ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ

【27】

it was a crisp spring afternoon when yunho texted the group, suggesting they meet up at the new café in the city. the air smelled fresh, and flowers were starting to bloom all over, making it the perfect time for a catch-up. everyone was excited, especially seonghwa, who always loved the soft, pastel vibes of spring.

and now, here they were, crammed into a tiny cafe with aesthetically pleasing furniture, warm lighting, and an old record player spinning soft jazz in the corner.

"see, i have good taste," yunho says, sipping his iced americano.

"you just got lucky," wooyoung snorts. "you probably didn't even check the menu before sending the link."

yunho shrugs. "so what if i didn't?"

mingi, who's been quiet since they sat down, finally speaks. "it's nice," he says, voice soft. "i like it."

yunho glances at him, something unreadable in his expression, but he just nods. "yeah. me too."

"this place is so nice," seonghwa said, looking around, his voice soft. "it has that spring feel to it, you know? so fresh and bright."

san, as calm as always, looked out the window, his serene smile giving off a sense of peace. wooyoung, however, was his usual loud self, grinning ear to ear as he scanned the menu. jongho gave a quiet nod as he took his place beside san, while yeosang, ever the enigma, sat across from wooyoung, his expression unreadable but his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"wooyoung, could you tone it down a little?" jongho said with a smirk, pulling out a chair to sit down.

"i can't help it," wooyoung chuckled loudly, throwing his arms around san. "everything's so cute here! it's like i'm in a spring dream."

"you're acting like a kid in a candy store," yeosang teased, leaning back in his chair.

"don't be jealous, yeosang," wooyoung grinned, his voice louder than necessary. "you should try smiling more. summers coming up!"

seonghwa notices the way mingi keeps his gaze down, stirring his drink too much. the way yunho keeps fidgeting with his sleeve. something's weird.

but before he can say anything, yeosang abruptly leans over the table and steals a piece of wooyoung's pastry.

"HEY—"

"you weren't eating it."

"i was saving it."

"not my problem."

wooyoung launches himself at yeosang, who cackles and dodges, nearly knocking over jongho's drink. jongho just sighs, like he's used to this (he is). san, being the only responsible one, pulls wooyoung back before he can do any real damage.

the group laughed, the air light and warm as they ordered drinks and pastries. seonghwa and hongjoong shared their plans for the weekend, discussing possible summer beach days. wooyoung kept cracking jokes, his energy infectious, while jongho and san simply enjoyed the moment, their calming presence grounding everyone.

"i'm feeling adventurous," yeosang suddenly said, interrupting their conversation with his usual cool demeanor. "there's a arcade nearby. i heard they've got the craziest claw machines."