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Jinyoung is at the cash register, listening to the familiar sound of Hyunjin and Yeji's giggles as they play with the cats and the warm rumble of Jaebeom’s laughter occasionally joining them. Moments like these are Jinyoung’s favorites, where he can relish the bliss of knowing that with Jaebeom, he has everything he wants most in the world – his dream career, a family, and all the love he could possibly need.
The bell on the door jingles then, and Jinyoung snaps to attention. Two vaguely familiar high-school-age boys walk in, one of them looking very determined, and the other seemingly just going along with the first. Jinyoung is sure he’s seen them before, but he can’t quite place when he last met them.
“Welcome to JJ Paradise,” Jinyoung says with a polite smile as they make their way to the counter. “I know you two, don’t I?”
The first boy nods, smiling brightly. “We came here with my brother a while ago!”
“That’s right, you’re Jaehyunnie’s younger brother,” Jinyoung says as the memory comes back to him in a rush. “Your name is Jaemin, I think?”
“You remember!” Jaemin says, his eyes shining. Jinyoung certainly does, because he absolutely won’t be able to forget the shock he felt when he saw Doyoung – his younger brother in everything but name – walking into the shop with his boyfriend and three young, unknown boys any time soon. “And you’re Jinyoung-hyung. You’re the one who’s in like, all the pictures in Doyoung-hyung’s old photo albums.”
“I am,” Jinyoung says with a smile before turning to Jaemin’s companion. “So if he’s Jaemin, then that means you must be...Jeno?” He recalls that Jeno had reminded him a lot of Jaebeom, a little quieter and more laid-back than the hyper Jaemin and their outgoing friend Donghyuck.
“That’s me,” Jeno says, and the way his eyes disappear into little crescents as he smiles is startlingly similar to the way Jaebeom’s do – apparently, personality isn’t the only thing Jeno has in common with Jaebeom.
“It’s nice to see you both again,” Jinyoung says warmly. “What can I help you with today?”
“Well,” Jaemin starts, but before he can continue, Jaebeom emerges from the shelves with Yeji in his arms and Hyunjin clinging to his leg.
“Sorry to interrupt, Nyoungie,” Jaebeom says with a little smile. “Hyunjinnie insisted that he had to see you right away.”
“Appa!” Hyunjin says, running to Jinyoung with his arms held out, and Jinyoung immediately bends down to pick him up. “Appa, we played with Cake and then, and then Koon came and, and then Yeji got a boop on her hand with his paw!”
“Is that so?” Jinyoung asks, widening his eyes in exaggerated amazement as he balances Hyunjin on his hip, smiling when Hyunjin nods excitedly. “That sounds like you had a lot of fun, baby! Appa has to talk to these customers right now, but you can tell me about everything else you did later, okay?”
He turns to smile apologetically at the two boys who are still standing in front of the counter, but he finds that they don’t look bothered in the least. Instead, Jaemin is starry-eyed as he looks between Jinyoung and Jaebeom holding their children, and Jeno is watching Jaemin with a very familiar besotted expression – Jinyoung has seen it countless times on his husband’s face when he happens to catch him staring.
“Are these your kids?” Jaemin asks in a hushed voice.
“They are,” Jinyoung says, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. “This is Hyunjin, and Jaebeom-hyung is holding Yeji.” He hefts Hyunjin in his arms and softens his voice. “Hyunjin-ah, Yeji, will you say hi to these nice boys?”
“Hello,” Hyunjin says shyly. He’s very friendly when the regulars come in – Yugyeom and Jungkook in particular get him to open up a lot – but he’s still a bit timid around people he doesn’t know.
“Hi!” Yeji says, wriggling in Jaebeom’s arms. She’s a lot more excitable than her brother, being younger and unconcerned with who’s a stranger and who isn’t. “Hi, hi!”
“Hi Hyunjin, hi Yeji!” Jaemin says, beaming at them as Jeno sends them a small wave, a gesture that Jinyoung is somewhat endeared by. “It’s very nice to meet you both.”
Hyunjin hides his face in Jinyoung’s neck, and Jaemin laughs a little as Jinyoung sighs fondly and ruffles Hyunjin’s hair. “He’s not great with strangers,” Jinyoung explains to the boys. “But he actually likes your brother quite a bit, Jaemin. Doyoungie and Jaehyunnie come to play with the kids pretty often.”
“We’ll have to come here more too, then,” Jeno says to Jaemin, and Jinyoung belatedly notices that Jeno’s hand is resting lightly on the small of Jaemin’s back. He had his suspicions about the nature of their relationship when he met them the first time, and each new detail he observes about them now only makes him more sure that his instincts were right. “That way Hyunjin can get used to you, Jaemin-ah.”
“And you too,” Jaemin says, smiling at Jeno. “So we can both play with him.”
Jinyoung suddenly feels like he’s interrupting something private as the two boys gaze at each other, and he absently wonders if he and Jaebeom are ever like this. Instinctively, he glances at Jaebeom, who smiles at him over the top of Yeji’s head, and after several long moments of smiling back, it strikes Jinyoung that yes, he probably does get lost in Jaebeom’s eyes more often than he realizes.
“Were you boys looking for a book?” Jaebeom asks, pulling Jinyoung back into reality. “Or did you just come for the company?” As if on cue, Nora emerges from one of the aisles and makes a beeline for Jeno, of all people, purring loudly as she rubs against his ankles. Jeno’s eyes light up as he crouches down and starts petting her, and Jinyoung truly feels like he’s looking at Jaebeom as he would have been if they had known each other in high school.
“Both, kind of,” Jaemin says, smiling affectionately at Jeno before looking at Jinyoung and Jaebeom again. “Jeno wants to study architecture when we go to college, so I suggested that we go look for some books on it, and then I remembered that this shop is Jaehyun-hyung and Doyoung-hyung’s safe place, and has cats and really nice owners, so we came here.”
“I can help you find some architecture books,” Jaebeom offers. “If you don’t mind input from a very smart one-year-old, of course.”
“And three-year-old, too,” Jinyoung adds. He kisses Hyunjin’s temple lightly and says, “You’ll go help Daddy, right, Hyunjinnie?”
“I help Daddy,” Hyunjin agrees, nodding and squirming to be let down, and Jinyoung sends him off to Jaebeom again with a final kiss on his cheek.
Jeno looks up from where Odd has joined Nora, both perfectly content to sit and be petted by Jeno’s gentle hands. “I don’t mind at all,” he says politely, brushing the fur off his pants and standing up before turning to Jaemin. “Jaemin-ah, I’ll go ahead. You wanted to talk to Jinyoung-hyung more, right?”
Jaemin smiles and nods, and Jinyoung watches him reach out and squeeze Jeno’s hand quickly like it’s instinct for him to do so. “Thanks, Jeno-yah.”
“Bye-bye!” Yeji calls cheerfully as Jaebeom takes Hyunjin’s hand and leads Jeno into the aisles.
“Bye, Yeji!” Jaemin says, waving at her happily.
Jinyoung’s heart feels warm as he observes the sweet interaction between his daughter and this boy he already feels protective over. “So, Jaemin,” he says once Jaebeom, Jeno, and the children are out of sight. “What did you want to talk to me more about?”
For the first time since coming in, Jaemin looks a little shy. “Um, well,” he says, scuffing his foot against the floor, “Doyoung-hyung said you and Jaebeom-hyung got married a while ago.”
“We did,” Jinyoung says, unable to hold back a smile. “It’ll be a year and a half, next month.”
Jaemin stares at him in awe. “That’s so amazing,” he says. “I kind of...well, I-I really look up to you. Ever since Doyoung-hyung told us that, I felt like I wanted to be like you.”
“Like me?” Jinyoung asks, flattered but somewhat surprised.
“Yeah!” Jaemin says eagerly. “You’ve lived with the guy you love for so many years, and you even get to work with him every day, and now you’re married with kids and lots of cats. That’s basically everything I want for my life too.” Jinyoung hums in understanding but doesn’t say anything, sensing that Jaemin isn’t finished speaking. Sure enough, a moment later, Jaemin continues, “How long were you and Jaebeom-hyung together before you got married?”
“Hm, it was around five years,” Jinyoung says. “He proposed to me in our fourth year of dating, and we got married a year after that. And obviously we couldn’t get married here, so we had to save up first so we could travel somewhere else for it.”
“Wow,” Jaemin says, his eyes alight with wonder. “How long did it take for you to save up enough for that?”
“We started as soon as we opened the shop, to be honest,” Jinyoung says, thinking about how they would always set aside a portion of their profits from each month for their wedding fund, right from the start. “Even before he proposed, we always kind of knew what our end goal was.”
Jaemin sighs dreamily. “That’s so romantic. Both of you knowing what you wanted all along...it’s like you were meant to be.”
Jinyoung smiles, feeling fond. Jaemin isn’t the first teenager to ask him questions about his relationship with Jaebeom, but he is the first to express a desire to emulate Jinyoung in particular. And Jinyoung thinks he can guess who Jaemin’s “Jaebeom” counterpart is, but he figures it’s polite to at least check first, so he asks, “Out of curiosity, when you say that it’s everything you want for your life...are you perhaps imagining that future with someone specific? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”
“I don’t mind!” Jaemin says immediately. His cheeks turn a little pink and his voice turns breathy as he reveals, “I...I want to have all of that with Jeno.”
“I thought that might be it,” Jinyoung says with a light laugh, unsurprised but pleased to have his suspicions confirmed. “You two are very cute together.”
“Thank you!” Jaemin says, looking delighted. “He’s been my best friend since forever, but I just asked him out a few months ago and he said yes, and now we’re boyfriends and it’s so nice. I like him so much.”
“That’s really sweet, Jaemin,” Jinyoung says sincerely. “I can tell that he likes you a lot too.”
“Really?” Jaemin asks hopefully. “Hyuckie says that all the time too, but I get scared sometimes that I’m...I don’t know, too much for him? I think I can be kind of, well, overbearing at times, and he’s always so nice and sweet and indulgent, but I really don’t want to do something that would make him want to go back to just being friends or...or make him not like me anymore. I think –” he breaks off and licks his lips nervously before continuing, his voice much softer than before – “I think maybe I’m in love with him.”
Jinyoung feels like he’s looking into a mirror and seeing himself six years in the past – the version of him that was afraid of being too clingy or too controlling, that was terrified of messing things up with Jaebeom, because even at that early stage in their relationship, he already believed Jaebeom was his soulmate. And Jaemin looks so worried about what the future might hold that Jinyoung needs to make sure this boy knows that everything will be okay.
“I know it can be daunting,” Jinyoung says gently. “I was just like you, actually. When I first started dating Jaebeom-hyung, I was so anxious about scaring him off. Sometimes I felt like my feelings were too big and too overwhelming, that there was no way Jaebeom-hyung could accept those feelings, let alone reciprocate them.” Jinyoung remembers feeling ready to say “I love you” and mean it just a few months after they got together, remembers thinking that it was probably way too soon for that and holding back because of it.
Jaemin nods vigorously. “That’s how I feel too!” He leans a bit closer over the counter. “Did you – I mean, is there anything you did to...to stop feeling like that?”
“The biggest thing was to trust Jaebeom-hyung,” Jinyoung says. “To trust our relationship. I won’t lie and say it was easy to do that, but being a couple meant that we started to see sides of each other we didn’t know about before. And as we became more familiar with each other, it got easier to open up about my insecurities and talk to him about the things I was scared of.” He smiles at Jaemin reassuringly. “For you, it helps that Jeno was your best friend before. He must already know you pretty well.”
“He does,” Jaemin says, straightening his shoulders a little. “We know each other best.”
Jinyoung laughs softly at the pride in Jaemin’s tone – it’s cute, how happy he is about this connection he has with Jeno. “That’s perfect, then,” he says. “I really think that as long as you’re honest with him, he’ll do his best to understand your doubts and your insecurities.”
“You don’t think it’s, well, silly that I’m kind of like...making such a big deal of it, I guess?” Jaemin asks hesitantly. “I mean, I know we’re only seniors in high school still. A lot of people would probably think I’m being ridiculous for caring so much when we’re so young. Sometimes I think maybe I’m being ridiculous too.”
“Hey,” Jinyoung says firmly. “Listen to me.” He looks Jaemin directly in the eyes as he speaks. “If it makes you happy, and you think it’s important, then your love can never be silly, no matter how old you are. And that’s coming from someone who’s not only read hundreds, if not thousands of love stories, but is also living one right now.”
Jaemin nods, looking more confident already. “I’ll try to remember that.”
Jinyoung smiles. “By the way,” he says, “for what it’s worth, your Jeno reminds me a lot of my Jaebeom.”
“Really?” Jaemin asks, cocking his head.
“I thought so the first time you came in, too,” Jinyoung says. “They really seem quite similar, personality-wise, at least from what I’ve seen so far. So trust me when I say that from the way he looks at you...I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that you mean the world to him.”
Jaemin’s eyes shine as he beams at Jinyoung. “Wow,” he says. “It means a lot to hear that from you. Thank you, Jinyoung-hyung. Really, I mean it, I feel a lot better now.”
“I’m happy I could help,” Jinyoung says, resisting the urge to ruffle Jaemin’s hair. “Come on, let’s go reunite you two.”
They find Jaebeom and Jeno in the correct aisle, but decidedly not looking for any books on architecture. Instead, Jeno has his phone out, swiping through his photos as Jaebeom coos at what Jinyoung assumes must be pictures of cats, given the familiar expression on Jaebeom’s face.
“Jeno-yah,” Jaemin says, looking amused. “What’s going on here?”
“I was showing Jaebeom-hyung Bongsik, Seol, and Nal!” Jeno says happily, reaching out with his free hand to pull Jaemin to his side. Jinyoung watches as Jaemin lets Jeno wrap an arm around his waist before leaning in to kiss Jeno’s cheek, feeling a swell of pride that this little shop has become a place where young couples like Jeno and Jaemin feel safe being openly affectionate like this. “Minmin, we should adopt five cats together too,” Jeno continues, and Jinyoung has to bite his lip to stop himself from grinning too widely at that – as he predicted, Jeno is obviously just as invested in a future with his boyfriend as Jaemin is.
“Not a chance,” Jaemin says, his voice soft as he smiles at Jeno fondly. “You’re too allergic, Nono.”
“Allergies mean nothing,” Jaebeom says from Jeno’s other side. “Jinyoungie and I are both allergic to cats, but we didn’t let that stop us!”
“Awergic!” Hyunjin agrees from his spot on the floor, where he and Yeji are playing with Odd.
“You’re not allergic, sweetie,” Jinyoung says with a laugh, crouching down to pinch Hyunjin’s cheek gently. “You and Yeji can spend as much time with the cats as you want.”
“Cat!” Yeji says happily, and from the way Jaemin and Jeno smile at her little interjection, Jinyoung thinks cats probably aren’t the only thing the two of them want to adopt together someday.
“Anyway,” Jaemin says, tucking a lock of Jeno’s hair behind his ear, “what about your book selections?”
“Oh,” Jeno says, and Jinyoung is amused to see that he and Jaebeom are sporting matching sheepish smiles. “I guess we got a bit distracted.”
“Of course you did,” Jinyoung says, raising an eyebrow at Jaebeom good-naturedly, "Jaebeommie." It’s hardly surprising that all it took was a few cat pictures to make Jaebeom completely forget about the original task at hand, but it is his job to actually provide customers with what they came for. Though, he thinks as Jeno asks if it’s okay for him to take pictures of the cats while Hyunjin and Yeji might also show up in the frame and beams when Jaebeom assures him that of course he can, it seems like maybe Jaebeom inadvertently achieved that anyway.
Jeno still does need help with his book search, though, so as Jaemin crouches down to pinch Yeji’s cheeks lightly and try to encourage Hyunjin to talk to him, Jinyoung gives Jaebeom a look that means, I’ll handle it, don’t worry. And they’ve perfected their silent communication techniques over the years, so Jaebeom just smiles and gives him a thumbs up before kneeling down to join Jaemin and the children, while Jinyoung turns to Jeno.
“Okay, let’s try and actually pick some books for you,” he says with a smile. Jeno nods, tucking his phone back into his pocket and focusing his attention on the shelves.
It quickly becomes obvious that Jeno is significantly less talkative than Jaemin is. Jinyoung can hear Jaemin keeping up a steady stream of chatter in the background, interspersed with Yeji’s cheerful babbling and Jaebeom making comments every now and then – in contrast, Jeno really only speaks when Jinyoung asks him for his opinion on which books he prefers.
When they’ve finally selected a few that are to Jeno’s liking, they make their way to the counter so Jinyoung can ring up his purchases. “Jinyoung-hyung,” Jeno says after Jinyoung hands him his books and the receipt, initiating the conversation for the first time. “I wanted to thank you for talking to Jaeminnie earlier.”
“Of course,” Jinyoung says automatically, slightly taken aback by the unexpected thanks. “It was my pleasure.”
Jeno smiles, and Jinyoung is once again struck by how similar it feels to Jaebeom’s smile. “I’ve been a bit worried about him,” Jeno continues softly. “He’s seemed kind of withdrawn recently. Usually he’s really affectionate and touchy, but I feel like he’s been more reserved for some reason. So when he said he wanted to talk to you, I figured maybe that had something to do with it.”
“You have very good intuition,” Jinyoung says, impressed. “I already told him this, but you two really remind me a lot of myself and Jaebeom-hyung. So I gave Jaemin advice I would have wanted to hear at the start of my relationship, and I think it’ll help. Or I hope so, anyway.”
Jeno’s eyes shine the same way Jaemin’s did when Jinyoung compared the younger boys to himself and Jaebeom. “That means a lot to hear from you,” he says sincerely. “I really like him so much. I love him, actually, and, well, it’s really nice to hear that we’re similar to a couple that has the life you do now.” He takes a deep breath and adds a little shyly, “The kind of life I want for Jaeminnie and me someday.”
“Well,” Jinyoung says, charmed by how in sync the couple is without even realizing it, “no matter how tough it’ll be along the way, I have a feeling the two of you will definitely be able to have that eventually.”
“I really hope so,” Jeno says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, and it shouldn’t be surprising at this point that the gesture is incredibly reminiscent of Jaebeom, but Jinyoung is caught slightly off-guard anyway.
“How about we reunite you two first,” Jinyoung suggests, “and then you can start planning your future together.” Jeno nods, his eyes twinkling, and Jinyoung calls out, “Jaebeom-hyung! I think playtime is over for now!”
There are some faint grumbles for a couple of seconds, but a few moments later, Jaebeom emerges from the aisle with Hyunjin in his arms while Jaemin trails behind him carrying Yeji. Jinyoung’s heart feels warm at the sight of his daughter entertaining herself by playing with Jaemin’s hair and Jaemin just indulging her.
“Minnie,” Jeno says, his voice devastatingly fond and his face melting into an enamored smile. “Did you have fun?”
Jaemin’s smile is radiant as he bounds over to Jeno’s side. “Of course!” he says cheerfully. He boops Yeji’s nose softly and coos, “Me and Yeji are best friends now, right?” Yeji just giggles and pats Jaemin’s cheek in return, and Jinyoung’s face hurts from how big his smile has become from watching their sweet interactions. “Did you get books that’ll be helpful?” Jaemin asks, turning his attention back to Jeno.
“Yeah,” Jeno says, sending a grateful smile Jinyoung’s way. “Jinyoung-hyung helped me find a bunch.”
“That’s great!” Jaemin says, turning to Jinyoung too and smiling too. “Thank you, hyung! I guess I should probably return your daughter too.” Jinyoung reaches out and carefully takes Yeji into his own arms, watching as Jaemin immediately latches onto Jeno’s arm once he’s no longer holding the baby.
“Thanks for being so patient with Hyunjunnie and Yeji, too,” Jaebeom says with a warm smile. “We might just need to hire you for babysitting in the future.”
“I would love to,” Jaemin says brightly. “And so would Jeno!” Next to him, Jeno just smiles, but Jinyoung thinks he can see a momentary flicker of longing in his eyes, and he makes a mental note to definitely look into hiring them as babysitters at some point.
“Then please do come back sometime,” he says aloud. “The kids will both be really happy to see you!”
“We will!” Jaemin promises. “Thank you for everything, hyungs! Bye! And bye to Yeji and Hyunjinnie, too!”
And after Jinyoung, Jaebeom, Hyunjin, and Yeji all wave back, Jaemin and Jeno walk out together with matching smiles, close enough to hold hands although they’re unable to actually do so in public. The observation makes Jinyoung’s heart hurt a little, even though he knows that’s the reality of stepping out of the secluded little world that is their bookshop. Still, he takes comfort in knowing that at least while they’re here, the two of them – like every other person they know who has to hide who they really are – are free to live exactly as they want to, exactly as they deserve.
(Later, after they’ve closed up shop, the children have been tucked into bed, and they’re sitting on the couch, reconciling their customers’ purchases for the week, Jaebeom turns to Jinyoung with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You know, Jeno and Jaemin seemed to be very good friends,” he says, the amusement evident in his voice. “What do you think, are they...”
“Yes,” Jinyoung interrupts, trying to hide his smile. “Of course they are, hyung, don’t be silly.” But Jaebeom is already cracking up at his own ridiculous humor, and Jinyoung loves his laugh, loves him too much to resist laughing too.
They sit there giggling with each other for a while, and it’s wonderful, being with the man he loves and laughing over something that isn’t really funny but is somehow entertaining anyway. “I know, I know, Jeno told me while we were looking at his pictures,” Jaebeom says when they finally manage to quiet down. “The two of them were cute, though. Cat lovers and kid lovers.” He sends Jinyoung a meaningful look. “Felt familiar, somehow.”
It shouldn’t be surprising to Jinyoung that Jaebeom got the same vibes from Jeno and Jaemin that he did – after all, it was their own personalities that they saw reflected in the two boys – but it still makes him feel a little giddy that even in this, they match. “It felt like I was looking at us in high school,” Jinyoung says. “Or what we would’ve been like if we knew each other in high school.”
“Jeno did kind of seem like a mini-me,” Jaebeom says with a grin. “I think he’s a little more put-together than I was then, though.”
“He’s probably more put-together than you are now, too,” Jinyoung says lightly, flashing Jaebeom a teasing smile. “I think having someone like Jaemin has probably helped him with that.”
“His own personal mini-Jinyoung,” Jaebeom says with a sage nod, leaning in to kiss Jinyoung’s temple gently. “He’s lucky he found his so early in life, they’ll probably end up engaged by their second year of college now.”
Jinyoung tends to agree, but he also wants to address the other part of Jaebeom’s statement. “Are you saying you wish you had met me sooner?” he asks, pressing himself a little closer against Jaebeom’s side and reveling in the warmth of the arm Jaebeom has draped loosely around his shoulders. “So we could have gotten married earlier?”
Jaebeom laughs softly and kisses the top of his head. “It doesn’t really matter to me when we met, as long as the fact that we did means that we get to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“That might be the sappiest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Jinyoung says, even as his heart flutters uncontrollably. “And we wrote our own wedding vows.”
“You love it,” Jaebeom says, drawing Jinyoung in for a proper kiss on the lips this time.
And when they pull apart, Jinyoung can only smile, because it’s not like he can or wants to deny it. So he just cups Jaebeom’s face in his hands and kisses him again. “Of course I do,” he murmurs. “Almost as much as I love you.”)