after a scandal, wooyoung, a defunct k-pop idol, runs away to his sister's hometown. he craves anonymity, yet his quiet routine is disrupted by a chance encounter- a local with a warm presence, who offers him a glimpse of a life beyond the spotlight...
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san couldn't help the slight laugh that escaped his lips as he watched wooyoung burst out the door.
not even a second later, the waiter brought in a plate of dumplings and placed it in front of san. upon seeing it, san laughed even louder, the sound echoing through the cozy bistro. he covered his face with his hand, trying to stifle his laughter but failing miserably. truthfully, he had ordered the dish for wooyoung because he remembered reading somewhere that it was one of wooyoung's favourite foods; it was the only item from the list that san could recall. the irony of the situation was not lost on him. here he was, sitting alone with a plate of dumplings meant for someone who had just fled in embarrassment.
san had always known that wooyoung would be amusing, but this was beyond his expectations. before san could break into tears from how hilariously entertaining the ordeal had been, his phone rang, blaring billie holiday on full volume. upon reading the name on the caller id, san answered almost instantly.
"yo, where are you?" seonghwa's voice came through the line, tinged with confusion. it was obvious he was perplexed by san's absence from the restaurant where they usually met for dinner after work hours.
"q'bistro," san replied without even answering the question, pulling wooyoung's unfinished cup of coffee in his direction. the cup was still warm, a tangible reminder of the recent chaos. "i've ordered food already, so hurry up."
"does that mean you're paying today?!" seonghwa's voice was filled with glee, not even giving san a second to refute. "sweet! i'll be there in a minute."
seonghwa immediately ended the call, and san shook his head. he was always eager to take advantage of free meals.
with nothing else to do, san looked at the dumplings and decided to try one, popping it in his mouth and savouring the flavour. he wasn't a huge fan of dumplings, but they weren't too bad. his gaze returned to the unfolded envelope on the table, and he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed, reliving the excitement of the previous moment which was still fresh in his mind.
in the midst of his musings, seonghwa had burst into the little restaurant, making everyone and their fathers aware of his existence. tie loosened, cuffs of his painfully white button-up shirt undone, and his hair a disheveled mess—he looked just like he would on any normal day.
"good evening, everyone!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, a blinding smile on his face as he glanced around the restaurant, fully aware that he was being an inconvenience. what followed was a row of groans, which further fueled seonghwa's happiness.
san didn't pay much attention to it. he was used to it.
seonghwa slid into the seat opposite to him, face overcome with delight upon seeing the waiter, who came out with even more food.
"all this for me?" he rubbed his hands together like a fly. "is today a special day, or what?"
san simply shook his head with a faint smile of amusement, unable to focus on current events even when seonghwa was in front of him. "help yourself," he gestured to the food, discreetly slipping the envelope back onto his lap.
