Nowhere || Beomjun | yeongyu ||

Chapter 20: whelve

Beomgyu slowly regained consciousness, his head throbbing with pain. He groaned and sat up on the bed, clutching his head. Then, he heard Yeonjun's voice "you up?" He glanced around, searching for Yeonjun and found him just outside the kitchen. Beomgyu nodded to let him know he was awake.

Yeonjun seemed in a hurry as he told Beomgyu to stay put. Curiosity piqued, Beomgyu watched as Yeonjun disappeared into the kitchen. Beomgyu's senses went on high alert when a familiar scent filled the air. It was the smell of oyster stew soup. He furrowed his brows, wondering what Yeonjun was up to.

"Here it is," Yeonjun returned with a bowl in his hands, and Beomgyu's curiosity was finally satisfied. Yeonjun settled beside him on the bed, the delicious scent of oyster soup enveloping them. Beomgyu's eyes lit up as he realized what was happening.

"You must be hungry," Yeonjun said, offering a warm smile. Beomgyu eagerly nodded in agreement. Yeonjun took the spoon and began feeding Beomgyu, something that wasn't entirely new to them. Yeonjun had also fed Beomgyu dumplings previously.

Beomgyu opened his mouth, ready to savor the first bite. However, Yeonjun quickly pulled the spoon back with a playful scold, "Yah, it's hot!" Beomgyu chuckled and waited for the soup to cool down a bit. Finally, he took the first delicious sip, and the taste was so incredible that he nearly moaned in delight.

"It's good, right?" Yeonjun chuckled, and Beomgyu nodded enthusiastically. "It's way too good," Beomgyu replied with delight.

Yeonjun agreed and humbly said, "You know I'm not good at cooking. Taehyun kind of helped me." Beomgyu raised an eyebrow and asked, "He was here?"

Yeonjun hesitated briefly before responding, "Oh, he just came randomly." Beomgyu nodded.

Yeonjun gently placed his hand on Beomgyu's forehead to check his fever. "Mhm, you don't have a fever now," he remarked. Beomgyu didn't respond, too engrossed in savoring the stew. Yeonjun continued to watch him closely as he ate, his thoughts wandering to what had happened earlier and why Beomgyu had broken down like that. He contemplated asking him about it, the concern evident in his eyes.

"Are you worried about me?" Beomgyu asked, not looking at Yeonjun, and continued to eat normally. The question took Yeonjun by surprise. "Huh?" he stammered, caught off guard. Beomgyu looked up at him and confidently stated, "It's obvious that you're worried."

Yeonjun sighed, realizing that Beomgyu had seen through his concern. "I am," he admitted.

Beomgyu remained quiet for a while, focusing on his meal. Then, he said, "I'm fine. I was just... missing..." he knew he had no one he could miss.

Yeonjun's curiosity got the better of him. "Missing someone?" he inquired.

Beomgyu hesitated for a moment before he replied, "I was missing my family." Yeonjun immediately responded with a simple, "Oh."

Beomgyu immediately perked up, not wanting to worry Yeonjun any further. "I'm fine now, really," he reassured with a bright smile. Yeonjun smiled back, a hint of relief in his expression.

Beomgyu placed the empty bowl on the bedside table, and as he did, Yeonjun asked, "Who is in your family?" Beomgyu hesitated for a moment. Would he have to lie about this too? He didn't want to, but he replied, "Oh... well, I was raised by... my aunt until I... came to the palace. But I have two brothers."

Beomgyu avoided meeting Yeonjun's eyes. He was lying, once again, about everything. He felt like he was making up too much, but what other choice did he have now?

"Were you close with them?" Yeonjun inquired gently, and Beomgyu offered a tentative nod. Yeonjun moved closer to Beomgyu, which didn't startle him as it usually did. Beomgyu looked up at him, and Yeonjun softly said, "You have me." There was a brief pause, and then he added, "So there's no need to feel lonely anymore."