Horizon | C.JH , K.YS | rewrite

{11}

A/N: hiii hellooo! i truly have the wattpad author curse (i dislocated my knee and broke my shoulder again woopppsss) dont worry, i have since recovered (ish) from these minor setbacks, and i plan on making my comeback! since uni's starting back up, my schedule's been set and now i have set times to write and publish. im sooooooooooooooo sorry for all these silly little delays, but im back now :3. and yes, ive seen your comments and i appreciate them greatly! unfortunately, i just havent had the time to respond to them, and i keep forgetting (pls forgive me). but for now, spaghettidestroyer is back and ready to gogogogogogogogogo (i also saw ateez in toronto on august 8th and nearly died of excitement)

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Yeosang descended the stairs, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. The clock had just passed 2 PM, but even after seven hours of sleep, he still felt the weight of exhaustion clinging to him. Maybe it was because of the long conversation with Jongho that lasted until the early hours, or maybe he was just drained in general. Either way, fatigue hung over him like a cloud.

Laughter echoed from the kitchen, loud and unmistakable. It had to be Wooyoung—Yeosang could tell without a doubt.

"Yah, Yeosang is here!" Mingi's cheerful voice rang out as he pointed at him, grinning widely.

Gathered around the table were Wooyoung, Seonghwa, Mingi, and San, along with another guy Yeosang didn't recognize. Still, he relaxed—he was sure this stranger was a friend too.

"Yeosangie! Finally awake!" Wooyoung clapped his hands together, beaming with his usual exuberance.

Suddenly, all eyes were on him. Seonghwa flashed him a warm smile and greeted him, "Good afternoon."

"Did you sleep well?" Seonghwa asked kindly.

Yeosang let out a hum, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not really. Couldn't sleep much last night, so I woke up late. Ended up having a couple cups of your tea. Hope you don't mind..."

He glanced around the table, realising that Jongho wasn't there. The absence struck him more than he expected. Where had Jongho gone after their talk this morning?

Seonghwa waved it off with a smile. "Don't worry about it. Feel free to help yourself whenever you want. No one but me drinks it anyway."

Yeosang returned Seonghwa's smile as he slid into the seat between him and San. The smell of lunch filled the air, and as they settled into conversation, the table's atmosphere felt relaxed and easy.

"Right," Mingi suddenly cleared his throat, draping his arm around the shoulders of the guy next to him.

Yeosang studied the unfamiliar face beside Mingi. The guy had a vibe that was both warm and strong, like a golden retriever disguised as a badass. He seemed friendly enough despite his tough exterior, and Yeosang couldn't help but be curious.

"This is Yunho, my best friend—the guy I've been telling you about!" Mingi grinned, pulling Yunho closer until their cheeks were squished together in a playful show of affection.

Yunho chuckled and shook his head, though he didn't resist the embrace. He exuded an easygoing confidence, and Yeosang had to admit, Yunho was just as attractive as the rest of them.

"No need to show off that much, Mingus," Yunho teased, his tone lighthearted.

Turning his attention to Yeosang, Yunho offered a friendly smile. "Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Yunho, but I guess you already knew that."

Yeosang returned the smile. "I'm Yeosang. Nice to meet you too."

As the conversation flowed, Yeosang quietly joined them for lunch, savouring the bulgogi that someone had prepared. It was delicious, yet his mind was distracted, preoccupied with something he couldn't shake. The bustling of maids and butlers around them went unnoticed as he mulled over Jongho's absence. Four members of Horizon sat around the table, and Yeosang knew there were supposed to be six. Jongho was nowhere to be seen, and though Yeosang didn't want to seem overly curious, something about it kept nagging at him.