Beautiful // Nomin

~59~

It didn't matter that it was almost three by the time Jaemin got back to his apartment. He packed up a few little things that he had left before gathering a suitcase and a backpack and rolling them toward the door. 

He'd find a place to stay near Jisungie's rehabilitation center for about two weeks, waiting for Jeno to go off to college first. Because he knew that if he stayed, and Jeno'd find out about the deleted contacts soon enough, he'd surely come to Jaemin's apartment and look for him. Jaemin was hoping that Jeno would finally accept his disappearance and go back to living his parents' life.

Jaemin double-checked to see if all the lights in the apartment room were turned off, before bringing his belongings out and closing the door, making sure it was locked. 

He inhaled  and exhaled deeply. Was he really planning to put away all the happiness he'd had for the past months, and return back to the bleakness of his previous life? 

Yes, he was. Grey simplicity was better than drama in love, wasn't it? 

Jaemin took the elevator down, and walking out into the open, realised that it had started raining. He bent his head as he walked over to his car, rain pelting on his head and face the same as weight was pelting in his heart.

He threw his baggage into the trunk and quickly made his way to the driver's seat, where he found the address he needed on his cellphone GPS.

He forcefully moved his hands to the steering wheel and held his head high. Push away negativity, embrace positivity. He'd see his lovely dongsaeng next morning. Jisung would be happy to see him, and he'd give hyung a bright smile to light his day up. 

No more of the past, look forward to the future. 

Jaemin turned on the engine and made his way out of the complex. 

----

"Jeno Lee! Unlock the door!" 

Seemingly in his dreams, sleepy Jeno vaguely heard his mother's voice on the outside of his bedroom door and her incessant knocking. What time is it... he rolled over to reach for his phone. His eyes popped open when he saw "1:03 PM" on the lock screen. 

Jeno immediately sat up but was greeted by a sharp pang to his head and a rush of hangover. He winced and slowly lay back down, trying to get the upset feeling in his stomach to go away as well. 

"Jeno! You're sister's here!"  Knock, knock, knock. 

Jeno groaned. So it wasn't just a dream. 

"She's going to the mall at 1:30. Do you want to come?!" his mother was shouting at the other end. 

As much as Jeno missed and loved his sister, he answered, "NO" because he felt awful. He didn't even want to sit up, let alone walk around in public. 

He naturally picked up his phone and unlocked it again, upon habit. It suddenly hit him that the lock screen picture wasn't a photo of him and Jaemin. 

Jeno squinted in confusion as he went to his settings to review his wallpapers. None of them had Jaemin in them. 

In a sudden panic, the boy went to his photo album, his eyes searching wildly. 

Good, they were still there. 

He breathed a sigh of relief as he opened his messages to text Jaemin (in his drunken stupor last night, he'd forgotten all about the "morning message"). But no matter how many times he scrolled, there was no "Na Jaemin" in his contacts.