Captive | NCT

Chapter 38

I hate this place.

Yuta's hands were stuffed into the pockets of the jacket he wore, black cap over his head. His feet dragged along the dirt path, located in the middle of the village where the Kitsune Clan resided.

Yuta had already delayed his return as long as possible. Yuri had came back a few days prior and had informed him that she was taking care of their mother.

A few tiny kitsunes ran past him, their white fur coats blending in with the snow. They stopped to stare at him for a second before running off.

Do they know who I am?

Yuta ended up stopping at a small stand owned by an elderly man and a girl, just a year younger than Yuta. The girl was serving fresh takoyaki that her grandfather made to the people walking by. It was cold, their breaths visible in the air but the two of them continued working hard.

Yuta decided to approach the stand, joining the long line forming. Before he knew it, he was at the front of the line.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The girl asked him as she focused on serving the people right before him. Yuta smiled to himself.

"Misaki." The girl froze at the sound of his voice. She quickly passed the hot takoyaki to the customer before looking up.

"Yuta. You're back." Misaki said.

Misaki Takada was one of Yuta's childhood friends. The pretty girl with short hair and pale skin was a orphan taken in by an elderly couple. Yuta had stumbled across her when she was only a small cub, being bullied by the others for not having parents. That's when Yuta stood up for her and soon the two became good friends.

Unlike Yuta, Misaki never had the luxury of attending the Academy. Instead, she helped her grandfather with running the takoyaki stand, yet she never complained, not even for a second.

"It's been a while, I hope it's still as good as it used to be." Yuta said, glancing at the warm food. Misaki smiled.

"Of course it is. What brings you here, you rarely ever come back." Misaki said as she scooped some takoyaki into the paper tray.

"My mother." Yuta responded dryly. Misaki's smile faded.

"I heard what happened. I'm sorry." Misaki said, pass the paper tray full of takoyaki to him.

"It's fine, it happens." Yuta simply responded. He turned his head to the long line of impatient customers before turning back to Misaki. "I should probably get going."

Misaki nodded her head. "If you hate hone to much, you know where I live. We close at 10."

Yuta gave the girl a small smile. "You know me too well."

...

"Remember when you called me over last year just because Xiaojun pissed you off?" Jungwoo said with a chuckle as he leaned on the counter, watching as Sejung poured both of them some lemonade.

"Nope." Sejung replied with a wide grin, setting Jungwoo's glass in front of him but as they met each other's eyes, a laugh escaped.

"Liar." Jungwoo said, smiling as he took the glass in his hands. Sejung stayed quiet, only smiling as she returned the jug to the fridge.

"What do you want to do, anyways?" Sejung asked, making her way towards the male. Jungwoo shrugged.

"I'm down to relax today. We've went to the beach a few times and visited your parents too." Jungwoo answered.

"Great, because I was thinking the same thing." Sejung said, guiding the male to her living room. She sat down on the couch, placing the glass down on the small table in front of them. Jungwoo mirrored her movements.