*PROLOGUE

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
From within the room came the sound of a telephone, ringing and vibrating like an annoyed rattlesnake as the buzz filled the room, causing the sleeping boy to wake up. 
                          
Jaemin sluggishly reached for his phone sitting on the shelf space located in the headboard of his bed, grabbing the buzzing metal in his hands. The caller ID flashed on the screen, and he squinted his eyes, the bright light almost blinding him.
                          
"Hello?" He groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to pay attention to the person on the other side of the call. 
                          
"Yo! You coming to the party?" Someone yelled from the other side, and Jaemin brought the phone away from his ears, the loud voice giving him a headache. 
                          
"Who the fuck is calling me in the middle of the night?" He mumbled, bringing the phone back to his ears.
"What?" 
                          
"Yo! The party. You coming or not?"
                          
"What party?" He muttered, annoyed out of his wits. 
Jaemin was trying his best to pay attention to the caller, but apparently, it wasn't working. His eyelids were heavy with sleep, synapses stuttering, luring him back to sleep. 
                          
"Jeno's birthday party! Did you forget?"
                          
The voice sailed in and out his ears, but he could hardly register the words, sleep taking over his barely working senses. Jaemin's expression was like that of a cadaver, sagged with fatigue after his hard work at his cafe. 
                          
"Hello? Jaemin? You still alive?" The voice inquired, and Jaemin shook his head to drive the sleep away.
"Huh? What?"
                          
"Birthday party! Jeno's birthday party!"
                          
Jaemin abruptly sat up, eyes snapping open wide like two flashlight beams. 
"Shit! What time is it?" 
                          
"Mhmm... 11:30?"
                          
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I'll be there in 5."
Jaemin disconnected the call as he jumped off his bed, skittering through his room, looking for the light switch. In his hurry to leave, his toe hit the foot of the table, and a low grunt rolled out of his lips as he whimpered in pain. 
                          
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Did you have to get hurt now? Stupid." He cursed, bouncing on a leg like a kangaroo as he tried to ease the pain. But his elbows hit a vase, knocking over the contents as it spilled over the carpeted floor. 
                          
"Awesome!"
He bent over, wanting to pick the contents when his eyes fell on the clock. Incoherent curses left his lips, and he hurriedly threw in a random hoodie over his head and a pair of ripped jeans. Slipping on his shoes, he limped out of his apartment, tripping here and there. 
                          
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Jaemin's eyes landed on the bright, flashing lights and party props hanging from the walls and ceilings of the overly expensive penthouse. Deafening music blasted around the place, the bass so loud that his heart boomed with the rhythm.