CHERRY BLOSSOMS [nomin fanfic]

Chapter-2

Age- 7 years

"Jaemin-ah! Come down, Jeno is here."
His mom called him and Jaemin instantly left the manga he was reading mid-way to see the boy who welcomed him with a warm smile.

"I am going to the nearby store with Mrs. Lee. When we come back, we do not want any mess okay? Take care boys" with that his mom walked out the door and locked it.

Jeno awkwardly stood in the middle of their living room and waited for Jaemin who had disappeared in the kitchen.

"Wait for me in my room. I'm bringing snacks" Jaemin called out to him, his head buried in one of the shelves.

Jeno walked up the stairs and opened the door to the familiar room. It has been around a year since he moved to Seoul and Jaemin was his only friend. They would do sleepovers at each other's place almost every week.

Jeno sat cross-legged on Jaemin's bed and waited for him. His eyes traveled down to the book that was plopped open. It was a photo book to be exact. Jeno picked it up and flipped through the pages. The pictures looked very old and were mainly of a young and a very handsome guy posing with his friends.

"What are you doing?" Jaemin entered his room, hands full of wafers and Chocolates. Jeno picked up the photo book and showed it to him.

"Who is he?"

"That's my dad" Jaemin sat beside him and showed him pictures of his dad from his various overseas trips.

"He traveled a lot when he was young. This is when he went to Canada with my grandparents" he pointed at the picture of a couple standing with a pretty-looking teenager. It was snowing there at that time.

"This is when my mom and dad went to Japan before I was born"

A beautiful woman with long black hair was standing beside a handsome man who had his arms around her waist. They were standing under a big tree with light pink flowers that caught Jeno's eyes.

"Wow the flowers are pretty"

"Cherry Blossoms. They are my favorite"

"I've never seen them in Korea," Jeno asked Jaemin.

"We only have wild blossoms. These pink ones are rare and are only found in Japan" Jaemin said. "I want to see them myself one day"

Jaemin opened up a packet and handed it to Jeno. The two boys sat silently on the bed munching on their favorite snacks.

"I am bored. Let's do something" Jeno spoke up.

"Sure. How about Mario Cart? I promise to go easy on you" Jaemin chuckled. He was still the better one out of the two.

Jeno shook his head. "Not today. How about you read me a story?"

Jaemin nodded and stood up to grab a book from his bookshelf.

....

Jaemin and Jeno both loved stories. Jaemin was a reader who always carried a book with him wherever he went whereas Jeno was a listener. He never read a book despite Jaemin always asking him to. In fact, the only books that intrigued him were the Mangas that Jaemin owned. Jeno would randomly ask him to narrate stories and Jaemin happily did as he was told.

Jaemin took out a book by Roald Dahl, one of his favorite authors, and sat down beside Jeno.

"Have you ever heard of Charlie and the Chocolate factory?" He questioned the boy who now had his head in Jaemin's lap.

"No" he mumbled.

"Well, it's about a boy named Charlie who was once very poor but one day his life changes because of Chocolates! You wanna know the rest of the story?"

"Yes!" Jeno giggled and Jaemin cooed at his cute friend.

"Okay." Jaemin opened up the first page and began reading out loud. The book was about a young boy named Charlie Bucket who was born in a very poor family and lived in a small hut with his parents and four grandparents. One day he went out to buy a chocolate bar for his birthday but what he got that day wasn't just chocolate. It was a golden ticket that changed his life. The story was funny and Jeno would occasionally let out low giggles in between.

"The Oompa Loompas picked up Charlie and Grandpa Joey on their shoulders and started singing their song. Oompa loompa doompety doo~"

Jaemin glanced down when he heard light snores escape Jeno's mouth. He giggled seeing his friend sleep like a baby in his lap. He grabbed the blanket and covered their bodies with it. Jaemin closed the book and lied down beside Jeno, cuddling him slightly and closed his eyes. There was a smile on his face before he drifted off to sleep.

...

The two women giggled and closed the door when they saw their kids sleeping together. They were glad that Jaemin and Jeno had each other and were sure that no one could ever break this bond.

________________________________________

The book