Mr. No || NCT || Completed

11 - Where fish are actually very quiet

"Aren't you curious about these songs?" Chaewon asked, sounding hopeful.
"Fine", Renjun crumbled, "tell me. Why are we listening to these songs?"

"They're actually just demos, so that's why they sound a bit rough around the edges", Chaewon jumped into explanation, speaking so quickly that it was difficult for Renjun to keep up. "But by now, you could have heard some of the real versions from the radio. Have you?"

"No."

Chaewon's shoulders slumped. "I'm not surprised. I listen to radio almost all the time and I haven't heard them much either. But I'm hoping that soon they will be played more. I mean, they debuted last spring, so it might take a while before they become popular. Do you want me to write down the details for you so that you can look them up? The name of the group is 'Tulle Roulette.' They're very talented and hard-working girls, so you wouldn't regret it!"

Renjun was simultaneously thrown off by the silly name of the group, and baffled by the sudden sales pitch he was receiving. "Are you their marketing manager or something?"

"No", Chaewon shook her head. "I wish I were, though. Mrs. Ko isn't very capable at her job."

He knew that asking questions was like pouring gasoline on the fire, but Chaewon would have found a way to speak more even if he didn't say anything. "You know them?"

Chaewon laughed but it sounded sad. "Of course, I do. I used to be one of them."

"Oh."

"I left before the group debuted", she explained. "Now I'm their most dedicated fan!"

She tried to sound happy and enthusiastic but Renjun could hear sorrow in her voice.

Then, for the first time since they had met, Chaewon was silent for a longer period of time than half a minute. When Renjun looked at her from the corner of his eye, he saw a melancholic, tired expression on her face dimming the sparkle in her eyes.

They took a turn to the left and almost ran over some people trying to cross the street. That seemed to wake up Chaewon from her misery.

"Anyway", she said, seeking for happier tone. "Why are we talking about this, again?"
Renjun scoffed. "You brought it up."

"Oh, yeah, true." Chaewon seemed lost. She was like a fawn trying to stand up on an icy lake. "Okay, now it's your turn!"
Renjun hadn't expected that. "My turn?"
Chaewon nodded. "Yes. It's your turn to speak."
"No."

"Come on", Chaewon tried to persuade him. "We've known each other for who knows how long and I still know next to nothing about you."

"We met last week", Renjun pointed out dryly.
"Really?"

Renjun didn't say anything.

"If you don't speak up, I will try to guess who you are", Chaewon announced.

Still no reaction.

"Okay", she concluded. Then she started peeking at him again, mulling over what she had seen and heard so far. "You're in the same pack with Haechan and his little friends."

Renjun wanted to remind her of the fact that both Jisung and Chenle were taller than her but remained silent.

"You're not a real barista, I think that you started that very recently", she continued. "You kind of give off law school or business major vibes. Did you go to business school?"

The music was the only sound in the car when Chaewon waited for an answer.

"So, you did go to business school?" she sought for confirmation. "My dad wanted me to study business but I'm bad with numbers so I told him that it's not happening. It's a good thing that both of my brothers are better at that stuff so maybe they can make dad proud. Did your parents tell you to study business?"