18th July, 2022
Taehyun sat in the dark silence as he hugged a sleeping Beomgyu, much to the older's request. He had been siting for a while, staring into the wall.
'What could hyung have possibly went through for him to go through such panic attacks?' Taehyun thought, lifting his eyes to look towards Beomgyu, who had beads of sweat on his forehead due to the warmness of the blanket.
Seeing this, Taehyun grabbed the AC remote from his nightstand to decrease the temperature so that the room could be a little more chilly.
He had just gotten a call from Soobin, an hour ago. The older had asked if his brother was alright, adding more confusions in Taehyun's brain.
Sure, he had always been comforting the older for his panic attacks, ever since he was twelve. But, up till this date, he doesn't know what triggers it. Is it because of the thunder? Darkness?
Who knows?
Taehyun made a mental note to ask about it to the older.
His thoughts were crashed when Beomgyu grumbled, opening his eyes as he looked around. "What time is it..?" He said, voice hoarse.
Taehyun took a look towards the digital alarm-clock on his nightstand. "One am."
"Oh damn," Beomgyu said, sitting up to rest his back against the head-board of the bed as Taehyun watched him.
"Hyung," Taehyun asked after a few seconds of silence. "Can I ask you something? If it means to not trigger your boundaries?"
Beomgyu nodded, motioning the younger to speak. "What is it?"
Taehyun formed his lips in a straight line. "What causes your panic attacks, hyung?" The younger saw how Beomgyu froze in his position, the sweat on his forehead not going away as his eyes were unfocused.
Immediately, Taehyun spoke up. "It's fine! It's completely fine if you don't want to talk about this. I was just curious."
Beomgyu shook his head, waving his hands in the air. "Don't worry. The question just caught me a bit off-guard." He assured the younger, who was unconvinced.
"Do you want me to tell about my trauma?" Beomgyu chuckled but anyone could point it out that it was fake.
Taehyun nodded. "Only if you're comfortable with it..."
Beomgyu nodded, pulling Taehyun closer to him to wrap an arm around his shoulder. "Well, this is a long one..."
✿✿
A seven-year old Beomgyu, laughed as he saw the debate going on between his parents. His giggles died down and morphed his face into a confused one as he heard his dad, speak out a weird word.
"Bullshit! Mint-chocolate remains superior!" Mr. Choi argued, pointing a figure towards Mrs. Choi, still unaware of his cursing.
"Mint-chocolate is fucking disgusting!" Mrs. Choi smugly smiled, leaning onto her chair, also unaware of her cursing.
"Bullshit...? Beomgyu repeated with a confused hum.
The parent's eyes widened. "Beomgyu, you can't say that!" Mr. Choi said with widened eyes.
Beomgyu tilted his head. "Why?"
"You just can't!"
And at that moment, a loud voice from upstairs interrupted them. "SHIT!"
Mrs. Choi sighed. "Choi Soobin! You're grounded!" She shouted and then later heard a whine from the room.
Mr. Choi shook his head with a sigh, sitting back down on his chair. "Kids these days..."
Mrs. Choi got up from her chair to pick up Beomgyu. "Time for bed, honey."
Beomgyu whined, hands curling onto his mother's shoulders. "I don't want to go to bed! I hate school!"
Mrs. Choi raised her eyebrows. "Why do you hate school?"
Beomgyu hid his face in his mother's neck. "The kids are mean... the teacher doesn't even do anything about it." The kid, quietly, muttered.
Mr. Choi furrowed his eyebrows from where he was following his wife and son upstairs. "Did they say anything to you?"
"They made fun of my hair.." Beomgyu pouted, unconsciously touching his hair.
Mr. Choi scoffed. "You have great hair. Don't listen to them. They're jealous of how cool you look."
Beomgyu's eyes lightened up. "Really?"
Mrs. Choi nodded with a faint smile on her lips. "Yes, honey. Now, do you want to go to bed?"
Beomgyu nodded as he laid down on his bed, immediately hugging his brother, who pretended to be asleep.
Mr. and Mrs. Choi pecked Beomgyu and Soobin's forehead. The older immediately whined at the wet feeling on his forehead.
"Ew!"
✿✿
"Beomgyu," Mrs. Choi warned the younger. "Just drink it. It's not that disgusting as you're making it seem like."
Beomgyu shook his head with a stubborn frown on his lips. "It's yuck! And gross!"
Mrs. Choi sighed. "Do you want to call me your dad? He won't be happy to find his son throwing a tantrum at eight-thirty in the morning."
The mother could see the nervous look on Beomgyu's face but the kid ignored her, stubbornly shaking his head.
"Darling!" Mrs. Choi shouted to which, Mr. Choi quickly came into the kitchen.
Mrs. Choi tried to hold in her laugh at how her husband was looking in the early morning. His pajamas were crumbled and were almost showing off his left shoulder, his hair was messy at it stuck up in different directions, giving him the look of mad scientists in children cartoons. He also had a toothbrush in his mouth.
"What's wrong?" The father asked, unaware at how his family was on the verge of cracking up.
Unfortunately, the mother and the son duo couldn't hold it anymore at how Mr. Choi slurred his words because of the toothpaste in his mouth.
"What's so funny..?" Mr. Choi frowned, continuing to brush his teeth as the mother and the son cracked up more.
Soobin, who just came back to the kitchen after finishing his milk, also giggled. "Dad, you're looking funny."
Mr. Choi confusedly messed up with his hair, giving the locks different directions to be stuck up in the air.
Now, Mr. Choi was getting fed up with the loud laughs of the three. "We're gonna be late. So chop-chop!"
✿✿
After an exhausting day at school, Beomgyu whined as he stepped out of the school bus. "I didn't understand anything in math, today."
Soobin bit onto his chocolate. "What? It was so easy, though. Try coming up in my grade. They're already teaching us multiplication."
"Shut up," Beomgyu grumbled, giggling at the offended gasp from Soobin.
"Wanna race towards the front door?" Beomgyu proposed the idea.
Soobin gave a smug smile. "Sure, you're gonna lose anyways. I have longer legs."
Beomgyu glared at the older, already running towards the front door, leaving the older behind, who complained about cheating while running.
"That's cheating, Choi Beomgyu!" Soobin panted, hands on his knees as they stopped to catch their breath in front of their main door.
Beomgyu stuck out his tongue, which made Soobin want to slap him. "You're shit."
Beomgyu gasped, placing a hand on his chest as he used the other one to ring the doorbell. "You cursed! I'm telling mom and dad!"
"Please don't, I'll buy you ice-cream, tonight." Soobin pleaded, aware of the power held in Beomgyu's hands as the younger smiled.
"Deal."
Mrs. Choi opened the door, smiling at the sight of her two sons as she took the backpacks from them. "How was school?" She asked as she let them in.
"Boring."
"Amazing!"
Both of the brothers replied, contrasted to their answers, which made Mrs. Choi chuckle. "Anything else?"
Beomgyu picked up his head from where he was un-lacing his shoes. "By the way, hyung cursed."
Mrs. Choi widened her eyes as she looked towards her older son. "Choi Soobin? What do you have to say about this?"
"Beomgyu is a liar!" Soobin cried.
"I'm not!"
"Say goodbye to your ice-cream!"
"Shit!" Beomgyu cursed.
Mrs. Choi snapped her neck towards her younger son. "Beomgyu!"
✿✿