pt. I: 4 - A (Romantic) Night Stroll

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 This is bad, this is really bad

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This is bad, this is really bad. San paces his room in circles, checks his phone again for the time – it's one minute later than the last time he checked – and tries to take a few deep breaths to calm down.

Mingi was almost done with the employee supper by the time San could close up the reception and join him, but he seemed interested enough to hear about his encounter with book-guy Wooyoung. Interested enough, apparently, to suggest that they take a walk outside together later in the evening.

Which now, as a consequence, has San on the edge of his nerves. Apart from New Year, he and Mingi never spent that much time together without anyone else around. San feels more painfully aware than ever that their usual conversations never exceeded ten minutes. They're rarely awkward thanks to Mingi, but, regardless, San isn't sure if he will survive a whole late-night walk with Mingi: the sound of crashing waves in the distance, stars twinkling above their heads...

Two knocks against his door disrupt San from overthinking the closest thing to a date he ever had with Song Mingi. Who would visit his room, especially at such a late- Oh. Right, he gave Wooyoung his room number.

As San casts a short look around his personal ten square meters, he feels like he's never regretted anything quite as much as telling Wooyoung his room number. He should have cleaned his room a bit, at the very least.

What for, though? San frowns at his own thoughts. It's not like he invited Wooyoung to his room for Netflix and Chill. Wooyoung is going to tell him what time works for their meetup tomorrow morning, and then that's it. San has a real date to get to very soon.- Well, as real as it will ever get with Mingi, probably.

Why did Wooyoung have to choose this exact moment to knock on his door? San should be halfway down to the lobby by now – everything is already stressful enough as it is.

With a sigh, San makes the way to his door in two strides and opens it.

It is indeed Wooyoung standing outside. He's busy with adjusting the collar of his shirt for about one more millisecond before he lets his hands fall to his sides and looks up. "Ah- hi. Sorry, I was worried that I'd memorized the wrong number." An awkward chuckle falls from his lips, one that San finds not even surprising anymore despite his usual posh and superficially confident air. Awkwardness and Wooyoung seem to be very closely entwined.

San leans against his door frame while his door falls almost closed behind him. That's good – less of his room for Wooyoung to see. "No, this is my room. Sorry it took me a minute."

Wooyoung waves him off hastily. "Don't worry about it."

They fall silent, and a sudden dread rises in San's chest that they have basically nothing to talk about. How are they supposed to spend tomorrow morning, just the two of them?

They both start speaking at the same time: "I thought we could-" "So when do you-" They both break off. A silence ensues, more uncomfortable than the previous one.

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