The gentle clink of plates echoed through the dining area as Jihoon absentmindedly pushed his food around. Jake sat across from him, happily digging into his meal. Jihoon, on the other hand, was far from engaged. His mind was still tethered to the nightmare that had shaken him the night before. The vivid image of those piercing green eyes haunted him, refusing to fade no matter how hard he tried to dismiss it as just a bad dream. His exhaustion was written all over his face, with dark circles shadowing his eyes.
Jake, ever the master of tactless timing, broke the silence with a question that made Jihoon's stomach drop.
"Were you jerking off all night?"
Jihoon nearly choked on his drink, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and mortification. Across the table, the maid serving them froze mid-step, clearly caught off guard.
"W-what?!" Jihoon sputtered, coughing as his face flushed. "Are you crazy? What the hell are you saying?"
Jake merely leaned back in his chair, a smug grin plastered on his face. Jihoon shot an apologetic glance at the maid, who nodded stiffly before scurrying out of the room, her face nearly as red as Jihoon's.
As soon as she was gone, Jihoon smacked Jake upside the head, the sound of the slap echoing between them.
"Ouch!" Jake yelped, rubbing the sore spot with a pout. "Why'd you do that?"
Jihoon glared at him, his irritation flaring. "You're seriously asking me that? Can't you keep your damn mouth shut for even a second? Do you have any idea how embarrassing you are?"
Jake, unfazed by the scolding, shrugged, feigning innocence. "I was just asking a question. No need to lose your mind over it."
Jihoon groaned, gripping his fork tighter as he forced himself to focus on his breakfast, aggressively stabbing a piece of food before chewing on it like it had personally offended him. Jake watched him with an amused expression, seemingly entertained by his friend's reaction.
"Alright, alright," Jake said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Don't get mad. I was just joking. Lighten up, man."
Jihoon glared at him, his patience wearing thin. "I swear, if you keep this up, I'm going to punch you so hard you'll be seeing stars for a week."
Jake chuckled nervously, scooting slightly away from Jihoon's reach. "Okay, okay, no need to get violent! I don't want to lose my good looks just yet."
Jihoon rolled his eyes and shook his head, choosing to ignore him. Jake's antics were nothing new, but today, with his mind still clouded by that nightmare, it grated on his nerves more than usual. As the silence stretched, Jake leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm.
"Hey, seriously though," Jake said, his tone softening. "You look like crap. What's going on? Did something happen?"
Jihoon hesitated, his fork pausing mid-air. He debated brushing it off, but Jake's genuine concern caught him off guard. Sighing, he set his fork down and ran a hand through his hair.
"I had a nightmare," Jihoon admitted reluctantly. "It was…bad. And I barely got any sleep because of it."
Jake frowned, leaning closer. "What kind of nightmare?"
Jihoon shook his head, his jaw tightening. "Doesn't matter. Just drop it."
Jake studied him for a moment before sitting back, nodding. "Alright, but you know you can talk to me if you need to."
Jihoon didn't respond, returning his focus to his plate. Despite Jake's annoying behavior, there was a flicker of gratitude in Jihoon's chest. He wouldn't admit it, but knowing Jake cared—beneath all the teasing—made the irritation a little easier to bear. For now, though, he just needed peace.
Jake noticed Jihoon's troubled expression and decided to steer the conversation to something lighter—or at least, more entertaining for him. Though he wouldn't admit it, he did care about Jihoon, if only a little. "So," Jake began, leaning back in his chair with a mischievous grin, "how are things with Ryan?"
The question caught Jihoon off guard, his eyes snapping up to meet Jake's before darting away again. He fidgeted, clearly uneasy. "Huh?" Jihoon stalled, his voice rising slightly.
Jake tilted his head, the grin widening as he zeroed in on Jihoon's reaction. "Don't play dumb. You heard me. How's Ryan?"
Jihoon's mind immediately flashed back to the previous night—the tension, the way Ryan had looked at him, the words he'd let slip. His cheeks flushed as he forced a nervous smile, avoiding Jake's gaze.
"Hmm?" Jake leaned in closer, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Why are you acting weird? You're hiding something."
"No, I'm not," Jihoon stammered, staring resolutely at his plate.
Jake's grin turned into a dead-serious stare. His playful tone dropped. "Jihoon."
Jihoon squirmed under the weight of Jake's gaze, his resolve crumbling. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you!" He threw up his hands in defeat.
"Well? Spit it out," Jake demanded, crossing his arms as he waited.
"I might have…uh…sort of confessed to him," Jihoon mumbled, the words tumbling out so fast Jake almost didn't catch them.
Silence fell between them, so thick Jihoon thought he might suffocate under Jake's stare. When Jake finally spoke, his voice was low and disbelieving. "You did what?"
Jihoon's shoulders hunched as he tried to shrink into himself. "I said I confessed to him," he repeated, barely above a whisper.
"Excuse me—what the actual fuck are you saying right now?" Jake's voice rose, his composure snapping. He leaned forward, his face inches from Jihoon's. "You confessed? To Ryan? Why? What were you thinking?!"
Jihoon gulped, his hands clenched into fists. "I wasn't thinking, okay? He asked what I wanted from him, and I panicked. I didn't know what else to say, so I…blurted it out."
Jake stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You blurted it out? You panicked? Jihoon, are you insane? This wasn't part of the plan! You can't just—ugh!" He dragged a hand down his face, groaning. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You don't even like him."
Jihoon tried to defend himself, his voice shaky. "I mean…it's not like I meant it or anything! It's not a big deal—"
"Not a big deal?" Jake's voice pitched higher in frustration. "Not a big deal?! Jihoon, we're here to stop Ryan from ending the world, not accidentally make him fall in love with you!"
Jihoon winced, his stomach twisting at the thought. "He's not going to fall in love with me, okay? He's probably just going to shrug it off."
Jake pointed an accusing finger at him, his expression fierce. "And what if he doesn't? What if he does fall for you? What's your plan then? Huh? Because if he finds out this was all a lie, he's going to hate you. And you know what happens if Ryan turns against us."
Jihoon fell silent, his fists tightening as guilt and unease churned in his chest. Jake pressed on, his tone growing darker. "Do you even understand what's at stake here? We're not here to mess around or play games. We're trying to save the world, Jihoon. Ryan's not a monster, but if you push him the wrong way, we might be the ones who turn him into one."
"I know that!" Jihoon snapped, slamming his fist on the table. "You don't think I know how risky this is? I didn't plan for this to happen, alright? It just…slipped out."
Jake shook his head, his voice sharp. "Well, you better figure out how to handle it, and fast. Because if this blows up in our faces, it's not just you who's screwed. It's everyone. Everything."
Jihoon clenched his jaw, glaring at Jake. "I'll fix it," he said, though his voice lacked confidence. "I'll make sure Ryan doesn't find out the truth. I'll keep him on our side."
Jake leaned back, his gaze still heavy with disapproval. "You'd better. Because if we fail, there won't be a world left for us to save."
The room fell into tense silence, the weight of Jake's words pressing down on both of them. Jihoon swallowed hard, the realization of just how badly he might have messed up settling heavily on his shoulders.
To be continued.....