Chapter Text
If you didn’t know who Jaeyun Sim was, then you were immediately assumed to be living under a rock.
More known by his non-Korean name, Jake, he had a high reputation at university. For starters, he was the star player for his school’s soccer team, dubbed as one of the best players the school had ever had. It was shocking to know that he wasn’t scouted or anything, only participating in tryouts his first year and being a part of the team ever since.
But despite being an athlete, the brunette is also considered to be studious, especially being a neuroscience major. Working towards a Bachelor’s of Science. So not only did he have to deal with practices three times a week, he also balanced studying for constant tests and exams, somehow making it through the week regardless of his tight schedule. If anything, he was thankful for his friend Jay in supplying him free meals almost every week.
Jake is perceived to be a social butterfly, heads always turning whenever he was in the room. His bright smile and contagious laughter always had people falling for him—everyone wanted to be his friend or lover, even sometimes envied by people. But it was practically impossible for people to hate him.
Well, almost impossible.
Enter Sunoo Kim, a second year business major with a concentration in marketing. As an active member of student life, he knew a good amount of people on campus—that included Jake Sim.
He was not a … fan of the third year.
It wasn’t like he hated him or had anything against him. Rather, his reasoning was mostly because of his charismatics and flirtatious behavior. There was no reason for him to be the way he was! He could literally just live his college life as a normal student, but it seemed like Jake was having too much fun in indulging in others’ (and maybe his own) delusions.
(”Hyung, that literally makes no sense.”
“You just don’t get it, Riki! You don’t even go to college yet, anyway.”
“Don’t worry, Riki. One day Sunoo hyung will come to realize that he’s just as much of a simp like everyone else.”
“Jungwon, I will kick you out my apartment if you keep talking.”)
Long story short, Sunoo would rather die than fall for Jake’s charms. And from the looks of it, it seems like the two would never cross paths and the former wouldn’t have to worry about crossing paths with the upperclassman.
“Of course this would happen to me,” Sunoo grumbled to himself as he took out his laptop from his backpack.
He had walked into his first lecture of winter quarter, an iced matcha latte with soy milk from Starbucks in his hand and a smile on his face as he slipped into a random seat in the class. He had a good feeling for the beginning of the quarter, confident that nothing could get in his way.
Until Jake Sim walked in.
The classroom had already began to fill up, and murmurs were heard throughout the room.
“Oh my gosh, Jake is in this class!”
“Never would I have thought to be in the same class as the star soccer player.”
“Damn, if we weren’t friends, I would’ve told you to move seats so he could sit next to me.”
To his horror, he had realized that he had open seat next to him. (”I knew I shouldn’t have put my backpack next to me!”) So, he could only—discreetly—watch the third year walk over, a sheepish smile on his face. When he was right in front of Sunoo, he asked, “Is it okay if I sit next to you?” Of course, Sunoo was too nice for his own good. He chirped automatically, “Of course!” He even took his backpack off the seat beside him, moving it down so the older male could sit down. The brunette smiled brightly, a couple of distant gasps and squeals heard from other parts of the classroom. “Thank you so much!” He slid into the seat beside the red-haired male, taking his laptop and notebook out from his backpack.
Sunoo took out his phone to send a text to his friends, determined to inform them about his … situation.
triple threat !!!
sunshine: GUYS
sunshine: YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED
im frying: and when i do then what
sunshine: JAKE SIM IS SITTING NEXT TO ME. OF ALL PEOPLE.
im frying: …
im frying: so perhaps u were right i will not believe it
im frying: wait but arent u guys different majors or smth ??
sunshine: im assuming he’s taking it for a gen ed course like me BUT STILL DFDSJDS
alleged catboy: wait what no way
alleged catboy: this is literally the best day ever
sunshine: i hate u. but fr of ALL 150 ppl in this godforsaken lecture he sits next to ME. he doesnt know hes my mortal enemy.
alleged catboy: local delusional twink strikes again
im frying: ^&&(*uhdhskbhcsd^*??
sunshine: i hope u fail this quarter u fucker.
alleged catboy: [heart emoji]
Sunoo rolled his eyes once he put his phone down on his desk before he was once again reminded of the reality he was currently living in. He looked to his right to see a couple of his classmates already with Jake, talking with the smiley brunette.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna sit with me, Jake? I’m sure Seohyun wouldn’t mind moving to a different table!” One of them suggested. A great friend indeed, Sunoo snorted inwardly.
“Nah, thanks though. I like where I’m sitting right now, anyway,” Jake smiled kindly. And there it was—that stupid smile that had people swooning!
Sunoo decided to tune out the rest of the conversation, setting up his notes on his laptop as he waited for the professor to start class.
It was towards the end of class, the professor droning on about the syllabus.
“Before time is up, I wanted to briefly talk about the quarter-long project you all will be working on. This assignment will count for a large portion of your grade, so please listen carefully. It is a time-consuming assignment, hence the reason why I am introducing it now.”
Sunoo honestly couldn’t wait to get out of class and meet with Jungwon, already bored out of his mind. He was even more eager to get away from Jake, whom was paying attention to whatever the professor was talking about.
“I’ll go over the project more later on throughout the quarter, but I do suggest that you start brainstorming with your partner as soon as possible to get the ball rolling. And speaking of partners, your desk mate will be your partner”—wait, what?—“So, get acquainted, trade contact info, and start planning. If any questions come up, please see me after class or send me an email.” The class slowly broke into conversation, partners either cheering or timidly greeting each other.
Sunoo wanted the earth to swallow him whole. No way that the two were partners for a 10-week long fucking project. Just his luck.
“Aye, looks like we’re gonna be partners,” Jake beamed, turning his body to look at the second year. The blonde resisted the urge to slam his head into his desk, instead turning to face the other with a customer service smile.
“Looks like it. My name is Sunoo, by the way,” the blonde greeted.
“Nice to meet you, Sunoo-ssi. I’m Jake.”
“So, do you wanna switch contact info so we don’t forget?” Sunoo asked.
“Oh, eager to get my phone number, huh?” Jake smiled wider, a lighthearted expression on his face. Sunoo wanted to punch him square in the face.
“Sorry, I’m just playing with you. But yeah sure, here,” the blonde was surprised at Jake handing him his phone, allowing him to input his information into the older’s phone. He could feel eyes on the back of his head as he put in his info before he handed it back to him.
“Awesome, I’ll send you a text later on and we can start planning,” Jake suggested, earning a nod from the other. “Yeah sure, sounds like a plan.”
The two got up while gathering their belongings, packing up to head out of class.
“See you later, Sunoo-ssi!” Jake waved at the other before walking the opposite direction of the other.
“Yeah, uh-huh,” the second year waved back half-heartedly before turning on his heel and taking his phone out to text Jungwon where he was.
He found the younger male at one of the dining commons, nibbling at whatever poor excuse of a meal the school dining hall offered. Jungwon perked up at the sight of his older friend, waving him over.
“So, classmates with the Jake Sim, huh?” the ravenette teased, snickering at the other’s glare.
Sunoo scoffed as he took out his boxed lunch that he prepared the night before from his bag, setting it down on the table. “No, it’s worse. We’re partners for a project that lasts all quarter. I’m actually gonna die,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands in dismay.
Jungwon snorted, shaking his head as he popped a piece of orange chicken (?) into his mouth. “Oh please, you’re so dramatic, hyung. From what I’ve seen and heard, he’s nice. Which is a pity, ‘cause you’re not. Now gimme a piece of your katsu.”
The blonde glared at his friend, threatening to stab him with his chopsticks. “I don’t care if he’s nice or whatever. I just don’t wanna be associated with him in any way. And no, you already have like, three full plates in front of you.”
Jungwon only pouted, but didn’t pry any further. “Hyung, I genuinely don’t understand why you don’t like that guy. He’s nice! From what I heard, he’s never been mean to a single person. It’s like, virtually impossible to hate a dude like him.”
“Good for him.” A pause. “Wait, did you say I’m not nice? I am nice!”
“Yup, mhm, so true,” Jungwon answered absentmindedly, scooping a spoonful of rice into his mouth with a hum. Sunoo scowled. “Okay, fine! Here,” he gave him a slice of his katsu, earning a joyous clap from the younger.
“You’re welcome, you brat. Anyway, I literally don’t know what we’re gonna do for our project. If he’s the reason for the downfall of my straight A’s, he will seriously be the reason for my villain origin story.”
“Hyung, he’s literally loved by his professors because of how good he is at staying on top of his classes. Put some faith in him! And maybe you’ll realize he’s genuinely a nice person.”
Sunoo said nothing, feeling his phone buzz next to him. He looked down at it, seeing that it was a number he didn’t recognize.
xxx-xxx-xxxx: Hi it’s Jake! :))
xxx-xxx-xxxx: If you wanna start planning for our project, I’m free to ft later tonight after practice. If you’re okay with that of course!!
sunoo kim: hello! yes i’m free tn after 7:30pm if that’s okay with you haha
jake sim: awesome! i’ll ft u around 8 then!
Sunoo simply liked his message, putting his phone down with a sigh. His gaze flickered up, met with the sight of a smug Jungwon.
“Aw, you’re already texting him? Already halfway there to have him win your heart,” he snickered.
“So what I’m hearing is that I’m not taking you to the mall this weekend?”
“… I apologize for my childish and inappropriate behavior.”
“Mhm, sounds about right.”
“So basically we just have to choose a research topic and then use the readings from the class and outside class, make a 7-8 minute presentation to present to the class, and on top of that, construct a joint 10-page paper? All due in the end of the quarter?”
“…yeah, it’s a lot,” Jake laughed sheepishly, running his hand through his hair in front of his laptop screen.
Sunoo groaned, dropping his head down to his desk as he comprehended just how tedious their project was going to be. “How is this a lower division class? This is so fucked up.” He could hear a distant laugh, most likely Jake since it was coming from his earbuds.
“I know, right? But it’s a good thing she let us start early. Besides, we got this! Easy money,” he grinned. Sunoo looked up from his desk, watching as Jake flexed his biceps as if to prove they had little to worry about.
“I guess so. I’m just not a huge fan of reading numerous research papers and journals,” the blonde sighed, leaning back in his seat. He was at his campus apartment, lucky in having his own room, sharing it with three other people whom he didn’t know nor really care about. They all mutually agreed that as long as they kept their spaces clean and were respectful of each other, then they didn’t feel the need to really talk to one another except occasionally in the group chat.
“Nah, I feel you. That’s why I’m more of a science kind of guy. Well, I guess we do sometimes read, but at least most of the time it’s just calculations and whatnot,” the brunette said, fixing his black-framed glasses on his face.
Sunoo scoffed lowly, unable to stop himself from saying, “Yeah, you’re weird for that.”
Before he could apologize, Jake only giggled from his side of the screen. “I get that a lot. It is kinda weird for me to prefer it, but everyone has their quirks, y’know? Say, what’s your major?”
“I’m in pre-business right now, but I plan on concentrating in marketing.”
“Ah, business majors,” Jake sighed forlornly. Sunoo’s eye twitched. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh no, sorry! It’s nothing against you, but I have a couple of friends who are business majors, and like, it boggles my mind how easy most of y’all have it. Like, I want that life. So bad.”
Sunoo pursed his lips to hide a smile, his eyes shining with amusement. “I guess that’s kinda true. It definitely depends on what concentration you’re doing, but I get what you mean.”
Jake chuckled, resting his cheek on his fist as he looked up at the screen. “Oh, before we get sidetracked, I was gonna suggest a research topic for our project.”
“Go for it.”
“So, I was thinking instead of focusing on the hardships, I was thinking of maybe focusing on the good things, or more specifically, the different ways people celebrate their culture. Like we can talk about how Korean people celebrate happiness versus other cultures. But not to compare, more to observe how everyone is different, y’know?”
Sunoo blinked, nodding slowly. “You know what, that actually sounds good. I like that.”
Jake grinned at that, looking very much like a puppy wagging its tail.
“Cool, so now that we got our research project, I guess we should start looking over class material for a little bit and then go to the library database and see if there’s any readings we can use,” the brunette mused, crossing his hands behind his head as he leaned back against his chair.
“Yeah, sounds like a plan. Well,” Sunoo blew out air, his cheeks puffing out slightly at the action. “That was much easier than I thought it would be.”
Jake chuckled, “No yeah, for sure. I’m sure it has something to do with having a partner like you.”
He winked at the male on his laptop screen, causing the other to scoff.
“Are you trying to imply something?”
“Nah, just teasing you Sunoo-ssi,” Jake laughed, unfazed by the pointed question.
“You can just call me Sunoo. I’m a year younger than you anyway,” the blonde remarked without even thinking twice about it.
“Oh, is that so? Guess that means you gotta call me hyung.” This fucker.
“Rhetorically, yes. But literally? I’m gonna hang up on you.”
Jake laughed squeakily, the other male ignoring the way his heart fluttered (slightly!) at the sound. “Aw, you’re so mean, Sunoo. But unfortunately, I am gonna have to hang up now. I already have a few assignments I gotta work on, but at least we figured out our topic!”
The brunette smiled at the screen, pressing his palms together in apology. “Sorry again.”
Sunoo waved him off, “Don’t worry about it. Just send me a text so we can meet up or whatever.”
“Will do,” the third-year saluted, bidding one last goodbye before hanging up.
The blonde sighed as he stared at himself on his laptop screen, taking a moment to comprehend the last hour. He then wordlessly opened his messages app on his laptop, typing away furiously.
triple threat !!!
sunshine: i cant believe im gonna have to tolerate working with this guy for the next ten weeks. im actually gonna lose my mind
alleged catboy: omfg hyung dw it’ll be fine
alleged catboy: besides, what’s the worse that’ll happen?