The Wedding Crashers ⚊ Park Jay [ Sequel ]

✗ fourteen ✗

⚊ chapter fourteen

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Eunjoo. It started as a nagging suspicion, a whisper in the back of my mind that grew louder with each passing day.

At first, I chalked it up to the stress we were all under—Jaehyuk's scheming, the pressure of our plans, the strain of keeping everyone together.

But then I began to notice the little things.

It was subtle at first. Eunjoo would rub her temples more often, her hand lingering on her stomach whenever she thought no one was looking.

She seemed more tired than usual, her energy levels dipping at odd times, and she’d become quieter, more introspective, as if she was holding something back.

Eunjoo wasn’t one to let her guard down easily, but I knew her well enough to see the cracks starting to show.

There was one moment in particular that stood out to me. We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel room, watching the waves crash against the shore, the sky painted in shades of orange and pink as the sun dipped below the horizon.

It should have been a peaceful moment, a rare chance for us to relax. But Eunjoo was distant, her gaze fixed on the horizon, her hands absentmindedly resting on her lap.

“You okay?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

She blinked, as if snapping out of a trance, and turned to me with a small smile. “Yeah, just tired. It’s been a long day.”

I didn’t press her, but something in the way she said it didn’t sit right with me. It wasn’t just exhaustion; there was something else there, something she wasn’t telling me.

I watched her closely over the next few days, trying to piece together the puzzle.

There was the time at breakfast when she pushed her plate away, barely touching her food. Normally, Eunjoo had a healthy appetite, but now she seemed to be avoiding certain foods altogether.

I’d caught her staring at a cup of coffee like it was poison before she reluctantly switched to tea. Then, there were the small bouts of dizziness. I’d seen her sway slightly when she thought no one was watching, steadying herself against a wall or table.

Each time, she’d brush it off as nothing, but it was starting to add up.

It wasn’t until a few nights later that my suspicions solidified into something more concrete. We had just returned from another late-night strategy session with the group.

Eunjoo had been quieter than usual, her hand resting on her stomach as she leaned back against the cushions of the hotel bed. I noticed her wince slightly, her face pinching in discomfort before she quickly masked it with a smile when she caught me looking.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting down beside her.

“Nothing, really,” she replied too quickly. “Just a bit of an upset stomach.”

But I wasn’t buying it. I knew Eunjoo too well to let it go.

I reached out and gently took her hand, feeling the tension in her grip. “Eunjoo, you’ve been off lately. Tired, queasy… You can tell me what’s going on.”

She looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and something else—was it fear?

She hesitated, then shook her head. “Jay, it’s nothing. I’m just stressed with everything that’s going on. I’ll be fine.”

But I knew better. The signs were all there, staring me in the face. I just didn’t want to believe it at first because if it was true… it would change everything.