GO [NCT DREAM]

VI

Jeno
20 April 2018

By Friday, the boys knew they would be taking risks by letting Chenle, Jaemin, or Renjun leave the apartment. Everyone else had been carrying on with their usual activities, although they hadn't attended any of their classes lately.

Jeno had been enjoying his life recently. With seven people instead of four, it was much more lively. He wished they could stay that way forever; doing whatever they pleased, having no worries, maybe move to a different city or even another country if they wanted.

Reality didn't settle in until Friday afternoon when Jeno and Haechan had gone to pick up food for everyone.

"Is that Jaemin?"

Haechan pointed to a sheet of paper stuck to a light post.  "Missing" was printed in big bold letters with Jaemin's picture underneath.  A description of him and his parents contact information was also on it. 

"I knew this would happen.  There's probably a search out for Renjun and Chenle too.  We'll let the others know about this when we get home."

—

When Jeno got back to the apartment, everyone was gathered around the table playing poker with coins. He hated to break up the fun with bad news, but made himself do it.

"Guys, Haechan and I saw missing ads around town today."

Jaemin, Chenle, and Renjun all looked back at him with pleading eyes. He could tell they wanted to stay, but recognized the severity of the situation. The truth was: they were missing, and their families were worried sick about them.

"How do we get home without causing a fuss? My parents will be questioning me as soon as I walk through the door," Renjun said.

"I don't know, but if we want to fix this before it gets out of control, you guys should go home as soon as possible," Mark advised.

"We should leave before it gets dark then," Renjun said.

"I'm not ready to go..." Chenle sighed.

"Can I take Chenle home later? Just so we have another hour-ish?" Jisung pleaded.

"If I get home before him, i'll have a lot of explaining to do, but i'll make it work," Renjun said hesitantly.

Mark agreed to let Chenle stay a little longer, which made the youngest happy. Jeno was glad he finally had a normal friend. He also offered to walk Renjun home.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked him. Renjun nodded, and said something to Chenle before following Jeno out the door.

The two walked silently until they had gotten to a safer area of the city. Luckily, no one had recognized Renjun with his mask.

"What are you going to tell your parents?"

"I've been thinking about what I should tell them, but nothing sounds believable. I could say I went to visit a friend, but then they would probably put me on house arrest for the rest of the year."

Renjun led the way once he realized where he was, and by time they reached his house, it was starting to get dark.

"Do you want me to walk you to the door, or do you think it's better for you to go alone?"