♦ A/N: Please always take note of the date, it's really important and also to avoid any confusion of the timeline. Happy reading! ^^ ♦

→ APRIL 10, 2018 - TUESDAY

Jaemin's been manning his study table, waiting for the letter to appear. Of course, it never did. He even tried to close his eyes shut for few minutes and expecting that once he opens it, the letter would magically pops up. Again, no such thing happened. He's been itching to know who Jeno dated or in this timeline who will he date. He hates Renjun for setting his curiosity ablaze and he has been peskering him about it through Line but the latter won't budge to give him the information that he needed. 

Well, he has already taken himself out of the equation. It cannot possibly be him that Jeno courted. Highly impossible. He tells himself. But, it's hard to even guess who it was or who it will be since Jeno's been only hanging out with them and by the looks of it he hasn't really paid much attention to other people outside their circle of friends. 

It was when he came back to his room from dinner when the letter did arrived. And upon noticing the already familiar figure of the envelope, he dashes towards it and impatiently rips it apart to read the contents.

I don't exactly know how or why it happened

But Jeno ended up dating Lami.

The girl who won the bid? He astonishingly squealed mentally upon reading the sentence.

They dated for about two weeks and I also don't know why they broke up

Jeno never really talk about it and we didn't even ask, thinking that it might upset him

This was our mistake. None of us ever really talk to Jeno personally

There's his bestfriend Renjun but even he thought that Jeno was such a big mystery

Jeno was always smiling, always laughing whenever he's with us

But please pay close attention to him. He's actually in pain

Jaemin then likened Jeno's predicament to a certain news story that he watched over at dinner a few nights back. It was about a professional footballer who was detained for having a troubled mental health. Amongst the deluge of love and sympathy towards that certain footballer were the unfortunately all-too-predictable lines from people who have a gross and primitive misunderstanding of what it's like to be succumbed by depression. "He's a millionaire, what's he got to be sad about?", "I can't believe he's depressed, I mean he's always smiling", "For a guy who lives in a mansion with numerous branded cars and millions of dollars in store in a bank, is he asking for more?". It saddens Jaemin that opinions like those circulate and are of commonplace to people who doesn't feel and experience the same way as the footballer. 

And Jeno is like the footballer. 

There's absolutely no one could tell that he's wallowing in pain. And somehow that bright smile of his that drew people to him like moths to a flame no longer has that familiar shine that he felt on the first time that he saw it.  It's now been clouded by something else and Jaemin fears that he'll never look at that smile the same way again.

By saving Jeno, I don't mean for you to fix him 

As there's nothing entirely broken in him

Rather than giving him senseless advice, be a compassionate listener

That's all he needs

Well of course, it's only possible if Jeno's open to what he's really feeling. How can he make Jeno to talk? 

→ APRIL 16, 2018 - MONDAY

For about a week now, Jaemin has been preparing Jeno's lunches. There wasn't really any trouble at all. If anything, he wholeheartedly enjoys that he's cooking for him. As he prepares new dishes day by day, he earns experience points like playing a simulation game. His action earned a questioning remark to his friends of course, most especially Donghyuck. The charismatic guy is livid on the first day that Jaemin showed to everyone that he'll be in charge of Jeno's food intake from now on. He commented that in the course of their friendship, Jaemin has never deliberately thought of cooking for them but he eventually lets it slide as he jokes that Jaemin looks like a wife feeding his husband. In which, of course, Donghyuck earned a reddening slap from Jaemin.

On the other hand, the recipient of his action (Jeno), just humbly ate the food that he put together and gives out positive reviews even though sometimes the cooking tastes off. But utimately, Jeno acknowledges the effort more. And just hearing those compliments from Jeno is his driving force for him to continue doing it, although he's been splattered with burning cooking oil for countless of times now. 

He woke up extra early today . 5AM - exactly an hour than he normally does. What he is about to do is whole new experience from him. Both new and nerveracking, for that matter.

He's about to call Jeno to wake him up for morning practice. 

He couldn't sleep comfortaby last night, predictable enough. Tossing and turning here and there all night as he pictures in his mind the scenario of him and Jeno talking over the phone, with the both of them smiling contentedly on the other end of the line. He reminds himself continuously that he needs to sound normal. But just by figuratively hearing Jeno's voice in his head makes him feel giddy. And he hates that he's acting like a girl in this situation. 

Prior this day, he bravely asked Jeno on what would be the perfect time to wake him up. Upon hearing his question, Jeno exquisitely perks up and responded that he usually attends Monday morning practice where the team would skip the drills and proceed immediately with the actual game of soccer. Jeno even added that he doesn't need the figure eight dribbling drill nor the zig-zag one as he keeps stressing that he's not even a permanent player. Then, gags that he has already mastered soccer. Even Jeno bragging appears cute to him.

Come 5:15 AM, he stares at Jeno's icon on Line. His anxiety rises tenfold although there are a lot of incredibly ridiculous preparations that has been made for this day. He's not actually the phone person, part legacy from being semi-introvert, but admittedly he's really looking forward to hearing Jeno's just-woke-up voice. He has done a lot of