perhaps, you | woosan

Chapter Eighteen

POV: San

San met Hongjoong in college, and soon grew close due to their musical preference. The beginning might have been totally simple, but there was this one particular episode that made him grow really fond of him.

It was when Hongjoong dropped by San's dorm to borrow one of his CDs. They would usually meet outside, but San had this CD he wanted Hongjoong to hear as soon as possible. They were both chatting in the room about the artist and songs on the bed (because there's nowhere else to sit), when the door opened and Yunho returned.

"Hey," San smiled instantly at his face. But Yunho's face looked darker, his eyes fixed on the man next to him. "Oh, this is Kim Hongjoong. The one I used to tell you about."

Hongjoong stood up and greeted, raising his hand for a handshake. Which Yunho accepted, but soon later he went and sat next to San, snaking his arm around his waist securely.

"What are you guys doing?"

"I was just lending him my CD."

San didn't sense anything, but Hongjoong was rather sharp to catch the atmosphere. "Are you two dating?"

The question stiffened San. Although they had been friends for a good amount of time to warm up, San never talked about his sexuality. Back then, he was still conscious and hostile of how other people would judge him.

San managed to ask bitterly, "do you care?"

The response he got from Hongjoong was rather surprising. He laughed at San's attitude, and simply said, "no, as long as you're Choi San who'd lend me this CD."

I'm leaving, he said, walking out of the room waving the CD.

San had never met a person who didn't give any shit about his sexual preference, and was dumbfounded. But he meant no lie with his words as he stayed with San like nothing had changed. San would sometimes drop Yunho's name and either praise or complain, which Hongjoong listened without fretting, sometimes also giving advice. He felt like he had finally found a friend who could accept him for who he was—a true friend.

Not much time was needed before San started going to Hongjoong's party, bringing Yunho along. They'd often dance, indulge in Hongjoong's music and chat over free alcohol.

That day too, was the same. San was only coming back from the toilet wondering if he had too many drinks, and wasn't expecting to see a sudden crowd forming around a scene.

Curious, he approached and popped his head up and saw Hongjoong fuming with his fist clenched, standing tall before a man who had fallen on his bottom, his hand cupping his left cheek. And that man was none other than Jung Yunho.

"YUNHO?"

San hurriedly weaved through the crowd and knelt in front of the dazed man. His cheek was red and swollen, and even without seeing the actual moment, anybody could deduce that he was punched by the raging Hongjoong.

"What the fuck Hongjoong??" San snapped back at the questioned man, holding Yunho in his arms as if to protect him from any other harm. "Do you want to explain?"

San waited for a reply, but all he could hear was Hongjoong's heavy breathing. His eyes wavered, contemplating hard on whether he was supposed to reveal or not, but enraged San couldn't see.

"HONG-"

The interrogating tone was interrupted by the man in his arms. "San, let's just go...."

He wasn't convinced or satisfied—he wanted to know what happened and he wanted Hongjoong to apologise. But Yunho nudged him and he hesitantly stood up, helping the other up too.

Walking out side by side, San gave Hongjoong a glare walking past him, when he mumbled, "he doesn't deserve you, San. Trust me."

San scoffed at his remark, and didn't take it seriously. He should have.

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Recently Yunho had been going out a lot with his new found friend Song Mingi and his company. San wasn't quite comfortable with the fact that Mingi was quite well-known on the down side—a delinquent. The story goes that Yunho and Mingi shared a class in which they were assigned in one group, but being the boorish man, Mingi wasn't attending classes much less care about projects. Yunho, being the responsible man he was, he couldn't not care. And that was how Yunho started taking care of Mingi and how they now seemed to be friends.

The discomfort derived from hearing all the crummy gossip about Mingi, but San never tried mentioning it to Yunho. He knew it was wrong to drink in the gossip as they were served, because he was once the very victim of it. He also knew that Yunho was that person who wouldn't be able to brush off the trouble lying before him, being the caring man he was and that was one of the many things he loved about him.

That day San had a night shift, but the work unexpectedly finished early, releasing three hours before. He headed back to the dorm lazily, guessing Yunho wouldn't be there as he said he'd be going out with Mingi's group tonight.

So the surprise he felt when the door was open slightly was imaginable. He felt a happiness surge, thinking Yunho was back early too, but he halted pushing the door when he heard an unfamiliar voice tangled with the very familiar voice.

"S-stop...." It was Yunho's voice. It was heavier and slurred, more than usual—he was probably drunk.

"I thought...you agreed?" the unfamiliar voice mumbled. A tone longer on the vowels, probably wasted as well.

"Yes...but I'm dating San...this is wrong."