A+, meanie

Opening up

"You want ramen?"

Wonwoo asks, stumbling in his steps as he walks to the kitchen. Mingyu follows him, watching him go about his chores in the kitchen. "I'm good," He replies.

Mingyu can't help but notice the ugly amount of scars etched across Wonwoo's back as well. "How did that happen?" He points, causing Wonwoo to turn back and look at him. "How did what happen?"

"Those?"

"Can you fucking mention what properly, otherwise shut up."

"Um- your scars..."

Wonwoo stops whatever he had been doing, turning threateningly slow, again, to glare at Mingyu. "Sorry," The taller boy squeaks.

Mingyu doesn't know how and when his defiance towards Wonwoo dispersed, leaving only what could be described as acceptance behind. He's stopped caring about the way Wonwoo looks ready to cut his head off at any moment. Because Mingyu has seen beyond that façade, albeit briefly, and he thinks he has an idea of what makes Wonwoo act the way he does.

He misses when Wonwoo comes out of the kitchen, holding two bowls of something steaming in his hands. He hands one to Mingyu, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. Mingyu looks down, and sees Wonwoo, in fact, did make him ramen, although he'd denied. Without much hesitance, Mingyu stuffs an inhumanely huge dollop of ramen in his mouth, sputtering at how hot it is, and then swiftly chews and swallows it in a matter of few seconds.

A sound of approval leaves his mouth as the ramen goes down, while Wonwoo stares at him with the hints of a smile playing on his lips. "It's good." Mumbles Mingyu. "Can you put a shirt on, please?" He asks, eyes involuntarily travelling to a blackening bruise near Wonwoo's ribs.

Wonwoo looks a bit uncomfortable, dashing to a room, returning with a T-shirt on seconds later. "That looked painful," Mingyu points, referring to the bruise he'd seen.

"It was."

"How thoug- Nope, never mind. Forget I asked."

"Dad."

"Dad what?"

"Dad did that."

Mingyu notices he's no longer interested in the mouth-watering ramen set in front of him. "Why?"

Wonwoo shrugs, as if the thought really doesn't mean much. "He felt like it, I don't know."

"He uh, does that when he feels like it?"

"Yeah."

Gods, that must have been the most awkward conversation Mingyu, with his lack of all social skills, has ever had with anyone. He goes silent, and sits with his hands tucked under his lap, looking at his grey socks with black and white stripes. He realises he's worn one of it upside down.

"Mum too."

Mingyu doesn't get the chance to get confused. He knows what Wonwoo meant, and he thinks it's a bit... New, that Wonwoo voluntarily tells him stuff like this now.

"Are you a problem child, or something?"

"Maybe,"

"That's the stupidest fucking answer I've ever heard."

"Okay."

"It started after Somi, you know," Wonwoo begins.

Mingyu somehow doesn't have to ask who this Somi is. He winces, realising how unnecessarily painful it must have been for Wonwoo to go through. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For asking."

Wonwoo sadly shakes his head. "It's fine, I don't really care anymore. After moving out of my parents', I've realised there's no point in being so sensitive about what they've done."

Based off of Wonwoo's tone, it takes barely any time for Mingyu to understand his problems, having a family that feels like walking on eggshells. Mingyu feels that way too, just he thinks it's barely anything compared to Wonwoo and his family. Mingyu doesn't even have a proper family to begin with.

"You know," Mingyu begins, surprised at himself for speaking up. "You're brave for moving out. It's good that you did, considering studies and all."

"Fuck studies, I'd be in a much better situation if not for fucking studies."

"How so?"

"It's the passed on academic pressure. First Somi, and now me. She did that, and I chose to do this, to save my sanity."

"It's alright, as long as you have the freedom to decide stuff for yourself after university."

"That's the problem, I have no clue."

"You're good at math," Mingyu points out.

"I guess, but doing something in math is practically useless."

Mingyu isn't sure of what he should be saying next. By the looks of it, Wonwoo seems pretty hopeless about his future, neither does he look like he has any purpose in life. And it doesn't sit right with Mingyu.

He scoots over next to Wonwoo, giving him another hug.

"You need way too many hugs to live, Wonwoo."

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