The Witness ➳ Taegyu

26. Burden

*The next morning*

Date: May 11th

Beomgyu sat up in the comfortable bed, looking around after remembering where he was. Although, it took him an embarrassingly long time to figure it out. Last night, he was so tired, drained, hurt, and hungry, that all he wanted to do was sleep off the pain from the day.

When the smell of both sweet and salty food bombarded his senses, he remembered the "hunger" part of it and stumbled out of bed to open the door. The room he was in had pretty big windows and the most comfortable bed he had ever slept on, and after opening the door, he remembered just how nice the rest of the apartment was.

High rise ceilings, plants and abstract paintings decorating nearly every wall and table, and the soft sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows that gave him a calm feeling now. Remembering the stress from yesterday made his breath hitch, but he just took a deep breath and continued down the hallway to the kitchen.

"How did you sleep? Were my clothes okay?" Taeyong asked after seeing him come in.

Beomgyu looked down at the basketball shorts and baggy t-shirt he was wearing and nodded. "Of course. Thank you." Taeyong just smiled and Beomgyu watched him. In the middle of his crying, Taeyong had asked him if he was okay going to the officer's apartment to sleep, and Beomgyu gave his confirmation at some point.

There weren't a lot of things scarier than not having somewhere to go back to, he realized. He didn't have any money because the government had been helping him, and with everything going on, being alone somewhere or on the street didn't seem like a good idea.

He was terrified last night, and when Taeyong and Rosé came back to ask what was wrong, he started begging them for help. Not a place to stay necessarily, but just for help. They were only gonna leave him because they assumed Chief Kim had figured out Beomgyu's situation, but he hadn't yet.

Without a second thought, Taeyong offered to help him in any way that he needed.

A/N: It is scary because imagine you don't have a place to stay or really any money of your own, and the last two people you can maybe ask for help are about to leave you too 😭.

"I'm sorry for burdening you," he said quietly while sitting at the island.

Taeyong turned around to face him, a pan of hash browns in his hand and an unamused look on his face. "Don't think that way Beomgyu. You're part of our group now, and we look out for each other."

He continued cooking and Beomgyu tilted his head. "What group?"

"The group who knows Taehyun's dirty little secrets. If we weren't friends before, we certainly are now," he chuckled and Beomgyu nodded in understanding. They all had trust in each other now, but still.

"I'll be out of here as soon as possible. And I'll pay you back for food and-"

"Calm down, Beomgyu." He started filling up a plate with all the food he made and Beomgyu's eyes widened when it was handed to him. "You're okay. A lot is going on, and we'll get through it together. I'm okay with helping you for as long as it takes."

He got his own food and Beomgyu just thought about what he said. He wasn't even supposed to really be friends with Taehyun, let alone his colleagues. The way that Taeyong and Rosé treat him has always made him feel welcome and cared about. Now, more than ever, he was thankful for the two people who just sat across from him when he would watch Taehyun work.

"Thank you. For everything." Before Taeyong could reply, Beomgyu took a bite of the eggs and loudly gasped. "These are so good!"

They both laughed a bit and continued eating, and Taeyong was glad that Beomgyu was smiling about something again. Even it was something as small as the seasoning in the food he was eating.

After they ate, Beomgyu washed the dishes and sat on the couch next to Taeyong. "I was thinking we can go shopping and get you some clothes." Beomgyu's face became increasingly disapproving, but Taeyong didn't let him protest. "I think you should also start looking for a part-time job. Not because I won't pay for you, but just so that way you have freedom with your own money, you know?"

"Can't we just get my clothes from the safe house?" Beomgyu asked.

Right. Taeyong smacked himself on the forehead since he didn't think about that and Beomgyu started giggling.

***

After putting all his clothes and personal items into a few suitcases, Beomgyu stopped at the front door with both pieces of luggage behind him. There was a coat hook beside the door that for the few days he and Beomgyu had been living in this new house, Taehyun always hung his jacket on. The table in the foyer also still had some of the items that Taehyun would keep on his person.

Beomgyu bit his lip and gasped when he remembered. Hurriedly, he ran to the living room and grabbed the panda stuffed animal that he left there just the other day. It was crazy to think about how much can happen in just three days.

The first, Taehyun won him this stuffed animal and kissed him. The next, Kami showed up and Taehyun left. And today, he had a different roommate.

The entire time he was in the house, he was holding back tears while thinking about Taehyun. He wanted to believe that everything was okay. That Taehyun really was just doing it to bring that group down and he wouldn't be hurt in the process. No matter how much he tried to think positively though, he kept fearing the worst.

Not wanting to upset himself further, he dragged the suitcases out and Taeyong helped him put them in the trunk. "Actually..." Taeyong started. "Until Chief Kim gets all your information set up again once we assume Taehyun's put all of us on that list, you won't be able to work. It's not easy to get a job when your identity has been erased from a lot of things."

"Do you know when that will be?"

"Soon. Within the next couple of days." He got back in the car and Beomgyu did the same. "I mean, you can carry protective weapons on you at all times, but do you want extra protection for a few days? Like I said, just to make sure you're on that list."

Beomgyu nodded. "But how will we know we're on it?"

Taeyong shrugged. "We won't. We just have to hope that Taehyun's gonna stick to his word."

He will. Beomgyu was sure of it.

As they drove, Taeyong finally asked about the stuffed animal he was holding, and Beomgyu looked down at it. "Um... Taehyun won it for me at a carnival the other day."

Seeing the sadness on his face, Taeyong didn't push it any further.

A/N: Taeyong is the goat.