HEARTBEAT | VKOOK

Chapter 27

There were times when Jeongguk was happy, when he had everything he could ever ask for. There were times in his childhood that weren't so bad. When he was in the company of a certain someone, who was too, a child like him, or perhaps, slightly older than him, but around his age. They made memories that Jeongguk wished to never forget, for he cherished them even now, after all those years.

That certain someone, being a slightly tall boy, with a pleasant smile always present onto his rosy lips, his fringes slightly parted onto his forehead like always— Jeongguk could surprisingly recall every detail of him as a child. Who kept him company and make him forget about his broken family for even a moment. As every moment spent with him, felt like the epitome of ecstasy, at least to the five year old Jeongguk, it did.

Seojun. A cute tall boy with lovely brown eyes, and lips always curved in a sweet smile— someone he'd stumbled upon one day during recess. Who eventually became his best friend. Or perhaps someone, he began catching feelings for as a child.

Feelings he could never decipher, as a child. But the only the thing he knew, was that he felt happy, with every moment they met, every time they played around in his garden. The two would simply lie down on the cold grass, staring up at the gorgeous sky- and Jeongguk would always find himself secretly admiring the other with butterflies in his stomach.

Those feelings, that perhaps faded away with the years. After the male had left the city with his family, to reside somewhere better, far away from him. Although it hurt, Jeongguk got accustomed to the fact that he was never coming back, after years of futilely hoping for it. Of course, why would he come back, when he had left him without a proper goodbye?

Maybe Jeongguk had never meant anything to him on the first place, other than just a mere friend.

His present felt somewhat similar. Those moments with his best friend, the feelings he once harboured for him (that he was almost certain had faded away), now sprouting in his heart yet again, discombobulating him. However, this time, for someone entirely different.

Or maybe it was something more.

Kim Taehyung, who brought back the memories of the past he'd once shared with Seojun, his beloved friend. Taehyung, whose sharp stygian orbs set a flame in his once numb self, added emotions he couldn't decipher, and somewhat brought a sort of joy in his plain life. From the moment he'd laid his eyes on him. The serenity lingering around him, being a drug that he craved for so long, pulling him in like a magnet, utterly irresistible.

Taehyung, whom he began knowing to be a quite delightful yet mysterious man, who fancied to keep his secrets to himself, to appear almost closed off and cold on the outside, absolutely unreadable to anyone who saw him for the first time. Maybe, that explains why people feared him, due to his cold exterior and how serious he got in terms of work, bringing one to the conclusion not to mess with this guy.

But there was someone behind that mask, someone entirely different, in a positive way of course. The better version of himself, that he chose to reveal only to the people who felt right to him. And perhaps, Jeongguk was one of them.

This had a fond smile appearing on his lips as he found himself gazing at the said man, admiring his flawless features, all whilst thinking of him, pondering over the questions in his mind and attempting to search for the answers on his own. Jeongguk being up so early wasn't unusual, as someone who was always up before dawn, perhaps out of habit, as he couldn't seemed to go back to sleep either due to the thoughts clouding his mind.

But now, waking next to the man who's been on his mind, and dreams for who knows how long, Jeongguk was captivated by something more enthralling than anything. For he'd never get tired of admiring the handsome yet oblivious older at the moment of dawn, not a blink of sleep evident in his eyes. His scintillating doe orbs, that were glistening with sheer amusement and fascination for the older.