Letters ||Choi Beomgyu✔️

3

The school hallway was a swamp of people cluttered all over the place, chatter so loud you could hardly hear your own thoughts. Though the crowd would part when Beomgyu walked down, he kept his head ducked as he shoved his way past clusters of people.

"Hey," he heaved a breath when he stopped, having shoved more than one shoulder on his way over. "You're Kai. Right?"

Kai's eyes narrowed as he shut his locker and turned to face Beomgyu. Now, why the hell is this guy talking to me? He briefly remembered Haein telling him about her interaction with Beomgyu and was now more than conflicted, seeing Beomgyu come up to him. He had never spoken to the guy before, and wasn't sure why it was happening now.

"I am. You know that already, I presume."

Unlike Haein, Kai was anything but intimidated by yet another jock who assumed he ran the school and everyone bowed at his alter. Kai didn't believe in or play into social hierarchies. He couldn't be bothered to partake in such nonsense.

Despite his lack of amusement by the ever-relevant "social ladder", Kai couldn't help but wonder what it was Beomgyu was doing talking to him.

Beomgyu, on the other hand, was worried his friends would spot him and come over to make some sort of commotion. He for one wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. As much as he hated to admit it, he did run in a social circle that tended to be rather... crude, stereotypical, and judgemental. A social circle that both beleived in, and played into social hierarchies.

"You're friends with Haein?"

Kai grew more suspicious. "I am." His eyes narrowed to pinpricks on Leo. "Why?" Beomgyu's sudden interest in Haein was more than concerning to Kai. He knew what guys like Beomgyu were like.

Beomgyu glanced around. "What's she like?" What Beomgyu really wanted to ask, was if Haein was okay. But he knew it wasn't his place, nor would he receive a truthful answer. Judging from her letters, there was evidence she was juggling enough and Beomgyu didn't know how to upright ask her himself. At least not without incriminating himself.

He was just worried she'd hurt herself.

He worried she was hurting.

"She's.." Kai shrugged, giving Beomgyu a questioning look. He sighed. "Look, she's a good girl.

She's-soft, and kind. She's shy, which I'm sure you've gathered. Now, I don't know what you want from her but while she may be defenceless herself, she's got enough people on her side to fuck you up if you plan on hurting."

"I'm not!" Beomgyu's eyes widened, hand's briefly shooting up in deference. "I'm not-trying to hurt her or-whatever you're implying." Beomgyu shook his head, sighing. "Look, I just-l don't know. I just noticed her and I was curious and-well-she-l don't know." Beomgyu ran a hand through his hair, shrugging.

Kai's eyes remained narrowed. "Well, I can tell you one thing. She's not like all the girls you talk to-so whatever it is you're after."

"I was just curious," Beomgyu said sharply, cutting Kai off. It enraged him; Kai implied Beomgyu was out to hurt Haein or holding some sort of bad intentions-Beomgyu didn't know why, but it enraged him. Beomgyu shook his head as he began to turn away from Kai. "Whatever. Just, thanks. I guess." He paused. "Just don't mention I asked, alright?"

"Sure thing." Kai continued peering oddly at Beomgyu, watching him walk away.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dani scoffed loudly when Kai filled her in on his conversation with Beomgyu. "That doesn't make any sense. What does he want? He hasn't spoken to her, little less looked at her, in the three years that they've been going to school together so what's with the sudden interest?"

It was safe to say, Beomgyu's sudden and abrupt interest in Haein was more than random and unusual. Her friends couldn't help but worry and suspect the worst. They didn't want to, but they really wouldn't put it past someone with Beomgyu's reputation as the "bad boy."

Cliche as it may be, they only wanted the best for Haein and Beomgyu was hard to trust.

"I'm asking myself the same things." Kai shrugged. "He told me not to mention it to her so I haven't. You know how much she overthinks anyway."

"Yeah," Dani nodded, agreeing. "It's probably best not to. Not right now, at least. Not until we know more about what it is he actually wants. Haein's only going to worry, as she always does, and I don't want to give her another reason to make her head spiral."

"You're right." Kai sighed as he plucked a fry off Dani's tray. "We hardly know anything about the guy. There's no point opening that door to Haein right now."

"I just don't want her getting hurt again." Dani stared down at her stale fries for a moment. "She's been through a lot as is." She glanced at Kai. "Have you spoken to her? I mean, like really spoken to her lately? Is she doing okay?"

Kai only shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "You know she's not one to speak much, especially about herself. God, I love that girl but-she's as closed a book there can be."

"Where is she right now anyway."

"Library."

Dani found her gaze travelling over to where Beomgyu sat with the rest of his friends, "the predators", as Dani liked to call them. The ever-entitled "popular" kids, who lived under the belief that they were better than everyone else, which somehow gave them the right to treat everyone beneath them as terribly as possible.

Dani huffed a breath, her nose crinkling. "I don't want Haein getting caught up in that crowd. You know how crude they can be."

"Yeah but..."

"What?"

"Well-she has Taehyun. He's part of that crowd and he's a good guy." Kai tried to rationalize but even he was having a hard time feeling good about Beomgyu and his newfound intrigue.

"I know Taehyun's not like the rest of them-but-well-I doubt that would stop the rest of them from tormenting Haein." Dani's eyes narrowed on Beomgyu. The dirty blonde flop of hair; sitting leaning back in his chair, he laughed alongside to something some of the other football players were saying.

"She has us," Kai said firmly. "We have her back."

"We sure as hell do."

1083 words