Han's face was angry as he said,
"Where were you, prick? Why didn't you pick up the call? Do you know how much I was worried?"
But then he suddenly noticed Chaewon's won's condition—his eyes were swollen, his body looked drained, and his expressions were lifeless. His anger stopped for a moment. His voice softened.
"Is everything fine at home?"
Chaewon just nodded with a quiet "hmmm."
Han stepped closer, scanning his face.
"You look down. Did you cry?"
Chaewon replied, "Nope, I'm just tired."
Han wasn't convinced. He leaned in, trying to read him.
"Really? Then smile for me."
Chaewon froze. If he tried to smile, he knew he would break down into tears right there. He stayed silent, looking at Han, who was waiting patiently. Finally, he whispered, "Hyung, I'm fine. Let's go in," and started walking ahead.
While moving, he asked, "How was the party?"
"It was okay," Han replied. "Actually, we didn't really enjoy it. Everyone was worried about you until you replied."
Chaewon heard it, but his mind wasn't focused. His thoughts pulled him away. After a pause, he asked,
"Hyung, do you really think the guys in the team like me? Or are they just acting? I'm sure they also think I really did assault that girl."
Han stopped for a second, taken aback. His brows furrowed.
"Why are you thinking like this? They're your friends. And friendship means trusting each other. They like you a lot."
Chaewon didn't respond. They had already reached the door. He slipped into his apartment and locked the door in Han's face.
Han stood outside, frozen. Worry weighed on him, he definitely cried it was all over his face. So he didn't attend the party because he think that the teammates doesn't like him. Thats so sad how can I bring him out of this all. Suddenly something else clicked in his mind. He called me Hyung.
Next day, Han woke up to a knock on his door. He opened it to see Chaewon's serious face.
"Han, get ready. The food is on the table."
Han blinked in surprise. He can clearly see he was off so to lift his mood up he said.
"Last night you called me Hyung. And now you're calling me Han again?"
Chaewon looked at him and said, "Okay, Hyung, get ready. The food is on the table."
Han smirked—a fake, bitter smirk.
"So it was that easy."
After getting ready, he sat at the table for lunch, scrolling through his phone. Suddenly, a video popped up. His eyes widened in shock.
"Chaewon!" he called out.
Chaewon, still in the kitchen, answered, "What happened?"
Han kept staring at the phone.
"You should watch this."
He wiped his hands with a kitchen towel and came closer.
The video showed him and Mark getting out of the car. A girl's voice played over it:
"I liked Mark so much, but he's still involved with that r*pist. Guys, we should cancel him too. He's also like Chaewon, that's why he's still meeting him."
Chaewon took the phone from Han's hand and scrolled through the comments. They were even harsher—brutal. It was not just one video but this news was everywhere.
People were talking bad. Burning their posters. Throwing away their albums. His shoulders sank. He sat down, disappointment etched across his face.
When he glanced up, Han's eyes were filled with tears.
Chaewon was shocked.
"Why are you crying? Shouldn't I be the one crying."
But Han couldn't speak. His tears spilled harder, and he began sobbing. He was really sad to Chaewon.
Chaewon placed the phone on the table and pulled Han into his arms. He wanted to cry with him, but his tears felt dry, as if they had run out. It was really hard for him to feel anything. He was just letting things happen. Instead, he just held him tighter, thinking, How can anyone not fall for him when he acts like this?