The late afternoon wind blew gently across the backyard of that old house. The grass had grown wild and tall, littered with claw marks from small animals that had once been buried there. The scent of damp earth mingled with a faint trace of blood, faint enough that no one noticed it anymore, except one person. Jeno stood silently near the peeling wall, his hand gripping a small box containing a pair of dusty earrings he had found in the corner of the living room twelve years ago. The earrings had fallen when their owner ran, pulled by her mother in panic. Not because of any wounds. Not because Jeno had hurt her. But because they had all seen him strangling two rabbits to death with his bare hands, then calmly ripping their stomachs open as if he were unwrapping a gift.

He was nine years old then. His face had never shown regret... only calm. Stillness. His black eyes stared down at the twitching rabbits as they went limp. No tears. No guilt. His father couldn't hide his shame. His mother said nothing. They had known since he was a baby. Jeno never cried. Never showed empathy. Never showed interest in playing with other children. The only expressions he ever wore were either anger… or nothing at all. But that day, from between the tall grass, came a small girl. Four years old. Her hair was tied into pigtails, a balloon tethered to her wrist. She sat beside Jeno and stared at the rabbit corpses, her head tilted slightly. Then she asked with innocent curiosity, "Are you going to make rabbit skewers, oppa?"

Jeno looked at her. Not because he felt anything. But because she was different. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. She didn't run. She didn't call him a monster like the adults did. She simply sat there, calmly, with a small smile on her lips. That day ended with the panicked voices of adults. The girl was pulled away. After that, they never saw each other again. But Jeno never forgot her face.

Years passed, and he found her again. The little girl had grown into a young woman. The girl worked at a small pet store in the corner of the city, selling kittens, puppies, guinea pigs, and birds. Her smile hadn't changed. There was still an untouched innocence in her gaze. But Jeno hadn't come looking for her because he missed her. Nor because he loved her. He didn't understand love. He wasn't interested in touch. He didn't need friends. He didn't want to be admired.

Jeno came… to return the earring she had dropped.

And to buy another kitten. Because Jeno liked small, helpless animals. Not to care for them. But to control them. And eventually, destroy them. That day, Jeno stepped into the shop and stood before her. His smile was faint, his voice low, and his eyes never once smiled.

"I remember you. You were the only one who didn't cry that day."

**[ WELCOME TO AU NCT! LEE JENO IS HERE! HAVE A GOOD TIME<3 ]**