Jungwon Writes Fan Fiction: A JayWon Story

"Finally"

I sat alone in a reserved room at a fancy restaurant in downtown Seoul. Fancy in what it looked like and its clientele - not in the type of food it served. The food was all of the traditional foods that I loved.

This restaurant is where we were meeting as a team tonight to have a fun night out. We were planning to all have a meal together and then go to karaoke - our managers had rented out a whole space for us. We couldn't go back to the one where we were "discovered", which was really sad. But it had been made so famous for being the birthplace of not just us but also our friends in TXT, it became a pretty big tourist attraction and the manager ended up running these specials that were specifically geared toward the songs we sang. Menu items, the whole bit.

But he was a good dude, so I'm really glad that we were able to bring him that success.  He did a lot for us and his bar certainly kept us sane in university.

So going to karaoke/noraebang is a different experience now, certainly. But we are all really excited about it. 

But right now, I was just nervous. A waiter was standing uncomfortably in the back of the room, knowing that the rest of the group would be here in about an hour and probably wondering why the leader was already sitting at the bar. I'd had one soju and was stopping there.  I wanted to be clear-headed. If I was rejected, I wanted to make it through the night without bawling my eyes out.  If things were good, I wanted to be as sober as possible to remember everything exactly as it was in that moment.

I know, I'm still the same, sentimental Jungwon I was when Sunoo dragged me across the University commons - hopeful and full of magic.

Adding to the poor waiter's nerves was Sunghoon.  We were on the top floor, large picture windows offering a beautiful view of the sunset on Seoul as the day came to a close.  Sunghoon, leaned against one of the corners, was staring out at the sunset, a peaceful look on his face though he was looking out at nothing in particular.

I got up and walked toward him with interest, handing him a glass, which he declined.

"What's out there, Sunghoon?  What has your attention?" I smiled, following his gaze out into the city.

Sunghoon smiled softly, "I'm just...appreciative. Of everything we have here. I never thought I'd leave my grandmother's basement, let alone be in a rented out, high-end restaurant wearing designer clothes in Seoul. When you throw our family into the mix," he turned and moved pointed between the two of us, indicating that by "family" he meant me as well, "It's more than I could ever have hoped for".

I didn't say anything. I just smiled and continued to follow his gaze into the sunset.

"So, how are you feeling?" Sunghoon asked after a few moments of companionable silence.

"I'm..." I struggled to think of the word. "I feel afraid of course, but I'm also very relieved.  Whatever it is, I'll have my answer. I just hope Sunoo brings him soon," I said, checking my watch.