light a flame || seventeen

five ; ah! love.

WONWOO

wonwoo never thought adding a new member to perilous would ever happen. the last one was mingyu, and that was around a year ago, just a few months after they formed. from what wonwoo knows about chan, he's not too sure about it. but again, it's at least two against him. he doesn't know what mingyu thinks, but knowing how the odds generally are, he's likely to be alone in this situation, too.

what wonwoo does know is that yin is uneasy about it all. he doesn't know what kind of relationship yin and chan have now, but he can tell they still care deeply for him; they're not particularly subtle about it.

and that makes him uneasy. for some reason—even though yin is younger than him—he feels like they know a lot more than anyone else and that they're right. it's an unexplainable inkling, but it's so intense that he has no option but to believe them.

he decides to talk to mingyu about it.

"what do i think about chan possibly joining perilous?" mingyu reiterates with a puzzled look.

wonwoo nods. "and what do you think about chan and vernon?"

"well, i'd be happy for vernon to find someone he's interested in—even though we're literally criminals—because he deserves happiness," says mingyu slowly. "as for chan joining, i'm not so sure. he seems nice enough, and yin trusts him, but we don't know him, and it's not like we're going to do be doing much else anymore."

at least wonwoo's not alone on this one. he's glad that he and mingyu agree on something. for once, it's not everyone else against him. it's a nice change.

"i couldn't agree more," he remarks and doesn't add anything else. he's gotten mingyu's opinion on the matter, and that's all he was looking for. mingyu, however, gives him an odd look—though he doesn't say anything more either.

asking yin has crossed wonwoo's mind, too, but he decides they're not close enough for it to be his business. he is curious, however, because he finds their mind very fascinating.

"right. so..." mingyu trails off.

"so?" wonwoo repeats.

"i was wondering if you wanted to come with me to get yin and yang a late wedding gift." mingyu's tone is confident, but it's undermined by his avoiding eye contact. wonwoo wonders why he's nervous. gift buying doesn't seem particularly nerve-inducing.

"um. sure. that sounds like fun. when did you want to go?"

"well, the little after-party is on friday, so sometime before then?"

"we're not going to be doing much for a while, so now's as good a time as any." wonwoo moves to grab his sweater.

"wait, now?"

"yes?" wonwoo furrows his eyebrows, confused at the younger's sudden helplessness. "unless you have something better to do?"

"uh, no." mingyu clears his throat. "okay. let's go, then."

wonwoo shrugs, unsure of how to respond to what just happened. he continues out the door instead at a slow enough pace that mingyu can easily catch up to him. now that it's nearing the end of april, the temperature has warmed up considerably. some of the days are still a little chilly, but wonwoo has deemed it perfect to only bring along a light layer. he no longer has to wear mingyu's scarf to keep his neck, lower face, and nose warm, and the enclosed heat doesn't make his glasses fog up anymore. his hands don't tremble from the frigid air.

although their identities are somehow still unknown to the police, wonwoo is wary about possibly being recognised publicly. he feels like he's being watched. he feels naked without something covering his most prominent features. it triggers his insecurities, and he can't help the bubbling contempt that surfaces.