Stronger || NCT mafia au

Chapter 47 | "falling for her"

"Taeyong, I need your help." Taeyong lifts his eyes from the computer screen in front of him to see Jaehyun standing in front of his desk, nervously shifting from side to side.

"Did something happen? Is someone hurt? Did you tell Jihyun yet? Wait, I'll call her." He reaches for his phone but Jaehyun stops him.

"No no no don't call her and no ones hurt." Jaehyun says in a panic.

"Then what's wrong? Is it Johnny? The newbies?" Taeyong questions, alarmed by the nervousness in Jaehyun's eyes.

"No, uh actually, it's not really mafia stuff....I just need some adivce." Taeyong let out a deep breath, relaxing into his chair as he motions for Jaehyun to sit down. Closing the door, Jaehyun takes a seat across the desk from Taeyong.

"So what's up Jae? You don't usually come to me for, well, anything."

"I-I know um, I kinda just needed like a brother to talk to... about... something... with." he stuttered out, not meeting Taeyong's eyes. The older boy smiled at Jaehyun, his gaze softening.

"I'm here for you Jae, whatever you need. What's on your mind?" Taeyong says, shutting the laptop in front of him and leaning his hands on the desk.

"You know after Seyoung, I never thought I'd ever love anyone again. I didn't think I would ever find someone as great as her to love, and I promised to never even go down that path. I don't want that to happen again..." he trailed off.

"and now you're worried that you're falling for her. For Jihyun." Taeyong finished his thought, Jaehyun's eyes shooting up to meet his.

"Y-yes? N-no? maybe? I don't know. Its been three years since I've felt any kind of real emotions like that, and I can't make sense of what I'm feeling." Jaehyun looked away again, staring at the photos on Taeyong's desk. His eyes trained on one in particular of him, Taeyong, Mark, Jihyun and Yuta as young children, a small smile appearing on his face.

"try to tell me, as best as you can."

"Well, I know that ever since Seyoung was killed, Jihyun's been there for me. We picked up the pieces together and I vowed that day to never let her get hurt, to always protect her and keep her safe, the way she did for me. I respect her as a leader and one of my best friends but only recently have I started thinking that maybe I want more?" Jaehyun sighed, staring at her in the photo.

"I always felt different around her, but I never really knew why. I do know that being around her makes me happy. It's like the world becomes colorful when she's there. Her smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I can't control myself around her. My emotions get the best of me, emotions I didn't even know I had. Maybe that's why we fight so much. I know she's capable and I trust her entirely, but theres something inside of me that makes me say dumb things. Whatever impulsive thoughts that come into my head to keep her close, and I can't stop it." Jaehyun says with a loud sigh.

"Jae....do you think this has anything to do with those new boys?" Taeyong asks slowly.

"What do you mean?" Jaehyun asks in complete confusion.

"Jae, you're usually a pretty smart guy but you've been totally oblivious on this one. You've always been protective of Jihyun, yes, but think about when you first really felt possessive over her."

"Ummm, maybe a bit over a year ago? A few months after the school had started? I've been feeling this way for a while now..."

"Right. What happened during that time?" Jaehyun takes a long pause, thinking for a moment.

"It's when she stopped being so cold....when she...met her friends." Jaehyun says with a look of realization. "Taeyong...am I jealous because I like Jihyun?"