Chapter 14: Too Far: 5,300 words

Too Far- Kylie Minogue 

"Too many, too much, too hard
Help me, this time I went too far
Too many, too much, too hard
Help me, this time I went too far"

<><><><><><><><><><><>WONWOO POV<><><><><><><><><><><><>

    Wonwoo could almost laugh at the way that just playing video games with Seungcheol felt like the best feeling in the World. It was like coming home after a really hard day and just collapsing in his mother’s arms, or whenever he would get an entire day to himself, to just sit around and do nothing. Wonwoo found it quite ironic that his introverted self was getting this sort of relief, this high, from a social activity. But what could he say? Seungcheol had always been there. He was a home when Wonwoo didn't have one. Even since they had reunited, it hadn't felt like this. Seungcheol had been…. distant, like anything he did could break Wonwoo. If Cheol seemed that way to Wonwoo, Wonwoo couldn't imagine his own impression. 

    Wonwoo had never been an exceptionally friendly person. He didn't need to be when he had the student council president as his best friend. He could remain happily isolated, with no more friends than he wanted, within his best friend’s shadow. Now, that was another thing that would change. It’s hard for someone so distant and another so anti-social to “catch up”.

    Seungcheol turned disattachedly to Wonwoo, as they were both extremely involved in the video game, “So how are you feeling about school next Monday?” And Wonwoo’s heart dropped out of whatever dream land it was playing in and plummeted back into his harsh reality. He gulped; Things had changed. Seungcheol and he had never been the type of friends to discuss much past surface level, especially not while playing a stupid, not to mention incredibly violent, video game. Why would they need to get deep when they already knew the thoughts inside each other’s heads? That had certainly changed as well; Wonwoo never knew what Seungcheol was thinking. 

    “Not bad. Why?” Wonwoo prayed that Seungcheol would just shrug it off too. He felt uncomfortable. He didn't want to have this discussion. He wanted to pretend that people wouldn't be able to see him. That even Seungcheol wouldn't see the bald head and the wheel chair, the little oxygen tank that accompanied him, the sunken eyes and the boney structure. He hadn't even let himself wondered to the other fear of rejoining the World. Not that of causing a burden to others, but the fear that came from being seen. 

    “Wonwoo. You know what I’m talking about.” Seungcheol said through gritted teeth, screwing his eyebrows together and getting up from his seated position to get on his knees. All because of the video game of course. They had yet to make eye contact.

    Wonwoo wasn't sure how to respond. He was tired. It was later than normal for him. He