fangirl | renjun

Chapter 15

"It can't be that bad." Aera sighs as soon as she enters the theater room that was empty with one light on as Haechan sat there with a seat beneath the only light that was on. In front of him was an empty chair, as if he was all ready to finally tell her the truth. In reality, however, it just looks like Haechan was about to interrogate her with all the crimes that she has committed.

"You're finally here." He didn't even raise his head, all he knew was that her feet were quite heavy for someone of her structure. "So, who should start with the spilling?"

Aera hasn't even taken a step into the light before she sighs.

"Did you really have to do all this?" She glances around the empty theater and then back at Haechan. It was beyond unbelievable what he was doing.

"Now, that I think of it–" he pauses before kicking out the chair in front of him to basically force her to take a seat– "I should hear what you have to say first before I get to the nit and gritty of what truly went down all those years ago."

Aera wearily looks at Haechan.

"Now you're doubting me? Really?"

She takes a deep breath before leaving forward. "You promise not to tell a single soul?"

Haechan moves back with a confident look in his eye, before flashing her a quick smile of assurance. "I swear on my hand." He puts down his hand on the table and pretends to cut it off with his other hand, sort of a brutal way to promise things. "I swear to offer you my hand as retribution."

Aera takes a deep breath before hitting Haechan's hand out of the way "Do you even plan to tell me the truth?"

Haechan stops and finally leans back on the chair. "Honestly, it's about damn time the two of them grow up from something so–" he pauses as if he was trying to think of a term that would not offend his friends– "grade school?"

"Grade school?"

Haechan nods his head. 'Though the issue isn't very much grade school– I would say it falls under a Mexican Telenovela."

"During middle school?"

Haechan crosses his eyebrows together before he takes a deep breath in and slightly tilts his head to the side. "Right."

For a brief moment she knew that doubting their experience was the wrong way to go. Haechan suddenly looked conflicted to tell her. As she was about to apologize for the remark Haechan intervenes.

"Right." He repeats the same word again this time nodding his head. "It's nothing more than some middle school squabble, but the trust Renjun and Jaemin lost for each other during the time is still so present."

"Don't you think I should be hearing this from Renjun or Jaemin–"

"They'll never speak a word about this." Haechan sighs this time all the mischief present earlier is gone from his face.

Maybe it was that initial change in Haechan's attitude, but she knew that this was something that deeply affected them when this happened. On her own, she finally decided to stand up from the seat she was on making the chair screech in the process. Haechan looked at her confused with her action.

Aera shakes her head. "I think it would be better to hear it from Renjun."

"He's not going to tell you!"

She shakes her head. "Even if he decides to never tell me– I want to hear all this coming from him."

"Aera." This time, unlike all the other times Haechan has called out her name, it was nearly pleading her not to leave him there.

"I appreciate that you want and are willing to tell me about what has happened, but it feels wrong."

As Aera was about to leave the stage, where Haechan had unfortunately placed the table and two chairs under the intimidating lights of the auditorium, the door opened.

"Haechan!" Jinae's voice echoes in the empty auditorium.

"What are you doing here?" This time it was Haechan's chair that scratched against the polished floor of the stage.

"You sent me an ominous message–"

"What are you talking about?" Haechan runs past Aera and towards Jinae. "I don't even have your number."

Then the two of them stood there looking at each other weirdly. Jinae had the phone between her hands as Haechan looked down to check on the message. From the stage, Aera could see him physically shiver at the message.

"What secret?" The empty space made it extremely hard for whispers to remain as whispers, especially with Aera slowly making her way out of the auditorium.

Yet, Aera couldn't seem to miss Jinae's face losing color at the mention of a secret.

"Is there more?"

Aera has known Haechan for a few years now, but she has never heard him raise his voice like that. It made her stop walking and turn her head towards Haechan as her back was now against the two and her hands on the knob of the door.

He was fuming.

"Do you have any idea what kind of chaos you brought?"

Jinae licks her lips, unable to speak another word.

"Is this why you broke up with Renjun?" His eyebrows were knit together as they were glaring at Jinae.

"Haechan..."

That was all it took for Aera's ears to perk up.

A few months ago she was clueless when it came to this kind of stuff. She had no idea that her best friend was crushing on the boy she was idolizing and was being held back by her. In that time, she began to understand that they were in the age where they were all experiencing feelings and attraction for the first time and for others– understanding how to manage it.

The tenderness in the way she called his name– for the first time she understood that there was probably much more than–

The knob she was holding onto rattles for a quick second after the sound of keys echo on the other side. Just as she was about to turn the knob–

CLICK.

Once she was able to twist it, the door had already been locked. She knocked on the door a few times, but there was no response on the other side.

"Guys!"

Haechan and Jinae turn their heads towards Aera who had both her hands on the knob trying to turn it again and again.

"We're locked in."

--

a/n:

nothing better than getting locked inside a huge auditorium with your (fake) boyfriend's ex and his friend?

anyway, sort of lost inspo to write fangirl for a while because of the whole shabang with shotaro and sungchan ha ha ha

thought I'm looking forward to their debut and know they would strive in smnbg, I have always written nct's 00 line as a friend group because of their dynamic. I was planning an nct 00 line series right before the announcement and had to readjust it back to five. 

anyway I'm back to writing again :)))))