begin again | woosan

- forty four -

tw / severe panic attack, unintentional self harm

wooyoung couldn't seem to catch a break. sure, things had gone well for the first few days, but a few weeks later, things completely changed.

the day started out great. wooyoung and san were trying out a new cafe, both boys excited for the adventure. wooyoung was even more excited once san came over to their table with their drinks and snacks, looking forward to trying the new drink.

he was satisfied with the taste, his expression warming san's heart. he looked so happy, it made the longer drive worth every second. the two conversed for a while, jumping from topic to topic, and finally, they started discussing their friends.

"so you've known yeosang for how long?"

"we were kids... i've honestly lost count of how long it's been... maybe 15 years now?"

"damn... jongho and i have been friends for 8 years now, but sometimes it still feels like yesterday."

"i met yunho and mingi at an accepted students event that sangie and i went to, they had already known each other for years. i think they actually started dating a little after that, i'm not really sure. all i know is that when we started college, they were already together."

"they're cute. really cute."

"right! i've always wanted a love like theirs... they used to make all of us so jealous."

"well, you have nothing to be jealous of now," san said cheekily.

"you're r—" wooyoung froze, his eyes widening as he looked past san.

san's eyes grew dark when he recognized wooyoung's expression, and he quickly turned around and saw the boy's ex making eye contact with him.

"woo... baby?" san spoke softly, squeezing the boy's hand and trying to keep him grounded.

"s-sannie?"

"yeah... love, i'm here. it's gonna be okay, we're gonna get you out of here."

"h-he's... h-he's here..."

"i know, baby. it's okay, i'm not going to let him touch you."

wooyoung only nodded, wrapping his arms around himself tightly and struggling to breathe properly. san's mind was foggy, unsure of what to do. he knew wooyoung would be upset later if they had wasted the food they got, but he couldn't just leave him alone to go to the counter. they needed to get out of there, as soon as possible.

"my love... i need to leave you alone for just a second so i can get us a box from the counter... is that going to be okay?"

"n-no... no, sannie, h-he's going to come over here if y-you leave me..."

"okay... okay, bub. want to come with me then? i know it might be a lot right now..."

"a-as long as i'm with y-you..."

san nodded and gently took wooyoung's hand as they got up and made their way to the counter, where san asked for a box to take their pastries to go. when they returned, wooyoung's ex was by the table, and wooyoung's breath began to grow heavier.

"well, well... i see you're all moved on now, my woo woo."

"g-go away..." the boy whispered.

"i'm not going anywhere. it wasn't nice of you to just run away from me like that, babe."

"leave," san snapped, venom in his words.

"and who are you? my replacement?"

"replacement? no, i'm far from a replacement. not that it even matters."