in jaemin's house, the scene that unfolded in front of him was one of controlled chaos as the friend group scrambled to prepare for jisung's surprise party.
but there was more panicking than preparing.
donghyuck's voice echoed through the living room, laced with both urgency and exasperation. "mark lee, i swear to jesus if you drop that fucking cake!"
"don't swear to jesus!" the poor man yelled back.
meanwhile, chenle teetered precariously on a chair, determinedly attempting to hang decorations while jeongha spotted him, ready to catch him like the last two times he fell. jeno and jaemin dashed around, tryung to make sure every detail was in place.
amidst the crazy, renjun his sanctuary in a closet, seeking refuge from the pandemonium that surrounded him.
suddenly, haneul's voice cut through the commotion, signaling aera and jisung's arrival. in a synchronized frenzy, everyone dispersed to their hiding spots, holding their breath in anticipation.
then, as the door swung open, revealing jisung's unsuspecting stance, the room erupted.
"surprise!" the sheer force of the collective exclamation seemed to momentarily stun jisung, his eyes widening in disbelief before breaking into a wide grin of delight.
aera observed from the side as jaemin rushed forward, enveloping jisung in a bear hug, a gesture of affection that seemed second nature between them. it was a side of jaemin she hadn't witnessed before, a tender vulnerability that contrasted with the guarded demeanor he often wore like armor.
in that moment, aera made a silent vow to herself, recognizing how important the connection to his friends was to jaemin. she promised to be a better friend to him, to offer the same unwavering support and joy that he gave his best friends.
-
"sevenminutesinheaven!" haneul slurred out amidst the now drunken group, her words stumbling over one another in a rush. in their inebriated state, the idea seemed both hilarious and enticing to the group, besides renjun, aera, and jaemin, who remained sober.
"do we have a bottle?" jeno inquired, prompting donghyuck to toss an empty one his way with a wobbly aim.
"the entire room is spinning," he spoke, heavily sitting down next to jeno.
"how are we gonna play with seven dudes and three girls?" jeongha questioned as she looked around the room. "and we even have a couple."
however, no one seemed to think of it as a big deal as they all just shrugged and continued playing.
"spin the bottle," chenle groaned, growing impatient. "spin the fucking bottle!"
renjun spun the first time, having it land on jeno. he then spun it the second time, and the bottle landed dead in between haneul and jeongha.
mark snaked his arm around haneul and pulled her closer to him, his possessive gesture drawing amusement from his grilfriend. "you're adorable when jealous," she giggled, pinching his cheeks and taking him by shock.
jeno didn't intend to pick haneul anyway because he knew that if he did, he could kiss his friendship with mark goodbye. he shook his head rapidly and grabbed jeongha's hand as he whisked her away into the closet.
once the two were inside, jisung spoke up. "how are they supposed to fuck in seven minutes?"
chenle laughed out loud with his boisterous laugh, slapping his younger friend's arm rather hard. jisung wasn't having it.
he slapped chenle back three time as hard. "why are you slapping the birthday boy?" he pouted, adjusting his party hat to fit on his head again.
while the two of them engaged in a friendly fight, aera poked jaemin's arm to get his attention. when he turned his head to face her, she couldn't help but notice the radiant smile on his face, the widest she'd ever seen.
"you know," she began, captivated by his infectious grin. "this is the happiest i've seen you." the words slipped from her lips as she was unable to take her eyes off of his pearly whites.
jaemin's smile softened, a warmth emanating from his gaze as he gestured toward their loud friends. "the only time this place feels like home is when they're all here," he confessed, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness.
but aera wasn't going to question it as they were celebrating a happy occasion. she figured it was none of her business anyway and instead decided to be grateful for the shared moments of joy and connection that defined their blossoming friendship.
I LOVE JAEMIN'S SMILE. he just looks so radiant and so happy when he smiles. it's jaemin smile appreciation time!
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