beg • woosan (book 2)

22

The morning light filtered through the windows of the dance studio building , its usually comforting glow feeling harsh to Wooyoung's eyes. He doing his normal greeting routine by the door, trying to focus on children, but his mind was elsewhere. Winter had just taken Mina to school, and Wooyoung couldn't shake the feeling of being left in the dark about San's whereabouts.

As he fought the urge to ask Winter any questions, Hendery appeared, greeting him with a small smile. Wooyoung rolled his eyes, irritation bubbling up within him.

"You're annoying me," Wooyoung snapped, unable to mask his frustration.

"How come?" Hendery asked, the smile still playing on his lips, seemingly unfazed by Wooyoung's demeanor.

"Because it's weird how you ghost me and suddenly want to be with me? I'm not interested in you anymore and please stop having my San thinking we are together. We only went on a date," Wooyoung fired back, his voice laced with bitterness.

Hendery chuckled, not taking Wooyoung seriously. "Your 'San,'" he said, making air quotes, "doesn't want you—"

Wooyoung, fueled by anger and hurt, blacked out for a moment and slapped Hendery across the face. The sound of the slap echoed through the hall, and a collective gasp rose from the onlookers. "Stay away from me," Wooyoung hissed before walking away, leaving Hendery stunned and rubbing his cheek.

Mingi, who had witnessed the altercation, followed Wooyoung with concern etched on his face. "What was that?" he asked, catching up to his friend as they entered the dance studio.

"I don't want to talk to you," Wooyoung said curtly, his back to Mingi as he sat at his desk.

"You can't push me out," Mingi insisted, refusing to leave.

"I will," Wooyoung retorted, his voice cold and resolute. "Leave me alone."

Mingi frowned, pain flickering in his eyes as he processed Wooyoung's words. "I only want what's good for you," he said, his voice softening.

"You're getting out of control," Mingi added, trying to reach Wooyoung, but his words had the opposite effect.

"You know what else is out of control? Your own relationship, and your boyfriend," Wooyoung snapped back, his sarcasm cutting through the air. "You're not perfect, so stop acting like it."

Mingi bit the inside of his cheek, hurt by Wooyoung's low blow. "I never said I was," he replied, his voice strained.

"Then stop giving advice, and advise your boyfriend to be stable first," Wooyoung continued, his anger showing no signs of abating.

Mingi finally understood the message. "Fine, noted," he said, trying to hold back tears. "Don't go crying to me anymore. I don't care."

"Thank you!" Wooyoung cheered mockingly as Mingi stormed out of the studio. Once Mingi was gone, Wooyoung rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his laptop, trying to immerse himself in his work and push away the guilt and emptiness that threatened to consume him.

Mingi slid into the driver's seat of his car, the cool leather offering no comfort to his tumultuous emotions. As he shut the door, the sound seemed to seal him off from the world outside, and the tears he had fought to hold back started to stream down his face. He leaned his head against the steering wheel, his sobs muffled by the confines of the vehicle. He felt a profound sense of defeat; he was done with Wooyoung's bullshit. No matter how much he cared, he couldn't help someone who didn't want to be helped. It was a painful realization, one that made him feel both helpless and liberated at the same time.

As he wiped his tears, his thoughts drifted to his own damaged relationship. Yunho had returned home with promises of change, but those promises had quickly dissolved, leaving them in a familiar cycle of disappointment. They had become adept at pretending everything was okay, but the act was wearing thin.

Yunho's recent firing had only compounded their issues. Unable to find work in his field, he had retreated into himself, spending his days in a haze of alcohol and self-pity. Mingi had tried to be supportive, to be the strong one, but his own resilience was faltering under the weight of their shared problems.

Wooyoung, with his keen insight into Mingi's life, knew how hard he had been trying. That's why his words had cut so deep, why they had felt like a betrayal. But perhaps there was a twisted silver lining to this confrontation. It was a harsh lesson that Mingi couldn't fix everyone, that sometimes he needed to prioritize his own well-being.

With a heavy heart, Mingi started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The road stretched out before him, a physical manifestation of the path he needed to take. It was time to focus on mending his own relationship, on healing his own wounds. He couldn't force Wooyoung to accept help, but he could make the difficult choice to step back and allow himself the space to grow and recover.

The drive home was quiet, the only sound being the occasional sniffle as Mingi collected himself. He knew the conversation with Yunho wouldn't be easy, but for the first time, Mingi felt a sense of clarity about what needed to be done. He couldn't fix everyone, but he could start by trying to fix what was broken in his own life.

Yunho was startled awake by the sudden commotion, his eyes opening to find Mingi standing over him, a mix of anger and distress on his face. The room was still dim, the light from the windows not yet strong enough to chase away the shadows of the night.

"Babe, what are you doing—are you okay?" Yunho asked, concern lacing his voice as he sat up, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"No, I'm not fucking okay!" Mingi yelled, his voice echoing in the small space, causing Yunho to wince at the sharpness of it.

"What happened?" Yunho questioned, his mind still trying to process the situation.

"This," Mingi snapped, snatching up a bottle near Yunho and glaring at him. "You're a fucking alcoholic, and it's weighing on me."

"Well—" Yunho began, faltering as he tried to find the right words, "I tried to leave you, and you pulled me back. Now please don't come here to fight me."

"You're ridiculous," Mingi said, his voice breaking as he wiped his tears and walked to the kitchen to clean up. He felt horrible, knowing he was projecting his frustration onto Yunho and that he shouldn't have snapped at him.

After a moment to gather his thoughts, Mingi returned from the kitchen only to find Yunho was no longer on the couch. He followed a hunch to their bedroom, where he found Yunho with a suitcase. "What are you doing??" Mingi asked, his heart sinking.

"You don't want me here," Yunho replied simply, his voice low and resigned.

"No, that's not—Ugh, I'm sorry, I'm stressed and miserable. I didn't mean to take it out on you," Mingi said, trying to find some clarity in his mind.

"I love you, and I'm sorry. I fought with Wooyoung, and I'm just taking it out on you, and that's not fair," Mingi continued, pushing aside the suitcase. "If you leave me, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"Babe, I hate it here. I'm not happy that I can't find a job, and I don't want to downgrade to a shitty job. I worked too hard, and it's frustrating," Yunho said, his voice filled with vulnerability as he took Mingi's hand and gazed into his eyes.

"Wanna move back to Korea?" Mingi asked, willing to do anything to fix their problems.

Yunho nodded. "Okay, that's what we'll do," Mingi agreed, sealing the promise with a kiss on Yunho's forehead.

"I'm sorry for stressing you out, Mingi. I love you," Yunho said, pulling Mingi onto his lap, their embrace a silent vow to face their challenges together. They had a long road ahead, but in that moment, they found peace in each other's arms.