LIES UNSPOKEN. / NCT DREAM

three

NIGHT FELL as students rushed home from their late evening study sessions. gripping unto their books earnestly and chatting mindlessly along the hallways, the stars twinkled and the warm moon lit up and hugged its light for the sun's absence. in the serenade of the black and in the midst of the velvety dark, the stars are a choir. they are lights that sing in infinite patterns. sometimes, eyes need music, and the darker the night, the sweeter the song.

jaemin snickered as he pushed his hair to the back, smirking in response as he slung his bag loosely on his shoulders, tongue poking out cheekily every now and then. the playboy was very known for striding the hallways at night when the school is nearing its closure by himself with black leather headphones strapped to his head surrounding his ears, mischievous eyes that are bound to look for trouble and lips tugged up into a curl that makes him look even more menacing than he was put out to be.

most people dont see that in his image, apparently. especially the girls. they think of him as dashing with a hint of fiesty. perhaps a hot mess. yes, a hot mess would be the right way to describe na jaemin. he watched the remaining students passed by him with shy smiles and blushes creeping up their faces when jaemin flashed a sweet smile, his two fingers doing a playful "salute" gesture, which had become a trademark for jaemin. the bright smile and wink that followed stole the girls' hearts straight away. that was how great his visuals were.

suddenly, his phone starting ringing. amidst the silence that lay on his skin like poison, he fished his phone out of his trusty pocket, squinting his eyes in the darkness as he managed to read out the characters of confusing nicknames he's given his contacts list. pressing the answer call button, his phone automatically lifted up to meet his ear, hearing the sound of a deep voice that echoed the suppressive stillness.

"im coming, i wont skip today." a pause. "yeah, yeah, i get it. mm. coming. i promise." he reassured finally as he let out a few hums, ending the call briefly. as he heard the phone line cut off and the resounding beep that filled the empty hallways, his expression turned sullen, a big contrast from earlier's observations. his hand that held the device dropped to his shoulder in tireness as he bit the inside of his cheek. letting out a big sigh, he wrapped the wire of the headphones neatly in his delicate and large hands before pulling his bag out, tucking the item cleanly into the side of the interior in his bag, before zipping it up.

his ears picked up the sound of indistinct chattering and shuffling of the feet. suspicion rose in him as he pushed himself up from a squatting position, letting his sense of hearing wander around the vicinity, following the voice of the silent night. his breathing started to quicken as he grabbed his bag, eyes glued on the windows that imaged the scenary of the dark and lonely night sky.

his hand travelled down the floor to take his phone up again as he quickly placed it in his pocket, eyes wandering around the dark hallways. picking up his speed, he jogged to the classroom at the end, located at the side of the campus. not everyone knew that class was ever occupied.

the absence of any bright light stopped jaemin from being able to clearly see well. but, he could tell someone was with him. darting his gaze around, he stayed on guard, defensive over himself while he walked at a slower pace than usual.
when he needed to make a turn to the right to reach the end classroom, he turned his head behind, staring at the emptiness of the unoccupied hallways. the unrest was evident in jaemin's eyes. jaemin heaved a sigh of relief as he slowly moved his head to face the front again, only to greet himself with the fright of his life.

"boo!" a boy jumped out from behind the wall that conjoined another hallway from the right. jaemin, out of pure and utter shock, flinched and tripped, falling backwards as his body hits the ground roughly. groans were the only sounds that blanketed the area as jaemin rubbed his bosom in pain, sneering as he looked up to see a snickering chenle with a mask on his hand. the corners of chenle's lips fought a smile, his eyebrows slightly lifted. jaemin could tell the boy's exuberance for trouble was a contagion. a bad one.