quintessential [nomin]

four

[Jaemin] 8:22 am. Monday.

—

 "Felix didn't tell you about his dear stepbrother?" 

I pretend to be surprised and turn to Felix, "You never told them? Felix I'm disappointed in you! I literally raised you and this is the treatment I get?! Your friends don't even know who I am!" I put a hand to my chest in mock offense.

After a few silent seconds, Changbin finally speaks up.

"S-step b-brother?" He stutters, his face reddening.

"That's right mr. changbin, Felix's stepbrother," I state smugly. Changbin lowers his head in embarrassment, and bows in my direction.

"Good to meet you Felix's stepbrother—," he stops and looks up at me, silently asking for my name.

"Jaemin. Na Jaemin," I smile at him, holding back a laugh.

Felix interrupts our small exchange, turning to his members who looks totally and utterly in shock.

"Yeah... so this is Jaemin guys, the stepbrother I always talk about," he laughs softly, looking at me once again. I wave to them, the exact same bewildered expression on every single one of their faces.

Daehwi comes up behind me out of the blue, and claps his hands trying to save the situation.

"Ok, enough introductions, I'm Daehwi and me and Jae are supposed to get y'all over to the interview on time so that we don't get fired, so let's do that, shall we?" Daehwi rounds them all up, silently splitting the members down the middle, singlehandedly deciding who does in what van.

"You take that one, ok Jae?" Daehwi turns and strides over to the second black van, opening the door for the boys, and follows by getting in the driver seat.

I nod at him, grabbing the keys he holds out to me. I go the first van, silently unlocking it, and shuffle the boys not yet in Daehwi's into the back seats.

I start the engine, and we finally get on the road towards our destination.

—

8:45 am.

The soft sound of Dean's half moon plays in the background as I pull out of the lot. The contents of my car consist of one half of the stray kids members, with Seungmin, Jisung, Chan and Felix occupying the back seats quietly. They stare at their phones in silence, most likely exhausted after a long practice from last night.

It seems to hit Chan the fastest, who after only a couple of minutes, falls into a deep sleep in his seat. His head leans against the car window in such a way that can't in any way be comfortable.

The silence of the car is nice for a good ten minutes, but then curiosity gets the best of me, and I have to ask. 

"So Felix," I start, my voice as quite as possible, trying not to wake up Chan, "how are you babe? I haven't seen you or talked to you in so long."

He sighs regretfully. "Sorry for not contacting you as often as I should, I feel really bad about it. Work is just so busy and I only ever end up having time to talk at like 4 am after practice is over and I would rather not wake you up." He looks out the window into the dimly lit morning, the sun not yet fully risen.

I take his silence as an opportunity and get right to the point, asking what has been in my mind since I saw him in the morning.

"Excuse me for asking, but how is it going with coconut head? Any progress?" I prod, recalling the events earlier that morning with a knowing smile on my face.