The Boy Next Door | Taegyu ✔️

43

"B-beomgyu...?" Mumbled Taehyun as he looked down at the boy, unconscious.

It seemed as if time has frozen right there and then as everyone held their breaths, anticipating for someone to say something. With a trembling hand, Taehyun placed his hand to Beomgyu's forehead, feeling the mildly cold sensation beneath his fingers.

Coach Jeon scrambled towards the two, kneeling as he checked for Beomgyu's pulse. "Ambulance—" he spluttered at once. "WE NEED TO CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Coach Jeon yelled as everyone fumbled with their phones feverishly, ringing for an ambulance.

"His pulse is faint, but he's still breathing," said Coach Jeon, reading Taehyun's worried expression. Soon, Yeonjun came as well, kneeling as he placed a hand over Beomgyu's wrist. His eyes scrambling across the unconscious boy.

"He's not breathing," choked Yeonjun. Expressed with great incredulity, Taehyun rested his gaze onto Beomgyu's chest. It remained still and flat. He whirled his head around in hopes of calling for Coach Jeon's help but the teacher had gone down to get some help.

Without thinking twice, Taehyun placed a hand over to his chest as he gave it 30 firm compressions before proceeding to lift Beomgyu's head. Pinching his nose and placing his mouth over Beomgyu's, he gave 2 breaths before as he repeated the steps.

A few minutes later, a few people dressed in red and white came to their aid as they carefully placed Beomgyu onto a stretcher before wheeling him away quickly. Both Taehyun and Yeonjun followed them, not having any seconds thoughts, into the ambulance, watching them trying to restore Beomgyu's breathing by attaching an inhaler as the latter's chest began to fall and rise steadily.

Soon, they arrived at the hospital as the nurses began to wheel Beomgyu towards the hospital ward as they laid him onto the bed. They attached an inhaler mask to his face before removing his shirt.

Taehyun clapped a hand to his mouth in shock; Yeonjun let out a sudden gasp as soon as they saw what Beomgyu had kept away from them all this time; it was a large patch of red splotches straight across the side of his upper abdomen. The bruise was so bad to the point where the subtle outlines of his ribs were lightly tinted in blue; the area around it swollen.

Other than the two, the nurses, too, seemed to have been frozen in their place the moment they have laid their eyes on the hideous bruise. One of them immediately ran towards the storeroom before quickly coming back with a bundle of bandages in her hand as she began wrapping it around Beomgyu's abdomen. Once they were done, they placed a hospital gown over his bare chest.

They began to attach wires with electrodes to scattered places across his chest before connecting it with the Holter monitor.

"His pulse seems to have gotten much steadier," spoke one of the nurses whose eyes were resting on the readings the Holter monitor showed. "After this, we will need his guardian to fill in some forms— does he have any parents or caretakers?"

"No, his parents are out of the country," lied Taehyun. "I am his guardian though, can I do it?"

"I'm afraid we'll need a trusted adult to handle the filling in part of the forms," the nurse continued.

They sat there, dumbfounded for a few minutes. Just who could he ask?

"What about Mr Jung?" Asked Yeonjun, and like a sudden gust of wind blowing his sails, Taehyun realised how stupid he had been. Of course, how could he possibly forget? Rummaging through his pocket for his phone, he dialled for Mr Jung's phone number.

"Hello?" Echoed a voice from the other side of the call.
"Mr Jung— I'm so sorry but could you come over to Seoul's National Hospital?" Pleaded Taehyun.
"But what for—"
"Beomgyu's currently being admitted and he needs a guardian to handle the forms part, so I thought-"
"BEOMGYU'S WHAT?"
"He fainted during PE and I'll explain the rest once you're here,"
"I'm on my way, Taehyun,"
"Thank you so much, Mr Jung,"

With a beep, the call ended as Taehyun stared down at Beomgyu's still body. Why had he kept his pain away from him all along? Just how much did Beomgyu have to suffer while he was gone? What did his father do to him?

Hatred and grim bubbled madly at the bottom of Taehyun's stomach as he clenched his fists tightly before being interrupted by the sudden call of his name.

"Taehyun!" Mr Jung called out as he waved at the two.

"Sir, are you his guardian?" Asked the nurse.

"Yes, I'm his homeroom teacher," spoke Mr Jung before being ushered away by the nurse towards the receptionist desk.

"It was his father," said Taehyun under his breath. "His father did this."

Silence filled the space between the two males as neither of them didn't dare to speak a word.

"This is all my fault, if only— if only I hadn't been so selfish," Taehyun spluttered as tears began streaming down his cheeks as they fell onto Beomgyu's bed. Yeonjun didn't know what Taehyun was talking about. But knowing that this wasn't the best time to ask about it, he reached for the latter's back as he began patting it comfortingly.

Minutes have flown by as Taehyun had calmed down a little, though his eyes were still red and his nose still puffy.

"Taehyun," spoke a voice from behind them.

'Yes?" He replied, turning his head around to see their homeroom teacher standing behind them.

"I forgot that I had some matters to handle later on this evening, so I can't stay for too long. Please update me on Beomgyu's condition," he spoke. Taehyun could tell that he was indirectly asking him to give some context as to what happened as Mr Jung was nothing but a nurturing teacher who always seeks to help his students wherever possible.

"I will," he replied with a grateful smile as they bid their goodbyes.

An hour has soon passed by as Yeonjun began to leave as well. Leaving Taehyun behind with the firm decision of not wanting to exit the hospital just yet- not until Beomgyu wakes up at least.

The sounds of patients chatting away and the occasional squeaks of wheeler beds filled the animate atmosphere of the hospital ward as Taehyun looked around in hopes of getting some peace, since he thought that it would be what Beomgyu would want to.

"Excuse me," he asked the nurse nearby. "But would it be possible to transfer this patient to a private room?"

"Additional costs will be taken into account," she replied flatly.

"I'll handle that," shot back Taehyun in a swift manner. She raised an eyebrow but still called for other nurses as they wheeled Beomgyu to a room located on the 2nd floor of the hospital. Thanking them, Taehyun plopped a chair next to Beomgyu's bed as he made himself comfortable.

Looking down at Beomgyu's unconscious body, the realisation had hit him that this was all his fault. His fault for Beomgyu ending up here right now; his fault for having the latter go through his father's torment; his fault for making Beomgyu having to suffer like this.

A single tear trickled down his face as he placed a hand over the latter.

I'm sorry.

[ A/N: I really tried to make this somewhat intense okay 🥲 ]