“And there really are idiots like you in this world, you moron. A real idiot, a complete fool with absolutely nothing mixed in.” Jinn leaned against the bedroom door frame, laughing mockingly at the person sitting on the floor amidst a pile of self-assembly table parts.

 

Yes, you have to assemble it yourself, even with only one hand.

 

“...” What more could Jerome argue? He had completely forgotten that he only had one hand that he could use comfortably. How could he possibly assemble such a large table?

 

"It's already difficult, but having only one hand makes it even harder. What should we do, Jerome? Should I ask Jinn for help? Try asking him, and then I'll consider it."

 

"Why don't you beg me? Act cute like you did when you wanted to devour me, and then I'll consider it. Haha, you cat-faced idiot."

 

The voices overlapping in his ears made Jerome stop. His eyes glanced towards the person standing above him, the one who was making a mocking, oblivious face at him.

 

Here it is again. It's happening again, even though he's not asleep. Yet, the hazy, overlapping sounds and images still appear. It's quite annoying, yet within that annoyance, there's something that evokes a sense of nostalgia and familiarity. It's like something guiding him to better understand Jinn. But...why?

 

"Hey there, kid. Want my help? Just say, 'Brother Jinn, could you please assemble this table and chair for me? My hand hurts, I really can't do it myself.' It's easy, right? Just say it, and I'll help you. I'll even do it until it's perfectly assembled. Heh heh." He finished the sentence with a laugh.

 

Jinn knew the other person would be furious if he had to say anything like this. Someone as precious as Jerome, with his golden looks, would never say anything that sounded like a sweet, pleading request, especially not to him.

 

"Hey..." Jerome could only manage that much before stopping short. A familiar laugh seemed to softly echo in his mind, along with a voice that didn't seem to be speaking to him, but to someone else—someone he didn't know.

 

"Heh heh, then could you help me... a little? I really can't do it myself. I really need your help; otherwise, I'll be in trouble. Could you?"

 

And what about "younger sibling" and "older sibling"? Why the censorship? And that voice sounds so familiar...

 

Okay, Jerome thought this was getting stranger and stranger. The strange thing was that he actually believed that if he spoke the way he heard the voice right now, Jinn would do everything he asked.

 

“Okay then, go ahead and do it. I’m going to find some drawing ideas. Bye.” Seeing the person sitting on the floor motionless, Jinn lost his fun. The tall owner of the room walked towards the desk by the window to continue his own work.

 

But then, his forward steps came to a sudden halt, almost causing him to stumble and fall in the middle of the room, the moment he heard words he never thought he would hear from someone who had been so kind to him.

 

"Brother Jinn, could you please help me assemble the table and chairs? My hands hurt so much, I can't do it alone. Please help me, Brother Jinn," Jerome said softly, almost pleading.

 

"...Jinn seemed like his soul had left his body."

 

Jerome turned to look at the person standing stiffly in the middle of the room with a strange feeling. When he spoke the first sentence, his heart was filled with resistance, but with the next sentence, those feelings vanished. It was as if nothing felt strange, as if everything was normal. Seeing the disbelieving expression on the listener's face, a sudden sense of happiness filled him.

 

You probably didn't think I'd actually say that, did you, Jinn? Well, I didn't think so either!

 

"Who...who are you?! Evil spirits, go away! Evil spirits, go away!" Jinn regained consciousness almost a minute later. The young man spun around to look at Jerome, his eyes wide with shock. Uncertainty was clearly visible in his gaze.

 

"You told me to say it myself, Jinn!" Seeing the other's completely suspicious expression, Jerome almost burst out laughing. Yeah, right. He told him to say it himself, but he couldn't accept it.

 

"You can't be that lying Jerome! Yes, yes, I need to call an exorcist! Doctor! Help me!" Jinn shrieked, his voice high-pitched, and he made a move to grab his phone.

 

"Jinn! You've gone too far! I told you, so you should have continued the conversation. Don't try to cover it up with some idiot!" Jerome glared at the overly dramatic person.

 

“How could you say that? Spit out your old self right now. I feel like you’re acting strange.” Jinn walked slowly closer to Jerome, his long, slender finger poking the other’s shoulder a few times, poking and pressing as if to make sure it was the real Jerome. Then he crouched down, sweeping the table pieces aside, pushing them to the right near the exit, and sat down, preparing to assemble it as instructed. But his eyes, which should have been looking at the manual, were instead staring warily at the taller man, as if afraid that if he let his guard down, the other would jump and bite him.

 

“..." Jerome

 

"Damn it, you made me say it myself, Jinn!" The sweet-faced boy was truly speechless, only able to hold his head and laugh softly, not knowing what to do.

 

"I think you've been acting strangely these past couple of days. Maybe you should get another brain scan, just in case the doctor missed something."

 

They both agreed to live together without arguing, even though arguing would be pointless. But not arguing at all was strange. The staring became more intense than usual; not in a way that was meant to be annoying, but rather observant and suspicious. It wasn't that he wasn't aware, he just didn't want to pay attention at that moment.

 

This morning, just like that, a light slap on the cheek—not a full-face slap, the kind you only get when you're really close. A gentle, affectionate slap, accompanied by an unreadable look in his eyes. And it's not over yet! He invited me to choose a table, then suggested we sit and eat ice cream together, and finally, he said something he just made up for fun. Everything's weird. It's so strange it's scary!

 

"...I'm fine. My brain is perfectly normal. You're the one overthinking." Jerome wasn't unaware either. His feelings and expressions had changed ever since he started seeing visions of the other person's future. It was as if something had drawn him to Jinn more clearly than before, clearly. Besides his own curiosity, the young man wasn't sure what it was.

"Really? I don't think so."

 

“But seeing you like this makes me feel amused. Jinn, you always like calling me ‘Nong’, don’t you? Why can’t you accept it now, huh?” Jerome grinned mischievously. His sweet face and curved eyes made him look noticeably gentler. Anyone else would say he was incredibly cute, but in Jinn’s eyes, this guy was plotting something wicked, and a very wicked one at that!

 

"Stop! Before I really hit you with the table leg! Shut your mouth and do whatever you want. If you open your mouth, I'll throw it!" Jinn raised the hand holding the table leg, making a motion to throw it, aiming for his rival.

 

"Okay," Jerome surrendered for now. Both hands were raised above his head, his long, beautiful eyelashes fluttering gently with each blink. His lips were tightly pressed together, not uttering a single word. An innocent demeanour? As if completely unable to respond to anyone.

 

Jinn quickly averted his gaze from the image in front of him. His large hands continued to attach the table legs skillfully. The young man was very good at this, as good as he was at drawing, so he had no problem doing it alone. But his mind wasn't thinking about what he was doing at all. I was thinking about the person sitting not far away, someone who had changed slightly, but he felt it because they had been fighting for so long, making him more adept at sensing the other's emotions and feelings than anyone else.

 

There was a less intense closeness between them, a strange sense of intimacy. That's what Jinn had been feeling from Jerome for the past few days. But why? He hadn't done anything wrong. He was still annoying, still insulting, still fighting over guys. Why did it suddenly change? He really didn't understand.

 

Both young men were lost in their own thoughts, their thoughts shifting back and forth. What they shared, however, was that they were both thinking about the other. Each was confused, bewildered, and filled with various questions, unaware that during their earlier stroll through the mall, several observant people had spotted them together, their eyes wide with disbelief.

 

Group: What is JJ doing today?

 

"You're kidding! They were really at the mall together! I wasn't hallucinating. My friend who went with me saw it too. Really, really, really!"

 

"Yeah, my friend saw them too. They were walking around choosing a table. I was so confused. Was it some kind of game or something that those two lost?"

 

"They went home together yesterday, man. I saw Jerome get into Jinn’s car. I don't know their destination. I didn't follow them. I only have my motorcycle."

 

"Riding in a car with someone else is understandable because our sweet-faced dad broke his finger, but why is it Jinn? Why is it Jinn who's pulling someone's hair?"

 

"There's definitely something fishy going on, I'm certain. Everything's strange. Everyone knows JJ don't get along, but for the past two days, they've been together constantly. I'm confused, if anyone else isn't.

 

"Everyone's confused. Everything's so weird. This group was initially formed to explain what was going on with those guys today, right? Why did it suddenly turn into a group of people hunting for the truth?"

 

"Hey, hey, hey! My friend sent me this picture. OMG! Apparently, it's from her cousin's Facebook account."

 

"Damn! An ice cream shop?! Two people? Sitting together like two different faces? OMG, is this a parallel world? Please tell me!"

 

"Alright, so the JJ feud legend ends here. A single broken finger can change the whole world, huh? Someone help me!"

 

"Or is it just a show? I heard that their mothers are friends. Maybe he wants to reassure his mother after his near-death experience?"

 

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know! Let's wait and see. As fans who are waiting to see what happens, we have to keep an eye on things. Where will JJ go next? Will he keep the same style or change to a new one? We need to be the first to know! Don't let any other group know before us! Okay, everyone!" You are the best and the only best one ☝🏿 

 

"Okay!"

 

JJ, on the other side of the road, was completely unaware that their unusual lives lately were attracting so much attention from many people and groups. Wherever they went, they drew unbelievable attention. Just a single trip to a nearby shopping mall together was enough to cause such a stir. Who knows what else they'll do to cause such a sensation in the future...

 

Looking forward to it.