Living Room

@♔ Kim Seokwoo "still, a small difference may cause a change to the person," mingyu reasoned, eyeing him from head to toe, "you may look the same, but to me, you've changed a little." he wasn't surprised. with whatever seokwoo had been through, he was sure that it shaped him into the seokwoo now - secretive, wary. but he felt fortunate that he was still able to open and hear him out. he could sense the anxiety in his eyes and voice, though he wasn't sure why, mingyu just sent him a firm nod and a small reassuring smile. "woo... i guess that works."

mingyu's eyes widened in denial. what was he thinking? "what? why would you do that?" he gripped onto seokwoo's arms and looked at him in the eyes, "what if you really died?!" he chewed onto his own bottom lip in worry before taking a deep breath in and out. he couldn't imagine if he found his own best friend dead. he nodded a little at the other's reply. "i really hope you will. i'm just so worried about you, i hope you know that."

seokwoo's reply was enough to make him calm down slightly. it was as if the man had thrown away all of the worries that was clogging his mind. "i promise," he uttered out, hugging him back as tight, "i'll stay by your side, no matter what, okay?" he was glad that this wasn't a dream. he was glad that he had found the only person that he could rely on again. softly inhaling his scent, he sighed in content - something about it was just relaxing, and he liked it.

@♔ Kim Mingyu "I am the same but different in ways," he tried to explain audibly sighing when the other asked if that was what he had to call him. Seokwoo wanted to say yes but the expression that he received really told him that he couldn't just do what he would normally with everyone else he met. "No.. But not my full name maybe Woo, I like when you called me that," He was anxious just to let his best friend call him that, his heart hammered in his chest with fear that he would some how be found out.

"I took over my fathers company by force," he stated this simply "they were my father and his henchmen, I really almost died a couple of times," Seokwoo didn't like talking about his past especially now when he could just look into the future instead. "I-" the pain in his eyes was more than evident, how could he just forgive him, it wasn't fair on Mingyu that he just asked that of him. "Fine, I'll tell you everything.. Just not here," he was once more sighing, he didn't want to go through all the trauma again but if he had to it would be with Mingyu and only him.

"I am not leaving again, I promise," he bit at his bottom lip he was holding back his own emotions, Mingyu always brought out his emotions when he was lost, happy anything, the usual stoic man became a puddle of emotional mess around Mingyu which was why if anything happened to him or was threatened of him that he would have stopped and dropped the whole thing. "you promise not to leave me now that I am back, I know you are angry with me, but stay by my side too," He didn't see Mingyu as desperate as he pulled him in tighter to show it wasn't just a dream, that he was there standing in the flesh. He found comfort after so long, his broken soul was tired and now he could finally rest.

@♔ Kim Seokwoo the small hairs on the back of his neck stood on its ends at how stern he had addressed his nickname. he wouldn't lie that he missed it; the way seokwoo would sometimes scold mingyu for getting into any sorts of trouble - he missed those good old days where they were so close; almost inseparable like glue. "i-i'm sorry. you just seem... different," he said in an audible murmur, "and do i really have to call you rowoon?" he heaved a little sigh. the name sounded so distant to his ears - he preferred his real name over anything else.

the other's explanation just made his throbbing mind dizzier. he wasn't making any sense, and his frown deepened. "just- hold on." mingyu rubbed his temple before looking back at seokwoo with a very puzzled look, "you were gambling with your own life?! and who are 'they'?" mingyu really couldn't believe him although he could sense the hurt in his voice. it did pain him too, but he felt like his heart was shattering even more at his words. "you expect me to forgive you... after all these years of being alone and forgotten by someone i cared most?" he said through glossy eyes. "kim seokwoo, i won't- until you've decided to fully trust me and tell me everything, i /won't/ forgive you."

mingyu practically melted in his secured hold as he felt another hand on the back of his head. his knees felt weak, and his fists tightly held onto the material of seokwoo's coat. "please, don't leave me again..." he pleaded through soft sobs, "i've lost a part of myself, woo. i don't want to lose someone so meaningful next." he didn't care if he looked and sounded weak and desperate - he cherished seokwoo so much. nobody could give mingyu comfort as much as seokwoo did.

@♔ Kim Mingyu "Gyu," Seokwoo said this firmly, of course he was still the same Seokwoo that he knew, he was just maybe a little more bent than what he used to be, he used to be so nice, so open and now he was a book that was closed and locked, only people with the keys could open it. Mingyu was easily one of the ones with the keys. "It is me, Just here I am Rowoon unless we are in our private rooms,"

"It wasn't safe, I wasn't going to put you in the line of fire, I had my life attempted many times," he was trying to explain without going into too much detail. "If they got you.. if they hurt you.. I would never be able to forgive myself" His tone was pained he didn't want to leave his best friend behind but he also wouldn't have been able to rest within himself if something had happened to him he'd be more broken than what he was now. "I am sorry.. please Gyu.. Forgive me.."

This was oddly emotional for Seokwoo, he wasn't sure why he had felt these emotions, he had thought that he had trapped them out so long ago but here he was in front of the man opening him up so easily. He heard the weakness in the other master's voice and all he could do was hold the man tighter his hand pressed against the back of his head. "I am so sorry Mingyu.." he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, the nostalgia, the comfort, it had been such a distant memory and here it was as if it was never gone. He never wanted to let it go again.

@♔ Kim Seokwoo mingyu frowned at the other's hasty response. "rowoon...?" he was a bit puzzled at the correction and sudden change of name at first, but realization soon smacked his face. he wasn't the same seokwoo he had always knew. of course it had to be like this; they had to play strangers now, didn't they? "since when did you change your name? no, nevermind- please tell me you're still the seokwoo i know." he shook his head. in all honesty, he felt quite disappointed to see the other as someone he couldn't really recognize again - it was as if he was foreign to his eyes.

seokwoo's words pained him, and his jaws and fists were tightly clenched. how could he do this to him? after for so long, /this/ was what he could only tell him? "you could've gotten my number and call or text me whenever," he pointed out, bitterness at the tip of his tongue, "but you didn't. you completely left me alone to suffer." he scoffed in disbelief. his days had gotten worse ever since he had been established as the heir to his father's brothel, and without anyone else by his side, mingyu just felt miserable.

he bit onto the bottom flesh of his own lip. mixed emotions were churning in him, he didn't know what to feel nor how to respond, but he could feel warm tears slowly cascading down his cheeks. mingyu wasn't the type to be so emotional, but seokwoo was sending him feelings - ones he hadn't felt in such a long time, and he felt safe. so safe in his arms, that he felt like home. "i've missed you too," he eventually croaked out softly, burying his face into seokwoo's shoulder. he didn't dare to face him in such a weak state, no, never. he wanted seokwoo to know that he was fine, better without him, but he knew he just couldn't.

@♔ Kim Mingyu He tensed hearing his name, it wasn't one that was ushered so often. how ironic that he would meet his best friend here. "Rowoon," he said almost instantly upon hearing his name, it was reflex to anyone who actually knew him. He knew Mingyu would pick up that it was him without fault, if Seokwoo wished to be anonymous as a child it would be the name he used very few knew it and he had kept it that was for many years.

The touch of the other's arm shot electricity through his skin, it was odd, he hadn't been around anyone he had trusted in so long, had this man changed? was he any different to what he could remember? He gave a half smile, he felt a little uneasy, there was something about having someone who knew him so well in this house that made him twitch with anxiety.

"ah.. you know here there and everywhere it kind of gets busy when you take over a company," he tried to be light about it but in reality he had ghosted everyone he knew and cared about just so they wouldn't be caught in the cross fire. He turned into a ghost which made him more private, the only friend he had was himself for all those times that he was fighting. He became more private, more paranoid about letting others in. He had changed in that time alone but had Mingyu.

"I have missed you Gyu," he said this genuinely, since the last time he had saw the man, he had definitely grown taller but still Seokwoo stood taller to which he couldn't help but be a little smug about as he was always the taller one out of the two. He felt so many emotions all at once but he couldn't let this get to him. He couldn't allow it he needed to remain as calm as possible for he didn't want to have an anxiety attack. He felt the other's arms coil around him in embrace his eyes closed the scent of the other just so nostalgic and oddly calming in some way. It took him a few moments longer but he returned the embrace, it felt too good not to.

@♔ Kim Seokwoo he took a few more sips of his beverage before placing it back atop the small glass table beside him. mingyu wasn't going to do anything else other than to take a look around - the living room was quite spacious, the furnitures looked fairly expensive and there were vases and antiques of sorts displayed around. he had just arrived here, and everything from rooftop to the base and the interiors just screamed of wealth. he was pretty impressed.

it was until mingyu had laid his gaze upon a man who was quietly walking by. that face; he looked so familiar, like someone from his memories that he wished oh so dearly to meet again. he stood up, wide-eyed, and grabbed the male by the arm. "s-seokwoo?" he was bewildered and confused. mingyu's childhood best friend was here, standing in front of him, all-grown up as a fine man. "i-it is you! it can't be-" he inspected his face with wavering brown eyes - no doubt, he was correct. it was indeed the kim seokwoo who had left him long ago, and he indulged the other into a tight embrace. "where have you been...?"

@♔ Kim Mingyu Seokwoo since being here really hadn't given himself the opportunity to explore this place, he had walked through the main entrance to the living room, he was currently on the phone in heated discussion about how he wanted things to be run in his company while he was gone. "If you can not understand simple demands I do have the power to replace you, Do not forget that," he hung up the phone only to slip his phone into his pocket to forget about it for the evening, he grew tired of the incompetence that his staff had, was it so hard to follow orders. Walking through the living room his peripheral vision caught an awfully familiar person. His head snapped instantly to the mean who had been seated ever so comfortable on a red chair, he snorted slightly, his childhood friend Kim Mingyu, who would have thought after six months of literal silence from his part. He stood a distance away, should he approach the man that he ghosted even after them knowing each other for almost as long as he could remember or should he directly try and avoid him in such a place. He decided to run was the best bet, he didn't know how he was going to react and he certainly wasn't in the best mood to find out. He walked slower, quieter trying to just sneak past and pray that his conversation or even he wasn't recognised instantly by his once best friend.

@♔ Kim Seokwoo with crossed legs, mingyu settled comfortably on a red couch with an arm leaning on the armrest. the other hand had busied itself on the phone, scrolling through tons of messages he hadn't even read - it was probably about work, but for now, he could care less. his head was slightly throbbing, maybe because of stress, and he took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. reaching out to his cup of iced coffee, he took a little sip of the bitter beverage before deciding to shove his phone back into the depths of his pockets.