Best Served Cold

Chapter 07

Suspicious.

Was the only word that came to Yeosang's mind as Wooyoung left for home that day. He thought his friend would jump all over him when he mentioned about being invited over to Jongho's place. He knew Wooyoung after all and this...this was very unlike him. Yeosang sat and stared at the deleted message on the phone, truly wondering what it was since he hadn't gotten the chance to click onto it before it was deleted. He sighed and rubbed his neck. Overthinking this wasn't going to solve anything. He walked to the office where their CCTV controls were and paused. Did he really doubt Wooyoung's words that much? He knew his friend for 5 years now and he was afraid of what might show up if he checked the camera. What if Wooyoung really lied to him? What then? He couldn't just ask his friend why since Wooyoung was hiding it for a reason. Still, unable to do anything for him was making him a little frustrated. He knew the other would rather carry all his burden by himself instead of sharing it. Though Yeosang couldn't really say he didn't do the same. They trusted each other but sometimes, he felt like Wooyoung was still hiding something from him. The way his expression would change when they talked about his past or the way he would clamp his mouth shut when Yeosang asked too much.

"What are you hiding?" he whispered to himself since he was the only one there as he scrolled through the CCTV. He couldn't help it. He wasn't usually a nosy person but things hadn't been normal recently and Yeosang worried for his friend's health. He was stunned to find that a lot of footage had been deleted. He sat slumped on the chair and stared at the screen for a few minutes before going through it again but it still had the same results. What he found weirder was Wooyoung asleep in the waiting room again. He knew his friend's house wasn't too far away so why did he keep sleeping in the waiting room? And why did he wake up and throw up right away? And why did he find the need to lie about this? Yeosang rubbed his temples, feeling uneasy. He decided to change the locks when he noticed that the new locks were still unopened on the table. He was going to tell Wooyoung about it when he came in in the morning but for now, he hoped this would make his friend safer or at least feel safer. He didn't know who or what they were even up against and if Wooyoung wasn't going to tell him, he didn't know what to do either.

Exhausted didn't even begin to describe what Wooyoung felt. Despair was probably closer and on top of that, confusion. Everything spun like his whole world was shaking and crumbling around him. He didn't get a proper reply to his question either. Why him? Just because they knew he could be taken advantage of? Because of his past? He chewed on his lip nervously as he had himself wrapped in the blanket, rocking on the couch as he tried to calm down his thoughts. Should he run away again? Go somewhere no one would know him. Restart again. Wooyoung shook his head. He couldn't. He had the bakery and what would Yeosang think? That he abandoned him? One person was enough. Wooyoung didn't need the guilt of abandoning another weighing him down. He was still paying for his apartment too. He didn't know what to do and crying didn't solve shit. He picked up his phone and whimpered softly as he looked at San's number. He didn't know if this would solve anything either but maybe if he apologized to San, this would all stop. Maybe it was San who had hired someone to mess with him for revenge until he said he was sorry for doing what he did.

Maybe.

Wooyoung couldn't handle the stress anymore and clicked San's number, calling it as he swallowed nervously. He waited for someone to pick up and was about to cut the call when it connected. He felt his breath hitch as he wasn't sure what to say.

"Hello?" a soft yet deep voice said and Wooyoung couldn't recognize it.

"Ah... Hello? Is this Choi San?" he asked nervously. There was a pause, the sound of a wheeled chair shifting.

"Yes. This is Choi San speaking and this is...?"

"Oh." Wooyoung felt all his nerves grip at him and he took a deep breath. He didn't sound like how he used to but Wooyoung guessed he wouldn't since he would have gone through puberty too. "S-San sshi. I'm... Uh...your schoolmate from before."