Wooyoung's POV

"Stop looking at him and keep working," Yeosang said, making me jump and turn to face him.

"Continuously staring at him isn't going to change anything that happened and it's not going to suddenly make him talk to you," he added. I glanced back over at San, seeing him hunched over his workbook, writing quietly. He's been so quiet the past few days, not talking to anyone, not even really looking at anyone. And it's all my fault, me and my big mouth. I honestly thought Seonghwa had told him about the two of them, I had know idea San had stumbled upon them together. I just made everything so much worse.

"He looks like shit Sangie. He's barely eating as well, he doesn't even show up to most meals. It's worrying me so much," I said, nibbling my bottom lip anxiously.

"Well, now you know how we all feel when you don't eat enough," Yeosang said with a shrug.

"I eat fine Sangie. He isn't even showing up to half of the meals, that isn't good. He just had his entire life turned upside down in the span of minutes," I said quietly.

"We've all been having that happen lately. It's just a misunderstanding, he should really hear Seonghwa out," Yeosang said with a frown.

"He won't let Seonghwa anywhere near him. Seonghwa said he was crying and screaming at him when he tried to explain," I said with a sigh.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Yeosang said.

"Do about what?" Yeosang and I both jumped in our seats and turned around to see Professor Irwin standing behind us with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ah, sorry Professor. We were just gossiping," Yeosang said sheepishly.

"Gossip in your own time. Right now you're supposed to be completing the work I have assigned you," Professor Irwin said.

"Sorry Professor, we'll get right to it," Yeosang said quickly.

"Good. If it isn't done before the end of class, I want you two to stay behind and talk to me," Professor Irwin said and we nodded quickly. I turned back to the front and my instinctively shifted to look over at San. My breath caught in my throat as I realised San was looking back and our eyes met. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin looked a little off, a bit pale. He hasn't been handling what happened well at all and he doesn't have anyone else to turn to. He turned back around quickly and I let out a sigh. I can't let this keep going on. He's been there for me the past few months and I am going to do the same, no matter how stubborn he is.

Once class finished and it was time for recess and thankfully Yeosang and I had finished the work so Professor Irwin didn't make us stay behind. I packed up slower than usual, glancing over to make sure I was keeping up with San's pace. He's been slower than usual, generally being the last person to leave class.

"I'll catch up with you later," I told Yeosang who was waiting for me. He rose an eyebrow before glancing towards San and back to me.

"Good luck," he said with a shrug before leaving. I drew in a deep breath before quickly following after San quickly as he left the room. His hood was pulled over his head and was walking with his head down, slowly. So it really wasn't that hard to catch up to him. I quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, tugging him back to stop him. I must've startled him because his books dropped to the ground.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to do that," I said, dropping down quickly to collect them. I stood up and held them out to which San grabbed them back. I tried to catch his eye but he wouldn't look at me, just grabbed his books and continued walking. I huffed in frustration and hurried to catch up to him, moving quicker to step in front of him and stop him.

"Go away," he said, trying to step around me.

"No," I said firmly, stepping with him to stop him again. His eyes finally lifted up to meet mine.

"I don't want to talk to you and I don't want you anywhere near me so move bl-."

"Blood-traitor, asshole, bad friend, douchebag. Yes, I'm all of those. You can call me every name under the sun to try and push me away but I will not let that happen. I hid something important from you and that puts me in the wrong, I get it. But you aren't talking to Seonghwa either and you are isolating yourself. Just as you hate thinking I'm not eating enough, I hate watching you wither away like this. You're barely coming to meals and you look like you're barely sleeping as well," I said quickly.

"It's not your problem," San said.

"Yes it is because you're my friend and I care about you, a lot," I said firmly. San sighed and shook his head, looking away again.

"How about this. How about we do what we used to do when we were struggling to figure things out. Except instead of an hour, we have a day. Give me the rest of the day to make sure you're doing okay, to help you out-."

"I don't need help," San said.

"Yes you do, so please let me help you," I said. San's shoulders tensed and I noticed his grip tightening on his books. He was considering it even if he wasn't too keen.

"Please Sannie, let me look after you," I begged.

"We have class," San said quietly.

"I was going to say do you trust me but we both know the answer to that," I said with a sigh. If he did still trust me, I would ask him to trust me to have everything sorted out but well...

"No, we don't," he said, making me frown.

"We don't what," I asked.

"We both don't know the answer. I assume you're thinking I don't trust you," he said. Uh, what?

"Well, yeah," I said slowly. Is that not what he thinks?

"Look, I know Seonghwa told you not to say anything and that's why you kept it from me. I'm still pissed at you and I hate that you kept it from me but I understand it. It's Seonghwa I'm more upset about," San said with a sigh.

"Seonghwa has an explan-."

"I don't want to hear it right now Wooyoung. If you want to help, then we don't talk about what happened," San said, cutting me off. I frowned and nibbled my bottom lip. I really want to tell him the reason Seonghwa kept it from him as I'm pretty sure there's been some sort of misunderstanding, but I'd rather make sure he's being looked after.

"Ok, I won't say anything about it," I agreed with a nod.

"So what exactly are you wanting to do and how to you expect to us to get out of class," San asked.

"Follow me," I said, holding out my hand. He glanced at it before frowning and sighing, reaching out and slipping his hand into mine. I fought to keep a smile off my face, not wanting to make him more annoyed than he already was. I dragged him down the hall quietly, making sure there wasn't too many people around. Thankfully we had taken a little while so most people were already in The Great Hall to eat.

"Really," San asked as we walked up to the painting in the hall.

"Yes, really. I thought it might brighten you up a bit to come and see your friends," I said with a shrug as I tickled the pear.

"Come on," I said, dragging him inside. The house elves inside were all bustling around, cleaning up the dishes they used to make the food.

"YOUNGIE." I smiled and bent down placing my books down and scooping up Trixy as she ran over.

"Hey Trix," I said softly.

"Where have you been," she asked.

"School work and stuff," I said with a shrug.

"Ooo. Oh and Sannie," she said happily, turning to San. I gently held her out to San, grabbing his books from his hands so he could hold her properly. She giggled and hugged his neck tightly, wiggling happily. San's hood was on with his hair half covering his eyes but I could still see how drained he looked. I could tell he wanted to be happy and cheerful with Trixy but he was struggling. It also didn't seem that I was the only one that noticed.

"Trixy, go finish washing up those plates, I'd like to talk to the boys," Beth said as she waddled over. San quietly put Trixy down who then hurried to go do as asked while Beth frowned. I glanced back at San and saw he had his head turned down and to the side, obviously trying to hide.

"Come, let's talk," Beth said, reaching up and grasping San's hand. Beth's hand was tiny and a lot more frail compared to San's but all she had to do was walk and San was guided along after her. I trailed slowly behind, not sure if it was something I was open to be involved with or if Beth just wanted to talk to San but neither of them told me to leave.

"Come sit Sweetie," Beth said as she pat the ground. San moved obediently and sat down while Beth climbed the table and sat down as well so they were at eye level. I sat down against the opposite wall, just watching quietly.

"Why're you sad Sweetheart? I hate seeing you sad," Beth said softly. San drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"It's nothing really," he said quietly.

"It doesn't seem like nothing. Sweetie, you look like shit," Beth said. I had to hold back snort of surprise at how straight forward she said that. Now was not the time for laughs but it really did catch me off guard.

"I'm fine," he replied with a shrug. Beth huffed before turning to me.

"What happened? I've never seen him this down before and you've obviously brought him here for a reason," she said. I hesitated and glanced at San, not sure if it was something he was comfortable with me disclosing. He wasn't looking at me but he just shrugged, his head resting on top of his knees.

"Um, so Seonghwa has a boyfriend and they've been together for like three years and he didn't tell him. I've known for a few months but given it was a secret, I promised Seonghwa I wouldn't tell San. San saw the two of them a couple of days ago and then I assumed Seonghwa told him and he found out I knew as well," I explained. Beth frowned and it seemed like she was going to say something but was cut off by a sob. My eyes widened as I looked over at San, watching his shoulders shake as he burst into sobs, curled up into a ball with his head tucked into his knees. I was shocked but I hurriedly moved over to him, pausing beside him, unsure what to do. All the sound in the kitchens stopped and I glanced over to see all off the house elves huddled together and watching with wide eyes.

"Sannie," Trixy said sadly as she padded over. San didn't react other than his grip tightening around his knees.

"San? What's wrong," another house elf asked. I think his name was Gregor or something. San didn't reply and just continued to sob but his body leaned sideways slightly before he fell into me. I gasped in surprise but quickly caught him, wrapping my arms around him tightly. His arms left his knees and instead he latched onto my robes, moving his head to bury it into my neck. I lifted one hand to hold the back of his head, running my fingers through his hair delicately. I've seen him cry before but not like this, not so clearly breaking down like he is right now.

"Guys come on, let's leave the boys to look after each other. We have jobs to do at the moment," Beth said, ushering everyone away. I felt a bit out of my depth with comforting San in this state but there was no way I was going to abandon him. He's leaned to me for comfort and I'm going to do my best to give him that comfort.

"I'm here, I've got you. Just let it all out, I'm not going anywhere," I said softly. That only seemed to make him cry harder but he also moved his body closer to me. I tightened my grip around him, just keeping a strong hold on him for support.

~~~~~

San continued to cry for what felt like hours before his sobs finally went quiet, his shoulders stopped shaking and he let out a few sniffles. I didn't want to set him off again or upset him further so I remained quiet and kept my hold on him, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Th-Three years," he whispered after another minute or two. I frowned in confusion and pulled back slightly so I could look at him properly, though I kept him in my arms.

"What," I asked in confusion.

"They've been together for three years. I-I thought it was a few m-months, maybe a year b-but three," he whimpered. Oh shit. Me and my big mouth. Why am I such an idiot?

"Three years he l-lied to me, h-he hid it from m-me. Wh-Why does he hate me, wh-what did I do," San cried. Oh no. No, no, no. That's why he's so upset? He thinks Seonghwa hid it from him because he hates him? This is all a misunderstanding, a really big misunderstanding.

"San. San, you need to listen to me. Please, I beg you to just hear me out," I said quickly.

"What's the p-point," San said shaking his head.

"San, Seonghwa was only trying to protect you," I told him.

"Protect me? What a load of sh-shit. He d-doesn't trust me," San said, shaking his head.

"It's true. He w-."

"I thought I said I didn't want to talk about him. I told you not to," San said, a hint of anger bleeding through the sadness in his voice.

"San just listen," I begged.

"Stop it," he said.

"Seon-."

"LEAVE," San said, shoving me back angrily.

"San please," I begged.

"LEA-."

"SAN JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. YOU'RE HURTING BECAUSE YOU AREN'T LISTENING TO THE EXPLANATION," I yelled, letting go of San and standing up angrily. He looked up at me with wide eyes, his mouth parted in surprise but he was thankfully silent. I knelt down and slipped my hand into his, using his shock as an opening.

"Seonghwa adores you. He loves you so much, anyone can see it. We all knew how deeply he cared for you before we befriended you guys because it was just so obvious. Well actually that's not true, he loves you a whole lot more than he shows and that's already a lot-."

"Is there a point to this," San interrupted quietly.

"Seonghwa never told me about him and Hongjoong. I caught them kissing in the Room of Requirement when they thought I was asleep. It was obvious to me that it was a secret, something they didn't want anyone knowing so I didn't say anything. When Hongjoong got hurt, I went to visit him and Seonghwa was there. I accidentally let slip that I knew and he seemed terrified San, like really scared. He was scared I had told someone or that I would tell someone but I assured him I wouldn't. One of the first things I actually asked him was if you knew about it," I explained.

"Which I didn't, obviously," he said with a frown.

"No, obviously not. When I asked him why you didn't know because I found that odd, he told me the reason. Hongjoong is a Muggle Born and Seonghwa is a Pureblood. His family would not take kindly to their son dating a Muggle Born, neither would yours. Which is why they've been hiding it from everyone, it's their little secret," I told him.

"Yeah I get that but does he seriously think I would tell them, does he not trust me at all," San said in annoyance as he looked down at his lap.

"No, he basically made me out to be an idiot for thinking you could ever do anything that would cause him pain," I replied. San's head lifted back up and he seemed confused.

"Then why would he lie to me? Why couldn't he trust me," he asked with a frown.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you San. He trusts you, probably more than he trusts anyone in the world. The reason he didn't tell you was because he didn't want to burden you," I explained softly. San's eyebrows furrowed as he took in what I said.

"How does that have anything to do with him telling me," he asked.

"He said just you knowing Hongjoong and knowing of their friendship was a big enough lie, he didn't want to give you a bigger burden to hide," I told him. San was quiet after that, so I continued.

"I asked him how long and he said he'd been in love with Hongjoong for years but they got their shit together in their 4th year," I said quietly.

"It's not a burden. I would have supported him, I would have loved to see him happy. I don't care if I have to keep a secret," San said, shaking his head.

"But he does San. He loves you and he cares for and because of that, he made the decision to keep it from you," I said.

"Do you know how many times I teased him about Hongjoong. I'd constantly call him Loverboy, tell Hwa it was obvious he liked him," San said with a weak chuckle.

"And every single time he would tell me I was wrong, he would seem like he was annoyed. He didn't just hide it from me, he lied and lied to me," San said.

"I know that. I'm not saying it was smart but he thought he was keeping you safe. He loves you San, you have to remember that," I said, giving his hands a squeeze.

"It still hurts Wooyoung," he whispered.

"I know, I get that. I just, I want you to know that he didn't mean to hurt you ok, it wasn't his intention. He loves you more than anything and he thought he was looking after you," I said. San sighed but nodded.

"Ok. If um, if you see him again, can you tell him he can talk to me," San said quietly. He seemed slightly unsure about his words and I could tell he was having conflicting feelings but it was still a start.

"Yeah, of course," I said with a nod.

"Ok, thanks," he said quietly. He tugged on my hand, pulling me closer and I went easily, wrapping him up in a hug as he tucked his head into my shoulder.

"Why don't we have something to eat? You haven't been looking after yourself," I said softly, making him chuckle weakly.

"That's usually my line," he said quietly.

"I know, which is why it's so odd to me. Come on, tell me what you want to eat and I can make it," I said as I pulled back to look at him.

"The House Elves can make it," he said.

"I know, but so can I. I used to love cooking," I said with a small smile.

"Used to," San asked.

"Dad thinks cooking is for girls so once mum got sick, I kind of stopped," I said with a shrug.

"Make me your favourite dish," he said.

"Are you sure? What if you don't like it," I asked him.

"If it's something you love, I'm sure I will to," San said, flashing me a small smile. Every time he smiled, it didn't make me happy. Instead it made my stomach drop, seeing him smile while his face was so pale and his eyes had large, black bags under them. I frowned and moved closer, cupping his face with one hand.

"Why don't you lie down for a bit while I cook. I will wake you once I've finished cooking. No offense but you look like shit and it's worrying me," I said quietly.

"Now you know how I often feel," he whispered, his eyes crinkling slightly as his lips tugged up.

"I don't like it, I hate seeing you struggling," I said with a sigh, rubbing my thumb over his cheek.

"Yeah," he questioned gently.

"Yeah," I whispered back and leaned forwards, pressing a delicate kiss to his forehead. I went to pull back but his hand came to grab my chin gently and pull me back. I was confused but my breath caught in my throat as I felt his lips press softly into my cheek.

"I'll try and sleep, though I don't think it will do me much good," he said.

"All I ask is that you lie down and rest. I'll come and get you when the food is done," I told him as I stood up. I reached down and gently tugged him up, making sure he was stable before letting him go. I watched as he made his way into the sleeping cupboard, only moving further into the kitchens once the door closed.

"How is he," Ralph asked as I walked over.

"He's doing better. I managed to talk to him finally so I think he will manage to work it out with Seonghwa," I said with a nod.

"Where is he now," Ralph asked.

"I managed to convince him to go lie down while I make him something to eat. He hasn't even been coming down for half of his meals the past few days," I sighed.

"You want to cook him something," Beth asked me.

"Yeah. Is that ok? I used to cook a lot-."

"It's fine Wooyoung, use whatever you want to," Beth interrupted. I let out a breath of relief and grinned.

"Great, I'll get straight into it then," I said with a nod.

"Oh but before I do that, do you think you might be able to vouch for our sickness? We're supposed to be in class but I wanted to make sure San was looking after himself," I asked.

"I'll go to the headmaster now and tell him that you two have been confined to your beds," Ralph said before leaving with a pop. I quickly turned to the cupboards and begun gathering all of the ingredients that I would be needing.

~~~~~

I quietly opened the door to the sleeping cupboard, not wanting to wake San up abruptly if he was getting some sleep. He wasn't though as he sat up almost straight away and looked wide awake.

"Hey," I said quietly as I stepped inside and closed the door. It was a slight struggle as I had two bowls in my hand but I somehow managed to balance them and get the door closed.

"Your room service is here," I said softly. He reached out and I handed him the bowls before sitting down myself and grabbing mine back.

"What did you make? It smells really good," he said as he tugged a pair of chopsticks from my hands.

"Nothing special. I just made some Rose Tteokbokki," I said with a shrug. His eyes widened and he quickly took a bite. I waited nervously, hoping he might like it.

"Oh my god Wooyoung, this is amazing. Like what the hell, since when have you been able to cook? This is so good," he said as he ate some more. My heart warmed and I let out a breath of relief knowing he liked the meal.

"I'm glad you enjoy it. It was one of my favourite to make growing up," I said as I started eating from my own bowl. I leant back against the wall and relaxed as I ate, happy to know that San was eating something. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he had paused eating and was looking at me. I was about to turn and ask if everything was ok but he moved before I could. He pushed off the blanket and shuffled over, leaning against the wall beside me. He was so close that our shoulders and thighs were touching and I felt my cheeks heat up slightly.

"Did you manage to get any sleep," I asked him quietly. He sighed and shook his head.

"I've been struggling to sleep since everything happened. My mind just won't shut off," he said.

"Is there anything that might help," I asked with a frown. He was quiet for a few seconds as he pushed the Tteokbokki around with his chopsticks.

"You said you'd stay with me the rest of the day right," he asked quietly.

"Oh, uh yeah. I mean I'll stay with you as long as you like. I only said until the end of the day cos I wasn't sure you'd want to be around me after what happened," I admitted.

"I do want to be around you Youngie, you're my friend and I like you a lot," he said.

"O-."

"Maybe too much sometimes." I snapped my mouth shut in shock, not knowing how to respond to what he just said.

"Too much," I questioned after a bit. I glanced over at him to see he was looking down at his bowl and once again pushing his food around.

"I just mean sometimes I feel like our friendship happened suddenly, too suddenly. And I'm not saying it's a problem, I'm happy to have you as a friend again, I just feel a bit overwhelmed by it sometimes," he said quietly.

"I get that. Change can be different and hard to grasp sometimes. I mean we went from acting like we hated each other to being good friends in the span of a few weeks basically. It may take some time to get used to," I said with a nod. He hummed and continued eating so I decided to let the subject go and continued eating as well.

"God Woo, this is actually so good," San said breaking the silence again a few minutes later and I chuckled.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," I said.

"It's amazing, I think I'm in heaven right now. I can just sit here and enjoy this food," he said. I smiled softly as he leant over and rested his head against my shoulder. We continued to eat in silence until we were both finished but even then we didn't move, we just continued to sit quietly. It was another 10 minutes later when there was a soft clang and I felt San's body rest heavier against me. I let out a breath of relief and looked at him to double check he was asleep which he was. I gently grabbed the tilted bowl from his hands and stacked in on mine, placing them both on one of the shelves.

"Come on, let's get you in a more comfortable position," I whispered as I gently guided his body to lay down and rest his head against the pillow. I shuffled down the bed and took of his shoes gently, adding them to the shelf. I then moved back over and grabbed the blanket, tugging it up to rest over his body. I went to get up again but was stopped as a hand encircled my wrist. I glanced at San to see his eyes fluttering open half-lidded with sleep.

"Stay, please," he whispered. There was no way I was going to say no to him after everything he's been going through so I just smiled softly and nodded. I slipped off my shoes and placed them beside his before moving under the blankets and curling up beside him. He immediately moved closer to me and snuggled into my chest while I wrapped my arms around him.

"Sleep well Sannie," I whispered as I lightly brushed my fingers through his hair to soothe him back to sleep. 

A/N

Here is Chapter 24 everyone, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it

Poor Sannie is suffering but hopefully he'll have a proper talk to Seonghwa to work things out. Wooyoung needs to stop blurting things out and making everything worse lol

Let me know your favourite parts of this chapter and if there is anything you're hoping to see in future chapters