CHAPTER six
Our Agreement

“I-I think she’s cute,” Jaejoong says with just a little tremble in his tone when Junsu picks up the line. His fingers fidget by themselves in an annoyingly uncomfortable way that makes his heart twist and flip.

Stupid woman.

“What?”

“That’s why I want to keep her. It’s terrible.”

“Keep her who?”

“My pet, Junsu. My stupid pet. Remember?” Jaejoong rolls his eyes.

“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s great I guess. Congratulations-”

“NO. Don’t you DARE congratulate me! I said it’s terrible! She’s totally pure! I can’t! I can’t think that she’s cute! I WILL RUIN HER."

Jaejoong could just feel Junsu scrunch his eyebrows together in utmost confusion through the phone. “Um, is this still a puppy we’re talking about?”

“NO OF COURSE NOT!”

“Okay, well, I’m not following this conversation anymore. I’m eating dinner, bye.”

Jaejoong glares at his handphone in shock when Junsu’s line cuts to a dead tone. He kicks his legs over the edge of his bed and places a hand over his chest to calm his heavy breathing.

“This can’t be happening...”

Tok. Tok. Tok.

“Jaejoong?” Boa’s small voice seeps through the crack of the door and Jaejoong looks up, alarmed. He jumps towards the entrance to keep her out but it’s too late. Their bodies awkwardly bump into each other and suddenly their arms are locked into each other in an embrace.

Jaejoong rapidly untangles himself from her, mumbling, “How do these stupid things keep on happening?”

“Jaejoong.” He stops short when Boa calls his name. She holds onto the front ends of his shirt and gazes up at him sadly.

“I don’t want to leave.” She blushes, sending both their bodies into a hot bother. “I want to stay here… Jaejoong… I think I like-”

“No, you don’t! You can’t!” Jaejoong shouts and turns his back on her, leaving her grip. “You have to leave.”

“But I really think that I like-”

“Don’t say it-!”

“I LIKE THIS PLACE!” Boa huffs after her confession, and Jaejoong couldn’t help but be shocked, confused and a bit disappointed. Just a bit.

“I told you that I like it here! I know it doesn’t make any sense but…it feels like...it feels like home to me. I want to stay here, please Jaejoong. I will clean the house for you, or get a job- even though I’ve never worked before- I’ll do whatever it takes. Just please! Let me stay here with you!”

Jaejoong almost couldn’t think of what to say. Almost.

“It’s dangerous..”

Boa shows him a hopeful smile and even holds his left hand with both of her tiny ones. “I don’t think that you are. You act scary sometimes but you’re actually really kind. I like you, Jaejoong.”

“You’re the dangerous one,” he tells her, and judging by the way she looks at him bewildered, he knows that she has no idea what he’s talking about.

After a long, disappointed sigh, Jaejoong starts to usher her out of his bedroom. “If you’re going to stay here, we need to set some ground rules. Number one: no entering each other’s bedrooms!”

Jaejoong shuts the door and locks it after her. Outside, he hears her very directly exclaim, “Yay! I love you Jaejoong! Come out to eat dinner when you’re hungry!”

The way that she says it so casually just confirms that she is more innocent than Jaejoong ever thought, and that she definitely does not like him in that way.

And yet, Jaejoong leans on his door and lets up a small, tiny, itty-bitty, microscopic smile.

But maybe that is just why he’s drawn to her.