Outsider | Na Jaemin ✓

𝟷𝟶 | 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯

Jeong Soobin wasn't one to get jealous or envious easily, until the sight of Na Jaemin holding Choi Haeyoon close as they gaze into each other's eyes let him feel a charge of violence to shoot up through his veins.

The spotlight was supposed to be on him and Haeyoon, yet all the phones and eyes were shifted to the two, leaving him and his destructive thoughts alone. Unexpectedly, the door creaks open to find the coach and his dad at the scene. Oblivious to his son's emotions, Coach Jeong whistles at the proximity of the two, "Come on guys. I was gone for like a day and you guys are already dating? Dang man."

Haeyoon swiftly pushes Jaemin off her and bows to the coach, "N-No, we're not dating."

Jaemin senses her nervousness and changes the subject, "How come you're here today, Coach?"

"The meeting went faster than we thought so yeah. Real question is Na," Coach Jeong goes up to Jaemin and whispers into his ear playfully, "has your lips met hers?"

Jaemin did not expect the question at all, but what he didn't expect even more is feeling a blush to creep up his cheek, "Sir!"

Coach Jeong pats the boy proudly, "I'm just kidding. Although, Brain and I ship you two a lot."

Jaemin was left with his mouth hanging as the Coach gathered everyone in. Haeyoon clears her throat to get his attention, "Thank you for, you know, catching me back there."

Jaemin watches as the girl leaves hurriedly and joins her friends on the floor as Coach Jeong starts to discuss some future plans. With his head in a mess, Jaemin bites the corner of his lips, slightly smiling at the girl's back figure as he sits not too far behind her.

"I'm home..." Haeyoon calls out to the unusual quiet home. Not thinking much of it, she walks to her room to find a sticky note at the front of her bedroom door from her mother, "Oh..." Haeyoon mumbles out softly as she reads that they're going to be visiting her parents due to an emergency. Haeyoon isn't close to anyone but her foster mother, anyone else didn't really like her due to her not being genetically related to them. Even so, Yeeun took her in as her own child and Haeyoon felt eternally grateful for her foster mother.

Not wasting any more time, Haeyoon enters the bathroom before beginning her daily study for the next few hours. At around 1:19 am, Haeyoon passed out on the study desk, in the cold with yet another empty stomach.

Renjun only gives Haeyoon a deadpan face, "Why do you look so dead?"

"When is she ever not dead?" Donghyuck butts in the conversation.

"I don't remember asking you?"

"I don't remember answering you?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Guys please, it's too early in the morning for this." Haeyoon massages the sides of her head with her knuckles.

Yebin signals Jeno to take the two away from Haeyoon who looks evidently terrible. Jeno didn't say a word and dragged them both away from the two girls by their back collar, the two boys still giving each other insults.

Yebin sighs at their childish behaviour, "Regression."

"Regression?" Haeyoon asks her.

"You know the defence mechanism." Yebin motions her chin at the two boys at the corner of the classroom who were being scolded with Jeno, the two looking small beside his built figure, "The two would just throw insults at each other, seeing who would win by saying the harshest insults."

Haeyoon agrees with her best friend, "That's Hyuck and Reonjeon for you."

"In all seriousness though, are you alright? Did something happen to you or something the last few days?" Yebin sends worried glances to her best friend, looking into her eyes in search of any hidden lies.

"Just stressed about everything you know?" Haeyoon answers nervously, averting her gaze from the girl, "School, home life, dance and just the future in general."

Before Yebin could answer back, the classroom lowered its volume. Confused with the sudden change, Haeyoon looks up to find Jaemin inside their classroom, looking straight at her.

Jaemin did not expect her to be at school today, considering how she was pretty much an oven yesterday at dance, "Why are you at school?"

"Why wouldn't she be, Na?" Yebin answers for Haeyoon instead.

"Wasn't talking to you, Son." Jaemin rolls his eyes away from Yebin to Haeyoon, who scoffs at his attitude, "I came here to tell you that I can't come to practice today."

"Oh..." It wasn't the first time that Jaemin would skip practice. For some reason, Coach Jeong always let him go and when she had complained once, he asked Haeyoon to be understanding. Deep down, Haeyoon felt worried because she felt that they hadn't practiced enough to go on stage for both their duets or the group performances. The only thing that stopped Haeyoon going crazy was the fact that she started choreographing Jaemin's parts, "That's alright."

"Cool." Jaemin nods at her and leaves the classroom just like that.

"Can't believe that boy is our dance captain. He gives me so much stress and anxiety, I swear. Soobin would be so much better or at least Hyuck." Yebin stuck out a tongue at Jaemin's figure.

"Regression." Haeyoon points out at Yebin who is now sulking.

I'm not sure why but out of all the defence mechanisms out there, regression is one that I can understand the most (probably because it's the defence mechanism that I mostly use xD Well, regression, repression, projection and sublimation)

...psychology everybody!!

from_izzy