Doodlebug | Beomjun, yeongyu |

Chapter no. 9

The harsh dorm room door slammed against the wall, making the posters lining it quiver. Kai flinched, surprised, and found himself pinned against the worn brick by a fuming Yeonjun.

"What are you doing?" Kai stammered, breath catching in his throat from the sudden shove.

Yeonjun's eyes burned with a fury Kai had rarely seen. His jaw clenched tight, and his voice was a low growl. "You were the one behind the pictures, right?"

Kai fought against the pressure, but Yeonjun wouldn't budge. He plastered a cocky grin on his face, a mask for the knot of apprehension twisting in his gut. "Maybe," he drawled, stretching the word out like a taunt. "Depends on what pictures you're talking about."

Yeonjun's grip intensified, his knuckles turning white. "Don't play dumb, Kai. The ones you left in Beomgyu's room."

Kai shrugged, the movement strained against Yeonjun's hold. "Oh, those. Might have been me, might not have been." He kept his voice light, playful even, but his eyes flickered nervously towards the doorway where Beomgyu stood frozen.

Yeonjun's growl deepened. "Did you..." he started again, his voice a dangerous tremor.

Kai cut him off with a forced laugh, a high-pitched sound that lacked any real humor. "Did I what, Yeonjun? Take a few candid shots? Maybe capture some... compromising moments?" He let the implication hang heavy in the air, a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation.

Kai coughed, his gaze darting between Taehyun and the bewildered Beomgyu. A shaky laugh escaped his lips, laced with disbelief. "You guys really can't..."

But Yeonjun cut him off, his voice rising in a mix of fury and frustration. "Then why did you take our pictures and leave them in Beomgyu's room?"

Yeonjun shoved Kai, not back against the wall, but onto the soft give of his bed. Kai, instead of tensing up, sighed again, a strange humor flickering in his eyes.

Taehyun, who had been the picture of calm observation a moment ago, surprised everyone by stepping forward. He sat right in front of Kai, a smile playing on his lips, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I always thought you were interesting, Kai," he said, his voice low, "but you're really something else."

Kai, instead of reacting with fear or anger, just gave Taehyun a deadpan look. Beomgyu, on the other hand, was frozen in the doorway, his heart hammering so loud in his chest he could barely hear anything else.

"It's my hobby," Kai finally drawled, his voice laced with a nonchalance that felt off in the charged atmosphere.

Yeonjun sputtered, about to launch into another angry retort, but Kai cut him off. "Taking pictures, you fool," he clarified, his humor turning a touch dark.

"What the—" Yeonjun started, but Kai continued, his voice gaining a manic edge. "I've always been taking pictures of everyone here. I, uh, happened to be in the hallways that night, looking for some... interesting couple interactions to blackmail. Low on material, you know?" He gestured vaguely. "Then there was Zico, sprawled out on the floor, and then Beomgyu showed up, and you... well, I just did what I do. Took pictures. Then I panicked. Didn't know what to do with them, so..." He trailed off, his gaze flicking to beomgyu.

Taehyun sat there, his expression unreadable, taking in everything Kai said. Beomgyu, finally finding his voice, choked out, "You took pictures of us burying him too"

"Followed you, obviously," Kai said, a hint of pride in his voice.

Yeonjun, still processing everything, finally snapped. "Then why didn't you tell anyone?"

Kai's face twisted into a sardonic grin. "Are you an idiot or something? I was going to blackmail you guys, duh."

A stunned silence filled the room. Yeonjun stared at Kai, disbelief warring with a flicker of something... respect? Maybe morbid curiosity? It was hard to tell in the charged moment.

Yeonjun, his face contorted in disbelief, muttered, "I don't believe what he's saying..."

The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Beomgyu stepped forward. He reached out a hand and placed it gently over Yeonjun's tensed bicep. The contact seemed to have a grounding effect. Yeonjun's breathing hitched for a moment, then slowed slightly under Beomgyu's calming touch.

"Let's just hear him out," Beomgyu murmured, his voice a soothing balm in the charged atmosphere.

Taehyun, ever the silent observer, finally spoke up, his gaze fixed on Kai. "So, it's a hobby of yours then," he said, a strange lilt in his voice. "Interesting hobby."

Kai, who had been trying to maintain a facade of nonchalance, faltered at Taehyun's words. "What?" he blurted, a flicker of something akin to fear crossing his features.

Taehyun's smile remained, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I've seen you taking pictures often lately," he explained. "Like from your window to the backside of the building, and a few days ago, you were taking pictures of Beomgyu and Yeonjun in the kitchen."

Kai's eyes widened in surprise. He darted a panicked glance at Beomgyu and Yeonjun, whose faces now mirrored his own shock. Before Yeonjun could unleash another outburst, Beomgyu subtly tightened his grip on Yeonjun's arm, a silent plea for him to hold back. The message seemed to get through. Yeonjun's jaw clenched, but he remained silent for the moment, a dangerous glint still simmering in his eyes.

the air crackled with a tension so thick it felt like it could shatter. Kai, unable to bear the weight of their stares any longer, finally scrambled to his feet. With a dramatic flourish, he dove under his bed, emerging a moment later with a heavy brown box clutched in his hands. He plopped it down in front of them with a thud.

He flipped open the box, revealing a treasure trove of photographs. Candid shots, some raw and unfiltered, captured moments of their lives – girls, boys, couples, all seemingly oblivious to the watchful lens. Nestled right on top was the picture of Yeonjun and Beomgyu in the kitchen, A memory so vivid, it felt like a punch to the gut.

Without a word, Yeonjun reached out and snatched the picture, pocketing it with a possessive glint in his eye.

Kai, his shoulders slumping in defeat, let out a long sigh. "That's all," he mumbled, exhaustion lacing his voice. "Now, please, just leave me alone."

Taehyun, however, wasn't finished. A slow smile spread across his face, sending shivers down Kai's spine. "We have a proposition for you, Kai," he said, his voice smooth as silk.

Kai scoffed. "A proposition? What could you possibly offer me?"

"The chance to take even more interesting photos," Taehyun replied, a hint of a glint in his eyes. "Help us find the real killer."

Kai's eyes widened in surprise. The mention of a killer clearly stunned him. "The real killer?" he stammered. "What do you mean? There wasn't another..." He trailed off, confusion clouding his features. Yeonjun scoffed, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. "Yeji, xiyeon"

Kai furrowed his brow, completely lost. "What killer are you guys talking about? The one who... killed Zico?"

It was clear Kai had no idea about the connection they were making. The hunch, the suspicion that had been gnawing at Taehyun, Beomgyu, and Yeonjun, remained just that – a hunch.

Before Yeonjun could voice his dark wish for Kai to become the next target, Beomgyu's phone buzzed insistently in his pocket. He pulled it out, silencing the insistent ring, and with a growing sense of dread, opened the notification. It was a post from the school's official page. Beomgyu's eyes widened as he read the first line, the phone slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor with a sickening thud.

That can't be true-