Chapter Text
Wooyoung finished packing the last of his boxes, sighing as he looked around his former childhood bedroom. Having spent his entire life in this room, with the same four walls surrounding him, he could hardly believe that it was ending today. He would never see this room again, never sleep in the same bed, never stare out of the giant window, watching the neighborhood cats chase each other outside. This room, this house, would all become a distant memory to him, and this fact hit Wooyoung the hardest.
Perhaps it would be easier if he knew he could come back to this house should things go south in Namhae, but sadly for Wooyoung, that situation was too good to be true. His mother had already sold the house months ago, preparing to move to Seoul with her boyfriend of one year. Finding a new job within Seoul was easy for her given the vast networking opportunities of the city, and the couple found a nice two-bedroom apartment with plenty of space for everyone. She even found some good school options for Wooyoung to finish out his last year of high school, and if he kept his grades up, he wouldn’t be far from the renowned Seoul University. On the surface, everything seemed to be perfect.
Except for the fact that his mother made these decisions without talking to Wooyoung about it at all.
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Wooyoung was angry when his mother first told him about their upcoming move to Seoul. He had no interest in leaving the town he grew up in, and he certainly didn’t want to move to one of the largest cities in Korea. It bothered him that no one thought talking to him would be a good idea before deciding to move away from his home of eighteen years, especially considering that he was halfway through his junior year. It made no sense for him to start over when all his friends were here, all of them people he had known his entire life. It felt like the only chapter of his life was rapidly closing, and he had no desire to let that happen.
Wooyoung and his mother fought every day in the months leading up to the big move. While she claimed that this would be a great way for him to meet new people and find other opportunities outside of Ilsan, Wooyoung disagreed. Being practically an adult himself, he felt that he should have a hand in making decisions about his own life, and moving to Seoul was a decision he wanted to avoid at all costs.
“You can’t make me come with you,” Wooyoung argued defiantly. “I’ll just stay here by myself while you guys go to Seoul.”
“Oh yeah? And with what money?” his mother retorted. “Because I don’t think you’ll be able to afford to stay here by yourself.”
This just angered Wooyoung further. “Oh, so I do have a way to stay here?” he asked sarcastically. “Because I don’t want to go live in a new place with a man I hardly know, after both of you made this decision without even asking me what I thought about it. I would much rather find a way to stay here and support myself than go to Seoul with you two.”
His mother sighed, not having any of it. “Now listen, I just want what’s best for you-”
“And how do you know what’s best for me?” Wooyoung interrupted. “You clearly don’t know me that well if you think that moving to a big city is what’s best for me.” Taking things a step further, he jokingly told her, “I would rather go live with Dad in Namhae than go to Seoul with you!”
He expected his mother to laugh that off as the joke that it was. When she didn’t, and seemed to be deep in thought, he looked at her in surprise.
“Why are you suddenly so quiet? Did I hit a nerve?” he asked, hoping this was the last straw that finally wore her down.
His mother turned to him and said, “You know what? That’s not a bad idea.”
Wooyoung gaped at her in shock. “No way,” he said. “I was joking when I said that.”
“And it’s not a bad idea.”
“No! It’s a terrible idea. One of the worst ideas I could think of. Please forget that I said anything,” Wooyoung said, hoping to move on from the topic as quickly as possible.
His mother shook her head. “Actually, I think it’s a great idea. It helps you meet new people outside of the same group of kids you’ve been around forever, it’s in a somewhat familiar town that isn’t a big city, and you’ll have a parent with you. It’s perfect!”
Wooyoung was horrified. “It is not perfect! I haven’t spoken to Dad in years. How am I supposed to go live with him for an entire year and a half? I bet he wouldn’t even want me to come to Namhae in the first place.”
His arguments were no use; his mother was already set on this new plan. “Oh, I’m sure he’d love to have you come live with him to finish out high school. And even if he didn’t, I could definitely convince him to let you stay. Well then, it’s settled!”
This was even worse than the original plan. “No, it isn’t settled! I don’t want to go to Seoul, and I don’t want to go to Namhae. I want to stay here! This is my home!”
Wooyoung’s mother was getting frustrated with him again. “Look, Wooyoung, I get that you don’t want to leave here, but that’s not up to you. Right now, you have two options: you either come to Seoul with me, like we originally planned, or you go live with your father in Namhae. While you may be an adult in name, you are still a high school student. And as long as you are in high school, you will be living with a parent, as if I would let you live alone in the first place. So, make a choice. Or I’ll make one for you.”
Wooyoung paused to think over his options. He really didn’t like big cities and wanted to avoid Seoul at all costs, but he was also hesitant to see his father right now. Didn’t his mother say that they parted on bad terms? What if he was a bad guy? But if he were, his mother surely wouldn’t send him to live there, right?
“Come on, Wooyoung, I need to know what you’re going to do.” His mother interrupted his thoughts. He knew what he had to do.
“Okay, I’ve made my decision.”
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“Ready to go, Wooyoung?”
His mother’s voice cut through the memory of what led him to here, packing up his stuff to move away from Ilsan permanently. He answered, “Almost, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
When she left, he looked around at the now empty room with a heaviness in his heart. This was the last time he would see this room, so he wanted to say goodbye before leaving forever to an uncertain future with his father.
Wooyoung felt like it would be silly to say goodbye out loud, so he quietly bid farewell to his room in his head. I have so many great memories in here, he thought. And I’ll keep them with me forever. But now, I guess it’s time for me to move on and make new ones.
With that final thought, he turned around and left his bedroom for the final time.
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Everything was kind of a blur to Wooyoung up until the point he arrived in Namhae. He vaguely remembered getting into the car, driving to the airport, and flying over, but it was all jumbled together in a haze of nerves and anticipation. What would his father be like? Would he happily welcome Wooyoung into his home? He hadn’t seen the man in almost ten years, so he was unsure of what his new life would be like.
His mind fog cleared when he heard a voice shouting his name. He looked up, seeing a familiar face waving at him. It was his father, holding up a handmade sign that said, “Welcome Back to Namhae, Wooyoung!” in big, bold letters. Wooyoung smiled a little bit seeing it. It seemed his father was actually excited to have him here, which made him feel more comfortable already. Why did he even consider the possibility that his father was reluctant to see him? While his memories of his father were very vague, he never remembered his father being anything but kind to him when he used to visit Namhae. Maybe all of the things his mother had said about their failed marriage had messed with his perception of his father.
He walked over to his father, still smiling as he said, “Hi, Dad. It’s good to be back in Namhae.”
His father was beaming brightly back at him. “Wooyoung! I’m so glad you’re here! You’ve gotten much taller since the last time I saw you. And your hair is so much longer!” He continued ranting about the ways Wooyoung has grown up since his last visit to Namhae, and he started asking tons of questions to learn as much as he could about Wooyoung.
“Do you still dance? I remember you danced a lot when you were a kid. You were so good. You’ll have to show me some of your dancing while you’re here.”
“You’re not allergic to cats, right? I don’t remember you being allergic when you were a kid, but you never know. I have a little black cat named Yonyang. You’ll love him!”
“What’s your favorite food? I’ll have to make it for dinner one of these nights. Also, how do you like your coffee? Do you even drink coffee? Maybe tea?”
Wooyoung’s smile grew into a wide one as his father rambled on and on. It was inherently obvious where Wooyoung got his own chatterbox nature from. His father seemed to have a genuine interest in getting to know him better after all these years, and Wooyoung found himself happy to share everything with his father.
Perhaps his new life in Namhae wouldn’t be so bad after all.
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After being given a tour of the Namhae area and his father’s house, Wooyoung decided to go out and explore the town himself. While he didn’t want to move to a big city like Seoul, it was not because he hated social interactions. He just preferred much smaller towns like Ilsan where he could learn everyone’s names and get to know his neighbors a lot more personally. Being the natural social butterfly that he is, he was looking forward to meeting some nice new people here in Namhae, and perhaps he would meet some who went to his new school: the creatively named Namhae High School.
Wooyoung spotted a local market and curiously wandered over. The market was filled with both customers and vendors alike, and Wooyoung instantly became excited for the opportunity to chat with some new people. Soon after he entered, he heard a somewhat familiar voice call out his name.
“Jung Wooyoung? Is that you?”
Wooyoung turned to the sound, searching the crowd for the source of the voice. He quickly spotted a young man waving enthusiastically at him. “Over here, Wooyoung!” he shouted.
Wooyoung knew he was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place who he was. The young man smiled and said, “Don’t you remember me, Wooyoung? When we were younger, we played together every summer that you came to visit. Or did you forget while you were away?”
The puzzle pieces instantly clicked in Wooyoung’s mind. “Changbin? Is that you?”
The young man smiled. “So you do remember me,” he said, clearly very happy to be recognized by Wooyoung. “I would’ve been heartbroken if you didn’t,” he teased. “I heard from my father, who heard from your father, that you were coming back to Namhae to finish out high school.”
Wooyoung’s father and Changbin’s father were best friends. Given how excited Wooyoung’s father was to see him earlier, he wasn’t surprised that people in the town already knew he was coming.
Changbin continued chatting happily. “I was so excited when I heard the news. It’s been such a long time since we last saw each other.”
Wooyoung thought about how long it had been since his last visit to Namhae. “Yeah, I guess it’s been… nearly ten years?”
Changbin was still beaming at Wooyoung. “Yeah, you’re right. But it still only feels like yesterday that we were running around together at the park, playing tag for hours.”
Wooyoung smiled back at Changbin, reminiscing about their shared childhood experiences. “Yeah, time really does fly,” he said. “Crazy how we’re now in high school.”
Changbin nodded. “Right? Can’t believe that I’m already halfway through my first year of high school.”
That comment peaked Wooyoung’s interest. “I forgot that you’re a year younger than me.”
A smirk formed on Changbin’s face. “Guess that means I have to call you Hyung, then.”
Wooyoung’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean that you had to-”
Changbin quickly shook his head while chuckling. “That’s ok, it was my idea, and I want to call you Hyung. If that’s ok… Hyung,” he said, using a playful tone.
Wooyoung shrugged. “I guess it’s ok,” he said. He didn’t really care about honorifics around people he considered his friends, but if Changbin really wanted to refer to him as Hyung, he wouldn’t complain. “By the way, I wanted to ask you: which high school do you go to?”
Changbin replied, “Namhae High. Is that where you’re going?”
Wooyoung nodded. “Yep, that’s where I’m headed. I’m glad I’ll already have one friend there, even though we won’t be in the same classes.”
Changbin smiled. “Yeah, but I’m sure you don’t need much help with making new friends. You still came over to talk to me even when you weren’t entirely sure who I was, so you’ll meet some great people fast. Everyone’s gonna love you tomorrow.”
Wooyoung sighed. “Ugh, don’t remind me that school starts tomorrow. I wish I could have more time to just hang out and meet people before being thrown into schoolwork again.”
“Don’t worry, Hyung, you’re gonna be fine. And hey, if you want, you’re welcome to sit with me and my friends at lunch tomorrow. I can introduce you to them, I’m sure you’ll all get along great!”
“Yeah, that would be great, thanks Changbin!” Wooyoung felt a little less apprehensive about starting school again tomorrow, already looking forward to making more friends. “Listen, I gotta go, but I will find you tomorrow at lunch. Great to see you again!”
Changbin waved goodbye to Wooyoung. “You too! I’ll save you a seat tomorrow, Hyung!” Wooyoung smiled and waved back, heading back to his father’s house to decompress before his upcoming first day of school.
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The next day came too quickly for Wooyoung. He groaned at his alarm blaring, already hating the fact that he needed to wake up so early for school. Being a habitual night owl was going to be rough for him during his stay in Namhae since he was not a morning person even on a good day. And waking up early meant today was already not a good day.
After fumbling around to turn off the alarm, Wooyoung stumbled out of bed to get ready for his first day at Namhae High. Even though he hated school, he wanted to make a good first impression with his classmates. Since the temperatures in Namhae were freezing in the winter, he put on his favorite cozy sweater along with a nice pair of jeans. He then styled his shoulder length black hair, brushing it out and straightening the fluffy bangs that perfectly framed his face. He ended his morning routine with his favorite part: makeup. Not wanting to be too bold on his first day, he applied some simple black winged eyeliner with a little bit of foundation and a pink lip tint. Wooyoung looked at himself in the mirror, and feeling satisfied with his look, grabbed his bag and headed downstairs.
His father was already waiting for him with a to go cup of coffee. “Good morning, Wooyoung! I made you some coffee, the way you said you like it. Black and strong.”
Wooyoung smiled. “Thanks, Dad,” he said, taking the cup gratefully. He was pleasantly surprised that his father had not only remembered how he took his coffee, but also that he made a cup for him. “And thanks for putting it in a to go cup. I gotta head out now if I don’t want to be late for school.”
His father quickly stopped him. “Before you go, I have a surprise for you.” Wooyoung paused at the door. A suprise? What did his father mean by that? Before he could ask, his father ushered him outside. “Come on out here, I’ll show you.”
Wooyoung followed his father outside, eager to see what surprise his father was talking about. It didn’t take long for him to figure out what it was.
Sitting on the driveway was a large, black Jeep. Wooyoung’s father began rambling. “I fixed it up for you just before you arrived. I know it’s a little dented and needs a few more fix ups, but I figured you would like to have your own ride to school. And I thought it could be a cool homecoming present for you. But if you don’t like it-”
Wooyoung cut him off, feeling a wide smile form on his face. “I love it, it’s perfect! Thank you so much, Dad!”
His father smiled at the praise. “I’m glad you like it. Now hurry, you don’t want to be late on your first day.” Wooyoung nodded and eagerly collected the keys from his father. When he got behind the wheel, he felt at ease. The car was perfect for him, and suddenly, his nerves for the day dissipated when he turned on the engine and drove away.
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The first half of the school day dragged along with Wooyoung feeling bored throughout most of it. It was the same routine for his first three classes: the teacher introduced him as a new student to the class, he said a few things about himself, he sat down, and he wanted to fall asleep while listening to his teachers drone on about whatever subject they were teaching. When the lunch bell finally rang, Wooyoung jumped out of his seat so fast and practically ran to the lunch hall, eager for a break from the monotony.
When he arrived at the lunch hall, he scanned the room for Changbin, their eyes meeting at the same time. Changbin enthusiastically waved him over, and Wooyoung hurried over to meet his friend.
“Hyung, I’m glad you took me up on my offer to have lunch together!” Changbin said. “Let me introduce you to my friends.” Wooyoung looked at the three others at the table. They were all young men of the same age as Changbin. The two on Changbin’s right had dark hair and were holding hands, and the other one to the left of Changbin had long blonde hair.
“Wooyoung, this is Han Jisung, but everyone just calls him Han. And next to him is Lee Minho, and he goes by Lee Know.” Changbin pointed to the dark-haired couple. “And this is Lee Felix,” he said while referring to the blonde. “Guys, this is Jung Wooyoung, we were good friends when we were kids, and he’s new here.”
Wooyoung waved at the group, and everyone greeted him back. “Hi Wooyoung, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” Han said.
“Yeah, Changbin here wouldn’t shut up about you when he heard that you were moving back,” Lee Know said knowingly, earning him a smack on the arm from Changbin. “Hey, what was that for? I’m just speaking the truth.”
Changbin looked a bit flushed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled. Wooyoung giggled at his obvious embarrassment, although he didn’t understand what there was to be embarrassed about. Clearly Changbin was just very excited to have his childhood friend back in town again. There was nothing wrong with that.
Wooyoung sat down with the rest of the group, and they made pretty easy conversation with each other. Wooyoung found out that Han and Lee Know had been dating each other since they started high school, the two of them practically being inseparable. “They’re insufferable sometimes, being the only couple at the table,” Changbin told Wooyoung. It seemed that teasing the duo was common within the friend group. “It’s a bit disgusting sometimes, right Felix?”
Felix hummed softly and nodded, staring at Changbin for a brief moment before lookin away shyly. Interesting, Wooyoung thought. Perhaps Felix doesn’t want there to be only one couple at this table.
While Changbin continued poking fun at Han and Lee Know, Wooyoung decided to try talking to Felix. “So, your name is Felix. That’s a really cool name. Where is it from?” Wooyoung asked.
Felix looked at Wooyoung blankly for a moment, and then answered, “Australia, that’s where I was born before I moved to Korea.”
Wooyoung was surprised to learn this information. “Really? That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to visit Australia.” Felix nodded his head, seeming a bit disinterested with talking to Wooyoung.
“Yeah, it’s a great country,” he said before quickly turning back to Changbin.
Wooyoung was confused at Felix’s cold reaction. He doesn’t seem to like me very much, Wooyoung thought to himself. I wonder why. I thought I was being nice to him just now. Maybe he just doesn’t like my personality or something.
All of a sudden, Lee Know exclaimed, “Oh, guys, look who’s coming in right now!”
Everyone turned their heads to the entrance of the dining hall. Four young men entered the room together, but they weren’t typical young men. They were all stunning, and their beauty was almost ethereal in a way that Wooyoung couldn’t describe with words. It seemed as if every person in the lunch hall was facing these newcomers, every eye trailing their movements, everyone captivated within an instant. “Who are they?” Wooyoung asked.
“Well… it’s an interesting story,” Changbin said. “You see, they’re like this adopted family. Their parents are Kim Hongjoong and Park Seonghwa, two of Namhae’s best doctors. They own a practice together, which is crazy because they’re both so young. They can’t be older than twenty-five, but they both look so much younger than that, almost as if they’re high schoolers themselves.”
Wooyoung was intrigued. “Wow, that is crazy.”
Changbin nodded. “And that’s not even the craziest part. Like I said, the four guys over there are their adopted sons, each of them being eighteen or nineteen years old. The craziest part is that they are dating each other.”
To say that Wooyoung was shocked was an understatement. “What?! They’re dating each other? Is that even legal?” he exclaimed. Changbin continued. “Yep! See, they’re not real siblings. None of them are related by blood, so there’s nothing creepy… well, nothing too creepy. They just live under the same roof, which I personally think is a bit weird, but I guess it works out well for them.”
Wooyoung was listening intently to Changbin’s words. “So, tell me about each of them.”
Changbin directed his attention to one of the couples. “You see the two tallest on the right? The taller of the two is Jeong Yunho. His boyfriend is Song Mingi, the one to his right with the shoulder length blonde hair. They’re like your typical high school movie couple, almost like a prom king and queen with how perfect and popular they are. It’s almost stereotypical: the cutest guy in the school having the beautiful blonde princess by his side. And they’re very physically affectionate with each other, to the point where it’s gotten them in trouble a few too many times.” Wooyoung’s eyes widened at that, clearly seeing how the two could barely keep their hands off each other just walking across the room, as if no one else existed to them but each other. It was kind of sweet to see.
Changbin motioned to the other couple. “And those two? The one on the left is Choi Jongho, he kind of looks like he’s always uncomfortable. Except for when he’s looking at his boyfriend, Kang Yeosang, the shorter one with the wavy hair. They’re definitely much shyer in their physical affection than Yunho and Mingi, but they’re really sweet together. You can see how much they care about each other when they’re together.”
Wooyoung nodded. While they were much quieter with their affection, he could still see it based on the way they were looking at each other at that moment. “You’re right, they’re all so cute together, practically giving each other heart eyes! So, these four are like celebrities on campus?”
Han suddenly spoke up. “Changbin, you forgot about San.”
Wooyoung turned his attention to Han. “There’s a fifth one?”
Changbin eagerly spoke up again. “Oh yeah, I saved the best for last! I just forgot about him because he wasn’t with the rest of them. Oh wait, he walking in here now!”
Wooyoung turned his head back to the entrance and felt all of the air leave his lungs instantly. Because the man he was staring at…
Wow.
He had some of the broadest shoulders that Wooyoung had ever seen, and he was wearing a slightly too tight shirt that accentuated a slim waist. Wooyoung could tell that he worked out due to the prominent curve of his biceps, and he would bet money that the man had prominent muscles everywhere. And his face… angular cheekbones with full lips, and an unnaturally pale skin tone that enhanced a naturally cold-looking expression. He was also wearing makeup, a reddish-brown eyeshadow and dark kohl liner that made his slender eyes pop, and his pouty lips had a red tint to them. His hair was slicked back away from his face, reaching the nape of his neck, and he had golden brown highlights that blended with his natural black hair color.
Wooyoung lost all ability to speak because this man was utterly perfect in every way. He never thought any person could be that way, but here was someone who was.
Perfect.
When he finally regained some awareness, he stuttered his next words. “Wh-who is he?”
Changbin answered, unaware of the flustered state Wooyoung was in. “That’s Choi San, the heartthrob of Namhae High. Everyone wants him, men and women both. Everyone jokingly calls him the Grand Duke of the North, like the trope, because he’s so cold and alluring that he should be the main love interest in a romance novel, only opening his heart to the lucky protagonist. Sadly, he is one hundred percent unattainable. Many people have tried asking him out, and every single one got rejected.”
Felix nodded and interjected. “Yeah, he never dates anyone, so I definitely wouldn’t waste your time on him.”
Wooyoung blushed slightly. “I wasn’t planning on it,” he said a little too quickly.
Lee Know snorted in laughter. “Yeah, tell that to your face. You’re practically drooling over him, and you’re turning bright red.” That red only deepened at the comment, Wooyoung becoming obviously embarrassed at being caught by his new friends.
A dark look passed in Changbin’s eyes for a brief moment, which confused Wooyoung, but it left before he could think about it too much. “Anyway, that’s the famous family of Namhae High for you. Let’s find something else to talk about instead. Oh, Felix, what do you think about this…”
Wooyoung had stopped listening to what Changbin was saying, instead choosing to sneak another glance in San’s direction. Almost as if he could feel someone watching him, San turned his head sharply in Wooyoung’s direction. Their eyes met from across the room, holding each other’s gazes for what felt like an eternity. Wooyoung felt his eyes widen when he realized that San was staring back at him, and he immediately looked away, becoming flustered again.
After a few moments of staring down at the table, he found the courage to take one more look at San. The other’s eyes had not left him, focused intently on Wooyoung with a particular gleam in them. Wooyoung was confused by the eye contact, and he was too far away to tell if the look on San’s face was one of interest, or something else. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that question, but it left him all the more intrigued just the same.
If only he knew that he would soon learn what that lingering look meant for him.