Chapter Text
Seonghwa took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of cigarettes and alcohol. He found himself where he always did on a Friday night: another club, drinking alone, maybe finding a one-night stand. Usually, though, he just drank and let his mind go numb. The lights were flashing and the music was loud, but in his head it was silent. This was the only time he was able to escape from the prison that was his mind, littered with thoughts about everything wrong in his life. Whether it be stress from work, stress about his family, or stress about his love life, there was never a calm moment. Unless, of course, he was here.
A woman came up to the bar and sat next to him.
“Can I buy you a drink, handsome?” she asked with a wink.
Seonghwa glared in her direction, noticing her short blonde hair and plethora of piercings. He downed the rest of his whiskey and walked away. He didn’t feel like explaining to her that he was the last person she would want to end her night with.
He opted to go home; the woman had ruined the silence, and his brain was on a rampage once again. He walked outside, got into a taxi, and headed home. The next morning, he decided he would try to be productive before heading to another club for the evening. He had some work to do before Monday morning anyway. He sat down at his laptop, pulled up the budget summary for the fiscal year, and began preparing the latest numbers for the upcoming meeting.
A few hours later, he decided he couldn’t do it anymore and made his way to his favorite club on the west end of town. It was a hole-in-the-wall, and mostly locals were the only ones who knew about it. He liked it for that reason, though. He was able to see other people in similar situations to him. In some sick way, it made him feel less alone to see others suffering the same as he was.
“Welcome back, Seonghwa,” the bartender said, already preparing Seonghwa’s favorite drink.
“Hey Yeosang. I’ll have the usual,” Seonghwa sighed as he sat down.
“Coming right up!”
Seonghwa looked towards the dancefloor, seeing more people than usual. He figured it was a Saturday night, though, and more foot traffic than normal was expected. He took a sip of the lemon drop in front of him and listened to Yeosang talk about the crazy customers he had this week.
After finishing his first drink, Seonghwa got the urge to dance. This wasn’t uncommon, per se, but after a bad day, he usually just wanted to sit and watch. Still, he made his way to the dancefloor, slowly joining a group of guys who had opened their circle to him. As he got lost in the music, he barely noticed as the circle dissipated, and he was now dancing near different people. Then he heard a laugh. A laugh that was impossible not to recognize. He shot his eyes open and looked towards the sound. He saw a flash of blonde. A man, slightly shorter than him, wearing a pair of ripped black jeans, a loose-fitting black t-shirt, and jewelry decorating nearly every part of his body. He turned to look at him, tears welling up in his eyes, instantly. It was Hongjoong. This man was his ex-boyfriend. They had dated in college, until things came to an end at graduation. The last thing he had ever expected was to see his ex in a small club in New York City.
Hongjoong was dancing with another guy, who was tall and muscular with a bright smile. They were laughing and dancing to the music. Seonghwa knew he had no right to go up to him, but he couldn't believe Hongjoong was in front of him. A small whisper escaped his lips,
“..Joongie?...”
Hongjoong instantly stopped dancing and turned to Seonghwa. His smile fell, and his eyes widened.
“Hwa?”
-----
It was a cool August afternoon and orientation day at New York University. Seonghwa had worked his whole life for this day. He spent his high school years studying and working for this moment. Even though it cost him a lot of his social life, he had hoped things would change for the better in college. He took a deep breath as he made his way towards the stadium, where thousands of other freshmen were nervously waiting for orientation to start. He was completely alone today, as his parents sent their luck from his hometown in the countryside, expecting him to do this solo.
“Are you okay? You seem a little lost,” said a man wearing a blue shirt labeled Orientation Leader.
“Ah, yes, thank you. I am a freshman, so I’m just starting to go towards the stadium,” replied Seonghwa.
“Oh, welcome to New York University! I’m heading to the stadium as well, so we can walk together!” The man replied with a smile. “My name is Choi Jongho, what’s your name?”
“My name is Park Seonghwa. I am majoring in business. It's nice to meet you as well!”
“Business, hey? I'm in my second year in business! If you ever have any questions, you can rely on me!” Jongo said, lighting the atmosphere around Seonghwa.
Seonghwa smiled at the man and resumed walking towards the stadium. The orientation went well, and they were now meant to break into their designated colleges for a smaller, more focused orientation. He walked towards the business building with his head down when he heard someone behind him yelling.
“Wait!! Black hair, blue coat, super tall!! Wait!!”
He whipped his head around and saw a man running towards him, with his arms in the air, flailing something around. He finally caught up and said while gasping for air, “You…. you…. you drop….dropped this,” presenting one of his Bluetooth headphones that must have slipped from his pocket without him noticing. “Thank you,” he said, grabbing it from the man's hand.
“My name is Jung Wooyoung! What's your name? Are you also a business major? Let's walk together!” the man said, looping his arm with Seonghwa before Songhwa had a moment to think.
“My name is Park Seonghwa, and yes, I am also in business. It's nice to meet you.” Seonghwa replied sheepishly. He figured this man wouldn’t take no for an answer, so he let him guide them towards the business building. It was also better to find someone than no one.
They finally arrived at the business building and began the orientation. The rest of the day flew by, and they were dismissed to return to their dorms to prepare for classes the following day. Seonghwa soon discovered that Wooyoung was staying in the same building as him, so they would be able to meet up quite often. “I can tell we are going to be very good friends,” Wooyoung had said as they made their way to the dorms. Seonghwa just smiled in response, happy to know what it felt like to have a friend. They planned to meet up before classes the next day and get breakfast together.
–
This is how Seonghwa’s morning started for the entirety of his freshman year. He and Wooyoung would meet on the ground floor at 8 am, walking to the dining hall together to get breakfast before their classes. By the end of the spring semester, he and Wooyoung had grown extremely close. They would spend a lot of time studying together, but also going out around the city. Wooyoung also introduced Seonghwa to the joys of partying. Although Seonghwa didn’t indulge in any adult substances, he was starting to enjoy the feeling of being around people. However, neither of them has had any time to enjoy anything except for minimal sleep and studying. Finals week starts in just two days, and neither of them felt fully prepared.
“I'M GOING CRAZY,” Wooyoung screamed into his hand as he slammed his laptop shut. “I need a break, Seonghwa, or else I’m going to explode!”
“Okay, fine, let me finish this video and then we can go get some snacks as a break,” Seonghwa said, never breaking his gaze away from his laptop in front of him.
They decided to just walk to the convenience store down the street and grab some cheap snacks to bring back to their dorm. As they walked, they ran into a man waiting at the elevators.
“Seonghwa! Wooyoung! How are you guys?”
It was Jongho. Based on his eyebags and sweatpants, he had also been spending a lot of time studying.
“We’re good! Finals are kicking our butts, though. We’re just going to the convenience store down the street to get some snacks! How are you? I’m sure second-year finals are even more brutal than ours!” Wooyoung replied enthusiastically.
“Yeah, that's for sure,” Jongho said with a sigh. “The only thing keeping me going is the End of Year Party that Yunho hosts!”
“What’s that?” Seonghwa and Wooyoung asked in tandem.
Yunho was known throughout the entire university. He was a business student: smart and charismatic, and his family was beyond wealthy.
“You haven’t heard of it?! It's the biggest party for every college student in the city! Yunho rents out an entire building and invites students from NYU, FIT, Parsons, and Pratt! Since his dad is super rich, he supplies everything, and everyone gets to unwind after finals! It’s pretty exclusive, but since you guys know me, you could totally get in!”
“That sounds like so much fun! OMG! I can’t wait, this is totally giving me the motivation to finish finals,” Wooyoung said with a hearty smile.
Seonghwa just laughed at his overly enthusiastic friend, and they got on the elevator.
–
One week went by in a flash, and finals were FINALLY over. Seonghwa was on his way back to the dorms after his last exam when he got a text message from Jongho to him and Wooyoung: “Be ready at 8 pm in the lobby of the dorms! I'll escort us to the party.”
Seonghwa sent a thumbs-up and sighed. He wasn’t sure if he had the energy for a party tonight, but he knew Wooyoung had been looking forward to it for the last week, and he couldn't let his closest friend down. When he finally got back, he saw another text from Wooyoung: “When you’re back, grab your things and come get ready in my room!!”
He flopped on his bed and sent another thumbs-up. He needed at least one minute to relax after just finishing his accounting final. While Seonghwa was on the Corporate Finance track, Wooyoung was on the Management Consulting track. This meant he finished his finals two days ago, giving him plenty of time to rest.
Seonghwa took a deep breath and went to his closet. He wasn’t sure what the attire was, so he tried his best to stay neutral. He grabbed a pair of dark-wash jeans with rips in the knees and cuffs at the bottom. Then a white sweater that wasn’t too heavy, but would keep him from being too cold in the nighttime air. Lastly, he grabbed his worn-out white Converse, his hair and makeup products, and walked towards Wooyoung's room. When he knocked on the door, Wooyoung answered. His hair was still wet, but he had smudged black eyeliner, a pair of tight leather pants, and a leather vest. He looked a lot more confident about tonight than Seonghwa did.
“Aren't you so excited?! I haven’t partied in weeks and I cannot wait to get out on the dancefloor!” Wooyoung said, barely containing this excitement.
“Yeah, I’m excited,” Seonghwa said with a half smile. Despite his exhaustion, he hoped he would be able to genuinely enjoy the night.
The two friends finished getting ready, styling their hair, and some finishing touches of makeup before heading to the lobby. They found Jongho there waiting, and the second they stepped off the elevator, he said, “Let's go!” clearly eager to get to the party.
They walked a few blocks to the building where there was a line of people waiting to get in. Seonghwa couldn’t believe the sheer number of people who were attending this party. He had only been to smaller gatherings, mostly with the other business students. Jongho, however, skipped the line and stepped up the security. “We’re with Mingi,” he said with unwavered confidence. “Go ahead,” the security guard said.
Inside was a jumble of colors flashing and music blasting. Despite the long line outside, there were already tons of people inside. Seonghwa could feel his nerves swelling up, but he tried his best to push them down as they made their way in. “I’m going to go find my friends, but feel free to grab a drink and explore! Come find me later if you need me!” Jongho said with a smile as he disappeared into the crowd.
Seonghwa and Wooyoung went to the bar and got themselves something to drink. Wooyoung opted for a twisted tea. Seongwa, however, just grabbed a can of Sprite and found a small table to sit at.
“I want to go dance! Will you be okay on your own for a bit?” Wooyoung asked Seonghwa with some concern in his eyes.
“Yes, I will. Go have fun dancing and come find me when you need a break,” Seonghwa said, sending his friend a reassuring smile.
Wooyoung took off towards the dance floor, and Seonghwa just said with his sprite and watched the people around him. To his right, people were sitting around on a couch smoking something he didn’t know the name of. The room filled with a haze, and the music seemed to fade into the background. Seonghwa, despite the environment, was pretty relaxed. Then he saw a man he didn’t recognize approaching him. “Is this seat taken?” the mystery man asked with a smile. Seonghwa looked up at him. He was slightly shorter than Seonghwa. His hair is a ruffled blonde mullet. He wore an oversized button-up, blue jeans, and an arrangement of jewelry from bracelets and necklaces to rings to earrings. “Is that a cheap pickup line?” Seonghwa asked, squinting slightly at the man, trying to read his expression.
The blonde boy blushed and took a step back. “NO! Er.. no. I’m sorry, I realize that it definitely sounded like one. I actually just got off the dancefloor and wanted to sit for a moment, but most of the other seats were taken.”
“Oh,” Seonghwa said with a slight blush of embarrassment at the misunderstanding. “Then please, feel free to sit.” He motioned to the chair.
“Thank you,” the blonde said, sitting down and taking a sip of the drink he had been holding.
For some reason, Seonghwa felt a pull towards the blonde next to him. This wasn’t the norm for him, usually opting for awkward silence, but Seonghwa wanted to know more. “My name is Seonghwa. What’s your name?” He asked in a low voice, hoping the other had heard him over the blasting music.
The blonde looked at him with a smile plastered on his face and replied, “Hongjoong. My name is Hongjoong.”