Stronger || NCT mafia au

Chapter 74 | "lucky one"

"How fucking dare you!"

Jaemin stormed out through the back door, jumping down the stairs and into the garden where Jeno was still standing in shock.

"Too weak? Too sensitive? Why don't you say that to my face so I have more of a reason to beat the shit out of you!" Jaemin grabbed Jeno's collar, slamming him into the wall of the house as he yelled into Jeno's face.

Jeno didn't respond. A heartbroken expression on his face as he was still in shock, barely listening to anything Jaemin was saying. A harsh punch in the face from Jaemin snapped him out of his trance.

"Jaemin what the fuck man." Jeno growled out, shoving Jaemin back.

"Really? You're gonna get pissy with me after YOU tried to steal MY girlfriend? Really Jeno?"

The rest of the boys had caught up to the pair, Jaehyun going to pull Jeno back while Yuta grabbed Jaemin.

"And you kept fucking trying too, even when she said no. I have half a mind to shred you to pieces right now!" Jaemin spat out angrily.

"Jaemin. Calm down. You're not helping the situation." Taeyong said walking forward to stand between the two boys. "Don't go there. You know she wouldn't want you to do something like that so relax." He said sternly, the younger boy taking a deep breath as Yuta released him.

"Jeno." Taeyong breathed out lowly, turning to face the other boy. "You know, most of us are feeling pretty similar to Jaemin right now."

Jeno lowered his head, unable to meet any of their eyes as Jaehyun tightly gripped his shoulders from behind.

"It shouldn't come to Ji having to pull a knife on you to get you to back off. You're lucky that she's nice and one of us wasn't there." Taeyong growled, staring down the younger boy before turning to the others.

"Leave him alone. Don't waste your time with Jeno, Jihyun wouldn't approve of us harming another member. Let him think about what he's done." Taeyong called out to the rest of the boys, all of them turning to make their way inside after shooting angry looks at Jeno.

"Don't even think about trying anything with her again because next time I won't hold back." Jaemin spat before going inside to find Jihyun.

Jaehyun and Jeno stayed in the garden, standing in silence as Jeno stared at the ground, feeling Jaehyun's angry glare boring into his back.

"If you have something to say, Jaehyun, please just say it." Jeno whispers bitterly, turning to look at the older boy.

"You know what you did." Jaehyun says lowly, staring him down. "Look, Jeno, love is weird. Believe me, I know that it can make you act crazy but you have to control yourself."

"I know, I should've let her go the first time."

"More than that, you shouldn't have done it at all. Jeno, you're a part of our family now. Jaemin is your brother. Your teammate. We don't do that to each other. Jihyun isn't just one of your friends, she's your leader and a part of this family too. We protect each other always. As crazy as we might be, we'd do anything to keep each other safe and happy."

Jeno nods slowly at Jaehyun's words. He almost wishes that the older would just yell at him, instead he hears the disappointment in his voice which only hurts more.

"Family doesn't stab each other in the back. You need to respect their relationship, not make her uncomfortable and try to steal her from him. If she wanted to be with you, Jeno, she wouldn't have accepted Jaemin."

"I know....I just felt like I had to try."

"You made a mistake, I get it. I've been in your shoes and I know it hurts and I know there's that part of you that can't help but think about what if's, but no more. She gave you her answer. I respected it and you need to as well. If you really love her, you'll be happy that she's happy. And if you're any sort of friend to Jaemin, you'll be happy for him too."

Jaehyun pats the younger on the back before walking inside, leaving Jeno alone with his emotions in the garden.

- - -

"Woah there. You do realize that the punching bag can't fight back right?"

Jaemin had found Jihyun in one of the practice rooms, ruthlessly swinging at a punching bag with so much force that it looked like it was about to fall off its hook. She turned around, lowering her fists and wiping the sweat off her forehead when she heard Jaemin's voice.

"Hey" She said panting as she leaned on the nearby railing, trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah just wanted to clear my head a bit."

"Hmmm." The two stood in silence for a moment, Jaemin handing over her water bottle.

"I want to thank you." He muttered out. She paused, putting down her bottle and looking at him in confusion.

"Thank me? What for?"

"Just....how you handled Jeno."

"Ah" she nodded her head, "you saw that?"

"We all did. Ten linked up the mics and we watched through the window....sorry."

"Don't worry about it, the guys are usually pretty nosey, they're not used to secrets." She laughed out lightly, turning to smile at Jaemin as he continued.

"But seriously, thank you."

"Jaemin, I still don't get why you feel the need to thank me. I'm you're girlfriend, not his. I did what anyone else would do."

"Yeah but still. Just the way you stood up for me, for us." He grabbed her hand, pulling her to sit on the mat facing him.

"I like you, Jaemin. Not him. I get that he wanted to ask just to try but I think it's pretty clear that I want to be with you." She squeezed his hand, a reassuring smile on her face.

"I know, it's just that....I guess I'm nervous. Like even though we've only been together together for like 2 days, I still feel nervous about the whole thing."

"Nervous? Jaemin you never have to be nervous around me, you know that."

"No no not like that. Nervous as in....just nervous that I won't be enough."

"What? Enough for who? Enough for me? That's ridiculous because I can guarantee that you are everything I could ever want and more." She looked at him with a mix of concern and confidence, tightly gripping his hands as she stared into his eyes.

"But you're Jang Jihyun. You're the heir to the biggest Mafia in the country, you're the leader of the most dangerous gang in all of Korea, and not to mention you're probably the most feared and powerful person in the world. You're this highly skilled assassin. Everyone knows you and respects you. And I'm just....me." He drops his gaze to the floor, his shoulders drooping slightly.

"That's right. You're just Jaemin. Na Jaemin. You challenged me to be better and it worked. You changed me. You changed the Jang Jihyun from a merciless monster who terrified the world to someone who actually earns the respect that people give me." Jaemin slowly lifted his eyes and met her smile.

"Not to mention that you're the first boy that the 'most feared and powerful person in the world' is head over heels for. If you want to talk about power, I think that's pretty damn powerful. You make me happier than anyone ever has. You make me feel like me. Never doubt your worth for a single second, Jaemin. You're more than enough for me."

He stared at her in awe. She'd never been the best at truly voicing her feelings and to hear how much he meant to her was shocking. He knew that she cared for him a lot but to hear her say it made his whole body feel warm with happiness.

"I think I'm the lucky one here."

"Never."

"Meeting you was truly the greatest thing that's ever happened to me"

"Me too."

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Omg there's only 5 chapters left😧