on pieces of dyed rays | woosan

Chapter Thirteen

Rhythmic drum beats play along with merry guitar sounds, followed by the subtle but soulful voice. The modern device called smartphone has a decent quality playing music through it's speaker, but Wooyoung can only imagine how beautiful it would've been if he heard it raw and live.

"Rock with You."

"Correct!"

And that's like the eleventh correct answer Jongho gets, making Seonghwa grimace with a shot of vodka and Wooyoung with another round of bitter healthy drink made of vegetables that Seonghwa's grandmother grows in her garden. It's thick and bitter, with the taste of raw vegetables clogging in Wooyoung's throat taking its glorious time to slide down.

"This is like the worst smoothie in the world," Wooyoung comments with a scrunched up nose.

"Hey, it's good for your health," Seonghwa scolds him with an equally scrunched up nose, probably feeling the burn in his throat. "You're the one who whined you can't take shitty alcohols so I ended up sharing my precious energy drink."

"Using it as a punishment speaks a lot, don't you think?" Wooyoung counters and Seonghwa scoffs.

"You just have to get the song right if you hate it that much," Hongjoong provokes him, leaning his tipsy body against Seonghwa while Seonghwa plays with Hongjoong's short hair.

It's Tuesday night, Wooyoung has no appointment or will to find a new prey, Hongjoong has his day off, Seonghwa and Jongho has gotten off work, so they gathered at Seonghwa's cramped (cozy, he would correct Wooyoung) apartment. They were gathered around a round table, sat on the soft cushions having their own drinks and snacks in their hands, chattering mindlessly until Hogjoong decided to play a song intro quiz—specifically Michael Jackson—where he plays his long list of the said star while making others answer the name of the song. It's no surprise that Wooyoung sucks at it, because even though he can tell Michael Jackson's songs from others, he never bothered memorising their names. It is somehow a surprise that Jongho is nailing it, considering he only listens to Korean ballads, but it's probably Hongjoong's lesson paying off.

"I'm ashamed of you, Wooyoung." Hongjoong shakes his head with a heavy sigh. "Look at my other student doing so amazingly," he says, patting Jongho's head, which Jongho swats away immediately but he doesn't seem to care.

Wooyoung now understands why Jongho opted for vodka while he isn't much of a drinker instead of 'full of vitality' veggie smoothie. He's already had ten shots of this green, almost grey liquid (the only song he got right was 'Ben' because the song literally starts with the name), and he feels his stomach brimming with the smoothie instead of pizza slices they had earlier.

"It's good for your health, Wooyoung-ah," Seonghwa presses.

"Yeah, hyung, you hardly eat and when you do, you just grab snacks," Jongho pipes in.

"You still aren't eating, Wooyoung?" Hongjoong groans in frustration, and Wooyoung doesn't like where this is going. A perfect timing to quit the game, he thinks.

"You know what, I need to take a piss," he says and he stands up, easily navigating his way to Seonghwa's bathroom, ignoring the protests behind.

With the content he just had, he wonders if his piss will turn green, but that apparently was a groundless fear. He takes a sweet time in the bathroom as though he'd taken a dump, hoping Hongjoong had given up on his routine of promoting his favourite artist. When he gets out, Seonghwa sees him walking past and calls him into the kitchen. He asks him to wash the dishes, and Wooyoung figures the little game is over.

Contrary to many people's belief, Wooyoung doesn't mind doing chores, when it comes to his friends. He doesn't mind grabbing Hongjoong's laundry on his way to the club, doesn't mind cooking for Jongho (by cooking he means boiling ramyun) and doesn't mind washing dishes with Seonghwa. It's the only labour he can do apart from sex, and is the only way he can pay for their selfless kindness.

"So, how are you and the fish bread guy going?" Seonghwa asks, handing him a dish covered with bubbles.

He takes it and lets tap water run over it. "What makes you think we're still seeing each other?"

"The way you don't need time to recall him." Seonghwa chuckles and Wooyoung groans in return.

Wooyoung puts the dish on the dish dryer. "He seems to paint for a living."

"Yeah? He's an artist?" There's an amusement in Seonghwa's voice.

"I don't know." Wooyoung shrugs. "I don't know shit about art."

Seonghwa hands him a washed glass this time. "I'd like to see his painting one day."

"He paints humans green," Wooyoung says, running cold water over his hands. They are starting to tingle. "Or blue, or red."

"Oh?"

"He says he sees temperature or aura, depending on how he feels or something like that," Wooyoung tells Seonghwa, leaving things vague because he doesn't want to sound invested by giving a detailed answer. Yet the truth is, he strangely remembers the details San has talked about. What, and how he talked about the art, his slight expressions and body postures, with just two of them in that room worth Wooyoung's annual wage. Weird, huh.

"Interesting," Seonghwa says in a genuinely interested tone. Maybe San would've wanted to talk to someone like Seonghwa, who is more interested and educated in the area than Wooyoung. "And according to him, what colour are you?"

"Deep red."

Seonghwa turns to him and even through his peripheral view, he can see how he's smiling. "Sounds passionate. He seems interested in you."

Wooyoung snorts. "I wouldn't say that." He puts the washed glass in the drayner a little too carelessly, making a rattling sound.

"No?"

"Besides, why does it matter?"

"Because you deserve to be happy, Wooyoung," Seonghwa says, leaning on the counter so that he can match Wooyoung's eyes, but Wooyoung sticks to watching the running water. "I want to see you happy."

Yeah, Hongjoong isn't exactly vocal about it but he's not being subtle about it either, and Jongho probably will say the same. Why do all these nice people wish happiness for someone as nasty as Wooyoung? Happiness belongs to someone nice, someone who cares, someone who works for the betterment of tomorrow, someone like them, and not societal cancer like him.

"I am happy." Wooyoung wipes his hand on the towel, having put all the clean dishes in the drayner. "Eating pizza with you guys, drinking, failing in the Michael Jackson quiz. What more do I need?"

Seonghwa smiles sadly at that.