Fallen Angel

"APATH3T!C is the only group that isn't here. Who are you waiting for?" "(reader)." He cocks an eyebrow, but nods anyway. "Good luck. Hopefully they come in time, before the results. Lydia already has the tweet ready." "So Ryo and Sakuya could check it.." "Don't be impatient. I want to see real reactions from you guys if the girls win." He puts a smile on his face before walking over to Giselle. He turns around quickly. "Jaehee! Keeho wants to talk to you, by the way." Jaehee nods, moving to look around for the guy, not wanting to stay stationary for any longer.

You knock on the door. Thankfully, Winter is able to hear it and opens it for you. "Wow, you guys are all dolled up! You look beautiful." "Thank you, Winter. You look great too, red is your color!" "Oh, the results are coming out soon. Come on!" The seven of you walk over to the living room where everyone is. The TV is being screen shared by Karina. Lydia is nowhere to be found. "Lydia's concealing her screen by hiding herself away." Winter seemingly knew what you were about to ask. Lydia suddenly appears. "And the results are out in 3..2..1!" Karina immediately refreshes to see the results.

Everyone cheers for TXT, and before you know it, the cheers are redirected to your group. Oh my god. You still barely processed it, but your brain works for you and you automatically smile and thank everyone. NCT WISH is also cheering for you guys, but Jaehee is hoping you forgot about that bet that he so stupidly made, even if you only confirmed it with him around 5 hours ago. The two of us just met, I can't confess to her like that! Eventually, everyone filters out into Karina's backyard, the mood energetic as everyone basks in the happy feeling. Beomgyu walks towards you. "What's up?" "Hey, Beomgyu! I'm doing good, what about you?" "Good. I bet you would've won if they didn't separate it into two competitions, so I'm a bit relieved." "Oh please, you would've won easily!" He smiles.

"So.. graduation." "Yeah. Kinda sad I'm leaving. You, however, still have summer until you get senioritis, as well as more than enough months until you're a senior." "Senioritis hit when I was a sophomore.. I still can't believe I'll have to leave this place. Maybe I'll just be like Lydia, popping up from time to time." "I'm probably gonna do that too." "Hey, maybe you'll find a girlfriend in college though.. probably." He laughs. "You'll get a boyfriend faster than I'll find my girlfriend, but I appreciate it. Speaking of, Jaehee's over there. He said he was waiting for you. Probably wanted to tell you something." "Oh. Thanks, Beomgyu. Have fun!" He nods, waving before going out the back door where everyone is. You notice Jaehee moving at the stairs, most likely just sitting there. You pad over, your heels not helping you in any way.

"Daeng?" Your head pops up over the slant of the stair railing. "Hey, (reader)." You walk around the stairs, and he shifts to the right so you can sit next to him. "You don't have to do that bet if you don't want." "You're too nice. I'm going to do it, though. I'll regret it.. but I'll do it." He stands up. "I'm going to go get a drink, though. Maybe that'll take the nerves off a bit." "Okay." You thought he'd just confess here and be embarrassed, but maybe.. what if he doesn't actually like you? What if I'm just delusional? But Jaehee comes back around in his suit, kneeling and handing you a glass. "You already had your drink?" "More like chugged it, but yeah." "Do you feel better?" "Honestly? I feel worse, but maybe that will distract from the confession." You laugh, a soft airy one that makes him bite his lip. "So.. who do you like?" "Is that a genuine question?" "I don't want to be too confident in something that isn't true."

"(reader). I love you. And.. and maybe it's weird because I've barely known you for just over a month, but I mean it. And it's completely fine if the feelings aren't reciprocated, or if you want to wait, or anything else. I totally get it, I've just never felt like this over someone and it's.. hah.. it's pathetic, honestly. But I truly love you and-" You pull him by the collar on his suit, pressing your lips against his. He hesitantly places one of his hands on your waist and the other to cup your face. Unsure what else to do, he lets you take control of the kiss. When you pull away, his face melts into a slight pout, lips glossy and stained a bit by your lip gloss. You softly exhale.

"I love you too, Jaehee. Your feelings are not pathetic, and the feelings are reciprocated." He smiles, relief flooding through him. "Now, don't you want to enjoy the party? Let's go!" You stand up, grabbing his hand pulling him toward the back door where everyone else is. Jaehee looks at your face. Your beautiful, beaming face as you drag him through to where your groups stands, talking and congratulating each other. He stares at you, taking in every detail of your face and ingraining it into his mind as you proudly announce how the bet turned out. And even when the two of you leave the house, he still thinks of you the whole way; a permanent thought that will never leave him.

and that marks the end of this series!

"And that was BADVILLAIN! Next group is Tomorrow by Together!" The cheers for the five young men are even louder, with them being well known seniors. "Let's let them introduce themselves, hm?" Lydia walks up, passing the microphone to the tallest one. “ONE! DREAM! Hello, we are TXT!” The five say in sync. "I'm Soobin, leader of the group." He gestures to the other four, introducing them. "This is Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai!" He gives the microphone back to Lydia. "The boys will be performing Blue Hour, 0x1=Lovesong, and Stick With You!" You can hear a guy, presumably one of their friends, yelling, "I love you, Hyuka!" causing the blond-haired boy to smile.

The rest of the groups perform, and it's clear this is something they enjoy. "Now, while I was preparing for this, a few students told me that these last two groups have their own rivalry. So, a few of the students in leadership and I have decided that the groups who have already performed will have their own award. Between the six of them, the judges will vote on which group was the best. With APATH3T!C and NCT WISH, it's been decided that they will have their own award, voted by not only the judges, but also you guys, the student body! Firstly, NCT WISH will come up on stage, performing Sticky, Crush, Dunk Shot, and WISH!" Loud cheers erupt, the groups who have already performed being redirected to a separate section of chairs for them, Lydia sitting next to TXT for brief small talk with the seniors.

You don't really pay attention, trying to focus on how you'll perform instead, but a few lyrics end up getting heard from the first song they perform, Sticky. 서롤 juicy 하는 두 눈엔 꿀이 떨어져 무더운 섬에 내린 듯 열이 나 And the piano that Jaehee plays at the start of Crush, its simplicity is refreshing. Hm.. weren't those lines also sung by Jaehee? You've thought about him too much recently.. You don't get time to ponder on it though, since before you know it, your group name is heard and the girls filter through the door from the side of the stage to be visible to the crowd.

You guys also say your intro in sync: "Don't let everything drag you down, be APATH3T!C..!" "These six will be performing the songs BTG, Sour Grapes, Accendio, It's Just Us, and Keep It Low!" You hear loud cheers. The songs that you're performing have been partly heard a few times by some of the students. You and Gaeul switch instruments throughout the songs. Keep It Low is your closing song, and your personal favorite. Dayeon really writes good songs. You let the instrumental play for a few seconds, counting the beats in your head before starting to sing.

Jaehee intently stares at you throughout the whole performance, only occasionally looking at the other girls. The last song starts playing, presumably keep it low, according to Sakuya. Your singing voice is beautiful, but during some specific lines you subtly look at him, causing him to blush. All I want is you, I'm so curious, boy, 알고 싶어져 boy Oh, we can keep it low, 그냥 너와 난, 잘 어울릴 것 같아 Oh, we can keep it low. Keep it low, low I think I'm like you 말하지 않아도 못 이긴 척 끌리지 drag & drop He feels like he's going to explode. He isn't even sure if you like him or not, and he's certain you'll win. The others think so too, because they occasionally whisper into his ear, "Have fun confessing to (reader)!"

"And that is the end of the performances! Pieces of papers have been handed out to you during the wait time between the performances of NCT WISH and APATH3T!C. These papers are what you will use to vote for the two. Final results will be shared tonight on the school's Twitter account of both the original competition and this mini one! Have a good night, everyone! And to all performing groups, come back up on stage so we can get a picture for the yearbook." Lydia puts the mic back on the stand as the groups file up onto stage, the other students standing up but not going anywhere yet. One of the kids, his hair dyed colorfully, has a camera in his hands as he walks up to the front. "Lydia, you can get on stage if you want. This event wouldn't have happened without your help, after all!" Lydia climbs up the front, kneeling in the middle of the photo where Gaeul, Ryo, and Sakuya stand. (since they're part of leadership, it's practically their fixed spot.)

Karina moves away from the group and claps loudly so all of the groups turn her way. "I hope you guys heard about the afterparty! It's in a few hours, so wash up and get ready!" She waves before running off stage with her three best friends, also part of her group. All of the groups get off the stage in their own groups, not really mixing with the others unless complimenting each other. Dayeon looks at everyone. "I can drop you guys off quickly and pick you up again." You all nod and quickly dash up. Gaeul stops for a second. "Lydia, will you be at the afterparty?" "I'll stop by!" Gaeul nods before running back up to you guys.

translations:

Honey drips from our juicy eyes at each other As if it rained on a hot island, I'm feverish

You walk into the fine arts hall, several rooms with papers taped on to them. The papers have neat writing on them, most likely done by Lydia. Even though she graduated, she still pops by to help the leadership kids. The music room has APATH3T!C written onto it in bold uppercase letters. You swing the door open to see Jaehee. "Ah, sorry! I left an instrument here, I was just looking for it.." "It's chill. Just get it quickly, please." "Found it. Yeah, I'll be leaving now. Good luck!" He zips out the door. "Let's start with BTG?" "Yeah, just short snippets of each song." You perform a minute of each song you're planning on performing, the door knocking just as you finish. Lydia's head pops in, dark skin and black hair. "Hey, Lydia!" "Hi, you six! Just wanted to let you know you have five minutes until you should be waiting backstage, in case you wanted to pack up now." "Oh, thank you! Yeah, we'll get ready to go." Lydia nods and quickly goes across the hall to relay the same message.

The six of you are out of the room when you spot the other five. Your smiles immediately dissipate into blank faces. "Have fun watching our performance, girls." Yushi smiles. "Have fun watching us win, boys!" Yunjin beams, although it's clear she's trying to mock Yushi's 'happiness'. "Look, let's just go. They're just distractions." Riku rolls his eyes and motions his head towards the stage. "Excuse me?" "There's enough space for you to go too. Don't just stand there." Gaeul scowls at the five. You take notice of the missing person, but you don't feel like inquiring about it. Ryo and Sakuya just push the other three along, flashing genuine smiles. Even though they join in to it, they're still somewhat avoiding this whole argument the two groups are having.

All of you are bundled into one blob to separate the groups. When you spot Jaehee looking for his group, you quietly slip out of your circle to talk to him. "I'll take you to your group if you answer a question for me." He flinches, not realizing you were behind him. "Uh.. shoot, what's your question?" "Why was your bet just confessing to someone you like?" "I had worse, but most of those are for sports compared to performing. I had to think of one on the spot." You hum. "There's an afterparty at Karina's house." "The one in.. aespa?" "Mhm. Are you and your group gonna be there?" "Probably. I think they mentioned it earlier, actually." "I'll see you there, then. Your group is over there." You point to the far corner, opposite to where you are. "Thank you." You smile, walking back to your own group. "Dude, where were you?" Chaewon whispers. "I saw Jaehee and had a question for him." The five exchange looks with each other, but you ignore it.

Jaehee stays stationary, watching you leave before regaining his composure. He looks back to where you pointed and walk over to the five boys. "Hey, what took so long?" "Sorry, I had to put the instruments in this specific area. It took a second for me to process." Everyone nods in understanding turning back to the curtain concealing the groups from the crowd. All of a sudden, the auditorium is quiet, signifying the start of the contest. The groups look at each and excitedly whisper, still managing to stay quiet. Lydia's voice is heard, confident and melodic in the microphone. Jaehee looks back at his own group, everyone's hands piling on top of each other. He adds his hand on top, everyone silently cheering as to not be heard from behind the curtain.

All the girls then turn towards each other, forming a wobbly and wide circle. “We’re cooked.” Jiyu says in a strained voice. Gaeul’s eye slightly twitches and Jiyu plasters an odd smile onto her face. “Let’s help them first.. and quick! We need (reader).” Everyone nods before turning back to the guys. “We do need to make this quick, since something came up and we need to find (reader) soon.” Yunjin concludes. “You mean you forgot practicing and you need her to complete the band?” Yushi raises an eyebrow. “..Yes.” Chaewon mumbles. “Okay then. Hopefully you guys are better help than we are.”

Jaehee barely opens the door, but the whole group rushes in past him anyways. “Thank god, it was cold as hell out there.” Dayeon says. “Sorry we stayed out for so long.” Jaehee says. “How are you so normal to us?” “You guys aren’t the girl I’m in love with, maybe?” Jaehee answers with a confused tone. “Well, you’re gonna pretend I am!” Jaehee mutters, “You aren’t (reader).” “Keyword is pretend, you clown.” “Doubt I can do that, she’s nice.” She scoffs. Jiyu pulls her down to sit before she can do anything. “First tip is to be nice to her friends. I can be her stand-in if you’d like.” “If I have to do this.”

“Hey, Jaehee! What’s up?” It took a second to get him to image Jiyu was you, but once he did he completely malfunctioned. “U-um.. The sky! No.. Nothing- Ow!” Sion flicks the back of his head. “Are we deadass?” Ryo says, barely able to contain a laugh. Sakuya immediately burst out into a fit of giggles. Jiyu groaned and silently gestured how hopeless the young man in front of her is.

“Jaehee! How’s it going?” “It’s going well. What about you, (reader)?” “Same. Well, it was nice seeing you again.” “..Wait!” Jiyu turns around. “Good luck on your performance. I can’t wait to see it!” Everyone cheers once Sion claps his hands together and yells, “End scene!” as if they’re practicing for a play. “You got this, Jaehee!” “How about we go find (reader), and once we find her, you walk up to her and act like it’s coincidence. Before we steal her to practice.” “Okay. I think I got this!”

The girls looked around the curve of the path you usually take to get over to your occasionally used studio. Dayeon looks at Jaehee. “Mission: Steal Our Girlfriend is a go.” Jaehee is barely able to react at the odd ‘mission’ name before Chaewon pushes him around the corner. “Jaehee?” “Oh- Hey, (reader).” “How’s it hanging?” You have a smile on your face, stopping right in front of him. “It’s hanging, for sure.” I was not told how to respond to that greeting?!? No, she’ll think it’s normal. I hope.. “That’s good. H-” “How was your- Sorry!” You softly laugh, more of an exhale than anything. “You’re good, Daeng. My day’s going well.”

“What did you call me?” You just realized you called him ‘Daeng’. It was something you heard from Sakuya a couple of times when he tried to talking to you about him, before switching the topic just as fast as he brought it up. “Erm.. Daeng? I heard it from a mutual friend a few times, so the nickname kinda stuck. Sorry.” “I don’t mind. I was just.. taken aback.” “..Maybe I’m overthinking, but you’re acting kind of weird.” “I’m just not being annoying on accident anymore.” He sheepishly laughs. “So this is just you? Not some alter ego?” “Just me.” “Okay, because I thought you had more than one persona for a second- not like that’s a horrible thing!”

You guys talk for a few more minutes before you both finally part ways, with a slight bow and polite wave. “Wait!” You hear Jaehee say. You turn around. “Hm?” “Good luck practicing, I ran into your friends on the way and they told me. Also, your shoe is untied.” “You too! Unless you already practiced? And thank you, Daeng.” He notices the extra emphasis you add to the nickname now that you know he’s comfortable with it. You wave at him once more and he smiles in return before watching you disappear from around the corner of the gravelly path. He feels frozen in time at your smile, warm and contrasting more than the sun to the strong, chilly wind- before being shaken awake by his friends, cheering loudly.

You turn the corner to meet your friends. “Ah- Hey guys! Sorry I took a second, I was stopped by Jaehee.” “Oh, we know. We saw him talking to you just now and didn’t want to interrupt!” You hum, then suddenly shiver, crossing your arms to rub your hands over the upper area. “Can we get to the studio? And soon..” Everyone nods, linking arms with each other and trying to share their body heat.

“Fine.” Yushi’s eyes glinted. “Who’s the last person you stalked on Instagram for more than five minutes?”

Sion hesitated, a blush creeping up his neck. “That’s two people, actually. My ex, and the barista from the coffee shop near school.” He shrugged, feigning indifference. “Your turn, Yushi.”

Yushi puffed out his chest. “Dare. Obviously.”

Haneul, perched on the armrest of the sofa, tapped her chin. “Ding-dong-ditch the kims next door. But you have to sing the national anthem while you do it.”

Yushi’s face fell. “My soul is dead.” He dragged himself up, a mournful wail escaping his lips as he shuffled towards the front door. A moment later, a strained, off-key rendition of the anthem echoed from outside, followed by the frantic ring of a doorbell.

“Alright, daeng,” James said, his voice dripping with anticipation. “Your turn. Truth or dare?”

Jaehee, hunched over his phone, startled. “Truth.” The word barely a whisper.

James scoffed. “Boring. You always pick truth. Live a little.”

“Come on, Jaehee,” Haneul purred, a hand landing on his shoulder, a feather-light pressure that felt like a hundred pounds. “Don’t be a coward. We know you want to pick dare.”

Jaehee’s gaze darted between their eager faces, a nervous tremor starting in his hands. “I… I really don’t.”

“Imagine the stories,” Sion chimed in, now back in his beanbag. “The legend of daeng’s Great Dare.” His friends’ combined pressure felt like a physical weight. Jaehee swallowed, a dry rasp in his throat. “Fine. Dare.”

A collective cheer erupted.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” James announced, pulling out his own phone.

“You’re getting on Tinder.”

Jaehee’s eyes widened to saucers. “What? No. Absolutely not.”

“Oh, yes,” Haneul corrected, snatching Jaehee’s phone. “And you have to find a girl and use the worst pickup lines we can think of.”

“This is a nightmare,” Jaehee mumbled, watching Haneul download the app.

Minutes later, a profile picture of Jaehee, looking vaguely terrified, appeared on the screen. The friends huddled around, a choir of groans and approvals accompanying each swipe.

“Too much eyeliner.”

“Next.”

“She looks like she’d judge my life choices.”

“Oh, she’s cute. Definitely not for daeng.”

“Wait. Stop.” Sion pointed. “Her. Jeemin. Perfect.”

The girl on the screen had kind eyes, framed by dark hair that fell just past her shoulders. A faint, almost shy smile played on her lips.

“Okay, daeng,” James said, practically vibrating with excitement. “Your opening line. ‘Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?’”

Jaehee’s face contorted. “That’s… that’s terrible.”

“That’s the point!” Haneul pushed the phone into his hand. “Send it.”

With a trembling finger, Jaehee typed, then pressed send. A moment stretched, thick with anticipation. Then, a notification.

“No way,” Yushi breathed.

“She’s a keeper,” Sion declared. “Alright, next one. ‘Are you a parking ticket? Because you’ve got FINE written all over you.’”

Jaehee typed, a flush creeping up his neck. Another notification.

“She’s amused!” Haneul clapped Jaehee on the back. “This is working!

Okay, last one. ‘Is your name Google? Because you’ve got everything I’ve been searching for.’”

Jaehee typed, his heart hammering against his ribs. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

Jaehee froze. His friends, initially ecstatic, fell silent.

“She wants to know him,” Yushi whispered, as if speaking too loudly would break the house.

Panic, cold and sharp, hit Jaehee. He looked at his friends, a silent plea in his eyes.

“You have to tell her,” James stated, a hint of regret in his voice. “It was a dare.”

Jaehee’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. He typed, then deleted. Typed again.

A sudden, unexpected smile touched Jaehee’s lips. The sun, finally breaking through the blinds in full force, seemed to illuminate the room, dispelling the last vestiges of chaos. Maybe, he thought, dares weren’t so bad after all.

A/N- omgg guyss, ik i was gone for...40 DAYS WTF?!!? but suddenly i had the urge to update because my physics exam went really great and the happiness took over me...i hope you guys enjoy.....anyways you can ask or comment to be featured in the taglist!!

TAGLIST- @gyubvlin @blossomtea13

⊱ ۫ ׅ 𓂃 perm tl @ivehan @justpassingdontworry @beomtomie

───── there isn’t a certain taglist for this smau since theres just 2 chapters , but if ever some of you want to be tagged for the next chapter pls comment or send a dm ! ill gladly add u ദ്ദി -᷅ ·̫ -᷄ )✧︎

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