Doodlebug | Beomjun, yeongyu |

Chapter no.3

A few more days went by. The school fixed its reputation by saying the student had natural death due to health reasons, and the search for Zico was still on. Meanwhile, Yeonjun wasn't doing well. He stayed in his room, sick. People on the school's page made up stories, saying Yeonjun was depressed because his girlfriend died. Beomgyu avoided coming out of his room to steer clear of Yeonjun.

Moreover, Classes were set to resume on Monday, and it was Sunday night. Beomgyu went to get water at 12:30 am, his usual time for a late-night drink.

As Beomgyu approached the shared kitchen hall, he noticed the soft glow of small lights. Curious if someone was already there, he moved quietly. To his surprise, he found Yeonjun eating rice at the table. Beomgyu observed silently for a moment; His hair, usually artfully tousled, hung limply around his pale face, his dark eyes sunken and shadowed. Beomgyu watched, unseen, as Yeonjun poked at the rice with his chopsticks, each bite mechanical and devoid of pleasure. He looked so fragile, so utterly lost.

A floorboard creaked beneath Beomgyu's hesitant foot. Yeonjun's head snapped up, eyes wide and startled in the gloom. For a moment, Beomgyu was trapped in the gaze of a wounded animal, its vulnerability laid bare.  He lowered his head, returning to his meal, the click of his chopsticks against the bowl the only sound in the tense silence.

Beomgyu knew he should turn away, leave Yeonjun on his own. But his feet seemed rooted to the spot, drawn by an invisible force. He stepped into the kitchen, the room swallowing him whole. Without a word, he pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Yeonjun, he knew it was not a bad idea. He watched as Yeonjun ate, each swallow a struggle, each breath a shallow gasp. His own stomach twisted with an emotion he couldn't name, a cocktail of worry, anger, and a strange, unexpected tenderness.

"hungry?" yeonjun asked him unexpectedly. Beomgyu blinked, surprised by the question, his carefully constructed distance momentarily fractured. "I just... came to drink water," he stammered, feeling a heat creep up his neck.

Yeonjun, fragile as a porcelain doll (which he was definitely not) rose from his chair and drifted towards the fridge. He retrieved another meal box, his movements almost mechanical. His back to Beomgyu, he popped the box into the oven, the light momentarily casting his figure in a warm glow. Beomgyu opened his mouth to decline, but the truth caught in his throat. Hunger gnawed at him, a constant low ache he'd been ignoring. He stayed silent, watching the way Yeonjun moved.

Yeonjun returned, the box warm in his hands. He met Beomgyu's gaze, his dark eyes holding a gentle insistence. "You shouldn't stay hungry for too long," he said, his voice soft, a feather brush against Beomgyu's guarded heart. Beomgyu took the box, the cardboard surprisingly heavy in his palm. He watched Yeonjun resume his meal, the rhythmic click of his chopsticks the only sound in the stillness.

"Drinking water and eating jellies isn't enough you know," Yeonjun added, a faint smile playing on his lips. The words were simple, yet they felt like a lifeline thrown across the chasm that had grown between them.

As Beomgyu began eating the meal Yeonjun provided, a sudden question broke the silence. "Do you think Taehyun has any idea about what happened that night?" Yeonjun asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Beomgyu, caught off guard, choked on a mouthful of rice. He coughed, scrambling for words. "I... I don't know," he finally managed, feeling a pang of guilt twist in his stomach. He hadn't even considered Taehyun, so consumed by his own fear.

Yeonjun let out a soft chuckle, a sound that sent shivers down Beomgyu's spine. It was an unfamiliar sound, laced with a strange mix of sadness and amusement. Beomgyu furrowed his brow, confusion etched on his face.