Golden ◂ NCT Jaemin

8 ◂ Sleeves

◂ 8 ▸

Unsurprisingly, a cheap and rather short dress barely managed to help contain a person's body heat and so Jie was pretty cold pretty soon.

Yet she stood calmly, quietly, patiently there where she had been standing for minutes, waiting for one of the boys to come back to pick her up.

It was a feeling of duty, responsibility. Not so much that she couldn't have walked home on her own. Though the apartment was far, she had two healthy legs to carry her there.

But she didn't leave.

Eventually, after a few more minutes had passed, a car pulled up next to the girl. She eyed it wearily until the door opened and a familiar face greeted her.

"Sorry for the wait," Jaemin said in a forced polite tone to which Jie didn't react much. She merely walked towards the vehicle, pulled the door open and slipped onto the passenger seat.

Surprised by her lack of reaction, Jaemin stood still in confusion ere he followed her example and got back into the car.

After glimpsing at her briefly, he looked ahead, gaze brushing over the steering wheel and out the window ahead. Lights were flickering in the dark. They were shining, blinking.

It was pretty and also pretty average.

Jaemin sighed. "I know that it looks like I purposely let you wait there but we-"

"I know," Jie interrupted and Jaemin quickly turned his head towards her. "It didn't look like that at all but I know."

Her eyes were half-open and stuck to her own reflection in the window next to her. Lingering on herself a little longer, she then tore her eyes away and turned her head so that she was facing the boy.

He let his eyes run up and down the girl that didn't seem to mind. That was the only thing he seemed to be certain about when it came to her - ever since he first met her, she really just didn't care at all.

Upon seeing the goosebumps still not leaving her skin even inside the warm car, he reached back. He hurried over here, he didn't think of bringing a blanket. However, he had his jacket with him, so he placed it over her.

She smiled thankfully.

"You really don't mind?" Jaemin asked curiously.

Jie pulled the jacket a bit further up as she shook her head.

"Taeyong probably told you to make sure that Hyun-wook wouldn't notice that we are working together so you couldn't take me with you earlier," she guessed. "I am sure if it was Jeno, you wouldn't have bothered to pretend like he wasn't part of your team."

Her guess sounded more like a fact. She was sure about it when she in actuality didn't know. And Jaemin frowned at that but let her talk regardless.

"Most of 127 and WayV also have jobs tonight so you probably didn't have anyone else to pick me up either and you didn't allow me to walk home alone because Winwin and Yangyang asked you not to let me."

Although Jaemin didn't reply to either of her assumptions, Jie could still tell by the way he looked at her. It wasn't easy to read him but it wasn't hard to tell that he would have loved to object if she was talking complete nonsense.

So she knew she was right.

As she warmed up, she felt it easier to become more comfortable inside the car. It clashed with her tiredness, making her eyes shut close almost automatically.

"I talked to Jeno yesterday. He said not to worry because you are reliable. Even if you are angry at someone you will do your job properly," she mumbled.