black cat | woosan ✔

17

The park buzzed with the quiet hum of autumn life—leaves rustling in the crisp breeze, children running across the paths, and the occasional crunch of footsteps on scattered leaves. Mingi sat on the bench, legs stretched out, scrolling through his phone absentmindedly. His blonde hair reflected the warm sunlight, his face relaxed in a rare moment of peace.

In front of him, Wooyoung crouched on the ground, gently petting the black cat that now felt more like a permanent fixture in their lives. "You like it out here, huh?" Wooyoung asked the cat, brushing a hand over its silky fur. "Bet you think you're royalty or something, getting all this attention."

The cat purred lazily in response, as if agreeing.

Mingi chuckled from the bench, watching his best friend with a fond smile. It was rare to see Wooyoung so calm—soft even. There was something almost therapeutic about these moments, watching him interact with the cat like nothing else mattered.

But peace was always short-lived with Wooyoung.

As if on cue, two familiar figures appeared on the path ahead—San and Yunho. Mingi glanced up just in time to see San spot Wooyoung, his expression instantly shifting to one of annoyance.

"Oh, great," Wooyoung muttered under his breath, already preparing for battle.

San strutted over, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, Yunho following close behind. "Still hogging the cat, huh?" San sneered, crossing his arms.

Wooyoung straightened up, brushing dirt off his hands. "Maybe if you were faster, you'd get more turns, San. Not my fault you suck at scheduling."

And just like that, the argument began.

"Scheduling? We never agreed on schedules!"

"Exactly, that's why you keep showing up whenever it's my turn!"

"You're not the cat's owner, dumbshit!"

"Well, neither are you!"

As the two bickered back and forth, Yunho sighed heavily, clearly used to this routine. He plopped down beside Mingi on the bench with a grin. "So...how's life with that idiot?" he asked, nodding toward Wooyoung.

Mingi snorted. "A nightmare, but I'm committed. You?"

Yunho let out a light laugh. "Same here. At least they keep things interesting."

The two boys exchanged knowing looks before bursting into giggles—little inside jokes and mutual suffering at the hands of their chaotic best friends. They leaned closer as they talked, knees brushing, faces dangerously close.

Mingi tried to cover his grin with his hand, but Yunho wasn't making it any easier with the way he kept glancing at him from under his lashes.

"Do you ever get tired of rescuing him?" Yunho asked, biting his lip to hold back another giggle.

"Oh, every day," Mingi said dramatically, his smile widening. "But you've got the same problem, don't you?"

Yunho laughed, nudging Mingi's shoulder playfully. "I guess we're doomed."

They both leaned in a little more, their giggles turning softer, cheeks reddening with every second that passed. Neither of them noticed how close they were—until they did, and the blushing only got worse.

At some point, they started talking about nothing at all—flirting with half-finished jokes and secret smiles like it was the most natural thing in the world. It felt easy, being with each other like this. Too easy.

Meanwhile, Wooyoung and San's argument had paused abruptly. Not because they'd reached any kind of resolution—oh no, they were far from that—but because they had both noticed the ridiculous scene playing out on the bench.

They stared, wide-eyed, as Yunho and Mingi practically melted into each other, giggling uncontrollably.

"They are not flirting infront of people arguing." Wooyoung whispered in disbelief.

San's jaw dropped slightly. "Is this seriously happening right now?"

For the first time in their long history of hatred, Wooyoung and San shared the same thought: This is unreal.

The two enemies turned to look at each other, and without a word, a silent truce was declared. Wooyoung tilted his head toward the bench, raising an eyebrow.

"You seeing what I'm seeing?"

San nodded, his expression torn between amusement and pure exasperation. "Yup."

They both turned back toward the bench, watching their best friends exchange playful nudges and barely-concealed smiles like they were the only two people in the world.

"This is weird, right?" Wooyoung asked, still stunned.

San scoffed. "Beyond weird."

But then something unexpected happened—they started smirking. Slowly but surely, mischievous grins crept across their faces.

"Oh my god," Wooyoung whispered, excitement bubbling in his voice. "They like each other."

San chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Oh, that's ridiculous. Jeong Yunho in love."

"I know, right?" Wooyoung started jumping, all giddy over his best friend. "Mingi never speaks about anyone or even talks to anyone with those ten thousand expressions."

They glanced at each other again, and for the first time ever, they were on the same page.

"We should start shipping them," Wooyoung said suddenly, eyes gleaming.

San blinked, surprised by the suggestion. But after a moment, his grin widened. "Absolutely."

And just like that, the rivalry was momentarily set aside as they focused all their energy on silently plotting ways to torment—and help—their hopelessly smitten best friends.

The black cat, still nestled comfortably by Wooyoung's feet, let out a contented purr, as if approving of this unexpected alliance.

For once, everything felt almost...right. But if their chaotic dynamic had taught them anything, it was that things never stayed right for long.

And that's where the real fun would begin.