𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥$ (Shangri-La) - Taegyu✔️

XXVIII The Lovers 3

Soobin had been following their van since the breaking news. For a whole year, he felt guilty for rejecting Yeonjun on that night. Who would have predicted the older to completely vanish from the city since then?

Of course the police force had searched for him, nonetheless, it was the least to expect Yeonjun had been staying with the rebellious morons, fusing into part of them with a strong sense of belonging.

"Please don't- don't wake him up. I just want to see him one last time..." When all the boys entered the interior, Soobin begged them. He unlocked his fingers from Yeonjun's quickly.

Alas, when Soobin attempted to leave the van, he was pulled back by his best friend.  Beomgyu convinced him by the cutest pout and swung his arm like an annoying child persuading his mum to buy something, "Soo-bin-ah~" It didn't take seconds for the older to melt.

"Now!" With hand gesture, Beomgyu signaled the other two to close the door, sliding it to the end with a loud thud that intruded on the peaceful woods. Their van immediately dived into the shade of this tranquil night.

Under faint light, they barely saw the proud bear landing his arms on his waist with a satisfied smile. "Great. You're not going anywhere, we have kidnapped you!" He giggled at his hostage– a confused bunny.

"Yo, what's happening in there?"

All of them turned to the owner of the voice in sync.

The spotlight pointed at Yeonjun, who sat up, rubbing the back of his head as his good sleep was interrupted by all the noises they made.

⊱ ━━━━━.⋅ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ ⋅.━━━━━ ⊰

An odd silence stretched between them when Soobin looked into Yeonjun's eyes. Just like last time, his pair of crystal orbs carried too much pain and dearest memories that could not be erased.

As they breathed in the dense air, the moon joined them quietly from the unveiled curtain of clouds, slightly highlighting the features of the oldest, beaming his eyes to help Soobin recognize every detail of the boy.

Yeonjun might have changed a lot but his loving gaze remained the same. The moment he took in the taller boy in front of him, his eyes softened as much as possible, calling him gently as if talking to a petrified bunny, "Soobin..."

"Sorry, hyung, you probably can't trust me anymore. I just want to apologize for what I did and leave-" Curling his hands into fists, Soobin bit back an outbursting cry. The longer he stayed, he might not be able to hold the dam of his tears as the boy was now in front of him, just a meter apart. He knew how much he missed Yeonjun's adoration, his warmth, his unique voice cooing his name...

Accepting Yeonjun means he must break the plan, he must betray his father and everyone's expectations. He must make a choice between them.

"No, please!" Yeonjun shouted, dashing forward to grab Soobin's arms, pulling him into a tight hug, lips quivering on the younger's neck, "I miss you, so much..."

Finally, the longing in both of them converged. Weeping, Soobin let his flood of emotions take the shape of tears, damping the cloth on his shoulder. "Hyung, I miss you too..." This time, Soobin made the courage to hug him back so the older wasted no time to embrace him tighter until no more gaps between them.

That's it, that's what he always needed– a reassuring hug from his love. The familiar warmth conveyed their feelings more than words could describe.

Relieving a bit from the conflict, Yeonjun looked up to catch a big breath between his sniffling while ruffling his lover's hair endearingly.

Suddenly he felt a slight push on his chest, "I rejected you and cut you with a knife. You should hate me..." Soobin confessed and doubted. Did he deserve Yeonjun? Did he deserve his love?

Yeonjun didn't let him go, locking him in his muscly arms. This time he was determined to never leave him again, "Then why are you crying?"

He always knew Soobin was afraid of his father, or the entire society, so he never blamed the younger. Rather, he was exasperated by his own fragility, his weakness. Because he didn't have the power to revolt against the rules, he ran away from the city like a loser.

"Soobin-ah, I don't hate you. Thank you for coming after me, you're so brave to travel all alone here. But you are not alone anymore. We'll always be together. Trust me."

The younger nodded and Yeonjun quickly intertwined their fingers, holding his hand to the front and pecked on his delicate skin, "I love you, Soobin. Stay with me"

The other three exchanged a look, grinned wholeheartedly (despite goosebumps growing on their arms) seeing the couple became honest with each other.

No one is inferior to others in the process of growth, they're glad to have a new companion on this journey.

As if the world spinned around them, Yeonjun only had his eyes on Soobin. He caressed the younger's cheek, minimizing the distance between their lips.

The other three held their breath, anticipating a romantic scene which should have been one if Soobin's phone didn't ring thunderously like an emergency.

He took out his phone from his pocket. Before he could check on it, Beomgyu snatched it with the speed of light and in tiny, "Ehh-" He flung the device far away through the window.

"Wait- My phone!" Soobin gasped, leaning on the window frame and searched with his raw vision. However, in pitch dark, not even a single trace of his phone could be spotted in the vast grassland.

On the other hand, Beomgyu was just laughing at his reaction which resembled him in the past.

Taehyun released his chains so it's his turn to bring his best friend to brand new days, "Come on, admit it. You're afraid of your father as much as I'm, to my mother. But they're not here."

He grabbed both Soobin's arms and shook him vigorously like a puppet, "Wake up, Soobin. If you love him, do what your heart says. You want to be free and happy, so am I-"

Soobin was shocked, he totally couldn't imagine these words coming from Beomgyu's mouth– the chaebol who ditched his dinner invitation to attend his calligraphy lesson on time. He wondered what the younger had gone through in these months.

"That godamn plan! A company? Being a person like my mother? That's not it. Taehyun said I can be a singer!" Beomgyu declared but felt shy afterwards, scratching his neck, as he mentioned the other's name.

"Of course you can, my favourite singer." Taehyun commented in front of everyone, his straightforwardness was something the older had to deal with, or else Beomgyu would have to deal with the crimson flushing his face and ears.

Soobin looked back and forth between Beomgyu and Taehyun. From their interaction, he would guess their relationship and who changed his bestie. "Oh, didn't know you gay." Though being the last one among them, Soobin bloomed into a gentle smile, knowing someone had been taking care of Beomgyu.

"Yah- you gay first." Beomgyu made a grimace and quickly hid behind Taehyun  so Soobin couldn't counter him.

Fingers creeping onto his, Soobin felt his lover putting his own weight on his back. Giggling, he took the older's arms and placed them around his.

"Sorry for kicking you in the err- It must be hella painful." Soobin apologized for the violence he applied on the older, especially attacking him somewhere critical. "Don't worry, we can still make a lot of bab-" Before Yeonjun finished the last word, Soobin turned around and shut him up by slapping his arm.

"Have I been a fifth-wheeler since my last life?" Hueningkai mumbled to his plushie and buried his face on the soft material when everyone was too busy with their lovers.