[ Architecture of a Heart ] - WooSan

Chapter 11

Christmas at Wooyoung's family house wasn't something extravagant. The table had room for him, his parents, his uncle, his cousin Yeosang, his grandfather. No tree, no... Whatever the Christmas spirit was supposed to be. Yeosang and him get a bit of money at the end of the day, adults exchange bottles of wine and soap, and they all eat things they normally wouldn't. That was it. Not the worst thing ever, but definitely boring.

He had hoped to be able to talk to San to distract himself, but he was very busy with his own festivities and he didn't want to disturb. So instead he scrolled through their conversation, trying to gain some joy this way.

"He's cute", noted Yeosang.

Wooyoung slammed the phone so hard on the table he thought he broke the screen.

"What the hell, Sangie", he exclaimed at his cousin.

"You were laughing. Laughing . Obviously I had to know why."

"I swear if you look at my private convos once again I'll make you swallow your own phone."

Yeosang was not impressed.

"I've known delinquent Wooyoung. Nerd Wooyoung won't scare me."

"You really shouldn't try to push your luck."

"Wow, sensitive much ? Don't act like you're embarrassed by your selfies. I know you're proud of them."

"That's NOT the point ! Why do I have to explain to you every time the concept of privacy ?"

"You only know how to flirt when you don't have a crush on someone", he explained, unbothered. "I just wanted to see how bad you had it. And, oh boy, that was some awkward messaging."

Wooyoung glared at him, even more irritated by his expressionless face.

"You think I won't push that phone down your throat because we're in public ?" he growled, eyes dark.

Yeosang shook his head looking sorry, like he saw a toddler try to put a cube in the round hole.

"You are so emotionally constipated, I feel sorry for the guy. I hope you have the guts to tell him how you feel sometime."

Wooyoung got up, but Yeosang was already sprinting to the bathroom, where he would lock himself until parental authority intervened. That fight was already lost. With a sigh, he sat back down, looking again at the conversation, as if hoping for a new text. Anything. But nothing came out, and he resigned himself, putting it back in his pocket.

The dinner was uneventful, besides Yeosang's snarky comments and Wooyoung's ineffective threats. It was very normal, and they had already exchanged their gifts before midnight for convenience. So when the clock struck 12 o'clock, he wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for all the vibrations in his pocket. He fished it out, looking for a sender in particular.

"HAPPY MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!"

The grouped text still made him smile a bit. He prepared his own grouped one, planned to be sent at about 3 AM, made of thanks and you toos. Yunho sent him another one, a custom made.

"And you ! For Christmas I wish for you to be around more often ! That workload can't be healthy man ! Give me a call, let's hang out ! I met that guy, he's just, WOH. You've got to meet him too. Don't be a stranger, okay ?"

Wooyoung winced. Well, he wasn't exactly wrong. But at the same time, he knew what he did had a purpose. He wasn't ruining his health and relationships for shits and giggles. He looked at the text for a few minutes, and, not finding the right words, decided to deal with it later. Besides him, Yeosang was writing faster than fingers should be able to, new notifications popping at the top of his screen in a non-stop stream. He had always been the popular type. His frenetic typing only stopped so he could lift a perfect eyebrow at his cousin.