Jae is nowhere to be found the next few days.
Today's no different.
I notice it the second I walk into school. I tell myself I'm not looking for him, but my eyes keep scanning the hallways anyway.
By second period, I've checked his usual spots twice without even realizing it.
Nothing.
By lunch, I'm officially annoyed.
I keep thinking about the way his voice sounded that day.
About how broken he looked standing in my driveway.
About the look in his eyes when he talked about his friend.
James talks. I nod. I barely hear a word he's saying.
By the time the final bell rings, I'm convinced I imagined whatever almost-connection we had yesterday.
I head straight for the bike rack, already digging through my bag for my lock key.
That's when I see it.
My front tire is completely flat.
"You've gotta be kidding me," I mutter, crouching down and pressing my thumb into the rubber like that might magically fix it.
"Problem?"
I freeze.
I know that voice.
I turn around slowly.
Jae is standing a few feet behind me, hands in his jacket pockets, watching me with that same calm expression like he hasn't been missing all day.
"Wow," I say, more to myself than him. "You're actually here."
He smirks. "Rough day?"
"You disappeared."
"Had stuff to take care of," he says, his gaze dropping to my bike.
"You okay?" I ask, after a moment of silence.
He looks up at me, then nods.
I nod back, unsure what else to say.
"My tire's flat," I say, trying to change the subject. "I rode it this morning. I don't even know when this happened."
He crouches beside the bike, checks it once, then looks up at me.
"You're not riding that home."
"I don't really have a choice."
He straightens, meeting my eyes. "Yeah. You do."
I blink. "What?"
"I can give you a ride."
I hesitate—just for half a second.
Then I nod. "Okay."
***
"You wanna come in?" I ask, my voice a little shaky.
Jae pauses mid-step, glancing at the door, then back at me. There's this tiny hesitation in his eyes that makes my chest flip.
"You sure?" he asks.
I nod, trying to play it cool.
"Okay, just so you know," I say, leaning in slightly and lowering my voice, "if my sister's home, be prepared. She's completely obsessed with good-looking Korean guys… full-on fangirl mode."
"You saying you find me good-looking?" Jae smirks.
That totally catches me off guard.
My cheeks heat up instantly, and I open my mouth to answer—but absolutely nothing comes out.
I can just smile like an idiot.
Jae chuckles, clearly enjoying this way too much. "Got it," he says. "I'll be ready."
The moment we step into the living room, I see her.
Sofia is standing completely still, like a statue, her eyes locked on Jae as if she's just spotted a mythical creature.
It's both hilarious and… kind of creepy.
"What are you doing?" I ask, trying to sound annoyed, but my amusement slips through anyway.
She doesn't answer. She doesn't even blink.
I glance at Jae, expecting him to look uncomfortable, but somehow he's totally calm about it.
"Sofia!" I say louder, trying to snap her out of it.
"Huh?" She jerks slightly, finally acknowledging me. "What?"
"What are you doing?"
"I—uh…" she stammers. "I saw you guys coming in."
Jae, like the absolute legend he is, just goes with it. He smiles and extends his hand.
"Hi, Sofia."
Sofia stares at his hand like it's the most fascinating thing she's ever seen.
"This is Jae," I say. "My friend from school. Jae, this is my sister, Sofia."
Sofia lets out a tiny shriek and immediately switches into full fangirl mode.
"Annyeonghaseyo!" she squeals, throwing her arms out in a clumsy attempt at a Korean bow.
Jae bows back, completely serious. "Annyeonghaseyo."
Her eyes go even wider. "You look like one of those K-drama guys!"
Jae laughs. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I-I'm sorry," she blurts, suddenly self-conscious. "I just… I really like K-dramas."
"It's all good," Jae says with an easy grin.
"Have you ever thought about becoming an actor?" she asks, immediately firing off another question.
"Sof," I warn.
Jae chuckles. "No. I've never really thought about it."
She's clearly not done. "Is your name really Jae? Where were you born? Are you actually Korean?"
"Sofia," I say more firmly.
But Jae doesn't seem bothered at all. He smiles and answers calmly, "Yeah. My name's Jae. Song Jae-in. I was born here, but both my parents are Korean."
"Wow," Sofia says. "That's so cool."
I catch myself repeating it quietly.
"Song Jae-in."
The name feels… nice. Each syllable rolls off my tongue, soft and warm, and I don't even realize I'm smiling until I say it again.
Jae's gaze sharpens for a second, clearly caught off guard by the way I say it, but then his lips curve into a small smile.
Sofia giggles, clearly noticing.
"Do you like K-dramas, Jae?" she asks, leaning in like the answer might change her life.
Before he can respond, I jump in.
"Sofia, we gotta go."
She nods way too fast, still staring at him like she's in a trance.
Jae opens his mouth to say something, but I grab his sleeve and pull him in front of me, basically marching him upstairs to my room.
"Thank you," he whispers once we reach my door. "I don't have anything against K-dramas, they're just… not my thing. And I didn't want to break her heart."
I nod, appreciating that way more than I probably should.
I realize I'm grinning like a lunatic.
He raises an eyebrow. "What's got you all smiles?"
"Your full Korean name," I say. "I think it sounds kinda cute."
"What?" he says, mock offended. "I'll have you know 'Song Jae-in' is a perfectly respectable and manly name in Korea."
I burst out laughing, holding my stomach. "Manly? Sure. If you say so."
He laughs too. "Cute, huh? No one's ever said that before."
"So should I start calling you Song?" I tease.
"No way," he says, shaking his head. "That's my last name. In Korean, last name comes first. My given name is Jae-in."
"So you prefer just Jae?"
"Yeah. When I was a kid, I introduced myself as Jae-in, trying to hold onto my roots and all. Then someone started calling me Jane."
I completely lose it.
"So you became Jae just to survive?"
"Pretty much," he grins. "But you can call me Jane if you want."
"Nope," I say between laughs.
"Jae suits you better," I add once I calm down.
He looks around my room, and his eyes stop at the Tolkien quote on my wall.
"Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars," he reads.
"You really love LOTR, don't you?" he asks.
"Yeah," I say, meeting his gaze.
"Why?"
"It's timeless," I say quickly. "It means something."
He nods, then tilts his head. "That's not the real reason."
I blink. "What?"
"Why does it really matter to you?"
I'm surprised by the question—but I answer anyway.
"The world is kinda messed up right now," I say quietly. "There's so much negativity and crap everywhere. It's easy to get lost in it."
He listens. Really listens.
"It feels like we're facing our own Mordor," I continue. "People start with good intentions—freedom, equality—but then it all gets twisted. Used in ways that feel… wrong."
I swallow. "Like Sauron's influence. And the ones fighting it feel outnumbered."
Jae exhales slowly. "Wow. That's heavy."
Then he smirks. "So… are we forming a fellowship or what?"
I laugh.
He steps closer, his voice softer now. "Maybe that quote's right. Maybe we can be the stars."
"The ones that still shine," he adds, "no matter how dark it gets."
The moment stretches.
He leans in.
I do too.
Suddenly, loud Korean music blasts through the wall next door.
We jump apart.
"Oh my god," I groan. "This is so embarrassing. Hold on."
I march to her bedroom.
"Sofia! Can you turn it down?"
"Oh! Sorry!" She says, a little too loud. "I got carried away!"
Then, louder: "YOU'RE DATING AN OPPA?!"
"I AM NOT DATING HIM!"
She gasps. "He's so handsome! It's like Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo had a baby and named him Song Jae-in!"
"I mean—if they hadn't divorced. And if they were older."
I rub my face. "First of all, I don't even know who those people are. Second—keep it down!"
She responds by doing some kind of wild dance.
I flee.
When I get back to my room, Jae is smirking.
"I didn't expect a K-pop serenade while quoting Tolkien."
"Yeah," I sigh. "Welcome to my life."