The NEO Show [NCT Fanfiction]

E01S01 - Over and Over Again [Jaemin]

Jaemin opened his eyes slowly. Light filtered into the shiny white room once the pod opened.

"Please exit the pod carefully" The very familiar recording repeated as he yawned.

He stepped out and stretched his limbs. His dark navy blue uniform contrasted with the completely white room he was currently standing in. The pod itself closing as steam filled his environment.

He grabbed his bag and turned around to spot an open door. Once he was out, said door slid close as the little circle on it began to shine green. He sighed as he strolled down the halls. Every other door had the little red circle, as his classmates were still inside.

As he took a turn, he was greeted with the reception. The white structure slowly fading as light grey walls and plants covered every inch on it.

Jaemin cleared his throat as the receptionists ignored his presence. The closest one to him looked up and smile.

"Hello!" Another woman said.

He smiled awkwardly as both began typing out the usual. His name, his pod number, his age, his school, his selected program and everything else in between.

"Please wait here as I look for something," One of the ladies said, taking Jaemin's attention back to them.

He frowned as his eyes followed the lady standing up and grabbing something from the many shelves that decorated the facility.

She returned as she placed a medium sized box in front of Jaemin. He blinked in confusion as he looked up.

"Your program has been upgraded." The lady began to explain. "You will do 7 hours a week at home and come here every three weeks."

Jaemin swallowed as his heart began to speed up. He looked down again and noticed the shiny green circle on the side.

"The rest of the instructions are inside. You only need to calibrate the device by putting in the same information you gave us, and, if possible, your current pod number." The other woman said as she smiled.

Jaemin nodded and he grabbed the box with shaky hands. He bowed and rushed out of the building in a daze.

He walked with a weird sensation in his stomach. His hands seemed to get tingly the more he held onto the box. He took his usual steps up and sat down to an empty school bus.

He quickly opened his bag and placed the box inside. He really didn't want to see it.

He sighed as one of his friends got on the bus right after him.

As people began to flood the bus, he hugged his bag closer to his chest. A speech to explain everything tried to formulate as the vehicle began moving through the streets of Seoul. He looked out as the sky was darkening.

His shoulders slumped as they reached the universal station. He remained seated as the rest left. Soon enough the vehicle began its journey to the city outskirts. He looked around and noticed a young student sleeping a few seats back.

Jaemin tried to put their features together but to no avail. He looked down and noticed the same damned box right next to the person, but this time, it had a red circle. He frowned.

The bus came to stop and the student opened their eyes. Jaemin jumped slightly as his classmate rushed out the bus in pure panic.

He swallowed as he looked down at his own bag.

After another 20 minutes, he finally got off the bus. The cold made him shiver as he walked down the street. The big chunks of cement and glass still interrupted his path to his house. The little lamps had a yellowish, mostly orange, light that made the moving around much harder. The decaying houses seemed to melt off as he passed right next to a pile of old paint.