𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐧_𝐨_𝟒𝟐𝟑

leejen_o_423: saw you today. you looked very pretty in that dress. leejen_o_423: you got plans tonight? leejen_o_423: was thinking about... catching up. it's been a while. leejen_o_423: princess.

— @hwngycji

Jeno pockets his phone and climbs into the car, giving the manager the address for HYBE while placing the bag next to him. It's a stupid gift really, something he thought she might like so he had grabbed it for her — just to make her smile.

The thought makes him roll his eyes at himself.

It doesn't take long for them to get to the building, pulling into the private carpark so that he's not seen going inside. That would stir up some press and that's the last thing anyone needs right now especially since he's still unconvinced that Jen thinks he's a fucking asshole.

She'd be right, for the most part, but still he doesn't want it to be because of that.

Photocard placed neatly on the table between them, aligned with unnecessary care. His printed face staring up. His real face right there. The whole thing ridiculous enough to feel scripted by someone with a personal grudge against one's internal peace. Gaze looking at the card, then up at him. The gentlest curvature of a smile tilting, small, expression softening into something almost sweet.

Well, almost.

❝ Hi. Can you make this out to Jeong Jaehyun? ❞

Finger tapping once against the edge of the table, a tiny sound beneath the screams within all this NEO-fied chaos.

❝ There seems to have been a clerical error. ❞

Another pause, gaze dipping briefly to the photocard before lifting once more toward the actual person printed on it.

"If you had asked nicely, I could have taken something to get signed by hyung but..." Jeno trails off as he pushes the card back towards Jen and shrugs his shoulder.

There's fans behind her, ones impatiently waiting for her to get out of the way so that he could sign their photocards. The comment is meant to be teasing, something that almost seemed like an open invitation to pass something along for her to get her bias to sign. He's not bothered that she doesn't bias him, he knew from the first time that they met that he wasn't her favourite NCT member.

But, he wants to bother her.

Jeno wants to get under her skin and watch that composure, that she keeps so tightly held together, crack just a little.

yeji watched him settle into the chair, watched his fingers circle the bottom of the bottle, and for a moment she was struck by how familiar everything still was. not because she missed it. just because once upon a time she'd known these little habits by heart. a dangerous thing, familiarity. her lips curved slightly as she reached for her glass.

"that's funny." she takes a sip of her drink. "i was about to say the same thing about you."

the place wasn't necessarily either of their scene. at least not from what she remembered. then again, people changed. years had passed. maybe enough time had gone by for them to become entirely different versions of themselves. yeji took another sip before setting the drink back down.

"i've been good. busy." she shrugs at the last word. "surviving, if you will."

the corner of her mouth twitched upward. it was easier when she was joking. easier than acknowledging the strange feeling sitting between them. they'd once known everything about each other. now she wasn't entirely sure whether they qualified as strangers. her gaze drifted briefly around the room before returning to him.

it would've been easier if she'd hated him. people always talked about heartbreak like that was the natural outcome. anger. resentment. the dramatic ending that made moving on easier, but she'd never managed that.

"I guess, even after all this time, we happen to find ourselves orbiting each other." He says, naturally, with that ease in which he holds himself. While in truth, this is the first time that they've seen each other outside of a schedule or promotion.

Almost like they try to avoid each other.

There's almost an awkwardness to this conversation, the small talk feeling unnatural for two people who once loved each other more than they thought possible. She was the world to Jeno, the eternal that he thought he couldn't live without and he swore he'd never be able to breathe without her but here they are. They were breathing, they were alive, and the world kept on spinning like it will tomorrow. His eyes watch her as she looks away, lips twitching upwards for the briefest moment before he smoothes his expression again.

Yeji is still as beautiful as he remembers. Just older, probably wiser than he could say for himself.

leejen_o_423: yo, yunho. have you been watching the world cup? leejen_o_423: who are you supporting?

────── @jyhss

she'd already finished half of her drink, absentmindedly tracing the rim of the glass with her thumb while scrolling through her phone. it had been a long week. rehearsals, schedules, meetings. the usual cycle. for once, she'd managed to find a night where nobody seemed to need anything from her. or so she'd thought. yeji glanced up when movement caught her attention near the bar, and immediately wished she hadn't.

for a second, her brain didn't quite register what she was seeing. maybe because it had been years since she'd last looked at him like this, without a screen, without a group photo, without some article she happened to scroll past. years since he'd simply been jeno and not a memory she'd carefully packed away and placed somewhere she rarely touched.

funny how time worked. once upon a time, she could've picked him out of a crowd without even trying. now, the recognition hit a second later than it would've back then. for a brief moment, she considered paying her tab and leaving. it would've been easy enough. probably the smarter option, too.

unfortunately for her, he seemed to glance in her direction. making her only response be a small wave on her end. 

Yeji.

Once upon a time, his heart would have fluttered seeing her, Jeno would have smiled brighter than the sun, would have ran over to her, would have told himself that all he needed was her... but now, he's left with a rock in his stomach. Lifting a hand up, giving a small wave back, the man shoves it all back. The memories, every single one, shoved right back into that box where it belonged before he thanks the bartender for his drink and makes his way over to her.

"Hey," he says, casually, almost like they weren't in love at one point in their life, "this seat taken?"

Whether it is or not doesn't really matter, it's a simple formality as he pulls out the chair and sits down, beer placed on the table in front of him as his fingers trace the bottom.

NEO GROUND Pie Factory, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul

Just another girl, a normal NCTzen blending into the stream of fans lined up outside holding albums, trading photocards, laughing loudly over bias rankings and failed gacha pulls. Entire venue smelling faintly of plastic packaging, every form of caffeine and overworked air conditioning. A frustrated scream of someone along the lines of 'failed 95line attempt' before dramatically collapsing to the floor after pulling the same member photocard for three times in a row... Johnny's probably.

Honestly, kind of beautiful.

Exactly how she expected for this one of a kind NEO experience to be.

Feet dragging her across, now finding herself standing near the giant NEO DNA display screen, one hand wrapped around the iced americano, its sweat seeping through fingers. The condensation had long since dampened the sleeve. Eyes narrowed, focused at the interactive screen, lighting up almost immediately at her proximity.

❝ So like, my NEO MBTI? ❞ muttering under her breath before tapping the huge START button.

WHAT'S YOUR NEO DNA? Q1. CHOOSE YOUR ROLE > STRATEGIST. Q2. WHAT DRIVES YOU FORWARD? > PASSION. Q3. CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON > NEO BOLT.

Naturally. Homework done, seeing the promos and that animated version of Jaehyun appearing briefly on screen holding the same weapon of choice, the bow, before it disappears into the RESULT screen. The transition animation processes it very dramatically, lights flashing, background music more intense. Suspense building. Too much for just a photocard.

Bzzz...

Carefully plucking what the machine dispensed, flipping it over, expecting to see Jeong Jaehyun, her ultimate NCT bias/Mr. Roses and Dandelion himself smiling back at her with those dimples...

LEE JENO.

Silence.

Smiling. Always smiling.

When he saw Jennifer, that smile grew a little wider and he was going to grab her attention but decided to play a bit of a game with her first.

leejen_o_423: you look like someone pissed in your cup. leejen_o_423: did you pull jaem?

Chuckling, he tries to keep out of sight as best as he can before she spots him, slinking into the shadows like some hawk watching from the trees, ready to swoop in at any time. It'll be announced soon that they are there, that they'll be around, interacting with fans and checking out the 'playground' that was designed specifically for them. NCT.

After getting bored staring like some sort of creep, Jeno moves towards the other members, plastering that wide smile on his face once more before the manager calls out to everyone to take a seat. "Sit down, be respectful, please do not overcrowd or touch the members." Repeated several times as the NEO boys make their way out from the back, waving at fans who seem to double in volume as they scream.

Jeno's eyes glance over the crowd, like he's not looking for someone in particular but rather just looking around — until he sees her. A small, quick nod is given, an acknowledgement before he stands beside the machine, pulling a pen from his pocket.