✓Crotchet || MCND Castle J

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 Chapter 2

Castle J's POV

"Just two hours," I said. "Cover for me. Make an excuse or something."

"I don't think this is a behavior of a leader," Seungmin said.

"Please? We haven't seen each other for two weeks. Two weeks. This is the only day we have a loose schedule." I'm not usually the type to plead but I'm becoming desperate. They wouldn't scold us if we're late or anything. Still, Seungmin is right. I'm not behaving like a leader at this moment.

He thought about it for a second. I'm sure he's already thinking about what to do. "I don't know..."

"How about this," I said. "You guys choose a place to eat lunch a little bit far away from the company. Then you just take your time eating."

"Are you saying you want us to be late, too?"

"No, I mean it will buy a little more time."

He sighed. Minjae, Huijun, and Junhyuk entered the practice room we're in. They all sat with us on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Minjae asked.

"This guy right here wants to skip two hours of practice to go to his girlfriend during her lunch break," Seungmin answered. I glowered at his sudden informality. But I needed his favor so I didn't point it out.

"Then go," Junhyuk said. "It's just individual practice anyway. Do whatever you want, what's the difference?"

"The difference is I won't be inside the company. What if someone looks for me?"

"So?" Huijun said. "We'll just say you're out. It's only gonna be for two hours, right?"

"Don't you guys get it?" Seungmin started to explain. "What if he loses track of time and ends up skipping practice the whole day? We have a group practice before dinner and we have a meeting with the CEO tonight."

"You know I wouldn't be that careless," I said.

"Then why are you asking me to buy time?"

All of them stared at me and I questioned myself too. Then, I said, "It's because I'm nervous! I've never skipped any schedule since we debuted."

"Then just make sure you get back here before group practice starts," Minjae said. "And tell manager hyung where you're going. He has to know where you are."

"It's fine," Huijun added. "When we were trainees and there's still only the three of us." He gestured at Seungmin and Minjae. "Seungmin hyung skipped an entire day and they didn't even say anything."

"Yeah," Minjae said grinning. "It was only after the fifth time he did it that they threw away everything on his locker."

Junhyuk snorted which started the laughters. Minjae and Huijun started reenacting how Seungmin cried as he tried to put all his things back to his company locker. They said both of them were so scared to even help him. But remembering it now, they said it's actually kinda funny.

"That means you have four chances before they get angry," Seungmin said. "Tried and tested."

"I won't go that far," I said, still half laughing.

*****

I thought I wouldn't be the first to arrive at our meeting place, a small café that isn't busy during lunch hours. But I'm here sitting at a corner table overlooking the streets outside. It's been five minutes past the supposed time we'll meet and she hasn't answered any of my texts. Maybe they didn't dismiss them yet from class.

I sighed and resist the urge to send another text. I only have two hours and I want to spend every second of it with her. It can't be helped.

I watched the people walking outside, hopeful she's already on her way here.

I smiled when I spotted her from across the street, then immediately frowned when a guy walked up to her. She flashed him a smile which made me uncomfortable. I know he could be just a classmate, but still.

The pedestrian signal turned green. She should be crossing the street now. Instead, she laughed at whatever he said. It started to annoy me. What? Doesn't she want to meet me quickly? She still has time, she still can cross the road. But they kept talking. And I kinda had enough when she tucked her hair behind her ear while laughing.

I dialed her number and immediately end it when she looked at her phone. She waved goodbye to the guy and ran across the street, barely making at as the lights turned back to red.

I only smiled vaguely when she sat beside me and kissed my cheek.

"Did you wait long for me?" She asked.

"Yeah, what took you so long?"

"Sorry. It's club recruitment day and I couldn't get away from one of them."

I nodded. "Then, who was that guy?" I nodded across the street.

She smiled before answering which made me more irritated. "Oh, that's Hwan. He said he likes the stories that I write but I told him I already quit the writing club so I'm not writing anymore."

"Hmm... So when did you met him?" I casually asked.

"I first met him when I was still friends with Jihwa..."

"It's been that long and you never told me about him?"

"Well, we didn't start hanging out until a few days ago so..."

"You're hanging out with him?" I'm pretty sure my forehead creased. I'm not liking this very much.

"Yeah?" She answered doubtfully.

"Since a few days ago?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you're already that friendly with him?"

"Is that wrong?" She asked and then she grinned, realizing something. "You're jealous."

"No, I'm not! It's just..how can you be that close to someone in just a few days? That doesn't make any sense. I mean, you usually don't do that." She just continued grinning. "So you aren't explaining yourself?"

"What is there to explain? We were just talking and you're just thinking too much. You can't be jealous because of that."

"I said I'm not je-"

"Oh, you are." She said. We stared at each other for one second, her grin was becoming annoying. Especially when I know she knows she's right.

I sighed. "Alright. I might be. But that's just because I haven't seen you in weeks and the first thing I see is you with some other guy laughing and...playing with your hair."

"I was not!"

"Oh come on, I saw right over there," I said, pointing outside. "And let's not talk about this anymore. We've only got two hours and it's a waste if we fight."

She laughed and I wondered why. "Hey, we just had our first stupid argument."

I snickered. "We did?"

She reached out for my hand and squeezed it with both of hers. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'll always be yours."

I pulled her hands to my lips and kissed them. "I know. Let's go order now."

~•~•~•~•~•~
Reference: The same Hwan from Chapter 23