HELIOTROPE ↻ NCT DREAM

eighteen

It was the last day of finals week, the last obstacle before Christmas break. The day everyone was looking forward to as finishing it would mean that they're finally free from the first semester.

Ayeon, with a cup of hot choco in hand, lazily walked inside the classroom for her 7:30 am exam. Her second to the last test.

Her eyes half-open as she barely slept for the whole week. Yawning, she checked her wristwatch to see how much time left before their professor would enter and hand out the booklet and answer sheets to them. Ayeon, approximately had 35 minutes left and instead of reviewing like the other students, she gently slammed her head down on the desk, her hand crossed over the outstretched one - taking it as a chance to doze off for a bit, and gain some energy. It was probably for the best or else she might fall asleep while taking the exam.

The young freshman student believed that luck was on her side for that subject as she was confident with most of her answers. It was as though all the all-nighters she took were worth it. With a small clutching Saeri on her arm, they both happily went out the room.

"Are you gonna meet up with your boyfriend or are we gonna study?" Saeri questioned, still clutching onto Ayeon, and looked at her from the side of her eyes. She saw Ayeon pursed her lips and pout. The sadness that flashed in her eyes upon hearing Hyuck's name was quite difficult not to spot. Seeing the raw emotion in her friend's eyes made Saeri regret opening up the topic.

Ayeon barely got to talk and meet up with Hyuck that specific week and of course it set her mood down on some parts of the days. It was bad. Bad that she had been so used to the fact of how clingy Hyuck could get despite the number of work he has to do. She was so used to the fact that Hyuck would make time to reply to her messages despite how busy he could get. So that whole week was something Ayeon wasn't used to. Thus, she winced upon memories that resurfaced in her brain.

Her shoulders slumped and her attention was cast to the ground, she heaved a deep sigh. In that sigh, Saeri felt how upset she was. Ayeon then craned her neck sideward to look at her friend before answering her question. "No. We'll study." Ayeon let out a tight smile as she noticed the worried expression on Saeri's face, but it didn't really quite mask what she really felt.

It was only 9:30 am, hence, they had more or less a 3-hour break before their last exam. The two friends had then planned their schedule. For the first half, they must spend it as a time for review. The second hour will then be used for them to take their lunch ahead of time, an hour before 12 noon. For the last hour, they planned to review again.

The schedule the two had planned was followed accordingly. However, an outsider had suddenly decided to join them saying his friends weren't responding to him.

Jaemin had accompanied the two young women and they all ate lunch together, catching up regarding how the exams went. As the three moved to the library to study, Jaemin had helped Ayeon and Saeri on reviewing, asking them questions as the exam that he took in the morning was the last one unlike them. So basically, he was finally free.

The event that laid out in front of Ayeon's eyes made her think of the moment they had first met; the moment she met Jaemin. She remembered how friendly he was and how the smile on his face barely left. Most especially, the memory of him helping her study Economics even though he didn't have much of a clue about it and only based on the materials Ayeon had at that moment.

The thought made Ayeon smile to herself.

A hand wave in front of her face, surprised, the beam that was shown on her face was gone in a millisecond causing Jaemin to release a soft low chuckle. "You know... you just sat there blankly while I was asking you a question, but then you suddenly smiled." He narrated as he acted it out a bit exaggerated, teasing the young woman that sat beside him. Ayeon tried to hold her laugh in the softest way, not wanting to bother other students.

Impulsively, Jaemin's hands cupped Ayeon's face before pinching her cheeks, finding her cute. Ayeon's face flushed at the contact, realizing what was happening. Her eyes widened a bit and an awkward smile managed to appear on her face. Jaemin was surprised by his own actions as well but he didn't think much of it and quickly pinched Ayeon's soft cheeks again before releasing his hands and ruffling the top of her head.

Excitedly, Ayeon entered the classroom, along with Saeri who was trailing behind her. Ayeon knew in herself how much effort she had done in studying for the subject. She wasn't nervous at all as her mind was already looking forward to finishing the exam and the possibility of seeing Hyuck.

During the duration of the test, a hint of smile could be seen on Ayeon's face as she tried to bite down on her bottom lip in an attempt to mask her excited expression and eventually, tapping her ballpen to it whenever she thinks. Her feet then lightly tapped against the tiled floors as she moved along the question in a smooth pace, couldn't contain the eagerness of seeing her boyfriend. However, the grin and sparkle in her eyes flushed down the drain as soon as she walked out, after handing out the booklet and answer sheet to the professor. It wasn't who she expected outside her room. But nonetheless, Ayeon gave the boy a small beam and walked towards his direction.

Upon noticing Ayeon who just walked out the room, a grin appeared on Jaemin's face and he pushed his back off the wall he was leaning on. He walked towards Ayeon, meeting the girl halfway and not once did his smile falter. They stood across each other. A few strands of his hair fell over his eyes as he looked at Ayeon who was definitely shorter than him "Hey," Jaemin grinned as he greeted her and raised his hand halfway into a little wave.

"Hey," Ayeon returned, smiling as she copied the gesture. "Where's Hyuck?"

Jaemin pursed his lips and knitted his brows together as he thought. "I think he's with Mark or with a senior, playing games." He shrugged. "Not sure though."

"Oh." She nodded, before making a pout. A hint of melancholy reflected in her eyes that she tried to mask off as she gazed into the distance and the blank expression on her face kind of alarmed the young man. With softness lacing his voice, Jaemin questioned Ayeon carefully if she wanted to talk about it over coffee. However, the young woman shook her head and gave him a small smile that could be barely seen.

"How about we watch a movie instead?" Ayeon suggested. "A comedy one?"

Seeing Ayeon's lips curl upwards, Jaemin smiled as well and nodded, agreeing with her suggestion. If it was any other idea, Jaemin would've nodded his head. He was up for anything as long as he knew it would make her feel better. He was willing to do anything just to make Ayeon happy. They were 'friends' after all.