''~°.HIDE AND SEEK.°~'' | YEONGYU

THE FIGURE #2

His thumb brushed against Beomgyu's sleeve.

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

Beomgyu's wet gaze flicked up to meet his.

"Not while I'm here."

Beomgyu's lips parted like he wanted to respond, but no words came. Only a choked breath that caught in his throat. His fingers dug helplessly into the fabric of his sleeves.

Yeonjun's heart twisted.

"Come here."

His voice was low but firm, leaving no room for refusal.

Slowly, carefully, Yeonjun reached out and pulled Beomgyu into his arms.

The boy didn't resist.

The moment their bodies touched, the dam broke.

A shudder ran through Beomgyu as a sob tore free...raw, desperate, muffled against Yeonjun's chest.

Yeonjun held him tighter, one hand cradling the back of his head, the other rubbing slow, steady circles on his back.

"I've got you," he murmured, his cheek resting against Beomgyu's hair.

"It's okay. Let it out. You're safe now."

Beomgyu's fists curled into Yeonjun's hoodie, clinging like a lifeline. His sobs came harder now, shaking his thin frame, but Yeonjun didn't flinch. He stayed anchored, his hold unyielding and warm.

Every few breaths, he whispered the same mantra.

"You're okay."

"I'm here."

"I'm not letting go."

Minutes passed like that...Beomgyu's panic slowly bleeding out into quiet, hiccupping breaths.

Yeonjun didn't loosen his grip.

Not even when the boy's weight slumped fully against him, exhaustion taking over...

Beomgyu's sobs had quieted, his breaths slow and uneven against Yeonjun's chest. His fists still clung weakly to the fabric of Yeonjun's hoodie, but the fight had gone out of him.

Yeonjun glanced down.

Beomgyu's lashes were wet, cheeks flushed, lips slightly parted in sleep. The exhaustion had finally won.

Carefully, Yeonjun shifted his arms beneath the boy, one cradling behind his knees, the other supporting his back.

He stood in one smooth motion, Beomgyu light in his hold, head falling limply against his shoulder.

Yeonjun tightened his grip slightly, holding him closer.

"I've got you," he whispered, though Beomgyu was already far gone.

The bedroom was dim and still. Yeonjun laid him down gently, the mattress slightly dipping under his light weight.

He tugged the blanket up, tucking it carefully around Beomgyu's small frame.

For a moment, Yeonjun stood there, looking down at the boy's tear-streaked face.

His hand hovered briefly above Beomgyu's hair, then settled softly for a single stroke.

"Rest, Gyu," he murmured. "I'll be here."

Yeonjun straightened and moved to the floor beside the bed.

He sat cross-legged, back straight, eyes fixed on the shadows dancing faintly against the walls.

His mind drifted back to the window.

The bloody handprint.

The jagged letters carved deep into the glass.

복수.

Revenge.

His jaw tightened. Who? Why here? Why now?

He tried to thread the pieces together...the figure in black, the blood...but every thread unraveled before it even formed a picture.

Nothing made sense.

At least Not yet.

But he'd figure it out.

He had to.

Until then, he'd keep watch.

Yeonjun's gaze flicked back to the window briefly before settling on Beomgyu's sleeping form.

Whatever this was, it wasn't over...

But no one was touching him. Yeonjun wouldn't let them.