“Are you sure?”

Jihoon clicked his pen and swiveled back and forth in the conference room chair. The reporters usually didn’t like having interns in there, but he and Soonyoung would sneak in when they weren’t in the office. “Positive,” he replied. “He was definitely at the library again yesterday.”

Soonyoung took in a deep breath, clenching his fists at his hips. Tilting his head at their bulletin board, he tried to put the pieces together. “It’s still so weird.”

“It’s cause of Mingyu.”

Soonyoung continued to stare at the board. A while back, he and Jihoon had created this character map illustrating all the places Wonwoo frequented as well as the people he interacted with. There weren’t many. It was hidden at the office but they kept it nearby just in case it needed to be referenced. For a while, the board remained unchanged. Wonwoo’s habits were pretty consistent. But in the past week, they were able to add three new clippings: the restaurant Mansae, the library, and Mingyu.

“Seriously. Who is this Mingyu?” Soonyoung questioned, not breaking his focus as he sat down on the conference table.

Jihoon scratched his head and looked at the web of connections and photos in front of them. “I guess Wonwoo made a friend.”

“But just like that? Come on, Jihoon. It’s been years and we’ve only seen Wonwoo consistently hanging out with two people…” He leaned forward and moved his finger from picture to picture. “Chan and Jeonghan.”

Jihoon finally stood up and came closer. The pictures they had were somewhat blurry and from a distance away, but it was what they could manage. After all, they were still interns. They needed to prove themselves. Jihoon glanced from the long-haired swimmer to the younger high school student. “You’re right. Wonwoo doesn’t make friends.”

“So what does he make?” Soonyoung inquired.

“Maybe he likes this guy.”

Even after the words left him, Jihoon doubted it. Wonwoo had never shown interest in someone before, and this seemed too sudden.

But for some reason, Soonyoung could relate to that. “Maybe. Maybe he’s interested.”

“So what do we know about Mingyu?” Jihoon tried to review.

Hanging his head, Soonyoung pulled out his phone and scrolled through his notes. “Uhh,” he started, clearing his throat. “He goes to the same university as Wonwoo. They only started talking a little over a week ago. They go to restaurants and the park together. Mingyu lied to you about their relationship. And something’s going on between them that concerns Mingyu’s friends.”

Jihoon nodded along. He could hear the tiredness in Soonyoung's voice. It was 7:30am. They’d gotten to work earlier than usual just to talk. Jihoon didn’t notice his own exhaustion until a yawn escaped him. “I honestly don’t know what’s up with him,” Jihoon submitted as he sat back down, letting his forehead hit the table.

Soonyoung glanced over at him and sighed. “It’s still early. We’ll find more.”

Jihoon nodded. “We’re getting somewhere.”

Jihoon and Soonyoung had been at this for years, ever since they started their internship at Pledis News. They were thrilled to work for such a big news company, but that meant big competition. Their boss made it clear in the beginning that being an intern didn’t necessarily mean getting a job there permanently. He said that promotions would only go out to those who brought in promising stories. Thus began the Wonwoo hunt.

The two of them needed this story to launch their careers. Having gone to school with Wonwoo, Jihoon and Soonyoung knew very well that something was up. It was the perfect opportunity since nobody else knew anything about him. Only problem was nobody knew anything about him. For years, Jihoon and Soonyoung only had a few leads and it seemed like they were getting nowhere. But they needed this. And even though they were tired, they knew they were getting somewhere.

— — —

“Come on you don’t expect me to believe that do you?”

Wonwoo laughed up at the sky as he was walking. It was cold that afternoon, but his phone was warmly pressed to his cheek. Something else was also keeping him warm. “I’m telling you! But that’s just my opinion.”

Mingyu scoffed on the other end of the phone and scanned his surroundings. The park was quiet at this hour. Continuing his walk, he looked up at the sky. “Well, you’ve got weird opinions.”

“I’m serious!” Wonwoo defended himself. “The best thing about America is the breakfast!”

“You must be kidding,” Mingyu argued. Still, he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. “That’s the best thing about America.”

Nodding to himself, Wonwoo smiled down at the path that went around the whole park. “That’s what I think is the best thing.”

“You’re crazy.”

“You’ve never had it! How would you know?”

Chuckling, Mingyu looked forward and found a bench. Actually, it was the same one from that time Wonwoo asked him about the cats. Sitting down, he replied, “I just thought you’d say something about the actual country! Like, I don’t know, the landscape or the people or the culture.”

Wonwoo thought it over real quick. He bluntly answered, “No. It’s the breakfast.”

Laughing more than he had for days, Mingyu was truly enjoying himself. Since he called Wonwoo a few days ago, things appeared to go back to normal. And even though it seemed like it was coming, there was no mention of their fallout. They’d been chatting on the phone every day since. Still though, Mingyu never offered to meet up and Wonwoo was scared to. Both of them had their reasons to avoid the subject. This was perfect for now.

“I’ve gotta try this breakfast then.”

“Oh my god, you don’t know what you’re missing,” Wonwoo teased, just strolling along. “Blueberry pancakes and bacon. That’s what I always get.”

“We have those things here.”

“Yeah, but they’re all packaged or just not as good,” he pointed out. “The real stuff. That’s where it’s good.”

Mingyu rolled his eyes, adjusted his hat, and leaned onto the bench back. “I’ll try it one day. If I ever go to America.”

“Go to America! LA preferably, but New York’s cool too. I actually really like Seattle, too.”

“You sound like a tour guide or something,” Mingyu joked. Just the idea of going to America with Wonwoo was making his heart beat faster. He didn’t really notice it, so he didn’t try to stop it. He just let it happen.

Flashes of Mingyu and him going around Los Angeles popped into Wonwoo’s head. His heart was picking up and it made him kind of nervous, until he realized it was physically impossible. Still, he let it happen. “I would be the best tour guide.”

“You’d just take me to different breakfast places.”

“Of course! The best part of America, Mingyu. I’m telling you.”

Enjoying himself, Mingyu closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “So what else do you do when you’re over there.”

Wonwoo shoved his other hand into his pocket as his feet hit the pavement. There was a comfortable rhythm with his walking. It was calming. “Well that depends what city I’m in.”

“LA then,” Mingyu specified, getting lost in Wonwoo’s voice.

Wonwoo liked his choice. “Well, I have some friends in LA so I always go see them. My friend Joshua’s like me and he lives with his cousin Ver—” He stopped, remembering what that kid always told him. “His cousin Hansol,” he said, chuckling at the thought of both of them. It was also funny how they were right. Things were working out. “Yeah, LA’s one of the easier cities for me to be in cause I get to just go to their place. Since Joshua’s usually in some other part of the world when I get there, Hansol and I sleep or watch a movie or something until he comes home at 6am their time.” Mingyu listened closely, only paying attention to what this boy was saying. He didn’t even notice the sound of footsteps approaching him.

But Wonwoo noticed the person sitting on the bench he was getting closer to. As he spoke, he squinted as if to make sure this was who he thought it was. He smiled. He recognized the hat. Laughing a little, he tried not to be too loud. This was a pleasant surprise.

“Yeah, so when he gets home we go around the city. We’ll get breakfast and maybe go to the beach.” He paused as he walked up next to Mingyu. He now saw that the boy had his eyes closed. Silently grinning, he gently sat down and hung up the phone. “Sometimes even the park,” he said aloud.

Mingyu immediately shook, his eyes flying open. Finding a cheerful Wonwoo next to him, he barely knew how to react. His whole body was in a frenzy from the surprise. “WHAT THE ?!” was all he could scream.

Wonwoo burst out laughing, smacking his legs with his palms like in an old comedy movie. Mingyu was still disoriented and couldn’t wrap his head around what was going on. His mouth hanging open, Mingyu just stared at this happy looking person beside him.

Trying to breathe through his laughs, Wonwoo finally managed to choke. “I’M SO SORRY! BUT YOU JUST LOOK SO SURPRISED!”

After a few more seconds of pure confusion, Mingyu coughed out a chuckle. “How the hell did you get here?”

Calming down, Wonwoo smiled. “I seriously promise I’m not stalking you.”

Mingyu looked at him suspiciously, but somehow Wonwoo looked surprised too. “Sure.”

Wonwoo watched as Mingyu put his phone away. “I was just going for a walk. I had no idea you were gonna be here.”

“Are you sure you don’t have a sixth sense or something?” Mingyu teased.

Laughing it all out, Wonwoo shook his head. “No. I really don’t. That’d be cool though.”

Still feeling like none of this was real, Mingyu couldn’t help but stare at Wonwoo’s face. This was the first time they’d seen each other in days. Mingyu almost forgot what this kid looked like. Almost. The bruise is gone.

Mingyu was too busy looking at Wonwoo’s face that he didn’t realize Wonwoo was doing the same to him. It’d been days since Wonwoo saw the boy who was clouding his mind and his judgement. But he definitely couldn’t forget what this kid looked like. Cute.

After a few seconds of staring, both of them finally realized what was going on. They immediately snapped back and broke their gazes. “Uhh,” Mingyu blurted out.

“Yeah,” Wonwoo added.

The stopped talking as they tried to regain their composure. Finally, Wonwoo said it. “I know this was an accident, but it’s still good to see you.”

Mingyu cracked a small smile, but he quickly caught himself, erasing it from his countenance. What the hell is wrong with me? “You too,” he admitted.

Wonwoo was exploding on the inside, but at the same time he was comfortable. It was a strange feeling. Only problem was now he didn’t know what else to say.

And neither did Mingyu. Awkwardly sitting there for a while, Mingyu tried to think of anything. . . . We were literally just talking. Why can’t I say anything? Calm down, idiot. Just talk about what you were just saying. What was he just saying? . Oh, right!

“You go to the park when you’re in LA, huh?”

Wonwoo turned to face the boy who was now looking at him. He smiled. “Yeah, we go out to a lot of different places. It’s a lot of fun with them.”

“That sounds fun. Seokmin and Seungcheol drag me out to do stuff too.”

Wonwoo couldn’t contain his amusement. “I can imagine how hard that must be.”

“I’m a pretty hard person to persuade,” Mingyu admitted.

“I’ve noticed.”

A small smile creeped out of the corner of his mouth. “Are the parks nicer in LA?”

Wonwoo looked around and tried to remember what these places looked like over there. For some reason, nothing was coming to mind. “It all depends I guess. Who you’re with makes all difference.”

Mingyu’s heart started pounding like crazy. He had no idea what was going on, but it was overwhelming. This whole situation was just surreal. He still couldn’t believe Wonwoo was even in front of him.

On the other hand, Wonwoo was oddly calm. He felt relaxed, at ease. It was like Mingyu’s presence filled his lungs with fresh air, air that he could use to say what he had feared for a few days now.

“I’m sorry, Mingyu.”

Mingyu didn’t move. He didn’t react; he just listened.

Taking in a deep breath, Wonwoo let it out. “I don’t know if you’ve been thinking about what happened a lot, but I’m just really sorry for...that. I didn’t mean to throw all that on you it was...stupid and...selfish in a sense.”

He looked away to try and focus his thoughts. He’d been practicing for this moment, but now that it was here, it was like all of that went out the window. “You’re just a great person I’d like to get to know even better. So…” Wonwoo sighed again. “...if it’s for the best, we can just forget everything I said. I don’t want to scare you off or...just make you hate me…” There was a lull as he tried to find what was next.

But his pause was interrupted. “I don’t hate you.”

Wonwoo swallowed hard. He couldn’t look at Mingyu, but there was some relief from just hearing that. “I’m sorry,” was all he could say.

With Wonwoo not looking, Mingyu could easily watch the back of his head. As he spoke, something inside of Mingyu loosened up. It was like a knot had been untied in his chest and he could breathe better. It was nice.

But before Mingyu said anything, Wonwoo added one last comment. “I just thought...there could have been something here…”

With that, Mingyu was rewound, but weirdly enough he wasn’t sure what made him tense. A part of him had to admit that Wonwoo wasn’t wrong.

“You’re not wrong.”

Wonwoo flinched and turned back to him. Mingyu wasn’t sure what came over him, but that just flew out.

What the ?! he screamed in his head. WHY THE HELL WOULD I SAY THAT?!

But it was too late to back out now. He had to come to terms with what he even refused to tell the cats.

With a deep sigh, he continued. “I mean...there definitely...was...something.”

Wonwoo was scared to interrupt, but his heart was ready to break out of his chest.

Mingyu wanted to choke himself to shut up, but he kept going. Struggle clearly in his voice, he said, “I don’t mean something...like that. But...there was...something.” He closed his eyes and tried to work through what he was saying. “I had never...connected...with someone that easily before. And...it was nice...when we talked.”

Wonwoo was on the edge of his seat as Mingyu tried not to fall out of his. He couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth, and that went for both of them. But then, Mingyu dropped his shoulders and opened his eyes to look at his anxious audience.

“I hate relationships, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo let that register as the boy went on. Mingyu groaned and pulled the hair up from his forehead. He leaned over his knees, almost like he was frustrated. But he was just trying to explain, and bluntly at that. “I hate everything about relationships. I don’t want one. I don’t want to be part of a couple. I don’t want a boyfriend. I don’t want all of that crap because to me it’s just a waste of time.”

He sighed and dropped his head between his shoulders. “It really has nothing to do with you. Just the way you were talking about the universe and something that matters...God, I just hated it. I just got so upset, I had to leave.”

He sighed again. “And that’s not really your fault.”

As Wonwoo listened, he understood. But with this information, he couldn’t tell if it was good or bad news. Yes, it was nice to know that Mingyu wasn’t mad cause he didn’t like Wonwoo, but it was pretty awful to hear that he never wanted anything more. Either way, things were wrapping up in Wonwoo’s mind and he couldn’t help but look concerned.

“I hate relationships, Wonwoo,” Mingyu said again, slowly sitting up and regaining his composure. “And all of that stuff you said before about the universe and stopping and…” He could read Wonwoo’s face all too well. “...it’s never gonna happen...with us.”

That helped Wonwoo make up his mind: this was bad news. His chest sank to his stomach and he felt like he was going to throw up. All the parts of his insides that were starting to feel better automatically switched. He felt like his body was shutting down as his heart was breaking.

But he didn’t show it. Instead, he just chuckled, confusing Mingyu. With a smile, he looked into the boy’s eyes and said, “That’s okay.”

Just saying that hurt him, but Wonwoo had no other option. He wasn’t going to argue. He wasn’t going to complain. He wasn’t going to cry. He wasn’t going to lose Mingyu again. So if it meant lying about how he really felt, he would do that. Being heartbroken with Mingyu around was much better than being heartbroken without Mingyu at all. A lesser of two evils. “I get it. It’s just...not gonna happen for us.”

Mingyu wasn’t sure if he could fully trust Wonwoo’s words, but he didn’t want to fight it. Now the relationship was behind them. They could just enjoy each other’s company.

Mingyu smiled genuinely and gave a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

Wonwoo clenched his teeth, holding his tongue from saying anything that he would regret. He said through his grin, “Of course.”

— — —

“It’s a really good song! Trust me.”

Mingyu smiled and put in one of Wonwoo’s earbuds. He listened to the acoustic guitar intro before the lyrics started.

“Pretty good,” he admitted after he listened to a verse and a chorus. Handing it back to him, he asked, “What’s it called again?”

“You Make Me a Fool by B1A4,” Wonwoo answered as they walked up the stairs of Mingyu’s apartment complex. “They’re great.”

“I’ll have to check them out.”

After getting through the rougher part of their conversation, the boys were back on track. Now it really was like nothing happened, and Mingyu was really grateful. But Wonwoo was still wracking his brain with all that was said. The entire walk back, that’s all he could focus on.

“I hate relationships…”

“...I don’t want one…”

“...I don’t want a boyfriend…”

“...that’s not really your fault…”

“...it’s never gonna happen…”

“...with us…”

It hurt him so badly to think about, but he couldn’t help it. All hopes of Mingyu saving him were lost. It wasn’t even about the jumping at this point. Just the fact that any chance he had with Mingyu...never truly existed. Wonwoo was devastated, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

Finally, the two stepped in front of Mingyu’s front door. It was already 4 o’clock and Mingyu had some stuff to do before his class. Wonwoo didn’t argue, but it did that they had to part ways again. At least this time it was on good terms.

“You really didn’t have to walk me back,” Mingyu teased as he turned the key.

I know.

“I know.”

I wanted to.

He decided not to say that last part. “Gives me an excuse to see my new friend.”

Mingyu laughed and opened the door. He looked around for the grey feline, but he was nowhere in sight. “Sorry he’s not here.”

Wonwoo glanced around the floor. “Ehh, I’ll run into him later.”

“Well, thanks,” Mingyu said with a smile. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

There was a pause as Mingyu stepped inside. “It was nice...running into you.” he said.

Wonwoo nodded. “Yeah it was.”

“I guess I’ll talk to you later?”

The tone of his voice made it sound like a question, but to Wonwoo there was no question about it. “Definitely,” he said with smile.

Mingyu could tell Wonwoo was hesitating to go, so he had to take the lead. Closing the door, he waved. “Bye Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo weakly lifted his hand. “Bye Mingyu.”

With the door shut, Mingyu was still smiling. Everything was okay again, and he couldn’t have been happier.

On the other side, Wonwoo stood there for a few seconds before shoving his hands in his pockets and turning back to leave. His mind clogged with all sorts of thoughts, he was looking at the ground as he made it towards the stairs. He didn’t even notice the person coming up.

“Wonwoo!”

Wonwoo’s head shot up. It took him a second to remember that smiling face, but when he did, he returned the favor. “Seungcheol, hey.”

Seungcheol was holding a grocery bag in one hand and a phone in the other. “Hey! Were you just with Mingyu? I was just about to call him.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said through his breath looking back to that apartment door. “We ran into each other at the park. Got to hang out for a while.”

“That’s cool,” Seungcheol said, glad to hear that the two were still getting along. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?”

Ehh.

“Umm, I’ve been okay.”

But Seungcheol could hear the slight ache in his voice. He’d always been much better at reading people than Mingyu. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “What’s up?”

Wonwoo shook his head and batted his hand. “No, nothing. Mingyu probably told you all about it.”

Seungcheol paused. Mingyu hadn’t said anything, but if it had Wonwoo this upset it must’ve been important. “Yeah,” he lied. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Wonwoo lied. “I mean Mingyu and I got past what happened from before. We talked more about it today, so things are good.”

So hopelessly confused, Seungcheol tried not to let that on. “That’s good.”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo sighed. “I just...didn’t realize…”

Seungcheol leaned in a little. “Yeah?”

Wonwoo let out a deep sigh, weirdly letting Mingyu’s roommate see how he was really feeling. “I just didn’t realize he hated relationships so much.”

And with that Seungcheol understood. He leaned his head back and slowly nodded. “Ahh, yeah. That’s Mingyu.”

Wonwoo shrugged and started to head down the stairs. “Yeah.” He turned back and said, “Well, I should get going. It was nice seeing you.”

“Yeah, yeah. You too man. Take it easy.”

“I’ll try,” Wonwoo replied as he got down the first flight.

Seungcheol started walking towards his apartment again, but he couldn’t shake how distraught Wonwoo looked. And what he said. It was all making sense now. Of course Mingyu didn’t say anything. If Wonwoo made a move, Mingyu must’ve been...well, Mingyu. Lovey-dovey stuff always bothered the crap out of him. Seungcheol was just hoping maybe Wonwoo was the exception.

And he still could be.

Seungcheol quickly turned around and rushed back to the stairs. He looked down the railing and saw Wonwoo making his way down to the ground. “Hey, Wonwoo!” he cried.

Wonwoo looked all the way back up and stopped. “Yeah?”

Seungcheol tried to give him a reassuring smile. “That’s just Mingyu.”

With some hesitation, Wonwoo nodded. “Yeah. I know now.”

“He’s always been like that,” Seungcheol explained. “But...don’t give up just yet.”

Wonwoo didn’t know how to respond. It was such a weird message to come from someone who probably knew Mingyu better than anyone else. But he couldn’t contain his smile. It was nice to hear. “Thanks. I won’t.”

Seungcheol was always looking out for Mingyu’s best interest, and Wonwoo seemed like something special. “Good.”

— — —

Minghao
Wonwoo i need your help

Wonwoo
Sure what is it

Minghao
You busy right now?

Wonwoo
Umm not really
Im in Milan so its like noon
Just sitting in a park so ive got time

Minghao
OK good

Wonwoo
Whats up?

Minghao
It’s Jun

Wonwoo
Aww what’s wrong with you and Junhui
I thought things were going well

Minghao
They are its just…
I just want to be more than friends already

Wonwoo
I get that
But you and Jun are making progress right?
Or is he still oblivious

Minghao
I dont think he knows
Or hes not letting on that he does
God sometimes i just want to tell him everything
Confess all of these things that ive been feeling

Wonwoo
Yeah well sometimes being too honest isnt good

Minghao
Maybe but ive known Jun forever
You dont think it would change things too much would it?

Wonwoo
Confessing your love for someone does change things
Im pretty sure of that

Minghao
Agh forget you
Lol look who im talking to about this
A guy who hasnt had a relationship since he was five

Wonwoo
Lol yeah probably not the best person for advice

Minghao
Idk dude its just hard
Hes so great I just want to tell him already
But youre right im being impulsive right now
I’ll get over it and just do what we normally do

Wonwoo
Thats a good idea
You dont want to do anything you might regret

Minghao
Well you sound drearier than usual
Are you okay?

Wonwoo
Have you talked to Joshua lately?

Minghao
That guys even worse than you at relationships lol
No i havent really had the chance

Wonwoo
Ive been going through some stuff in the love department too
Its beeeeeeeennnnnnnn
Bad

Minghao
Wait what?! And you didn’t mention this?!
I am hurt that you didnt come to me first :(

Wonwoo
LOL DONT GET ALL POUTY ON ME
I ended up in LA that night so i just talked to josh and hansol

Minghao
I get it i get it im just messing with you
Im so sorry to hear that dude I had no idea
So whos the lucky person
Or i guess unlucky if things arent going well

Wonwoo
Nah hes still lucky i guess
His names mingyu and uh
Its kind of complicated at this point
Sigh
i dont really know what to do next

Minghao
Well ive got a couple hours to kill
Tell me whats going on
Maybe i can help

Wonwoo
I dont know about that
None of us are that good when it comes to stuff like this

Minghao
Lol youre not wrong
But i can still try
Fire away

Wonwoo
Thanks minghao
I guess it all started when i ended up with his phone...