A+, meanie

Just practice

"How. Dare. You. Associate. Yourself. With. Him?! WHY DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS?!" Hyeri bellows, and slaps Wonwoo repeatedly across the face the moment he returns from Pledis.

Wonwoo, clueless but not surprised, silently endures until his mother's done with releasing her fury on him. He has no idea of why she's doing this, but chides himself for ever wondering so. When has Jeon Hyeri ever needed a reason to abuse anyone in the house?

"I- I-" Wonwoo stutters, heavy winces taking over, caused by the sharp nails that had impacted his face a few seconds earlier.

"Speak clearly, Wonwoo, don't be so sensitive."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mum."

Another hit to his back. "Then make yourself aware, especially if you can't manage to stay on top just because of some pointless company." His mum seethes.

"CAN YOU FUCKING TELL ME PROPERLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!?"

"Do not raise your voice at me, Wonwoo!"

"Then try to fucking give me an idea of what the fuck you're going on about."

The back of Hyeri's hand, laden with her thick wedding ring, strikes Wonwoo's head, right where the wound lies. Wonwoo shuts his eyes in fear when he notices his mum's fingers dotted with blood.

"If you're so curious, I'm talking about Kim Mingyu."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, Wonwoo, you know very well what I'm saying."

"Why do you know this?" Wonwoo says calmly, trying to keep the rage out of his voice.

"So I'm correct?"

"Bingo, Mum."

Wonwoo can't hide the sarcasm. He strangely feels like riling his mum up. All that rage pent up from never being allowed to relieve it bubbles through Wonwoo like hot oil, making him want to spit each and every violent thought of his right in front of his mum.

But he doesn't, he can't, and Wonwoo settles for blowing a huge puff of air from his mouth instead. Unfortunately, even this doesn't miss being noticed by his mum, earning another punch to the shoulder. Wonwoo remains still in his position, head hung low, and fists clenching behind his back.

"I don't care about whatever reason you have to justify you talking to someone from the Kims. I dare you to step another toe out of line, and if you do, forget about having a roof over your head. I knew you were a bit slow with studies, but taking help from someone like him? How low will you stoop?!" Hyeri speaks, her voice booming in the entire house.

"I'm on a scholarship at Pledis, Mum." Wonwoo mumbles, reminding her of whom she's calling 'slow', and silently walks up to his room.

Just staying in the room is suffocating, as the tense atmosphere still clouds him. Wonwoo wants to cry, he's lost count of how many times he's done that today. He tries, he really tries to cry, silently assuring himself that there's no one in his proximity that would question or reprimand him for doing so, but he fails. His mouth refuses to let any sound free, and his eyes refrain from producing any more tears. 

He just lays numbly on the cold tiles of his room, staring at the air conditioner humming in the silence of the room. The cold air numbs him further, as he lazily picks himself up from the floor to grab the remote and turn it off, laying in his previous spot once again. It feels a tad bit bearable to stay inside now.

Maybe the problem hasn't been Mingyu, Wonwoo reflects. Maybe it has always been the sheer stubbornness of his parents not wanting him to remain in a state to pay attention to his studies. He's either physically or mentally disturbed within the five minutes after he returns from university these days. Most times, it's both.

Wonwoo abruptly peels himself away from the floor, and opens the window in the room. Without thinking twice, he jumps, but not for the same reason he had a few days ago. He wants any little escape he could get right now. He wants some fresh air to organise himself once again. He wonders how much time he'd have to spend in the fresh air to completely reorganise himself.

It's quite hot outside, Wonwoo realises once he gets used to his surroundings, which are synonymous to being unfamiliar. He can't even recognise this side of the house's exterior when he looks up at the window he jumped from.

There's several other houses, Wonwoo notices, as he takes a good look around. All of them look pretty, he wonders if they're pretty on the inside too, if there are happy, peaceful families living in them too. The thought makes him jealous.

∿

Wonwoo's stuck in Theatre, alongside Mingyu, reminding himself that it's just for the play, and nothing else. Everyone else, except for Professor Lee and two other seniors -- one of them being the guy who'd reported him and Mingyu -- is backstage, with the blooming luck of not having to involve themselves in a situation like the one Wonwoo's in at the moment.

On Professor's cue, Wonwoo begins with his lines, going with the flow, like he does each time. Mingyu, without a single trace of any emotion visible on his face, does his part too. Thankfully, the three observers are a bit too far to notice much.

Wonwoo braces himself for the upcoming kiss -- which he has tried hard enough to avoid, his attempts having failed lately.

Mingyu, without any warning, unlike what he does each time, leans in and plunders Wonwoo's mouth with his own. Wonwoo squeaks in surprise, and calmly reminds himself that it's just for a matter of few seconds.

Except it isn't, because something's not quite right with Mingyu today. He hasn't left him alone, and it's been way longer than their usual rehearsals. Wonwoo pushes him back, and notices Mingyu's eyes lazily fluttering open. "What the fuck's wrong with you?!" Wonwoo whisper yells, not wanting to attract any attention.

Mingyu seems to snap out of something, not quite registering what Wonwoo said. "What?" He questions dumbly. "The fuck are you doing? We're in practice, did you forget?" Wonwoo speaks through gritted teeth.

"No? Haven't we done this before?"

"Yes we have, but not this way! This is very uncomfortable, Mingyu, get away."

Wonwoo excuses himself to get a breather, and disappears into the darkness of the auditorium, leaving Mingyu alone in the front.