Golden ◂ NCT Jaemin

13 ◂ Debt

throwback to Jaemin and Jeno's battle trip ft. their boyfriend shots

◂ 13 ▸

Lucas engulfed Jie in a warm hug, squeezing her tightly. 

"Dude-" she cut herself off, patted his back. "I can't breathe."

"Oh." He let go, took a step back and allowed her, Yangyang and Jaemin to sit down. 

Looking around, Jie couldn't help but smile. 

Hendery was looking at her with his usual warm eyes. Lucas seemed happy, showing his soft grin and puppy eyes. Yangyang's eyes shimmered, cheeks puffy since they were pushed up by his smile. 

Just a short while after they had arrived, a waitress took their order. Waiting for their food, they fell into a soft chatter. 

Eventually, out of nowhere, Hendery narrowed his eyes at the girl.
"Jie, give me your work schedule," he half-ordered, half-asked. 

She distrusted the request. "Why?" 

"So we can go get some drinks there," he said as if it was self-explanatory. "We should check out the place you are working at. Is it nice? Is it safe?" 

Jaemin scrunched his nose, shook his head. "Not really safe." 

"You visited her?" Yangyang asked curiously and Jaemin nodded hesitantly. "Man, you should have taken us with you!" he whined. 

"No, it was..." he began but then paused to think of something to say. "Just a short visit. She had work to do anyway, so it wasn't really exciting." 

Jaemin looked at Jie for confirmation. She just shrugged, went along with it. 

"Oh, okay," Hendery said. He seemed disappointed by the fact that Jaemin was there before him but then he returned to the smile he carried before. "I want to go anyway." 

"I'll send you my schedule then," she agreed eventually. "Actually, I have work tonight but then I have the next two days off if you want to go together." 

Lucas frowned, shook his head disapprovingly. "Don't go to work, Doyoung said you need to rest." 

Nodding along, Yangyang and Hendery gave her strict glares whereas Jaemin just sat calmly next to her. He wasn't planning on getting involved in this discussion at all. 

However, he couldn't help but wonder, how the three boys seemed to melt into a puddle of pure understanding and support when Jie then suddenly smiled and softly said,

"I will be careful." 

Was it that easy? 

"So I'm the only one that doesn't understand why she's working there in the first place?" he asked. 

"I told you already," Jie reminded him. 

"You said you needed to make money," Jaemin remembered and Jie hummed approvingly right away. Which, however, still didn't make much sense to him. "Taeyong pays us. Why would you take on an extra job?" 

Yangyang cleared his throat and glared at Jie judgingly before looking at Jaemin. 
"He does pay us, but a certain someone is unwilling to accept the money..."

Yangyang paused, eyes on the girl who looked at him warningly. 

"I know that you keep bothering Taeyong with it. I told you I will tell you when I take it," she reminded him, voice threateningly monotone. 

The boy pouted softly. "I thought maybe you forgot to tell me." 

"Why would I forget about something you've been asking about for years?" 

"Years?" Jaemin asked, surprised. "I thought you only joined a little while ago." 

Jie nodded. "I have been working for Taeyong for a while now though." 

"And in all these years you haven't accepted it?" He couldn't help the confusion that bubbled up inside him. "Why?" 

"Do you remember what I told you in the car the other day?" she asked. It took him back to the night after their job, where he picked her up and brought her home. 

Jaemin sighed. "You treat him differently from the others."

"Do I?" she questioned.

"Yeah."

"Oh," she exhaled, then nodded to herself. "You might be right."

"Why?" Jaemin pushed.

"I have a debt to pay." 

Exhaling softly, starting to understand, the boy looked at her doubtfully. 

"Because of that debt?" he asked. "You won't let him pay you because you don't want to repay him by using his own money?" 

"Yep." 

"And what's it? The debt, I mean." Jaemin questioned and Jie gave him an unsure smile. 

Even though he trusted her words and the answers she gave, the difficult part was getting the answer at all. Jaemin had figured out already that she didn't like answering anything too personal.

Or, at least not when he was the one asking. 

So when she stayed quiet, he decided to ask something else.  

"You have been working to repay him for years now," he thought out loud. "Is it so expensive?" It wasn't just money, there was more behind it or she wouldn't be so reluctant to answer. 

It made him curious. 

She nodded quickly. "Very." 

"What? Is it made out of gold or something?" he joked. 

Jie smiled softly at his amusement. "Something golden?" she questioned, wiggled her brows exaggeratedly. "Like me?"

Jaemin frowned, pushed out a huff. "You know what's golden? Not you." 

Even though Jie chuckled lowly at that, Jaemin didn't miss the glare Lucas threw at him. The other two boys didn't seem to mind the comment too much though - mainly because Jie didn't mind it either. 

Looking away, her eyes fell onto the passersby that passed by the window opposite her. Everyone was caught up in their own life. All those people that lived close to her, yet she knew nothing about. 

They meant nothing to her and she meant nothing to them. Just strangers in a crowd. The thought felt comforting. 

"You won't tell me what it is, hm?" Jaemin asked once again, out of nowhere. Just to make sure. Just because he was really curious. 

Jie frowned a little. "I told you." 

However, before Jaemin could ask again, Hendery interrupted them. 

"The food is here!" he exclaimed rather quietly, excitement still echoing in his voice.

After that, somehow the topic changed. It was a casual conversation. Everyday-chatter. Just talking about little things. And Jaemin was left wondering. 

◂ Debt ▸

I hope you are doing well! 

Stay safe~ ily 💚