Lines Crossed (SanSang)

25

San and Yeosang walked back into the café, the air between them heavy with unsaid words. Yeosang seemed lighter, oblivious to San's inner turmoil, while San wore a carefully constructed poker face, trying to suppress the heartache that was still fresh in his chest.

As soon as they reached the table, Wooyoung looked up with a big grin. "So, what did you guys talk about?" he asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Yeosang gave a small shrug, glancing at San. "Well, San suddenly didn't want to talk anymore," he said, sounding a bit confused, but not pressing the issue.

Wooyoung's smile faded, and he shot a glare at San. "What?" he demanded, clearly disappointed.

San looked away, his emotions a jumbled mess. He wanted to respond, but his chest was too tight, and all he could manage was a blank stare, trying his best to maintain his composure. His heart was still hurting, but he kept his face expressionless, his eyes trained on the table to avoid Wooyoung's probing gaze.

Wooyoung sighed dramatically, turning his attention back to Yeosang. "So, San didn't say anything?" he asked, his tone sharp with frustration.

Yeosang shook his head, frowning slightly. "No, nothing really," he said, looking between the two of them, still confused by the tension.

Wooyoung groaned, clearly exasperated. "Ugh, of course not. He was actually going to confess to you, Yeo," he blurted out, crossing his arms and glaring at San as if daring him to deny it.

San's head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. His heart skipped a beat, panic flooding through him as he stammered, "W-What? No, I wasn't—"

Wooyoung rolled his eyes and interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, shut up, San. It's so obvious, and you're not fooling anyone," he said, sounding tired of the whole situation. "You and Yeosang keep doing this stupid push-and-pull thing, and it's getting so frustrating to watch. Honestly, I'm sick of it."

San opened his mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come out. His mind was spinning, and he felt like his heart was being laid bare in front of everyone. Wooyoung's bluntness hit him hard, and he couldn't find a way to respond.

Yeosang looked just as shocked, his eyes darting between Wooyoung and San. "Wait, what? Confess... what?" he asked, his voice soft, as if he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.

Wooyoung groaned, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples. "Yeosang, you're both so clueless it hurts. San likes you. And you're both dancing around it like idiots. It's exhausting, seriously."

The café felt stifling to San, and he could feel the weight of the moment closing in on him. The room seemed to shrink, and all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. San's gaze flickered to Yeosang, hoping—praying—that Yeosang would laugh it off, dismiss it as one of Wooyoung's dramatic exaggerations. But Yeosang didn't laugh. Instead, he just stared at San, wide-eyed, trying to process the bomb that had just been dropped.

"San...?" Yeosang's voice was barely above a whisper, his expression a mixture of confusion and something else San couldn't quite place.

Yeosang blinked in confusion, glancing between Wooyoung and San. "Stop, seriously," he said, his tone half-joking, but there was a nervous edge to it. "If this is a joke, it's not funny."

Wooyoung, however, didn't let up. His glare bore into Yeosang. "It's not a joke," he said firmly, his voice dropping with frustration.

San, who had been shifting uncomfortably, stuttered as his face flushed. He looked at Yeosang, his heart pounding. "N-No, it's true," he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But it's okay, really... You like Jongho, right? As long as you're happy... I'll be fine."

The tension at the table thickened as Jongho, who had been silent throughout the entire conversation, suddenly looked at Yeosang, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wait—do you actually like me?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief.

Wooyoung's eyes widened in shock as he whipped his head toward Yeosang, staring at him with complete disbelief. "What?" he muttered, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

Yeosang's face flushed a deep red, and he quickly looked away, avoiding everyone's eyes. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his sweater as he mumbled, "I—uh... I..."

San, who had no idea what was going on behind the scenes, suddenly felt like he didn't belong in the conversation. He stood up abruptly, forcing a tight smile. "I, uh... I need to go back to the dorm and feed my cat," he said, his voice wavering. "So... I'll see you guys later."

"San, wait—" Yeosang started, reaching out slightly, but San didn't stop. He walked out of the café, his heart heavy as he tried to process everything.

The moment San left, Jongho stood up as well, glancing around awkwardly. "Maybe I should head out too," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I feel like I'm not helping the situation, and it's a bit... tense right now."

Without waiting for a reply, Jongho gave a small, apologetic smile and excused himself, leaving Yeosang and Wooyoung at the table alone.

As soon as the door closed behind Jongho, Wooyoung groaned and smacked Yeosang on the back of the head. "You idiot!" he hissed, his frustration clear. "Why did you lie to San?"

Yeosang let out a long, defeated sigh, banging his head softly against the table. "I don't know, okay? I just... I wanted to see how he would react," he admitted, his voice muffled against the wood. "I thought maybe... maybe if he thought I liked Jongho, I could see if he cared."

Wooyoung groaned louder, leaning back in his chair as he massaged his temples. "And did that work out the way you planned, genius?"

"I don't know," Yeosang muttered, his voice filled with regret. "He looked like he didn't care. He played it off so well that I really thought he was okay with it..."

Wooyoung shook his head, exasperated. "Here I was, thinking I was pushing you two together, and you just had to go and jump to some next-level mind game." He sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "You're lucky San didn't realize you were lying. I did, but he has no clue."

Yeosang groaned into the table again. "What do I do now?" he asked, his voice small.

"Well, for starters, maybe stop with the lies," Wooyoung replied, rolling his eyes. "You're making everything harder than it needs to be. Just be honest with him before this gets even more messed up."

Yeosang nodded miserably, knowing Wooyoung was right but feeling like he was already in too deep.

Wooyoung raised an eyebrow, leaning in. "You do know San doesn't have a cat, right? He lied to get away from you. You hurt him bad."

Yeosang sighed deeply, realization sinking in. "How was I supposed to know he likes me? He's never shown interest in anyone but girls."

Wooyoung shrugged, leaning back. "Well, suffer now. I've done enough. You're on your own for the rest of this mess."

EVERYBODY SAY THANK YOU WOOYOUNG