Sound of Winter || Taegyu

Chapter Ten

Beomgyu's lungs burn as he struggles to hold his breath, fighting the urge to inhale while Seiji pushes him further down into the ice cold water. The once peaceful haven of the bathtub has now become his personal tortuous hell, with his strength gradually waning under the weight of Seiji's force. Amidst the gurgling sounds of water entering his mouth and nostrils, his heart races upon realization that his life hangs in the balance of someone else's hands. The thought both terrifies him and relieves him.

The once bubbly and vivacious personality that he loved about himself has slowly lost its energy and spark. All of his will, drive, and ambition vanished from his being, leaving behind a shell of a person, existing but not living. He can feel himself slipping away every day, his soul slowly fading and becoming more content with no longer existing,

He's always been strong, it's something he has prided himself on for years, but he has slowly learned that some things are simply stronger than he is. With each passing day, his body becomes more frail, energy low and no will left to fight. He's tired of it all – the constant pain and constant struggle.

His lungs are screaming for air, struggling against the weight of the hands holding him under. The sound of splashing water reverberates through his mind, causing a sense of hopelessness to consume him. There's a comfortness that he finds when his vision goes blurry, the world around him beginning to fade into nothingness. He prays with each time that it'll be the last.

He's abruptly pulled from the water by his hair – a guttural cry erupting from his mouth as he gasps for air. It's not even a second later that his body is being forced back down into the ceramic tub, eyes fluttering open as he gulps deeply to catch his breath. He's only met with water that rushes into his lungs, body convulsing in agony from the suffocating pressure.

The world around him spins violently as bubbles of air make its way to the surface. He tries to relax himself, to allow the water to fill his lungs and finally be over with everything. Every gasp for air is met with a mouthful of liquid, causing his throat to burn and lungs to ache for oxygen. And while he knows that he should fight back, he doesn't.

He slowly loses the last remaining strength that he has, but he feels himself slipping away as a sudden calmness washes over him. It's as if his body had given up, but his mind had found a sense of peace in the surrender. He allows himself to be held under the water, everything around him slowing down. The once terrifying feeling of death has transformed into a serene sensation of being enveloped in a cocoon of water. It gives him a sense of release, as if all the stress in the world were washing away. Darkness takes over his vision as he finds solace in the stillness, letting go of everything that has been weighing him down and finding peace in the face of death.

And when he thinks he's unable to hold on any longer, Seiji suddenly releases him, yanking him up to the surface of the water before dragging him out of the ceramic tub. He gasps for air, coughing up water and gagging on the taste of soapy water and death.

Water streams down his face, hair stuck to his skin. He's hyperventilating, desperately trying to suck air into his lungs. He can feel Seiji's fingers and palms digging into his skin, hands slamming hard into his chest as he tries to give Beomgyu chest compressions. Beomgyu's body jerks as Seiji leans down, connecting their lips before forcing air into his lungs, ribcage expanding with each breath.

Beomgyu coughs violently, shoving Seiji off of him as he rolls over on his side, spitting up water and drawing in a ragged breath.

Seiji narrows his eyes at Beomgyu with a sneer, "I told you that you needed me."

He shakes his head droplets of water falling from his hair as he does so, making a mess on the tile beneath him. "Just kill me already, please."