Chapter 22 :
The cafeteria was a sea of sleek surfaces and hushed conversations, but the room went noticeably still as they entered. Haru could feel the weight of a hundred gazes, but he didn't let it deter him. He followed Raiven through the line, surreptitiously piling extra vegetables and a carton of milk onto Raiven's tray whenever the idol wasn't looking.
"How do you maintain a body like that when you hardly eat?" Haru remarked as they reached the end of the line. He grabbed the chopsticks and spoons, scanning the room.
"Where should we sit?" he mumbled.
He spotted a small oasis,a table with two vacant seats opposite two young men huddled over their phones, analyzing practice videos. Haru's eyes lit up. He recognized them from his deep-dive research into Redraft.
Before Raiven could steer him toward a private corner, Haru was already leaning in, greeting the occupants with a warm, disarming smile. The two members looked up, their expressions shifting from confusion to sheer shock when they realized Raiven was standing right behind this bold stranger.
"May we join you?" Haru asked.
One of the members gave a slight, stunned nod. Haru immediately set his tray down and made himself at home. The members were Neo and Suho.
Neo looked as if he were witnessing a glitch in the matrix.
"Hyung?" Suho managed to say, glancing at Raiven as he sat down beside him.
"My name is Haru," Haru said, looking at both of them with the kind of steady, elder-brother energy that felt slightly out of place for his youthful face. "I'm Raiven's friend."
The members processed this in silence.
"Neo," the first one mumbled.
"Suho," the second added, a small, impressed smile tugging at his lips. If this Haru guy had managed to drag their notoriously private member down to the public cafeteria for lunch, he was a force to be reckoned with.
"I heard you guys have been practicing for the tour a lot," Haru said. His tone was caring, but his vocabulary was just a bit dated,referring to them with an old-school fondness that caught Suho off guard. "How about I treat you to some chicken next time?"
It was a classic 90s move,offering food as a bridge to friendship. Suho's eyes brightened. Neo, however, remained silent, his gaze fixed on his plate. Haru noticed the tension but decided not to push; some walls required more than a polite greeting to tear down.
"I would love that," Suho said brightly. He leaned in, his curiosity getting the better of him. "How did you get Hyung to come down here and eat?"
"I use magic," Haru deadpanned, earning a sharp scowl from Raiven.
"Well, you should use it every day," Suho winked.
"Should I?" Haru laughed.
"Won't you be too busy with your project?" Raiven interjected. He tried to sound annoyed, but he couldn't hide the way his heart softened watching Haru interact so effortlessly with Suho.
"Who says the magic can't work through the phone?" Suho joked, leaning back.
"Are you two conspiring against me already?" Raiven asked, though there was a rare lightness in his voice.
"How? We just met!" Haru said, taking a satisfied bite of his food.
Suddenly, Neo stood up. His expression was a frozen mask, unreadable and cold. "Sorry. I have to return to practice."
Haru looked up, noticing how tightly Neo's fingers were gripping the edges of his tray. "It was nice meeting you!" Haru called out. He watched Neo walk away, his eyes lingering on the boy's retreating back for a moment before returning to the table. He caught Raiven looking too, his eyes clouded with a sadness Haru couldn't quite fathom.
To break the heavy silence, Haru redoubled his efforts with Suho, easing the tension until Raiven was actually participating in the conversation. By the time they finished, Suho was practically begging for Haru's number, promising to text him later.
"Thank you," Raiven mumbled as he led Haru toward the exit.
"What?" Haru asked, looking up from his phone as they stepped onto the sidewalk. Raiven had offered to call a company car, but Haru had insisted on a taxi.
"Thanks for coming," Raiven said, his voice clearer this time.
"It's nothing. I like eating with you," Haru said casually.
To Haru, it was a simple truth. To Raiven, it felt like a physical blow. He stumbled slightly in his stride, his heart thundering. He didn't think Haru realized the weight of those words,that anyone would choose to be in his space just for the company, not the status.
"Plus, I got a bonus friend," Haru added, grinning.
"Yeah. Suho is a good kid," Raiven said, his voice slightly strained.
"And the other guy is handsome too," Haru noted, glancing back at the building. "I mean, not as handsome as you, obviously, but he looks good."
Raiven actually laughed at that. "You think I'm handsome?"
"Yeah. Don't people tell you that every day?"
Thousands did. But coming from the man who was slowly becoming the most important part of his day, the word sounded entirely different.
"They do," Raiven admitted.
"Well, it's true. Probably why your billboards are everywhere. I literally can't escape your face!"
Raiven shook his head, laughing as he hailed a taxi for Haru. As the car pulled up, he asked suddenly, "When is your birthday?"
Haru paused. He almost blurted out Sunghoon's birthday—June 9th—but caught himself. "June 10th."
Sunghoon and the original Haru were only a day apart; Sunghoon had been born just before midnight on the 9th, though his mother always considered the 9th his day.
Raiven nodded. Two weeks away.
"Get home safe," Raiven said, holding the door.
"And eat dinner, or I'm showing up at your house." Haru threatened teasingly.
Raiven stood on the sidewalk, watching the car disappear into traffic. He actually considered it,the idea of Haru showing up at his door felt nice. It was an absurd thought for an idol of his stature, but for the first time in years, the idea of being "just a person" with a friend felt more rewarding than any award he'd ever won.