Shall We? | NCT Lee Jeno ff

Chapter 23 - Jeno

As the boy carried the girl to her bed and headed to her door, he gave her one last look. Her cheeks were still damp with all the tears that came out. He felt guilty and knew it would break the girl's heart even more if she woke up with her sobbing evident the moment she touched her cheeks. The boy rushed silently to the girl, taking tissues before dabbing her cheeks slowly, trying to not wake her up. The tissues were crumbled in his palm, his eyes still on the girl's asleep state. "You are indeed beautiful," the boy said, then leaving the girl to her dark and quiet room.

    "Where are you? I've been waiting for you to come out of your room in the past 10 minutes when I just got home but you weren't there," Jaemin confronted, Jeno hearing music played in the background of the boy on the other end of the call. "We just forgot about the time, I'll call you later," Jeno sighed and looking at Mr. Jungho uncomfortably. Mr. Jungho had insisted on driving Jeno home, as a way of conveying gratitude for staying with Hyun Nam throughout the night. The streets were empty, there were only 4 cars that were behind their car and a couple in front. People may be parked somewhere or went home to protect themselves from the rain and the heavy traffic that usually resulted in one of those thunderstorms. Jeno shifted in his seat, thinking if he should say something or not but Mr. Jungho looked unbothered (as far as Jeno could see from the back of Mr. Jungho's head). His thoughts began to drift away from would-be conversations with Mr. Jungho to Hyun Nam.

Jeno reflected on what happened throughout the whole night. From going to Starfield and waiting for hours for Hyun Nam until hugging her in the rain and holding her hand at her home. It was a hectic night. But above all, he was worried about how she was feeling. The only family loss he had to go through was the loss of his grandpa, but he was still 4 years old so he didn't have too many memories with his grandpa. But though he had never experienced it, he brought it to himself to imagine it for a while. He couldn't. He couldn't imagine his mom not being there to scold him for staying up late. He couldn't imagine his mom not calling him almost after every show/performance he did. His heart began to sink and his chest became heavy. If he was feeling this way by only imagining it, he could guess Hyun Nam felt one hundred times worse.

Before he could give any other thought on that matter, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. His only guesses were sasaengs or... the boy. But Jeno blocked the boy already so it wouldn't ring anymore if he called. After Jeno explained to Jaemin what had happened, they both decided for Jeno to not pick up any more unknown calls, even though it would ring hundreds of times. Jeno ignored the call but, as expected, the phone kept ringing as each call died out. Jeno could feel Mr. Jungho's eyes on him from the rearview mirror. Jeno quickly took his phone and blocked the number. Jeno smiled as silence filled the air, but it was broken by another series of calls.

"Aren't you going to pick that up? I'm sorry but I think I will crash the car if the phone rings one more time," Mr. Jungho smiled, eyeing Jeno from the mirror and back to the road. Jeno didn't know if he was joking or not, but the driver's stern face made it look like he wasn't.
"Hello?" Jeno answered the call reluctantly.
"I see you've blocked me twice now," the boy chuckled. "It's funny that you're scared of me."
Jeno clicked his tongue, moving his legs out of the stressful situation.
"You really think you can stop me?"
Jeno was wise enough to not say a thing.
"You should know that a brother's need for revenge is one of the most powerful motives on earth, if not, the universe," the boy chuckled once more. His chuckle was soft but heavy at the same time. Jeno could sense that the boy was educated and knowledgeable from the way he speaks and chuckles.
"Note these numbers down. 3178804. You'll need them for your judgment day," the boy said before hanging up. A text message came in Jeno's phone where the numbers were sent with a smiley face and clock emoji typed at the end. Jeno was more than aggravated. He was getting more worried now. He didn't think of it as a joke anymore.

To mention this problem to the agency would at the end bring the public's attention and all hell would go loose if this comes out. "Lee Jeno of NCT accused of first-degree murder." He couldn't imagine the things that would happen to NCT and other groups under SM if that scandal would happen. The disappointed looks on his fellow members raced through his mind. The looks on his parents when they find out. He buried his face in his hands. He didn't have anybody to ask for help.

"I believe you," Mr. Jungho said, Jeno's eyes lifted back to the driver. He silently drove to the next traffic light.
"Believe me? What do you mean?" Jeno shifted his eyes around the car, confused by the driver's sudden statement. His mind was still filled with thoughts surrounding the scandals, what the driver said just added to the hectic thoughts. The car halted as the traffic light turned red.
"I believe you."
"Believe I did what?"
"Incorrect, I believe what you didn't do."
Mr. Jungho turned around. For the first time, Jeno met his eyes. His cold face. The wrinkles on his face. The street lights shined half of his face, just like it did that night. Though he was older, Jeno still remembered him clearly.
"How-"
"I guess you remember now. I'm willing to prove your innocence and help you in any way I can."

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