six years ago, choi minhee and he were dating.
six years ago, choi minhee was left by him so he could be a kpop idol.
six years ago, choi minhee found out she was pregnant, and he had no idea.
now, six years later, choi minhee has finally picked u...
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minhee found herself on her couch with hyunjin on a chair opposing her, while chris and myungki were playing something in the boy's room.
the silence was suffocating.
"i'm sorry," hyunjin finally mumbled.
she nodded in acknowledgement but didn't say anything.
"when i went to korea after i got accepted into jype, i didn't realize how strict their rules were. the first day i was there, they confiscated my phone during dance practice, and they never gave it back. i lost contact with everyone."
okay, harsh, but he might be trying to make you emotional.
"it took me a few weeks to get in contact with anyone. i ended up befriending one of the older trainees, and he let me borrow his laptop a few weeks after i lost my phone to contact people. as you know, though, the only people worth contacting were you and chan."
hyunjin gave minhee a sad smile, knowing that she knew about his nonexistent relationship with his parents very well. she didn't respond and only nodded for him to continue.
so, he did. "i tried to message you guys on every social media platform i could think of, but none of my messages went through." he swallowed hard, and his voice was hoarse when he continued. "i was half in the mind to come back, but at the time, jype was hosting auditions for a survival show to debut someone, and fortunately or not, i chose to join it, and in the end, i was the only one who ended up debuting."
minhee tried hard to not look shocked. he's debuted already? why is he here, then?
"that's what i'm sorry for," he finished. "i'm sorry for being selfish and choosing my career over you. i'm sorry." his head drooped forward, his hands holding it. his eyes were watery, and his voice was quiet and shaky as he repeated, "i'm sorry."
there was a moment of silence. it wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. it just... was. (apart from myungki's loud yells from his bedroom, of course— he was playing superheroes with chris.)
eventually, minhee broke it. "okay," she said simply.
his eyes snapped up to meet hers. "'okay'?"
"okay," she repeated. "i'm not forgiving you yet"— lie— "and i'm definitely not in love with you again"— lie— "and i don't know whether i will ever love you again"— lie— "but i forgive you."
i've always been a good liar.
hyunjin nodded, taking in her words slowly. "does... does that mean you're giving me a second chance?"
she broke eye contact. yes, it meant she was giving him a second chance to prove himself. yes, she wanted him to prove himself to her so she could trust and love him wholeheartedly. but no, she didn't want to come off as desperate. she had suffered for six years because of him, even if it was a misunderstanding. it was his turn now.
"that's up to interpretation," she responded cooly, fidgeting unconsciously with the ring on her right middle finger.
his sharp eyes caught the movement. "you're still wearing it," he noted.
minhee wanted to groan. she hadn't even realized that she was still wearing the promise ring he had given her all those years ago. she didn't take it off, hoping that he would keep his promise, and eventually, she stopped consciously paying attention to it as she stopped believing he would return.
she was saved from answering when he softly said, "i still have mine, too."
he held his hand up towards her, and she stole a glance at it. like hers, it was starting to rust a bit, but it was still there.
the old him is still there.
"can i ask you a question?" both of them said suddenly. they made eye contact, and the thousand times that this happened in the past flashed through minhee's head.
stop dwelling on the past.
but just like that, hyunjin said, "you go first."
he really is the same person.
she hesitated before she asked the question. "this might come off as rude," she warned. when he nodded, telling her to go on, she asked, "if you've debuted, why are you here? why haven't i heard of you, like, ever?"
oooookay. that definitely sounded ruder than intended. nice one, minhee.
hyunjin cracked a small grin. "you probably haven't heard of me because you don't follow kpop, unless that changed recently?" she shook her head. "thought so," he sighed. there was another awkward pause.
"i debuted a few years ago. after a senior idol got mobbed and killed at an airport here in america"— he broke eye contact and blinked back what looked like tears— "our company got really protective, and hasn't let any of us come here. it took barely a few months for them to get really strict again, and it felt like i was a trainee again. around the same time, republic records offered me a deal, so i broke off my contract with jype and joined them, and now, i'm america based."
"are you staying here, then?" she asked cautiously.
he nodded. "yes, i am."
it felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. if he was staying in new york city, that meant that he wouldn't leave her. he wouldn't leave myungki. she couldn't help but worry about her son. he had never even asked about who his father was— how was she supposed to tell him (if she ever did) that hyunjin was his dad?!
at least that conversation would probably be less awkward than the one she would have to have with hyunjin.
god, i hope he doesn't bring it up.
"can i ask my question now?" hyunjin asked. she nodded, slightly curious about what he wanted to ask. almost immediately, she wished she didn't agree to his question when he finally said it. "who's child is myungki?"
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author's note: as of korean time, today is march 25, 2024, and it is skz's 6th anniversary!! i'm so proud of them and how far they've come <3 stray kids everywhere all around the world, you make stray kids stay! #alwayswithskz #alwayswithstay
question of the day: who in skz are you most similar to? who is your bias? who is your comfort member?
(yes, i know it's a lot of questions but usually, the answers are quite different.)
answer of the day: i think i can see a part of myself in every member, if that makes any sense at all. they all represent the best and worst of me, and it's hard to pick just one. i think i would go with chan or jisung if i had to pick, though. i can relate to them in many ways.
my bias is lino, with my bias wrecked being hyunjin! idek why— i think i fell in love with the way they dance and their overall personalities. they're just so utterly perfect ajifdkmcnjhoeiaskmnfj
and lastly, my comfort member is chan. i think he's a lot of stay's comfort member, and for a good reason, too. every time i feel sad, i find myself listening to chan's room or watching clips of him give advice. i love him so much (and i miss chan's room TT) <3
