NCT Imagines (Requests closed)

Somebody that I used to know (Jeno) Part~2

The next morning Anna made her way to her classroom. She didn't greet Jeno like she usually did, what was the point anyway? He'd just ignore her like always.

Anna had noticed that there was one guy Jeno did talk to sometimes; Na Jaemin. Lucky for her, Jaemin was the bubbliest guy she'd ever seen. Anna found him in the library that day, standing by a shelf and reading. "Hey," she greeted him in a whisper.

"Hi," he did the same with a grin.

"You're Na Jaemin, right?"

"Yes. And you are...?"

"Anna," she smiled.

"Right, you're the one who hangs around Jeno."

Anna felt a little embarrassed but she didn't let it get to her, "yeah and about Jeno, you seem like his friend so can I ask you something?" She got straight to the point.

"Sure," he said shutting the book in his hand.

"When did he become so...."

"Cold?" Jaemin completed the sentence for her, to which she nodded. "About a few years ago."

"Can I ask why?"

"Why do you wanna know?" He raised an eyebrow. Anna explained to him how she and Jeno had been best friends in the past and that she wanted to know what changed him so much that he rejected to acknowledge their friendship outright.

Jaemin listened carefully, then nodded. "Something happened five years ago and Jeno hasn't been the same since. You knew his brother Seojin, right? He died, and Jeno believes it was his fault." Anna's eyebrows shot up. She remembered the little boy wobbling towards his mother, and her eyes grew teary.

"Thanks, Jaemin." With that, she left the library.

Later that day, she saw Jeno sitting alone at the lunch table, she wanted to sit with him. But if she did, she'd start crying just by looking at his face, which reminded her too much of Seojin. So she sat at another table away from him.

When Anna headed to class after lunch she crossed paths with Jeno. He narrowed his eyes at her, expecting her to say something, but she averted her head and quickly walked past him. Jeno turned around and watched her go until she turned the corner.

Anna spent the rest of the time at school avoiding Jeno. It had been months and winter was starting to stroll in. Anna went to the library after school and fell asleep there, so when she woke up it was already evening and the sky had started to darken. She stepped outside the library and a cold wind hit her, making her teeth chatter. She wished she'd listened to her mom when she told her to take a jacket.

She rubbed her arms in a futile attempt to fend off the cold. What was taking the bus so long? Then suddenly, a weight was placed on her shoulders. She turned her head and saw Jeno putting a jacket on her. Her eyes widened and she failed to produce any words.

Jeno saw her reaction and rolled his eyes, "why didn't you wear something warm?"

"You... I... what're you doing here?" She asked accusingly.

"Waiting for the bus, just like you." Silence fell between them after that. Jeno was actually being nice to her. She was afraid that if she said anything he'll go away. But very surprisingly he broke the silence, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I said I'm sorry," he repeated. "For pretending to not know you," he said while looking straight into her eyes.

"That's it?"

"And... breaking my promise, and hurting your feelings by being mean to you."

Anna smiled, "apology accepted." She didn't want to forgive him so easily but he had had his reasons for being mean. Anna was a part of the past his brother shared, and it was completely understandable why Jeno didn't want to be reminded of that past.

The bus arrived and the two got on. The bus ride was silent, and when Anna got off at her stop, she was surprised to see Jeno follow. "Isn't your house that way?" She asked, Pointing in the opposite direction.

"It is. Go on," he said, urging her to start walking.

The two walked in silence until Anna decided to bring up what had been troubling her. "Jeno, why did you have a sudden change of heart?"

"Well... after you stopped constantly bothering me, I realized that I liked being bothered by you. And I... missed you-your voice," he coughed. That brought a smile on Anna's lips and a red colour on her cheeks. "By the way, why did you stop bothering me?"

"Because..." Anna wondered if she should tell him the truth, it was now or never. "I heard about Seojin." Jeno stopped walking and Anna swore in her head. She turned to him, "you reminded me of him, that's why I stayed away from you. And I guess, you were avoiding me for the same reason." When Jeno didn't respond she held his arm, "Jeno, are you alright?"

He glanced down at her hand on his arm, "I'm fine," he gave her a ghost of a smile.

They arrived at Anna's house, where she returned Jeno's jacket and thanked him. "See you at school," he smiled at her and walked away. She had missed that smile.

~

"What did you say?" Anna asked with wide eyes.

"I asked if you'd like to go out on a date with me," Jeno said sheepishly. She and Jeno had grown close in the last month and Christmas was just around the corner, so Anna wondered if this was an early Christmas present.

"Yes," she grinned.

Jeno smiled and held her hand, "right now."

"What?"

"We're going on a date right now." Jeno pulled her along with him as they headed to the Han river to see the sunset, with their favourite ice creams.

xxx

This concludes Jeno's imagine. Thank you for reading:)