all jung wooyoung ever wanted was to go about life like he always did, and that worked for him; until the top-tier celebrity choi san was in the picture, that is.
but there was a catch; wooyoung was his anti-fan.
start: august 9, 2023
end: septembe...
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choi san was humiliated, to say the least.
the fact that his neighbor, who had only seen san in his composed form repetitively, had now seen him in his worst, disheveled and drunken state, made san feel a type of embarrassment that he couldn't explain.
san was never one for showing his ugly side to people who were nothing more than acquaintances— and in this case, his neighbor was his anti-fan. he clearly disliked san so much that he probably would be revolted upon being called even an anti-fan. he was a hater, to be precise. san took many blows to his ego over the ordeal, and it bothered him.
as a poor solution, san spent the entire rest of his day at home to avoid any contact with the outside world just in case he runs into his neighbor again, like he always did. that bothered him, too. out of all the people in the complex and the building, why was it that that man was the only one that he keeps running into, repeatedly?
2 days after the situation, san's humiliation and self-consciousness had somewhat worn down when he realized that the guy wasn't even in his league for san to be so affected by him. choi san was a celebrity, and his neighbor was just any other ordinary person. he decided it was now possible for him to face him without internally cringing.
"okay, i'm done. let's go." seonghwa called out, disrupting san from his train of thought. san stood up, picking up his mask from the table. the two had decided to go for an evening jog to get their physique back on track after spending every alternative day at random bars down the street.
san reached for his black cap, only to pause in his tracks and hesitate. vivid memories of his neighbor picking at him for his poor disguises replayed in his mind, and he reached for a grey cap instead. not like it was an amazing disguise, but hopefully better, right?
"what took you so long in the bathroom? i almost fell asleep out here," san commented, to which seonghwa playfully replied, "was jacking off to your pics, my bad."
san kicked his shin and seonghwa let out an 'ouch' before the pair broke into fits of chuckles, and they exited the apartment.
it was almost 7pm on a weekday, and the park was mostly empty besides the skaters and couples that had also headed out for a jog. it was chilly outside, too, and san picked up his pace on the tracks to balance out the shivering with sweat. "wait for me, fuckhead!" seonghwa yelled from behind him, running up to him and grabbing his shoulder.
"you're already out of breath?" san snorted. sweat droplets had already begun to drip down the strands of his dark hair. "this is why you should start putting the books aside and getting some damn sleep. it hasn't even been," he paused, taking a glance at his digital watch before speaking again, " 10 minutes yet. come on, man."
seonghwa, who looked like he was about to melt into the ground, stumbled behind san, tripping over his feet. "i can't, i can't," he huffed out, panting for air desperately. san stopped, placing his hands on his hips and clicking his tongue.
"fine," he groaned, looking around. "wait here for a few minutes, i'll go get something for us to drink and eat." he guided an exhausted seonghwa to a bench nearby and left him there before jogging towards the little shops opposite to the park.
san adjusted the brim of his cap to bring it down, trying not to catch the attention of the few groups of people ahead. but among the voice, he picked up one that sounded quite familiar and he couldn't help but look up.
there, maybe 20 feet ahead, was his neighbor, chit-chatting and laughing about with a group of 4 men as they emerged out of the convenience store. san inched closer and squinted his eyes, wanting to get a better look, for god knows whatever reason.
he noted that his neighbor's once black hair now had strands of blonde in them, and somehow, he made it work. he was sweating down the neck, dressed in a grey tank top and black sweatpants. there was a tiny bottle of banana milk in his left hand and a plastic bag in the other. san, who had stopped in his tracks to stare at him like a weirdo, absent-mindedly found himself trailing in his neighbor's path as he headed towards what seemed like a studio, along with the other guys.
only when they were in the building did realization hit san, and he stopped in his tracks for a second time. exactly what was he doing? a top celebrity following his neighbor around like, 2 days after being an unconscious mess in front of him? when did he start to care so little about his reputation?
maybe he had gotten so used to his old life that the sudden new changes, along with moving to an apartment from a house, had made his brain fog up. or maybe it's because he was too busy postponing his schedule out of laziness, that he found himself doing things he would normally never do, in any universe.
the sound of obnoxiously loud, muffled music brought san back to consciousness. startled, he looked ahead at the stairs of the building atop which the noise originated from, looked around for a bit, and made his way up carefully.
the noise inched closer and clearer until he was finally up. busy people, dressed in what san assumed were workout clothes, walked back and forth, too focused on other things to notice san. he pulled his mask up a little over his face in discomfort and made his way further in, and was met with a glass door.
and sure enough, there his neighbor was, along with 7 other boys that san recognized to be a newly debuted idol group. the rainbow-scale hair colors were a tell-tale sign, and his neighbor, with his black and blonde hair, greatly stood out from the rest.
san stared with an unknowing glint of curiosity in his eyes, focused on every step, every stride that the man took. his top was soaked in sweat and strands of his hair were sticking to his forehead. more droplets of sweat trickled down the side of his neck, but he didn't seem tired, nor did he seem like he planned on stopping anytime soon. in fact, it seemed like he was enjoying himself.
so he was a choreographer, huh?
san was hardly aware of how much time he'd spent there, standing in that very spot. a zillion thoughts were occupying his mind, and each and every single one had his neighbor's face plastered to them like a warning sign. he couldn't help but wonder why the man, who claimed to hate him so much, still offered to help him without even being asked for it. and the smile on his face that san had never seen before, made san feel an inexplicable emotion.
"excuse me," a passive voice mumbled as they pushed open the glass door and scurried in, disrupting san from his daze. he shook his head, stepping back and falling into another pit of, 'what the hell are you doing, choi san?'
he jogged down the stairs, trying to ignore the thoughts and images that were fogging his brain.
whatever the reason was, or even if there was no reason, one thing was for sure.
choi san was growing to be dangerously curious of the face next door.
