Static

Chapter One

So much had changed, in so little a time.

He wasn't even sure how the hell it happened, or when the change all began to take effect. It seemed like one day, he blinked and in the next moment his entire world had shifted, was no longer what he knew, wanted it to be.

It seemed like one day, he woke up and every single one of his friends were gone.

Jun Pyo was busy touring most parts of Korea, fulfilling his role and inescapable fate as Shinhwa heir - not that he was escaping it lately. Ji Hoo and Jan Di both moved closer to Shinhwa University to prepare for pursuing a promising (for him) and difficult (for her) career in medicine. Yi Jung had gone to Sweden, perhaps to look for ways to improve himself and his skills as a potter, perhaps also to look for his own path and purpose in life.

Only Woo Bin had remained rooted to where he was. Unsurprising, since his life was mostly grounded, built, constructed here. He had the freedom to come and go as he pleased, of course, but always, always, he had to come back. Chose to come back. Where else was he supposed to be?

The world had yielded, shifted, changed, all in too short a span of time. So why the hell did Woo Bin feel as though, unlike all his friends, he merely remained immobile, stoic, static against the fast moving tides?

Phone calls among friends were frequent, but it could never compare to their physical presence - which made their absence even more pronounced. Hell, he missed them, every single one of them, though his arm would have to be twisted out of its socket and a bullet put into his mouth before he admitted that thought out loud - even to himself. They all punctuated their phone calls with invitations to visit their respective locations, but laughingly Woo Bin declined and dismissed each one, claimed that he had things to do, too, and ended the connections with, Yo you take care, all right? I'll know if you don't; I have eyes over where you are. Don't ask.

It was mostly true; Woo Bin's family had underground connections everywhere, and could readily move outside their jurisdiction if ever he gave the word. Such was the power of Woo Bin's family, and admittedly one of the benefits of being a mafia lord's son. However, his father was likely to retire soon, though soon was too vague a term that could mean anytime between the next hour and the next decade. Which meant his obligations, unlike Jun Pyo's, could wait for some time more - or not, depending on his father's health and mental aptitude.

Which, nowadays, remained as sharp and shrewd as ever.

Perhaps he should be responsible enough to take his mantle on today; his father was not getting younger, and neither was he. And in their world, loyalty, respect, fear had to be earned, worked for, never handed on a single platter because he was born an heir - and currently, Woo Bin's name only held an iota of power compared to his father's. Worthless, in the face of what could be, what he could have.

Working now would also give him a path and purpose that would help fill his seemingly empty, aimless days.

...no, would be his next thought, so soon after the first one came. And he would rub his temples in frustration because really, where did that initial thought even come from? Tomorrow. I'll be more responsible tomorrow.

It was hard to have fun and be responsible at the same time, after all.

It was an accident, really, that he managed to spot her among the crowd at all. He was on his way to one of the most exclusive clubs in the area, phone in hand and laughing at the irritation in Yi Jung's voice ("time differences, goddamnit man, why are you calling me at this hour? don't you know I've-") when he thought he saw a familiar figure turn the corner. Woo Bin straightened in his seat, strained forward to see if his hunch was correct.