midnight stories | lee jeno √

33

"Mark" She placed the notebook down "Did you read the book or not"

"I said no" His voiced roughened up and became something so unfamiliar to her that she thought she was talking to a different person

"Mark-" She began, but was cut off by a slam of a door. Yuri's eyes widened slightly; this was not the Mark she knew.

"What's in that book?" Jeno asked, taking a step around her so he could look her directly in the eyes. Panicking once again, she hid the book behind her back, flashing her eyes straight up to Jeno "Ways to mass kill a flock of chicken"

He wanted to laugh "That's good. I just so happen to be interested in mass killing chicken"

"It's very graphic" She lifted up an awkward corner of her mouth

"I like gore" He reached behind her back to snatch at the book. Luckily, with her years of taekwondo experience, her reflexes were up to par.

"I don't think you will like this type of gore" She shuffled backwards, hitting her elbow against a couple desk edges. Jeno shook his head, chuckling slightly "You look so stressed, I'm just teasing you".

Yuri nodded slowly,  chuckling uncomfortably with him. All of a sudden, Jeno came closer and pulled his fist to her eye level. She thought he was about to punch her, but instead, he unravelled a keychain that dangled from his fingers to swing in front of her eyes. The reflection of a grey stone was outlined in her irises, her lips lifting up.

"Remember this?" Jeno smiled, taking her hands in his and placing the stone in her palm "The one we made together"

"You still have it" She breathed. Even she had forgotten she had even made this rock looking thing.

"Of course" He folded her fingers inwards "I remember every little thing about you"

"Psychopath" She rolled her eyes, feeling the rough stone edges against her skin. She remember distinctively choosing this rock and fighting with Jeno over a certain piece of thread just to provoke one another.

"You only just realised?"

✧

"Mark Lee you stop right there" She rushed up to him, grabbing his shoulder to stop him from even taking a step away from his locker. Mark didn't look at her and kept his forever monotonous expression etched on his face.

"You knew before didn't you" Mark looked at her, eyes glistening with this...dark aura brewing behind it. She scoffed "So you read it" dismissing his statement

"Let me ask you, who is Jeonghun to you, Yuri?" Mark rose his eyebrows, hand tightening around his locker

"Jeno's brother, that's it" She retorted

"That's it?" He glanced around at the couple people passing them and giving them weird looks

"Is there meant to be more to it?" She folded her arms over "Mind you, you were the one who invaded my privacy by even opening that book. You have no right to be asking me questions"

"I'm afraid if I didn't open that book, I would let you get hurt right in front of my eyes"

She couldn't help but pause for a second, purely to think and sort out her many, many  thoughts.

"That lollipop, Yuri, think about why it's so important to you. Think about who made you have to eat that lollipop and think about who made you have such thick brick wall around yourself" There wasn't a sense of empathy in his eyes, instead, a feeling where he looked like he knew exactly what she felt like. He sympathised with her, and understood her without even needing to have her explain her story fully.