The afternoon sun was warm as Ava and Kira were just stepping out of the house.
A knock sounded at the door.
Kira opened it to see Jack standing there, holding a bottle of soda and grinning.
"Hey, Kira! Mind if I come in? I wanted to grab a drink… thought I'd see you too."
Kira raised an eyebrow. "Uh… sure, I guess."
Ava peeked from behind the porch, squinting. "You again?"
Jack turned, flashing a charming smile. "Oh! You live here too? Didn't know you two shared a house."
Kira rolled her eyes. "No, babo. We don't."
Jack held up his hands playfully. "Relax, relax. I just… thought maybe you guys are roommates."
Then, leaning slightly closer to Kira, he said in broken Korean:
"neomu yeppeuda… Kira-ssi." (So pretty… Kira.)
Kira froze, jaw dropping. "Wait… what?"
Jack chuckled nervously. "Uh… I spent some holidays in Korea… maybe I picked up a few words."
Kira threw her head back, laughing. "No way! You heard all the stuff I said earlier, didn't you?"
Jack shrugged, pretending to be innocent. "Maybe… a little. But don't worry, your secrets are safe with me."
Ava snorted, covering her mouth. "You two are ridiculous."
Kira crossed her arms, trying to hide her smile. "Ridiculous is your middle name, babo."
Jack winked at Kira, then looked at Ava. "Don't worry, I'm harmless… mostly."
Ava rolled her eyes, but her heart fluttered.
—————-
Jack was still hanging around the front yard, drinking the soda he brought, while Ava and Kira stood on the porch .... pretending like they weren't lowkey watching him.
Kira nudged Ava softly.
"Why is he still standing there like a statue? He looks like an NPC waiting for side quest."
Ava tried not to laugh. "Maybe he's rebooting."
Jack turned suddenly, smiling as if he heard them. "You guys talking about me?"
Kira's eyes widened and she whispered in Korean without thinking, "ijeosseo? geu neol tteudeureotni?"
(Did he hear? Did he hear us?)
Ava slapped her hand over her mouth to hold back a giggle. "Kiraaa stop, you're too loud."
Jack lifted one eyebrow. "You know… I do understand some Korean."
Kira whipped her head to him like she just got caught cheating on a test. "Ehhh?"
Jack took a slow sip of his soda, acting all cool.
"Korea is fun, you know? I spend my holidays there. My aunt lives in Busan."
Ava stared. "BUSAN?"
Kira squinted suspiciously. "Busan? Are you lying? What's the capital of South Korea then?"
Jack blinked dramatically. "Easy. Busan."
Ava burst out laughing so loud a neighbor's dog barked. "OMGG NOOOO."
Kira smacked her forehead. "It's Seoul, babo!"
Jack snapped his fingers. "Ahh right. Seoul. Sorry. My brain lagged."
Ava whispered to Kira, "This boy want to speak Korean by fire by force."
Kira muttered softly, "jigeum dangdanghan geogiga deo suspicious."
(This confidence is more suspicious.)
Jack leaned over the porch railing, watching them with this weirdly calm expression ….. too calm for someone who just embarrassed himself.
"You know," he said, smiling, "you two talk like characters in a K-drama. It's cute."
Ava stiffened.
Kira blinked quickly.
Something about the way he said it made both girls glance at each other.
Then something strange happened.
Jack's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen, and his face changed for half a second ... like he saw something that annoyed him.
He quickly turned the screen over so they couldn't see.
"Sorry, emergency text," he said too casually. "Nothing important."
Kira's eyes narrowed immediately.
"Kaji ma… show me."
(Don't lie… show me.)
Jack laughed it off, waving a hand. "Nah, nah, it's nothing. I gotta go anyway."
He gave a polite bow — literally a Korean-style bow ….and walked off.
Ava stared at Kira.
"Kira… why did he bow like that?"
Kira froze. "Ava… I don't even bow like that at home."
They both watched Jack walk down the street, completely normal one second…
and then glancing around his shoulder the next, like he was checking if someone was watching him.
Ava gulped softly.
"Kie… is it just me or… is he..."
Kira interrupted in Korean:
"Yeppeun eokkae deuneun geu namja, neomu susiphae."
(That handsome wide-shoulder guy is very suspicious.)
Ava blinked.
"First of all… why are you calling him handsome?"
Kira went silent.
Then: "Focus, babo! We have bigger problems!"
Ava couldn't help laughing, even though something about Jack's text …. and that sudden bow …..left a cold shiver on her neck.
————
Jack showed up to campus the next morning like he had been studying there since birth.
Same backpack. Same calm-boy smile. Same weirdly confident aura as if he already knew everyone.
Ava was standing with Kira near the fountain, talking about their group project, when she noticed the way Kira suddenly brightened.
Kira whispered, "Aish. He is coming."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Walk fast. Pretend we did not see him."
Too late.
Jack waved at them like he was greeting his favorite cousins.
"Morning. Or as they say in Busan… uh… annyeong."
Kira winced. "Please. Never say that again."
Ava forced a polite smile. "Jack. Why are you here?"
Jack lifted his notebook proudly.
"I decided to enroll in the same elective. The counselor said there was an open slot."
Ava blinked slowly.
"… The same elective as us?"
Jack nodded with a sunshine smile that made her blood pressure rise.
"Yep. Creative communication. Sounds fun, right?"
Kira sighed. "This is why you asked for the building name yesterday?"
Jack shrugged. "Maybe."
Ava crossed her arms. Something about the way he kept glancing at Kira was bothering her.
Not the normal flirting type.
More like he was studying her.
Watching her reactions.
Tracking everything she said.
Kira, being Kira, had no idea.
She smiled at Jack like he brought her free tteokbokki.
"You learned more Korean already?"
Jack nodded eagerly. "I practiced. I can say… sarang… wait. No. I will save that one."
Ava choked on air. "Save what?"
Jack turned to her. "Nothing. Forget it."
Ava narrowed her eyes.
It was small, but she felt something sharp pinch her chest.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something she did not want to admit.
Kira playfully bumped Ava with her shoulder.
"Aigoo. Why are you frowning? He is trying."
Ava whispered, "He is trying too much."
Jack looked between them.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Kira said, "Girl talk."
Ava muttered under her breath, "Not for you."
Kira heard that and giggled, but there was a tiny blush on her face too.
Jack noticed.
Ava noticed him noticing.
Kira noticed Ava noticing him noticing.
It was a mess.
Then Jack leaned toward Kira like he wanted to ask her something privately.
Ava stepped forward before she even realized she moved.
"Kira and I have to go to class early."
Kira blinked at her. "We do?"
Ava nodded very firmly. "Yes. We do."
Jack smiled, calm again.
"Alright. I will see you two inside."
He walked away with that same steady step…
and once again he checked his phone with that fast annoyed look.
He turned the screen away so they could not see.
Ava stared after him.
"Something is off."
Kira squinted. "Same feeling. That boy acts like he is hiding a secret agent license."
They started walking to class but Ava could not help glancing behind her again.
Kira smirked softly. "Ava. Are you jealous because he talked to me first?"
Ava's mouth opened. "What. No. Absolutely not. Why would I be… no. Stop."
Kira laughed quietly. "It is cute."
Ava looked away quickly, face warm.
"It is not cute. It is logical suspicion."
Kira leaned closer.
"Sure. Logical."
Ava's heart did a small flip and she hated that it happened right in front of the suspicious new boy.
————————
Class ended earlier than usual because the professor had to leave for a meeting. Students spilled into the hallway like ants escaping a jar. Ava was packing her books when she felt someone tap her shoulder.
She turned and saw Ethan.
He looked… bothered.
Not angry.
Not jealous.
Just tense in a way that made Ava pay attention.
"Ava, can we talk?"
She nodded and followed him toward the quiet side of the hallway near the big windows.
Ethan crossed his arms. "Who is that boy that keeps hanging around you and Kira?"
Ava blinked. "Jack?"
Ethan nodded. "Yes. Him. Why is he suddenly taking your classes. Why is he always exactly where you two are. He was never in this building before today."
Ava frowned slightly. "I do not know. Maybe he is just friendly."
Ethan gave her a look that instantly said he did not believe that at all.
"Ava. I know friendly. That guy is not friendly. He is deliberate."
She raised a brow. "So you are suspecting him too?"
Ethan hesitated. "I am not saying he is bad. I am just saying he feels… off. Like he is pretending to be something. Or pretending not to know something."
Ava exhaled slowly.
"Kira said the same thing."
Ethan nodded. "You should be careful. Both of you."
They walked together toward the courtyard, talking quietly, and Ava tried to convince herself that maybe Jack was just socially awkward. Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe he was just a random guy who liked Korean culture too much.
But then her thoughts were interrupted.
Ethan touched her sleeve gently. "Look ahead. Do not react."
Ava froze.
She stared straight ahead, pretending nothing was wrong.
Ethan whispered, "He is watching you."
Ava whispered back, "Who?" though she already knew.
Ethan tilted his chin slightly.
Across the courtyard, half hidden behind a tree, Jack stood with his hands in his pockets. He was not talking to anyone. He was not walking.
He was just watching.
Watching Ava.
Watching Kira, who was chatting with two girls near the stairs.
Watching both of them like a puzzle he was trying to solve.
Ava's pulse jumped.
She whispered, "Ethan, you think he followed us?"
Ethan answered softly, "I think he already knows your movements."
And it got worse.
Jack lifted his phone.
Not to text.
Not to call.
But like he was taking a picture.
Ava's breath caught. "He did not just—"
Ethan grabbed her wrist lightly. "Do not look at him. If he sees you notice, he will change his behavior."
Ava swallowed hard.
"Ethan… what is happening? He is acting like he knows Kira and I from before."
Ethan hesitated, choosing his words carefully.
"It is possible."
Ava looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"
Before he could answer, Jack suddenly started walking toward Kira.
Not toward Ava.
Toward Kira.
He was smiling again, that calm-boy smile he always wore… but after seeing him spy like that, the smile felt wrong.
Ava whispered, "Ethan. I need to get to her."
Ethan nodded. "Go. I will come behind you."
Ava hurried across the courtyard, heart beating fast, and as she reached Kira she grabbed her bag strap without thinking.
Kira blinked up at her. "Ava. What is it?"
Ava did not answer.
She just whispered, "Do not let Jack walk you anywhere. Stay close to me."
Kira's brows furrowed.
"What happened?"
Ava looked over her shoulder.
Jack was only a few steps away now.
Still smiling.
Still calm.
Ava whispered again, quieter this time.
"He was watching us. And he took a picture."
Kira's eyes widened for a split second, then her expression snapped into that cold Korean switch Ava knew too well.
A dangerous calm.
Jack reached them.
"Hey. I was looking for you two."
Ava studied his face and forced a smile.
"Oh. We saw you."
Jack paused… only for a heartbeat.
Then he smiled again.
Kira slipped one word in Korean under her breath, quiet enough only Ava could hear.
"Jiryeowo."
(Creepy.)
Ava nodded slightly.
And Jack, noticing nothing, kept smiling.