Ashes | JENO

Chapter 12

After running the laundry machine with his dirty clothes and towel, excluding the precious leather jacket, Soojung returned to the living room to see Jeno still sitting there, staring blankly at the wall.

"You must be really sick." Soojung said, sitting down beside him and tucking her knees in. "You look so out of it."

"Don't mention it." Jeno said, shooting her a glare. "Ever."

It was supposed to scare her but Soojung wasn't scared of him anymore. She saw a sick boy in front of her and just wanted him to get better.

"So you wanted to explain the fake tattoo?" Soojung said as she crossed her legs like Jeno, deciding to hug one of the cushions instead. Jeno nodded.

"Yeah, I promise you there's a reason." Jeno said, hesitating a bit before pointing to his ribs. "The one here is real though."

"Um. Okay." Soojung said, not really sure what Jeno was referring to but he didn't seem to notice as he continued talking.

"Ugh this is so stupid, why am I even telling you this?" Jeno said to himself as he adjusted the blanket around his shoulders. He let out a deep sigh.

"I have the cross there to help with my image."

"You're image?" Soojung said. Jeno nodded.

"Yeah, when I was younger, everyone said my eye smile was too cute and it would be a problem later on. Well, let's just say they weren't wrong." Jeno told her

"So the fake tattoo is supposed to make you less... cute?" Soojung asked.

"Yeah, it was supposed to be real but I honestly wasn't really for the idea of permenantly putting a cross there so Renjun suggested eyeliner so I kind of went with it." Jeno told her before turning his head, pointing to his face. "I actually have a mole here so that's how I get it in the same place every morning."

"So I guess Lee Jeno isn't really as strong as scary as everyone thinks." Soojung joked, giving him a soft nudge. "He's actually a complete softie that loves playing with cats in the middle of the night."

"Hey, even you have to admit that they're cute!" Jeno exclaimed, only making her throw her head back in laughter.

Jeno blinked a few times before chuckling as well, and Soojung couldn't help but smile as she saw Jeno's eyes turn into crescents as he laughed.

"They're really not wrong." Soojung said, once they had calmed down again. "Your eye smile is kind of cute."

"You know that it's an insult to call a gang member cute, right?" Jeno said but Soojung just strugged.

"I don't exactly surround myself with them." Soojung responded before getting up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jeno asked and Soojung couldn't help but smile as she noticed that Jeno seemed to want her to stay with him which is why he kept asking.

"To get a blanket, it's kind of cold." Soojung said. She watched as Jeno patted the space beside him, adjusting the blanket so that there was room for her.

"There's enough here for both of us." Jeno said but Soojung shrugged her shoulders.

"Do I really want to share a blanket with someone with a fever?" Soojung asked, making Jeno narrow his eyes.

Soojung giggled as she sat back down beside him, Jeno helping her put the blanket around her shoulders.

She gulped as she realized how close they were too each other, their legs brushing up against one another.

Just treat him like a friend. Like Jaemin.

"So." Soojung said, turning the television on to break the awkward silence. "What movies do you like to watch?"

"Anything." Jeno responded before hesistating as Soojung hovered over a chick flick. "But I prefer action."

"As expected from a Phoenix." Soojung said, choosing a movie that suited Jeno's preference better before leaning back into the couch, wrapping herself in the blanket.

The whole entire time though, Soojung found it hard to focus on the movie as her heart beated rapidly in her chest with her body right up against Jeno's the entire time.

---------------------------