𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐂𝐊 | hvc

𝙭𝙭𝙫.

"Vernon? Yo?"

The third time was the charm—Wonwoo's voice finally yanked Hansol from the fog he'd been drowning in.

He blinked, disoriented, as if shaking off the weight of a thousand thoughts. How long had he been sitting there, staring at nothing?

"Yeah?" His voice came out dry, as lifeless as the untouched food in front of him.

Wonwoo chuckled, though his brow arched in concern. "You okay? You've been somewhere else all night." He accepted a sauce dish from Jun without taking his eyes off Hansol.

Hansol didn't answer. Instead, his gaze drifted back to the same spot it had lingered all evening. Nabi.

She was laughing, her face lit up as Minghao said something undoubtedly sarcastic. Her laugh—it wasn't the polished, half-hearted one she'd given to strangers, but the real thing. Bright and unrestrained. Hansol felt his chest tighten.

Once upon a time, he had been the one who could make her laugh like that. Now, he was just the guy glaring at Minghao from across the table like a moody teenager.

His thoughts spiraled. What did they even have in common? Minghao wasn't much of a talker, and yet here they were, sharing jokes like old friends. It wasn't fair.

"Hello...?" Wonwoo's voice cut through the fog again, followed by a gentle nudge to Hansol's side.

Hansol snapped his head toward him, his scowl deepening.

Wonwoo followed his line of sight, piecing it together instantly. He smirked. "Why're you glaring at Hao like he owes you money?"

Hansol tore his eyes away, grabbing a spoonful of rice like it might somehow make him look less obvious. "I'm not," he muttered.

"Really? 'Cause if looks could kill, Hao'd be in a coffin right now." Wonwoo's teasing was unrelenting, laced with a newly discovered sass that had Jeonghan's influence written all over it.

Hansol rolled his eyes,"Quit it, Dude," he snapped, his tone sharper than he intended.

Wonwoo raised a brow, surprised, but decided to let it go. The group's laughter at the other end of the table drowned out the tension between them.

Hansol's jaw clenched as his gaze darted back toward Nabi. She and Minghao were laughing again, this time joined by Jun. The sound grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

"Do they have to be so fucking loud?" he muttered under his breath, though it was loud enough for Wonwoo to catch.

"Why do you care?" Wonwoo quipped, his smirk returning.

Hansol shrugged, "It's just annoying."

"Sure," Wonwoo drawled, his voice thick with sarcasm. He turned his attention back to the group, leaving Hansol to stew in his own turmoil.

The table's chatter was interrupted by Nabi's voice, soft yet commanding enough to silence the room.

"Wait."

Everyone turned to her, curious. Hansol's grip on his spoon tightened.

"How did you all meet?" she asked, tilting her head. The question was innocent enough, but there was a hint of suspicion in her tone.

Jeonghan, ever the smooth talker, smiled warmly. "We're just university friends," he said, his voice casual. "Met them my freshman year before I got into the idol industry."

For a moment, Nabi seemed satisfied with the answer. But Hansol wasn't.

His eyes widened as he stared at Jeonghan. What the hell? University friends? That was a blatant lie, and everyone at the table knew it.

Jun, Wonwoo, and Minghao exchanged confused glances but stayed quiet. Jeonghan always had a plan, and they trusted him to execute it. Still, the tension in the air was palpable.

Nabi's brow furrowed slightly. "Oh..." she murmured, her tone unreadable.

Hansol's mind raced. Why was Jeonghan lying? Did he think Nabi didn't know who they were? And if she didn't, why hadn't anyone told her? The questions piled up faster than he could process them.

Nabi's gaze drifted across the table, pausing on each boy before landing on Hansol.

Their eyes met, and the air between them shifted. It was as if the entire room faded into the background, leaving just the two of them.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. His stare was intense, his dark eyes shadowed by his hair, but there was a vulnerability there too—something raw and unspoken.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Neither of them wanted to.

Nabi's heart ached. She couldn't help but wonder: if things had been different, if she hadn't been so reckless, would this simple interaction still hurt this much?

The sound of Jeonghan's voice snapped them both out of their trance. "Anyway," he said, smoothly steering the conversation back to safer ground.

Hansol looked away first, his jaw tightening. The moment was over, but the weight of it lingered.

Nabi tore her gaze from him, forcing a smile as she tried to rejoin the group's conversation. But in the back of her mind, one thought remained: something about all of this felt off. And no matter how painful it was, she was determined to figure it out.

𝗷𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆