Answer ||| Ateez

28

Wooyoung couldn't stop chewing on his bottom lip as he followed Seonghwa to their corner. His mind was spinning with everything he had just learned. But the worst thing was hearing that Mercer really had come after him for a reason.

And apparently that reason was the fact that Mercer believed Wooyoung stole his son from him...

He glanced up at where Seonghwa was staring at the wall and felt his heart stop.

In this other life... He and Seonghwa had been together. Did that mean they could be together now? Or was Seonghwa too far gone?

From everything he had been reading from the older, Seonghwa didn't want to believe Mingi's story. Which Wooyoung couldn't exactly blame him for... Hearing what his father had done, to everyone here and to Seonghwa himself, had to be a hard pill to swallow.

But Wooyoung knew it was true.

He could still hear Mercer's voice ringing in his head, telling him that it was all his fault and that he was going to pay for what he had done.

For the longest time Wooyoung had cried himself to sleep at night, praying to every higher power out there to tell him what it was that he did wrong.

Mercer had taken him when he was young enough that he barely remembered his parents now, and even then he wasn't sure if his memories were real or if they were wishful thinking.

He had seen everything.

Mercer's rise to power. Seonghwa growing up. San being recruited and the changes he went through.

Wooyoung glanced over at the older now to see him speaking angrily with Yunho. A small amount of pity rose up in Wooyoung when he saw the headband nestled in his black hair. If he had known what Mercer had done... maybe he could have tried to warn San.

No... that would have never happened. He would have never had the chance to get away. It was a nice thought though.

San had been a prisoner just like him.

Wooyoung started to walk over there when Seonghwa grabbed his wrist. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to San." Wooyoung turned to face the older and saw his face harden. "Is that a problem? I figured you'd want to talk to him too."

Seonghwa hesitated and looked to the side. "I don't think he wants to speak with me. And I can't blame him."

The younger paused for a moment, then asked, "If you knew, why didn't you do anything?" It was an open-ended question that could apply to either himself or San, and he didn't care what answer he received.

"Hate me all you want," Seonghwa's voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke again, "but I didn't do anything because it would mean going against my father. He's not... I never thought he was a bad man..." He bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry." His voice cracked at the last words and Wooyoung stepped closer to him.

He could feel the pain radiating off Seonghwa and before he registered what he was doing, Wooyoung wrapped his arms around Seonghwa's chest to pull him into a hug.

Soft sobs came from the older. His legs started to shake and he pulled Wooyoung to the ground with him while burying his face in Wooyoung's shoulder.

All the younger could do was let it happen. He tried to comfort Seonghwa by running his hands through his hair.

"How could he do this? How could he have done any of that in the past? I h-had no idea... I mean... I knew, with you..." Seonghwa choked on his sobs and fisted the back of Wooyoung's suit, which ended up grabbing his skin more than anything.