lyricist°l.jn [editing]

chapter two: tipsy

  "Wah~ That was exhausting!" Jisung stretches his arms high, sore after countless of promo photoshoots. "Where are we going, again?"

  "Team dinner party!" Chenle cheers, excited to eat sizzling, juicy beef that's fresh off its cooker.

  Jeno hears their conversation. Team dinner party?

  His eyes dance around the crowd of staff in search for one in particular and hangs his head down sadly when he remembers that she's only their lyricist.

  So, she won't be with the other stafㅡ

  "Kyo! There you are!" Deiji greets the said girl and jogs to her.

  Jeno whips his head. Kyo?

  Is that who he thinks it is?

  He espies the person Deiji converses with and just by the way that his eyes scintillate and upturn into crescents give away the answer.

  "I didn't expect you would come. You made it sound like you weren't going to," Deiji says to the shy girl who's smiling bashfully at them.

  "I wasn't going to, actually. I didn't think that it would be, um, proper, for me to come since I'm not exactly, this part of the staff," Jinkyong confesses and gestures to the staff team.

  Disagreeing squawks emit from the group.

  "What do you mean?? We're all a community here whether you like it or not so you're always welcome around! Oh, we should get going," Heeji takes note of the time and invites Jinkyong to ride with her van.

  Kyo titters lightly at the team's cordial attitude when an urge tells her to turn her head- fated to meet eyes with Lee Jeno.

  The idol instantly beams at her and it strikes a love arrow to her already flustered heart- causing her to show her pearly whites as well.

  Thumpthumpthumpthump!

  Jeno's own beats begin to race, tickled by her shy yet, giddy toothy smile.

  "Hyung! What are you doing?" Jisung calls and Jeno turns to him.

  "Nothing," he says and follows their maknae to their vehicle.

-

  "Cheers!" Both the idol and staff team exclaim joyously.

  "To celebrate NCT DREAM's comeback!" The manager adds and they all, once more, raise their voices to exclaim their 'hurrah's!'

  They all sit back down and engross themselves back into chattering while Jeno, again, glances at Jinkyong who sits at the separate long table beside theirs.

  A tipsy smile forms on his face and a chuckle arises when she stuffs a lettuce wrap filled with a stack of meat yet, with almost no condiments into her mouth. 

  Everytime he sneaks a look at the girl, her cheeks are always so fluffed up with food and Jeno finds the view so endearing and adorable.

  But a sudden need for the toilet pulls him away.

  He stands and parts from the rest after informing them of his business.

  Jinkyong catches him furthering away and shrugs- busy with devouring the juicy, sizzling beef.

  But a while after, she starts to get distracted by the fact that Jeno's not coming back.

  "Hey, I'm going to the bathroom," Jinkyong tells Deiji before leaving.

  As soon as she arrives at the corridor where the toilets are, a scoff leaves her and she runs to Jeno who's standing yet, sleeping against the wall.

  "Jeno... Jeno-ssi," she pokes his shoulder repeatedly and he flinches- turning to her.

  A drunken, lopsided grin surfaces and he points at her. "Oh? It's... miss... songwriter."

  Jinkyong chuckles. "Yeah, it's me. You can't sleep here. Come back to the table."

  He shakes his head- bottom lip sticking out and eyes half-lidded. "No! I don't want to~"

  His fluffy, whiny personality which he doesn't often wear in front of her, flutters her heart and more so when he suddenly, grabs her hand- pulling her close.

  "Let's just stay here together," he mumbles into her hair as she's locked in his strong arms, back pressed against his hot chest.

  His warmth radiates through her and her beats start racing. "Jeno, we have to go backㅡ"

  "No..." He whines drowsily again and she stiffens when his arms tighten around her- caging her in stubbornly. "If we do... I won't... be able to hug you.. like this." 

  His warm breath brushes her nape and she malfunctions.

  "...what?"

  She turns slightly but freezes abruptly when his head falls on her shoulder.