Letters ||Choi Beomgyu✔️

16

"I don't know how you eat raw salmon straight," Beomgyu scrunched up his noes as he watched Haein eat.

She shrugged, "I'm not a picky eater. I thought you said you like sushi."

"I do!" He retorted. "But raw salmon, alone, not in sushi or anything... that's a no."

Haein chuckled softly, "It's not that bad."

"Or maybe you're just not a picky eater," he grinned.

Haein's lips twirled up in a grin, "Or that."

"I want to know more about you, Kang Haein," Beomgyu leaned forward a bit, propping his elbows up on the table and resting his chin on his folded hands. "You're a mystery."

Haein quirked an eyebrow, "What do you want to know, Choi Beomgyu?"

Beomgyu grinned, "First kiss."

Haein's eyebrows shot up. "Okay..." she shifted in her seat a little. "14, freshman year. I was volunteering at a summer camp for kids. One of the other volunteers, same age as me. His name was Sim Jake. Terrible kisser."

Beomgyu's eyes were lit up with amusement. "Sim Jake, although a terrible kisser is a lucky man."

Haein rolled her eyes playfully, ignoring the fuzzy feeling in her stomach. "Your turn."

Beomgyu chuckled a little, "Fine. Kim Nara when we were 13. We dated for 4 days, kissed at the Valentine's day dance."

Haein quirked an eyebrow, "Four days. Must be a record."

Beomgyu scoffed, "Could be. I broke up with her because she was annoying. Man, I was a mean kid."

Haein feigned a frown, "You must have broken her heart."

Beomgyu shrugged, "I didn't know what I was doing. What about... first boyfriend?"

Haein paused, biting her lip for a moment. She felt a heaviness on her shoulders because this wasn't something she wanted to share but she trusted Beomgyu and wanted to tell him.

She was worried however, that once she did tell him, this light and playful conversation would turn depressing.

"Sophomore year, so over a year ago," she paused again, looking down at the empty plates. She licked her lips, "It was six months, almost seven."

Beomgyu nodded his head slowly, wanting to hear more. He could see she was hesitant about opening up but he was glad she was trying.

He also had a gut feeling that this must be about what Kai had mentioned.

"Why'd it end?"

Haein, again paused. "He... well, I found out from Taehyun that it was a bet." Haein looked at Beomgyu, her eyes soft. She tried to keep a poker face on. "He made a bet with some of the other guys that he could win me over - win over the shy, quiet, lonely girl. And he did. Taehyun found out, told me, and then beat him up a couple times. So did Kai."

Haein wanted to glance away, no longer wanting to have her gaze locked with Beomgyu's. Her cheeks were gone red from embarrassment and she felt utterly pathetic but she kept her gaze locked with his and kept on a strong face, not wanting to be weak.

Beomgyu's eyes went soft. He felt his heart ache for her, feeling terrible that she was used like that because he knew she deserved the world and so much more.

He just wished he could give it to her.

"I'm... so sorry, Haein. You deserve so much more, you have no idea." He let his arms drop so they were resting normally by his sides. His eyebrows were pulled together, "I wish you never had to deal with that. That's terrible. I'm sorry."

Haein shrugged softly, looking down. "It's okay. Don't be sorry. It is what it is, right?" She offered him a half-hearted smile, hoping to keep the mood light.

Beomgyu exhaled, "It's not okay. Nobody should be treated like that, especially not you."

Haein gave him a warm smile as she stirred her straw in her glass of water. "Come on now, don't think you're going to get away with not telling me about your first relationship."

Beomgyu let out a small laugh. "Aside from my four days with Nara, it was freshman year which a girl named Mirae. Only a few months, broke up because... honestly, I don't know why. We just were more like friends, I guess."

"There we go, not so depressing anymore."

Beomgyu offered her a small smile before going serious again, "This guy... he doesn't still go to our school, does he? Please tell me it's not someone I'm friends with or I'm going to punch my own face."

Haein chuckled softly, "No, he doesn't. He transferred after the beating from Taehyun and Kai."

Beomgyu nodded his head, not saying anything as the dots in his head started to connect.

He now knew exactly who Haein was talking about.

Park Jay.

He was on the football team last year before he transferred schools. Beomgyu didn't know him well but he knew the kid was a prick who was conceited and rode on a high horse.

"What do you want to do after high school?" Haein asked, changing the subject.

Beomgyu tilted his head, "I haven't decided yet but anything to do with science. I'm thinking biochemist, maybe."

Haein smiled softly, "Should have guessed it. What about football?"

Beomgyu blew air out into his cheeks, "I might continue playing in University but not what I want to do full-time. Don't get me wrong, I love it all but it's more of a hobby."

Haein nodded in understanding. "I get that."

"What about you? Do you know what you want to do?"

She shrugged a little, puckering out her lips in thought. "I want to work with teenagers. Either a psychiatrist or a social worker, something like that. I want to... help them get through rough things, you know."

Beomgyu smiled at her answer, it being perfect for Haein because he knew she was such a kind-hearted person anyways. "I would have expected a writer or something like that but that sounds nice, sounds like something you'd be good at."

Haein laughed lightly, "Thank you. I love writing but I guess it's more of a hobby too."

Beomgyu smiled, the smile reaching his eyes. "I'm sure you'd be good at whatever you decided to do."