beneath your dust-piled crown | yeongyu

;chapter 12

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

[ Soob ]
Hey, can you drop off my notebook at the children's center?
I left it at home and it has my notes for the puppet show we're doing today > <

[ Beomgyu ]
sure

It was afternoon, and Beomgyu was trying to find a secluded spot to eat his lunch away from prying eyes when he got Soobin's messages. The last time he saw Yeonjun seemed to have shifted something, and he found himself increasingly cornered by an unwelcome reality. Where once Yeonjun had treated him as if he were just another face in the crowd around campus, practically invisible, now he'd be looking right at him, a deliberate search in his gaze that unnerved Beomgyu deeply. However hard it was to avoid Yeonjun before, it was nothing compared to how impossible it seemed now.

Beomgyu's attempts to evade him had become yet another draining challenge, with him having to switch up his routes between classes and lingering in bathrooms until he was sure Yeonjun would have left the area. But no matter how he planned, Yeonjun's new awareness of him tinted every corner turned, every crowd the older meticulously scanned.

So, there he was now, in some corner of the campus that probably no student had seen since the university's opening when Soobin asked him for a favor. Beomgyu was heading towards the bus stop as his phone buzzed with more messages.

[ Soob ]
Thanks, you're a lifesaver!!
Btw, Yeonjun's here today
Maybe you two could talk?

Beomgyu stared at the chat, his stomach knotting. Shit. He had completely forgotten the fact that the children's center was also where Yeonjun was helping out. The thought of facing him and potentially having to speak with him clawed at Beomgyu's already frayed nerves. Taking that risk after all his hard work to avoid it? But his loyalty to his best friend overpowered his dread, especially given Soobin's unwavering support lately.

[ Beomgyu ]
hell no
i'll drop off your notebook, but that's it

With a heavy sigh, Beomgyu continued on his way and took the bus to Soobin's place. After grabbing the notebook, he headed to the children's center, all while constantly rehearsing his plan to avoid Yeonjun. He would just stay at the door, hand Soobin the notes, and escape quickly before anyone could see him. It was a flawed plan, but it would have to work. It just had to.

As he approached the vibrant, brightly painted door of the center, marked with the sign '553 Miracles' above it, he quickly pulled out his phone.

[ Beomgyu ]
i'm outside
come get your shit
quick please

Leaning against the cool wall beside the door, Beomgyu couldn't tear his eyes from his phone, his heart racing with every second that ticked by. Soobin needed to hurry. Every second of waiting felt like tempting fate, each passing minute increasing the chance of Yeonjun appearing.

When the door finally swung open, Beomgyu's heart skipped — relief flooding him when he saw it was Soobin and not Yeonjun. But his relief vanished as quickly as it came when he thrust the notebook toward his friend, who either didn't grasp the urgency of the situation, or simply chose to ignore it. Instead of grabbing the notebook, Soobin's fingers closed around Beomgyu's, effectively pinning him in place.

"Just take it," Beomgyu urged with a strained whisper, his eyes darting nervously over his shoulder.

"Come on, dude. Yeonjun's right inside, and he—"

"That's exactly why I need to leave," Beomgyu cut him off, trying to free his hand, but Soobin's was much larger than his and he held firm. "Let me go, Soob."