Tunes of Love | Woozi (Seventeen)

41

“Why did I make this so awkward?” Yuna thought as she stepped into Woozi’s studio.

She smiled at the organized chaos that greeted her. Papers scattered across the desk, scribbled notes on the whiteboard, and his guitar resting against the chair—it was clear he'd been working hard. And that’s exactly why she didn’t want to bother him with her problems. She didn’t want to be a burden. She didn’t want him to get sick of her.

Yuna sank onto the couch, her mind spiraling. It was for the best not to tell him about Soyeon and Minho’s fight. It wasn’t anything important. At the end of the day, it wasn’t worth bothering him.

“Yuna?”

She snapped out of her thoughts, startled to find Woozi standing in the doorway.

“Oh, hey,” she said, quickly getting up to hug him, holding on tight as if that would hide the doubt creeping into her mind.

Woozi hesitated before speaking, his arms around her feeling tense. “Is everything okay?” he asked, pulling back slightly to look at her.

Yuna forced a smile, brushing his concern off. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she added, avoiding his eyes.

Woozi studied her, knowing she wasn’t telling the truth. “You and Scoups...”

“Hm?” Yuna tilted her head, playing innocent.

“What did you guys talk about?” Woozi’s tone was careful, but there was an underlying curiosity.

“Nothing really,” Yuna assured him, her smile growing brighter, trying to convince him—and herself.

“Are you sure?” Woozi pressed, not fully convinced.

“It’s nothing,” Yuna insisted. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Woozi asked, his frustration creeping into his voice. “I’m just trying to understand what’s going on.”

“There’s nothing going on,” Yuna said, her tone sharper than she intended.

Woozi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

“I don’t need your help,” Yuna replied, the words slipping out before she could stop them. She paused, realizing how harsh it sounded. “Did Scoups tell you something?”

“Should he have?” Woozi’s eyes narrowed, his suspicions growing.

“No,” Yuna said quickly, shaking her head. She sat back down on the couch, her heart racing as the distance between them seemed to grow.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?” Woozi asked again, his voice softer now, almost pleading.

Yuna looked down, shaking her head once more. “No.”

“Fine,” Woozi said, his voice laced with quiet hurt. “If you don’t want to talk, we won’t talk.”

He gave her one last glance before walking over to his desk, putting on his headphones, and starting something on his computer.

Yuna watched him, her heart heavy. “It’s better like this,” she thought, convincing herself she was protecting him from unnecessary stress.

But Woozi felt a weight settling in his chest. He knew Scoups knew something he didn’t, and it hurt. It hurt that Yuna had chosen Scoups to confide in instead of him once again. Shouldn't she rely on him? Wasn't that what couples did? He couldn’t shake the sting of being shut out, and no matter how much he tried to focus on his work, the silence between them felt louder than anything else.

Yuna didn’t leave the studio, despite the clear tension between them. She didn’t want to. Even with the heavy silence, just watching Woozi work, immersed in his world, brought her a strange sense of peace. Slowly, the tension that had wound so tightly around her began to fade, and before she realized it, she drifted off to sleep.

Hours passed. Woozi finally took off his headphones and turned around in his chair, expecting to find the room empty. But Yuna was still there, curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He chuckled softly at the sight.

Quietly, Woozi got up and walked over to her. He sat down on the floor next to the couch, his eyes tracing the peaceful lines of her face as she slept. He reached out, gently brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face, his fingers lingering for a moment before he sighed.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” he whispered, his voice soft with a mix of frustration and sadness. He wanted to understand her, to be the one she turned to when things got hard, but every time he tried, she pulled away. And it left him feeling helpless, even as he sat there beside her.

-

When Yuna woke up, the studio was quiet, emptier than it had been when she’d fallen asleep. She looked around, and her heart sank a little when she noticed Woozi was gone. He hadn’t left a note, hadn’t even sent her a message. He’d just… left.

She could understand if he was still upset; she knew she hadn’t been honest with him, and he deserved better than that. But still, the silent goodbye stung. She hadn’t wanted things to end on a cold note between them, to feel like there was now this wall growing in a place where there used to be warmth.

As she got up from the couch, she noticed his computer was still on. She hesitated, a flicker of curiosity sparking. Maybe he just stepped out for a moment? Maybe he’d gone to the restroom and would come back any second?

But as minutes passed, she realized he was truly gone. And even though curiosity pulled at her, she resisted the urge to check his screen. If he had left something open, it wasn’t for her to see. The last thing she wanted was to risk him feeling like his space had been invaded. She’d already done enough to push him away for one day.

So, quietly, she made her way to the door. There was a part of her that wanted to leave him a note, a small message just to let him know she’d been there, that she cared. But, in the end, she chose to leave as he had—no message, no goodbye.

With one last glance back at the cozy mess of the studio, Yuna stepped out, closing the door softly behind her, the silence following her down the hall.