silence - nct, norenmin

⍣ 6 ⍣

jaemin wandered around the school's corridors, his legs trembling in fear, and his eyes looking left and right to make sure no one would harm him.

he couldn't find the exit of this building.

that school was like a maze, full of colourful corridors, stairs and doors, and jaemin hadn't the best sense of direction.

the fact that there were some people around didn't help.

it was as if they could see he was lost, but they preferred to see him suffer rather than helping him. 

not that jaemin wanted help. actually, he wouldn't be able to answer if someone came to him and asked him what he was looking for. so, it was better if no one came to help.

jaemin continued walking around, his brows furrowing when he saw a photograph on the wall that he had already seen a few minutes before.

so, he had been turning around the same corridor for a while...

the teenager sighed, taking another corridor and hoping to be luckier.

in fact, he did get luckier.

at the end of this corridor, he could see the nurse, sunmi, talking with another young teacher.

jaemin speed walked there, waiting a few meters away from them not to interrupt their conversation.

it's the teacher who noticed him first.

"hello, do you need something?" she asked, looking at jaemin.

this caught sunmi's attention, and so, she turned around, smiling when she saw who was there.

"oh, jaemin!" she exclaimed.

"you know him?" the teacher asked with her brows furrowed.

"yes, he's the boy i was telling you about!" sunmi explained.

"he's the mute one?"

jaemin slowly nodded, his heart speeding up because of the attention he was receiving.

"do you need help?" sunmi asked kindly.

jaemin nodded, pulling a pen out of his bag and writing something on his hand before showing it to the two ladies.

"the exit?" sunmi read. "sure, i'll take you!"

jaemin bowed, thanking the nurse before following her through the many corridors and finally seeing the exit.

his face lightened at the sight, which made sunmi chuckle.

"here you are." she said with a smile, earning another low bow from jaemin.

she looked at the boy leaving the school silently before turning around and being stopped by two boys.

"damn, you two scared me." she sighed, putting her hand over her heart.

"it was renjun's idea." jeno mumbled, sounding pissed.

"you were with the new boy." renjun spoke, ignoring his boyfriend.

sunmi placed her hands on her hips and raised a brow. "what does it have to do with you, curious boy?"

"he intrigues me." renjun replied, looking behind here to find jaemin disappearing outside.

sunmi gave jeno a questioning look to which the boy answered. "his poly side is showing."

sunmi was quite close to the two boys.

she remembered the day renjun had begged her to take a nap in one of the infirmary's beds, and she had been forced to accept because she had been called in urgence to the gymnasium because of a kid that had badly sprained his ankle.

she was there the first time the two boys had spoken, and she was there when they became friends.

she had accepted them to use the attached room – who could only fit one bed, a medicine cabinet and two chairs – when they had asked her.

apparently, the nursery was 'their place'.

she was there when they became boyfriends.

and she was the first one to know.

but she didn't really mind. these two boys were kind and funny. plus, they weren't messing their room up.

so, sunmi had become friends with them – if you could call it that way.

"sunmi..." renjun whined. "what's the new boy's name?"

"why do you need to know?" she asked.

"because... he's cute. and he seems friendly." renjun replied.

"renjun, do you know that your boyfriend is standing right here?" sunmi told, pointing at jeno.

"and? he checked the new boy out during class. i'm not the only one to be interested."

"i am not interested!"

"jeno!" sunmi gasped.

"it's not my fault!" the boy tried defending himself.

"anyway, what's his name...?" renjun continued asking the same question over and over again.

sunmi sighed.

giving his name to renjun wasn't something that could make her lose her job.

actually, the three boys were in the same class, so they would eventually end up knowing it.

besides, they could simply ask him his name if they were in the same class. this would prevent the creepy phase that could happen if they know his name but he didn't know theirs.

but there was one detail sunmi shouldn't forget: jaemin was selective mute, and he would never be able to tell them his name.

"jaemin." she said.

"what?" renjun asked, wanting to make sure the name was the one he heard.

"his name is jaemin." sunmi repeated.

"even his name is angel-like..." renjun sighed, earning a slap at the back of the head from jeno.

"he's unbearable..." jeno sighed, looking at sunmi.

"i can see that." she told.

"how is he like?" renjun asked about jaemin again.

"renjun, i am here." jeno spoke.

"i know. i know." renjun rolled his eyes. "but he could become our friend."

sunmi sighed.

she wouldn't tell them about his selective mutism.

that would be breaking the professional secret rule.

"he's a shy boy." she told. "and that's all i can say. now go back home." sunmi added before waving at the two boys and leaving them in the middle of the corridor.

"so jaemin is a shy boy... interesting..." renjun mumbled as his boyfriend rolled his eyes for the nth time.