Chemistry | Taegyu ✔️

Episode 15 PART TWO

"I..." Taehyun bites down on his lower lip, already assuming Beomgyu wouldn't accept his apology since he showed no interest in doing so despite the affectionate gestures he had shown the younger. "I tried my best. That's all I can say..."

"You tried your best?" Beomgyu pries Taehyun's fingers off his sleeve and pushes his hand away, "do you even know what you're apologising for? You've only been vague. Tell me what exactly did you do wrong."

Beomgyu's action alone made Taehyun feel queasy inside, no less his cold and sharp words. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he grips onto the hem of his own shirt and speaks with a voice full of despair and hopelessness, unable to control his desperation, "I put your place up for Airbnb when you weren't home and sold your pictures when you were unaware... I was always rude to you too..."

"And what exactly is wrong with doing all of that?" Beomgyu presses further, needing to hear more from the younger.

"I did them without your permission, breached your privacy... and what I did were all technically illegal" Taehyun gazes down at the floor. He has never felt so guilty and vulnerable before. Admitting what he had done wrong through speech is much more difficult and embarrassing than he had thought. It only makes him realise just how serious this matter is, and adds on to his guilt and shame.

Seeing the younger this defenseless and culpable hurts Beomgyu so much to the point that his brows are pulled together and lowered with the corners of his mouth drawn downwards, but noticing how conscious Taehyun is now towards the topic of respect, privacy and moral ethics eases Beomgyu's heart. At least Taehyun's now aware of what he did wrong even though he's really horrible at apologising and speaking. So, Beomgyu decides to give him another push.

"And how are you going to improve on that? How will you change?" Beomgyu questions, his facial expressions returning back to nonchalant and strict.

Taehyun looks up at the older, finding a silver line of hope when he asked that. Isn't that practically saying that Beomgyu's giving him a chance to reflect and show a better form of himself?

"I won't do anything that's against the law anymore... And I'll ask for your permission before I do anything that might concern you. I will stop calling you an old fart and change your contact name to 'Choi Beomgyu'. I'll respect your privacy and your seniority. I'll also try to be more honest with my feelings and stop barricading myself up."

"Why do I feel attacked for my age?" Beomgyu sighs softly before letting out a small laugh. "You're so cute, Taehyun-ah... just like a child."

Taehyun frowns upon hearing the term "child". It's obvious how he dislikes it whenever he got called a kid with how he always threatens and tackles Beomgyu every time the older refers to him as a child.

"It's not a bad thing, being child-like," Beomgyu adds, his hand reaching out to pat Taehyun's head softly, "being immature for your age and being naive with a child-like heart or reaction are two different things."

Stopping the gentle head pats, Beomgyu brings his hand down to hold Taehyun's. "Being immature isn't good, like how you behaved. Maybe you're trying to act like an adult, forcing a mature image on yourself, but failed miserably because it just made you seem more immature. Trying too hard isn't always good. I'm not saying that your concept of maturity is entirely wrong, but I think you've taken it in a twisted way. Making money doesn't automatically makes you a mature adult. Pushing others away and maintaining a cold facade isn't maturity. Acting fierce and dominant doesn't make you seem mature. Having control over certain things sure is nice, but that's a sense of superiority and a temporary satisfaction, not maturity. Power isn't equal to maturity. Being mature is knowing what you can do, should do, and what you can't do and shouldn't do. Being mature is knowing how to regulate your emotions, taking responsibilities for your actions and having the ability to adapt to circumstances. It also means being sensitive and considerate to others with the ability to disagree without being disrespectful and admit to mistakes and wrong doings."