DRAMA CLUB | NCT DREAM

68

after biology class was over, jeno and donghyuck were standing outside of the principal's office, waiting for their best friend to exit the room.

they decided to wait for jaemin since they would normally go home together and it felt wrong not to.

besides, they were truly worried about the pink haired boy as he had never been called to the headmaster's office before — and the principal only calls someone when it was about a serious matter.

"i'm wondering what's taking them so long...", hyuck expressed curiously with a look of concern, "i hope everything turns out to be okay."

"me too... i hope jaem isn't in any trouble... but it wouldn't even make any sense. he has never done anything troublesome and has never caused any problems", jeno commented worriedly and shook his head in confusion. the whole situation wasn't adding up.

"by the way, where is sooyun?", the older boy changed the subject, glancing at the purple haired boy who was mindlessly staring at the door of the office.

"sooyun? oh, she's already gone. she told me that she will head out first as a friend was already waiting for her", donghyuck explained and turned to face him before he raised an eyebrow.

"bro, have you forgotten? she bid goodbyes with us and told us to update her, dumbass", the latter noted and snorted shortly.

"yeah, sorry, i was lost in my thoughts", jeno replied and rolled his eyes.

"wow, you have a brain that is capable to think?", donghyuck teased and acted surprisedly, trying to lift up the tension.

the blonde haired boy scoffed, looking at the younger one in disbelief. "i do – unlike you who has zero braincells", jeno retorted with a little smirk, hearing his best friend gasping loudly in offense.

"excuse me, i do NOT tolerate this disrespectful and rude behaviour towards me", the younger one complained dramatically. however, jeno just shrugged his shoulders in reply, "you started it, loser."

before their playful banter could continue, the door in front of them opened and their pink haired friend stepped out of the office. his lips were pursed into a thin line while his eyes displayed his emotions. they were full of sorrow, shock and irritation.

donghyuck and jeno stopped bickering right away and didn't hesitate to approach their dejected friend.

"jaem? what's up? how did it go?", the purple haired boy asked softly, worries were written on his face. "how are you feeling, jaem?", jeno questioned gently, however, the pink haired boy didn't react at first.

"jaemin?", the blonde haired junior attempted to ask once again. "i will explain everything later... let's just leave", jaemin responded quietly.

his two best friends could hear the seriousness and sadness behind his words. jaemin's voice was slightly filled with anxiety, making the two boys even more concerned. it was uncommon and unusual to hear that - he was normally bubbly, upbeat and cheerful - but now, nothing was left from that.

jeno and donghyuck exchanged concerned looks before nodding in reply, knowing what to do even though they hadn't communicated verbally.

"let's go to my place. i have some snacks, cookies and ice cream left", the oldest among the three of them suggested softly as they walked out of the building to his home.

silence and tension were engulfing the air while they were on their way to jeno's place. the two of them attempted to lift up the tension and break the ice between them by sharing random stories or cracking silly jokes, however, it didn't go as planned as they hoped. jaemin remained quiet the whole time, his mind was absent as he was lost in his thoughts — something was clearly bothering him.