haunted, the forest // nct [3]

{18}

"They couldn't have at least given us one more person?" Taeil muttered, glaring at his only company: Yuta. The two hesitantly walked through the forest, worried that something could jump out at them any second.

Yuta scoffed. "I bet you wish I was Sicheng right now, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe I do."

"So you're gay too?"

Taeil's breath caught in his throat. He delayed his response out shock from Yuta's question. "Sicheng is one of my best friends."

"You're in love with your best friend," Yuta awed. "That's cute."

"I'm not in love with Sicheng," Taeil argued, carefully stepping over a fallen branch that he swore they crossed just minutes ago.

Yuta genuinely smiled in front of Taeil for the first time. "You're so in love."

Taeil's cheeks burned from feeling flustered. He and Sicheng clicked immediately when they first met. Their friendship naturally fell into place. Just the presence of Sicheng made Taeil happy, and he wanted to always be there for him.

"I'm correct, right?" Yuta prompted, wanting confirmation from Taeil.

Taeil rolled his eyes. "Like I said, Sicheng is one of my best friends. He makes me happy and we get along really well."

"Have you ever thought about kissing him?" Yuta snickered.

Taeil scrunched his nose. "What the hell, Yuta, can you just shut up?!"

"Woah, you're temper is just as short as you." Yuta was amused by how defensive Taeil was getting. Even if his words were saying one thing, his tone and actions were saying another. "I bet you're totally blushing because now I have you thinking about kissing Sicheng."

"Are you in love with Sicheng or something?" Taeil shot back. "Because you can try all you want, he's not going to like you back." Taeil briefly pressed his lips together. "He's straight."

Yuta's smile dropped while he slowly nodded. "So that's what's holding you back."

"Can we stop talking now?" Taeil's volume had dropped to a whisper.

"You're in love with your best friend who is straight," Yuta continued anyway. "That's the worst."

"You're not my therapist, you know?"

"I'm just having a heart-to-heart moment with you," Yuta told Taeil. "I know how you feel, Strony. I was in that position before."

"That's a stupid nickname," Taeil grumbled.

"You don't have to feel down about Sicheng. I know it's hard to get over someone when in that kind of situation, but just know that feelings don't always last forever." Yuta gave Taeil a friendly pat on the back. "Keep your chin up. Maybe one day you'll win him over. If not, then maybe he's not worth it."

Taeil pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, not responding for a couple of minutes. Yuta was able to read through him so easily, and Taeil was surprised to hear that he was in a similar situation. Taeil slowly drew in a long breath. "How did you get over him?"

Yuta gave a sad chuckle. "I wish I could give you some good advice to quickly get over someone, but I don't have a secret or step-by-step guide. I was a pussy and ran away from my feelings by transferring to this school out of my home country and dropping all contact I had with him."

"And now you don't like him anymore?"

"I would be lying if I said I've completely forgotten about him. Sometimes I think I hear someone say his name around campus, and I turn thinking he'll be there." Yuta shook his head with a weak smile. "It's silly."

"It's not silly." Taeil glanced up at Yuta for a second, catching a glimpse of his face. It was obvious he was covering up his feelings with a strong expression. "What was his name?"

"Kenta," Yuta whispered, not having the strength to say it in a normal volume. "A big part of me regrets what I did because I miss him, but being around him just shattered me. I think in the long-run, this was the best option for myself."

The two remained silent for a couple of seconds as they stepped over a familiar looking branch. Taeil kept looking over at Yuta, hoping to catch his eyes and see the emotion that hid behind his blank expression. Though, Yuta kept his gaze on the path ahead.

"Thank you, Yuta," Taeil suddenly said. "Thank you for opening up to me about your past and talking me through my situation."

"It was no problem," Yuta replied. "And, to be honest, I was starting to crush on Sicheng. Thanks for the heads-up." He flashed a smile at Taeil. "And thanks for eventually giving in and opening up to me as well. Stubborn ass," Yuta joked in a whisper.

Taeil laughed and pushed Yuta's shoulder. "Shut up."

~ ~ ~

Doyoung widened his eyes. "You thought I was the ghost?"

Chanmi slowly nodded, nervously crossing her arms after pushing up her cracked glasses. "I heard you calling out my name, and your figure was standing in the middle of a small clearing." Her body shuttered as images of the past event flashed before her eyes. "I was relieved to have found another person," especially since I thought it was you, Chanmi added in her head. "But it turned out to be one of the ghosts. Did you say you could hear me calling your name? We must not have been that far from each other."

"I don't think it was you he heard," Jaehyun put in. "None of us could hear your voice except for Doyoung."

"That was the same for when Chanmi heard Doyoung calling for her." Chunja rubbed her arm while thinking about the information.

Gina tilted her head to the side. "I wonder why the ghosts specifically used the two of you."

Chanmi and Doyoung glanced at each other before adverting their eyes while the rest of the group remained silent for a moment. Chunja pressed her lips together, guessing that the ghosts would set that trap considering Chanmi had admitted to having feelings for Doyoung earlier that day.

"Well, we can't just stand here all night," Chanmi told the group, breaking the silence that hung in the air. She looked at those surrounding her before starting to walk. "Shall we?"

Chunja sighed. "We shall."

The group followed her lead as they continued to travel through the never-ending forest.