Roses & Thorns

Chapter 017

"How about you? What have you and Eunbi been doing?" Beomgyu asks in return, going to grab another rag to help Mark wipe down the tables. He looks up when Mark doesn't answer, and nearly curses out loud when Mark is suddenly right in front of him.

"Can you keep a secret?" He says secretively, his eyes darting around the room. Beomgyu raises a questioning eyebrow, straightening his back as he lets go of his rag. Once he nods, Mark puts his hand into his pocket and takes something out.

"Holy shit," Beomgyu's eyes widened to twice its size, seeing the diamond ring that Mark had taken out. Beomgyu's eyes sparkle as he locks eyes with Mark, who gives a firm nod and a small smile.

"Yo! Congrats, man! When are you proposing?" Beomgyu laughs as he slaps Mark's back, his excitement bubbling for the couple. Mark laughs shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"In a few weeks, I still need to plan everything out. I want our wedding to be the day we first met so I need to time it properly,"
"Geez, why are you so romantic."
"Yea yea, but I want you to bring a plus one for the wedding. And you know who I'm referring to."

Mark points at Beomgyu with a teasing smirk playing on his lips. Beomgyu clears his throat, looking away in hopes that Mark doesn't see his cheeks that have grown red at the mention of Ryujin.

"How are you guys now, though? What's the dynamic like," Mark asks, and Beomgyu couldn't contain the small smile playing on his lips. He's quick to whine when Mark starts to tease him.

"I mean, we're doing good. We kissed for the first time a while ago," Beomgyu mumbles, and Mark's smile quickly drops. Beomgyu jumps as he quickly covers his ears when Mark yells in surprise.

"What?! And you didn't tell me?!" Mark gasps, his face showing how offended he truly is as he places a hand on his chest. Beomgyu rolls his eyes, done with how both Mark and Eunbi always act like he's a baby who doesn't know anything.

"I don't have to tell you everything, do I?"
"But you're the first person who I told I was proposing! Well, other than Eunbi's parents, but still!"

Beomgyu shakes his head lightly as he walks away, Mark trailing behind him as he continues to whine. Beomgyu drowns out Mark's whines with his own noises, and soon it grows chaotic.

"Am I...interrupting something?" Mark and Beomgyu immediately shut up hearing someone. Their heads turn to the door at the same time, both their eyes widening seeing Ryujin herself peeking her head in.

"Oh, ah no no! Please, come in! I'll take my leave now," Mark sheepishly calls out, gesturing for Ryujin to come in before he sends a teasing look to Beomgyu. He rushed past Ryujin and out the door, grabbing his coat along the way before Beomgyu could open his mouth to protest.

Beomgyu clicks his tongue seeing Mark run around the corner through the glass window before his eyes travel back to Ryujin. She gave him a small smile, showing him the plastic bag she was holding. Beomgyu lets out a small chuckle, walking after her to the back of the cafe.

"How was practice?" Beomgyu asks once the two of them have opened their ice creams and started licking away, with their drinks on the side. Ryujin hums tiredly, giving him a small smile. He returns the smile, patting Ryujin's head softly.

"It's getting harder nowadays. Things are starting to get tense between members because of the stress caused by the international competitions coming up." Ryujin sighs, and Beomgyu suddenly remembers the time he met her at the convenience store, and the amount of muscle tape she had bought.

"How about you? How was work?" Ryujin asks before Beomgyu could question her further on the vague explanation she gave. Beomgyu purses his lips, not missing the way she had subtly tried to change the subject.

"Everything's going well, thankfully. Mark told me he was going to propose to Eunbi just now,"
"Really? Wow, that's amazing! I'm so happy for them!"

Beomgyu looks over to Ryujin, who's giggling in giddy happiness, showing him a toothy smile. He smiles softly at how excited Ryujin had gotten at the thought of a wedding, before he turns to the front again.

"I'm going to meet my family tomorrow. It's been a few months since I've seen my mother," Ryujin shares to break the silence. Beomgyu looks over at her, and she nods as if giving him confirmation of what he just heard.

"Are you nervous?" Beomgyu asks, bringing his knees closer to his chest as the weather got colder through the night. Ryujin shrugged, copying Beomgyu before silence consumed the two of them again.

"I don't know. My mom has never really been supportive of the career I chose, so we always fought a lot. She also had me when she was really young. We were never on the best terms, to begin with. I'm just hoping tomorrow won't be a disaster. Yuna doesn't deserve it, you know? Since she was young, I could tell she wanted us to get along. But it just never worked out, I guess."

Beomgyu looks over at Ryujin, who's looking down at her sneakers. He could tell it was a sensitive topic, and he was touched that she had chosen to share it with him. He sighs, looking away as he rocks back and forth slowly.

"My mom's death anniversary is coming up soon. It's going to be the first one without my dad and my elder brother. It's just going to be me and my sister," Beomgyu whispers. It was only fair if he shared something close to him in return for Ryujin's trust.

Beomgyu barely flinches when Ryujin soundlessly puts her head on his shoulder. The two are sitting close to each other, finding comfort in the warmth radiating from one another in the cold weather.

"No comforting words?" Beomgyu asks lightly, his eyes travelling down to Ryujin who only hums in response.

"I know better than anyone else that pity isn't the thing you're looking for. I'm just going to sit here with you, and let the fact that you're not alone at this moment sink in."

Beomgyu looks down when Ryujin gently places her hand with his, giving it a comforting squeeze. He lets out a small sigh, leaning his head on Ryujin as they stare at the park across from them.

"Thank you," Beomgyu's whisper is carried with the wind, and the two spend the rest of their time sitting together silently. Ryujin never lets go of Beomgyu's hand, and Beomgyu never pulls away.