That Stupid List (A Seventeen Fanfic)

Chapter 69: Denial

It was embarrassing to admit that he was falling in love with Mingyu. Love is such a wimpy feeling, a feeling concerned with all those sappy inner passions that people don't often reveal to others.

But he was falling in love. He was sure of it. He was new to that feeling of being so crazy about another person, but somehow, he just knew that what he was feeling for Mingyu was that thing people called love. He had only known Mingyu for a few months (was that even enough time to fall in love?), but in those few months he developed this passion and adoration for Mingyu that he could not articulate properly. He just loved him. He loved his tall, handsome, caring, lighthearted, religious, After-School-obsessed, conservative, touchy, funny, tea-loving and perfect-in-every-way Mingyu.

Wonwoo had been listening to that After School album that Mingyu had given him when he realized that he was in love. Track 12 of the Virgin album. A song named "When I Fall."

It was his favorite song in the album, which was strange considering he usually enjoyed the more hardcore, hip-hop-based songs. This, however, was a mellow song about falling in love, and something about it moved him.

There's something about music that can touch at your soul in ways that words cannot, and that song did that for Wonwoo. It tugged at his heartstrings and so perfectly represented his feelings for Mingyu. The lyrics just put language to what he was feeling, and made him consider for the first time that it was love.

Wonwoo now had this overwhelming urge to just keep listening to that song. To close his eyes and imagine Mingyu as the music seeped through his body for hours and hours. It was hard to do in the social situation that he was in: on this trip with his friends who were going to celebrate his birthday. It was not that he did not appreciate their efforts or that he did not like the trip; it's just that he just felt this bliss when he remembered his feelings for Mingyu through that song, and he wanted to stay in that zone forever and ever.

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They did not only celebrate Wonwoo's birthday the following day, but they also surprised Jin by celebrating hers as well. It was months late, but she was still so touched by it. Sena had apparently told Wonwoo and Seokmin about it before the trip, and all three of them had planned to surprise her.

She received gifts from the three of them as well, but the gift that surprised her most was a hoodie with a snowflake on it. "It's to match your snowflake necklace," Sena said with a wink, making Jin blush. Jin did not even know that Sena knew about that, let alone understand how much she appreciated it.

And thus, the trip was over a day later. The four of them would always remember it and were sad to pack up and get on that bus back to Seoul, where they would have to go back to campus and face the drudgery of studies and homework and papers and exams.

Jin felt closer to all of them now, for they got over all of the things that kept them apart. All of the drama and emotions were put to the side, and the tense atmosphere that had existed between them had disappeared completely.

When she climbed on that bus back to Seoul, reality hit her and she remembered that she had people to face.

The police had concluded that there was ample evidence against Seungcheol, and so he was imprisoned temporarily, though still not declared guilty, as he had claimed that the accusation was false. A small trial needed to be held, in which Sena had to state her case in front of Seungcheol, and Seungcheol had to respond to all of the allegations himself.

It made Sena quite nervous that she had to do this, but Mingyu had apparently sent her calming messages telling her not to worry because the evidence against him was too much for him to deny.