Noona [Ateez]

Confession Pt. 2

A few weeks later
Bosam's point of view

We did it. After all the hard work everyone put in, the music video for HALA HALA had been released and Ateez had just finished promotions. I was honestly exhausted, having to do hairstyling and makeup on each of the boys multiple times every single day of the week, making sure they got to their schedules on time, making sure they took off their make-up before bed, making sure they ate and got to practice, making sure I didn't leave any of their outfits behind- and I haven't even mentioned Rowoon. On top of all that work, I'm still the mother of a toddler and need to keep my baby boy healthy and happy. I was stressed, tired, and longing for the weekend to come. I wanted to see my friends and unwind.

On Friday night, the very night we finished our promotion schedules, after Rowoon went to bed, despite how tired I was, I still realized I hadn't really talked to Seonghwa about anything that wasn't work-related, so I decided to start with him. As usual, Hongjoong wasn't home, he was working at the studio, so I just waltzed into their room, but to my surprise, I found him crying.

I was tired and my eyes were droopy, but seeing Seonghwa like that made me wake up instantly. "Why? What's wrong?" I asked, rushing over to sit on his bed next to him. He had tried to turn away from me when I came in so I wouldn't see him, but it was too late. I had perfectly seen his red, puffy eyes and the tears streaming from them.

Seonghwa just whined and shook his head, continuing to hide his face from me. My heart broke seeing him like that. "I'm okay, just go." He said, his voice hoarse. Gosh... how long had he been crying like this?

Of course I wasn't about to leave him like that. Instead, I placed my hand on his back and rubbed it gently, lying my head on his shoulder. "It's okay Seonghwa-yah. If you don't want to talk about it, I'll just keep you company." I said. He looked down at me for reassurance, biting his trembling lip, desperately trying to stop himself from crying. "Sweetheart, it's okay. Just let it out. It's okay to cry." I said gently.

And with that, he caved. He dropped his head onto my shoulder and began crying harder. I gently reached out to hug him, and his arms wrapped around me in return, squeezing the life out of me. He hugged me so tightly, so desperately, that I swear I was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen, but luckily, he loosened his grip before I could actually pass out.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice even hoarser and more shaky. "Seonghwa, what's wrong?" I asked as he pulled away. He looked away, looking extremely conflicted. There was so much pain, fear, and hesitance in his expression, it was heartbreaking. I reached out for his hands and held them as I tilted my head into his field of vision, but his eyes still avoided my own. "Seonghwa please. Whatever it is, don't keep it to yourself if it's hurting you like this. You can talk to me, I won't tell anyone." I promised.

He finally met my eyes at that. He still hesitated for a few moments, no sound in the room other than his rhythmical sniffling, until he finally cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I can't, noona. I'm scared. If I tell you I... I might lose you as a friend and I really need you right now." He said to my disappointment. I saw his eyes filling up with tears once again as he squeezed my hands lightly before releasing them, dropping his head in shame.

"Seonghwa please... I promise nothing you can say will make me stop wanting to be your friend. You're my closest friend here, and I feel like you understand me better than some of my long-time friends, somehow. It'll be okay, Seonghwa, I promise." I said, once again trying to get him to look at me.