i was supoosed to update this yesterday but we went to the hospital, i'm sorryyyyy

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Chapter 17

(this was before Haejin entered)

The NCT Dream members were lying down, watching television. Except for Mark and Jaemin, who were talking to each other, and Chenle and Jisung who were in Haejin's room.

"Hyung where did you go?" Jaemin asked.

"I just gave Haejin a short tour. You know, sibling stuffs. We also talked about some stuffs..."

Jaemin was certain that one of those stuffs was about them. He's never been so sure.

It's been months since he and Haejin last talked. It was during NCT's 'interview'.

The reason he left practice is because he finds it suffocating and awkward. That he had to say such things.

Just then, a screaming and running Haejin went towards their direction.

'She looks happy.' Jaemin thought.

She was smiling brightly, with a card in her hand.

"MARK! MARK!!! I GOT JAEMIN!! I GOT JAEMIN'S PHOTOCARDㅡ oh hi, Jaemin-oppa..."

Jaemin awkwardly smiled. He doesn't know how to respond.

'Haejin is happy because she got my photocard? W-What?' Jaemin thought

Mark was silent, he was trying hard not to laugh.

"I'll leave you two alone.." Mark stood up, calling the other members as they went to Jisung and Chenle's room.

"U-Uh... hi?" Jaemin awkwardly started.

"Hi. Bye." Haejin said, turning her back.

"Wait."

Haejin stopped. Her heart was pounding so fast, she thought that it already unhealthy.

Jaemin was walking towards her. She can feel it.

"Haejin-ah..."

Haejin shut her eyes closed. Why is my heart pounding?! Am I gonna die?!

"Haejin-ah, look at me..." Jaemin said.

She doesn't know if she'll follow Jaemin or not. But she did. She turned. It was a wrong move.

Jaemin hugged her.

"Wh-What are youㅡ"

"Shh... please... let's stay like this... please... let me..." He was crying.

"W-Why are youㅡ"

"I'm sorry.."

Silence.

Why is Jaemin crying? Why is he apologizing? Why is he like this? Why is my heart punding like crazy?

Why is he hugging me?

Please don't send me the wrong signals again, I might fall for it.

"J-Jaemin-oppa, please stop..."

"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry because I said that... I-I'm sorry.. I didn't k-know what to say... th-that's why I-I said that... I-I... I didn't mean it, Haejin-ah... I-I... I didn't mean those...."

"What are you talking about?"

"W-When Taeyong-hyungㅡ"

"No.. please stop, I don't want to hear it..."

Haejin shut her eyes. She doesn't want to remember any of it.

She just wants to forget those memories. Those memories that always haunt her.

Where she became weak in front o her brother and Jisung. She doesn't want that.

"Haejin, listen to me please."

She turned her back.

"I didn't mean any of what I said. Please, forgive me."

Haejin slowly walked away.

Step by step... It breaks his heart. But she doesn't know.

"If... If y-you didn't mean... what you said months ago... what could you have said?"

"I..."

He froze.

He doesn't know what to say.

"I..."

"Please stop, I might fall for it again."

"I didn't mean what I said last time. But that doesn't mean I love you either."

Ouch. I knew it.

She wants to cry. She wants to scream. She wants to get out of there. But it seeme like her feet are glued to the floor.

She can't ponder the right words to say, afraid she'll say things that will make their situation worse.

She should be strong. She must not let this affect her.

Jaemin approached her, held her shoulders and turned her so that they're facing each other.

"It doesn't mean that I hate you, either."

He covered Haejin's cheeks using his hand and he kissed it.

It looked like he kissed her indirectly.

Her heartbeat sped up. Okay what in the world was that.

"Let's just keep this to ourselves." Jaemin smiled.

She was dumbfounded.

****

The dream members (well just Jisung and Haechan), as nosy as they could be, on the other hand, tried their best to listen to the two's conversation.

"Jisung-ah, keep it down!" Haechan whispered.

"Aish, Haechan-hyung, you keep it down!" Jisung answered back.

"Just give up, you guys." Mark said, while sitting on Jisung's bed.

He has no interest to listen to the two's conversation.

"Were they fighting?" Renjun asked.

Jisung shook his head, "Ani (no). They were just talking to each other."

****

"You talked?" Mark asked.

"Kind of... was that even a talk?" Haejin answered, lying down, and facing the wall.

She reached for Jaemin's photocard which was on the table beside her bed.

She unknowingly smiled, remembering what Jaemin did earlier.

She felt her cheeks redden. Oh my gosh, I'm hyperventilating. Why did he do that if he's sorry? Argh, Jaemin-oppa!

She stared at the photocard.

Mark notices it.

"His picture will melt. He's just next door, want me to call him?"

"Don't even think about it."

"Are you alright? You're red."

Haejin slapped her own face. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Mark raised a brow, "Did something happened?"

"NO!"

"Did you just shout at me?"

"NO!"

"Why are you shouting?"

"I AM NOT!"

"Okay something happened."

"NOTHING HAPPENED OKAY? JUST SLEEP NOW. GOOD NIGHT."

Mark chuckled.

She maybe good at hiding her emotions. But she sucks at keeping something.