Jaemin wakes up feeling tired even though he didn't do anything tiring yesterday. He gets up from his bed and grabs his phone from the bedside table to check the time. It's 8:16 in the morning.

Notifications suddenly pop up and he receives messages from Jeno. He smiles as he clicks on their inbox.

Jeno-ya ♡ :

good morning!
did you sleep well?
i hope you did.

i'm eating breakfast
right now with hyuck.
also, need to prepare
later because i'm
going home. honestly,
i'll miss hanging out
with him ㅋㅋㅋ

ahhh, i hope you're
awake now :))

Me :

good morning, Jeno!
i'm awake now. about
to eat breakfast

i hope you take care
and have a safe ride
home :D

Jaemin smiles to himself after sending the messages. He finally gets off his bed and exits his room. When he goes downstairs, he starts to feel anxious again.

He sighs deeply before walking to the dining room. He sees his parents sitting across each other, silently eating their breakfast.

He doesn't like the atmosphere, it feels suffocating. It's so quiet, he wants to scream.

"Morning." he manages to greet as he sits next to his mom, placing his phone on the table beside his plate.

"Good morning, Min-ah." His mom greets him with a small but fond smile. She then puts some rice on his plate as well as some bacon and eggs. "Eat well, baby."

He nods and flashes a thin smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome!"

He glances at his dad. Mr. Na's just silently eating and seems like he's trying to avoid any eye contact with him. And so is Jaemin.

While he's eating, his phone suddenly vibrates. He anxiously looks at it, his boyfriend's contact name pops up.

"What did I say about having your phone on the table while eating?" His dad finally speaks.

He gulps and grabs it to put inside the pocket of his shorts. "Sorry." he mumbles as he continues to eat.

His chest feels heavy and he wants to cry right here, right now. He sighs once again to hide everything he's feeling. He clenches his left fist under the table as he chews on his food.

×××

He stares at the ceiling of his bedroom, contemplating if he wants to go to sleep or gets out of the house for some fresh air. He's not feeling well today. His chest still feels heavy and his stomach feels like it's twisted.

He does neither, but instead, he grabs his phone from underneath his pillow and dials his bestfriend's contact number.

Few rings and Renjun finally answers.

[Hello, Jaemin? What's up?]

"Nah. Just want someone to talk to."

[Ah, I'm glad I'm the person you called. But why not Jeno?]

He sighs. "Nothing. Hey, I have question."

[Yeah, sure. What is it?]

"When did you come out?"

[Huh?]

"Like, how old were you when you came out as gay?"

[Oh. I think I was fifteen. Why?]

"What were your parents' reactions?"

[At first, they were shocked. I wasn't surprised, besides I was nervous to come out because I was thinking what if they don't accept me. But thankfully, they support me and love me for what I am.]

He hums, "Nice."

[Why? Are you planning to come out?]

He chuckles bitterly. "I already did. Last night."

[Oh. What happened, then? Did it go well?]

"Well, my mom supports me, she accepted me. But Dad, I don't know. He was shocked and until now, he hasn't said anything about it."

[Ah. I don't know what to say. Maybe give your dad some time.]

"Yeah, my mom already told me that."

[I just hope he'd support you.]

"I hope so, too. Oh, and by the way, Jeno's my boyfriend now."

[Huh?! Wait, what?]

He laughs slightly. "I said, Jeno's my boyfriend now."

[Yes, yes, I heard you. I was just shocked. Congratulations, then!]

He smiles. "Thank you. Congrats to you and Donghyuck as well."

[Mhm, thank you.]

"Ah, Renjunnie, thank you for the time. I want to sleep right now, I'm not feeling well."

[Alright, get well soon. Take care of yourself. Bye.]

"Bye."

He ends the call and puts back his phone underneath his pillow. He puffs out his cheeks and closes his eyes.

He hopes when he wakes up, everything's fine.
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