LITTLE ONES || NA JAEMIN

*CHAPTER 44

Jaemin felt as if the walls were closing in on him, the place making him claustrophobic. His stomach sickeningly churned as guilt pumped adrenaline through his body. But his feet refused to move as if frozen, and he felt the world fasten on its axis.

Jaemin knew he was falling into the abyss of his uncontrollable emotions hard, the freefall making him dizzy. Everything caught up to him, the reality slowly sinking in.

He held his head in his hands as he dropped to his knees, wanting to tear his skull apart. His sister had become a version of someone he hardly recognized anymore, and he blamed himself for that.

If only I were there for her when she needed me- to guide her, to support her, she wouldn't have become the monster she now was.

The thought kept running through Jaemin's mind, making him quiver in the guilt of his incompetence. His life was unfolding as if some poorly written soap opera, each new act more melodramatic than the previous one.

Jaemin flinched at the feel of human touch, the comforting contact bringing him out of his daze. His eyes snapped open, revealing his tear cladded dark brown orbs as he stared at the intruders.

Renjun, Donghyuck, and Jisung had their arms wrapped around Jaemin, protectively as if wanting to shield him from all his pain. Little fingers entwined in his shirt, they tightly clutched onto him, giving him all their warmth.

No words were exchanged, just pure silence. But the silence spoke louder than meaningless words of empathy.

━━━━

Six months later...

"Jun, eat your food."

"Hyuck, stop putting your veggies into Jisung's bowl."

"Jaemin, come and have your breakfast."

"Ji, stop moving or you'll fall off the chair."

"Hyuck, stop pouring water on the floor."

"Oh, My God! Jun, stop hitting your brother."

"Jesus, is this déjà vu or something?" Jia mumbled, glancing at the morning chaos. A deep exhale rolled out of her lips, and she pressed her eyes together, channeling all her power to get through the day.

"Mommy?" Jisung articulated, tilting his head to the side. His eyes sparkled with innocence, and he clasped his hands tightly, legs bouncing up and down in eagerness. "Can I tell you a joke?"

"Sure, go ahead." Jia ushered him with a fervent smile. She placed the utensils down and turned to her side to face the excited toddler, giving him her undivided attention.

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Oh My God, someone's here? Let me go see." Jisung jumped down from his highchair and ran off to the front door, looking for the non-existent guest.

"Oh, honey." A slow sigh escaped Jia's lips, and she leaned back on the chair, aggressively rubbing her temples. "That's not how it works."

Renjun and Donghyuck looked at each other with wide Cheshire grins. Mischief coated their eyes, and they jumped off their high chair, following Jisung to the front door.

"Boys, no fighting. Okay?" Jia yelled after the kids. But she knew better. The brothers were the definition of pure chaos, stirring up the world with their mischiefs. And she wondered if they would go homeless one day because the three little devils decided to burn down the house for fun.

"Good morning, Peaches."

A high-pitched cheep brought her out of her 'going homeless' thoughts, and she turned around to find an overly joyed male climbing down the stairs.

Jaemin bounced down the stairs with a big smile plastered on his face. Each stride screamed 'good mood,' and he skipped towards Jia with open arms.

Lovingly, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a quick kiss on her cheeks.

"You seem to be in an awfully good mood," Jia squinted her eyes, suspiciously eyeing the male as he worked with the coffee beans.

"Yep," Jaemin whirled around, revealing a wide grin spread over his face. Leaning against the counter, he lightly tapped on the countertop, patiently waiting for his death drink. "I am."

"Did something good happen to you?" She questioned, lacing her fingers together as she placed her hands on the table. Her brows quirked up, and an amused smile decorated her pale face.

"Not yet." Jaemin hummed, his smile not faltering. "You look pretty today."

"Okay, now you are being weird." A light chuckle rolled out of her lips, and she diverted her gaze back to her coffee. Wrapping her fingers around the coffee cup, she chugged down the cold liquid in one go.

"What? I'm only stating facts here." Jaemin's brows knitted together, and his lips protruded into a small pout, eyes relaying slight confusion.

"Sure, babe." Jia shrugged, standing up. She hustled around the kitchen, placing dirty dishes into the sink and tossing the empty milk cartons into the bin.

"I'll be back by 8. Don't miss me too much." She hugged him slightly and placed a kiss on his cheeks before rushing out of the kitchen.

"8? We'll have to stay apart from each other for 10 hours?" Jaemin followed the girl out of the kitchen like a lost puppy, his fingers curled around the edge of her shirt. "Can't you come home early?"

"I can't. I have an assignment to finish." She responded, tying her hair up into a messy bun. As if on autopilot, she effortlessly executed the necessary preparations for the day before dumping the contents into her bag.

"I'll miss you." Jaemin tugged on her shirt, pulling her closer. He leaned down and snaked his arms around her waist, his face brushing against her hair.

"I'll miss you too." A joyful laugh escaped her lips, and she turned her head a little to look at the sulking male. Lightly tapping on his cheeks, she pressed one last kiss over his jaw before heading out the door. "See you later tonight."