“Chenle!” He heard the older female scream when he met at their rendezvous spot which was an unused warehouse under the Zhong name. “You’re finally here!”

“Hi Jennie-noona,” He greeted noticing the other female behind her who was sharpening a pair of butterfly knives on one of the old crates. “I hope you haven’t been waiting for long.”

“It was long enough for the memories to surface,” Chaeyoung stated, hopping off the crates and handing taking a tiny brown parcel from a pocket in the inside of her jacket. “Here. It’s the drugs you wanted.”

“Will this be enough to make him tell the truth?” He asked, swallowing lightly as he took the parcel, feeling how heavy it felt in his hands. He looked up and saw Jennie nod, her smile coming through soon after.

“It’s just a placebo, you know that,” Jennie lectured him as Chaeyoung reached out to ruffle his locks despite him being taller than her. “Truth serums don’t exist. You get honesty and fear instead.”

“You seem pretty shaken.” He heard Chaeyoung state, her eyes softening when he looked at her with worry evident in his eyes. “What’s bothering you Le? NCT? Taeyong? WGC-“

“Rrenjun-ge,” He cut her off, feeling tears prick his eyes as he remembered the tracker within his older cousin. “Renjun-ge may not live.”

“I’m guessing it’s the trackers?” Chaeyoung asked him, sighing heavily when he nodded before she walked up to hug around his shoulders. “If I can get one out, so can he.”

“How…how did you get yours out?” He asked her, answer coming in the form of her shaking her head before the arms around him were gone. 

“It’s not something I can talk about, I’m sorry,” Chaeyoung replied, looking down at the ground in shame as Jennie sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Chenle.”

“Don’t be, Chae-noona,” He whispered before bowing politely and exiting the warehouse as the other two exchanged hushed whispers before he heard light sobbing.

~ ~ ~

“I have to call him.”

“Call who?”

“Daesung.”

“Which one’s that?”

Sighing, Jeno stared at the curious eyes of the younger male as the sun kissed his tanned skin.

“The one who knows about the slaves,” He replied, begrudgingly sitting on the edge of the bed when Donghyuck patted it and allowing the younger to wrap his arms around him. 

“I’d help you but this is not my forte,” Donghyuck said quietly before he shook his head and rested it against the younger’s shoulder. 

“I really have to call him though,” He stated, wincing when Donghyuck’s hand ghosted over the bandage at his waist. “Like, what if he’s expecting me to call him?”

“Just call him then,” Donghyuck replied, grabbing his phone out of his back pocket as Jeno tried to control his breathing since Donghyuck’s hand barely touched his . “Here.” He heard Donghyuck state before rings were coming from the phone’s speaker as the door opened to reveal the other two who were part of their friendship group in university. 

“Who is this?” Jaemin asked as he sat on the other side of Jeno with Jisung next to him, crutches being placed neatly on the floor as the rings of the phone seeming to dim as they talked.

“Some dude names ‘Daesung’,” Donghyuck answered as the rings stopped and a gruff male voice answered.

“Hello?”

Jeno felt his ability to talk leave him as he recognised the voice to be the same one that had screamed at Donghae for making him transfer to NCT. 

“Daesung-sshi?” He asked as a hum was heard in reply, faint classical music being played in the background. “I’m Lee Jeno and I’m-“

“Donghae’s mini, yeah I know,” Daesung replied, chuckling at the end before a short sigh was released by the older. “You want to know about Chaeyoung, don’t you?” 

“If possible, yes,” He replied before another chuckle was heard and the sudden shout of the former slave’s name was released. Jeno waited as his heart hammered in his chest from anxiety at talking to someone who had escaped the fate that seemed to be sealed on Renjun, the rest of his friends just as tense as he was.

“Jeno-sshi? You there?” He heard a female voice ask, slightly nasally but also very kind and heartwarming. “I’d like a sign that this isn’t a prank caller you know.” Jeno flinched when Jaemin slapped his shoulder to get him to start talking. 

“Um…yes…I’m here…Donghae-hyung said that you’d be able to talk to me about the slave trades,” He replied, cringing at how formal he sounded as Donghyuck facepalmed at his stupidity. 

“And why should I tell you?” He heard Chaeyoung asked before Jaemin coughed and slapped his arm to get him to start talking after a while. 

“One of our members is a former slave and we want to save him,” He informed her, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Donghae-hyung said that you got the tracker out of you.”

“I did but at a cost,” Chaeyoung replied, sighing quietly on the other end of the line. “I’m only alive because another girl died during the first operation. The bomb hadn’t been handled right and bot