begin again | woosan

- four -

wooyoung couldn't lie, he was intrigued by san. something about the boy was incredibly interesting to the younger, but wooyoung couldn't figure out what it was. he had a calm aura surrounding him, yet wooyoung could tell the boy was nervous about something. but considering what the younger had been through recently, wooyoung didn't know how to approach the boy, he didn't feel like he could present himself as friendly enough for san to trust him enough to let him know if anything was wrong.

when wooyoung felt the emptiness of his socialization skills kicking in again, he began to feel overwhelmed, whispering something into yunho's ear before getting up quietly and leaving the room. san was quick to notice, frowning.

wooyoung started sobbing into his pillow as soon as he got to his room, frustrated by how his trauma had affected him. he just wanted things to feel better, he wanted to feel like he was able to make friends again and get back to being as close as he once was to his friends. he was so incredibly detached and broken, to the extent that he barely saw a point in anything anymore.

san had recently gotten up to use the bathroom, having been directed down the hall by seonghwa. he heard the boy's sobs as he passed, tensing in worry. his heart hurt for the boy he had only met mere hours before, his empathetic self showing through. as soon as he had finished his business, he made his way back to the living room and gently tapped hongjoong's shoulder.

"hyung?" san asked softly.

"yeah? what's up, san? why the long face?"

"um... i'm not sure if i should be worried or not, but when i was heading to the bathroom, i-i heard wooyoung crying... i figured maybe i should let one of you know? i-i don't know... i'm sorry," san trailed off, beginning to regret saying anything.

"thank you, san... really. i'm glad you told me, woo has a tendency to try to hide things like this from us... i'll go check on him, yeah? i'll let you know how he's doing when i'm back."

san nodded, whispering a soft "okay" as hongjoong got up and left the room. jongho gave san a look after the interaction, san only shaking his head, deciding that it wasn't his business to discuss with jongho, at least not at that moment.

"wooyoungie?" hongjoong asked, walking into the boy's room.

"g-go away, joongie..." wooyoung huffed, his breathing uneven and tears still streaming down his face.

"wooyoung, i'm not leaving. not until i'm sure you're okay and that you're going to be safe alone."

"h-how did you even know i-i was upset... i-i told yuyu that i was overwhelmed and needed space."

"san was walking by to use the bathroom and he heard you crying... he came to tell me, he seemed worried."

"w-why would he care? i-i just met him..."

"woo... san's a really good guy, i'm sure he would've done it even if he hadn't met you yet."

wooyoung only stared at the wall, ignoring as hongjoong walked over to the bed and sat next to him.

"i'm staying here until you feel better, okay? if you need anything from me, you let me know, but i'm not leaving."

wooyoung sighed and nodded, realizing he wouldn't be able to get away from this. hongjoong was always true to his word, which wooyoung had learned the hard way. instead of trying to fight anymore, he rested his head on the older's shoulder, trying to calm down.

"doing better?" hongjoong asked softly a few minutes later.

"mhmm," wooyoung mumbled.

"okay... can i do anything for you?"