Golden ◂ NCT Jaemin

15 ◂ Car

◂ 15 ▸

Leaned against his car, Jaemin stood a few meters away from the bar Jie worked at. He had his arms crossed before his chest as he watched the entry that people slowly streamed out of. 

He waited for a few minutes and then a couple more and eventually the lights inside went out and the door opened for one last time that night.

Out stepped a little over a handful of people. Most of them Jaemin had never seen before. Then again, he had only been there once and he had only been looking at Jie back then. 

Jie and- 

"Good work today," Seonghwa complimented the girl, patted her shoulder with a bright smile that she swiftly returned. It was less bright but still polite. 

"How are you getting home?" His eyes quickly jumped down to her leg that was just barely touching the ground. "If you want, I can take-" 

"Jie!" Jaemin called her, which quickly made her turn around. He eyed Seonghwa briefly before locking eyes with the girl. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked in obvious confusion. 

"Picking you up from work." 

Seonghwa frowned, put his hand on Jie's shoulder which got her attention. 
"Is that okay? He was a little rough the other day," he cautioned but she was quick to defend Jaemin. 

"I told you that he's a friend," she reassured him. "I'll get going." 

Although unsure, Seonghwa eventually gave in, nodded and took his hand away.
"Get home safely." 

Waving him goodbye, Jie made her way over to the car. Meeting her halfway, Jaemin lent her a hand and helped her into the car. 

A few moments later and they both sat inside. Seatbelts clicked, the sharp sound pierced through the silence inside. Jaemin turned the radio on but kept the volume low. His eyes got stuck on Jie.  

She was staring out of the window to her right, eyes on the now closed bar. The liveliness from inside was gone. It was quiet. 

Upon the view, her polite smile turned relaxed. Her limbs felt heavy. 

"You look tired," Jaemin noted as he reached back and grabbed a bottle of water. He gently nudged her with it, making her face him. 

"Thanks." She took a sip. Meanwhile, Jaemin started driving. Coming back to his statement though, she hummed. "I am always tired." 

He side-eyed her briefly. "Why?" 

"I don't sleep well." 

Her eyes unfocused as blurry images rushed through her mind. She felt dumb for not being able to let go. It had been years. She was all grown up now. 

"Anyway," she then said, letting her voice flow out together with a heavy exhale. "Why are you here? Since I'm certain you aren't just trying to be nice." 

"Xiaojun asked me to pick you up," he replied. 

"Oh," Jie muttered under her breath. "They are going to leave tomorrow so they are taking care of something before that. That's probably why he asked you."

Jaemin listened closely, side-eyed the girl. She sounded unhappy about the fact that they were leaving. He had heard about it already, that they had a job a few cities away. 

"How long will they be gone?"

"A couple of days? It depends on how well things work out," she said. "Why?"