nineteen || underneath the sea light

✧˖*°࿐

Beomgyu was thirteen when he had moved from Daegu to Seoul, transferring to a new school in the middle of the semester.

A situation he couldn't help but hate so fucking much.

Just last week, when he had arrived home from a piano lesson, he had received news from his parents that they would be moving from the comforts of his hometown to a whole new city, all because his father had received a better job offer than before, and also... an offer for a better piano teacher.

When he had heard about that, it practically ruined almost everything for him. The life he had built up bit by bit in Daegu was now crumbling right before him, all because of some job offer? A new piano teacher? He has all of that here!

It made him angry, so fucking angry, he had friends that he built bonds with overtime. Relationships that he wanted to maintain, but now all of a sudden... he has to move to a whole new city?!

It was literally the middle of the semester, he's mostly likely certain that everyone at his new school made their way into their own friend groups, already familiarized with their class, and everyone else who attended the school! He's going to be the odd one out.

"Choi Beomgyu."

The males eyes immediately flickered up towards the drivers seat, his eyes widening when he saw his mother coldly glaring at him through the rear view mirror, the light in front of them now red.

Ah, he had spaced out, completely forgetting that he's on his way to the new school right now.

"This school... it's better than your old one, perfect for a top academic student like you," His mother said, her stern voice made his blood turn cold as he sat there silently. "The last school wasn't enough, toss those pathetic memories aside, focus on what's now happening. You need to succeed and be top of your class."

The words she spoke sank into his heart, his stomach churning as he nodded his head. Right, even though it's the middle of the school year, he needs to work hard to be a top student, achieve the best grades... it'll look good on his application.

"Yes, mother." Beomgyu breathed out, looking down as he was intimidated by her gaze.

"By the way, you have a piano lesson with your new teacher after school, I expect you to be out right away... no making me wait."

"Yes, mother."

Mrs. Choi's lips twitched slightly in satisfaction that her son was listening, revving up the car once again as the light turned green, continuing their journey to Beomgyu's new school.

Beomgyu, who silently exhaled a breath, looked away and out the window as he pushed his glasses up, staring out the window as he tried to brush the anxious feeling away, he should be happy! A piano lesson is coming up, which means it's a lesson closer to achieving the best performance ever!

It was also... the only ever activity he has done after school.

For his entire life, he was surrounded by musicians, his parents both being retired top musicians while his older brother was abroad at a top college for fine arts. It was only natural for Beomgyu to become interested, develop a love for music, and uphold their family talent.

He had tried out many instruments, but he mainly specialized in guitar and piano, piano especially.

Something about the overwhelming accelerating emotion when his fingers dance along the keys of the piano in front of him, pressing it down to ignite melodic notes that turned into a musical symphony that he succeeded on perfecting.

Performing on a stage in front of a crowd,  pleasing all those around him. Music that warms the heart, that enchants people to tune in for more, a carefully sculpted piece of artwork that's made for performing. Not only leaves him happy, but others as well.

He loved that thrill of excitement, he loved it more than anything.

So, for the past years, he's done nothing but making sure that his talents on the piano were beyond perfection, although he still has a lot of improving to do, he knows that no matter what... he will be a top pianist one day.

It was his dream, his parents dream, a dream that he wants to have fulfilled so badly, a yearning that was impossible to ignore.

But that could only happen if he made it into Byeol Arts Academy.

Byeol Arts was a prestigious school that every music student dreams of getting into, however, it wasn't like a typical school where parents register their kid into the system and automatically placed into it, it was far from that!

Every single year, a competition is held at the grand performing arts center located in the heart of the city for those who wanted to be accepted into the prestigious school.

It was a competition and audition that lasts for a whole week, all middle school students who desired to be enrolled into the school system auditioned in the blink of an eye. Only the top twenty students will be accepted into the program, with the first place student having a full scholarship for when they go to college.

It was a competition, a competition that Beomgyu was determined to win.

The top three spots, that's his goal.

It's the only way his future will be secured, from the moment he had started piano lessons, his parents had always told him that he needed go get into Byeol Arts, that it will be his only way towards success.

It was engraved into his mind: be a top student and win the competition.

If he were to fail... then his whole life is ruined, his parents would despise him.

Bringing shame onto the family name? Their family has been known to have successful musicians, so it was a bit of pressure to make sure he succeeded, as long as he has no problems then he's fine.

After ten long minutes of silence, only the sound of the engine echoing in the suffocating car, he soon arrived at his new school which was bigger than he expected, what kind of middle school has two floors for one building?

"Remember," He heard his mother speak up, causing him to pause in his seat. "Be on top of your class, do not slack off."

Beomgyu pursed his lips tightly, pushing his glasses up before nodding his head, waiting for a few seconds to see whether she had anything else to say, he soon got out of the car and exhaled softly.

Alright, here he goes, into a new school while being the cast out.

At his old school, he never had any issues making friends, despite being more quiet when he's by himself he was a bright person that everyone loved being around! It was easy for him to talk to people...

But right now...?

The minute he had entered the school, he had never felt so alone in such an unknown environment. All around him were students rushing towards their friends, hugging one another as groups of friends walked past him all happily talking.

Yeah, he's definitely screwed, everyone already knows each other... being the new student was suffocating.

Beomgyu wasn't one to be nervous at all, he was quite good at controlling his emotions, but when he had fumbled to get his schedule out and find his class... he felt humiliated.

It was ten minutes after the bell, the hallways cleared out as everyone was in their respective classrooms... everyone but him.

It was so stupid! Wasn't there supposed to be someone who's supposed to show him around the school? Now here he was like an idiot walking around aimlessly.

Another five minutes passed, and Beomgyu finally found room 205, his eye twitching in annoyance as he mentally prepared himself to be stared at by a bunch of kids who have nothing else to do with their day.

knock! knock!

Right as the door opened, his eyes widened seeing a teacher staring at him with shock, asking him what he was doing here until he had told her that he was the new transfer student from Daegu, great this whole school doesn't know how to manage new students.

"Class!" The teacher called out, gaining everyone's attention. "We have a new student, please pay attention!"

Beomgyu glanced over towards his teacher who signaled for him to introduce himself to the whole class, which felt so suffocating, first he was late now he has to introduce himself? This was worse than messing up in a rehearsal.

"I'm Choi Beomgyu," He said softly, staring at the class when in reality he was just staring at the wall in the back to not make eye contact with anyone. "I am a transfer student from Daegu, please treat me well."

"Great!" His teacher beamed brightly, humming softly as she looked around before her eyes landed on a specific table. "You can sit next to Kang Taehyun!"

Beomgyu's eyes flickered over to where she had pointed at, his head tilting when he saw a boy with wide eyes staring at him, as if he were shocked that he has to sit next to him.

So without a moment to spare, he grabbed his bag tightly as he made his way towards the table where the other boy was, ignoring the stares he was receiving as he sat down silently, allowing the teacher to continue on with whatever she was blabbering about beforehand.

It was probably just Beomgyu, but the moment he got situated next to Taehyun or whatever his name was, he could feel the awkward tension. Yeah, this boy definitely did not want him sitting next to him.

It's okay, he can work with it, he'll just ignore him.

After a few more minutes, the teacher soon clasped her hand together. "Alright! Since it's the middle of the semester, I will be assigning your projects! It is a partner project so please make sure work is equally distributed!"

"Will we get to choose our partners, Ms. Han?"

"No!" Mrs. Han beamed brightly. "Because only one person finished their project on time last time, your partners will be the ones that are sitting next to you!"

Beomgyu's eyes widened when he had heard that, his breath hitching when he glanced to the side and saw Taehyun's face cold as ever, as if he were plotting ways to murder him... yeah he definitely sat next to a murderer or a psychopath.

As the class groaned loudly, Mrs. Han continued on until an hour later, the bell. now ringing as everyone scrambled to get to passing time... everyone but he and Taehyun.

The two of them sat there in silence, neither dared to say anything until Beomgyu finally built the encourage and looked over at Taehyun who looked at him at the same time, their eyes widening when they both made eye contact.

"Uh-" Beomgyu's breath hitched when he finally got a proper view of Taehyun's face, and holy hell the boy was absolutely pretty— what the hell?! There's no doubt he would grow up beautiful. "Uhm- I'm B-Beomgyu."

"I know." Taehyun said, tilting his head.

Beomgyu felt nervous, all of his words form beforehand disappeared when the attention was all on him, he had never felt this nervous before... maybe it's because of how pretty Taehyun was, he envied it.

So without a second thought, Beomgyu just spat out the first thing in mind.

"Do you want to eat lunch with me?"

Who knew one little lunch invite could lead him to a precious friendship.

Kang Taehyun, was a year younger than Beomgyu, also being one of the top students in their grade despite it only being the middle of the semester.

The two of them clicked instantly, both asking each other a bunch of questions and finding it easy to bond with one another.

That's when he discovered that Taehyun was a dancer, enrolled into one of the top dance academies the city has to offer, but when he listened to the younger talk about it... he had always noticed how bored he sounded when he did.

But he never bothered to ask, as it was none of his business.

When he had opened up about how he wanted to be accepted into Byeol Arts because of his talent for piano, the younger supported it immediately, becoming star struck when he had heard the elder was a musician.

It made him feel a bit shy.

There was no doubt that the minute he properly got to know Taehyun, he couldn't help but envy his beauty even more, somehow with his eyes now wide open he found the male even prettier than before.

It made him envious, Taehyun had the features that his parents always talked about, the features he didn't have.

But that was beside the point.

The two of them have been staying afterschool with one another to work on their project which was a presentation about trust and honesty, real easy if you asked them, but they also had to interview people for it which was a bit of work, but they managed to do it.

It wasn't until it came to designing the project, the hardest part of the whole thing.

With time being limited between the two, Beomgyu having his piano lessons and Taehyun at his dance practices, he decided that after two weeks... it would be okay...?

Two weeks into his new school, he had quickly adjusted to it and showcased his good academic skills, but on the other hand... friends wasn't quite as good... he only really talked to Taehyun, but was it too soon?

Why was he nervous?

It took him about three days to prepare the question, he had never felt so nervous in his life, he wondered why exactly... maybe it's because he just met the younger and he's all of a sudden asking for him to come over.

But when the day came, during one class break outside, Beomgyu had mustered up the courage.

"Would you like to come over to my house after school?" Is what he asked.

It was worth it, when he had saw Taehyun's eyes light up in shock and both excitement the younger was far from hesitate with his reply, agreeing right away.

So that's how now came to be, both him and Taehyun both happily discussing what they should add to their project while also giving their own ideas, it was honestly calming.

However... the minute he brought Taehyun over, he noticed an odd switch in his parents, how his mother became more nicer and even complimented the younger.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit jealous and envious.

"I noticed you have a piano in your room," Taehyun spoke up, it was really hard to ignore the literal grand piano not so far from him. "You're really passionate about this music thing, aren't you?"

"Why would I not be?" Beomgyu said, glancing up at the younger. "It's my whole life, I'm happiest when I perform, that's why I'm aiming to be accepted into Byeol Arts."

Taehyun's eyes widened when he had heard that, stars lightning up in those pretty eyes. "Byeol Arts? Don't you have to go through competition to be accepted into it?"

"Yeah, next month, I'm a bit nervous but I know I'll do good and place." Beomgyu said, a bit proud and a little bit snarky, but he just couldn't help it... he was aware of how well he played despite his age being so young.

Taehyun's head tilted slightly, glancing over at the piano. "Prove it."

Beomgyu's head shot up, his breath hitching when he saw the younger smiling coyly at him, as if he were... doubting... his words, "What...?"

"Prove it! Let me see your talents," Taehyun stood up, grabbing onto the males wrist as he hoisted him up, rushing over towards the grand piano. "Showcase it to me! Do you know the song... 'our summer'? Can you play that for me."

Beomgyu felt his heartbeat throb, his eyes lighting up when the younger had mentioned his favorite song, so without hesitation, he sat down on his seat and started playing.

That's when the atmosphere in the room had shifted, Taehyun immediately falling silent as Beomgyu began to play 'our summer', his eyes widening when he realized that the elder wasn't joking at all.

He really was amazing.

Whenever Beomgyu played piano, he adored the attention on him, it motivated him to play more... however... when Taehyun's eyes were on him, he couldn't help but be so nervous the entire time, focusing on the keys in front of him as he memorized the whole music sheet for our summer, occasionally glancing up to see the younger's wide eyes on him.

It made his heart race.

After three breathless minutes, the song concluded as Beomgyu's fingers gently touched the keys, bringing it to a halt. He exhaled shakily once he finished, slowly meeting Taehyun's awestruck gaze.

Taehyun's shocked expression softened into a warm smile as he stepped closer, patting Beomgyu's head gently. "You'll definitely place first, my talented hyung!"

Beomgyu's eyes widened, his heart began racing ever so wildly. He managed to break into a smile, gently gripping Taehyun's wrist. He couldn't quite recall the emotions that overwhelmed him that day, it was a blur as it was a forgotten memory, but he does remember the words he spoke next.

"Will you promise me something?"

Taehyun tilted his head in confusion, nodding curiously. "Promise you what?"

Standing up, Beomgyu pushed his glasses up that were falling off, smiling warmly despite his racing heart. "Will you promise me... that you'll be the first person I see in the audience when my performance is over?" He asked as his eyes sparkled with hope.

Despite the old friendships he had, he had never felt a friendship feel so pure, it was new but precious, unlike any he had in Daegu. Taehyun had been there for him since he transferred, making his days brighter despite their awkward start.

As he waited anxiously for Taehyun's response, their fingers intertwined. The silence stretched, but then a smile broke on Taehyun's face, easing Beomgyu's worries.

"Of course I will, and I'll be the first to stand up and clap too."

With that promise, Beomgyu felt reassured.

From that moment on, everything would be okay.

Oh how he lied to himself that day.

Despite the promise, despite the happiness of it all, Beomgyu soon felt his emotions shift towards the younger.

Ever since he had came over to his home, he's heard nothing but compliments and praises about the younger from his parents, every fucking hour was 'Taehyun this' and 'Taehyun that'.

He had to spend so long hearing about how beautiful the younger was, how much his mother wished that he was her son instead, how much she adored his smile, and how beautiful he was.

He began to envy it all, it was affecting his friendship with Taehyun.

It had gotten to the point where he would start to ignore the younger, mention him less to his parents, or boast about himself more to seek out compliments from them.

It never happened.

Obviously, this behavior didn't go unnoticed by the younger, obviously trying to talk to him about what was wrong and all, but he would brush it off every single time.

He remembers the day he went to Taehyun's house for the first time, it was warm and cozy, but when he had received so many compliments from the younger's parents... it flipped a switch in him, causing him to seek out more compliments as he never received them from his own parents.

It began to strain their friendship.

What once started as a beautiful happy friendship turned into a strained competitive one, as if each boy knew that they were slowly ticking each other off, all because of the differences their parents treated them.

Taehyun, began to slowly argue back when Beomgyu would try to talk to him about something.

Beomgyu would start to snap, storming out of the room whenever he couldn't get his way.

Hearing the constant comparisons between him and Taehyun was started to affect Beomgyu badly, but receiving so many compliments from the younger's parents healed it all.

He barely noticed himself when things went down hill.

"I'm sick of this!" Taehyun shouted angrily, tossing the papers aside. "You've been constantly boasting about yourself! You only go to my house to get compliments from my parents, are you really that narcissistic?!"

"Me?! Narcissistic?!" Beomgyu shouted, staring at the younger in disbelief. "You're the one who's always flaunting your appearance, I'm not blind! You're always trying to put the attention on yourself!"

"I'm not! I've never done that!" Taehyun pushed Beomgyu, storming over to one of the cabinets in the classroom. "You're out of your mind, Choi!"

Beomgyu was fuming at this point, his blood boiling as he watched Taehyun yap about how he was treating him so unfair for the past month, how everytime he came over it was only to boast about himself.

How could he not? The younger was ruining his life little by little, all because his parents preferred him more than their own son.

"You know what," Beomgyu spat out, walking over towards the male as he pushed him slightly. "Stay out of my life — meeting you was a damn mistake! You've done nothing but ruin my entire life!"

Taehyun's eyes widened after hearing that, a flash of sadness washing over them before he scowled angrily, pushing the elder out of the way. "Fine! Then be like that, I'm done! You're a disaster!"

From that day on, Taehyun and Beomgyu never talked to each other again, when it came to their project, the presentation was tense and suffocating as the both of them tried their best to interrupt the other, ignoring the worried looks they received.

It wasn't until the day of the Byeol Arts competition, where everything changed.

Beomgyu, who had slowly began to regret what he said to Taehyun, was getting ready backstage, boasting about how he was going to score in the top three while he was unaware of the group of kids glaring at him in the background.

He knew he would win, he was the best after all.

He was going to win, make his parents proud, and then they'll forget about Kang and remember him! Compliment him!

Soon enough, it was his turn on stage, the bright lights hitting his face perfectly as he made his way towards the grand piano, eager to showcase his skills.

And showcase them his skills he did, pushing himself to remember every single key and note, pushing himself to give it his all as he performed his own creation that he made.

In just a blink of an eye, the performance was over, all of the lights instantly flickered on as he got out of his seat, walking to the front of the stage, as he stared at the crowd.

For a few seconds, it was pure silence, his eyes roaming the crowd as his heart was throbbing against his chest, a faint memory of a promise that he made flashed through his mind, causing him to nearly choke up on stage.

It wasn't until one singular clap echoed out, then two, then five, then it was the whole auditorium. Everyone standing up as they gave the male a round of applause, his eyes widening in pure fascination as a euphoric joy washed through—

SPLASH!

As Beomgyu stood on stage, basking in the applause and euphoria of the moment, his joy was suddenly cut short when a thick, orange liquid cascaded all over him.

His entire body froze in shock and disbelief, the bright lights now reflected off of the thick substance, blurring his vision and staining his clothes right away with that horrific neon orange hue.

His once precious applaud turned into gasps of horrors mixed in with minutes of disbelief, rippling through the crowd as he stood there silently.

Beomgyu's mind began to race, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes as he looked down in horror seeing orange paint all over him and on the stage, instantly looking around to see who or what had caused this humiliating interruption.

The auditorium fell into a stunned silence, broken only by the occasional whisper or stifled giggles. Beomgyu felt a mix of emotions surge within him — embarrassment, anger, and consuming all intervened as his breathing became heavier. His hands clenched into fists as he struggled to maintain his composure on stage.

The whole entire world around him began to blur, organizers rushing in attempting to assess the situation, yet their voices were muted — all distant and surreal.

His heart began to pound in his chest when he had made eye contact with his parents who stared at him with pure anger and shock in their eyes, causing his heartbeat to race even more as his eyes stung with tears.

"Choi Beomgyu," A voice broke through his panic, his eyes instantly looking over towards the main judge who stared at him harshly.

"You are disqualified from this competition."

In that moment, Beomgyu's eyes widened as his heart shattered into a thousand pieces, his dreams of validation and recognition had been shattered in an instant.

The competition, only having one chance to prove himself, had turned into a humiliating spectacle. His dreams of making it into Byeol Arts Academy instantly faded as his eyes began to sting with tears, causing him to rush off of the stage as he nearly broke down — his breathing heavier than ever.

As Beomgyu rushed off the stage, he ignored all of the voices that were calling out for him, his mind swirling in disbelief and confusion as tears threatened to spill. Navigating his way backstage, his breaths became ragged gasps as the weight of the humiliation pressed down onto him.

Suddenly, he paused in his frantic steps, his eyes locking onto the figure before him. That's when he felt another wave of shock and immediate betrayal wash over him.

There in front of him, stood Kang Taehyun, holding an empty bucket of orange paint that spilled onto him.

Their eyes met, a mixture of emotions was on Taehyun's expression: surprise, guilt, was it regret...? he wasn't sure.

It was silent for a few minutes, his eyes lingering on the empty bucket in shock until anger surged within him, mixing in with the pain and devastation that clouded his thoughts.

"You..." Beomgyu's voice trembled with a mixture of pain. "You... you poured it on me?! You ruined my performance! You ruined my life! You know how badly I wanted to win this— but you ruined it?!"

Taehyun's gaze faltered for a moment, the males lips trembling in fear as if he were about to say something, but instead of denying it... he looked away with his jaw clenched, dropping the bucket which echoed out pathetically.

"You ruined everything!" Beomgyu's voice cracked as tears finally spilled down his cheek.

The full weight of Taehyun's sudden betrayal crashed down onto him. A friendship he thought would be so precious turned into something sinister, all because of one fight they had... one fight lead to this-- the end of his perfect future.

The pain of being disqualified in front of his parents, the judges, the adults in the auditorium watching him was enough to suffocate him as he began to sob louder, Taehyun doing nothing but stand there in silence.

A part of him felt so betrayed, but waited for anything... a glimmer of hope , praying that the younger truly didn't do what he did.

But when the male stayed silent, it felt like a confirmation. The person Beomgyu once considered a close friend had sabotaged him out of spite for something, because of their fight, to humiliate him in front of his parents? He wasn't sure.

With a mixture of disbelief and sadness, Beomgyu turned away from the male, unable to bear the sight of him any longer. His dreams of attending Byeol Arts Academy, earning his parents pride and recognition, lay shattered on the floor alongside with his broken heart and spirit.

In that moment, he walked past the younger, hearing his breath hitched as he stormed out of the room, no longer wanting to hear his voice.

From that day on, Beomgyu made a promise to himself.

To never ever fucking trust Kang again.

✧˖*°࿐

Beomgyu gasped sharply, his eyes shooting wide open as he sat up, holding onto his chest as he breathed heavily.

What was that? The male thought, running a hand through his sweaty hair. Why did I... suddenly dream of the past...?

It had been five years since Beomgyu acknowledged why he started to hate Kang, his hatred only growing more throughout the years, but for some reason... in that moment... it felt weird, like it was suffocating him.

Looking around, his eyes widened when he saw that the sun was out, was it late afternoon time...? How long had he been asleep for?! Oh shit, that whole backstory dream shit really took his whole day!

tap! tap!

Suddenly feeling a... finger...? Tap him on the shoulder, the male snapped his head towards the side, his eyes widening when he made eye contact with two wide ones, his nose brushing against the others as their faces were centimeters apart.

. . .

"AAAAHHHHH!!" Beomgyu screamed loudly, instantly pushing the male away in front of him as he stumbled back and rolled over, falling onto the ground with a loud thud. "OW! FUCK!"

The male groaned loudly, laying on the hard ground as he rubbed his head, okay now he was really losing his fucking mind, why the fuck was Kang so fucking close—

"Kang?!" Beomgyu gasped loudly, sitting up instantly as he looked around and saw the younger sitting on his bed with his legs crossed. "When the fuck did you wake up?!"

Taehyun's expression soon turned into an angry scowl, causing the male to flinch when he saw the younger's bottom lip tremble — as if he were about to shout and scream.

Beomgyu mentally prepared himself to have his eardrums bleed so early in the afternoon, sitting there anxiously as Taehyun's chest heaved up in anger and a loud—

...loud... silence...?

"You're not going to yell at me?" Beomgyu asked, shocked that he didn't just get a whole lecture from the younger. "Why are you sitting there, shaking too, the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have something up your ass?"

Taehyun's eyes squinted as his face began to bloom and angry shade of red, his jaw clenching tightly as he threw some sort of crumbled paper at the elders face, causing him to fall back with a pained gasp.

"Ow! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Beomgyu grabbed onto the paper and stood up, glaring at Taehyun who was just staring at him as if he were planning some type of murder or revenge plan in his head, scoffing slightly.

He did find it just a bit strange that the younger wasn't saying anything, he looked like he did with the way he was practically trembling like a steaming tea pot.

It was a little bit concerning, just the day before the younger was knocked out on the sand with bruises all over his legs and was bear naked, but now here he was with the most bitchiest silent attitude of his life while wearing a large flowy white shirt along with black shorts, the faint sun silhouetted his body well.

"By the way," Beomgyu spoke up, unfolding the paper agonizingly slow, which made Taehyun groan loudly. "Why were you unconscious on the sand yesterday? Where were you?!"

Taehyun just blinked.

The elder scoffed in annoyance, he knew there was no time to argue about anything, even though he was highly disturbed that he had suddenly dreamt of the past and now he had a silent evil princess in front of him.

Beomgyu unfolded the paper, soothing it out as his eyebrows furrowed when he read what was written on it. "Do you know the fairytale we're in?"

Looking back up at the younger who just stared at him with wide eyes, smirking slightly when it was his moment to brag.

"Actually, princess," Beomgyu said, earning an angry scowl from the younger due to the nickname. "I do know what fairytale we're in! We're in 'The Little Mermaid' or whatever it is, I think I was the first to figure it out... so go on! Clap for me!"

Taehyun stared at the elder, completely unimpressed, scoffing loudly, the male got off from the bed and shakily walked over towards the elder, soon losing balance as he fell forward with a loud yelp.

"Woah! What the hell is with you?" Beomgyu gasped, immediately grabbing the younger by the waist as he held him up, a bit uncomfortable with this position. "Why are you so silent? Talk, Kang! The silent treatment isn't doing any of us good!"

Normally, Beomgyu would've been beyond happy that Kang wasn't talking, his voice annoyed him so much. But right now, it was all a chaotic mess, ever since yesterday with the whole situation of him being unconscious on the shore, he wanted nothing more than to hear what happened on his side. He wanted to know whether or not it was someone who left him there, to know if someone had hurt him, just thinking about it made his blood boil.

Taehyun scowled angrily, pushing Beomgyu off of him as he turned around and stormed over towards a fancy desk, snatching paper off of it as he grabbed a pencil, scribbling words onto it way too aggressively, damn he was really mad.

Why isn't he talking...? Beomgyu thought, hesitantly walking over towards the male who glared at him. He would've been screaming his anger at me by now or telling me what happened.

"Hey! If you're still angry about what happened in sleeping beauty, get over it! i apologized!" He spat out, crossing his arms as he watched the younger's eyes roll. "The silent treatment isn't cute, Kang! Did you know I almost died two days ago? I was in a shipwreck! But I can't remember anything else after that..."

Taehyun glanced up at the elder, his teeth gritting against each other angrily as he slammed the pencil down, shoving the paper onto the elders chest, causing him to stumble back a little.

"Okay, this is getting really annoying Kang." Beomgyu grumbled, grabbing the paper as he glanced down at it.

Do you even know what happens in The Little Mermaid? •̀︿•́

Beomgyu's head shot up, his eyebrows furrowed as he did, becoming a little bit angry. "Of course I do!"

Taehyun's eyebrow raised, crossing his arms as he tilted his head, staring at the elder as if he were asking him to explain it, Beomgyu immediately getting the memo as he bit the bottom of his lip.

"Okay, well you see... there's a mermaid... a mermaid who's uh... uh... she gets legs... and uh... she leaves her family for some dick?"

Well that's one way to explain it.

As Beomgyu slowly explained, he began to flush a light shade of red as he embarrassingly tried to remember anything about the fairytale, only remembering the vivid details from so long ago, yeah he's screwed.

Taehyun scoffed loudly, staring at the elder in disbelief, just from his expression Beomgyu could tell that the male was definitely cursing him out in his head, finding him stupid as fuck.

"Okay- well, why don't you explain it to me?! I don't know every fairytale off the top of my head!" Beomgyu said, a faint whine was in his tone as he crumbled up the paper Taehyun gave him, tossing it at the males face.

Taehyun huffed heavily, as if he were already tired of this bullshit, his silence was really concerning Beomgyu... why in the world was he writing on paper? Were they being spied on? Was this really the little mermaid, oh my gosh what if they're in "Totally Spies" right now?!

The younger walked over towards him, standing in front of him as he looked up just a little due to the height difference, it made Beomgyu snicker under his breath... had the younger shrank? Next thing you know, he's going to be smurf height.

The both of them stood there in silence, just staring at each other as the atmosphere slowly began to shift, the elder felt his heartbeat race even more when he stared into those goofy eyes, his breath hitching when he saw the male lean closer.

That's when Taehyun brought his finger up and tapped the bottom of his lip, tilting his head slightly, making the elders eyes widen.

What the fuck...?

For some reason, Beomgyu felt frozen in time, being this close to Kang would usually annoy him and make him extremely uncomfortable... but right now...? It felt like panic was building in his whole system when he watched the younger tap his lip then the middle of his neck.

What is he doing? What is he trying to say? Fuck! use your words, Kang! Beomgyu thought, his eyes shaking as he nervously glanced down at the younger's lips, his eyebrows furrowing. Wait a minute... does... does he want me to...?

"FUCK NO!" Beomgyu suddenly screamed loudly as his panic had burst, startling the both of them as he pushed Kang away with so much force he had stumbled back and fell onto his ass. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! AGAIN?!"

Taehyun stumbled back in shock with a small yelp as he crashed into the table and fell down, groaning loudly before snapping his head up towards Beomgyu who was staring at him as if he were crazy, he doesn't have fucking time for this! What the hell was wrong with this idiot?!

Beomgyu breathed heavily as he watched Taehyun stand up, stomping his foot angrily as the male turned around and harshly grabbed a paper before aggressively writing onto it. Once he was done, the male crumbled it up into a ball before turning around and throwing it at the elder, hitting him head in the face.

"Stop throwing shit at me!" Beomgyu exclaimed, grabbing onto the paper as he opened it up carefully, his eyes widening when he saw what was written on it.

What the fuck is wrong with you, Choi?! I'm trying to tell you that I traded my voice for some damn legs, what the fuck are you thinking?! •̀_•́

Beomgyu's breath hitched, his eyes shaking as realization crashed down upon him, in that small moment he had assumed the worst and panicked, instead of remembering that in the fairytale, Ariel traded her voice for some legs to meet the prince!

It was all starting to come back to him now, that whole gesture wasn't for nothing, they're actually living the roles of the characters! Shit, not again!

"Shit," Beomgyu said breathily, defeated at this point, for some reason even since he saw the younger the minute he woke up he had never felt so jumpy. "You lost your voice? You were the damn mermaid?"

Taehyun's face eased up, as if Beomgyu realizing everything made him more calmer, so with a smug smile, he nodded.

The elder sighed loudly, calming down his nerves as he pushed all the thoughts that were bubbling up in his head, standing up as he stretched his arms out. Alright, what happened next, come on remember it Choi! You sat through Soobin crying over it so remember— oh! right!

"Wait okay, hold on," Beomgyu said, holding his hand up before clicking his tongue. "She trades her mermaid gifts for legs, and she has four—"

Taehyun held up three fingers.

"— right... three days until she turns back into a mermaid, so I'm assuming this is day one?"

Taehyun nodded his head, surprised that Beomgyu was being smart for once.

"Alright, then on the third day just before sunset, in order to stay a human she has to kiss... the... prince..."

Beomgyu soon fell silent, realization dawning upon him when Taehyun gave him a disgusted grimace, the two of them staring at each other which only meant one thing, they both knew what they have to do... again.

It was about five long minutes of silence, the two of them breathing softly before Beomgyu broke it by groaning loudly, dragging his feet as he walked towards the younger with shame.

"Alright," Beomgyu sighed in frustration, his head hanging low as he began hating himself for this. "Just get it over with, the sooner we get out of this fairytale the sooner we return home."

Taehyun was a bit taken aback from the easy surrender, his eyes widening as he took a step back before shaking his head, his breath shaking as he panicked and slapped the top of Beomgyu's head, causing the elder to gasp as he looked up angrily.

"What was that for?! I thought we agreed to not hit each other?!"

Taehyun shook his head anxiously, waving his hand around as he tried to explain.

"The fuck are you doing? This is no time for charades! Just kiss me, Kang!"

The younger shook his head once again, it was really starting to get frustrating without his voice, the elder was fucking stupid to understand anything!

"What? Are you trying to say that you can't kiss me first anymore?" Beomgyu asked, tilting his head as he scowled, but when he saw the younger freeze and slowly look at him, it was like cold water being poured on him. "...wait... you're not serious... right...?"

Taehyun huffed loudly, shaking his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, obviously very uncomfortable with the news and most likely angry about it too.

Beomgyu's stomach began to twist in discomfort, stepping back as his hands began to tremble. In the last two fairytales, Taehyun was the first one to initiate the kiss, which he wasn't very happy about since he would much rather not have that rodent kiss him, but to be honest he was unconscious in one of them which made it more bearable.

But now...?

With the news that he has to initiate the first kiss in order to get out of the damn fairytale, he couldn't help but feel so conflicted and even terrified... disgusted as well.

This was different though, confusion running through his mind as his eyes flickered back and forth between the younger's eyes and lips, his head spinning as his thoughts were jumbling up with so many questions.

It's just a kiss, it's just a kiss, it's nothing! Everyone kisses someone at some point, but usually it isn't the person they hated the most in the world.

hated...?

Immediately scoffing, Beomgyu shook his head as he groaned loudly. "Okay! Fine! I guess we'll just have to get it over with!"

Taehyun was shocked once again, he expected the elder to start complaining, whining about how he doesn't want to kiss his damn lips, and be a big baby over it all that he has to slap him to get some sense into him.

But when Beomgyu took a step closer and leaned forward, the tips of their noses brushing against one another, his eyes widened as his heart began to become a racing mess, panic built in his stomach as he instantly felt like running away.

He could practically feel the elders gross warm breath on his lips, unconsciously holding in his breath as he glanced up and looked at him, who was staring at his lips with hooded eyes.

Just as Beomgyu came closer and closer, their lips barely a centimeter apart, the both of them prepared for the worse as—

"Prince Beomgyu! There you are!"

Like a deer caught in headlights, the both of them snapped back into reality as Taehyun instantly pushed the elder away and rushed over to a random spot in the room, leaving him dazed and confused.

"Your mother is furious, Beomgyu!" Jeongin rushed over and grabbed the male who was still recovering at what had just happened. "You're about to miss your waltz rehearsal! We need to go right now—"

Jeongin suddenly paused when he looked over to the side and saw Taehyun, red as a ruby, staring at some random shells on the wall, his head tilting slightly as he looked over at Beomgyu who was just blinking silently.

"Sorry to interrupt whatever conversation you two were having, it's lovely to see you awake and well by the way," Jeongin said, smiling warmly at Taehyun who just nodded. "But we really need to go!"

"But I just woke up, come on!—"

"No time!"

Beomgyu was soon forcefully dragged out of the room by Jeongin, the elder stumbling over his words as he looked over at Taehyun who was staring at the floor before he was gone from his sight, being dragged down into the hallway without a second to spare.

Just as Taehyun thought he was freed and could finally freak out, a servant lady bursted into the room and instantly laid her eyes on him, causing him to flinch.

"There you are!" She smiled widely, his eyes widening when he recognized her as Pham Hanni from the dance club. "You're the person his highness saved yesterday! By order of the queen, I'm here to get you changed and better! Come with me!"

Hanni wrapped her hand around Taehyun's wrist and dragged him out of the room, unaware of how caught off guard the male was when she had told him that.

What the hell does she mean that... Beomgyu... saved him...?

✧˖*°࿐

"What do you mean his waltz partner won't be here?!"

"Please, Mr. Jeongin, calm down!" The servant said anxiously, watching the male fume with anger. "Minjeong was called back home, sir! We can always reschedule—"

"We don't have time!"

Beomgyu stood there silently, watching his cousin argue with some dude who was really about to pee his pants over the whole thing.

Ever since they arrived at the ballroom, it had been a fiasco of disasters. First, the orchestra had lost their music somehow so they had to spend thirty minutes finding new music. Then, right as they were waiting to start, Beomgyu suddenly had to be rushed to changed into proper clothes by order of the queen which set back more time. Now, they were fucked because the person he was supposed to practice with had to leave home to her family for an emergency!

It's safe to say that fate was not on Jeongin's side.

"You know what," Beomgyu spoke up, walking towards Jeongin who was a near second away from exploding. "Let's just cancel this and go—"

SLAM!

Just before Beomgyu could finish his sentence, everyone's eyes widened when the ballroom door had slammed open, revealing Taehyun who looked... prettier...?

"No! Mr. Kang, please!—" Hanni rushed in, trying to grab the male who seemed like he had ran around the whole palace. "We must go—"

Taehyun gently shook Hanni off of him, his eyes landing on Beomgyu as they turned into angry slits, storming over towards the elder who was confused as to why he was angry now! Damn, his mood changes a lot!

"What do you?—"

"You know what!" Jeongin groaned, grabbing both Beomgyu and Taehyun before slamming them together — which shocked the both of them. "He's your new partner, now music please!"

Both boys stood there stunned, staring at one another as they tried to process what the fuck had just happened as orchestral music began to play a musical piece called "Merry-go-round of Life".

That's when it hit them, they have to dance with each other.

Oh fuck his life.

"What are you both waiting for?! Come on!"

Beomgyu quietly cursed under his breath, his cousin really annoying him at this point before he looked over at Taehyun who seemed absolutely terrified of what was happening right now, which made him remember that the younger hasn't danced in front of an audience in five years.

He began to notice how Taehyun's eyes were shaking, looking around the room as if he were a criminal caught in a heist, his hands trembling at his side as his eyes were brimming with tears.

Just the sight of it made his heart drop slightly.

Without hesitation, he stepped closer, placing one hand on the younger's waist as he intertwined his other with his, causing Taehyun to freeze as he instantly looked up at the elder with shock.

"Focus on me."

Taehyun's heart stopped when he had heard those words, his mind scrambling in panic as what to do in this situation, all the alarms in his body were screaming at him to push Beomgyu off and run away, but the moment they had started moving around the ballroom floor, he suddenly felt frozen.

The elder had taken the lead, allowing the music to take over his system as he recalled all of the waltzing lessons he had unfortunately learned in Cinderella. Step by step, the both of them gracefully danced around the room as the music began to crescendo.

Taehyun, who had no idea what he was doing, immediately gripped onto the elders shoulder with his other hand and allowed his other to intertwine tightly with the elders, his eyes glancing down at the floor as he messily stepped on Beomgyu's feet, hearing an occasional hiss of pain.

"Damn, Kang," He heard Beomgyu say breathily, his head shooting up. "What the hell happened? Aren't you a dancer? You can't dance for shit right n- OW!"

Beomgyu winced in pain when Taehyun had purposely stepped on his foot, with extra force this time. He gritted his teeth in frustration — nearly about to yell at the younger but quickly composed himself when he noticed how anxious the boy looked, not wanting to increase his anxiety.

"Hey," He spoke softly, catching Taehyun off guard. "I'll count the steps, okay? So focus on me, can you do that?"

Initially hesitant, Taehyun glanced nervously at those around them, the servants awestruck by their perfect performance or because of how cute they looked together in their eyes, he's not sure. But the memory of the past stirred anxiety in his stomach, the memory of that night haunting his mind.

However, when Beomgyu's thumb began to soothe him with gentle circular motions on his waist, he slowly began to relax and nodded, allowing the elder to take control as he softly counted the beats, loud enough for the both of them to hear.

As they began to let the music take control of them, flawlessly dancing around the room, it began to drown out other sounds. Taehyun began to understand the waltz, his focus sharpening as he looked up at Beomgyu, his eyes sparkling with newfound confidence and long before euphoria.

Immersed in the moment, when Beomgyu had saw those pure stars in the younger's eyes, his own eyes widened as everything else became a blur as his attention centered solely on Taehyun. His gaze softened unconsciously as his voice lightened while guiding the steps, allowing the both of them to be in their own world.

Suddenly confident, Beomgyu gracefully stepped back, causing them to be momentarily apart as their arms stretched out.

Taehyun yelped in surprise as he was caught off guard, yet quickly regained his balance as Beomgyu smoothly pulled him back, his hands instantly returning to his waist as he looked up.

As the music became louder, the two of them picked up their pace as the world around them was nothing, their focus on only one another as the atmosphere began to shift into one full of unfamiliar emotions.

The way the corner of Beomgyu's lips twitched slightly, as if he were holding back a smile whenever Taehyun messed up. The way his heart would skip when he felt the elders hands on him, how he fought everything in him not to melt into his hold.

That's when Beomgyu suddenly stepped back and let go of him, twirling him around quickly which made his eyes widen. Instantly being pulled back closer, as the elder held onto him tightly, as if he were afraid to let go.

Beomgyu doesn't understand what he was feeling in that moment, maybe it was the role of being the damn prince of this fairytale taking over him, but when he had glanced down and stared at Taehyun's face...

...he began to notice details he had never seen before.

The way the males eyes were widened, big and wide with so many stars in them. How his pretty lips were parted slightly as his hair was styled slightly, allowing his face to be framed even more.

It made his heart skip.

It was like a ghost had suddenly taken over him, one of his hand gently letting go off the males waist as he slowly brought it up, slowly inching closer to the males cheek—

Suddenly, his entire world froze when he watched Taehyun glance down at his hand and flinched heavily, instantly snapping his head away as he prepared for a slap.

That's when Beomgyu's world froze as his heart dropped down to his stomach, immediately pausing in his steps as the music eerily went silent, the ballroom dangerously speechless as the two of them stood there in the center of the room.

That's when Taehyun slowly opened his eyes, glancing over at the hand as he was shocked that he didn't get slapped, looking up towards Beomgyu, he was about to gesture what happened until he was gently pushed away — stumbling back.

"Beomgyu?" Jeongin asked cautiously. "Are you?—"

Just before the male could say anything else, Beomgyu sharply turned as he rushed out of the ballroom, leaving everyone shocked as Taehyun stood there with his eyes wide open.

The euphoric rush soon faded away, reality crashing down on him as he watched Jeongin quickly chased after Beomgyu in a hurry, the male standing there dumbfounded before he slowly glanced down at the hand that was intertwined with the elders.

What the hell just happened...?

Taehyun stood there quietly, hearing Hanni walk towards him in worry, asking him questions he couldn't answer. But as he looked up his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Confused as to why his heart was throbbing so much.

✧˖*°࿐

SLAM!

Beomgyu breathed heavily as he began to unbutton his shirt, his eyes roaming around as he began to panic about what had just happened, needing fresh air to breathe and a quiet yet secluded place.

As he walked further into the room, the male paced around in a dazed panic, running his fingers through his hair as the memory of what had happened flashed through his mind, everything felt unreal, what the hell happened.

That's when he leaned down, grabbing onto his chest right above where his heart was, the fragile piece of him which felt like it was about to burst into a dance of flames. His eyebrows furrowing as he tried to understand what the hell he was feeling right now.

He has no idea what the hell took over him in that moment, shit! He doesn't understand what's taking over him at all, ever since he awakened in sleeping beauty with the news that Taehyun saved his life, he has never felt so conflicted in his life.

He was supposed to feel disgusted, angry, and just full of rage when he was forced to dance with the younger, but instead, he felt nothing but euphoria and a little bit of... excitement...? Yet it was all so confusing, he has no idea what's happening to him—

When he saw how anxious Taehyun looked, it was like a switch flipped in him as his first idea was to make sure the younger was okay, could it be because of that faint memory from before?

It had been so long since he had seen Taehyun dance.

In that moment, Beomgyu gasped sharply as the memory of his past flashed through his mind, covering his mouth as he slowly began to realize that these feelings were no longer something he can avoid.

Shit... shit... shit!

The male fell onto his knees, his confusing emotions overwhelming him as he tried his best to regain focus... yet... yet he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed.

That's when it hit him hard.

He had made a promise to himself long ago, a promise that he would forever hate Taehyun, to never forgive him after how he ruined his entire life.

But now...

Just how angry would his thirteen year old self would be... if he found out that five years later...

...that he was slowly starting to break that promise.

✧˖*°࿐