GO [NCT DREAM]

V

Jeno
18 April 2018

Mark, Haechan, and Jisung arrived back by noon. While they were gone, Jeno had taken the opportunity to get to know Renjun and Chenle. He trusted them, especially Renjun. Chenle seemed like a loose cannon, so he decided to be more careful around him.

The three came in without saying anything, so it was obvious something had happened at the meeting.

"Come in here, we need to fill you in," Mark whispered as he passed by. Jeno excused himself, and followed.

Jeno was the last one in the bedroom. He closed the door behind him, and leaned on the wall beside it.

"Our alliance with Taeyong is over. Mark didn't agree to help him ambush Lucas because it was too farfetched and dangerous, then he flipped out and we called it quits," Haechan explained.

"It was a little more complicated than that..." Mark added.

"I didn't think you'd want to go over it again."

"So that's it?" Jeno spoke up. "What's the big deal?"

"It probably wasn't the best idea to piss him off. He could change his plans and attack us instead," Jisung muttered.

"I don't think he would be stupid enough to do that. He knows we aren't a gang like them, and won't do anything to him. He'll probably still go through with the ambush even without us." Mark ran his hand through his hair once and sighed. "We just need to be careful now. You can't trust anyone around here."

"I wouldn't have minded joining them for that ambush..." Jeno started.

"What are you saying?" Mark cut him off.

"I like the idea of surprise attacking them. I could get back at that guy I fought."

Jeno thought back to when he'd been stabbed in the leg. He remembered his enemy clearly: short, thin, and foreign, apparently from Thailand from what he had heard. He would have no trouble identifying him if he ever saw him again. If he ever got the chance to see
him, he'd do more than a stab in the leg...

Jeno pushed away the idea. Mark had always taught them that violent thoughts polluted the mind, and led to imprudent actions. He wouldn't let himself sink to their level, even if he really wanted to.

"Revenge isn't going to get you anywhere. If anything it will make things worse. You can forget about ambushing them because on Friday night, all of us will be in this building," Mark said. His word was solid, and Jeno knew not to press him.

Mark started talking again.  "We also need to make sure no one else knows about them."  He gestured to the living room aka Jaemin, Renjun, and Chenle.  "After what happened to Jungwoo, we need to make sure they stay safe so nothing similar happens to them.  It's probably bad enough that Taeyong knows they're here."

Jeno decided not to ask about whoever Jungwoo was, but understood enough to know that something horrible had happened to him.

"I'm going to talk to Jaemin," he announced.

"Don't tell him too much, he doesn't need to be anymore involved," Haechan warned.

"I'll tell him whatever I think he needs to know."

Jeno returned to the living room to find all of their guests still strewn out across the couches, laughing and talking.  He grabbed his friend's hand, and led him to the other room. He leaned himself against the door so Jaemin couldn't leave and spoke.

"I think you should go. You aren't very safe here, especially after what I just heard from the others. We're involved with some people who aren't so nice, and would hurt you if it meant getting back at us."