Chapter 5 | The Second Man

The Third District of Seoul High School for Science and the Arts’ quadrangle lays in front of the main building, the entire space covered in small stamped, slate, concrete pavement. Trees within the school premises are surrounded by knee-level running bond bricks, serving as one of the student’s hangout places before and after school hours, as well as during lunch time, along with the libraries within the buildings and the student center with long tables and backless outdoor benches situated at the right side of the quadrangle. On the left side stood another but smaller building, facing the quadrangle, each floor having a bridge that connects to the main building.

Jeno, standing arrogantly as the strap of his bag hung loosely on his shoulder, walked through the black school gates, the unfriendly, cold breeze kissing his face. It was another cold morning with leafless trees and foggy breath. It would’ve been the perfect day to laze around drinking black coffee, but Jeno still decided to go. Afterall, he wanted to give this whole moving and being independent a shot. He figured being responsible enough to go to school on a regular school day would be a good way to start.

Halfway through, Jeno noticed a familiar figure with caramel brown hair, clad in a khaki winter coat, holding a huge eco bag several steps away from him, walking with a friend. And as the figure turned his head, revealing his side profile, Jeno asked himself how could someone be that pretty without showing the entirety of his face.

It was Na Jaemin.

Now that they weren’t yelling at each other at the top of their lungs, Jeno was able to take in the other boy’s features. Jaemin was beautiful in all aspects and in every sense of the word; from his enchanting smile, tall pointed nose, thin luscious lips, and sparkly eyes to his well-groomed hair, fluffy-looking cheeks, long legs, and pale skin. He’d hate to admit it, but if Jaemin weren’t so nosy and thought too highly of himself, Jeno would probably have a tiny, little crush on him. However, Jeno thought, the guy’s personality stank, and he just seemed to be a know-it-all kind of guy. And if there’s anyone Jeno hates the most, it’s the inquisitive and prier type of people. Jaemin might’ve been an artwork of a heavenly sculptor, but his personality was a complete and utter wack.

“Yo!” a deep, baritone voice sounded from behind. Jeno looked behind and was met by a six feet tall guy with a goofy smile. “Lee Jeno, right?”

Jeno nodded as the guy caught up to him, walking in synchronization. “What do you need?”

“Hey, no need to be rude,” the guy jested. “I’m Lucas, by the way. We’re in the same class.”

Jeno remembers the guy by his face, considering he doesn’t really look Korean. Lucas has a healthy tan skin, a pair of doll eyes, a pretty small face, and long limbs. Just one look and anyone could already tell that the guy was a foreigner, although Jeno wasn’t sure what kind of foreigner Lucas is. In spite of being one, however, he could see that Lucas is pretty comfortable and lively, a complete contrast to what a common foreigner would act like when speaking to a Korean. Lucas looks like he could strike a conversation with just about anyone.

“Yeah, I kinda remember you. You’re always with that guy who looks like a human skull.”

“Guy that looks like a human skull?”

“The nosy one with sunken cheeks,” Jeno flatly described. “He looks malnourished.”

“Mark Lee?”

“I think that’s his name.”

A loud boisterous laugh resonated from Lucas, catching the attention of some students. “Oh my God, you’re hilarious.”

“Thank you, but are you always this obnoxious?” Jeno asked, but it remained unanswered due to Lucas being unable to recover from what he said. Jeno’s gaze then landed to Jaemin and subtly pointed at him. “Hey, do you know him?”

Lucas wiped some of the tears that formed from his eyes, still laughing breathlessly. He then looked ahead and spotted Jaemin. “Oh, that’s Na Jaemin. Weren’t you listening when our classmates were introducing themselves?”

“No, because I have no interest.”

“Then why are you asking about Jaemin?” Lucas asked, still trying to catch his breath. “Didn’t you berate him when he was introducing himself?”

“I want to get back at him.”

“Oh, you’re the guy he had a confrontation with?” Lucas turned his head and asked wide-eyed as the both of them reached the steps leading to the school’s main building. The watched Jaemin and Donghyuck entered the lobby. “That’s new, to be honest. Jaemin is a fairly level-headed and quiet guy. You might’ve pushed his buttons or something.”

“How do you know these things?”

“We were classmates for three years back in middle school. We’re pretty close, actually. He doesn’t smile around much, only to people he’s really close with, but he’s very nice,” Lucas narrated. “You see, Jaemin is like that guy who is everyone’s first love. Although his smile, as what people always see, is tight lipped, he really has that vibe. He goes out of his own way just for others’ convenience ”

Jeno walked in silence.

“That’s why everyone was talking about him losing his cool on the first day. That’s literally unheard of.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m not saying it’s your fault, but that’s probably what everyone thinks. Everyone loves him, even I do. Not in a romantic sense, no. But I mean, have you seen his bright smile?!” Lucas said in exhilaration after they set foot inside the school’s main building, making a turn to the left and reaching for the stairs. “Epitome of beauty. He probably got it from his dad.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I don’t know, am I?”

“He doesn’t look that good,” Jeno lied, “and the vibe I get from him is he’s self-eccentric who thinks he’s all that smart and attractive.”

“I mean, to each their own I guess, but the smart part isn’t wrong,” Lucas countered, “because Jaemin is a scholar. In our school ranking last year, he had the fourth highest GPA among our batch.”

“Could you please stop talking about him?” Jeno snapped. “I seriously don’t care.”

“But you were the one who brought him up!” Lucas argued in aggravation.

“Because I wanna get back at him for insulting me in front of the other students. It just seems fair.”

“Exactly! That’s why you brought him up.”

“Whatever,” Jeno declared in finality, “let’s just go to class. Mr. Qian said he hates students who come late to class.”

Lucas could only shrug at Jeno who went ahead as he they went to their first class.

“Before we dive into our discussion,” Mr. Qian started, “let’s define what morality is first.”

The students of class 11-A scribbled in their respective notebooks as they listened attentively to Mr. Qian’s introduction of their class. With approximately forty students inside the classroom, the teacher tried his hard to immerse them into the lecture, writing the keywords on the blackboard with the white chalk in his hand and explaining everything in layman’s term.

At the very back of the room, Jeno idly listened to Mr. Qian, covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned lazily, annoyed at the new seat plan. He couldn’t wait for this boring class to actually finish, but he couldn’t sleep the boredom either. Although he felt kind of sleepy, it was like his body wasn’t cooperating to what his brain wanted him to do.

In front of him, Jaemin was taking in the discussion as the latter paid attention to the lecture. Staring at the back of Jaemin’s head and watching Chenle take down notes, a smirk crept across his face as a sudden idea popped into his head.

“...such as moral reasoning, moral development, moral knowledge, and moral virtue.”

Just as Jaemin was to write the following words down, the pen in between his fingers disappeared in a swift motion. When he looked behind, he saw Jeno, the Stonehenge-faced as he claims, staring at him steadfastly and leaning on his back, twirling the pen in between his long, slender fingers like a dumb basketball player who’s showing off by spinning a ball on his index finger. In an attempt to get his pen back, Jaemin turned the upper half his body toward Jeno and tried to snatch the pen back but to no avail as the latter dodged before he could even reach his hand.

“Give it back,” Jaemin deadpanned in a hushed voice. “I’m trying to study here, so I will appreciate it if you don’t try to distract me.”

“Huh?” Jeno responded, pretending to be clueless. “I’m not trying to distract you or anything. I’m just borrowing your pen because I lost mine.”

“First of all, you didn’t ask if you could borrow it. Secondly, why couldn’t you just borrow from someone else?”

“Because I’m in a hurry and trying to catch up to what Mr. Qian is saying, and I’m not really close to anyone here aside from Jisung.”

“Then why couldn’t you just borrow from him?”

“He doesn’t have an extra pen.”

“What about Chenle?”

“He’s busy writing.”

“And I’m not?”

“Well, he annoys me.”

“And I don’t?”

“You annoy me more, that’s why.”

“God,” Jaemin stared at him in bewilderment, sighing in defeat, “you’re unbelie—”

“Care to share to the rest of the class what’s so important that you have to interrupt the class, Na Jaemin?” Mr. Qian cut off, making Jaemin jump in surprise. He didn’t notice that the rest of the class’ attention was already grabbed by his and Jeno’s little dispute. “We’re willing to listen here.

Embarrassed, Jaemin stood up with red, tinted cheeks, unable to look at everyone in the class but his and Donghyuck’s desk. “Sorry, Mr. Qian. It’s just that Lee Jeno here took my pen that I’m using to take down all your input, and he won’t give it back.”

“Jaemin, what are you saying?” Jeno acted in surprise. “Why would you blatantly lie in front of Mr. Qian like that?”

Jaemin whipped his head at him, feeling agitated and aggravated at the same time. He then looked at Mr. Qian who raised one his brows questioningly in return. “I swear, Mr. Qian, that pen is mine, and he took it from me.”

Jeno stood up in an instant. “Mr. Qian, I know that I was a bit rude and indifferent the first time we met, but that was because I was going through something. My dad transferred me here out of the blue, so I felt really betrayed by him.”

“Liar,” Jaemin exclaimed. “You’re just doing this to get back at me, because I saved Chenle from you when you were yelling at him on our first day.”

“I won’t do anything petty like what you’re accusing just to get even,” Jeno lied smoothly, trying his best not to laugh out loud. For him, it was amusing. The look of fury in Jaemin’s eyes was entertaining, what more the helplessness to unleash it. “And besides, Chenle and I have talked to each other and settled our disagreement.”

Chenle snapped his head at Mr. Qian before looking at Jaemin. His eyes then landed on Jeno’s.

“Right, Chenle?” Jeno asked, carefully emphasizing the words. His eyes were glinting mischievously.

“Y-yes,” Chenle confirmed, closing his eyes in fear. “Jeno-hyung and I are good now.”

Jaemin, with his mouth agape, gawked at Chenle.

“See, Mr. Qian?” Jeno tried not to sound smug and keep his playful smile from showing. “If anything, it might be Jaemin who’s trying to set me up.”

“Jaemin will never do that,” Mark Lee intervened, his eyes burning in rage as he stared at Jeno’s amused ones. “Mr. Qian, everyone here knows Jaemin, and we’re sure he’ll never do what this person is accusing him.”

As the class started collectively agree, Mr. Qian said, “Enough!”

The class then kept their mouths shut.

“I’m so disappointed in both of you. This is morality class, you should know that of all the classes you have, this is where you try to show your best behavior because it takes a huge part on your grades,” Mr. Qian explained. “As your morality and homeroom teacher, I can’t let this bad behavior easily pass. As a punishment, I want the two of you to write an apology letter with five-hundred minimum words...in Chinese. Make sure to have the letters be placed on my table before our class starts, is that clear?”

“In hanja?” Jaemin asked in disbelief. “Mr. Qian, I know that—”

“Do you want it to be one-thousand word for you, Na Jaemin?” Mr. Qian challenged, perusing his student. When Jaemin slowly shook his head, he said, “Good.”

Nodding in defeat, Jaemin slowly sat down as did Jeno. However, Jaemin could only cry internally as he heard what the homeroom teacher said.

“Jeno, you remain seated,” Mr. Qian instructed. “As for you, Jaemin, carry all your notebooks and stand here in front for the rest of the class. Reflect on your actions and behavior.”

If Jaemin could be one with the wind and disappear at that moment, he probably would’ve done it due to shame and embarrassment. He could feel all the eyes on him, boring into his head in every direction. Grabbing all his notebooks inside his backpack, he walked to the friend in a leisure manner before facing the rest of the class. He stared ahead, not daring to look at anyone. For Jaemin, it wasn’t the time to feel sorry for himself. He will make sure to get back at that .

Jaemin then looked at Jeno who looked back at him in a challenging manner, smugly even, in return.

Jeno covered his face in attempt, mustering all his strength to stop himself from laughing but ended up snorting, pissing Jaemin off even more that he already had. From everyone’s point of view, Jaemin might be calm, but he knew that people like Na Jaemin act as if they have the upper hand even when they’re enraged on the inside. Jeno grabbed the pen he’d placed on the table when the fight occurred, holding onto it dearly, making sure that Jaemin saw before kissing it with a soundless smack.

By the end of the period, Mr. Qian talked to Jaemin outside the room and reprimanded him for interrupting the lecture. Jaemin apologized for the ruckus he had caused and swore to never do it again, although it wasn’t genuinely his fault. Nevertheless, he was still to pass his apology letter the next morning.

Right after, the rest of the class watched Jaemin trudge to his seat, dangerously calm. He didn’t spare anyone a glance aside from Donghyuck whom he borrowed the notes he was copying from. When he finished writing down, the next class came around. He didn’t even try to have his pen back anymore. Jaemin just borrowed the extra pen Donghyuck had, even though it was red and was supposed to only be used for checking papers.

At lunch, he stayed inside their room together with Donghyuck and Chenle. The latter apologized, almost close to tears, to which he responded that he understood. They merged their tables so the three of them could eat comfortably. As they eat, Jaemin was approached by his classmates to buy snacks from him every now and then.

“You know,” Donghyuck started as he chewed on his Mandu, “I think you should just drop the tough act, apologize to him, and forget everything.”

“No,” Jaemin said, “I won’t give him the satisfaction.”

“I mean, imagine, if you just let Chenle say sorry to him and you didn’t interfere, you wouldn’t be where you are right now.”

“Are you saying it’s my fault?” Jaemin asked, feeling offended.

“No,” Donghyuck said after swallowing his food, pointing his chopsticks at Jaemin. “I’m just saying all of this could’ve been pretended.”

“I’m really sorry, Hyung,” Chenle said. “It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t worry about it, Chenle-ya.” Jaemin smiled. “We’re friends now, so I got your back. If you want to make it up to me, you can help me with the apology letter since you’re fluent in Chinese.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Hyung,” Chenle apologetically said.

“Anyway, when Mark intervened, he looked so determined and cute.” Donghyuck squealed, covering his red cheeks with his hands. “He’s such a principled guy. I can’t believe I can fall even deeper than I already have.”

“...Do you know Park Jisung, Jeno-hyung’s friend?” Chenle asked as the two nodded in unison. “He apologized to me at the library a couple of days ago because of what Jeno-hyung did. He seemed calm, but I think he’s genuinely apologetic about the whole thing.”

“See,” Jaemin said, sighing, “why can’t Lee Jeno just be like his friend?”

“Yeah, he actually seems down to earth from what I’ve seen,” Donghyuck agreed.

“Lee Jeno is like the manifestation of all the wrong things in the wo—”

“Talking about me behind my back, I see,” Jeno cut off as he entered the classroom in all his might, his cockiness unfaltering. He had both of his hands in his pocket, walking to Jaemin’s table and sitting on the other line within the row. “Now, why don’t you say it to my face?”

Students started piling up inside the classroom as the time ran, noticing yet another dispute between Jaemin and Jeno. Mark Lee set foot inside the room with his friends, talking loudly over each other before the daggers Jaemin and Jeno throwing at each other caught their attention.

Before Mark could even step in, Jaemin said menacingly, “I said you’re like the manifestation of all the bad things in the world. You’re arrogant, egotistical, mean, inconsiderate, close-minded, short-tempered, immature, entitled, and apathetic. And you look like the personification of the Stonehenge, minus the attraction.”

Everyone gaped at Jaemin in surprise, taken aback by the outburst, even Donghyuck whom he’d been friends with since he came to Seoul. It was their first time witnessing Jaemin like that, because normally, he’s pretty laid back. Jeno sat frozen, feeling all the eyes on them for the second time around that day.

“Your parents probably didn’t love you enough for you to be like that.”Jaemin’s breathing had become heavy.

For Jeno, that was the final straw. He slammed his fist against the table in which Jaemin, Donghyuck, and Chenle had their lunch boxes placed on, causing for the lunch boxes to shake. Donghyuck and Chenle flinched, feeling scared of what was about to be the outcome of Jaemin and Jeno’s fight. The former remained seated, staring in a challenging manner at Jeno who stared back just as hard.

Composing himself, Jeno stood up before walking to the doors but not before kicking a table halfway on his way out, slamming the door shut with a deafening sound. To say that he was angry was an understatement. He was fuming, so angry that he punched the door of the comfort room, causing his right knuckles to bleed. How dare Na Jaemin include his parents in their stupid fight? Yes, he might be the one at fault for setting him up, but was it really necessary to bring his parents into their stupid, petty argument?

Jaemin could insult him all he wants, but never, ever bring his parents up into this because all hell would break loose.

Once Jeno had calmed down, which was about five minutes of idling around inside the comfort room, he splashed cold water from the faucet onto his face, then staring at the wide mirror.

Just you see, Na Jaemin, Jeno thought to himself. Just you see.