Friends with benefits - ATEEZ Yunwoo

20

Jeong Yunho*

I leaned against the wall near the lockers, arms loosely crossed over my chest. My gaze rested on Hongjoong, who was pulling a few things out of his locker. He was too lost in thought to notice that I was watching him.

My thoughts were still circling what I had heard yesterday. Or rather, what Hongjoong and Seonghwa had made me believe. Wooyoung had a boyfriend. At that thought, I unconsciously clenched my fist. It annoyed me, made me angry, and the fact that Wooyoung and I were currently fighting, and he was ghosting me, didn't make it any better.

I had clearly heard that Woo had a boyfriend before Hongjoong tried to cover it up with his 'Mingi' story. At first, I wondered if I had misheard. But the more I thought about it, the clearer it became to me. Hongjoong had lied to me. Maybe because he thought I didn't know that Wooyoung was gay? But wait, if Hongjoong knew about Woo, did he also know about our friends with benefits story?

Whatever Hongjoong knew, it shouldn't matter to me whether Wooyoung was in a relationship or not. It shouldn't. But it did. Something inside me was screaming for him. I wanted him to be mine...mine. But my what? My best friend? My lover? My... possession? The thought twisted in my head, strange and dark like I couldn't make sense of it. What was he supposed to be to me? Why did I feel this surge of jealousy, of possessiveness, like I wanted to lock him away where no one else could ever touch him?

It made no sense, this intensity. These were thoughts I shouldn't even be having, right? But they kept coming, clawing at the edges of my mind. I wanted Wooyoung to be something more, something only I could have. But what the hell was I even thinking? Where were these feelings coming from?

I shook my head slightly, as if I could get rid of the thoughts, and walked briskly over to Hongjoong. "Hey," I said casually, now shoving my hands into my pockets. Hongjoong looked up, seeming slightly surprised to see me, but he tried not to let it show. "Yunho," he responded curtly, turning back to his things. But I could hear the slight hint of nervousness in his voice.

I decided not to beat around the bush. "Why did you tell me yesterday that Mingi had a boyfriend?" I kept my tone casual, but my eyes stayed firmly on him. Hongjoong flinched slightly, almost imperceptibly, but I knew him too well to miss it. He was clearly not prepared for me to address it so directly. "Uh, what?" He lifted his head and tried to put on a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

I suppressed an annoyed sigh, about to respond when Hongjoong turned around as if looking for something, and then noticed someone. "Hey, Woo!"

My heart rate spiked instantly as I saw behind Hongjoong. There he was, Wooyoung, but something wasn't right. His face was blank, neutral, but I could almost feel it, something was different. Even someone like me, who doesn't always immediately pick up on other people's subtle emotions, could see that something was wrong with him. His eyes had that distant, almost lost look as if he was far away in his thoughts. Well, he was sick, though I actually believed he wasn't and was absent yesterday because of our fight.

"Are you feeling better? Because..." Hongjoong started cautiously, but Wooyoung abruptly cut him off. "Not now, I have to get to the next class," Wooyoung said sharply, his voice sounding strangely hollow, almost distant. Next lesson? But it was lunch break now, wasn't it?

Without really looking at us, he walked past us, his steps rushed, almost as if he was fleeing. In the process, he accidentally bumped into me, and I felt the brief contact of his shoulder against my chest.

"Sorry, uh..." he muttered, pausing for a split second as if he wanted to say something more, but then he abruptly turned and just walked away.

A sense of unease spread through me. Without thinking further, I took a step back, instinctively ready to follow him. "I..." Hongjoong began, clearly surprised by Wooyoung's sudden departure. He made a move as if he was already about to run after him.