worn and rusted.
@obsmin
jinhwan’s wandering around the central district again today; he keeps finding himself in his old haunts a lot lately. it’s a bit strange now of all times -- with all the unrest you’d think he’d be drawn away from the central most district but it somehow seems quieter around there than near home. maybe it’s an overwhelming need to keep things normal there, or the shadow of dsem looming overhead; it’s a peace nonetheless, even in the crowds and always busy streets.
the monotony of the crowd is broken up today by a splash of bold red. for some reason the color catches his eyes -- it’s someone walking ahead, their hair dyed a near obnoxious shade of it. his lip curls; the color reminds him of someone he hasn’t thought about in a while. from this angle they almost even look like -- --wait, does he recognize them?
isn’t that... minkwang hyung?!
he’s with a few others; there’s something hardened about the guys around him and none of them are familiar, but he’s more convinced the harder he looks.
jinhwan’s then aware he’s staring in that direction and redirects his gaze, meandering in the square with his eyes lowered and hands pushed into the pockets of his jacket. his heart is racing since… no one jinhwan knows has heard from minkwang or eunhyuk in a very long time. not since eunhyuk disappeared and minkwang followed soon after.
and when a hunter goes missing… well, you don’t really expect them to reappear. not that line of work. (witches, in his experience, for that matter too… but not always for the same reasons. it’s not something jinhwan in particular likes to think about.)
part of jinhwan wonders if that’s not really minkwang; maybe this is some kind of doppelganger in the crowd -- or someone that happens to look like him? but if not his bright hair and his stature, the bold scarring across his skin is unmistakable even at a glance. there’s a hundred questions in his mind, some of which are already bubbling at his tongue, as he knows it’s likely the only person who can answer them is minkwang -- if that is indeed him. others itch at him he hardly dares even mentally voice.
now, stealth is not jinhwan’s strong suit; he’s a tall guy, after all, and wearing a hoodie when it’s hot like now tends to draw eyes to you instead of away, and he’s got no sort of training or natural ability in that regard anyway. he’s no idea if he’s actually been noticed as well but he keeps his distance to be safe and watches the red head of hair out of the corner of his eye. his vague wandering carries him in that direction for a few minutes while he pulls out his phone and taps at the screen idly, waiting for an opportunity that he’s on his own.
he doesn’t wait long before the others head off -- in the direction of the nearby dsem building, no less, jinhwan notes curiously -- and jinhwan picks up the pace.
“minkwang hyung --!” he says when he’s close enough to be heard without drawing attention to them both.
when the red haired man turns around he steps closer with much less caution, but keeps himself from getting right in the other’s space.
“it really is you, isn’t it? you… you’re alive..?”
he almost says “okay,” but he somehow suspects that might not be the case.












