“Hmm.” Won Woo hummed quietly to himself. He was seated at a table in the cafe area at school by himself since no one showed up. Soo Min had gotten stuck in class earlier, so she hadn’t arrived yet and the others were also busy with classes and errands, but it wasn’t like he expected to hang out with everyone at the table today. He doesn’t typically do that, he was just usually around when everyone else was around, that was all. But not having anyone around today was kind of strange. Everyone is busy? He thought it was too much of a weird coincidence? Or he was overthinking it. Midterms were coming up and he supposed everyone followed his example of studying in the library yesterday instead of coming to the table.

 

“I have arrived!” Suddenly Soo Min’s voice snapped him out of it and he chuckled at her when she took a seat next to him and let her arms and head fall onto the table like she was defeated. “I’m running on empty.”

 

“I ain’t ordering food for you.” He teased.

 

“Why not!” She looked up with a pout. “Also, where is everyone?”

 

“They’re being responsible students and adults.” Won Woo answered and she gave him a confused look. “Some are studying, some are running errands.”

 

“Oh,” she nodded after understanding, “so, you’ve been here all by yourself!” She frowned.

 

“Pretty much. I’m not sure where Mingyu and the others are. Maybe they’re doing the same thing, studying and running errands. But it’s kind of weird, Mingyu hasn’t replied to any of my texts today.”

 

“You’ve been texting him?” She grinned from ear to ear and he rolled his eyes. “That does sound weird, he’s usually replying a second after you send a message!”

 

“He’s probably just busy.” Won Woo pointed out. “The other day he had met up with his mother for lunch, so maybe he’s meeting with his father this time or something?”

 

“Maybe.” She leaned on the table before looking around. “So, anything else going on lately?”

 

“I think I upset Mingyu yesterday.” Won Woo blurted out and Soo Min stared at him because it was so sudden. “I think that’s why he hasn’t been replying.”

 

“What happened?” She frowned and sat up and turned in her seat so she was facing him.

 

“Well,” Won Woo sighed and told her about Jisoo coming to talk to him in the library while Mingyu was at his table. After Jisoo left, that’s when Mingyu seemed bothered and even admitted it to Won Woo. He repeated what Mingyu had said.

 

“Gosh, poor Mingyu!” She whined.

 

“What do you mean?” Won Woo asked, surprised by her reaction.

 

“Well, ain’t it obvious why he’s upset?” She asked. “He said he liked you and here you’re smiling at other guys!”

 

“... and that’s a crime?” Won Woo frowned. It sounded like he was the bad guy now.

 

“When someone likes you, they don’t want you looking at other people. They get jealous! He must’ve took it the wrong way, he must’ve thought you like Jisoo, but I don’t blame him…”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“I noticed sometimes you still get flustered around Jisoo. I never said anything since it was something you never liked talking about. And there wasn’t anyone trying to pursue you around, until now.” She explained and Won Woo got quiet. “I know we haven’t talked about you and Mingyu a lot, but at some point you told me that you thought you liked him. Has that changed now?”

 

“No…”

 

“Then are you able to say you’re over your crush on Jisoo?” She said quietly, it wasn’t something to announce to the world.

 

“I think so.” Won Woo looked conflicted but she expected that. She experienced that before.

 

“I don’t know, Won Woo, I think Mingyu’s feelings for you are pretty serious if he’s getting jealous like that. And since you haven’t really said anything to him, he must feel like it’s all one sided now.” She could tell he felt guilty now. “Try to say something soon.”

 

“But it’s difficult. I never know what to say or how to say it.” He had his eyes locked on the table and she rested a hand on his shoulder.

 

“You’ll know what to say when the time is right, just don’t take too long. But honestly, I think he’s someone who can wait if he’s really that serious about you. Maybe he won’t give up so easily.”

 

“I hope not.”

 

“Me too.” She gave him a small smile. “Thanks for telling me about it.”

 

“Sorry, I’m still trying to understand it on my own.” He apologized.

 

“That’s fine.” She assured him. “I had to go through it on my own at first, too. I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone, either.”

 

“So, you understand why I haven’t talked much about it, right?” He sighed.

 

“Yeah, but at the same time… talking about it with me might make it easier and less stressful on you. That’s why I was butting in so much, sorry.” She said a sheepish smile. “Just didn’t want you suffering about it all alone.”

 

Won Woo gave her a small smile. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

 

“Of course!” Her smile brightened.

 

“I’ll go see Mingyu later tonight. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

 

“Right, be sure to tell him how you feel while you’re at it!”

 

“Maybe.” Won Woo chuckled. “Don’t expect too much, though.”

 

“Okay.” She pouted.

 

“You’re too much.” He snickered and pinched her cheek. She smacked his hand away, not appreciating that at all. “I’m gonna go home for now. Maybe you should visit Jeonghan before going home tonight or something.”

 

“Because you’re taking the car?” She pouted again. “Fine. Hope your meeting with Mingyu goes smoothly.”

 

“Thanks.” Won Woo patted her on the head after he got up and grabbed his school bag. “Later.” He added and left her at the table.

 

“Bye~!” She called after him and sighed. She watched him disappear and once again, let her head fall onto the table. “Ow~!” She yelped when she miscalculated the distance between her head and the table.

 

“Idiot.” She heard a familiar voice say and she looked over to see Jihoon taking a seat next to her, occupying the seat Won Woo was in earlier. “Are you tired?” He asked. He thought maybe she was dozing off and that’s why she hit her head on the table.

 

“No.” She answered while rubbing the sore spot on her forehead.

 

“Then why?” He sighed like he was expecting a stupid answer.

 

“Because I’m an idiot.” She said in a small voice, like a child admitting something they didn’t want to and he started to laugh.

“I wasn’t serious about that!”

 

“I know.” She grinned and he snickered at her sudden mood change. “So, did you eat yet?”

 

“No, have you?”

 

“No.” She shook her head and frowned at him. “I forgot my wallet at home today.” She meant to ask Won Woo if she could borrow some money, but she got distracted by their talk.

 

“... what was the point of having a wallet phone case?” He gave her that look, that judging look.

 

“So I could carry my ID and bank card with me at all times!”

 

“Use your bank card!”

 

“No! That money is off limits because of the trip to L.A during fall break!” She protested. “I promised myself not to spend any of it because I’m planning on trying more food this time around!”

 

“You and food…” Jihoon shook his head. “Fine, I’ll buy you lunch.” He said while pulling out his own wallet. “Fries and a soda, right?”

 

“Yes~!” She cooed and clasped her hands together and smiled brightly at him. He chuckled and got up to go order their food. When he returned he served her food before sitting down. “Thank you~!” She said happily before eating one of the fries and expressed how delicious it was.

 

“You’re buying me lunch next time.” He said before eating one of his own fries. He actually ordered the same thing as her though he got a coke instead of a sprite.

 

“I promise!” She held her pinky out to make the promise. He hooked his pinky with hers and they made the promise. “It seems like everyone was really busy today.” She said after a few moments of silence between them. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of students on campus today, either.”

 

“Maybe there was an event going on or something?” Jihoon said while looking around.

 

“True, I never look at the bulletin boards, so I wouldn't know.” She shrugged. Now that Jihoon mentioned event, she started to think about Ren for some reason. She thought maybe it had something to do with him? He was kind of a celebrity after all… maybe everyone went to go see him in class? Something cliché like that. “When I gave Ren’s bodyguard the note with my number on it, I also wrote that I hang around this cafe on campus every afternoon.” She noticed Jihoon stop eating. “You don’t have to answer me, but… do you want to reconnect with him?”

 

Jihoon was quiet for a few moments before he answered. “I’m not sure.” He admitted. “For the longest time I thought maybe the reason he never contacted me was because our friendship meant nothing to him. He seemed pretty upset when I told him I was moving and even asked if there was a way so I could stay. But it seems weird, if he was that upset, I was sure he would have stayed in contact after I left, but he didn’t. Maybe I hurt him? Maybe he started to hate me…”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Now that I think about it… I’m kind of hurt about how things went. I might even feel a bit angry, too. But that’s normal right?” Jihoon asked with a conflicted expression. “He disappeared from my life for 5 years with no explanation or reason and then shows up in Seoul… the place he knew I moved to. He must’ve really forgotten about me.” His tone turned bitter.

 

Soo Min wasn’t sure what to say to that. She thought maybe saying that he didn’t know that for sure and he shouldn’t be so negative about it, but then at the same time she understood how he felt. She’d be angry and hurt if that happened to her, too. “I wish I knew what to say right now.” She admitted with a sad smile.

 

“It’s fine. Thanks for listening.” Jihoon shook it off and continued eating his food. “Don’t let your food get cold.” He pointed. She nodded and continued eating as well. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” He said a moment later. “So hurry up and go back to smiling like an idiot because I bought you food.” He needed to think about something else now.

 

“Right,” she nodded and smiled like he told her to, “thanks for the food!” It was enough to get him smiling again. Thanks. He thought to himself before they started to talk about something else.

 

...

 

“What is it son?” An older man dressed in scrubs asked while he was in his office looking over a few patient charts. (Won Woo is psychic man). His son, Mingyu, was visiting him for lunch today after hearing he had visited his mother for lunch the other day too. He thought to make some time after talking to his wife last night. She expressed how much it looked like Mingyu missed eating meals with them. “Do you not like what you ordered?”

 

“It’s not that.” Mingyu said with a sigh and was poking around his takeout tray at the right corner of his father’s desk.

 

“Are you getting sick?” His father asked and leaned over to check his forehead for a fever. Usually his son was finished with eating before him any time they’d eat together but Mingyu still hadn’t even finished his food yet, he only ate half while his father finished awhile ago!

 

“Maybe.” Mingyu sighed again.

 

“You don’t have a fever, though.”

 

“It’s probably because it’s in my heart.” Mingyu muttered.

 

“Heartburn?” His father asked innocently.

 

“No, not that!” Mingyu pouted. “Just, don’t worry about it… I’m fine.” He said before closing the tray’s lid. He wasn’t going to eat anymore.

 

“Tell me.” His father frowned. “I’m worried now.”

 

Mingyu looked at his father with a conflicted expression. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it with his father. “I’m lovesick.” He simply said and watched his father remain quiet before coughing and returning back to some of the charts he was looking at.

 

Mingyu dropped his head, he knew his father wouldn’t want to talk about something like that and now he wondered why he even bothered to tell him. After he came out to his parents in high school, they weren’t exactly too happy about it but after seeing him so happy in his last relationship, they slowly came to accept it. But he supposed they weren’t at the stage where he could openly talk about his love life to the-

 

“What’s his name?” His father suddenly asked. Mingyu was almost shocked when he heard the question that his father had to repeat it to snap him out of it.

 

“... uh,”

 

“So I can tell him to stop making you look so miserable.” He added and he looked so serious until he chuckled and said “Just kidding.”

 

“Don’t do that!” Mingyu complained. “I thought you were serious!”

“I will be if you’re still lovesick the next time I see you.” His father pouted this time. “I know I might not be the best person to talk to about your… love life, but I really do hope you find someone who won’t break your heart again.”

 

“I know, me too.” Mingyu let out another deep sigh. “I don’t know, it just seems like maybe I’ve gotten myself into a one-sided love with a guy I met earlier this month. He’s a lot different from other guys I’ve been with and so I really like him, but after all this time, after seeing so many signs, I don’t think he actually likes me the way I like him. I think he likes someone else and I was too stupid to notice it.”

 

“You’re not stupid, he’s stupid for not noticing how much you like him.” His father said a bit bitterly.

 

“... no, I don’t think so!” Mingyu gave a nervous laugh. “I think I should have mentioned that this guy’s never dated before… maybe he’s just scared or I came on a bit too strong and pushed him away.”

 

“I don’t know what to say, Gyu.” His father frowned. He looked like he really wanted to help him, but was unable to.

 

“It’s fine. Thanks for listening, though.” Mingyu assured him.

 

“No problem. So, what’s his name? Or are you going to wait until things are better before introducing him to me?”

 

“I’m going to wait!” Mingyu said with a sheepish smile this time. “I’m going to take it slow!”

 

“Like that saying, slow and steady wins the race.” His father smiled and gave him a thumbs up. “Don’t give up on that guy unless you have to, I didn’t raise you to give up so easily.”

 

“Right, thanks.” Mingyu snickered at those words but he did appreciate it. “And don’t think badly of him… he’s been through a lot and it’s why I haven’t given up on him, I don’t think I ever will, either.”

 

“Wow, you must be serious about him, then.” His father looked impressed and reminded him a little of himself when he was pursuing Mingyu’s mother. He never gave up on her no matter the challenges that came his way.

 

“I am!” Mingyu nodded with a small smile. “So, don’t think so badly of your further son-in-law! He has his reasons.”

 

“Fine.” His father gave a small smile. “I can’t wait to meet him now. I want to see what your so worked up about soon.”

 

“Be patient!” Mingyu chuckled before getting up from his seat. “I’ll go now so you can get back to work. I’ll try to bring lunch again another time. Don’t overwork yourself, alright?”

 

“I won’t, don’t worry! Be sure to check in with your mother, too.”

 

“I will.” Mingyu waved at the door. “Love you!”

 

“Yeah, bye son.” His father muttered and looked embarrassed when a nurse had pardoned her way past Mingyu to get inside with some other files.

 

“Will it hurt to say it back?!” Mingyu complained. The nurse giggled behind her hand when she saw the two pouting at each other. “Fine, text it to me! Bye!” Mingyu snickered and headed out.

 

“Sorry about that.” Mingyu’s father apologized to the nurse.

“Please text it to him!” She said while handing the files over. “He’s your son, don’t neglect him!”

 

“Fine!” Mr. Kim groaned before pulling his phone out and texted a simple heart to his son.

 

Mingyu: You’re so cute, appa~!!!!

Mingyu: ❤❤❤❤❤ I LOVE YOU~!

 

Mr. Kim’s phone was put on silent right after that with no reply to his son.

 

...

 

“Min Ji. It’s been bothering me since I left class last night…” Soo Min muttered to her friend at the computer to her right.

 

“What?” Min Ji looked over at her with a confused expression. “What did you say?”

 

“What happened when I went to the bathroom last night?” Soo Min asked and turned her phone’s flashlight on and held it up to shine down on Min Ji who whimpered and shielded her face from the sudden brightness.

 

“Are you trying to blind me?!” Min Ji yelped.

 

“Answer the question!” Soo Min ignored her but was deeply sorry on the inside. “Did someone snoop around my stuff while I was in the bathroom last night?!”

 

“I don’t know!” Min Ji took her hands away from her eyes only to put them back because Soo Min still had her phone’s light shining into her soul. “Can you turn that off!”

 

“Damn.” Soo Min turned the light off and put her phone down before leaning back in her seat. “It’s just so weird how that Ren guy showed up to my place after I went to the bathroom.” She mumbled.

 

“Ren?” Min Ji repeated before it came back to her. “Oh yeah, he was in here last night!”

 

“What?!”

 

“Yeah, after you left to the bathroom, he came in here with two other guys. I think they were looking for someone, but I’m not sure who they were looking for.” She explained.

 

“Yeah, they were looking for Soo Min.” One of their other classmate near the classroom door spoke up when he heard the two talking about it. “One of them asked if you were in this class.”

 

“Which one? What did he look like?” Soo Min stood up to ask him the question.

 

“He had his hair spiking up, almost like a mohawk.” He explained while using his hands to imitate the hairdo on his own head of hair. “The other one was tall and looked really strong. The third one looked a bit like you, he had long black hair.”

 

“I thought he was you for a second.” His friend next to him admitted. “Sorry!”

 

“It’s fine.” Soo Min assured him. “I’ve been getting that a lot lately.”

 

“So, is he the brother you never told us about?” The one who had spoken up first asked curiously. This class was that kind of class who got along well together and knew each other’s name since they had to rely on each other if one of them missed class. Along the way, they all got to know each other a bit since this was their second semester together.

 

“I don’t know, to be honest.” She frowned. “But I’ll let you know later on.”

 

“Are you okay?” Min Ji asked when Soo Min sat back down and looked bothered. It didn’t seem like she was hurt by their comments, more like thinking about it again like yesterday when she was with Won Woo and Jihoon. “Soo Min?” And just like yesterday, she was snapped out of those thoughts.

 

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.” She assured her.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’m sure.” Soo Min nodded with a small smile. “By the way, I need a lift home again, Won Woo stole my car earlier.”

 

“Of course, I got you!” Min Ji chuckled at how she said it so casually.

 

…

 

“Oh… it’s just you.” Jihoon muttered after opening the front door to see Seungcheol standing there.

 

“And me!” Jeonghan blurted out and peeking over Seungcheol’s shoulder like he was hiding.

 

“What’s with that reaction?” Seungcheol pouted and Jihoon just snickered before stepping off to the side since he noticed they had brought food. They were texting earlier and when Seungcheol asked if Jihoon had dinner yet, the younger replied his parents weren’t home but he’d eat later. He supposed the older didn’t trust him and took it upon himself to bring him food. Jihoon thought that was sweet, but he could have gone without Jeonghan tagging along.

 

But it seemed like Jeonghan read his mind when he excused himself half an hour later saying he was going to see his beloved girlfriend and how he missed her terribly. Jihoon just rolled his eyes at him and shooed him away, which made Seungcheol laugh when Jeonghan pouted at him for making such a reaction. He was gone shortly after.

 

“You really hate that kind of stuff?” Seungcheol asked and broke the small silence between him and Jihoon.

 

“Hm? Hate what?” He asked in confusion.

 

“Couple stuff?”

 

“Oh…” Jihoon got quiet and if Seungcheol didn’t know any better, he’d say the blonde was blushing. “I don’t know, I don’t think I hate it, it’s just annoying when he does it.”

 

“I can see where you’re coming from.” Seungcheol chuckled. “Sometimes he sounds a bit crazy.”

 

“Exactly.” Jihoon smiled with a small life. “You get it.”

 

“You think you’ll ever be like that?”

 

“Like what?” Again, Jihoon looked confused, he was being really slow today! Maybe he hadn’t eaten enough food to keep his brain working.

 

“When you have a significant other?”

 

“I don’t know, I don’t think about that kind of stuff.” Jihoon managed to say and averted his eyes. He suddenly looked nervous. “I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that, I’m too busy with music all the time.”

 

“Are you sure?” Seungcheol asked. “What if you met someone who was interested in your music?”

 

“I guess it could be possible…” Jihoon said softly before looking up to Seungcheol who was smiling at him. He had to look away quickly before his face would turn beet red. “New topic!”

 

“Alright.” Seungcheol said with a cute laugh.

 

...

 

“Are you going to leave the car at some point tonight?” Aron asked in the front seat of Baekho’s car. His question was directed at Ren sitting in the back seat looking out the back window. His gaze was locked on the apartment where he saw Won Woo last night.

 

“He doesn’t have to.” Baekho scolded Aron quietly. “Just let him do what he wants.”

 

“He’s being a stalker now.” Aron pointed out and unfortunately Baekho had to agree with that. Just then, they saw headlights pull into the small parking lot and they all ducked so they wouldn’t look so suspicious. “We’re probably going to get towed because we don’t belong here!”

 

“Will you just shut up and stay quiet?!” Ren said in a whisper, he was clearly annoyed.

 

“I’m just stating the truth, this ain’t free parking!” Aron whispered back in the same tone before they heard a thud at the front of the car and the system alarm went off from the small force. All three were startled before looking out the windshield to see someone had jumped up on the hood of the car. It looked to be a girl.

 

“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” She exclaimed while getting off and passing the window, but paused when she saw the familiar face.

 

“Are you okay?!” Baekho opened the door and got out because of his kind nature and reflex to make sure she was alright.

 

“I thought there was a dog!” She explained while looking around, she was paranoid now after hearing a bark nearby. “I didn’t mean to jump on your car like that, I’m sorry!”

 

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Baekho assured her. “As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters!”

 

“Thanks.” She gave him a small smile before looking behind him. She swore she saw two figures duck when her eyes landed on the window. Strange. “So, what are you doing here?” Yeah, why is he here? How did he know where I live? After asking Min Ji about last night, things were slowly starting to click in her head. Were they the ones snooping around my stuff? She wanted to ask, because she had become really paranoid since then, but a part of her wouldn’t let her, because she was nervous. She was nervous about why they were snooping around her stuff.

 

“Oh, uh… I’m waiting for a friend.” Baekho tried to lie, but it was obvious.

 

“Ah, I see.” She nodded. She didn’t have the guts to question him any further. “Well, hope they show up soon!” She was about to turn and leave but stopped again. “Oh yeah, I think Ren called me the other day. I was wondering if you could tell him to meet me at school. I heard he met with Won Woo last night, too…”

 

“Sure, I can tell him to meet you soon.” Baekho nodded with his bright smile.

 

“Thanks!” His smile was contagious. “I’ll go inside now. Until next time!” She added and turned to leave when she saw someone waiting for her a few feet away and he didn’t look too happy. “Oh, hey!” She hurried over to him and linked her arm with his and turned to Baekho. “This is my boyfriend, Jeonghan!”

 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Baekho said with a friendly wave.

 

“Hi.” Jeonghan snickered.

 

“Don’t be like that!” Soo Min lightly hit him on the chest. “I’ll explain inside.” She added while tugging on his arm to follow her. She said another goodbye to Baekho before they disappeared inside.

 

When Baekho got back into the car, he was questioned on what happened outside. “She thought there was a dog nearby and got startled.” He explained.

 

“Damn it, Aron, your dog traumatized her!” Ren scolded.

 

“I’m sorry!” Aron apologized, he felt really guilty now.

 

“Then her boyfriend showed up.”

 

“She has a boyfriend?!” Ren almost exclaimed, for some reason he was surprised and a little conflicted on the inside for some reason, almost like he had already started thinking of her as his younger sister and there was that protective side of him kicking in.

 

“Oh, so that was him?” Aron was amused. He remembered the encounter he had with him and recalled the similar encounter with Soo Min. She had told him she had a boyfriend when she mistook his gesture on buying her pencils as hitting on her.

 

“He didn’t look too happy about us talking.” Baekho said with a sheepish smile. “I suppose he’s the jealous type.”

 

“Where have we seen that before, hmmmm?” Aron said before looking back at Ren. He was referring to Ren’s own jealous boyfriend, Minhyun.

 

“Just because of that doesn’t mean anything.” Ren frowned at him. “It’s just called a coincidence. That’s all.”

 

“Whatever you say. Are we done stalking now?” Aron sighed. “I’m hungry.”

 

“Fine, we can go now.” Ren said calmly while sitting in his seat properly. “I just… wanted to see her, that’s all.” He quietly admitted after buckling his seatbelt.

 

“Actually, she wants to see you too, Ren.” Baekho smiled at him through the rearview mirror. “You should meet with her on campus next week, okay?”

 

Ren seemed surprised until he smiled. “Okay.” He nodded.

 

…

 

“Wow…” Jeonghan muttered in surprise when Won Woo showed him the picture of Ren. When he came in with Soo Min, she immediately asked for Won Woo’s help on clearing up a misunderstanding Jeonghan had about her talking to Baekho outside. She made sure to show the pictures of Ren walking around the city with Baekho who is Ren’s bodyguard, because Ren is a model and the son of the famous clothing designer Choi Rina, that made him like a celebrity and like most celebrities, they’re accompanied by bodyguards sometimes.

 

“So, he’s the guy Mingyu was talking about from the camping trip?” Jeonghan asked for confirmation.

 

“Yes.” She nodded. “There’s been a lot of strange encounters I’ve had with him for the past few weeks.”

 

“Strange like?”

 

“Well, I thought he was a figment of my imagination. It didn’t seem like anyone else noticed him until we went on the camping trip.” She explained. “And just yesterday when we were talking to Jihoon, he said that Ren is actually an old friend of his from Busan.”

 

“Really?” Jeonghan looked to Won Woo who nodded to confirm it.

 

“Min Ji said Ren, Baekho and Aron came to my class last night and some other classmates said they were looking for me. I don’t know what for… but I was in the bathroom at the time. When I got back, they were already gone. It appeared like someone snooped through my stuff and I think it was them, because Won Woo said Ren showed up here before he came to get me after class last night. And now Baekho was out in the lot. My ID was facing outwards when I opened my phone case last night and I have a feeling that’s how they found our apartment.”

 

“... are you sure we can trust them?” Jeonghan looked uneasy. “This sounds creepy all of a sudden.”

 

“It does.” Won Woo frowned.

 

“Baekho is really nice, I don’t think they’re doing anything bad.” Soo Min said innocently, as expected from her. “When the paparazzi mistook me for Ren, he stepped in and helped me. He even gave me a ride to your place on Monday.”

 

“You mean, he knows where I live, too?!” Jeonghan pinched the bridge of his nose and Won Woo chuckled at his reaction.

 

“I’m sorry.” She apologized and looked like a child who was scolded badly.

 

“It’s fine, he’s just overthinking it.” Won Woo assured her before nudging Jeonghan to knock it off. “To be honest, I think there’s something going on.” He added. “The fact they look alike, and not just a little, but a lot… maybe Ren knows something that we don’t and that’s why they were snooping around last night?”

 

“Maybe…” Soo Min had that same expression again, the expression where she started to seriously think about something and zoned out. Won Woo took this time to fill Jeonghan in on a few things.

 

“Let’s talk…” Won Woo said calmly and Jeonghan looked at him with a hint of surprise. “There’s something we found out a short while ago, it’s been bothering us for awhile but we can’t really do much about it right now because of school.”

 

“What is it?” Jeonghan felt nervous and worried. He noticed his girlfriend had been bothered by something lately but she hadn’t really told him much about it, because of her talking struggles.

 

“A while ago, she bumped into her cousin and Junhui at the mall. She was shopping for some clothes and they joined her to help. She had stepped away to ask about a sale and when she returned, she overheard the two talking about her. Her parents were mentioned and so was an affair. Since then she’s been bothered by it. And it’s been really strange with the encounters between her and Ren.”

 

“I had no idea.” Jeonghan frowned. He couldn’t imagine how she was feeling about it all and here he wasn’t helping by getting jealous over her talking to other guys.

 

“Please don’t get the wrong idea when she’s talking to those guys, there’s good reasons.” Won Woo pointed out.

 

“Okay, I’ll remember that.” Jeonghan nodded.

 

“I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. There’s something I have to do, I’ll be back later.” Won Woo said after checking his phone for the time.

 

“Sure. Be safe out there!” Jeonghan called after him. “Don’t get kidnapped by those three!”

 

“Tch, whatever!” Won Woo laughed after he put his jacket on and headed outside with the car keys. Once the door was shut, Jeonghan looked back to Soo Min who was still zoning out. He thought to snap her out of it, but decided against it and let her snap out of it on her own. He wasn’t in a rush to go home.

 

“Hmm?” She hummed a few minutes later. “Where did Won Woo go?”

 

“He left to do something.” Jeonghan answered with a weak smile and she noticed.

 

“What’s wrong?” She frowned.

 

“He told me what happened between you and your cousin. I had no idea… I’m sorry.” He explained while reaching over to take one of her hands into his.

 

“It’s fine.” She assured him and squeezed his hand with a small smile. “I meant to tell you sooner but…”

 

“I know.” He said before pulling her over to lean into him. “Don’t worry about it. Talk to me whenever you’re comfortable.” He added and held her close. She didn’t say anything and instead snuggled CLOSER to him.

 

He turned the TV on and they watched whatever was playing at the moment and of course it had to be something romantic. Soo Min laughed when Jeonghan started to critique the male leads pickup lines and stated he could do better than him. He was glad that she was in a better mood now. “Thanks.” She said while looking up into his eyes. Then their own cliché moment happened and Jeonghan leaned in and caught her lips with his in a short sweet kiss.

 

...

 

“Oh, it’s you.” Mingyu muttered when he saw Won Woo come up to him at the counter during his shift. “Will this be all for you tonight, sir?” He added before scanning the bag of chips and two drinks.

 

“Sir?” Won Woo chuckled. “What’s with that greeting, too?” He added, but there was a hint of hurt in his expression. Mingyu hadn’t noticed because he was too busy scanning the items.

 

“That’ll be $5(abandoned Korean currency lol).” Mingyu said and held his hand out for the owed money.

 

Won Woo frowned and pulled out his wallet to pay for it. Mingyu handed over the bag and clicked his tongue when he noticed there weren’t any other customers at the moment. Won Woo had noticed and stayed at the counter. “So, are you mad at me or something?” Won Woo tried to ask calmly. He didn’t want to sound fragile when he said it. This was the first time Mingyu acted like this towards him and he didn’t like it.

 

“No, I’m not mad.” Mingyu managed to say but was struggling on the inside. The idiot thought acting like that would make Won Woo react in a different way, almost like when a girl plays hard to get, yet this was no time to be doing that, not after the way Mingyu left the library yesterday, especially when he hadn’t replied to Won Woo’s texts either. He thinks I’m angry at him! He thought in agony. No!

 

“I texted you earlier, but you never replied. I assumed you were busy…” Won Woo said softly and looked down at his bagged items. It almost broke Mingyu’s heart. “I’m sorry if I did something to hurt your feelings, I didn’t mean to.” He added. He looked so guilty now.

 

“... my shift ends early tonight. Will you still be up by the time I’m done here?” Mingyu said as calm as he could.

 

“Sure.” Won Woo looked up once he heard him ask that, it was adorable. “I’ll wait for you.” He added with a small smile and Mingyu’s knees almost gave out. He felt attacked by the guy’s cuteness. “Are you okay?!” Won Woo frowned and held a hand out like he was ready to help him.

 

“I’m fine.” Mingyu managed to mutter out and almost lost his cool. “I’ll be done at midnight.”

 

“Okay.” Won Woo nodded just as a new customer walked in. He took his paid items and left the convenience store and left Mingyu there to suffer with his emotions.

 

“God, why is he so cute?” Mingyu accidentally blurted out before he heard the customer in front of him clear their throat. “Sorry!” He apologized before quickly checking out their items. The next hour was going to be a long one.

 

…

 

“God, again, why is he so cute?” Mingyu muttered as he stared down at Won Woo who had fallen asleep on the bench outside. He was smiling fondly at him before it turned into a small scowl. “Why is he so reckless, too?” He stepped CLOSER and knelt down next to the bench to admire Won Woo a bit more before waking him up. “You really waited for me…” he said softly with another smile. “Thank you.”

 

He reached out to shake his shoulders gently a moment later. “Wake up, idiot!”

 

“Huh?!” Won Woo flinched and his eyes opened quickly. “, I fell asleep?” He groaned while sitting up and rubbed his eyes.

 

“You didn’t have to wait for me if you were tired. You should have said something!” Mingyu scolded while taking a seat next to him. “What if someone robbed you while sleeping, or worse, kidnapped you!”

 

“But I’m still here.” Won Woo chuckled when he remembered what Jeonghan had said to him before he left the apartment.

 

“You just got lucky.” Mingyu snickered at that comment before he was handed one of the drinks Won Woo bought earlier. “Oh…”

 

“It’s still cold, surprisingly.” Won Woo said while picking up his.

 

“... thanks.” Mingyu said softly before opening his and taking a sip. Won Woo did the same before they sat there in silence for a bit. It wasn’t awkward but Mingyu felt like any longer and it would be. “So, yeah. I’m not mad.”

 

“You were just busy.” Won Woo said before taking another sip. “Lunch with your father today?”

 

“How’d you know?”

“I’m right?” Won Woo asked with a small laugh. “I figured since you ate with your mother the other day, you went to eat with your father today.”

 

“I did.” Mingyu nodded to confirm it.

 

“Did you have a good time?” He could hear the curiosity in the older’s voice and he understood why he was asking.

 

“I did.”

 

“Did you eat something good?”

 

“I did.”

 

“That’s good.” Won Woo sounded happy hearing Mingyu had a good time with his father. Something he wished he could do. “Did you eat before work?”

 

“I did.”

 

“Can you stop giving me the same reply over and over again, you sound like a robot.” Won Woo pouted and Mingyu’s robotic expression broke into laughter.

 

“Sorry!” He apologized before seeing Won Woo smile brighten up. “What is it?”

 

“You laughed.” Won Woo said and Mingyu suddenly felt his face get warm. “You were acting so cold earlier… I’m just glad you’re back to your normal self again. I missed it.” He admitted.

 

Mingyu was surprised and wasn’t sure what to say in reply and opted to cherish this moment instead. “And I missed you.” Mingyu boldly said a second later. He could see the small flicker of shock in Won Woo’s expression but not much changed and he was still smiling. He could tell the older was thinking the same but didn’t want to say it out loud. That’s okay. I’ll wait for you like you waited for me. Mingyu thought to himself as more silence ensued, comfortable silence. I just hope you don’t take too long.

 

“So… are you going to be busy during fall break?” Won Woo broke the silence eventually.

 

“Fall break?” Mingyu repeated.

 

“Yeah…” Won Woo added. “You don’t have any plans, do you?”

 

“Not that I can think of… why?” Mingyu seemed so confused right now and Won Woo chuckled.

 

“I guess you already forgot where I’m going for fall break.” He said before finishing off his drink. “That’s okay.”

 

“Oh, you’re going to L.A, right?!” It finally came back to him.

 

“Yeah.” Won Woo nodded before it got quiet and he took deep breath before sighing, and while he was sighing he asked Mingyu a question. “Didyouwanttogowithme?”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.” Won Woo just smiled. “The stars are pretty tonight.” He added while looking up. Mingyu also looked up and smiled. He was right. “I know a place around L.A where we could see them better.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. We should go there, it’s really beautiful.”

 

“Are you inviting me to go stargazing with you?” Mingyu asked and looked at him in surprise. Won Woo looked at him and gave a shy laugh and nodded. “Bu-”

 

“I’ll buy you a ticket.” Won Woo cut him off. “So, don’t make any plans for fall break, okay?”

 

“... okay!” Mingyu said happily and giggled to himself which caused Won Woo to chuckle at how cute he was being. It was like he was a kid who was told they’d be going to disneyland!

 

“You don’t have to be that excited.” Won Woo muttered.

 

“But I am~!” Mingyu beamed. “I’ve always wanted to visit L.A!”

 

Won Woo just watched him with a fond smile. He started to think… Maybe I can tell him under the stars? Something romantic like that? He just hoped he wouldn’t screw it up last second!

 

Won Woo told him what to pack and what to expect for the trip. He explained that he might have to stay in a hotel room since he hadn’t met his parents yet, bringing a stranger into their home might not go well, but Mingyu understood and mentioned he didn’t want to be rude and show up uninvited. “My father’s birthday is on a Saturday, the 17th. The weekend of midterm week, so we'll be leaving that Thursday night like you heard when I was talking to Jisoo. He and I can show you around L.A before then since we'll arrive early.”

 

“Oh, I forgot that he was going.” Mingyu suddenly pouted.

 

“Are you still… jealous about him?” Won Woo asked quietly.

 

“I don’t think it’s really going to matter if I say yes or no, right?” Mingyu gave a weak laugh. “Don’t worry about it!”

 

“... I used to like Jisoo when we were in high school.” Won Woo blurted out. “But I never told him, I never confessed… because it was clear that he was interested in girls. Since then, I never thought about other guys.”

 

“Oh…” Mingyu understood why Won Woo seemed flustered yesterday when Jisoo smiled at him. He probably still had lingering feelings that he hadn’t gotten over. He could relate, sometimes it was just really difficult when getting over someone you really liked.

 

“Things are different now.” Won Woo added. “So… don’t let it bother you anymore, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Mingyu smiled. He took this as a hint, a sign… that Won Woo really was interested in him since he was clearing up about his feelings towards Jisoo. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t have bothered with that, right? “Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to talk about it.”

 

“It’s fine.” Won Woo assured him. “I’m… trying to be more open with everyone.” He said softly while looking at the ground. “It’s still hard to do.”

 

“You’re doing fine!” Mingyu gave him a few pats on his back. “I’m proud!”

 

“Don’t say it like that!” Won Woo pouted and it made Mingyu laugh and once again, Won Woo smiled. He really liked it when Mingyu laughed.

 

Shortly after their little talk, Mingyu walked Won Woo home. “See you at Jeonghan’s birthday party this Sunday?” Mingyu asked once they reached the apartment.

 

“Oh, right.” Won Woo nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Goodnight, Won Woo.” Mingyu gave him a genuine smile and Won Woo could feel his cheeks warm up.

 

“Goodnight, Mingyu.” He said back before heading inside. He leaned against the door and let out a small sigh and rested a hand over his racing heart. Why is it so hard to say anything… he thought and was disappointed in himself. He remembered Soo Min telling him to speak up tonight about his feelings to Mingyu, but like always… that didn’t happen. He knew he didn’t have to wait until they went stargazing, who said that would be the perfect moment anyway? He wanted to believe Soo Min was right about the whole perfect timing thing, but it was getting difficult as the days passed.

 

Speaking of Soo Min, he noticed Jeonghan hadn’t left and the couple were asleep on the couch cuddled up in each other’s arms. For a split second, he imagined what that would be like if that was him and Mingyu and on came another round of blushing. Damn.

 

He snapped out of those thoughts and headed to his room for the night. He didn’t bother waking up the couple, he knew they’d be fine, one of them would fall off the couch eventually and they’d figure out what to do from there. Sometimes he was evil, but he wasn’t responsible for where they fall asleep in the end. Though, he was responsible for where he fell asleep and he still couldn’t believe he fell asleep on the bench outside of the convenience store. I’m really lucky I wasn’t kidnapped or robbed!

---

Chapter twenty-six!

 

Wow, Won Woo.

Won Woo: I know. Shut up.

………Won Wow.

Won Wow: SHUT UP! I SAW THAT! MY NAME IS WON WOO NOT WON WOW!

Chill… jeez XD

Anyway, Mingyu and his father were cute, right?

Mingyu: Appa’s too shy to say he loves me in front of other people OTL

*Laughs to hide his pain* JK

Don’t worry, there will be someone who won’t be too shy to say they love you in front of other people~ then you’ll be the embarrassed one who will have a hard time saying it back ahahaha

Won Woo is coming for you, Gyu~

GET READY LOL

Until next time~!