HELIOTROPE ↻ NCT DREAM

two

Lee Donghyuck, that was the name of the young man who intrigued her on the first day.

Ever since then, Donghyuck and her started talking. The unusual duo decided to hangout with each other in their free time despite the busy schedule they have and despite how they are still both adjusting to University life.

At first though, Ayeon was so surprised of how sassy Hyuck could get, and how he would continuously tease her for being so short. However, she got used to it as days passed.

From Hyuck's remarks, the freshman learned how to retaliate. They would give each other statements that would leave the other speechless or dying because of laughter.

Donghyuck and Ayeon learned each other's interests - about their hobbies, likes, dislikes, pet peeves - just the usual stuff. The unusual duo would play games at the arcade, watch a movie at the cinema, have study sessions despite having different courses. Him taking Informations Technology, while Ayeon is a business student.

He wasn't that bad after all, she liked his company.

It was Friday and the two were currently having their study session in the cafe five minutes away from Ayeon's dorm. The two University students were seated across each other. Hyuck had his eyes fixated on the laptop screen in front of him, looking serious - eyebrows knitted together and chewing on his lower lip in concentration.

For some reason, The girl should be finishing the graphs for her Economics homework but she could not tear her eyes off him. She tried, focusing on the problem at hand. Solving the problem to find the equilibrium point with the help of a calculator, her hands busy pushing on the buttons. However, her eyes slowly end up on Hyuck after a few minutes of focusing on her work. She groaned, mentally sighing.

"Donghyuck." A cheerful voice had spoken, gaining their attention.

Turning their face in the direction of the voice, the duo saw two boys heading their table.

A sour awkward smile appeared on Hyuck's face which caused the smaller boy to roll his eyes at him in response. Laughing, Hyuck greeted them with a smile she always adored and made them sit - one beside him, and the other beside the girl across him. The boy introduced them to her as Renjun and Jaemin, his friends.

The shorter one between the two was called Renjun, who was wearing a button down shirt with a light colored shirt inside and fitted black pants which exhibited how small his body frame was. His bleached blond hair was neatly styled into the side, only showing a small part of his forehead.

Jaemin on the other hand was wearing a full black outfit - black shirt, black jacket, black track pants. On the contrary, his hair was a shade of pink and he had a cheeky grin plastered on his face which somehow intrigued the girl.

For some reason, when Jaemin's bright eyes met Ayeon's, it felt familiar, as if she had seen him before but not quite.

Jaemin gave her a warm smile when he noticed her attention was on him. He had an amazing smile, the girl won't deny that. She could really sense the genuinity from it.

"You good?" His forehead creased as he questioned, voice laced with softness.

Like a deer caught in headlights, Ayeon felt her cheeks start to burn. With widened eyes, she nodded her head and quickly reached out for the cup of coffee she ordered to break away from the boy's breathtaking gaze.

The boy chuckled at her, before turning away, muttering something under his breath that was inaudible for others to hear.

Apparently, Ayeon was deciphering what type of person Jaemin was on her mind. From the looks, he emits a serious type; however, once he smiles and opens his mouth, he's somehow like a warm and nice person. Perhaps, first impressions could be wrong and shouldn't be a basis for how to act towards a person, better to get to know first.

As time passed, Jaemin and Renjun were good company, she concluded. Young Ayeon enjoyed her limited time with them. Jaemin helped her review for her upcoming economics quiz by asking questions from the reviewer she made. On the other hand, Hyuck and Renjun kept on catching up with each other and talked about a certain game.

It was fun. They would crack jokes from time to time and tell embarrassing stories.

The four teenagers were all laughing with each other, certainly enjoying. And unknowingly, Ayeon's dark brown eyes found its way to Donghyuck who kept on teasing them. His shiny eyes met hers and gave her the brightest smile she has ever seen, followed by a wink. To that, Ayeon's heart jumped, stunned as she was a bit off guard.

Oh, the effect Hyuck had on her made her think if she was under his spell.