"wonwoo! over here!"
mingyu came running up to the boy like a puppy excited to see his owner. only in his situation, he was just delighted to see wonwoo this early on the beach. he wore a loose sky-blue blouse which had four buttons opened, revealing half his chest. mingyu surely had no idea that an outfit as simple as this managed to take wonwoo's breath away.
however, when he came closer mingyu noticed something was off. even when wonwoo barely showed any emotion, today there seemed to be something on his mind. and mingyu was determined that whatever it was, he would try to help him get rid of it.
"hey, is everything alright?" wonwoo flinched a little by the straightforward question. both him and mingyu were out of hearing distance from the rest of the group, who were gathered at the towels a little closer to the water.
wonwoo hesitated with answering, not knowing if he was better off with telling the truth or making up a lie. "yes? what's supposed to be wrong?"
"i'm just sensing some worries over here. are you sure you're feeling okay? you don't have to lie to me, you know that right?" it frightened wonwoo even more how mingyu saw straight through the thin lies.
they usually worked with ease whenever he used an excuse like that on his parents, even his friends fell easily for them. then how was mingyu's vision on things so scarily accurate?
he still contemplated whether to trust him with the actual reason why he felt upset or cover it up with another lie. but on the other hand, he found out about mingyu's biggest secret as well and if he had to believe his words, wonwoo had been the first one ever to find out.
perhaps he would break down his wall just a little. only once. "just something with my parents. it's nothing to worry about mingyu, we're supposed to be having fun now, i shouldn't be a bother to you and your friends."
a reassuring smile formed on mingyu's face and he reached for wonwoo's exposed arm, rubbing the skin with his thumb. wonwoo was surprised by the sudden contact but managed to stay calm somehow. "wonwoo, i know you barely express yourself when anyone else is around. but i bet my friends would only love you more when you show us the real you, because i definitely would." mingyu assured him, "now tell me what happened, have you fought?"
wonwoo hummed, looking down at mingyu's bare feet that sunk away in the sand, "they made false assumptions about me that were quite painful to hear. which isn't even the worst part, because they literally proved that they're impossible at raising a kid. i just don't want my little sister to feel a lot of pressure because my parents are never there for her."
"but what about you?" wonwoo looked at mingyu in confusion "did they do the same to you when you were younger? wait, are they still doing that?"
wonwoo waved his hands in front of his head, trying to change back to the initial topic. "that's not what i'm trying to say. the point is that my sister-" "-but it's important to me that you feel okay as well."
and if wonwoo had to be honest, he had absolutely no idea how to reply to that. it was the first time he had actually spoken one of his worst sorrows for over the past few years out loud. mingyu clearly proved that he indeed really cared about him, making wonwoo consider to break his walls down a little more. perhaps.
"you know what, stay over with us at seokmin for tonight!" mingyu offered, making wonwoo peer his head up on an instant. was mingyu pointing out sleeping in the same room? or actually at seokmin, in a different room for himself?
thinking back at the text messages he got from mingyu in the middle of the night it made his questioning only bigger.
"mingyu, i hope you understand that i really don't have enough money to rent a room for myself." wonwoo half joked, making mingyu laugh in the process. "and i really don't want to be a burden, i can sleep in my own bungalow as well."
"how many more times do i have to say this to you? you're not a burden to anyone." mingyu stated, being visibly annoyed by the fact that wonwoo kept calling himself a burden "and for the record, when i'm asking you to stay over at seokmin's place i'm talking about my own room, there are no further costs included when i invite you myself."
wonwoo's cheeks flushed red. how could he say that with so much confidence? "i- you're sure about that?" wonwoo asked again for confirmation.
"that's why i'm offering you! please tell me you're staying over. pleaseee." the confident mingyu from just a second ago completely disappeared and made place for the childish version who whined to wonwoo about how much he wanted him to stay over.
and wonwoo couldn't resist a soft chuckle from leaving his lips. "you really are something." wonwoo mumbled "but fine, i'll stay over tonight."
mingyu jumped once in victory before turning back to wonwoo, who was clearly amused by mingyu's current behavior. "let's go to the group! they'll be happy to see you again!"
before wonwoo had the possibility to protest mingyu had grabbed his bare arm, pulling him towards the towels that lay in the sand, abandoned by the teens that formerly lay on them. a little further in the water wonwoo noticed junhui, hansol and chan playfully swimming in the clear blue sea, together with another boy wonwoo didn't recognize at first sight.
but when he took a better look he saw it was seokmin. the brown haired boy with the sun-like smile instantly ran out of the water when he noticed the boy by mingyu's side, crashing down on a purple towel when he reached them.
"wonwoo! hey! it's nice to see you again!" seokmin spoke as if they had been friends for years, while in reality they had only spoken twice to each other.
"likewise." wonwoo tried his hardest to sound at least somewhat excited to see him as well, which seemed to work because both mingyu and seokmin looked at him as if he was something special.
"hey, is it possible that wonwoo stays over in my room tonight?" mingyu proposed, making seokmin's expression brighten up even more.
"of course!" seokmin exclaimed, excitedly clasping his hands together before turning to wonwoo "you're always welcome wonwoo! whether it be with mingyu or in your a room for yourself, i love to have you over."
and wonwoo realized, today might not be so bad after all.
