punch drunk love | renmin

22

his steps abruptly stopped. he rested his hands on the fence. he had arrived at the river. when did he go all this way?

he liked him. na jaemin. he liked na jaemin.

was it that easy?

after all this time he connected all the dots, all those little things he appreciated of him, all the times he randomly thought about him. now it all made sense.

"FUCK!" he screamed in the river's direction, followed by a laugh.
"haa, na jaemin. you're going to be the end of me."

-

after some thoughts, renjun digested all this information. he liked jaemin, his neighbor. he had a girlfriend who asked him to avoid the said guy. it all made sense in his mind. the only way out of this other than transferring to another city was avoiding jaemin completely.

yes, sure. he had a crush on jaemin, it would take some time, feelings don't just disappear into the void if you ask them to. just some time to forget that he's really handsome and that when he smiles he's really pretty and-

let's just stop there or it will keep on going for a while.

"I'M LATE." he exclaimed when he suddenly woke up, for some reason the alarm clock didn't ring. he launched the blankets into the space and went to the bathroom to, at least, wash his face and brush his teeth once. then changed his clothes.

lately running was getting easier for him, he kind of get used to it. not only he ran after haechan went they went studying and he had to follow him to bring him back to study, yesterday too and all those days he felt troubled. he usually ran around in the neighborhood and at the yard, where he played various basketball matches with jae-

let's change the topic.

he finally reached his classroom. he had seen his homeroom teacher downstairs. when he slammed the classroom door open he could hear his classmates chattering quiet down. he found it really unpleasant, it made him anxious. still, he attracted all the attention on him by slamming the door. he couldn't blame anyone else except himself.

"why are you this absent minded lately?" his desk mate hyunsol asked.  "oh, just because exams are getting closer." he covered his lie with an awkward laugh. he was enough convincing or his desk-mate just didn't care enough to dig into the matter, so he changed the topic quickly.

"haechan come on, we are running late." jeno said as he and jaemin were waiting for their friend outside the bathroom, before going to the karaoke he needed to pee, he said before rushing to the nearby restroom. jungwoo and his friend, doyoung, were already there just chilling. "why are you this awkward with renjun? you told me that you made up." jeno asked, " i don't know either." he shrugged, "he said i was overthinking, bu today he... it's weird. he's like a butterfly, he lightly avoids me." jeno rolled his eyes, "don't get poetic, it's cringe. i already helped you out with-"

"helping you out with what?" haechan came out of the bathroom, while drying off his hands on his pants. jeno glared at jaemin, it's time to tell haechan too, but it's not my place to do so.

that's what he understood from jeno's glare.

"let's get FAR away from school first." he stomped his way out regretting his decision more each step he took.

"YOU WHAT?" haechan's face, from an excited one, transformed into a traumatized one. "SINCE WHEN?"

"some months ago, probably. remember that day we played basketball after i left you." haechan gasped and kicked his knee, "why didn't you tell me!"

"guyys!" they all stopped when they heard jungwoo greeting them from far, shaking his hands in the air to get their attention.

haechan pointed at jaemin and then at himself, "you are going to explain everything later." jaemin shushed him. "you must have ran into some kind of inconvenience, you're late!" jungwoo said as the three younger kids reached him and doyoung, his friend. "he is the inconvenience." jeno said, talking about haechan who was checking out jungwoo's acquittance. jungwoo chuckled and took haechan under his arm dragging him inside.

"hey guys, it's been a while since last time hasn't it?" doyoung and the other two were left behind, "you're right, was it february or march?"

"it's probably the day before jaemin departure."

"i want to participate to this conversation too!" jungwoo and haechan said in unison. doyoung chuckled and ruffled jungwoo hair.

then they all went inside, doyoung paid for the room. the game had just started.

"WOAH, i'm done for tonight." jaemin announced when his song ended, he played the same songs every damn time. nobody complained since he's really good, but changing sometimes wouldn't hurt.

"i guess i'll take the mic then," doyoung said as he was handed the mic. "which one should i go with?"

"do something funny." jeno suggested. jaemin walked out the door, he needed to go to the restroom. as he walked trough the hall he noticed an ash colored guy hanging out with that xiaojun kid. DAMN THAT'S RENJUN, his eyes went wide open.

that kid really annoyed him, he was obviously running after renjun, right in front of his eyes!! and still he couldn't do a thing about it. who was he to do something?

he was about to run outside when someone stopped him, "where are you going? don't you even try to escape. that's rude." jungwoo said a pout evident on his face.

"wait, why are you here? ARE YOU PERHAPS STALKING ME?"

"what? no." jungwoo responded surprised by his response. "they chose shinee's shout out, it's cursed." jaemin chuckled, they all knew how much he hated that song.

"in any case, why are you trying to get out here? i thought you didn't mind shout out.?"

his mind battled for a second, should i tell him about renjun? he would never judge me, but it's just..

"i like a guy." he mumbled. "you like a what?"
he repeated himself, he still didn't get the last part. "A GUY, JUNGWOO. A FUCKING GUY." jungwoo's mouth formed a "o" shaped. "that's great." he smiled.

"yes, but-" jaemin needed advices. "but what? OH YOU ARE SHY?" jungwoo teased the younger. he pointed at the back of the place, there was an exit for the garden, the owner's wife liked gardening.

jungwoo sat on the bench and patted the spot beside him, jaemin sat beside him. "tell me all about this.."

"renjun, his name is renjun."

🗻🏜🗻🏜

jungwoo? JUNGWOO??? jung woo? jUngWoo???? jUNGWOO.! jungwoo j u n g w o o jUngwoo . JUNGwoo ??!?! jungWOO?? juuuunggwoo??? J UNG WOO???¿? jungwoo !! jUNgwOo.. JUngWoo j U n G w O o juUngwoo JUNGWOOO??!!! jungwoo ..! ju ngggg woooo? jungwoo?????? j u ngwoo JUUNGWOOO j j jungWooo!!¿? JUNGWOO!!!!!

i can't believe he's finally back 😭😭😭