Outsider | Na Jaemin ✓

𝟹𝟶 | 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰

Yebin only pouted, her bottom lips making a curve down to her chin, at the sight of Haeyoon's slumped shoulders, chapped lips, half-opened eyes and the glimmer of tears that escaped her orbs occasionally. Haeyoon held the brown paper bag close to her, refusing the reality around her. She leans her neck down, feeling the familiar smell infiltrate her nasal cavity as she relaxes instantly. What Haeyoon didn't expect however is that same scent to pass by her, the wind gushing behind him as he didn't even spare her a glance.

Haeyoon quickly caught up to his pace, catching his wrist for attention. She felt how all the air in her lungs was knocked out as he stared at her with empty eyes, void from the bright emotions that were once locked in them; she made him like this and it was something that she would never forgive herself for, "Jaemin..."

The boy didn't respond but only shoves his wrist to the side to escape her grip, "What?"

It sounded so deadly, the way he said the one-word question. Haeyoon could practically hear her whole world crumbling, "L-Look, I know that you don't want to see me," her voice slightly wavered, "But h-here. It's your jacket. The one that I kept for so long."

Jaemin didn't take a glance at the paper bag, keeping his eyes on the girl that he loves although the feeling of betrayal surged through his body, "You keep it."

"But it's important to you, isn't it---"

"I can't bear to look at it anymore. It'll only just remind me of you."

There was some sort of emotion that laced his sentence that made hope to arise within Haeyoon. She gaped her mouth open slightly, looking at Jaemin who averted his eyes to the ground, refusing to look at the girl, "How are you?"

Silence. The background noise around them, saving both from total awkwardness. Jaemin shoves both his hands into his leather jacket pockets, "Better."

"That's good." Haeyoon couldn't help but smile bitterly at his response. I mean, what was she expecting anyways? An apology? A hug? An 'I miss you'? That's ridiculous, "Jaem--"

"I have to go." Jaemin turns away without another word, his back facing the tearing girl. He heard her soft cries, oh yes he did, and he heard it loud and clear. He fought off the urge to embrace her close, fought off the urge to take a waft of her familiar peach and vanilla scent. 'Fuck.' He thought to himself, 'I fucking miss her so much.'

The enormous stack of boxes lined up in a straight line, not breaking their formation even after a few nudges, showing how filled they are, "Jaemin..." Brian looks to the boy who is filling yet another box with his possessions, "What do you think you're doing? You're going to regret this."

"I'm going to regret it more if I stay here." Jaemin replies, wrapping the opening of the box with duct tape, cutting the yellow tape with his teeth, "Thanks for coming, Brian."

"Of course, I would come." Brian helps the boy carry the box into the moving van, sighing at the almost empty house, "Why are you doing this, Jaemin? You only have a few months left until graduation. You're moving schools at this critical stage?"

"What?" Jaemin chuckles to lighten the mood, "You don't believe that I'll be able to graduate or something?"

"It's not that, of course. You're going to be alone in Jeonju. You can back out while you still can."

Jaemin shakes his head, giving Brian a somewhat relaxing smile, "No. I'm not going to back out now." The two, along with the truck workers, work together to load the moving truck for Jaemin's departure. The house that Jaemin spent with his parents, now empty, not even a single speck of dust seen at the shiny wooden floor, "Take care of yourself. Thank you for everything that you've done for me. And also," He turns on his phone, looking at the lock screen of a smiling Haeyoon, his hands clenching at her beautiful features, "take care of Haeyoon."

"Did you tell her?" Jaemin lets the silence answer for him, "Why not? You like her don't you? You're just going to leave until who knows when? Without an explanation? Without a 'goodbye'?"

"She'll be oka--"

"I know she will be." Even though the statement was positive, the tone that Brian used says otherwise, coming out as rather hurried and concrete, "Haeyoon makes sure that she looks like she's okay but Jaemin, I'm sure you've seen her when she's obviously not."

Jaemin lets his mind wander, thinking back to the very first time that he saw Haeyoon cry at the dance room, to when he saw the bruise marks on her neck during detention, "I hurt her, Brian. Like Soobin said as well, I'll just hurt her even more than she already is."

"You idiot--"

"She'll be okay, Brian." Jaemin encourages him, smiling at the thought of Renjun, Jeno, Donghyuck and Yebin, "She has great people around her." He makes his way to his parked motorcycle, ready for the long drive to Jeonju, tightening his helmet for safety, "I'll see you soon, whenever that may be."

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!! 🎄♥️ Thank you to everyone who has supported my books this year 😊 Have a great holidays everyone!!

from_izzy