Chapter 10 | The Second Man

Inside the rented house of Lee Jeno in Mr. Choi’s compound, Jaemin woke up to a pretty familiar surrounding. For a split second, the place was unrecognizable, causing his eyebrows to furrow before realizing that he had fallen asleep on one of Mr. Choi’s futons. They talked so much over their dinner last night, so much that Jaemin had to stay for the night. It was against Jaemin’s will, but with Mr. Choi’s persuasion and Lee Jeno guilt-tripping him, he had to give in. He decided to text his father that he wouldn’t be able to come home, apologizing for not being able to cook for him, in which Taeyong responded that he heated up the leftover and had it as his dinner.

Jaemin clearly remembered being given two futons by Mr. Choi, for him and for Jeno. He could perfectly remember how he had lain his at the other end of the room, much to Lee Jeno’s insistence for them to merge their futons for a more comfortable sleep and wider sleeping area. So, his breath hitched when he woke up to one of Lee Jeno’s arms underneath his head. Jeno’s face was only a few centimeters away from his, while the other arm of the latter was casually resting around his waist comfortably, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

So much for such a peaceful Sunday.

On instinct, Jaemin attempted to push Jeno away with force but stopped midway, realizing the burning sensation he was feeling being in contact with the boy before him. His brows cocked in confusion, getting an idea of what could possibly be the reason for such abnormal heat. Reluctantly, he put the back of his hand on Jeno’s neck just to draw it back and place it on the latter’s forehead. His confusion turned to worry as he realized that Jeno was sick. But didn’t the latter get better immediately after almost passing out?

Not knowing what to do next, Jaemin stayed still in the arms of Jeno. Although he could feel the high body temperature of the latter, Jeno looked so...calm and serene, something Jaemin hadn’t seen before until that moment. And the sound of birds chirping outside the open window only made Jeno look more heavenly with his milky, white skin and gentle sleeping expression.

He was so lost in Jeno’s features that he didn’t have the time to react when the latter pulled him close, caging him in even more. With such proximity that he could feel Jeno’s breath fanning over his lips, he could feel the other boy’s body burning.

“You’re so warm,” Jeno said all of a sudden, his eyes still closed. “Let’s stay like this for a little while.”

“You’re burning,” Jaemin responded, attempting to free himself from Jeno’s hold but ending up on getting even more closer when he was pulled in once again, his cheek hitting the latter’s hard chest.

“And yet I feel cold,” Jeno retorted back, making himself comfortable by delving his nose onto Jaemin’s hair, “the more reason for us to stay like this.”

“You’re such an opportunist.”

Jeno just smiled, still not opening his eyes. “You act like you don’t like what I’m doing, and yet you don’t put up a good fight. If anything, you’re actually enjoying this and trying to lure me in by hating on me just so you could get my attention.”

This time, Jaemin pushed Jeno away that the latter ended up lying on his back, wincing in pain.

“Ouch!” Jeno shouted, feeling aggravated at the sudden violence. “What was that for?”

“That’s for you being so shameless!” Jaemin argued back, taking the blanket off of his body, rolling his eyes at the boy who was smirking at him.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going home.”

“What?” Jeno’s eyes went wide. He then sat up straight. “You’re seriously gonna leave me like this, feverish and burning?”

“Well, by the way you talk and act,” Jaemin started, turning to look at Jeno right in the eyes, crossing his arms on his chest, “there seems to be nothing wrong with you. I think you’re just fine.”

“Hey!” Jeno said, “You can’t just leave me here! What if I die here?”

“You’re being overdramatic.”

“Yeah, sure I am. But if I die here, it’s all your fault for leaving and not taking care of me.”

“Why do you even insist on having me here,” Jaemin asked irritatedly, “I thought you hated my guts?”

He couldn’t understand why Lee Jeno was doing this. Maybe it was because purposely attacking him wasn’t working, so Lee Jeno resorted to annoying him by flirting with him.

“Keyword,” Jeno countered back, “hated.”

“What?”

“I no longer hate you,” Jeno said casually, smiling to himself as he stretched his arms in the air, yawning. He was acting like he didn’t just confess, and it weirded Jaemin out.

“W-What the ?”

“Hey!” Jeno said, “Don’t curse at me!”

“If this is some sick joke, Lee Jeno, I swear to the Gods above, I will castrate you with my whole being once you get better,” Jaemin said, feeling his blood rushing to his face, trying to hide his reddened cheeks.

“I’m just kidding,” Jeno uttered after a while. “Go home, your family’s probably worried about you.”

That shocked Jaemin even more. There was no longer any sign of humor or sarcasm in Lee Jeno’s voice. It was serious, direct, and sincere. Jeno was looking straight ahead, and he couldn’t help but peruse the guy on the bed, trying to find some sort of clue that would give this act away, but there was none. And so, his eyes softened, looking down.

The place was wrapped in silence. The only thing that could be heard were the birds outside the window, and then Jeno decided to break the silence. “Your phone kind of kept me up last night. It kept on ringing, so I took a peek. It was your dad. I didn’t wanna answer or turn off your phone because that would make him worry more, and I also didn’t wanna wake you up. You looked exhausted.”

Truth to it, Jaemin actually had a lot of missed calls and texts from his father. He typed a quick reply that he wasn’t able to answer because of exhaustion before tucking the phone inside his pocket. His eyes then landed on Jeno who went back to sleep, the latter’s back now facing him. Heaving a deep sigh, he put his shoes on and fixed himself, opening the door and exiting the house, leaving Jeno alone inside the place who had his eyes opened the whole time.

Shortly after he heard the door closed shut, Jeno lay on his back, sprawling on the bed, occupying the entire space as he stared at the ceiling, stretching his aching body. Now that he was finally alone, everything kept coming back. He was alone. What if he hadn’t been found that night by Na Jaemin, he would’ve probably been dead by now. Before, he felt alone, only in a figurative sense, though. Right now, however, he was alone in both figurative and literal sense. Back then, he was alone but never lonely. At this moment, though, he was alone and lonely.

He was glad it was a Sunday. That meant he didn’t have to go to school with his current condition, and he didn’t have to see Jisung who was probably still upset at him because of his antics. More than anything, he actually felt tired. He stayed lying for a good half an hour. Sighing, he stood up and opened the door widely, turning off the lights.

“Jeno, good morning!” Mr. Choi, who was sweeping the ground with a broomstick, called out in front of the main house. The man was sporting a wide, calming smile, waving his free hand in the air enthusiastically that fine morning. “I see, you’ve woken up. Where’s Jaemin?”

“He’s gone home.” Jeno pulled a half hearted smile.

“Oh, I see. By the way, I’ll be ordering later the things you need for your new place. I’m afraid everything will be delivered here when you’re at school, though. Wait a minute.” Mr. Choi disappeared for a minute, leaving the broomstick leaning against the wall. He then came back with two identical keys, handing them to Jeno. “These are the keys to the house.”

“No,” Jeno said. “If they arrive while I’m at school, you can just enter inside and have the people set them up. I’ll leave the other one to you until then.”

“There’s no need,” Mr. Choi replied when Jeno was about to hand the key back to him, “I have a duplicate, for emergency purposes and all. I’ll use that one. Keep one with you at all times. The other one, you can just place it somewhere it won’t be noticed just in case you lose the one you have with you.”

Jeno nodded in response, turning back.

“By the way,” Mr. Choi started once again, “I figured since you don’t have any cooking appliances to cook yet, you might wanna eat breakfast together. Have you eaten?”

Someone cleared their throat.

“Oh, I thought you already went home?”

At that, Jeno turned to the source of the sound, surprised to see Jaemin standing awkwardly, holding a transparent plastic bag. The latter was no longer wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday, and his hair was not all over the place anymore.

“Good morning, Mr. Choi,” Jaemin greeted, bowing his head to the man, giving a warm, genuine smile. “I-I did, but Jeno has a fever so...”

“Is that so?” Mr. Choi asked, his eyes shifting from Jaemin to Jeno and vice versa. “Then, please, take care of him. I know I don’t even have to say that. I know you will take care of him without anyone telling you to do so. Ah, Yong really raised you well. I should’ve pursued him before.”

“U-Uh,” Jaemin uttered awkwardly, “thank you, Mr. Choi.”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead now.” Mr. Choi laughed loudly, tapping both of Jaemin and Jeno’s shoulders as he walked away saying. “Ah, kids today are really growing up well. Back in my day, when you get a fever, they won’t even check up on you.”

“So,” Jeno teased, smirking, his arms crossed in his chest, standing inside the house expectantly, “you’ll be taking care of me?”

Jaemin just rolled his eyes, proceeding to enter the house, deliberately bumping Jeno, who was smiling to himself suggestively, with a little force, causing the latter to stumble on his feet.

“Ouch!” Jeno overreacted, clutching his bumped shoulder in exaggeration. “Is that for me?”

“Why are you standing there?” Jaemin asked, seeing Jeno through his antics. “Get back here and lie down. Your fever might worsen if you keep exerting more energy.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“It is,” Jaemin answered almost immediately, “now, get back here and lie down. Wait here, I’ll ask Mr. Choi if he has a bed tray and if we can borrow it. I’ll prepare your food.”

“My wife is so responsible,” Jeno remarked cheekily that halted Jaemin who was about to step outside the house. “We went from strangers to enemies to spouses. I can’t believe we skipped the friends and lovers part.”

“What did you just call me?”

“My wife,” Jeno sing-sang. “My beautiful and responsible wife.”

“You little—!”

Jaemin gestured threateningly as if he was about to punch Jeno when the latter exclaimed, “Ouch! My body hurts so much, probably because of the fever. Ugh, damn this pain.”

“You’re so annoying!” Jaemin screamed in irritation, making his way out with large strides. But then he came several seconds later, throwing a clean, white towel at Jeno before exiting again.

Jeno chuckled to himself, diving onto the futon, feeling satisfied. It was like Jaemin was his happy pill. When Jaemin is around, he tends to forget everything wrong in his life at the moment, even when they’re being casual or having a full-on fight. Maybe he should have him around more often? He didn’t really know. He was happy, and that was what really mattered. After a few minutes of tossing and turning around, smiling at nothing in particular like a fool, Jaemin came back, carrying a bed tray table with two bowls, two spoons, and two glasses filled with water.

Seeing Jaemin approaching him, he sat up straight in haste, leaning his back against the piled up pillow he folded earlier. The younger then cautiously placed the bed tray table in between his thighs.

“What’s this?” Jeno asked, getting the spoon and twirling the soup.

“It’s congee with ox tongue,” Jaemin replied, mixing the spices on his congee. “Eat it while it’s hot, it will warm your body. Don’t forget to eat the ox tongue, it’s great for people who are recovering from fever, cold, and other illnesses.”

“How do you even know these things?”

“Just because,” Jaemin said sternly, proceeding to eat his food. “Now, eat. After this, I’ll borrow a basin from Mr. Choi and get a warm water, so you can clean yourself up.”

“How about you clean me up?”Jeno cheekily suggested, earning a glare and a threatening punch from Jaemin. The former then laughed, his smile reaching his eyes. “Yes, Boss.”

The following day, Jeno finally felt better. It was kind of odd for some reason. He rarely ever gets fever, but when he does, it usually stays for a couple of days, one week maximum. In spite of that, Jeno was delighted he could afford to go to school and not miss classes for that day. Strange if you ask him. He didn’t really care before even if he missed an entire month of lecture, but everything seems to be changing for some reason. The good thing? It was for the better.

The moment he stepped inside the class that morning, everybody was weirded out by the lack of frown in Jeno’s face. In fact, if only people looked closely enough, they would’ve seen the tiny smile he was sporting that almost went unnoticeable. For some reason, Jeno looked, as everyone thought, inspired.

“Good morning, Jeno-hyung!,” Zhong Chenle greeted, bowing his head in respect to Jeno as the latter sat in his seat, placing his bag under their shared desk.

“Morning,” Jeno replied which startled Chenle. It had been over a month, and that was the first time the former actually greeted Chenle back, and it was all thanks to his mood. It was the best mood he’d had in such a long time, and nobody was going to ruin it.

Suddenly, a group of loud boys entered the class. Headed by Lucas Wong, trailing after him were Mark Lee, who was the most quiet among the bunch, Liu Yangyang, and Wong Kunhang. “Good morning, everyone!”

Lee Jeno paid no mind.

“Yo, Lee Jeno-sshi!” It was Lucas Wong, smiling ear-to-ear at him. “You look like you're in a good mood today.”

“That’s because I am,” Jeno replied directed more at Mark Lee rather than at Lucas. His eyes then raked over a familiar figure of his cousin who had just walked in, staring at him in subtle curiosity.

“Woah, that’s new,” Lucas Wong commented in astonishment as Mark Lee frowned, taking his seat. Instead of being offended like what he would usually feel when someone says something he thinks is tasteless, Jeno just chuckled which surprised the whole class even more.

And then, Jaemin and Lee Donghyuck stepped in, lost in their own conversation. Jeno’s eyes lit up for a split second, his gaze focused at the way Jaemin smiled because of something Lee Donghyuck said.

“Na Jaemin,” Jeno called, rising from his seat and stopping both Jaemin and Donghyuck from their tracks as he subtly looked at Mark Lee, making sure that the latter would hear what he was about to say as he took the paper bag that contained Jaemin’s clothes under his table, “you forgot these the other day when you stayed the night at my place.”

There was an awkward silence.

“...What?” Lee Donghyuck asked.

There was another complete, utter silence that had anyone snapped their fingers, it would’ve probably ricochet for an eternity. Jaemin’s mouth hung open in terror as he stared at the paper bag Jeno was holding, snatching it in haste. Inside were his coat and the pair of winter gloves he let Jeno borrow at the cafe. He looked around to see if anyone heard what Jeno said, and to his horror, everyone’s attention was fixated on him and Jeno, waiting expectantly to what he was about to say.

“I-It’s not what it seems like!” Jaemin explained frantically, trying to force a laugh. “Lee Jeno, come on! Tell them what you actually meant.”

“Huh?” Jeno pretended, tilting his head, cocking his brows as if confused. He smirked inwardly at the dumbfounded boy before him, enjoying the scene. There’s something about Jaemin that’s really amusing when the latter’s caught off guard. A bright idea came to his mind. He took his key from his pocket, reaching for Jaemin’s hand, opening the latter’s palm, dropping the key on it before closing it once again. “By the way, this is the key to my house just in case you wanna sleep together...again.”

Chuckling to himself, Jeno reached out for Jaemin’s shoulder, patting him a couple of times before taking his seat like nothing happened, smiling like an idiot as the younger gawked at him, Jaemin’s eyes full of fury. It was actually hitting three birds with one stone. First, he got to see Jaemin annoyed and worked up. The best way to get the latter’s attention was by pushing his buttons, so it was all good. Second, Mark Lee seemed to be speechless and crestfallen at his and Jaemin’s exchange. Now that the skull-faced boy supposedly found out he and Jaemin slept together, Mark Lee could finally stop trying to play the prince who would sweep Jaemin off his feet. And finally, it was a huge slap on Jisung’s face that he wasn’t and isn’t needed by Jeno. He can manage on his own without the help of his family. If anything, he gets to have more freedom.

It had been several seconds later, and it was still dead silent. Lee Donghyuck was gawking at Jaemin, Mark Lee looked genuinely hurt, Park Jisung was confused, Zhong Chenle was staring at Jeno in astonishment, Lucas Wong, Liu Yangyang, and Wong Kunhang were just as flabbergasted as everyone else in the classroom.

“...Uh... Don’t they supposedly hate each other?” Kim Chaewon, the quiet girl at the back who usually reads boys’ love Japanese manga, asked amidst the dead silence.

“I knew it!” Lucas Wong grinned, clapping like he just realized the brightest idea ever. “I never took you for a tsundere, Jaemin, but you’re actually one!”

“Lucas, stop saying such nonse—”

“He is.” Jeno nodded his head, agreeing with Lucas. He noticed that if Jaemin’s face was red earlier, it became even redder, like someone slapped the latter with a deep shade of blush on, if that was even possible. “But he gets really sweet, most of the time when it’s just the two of us. He doesn’t like showing his affection to me publicly.”

“Interesting,” Donghyuck side-eyed Jaemin, gazing at him knowingly.

“Shut up!” Jaemin exploded, his face red in anger, steam coming out of his ears, but it was more directed at Jeno more than was at the class. “Just shut up, Lee Jeno!”

“...Um?”

“We aren’t together, okay?!” Jaemin shouted over his throat. “Jeno and I slept together, all right, but not in that sense! He was out in the night with a single layer of clothing for some reason, and I happened to pass by. I saw him, took him to his house, took care of him because he caught a cold, and then we slept on different futons. Nothing happened that’s beyond your imagination!”

“...Nobody asked if we’re together, though?” Jeno commented, and it seemed to outrage Jaemin even more. Such a wrong move.

“Just shut the up, Lee Jeno!” Jaemin fumed.

Before Jeno knew it, there was a flying key that smacked him across his cheek, leaving an imprint on his face.

Jaemin was about to get all physical at Jeno when Hwang Hyunjin, the class monitor, took off and peeked outside the room before shouting, “Mr. Qian is coming!”

—

“I can’t believe you stayed the night at Lee Jeno’s, at least without telling me,” Lee Donghyuck muttered as he closed his Chemistry notebook, putting it inside his bag. “I thought I was your best friend. Turns out I’m just another friend you remember when you need some company.”

Jaemin let out a frustrated sigh, doing the same thing with his own Chemistry notebook when the bell rang for lunch. Donghyuck’s sulking was easy to handle. He knew the latter was going to understand what he had to say, but the entirety of their class? And honestly, Jaemin should’ve known better. Involving himself with Lee Jeno was going to be a pain in the . Then again, he acted on instinct. Jeno was about to pass out in the cold wearing nothing but a single layer of clothing.

“Look, Haechan, I didn’t know I was gonna be spending the night at his house, okay?” Jaemin explained. “I’ll tell you the whole story of why I was there. It’s all a misunderstanding. I had no desire on even associating myself with Lee Jeno. It was all purely coincidental that I happened to be where he was about to pass out at a Saturday night.”

“Wait, what?”

“Exactly. I didn’t know either.”

“Y’all know I’m right behind you, and that I can perfectly hear you, right?” Lee Jeno asked in amusement, smiling haughtily at Jaemin. “Plus, Jaemin-ah, it’s totally alright to tell your best friend what’s going between us. He’s bound to find out, anyway.”

“Could you please just go?!” Jaemin shouted in agitation, turning to throw daggers at Jeno. “Stop all the nonsense! I helped you once! Stop making people think there’s something going on between us!”

“Isn’t there?”

“There isn’t!” Jaemin shouted. “Just go!”

“No, I have packed lunch. I’m eating here on my table.”

“Fine!” Jaemin screamed, getting everyone’s attention. He stood up swiftly, taking his and Donghyuck’s lunch before dragging the latter away but realized he had to get Chenle, too.

“Chenle-ya, let’s go.”

“U-Um...” Chenle fidgeted, his eyes shifting from Jaemin and Donghyuck to Jeno. “Sorry, Jaemin-hyung, Donghyuck-hyung. I promised Park Jisung I’ll be having lunch with him. You can go without me.”

Nodding in understanding with a frown on his face, Jaemin walked away in haste, dragging Donghyuck by the wrist.

He’s so cute when he’s mad, Jeno though, letting out a small, breathy laugh.