Woo Me, Wooyoung ~ WooLix

~ Chapter 11 ~

Felix

I put my Airpods in and clicked on my Twice playlist, then I closed my front door and started my walk to the dog café. It was a quarter to 5, and the late afternoon sunshine was making the air beautifully warm. I hummed along to my favourite song, soaking up the golden sunlight as I walked, determined not to let my anxiety get the better of me.

I had no idea what to expect once I met up with Wooyoung. I'd thought a lot about what I wanted to say to him, but I still had no real clue as to exactly how I was going to apologise for running away from an invitation to dinner. That wasn't the only thing we were going to talk about, though. Something had happened in Wooyoung's life, I was sure of it, and whatever it was, it seemed bad.

I knew practically nothing about the dark-haired waiter, even after being his friend for a week. We hadn't really delved into the intricacies of our personal lives, instead choosing to talk about more immediate things, such as Pepi, and dogs in general, which was something we both loved.

Since the day we met, Wooyoung hadn't mentioned his mum, or any of his family for that matter, and I hadn't wanted to pry. But now I started wondering if there was a reason he never mentioned them. Was there too much pain involved in thinking about them? Was the cause of that pain in the past, or in the present?

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts. I didn't want to fall down a rabbit hole of endless speculation, when the only person with the answers was currently closing up the dog café and taking care of the dogs. I turned up the volume of my music a bit to drown out my thoughts; I would just have to wait.

About ten minutes later, I arrived at the dog café. I could see Wooyoung through the window, busily putting the dogs in their special area behind the low fence, and giving them their food. I was going to go in and help him, but when I had my hand on the doorknob, I saw him wipe his eye with the back of his hand. Was he crying?

I wanted so badly to go in there and envelop him in a hug, but I was worried that he might not appreciate the intrusion. So I sat down and took out my phone, to give him some privacy.

I'd just loaded my game of Animal Crossing when the café door opened, the tingling of the bell ringing through the quiet street. Putting my phone away, I turned to greet Wooyoung with a bright smile.

I immediately noticed the redness around his eyes, but I decided not to mention it just yet. He was putting on a brave smile, and I doubted he'd want to start a serious conversation on the café doorstep.

So I contented myself with giving him a quick hug, which he received with equal surprise and gratitude.

"Where do you wanna go?" I asked.

"Let's go to the park," he answered, pointing across the road.

I nodded and let him lead the way. I'd known there was a park opposite the dog café, but I hadn't set foot in it for years; not since I was a kid. As we entered the quiet park, though, memories of the past resurfaced, and I found myself drawn to the swings, always my favourite spot.

As I sat on one of the swings, Wooyoung sat down next to me, and we both gently moved backwards and forwards, the creaking of the swings the only thing breaking the silence.

After a minute or so, Wooyoung suddenly stopped swinging and got his phone out of his pocket. He tapped on the screen a few times and then held the phone in my direction, showing me a picture of a very pretty-looking girl, probably a few years older than Wooyoung.

"That's my sister," he told me. "Kyung-ah."

"Wow," I said. "She's so pretty!"

He looked at the photo again and smiled sadly. "Yeah, she always has been..."