we the cursed, nct dream ✔

part twenty-five

⇉ the one where she finds the notes.

part twenty-five

This is getting ridiculous.

At first, Haechan chalked up his friends' interest in the new girl to the novelty of her arrival. He'd figured they'd eventually drift apart as time went on, then she would find her own group of people to spend time with, and everything would go back to the way it was. Just the seven of them, the way it's always been.

But it seems that their little group has gained an eighth, and she's here to stay.

He pokes his tongue into the inside of his cheek, perceptive gaze roving back and forth between the members of the table. If she was anyone else, would he have minded? Yeah, maybe. But he just can't understand why his best friends are all "heart eyes" for this troublemaker.

She's literally nothing special, he thinks to himself. Or am I just the only sane one here?

Haechan watches her then as she excitedly compares her shiny manicured nails to Renjun's, who's sporting the same color on his index and pinkie fingers. Almost everyone else is also watching them except for the two youngest, who seem to be in their own world as they converse lowly. His friends' jealousy had been palpable when the girl had excitedly announced that Mark would be her "friendly date" to the dance.

Jaemin has to resort to stealing glances but never actually exchanging words with her because the last time he had, he'd been a jerk of the highest order. He still feels shitty about what he said but cannot bring himself to actually apologize. "Hey," he mumbles to Haechan, who's sitting beside him. "Get me a gun."

"Why?" The other boy's brows are raised.

"So I can shoot myself in the head with it."

"Why do all that when you can just use your flair to fry your internal organs instead?"

"Shut up," Jaemin hisses, punching his friend's shoulder lightly, but he's grinning. Then he sighs, glancing in the girl's direction again. "I really fucked up, didn't I?"

Haechan stifles an eye roll. "Not like it matters, you have a girlfriend. She's just a girl."

Jaemin eyes him, ignoring part of the statement. "I feel like you wouldn't be saying that if you actually got to know her," he comments thoughtfully. "So stop being such a hard-ass already, okay?"

"I'd rather that than... whatever the hell you guys are," Haechan mutters under his breath. The more he thinks about it, the more annoyed he becomes. It is one thing for this girl to worm her way into their group and charm apparently everyone except for him, but it is a whole other thing for her to be stringing them all along just because she enjoys the attention. The immensely strong bond Haechan has with these six other boys wasn't easy to establish, and he refuses to let some random girl come and reduce it all to shit.

He prays that they're all much too sensible to hang their friendship in the balance for a girl.

And of course, he knows that he could be getting way ahead of himself. Nothing has happened yet, and his suspicions are founded off flimsy words and stolen glances. But she still needs to know that not everyone is blind to whatever she's doing, and/or intends to do.

That's why, when they finally get up from their dinner table to retire for the evening, he stops her. "You guys can go ahead. I need to talk to her."

Jeno's wary, and his eyes move back and forth between them nervously. "About what?"

Haechan just cocks a teasing brow, and his friend sighs. Renjun isn't even looking at him; his eyes are trained on Juno, an unspoken question in them. He only turns around to leave after she's given him a reassuring nod.