Chapter Text
The soft, cherry breeze swished through the spring air as the bustle of students filled the school courtyard of Seonwoo High. The cherry blossom trees flowed with the winds as the students mingled and walked into school.
Somewhere in the distance, an alarm clock rang. A hand stretched out from the white blankets, slamming the clock to the floor with an annoyed grunt. The loud chime of the clock resonated in the room as Jake lifted his head slightly out of the blanket, bleary eyed and fatigued.
“Ugh..” He sat up and stretched his muscles. He slowly reached down for the clock,
blinking owlishly as he looked at the time: 7:50 A.M.
“...” He wiped at his eyes before looking again, “What!” Jake shot up before stumbling forward at the sudden movement. He dashed towards his closet, ransacking it for his school uniform and his duffle bag from somewhere in the cluttered mess.
He floundered down the stairs, nearly falling as he ran to the kitchen and popped some toast in the mini oven on the slick kitchen counter. He rummaged through his bag, looking for his wallet before the oven dinged, and in a hurried frenzy, he stuck his hand into the burning toaster.
“Ah, you gotta be kidding me!” He yelped, tossing the sizzling toast from hand to hand before cramming it in his mouth and lunging for his shoes. He hurriedly shuffled them on before running out the door and dashing down the street.
He flew down the street as he made his way to school. “How could I possibly be late to school on the first day of Junior year! Gosh, this is gonna be so embarrassing!” His mind continued to incessantly nag him as he continued to run, surprisingly not choking on the toast. He turned the corner but failed miserably to see the figure that rounded that exact corner with him.
BAM!
In a second, both Jake and the mysterious person were on the hard cement with cake(?) scattered all around them. Jake swiftly got up to his feet and picked the person up in one quick movement.
“Gosh, I’m so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going and um- yeah, so sorry but I really-”
“Fuck… the cakes are ruined.. You’re gonna have to pay for these, you clumsy bastard.”
Jake looked down in guilt as he looked at the now squashed cakes and nodded before looking at the … wow.
Holy cow, is this dude a looker.
The person looked at him with a frown and fierce, cold eyes. His mullet up in a messy bun as he looked at Jake with irritation.
“... Wipe that look off your face, weirdo.” The man looked away, a slightest tint of peach coloring his cheeks. Jake’s eyes widened as he opened his duffle bag, taking out his wallet.
“How much?” Jake asked as he looked him in the eye. The man went quiet before sighing and taking the broken cake boxes. “Don’t bother paying me, just watch where you're going next time, idiot.” The man tsked as he pushed past Jake with a slight shove and disappeared around the corner.
Jake looked back with a frown, what was his problem? He sighed before picking back up his sprint.
Jake barely made it through the school gates before the bell rang, gasping for breath as he sprinted toward the courtyard where the opening ceremony was already underway. Rows of students sat neatly in their designated seats in the gymnasium, a stark contrast to Jake’s messy hair, crumpled shirt, and general state of disarray.
He awkwardly shuffled into the back of the crowd, trying to blend in as the principal droned on about school spirit, achievements, and “shaping the leaders of tomorrow.” Jake wasn’t really listening. His mind kept circling back to
him
— the mystery dude from earlier.
The cakes. The glare. The messy bun.
"God, am I seriously crushing on some random angry guy I tackled in the street? Get a grip, Jake." He groaned internally and rubbed at his face.
He was just about to start dozing off when the microphone screeched, snapping him awake.
"And starting today," the principal boomed, "we'll be welcoming several new transfer students to Seonwoo High!"
Jake blinked, looking up as a line of students slowly filed onto the stage. Most of them looked normal enough — nervous, polite smiles, adjusting their uniforms.
Then the last student stepped up.
Jake’s heart stopped.
It was him.
Same sharp glare. Same mullet tied up messily. Same pissed-off vibe radiating off him like heat waves.
Jake froze, toast still awkwardly sticking out of his mouth like some tragic cartoon character.
He barely registered the principal announcing, "Samuel Seo, Class 2-A."
"Samuel... Seo...?"
Jake's brain short-circuited.
Of course the hot jerk has a hot name.
Jake tried to look away, act cool, anything — but just at that moment, Samuel’s eyes swept over the crowd... and landed directly on Jake.
For a split second, their eyes locked.
Jake felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.
Was that a faint flicker of recognition in Samuel’s expression? A twitch of the eyebrow?
Or maybe Jake was just hallucinating from toast-induced oxygen deprivation.
Samuel looked away with a scoff, stuffing his hands in his pockets as the students clapped half-heartedly.
Jake?
Jake was still standing there like an idiot, toast drooping out of his mouth.
" I’m so screwed, " he thought miserably.
(Cue the shoujo anime opening music or in our case, “Too late for chocolate” by Kana Hanazawa!)