• cards | nct 2018 •

twelve || auction [1]

hye ji p.o.v

it was an extremely long day in school. i packed up my stationary in a hurry and was preparing to leave the now-already empty classroom. it had been about three days since i was introduced to ace.

all of a sudden, the door slides open with a loud thud, and i look up in surprise.

a tall figure enters the room. i narrow my eyes at his appearance.

"oh ho. what a fierce expression." he laughs.

"what do you want, johnny?" i glare daggers at him.

"nothing much, really. did you think i wouldn't find out your whereabouts?" he stands in front of the teacher's table and begins drumming his fingers against it.

"if you're here to take me back, i'm never going." i unconsciously grip tightly onto the straps of my bag.

"don't worry about that, lee hyeji. i see you're having fun with your ace friends. i wouldn't want to destroy the fun of taeyong's beloved–"

"shut up! i don't want to listen to your blabbering. if you have nothing else to say, i'm leaving." i say, making a beeline to the exit.

but before i could even reach the door, johnny instantly appears before me, a smug smile plastered across his face.

"oh, i do have something to say," he leans into my ear, whispering. "don't get to shocked if you see us at the auction, hye ji...in fact, it should be a happy reunion."

i grit my teeth and ball my hands into fists as soon as i hear his words.

bastard.

i was about to lash out at him, but once i looked up, he began to leave and soon disappears in a flash, just like how he suddenly appeared before me.

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jeno

i adjusted my uncomfortable formal set of clothing, pulling the tie slightly looser. the hall was filled with many people waiting for the auction to begin. it was obvious that all of them were from upper class families.

i was told to look out for my behaviour and attire, but, who cares?

it isn't like anyone can see me right now, standing right by the entrance.

my eyes scan through the crowd of people entering all at once.

my task was simple.

it was to inform my members the moment joker arrives. after all, we were all here for the same purpose.

the shards.

tapping my foot impatiently, i let out a frustrated sigh.

jeno.

a voice spoke inside my head.

what, donghyuk?

i see joker. all of them. they're entering the centre right now.

got that.

i immediately let loose of my crossed arms and stopped my impatient tapping. donghyuk was scouting outside the building.

within moments of our telepathic exchange, i see all five of them enter.

they walked in with an air of confidence.

they're here, hyung. i tell mark, who was probably sitting somewhere in the hall.

joker slowly approaches where i'm at. i was so sure that i was invisible, but it seemed like johnny had looked me in the eye.

okay, you can stand down and join the others now. same to you, donghyuk.

as soon as i received those orders from mark, i swiftly stepped away from the enemies and approached my designated seat with the other members.

i took the middle seat. beside me was hyeji, and the other seat was empty. i removed myself from my invisible state, startling hyeji.

"oh..kay." she mumbles.

i took a look at our seated members. mark and jaemin were absent. i see donghyuk approaching from the corner of my eye.

"where's the others?" i ask her.

"mark took jaemin to the gallery upstairs. they'll be observing from there. according to them...joker will be up there too." she turns to answer me. i notice her eyes were cast down.

"er...your tie?" she gestures to my loosened tie.

"oh! right," i quickly pulled up my tie and fixed the collar.

"thanks."

she nods, and her gaze soon moves towards behind me.

she presses her lips into a thin line.

"it's joker." she whispers.

"what?" i exclaim, and turn to look behind me.

they were talking nearby and it seemed like they were discussing something.

soon enough, i realise johnny broke away from the others and started coming in our way. the other members walked towards the gallery steps.

i frowned in dismay.

"johnny...he's probably coming here." i tell the others, and almost immediately, i feel someone sit down beside me.

we sat in silence.

"hm..i was going to say hi, but you guys don't seem very friendly now," johnny whispers in an amused voice, making sure no one but me can hear him.

i wait for him to continue.

"anyway, this auction is important and all, but do not forget to take care of hyeji, please," he says to me, but looks at hyeji with his lips curving into a smirk.

"well then, i'm off. good luck with the auction...jeno." he stands to leave, and as if on cue, the hosts of the auction also start to speak.

"and now, we declare the auction..." the hosts say, grabbing everyone's attention,

"open."

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A/N: stay tuned for auction [2] !
I'll be going on a hiatus for 2 weeks due to exams, so there will be no updates for the next two weeks :)