✓ SOUR SWEETHEARTS | JAKE

33 - Greatest Betrayer

"How are you doing?" Seojin's voice from the other line of the call made her shrug and hold her knees closer to her chest. "The new semester will start soon." 

"Yeah. I should work hard this semester. How are Mom and Dad?" She hadn't spoken to her family in a while, and she felt guilty for not keeping in touch as much as she should have.

"They're good. Worried about you, though. They haven't heard from you in weeks. You know they miss you, right?" Seojin's tone was gentle and concerned but she felt like there was something more. He had been like that since their Jeju trip and she couldn't put her finger on what was going on with him. "Do you still meet Jake?" The question felt surreal coming from her brother, who hated Jake's guts.

Y/N bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. She knew he was going to give her a whole lecture about how Jake was trouble so she had no idea what to expect next. "I... don't. We're not neighbors anymore. He moved some time ago." Y/N replied, careful with her words, not wanting to give her brother any reason to worry further.

Seojin's tone shifted, showing a hint of relief. "That's... good. Maybe it's for the best."

"Why do you seem so relieved, Seojin?" She pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and sighed heavily. "Do you even realize that I love him? You make it look like he's a criminal or something."

"I'm doing this for your own good. You don't know anything, Y/N, so you better listen and stop with your romantic fantasies. Jake is not the person you think he is."

"So who is he? Why can't you talk? Or are you just trying to convince yourself that this is how brothers should protect their sisters? When I told you I wanted you to see me as your real sister and not a fake one that your parents adopted, I wanted you to trust me and respect my choices, not make me feel like a child who can't make her own decisions."

"You don't understand-"

"I don't want to understand! Can you just leave me alone and stop trying to control my life?" Seojin fell silent at her words and before she knew it, he hung up. Y/N stared at her phone, letting out a mock gasp as she threw it on the couch in frustration. "He doesn't understand," she mumbled to herself, heading to her room where she started getting ready to go to the library for her shift. Jake hadn't told her about what happened with Heran and it almost looked like he didn't want her to know.

Are you free today? Please come to the police station as soon as possible. Detective Park's text made her pause while she organized the books in the library. Throughout the whole day, she wondered what he could want to discuss with her and if they discovered anything new about her parents' case. So when her shift was finally over, Y/N left the library and made her way to the police station.

"Hello, Detective Park," Taking the seat across from him, she watched him look down at his hands, not able to meet her eyes. His usual calm and collected demeanor seemed shaken, and it made Y/N even more anxious. "Did something happen?"

"I think we found out who put up the fire that night." The words made her suck in a breath and tighten her fists. "He's a big head. A businessman who built his empire on illegal activities, including drugs and extortion. It seems your father unintentionally got involved with him."

"Was it Jake who told you? He was the only witness." Her words hung in the air while he looked down and avoided her gaze. "Detective Park, was it Jake?" 

He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "No, Y/N. What I'm going to tell you will be a little difficult to hear but... the man who set the fire is Jake's father." If Y/N could sum up her feelings at that moment, it would be like the world had crumbled beneath her feet. It would be a hurricane of shock, disbelief, and heartbreak.