鸩:Poison Bird (1) | Chapter 2 Part 1
"So kiss my knuckles while I hold your soul, and let us see what comfort we can give our aching hearts" -- Laala Kashef Alghata
"Jaejoong!"
During lunch break, Lee Nam-il rushed over to look for Jaejoong. Hearing that familiar voice, Jaejoong stood up immediately and went out of the class.
"Hyung! What are you doing here?" Jaejoong smiled faintly at Nam-il as he watched the older boy fish out a lunch box from his bag.
"Umma says you're not going back in the afternoon, so she instructed me to pass you a lunch box. Here! You must finish the whole thing, alright? You've been looking really pale recently, like you're suffering from malnutrition." As Nam-il spoke, he pinched Jaejoong's cheek gently, and then laughed loudly at Jaejoong.
As Jaejoong accepted the lunch box, he raised his head and smiled in gratitude. Truth be told, he didn't dislike the way Nam-il treats him at all. This feeling, it's almost like having a real brother... or even a father. At the thought of 'father', Jaejoong felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart, but he tried to smile even brighter to cover it up.
"Hey..." Nam-il looked worriedly at Jaejoong's smile. "What's bothering you?"
"Eh?" Jaejoong remarked, surprised.
"Every time you think of something unpleasant, you would smile really brightly but your brows will be furrowed like this." as Nam-il spoke, he gently tapped Jaejoong between the brows, before instructing Jaejoong to 'remember to finish the food'. And then, Nam-il turned and left.
Having someone like Nam-il who understood so much about Jaejoong made him feel extremely grateful. Holding the lunch box, he returned to his seat and opened it. The dishes looked so perfect that you could even describe them as being utterly stunning. Thinking of how Nam-il's umma must have spent a lot of effort on it in the kitchen, he smiled gently as he prepared to eat.
"Oi! Are you gay?" A sharp accusation came from beside Jaejoong, almost causing him to drop his chopsticks in surprise. He turned and realized that Jung Yunho, who was fast asleep until then, had woken up and was glaring at him from his desk, a smirk hanging on his lips.
"Wh... What!?" Jaejoong exclaimed in disbelief.
"I said... Are you gay?" Yunho suddenly straightened up and grabbed Jaejoong's wrist with his left hand, pulling Jaejoong close and repeating his question in Jaejoong's ear. This sudden action not only drew the attention of the entire class, but the atmosphere turned really awkward and frightening as well. Usually, the students would be minding their own business during lunch break, but everyone stopped whatever they were doing to stare at Jung Yunho, who hadn't even spoken once in the past 2 weeks. He's finally doing something today, and everyone was curious about what he was up to.
"What the heck are you saying!?" Jaejoong forcefully tugged his hand out of Yunho's grip, and hollered at him in fury.
"Just look at how you and that boy were whispering sweet-nothings to each other. Trying to show off? And you looked like you enjoyed it so much! Aish... What is this? A lunch box of love?" Yunho taunted as he reached over and snatched the lunch box out of Jaejoong's hands.
"Oi, give it back!!" Jaejoong hurriedly tried to snatch it back.
Yunho stood up, raising the box high above his head so Jaejoong couldn't reach it no matter how he tried.
"What the heck do you want from me? Give it back now!!" Jaejoong was anxious and furious, looking paler than usual as the blood drained from his face.
"You want this back? Then tell me what exactly is your relationship with that boy. It looks like something fishy is going on between the two of you!" Yunho's lips curled into a ghost of a smile, but his words were still as harsh as ever.
"That's none of your business!" Jaejoong retorted, but he had given up trying to get the lunch box as he knew he would never be tall enough.
"Oh? You're refusing to tell me? Then... This lunch box. I guess you don't want to anymore, eh?" His eyes regarded Jaejoong mockingly, before Yunho dumped the entire lunchbox on the ground.
"You...!" Stunned by Yunho's actions, Jaejoong immediately bent down to pick up the spilt food, but the bell rang right at that moment. Everyone started returning, somewhat involuntarily, to their seats as Jaejoong continued to pick up the rice that had gotten everywhere.
As the teacher walked in, he was surprised by what Jaejoong was doing, but decided to wait until Jaejoong finished cleaning up before starting the class. Yunho was glaring irritably at Jaejoong, and when Jaejoong was almost done cleaning, he stuck out his foot and knocked the box over again, yelling, "Such a slow idiot! What the hell are you doing? Stop wasting everybody's time!"
Jaejoong sat on the floor, thoroughly humiliated and furious at Yunho's bullying. Under everybody's stares, he steeled himself and stood up slowly, bowed at the teacher and muttered something like "Sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'll head to the nurse's office." And then, he turned and ran out of the class before the teacher could even respond.
"Jaejoong!"
During lunch break, Lee Nam-il rushed over to look for Jaejoong. Hearing that familiar voice, Jaejoong stood up immediately and went out of the class.
"Hyung! What are you doing here?" Jaejoong smiled faintly at Nam-il as he watched the older boy fish out a lunch box from his bag.
"Umma says you're not going back in the afternoon, so she instructed me to pass you a lunch box. Here! You must finish the whole thing, alright? You've been looking really pale recently, like you're suffering from malnutrition." As Nam-il spoke, he pinched Jaejoong's cheek gently, and then laughed loudly at Jaejoong.
As Jaejoong accepted the lunch box, he raised his head and smiled in gratitude. Truth be told, he didn't dislike the way Nam-il treats him at all. This feeling, it's almost like having a real brother... or even a father. At the thought of 'father', Jaejoong felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart, but he tried to smile even brighter to cover it up.
"Hey..." Nam-il looked worriedly at Jaejoong's smile. "What's bothering you?"
"Eh?" Jaejoong remarked, surprised.
"Every time you think of something unpleasant, you would smile really brightly but your brows will be furrowed like this." as Nam-il spoke, he gently tapped Jaejoong between the brows, before instructing Jaejoong to 'remember to finish the food'. And then, Nam-il turned and left.
Having someone like Nam-il who understood so much about Jaejoong made him feel extremely grateful. Holding the lunch box, he returned to his seat and opened it. The dishes looked so perfect that you could even describe them as being utterly stunning. Thinking of how Nam-il's umma must have spent a lot of effort on it in the kitchen, he smiled gently as he prepared to eat.
"Oi! Are you gay?" A sharp accusation came from beside Jaejoong, almost causing him to drop his chopsticks in surprise. He turned and realized that Jung Yunho, who was fast asleep until then, had woken up and was glaring at him from his desk, a smirk hanging on his lips.
"Wh... What!?" Jaejoong exclaimed in disbelief.
"I said... Are you gay?" Yunho suddenly straightened up and grabbed Jaejoong's wrist with his left hand, pulling Jaejoong close and repeating his question in Jaejoong's ear. This sudden action not only drew the attention of the entire class, but the atmosphere turned really awkward and frightening as well. Usually, the students would be minding their own business during lunch break, but everyone stopped whatever they were doing to stare at Jung Yunho, who hadn't even spoken once in the past 2 weeks. He's finally doing something today, and everyone was curious about what he was up to.
"What the heck are you saying!?" Jaejoong forcefully tugged his hand out of Yunho's grip, and hollered at him in fury.
"Just look at how you and that boy were whispering sweet-nothings to each other. Trying to show off? And you looked like you enjoyed it so much! Aish... What is this? A lunch box of love?" Yunho taunted as he reached over and snatched the lunch box out of Jaejoong's hands.
"Oi, give it back!!" Jaejoong hurriedly tried to snatch it back.
Yunho stood up, raising the box high above his head so Jaejoong couldn't reach it no matter how he tried.
"What the heck do you want from me? Give it back now!!" Jaejoong was anxious and furious, looking paler than usual as the blood drained from his face.
"You want this back? Then tell me what exactly is your relationship with that boy. It looks like something fishy is going on between the two of you!" Yunho's lips curled into a ghost of a smile, but his words were still as harsh as ever.
"That's none of your business!" Jaejoong retorted, but he had given up trying to get the lunch box as he knew he would never be tall enough.
"Oh? You're refusing to tell me? Then... This lunch box. I guess you don't want to anymore, eh?" His eyes regarded Jaejoong mockingly, before Yunho dumped the entire lunchbox on the ground.
"You...!" Stunned by Yunho's actions, Jaejoong immediately bent down to pick up the spilt food, but the bell rang right at that moment. Everyone started returning, somewhat involuntarily, to their seats as Jaejoong continued to pick up the rice that had gotten everywhere.
As the teacher walked in, he was surprised by what Jaejoong was doing, but decided to wait until Jaejoong finished cleaning up before starting the class. Yunho was glaring irritably at Jaejoong, and when Jaejoong was almost done cleaning, he stuck out his foot and knocked the box over again, yelling, "Such a slow idiot! What the hell are you doing? Stop wasting everybody's time!"
Jaejoong sat on the floor, thoroughly humiliated and furious at Yunho's bullying. Under everybody's stares, he steeled himself and stood up slowly, bowed at the teacher and muttered something like "Sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'll head to the nurse's office." And then, he turned and ran out of the class before the teacher could even respond.