Read 'em and Weep! {NA JAEMIN}

ONE

"Well I've gotta get to class, but I promise you'll be just fine," Ireh soothed.

"Thanks guys," you smiled, grateful to your friends. You had been rooming with Swan and Ireh since your undergraduate years, but you had been friends with them since high school when you were all in your school's yearbook club. They were the ones that had been there with you and seen you conceptualize your first published comic series with WizMedia. Before that, you were just doing one shot stories and a ton of free lance stuff to get by.

To them, your work on 'flight of the wolves' was indistinguishable from who you were, so Swan and Ireh took it to heart more than you did.

For the next few weeks, you noticed a few things- Jaemin, the quiet kid who didn't help you with the classwork and also the person who stirred the internet into harassing you online, seemed to also share all the same classes as you. He sat silently in the back for each of them. A week after the article was published, you two had made eye contact. He instinctively shot you a smile, and you in turn sent him a glare before turning away.

---

Jaemin was given the okay from Johnny to work from home for the time being, thus allowing Jaemin to create a Patches corkboard. It was a corkboard he set up in the corner of his bedroom with small details Patches had said in interviews or author's notes, allowing him the chance to try and get a bigger picture.

"How's work been?" Yangyang asked Jaemin one night when they were both in the living room watching an episode of Finder x Locator.

Jaemin mulled over the question for a moment. "Hmm, I guess it's been fine. How have the classes been going?"

"Honestly they've been great!" Yangyang responded. The two settled into staring at the TV. Jaemin noted how similar the art style looked to Flight of the Wolves, but didn't sit on it too much considering the impact Finder x Locator has had on artistry in general.

"Jaemin!" Sugchan called from the front door as he got home from his classes.

"Yeah?"

"Can I get my shoes back? They're my favorite and I want to wear them tonight," Sungchan asked.

Absentmindedly, Jaemin told Sungchan it was fine, until he saw Sungchan enter his room and remembered the ridiculous conspiracy board he had up in his room. Panicking, Jaemin ran up from the couch.

"I can explain!" Jaemin shouted, running into his room to see Sungchan staring at the board with a slack jaw.

"Dude what's going- oh no way," Yangyang followed behind him, laughing loudly as he saw the absurdity that was the filled up corkboard.

"Please tell me you're not trying to figure out who Patches is?" Sungchan pleaded, moving closer to the corkboard. Jaemin yanked his hood up in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"A Senior Copywriter position opened up," was all Jaemin could respond with. Yangyang slapped Jaemin's shoulder, wiping a tear that had come as a result of his laughter.

"Wow, Jaemin went from not even wanting that article to directly going against the wishes of your Mom's company," Yangyang chuckled. Sungchan shot him a glare before sighing, as if trying to let go of any negative thoughts he was harboring.

"Dude, come with me to my family dinner tonight," Sungchan offered. Jaemin's eyes lit up, and as if Sungchan could read his mind, "the only one who knows Patches identity is one of the Senior Editors. But my god- you need to get out of here. I mean- has your room ever been this disorganized?"

Looking around, Jaemin grimaced in embarrassment. He hadn't made his bed in over two weeks, and the insides of his closet were vomited all over his room as he hadn't bothered to put any clothes away.