it takes thirty minutes for jisung to finally do it. he glances back at sooyoung once, twice, before gulping and knocking on jeno's door. 

"why the hell are you knocking? the door's open," jeno calls from inside the room, turning from his desk, ksat practice tests lined up neatly on it. jisoo's sitting on his bed, laptop playing a video about theoretical calculus, about ready tear her hair clean out of her head. 

"oh. yeah. yeah, i knew that," jisung says, letting out an awkward and nervous half laugh. sooyoung shoos him inside, exchanging a worried look with haechan.

"should i have gone in instead?" she asks, taking a seat at the kitchen table. renjun rolls his eyes at the question, waving around a melon bar as he speaks.

"don't be ridiculous. i don't care how much of a soft spot jeno has for you, he likes jisung more. trust me. i know that you guys are starting to get close again, but before you came to korea, jeno practically treated jisung like he was his son or something," renjun says, finishing off the melon bar in one smooth motion. sooyoung stares him down with a glare that is meant to scare him but only serves to send them both in fits of laughter. 

"you're not wrong. sometimes i wonder if jisung actually is a half-brother or something, and jeno and dad just never told me," sooyoung muses. 

"how are shaun and mr. park anyway? i haven't seen them in a while," jaemin says, sitting down at the kitchen table across from sooyoung. haechan furrows his eyebrows at the glint in jaemin's eyes when sooyoung's gaze falls on him, but decides (correctly), to say nothing on the matter. 

"they're alright. i went to visit two days ago, and they said that shaun was really enjoying it here in korea. but i think daddy wants to leave. too many memories of mom here, i think. either way, both of them are thinking about moving to america," sooyoung says, not even bothering to conceal the sorrow on her face. 

chenle pauses the video game on his phone, turning to the four people sitting at the table in confusion.

"wait, they are? if shaun and mr. park are leaving, doesn't that mean you would have to leave too?" he asks, walking from the living room to the kitchen. sooyoung sighs, shrugging her shoulders, jaemin watching her every microscopic movement in thinly veiled worry. haechan's eyes dart between jaemin and sooyoung but still decides to say nothing.

"i mean, i came here for mom. technically, i really have no reason not to go back. i've got more friends, family, and familiarity back at home. but i'd also miss the basketball season, my dad, and you guys if i leave. so i'm really not sure what to do. nothing's confirmed and daddy hasn't even asked me officially yet, so i don't think i need to make a choice for a while, but it's something i do need to think about." 

jaemin nods, an invisible string tugging the corner of his lips downwards. at this point, haechan's just about ready to duct tape his own mouth shut to keep himself from saying anything stupid.

"makes sense. take your own time to choose, but i wouldn't say anything to jeno or coach lee just yet. you guys just lost your mom. i don't think it's a good idea for them to think about losing you as well," renjun says, crossing his arms across his chest.

"yeah, i know." 

the table is silent save for the occasional exclamation of victory or failure from chenle's phone. haechan gets up, slamming his palms on the table as a means of getting everyone's attention.

"who wants pizza?" he asks aggressively, staring down everyone, his eyes lingering on jaemin - who's eyes were lingering on sooyoung for a little too long. everyone raises their hand in favor of the proposition for food.

"you are aware this is my house right?" sooyoung calls after haechan, who's receding into the living room to place an order.

"that's why you're paying!" he calls back. sooyoung nearly tackles him to the floor at that but before haechan could meet an untimely (but long coming) death, jisung, jisoo, and jeno exit the room, the latter of whom looks more serious than sooyoung was comfortable with.

"a road trip? to seoul? seriously guys?" jeno has his arms crossed across his chest, eyebrows furrowed, and mouth set into a firm frown.

"wasn't my idea!" sooyoung squeaks, hiding behind jisoo, using the older girl as a human shield. jisung looks at her in betrayal, hiding behind sooyoung before tapping her on the head.

"what do you mean it wasn't your idea!" jisung hisses. "that's the only reason why jeno even agreed to hear us out, you traitor." 

sooyoung laughs nervously, still holding jisoo in front of her.

"oh," she says, shooting her brother an awkward smile. she steps out of jisoo's shadow slightly, the older girl giving her a slightly amused grin.

"so, uh, jeno. i assume jisung has proposed the idea of the road trip, ay? what do you say, brother? just the eight of us, going to busan, staying for two or three days before coming back to seoul!" sooyoung says brightly, wilting when jeno stares at her with an impassive look.

"what about the ksat? and soo, you promised me that you would study for next semester. not to mention the fact that we've got to practice basketball, even if it's off-season right now. do you really think we can afford a weekend trip like that?" jeno's eyes grow gentle at the disappointed look on his sister's face, ruffling her hair slightly.

"but jeno! we've got two months for all that. and besides, it wouldn't do you any good to sit here, busting your head about the ksat and your grades. in fact, you'd probably mess yourself up even more. i mean, jisoo's been here everyday over the past two weeks of summer vacation and you guys haven't even done anything fun since move night! you guys have been studying. every single day!" sooyoung argues, slinging her arm around jisoo.

"you're joking right?" jeno says. "your argument is that my girlfriend and i aren't doing anything together?"

sooyoung nods firmly, moving to loop her arm around her brother's.

"that's right. as a jensoo supporter - haechan, we've gotta come up with a different ship name, i'm pretty sure that's a girl group name or something - i demand more things for me to blackmail you guys about! i need more cringe material," sooyoung huffs, pouting at jeno.

"she's right, you know. jeno, we all deserve a break. you know that as well as i do that we're not gonna lose anything if we go," jisoo says softly, looping her arm around jeno's free arm.

"come on, jeno, don't be such a stick in the mud. besides, you know who's in seoul, right?" jaemin says, his eyes twinkling with mirth. jisoo looks at jaemin with a confused expression.

"who's in seoul jaem?"

"ah, just a couple guys we grew up with," jeno says, diffusing the situation quickly. jaemin fails to contain the slight laughter that escapes his mouth, slapping a hand over his mouth to conceal his giggles.

"why are you laughing?" jisoo huffs, un-looping her arm from jeno's to point at him accusingly.

"because! it's funny that you seriously got jealous over the nct brothers. they're literally the weirdest people you'll ever meet, trust me. you'll see when we go to seoul, right jeno?" jaemin says, leaving no room for disagreement. jeno looks at the determined faces around the room and hangs his head in defeat.

"alright, alright. let me talk to dad."

"see? i told you sending jisung was the right decision!"

"you son of a - "

"whoa! calm down! i don't want bloodstains on the carpet. fight outside if you'd like."

"one on one, what do you say, rumpelstiltskin?"

"oh, you're so on."

(renjun loses. by 11 points. it was a game to 15.)

+++

a/n: so they're going to seoul? also sooyoung might be going back to america? jeno loves jiSUNG MORE THAN SOOYOUNG?

me completely deviating from my original plot just to incorporate nct 127? more likely than you'd think. have a lovely day beautiful!