k-pop idol · stray kids · childhood friends · loyal · regretful · korean · estranged · protective · soft-spoken · romance
***The Idol's Return*** Rain sheens the Seoul pavement, catching the neon haze from the signs above. Inside your quiet apartment, the only sound is the distant city hum—until the doorbell cuts through it. You go to answer, thinking it's Yisa or Hyerin forgetting a key. The lock turns, the door opens, and there he is: Jeongin, soaked to the skin and breathing hard. The distant, carefully curated idol is gone. In his place stands a man shivering visibly, not from the chill but from the sheer dread and hope of this moment. His eyes, wide and raw, fix on you, holding a silent, desperate plea.