since I met you ♡

2

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Chapter 2: A Twist of Fate

The late afternoon sun beat down on the sports field, casting long shadows over the players as they rushed back and forth. Beomgyu hated sports days. He wasn’t exactly unathletic, but he’d much rather be in the shade, cracking jokes with his friends than sweating in the middle of the field. But since it was part of the curriculum, he had no choice.

With Hueningkai absent, Beomgyu felt a little out of sorts. Usually, he’d have his younger friend’s goofy grin to keep him company, but today, it was just him, the sun, and a bunch of overenthusiastic athletes.

“Where’s Yeonjun?” Beomgyu muttered under his breath as he glanced toward the bleachers. He spotted his friend lounging in the stands—next to Soobin. The two of them were laughing about something, completely ignoring the game. Beomgyu rolled his eyes. Of course, they would ditch him.

Just as Beomgyu returned his attention to the game, the ball came flying his way. Instinctively, he reached out to catch it, but his footing slipped on the uneven ground, and he fell—hard. Pain shot up his arm as he hit the ground awkwardly, and he immediately knew something was wrong.

Gritting his teeth, Beomgyu cradled his wrist, trying to push through the sharp throb of pain. Crap.

A few players noticed his fall and jogged over, concern evident in their expressions. But before they could reach him, someone else was already standing above him—Taehyun.

“Get up,” Taehyun said flatly, looking down at Beomgyu with his usual cold expression.

Beomgyu narrowed his eyes, half from the pain, half from the frustration of seeing him of all people. “I think it’s broken,” he muttered, trying to stand up without using his wrist. The pain was overwhelming now, radiating through his arm.

Taehyun didn’t say anything. He just knelt down and grabbed Beomgyu’s uninjured arm, hauling him up with a rough yank. It wasn’t exactly gentle, but it did the job.

“Careful!” Beomgyu snapped, glaring at him. “I’m not a sack of potatoes!”

“Maybe you should’ve paid attention to where you were running,” Taehyun replied, his voice as cold and indifferent as ever. His eyes flicked to Beomgyu’s wrist, which was already starting to swell. “It’s probably just sprained. Go to the nurse.”

“Gee, thanks for the expert diagnosis,” Beomgyu muttered sarcastically, but Taehyun had already started walking away.

Beomgyu stood there for a moment, clutching his wrist and watching Taehyun’s back. The guy had helped him, sure, but he hadn’t shown an ounce of concern. It was almost like he’d done it out of obligation rather than kindness.

What’s his problem?

Yeonjun finally noticed something was up and jogged over, Soobin following closely behind. Beomgyu could see the concern in Yeonjun’s eyes, which softened some of his irritation.

“You okay, man?” Yeonjun asked, glancing between Beomgyu’s wrist and his face.

“Yeah, just great,” Beomgyu grumbled, grimacing as he moved his arm slightly. “Could’ve used some help earlier, though.”

Yeonjun winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, we were kinda caught up.”

“Kinda?” Beomgyu shot back with a raised brow.

Soobin, ever the calm presence, stepped closer to take a look at his wrist. “You should really get that checked. It doesn’t look good.”

Beomgyu sighed, nodding. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going.”

As they started toward the nurse’s office, Yeonjun lagged behind, exchanging a few quiet words with Soobin. Beomgyu didn’t bother looking back at them—he had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about. Great. Now I’m just the third wheel.

The trip to the nurse’s office was quick, but the result wasn’t what Beomgyu wanted to hear. After some poking and prodding, the nurse confirmed his worst fear: a broken wrist. Fantastic.

“You’re gonna need a cast,” she said. “And some rest.”

Beomgyu groaned. “Perfect. Just what I needed.”

The nurse handed him an ice pack and some instructions to follow before sending him off to get an X-ray at the clinic across campus. As he walked out of the office, still cradling his wrist, he saw Yeonjun and Soobin sitting outside, waiting for him.

“You guys didn’t have to wait,” Beomgyu said, trying to play it cool despite the dull ache in his arm.

“We wanted to make sure you were okay,” Soobin said, giving him a soft smile.

Yeonjun, though, looked a little guilty. “Sorry again for not noticing earlier. I feel like a terrible friend.”

Beomgyu waved him off with his good hand. “Don’t worry about it. I survived. Barely.”

They walked back together, chatting, though Beomgyu couldn’t shake the strange feeling that lingered from earlier. He kept replaying the scene with Taehyun in his head—the cold way he had helped him up, the total lack of empathy in his eyes.

What was Taehyun’s deal?

By the time they made it back to the lounge, the sun was starting to set, casting a golden glow across the campus. Beomgyu’s wrist was throbbing, and all he wanted to do was get home and rest. As they passed the student lounge, Beomgyu caught sight of Taehyun sitting at a table alone, scrolling through his phone, completely indifferent to the world around him.

Of course.

Without thinking, Beomgyu stopped and turned toward Yeonjun and Soobin. “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”

Yeonjun raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Just… need to clear my head.”

Soobin shrugged, and after a moment, they both nodded and continued on their way, leaving Beomgyu standing there with his heart racing for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a strange pull toward Taehyun—like he needed to figure out why the guy was so cold. Why he always seemed so detached from everything and everyone.

And why, despite all that, Beomgyu couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him.

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End of Chapter 2.