Beomgyu's Reasons Why [ BeomJun/ YeonGyu / TaeGyu ]

TAPE 1, SIDE B

Without his father, Taehyun might not be able to finish his studies in the prestigious school of TDC.

"They would choose her instead of me. I need the full scholarship, being the salutatorian will only give me half, and I don't think we can afford that once..."

"Once what?" Hongjoong seemed to be rubbing salt into the wound Taehyun tried to ignore.

"I'm not obliged to fucking tell you."

"All right, then Taehyun." Hongjoong took out his phone and sent a file to Taehyun's email.

Before walking away to join his friends, Hongjoong said, "Think about joining us, Taehyun. You're welcome anytime."

Ping!

His cell vibrated, it was a word file... of his upcoming exam.

"Like what you see there?" Soobin asked. Taehyun instantly locked his phone in fear that a CCTV, or an administrator would peek into his screen and see the answer key.

"No, Soobin I fucking don't, this will get me in trouble!"

"It won't if you start memorizing it, and then delete it from your phone afterwards. I suggest you start with the trick questions-- the ones Chaeryeong wouldn't be able to answer."

-

Taehyun skipped breakfast. More like, he didn't want to face his mom in fear he would slip up and accidentally tell her about his father's adultery.

The seven tapes and player made his already heavy bag heavier against his slumped shoulders.

"Tyun!" Soobin. He met him halfway to the entrance, and as a habit, Taehyun took Soobin's arm and held onto it as they walked. Because of the gesture, Soobin knew something was up. Either that, or Taehyun was sick and needed to go to the nurse's office.

They entered the gates of their school building.

"Is it true? Would Beomgyu really do that to himself?"

"It's not like anything would change, no one cares about him here anyway."

"What if he was killed?"

"Hah, he really was killed. He killed himself."

"Serves the slut right. Such a waste of space and oxygen."

"Did us all a favor when he shot himself. It's like a blessing from above, ain't it?"

Taehyun refused to believe his own hearing. If the ears can deceive you, rely on your eyes.

There, on Beomgyu's locker were flowers, small teddy bears, and of course, his picture. It was a memoriam.

The fucking audacity of these people to give Beomgyu letters and sad smiles— hypocrites, who only noticed Beomgyu now when he's dead.

Taehyun let Beomgyu die. Maybe he was still alive while he was listening to his own tape...? No. They said it was a gun. He couldn't have saved Beomgyu.

That was an effect of listening to the fucking tapes— would make you care for Beomgyu, and it would make you hate yourself, especially if you're mentioned in it. And Taehyun was only on the first.

-

"Taehyun, let me congratulate you in advance," his English teacher, Mr. Kim Namjoon said when he called Taehyun over to the teacher's table right before dismissal.

"For what, sir?"

"Your grades. They've sky rocketed and beat Chaeryeong by a great number. The gap between the both of you has grown. There's no question who would be the valedict."

Taehyun should be jumping for joy, right? Heck, he should be ecstatic and screaming his heart out in the corridor, but... Beomgyu...

Taehyun doesn't deserve this. Hongjoong has forwarded almost eight answer keys to Taehyun, one being the correct answers to their quarterly finals. This was not all purely his own work and effort...

Fuck guilt.

"Oh, uhh, thanks sir... I must go now." He said courteously as he bowed and pulled his bag over his shoulders.

He went to the boy's comfort room and locked himself in a cubicle. He took out the first tape and flipped it to Side B.

He wasn't patient enough to go home and listen to it there. He wanted to know what tipped Beomgyu over the edge.

-
"Yeonjun-hyung, I really hope you're still listening and not canoodling with the guy you chose over me. Haha... uhm...

So you know how my grades matter to me, right? Or... or maybe you don't— whatever just... school is shit.

Whoever said school was the second home? Whoever that person is might've had a great time with friends.

Who the fuck had the idea that teachers are our second parents? They don't even come close.

If our teachers were my real parents, then I would be living in a broken and abusive family because fuck this.

I've worked so hard, tried to put the shit with Taehyun behind me, for my grades— for the numbers that would define my future.

But one fucking professor took that away from me because he favored the popular ones, the ones who weren't outcasted by the entire student body.

I don't deserve the grades he fucking gave me. Call me a boast or whatnot, but I may suck at math, but I know my capabilities. I fucking know that my grammar and fucking thousand-word essays don't merit a 75 on my card. I deserve at least 85 considering he fucking hates me.

All I did was answer back because I couldn't take his fucking humiliation anymore, and he makes me fail the subject? Just because he has an IQ of 148 doesn't mean I am a total idiot.

His boyfriend would hate me for saying this, not that he would hear this anyway Jun-hyung, but Kim Namjoon is the epitome of injustice. He deserves to be fucking fired."