Beautiful // Nomin

~26~

Friday dawned, and Jaemin found himself walking into school half-awake. Last night had been restless, and Jaemin was far from eager to see anyone at the moment, especially Jeno or Kiara.

He tried to think about happy things, for instance, a week from now he'd be driving with Jeno up to Seoul for the university performance the next day.

Oh wait-

With Jeno.

Jaemin could pull his hair out by now. Everything was a loop linking back to either Jeno or Jisung. And truth, Jeno was all the happiness Jaemin had these days. So if he would think about happy things, then Jeno would always come into the picture. Shoot.

His mind forcefully turned toward Jisung. Jisung would be leaving with Mark and Haechan on Thursday to go to Jeju. They'd be there for a little less than a week. Jaemin would get home before he did, unless there would be sudden plan changes.

"Jaemin-ah!"

A familiar voice behind him broke through his thoughts and for some reason, Jaemin's first instinct was to walk away faster. The person behind him walked faster too.

"Jaemin," Jeno behind him said again.

Jaemin's fast-walk became a light jog. Jeno's fast-walk also became a light jog.

"Wait," Jeno stressed.

Jaemin's light jog turned into a semi-run. Jeno stopped chasing him. "Dammit," he growled under his breath and turned away. The peers hanging around the hallway witnessing the scene whispered to each other. Girls squealed at hearing the "perfect" man get upset and curse.

It had become quite open by now that Jeno and Jaemin had become good friends, and the school hadn't known how to respond to that really, since Jeno was so popular and liked, while Jaemin was regarded as the dirt under people's shoes. They hadn't stopped liking Jeno because Jeno was still so likable, but they had stopped bullying Jaemin so much, caring about Jeno's opinion if they did so. It was a strange social situation at the school.

Jeno felt sore about Jaemin's ignoring him, although he did believe he deserved it. Afterall, he'd been the first to move yesterday. And in frustration, he still couldn't understand why he did such a thing.

Of course he wasn't planning to tell Kiara, who, to his dismay, was approaching him right this second. They walked to class together.

"Jeno, you're gonna get in trouble for running in the hallway," she teased. "What's the rush?"

Jeno forced a lame smile and shook his head. "Nothing really."

"Everything is 'nothing really' these days," Kiara sighed. "You don't really tell me anything going on any more recently, do you?"

The statement in the guise of a question slightly annoyed Jeno, but he didn't show it. What she said was true; everything going on, Jeno had been more inclined to share with Jaemin recently.

His silence might have triggered his girlfriend a little, because she continued: "Been telling someone else, haven't you?"

Jeno said flatly, "What do you mean."

"Whatever," Kiara said loftily.

Jeno despised this new behavior of hers. She hadn't been like this before.

"Wait, come with me for a second," Kiara said and she led Jeno to the courtyard in the middle of the school. At this morning hour, students were bustling to their classrooms and there was barely anyone around.

"What," Jeno said tiredly as she sat him down on one of the benches.

"Jeno baby," she frowned. "I've been meaning to tell you this, but I didn't want you to be unhappy."

"It's okay, what is it?" Jeno answered, expecting the worst.

"I'm just jealous."

Jeno squinted. "You're what?"

"Jealous. Of someone you seem to value more than me now."

"What are you talking about?" Jeno asked, but dreading in his heart, he knew that she was speaking of Jaemin. And it didn't help that Jeno cheated on her yesterday with him.

"Na Jaemin," Kiara finally stated, quavering. "You're always with him now, and you know who he is. Why are you, my boyfriend, hanging out with a gay man? It shouldn't be like that."

Jeno felt alarmed seeing his girlfriend near tears. He didn't know exactly how to react at her straightforwardness. As a thinker instead of a feeler, he wasn't good at offering condolences to a crying girl, even if that girl was his girl.

"I'm...sorry?" Jeno edged out, but it made Kiara break down even more.

"That's it? Can't you tell me that you won't hang out with him anymore? You know you're so popular and all the girls like you, why wouldn't Jaemin like you too? And it's working, you're becoming attached to him and unattached from me. You've always put me first but now I'm at the back. I don't know how to feel, being replaced with someone you've never even cared about before until this school year," she sobbed.

Jeno stood up and tried to comfort her by pulling her into a hug. "You're always first. I'm sorry to make you feel that way," he said softly. "I don't value Jaemin above you at all."

Then why did you touch Jaemin in ways that you've never touched your girl before?

Jeno hated his mind for bringing it up again and again, but that was a consequence of his wrong actions. Here he was, sincerely trying to help his girl, with the guilt riding on his back.

"Promise me you won't hang out with him anymore," Kiara sniffed as she leaned into him.

Jeno sighed. That was, honestly, a lot to ask for. And unfair for Jaemin, who didn't really do anything wrong. Jeno had messed things up from a mere friendship into something touchy.

"Sweet, Jaemin goes through a lot," Jeno tried to explain.

"Physically, I know," Kiara frowned.

"Not just that," Jeno said gently. "Mentally, financially, a lot of other things you don't know and I don't even know yet. He needs help."

"Why can't someone else help him?" Kiara stressed. "You don't have to be the one. He's seriously denting our 'perfect' relationship. After him, you've never been the same." She put her face in her hands and cried even more.

Jeno didn't know what else more to say so he changed the topic. "I'll take you out after school today. Is there anywhere you wanna go?"

It took several minutes for Kiara to calm down, but Jeno was relieved when she did. "You're right, we should spend more time together," he tried to appease her.

It worked, for now, at least.