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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"i knew it," mingi slammed his fist on the round table, acting strangely correct when he was anything but. "i told you guys. it was all a lie. wooyoung is not that type of person, is he?" he kicked one leg over the other and smugly crossed his arms, causing san's upper lip to twitch in irritation.
"really?" san challenged, leaning across the table. "do you want me to repeat what you said a few weeks ago, or do you still remember it?"
mingi cleared his throat and slightly backed up. "i don't know what you're talking about."
with a disapproving shake of his head, san leaned back in his seat. the scene in front of him felt like déjà vu. they were huddled together at nine a.m. in jongho's chicken shop, with yet another article about wooyoung open on the phone in the centre of the table.
it seemed like an eternity since the news first broke. san vividly remembered everything everyone had said back then, including their expressions, hana's breakdown, and yeonjin's tirade. most importantly, he remembered his feelings. he remembered the fear and piercing sadness that washed over him in waves, and he remembered feeling trapped because he didn't know how long things would be that way.
weeks felt like centuries, and choi san was finally seeing the day that wooyoung got the justice he deserved. for the second time that year, everyone was talking about jung wooyoung. his name was on every headline, every news channel, on the tip of everyone's tongue.
wooyoung was most likely overwhelmed at the time, unsure how to respond to the tsunami of love and support. but san was happy. a dark cloud that had quietly followed him for days had vanished, and things were no longer black and white.
"it's a relief that people are finally opening their eyes," said seonghwa, setting down his pepsi can. "i hope he's doing alright."
"you should be the last person to say that," mingi scoffed, looking at him in disbelief. "weren't you the one that was so against believing wooyoung back then?"
"he's a lawyer, you genius," yeosang said with no expression on his face. "his job is to sit on the fence until actual evidence is laid out. how about you, mingi? what's your excuse?"
"right?!" seonghwa exclaimed, visibly stunned by yeosang's unexpected words of support. regardless of his own feelings, yeosang was always a good judge of character.
"anyways," yunho interjected. "let's consider it a relief that all misunderstandings have been resolved for an old schoolmate of ours. despite the fact that most of us were never particularly close to him, he deserves this. we should be happy for him."
san couldn't help but chuckle as he moved his gaze around the table. things were definitely brighter when the situation wasn't as serious as a scandal rife with false allegations.
the bells at the door chimed as a young couple entered. they let their gaze wander around the shop, visibly perplexed by the fact that there was no one else there besides the boys at the table. nonetheless, they sat at a table near the windows.
