✔ ENCEPHALON: 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐔𝐌

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏.𝟎𝟑

After Yeonjun got up to answer the door, he returned with a movable table with some plates on it. He placed it next to the bed and pointed to it while reaching for a grape himself.

"Serve yourself."

Beomgyu, who had meanwhile taken the blanket from his shoulders and tied it around his hips, slid to the end of the bed, followed every movement of the rich boy and then looked hesitantly at the little table. Several covered plates were there and also a basket of fruit, next to it a bottle of wine and a bottle of water. Beomgyu already knew that it would be the best meal he had eaten in a long time and reached for the lever of the lid to lift it. On the plate was a sizable portion of ramen with lots of meat and vegetables, steaming towards him and making his stomach grumble loudly.

Embarrassed, he rubbed his stomach, set the lid down on his side, and looked up at Yeonjun once more. "This looks so yummy."

"I know," the black-haired one grinned and reached for the next grape. "Don't be shy, eat as much as you like." Yeonjun took a seat on the bed again, but kept some distance from the boy because he didn't want him to feel crowded.

It was hard to believe that Beomgyu had actually ended up here. Actually, he had imagined just going home and falling into bed with pain and an empty stomach. But to sit here, with delicious food, a warm shower and an early night's sleep was something he could never have dreamed of.

And actually, he would have refused the food if his stomach hadn't given him a clear indication that it needed to be filled. So he grabbed the chopsticks and gobbled down the noodles as if he hadn't eaten in days.

The heat of the soup burned his lips, so he hissed briefly, squeezed his eyes shut, but continued to eat.

Watching Beomgyu gulp down the ramen was almost satisfying for the black-haired man. Like he had adopted a little puppy. "Do you like it?" he asked him curiously, reaching for the water bottle and filling the two glasses that stood there. Heavily, the addressed nodded, sniffing lightly through the steam that crept up his nose.

"It's so good," he whined almost emotionally, and between sniffles and the jingling of chopsticks, interspersed with the sounds of eating, nothing more could be heard.

And Beomgyu had quickly eaten the bowl, which showed him his stomach overload. For now it grumbled incessantly, giving the 21-year-old a slight hiccup.

He had definitely eaten too fast, but he had been so hungry.

A hoarse laugh escaped the black-haired man and he patted the slightly shorter man on the back, wincing briefly. "No need to gorge like that, there's plenty left for tomorrow." Yeonjun stood up and stretched his long legs. "You should go to sleep now, my Love," the black-haired man said, leaning forward and pressing his lips to the crown of Beomgyu's head. "Good night."

Perplexed by the stranger's tenderness, Beomgyu sat there and stared at the glass of water in his hands. His eyes darted upward, following the boy. The kiss on his head was warm, and Yeonjun's acting was impressively good.

"G-g-good night," Beomgyu stuttered then, sipping the glass.

Yeonjun was about to leave the room, but then turned back to the boy on the bed. "Do you actually have a phone?" he asked Beomgyu, not knowing if he could afford it.

Beomgyu nodded slowly, then pointed his index finger to the bathroom where he had left it on the small chair. "It's on the chair."

When he tried to lift himself onto his legs, they felt incredibly heavy, so he sank back onto the bed, powerless.

"Wait. I'll do it and get it for you," he announced and went into the bathroom. Pretty quickly he found it lying on the chair and reached for it, but as soon as he picked it up, it vibrated. And then he saw a message that could definitely only come from one of his customers.

With his lips pressed together and his brow furrowed, he stared at the message that came from an app he was unfamiliar with.

Yeonjun walked back to the sleeping area and held out the smartphone to the long-haired man. "It would be the best if you save my number and call me."

Beomgyu tried to ignore the messages on his cell phone, unlocked it and had the number dictated to him. Then he lowered it to the little table and rubbed his thighs. "I'll try," he mumbled, because he probably had no idea if he would fall into a coma from fatigue tonight. Thoughts slid back to the app that had been his life for months. Actually, he had wanted to thank it again, but then he noticed that he had embarrassingly said it throughout.

So he raised his slender fingers and looked at him with a thankful look.

"What, are you going to say goodbye to me with a handshake?" joked Yeonjun with a skeptical look at his hand. "I'll see you again, right?"

Immediately, Beomgyu sheepishly withdrew his hand, even sat on it. Actually, he had only wanted to wave. "See you tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it."