PARK SUNGHOON²

It was the 3rd of December, the air colder than usual. Sunghoon stood by the lockers, chatting with Jake, his smile wide as the other laughed. He was always like this around him—smiling effortlessly. It was a side of him that you always admired; a side you knew too well since you two were “friends with benefits”. Sunghoon pulled out a sweater from his bag, a dark blue one that you had seen him wear before. It wasn’t anything special—just a simple, polyester sweater. Yet, as he handed it to Jake, a flutter of jealousy twisted in your chest. “Here,” Sunghoon said, his deep voice somehow sounding warm and soft. “I thought you’d like this. It’s been cold lately, and I don’t want you freezing out here.” Jake beamed, taking the sweater with a look of appreciation that made your stomach twist. “Thank you, Hoon,” he said, his fingers brushing Sunghoon's ever so slightly. Sunghoon's eyes softened. “Anytime.” He had given you his sweater before, he said it looked better on you than him. Were his words just lies? You stood there, pretending not to notice, pretending like the tightness in you chest didn’t feel like a weight you couldn’t lift. It wasn’t that Sunghoon had ever promised anything—it was just that, for a brief moment, you had believed that maybe, just maybe, he saw you the way he saw Jake. But no. Jake was the one he gave his sweater to. Jake was the one who made him smile like that. As Sunghoon and Jake walked down the hall together, laughing, you lingered by the lockers, heart sinking. He held his hand while he wrapped his arm around his shoulder. You weren’t Jake. And no matter how much you wanted to be, you never would be. Sunghoon texted you after school excitedly. “Dude! Dude! Should I confess my feelings for Jake? Do you think he will be my boyfriend? I hope she likes me back…” Seeing Jake's name in his text broke your heart even more. Oh, how lucky Jake was. You wish you were Jake.