The Boy Next Door | Taegyu ✔️

64

2 weeks have passed as the boys approached the day before the competition. They've been practising hard these past few weeks, seizing every moment possible for group practises, and the effort did pay off as they were pretty satisfied with their performance yesterday.

So now, here they were: in a mall looking for their performance outfits as they dispersed into different sections of the clothing store, planning to have a sleepover at Beomgyu's later.

After scouring the entirety of both floors, they have finally pieced together each of their outfits: Beomgyu picked a white, long-sleeved top paired with light-blue jeans and a denim vest; Hueningkai with a plain white top matched with overall jeans (the straps plain white) with purely white, half-finger gloves; Soobin's fit which was designed to complement Beomgyu's―a denim jacket that is the same shade of blue worn over a pair of jeans and a white turtleneck; Yeonjun picked a pink crop top with light blue jeans; and Taehyun with a light blue sweatshirt, a pair of jeans and a baby-pink beanie.

And with that, they paid for their clothes, left the mall, and headed towards Beomgyu's, buzzing with excitement for the ―bound-to-be― chaotic sleepover later.

»»—— ♡ ——««

Considering the size of the literal mansion the boy lived in, there were enough bathrooms for them, without all five having to take turns- Hueningkai took the one downstairs, Yeonjun with the guest's room, Soobin in Beomgyu's room, and Taehyun with Beomgyu in his father's old bedroom. While waiting, Taehyun sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room; a hollow feeling starting to devour his body whole. Perhaps it was the harsh shade of red the curtains had that created such an unsettling feeling in him, or maybe it was because he knew that this was the very same room Beomgyu's father used to fuck countless desparate women in need of fast cash.

The wall behind him was painted black, the floor carpeted with a soft shade of grey with a black vanity sitting across the bed; next to it, a plump, leather-red chair. The bed was a king-sized one with at least 5 white pillows and a velvety red blanket.

In the imposing room, Taehyun sat in, a pang of sadness hit him as he realised that there wasn't a single portrait of Beomgyu here- dissimilar to his parent's that was adorned with family pictures.

The sound of the bathroom door sliding open snapped Taehyun out of his trance as Beomgyu walked out. "Do you have any pictures of your younger self?" Asked the brunette curiously, ready to fawn and gush over how cute the latter would look like a child.

Beomgyu shook his head; Taehyun's heart sank. "My father never took pictures of me when I was younger, but I do have one...," he said, walking towards the vanity as he pulled the drawer open to bring out an old photograph with a baby in it.

Carefully handling it, Taehyun took it from the boy's hands as he looked at the picture lovingly; it was a baby looking no more than a day older than a week with huge, adorable eyes and chubby cheeks. Holding him was a beautiful woman with Beomgyu's bright, shining eyes, luscious brown hair and a perfectly sculpted nose. She was smiling, and she looked gorgeous.

"This is one of the only ways I feel connected to her― my mother," spoke Beomgyu.

"She's lovely," breathed Taehyun, who was still in awe of the woman's captivating beauty, "I guess you take after her―you have her eyes,"

Beomgyu shared a smile.

»»—— ♡ ——««

After eating dinner and completing several rounds of practice, they decided to spend the rest of the night having some fun, starting with a game of Truth or Dare. Beomgyu fetched an empty glass wine bottle from the kitchen before quickly joining the others as they sat in a circle.