BOSS | NCT

oo7

Jeno said I was a fast learner. I wanted to tell him that that's because he's a good teacher too.

But I am not sure what to do with Jungwoo.

He's shy. He looks around a lot. He's so gentle. It's as if I'm not their prisoner.

It's hard to believe that he hangs out with these bunch of douchebags. What on earth did Lucas and those other shitheads did to have someone as genuine as Jungwoo join their group?

That's because they all came from similar families. They're future leaders.

Perhaps it's the son of a mafia who might be teaching me how to read right now. Or maybe Jungwoo's parents are the world's most wanted drug dealer. They could also be geniuses who work on the lab to produce a weapon of mass destruction. Or maybe they export deadly weapons all over the continent and produce several pounds of money every minute. Who knows. Everyone has their own crazy world in here. While here I am, stuck in the middle of their gang. They don't have a clue that I'd die soon. It's a shame and a hassle to have a dead body around an area as pretty as this.

And whose fault is it?

Jungwoo points to me at something. So far, he thought me of the letters A, B, C, D, and E already.

"A and E are vowels. There are five of them," he tells me.

I nod, focused. I've never been so determined to learn reading. Donghyuck said it's a waste of time because on a world like this, reading and writing are just a bunch of brain-killing actions. 'Don't be a rabbit in a world of wolves!', he'd tell me. He said I should be the wolf. By that, I knew he meant I should learn how to fight and defend rather than do princess and scholarly routines such as studying in a library. Jisung once called studying a 'pain in the ass'. And that's the most relatable metaphor ever.

But Jungwoo didn't made it seem like that. He made it interesting and inspirational. He told about the beauty of words, and how oneself can express themselves through that. 'They say actions are stronger than words', he'd tell me. 'But some feelings can't be conveyed by just 'actions' alone. You must say it. And if you still can't express it, then you write it.'

At first, Jungwoo was a little bit of shy. But he eventually got used to the teachings.

Why is he so kind?

I don't want him to be kind to me.

I don't want anyone to show kindness to me.

I'll die anyway.

I don't want to form a connection, no matter how small it is, to other people.

Jungwoo is a dangerous candidate for that. He reminds so much of Renjun and Jeno. They're all sweet and gentle. And not to mention, cute. I think I'll have a pleasant time for now.

But that changed as soon as the door bursts open, and the boy named Doyoung enters the room.

He's walking towards us with a smile. My gaze follows him.