Arcane

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

(adj.)

 (secret, mysterious, understood only by a few.) 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am so hungry..." Haechan whined as he rubbed his belly. 

"How much longer?" He grumbled as he eyed the pancakes on the stove, mouth watering at the delicious sight.

"Just 5 more minutes." Jihoon assured him as he took off the pancake of the pan and placed it on the growing stack on the plate.

Haechan had woken up hungry early in the morning and has rushed downstairs to breakfast. Due to jet lag however, he had forgotten the time difference and the fact that no one would have prepared breakfast yet. Hence, he ended up knocking on Jihoon's door at 8.00a.m. in the morning, on his knees with a box of pancake mix held dear to his chest in his hand, begging him to make him some food to satisfy his hunger. 

"Don't you dare lie to me. You said that an hour ago." Haechan stood up from his seat in disbelief as his stomach growled loudly.

Jihoon had messed up a few times in between, burning the pancakes causing him to start all over again. Each time he had, Haechan was nearly on the verge of tears due to the hunger in his stomach.

By this time, the rest of the members had all woken up and were sitting at the dining table, waiting for the plate of pancakes to be placed in order to begin eating.

The moment the plate of pancakes was placed onto the table, everyone attacked the plate, finishing it within a span of a few minutes.

"Gosh, I am living with some wild monsters!" Jihoon exclaimed as he looked at the satisfied thirteen faces in front of him who looked like they had just competed in a food-eating contest.

Bits of pancakes were on the sides of their mouths with maple and chocolate syrup were smeared over their faces.

Their plates, however, were licked clean and their tummies were well-fed after this scrumptious breakfast.

"I was so hungry." Haechan mumbled as he let out a loud burp, excusing himself after sheepishly.

"Jeez, you're so gross Hyung!" Jisung exclaimed in disgust, rolling his eyes at Haechan's loud burp. 

Typing...

Typin...

Typi...

Typ...

Ty...

T...

...

..

.

[ 14 hours until Jisung gets slapped ]

~~~~~~~~~~

"I honestly think Jisung has got this." 

"I bet it's Jeno." 

"No way!"

"Loser does winner's chores for the rest of the whole week. Deal?" Jackson grinned at Hendery waiting for his response.

"Oh, you bet!" Hendery shook Jackson's hand firmly, confident of his choice.

"Jaemin is definitely going to win this. He definitely looks so much stronger than Jisung." Hendery stated smugly as he compared the two of them.

"You'll never know." Jackson retorted. He was praying that he would win this bet. He really did not want to do his chores. They were so mentally and physically exhausting. It honestly pained him to do his daily chores everyday. 

"Ready, set, fight!" Mark yelled, hurriedly moving out of the ring as the two men began fighting in the ring.

The match was an intense one. Neither one of them was going to lose without a fight.

Besides, right now, it was more of a fight about their pride and less about their strength.

There was no way Jaemin wanted to lose as the older of the two while Jisung definitely wanted to win as the younger of the two. 

No one could even blink an eye lest they missed the moment when one of them was overthrown by the other.

Jisung punched Jaemin in the jaw hard as soon as he saw the moment when Jaemin had left his face unguarded for a second.

With that, Jaemin had been caught off-balance for awhile giving Jisung all the time that he needed to flip Jaemin onto the ground, pinning him down successfully to claim his victory.

"HA! IN YOUR FACE LOSER!" Jackson screamed in joy, doing his wild victory dance all around Hendery. He flailed his arms all around and shook his body violently like as is he was spasming. 

All the while, Hendery was sulking in disappointment and despair as he realised the consequences of his overconfidence.

Meanwhile, Jisung held out a hand for Jaemin to grab in order to pull himself onto his feet. 

"You keep forgetting Hyung. I am not a baby anymore. I am so much stronger now." Jisung teased Jaemin, smirking at Jaemin who was groaning from the excruciating pain in his jaw.

"Oooooo...That's so going to bruise for awhile. Glad you got to have a gift to remember this fight." Jisung laughed as Jaemin glared at him.

"Yah! I'm still your hyung. Give me some respect!" Jaemin shrieked at him, trying to hold off the proud grin that was forcing to take over his face. 

Typing...

Typin...

Typi...

Typ...

Ty...

T...

...

..

.

[ 10 hours until Jisung gets slapped ]

~~~~~~~~~~

All Chenle could smell was the distinct and pungent smell of fried chicken wafting through the air. Letting his the smell guide his nose, he sniffed his way to the kitchen where he caught Noah frying some chicken before placing them on a baking tray.

Once could literally see the drool dripping off the side of his mouth as the dream of him enjoying the chicken played through his mind like a beautiful movie that was ending as the male and female lead finally got their happy ending.

Well, in this movie, the leads were obviously Chenle and his beloved - the fried chicken. 

"That smells really good." Chenle complimented Noah as he stretched out his hand to grab a fried chicken wing, only to get his hand smacked away as soon as it stuck out.

The stinging sensation of the pain left a slightly red mark on his hand as he struggled to soothe the pain by continuously rubbing it. 

"Ouch, you didn't to do that. Besides, I would have stopped if you had told me too." Chenle huffed, rolling his eyes far into his head.

"Why you lying?" Noah pointedly stared at him. The tongs used to fry the chicken being held in the air to emphasise his point, pointing it at him.

"Besides, this chicken isn't meant for anyone in this house anyways." Noah got back to work, placing the last few pieces on the baking tray.

"Wait what? Then, who is for?" A puzzled Chenle, glared at the back of Noah's head, disappointed that he was not getting his chicken.

"Firstly, stop glaring at my head." Noah turned around with his tongs in the air.

A little puckered fish named Chenle stared in shock at him.

"How did-"

"Secondly, it's not meant for anyone here because our last member is finally coming home in five hours. Fried chicken happens to be her favourite. And, she hates it when anyone takes her food."

"Hey, talking about her, none of you guys ever told us her name!" Chenle recalled once he realised he had no name to match these characteristics with.

"We haven't?" Noah quizzed. 

Chenle nodded his head enthusiastically. He was finally getting a name and he just could not wait to hand out with someone who loved fried chicken like him.

"Well, her name-" Noah was interrupted with a loud crash sounding in the living room.

And, as they both rushed to help Jisung and Haechan, who seemed to have tumbled down the stairs, the name was long forgotten by them.

Typing...

Typin...

Typi...

Typ...

Ty...

T...

...

..

.

[2 hours until Jisung gets slapped ]

~~~~~~~~~~

"Gosh, I could beat you at this anytime." Jisung bragged as he grabbed a controller off the floor, ready to prove his skills.

Everyone was in the gaming room where they were taking their monthly break from work and enjoying themselves. 

The seven new men were pleasantly surprised by this tradition but had agreed nevertheless when they had been asked to take part in it. 

Back in Korea, they never had this tradition. Sure, they tried to squeeze in time to rest their exhausted bodied but, they could only squeeze so little. 

Furthermore, the fact they had not been assigned to anything yet, had been proven to be a good thing for them since they had ample amount time to train and relax. This was the life that they had been missing for such a long time. Being back together as a group made this period of time even more enjoyable for everyone.

Yet, as they fooled around and chased each other in the gaming room, munching on the delicious goodness of pizza that Noah had made himself, there was just something about the air that felt very unsettling. 

Typing...

Typin...

Typi...

Typ...

Ty...

T...

...

..

.

[30 minutes until Jisung gets slapped]   

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, that female member of yours, is she the only girl you guys have ever had in your group?" A curious Jisung asked, wondering about this member that he had no name to put a face by. 

"No, we have had plenty of females on our team. After sometime though, they kind of transfer to another base or settle down, moving away from this life permanently." Yohan answered, munching on his apple nosily. Bits of it fell down but it seemed like no once cared since everyone was too busy listening to the topic at hand. 

"Are you guys not on good terms with them when they leave?" Mark inquired. 

"No way! We all still do meet with the ones that are still thriving in this ever so wonderful business. We do, however,  tend to not meet up with those who have settled down comfortably to keep their families and loved ones protected. But, if they ever do need our help, then we would do our best to support them in any way possible. 

After all, once family, always family." 

"But, why are you guys so interested in this? Have you never had a female member in your team before?" Jihoon pondered aloud, flustered when he realised he spoke his thoughts out loud. 

There was silence in the room as the question remained unanswered.

"You haven't had a female member in your team before?" Hendery screeched in surprise.

"No, it's just-" Renjun started only to get cut off midway but the one and only.

"We did. She sucked. She left. End of story." Jisung hissed furiously, the old memories suddenly resurfacing. 

He hated it.

He hated those memories.

He hated her for destroying a perfectly happy family.

He hated everything she had done while she was with them.

He hated her. 

"Jisung stop." Chenle warned him, his eyes glaring daggers into his soul - yet the almighty  remained unbothered by his best friend's piercing gaze. 

No matter how much they got along and how many times they saved each other from dying, Chenle hated the fact that Jisung hated her with such a dying passion. 

He hated the fact that if she had stayed, things would have probably gone right and maybe Taeil hyung's and his train might have successfully left the station.

Most of all, he hated how Jisung was right to hate her because sometimes, he found his mind wandering back to hating her actions too. 

"Why should I?" Jisung challenged him as he stood up from his seat on the gaming chair, turning to face him. 

[5 minutes until Jisung gets slapped]   

"Why should I when you know that I am clearly stating the facts only?"

"Why should I stay silent about a girl who was so self-absorbed that she wasn't aware of her surroundings?" 

"Who miraculously needs saving one day but decides that she needs to save herself first one day and leaves?" 

"Who constantly was there one moment and then gone the next?" 

"Who never cared about the rest of our problems because she was constantly wallowing in misery that she never thought about the rest of us?"

By now, Jisung was panting as he poured out his frustration and anger into these questions that he had asked himself several times over the course of the past two years. 

[4 minutes until Jisung gets slapped]   

He hated the fact that she had probably moved on at the speed of lightening just like the way she had moved away from them that day. The way she left without telling anybody but only the two people who had never been there for her the way he had been.

He hated how he hated her at first yet had grown accustomed to her presence at the end of the day. 

Maybe, even grown so comfortable with her to the point that Chenle was going to have a tough competition keeping the title of "Best Friend".

Sure, he had never shared his story with her but, he had been there for her. 

He had been there for her when she had cried into his chest the whole night while comforting her, whispering sweet nothings into her ear just so that she would feel better.

God damn it! 

He had been there to hold her even when things had not been going right. 

He hated how he still held onto those memories even after these two years  when she had thrown them away the moment she had left the house.

[3 minutes until Jisung gets slapped]   

"Jisung, you know she never meant to-" Haechan started.

"Are you sure about that?" Jisung retorted, starting to grow furious as Haechan tried defending her.

"None of you will ever admit it but I know you blame her for everything that happened after she left even if it's not till the extent that I do. So, why would you try defending her after all this time?"

"If she could leave us like that for her own 'individual growth', " Jisung air quoted in the process before proceeding, "she can do anything the moment she comes back." 

Thud! 

A loud thud resonated from downstairs interrupting Jisung momentarily before allowing to be forgotten. Maybe, they should have stopped arguing and gone down to welcome the newly retuned member. 

However, they forgot as soon as they heard the door close. 

[2 minutes until Jisung gets slapped]   

"At least, I have the decency to accept the fact that I blame her while you guys just lie to yourselves everyday just to make yourself feel better by not placing blame on anyone but instead, on time."

"I hate it how you guys don't hate her the way I do. I hate it that none of you understand the way I hate her because that's just how she wrecked me, hyung-ah." 

The tears had begun to roll down his cheeks. He promised himself that he would never cry over her ever again yet, here he was sobbing uncontrollably as tears gushed down his cheeks. His nose red and eyes puffy from the flow of tears.  

None one them present in the room could take it. The way their hearts broke after seeing their youngest admit his vulnerability to them after hiding for such a long time, it pained them so much. They should have been there for him when she left. Yet, they let some petty arguments about whose side they were on come in between and prevent them from giving Jisung the support that he deserved to have been given. 

It was an unspoken truth that if anyone took Y/n's disappearance the hardest, it was Jisung. He would never admit it but he had grown to care for her in more ways than he should have. He had finally begun to depend on someone and had finally started growing as a person when he met her.

[1 minute until Jisung gets slapped]   

Right now they could hear the returned member climbing up the stairs to reach them in the room that they were. 

Frankly speaking, they were more concerned about Jisung with the way that he was speaking now. 

"I hate her!"

"I hate her so much. She is the most selfish person I have ever met in my whole life. She only cared about herself. She wallowed in her own misery and claimed to have the most problems, yet never did anything to help herself."

"She never tried opening up to us just because she was too much of a wimp to take any risks. Too scared that daddy dearest would find her and maybe lock her up again this time like Rapunzel, never letting her see the daylight again."

"I hate that I will never get the chance to see her again and tell her how much I hate her. How severely she broke me just so that she could let me suffer while I tried picking myself up again.

[12 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]   

" I hate how she never once tried contacting us to make amendments with us despite us trying so hard to reach out to her."

[9 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]   

"I hate how I wanted her to be there for me just like how I had been there for her the whole time while she lived with us." 

[8 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]   

"I hate-" 

[ 7seconds until Jisung gets slapped]

"Y/n so-" 

Collective gasps were heard around the room as the boys in 'Dream' stared at the rest of them trying to figure out what was going on.

[6 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]

"Fucking much-"

[5 seconds until Jisung gets slapped] 

"And she-" 

[4 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]

"Deserves nothing-"

[3 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]

"But all -" 

Jaws dropped as people finally begun to put two and two together. The fear in the pits of their stomachs making them feel uneasy, trying to get Jisung to cut it off. 

Yet, the youngest was too busy expressing his pent-up emotions to even bat an eye at them.

"The pain-"

The door slammed open as an enraged girl, clad in a black shirt and blue ripped jeans stood there desperately searching for that  familiar voice, the one she had tried the hardest to forget after these two years. 

[2 seconds until Jisung gets slapped]

"In this-" 

She stormed up to him right as he finished his last words, turning him around roughly while grabbing  a fistful of his shirt, bunching it up in her grasp. 

[1 second until Jisung gets slapped]

"World."

'SMACK !'

The loud sound was as loud as thunder as Jisung heard the ringing sound buzzing in his ears. 

The way her hand connected with his cheek terrified everyone present in the room watching the scene unfold in front of them.

She dared to do what she never would have done in the past and that shocked them because they way she looked at him, no man would ever want to be the prey to her malicious glare. 

It had been an open-handed smack which resulted in a small scratch under his right cheek from the ring that she had been wearing on her right hand. 

She scowled at him furiously, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes just as he made eye contact with her. 

The look of him never disgusted her as much as it did now. She had learnt to let go of their past yet, the way he spoke, the venom that had laced his voice, pained her to the core of her heart. It ached so much to see the guy that she had possibly started seeing as more than a friend evolve into this

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net