Notorious ⊷ Haechan

19 ⊷ Questions

*manifesting an nct x ateez collab*

⊷ 19

Ji-yoon insisted that they take a walk. Summer was ending, autumn was approaching and with the weather about to change she wanted to use a day as pretty as today to get some fresh air. 

However, while she was enjoying herself, walking in silence next to Haechan, he was worried. He was worried because he knew she wasn't feeling too well yet. He was worried because-

"I will ask something else," Haechan then said. Ji-yoon didn't look at him, just nodded. Feeling kind of awkward, he hesitated at first. "Are you angry at me?" 

He glimpsed at her only briefly after that, then quickly looked ahead as if he had never even had his eyes on her to begin with. 

Ji-yoon on the other hand didn't feel the awkwardness. She was just confused, surprised. She looked at Haechan with raised brows.

"Should I be?"

He hummed. "I don't think so."

"Me neither," she agreed. However, that didn't help explain the reason why he asked in the first place. So Ji-yoon continued, "Why?"

"Just because..." he began, pulled his lips between his teeth as he thought about how to say this without making it sound weird. He cleared his throat when he eventually said, "You have been calling me 'Haechan' all day long."

She nodded. "That's your name."

"Yes, I mean, you are right," he confirmed. "But you never call me by my name."

Quickly looking at Ji-yoon who countered his awkward nervousness with confused tranquillity, he then shrugged.

"I don't care that you call me by my name though," he added. "It's just unusual. So I thought, maybe, you are angry."

Shaking her head, Ji-yoon dismissed his worry. "That's not it." She sighed, unhappy about having let go of the nickname she gave him. "When you visited yesterday, Jaemin told me that you looked uncomfortable when you admitted that I call you Sunshine."

Surprised by her explanation he looked at the girl with wide eyes. He noticed her thoughtful expression and how she hesitated. There was something else on her mind, so he decided not to interrupt her for now.

He turned out to be right when she met his gaze momentarily.
"I know I can be annoying but I don't care," she admitted.

To lighten up the mood, Haechan threw a little, "I noticed," in there, making her smile before she continued.

"Anyway, that's who I am. I know I can be a little much." She looked up at Haechan again. This time, however, her eyes looked apologetic. "But I don't want others to feel uncomfortable around me. That was never my intention."

He barely noticed that he raised his brows in surprise when he let out a stunned,
"You stopped calling me Sunshine because you think it makes me uncomfortable?"

She nodded. "Of course." She smiled. "You don't have to like me but we are working together for now so, at the very least, you shouldn't dread my presence, you know?"

Maybe it was that he didn't expect her to be so considerate. Maybe he didn't expect her to be so observing. 

Maybe - and maybe rightfully so - he just didn't expect her to give a shit. 

It was a welcome change though and one that made him question whether he sometimes misunderstood her or not. Ignoring that question for now, however, Haechan tried to ease her mind.