Heesung finally recovered his voice, albeit in a strangled gasp. "Woah, man," he managed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Living the life, huh?"
Yuna, however, wasn't convinced. She shot Heesung a playful glare. "Ahan???" she questioned, her raised eyebrow clearly implying he shouldn't be so quick to believe Wooyoung's claims.
Wooyoung, oblivious to their skepticism, simply winked and sauntered off towards his room, leaving his friends speechless in his wake. Was Wooyoung actually on a date with the enigmatic Miss Natalia, or was this just another one of his elaborate fantasies? Only time, and perhaps a very surprised art teacher, would tell.
Beomgyu lingered at the entrance of the lounge, a knot of apprehension twisting in his stomach. He hadn't slept well, his mind replaying the events of the previous night on a loop. Just as he debated turning around and retreating to the safety of his dorm room, a voice boomed across the room.
"Hey Beomsss!!! Come here!" Soobin's enthusiastic call shattered his hesitation.
Beomgyu took a deep breath and stepped into the room, his gaze darting around nervously. The air crackled with a tension he couldn't quite place, but everyone greeted him. Heesung offered him a warm smile and a friendly nod, while Yuna gave him a bright, "Good morning." Yeonjun, his gaze lingering a beat longer than the others, flashed him a reassuring smile that calmed Beomgyu's nerves a little.
He slid into the seat beside Yeonjun, their unspoken connection a comforting presence amidst the chaos. Soobin, noticing Beomgyu's empty stomach, leaned over. "You had breakfast?" he asked.
Beomgyu shook his head, his stomach grumbling in protest. Yeonjun sighed, a playful exasperation etched on his face. Leaning even closer to Beomgyu, he whispered, "You're not going to class with jellies in your pockets again, are you?"
Beomgyu's cheeks flushed a light pink. The incident with the forgotten pocket jellies, which had tragically melted throughout the day, was a running joke within the group. He mumbled a sheepish apology, vowing to actually eat something this time.
Beomgyu's sheepish apology about the jellies hung in the air as Yeonjun reached over. But instead of grabbing his own breakfast, Yeonjun's hand swiped the very last piece of waffle from Yuna's plate.
Yuna, caught mid-chew, mumbled a protest with a mouthful of food, but Yeonjun was already on his way back to Beomgyu. "I don't believe you," he said, a playful smirk twisting his lips.
"Believe what?" Beomgyu stammered, surprised by Yeonjun's boldness. They usually maintained a bickering friendship, but this felt different.
Yeonjun held the waffle out, ignoring Yuna's glare. "That you'll actually eat breakfast. Here, open wide."
Beomgyu, caught off guard, hesitantly opened his mouth. Yeonjun brought the waffle closer, their faces unexpectedly close. As Beomgyu took a bite, his teeth brushed against Yeonjun's fingertip, sending a jolt through him. He instinctively licked the spot, a surprised gasp escaping his lips.
Yeonjun, for a moment, froze. The small, unexpected action, so innocent on the surface, had sent a shiver down his spine. He wasn't surprised by the physical reaction – Beomgyu had always had that effect on him, a secret he desperately tried to bury.
Beomgyu, oblivious to the internal storm brewing in Yeonjun, mumbled another apology. "Sorry," he mumbled, cheeks flushing a light pink.
Yeonjun quickly schooled his expression, forcing a casualness he didn't feel. "Don't say sorry after giving me a boner," he muttered under his breath, hoping Beomgyu wouldn't catch the suggestive whisper.
Thankfully, Beomgyu simply looked confused. "Nothing? Stupid? Eat it," Yeonjun finished aloud, regaining some semblance of composure and shoving the remaining waffle into Beomgyu's mouth.
Yeonjun's phone vibrated in his pocket, a notification breaking through the lighthearted chatter. He excused himself momentarily, glancing at the message. His eyes widened a fraction. It was a single line: 'I'm Taehyun, come to the security office rn'.
He returned to Beomgyu, a casualness he didn't quite feel lacing his voice. "Hey, Beomgyu, want to come grab your books from your room? We can head out together."
Beomgyu, lost in thought, offered a half-hearted nod. "Sure, yeah."
Yeonjun announced to the table at large, "We're going to pick up Beomgyu's books! Be back in a sec, guys!"
Their response was a chorus of mumbled acknowledgements and the rustling of breakfast wrappers. No one seemed particularly interested in their short absence.
As they walked down the hallway, Yeonjun slipped his hand into Beomgyu's, a silent reassurance and a way to gauge his friend's anxiety. Beomgyu's fingers twitched slightly, a flicker of nervousness betraying his usual easygoing demeanor.
"Where are we going?" Beomgyu finally questioned, the growing distance from his dorm room sparking a flicker of suspicion.
"Taehyun texted me," Yeonjun confessed, his voice barely a whisper. "Told me to come to the security office."
Beomgyu stopped dead in his tracks, surprise etched on his face. "He actually managed to get the CCTV footage?"
Yeonjun replied with a hopeful whisper, "Hope so."
They reached the security office door, its sterile white paint and harsh fluorescent lights sending an unwelcome chill down Yeonjun's spine. He pushed it open, revealing a single clerk hunched over a computer screen. The man glanced up, his face lighting with recognition as he saw Taehyun.
"Now we're even," the clerk said, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"Thanks, man," Taehyun replied coolly, gesturing toward Yeonjun and Beomgyu. "Shall we look at it?"
Yeonjun nodded, his gaze flicking to Beomgyu who mirrored his anxious state.
Taehyun pulled up a chair and gestured for them to sit. He punched a few commands into the keyboard, bringing up a playback interface. A date flashed on the screen - the night the pictures mysteriously appeared in Beomgyu's room. They all held their breath as Taehyun clicked play.
What greeted them wasn't the face of a mysterious stranger delivering the photos. It wasn't someone they recognized or expected. It wasn't what they thought they would see at all.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
hello loveliesssss! i'll be posting more often for a few weeeks i just got done with my finals yayy!
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