Response; NCT

🌙23🌙

Just as Inyeon had requested, there were now twenty eight people in her house.

"So, Inyeon, did I meet your expectations?" Doyoung laughed.
"There is a lot of people. I'm surprised that we all fit in this house."
"Well, are you ready to meet Jiyeon, Jieun's sister, or as we know her, my girlfriend?" Doyoung asked.
"I need to meet this girl, seriously. I need to thank her." Inyeon laughed.

Doyoung brought Inyeon over to where his girlfriend sat, talking with Jieun and Shotaro.
"Yeon, this is my little sister, Inyeon. Inyeon, this is my girlfriend." Doyoung said.
"I know a lot about you already from Do, Jieun and Taro." Jiyeon laughed.
"I never knew how popular I was." Inyeon joked as she heard her friends coming over to them.

"Of course you're popular, Neon! Don't you see your friends?" Sungchan said as he walked over to her.
"Everyone in our school knows her." Yangyang said as he joined their group, his arm intertwined with Somi's.
"It's not my fault." Inyeon laughed as the rest of her friends joined in the living room with them.
"Innie!"
"Innie!"
"Hi." Inyeon said to Renjun, who only laughed.
"Happy birthday, Inyeon." He replied.
"Thank you, Renjunie." Inyeon said as Jeno come over and rested his head on top of hers, laughing again at her height compared to his.
"Hello Jeno." Inyeon said as she tried to move, but he kept her still by wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"Stop moving, you're my headrest!" Jeno exclaimed.
"Channie, will you help me?" Inyeon asked her friend beside her.
"It's Jeno. What do you think I can do?" Sungchan said.
"Why don't you go do this to Jaemin or something." Inyeon complained.

"So Inyeon, nineteen, right?" Lucas asked.
"Yep."
"Happy birthday. So many people here."
"Funny thing is, I haven't even known most of these people for a month." Inyeon laughed.
"At this point everyone is just a mutual friend, only three being my friends first, and then three or four of you guys were Ten's friends."
"Fair."

"Hey there Tea!" Unyeon said as she walked over to Taeyong and Jonny.
"Hey Inyeon." Hey said as their attention was diverted to what she wanted to say.
"There are seriously twenty seven people here." Johnny complained.
"Yeah, I didn't think there were that many people. I was clearly wrong." Inyeon laughed.

"Hello people I haven't really talked to!" Inyeon said as she walked over to Hendery and Xiaojun.
"Hello people. Are you human?"
Inyeon asked.
"Hello to you, too, Inyeon." Xiaojun said.
"I think I'm human but you can't be sure of anything anymore." Hendery laughed.

Walking over to Kun, Ten, and SiChen, Inyeon begun asking the same questioon she asked Xiaojun nd Hendery, using it as a way to start odd conversations.
"Are you human?"
"Yes." Kun and SiCheng both said, while Ten, with a straight face, told her no.
"Great! I think we have to wait for the Dodo to ice the cake." She said bfore finding her next targets.

Mark, Haechan and Jaemin sat on the stairs going upstairs, playing in their phones, continuing their game.
"Hello peoples." She said as she sat beside them.
"Hello Inyeon."
"How are you guys doing?" She asked, as they looked up from their finished game.
"We're good. Happy birthday Inyeon." Jaemin and Mark said.
"Happy 19th birthday Inyeonie!"  Haechan said playfully.
"I'm going to go find Chenle and Jisung!"

"Hey there Children!" Inyeon said as she walked up the two boys.
"Hi Inyeon."
"We're doing cake soon, just to let you know." Inyeon said.
"Yes! I can't wait to see Doyoung fail!" Chenle said loudly. Inyeon walked away laughing, going towards Yuta, Jungwoo and Taeil.

"Hello, are you human?" Inyeon asked as Yuta rested his arm on her head lazily.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Yita responded.
"I am human, I think." Taeil said.
"I don't think I would be human." Jungwoo said.
"Good answers. Cake should be done soon, I think." Inyeon said, and as if in cue, Doyoung has come over to tell them to get to the kitchen.

Like this, twenty eight people stood in and around the kitchen, all there for one person. Even with all the love and support of her friends and her brothers, she couldn't shake off the feeling that gnawed at her.
Of the twenty eight there, two were missing. She wasn't surprised, but she still disappointed that her parents never called or texted or showed up.

"Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday Inyeon
Happy birthday to you"

Inyeon smiled before blowing out her candles, quickly yet surely making her wish;  that her parents would make to to her graduation.

Everyone cheers as Doyoung handed the knife to Inyeon so she could cut the cake.

The emptiness that gnawed at Inyeon
Felt like nothing compared to how Doyoung felt about their parents.
He and Gong Myun felt the same way and worried about how Inyeon felt.

While everyone was eating, the brothers walked over to Inyeon.
"Are yoy sure you're okay? It is not your fault that they didn't do anything." Gong Myung said quietly.
"I know, but all I want is for their effort. But they can't even give me that. It's all about money to them." Inyeon said quietly not looking up from her plate. Doyoung grabbed her plate and moved it aside, goving her a hug.

Gong Myung joined the two and somehow others joined without knowing why they were hugging.

"Group Hug!" Lucas yelled loudly, and every person in the room joined, ultimately making Inyeon laugh, and her brothers feel better about the ordeal.

I tried to have interaction with all of them for this chapter.
Sorry if it didn't turn out right