Together | NCT Doyoung AU

Chapter 2

[Flashback]

It was a dark and rainy night, and Eunjung was walking down the wet, muddy steps of the college after her math class. Her mood was reflected by the weather outside; she had just learned that she failed her calculus test. And she needed to do well in this test to pass this class. Eunjung sighed, feeling anxiety build up inside her chest and spread throughout the rest of the body. 

I hate this feeling, the feeling of fear of my parents when they see my grade. I am so scared to see how they will react, I want to turn back time to before I took this stupid test. And it's raining for god's sake, I forgot an umbrella too. Could this day get any worse? 

As if responding to her thoughts, Eunjung's phone buzzed in her pocket. Her hands trembled as she took it out, not even needing to see the caller ID to know who it was. Dad. She had no choice to answer the phone for fear of what he would do. 

"Choi Eunjung, what is this??? A 50? You piece of shit, how could you do this badly on a test? You are such a disgrace to this family, I have no words to say how disappointed I am in you."

Eunjung stood in the rain, tearing up and feeling the cold liquid drip down her body. 

"D-Dad, I can explain-" 

"NO, no more excuses! I told you what would happen if you failed another test! I am going to stop giving you money for college, and I am breaking ties with you. Don't even think about trying to come home, you failure."

Before she could even respond, the call ended with the dreaded long beep. 

"N-No ... D-Dad... I'm sorry..."

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she attempted to call him back, only to hear  "The contact has blocked you." 

Eunjung dropped her bag and sunk to the floor, crying as she curled up into a ball, the rain now fully soaking through her clothes. 

Now what do I do? How do I survive? Will I have to drop out of college and live as a homeless person? I've lost my family too... now I have no one to depend on. Why am I like this, why did I have to be so stupid? 

After 10 minutes of crying, she decided she needed to go to a more isolated place, to avoid the weird glances of the students walking on the street. Gathering herself together, she made her way through the campus and through the trail that led through a forest. This area was like a second home to Eunjung, as she frequented the forest often to get to a spot she claimed for herself. 

At the intersection between trails, she went off trail, following the rocks she had landmarked for herself until she reached a small pond. She set her bag down and crawled into the nook she had created near the pond, which consisted of branches surrounding a bush near a patch of grass, the branches blocking the view of anyone who would even walk by, which she needed for privacy. 

She had already laid a blanket there and she curled up on the blanket, dripping rainwater from her clothes onto the blanket. Eunjung grabbed her bag and pulled out a bottle of soju, one of the many she had hidden in her bag for moments like these. She opened the bottle and chugged the burning liquid down her throat as she gazed out at the calm, serene pond, the moonlight reflecting off the water as the rain slowed down. 

Tears welled up in her eyes again as she drank, wanting to forget everything that had happened today but failed against the constant addition of negative thoughts in her mind. 

"What am I supposed to do now?!!" 

Eunjung screamed into the night, her words being carried away with the rain and the wind. A stick snapped in two a couple feet away from Eunjung and she froze, slowly turning to the origin of the sound. A boy, who looked about her age, stood there, staring guiltily back into Eunjung's eyes. 

He was tall and wore a black coat over his outfit, and was currently folding his umbrella up. Even in Eunjung's drunken state, she could clearly tell how handsome he was, from the slant of his eyes to his sharp jawline. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Actually I'm surprised that anyone is here, I thought I was the only one who knew about this place."