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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yeonjin didn't want to wait for nighttime to arrive so that she could be relieved of her duties and assist wooyoung in deciding what he wanted to do next.
it was barely half-past seven, and she had already closed her shop for the day. soon after, she dragged hana and wooyoung all the way upstairs, where wooyoung entered yeonjin's house for the first time. her house, though compact, had a hint of love to it.
the funky patterned sofa they sat on in the living room was brown, patchworked with various patterns including florals, random shapes, and paisley prints in deep purples, oranges, and greens. wooyoung could tell at a glance that it was one of yeonjin's creations. she had a habit of picking up random hobbies and abandoning them once boredom set in—perhaps the decorations on the sofa were a product of one of those moments.
she had a concerning collection of mugs, and perhaps she had too many to keep them all in the kitchen, given that some of them were mounted on colourful shelves on the wall. the coffee table in front of them was also quite intriguing. its base was made of asymmetrical wood, and the tabletop was a mosaic of ceramic tiles in a rainbow of colours that surrounded a polished glass centre. tiny charms, colourful buttons, and shiny glass beads were scattered all over the surface.
the wall behind them was almost entirely covered in eccentric paintings and portraits. wooyoung felt strangely at ease in the space, despite the fact that it was clearly overcrowded. perhaps it was because yeonjin's presence was comforting, and being in a room full of things that screamed her name made him feel even more secure. it was as if she had left her mark on every object and piece in the space. what piqued wooyoung's interest was not the strange decor or the even stranger warmth—it was the fact that, for some reason, he expected yeonjin's house to be flashy. she had the most expensive car in town after all; wasn't that a reasonable assumption?
"eat slowly," jongho shook his head at yeonjin, "your food's not going to run away from you."
jongho was sitting on the ground next to yeonjin, his untied apron resting on his lap. wooyoung was gradually allowing himself to accept the idea that people did care about him and that he was not alone in his misery. hence, he had the decency to inform jongho of his plans, especially since his interaction with yeosang had served as a reminder of how he'd been ignoring his own best friends all along.
wooyoung had once considered jongho, yeosang, and hongjoong to be his entire world. even though one person was missing, he still had jongho and yeosang by his side. he was determined to repair his seemingly irreparable relationship with them.
jongho's reaction to his revelation was, unsurprisingly, similar to the girls'. he, too, questioned whether it was a good idea to begin fixing things so late, given the missed timing and opportunities. nonetheless, at the end of the day, he only wanted the best for wooyoung. as always.
his sentimental thoughts were interrupted by the sound of yeonjin's obnoxious loud chewing as she ate a chicken leg from the box that jongho had brought from his shop for them to share. her sleeves were rolled up and her hair was tied back to maximise comfort while she devoured the meat like a hungry animal. wooyoung quickly realised that food was the only way to silence yeonjin.
