Stronger || NCT mafia au

Chapter 48 | "make me cry"

"Jihyun! I was just about to come and find you!" she stops walking and turns around to find the voice that called her.

"Oh, hey Taeyong, what's up?" she says, falling into step beside him.

"It's been a while since the two of us talked, and there's some stuff I wanted to bring up to you." she nodded at him, urging him to go on. "Look, as much I don't want to talk about it and as much as you don't want to hear it, we need to talk about Johnny." She sighs in response.

"I know. He's still a threat and knows too much about our mafia to let free."

"and we can't expect that he won't try something again, like you said, he knows too much." Jihyun took a deep breath, nodding in agreement with a solemn expression on her face.

"are you asking me to plan a mission or is this your way of telling me that we need to prepare for the worst? I already have Ten and Jisung working on tracking them but you know that already."

"Jihyun." the two stop walking, Taeyong turning to face her. "You know I trust you, and you're incredibly skilled, but we both know that bad things can happen."

"I know, and the last thing I want is for the gang to fall apart again if something happens to me."

"Right, that being said I think you need to finally choose a second in command." Taeyong sighs out, a serious expression on his face. "I know that Jae and I are the caporegimes but we need a clear leader incase something happens."

"well-"

"wait, one more thing. I'm not saying it has to be Jae or I." she looks at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that I don't want you to think that either one of us just want power like Johnny did. In the past, seconds didn't come from the council. You need to pick who you think could lead this gang if you weren't there." she nods her head, a sad expression on her face.

"I've known that this was coming and just didn't want to think about it."

"You don't need to decide now, but it is something to consider, at least until we can be assured that Johnny is no longer a threat." Taeyong says with a small smile, her returning his expression as they begin walking again.

"Those newbies really helped us out, huh? Jaemin totally saved my ass." she says with a small laugh, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Yeah, you should've seen them in the hideout, especially Jaemin and Jeno. Totally losing their minds." Taeyong laughs out, remembering the sheer panic of the two boys. "but you trained them well, they'll be good assets to the gang."

"I'm just happy. They worked so hard and they're also my first real friends. To have them in NCT...it's special." she responds, a warm smile on her face.

"Yeah, I guess your little plan to get them in here worked out after all." Taeyong replies shoving her shoulder with a wink.

"Plan? What plan?" the two look up and see Jaehyun standing outside of the door to Jihyun's room, staring at them in a mix of mild anger and confusion. Jihyun notices him putting a rose in his pocket as well as a small letter.

"It's nothing, Jae, don't worry about it." Jihyun replies quickly, trying to brush off the conversation.

"No, what the hell is up?" he replied angrily.

"Jaehyun. Don't do this." Taeyong said quietly, a warning in his eyes as he sees the emotions starting to take over the younger boy's body.

"Taeyong, can you leave Jaehyun and I alone for a bit." Jihyun says, not breaking eye contact with the angry boy in front of her. Taeyong lets out a deep sigh, glaring at Jaehyun with a desperate shake of his head briefly before walking away.

"Let's talk in my room."

- - -

"Do you realize who we are? Those boys are nothing! Meaningless lives at our disposal and you risked the gang, risked everything we are for some friends? Aren't you the queen of putting the gang first? No emotions, can't get attached, blah blah blah blah blah all that bullshit you would tell us. What kind of leader... You've truly gone mad" he yells, slamming his fist into the wall.

"Are you doubting me?" she glares at him, a fire in both of their eyes "Are seriously questioning me about this right now?" She whisper quietly, venom lacing her every word as her eyes darken. He continues to stare at her.  Jaehyun continues to stare at her in silence, anger burning in his eyes.

"Try to tell me that those boys truly aren't worthy of being here, they're amazing." she yells out in frustration. "I don't get what the big deal is!"

"The big deal is that you schemed to get your friends in the gang! You didn't even know them!"

"Why does it matter? I had been training with them for weeks before the exams, I knew they were gonna be perfect for us!" she exclaims.

"You what?" Jaehyun breathed out. Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said. "You trained with them? All of them? Not just Jaemin?" he took a deep breath, anger prickling along his skin. "How long, Jihyun! How long have you been planning this?" He shouts out.

"It doesn't matter! So what if I helped them, did they not perform the best? Are they not amazing? Who cares if I'm friends with them?"

"I care! You kept this from me, from all of us! That's not what a leader does. We're your friends, we're your family, not some stupid pretty boys you met by chance and took a liking to!"

"Since when is it any of your business what I do? Yes you're my family but can I not have a life? I saw potential in these boys and decided to help them. I was thinking about us, about NCT! These boys are undoubtably loyal to me, I trained them myself and I trust them. And after everything that's happened the past few weeks, I don't understand why you're getting so worked up about some new boys who do nothing but benefit us!"

"I don't care about that, Jihyun! Don't you get it? If you're willing to lie and keep secrets about them, what else are you going to do? How long until you betray us too?" Jaehyun shouts in anger, turning to her with an accusatory glare.

"Really? Really. You're gonna say that to me? I put my entire life into this gang, everything I am lives and breathes in NCT. I've sacrificed more for this than anyone else and you're gonna go there and say that!?"

"I didn't see you putting your life into NCT when you were spending hours a day after school working with those boys!"

"Those boys, the same ones that are now extremely skilled fighters and who are a part of NCT. Don't you get it? You're being ridiculous!"

"I'm being ridiculous? Yeah sure, well you're not the girl I used to know. The Jang Jihyun I know would never keep stuff from me. She'd never lie to me about her friends, and she'd never, ever, let anything distract her from the good of NCT." Jaehyun breaths out, pure anger in his tone.

"All I see in front of me is a little girl who was too weak and selfish to put her gang first. I don't know who you are, but you're no leader, and you're certainly not my best friend." Jaehyun finishes quietly, shaking his head at her before storming out of the room.

She lets out a shaky breath, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes and going to sit on the side of her bed.

"I'm not gonna let that asshole make me cry anymore."