Work Text:
Soonyoung’s in the middle of packing his luggage when he gets a text. He lazily chucks aside the shirt he was folding to check his phone, assuming that it’s Mingyu reminding him for the hundredth time not to be late.
It isn’t.
It’s his workplace telling him that the leave he requested a month ago, and had already received approval for, has been postponed.
At first, he just stares at the screen in utter disbelief. The words make less sense as the second goes by. Soonyoung had been looking forward to this week for months, had already packed his handwritten itinerary and swim trunks, only for his workplace to ruin his plans at the very last moment.
Eventually, the screen goes dark. He reluctantly places the device face down on the floor beside him. With resignation, he looks at Nabi, who’s making herself comfortable in his half-packed suitcase. As if she already knows that they won’t be going anywhere tonight.
He huffs and picks his phone off the floor again, thinking about texting Mingyu to cancel their plans for later. He doesn’t know how he ends up dialing Jihoon instead. As the phone rings he thinks that it’s for the best. After all, he should be the first to know about any unexpected change of plans.
“Hello?” Jihoon picks up after two rings. As if summoned by his voice, Mochi patters into the room and climbs into the suitcase to cuddle up with her sister who was already dozing off on top of his favourite sweater—these brats.
“Jihoon-ah,” he purrs into the mic. Knowing him, he probably already knows something’s up just by hearing Soonyoung’s voice, so he decides to skip the foreplay. “Don’t be mad.”
“What did you do now?” He hears soft music playing in the background of the call paired with Junhui’s nasally voice singing along. Jihoon lets out a breathy giggle at his antics. A slimy feeling builds in the pit of Soonyoung’s stomach when he realizes that he’s interrupting their quality time together.
Shrugging it off the best he can, he says, “My leave got postponed by two days. I don’t think the kids and I can make it before Friday,” He breathes. “What should I do, Jihoon-ah?”
There’s a brief pause and he faintly hears footsteps on the other end. The music keeps playing in the distance. Mochi meows from where she’s curved up into a ball, observing him with wide eyes that almost look concerned. He makes a note in his head to sneak in a few treats for her later. She deserves it.
“Why?”
“They asked for last-minute changes in a project,” He sighs, “It’s an important client.”
“Fine,” Jihoon huffs, “But please get the kids here before the ceremony. Jun is really excited about them walking down the aisle with us, he won’t shut up about it.”
Soonyoung knows. He’s the one who gave Junhui the idea during Jihoon and his engagement dinner four months ago. After watching multiple videos of cats walking down the aisle with their owners, he found it adorable enough to rope Junhui into adding it to his wedding bucket list. Soonyoung was admittedly tipsier than usual, having downed several shots of soju after hearing his friends offhandedly mention Wonwoo in a conversation.
“Wow. Are the cats all you care about? Fourteen years of friendship down the drain, Jihoon-ah. Unbelievable.” Soonyoung says with no actual bite to his words, a fond smile playing on his lips.
“I’m joking. But I will kill you if you miss my wedding, Kwon Soonyoung. This is a threat.”
He snickers, “I’ll be there before the party on Friday, I promise. Just make sure Jun doesn’t drive all the way up here to get the kids tonight.”
It’s Jihoon’s turn to dissolve into laughter. “Fine, but how are you planning to get here? Since Mingyu can’t drive you here anymore.”
Right.
“I’ll try to figure something out,” he says, doubtfully. Pets aren’t allowed on public transport so he guesses he’d have to catch a flight to Busan. It would be heavy on his pockets but for now, he can’t think of a better alternative. Jihoon responds with an equally doubtful hum, knowing Soonyoung all too well.
____
Jihoon calls him two days later while he’s nestled into a corner in the break room during lunchtime. His sandwich lies cold and limp on the table as his fingers busily scroll the internet in search of cheap plane tickets, to no avail because just looking at the prices is causing the proverbial hole in his wallet to widen. He hastily accepts the call as soon as he sees Jihoon’s name pop up on his screen.
“Jihoon-ah,” Soonyoung whines into the mic, “I tried searching for flights but nothing is cheap right now. I’m dying here, help me.” He’s glad no one else is in the breakroom right now to witness his breakdown over a mode of transport.
“I knew he’d be clueless.” Jihoon mumbles to himself, exasperated, “Since you still haven’t thought of anything worthwhile, you have to go with my plan. I won’t take a no for an answer now.”
“Anything. I’ll go with anything you say at this point; it can’t get any worse than this.” Soonyoung sighs in relief; he can always count on Jihoon to get him out of trouble. He was the one who helped him with his last-minute essays in college. Jihoon was the one who carried him home when he got drunk at parties. He’s the one who helps him deal with most of his crises. Hearing Jihoon’s assurance brings back his appetite, and he resumes eating his sandwich.
“Since you’ve agreed, you can’t back out now,” Okay. Soonyoung doesn’t have a good feeling about this anymore. “I talked to Wonwoo.”
Soonyoung’s breath gets caught in his throat as the name leaves Jihoon’s mouth. Images of messy bed hair and dopey smiles flicker through his mind before he can process them, followed by a slimy feeling settling into the bottom of his stomach as he recalls unwanted memories: clenched fists and glassy eyes. Suddenly the half-chewed food in his mouth feels like sand.
Taking Soonyoung’s silence as a sign to keep going, Jihoon continues, “I know it’s probably the last thing you’d want but he’s already driving here tonight so Jun suggested it and I thought it was worth a shot. I talked to Wonwoo and he said he didn’t mind.” He gives up on eating his lunch, his appetite disappearing beyond the point of return.
“You’re being ridiculous right now. You don’t understand, I can’t—”
“I know. I know, Soonyoung. But what better option do we have? And I already feel bad about making the cats your responsibility. I can’t let you spend your entire paycheck on a flight just for their sake.” Jihoon cuts him off, his voice laced with guilt which Soonyoung thinks is highly unnecessary.
He’s quite literally Nabi and Mochi’s godfather, the past two weeks with them have been the best he’s had in a while. By now, he’s so attached to the cats Jihoon might have to use surgical methods to separate them from him. Plus, he’s glad he could help Jihoon spend quality time with his fiance before the big day. He would do it over and over again just to see them happy.
But no matter how much he loves his friend, Soonyoung would rather carry one cat in each hand and walk all the way to Busan than be in the same car as Wonwoo for hours. God. Just thinking about it is making his head ache.
His coworker chooses this moment to walk into the break room to grab something from the refrigerator. She smiles in greeting when she spots him in his little corner. He attempts to smile back, hoping that it doesn’t look as constipated as he thinks it does.
Jihoon clears his throat as his coworker steps back out. Soonyoung must have been silent for a beat too long. “Besides, I think it’s about time the two of you talk. It’s been long overdue.”
“Why would he want to talk to me after– after everything?” Soonyoung can’t help but let his mind wander back to that night in his apartment, them standing across each other under the dim kitchen lights. A paper gripped tightly in Wonwoo’s trembling hand as he gazes at him in painful disbelief. As if hearing Soonyoung’s words was causing him physical pain. He knows it did because it felt the same for him, perhaps worse.
I don’t think I can do this, Wonwoo-yah.
“Oh, trust me. If he didn’t want to talk to you he never would’ve agreed so last-minute. You know that better than I do.”
“Jihoon, I don’t know if—”
“Not to forget our absolute lack of options and the fact that neither of us has the budget to book you a flight and pay for the cats’ seats too,” Jihoon says, a smirk visible in his voice. “Trust me Soonyoung-ah, this is the best we can do right now.” He knows he’s won.
____
6 months ago
Seungkwan and Chan were doing a far too comical rendition of a girl group song as the karaoke machine blasted the instrumental. The screen displayed the lyrics but neither of them cared to look at it, too busy coming up with their own.
The beer in Soonyoung’s hand sloshed, some of it landing on his jeans as he swayed to the beat of the song. With Mingyu cheering on his right and Seokmin singing along on his left, Soonyoung felt overheated.
He was used to feeling unusually warm and sweaty but he dealt with it better in the past, mainly because he had another pair of just as unusually cold hands to soothe him. Hands that the condensation on a bottle couldn’t replace. Hands that he couldn’t call his anymore. He pressed the cold beer to his forehead.
Suddenly he regretted accepting his friends’ plans to gather and celebrate his return to Korea. Spending two years in Japan had made him forget his friends' drunk antics.
He missed them a lot and he had been having fun but as the night went on he could feel the blaring headache he’d have the next day after all the alcohol he’d consumed. Plus, Seokmin had been singing into his ear for the past hour, his eardrums were on the verge of exploding.
The karaoke room was big but not big enough to fit all nine of them. A long sofa with enough seats to accommodate all of them was attached to the wall leaving the rest of the room with barely enough space for two people to perform a dance routine.
With Jeonghan already running later than usual he couldn’t imagine it fitting more people.
Seungcheol had said that he and Jeonghan would be late because of traffic but there were no updates from either of them on the group’s chatroom when he checked it around twenty minutes ago.
Soonyoung tried to pull out his phone from his pocket to check for any unseen messages but there was no space for his hand to move without elbowing Mingyu in the side.
By then, Chan had somehow roped Jisoo into joining their performance and Hansol’s laugh was bouncing off the walls, the one that sounded awfully similar to the sound of nails on a chalkboard. His skin was prickling.
Soonyoung felt his head swim as he wiggled out of his seat and excused himself. The door muffled his friends’ voices as he closed it behind himself. With wobbly knees, he carried his body to the bathroom.
He splashed his face with ice-cold water and stared at his hazy reflection in the mirror till his vision cleared. Trying to sober himself up as much as he could. Soonyoung used to swear he wasn’t a sad drunk but at some point, he had accepted his moping.
Alcohol was the bane of his existence, constantly bringing back memories that brought his mood down and creating more unwanted ones. He looked down at the beer splotches on his jeans and sighed to himself. More laundry.
As he cut a corner on his way back to his friends he ran face-first into someone’s shoulder. Soonyoung was way too tipsy to tell if his nose was bleeding but he held onto it as he stepped back and profusely apologized to the person he’d bumped into. Babbling and bowing more than required in his inebriated state without taking one look at the man standing before him.
“Soonyoung?”
He was halfway through another bow when he abruptly paused. He knew that voice— a little too well. That warm, deep timbre. His brain could recognize it anywhere, even if he didn’t want to. Soonyoung straightened his still-bent posture to check if his mind was playing tricks on him.
“Oh.”
Wonwoo was barely an inch taller than him but the height difference was significant enough to make his head tilt at an angle just to look up at his face.
Two years hadn’t changed much except his hair was longer than when Soonyoung had last seen him. He still had on Soonyoung’s favourite pair of glasses. Or maybe Soonyoung’s tipsy mind was making that up. He wasn’t sure.
“Are you okay? That must’ve hurt.” Wonwoo said, tone laced with concern. His hand was stretched out between them, naturally reaching for Soonyoung’s face before he paused and reluctantly brought it back to his side. Soonyoung wanted to run.
“Oh, yeah. It’s fine I think, no big deal.” He stared at his hand for signs of a nosebleed. None. Still, Soonyoung decided to keep staring at his fingers to avoid looking at the latter. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to make it tonight.”
He had confirmed it with Jihoon multiple times, days prior to their gathering. He was so sure that Wonwoo wouldn’t be coming that he decided to get as drunk as he possibly could because he thought he finally had the golden opportunity to mope around to his heart’s content. Two bottles worth of grape-flavoured soju were flowing through his bloodstream.
“My schedule cleared up all of a sudden. Jeonghan dragged me along,” Wonwoo sounded perplexed to say the least. He could feel the other’s stare burn into his skin. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, um—it’s nice seeing you after so long,” Soonyoung replied, keeping his voice as stable as he possibly could. It was tense, for the lack of a better word. Quiet except for the muffled sound of music flowing out of the rooms around them.
Minutes passed by with him actively avoiding eye contact till he finally took Wonwoo being quiet for a beat too long as his cue to keep walking back to where the shared karaoke room was. Anything to escape the current predicament. “Well then–”
“Wait,” Wonwoo’s hand grasped at his wrist before he got the chance to walk away, cutting him off. It felt desperate but Soonyoung pushed that thought to the back of his mind in lieu of keeping his sanity and decided to not turn around. Wonwoo’s grip tightened yet was loose enough for Soonyoung to be able to yank his hand out if he needed to. He didn’t. “We should talk.”
Silence fell upon them. He felt his throat tightening up. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Soonyoung-ah, please. Don’t be like this.” Wonwoo’s voice sounded forlorn. Alone. A twin feeling started up in Soonyoung as he tried his best not to turn around. Tried his best not to look at the expression on the younger’s face because he knew it would widen the already gaping rift in his chest.
Yet one tug on his hand was enough to make him turn like the weak man he was. Had always been weak for a certain Jeon Wonwoo.
The deep-set frown on Wonwoo’s face was expected but what caught him off-guard was the unfamiliar determination in his eyes. A desperation he had never seen in more than a decade of knowing each other. Wonwoo had never been the hardheaded and decisive one between them. Soonyoung didn’t know what to make of it. Instead, he steeled himself the best he could.
“There is nothing to talk about, Wonwoo.” He repeated himself. His own voice sounded cold to his ears. Soonyoung’s tongue felt like lead in his mouth. He watched the younger’s eyes study his face in the hope of finding something that gave his true feelings away, his hand still latched onto Soonyoung’s wrist.
He wondered what expression he must’ve been making for Wonwoo to take a step closer to him as he gently yet firmly tugged Soonyoung closer still.
“I miss you, Soon-ah,” He whispered into the space between them. “I miss us.”
Soonyoung wasn’t any better. God knew the number of sleepless nights he’d spent sobbing into his pillow. The days he kept his phone turned off so as to not give in to his feelings and call the other to apologize. He wanted to be selfish and beg him to let him come back into his life. Because he knew Wonwoo would.
We should take a break. It’s for the best.
The woody musk of the younger’s cologne surrounded him as his breath stuttered in his chest. The familiar scent made his inebriated brain long for his touch, for the warmth he had been craving for two years now. Yearned for his hands to grip his waist like they used to, to pull him in. “Wonwoo I-”
The shrill sound of Soonyoung’s KakaoTalk notification cut through the tension, making them flinch.
Soonyoung yanked his hand out of Wonwoo’s hold and stepped back as if he had been burned. There was a split-second where Wonwoo’s face dropped before changing his expression to something unreadable. His phone pinged two more times before he decided to pull it out. It was Hansol texting him.
‘Hyung, where are you? Come back quickly. Jeonghan’s looking for you’
He read the row of texts and sighed. He knew Wonwoo still wanted to talk but he wasn’t ready for that conversation yet. Felt like he could never have this conversation. He was somewhat thankful that Hansol had interrupted them but there was still a lingering pull in his chest. A want. He dismissed it.
“The guys are looking for us, we should go.” He said to Wonwoo, turning back around. Wonwoo didn’t respond but Soonyoung could feel him following behind at a distance.
The tension dissolved into the air as they stepped into the karaoke room and were immediately enveloped by loud music and their friends’ laughter.
Jihoon sent him a concerned glance from across the room when he spotted Wonwoo enter behind him but Soonyoung brushed it off, too busy picking the farthest possible seat from the younger. The rest of the night was a blur to Soonyoung.
____
Wonwoo is supposed to arrive in about fifteen minutes when Soonyoung finds himself in the middle of a very unexpected round of hide and seek with Mochi. He has looked under every single table and seat.
Checked his kitchen cabinets. Double-checked his closet because Mochi likes napping there. The cat is nowhere to be found and he’s sweating buckets on a cold winter evening.
Soonyoung calls for her and walks from one room to another in his cramped apartment, with Nabi hot on his heels, in hopes of finding Mochi.
He even has her favourite squeaky toy in his hand to lure her out but it seems like the cat has suddenly been swallowed by the earth. He regrets sneaking in any extra treats for her.
He’s bent on the floor trying to look under his bed, which he’d already checked at least six times, when the doorbell rings, startling him.
He hurries to open the door and almost slips and brains himself in the process, thanks to his sock-clad feet. Without thinking much, he swings the door open.
“You’re early,” Soonyoung blurts out before his mind can process it. Not that Soonyoung was constantly checking the time to make sure he wouldn’t be late. Not at all. He was just seeing Wonwoo again after a long six months and the last time he saw him, in the karaoke bar that is, things weren’t great. “I’m pretty sure you said 5 pm.”
“Hello to you as well. I thought I’d help you carry your luggage to the car since you already have the cats to worry about,” Wonwoo shrugs, a coy smile playing on his lips. “Plus, I picked up some coffee on the way. Let me in?”
Soonyoung has been grinding away at work non-stop for the past two days to add the additional details that the client had asked for out of the blue. Calling him sleep-deprived would be an understatement. And if his stupid, weary heart flutters in his chest at Wonwoo’s nice gesture, that is none of anyone’s business. He takes the cold plastic container from the younger’s hand and steps aside to let him brush past.
“Thanks, you didn’t have to,” He mumbles, eyes following Wonwoo’s figure as he moves to the middle of Soonyoung’s living room and bends to pet Nabi, who is daintily perched on the coffee table.
His brain aches at the familiarity of it all, at how natural it is to see Wonwoo in his living space as if more than two years weren’t enough for him to get used to the other’s absence in his life.
He feels a pit in his stomach, similar to the one he feels when he absentmindedly ends up cooking enough food for two or when he comes across something that reminds him of the younger.
During his time in Tokyo he met all sorts of people, yet his mind subconsciously searched for Wonwoo in every single one of them. Wonwoo, who peppered his face in kisses whenever he woke up before Soonyoung, which happened often.
Wonwoo, who picked him up from the subway with an umbrella in hand on unexpected rainy days. Wonwoo, who had carved a place so deep in Soonyoung’s heart that it couldn't be filled by anyone else. He’s searched and failed. There is no one like Wonwoo.
“What's her name?” The question pulls Soonyoung out of his thoughts.
“Nabi.”
“And where's the other one?” Wonwoo asks, petting Nabi’s soft fur as she snuggles into his palm.
“Right. Um, about that— I can't find Mochi.” Wonwoo’s arrival had made him momentarily forget about the current situation. He has everything packed and ready to go except that both the cats are out of their carriers, and he still has no idea where the orange tabby cat is.
“Please tell me you're joking. How do you even lose a cat in an apartment like this?”
“First of all, fuck you. Second of all, she's extremely sneaky, you don't know her yet,” He hurriedly resumes his search for Mochi fully expecting Wonwoo to do the same. Except, Wonwoo doesn't move from his spot. Soonyoung glares, “Make yourself useful, come on.”
An ironic thing to say since Wonwoo is the one who would be driving all four of them to Busan tonight but the younger just chuckles, picks Nabi up in one hand, and starts looking under surfaces around him that could fit a cat.
Together they turn his entire apartment upside down, but the cat is still nowhere to be found. Soonyoung has already mentally said his goodbyes to his loved ones because Wen Junhui is going to kill him for losing his child. He's halfway through drafting his will when he hears a meow from somewhere behind him.
He looks at Nabi across the room, still snuggled up to Wonwoo. Wonwoo shakes his head to confirm that it wasn't she who had meowed. Soonyoung looks behind himself but there's still no cat in sight. There, however, is a closed but unzipped suitcase sitting on the living room floor. One that Mochi had shown a great liking to. How did he not think of that?
Soonyoung breathes a sigh of relief when he opens the suitcase to find her comfortably lying in it as if she hadn't just sent him into a state of utter panic. “Mochi-yah, why would you hide like this? Do you know how long I spent looking for you?” He whines. The cat just yawns and stretches her paws in his face, completely disregarding him.
“Looks like she’s learned from the best.” Wonwoo quips in the background.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Soonyoung swivels around and squints at him. He feels like he knows exactly what it's supposed to mean.
Wonwoo shrugs, a smug smile hanging off his face. “Nothing.”
____
The drive starts out smoother than Soonyoung had expected it to. He guesses he has Mochi to thank for that, with the way she had them uniting together to look for her, which unintentionally broke the tense atmosphere around them.
Said cat was immediately packed away along with her sister in their respective carriers that were now bound safely to the backseats of Wonwoo’s worn down car.
When Soonyoung had popped open the door to the passenger seat, he was pleasantly surprised to find a grocery bag filled to the brim with snacks. He rummaged through several packets to discover that they were all his favourites, stuff both of them liked in the past.
Vegetable crackers that reminded him of after-school study sessions with Wonwoo, where they joked around more than they ever studied. Potato chips that they shared during long commutes to college. Snacks that held so much meaning for both of them.
Wonwoo had not only picked up coffee for him but had also spent his time and money to get Soonyoung a bunch of their beloved snacks. For a less than 5-hour trip.
Soonyoung is more peeved than he is grateful. The guy had clear intentions behind this. He knows that Wonwoo is nice to a fault but this is too much, even for him. Soonyoung opts to blast SHINEE on aux and doesn’t point out Wonwoo’s over-the-top niceties for his own peace of mind.
They’re on the Gyeongbu Expressway for a little over three hours when Wonwoo suggests they make a pit-stop to get dinner before it gets too dark. They decide on a run-down diner they spot in the outskirts of Daegu. It’s surprisingly warm when they step in and an elderly man serves them a steaming pot of kimchi stew accompanied by rice and some side dishes that are on the house.
Wonwoo foots the bill before Soonyoung gets the chance to, which again rubs him the wrong way. The freezing winter air helps cool the annoyance simmering in his chest as they head back to the car after their meal.
The cats are still snoring in their respective carriers with their bellies filled with food and a tiny bit of catnip that Junhui had recommended to feed them before the trip to help them relax. Soonyoung wishes he had taken some too.
The exhaust makes a loud rattling noise when Wonwoo tries to start the ignition to back out of the diner’s parking and resume their journey. The car doesn’t move. He tries again. Once. Twice. It takes him eight tries before he gives up.
He steps out and pops open the hood to check the engine. Soonyoung considers accompanying him but it’s way too cold for that. Instead, he blows on his icy fingers to warm them up.
The diner owner must’ve overheard the ruckus because he comes out with a torch light and a toolbox in hand. Soonyoung cranks open the window a little to listen to the mechanical jargon the two are discussing. Most of it flies over his head but he picks up on some parts about the car battery not working. He slumps into his seat in resignation.
Finding a car mechanic at a late hour in a town like this would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The elderly man, kind as he was, suggests that they leave the car parked where it was for the night and directs them to a motel that’s a ten-minute walk away.
It’s not like they have a choice anyway. The old man seemed trustworthy enough. Plus, no sane thief would want to steal a car that is basically an ancient relic. Wonwoo exchanges contact information with him and thanks him for the help.
The ten-minute stroll turns out to be almost twenty minutes of pure torture. Wonwoo walks behind him, dragging along both of their suitcases, which is comparatively easier than the herculean task of carrying two full-grown cats in their carriers.
Soonyoung curses at his past self for jokingly passing a remark about carrying one cat in each hand and walking to Busan because that’s almost exactly what he’s doing right now.
Except they’re walking to a shady motel in the middle of nowhere. The flickering sign dangling outside is enough for Soonyoung to know how drastic a night he has ahead of him.
“Hi, we’d like to get two rooms for the night please,” Soonyoung calls out at the empty reception. He places the carriers on the counter, hands sore from all the heavy lifting. The cats are slowly stirring awake.
A woman with a stout figure walks out of one of the rooms. She had the look on her face that you reserve for the vexing and the irksome. Her grumpy, wrinkled face reminds him of his landlady in Japan, what a nightmare she was. She pulls open a drawer under the reception desk and fiddles with it until she finds a small key which she slides to him over the counter.
He scrambles to catch the key before it falls to the floor. Wonwoo tries and fails to hide a laugh behind him. Soonyoung clears his throat, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, but we asked for two rooms.”
“That’s the only room available with heating and running water. We’re undergoing renovation at the moment,” The woman grumbles out, clearly displeased by the interruption. “Unless one of you is willing to sleep in the freezing cold, take it or leave it.”
Sleeping in the cold will be better than being in such close proximity with Wonwoo, but the soon-to-be married couple will end his bloodline if he creates another blunder by getting sick before their wedding. Soonyoung is in the middle of weighing his options when Wonwoo decides for him.
“We’ll take it.”
Soonyoung squawks in surprise.
“Great! That’ll be 4000 won per hour. The room is down the hall on the right.”
____
There is one bed.
Well, technically there are two, but the lady warned them about water dripping from the ceiling directly over the bed, and that’s pretty evident with the two small buckets kept on different ends of the mattress, filling to the brim as droplets fall into them with a splash.
So there is one bed.
He’s sharing a room with his ex-boyfriend and there is one bed. Soonyoung is one cliche scenario away from believing that he has been transported into a shitty isekai manga world.
Soonyoung jumps onto the bed, thrown off by how the mattress remains stiff underneath him instead of bouncing like he’d expected it to. The cats are off their catnip high and are currently exploring every nook and cranny within the room. He looks around too.
The wallpaper is peeling off at the corners and the carpet looks like it hasn’t been cleaned ever since this motel was first opened. A shoddy loveseat, that one can easily lie on if they just fold their body into a complex yoga position, is placed underneath the only window in the entire room.
Wonwoo walks into the room with a pair of fresh towels, packaged water bottles, and complementary toiletries. “I called Jihoon. Told him we’d arrive by noon tomorrow.”
“What did he say?”
“He’s thinking about booking you a session with this shaman Junhui knows. To rid you of your bad luck. That or he’ll get you a good luck charm.” Wonwoo’s shoulders shake as he snickers. His back faces him from where he’s kneeling on the carpeted floor, pulling out stuff from his luggage.
Back when they were in their final year of high school, Soonyoung had participated in their school’s annual dance competition for one last time. He’d lost at the preliminary rounds the previous year and barely made it through the auditions the year before that, but he was determined to win it this time around.
It was the first time he had ever been confident enough to invite Wonwoo to attend one of his shows. Wonwoo had swung by backstage to wish him good luck right before his stage.
Soonyoung won the second prize that day. He recalls how he pulled Wonwoo into a hug as soon as he got offstage despite being covered in sweat, the cold silver medal pressed between their warm chests. He’d pulled away to hold the younger’s face in his hands.
You’re my good luck charm, Wonwoo-yah.
The smiles on their faces had been captured in a photograph, that Soonyoung’s parents took without their knowledge, which was later framed and hung on a wall in his childhood bedroom. He wonders if Wonwoo remembers this as vividly as he does.
“I’ve been having a bad spell lately.” Soonyoung's voice is quiet as he speaks. “Maybe I do need my good luck charm.”
Wonwoo turns to look at him, still perched next to his luggage. Their eyes meet and they hold the contact for a moment too long. His breath catches in his throat, followed by violent coughing that breaks the silence. Wonwoo tosses a bottle next to him and heads to the shower.
“I’ll try to save some hot water for you.” He shakes his head as he walks away. Amid his coughing fit Soonyoung thinks he sees a tiny smile on the other’s face. He’s probably mistaken.
Wonwoo, unlike what he said, saves plenty of hot water for him. Enough for Soonyoung to stay in the shower till the heat from the water to seeps into his skin and turns it red.
He steps out and aggressively rubs his wet hair with a towel to make it dry faster. Droplets fall in all directions, some ending up on Mochi, who makes an unhappy sound and jumps onto the unused bed to sleep on a pillow.
Nabi, on the other hand, is peacefully snoring on top of Wonwoo’s chest while the man lays on the right side of the only usable bed in the room and scrolls through his phone.
Soonyoung had initially thought they’d play rock, paper, scissors to decide who would get the bed and who would sleep on the cramped loveseat, but it seems like the cat has already made that decision for him.
He gets his stuff from the bedside table before getting ready for bed, or in his case, a loveseat. Wonwoo puts his phone down beside him as gently as possible, to not interrupt the sleeping cat, and whispers to him, “What are you doing?”
“Going to bed.” He whispers back, already seated. He starts thinking of the best possible positions he can sleep in to not wake up with a cramp in his neck the next morning.
“Soonyoung. You’re not sleeping on that thing.” Wonwoo tries to be stern but it’s hard to take him seriously when he’s whispering from across the room.
“Where else do you want me to sleep then?” He asks, amused.
It is clearly a rhetorical question, but Wonwoo slowly sits up on his elbows to look him dead in the eyes and say, “Here.”
He’s caught off guard, to say the least. Nothing about Wonwoo’s face suggests that he’s joking, and Soonyoung can only wonder what his own expression looks like. Soonyoung’s eyes are drying up from how wide he has them open. The guy had suggested they share a bed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“There isn’t enough space on that bed for two grown men to sleep,” Soonyoung hisses the first excuse he can think of to avoid sharing a bed with the latter. Like he said, this might just be the cliche scenario that convinces him that he’s been sent to an isekai manga world with a terrible plot. He would rate it zero stars.
“There isn’t enough space on that sofa for one grown man to sleep on and yet you’re ready to sleep there.” Wonwoo chuckles. “Plus, Mochi peed on that thing earlier. Before I could spread out their pee mats.”
“WHAT?” Soonyoung shouts, startling little Nabi awake. He looks to his right, and true to the other’s words, there is a fresh, damp stain soaking into the seat 20 centimetres away from him. He moves up and away from it as fast as he possibly can. “What the fuck? You could’ve told me this before I went and almost sat on it.”
“Well, I was expecting you to sleep on the bed. Like a normal person,” Wonwoo says as he pets Nabi to help her go back to sleep. The smug smile on his face fires up the simmering annoyance in Soonyoung’s chest from earlier at the diner. He stomps over to the other bed and grabs the spare pillows, which he then uses to create a barrier between the other’s horizontal form and his side of the bed.
“Do not cross.” He gestures to the makeshift pillow barrier. Wonwoo looks like he’s holding in a laugh. “Good night.” That's all he says before lying down, facing away from the younger. He can feel Wonwoo’s eyes on the back of his head, and it makes the tips of his ears burn in an angry shade of red.
He screws his eyes shut to will away the embarrasment and starts counting sheep mentally. He starts drifting off to sleep surprisingly fast as the fatigue from the long day catches up to him.
Wonwoo’s unbearably soft voice is the last thing he hears before his brain shuts off. “Goodnight, Soonyoung-ah.”
____
Soonyoung’s pillow feels sturdy under his cheek. He rubs his face against it. Warm and sturdy. His sleep-addled brain thinks that’s unusual because he remembers the same cushion being soft the night before. Plus, he’s sure pillows aren’t supposed to have a heartbeat. What the fuck.
There’s a famous story about a pigeon that sees a cat approaching and closes its eyes instead of flying away, thinking that if it doesn’t look at the cat, it won’t get eaten. As a kid, Soonyoung thought that the story was stupid and it must be karma that’s come to bite him in the ass because he, too, has his eyes screwed shut at the moment.
Thinking that if he doesn’t see what, or rather who, his head is lying on top of it will never come true. He wishes to go back to sleep and forget this ever happened.
Unfortunately, having his eyes shut heightens his other senses. The scent of Wonwoo’s cologne floods his lungs with every breath he takes. His ears are tuned into the soft lub-dub of Wonwoo’s heart. His face unavoidably moves up and down to match the pattern of Wonwoo’s breathing.
There are fingers spanned across the small of his back and his own hand is holding onto the other’s waist. Their limbs are a tangled mess. There’s no escaping this predicament without waking the other guy up.
But no matter how badly Soonyoung wants to disappear, he can’t deny that he has missed this. Too sleepy to fight his instincts. A position as snug as this comes naturally to their bodies. They fit together like pieces in a puzzle, as if they’d never been apart. Everything falls into place easily, the way it used to.
Day after day, cuddling in bed, reveling in each other’s warmth and comfort, had taught his mind to associate Wonwoo’s embrace with home. Where he used to go to rest, to cry, to laugh. This is where home had always been. Soonyoung had locked himself out of his own home.
Wonwoo stirs under him, grumbling in his sleep. His other arm moves to drape over Soonyoung’s back, pulling him impossibly closer. Soonyoung stops breathing. He wonders if Wonwoo can feel the pounding of his heart against his skin.
“Soonyoung?” He feels more than he hears Wonwoo. His deep, raspy voice makes his chest vibrate under Soonyoung’s ear. He sounds dazed. As if he can’t tell whether he’s still dreaming.
Soonyoung momentarily considers feigning sleep instead of facing Wonwoo, but his thoughts come to a halt when Wonwoo moves his hand up to caress his hair.
He feels hot breath fan across the top of his head, and then there’s a kiss. A touch of warm lips near his temple, so gentle and feathery, a less awake Soonyoung wouldn’t even know it happened. Alas, he is wide awake.
Before he can stop himself, his head tilts up to look at Wonwoo. The younger looks like a deer caught in headlights. In any other instance, Soonyoung would have laughed at his wife-eyed expression, but he’s busy processing how close their faces are. Soonyoung looks down at the lips that had brushed against his temple just a moment ago. Bad idea.
Wonwoo’s lips are pink and chapped from the cold until his tongue peeks out to lick his dry lips, now glistening wet. His eyes latch onto a small cut on the corner of Wonwoo’s bottom lip and his stomach plunges with the need to kiss it better. His face burns with the urge to press against warm, familiar lips. The coherent part of his brain must still be asleep. He blinks and looks back up into Wonwoo’s drowsy eyes.
“Hi,” Wonwoo says in a hushed tone. His face is soft with sleep, and his hair looks like a bird’s nest. Sleep is visibly still clinging to his eyelids, yet his eyes are oddly glistening.
“Hey,” Soonyoung replies, brain empty.
“So,” He smiles and clears his throat. “The barrier. Seems like you crossed it.”
It finally clicks for him then. His face was on Wonwoo’s, thankfully still clothed, chest. He was rubbing his face into his ex’s pectoral muscles. So much for creating a barrier. He prays to the gods above to strike him with lightning in this very moment and rid him of this embarrassment.
Although judging by the sunlight filtering through the curtains, the skies are clear outside. God doesn’t exist.
Or maybe they do, because Wonwoo’s phone conveniently picks this moment to start ringing from the bedside table, allowing him to spring apart from Wonwoo and mutter something about going to pee. He hears the latter chuckle as he half-walks, half-runs to the bathroom.
10 minutes later, after he regains his composure and brushes his teeth, he steps back out to find Wonwoo dressed and ready to head out. He brushes past him to walk into the bathroom and brush his teeth quickly. Soonyoung stares at him, curious.
Wonwoo sees the confusion on his face and speaks through the toothpaste foam, “The diner ajhussi just called. He asked a mechanic to come by, so I’m going there right now.” He spits out the toothpaste and rinses his mouth before he continues speaking. “It’ll probably take an hour. I’ll meet you out front at around 12. Sounds good?”
“Yeah. I’ll get the cats and our luggage ready.” He breathes. “Also, Wonwoo?”
“Hm?”
“Thanks. For um— driving us so last minute.” He realized he never expressed his gratitude to Wonwoo for saving his ass, too caught up in his head.
“Of course, don’t worry about it,” Wonwoo smiles. It’s that easy for him. Of course, he would take along three extra passengers on what was supposed to be a peaceful five-hour long drive. Of course, he would help Soonyoung at the very last minute. Of course, of course. He says it like it’s as easy as breathing for him.
Wonwoo walks up to Soonyoung till he’s standing in his space. He tilts his head up to look at him and catches Wonwoo’s eyes slipping down to his lips while his hand comes up to hold the side of Soonyoung’s face.
His mouth slightly parts in surprise, and his eyes slip shut of their own accord. You could call it muscle memory.
Instead of whatever Soonyoung’s perverted brain was expecting, Wonwoo uses his thumb to rub the corner of his mouth before stepping away again. “Toothpaste.”
Soonyoung wants the earth to swallow him.
____
Before they know it, they’re back on the road again. Gyeongbu Expressway is as crowded as ever but the traffic is moving at a steady pace.
The cats are strapped into the backseat again, but since Soonyoung decided against giving them catnip with their meal again, he can hear Mochi meowing for attention. Meanwhile, Nabi is busy grooming herself inside the comfort of her carrier.
The radio is blasting some generic english song, but Soonyoung’s in a good enough mood to not pay it any mind. The sun is bright outside and there’s a soft breeze blowing through his cranked open window that makes his hair flutter. Plus, he’s busy munching away on Wonwoo’s favourite veggie crackers.
“I never understood why you were obsessed with this, it’s okay at best.” The package crinkles in his hand as he digs in for more, shoving a handful into his mouth.
Wonwoo glances at him before looking ahead again. “And yet you’ve eaten like 3 packets so far.”
“I’m hungry.” He says around another mouthful. Before leaving, they had eaten a three-person serving of gimbap that the diner ajhussi had so generously made for them. He had a big appetite, okay?
“I’m sure,” Wonwoo grins. “Pass me some.” He says, but his hands remain on the steering wheel. When Soonyoung doesn’t move or respond for over a minute, he glances at him questioningly and opens his mouth.
Oh. He wants Soonyoung to feed him. “I’m waiting.” He singsongs.
He gives up and digs three veggie crackers out of the bag. He leans over to gently shove them into Wonwoo’s waiting mouth, still wide open. Soonyoung’s fingers inevitably brush against his lips.
Lips that he’d thought about kissing earlier this morning. He retracts his hand. The back of his neck is sweating. Wonwoo is chewing happily, unaware of the mental olympics Soonyoung is going through because of him.
“Do you remember how we used to eat this in class behind the teacher’s back?” Wonwoo says, the smile on his face turns into something nostalgic.
“Not just that, you even sneaked these into the theatres when we went to watch that Spider-Man movie with Seungkwan.” Soonyoung dissolves into laughter at the recollection. Seungkwan had been freaking out while Soonyoung and Wonwoo giggled and taped air-less packets of veggie crackers and other snacks to each others bodies. “Seungkwan was so scared.”
“We crinkled whenever we moved,” Wonwoo’s laughter matched his as he spoke, breathless. “We really were trying that poor boy’s patience back then. Remind me to bring this up later.”
There were so many precious memories connected to this snack. For Wonwoo’s 26th birthday, Soonyoung had prepared a surprise dinner party with their close friends. Wonwoo might've expressed his dislike for surprises, but after years of learning all of Wonwoo’s tells, he knows he's a lying liar. That man loves surprises, no matter how much he denies it.
During his birthday speech Soonyoung had called him his eternal vegetable cracker. Later that night, a wine-tipsy Wonwoo had cried in his arms because he was just so happy.
“I can't believe I saw your veggie cracker obsession flourish right before my eyes.” Soonyoung’s laughter simmers down to something calmer. A familiar adoration floods his chest.
“Well, you have witnessed a lot of my firsts. And vice versa.” Wonwoo says through a fond smile, eyes still focused on the road.
And it's true. They watched each other graduate, get into college, get their degrees, and step into a full-fledged adult life. Wonwoo had been there when Soonyoung threw his shoulder and could never go back to dancing professionally again. Had stayed by his side as he walked onto a new career path and cheered him on. Soonyoung had once been the only recipient of a signed copy of Wonwoo’s first book, he was (is?) his biggest supporter and at times his proofreader.
They've known each other for more than half their lives and when you know someone for that long, you witness lots of firsts and some unfortunate lasts. You learn each other and shape each other, share joys and sorrows. You share a life.
“I miss it too, you know?” Soonyoung keeps his eyes on the road, voice quiet. His tongue feels heavy in his mouth. He recalls what the younger had said to him in the karaoke bar. Wonwoo shoots him a questioning glance. “Us.”
There's silence, despite the radio and Mochi’s meows, but he knows that Wonwoo understands what he was trying to convey. It’s quiet but not the uncomfortable kind. Wonwoo reaches for his hand that's lying limp on his thigh.
He squeezes it before intertwining their fingers and resting their linked hands on the console between them and it's exactly what Soonyoung needs. He squeezes back and they hold something precious, something fragile between the warmth of their palms.
For the first time in two years of self-loathing for making a horrible decision, Soonyoung thinks that things can be fixed. Can be mended.
Soonyoung was used to running from change. But this time he lets his feet rest. Change can be good. He doesn’t feel like running anymore, he wants to match Wonwoo’s pace.
____
They finally reach Busan after a long 22 hours and Soonyoung mentally takes a pledge to never go on a road trip again.
They place their luggage in their respective rooms before they head out for lunch. Soonyoung lets the cats stretch their limbs out in his room after hours of travelling but he pointedly remembers to spread out the pee mat first.
Lunch consists of him scarfing down his food while his friends throw curious glances at him and Wonwoo sitting together, clearly surprised about this new development. Three pairs of eyes in particular keep their eyes on him until lunch ends and they head back to their rooms to rest before the beach party.
Rest is what he’s supposed to do, but Jihoon barges into his room with Seungkwan and Chan in his tow. Jihoon doesn’t acknowledge him and heads straight for the cats first, speaking to them in baby voices that he swears he never does. The other two corner him.
“Tell us everything. Don’t leave out any details.” Chan says, ever the gossip whore. Unfortunately, Seungkwan and Chan together are an unbeatable unit, so he gives up on escaping. He sighs and sits on the edge of the bed.
“Nothing happened.” Seungkwan gives him a look. Soonyoung defensively raises his hands. “Seriously, nothing happened. You guys should trust me more.”
“Stop bullshitting us, Soonyoung. Everyone saw you and Wonwoo at lunch.” Jihoon quips in the background, seemingly done reuniting with his cat-children.
“That’s right. Fess up, Hyung.” The smile on Seungkwan’s face is downright sinister. “You aren’t leaving this room till you tell us everything.”
Soonyoung sighs in exasperation. He could’ve dealt with the dongsaeng duo, but Jihoon was tough to say no to. Plus, he’s the groom-to-be, he deserves a little gossip.
“We talked,” Soonyoung says.
“Yeah, no shit.”
“I think I want to give us a second chance. Only if he wants to, of course.” Soonyoung finishes speaking before he looks up. A wailing Seungkwan latches onto his right side in a hug and Chan looks like he’s about to join him.
“Hyung, I’m so happy for you,” Seungkwan cries into his ear, dramatic as ever. Chan pats his back and makes a happy noise of agreement.
Jihoon stands before him with a relieved smile stretched across his face. “Finally you decide to pull your shit together.”
Soonyoung smiles back. His voice is thick with emotion when he speaks. “I’m going to talk to him about it after the wedding ceremony. Wish me luck, guys.”
Seungkwan wails some more, and Chan finally latches onto his left arm. Jihoon pats the top of his head, a knowing look painting his expression. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just Wonwoo.”
____
Soonyoung isn’t nervous. He’s a trainwreck.
He has already downed three glasses of daiquiri and is currently nursing his fourth. Jisoo had been beside him until Seungcheol came and pulled him away to go meet an acquaintance of theirs.
Now Soonyoung is seated alone at the open bar, slowly approaching tipsy territory, but he doesn’t care. He’s stressed. He’s got feelings to deal with, and his best friend is getting married. Plus, listening to the sound of the waves hitting the beach over people’s chattering is nice.
He’s not alone for long because someone comes and takes the seat right beside him, despite the entire row being empty. His head feels heavy as he raises it to look at the source of interruption. Soonyoung’s heart stutters in his chest at the sight of Wonwoo.
His hair is styled in a way that leaves his forehead and strong eyebrows exposed. Unfortunately for Soonyoung, he’s donning a black turtleneck that sticks to him like a second skin. His classic pair of glasses completes the entire look.
Soonyoung’s eyes linger on his chest for a millisecond, and all of a sudden, it’s hard to breathe. Good thing Wonwoo doesn’t notice his ogling, busy ordering his drink of choice.
He’s still shamelessly staring at Wonwoo when the other turns to look at him. He averts his eyes and studies his drink instead. “Hi.”
“Hey. You come here often?” Wonwoo’s smile can be heard in his voice. Giggles spill out of Soonyoung’s tipsy mouth at the cheesy line, and Wonwoo’s smile widens. All his anxiety from earlier disappears.
“Well, no. Do you?” Soonyoung humors him, looking at the other with his head tilted sideways. Wonwoo laughs and shakes his head at Soonyoung’s antics. The bartender passes him his whiskey.
There’s a sudden eruption of cheers behind them and they turn together to see what the racket is about. Junhui has pulled a shy Jihoon onto the middle of the dancefloor and is swaying him in his arms as a soft song plays over the speakers.
The crowd cheers for the couple, and Soonyoung can’t help but tear up. His best friends are getting married. His chest explodes with love for them. Wonwoo sees the tears pooling in his eyes and rubs his back to soothe him.
The song ends and Jihoon drags Junhui offstage with red ears, but they’re both visibly happy and that’s all that matters. The crowd disperses, and Soonyoung turns back to his drink, finishing it in one big gulp. He asks the bartender for a refill.
He takes a sip, the drink tastes stronger somehow. A sigh trembles out of Soonyoung’s chest. “I’m so happy for them.” He dabs at his wet eyes.
“Junhui said the cats walking down the aisle thing was your idea.”
“Oh!” Soonyoung springs up at that, sad mushy feelings forgotten for the moment. “I told Jun that I saw it happen at a wedding one of my Japanese colleagues invited me to, but let me tell you a secret,” He pulls Wonwoo closer by his sleeve until his mouth can reach his ear. “I actually got the idea from the internet,” He giggles and pulls away.
A gust of wind from the beach makes Soonyoung’s hair flutter and fall into his eyes. Before he gets the chance to do something about it, Wonwoo is softly tucking his hair behind his ear. Soonyoung thinks the smile Wonwoo gives him has no business looking so fond, but there it is anyway.
Soonyoung wants to kiss him.
“Do you want to walk on the beach?” He asks instead.
They hold their shoes in their hands and walk on the shore, leaving behind a trail of footprints. The cool winter breeze makes Soonyoung shiver and he moves the slightest bit closer to Wonwoo. And if he notices, he doesn’t say anything, moving closer still. They let their hands brush as they walk.
“Can I ask you something?” Wonwoo breaks the silence a few moments later, coming to a halt and facing him. Soonyoung hums a yes. “It’s about what you said in the car. Earlier today.”
“Oh.” He isn’t surprised, just unprepared. He looks down at his feet, drawing patterns in the sand, and urges Wonwoo to continue. “Go on.”
“Did you mean it?” A pause. He rephrases. “I mean— of course, you meant it, but. Does it mean what I think it means?” Wonwoo’s stammering. It’s cute.
Soonyoung looks at him through his lashes, “And what did you think it meant?” He asks, teasing. Perhaps the ocean breeze hadn’t helped him sober up like he thought it did.
“I thought—” Wonwoo’s cheeks are dusted pink as he looks to the side for a moment to regain his composure. Soonyoung finds him adorable. When he turns his head back to him, there’s that same intensity in his eyes that he’d seen in the karaoke bar and the hotel room a night ago. “Soonyoung-ah.” He calls to him in a breath. Says his name like it’s a prayer.
“Hm?”
“The past two years have been the worst I’ve ever lived through.” Wonwoo’s voice trembles and he looks off to the side again, refusing to meet Soonyoung’s eyes. “All I’ve done since you left is wait for you to come back. When I saw you again months ago, it felt like I was finally breathing again after holding my breath for so long.” A wet laugh leaves Wonwoo’s mouth. “It’s like the sun stopped shining in my horizon once you left.”
“Wonwoo—”
“What I’m trying to say is that I need you in my life, Kwon Soonyoung. There’s a big Soonyoung-shaped hole you’ve carved into my heart that no one else can fit into.” Wonwoo is still looking away with furrowed eyebrows.
“Wonwoo-yah.”
“And I don’t want to force or rush you into doing anything but I miss you so much it hurts. I keep searching for you in crowds I know you aren’t in. I don’t want to get over you. You’re all I know. All I want. And—”
It’s liquid courage that makes Soonyoung drop his shoes onto the sand and lean up to plant a kiss at the corner of Wonwoo’s lips to stop his rambling.
It works because Wonwoo pauses and blinks at him with wide eyes. It reminds Soonyoung of the goldfish he had as a childhood pet. He leans in and pulls Wonwoo by the nape to touch their foreheads together.
“I know,” Soonyoung says, eyes closed and voice thick with emotion. “I know. And I’m sorry. For everything. For breaking up, just because I was scared that long distance would sour our relationship. For not keeping any contact with you while I was gone. For running away from this conversation.” He takes a deep breath. “I am so, so sorry. And I love you.”
Wonwoo’s breath hitches at that and he tries to pull away to look at him but Soonyoung gently holds him in place. Not ready to pull apart yet.
“I was going to initiate this conversation after the ceremony tomorrow, but I’m glad you brought it up today. I miss you too. So much I could die. I don’t think I could’ve gone without kissing you any longer.” He chuckles because it sounds ridiculous. But it’s true.
This time, Wonwoo successfully pulls away. Soonyoung gets a fraction of a second to look at his expression before he’s getting pulled into a kiss. It’s heated and layered with heavy emotions that Soonyoung would like to unpack but Wonwoo is nipping at his lips, so he puts that aside for later.
Soonyoung sighs into the kiss, and his hands move to tangle his fingers through Wonwoo’s hair. He doesn’t pull, just gently grasps at the soft locks. Wonwoo’s hands grab his waist to pull him impossibly closer. He sucks at Sooyoung’s bottom lip and his knees feel weak. God.
The younger licks at the seam of his lips, asking for permission. Soonyoung considers and almost complies, but then he remembers they’re standing barely 20 feet away from the gathering, and people can probably (definitely) see them locking lips from the short distance. He knows one of their bastard friends has probably taken a picture too. He’ll ask them for it later.
For now, he breaks the kiss and breathes harshly. Wonwoo looks at him with confused eyes and swollen red lips. Fuck. Soonyoung bends to pick up their shoes and hands Wonwoo’s pair to him.
He smiles at the younger and grabs his free hand and starts jogging back to the hotel. Wonwoo barks out a surprised laugh but he eventually catches up to him as they make their way back.
They’re finally running forward at the same pace again. Like they always did. Like they were meant to.