Symptoms - SHINee

*Mehrong to all those readers who thought the title would be 'Another JONGMI'. hahahahah! I love you all!

 Fooled you all muhahahahaha! /Le troll alert.

THANK YOU FOR THE NEW LOVELIES AND UPVOTES! :*

Chapter 42: Another Cousin.

Having a rare day off, Jaera decided to go out for a bit and stroll around Apgujeong Rodeo Street. It has been a long while since she last visited the place, and even though the wintry weather was making it hard for people to go around leisurely, the bright lights and noisy atmosphere managed to overshadow that. It was one of the things that Jaera liked about the place, its lively environment. For the past few days, so much happenings went by that she couldn’t think straight; her mind was just full of uneasiness and apprehension that she just wanted to break free, even just for a day.

Good thing is that, even though there’s still some guilt going on inside of her, she was sure that eventually, it’ll leave. It was the same for Sehun for they already made a compromise to not dwell in what happened and just move on. It might not be easy, but it was still possible. Sehun wanted for their friendship to not get ruined by just a simple reason, and Jaera admired that. The male has always been positive, and that character was something that she would want to treasure and keep.

If it was possible, she wanted to be like Sehun; she wanted to be like someone who doesn’t hold grudges and moves on from the past. It was, for her, not the easiest thing to do for experiencing pain and letting go takes a lot of courage—one that she almost entirely lacks.  She may have believed Lu Han and his words, but the mere thought of Jongmi makes her feel some slight bitterness. She knew that it was wrong, that she shouldn’t hold a grudge against her, but it was something inevitable. The two of them liked the same person, cherished the same man, so envy and jealousy would surely be there.

However, as soon as she passed by an accessories store where lots of couple and friendship bracelets were being sold, a sudden realization hit her; Jongmi was her friend before anything else. Despite the fact that there was a subtle rivalry between the two of them, their friendship was still the one that should be considered above all.

“Miss, I’d like to get this one.” Jaera said, pointing to the pink and yellow friendship bracelets that were displayed on the table. Packing the bracelets, the cashier then handed Jaera the bag just as she received the payment. “Thank you.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this? It’s a gift for Jongmi on her birthday—“ Realizing what she just said, Jaera’s eyes widened as her head shot upwards, only to see Jongmi smiling at her innocently. “J-Jongmi!”

“Jaera, is that really for me?!” Jongmi chirped, her eyes showcasing excitement and delight as she beamed at Jaera. “You’re so sweet, thank you!”

Seeing the happy expression on the girl’s face, Jaera felt her insides soften, and she can’t help but smile as well. All the ill feelings that she held slowly vanished. Instead, she felt ashamed of even harbouring such contempt towards the girl who only exuded nothing but kindness; the girl who didn’t care if she was mistreated by the person she likes and only saw the good in all people. It wasn’t her fault to like Lu Han, and it certainly isn’t wrong of her to do so.

“Yeah, I’m supposed to give it to you on your birthday… but I guess you already found out about it.” Jaera said, handing the bag towards Jongmi with a small smile, watching her as she opened the bag carefully. “It’s not much but I hope you like it—“

“I really don’t like it,” Jongmi said, taking out both bracelets eagerly. Wearing the yellow one, and putting the pink one on Jaera, she then hugged the girl tightly and grinned. “I love it! Thank you so much, Jaera!”

Raising her hands hesitantly, Jaera eventually returned the hug and smiled, feeling better for having made Jongmi happy. Her countenance was really fascinating; it’s as if it brings Jaera energy and she liked it. Jaera liked seeing her happy for she deserved it, Jongmi deserved to be happy.

And it took them a whole two hours walking around the Apgujeong Rodeo Street, with Jongmi the one mostly buying things. It was tiring, walking around the big street filled with stores and shops; Jaera would be lying if she said she wasn’t exhausted, but she made no effort in showing it. It has been awhile since she and Jongmi last went out with each other and she didn’t want to ruin the time. Jongmi was only waiting for her brother to pick her up, and seeing the liveliness in her eyes while killing time with a friend, Jaera couldn’t bear to even complain.

On the contrary, Jongmi wasn’t that dense. She had already noticed that Jaera was already getting a tad exhausted, and even if she did enjoy strolling around with her greatly, she wouldn’t want the girl to suffer. Jongmi was getting tired as well anyway, so she suggested that they take a break in a nearby coffee shop while waiting for her ride, in which Jaera obliged. Since it was winter already, the two decided to go for a hot cappuccino and chocolate—ones of which brought warmth to their cold chilled systems.

“Thank you.” Jongmi said, nodding with a smile towards the waiter who brought in their drinks. The waiter nodded in response as well before going back to his workplace whereas Jongmi proceeded in taking a sip on his hot cappuccino while turning to Jaera. “So… I’m expecting you to come to my birthday party.”

Blinking her eyes a couple of times, Jaera nodded and smiled, taking hold of her cup. “Of course, I’d go. It’s your special day.”

Putting down her cup, Jongmi then smiled gratefully, which eventually turned sour however. “I just hope your cousins would come too.”

“You mean…” Jaera trailed off, taking small sips on her hot chocolate cup. “S-Sehun?”

“And of course, Lu Han-oppa.” Jongmi added, the sad smile still apparent on her face as she peered over her cup which continued to diffuse smoke in the air. “You know how they have a slight disliking towards me, right?”

Slight would actually be understated, Jaera thought hesitantly, but she made no attempt in voicing those words out. She had already expected that Lu Han would be brought into their conversation sooner or later; however, having expectations didn’t lessen the uneasiness she felt. It was uncomfortable, talking about the person who both of them liked; more so since she had lied about her real relationship with him, but she honestly couldn’t do anything about it. Her thoughts were unhinged again, but she made sure to act as naturally as possible, not wanting for Jongmi to worry.

“But I’m sure they would come, I mean… that’s just how they show their care towards the people important to them. Take Tao for example,” Jaera said, tapping on the sides of her cup as she tried her best to keep a smile on her face. “Lu Han-oppa and Sehun are always hostile towards him, but they still get along well.”

“That might be but,” Jongmi paused, looking at Jaera disappointedly. “I’m different… they could never like me.”

Confu