Chapter Text
They all had dug into the food that came and Wooyoung had somehow managed to get his drink back. You had a couple yourself and were now picking morosely at the food that no longer seemed appetizing. Hongjoong, usually the attentive one in your friend group, took notice of your mood.
“So, y/n, what’s on your mind? Usually you’d be stuffing your face by now.” Hongjoong ate another piece of food from the center of the table.
You rolled your eyes at his remark. “I was just thinking. So, let’s say a girl and a guy meet. They accidentally end up becoming friends with benefits. The girl messes up and now it seems the relationship is done for.”
“What did the girl do?” Hongjoong asked through his food.
You sighed. “Well, she wanted to experiment out of the blue, and randomly initiated sex. But the next morning when he wanted it, she said she wasn’t a free fuck. He got mad, and called her a hypocrite, because she had done the same thing to him . The girl refused to accept her fault in the matter though. What should the girl do?”
Hongjoong took more food and chewed thoughtfully. “Well, one, I don’t think the guy should be guilting the girl. I see where he’s coming from, but obviously there was some kind of assumption made on the girls part that made her think he was free meat. Second, coming off that, I think they need to have a sit-down and really talk about their relationship. Maybe, they need to start over completely, being just friends, no benefits.”
You nodded, being grateful for having such an insightful and wise friend, who was smart and kind-
“Why do you ask?” He raised an eyebrow.
You took that back. He was a little too smart. “Just wondering because of a book I read.”
Hongjoong gave you a suspicious look, but said no more.
“Well, I think this conversation is too heavy for right now.” Wooyoung interrupted. “Let’s talk about me. I think I should dye my hair purple again.”
Hongjoong groaned. “No, Woo, not the purple. Leave your scalp alone.”
Wooyoung snorted. “Says you, Mr. Taste the Rainbow.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know, I’m drunk.”
“Ah, so you admit it now?” Hongjoong said, a triumphant smile playing at his lips.
Wooyoung stuck out his tongue in response. “Anyway, I think the purple is a great throwback. Look, not everyone can pull off purple hair like me.” Wooyoung gave you all an ‘uh, duh’ look.
“Woo had purple hair?” You asked Hongjoong?
He grimaced and nodded. “Sadly. It was back when he was nineteen.”
“Did you know about this?” You turned to Seonghwa.
Seonghwa shrugged. “It was definitely a phase he went through.”
Wooyoung giggled. “Y’know, actually, I should maybe dye my hair red! Like Mingi did!”
Hongjoong’s face froze at the mention of that name, one you’d never heard before.
Wooyoung sniffled and picked a booger out of his nose, unaware in his inebriated state. “You remember that day, when Mingi walked into school my Sophomore year, and his head was as red as a strawberry? Strawberry Mingi! That’s what we called him for so long…” Wooyoung’s eyes grew misty. “I haven’t spoken to him in awhile...I wonder how he’s doing.”
Hongjoongs face hadn’t moved. It stayed stuck in that half-smile, his eyes unblinking.
Wooyoung jumped in his seat and grabbed Hongjoong’s shoulders, bringing him back to reality. “We should get the whole gang together! You, me, Yeosang, Mingi- not that other little bastard-and we could introduce them to y/n and Seonghwa! That would be great, wouldn’t it Joong?”
Hongjoong’s smile just got more drawn and he gently detached Wooyoung's hands. “Yes. That would be great.” He said in a strained voice. He turned to you and Seonghwa. “Well, I’m going to take Woo home, before he says anything else he’ll regret. Plus, he has class in the morning tomorrow.” He started to coax Wooyoung out of the seat.
You laughed. “You’re still monitoring his college courses? He’s a senior.”
“If I don’t, he’ll fail, and fall apart.” Hongjoong said, no laughter or signs of humor in his voice. He got Wooyoung upright and got his light jacket. “We’ll be off. And y/n, think about what I told you. Books can teach you a lot about the way real people work, but only real people put it into practice.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You and Seonghwa were walking together in the direction of your apartment. His was a little ways away from yours, so he walked with you.
“Do you know any of the people that Woo mentioned?: You asked him, still trying out who those people were.
Seonghwa shook his head. “I’ve known Woo since high school, but we didn’t go to the same one. Him and Hongjoong did though, but I never heard about him or any of Wooyoung's other friends. I really only met Hongjoong two years ago. I remember two years ago, Woo went through a really dark, depressed phase, and that’s when Joong and I became close. But I’ve never heard of a Mingi or Yeosang.”
You nodded. You had also met Wooyoung two years ago, but seemingly after his “dark phase”, since Hongjoong and Seonghwa were already pretty close then.
“So, y/n, I actually had something to talk to you about.” Seonghwa said from beside you and cleared his throat.
“Hm?”
“So, I know that you’ve always wanted to write an article yourself for the newspaper...but, I’m not going to just demote you from editor. So, I’m allowing you full reign over Choi San’s interview and article. I am also allowing you one new article, anything you want to report, something to mix up our paper.”
You had stopped walking, and were now staring at him in shock. “You mean-you really-”
Seonghwa nodded and you surprised him with a tight hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You said in a rushed stream.
Seonghwa returned the hug awkwardly, like he wasn’t sure if he should. When you finally released him you saw he was flushed from his ears to his neck.
“What made you change your mind?”
Seonghwa cleared his throat again. “How can I say no to you?”
You giggled. “Well, I do make a pretty good case, don’t I?” You started walking again.
“You could say that.” Seonghwa said quietly from behind you. "Also, our paper needs something new. Something fresh. You have a nose for good stories, so I'm sure you'll find something good."
You continued walking briskly, excitement motivating you to get home. You said a rushed goodbye to Seonghwa, and immediately got in the shower, then went straight to your laptop. You knew exactly what you wanted to do. It was the subject that has fascinated you since it’s singular story in the 2018 newspaper. You were going to bring the entire case of those four boys to light.
Well, I said I would do it! And I did! Here's chapter 10, and things are starting to move.
What are your suspicions about the characters and their connections to each other?
Also, Wooyoung and Hongjoong are going to start becoming more important, along with San!
I hope, I didn't misspell any of the members names in this one. Sometimes when I try to type fast, I end up swapping letters or adding some. So, please excuse any typos if there are any. Thank you for sticking with me!
Hopefully I will be able to get an update to you all next Thursday or Friday. The latest will be Friday.
Thank you for reading!
-OhmyJohnnySuh!