kiss me, leave me + ljn

too close

eunji laid in her bed, tucked under her covers after she finished her meal. jeno sat next to her bed, a bucket of cold water by his feet. he submerged a face towel into the bucket of water and wrung out the excess water before folding it and placing it on eunji's forehead.

"go home, jeno.", eunji mumbled. jeno brushed her stray hairs away from her neck, "go to sleep, eunji. you need to rest.", jeno responded, ignoring her demand.

with the remaining energy she could muster, eunji sat up, arms wobbly as she tried to support her weight. he got up from his seat immediately, supporting her body.

she coughed, "why are you here, jeno?". jeno frowned slightly, "to take care of you. you're sick.". she coughed again, "you want to know why i've been avoiding you, is that it?".

jeno froze. was it?

he cleared his throat, "i have been wondering why.".

she sighed, "since you did take care of me, i think it's only fair that i tell you why.". he sat back down on the chair, his hand still supporting her back.

"you were getting too close, jeno.", she explained, "i know that we're not dating or anything like that, but i'm not ready to be put in a position where i could be hurt again.".

jeno felt his heart clench. the bet.
he gulped, composing himself. "eunji,", he started, getting up from the chair and onto the bed so he could face her, "i'm here for you.".

—

JAEMIN
what the fuck dude

JENO
jaemin

JAEMIN
dont jaemin me
why are you doing this

JENO
its fine jaemin

JAEMIN
youre insane
youre making a mistake
seen 11:05pm

—

the three of them sat in silence, a silence so thick that a knife could slice through it.

"what do you want?", jeno asked dryly. he heard his father sigh, "i want you to understand.".

jeno scoffed as he looked away from his father.

"star-tek is an amazing company. when our companies merge, we're going to be unstoppable.", his father explained, "we needed a guarantee that it would stay between our families. we did not want any possible takeovers from outsiders. we're trying to building a family legacy here.".

jeno sat as still as stone, not reacting to any word he said. his father inhaled deeply, "i thought you'd be happy to hear that you're going to marry your girlfriend.".

he eyed his father as his mother inhaled sharply. his eyes travelled to the woman sitting across from him. his mother's lips quiver, eyes darting around the room.

"you didn't tell him?", jeno scoffed. she stayed silent. "and even when you did know, you didn't do anything to stop this?".

"jeno, i can explain-"

"save it. i've heard enough."

with that, he stood up, the chair squeaking loudly against the tile floor. he looked at his parents once again, his skin feeling hotter by the second. he inhaled deeply, exiting the room.

—

after a few days, eunji has fully recovered from her sickness. and during those days, jeno would visit her after school to bring her food. he went over to her place and stayed with her, nursing her back to health.

eunji entered the busy hallway, trying to squeeze through the crowd. through the sea of students, she could not see anything. at that moment, someone stepped down on her foot while another bumped into her from behind, causing eunji to fall forward.

she landed on the concrete floor, wincing at the pain. just then, a pair of strong arms hooked under her armpits, pulling her out from the crowd.

"are you alright?", the familiar voice asked. she could feel his breath tickling her neck. she turned her head, seeing jeno crouched down behind her, his arms still hooked under hers.

her cheeks turned red, "y-yes, thank you.". with that, he hoisted her up on her feet. she turned to face him, feeling shy under his gaze.

"go to the carnival with me.", he said.

eunji chocked on her spit, "what?".

"go to the carnival with me."

"uh, jeno, i c-"

"tomorrow, 1pm. i'll pick you up."

before eunji could disagree, jeno walked away, leaving her behind by the lockers in the crowded hallway.