The Clockmaker's Son #1: Renounced (Lee Jooheon of Monsta X x Reader fanfic)

Part Four: I Believe

Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell signalling the end of classes reverberated throughout the university campus. You stood up, collecting your workbooks and sliding them into your backpack. You stifled a sigh of exhaustion, knowing full-well that your lecturer would only call on you more frequently tomorrow if she caught you.

'Hm? Oh it's Y/N.'

You glanced up at the familiar voice. Hyungwon was idling by the open entranceway, smiling at you in a friendly manner. Nodding your head in departure at the lecturer, you hastily grabbed the rest of your textbooks and hurried over to him. You stepped out into the hallway, for the first time in three hours feeling like you could breathe.

'Whoa, are you okay?' Hyungwon lightly patted your shoulder, steering you away from the classroom and out of your eagle-eyed lecturer's sight.

'Y-Yeah, I'm okay,' you responded, obviously fatigued. 'It's just a rough class.'

Rough class was an understatement. The lecturer was toxic as hell but it's not like any of her students could do much about it. All you'd done was grit your teeth and take it. There was only a few more weeks left in the semester after all.

Hyungwon, just from a single look at you, seemed to understand the situation in an instant. Brow furrowed as you walked alongside him, he said:

'We had somebody like that in my dance club.'

'Dance club?'

'Yeah. It was the first club I joined when I first enrolled.'

'I see...'

'Jooheon was the one who dragged me to the idol club, you know?'

'He did?'

Hyungwon chuckled and shrugged.

'Yeah. Said something about my charisma being wasted on just dancing. He didn't actually know anything about the club's toxic atmosphere, but he really did give me an out that I didn't know I needed.'

You were silent for a moment, letting his words sink in. Jooheon was... pretty cool wasn't he? You felt your cheeks beginning to warm at the thought of your friend, and sharp as always, Hyungwon noticed. All he did was smile and continue walking.

'Where were you headed now anyways?' He asked instead.

'E-Eh? Oh. Home. I was gonna head back to my dorm.'

He stopped walking, instead heading towards the glass windows. Ushering you over, he pointed out a faraway door a level below in the building across from you. If you squinted hard enough, you could make out the bolded words: Idol Clubroom.

'When you've got some time you should pop in every now and then,' he offered gently. 'I'm sure Jooheon would be over the moon about it.'

'You think?'

Honestly, you felt like he would think you to be a nuisance. Then again, he had tried sneaking you into the practice rooms of his entertainment company just to show you his training. Maybe he would actually be pleased about it.

'Well, looks like you've made up your mind,' Hyungwon teased playfully. 'I was thinking of heading over there right now but something's come up.'

'Oh?'

Seemingly amused by your curious expression, Hyungwon explained that his father, Haesung, was the local clocksmith. Currently the man was being swamped with repairs, so he'd called Hyungwon back to help his mother out with the shop.

'Ah I see,' you replied thoughtfully. 'Is it... difficult? You know... Juggling your idol training and helping out with your family business?'

'It is what it is,' was his tender reply. 'I love them, so I don't mind swapping out a few hours of sleep to help them out.'

Wait he was still going to get some training in regardless?! ...Idol trainees were most definitely a different breed of human.

'Y/N! Oh, and it's Hyungwon!' Another familiar voice called out to the two of you from down the hall.

Hyungwon smiled back at him and gave him a slight wave. He turned to you and said a word in parting, making his way down a staircase just as Jooheon reached you.

'Huh? What the fuck. He didn't even wait to say goodbye to me,' your childhood friend pouted.

'Ahaha, I'm sure it was implied,' was your sweet response.

Seeing Jooheon immediately lightened the tension that you were still carrying from your previous class. Happy to see you too, Jooheon urged you to pass over some of your textbooks, carrying them cheerfully in his arms as you thanked him.

'I gotta say, I was super surprised to see you and Hyungwon talking together though. You're both the type to not really start conversations,' he mused aloud.

You wondered if he was jealous. Putting it out of your mind, you rested a hand on the handrail of the staircase, beginning to step down.

'Yeah. We bumped into each other outside of my classroom.'

'Looks like it! You were gone by the time I got there.'

You glanced back at him.

'Got there?' You echoed.

'Yeah. I got let out a little later but I went to go meet you at your classroom.'

'Oh, shit sorry.'

'It's cool.'

Judging from his expression, it was most certainly not cool. Awkwardly clearing your throat, you instead began talking about what Hyungwon mentioned earlier. About your visiting the idol clubroom. Jooheon was obviously engaged by the conversation, adorably inquiring upon whether or not you wanted to go.

'Would I have to join the club?' You asked nervously as the two of you reached the bottom of the staircase.

'Not if you're only there to visit,' Jooheon answered. 'Try not to stress too much about it Y/N. Everyone in the clubroom is pretty chill anyway. I sometimes have Esther and Oli pop in too y'know?'

That was actually a bit of a relief. You weren't sure if you'd be able to commit to club with how chaotically packed your university schedule was at the moment.

'Are you heading home now by the way?' He went on to ask. 'I can walk you there if you'd like?'

'I am but... is that okay? Don't you have training to do?'

You remembered Hyungwon swapping out hours of sleep just so he'd be able to help out his parents on top of training. Though, now that you thought about it, Jooheon was always up at crazy hours in the morning. How many hours of sleep did he usually get?

'It's fine,' was his chipper response. 'I did a good amount of it before classes today, so I can afford taking thirty minutes to walk you home.'

He says that but he's probably just going to train even more after you both part ways. You were worried, and you told him this, (he frivolously dismissed yours concerns just as you'd expected), but he was a big boy. A big boy making his own decisions. You sighed as you agreed to his walking you home.

Truth be told, you enjoyed his company more than you should. You were guiltily glad that he was picking you over sleep.