Everyone had decided that since it was a day off, they would head to the 127 dorms so everyone could chat and catch up, but whilst everyone was laughing and having fun, Hua was sat there quietly in her own little world.
She was frustrated. Yesterday during practice, she found it difficult. She had had trouble sleeping recently but told no one so her movements were off, and she could see the boys growing frustrated as they didn't have long left to learn the dances. They said it was okay to reassure her, but even Jeno had clenched his teeth together to stop himself from getting angry at her. It didn't help that recently she had been the person that Chenle and Jisung pranked. She brushed it off, but as it soon came to be just her to get pranked, she felt that they perhaps didn't like her anymore and are trying to push her out. She could no longer go on social media either, as all she saw was the hate. It was all becoming too much and she was suffocating herself in these emotions to try and show to the boys that she is strong and is pushing herself to be the best, instead of being weak and just dragging the group down.
She was brought back to reality by a concerned Taeil shaking her leg gently, asking her if she was okay, but she shook it off, saying she was fine. He didn't believe her one bit, so he took her hand and led her to his room so no one would hear them. He sat her down on the bed and crouched in front of her so they were face to face.
"Baby, what's wrong? Why have you been so quiet today? Why haven't you sat with either any of the others either? You can tell me anything, baby, you know that I won't judge you."
With his words, she began to tear up, and he was quick to pull her to his chest where she started to cry. Unbeknownst to the pair, the others, with Doyoung, Johnny, Renjun and Haechan at the front, had noticed that Hua and Taeil were missing and went to find them before hearing Hua crying in Taeil's room. They decided to hear why she was crying. Hua clutched onto the front of Taeil's shirt as she cried. He was stroking her head and whispering sweet nothings in her ear to calm her down.
"Shhhh, baby, it's okay. Just cry it all out, and then you can tell me what is wrong, okay?" She nodded in response, and before long, her cries had turned into sniffles, and she finally pulled away, wiping her tears away.
"I'm sorry, Taeil oppa, I put snot all over your shirt." He was quick to brush it off, though. "That doesn't matter right now, don't worry about it. Now tell me what's wrong so then we can sort it, okay?" He got a nod and a sniffle in response, and she took a shaky breath, bracing herself.
"I-I'm struggling oppa. I'm not sure I can do this. I hadn't slept properly in a while , and yesterday, I annoyed everyone in practice. They didn't say anything, but I could see it. I'm dragging them down. And I don't think Chenle and Jisung like me. They are constantly pranking me. It was fine when it was everyone, but they just prank me now. Plus, Cizennie thinks that I'm not good enough to be in NCT, and maybe I'm not. Yesterday's practice is proof of that. I'm not fit enough. I'm just the girl they added to fill Jaemin's spot whilst he is resting. I'm just temporary. I'm not good enough to be an Idol. Idol's work so hard, and they don't complain, but I am, so maybe I should just stop." She wipes at her face as fresh tears have fallen. Taeil looked at her, crestfallen. He didn't know that she was having issues. None of the boys did as she never voiced that she had problems. He rubs his face and thinks about what to say, and by rubbing his face, he discreetly removes tears that had welled up in his eyes when she told him about her struggles.
It was at this point that the others decided it was time for them to walk in. The older members looked at her sadly, ready to tell her help, and the younger members walked in with tear-stained cheeks. They hadn't realised that she felt that way. Jeno was frustrated that he couldn't see she was tired. He went to her if he had issues sleeping but never questioned her to see if she had slept. He just assumed she did. Chenle and Jisung were sad that she thought they didn't like her. They love her, and Chenle loves her like a sister. They only pranked her because her reactions were the best. Mark felt like he was a terrible leader. He should be able to see that his member was struggling, but he was too focused to see that she needed help. Renjun and Hyuck were the most affected. They are the closest to her, so for her to feel like she had to keep this all bottled up until she reached her breaking point, they felt like they had failed their duties to look after her. They also can't believe that Cizennie feels that way about her. She isn't a replacement for Jaemin. She is a crucial member of the team, and the team is better with her as she improves the image of them being the younger members as she is so cute.
Jeno had messaged Jaemin and informed him on what the fans had said, but also that Hua was worried about taking his spot. Jaemin was quick to take to social media and state that Hua was not his replacement and started the hashtag #WeLoveHua.
Taeil brought her into another hug and the others were quick to follow before the elder ones went to their managers to address the situation of the fans and left Hua to the dreamies so they could talk it out. Mark was quick to speak up.
"Baby, I'm so sorry that you feel this way. I know sorry doesn't help, but I can understand being tired. You can always tell us if you are having issues, though. You are not weak. You keep up with us and have fun even though most of it is boisterous. That is strong. You moved here and are the only female in a male group, and you are already on your first comeback. That is strong. So, in no way are you weak."
Chenle and Jisung were quick to add on, "We don't hate you. We only prank you because you give the best reactions, Renjun hyung chokes us, Jeno hyung is boring so he doesn't react and Mark hyung and haechan hyung are at the 127 dorms so they don't get pranked but that doesn't mean we hate you. You are like our sister."
Jeno nods before adding what he needs to, "You are in no means Jaemin's replacement either. 1st off you sing and he raps, 2nd, you are too cute so of course you aren't going to leave when he gets back and 3rd, even Jaemin knows you aren't replacing him and he is more than happy that you are here with us and are a new member of NCT and he can't wait to meet you!" He shows her the texts as proof, and she nods. Slowly but surely seeing that maybe they are right.
Finally, Renjun and Haechan speak, Hyuck going first. "Sunflower, you know that if you have issues sleeping, you can come to any of us, right? We won't judge you for it. You can always call me if you can't sleep, and I am always here when us dreamies are promoting, so the bed is open to sharing when it is needed, okay? And for the mean fans, just ignore them as they are jealous. They are mad that you get to see us and hang out with us amazing people whilst they sit there annoyed that they aren't talented enough to do what you do. You power through practice even though you might feel faint. The illness that causes you to faint, you don't let it hold you back, and you don't let it stop you, and that is because you are amazing. So ignore the haters."
Renjun nods and adds in the final comment, "Flower, yesterday's practice isn't something to go off. We all have bad days, and yesterday was all of ours. We were all mad at each other, making snide comments and stuff, but don't worry about it because we all love you. You are what holds us together. You can always come to me if you can't speak to anyone else too, okay? We are here to support you in anything, so if you are tired, let us know. We can make sure you get the rest you deserve by starting practice later or postponing it to a later date. If you think that someone hates you, talk it out, although I can assure you none of us will ever hate you. If there are mean comments, tell us so that we can stop them and the lies they are saying. We have your back just as much as you have ours, okay? Now group hug." With that declaration, they all hugged her, making her laugh slightly. She wiped her face one final time, and they pulled away before she asked. "When can I meet Jaemin then?"
