Why me? >Woosan<

12

When Wooyoung woke up Monday morning, his phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

Sixty-three notifications.

"What the hell...?"

He blinked the sleep from his eyes and opened the first message, from Minho.

Minho: What the fuck, dude? Answer your phone.

Another followed immediately.

Jun: Why didn't you tell us? Didn't you trust us?

Then another.

Minji: Woo... how could you keep this from us?

Wooyoung's heart began to race. He didn't understand. What were they talking about?

Then he saw it.

A link.

His fingers trembled as he tapped it.

The page loaded slowly, each second twisting his stomach tighter.

Then the headline appeared.

"ATEEZ's Choi San Spotted Leaving Apartment Complex - Mystery Man Identified by Resident."

For a moment his brain refused to understand what he was reading.

Photos followed.

Blurry. Taken from far away. But clear enough.

San.
Him.
His door.

Wooyoung's breath caught in his throat. Cold rushed through his body as his knees gave out and he sank to the floor. The phone slipped from his hand, clattering against the hardwood.

It wasn't paparazzi.

The article mentioned an anonymous resident.

Someone from the building.

They must have filmed San walking down the hall that night. The grainy screenshot looked like it had been taken on a phone, San in his hoodie, mask on, head down, standing right outside Wooyoung's door.

The caption underneath made his vision blur.

Wooyoung grabbed his phone and tried to call San.

No answer.

He ruined him.

San had trusted him.

And he ruined him.

The screen lit up again.

Minji calling.

Wooyoung forced himself to answer.

"Wooyoung?" Her voice was soft, careful.

He couldn't speak. Only shallow breaths and broken sobs.

"Woo, breathe. Okay? Just breathe."

"I... I don't know what happened," he stammered. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I swear, I didn't..."

"I know," she said gently. "It's okay. Have you talked to him?"

"No," Wooyoung whispered. "He must hate me."

"Woo..." She sighed. "You should call him."

"I tried. He won't answer."

Silence stretched between them.

"You should've told us," Minji said finally, her voice breaking just a little.

"I know," Wooyoung said. "I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of ruining things. Of saying it out loud."