The Boy Next Door | Taegyu ✔️

15

With a satisfactory click of his pen, Beomgyu shut his textbook as he made his way towards the window for some fresh air, there, he saw Taehyun gazing out of the window, his hand supporting his head with a faraway look in his eyes.

Beomgyu quickly got up to look for a spare piece of paper and a pen, scribbling down a small note as he folded it into a neat paper airplane before flying it towards the boy's bedroom window.

Taehyun awakened from his daze by a paper airplane gliding towards his direction, he looked up to see a smiling Beomgyu from the window across his. Taehyun raised an eyebrow before unfolding the paper airplane.

Let's meet up at the park in our neighbourhood

He expressed a puzzled look on his face, Beomgyu merely shrugged before going out of his room. Taehyun took the hint and began to head downstairs too.

»»—— ♡ ——««

Beomgyu's adrenaline began to rise as he peeped his head out of his room door. He fully acknowledged the consequences of sneaking out of the house, he has experienced it first-hand when he was 10 where he needed to go back to school to find his jacket.

Almost immediately after stepping out of his room, he heard the deafening moans of a woman coming from his father's room. Figuring that his father wouldn't even notice him gone for a few minutes, Beomgyu trotted down the stairs, not wanting to lose a second as his father could have noticed that he went out any time now.

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Beomgyu sprinted towards the park which was just a couple of houses away from his. The moment he arrived, Taehyun was already there, sitting on the bench.

"Why the rush?" Taehyun asked, turning around. The golden rays of the sun shining onto his dainty face.

"It's nothing," Beomgyu lied as he took a seat next to the male on the bench, "I've been meaning to ask—is something going on between Yeonjun and you?" He immediately regretted asking that as he noticed Taehyun's calmed expression suddenly tensing up.

"Oh, well—" Taehyun said, looking reluctant to tell Beomgyu the truth.

"It's fine, you can tell me about it when you feel comfortable," Beomgyu reassured, "anyway, what's up? You didn't look too good earlier,"

Taehyun let out an exhausted sigh, "well, it's just—I don't know what I would like to be yet. You know, my ambition."

"Oh," Beomgyu replied, placing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. The golden sun setting into the distance created a calming ambience in the park, with the trees swaying with the light breeze and the soft splashes of water coming from a nearby fountain.

"Well, I know I would like to do something related to Music, but I guess my parents would rather I study business and take over my father's position as a shareholder once I'm older. It's stressful, I don't want to disappoint my parents, but at the same time, I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing something I don't take an interest in," He continued. Beomgyu just nodded along, he couldn't find the right words of reassurance or advice to give to Taehyun.

"What do you want to be then?" Taehyun asked after a few minutes of silence between the two.

"To be frank, I'm not too sure as well. But one thing's for sure, I want to make a lot of money and move out of that house, swearing to never return to that place ever again," He replied as a chill ran down his spine.

"That makes the two of us then," Taehyun said, beaming at Beomgyu with another one of his heartwarming smiles, the ones where it would make Beomgyu feel safe whenever he was around.

Just then, a little boy, just a few metres across their bench, walked towards a tree where a kite was stuck in between its branches. Taehyun immediately got up on his feet as he approached the child.

"Let me help you," Taehyun said as he tip-toed to retrieve the kite before returning it to the boy.

"Thank you," The younger replied before hurrying off to his group of friends.

Beomgyu couldn't help but smile at the two, he has always had a soft spot for Taehyun's passion for helping others.

"Must be nice, isn't it? Living as a child without having the slightest worry about life," Taehyun said as he returned to his seat next to Beomgyu.

He didn't respond. Beomgyu's childhood was rather drastic compared to the vast majority of people- pain, sadness, sorrow were the very words of what his childhood was like. He has always envied his classmates being picked up by their mothers after school and asking about how their day went- being reminded of his childhood only brought back bitter memories.

"I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to," Taehyun quickly apologised after realising what he had just blabbered out.

"It's okay," Beomgyu reassured. The ache in his heart didn't subside, but it wasn't Taehyun's fault, neither could he blame him for it. It was his childhood after all.

"What was childhood like for you?" Beomgyu asked, trying to divert the tension away from the two.

Taehyun then began to fill in on how he would binge watch his favourite cartoons all day, having a dessert as a treat after every dinner, and how his parents would read him storybooks every night with a cup of milk before heading to bed. Funny enough, Beomgyu didn't feel the slightest bit of envy hearing Taehyun talking about the happy childhood he had. Beomgyu found it rather enjoyable- or perhaps it was because of the way Taehyun's eyes lit up whenever he recalled a fond memory from his early days or the way he would let out a giggle after talking about a funny memory that had happened when he was younger.

"I think it's time to head back now, it's getting late," Taehyun said, the sun has disappeared from the view, only sparse streaks of its light remaining in the semi-dark sky. The two got up and headed back towards their houses.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school then," Beomgyu said once they have reached the doors of their houses, the two exchanged goodbyes as they both went inside.