i'll die for you | NOREN

Stage II - 1

Huang Renjun recognizes that there are a couple of things he cannot change no matter how much he asks Mr. Moon for them.

The first one, that school starts at 8 no matter what. Even during winter.

The second one, that he has to use that ugly tie which does not match the itchy gray wool sweater of his uniform.

Third and most important thing, that he cannot change the seating arrangement of his class.

"I already asked your teacher for you two to be on the same classroom, Junnie. I can't ask her to change someone else. And no, I can't ask to change your classmate's seat."

He truly felt helpless being a student of middle school.

He did not mind having to sit far from Jeno. What he did mind was that Na Jaemin was sitting right next to Jeno.

He truly hates that.

He truly hates Na Jaemin.

Renjun considers the day both him and Jeno got into middle school as the day things went wrong. It all started because of Na Jaemin.

For some reason, Renjun ended up on a different class. Something that had never happened during elementary school. Renjun had asked for permission to go to the bathroom and there he had managed to call Mr. Moon from his phone. Since Mr. Moon was out of town for a meeting, he told Renjun he would talk with the principal once he was back. Renjun was mad, but he promised Mr. Moon that he was going to behave. Mr. Moon had told him that the very next day things will be arranged. Renjun believed that one day was not so bad, and he will see Jeno during their lunch break. What he did not expected was to find Na Jaemin hanging onto Jeno's arm once he arrived at the cafeteria. Renjun felt his blood boil. Like a leech, he had been hugging Jeno. When Renjun went closer, he dared to ask if he needed something from them. He did not wait for Jeno to say anything. He took Jeno's arm and dragged him out of the cafeteria, far from Na Jaemin.

"Don't touch my friend."

Those were the first words he had said to him. From that day onwards, he considered Na Jaemin as an enemy. One of the high ranks that needed to be eliminated.

Mr. Moon had negated his request to make Jaemin disappear. And he stopped asking for it when Jeno demanded him to do so.

He sighs, tired.

He knows the seat arrangement had to with grades. Jeno, although being almost blind without his glasses, is top of their class. And Na Jaemin is second place. He... he knows his father did not mind at all his grades, and Mr. Moon had mentioned that his bad grades brought balance.

Making an average between you both doesn't make it look so bad .

He knows Jeno's efforts had to do with the fact that Renjun's family paid for his tuition. However, Renjun considers Jeno's efforts not necessary. Jeno is supposed to attend a public school, but that also meant that Renjun was going to attend a public school, since he proclaimed he would not go anywhere without him. Mr. Moon let his shoulders drop and the very next day enrolled both of them into the same school. Jeno had already paid for his studies, since Renjun got in the school Mr. Moon considered "appropriate."

Fair deal is what Renjun believed it was.

However, Renjun knows how caring Jeno is about his grades—spending hours crouched in Renjun's room studying—so he did not dare to ask for them to have the same grades.

While Renjun is stuck on the front row, Jeno and Jaemin are at the end.

Renjun sighs, tired.

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