Left Out Friend

16

"That was so disgusting, Ni-ki. Never do that again," Jay spat, his voice tinged with both disgust and anger. He stared at Ni-ki as though he could burn a hole through him. If you think Sunoo was the only one who suffered that time, you’re wrong. The air in the room felt thick with tension, and every pair of eyes was trained on Ni-ki, their expressions unreadable but clearly filled with distaste.

Sunghoon, always the one to stay calm in the chaos, crossed his arms tightly and leaned back in his chair. His gaze traveled slowly over Ni-ki, taking in his every movement, his every word with careful scrutiny. “You just made everything worse,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. His voice was hopeless, tinged with an almost palpable disappointment. His lips curled into a tight line, like he couldn’t quite believe what he had just witnessed.

The maknae, however, seemed unfazed, his usual nonchalance unshaken. He shrugged with an exaggerated ease, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Whatever," he said, stretching his arms out like he didn’t have a care in the world. "That was the best experience of my life!" His voice was filled with mock excitement, though his eyes danced with a mischievous gleam. "I want more," he added, completely oblivious to the storm of emotions brewing around him.

Before anyone could react, a loud smack rang through the room. Jake, who had appeared out of nowhere, was glaring at Ni-ki, his hand still in the air from the slap. "Boy, what the hell? If you weren’t younger than me, I swear I would’ve punched you by now," Jake hissed, his voice sharp with frustration. His eyes darted between the others, who were equally agitated. "All of you are seriously pissing me off. That should’ve been me, his first one!" His words were like a slap of their own, a sharp reminder of just how much his ego was bruised by the situation.

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air before anyone could muster the energy to respond.

"Oh, shut up," Jungwon’s voice broke through the tension, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a rare edge of anger. He appeared in the doorway, just back from checking on Sunoo.

"Sunoo’s sleeping right now. He’s exhausted. And that—" he pointed sharply at Ni-ki, "—is your fault, you monster!" His glare could’ve burned holes through the younger boy, who acted as though nothing had happened, his face a mask of innocence that only seemed to anger the others more.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen swung open, and Heeseung walked in, his expression unreadable.

"Wake him up. We have to meet the CEO," he said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion, as if he were giving a command rather than a suggestion. He didn’t even glance at the others as he continued toward the kitchen, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the silence that followed.

"What? What if he—" Jungwon started to protest, but Heeseung cut him off with a harsh stare, silencing him instantly.

"I don’t care. Go wake him up," Heeseung said, his tone cold. "The meeting was supposed to be yesterday. We were lucky the CEO was understanding and agreed to reschedule. But now, if we don’t go, we’ll be in serious trouble. So, move."

The words hung in the air, heavy with the urgency of the situation. The others exchanged exasperated glances, all of them rolling their eyes in unison. It was like one chaotic scene after another, none of them willing to back down or admit fault, and yet somehow, they were all trapped in this web of tangled emotions and unresolved issues.

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***

"So today marks the beginning. By the day after tomorrow, I expect all of you to have the songs memorized. After that, we’ll move on to the recording studio. Once that’s done, we’ll get to work on the choreography. I’ve already informed Mr. Kang, so be prepared for cameras to be present." The CEO’s voice was steady, his grip tightening around the white folder, the edges crisp and sharp.