Chapter Text
Lee Jeno:
At the party, Han Seoyeon grazes her soft fingers along Jeno's arm muscles, sending shivers down his spine. But Jeno's unable to feel anything else apart from her cold touch. As he scans the house, recognizing familiar faces, he can't help but feel detached and uninterested in everything going on around him.
"Jeno, look at me," she flutters her eyes at him seductively. "Pay attention to me," she pouts, as she gently grasps his chin, turning it to face her.
"Let's get some drinks," Jeno replies, feeling way too sober right now.
He downs a drink, relishing in the tingling feeling, but it quickly fades, leaving him feeling empty again. Seoyeon wraps her arms around his neck. "I'm bored, Jeno," she frowns. "Let's make out," she smirks, leaning her body into his. Jeno crashes his lips into hers somewhat aggressively, trying to let out all of his pent-up emotions. He tries to enjoy the taste of cherry and liquor on her lips and drown everything else out, but it doesn't work. He breaks away, scratching his head anxiously.
"I'm going to walk around for a bit," he says, without making eye contact. "Alone..."
"O-Okay..." Seoyeon sounds disappointed. "That was fun, wasn't it?" she giggles, nervously. "Let's do it again later, okay?" she says, and Jeno nods half-heartedly.
Jeno does more people-watching, seeing way too many girls he's hooked up with for his liking. He pauses when he sees a familiar group of people. At the sight of his roommates and best friends, a smile spreads across his face.
And then he sees her and does a double take.
It's Woo Nari, a person he's never seen at a party before. He sees Eunji and Nari holding hands affectionately. "Oh my god!" Eunji exclaims. "What?" Nari asks.
"It's her!" Eunji squeals. "Who's her? There's a lot of those here," Nari says, looking a little overwhelmed by the amount of people here.
"Yeji," Eunji says in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh... The hot senior you've been eyeing in calculus?" Nari winks at Eunji.
Eunji's face grows flushed. "But, of course, as your loyal best friend, I will not indulge in my fantasies and approach Yeji... Even though it's really tempting," Eunji says. "I will stay loyal to you on this very momentous occasion, okay?"
Nari laughs at her best friend. "Oh girl, go flirt with her. I know you want to."
"We can keep Nari company," Haechan adds, placing an arm around Nari's shoulder.
"Oh okay," Eunji smiles, giving Nari a warm hug. "I love you," Eunji says.
"Love you too," Nari replies.
Eunji walks away, and for some reason, Jaemin follows her.
"What are you doing?" Nari grabs Jaemin by the arm.
"I'll just be observing. I don't want things to get too crazy. If Eunji's heart were to break, that would be really unfortunate for us, because we have a debate competition this weekend," Jaemin explains.
Haechan glares at him. "Eunji's more than capable of managing herself!"
"Oh I know but-" Jaemin starts.
"You must stay 10 feet away from her at all times!" Nari says, firmly. "And don't say anything to embarrass her. Please."
As Jeno observes Nari from afar, he picks up hints of shyness in her body language and can tell she hasn't been to parties before. She folds her arms around her chest, tucking hair behind her ears or pulling down her black velvety dress every now and then.
However at the first taste of alcohol, her face becomes animated, and she nods vigorously. "This is really good, Haechan. How did you make it?" It's like a mask has been lifted, and her usual tense posture becomes loose. Jeno fights back a smile.
As she drinks more, Jeno watches her completely transform. She dances like she was born to dance, flipping her long, dark hair back and forth, her body flowing like water. She spins Renjun and Haechan around playfully and becomes the main attraction of every dance circle she joins.
The night wears on, and by now Nari is clearly drunk. Jeno's stopped trying to fight the smile and is now fully staring her down as she keeps dancing. Suddenly, she stumbles closer and crashes into him, her arms flopping onto his shoulders.
Jeno flinches, shocked to see her touch him like that. Through his limited interactions with her, she's always seemed put-together, and somewhat uptight.
"Hi," Jeno begins, trying to be calm.
"Hi," she replies, focusing her gaze on his. "You seem sad," she continues, looking sympathetic. Wow. How can drunk Nari see right through him?
"Let's dance," she says, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Jeno's heartbeat accelerates as he admires her. The colorful low lighting highlights Nari's delicate features, making her skin glow like moonlight. Nari looks impulsive at this moment, confident and determined.
As they dance, their conversation flows smoothly. "Jeno. I've heard a lot about you," she says, slurring her words. "You're a bad boy."
"What makes you say that?" Jeno asks curiously.
"Everyone knows it," she says. "Just like everyone knows I'm an Ice Queen," she frowns, before laughing mischievously. Jeno's unsure of what to say.
"You're a playboy, Jeno," she continues.
"Yeah? And what do you think about that?" he asks.
"I dunno," she says. "It doesn't matter," she shrugs her shoulders. Her head tips forward, and Jeno can smell the alcohol on her breath. "It doesn't matter. Let's keep dancing," she laughs, and for some reason, Jeno laughs with her.
With a smile on his face, Jeno listens to her go on long tangents. For a brief moment, he forgets about his family, hockey, and everything else that was weighing him down.
As the pair walk outside, sitting on a bench in Jeno's backyard, Jeno wonders why he's so drawn to Nari at this moment. Maybe it's her mesmerizing beauty or dancing. Or maybe it's because she seems so different from the Nari he's heard of.
"It's a full moon!!" she exclaims, pointing at the moon.
"Oh yeah, it is. I didn't notice."
Nari looks at Jeno pointedly. "You should notice these things more. The moon, the cherry blossom flowers, that little cat sleeping over there," her eyes widen when she sees a white cat, and she starts cheering.
"Oh. It must be the neighbor's cat again," Jeno chuckles.
"You're smiling," Nari looks at his lips. She's looking at my lips. Damn.
"You should keep smiling. You looked so sad earlier," she says.
"You're right," Jeno replies, his voice shaky. "You, too, you know? You looked anxious earlier, but now you look brave."
"Brave..." Nari says. "Let's be brave, okay?"
"Hmm?" he smiles at her cute facial expression.
"Nariiiii!!!!!!!" a voice calls. It's Eunji. Her eyebrows raise in surprise when she sees Jeno.
"Let's go home, birthday girl. It's past our bedtime." Eunji looks equally drunk and takes Nari.
"Bye-bye," Nari says cutely, and the two leave just like that. Oh, it's her birthday? Jeno sighs, seeing that it's 2 AM. He hopes everyone will leave his house soon; it's been a long day. He also finds himself hoping Nari had fun on her birthday.