broken glass | woosan

~32~

WOOYOUNG'S POV

I woke up late the next morning, the exhaustion from the long night at the company still weighing heavily on me. My alarm had been blaring for a while before I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and silence the alarm. Next to me, San was still sleeping soundly, his steady breathing a soothing rhythm in the now quiet room.

I gently nudged him, whispering, "Honey, we need to get up. We're running late." He groaned, turning over and burying his face in the pillow. I couldn't help but smile at how cute he was, even in his reluctance to wake up.

"Come on, San," I said, a bit louder this time. "We have practice." He finally opened his eyes, blinking sleepily at me before sitting up and stretching.

We went about our normal routine together, trying to shake off the grogginess. A quick shower, a hurried breakfast, and we were out the door. The familiar streets blurred past as we made our way to the company, our thoughts still lingering on the events from the night before.

Once we arrived, we could see the rest of the team already warming up. We joined them, pushing ourselves to focus. Despite the tiredness, there was a sense of determination within both of us. Today's practice would be just as intense, if not more, and we needed to be ready.

Before practice started, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The CEO walked in, his expression serious and ready to address the group. I felt a knot tighten in my stomach, beyond nervous about what was coming next. I knew this was about the overnight scandal, and I dreaded the moment when the members would find out about the deal I made behind their backs.

San gave me a reassuring pat on the back, sensing my anxiety. I tried to muster a small smile, but it felt forced. The CEO began speaking, his tone calm yet firm, explaining the situation and the steps we needed to take moving forward.

As he continued, my heart pounded in my chest, each word bringing us closer to the revelation. I took a deep breath, ready to face whatever was coming next. It was time to own up to my actions and hope that, somehow, we could get through this together.

The CEO's scowl deepened as he continued, "There's something else you all need to know." His eyes zeroed in on me, making my stomach churn. "Wooyoung here decided to play hero and made a deal behind everyone's backs to try and clean up this mess."

Gasps and whispers erupted around the room, and my face flushed with a mix of guilt and anger. The CEO's voice cut through the noise like a knife. "He thought he could handle this on his own, without consulting any of you. As if his judgment is better than the rest of ours combined."

He paused, letting the tension build before dropping the bombshell. "To save the rest of you from being sat out, Wooyoung will be going on hiatus for a while. This is non-negotiable."

I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. The room was silent, except for the pounding of my heart. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, especially San's. I didn't have to face him to know he was angry, I could feel it radiating from him. The CEO turned to the rest of the group, still furious. "You all need to understand the gravity of this situation. Practice will be different today, and you can thank Wooyoung for that. We need to salvage what's left of our image, and it starts with every single one of you pulling your weight. Nobody will leave this room, you will work until you drop."

As he stormed out of the room, leaving a trail of tension behind, I could barely lift my head to meet the eyes of my teammates. The weight of my decision pressed down on me.

The room was thick with tension as San paced back and forth, his anger palpable. He finally stopped and turned to me, his eyes blazing. "How could you lie to me?" San's voice was strained with hurt and frustration. "You said you were going to practice, but you were sneaking off to make this deal? How could you do this to me, to us?"

I looked down, unable to meet his piercing gaze. "San, I didn't mean for it to happen like this..."

"Didn't mean for it to happen?" San interrupted, his voice rising. "We're supposed to trust each other! You're my boyfriend, Wooyoung. How could you go behind my back?"

Hongjoong, standing off to the side, crossed his arms and shook his head. "This isn't just about you two. The whole point in me getting on that live was to make a point. It's all of us or none of us. We all should face the consequences together, not just you two. What you did completely reversed all of that, Wooyoung."

My shoulders slumped, my eyes brimming with regret. "I know I messed up, okay? I just... I thought I could handle it on my own."

San let out a bitter laugh. "Handle it on your own? We're a team, Wooyoung. You don't get to make decisions like that by yourself. Hell, the day we confessed you promised me we would face everything together. Or wait, was that just another lie?"

Tears were streaming down San's face. I wanted nothing more than to reach up and wipe them from his beautiful face, but I know I shouldn't. I never wanted to hurt him like this. I moved towards him in an attempt to comfort him, but he backed away with a painful expression.

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of the situation sinking in. Seonghwa, seeing the rising emotions, stepped forward. "Guys, let's calm down. We need to talk this out rationally," he said, trying to inject some calm into the chaos.

But his words only seemed to fan the flames. San shook his head, his face contorted with anger and disappointment. "No, Seonghwa. This isn't something that can just be talked out." His words came out in tiny sobs, "I need some air."

Hongjoong stepped forward, his voice stern. "San, walking away won't solve anything. We need to deal with this together."

San turned around, wiping a stray tear from his face, "Tell Wooyoung that," he looked at me with a cold expression. "I can't do this right now, Hongjoong. I need to clear my head."

Without another word, San stormed out of the room, leaving a heavy silence in his wake. The remaining members stood there, the unresolved tension hanging in the air like a dark cloud.

Seonghwa sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is a mess. We need to find a way to fix this before it gets released."

I looked up, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just wanted to help..."

Hongjoong's expression softened slightly, but his voice remained firm. "We know, Wooyoung. But next time, trust us enough to let us help you too."

The room remained silent, each member lost in their own thoughts, wondering how they could fix this mess that seems to get messier by the minute.

Yunho was the first to break the silence, "How long will this hiatus last?" He looked at me for an answer but i remained silent.

I didn't even think to ask that, or even think to mention it. "I have no idea," I finally replied. Many members hung their heads low at my answer. Mingi's facial expression changed as if my response took away the last bit of hope he had.

"We start tour in a month. Are we supposed to leave without you?" Mingi asked, clearly upset.

Before I could answer, Seonghwa did for me. "No, we aren't leaving him. We are going to fight for this. We aren't giving up. If Wooyoung doesn't go, none of us will." He says proudly as he walked out the room.