Crybaby

10 - Aftermath

Mingi's POV

Silence.

Tense silence.

Ateez was gathered in a conference room at the KQ building. It was the day after Yunho had returned. The weather still hadn't improved. It was starting to look like it would just be cloudy and rainy all year long. And that somehow matched the mood in the room.

On the short side of an L-shaped sofa sat Hongjoong. With his hands on his knees, he looked at Yunho with a serious and intense gaze.

Next to him sat San. He looked unhappy and remorseful. His gaze kept drifting to Yunho, finding it hard to bear the sight and situation without intervening. It was up to Hongjoong to lead the conversation.

Then, on the long side of the L-sofa, were Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho. All three were visibly uncomfortable as well but remained quiet. Yeosang sat on the left with his hands folded in his lap, unable to lift his gaze from them. Wooyoung sat in the middle with his arms crossed, staring fixedly at Yunho. Jongho had his head propped up with his hand, his arm resting on the back of the sofa. His gaze alternated between staring into nothingness and looking out the window.

Standing beside them were Seonghwa and Mingi. Seonghwa had a serious expression, clearly wanting to set an example of calm and composure as the eldest.

Mingi, on the other hand, wasn't sure how he appeared. He couldn't take his eyes off Yunho. He knew this was necessary for their team to function. If there were problems, they had to talk about them. Hongjoong had insisted on such talks from the start, and over time, their value had proven essential to their collaboration. As painful as it might sometimes be... With Yunho, there had never been such a serious issue, making it doubly uncomfortable.

Seonghwa and Mingi closed the shape of the sofa into a semicircle, with Yunho sitting alone in an armchair at its head. He was visibly doing everything in his power to hold himself together. He looked intimidated, and his shiny, large eyes betrayed him, as they often did.
Mingi noticed Yunho absentmindedly running his fingernails over his forearms repeatedly. He wore a loose gray shirt, the sleeves half-rolled up. He didn't seem to notice that he was leaving red marks on his skin. Mingi suppressed the urge to go over and stop him. Instead, he swallowed hard. In this moment he wanted nothing more than to grab Yunho and run away with him. Where didn't matter. Just somewhere where no one had expectations of them and to where no one judged them...

Yunho then moved. He pressed his lips together and looked around the room before speaking. "I..." He hesitated. "I know you want an explanation, but honestly... I don't even know what was wrong... I... I've been sleeping really poorly lately. I don't know, I guess it made me thin-skinned. Everything just got too much all of a sudden and I overreacted... That's never happened before, and that's why I ran away. It was stupid. It was shitty... And I'm incredibly sorry. I don't know what else to say to you. I'm just super sleep-deprived and tired."

He looked around the room for understanding and helplessly raised his hands. Then he shrugged apologetically before letting his hands fall onto his thighs.

Silence reigned for a moment again. San and Wooyoung exchanged skeptical glances, and Jongho stared directly at Yunho for the first time since the conversation had begun. Seonghwa sighed quietly. It was obvious that this was, if anything, only half the truth.

Hongjoong nodded slowly. He straightened up and cleared his throat before speaking: "Okay, I understand. But... I'd like to know the reason. Was there a trigger? Did something specific happen that made you overwhelmed? Fatigue alone... I don't know. That doesn't sound convincing, Yunho."

Mingi felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He visibly tensed, prompting Seonghwa to cast him a questioning sidelong glance. Mingi didn't notice. He was too focused on the conversation between their captain and Yunho. Suddenly, it dawned on him that perhaps he himself and his constant expectations were part of Yunho's overwhelm... Additionally, he had hit and hurt him. Even though Yeosang had opened his eyes yesterday about Yunho's current state, the connection between his own behavior and Yunho's had only now become clear to him. He sometimes just didn't get it, especially when it came to interpersonal issues. He furrowed his brows, hoping Yunho wouldn't expose him...