cherry bomb › nct

62 | better off unspoken

PANDORA'S BOX
6:43 PM, TUESDAY

"Okay. So you're telling me, that Daniel...the Jeong Daniel! Your apprentice Jeong Daniel—"

"Can you stop it with all the Daniel's?" Jaemin uttered out, glaring at Reiji who glared back at him in return. 

"Shut up, you blueberry." Reiji retorted before looking back at Keiko.

"Okay, anyways. Continuing the story! Had the audacity to take Lee Taehui's – Taeyong's dad – offer to help you 'escape' but instead make you fall into a deeper trap?" Reiji eyebrows raised up curiously, an unreadable expression cast on his face as he couldn't believe that Daniel did something like that.

Jaemin laughed slowly, clapping his hands, "Believe it or not- Daniel in fact did."

"Will you please stop interrupting our conversation, Jaemin-ssi?"

Jaemin shook his head at Reiji's comment, "No."

Keiko sighed, leaning back onto the wall as she watched the two banter. "Yes, he did do that, Reiji."

"Oh my- you called me Reiji!" the said male snapped his head towards the girl, literally abandoning his little quarrel with Jaemin. "But, anyway, do you think he'll go to work today?"

"Unless he got captured by Taehui's subordinates then he might- if he still had guts to face Keiko or what he did that is," Jaemin answered resulting in Reiji to give him an annoyed stare. The faded blue-haired boy shrugged innocently before drumming his fingers rhythmically on the countertop, "What?"

Keiko shook her head, "I'd like him to come though- after all, he's still works under my bar and he's still a friend."

Jaemin scowled, "Can't believe you still go all nice on him for what he did."

"He's a bit dumb for choosing Taehui but Daniel's still got some brains- he might've been manipulated or something," Reiji explained, Keiko shortly agreeing after.

"Reginald's right. I know sickos like Lee Taehui uses different psychological tricks to control or make use of someone." Keiko pointed out, "Besides- don't you do the same in the mafia?"

Jaemin hummed, resting his chin on his palm as he propped his elbow steadily on top of the counter, "Well- yeah. But how could you say Taehui uses tricks like that."

Keiko plainly shrugged, making her way behind the bar counter, "Don't forget I was once part of the family that was or still is Taehui's rivals. I was practically thought to learn about his strategies my whole life in that household."

Jaemin nodded his head, "Mhm, how could I forget."

"Daniel's from Sangkyun University- that boy has some damn brains to get into that school. Plus, he's also a hacker, maybe Taehui found some use in him." Reiji blurted out, picking up a glass and wiped it with a plain white cloth.

"Yeah- a shitty hacker who literally took our executive's bait for him. He's so easily tricked." Jaemin rolled his eyes, raising up his glass towards Keiko who gladly took it.

"Are you gonna forgive him, Kei?"

Keiko's gaze fell on the blue-haired for a few seconds before averting it back to her work. "It depends."

Reiji huffed, "He should know and respect your decisions, Keiko."

"He will. He should."

. . .

NEO CULTURE TECHNOLOGY
MAD CITY BASE
2:23 AM, WEDNESDAY