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When Jeno first saw a pretty boy around his age crying on a bench of the park in their neighborhood one afternoon after his and his cousin Taeyong’s basketball game, he swear his heart clenched. The 10 years old boy wanted to approach the other -his name is Jaemin as he learned later- who was sobbing heartily, face planted on his palms.

 

 

He clutched his basketball tightly under his arms, eyes trailing at his cousin’s back who probably didn’t notice that he stopped following him, to the little boy who looked so fragile while his eyes were b with tears.

 

 

Jeno was young but he was taught by his father at his early age that crying makes you look weak, and real men never look weak. He was curious as to what made the boy cry so bad that Jeno could hear his difficulty in breathing even though he’s still a couple of meters away.

 

 

With shy steps, he walked towards the bench and stopped right in front of the sobbing boy. He crouched down to level his head unto the other’s and muttered a quiet “Hey.”

 

 

Jaemin raised his head and saw a familiar boy looking at him, observing his face intently. He didn’t personally know Jeno, just his name and his face. It was a pretty small neighborhood, and they go to the same elementary school anyways. He mumbled a shaky greeting before bowing slightly, while trying to hold his tears back. It was embarrassing to cry in front of the boy, he might even make fun of him.

 

 

“Why are you crying?” Jeno asked, brows furrowed in thick curiosity.

 

 

His question made Jaemin remember the tragic event in his life that was making him weep at that moment, and he just shamelessly wailed which took Jeno aback. The older didn’t know what to do to make the boy stop crying. People were already starting to look at their direction because of Jaemin’s cries.

 

 

“My dog’s puppies all died, she had a complication while giving birth and no even one survived.” Jaemin said in a broken sob.

 

 

To Jeno, the reason was pretty shallow. He thought a family member died, but ing puppies? Absurd. Jeno didn’t even like dogs, they’re noisy and they eat a lot. They always bark at people too. Jeno prefers cats, they’re cute and fluffy.

 

 

“Stop crying, they’re just puppies. I’ll give you one of my cat’s kittens. She just gave birth last month too. They’re cuter than your puppies.” Jeno proudly told Jaemin, making Jaemin feel better was solely his intention.

 

 

Jaemin stopped sobbing and looked at Jeno weirdly, then the look on his face turned into a glare, a murderous one. “How dare you! Your kittens are nowhere near cuter than my puppies! Kittens look weird anyways, puppies are pretty!”

 

 

Jeno’s reaction mirrored Jaemin’s. His face turning from a sympathetic look to a scowl. He didn’t like how Jaemin insulted his kittens, he didn’t like how Jaemin argued back.

“What are you talking about? Puppies are ugly, kittens are the cutest animals ever. Your taste is the weird one.”

 

 

“Do you wanna fight me?!”

 

 

Jeno shook his head in amusement as the petite male started rising on his feet, clenching his fists to show Jeno that he wasn’t afraid of him even though the older was taller and his built was already pretty developed unlike him. He backed away, not wanting to get involved in a fistfight with the boy because he didn’t want to hurt anybody.

 

 

“Yah Jeno, hurry up and let’s get back home. Your mom already called me just now.” He heard his Taeyong-hyung calling his name, so he shouted a “coming” back at him before throwing one last glance full of despise unto Jaemin and turning towards his cousin with a single conclusion on his mind.

 

 

Dog owners are weird. And pretty violent. And just pretty. It’s a shame that they’re still weird.

 

 

 

 

 

They tried their best avoiding each other at school, first impressions lasted on their minds. They graduated elementary school just like that. They weren’t friends in the first place anyways. They went to different middle schools too. Jeno purposely convinced his mother to enroll him in a private all-boys school near their house instead of enrolling him to the only public middle school around their neighborhood when he saw Jaemin lining up for admission of the said school.

 

 

Thankfully, his mother agreed to him without further discussions. Jeno is a bright and talented boy, it might help him develop his skills more if he enrolls in a private school and if it’s what her son wants. They are pretty well-off to afford Jeno’s every need.

 

 

Attending middle school made Jeno mature a lot, he met new people and made a lot of friends. He somehow forgot about Jaemin, it was just a silly kids fight anyways. He was sure Jaemin had forgot about it already too. It’s not likely for people to stay childish and hold grudges for such petty reasons right?

 

 

Right?

 

 

Maybe no. Jeno proved it false when he bumped into Jaemin one Saturday morning on his last year in middle school. He was asked by his mother to buy some eggs and sugar because they run out of them which made him jog towards the grocery store near their house to accomplish the errand.

 

 

Jeno was trying to see the difference between the two brands of sugar from the rack when he heard and felt his cart crashing unto another cart. He turned his head fast to apologize to the owner of the other cart when Jaemin’s frowning face greeted him.

 

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t looking.” Jeno immediately offered, giving a timid smile towards the brunette.

 

 

He saw Jaemin rolling his eyes. “You better be. Now I know why cats are stupid, their owners are pretty much the same.”

 

 

It might have angered Jeno, but he didn’t want to make a scene inside the grocery and he wasn’t childish like Jaemin. He wouldn’t add fuel to fire. So he gave another warm smile before maneuvering his cart unto the other side. “I’ll get going then. See you around!” Jeno muttered, picking a bag of sugar and going towards the counter to check his groceries out.

 

 

He walked away too fast that he failed to see the faint blush on Jaemin’s cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeno’s mom asked him where he wanted to study high school. He didn’t think twice when he answered that he wanted to go to the public high school. His other cousin, Mark just came from Canada and he promised him that they’ll attend that school together.

 

 

Again, his mother agreed fast. She processed his admission while Jeno took guitar lessons over the break.

 

 

Jeno was ecstatic, he knew he’ll be meeting much more people in a public high. And girls too. It had been hell for him when he realized that enrolling into an all boys school would mean not meeting any girls making him single the whole duration of his middle school. Taeyong once joked about him just dating a boy in his school, but Jeno laughed it off. It’s not like there was someone interesting in his school to make him date them. If he’s gonna go gay, atleast he wanted to go gay for someone worthy.

 

 

He was even texting Mark the night before the first day of class because he couldn’t keep his excitement. They talked until dawn, making them unable to wake up at the first alarm of their cellphones.

 

 

To sum it up, they woke up late, missed their bus and came to school 15 minutes after their classes started, which made it Jeno anxious when he was already stood outside his classroom. He fixed his crumpled uniform and tried taming his bird nest of a hair before slowly pushing the door revealing their teacher in her mid-thirties scribbling something on the board while the whole class was silently and stiffly watching her.

 

 

“You came at last Mr. Lee, hurry up and come here.” The teacher muttered firmly without taking her eyes off to what she was writing which appeared to be the grades component for the school year. That scared Jeno a bit but he shrugged it off nonetheless and built his courage up to face the whole class. “Again, I am Mrs. Shin your adviser. Please introduce yourself in front of your classmates.”

 

 

“Hello, I’m Lee Jeno. Please take care of me.” He muttered with confidence before smiling brightly, and hearing squeals from his female classmates right after. He noticed someone who wasn’t amused with him though. A certain pretty face boy sitting at the far corner of the room glaring at him.

 

 

Jeno can’t help but grin at the younger boy’s annoyance of him. He smiled even wider when Mrs. Shin pointed him to the seat just in front of Jaemin and saw the brunette groaning and pulling his hair out of frustration.

 

 

He skipped towards the said chair and greeted his seatmates before turning to Jaemin and greeting him too. He sat on his chair when Jaemin just rolled his eyes on him, it was expected from him anyways.

 

 

It’ll be a long year for him.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeno never expected them to be friends, him and Na Jaemin. And they didn’t become one. Not when the younger kept throwing glares at him and avoided being around him at all cost. He got pretty close with Jaemin’s friends, but he refused to join their circle because he didn’t want Jaemin to feel betrayed or mad. He knew the brunette won’t like him hanging out with them so he stuck with the few friends he has like Mark and Renjun. It’s just a pity that Mark was a year older than they are and can’t join them most of the time. He still wanted to be one though, he kept trying to talk to Jaemin since the first day of class but to no avail.

 

 

Jeno can’t say he finds the school boring. He was actually enjoying the new environment. He loves the teachers (well some are pure es but Jeno’s a smart kid and teachers love him so), the facilities, and most importantly the people around the school. It’s probably because he was a hit and became popular overnight due to his insane looks and intelligence, not to mention that he plays sports and knows a few instruments too.

 

 

To everyone, Jeno was the perfect student, perfect friend, a perfect human being all in all. But not for Jaemin.

 

 

He hated his guts, he hates how Jeno would snatch everyone’s heart with just a single eyesmile. He hated how Jeno would play nice like he wasn’t a devil. Jaemin hated how everyone adore Jeno. He hated it all.

 

 

He didn’t even know why he was so pissed with the older. Well except for the fact that Jeno insulted his puppies, the blonde never did anything wrong to him. Jeno even tries to start a conversation with him every now and then. But Jeno insulted dogs, and to Jaemin that’s the worst thing a person could ever do.

 

 

Jaemin loves his dogs so much, he loves dogs in general. He can’t get how people like Jeno could ever hate the adorable domestic pets when all they do is ease their owners’ sadness. If Jaemin could just adopt every dog he sees on the streets, he would. It’s just that his mother would probably throw him out if he does.

 

 

The heart that wants to take care of dogs and help each and every dog out there would never give up though. Although he couldn’t keep them, Jaemin still finds ways to take care of them as much as possible. Recently, he signed his name up for this newly opened pet cafe where the owner adopts stray animals like dogs, cats, hamsters, and bunnies to keep them inside the cafe so costumers could help feed and groom them. Jaemin visits often, in fact he’s already a familiar face to the staffs and the owner himself.

 

 

He was so determined in doing good deeds to dogs that he even presented the idea of volunteering at the cafe to take out the dogs for a walk and bath them to the class when the class volunteering project came into the topic. It was approved immediately because no one disagreed and well, Jaemin might have slipped a dollar or 5 in their class president’s pocket.

 

 

They agreed to go every Saturday afternoon for a month, and the class would be divided into four so the cafe wouldn’t be too crowded when they visit. Jaemin didn’t participate with the discussion anymore, he was just excited to bring his classmates into the cafe.

 

 

Well, he isn’t the only one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first day of their class volunteer project came and Jaemin belonged to the first group of students who’ll come to the cafe. He came earlier than everyone else and informed the owner beforehand that 10 more would come and help, to which Mr. Park was thankful to. He and his 4 crews find it hard to manage a cafe and take care of the pets too. They can’t groom them regularly and it would be a big help if people would come and help. He was all smiles when Jaemin told him the others would come too, saying he would prepare them some snacks to thank them back.

 

 

Jaemin sat at his favorite spot in the cafe and fumbled with his phone while he waited for the others to come. To be honest, he didn’t even know who’ll come that day because he wasn’t able to listen to the class meeting. He didn’t need to know his group anyways, he’ll surely come every week.

 

 

He was pretty busy playing on his phone when a a small white bichon came and his legs. Jaemin smiled and reached out to pat his fur. He flipped the collar pendant and saw the word “Vivi” on it which made him smile wider. The brunette carried the dog and laid it on his lap, caressing it’s soft fur in the process. Jaemin petted the dog for a few minutes until Vivi dozed off on his lap. Jaemin tried his best not to make any movement so he wouldn’t wake up the dog.

 

 

Jaemin couldn’t help mutter a curse under his breathe when his phone rung loudly, making the dog on his lap jolt and ran off. Jaemin clicked his tongue when he saw their class president’s number on the screen. He answered the call and was surprised to hear panic in her voice. “Hello?”

 

 

“Jaemin-ah…. I don’t think we can we make it there. I already gathered our classmates earlier and we’re supposed to come there but Mrs. Shin phoned me and asked us to come to school today to help designing the hall for the school fair next week.”

 

 

“What?? But this was already scheduled!” Jaemin freaked out, his face contorting into a frown. He heard her sighing on the other line.

 

 

“I know. I’m sorry. She actually told me to bring as much students as I can but I excused you so you won’t need to leave the cafe. There’s someone who’ll come to help you, I’m really sorry Jaemin-ah. We’ll help tomorrow instead yeah? I need to go, bye!” That’s all that Jaemin heard before the line died.

 

 

Jaemin pulled his hair out of frustration. He can’t just tell Mr. Park that they can’t volunteer today when he was already on his feet getting all giddy and telling literally every pet he sees that someone’s coming to help and groom them. He didn’t have the heart to do so. He might as well tire himself off and do all the work than ruin the old man’s happiness.

 

Well atleast someone’s coming to help me.

 

He stood from his seat and came behind the counter and walked directly towards the kitchen where he saw Chan, a crew in the cafe, making sandwiches with the owner himself.

 

“Hello there Jaemin!” The older boy gleefully greeted while he was cutting the tomatoes. Jaemin greeted him back before turning to Mr. Park.

 

“I’m so sorry Mr. Park but umm… the others can’t make it today. They needed to take care of some matters. Only one of them would come to help today. I think two can manage to do the job if they work hard enough though!” Jaemin tried being positive, not wanting to bring disappointment to the old man.

 

 Mr. Park seemed to be thinking for a moment before he smiled warmly. “It’s okay, we can keep these on the fridge yeah? Don’t worry about it kid. One of my patrons promised to come here t