A true redemption can only come trough bitter tears.

The sound of shattering dishes and customer yelps rang trough WooHyun’s ears and he squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Not again.’ He though to himself and opened his eyes, just to meet the mess he had created himself.

The floor was covered in soup and chippings of the bowl that once contained the now spilled broth.

“Not again.” This time he muttered the words out loud and looked toward the counter, where SungGyu was already standing.

His face was stiff, with expression as cold as ice; his arms crossed on his chest.

He didn’t say a thing - just sighed and went to the kitchen, probably, no, most definitely to prepare a new portion of the order WooHyun had just spilled on the floor.

It had already been two weeks since the night WooHyun noticed SungGyu struggling with boxes in front of the same diner which floor WooHyun was now cleaning from soup and shatters of the bowl.

It had been two weeks since WooHyun realized how actually useless, clumsy and stupid he was; how less he could do and learn in short period of time, how appropriate it was for him to be stripped from every possession he once had, as he did not deserve any of that.

The very first morning it took 20 minutes for SungGyu to wake him up, 20 more to explain where he was, as it seemed that sleep had taken his memory away.

The very morning he almost fell down the small stairs leading from upstairs to kitchen and almost took SungGyu down with him. He tripped over his own feet and landed on SungGyu’s back receiving and irritated growl from the red-hair.

The same day he ruined half a box of ingredients, cut his finger… thrice and spilled tea on a customer.

The next day was no better.

Again – 20 minutes to wake him up, tripping down the stairs and landing on his this time, ruining some more ingredients, cutting his palm while washing the dishes and breaking plates while at it, giving wrong change to a customer.

The whole week and even the following one was like that as well – misfortune after a misfortune – ruined products, broken dishes, cuts all over his hands, spilled food either on floor or customers and as a result… angry SungGyu.

The red hair might not show it or say it, but WooHyun could read it on his face and he understood it himself that he was a failure.

He had never held a cooking knife in his hand, never had cooked, never had served food to anyone – he was the one cooked for, the one who watched how others served food. He realized well enough that he didn’t know a thing, but he tried his very best to learn, but it was obviously not enough.

On Saturday, he discovered that he didn’t even know how to wash a table or the floor properly; as Saturdays were disinfection days (they cleaned the tables with disinfestants every evening after closing, but not as thoroughly as on Saturday. It’s obvious with out mentioning that he had no skills even in basic cleaning tasks) as on Sundays the diner was closed.

The chlorine and what not bit his nose and he couldn’t stand it. According to SungGyu his scrubbing was not genuine and SungGyu ended up doing most of the job as if WooHyun wasn’t even there. And that hurt.

He was aware that by taking him in SungGyu counted on a helper that could actually help, not someone who ruined everything his hands touched.

But was the last part something new?

He had already ruined everything in the previous life he had and was it that much of a surprise, if he did the same when he wanted to start something new?

WooHyun finally finished cleaning up the mess (the only skill he had truly mastered as he had to use it so often), bowed to the customers apologizing for ruining the dish and making them wait even longer and went to the kitchen right when SungGyu already came out with a new dish and some extra side-dishes as compensation.

He didn’t even spare a glance at WooHyun and it hurt more than receiving an objurgatory stare.

SungGyu came back and still didn’t look at WooHyun. He started to cook something and the kitchen was drawn in silence, apart from the sizzling of the ingredients.

“I’m sorry.” WooHyun said and SungGyu stopped doing what he was doing.

“Sorry?” he turned to WooHyun and the later wished the red-hair would have just kept ignoring him.

There was something indescribable and scary in his eyes, yet WooHyun couldn’t look away.

“How many times have you said ‘sorry’ in just two weeks?” he asked and the question got WooHyun off guard.

Indeed- how many times he had apologized for broken dishes, ruined food, dissatisfied customers and not being able to do something?

He had lost the count already since day one, so he had no idea how many times he had apologized.

But what else he could do?

He really did feel sorry, but that did not change the things he had done not now, not before. Being sorry did not change the way he had treated people… the way how he abandoned them.

“What are you sorry about this time?” SungGyu continued with another question. “For breaking the bowl? Spilling the soup? Scaring the customer? Maybe for making me cook two portions of one of the most expensive dishes on the menu?” SungGyu’s voice got louder and he walked closer to WooHyun until there was not more than a meter between them. “Or maybe you’re sorry that you suddenly forgot how to walk like a human being? Maybe for forgetting how to hold a freakin’ tray in your hand?” SungGyu’s voice was louder than ever, his face full of anger and this time WooHyun looked away or to be more precise – he guided his gaze on the floor.

“It’s near closing time.” SungGyu continued, his voice quiet again, even too quiet. “You do it and do it right.” He said and stumbled pass WooHyun and went upstairs, leaving the later alone in the small space, vegetables still sizzling on the pan.

The closing went fine – slowly, but fine – as he checked the bills and changes at least three times before saying goodbye to the customer.

Gladly, everyone who came there was locals – good people that appreciated food and was not shaken by WooHyun’s misshapens too much.

Yet SungGyu was and so was WooHyun himself.

How could he fail at such simple tasks?

How could he not know how to cut a carrot? Or cabbage? Or wash the dishes? Or hold a tray straight? Or as SungGyu said – walk like a human being?

He the water in the sink and gathered all of the dishes and table utensils, trying not to break any and put them all in the foamy water, turning the stop-valve.

Was he really such a looser and he just didn’t know it?

He had always have friend or at least those who pretended to be ones around him, telling him that he was good, talented and what not, so this realization of being nothing was almost too hard to handle.

A sharp pain stung his palm and he automatically pulled it out from the water, just to see a not very deep but still impressive wound ‘looking’ at him from his palm.

“Damn it.” He winced and turned the water back on, putting his hurt hand under it, and scanned the room for the first aid kit that was in these two weeks used in the kitchen more than ever before.

The black box was placed on a top shelve next to clean dishes and it took all WooHyun concentration and will to ignore his bleeding hand to take it without knocking everything else off the shelve as well.

Putting a bandage on was yet another task he did not know how to do and it ended up looking so messy that an open wound would look more decent, but rather that than anything getting in to the wound and causing more problem.

Washing the dishes with one hand was no fun, but somehow, as if he had had enlightenment, he managed to do it and was quiet pleased with his work until he realized that it was Saturday again.

Do to anything else he needed SungGyu, so he headed upstairs.

The living room was dark and only a small trail of light came from the doors of SungGyu’s room, which were half open.

The doors of his room were usually closed and WooHyun had no idea how the room looked, so he peaked in.

It was definitely smaller than the one SungGyu had given to him or at least it looked smaller as the hanger SungGyu took from the current WooHyun’s room was there and so were the boxes. The blankets for sleeping were lied on the floor next to a quite similar nightstand that WooHyun had, only this one was piled with papers and letter and as it seemed – accounting books.

SungGyu himself was sitting on the edge of the blanket, looking trough a pile of letters that were in front of him. He was facing the wall, so he couldn’t see WooHyun peaking trough the door.

The red-hair was currently looking at a quite lengthy letter, which looked more like a bill, as numbers not of the smallest kind, appeared here and there in paper.

He put it way with a sigh and then took another letter and frowned right when he read the senders name, which WooHyun could not see.

He opened it to find yet another lengthy letter filled with numbers even bigger than previous one, which could have explained his reaction, as he crumpled up the paper and threw it against the wall with all his might, letting out a frustrated growl.

Were those really bills? And if they were… could SungGyu afford to pay them?

WooHyun stepped back from the door and rested against the wall that was between the door of his room and SungGyu’s.

The numbers were big. Even for WooHyun, who had never worried about money, they were big.

How could SungGyu pay all that?

If he would work without losses and really sell everything he cooked, then he could manage, but now, because of WooHyun, so many ingredients had went down the drain literally, so many dishes were broken, so many compensation dished had to be given…

That meant that SungGyu was definitely in minuses…all because of WooHyun.

A lump formed in WooHyun’s neck and without asking SungGyu what he wanted to ask he went downstairs, quietly took the rubber gloves, bucket, scrubbers and disinfectant and headed to the hall.

He raised all chairs on the tables, kneeled down next to the counter and started to scrub the floor with all his might, ignoring the pain shooting from his wounded hand.

He had never even though that it must be hard to run a small diner like this, especially like SungGyu did it.

He did everything from cooking to cleaning and to accounting – that alone showed that he couldn’t afford to hire anyone for money and why he accepted WooHyun so easily, not asking anything – he just desperately needed help from someone who didn’t expect to be paid.

But WooHyun turned out to be no help at all – rather a big problem.

But when he hadn’t been a problem?

He was probably one to his parents, as they could leave him without even glancing back and worrying about what would happen to him. He was not a child any more, but how could his mom…

The lump in his throat grew larger and he did his very best to swallow it back down and continued to scrub the floor, slowly moving forward.

Wasn’t he a problem to his friends as well? The ones he truly cherished as ones?

First his attitude, then his unforgivable and unforgettable actions, he will probably regret for the rest of his life and then the burden of him being on the street.

He was no problem – he was a burden - a burden that caused problems.

The lump started to suffocate him and he no longer could hold it in, letting tears to flow over his cheeks and fall on the floor.

“WooHyun?” SungGyu’s voice spoke behind him and all WooHyun wanted to do was to crawl away and hide, just not to become more of a burden he already was.

“WooHyun, I’m sorry that I yelled at you.” SungGyu spoke and WooHyun bit his lower lip to hold back a sob. “This all is new for you, I know, but this is everything I have, so I can’t just let it all fade away. I have my standards and…” he stopped and squatted next to WooHyun, who turned his face away the very moment. “WooHyun, are you…?” he asked and placed his hand on his shoulder and as if pressed a button as a sob finally broke from WooHyun’s lips.

“I am so sorry, WooHyun.” SungGyu sounded like he had no idea what to do his hand was gone from WooHyun’s shoulder for a moment and then was back. “I’m really sorry. I just got a bit angry.” He said - his voice so sincere that the very sound of it stabbed WooHyun right in the heart. Wasn’t SungJong as sincere when he took WooHyun’s hand and promised for things to get better when he led him in his house? Weren’t Hoya and DongWoo as sincere when they talked about finding a simple job for WooHyun, for freeing a decent room in their apartment? Wasn’t SungYeol as sincerer when ever he spoke to WooHyun no matter what it was?

A violent sob broke out and WooHyun tried to raise his hands to cover his face, yet they were stopped half way.

“The gloves are with chemicals.” SungGyu said, a bit of a panic in his voice, as he had obviously never had a situation like this before.

He took WooHyun’s gloves off and paused when he saw the bandage, which now had a red line soaked trough it.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” he asked and as gently as he could pulled WooHyun’s hand closer to look at it. “This needs a proper disinfection and bandages.” SungGyu said, frowning a little.

“I’m such a loser.” WooHyun said quietly, tears still flowing over his cheeks, as if a dam had broke loose. He had cried when all the misfortunes with his family started to happen, when he realized what he had done to SungYeol, but this was as if a completely new level.

“What?” SungGyu asked, still holding WooHyun’s hand in his.

“I’m a loser.” He said not even trying to hold the tears back now. “I don’t know how to do a thing – not how to cut a carrot, peal a potato or even walk so that I wouldn’t spill something.”

“That’s all fixable…” SungGyu started to speak but WooHyun cut him off and continued.

“I don’t know how to be a proper friend, how to appreciate others kindness, how to be a proper son… how to take care of someone apart from myself.” His voice was already hoarse, but he had to say it all out. “I deserved to be kicked out, to be left… I still deserve that…”

“Hey, don’t say things like that.” SungGyu spoke, squeezing WooHyun’s wrist a bit tighter. “I don’t know what made you think like that, but I bet it’s not true.”

“It is… I’m awful. I ruin everything and you already know it.” Another sob broke out and was followed by one more when SungGyu wrapped his arms around WooHyun, pulling him closer in to a tight hug.

“You don’t.” SungGyu said rubbing WooHyun’s back.

“No. I am aware of what you losse when ever I do something wrong. The bills…”

SungGyu as if froze for a second, but snapped out if it fast enough.

“No need to worry.” He said and petted the back of WooHyun’s head with a bit of hesitation, but then settled in a nice pace, that actually calmed WooHyun down.

“I’m a loser.” WooHyun sobbed again, few tears still running over his cheeks, wiped nose with his sleeve and finally let his head to lie on SungGyu’s shoulder, as he had not strength to keep it up anymore.

“Everything is fixable.” SungGyu sighed, tightening his embrace just a little bit.

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Hello!

Here’s an update, hope you liked it! ^^
WooHyun’s reaction can seem a bit over the top, but some may not even imagine what kind of thoughts come to ones mind when his/hers whole world is being shaken by something like that or something similar.

The next update will be probably next Saturday, but today I am planning on a short(or not so short) MyungYeol fic being posted as ‘prize’ to a game I hosted on my tumblr yesterday.

Anyway – till next time, with some WooGyu <3