rewrite the stars - jaywon

chapter 27

Sunghoon wasn't exactly subtle in his attempts to check in on Jungwon. Jungwon rolled his eyes as Sunghoon looked up from the library computer he was using to glance at Jungwon for the millionth time since the start of the study period.

Jungwon listlessly drew a finger across the hologram he had pulled up of their city's downtown area, sending the towering skyscrapers spinning. He watched the different structures rush towards his face at dizzying speed. It seemed as if they'd clock him, smash straight into him, only for the holographic buildings to then go through him entirely. Jungwon sometimes wondered, what would happen if he were to show a hologram of, say, a person to people from a century ago, if they'd think it was a ghost.

For the million-and-first time, Jungwon caught Sunghoon glancing at him. With a sigh, Jungwon flicked the holographic projector off. Sunghoon blinked wide eyes, caught fully staring. Jungwon gestured at him to come over.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Jungwon asked, when Sunghoon had gotten over himself enough to give up on his charade, "It's creepy."

Sunghoon frowned.

"Well. Just now, it was because you were playing around with the hologram machine. I don't think we're allowed to do that, Jungwon."

Jungwon huffed a laugh-adjacent breath, "Fair. What about all the other times, though?"

Sunghoon broke eye contact. He looked down at his hands in his lap.

"Honestly-- and you're free to tell me if I'm, like, asking something you don't want to answer, here. But you've been really quiet," Sunghoon took a deep breath, then he raised his head, "Is it because of what I did?"

Jungwon smiled a crooked smile. He didn't answer Sunghoon immediately, though he knew it would bother him. He flicked the hologram machine back on, and started to browse through the available projections.

"Nah," he said, as he scrolled, "It's not about you, oddly."

Jungwon could imagine Sunghoon's sour look as Jungwon tested his patience. But he had to be genuinely trying to be patient with Jungwon, because his tone the next time he spoke was measured, contained.

"Then what's up, Jungwon? If it's not me, what's got you like this?"

Jungwon found the perfect projection. He grinned with his success, even as his heart clenched. Sunghoon made a noise of shock as the hologram booted up. Jungwon leaned back, and a flickering, blue-green portion of the starry night sky filled his vision.

Jungwon turned to Sunghoon, who was still looking in surprise at the projection of the stars.

"Scaredy-cat," Jungwon said, though it lacked his usual teasing tone.

"You just surprised me, that's all," Sunghoon said. His sour mood was finally poking through his patient facade. Jungwon's grin grew wider, as he was reminded of a similar moment with Beomgyu a few nights back.

Jungwon turned away, searching through the labelled stars for one constellation in particular.

"It's Jay," he confessed, "well, kinda."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sunghoon asked.

Jungwon thought he found it, and got excited enough to stand up. But, upon closer inspection, the label just read Canis Major.

"I told my mom I loved him and she and my dad went and wiped his memory." Jungwon tried for a casual delivery, like it was just some off-hand comment. Like it hadn't been something that'd plagued him for days.

"Oh," Sunghoon said, hesitantly.

Jungwon finally glanced away from the projection of the night sky to look at him. He looked as though he had no idea how to look. Sunghoon's face was screwed up into what might have been sympathy.

"That... sucks."

Jungwon laughed. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, it kinda does," he fixed Sunghoon with a look, quieting in the space between a moment and the next, "but the thing is.... I'm not quite sure he's lost for good, after all."

"Oh?" Either Sunghoon's acting was improving or he was sincerely a little uplifted by Jungwon's words.

Jungwon waved his hand, a vague gesture.

"It's not anything big, but I think he remembered something from before? It might've also just been a weird coincidence but...," Jungwon trailed off, frowning. He couldn't keep from doubting his stupid hope, that thing that dared to lift within him when he thought of Jay remembering, despite the odds stacked against it.

Sunghoon frowned too.

"Man, I hope it's not," he sighed, "It'd be really cool if there was some robot expert you could ask about this. I'm sorry. I don't know anything about 'bots. Except that Jay's a cool guy."

Jungwon levelled Sunghoon with a look of his blatant pandering.

But maybe he had something with the robot expert thing. Jungwon could've hit himself, the moment he was struck with an idea. Who could know more about how robots worked than a robot himself?

A grin grew on Jungwon's face, as the dangerous thing within him sprouted wings and took tentative flight. He was going to regret letting himself hope, he knew it, but this time he was powerless to stop it.

"You know your brother's friend Taehyun?"

Sunghoon's eyes brightened in recognition, "Yeah, dude. Taehyun's great. He was probably at... the party...," Sunghoon trailed off at the mention of the party. Jungwon was going to ignore the awkward end, for Sunghoon's sake.

"Sweet!" Jungwon turned back to the hologram. He was going to find his constellation, and he was going to find it before the period was out. He had a sense of newfound determination, "Can you help me find a way to meet up with him?

— the end of chapter 27 ♡

sooo, do you think taehyun can help
jungwon in bringing back jay? :0