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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curious eyes followed wooyoung's every step as he walked towards the empty seat between hongjoong and jongho.
the silence would have been almost deafening if wooyoung hadn't chosen to pretend that this was normal; that meeting all these familiar faces was nothing new for him, that he did it every other weekend of his life. the thought of it was comforting, and the prospect of it being true was compelling.
"wooyoung?" mingi finally managed to speak, his eyes still wide as saucers. "is that really you?"
"you have eyes, don't you?" seonghwa clicked his tongue and picked up his jug of beer. "who else could it be? jungkook?"
yunho, who was also disoriented, suddenly leaned forward to study wooyoung's face.
"there's no way," he gasped, his voice barely a whisper, the disbelief in his tone apparent.
yeonjin pulled a chair from another table, setting it next to wooyoung in the small area that was available, the sound of its screeching tickling his ears.
wooyoung could feel his heart pounding, his nerves dancing on edge. despite his attempt at appearing calm and collected, his insides were a bundle of tension.
"it's really me," he said with a small, tentative smile, trying to ease the awkwardness. "surprised?"
"of course!" yunho answered without hesitation.
his hand, which had previously hovered over his mouth, now chose to point fingers at everybody else. "but what's with the looks on your faces? why aren't any of you surprised?"
wooyoung stifled a laugh and, before anyone could defend him, spoke up again.
"i've actually been around for a while," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "but i couldn't see any of you, for obvious reasons. sorry for keeping it a secret," his eyes remained fixed on the table, too embarrassed to meet anyone's gaze. "but i'm glad i came here today."
"so you've met most of these fuckers already?!" mingi scoffed, visibly offended. he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "wow. so much for friendship."
"can you stop being so dramatic? he's a celebrity, for the love of god. do you think he's in a position to walk around town and announce his arrival?" yeonjin added distastefully, scanning the table for food before returning her gaze to jongho. "what are you waiting for? bring me another plate of chicken!"
mingi backed up due to the volume of her voice, which was louder than their combined laughter. "jeez," his voice was strained as he cleared his throat, "what a scary woman."
"i'm glad you're aware," yeonjin retorted, seemingly unwilling to let go. "and what's with those sunglasses on your hair?! do you know what time it is?"
while the two argued, seonghwa, who did not appear to be interested or involved in the conversation, quietly slid his own full plate of fried chicken in yeonjin's direction, attempting to be as discreet as possible.
