Chapter 9 | The Second Man

“Hyung, what the was that?”

Jeno jumped at the sudden intrusion inside his apartment. He saw Jisung breathing heavily, panting like the latter just ran a mile. The younger’s eyes were set ablaze, staring into his soul as if giving its last verdict on him. Feeling ashamed, he tried to set his gaze on everything but Jisung’s. He had no excuse whatsoever, even he himself was taken aback at what he pulled earlier when it dawned on him the possible consequences of his outburst inside the restaurant. He instantly regretted the words that came out of his mouth as soon as he stepped out.

He wasn’t expecting his father to keep mum. Afterall, his father has always been vocal on and open to opposing him when he does something without thinking it through. He didn’t mean to explode like that, but things always end up bad when they’re in the same room, breathing the same air. It was supposed to be such a fine family day, but he just had to ruin it. To top it all, he lost it in front of everyone. It wasn’t like there was a single soul in there who had never seen him lose his cool. In fact, everyone in that table had already seen him throw a tantrum at one point but never when they were all together. Regardless, he still felt a little ashamed of himself.

In most cases of Jeno’s blow up, Jisung would always be understanding, often giving him his input and hearing his cousin’s side of the story. Jeno would always receive sympathetic gaze from the younger who would feel sorry for him. However, in that instance, he noticed that the usual Jisung was gone. Instead, it was replaced with a Jisung that looked like the manifestation of pure anger and resentment. And he understood why the younger would be upset, but he couldn’t help himself but feel a little surprise since Jisung had always been his ally when it comes to these things.

“I didn’t mean it, okay?” Jeno surrendered his hands in the air, feeling agitated at the accusing tone of his cousin. He opened his closet doors with a little force, dragging the hung clothes of his before stuffing them inside his suitcase messily. “It was a moment of weakness.”

“A moment of weakness, you say?” Jisung mimicked, not trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice. “Which of it?”

“Huh?”

“Which part of it you didn’t mean,” Jisung asked, demanding for an answer, “the one where you will move out of this apartment and survive without Uncle Jaehyun’s help or the one where you think he wants to get rid of you because you remind him of his failed marriage?”

That shut Jeno up. The first one was genuinely because it was the appropriate thing to say, the one that would prove his dad that he could make it on his own. The second one? He didn’t know, and that scared him. Does he really think that? It confused him. He stayed still for a good three seconds before wordlessly piling his clothes inside his suitcase again.

“You made him cry.”

Stupefied, Jeno’s muscles tensed at that statement. Now, the last time his father cried in front of people, as far as he could remember, was when their family fell apart, which was years ago. He wasn’t dumb. He had every bit of knowledge that his dad still cries over his papa in secrecy, most of the time to sleep and sometimes even in dreams. Other than that, his Daddy Yoonoh had always had good front, often sporting a very business-like aura with no trace of personal problem kind of intervention.

His dad is always good at what he does, masking his emotions and pulling a facade. So it was like someone threw a bucket over Jeno’s head when he heard from Jisung that his dad cried. As much as it looks like he hates his dad, he doesn’t. And he isn’t sure anymore if he did the right thing.

“I-I did?” Jeno stuttered, looking straight ahead in order for him to avoid looking Jisung in the eyes.

“He didn’t just cry,” Jisung said, sounding more aggressive than intended, “he sobbed like there was no tomorrow. Hyung, how could you?”

A clench in his heart. There was a clench inside his left chest, as if squeezing his heart to death. He was starting to regret what he said caused by his impulsiveness. Sometimes, he hates himself for saying things he doesn’t even mean just because he wants to get back at people who he thinks has done him wrong. It never goes well.

“I know it’s my fault, okay?!” Jeno exclaimed in annoyance, finally having the guts to turn around and face Jisung this time around. “You don’t have to rub it on my face, Jisung. I know I tend to do things out of pressure, and they always turn out bad.”

“Then what are you gonna do?”

“Move out,” Jeno muttered as he calmed down. “I can’t go back in my words now. Who knows, maybe this will for the better.”

“Seriously?” Jisung asked incredulously. “We all know you can go back on your words, but you’re too prideful to do just that. How could you put your ego above everything else, especially when it involves your own father?”

“Stop it.”

“What?” Jisung challenged provocatively. “Can’t you handle the truth?”

“Jisung,” Jeno said firmly, “I said stop it.”

“No, you have to be slapped with the truth for once. I have always sided with you every single time, always trying to hear your side of the story. Even when you were in the wrong, I would try so hard to understand you, because I know you feel like you have no one. And as your family and best friend, I want to stand by you, always. But this?” Jisung huffed out a breath, trying to relax his tense body. “I can’t possibly do this anymore. You can do whatever you want, but don’t expect me to be there for you. I’m done keeping up with your irrationality.”

The door was slammed so loud the walls shook in their places, the sound bouncing inside the small apartment as Jeno watched his cousin exit the place. With his jaw clenched, he kicked the wooden table with so much force, the vase shattering that was previously sitting on the table as it collided on the hard flooring.

Jeno was, no matter how disappointed he was, no longer surprised. In the grand scheme of things, he tends to push people away from him. Maybe this was for the best. By the time he was done packing, he scanned his surroundings, perusing every bit of corner before he trudged his way out of the door with the handle of his suitcase in his grasp, eventually emerging out of the building to search for a place to stay for the night.

Under the starless night of Seoul, Jeno hugged himself as a shiver ran down his spine when a cold breeze swept past him. He regretted not dressing warmly enough, knowing that the sun might set without a roof over his head. It was only the start, and now, he could only imagine how hard it was going to be the following days. At times like this, his butler would be calling his mobile phone nonstop in order to know his whereabouts. Now, he no longer has that privilege anymore. He could be murdered at this very hour of the night, and nobody would look for him. At the end of the day, he wanted this. He might as well face the consequences of his rushed decisions.

He kicked a pebble on the pavement, watching it fly across the street as the street lights illuminated his figure. Never once in his life had he imagined that he’d be out in the streets at night time with nowhere to go. This was one of those rare times he wished he could crash at a friend’s house, only if he actually had a friend other than Jisung. Now that they had a bad blood, he had no one to turn to.

Sighing for the ninth time, he decided to take a break for five minutes and sat on the pavement as he looked up. The moon, although hiding behind the countless nimbus clouds, was shining brightly that Jeno could see it faintly. There was another breeze, swaying the trees’ leaves and branches into a dancing motion, creating a sound that was both serene and peaceful. Jeno shivered again, his white chapped lips trembling at the coldness of the weather. His face had become ghostly white, as well as the entirety of his body underneath his thin clothes that were shielding him from the cold but to no avail. He hugged himself like his life depended on himself, which it did. And for a second, he thought he was going to pass out. He was only wearing a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans at a negative five to five degrees celsius. And then it started snowing. Without any ounce of exaggeration, he accepted that maybe he was going to die due to his bad choice of clothing when suddenly, a heavenly familiar voice called his name.

“Lee Jeno?”

Jaemin strolled through the night, hugging a paper bag full of ingredients he just bought at the supermarket to his chest. He was clad in a fairly warm clothing, knowing that the April weather could be a little moody since it’s a transitional season. He was walking leisurely, humming a tune of a Chinese song Chenle recommended to him two days ago.

As he was about to turn, he noticed a figure, shivering under the harshness of the snowy weather. It was a bit dark, but he could see that the guy was wearing nothing but a tee shirt. It looked like the guy was trying his best not to faint, and then he saw his face.

“Lee Jeno?”

And so Jaemin sprinted to Jeno’s side, placing the paper bag he was holding beside the guy before removing his thick jacket, enclosing Jeno’s frozen body with it. He immediately assisted Jeno to stand up, putting one of the latter’s arms over his shoulder as he s his arm around Jeno’s waist. Jaemin’s unoccupied hand took the suitcase, leaving the paper bag on the streets.

Without knowing what to do out of panic, Jaemin brought Jeno to the nearest establishment where he could warm him up. Good thing that they entered a coffee shop that was warm inside with cozy seats. One of the baristas who was at the counter ran up to them in worry and asked what happened, to which Jaemin responded for her to bring a cup of black coffee. Everyone inside the coffee shop was staring at them, some gossiping and some genuinely worried. Jaemin removed his patterned scarf, putting them on Jeno’s neck. He then removed his gloves before he enclosed Jeno’s hands with his, rubbing them to create friction but not before blowing on his palms to heighten the heat.

Moments later, the barista came back with a cup of coffee in her hands. She put it on their table, watching the commotion. When Jaemin noticed that the color of Jeno’s skin was gradually becoming better, he put on his gloves on the latter’s hands. Since the coffee was too hot, he started blowing onto it to be bearable when being sipped.

“Here, drink up,” Jaemin persuaded, his right hand holding the cup of coffee within proximity of Jeno’s lips as his left hand held the saucer underneath. He had placed his seat beside Jeno for better access to the guy.

Feverish and unable to think straight, Jeno asked, “Wh-What’s that?”

“It’s black coffee,” Jaemin said as the steam danced over the hot beverage, “caffeine will stimulate your nervous system and increase your body temperature, so you won’t faint and you will feel warm.”

Nodding with his eyes half open, Jeno slowly pushed his lips until they were touching the cup, sipping slightly and getting his tongue burned. He winced at the sudden contact, waking him up fully.

“Be careful,” came from Jaemin’s mouth. Jeno only looked at him, not breaking his stare even though Jaemin looked back at him in confusion. They were so close, and Jeno could easily just reach out, and he’d be touching the magnificent facial structure of the person before him.

Without breaking his intense stare, Jeno pushed his lips once again, sipping from the cup and feeling a little warm. The coffee was still hot, but it was bearable due to Jaemin blowing on it multiple times, making sure that Jeno wouldn’t be scalded for the second time around. Halfway on drinking his coffee, Jeno had taken the handle from Jaemin who placed his seat back across the former, watching him worriedly. By that time, the people inside the shop had gone back to their businesses.

Jaemin rose from his seat, walking up to the counter, fishing out a few bills and paying for the coffee. The problem was it was Jaemin’s profit yesterday off of his snack business at school, and yet he felt guilty for thinking about it, because he spent on someone who needed it.

“You have a terrible fashion sense,” Jeno said by the time Jaemin had gone back to their table, his eyes still hazy.

“What?”

“This scarf is so worn out I can hear your ancestors just by looking at it. And this pair of winter gloves looks like something a gardener would use for protection in digging a hole.”

At that moment, there was nothing Jaemin wanted more than to strangle Jeno to death. With his eyes flared up and palms itching to connect themselves to Jeno’s neck, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh in able to calm himself down. Nobody in his entire life had the audacity to constantly push his buttons like Jeno does. He never knew someone could be so disrespectful, unthankful, and stuck up. Jeno was a first.

Jaemin stood up. He was about to head to the doors and leave Jeno all by himself when his eyes landed on the suitcase. His eyes soften, but he masked it right away. Did Jeno ran away? He wanted to ask that question, but he knew that there had to be a huge reason for Jeno to do that, something that the latter might not be ready for. So, Jaemin kept mum.

“Why were you out there in the cold?” He asked passively, changing the subject as he took his seat once again.

“I’m looking for a place to stay.” If Jeno had a playful glint in his eyes just a couple of seconds ago, his eyes turned serious, almost dark. “A house, an apartment, a condo unit—anything.”

“Is it for the long run?” Jaemin asked carefully.

“Yeah.” Jeno nodded. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to be with me.” Jeno winked, chuckling to himself as if he hadn’t just almost fainted earlier.

Jaemin remained expressionless, unable to believe at how someone could be so shameless. “You know, I actually know a place where you can crash, but since you’re an insufferable little , I’ll let you rot to death.”

“Hey.” Jeno weakly held Jaemin’s wrist when the latter was about to stand up again and take his leave, and Jeno almost let go due to the jolt of electricity that ran through him. “I’m just kidding. Come on, show me the place.”

Mustering his strength, Jaemin forcibly freed his wrist from the hold before walking past Jeno and eventually exiting the shop as the latter watched him in amusement. The snow had already stopped from pouring, but it was still pretty much chilly outside. With second thoughts playing in his mind, he irritatedly pushed the door open of the establishment, entering again.

“What are you still doing there?” he said with a hint of annoyance as he stood a couple of meters away from Jeno. “Grab your suitcase and follow me.”

With a playful smile on his lips, Jeno took the handle of his suitcase, following Jaemin out in the streets of Seoul.

The two high school students have been walking for about twenty minutes now, Jeno was getting impatient as seconds pass. He felt exhausted. He’d been walking all night in the cold aimlessly, trying to find a roof over his head. Not to mention, he almost lost consciousness from the cold. Yet, here he was, walking amidst the chilly weather again but with Jaemin’s coat this time. The difference from his journey earlier and now was that he was actually getting somewhere and had a company. Also, the temperature had gone down. In the name of honesty, Jeno enjoyed the silence as the guy he loves to annoy was walking a good distance from him.

Maybe, just maybe Na Jaemin isn’t actually the person he perceived him to be, and maybe tonight wasn’t so bad either.

A few more minutes of walking into the night, and they finally arrived at a rickety compound in a steep street a few blocks away from the fresh market. Jeno looked around, and the first thing he noticed was the neighborhood was not he was expecting at all. The houses were extremely small, almost as if they were meant to be occupied by a single person, and their respective exteriors were unpleasant to his eyes. One of the street lights were even blinking, adding a creepy feel to it. He also noticed that the outer walls of the compound were vandalized.

“We’re here.”

“You really hate me this much, huh?” Jeno retorted. Frankly, he didn’t mind living there. He doesn’t usually care about anything else as long as he’s comfortable. He just likes it when Jaemin gets so worked up whenever he teases him. It was his father who would always shower him with gifts and money to make up to him for the lost times. Jeno simply doesn’t care about his riches, and he isn’t much of a spender. The only times he actually spent money was the three weeks he and Huang Renjun dated. Other than that, he couldn’t think of any instance he spent huge amount of money. Good thing he saved all the money he’d received from the past years.

“Hate is an understatement,” Jaemin said, facing Jeno with clenched jaw, blatantly throwing daggers at him. “Despise would probably be the best word to describe how I feel for you, or better yet loathe.”

That night, Jeno let out one of the most genuine laughs he’d had in years. As if thinking, he tilted his head, propping his chin on his balled fist, his elbow resting on his other fist that was s around his stomach, his eyebrows cocked as he looked up. “You know, when you feel such intense emotions about a person, you constantly think about them. The hate you feel is often a defense mechanism from the fact that you’re actually crushing on that person..”

Jaemin gawked at him. He could see that the boy before him was beyond annoyed by now. Jaemin would have probably decked him in the face had Mr. Choi not opened the gates of the compound.

“You kids,” Mr. Choi scolded, “if you’re just going to argue, do it somewhere else. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Sorry, Mr. Choi.” Jaemin faced the man with big round eyes before bowing his head, Jeno mimicking his gestures. “My...classmate here needs a place to stay at, and we’re looking for an available space. I was just wondering if you could help us.”

“Oh, it’s you, Jaemin.” Mr. Choi’s face broke into a full on smile. “I’ve told you countless times to call me Uncle. Come in, you guys are just in time. There’s an available space for your friend.”

“Classmate,” Jaemin corrected, “he’s my classmate, Uncle Minho.”

“Whatever.”

“Hello, I’m Lee Jeno.” Jeno bowed his head.

“Choi Minho. You can just call me Uncle Minho.” Mr. Choi laughed, nodding. He then turned to Jaemin. “Anyway, how’s your father been?”

“He’s doing fine. He’s back to taking art commissions.”

“That’s good to hear,” Mr. Choi said as he led the two inside the open narrow hallway of the compound. “This is the place.”

When Mr. Choi turned the lights on, Jeno was met with dirty white walls with a few marks of crayons, a bed with a pretty discolored futon at one corner, a few torn posters of Korean idols, and lots of random items on the floor. It was pretty much a disaster. Moreover, when he looked at the small houses of the neighborhood, he was not expecting this place to be this small. It was smaller than the apartment his dad bought for him. This one was a studio type with a bathroom, and the kitchen, together with the sink, was directly across the door. Now, Jeno isn’t picky in any way, but backing out and going somewhere else crossed his mind.

“It’s kind of messy right now.”

“Kind of?” Jeno repeated mockingly. “It literally looks like—”

Jeno wasn’t able to finish his sentence as soon as he felt pain in his stomach caused by Jaemin’s jab using the back of the latter’s hand. “That’s alright, Uncle.”

“The previous renter moved a few days ago, and I haven’t had the time to clean up and repaint the house. But if you’re desperate to find a house, I can clean the floor for you and do the rest when you’re out so it wouldn’t be a bother to you.”

“Okay, okay.” Jeno gave up. “Let’s just get this done with, so I can finally settle here.”

“What?” Mr. Choi asked in confusion. “You’re not even gonna ask how much the rent costs per month?”

Jeno eyed Jaemin on the side who walked a couple of steps from them after receiving a text from Taeyong about his whereabouts. He then fished out his wallet, taking out a couple of bills enough for him to stay for over half a year.

“Is that enough?”

Swallowing his spit in surprise, Mr. Choi nodded his head rapidly. “This is more than enough.”

“Actually,” Jeno said, fishing out more bills and handing it to Mr. Choi, “could you also do the shopping for me?”

Mr. Choi nodded rapidly once again.

“Buy me a new futon, a desk lamp, hanging closet,” Jeno instructed, pocketing his wallet. “The change is yours.”

Jaemin-ah, Papa is worried. Where are you? You’ve been out for so long. Message me back as soon as you see this text. Please, stay safe.

Biting his bottom lip in guilt, Jaemin hurriedly typed his message for his father. He completely forgot that Taeyong was waiting for him at home and looking forward to his cooking. They had anticipated tonight to be bonding time, and now he just ruined it. He didn’t just made his father worry, he also wasted the ingredients he left. He wasted his father’s money, and he also spent his yesterday’s profit for a single serving of coffee.

Papa! I’m sorry for worrying you. I got caught up with something. My classmate was about to pass out in the cold wearing nothing but a shirt. I had to come with him because he looked like he ran away. We are at Mr. Choi’s right now. I will explain later. I’ll be home soon. Please, don’t worry about me. I’m fine, Jaemin replied, glancing at Mr. Choi and Jeno who were cleaning up the floor.

Moments later, Jaemin’s phone dinged, signalling for his father’s reply.

Oh God, I hope your classmate is alright. You should’ve brought him here instead. We could’ve taken care of him. Poor kid, he must have been so lonely and helpless. The snow earlier wasn’t that hard, but if you’re wearing a single t-shirt alone in this weather, you’re bound to faint from the cold.

Bringing Jeno home was the initial option Jaemin had in his mind after the latter was sure that the other guy had recovered from the incident earlier, but he decided against it in the end. Knowing Lee Jeno, he’d probably start pestering him on a daily basis once the guy finds out where he lives. Plus, Jaemin was scared that if Lee Jeno looked at his father’s face, the latter might use his dad against him. Jaemin can endure everything, hurtful words, physical assault, anything. One thing that he can’t take, though, is when someone tries to bring up his dad into the conversation by saying something nasty about Taeyong.

The loneliness and helpless part, however, didn’t cross Jaemin’s mind. He saw Jeno, vulnerable, yes, but the guy looked as if everything was fine. But maybe, Jeno is good at having his emotions intact.

I think he’s fine now, Papa. I’ll be home after he’s completely settled here, Jaemin texted, glancing at Jeno and Mr. Choi before receiving another message.

Has he eaten? If not, you should cook for him. And maybe you should stay there for the night. It’s so late now. I can’t have you walking alone late at night.

“Na Jaemin,” Jeno called from the inside, sweat trickling down his smooth, fair skin. He was drenched in his own sweat, wearing nothing but his t-shirt. The coat and the pair of winter gloves he borrowed from Jaemin were already discarded somewhere inside the tiny place.

Jaemin gulped as Jeno unconsciously ran his hand through his raven hair. “W-What?”

“Thank you for your help.”

“I-It’s no problem!” Jaemin stuttered for some reason. “I’ll- I’ll go ahead now!”

“Jaemin-ah, it’s so late now. Why don’t you just stay here?” Mr. Choi said, worry evident in his voice. “I have extra futons for situations like this. I’m sure Jeno-sshi here doesn’t mind if you stay the night, do you, Jeno-sshi?”

Jeno grinned like a maniac, his eyes glinting knowingly as if he was about to do something Jaemin wouldn’t like. “Mr. Choi is right, you should stay the night. I honestly don’t mind. Look at it as a thank you for saving me earlier.”

“What?”

“He rescued me earlier when I was about to pass out in the cold. If it weren’t for Jaemin-ah here, I probably would’ve frozen to death.”

“Don’t call me that,” Jaemin said in irritation.

“What?” Jeno asked, tilting his head, acting innocently. “Jaemin-ah?”

Jaemin closed his eyes, sighing in annoyance. “Lee Jeno.”

“Hey, you kids, have you eaten?” Mr. Choi asked, interrupting the bickering of Jeno and Jaemin. The two shook their heads. “Come, let’s eat. Good thing I still have leftovers. Let’s heat it up and eat.”

“I’m afraid I have to dec—”

“Jaemin and I would love to, Mr. Choi.” Jeno smiled widely, his eyes doing the same thing as the latter glanced at Jaemin momentarily, following Mr. Choi who had walked ahead of them in the direction of the main house of the compound.

And Jeno probably did it on purpose to irk him. What it did to Jaemin, however, was totally different from what Lee Jeno was probably trying to make him feel, something along the lines of feeling his heart drop at that enchanting smile. Jaemin shook his head. He wasn’t supposed to be feeling that way. It was probably due to the fact that he hadn’t eaten. Yeah, that was it...probably. With a sigh, Na Jaemin followed the two inside the main house, completely confused for the entirety of the night of the feeling he’s been experiencing whenever Lee Jeno is around.