First and foremost, I apologize for any spelling errors and words-that-ought-to-be-there-but-I-missed-out errors. You may correct me in the comments section, that is, if you choose to comment. Hahaha. I'm not one to force another. I write for my own pleasure too.

Thank you for those who subscribed and commented. I appreciated it. XD. Onwards with this update.

___________________________

Wooyoung practiced hard for the competition. All the competitors were called in for a dance training every morning, including weekends, from the wee hours to the break of noon. It was easy at first, but as days rolled by, they became more and more exhausted,lacking sleep and nutrients. Wooyoung eventually found it hard to sit still and study during the night. His body was sore and he was in serious need of sleep.

Taecyeon had also been too busy to really notice Wooyoung the last one week. Right after he promised to help the younger boy with the favor, he suddenly received a call from LOEN, and they needed his services. "I'll be going out a lot for the whole of next week." He said apologetically, watching the change of expression on Wooyoung's face with a guilty feeling inside him. "I'll help you out whenever I can." He added, merely to make the other feel better. Wooyoung gave a small smile and retired to his room. There was still a lot to do.

One cool evening on a Sunday, Wooyoung grabbed his coat and decided to take a little stroll at a nearby park. Taecyeon was out on his job again and he said he might be late.

Thinking that he could get dinner after the walk, Wooyoung chirpily left the dorm. It was a beautiful and peaceful evening. A few other people were loitering about, enjoying their evening just as much as Wooyoung was. He watched them with interest, especially the couples, and hoping that it could give him some ideas. Most of the young couples there were holding hands, talking about something they shared in common. He watched the guys, and wondered if he was any different from them.

There was something different. They were happy. And he was lonely.

"I guess I should just choose some random love songs and dance to it."  To him, dancing wasn't just a passion. It was a link to a life he had experienced. He could easily make his choreography comical, but that wouldn't bring him places in the long run. After a while, he stopped walking and took a seat on a bench nearby.

That was when he heard a male's voice yelling loudly at someone. Wooyoung searched around to see where it had come from. Just behind him, between a couple of poplar trees, was a couple---or so he thought---facing each other, with a mad expression on their faces. Wooyoung couldn't peel his eyes away. He watched from afar, gawking at them. The lady, wearing a pretty white dress with her hair tied up in a ponytail, said something to the man and suddenly the man threw a raging fit on her. He started shouting curses at her, calling her a liar; a . He was a young man, no older than Wooyoung, wearing a fashionable gray pinstripe coat over a white collared shirt underneath and a black trousers to match. His hair was neat, revealing a long, handsome face with a long nose, thin lips and a pair of slightly baggy eyes.

Wooyoung was suddenly afraid the man might hit the lady. He got up from the bench and carefully approached them. She said something about his short-tempered character and how she was tired of it, and suddenly, the man's right hand was in mid-air. This was Wooyoung's cue. He reached forward just as the man was about to slap her and held on to his arms, stopping him instantly.

"Let go!" The man fought back, pulling his arms back violently. "Who the hell are you?! Is this another one of your boy toy?!" He shouted at her, and tears were already dropping freely down her cheeks. She took a few steps back and bolted away from them. "YAH! Come back here! I'm not done with you."

The lady didn't come back. She just kept running until she was out of sight. Frustrated over the change of events, the man turned to Wooyoung and scolded him instead. "YAH! You see what you did?! You bastard. Go mind your own business!"

Wooyoung narrowed his eyebrows and for some reason, he was furious inside. No one should ever hit a girl. That was one of the things his mother taught him. And this man clearly didn't know it. "You shouldn't hit a girl." Wooyoung bit back, tilting his head up to dare the man. He was equally afraid actually. The man looked tough, and if Wooyoung wasn't careful, he might as well find himself lying down on the ground, lifeless, the next second.

"You dare to talk back to me after what you did?! You crazy welp."

"Apologize to her." He said daringly. His insides were churning. The man's eyes were not human. They were large and angry. Wooyoung glanced at his hands every split second, waiting for the punch to come.

"Apologize?! Ah, this kid is crazy. Yah, why should I apologize to that ?! She should be the one begging at my feet."

"You shouldn't hit a girl." Wooyoung insisted. This is it. Good job, Wooyoung. It's only your first week in Seoul, and here you are, seconds away from your death. Better brace yourself. I'm starting to regret cutting in like that. I should have left them alone. I should have focused on my dance. Any sort of love songs would do right now. Ah, I'm such a moron.

He wasn't aware he had his eyes closed. Ah...he's going to kill me now. I'm stupid. So stupid, Wooyoung thought. Here goes...

But nothing came.  

Slowly, he opened his eyes again. There was the man, standing before him, with a confused expression on his face. "You...what are you doing?"

"W-what? You're not going to hit me?"

"Why should I? You're not the one who made a humiliation out of me," said the man. Wooyoung noticed he looked depressed.

"I-I didn't? But your girlfriend ran away." Wow, this was unbelievable. I'm not going to die after all. It was a relief, really.

The man started stalking off, ignoring him. And Wooyoung, curse his good sense, followed behind quietly. He kept a reasonable distance though. A part of him was still sorry for what happened. He didn't mean to break them up. After a while, the man suddenly turned around and asked, "Why are you following me?"

"I'm sorry." Wooyoung muttered slowly. The other didn't respond. He just turned and walked off again.

They strolled through the park in one quick round before exiting to the shoplots outside. Wooyoung simply followed behind him quietly, ignoring the pain on his thighs. Dance practice really took a lot of toll on him. By the time they passed the shoplots outside, Wooyoung was already half-limping. He was tired and hungry but he still felt guilty over what happened. The man seemed unfazed by his presence anymore. He kept walking ahead, looking around the busy shopping area. A lot of people were about that day. There was no surprise. It was a weekend.

Eventually, Wooyoung closed in the distance between them, almost touching the man's back. With the crowd constantly growing around them, he became more afraid. He always hated crowded areas. It made him suffocate. The only reason nothing had happened so far was because he drew his focus on the man alone and nothing else. It kept him from overthinking things.

The man made a sudden turn into a restaurant and Wooyoung followed in too. He sat at a nearby table and ordered some ramen. That would be enough to last him through the night. At least he doesn't have any practice tonight. While he ate, he kept glancing back at the man, observing him. There was an air around that man, something Wooyoung couldn't shake off. It was like a magnet pull. Wooyoung chowed down on his food fast, hoping to finish it first before the man finished his own meal.

And after both of them paid for their own meals, the man walked out and Wooyoung followed again. His legs were limping badly now. At this rate, he might pass out anytime, but he kept his breathing steady.

When are you going to leave this place? What are you doing anyway? And where are we going?

When the day grew darker and evening eventually turned to night, Wooyoung was no longer sure where he was. He was in the middle of a busy city and the crowd somehow grew bigger than it had been. It scared him truly. He wished he had Taecyeon's number, so he could ask the big guy to fetch him. But with no one to call, and fear growing inside, Wooyoung decided to simply follow the man and hoped it would lead him to somewhere familiar.

Step by step by...step...by step....continuously walking....getting shoved aside by rowdy passerbys, and pulled on the arms by ferocious salesmen, Wooyoung eventually became too tired to continue. His legs refused to take another step. And he fell to his knees. Up ahead, he could see the man walking further and further away. He reached out a hand, hoping for someone to hoist him up but no one cared. Just as he tumbled to the ground, he took one last look ahead and saw the man turning his head.

And then there was nothing.

______________________

This is one looooooong chapter....I guess it's easy to guess who the man is. I think Minjun looks good in pinstripe coat. XD