Jake Sim wakes up with the weight of the world crushing his chest, a heavy, suffocating pressure that makes him consider staying perfectly still for the rest of eternity.

Maybe, just maybe, if he lies here long enough, the universe will reset. Maybe time will rewind, and he'll wake up yesterday, blissfully ignorant of the fact that today is the day. The day of reckoning. The day of ultimate doom. The day he's expected to choose.

He squints at the ceiling, as if willing the cracks in the paint to offer some kind of divine intervention.

"Please," he whispers hoarsely to the void. "Just let something happen. Anything. A meteor strike, an alien invasion, the earth cracking open and swallowing me whole. I am begging you." He stares for a moment longer, waiting for the fabric of reality to rip apart.

Nothing happens.

Defeated, he groans and flops onto his side, hesitantly reaching for his phone. If he doesn't check it, maybe today doesn't have to exist yet. But then it buzzes again, lighting up ominously on his nightstand. That can't be good. Bracing himself for disaster, he swipes it open.

The group chat is filled with messages. A lot of messages. More messages than should ever exist before 9 AM.

The group chat's name catches his eye, and for a moment, his brain supplies him with a fleeting distraction: "Mango Enthusiasts Club". It makes him snort, because wow, what a lie.

They were never a mango club. The name had come from a dumb inside joke about Sunoo's obsessive love for mango smoothies and how he once had a full-blown existential crisis because a cafe ran out of them.

It had been a moment of pure, undiluted chaos—Sunoo standing there, utterly devastated, while Heeseung, tears in his eyes from laughing too hard, had tried to bribe the cafe worker into blending a different fruit and lying about it. They had been politely asked to leave. That night, Ni-ki renamed the group chat, and it had stuck ever since.

Jake giggles to himself at the memory, a brief moment of joy before the crushing reality of today slams back into his skull.

Right. The messages. He sighs and scrolls up.

Jay: Wake up, dumbass.

Sunghoon: Judgment day. Hope you're ready.

Sunoo: You have until lunch. If you ghost us, I'm leaking your ugly childhood photos.

Jungwon: You might as well get up now. We all know you're reading this.

Ni-ki: If you oversleep, I'm picking for you.

Heeseung: Guys, what if he already left the country?

Ni-ki: What if he left the planet?

Sunghoon: Coward.

Jake stares at the messages, then groans into his pillow. This is not happening.

He drops his phone onto the bed and groans dramatically, flopping onto his back like a tragic hero in an old movie. Maybe if he stays perfectly still, the day will pass without acknowledging him. Maybe they'll just—forget.

Spoiler: They don't.

Before he can fully disappear under his blanket, his phone buzzes again.

Ni-ki: We know you're awake, loser.

Jake: No, I'm not.

Jay: Then who just texted?

Jake: Ghosts. Leave me alone.

Sunghoon: Get up before we drag you out ourselves.

Jake: Bold of you to assume I'm still here.

Heeseung: Yeah? Where are you then?

Jake stares at his phone, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. How easy it would be to lie. To say he's already out, busy, unavailable for all of eternity. Maybe he could fake a kidnapping. Maybe he could fake his own death.

But before he can come up with a halfway decent excuse, a knock sounds at his door.

A very insistent knock.

Jake stares at it, frozen in place. The door rattles slightly, as if someone is already considering breaking it down.

"Jake," Jungwon's voice calls from the other side. "We know you're awake."

"Go away," Jake mumbles into his pillow.

"Not happening."

More knocking. Harder this time. "If you don't open this door in ten seconds, I'm getting Ni-ki."

Jake bolts upright. "You wouldn't."

There's a beat of silence. Then—

"NI-KI, GO GET THE WATER BUCKET!"

Jake scrambles out of bed with the speed of a man facing imminent death. He yanks open the door so fast he nearly stumbles. Jungwon stands there, unimpressed, arms crossed. Behind him, Ni-ki is already holding a suspiciously large cup of water, looking way too gleeful.

"You guys are menaces," Jake mutters, rubbing his face.

"We know," Ni-ki says cheerfully. "Now get ready. You have decisions to make."

Jake groans, dragging a hand down his face. He already knows today is going to be a nightmare. He just hopes he survives it.

Jake finally drags himself out of the safety of his bedroom, shuffling like a man walking to his own execution.

His feet feel like lead, his brain foggy with the remnants of sleep and the overwhelming weight of impending doom. Maybe he should've just run when he had the chance. Packed a bag, disappeared into the mountains, taken up a new identity as some guy named Steve who lives off the grid and never has to make a decision ever again.

But no. Instead, he's stepping into the shared space, right into the lion's den.

The air is thick with expectation. It's suffocating, heavy like a storm about to break. The second he enters, six pairs of eyes zero in on him, each one filled with a different brand of scrutiny.

Heeseung leans back on the couch, arms stretched over the backrest, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. Jay stands near the kitchen, arms crossed, exuding the unmistakable aura of someone who has been expecting this. Sunoo—oh god, Sunoo looks like he might actually lunge across the room and strangle him.

Sunghoon is watching him with an expression that makes Jake's stomach twist into knots. A mix of impatience, challenge, and something unreadable. Like he already knows Jake is going to stall. Like he dares him to try.

Ni-ki is perched on the armrest of the couch, legs swinging, eyes glinting with pure entertainment. The youngest is loving this way too much.

Jungwon, the only merciful one, is watching with his usual calm demeanor, but there's something in his gaze that tells Jake there's no escape.

"Well?" Jay finally asks, raising an eyebrow.

Jake blinks, playing dumb. "Well, what?"

Sunghoon scoffs. "Don't 'what' us, you coward."

Jake makes a show of looking around, feigning confusion. "I have no idea what you guys are talking about."

He grabs a juice box from the counter, piercing the straw with practiced ease before taking a slow, exaggerated sip.

Ni-ki tilts his head. "Hyung, your hand is shaking."

Jake freezes mid-sip.

"No, it isn't." His voice is way too defensive. The juice sloshes slightly from his unsteady grip.

They all exchange looks. The kind of look that says he is not getting out of this.

Jake swallows, forcing himself to remain calm. He needs a distraction. Something, anything, to keep them off his back. So, with the most natural movement he can manage, he turns on his heel and heads for the kitchen.

If he acts normal, maybe they'll let it go. Maybe they'll be merciful.

Spoiler: They are not.

As he pulls out a pan to make some eggs, the tension in the room thickens instead of dissipating. He can feel them watching him, practically breathing down his neck.

Jay leans against the counter, watching him work. "Stalling, huh?"

Jake doesn't even look up. "I'm making breakfast."

"Uh-huh."

Ni-ki nudges Sunghoon. "He's so stalling."

"I can hear you," Jake says flatly.

Sunoo, who has had enough, walks right up to him, placing both hands on the counter like a detective in an interrogation room. "You realize we're not just gonna forget, right?"

Jake cracks an egg with a little too much force. "You could, though."

"Nope."

"Not a chance."

"Literally never."

"Face reality."

Jake lets out a dramatic sigh, stirring his eggs with an unnecessary amount of aggression. "You guys are so annoying."

"Yeah, yeah," Jay waves him off. "Hurry up and eat so we can get this over with."

Jake ignores them, finishing his breakfast at the slowest possible pace, dragging out every single bite in what is probably the most pathetic attempt at avoidance in human history. When he's finished with his eggs, he pours himself some cereal just to keep his mouth busy.

He takes his bowl to the living room, sinking onto the far end of the couch, as far from Sunghoon as physically possible. The moment he sits down, Sunoo crosses his arms, staring at him like a strict teacher watching a student who definitely didn't do their homework.

Jake flips on the TV, pretending to be deeply invested in whatever show is playing. His cereal bowl wobbles slightly in his hands.

"You're shaking again," Ni-ki comments.

Jake grips the bowl tighter. "I am not."

Sunghoon doesn't say anything, just watches him with a knowing smirk. Jake tries to act casual. He takes another bite, chews slowly, swallows—

Then Heeseung, so nicely in the middle of Jake eating, of course, decides to drop a bomb. "Oh, by the way," he says, stretching lazily. "We're going out for lunch later."

Jake pauses mid-bite. "...Okay?"

Heeseung meets his eyes. "You need to have your decision by then."

The cereal turns to ash in Jake's mouth. He chokes. Like, full-on, dramatic choking. The kind you see in bad sitcoms where the character nearly dies for comedic effect.

He pounds a fist against his chest, gasping as Sunghoon—not gently, not helpfully, but violently—claps him on the back, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"Come on, breathe," Sunghoon says, laughing.

Jake glares at him, coughing. "You're trying to kill me."

Sunghoon grins. "Not yet."

Jake groans, setting his bowl down with a heavy sigh. He looks around at everyone, heart hammering in his chest. They're all waiting. Watching. Expecting.

This is not happening.

He forces a smile. "What if I need more time?"

Sunoo, still standing with his arms crossed, raises a single eyebrow. "No."

Jake blinks. "What?"

"You heard me."

Jay nods. "It's non-negotiable."

Jake looks at Jungwon, hoping for some kind of sympathy, but even he just shrugs.

"I mean... you did have time," Jungwon says, looking all too reasonable.

Jake whirls to Heeseung, grasping at straws. "Hyung—"

"Nope."

Jake turns to Ni-ki, the baby of the group, surely he can—

Ni-ki just grins. "I'll make the decision for you if you want."

Jake slumps.

Sunghoon pats his back again (his hand definitely lingers this time). "Face it, Jakey. The clock's ticking."

Jake exhales through his nose, pressing himself further into the couch like he can somehow sink into it and disappear.

He is so doomed.

The van ride had been an experience—one that Jake would rather erase from his memory. The second they had all piled into the vehicle, chaos erupted. The fight for seating had been nothing short of a war.

Jay, Sunoo, and Ni-ki were arguing about who deserved to sit next to him, while Sunghoon simply grabbed Jake by the wrist and pulled him toward the farthest seat, claiming it as his territory.

Heeseung, as usual, took the role of chaotic referee, making unnecessary commentary about everyone's strategies. Jungwon, the only one with any level of self-control, merely sighed and climbed into the van.

Jake, for his part, had remained completely neutral throughout the whole ordeal. This was not his problem. If they wanted to kill each other over where to sit, that was on them. He simply slid into his seat next to Sunghoon—who looked far too pleased with himself—and put in his earbuds, pretending the whole thing wasn't happening.

Of course, that didn't mean he was safe.

The entire ride was a nightmare. Sunghoon kept nudging him, leaning into his space like he was trying to absorb Jake into his personal bubble. Jay kept throwing snide remarks, something about Jake being too quiet, which Ni-ki found hilarious.

Sunoo had an entire PowerPoint presentation (on his phone, of course) that he was shoving into Jake's face, labeled "Why You Need to Stop Being a Coward: A Ted Talk."

Jake closed his eyes. Maybe if he wished hard enough, the van would crash into an alternate reality where this day never happened. Or the past two weeks.

Spoiler: It did not.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Jake had already aged ten years.

It was a small, slightly upscale place, tucked away in a quieter part of the city, with warm lighting and rustic wooden tables. The smell of fresh bread and spices lingered in the air, and if Jake weren't actively fighting for his sanity, he might have actually enjoyed the atmosphere.

But, of course, his members were already at it again.

Another fight broke out over seating arrangements. Jake simply sat there, watching the chaos unfold, contemplating his life choices.

"I should just go home," he muttered under his breath.

Sunghoon, who had somehow already claimed a seat beside him, grinned. "Nope. You're stuck with us."

Jay sighed dramatically, crossing his arms. "Okay, listen, we need a system—"

Sunoo shoved past him, plopping down across from Jake. "I am the system."

Ni-ki wiggled into the seat next to Sunoo, grinning. "Yeah, I like this arrangement."

Jay looked to Heeseung for backup, but Heeseung simply slid into the seat on Jake's other side with a smug expression.

Jay groaned, muttering something about needing a raise.

Jake, meanwhile, was very much aware that he was now trapped between Sunghoon and Heeseung.

Great. Great...Someone burn this restaurant down.

Once they were finally settled, Jake allowed himself to relax for exactly three seconds before the teasing started.

Sunoo leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. "So."

Jake tensed. "...So?"

Jay smirked. "You know."

"No, I don't know."

Ni-ki snickered. "Yeah, you do."

Jake inhaled sharply. "Guys."

"Jake." Sunghoon grinned. "Have you made your decision?"

Jake picked up the menu and held it in front of his face like a shield. "I have decided... that I need more time."

Sunoo rolled his eyes. "You don't need more time."

Jungwon, who had been quiet until now, spoke up with an amused look. "Yeah, Jake. It's not that hard of a decision."

Jake peeked over the menu, glaring. "Easy for you to say."

Before the interrogation could go any further, a waiter approached the table. Salvation.

"Are you ready to order?" he asked.

"Yes," Jay said immediately. "He'll have this and this." He pointed at the menu.

Jake nearly choked. "Excuse me? Am I not even allowed to order for myself now?"

Jay smirked. "What? You always get the same thing."

The waiter nodded, scribbling it down. "Got it. Anything else?"

Jake opened his mouth to protest, but Jay beat him to it. "You're welcome," he said sweetly.

Jake considered flipping the table.

The food arrived not long after, and for a brief, fleeting moment, Jake had an excuse not to speak. He focused on his plate, meticulously cutting his food into the smallest pieces humanly possible, chewing each one as if he were some kind of gourmet food critic analyzing the flavors of his last meal. Each bite was a desperate grasp at extending this moment of peace, a battle against the inevitable.

Unfortunately, his so-called friends were not the type to respect a man's dying wish.

Across the table, Sunoo was already watching him like a hawk, arms crossed and expression teetering on the edge of sheer disappointment.

"This is pathetic," he finally announced, as if declaring a war crime.

Jake, undeterred, took another microscopic bite, keeping his eyes on his plate as though if he ignored them long enough, they'd simply cease to exist.

Jay sighed, dramatically rolling his shoulders like he was preparing for a long, painful battle. "You're not gonna stall your way out of this."

Jake, now fueled purely by defiance, picked up another impossibly tiny piece of food, chewed it at an excruciatingly slow pace, and swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jay groaned. "Oh, come on—"

"He's gonna do this all night," Heeseung cut in, propping his chin on one hand with an amused smirk. "We might as well order dessert and watch the show."

Jungwon nodded. "Actually, yeah, should we get cake? If we drag this out long enough, we might even get to breakfast."

Ni-ki perked up at the mention of food. "Ooh, yeah. I'm down for pancakes."

Jay shot them both a glare. "Do not encourage him." Then, looking back at Jake, he leaned forward, elbows on the table. "You're not gonna win this, Jake. You can't just sit here chewing at the speed of a sloth until the problem disappears."

Jake picked up his water glass, lifting it to his lips in a way that could only be described as 'deliberately insufferable.' He took a sip. A long sip. The longest sip in the history of all sips, as if he were hydrating for a marathon.

The entire table waited in silence as he continued drinking. Sunghoon checked his watch. Jay's fingers tapped against the table. Ni-ki started humming the Jeopardy theme.

Jake finally put the glass down.

Sunoo exhaled sharply, visibly restraining himself. "We're deciding this now."

Jake blinked, his expression carefully neutral. "What?"

Before he could formulate an escape plan, Sunoo reached into his bag and slammed something onto the table.

A bottle.

Jake froze.

"No," he said immediately, leaning back like the cursed object might reach out and grab him. "Absolutely not."

"Yes," Jay countered, expression dead serious. "Absolutely yes."

Jake turned to Jungwon, desperate for an ally. "You can't be serious." Jungwon simply shrugged.

Jake turned to Heeseung, grasping at straws. "You agree with this?"

Heeseung grinned. "I think it's hilarious."

Jake buried his face in his hands. "I hate all of you."

Sunoo, unfazed, reached for the bottle. "Let's get this over with."

The restaurant around them faded into a distant hum as the bottle spun. The entire world slowed. The air grew thick with tension. Jake barely breathed as it turned... slower... slower... until finally—

It landed on—

The waiter.

The poor guy had just returned to collect the dishes,