Hey guys. Indicated here are the reasons as to why this update had been a bit more late than we had expected:

(i) First, we had 2 weeks of hell due to final exams and final projects. (ii) Second, we're stressed on both acads and life, having a little to almost no free time at all. (iii) Lastly, we had been busy for the past weeks, so we're really sorry for the delay.

We're glad now that the sem had ended for us already, and as you can see, we're back!!! *pops confetti here*

Anyway, we hope you'll all like this chapter!

P.S. Comments are always, always appreciated. :D - AXIDREINN

Jeno woke up with a smile ghosting his face as he took off the soft sheets tangled around his body while he pushed himself off his bed and stood up, made his way to the bathroom to prepare for another day in school.

“Would you like some more milk, young sir?” Mr. Lim asked him when he was in front of the dining room table after getting ready, eating his breakfast.

He turned to look at the elder and nodded, “Yes please.”

Calling for one of the maids to get Jeno the dairy drink he had asked for, the older man then stood behind the younger’s chair, watching over him as he ate and declined the offer of joining him when Jeno asked.

“You seem happy today young sir. I take it that something might have happened to put you in such a good mood early in the morning,” he commented, noticing the small yet quite obvious changes in the younger; the slight gleam in his eyes like as if he was enthusiastic about something- it was subtle but it was still there nonetheless.

The statement had caught Jeno off guard, of course, but he didn’t replied, instead, he hid back a smile when he took another bite of the pancakes he was eating and continued on without making much room available for further conversation.

It might appear rude to some, the older man however, hadn’t put much thought into it since he was pretty used to Jeno’s odd behaviour every now and then. The way the younger’s lips curled up definitely didn’t left unnoticed by the head butler of the Lee household yet he decided to not ponder on the topic any longer, allowing his young master to eat in peace and drown himself in thoughts that were bound to be flooding his mind.

After breakfast and saying his goodbyes, Jeno made his way out of the house and headed to school. It was just another usual day- he ate breakfast, walked to school in silence, his schoolmates making small dialogues with him if they happen to pass by and alike.

There was nothing special about that day to be honest. But somehow, it was different for Jeno. It might have been the tinge feeling of excitement he had as he made his way inside their university. He wasn’t sure where that sort of feeling came from but he wasn’t going to complain. Amidst it all, it felt right.

Somehow, everything was perfect.

“What is your problem hyung?!”

Okay.. so maybe it wasn’t.

Jeno had just arrived at their classroom and the sight that welcomed him wasn’t an ideal one, not when it was still early in the morning.

“Shut up or I’ll tell your boyfriend you’re flirting with someone else behind his back,” Mark said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not flirting with anyone,” Chen Le countered, frowning at the older male. “You’re the one making the wrong conclusions here.”

Both stood across one another, getting on each other’s face and both seemed pissed at something, exchanging angry cries.

“What’s going on?” Jeno asked Winwin, who was sitting on his seat which was just behind his, not minding his friends that are fighting in front of him when the younger went to his desk and dropped his bag on the wooden table.

The older spared him a small glance as a greeting when he stared up from his phone, hadn’t even noticed that Jeno already arrived if he hadn’t said anything. “Mark is being y,” Winwin answered with a shrug, uncaring that Mark was even in the same room as him.

The former mentioned then turned to the older when he heard his name. “I’m not!”

“Yes, he is. He has been like that since yesterday.” Winwin rolled his eyes at him, clearly unimpressed, before turning to Jeno when the younger asked for an explanation and clarified, “He was with Donghyuck yesterday and Chen Le and I passed by them at the convenience store when we were on the way home-”

“Wait, you went home with Donghyuck?” Jeno cut the elder’s explanation off to ask, directed to his best friend.

Sensing the younger’s attention on him, Mark snickered when he turned to look back, momentarily forgetting the banter he was having with Chen Le as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t talk to me. I’m still pissed at you for leaving me in the air like that.”

Knowing what Mark was talking about, Jeno frowned; guilt washing over him as he recalls what he did to the older the day before; leaving him behind when Mark clearly told him that they were supposed to meet Donghyuck. “I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to be left alone,” he started off, sounding genuinely sorry for his actions. “I’m sorry for causing you any trouble.”

No matter how hard headed he might seem, everyone knew that Mark will always have a soft spot for Jeno no matter what and would let him get away with anything. And perhaps Jeno was aware with that and is using it to his advantage to not let Mark’s hatred for him linger any further. This bastard, Mark thought.

“You could have texted me where we were, you know,” the older sighed. Even though he knew why Jeno did those things that he did, it wouldn’t change the fact that he was really disappointed with what the younger had done. It wasn’t like Jeno to leave him in such a mess. “I was worried sick and Donghyuck got mad because you ditched us.”

“He did?” Jeno was still frowning.

“At first,” he clarified, sensing that the younger would be sad at the thought of letting other people worry about him, like Mark worrying over him wasn’t enough. “But Jaemin sorted the whole thing out.”

“Jaemin?” His voice sounded different at the mention of the latter’s name.

Mark noticed it of course. He raised a questioning brow at the younger. “Didn’t you receive any of my messages?”

Jeno shook his head. He was aware that he had indeed received a bunch of messages but didn’t have the time to look at them yesterday especially after meeting and talking to Jaemin. Heck, he hadn’t even opened his phone when he got back home.

“Well, we went looking for you,” Mark explained. “It wasn’t my idea ‘cause I know we wouldn’t be able to find you but Jaemin was the one who suggested and insisted it in the first place.”

Jeno didn’t respond, but instead he tilted his head a little, prompting the older to continue talking, the sudden perk of interest showed after hearing Jaemin’s idea of searching for him.

“It was to calm Donghyuck down since he was really pissed,” he paused, “and maybe he did that so the both of you to finally meet? I don’t know, I’m just assuming things.”

Mark only said those words in attempt to make his best friend feel guilty over his actions but the younger’s reaction wasn’t the sort of reaction the older had excepted to see on him.  Instead of seeing eyes visible with regret, Jeno’s mirrored that of being shocked and was boarding close to delight at the same time.

 Bearing the younger’s expression in mind; Mark had his brows knitted together, thoughts getting worked up all of a sudden while looking at his best friend as if he was some kind of experimental subject laid out in front of him.

Jeno, on hence sight, was weirded out by his best friend who was gawking at him with mischievous eyes, as if he had known something that concerned him and that he can use it against Jeno to black mail the younger with it. Okay.. maybe he was being a bit paranoid.

“Jeno, you know what?” he started. “You seem rather more interested in whatever I say whenever Jaemin’s name gets mentioned. Is there something you should be telling me Lee Jeno?” asked Mark with a smirk, wiggling both his eyebrows at the other in a playful manner.

What does he want to know? Jeno asks himself with a frown as he started enumerating things in his head that Mark possibly wants him to reveal.

Does he want me to tell him that I met Jaemin and that I want to know more about him that’s why I seem interested whenever his name gets mentioned? Is that what Mark’s getting worked u