Renjun's POV-Age: 9 (Same year as the last chapter)
"Okay, boys. Please behave. we'll be back in about 4 hours. There's money on the counter, and Junnie knows our phone numbers, if you need anything at any time," My guardian, Auntie Li-Fen tells us all, kissing my head before linking arms with her husband, all dressed up in their best attire.
Auntie's dressed in a stunning, flowy silk ball gown, a cashmere shawl draped over her shoulders, and Uncle's dressed in a formal, striking black suit, hair gelled and combed neatly, ready for a formal reception of sorts. They don't usually go out for events such as this, so it's a miracle that they're letting me stay home alone, and especially inviting my friends over on top of that.
"Okay, Auntie. We'll be good. Love you," I half-heartedly answer, my attention focused on my friends, all gathered around each other and huddled up on the couch in our great room, ready for a night filled with gaming, movies, and more fun.
It's not that I don't care about them, don't get me wrong, they've given me the luckiest and privileged life that I wouldn't have had if it were not for them, but it's just...my friends give me richness, not in the sense of money, and beautiful, meaningful experiences that I've never had with them. They're the ones that helped me come out of my shell and become the carefree, happy boy I am today. Now, I don't want to discredit Auntie and Uncle, because they love me and give me as much as they can; they just couldn't seem to fill the void created in me like my friends have.
Which brings us back to now. The door closes softly, and I can hear Auntie Li-Fen's heels clopping on the stone walkway out of our house, but I mainly pay attention to Haechan's goofy antics, as I lean my head on Jeno's shoulder, wheezing with laughter.
"Calm down, Haechannie," I say in between short bursts of laughter, turning my attention to everyone, "So do you all wanna watch a movie or something? We can make some popcorn and pull out some blankets to get comfy."
"Ooh, yeah! We can watch a scary movie together," suggests Jaemin, a chorus of approval sounding out of the boys, but my face pales as I stay completely silent. A pit in my stomach forms; I really don't like scary movies, and I get scared even just by that Abominable Snowman from those Christmas specials. But they don't know that. Well...they know that I get scared easily, but I don't really want to seem like a wimp. A small part of my brain is telling me that they won't care or judge me if I get scared because they are my real friends, but I still want to stay strong for them.
I gulp, looking at everyone hesitantly, especially Jaemin and Chenle, who are practically jumping in excitement. Gosh, I don't think I'll ever be able to understand people who enjoy jump scares, scary creatures, and graphic, bloody scenes.
Jisung notices my discomfort, as I look unsettled, still nuzzled into Jeno's shoulder, Jeno playing some hand game with Mark. Jisung then asks, "Do you want to see a scary movie, Junnie? It's okay if you don't want to."
"N-no, it's okay...I j-just don't think t-that Auntie and Uncle will w-want us watching s-scary movies," I stutter, creating a cover-up story. It's true, Auntie Li-Fen especially wouldn't be happy with us watching scary movies, but it's still a pathetic excuse. It's not like I'm a very obedient child in the first place, so I don't sell my excuse too well.
"Don't worry about that, Renjun. They'll be fine with us watching a scary movie, especially since we're all together. We can also turn it off if it's too much for us to handle," Jeno assures, looking down at me, shaking my hand comfortingly.
"Great! I know a good movie that came out not too long ago," Mark grins excitedly.
"Nope!" Haechan interjects, "Don't even give your suggestion, Mark, because I already know it'll be lame." Mark pouts, rolling his eyes at Haechan yet again. Those two really have such a love-hate relationship. I guess that makes sense though; the way they met was when Haechan was being sassier than necessary at the park years ago.
"No, it's not! Look, it's called Night Terrors. It's supposed to be really scary," Mark informs Haechan matter-of-factly, scrolling to it on the Netflux (A/N: If you understand this, I love you) feature on my TV. My heart stops, realizing how close I'm coming to facing my worst fear. My body starts shaking, and I excuse myself to go get some popcorn and to get the blankets out of my closet. And you best believe that I took as long as possible to do those simple things, trying to avoid my inevitable fate.
Eventually, I gingerly stepped back into the great room, holding onto the things I collected, my body freezing up, though I'm already sweating from stress.
"Oh, you're back. Renjun! We're ready to start now if you are."
"Yup," I deadpan, slinking my way onto the couch, sandwiching myself between Jaemin and Mark. Throwing a blanket over us, I pull it halfway over my face, only my eyes peeping out, ready to brace myself for the absolute terror I'm about to experience and the nightmares I'm going to have in just a few hours. Ugh, what did I sign myself up for?
Mark clicks the play button, and I swear, my heart falls out of my chest right then and there, my eyes barely staying open as I think about what I'm about to experience. Shivering, I huddle up to Mark, needing human contact to make sure I don't lose my mind watching this horror movie.
"You okay, Renjun?" Mark asks, his expression concerned. I nod, popping a handful of the buttery popcorn in my mouth, some missing my mouth because of my trembling hands.
"Yup. Totally okay," I breathe out as casually as possible, as the picture on the screen suddenly appears with a shocking crash, startling me.
"Uh huh, you're totally okay," Mark responds suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at me, before shrugging and turning his attention back to the TV. I guess he assumes that I have the guts to speak up if I'm feeling uncomfortable, but I guess I'm just a little pansy-like weakling. Well... There's not much I can do about that now.
The movie progresses as I get progressively more scared, practically hiding behind Mark, anticipating the next jump scare with no success, as I get shocked, jumping in my seat. I'm shaking and I don't feel too good, but I still can't muster the courage to just tell everyone that I'm absolutely hating this. It really doesn't feel good...
We get halfway into the movie, and at this point, I've distanced myself from everyone, not wanting them to feel my shuddering body, cringing and curling up at any slight movement from on-screen. I try to look away so I don't have to endure this discomfort any longer, but then I get worried that they'll see me being this weak, so I force myself to endure the scary scenes that continuously show on the bright screen.
One more jump scare happens, and I completely break. My eyes start watering, and I finally burst into tears, hyperventilating and choking on my own sobs, still attempting to stay quiet. But this time, Haechan notices my apparent fear, his eyes filling with concern as he looks at my pathetic being.
"Markie, pause the movie," he tells Mark, who complies, but looks confused as he pauses that horrid film. Haechan immediately slides over to me, wrapping his arm around me lovingly, as he looks directly into my red, teary eyes, "Junnie, what's wrong?"
And then I finally let my mask fall and let my weakness take over me, too scared by the jump-scares, gore, and other terrifying images, "I'm scared..." I sniffle, still crying as Chenle comes over to wipe away my tears.
"Oh, Renjun...Why didn't you just tell us? We wouldn't have watched this if had known. Poor baby," Haechan mothers me, even though I'm older than him. He tightens his hug as the other boys come down and give me one warm, healing group hug, whispering words of comfort to me.
"B-because I'm w-weak. I didn't want y-you to s-see that I'm scared," I admit, breathing heavily as I cling onto Haechan.
"Junnie, you're not weak for hiding your fears. A person can only be strong if they don't hide their fears...Don't be scared to tell us when you're not feeling well. We don't want you to feel like this, ever. You're our best friend, Renjun," Mark breathes out, so much concern and care emanating from his voice, which touches my heart, as my crying fades out. I return everyone's hug, feeling so thankful that everyone cares about me, new confidence and a new mindset instilled in me.
"We should probably go to sleep now. We all need some rest," Jeno suggests. Normally I would tease him about being no fun, but I agree with him for once. I'm exhausted, and it seems as though everyone else is as well.
Tucking ourselves under mountains of blankets, I fall asleep without the fear of nightmares, feeling as though nothing will get to me because my friends are beside me. Wow, the power of friendship is really something else, isn't it?
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