Mend | NCT Haechan

six

Jaein was sitting at a bench on the rooftop, minding her own business until she saw her brother coming towards her sitting on the seat next to her.

"Are you feeling okay? Overwhelmed?" Jaemin looked at his sister worriedly as she looked at him with her tired doe eyes.

"There's just a lot of things that are going through my mind right now." Jaein placed her hand on her older brother's arm. "You don't have to worry about anything. I will be okay."

"Are you sure?" Jaemin made sure that his younger sister was really okay and Jaein nodded happily. The siblings heard the bell rang and they decided to walk to their classroom.

As Jaemin as an overprotective brother, he laced his arms with Jaein making sure Kim Nayeon does not come to his sister perimeter in any way.

-

It was the weekend, specifically Saturday, meaning it was Kim Sunwoo's party that everyone in the university is going to. All of their friend group went on separate rides: Haechan and Jeno, Mark and Erin, Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung, and Jaemin and Jaein.

Haechan and Jeno were in their respective bedrooms in their shared apartment making final touches to their look. Jeno wore a simple white t-shirt and loose jeans while Haechan wore a white t-shirt, skinny jeans and a leather jacket on top. He knew it was warm outside but it will definitely get colder later in the night.

"This is the first time you went to a party since you're sophomore year." Jeno pointed out to the guy. "Since when you and Jaein experience her first college one with you."

"Yeah and it was my last at the time." Haechan bluntly responded to Jeno who just looked at his cousin. "Can we stop talking about her? I don't know why you've decided to bring her up in the first place."

"Okay." Jeno simply responded and they headed out from their apartment and on their way to the party.

-

Jaein was already at the humongous household of Kim Sunwoo's and honestly she was not overwhelmed at all. She rarely felt any emotions being at the party. Yes she greeted Sunwoo with Jaemin but now Jaemin is off somewhere while she's just sitting on a sofa in the lounging room with people surrounding her doing their own things.

Jaein wore a white cropped blouse with a black checkered pencil skirt. To top her outfit off, she wore some white sneakers and simply jewelry like a necklace and a bracelet.

Jaemin was hanging out with all the boys while Mark is dancing with Erin somewhere. She wasn't in a mood to talk to anyone but to her surprise, Jisung wasn't drinking either or vibing along as he usually would.

"Not drinking tonight Jisung?" Jaein imitated the conversation with her friend. Jisung stood next to her as he viewed the partying that was in front of him.

"I would but I might end up taking care of Renjun and Chenle." Jisung responded to Jaein who seemed also unfazed by the surrounding. "You?"

"Not much of a party person these days." Jaein shrugged her shoulders. To be honest she only showed up just for the vibes but also didn't want to seem like a loser at school.

"Understandable." Jisung acknowledged the girl who wasn't a much fan of partying.  "I'm going to head to the bathroom. I'll be back."

Jaein gave Jisung a reassuring nod and she decided to walk around the house and found the bar section. She mainly just wanted to look at the selection that the bartender has for the night until she felt a sticky substance falling down her head down to her body.

Kim Nayeon.

"Aweee, I'm sorry Jaein, I did that on accident." Nayeon said in the most petty tone ever. And honestly it made Jaein so much that she was drenched all in alcohol. Eyes were looking at the both of them. "Don't worry, the outfit wasn't that pretty anyways."

Are you serious.

"I- You- Ugh...." Jaein groaned, attempting to remove some alcohol off.

"I'm so glad that you were here in the first place. Maybe we should hangout sometime?" Nayeon smirked at Jaein who was definitely smaller in comparison to her.

Jaein stared blankly at her and right when Nayeon got another bottle of alcohol and pour it on her, she was grabbed by on the wrist and the alcohol poured on herself.

"Are you seriously that low of a person?"

-

Haechan was at the bar with Jeno, drinking a cocktail together with some of their classmates.

"Thought you said you're not gonna party anymore." Jeno took a drink of his alcohol. "You're drinking."

"I did." Haechan followed the same steps as Jeno. "Didn't say I would stop drinking, and also it wouldn't hurt to socialize with people- not that I want to."

Shortly after their small talk, gasps were heard from the other side of the bar causing Haechan and Jeno to whip their head.

"Did Nayeon really just spill that on..." Jeno tried to take a closer look. "Jaein?"

"Jaein?" Haechan looked at the poor girl who got drenched by Nayeon. "Why would Nayeon-"

"They're not friends anymore." Jeno butted in to what Haechan was thinking. "I thought this was clear to you already."

"God I'm so stupid..." Haechan muttered to himself and he decided to move through the crowd. He watched Jaein stood there shocked, pale as ever. She didn't bother reacting but she was trembling on the inside.

Haechan saw that Nayeon attempted to get a bottle to pour it on Jaein again but his angry self grabbed on Nayeon's wrists and somehow she poured it on herself.

"Are you seriously that low of a person?" Haechan glared at Nayeon who shirked by the contact of alcohol on her.

"Lee Haechan!" Nayeon screamed, disgusted with the substance on her.

"Always minding other people's business Nayeon? What on earth did she ever did to you?" Haechan's voice boomed through the room, scolding Nayeon who was scared by his angry voice.

"She was just..." Nayeon rebuked back but Haechan spoke first, not wanting to hear any more bullshit.

"What? Just sitting here innocently trying to have fun and then all of the sudden you decided to splatter your alcohol on her. Are you a bully?" Haechan spat out at Nayeon and the surrounding people gasped, hearing such news from Nayeon.

"No, I've been a really good friend-" Nayeon felt that there was someone behind her, spilling a liquid on top of her head.

"Oops. Sorry girlie. How about I help you clean up?" Chenle smirked at his friends and gave a wink and then dragged Nayeon to deal with her himself. Haechan knew that he can trust Chenle with pettiness to other people.

"Are you alright?" Haechan turned to Jaein's who head hung low and was silent the entire time. Jaein couldn't respond properly so she just stood there aside with him. This indicated to Haechan that she was not alright.

"Jaemin's drunk." Jeno went up to Haechan. "I'll just tell Renjun to have Jaemin at his place with Chenle and Jisung for the night and Jaein can be at ours. I don't think she should be her any longer."

Haechan gave him a quick nod and lead Jaein out of the house, grabbing her wrists since she was quite reluctant. Honestly he wasn't event sure why she changed that way. The Jaein he knew was the most bubbly person he ever met.

Jaein was shivering due to the alcohol that was all over her body, still sticky. The cold outside didn't help either since she didn't bring a jacket. Haechan noticed that in her too. Taking a deep breath, he took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around Jaein, helping her slide her arms into the sleeve.

Jaein felt the sensation between her and Haechan. After all she thought he had hated her but she wondered how he was able to read her so easily since she was shivering. At this point she was all out of energy as she got into Haechan's car with him, driving their way home.

One thing that she didn't expect was for Haechan to read her mind after she felt uneasy about leaving the party, more like the destination.

"You don't like staying home alone so you're staying at my place tonight."

-

fyi Jaein and Jaemin still live in the house w/ their mother but she out on business trips half of the time cos she got filming gigs