Cold air clung to San’s bare skin as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Shadows pooled under his eyes, dark and heavy, contrasting sharply with the harsh fluorescent lighting overhead. His knuckles were white where he gripped the edge of the porcelain sink, the ceramic cold against his palms. Every breath felt like inhaling ground glass. Yesterday’s game of Truth or Dare had broken something fragile between them, leaving a raw, bleeding wound that neither he nor Wooyoung knew how to heal. The warmth of Wooyoung’s body, the scent of his skin, and the terrifying proximity of his lips had haunted San’s dreams all night. Unable to endure the suffocating silence of his own room any longer, San pushed himself away from the sink. His chest burned with a frantic, clawing desperation. He needed to see Wooyoung, needed to anchor himself to the only reality that had ever made sense to him, even if that reality was currently tearing him apart. Walking down the dim hallway of the dorm, San felt like a ghost haunting his own life. The floorboards were cold beneath his bare feet, but he barely registered the sensation. His mind was trapped in a loop, replaying every distant look, every missed touch, and every time Wooyoung had turned away from him over the past few weeks. Standing outside Wooyoung’s bedroom door, San hesitated, his hand hovering inches from the polished wood. His heart hammered violently against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that threatened to choke him. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to gather the shattered pieces of his courage. He knocked, the sound loud and jarring in the quiet dorm. Silence stretched for a agonizing moment, long enough for San to consider retreating back to his own dark room. Then, a soft rustle came from inside, followed by the quiet click of the lock turning. Wooyoung stood in the doorway, his hair messy from sleep, wearing an oversized black t-shirt that hung loosely off one shoulder. His eyes, usually bright and expressive, were clouded with a heavy exhaustion. He looked at San, his expression a mixture of surprise and instant, guarded tension. “San?” Wooyoung’s voice was barely a whisper, rough and low in the quiet hallway. “Can we talk?” San asked, his voice cracking slightly on the last word. He didn't wait for an answer, stepping forward and gently pushing past his best friend into the familiar sanctuary of the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, San kept his eyes locked on the floor, unable to meet Wooyoung’s gaze just yet. The room smelled of lavender laundry detergent and Wooyoung’s expensive, woody cologne—a scent that had always meant safety to San, but now felt like a beautiful, torturous trap. The room is painfully familiar. He has been here hundreds of times. They have watched movies here, argued over snacks here, fallen asleep here after impossible schedules. Tonight it feels different. Woo waits quietly. San opens his mouth.Nothing comes out. “San?” “I can’t do this anymore.” Wooyoung frowns. “Do what?” “This.” San gestures helplessly between them. “You’re avoiding me.” A flicker of surprise crosses Woo’s face. “I thought you wanted space.” San: “I don’t.” Woo: “You’ve been pulling away for days.” San: “I know.” Woo: “You stopped sitting next to me.” San: “I know.” Woo: “You stopped talking to me unless you had to.” San: “I know.” Wooyoung looks at him for a long moment. “Then why are you angry that I listened?” The question hits San like a punch. “I’m not angry.” Woo" “You seem angry.” San" “I’m terrified. ”The words come out before Seo can stop them. The room goes completely still. Woo’s expression softens immediately. Woo: “Terrified of what?” Seo looks down at his hands. “Losing you. Because without you, I don’t know who I am!” San’s voice cracked, the confession tearing out of his throat before he could stop it. The raw vulnerability of the admission hung in the air, stripping away his defenses and leaving him utterly exposed. Silence. San: “I thought I could handle it.” Woo: “Handle what?” San: “I thought I could just… keep pretending.” Woo’s heartbeat is suddenly loud enough that he can hear it in his ears. “Pretending what?” San laughs once. It sounds broken. “I don’t know how to be around you anymore.” Woo takes a slow step closer. “San, I miss you.” The confession is quiet.Almost embarrassed. “I miss you all the time, even when you’re standing right in front of me.” Woo’s breath catches San: "You stopped reaching for me.” Woo: “I thought you wanted me to stop.” San: “I didn’t.” Woo: “I thought I was making things harder for you.” San: “You are.” Woo goes still. San closes his eyes. Woo: "I know.” “No,” San whispers. “Not in the way you think.” They are standing only a few feet apart now. Close enough that neither of them has to raise their voice. Close enough that one more sentence could change everything. Woo looks at San with an expression that is equal parts hope and fear. Woo: “Then tell me what you mean.” Sqn opens his mouth. And for the first time, he doesn’t know if he still has the strength to keep lying. Heavy, suffocating quiet filled the small room once more. Wooyoung stared at him, his amber eyes wide with shock, his lips parted slightly as he struggled to process the sheer weight of San’s words. The anger evaporated from his face, replaced by a deep, aching sadness that broke San’s heart even further. “I’m terrified,” San whispered, his shoulders sagging as the last of his strength drained away. He looked up, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I’m terrified of losing you, Woo. If you slip away, I don’t have anything left.” Wooyoung took a step forward, his defensive posture melting. “San, you could never lose me. We’re partners. We’re best friends. That’s never going to change.” But the words felt empty, a band-aid on a gaping wound. Neither of them dared to say the one truth that actually mattered, the unspoken reality that lay beneath every touch, every look, and every moment of jealousy. They were dancing on the edge of a cliff, pretending the drop didn’t exist. Minutes stretched like rubber bands, threatening to snap under the pressure of their silence. Wooyoung reached out, his hand trembling slightly as his fingers brushed against San’s forearm. The touch was light, tentative, but it sent a violent current of pure electricity straight to San’s core. Looking up, San met Wooyoung’s gaze. The distance between them felt impossibly small, the air thick with a magnetic pull that San had spent years trying to ignore. His eyes drifted down to Wooyoung’s lips, parted and soft in the dim light. Before his brain could register the danger, San leaned in. His lips pressed against Wooyoung’s. It was a clumsy, desperate collision of lips, tasting of mint and unspoken agony. For a fraction of a second, Wooyoung didn’t pull away. Instead, his breath hitched, his fingers tightening against San’s forearm as if anchoring himself in the middle of a storm. San poured everything into the kiss—all the silent nights, the suffocating jealousy, and the terrifying depth of a love he was never supposed to feel. It was sweet and desperate, a beautiful disaster wrapped in a single, breathless moment. Then, reality crashed back down like an avalanche. San stumbled backward, his heart hammering violently against his ribs as horror washed over him. The realization of what he had done settled in his stomach like lead. He had crossed the line. He had broken the golden rule. “I—I’m sorry,” San choked out, his face burning with a mixture of shame and terror. He looked at Wooyoung, whose eyes were wide and completely stunned, his hand hovering over his own lips. Without waiting for a response, San spun on his heel, yanked the door open, and fled into the darkness of the hallway, convinced he had just ruined everything they had ever built. --- Wooyoung is left alone in his room, completely stunned by the kiss and unable to think about anything except San. His mind was a chaotic blur, replaying the sudden warmth of San’s mouth over and over. Just as he begins replaying the moment over and over, his phone rings. It is Minji, urgently telling him to come to the company immediately because an emergency meeting has been called with all the members. A photo of Woo leaving a restaurant with a blurry unidentified man has started spreading online, and the company wants answers before the rumor grows out of control. When Wooyoung arrives, San is already sitting in the meeting room, and neither of them knows how to look at the other after

Chapter 7: The Ghost in the Mirror