family | ateez au | (under editing)

*Part seventy-eight*

third person pov
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"are you sure?"

"i-i believe so. i m-mean. i've liked you for maybe... year" chenle answered nervously

"chenle..." wooyoung let out in a soft and caring voice, already letting the younger know the answer. "i'm sorry, but i don't like you back" he broke the news, he did it kinda quickly, but still slowly in an odd way.

chenle nodded, refusing to look away from his feet. "it's okay" he said softly

"i'm really sorry le-"

"it's fine, i promise. i don't expect you to return the feelings. i understand" chenle said, still not looking up. he stood up off the swing "my mom wants me home. i'll see you later"

he left wooyoung sitting there on the swing. he just hurt his brothers best friends feelings. he hurt chenle.

wooyoung walked home, walked in the door and didn't talk to a single person. especially not jongho. he passed kyungmi in the hallway, she smiled but the older just kept walking.

"wooyoung, can i come in please" seonghwa knocked on his door. he's only been in his room for five minutes.

wooyoung unlocked the door and let his dad enter. he paused his show and plopped back onto the bed. seonghwa sat next to him, analyzing his emotions.

"what happened?" the dad asked, wooyoung wasn't good with opening up about anything. so it shocked him when he actually answered

"chenle confessed his feelings, and i completely shut him down"

seonghwa was now even more shocked. chenle never seemed like he liked wooyoung like that, so he was good at hiding it. and wooyoung had never been through this type of thing.

seonghwa knows that all of his kids weren't just just popular because of his and his husbands wealth and own popularity. the kids are amazing kids. they're sweet, caring, and funny. especially wooyoung. so of course they would all have people like them, they would all date, maybe be rejected, or reject people themselves. it's okay, it's part of growing and learning.

"well, did you do it nicely? or at least as nicely as you could?" seonghwa asked while rubbing his sons back

"i tried to, yeah. i didn't really know what to do though. i feel bad. he's jongho's best friend and i-... i hurt him, mama" wooyoung started getting choked up, his eyes were watering. it didn't take long for the tears to slip away from his tear ducts.

seonghwa hugged the boy tightly, rubbing his back and head. "honey, it's not your fault that you don't like him. and if you were to have lied to him, it would've hurt him even more in the long run. you did the right thing" he soothed wooyoung, always knowing the right thing to say.

wooyoung was raised right, all the kids were. they're respectful, kind, and honest. and sometimes no matter how soft the blow is, honesty hurts. you're not going to always hear what you want to hear.

"me and papa have always told you, no matter the consequences, you always tell the truth. right? you told the truth, you let him know you didn't return the feelings. i'm proud of you for being honest. and right now, here with you crying and being upset, it shows that you feel bad and that you care for lele. that's all that matters sweetie" seonghwa pulled away from the hug and wiped the pre-teens tears away. he ran his fingers through wooyoungs hair, rubbing lightly.