across - NCT NA JAEMIN FF

thirteen

NA JAEMIN

Beomgyu comes running when he sees me. "Hyung! We have to go now. Last I checked she went to the bathroom, but if we wait too long we might lose her," he pants.

I nod. "Okay, let's hurry then."

We hurry to the girl's bathroom and hide behind some posts as she walks out. She wouldn't have noticed us anyway, she's too...dead again.

"Hyung she's moving," Beomgyu whispers while he tugs on my shirt.

We follow her from the side, making sure to leave a generous amount of distance between us and her.

We walk for around 2 minutes, and then reach the library, which she walks passed. Beomgyu and I share a look, but continue moving.

Eventually we get to the building of Student Affairs, where the administration office, student admission's office, faculty office, and the like are.

"Maybe they're really one-on-one tutorials?" Beomgyu mumbles hopefully, but she passes all the teachers' rooms.

"Counselling?"

We've followed her to the end of the building where the offices of the school's counsellors are located. We have 2.

We watch her stand in front of the door and you can tell by the way she stands that she doesn't want to be there. About a minute later, she enters the office and we see nothing as the room is dark.

When the door is shut, Beomgyu turns to me. "Isn't that Mr. Lee's office?"

"Yeah. He was actually my counsellor."

"Mine too."

We go quiet as we process the information.

"Are you sure none of your friends know about this?" he asks. "She must have told someone?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know," I tell him honestly.

"Why would she lie about it though?" he wonders sadly as he looks back at the door. "Does she think I'll judge her? What's going on hyung?"

I look at the boy with sympathy. "We all have our own secrets. And I guess if she has no plans to tell you and possibly the others, we have no right to know."

He doesn't look too happy. "So I can't mention this to her??"

I sigh. "I'm strongly against it," I say apologetically.

His shoulders slump but for some reason, I don't believe it.

I suppose it makes sense that she's going through a lot and therefore needs some counselling, but...is it really that hard to tell your friends you're taking counselling sessions? Or do the other boys know and only I don't?

—

"Counselling?" I ask her.

She looks up at me slowly, shock evident on her face. "What?"

I look around like I'm afraid someone will see us talking, but we're at the station. No one knows us, no one cares.

I clear my throat and look at her directly in the eyes. "Do your brothers know? Do the boys know?"

"Shut up. Why are you talking to me," she retorts. She turns away and proceeds to act like I don't exist.

I grit my teeth in anger. She was the one who almost said something yesterday. Why can't I try and say something, and this time she doesn't act like I'm attempting to ruin her life.

"You're so conceited. Don't you even think about how the other boys might feel? Beomgyu? Unfortunately people I care about care about you and I can't believe you'd hide something like this from them," I seethe.