Doubler || NCT || Completed

35

"Jeno is an annoying sweetheart", was Jaemin's verdict as soon as he had sat down on the floor.

His words tugged the corners of Yujin's mouth. "That's one way to put it."

Jaemin opened and closed his mouth couple of times, considering what he should say next.

"It seems that you've reached an impasse with him so I thought I might offer some perspective to the situation", he finally spoke up, his voice careful and gentle. "Especially since I'm pretty sure that what you and him are going through right now is similar to the situation I was in, when Jeno and I first became friends."

Yujin thought about the sparks in Jeno's eyes and the electrified atmosphere that had surrounded her and him earlier, and was pretty sure that the situation wasn't similar to his past situation with Jaemin. Or, well, how could she now.

Jaemin rested his hands against his thin thighs.

"Jeno is, in some ways, very similar to his animal form. He cares deeply, becomes very protective, and tends to think that he has to fix every problem his loved ones face. He doesn't like it when people keep secrets from him and hopes that everyone would be open about their thoughts."

"And those are good qualities", Yujin said when Jaemin glanced at her direction. "It's just difficult for me to condone to them."

He nodded, clearly understanding what she meant. There was a short silence.

"When Jeno started to befriend me, I was annoyed at his persistence to know everything about me. He asked me a lot of questions and would then just stare at me with curious eyes, waiting for me to tell him everything he wanted to know", Jaemin explained after hesitating for a while. "His behaviour made me angry because I was already dealing with a lot of stuff. I was closed off from the world, even though I had already joined the pack."

Yujin eyed his calm yet melancholic face.

"I'm sorry, I know that this is hypocritical of me but can I ask what happened?" she asked cautiously. "I totally understand if you don't want to talk about it, though!"

Sad smile spread to his lips, just barely reaching his eyes. The light coming from a wall lamp caressed his light pink, messy hair.

"I've learned to talk about it, don't worry", he assured her, before the smile disappeared and he turned to look at his knees. "I lost my younger brother when I was in middle school. It was a car accident but we think it was caused by hunters."

Yujin pressed her hand over her mouth in shock and her eyes were wide. "I'm so sorry to hear that, that's horrible!"

Jaemin avoided eye contact, focusing on his fingers instead. "Thank you. It was difficult for my entire family."

Yujin felt horrible. Why had she asked? She should've kept her stupid mouth shut.

"Don't feel bad about it", Jaemin told her when he noticed the expression on her face. "I know that I wouldn't have had to tell you if I didn't want to. But I think it's good for you to know that some of us might understand what you're battling with."

Yujin nodded slowly. "Thank you for telling me. And I'm truly sorry."

The sad smile found its way back to his eyes. "It happened a decade ago. I've learned to live with the grief."

There was another long silence. Yujin didn't know what to say. She didn't open up to people and wasn't used to anyone opening up to her either.

"I'm not telling you that you have to tell everything to Jeno or that you owe him or something", Jaemin continued. "He doesn't always know when to let people be and I've spoken with him about it. But the thing is, that sometimes sharing your burden makes it more bearable. I know that you're not used to doing that but maybe trying it out wouldn't hurt you."