implausible - woosan

chapter five

san wooyoung

18.06.17

wooyoung takes a deep breath, knowing he won't be able to withhold information this critical from his best friend for any amount of time. of course he wants to protect him, but covering up the truth isn't always the best thing in the long run.

"yeosang," he starts quietly, and everyone immediately falls into silence. "let's get some air. you should... sit down."

the suggestion isn't anything out of the ordinary, as the appearance of one's soulmate and eighteenth birthday is not to be taken lightly. it's an arduous experience that many faint directly after enduring- so no one thought to disagree.

he feels a soft grip on his arm, the owner of the hand subtly quivering. wooyoung recognizes the presence as yeosang, and releases himself from san in order to follow the older outside.

"i'll tell him myself." he whispers gruffly, trusting the right person to hear. it's the only goodbye he can bid to the boy right then, unsure of everyone's whereabouts amidst the disarray.

yeosang doesn't seem to hear, set on getting away from the suffocating turmoil that is his own birthday party, and wooyoung is surprised when he leads them to the stairs, under the assumption they had been about to go outside.

"upstairs?" he questions, but continues up nonetheless. his friend hums in confirmation next to him, either lacking the physical energy to speak or simply emotionally drained from the discouraging facts.

wooyoung is familiar enough with the infrastructure of yeosang's house to conclude their destination when the other leads him to more stairs - this time narrower and their surroundings growing quieter, the music and chatter becoming distant background noise. they were heading for the roof.

when they reach the top, he hears yeosang exhaling deeply, pausing before reaching up to push open the skylight that leads outside to the roof. the two of them had spent countless afternoons lying on those sturdy tiles when they were younger, and wooyoung can confidently navigate his way up there- well, with his eyes closed. needless to say; he knows it well.

"give me your hand." the taller insists, despite knowing his friend probably doesn't want any help. wooyoung decides not to object, accepting wordlessly as he knows yeosang will think no less of him.

the fresh air hits him like a truck, almost instantaneously clearing his lungs and head, relaxing any tightness in his muscles and greeting him as a sorely missed old friend. the shorter enjoys its amicable engulfment, welcoming the calming effect it has on his perpetual darkness.

although it makes no difference to him, he imagines there to be a dull and starless blanket of overcast gloom above them, sensing a reasonably cloudy night hence the slightness of a clammy breeze, and wishes he'd dressed a little more warmly.

he turns his head consequent to the audible thump yeosang makes upon sitting down, and feels his way over to the side of his best friend. wooyoung lowers himself steadily, stretching out his legs languidly and balancing himself with his hands behind him, making no move to speak too soon.

but yeosang has already deducted countless possible conclusions, and takes the opportunity to pounce on one of them promptly. "do you know him?" he presses, the question dully laced with desperation. "park seonghwa. do you know him?"

wooyoung bites his lip, unsure how to go about revealing the little he actually knows. it's not much, but it's something. "not exactly."

"just tell me, woo." yeosang begs, defeat in his tone. "i'm already expecting the worst."