➪The Man|| WINRINA

𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚢

Jaemin and Jeno were only seven when they were first introduced to each other. Jaemin was a head shorter than Jeno. Something that made the young Jeno mistake him as younger than him. Needless to say, that fact did not change the soon-to-be hostility between them.




A young Jeno was being escorted by one of the maids his family employed. He was in the middle of his lessons when the maid knocked and excused him from his tutor. She never told the reason why, only telling that his stepfather needed his presence in his office.


He dreaded knowing that. That meant his father would go on a ranting spree about how unfair it was that he was not leading the family. Instead, the role was given to his obnoxious cousin, Sungchan's father.


The man was far from being physically violent. He was rough with his words, something that terrified the young Jeno the first time he heard those words spewed out of his mouth. It was a great contrast to the soft and respectable words he said when his mother first introduced him to the young Jeno.


The doors opened for him, and he was greeted by the sight of two back (one of an adult and another of a child) facing him and his father speaking to them. He spoke joyfully, although his eyes were sinister.


His entrance caught the man's attention. “Jeno my boy!”


The aforementioned flinched, fearing that the man would scold him for entering without making his presence known. “Y-yes father?”


“Come, come,” he gestured for Jeno to move closer. Once he did, his father spun him around by the shoulders, making him face the adult and child.


His breath hitched as he locked eyes with the child. He was beautiful with his big and deep brown eyes, long lashes, and rosy cheeks. He was not smiling, but Jeno could tell he had an equally beautiful smile.


“This is Jaemin.” His father introduced, “He will be guiding you as you enter SMU.”


SMU is the top university in their city. It houses many scholars and world-class alumni who greatly contributed to the development of their country and was the academic institution that has educated the Jung and Suh class for many years.


“S-Smu?” Jeno knew getting into the university was hard, even for the lower years. “B-but—”


“You've been accepted.” His father announced proudly. “And we owe it to Mrs. Na.” He gestured at the woman. “She had some connections and was able to grant you a spot. Without her, you wouldn't even have a chance.” he muttered under his breath, but Jeno heard it.


Jaemin was assigned to guide him as he studied at SMU.


At first, they were not conjoined hip to hip. Jaemin was assigned to another section, section Hope, whereas Jeno was assigned to section Humility.


Ironic if you think about it.


Despite that, Jaemin still kept tabs on him, checking him once in a while during the short break between classes and the long breaks such as recess and lunch. They never went home together, Jaemin having been picked up by one of his uncles or aunt. Jeno had a driver.


Their setup stayed the same until the elites of SMU were forced to transfer to Shang Academy after the university kicked out the heir of the Jung clan and Sungchan's older brother, Jung Jaehyun.




“You should really learn to take care of yourself.” sixth-grade Jaemin tapped the cotton ball soaked with betadine solution on the bruises on the right corner of Jeno’s mouth.


They were in the library after Jaemin managed to stop a fight and dragged Jeno to the only place he knew they would have some peace. He always had his emergency kit with him for times like this.


Jeno only grunted at the heated pain that came when the cotton ball came into contact with his bruise. “You should learn to leave me be.”


Jaemin frowned before pushing harshly the cotton ball on Jeno’s bruise, earning a yelp of pain from the older. “And you should learn to be thankful.” He muttered under his breath.


He pulled the cotton ball away from throwing it to the side. He started keeping his things. “I'm not going to watch over you forever, you know.”


Jeno scoffed, wiping away the disinfectant. “You really think that? You're stuck with me one way to another.”


“Mom told me I'll be watching over someone else from your family.” Jaemin hated how he was responsible for the lives of some reckless spoiled brats from the Jung clan. He gave Jeno a deadpanned look, “This might me goodbye.”


Jaemin stood up, moved out of his seat and pushed it back. He gave Jeno a nod of farewell before turning around and took a step forward.


Jeno jumped out of his seat and grabbed Jaemin's wrist before spinning him around. Jaemin stared at him with wide eyes. “Don't go.”













It was the summer before their freshman year of high school Jaemin met Karina, Jeno’s childhood friend. Jaemin visited his home since he was called by Jeno’s father for a brief discussion regarding his son.







Karina and Jeno were enjoying a peaceful time in the gazebo, talking amongst themselves. Their topic? Jeno’s cousin who was sent to a summer school abroad.


“Who's this?” Karina asked, seeing a stranger stand behind Jeno. She looked back at her childhood friend.


Jeno looked behind him, briefly acknowledging Jaemin's presence before turning his entire attention to Karina. “Jaemin. He works for him.”


“Ah,” Karina slowly bobbed her head. “Hi Jaemin, I'm Karina. Would you like to have a seat?”


“I can assure you Karina he was on his way home.” Jeno couldn't explain why there was this bubbling feeling in his chest. Was he envious that Karina’s attention was on Jaemin and not him? Or was it because Jaemin seemed to be interested with her?


Karina tutted at him, pulling up a sest for Jaemin. “Come, I want to know you more.”