NO-ONE ~YEONGYU FF

THE FRIENDLY MEET

Ch-9
...

..
Beomgyu told himself it was harmless.

A coffee here, a walk there, an afternoon spent chatting with Taehyun. None of it was romantic. None of it was meant to replace Yeonjun. But after months of feeling suffocated, it was refreshing to sit across from someone who didn't cling to his every word or stare at him like he might disappear at any second.

With Taehyun, he could breathe.

And that was all he wanted, air.

......

One Saturday morning, Beomgyu met Taehyun at a park café. The air was crisp, the trees beginning to shed their leaves, the smell of roasted beans drifting from the café window. They ordered drinks and sat outside, laughter flowing easily between them.

"I can't believe you've been gone this long," Taehyun teased, sipping his latte. "What, did you move to another planet?"

Beomgyu chuckled. "Something like that. Life just… got heavy."

Taehyun's smile softened. "You don't have to explain. I'm just glad you're here."

Beomgyu looked down at his cup, warmth spreading through him. It wasn't romantic warmth, it was the comfort of friendship, the reminder that he wasn't trapped in a cage.

For the first time in months, he felt almost normal.

.....

But across the street, hidden by the tinted windows of a parked car, Yeonjun was unraveling.

His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. His jaw ached from clenching. Every laugh, every smile Beomgyu shared with Taehyun, felt like a blade stabbing deeper into him.

He had followed Beomgyu here, like he always did. And he had told himself the same lie as always, "I'm just making sure he's safe."

But watching Beomgyu's eyes light up for someone else shattered that illusion.

"He's mine. Not Taehyun's. Mine."

Yeonjun's breathing quickened. The longer he watched, the more furious he became. The way Taehyun leaned closer, the way Beomgyu's shoulders relaxed in his presence, it was too much.

A storm of jealousy raged inside him, drowning out reason.

.....

Later, Beomgyu and Taehyun left the café and strolled through the park. Leaves crunched underfoot as they walked, talking about nothing and everything. Taehyun mentioned a concert coming up, and Beomgyu's eyes lit up at the thought of live music.

Yeonjun followed from a distance, every step heavy with rage. He imagined dragging Beomgyu away, locking the world out, forcing him to see that no one could love him like he did.

When Taehyun laughed and gently nudged Beomgyu's shoulder, Yeonjun nearly lost control. His vision blurred with red.

But Beomgyu's smile froze him.

It wasn't the smile he wore for strangers or polite conversations. It was real, open, carefree, unguarded. The kind of smile Yeonjun hadn't seen in weeks.

And the cruelest part?

It wasn't meant for him.

......

That night, Beomgyu returned to the apartment he was staying at. He sank onto the couch, exhausted but content. For the first time in a long while, his chest didn't feel heavy.

But as he lay there, staring at the ceiling, guilt seeped in. He thought of Yeonjun, alone in their apartment, waiting, hurting. He thought of the way Yeonjun had looked at him when he asked for space, the broken smile, the desperate promise to wait.

He still loved him. That hadn't changed.

But love wasn't enough if it felt like chains.

Beomgyu sighed, closing his eyes. Maybe, someday soon, he and Yeonjun could rebuild what they lost. But right now, he needed this. He needed to breathe.

......

Meanwhile, Yeonjun didn't sleep. He sat in his darkened apartment, the curtains drawn, the silence unbearable. His mind replayed the day like a cruel film reel, Beomgyu laughing, Taehyun leaning closer, the easy comfort between them.

Every scene stoked the fire inside him.

By dawn, his decision was made.

If Beomgyu wouldn't come back willingly, then Yeonjun would make sure no one else could take him away.

Not even Taehyun.

......

Over the next few days, Yeonjun's shadow never left. He followed Beomgyu closer than before, his presence sharper, more dangerous. He memorized Taehyun's routines, his apartment, his favorite haunts. Every detail became fuel for the obsession burning in his veins.

And Beomgyu, though unaware of the depth of Yeonjun's watch, began to feel it again, that strange weight at the back of his neck, the phantom gaze that followed him.

One evening, as he walked home, he paused mid-step. The street was empty, but his skin prickled. He turned, scanning the darkness.

"Yeonjun?" he whispered, voice trembling.

The silence answered, as it always did.

But in the shadows, Yeonjun's eyes glinted, unblinking, locked on him.

And this time, love alone would not be enough to stop what was coming.

......
"Laugh with someone else,
And I'll break apart inside.
Even if you smile at another,
I'll chain your smile back to me."