IRIS | Na Jaemin

A reminder.

"Hyung, may I come in?"

Jaemin knocked on the door of their office before walking in as he heard the approval of the two leaders inside. Jaehyun and Taeyong discussing something about one of their recent missions.

The boy entered with his head hang low, scratching the back of his nape as he raised a question addressed to the both of them.

"May I speak with you both?"

The two elders looked at each other, kinda having a hint on where this talk would be going.

Taeyong was the first to speak. "Sure" before he asked the younger to come take a sit with them.
Jaehyun in front of Jaemin, as both of them were on the other side of Taeyong's office table.

Just by looking at them, Jaemin already felt nervous. Here goes nothing.

"I just want to apologize for what I did yesterday...with Iris. I'm well aware that both of you already know my past relationship with her and how she knows me as Nana Lim and not Jaemin Na. I know I lied back then, and did again yesterday, and I am in no position to ask any favors from the both of you, nor wishing for you to understand, but still I was hoping you guys won't tell her that I am Nana. I'm not gonna change my decision right now, I still don't want her to know...and I'm sorry."

The look on his face screams regret, but the two still cannot understand as to why he wanted to keep his identity from her so bad.

"Jaemin, I've witnessed your relationship. And I can tell just by the look in your eyes that what you felt for her was real -

"It was hyung, and it is. I lied about my identity but never about my feelings."

Jaemin interrupted Taeyong, wanting to make things clear. Unlike T, Jaehyun never got to witness the two's relationship, he just got back, and the only thing he knows is that the two met at the orphanage, they had a relationship for 2 years and that up until now Iris knew him as Nana Lim, the very same person who left her without notice a year and a half ago.

"Look, Jaemin. If you were hiding your identity before so you could protect my sister from this Mafia world, don't you think it's time for you to re-consider that, knowing that unfortunately she's in this for life...she's already part of this mess to begin with, even before you became a member...she was born in it."

"I know hyung...that was one of my reasons before...but - "

Jeno came in hearing the three when he was about to go back downstairs coming from Taeil's control room, and he seems to cannot control his blood anymore.

"Iris deserves the truth, Jaemin." he suddenly blurted out, hands balled in a fist. The two leaders were somehow shocked by his sudden outburst to his best friend, but they were not surprised. They witnessed how the two got closer when Iris was recovering, how Jeno became one of her supports alongside her family when she thought she lost her Nana. They witnessed how he cared for her.

"Jen-" Jaemin tried to calm him down, still wanting to explain himself further.

"You weren't there Jaemin. You did not see how badly hurt she was, how she questioned her self worth when you were gone. And I understand nor will never blame you for it on why you cannot come, we all did! That's why we, I, tried so hard to make her understand that it wasn't your decision to leave, that you weren't even given that choice, because if you did, you wouldn't even think about leaving her! That what you felt for her was real and she doesn't need to question it one bit! I've watched her crumbled down, Jaemin! and the least you could do is to try and be honest with her! but no, you lied back then and you continuously lie to her now. I'm not even gonna ask you anymore why you did what you did, you don't owe us any explanation, Na, but at least you owe Iris an apology. You owe her the truth." Jeno cannot help but to burst out all that he's been thinking, he himself didn't know why he felt so angry hearing his best friend justifying his decisions. He glared at him before storming out of the room.