Stronger || NCT mafia au

Chapter 73 | "what?"

"I like you, Jihyun. And I want to be with you."

"What?"

Jeno and Jihyun were standing in the garden right next to the house.

"I like you a lot, Jihyun. I want you to be my girlfriend, not Jaemin's."

"Jeno-"

"I could make you happy too. I could make you happier than he can." Jeno pleaded, reaching out to grab her hands. She pulled her hands away, taking a step back.

"Jeno, I'm flattered, but I'm with Jaemin. I don't feel that way about you, I'm sorry."

"Jihyun you know that we have something special" Jeno continued, walking closer to her as she backed away. "The way we work together, all the time we've spent together, we have that bond."

"Jeno, we're great fighting partners, but that's all we are. You're my friend. Jaemin is my boyfriend."

"But you could change that." He said resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Jeno I don't want to change that, I don't like you like that."

"I'm so much better than him. He's too weak, too sensitive. He doesn't deserve someone like you, and he'll never be able to make you as happy as I can." He reaches up to caress her cheek with his other hand.

"I'm plenty happy with Jaemin, thanks." She scoffs back, slapping his hand away.

"But Ji-"

"Jeno, please just stop this. I'm sorry, I really am. But I'm saying no. This? Us? It won't happen." She exclaims, willing him to understand her.

"Jihyun...."

"I'm sorry Jeno." She whispers out one more time, a look of sympathy on her face as she turns away from him. He reaches out and grabs her hand, spinning her back towards him.

"Jihyun I'm not going to give up on you-"

"Yes you are." She huffs out in frustration, pulling her hand away. "Jeno. No means no. I'm sorry if this hurts but you have to let me go. This is getting ridiculous." He grabs her hand again as she turns to walk away.

"Please Ji-" she draws a knife out of her holster, pulling her hand away from him and pointing the knife at him.

"Don't touch me again. I said no. I'm not gonna hurt you, but it's in your best interest to let me leave before you lose me entirely." She growled lowly, a dark expression on her face, a mix of distress and anger flaring in her eyes.

He holds her gaze but doesn't make another move as she puts her knife away and walks out of the garden.

- - -

In the house, Jaemin was staring at the pair through the window as they walked into the garden. They stopped right in front of the large one-way window-wall of the dining room. All of the other members were there, watching and listening through the mics that Ten was projecting.

Jaemin's blood went cold when he heard the confession, his whole body freezing up as the others let out small gasps. Jaehyun was in the corner, shaking his head.

"Don't stress, Jaemin." He called out to the younger boy, causing Jaemin to face him. "She likes you. Not him." Jaemin briefly smiled at Jaehyun, dipping his head before turning back to watch.

"....I'm with Jaemin. I don't feel that way about you, I'm sorry."

He felt his whole body relax when she said those words, letting out a sigh of relief as Sungchan patted his back reassuringly.

"See? It's all good man." Lucas said with a smile, lightly ruffling Jaemin's hair as all the members relaxed a bit, turning to smile at Jaemin.

However their attention turned back to the pair as Jeno continued to try and convince her, a tension filling the room.  They watched as she slowly backed away from him.

"....He's too weak, too sensitive. He doesn't deserve someone like you, and he'll never be able to make you as happy as I can."

Jaemin feels his blood boil at Jeno's words, anger sparking in him as he clenched his fists. His eyes darken as he watched Jeno continue to pursue her. He watched Jeno caress her cheek, standing from his seat as he noticed the discomfort and stress on her face.

"Jaemin, no. She can handle herself. Don't get involved yet." Kun says from next to him, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him back down. "If he's smart, he'll let her go."

"I guess he's not smart...." Xiaojun mumbles as Jeno grabs her hand. They watch her yell in frustration, all of the members beginning to feel protective, especially Jaemin who's practically shaking in anger.

Most of them smirk proudly when they finally see her pull out her knife, most of them now sharing in a lesser degree of Jaemin's anger.

"Is she going to hurt him?" Jisung says quietly, conflicted between disappointment and concern for his friend.

"No. But if she did, he would deserve it." Jaehyun growled from the back.

"I'm going to kill him." Jaemin says, standing from his seat as Jihyun walks away. This time, none of the members stop him, actually most of them follow him, some even cracking their knuckles as they make their way outside.