𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗹+𝗶𝗻𝗴. haechan

chp. 6

DON'T GIVE UP

"I also want to act like I'm okay." HABIT, SEVENTEEN

"Hyuck! Your initials are in captial letters!" Zhong Chenle, a chinese member had yelled.

Donghyuck took a glimpse of his slim and bony hands, focusing on the tattooed initials that seem to be in capital letters now. He then thought back to during the meeting - when his fingers started stinging but he held a proper posture.

As the members teased him, he swiftly covered his hand and walked away.

We all know that Donghyuck is clearly not interested in his soulmate nor who it is, but the thought of his fingers stinging right at that moment seemed irregular.

The only female that was in the room was Hyeji, but it could have reacted late.

The thought just wouldn't escape his mind, he even tried boxing to get it out of his mind but no matter what, the tattoo was all he could think about it.

"It couldn't have been her, her name is Hyeji, doesn't even start with a J." He thought after taking a comfortable seat onto the living room couch and turning on the TV in hopes of distracting himself. As the sound of the show he was watching filled the room, it had drawn more members to come in.

Minhyung comfortably sat next to Donghyuck on the couch that let him sink into softness. "Donghyuck-ah.." The called male hummed gently to signal that he was listening, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

"You know we're the most wanted people by Acid right? I just wanted to tell you that even if we're the aces or even if we're the best..." Minhyung said in a calm tone. "Even if we're always together, we might not make it through. I just wanted to thank you for staying by my side through this whole journey and even if we lose or if I lose..."

The last few words made Donghyuck lower his eyes and transition it over to his older friend's hands that was fiddling with each other as he spoke.

"All I can say is, thank you Donghyuck." Minhyung smiled.

What Minhyung just said made Donghyuck feel uneasy, it was as if he was going to give up or lose hope. He knew how fond the Lee was to him, so nothing felt like a joke.

A sentimental aura surrounded them, like the whole room was filled with warm colours. Donghyuck didn't reply - all he did was slowly lift the sleeves of Minhyung's green oversized sweater which made him squint his eyes in confusion.

The younger Lee pulled his sleeve up to his shoulders and revealed the NCT tattoo that he had.

"Don't give up. You know who we are. I know who you are. Lee Mark." Donghyuck comforted in a soothing tone, smiling back at his older friend - or should I say, brother.

"I will always be by your side, don't give up on me either."

▬

As Jihye decided to train at the base since she was there anyways, the visited the shooting range and pulled out her sniper. Putting on the protective clothing and accessories, she thought back to her soulmate.

Jihye really didn't care about her soulmate ever since she was young, she was too busy focusing on her team and her skills.

"Lee Haechan... l-d-h." She mumbled to herself. "It's definitely not him because the names and initials don't match up. "But what if he has an alias, like I do?" The Park questioned to herself.

After a few minutes of thinking she simply moved on and continued practicing her aim.

"Jihye-ah! Come down and eat!" Hendery's loud voice yelled, coming all the way from the dinner room.

The called female quickly finished her round and put away the tools, clothing and accessories. She then came down from the indoor escalator and gathered with her other members to enjoy lunch.

"Kun! That smells delicious, the fuck!" Jihye exclaimed before stuffing a large spoonful of rice and so,e side dishes into her mouth. Kun gently chuckled and told everyone to eat up.

"Anyways, when are we gonna work on the mission by NCT?" Xiaojun asked.

"We can start working on the tools now. Go for something that doesn't require a lot of materials but works well. And for the physical missions, they'll let us know when they need us." The leader informed.

"Kun, what favour would you ask them back, though?"

"Hm, not sure. I'll ask when we need it but there is nothing in mind right now."

▬

The weekend flew by like a flash, and Jihye unfortunately, had to return to school. Last night, she had slept at the base because the team went karaoke-ing, so she had to wake up a bit earlier to get her uniform.

"I can't wait to get my license." She thought as she grabbed a taxi.

Once she arrived home, it was complete silent. The Park assumed that her brother hasn't woke up yet and her parents already left early in the morning.

As she walked to her room, she passed by Jisung's room and noticed that he wasn't in there. However she lost thought of it and just changed clothes and go ready.

Slipping on the white blouse, fixing the tie, tying her hair into a convenient bun.

As soon as she arrived at school, Haewon came running up to her.

"Hey, calm down. What's up?"

"Jihye! Oh my gosh! Wang Daiyu and Lee Haechan are dating!" The excited female informed her best friend.

EDITED
a/n: is karaokeing a word.