01. Jaemin

Be cautious, they say. When falling in love with someone, you’d never know how hard you’d fall. Especially if it’s to someone you’re not meant to fall in love with – because in doing so, you’d risk destroying everything the both of you had gone through together.

Jaemin sighed, reaching his hands to the air for a stretch. Morning lessons are done, and only the afternoon lessons left to go. The boy groaned as he realized the day had only begun, having the feeling that a year had just gone by.

He looked to his left to see Jeno hopping out of his seat with a bunch of papers in his hands. Of course. He thought. He eyed his best friend’s movements to the front of the class, utterly amazed at his stamina for learning.

Jeno held the extra test papers he had asked for the other day, and handed them to his teacher. Jaemin scoffed, not believing how much of a goodie-two-shoes his best friend is. And as Jeno walked back to his seat, Jaemin slowly clapped his hands while holding a playful smile. Jeno couldn’t help but chuckle at Jaemin’s cheekiness.

“Very funny, Nana,” Jeno mocked.

Jaemin smiled. “I know I am.”

As Jeno took a seat back on his chair, he looked beyond Jaemin’s head and stared at the girl sleeping. He looked back at Jaemin with one eyebrow raised.

“Don’t bother, she’s dead,” Jaemin bluntly spoke as a joke.

Jeno chuckled. “How long has she been dead?” he asked, playing along.

“Since the beginning of class.” They laughed.

Shaking his head with a what-can-you-do-about-it smile, Jeno stood from his seat then walked over to Jaemin and said, “Good luck with that.”

He then patted Jaemin on the shoulder and left the class to attend the meeting he was supervising.

As Jaemin watched his best friend stroll out the classroom, the girl’s eyes fluttered open. She gave out a loud sloth-like yawn and stretched her arms and legs like a cat.

She looked over at the cheeky boy, densely blinking at the empty chair beside him. “Where’s Jeno?” she questioned.

“Why would you need Jeno when I’m here?” Jaemin grinned, batting his eyes at the girl as he put his hands to his chin – creating a flower.

Scrunching his nose, she blankly replied, “Goodnight.”

“Yah!” he shouted in between laughs, “Oh Seul!”

The girl shivered at the sound of her full name. “It’s Ahn! Ahn Seul, not Oh!” she shouted, finally fully awake.

“Yes of course, Ahn Seul,” he replied.

Relieved, Seul smiled. “Thank you,” she said b