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Jay sat on Jake's couch, his head in his hands, frustration and confusion swirling in his mind like a storm. Jake handed him a can of soda before sitting across from him, his expression neutral but his eyes brimming with concern.

"You look like hell, Jay," Jake finally said, breaking the silence.

Jay let out a humorless laugh, cracking open the can. "Feel like it too."

Jake leaned back, waiting patiently. He knew Jay well enough to understand he'd talk when he was ready.

After a few moments of quiet, Jay sighed heavily. "I think I've really messed up this time, Jake."

Jake tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. "This about Jungwon?"

Jay shot him a glance, the corner of his lips twitching upward in a weak attempt at a smile. "Who else?"

"Alright, spill," Jake prompted, his voice calm but firm.

Jay hesitated for a moment before launching into everything—his father's unexpected visit, the homophobic slurs, the realization that his dad wasn't going to let Jungwon go unnoticed. He admitted how much he'd started to like Jungwon, not just as someone to tease but as someone who made his days brighter.

"And now I'm stuck," Jay concluded, running a hand through his hair. "I want to call the deal off to keep him safe, but I don't want to lose him either. I'm starting to feel like this was all a mistake. Like I'm just going to ruin everything."

Jake listened quietly, his expression unreadable. When Jay finally stopped talking, Jake sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Jay, you've got two choices here," Jake began, his voice steady but firm. "You can actually put in the effort, make Jungwon talk to you, get to know you, and—if you're lucky—get him to love you back. Or you can keep playing these stupid games, messing with his emotions, and end up breaking your own heart in the process."

Jay opened his mouth to protest, but Jake held up a hand to stop him.

"And as for your dad," Jake continued, his tone colder now, "he has stage 4 terminal cancer, right? The guy's not going to be around much longer. What's he really going to do to stop you? Disown you? Cut you off? You've got your own life to live, Jay. You don't need his approval."

Jay sat back, stunned into silence. The weight of Jake's words settled over him, cutting through the fog of confusion and fear.

"You've got to decide what you really want," Jake said, leaning back again. "But don't drag Jungwon into this if you're not ready to be serious about him. He doesn't deserve that."

Jay stared at his can of soda, his thoughts racing. He hated how right Jake was, how brutally honest he'd been. But deep down, he knew this was the wake-up call he needed.

"Thanks," Jay muttered, his voice quieter now.

Jake gave him a small smile. "Don't thank me yet. Just... figure it out, okay? Before it's too late."

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Later that night, Jay sat in his car parked outside the campus dorms, the cool evening breeze slipping through the cracked window. He stared at his phone, Jungwon's name highlighted on the screen. His thumb hovered over the call button, hesitation gnawing at him.

Taking a deep breath, Jay pressed it. The line rang a few times before Jungwon's familiar voice answered, slightly wary.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Jay said, his tone softer than usual.

Jungwon paused for a moment. "Jay? Why are you calling me?"

Jay chuckled lightly, though there wasn't much humor in it. "Relax, I'm not here to annoy you. I just... I need to talk to you about something important."

Jungwon's curiosity seemed piqued. "Okay... what is it?"

Jay exhaled, gathering his thoughts. "About the bet we made. I'm calling it off."

"What?" Jungwon's surprise was evident in his voice. "Why? You're already giving up?"

"It's not that," Jay admitted. "Look, when we started this, I thought it'd be fun—something to mess around with. But the truth is, I didn't think about how it might affect you. And after everything, I realized... I don't want to hurt you. Or myself."

Jungwon was silent on the other end, processing Jay's words.

"I want to end it now before it goes any further," Jay continued. "You don't deserve to be part of my mess, and I don't want to drag you into something that could end badly. You deserve better than that."

Jungwon's heart skipped a beat, the sincerity in Jay's voice catching him off guard. He didn't know what to say, torn between relief and... something else he didn't want to admit.

"So, that's it?" Jungwon asked after a moment. "You're just going to leave me alone now?"

Jay hesitated, his grip tightening on the phone. "If that's what you want, then yeah. I'll leave you alone."

Jungwon frowned, a strange pang of disappointment settling in his chest. "Okay," he said quietly, though the word felt heavier than he expected.

"Thanks for being cool about it," Jay said, his tone lighter now, but Jungwon could hear the tension underneath. "I'll see you around, Jungwon."

"Yeah," Jungwon replied, his voice soft.

The line went dead, and Jungwon stared at his phone, feeling conflicted. He should've been relieved, right? The bet was over. Jay was going to leave him alone.

But as he set his phone down and flopped onto his bed, Jungwon couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. And for the first time, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, he didn't want Jay to leave him alone after all.

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