''~°.HIDE AND SEEK.°~'' | YEONGYU

THE ACCUSATION

The message came in the late afternoon.

Beomgyu's phone buzzed once on the coffee table. He hadn't been touching it. The sound alone made his shoulders tense.

The notification was from...

Mom.

He stared at the screen for a long second before unlocking it.

The bubble appeared. Then another.

"We heard about what happened at your school.

Don't get involved. Don't talk. Don't draw attention to yourself.

Stay invisible. You've always been good at that."

Beomgyu's throat tightened.

Another message followed almost immediately, the typing dots lingering longer this time.

"Be a good girl and keep your head down.

This kind of drama ruins important families like ours."

His fingers went cold.

"And most importantly, stay away from Choi Changsoo's son.

That family brings nothing but disgrace.

Do not associate with him. Do not be seen with him.

If you cause trouble for us again, you will regret it."

The phone slipped slightly in his hands.

Good girl.

Invisible.

Regret it.

The words stacked on top of each other until they felt heavy enough to crush his chest.

His breathing hitched, shallow and uneven, like his lungs had forgotten what to do.

Behind him, Yeonjun noticed the silence.

"Gyu?" he asked, turning from the window. "What's wrong?"

Beomgyu didn't answer.

His vision blurred as his grip tightened around the phone, knuckles whitening.

For a split second, the room felt too small. Too familiar. Like being dragged backward into a place he'd clawed his way out of.

Yeonjun crossed the space between them in two steps.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Look at me."

Beomgyu shook his head. He held the phone out instead, like it burned.

Yeonjun read the messages once. Twice.

Something dark settled behind his eyes.

He handed the phone back without a word, jaw locked so tight it ached. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, controlled but sharp enough to cut.

"They don't get to decide who you stand next to."

Beomgyu let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a sob.