Tender Love

ENHYPEN Jay as Jean

STAYC Isa as Shea

She laughs freely.
She smiles fondly.
She speaks dearly.
She acts affectionately.
She shines in the middle of the crowd.

That’s Jean’s point of view on Shea, the girl whom Jean has admired for over two years until now in high school. The first time Jean met Shea was when he laid down under a mango tree. He saw Shea feeding the stray cat, that made him open a little of his eyes. She covered her palm with a glove, then patted the cat; at that time, he found it odd because, why on earth, she patted the cat with her glove? Then he discovered that Shea is allergic to cats.

At that time, he just randomly found a bench behind the cafeteria, so he wanted to take a nap. He doesn’t expect it when he keeps coming to the cafeteria as a habit. Whenever Shea comes, he always pretends that he sleeps or just minds his own business with his phone. He never interacts with her.

One day, Shea comes again. She even brought the cats' snacks and started to feed them. But, unfortunately, she keeps sneezing a lot, which makes the cats scared and run away. Her sneeze doesn’t stop right away. She’s covering her mouth and starting to whine because the sneeze never stops. She immediately takes off her cardigan, because the cats' fur sticks. Jean is glancing secretly. He’s fighting with his thoughts about whether he should give her tissues or not.

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“Here,” the brave thought wins, he runs in tiny steps to her and offers some tissues. He doesn’t seem nervous, but obviously he screams inside his mind.

She tilts her head, blinks fast, and realizes there’s someone in front of her. Her eyebrows raised, and she took the tissue in tiny. “Thanks,” said Shea, while rubbing her red nose.

“Do you want to go to the clinic? It seems like it’s kind of serious. Do you have a cat allergic?” He asks a lot of questions and pretty much worries about her condition without realizing it. The one who asked just shakes her head, and she gives him an OK sign.

“Thanks for your concern, but I am a little bit okay now. It’s not serious, and yes, I have an allergy to cats.” She even still answers his question, even though she can barely talk properly because she keeps sniffing her nose.

Shea then walks and sits on the bench beside her. Her hand gives a sign that she wants him to join her. Jean opens his eyes widely, and he points himself out like he asks her, ‘Who? Me?’. She nodded also with her little chuckles appear, make her whisker cheeks noticeable, and he found it cute.

“What’s your name? I’ve never seen you before. Are you in the second grade?” Shea asks him when he has already sat on the bench beside her.

“Uh, I’m Jean. Yeah, I’m in the second grade, why?” He’s kind of nervous; he’s rubbing his neck. She knows that Jean avoids her eyes whenever she tries to make eye contact with him. It gives her a little giggle.

“Oh! I’m Shea. What a coincidence! We’re in the same grade, then!” The sparks in her eyes, the fond smile, the heartbeats, the atmosphere, and everything else really made this coincidence a sweet encounter.

That was the first time he fell in love. The first time he found joy every time he met her. The first time he felt flustered around her. The feelings never changed until now. Shea is still the same person Jean has always loved. Jean has always had soft spots for her. He even said that Shea is his lifeline. It's always her. His Love. His Shea.