shot clock || na jaemin (the court series #1)

quarter three: minute three

the car ride to the 127 apartment is quiet, with sooyoung having fallen asleep on jaemin's shoulder, tired from the events of the day and not having eaten for over fifteen hours. jeno and jisoo look troubled, glancing at sooyoung every few moments.

"you think she'll be alright?" jeno says, his eyes filled with worry. jisoo smiles reassuringly, but even she can't seem to believe herself.

"she's a strong girl. and besides, she has jaemin and us now. she doesn't have to deal with this alone," jisoo says, patting sooyoung's hair gently. 

"thank you for being there for us. for me. and now my baby sister," jeno whispers, so tenderly, so sweetly, that jisoo can't help but press a kiss to his lips.

"that's what i signed up for when i fell in love with you," jisoo says softly. jeno closes his eyes, wanting to savor this moment forever when yasmine, who was driving, speaks, asking the question on everyone's mind. mina, renjun, and chenle (who were each listening to music or just sitting quietly), turn to hear jisoo's answer.

"i know that suho backed off and left nct 127, but what exactly did you say to him? i mean we were all there and we still didn't understand what happened," yasmine says, looking into the rearview mirror to make eye contact with jisoo. jisoo holds her gaze before turning away.

"i just said what needed to be said. suho's an asshole; he wouldn't have succumbed to the law, you and i both know that," she starts, biting her lip in anxiety. "so i gambled and it paid off. what he did to sooyoung, it was disgusting, but it seemed almost amateur. he was still figuring things out. figuring out how far he could push her before she broke."

jeno closes his eyes, willing the anger that bubbles in his chest away. jaemin isn't any better, looking out the window to avoid looking at sooyoung resting on his shoulder. he knows that if he looks at her, he will lose control and that's not what sooyoung need right now. so he holds his tongue and wraps his jacket a little bit tighter her around her. 

yasmine sighs, shaking her head before prompting jisoo to continue.

"but something had to make him come to korea, right? if his dad is the owner of sm, the parent company, then suho has more than enough power to either start a new chain or just own an nct link on his own. what could make him shift to an entirely new country and not even have enough power to own his own link?" jisoo trails off and yasmine immediately understands what she's implying.

"you guessed that he did it to someone else. and that someone else somehow told his father and he got busted. coming to korea was his punishment, wasn't it?" yasmine finishes jisoo's thought, who nods along.

"but it didn't really register until i mentioned that i dated someone named youngmi. that's when he really gave himself away," jisoo says, looking down at her fingers before jeno envelopes her hands with his. i'm proud of you.

"i hate to say this but if there's absolutely anything that came out of this shit show, it's that jisoo, you're an incredibly intelligent young woman. have you ever considered a career in criminology or justice? you've got the passion and intelligence for it, if you ever consider it," yasmine says. jisoo's eyes widen, a blush overtaking her face, against her will. 

"that's high praise, thank you. i'll admit i haven't decided yet, but i have always been interested in law," she says. yasmine smiles, fading slightly when she notices sooyoung shifting in her seat, a frown on her face. 

"sooyoung had a lot on her plate when she came to korea. that explains a lot of her behavior in the beginning at least. i just wish she would've let someone help her," jaemin says.

it doesn't take a genius to understand that perhaps, that's what sooyoung wished too.