nossa lua: taeil x nct 127

15

looking left and right, checking if there's any other movement in the quiet apartment, taeil exits his room with a backpack and a suitcase that's carried by both his hands. a steaming mug of coffee is already on the kitchen island, waiting for him to take it and drink the contents.

the night before, the secretary barely got more than 4 hours of sleep because he was frantically trying to collect his luggage and information for the conference. so while jisung and chenle were in the room next door, sleeping peacefully, the older was going around his own room and packing everything in sight. maybe he overpacked but better to be safe than sorry.

checking the time, the oven read "6:37" and taeil put his cup in the sink and rushed to get his coat. the taxi would be there at 6:45 as they had all agreed to meet at 7:30, but he still needed to drag the heavy luggage down the stairs since the elevator was under repair. not to mention they lived on the 4th floor.

when opening the front door, the cool morning breeze hits his face and he snuggles a bit more into the large hoodie he's wearing. he didn't know if he needed to wear business clothing for the trip but assuming he was about to spend 13 hours in a squished seat, wearing slacks and a blazer wouldn't be the best. but, if he needed to, then there were extra clothes in his backpack.

"taeil hyung."

the sudden voice makes the secretary flinch a bit and let out a small squeal but he calms down when seeing it's just jaehyun and mark- wait...

"what are you two doing here? i thought we were meeting at the airport," the oldest was so confused about why his two bosses were there. more specifically, right in front of his apartment door too.

"your apartment was on our way there so it's easier this way. anyway, this is yours?" jaehyun takes hold of the largest suitcase. "don't you need to pack more?"

"what do you mean? i did pack a lot."

mark's mind immediately went to the pile of luggage in jaehyun's car because each of them decided to bring 4 on the trip. but on the bright side, if taeil was missing something, he could easily buy it from the stores around.

"never mind. anyways, we were planning on going to a cafe to pick up breakfast and then go to the airport. is that good?" mark picks up the other suitcase and the trio starts walking to the stairs.

"what time is the flight? i didn't see it in the ticket you sent," taeil unfolds his printed ticket and looks at it once more. "yeah, it's not here."

"the flight leaves whenever we tell it to," jaehyun answers. "gosh darn it, the elevator is out of order."

"i'm sorry, the stairs are that way. here, give the two to me and you guys can go to the car," the secretary reaches for his bags but is immediately blocked by the two ceos.

"it's fine, we aren't bothered by it," mark says with a monotone voice that taeil doesn't know if he's lying or he really has a problem with it.

"oh, ok," the oldest looks down a bit, fidgeting with his fingers.

"hey taeil, can you search up the cafe "dreamer" and call the phone number? if we can order over the phone, then we can just go and pick it up on the way," jaehyun notices how awkward the secretary.

"ah ok," after a couple of taps, taeil finds the phone number and pastes it into the pin pad. "jaehyun, i'm presuming you want the peach tart pastry and ice americano and mark, you want a butter croissant and iced coffee?"

both ceos felt their hearts flutter at the gesture. it was new to them, to have someone who paid attention to what they ate and was able to remember "trivial" stuff like that. again, both of them also felt a pang of guilt when reflecting on how hard of a time they gave him.

"don't forget to get something for yourself too," mark reminds the older.

"oh, i'm fine. i brought some snacks and i don't get hungry in the mornings," taeil answers. "but thank you for the offer."

it's a long walk down the flights of stairs but jaehyun and mark couldn't help but feel their hearts flutter a bit at how cute taeil looked when skipping down the steps.

.

.

.

"and with delta inc., the ceo is really picky about the format of the business slides. i made a template and sent it to taeil so if you guys need to make changes, do it on the flight," johnny's voice boomed over car's speaker.

the secretary listened to the conversation and kept note of everything on his phone.

"mr. hammerstein tends to cut in the middle of presentations a lot so keep your head with him," doyoung speaks next.

"and during the parties and gatherings, make sure to stick together. i'll say it again: you guys have to stay together or else."

taeyong's voice is so serious that no one is in the position to oppose it. only taeil is bold enough to question why.

"is there a specific reason for that?"

everyone could hear the sharp inhale taeyong does and jaehyun and mark prepare themselves for what's to come. even if they've heard the same reason before.

"business people have one goal in mind: power. whether it's to strip others of it or gain more of it, that one word can have them all swarm around any opportunity like sharks to blood. they smell it and only want more, willing to do anything to gain their prey. and the most vulnerable prey are the ones left alone."

shivers go down the secretary's spine. he's never heard his boss speak in such a tone: one full of hatred and despisement.

"you three can't trust anyone but each other. sure, people can be nice but how do you know if it's because they genuinely want to be kind or there's something they want from you? business is all about finding the real from the fake; who can you really trust?"

mark's hand turns into a fist and jaehyun's hand turns white as he tightens his grip on the wheel. they knew the warning and they knew the meaning behind it.

from the start, all 10 knew they were going into a game of mafia. some people can help while others kill. sure, some hints could be given but it was all up to them to find the fake one.

to find the one who was secretly killing for power of the game.