Woohyun woke up to find Key sitting on the coffee table with one leg crossed over the other as he leaned back on one hand and held a teacup in the other.

“You have to go.”

“Am I disturbing you, somehow?” Woohyun asked, pulling himself up from the couch as he rubbed at his eyes.

“It’s weird when my guests look at you.” Key said. “You have you own home. Rumors are going to start.”

Woohyun looked up Key in clear contempt.

“Rumors are going to start about me sleeping on your couch when the sources of the rumors are people leaving your bedroom?”

Key narrowed his eyes at Woohyun.

“Why won’t you go home? It’s been three days. Is something wrong with your house? Are you remodeling? Are you avoiding someone?”

Woohyun didn’t exactly know what he was doing. But he just knew he didn’t feel safe there anymore. Even though LOVR had told him not to sleep anywhere else but in his own bed when he was in Seoul, Woohyun was too relieved to find out that while he’d mistakenly dozed off on Key’s couch that first day after his split with Sunggyu, LOVR hadn’t sent a message or threatened him. For the most part, it seemed like LOVR had gotten whatever he wanted.

Woohyun was free.

But his home still felt tainted. And he if he tried to move, people would start to wonder why. Infinite would ask questions.

“Tell me what’s going on or leave my house.” Key said.

“Have you ever had a sasaeng?” He asked as Key’s face morphed into a condescending frown.

“All idols have sasaengs.”

“Have any of them ever entered your home before?”

Key scoffed.

“Who are you talking to?” He said, sounding insulted. “I protect my home, I have alarm systems. I don’t trust anyone with anything that I can’t see them using and you see these guests who come in here? They sign wavers before they leave and I know where they live. I know stuff about them before I even bring them home.”

“They’re fellow idols.”

“Exactly. They won’t want to hurt me.” Key said. “I’m not about to bring a nobody to my house? Are you crazy?”

“But doesn’t all that seem like too much?”

Key looked stunned for a few seconds. Then he laughed, dropping the cup on the table beside him.

“You people from tiny companies are so naïve.”

“And you’re paranoid.”

“We’re in the public eye, Nam Woohyun. We won’t have protection from our companies 24/7. You can call me paranoid or whatever, but I’d rather be safe. I have a guy who runs spyware detection all over this apartment every month.”

“What?”

“I have a policeman on speed dial because I’m not about to call 119 and let the whole world know someone attacked Kim Kibum of SHINee.”

“That seems excessive.”

“Last year alone, SM artists got mobbed and spied on and had their privacies invaded. That kind of doesn’t happen to me anymore.”

“Anymore?” Woohyun asked, unaware that anything of the sort had ever happened to his best friend. “Did something happen?”

“Did something happen to you?” Key asked, turning it around on Woohyun.

“It’s nothing, really-”

“Woohyun.” Key said, leaning forward as he looked at Woohyun and worry. “Talk to me.”

As if Woohyun needed to be told again.

*****

“Five months, you say?”

“Yes.” Woohyun said, sipping from the new cup of tea Key had gotten for him.

“I can see why you won’t go home.”