"You want ramen?"
Wonwoo asked, stumbling in his steps as he walked to the kitchen. Mingyu followed, watching him go about his chores in the kitchen.
"I'm good,"
Mingyu couldn't help but notice the ugly amount of scars etched across Wonwoo's back as well. "How did that happen?" he pointed, causing Wonwoo to turn back and look at him.
"How did what happen?"
"Those?"
"Can you fucking mention what properly,"
"Um- your scars..."
Wonwoo stopped whatever he'd been doing, turning threateningly slow, again, to glare at Mingyu.
"Sorry," the taller boy squeaked.
Mingyu didn't know how and when his defiance towards Wonwoo dispersed, leaving only what could be described as acceptance behind. He'd stopped caring about the way Wonwoo looked ready to slice his head off at any moment. Because Mingyu had seen beyond that façade, albeit briefly, and he thought he had an idea of what made Wonwoo act the way he did.
He missed when Wonwoo came out of the kitchen, holding two bowls of something steaming in his hands. He handed one to Mingyu, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. Mingyu looked down, and saw Wonwoo, in fact, did make him ramen, although he'd denied. Without much hesitation, Mingyu stuffed an inhumanely huge dollop of ramen in his mouth, sputtering at how hot it was, and then swiftly chewed and swallowed it in a matter of few seconds.
A sound of approval left his mouth as the ramen travelled down his throat, while Wonwoo stared at him with the hints of a smile playing on his lips. "It's good," mumbled Mingyu. "Can you put a shirt on, please?" he added, eyes involuntarily travelling to a blackening bruise near Wonwoo's ribs.
Wonwoo looked a bit uncomfortable, dashing to a room, returning with a T-shirt seconds later. "That looked painful," Mingyu pointed, referring to the bruise he'd seen.
"It was,"
"How- Forget I asked,"
"Dad,"
"Dad what?"
"Dad did that,"
Mingyu realised he was no longer interested in the ramen set in front of him, after what Wonwoo had said. "Why?"
Wonwoo shrugged, as if the thought really didn't mean much. "He felt like it, I don't know,"
"He uh, does that when he feels like it?"
"Yeah,"
Gods, that must have been the most awkward conversation Mingyu, with his lack of all social skills, had ever had with anyone. He sat silently, and tucked his hands under his lap, looking at his grey socks with black and white stripes. He realised he'd worn one of it upside down.
"Mum too,"
Mingyu didn't get the chance to get confused. He knew what Wonwoo meant now, and he thought it was a bit... New, that Wonwoo voluntarily told him stuff like this.
"Are you a problem child, or something?"
"Maybe,"
"That's the stupidest shit I've ever heard,"
"Okay,"
"It started after Somi," Wonwoo began.
Mingyu somehow didn't have to ask who this Somi was. He winced, realising how unnecessarily painful it must have been for Wonwoo to go through. "I'm sorry,"
"What for?"
"For asking,"
Wonwoo sadly shook his head. "It's fine, I don't really care anymore. After moving out of my parents', I've realised there's no point in being so sensitive about what they've done,"
Based on Wonwoo's tone, it took barely any time for Mingyu to understand his problems, having a family that felt like walking on eggshells. Mingyu's situation was the same too, just he didn't think it was, in any way, as severe as it was for Wonwoo and his family. Mingyu didn't even have a proper family to begin with.
"You know," Mingyu began, surprised at himself for speaking up. "You're brave for moving out. It's good that you did, considering studies and all,"
"Fuck studies, I'd be in a much better situation if not for fucking studies."
"How so?"
"It's the passed-on academic pressure. First Somi, and now me. She was compelled to commit suicide, and I chose to do this, to save my sanity,"
"It's alright, as long as you have the freedom to decide stuff for yourself after university,"
"That's the problem, I have no clue,"
"You're good at maths," Mingyu pointed out.
"I guess, but doing something in maths is practically useless,"
Mingyu wasn't sure of what he should be saying next. By the looks of it, Wonwoo seemed pretty hopeless about his future, neither did he look like he had any purpose in life. And it didn't sit right with Mingyu; everyone always had something to live for.
He scooted over next to Wonwoo, wrapping his arms around him for the second time that day.
"You need way too many hugs to live, Wonwoo,"
