san wooyoung

15.06.17

his first week of regular high school has so far not been going dissimilar to what wooyoung initially expected.

choi san proves to be more and more of an adverse mystery of paradoxical confusion the more wooyoung gets to know him: one minute he's a shameless flirt cracking borderline obscene jokes, and the next he reverts to the cold, distant, detestable excuse for human decency wooyoung is growing further acquainted to.

the boy is some kind of tragic mystery, the kind visionary girls dream to solve and unlock only to have their hearts broken, the kind that undoubtably would make them weak at the knees, cloudy in the mind and ecstatic in the heart. the kind they all hope would change for them. and the kind that probably never will.

san's an edgy bad boy literature reference, and everything about the boy who is regrettably assigned to the poor blind kid irks him. whoever he's proving himself to be, wooyoung's nerd ass knows his type, just as he'd told san himself. he's read YA teen fiction. so far, san's not very original.

this fateful thursday, the day before yeosang's birthday, san's in an uncommunicative mood, to which wooyoung is perfectly inclined to satisfy and not at all obligated to object to.

by now he can about navigate his way to key parts of the school, so is unbothered when san gets up and leaves as soon as the bell sounds to signify lunch, mumbling a few words along the lines of "something to do, somewhere to be" as his explanation and goodbye.

wooyoung is raising himself from his seat, collecting his things when he hears a judgemental comment from a voice he doesn't recognize sound somewhere in the classroom.

"isn't san supposed to be helping the blind kid? asshole practically just abandoned him." the words are fairly hushed, so wooyoung deducts the speakers aren't intending for him to hear them.

"should we go help him?" comes another hesitant voice in reply, and wooyoung slows his movements, delaying his exit so he can humor himself with their conversation.

"no!" comes a third voice hastily, tone hushed. "maybe he feels embarrassed."

"to be blind?" argues the first voice. "it's not his fault he has to rely on others!"

"what if he's just embarrassed to ask us for help?" ventures the second voice, and wooyoung decides to tap his way over to the general direction he thinks the voices are coming from.

"he's walking over here!" the third speaker shushes them, sounding almost surprised. it's quite amusing.

"just to let you know, i'm blind," wooyoung begins informatively with half a smile as he imagines their comical reactions. "not deaf."

with that, he walks out of the classroom, leaving them before they can apologise or converse with him. he knows they probably have good intentions, so perhaps he could have handled the situation differently, but he hates people talking about him as if he's some sort of incapable destitute. he walks out alone to prove he doesn't need their help.

when he reaches the cafeteria, he waits awkwardly at the entrance for yeosang to see him and find him like he'd said he'd do in the case of san being an inadequate guide. (which he has been, constantly). wooyoung knows his friend is nervous for tomorrow's revelation- in fact, nervous doesn't even nearly cut it. the anticipation of one's soulmate discovery can not be put into words.

he must be drifting into his thoughts again, because he doesn't even hear yeosang until he's right beside him, almost jumping when he feels the hand on his shoulder.

"sorry," his friend immediately apologizes. "i didn't see you 'till now. did san not take you from class?"

"no." wooyoung replies a little stiffly, but not for the reasons you'd expect. he's salty about san's unwillingness, yes, but doesn't want to always have to rely on the boy. "i can't have a babysitter all year, yeosang." he mutters, letting the slightly taller male lead him. "i'll have to do it myself eventually."

"i know that, wooyoung, but in the first week-" he continues, but wooyoung stops him.

"yeosang. you know i like to do things by myself. i'm not incompetent." his words earn a slightly frustrated sigh from his friend. it's a miracle yeosang puts up with him.

"i know you're not, woo. you know i do." and suddenly wooyoung is feeling guilty again, because of course yeosang knows, he's the last person who would ever make him feel that way.

"sorry," he apologizes after a moment, lowering his head. "that's not fair to you. i get you're probably going out of your mind about tomorrow."

yeosang relaxes next to him, an indicator wooyoung is correct and the boy is thankful for his apology and realisation. "you have no idea." he breathes out.

"um," they suddenly stop walking, and wooyoung figures they have come to a table. his back prickles with the sensation of unfamiliar eyes upon him, and he unconsciously stiffens up. "i realize i've never really introduced you to all my school friends."

"you know yeonjun, of course," he continues, starting with wooyoung's other (and only other) close friend. "and you've met soobin. he's really tall." ah, yes, he remembers as much.

"this is song mingi and jeong yunho." yeosang introduces, two distinctly different voices sounding a "hello" after each name. "they're dating; mingi is yunho's soulmate."

"congratulations!" wooyoung smiles earnestly. the mention of soulmates who have found one another never fails to lift his spirts as the hopeless romantic he is.

"t-thanks." the deeper voice of the two stumbles, presumably mingi.

"don't mind him," the other says warmly (yunho), whom wooyoung likes already, "he's being a socially awkward idiot."

wooyoung grins, glad to feel comfortable with the group so soon. he lets yeosang pull out the chair for him and sits down in it gratefully, setting his cane down and flexing his hand.

"don't worry," he assures them. "i get that a lot."

"socially awkward idiots?" yeonjun questions, and wooyoung laughs lightly.

"no," he corrects, "people who don't know how to act around me." indicating mingi. "because i'm blind and all. i'm used to it."

the deep voiced male fumbles for an apology, but wooyoung shakes his head, spreading his hands. "really, i don't mind."

as if desperate for anything to say, mingi suddenly bursts out with the words, "if it's any consolation, y-you have very beautiful eyes!" which is followed by an audible slap that is presumably him face-palming.

"that's very kind of you," wooyoung positions his fingers around his eyeballs, pretending to begin to screw them out. "i don't really need them, so if you want-"

the six of them erupt into laughter, and wooyoung relishes in the sensation of joyous togetherness, his chest light, warm and fuzzy. it's a laughter that he can feel in his lungs, so hard that it takes his breath away. stupid laughter. the lack of oxygen doesn't matter. all the tension of the past few days, hours and minutes melt like snowballs in a microwave.

this laughter creates a small vacation, a blessed relief from all the distress that shoves its way into his brain. for a single moment, his lack of sight and anxiety of judgement does not matter. he looses the tightness in his chest. the muscles in his neck relax. it feels good.

when they all calm down, wooyoung isn't even sure why the joke was so funny, but he's glad they momentarily all thought it was.

"anyway," yeosang announces, being the quickest to recover. "i trust you're all coming to my party tomorrow night?"

a chorus of agreements sound throughout the group. "i've practically invited the whole school." he adds, "and you only turn eighteen once, so..." this is very unlike yeosang. wooyoung supposes he wants a little more excitement. a little more living.

"and the more people there, the more likely your soulmate will be one of them." soobin finishes for him.

yeosang doesn't disagree with the statement, just takes a sip of his drink, and wooyoung can almost feel the anxiety radiating off of him.

"don't worry." he attempts to sound comforting. "whoever it is will be great."

"i just hope we can find each other." yeosang murmurs, for the first time sounding a little less optimistic.

-

eww so much dialogue in this chapterrr apologies :,)

bUT. guess who got tickets to see ateez!!!!! i'm literally gonna cry so much lol

xxx

edit: ha. ha. ha. COVID😃