Chapter Text
11th of May 2023
Is model Xu Minghao cheating on his boyfriend?
Yesterday night, at 11:45 pm, model Xu Minghao was spotted hand in hand with a mysterious guy. Unfortunately, the identity of the mysterious guy is still unknown. All we know is that the man is not his current boyfriend, the YouTuber and participant in the first season of Singles’ Inferno Kim Jumin, who recently hinted on an Instagram story with a sad song that maybe things between the two aren’t going well. The actor also hasn’t appeared in any of Jumin’s videos in the past few months.
The two were found right outside the cinema where Xu Minghao and his current boyfriend were first spotted. Have Minghao and Jumin already broken up, or is our dear model really cheating?
[+100, -3]
I feel like it’s none of our business. We know Minghao is a very private person and barely appeared on his bf’s videos even when we were sure they were dating. I also noticed he hasn’t been there for a while, but it shouldn’t concern us fans.
[+199, -1]
I hope Minghao broke up with him and actually found someone better tbh
[+202, -300]
Minghao seemed like an awful bf, I hope my Juminie broke things off and that he’s doing okay.
[+12, -20]
Minghao cheating? He could never.
15th of May 2023
Minghao’s mysterious boyfriend revealed, and the news will shock you!
Minghao’s dedicated fans, after a restless day, finally uncover the mystery behind the guy our dear model was spotted with. It’s no one else other than Jeon Wonwoo, the photographer behind Minghao’s first Korean shoot in 2018. After that, they worked closely other times, you can check @photosforeverywon, the photographer’s Instagram for behind-the-scenes videos and other pictures of the two.
But who is Jeon Wonwoo? Jeon Wonwoo is a photographer from Jeju Island. We don’t know much about his personal life. But we can tell you the fact that he is known in the industry for having great ideas and excellent skills, which led him to direct photoshoots for cover of the Singapore and Japan Cosmopolitan. He also worked closely with entertainment companies and their kpop groups (SM and JYP), maybe even your favorite artist have a photoshoot with him.
But is this Jeon Wonwoo a home wrecker and the reason why Minghao decided to cheat on his boyfriend? What is your opinion?
[+119, -2]
I checked on my fave groups and luckily they have never worked with him. I read an article online saying that in University he was a really mean person and stepped on other people stealing their opportunities. I’m happy my faves don’t have any connection to him.
[+12, -130]
I read that someone posted that they used to date Wonwoo and that he was a manipulator, what if he manipulated our sweet Hao into cheating on his bf?
[+116, -98]
Maybe Wonwoo’s personal life isn’t any of your business. And you also shouldn’t trust random posts online talking badly about him!!
[+111, -3]
My poor Jumin!! I hope he is feeling good! And also Hao, this Wonwoo doesn’t seem like someone good to hang out with.
[+95, -104]
Get a life, you weirdos. You don’t know anything about them. Also, Wonwoo wouldn’t even be the one cheating, why are y’all mad at him?
[+198, -40]
Read online that Wonwoo abused his power at work? I hope Minghao isn’t dating someone like him.
Jun closes the computer, preventing Wonwoo from reading any other comments regarding the situation just as Wonwoo was about to scroll down to see more.
«I’m so sorry,» Minghao mutters again from the other side of the phone, for the tenth time in the past 20 seconds. «I really didn’t expect things to blow up like this… Wonwoo I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t expect people would find out it was you, you look like any other Korean man out there.»
Yes, because Wonwoo ended up in a situation that is currently ruining his career to help his friend. One morning, a drunk Minghao knocked on Wonwoo's apartment door and begged him to pretend to be his new boyfriend so that his ex-boyfriend Jumin would be jealous and get back with him. “You look like any other guy,” Minghao assured him. “You barely show yourself. No one will ever recognize you. I’ll make Jumin jealous and will get him back. After, we will do a video together explaining the situation and things will go back to normal.” And since Wonwoo has a sweet heart and wanted to help his friend, he agreed to it.
Well.
Minghao underestimated his fans’ detective abilities. At first, when Wonwoo’s name started to spread around, Minghao proceeded to reassure his friend again: “See! People are talking about me now, and Jumin also has asked to see me, this is working perfectly. We’ll go back together and do a video explaining everything. Please let’s wait a little bit before saying we were just pretending. Maybe you will also get some calls for jigs.” Unfortunately, Minghao didn’t take into consideration that some people would start spreading rumors about Wonwoo and that he would become a topic hotter than his relationship with his ex. At the same time, the model didn’t think that his ex wouldn’t want to go back with him (thankfully, according to Wonwoo who never really liked Jumin) so there is still no video about the situation, and Wonwo, in the meantime, is still known as a homewrecker on top of all the other accusations. To be completely honest, being called a homewrecker is now the last thing he should be worrying about since people are calling him a bully, a power abuser, a selfish and unreasonable person, and more. Every day his friends try to hide from Wonwoo new online posts defaming him in different ways.
«Today I will release a statement telling everyone that Jumin and I had already broken up when we were spotted and that I asked you to pretend to date me, I know this won’t do much but maybe it will still help.»
Wonwoo can see Minghao almost tearing up from the other side of the screen and his apologetic voice tone makes it clear that he’s truly sorry and that the situation went much worse than he predicted. So Wonwoo just nods and thanks him for coming clear.
Although Wonwoo is happy that Minghao can finally explain the situation, that won’t convince all of Wonwoo’s clients —who are currently withdrawing the permission they gave the photographer to use their photos in his upcoming first exposition— to keep working with him, since all the accusations on his name are getting bigger and bigger every day.
Looking at Wonwoo now is pretty pathetic and sad, as Jun said when he thought his friend was asleep: he is overwhelmed and stuck at his own house due to the amount of journalists outside that won’t even let him go out to buy some food (not that he would have the strength to actually go out anyway, the journalists seem a good excuse to stay inside). Furthermore, he is currently on the fourth bottle of soju, when he usually stops after the first bottle. How has he ended up in that situation? He has decided that the best way to cope with everything is to gulp down a couple of shots every time a celebrity texts him telling him that they don’t want their pictures to be used in his exhibition or that they will postpone a shooting.
«Did you already go to the police?» Jun, one of Wonwoo’s actor friends, asks Seokmin, Wonwoo’s assistant and also dear friend.
«Yes, Minghao also came with us and we explained everything. They already started the investigations but said that it might take a while.»
«Why did I even agree to this?» Wonwoo murmurs, and throws a pile of papers in front of him onto the wall. «Seokmin? Jun?»
«Hm?» Seokmin immediately runs next to Wonwoo due to the urgency of the tone and Jun hurries to pick up all of the papers while also hiding the last bottle of soju.
«Have you ever been to Jeju?»
Jun shakes his head, while Seokmin says that he has been there since he was little.
«How would you feel about a small vacation there?»
«What?» Seokmin and Jun question in unison, both shocked at the question. It’s no secret that Wonwoo doesn’t like his hometown, and he would like it even less if he had to go back with a career that is not the best at the moment.
«You have never been there and you haven’t visited it in a while. I think a change of air would benefit us.»
«But you told us. What I want to say is…» Seokmin hesitates so Jun continues.
«What Seokminie means is that maybe this isn’t the right way to cope with the situation. You have always told us that nothing could bring you back there, so why would you now? To run away?»
«This isn’t running away, I call it a strategic retreat. We can stay there until the waters calm down and, in the meantime, the police will do their job. Or at least try to.»
«You’re too drunk to make these kinds of decisions.» Seokmin intervenes and takes away the fifth bottle that Wonwoo was trying to open before God knows what happens.
«But I am not, and I think it’s a good idea,» Jun says instead, to which he gets a reprimanding look from Seokmin. «You told me that you two haven’t gone on a vacation in the past 4 years. And being away from Seoul is never a bad idea. You’ll never know what might happen there.»
«You can’t argue with that Seokmin-ah. You’ve always told me how much you needed a vacation just two weeks ago.»
Seokmin realizes that he is losing, so he gives up. He still doesn’t look very convinced, but after a long inhale, looks at a desperate Wonwoo, now completely lying down on the floor.
«You sober up, I’ll book the flight,» Seokmin says then. «Jun-ah, don’t you have a schedule?»
«I do, I’ll join you guys later. Book it just for the two of you.»
«Oh no, our Junie won’t be coming.» Wonwoo tries his best to get up, and once he finally does –after an embarrassing amount of time– he makes his way to Jun, hugging his friend from behind. Wonwoo also tries to kiss him on the cheek, but Jun promptly escapes.
«You hate me too?» Wonwoo asks then, trying to put on the cutest pout while also trying not to fall. «I thought we were best friends.»
«And we are, Wonwoo. I love you more than everything, but you’re drunk and smell and I don’t want you to puke on me,» Jun’s voice is soft, which makes Wonwoo happy. «Drink the coffee I made you and then try to sleep.»
Wonwoo lets himself be pampered by his friends and, next thing he knows, he wakes up in his bed with an aspirin on his bedside table and Seokmin shaking him.
«Let’s go or we will be late.»
«Go where?» Wonwoo asks, still bummed from all the alcohol he had the previous night. He immediately understands, despite his horrible status, that it isn’t a question he should have asked judging by the way Seokmin heavily exhales and rolls his eyes.
«To your hometown, you weirdo. Let’s go, hurry up or we will be late. And before you say anything, this was your idea,» Seokmin smells him and then with a disgusted look, says. «And please wash up, maybe you’ll get rid of the smell of alcohol.»
Wonwoo swears he can still hear Seokmin mumbling that it isn’t a good idea, that it’s all Jun’s fault, and that he will pay for it, but Wonwoo can’t really trust his own ears.
Wonwoo falls asleep again after the security checks. And then again on the plane. And also on the taxi that brings them from the airport to his childhood home.
It’s not only the hangover making him unusually sleepy, but also the sleepless nights he has gone through, mostly spent worrying about his career and his future as a photographer: every client that put him on hold, every new article, and every comment on the internet took some of his rest away. Is this what being honest and working hard all of your life leads to?
Now he is standing in front of his childhood house. Nothing has changed here. The Jeju air is still as clean as he remembers it, the wind is still delicate on his skin, and the sun seems to shine a little brighter than it does in Seoul.
«Let’s get inside before anyone sees me.» Wonwoo hurriedly takes his luggage and this time he can clearly hear Seokming say that he’s the biggest mystery to walk on earth. So Seokmin stops Wonwoo in the small yard in front of the house, once he closes the fence behind.
«What do you mean before anyone sees you? We bought only a one-way ticket, of course people will eventually see you, you aren’t transparent.»
«They won’t if I stay inside the house the whole time.»
Even Wonwoo would punch himself, so he wonders how Seokmin is not jumping on him.
The previous night, when Wonwoo was too drunk to make good decisions, the only place he could identify as the perfect destination to run away from his problems was his parents’ house. He needs a change of air, but he also needs a place he is familiar with so he doesn’t feel the need to make something out of his stay and can easily rot in bed without feeling guilty. His parents have always been understanding, so they won’t mind having him and his best friend there for the time they need before the situation in Seoul gets better.
«You… Woah. You really asked me to come to Jeju with you to take a vacation and you’re planning on staying inside and not seeing anyone except me and your parents?»
«Exactly.»
Wonwoo smiles and Seokmin closes his eyes and counts to ten, a technique he has mastered after dealing with difficult clients on many occasions.
«Okay, if this is what you need, do it. I’ll go back to Seoul and try and find a solution for your situation.»
«No no please, pretty please Seokmin-ah, I need you here with me,» Wonwoo pleads and gets down on his knees. «You can go outside and visit places, my dad is a bus driver so he can give you all the directions you need, I also bought him a car and he said he never uses it, so you can take it and explore. You might even find inspiration while you’re here. Just for some time, please let me stay at home. I need you here, don’t go. Minghao will take care of everything in Seoul. He kinda owes me.»
«All right, I will stay, now get up, you’re embarrassing me and yourself. Luckily no one can see us,» Seokmin extends his hand and Wonwoo grabs it. «If this is what you need, then we will stay here. But promise me you’ll try to get out, at least here in the yard.»
Wonwoo doesn’t want to agree, he has brought his gaming PC and his Nintendo Switch that can keep him busy for weeks without setting foot out of the house, but judging by Seokmin’s stance, he can’t do anything other than agree with him.
«Wonwoo! Hi! What are you even doing here?» It’s been a while since Wonwoo has heard his mother’s voice in person.
«Visiting!» Wonwoo is testing the waters. His mother has never liked watching the news except for when big events were happening, and she isn’t really practical with the internet either, so he can safely assure that she hasn’t read any of the mean comments on there. «This is my best friend and assistant photographer Seokmin.»
«Nice to meet you Seokmin! He has talked about you on the phone,» She still seems skeptical, but continues with the facade she put on. Wonwoo knows that visiting isn’t enough of an answer, but he’s happy she’s falling into pleasantries in front of someone she doesn’t know.
«Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kim.»
Everyone is smiling so kindly.
If there was a competition on who has the fakest smile right now that holds the most things unsaid, everyone would win.
«You can call me Minhee, and lease come inside. Aish, the house is such a mess, I wasn’t expecting anyone.»
«Don’t worry Mom, it’s okay.»
The inside of the house is the same as Wonwoo remembers. Even the smell hasn’t changed one bit, everything brings him back to his high school days.
Seokmin hasn’t stopped excusing himself and Wonwoo for coming unannounced, and Wonwoo’s mother hasn’t stopped excusing herself for the mess. And both of them haven’t stopped saying that neither of the things they were making excuses for wasn’t a problem.
«Did you make kimchi?» Wonwoo asks and she nods.
«Just yesterday. Do you want some? Seokmin, feel free to take a seat, Wonwoo, can you please help me?»
Seokmin immediately sits, while Wonwoo follows his mother to the kitchen.
Kimchi has always been a code word that the two of them used to use so they could excuse themselves away from meals or any kind of situation in the house where people, other than the three members of the family, were present.
«What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming and bringing a friend? Or is that your boyfriend? He’s a good-looking guy. Good choice, if that’s the case. But why are you here Wonwoo? I missed you a lot but there must be a reason why you’re back.»
She’s trying to keep her voice low, but the excitement and confusion in her voice fail her creating many highs and lows.
«He is just a friend, don’t worry. And can’t I just visit my beautiful and kind mother?»
Wonwoo has realized that she still doesn’t know about his situation, so he can breathe a sigh of relief. However, he knows that she will discover eventually, so really, is it even good that she doesn’t know?
«No. After high school, you swore you would have never come back here, if not for grand events. Well, you’re back, so, what happened in Seoul?»
«Nothing really, I just missed it here. How’s dad?»
«Don’t you try and change the topic,» She picks up a towel and starts hitting him. «Wonwoo-yah, I love you and I know you’re not okay. I haven’t seen this face in so long, what is going on?»
He doesn’t want his mother to know his situation because he doesn’t want her to know he has failed. It took him some time to convince her to send him far away for college, but after that, she has always been probably his second biggest supporter. So that’s why it hurts to break to her the bad news that everything her son has worked for until now has fallen apart overnight.
«Honey!» The front door opens with a loud slam. Wonwoo immediately recognizes his father’s voice. «Our Wonwoo, they are accusing him of so many things. That he’s a bully, a homewrecker, that he cheated, that he treated other people badly. What the– who the hell are you?»
«You what?»
The scream from the kitchen is high enough that the whole neighborhood has most definitely heard it.
«So, let me get this straight,» Wonwoo, his parents, and Seokmin are all sitting at the dining room table, each of them with a cup of tea in front of them. «You pretended to date your friend to help him, but people started making rumors about you, like that you are a bully, that you abuse your power at work, and that you cheated your way to where you were, so now no one wants to work with you.»
Both of the photographers nod.
«You didn’t, right?»
«Of course, I didn’t, mom! Those are just rumors, I would never,» Wonwoo has a pitiful look on his face, and he doesn’t even try to hide it. His mother asking him if those rumors were true hurt him more than he expected. «The police are now investigating, but for the time being we decided to stay here, living in Seoul is crazy, there are journalists everywhere.»
«This is a small neighborhood Wonwoo-yah,» His mother says. «As soon as they discover you’re here, the news will spread.»
«This is a small neighborhood and most of the people are old folks, they don’t even know how to use KaoKao Talk, he will be fine,» Wonwoo’s father intervenes. «Also there aren’t many photos of him, and not everyone is interested in this type of drama, he’s safe.»
«I’m planning on staying inside the house anyway.»
Wonwoo expected his parents to freak out, as they are strong believers that Jeju’s sunshine and air can cure all of the problems in the world: when he was young, and used to spend most of his time studying and playing games, they insisted on him getting some fresh air, so it comes as a surprise that they both agreed on it.
«It’s better if you stay inside, yes, we will bring you everything you need.»
Seokmin is just as surprised as Wonwoo at his mother’s words.
«Thinking again about it, I agree with your mother. Hiding inside is better than having more people talking about you, they’re all nosy people, and they will want to ask many questions. Stay inside as much as possible and get out only for emergencies,» His father stands up. «I’ll now go for a walk and I’ll clear all the voices about you that I hear around. Now that I know everything I won’t be taken aback anymore.»
Wonwoo’s mother gets up as well and hugs his son from behind.
«Things will get better, I know it.»
Wonwoo fails to fall asleep that night, just like he failed to eat anything more for his bare survival. It’s 4:00 am and he can already hear some birds chirping outside, creating a melody with Seokmin’s deep breaths next to him.
He has never said it directly to Seokmin, but he is really happy that his best friend is with him. He’s happy to the point where he has insisted on making Seokmin sleep next to him at least that first night while they get the guest room ready.
Seokmin has been his support since he handed Wonwoo his CV to become his assistant. And Wonwoo didn’t expect to grow this fond of the ball of sunshine that his assistant is, but well, he couldn’t help it.
They have been through a lot together, and, even to this day, Wonwoo keeps bragging about Seokmin and how he owes most of his own success to him, while his friend, on the other hand, always downplays himself.
Wonwoo has insisted many times that Seokmin should take advantage of his skills more since he is just as great –if not better– of a photographer than Wonwoo is, but he keeps denying it, assuring Wonwoo that he is more than satisfied with what he is doing now, that is being his assistant and training future photographers and interns. It’s not like Wonwoo doesn’t believe him, he can see the passion in Seokmin every day for what he does, but it doesn’t stop him from believing that his friend should open his own studio one day.
Thankfully, during dinner the conversation flowed easily and it was mainly centered around Seokmin, with both of his parents asking him tons of questions about his life (probably making sure they aren’t welcoming a serial killer in their household) and Wonwoo was glad that the conversation wasn’t about himself.
The atmosphere was light, almost like Wonwoo actually came back home for a small vacation, without an ulterior motive behind it.
They joked around a lot and showed Seokmin pictures of Wonwoo from when he was younger, as well as pictures and places he should visit while he is there. His father also didn’t lose any time in telling him some gossip about his friends and their sons, explaining in detail many dynamics in their small neighborhood. Throughout the whole dinner, not once that name was mentioned.
It has been almost more than 6 years, and his parents are still careful to say it, probably afraid of their son’s reaction. Wonwoo appreciates it, really, but they don’t need to do it anymore. He is okay. It’s only his fault if things with him turned out this way, he has made peace with it a lot of times.
He knows he shouldn’t care. He knows he doesn’t have any right to know, But, a question still lingers on the tip of his tongue as he watches towards the window in the house in front of theirs.
How is Seungkwan?
However, that question never made it out of his mouth.
⋆｡˚🌊. ݁₊ ⊹ 🐚✮⋆˙𖦹
«I’m going for a walk around,» Seokmin says behind the door, already dressed up, while Wonwoo is rotting in bed after he had lunch. «If I don’t get back by dinner time, tell the police to look for me.»
Wonwoo shows him a thumbs up, knowing fully well that nothing bad will happen to Seokmin.
For a second, Wonwoo has debated if he should join him. It’s a sunny day and has already spent his first few days back playing computer games, watching dramas, and reading books, so going out doesn’t sound too bad, but he is still afraid that people might recognize him. So his brilliant mind comes up with the solution that he can sunbathe for a while in the yard and get some sleep that he has been losing.
For his own good, Seokmin and his parents advised him not to look at his smartphone, so they handed him one of their old phones without any access to the internet, while Seokmin promised to take care of work calls he might get on the other phone. Living without it isn’t as impossible as Wonwoo thought, after all, if he wants to he can still look for his name on his computer that has access to Naver, but he has decided not to.
After some thinking and concluding that inhaling some fresh air won’t be bad for his health, Wonwoo put on some sunscreen and stepped outside of the house. He’s being a little dramatic, it’s not like he has been in prison for years, but the Jeju sun and air on his skin might have some healing properties.
It feels nice.
The calm atmosphere lulls Wonwoo into his dreams. Against his prediction, his insomnia didn’t disappear the moment he landed in Jeju, and he knows that sleeping during the day may not be the best too, but the early afternoon calmness makes Wonwoo so relaxed that he can’t fight his tiredness.
He dreams about him . About his past. About his life could have been. About his childhood friends. At some point, the dream seems so real that it’s almost like he can hear their voices right outside the house.
«I read online that someone saw him boarding a plane, but they didn’t know where he was going,» Soonyoung says. «Do you think he’s back here? Should we check?»
«It can’t be, he would have visited us, right?» Mingyu asks back. «We haven’t spoken in a while, but he can’t hate us.»
«He obviously doesn’t hate us, we should be the ones hating him since he stopped talking to us when he moved, but we don’t because we have been friends for longer than the time we hated him.»
Upon hearing Jeonghan’s voice, Wonwoo realizes that his childhood best friends aren’t just in his dreams, but they are standing outside the garden trying to take a peek inside.
Oh fuck .
Wonwoo thanks his past self for taking preventive measures and deciding to rest in his favorite spot when he was younger. It is beneath a tree that allowed Wonwoo to go unnoticed by the people outside, but he could also see everything that was going on.
In a split second, he has to choose if he should stay there hoping they won’t climb over the fence like they used to, or if he should instead get inside the house silently.
He waits for a few seconds.
«Should we ring the bell?» Jeonghan asks.
«I’m more fit than I used to,» Mingyu says. «I can try and climb over and snoop inside the house.»
«But what if they have installed an alarm?» Soonyoung wonders. «If the police comes here it won’t be any good.»
That is Wonwoo’s cue to try and get inside, they can’t see him only because he is far away, but the moment they get over the fence, it’s over for him.
Step by step and always by paying attention to his surroundings, Wonwoo makes his way inside. He breathes a sigh of relief as soon as he can hear his friends still deciding if paying a visit and seeing for themselves if Wonwoo indeed came home is a good idea.
Wonwoo can’t believe people were able to spot and recognize him at the airport even if he had a mask, a bucket hat, and glasses on. Most definitely one of the journalists camping outside his house followed him to Incheon, or maybe it was some Jumin or Minghao’s fans. Either way, his plan of hiding from everyone he knows in Jeju is ruined. But a part of him can’t help but be happy that his friends want to see him again.
Unless… Unless they want to see him again to throw in his face that despite all the choices and sacrifices he made, he still failed.
He needs to hide even better now.
He walks on fours, stopping by the kitchen before going to his bedroom to pour himself a cup of water, hoping that it will help in both waking him up and making his headache go away. He successfully fills the glass and, with the utmost precision, he starts walking silently towards his room, hiding behind the walls so his friends can’t see him.
«What are you guys doing here?»
It has been so long since Wonwoo last heard that voice, but he immediately recognizes it.
Seungkwan is in Jeju too. Seungkwan is just a few meters away from him.
The glass of water shutters right by Wonwoo’s feet. The moment makes the sound even louder than it usually is.
Oh no.
Maybe they haven’t heard it .
Wonwoo stays still, trying to hear the voices outside and hoping that, if he remains that way, his old friends would think they imagined everything. Nothing comes for a while. When he is about to sigh in relief, he hears Jeonghan’s voice.
«Is there a thief inside? Should we call the police?»
Fuck .
Wonwoo hurries to the front door to lock it –after sneaking out in high school, he has learned how to silently lock it– and then he decides that hiding in the bedroom is still the best option.
«No, don’t call, for now, I’ll go and check, Minhee told me where she hid the spare key,» Seungkwan is calm. Weird. He has always been the scared type. «Maybe it’s just her or her husband at home a little earlier than usual. They also have installed an alarm, so they should be notified by now.»
Fuck fuck fuck.
Wonwoo runs to his bedroom, but he slips on the water and ends up on the floor. He doesn’t know what feeling is stronger, if his hurting and bleeding knee, his embarrassment, or the fear of Seungkwan entering the house finding him in the worst condition ever. He has an anime t-shirt that runs a little small on him since he took it from his old closet, and his sweatpants are stained from the sauce in his lunch. He also hasn’t seen himself in the mirror, but he is pretty sure that his hair and face condition are not the best since he was abruptly woken up from a good nap after a sleepless night. To top it off, his glasses are also a little crooked since he hasn’t had the mental strength to bring them to repair.
Needless to say, this is not the best condition to see his first love again after 6 years.
Wonwoo hears the main door unlock, so he rapidly gets up, ignoring the pain in his knee, and runs to his bedroom. Only then Wonwoo realizes that his bedroom door doesn’t lock. He’s done for. Seungkwan for sure has seen him running in there.
For a second, he can’t hear anything. Maybe everything is over and he is safe.
«I’ll call the police if you don’t immediately get out.» Seungkwan yells from the other side of the door.
Wonwoo wouldn’t wish this situation upon his worst enemy.
«Open the door immediately, and don’t you think about running away, the house is surrounded by people.»
Maybe dying on the spot is the only right solution.
Holding the door closed is harder than Wonwoo has imagined. When has Seungkwan become this strong? Or has he always been and he has simply forgotten?
There hasn’t been a day in which Wonwoo hasn’t missed Seungkwan. His sweet and fresh scent. His dark hair. His clothes that make him look like a teddy bear. His beautiful smile. His impeccable sense of humor. His charming laugh. His long and beautiful hands.
Every cell in Wonwoo’s body is longing for Seungkwan.
Now he’s just a few centimeters away from him.
He could open the door, see him again, just so he can freshen up the memories of him, and then move to the mountains. After all Wonwoo did, if Seungkwan wants him out of there, he is willing to take the first plane back.
However, either because he got too caught up in his thoughts, or because he wants to take even a small glance at Seungkwan before begging him not to tell the others that he is there, that Wonwoo’s grip on the door weakens and he lets Seungkwan inside the room.
He is just the same Seungkwan he remembers. The same perfume. The same pretty hands. The same clothes. There same perfect skin. The hair though is just more brownish and longer than he has ever had it, but it fits him just as well as black did.
He missed Seungkwan more than he expected.
Seungkwan stays still in front of him. Confused. Shocked. Angry too, maybe. Wonwoo hopes he is a little happy to see him again.
However, Wonwoo’s mind is only filled with thoughts on how stunning Seungkwan looks in front of him.
The first moment of joy upon seeing him is soon replaced by the sudden realization that this is not a happy reunion, that Seungkwan most definitely hates him, and more than everything, that Wonwoo is in the worst condition he has ever been, both for his mental status and for his looks.
Wonwoo stares at Seungkwan, fraying to communicate with his eyes just like they used to when they were friends. He is already on the floor because of the strong impact with the door once it opened, so he tries his best to make himself look even more pitiful and, trying to keep his voice as low as possible, says: «Please, please don’t say anything.»
Seungkwan seems to quickly catch up on the situation, and now it is all in his hands. He can decide to take Wonwoo’s part and do him a favor, or expose to everyone that he is back and hiding like a thief.
Seungkwan takes one last look at him and then shakes his head.
«No one is in here, the door was just stuck.»
Wonwoo could cry from happiness on the spot.
«The glass probably was just on the verge of the table and it fell,» Seungkwan explains while getting out of the house. «Let’s go and have dinner.»
«But I know I saw something moving inside, you seemed pretty convinced that there was someone in there,» Soonyoung insists, and Seungkwan gives him a light slap on the back of his head. «Ouch!»
«You might have a perfect vision, maybe it’s so good that you see ghosts, just like that one time by the lighthouse when we were kids.»
Seungkwan knows how to push the right buttons, because the moment he mentions the story, the conversation drifts away from the reason they were outside of Wonwoo’s parents’ house in the first place.
Wonwoo smiles, thinking that if things were different, he would have been welcomed by his best friends at the airport, and he would have been drinking and reminiscing about the past with them, while also taking every chance to make fun of Soonyoung. And who knows, maybe he could also have been holding hands with Seungkwan, who also would have happened to be his boyfriend.
Maybe the sole reason why he hasn’t come back to Jeju isn’t because he hates it, but rather because he has never wanted to see how his friends have moved on with their lives without him.
⋆｡˚🌊. ݁₊ ⊹ 🐚✮⋆˙𖦹
That same night Wonwoo asks Seokmin if he wants to take a walk with him, and Seokmin, excited that his friend has finally decided to step out of the house, immediately agrees.
The walk to the lighthouse, the final destination chosen by a nostalgic Wonwoo, would have been mostly silent if it wasn’t for Seokmin explaining in detail all the things he has seen that morning. Wonwoo is grateful for it, he has always been more of a listener anyway, and having a best friend who can’t stop talking is the best for him.
«I also stopped at a convenience store on the way home and I have seen the most beautiful worker there,» Seokmin seems to jump on his feet while telling the story. «I asked him if they had my favorite beer brand but he said they recently ran out and that the new supply would have arrived tomorrow. Then he started kind of flirting with me and telling me I was pretty and hot, and that I had the most beautiful smile. Even if I think he was just trying to sell me more stuff.»
Wonwoo looks at him and shakes his head.
«And did you buy it?»
«Of course I did, he was too pretty to say no. He had such a sweet voice, I would have bought the whole store. He is also too pretty to work there, he should be a model, really. Maybe if some brands want us again, when the truth will come out, we can call him.»
«Was he that pretty?»
«Yes! I tried my best to snoop on the name on the tag. It was Jeonghan , he seemed around our age too, do you happen to know him?»
Oh, now it all makes sense. Of course it’s Jeonghan the one making everyone fall for him. He has always been the most popular guy in school: girls used to confess to him every other day, and he promptly rejected them all. One time, during one Valentine’s Day, he had his desk at school full of gifts and love confessions, and the amount of chocolate Jeonghan received that day was truly remarkable that not only he ended up sharing it with them that same night, but the school banned gift giving during Valentine’s Day.
So yeah, Wonwoo can’t blame Seokmin, he has seen people falling for Jeonghan’s charms his whole life, and Seokmin is just one of the many. He thinks that he might have had a crush on him at some point.
«Yeah, I do know him, he used to be one of my best friends while growing up.»
«Oh. My. Did I embarrass myself like that in front of your friend? This is even worse.»
«Don’t worry about it, he knows how to use his charms, you’re not my first friend who fell for it. And well, the model idea wouldn’t be too bad but…»
«It’s a no-go since you don’t want to have contact with them again, I got it. Too bad though.»
«You know,» Wonwoo sits on the wall, he is just a little push away from falling into the sea. «After graduating high school, me, Jeonghan, Seungkwan, and two of our other friends, Mingyu and Soonyoung, all moved to Seoul. We all survived our first four years of University, but then we started to get back here one by one.»
Seokmin nods. Wonwoo has already explained to him some stories from his past with Seungkwan when he was drunk and in the mood to talk to people about his questionable life choices.
«And while we were there Jeonghan was studying acting, but ended up mostly doing modelling jobs to cover some end meets. He was the first one to come back here in Jeju when his sister was diagnosed with cancer so he had to help his dad to run the store. Mingyu came back not long after Jeonghan to help his parents manage their restaurant since he studied marketing. His dream was to become a doctor, but he gave up on it. Lastly, Soonyoung, who wanted to become a gym trainer and make it big in Seoul, came back because he was offered a place back here and he missed home.»
Wonwoo remembers that it wasn’t easy saying goodbye to each of them. The five of them have been together ever since their elementary school days. They became best friends the moment they met, and they went through every important step in life together so knowing that from that moment on they wouldn’t have been always together hurt more deeply than Wonwoo expected. It still hurts even now, maybe if they stayed in Seoul, he wouldn’t have done what he did, and maybe they could have stopped him.
«What about, you know,» Seokmin is hesitant. Wonwoo made him promise not to mention Seungkwan’s name unless he is drunk. Wonwoo isn’t currently drunk but isn’t fully sober either, so he is the one saying his name again.
«Seungkwan?» Wonwoo asks rhetorically, and Seokmin nods. «I don’t explicitly know why he came here, I never got the chance to hear it, but I know it’s my fault. It was the last day of vacation before the last year of our Bachelor's degree: he was studying education and I was studying photography, we went to different universities, but we were both in Seoul together. We promised to finish our studies there and then to start to build a life there. Well. That same summer is the summer I had my offer for my scholarship in the States. And since I was stupid, I didn’t say a word to Seungkwan about it.»
It’s the first time Wonwoo has ever told this story to anyone. He has always avoided it, he has always pretended nothing happened. He knows pain and resentment would emerge the moment he starts reminiscing it out loud. He knows he has to finally face the situation.
«The night before leaving I asked Seungkwan out. We have always been very close to each other, closer than with anyone else we have ever been. We have had boyfriends and girlfriends in the meantime, but it never felt right. At the end of the day, we knew we were destined to end up together. We knew no one would have ever compared to each other. That summer it was the first one just the two of us, and well, we grew even closer if that was possible. In our shared apartment we would cuddle more, we started sharing the bed, we kissed each other on the cheek, and we would even hold hands while we were out with friends. I was also struggling with my internship and he would text me throughout the day to check on me. He constantly took care of me. And I also tried my best to take care of him. We both knew there was more, but we were too scared to confess our feelings.»
To this day, that summer is Wonwoo’s favorite. Despite his internship killing him every day, he knew that he would have come home to Seungkwan and that helped him push through every day. Without Seungkwan by his side, he would have quit on the first day.
«That night, when I asked him out, I didn’t plan on confessing, I just wanted to spend my last night in Seoul with the person I loved the most. We went out for dinner, and then for drinks in our favorite bar, and then we ended up in our favorite karaoke place,» Wonwoo inhales, memories of that night still fresh in his memory, despite all the alcohol they had. «Seungkwan was singing a beautiful love ballad, he looked at me, and at the end said that he loved me.»
Seokmin is now sitting next to Wonwoo, and as Seokmin always does when he wants to comfort his friends, he starts hugging him, softly caressing his head. Wonwoo takes all the comfort his friend is giving him.
«So I kissed him. And he kissed me back. We went back to our place and we had sex. The next morning I left for the US, changed my phone number, and deleted my socials. The only thing I left back was this stupid handwritten letter for Seungkwan saying that I was sorry, that I was leaving, and that he was allowed to hate me forever.»
Wonwoo still regrets that choice. He regretted it the moment he stepped on the plane, and he regretted it when he came back to Seoul, and he still regrets it now.
It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the most stupid one.
He wanted to apologize numerous times. He changed his number, but he still kept Seungkwan’s. For this reason, when times were hard and he missed his best friend and love of his life, he would get drunk, and in that state, he was tempted to call him and say that he was sorry, to please forgive him and take him back.
When he came back from the States, Wonwoo never got as drunk as he got while he was there. He worked hard and pushed through to build his own name, proving that leaving Seungkwan and his whole life behind actually helped him get somewhere.
And if when Wonwoo was too drunk in the States all he could do was almost call Seungkwan, the moment he got too drunk in Seoul –after he saw his career going down the drain– he got so drunk to book a ticket back to Jeju in hopes to see him again.
Now he has seen Seungkwan and, if possible, regrets everything even more.
«We can go back to Seoul if you want,» Seokmin suggests, his presence still warm beside Wonwoo. «We can go to Busan, or we can rent a cabin in the mountain.»
«No, it’s fine,» Wonwoo looks at the sky. It has been a while since he has been able to see the stars this clearly. «This is the chance I have to make things right again.»