amare ✧ lee haechan

seventeen

Yujin was in the middle of her shift at the convenience store when Renjun walked in, determined to find Honey Butter Chips. As he approached the counter to pay, Yujin greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Hi Renjun, long time no see! Honey Butter Chips, huh? Can't blame you, they're addicting," Yujin said, scanning the chips and placing them in a bag.

Renjun chuckled, their eyes meeting. "Yeah, I can't resist them, I love them. But well, I also wanted to talk to you about something."

Yujin's curiosity was piqued as she handed Renjun his purchase. "Sure, what's up? Did something happen?"

Renjun took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize for being distant. It was dumb of me, especially when our friends really like you."

Yujin's eyebrows furrowed slightly, sensing there was more to Renjun's apology. She decided to tread carefully. "Thank you for apologizing, Renjun. It's okay though. Is there a reason why you felt distant?"

Renjun hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting before meeting Yujin's eyes again. "I guess I was just unsure about your intentions. I didn't want to believe that you would take advantage of us and our friendship, but those thoughts crept in."

Yujin's heart sank a little, understanding his concerns. She wanted to reassure him but she wasn't sure how. "Renjun, I would never take advantage of you or anyone else. You can trust me, I mean it."

Renjun's expression softened, a mix of relief and vulnerability evident on their face. "I'm sorry, Yujin. I shouldn't have done that. It was unfair to you. I see now that our friends, especially Haechan, genuinely care about you, and I should have trusted that."

She just smiled reassuringly at him. "Renjun, I fully understand why you felt that way because there are a lot of people who have bad intentions towards you so don't say sorry, it's okay."

He just nodded, still feeling bad. "When do you finish your shift?"

"Uhhh, in about 10 minutes my coworker should come and then I'll be free. Why?"

"Would you like to go to SM with me? My manager is waiting in the car outside the store, I'd let him know and you'd go with us. I think they would be happy if you came, Minji and Haeun are also in the company." he said, adjusting the mask on his face. As Yujin nodded in agreement, he quickly called the manager to let him know.

She went to change into her normal clothes as Renjun offered to guard the shop for a bit to make sure no one would steal anything.

In the meantime, Yujin's coworker came to the store and had a chat with Renjun.

"Okay, I'm ready to go." she said after greeting Hyunhoo.

They left the store and walked over to the car, getting in. NCT Dream's manager smiled at Yujin. "Hello! I'm Il, nice to meet you!"

"Oh hi, I'm Yujin. Nice to meet you too!" Yujin sent him a warm smile and soon after they started driving towards SM.

Renjun and Yujin chatted on the way, even though the ride only lasted a few minutes considering the fact that the store and the company were very close to each other.

They entered the SM building through the back entrance and slowly made their way upstairs to the practice rooms, enjoying each other's company.

As they entered the room, all eyes turned to them, smiling at them. Some were positively surprised that Renjun was at Yujin's side.

Haechan was the first one to walk over to her and he pulled Yujin into a warm embrace, feeling a rush of warm wash over him. As he held her close, he thought about how much he adored her hugs. The way she fit perfectly in his arms, the comforting scent of her hair, and the way her presence made him feel at ease.