2 Days later
Han went to basketball practice and saw Chaewon playing with the other boys. For some reason, he felt relief.
As he walked closer, everyone greeted him, "Good afternoon, hyung."
Han acted like a cool hyung. His hands rested on his hips, and with a lazy smile, he raised one hand. "Good afternoon."
Chaewon stood in the middle of the group.
Han spotted him and said coldly, "You came today, prick."
Everyone froze, shocked at who he had just called that.
Chaewon's jaw tightened, and with a faintly annoyed accent, he replied, "Yeah, I'm free now."
The others laughed, not understanding the weight behind his words.
"Then pay attention to the training," Han said in a cold tone.
After that, he left them and stretched out on the bench in the corner, pretending to sleep.
One student whispered in doubt, "Does he even like basketball? I've never seen him play. He just comes here and sleeps."
To defend him, Chaewon said calmly, "Maybe he can't sleep at night." He wanted to protect Han without raising suspicion.
The other student laughed. "So he can't sleep at night in peace, but he can sleep here with all this noise?"
Chaewon didn't answer. Maybe he's scared to sleep alone at night… that's why he sleeps here, he thought silently.
The practice continued.
---
Two hours later, at 6 p.m., Chaewon walked over to the bench and gently shook him.
"Han, wake up. Let's go home," he said softly.
The moment Han heard it, his eyes snapped open.
"You weren't sleeping?" Chaewon asked, surprised.
"No, I wasn't," Han replied simply.
Chaewon offered his hand, helping him get up. He picked up his bag, and the two of them began walking out together.
There was no talking, just the quiet sound of their footsteps.
To cut the silence, Han finally asked, worriedly, "Is everything fine at university? I mean to say are you okay?"
Chaewon stopped for a second. "If I tell you… will you believe me?"
They both halted. Han looked into his eyes and smiled softly. "Yes, I will." Then he turned away and continued walking.
Chaewon stayed four steps behind, his voice carrying in the silence.
"It's hard. It's just been half a month and people just come to me and start asking what really happened. It's not only fans—it's everyone. Girls, boys, even seniors and juniors. And more than that, even teachers call me after class, asking me for clarification. As if I owe them an explanation.
"And you know what's the worst part? They ask, and then they say, 'We knew it was just an accusation. We support you.' But if you really are my fan, why do you need clarification? Doesn't that make it worse? If you trusted me, you wouldn't need to ask—you'd just support me.
"It hurts. Sometimes… I really just want to disappear like dust."
His words made Han stop in his tracks. He turned to face him, eyes full of sorrow. "Chaewon… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what's happening to you."
Chaewon saw the tears gathering in his eyes. He didn't want him to cry for him, so he forced a small smile. "Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault. I just thought… if I disappeared for a year, maybe people would forget."
He was still speaking when suddenly a voice shouted:
"Hey, you girls! What are you doing there with the bike?"
It was the security guard. Two girls quickly ran away.
From a distance, Han and Chaewon watched them.
Chaewon gave a weak laugh. "See? People don't forget."