flutedrum | woosan ✓

16

The first day without talking to Wonderland was like a heavy fog settling over AURORA. The silence felt unnatural, as if something vital had been ripped away. For Wooyoung, it was worse than he had expected. He woke up that morning with the same emptiness gnawing at his chest, knowing today marked the beginning of a new reality—one without the easy laughter and camaraderie he'd grown so accustomed to.

He lay in bed longer than usual, staring at the ceiling, the weight of yesterday's events pressing on him. The memory of running away from San, the confusion in San's eyes, and the pain of the unspoken words lingered like a bad dream he couldn't shake off. He hadn't responded to any messages, and even now, his phone sat on the nightstand, screen dark, the familiar notifications from Wonderland glaringly absent.

Wooyoung dragged himself out of bed, going through his morning routine on autopilot. His mind kept drifting back to San—how easily they used to joke around, how comfortable things had been before the lines between friendship and something more blurred. Now, the silence was suffocating.

When he finally made his way into the living room, the atmosphere in the dorm was thick with tension. Seonghwa was seated on the couch, scrolling through his phone with an expression that was unreadable but obviously weighed down. Mingi sat nearby, staring blankly at the TV, which was playing some variety show he clearly wasn't paying attention to. Jongho sat quietly, earbuds in, head resting against the back of the couch, eyes closed. Everyone felt it. The absence. The void.

They had all grown so used to chatting with the Wonderland members throughout the day, sharing inside jokes, venting frustrations, and just...being friends. Now, that connection had been severed, and Wooyoung felt it like a loss, an ache that wouldn't go away.

He tried to distract himself by going over Mingi's lyrics for upcoming songs, but his mind kept wandering. Every time his phone buzzed, a little part of him hoped it would be a message from San, despite knowing that wasn't possible anymore. He couldn't focus. The words on the page blurred together, and eventually, he tossed the notebook aside in frustration.

By mid-afternoon, the stillness in the dorm was unbearable. Wooyoung found himself pacing, his thoughts spiraling. He missed San. He missed the easy banter, the way San could make him laugh at the dumbest things, the feeling of being understood without having to explain himself. And now, that was gone, all because of some arbitrary boundary their manager had drawn between them and Wonderland.

Frustrated, Wooyoung grabbed his jacket and slipped out of the dorm, needing air, needing space from the suffocating silence. As he walked aimlessly through the streets, his mind kept drifting back to San—his smile, his stupid jokes, the way he'd felt when San hugged him whenever he saw him. Wooyoung hadn't realized how much San had become a part of his daily life until now.

But it wasn't just about missing a friend. There was something deeper, something that Wooyoung hadn't been ready to admit before. The way his heart raced when he thought about San, the way their playful flirting had turned into something more meaningful in his mind—it all made sense now. And yet, it couldn't matter. Not anymore. Because he had to let go.

As the day wore on, the emptiness grew heavier. Wooyoung wandered through the city, trying to escape the feelings that threatened to overwhelm him. But no matter how far he walked, he couldn't outrun the truth. He wanted San by his side—more than just as a friend. And now, that possibility was slipping away, lost in the tangled mess of rivalry and professional expectations.

By the time Wooyoung returned to the dorm, the sun had begun to set, casting long shadows through the windows. The others hadn't moved much from their spots. The air in the room was still thick with unsaid words, but no one dared speak. They were all grieving the loss of their connections in their own way, silently bearing the weight of a day without Wonderland.

Wooyoung collapsed onto the couch, exhausted but unable to rest. The day had passed in a haze, but the ache in his chest remained, sharper than ever. He glanced at his phone one last time before setting it down, the emptiness inside him a constant reminder of what he had lost.

And what he might never get back.

a/n: chapter 17 will be out a bit later. when I tell you I almost cried when writing this I mean it. my eyes started welling.

-dwaekkiverse