apartment block 17

[ 095 ]

[ a/n ]

happy birthday, wonwoo! 🎉
and happy 3rd anniversary to this seemingly neverending fic bahahah

we're getting closer to the end, i swear

(also im just hyped up for seventeen's next comeback yeee)

+

pledis university
fronting theatre backstage

"boo seungkwan!" seokmin whispered harshly, shaking the boy's arm lightly.

"uh, what?" seungkwan mumbled, staring blearily at his wide-eyed friend. he glanced around wearily, the bright stage lights momentarily blinding him.

"you've been out of it for like, the last week," seokmin sighed and slung his arm around seungkwan's shoulders.

"sorry," seungkwan said, averting his eyes from seokmin's intent gaze, "there's just been a lot on my mind."

seokmin grew quiet, lowering his voice considerably from his usual loud banter. "is it hansol again? i thought you said the crisis was averted."

"not exactly," seungkwan said, dead serious. he paused, seemingly hesitant, but eventually said mutedly, "he knows."

"what—"

"uh, next we have boo seungkwan and lee seokmin," a loud voice called from the side of the stage. seungkwan snapped out of his mood and immediately put on his performing persona.

"i'll tell you later," seungkwan said hurriedly, rushing off towards the stage without looking back.

seokmin followed in disbelief, but couldn't remain that way as he, too, had to put on a show.

• • •

the stage lights were blinding, but seungkwan's smile was far brighter. moments after the MC announced his name, seungkwan came bounding out from backstage, waving cheerfully and hyping the crowd up with his mere presence.

seokmin followed soon after, though he wasn't as visibly bubbly as seungkwan was. he smiled and waved just like seungkwan did, but hansol knew that it wasn't 100% genuine.

"i want to see you. i wanted to see you so much. i know it's not allowed, but i try to turn back time." the crowd listened on in bated breath, as seungkwan sang along with a soft piano melody. seokmin joined soon after, his powerful vocals filling every crevice of the theatre.

hansol bit his lip and looked away from the stage, only allowing himself the sound of his best friend's voice. "oh you're so pretty, you're so soft. i couldn't erase those memories that seemed so fragile."

memories. looking back, hansol could barely pick out happy memories that didn't involve seungkwan. there was the time him and his parents threw a surprise party for his sister, and she was so shocked she started bawling. making kimbap with his mum on her day-offs was pretty memorable, too.

but nothing really stood out compared to all the time he'd spent with seungkwan. no one could really make hansol smile as much as seungkwan did, and though he'd come to terms with that fact, hansol never really thought anything of it other than it being the strong bonds of their friendship.

"tell me, cheol," hansol had pleaded with the elder, who looked very hesitant and uncomfortable. hansol leant in closer, to which seungcheol nearly fell off his chair in an attempt to avoid eye contact. "what did you mean in that text?"