Doubler || NCT || Completed

26

Jeno's face fell and Yujin wished that she could've told him that she was only joking, that obviously she was safe and would remain so for the rest of her life. His hands gripped Yujin's fingers, as he processed the latest revelation with a blank look in his eyes. Suddenly it wasn't any longer him holding her afloat but the other way round.

"How did they get your information?" Haechan's question was straightforward, as always. Jaemin and Kun shot warning gazes at him.

"I don't think it's any of our business to pry, if Yujin doesn't want to talk about it", Taeyong said with a gentle tone. Based on his voice and the somber look on his face, he knew at least part of the truth, probably all of it. That made sense, Yujin was sure that Taeil had told the leader everything before joining the group.

"I disagree with you, hyung. Shouldn't we all be aware of the risk she poses?" Renjun pointed out. His bluntness made Hendery and Doyoung cringe, they weren't as good at hiding their reaction as the others.

"She doesn't have to tell us anything if she doesn't want to", Jeno agreed with Taeyong. He pulled his hands away from Yujin and instead ran his fingers through his hair. "As far as we know, she doesn't endanger us any more than I do."

Renjun narrowed his eyes at Jeno, clearly getting ready for a debate.

Yujin didn't want them to fight because of her. They were a pack, a family, and her presence shouldn't strain their relationship with each other any more than it already had.

"I was betrayed when I was a child", she spoke mechanically. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling. "It's a rather long story and, in its entirety, not as relevant to the current situation as you might think. They've tracked me down a couple of times after everything went down for the first time but it's been years since the last time."

"If it's not relevant, why did you have to bring it up?" Doyoung questioned, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's relevant in the sense that I don't want you to think that you can or should protect me or my identity if things get ugly. That'll only end up hurting your pack", Yujin tried to explain herself.

Jeno didn't seem to agree with her thoughts.

"Wait, so, to go back a little bit, does 'betrayal' mean that your information was sold to poachers? How does that work in practice?" Haechan pulled the conversation back to its original tracks with curious eyes.

Yujin wanted to throw up. Thinking about things from her past made her nauseous.
"In my case it meant that I was sold", she said.

Jeno's eyes widened. There was a moment of silence.

"Sold? As in through human trafficking?" Doyoung asked. Yujin's words seemed to have stunned him.
Yujin wasn't willing to face anyone. "I suppose so." Her voice was distant and unemotional.

"Wow. That's messed up", Haechan was shocked, not just because of the truth but also because Yujin had actually answered their questions.

"Should we focus on our plan now?" Taeil proposed. He knew that this was difficult subject for Yujin, and that speaking about it would probably take too much attention from their current situation. No one protested his suggestion, and it took a while before anyone looked into Yujin's direction again.

The plan ended up being quite simple. It was mutually agreed, that Taeil and Yujin's apartment was off limits, and that both Yujin and Jeno should be careful and remain hiding as much as possible. Since he couldn't go home either, Taeil needed to stay elsewhere, even though he hadn't been compromised.

"You can sleep in my room, Taeil hyung", Jungwoo promised with a sweet smile as soon as the question of Taeil and Yujin's sleeping arrangements came up, and they decided that Taeil would stay with the older members.