No Longer a Monster | Chenji

Chapter 28:

"Why? Is there something unusual happening to him, Chenle?"
"... Oh, it's nothing, Mrs. Areum. It's just a few complications and such but he'll be fine under my care, Ma'am."

Chenle smiles at her before he started to help her with baking the dough of the bread she's been making. After a while, Chenle and Areum both came back from the kitchen, making their way to the table as they set the freshly baked bread on the table alongside with drinks. Again, it was still very early in the morning, that's the reason why there was no one except for them and the servants around.

The three of them ate breakfast together and it was very... oddly silent.

It was silent because Chenle thinks that the fact that he is dating Jisung is a big deal for Areum and that it's a lot worse because they're eating breakfast altogether. However, Areum shouldn't be someone that Chenle should somehow be afraid of because she most likely encounters her other son, Jeno, flirting madly with his lover, Jaemin, which remained alright for her. She knew that her sons weren't just kids anymore and that she just had to accept the fact that they were... indeed... attracted to men.

Which she already accepted.

"So what's your task for today, Jisung?"
"Oh, me? I'll be going with Haechan, Mark, and Jeno. How about you?"
"I'm going outside with Jaemin so that we could find Renjun's study... I know it's going to be a long while before we find that office."

Chenle says as Jisung nods in response, knowing that it's going to be a hard time to find the office in a forest. As they proceed to eat breakfast, Jisung suddenly notices that Haechan and Mark already woke up as the two of them started to walk downstairs. The two of them looked extremely sleepless while they walked around with such messy hair.

"... Uh, Mark?"
"... Yes, Chenle?"
"Look, I really couldn't sleep that good last night because of the nightly... and probably routinely activities you did with Haechan-"
"That wasn't us."

Mark bluntly says as Chenle takes a pause before suddenly realizing that it's a different couple.

"... Oh, dear. It was Jaemin."

Chenle realizes that the couple who made such noises last night was his best friend and his boyfriend's brother as he even waited for Jisung to fall asleep before finally sleeping. Chenle was terrified of what he had just realized. There was a long period of silence before Haechan finally decided to join the conversation and change the whole topic.

Meanwhile, Jaemin finally awakens from his deep sleep as he notices his boyfriend still sleeping peacefully as a result of their "night time activity".

"Oh, he's so tired. Poor Dearie."

Jaemin coos at his boyfriend lovingly, smiling at him before he gets up from the bed. He walks towards the large cabinet by the door as he starts to search for some clothes that he could wear throughout the day. Jaemin knew that he didn't have to wear something fancy or stylish as he just needed casual clothing to prevent getting the fancy clothes dirty from the "forest trip" that he's going to with Chenle.

"Looks like this shirt will later make it to the laundry."

He tells, sighing to himself as he looks at the white shirt that he picked out himself. He later changes what he's wearing as he makes his way towards the bed. He observes Jeno's sleeping figure first, admiring how peaceful and beautiful he looks like even if he's sleeping.

"... Jeno... Wake up..."

Jaemin calls his name with a calm, comforting tone as he gently shifts Jeno's body to wake him up from his sleep. Jeno finally opens his eyes as the first thing he sees is Jaemin's genuine smile. Of course, Jaemin's smile made Jeno feel like he was going to have a great day because of how it never failed to comfort him.