fourteen days and twenty-eight kisses ; nct jaeno

day 5 ;

"Earth to Na Jaemin. Lee Donghyuck is looking for you."

Being pulled out of his train of thoughts, Jaemin turned to Donghyuck, who was suddenly sitting on the seat next to him, which wasn't where he was originally seated.

"Why are you sitting there?" Jaemin asked, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. "You're not supposed to sit there. You're going to get in trouble."

"I'll be fine," Donghyuck hummed, putting his chin on his hand. "So, tell me about how the dare is going."

Jaemin felt his heart drop at the mention of the dare. Coincidentallg, he saw the classroom door open, revealing a bunch of students from the other section, but only one of them caught his eye—Jeno, who was staring at someone out of his vision range.

...but even when he couldn't see what he was looking at, he already knew what—well, who it was.

"It's not working." Jaemin heaved a sigh.

"Wait, what is this?" Jaemin turned to Donghyuck, who gasped. "Jaemin! You sound so stressed over that!"

Jaemin raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"Are you in love with him already?!"

Jaemin's face turned red as he registered each word from Donghyuck's question. "What the fuck, Donghyuck?!"

"Whaf? with that tone and that sigh, you make it sound like you are," Donghyuck pointed out, fiddling with his fingers. "That'd be so sad. You, someone who had heen sulking over failing at finding love, finally finds love, which doesn't turn out well anyway because that person you are in love with is in love with someone else."

Jaemin felt as if his heart was shot by an arrow—not an arrow from Cupid, but an arrow from Pain. He looked down at his textbook, mumbling. "That's not the truth, Donghyuck."

"Then what is it?"

"I...I feel helpless."

"Over what?" Donghyuck asked, intrigued over this information Jaemin was suddenly spilling on him.

"Over the fact that Jeno is out there, hurting because the one he's in love with doesn't love him back anymore," Jaemin answered, picking up his pen and playing with it as he spoke. "It's not that I like him, but I just want him to be happy again. It's not working."

"Maybe it's because both of you have something that's holding you back from making it work."

Jaemin turned to Donghyuck, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Donghyuck started, crossing his legs. "According to Renjun, Jeno is too in denial to admit that he and she are over. Meanwhile, you're too in denial to admit that you're lovesick. If both of you just cut the shit, then maybe it would work."

"I don't know what Jisung's true intentions towards this dare were," Donghyuck continued. "but I'd like to think of them as not only to have you distracted from your dangerous lovesickness, but also to make you aware of the fact that there is still love outside of the circle you're staying in, whether it's platonic or romantic or whatever."

Jaemin stared at Donghyuck, shocked.

"Wait, what is this?!" Jaemin suddenly said, repeating Donghyuck's words from earlier. "Donghyuck! You sound so wise over this subject!"

"What about it?" Donghyuck asked, obviously unaware of what Jaemin was heading to.

"Are you experienced?!" Jaemin asked, amping up the fake shock expression with the gasp and the chest clutch.