San...

He did tell Wooyoung that any of the courtesans could be taken at any time during one of these parties, but it didn't register fully in his mind until that man was taking San away from him. Wooyoung could feel some sort of anger rise up within himself when he saw it happen. He can't stand that no one around them even batted an eye at the act.

It's so normal for them...

Wooyoung tries to clear his mind from that and the thoughts of what that man was wanting from San. He shook his head and went down a back hallway, coming to a large room that was cracked open. It has a small table in it, along with a bed and bookshelf and many other things. It looked similar to San's, but had much more items and looked more taken care of. More lived in.

Wooyoung sits down at the small table and begins to eat his food, making sure to keep San's covered with a napkin to try and keep it warm the best he can. Wooyoung smiles as he eats. San was right, the food they had prepared for this party was really good.

Suddenly, Seonghwa comes into the room and is surprised to see someone already in it, sitting at his table eating.

"Oh, I didn't know that you were back here, Prince. This is my room. I thought I had seen my door more open than I had left it, so I came to make sure none of the guests wandered in. I'm glad to see it's just you."

Wooyoung is startled by the unexpected voice, feeling embarrassed for being in a room he technically shouldn't be, but Seonghwa sits down at the table with him and looks at the second plate of food, "This for him?" He asks.

Wooyoung nods once, giving him a look so he knows San is currently busy elsewhere. Seonghwa understands the look instantly and Wooyoung sees something pass over Seonghwa's eyes, but he can't tell the exact emotion he saw there.

Wooyoung tries to keep his mind from drifting to wondering what is happening to San, but it keeps bubbling back up. It makes his chest feel some type of way when he thinks about it, wishing it would just go away.

Seonghwa smiles at Wooyoung, an odd smile that seems parental in a way, "You truly do look breathtaking in that suit. I believe he was correct when stating you wear it better than I."

Those words cause Wooyoung to blush and shake his head at the compliment, insisting that he does not in any way suit this outfit like Seonghwa or San would. Wooyoung is thankful, though, that Seonghwa interrupted his thoughts and distracted him.

Seonghwa gets up and goes behind Wooyoung, moving his jacket to the side and it makes him shudder from the unexpected breeze on his now exposed bare chest.

Seonghwa laughs, "You're hiding the most beautiful part of this suit, my Prince."

Wooyoung quickly shakes his head dismissively, "I don't wear this type of suit, I prefer a more covered set... Plus, I feel more comfortable with my jacket closed anyway," he begins to make up a lot of excuses, hoping not to offend Seonghwa in any way.

Seonghwa nods and goes back to sit down with Wooyoung, "You know, I looked quite similar to you when I was your age. Believe me when I say you look stunning and shouldn't fear hiding yourself away from everyone."

This makes Wooyoung smile, "I suppose I will be very handsome when I am older, then. Thank you, Seonghwa."

The way Seonghwa speaks to Wooyoung is sweet. It's very refreshing for him, as his mother would never treat him with such kindness as Seonghwa has been. He almost reminds him of how Yeosang treats him, and that makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside, happy that he has people caring for him, even if they just met.

~

Soon after, San finishes his job and eventually finds Wooyoung and Seonghwa in Seonghwa's bedroom. Wooyoung's eyes light up and he smiles when he sees San walk in, elated to finally see him again, "You're back!" he exclaims, nodding to the food that he saved for him under the napkin.

San sits down at the table with them, his skin glistening from the slight sweat from his activities, but he puts on a face like nothing just happened, "Thank you for saving my food, Wooyoung," he says as he takes the napkin off and begins eating, making happy eating noises. He must be starving after everything that's happened today and Wooyoung wonders if he even had any breakfast this morning.

Wooyoung begins to wonder more about what happens behind those closed doors.

Later, they begin the auction and Wooyoung looks around to see a few wealthy men that he knows around the kingdom. This unsettles him a bit, figuring out that he really doesn't know everyone as well as he thought he did. He keeps himself placed slightly behind San, beginning to wonder if father and mother know what goes on at places such as this, but he shakes his head.

Of course, they must...

The girl on the stage is young, she cannot be more than fourteen years based on her looks, but Wooyoung knows she's of age from what San had told him about the Hide. She looks scared and her eyes shaking as she looks around the crowd, many men already bidding high prices on her. The higher the bid, the more of her clothes they take off - not that she had much on in the first place.

Wooyoung hides his face in San's arm when she loses her first piece of clothing, knowing that this bidding will go quickly by how fast the price skyrockets.

San starts to wrap an arm around Wooyoung after he looks down at the boy hiding in his arm, but he stops short, knowing he shouldn't go through with making that physical contact.

It was getting late and Wooyoung didn't even realize. He only knew from the room getting darker and darker, darkness overtaking the once bright windows.

Finally, the bidding is slowing down and the highest bidder claims his prize.

Wooyoung looks up at San and tries to speak, his voice coming out quietly, "It's too dark out for me to be traveling home alone dressed like this, San. I told my father that I would be staying at a friend's tonight. Father always warned me about wandering outside during nighttime hours..."

San can see Wooyoung's fear in his eyes and replies, "It's okay, my Prince. You can stay here tonight if that's okay with you."

Wooyoung nods, rubbing his eyes drowsily, as he's usually fast asleep by this hour.

San smiles softly, "Come on, let's get you into a nice, warm bed, how does that sound?" He asks and Wooyoung replies back with another small nod, slightly leaning into San's arm in an attempt to keep himself upright.

San leads Wooyoung back to his room and he locks the door behind him so that no one will interrupt their sleep.

It's dark in San's room now, but the moonlight from the window shines brightly down onto his bed. Wooyoung walks over and gets into the bed on the left side, instantly getting comfortable as he nuzzles into the smooth touch of the covers.

San lays on top of the covers, as to not make him uncomfortable, on the right side of the bed.

Wooyoung rolls over and looks up at San, the light shining on their faces from the moonlight, "I had a very... interesting time at this party tonight. I've never experienced anything like it before. I'm thankful that you invited me tonight, San... I feel like I learn more and more about you every time we're together... And I'm sorry about earlier, I really didn't mean to upset you. I just think we all should get to choose who we love..." Wooyoung says to him in a sleepy voice, looking at San's beautifully lit up face as he lays down into the pillows, making Wooyoung's face become darker when he lays down fully.

Wooyoung slowly drifts in and out of sleep as San starts replying, so he doesn't hear what his reply actually was. Wooyoung's mind focuses on the handsome man laying in front of him, the image becoming blurry as his eyes flutter.

San stops talking as he sees Wooyoung's eyes closing and it makes him smile, feeling his heart thumping loudly in his chest. San catches himself gazing down at Wooyoung and shakes his head like he's shaking the thoughts of him out of his head.

San, instead, stares up at the ceiling, but Wooyoung's still not completely asleep yet. He's just barely listening to San's slow, yet heavy breathing for a while. The sound makes Wooyoung feel calm listening to the slow inhale and exhales release from his chest, knowing he's there right next to him.

He's not alone.

Wooyoung's emotions always seem to heighten during nighttime hours, so hearing San's breathing right beside him makes his eyes water, feeling thankful that he's alive and thankful that he has him in his life. Wooyoung knows that he never wants to let go of this feeling he has when he's with San. Lying together in his bed seems so normal, so natural of a thing... He almost wishes it could be like this every night.

Maybe then he wouldn't feel so lonely...

Wooyoung finds himself nuzzling his head up against San's shoulder and he can almost hear his heart beating from his chest. What an extraordinary sound it is... He starts to not be able to tell the difference between his own heartbeat and San's, almost like their lives are becoming synced with one another. Like they've become one.

San looks down at Wooyoung as he does this, thinking that he's just moving unconsciously in his sleep, but he finally lets himself admire the boy for a while, gently lifting his hand and caressing his soft cheek, "I can't bear to let you go, Wooyoung..." he whispers, barely audible, "You've become someone so precious to me."

As Wooyoung's falling asleep, he hears it but when he wakes up, it feels like it was just a part of his dreams. A dream Wooyoung started wishing wasn't actually a dream. San couldn't bear to let him go...? Wooyoung wonders about what San could've meant by these words as he racks his brain trying to decipher if it even really happened.

He couldn't have said those words, right...?

Throughout the night, their arms became entangled in one another's, waking up in each other's hold the next morning. It was a feeling neither of them would admit how much they liked and wished could be like that every night. They stayed in each other's arms like that for a while after they both woke, silently staying in one another's warm embrace. The feeling of holding each other was almost inconceivable, a feeling neither one of them were able to fully grasp or understand. Something they couldn't describe fully with words.

But they didn't need words, they just needed each other.

After that night together, Wooyoung started to become more aware of his true feelings for San - realizing how immensely heart wrenching it will be to have to let him go from his life when the time comes. He wasn't sure if he would be able to do it.

This must've been what the words meant... Wooyoung is going to have to stop seeing San once he's married off, and San knows that.

He knows that eventually, he will have to let Wooyoung go.

It makes Wooyoung's chest hurt if he even imagines never being able to see San again. He's become his confidant, his friend, best friend, even... He's become the man Wooyoung is most interested in. He's not sure if he will ever find any of the suitors his father and mother picked out for him as interesting as San is to him.

San is someone special to Wooyoung, and he became special to him so quickly that it was like it flashed before Wooyoung's own eyes. One day he was a stranger that Wooyoung had seen outside his window, and the next he was Wooyoung's closest friend whom he confided in many of his deep and personal thoughts.

He can't let him go so easily.

Wooyoung decides to have the best time he possibly can have with San while he still can, not knowing where that will lead, but he can't be worried about the unknown any longer.

He needs to see where this could go while he still can...

End of Chapter Four