[ meiji's mom 🗣️ ]

meiji's mom 🗣️:
jay
your workmate is contacting me
you didn't inform them that you'll be gone for weeks?

jay:
what?
i did
i filed a vacation leave

meiji's mom 🗣️:
yeah you did
ONLY FOR THREE DAYS
YOU TOLD THEM YOU'LL BE BACK IN A WEEK
WTF IS U THINKING

jay:
pls stop shouting
also yeah i did that so they won't nag me
dw about them
i'll call my boss later

meiji's mom 🗣️:
make sure you do
are you even planning to go back to milan?

jay:
of course
my job is there

meiji's mom 🗣️:
and? it's not like you can't quit
plus i don't think you still want to go back
not when you're busy dating your best friend 😬

jay:
and what does that mean
i am going back to milan
as soon as i finish my business here

meiji's mom 🗣️:
and when does your business actually end?
bc atp it looks like you're straying away from the real reason why you're here
you said you'd clear things up between you and your lovestruck guys
but it's been a week, jay
and all i've seen you do is go on dates with jake

jay:
i'm doing exactly what i planned to do here, ji
jake and i have been working things out
we also talked alr

meiji's mom 🗣️:
so jake is the one that you truly love?
bc from what i've been witnessing, you already chose him
not heeseung

jay:
i know what i'm doing
no need to tell me

meiji's mom 🗣️:
you better be
bc you can't change once you've chosen someone
it's not the same as buying something and swapping it last minute just bc you're indecisive
they're people with feelings
you better be sure of your decision.

---------

jay is pissed off.

does jimin think that i'm just playing around? i like jake, and i'm trying to build the relationship that i ruined before. what more does she want?

he opened his laptop to create an email for his boss. he's gone for a week now, and he knew his supervisor won't be mad. however, he can't be jobless for too long right? i should go back soon.

after contacting his work, jay went out of the room and was greeted by the sight of sunghoon sitting on the island counter of his kitchen. the guy was too focused on his laptop that he didn't notice jay walking towards him.

"busy?" he asked, grabbing one orange from the fruit basket in front of him.

sunghoon glanced at him. "yeah, it takes a lot of work to ruin someone's career. i'm getting a bit stressed." he chuckled.

his eyebrows furrowed. "you're still doing that? i thought you stopped."

"i'll stop once i'm dead, jay. but i don't think that's going to happen soon."

"dude, i'm actually scared for you."

sunghoon stifled a laugh. "i'll be fine. you should worry about that messy love shit that you're creating right now."

jay gave him a glare while he busied himself with peeling the orange. messy? i'm just fixing things.

"jake is my best friend. i like him for too long, he deserves a second chance."

"you sound a bit defensive, i'm not questioning your choice." sunghoon replied with a gentle voice.

"but i hope you know that you can't be too rational when you decide on what you want. love isn't like that. it could be irrational, it could be sudden. sure, it's good that you're using your brain— but don't let it mute your heart."

wow.

that's such great advice coming from sunghoon. jay is in awe of what his friend just said. is he drunk?

"uh, thanks?" jay managed to say after a couple of seconds.

sunghoon let out another laugh. "was that weird? anyway, heeseung will be out of your sight now. that guy decided to isolate himself from the world again, so you don't have to worry about seeing his face."

what?

jay almost stopped moving. he clears his throat, now trying to make the orange the center of his attention.

"just eat the goddamn orange, stop torturing it."

he blinks when sunghoon hits his hand lightly and then takes the fruit from his hand.

"see? it's almost squished. poor orange, getting dragged like a stress ball." sunghoon mumbles before eating it.

heeseung... i won't see him again?

"uh, about what you said... is he moving out of this penthouse?" jay asked, trying to sound casual.

his friend shrugs. "dunno, he didn't say anything. he's probably going to stay with his mother."

jay got confused. "wait, his mother? but isn't she—"

"the one who made him suffer? i don't know. i heard they made up a year ago. i'm not entirely sure since i wasn't here too, but sunoo filled me in with some details."

he reconciled with his mother already? that's good news. jay is still a bit worried though. and to think that he didn't have any idea that it happened...

i mean, i was gone for three years. what did i expect?

---------

[ jungwonie ]

jungwonie:
jake hyungg
how are you?

jake:
hi wonie 😊
i'm doing great, wbu?

jungwonie:
i'm good too hehe
uhm
do you want to eat ice cream with me after work?
if you're not busy 🥹

jake:
sure ^^
but is smth the matter?

jungwonie:
nope not really
i just want you to know that i'm here hyung
☺️

jake:
haha thanks? but you're weirding me out

jungwonie:
ok fine i'll spill
riki told me you've been spacing out too much lately
plus i saw you last time

jake:
spacing out? lol maybe i was just tired at work
but you saw me? when?

jungwonie:
last week
i was about to go to your condominium
but uhhh
i saw you crying inside your car
i'm sorry, hyung
i should've minded my own business

jake:
ah that
it's fine won
you don't have to apologize 😅

jungwonie:
okay hyung 😭
so, ice cream later? 🥹

jake:
hahaha sure sure
i'll just pick you up

-----------

jw ✌🏻 @yinyang tweeted.

twinning with my soon-to-be-bf @simjake 😘 (i'm kidding i'm delusional pls don't believe me)

7288 likes | 936 retweets

replies:

@yinyang heLP WHY IS THIS BLOWING UP?!?! 😭 y'all i'm just a cloutchaser i swear hyung is single .... 🥹
↪@simjake hahaha pls don't cry wonie 🤏🏻
@nishi_rk pls ew pls choose another guy, there's literally a lot out there 😦
↪@simjake wdym by that ????
@hiyyihglow bestie what goes awn in your mind
@chenleave aw how cute! 🥰 makes me wanna tag someone here but ig he's blocked LMAO

-----------

jake raised an eyebrow at jungwon when he heard the boy sigh again. is this the third time already? something's bothering him.

they sat outside of the café, enjoying the breeze of the summer air whilst eating their ice cream. he has known jungwon to be the vocal and sensitive type, so he's expecting him to open up sooner.

he wanted to comfort me, but i guess he wanted to find comfort in someone too.

"how's your life so far?" jake asked, looking straight into jungwon's eyes.

the younger stops eating, putting back the spoon in the cup. "i'm... i'm doing okay, hyung. what about you? any chance you'll tell me about what happened last time?"

jake smiled sadly. after his realization, he hasn't contacted jay yet. he wanted to talk to him, but he's too scared that it'll end up like the confrontation they had three years ago.

will he run away again? will it end up with me being left alone for the second time?

"it wasn't a big deal, really. i just found out something huge."

jungwon looked a bit confused. "but you were crying... hyung, i'm not dumb. is this about jay?"

he nodded, slowly. it was obvious.

"did he hurt you? did he choose heeseung over you?" jungwon asked again.

jake shakes his head. "he chose me." and that's the worst decision he could ever make.

"isn't that good news? i don't get it."

"you're right, it is good news. i was just... crying out of happiness."

but it looked like he was in so much pain when i saw him, jungwon thought but he didn't voice it out.

"enough about me," jake faced jungwon this time. "i heard you sigh three times already. is there anything bothering you?"

jungwon's eyes widen as he slowly puts the ice cream cup on the table. "nothing? i'm just tired at work."

"lies, i know you're going through something again. is it...?" jake's voice trailed off while looking at jungwon for confirmation.

the younger lets out a laugh, sounding a bit pissed off.

"let's not talk about that for now because i'm starting to get mad every time i think about it." jungwon managed to say before stabbing his ice cream with a spoon.

jake sighed. life's too fucked up for the both of us, won.

---------

"you won't see his face anymore."

jay held onto his laptop tight as he pressed the elevator button on the ground floor. he stayed in the lounge all afternoon while communicating with his boss with all the pending work. it's already past seven in the evening.

thank goodness he agreed to let me stay here for another week. he just needed to pass what his boss required him to do.

"isn't that great? you won't have to try so hard to avoid him."

seriously, fuck sunghoon for saying that. he makes it sound like he hates being around heeseung.

that's definitely not true. he's still my friend, regardless of everything that has happened.

he bit his lower lip as he stared at the number of floors flashing on the small monitor of the elevator. 2... 3... 4...

ding!

the elevator stops on the fifth floor, signalling that someone is entering.

the doors opened, and jay stared at the familiar figure in front of him. i knew it.

he blinks, then proceeds to stare at his reflection instead whilst heeseung got inside the elevator and stood on the other side. with a huge space between them.

did he not see me?

jay cleared his throat as the doors closed again. "are you having dinner outside?" he tried to break the silence.

heeseung finally glanced at him for a short second before nodding. okay, so he's mute now?

he holds the laptop tighter, as if he's getting every inch of his energy on the device.

"how's your work? is it tough?" he tried to ask again. "and do you have frien—"

jay stops talking when heeseung stares at him with an unreadable expression on his face. he walks closer, erasing the distance between them.

"wait, i—" he speaks up, but heeseung's intense eyes are making him nervous.

"what are you doing?" he hears heeseung's voice, and suddenly his mind goes blank.

"huh?"

"i said, what are you doing?" his cold tone almost sent shivers down jay's spine.

he looks at him, confused. "w-what do you mean?"

"do you want me to let you go, or not?" heeseung asked, "i'm trying to move on, jay. and you talking to me like we're the best of friends isn't helping."

move on...?

jay inhaled sharply. i don't want that.

"why?" he mutters softly. then he feels heeseung's arms slowly wrapping around his shoulders.

"fuck, i don't think you're this slow. you know what i'm talking about, park. don't play dumb." he hears him whisper back.

jay's heart pounds faster. shit, shit.

"what... what if i don't want you to?"

he heard heeseung cursed again, and then laughed like he just said something crazy. jay felt him rest his head against his shoulder.

"you're going to be the fucking death of me, jongseong."

----------

we're almost there, everyone! 😁

also, hi! sorry for the long wait y'all have to endure 😭 i have to be honest, writing this book is exhausting me 💔 but i love my OLYB characters sm (even tho they're a bit stupid when it comes to love)