The streets of Seoul felt familiar, even after all these years. The air was thick with the scent of street food, the distant hum of traffic, and the occasional chatter of pedestrians.

Beside you, Hwangyeon Choi walked with his bicycle, one hand gripping the handle while the other rested in his pocket. His usual indifferent expression masked any emotions beneath, but you knew him better than anyone.

He was different now. Better. Stronger. Wiser.But some people? Some people never change.

“Hey, isn’t that Choi?”

A sneering voice cut through the air, loud enough to be intentional. You didn’t need to turn around to know what kind of person was talking.

“I swear, man, I can’t believe they let a guy like him compete again. What, just ‘cause he acts clean now, we’re supposed to forget everything?”

Hwangyeon didn’t react. Didn’t even look their way.But you did.

The guy had his arm slung around his girlfriend, trying too hard to sound important. Probably thought he looked cool, talking shit about someone he couldn’t even compare to.

You sighed, tilting your head slightly before speaking smooth, casual, but sharp enough to cut.

"Can you stop yapping?"

The guy blinked, caught off guard by your voice.

"You keep barking,what? Your girlfriend didn’t feed you well today?"

His girlfriend choked on a laugh. Hwangyeon snorted.The guy’s face twisted in embarrassment, but you were already looking away, uninterested.

Hwangyeon glanced at you, a small smirk playing at the edge of his lips. “You haven’t changed.”

You grinned. “Neither have people like him.”And just like that, you both kept walking, leaving the past and the barking dog far behind.