The IT Girl's NERD - 《JENRINA》

8~ Coco

On weekends, Jaemin woke up as late as past afternoon. His housemates were all busily playing a game when he walked out of his room stretching and yawning.

He was nimbly scratching his bare belly as he opened the fridge to find something to munch on.

"Go brush your fkn teeth first bro." Renjun, who sat on the sofa watching Chenle and Mark play, pushed Jaemin to the side when he came to cling onto him.

"Urgh~" Jaemin stretches out again before making his way to the washroom. Just when he turned the knob to open it, his phone starts ringing.

"Jaemin, are you free?" Jeno spoke from the other end of the call. Jaemin hummed lazily in reply as he proceeded to walk into the bathroom.

"Can you go check the restaurant to see if it's busy?" He requested. "I am out with Karina for an assignment."

"Say what again!?" The remnants of drowsiness suddenly dissipated into the thin air. "Why are you telling me that now? I would have thirdwheeled you guys..."

"Too late."

"I was planning to go there anyways, I have nothing else to do." With voice a few decibels lower, Jaemin spoke as he spat out.

"Thanks."

Lost in thoughts, trying to sort out the meaning behind the bizarre dream he had, Jaemin found himself thinking of Winter.

Isn't this basically a breach of our deal...

He reached out for his phone to call her over for a "chat".

"Dress comfortably." Were his last words before he hung up the call.

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While sitting on the green grass watching the blue sky, Jeno felt a soothing effect spread all over his nerves. Its been a while since he just sat and did nothing.

"So this is what you meant when you said you know a spot." Karina asked as she took a bite of the sandwich they had bought from the convenience store among other snacks.

They took over 3 hours to just take pictures and visit all the floors in the pets cafe building. Despite her brave front, Karina shrieked at every movement the reptiles made. She was the one who suggested to visit there just to end up hiding behind him at every given moment. And it might seem like a calculated move from her part, but honestly it all happened instinctively, her reactions, that is.

When they had decided that it was time to leave, Karina asked him to hang out with her. Of course he rejected. That was when she pulled the mom card.

"I was to told to make sure you have lots of fun today!" Says Karina, who had no plans whatsoever for the day.

Jeno decides to call his mother to check if she was managing well. She had hired only one staff due to their financial circumstances so Jeno always tried to help as much as he could. So did Jaemin who sometimes received allowance from Jeno's mom.

"If you come back here, consider your limbs gone." His mom warned in an attempt to prevent him from ruining his day stressing over her. That's when he sought out Jaemin's help instead of worrying.

Afraid that he might not be able to keep up with Karina's rich extravagant taste, he offers for them to hangout at the Han River. A popular spot for relaxing as one watched the ripples of the river.

"Look!" Karina pointed happily towards a guy that seemed to be on one knee, with a flower in his right hand and a ring in the other. "He's proposing. Oh my God, its a public proposal!" She stood up clapping like a seal from the distance. The couple soon got enveloped by a crowd and she sat down with a smile still plastered on her face.

"You like that?" Jeno asked.

"Who doesn't? Isn't it so romantic?"

"I could never do that, no matter how much I like the person." Jeno looked into the distance where cheers were coming from. It seemed like the proposal went well.

"Even if the person you are asking out wants it that way?" Karina turned her complete attention only to find out that he was dead serious.

"I would rather keep my feelings to myself than confess publicly. That's the most embarrassing thing ever." He shook his head disapprovingly. "Low-key cringe."

"You just fear rejection."

"Maybe. Or I just absolutely hate publicizing my personal life."

That will definitely hinder my plan... Karina thought to herself.

A comfortable silence soon overtook the atmosphere as the crowd dispersed from the proposal spot. The breeze was gentle and serene. Karina's long hair dance with grace to the tunes of the wind. Jeno took a quick glance at her when tips of her hair brushed against his cheek. As if a bulb switch was abruptly turned on in his head, he saw her in a different light. All that in the millisecond glimpse he stole.

"If I had to describe you as a place, it would probably be here." Karina looked over at him. They were sitting adjacent to each other facing the sky.

Jeno smiled. His eyes disappeared leaving downward slits with wrinkles around it. His teeth straight and white. The breeze sweeped his hair to the back  cinematically. It was out of the blue : her comment. Yet it felt like a compliment, one he never heard. Hence, Jeno found himself grinning naturally.

This is the first time I see him smile like this...

Karina caught herself staring a little too hard.

"Then I would probably describe you as a club or a bar." He turned to meet her eyes still smiling as he spoke.

"Is that how you see me?" A little dissapointment evident in her eyes. She only caught on to the negative connotation of being a club person. Well, since it was coming from Lee Jeno.

"Wild, bustling and yet puts people at ease and takes aways all their worries." He explained. "You make people comfortable."

Oh I make him comfortable? What does he mean by people? Can he just tell me what HE thinks... Karina stared at him thoughtfully trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. One thing she knew was at least he didn't view her as anything close to what she assumed.

"Wait, is that a mole under your eye?" Karina pointed out when she got distracted. "Oh my! I can't believe this. Coco has the exact same mole." She gasped.

"Coco?" Jeno tilted his head, his finger touching the mole under his eye.

"Ah, my pet dog. It's a golden retriever. I kept thinking why you look so familiar and now it all makes sense." She laughed.

"So you are saying I look like your dog?" Baffled, Jeno tried to fix his bangs that flew to the back. This wasn't the first time she mentioned his resemblance to a dog.

"It might sound like a joke but I mean it. You should see him you'll get what am trying to say." Her legs were now folded to the side with her body facing him as she tried to convince him.

She took out her phone to show him a picture of Coco only for him to deny.

"Ugh, his mole isn't very visible in pictures. But I swear he has it." Karina was arguing it to no end. Like it was THAT serious for her.

Then she saw an opportunity. "You should really see him in person."

Jeno nodded. "Well then I'll reevaluate when I see him."

"Wait, you wanna come to my house right now?" Karina looked at her phone which read a few minutes past 6 before she offered. And just like that, she played the cards to her favor. Coz what was he gonna say, no? He had to spent the day with her anyways.

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