The trip to the grocery store was the usual.
Junwoo is minding his own business while others observe him. Two people near the snack section whispered behind their hands, and the cashier greeted him a bit too cheerfully and loudly. One girl pretended to scroll something on her phone but angled it toward him, clearly taking a picture of him.
And Junwoo? he didn't react.
He leisurely picked up eggs, rice, some kimchi, tofu, a can of spam, a bundle of green onions, and several snacks.
At the register, the cashier tried her best not to stare, voice cracking slightly as she asked if he needed a bag. Junwoo paid, mumbled a quiet thanks, and left.
Back in his apartment, he let out a loud sigh of relief since he didn't need to deal with all of that anymore and began unpacking his groceries.
He cooked rice, fried a sunny-side up egg, and grilled a slice of spam. He sat at the table, mixing rice with the egg and spam, and started chewing slowly. His stomach was full, and for a moment, he thought about going to sleep.
No, Minjoon will kick his butt if he sleeps.
He checked his phone. It's already 10:25, so he needed to head out again so he could pick Minjoon up in time. He finished up his breakfast, washed the dishes, and made sure he grabbed his motorcycle keys and his jacket again.
The metal jingled in his hand as he headed downstairs to the garage. His beloved Cruiser motorcycle was waiting in its spot. (a/n: my fav motorcycle type ehe.)
Once he put on his helmet, he then texted Minjoon asking if he brought his own helmet. Then he turned the key and felt the engine rumble to life. He rolled out into the street and enjoyed the busy city in the morning.
Junwoo parked his motorcycle by the curb and stopped the engine. The building matched what Minjoon described a few days ago—so, is this the LUEN Entertainment agency?
He didn't recognize the name, and Minjoon said it wasn't a big name in the industry, but that didn't matter much to Junwoo anyway. He didn't know much about the entertainment world, such as which celebrities were signed with which agencies or what idol groups were popular.
All he cared about was if the sky would clear up tonight so he could watch the stars again.
Junwoo pulled off his helmet, resting it on his lap, and unlocked his phone to text Minjoon. A few people whispered as they kept throwing glances at him, but Junwoo didn't notice.
"Junwoo!"
Minjoon waved from the building entrance, grinning. He jogged over, still in his white-button button-up shirt, a tie, and black slacks.
"How'd it go?" Junwoo asked.
"No idea," Minjoon huffed, catching his breath. "Think I did alright. Answered everything they asked. But I swear, they have the best poker faces ever. I can't tell what they were thinking at all,"
"You'll do ok," was Junwoo's monotone response.
Minjoon squinted his eye. "Is that genuine?"
"Yeah,"
"I think you're lying,"
"I would never,"
"You brat,"
Then Minjoon glanced around and chuckled. "And I think we should go. You're... kinda causing a scene again,"
Junwoo made a confused noise before he turned his head. A few girls who were on the sidewalk squealed when they saw them, and they quickly scurried away.
"Yeah, let's go," Junwoo couldn't agree more.
"Excuse me!"
Minjoon and Junwoo turned toward a middle-aged man who was jogging toward them. He held up a phone. "Minjoon-ssi, you dropped this at the lobby." (a/n: ssi is a polite, neutral honorific title like Mr/Mrs/Ms.)
"Oh—thank you, Sanghyun-ssi! I didn't even notice!" Minjoon accepted his phone gratefully. Thankfully, the screen didn't crack. "Junwoo-ah, this is Kim Sanghyun-ssi. He's the HR manager and the one who interviewed me earlier."
Sanghyun turned to Junwoo for the first time, and his eyes widened.
"Hello, nice to meet you," Junwoo greeted politely, his voice even.
The middle-aged man blinked slowly, glancing between Junwoo and Minjoon.
"Minjoon-ssi..."
"Yes?"
"You didn't tell me your friend looked like a celebrity."
Minjoon blinked.
"Pardon?"
"He should apply for our audition!" Sanghyun suddenly burst out.
Junwoo stayed calm while holding his helmet, staring at Sanghyun with disinterest. Minjoon, whoever, gasped loudly with eyes widened.
"EH?!"
Minjoon whipped his head toward Junwoo, then back to Sanghyun. "I-I'm sorry, sir. But J-Junwoo doesn't have any talent for singing or dancing, or being entertaining in that manner. I mean, I've been friends with the guy for years and never heard him sing or seen him move to any song other than bopping his head," he glanced at Junwoo and winced. "No offense."
Junwoo shrugged. "None taken,"
Sanghyun looked flustered. "Oh, is that so? I'm sorry, Junwoo-ssi. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. It's just that... we really could use someone who looks like you."
Again, Junwoo doesn't get the big deal about how he looked.
"I don't mind," Junwoo replied casually.
"Right. Well, Minjoon-ssi, we'll contact you about your interview results tomorrow. Thank you for coming in," Sanghyun smiled. "You two get home safe,"
"Thank you, Sanghyun-ssi!" Minjoon bowed politely, watching as the manager walked back into the building.
Junwoo glanced at Minjoon. "Where's your helmet?"
His friend froze.
"Oh crap! I forgot it at home."
Junwoo sighed and put on his own helmet. "Figures. If we crash and you're the one who dies for not wearing a helmet, don't haunt me later,"
"Yah... your jokes are always so alarming,"