ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ➻〚𝙣𝙘𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙩7〛

Flashback: Movie Night

Renjun's POV-Age: 9 (Same year as the last chapter)

"Okay, boys. Please behave. we'll be back in about 4 hours. There's money on the counter, and Junnie knows our phone numbers, if you need anything at any time," My guardian, Auntie Li-Fen tells us all, kissing my head before linking arms with her husband, all dressed up in their best attire. 

Auntie's dressed in a stunning, flowy silk ball gown, a cashmere shawl draped over her shoulders, and Uncle's dressed in a formal, striking black suit, hair gelled and combed neatly, ready for a formal reception of sorts. They don't usually go out for events such as this, so it's a miracle that they're letting me stay home alone, and especially inviting my friends over on top of that.

"Okay, Auntie. We'll be good. Love you," I half-heartedly answer, my attention focused on my friends, all gathered around each other and huddled up on the couch in our great room, ready for a night filled with gaming, movies, and more fun. 

It's not that I don't care about them, don't get me wrong, they've given me the luckiest and privileged life that I wouldn't have had if it were not for them, but it's just...my friends give me richness, not in the sense of money, and beautiful, meaningful experiences that I've never had with them. They're the ones that helped me come out of my shell and become the carefree, happy boy I am today. Now, I don't want to discredit Auntie and Uncle, because they love me and give me as much as they can; they just couldn't seem to fill the void created in me like my friends have.

Which brings us back to now. The door closes softly, and I can hear Auntie Li-Fen's heels clopping on the stone walkway out of our house, but I mainly pay attention to Haechan's goofy antics, as I lean my head on Jeno's shoulder, wheezing with laughter.

"Calm down, Haechannie," I say in between short bursts of laughter, turning my attention to everyone, "So do you all wanna watch a movie or something? We can make some popcorn and pull out some blankets to get comfy."

"Ooh, yeah! We can watch a scary movie together," suggests Jaemin, a chorus of approval sounding out of the boys, but my face pales as I stay completely silent. A pit in my stomach forms; I really don't like scary movies, and I get scared even just by that Abominable Snowman from those Christmas specials. But they don't know that. Well...they know that I get scared easily, but I don't really want to seem like a wimp. A small part of my brain is telling me that they won't care or judge me if I get scared because they are my real friends, but I still want to stay strong for them.

I gulp, looking at everyone hesitantly, especially Jaemin and Chenle, who are practically jumping in excitement. Gosh, I don't think I'll ever be able to understand people who enjoy jump scares, scary creatures, and graphic, bloody scenes.

Jisung notices my discomfort, as I look unsettled, still nuzzled into Jeno's shoulder, Jeno playing some hand game with Mark. Jisung then asks, "Do you want to see a scary movie, Junnie? It's okay if you don't want to."

"N-no, it's okay...I j-just don't think t-that Auntie and Uncle will w-want us watching s-scary movies," I stutter, creating a cover-up story. It's true, Auntie Li-Fen especially wouldn't be happy with us watching scary movies, but it's still a pathetic excuse. It's not like I'm a very obedient child in the first place, so I don't sell my excuse too well.

"Don't worry about that, Renjun. They'll be fine with us watching a scary movie, especially since we're all together. We can also turn it off if it's too much for us to handle," Jeno assures, looking down at me, shaking my hand comfortingly.

"Great! I know a good movie that came out not too long ago," Mark grins excitedly.

"Nope!" Haechan interjects, "Don't even give your suggestion, Mark, because I already know it'll be lame." Mark pouts, rolling his eyes at Haechan yet again. Those two really have such a love-hate relationship. I guess that makes sense though; the way they met was when Haechan was being sassier than necessary at the park years ago.