DRAMA CLUB | hyunin ✔

.50

it's the first time they rehearsed the play together with jeonghan's crew, and jeongin can only be overwhelmed by the insane number of people crowding the auditorium.

even though it was big enough to accommodate all the students' families and friends, and was used to extremely boring speeches from the principal, jeonghan's team not only had actors but also a whole tech crew that marched inside the auditorium with whole lighting setups and larger-than-life wires. they had also contracted real makeup artists and even professional choreographers!

jeongin wondered how he could transfer to jeonghan's school.

he had been going over his lines with his fellow actors and singing his solo parts before jeonghan swung the double doors open with a grin and signaled his crew to make themselves at home. jeongin didn't feel like acting anymore, since a bunch of people climbed the stage and started singing and break dancing. jeongin felt like he was getting in the way, so he left to sit on one of the cushioned audience seats.

hyunjin, who had been attached to his hip since early morning, followed him, threateningly scanning the room for (what jeongin assumed was) any sign of chan.

seungkwan, who had been trying his best to take control of the situation and help the others to settle, was promptly ignored and sat, defeated, by jeongin's side.

jeongin hugged his costume bag felix had given him when he was once his assistant, which, with all they'd been through, jeongin presumed that felix didn't have much time to help him anymore, with all the janet wilson stuff and seungmin's spy agent mission weighing him down.

seungkwan's depressive mood was also not helping the situation. he kept longingly looking at the door and whispering, "he'll come back. right? he'll come back, he's a gemini!"

hyunjjn, by his other side, was a strand of hair away from touching his thigh. jeongin could feel the other's hand vibrating where it gripped the arm of the seat, like it took every power in his body to avoid grabbing jeongin right there, which jeongin wasn't really... against it. far from what he felt with chan, when the older gripped jeongin's thigh out of nowhere. hyunjin had never done that, even when he ceaselessly pestered jeongin day and night.

the night before, after hyunjin saved him from chan's claws, jeongin came to know that hyunjin drove his motorcycle there, which explained the ear-shattering sounds of engine he heard. although he wasn't fully responsible for them: jeongin's mom had arrived home with her car (and berated jeongin for having not only one but two boys at home when she wasn't there) and had an awfully awkward encounter with chan at the door.

she wanted to call both boys' parents as soon as she had a glimpse of the bruises on their faces, and thoroughly searched jeongin for any damage. hyunjin was quick to snitch on chan, an accusatory finger confidently pointing at the older, and jeongin's mom turned into a beast: she banished him from the house and threatened not only call chan's parents, but also the police!

she let hyunjin stay the night, though, and tended to his bruises with the first aid kit she had in the bathroom. that morning, hyunjin went to school looking all irresistible with a band-aid on the bridge of his nose, like a member of some fight club. jeongin soon realized he might have a thing for bad boys.

the bag in his arms started to vibrate, snatching jeongin away from his turbulent thoughts. alarmed, jeongin tried to ignore. had felix put something... questionable in there? but then it stopped. and started again.

unzipping it to peek inside, jeongin found not a bright pink phallic object, but that ancient burner phone felix had given him.

since seungkwan was busy being depressed and hyunjin acted like his own personal bodyguard, jeongin was safe to flip the phone open and secretely text felix.

the phone was really old, and he didn't know how it worked, but luckily the message tab was already opened, and it showed a text that said:

innie, are you alright??

- xoxo jw

jeongin needed all his brainpower to type a simple, "yeah, why?" because he had to fucking press each key thousands of times to get the letter he needed.

felix was quicker than him on the texting. it came only a minute later:

no reason. just want to inform you that seungmin dropped out. he doesn't want to work with us anymore. so, like, you don't need to follow the plan. but... i think you might be in danger in a different way.

- xoxo jw

jeongin frowned at the ancient phone. what, now? was seungmin the bad guy now? why exactly was jeongin involved in this?

a hot breath blew on his cheek, and jeongin noticed a head unbearably close to his.

"who are you talking to?" hyunjin inquired.

jeongin shut the phone down with both his hands, like killing a mosquito. "nobody!"

hyunjin lifted an eyebrow, not buying it. then he frowned, "it isn't chan, is it?"

jeongin laughed, "no, of course not!"

hyunjin looked even more skeptical. oh, well.

he reached for the phone, "let me see."

jeongin yelped, "no!" and threw it inside his bag, zipping it and bringing it to his chest, holding on for dear life.

hyunjin didn't try to get the bag, he just looked at him, puzzled.

then the bag started to vibrate.

jeongin gulped.

hyunjin lifted a brow again, pointing at it, "someone wants to talk to you."

the bag buzzed again.

"it's not the phone!" jeongin blurted out.

hyunjin gave him an offended look, as if jeongin was attacking his intelligence by wanting him to believe that.

"then what is it?" he pressed on.

jeongin gulped again. damn it, why did it have to be so complicated? why couldn't he just tell everything to hyunjin and be done with it? but jeongin knew what would happen. hyunjin would immediately run to chan and get into another fight, reveal the whole plan, thus destroying it.

he wanted to scream. if hyunjin hadn't suddenly sent him a bunch of texts and overwhelm him at that crucial moment, jeongin wouldn't have implied he was in trouble and consequently make hyunjin rush to his house and throw the plan out of the window. he'd be free by now! they could've caught chan on the act, whatever he was going to do once jeongin became too distracted with the kiss and didn't notice whatever weapon he'd pull out. seungmin and felix would've stopped him with a pepper spray or something, and they'd hand the footage to the police and end it all!

jeongin then said with confidence, "it's a dildo!"

hyunjin frowned, taken aback.

seungkwan, by his side, finally looked at them, mouth wide open, flabbergasted.

"i think that's hard to believe, innie. stop lying to me. i'm just trying to protect you!" hyunjin said.

"well, don't!" jeongin yelled, frustration finally getting to him, "i don't want it, didn't ask for it! just stop!"

jeongin breathed heavily after that, as if all his energy had been drained from saying those sentences to hyunjin.

the other just stared at him for a moment.

seungkwan muttered, "i don't think bringing... that here is very professional, jeongin."

hyunjin exasperatedly shook his head, then stood up and left.