Chapter Text
“What do you mean, you’re leaving?” Wooyoung asked incredulously. He and Yeosang were sat down at a café having break after their lessons of the day. Training to be an idol was sometimes grueling work but both loved it. They each had a dream they wanted to reach and that somehow brought them together under the same company, Big Hit.
Yeosang had always been quiet and tended to stick to the background, so it was nearly a miracle that Wooyoung had noticed him at all. The outgoing boy wiggled his way into Yeosang’s life with a bite to the shoulder and constant attention and before he knew it, the two had become close. They had been working toward the chance to debut together for almost four years at this point. Wooyoung thought things were going well. So hearing from Yeosang like this was a surprise.
“I’ve decided to apply for KQ Entertainment.” Yeosang didn’t quite meet his gaze as he played with the little drops of condensation on his soda glass.
Wooyoung shook his head and pushed his glass out of the way. He reached out and slid Yeosang’s too before he grabbed his hand. “But what about us? What about debuting here together?” He asked with furrowed brows. He tried to hide how hurt the idea made him feel, but he wanted to understand rather than get mad about it. Yeosang rarely made decisions like this for himself, so surely there had been some serious thought behind this.
Yeosang shrugged and finally looked up. He felt a little guilty for the look on Wooyoung’s face. The warmth of the other’s hand on his was both a small comfort and a symbol that they would soon be parting. “You’re doing so well in the rankings, you’re well on your way to debut but I’m…not.” He spoke softly but Wooyoung was attuned to his best friend enough to hear him over the din of the café’s late evening crowd.
“Yeosang, you’re an amazing dancer and singer. You’ll debut, too.” Wooyoung tried. Yeosang pulled his hand free slowly and removed it from the table.
“I don’t think I can here…it’s been four years already. I know lots of trainees take years but I just—I don’t feel this is the right place for me.” Yeosang worried his lower lip with his teeth and sighed. “KQ reached out and I decided….to give them a try.”
“But they are such a small company!” Wooyoung protested. He hated that ugly feeling in his chest. The tightness that seemed to squeeze his heart as he realized that Yeosang would be gone. That he couldn’t see him every day. He was worried he would be cast aside or bullied because he wouldn’t speak up for himself. Or maybe he would get ignored or forgotten if Wooyoung wasn’t there for him. He then realized how pretentious those thoughts were and mentally scolded himself. He knew Yeosang was a capable person, even if he struggled with a few things.
“That’s why I want to go.” Yeosang looked up, meeting his gaze again. “There are so many here, but I think…I have a chance in KQ.”
Wooyoung sighed and leaned back. He wanted to be supportive. He wanted Yeosang to succeed. He just didn’t expect it to be without him. He watched as Yeosang took his glass back into his hands and sipped at the cold soda. He watched the man’s hands as they cradled the glass, how his lips formed a little pout when he sucked on the straw or ate some of his food. He committed to memory the pale pink marks next to Yeosang’s left eye and the way his hair fell over his forehead. It felt like he was saying goodbye to his other half and that was something that Wooyoung hadn’t been prepared for. Would never be prepared for. But he knew that Yeosang wanted this. And Wooyoung wanted Yeosang to achieve his dreams. Even if it hurt, he knew he needed to let him go.
That was three months ago now. Wooyoung’s chest had a permanent heavy feeling that took up residence the day that Yeosang left their dorm, bags in hand. They had parted on good terms, even if Wooyoung felt a little abandoned. Yeosang had appeared happy, although reluctant. Wooyoung encouraged him and wished him luck. They had agreed to keep in touch and would try to meet up if they ever had the same days off.
Wooyoung laid on his bed with his phone in his hand. He stared at the string of messages he’d sent to Yeosang over the course of the months they were apart. The first month he got a couple of dry responses, but nothing else. It had felt odd at the time, but Wooyoung thought maybe Yeosang was just trying to get settled in at the new company. That he didn’t have time to give proper responses. But it just didn’t sit right with Wooyoung. He began to wonder if he’d imagined how close their friendship bond was. That maybe Yeosang didn’t really feel the same way like he thought.
“Still nothing?” A voice asked from beside him. Wooyoung jumped and turned his head to see Yeonjun standing next to his upper bunk. Curse the man’s height.
“Nothing. He hasn’t responded at all for two months.” Wooyoung frowned. Yeonjun gave him a matching expression and waved his own phone.
“He hasn’t responded to me at all either. He hasn’t even read the last few at all.” Yeonjun pouted and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Maybe he’s just really busy?”
“Maybe…but Yeosang wouldn’t ignore us…ignore me, would he?” Wooyoung sat up. He looked at his friend a moment and sighed. Yeonjun was a good friend. A close one, but he wasn’t Yeosang. Wooyoung then got an idea. “Move, let me down.”
Yeonjun stepped back since he was blocking the ladder and watched Wooyoung scramble down the rungs. “What are you doing?” He asked with a furrow to his brow.
“I’m going to KQ.” Wooyoung hastily tugged on a black hoodie and pushed his fingers through his hair.
“What? That’s a long way away!” Yeonjun exclaimed. “What are you going there for?”
“To find Yeosang, of course. I just want to make sure he’s doing okay.” Wooyoung replied. He dug around his things to find his wallet and shoved it into a small backpack along with his water bottle and headphones. He picked up his bus pass and shoved it into his pocket before Yeonjun managed to catch him by the arm.
“Wait, Wooyoung. You can’t just randomly show up at another company. What if someone sees you and starts a rumor? You could risk everything.” Yeonjun’s expression showed his concern and worry. He was worried about Yeosang, too, but what Wooyoung was doing felt a little too much.
Wooyoung stuffed his hand into his jacket that still hung at the foot of his bunk and pulled out a black mask. He then pulled on a baseball cap. “There. Now no one will recognize me. I’m rarely even recognized as it is. Still just a trainee, remember?”
“That aside, it’s not like you’re just going down the block.” Yeonjun tried again. He knew though that once Wooyoung was determined to do something, he would do it. Without hesitation. He was a bit abrasive at times, but Wooyoung always meant well.
“I just can’t let it go, Yeonjun. This isn’t like him at all. And even if he just decided he didn’t want to be friends anymore…I need to know.” Wooyoung faltered a little at the end. He really hoped that wasn’t the case.
“Wooyoung…Yeosang wouldn’t just ghost us for no reason. He can be aloof but he’s not cruel.” Yeonjun didn’t like the idea that Yeosang had just given up on them. He left a sour taste in his mouth.
“Then I’m going to find out.” Wooyoung pulled his backpack over his shoulders and pocketed his phone and dorm key. He pulled on his shoes and opened the door, stepping out. “Don’t wait up.”
“Wait—Wooyoung!” Yeonjun’s voice was drowned out as the door closed behind him.
Wooyoung hurried down the stairs and out onto the street. He pulled the mask over his face and looped the elastics behind his ears. He adjusted it with his cap and turned to walk toward the closest bus stop. He looked up the address for KQ Entertainment and compared it to the bus routes and planned out when he would need to switch buses. It wasn’t until Wooyoung was actually seated on the second bus of his ride that he started to feel a little anxious about his decision. Was this really the right thing to do? Would Yeosang be angry with him for showing up out of the blue?
“He wouldn’t be, right?” Wooyoung whispered to himself. He sucked on his lower lip and closed his eyes, trying to keep from spiraling. He shook his head. Maybe Yeosang would be excited to see him instead. Yeah, that was a better thought. Wooyoung decided to focus on that. On the relief that seeing Yeosang would give him. He put in his headphones and turned on his playlist. Soon the familiar notes of one of BTS’s songs filled his ears. Wooyoung was still amazed he was even part of the same company as one of his favorite artists. He very rarely saw them in person, but he looked up to the group of seven a lot.
Time passed slowly and Wooyoung let himself doze off a bit as his bus headed toward Mapo-gu where KQ Entertainment was located. He was smart enough to set an alarm for himself just in case so he wouldn’t miss his stop. Today was a rare day off from all of his lessons and Wooyoung had initially planned to spend it sleeping. But he gained a sudden burst of energy when the thought to visit Yeosang’s new company hit him. Even still, the ride on the bus lulled him into a light sleep.
Wooyoung woke up just a few minutes before his alarm went off and he looked around. He felt a little disoriented but was able to gather his wits as the bus turned down the street that led to his stop. He felt his heart start to race in his chest as he realized he was really doing this. Wooyoung checked his cap was on right and his mask still covered the lower half of his face. Yeonjun was right that being discovered could lead to issues with his own position. Some companies felt a little skittish when their trainees started to appear at other agencies. Wooyoung couldn’t exactly blame them, trainees left agencies often enough. He didn’t want the staff at Big Hit to think he was planning to leave and lose his position over a misunderstanding.
The bus pulled up to the stop and Wooyoung stood up quickly to exit. He moved away and to the side so he wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. He pulled out his phone to double check the address then looked around before he started to walk again. He was about a ten-minute walk from the building. He had no idea if Yeosang would even be inside or if the dorms for their trainees were close by. But he had to try something at least.
Wooyo
Sangie
What are you doing?
Wooyoung tried to text him again. He couldn’t help but hope for an answer even though he hadn’t had one in two months. He didn’t expect one right away, of course, but it still left him feeling a little empty and anxious. He kept staring at his phone, following the little dot that showed his location on his GPS. Wooyoung turned a corner and felt like he’d run into a brick wall. He let out an undignified yelp and stumbled backward before falling directly onto his butt.
“Oh! Are you alright?” A voice called out as two hands reached down to help the fallen man.
“Ow…” Wooyoung winced at the bruise that was sure to form in a few hours. His phone had escaped from his hand too and he hoped it hadn’t cracked the screen in the fall. He watched as long fingers wrapped around his phone and picked it up before another hand fell into his vision. Wooyoung looked up and was taken aback by the chiseled face that met him. He blinked dumbly for a minute which seemed to concern the stranger.
“Are you okay?” The man asked again. His companion peered over his shoulder and Wooyoung felt like he was staring at a pair of models. The taller of the two seemed to rival Yeosang in visuals.
“Ah, yes, sorry. I didn’t see you.” Wooyoung stammered out and took the hand and accepted the man’s help to stand up. His cap had gotten skewed and Wooyoung took it off to fix his hair and tugged it back on. He hissed when his palm reacted painfully to the touch and he looked down to notice a scrape with a bit of blood on his skin. He must have hurt himself when he fell.
“Oh, you’re hurt. Come, let me get that cleaned up.” The taller man spoke up and Wooyoung was stunned again by the velvety tone to his voice.
“Oh, no, it’s okay. If you’ll hand my phone over, I’m actually looking for someone.” Wooyoung held out his uninjured hand, not wanting to trouble the strangers more. He normally wouldn’t turn down a bit of help when it seemed harmless, but he was anxious to find Yeosang and didn’t want to keep delaying it.
The taller of the two strangers hesitantly reached out Wooyoung’s phone and let him take it from him. Though by the look in his eyes, Wooyoung knew he wasn’t about to get off easily. “Please, it’s partially our fault that you got hurt. We work very close to here; it won’t take long.”
“Hyung.” The second man whispered and looked at the taller with widened eyes. Wooyoung found him fascinating to look at. Both of them, really. The shorter of the two was very broad shouldered and his features and eyes were sharp, almost feline in appearance. Maybe a mixture of a fox and a cat? Wooyoung couldn’t quite decide. He looked rather intimidating and if Wooyoung’s first impression wasn’t the man helping him, he might have been a little scared of him.
“Hush, San. He ran into you and fell. We should help him.” The other replied. He then turned a pretty smile on Wooyoung and offered out his hand. “You’ll let me help you, right?” He wrapped his fingers around Wooyoung’s wrist and started to drag him along before he got an answer.
The second man, San, as Wooyoung now knew, shook his head and mumbled something under his breath about helping strangers not always being a good thing. When his companion turned to look at him though, San quickly straightened his shoulders and gave him a look of utter innocence.
“Oh, really, it’s alright. I don’t want to be a bother.” Wooyoung tried to protest as the man lead him down the street.
“It would bother me more to just let you go off with your hand bleeding.” The man replied. He looked over his shoulder and gave Wooyoung a warm smile. “I should introduce myself, hmm? My name is Park Seonghwa, 1998. What about you?”
Wooyoung blinked at the man’s introduction. He felt it was a little odd to have his birth year attached to it. But then again, culturally he knew there was value in knowing ages. He and Yeosang were the same age so they didn’t use honorifics with each other. Wooyoung made that difficult when he insisted that Yeosang stopped calling him Wooyoung-ssi within moments of meeting. His chest ached a little at the memory.
“Oh! I’m Jung Wooyoung.” Wooyoung answered once he realized the man was probably waiting for an answer. “And uh…1999?”
“Are you sure?” San replied with a wry smirk. Wooyoung was taken aback once again by the devastating fact that the man had dimples. However the teasing made Wooyoung puff up his chest and recover quickly.
“Yes. I’m sure.” Wooyoung sassed back and gained an eye roll from San but a small laugh from Seonghwa.
“You can call me Hyung then.” Seonghwa beamed. San let out a sigh, clearly used to such behaviors from his elder.
“H-hyung? We just met!” Wooyoung exclaimed. He blinked as the man continued to lead him down the street.
“Just roll with it.” San sighed once again. “He collects kids like a spider web.”
“Kids?” Wooyoung felt bewildered at the choice of term. He shuddered at his next though of being caught up in a spider web.
“Don’t say it like that to Jongho, you know he’ll hate it.” Seonghwa gently chided. San merely shrugged but his smirk appeared.
The two of them were certainly an odd duo but Wooyoung found himself relaxing slightly in their presence. He supposed just a few minutes of detour wouldn’t hurt. He would let Seonghwa patch up his hand and hopefully be able to escape and find Yeosang. To his surprise, the building that Seonghwa and San were taking him to, looked suspiciously like the KQ Entertainment building. Wooyoung dug his feet in and stopped.
Seonghwa, taken off guard, stumbled a little but kept his grip on Wooyoung’s wrist. If Wooyoung were watching him more closely, he might have laughed at the almost cartoonish way the man’s body was jerked to a stop. “What is it?” Seonghwa asked with worry.
“You…you work in KQ?” Wooyoung asked, staring at the two large letters just over the doorway and to the left.
“Yes, now come on. We shouldn’t stand around with that injury.” Seonghwa replied. He seemed relieved at first but San didn’t feel the same.
“Is that a problem?” The feline-eyed man asked with a raised eyebrow. He was less trusting that Seonghwa, even though his hyung was a fairly good judge of character.
“N-no. It’s just…I was wanting to come here. I’m surprised.” Wooyoung stammered again. His eyes widened. “I’m looking for a friend!”
“Come, let’s talk inside.” Seonghwa insisted. He managed to get Wooyoung moving again and San opened the door. He wasn’t as eager to bring a stranger into KQ’s building but knew that it would be fine. The accessible floors were secure enough that strangers couldn’t wander where they weren’t welcomed.
Seonghwa took Wooyoung down one of the hallways and up a flight of stairs before he guided him into a room with chairs and a table. One wall had cabinets lined up and looked almost like a medical office. Wooyoung blinked a little in surprise at the sight. Seonghwa gently pushed him down into a chair and rummaged in one of the cabinets before he came back over with a first aid kit.
“Lay your hand palm up on the table for me, please.” Seonghwa instructed and dug out the items he needed.
Almost like he was in a daze, Wooyoung did as he was told and let Seonghwa take his hand, holding him by the fingers to guide him where he needed. San leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his broad chest. “Tell me about your friend.” Seonghwa spoke up after a second. He winced when Wooyoung hissed as the cotton swab he was using stung his wound.
“Ah, my friend. He uh, came here a few months ago. Kang Yeosang?” Wooyoung hoped they would know who he was. KQ was a small enough company, surely these two would have at least heard his name? He didn’t even know if Seonghwa and San were staff or trainees. Seonghwa seemed to tense a bit for half a second then quickly set back to his work of cleaning Wooyoung’s wound.
San narrowed his eyes slightly. Wooyoung looked from Seonghwa to San and back. He felt a strange tension in the air and wondered what had caused such a reaction. Seonghwa seemed to focus on cleaning his wound and then applied some ointment to help with the sting. So Wooyoung turned his sights on San again. “Well, is he here?”
San kept his arms folded and shifted his gaze to Wooyoung. His jaw seemed a little tense but his expression was neutral otherwise. “He’s not here, sorry.” He replied and gave a small smile. It felt almost forced. Wooyoung frowned.
“Then, where is he?” Wooyoung asked, sitting up a little straighter.
“There, all done.” Seonghwa announced as he pressed a bandage over Wooyoung’s palm. He looked at him with slightly guarded eyes.
Wooyoung was starting to feel more suspicious by the minute. These two were acting weird and he didn’t like it. He doubted it was because Yeosang had said anything about wanting to avoid him. That was too strange and didn’t sound like something Yeosang would do. Even if he suddenly started to hate him, he would at least say something. At least, Wooyoung hoped he would. But he couldn’t come up with any reason for Yeosang to suddenly change his feelings.
“Like I said, he’s not here.” San shrugged and moved toward the door. “If that’s all you came for, it’s probably best you be on your way home then.”
“San…don’t be rude.” Seonghwa hissed in a whisper and gave Wooyoung an apologetic look. “I’m sorry we can’t help you. But he really isn’t here.” He stood up and helped Wooyoung to his feet.
“Then do you know where he lives? Can you at least point me in the right direction?” Wooyoung’s suspicions only made him feel more anxious. And suddenly San wanted him to leave? Sure, Wooyoung realized he was encroaching on their work space and day, but still. Maybe the man could be a little nicer about it.
Seonghwa frowned and shifted his feet as he tried to come up with a good enough answer. “I’m sorry, Wooyoung, I don’t…know where he lives.” He admitted. San’s shoulders relaxed slightly at the answer. Yet another odd reaction.
“What the hell is going on?” Wooyoung stared at them and felt his chest tighten even more. Something just didn’t reel right here.
“Have you seen him?” Wooyoung pressed.
San moved and pulled on his arm. “I’m sorry, but we haven’t. I really do think you should head home now though. It’ll be dark soon.” He tugged Wooyoung from the room and guided him back to the main entrance.
“Can you at least tell him I came?” Wooyoung asked desperately. He wanted to find Yeosang. He wanted, no, he needed to know what was going on. Was KQ an abusive company? Were these two men part of the staff that kept the secret? Wooyoung felt his protective instincts flaring up but San was stronger physically and he soon found himself on the sidewalk.
Seonghwa stared at him with an expression full of apologies. He watched as San went back inside then dug into his pocket and produced a card which he hastily scrawled a phone number onto. “I’m sorry we can’t help you. But if you need anything…you can call this number.” He shoved the card into Wooyoung’s hand then disappeared into the building again.
Before he could even think of following behind, Wooyoung heard the familiar buzz of an electric lock. He stood there on the sidewalk, mouth agape in shock. The two had been so kind until he brought up Yeosang. Seonghwa even asked him to call him ‘hyung’. And now suddenly he was shut out of the building with a scrawled note and even more questions.
“What is going on?” Wooyoung muttered to himself as he stared at the building then the card in his hands. He pulled out his phone and examined the freshly cracked screen. Wooyoung groaned at the damage as he opened his messages. Still no response from his best friend. Not even a ‘read’ notification. The same as it had been over the last couple of months. Seeing as there was nothing else he could do Wooyoung forced himself to turn and walk back toward the bus stop. He would have to tell Yeonjun what happened and see what he thought. But Wooyoung couldn’t stop the nagging feeling in his gut that Seonghwa and San both knew more than they were saying.
He hated feeling like secrets were being kept from him. Especially since they concerned his best friend who had seemed to vanish into thin air after only a few weeks. Wooyoung pulled his wallet out and put the card Seonghwa had given him inside it. He didn’t know what he could get out of the number, considering Seonghwa hadn’t told him anything about Yeosang other than he wasn’t at KQ at the moment. Everything shifted so suddenly that Wooyoung just couldn’t get it out of his mind. The way San urged him to leave so quickly was odd in and of itself. But then again, Wooyoung was a stranger. Maybe that’s just how he was. Wooyoung shook his head. No, that didn’t make much sense.
He texted Yeonjun that he was on his way back. He wanted to talk to him about what happened and see what he thought. The two of them had been the closest with Yeosang and the only ones who even tried to keep in contact. Surely Yeonjun would feel concerned, too and validate the way Wooyoung was feeling.
Wooyoungie <3
Order take out
I’ll be back soon
I have to talk to you
Wooyoung typed quickly and loaded himself onto the bus as it pulled up.
Yeonjun Jagiya <3
Did you find him?
Wooyoungie <3
I’ll tell you when I get back
Wooyoung shoved his phone back into his pocket and stared out the window. He tried not to focus too much on the growing worry in his chest. His heart pounded with the thought that something was terribly wrong. He only hoped that he was mistaken. That maybe things were fine and he was just reading into things too much. No matter how much he tried though, Wooyoung kept returning to the odd behavior of the two who’d taken him into KQ. And worry for Yeosang only continued to grow.
“Yeosang, where are you?”