Stronger || NCT mafia au

Chapter 13 | "he deserves it"

When Jihyun got to her room, she slammed the door shut, locking it before slowly crawling onto her bed. The tears silently streaming down her face as she tried to ignore Jaehyun's words, but she couldn't.

She knows how powerful she is, her name alone is enough to terrify people, but she always believed her members when they told her that they really did love her. All the love she felt for them was real, but Jaehyun's words crashed down on her like a bucket of cold water. She started to doubt everything and everyone.

Soon she heard a knock on her door, followed by Taeyong's soft voice, asking her to open the door for him. She couldn't face them right now, especially if everything was a lie. She just stayed silent, the tears continuing to flow down her face as she stared at the ceiling, her heart slowly shattering and the walls threatening to come back up.

Soon she heard a click and her door popped open, revealing Sicheng with a shy smile, and Taeyong peeking out from behind him. Jihyun sat up in her bed, not bothering to wipe away her tears as she stared at them.

"How did you open my door?"

"Ji, do you even know who I am? C'mon, it's just lock picking." Sicheng smiled a bit before the two boys walked into her room, closing the door behind them.

They made their way to the side of the bed, sitting down on the edge as Jihyun scooted away from them. They shared a concerned glance before Taeyong reached out a hand, gently placing it on her knee. She flinched at the contact before looking up at him with teary eyes.

"Ji, what happened?" He asked her with a soft voice, his eyes pained as he looked at the distraught girl in front of him.

"Why do you even care?" She spat out, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"What do you mean? We care about you, Ji, we want to make sure you're ok." He responds, his eyes flicking to Sicheng who was just watching with furrowed brows.

"Do you really? Or are you just too afraid that I'll kill you." She huffs out, the tears starting to stream down her face again. The two boys recoil in shock, Taeyong at a loss for words.

"Jaehyun said something stupid, didn't he." Sicheng breaths out, connecting the dots. "What did he say to you?" Sicheng reaches out, taking her hand in his own, his pleading eyes filled with worry. Jihyun remained silent, just staring at him. Taeyong let out a sigh.

"Ji, please tell us." She looks at Taeyong then diverts her gaze, staring at her sheets before taking a deep breath.

"I made a friend today." She starts, the two other boys sitting up in shock, small smiles on their faces. "But Jaehyun didn't like it for some reason. He walked in on him and I during our practice and got mad. On the drive home we fought and he said that..." she paused for a moment, a sob leaving her lips.

"He said that the only reason you guys put up with me or listen to me is because you're all afraid of me. He said that you guys dont have a choice or else I would... kill you." She whispers out, the tears pouring down her face and dripping onto her sheets.

Taeyong and Sicheng share a horrified look before turning back to the girl. Their hearts breaking as they watched her, faces filled with a mix of anger and worry.

"Jihyun. Both of us have known you since we were babies, you know we wouldn't lie to you, or at the very least, you'd know if we were." Taeyong breaths out softly. "Please look at me when I say this, so you can see for yourself." Slowly and reluctantly, Jihyun turns her head and stares into Taeyong's eyes. He smiles at her.

"From the bottom of our hearts, Ji, we love you. And that's real. You're a member of this family and not as Jang Jihyun, heiress to the Jang mafia and leader of NCT. You're part of our family as Jihyun." He stops to rest a hand on her arm.

"Remember? You're still the same girl who used to waltz around in a pink dress with a rose tucked behind her ear, singing about butterflies. The little girl who spray painted her first gun with gold glitter because she wanted the last thing her victim saw to be something pretty. The girl who's been through more than any of us could imagine, but still checks up on each and every one of us after every mission, because she would rather die than know were in pain."

She sees how genuine he's being, a sad smile on his face as he stares at her, willing her to believe him.

"Yes, you're our fearless leader who we'd gladly follow into any battle any day. You're also the glue that holds this family together. There's no one that any of us trust more than you. We cherish you, respect you, and more than anything, we all love you. You've given us a home, you make us feel wanted, safe, loved. Please don't think for a single second that we're being fake. I guarantee you, anyone who's been faking it wouldn't have been able to last this long." He smiles at her, reaching out to wipe away her tears with his sleeve.

Jihyun nods at Taeyong, him pulling her into a hug, beckoning Sicheng to join in.

"Plus" Sicheng speaks as they pull away from the hug, "you might be the ace but we all trained together. If it really came down to it and enough of us wanted to, we could overthrow you." The three of them let out a small laugh. "But we never would, because no one could do what you do." He smiles at her.

They hear the sound of the garage door closing, signaling that Jaehyun had arrived. Taeyong instantly felt his blood boil, looking at the mess of a girl in front of him, tears streaming down her cheeks with a sad but understanding smile on her face. He abruptly stands up and makes his way over to the door.

"Sicheng, stay with Jihyun. Ji, come down whenever you feel ready, ok? I have someone to talk to right now." He says, forcing a smile to his face to mask his anger.

Jihyun and Sicheng share a knowing glance as Taeyong exits the room and slams the door shut. Jihyun grabs the remote to turn on a drama when they hear Taeyong's shout. She sits up in concern but Sicheng pushes her back down.

"Whatever happens, he deserves it." He mumbles to her, turning on the TV and searching for a drama to watch.