Adryn had forgotten that there were a lot of members of NCT. She wasn't sure how she'd forgotten since they had been suddenly appearing around her all throughout the day.
"Oh, right, there's a lot of you..." Adryn muttered in slight horror. Her words and tone made Jaemin make sure Adryn didn't run away as they entered the dining room. They were the last ones there, clearly, as Taeyong looked annoyed.
"What took you so long?" Taeyong asked as he stood up from his seat.
"Sorry. Adryn had some questions for us," Jaemin replied to the leader as they all went to their seats, leaving the woman standing there confused as to where to go.
"Before everyone gets too comfy; the ones who haven't introduced yourselves yet, please do now." Taeyong addressed the whole group, making them all look around at each other. The first one to stand up was someone with white hair.
"I'm Jungwoo, nice to meet you. I hope we can become friends." The man stated with an honest smile before sitting back down. The next one was someone with brown hair.
"I'm WinWin. It's a pleasure to meet you." After he spoke, he sat back down and someone else stood up. This man had hot pink hair.
"My name is Hendery, it's nice to meet you Adryn. Hopefully, we can talk more later." As soon as Hendery spoke, another man stood up prompting Hendery to sit back down.
"I'm Xiaojun. It's nice to finally have a girl in the group." This man had blue hair with streaks of black throughout it.
"I'm YangYang, I hope we can be great friends in the future." The man with gray/silver hair spoke up next after standing. He then sat down and someone with brown hair stood up.
"My name is Sungchan. It's nice to finally meet the girl of all the rumors running around the house." This brought a few chuckles from everyone around the table as Adryn blushed.
"I'm Shotaro, it's nice to finally meet someone for our leader. Maybe he'll be calmer now." This man had black hair and spoke very politely.
"Hello everyone. It's nice to meet all of you. Hopefully, we can... all get along well." Adryn spoke up as she stood up straighter, hoping that they wouldn't notice that she tripped over her words.
"Do you want some help with your Korean?" It was YangYang, speaking English to Adryn. She smiled at him and nodded her head.
"That'd be nice," Adryn admitted in relief as she was finally able to speak English again.
"A few of us speak fluent English and Korean. I'm sure we'd all love to help you out." Jaehyun spoke up, bringing another smile to Adryn's face.
"Thank you, I'll definitely take you up on your offer."
"Now that everyone is done introducing themselves, Adryn come sit next to me." Taeyong seemed to be pouting that Jaehyun was getting so close to his woman. Adryn just nodded her head and made her way to the man and the empty chair next to him. Taeyong gave her a sweet smile as she sat down, making her blush.
Thankfully though, everyone instantly began to eat once she was seated. There were various conversations going on around the table, bringing Adryn's attention to the whole group. She had been eating but then found herself pausing once she'd counted everyone.
"Taeyong?" Adryn asked as she turned to look at the man next to her. He turned to her and paused in his own eating.
"Yeah?" Taeyong replied simply.
"I thought you said there were 23 members, I only count 22?"
"Oh, there is another but he's off on a long mission by himself. He's Lucas." Taeyong explained to Adryn who just nodded his head in understanding. "Sometimes the members go off by themselves, but it is unusual."
"Lucas is part of my group, WayV. Ten, WinWin, Hendery, Xiaojun and YangYang all are as well." Kun brought up next as Adryn nodded her head.
"I'm the leader of Dream. Haechan, Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung, Chenle, and Renjun are all part of my specific group." Mark spoke up next from Adryn's left side. She nodded her head again as she thought about how young all of Dream was.
"I'm the overall leader of NCT, however, I have my specific group as well, called 127." Taeyong began, drawing Adryn's attention back to him. "Mark, Johnny, Jungwoo, Jaehyun, Taeil, Haechan, Doyoung, and Yuta are all part of 127 with me." Adryn just nodded her head again, not sure of what to say to the man next to her. It was a lot of information to take in so suddenly.
"Adryn, what unit would you want to be part of when you join?" Mark asked the woman, which brought her to blankly stare at the man. She had no idea, why would she know?
"Isn't it obvious? She'll be with 127. She won't leave my side." Taeyong immediately spoke up, making Mark frown at him.
"That isn't a good idea. If you two get together, then you'll be distracted by each other. You both might end up being distracted in the field and then end up being reckless causing you to do something stupid to save each other." Johnny seemed to have the most level of heads, and it showed as Taeyong couldn't even argue with the taller man's words.
"I think she should join Dream. I've already saved her once." Mark cut through the sudden tension surrounding Taeyong to say that, only for Taeyong to literally glare at Mark, causing the blond to shiver.
"I don't really want to need to be saved anymore." Adryn brought up but was ignored because YangYang had already begun talking.
"She should join WayV!" The gray/silver-haired man called out, only to receive a chorus of no's from the others of WayV.
"Adryn will be taken under my wing, so she'll be with me and 127. That isn't up for discussion." Taeyong and his words had cut through all of the arguing that had begun to break out. Everyone turned their attention to their leader and fell silent.
"If she's going to be kicking ass and taking care of us, she'll need to work with Jaehyun too." Mark pointed out, much to Taeyong's annoyance. He glared at the man again, making Mark fall silent.
"I'll love the time I spend teaching Adryn everything I know about the medical side of my job." Jaehyun fed into Taeyong's anger as he spoke. The leader glared at him next, but Jaehyun merely smiled back in return.
"I'll be having fun spending time with Adryn as well since I'll be one of the ones helping her learn Korean." Johnny joined in on feeding Taeyong's rage, making Adryn giggle at the situation. It'd been the first time they'd all seen such a happy look on his face, so everyone was fairly surprised.
"What's so funny?" Taeyong asked as he tried to calm down.
"It's just... You all are like a close family and I'm happy to be part of that now. I'll be happy to spend time with everyone." Adryn's response brought a few of the members to either laugh or tell her they'd be happy to spend time with her as well. This made Taeyong smile but also brought out some jealousy in him.
"Alright, everyone shut up and get to eating!" Taeyong suddenly called out in the room to everyone. They all did as they were told and fell silent to eat.
Once the food was all devoured, a few of the guys began to clear up the table. Adryn tried to help but ended up being pulled away by Taeyong.
"It's the younger members who have to clean, not us or you," Taeyong muttered to the woman as he pulled her along with him. He guided her to the living room while everyone else went off to do their own things. Both of them sat down on the couch and Taeyong properly began to hold Adryn's hand. Neither of them said anything as Adryn stared at the man who was staring at the floor.
"Taeyong? Are you alright? Is there something interesting on the floor?" Adryn asked, trying to joke, but Taeyong was far too serious to laugh. He did, however, smile at her.
"You are so strong, you know that? You're able to handle all of our craziness so far and you're handling it well."
"I've lived a crazy life, so why not just accept the craziness of my new friends?" Taeyong simply shook his head at her words, causing Adryn to feel worried that she'd said something wrong.
"NCT is a family, and now you're a part of that family." Taeyong's words resonated deep within Adryn. She couldn't help but just stare at him for a moment. She had to process that she had a family again. She hadn't had anyone but Eclipse for the longest time, so to now have a whole group as a family, she was a little overwhelmed. Tears began to flow from Adryn's eyes, worrying Taeyong. "Are you alright? Did I upset you?" Adryn couldn't help but laugh at the concerned look on Taeyong's face.
"No, I'm not upset. It's just... I haven't had anyone to call family in a while..." Adryn's words broke Taeyong's heart. He felt the emotion from Adryn, and feeling like she needed a hug; he hugged her. However, Adryn instantly froze and gasped out as if she was terrified by his actions. She reacted as if he'd hit her, so Taeyong pulled away instantly.
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that."
"It's... It's alright. I just am not used to physical affection anymore. I'm not angry with you so don't apologize." Adryn was clearly shaken as she tried to push passed it. She was shaking now and was on the verge of tears once again.
"I know you just said that, but I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without permission. Besides, I never had gotten your answer to my original question, so I don't even know if you wanted me to do that. I got a little ahead of myself..."
"I always planned on leaving my window open." Adryn's voice was so quiet that Taeyong wasn't even sure at first she'd said anything. However, he processed her words and realized what she'd meant.
"Really?" Taeyong's voice was equally as quiet as hers as if he was scared he'd heard wrong. Adryn smiled at the man, trying to reassure him.
"Yes. I guess you could say I was intrigued by you so I wanted to give you a chance to help me. I wanted to give you a chance to get me to like you how you like me."
"Thank you, Adryn. Thank you for giving me these chances."
"Thank you for giving me another chance at life. You're the only reason why I'm not dead now. I mean, I'm still feeling depressed, but I know that won't go away overnight. I have a bit more mental health issues than just depression."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm bipolar. I've been fighting with that for years. That and my anxiety and depression is what lead me to my suicide attempt in America."
"Are you on any medications for any of that?"
"No, I was before but I can't afford them anymore."
"Alright. Well, Jaehyun could probably get some for you, depending on what you specifically need."
"Thank you again Taeyong. That would probably be the best option. Without them, I've pretty much gone spiraling down."
"You aren't alone, Adryn. I'll help you through anything and everything."
"I appreciate that. Eclipse was always here for me too and probably always will be, but I feel judgment from her. She made me feel guilty and like I was less of a person for having the issues I have."
"How long have you and Eclipse been friends?" To Taeyong's question, Adryn had to think for a moment.
"We met when we were 4, but we've been friends since about 6 years old?"
"Oh wow..." Taeyong was surprised by that. "I don't even have friendships that have lasted that long."
"Sometimes I wish that I didn't either." Adryn chuckled sadly at her own words, making Taeyong smile sadly at her.
"Friends and family are hard to handle sometimes, but the people that we care about most are worth it."
"You're right... I probably shouldn't have been so harsh to Eclipse earlier...But I am just so tired of being lied to or people keeping things from me for my 'protection'."
"I won't do that, I promise. I won't lie to you or keep things from you like that. I'll be honest about everything, or at least try to." Taeyong and Adryn chuckled at his words as she nodded her head.
"Thank you, Taeyong, again. I should probably call or text Eclipse now. I should make up with her."
"You can have the rest of the day and night to yourself, but tomorrow wake up at 7 in the morning, alright?"
"Sure. See you then." Adryn stood up and smiled at Taeyong before leaving the living room. She made her way back to her bedroom and thankfully didn't run into anyone on her way.
Once in her bedroom, Adryn decided to just get ready for bed. She got pajamas on and headed to the bathroom. After that, she headed back to her room to get her contacts out. She put her glasses on that they'd gotten at the mall and then pulled out her phone. She instantly sent Eclipse a text, letting her know that they were both in the wrong, but that Adryn was just so tired of the lies and keeping things from her. Adryn warned Eclipse that now was the time to be honest or else they couldn't have a friendship anymore. Instead of texting back, Eclipse called immediately.
"Hey, Eclipse..." Adryn muttered into the phone with a frown on her face. She hated to talk on the phone.
"Can I come over?" Eclipse sounded upset, but Adryn frowned deeper.
"No, I'm already ready for bed, and I plan on sleeping soon."
"I need to talk to you and I'd rather do it in person."
"Just tell me what you need to say. Now."
"Alright... I've been dating someone for almost 2 years now. He's the reason why I joined the gang."
"Huh?" Adryn's brain didn't quite process Eclipse's words for a few moments. Eclipse had never been in a relationship before and she had been so adamant about not dating anyone until she found her soulmate. For Eclipse to not tell Adryn about finding her soulmate; it was hurtful. "Is he really your soulmate? Are you happy with him and the gang you're in?"
"Yes. The other members of SHINee treat me like family and I'm very very happy."
"Will I ever get to meet your man? Or at least know his name?"
"His name is Taemin. You two will meet eventually. Like when the murders in the area calm down. Taemin and the rest of SHINee are pretty busy these days. Even I have my own things going on."
"What is your job in your group?" Adryn's question was left unanswered for a moment, making her think that Eclipse had hung up. "Eclipse?"
"I'm the medical person, the healer. I took over after their original one was killed a year ago."
"Oh..."
"I am slowly getting into actual missions though. I have pretty much learned how to shoot a gun and use knives."
"I wish you luck. Hopefully, we'll get to see each other soon, but I'm not too sure. I have a lot of training to be going through."
"Adryn, are you really sure you're alright with this new change in your life?"
"I'm about as happy about it as I can be, considering I'm not usually happy," Adryn explained simply, making herself and Eclipse chuckle. However, Eclipse instantly got serious.
"Adryn, I've heard some horrible things about Taeyong and the rest of NCT. You should be careful."
"They are gang members, of course, there are horrible things out there about them." Adryn knew that Eclipse wanted to keep talking about that, so she cut her off before she could speak. "I have to get going now. I have a few other things I want to do before I get to sleep."
"Alright, be safe."
"You too." With that, Adryn and Eclipse hung up their phones. Adryn then set her alarm for 7 am and then set the phone off to the side on her bedside table. She then gathered her new laptop and opened it up. She powered it up and plugged it in to charge a bit.
As Adryn played and explored on her laptop, she got a flash of a story idea. She quickly opened up a document on her computer and typed it up. Feeling accomplished from that, Adryn powered off her laptop and set it carefully aside on the table next to her. She then turned off her light and set her glasses down.
Adryn didn't lay down right away though, she remained seated in her dark room. She went over in her head everything that'd happened to her that day. She wondered how different things were going to be from then on out.
"I wonder how things will go for me... Will I end up getting attached to these people? Will they also leave me one day?" Adryn muttered to the darkness of her bedroom. She figured that nothing would respond to her, so she laid down finally in her bed. She thought about Taeyong and how for some reason, she didn't want to die. Adryn's last thought before falling asleep was that she wondered if Taeyong could bring her back to her old self, or if she'd take him down with her.
