A Place to Belong - A Woosan Novel

{2 - Curiosity}

The next few days passed in a blur of routine for San. Wake up, run, avoid people, work on his laptop at the café, and repeat. His life was quiet and methodical, carefully built to avoid unnecessary complications. He felt however, like the run-in with Wooyoung had thrown something out of balance, however subtly.

San kept reminding himself that he wasn't here to make friends. He had moved to start over, to distance himself from the wreckage of his past. And besides, he wasn't ready to deal with the complications that came with letting someone in.

But Wooyoung was persistent in the most effortless way.

San's thoughts drifted as he passed by Wooyoung's house during his morning run. He hadn't expected their first encounter to leave such an impression. He had felt something stir within him, something he hadn't allowed himself to feel for a long time. Maybe it was Wooyoung's grin or the lightness he brought into the world around him that stuck in San's mind.

Before the week was over, San found himself back at the café, settling into his usual spot by the window. It had become his sanctuary—a place where no one asked questions. He could disappear into his work, let the world fade out, and retreat safely into himself.

As if on cue, the café door swung open, and San caught sight of Wooyoung walking in. He instinctively ducked his head, pretending to focus on the screen in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Wooyoung scanned the café, his eyes lighting up as soon as he spotted San.

Before San could even think about how to avoid the interaction, Wooyoung was already making his way over with that familiar grin.

"San!" Wooyoung greeted brightly, sliding into the chair across from him. "Fancy seeing you here again."

San gave a quiet nod. "Hey."

"I was hoping I'd run into you. Working from home gets boring after a while," Wooyoung continued, placing his coffee on the table. "Thought I'd mix it up a little today."

San couldn't relate. For him, the quiet was comforting. Predictable. But he nodded anyway, watching Wooyoung settle in with an ease that San envied. Wooyoung was the type of person who thrived on energy and people, a textbook extrovert, while San preferred the quiet, the solitude. Needed it, actually.

Wooyoung broke the brief silence. "I saw you on your run yesterday morning, you know. I didn't want to distract you. You looked pretty focused."

San froze for a moment, realizing Wooyoung had noticed him. "Yeah, I like to keep to myself when I run."

"I figured," Wooyoung said, smiling. "Ya, don't worry. I won't interrupt the next time I see you sprinting through the neighborhood."

San felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward, but he quickly forced the smile down. "You live near there?"

Wooyoung chuckled softly. "Come on, you already know I do. You passed my house, remember?"

San blinked, feeling a bit caught off guard by Wooyoung's awareness. "Right."

Wooyoung leaned forward, his voice softening but still playful. "You're not that sneaky, San. I noticed you slowing down near my place."

San's face warmed slightly, though he hoped it didn't show. "I was just...thinking."

Wooyoung grinned. "I bet you were."

The air between them shifted slightly, and San found himself at a crossroads—he could deflect or engage. For once, he chose the latter. "What do you do, anyway? You always seem like you're working on something, but you never say what."

Wooyoung's eyes lit up. "Freelance design. I do branding, marketing, web stuff, things like that. You?"

"Freelance writing," San replied, his tone neutral. "Mostly articles, copywriting, that kind of thing."

Wooyoung's face broke into an enthusiastic smile. "No way. That's awesome! We could totally collaborate!"

San blinked at the suggestion. "A collaboration?"

"Yeah! You know, design and copy go hand-in-hand. You write; I make it look pretty. We could be unstoppable," Wooyoung said, his excitement infectious.

San hesitated, his usual instinct to shut things down warring with the intrigue he felt. He didn't know what to make of Wooyoung yet, and the idea of working together was both tempting and terrifying.

"I'll... think about it," San muttered, feeling the words hang in the air.

Wooyoung's expression didn't falter. "No pressure, just spitballing."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, the café's background noise filling the space between them. San found himself relaxing more than he expected, Wooyoung's energy disarming him in ways he hadn't anticipated. It was strange—how easy it felt to be around Wooyoung, how natural the flow of conversation had become.

Wooyoung sipped his coffee before speaking again. "You know, San, I think you underestimate yourself. You've got that brooding artist thing going on, but I bet there's a lot more behind those quiet stares."

San raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher if Wooyoung was teasing or being serious. "I'm not really looking for compliments."

"Good thing I'm not giving any," Wooyoung teased. "Just making observations. You've got this whole mysterious vibe going, and I think there's more to you than meets the eye."

San didn't respond, unsure how to take Wooyoung's words. Compliments and attention weren't something he was comfortable with, but Wooyoung didn't seem to be fishing for anything.

Before San could overthink it, Wooyoung glanced at his watch and stretched, sighing. "Anyway, I've got to run. Client work calls."

San nodded, a strange mix of relief and disappointment settling in his chest. Wooyoung stood up, that familiar grin still on his face.

"We should do this again," Wooyoung said. "And by 'this,' I mean talk. Whether or not you want to collaborate is up to you. We had fun, right?"

San didn't trust himself to answer, so he just nodded.

Wooyoung lingered for a moment, as if waiting for something. "You'll let me know, right? About the collaboration?"

"Yeah," San said softly. "I will."

"Cool." Wooyoung waved as he headed out the door. "See you around, San."

San watched him go, feeling an odd emptiness in the café without him. It wasn't like he had wanted Wooyoung to stay, but now that he was gone, the silence felt more noticeable.

Collaboration. Talking. Wooyoung. It was all too much, too fast, and yet, San couldn't bring himself to dismiss it.

Maybe, just maybe, Wooyoung wasn't such a bad distraction after all.