LEARN ME, woosan

07: yeah... 'help'

Wooyoung's mother doesn't make a comment, or just doesn't think much of it, and in a short while the food is ready.

After taking out the plates and utensils, San pulls out a chair for the woman.

What the hell? Wooyoung will pretend tonight is just a fever dream. He ignores the taller's obvious butt-kissing, and goes for the drinks. His mom says a short prayer after, and then starts to dish out the food.

San inhabits the closest possible seat to Wooyoung, and Wooyoung's too giddy by the taller's proximity to stay irate at him.

San thanks his mother when his plate is filled, and Wooyoung thinks today has the most amount of times San has openly shown his gratitude. Half of him wants to be annoying and tease him for it later, but the way San looks so genuine and open with his mom makes him rethink his plan altogether. Now that he ponders on it, Wooyoung's never really heard San mention his parents -- even in passing.

"You're so kind, San," Ms Jung states, pointedly staring Wooyoung's way afterwards. "My son barely has time to eat with me for dinner. He's always at Yunho's place."

Wooyoung stares at his silver fork, pretending it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen. He wishes San isn't here right now to witness his mother embarrassing him like crazy. "Mmh. This food tastes so good, mom. You're always the best at cooking."

"You haven't eaten anything," Ms Jung argues.

San hides his snicker behind his palm, and Wooyoung doesn't regret kicking him under the table. The guy doesn't even bother to look pained; he tears off a bit of mac and cheese from Wooyoung's plate and chews it in front of him, smirking.

"Ooh, this is delicious. Tastes even better when the food isn't mine," San sings, his smile bright and lovely. He looks so dissimilar to how he behaves at school that it becomes glaringly obvious which side of him is just him playing a character.

Wooyoung never lets himself dwell too much on the thought. "If I steal yours too will you get mad?"

San's as chill as ever. "No, go ahead."

Ms Jung watches them with a smile. "Say, San?"

San quickly turns around to show he's listening. "Yeah, Ms Jung?"

"Are you also one of Yunho's friends? Wooyoung knew him first, and then I got introduced to Mingi later."

San's smile lessens, but it doesn't fully disappear. "Nah. Wooyoung and I were assigned a group project and we started hanging out."

"What kind of group project?"

Wooyoung nearly spits out his juice. "Biology!" He interrupts before San says something that ruins tonight.

"Never knew you took that class."

Well I never knew it too until now, Wooyoung thinks. "Yeah, I do. And San's there too." He pats the aforementioned male's back, his nervousness a stark contrast to San's humoured expression.

Fortunately, Wooyoung's mother believes him. The rest of the dinner goes smoothly, and when Wooyoung is done folding San's clothes and obtains his bike's keys, he hears hushed voices coming from the kitchen area.

Neither Ms Jung nor San notice him as he tiptoes to press himself against the corridor, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Oh, dear. First?"

"First home-cooked meal in a while, yeah."

"Come back any time you're free, then," Wooyoung's mother replies. "If Wooyoung isn't around by six we'll just have dinner together."