we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part twelve

⇉ the one with sneezing.

part twelve

"But the school's taking care of it already."

Juno rolls her eyes at Mark's words. "Bullshit. I need to find the culprit myself because they seem to think I killed the girl just because I was the one who found her body, which makes zero sense." She goes on to fill in the others in on everything.

"But what's in it for us?" Haechan asks, folding his arms across his chest. "Everything was peaceful before you got here. Why should we poke our noses where they don't belong?"

She scowls at him. "For the satisfaction? I don't know."

"Try again."

Juno glares. "And are you really trying to blame my arrival here for a fucking murder?" She scoffs. "I don't care if you think I'm a killer, but at least try to use some common sense."

"I mean, it's a little too much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Haechan shrugs, knowing every word he speaks is angering her further, but decides he doesn't care. "The semester just started, we're looking forward to graduating. Then you show up, and suddenly a girl is found dead. And by you, nonetheless." He cocks a brow. "Common sense would actually point to you as the culprit."

Juno's jaw clenches, but she doesn't reply. Instead she turns pleading eyes to Jeno, and he sighs.

"I don't know, Jun," he murmurs, and the others raise their brows at the nickname. "This seems like trouble. Maybe it'd be better for you not to get involved."

"I'm involved already, whether I like it or not," she tells him.

"And there's still time to back out." Juno startles when Jaemin speaks. His tone holds none of the malice and anger it did when they last spoke; now, he just sounds defeated. "I don't think you entirely know what you're getting into. We're talking about this shit normally, but a murder in a school is still a huge deal, you know?"

"I know, and you're right," she says. "I just, I don't know, sitting down and doing nothing is getting me antsy, and-" Juno's sentence is cut off by the ringing of the bell. Everyone shuffles over to take their seats, and just like that, the conversation is over.

▸

"Bloody hell!"

The startled squeal escapes Juno's lips before she even realizes, and she glances down in alarm. She heaves a sigh of relief when she sees that what just brushed against her foot was just Shawty, not some psycho killer waiting to murder her the way they murdered Jihyi.

Needless to say, her imagination has been overactive these days.

"Hello, baby," Juno coos, leaning down to scoop the tiny kitten into her arms. Juno swore to herself that she wouldn't get attached to this random animal, but it seems like it's a bit too late for that. "How was your day? Mine was terrible, but it always is." It is the day after, and although school was pretty uneventful compared to the days before, Juno feels as crappy as ever.

Shawty gazes up at her forlornly, and then promptly lets out what sounds like a little sneeze. Juno holds her up, scrutinizing her with concern. "What's wrong?"

Shawty meows, but that tells her nothing. Juno hurries over to the makeshift litter box she's set up for the kitten in the corner of the room, but nothing looks amiss. She's also put in an order for some cat toys and structures that should be arriving soon, and with the knowledge that the school monitors all, Juno prays that nobody will question it. She figures that Shawty will be a lot less bored cooped up in the room all day if she's able to entertain herself.