read this when you're lonely • lee jeno

37.

"got all your stuff ready?"

"yep. all packed"

EUNHA looks down at her luggage bag in hand then back at her boyfriend that looked like a pup with separation anxiety. "great great... good you have everything you need.. wish you could keep me in the bag too but oh ho ho that's not allowed-"

"jeno. you gotta calm down. it's literally just 2 weeks. I might even come back earlier" she reassures him with a nice pat to the shoulder. "I sure hope it's the latter because I'm gonna be suuuuper fucking lonely" jeno says while emphasizing the word 'super'. even throwing his head back to add to the emphasis.

eunha grins like she always does when she had something planned. jeno knew that look and was hoping the next thing that was coming out of her mouth was either a "I'm joking, I'll only be gone for a day" or "you can come with me".

" tsk tsk tsk. who am I to forget how lonely you would be while I'm away. that's why I very carefully planned a lovely gift for you" eunha says, sending jeno a charming eyebrow raise before reaching into her bag and pulling out a little notebook.

"hm?" a confused little jeno sound escapes his lips, hands slowly rising up to take his supposed gift. "what's this?"
hands moving to open the book, eunha stops him immediately, placing a hand on his rather roughly to stop him from going any further.

"no no no" she waggles a finger at him. "open this tonight or tomorrow and only read a few pages a day. hopefully I wrote enough to keep you occupied or 'unlonely'" she air quotes. "for two weeks"

"but what did you write?" jeno asks.

"find out tonight" she smiles at him. "if you ever feel lonely while I'm gone, just read this"

---

hours had already felt like days with one less presence in the house.

stuck with a dog that would lift its tail to purposely show you its asshole as if saying "fuck you" in doggy language wasn't all that fun.
jeno continues to wander around the house mindlessly, no game or show satisfying his boredom and loneliness. "gosh, how did I spend all my nights alone playing league. I can't even sit properly without my girlfriend now-" he gives himself a hard bonk to the head and swears he heard a hollow noise coming from his head.

was his head literally that empty and hollow?

with yet another long pained sigh errupting from his throat, jeno throws himself onto the bed, head falling on its side and catching sight of the notebook on the nightstand.

"oh yeah.. my little gift" he picks up the book and flips it back and forth.

it was just a small black notebook with a few random stickers that was almost sickeningly cute to jeno. then there was a cute puppy sticker at the corner which looked handmade.

eunha probably drew it herself and made it into a sticker.

"she said to read only a few pages per day... " he mutters quietly for no one to hear. jeno chews on his bottom slightly before flipping to the first page.

TO: JENO
READ THIS WHEN YOU'RE LONELY

was the only thing written on the empty page.

he runs a finger over the page and the handwriting he had gotten so familiar with. "pretty... "

he flips the page.

--

when you're reading this, it means that I'm already gone.... I'm not dead but like, you know what I mean. you must be quite lonely now eh. well, don't worry, I'm still there with you mentally, giving you hugs and head pats. when you go to bed, just know I'll be hugging my pillow imagining it as you. I hope you can feel my mental hugs. I'll give you a real big hug when I'm back. but if you feel someone hug you to sleep tonight.... burn down my house, a ghost is either ready to steal your soul or steal my boyfriend ʕʘ̅͜ʘ̅ʔ

---

"pfffftt" jeno snorts, almost getting spit on his precious book. his nose scrunches up with a smile, smiling like a teen boy who just got a reply from his crush. "how many did she write... " he flips through the book, eyes half opened as he squinted to prevent himself from spoiling other messages.
the book continues being blank after half a book or so.

"so if there were about 50 pages... I can read maybe 4 a day? I'll read a new page in the morning, afternoon, evening and before bed" he smiles proudly. "I'm a math prodigy" he bites his lip, squinting his eyes while dusting off the invisible dust on his shoulder. "yet I still failed that test in year 9-"

he sucks in a breath. "I'm smart at all the wrong things..."

"lee jeno you're talking to yourself again. you weirdo" he shakes his head in self disappointment.