wonder | ATEEZ Wooyoung

07

After that day, Wooyoung saved my ass during almost every presentation. I knew I was bad at presenting, but that's because I also wasn't used to presenting so often. Still, he never held any animosity towards my unpreparedness. He just swooped in every single time with no hesitation. It was probably because he wanted a good grade. Even so, I was impressed.

And now that we were a more established dynamic within the group, Wooyoung and I sat next to each other every class. No more diagonals this time. And sitting next to Wooyoung had its perks. We'd occasionally whisper to each other when we got bored of class, or we'd share some things from our bags if we had anything that day. He'd usually have snacks while I mostly had hand cream. He'd always complain that the smell was too sweet for him.

I was starting to wonder why he greeted me using his fist instead of his hand though. At first I didn't think much of it, but I noticed everyone else got to do a handshake with him. So, I pointed it out, and he told me it was because I sucked at giving handshakes. He spent a good few minutes trying to teach me, and all I could remember was freaking out from touching his hand so much.

And of course, during class Wooyoung would play Tetris and I decided to follow suit. I was determined to beat him by the end of the semester. He had promised me if I had, he'd reward me. He was probably just joking though.

With all these good moments came along bad moments as well. There were times where he would be so preoccupied with other classmates that he wouldn't even have time to say anything to me. Or other times where he'd mock me with the other guys for their own entertainment. Still, I cherished the times I had with him no matter what. But, I knew I was getting way over my head.

As the month was nearing towards the end, that meant Wooyoung's birthday was coming up soon. I tried to think of casual ways to wish him a happy one without looking crazy since I remembered it.

That is, until the day came and he obviously couldn't meet up since I'm assuming he had plans to celebrate. Of course I was understanding, but what set me off was his text in the class group chat.

"Hey guys, I won't be able to make it to the meeting. Seo-yun, you can fill me in on Saturday when you have time."

I don't know what it was, but something about that message irritated me a bit. Looking back now, I overreacted. Maybe I was just sad since I wouldn't see him that week. I was also a bit annoyed that the other group mates were slacking and that I would have to take time out of my day to do even more work. Wooyoung treated us all the same, so why should I have to be the one he relies on? Some days the other guys in our group were treated even better than me. They never had to worry about whether or not Wooyoung would talk to them that day since he usually did. I was always the one seeking him out. And now he needs me?

So, in the midst of the complicated emotions running through my body at the time, I told him that he should get someone else to do it. I didn't like how he assumed I would be there for him. Because really, I was. I was there for every one of his beckoning calls. I just didn't want to admit it.

So, to add even more fire to the fuel, I told him that if he wanted me to do anything for him in the future, he should be nicer about it. I was in disbelief with myself when I realized I had texted him that on his birthday.

Still, I didn't think much of my response until Saturday came and he didn't need my help anymore. He had listened to what I said and asked another group mate. But that apparently didn't help much though since Wooyoung and I ended up video calling on Sunday to finish up the project ourselves anyway.

I felt a bit embarrassed to see him after my little tantrum. But, he greeted me normally as if nothing happened. It made me feel a bit guilty.

"Hey, I'm really sorry if I seemed rude the other day or something. I just thought we were cool and that it made sense for you to fill me in on things," he apologized once we established where we were on the project.