There is no content warnings for this chapter xx
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The day comes and goes. Wooyoung spends an agonizing amount of time in his room after his day spent bonding with San, ignoring everything and everyone. His mind was on overdrive, thinking too much about the non-important things while glossing over everything that felt pressing. He thought his anxiety would've simmered away by this point, but if anything, it had heightened an unnecessary amount.
It was nearly eight, so Wooyoung was standing in front of his mirror, chewing on his lip as he tried to decide if his outfit was appropriate enough for an outing with his friends. He was sure the press might spot him, so if that was the case, he knew he needed to clean up his act. He needed to look happy and blissful, not dejected and anxious like he had been.
San had only popped in once to check in on him throughout the day, asking if he wanted anything from an eatery nearby, but Wooyoung declined, having already ordered a feast of chicken and tteokbokki. San had left the apartment since then, and Wooyoung truthfully had no idea where he went. He could've gone to the gym or to a bar with his friends, but he really wasn't Wooyoung's priority. Wooyoung had no say in San's daily ventures, so he didn't care. He was just happy that the apartment finally felt lighter than it had been in months.
Having received a ping on his phone, Wooyoung takes one last look at his button-up black shirt, fit with an array of jewelry across his neck and ears, matched with ripped jeans and laced boots, subtle enough to not draw too much attention, but easily showing that there was enough thought put into it if he were to be seen.
He strides out of his room, phone and wallet in hand, grabbing his keys on the way out of the front door, locking it afterwards. The ride in the elevator is quiet, airlocks and gears shifting as the elevator lowers to the ground floor, stopping gently and dinging quietly once it reaches its destination. Wooyoung carefully eyes the area around him, spotting no immediate press in sight as he travels to the side door, finding his driver and ride for the night, settling into the backseat without a fuss.
After explaining where he was going, the driver proceeds to the route, driving without protest as Wooyoung glues his attention to his phone, licking his bottom lip absentmindedly. He had tried to avoid the media regarding the press release associated with his meltdown, wanting to ignore the ignorance likely hidden within reporter statements in regards to his panic attack. He didn't want to feel like a failure on top of everything else that he had been feeling, so simply avoiding social media for the time being was likely best. To his surprise however, he receives a text from his soon-to-be fake-husband.
San
I'm out with Mingi currently, but I've caught word that you're heading out too. Where are you headed?
Wooyoung's brows furrow, wondering why San happened to know that he had left. He nearly begins to reply with an attitude, but he holds himself back, replying back as neutrally as he could.
Out with Seonghwa and Yeosang. Wine night. I'll be back before eleven.
San
Okay. Have fun.
Okay, Wooyoung thinks. Crisis averted. No argument. Just a simple conversation between two friends.
This was extremely weird. Wooyoung isn't shy to admit that he's still harboring some anger towards the male, but he's been doing his best to bury it deep down, trying to forgive the male's actions to the best of his abilities. He was sure that San felt the same, but Wooyoung knew that there was one specific reason he was struggling outright. Sun-hee.
He'd be more willing to let it all go with the wind if she wasn't in the picture. Call him jealous, call him rash, he didn't care. He wanted her gone. San, from what he was beginning to see and understand, seemed incredibly pure-hearted and kind, which was everything that witch was not. How they even met and how San even fell into her trap is beyond his knowledge. He just hoped that she would continue to stay out of their affairs and arrangement for the sake of the companies. She had no part in any of it, but Wooyoung knew that if he pressed too hard, she could very well go to the press and ruin both of their futures.
He admittedly knew better than that, though. She wouldn't risk anything, knowing fully well that if she dared to try anything of the sort, San would drop her without even presently thinking about it. Wooyoung can't lie and say that he doesn't hope for that outcome, but what does he know about their relationship? San was infatuated with her, and she had him trapped under some snake-like spell that Wooyoung finds rather disgusting. Maybe they'll never break-up. Maybe Wooyoung will get married to San and have to watch them fall even deeper in love. He'd have to invest in an entire wine cooler before that were to happen.
The car suddenly stops, and Wooyoung glances upwards, noticing that he had arrived at the liquor place Yeosang had suggested. Wooyoung says goodbye to his driver, exiting the vehicle before striding towards the main doors, thankful that there seemed to be no media persons waiting around for him to hide from. He knew the people had a job to do, but he really was just trying to live his life, and having to do so in fear of being caught slipping-up really made his skin crawl.
"Wooyoungie!" Yeosang calls from a nearby table, sitting right next to Seonghwa. Wooyoung waves at them, walking over to the table and sitting across from his friends, an amused grin laced onto Yeosang's lips. "How are you?"
"I'm better." Wooyoung glances at Seonghwa, noticing the male's warm smile. "How are you guys?"
"I'm good." Seonghwa glances at Yeosang.
"I'm really good." Yeosang smirks, leaning a little closer over the table. "I heard that San took you home after the incident."
"Oh my god, Yeo–"
"No, no, no. No feigning innocence. What happened? I want details."
"Nothing happened." Wooyoung says adamantly, glancing between his friends. "Well, actually–"
"I knew it!" Yeosang gasps.
"No! Not like that. He just apologized to me. That's it. If you're hoping for me to admit that we kissed or confessed our sudden love for each other, you're wrong. That's not going to happen."
"You're no fun." Yeosang pouts. "What's a little risk for a reward, hm?"
"He doesn't like me, I can assure you of that." Wooyoung watches Seonghwa raise a brow, and he almost feels like shrinking in on himself.
"You keep saying that as if you know something. Did he tell you that?" Seonghwa pries, but Wooyoung refuses to budge.
"No. I can tell by how he looks at me. I've been with too many men at this point to know when someone wants to fuck me or when someone wants nothing to do with me."
"You're hiding something." Seonghwa smirks. "I just wish you'd crack and tell us."
"There's nothing to tell, Hwa. I promise." Wooyoung tries to smile, even though he knew that both of his friends could easily see through any facade he would feign.
"Since you're so boring, I guess I can tell you about my love life." Yeosang offers. Seonghwa rolls his eyes. "What?"
"I've heard about Jongho's dick more than I've heard about his personality, Yeosang."
Wooyoung scoffs. "So you've slept with him?"
"Oh, obviously." Yeosang rolls his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing known to man. "He's really nice. You guys would like him."
"So are you guys dating? Or?" Wooyoung watches Yeosang shrug.
"Fooling around for now. I want to actually date him, but he's always so busy with work that he doesn't want me to feel like I'm not a priority."
"Good man," Seonghwa nods. "Hongjoong couldn't be asked to act like that."
"Tell me more." Yeosang smirks. Seonghwa sighs.
"Fine. We're on and off, still, but it's been easier to communicate. I know what he wants, he knows what I want. We saw each other two nights ago, actually."
"And?" Wooyoung, now fully invested, pressed further.
"We slept together, alright?" Seonghwa's gaze turns avoiding, voice small and timid. "More than once."
"Holy shit." Wooyoung says, completely aghast. He knew that Seonghwa had a hard time discussing his relationships, especially anything in regards to intimacy, but this admittance was everything Wooyoung had needed to forget about his own annoying feelings.
"Proud of you." Yeosang pats Seonghwa's back affectionately, smiling at him.
"I really like him. I just can't convince myself to dive in head first, y'know? It's scary. I hate feeling so deeply attached to someone."
"I get it." Wooyoung frowns. "But it's better than being lonely. At least you have someone to lean on like that."
Seonghwa raises a brow, and Wooyoung shakes his head. "Not like that, Hwa. I meant in a romantic sense, obviously. We know that you'll come to us for things, but, there has to be some sort of comfort you seek from Hongjoong, right?"
"I guess so." Seonghwa sighs. "Anyway, enough about my love life, let's get drunk. I need wine before we talk about anything else."
Yeosang laughs and gets out of his seat. "I'll order us a bottle. Stay here."
Wooyoung watches Yeosang leave for a moment before glancing at Seonghwa, watching the male open his phone to respond to a text of somesort.
"Is it Hongjoong?"
"If you're so curious, yeah. It is." Seonghwa glances up. "Why?"
"Just wondering. San texted me today, actually." Wooyoung watches as Seonghwa's expression lights up suddenly, bemusement covering his gaze.
"About what?"
"He seemed to know that I left the apartment and wanted to know where I was going."
"So he cares, hm?"
"About our image." Wooyoung defends, but Seonghwa rolls his eyes.
"About you, more like."
"Stop it." Wooyoung reaches for his phone too, spotting not one, but three text messages from San again. "Jesus Christ."
"Is it him?" Seonghwa leans over the table, trying to catch a glimpse of Wooyoung's phone.
"Yes," Wooyoung's brows pinch as he reads the text, taking a breath inwards to calm himself.
San
Sun-hee is coming back over tonight.
I'm sorry. I know she makes you uncomfortable sometimes.
We will do our best to be quiet. Let me know when you're on the way back.
"He's just letting me know that he's gonna be busy by the time I get back." Wooyoung's thumbs begin to type away without thinking too much about it, sending the message before he can find it within himself to regret what he typed.
Thanks for letting me know. I'll be home later. :)
Of course that witch was going to be there. Wooyoung's jaw tightens as he slides his phone back into his pocket, thinking too much into the details of what she could possibly want to do without Wooyoung present. She's probably forcing him into bed, sucking him deeper into her spell, using her gross fake-personality to wrap San around her finger even more than she already had. Wooyoung would do anything to get rid of her, and he meant anything.
"Okay, here–" Yeosang places down three glasses, one for each of them, then disappears again, presumably to grab the bottle of wine he had ordered. Wooyoung carefully grabs the neck of the wine glass, daintily pressing his fingers against the glass, inspecting the shine that hits the glass when it's pointed towards the light.
Yeosang comes back a minute later, placing down a medium-sized bottle of red wine. Seonghwa sighs happily, immediately snatching the bottle away from Yeosang and popping the lid off carefully.
"I've been waiting for this since last night." Seonghwa muses, carefully filling his glass as he holds it at a slight tilt.
"You seem to like wine more than me." Wooyoung laughs. "And that says something considering that I have like six bottles back at the apartment."
"I will not lie to you and say that I don't enjoy being wine drunk." Seonghwa says with a smile, gently tipping the bottle back upright, setting both his glass and the bottle down on the table. Yeosang takes it afterwards, pouring himself a glass, too.
"It smells expensive." Wooyoung's eyes widen, glancing at Yeosang.
"Your mother pays me well, stop looking at me like that. I can afford to splurge on you two for once." Yeosang smiles, setting down the bottle. "Besides, we're celebrating, yeah?"
"Celebrating what?" Seonghwa glances at Yeosang too, confused to all hell.
"I found a guy that I like, Seonghwa finally admitted to actually liking Hongjoong, and Wooyoung is finally getting along with San." Yeosang raises his glass towards his lips, nearly ready to take a drink. "We're not all single and lonely anymore."
"Okay, I still am." Wooyoung rolls his eyes, taking the bottle now. "I'm just. . . forced to marry him eventually."
"You have so much time to change your opinion about him though." Seonghwa mentions. "You have like two more years to find it in your heart to just admit to how attractive he is."
"You sound like Yeosang right now, Hwa." Wooyoung grimaces, pouring wine into his glass.
Yeosang giggles, setting his glass back down after taking a drink. "He and I both agree. I told you we would! San is attractive, just fucking admit it, will you?"
Wooyoung pours the rest of his glass, setting the bottle down. He looks at Seonghwa, then to Yeosang, then pours his gaze back into his glass of wine. Ah, fuck it. "Yeah. Fine. He is. He's hot as fuck. What do you want me to say?"
Yeosang squeals just as Seonghwa laughs, and Wooyoung rolls his eyes. "I really hate the both of you."
"I'm sure you do, Wooyoungie." Yeosang muses. "I'm glad you've admitted it! We've finally crossed the first step."
"The first step?" Wooyoung nearly bores his eyes into Yeosang unamusingly, but Yeosang is still smiling, nearly ignoring how irritated Wooyoung might've seemed.
"The first step is admittance." Yeosang shrugs. "Then it's. . . acting upon certain feelings."
"I am not having sex with him." Wooyoung immediately responds, hand settled on the neck of his glass.
"Never said that you had to!" Yeosang smiles. "But you clearly thought that that's what I meant, hm?"
"No!" Wooyoung sighs. "You're ridiculous. I have never thought about sleeping with him."
"You just did." Yeosang smirks.
"Oh my god, different topic. Seonghwa?" Wooyoung glances towards the elder pleadingly. "Please bore me with something about your job."
"Alright, alright, fine. Since you're no fun–" Seonghwa smiles as he takes a drink of his wine, earning a groan from Wooyoung.
He loved his friends so, so dearly. He just hoped they would drop their obnoxious pries into getting him to sleep with San. He understood that it was just teasing and that they would never spite him for not wanting that, but Wooyoung can't help but feel a tinge of guilt in shutting his friends down nearly every time they spoke about it. All they wanted was the best for him, and he knew that. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that the best thing for him was San. Though, he wasn't sure what the best thing was, per se. Maybe a life away from the company and in a secluded home, away from everything and everyone. But, even still; a life spent isolating without his friends felt just as miserable as the one he was living now.
Two hours and a bottle and a half of wine later, Wooyoung is currently giggling at Yeosang from across the same table they've been sitting at, his cheeks flushed and unable to control his laughter. He was drunk, and he knew he was. Seonghwa was also drunk, having lost a round of 'never have I ever' to both of his friends and completely downing a glass of wine before Wooyoung and Yeosang had barely had half of theirs.
"We should get ready to leave," Yeosang mumbles after a quiet bout of giggles, looking at his friends fondly.
"I don't w'na go home." Wooyoung hums with a drunken smile. "I love you both s'much."
"We love you too, Youngie." Seonghwa smiles, reaching his arm across the table to snag onto Wooyoung's hand, holding it delicately. "Please don't let Sannie change you. We love you just the way you are."
"He's never g'na change me, Hwa. You're all stuck with me."
"We'll see after you fall in love with him." Yeosang teases, and Wooyoung shoots a drunken glare his way.
"You shut your mouth, hyung."
"Never!" Yeosang smiles as he takes another victorious drink, emptying his glass and setting it back down. Wooyoung joins him, letting out a satisfied breath as he looks at Seonghwa again, who had been smiling at both of his friends.
"We really need to start heading home. Not only because we're drunk as shit, but I think the place is closing soon. I'm ordering Yeo and I an uber now. Get home safe in your fancy SUV, Youngie." Seonghwa tilts the rest of his wine over his tongue, emptying his glass too. Wooyoung smiles, eyeing the trio of empty glasses.
"I will! I'll call you tomorrow." Wooyoung winks, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he prepares to text his driver.
Within two minutes, Wooyoung carefully stumbles towards the entrance of the building after waving to his beloved close friends, thankful that the driver helps him into the back of the vehicle dotingly.
Somehow, Wooyoung manages to remember how he had promised to message San when he was on the way home, fingers lazily sliding across his screen in a blur as he attempts to message the male as consciously as he could.
On the way home. I'll see you soon. ;)
Wooyoung sends the message, squinting at the message after he sends it, just barely making out that he sent a winking face rather than just a smiley face. Fuck.
But, to his surprise, San messages back nearly immediately.
San
See you in a bit. :)
Wooyoung makes a content noise, something close to a hum as he sinks back into the leather seat, smiling at his phone as he stares at the message. He felt like a giddy teenager all of the sudden, chewing on his lower lip as he half expects San to message again, but he never does.
Nearly ten minutes later, Wooyoung's driver assists him into the lobby, walking with him to the elevator before pressing his floor number, leaving only after Wooyoung assures him that he'd be okay to walk down the hall to his front door. The elevator doors close as Wooyoung leans into the back panels of the steel box, listening to the hum of the machine travel beyond the safety of the elevator.
The doors open quietly, and Wooyoung slowly makes his way back into the lavish, clean hall, humming some form of a song as he continues to make his way towards his front door. He messes around in his pocket, reaching for his keys before shoving his key into his lock, turning it the wrong way twice before laughing at himself quietly, then turning it the right way. The door opens and he walks inside, immediately noticing that the television was on and that San wasn't alone. Wooyoung rolls his eyes as he nearly slams the door shut.
"Ah, you're home." San nearly says in a bout of relief, turning on the couch to face the front door, but Wooyoung notices that Sun-hee turns to look at San with her brows furrowed, clearly irritated. Wooyoung smiles at him, a faint flush coating his cheeks that he's suddenly unaware of.
"Hi, San." Wooyoung murmurs, tossing his keys onto the counter as he leans against the door, haphazardly tearing his boots off of his feet. One by one, Wooyoung takes the boots off and tosses them to the side, a slur of drunken mumbles leaving his tongue as he curses at his boots, wondering who the hell tied them so tightly.
"How drunk are you, Wooyoung?" San asks. Wooyoung's gaze shoots up, not realizing how close San had suddenly gotten to him. He must've been too busy yelling at his boots to notice San getting up from the couch to help him.
But, then it dawns on him. San left Sun-hee alone on the couch to come and help me. His drunken smile grows.
"On a scale of what?" Wooyoung responds back with a slur.
"One to ten."
"Twenty-two." Wooyoung giggles quietly, biting his lip as he looks at San. "I feel so fucking great right now."
"I'm sure you do. Let's get you to bed, yeah?" San asks in a soft tone, hands reaching to grab onto Wooyoung's wrists lightly. Wooyoung compliantly allows San to move him, hands pulling Wooyoung away from his lean on the front door. Wooyoung is careful to not fall forward, though he can hardly keep track of what body parts are moving when he starts walking. San keeps his hand on the small of Wooyoung's back, walking slowly to Wooyoung's room.
Wooyoung doesn't exactly hear it, but he very vaguely listens to San ask Sun-hee to grab something for him. San asked Sun-hee to grab something for me. San is choosing to take care of me rather than sit on the couch with her.
San opens Wooyoung's bedroom door, mumbling something Wooyoung again doesn't hear, but Wooyoung willingly walks wherever San wants him to, eventually landing on his bed with a hum.
"Do you need anything?" San asks, kneeling down in front of Wooyoung.
"Can you–" Wooyoung's brows pinch. "Can you get comfy pants for me?"
"Yeah. Where are they?"
"Drawer. Top drawer. Closet." Wooyoung sighs, pointing half-assed towards his bathroom door that led to his walk-in closet.
"Okay. Stay sitting up, though. I'll be back."
Right after San leaves and disappears beyond the door frame, Sun-hee walks in. Wooyoung glances up at her, unable to miss the scowl plastered on her lips. She had a bottle of water in her hand, standing awkwardly in the doorway as she made no move to walk any further into Wooyoung's space. Wooyoung may be drunk, but he can sense the anger in her eyes.
"Here," San comes back, handing a pair of joggers over to Wooyoung. He takes them without a word, blinking up to glance at San as he watches him smile at Sun-hee. If he could throw up, he surely would at the sight of that.
"Thank you, baby." San mumbles as he takes the water bottle from her, and Wooyoung hears him kiss her. If he wasn't careful, he truly was going to vomit.
"Drink this, please." San turns back to Wooyoung, kneeling back down in front of him. Wooyoung takes the water bottle with a huff, unscrewing the cap before glancing back at San, somehow unsure about listening. "Come on. Drink up, Woo."
Wooyoung smiles at him, just briefly glancing over the male's shoulder as he notices Sun-hee roll her eyes and stride out of the room. Wooyoung takes a tentative sip, wetting his lips and tongue, almost just barely having a taste to appease San. But, San persists.
"More. You'll thank me later."
Wooyoung sighs, taking another drink, but this time drinking a quarter of the bottle.
"There you go. Thank you. Do you want to change?" Wooyoung nods sleepily and San smiles at him. "Okay, I'll help you up."
Wooyoung screws the water bottle cap on, setting it down on his bed before taking San's hands, rising from his seat before carefully walking into his bathroom with his joggers in hand.
San waits outside, but it only takes two minutes before Wooyoung walks back out, jeans in hand, joggers now loosely clinging to him.
He walks to the bed, laying down lazily, pressing his face into his pillow with a breath. San watches him carefully, doing his best to uncover the comforter beneath Wooyoung's body before pulling it towards his waist. Wooyoung turns to face him, a faint redness settled over his skin. San smiles at him, and Wooyoung feels the drunken urge to kiss him.
"Better?" San asks.
"Mhm." Wooyoung bites his tongue.
"Sleep on your side. You'll sleep easier doing that. If you need something, text me."
Wooyoung nods, eyes growing heavier the longer he tries to fight away the pull of sleep. San murmurs something close to good night, or at least, Wooyoung assumes he does. His eyes drift closed and his breaths deepen, nearly on the cusp of sleep by the time he feels San rise away from the bed.
An unknown amount of time passes. Wooyoung wakes to the sound of yelling coming from beyond his closed door. His eyes barely blink awake, but everything feels so blurry suddenly. The room is slightly spinning, head aching, body somehow heavier than he remembered. His own limbs felt oddly glued to the bed, almost as if his entire being was refusing to get out of bed. But the yelling sounded too intense to ignore.
With a show of strength, Wooyoung finally manages to push himself upright. His eyes are squinted, brows slightly furrowed, scanning his environment in a stupor. He doesn't remember much of his actions from the night before, unaware of how much time had exactly passed. Either way, his apparent roommate couldn't contain his anger, fueling whatever argument that happened to be brewing in the other room.
Wooyoung's legs swing over the edge, carefully leading him towards the door as he cracks it open, peeking outside with a slight wince. The light was on in the corridor, making his headache worse the longer he looked out of his dark room, but the voices began again, and his attention was easily swayed.
"You're freaking out over nothing!" San exclaimed.
"I have every reason to freak out when he's clearly trying to get with you!" Wooyoung can hear the venom laced in her tone. She was clearly jealous, seething with rage over something that he seemed to know nothing about. Maybe it had to do with San helping him get into bed? Maybe it was something else? Who fucking knew what Sun-hee was angry about now. As far as Wooyoung knew, San could make the bed wrong and she'd be upset about it.
"He doesn't want me! He wants the title of CEO just like I do! There is nothing to worry about. Why do you keep making such a big deal out of things that are nonexistent?"
"Because I love you!" Sun-hee yells softly, a silence following her words. "Isn't that ever going to be enough for you?"
"Of course it's enough!" San defends. Wooyoung rolls his eyes. He felt bad for San, knowing fully well that Sun-hee was beginning to show her obsessive and controlling colors rather easily, but San was ignoring all of her red flags simply because he'd been blinded by love. How disgusting.
"Then quit looking at him the way you have been." Sun-hee's voice is softer, and Wooyoung can smell her fake tears and sadness from a mile away.
"Looking at him how?"
"Looking at him as if he's everything to you."
Wooyoung's stomach twists painfully. Oh shit. The vomit he briefly remembered worrying about came surging back, but this time, it wasn't a matter of if he was going to throw up. He was going to, and he was going to now.
Wooyoung quickly hurries to his bathroom, knees greeting the tile floor as his hands wrap around the side of the toilet, a powerful surge of wine and bile being eradicated from the pit of his stomach. It hurt. It hurt incredibly badly. No matter how much Wooyoung liked getting wine drunk with his friends, this was the part he always hated.
He throws up again, body slightly shaking as he gags twice, expecting more but nothing ever comes. He slouches back onto his calves, leaning to his right as he collides into the nearby wall, a panting breath leaving his tongue as he waits for his stomach to stop grumbling angrily at him.
"Wooyoung?" San asks from what sounded like his doorway. Wooyoung's eyes open, wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth as he crawls on his hands and knees, poking his own head out of the bathroom doorway to spot San standing in his room. San smiles at him, then frowns, brows pinched as he tries to guess as to why the younger was crawling out of the bathroom.
"What are you–?"
"I had to puke." Wooyoung says tiredly, sitting back enough to lean against the doorframe.
"Do you need anything?" San asks worriedly, but Wooyoung smiles at him and shakes his head.
"I'm okay, San. I just need to sleep it off."
"Okay. Remember what I said to you, though."
"Remind me." Wooyoung smirks at the elder, and San rolls his eyes.
"Text me if you need me."
"I will. Go to bed. It's late." Wooyoung slurs slightly.
"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight." San waves him off as he turns to leave, but instead of closing Wooyoung's door, he leaves it slightly ajar. Wooyoung doesn't bother to question it, turning around and crawling back into his bathroom to flush the toilet. He sits there for another minute, waiting to see if the feeling comes back, but he feels immensely better. With the alcoholic poison eradicated from his stomach, he carefully pulls himself upright and walks back to bed, laying on his side like he was told to do. It isn't long before sleep pulls him under again, and he stays asleep in a sobering haze.
Trickles of sunlight beam into Wooyoung's room, stirring the male awake rudely. On any other day, Wooyoung might enjoy the sunrise peeking over Seoul's skyline, but in this instance, after a night spent drinking wine and throwing up everything in his stomach, he hates the morning sunshine.
He groans groggily, eyes peeling awake to eye his door still open, a bottle of water on his nightstand, and his phone resting on its charger. Everything is blurry from the previous night, certain scenes stringing together in a collective haze that kind of makes sense, but Wooyoung can barely remember how he even got home last night.
A sudden flush of breakfast wafts into his bedroom, dragging his eyes open further, stomach growling at the mere promise of food waiting for him. But, then he remembers that Sun-hee was here. San could be making breakfast for the two of them, and he could end up incredibly disappointed on top of being hungover and miserable. Even still, it wasn't enough to deter his curiosity as he pulls himself out of bed, ruffling a hand through his hair as he breaks into the corridor.
The kitchen light was on, curtains open in the living space, apartment rather quiet for an early morning as Wooyoung strides closer to the kitchen, spotting San stood at the stove, none the wiser. The floor just barely creaks beneath his feet as he walks, and San turns around, smiling at him when he spots him.
"Morning." San greets, turning back to the food ahead of him. "Feel okay?"
"I feel like shit," Wooyoung laughs, walking forward until he reaches the kitchen island, only then taking notice that Sun-hee was nowhere to be found.
"There's aspirin here on the counter," San points to a bottle that had been set out to his right, along with a bottle of water. "Take those. It'll help."
"Thank you, nurse San." Wooyoung teases, hand grazing along the counter top as he walks past.
"You're welcome, patient Wooyoung."
"Wasn't Sun-hee here?" Wooyoung asks as he steps next to San, grabbing the bottle of pain medication. "Or am I thinking of the wrong day?"
"Oh, no. She was here. She left in a hurry last night."
Wooyoung's eyes squint, memories vaguely beginning to flood him. "Okay. How did I get to bed last night?"
"Well, tell me this: what do you remember?" San glances at him, one of his hands holding the handle of the pan he was cooking eggs in, the other holding a spatula of some sort.
"Uh, I remember laughing at Seonghwa. I remember Yeosang trying to kiss me at one point, and I remember throwing up? It's a bit fuzzy."
"Ah, okay. Well, you came home and I helped you get to bed. You changed and drank some water, and by the time I left your room you were dead asleep."
"Okay, I kind of remember that." Wooyoung opens the bottle of aspirin, setting the cap down on the counter as he holds the open bottle. "But wait–"
San glances at him again, patiently waiting for whatever realization had suddenly come to Wooyoung's attention.
"I think I remember hearing the two of you arguing. Was that after I puked? Before?"
"I'm sorry that we woke you doing that." San sighs. "You puked after we argued. Your door was open, so I had heard you throwing up once Sun-hee stopped yelling."
"What happened?" Wooyoung carefully pours two pills onto his hand before setting the bottle back down, reaching for the bottle of water.
"She was on a fucking tangent last night." San rolls his eyes. "I've never seen her so crazy about something so untrue. She was making up these delusional concepts and basically accusing me of cheating on her."
"Oh god, what for?" Wooyoung frowns, internally realizing that it was likely over him yet again.
"Are you sure you wanna know?"
"If you need to vent about it, then yeah. Shoot."
San nods. "Alright. Let me finish this so we can eat and talk."
Wooyoung offers a smile at him before taking the aspirin, drinking some water afterwards with a breath of relief. He turns to settle at one of the island stools, elbows resting on the countertop as he holds his head upright in one of his palms. San finishes cooking within a minute, grabbing two plates to dish out the eggs he had cooked.
"Do you want toast or anything?" San asks over his shoulder, but Wooyoung shakes his head.
"Nah, I'm okay. I'll start small and see how much my stomach hates me later."
"Okay, here–" San turns around and hands Wooyoung one of the plates, handing over his utensils afterwards.
"Thank you." Wooyoung smiles at him, setting the plate down, and almost immediately taking a bite of his breakfast. The eggs were fluffy, seasoned just the right amount, and everything he could've wanted to avoid succumbing to his hangover. "These are really good, San."
"I'm glad you think so," San laughs. "I spent a lot of time perfecting my scrambled eggs. My grandmother taught me how to make them like this."
"She's a genius. Really." Wooyoung hums, watching as San settles down right next to him with little room to spare. Wooyoung doesn't mind, and he finds it rather endearing at how comfortable the two of them had gotten in such a short period of time.
"Okay, anyway–" San takes a short breath. "Sun-hee was angry that I was helping you last night. She was claiming that 'he's an adult, he can take care of himself, he doesn't need you like I do right now'. I got angry, because I thought that it was ridiculous for her to talk like that when you were clearly wasted. So I told her off, and I probably shouldn't have since she was already upset–"
Wooyoung's heart melts. San defended me.
"But, she then decided to go off on a tangent again about how I look at you in an affectionate way and I don't look at her like that, and that really confused me. I don't understand what she sees, and maybe it's just because I know that I don't and she's just being insecure, but I don't know."
"San," Wooyoung says after he swallows another bite of his eggs. "What did you guys argue about days ago? The one that was about me?"
San blinks at Wooyoung, then he nods, the memory coming back to him. "I did tell you that we argued over you, didn't I?"
"You did."
"I owe you an explanation then." San pushes his eggs around absently as he stares at them, chewing on his lip.
"You really don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I don't think you should necessarily be handling all of this alone." Wooyoung tries to assure, now noticing how tense the elder had seemed.
"No, it's okay. Really, you should know." San sets his utensils down and takes another breath. "She's terrified that I'm going to leave her because of you."
"Why? Because we're getting married in two years?" Wooyoung raises a brow. "She does realize that there's a long time before then, right?"
"No, it's not that." San assures, glancing at Wooyoung for a moment before looking away again. "She thinks that you're, I don't know– in love with me, or something. She's convinced."
"Really?" Wooyoung's eyes widened in shock. "That's what all of this is about?"
"I told you that she's possessive, didn't I?"
"I mean, yeah, but there's little evidence to support that. We literally hated one another until like three days ago."
"She thinks otherwise." San shrugs. "All of our arguments the last week and a half have been about you. Every single one. I can't get her to stop assuming things about you, and having to hear her degrade you everyday is weighing on me. I've come to realize that I get a little protective over you as of late, because it kind of feels like the world is against us right now."
"Why do you feel like that?" Wooyoung was still looking at San, but San's gaze was focused down at his plate.
"I mean, with our status and how much pressure we have hanging over us, I could care less about what happens to me. I have very little to lose in this situation being an only child. But, knowing that you have something to lose, I can't help but feel like I need to stand up for you and be a better friend."
"You don't have to San. Especially if Sun-hee is accusing you of possibly cheating on her."
"That's the thing though–" San finally turns to look at Wooyoung, eyes laced with honesty. "The more she acts like this and behaves like a demon, the more I just want no part of it."
Wooyoung's jaw tightens. What the hell was San admitting to?
"I won't tell you otherwise, but if she's treating you badly, then you better know that you don't deserve it."
"I know I don't. But you also don't deserve her bullshit. You're basically innocent in all of this. You're just strung along because you have to be. There's nothing going on between us, and she's acting like a psychopath over it."
"So, what're you gonna do?"
"Give it time, I guess. See if the damage repairs itself."
"And if it doesn't?" Wooyoung watches San smile briefly before turning away, hands reaching for his plate of eggs again.
"Then I'm going to leave her."