Leal [Minwon]

Chapter 3- Chasing Illusions

The winter winds whip through New York City, biting at Mingyu's cheeks as he pulls his scarf tighter around his neck. He shivers as he steps out of the subway station, the familiar chill of Manhattan hitting him full force. The air feels sharp, crisp with the promise of snow, and even though he's grown used to the harshness of New York winters after four and a half years, the cold still finds ways to seep into his bones.

But today is different. Today, he's not rushing to work or running late to some last-minute shoot. There are no deadlines hanging over his head, no clients waiting impatiently for his photos. He's free for the day, and the relief is palpable in his body, loosening the tension in his shoulders as he walks through the bustling streets.

Mingyu's never been one for tourist traps.

Despite having lived in New York for years now, he rarely ventures into the crowded chaos of Midtown. The hidden gems of Brooklyn and the quieter, more artful corners of the Bronx have always called to him more, offering a sense of discovery, a slower pace where he can explore through the lens of his camera without feeling like he's being swept away by the city's relentless rush.

But today isn't about that. Today, Jeonghan and Joshua—his co-workers, friends, the two who always manage to coax him out of his comfort zone—have insisted on meeting him in the heart of Times Square. Of all places.

As soon as he steps into the swarm of people, the flashing lights, the cacophony of tourists and street performers, he feels the urge to retreat. His first instinct is to turn around and hop back on the subway, head straight for the quiet of Bushwick, where life moves a little slower and the streets feel more like home. But he pushes down that instinct, forcing himself to stay.

You can handle this, he thinks, tightening his grip on his camera strap.

He navigates his way through the streets, dodging people as he makes his way toward the coffee shop where Jeonghan and Joshua are waiting. They're already outside when he spots them, leaning casually against a railing, their faces lighting up as soon as they see him.

"Mingyu!" Jeonghan calls out, his voice bright over the noise, and within seconds, they're both pulling him into a hug. Joshua's arms wrap around him from one side, Jeonghan from the other, the warmth of their bodies seeping through Mingyu's layers of clothes.

For a moment, Mingyu relaxes into the embrace, letting out a quiet sigh. It feels good, grounding even, to be surrounded by people who know him so well, who can read him like an open book even when he wishes they couldn't. But as he pulls back, his gaze drifts upward, and suddenly, everything inside him freezes.

There, looming over them on the giant screen of a Times Square billboard, is Wonwoo.

Mingyu's heart skips a beat, the breath catching in his throat.

He shouldn't be surprised. After all, he was the one who took that very photo—the one plastered across the billboard, larger than life, for all of New York to see. It's one of his best shots, Wonwoo posed elegantly in a sleek Saint Laurent suit, his face angled just right, his expression soft yet commanding. Mingyu remembers every detail of that shoot with painful clarity—how his hands had trembled slightly as he framed each shot, how Wonwoo had looked into the camera with an intensity that still haunts Mingyu in his dreams.

He had known this day would come, known that Wonwoo's face would eventually appear across the city as his career soared to new heights. But knowing and seeing are two different things.

Seeing Wonwoo's face, beautiful and distant, larger than life, hits Mingyu like a punch to the gut. He feels an odd mix of pride and pain swell up inside him, battling for space in his chest. Pride, because Wonwoo has made it—he's succeeded in ways Mingyu had always known he would. And pain, because Wonwoo's success only reminds him of how far they've come apart.