Notice Me - Choi Beomgyu

Twenty Four

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Beomgyu adjusted his cap and mask, ensuring they were secure enough to shield his identity but not too conspicuous. He glanced at Soobin, who stood beside him, similarly disguised but far more casual. They'd done this many times before — this whole "undercover" act — but today was different. Beomgyu had more at stake.

He was ready to make his exit from the practice room when Huening Kai walked by, his hands on his phone, texting his younger sister. Kai gave him a quick nod in acknowledgement.

"We'll head out now," Beomgyu said casually, trying to keep his voice even.

"Alright, be safe," Kai replied, not giving it much thought as he passed by, too focused on his sister to care about the specifics.

But just as he was about to exit the practice room, a playful voice piped up from the living room.

"Have fun with Soobin," Yeonjun called out with a grin, his eyes barely lifting from his phone. The teasing tone in his voice was impossible to miss, but he didn't look like he was pressing for more details. "You're lucky I'm meeting with Changbin today, I can accuse you of taking my boyfriend away from me!"

Beomgyu chuckled, playing along as usual. "Yeah, yeah, I will," he muttered, hoping that would be the end of it.

But it wasn't.

Kang Taehyun had one eyebrow raised, lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "I honestly don't think he's going out with Soobin-hyung. When has Beomgyu been interested in anime, let alone, Jujutsu Kaisen?" he asked, his voice carrying just the right amount of skepticism to make Beomgyu freeze for a split second.

The room went silent for a beat, everyone exchanging quick glances. Beomgyu felt a wave of heat rise in his chest, though he quickly masked it with a casual laugh.

"Come on, Taehyun, what's that supposed to mean?" Beomgyu tossed over his shoulder, trying to sound as carefree as possible.

Taehyun didn't answer right away, just kept staring at Beomgyu creepily like he could see right through him. "I don't know, man. Just a feeling," he said, tapping his temple, his head tilted. "You've been a little too secretive lately. And if it was just a hangout with Soobin-hyung to an anime-themed restaurant, you wouldn't be this jumpy."

"Come on, guys! I've recently began watching anime so that I can practice my Japanese for the tour we just had, and I've been starting to like Jujutsu Kaisen, so Soobin-hyung's taking me to this anime-themed restaurant today." 

"Taehyun, stop the chit-chat!" Soobin raised an eyebrow.

Forcing a smile, Beomgyu gave a quick wave as he headed out the door. "You always think you're detectives, when you're just idols..."

As he and Soobin went into the elevator, Beomgyu let out a quiet sigh, his heart still pounding. The members' so-called "sixth sense" was making things way more complicated than they needed to be, and it didn't help that they have spent years training together, and hence were able to understand each other perfectly, sometimes without visual cues. Now, more than ever, he had to be careful. He had to put his actor face on. 

Still, Choi Beomgyu couldn't help but wonder how much longer this little charade would hold up.

"Alright," Soobin said, pulling his hoodie up and shouldering his bag, "I'll head towards Gang-nam now. You good?"

Beomgyu nodded, grateful for Soobin's help in keeping things discreet. "Thanks, hyung. I owe you one for this."

Soobin waved him off with a smile. "Don't worry about it. Yeonjunnie and I were like that once, before Taehyun suddenly managed to crack the code like the Sherlock Holmes he is. Just make sure you have a good time, and don't get caught, alright?"

"Right," Beomgyu chuckled nervously. "I'll make it up to you next week — meal's on me, and we're going to that anime-themed restaurant."

With that, the two exchanged a final fist bump, and Soobin walked off in the opposite direction, his posture relaxed and his head down, blending in effortlessly with the evening crowd. Beomgyu watched him for a moment before turning towards his own path, one that led to a small, quiet café where he and she had agreed to meet. His heart raced a little faster with each step, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of relief. Yeonjun and Kai had stopped questioning his comings and goings, too busy with the upcoming tour to care. 

But then there was Taehyun.

Even though everyone else had moved on, Taehyun's sharp eyes and teasing nature had never fully let go of the idea that Beomgyu was hiding something — or someone. Beomgyu had caught him glancing his way more than once in recent days, as if still piecing together a puzzle the others had given up on. Thankfully, the plan with Soobin had thrown him off the scent this time. 

At least, he hoped so.