You, Again || YeonGyu

It was a regular Wednesday morning—except for the fact that Beomgyu was running late. Again.

He was brushing his teeth, hair still messy from sleep, when his phone buzzed on the sink. He glanced at the screen.

Instagram Call: @yawnzzn

Of course. Who else?

He answered without thinking, toothbrush still in his mouth.

"What now, oldie?" he mumbled through a mouthful of minty foam.

Yeonjun's voice crackled through the speaker, far too cheerful for this early in the morning. "Hey, that's not how you talk to your knight in shining armor."

Beomgyu snorted. "Weirdo."

"That's the hundredth time you've called me that, Gyunning."

Beomgyu choked on his own saliva, nearly spitting toothpaste everywhere.

"The heck is a Gyunning, hyung?!"

"My new nickname for you, obviously," Yeonjun replied casually, as if it made perfect sense.

Beomgyu wiped his mouth with a towel, trying to pretend he wasn't blushing. "Hyung, just tell me why you called."

"Well..." Yeonjun's voice shifted into something more serious, more deliberate. "I was wondering if you could join me tonight? We're going to a bar. Maybe hook up with someone. You know what? You're right—Yunjin's not worth all the crying. It's been four years. I'm getting old."

Beomgyu froze, towel still halfway to his face.

Hookup with someone? The words echoed in his mind a little too loudly. His stomach twisted and he didn't know why. No—he knew. He just didn't want to admit it.

Was it... jealousy?

He cleared his throat. "Beomgyu?" Yeonjun asked, sensing the pause.

"Hyung... can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"...Have you ever, you know...?"

"What? You know?"

Beomgyu rolled his eyes. "You know."

There was a short silence on the other end. Then Yeonjun answered, voice low and teasing.

"Nope. Never been touched."

Beomgyu blinked. "Isn't the phrase supposed to be 'never been kissed, never been touched?'"

"Yeah. But I have been kissed now," Yeonjun replied, with that same grin Beomgyu could hear through the phone. "But never been touched. Wanna try me?"

"Hyung! You're gross," Beomgyu said, laughing, though his face was definitely burning.

Yeonjun chuckled. "Finally. You said something other than 'you're a weirdo, hyung.' So... you in?"

Beomgyu sighed. "I can't, hyung. I have classes tomorrow. Remember?"

Yeonjun paused, just for a beat. "Oh. Right. Well... I'll just ask Wooyoung then. Take care, Gyunning. I'll hang up now."

The line clicked off before Beomgyu could respond. But that tone—soft, a little disappointed—lingered in his ears.

Beomgyu tried to shake it off as he rushed to finish his morning routine and head to the kindergarten.

But even while teaching, he found himself spacing out. In between arts and crafts, tiny hand-holding, and singing alphabet songs, his thoughts drifted back to Yeonjun.

He really asked me to go hooking up with strangers?

And why did that... bother him?

Maybe because it felt too sudden. Too far from the version of Yeonjun he's come to know again. The Yeonjun who cries into his neck. The one who bakes vanilla cake with him. The one who calls him "Gyunning" like it's the most normal thing in the world.

Why did the idea of Yeonjun being with someone else (even if it's just for a night) make his heart feel heavy?

He didn't know. Or maybe... he did.

But he wasn't ready to say it out loud.

Not yet.