Desire | Woosan

Part 17 | Rocky

A little while after the incident, Seonghwa sat next to Hongjoong on the couch in their waiting room, a wettened cloth in the leader's hand as he carefully cleaned his wound. Seonghwa's face contorted when the contact made the cut on his cheek sting, but Hongjoong was quick to reassure him with comforting words. The other members all stood around, watching them with confusion etched onto their faces. Like everyone else in the building, they had heard the furious yelling from the hallway but had no idea what happened or why. Judging by their expressions, they were waiting impatiently for him to explain.

As Hongjoong gently secured a small bandage to Seonghwa's cheek, the oldest sighed, a breath combined with shame and regret. He had had enough of their prying eyes, too afraid to ask any questions. Hongjoong seemed to have it the worst, losing count of how many times his gentle eyes flicked up to meet Seonghwa's before swiftly looking away when he was caught.

Once Seonghwa's small wound was dressed and bandaged, he relaxed his back onto the couch, crossing his arms. It was a guarded position that hinted at just how self-conscious he was. Just when he thought he might be over it. The feelings of guilt and hatred toward himself were all back again, the misery washing over him like an ocean wave.

Hongjoong's gentle gaze, remaining fixed on him this time, caught his eye eventually. The mixture of concern and confusion in his brown irises spoke volumes though no words came from his mouth. He wanted the full story.

Seonghwa pursed his lips as he stared down at his lap, feeling all of the members' eyes on him. When he finally spoke, his broken voice cut through the silence of the room.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation..." he mumbled in the midst of their quiet confusion.

The members were quick to pretend they hadn't been staring, some of them reassuring him and insisting he didn't have to tell them if he didn't want to. But Seonghwa knew that if he didn't tell them now, they would scrutinize him until he did. He didn't need his own group spreading rumors among them. He just wished he could have told them under better circumstances.

Seonghwa snapped back to reality when he felt something warm on his knee. As usual, it was Hongjoong's hand. His lifeboat of comfort in his sea of emotions. The only person on Earth who could truly rescue him from it.

"You don't owe us anything," Hongjoong told him, his voice full of life-saving sympathy. "You just have to know we are here for you. We are on your side,"

Seonghwa couldn't help but assume that he was hinting at the possibility of the news getting out; Stray Kids had a larger fanbase than they did, so it was likely the media would believe Minho over him. He prayed with all his heart it wouldn't come to that.

"I know," Seonghwa nodded to him gratefully. He still couldn't bring himself to smile though as his foot tapped nervously on the floor. "Thank you,"

"This is just such bullshit," San grumbled as he angrily stopped pacing across the room. "There is no excuse for what he did. Nothing could ever justify hitting you. I'm gonna beat his ass,"

Seonghwa almost scoffed out loud. He found it ironic that San was saying those things when he could have been out there to protect him, but instead, he was probably naked in a closet with Wooyoung. At least Wooyoung looked a little guilty; he'd been the one who promised to look out for him.

But it was finally time for everyone to be caught up on the situation. Seonghwa was tired of keeping secrets. There was so much the members didn't know about him and while it had nothing to do with trust, it had everything to do with his embarrassment, and his worry that they would see him differently than before.

Seonghwa sat up straight, his hands clenching into fists between his knees as he cautiously swept his gaze around the room. He had everyone's attention now.