NCT Imagines (Requests closed)

Unfair (Jaehyun) Part~1

The car stopped and Y/N stepped out along with her colleague. From the outside, the construction work seemed almost complete. "This is the place," said Ten as he scrutinized the plain look that their company was hired to transform.

"You've been here before, right?" She asked him.

"Ah, yes," said Ten. "The owner and I have worked out the plan for the place, but I have to take a look at the roof again."

The place would become a cafe soon. The contract was signed between the owner of the cafe and the company Y/N worked at.  The renovation of the place had started three months ago and was nearing its end. Y/N's colleague walked ahead and opened the door to the cafe and she followed him.

The floor was covered with sawdust, wood shavings, and a few nails littered about. There was a small pile of rubble in one corner. A young man stood in the center speaking on his phone but he hung up when he saw them enter.

"Hello, I'm Ten." Y/N's colleague introduced himself to the blonde male.

"Oh, yes," said the man, shaking his outstretched hand. "The interior designer."

"And this is Y/N, she's the graphic designer," Ten continued. Y/N also shook his hand.

"Hello, I'm Taeil. The owner of the place will arrive in a minute," he informed them. "But, Mr. Ten, I was told that you wanted to see the roof."

"Yes, let's go right ahead," said Ten. He looked around the room and followed Taeil to the roof. A few moments later Y/N heard the door of the cafe open.

She turned around and saw the silhouette of a tall man who took up most of the space under the door frame due to his broad shoulders. Light fell on his face when he stepped forward light, illuminating its prominent features. Y/N's lips parted as she recognized the person in front of her. His eyebrows drew in when he saw Y/N.

"Y/N?" He said in the same deep voice she remembered, and her stomach churned. She couldn't believe that after all this time he still had an effect on her. "What brings you here?"

"Jaehyun, hi," she said, maintaining her poker face. They didn't have the kind of relationship where one would grace the other with a smile.

"Are you the-"

"The graphic designer," She said. Ten and Taeil made their way downstairs at that moment and greeted Jaehyun. Glad for the distraction, Y/N turned away from the trio and walked further into the cafe. All those years trying to avoid Jaehyun seemed like a waste of time and energy. She could almost hear fate laughing in her face.

After speaking with Ten, Jaehyun walked towards Y/N. "So, about the logo, I think it would be better to discuss it over coffee." Y/N hesitated; she didn't want to sound impudent and unprofessional. She pushed the memories of their past behind her and nodded.

They didn't speak during their walk to a nearby coffee shop, but only when Jaehyun pointed at an item on the menu and asked if she still liked it. Y/N was surprised that he still remembered her coffee preference. They sought a table and Y/N immediately pulled out her laptop.

"So," She said, her tone business-like. "What theme is your cafe going to have, Mr. Jung?" She asked. Jaehyun failed to conceal his wince at the name she used to address him.

"I was thinking of something that would attract the youth," he said. "Ten mentioned something along the lines of bold colours and pop-art." Y/N nodded and typed away on her laptop.

After an hour, they were finally exiting the coffee shop. Y/N felt relieved that nothing from their past had popped up. "So, when is our next... meeting?" Jaehyun asked.

Y/N pulled a paper from her bag and scribbled down her email address. "There will be no need for another meeting," she said flatly. "We have covered almost everything, I believe. And if you would like any changes in the logo or if you have any other suggestions, please send me an email." She handed him the paper. He looked at the paper and his expression changed but Y/N couldn't make out what he was feeling. "I guess, this is goodb-"

"Do you follow the same protocol for every client or is it just me?" He asked icily.

Y/N was taken aback. "If a client requires another meeting then they get it. Your case is different."

"Is it now?" Sarcasm in his voice. "I can think of a number of things we haven't discussed but you're just trying to avoid-" he averted his eyes and scoffed- "but you've always been like that. You'd rather avoid situations than face them."

Y/N had a strong urge to walk away from him but that would just prove his point. Her feet stayed planted in their place out of sheer spite. "You want another meeting? You got it. Same place, same time tomorrow. Happy now?" She gritted out.

"Not really," he said flatly. "Arranging the time and place to suit your convenience. Unfair as always, I see."

"Unfair!?" Y/N shrilled. "How absurd!" She was so angry at him that she had to take a deep breath before she could form coherent words. "Between the two of us, I'm not one who cheated on my boyfriend with his best friend."

"That's not it, Y/N, let's talk about it," he said, pleadingly with his eyes.

"There is nothing to talk about," she said matter-of-factly.

The tips of Jaehyun's ears turned red and his gaze became stony, "How would you know? You never gave me a chance to explain."

"I know what I saw-"

"You saw what she wanted you to see!" He held her shoulders in a vice-like grip. "Why do you think I tried to get a hold of you for years if you were that unimportant to me?" The look in his eyes was so desperate that she almost believed him for a second.

Y/N stepped away from him and his arms dropped to his sides, seemingly lifeless. "We'll have to reschedule our meeting," she said calmly. "Please arrange it according to your convenience." She walked away from him, not once looking back.

xxx

Here's part 1! Part 2 coming soon.

Let me know what you think about this one-shot, I'd love to hear your views.

This was requested by @AliceThePie. Thank you for requesting!