black cat | woosan ✔

7

Mingi slammed the apartment door shut behind him, the sound echoing through the quiet space. With a weary sigh, he trudged to the couch and collapsed onto it, the weight of the day pressing down on him like a boulder.

Don't get him wrong—he loved Wooyoung more than anything in the world. But sometimes...sometimes he hated the anger that simmered just beneath the surface of his best friend. Wooyoung's anger issues were exhausting, not just for those around him but, Mingi imagined, for Wooyoung himself.

He knew it wasn't entirely Wooyoung's fault—anger wasn't something you could just turn off. Still, wouldn't it hurt to at least try? To show some effort in controlling it? It wasn't like Wooyoung had ever lashed out at him. On the contrary, Wooyoung had been there for him through his darkest moments—just as Mingi had been there for Wooyoung. But that didn't change how frustrating it could be.

Mingi ran a hand through his blonde hair, ruffling it in frustration. He hated how much it got to him, hated feeling this way toward someone he cared about so deeply. But no matter how much he tried to brush it off, the resentment lingered like a shadow in the back of his mind.

With a heavy sigh, he tossed his bag to the side and curled up on the couch, his body sinking into the cushions. His chest tightened as emotions bubbled to the surface, tears slipping down his cheeks before he could stop them.

He hated crying—it made him feel weak, like he wasn't in control. But right now, there was no stopping it. The ache in his heart was too heavy, and the exhaustion too deep.

The soft patter of rain began to fall outside, tapping against the windows in a soothing rhythm. Mingi let the sound wash over him, his tears blending with the quiet hum of the autumn evening.

Eventually, the weight of the day became too much to bear, and Mingi drifted off into a restless, tear-streaked slumber, the world fading away as exhaustion claimed him.

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Yunho stared blankly at the open textbook in front of him, the words blurring together on the page. The rain pattered steadily against the window, casting a melancholic rhythm over the room, but his mind was elsewhere—back in the park, replaying the ridiculousness of the day.

Why does San get so angry over the pettiest things? Yunho wondered, frustration tugging at his heart. He loved San, deeply, in that way only close friends could—enough to stick by him even when his temper flared over nothing. But it was exhausting sometimes, watching San pick fights over things that didn't matter.

It had taken Yunho years to truly understand San, to figure out the subtle likes and dislikes San never openly shared. San wasn't easy to read, not with the front he always put up. He had to chip away at that wall bit by bit, learning through trial and error. And never—never—would Yunho have expected something as absurd as today to happen.

Arguing over a cat? Really?

He let out a heavy sigh, pressing his forehead to the textbook. His brown locks bounced slightly with the motion, brushing against the pages. The familiar scent of ink and paper filled his nose, grounding him in the present moment.

Why is it always like this? Yunho thought bitterly. San could be so kind, so thoughtful when the world wasn't looking. But those moments were fleeting, overshadowed by the fire that always burned too close to the surface. San didn't mean to hurt anyone—Yunho knew that. But still, it stung sometimes. It stung to care so much for someone who seemed to self-sabotage every chance he got.

Yunho squeezed his eyes shut, willing the knot in his chest to loosen. He wouldn't cry. Not over this. Not over San.

The soft hum of the rain persisted, wrapping around him like a lullaby. Yunho breathed in deeply, his cheek still pressed against the textbook, the pages cool against his skin. It was just another day in their strange, chaotic friendship—a friendship that was as beautiful as it was complicated.

But even knowing that, even accepting it, didn't make it any easier.