Sound of Winter || Taegyu

Chapter Thirty Seven

"What?"

A moment of silence hangs in the air like a heavy weight. Taehyun stares at him, his eyes filled with unshed tears. He opens his mouth to try and say something, but nothing comes out. Taehyun has every right to be upset with him; he's a terrible boyfriend. Beomgyu pulls his knees to his chest, still shaking uncontrollably.

Every part of his body is in pain. His lungs burn, chest tightening like a vise and making it difficult to breathe. Each breath comes shallow and labored, as if his lungs are constricting in a desperate attempt to escape his chest. A stabbing pain shoots through his left side and he struggles to breathe, gasping for air.

"Beomgyu," Taehyun says slowly, his voice unusually calm given the circumstances. Beomgyu looks up to see Taehyun's eyes closed, taking a deep breath before continuing. "What are you talking about?"

His tears spill over, streaming down his face. He probably looks as terrible as he feels right now. He can't bring himself to repeat the words, too scared of losing Taehyun and scared of the pain he knows is about to come. His mouth opens and closes again, but he still can't force anything out. He feels like he's drowning in his own guilt, suffocating under the weight of everything he's been keeping inside.

Taehyun's eyes flash with anger and a loud crash sound echoes through the room as he slams his fist into the wall. "Dammit, answer me!" Taehyun demands. His chest heaves and Beomgyu pushes himself away. He's never once seen Taehyun react in this way and it's scaring him.

"Tyun, stop," he whispers, his voice trembling. "You're scaring me."

The room falls silent for a few seconds, the only sound being their heavy breathing and the faint hum of the television in the other room. But within the blink of an eye, Kai pushes through the door, frowning when his eyes land on them.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Kai asks, his voice as cheerful as ever, but eyes scanning the room for signs of trouble.

Taehyun's eyes stay glued on him, not blinking. "We're fine, get out." His face is still red with anger, fists clenched as if he's ready to punch the wall again.

Kai frowns, looking over at him. He chews on the inside of his cheek, brows furrowed. Beomgyu knows Kai can tell something is wrong, he just doesn't want to say it. His eyes flicker between him and Taehyun. "Are you okay, Beoms?" Kai asks slowly, scanning his face.

Beomgyu nods, not saying anything.

The room is silent. So silent that it makes him uncomfortable. The stillness is so profound that he can feel his heart throbbing in his chest, a quick and heavy drumbeat that increases with each passing second.

"What did you do to him?" Kai asks, raising his voice slightly. His eyes narrow on Taehyun, taking a step closer. "Did you hit him?"

Beomgyu's heart sinks in his chest, a wave of panic washing over him, especially when Kai takes another step closer, anger washing over his face. Taehyun scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"What are you talking about, Kai?" His voice is low, words dripping with aggression. "Do you really think I would hit him?" Taehyun stands up straighter, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Then what was that noise? Taehyun, I swear if you–"

Beomgyu feels like he's trapped in a nightmare. He doesn't know what to say or how to intervene. He can see the anger in Taehyun's eyes and quickly pushes himself off the floor, putting himself between the two, staring up at Kai.

The faint hum of the fluorescent lights overhead seem to vibrate intensely, as if they might shatter at any moment, breaking into a thousand shards and scattering across the floor. The room feels like it's holding its breath, waiting for someone to say something – to do something, yet nothing does. The silence is suffocating, and he feels trapped and claustrophobic, trapped in a sensory deprivation tank.