━━━ (💌) chapter one

his picture perfect sunday, free from the burden of school and his mother's continuous scoldings, shielded from the chaos offered by the world and safely tucked in his navy blue blanket. the warmth of the morning sun fanning the surface of his skin. the feeling of relaxation when he could finally become lazy and rest his body more.

maybe it was also why LEE JENO was left in disappointment, because his picture perfect sunday was far from the harsh reality...

his day started when he spotted an unidentified object in front of his door, a piece of paper to be exact. nothing odd from how it looked, judging by its ordinary white texture, the only thing on the surface was a quick scribble of his name - the words treasured a different meankng though, it was oddly familiar to his mind. they brought memories. the memories he had been trying to remove from his mind was back to entering it and this time it was giving him no mercy.

dear jeno,

to be honest, it took me some courage to write this letter. you might know me, but not for who i am. i don't know if you have burried everyting in the past, i hope you didn't. here's something to refresh your memory.

do you perhaps remember summer of 2016 ?

~ n.jm

- 💌 -

it was fascinating yet brutal how the first few sentence was enough to ruin his sunday, he ran his hand through his freshly dyed blonde hair in despair as the memories came rushing, the past being the only thing stuck in his mind.

summer of 2016.

" kyungmin slow down! " the maid chuckled lowly at the sight of two young kids, speeding through the massive house heading straight to the back yard.

NA KYUNGMIN was stubborn, listening was definitely not included in his dictionary. he wasn't a person to surrender lightly to someone's call, especially if it was lee jeno, his closest friwnd.

the words passed through his ear like a light wind. it passed and vanished right after, increasing his steps. the korean was no where near to stopping, even when the breezy wind messed around the thin fabric covering his body, or when his chest started tightening the pain piercing through his skin like a blade.

na kyungmin ignored it all.

jeno didn't plan on stopping either, as his certified " guardian angel " or his
" samoyed in shining armor " as stated by the younger when they were around six. he would protect the male at all cost

guarding kyungmin was like his side job, though it was a pleasure for him to make sure the younger was away from trouble. he would always protect kyungmin's frangible body from danger every day without hesitation. if it meant seeing that angelic grin spreading on his face, if it meant having his body entwined with his as they cuddled warmly.

he would do anything and everything.

jeno gulped as he kept his stern face, a reply to kyungmin's who was sending silly faces to clearly mock him. instead, his gaze stayed on the back yard they were slowly approaching.

" you're too slow lee jeno! " a teasing grin made its way to kyungmin's face as he smirked playfully.

but karma hit him hard, like a stabbing knife.

because the next thing he met was the chilly surface of the pool. the younger gasped as he moved his arm around, an attempt to stay a float but considering the fact that he wasn't born with the best physics, his efforts meant nothing.

he lost control over his body, but thankfully just as it was slowly giving up on him, a firm grasp made its way to support the drowning weight of kyungmin's body.

of course jeno was there to save him, he dragged the limp body to the edge of the pool and applied some chest compressions, in hopes to restore the life present in kyungmin's failing body.

" c'mon please work! " he shrieked desperately, putting in more strengths to the continuous compressions and thankfully it did the work.

a cough escaped from kyungmin's pale lips, as he spitted out the water he previous swallowed. kyungmin held his chest, the only thing he noticed was how breathing became much more exhausting.

and the silly thing was, admist all the chaos surrounding his drowning in the pool, na kyungmin still had the audacity to laugh, " you're still too slow."

" are you seriously laughing right now!? something worse could have happened! " the elder felt disappointed at his actions, he couldn't believe that kyungmin would take his actions so lightly.

kyungmin shook his head as he burried his head on the crook of jeno's neck, his cold hands rubbing the male's back. knowing it was a way to ease his worried ass.

" calm down, i'm fine."

the so-called best friends stayed in the comforting position, with jeno engulfing kyungmin's thin body while the other latter still had his hands tracing circles on his back.

maybe he was overthinking about all the endless possibilities, granted the fact that kyungmin was diagnosed with a disease, threatening him every day of his life which meant he would need extra protection to keep him safe.

from the day the two kids first bumped at the hospital till this very second when there bodies were pressed against each other, jeno was always there for him. it was maybe because he found kyungmin's presence comforting bringing more joy to his world or it was the work of his heart, thumping faster everytime he would spot the latter in his sight.

" i'm sorry," jeno muttered out of the blue which startled kyungmin, during their 10 years experience of sharing a friendship bond- he realized how the world was slowly suffocating kyungmin more than his heart did. always having a person to guard and watch him like a baby, to never being allowed a chance to be as active as other kids.

" why'd you say sorry? you didn't do anything wrong."

" i have never let you experience how life is like, to be free like other people i've always tried keeping you safe
but-" jeno bit his lip and starred at kyungmin's charming face, the water creating creases on his god-like face, some of the drops ran down to his nose.

he looked breath-taking.

even with his lips looking as pale as the snow, jeno would do anythimg to taste those plump lips of his more over to let kyungmin enjoy a better life he surely deserves, " i want you to have fun, for once."

" jeno, i'm the stubborn one here you're just to pro-"

the latter sealed his mouth with his hands, offering an opportunity he was 100% sure kyungmin wouldn't deny,
" i heard there's going to be a late night festival tonight, wanna come with me? "

⌨ ᶻᶻᶻ elena is typing ...
how do you enjoy the first chapter ? i tried my best, i hope my writing is alright lmao. since the plot of this story is going to be complicated, especially after reading the first chapter you might have some questions about why jaemin isn't mentioned. well, to find out why you have to stay tune until the end cause look at the title of the book. the truth is going to be told once the time is right ^ω^ stay safe yall !!

also credit for the psd used in the banner to bbysuri on devianart and credit for the image to the rightful owner on pinterest.