Soonyoung’s head was spinning as he closed the apartment door behind him. He was overwhelmed with information that he didn’t really know what to do.

“Hey Soonyoung,” Jihoon called out from the bedroom they shared.

He could hear his friend typing away as he joined him. “Hey,” he said, obviously frazzled.

Jihoon spun around in his chair and found him slouched against the doorframe, looking pretty distraught. “Woah, what’s wrong?” he asked, scrunching his eyebrows in concern.

But Soonyoung didn’t say anything. Instead, he plopped down at his desk on the opposite wall as Jihoon’s. He opened his laptop and connected his phone. Waiting for everything to load, he uploaded the video from his phone. Confused, Jihoon rolled his chair over and watched. Once it was up, Soonyoung put it on full screen. There wasn’t an opening frame. The screen was just black.

“What is this?”

But Soonyoung didn’t say anything. Without a word, he hit play, leaned back, and rubbed the sweat from his forehead before covering his mouth.

Not sure what was going on, Jihoon looked from his friend to the monitor. His eyes immediately grew wide when he saw Wonwoo sitting on a park bench and Mingyu standing before him.

“Hey,” they heard Mingyu quietly say. They could only see about a quarter of his face from this angle, but Wonwoo’s was fully visible.

Jihoon’s heart started to race with anticipation, but he had to be level headed before watching...whatever this was. He quickly paused the video and looked at Soonyoung. “Soonyoung, when did you get this?”

Not moving his hand from his mouth, Soonyoung replied, “Just now.”

Jihoon looked back at the screen. Whatever this was, it was important. He took a deep breath before hitting play again.

Glued to the screen, Jihoon watched as Mingyu sat down and he could clearly see both of them. Wonwoo seemed to be crying. He kept watching, listening as Wonwoo started to spew out his broken heart. He was talking about someone important, someone Jihoon quickly learned to be his grandmother.

“His grandma passed away?” Jihoon asked Soonyoung, not looking away.

He didn’t see, but Soonyoung slowly nodded.

This went on until Wonwoo started getting louder. He was screaming and yelling, obviously full of pain.

“The universe took her away from me! THE ING UNIVERSE?!” Wonwoo screamed on screen.

“The universe?” Jihoon said, furrowing his eyebrows even more. “Is he religious or something?”

Biting the inside of his cheek, Soonyoung shook his head. Watching this again knowing what he knew didn’t give him a good feeling. “Uh uh.”

Jihoon watched as Wonwoo continued to frantically scream about this “universe.” Listening closely, Jihoon picked up something that Wonwoo kept saying.

“But they ing killed my grandma, and I STILL DIDN’T STOP!” Wonwoo cried, clearly unable to handle himself. Jihoon watched him collapse beside Mingyu. “If that doesn’t do it, what will?! What’s the point of anything if I know I won’t stop?!”

Jihoon could sense something was coming. “Stop?”

Soonyoung didn’t say anything. If Jihoon just watched, all of his questions would be answered.

Jihoon could breathe a bit easier as the video just showed Mingyu and Wonwoo hugging. He was waiting for Wonwoo to keep talking.

Leaning into Mingyu, Wonwoo spoke a little softer, but still enough that he could be heard. “She was the only one...who made being a Jumper tolerable.”

Jihoon tilted his head. “Jumper?”

He watched Wonwoo sniffle. “Before I met Minghao or Joshua or Chan…”

But Jihoon lost it right there. Jumping out of his seat, he immediately smashed the space bar and paused the video. “HOLY !” he screamed.

Soonyoung didn’t say anything. He was still dumbstruck.

Jihoon couldn’t tell if he heard that right. Surely, this was too good to be true. Turning and staring down at Soonyoung, he looked beyond shocked. “Did he just say what I think he said?!”

Soonyoung slowly nodded. Hearing it for the second time was just as unbelievable.

Jihoon’s mouth fell open. “Minghao, Joshua, and Chan,” he said lowly, as if speaking any louder would disturb the fact that all of their information was lining up. “They are all connected.”

Soonyoung’s thoughts were going crazy.

As he was starting to truly realize that they were right this whole time, Jihoon felt a smile come onto his face. He fell back into his chair and let out his disbelief. Staring in front of him, he knew the video held more. Pinching his chin, he tried to prepare himself. Taking a deep breath, he rewinded just a bit. He wanted to make sure he heard that right.

“Before I met Minghao or Joshua or Chan…” Jihoon was smiling even bigger as he listened to the rest. “...she was was the only one I could talk to about jumping.”

Jumping, Jihoon repeated in his head. He was too focused that now his words weren’t leaving his head.

He watched as Wonwoo struggled to say, “Jumping every...every day...since I was seven.” As Wonwoo cried some more, that gave Jihoon time to ruffle through his facts.

Since he was seven… It made sense. They were in middle school when they met Wonwoo and found out he didn’t leave home after 6pm. Jihoon continued to listen with intense anticipation.

“Being a Jumper...was tolerable thanks to her,” Wonwoo said through his tears.

What is a Jumper? Jihoon was so eager to find out. He was sitting at the edge of his seat.

Taking another quivering breath, Wonwoo shut his eyes. Less tears fell down as he whimpered, “When I first started jumping, she would always be awake at 6 in the morning when I got home…”

Jihoon’s eyes grew wide. 6 in the morning? Got home? So is he...gone from...6 to 6? Jihoon had to admit that he and Soonyoung never saw Wonwoo before 6am, he just never thought of it like that.

As he continued to watch, Jihoon started to filter the emotional stuff out, only listening for what he needed.

“...hear about where I jumped...from my bad jumps...some cities…”

So...when he “jumps,” he goes somewhere...He goes to cities? Jihoon thought about it some more. Mingyu said he traveled a lot. This is what he meant.

For the next while, it was just Wonwoo and Mingyu talking about things that weren’t relevant to Jihoon. He waited to see if there was anything else to be learned, but it seemed like they were moving on to things he didn’t need to know. Jihoon started to move back in his chair when he saw that the two of them were about to kiss, when…

Wonwoo disappeared.

Jihoon froze. His heart was pounding in his ears. He didn’t pause the video. Stunned, he watched Mingyu sadly sit there by himself, also realizing that Wonwoo had vanished. Jihoon was freaking out, but it was one of those calm freak outs where he just didn’t know what to do. He sat and watched the screen until he saw Mingyu walk away and the whole thing go black, meaning Soonyoung stopped recording.

They were both silent. Jihoon didn’t know what to do. It was all too good to be true. Slowly, he turned to look at Soonyoung, who didn’t seem to move the whole time. Quietly, he said, “Please tell me you didn’t edit that last part.”

Soonyoung didn’t say anything. He didn’t meet Jihoon’s anticipating stare. He just slowly shook his head.

And with that, Jihoon felt victorious. He jumped to his feet with a huge smile on his face. “SOONYOUNG! THIS IS IT! YOU’VE DONE IT!” He was screaming at the computer screen, knowing it held all the answers they had been looking for. Feeling a rush of complete and utter satisfaction, Jihoon yelled through a laugh, “THIS IS WHAT WE’VE BEEN AFTER!”

Jihoon was beyond thrilled. Finally, everything made sense! Finally, they found the truth! Finally, they were going to get their big break!

Soonyoung watched his friend, roommate, and co-reporter laugh with excitement and pure delight, but he couldn’t feel those same things. The whole time, he didn’t feel right. Ever since he got out of that bush, he felt like he’d done something wrong. This wasn’t what he was expecting to feel when they finally found what they were looking for. He was supposed to be celebrating like Jihoon. But he just felt ashamed. He felt like he wasn’t supposed to see such an intimate moment between two people, let alone use that moment to expose someone.

But to him, it didn’t make sense why he was feeling this way. He was a reporter. This was his job. But halfway through the video, Soonyoung realized what was tearing at his guilt.

“So…”

Seokmin sighed. “I don’t have a problem with what you do until it hurts Mingyu.”

“I won’t hurt Mingyu,” Soonyoung said firmly, knowing how important that was.

“Prove it,” Seokmin said back.

Soonyoung waited.

Seokmin said, “You know what that means, right? If you hurt Wonwoo...you’ll hurt Mingyu.”

Soonyoung nodded. “I know.”

“If you can prove that you won’t hurt them,” Seokmin said, “I’ll go out with you.”

Relieved to hear that Seokmin wasn’t truly ready to let him go, Soonyoung smiled. He didn’t care that he had no idea how he was going to prove this to Seokmin. He was just glad nothing was over. Holding their hands up, he shook them gently. With a soft nod, he said, “I can do that.”

Soonyoung couldn’t believe he’d forgotten such an important promise he made. He promised he wouldn’t hurt them. Running his fingers through his hair, Soonyoung knew this was the leading cause of why he felt so bad. If he and Jihoon ran this story...that sealed his fate with Seokmin.

But as Jihoon was watching the video, Soonyoung was debating in his head, Wait, am I supposed to let a guy stop me from changing my career? That’s ridiculous! No matter how much I like Seokmin, it shouldn’t get in the way of what I’ve been working so hard for all these years!

But even as he told himself that, Soonyoung couldn’t deny just how much he liked Seokmin. And he did make that promise knowing what it meant. He knew this...and he did it anyway.

Conflicted and distraught, Soonyoung continued to battle himself while Jihoon cheered.

“This is insane, I can’t believe it,” Jihoon said in his disbelief, smiling more than anyone other than Soonyoung would’ve known was possible. Losing his head, Jihoon had never felt so accomplished. “This is it! This is where it all starts! It all connects!”

Pacing the room, he made sure he had the facts right. “Wonwoo is nowhere to be found from 6pm to 6am, when he gets back. He ‘jumps’ to different cities and that’s why Mingyu said he travels a lot. Whatever happens to him, it makes him a Jumper. Minghao, Joshua, and Chan are all Jumpers as well.”

Saying everything aloud made it more real. He was having too much fun. It was all making sense! Laughing, he said, “That’s why Minghao wasn’t there when we went to his apartment.” Thinking it through, Jihoon tapped his cheek with his hand wrapped around his chin. “Junhui says he stays home after 6pm, but that’s 6pm over there. It’s different from 6pm here.” Turning to look at Soonyoung, he suggested, “I guess it’s relative to where you’re from?”

He wasn’t too confident about that until he remembered Joshua. Snapping his fingers, he realized, “That means Joshua probably jumped to Shanghai that day! It makes sense how you saw him cause 6pm in the States is definitely way off from our times.” Having another ah-ha moment, Jihoon smacked his head and spread his arms out. “I bet he was the one who locked the door after we left the apartment! He hadn’t jumped home yet and he was staying at Minghao’s! Wow, the bastard was there the whole time and we missed him!”

Shaking his head, Jihoon was laughing through all their discoveries. “I bet Minghao and Joshua told Wonwoo and Chan about what happened.” He chuckled. “It would be even crazier if Chan jumped to Shanghai too, wouldn’t it?”

Soonyoung didn’t answer.

But that was okay cause Jihoon was too busy enjoying himself. Letting out a deep, happy breath, he put his hands on his hips and stood there like a superhero. “Man, Wonwoo must’ve told Mingyu all of this. Goddamn.”

Thinking a little further, he realized there was something he was missing, something brand new. “What’s this about ‘stopping,’ though? He wants to stop jumping?” Trying to wrap his head around it, Jihoon decided he needed to watch the video more and take notes on that part. For now, he knew what he knew.

Jihoon turned his head and looked over at his partner. “I can’t believe we finally did this.” Leaning down, he firmly gripped his shoulder. Soonyoung shook and finally met Jihoon’s eyes. Smiling at him, Jihoon was so pleased to have the best person by his side. “We finally did it. And it’s all thanks to you, Soonyoung.” Patting him on the back, he threw himself in his chair and rolled back to his desk. “I’ve gotta start writing this up! The sooner we get this to the head of Pledis, the better!”

Soonyoung could hear Jihoon typing away, still complimenting the two of them and their ability to uncover everything. But Soonyoung wasn’t on board. He knew. This was wrong.

“No.”

“What’d you say, Soonyoung?” Jihoon said, smiling as he started to write the story of their lives.

“No,” Soonyoung repeated.

Thrown off by what he was hearing behind him, Jihoon craned his neck to hear a little better, still typing away. “Sorry, what?”

“Jihoon, we can’t run this story.”

Jihoon stopped. Even more confused than he was when Soonyoung got home, he furrowed his eyebrows and spun his chair around. He turned and found Soonyoung’s still distraught expression. “What?” He must’ve been hearing something wrong.

But he didn’t. Soonyoung firmly said, “We can’t do this.”

Jihoon looked at his serious face before breaking out into a chuckle. “Surely you’re kidding, Soonyoung.”

“We shouldn’t run this story,” Soonyoung said, not standing down. “This is too big, Jihoon. This is beyond what—”

“No it’s not,” Jihoon interrupted, genuinely surprised at his counterpart’s resistance. “This is exactly what we’ve been after. We knew this was big. We needed something big.”

“But not like this,” Soonyoung argued. Sitting there, he rubbed his forehead and tried to think straight. He couldn’t believe he was saying this to Jihoon, but he actually felt this way. “This is like discovering...wizards and witches! It’s something out of a sci-fi novel.” He had to catch his breath as he thought of what they’d done. “We shouldn’t be the ones to expose something that seems out of this world.”

Jihoon stared at Soonyoung and wasn’t sure if he was looking at the right person. He couldn’t believe his ears. But when Soonyoung’s gaze wouldn’t give out, Jihoon knew who this was. He was just disappointed. With a sigh, Jihoon swiveled back around and went back to typing. “I can’t believe you, Soon.”

“You’re not listening—”

“Oh, I’m listening!” he interrupted. “I’m just disappointed that you would turn your back on what we’ve been working for for so long.”

Soonyoung stood up. “Jihoon, this isn’t—”

“This is the story!” Jihoon argued, not even bothering to look at him. “And I’m gonna write it while you go figure out what’s wrong with yourself right now. Seriously, this is the biggest thing for us and you’re talking like a crazy person.”

Soonyoung stood behind Jihoon and realized that, for the first time, he could no longer stand behind him. Soonyoung couldn’t write that article. He didn’t want to run that story. But he wasn’t in the right mind to argue with Jihoon, someone who wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way.

Without another word, Soonyoung turned around and unhooked his phone from his computer. Not looking back, he left and slammed the door.

That left Jihoon to write his story in peace.

— — —

Soonyoung flopped down on the couch and contemplated everything he knew. His head pounding, his arm slung over his forehead. Staring at the ceiling, he never imagined that this was where he would be when they finally found the truth. Jihoon was writing the story...and he didn’t want to be a part of it. He wanted to stop it, or at least he thought he wanted to.

Confused and rattled, Soonyoung felt his phone vibrate in his hand. Holding it above his face, he saw that it was Junhui. He unlocked the phone and read his message.

Jun
I think I’m having a crisis
Wheein is destroying my bias list

Somehow, in the midst of his actual crisis, Soonyoung could smile at his friend’s Kpop related problems. He watched as more messages streamed in.

Jun
I mean I love Hwasa way too much to ever leave her
But freakin wheein is the cutest puppy ever
OK who am i kidding theyre all adorable

Soonyoung grinned. He just had to reply.

Hoshi
Mamamoo is seriously one of those groups where its too hard to pick

Jun
RIGHT?????
Ugh idk what to do

Taking a second, Soonyoung pressed his phone to his chest and tried to figure out what he was going to do. He already walked out on his friend, but...he could still turn back. Jihoon was just on the other side of the wall. Maybe he was being too rash...throwing away everything he worked for just there. But...it didn’t feel right.

Scratching his head, Soonyoung decided this was something he really needed help with. His go-to person was obviously Jihoon, but for more obvious reasons, that wasn’t an option right now. So the next person...was having a problem with his bias wrecker.

Soonyoung lifted his phone again. He stared at the chat screen before taking a deep breath and starting to type.

Hoshi
Hey jun can I get your help with something

Jun
Yeah of course whats up

Hoshi
So ya know the really big story i’ve been working on with Jihoon
The one where we’ve been tracking that guy for years
It could seriously start our careers as reporters

Jun
Yeah if you guys find a huge story then your boss is gonna promote you and Jihoon right?

Hoshi
Exactly

Jun
What about it? Do you guys have another lead?

Hoshi
Bigger than that
We finally cracked the case tonight
I got a video of the guy and it revealed...everything that we’ve been looking for this whole time

Jun
OH MY GOD HOSHI THATS AMAZING!
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER ARENT THEY???
YOU MUST BE SO EXCITED!

Hoshi
That’s the problem…
I’m not excited
Actually im the total opposite of that right now

Jun
Why what’s wrong?

Hoshi
Well remember what I told you about the guy I asked out
Seokmin
How hes kinda involved with this story

Jun
Oh my god right…
Hes friends with the guy or connected to him through his friend

Hoshi
Right
So basically...if I run this story
It’ll come between me and Seokmin

There was a pause in the conversation. Soonyoung could see that Junhui was typing, or trying to find what to say.

Jun
So if this happens, he won’t be with you?

Hoshi
I promised him that I wouldn’t hurt his friend whos involved
And this story will definitely do that
I would lose any chance of being with Seokmin if I do this story

Jun
But hoshi thats a really big decision
I know how much you like Seokmin and you really want to be with him
But throwing away everything you worked for?
Is that all worth it for a boy?

Soonyoung closed his eyes. He didn’t tell Junhui, but this story would adversely affect him too. Minghao was involved...and Soonyoung knew how much Junhui loved Minghao in all senses. This story went so far beyond what he ever imagined.

Junhui was definitely right. It was a lot to throw away for a boy. But that was just it. It wasn’t just the boy, it was what that boy did to him.

Hoshi
I think he’s more than that tho
I mean, I know I havent known him long
But i think it’s because of the way Seokmin’s...opened my eyes to certain things
That makes me feel this way

Jun
What do you mean

Hoshi
I don’t know if this makes sense but
Its not just that I want to be with Seokmin that made me rethink all of this
Its how Seokmin made me rethink the basis of this whole thing
I never saw it that way before
But Jun a lot of the stuff I did to get all the information on this guy was pretty bad

Jun
But werent you just doing your job?

Hoshi
I wasnt doing it the right way
I just really dont feel right about running this story anymore
Its not just because of Seokmin
But I think its because Seokmin showed me that I was doing something wrong

Jun
So you really just think that the storys not good to do anymore because of how you got the information?
Or is it the story itself?

Hoshi
Jun this whole thing is way bigger than i ever thought
It could hurt A LOT of people when it gets out
And I mean a lot of people
The guy that we’ve been tracking
I think itll ruin his life and everyone like him

Jun
Wow that sounds huge
But Hoshi…
If these people didnt do anything wrong, they shouldnt get hurt
And if they did, then they deserve to be found out
Isnt that kind of the essence of journalism?

Soonyoung knew where Junhui was getting this idea. He gave it to him. This was how he talked about reporting the news. But with this situation, it wasn’t that black and white.

Hoshi
This storys different
Its not that easy

Jun
But isn’t it the truth?

Soonyoung sighed.

Hoshi
The truth is supposed to set people free
This would do the opposite

As he waited for a response, Soonyoung could feel his head clear. He was grateful to have Junhui be there to help him work through his own thoughts.

Jun
Then I think you’re right. Don’t do it

Hoshi
But what about all our work?

Jun
Like you just said, this isn’t your job
This truth...isn’t what you signed up for

Laying there, Soonyoung finally knew where he stood and why. He didn’t want to run the story. This wasn’t what he signed up for. Now all he had to do was stop Jihoon from running it. But that was a task he definitely couldn’t get Junhui’s help with. Still…

Hoshi
Thanks Jun
Youre seriously the best you have no idea how much i needed this

Jun
Anything for my favorite most honorable reporter

Hoshi
Lol ill try to keep my honor

Jun
Im sure you can do it

— — —

Standing in front of Wonwoo’s front door, Mingyu sighed and closed his eyes. The fact that he was supposed to have dinner with Wonwoo’s grandmother was hitting him all over again. The last time he knocked on this door, he found out that that was never going to happen. Letting out a few deep breaths, Mingyu finally opened his eyes and lifted his fist.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Mingyu waited a few seconds, but there was no answer.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Another few seconds went by. Mingyu sighed again. He knew he was being ignored.

“Wonwoo, I know you’re in there!” he said loudly through the door. He wasn’t yelling, but he needed Wonwoo to be able to hear him. “Your parents aren’t home so it’s just you!”

Mingyu paused, but there was no response.

Leaning into the door, he pressed his palms to the surface. “Wonwoo! I’ve checked everywhere else,” he told him. Recounting his afternoon, Mingyu said, “I’ve been to the bench. I’ve been to the library. I’ve been to 10/10. I’ve been to Mansae. I even went to that high schoolers’ cafe where I first met Chan and Seungkwan.” Resting his forehead on the door, Mingyu said, “This is the only place you could be, Wonwoo. Please. I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

Mingyu had searched everywhere. The boy wasn’t answering his calls and he wasn’t responding to his texts. And Mingyu knew exactly why. He just needed to talk to him about it.

“Wonwoo.” Before he said anymore, Mingyu looked around to make sure nobody was nearby to hear. Once he was certain the coast was clear, he leaned back into the door. “It’s okay that you didn’t stop...for me.”

A part of Mingyu was worried that he was wrong. Maybe Wonwoo was still out there and he couldn’t find him, but something told him that Wonwoo was here. There wasn’t a single sign that anyone was inside that apartment, but Mingyu just got the feeling...that the person he loved was nearby.

Wonwoo sat criss cross on the floor of his apartment, staring up at the front door. When the knocking first started, he had checked the peephole to see who it was, not like he was going to open it for anyone. When he saw it was Mingyu, Wonwoo froze. He stood there and just watched the boy knock again. Slowly backing away, he didn’t go far.

Sitting on the ground, he hurt at the sound of Mingyu’s voice, strong and concerned.

Wonwoo hadn’t slept since he was with Mingyu the night before. He couldn’t. And Mingyu knew exactly why.

No part of Wonwoo could rest knowing that the universe didn’t let him stop for him and Mingyu. His grandmother was gone and he loved Mingyu. Neither of those two things was enough. How was he supposed to go on?

Wonwoo had reached the point where he was in so much pain that nothing could help. There was absolutely nothing that could make him feel better. Not his friends. Not Mingyu. Not love. He’d given up. He was done.

So he sat on the floor and listened to Mingyu, the boy who was far from giving up on him.

Pressed to the door, Mingyu wanted to break it down and go in there and comfort Wonwoo. But he couldn’t. His heart ached just thinking about how much pain the boy he loved was in. “Wonwoo, I—I know how terrible you must feel…” Mingyu had never been good at this kind of stuff, but Wonwoo made him want to try. “Please...you don’t have to let me in. Just listen.”

Wonwoo buried his face in his hands as Mingyu took a deep breath in.

He let it out. “I...I’m here for you. If you need...anything, I’m here. I know, all this time...I’ve been the one running away, and—and I’m so sorry.” Feeling a lump in the back of his throat, Mingyu forced it down. “I’m not going anywhere. Even if I’m not around you...and we’re...a ways away from each other…, you have me.” Mingyu closed his eyes and leaned even closer to the door. “I’m yours,” he said, lowering his voice. “I won’t give up on you. Please...don’t give up on yourself.”

Mingyu could feel small tears rolling down his cheeks. Wiping them away with the back of his hand, he opened his eyes and stepped back. He stared at the door, part of him waiting for it to open. But he knew better. If Wonwoo was there, he heard what he had to say. That’s what mattered most.

Wonwoo was crying again. He couldn’t remember a time before this immense pain. It was all awful. Sobbing into his hands, he tried his best to keep it down. He didn’t want Mingyu to hear him.

But he did. Mingyu heard the soft cries. With that, he walked away. He didn’t want Wonwoo to hear him cry too.

— — —

Seokmin checked his watch as he walked down the street. It was almost 3pm, but he had enough time before his shift started to get to the bakery. With his eyes closed, he shoved his hands in his pockets and listened to his music. He was listening to You by Royal Pirates, a lesser known band that Soonyoung introduced him to. He fell in love with their sound and downloaded all of their songs.

Not paying attention to what was around him, Seokmin walked up to Carat Bakery and was startled when someone said his name. He could barely hear it over the music.

“Seokmin!”

Taking out an earbud, he looked up. “Soonyoung,” he said, finding a rather exhausted looking blonde boy with slanty eyes. Taking his headphones out entirely, he wrapped them up and put them in his pocket. “What’re you doing here?”

Soonyoung had been waiting at the bakery for over an hour. He didn’t have Seokmin’s phone number, so this was the only place he knew he could definitely find him. Standing before him, Soonyoung was still pretty distraught from everything that was going on, but he knew he made the right choice. Looking at Seokmin’s face, Soonyoung felt a sense of clarity. Yes, this is what I should be doing, Soonyoung came to realize.

Trying to answer Seokmin’s question, Soonyoung didn’t know where to start. As they stood there, his eyes darted as people continuously walked along the sidewalk. Not here, he thought.

“I need to tell you something,” he said.

Being the conspiracy theorist he was, Seokmin had become very good at reading people. Soonyoung had always been harder because of how he made his heart race, but right now was different. Soonyoung was clearly anxious, and whatever he had to say was important. For a second, he was wondering if it was about their pending relationship. But looking into Soonyoung’s desperate eyes, he could tell it was something else.

Seokmin looked around him at all the people passing by. He wouldn’t want to talk here either. “My shift’s about to start,” he said. “It’s gonna be just me so we can talk.”

Soonyoung nodded. Being with Seokmin was enough to make him feel a little better. With a weak smile, he said, “Thanks.”

Seokmin nodded back at him. Before he went for the door, he tilted his head and asked, “Is everything alright?”

Uncertain of how to answer that, Soonyoung just replied, “We should really talk about it.”

Seokmin didn’t question any further. He took one last look at Soonyoung before walking into the shop with the boy following closely behind.

When they entered, they were warmly welcomed by the co-worker Seokmin came to relieve. “Hey Seokmin!” he cheered, already untying his apron. “There’s cookies in the oven and I put the frosting back in the fridge.”

Seokmin smiled as he took off his jacket and headed around the counter. “Thanks Seungkwan. Was it slow?”

Seungkwan batted the air and said, “Yeah, it got kinda busy around noon, but I don’t think you’re gonna get a lot of people at this time.”

Grabbing his apron from the wrack, Seokmin threw it on and punched in his start time. It wasn’t until now that Seungkwan noticed he didn’t walk in alone. “Oh, hey Soonyoung!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t see you there.”

A little thrown off, Soonyoung awkwardly waved back. He and Seungkwan had never been introduced, so this felt a little weird. “Hey...Seungkwan,” he said, coming up to the counter. “Sorry, I didn’t know you knew my name.”

Seungkwan laughed as he came around to the other side of the front counter. “Are you kidding? You come here to see Seokmin enough that I know who you are,” he said with a wink.

Nervously smiling, Soonyoung blushed. “Oh, I guess you’re right.”

Seeing such a reaction, Seungkwan chuckled and looked back at Seokmin. “I’ll see you guys later. Work hard, Seokmin!” he called out as he left through the door.

“Bye, Seungkwan,” Seokmin laughed. Shaking his head, he looked at Soonyoung who was still pretty red. It was awfully cute. “You want to go out with me but you get embarrassed that easily?” he teased.

Soonyoung rubbed the back of his neck, standing before him. “I just didn’t think he noticed.”

“People notice things, Soonyoung,” he said. “You should know that more than anyone.”

“Right,” he said, through a breath, finally looking up to meet Seokmin’s gentle stare.

Seokmin could again see that discomfort he held, bringing him back to what they were talking about before. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

Feeling an uneasiness in his stomach, Soonyoung pressed his palms to the counter and let out a huge sigh. His chest felt so heavy. Everything felt so difficult. But he looked up and saw Seokmin. He made it just a little bit easier. “I found out everything about Wonwoo.”

Not sure what he was expecting, Seokmin could feel his heart start to race. He had no idea why it was reacting so strongly so quickly, but he felt a cold sweat on his neck. This didn’t sound good. Seokmin’s mind was darting with questions, but he had no words. His throat felt dry. “Everything?” he choked out.

Soonyoung could see the worry already build in Seokmin’s eyes. He nodded. “I know everything about Wonwoo. I know his huge secret.”

Seokmin had no response. So it was Soonyoung’s chance to explain.

“Yesterday evening, before 6 o’clock, I was walking in the park after being at the office,” he explained. He felt so ashamed of his actions, but they needed to be told. “While I was going by, I heard some crying.”

“Crying?” Seokmin immediately uttered. His mind shot to Mingyu.

“It was Wonwoo,” Soonyoung said. Seokmin let out a small breath of relief, but he knew it was too early to feel alright. “He was sitting on the bench, and…” Soonyoung dropped his head and regretted this decision more than anything. Falling into the nearest chair, he rubbed his forehead before looking back at Seokmin’s concerned face. “I didn’t walk past him. I...I should’ve just...went another way or...something.” Bothered by himself, Soonyoung said, “I snuck around and hid in a bush where I could watch him.”

Seokmin had no response.

And Soonyoung didn’t blame him. How could he? “I guess it was out of habit...but I did it. Ever since we talked, I’ve thought about my promise to you...but in that moment…” Soonyoung felt so incredibly guilty telling Seokmin this. He was also scared. He knew what he was putting on the line. This could ruin any chance he had of being with this boy. But he owed it to him. He owed him the truth.

Soonyoung shook his head. “...in that moment...I forgot.”

He didn’t even look up to see Seokmin’s face. Staring at the ground, Soonyoung went on. “I just watched him cry for a few minutes. Once I saw nothing was happening, I was gonna wait till he left so I could get up and go too. But then Mingyu showed up.”

Seokmin’s arm twitched.

“And I...I started recording their conversation,” Soonyoung said, washed in shame. “And Wonwoo spilled...everything. He was broken and sad...and I took advantage of that...with my phone.” He was a terrible person. Saying all the reasons why aloud made him feel even more terrible. “I know everything.”

Soonyoung sighed again and leaned back in the chair. Looking at the ceiling, he said, “And immediately after, I felt bad. I didn’t know why I felt so bad, but I felt awful. But still...I got to my apartment...and I showed Jihoon the video and…” Covering his face, he said, “...he knows everything too.”

Losing any self respect he had left, Soonyoung flung his body forward and leaned over his knees. “By the time I realized I didn’t want to do this, it was too late. Jihoon isn’t going to stop. I told him we couldn’t run it, but...there’s no changing his mind.”

Letting out a final breath, Soonyoung turned over and looked at Seokmin. He was frozen. Standing to his feet, Soonyoung stood before him and said, “I’m so sorry, Seokmin. I broke my promise to you and...this goes so far beyond why I made that promise. I...don’t want to do this anymore.” Dropping his shoulders, he said, “You were right all along. I wasn’t doing my job right, and by the time I realized that…” He bit his lip. It felt like he was going to cry. “I’m so sorry Seokmin. I’m so sorry I did this to your friends.”

Holding his breath, Seokmin stared blankly at Soonyoung’s apologetic face. He didn’t know how to feel. All he knew was this was bad. Mixed with different reactions, Seokmin opened his mouth. Calmly he asked, as if just to make sure, “You recorded Wonwoo and Mingyu?”

He sighed again. “I’m so sorry, Seokmin. It was an impulse. I...didn’t know it would lead to this.”

Seokmin furrowed his eyebrows. He felt like he missed something. “What did it lead to?”

“What do you mean?”

“What did it lead to?” Seokmin asked again. “Are you talking about what Jihoon’s gonna do with the video?”

Soonyoung shook his head and felt the weight on his shoulders. “This story is so much bigger than either of us expected. Way bigger than I could’ve ever imagined and…” He let out a shaky breath. “...and if Jihoon prints that story, a lot of people are gonna get hurt.”

Feeling his own impulse, Seokmin didn’t think before he asked, “Is it seriously that huge of a story?”

Soonyoung could see the shine in Seokmin’s eyes. This was something he really liked about Seokmin. It was something they had in common. They both sought the truth.

Putting his full trust in Seokmin, he asked, “Do you want to know what I know?”

Seokmin’s heart was pounding. In his head, he was screaming, Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course he wanted to know! He’d wanted to know what was up with Wonwoo since day one when he thought the boy was a spy. Why wouldn’t he want to know all the weird things that lead him to Mingyu? How could he not be curious?

But once that initial reaction started to quiet down, Seokmin knew better.

“No,” he said. “I don’t wanna know.”

Surprised, Soonyoung said, “Seokmin, it doesn’t hurt if just you—”

“Yeah,” Seokmin interrupted him, knowing what he was about to say. “I know, but...I trust Wonwoo.” Seokmin’s trust in someone meant a lot, so he could even feel how heavy his words were as they left his mouth. “I trust Wonwoo. He’s been good to Mingyu and whatever he’s hiding...is his. I don’t need more.”

Soonyoung smiled. He could fully respect that.

“What I do need though,” Seokmin continued to say, getting even more serious, “is to make sure Jihoon doesn’t go public with whatever you found.”

“Yeah,” Soonyoung lowly replied. “That’s gonna be a lot harder than it sounds.”

“He won’t listen to you?” Seokmin asked, now starting to feel the panic more than ever.

“He refuses to hear anything I have to say anymore,” he said. “God, I don’t know what I was expecting though. If you gave this stuff to me a few weeks ago, no way I would’ve given it up. I can’t expect him to so easily.”

Seokmin’s mind was racing with possible solutions, but he felt like he wasn’t the person that could offer anything useful. If Soonyoung was ineffective against Jihoon, no way in hell was he going to be any better. But Seokmin’s mind was going, he thought of somebody who had a much better chance. Somebody with a much stronger relationship to the subject…

“Soonyoung, we need to tell—”

And as if by some act of the universe…

Ding!

The two of them turned to the door and were instantly startled by who walked in.

“MINGYU!” Seokmin exclaimed.

Slowly closing the door behind him, Mingyu was terribly confused by the scene he was walking in on. He had just gone back to the park bench, in case he was wrong and Wonwoo wasn’t in the apartment. After nobody showed up, he decided to drag his sad self to see his friend at work. He was craving one of Seokmin’s famous red velvet cupcakes. But as the door chimed and Mingyu looked up, he wasn’t sure if the dessert was worth it.

“Soonyoung,” he said flatly, immediately glaring at one of the people who was making Wonwoo’s life just that much harder. He looked at him then Seokmin. Staring back and forth between them, he was starting to get a weird feeling, like Soonyoung wasn’t just there for an order. He’d never seen his friend Seokmin with his enemy Soonyoung before. This...was a bit much. “What’re you doing here?” he bitterly asked, a flow of anger slowly consuming his inner workings.

From the other side of the counter, Seokmin felt a chill run down his back. He’d never seen Mingyu stand up to someone like this. Mingyu was passive and aloof. He didn’t like people but he never confronted anyone. This was brand new territory in Seokmin’s eyes. “Mingyu,” he accidentally said.

Mingyu turned his attention to his friend before quickly darting his stare back at the bad guy. “Are you bothering Seokmin now too?” he aggressively asked, inching closer to the boy. With everything else that was going on, he refused to deal with this. His body was reacting before he could even think properly. All he knew was he hated the person who stood before him. Towering over him, he threw his hand out and grabbed Soonyoung by the collar. “Because let me tell you I can NOT deal with anymore of your—”

Seokmin interrupted the second he saw Mingyu’s fist pull up. “Mingyu, stop!” he shouted. He had never seen Mingyu like this before. Meeting his flaming stare, Seokmin felt like he was looking at an animal. “He’s not bothering me. He’s...here to help.”

Soonyoung hadn’t said anything. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t fight back. In this situation, Mingyu probably would’ve been right to punch him. Actually, it wasn’t until now did he realize this was his first time interacting with Mingyu. Jihoon had only ever talked to the boy. So, he just held his breath, waiting to see what Mingyu would do next.

That last word echoed in Mingyu’s head. Help. Staring at Soonyoung, he didn’t realize how close he was. Then he looked down and didn’t notice...he was clasping his shirt. Immediately letting go, he stepped back, astonished by himself. Mingyu swallowed. Not looking at Soonyoung, he said, “Sorry.”

Soonyoung stepped away until he was leaning on the counter. He looked over and found Seokmin’s concerned face. “No, I should be sorry.”

“Well, yeah,” Mingyu didn’t hesitate to agree. “You should feel sorry for everything you’ve done.”

Seokmin’s heart was racing. The last time that Mingyu had come to the bakery, he turned his friend away when he needed someone’s help. That was cause Soonyoung was there, just Mingyu didn’t know that part. This time, Mingyu was well aware of Soonyoung’s presence. Seokmin could only hope that would change the result. “No, Mingyu. He’s sorry...for something else.”

Mingyu tilted his head up to see the two of them. It was such a confusing thing to look at. He felt like Seokmin had left his side. “What?”

Soonyoung was tense. Anxious, he looked to Seokmin, who responded with a confident nod. Letting out a deep breath, Soonyoung turned to Mingyu. “There’s something you need to know.”

“What are you talking about? Why should I trust you?” Mingyu angrily asked.

But before Soonyoung could say anything, Seokmin backed him up. “Mingyu, trust me.” He stared into the eyes of his best friend. Seokmin could tell that Mingyu felt betrayed, but he wanted to make it clear that that wasn’t it at all. “Trust me when I tell you you’re going to want to hear this.”

Mingyu couldn’t believe it. “Since when did you know him?” Mingyu asked, pointing straight at Soonyoung.

“I’ll explain later,” Seokmin said. “You just really need to hear this.”

With a sigh, Mingyu just had to take his word for it. He didn’t have the energy to figure everything out right now. He trusted Seokmin enough. Staring at Soonyoung, he blurted out, “What is it?”

Mingyu listened intensely as Soonyoung recounted the same thing that he had just told Seokmin. It’s incredibly true what they say, that a story changes based on the audience. Though Seokmin was worried when he heard all of this, Mingyu became absolutely petrified as each word left Soonyoung’s mouth.

He was breathing intensely, but it felt like no oxygen was streaming through his brain. He was getting dizzy as his mind raced with everything he feared for Wonwoo. At the moment, Wonwoo was broken beyond his own repair. He was being pummeled with everything the universe had against him. Mingyu was heartbroken knowing the boy he loved was suffering so much. But now...if it was possible...it was going to get even worse.

When Soonyoung finally started to wrap things up, he apologized to Mingyu and told him that Jihoon was still going to run the story.

At this point, Mingyu thought he was going to pass out, but his knees were locked and he couldn’t move.

“I’m so sorry, Mingyu,” Soonyoung said, seeing Mingyu’s reaction. “I don’t want Jihoon to run that story, but he won’t listen to me.” Mingyu’s eyes had gone out of focus, so Soonyoung just looked at his face, trying to show his sympathy. “I know this sounds weird, but I’m on your side on this one, Mingyu. If there’s anything I can do—”

“Give me your key,” Mingyu said suddenly, now fully staring right back at Soonyoung.

Startled, Soonyoung fell backwards a bit. He was caught in Mingyu’s intense stare. “What?” he stammered. “What’re you—”

“If Jihoon’s not going to listen to you,” Mingyu said, pulling out his hand, “then I’m gonna convince him.” Holding up his palm, he was feeling so many things. But he didn’t have time to yell or get angry or just ing punch Soonyoung for creeping on them like that. He felt so violated and so disgusted, but there was no time. All he could think about was Wonwoo and what this would do to him. His heart broke even further when he imagined how this would destroy him. His chest pounding, all he knew was he couldn’t let that happen.

Soonyoung didn’t have to think too much to know what Mingyu said was right. Pulling out his key, he unhooked it from the ring and placed it in Mingyu’s hand. “We live on Uji Lane, apartment 20, level 17.” Taking his hand away, he said, “The building code is 1331.”

Mingyu took a second and looked at Soonyoung. Somehow, he looked different than when Mingyu first walked in. Glancing over at his friend, Mingyu took a deep breath. “Thanks,” was all he said before running out the door.

Seokmin watched his friend sprint out of there, doing whatever he needed to save Wonwoo. Witnessing it all, he couldn’t help but notice just how different Mingyu was now. In that moment, Seokmin got a flashback to the night this all started. That night, he and Mingyu were staring at Wonwoo’s phone, trying to figure out why Wonwoo shoved him into that alleyway and took his clothes.

“Maybe he just needed help,” Mingyu concluded, putting the phone back on the desk.

Seokmin nodded in agreement. “Lucky he ran into you, then. Someone else may have done the rational thing and screamed.”

Sensing his friend’s sarcasm, Mingyu stood up and lightly shoved him over. “I saved his , is what you mean to say.”

Seokmin scooched over as his friend struggled to crawl under his covers. “Sure, think of yourself as the hero.”

“I’m no hero,” Mingyu groaned as he pulled off his t-shirt, tossing it onto the desk chair. “That sounds like a lot of work.”

“If you were, your super power would be feline communications.”

“Okay, maybe I’d be up for that gig.”

Chuckling, Seokmin patted his friend on the leg before he headed for the door. “You’re what the world needs.” That made Mingyu smile.

Soonyoung sighed and finally turned around to face Seokmin. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” was all Seokmin could respond with.

“I thought he would have more questions. Or yell at me. Or maybe even punch me,” he admitted.

Seokmin nodded.

“Ya know, I know a lot about Wonwoo,” Soonyoung said, “but I didn’t know Mingyu would jump into action that quickly to help him.”

Seokmin looked to the door and couldn’t help but smile a little. “What can I say? Mingyu’s a real hero.”

— — —

Out of breath and out of emotions to use, Mingyu didn’t care that he was making a ton of noise as he rammed into Soonyoung and Jihoon’s apartment. Panting, he immediately found the door that lead to the bedroom and stormed in. Standing at the doorway, he realized it was possible to be even angrier.

“Jihoon.”

All night and all day, Jihoon had been working diligently on the huge Wonwoo story that would shoot his career into high gear. He couldn’t stop with all the information they had. It had to be perfect. He didn’t even have to bother worrying if his pitch would be shut down. He knew this would get through. With the blinds drawn, the room was only lit up by Jihoon’s monitor. Writing this article was the most thrilling thing Jihoon had done since he started working at Pledis news. He still didn’t know what he was going to title the piece, but he could worry about that later. This was it. And he was glued to his screen. He refused to stop.

But something about the sound of Mingyu’s voice off tape was enough to get his attention. There was something satisfying about knowing that the person behind him couldn’t hide. Jihoon already knew everything.

A smug smile crawling to his face, Jihoon finished typing his sentence before turning around in his chair. He finally met eyes with Mingyu, sweaty and angry.

“I’d ask how you found out and how you got in here, but I’m guessing Soonyoung told you.”

Mingyu felt his hands curl into fists at his side. The tone in Jihoon’s voice was enough to make Mingyu want to beat him to a pulp. But he knew that wasn’t an option. That wouldn’t stop him from ruining Wonwoo’s life.

As Mingyu stared at Jihoon, rage consuming nearly every part of his being, his eyes shifted to the computer screen. Jihoon had two tabs open side by side. One was the document where he was writing the article. The other was a video, paused at the moment just before Mingyu and Wonwoo would have kissed.

Mingyu’s heart sunk. Swallowing hard, he looked away and back at Jihoon, whose smug face was infuriating. “Jihoon, you can’t publish this,” he said, his voice seeping with desperation and conviction.

But obviously none of that mattered to Jihoon. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms. “Why not?”

Mingyu hated him so much. “It will ruin Wonwoo.”

Knowing that that was Mingyu’s only concern already, Jihoon scoffed. “This is so much bigger than just Wonwoo,” Jihoon told him with no sympathy. “Once the world knows about Jumpers, who knows what else we’ll uncover.”

Mingyu twitched when he said “Jumpers.” That word rolling off of Jihoon’s tongue was the most distressing thing Mingyu could have heard.

And Jihoon noticed. “Yeah, I assume you already know about them, so I don’t have to worry about you going out there and spoiling my story.”

“Jihoon, you have no idea what consequences this could have for people like Wonwoo,” Mingyu tried to argue, getting more and more afraid that he wouldn’t be able to convince him.

“The consequences come for anybody hiding anything,” Jihoon said. “I’m just doing my job.”

He was starting to lose hope. “This isn’t right!” he shouted, not even realizing how on edge he was.

“Who are you to say what’s right?” Jihoon argued back. Moving aside, he pointed at the computer screen. “This is the truth. It’s nothing personal.”

Mingyu was livid. Pointing furiously at the video of him and Wonwoo, he screamed, “THAT is very personal to me!”

“Yes, it was touching,” he said, looking at that side of the screen. Keeping his composure much better than Mingyu, he turned back to look at him, “but I’m more interested in what Wonwoo says and how he leaves at the end.”

Seeing Jihoon’s lack of sympathy was such a stab to everything else Mingyu was already going through. He could feel the tears start to well up. But there was no time to cry. He had to do something. He couldn’t just...let this happen.

“Jihoon, I’m begging you,” he said, walking closer to him. Mingyu had never been good with talking to people. It wasn’t one of his skills. He wasn’t convincing. He wasn’t compelling. He didn’t know how to look into people and just touch their soul. He felt like Wonwoo was good at that. But Mingyu didn’t know how to talk to Jihoon. He didn’t know anything about this boy who knew everything. He looked deep into Jihoon’s eyes, trying to find something there to hold onto. But he couldn’t. “Please, don’t do this to him. You saw everything already that’s happening to him. He...he can’t take this. This would…” He felt his arms shake. He held them tightly to his side. “This would destroy him. I know...this is your job, Jihoon...but Wonwoo’s life is in your hands. He doesn’t deserve this. Please…” He was starting to cry. “Please. Don’t do this to him.”

Jihoon knew there was no changing his mind, but seeing Mingyu tremble like that was getting to him. He couldn’t look at him anymore. Turning back to his computer, Jihoon found his spot back in the article. “I’m sorry Mingyu,” he said. “But I’ve already told you. This isn’t about you. This isn’t about Wonwoo. The truth is going to come out.”

Completely and utterly wrecked, Mingyu stood there as Jihoon started typing again. He wanted so badly to keep arguing, to keep trying until Jihoon just couldn’t say no any longer. But no words came out of his mouth. No words were even coming to mind. Right then and there, Mingyu had been defeated.

There were no words to describe all of the terrible things Mingyu was feeling. Strangled by all of these emotions, Mingyu didn’t say another word. He couldn’t look at Jihoon anymore. He couldn’t stand there and watch as Jihoon proceeded to write the story that could possibly be enough to kill Wonwoo. He couldn’t do it. Mingyu fled the room and the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

That left Jihoon to write his story in peace

HI GUYS! ok so i'm not one to brag but i would like to say im very proud of how quickly i got this chapter out XD these days writing this fic is seriously comforting so HERE YOU GO :D things are happening and aghh my heart hurts just writing this OTL and lol so many comments were about Soonyoung before so I'm glad i can reveal that hes not that bad ;) things are linking together and at the same time still really bad i apologize OTL but yeah hope you guys are well and again thank you for all the super sweet comments i love you guys <3 hope you enjoyed this chapter! hopefuly i can get the next one out in a nice amount of time again XD THANKS AGAIN FOR READING AND EVERYTHING!

OH! before i go i actualy needed your help with something XD so Jihoon (the conniving thing he is right now) hasn't named the article yet and I actually can't think of a headline for it so i wanted to see if you guys had any ideas XD I'd really appreciate any suggestions you have and I'll go with the one i think fits the best :D so yeah HOPE TO TALK TO YOU GUYS SOON!