haunted, the forest // nct [3]

{7}

3rd P.O.V

"I don't know why they would be hanging around the main building this whole time," Jihwan stated, following Lucas as he led the group. "If anything, Chanmi would've convinced them to go to the library."

"You never know until you try," Lucas replied. "Plus, I just really want some of those little cookies in the bags."

Jisoo gasped. "I love those cookies. I buy about twelve bags a week."

"You're unbelievable." Jihwan sharply exhaled. "We're searching for our best friends that are missing, and you are concerned about some stupid cookies."

"Those cookies are amazing," Jisoo whispered to Mark, who chuckled in return.

"Hey, I also said that we're checking the building just to make sure they didn't end up there. We can ask some of the office ladies if they've seen the three." Lucas glanced back at Jihwan and a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"What?" she asked, a bit annoyed.

"Stop being such a Chanmi. Maybe you should finally agree to going on a date with me and forget about stressing yourself out."

"You know why I don't date you, Lucas?" Jihwan questioned, quickening her pace to match his. "You aren't stable when it comes to academics, you can't be serious, and you don't even know how to be romantic."

"Hey," Lucas stopped and turned toward Jihwan, "one, I'm doing fine in school. Two, I can be serious, but I chose to have fun. Three, I am a very romantic person."

"Really? Then tell me something romantic."

Lucas looked into her eyes, swallowing hard. He rose his hands into finger guns and smirked. "I think you're pretty rad."

Jihwan pressed her lips together and turned away, starting to continue walking. "I've stumbled upon puddles deeper than you."

"Come on, babe," Lucas whined. "I'm trying here."

"Don't call me babe ever again."

"How long has this been happening?" Mark asked Jisoo in a hushed voice, staying a fair distance from the bickering two.

"Ever since they first met," Jisoo answered. "It was easy for Lucas to get girls, but he never kept them. When it came to Jihwan, he couldn't stand the fact that she wouldn't fall for him. I think he just desires for attention and it caused him to really like her. He can't express it because he doesn't know how to show his feelings in an appealing way."

"It's a shame they don't get along because they remind me of these two people I went to school with. They made a great couple." Mark's eyes continued to watch Jihwan as she ignored the pleading Lucas.

Leaving the courtyard, Johnny, Ten, Jaehyun, and Gina were disappointed to not have found any clues. Johnny glanced up at the darkening sky, a feeling a worry shooting through him.

"Maybe they went back to their dorms since it's getting late?" Ten suggested. "Gina, would you mind going to the girl dorms while we check out the guy ones?"

Gina nodded, but felt a bit unsure since she was still getting used to all the new people at this school. "I'll see if anyone around the dorm has seen them."

"We'll meet back here after looking," Johnny told the others. With a short nod, everyone split off. Leaving Gina alone.

Gina jogged over to the girls side of the dormitory building. There were groups of girls standing in the halls talking. She asked a couple groups on each of the three floors if they've seen Chunja and Chanmi. Some didn't know who they were and none saw them around the dormitory.

"I haven't seen them since our photography class," a tall girl told Gina, who was standing outside of her dorm room. "But their room is a couple doors down from this one if you want to see if they're there."

"Okay, thank you." Gina walked down two doors so that she was standing in front of theirs. However, no one responded to the knocks she gave. Feeling frustrated and tired of getting no results, Gina headed back to the ground floor in the middle of the building where she would meet up with the three guys.

A new group of girls entered the building, giggling and flipping their long, perfect hair. Gina knew these girls from word of the campus and seeing them flaunting around. When Gina saw Deiji—who was near the front of the group—reject Kun in the library she wondered what he even saw in her. Knowing about them just irrated Gina. Though, she still wanted to ask them just in case they saw any of the missing friends before coming back to the dorms.

"Have any of you seen Chunja, Chanmi, and Jungwoo?" Gina asked, making her voice sound bold.

The girls stopped laughing and scanned Gina. "Why are you worried about them?"

"Because they're my friends."

"Wait," a different girl spoke up. "You're that first year girl that was walking with Jaehyun this morning."

"We were meeting a group of people to get a quick breakfast." Gina took a step back, wanting to leave the conversation. She didn't get a good feeling from them.

"You were just walking around with him and Johnny and Ten a few minutes ago," yet another put in.

"We're looking for our friends."

"Why is someone like Jaehyun hanging out with you?" The group giggled.

Gina opened her mouth to defend herself, but stopped when someone else stepped up next to her.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Gina looked over her shoulder to see Jaehyun sending them a cold look. "If you haven't seen Chanmi, Chunja, and Jungwoo then we don't need you anymore."

The girl in the front turned around, tossing her long hair over her shoulder as the others followed her away.

"Talk about snotty girls," Gina muttered, glaring in their direction. "What does Kun even see in that girl Deiji?"

"Just ignore them. Bomi was the girl in front... We have a rocky history." Jaehyun let Gina follow him back to where Johnny and Ten were waiting.

"What do you mean?" Gina questioned, feeling curious.

"I broke up with her because her morals weren't very nice. Now, she just wants to bring those around me down."

"That's awful," Gina replied in a quiet voice. She glanced behind her to see the group of girls standing next to the door into the girl dormitory halls. Bomi was staring in Gina's direction with a look of disgust.