Work Text:
Taehyun and Beomgyu.
It was easy for them to become friends. They clicked just like that. From elementary school into late high school, it was hard to find them without each other. Maybe it was the small student body, them living in a rural area, or just the natural act of opposites attracting. But they were always attached to each other, practically soulmates.
So, it's even more natural for Beomgyu to come to Taehyun whenever he gets a dumb idea. Like now.
"It's ghost week and the theme is love!" Beomgyu shouted slamming an old dusty book down onto Taehyun's desk, making the younger jump.
Taehyun coughed at the dust, fanning it away. He glared at Beomgyu for being so loud in the morning, "Can you tone it down?"
Beomgyu ignored him as he half-sat on the side of his desk and randomly flipped the book open, "We're going here," he pointed at bold letters that said, 'THE TWO WHO ENTERED, DIED.'
Taehyun stared at the book then looked up at Beomgyu with a deadpanned expression, "No."
"Why?" Beomgyu whined, "I went alone last year!"
"I went one day, actually."
"It's literally ghost week, you only get one middle of the week in June each year. And I've dedicated this week to lovers who died!"
"Why lovers? Why not murderers? Or sudden deaths?"
Beomgyu rolled his eyes then snapped his fingers repeatedly, "I did murderers two years ago, keep up with the times Taehyun. There's only so many things our town is famous for," he placed his hand on the book again, "You got your bike, right? Meet me after school."
Taehyun took one good look at Beomgyu. The elder was beaming with excitement, "Alright," he said after a moment. In truth, he hadn't thought about saying no.
Beomgyu's face broke out into a bright smile, "You're the best!" He exclaimed. When the warning bell rung he stood up, pointing a 'threatening' finger at Taehyun, "It's a date, you better not be late."
Taehyun's heart stuttered at the word 'date,' but Beomgyu didn't need to know that. He replied back to Beomgyu with a 'I won't be.' Beomgyu left the classroom afterwards, apologizing to a teacher he almost bumped into. The teacher began to scold Beomgyu outside, but Taehyun's attention focused in on something else.
The old book was still on his desk. He's always wondered where Beomgyu got these books from, looking at the front of the book it was about couples who tragically died specifically from their town. He flipped back to the page Beomgyu had pointed at, curiosity got the better of him and he began to read. By the time school ended, he knew the full story.
Ironically enough, Beomgyu was the one who was late.
"I know what you're going to say," Beomgyu spoke instantly while approaching the bike rack, hands up, "But it really wasn't my fault. I tried to leave as soon as class was over but my homeroom teacher decided to reprimand me for being late."
"Get to class earlier then," Taehyun's lip quirked up in amusement.
"Ugh that's so boring though," Beomgyu sighed. They unlocked their bikes then walked them out to the front of the school, "You have my book right? I left it with you."
"It's in my bag."
"Thank God. It's a piece of history," Beomgyu got on his bike and started off.
"And you were trusted with it?" Taehyun followed along, sitting on his bike and pedaling after Beomgyu.
Beomgyu turned his head to yell to Taehyun, "It's not like it got damaged!"
Taehyun shook his head in exasperation. They pedaled side by side after Taehyun caught up. Every now and then, Taehyun gave a glance to Beomgyu to see how the wind pushed through Beomgyu's long black hair, showing off his sharp jawline. Beomgyu's hands were clenched around the handle of the bike, his nails painted bright shades of the rainbow.
Beomgyu was so pretty. Taehyun's heart raced, he told himself that it was just the pedaling. When he looked again, Beomgyu looked back and gave him a smile, before promptly falling off his bike and onto the side of the road.
Taehyun was quick to press the break on his bike, then roll backward until he got to Beomgyu, "What the hell happened?" He put out the break stand quickly before going over to Beomgyu. He moved the males bike off of him and laid it against the curb. He crouched next to Beomgyu who was already sitting up by then and grimacing.
Beomgyu's expression relaxed once he saw Taehyun, "You distracted me, idiot," Beomgyu lightly hit Taehyun's shoulder.
"How did you fall?" Taehyun questioned, he took Beomgyu's wrist in his hand and checked his elbows for scrapes, Beomgyu's skin was scraped, but no cuts. Even though he wasn't looking, he could feel Beomgyu's eyes on him.
"A rock," Beomgyu told him, their eyes meet when Taehyun lifted his head, "Am I good to go doc?" Beomgyu joked.
"Yes. Your prescription is keeping your eyes on the road," Taehyun patted Beomgyu's back as he let go of his hand and stood up, offering it to pull Beomgyu up.
As they get back on their bikes Beomgyu muttered, "Says you," which Taehyun acted like he didn't hear.
Not too much further down the road, they stop at a field. Beomgyu got off his bike, confusion over his face, "How did you know where to stop at?"
"I read the story," Taehyun replied. They sat their bikes down next to each other in the grass. The grass got longer the more away from the road it went. It stretched a while, far behind it were trees, "A couple enters, never to be seen again," he quoted.
They walked into the grass, "Oh. I didn't," Beomgyu told him. He fanned a bug away from his face.
Taehyun looked at Beomgyu, exasperated once more. He wasn't surprised, "Are you serious? What if I hadn't read it?"
"Then we'd have just went on a bike ride and eventually pulled out the book once we got lost," Beomgyu shrugged, "I knew you would read it though. So, how does the story go?"
Taehyun guessed Beomgyu was too lazy to read it himself so that's why he left the book, still, he said what he remembered, "Well, a couple entered this field. They disrespected it, so a spirit came out and told them that if they don't find a four-leaf clover before sunrise, they'll die. They died."
"...You explained that so plainly," Beomgyu complained.
"It's that or nothing. So why are we out here?"
Beomgyu suddenly stopped walking, which made Taehyun pause. He turned towards Taehyun.
"Does it say anything about finding a four-leaf clover, or anything about how the couples died?" Beomgyu asked.
"Uh.. I think it said that finding a four-leaf clover means you'll be protected from all evil spirits, and the couple died at some in between place. I don't know what that meant."
Beomgyu's face lit up, "I know!" He took Taehyun's hand and began pulling him across the field. Taehyun just went along with him.
They stopped at the edge of the grass that mixed into the forest, a line of grass was a bit shorter than the rest in length, "A river used to be here before it dried out."
"Huh," Taehyun glanced up and down the line.
Beomgyu let go of his hand to step into the dip, "You know, it's interesting how urban legends come about. I think a lot of them are based on truth, but people didn't know how to explain mysterious deaths, so now we get this."
Taehyun listened to Beomgyu ramble about the subject for a bit when his eyes fell to the elder's knee. There was a patch of dark red, blood. It must have started bleeding sometime after they pedaled off.
"Gyu, your knee is bleeding."
Beomgyu stopped talking and looked down, "That's what burned," he said in realization.
"Let's call it a day."
Beomgyu pouted at Taehyun briefly. His face changed into a smile when he walked over and slung an arm around Taehyun's shoulder, "You'll come with me tomorrow, right?"
"Really, tomorrow?" Taehyun questioned, to no shock at all. They began to walk back through the field and to their bikes.
"You're not gonna leave an injured person to do exploring all on their own, are you?"
"It's your knee."
"Just say yes," Beomgyu said, tilting his head and giving Taehyun a look, as if he knew Taehyun would never tell him no.
"Alright. Tomorrow."
"I knew I could count on you," while Beomgyu's tone was teasing, Taehyun knew Beomgyu genuinely felt that way. It was mutual, Taehyun felt the same. Later, when the sky was nearly dark, they arrived at Beomgyu's house.
Beomgyu sat up on the sink while Taehyun was crouched before his leg, rolling his pant leg up. Beomgyu's knee was badly scraped with dry blood around it.
"This might hurt," Taehyun told Beomgyu, getting ready to put disinfectant ointment on the cut. He looked up at the other and saw that Beomgyu was biting his lip. It was a nervous habit of Beomgyu's that Taehyun picked up on a long time ago. He used his free hand to take Beomgyu's in his, "Squeeze if it hurts," Beomgyu's face filled with surprise. Without waiting a moment more, Taehyun applied the ointment.
"Ah! Why didn't you warn me?" Beomgyu whined as he instantly squeezed Taehyun's hand. Taehyun snorted, squeezing back.
"Ghost week day two!" Beomgyu yelled, slamming the same dusty book down on Taehyun's desk. Again. Taehyun flinched. Perhaps he shouldn't have given the book back. He glared at Beomgyu, who had actually come earlier to school just for this.
Beomgyu flipped open the book, his finger pointed at the title of the chapter he flipped to, "This is where we're heading to today."
The title read, 'THE LOVERS, THE WITCH, AND THE BEAR.'
"Let me guess, the forest at the field?" Taehyun said after seeing the words written on the page.
Beomgyu leaned over to look at the book too, "Yup, looks like it. Meet you after school?"
Taehyun agreed easily. He found himself slightly anticipating the end of school, which dragged on slowly. The final bell eventually did ring. This time, Beomgyu was there first at the bike racks waiting for him.
He paused in his step, Beomgyu hadn't noticed him approaching yet, since the elder was staring off into the distance. Taehyun's eyes instantly fell to the sweater Beomgyu was wearing over his uniform, it was fuzzy with brown bears stitched into it. Taehyun thought that it looked absolutely adorable on Beomgyu.
Their eyes met, and Beomgyu smiled, raising his eyebrows in a teasing way. Maybe Taehyun should have been embarrassed that he was caught staring, but he wasn't.
The bike ride was the same, except Beomgyu managed to not fall off. The day was hotter than yesterday, as soon as they stopped Beomgyu took off his sweater and wrapped it around his waist, citing that it was colder in the school.
"Is there an area we're looking for now?" Taehyun asked as they walked through the field.
"Mhm," Beomgyu hummed, "There should be wooden steps. I read the story-"
"-Finally," Taehyun cut him off.
Beomgyu bumped him with his shoulder, "Shut up. As I was saying, I read the story and did some extra research. Real people were actually documented living here, some centuries ago. So this tale is based off of real people."
"What's the story about?" Taehyun inquired curiously.
Immediately after Taehyun spoke Beomgyu said, "A man and woman," as if he had been waiting to talk about the story this whole time, "Friends since birth, lovers at death," he continued.
"They grew up together, their families houses being right next to each other. As they grew, they became gorgeous, absolutely stunning," Beomgyu looked at Taehyun, "Everyone wanted to be the one to marry one of them, and they did try. But the two realized their feelings and decided to become a couple."
The shadows of the tall trees covered them in shade as they walked into the forest, giving them a relief from the blearing heat of the sun. Beomgyu became one step ahead of Taehyun, guiding them through roots and branches on the ground.
"Then there was this witch, she liked the man very much. She tried many things such as trying to seduce the man or making love potions. She even threatened the man that she would take the woman's life. Still, the man and woman's relationship persisted. They didn't fear the witch," Beomgyu spoke. Small droplets of light sprinkled through the canopy of the forest. There were birds chirping in the distance.
"They eventually got married, they invited all of their family and friends. The witch disappeared after that. So they built up a gorgeous cabin together, right in this forest, that was the envy of the town-" Beomgyu suddenly stumbled over a branch. Taehyun was quick to grab his forearm and steady him.
"You've got to stop falling," Taehyun scolded light-heartedly. He only let go when he was sure Beomgyu was steady enough.
"Being clumsy is in my nature at this point, you'll catch me anyways though so I don't need to worry," Beomgyu told him, and Taehyun couldn't really disagree, "On the night of their first anniversary when they were alone and tucked into bed, the witch sent a bear after them. Who not only ripped them to shreds, but also tore down their beautiful cabin. Except, get this," Beomgyu briefly turned to face Taehyun, "The 'witch' was the man's friend and lover all along!"
He turned back, the field was long behind them by now, "The witch had done a spell to put herself in place of the everyone's memories of the woman and made the woman out to be the witch. The woman had tried to find help but got it from a suspicious warlock. So when she casted the spell the bear went nuts. After realizing she killed the witch and her lover, she committed suicide. It's said-"
Taehyun zoned out, his eyes on Beomgyu's back. He watched the male expressively talk, his eyes gleaming when he would occasionally look at Taehyun. Beomgyu's hands moved as he explained the story. Taehyun always liked how when Beomgyu was very passionate about something, it was very obvious because he showed it through his body language.
Taehyun only zoned back in when Beomgyu looked at him as if he knew he had mentally clocked out, "-There is also something about how even though they're dead, you can still feel their love to this day."
"That's fucked up."
"It sure is, I can't think of the moral of the story," Beomgyu stepped on top of a tree that had fallen over, he stopped to help Taehyun up.
"Maybe it's something like don't chase after things you've lost?" Taehyun suggested, taking Beomgyu's hands.
"Don't get help from suspicious people?" Beomgyu said, he didn't let go of Taehyun's hand after they got pass the tree.
"If you're that replaceable to them they're not worth it?" Taehyun added.
"None of those sound right, maybe there isn't a moral and it's just a fucked up story," Beomgyu shrugged, he lightly swung their hands back and forth.
"Maybe. Do you know where we're going by the way?" Taehyun questioned. It would be dark in an hour.
"Absolutely," Beomgyu replied, not making eye contact. Something about the way that he said that made Taehyun not believe him. They walked awhile in comforting silence, just the two of them and the forest.
"I see it!" Beomgyu suddenly exclaimed, pointing at something ahead. He let go of Taehyun's hand and ran a few feet, before turning back and dragging Taehyun with him, since Taehyun hadn't followed along as quickly.
Three steps of old wooden stairs appeared before them. Beomgyu finally stopped, he let go of Taehyun's hand, panting slightly, "I actually wasn't sure if we were going in the right direction, it's amazing we found it."
Taehyun sighed, "I knew it," he then noticed that the stairs was on the side of a trail, "Hey, there's a trail here. We could have used that this whole time," he walked around and looked down the path.
"I forgot about that trail," Beomgyu said. Taehyun looked over at Beomgyu to see him sitting on the second step of the stairs. Taehyun joined him, sitting besides Beomgyu.
"So, we found this, now what?" Taehyun asked.
"Well, usually I would try to summon the ghosts and stuff, but sometimes it's nice to simply appreciate the places where these tales come from, and just let the souls rest," Beomgyu said lightly, he then added, "Lets be amazed that this stair place actually exists."
Taehyun huffed out a laugh, "It is pretty amazing," he stared out at the forest. The shadows became more prominent as the sun began to set. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Beomgyu looking at him, Beomgyu's been doing that more lately, "We should head back," he said, turning his gaze back to Beomgyu who promptly acted like he hadn't been staring.
"Yeah, it's getting dark," Beomgyu agreed. So they trudged back through the forest to the field, and rode their bikes with the sun falling on their backs.
"It's day three!" Beomgyu yelled, the book made a loud bang as he slapped it down on Taehyun's desk. For some reason, he was here even earlier.
Taehyun didn't even startle this time, expecting this as soon as he saw Beomgyu entering the classroom, "Which one now?"
Beomgyu opened up the book, flipping through a few pages, "This one," he pointed at the title, which read, 'THE CURSED HOUSE.'
"Where's that at?"
"I dunno, you read the story today," Beomgyu nudged the book over to him.
"This feels like you're giving me homework," Taehyun looked up. When his eyes landed on Beomgyu, he faltered. There were small bags underneath his eyes. Even though the elder seemed fine, Taehyun wondered if he actually was.
"What? I read one, you read one. It's only fair," Beomgyu nodded at his own statement.
Taehyun let their previous conversation go to ask, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just didn't sleep well," Beomgyu dismissed him, "I gotta go, see you later!"
Taehyun watched him as he left, suspicion rising in him. He would talk to Beomgyu about it later. Regardless, he was more excited this time to go to this place with Beomgyu. All over again, the clock ticked until the last bell rang. Taehyun was out of the classroom quickly and off to the bike racks. A couple of other students were around, taking their bikes and leaving.
Beomgyu was almost late, he looked exhausted. Taehyun could tell he was determined to go on so he didn't say anything. With Taehyun leading them, this time they biked far pass the field. Taehyun remembered going here once with the rest of their friend group when they were younger. That's what made it easy to remember the path which lead them through a different section of the forest, over an old bridge that rests above a miniature creek, and it's there. The house gated.
They sat their bikes inside the bushes, "What if we get caught?" Taehyun said, making sure their bikes were hidden enough.
"Uhm... We lost something?" Beomgyu suggested unhelpfully, holding a piece of the gate so Taehyun could get through first. Taehyun turned and helped Beomgyu through once he got in.
"They'll instantly know we're lying," Taehyun pointed out.
"Well, you're the smart one. Brainstorm something," Beomgyu playfully shoulder checked him.
"Don't you want to hear the story though?" Taehyun joked back. The house is old, the wood looked like it's rotting. The roof is dipped in, appearing as if it may collapse inwards.
"Absolutely," Beomgyu replied excitedly. The stairs they walked up were creaky underneath their weight. The door handle was missing, so they just pushed it forward.
The door opened into the living room. A few pieces of old furniture sat around the area, everything was dusty. They could see a cobweb on the ceiling, "A couple died in here because of a murderous ghost. The place is supposed to be haunted by the couples souls, since they're trapped here. As for the ghost, the ghost is waiting for its next victims," Taehyun explained.
"I should be used to this by now," Beomgyu stated.
They walked further into the house. Beomgyu was oddly quiet as they explored. Once they reached the second floor, Taehyun felt that he should check in with Beomgyu now. It was unlike him to act like this.
"How are you feeling?" Taehyun asked Beomgyu, who stood by the window with his back to him. This second floor of the house looked unsafe in Taehyun's opinion. The floor was dipping in on the other side of the room, and the boards felt very soft. Most likely from rainfall.
"Sorry if I'm ruining the mood," Beomgyu's tone sounded far away.
Taehyun furrowed his eyebrows, "You're not. I just wanna know if you're doing alright."
"I dunno, just tired. Sad. It kept me up last night."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I..." Beomgyu finally turned to face him, he had an unreadable expression on his face, "What if I want something that's feels so unattainable? Like no matter what I do, it's in reach but I'll never be able to grasp it?"
Taehyun tilted his head, "Can I ask if it's a person?"
"It is," Beomgyu eyes flickered away from Taehyun, he bit his lip.
"Tell them you want them," Taehyun said, "It's easier said than done, but it's better than wondering what could be."
Beomgyu's face filled up with thought, "Never thought of it like that."
Taehyun moved to walk over to Beomgyu, "It's-" The board Taehyun placed his foot on cracked under his weight, he jerked to the side as he lost balance. He nearly fell over but Beomgyu was quick to cross the room and reach out to him, wrapping a hand around his waist and grabbing his arm to keep him from going through the floor even more.
"Eat your words, Taehyun," Beomgyu said with a smirk, "I'm not the only one who falls."
Taehyun felt like he got whiplash from how fast Beomgyu went from sad to joking. He wanted to get at Beomgyu for teasing him when his foot is halfway through the ceiling. But the thought to do so is forgotten when it looked like Beomgyu's eyes flickered down to his lips. He can't decide if his brain is playing tricks on him or not, because Beomgyu suddenly pulls him straight. He does lose his balance this time, falling right into Beomgyu's chest. His face burned, his heartbeat picked up. Beomgyu held him tighter, mumbling and apology. After a moment they finally freed him from the floor.
"I think that's the ghost telling us to get out," Taehyun told Beomgyu, slightly spooked from whatever the hell just happened between them, and what could have happened had he actually fallen through the floor. Beomgyu just laughed, holding his hand on the way out.
They went back to Taehyun's house after that. Beomgyu stood in front of the bathroom mirror, grabbing pieces of his hair and putting it up in short pigtails. He turned to Taehyun, quirking his eyebrow up as he asked, "What do you think?"
"They're cute."
"Oh really?" Beomgyu said with a laugh.
Taehyun acted like he didn't see the red crawling up on Beomgyu's face. That night, after Beomgyu left, Taehyun twisted and turned in his bed for hours, head filled with thoughts from the abandoned house. He felt like he's become aware of something. But it's such of age feeling he doesn't know what.
"Day four!" Beomgyu shouted, slamming the book onto Taehyun's desk. Taehyun jumped, half asleep. Beomgyu actually had the gall to look apologetic for once.
"Did you not have a good night of rest this time?" Beomgyu's eyebrows were pinched together in worry.
"Nope. But it's not the worst that it could be," Taehyun replied. He didn't intend to back out of this ghost week now, just because he didn't sleep well, "I'm going with you later still."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, we only have one more day left, anyways."
Beomgyu's face lit up, "Okay, but if you don't feel up to it later let me know," he flipped open the book and pointed to a random page title, "This looks interesting."
Taehyun leaned over to look at the title. It read: 'THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE ALLURING TRAIN TRACKS.' He lifted his head to meet Beomgyu's eyes, which were already on him, "This is probably the tracks not in use anymore by the abandoned gas station."
"Guess we'll see," Beomgyu gave him a cheeky smile as he closed the book, then picked it up, "I have a feeling this trip will be funner than the rest. See you then?"
"Yeah, cya."
This time, instead of going left out of the school, they go right. It's a bit of a long ways to their destination, so they end up making a pit stop at a grocery store to get a snack, and then they're on their way again. They biked through the small town and then a bit further to get to the gas station. Once they're there, it's easy to spot the railroad. They hid their bikes behind the building and walked over to the tracks. The tracks were built in a trench, dirt acted as a small slope to get down to them.
Once they got onto the tracks, they walked forward, Beomgyu purposely stepping on each wooden crossties.
"So, what's the case of these train tracks?" Taehyun prompted Beomgyu, glancing at the other. He hadn't gotten much of a glimpse from the book earlier.
"Glad you asked," Beomgyu said, giving him a smile, "So, it started from a long time ago. A man was working on these tracks when one day he met a beautiful woman. They slowly fell in love over time, and eventually got married. By the the tracks were finished," as they walked on, the more surrounded by nature they were. Trees became more prominent, eventually forming an arch with their branches far up over their heads, "They decided to have their wedding on this railroad, since they met here. They spent years happily together, and even had a son and daughter. Until one night, the wife caught her husband cheating. They had a huge, explosive argument. Somehow they ended up out on these tracks, arguing."
"A train seemed to come out of nowhere and hit the wife, killing her instantly. Later along the line there were many couples who were attracted to this railroad. Perhaps they confessed their feelings, or got married. Every relationship eventually fell apart, it ended with the death of either the wife or husband," grass creeped its way in between the tracks, the shadows over the trees begun to cover them, Taehyun's eyes landed on Beomgyu's side profile, the male was talking as he watched his feet, occasionally looking up, while stepping on the tracks.
"It's said that the wife from the beginning of the story haunts these tracks, and makes them seem alluring to people who are in love. That way, once they become a couple because of tracks she can curse them and make them miserable until one of them dies. Just like what happened to her- Is that a gecko?" Beomgyu pointed far away from them. He quickly went ahead of Taehyun.
Taehyun watched as Beomgyu got further away, ending up in a treeless spot ahead with the sun shining. It was strange how the tracks did, indeed, seem alluring. The pretty scenery made it so. It wasn't the only thing that was pretty though. Beomgyu was beautiful in every way. From how passionate he was about things he loved, to how he trusted Taehyun enough to share them with him, to his loud yet bright personality. He was proudly himself, yet he was so caring of others. He never forgot about Taehyun.
Taehyun stared at Beomgyu, the elder spun around on the railroad tracks with a wide grin and a bright gleam in his eyes, one that even the sun at its highest point in the sky couldn't match. Taehyun swore he could see the stars in his eyes, "Tae, come over here! It wasn't a gecko, just a rock!" Beomgyu shouted at him without a care in the world, holding out a soft hand that was coated in colorfully chipped nail polish. No matter what, Beomgyu was always reaching for him.
At that moment, while standing on those old wooden tracks with Beomgyu staring at him, something akin to adoration glistering in the elders eyes, Taehyun realized he had fallen in love.
It wasn't all that surprising, though, he had always known somewhere inside.
Suddenly, it felt like how far apart they were from each other was too much. The light shined where Beomgyu stood, while the trees shadowed over Taehyun. Anxious butterflies tingled in his heart when he locked eyes with Beomgyu. Beomgyu's hand felt miles away.
Beomgyu's questioning look was what made Taehyun walk towards him, finally catching up. It was right there all along. Even though it should be, falling in love, being in love with Beomgyu isn't frightening at all. It's easy. Like how Taehyun took his hand and then they fell into their normal routine of walking together, hand to hand. It's all so sweet and beautiful, like a strawberry sundae. Maybe it being too easy is what should've made it scary. At the same time, perhaps there was never anything to fear.
"Guess what day it is!" Beomgyu almost screamed, how hard Beomgyu slammed the book down onto Taehyun's desk was enough to make even the students near the front rows groan.
"Who trusted you with that book? For real this time?"
Beomgyu gave him a stern look that Taehyun had to stop himself from laughing at -was it stern when the corners of Beomgyu's lips kept going up? "I said guess!"
"Day five," Taehyun supplied.
"You're right! And we're going here!" Beomgyu was practically vibrating with excitement as he opened the book to a random page. They nearly butted heads when they both leaned over to read the title, which said, 'ALL THE DAYS THE BRIDGE WATCHED THEM.'
"Probably the bridge near the north side of the city," Taehyun spoke after seeing the title.
"We should go at night, it's always prettier then."
Taehyun wordlessly agreed. Once Beomgyu left, he jumped to read the full story. By the time the end of the day came around, he had read all of it. Riding around on their bikes while they waited for sunset to come was fun. Every moment he looked at Beomgyu, or caught the elder staring at him, eyes occasionally flickering down to his lips, just made his heart soar. When the world begun to settle down, with porch lights turning on and the sun falling asleep, they rode to the bridge.
This time, they didn't need to hide their presence or leave the bikes behind. They walked the bikes to the middle of the bridge with them, leaning them against each other off to the side. They leaned on the railing, looking down at the dark water below. Lights on the bridge showed them their reflection in the water. Beomgyu occasionally got rocks for them to throw.
They chatted for awhile until Beomgyu eventually questioned him about the story, "Alright, so, there were two girls. They were best friends. The first girl, she was some important person's daughter. The other girl, she was the daughter of a baker. Once they turned eighteen they were going to be married off. The only place they could come to for solace was this bridge, where they met."
Beomgyu's attention was fully on him. Taehyun almost got lost in the way Beomgyu's eyes glittered in the streetlight, but reminded himself to keep speaking, "From there they continuously came here whenever they could to talk to each other. Eventually they fell in love, but knew their love would never be accepted. So the night before the first girl was supposed to be married, they jumped off this bridge together."
Taehyun paused, the story was beginning to get to him, "Out of sorrow for their death, yet appreciation for their short time together, this bridge is supposed to be blessed by them. That anyone who walks across it will live a long and happy life filled with love."
"That's sad," Beomgyu spoke.
"Yeah, yet out of all the stories we read, it has a slightly positive ending. Although bittersweet," Taehyun said. Beomgyu nodded in response, looking over the water again. He watched as Beomgyu seemed to go into deep thought.
To lighten the mood, Taehyun asked, "Have you had any ghostly experiences?"
"Yup," Beomgyu turned his gaze to Taehyun again, "I have seen a few ghosts and had some touches."
"Huh," Taehyun looked forward, thinking about what Beomgyu said and wondering if he himself believed in ghosts or not. The water sparkled below them. Beomgyu must have thought that Taehyun wasn't paying attention, because he seemed to have gotten lost in staring at Taehyun once more. This time, Taehyun looked back. Beomgyu's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he didn't pretend like he wasn't staring.
Their eyes searched one another's. They went from being children at an elementary school, just meeting each other and finding that automatic click. To holding hands as they walked down a sunny railroad, and enjoying the peace of a silent midnight bridge with water flowing underneath.
Taehyun and Beomgyu. It's always been them.
Beomgyu's voice was softly warm when he spoke, "I love you, Taehyun-ah."
And it really was just that simple for Taehyun to respond back to him with, "I love you too, Beomgyu."
Taehyun reached for Beomgyu's hand, the elder must have had the same thought because their hands met in the middle, perfectly fitting like puzzle pieces. Beomgyu began to smile so wide, his eyes colored with emotion and he let out a wet laugh, "I want you to be my boyfriend."
"I want that too. Will you be mine?" Taehyun couldn't help but smile back, feeling so much joy in his fluttering heart.
Beomgyu nodded, "Of course."
Taehyun raised their hands and placed a kiss on the back of Beomgyu's. Beomgyu's face flushed, he began to moan about how Taehyun was being sappy. He stopped when Taehyun cupped his cheek with one hand. Right on that bridge, in the chill of the night with the streetlights glittering behind them, they shared their first kiss.
-
"So you attempted to woo me by taking me to places where couples died?"
"Yes..." Beomgyu acted as if he was bashful, "I thought maybe you'd think I was super cool and then would want to date me after."
"Tell me the real reason," Taehyun said deadpanned.
Beomgyu rolled his eyes with a laugh, "Okay, fine. I wanted to share this with you because it's really special to me. My original plan was to try to woo you through the stories, but I was sorta in over my head and had no plan. It worked though, didn't it?"
"Kinda," Taehyun replied with a teasing grin.
Beomgyu softly bumped shoulders with him, "I'm happy I got to do this with you Taehyun. It's been a great week."
"Me too, Beomgyu. It'd be fun to do this again."
"We can hunt ghosts any time, y'know. But how about we go on a real date instead."
"Alright," Taehyun agreed. Beomgyu leaned his head onto Taehyun's shoulder. They stood quietly for awhile, basking in each other's presence, until Taehyun spoke up again, "When do we tell our parents and friends?"
"Let's just wait awhile, there's no rush. I have to warn you though, I think my mom might be a little homophobic. But because it's you, Taehyunie, it'll be okay," the soft look Beomgyu gave Taehyun after saying that made his heart warm up, "Wanna do as the story said and walk across the bridge?" Beomgyu then suggested. Taehyun nodded, and they were off, walking across the bridge in the comfort of each other's presence.
(They waited a week to tell their parents about their relationship.
"You guys weren't already together?" Taehyun's mother had asked, confused.
"I knew that boy had eyes for you," His dad said to him, he then turned to Beomgyu, "Welcome to the family son!" He exclaimed while wrapping Beomgyu in a bear hug and effectively squeezing the life out of him.
-
"I don't really... Like that kind of stuff, but if you guys are serious about your relationship, I'm not against it. I want you both to be happy," Beomgyu's mom then promptly started to protectively question Taehyun about his intentions as Beomgyu's boyfriend.
In the end, it was worth it. They had each other now, and that's all they ever needed.)