I M S O R R Y

∆∆ ∆∆

School had started up again a couple of weeks ago and Jaemin was not having it. For some profound reason, his teachers decided to give him and his classmates 5 pop quizzes in the span of 2 ½ weeks. If Jaemin ever found what crack his teachers were taking, he'd want some.

"Mark~" The honey-haired boy whines and slumps over his friend's shoulder, making Mark grunt under the weight.

"What~" Mark repeats, rolling his eyes and packing up his gym bag.

Jaemin hits his shoulder. "Don't mock me, Mork Lee." But the older boy only laughs and carries on with packing his things. "Anyways!" Jaemin stands up straight once more and follows his friend out of the school. "Chenle and I were talking the other day, and Lucas hyung's puppy has started training now. Chenle said he was happy that his shoes weren't covered in dog pee anymore." Mark chuckles at the story, his eyes now focused down at his phone.

"Hyuk is by the school gate..." He reads further into the text. "And he says... 'so is that stranger-next-to-Jaemin guy'..." Jaemin chokes on his spit, remembering exactly what Donghyuk meant. Mark raises an eyebrow at his friend. "You...alright there bud?" He pats Jaemin's back, letting him calm down.

"Y-yup! Just aha- Just fine." He smiles to prove his point. Mark nods slowly.

"You really worry me sometimes." He smirks and begins to run towards the gates as soon as he sees Jaemin's irritated face.

"Fuck you, Lee."

Laughing, Mark quickly hides behind his boyfriend. "Not my job sorry!" His laughs soon turn into shrieks as Jaemin bolts after him.

"You asshole!"

"Hyuk! Save me!" But Donghyuk only shakes his head, a small smile on his face as he watches his boyfriend get attacked by Jaemin.

"Don't save him Hyuk- AH!" Jaemin's brutal chase was cut short thanks to someone lifting him off of Mark. "Whoever this is I will kick you in the groin and shove my foot up your ass!" He threatens, the person's hold too tight for him to turn and see who it is.

"That's not very nice to say to your boyfriend. Now stop trying to kill your friend." Jeno chuckles, gently placing Jaemin back onto the solid ground. The teen grumbles a few curses and brushes the dust of his jacket before sending a glare to Mark. The boy just smirks, points to Jeno and mouths 'It's his job to fuck you.'

"MARK LEE YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

"I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!"

∆∆

Jeno turns to his eldest brother, a concerned look on his face. "Doyoung hyung..."

Looking up from his book, Doyoung smiles. "Hm?"

"Did I do something to annoy dad? He's been giving me the cold shoulder for weeks now."

"I don't think so....did something happen with Jaemin that he might have figured out?"

Jeno shakes his head. "I don't let anything slip. As far as he knows, Jaemin is just Chan's babysitter and my friend."

Doyoung nods, thinking hard. "I...don't know then. Maybe talk to mom, she might know."

"Ok, thanks hyung," Jeno says and leaves the study, walking down the hall towards his mom's office. "Let's hope she knows something." He knocks on the door, waiting for a soft 'come in' from his mother.

"Jeno?" Mrs. Lee looks up from her computer, her hands stop mid-type. "What can I do for you dear?" She gestures for her son to sit in the chair in front of her desk.

"Did I...do something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well dad has been super rude and cold to me since the end of winter break and I don't know what I've done to make him act like that. I asked Doyoung and he said he didn't know anything either and told me to come to you." He plops down in the chair, relaxing into its hold. 

Mrs. Lee nods, patiently waiting for her son to finish. "Do you think he knows about you and..." She jerks her head, signaling to Jeno that she was talking about his relationship with Jaemin.

"No, I obviously haven't told him anything and I'm sure you guys haven't either."

The woman hums in agreement. "I certainly haven't. Well, I can talk to him for you if you want?"

Jeno nods. "If you wouldn't mind mom."

"It's not a problem." She smiles sweetly at her youngest. "I'll talk to him right now, you go and finish your homework ok?"

"Alright, thanks."

"Of course baby." She shoos her son out of the room and leaves it herself, making her way down to her husband's office.

"Honey?"

A muffled 'what?' is Mr. Lee's response, making his wife sigh. "Can I come in?"

"You may."

She enters the room, plastering a clearly fake smile onto her face. "I wanted to talk to you about Jeno, dear. He's noticed your cold attitude towards him lately and was getting scared he had done something wrong."

Not looking up from his computer, Mr. Lee ignores the question, asking one of his own. "What is Jaemin to our son?"

"Wh-what?"

"I won't ask again. Is Na Jaemin really just a friend?" He turns his glare from his computer screen towards his wife, making her shake slightly.

"I- I don't seem to understand. Na Jaemin is Chan's babysitter and a good friend of Jeno's. What else is there?"

"Bullshit!!" Mr. Lee slams his hand on the desk, the sound resonating throughout the halls, shaking all the residents of the Lee Household to their core. "I know he's more than just a fucking friend Myungjae!" His voice rises with his anger, boiling over. "Our son has a goddamn boyfriend and you knew all along! You and the rest of this disgraceful family knew all about it!" He stands harshly, grabbing his wife by her shoulders. "I won't have a son like that. He needs to understand his place. I won't have any son of mine dating a person I had no voice-over. Much less dating another male!" His glare pierces through the hall as if he could see straight through to Jeno's room. The boy was cowering under his covers, fear riding up through him as the shouts of his father reached his ears.

"I won't stand for this any longer." Mr. Lee moves back to his desk, his voice lowering and venom seeping in. "Get my secretary to find the closest flight out of Korea. I won't let Jeno back into this household until he has understood what role he plays in this family."

Mrs. Lee sucks in her tears. There was no point in crying. No point in arguing. Whatever her husband said was final. They had lost. 'I'm so sorry baby. Momma is so sorry.'

"W-where are you sending him?"

"The states. They'll toughen him up there." He picks up the phone on his desk, dialing the number of his secretary. "Hana, pull up the fastest flights to L.A....Only 1 ticket will be needed," He turns to his wife, his cold stare never fading. "He's flying alone."

"Please Jeonghan, think about what you're doing. You'll ruin his life like this-"

"I am thinking Myungjae! I am thinking very clearly! And I am thinking that our youngest son is being a failure and disgrace to this family name! And I will not stand for it any longer!" His abrupt words make Mrs. Lee shut her mouth, the tears now falling.

'Jeno...I'm so sorry baby, I wish there was more I could do.'

"So the closest flight is in two days?" The anger is prominent in Mr. Lee's voice, he was clearly unhappy with the time of the flight.

"I'm sorry Sir Lee. That's the best flight I can give you." The muffled voice of his secretary comes through the phone, making Mrs. Lee look at her feet in shame.

"Fine! Book a ticket for Sunday! And fast!" He hangs up sharply and turns to his wife once more. "Now you go tell our fucking son that he needs to break up with his little boyfriend." She nods, turning gently before Mr. Lee speaks again. "Oh, and tell Sooyun to find a new babysitter. That boy is no longer allowed in this house. Do you understand me?"

"Yes..."

"Get out of my sight." And with that, Mrs. Lee leaves the office, her husband slamming the door behind her. She quickly heads upstairs, jumping when she sees her son in the hallway.

"Am I....Am I really leaving..mom?" The tears on Jeno's face only makes his mother cry harder and bring him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so so so so sorry. Please forgive me. If I could stand against your father, I would. I will always fight for you, but he left me no choice. I'm so sorry baby." She holds him tightly, his shoulders shaking against her chest.

"M-mom...please let me see him...one last time, I just want to see him." He looked up to her, his face streaked with tears. His lips tremble and his heart shatters. He didn't want to leave Jaemin. He didn't want to end this little moment of happiness he had with the boy. But that's all it was; a little moment. In the end, his father still controlled him and still had the final say. "Just once more, let me see my boyfriend."

Mrs. Lee nods, wiping her tears. "I'll have Jaehyun drive you to his house, ok? Will you spend the night?"

Jeno shakes his head, standing up straight. "No. No, tell hyung to wait for me. I'll only take a few minutes. I promise."

"Ok, dear...I love you..."

"I love you too mom. I just...give me a few minutes before I go, please?" The woman nods, letting her son slip from her fingers and back into his room. She waits another moment before turning around and walking towards Jaehyun's room, where the boy probably already heard her.

∆∆

Chan looks up to the woman who was holding him to her chest. "Mommy, why is Uncle Nono crying?"

"Because he's losing someone very dear to both you and him."

"To me?"

"Yes, baby. It's gonna be a bit harder from now on, ok? You're gonna be missing someone you like a lot." Sooyun looks to her son, sighing softly.

"Do you think he'll be happy if I give him my yellow dinosaur?"

"I don't know baby, you can try though." She lets the toddler down to the ground, watching him run into the playroom. He exits a few seconds later, now heading towards Jeno's room.

"Knock knock!" She laughs, loving how Chan always said 'knock knock' out loud. "Uncle Nono. I brought my yellow dino to make you happy!" The baby cheekily smiles up at the opening door, where Sooyun caught a glance of her brother's crying face.

"Thank you Channie, I'll take good care of yellow dino till I'm all better, ok?"

"Ok!"

∆∆ ∆∆

∆imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry... I'm sorry guys- I just needed to do it though... uhm....so yeah this was what all that 'prepare you guys' shit was about...the next chapters are gonna be tough, I'll say that. Plus the end of the book is almost here (maybe a sequel, depends on what you guys want) so yeah. Once again IM SORRY~!! :(( i love you guys, thank you so much for 2k, that's insane. I'll see you soon∆