Beautiful Deception

N I N E

word count: 2, 742
pages (paging mode): 18
warnings: none
***

November 18th
Wednesday, 8:00 AM
location: NCT underground.
mae

As promised, Taeyong commed me at exactly eight the next morning, my watch beeping faintly.

Changing out my sweatpants for some jeans, I stayed in Mark's dark green hoodie and rebraided my hair, slipping on my sneakers and quickly brushing my teeth.
I was going to be late, but I crossed my fingers that Taeyong wouldn't hold it against me.

Thirty seconds later I was out the door and down the hall, dashing towards his office and still rubbing the sleep from my eyes; I nearly plowed into Renjun, who dropped three paintbrushes in his surprise.

"Oh, hey Renjun! I didn't see you!" I greeted hurriedly, picking up his brushes and giving them back. He had a doe-eyed look of confusion on his face, and even though he was only younger than me by a few years, I found it extremely adorable.

"What's the rush?" He asked.

I shrugged and pointed to my watch, "Duty calls. Or, more specifically, Taeyong calls."

He made a shooing motion with his free hand. "So be it. Well, see you around noona!" 
I called a quick goodbye over my shoulder as I took off again, reaching Taeyong's door in record time.

The redheaded leader was waiting for me.

"Seven and a half minutes late, but I'll show some mercy because you've been working so hard in training." He said with a half smirk as I entered the office, taking a seat on the opposite side of the desk cluttered with papers.

"Sorry Taeyong, I was pretty sleepy." I muttered sheepishly.

He only waved it off, "No worries, I was teasing you. Everyone needs a good night's sleep."
I saw him grimace, as if he himself contradicted that statement.

"So has Mark told you that I'm thinking of officializing you this weekend?" He questioned, sitting in the swivel chair across from me.

I nodded, "Yes, but I don't know much on the subject. Is it only unit placement, or is it an initiation process or something?"
Taeyong raised an eyebrow; a tic that seemed to happen a lot.

Must be a habit of his.

"You mean is it just your entry into a unit? Yes, if everything goes smoothly, you'll be in a unit this Saturday. But the initiation is more of an optional thing; it's a quick assessment of growth from pre-training to post-training, and then..." He trailed off, clearing his throat before finishing, "well, I'll let Mark explain that."

I smiled warily. What could be so nerve-wracking about an initiation?

"Speaking of, the two of you seem quite cozy lately." He added.

I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say. While the tone was merely observational, his stare suggested that there was some deeper meaning to his words.

Was he challenging me?  Is this some test of character, of loyalty?

I didn't know.

I shot him a haughty look, choosing my response carefully. "Mark has been a great help with my transition into NCT, and a great mentor."
He stared me down some more before sighing, turning his eyes towards the ceiling.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I shut my lips tight, deeming no answer to his bluntness.

He coughed a little and seemed to resume authority once he'd finished. "Well, as much as I'd like to talk about that subject with you, I wanted to discuss a more urgent topic. It's a bit delicate though, and if you want to postpone it, I would definitely understand." He steepled his fingers on the desk, whereas mine where clasped in my lap.