•The Ghost of Flowers• {[Nomin]}

✨🌸 Chapter 48 🌸✨

Jaemin only stepped in silently, looking at the two with worried eyes. Jaehyun managed to get Taeyong to the couches, all three of them sitting there in a silence filled with the redhead's sniffling.

It was mysterious to see Jeno's brother cry, he usually had such a strong and motherly aura that couldn't be tainted no matter what. This whole thing screamed off to Jaemin, but he could only sit there as the ice creams slowly melted away.

A silence rang like an annoying alarm in their ears, Taeyong now leaning his head on Jaehyun's shoulder as the latter rubbed circles on his arm. Jaemin was trying to mind his own business, ignoring the fact that Jeno's ice cream was starting to drip all over his hand. Taeyong looked up and met eyes with the youngest in the room, making Jaemin awkwardly avert his gaze.

"Jaemin..," the redhead said slowly, sitting himself up and slumping over his knees while still maintaining eye contact. "Are you holding up okay?"

Jaemin raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Of course, why's that?"

Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows, realization slowly creeping up on him. "You mean, Jeno didn't tell you?"

Jaemin swallowed a lump in his throat, scared that this was the reason Taeyong himself was sad, which scared him to the core. "N-no?"

Taeyong inhaled to say something, but the front door suddenly burst open and caused the three of them to snap their heads towards it. Jaemin expected it to be Jeno, and almost thought it was him for a second, but the blonde hair was most certainly not Jeno.

Mark looked across all of them, eyes widening when he saw Jaemin to the far left of the living room. The honey haired noticed this and fiddled his thumbs together. He was really nervous about what the heck was going on and really needed an explanation.

"Jaemin," Mark mumbled and walked towards the couches, sitting next to the younger and glancing towards Taeyong and Jaehyun.

The blonde fumbled with a folded up paper in his hands, trying to avoid Jaemin's gaze that was studying him worriedly. He noticed the paper and looked back up to Mark's face, then feeling the stare of Taeyong once more.

"What... what's going on?" Jaemin carefully asked.

Mark finally looked at him and the look wasn't a warming or comforting one. The only emotions Jaemin could see were pity and guilt, making his body stiffen.

"Well... Jeno, he-" Mark tried to say, but he found the words not able to escape his mouth. Instead of trying to explain or letting Taeyong explain, the boy just decided to hand over the letter and hope it would explain everything.

Jaemin looked at the outstretched hand holding the white note, cocking his head to the side before taking it with caution. Slowly opening it, Jaemin began to read.

~•~

Earlier

~•~

"Taeyong," Jeno muttered, the redhead running over and wrapping the boy in a hug. Jeno had prepared for this all the night before, deciding last minute on this life changing choice.

"Jeno... are you sure you want to do this? I thought you didn't want to leave behind-"

"There's nothing left for me," Jeno bitterly chuckled, gripping his brother tighter as he bit his chapped lip. "It's useless to even hope anymore."

Jeno assumes that if there was no happiness here in Korea anymore, he might as well listen to his childhood self and rethink the college in America. It was an amazing opportunity, and despite not really being interested in an educational field, maybe he could find something he enjoys on the way. Taking this chance, Jeno decided that it would only make sense to accept the invitation into such an extravagant school. Although something pangs inside his chest while picturing it.