinking it could fix everything between them.

his heart heavy, Jungwon glanced down at the box in his hand. without another thought, he let it slip from his grasp, the cheesecake falling to the ground with a soft thud. the box tipped over, the cake spilling out onto the pavement, forgotten and discarded.

Jungwon took one last look at Hyerin as she turned to go back inside her house, completely unaware of his presence. he didn't have the courage to face her now. his feet moved on their own, carrying him away from the scene as fast as they could. he didn't look back, the ache in his chest growing stronger with every step he took away from her.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗