Smoke and Mirrors Woosan

20

Wooyoung's pov

"Woo," San whined, a couple hours later that night. I hummed in response as I continued reading the novel in my hands. I heard as San walked closer to me and sat down beside me.

"What's wrong, babe?" I asked softly, placing my mark in my book and closing it. He pouted and showed me the texts between himself and his mom.

"You've set her expectations of me too high, now! She keeps complaining that I don't treat her as well as you do!" San whined. I smiled softly and caressed his cheek.

"Sannie, I was just treating her as she deserves to be. She claimed me as her second son, and I intend to treat her with as much respect as I treated my own mom when she was alive. Now that I'm older, I've realized that time is too precious to focus on negativity, and that as we age, so do our parents and everyone around us.

"We can never know when it is someone's final day, so we shouldn't be rude to those who've shown us nothing but love and care. Sannie, I'm not meaning to get pushy, but please treat your mom as respectfully and sweetly as you can. On our whole outing, she was praising you, and telling me how she missed the little boy who clutched onto her skirt.

"She misses you, Sannie. She misses the boy who would come to her with everything." I said, smiling softly. San grew silent as he realized just how much he had changed since he reached adulthood.

"I didn't know she felt that way," San spoke softly. I held his hand and stayed silent as he thought.

   A few weeks later

   Wooyoung's pov

   I stood with my suitcase at the front door excitedly. Today was the start of my bachelor's party, and San was pouty the whole time I spent packing.

   "Why did you pick somewhere so far?" San whined as he held my hands.

   "I've never had the chance to go out of South Korea, Sannie, and you've given me the funds to do so. I've always wanted to see Japan!" I exclaimed. San smiled softly but continued to pout.

   "Babe, it'll only be three days, okay? I'll be back," I said. San continued to pout for longer until I leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed back and pulled me closer to himself.

   I heard a car honk loudly in our driveway, causing me to break our kiss. I pecked his lips, cheeks, and hands before he let me leave.

   "I love you!" I shouted to San as I put my suitcase in Seonghwa's car trunk.

   "I love you! Be safe!" San shouted back in response. I smiled widely before I shut the trunk and climbed into Seonghwa's car. Seonghwa and Yunho were in the front seats as I sat with Jongho in the backseat.

   "I see San was just as hesitant to let you go as Mingi was with me," Yunho laughed as he noticed the dark hickeys on my neck. I laughed as well seeing more marks on Yunho's neck than my own.

   "It looks like Min tried to eat you!" I exclaimed. Jongho and Seonghwa were a bit confused but laughed along.

   "Woo?" Yunho asked from the passenger seat.

   "Yeah?"

   "Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked. I thought for a minute.

   "Oh! Oh yeah, you three don't know each other, do you? Jongho is my friend from middle school who I reconnected with; Seonghwa is my friend who I met at Sannie's company; Yunho is my friend for god knows how long," I laughed watching Yunho's jaw slack.