𝟭𝟬: 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗞𝗜𝗠𝗖𝗛𝗜 𝗝𝗝𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗘
𝙅𝙐𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙉𝙀 𝙈𝙊𝙊𝙉
The downpour only got worse. Jaemin and I knew staying in the cemetery wasn't the best idea. It took 15 minutes to get home from the cemetery, 10 minutes if you sped up your pace, and 5 minutes if I used Venom as my transportation. I would've been home a long time ago if I didn't accept Jaemin's offer in accompanying me home as I didn't carry an umbrella with him. I didn't wanna refuse because it would've looked odd, so I had to accept. The situation was inevitable.
And plus, Jaemin was Jaehyun's brother anyway, it wouldn't hurt to get to know him.
I still recalled cussing Venom for not telling me anything about this because apparently he knew all along. But it was also my fault, I told him not to tell me anything about Jaheyun and his past, at least not yet.
But this one was a surprise. A big one. Something I never would've expected.
The downpour hammered the streets and pelted the ground with heavy drops that splashed around our feet. The sky had turned almost black, with clouds gathering around us, very dark and heavy, resulting in a somber atmosphere. A bit of cold water soaked my clothes with moisture clinging to every strand of hair on my head. Thankfully, Jaemin kept a firm grip on the umbrella, shielding us from the worst weather ever. This downpour made visibility poor. It was horrible.
Jaemin and I found ourselves stumbling a bit as we reached the porch of my mansion.
I gasped silently to steady my breathing, both my hands landing on the curves of my waist. I turned to look at Jaemin and watched him close his umbrella, his features dampened, hair plastered to his forehead and clothes soaked through.
I felt bad.
I wasn't too wet, and that was thanks to Jaemin.
But on the other hand, he was completely drenched. It made sense, considering he held the umbrella more to my side during our walk here. How considerate of him.
"Are you okay?" Jaemin inquired. He shook off the raindrops from his umbrella before shifting his gaze to me.
"Yeah." I answered. "Uh... Are you?"
Jaemin grinned softly. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just rain." He released a small sigh and looked out to watch the rain pummelling on the concrete ground. "I hope you don't mind, I'll wait out here until the rain calms down, then I'm off."
My eyes enlarged sightly as I shook my head in opposition. "No. I feel bad. You could wait inside the house."
The brunette boy copied and shook his head. I could tell he was just a bit too shy to say yes. "It's okay, Juliane. I'm sure the rain will stop soon anyways-"
Boom!
There was a sharp clap of thunder that echoed throughout the entire street. As one flaw lit up the sky, there was an audible gasp from me and Jaemin, clearly stunned by this severe weather.
Venom: Uh oh... Loud noises! Abort! Get in!
With a nervous chuckle, I turned to look at Jaemin. "Yeah, I don't think the rain would be stopping any soon. I don't think you should go right now either, so please, let's just get in." I said with a hint of protectiveness in my tone.
He was Jaehyun's little brother... And because Jaehyun protected me, protecting Jaemin was mandatory.
Jaemin and I entered my mansion, where the large space of the foyer provided us with ample room to move around. We remained near the doorway and tidied up our appearances. We took off our jackets and hung them on the hooks nearby the entryway. As I took a deep breath as an attempt to shake off the dampness in the air, I turned over and noticed Jaemin taking the opportunity to look around the foyer with a curious face, taking in its splendour.
I couldn't help but smile.
He looked just like Jaehyun.
I was assuming that the mansion wasn't empty today. And I was right. My brother was present, like always, considering he did most of his "music work" in here.
"JM! Glad to see you're home-" Taeil just ambled out of the kitchen and proceeded down the long corridor. He had to stop himself from speaking when he realised I had company. "Oh- Oh my." Taeil shifted his gaze at Jaemin and me. He smiled. "Ooh, who might this be?"
I scratched my nape and flashed a timid smile. "Just a friend. He's gonna have to stay here for a while until the rain calms down."
Jaemin bowed a bit with politeness. "Thank you both for letting me stay. I really appreciate it."
Taeil nodded his head enthusiastically and clapped his hands together. "Of course! This is actually a perfecting time for a guest! Taeyong, Naomi and I are making kimchi jjigae! It would be pleasant if you'd join after we finish. It wouldn't take too long." He bounced on his spot a bit and pivoted from his stance. "Oh! I should get you guys something to dry yourselves with. I will be back."
Taeil didn't wait for a response, he just dashed down the corridor.
Taeyong, Taeil and... Naomi? What on earth was she doing here? Well, not that it was something unusual as they all do just stop by here sometimes without notice. I presumed she skipped school. Just like me.
There was silence in the foyer. Both Jaemin and I gazed at each other and smiled awkwardly.
"Oh, you could go inside the living room and make yourself at home." I suggested. I pointed my hand toward the entrance of the living room, beckoning him to move. "I'll just stay here and wait for the towel."
Jaemin could sense a tad of awkwardness hanging in the air, so he figured staying here wasn't ideal, so he did as I said. With a calm and intrigued demeanor, he headed inside the living room and inspected every inch of the mansion, seeming interested about the interior design. Almost everybody who stepped in here were. Nothing new.
I pulled my phone out and quickly wrote a message to Mark: "Dude, you're not gonna believe who I stumbled upon! Call me asap. Love you!❤️"
Once I pressed the send button, I was immediately jolted back to reality and saw my brother scuttling down the corridor with two small towers in his hands. I exhaled sharply, a bit irritated by the shock he put me in, before slipping my phone back into my pocket.
Taeil lifted the two neatly folded towels to me and I accepted it with gratefulness.
He stared at me with a weird smile.
I cocked an eyebrow. "What?" I uttered.
"He's quite good looking." Taeil whispered. He lifted his brow up suggestively.
"Oh my God, Taeil." I puckered my face with dissapointment. "You're funny. You know that?"
Taeil slapped my shoulder and tried laughing it off. "I was just kidding, silly! You know me, I just get excited when you bring in new people in the house. The more the merrier!" He said. He realised my unamused face stayed unmoving. He sighed and shook his hands. "Whatever, I'll stop talking. I'll finish cooking and leave you two be. Bye-bye." Taeil placed his hand on my hair and ruffled it, before pulling me in to place a small peck on my head.
I could only roll my eyes.
I continued into the living room and spotted Jaemin enjoying himself on the couch, appearing comfortable and eased.
"Here you go." I spoke, making my presence noticed. I cautiously tossed one of the towels to him and he caught it with ease.
"Thanks." He said.
As we sat together on the couch, we did our best in drying ourselves with the towels we had. The air felt warm and toasty in here, in contrast to the cold rain we faced not long ago. We remained silent for a moment, both of us too tired and busy to even speak. It was a moment to take in the peace and comfort of the environment, a moment to savour the warmth of the space, a moment to enjoy the quiet after the commotion.
"So Juliane..." Jaemin was first to break the silence. "How do you know my brother?"
I placed the towel on my lap and turned to connect my eyes with his. "We had a mutual friend." I explained, but obviously it was all a lie. I couldn't spill the truth. I was positively convinced that he didn't know anything about Jaehyun and his old alter ego, so exposing that was dangerous, especially for him. "We weren't really close, but we weren't that unfamiliar with each other either."
Jaemin proceeded my words and nodded his head.
I looked at him and smiled warmly. "I am... beyond shock that he never told me about you."
Jaemin's smile dropped a bit. "Well, I'm not too surprised." He sighed and shrugged. "We were never close anyways... Well, we used too but.... It's a long story."
I could see hesitance in those eyes of Jaemin's, but if you looked closer, there was also a tinge of desire, desire in telling everything.
"Tell me." I said, showing intrigue and care. "I want to know everything."
I needed to know. I needed to know more about Jaehyun.
Jaemin could see the concentration and keenness in me. It shocked him a bit, as perhaps not everyone might be too interested in his relationship with his brother. Something about my enthusiasm comforted him and encouraged him to spill everything. And he did.
"Jaehyun and I were born in Connecticut. We're merely three years apart. And um, well, our childhood wasn't really the best. Our parents were pretty troubled. They weren't the nicest... especially with Jaehyun. So he did what he had to, he fled and left me but promised to come back."
My eyes flickered and I tilted my head. "Did he?"
"He did... But he was too late. You see, our parents passed away and I had to move in with my aunt, and everything was perfect from that on. Tgat's when Jaehyun came back. He came back when things were better... He wasn't there when I needed him the most. And I hated him for that, so I ignored and pushed him away for as long as I could remember... And suddenly, he just stopped texting and calling me. I figured something was wrong so I came here to New York and visited his apartment yesterday... But the landlord told me he p- passed away."
Jaemin breathed out and avoided eye contact with me. I could see how layers of thick tears were covering his eyes. It was obvious how much he tried to restrain himself from breaking down. And it was painful to watch.
"I think it's funny. I used to pretend that he never existed, but now, I struggle to believe he's gone."
Jaemin tried to hold back those tears, I could see the struggle in him, the emotions battling to be realised. He clenched his hand into a fist, his jaw tightening as he fought to contain all his blue feelings. And once a single drop of tear trickled down his cheek, he hung his head down and sucked in a sharp breath.
"S- Sorry..."
I watched him in silence and I felt a strong wave of empathy for him. This was truly heartbreaking.
"Hey... It's alright Jaemin, you don't have to apologise." I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm sorry... It must've been hard for you."
Jaemin sniffled and cleared his throat, before straightening his posture. He was trying so hard to pretend as if he wasn't breaking from within. I could tell he was a bit timid to show so much emotions to somebody he barely knew, but the fact that we had one thing in mutual, and that was knownig Jaehyun, made it reasonable.
Jaemin and I sat there and held the eye contact. Our lips twitched up into a small smile. And as seconds passed, I noticed the skin of his face began to turn into a shade of faint pink, his blush so noticeable against his fair skin.
Feeling immensely awkward, I immediately turned away.
And luckily, somebody barged in to interrupt the moment. It was Naomi in a kitchen apron. She sent both Jaemin and I a small smile, before jerking her head to the side. "Food is ready."