Chapter Text
༺❀༻
oliver's protector no.I
@whokilledmybaby
are there other people stuck at level 46 in mayhem or im the only idiot?
11:45 P.M. • April 7, 2023 • 5.6K Views
10 Retweets 11 Quotes 29 Likes
manifesting jww selfie @jwws_husband • 3 min
Replying to @whokilledmybabyyou reached 46? how did you solve the thing with the drink from 44?
oliver's protector no.1 @whokilledmybaby • 2 min
go back to yoon's room, ask him to see the book from the shelf and a teabag will fall. bring that to the kitchen and let the maid do it. drink that. there a no. on the bottom use it to unlock the safe
manifesting jww selfie @jwws_bride • 1 min
omfg i thought that option was just put there to fill the screen?
Show replies
bernnie
@vernonline
why no one talks about CaratLand in here
11:46 A.M. • April 7, 2023 • 17K Views
174 Retweets 63 Quotes 568 Likes
currently at 71 cats in C… @feat.dino • 2 min
Replying to @vernonlineCaratLand is miles better than mayhem…
proud carat @lunatic_8 • 1 min
THISS RIGHT HERE!!!
───
Born Tiger @ho5hi_kwon • 1 min
Replying to @vernonline@vernonline IM ABOUT TO ROCK YOUR SHIT !!!
jww Retweeted
The Land of My People
@jww_games
NEW UPDATE FOR CARATLAND TOMORROW MORNING 10.00 !! Get ready to meet new friends !!!
11:50 A.M. • April 7, 2023 • 715K Views
197K Retweets 95K Quotes 153K Likes
currently at 71 cats in C… @feat.dino • 6 min
Replying to @jww_gamesIn the wise words of Benedit Cucumberth: “Cats!”
───
Born Tiger @ho5hi_kwon • 3 min
Replying to @jww_gamesCARATLAND SUPREMACY !!! CARATLAND SUPREMACY !!!!
Born Tiger @ho5hi_kwon • 1 min
@vernonline !!!!
Show replies
yoonzino🕶
@jeonghaniyoo_n
Friends would betray you faster than your enemies could.
00:00 P.M. • April 8, 2023 • 3.8K Views
78 Retweets 97 Quotes 5.6K Likes
Woozi @woozi_universefactory • 1 min
Replying to @jeonghaniyoo_nWas that supposed to make sense or??
───
Kim Mingyu @min9yu_k • 1min
Replying to @jeonghaniyoo_ni told you im sorry!! i didn't know!!
mind over body
@sounds_of_coups
LoooL
00:03 P.M. • April 8, 2023 • 34K Views
1k Retweets 154 Quotes 74K Likes
mayhem enthusiast
@Msb_143
@everyone_woo im losing my mind ive been looking everywhere how the fuvk do i get over level 46?
00:07 A.M. • April 7, 2023 • 86K Views
6K Retweets 1.4K Quotes 34K Likes
manifesting jww selfie @jwws_bride • 5 min
Replying to @Msb_143@everyone_woo
───
oliver's protector no.1 @whokilledmybaby • 2 min
Replying to @Msb_143@everyone_woo
Show replies
jww
@everyone_woo
Why are so many of you stuck on 46? Have you guys searched the coat's pockets yet?
00:31 A.M. • April 8, 2023 • 987K Views
85K Retweets 97k Quotes 146K Likes
mayhem enthusiast @Msb_143 • 2 min
Replying to @everyone_wooTHE FUCKING RECEIPT!!! why did Oliver even buy that thing??
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gigi @museumoffears • 1 min
Replying to @everyone_wooWhat if Oliver was allergic to strawberries and thats why he died??
oliver's protector no.1 @whokilledmybaby • 2 min
Does strawberry bubblegum even count? Can people be allergic to bubblegum?
Show replies
moon's🔒
@Hao_o
whomever needs the reminder: you have a meeting early in the morning tomorrow. maybe you should go to sleep !!
00:35 A.M. • April 8, 2023 • 8 Views
Retweets 6 Quotes 5 Likes
(ming)haos' lover @junhui_moon • 4 min
Replying to @Hao_oThat's so cute of you!!! I don't have one though
moon's🔒 @Hao_o • 2 min
u go to sleep anyway
(ming)haos' lover @junhui_moon • 2 min
Come cuddle me
moon's🔒 @Hao_o • 1 min
no
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Kim Mingyu @min9yu_k • 3 min
Replying to @Hao_othnk u i almost forgot 😭
moon's🔒 @Hao_o • 1 min
it wasn't for u though 🤔
Show replies
the cats get me🔒
@onetwo_wonu
What's the easiest way to get rid of a body?
00:39 A.M. • April 8, 2023 • 5 Views
Retweets 6 Quotes 3 Likes
(ming)haos' lover @junhui_moon • 3 min
Replying to @onetwo_wonuHaha!! Why do u need to know that? 🤣🤣
the cats get me 🔒 @onetwo_wonu • 2 min
.
(ming)haos' lover @junhui_moon • 1 min
That's understandable gave a night nice
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Born Tiger @ho5hi_kwon • 3 min
Replying to @onetwo_wonuburn them ! make fireworks from their ashes ! fire them up in the night !
Woozi @woozi_universefactory • 1 min
You concern me
Born Tiger @ho5hi_kwon • 1 min
come kiss me about it then
Joshua H.
@joshu_acoustic
Go to sleep!!!!!!!!
00:45 A.M. • April 8, 2023 • 76K Views
1K Retweets 31k Quotes 3K Likes
Kim Mingyu @min9yu_k • 1min
Replying to @joshu_acousticokay mum
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Kwannie @pledis_boos • 2 min
Replying to @joshu_acousticOk, mum!
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(ming)haos' lover @junhui_moon • 2 min
Replying to @joshu_acousticKay, mum
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king arthur @dk_is_dokyeom • 1min
Replying to @joshu_acousticGoodnight ❤
Joshua H. @joshu_acoustic • 1 min
❤ Goodnight!
༺❀༻
Kim Mingyu
@min9yu_k
what the fick wht yhe fsc wtf
11:01 A.M. • April 8, 2023 • 364K Views
21K Retweets 41k Quotes 67K Likes
mingyu's left tit @kimminkyu • 5 min
Replying to @min9yu_kme when mingyu exist:
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yoonzino🕶 @jeonghaniyoo_n • 4 min
Replying to @min9yu_kI hope your day gets worse 😊
Kim Mingyu @min9yu_k • 1 min
it was u] did u do it?
Show replies
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s.coups sport model kmg 🤤 @kmgwrld • 3 min
Replying to @min9yu_kGo off king!!!
that one gym video of kmg @04p4 • 2 min
isnt he having some sort of a panic attack?!
Show replies
༺❀༻
[To: Hey, Josh]
i cabt log into my yt acc
i think someone hacked it
do ypu know what i should do?
jeonghan doesnt want to help
[From: Hey, Josh]
I was just gonna say to go to him
[To: Hey, Josh]
i even tried to bribe him with money
i think hes still mad about the thing with scoups sports
but how was i supposed to know the boss of it is his enemy or wthv?!?
i wouldn't've done the phtshoot if i knew
and now someone hacked my acc?
jeonghan said it wasnt him but im not sure yet
and i have to post a video tmrr
what im a gonna do??
[From: Hey, Josh]
I have a friend who's good at computers and stuff
Maybe he can help
[To: Hey, Josh]
i could kiss you rn
yes pleaseeeee
[From: Hey, Josh]
(contact number: Jeon Wonwoo)
He might not see the texts till tomorrow though
[To:Hey, Josh]
thnk u thnk u thnk u
[From: Hey, Josh]
He's a lazy texter
But I'll send him a message too, to let him know you'll contact him
Don't say/do anything stupid, Mingyu!
༺❀༻
[To: Jeon Wonwoo]
Hello!
I heard you are good with technolgy
I was wondering if yu could help me with something?
You*
technology*
fuck
Hi!
Im Kim Mingyu btw
Hi!
Hi?
Hello?
༺❀༻
[To: oikawa wannabe]
at least can u help me find someone
?
[From: oikawa wannabe]
Who
[To: oikawa wannabe]
shua said his name is jeon woonoo
jeon wonwoo*
[From: oikawa wannabe]
Oh, how interesting!
Let me see what i can do 😊
[To: oikawa wannabe]
i just need his twt or smth to talk with him pls
unless u changed ur mind?
[From: oikawa wannabe]
(smashes your head on walls) No, I don't think so 😊
[To: oikawa wannabe]
pls get help
༺❀༻
There were two matters troubling Wonwoo at that very moment. The man that appeared at his door, unexpectedly, and his phone.
He couldn't find it. He'd looked through all his apartment, searched every room— the phone couldn't be found.
It shouldn't have bothered Wonwoo that much. He'd never been one to use it frequently in the first place— Junhui always liked to pester Wonwoo about how he was never answering their calls or texts on time; about how Wonwoo should start getting his phone off the silent mode.
Maybe Junhui was onto something. Maybe Wonwoo should start taking better care of his phone. Keep it in his pocket, at least. Near him.
Wonwoo was sure he'd had it with him that morning when he went to the meeting. He'd noted on it some details about the new game to show Minghao the next morning. Wonwoo knew he'd done that, too.
Minghao had even noticed the hour shown on his Notes app, and Wonwoo had to make up a reason for why he was awake at 4 in the night when he should've been asleep. Apparently ‘I couldn't sleep’ wasn't the right one.
‘I was worried they wouldn't like the new game’ was much more appreciated, as the truth tends to be. But it meant that Wonwoo had to endure being cooed over, as well as a bone-crushing hug that lasted more seconds than he would've liked— Soonyoung didn't let him go until Jihoon had pointed out that Wonwoo was slowly losing his consciousness.
Then Wonwoo had come home. He'd taken a nap. He'd woken up and worked a little, even though he had nothing much to work on. Searched for his phone. Which was nowhere. Gone to sleep once more, without thinking he'd actually need the phone too soon.
Alright, so maybe Wonwoo hadn't searched for it so diligently. It didn't change the fact that Wonwoo could use the safeness of knowing he was one call away from escaping great harm, right that moment.
“What did you say you need me for?” Wonwoo asked. He hadn't paid attention to a word the man in front of him had said.
The matter with his phone kept his mind kind of busy. Wonwoo thought he'd feel a little more… guarded, to say so, if he'd have the device on him. Maybe the man wouldn't seem so intimidating, then. Because he kind of was. Intimidating, and also…
This was the second matter that was troubling Wonwoo.
Not only was the man talking like he was racing against the speed of sound, making it impossible for Wonwoo to keep up with whatever he was saying (Wonwoo wasn't usually so inattentive in a conversation, but he had just gotten out the bed five minutes ago, when the doorbell woke him up)— the man was also quite distracting.
The man was hot.
Wonwoo had never been one to lose his composure around anyone, much less so in front of a man. But this individual had come so startlingly into Wonwoo's life.
He wasn't expecting anyone to visit him today, let alone this mysterious man with his… black squared sunglasses obscuring his eyes, black mask pulled under his chin, his hair tucked inside a rich blue beanie— he should've come across as a clown. He didn't.
Even so— even with his face half-covered, wearing the ugliest piece of clothing that Wonwoo had ever seen (what the fuck was wrong with his pants?) — the man was hot.
Wonwoo fleetingly thought if he was about to be murdered. He wondered if it was too late to close the door, now.
“I— I just told you.”
True enough. Since Wonwoo had answered the door, the other had been talking.
And talking.
And talking— Wonwoo presumed he really liked to hear himself. In no way would he be expecting other people to try to understand his seemingly endless palaver. Wonwoo hadn't even caught his name in all the babbling he'd done.
“Someone got my account and I can't log into it anymore. I want you to hack it back.”
The man was also stupid, Wonwoo came to see.
“‘Hack it back’?” he wondered mostly to himself.
“Yeah! Joshua— You know Joshua, right? Hong Joshua? It'd be weird if you didn't because obviously, he knows you. I mean, he told me you're good with computers and stuff?” The man stopped. He looked expectantly at Wonwoo.
Wonwoo looked at him right back, blinking slowly in confusion. For a moment, Wonwoo forgot he was acting as a part of the conversation. For a moment, Wonwoo thought the other would fill in for Wonwoo's replies as well.
Apparently no.
“I work with them, yes?!” Wonwoo said after he cleared his throat. It didn't make much of a difference. The words still came out hoarsely out of his mouth.
“Oh, that's cool,” the man said. He couldn't sound more uninterested even if he tried, Wonwoo thought. “So you can do it, then?”
Wonwoo blinked sluggishly. Maybe he was still drowsy. Maybe he should've slept some more. He couldn't make sense of the curse of the conversation.
“Do what?” Wonwoo asked.
“Well, you know— Break into my account to get it back.”
“I'm not a— a hacker or whatever, though,” Wonwoo stumbled over the words. “I don't break into people's accounts or anything. I never did something like that before.”
Well, that was actually a lie. Wonwoo had broken into Soonyoung's Instagram account just last year, when he'd posted that one cursed photo for Wonwoo's birthday, to delete it. But it wasn't like he'd hacked it or anything. Soonyoung just happened to be the type that wrote down his passwords to not forget them; Wonwoo was an avid reader.
The little skin showing on this man's face scrunched up. In confusion? Irritation?
“So what? You're useless, then?”
Oh, there it is. The true nature of man.
“Good- fucking- bye!”
Who exactly was this rude, disrespectful person, in the first place, and why did Joshua send him Wonwoo's way? Had Wonwoo done something to piss the other off? Was this his way of punishing him?
Wonwoo didn't remember doing anything to get Joshua so mad at him that he'd have strangers coming at his door to belittle him.
Later, though— Wonwoo would have to think about what he'd done and didn't later. Now he needed to get this man out of his face.
Wonwoo put his hand on the door's handle and tried to push the door closed with little success. The man, too, put his hands on the door and pushed. He was stronger, Wonwoo could give him that, but Wonwoo was stubborner. He would close this door, even if it was the last thing he'd do.
“No wait, please! Listen to— Fuck, don't push the door on my foot,” the man shouted.
Wonwoo had listened enough, already. He wasn't obligated to humour anyone anymore.
He pushed harder with his palms on the door, but the other had his foot in between, now. Wonwoo would've been more cautious about injuring the man if he wasn't already feeling so furious with him.
And a little wary. He wondered if he should glue the phone on him from now on. He could use a call to the Police Station right about now. The man was trying to break into his house, at that point. Maybe this was indeed the way Wonwoo would have to go. He hoped Joshua would feel forever guilty for his death, then.
“It wasn't meant to come like that— Can you stop pushing the fucking door for a second?”
“Get lost!” Wonwoo hissed from behind the door. He pushed his knee into the hard wood, too; it dug uncomfortably on his naked skin.
“I— Okay, alright, I'm going, but just—”
“Now!”
When the other let go of the door, Wonwoo was propelled forwards, as hard as he was holding onto it. His head banged a little on the wood, his glasses sloping down his nose. His knee felt a little itchy, but Wonwoo paid it no mind.
He stood like that, clinging to the door, for some more minutes. He was breathing heavily through his nose, be it for the exercises he just did or the scare he experienced, Wonwoo wasn't sure. Maybe both the reasons made his breathing harboured. He took some deep breaths through his mouth, then got away from the door.
Wonwoo made sure the lock was turned on before he marched back to his room.
How did this man even know where Wonwoo lived? He had never before met the other, how could he know so much about Wonwoo if that was the case, then?
Right, he needed the phone.
Wonwoo began looking for the device with much more vigour. Joshua had some questions to answer.
He found it in the pants he wore that day at the meeting. In the end, Wonwoo truly hadn't looked hard enough for the device the first time he'd searched for it.
Wonwoo unlocked it. There were a bunch of texts on his phone, some from an unknown number, others from his friends, as well as some missed calls. Wonwoo ignored them. He pressed on the conversation with Joshua.
[From: Shua]
Jeononu i gave ur number to one of my friends
He has some problems with his yt acc or smth
Pls respond if he call or text maybe u can help
Also
Pls call me later if u can I want to know how the meeting went
[To: Shua]
You gave him my home address, too?
[From: Shua]
nvm im calling u
༺❀༻
Mingyu was feeling like shit. He was feeling like utter shit. His ankle was hurting like a bitch. His brain was banging inside his head— it'd been pounding like that since he'd woken up, a sign that Mingyu's day was to be going on shitly since the start of it.
His alarm didn't ring that morning, which had made him arrive late to his schedule. As such, Mingyu had to sit through the embarrassing affair of being scolded by a mediocre advertising director with the expectations of a lustful film scenarist, about Mingyu's work ethic (or lack thereof). And as if the scolding wasn't enough, he had to sit through his agent's many complaints, too. Mingyu had told him exactly where he should've taken that long, unnecessary bossy harangue of his.
In accordance with the plans of some higher powers that decided that Mingyu was to have the worst day of his life that very day, when he'd tried to login into his Youtube account, Mingyu couldn't. His password wouldn't work.
Mingyu had suspected Jeonghan, initially. He'd thought Jeonghan got so angry with Mingyu having done that photoshoot for Scoups' Sport that he'd changed Mingyu's password. Just to mess with him.
But when Mingyu had accused Jeonghan about it, the other had laughed so hard on the phone, he'd knocked over some vase from his house. He'd then proceeded to put the blame on Mingyu, for whatever reasons.
So Jeonghan wasn't the one who'd done it, Mingyu could get behind that.
Plus, he was Mingyu's only solution for this crux that he found himself in the middle of. So he'd let Jeonghan laugh at him, and let him chide him for the broken vase that Jeonghan knocked over but who's fault for its fragmented state was somehow Mingyu's.
After Jeonghan had calmed down enough, Mingyu had asked him for help.
He wouldn't help him, though.
That's why Mingyu had become so desperate that afternoon (Why the fuck have you done that, Kim Mingyu?)— because no matter what Mingyu would try and promise to Jeonghan, the other couldn't be budged.
Unlike Mingyu, Jeonghan knew his way around a computer or anything Internet based, in the way that he knew to break into people's accounts and post embarrassing drafts from their TikTok in which they hurt themselves so bad while trying to catch a grape with their mouth that their nose started bleeding— not that it'd happened to Mingyu or anything. There was no evidence about that, Mingyu had made sure to delete it all.
Or not, because it'd never happened in the first place.
“Arhhh, whatever!” Mingyu groaned out, his hands messing up his hair, making it stick in odd angles.
So what if Jeonghan wouldn't help him? So what if Mingyu had embarrassed himself completely in front of a stranger? Whatever, worst case scenario, Mingyu would have to start another channel. He'll lose all his subscribers and his agent would have something to oppose to this, sure, but…
Whatever. Mingyu made it happen once, why not one more time?
He abruptly turned on his back, the bed squeaking under his weight. Minghao needed to change it. Mingyu wasn't sure if the bed would last much longer. Even now, when he was only sitting on it, the mattress had springs that were drilling into body.
He tried to move around, to find a comfortable enough position; but on his right side, the springs were stabbing in his ribs; on his left, his ankle was bothering him. Mingyu couldn't take it anymore.
He went out of Minghao's room.
“Yo,” his roommate greeted him when Mingyu got inside the kitchen.
Just great. If Minghao was there, it meant that that gremlin-boyfriend of his had to be nearby. Mingyu had still held hope that they'd gone out, when no one came to bother him after Minghao went to open the door some time ago. But of course it wasn't the case.
His roommate was sitting at the table, lazily eating from a sandwich while scribbling on his tablet. There were crumbs at his mouth, the corner of his lips stained with ketchup. Mingyu would've liked to reach and scrub Minghao's mouth until it was cleaned. Why was his friend such a messy eater?
Mingyu grunted his greeting, not keen on using his voice. He did too much talking for today. His mouth already got him in so much shit.
“Why are you walking so funny?”
Oh, there he was. The gremlin. Mingyu chose to ignore him. He went to get a bottle with water from the fridge.
“Shua's friend tried to break his leg,” Minghao was the one to answer. He still had food in his mouth. Mingyu felt his face making a face.
“Who?”
“I don't know. He didn't tell me.”
Mingyu moved to sit in front of Minghao, on one of the chairs encircling their table. He lifted his leg to take a look at his ankle. It still hurt so much, even if hours had passed since the incident.
“I think it'll bruise,” he whined, low-voicely. The skin from around the wound was puffed and sensitive, a little too discoloured for Mingyu's like.
He put the bottle on his ankle, the cool temperature of it making the little hairs from his body stand up. He hissed gently when his leg spasmed.
Maybe I'll not be allowed to do the photoshoots if I'll be bruised. Maybe it was not all in vain.
“You'll survive,” Minghao said through a bite from the sandwich he was eating. Mingyu didn't even have to glance at him to know the other hadn't looked away from his tablet yet.
“Was it Vernon?” Junhui curiously asked, rattling some pots on the furthest corner of the kitchen. Mingyu had long since stopped wondering why Minghao's boyfriend was more in their apartment then he was at his.
The sweet smell coming from inside the oven (Mingyu thoughts went straight to cupcakes) was a clue. A big one, if you were to ask Mingyu, who was known as a great cook (no one had complained about the taste of his meals before), but a disaster when it came to baking things.
Junhui was a pro, though. Junhui had his own bakery too, so maybe there was that as well.
Mingyu didn't have a bakery of his own. Mingyu was a… Whatever, Junhui was a keeper, that was the thing.
Even if he was just as meddlesome as his boyfriend.
“No, it's someone Mingyu didn't meet before. He called them ‘useless’.”
Why had Mingyu thought it to be a good idea to rant at Minghao about his encounter from earlier in the day when he came home? Couldn't he keep his mouth shut just once?
“Was it Chan? I don't think he met Chan yet.”
“How come you thought about Chan first when I said ‘useless’? Minghao asked.
“You said it? I didn't hear it,” Junhui said, having finished with washing the dishes. He came near Minghao. Junhui raised Minghao's face so the other would look up, and then gently swept his fingers over his lips to clean them. “Why are you so messy?”
Minghao batted his hands away. “I'm not, go away.”
“Was it him, though? Dino?”
Minghao hummed, his attention once more turned to his device. “No, didn't he meet him at that New Years Party?”
“Oh, the one where he tripped and broke his nose?”
“Would you shut up? I didn't break my nose then,” Mingyu grumbled. He just scratched it badly enough that it looked like his nose was broken. It wasn't. It was just swollen. Just as his ankle was now.
Maybe Mingyu should start taking better care of his body.
Or maybe he shouldn't.
When his nose got hurt he didn't have to do any photoshoots for months. Granted, because it was his face that had gotten hurt that time, and he'd looked like a punk. But maybe his agent would get upset this time too, with Mingyu, for injuring his foot. Maybe he would cancel all of his schedule for the month, at least.
Maybe Mingyu was dreaming too much.
“Tell me who they were.” Jun rounded the table to come face to face with Mingyu. He squatted to look at Mingyu's foot, which was elevated on Mingyu's other leg, placed on his knee.
“Why do you even care so much?”
Jun glanced at him. He smiled that charming smile of his at Mingyu. “You look like a kicked puppy. I can't stand it.”
“Well,” Mingyu gestured to his swollen ankle, “Someone did kick me.”
“As we can see.” Jun turned to look at his foot again. He tried to touch his ankle with his finger. Mingyu hissed at him, slapping his hand away with the bottle.
“Tell me,” Junhui bothered him, still.
“No.”
“Tell me.”
Junhui was all in Mingyu's face, the scent of chocolate (chocolate cupcakes, then?) clinging deliciously on him. “I'll let you have double the amount from the cupcakes I'm making.”
So Mingyu was right, then. And Jun was driving a hard bargain. He knew Mingyu was weak for sweets. He knew Mingyu would twitter like a bird in the early mornings if there was dessert involved.
Nevertheless, Mingyu was set on not wavering this time. He had enough of Minghao laughing at him, and Mingyu hadn't even told him everything. Just that Joshua's friend tried to break his leg and he'd called him useless. Then he'd rolled on the other's bed until Junhui had ringed at their door; Minghao had left him to suffer all alone shortly after.
Junhui went on to tickle him— Mingyu's traitorous body reacted. He tried to keep it down, but Junhui's fingers touching flatley over the shirt, over his ribs, made Mingyu let out a giggle.
Content with the reactions he was getting from him, Junhui moved the fingers faster. Mingyu squirmed harder; he laughed louder. Minghao shaked his head, puting the last bite from the sandwich in his mouth— the happenings currently going on were old news already for him.
“Oh my fuckin— Jeon Wonwoo,” Mingyu all but shouted the name. “Someone called Jeon Wonwoo. That friend of Joshua.”
He expected confusion. He expected Minghao to keep on not paying them any mind, maybe Jun to start laughing at Mingyu's ability of making strangers so angered at him that they'd hit him.
Minghao choked on his food, though. Jun's mouth hung open, the fingers settling over Mingyu's sides without discomforting him any longer.
“I'm sorry, did you say Jeon Wonwoo?”
Mingyu turned towards Minghao. “What? Do you know him or something?”
“Well, yeah! I work with him.” Minghao said through some coughs.
“You do?”
Minghao reached for the glass with water in front of him. He drank a few sips until he stopped coughing before he started talking again. “I'm… Wait! You called him ‘useless'? That's why he kicked you?”
Mingyu stopped at the last second from nodding his head. The other man didn't, technically, hit Mingyu. Just pushed the door hard enough to break Mingyu's foot.
Mingyu could admit it was his fault in the first place. “Well, it was on me, so—”
Jun started laughing.
“What's with him?” Mingyu asked, looking at the other.
“You called Jeon Wonwoo ‘useless’,” Juhnui whizzed through his laughs, before collapsing dramatically on the floor. Mingyu rolled his eyes.
He turned to look again at his roommate. “Do you have anything to laugh about, too?”
How come that everyone suddenly knew of this Jeon Wonwoo guy? Today was the first time Mingyu heard the name. If Minghao was working with him, then shouldn't Mingyu have known of his existence already? What was the deal with him?
He didn't seem like much to Mingyu. After he answered the door, that Jeon Wonwoo spent the better half of their conversation spacing out, looking at Mingyu through squinted eyes and all, his face made of hard angles— straight nose, lips pressed together in a line, a little chapped; sharp eyes through his glasses, a little drowsy, a little glazed over, like he'd just woken up. Maybe he did. Maybe Mingyu's ringing at his doorbell had made him get out of bed. That would explain the dazed look he sent Mingyu's way, the confusion in his eyes.
For a second there, Mingyu thought he looked really cute. He'd imagined wrapping the other back in his blankets, letting him sleep on. Then his brain transfigured the images in something out of a crime documentary: Mingyu squishing Jeon Wonwoo to death, with how cute he looked when he reached to drag the sleeves of the sweater over his fingers.
So maybe Jeon Wonwoo had left a bigger impression on Mingyu than he first thought. It didn't matter anymore. Mingyu had started talking and everything went to hell, either way.
“How did you even come to meet him?” Minghao asked. Mingyu focused again on him, thoughts of Jeon Wonwoo and his paws made out of his sweater buried somewhere deep in his mind, the abominable images of him squishing Jeon Wonwoo to death rounding an imaginary corner.
“Joshua told me he could help get my account back.”
Jeon Wownoo hadn't been much help with it. He'd been no help, actually. That was what Mingyu had wanted to say; that Jeon Wonwoo couldn't help him with his problem. Not that he was useless.
Ah, but sometimes Mingyu's ‘brain-to-mouth’ filter (or lack of it) would get him in some serious trouble. Memories from earlier that morning of that prick of a director that thought of Mingyu as shit dog came to his mind.
Whatever; that prick had it coming. If Hanpeo, his agent, wouldn't want Mingyu cursing arseholes like Director Cha out, then he should've let Mingyu quit long ago. He should let Mingyu leave.
“I'm actually quite surprised that he agreed to meet you. Where did you take him?” Minghao asked.
“What?” Mingyu probably failed to hide the confusion on his face; Minghao was looking at him funnily.
“Wonwoo doesn't really go out much. I wonder what you told him to make him agree,” Junhui had stopped from laughing long enough to ask. He moved to sit on the chair next to Minghao's side.
At least that explained why Jeon Wonwoo looked like he hadn't seen the sun in days. Contrasting with the black clothes he was wearing, his pale complexion had taken Mingyu out a bit, indeed. Mingyu wondered if he ate in the last month, too. Or maybe he just liked to let the clothes hang on him.
Mingyu shouldn't be one to judge people's fashion style. He knew jackshit about it. Mingyu would dress himself, in the rare occasions he was allowed to do it himself, in the most outrageous things he could possibly find in his closet (or Minghao's). Let his agency have a field day taking out the photos of the fashion disaster Mingyu pretended (much or less) to be.
He hoped today somebody spotted him in town. He hoped they took photos, too.
“Plus, we had a meeting today— How did you make him agree to go out two times in the same day?” Minghao asked, the screen of the tablet turned off now. He looked at Mingyu like Mingyu just performed some magic trick. He looked like he had more questions to ask.
With them sitting right in front of him like that, Mingyu felt like he was caged in an interrogation room. He felt hot under his shirt, his throat was too dry.
“I—” Mingyu averted his eyes from them. He couldn't tell them. He'd look like an asshole if he'd tell them what he'd done.
Mingyu reached for the glass of water Minghao drank from earlier. There were only a couple of sips left in it. It didn't matter, Mingyu just needed some moisture, no matter the amount. He needed an excuse to prologue the discussion.
“You—” Junhui began, his arms bending at the elbows on the table, moving up. He let his chin rest on the back of his clasped hands, squinting his eyes curiously at Mingyu. “How long have you known about Wonwoo? I thought you'd freak out before meeting him, actually.” He turned to his boyfriend. “Didn't he freak out?”
Minghao pursed his lips. He shaked his head.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Mingyu asked, confused.
Junhui tilted his head at him. “Well, he's… You know who Jeon Wonwoo is, right?”
The conversation was making Mingyu's headache gain more power. He felt like he missed something everyone knew about. He felt exasperated. At his limit. He felt stupid.
“He's Joshua's friend or whatever, isn't he? He gave me his number. I contacted him, but he didn't respond… So I—”
He looked down at his lap. The ankle was a little purple now, still swollen. The water from the bottle had long since warmed.
“You didn't…” Junhui only said.
Mingyu tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth. He knew it wasn't right; what Mingyu did was reckless. It was a crime.
But Mingyu really thought he didn't have another way. If Jeon Wonwoo wouldn't respond to his texts, and if he wasn't on social media, then Mingyu needed to go to him. He could see now how his way of thinking was lacking. It was hurried, more scary than he thought of it.
He must've scared him, right? That was why Jeon Wonwoo had wanted to break Mingyu's leg.
And Mingyu must've hurt him, too. He'd sounded like it, when he'd told him to leave.
Mingyu's ankle throbbed in a painful way. He dug his teeth further in his lip, biting at them every now and then, until the skin broke. He drew blood.
Mingyu deserved it.
“Mingyu, you didn't just show up at his door or anything, right? Mingyu?”
The doorbell rang at that very moment.
“I'm gonna answer that,” Junhui offered, leaving the room in a hurry.
Mingyu looked up at Minghao but turned quickly to look at his lap, again. He didn't know what to make of his friend's expression. Was he mad? Was he disappointed with Mingyu, too? Were there hurtful words he was eating back, keeping them to himself for Mingyu's sanity? Did he know Mingyu would lose his mind if he'd start hating him, too?
“Kim Mingyu,” his name was shouted from somewhere in the apartament.
So Joshua found out, then.
Mingyu let go of his ankle. He dropped his leg on the ground, swallowing back the painful breath that travelled his throat when his foot met the cold tiles, a little too roughly. The pants slided down to cover the bruise. Good.
“Kim Mingyu,” Joshua said again, this time sounding much closer. Mingyu turned towards the kitchen's entry. “Where the fuck did you get Wownoo's address from?”
Joshua's expression was murderous. Mingyu had never seen the other like that before. Joshua was the most calm person Mingyu had ever met, always put together, even when his mind would concoct the most evil ideas or pranks or whatever the ‘angel-demon’ would think of. Mingyu felt scared to try to lie to him now. He swallowed and choked out his words. “Jeonghan told me.”
“You had Jeonghan dig around about him?”
“No, of course not! I just—” Mingyu licked at his lips. His tongue got caught on some dried blood. “Look, you said he doesn’t usually respond to unknown numbers. I thought it would be faster if I just went to him first.” Mingyu licked his bottom lip clean of any trace of blood before continuing. “I know it was wrong, alright? I just… I panicked! I didn't know what to do!”
Mingyu felt his eyes prickling. He swallowed down the knot tightening at the base of his throat and tried to speak.
He'd never been too keen on confrontations. They had always made him feel uneasy. It'd been worse in the past— he'd become too hurried to say everything that could absolve him of any guilt that sometimes Mingyu's words would refuse to come out at all. He would just stand there and take every hurled accusation, let every single one of them do their worst, while the things he would've wanted to say out loud would stay in.
Nowadays, Mingyu would like to think he'd learned how to work around this problem of his. Maybe because he'd gotten comfortable with his friends, with himself. Maybe because he had learned that it was better to say anything, than to say nothing at all.
But now, should Mingyu keep on talking? Or maybe, should he stop it altogether?
He didn't know anymore.
It was mayhem in his head. An ongoing war.
“You really went to his house?” Junhui asked from their side.
Mingyu let himself relax— these were his friends. He could be himself with his friends. Mingyu could tell them.
“Jeonghan was mad at me,” Mingyu started, “He said he wouldn't help me get my account back. Even though I didn't know about his and Cheol Seungcheol's deal! I just— I asked him to— I'm sorry!”
Joshua put his hands on his waist, sighing through his nose. “Look, Mingyu— I shouldn't have shouted at you earlier. I'm sorry!” He moved to come closer to Mingyu. When he was near enough, he put his hand on Mingyu's shoulder.
Mingyu involuntarily shuddered. Joshua let go of him gently.
“I wasn't— Well, I was a little mad at you,” he said, reaching for the chair from Mingyu's side. He sat on it, his usual straight posture in place; it made Mingyu conscious of his own posture. He straightened his back until his spine was touching the back of his chair.
“You told him he's useless.”
Mingyu grimaced. “I didn't mean it like that. He told me he was not a hacker or anything of the kind— I only meant to tell that he couldn't help me. It just came out like that…”
A choked-out laugh made them look towards their side. “I'm sorry, but I find it a little funny,” Junhui said. He was bent from his middle, nearly squatting on the floor.
“Your cupcakes are burning,” Minghao said, his voice taking on an uninterested tone.
“No! My babies!” Junhui started screaming, going towards the oven from where trickles of smoke were coming out.
“Mingyu,” Joshua said to get Mingyu's attention. “Could you say sorry to Wonwoo?”
Mingyu nodded repeatedly from his head. “Of course I will! I actually— I wanted to text him after, you know…,” he tilted his head downwards. “But I didn't know if he'd want anything to do with me anymore. I don't want to bother him, or whatever.”
Mingyu clenched his hands together. He peeked through his fringe at Joshua. “Did I scare him badly?”
Joshua scrunched his nose. “You didn't— Well, maybe a little? He didn't tell me this or anything,” Joshua said, “But he was startled enough that he let me talk with him on the phone for a while. Wonwoo isn't—” Joshua seemed at a loss for the right words.
“He likes face-to-face interactions,” Minghao completed in Joshua's place.
“Yeah, Haohao's right,” came Junhui's dejected voice. He was carrying a tray of fresh cupcakes. When he reached the table, he put them in the middle of it. They were only a little burnt, Junhui seemed to have cut out what wasn't edible from them.
“Wonwoo's never been a fan of phones, which is quite ironic if you'd think about this, since he's working a lot with them.”
“He's not working with them,” Minghao said, “He just makes games that can be played on them.”
Mingyu picked up a cupcake from the tray, biting from it. He let out an appreciative sound through his closed mouth. The burnt taste had nothing on the sweetness of the icing.
Junhui winked at him, when Mingyu gave him a thumbs up.
“Oh,” Joshua exclaimed, “He never told me— had the directors liked the new game?”
“They had,” Minghao nodded. “But they want to have the game come out next year. Wonwoo didn't like the delay much. He thinks the game is ready to be launched today.”
“Is it?”
“You know Wonwoo— he wouldn't be saying that if he wasn't certain. The investors thought he could do with some more time, even though Wonwoo refused,” Minghao shrugged, “Now he has too much free time.”
Junhui humed through a bite of his cupcake. Some of the icing got on his upper lip. He swallowed down before he talked. “He did say he needed a break, though.”
Minghao reached to clean Junhui's messiness. “Yeah, a week or so. Not an entire year.” He licked his finger clean.
“You know,” Mingyu said after he swallowed down the last bite from his second cupcake, “How come I've never heard of Jeon Wonwoo until now even if you're all acquainted with him?”
Joshua's eyebrows met in the middle. “What do you mean you never heard of him? Minghao works with him. Junhui and I had been friends with him since childhood. That's how Junhui met Minghao, actually!”
“Today was the first time I heard his name said by any of you, though.”
“That,” Joshua turned towards Junhui and Minghao. “That can't be right, no? We've talked about him before?” he said, even though the words were much more formed as a question than anything else.
Mingyu moved his shoulder up; let it come down. “I've never heard you before now, then.”
“But even so, you cannot not know who Wonwoo is, you're—”
“Aaaa,” Junhui shouted just then. He was half climbed on the table, trying to reach Joshua's face with his hands. Minghao was holding onto his shirt. “Don't tell him!”
“Come the fuck down, what are you doing?”
“Why not tell me?” Mingyu turned at Joshua. “Who's he? A celebrity or something? Should I know him?”
“Um—” Joshua looked at Junhui.
Mingyu rolled his eyes. “I'm just gonna search his name on the Internet,” he said, his hand reaching for the phone he'd put in his pants' pocket earlier in the day.
“You can't do that,” Junhui whined.
Mingyu let the phone sit in front of him, on the table, unlocked. “Why not?”
“Because— Haohao! Back me up!”
Minghao rolled his eyes, but indulged his boyfriend. “Because you're going to apologise to him, right? He should be the one to tell you who he is. Let him introduce himself to you.”
“Yes, Mingyu,” Joshua, seemingly having received whatever signals Junhui had been making with his face, said. “How would you like it if Wonwoo would search your name on the Internet?”
Mingyu was a little confused. “Why should I care about it? What's so bad about me online?”
“Don't you remember the scandal with the C Group?”
Alright Junhui may have had a point. The scandal with C Group wasn't necessarily as bad as it was embarrassing. Mingyu sure as hell wouldn't like for anyone to judge him based only on those news articles.
“Would you want Wonwoo to think bad about you? Do you want that to be his impression of you?”
“It's not like he has a good impression of me anyway.” Mingyu felt the words bitter on his tongue. For reasons he wouldn't delve further into, Mingyu wanted the other man to like him.
Mingyu thought about how scared Wonwoo had sounded while trying to push the door closed because of Mingyu; he thought of the sweater-paws; he thought of himself wrapping the other on blankets, holding him, bringing him closer to his chest, whispering in his ear, making him giggle.
Mingyu shaked his head hard. What the fuck was that? What was I thinking just now?
“It's not as bad as you think, Mingyu,” Joshua's words caught his attention from the unwanted thoughts he'd just encountered. “I told him you are not like that usually.”
“Whatever,” Mingyu responded, “He's right to think bad about me. I tried to break into his house, for God's sake!”
Mingyu sighed loudly. He hadn't thought about what impression Wonwoo might've had of him, until he already trashed it into Jeon Wonwoo's eyes.
Whatever.
It wasn't like Mingyu would see much of him from now on. He would apologise to him. He'll have to do that through text, which meant that he was unlikely to become Wonwoo's favourite person, if the others were right about Wonwoo's disdain towards virtual communication.
And then that'll be it. For the last three years since Mingyu met Minghao and the others, he never once had heard about him. Mingyu knew about every other one of his friends' friends. He knew Vernon, he knew about Dino; Seungwan had first insulted Mingyu's music taste before he even introduced himself. Seokmin came as a package with Joshua, you couldn't know one and not the other.
He'd heard about Jihoon, mostly from Soonyoung, mostly about how cute he is; Mingyu would have to disagree profoundly on this one. He'd only met Jihoon once, through the screen, on a video-call, when Soonyoung had introduced them to one another. Mingyu had been a little scared of Jihoon when he'd opened the call by swearing— Soonyoung had cooed at the other, the freak.
Jeonghan was Joshua's best friend, and of course Mingyu knew him— Jeonghan was Joshua's best friend…
Jeonghan was Joshua's best friend!
“Jeonghan knew?” Mingyu shouted.
Joshua looked startled for only a second before his eyes turned pitifully at Mingyu.
“Yeah,” he said. “He tricked you, I think. I'll make Wonwoo have a go at him, don't worry. Jeonghan may not look it, but he can't stand it when we're mad at him. Much less when it comes to Wonwoo.”
“He treats Wonwoo like a baby,” Junhui said.
“Wonwoo says he hates it, but we know he doesn't. He is a baby,” Minghao backed Junhui up.
Mingyu only nodded. He hadn't even met him properly, but Mingyu couldn't stand Wonwoo being mad at him either. His head was already buzzing with words of apologies and promises of never bothering the other again. It was a shame Mingyu will have to stop meeting Wonwoo ever again starting today. He'd probably combust on the spot from sheer embarrassment, if he did.
“What's the deal with him and Choi Seungcheol, anyway?” Mingyu asked.
Jeonghan got so mad at Mingyu when he saw the photos with him promoting Scoups Sport's newest line of clothing. Mingyu had no idea before that moment who Choi Seungcheol was. He had thought he was a little too young to be a C.E.O., but he'd treated Mingyu like an actual human being, so Mingyu hadn't thought anything bad of him.
Jeonghan raining down on him about what an unloyal friend Mingyu was had come as a surprise to Mingyu. He knew he could make people get angry at him over almost nothing, but it wasn't like Mingyu could've rejected the contract or something. Jeonghan had to have known that. How exactly was Mingyu to be blamed for it?
“They used to date in college. Then Seungcheol left the country— I think Jeonghan is still bitter about it. It's not your fault you got caught in the middle of their mess.” Joshua smiled warmly at him.
If Joshua wasn't already happily together with Seokmin, and if Seokmin wasn't so good to him, Mingyu would've long ago tried to shoot his shot. At some point in the past, when Mingyu had first met him, he had a crush on Joshua. It'd faded away quickly when Mingyu had seen Joshua with Seokmin, though.
But still, in his chest, his heart fluttered a little bit faster.
“Anyway,” Joshua said, getting up from the table. He put his hand on Mingyu's shoulder, tightening his hold a little. “I'll leave you guys, now. I have to meet up with Seokminnie,” he said, lips curling into a toothless smile. He let his eyes settle on Mingyu. “Would you see me out?”
Mingyu got up cautiously from the chair. His foot, after not using it in the last hour or so, was making it hard for Mingyu to move. He tried not to put too much pressure on it, but it only made him almost fall.
He felt Joshua's hand holding onto his elbow. Junhui was half raised from his seat, his arms outstretched in front of him.
“Be careful, Mingyu,” Minghao said.
“You're alright? Did you stand up too fast?” Joshua asked.
Mingyu could only nod. He let go of his hard grip on the edge of the table and tried once again to stand up. It shouldn't be so hard— he didn't sprain his ankle or anything of the kind.
“Yeah,” Mingyu said after he got his footing, “I'm alright.”
“Wonwoo did a number on you, didn't he?” Mingaho said.
Mingyu puffed through his nose. It wasn't like he hadn't deserved it. What was he trying to do? Get into his house? What had been going on with Mingyu's mind this day ? What was wrong with him?
“What do you mean?” Joshua asked. His hand was still holding onto Mingyu's arm, even though he didn't need the support anymore.
“Oh, you don't know! Wonwoo tried to break Mingyu's leg.”
Mingyu rolled his eyes. “I had my foot in his door— that's on me—”
Minghao gave him a look. “Wasn't it you the one who whined at me for half an hour about it, some hours ago? What happened to that?”
“Self reflection and all that.” Mingyu moved his free hand around. He felt the embarrassment rolling in waves out of him. “I was being stupid.”
“Then you should stay,” Joshua said, “I can go alone.”
“No, really, I'm alright!” Mingyu tried to move, but Joshua pushed him to sit back on his seat. He had much more strength than he let on.
“Just, you know—”
“I know,” Mingyu assured him. “I'll text him later to say sorry.”
Joshua nodded. “I don't want you two to get on the wrong foot. I know you're not usually like that, Mingyu. Wonwoo would come to see that, too.” He ruffled at Mingyu's hair. “You must've had a hard time, didn't you?”
Mingyu feared to open his mouth to answer. He nodded his head, but felt like that wasn't the appropriate answer, so he shaked it. It didn't feel right, either.
Mingyu let his head fall at his chest, his hair covering his eyes from the others. They felt particularly wet.
“I have to head out, too. Let's go together,” Junhui said. Mingyu couldn't really see, but he guessed Junhui just kissed Minghao. The hand from his body squeezed once, then it left him.
“Take care, you two,” Joshua said. “And don't forget about Friday.”
“We'll be there,” Minghao answered for both of them. “We wouldn't miss it.”
“Here,” Junhui said, the plate with cupcakes being pushed under Mingyu's nose. Mingyu lifted his head, a question burning in his eyes.
“Didn't I tell you I don't like to see you like a kicked puppy?” Junhui said. “Just don't eat them all at once. We don't want you getting sick.” He ruffled Mingyu's head; combined with the ruffling Joshua did earlier, Mingyu was sure his hair must've been a view.
“Do you want me to help you get in your bed?” Minghao asked when there were just the two of them left in the apartment.
“Will you sleep with me tonight?” Mingyu hopefully asked. He wanted warmth tonight. His day had been a complete show. He needed something familiar. He needed his best friend.
“Come, you big baby,” Minghao smiled at him, “Your mattress is miles better, anyway.”
“You need to change yours,” Mingyu said, heaving himself up once more. The ankle still throbbed; it still hurt. Mingyu wondered if he should take another look at it, to see the state it was in. It was starting to itch.
Maybe he did fucked up his ankle. Maybe he was too dramatic for his own good. Mingyu made a quick prayer towards the Universe and hoped for the best.
“But if you keep me up all night with your games, I'm going to pull a Wonwoo and break your other leg.”
“Don't be mean,” Mingyu pouted. “I'm not playing tonight, I promise!” Mingyu was, anyway, feeling kind of drowsy. His schedule was supposed to be empty tomorrow; he hoped it would remain so. He needed at least a day to rest.
Minghao put one of Mingyu's arms over his shoulder. Slowly, unhurriedly, they made their way towards Mingyu's room. His bed was indeed better. His bed didn't have springs that hurt his spine.
“I'm going to take a shower first,” Minghao said. “Want me to bring you anything?”
“Could you bring the first aid? I want to make sure I won't scratch the skin at night by mistake.”
“No problem.”
Mingyu lifted the material covering his ankle slowly. It turned a deep purple, but Mingyu still could move his foot this way and that way; it only hurt a little when Mingyu wanted to put pressure on it.
He cleaned it, wrapped his ankle in bandages— tight enough to not fall in the night, thick enough so Mingyu couldn't reach the skin even if he tried.
He clumsily changed his clothes, postponing the shower for the morning. With his face cleaned and teeth brushed, Mingyu got inside the bed. He took the phone from where he left it on his bedside table, and opened the conversation with Jeon Wonwoo. The few other notifications he had, Mingyu ignored them.
He had an apology to agonise over.