𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 (𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛)

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟛.

When the doorbell to your home rings, it doesn't phase you as much as it would've a week ago.

All week you have been preparing what you would say to Wooyoung, running through your mini speech several dozen times in your head.

'I don't like you romantically...' 'I think we should just stay friends...' 'I already have feelings for someone else...'

You lay your school textbook flat on your desk, standing up with a sigh and trudging over to the living room. On the other side of the door, you know Wooyoung stands, probably waiting anxiously.

Thankfully, Jake is still stuck in his college classes, and he wouldn't get home until later in the evening, so you wouldn't have to worry about any distractions.

You take one last deep breath before opening the door. Sure enough, Wooyoung stands on your front porch, his fingers twisting the ends of his hoodie nervously.

You manage a tentative smile, "Hi..."

He shuffles inside your house, and you try not to notice the tenseness that strains the air around you both.

"How have you been?" You try again.

"Good... you know, stressing about school and stuff. You?"

"Good, good. Tired." Back to awkward silence.

After a few moments of tense silence, Wooyoung clears his throat loudly, "So... are we talking here or in the living room or..." he trails off.

"Oh, yeah. We can go into the kitchen. Do you want something to drink? Water? Soda?" You ask, leading him through your home.

You've never done this before: acted politely with Wooyoung. The relationship between the both of you has always been playful and friendly, and you can't remember the last time you asked him if he wanted anything to drink while walking him into your house.

"Uh... no, i'm fine, thank you," He says awkwardly, shoving his hands inside of his pockets and offering a stiff nod.

"Can I leave this by the door?" he asks, motioning to his hoodie.

You gesture to the door, waiting patiently as he shuffles over to the entrance, slipping out of his hoodie, and meeting you back in the kitchen.

Pressing your lips together, you clear your throat and pull out a chair from the dining room table, grimacing when the legs screech against the wooden floors. Wooyoung pulls out a chair from infront of you, and before you know it, you are both staring blankly at one another, not a single word leaving your mouths.

".... Listen Y/N, I'm going to be blunt about this, okay?" he says suddenly, "I have feelings for you... Now, I don't know if you could tell, but ive had them ever since we first met," Wooyoung says carefully, taking a shaky breath and looking at the rim of his shirt, where his fingers nervously twirl around the loose fabric, "But... no matter how much I try... I can't seem to figure you out." At this part, his eyes glance up to meet yours, and for the first time, you see pure vulnerability displayed on your friend's face.

He stares up at you like a deer caught in the headlights, his eyes wide and pleading, "One moment you act as if you're interested in me, and the next you're gone without a word.. I just don't get it."

You swallow anxiously, averting your eyes from his pleading gaze. A pang of guilt stabs at your heart, and you feel your throat slowly start to turn dry.

This entire time, you were so caught up in your feelings for Sunghoon that you hardly ever stopped to pay attention to how it was harming Wooyoung. If only you had realized your mistake sooner, you could have told him the truth before entangling his heart in this situation.

"I... I'm sorry," You say quietly, lowering your gaze down to the floor shamefully, "I didn't know you had feelings for me since the start... and when I found out, I shouldn't have led you on. It wasn't right of me."

You slowly lift your gaze to meet his, your breath catching in your throat when you see the hope inside of Wooyoung's eyes slowly begin to fade. It was as if you had drained them of color, his usual cheery self now completely deflated and lying defenseless against the wrath of your words.

"...Is there someone else?" Wooyound whispers, so softly you barely hear him.

You hesitate, feeling your heart skip two beats. No more lying. "Yes. There is."

Wooyoung takes a slow, painful breath at your answer, "It's that Sunghoon guy, isnt it."

Your eyes immediately widen at his statement, nearly popping out of your skull, and as much as you try to resist it, you can't help the heat slowly beginning to creep up to your ears, "I- uh... How did you-"

Wooyoung, upon observing your reaction, gives a tight-lipped smile, "Yeah, I could tell. That one day we watched the movie? You think I didn't notice the way you guys looked at each other? Any idiot could take one look at you two and notice. It's love in the air," he says the last part with a cheery laugh, but in reality it comes out stiff and forced.

Still, you helplessly bow your head down, relishing the butterflies fluttering inside your chest, "Either way, it's a lost cause," You say softly, forcing the butterflies to still. No matter how many different scenarios you play out regarding your relationship with Sunghoon, they always lead to one ending: Jake freaking out and forbidding you and Sunghoon from ever crossing paths again.

Wooyoung hums in agreement, "Yeah... if your brother found out you're both dead," he takes a quick inhale, laying both palms on the table and glancing around, "Speaking of which, he's going to get home soon, huh? I should get going..."

You blink at his sudden urge to leave, before realizing a key detail. Things between you and Wooyoung are not going to be the same anymore. As much as you try to deny it or ignore it, your relationship with him has changed permanently now, for the better or the worse. "Yeah, yeah, right," You nod quickly, pushing the chair out and leading him to the door.

"Thanks for understanding," You say hopefully, "I really hope we can still be friends?" You look up to Wooyoung with eyes filled with guilt and regret, but he only looks at the floor, not meeting your gaze once.

"Yeah.. I hope so too." And with that, he opens the front door and leaves without another word.

A/N: This is a short one, I know. I'm just trying to get back into the lingo of writing this story, so hopefully the next ones will be longer and more juicy! You can prepare for some one-on-one time with Sunghoon in the upcoming chapters hehehe...