Only You (YeonGyu)

Chapter 18: Cold Shoulder

It had been two weeks since that terrible day—whatever it was—that Kai had endured. And yet, Beomgyu still didn’t know what happened. Kai had grown distant, colder. He hardly spoke, and more often than not, he was with Taehyun now. It was as if he had completely forgotten about their friendship—about them.

Beomgyu had tried. He’d texted, called, followed Kai around when he could. But Kai barely responded, and when he did, it was with short, hollow replies. Even when they sat next to each other or shared lunch like they used to, it felt like Kai wasn’t really there. There was a wall now. And Beomgyu didn’t understand why.

He could sense that Kai was going through something—something heavy. But instead of opening up, Kai had turned inward, relying on Taehyun more than anyone else. It wasn’t jealousy, not really. It was pain. Beomgyu wanted to help. He could help. After all, hadn’t Kai always been there for him?

But Kai kept him at arm’s length.

Worse still, Beomgyu had begun noticing strange things. Kai would mysteriously have more assignments than the rest of them, often multiple tasks for each subject, which didn’t add up. Then, during lunch breaks, he’d disappear and come back pale, shaken, terrified. Beomgyu saw it all… and couldn’t make sense of any of it.

Now, they were in class with Sir Soobin, who Kai once admired—idolized, even. But lately, Kai barely glanced at him. It was like he couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Just a few days ago, Sir Soobin had called Beomgyu into his office. He was clearly worried and had asked about Kai—whether anything had happened. When Beomgyu asked if they'd argued, Soobin hesitated, only revealing that Kai had left unexpectedly the day they were baking together. Since then, Kai had refused to talk to him.

Beomgyu remembered how Soobin had quietly asked him to talk to Kai on his behalf. Every day, Beomgyu had tried. Every day, Kai had pushed him away.

And now, Sir Soobin stood at the front of the classroom, concluding a lesson on the circulatory system. Beomgyu knew Kai was barely listening, but the teacher’s next words made the air in the room still.

“And that’s it for today’s lesson,” Sir Soobin announced. “Any questions? Is everything clear? Good. Now—my question for the class: What is blood flow, and how does it move through the body? Let’s see… Kai, can you answer?”

Beomgyu turned quickly toward Kai.

Kai’s hands trembled on his desk. His eyes were downcast, focused on his fidgeting fingers. He didn’t look up. He didn’t even breathe. It was clear Sir Soobin had called on him deliberately—perhaps trying to draw him out, to see if he’d even look at him.

The silence in the classroom was stifling, save for soft murmurs.

“Kai?” Sir Soobin prompted again.

Finally, Kai stood. His voice shook as he spoke:

“B-Blood flow is a complex process critical for delivering oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and other essential products to organs and tissues, while removing waste. The circulatory system consists of two loops—pulmonary and systemic circulation. Pulmonary circulation begins when the heart pumps blood from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery. In the lungs, blood exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen. Oxygenated blood returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins into the left atrium…”

Beomgyu listened, both relieved and heartbroken. Kai’s answer was perfect—textbook perfect—but his eyes glistened, and he never once looked up. Not even at Soobin.

From the corner of his eye, Beomgyu saw their teacher give a faint, bittersweet smile. There was hope in his gaze, a desperate attempt to make a connection. But it went unanswered. Kai remained detached, vacant.