Not Alone || Jung Jaehyun

Chapter 5 | "you're scared"

By the time Hyemi woke up for school the next day, her mind was even more confused and the decision deadline was weighting heavily on her mind.

After getting ready, Hyemi made her way out of her room and into the main area of their shared apartment. Last night the three of them had agreed to go and get breakfast at their favorite spot before school started, but to her surprise, only Jeno was there.

"Jeno? Where are Kyunghee and Jichang?"

"Oh, they left earlier. That other girl who got offered a spot on Taeyong's team, uh I think she said her name is Iseul, she texted the three of us asking to hang out before school, so they went."

"And you didn't?"

"Eh, I'll have plenty of time to get to know her since we'll be teammates, and I wanted to go hang out with you, you know, see where your heads at with everything and just hang out like we used to." He said with a smile, standing up from his spot.

"Thanks Jeno, it'll be nice to hang out just the two of us again. Let's go."

- - -

"So... I have to ask you, Hye, do you know what team you're going to join?" Jeno asked as the food was placed in front of them.

"Honestly... I still don't know."

"And why's that?"

"Because there's ups and downs to both teams."

"Which are?"

She let out a huff, thinking for a moment before answering.

"Well, if I join Jaehyun's team, I'll be one of the All Stars. I'll be a member of the best team in Seoul and will almost certainly be performing on the national stage in front of scouts and thousands of people. It's great exposure and an opportunity that so few people get."

"Exactly. So what's your holdback?"

"First off, Jaehyun seems like an ass, and I don't exactly want to be captained by him. I also don't know any of them, I mean, Yuta seems nice, but still. With the caliber of their team, I'm sure it's going to be so tough and I won't know anyone there. Dance is my life but I still want it to be fun, you know?"

"Yeah of course, so what about if you join us?"

"I'll have all of you guys, and my brother. Plus I'm close with all of Taeyong's other teammates. It'll be exactly how we planned it all out."

"And the downsides are?"

"Well, I don't know if Taeyong will push me the way that I need to be pushed to get better. He's always been especially nice and supportive of me, and I don't know if he could give me the harsh criticism that I sometimes need. Plus, Taeyong's team is great, but they don't have the reputation or recognition that the All Stars team does."

"So to me, it just sounds like you're scared."

Hyemi stared at him as he put down his fork, waiting for him to continue.

"Like, from a dance perspective, it's not even a question about which team you should join. The All Stars will make you better, even if it's tough. But from a emotional perspective, Taeyong's team is safe. Comfortable. And you're scared about leaving that."

"Yeah... I guess you're right."

"But there's something else...." Jeno trailed off as he studied her face for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Is there part of you that's worried about our friend group?"

Hyemi's eyes widened before she shyly nodded her head.

"Hyemi, that's crazy."

"No it's not, Jeno. We've planned this out for years and all of a sudden I might be the only one left out of that plan? I mean, Kyunghee and Jichang are already with this Iseul girl. I'm just scared about being replaced...."