Next Door |•YEONGYU/BEOMJUN•|

~8~

It didn't rain that day. But it sure did the next day. The morning had been scorchingly bright and so blisteringly hot that Yeonjun's mind didn't even consider bringing an umbrella. Now he was under a bus stand, with an annoying younger man who made him believe that if the other were to drown, his lips would still float up and talk.

Yeonjun and Beomgyu were bickering again, even though they had forgotten the topic ages ago. The other people in the shed shot them sharp, disbelieving looks. 
"Hey, UCLA," Yeonjun said, talking about the name written on Beomgyu's shirt. "Do not forget that I'm older than you."
"You-" Beomgyu swatted the elder's chest. "Bear! If you don't show me love, I won't show you respect." He added, sarcastically. They both stared at each other, frowning like little kids.
"Speaking to you gives me gen alpha brainrot in its purest form."
"Excuse you!"
"Yeah, you're excuse-wait, no."

"That's it. You two get out of here!" an old man shouted from the crowd.

They just looked at each other, thinking of the thousands of ways to kill each other. "Fuck you," they said in a united whisper-shout. They walked out of the bus stand, and the rain hit them almost instantly. Cursing under their breath, they made a run for it.

When I said running, I meant Olympic running. They came home covered in mud as if they were little kids playing football in the rain, not two full-grown college students coming home drenched in rain. On their way, they occasionally shoved each other, hoping each time that the other would fall into the drain.

They turned at the exact same moment. Two shoves landed at once, sending both of them stumbling, then crashing down into the mud. The fall seemed to drag on, every second stretched out—the splash of water, the thud of bodies, the sharp curses slipping out under their breath.

When they hit the ground, rain splattered across their faces, mud streaking their skin. They froze there for a moment, glaring through the downpour.

Then Yeonjun's chest shook with a low laugh. Beomgyu really didn't want to give in, but his composure cracked within half a second, his laughter spilling out until it tangled with Yeonjun's—louder, sharper, impossible to stop. Even as they gasped for air, they kept shoving at each other, still arguing, their laughter spilling over every word.

Soon, they stopped laughing, and Yeonjun was the first to get up, and he offered a hand to Beomgyu so he could get up from the ground, the rain still pouring down on them, harsher than before. As they started walking, Beomgyu asked curiously, "What's you're English name, hyung?"
"Huh? Oh, it's Daniel," Yeonjun said casually, but it was hard to see the casualty when he was so drenched in rain. "What's yours?" 
"It's Ben," Beomgyu said, a bit proud of his name. 
"What?"
"Ben."
"Baem?" (Snake in Korean.)
"You piece of sh-!"

"You guys care to explain yourselves?" They were currently surrounded by both of their moms. "And Yeonjun? Has you're leg healed yet? Are you supposed to run in the rain with it?" Yeonjun's mom scolded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"And Beomgyu, being the cause of his injury, are you supposed to tag along with him?" Beomgyu's mom said this time, twisting his ear.
"Eomma!" 
"I thought you were calling me mom?" 

A huge flash of guilt spread across his face. As if all the golden hues of the sun had been sucked out of him, replaced by clouds. Yeonjun didn't know why, but everything seemed to matter less to him except Beomgyu. And the room felt more congested, even though it was huge.
"Can we please not talk about my leg injury? He didn't mean to do it, and he has already apologized to me a lot of times." 
Beomgyu looked at him with a thoughtful expression. He didn't think Yeonjun was capable of standing up for somebody other than himself, let alone him.
"And I forgave him," Yeonjun continued, not looking at him but meaning every word he said.
Hearing the words, something unfamiliar but warm rushed through him. His chest felt lighter, and his heart lifted at the sound of it. He felt a huge burden lift off his shoulders.
Not many fans got that.

"Look, you two are still young and living you're lives, but think about us. What if one of you got severely injured? Do you know how tiring it is to be a mom and how worried we get?" Beomgyu's mom said with a sad expression on her face.
"Don't do this again, or at least don't be so reckless! You two are not Tom and Jerry, having no impulse of pain nor death." Yeonjun's mom said.
"And you are taking umbrellas even if it's winter!" They both said in unison.

Beomgyu and Yeonjun looked at each other.
When did they become so close?
Their eyes asked each other.

"Hyung! I thought you started off without me," Beomgyu said as he saw waiting for him.
"Didn't you go with that tall boy to school?" Yeonjun asked as they started walking together.
"I did, but he used to accompany me because I didn't like using cars and walked to college alone. Now I told him that he can take his car to college, I'll go with my Yeonjun hyung!" He beamed at the elder man.
Yeonjun felt something flutter in his chest watching his smile. He quickly looked away, the nature looking extremely attractive all of a sudden. He couldn't deny the fact that he slowly started to like the younger's presence. He had the aura in himself that lifted the mood, no matter how bad the situation was.
"It feels a bit weird to walk beside someone who is you're idol and you never even imagined that you would be lucky enough to visit their concerts, let alone walk beside them," Beomgyu said, putting his hands into the warmth of his pockets. It was still a bit chilly outside. "You're exams are starting soon, right? How's you're preparation?" He asked after some time.
"It's fine, you should probably start studying for the finals as well. I really wish I had started a year earlier," Yeonjun replied.
"Oh, sure." Beomgyu looked down at his feet. He didn't want to think about his studies. But Yeonjun didn't need to know that.  And just like that, Yeonjun turned and went inside the college gates, giving him a wave. But he didn't tell Yeonjun goodbye on a cheery note as usual.