Beautiful // Nomin

~5~

Jaemin was packing, cleaning up, and tidying the apartment by himself for quite a while before the front door clicked and opened, signifying someone had entered the room. Jaemin got up and saw Jisung at the door. "Jisungie," he said in a demanding tone.

"What," Jisung mumbled, head down he was about to quickly go off to his room but Jaemin stopped him. "Jisungie, look at me."

Jisung stopped and brought his head up slightly, stared at Jaemin-hyung, eyes basically covered by his bangs and wearing his head like a kid who adults don't prefer. There was no way that a boy like Jisung would ever hang out with Jeno, Jaemin thought.

"Were you at school today?"

"...no."

"Where were you?"

"I don't know."

Jaemin was furious at his brother's indifference and roughly grabbed Jisung's wrist, then slapped his ID into his hands. "You lost this, didn't you. What were you doing at some rich man's house?!"

Jisung's eyes widened when he saw the ID. "Where is this from--"

"The police were at school searching for you today. Jisungie, why are you like this? I don't know what you're doing, but you better stop hanging out with Mark Lee. Today was a miracle that we're still here by ourselves and you'd better not get us in such a narrow trouble again. If it weren't for Jeno, we'd both be behind bars right now." Jaemin's torrents of words came out hotly, he was so upset. Finally letting go of Jisung's arm, he noticed a deep cut two inches in length on Jisung's hand. He grabbed it again. "What is this," Jaemin said suddenly softer, his heart melted again at the sight of his dongsaeng's injury.

"um..." Jisung didn't give much of a reply.

Jaemin stared at the wouund and pressed it gently. "Does it hurt--"

Suddenly a mental brick hit Jaemin's head and his anger flew back up like a leaping flame. He dropped Jisung's hand angrily. "You accidentally cut yourself with glass while shattering expensive car windows, didn't you?!"

He brushed against Jisung's shoulders roughly as he stormed past him to his room, slammed the door hard like it might break. Jisung was shocked at his usual-calm hyung's sudden outburst, but it was soon replaced by frustration. Fine Jaemin was mad, then Jisung would stay out tonight and get away from him. He was about to leave the aparment when Jaemin yelled from his room, "And by the way, get everything you want to keep and put it in that big box in the living room because we half to be out of here by tomorrow."

"What do you mean," Jisung yelled back.

Jaemin opened the door and poked out his head. "I forgot to pay rent so we can't stay here anymore. By tomorrow our stuff needs to be out. You can beg the landlord if you want to stay but I'm leaving." He shut the door again.

Jisung opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. Jaemin wasn't gonna listen to anything right now. "Fuck," Jisung mumbled and trudged over to his room. He stood at the doorway and looked around. There wasn't much he wanted to keep anyways. He sat on the floor and called Mark, who picked up after two rings.

"Jisungie?"

"Mark-hyung--"

"I know, the blue pigs were at school. Don't worry about it, we'll pretend you weren't with us."

Blue pigs? Jisung tucked in his mind a new nickname for police. "Are you gonna fess up?"

"To certain things. I already talked about it with Haechan. But I think you can get out of it, just after this call, delete our contacts. I'll always getcha later if we're back at it."

"Wow, thanks hyung."

"No problem Jisungieee our baby," Mark laughed on the other end like he wasn't just about to be sent to detention center for the hundredth time. "All right well I gotta run now. Take care, kid."

"Be safe."

"Of course. And you too."

The phone was hung up. Jisung sat and leaned against the wall. He felt so tired. Like always. Well everything deemed valuable could be stuffed in his backpack. So in thirty minutes he was basically done. His room was far from empty, but he didn't want any of that junk.

"Jaemin-hyung," Jisung stood on the outside of hyung's door, "where are you staying tonight?"

"At a hotel," Jaemin said shortly.

"Am I too?"

"..."

He's still mad, Jisung thought.

"...If you want. Are you?"

"Yes," Jisung said meekly.

"Okay," Jaemin replied. "Come in, Jisungie."

Jisung opened the bedroom door and saw Jaemin was about done gathering his stuff. "I'm signing in the hotel at 8 tonight. I have work at 9. If you wanna stay with me tonight, then go with me to the hotel and stay there when I'm at work, don't do anything stupid and don't go meet people until I come back, then eat dinner with me and we'll both sleep and you'll go to school tomorrow like a good kid," Jaemin demanded.

"Okay," Jisung agreed wearily.

Jaemin didn't smile on his face but inside he was overflowing with bubbly happiness. Jisung eating dinner with him?? And sleeping in the same room? A nice hotel room too! Jaemin was confident about it because tonight was supposed to be big bucks. They'd stay in the hotel for a few nights until Jaemin settled the new apartment with the new landlord. Perfect.

They packed up the kitchen together, Jaemin talking about happy things to Jisung while Jisung just listened quietly, and it was around 7:30 when they both considered the job done. The brothers went downstairs without saying bye to the apartment that they knew they wouldn't miss. Giving the key back to the landlord and filing final paperwork was fast, and before Jaemin knew it, he was out of there. He couldn't believe it. Today turned out to be such a good day now.

They hopped into a taxi and were driven to the hotel, where Jaemin signed in and the two went up to their room quickly. "Jisungie, this is it," Jaemin breathed. He threw down his two luggage and flopped onto the bed. "Oh my goodness it's amazing."

Jisung sat on a sofa next to the mirror table and looked at his phone. "I can't go to school tomorrow," he remarked.

"Why not," Jaemin said flatly.

"I don't have my homework done and I don't know what it is."

"Deal with it," Jaemin snarled. "You're not even scared of the police, why should you be scared of demerits and school punishments?" He got up. "I have to go somewhere now. I'll be back in a couple hours. Don't leave here, okay?"

"Okay," Jisung said complacently, wishing to lie on the bed once hyung was gone. Jaemin took his phone and quickly left, closing the door behind him, and Jisung just then thought what was his hyung doing anyways. Work? Had he said he was working earlier?

Jaemin hopped in a taxi and asked the man to drive him to a certain gas station. Shady or what. Jaemin didn't really like having sex at gas stations but whatever the client wants. He'd been doing this for so long, he hadn't even thought through how unsafe it was.

The taxi stopped at the destination and Jaemin paid and got out. It was a dark night and the station's neon lights blared dangerously. Jaemin pulled out his phone and called the number. "Hello? I'm outside the store."

"Oh ye I'm coming out," the guy on the other end replied and hung up.

A guy came walking out from the side of the store. Jaemin took two steps toward him. "Hey. You?"

"Nahh," the guy smirked. "It's my cousin wanna fuck."

Where? Jaemin thought. He could barely see anything in the shadows.

The guy turned his head and yelled behind him. "Renjun-yah."