{tw! panic disorder}

Once he realizes something is wrong, it's impossible to ignore it. Perhaps the suspicion Jisoo had earlier turns out true, the existence of Willow Han's isn't quite right... Mino swears he watched the Grammy Awards last year and the winning Best New Artist is not her—her name wasn't even nominated. When he tries to search her name on the internet, no result is found except some social media profiles he doesn't bother to click. Weird. As far as he can remember, he typed the same name using the same search engine and phone the other night ago. His girlfriend could be his witness as he showed the search results to her.

But the nonexistence of the search results wouldn't send shivers down his spine if he hadn't met Willow Han in the past. Not to mention, a stinging pain that struck his chest all of a sudden when they accidentally made eye contact a moment ago, as if his heart had been squashed mercilessly into pieces. Once he fled from her sight, his breathing returned to normal, his heart rate decreased and the sharp pain has gone away without a trace.

He still remembers it vividly... the first time he met her. He cannot believe her appearance doesn't change at all...

July 2018

Anxiety rushed into him the moment he woke up from his nap to find that his phone had been flooded with notifications. 57 missed calls with Yoon and his manager, Simon being the major contributors—although Yang Hyunsuk's name horrified him the most despite only dialed his number three times. Apparently, Dispatch had released an article, accusing him of being ia for following Miller Rodriguez on Instagram, an acquaintance who shared the same passion with him for photography. He got introduced to Miller through CL, exchanging a few words one time in their first meeting, thoughtlessly hitting the follow button on Instagram as a token of mutual respect. But after that, let alone stay in touch with the man in question, Mino never failed to look past his post every time he scrolled down his timeline; hence, he had no idea about the graphics that Miller posted.

But what's done is done. His name was already trending everywhere on social platforms and news sites. He could see the world he built crumble into pieces... His indifference had jeopardized his own career and all the dreams he had yet to achieve.

His phone reverberated under the pillow. He wasted no time in picking it up.

"Minho, you ! Why were you ignoring my calls? I've been trying to reach you! Where are you now?" The Winner's leader snapped on the other side of the line.

"I was taking a nap. I can't really think right now, still trying to process this . What the did I do wrong? I knew no about Rodriguez and his ual disorder. I know Dispatch is a , but why would they drag an innocent man through the dirt? What should I do, Seungyoon...?"

"Minho, calm down first... We won't be able to find a solution if you're not thinking clearly. First of all, did you unfollow his account yet?"

"I... haven't. . I'm an idiot." Mino did what he was supposed to do once the realization hit him. "But it's no use. The articles are already spreading like wildfire. My name's already trending, people calling me names here and there. Maybe I'll have to leave the group to protect Winner's name..."

"What the are you talking about? You're not leaving and no one's leaving you behind. Not on my watch! Pull yourself together, Minho! We got through rougher together, so this is nothing. This shall be nothing. We'll work this out somehow. Trust me—"

Mino withdrew his phone from his ear as he received another incoming call. It was from Yang Hyunsuk.

"Sajangnim called me. He'll probably ask me to quit the group."

"Don't joke around at a time like this! Or people won't take you seriously."

"You think I was joking? I'm dead serious, Seungyoon. By the way, I'm hanging up."

He ended the call without giving Yoon a chance to speak and put on a brave front as he accepted Yang Hyunsuk's call.

"Why were