Light A Flame || Hoshi (editing)

Chapter 33

"Soonyoung, I'm not that kind of computer guy," Wonwoo stated blankly.

"Yeah, but I couldn't find an available computer anywhere else. I don't wanna do it in front of Jang-mi because she's just gonna start getting worried and I'd take this to a PC cafe except it's kinda confidential and I'm not sure they even have those anymore-"

"Calm down. Here, I'll take it. Do you have the wire?" Wonwoo asked.

Hoshi nodded and took out the wire that came with the computer. Wonwoo swiftly plugged in both ends and the pair waited as the data was uploaded onto the computer. The little green line became longer and longer, until the final stage in the form of a spinning loading icon finally ended and they got their video.

"31 hours?" Wonwoo said incredulously.

"Yeah... about that - I sorta just had to leave it on, because getting it back would be too risky until I was sure he'd left. That man is a paranoiac if I've ever seen one."

Wonwoo scrolled through the footage. "What is this, if you don't mind me knowing?"

"Our manager's office," Hoshi explained nonchalantly. A little too nonchalantly for having spied on their superior for the better part of a whole day.

"And why do you have this?"

"Long story," Hoshi tried to swerve the topic.

Wonwoo peeled his eyes off the screen and stared straight at Hoshi. "Mingyu's out for a shoot and he won't get home for another 3 hours. I'm guessing this is something important," he argued. "So if it's something that affects the whole group, wouldn't it be my right to know?"

Hoshi sighed. "You sound like you're filming debate night. Fine, just let me pull up a chair cause we're gonna be a while."

Wonwoo shrugged. "Feel free to get comfortable. There's barley tea in the kitchen, or soju in the alcohol cabinet if you really need the kick."

**

After catching Wonwoo up to speed, Hoshi took a very deep breath and sipped on his barley tea. The PC room they were in was dark and the curtains were drawn, so the only light in the room was emanating from the computer screen, making the whole scene look like some sort of interrogation in a detective film.

Wonwoo leaned back. "So how long has this plot been going on?"

"Since the flight home from Macau. Me and Chan realized there was something fishy going on and decided to go investigate," Hoshi explained, offering a gulp of tea to Wonwoo. The latter accepted and downed half the glass.

"Then you roped in the rest of performance team?"

"I mean, yeah. It was hard to hold hush conversations during practice when there were only 4 of us, and it was only a matter of time until Jun and Myungho began asking what we could possibly be discussing alone for so long."

"So the rest of the group doesn't know," Wonwoo guessed.

"No. You're the first. Well, fifth. Congratulations."

Wonwoo just grumbled and turned back to the footage. Hoshi directed him to the correct time, when him and Jang-mi were busy acting it up for the camera. He was, at least. She was probably just enjoying the moment.

"Here. Look, he takes a photo and gets his Kakao out," Hoshi narrated the situation. "Pause here."

Wonwoo obliged and stopped the footage. Their manager was hunched over, obscuring most of the phone except the first few letters of the name of whoever he was texting.

"What does that say? Sa? Seo? Keep going, maybe he'll move," Hoshi knit his brows, back-hugging Wonwoo from behind and watching the screen together.

The manager, in fact, did not move. He stayed still, texting the person until he suddenly stopped. He swerved his chair until it was completely facing the camera, his eyes making direct eye contact with it.