if only you knew

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 31

seungkwan assumed that living in a large city would have its advantages. particularly, if you were looking to avoid people, you could go to any corner of the city and get lost in a crowd of people.

living in a small town, however, meant that seungkwan wouldn't be granted that particular gift of anonymity. seungkwan shared many treasured spots with his best friends. for instance, the local ice cream spot, the little shop where an auntie cut fresh fruit daily, the beach, their family homes, their shared workplaces, and their favorite cafe.

seungkwan used to love it, the closeness of it all. getting to share these things with his friends. but when he was trying to avoid said friends, he found himself struggling to find places his friends wouldn't be. all he could do was thank himself for knowing their daily routines and work schedules.

seungkwan wasn't surprised when he spotted wonwoo sitting alone in their favorite cafe a few days later. he knew the older boy would be there at that time, and he wanted to take that time to have a proper discussion with him. he was a little surprised when mingyu walked in a minute later, bumping into seungkwan absentmindedly as he scrolled on his phone.

seungkwan jumped back and let out a tiny shriek, slapping a hand over his mouth as he gaped up at mingyu. startled by the noise, mingyu looked up from his phone and quickly put it away in his pocket, his hands beginning to get clammy as he gulped nervously. his eyes searched across seungkwan's face, hoping that the younger boy wasn't about to start running. he let out a breath of relief when seungkwan stayed put.

wonwoo, who was eating a granola bar in a secluded corner of the cafe, looked up from his seat out of curiosity. he blinked in surprise when he spotted mingyu and seungkwan standing in front of the doorway. he had half a mind to pretend that he didn't notice them.

wonwoo nodded to himself, thinking it was probably a good idea for the time being. he collected his belongings and stood up slowly, feeling his eyes drift over to the front door as the bells chimed, signaling that someone was walking inside. the back of the door hit mingyu square in the back, from what wonwoo could see. he watched as mingyu doubled over in pain, clutching his back as he let out a low groan. seungkwan sprang forward and pulled mingyu towards him, his hand moving in circular motions on the older boy's back as he whispered something in mingyu's ear.

unbeknownst to him, wonwoo found himself smiling at the sight.

wonwoo sat back down after just watching them for a few moments, looking down at his laptop as he drummed his fingers on the table. the older boy looked up in confusion when he heard seungkwan yell over at the man who opened the door earlier. wonwoo watched with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he listened to seungkwan yell at the man, and even though the man was holding his own, it was clear that seungkwan would win the argument. he always did, which was something all of seungkwan's friends have learned the hard way.

wonwoo, having enough of sitting on the sidelines, sat up straight and said in a slightly raised voice towards the stranger, "just apologize to him. you hit him in the back with the door, you're in the wrong here."

seungkwan and mingyu looked over at the sound of the familiar voice, smiling when they spotted wonwoo smiling back at them. seungkwan snapped his head over to the stranger and begrudgingly accepted the man's clearly half-assed apology. he knew mingyu wouldn't accept it, mostly because the older boy didn't want to make a big deal out of it like seungkwan did. but seungkwan stood up for the ones he loved, so he gave the man a nod of acknowledgment, not wanting to continue the argument any longer.

seungkwan looked over at mingyu, smiling softly at the older boy as he leaned up on his toes. "let's go talk with hyung." he murmured in the older boy's ear. he kept his hand on the small of mingyu's back as he led the two of them towards wonwoo's table. he could sense mingyu's apprehension, but after a while, the older boy began to walk steadily with his shoulders set straight as they walked up to wonwoo's table.