Promised One | BEOMJUN

彡 safe place

You're My Safe Place

彡

What was a safe place supposed to be?

A place where one can feel the safest? Secured? Unharmed? A place where one, or anyone who's able to find it, can find solace in — a small space, a big space, no matter the size, any part of the world that makes you feel like you can breathe without having to feel any aching in your chest.

A place, no matter where it is, where you run to whenever you're in sorrow, or maybe even happiness, when you want to scream and cry with rage, or simply — a place you can head to when you want nothing but peace, warm air, and silence. As if that place, unlike anywhere else, makes you feel like you're at home. As if everything makes sense. As if you're right where the universe wanted you to be.

Safe place.

Beomgyu has been thinking about it lately. People would often describe their safe places as a garden, or a rooftop, or a place by the hill — his friends told him they feel the safest inside their room, a few said that they found security while lying on their bed and cuddled up with their duvet. All warm and cozy; wrapped and secured. Like an embrace, a kiss on the forehead, fireworks lighting up the sky, and dandelions flying around you — that's what they felt. Paradise. Peace.

However, as the boy thought about it, unlike everyone else's answers, his safe place was...different? Was it the right term? Maybe weird? Or simply, it was questionable?

Beomgyu closed his eyes as he pulled his knees closer to his chest and hugged himself. The boy let out a sigh, one that resonated all over the place — the bathroom. Beomgyu glanced at the mirror on the wall and saw his own reflection on it. He looked absolutely miserable, Beomgyu couldn't help but heave out a shaky breath. The bathroom was cold, but for some reason, it brought comfort to Beomgyu. The warmth that no duvet, no grassy field, no bed can ever carve to his skin. The bathroom was quite small, but it was enough to make him feel secure. The bathroom — the bathtub gave him peace.

Bathtub. Beomgyu was seated in the bathtub, no water running or anything, it was dry and cold and it pierced right through Beomgyu's bare feet. But it didn't bother him, nothing about anything in this place bothered him. He wasn't exactly sure why he was always here whenever he felt shallow or empty, but Beomgyu was certain about one thing though: it's that this bathtub located inside the apartment has always given him peace.

And that's what a safe place is supposed to be, right?

Safe, peaceful, free — any terms you can use to describe it.

The bathtub was Beomgyu's safe place.

But for some reason, it didn't feel as safe as it used to be.

The cold started to pierce. The space started to suffocate him.

Nothing felt safe.

Tomorrow came.

There was warmth during the morning, specks of dust were floating around as Beomgyu made his way to his classroom. The hallways were filled with students running and chatting around, Beomgyu held on to the straps of his bag, tighter, and walked inside his class.

It was loud. But unlike any other day, the noise colored with bliss didn't affect anything in Beomgyu's mood. However, he forced it. Forced to shout as loud as he could, ran his way to his friends, and sparked up a conversation with them. Beomgyu wasn't feeling it, but something within his chest forced him to stretch out a smile and threatened the stars in his eyes to shine. Even if they didn't want to. Yet stars must shine, even on days when they don't feel like it.