Work Text:
ATEEZ's Wooyoung and Actress Kim Ji-Woo Spotted on a Date Following Lotte Giants' Memorable 2026 Win
'What the actual fuck'. Wooyoung dropped the popsicle he was holding onto the ground, the ice melting beneath the gaze of the scorching sun. He held his phone with both hands in disbelief, not caring if the sticky remains of his ice cream smudged the sides of his phone.
"What the actual fuck," he repeated. There were two things wrong with the article.
1. He's gay.
2. He has a boyfriend.
Miss Eunkyung did NOT raise a cheater. Thank you very much. Wooyoung wouldn't mind if the article looked like a stretch, but unfortunately the photos attached to it seemed very convincing.
He clicked on the article and zoomed in on the photos. There was really no saving him, because there in the photo, Wooyoung was spotted crouched on the ground tying the shoelaces of actress Kim Ji-Woo.
If it were any other person, Wooyoung was fully convinced he could get away with it. Heck, he's kissed his members in public more times than he can count, yet people never really complained.
But, of course, Ji-Woo was a girl. And this was different, because he lived in a timeline wherein Korea still disapproved of homosexuals.
Wooyoung groaned, kicking the remains of his popsicle across the pavement. He tried to be nice one time, and look where it got him. Ji-Woo was nice, sure, but she's like his little sister, his dongsaeng. Kyungmin, if he were an actress and several years older.
People started to gather around him, watching him melt down over a celebrity article. Wooyoung suddenly gained some momentary social awareness and pulled down his cap. He couldn't get caught in public. At least, not now.
He picked up what was left of his melted ice cream and threw it toward the trash can. He hated the feeling of sticky fingers, but he had more pressing matters at hand.
Like his career, for example, and how his boyfriend would react. And yes, his manager. He nearly forgot about that.
—
The pressure started to sink in when his manager started calling him on the way to the company.
"Young-ah, what's going on? When did this happen? Why wasn't I aware of this?" his manager asked as Wooyoung lowered his phone speaker so only he could hear.
"I—" The idol pinched the bridge of his nose. He had hailed a cab in a hurry, and luckily the driver didn't seem to care enough to see his face.
He legit didn't know how to explain this.
Probably because he didn't ask fucking permission. He was slimming down for their upcoming comeback and knew his manager would kill him if he knew he cheated on his diet.
But here he was anyway.
How was he gonna explain that he and Ji-Woo had sneaked out for a dessert run post-game? And that there was totally nothing going on between them?
"Wooyoung," his manager urged.
Wooyoung banged his head softly against the cab window.
Only a handful of people knew he was gay. That included his mom, his older brother, and the rest of the members. He was closeted to everyone else, including his manager. The ATINYs had an inkling, but he never confirmed it.
Wooyoung sighed, hands all tangled up in his hair. "Me and Ji-Woo went out for dessert. And I swear to god, hyung. Absolutely nothing happened between us. All I wanted was a croissant."
Which worried him. Because he knew Ji-Woo wasn't exactly coming out unscathed either. Wooyoung knew how extreme some fans could get. He mentally drafted a message to send to Ji-Woo later, apologising for his actions.
He should probably check her side of the news while he's at it.
His manager was silent for a moment. It honestly frightened Wooyoung. He took a peek at the driver's navigation system–they were at least a good ten minutes from the company, and there was a bit of traffic ahead.
Nothing was said, but he could tell the older man was already thinking about damage control. Wooyoung twiddled with the end of his shirt. Then, in a very hesitant voice, he asked, "So am I fired?"
A sigh came through the other end of the phone. The voice sounded disgruntled as it spoke. "That should be my problem."
A pause. "And Woo?"
"Yes?"
"Do me a favor and report any spontaneous outings from now on. I'd rather have you break a diet than wind up in a scandal."
Wooyoung nearly cried tears of joy. He'll take it. At least he's not mad. He pressed the phone tightly to his ear. "I won't let you down, hyung!! I promise."
The call ended, and Wooyoung let his head fall back against the seat. His fingers were still sticky. He stared at the smear of melted popsicle on his phone screen and exhaled.
One crisis down. Now he just had to explain all of this to his boyfriend.
—
San was in the gym doing reps with Seonghwa when his phone rang. He immediately set down the weights he was lifting to pick up his phone. "Hello?"
"San-ah?"
San withdrew his phone to glance at the caller ID. Seonghwa looked at him. 'Who is it?' he mouthed.
'Haneul,' he mouthed back.
San clears his throat. "Yeah noona, what's up?" He used the towel hanging around his neck to wipe the sweat off his face. "Is something wrong? What happened."
When met with silence, San furrowed his brows. "Noona?"
"I… I don't think it's my place to tell. But you might want to check the news, San. Appa has been worried."
Worried. That word sat heavy in his chest. His father wasn't the type to worry over nothing. And the fact that Haneul couldn't even say it…
"Thanks, noona. I'll check." He hung up before she could hear the shift in his voice.
Confused, San exited the call to search his name up on Naver. But nothing came up. Just photos of his recent ambassador campaign. He deleted the letters and searched ATEEZ San, still nothing.
What could be the problem this time?
He called for Seonghwa's attention. "Hyung, did you think one of our members went into a scandal or something?"
Seonghwa sat on the ground, promptly giving up on the treadmill. "That couldn't be, we don't have any schedules. And no one left the dorm this morning except–"
They both paused.
Except Wooyoung.
San immediately typed in Wooyoung's name with fervent speed. Seonghwa decided to ditch his workout routine completely, instead opting to observe by San's shoulder.
"Oh shit."
It wasn't San.
ATEEZ's Wooyoung and Actress Kim Ji-Woo Spotted on a Date Following Lotte Giants' Memorable 2026 Win
San's eyes scanned the headline once. Twice. It didn't make sense. It didn't.
[Photo attachment of Wooyoung kneeling down in front of Ji-Woo]
His hands went cold.
[A close-up shot of Ji-Woo tucking her hair as Wooyoung stood up to grab the bag of pastries off Ji-Woo's hands.]
He knew that smile. The one Wooyoung was wearing in the photo. Soft, a little shy. The one he used when he was trying to be polite but was secretly pleased with himself.
[Shot three of Wooyoung bumping Ji-Woo's shoulder on the side of the street.]
San stopped breathing.
That one hit different. Because that, the shoulder bump, the easy familiarity. That was theirs. That was something Wooyoung did to him. When they were walking side by side. When San made a dumb joke. When Wooyoung wanted to say I'm here without actually saying it.
San nearly buckled to his knees. Ji-Woo. Actress Kim Ji-Woo. Twenty-six years old, young, pretty. And was also invited to attend the Lotte Giants' baseball game. The same game Wooyoung had gone to. The same game Wooyoung had apparently left with her.
"San-ah." Seonghwa spoke.
San didn't answer. His brain was too loud.
She's pretty. She's a woman. His family called because they saw this. His father is worried. His mom probably was too. After they worked so hard to start their relationship–
He stopped himself. No. No, he wasn't going to spiral. Not here. Not in front of Seonghwa. He forced his legs to move, heading straight to the bench press to sit down on the leather cushions.
Okay. Okay, think.
He stared at the photos again. Wooyoung tying her shoelaces. Wooyoung holding her pastries. Wooyoung bumping her shoulder.
It looked bad. It looked really, really bad.
And for one horrible, gut-wrenching second, San let himself feel it. The doubt. The fear. The small, ugly voice that whispered, what if you were wrong about him?
Then he closed his phone.
No. He knew Wooyoung. They had been best friends since trainee days, boyfriends since 2020. He knew the way Wooyoung cried during sad movies and the way he laughed when he was genuinely happy versus when he was just being polite. He knew Wooyoung's favourite ramen place and the name of his childhood pet and the exact face he made right before he was about to do something stupid.
And he knew, without a single doubt, that Wooyoung did not like women like that. The photos were convincing. The headlines were damning. But San knew his boyfriend.
A hand clasped over his shoulder. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"You okay?" Seonghwa asked.
San shook his head. He wasn't mad at Wooyoung. Not at all. He knew what they were getting into when they asked each other out. He knew the news was fake, that there was an explanation for all of this. But it still didn't change the fact that it stung. That for a split second, he had let himself doubt.
And he hated that.
San took a deep breath. "I–I need to find Wooyoung." They were friends before they were ever lovers. And knowing Wooyoung. "He's probably feeling guilty as hell right now."
Because that was the other thing. While San was here nursing a bruised heart over photos he knew were fake, Wooyoung was probably somewhere drowning in guilt over something that wasn't even his fault. That was just who Wooyoung was.
Seonghwa offered him a soft smile as he helped him up. He patted his back. "Go talk to him, San. You know him better than anyone else."
—
Wooyoung averted his gaze as he sat down at the round table across from their PR staff. And luckily, no one was pissed… yet.
The voices went through one ear and out the other. He couldn't focus. Just nodded along to whatever damage control they decided on. Something about a statement. Something about laying low. He didn't care. He didn't want to be here. He didn't belong here, in this cold meeting room with people discussing his love life like it was a problem to be solved.
He wanted to be someplace else. Next to a certain someone.
As soon as he heard the meeting dismissed, he ran. Straight to the dorms. He didn't even remember the ride back. Just the pounding in his chest and the horrible, suffocating weight of everything he hadn't said yet.
"San-ah, San-ah, hyung, anyone please." Wooyoung was pounding on the door, tears already threatening to spill from his eyes. His voice cracked on the next one. "San–"
The door creaks open leaving Wooyoung to knock on air.
"I'm right here."
And that's all it took.
Wooyoung couldn't help the tears that dripped past his face as he wrapped his arms around his lover. Strong arms wrapped around him as San cradled Wooyoung in the hallway, right there where anyone could see. He cried and San just let him. Didn't shush him. Didn't rush him. San hooked his chin on the top of his head, humming softly as Wooyoung came undone in his embrace.
They stayed like that for a while. Long enough for Wooyoung's sobs to quiet into sniffles. Long enough for San's shirt to be thoroughly ruined.
San chuckled softly, his voice gentle against Wooyoung's hair. "Wae, Wooyoung-ah? Why are you crying?"
Wooyoung sniffled deeper into his neck. He didn't want to pull back. Didn't want to see San's face just yet. "I don't know. This isn't like me either." He bit his lip. "And I got mad at them."
"Who? The reporters?"
A pause.
"Everyone."
San just hummed as he carded his fingers through Wooyoung's hair. "Wanna come inside? I can get you some water while I'm at it."
Another whine slipped past Wooyoung's lips. He really doesn't deserve Choi San.
San felt the vibration of it against his skin and smiled, pressing a kiss to the side of Wooyoung's head. "I'll take that as a yes."
And then, because San was San, he didn't wait for Wooyoung to find his legs. He just scooped him up by the thighs. Wooyoung responded by wrapping his arms around his neck, his legs locking around San's waist, ankles crossing at the small of his back. Together they entered the room.
—
The light buzzing of the TV echoed faintly in the background. Some drama no one was really watching. Mingi was sprawled across the couch, legs thrown over the armrest, a bag of chips resting on his lap. "Hey what happened to–" A sharp look from San shut him up effectively.
The chips crinkled as Mingi froze mid-reach. San hoisted Wooyoung a little further up his hips and carried him straight into his room.
His lover felt like a puddle in his arms as he deposited him onto the bed. San waited for Wooyoung to settle comfortably before lying right next to him, his arm already offered up as a makeshift pillow.
He stared at Wooyoung. Took in the red-rimmed eyes, the dried tear tracks, the way his bottom lip was still trembling just slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
For a split second, Wooyoung hesitated. His forehead scrunched up as he tried to recall the events from earlier that morning. A pair of asymmetrical eyes gazed right back at him, it was so full of love it made his chest ache. San brought his hand up to cup his cheek, thumb brushing away the dampness there.
"I'm not forcing you, love. We can talk about something else if you want to."
Another tear fell past Wooyoung's cheek. His voice came out small, barely a whisper. "I just want to love you, San. Why do they have to make everything so difficult?"
San swallowed against the ache in his throat. Six years. Six years together, and Wooyoung still looked at him as if loving San was the easiest thing he'd ever done. This ridiculous, beautiful, stubborn man. Crying in his bed over the unfairness of wanting something so simple. Something that was already his.
“Am I not already yours, no?”
Wooyoung frowned, frustration evident on his face. "You don't get it. You're mine, San. I know that. But out there?" His voice cracked. "Out there, I'm dating Ji-Woo. Out there, you don't exist at all."
He nuzzled his cheek into San's hand, eyes fluttering shut. "And it pains me, San, because you're not just a rumor to me. You're the realest thing I've ever known."
San didn't say anything. He just pulled Wooyoung closer, tucking him under his chin like he could shield him from all of it. He couldn't, of course. The headlines were still out there. The rumours. The photos. But here, in this room, with Wooyoung's breath warm against his collarbone, none of that felt real.
This did.
—
Wooyoung didn't remember falling asleep. He remembered San's heartbeat under his ear. The slow drag of fingers through his hair. A voice, low and steady, murmuring something he couldn't quite catch. And then nothing.
Now, everything was cold.
The kind of cold that seeped into his bones, settling in the strands of his hair and the tips of his fingers. He curled tighter into the mattress, burying his face in the blankets. They smelled like San. And whatever laundry detergent the trio dorm had decided on. He felt something shifted beside him.
Wooyoung groans. His warmth. Whoever it was could find their own.
A quiet laugh brushed against his ear, low and fond. "Hey, babe. Love you too, but you need to wake up."
Wooyoung barely had time to grumble before broad arms circled his waist and icy hands slipped beneath the hem of his shirt. He yelped, bolting upright as goosebumps raced across his skin.
"Yah, Choi San!"
He flung the blankets aside and smacked San's chest, glaring hard enough to thaw those stupid freezing hands. San just laughed.
The idiot.
His eyes crinkled at the corners, his hair sticking up in seventeen different directions. It was awful. Wooyoung wanted to kiss him. So, naturally, he climbed into San's lap instead, planting himself squarely on his stomach before he could even escape.
San looked up at him with a grin that was entirely too smug. "Oh? So now you're awake?"
"Yeah, no shit." Wooyoung smacked his chest again. "I was having a perfectly good night's sleep."
"What a tragedy."
Before Wooyoung could retaliate, San hooked an arm around his waist and rolled them over in one smooth motion. The blankets tangled around Wooyoung, pinning his arms to his sides until he was wrapped up like a burrto.
He wriggled furiously, accomplishing nothing except earning another laugh. It rumbled through both of them, warm, familiar, unbearably fond.
"You are the most insufferable man I've ever met. Wait–jesus—"
The complaint dissolved into a muffled sound as San kissed him. Slow and lazy, like they had all the time in the world. Like the headlines didn't exist. Like the only thing that mattered was this. Then they pulled away, foreheads pressed against each other, their breaths mingling into one.
“We have a flight at noon.” San says arms propped up on both sides of his head. Concern was evidently etched on his face. “Will you be okay?”
Wooyoung paused to ask himself. Will I be okay?
He broke free from one side of the blanket to caress San's cheek. Soft and squishy. He resisted the urge to bite it. "Well, we have to show up somehow."
His thoughts trailed off. Speaking of…
Wooyoung turned to the bedside table to grab ahold of his phone. San obediently sat back down beside him.
Actress Kim Ji-Woo
10:59 PM
Ji-woo
Wooyoung-ah are
you awake?
Ji-Woo
TTTT
Ji-Woo
I'm so sorry for yesterday and any
inconvenience it may have caused.
I shouldn't have asked you
out for dessert : ((
"She asked you out for dessert?" San asked, propping his chin over Wooyoung's shoulder.
Wooyoung frowned, staring at his phone. "Yeah, but I was still the one who went out with her."
Actress Kim Ji-Woo
8:55 AM
Wooyoung
Yah!! Kim Ji-Woo you better
not be beating yourself over
this
Wooyoung
I was craving croissants
too. It was the media's
fault for being nosy
Ji-Woo
Wooyoung-ssi T^T
you're way too nice !!
Wooyoung
If anything else the media
should apologize
Wooyoung
btw my company is planning
to release a statement
San nudged him from his side. "It's already posted," he said, scrolling through his own phone. Curious, Wooyoung tilted his head to take a look.
KQ Entertainment Shuts Down Rumors of Romance Between Wooyoung and Actress Kim Ji-Woo
Hello, this is KQ Entertainment.
We are issuing a statement regarding the recent online reports concerning ATEEZ member Wooyoung and actress Kim Ji-Woo.
The two are simply close friends and have maintained a supportive friendship for some time. The photos circulating online were taken when Wooyoung, who has been strictly managing his diet ahead of ATEEZ's upcoming comeback, was craving desserts. Kim Ji-Woo, as a friend, accompanied him to purchase pastries. Nothing more.
We sincerely apologize for causing concern to fans through this misunderstanding. Any claims of a romantic relationship between the two are completely untrue.
We kindly ask that fans refrain from speculative interpretations and continue to support Wooyoung and ATEEZ with warm hearts.
Thank you.
“That was fast.” Wooyoung notes as he skimmed over the article. “Really well written too. Well that's the KQ PR team for you.”
Actress Kim Ji-Woo
9:03 AM
Wooyoung
Wait the link is already up ㅋㅋㅋ
Ji-Woo
???
Wooyoung
https:/entertain.naver.com/article/
kq/20260717/wooyoung-jiwoo-statement
Wooyoung
I’m also sorry Ji-woo for any problems this may have caused
[bowing sticker]
"You should probably send a message on Fromm too. Just in case," San suggested, meaning Wooyoung's own personal fans. His first ladies. The Wommys. Wooyoung could only nod in agreement.
He already had a message drafted in his head. All he needed to do was send it.
Wooyoung groaned as he stretched his tired limbs against the mattress, already dreading the fact that he had to go out in public. He could potentially take a later flight, avoid the crowd. Slip away unnoticed. But no.
He looked at his stupid boyfriend, whose slender eyes were full of concern. There, he saw it. The worry tucked into the corner of his mouth. The way his fingers hadn't quite stopped touching Wooyoung since last night, like he needed to keep checking he was still there.
San needed him right now. More than he let on.
Wooyoung made grabby hands at his boyfriend. "Come hug me, big guy. I need to recharge my San battery for later."
—
Wooyoung never liked airports. Loud. Messy. Superficial. And contrary to what most people thought, celebrities didn't get much special treatment. If you were late, you had to book another flight, same as everyone else.
They were supposed to leave by noon, all crammed into the company van, but unfortunately for Wooyoung, he'd slept over at his boyfriend's place and hadn't packed a single thing.
"Aigoo, Wooyoung-ah."
Hongjoong's voice drifted from the doorway. He stood there with his arms crossed, the picture of patience wearing thin. Behind him came the distant thud of luggage being hauled down the hallway. The others were ready. Of course they were.
"Everyone's waiting for you."
"Just a second—"
Wooyoung gave up on the shoe that refused to cooperate and shoved it into his suitcase instead, dragging the zipper shut with more force than necessary. Clothes. Charger. Watch.
His gaze caught the bottle of perfume on the dresser.
Right.
He gave himself a quick spray, the familiar scent settling around him like armor, then swept another glance across the room. Phone. Wallet. Passport. Team ring—
"Has Jongho already finished packing?"
Hongjoong snorted. "Everyone's finished packing."
Wooyoung muttered a curse under his breath. Okay, so it's just him again.
"You good?"
The question made him pause. He didn't look up, only fussed with a hoodie that was already folded neatly on the bed.
Hongjoong sighed. "I saw the article." He sat down beside him. "I wouldn't be too happy if I were you."
Wooyoung nodded along, pretending to fix absolutely nothing. "I'm fine, hyung."
"Wooyoung."
"I'm fine."
Hongjoong didn't push. He just sat there, solid and steady, the way he always did when words weren't enough. A beat passed. Then two.
"It's fake, you know," Wooyoung said quietly. "The dating thing. Me and Ji-Woo."
"I know."
Wooyoung's hands stilled on the hoodie. He finally looked up. "You do?"
Hongjoong's expression didn't change. "I've known you for years, Wooyoung-ah. I know who you go home to." He paused, letting the words settle. "The company doesn't. The fans don't. But I do."
Wooyoung felt his throat tighten. He didn't know what to say to that.
Hongjoong stood, brushing off his jeans like the conversation hadn't just tilted Wooyoung's world slightly off its axis. "Finish packing. The van leaves in ten." He paused at the door. "And Wooyoung?"
"Yeah?"
"San's already in the back seat. Saved you a spot."
“Thanks hyung.”
—
Tantan @tantangerinee • 30m
FML FUCK ALL OF YOU HGSJHAGDJGJDA
[Photo of Wooyoung wrapping his arms around San’s waist, nose tucked into the crook of his neck]
☐ 12 ⤷ 5 ♥︎ 375
Tantan @tantangerinee • 3m
I love crashing out w u guys <3
yvaaa @mingimangominki • 11m
FUCKING CRYINGGGGG
Ellie Bear 🐻 @Elliebeartiny • 15m
So what if I die?
⤷ Ellie Bear 🐻 @Elliebeartiny • 11m reposted
yvaaa @mingimangominki • 45m
I love my stupid baka woosan life
[Photo of San hugging Wooyoung and kissing the crown of his head]
☐ 5 ⤷ 25 ♥︎ 800
Tantan @tantangerinee • 3m
I deadass can’t do this anymore
Tantan @tantangerinee • 3m
[crashing out GIF]
Ellie Bear 🐻 @Elliebeartiny • 58s
Same twin
Wooyoung chuckled, still draped over San as he waited for his passport to be scanned. The airport buzzed around them. Fans calling, cameras clicking but pressed against San's back, all of it felt far away. He scrolled through Twitter on his dummy account, liking and resharing couple content. The kind of stuff that would get him cancelled on main.
"What are you doing?" San asked, glancing over his shoulder when he felt Wooyoung laugh against the back of his hoodie.
"Nothing," Wooyoung mumbled, angling his phone toward him. "Just looking at fan accounts. People really like us."
He paused on a picture of San pressing a kiss to his forehead. It had been taken only minutes ago. Thousands of likes. Thousands of people swooning over a moment they thought was staged.
His thumb lingered over the screen before continuing. The smile tugging at his lips slowly disappeared. He rested his cheek against San's back, absentmindedly scrolling through edits, compilations, and screenshots. Every glance between them had been analyzed. Every touch had a hundred different interpretations.
None of them were the truth.
Another swipe.
Another headline.
Wooyoung frowned.
Strawberry Rush⋆˚✿˖° @kimchuuwon • 1d
My parents btw for anyone who cares
[Photo attachment of Wooyoung kneeling down in front of Ji-Woo]
☐ 7 ⤷ 16 ♥︎ 105
Chuu’s #1 Flower @octobergem • 1d
I'm gonna be so fr I never seen Wooyoung kneel down for ANYONE
Strawberry Rush⋆˚✿˖° @kimchuuwon • 1d
They should date!!
Chuu’s #1 Flower @octobergem • 1d
True, I love them so much 🥹
Wooyoung locked his phone, the screen going dark beneath his thumb. "San-ah."
"Hm?" San replied without turning around.
Wooyoung didn't answer right away. One afternoon. One picture of him kneeling in front of Ji-Woo. One shoulder bump. A handful of smiles. That had been enough. Enough for strangers to decide he was in love.
He looked at the warmth of San's back pressed against his chest, at the arm he'd lazily draped around his waist. At the boy who'd held him through every comeback, every panic, every version of himself no one else was ever allowed to see.
"I think I could kiss you right now," he murmured, "and people would still think we're just friends."
San looked at him with a sadness that said everything. And somehow, that was the cruelest truth of them all.
—
The hotel room was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner. And the tune San sang under his breath as he changed into his sleep clothes. Wooyoung was already in bed, sprawled out like a starfish, still scrolling through his phone.
"Still not done?" San asked, tugging his shirt over his head.
"Never," Wooyoung teased back, zooming in on an old photo of them during Bouncy promotions. They were so young back then. Dumb and stupid. Sneaking into each other's dorm rooms, making out in that one corner during dance practice. San looked so cute back then. Still handsome, but not the hunk of a man he was now.
Wooyoung saved the photo to his gallery.
"Yah. I saw that."
Wooyoung barely had time to react before San was on him, climbing onto the bed with a laugh. He twisted onto his side, stretching his arm over the edge of the mattress, but San caught him around the waist before he could get away. A pillow went flying. Then another.
"Stop!" Wooyoung shrieked, half laughing, half desperate, his body hanging halfway off the mattress now. His fingers clutched the phone like a lifeline.
"Why do you keep saving my embarrassing photos? I look stupid."
"Say that to your fans."
San hooked his chin over Wooyoung's shoulder, voice dropping. "But I'm your boyfriend."
Wooyoung went still.
They ended up face to face, chests heaving, the phone momentarily forgotten between them. Wooyoung stared into his eyes. Dark, feline, with beauty marks dotted across his face like constellations. Wooyoung never thought he'd seen a man so beautiful.
He relented, pressing the phone into San's chest. His boyfriend took it without hesitation, already unlocking the screen. Wooyoung flopped back onto the mattress, crossing his arms as he caught his breath.
"Are you really gonna delete it?"
San snorted. "Of course not. I just wanna look." A beat. His eyebrows lifted.
"What?"
San looked at him, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "You really love me, don't you, Jung Wooyoung?"
Wooyoung rolled his eyes, but he was already moving closer, throwing a leg over San's stomach. "Show."
San tilted the screen toward him. And then he went quiet. Because he wasn't looking at pictures Wooyoung had taken. He was looking at pictures everyone else had taken.
Fansite photos. Airport shots. Screenshots from edits. Moments that had gone viral because strangers thought they looked too close, too comfortable, too much like something more.
Wooyoung had saved them all.
San scrolled slowly.
There was one of him fixing Wooyoung's collar. Another of Wooyoung leaning into him during a stage ending. A blurry screenshot from a fan video where their hands had brushed for half a second too long.
Things that meant nothing to anyone else. Things that meant everything to them.
"I don't remember you taking this," San murmured, stopping on one.
Wooyoung laughed quietly. "I didn't."
San looked over. "Then it must be from Twitter."
Another swipe.
Another edit.
Another photo they'd never thought twice about in public.
"Aigoo, Wooyoung-ah," San said, amusement giving way to something softer. "What am I supposed to do with you?"
He grinned. "My boyfriend is so obsessed with me."
Wooyoung shrugged, suddenly looking anywhere but at him. But his hand found San's under the covers, fingers lacing together like second nature. Someday, maybe, the world would catch up.
Someday, someone would scroll past a photo of them. Not as a scandal, not as a rumour, but as something real. Something worth celebrating. But for now, Wooyoung would hold onto this. The gallery full of stolen moments. The boy in his bed. The love that was his, even if no one else knew it.
The world didn't have to understand. Choi San already did.