Final
DistanceJonghyun had no idea why he had agreed to help Minho. Sure, they had been best friends since they were in their diapers and Minho helped him out a lot and-
Blah, blah, blah.
It still didn’t explain why he had to help the taller male woo his current infatuation. Jonghyun felt sick just thinking about it, considering who Minho’s infatuation was.
Kim Kibum, the art department’s top designer. The man was trouble on two legs; Jonghyun knew this from the very brief conversation he had with the younger male when they first met years ago. Kibum was a year younger than him, and Jonghyun managed to stumble into him on the first day of school.
Kibum had been snappy and his eyes rolled several times as Jonghyun asked him if he needed help getting to class. Finally, Jonghyun had given up on being nice and walked away, keeping his distance from the male for the rest of his years at the school.
Now that Minho caught interest in him, though, Jonghyun knew what was coming. It was usual in Minho’s sad love life. Sneaking around like a stalker, befriending his love interest’s friends, leaving notes for the interest and watching from the distance with a grin as his interest fawned over him, only to lose interest once he had the interest’s heart.
Yeah, Minho’s an , but that didn’t matter to Jonghyun, who never had interest in dating Minho. So long as Minho didn’t try anything on him, he could do whatever he wanted.
Jonghyun was there when Minho and Kibum met for the first time. It was a freak accident, really. On one hand, Minho probably shouldn’t have been dribbling his basketball down the school hallway, because he found himself letting go of the basketball and hurrying after it, accidently running into someone who turned the corner.
Kibum spent some time cursing at the male, rubbing his face, but when he and Minho looked at each other, Kibum only sighed and walked off. Jonghyun was dumbstruck, since he expected Kibum to start cursing, but Kibum smoothed his shirt and sauntered off to class with both Minho and Jonghyun watching him.
That was weeks ago, and Minho was still looking at him like a lovesick puppy. Jonghyun would have laughed at him, hadn’t the younger turned to him with his hands clasped together with a pout on his lips. As soon as he saw the pout on Minho’s lips, Jonghyun knew the younger was planning something.
If only he were wrong about his assumption.
“Hyung, you have to help me.” Minho whined, grabbing onto the elder’s arm. Minho was a year younger than him, so it made him the same age as Kibum. This confused Jonghyun, since the younger would probably have more luck on his own rather than enlisting the help of someone who barely saw Kibum around.
“No.” It wasn’t the first time Minho asked, nor was it the first time Jonghyun refused. It had been a reoccurring series of events since their run in with Kibum, and Jonghyun was starting to get exasperated,
“You’ve seen him, Min! Do you really think it’s a good idea to mess with him? I heard he made a Senior cry last year.”
“You’re over exaggerating!” Minho was also getting exasperated, though it was mostly because of the elder and his unwillingness to cooperate. Minho hardly ever asked for favors, and they were both aware of it, but Jonghyun was adamant in his decision, since he knew Minho’s dating record better than anyone.
Jonghyun pulled his arm away roughly, turning to stomp down the hall with a furious Minho running after him, catching curious and worried glances from others along the hallway,
“You’re being an , Min! Do you really think you should go after him after all the other guys you’ve messed around with?!”
Minho yanked him back by the arm so hard that Jonghyun was partially worried that his arm would come out of its socket. When he looked up at the younger male, however, he felt guilt course through his veins at the look in Minho’s eyes.
“I know, hyung. I know it’s happened before, but I’m… I’m serious about him.”
And his eyes said he was telling the truth. That’s why Jonghyun pulled himself away and stepped back, though perhaps he should have checked to make sure there was no one behind him, for he stepped right into someone and was only made aware of it when something thudded onto the ground.
When Jonghyun turned, there was a male on the ground with books sprawled around him. Jonghyun, forgetting about his nuisance of a best friend, was quick to crouch onto the ground beside the male, picking up the books he had dropped.
“T-thanks.” Jonghyun slowly looked up to see a head of red hair and a pair of brown eyes. Of course everyone around him had brown eyes since they were Asian, but this male’s eyes were more honey brown than the coffee brown everyone else wore.
His Korean was good, but Jonghyun could tell by the tone that the male wasn’t fluent in the language. Jonghyun didn’t manage to say a thing, quickly getting back to his feet after all the books were found and returned to the stranger.
“Are you new here?” Was the first thing that slipped out of his lips, and he could see the stranger’s ears turn pink at the tips as he nodded, but that was the only conversation they had.
“Thank you again!” With a bow, the male had picked up his books and scrambled down the hallway, though he seemingly hadn’t noticed the book that he had left in Jonghyun’s hand.
“The heck was that?” Minho muttered as he hooked his arm around Jonghyun’s and pulled him off the ground. Jonghyun didn’t know the answer to the question, though his eyes were on the book in his hand.
It was a book from the school’s library, he noticed, though he had yet to step into the library since he first entered the school. He had no need to, even if he was falling behind in his classes. Who cared anyway? What gave school grades the permission to define a person?
“Are you okay, hyung?” Minho’s tone was worried as he waved a hand in the elder’s face, and Jonghyun merely looked down at the book once more and back to him before turning and heading in his original direction towards the parking lot.
“Hyung!” Minho called in surprise, and Jonghyun allowed for the tall male to catch up to him so they would walk to their cars together.
“Aren’t you even going to answer me? C’mon hyung, you know I never ask you for help!”
“Fine, Min. I’ll help you win Kim Kibum over, okay?”
And when Minho actually squealed and hugged him, Jonghyun realized he had made a mistake in agreeing to help. There was no way this was going to end well for anyone, and especially not for Kim Jonghyun.
Three days later, Jonghyun reluctantly walked into the library. He didn’t want to at first, since that was the last place someone like himself would go, but eventually, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He had tried finding the stranger in the halls, but had never come across him, despite the small student body.
It’ll be killing two birds with one stone, he convinced himself. He could go and find the boy, give him his books, and then do some research on an unlucky male going by the name of Kim Kibum. Was that a good plan? He was sure it was, but he could always be wrong. It’s happened before and he knows it.
It wasn’t exactly his fault. He had started getting a little desperate, since Minho’s texts were constant and all he ever asked was, “Have you gotten anything?”
Minho was lucky that he was busy with club meetings and competitions, or Jonghyun would have flipped him off and told him to figure it out on his own. Unlike his former infatuations, Kibum kept mostly to himself and it was impossible for even Jonghyun to find anything about him. All anyone ever told him when he asked about Kibum was that the boy was a mystery to anyone who saw him.
The first thing Jonghyun did when he entered the library was nod his head nervously to the old librarian and make his way over to the computers. If he were going to spend time here, he might as well get a computer so no one else could hog them all. Once he put his jacket down, however, his eyes fell upon the book he had brought with him.
He had to find the stranger, right. Scratching the back of his head, he picked up the book and started looking around the library. He started by the library counter, though there wasn’t anyone waiting online or by the library to take out or return a book, and there was no student worker like there should have been. Next, his eyes roamed over the study area, passing several tables that were full or that only had one or two students studying like the kind of student Jonghyun probably should have been.
With a sigh, Jonghyun decided it was enough for now. Instead of focusing on a male he’d seen once, he should have been focusing on a way to get Minho closer to Kibum. Sighing once more, he placed the book down at the corner of his desk and sat down, going onto the internet.
Ten minutes later, he exited out of the internet and placed his head in his hands, groaning to himself. How was he supposed to even go about doing this research? Was he supposed to look up how to flirt or something? Minho knew how to flirt already; there was no need to learn how to flirt. What exactly was he supposed to do? When he dropped his face onto the desk, mentally stabbing Minho repeatedly for putting him in such a situation, he heard a careful voice hovering over him.
"E-excuse me? Do you need h-help?" Jonghyun sat up quickly, because he recognized the voice immediately. The stranger he had bumped into stared right back at him with his eyes wide, and though Jonghyun had forced himself earlier to go into the library just to find the male, he found himself staring up at the male with his mind blanked.
"W-what?" Jonghyun's eyes fell to the badge on the stranger's chest, showing that the male was actually an intern working for the school's library named Lee Jinki. Damn, not only did he bowl over a stranger, it was a male who was at least three years older than him.
Jinki seemed to be just as blank as he was when their gazes met, but was quick to catch himself, his cheeks reddening as he looked around to some of the curious students that watched the pair. Then, though he looked reluctant, his head turned back to Jonghyun and the elder male laughed nervously,
"I-I heard a thud and w-when I looked, you s-seemed to be, uh- I- uh-" He didn't seem to know how to continue, though Jonghyun didn't put it against him. Obviously he looked like a weirdo with his head on the desk and the groans of irritation that left his lips.
Jinki's eyes trailed to the screen, but Jonghyun was too slow to change the screen, only biting his lip as he saw Jinki take in the several tabs open regarding the same thing, "How to woo your crush."
Of course, all of the tabs were slightly different but they were basically the same, and they all only caused for Jonghyun to roll his eyes upward and remind himself to take this out on Minho.
"My friend met a guy he likes," Jonghyun muttered, and though he wasn't sure if Jinki believed him, he wanted to let him know that he wouldn't be on the internet if it were his own love life. He wasn't as pathetic as Minho to stay at the library just to find information on how to woo someone. Please, he could charm someone easily with his voice alone.
Jinki nodded slowly and bowed his head before stepping away. Jonghyun figured he didn't believe the male's reasoning and would go hide in the backroom until Jonghyun disappeared, but he was surprised when Jinki returned with a notebook and an extra chair.
Jonghyun stared at him, bewildered. What was he doing and why did he suddenly go from a shy boy who didn't want to be anywhere near anyone to such a confident and sure... whatever he was?
"Are you going to help me?" Jonghyun's eyes widened as Jinki took the keyboard from his grasp, watching as all of his tabs were closed and replaced with other searches and other sources of information.
"Research is my specialty." The grin on Jinki's face was slight and his accented Korean almost made Jonghyun grin in return, but he turned his attention back to the screen as Jinki, the strange male with a head of red hair that was three years older than him, took control of the search and had Jonghyun himself writing down ideas for his best friend's love life.
Hours later when the library was closing, Jinki looked apologetically at Jonghyun and sputtered that he was sorry he couldn't be of more use, but Jonghyun had only grinned and packed up his things, glancing over at the elder male on his way out of the library. On his way outside the building, his eyes finally turned down to his hands and he sighed at the book he was holding.
He had forgotten.
Early on in the day, Jonghyun had given Minho some of the notes he and Jinki had received, and with an excited gleam in his eyes, Minho turned and ran off in the direction of Kibum's locker. Jonghyun wouldn't have cared, but Minho had taken his entire backpack instead of just his notebook, and inside of that backpack was the book he had forgotten to give Jinki.
He had read the book the night before, finding himself reading even throughout the night and only leaving him with three hours for sleep. Jinki had a good choice in literature, and Jonghyun had found several sticky notes stuck to the pages of the book. Jinki was constantly analyzing the words he read, reading between lines and writing what he would do if he were the main character. Jonghyun found himself intrigued by the elder's way of thinking, and eventually got out a pack of his own sticky notes to add on to the elder's note.
It was embarrassing, now that he thought about it. He had just barely met the elder male, and hadn't even had a real conversation with him, but now he was so focused on the elder that he even added his own notes onto the book the elder had left behind by accident. He had finally run into Minho during the lunch period they usually spent out on the commons with a guitar in Jonghyun's hands and a crowd sitting around them.
Instead of what they usually did, Minho had run through the hallways and had finally found Jonghyun as the elder walked into the music room to find his guitar. Instead of allowing the elder to go on with his day as it usually went, Minho had yanked on his arm and shoved his backpack back into his arms, a frown on his lips,
"I tried the suggestions in the notebook but he wasn't impressed."
Jonghyun was surprised, and rightly so. He had sat with Jinki for hours to get that information and it still wasn't enough?! He was obviously frustrated and looked up at Minho to start arguing, but was caught in surprise at Minho's broken-hearted expression.
"I didn't even go around this time. I went straight to him and he didn't like anything I tried. What do I do?"
He must have been really serious about Kibum, huh? With a sigh, Jonghyun reassured him that he would try again and registered the flicker of gratefulness in the tall boy's eyes before he stomped his feet to class. There was no point in eating lunch or anything, because his brain was then too busy to relax enough to go out and do nothing.
His teacher had been surprised to see him as the first student in the class, but hadn't said anything considering it was the first time Jonghyun had willingly come to his class early. He couldn't help himself, what with his plan for helping Minho backfiring and feeling guilty for taking up Jinki's time without making any progress. With a groan, he had taken Jinki's book out and started reading through it again. He had just read it the night before, but it was a good piece of literature, about love and mystery and had Jonghyun wondering about the mystery that was Lee Jinki.
For the first time in possibly his entire High School career, Jonghyun actually looked like he was paying attention to the teacher. It wasn't that he was listening, though, because he was scrawling down more ideas for Minho and making more observations on the book that he had read because of Jinki.
At the end of the day, none of his ideas were good enough for what Minho needed to woo Kibum, and a frustrated Jonghyun found himself back at the library. His plan was to go straight to the computer today, and possibly drop off the book at the counter for the intern so he wouldn't be distracted, but his plans were immediately wiped away when he stepped into the library and saw that Jinki was sitting at the computer he used the day before.
Moments later, Jonghyun had pulled up a chair like Jinki had done the day before, catching the red haired male by surprise. Jonghyun only smiled briefly at the older male and turned his attention to whatever was on Jinki's screen, with his eyes widening in slight surprise.
"You write book reviews?" It explained why there were so many sticky notes and pages marked in the book Jonghyun had read, but he hadn't expected Jinki to actually write and publish book reviews, or to apparently be paid for his reviews.
"It started as a hobby," Jinki replied, and though the elder hadn't stuttered while speaking this time, his cheeks heated up immediately,
"But it pays the bills, so I figured it wouldn't kill anyone if I kept doing it."
"That reminds me, your book." Jonghyun quickly took the book he had been keeping out and slid it across the table to the elder's grasp. Jinki must have noticed the different colored sticky notes, but instead of commenting about the book, he merely grinned and placed it on the other side of the keyboard so he would remember it later.
"What brings you back today?" Jinki asked, saving the work he had been doing and closing it so he could turn his attention to Jonghyun. The younger male felt a twinge of guilt for taking the elder away from his work, but he was glad that the elder was still going to help him.
"Nothing worked!" Jonghyun exclaimed in irritation, and Jinki's jaw dropped slightly in surprise, as they had worked on the suggestions for hours. The young male, however, could barely process the elder's expression as he had started to go off on a rant,
"It's impossible to even win the guy over. I can't even back out of this now! Why did it have to be Kim Kibum? There are so many better looking guys out there that don't frighten the student body, but Kibum-"
Jinki's gentle chuckles cut him off and it was then Jonghyun's turn to have his cheeks red as he turned to the elder in embarrassment. Not only was he ranting, he was talking about Kim Kibum and with someone who didn't even know about the situation.
"Ah, so you're trying to woo Kibum? I am an assistant in one of his classes... he's a nice boy." Jinki shook his head like he should have seen it coming, but Jonghyun felt his chest contract. Did Jinki really believe it was him who had an interest in Kibum?
Jonghyun tried to correct him, his heart beating heavily as he leaned forward to catch the elder's attention, but Jinki was distracted by a piece of paper. After writing something down, the elder slipped it over to him and got up with a small smile.
"Meet me at this address on Saturday. There are more resources there."
Jonghyun just watched dumbly as the elder headed to the back room of the library without moving an inch. Why did his heart react in such a way when Jinki misunderstood his intentions?
Why was he standing in front of a mansion? Was he at the wrong place? Did that Jinki person give him someone else's address by accident? Why had he even decided to go find the address anyway? It was a Saturday; he should be sleeping in until afternoon and then composing music as soon as he awoke. Or he could be doing some research at home to help that stupid Minho woo Kibum. There were plenty of reasons as to why he shouldn't have gone looking for Jinki, but one reason that convinced him to go to the address anyway.
Lee Jinki was a mystery, and who doesn't want to solve a good mystery once in a while?
Feeling out of place and self-conscious in his baggy sweats and oversized tee shirt, Jonghyun nervously walked up to the door and forced himself to press the doorbell. If the address was wrong, he'd be embarrassed and would never go near Lee Jinki again, but he was suddenly nervous to see Jinki when neither of them were in their school uniforms. Was this kind of meeting even allowed at their school? And did Jinki really live here? He said something about book reviews and paying the bills, but to have given Jonghyun the address to a mansion? It wasn't his place, right?
Distracted by inner turmoil, Jonghyun almost missed it when the door opened. He was only brought back to his senses when he saw a familiar head of pale blonde hair. He knew that hair anywhere, and the face that went along with it.
Lee Taemin. He was Minho's prospect earlier on the previous year, and Jonghyun felt his own heart break when he saw Minho break it to the younger that he had no feelings at all for him any longer. He and Minho stopped talking for a month after that, but as they were best friends, Jonghyun ended up patching things up anyway.
"Oh, Jonghyun, right?" Taemin didn't seem pleased to have him standing in front of him, but when Jonghyun shifted on his feet uneasily and looked down at the paper, Taemin glanced down at it as well with a hum,
"That looks like hyung's handwriting. Are you here to see him?"
"Jinki is your hyung?" Jonghyun asked, his jaw slacking and his eyes widening almost comically. He was expecting himself to be wrong and having to run off and try his best to keep away from Taemin, lest the younger take his anger for Minho out on him.
"Lee Jinki, Lee Taemin?" Taemin even rolled his eyes as he finished, making Jonghyun feel absolutely stupid as he stood there and gaped at the younger male, who shifted in place after a moment of staring him down,
"Look, do you want to come in or not?"
"...-Right!" Jonghyun sputtered, nodding his head rapidly.
Taemin stepped aside and ushered Jonghyun into the house, tossing a pair of home slippers by his feet and turning to walk down a long hallway with his hands in his pockets.
"Upstairs, third door to the right."
"Thank you." Jonghyun mumbled, expecting himself to remain unheard considering Taemin was out of earshot. Jonghyun couldn't make sense of any of this. Jinki had agreed to help him figure out a way to get Minho to woo Kibum, and Jinki somehow had the assumption that it was Jonghyun who had feelings for the diva of their school, and then he arrives at Jinki's address which happens to be shared with a young male who Minho had messed with in the past. Who wouldn't be confused by such understanding?
When he found the room Taemin had told him of, Jonghyun paused outside, fidgeting in his tee shirt nervously. Why was he nervous, you ask? Who knows, but the thought of being alone with Lee Jinki did that to him. Jonghyun even knocked a couple of times, and when he remained unanswered, he simply took in a deep breath and walked in like he had been there before.
Jinki was already flipping through the pages of a random book, and the table he was at was cluttered with books. Jonghyun found it amazing how dedicated Jinki was to helping him when it wasn't even his own love life. What kind of person was Lee Jinki, really?
"Do you mind showing me where I can do book reviews too?" Jonghyun asked, and he pretended not to notice Jinki snap his head up in a mix of surprise and disbelief, and he pretended not to see the faint blush that spread on the elder male's cheeks. Jonghyun took a good look around the room, noting that there were bookshelves that stretched from wall to wall and he presumed that the library took up a portion of the floor above them, as well,
"The pay must be great if you can afford all of this."
"Ah," Jinki muttered, and the elder dropped his attention back to the book in his grip, answering Jonghyun with a half-hearted shrug,
"It's my parents' mansion. They agreed to let me work and save up money for myself while I go to grad school with their money. It's a weird system, I know, but they insisted."
Jonghyun scoffed as he walked closer to where Jinki was settled in the center of the room and absentmindedly pulled a book off the table with the reluctant decision to skim through it, "I wish I had rich parents like yours."
"Trust me; you're better off without rich parents." Jinki muttered, and though it sparked Jonghyun's curiosity, he didn't say a word. How could he, when Jinki's body tensed like even thinking about it was upsetting to him.
"Did you read what I wrote in the book?" Jonghyun changed the subject, and a small part of him was relieved to see Jinki's body loosen, even if it were just slight. As Jinki began to raise his head, Jonghyun dropped his own and pretended to be completely engrossed with the book in his hands rather than the male in his presence.
The chuckle Jinki's lips uttered was a sound that Jonghyun found himself captivated by, even though he knew little about the elder male with the foreign accent. They had just met and really only bonded over books and their decision to help a useless jerk named Minho, but Jonghyun was glad to have brought some joy to the elder after making him look so down just moments earlier.
"I hope you don't mind, but I used a lot of what you wrote in my review. For someone with such low grades, Jonghyun, you have an incredible mind." Jinki's words startled him in more ways than one. Why did Jinki know about his low grades, and why... why was he complimenting Jonghyun? Jonghyun wasn't unpopular in the least, but this was someone he hardly knew, someone who was older and appreciated Jonghyun enough to help him without questioning his intentions.
"Now, how about we get back to work so you can figure a way out to woo that crush of yours, huh?"
Jonghyun should have corrected Jinki, he thought, but he found himself unable to because of his own desperation to clear things up with Jinki. What did it matter if Jinki thought the help was for him when it wasn't?
Suddenly, Jonghyun found himself spending time with Jinki on a daily basis. He hadn't made much progress with helping Minho win Kibum over, and two Monday's after meeting Jinki at his mansion; Jonghyun was ready to call it quits. Kibum rejected all of the techniques the internet and other books swore was a sure way to win anyone over, and Jonghyun found himself repeatedly wishing Minho had chosen someone else to fall for.
But alas, Minho was head over heels for Kibum. It was weird, because it had been around a month since Minho first bugged him to help, but Jonghyun's athletic best friend was still following him around like a lovesick puppy, even if Kibum made faces at him in public and rejected all of his confessions with a crowd watching.
"I swear he's into some ." Jonghyun groaned to himself, staring at the screen of the computer before him helplessly. What was he supposed to try now? He wasn't as well versed in dating as Minho, so why was he dealing with all of the hard work while Minho just chased Kibum around with his tail between his legs? Jinki had noticed him from the front desk, as he was busy with paperwork, but Jonghyun had either been ignoring him or was completely oblivious to his stares of amusement and concern.
Jinki had tried several times to catch Jonghyun's attention. At first, it had just been the occasional glance, but it had slowly shifted into loud coughs that had every other student looking over at him in irritation. Finally, when the head librarian had enough of his coughing and told him to go take a walk and drink some water to calm his throat down, Jinki had squared his shoulders in determination and headed to where Jonghyun was sitting.
Just as Jonghyun was starting to clench his fist around the pen to throw it right into the computer screen, someone had reached over him and shut the computer screen off, and Jonghyun was left dumbfounded as Jinki himself took his hand and dragged him to the backroom, that was actually off limits to students.
"Jinki? I'm not allowed to be here." Jonghyun bit on his lip, his heart beat picking up speed in his chest, either from the thrill of doing something he wasn't supposed to, or knowing that he was doing it with Jinki.
"Sorry, I had to do it. Everyone else was steering clear from the section of the library you were in because of the way you were glaring at the screen." Jinki explained, a soft red painting his cheeks as he let go of Jonghyun's hand and slowly tugged the pen out of his grasp,
"What has you so worked up?"
"That damned Kim Kibum!" Jonghyun shouted in aggravation, and Jinki quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. Jonghyun was a little embarrassed that he had gotten himself carried away, of course, but he was more embarrassed that his heartbeat had quickened again by the simple act of skinship.
"You're going to have to calm down, Jong. I'm not exactly clear to bring anyone back here, student or otherwise." Jinki's gentle breath was ghosting over his ear, and Jonghyun had no idea why being with Jinki felt so... good. The addition of a nickname, the faint touches to soothe his anger, the way Jinki's brown eyes twinkled in the dim space of the backroom. The fact that it was Jinki there with him and no one else, that was what gave him the greatest sense of completion,
"I'm going to let go. Explain what's wrong, but do it calmly, please."
Jinki's tone was slightly amused, but he could see the twinkle of concern in the elder's eyes as he pulled his hand away. Jonghyun took in a deep breath as Jinki pulled himself away, though he felt a twinge of disappointment when he realized that Jinki even stepped away to give him more space.
"I'm trying everything I can to help, Jinki. You've been helping too, and I really thought we were going to win Kibum over, but every passing day is filled with more and more failure, and I hate that we dragged you into this when we can't even do anything."
"Do you want to give up?" Jinki quietly asked, and when Jonghyun looked up again, he could see Jinki's eyes looking at him almost as if they were trying to pierce through him. When had Jinki become so... sure of himself? When they had first met, Jinki was shy and sputtered over every other word, but not now.
"I wish I could, but it's too late." Jonghyun sighed, running a hand through his hair, but when he looked back to Jinki, he noted that Jinki had taken another small step away from him, as if unsure of how close they had become. Jonghyun really wanted to call the thing off like Jinki asked him if he wanted to do, but he couldn't afford to, not with how deep Minho had gone with his infatuation with Kim Kibum.
"Then you need to calm down and try again, Jong. You can't just say it's hard and give up if it's something you really want to chase after." Jinki muttered lowly, but he had turned his head away and his hands had clenched at his sides. Jonghyun wanted to know why Jinki's body had tensed again the way it did when he had talked to the elder about Jinki's parents, but he didn't like how suddenly vulnerable Jinki had become.
"You're right. It's not even like I'm doing this on my own, I have you helping me since we first started this." Jonghyun waved his hand around dumbly, as if everything around them was included in 'this'. Jinki didn't comment on it, but he didn't need to. There was a faint, almost invisible smile playing at the elder's lips and Jinki leaned forward to ruffle Jonghyun's hair
"What was that for?" Jonghyun asked as Jinki's fingers left his hair. If it were Minho who touched his hair, Jonghyun wouldn't accept it, since he spent too much time perfecting himself for an oaf like Minho to come along and mess with him. However, because it was Jinki, Jonghyun felt a smile tugging at his own lips as Jinki's fingers brushed through his hair, and he almost pulled the elder's hand back into his hair when Jinki let him go.
"It's nothing." Jinki assured him softly, but Jonghyun knew he was hiding something. He didn't question it, though, because what would he even say to the elder? With a gesture of his head, Jinki turned and left the backroom, and Jonghyun slowly trailed after him, careful not to let the librarian see him as he crept back to the computer he was using.
As he worked, Jonghyun couldn't help but wonder what could have been plaguing Jinki's mind; because when he looked up to Jinki, he found that the elder was simply staring down at the pile of papers in front of him with a melancholic smile on his face.
He was at Jinki's mansion again on the following Saturday. He wasn't exactly invited this time, but he just needed to go and spend time with Jinki. The elder didn't know that he was going to be there to see him, and Jonghyun couldn't help but scowl at himself when he realized that he was just going to be a bother, but when he stood in front of the door to Jinki's mansion and knocked, he realized it was too late to back down anyway.
It wasn't Taemin who opened the door, but a beautiful older woman with expensive jewelry adorning her frame and a scowl on her lips to match. Jonghyun didn't know much about Jinki's family, but he could assume that the woman before him was none other than Jinki's mother.
"Yes?" She asked him, her thin eyebrow arched upwards as she looked him over with just the slightest curiosity. He wasn't sure if he thought he was trying to sell them something or if she thought he was a creep, but Jonghyun merely shifted on his feet and scratched at the back of his neck.
"Hello, pardon my intrusion, but I was wondering if-"
Jonghyun was cut off when Taemin stepped out from around his mother and blocked his view of her as the younger male turned to his mother, "He's my classmate, mom. We have to do a project together and were hoping to get some help from Jinki hyung."
"Ah, you're acquainted with him?"
Jonghyun didn't like the way that he was addressed as if he was less than a grain of sand in comparison to Taemin, but before his temper could flare, Taemin grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside without bothering to get the elder's shoes off. Taemin didn't even mind his spluttering or his attempts to break free as the younger Lee pulled him up to the second floor and into the room closest to the staircase.
"What are you doing here?" Taemin hissed, and Jonghyun could see the rage in the young male's expression. He didn't know if it was because of what happened between Minho and Taemin or if he was upset that Jonghyun had come over again, but he didn't feel right as he saw Taemin's expression.
"Are you going to break hyung's heart like your friend did mine?"
Jonghyun's eyes snapped back to Taemin's and his jaw dropped like he was a fish straight out of the water. What? Break Jinki's heart? Why was Taemin even asking such a thing?
He had no intentions of getting together with Jinki in the first place, right? Jinki was years older than him and it was wrong to date school staff as a student, right? He wasn't even of legal age, and Jinki certainly had better people to spend his affections on, right?
Taemin seemed to have been watching his reaction, and after dropping his head in his hands and rubbing his face in exhaustion, he held his bedroom door open. At first, Jonghyun thought he was going to be kicked out of their house all together, but Taemin apparently had other thoughts, "His room is the last door on the hallway."
Jonghyun nodded and headed for the door, only to pause as Taemin quickly grasped onto his wrist. Jonghyun glanced down at their hands for a moment before his eyes found Taemin's, and he took in Taemin's hopeful eyes,
"Be careful, will you? He's a lot more fragile than you think."
What was that supposed to mean? Jonghyun would have asked were it not for the fact that Taemin had slammed the door in his face. He only picked it up faintly, since he was busy trying to decipher the young male's words, but unlike Jinki, Taemin didn't have a foreign accent as he spoke.
Grumbling to himself, Jonghyun trailed down the hallway and opened the door without even bothering to knock. He probably should have, since it was Jinki's bedroom, but he was relieved to know that Jinki was neither nor asleep but rather sitting up in bed with eyeglasses on his face and a book in his hands.
"Jong?" Jinki looked more than surprised to see Jonghyun standing there, but the younger male simply shut the door behind him and kicked his shoes off. It was all a little rude and confusing, Jonghyun realized, since he was practically barging into Jinki's life without permission, but he couldn't help it once he saw Jinki in large pajamas with his bedhead sticking out in places that made him look like a giant child.
"What are you doing here? Did you need more help with Kibum?" The book he was holding had been forgotten as the elder stared at him in complete bewilderment, and as Jinki started to get off of the bed, Jonghyun walked over and sat on top of the mattress with his legs folded and his lips curled into a light grin.
"I didn't come here because of Kibum, hyung. I came here because of you."
Jinki looked absolutely taken aback by his words and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he gave up and leaned back against the headboard with a sigh, his gaze halfheartedly returning to his book before he shut it and put it down on the bed beside him. Finally, the elder let out a grin and shook his head almost fondly as he looked up at Jonghyun, "You came all the way out here to see me? Now why would you do that?"
Jonghyun hadn't thought of it before, he realized. Like many other things regarding Lee Jinki, he acted before he thought and was sure he'd never regret the way he was reacting to the elder that captivated him.
"Dunno, I was bored and Min's at an away game. I figured you wouldn't be too busy." Jonghyun felt stupid at the end of his explanation, since Jinki had already graduated college and was working as a library intern while Jonghyun was still a senior in High School, but was relieved when Jinki let out that same chuckle that reassured Jonghyun that the elder was amused by him and not offended by him,
"Can I ask you a question, though?"
The elder was surprised by the first question, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he looked to the younger male. Jonghyun didn't know of how to approach the question, since it was kind of personal, but figured it was kind of too late for him to be formal with the elder.
"Why is it only you who has an accent? Neither your mother or Taemin have foreign accents."
Jinki hesitated for a few moments, and Jonghyun regretted asking the question when he realized that his questioning was causing for Jinki to tense again. Jinki was always so mysterious, but by the way he tensed, it felt like Jinki was troubled by his past.
"I lived in the States for a majority of my life with a poor Korean couple, until recently when Taemin's parents came flashing papers and demanding that I return here with them."
They met again the following day, though it was arranged to happen at Jonghyun's house instead since neither of them wanted a run in with their parents. Following Jinki's confession, his furious mother had barged into Jinki's bedroom and screamed until Jonghyun grabbed his things and hurried his way outside with Jinki sighing, apologizing, and asking if they could continue the following day.
Jonghyun wasn't rich like Jinki- well, like Jinki's parents, but he always felt at home in the small two story house shared between himself, and his widowed mother. That's why when Jinki knocked on his front door looking relieved at the sight of a normal house, Jonghyun and his mother beamed at him proudly, knowing that they all shared humble beginnings.
"You boys go on up to Jong's room. I'll call you when dinner's ready!"
Jinki tried saying that dinner really wasn't necessary, and that he would leave quickly so they could spend the rest of the Sunday together as a family, but neither Jonghyun or his mother would have any of that, and Jonghyun could see the twinkle of envy in Jinki's eyes even though the elder protested.
Jonghyun's room was smaller and much less luxurious than Jinki's present room, but there were instruments lying around the room and he suddenly felt this strange feeling, like he was where he belonged. Jonghyun missed the way Jinki was looking around the room, since he said he would go grab them drinks and slipped out of the room quickly, leaving Jinki to slowly sit down on Jonghyun's bed and notice that the entire room smelled... well, like Jonghyun.
The younger male returned quickly with two bottles of orange soda and after opening them, had handed one over to Jinki. The elder was grateful for the drink, but had immediately placed it on Jonghyun's desk, fearing that he would only spill the drink all over Jonghyun's tidy bedsheets.
A few moments later, Jonghyun had looked over to Jinki and found that the elder's gaze was on him, watching him with fondness. He wanted to say something, anything, but found that his throat had gone dry, and he was absolutely alright with such development, since it gave him more time to just notice Lee Jinki.
"I'm sorry, about yesterday." Jinki finally uttered, and he broke their eye contact in order to look down at his hands in embarrassment. Jonghyun wanted to soothe him, to say he didn't do anything to upset him, because Jinki didn't do anything to upset him, but he could tell that Jinki didn't want to be interrupted until he finished his explanation,
"You see, it was a weird time for all of us, me and Taemin especially. I was just out of college and they had come knocking on our door and demanding that I return with them. I didn't want to, since my parents back home raised me, but I had no choice. They said they were among the richest and as long as I returned here with them, they'd provide financial support to my parents there, and I... well, I love my parents. I didn't want to leave, but they're getting old, and I can't take care of them forever..."
Jonghyun nodded in understanding, though it wasn't even like Jinki could notice what with his head bowed in such an angle. It explained why Jinki was always so tense when it came to his parents, and it explained why Jinki's accent betrayed that he wasn't raised in Seoul.
"When my dad died, I was just six years old." Jonghyun told him, although there wasn't the need for him to explain his own life story. However, knowing that Jinki could tell him about something so horrible, he had to try and let the elder know he was there for him,
"It was a tumor in his brain that eventually got to him. I don't remember him much, but mom still cries over him every night."
Jinki didn't apologize, and neither did Jonghyun. There was no need to apologize when what happened couldn't be fixed; and when Jonghyun looked up at Jinki again, he found that his focus was glued to the elder quickly, as if his eyes were made only to look at Jinki.
"He's lucky that you like him so much." Jinki whispered, and just hearing those words caused for something to thud in Jonghyun's heart. What was that supposed to mean, anyway? Was Jinki still convinced that Jonghyun had feelings for Kibum?
They were interrupted by his mother, and the three sat through an awkward dinner full of 'secretive' glances between Jonghyun and Jinki and Jonghyun's mother's knowing glances and giggles as she watched the two of them. Dinner didn't last long, since Jinki received a phone call from his father to return home immediately and Jonghyun found himself being greatly disappointed when Jinki stood up to leave.
"That's a shame. Jonghyun, dear, why don't you walk your friend out?" His mother left no room for debate, and Jonghyun trailed after Jinki, waiting with his jacket held out as Jinki slipped his shoes on and slipped out of the door.
Jonghuyn stood with him on the porch as Jinki unlocked his expensive sports car and took one step towards it to leave. Jonghyun found his disappointment growing as he stood there, watching as Jinki took a step closer to his car but paused as if he had something to say. And he did.
"I've never met anyone who understands me as well as you do, Jonghyun." When Jinki turned around, Jonghyun noted that the rising moon in the background was the perfect amount of light for Jinki, and the elder male looked almost angelic as he stood there before Jonghyun.
"Tell your mom I said thanks for dinner. And thanks to you, too, Jong."
Jonghyun barely registered that he nodded his head. In his mind, he thought of how weird it was for him to grow so fond of someone who was at least three years older than him, who he'd barely interacted with had it not been for Minho and his stupid crush on Kibum.
He also barely registered that Jinki was turning to leave again, his red hair being rustled by the gentle breeze of the spring night. He did, however, completely register that right before Jinki could be too far out of his grasp, he had wrapped a hand around Jinki's arm, as if it were his anchor,
"Wait! Don't go."
Jinki froze immediately upon contact, and his body slowly turned so he could look over at Jonghyun again, the younger having his eyebrows crossed in absolute confusion. Jinki's lips curled into a slight grin as Jonghyun quickly retracted his words and sputtering several 'I's. Before either of them could even realize what they were doing, Jinki had leaned down and kissed Jonghyun, leaving Jonghyun to react instantly with his body closing the distance between them.
The sound of Jonghyun's mother squealing was what pushed them apart, and though Jonghyun had started leaning up to pull Jinki back to him, the elder seemed to be completely frazzled by his behavior and quickly retreated into his car, driving off at a speed that had Jonghyun wondering what he had done wrong.
Finally, he decided he was done trying to play cupid between Minho and Kibum. It wasn't like Minho was even taking him seriously, since most of his suggestions had gone in one ear and out the other. Minho didn't need it, either, because no matter how many times Kibum had rejected the tall male, Minho went running right back to him, and Jonghyun couldn't help but feel bitter.
Jinki had avoided him for days. It's already Thursday, and even though Jonghyun checks everywhere around the school, Jinki is nowhere to be seen. He thinks that maybe he should try Jinki's mansion, but he really doesn't want to risk running into the elder's parents. He doesn't get how after all the time he spends trying to help Minho woo Kibum, Jonghyun only manages to fall for someone who doesn't even seem to have feelings for him in return.
It was a horrid day and Jonghyun spent most of it glaring at anyone who spared him a glance. It got him a few middle fingers and several freshmen running around to avoid him, but Jonghyun couldn't care less. His best friend is being an idiot and the guy he has feelings for wants nothing to do with him. Or at least, that's what he thinks until he walks over to Minho's locker and finds the tall male face with a certain Kim Kibum. Jonghyun almost pukes where he stands but manages to get away with shudders leaving his body.
"I can't believe I just saw that." Jonghyun grumbled, his head in his hands as he tried desperately to banish the image of his best friend making out with Kim Kibum in public, but nothing works. It's a he's glancing around for a locker to slam his head against that he notices him, Lee Taemin. At first, Jonghyun's sure Taemin's just waiting around for his friends, but when Jonghyun starts to pass him and Taemin quickly abandons his post to follow Jonghyun, the elder can't help but glance down at Taemin's worried features.
"Does hyung know that you've been helping Minho woo Kibum?" Taemin was lucky that he had such long legs, considering how quickly Jonghyun was trying to go to put distance between them and Minho.
"He kind of sort of thinks I've been trying to woo Kibum myself." Jonghyun answers with a nervous grin on his lips and Taemin rolls his eyes, leaning up to slap the back of Jonghyun's head and watching with narrowed eyes as Jonghyun looks back at him.
"I'm going to give you his number. You call him up right now and tell him what's going on."
Jonghyun wanted to say no, of course, since he'd rather talk to Jinki personally than over a phone when it concerned something so important, but he had no choice as Taemin started chanting Jinki's number out and leaving Jonghyun to fumble around on his phone as he saved Jinki's number frantically, quickly ducking into the bathroom to hide there until he was done on the phone with Jinki.
As he readied himself to call the elder, however, Jonghyun found himself hesitating. Jinki was the one who put distance between them in the first place, so wasn't it best that he leave the elder alone until the elder himself wanted to talk? Wasn't this best for the both of them anyway, considering their age difference and the strictness that Jinki's parents obviously were?
"I'll just say that it worked," Jonghyun muttered to himself, but the longer he stared down at the device in his hand, the less he wanted to go through with his plan and actually call the elder. He even resorted to slapping himself a couple of times, telling himself that if he wasn't going to do it now, he'd probably lose any chances to do it in the future.
So he dialed. And Jinki answered after just two rings.
"Hello?" Jinki's voice called gently, and Jonghyun remembered the time Jinki's breath had gently called him when they were in the back room of the library, and remembered how captivated he had felt at that moment.
"Jinki." Jonghyun was both relieved to be on the phone with the elder and nervous, because he wasn't sure of how the elder felt about him over the phone.
"Jonghyun. How did you get my number? Why are you calling?" Jinki didn't sound upset that he was calling, but curious, and Jonghyun felt himself loosen slightly at Jinki's tone, because he knew how worried he had been that Jinki simply hated him and wanted nothing more than to keep him away.
"All of our research paid off, Jinki. Minho finally got together with Kibum." Jonghyun told him through the phone, and he felt his chest bubble in excitement for more reasons than just his joy for his best friend's new relationship.
"I'm glad." Jinki's voice was startled, but at the same time, calm, and Jonghyun waited as he heard Jinki give off a tired chuckle on the other end of the phone.
"I've never had feelings for Kibum, or anyone else. The only person I want to be with is you." Jonghyun muttered, and though he heard a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the phone call, he refused to stop,
"But you're making it pretty obvious that you don't feel anything for me."
"It's not like that at all, Jonghyun, believe me." Jinki's voice was exhausted, and there was the slightest strain in his voice, but Jonghyun wanted to ignore it, because what else could hurt less?
"But what's been growing between us... it's not legal, Jong. You're not even eighteen yet, and I don't want you wasting your life on a no good, clumsy, shy idiot like me when you can have so much better now and even after you become an adult."
"In other words, you're being a coward. You can't face me and tell me these things, so you were planning to be wherever you are now and avoid me until I decided you caused me enough pain so that I could move on? Do I seem that shallow to you, Lee Jinki?" Jonghyun didn't know where the rage came from, considering how gentle he and Jinki had been treating each other.
"Because there are no better ways of putting it, yes, Kim Jonghyun, I am a coward. I'm a coward and I'm in love with you." Now, it was Jonghyun's turn to take in a sharp intake of breath and he covered his mouth with one hand. Jinki sounded like he was fighting tears as he told Jonghyun that no matter how much he wanted to be with the younger, right now when he didn't have the money and power to go against his parents, and didn't want to ruin Jonghyun's future before he became an adult, there was no way to make it happen.
"How about when I am an adult, Jinki? When I have money and enough power to support the both of us. Will you accept me then?"
"I wouldn't just accept you, then, Jonghyun. I would beg to be with you then."
Months passed in a blur, and Jonghyun felt like he was living simply for the sake of the people who cared for him, while he grew lonelier and more afraid on the inside with every passing day. It had been months since he last spoke to Lee Jinki, and in just a few days, he would be turning into an adult. He should have been more excited, but he couldn't be, what with the exhaustion racking his body.
His mother had helped him secure a job at the nearby convenience store, and though he hated the job, the pay was decent for someone who relying on scholarships for the music school he had been accepted into. He had yet to tell anyone of this, however, aside from his mom. There was no one to tell, anyway, what with the lack of communication between him and Jinki and the distance he had put between himself and Minho.
Jonghyun wanted to be happy for Minho and Kibum, and he really tried to be happy, but he couldn't do it. Not when he remembered all the moments he'd spent with Jinki. Jinki was an idiot to believe Jonghyun could get over him, because months later, his heart had only grown fonder of the elder male and he found himself wishing daily that Jinki hadn't left him.
"There you are!" Minho was dragging Kibum behind him as he saw Jonghyun by his locker. Jonghyun glanced over at the couple before shaking his head and returning his attention to the locker before him.
"What do you want, Min?" Jonghyun asked, and he could feel both of the younger males staring at him in what seemed to be concern. He had long given up on pretending to be okay, because he knew he was pining over someone who had probably forgotten all about him.
"Are you still thinking about him?" Apparently, Minho knew all along that Jonghyun wasn't working alone when researching things to help Minho out with Kibum. Why he never said anything was beyond Jonghyun, but Minho knew a decent amount about Lee Jinki.
"Isn't he always?" Kibum muttered, and after he crossed his arms over his chest, he let out a sigh and turned his head back to Minho,
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"What did I tell you about thinking, Kibum? Don't do it. When you think, the rest of the world shudders." Jonghyun was a little harsh to Kibum, and he'd be the first to admit it, but they had gotten off on the wrong foot after all, and he wasn't wrong in saying that when Kibum devisedplans, the rest of the world stepped back so it could stay out of his way.
Minho ignored him, or else Jonghyun would have probably gotten an earful on how the elder was being rude and cold. Instead, Jonghyun watched as Minho turned to Kibum, exclaimed how brilliant Kibum was with a kiss to prove his point, and Jonghyun cringed as both of their excited gazes returned to him.
"Now we just need one more accomplice." Kibum looked around at the passing bodies as if he was looking for one in particular, and with the gleam in his eye, Jonghyun knew exactly who he was planning to rope into their plans.
Poor Taemin looked so lost when Kibum went and dragged him over to the trio with an arm around his shoulder and his sweet words holding double meanings. Jonghyun wanted to stop Kibum, of course, since Taemin and he hadn't really talked since his unpleasant ending with Jinki, but when Taemin found that Jonghyun was in their midst, the three of them started to plan, and Jonghyun felt himself tremble at the looks they sent him.
That's how he ended up at the mansion on his eighteenth birthday. It was awkward, even for him, and he had asked several times if he could just call Jinki from his own room and patch things up like that, but the three glares sent his way had been a quick answer to his questions. It was ridiculous to him, considering the fact that the three of the younger men were using some of the very suggestions Jinki and Jonghyun had come up with against them, and Jonghyun fidgeted again as he rang the doorbell to the mansion.
"Dress nicely. A nicely dressed man is a man that's determined to make a lasting impression." Kibum had forced him into his only black slacks and Jonghyun felt like an idiot as he looked in the mirror, noting that his hair had been tousled stylishly and his piercings were removed so he wouldn't look like a punk.
"Mint is your best friend. Keep your mouth fresh, it'll make smiling a lot more comfortable." Minho had shoved several breath mints into his hands, and Jonghyun gaped at him, wondering if his breath really smelled that bad for the young man to give him so many mints.
"Conversation is key. Don't say anything that will make him turn his head away, and don't make too many jokes, or he won't take you seriously." Being Jinki's brother, Taemin probably knew how difficult it was for a person to stay serious around Jinki when the elder was always so bright, but Jonghyun didn't complain.
"Last-" Kibum started, checking the shorter male's jacket once more to make sure it would keep him warm,
"Be yourself-," Minho continued, his fingers running through Jonghyun's hair because the way it was styled just didn't feel right.
"He didn't fall for someone else." Taemin finished off, and with a deep breath, Jonghyun nodded and headed out of the door to find Lee Jinki.
When the door opened, Jonghyun half expected for Jinki's mother or father to have been the one to answer it, as they were known to be... well, unwanted hosts while he came over, but it was none other than Jinki himself.
Jonghyun's breath was caught in his throat as he looked up at the elder, noting that Jinki was also dressed well in slacks and a form-fitting button down, with the red in his hair fading and leaving pink behind.
"They got to you, too, huh?" Jonghyun asked as he leaned back on one leg, noticing that Jinki's soft gaze had someone gotten even softer as they stared at one another.
Seconds later, because he knew he had Jonghyun even if he wasn't sure of it months ago, Jinki had cupped Jonghyun's face in his hands and they kissed. When they pulled back, having lost whatever air that had been in their lungs, Jonghyun was quick to pull the elder back so he wouldn't run away like he had the time before. Not like the elder was planning to, as his arms wrapped around Jonghyun and pulled him closer.
When they pulled apart the second time, it was so that Jinki could rest his forehead against Jonghyun's, that gentle chuckle that always had Jonghyun wrapped around his finger escaping his lips, "It's good that they did, so we could finally close the distance between us."
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