Inanima - English version

2.5 Gangnam

The ticking of the clock that marked the minutes, slow and inexorable.

The sound of cars passing along the road, right under his window.

The rays of the sun that penetrated through the light curtains that morning were more annoying than usual.

Everything seemed to make Beomgyu more annoyed, lying on the bed with his gaze fixed on the ceiling and his hands crossed on his belly. He had already finished all the documentaries about serial killers broadcast on television and the cooking shows bored him terribly, even reminding him that it was now lunch time. However, Beomgyu had no desire to get out of bed. He's been living like that for weeks now, locked in a hotel waiting for the other guys in the group to update him on any developments. Kai was definitely busy with his family, while Yeonjun was a guest at Soobin's house and Beomgyu for no reason wanted to bother them.

A few days earlier he even thought about swallowing his pride and trying to contact Taehyun somehow, since the boy lived in the Gangnam neighborhood. If nothing else, Beomgyu could have shared his daily walks with someone, feeling less alone. He came from a noisy family and he was always used to talking to people. That sudden, forced silence made him sick. However, he never looked for Taehyun. He still remembered perfectly the look the blond boy had given him that day when he met him sitting in a bar. Hoseok's presence probably complicated the situation, but Beomgyu still didn't want to see Taehyun again. Yeonjun was right, he had to forget him and get away from him as soon as possible.

Beomgyu sighed, rolling on his side as he closed his eyes. Perhaps he could have continued to sleep a little longer, he didn't have many other commitments. He could have postponed his daily walk and perhaps taken advantage of the situation to buy food, even though money was running low.

Suddenly, the vibration of his phone forced him to open his eyes, catching his attention. Beomgyu snorted, turning to get the phone. It was probably his mother asking him how he was. The umpteenth question he would lie to just so she wouldn't worry. To his surprise, however, Beomgyu noticed a message from an unknown number. He frowned, reading the few lines that composed it.

'Hi Beomgyu, I hope you're okay. If you don't have any other plans, I'd like to invite you to lunch. I'll send you the location of the restaurant, so you can reach me as soon as possible, it's near your hotel. I need to talk to you about something. T.'

Beomgyu passed a hand over his face, making sure that he had actually read those words and that he wasn't asleep yet, lost in his dreams. That pointed letter T , with which the sender had signed, was unequivocal. So cold and detached, could only belong to Taehyun. Beomgyu sighed, not even bothering to answer. After having pushed him away badly, now suddenly the blond guy wanted to spend time with him. Beomgyu was not a fool, nor did he want to be mocked.

He rolled back into bed, letting himself be wrapped in sheets. He would have slept a couple more hours, completely forgetting Taehyun's message. He would only answer him that night, making him understand how he should give him more respect. However, Beomgyu's eyes just didn't want to close. Thoughts about Ta ehyun continued to envelop his mind, preventing him from falling asleep. Beomgyu snorted annoyedly, giving in to the idea that nothing would change if he didn't try to give the blond boy a chance to explain himself. He certainly had a justification for his behavior, even though Beomgyu wasn't sure he wanted to listen.

He kept repeating that he shouldn't have met Taehyun, not after the way the boy treated him, while getting out of bed and starting to dress, carefully choosing the outfit to wear, as if Taehyun could really notice. And he kept saying that to himself when he left the hotel, heading for the restaurant with the navigator on his phone. If nothing else, Taehyun had the decency to choose a place near his hotel and within walking distance. Beomgyu repeated it one last time, just as he walked through the doors of the restaurant and saw Taehyun sitting at a table with his usual serious and vaguely bored expression. However, those words vanished from Beomgyu's mind when the blond boy smiled at him, intercepting his gaze.