Nimble fingers stretch to shut off the blaring alarm clock in a futile effort, rewarding the owner a few moments of snoozing before reluctantly waking up. Minutes pass before a head of hair pops out from under the covers, the young man beneath letting out a loud groan.

Woohyun kicks the stuffy covers off of him, scratching his back and rolling over. Seconds tick by and it takes the forces of both Sunggyu and Hoya to drag him out of bed.

He probably shouldn’t be acting like a spoiled child but no one chides him or seems phased by it so he isn’t too inclined to stop. Though the occasional look from Myungsoo does stop some of his immature antics.

But that’s the thing. No one cares, at least any more since they’ve all given up a part of themselves by pursuing a career in this godforsaken entertainment industry. On the brighter side, at least being an idol pays pretty well after a year or two.


It takes quite a bit of time for Woohyun to fully awaken, but it’s probably because his phone’s message tone is incredibly irritating that it jolts him out of his semi-asleep state.

Luna is what the screen reads and he can’t help but crack a smile.

It’s a simple and curt message, and always to the point.

You just woke up, am I right?

When is she ever wrong? is what Woohyun wants to ask someone, but conveniently no one was in the room with him. He types a quick reply, making sure to add a few obnoxious smileys because he knows it irks her to no end.

He expects a reply within the hour, but as always Luna seems to defy his expectations in practically everything (except that one time when he thought she could cook, and well, let’s just say that it didn’t end too well.)


It’s already half past noon when he realizes that a few of the members are gone, but one particular member’s missing presence puts him in a state of slight panic. Sungjong is no where to be seen and his thoughts inadvertently go back to the memory of his dongsaeng and (his) Luna having their arms wrapped around each other like the best friends everyone knows them to be.

He kind of wants to throw a tantrum, but it takes too much energy and with everyone in the dorm rather listless he doubts any of them would care. Then again, they never really did care in the first place.


Woohyun ends up calling Sungjong thirty-six times, leaving about eighteen messages and nearly two dozen texts. He doesn’t want to admit that maybe he might be a little obsessed and possessive of Luna and that perhaps it isn’t the best thing for his mental wellness.

When maknae doesn’t answer after exactly seven minutes and forty-nine seconds Woohyun somewhat launches his phone across the room, nearly hitting Dongwoo square in the head. Sungyeol gives him a pointed look, eyes glancing over his spectacles as his attention is temporarily drawn away from his laptop.

In response Woohyun smiles sheepishly, feeling a small bit of guilt but it doesn’t alleviate the paranoia he still has. Then again, there really isn’t any reason for him to be acting like this because after all, Luna was not (and will never be) his girlfriend.


It’s a secret that he wants to keep denying, shoving the unthinkable deep into his subconscious and left there to rot. Anyone who is anyone would know that it was painfully (and excruciatingly so) obvious that Sungjong and Luna had a “thing” going on and it might be that they really do like each other.

Woohyun gags at the thought a little, adamantly refusing to believe in such foolishness. But with the entire situation, wasn’t he the only fool in this nonexistent love triangle?

To some extent he wants to cry, but the tears refuse to fall.


It isn’t until nearly eleven o’clock that Sungjong finally returns home, a triumphant look on his face which becomes a clear sign of permanent heart break for Woohyun.

He tries to smiles, and nearly breaks his soul doing so, but he’s a hyung so he attempts to bear with the pain as Sungjong recounts in extreme detail how he had asked Luna to be his girlfriend and how she had said yes.

He can’t cry, won’t let himself crack, because he’s Woohyun and he’s supposed to be strong and trusting even when he can’t bring himself to be.


To this day he still finds himself wallowing in pity nearly every single night, recounting the regrets and the missed chances and perhaps if he had tried a little harder she would have been his.

No matter how many times the thoughts swirl around in his mind it all comes down to one question: what was he afraid of?

Was it the competition? Rejection? Was it some outside force controlling destiny?

Woohyun wonders whether they (as in he and Luna) are really meant to be, and maybe in a wicked twist of fate the red string tying them together was severed?


A coward is what he is but he can’t bring himself to accept that as a possibility. It isn’t conceivable but all hope is lost when Sungjong brings Luna home one day, their hands tightly interlocked and their smiles are so bright (brighter than a thousand splendid suns) that Woohyun finally feels the onset of heartbreak.

For the first time in a long time Woohyun cries himself to sleep. Not because he lost the girl, or of anything else, but because he never tried.

He feels kind of stupid for crying over something (someone) that was never his in the first place.


She stops texting him now and he doesn’t bother messaging her.

And just like that, Luna disappears from his life all together (almost.)