Ashes | JENO

Chapter 18

Soojung woke up to see Jeno still sleeping soundly beside her, the clock telling her that they still had plenty of time before they had to rush to school.

She smiled to herself as she stared at Jeno, still finding it hard to believe that everything that had happened the night before wasn't a dream. It had really happened.

Soojung definitely didn't think that she and Jeno would be a good match when she had first met him, but the more she learned about the male, the more she wanted to know, the more she wanted to be there to support him.

Jeno was definitely someone who had a dark past, someone who hid a lot from the people around him, even his closest friends. But for some reason, Jeno had opened up and let himself be vulnerable in front of her, and that was enough for Soojung to be convinced that there was something special between them.

Soojung's eyes caught sight of the black ink on jeno's ribs from his shirt being lifted over night and couldn't help but place her fingers on it.

This instantly made Jeno's eyes flutter open and Soojung expected Jeno to be mad as she instantly retracted her hand but instead, Jeno gave her a small smile.

"Good morning." Jeno said in his husky morning voice before wrapping Soojung in a tight embrace, cuddling the girl in his arms. "I see that you've noticed my tattoo, the real one."

Soojung felt relief wash over her as she nodded her head, letting herself melt in Jeno's arms. "I did."

"It's a pheonix." Jeno told her as he moved back. "All of us get it when we join the gang. Or turn sixteen in the case of me and Haechan who were born into it."

Soojung's eyes widened as Jeno stripped himself of his shirt, letting her get a good look of his tattoo with his bare upper body. Even with his defined abs and scars from multiple wounds, evidence from his work in the gang, Soojung's attention went to the work of art on his ribs, the phoenix beautifully drawn onto his skin.

"Can I?" Soojung asked, reaching her hand out and Jeno nodded his head.

As Soojung ran her fingers along the ink, Jeno chuckled softly before removing her hand and intertwining their fingers. "That tickles."

"I'm sorry." Soojung said but Jeno only smiled before giving her a soft kiss.

"It's alright." Jeno told her and Soojung cupped Jeno's face in her hands as he embraced her again, the two of them bathing in each other's warmth.

Unfortunately time, couldn't last forever and soon, Soojung had to separate herself from him as the two got ready for school.

Jeno seemed to be a really good mood and Soojung had sworn she had never seen the male smile so much as he sat there, happily munching on the food she had made them for breakfast.

This didn't go unnoticed by Jeno either as he stopped eating to stare back at her. "Is something wrong?"

Soojung immediately shook her head. "I'm just not used to seeing you like this."

"Well you better get used to it." Jeno said, taking a big bite of food and smiling in satisfaction. "Unless you don't want to see me anymore."

"No, no, my door will always be open for you." Soojung said, a wide grin on her face as she contiuned enjoying her breakfast.

Jeno was kind enough to do the dishes while she packed her bag for school and finished getting ready. When she was done, Jeno was waiting for at the door, a serious look on his face.

"Hey Soojung, do we mind if we keep this on the down low?" Jeno asked. "I really don't want Jaemin or the other Phoenixes finding out."

"Of course." Soojung said, completely understanding. She honestly didn't want Jaemin knowing either and was glad that Jeno felt the same way.

"Is it okay if I drop you off a block away from school then?" Jeno asked as she put her shoes on, the male holding her bag for her.

Soojung couldn't help but giggle at Jeno's question as she stood up. She went on her tiptoes to give Jeno a soft peck.

"Honestly Jeno, anything is fine." Soojung said, giving his hand a squeeze before the two made their way out of Soojung's apartment.

...

Jeno had made sure Soojung had gotten to school safely before meeting Mark and Haechan in the cafeteria, the two already sitting at their usual table.

"So." Mark said as Jeno took his seat and he knew that Haechan was staring at him too. "You didn't come home last night."

"No, I didn't." Jeno said, trying to keep his face straight as he pulled out his notebooks, needing to catch up on his work before class.

"Who is it?" Haechan asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he leaned forward. Jeno shoved his head away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jeno said but his friends were clearly unconvinced.

"Jeno never stays the night." Haechan said, his voice mocking his cousin's voice. "It's not my style."

"Gosh, you're so annoying." Jeno said, rolling his eyes but Mark didn't help.

"Jeno, I hope you know neither of us are against you seeing a girl, even if she's not a Phoenix." Mark told him.

"Yeah, I honestly will be the last person to judge." Haechan said, crossing his arms.

Jeno was fully aware of that, already knowing how Haechan had gotten his girlfriend.

"We just want you to be happy." Mark said, giving Jeno a pat on the back. "And I'm assuming if the girl convinced you to stay the night, then she might be pretty important to you."

As much as Jeno wanted to be honest with the two, he knew he couldn't. If they found out then Jaemin soon would too, and he didn't want Soojung going through the same thing as Ayeon.

Soojung could never join a gang, Jeno thought, thinking about the girl who's heart was a pure as snow.

"She's not important, just good in bed." Jeno said, barely getting the words out of his mouth. He hated lying but knew he needed to do what he needed to do to get his friends off his back. "I was too tired to go home."

Mark immediately began choking on his water and Haechan looked away, hiding his disappointment before letting out a deep sigh.

Jeno pretended not to be bothered by it as he began to work, but deep down, he wished he could tell his friends how happy he was last night with Soojung, especially when he caught sight of the leather gloves sitting inside his bag.

But he couldn't. He had to keep his mouth shut, pretending to be someone he wasn't because he was a Phoenix, the younger brother of their strong and fearless leader. He was the one that never hesitated to smash his fist against the face of their enemies, being the most heartless out of them all.

But most importantly, the Jeno his friends knew wasn't only that. The Jeno that his friends knew didn't believe in one thing, the one thing that Jeno knew that he was starting to question whether it truly existed because of Soojung.

And that thing was love.

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