The day after the rumors had spread like wildfire, Wonwoo tried his best to ignore the stares, the hushed whispers, and the occasional mocking smirks thrown his way. He had no energy left to care. David had barely spoken to him since their last conversation, and that hurt more than anything else. But he couldn’t dwell on that now—he had bigger things to worry about.

Jain had been absent from school that morning, and Wonwoo had a bad feeling about it. He wanted to believe it was just a coincidence, but his gut told him otherwise. Something was wrong.

During lunch break, he found himself wandering near the rooftop, a place he often went to clear his thoughts. As he pushed the door open, he wasn’t surprised to see Jain standing there, leaning against the railing with a faraway look in his eyes.

Wonwoo hesitated before stepping forward. "You weren’t in class today."

Jain turned his head slightly but didn’t meet his eyes. "Didn’t feel like coming."

Silence stretched between them. The wind was the only thing filling the space where words should have been.

"They know about the bet, don’t they?" Wonwoo finally asked.

Jain exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. And they’re not happy about it."

Wonwoo’s heart clenched. "What did they do?"

Jain let out a bitter chuckle. "They made it clear that I screwed up. That I was supposed to be the one in control, not the one falling for my own game."

Wonwoo’s breath hitched. "Jain…"

Jain finally turned to him, his expression unreadable. "They’re giving me a choice. Either I fix this—make things right by proving it was all a joke—or I lose everything."

A lump formed in Wonwoo’s throat. "And what does ‘fixing’ it mean?"

Jain’s gaze darkened. "It means humiliating you. Publicly. Making sure you know that you were just a pawn."

Wonwoo’s chest tightened, but he forced himself to stay calm. "And what are you going to do?"

Jain clenched his fists. "I don’t know."

Silence again. But this time, it was heavier. More suffocating.

Wonwoo took a step closer. "Tell me the truth, Jain. Was any of it real?"

Jain flinched, looking away. "Does it matter?"

Wonwoo felt something inside him crack, but he nodded. "Yeah. It matters to me."

Jain swallowed hard. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "It wasn’t supposed to be. But… somewhere along the way, it became real."

Wonwoo’s eyes burned, but he refused to let the tears fall. "Then don’t let them take that away from you. From us."

Jain let out a shaky breath, his eyes conflicted. "I don’t know how."

Wonwoo reached out, hesitating for just a second before gripping Jain’s hand. "Then let’s figure it out together."

Jain looked down at their hands, his grip tightening. But the storm in his eyes hadn’t settled.

The question remained: When the time came, would he choose Wonwoo—or everything he had ever known?