beg • woosan (book 2)

16

unedited

The dance studio is filled with the sound of Zara Larsson's "Symphony," a song that now feels heavy with unintended meaning. Wooyoung watches his students, their movements flowing with the music, but his mind is elsewhere, adrift in a sea of what-ifs and might-have-beens.

As the lyrics echo through the room, Wooyoung's gaze loses focus. He's not seeing his students anymore; he's seeing memories, flashes of laughter, touches, and shared glances with San. The music is a cruel reminder of a connection he fears is slipping away.

On his shoulder, a tiny figure with devilish horns and a mischievous smirk leans close to his ear. "You're being stupid, Wooyoung. He's over you. You saw them together, laughing, touching. Get the hint already," it sneers, its voice dripping with disdain.

Wooyoung's expression falters, the words cutting deeper than he'd like to admit. He can feel the sting of tears threatening to break free, but he blinks them back, not wanting to believe it's over.

Perched on his other shoulder, a figure with a halo struggles to compete with the negative onslaught. "But how do you know they are together?" it implores, its voice a soothing balm against the harsh words of its counterpart.

The two consciences continue their tug-of-war, the bad one feeding into Wooyoung's deepest insecurities, the good one clinging to a sliver of hope. Wooyoung's heart aches, the uncertainty of not knowing San's true feelings gnawing at him. Should he give up, or is there still a chance?

Lost in his inner turmoil, Wooyoung doesn't notice that he's become the center of attention until a small voice pulls him back to reality.

"Mr. Wooyoung, are you okay?" a little girl asks, her eyes wide with concern.

The question is enough to break the dam. Wooyoung feels a tear trail down his cheek, and he touches his face in shock. "Woah, yeah, I'm fine," he manages to sniffle out, though his voice betrays him.

From his seat, Mingi looks on, alarmed at the sight of his friend's distress. Wooyoung tries to regain his composure, to be the reliable teacher he's always been. "You guys did a um..." His sentence breaks as more tears betray his efforts to remain composed. "Job!" he yells, louder than intended, as he tries to gather himself.

The room falls silent, every eye fixed on him. Realizing he needs a moment to himself, Wooyoung excuses himself, the concern and confusion of his students lingering in the air.

Mingi stands, taking over the practice without missing a beat. "You guys did a beautiful job, so beautiful that Mr. Wooyoung is crying happy tears," he says, offering an explanation that's kind enough to cover for his friend's sudden exit.

Wooyoung hurries out of the studio, heading for the sanctuary of the bathroom. He needs a moment to be alone with his thoughts, to allow the tears to flow freely, away from the innocent eyes of his students. The weight of his emotions is too much to carry in front of them, and in the privacy of the bathroom, he can finally let go, hoping that somehow, he'll find the clarity to decide what to do about San.

Wooyoung's back presses against the cool tile of the bathroom wall as he tries to steady his shallow breaths. The emotional dam has burst, and he's painfully aware of his lapse in professionalism. But the lyrics of "Symphony"had struck a chord so deep within him that his usual defenses crumbled.

He didn't deserve an audience for his heartache, least of all from San or his students, but the truth was that Wooyoung had been struggling since the day San walked away. He had put so much effort into compartmentalizing his feelings, pushing them aside to maintain a sense of professionalism and stability. But today, the façade had shattered.