In Another Life With You | Taegyu

9

Two hours of shopping had passed as the number of bags he was carrying started to increase with every passing moment. Clearly, he didn't know which part of the contract stated being a bodyguard would also include becoming Taehyun's shopping bag carrier as Beomgyu dragged his feet from one store to another.

He didn't remember Myeong-dong street being this colossal. Or maybe it was just Taehyun taking ages in a single store only to contemplate his choices, leave the store, go to another one, then come back to the very same shop again.

If it weren't for the weather being exceptionally cool today, Beomgyu would've genuinely considered dropping the job whole. His legs felt as if they were about to fall off any moment, and he could feel the sweat beads starting to form on his forehead from all their walking.

Sweating! In the middle of Autumn in Korea!

Looking up to see Taehyun enter another store, Beomgyu let out a silent groan in his head before following the latter inside. The sight of a couch in the middle of the shop was like a sight for sore eyes as Beomgyu plopped himself on it; Taehyun had already gone to find his nth work coat today.

Before Beomgyu could give in to the urge of falling asleep right there and then, Taehyun walked out from the dressing rooms, holding two coats in front of him.

"Which one looks better?" He asked.

"Grey," Beomgyu answered.

"You said black 30 minutes ago."

Beomgyu wanted to pass out. They've been to a plethora of different stores within 30 minutes that he hadn't even realised they've already been inside this one. "The grey coat looks better now," he clipped.

"I'll take the black one, please," Taehyun said, turning to a nearby staff member.

The clock tolled 5 in the evening as Taehyun walked out of his final store for today, feeling content and prepared for that upcoming meeting in two days. He turned around to see Beomgyu carrying at least a dozen bags with two of his hands as he opened the door for his bodyguard.

"Oh, aren't you just the gentleman," Beomgyu snapped.

Taehyun looked at him, confused. Then he looked to see where Beomgyu was motioning towards: his full hands.

"Ah," he realised, walking towards the latter as he took the smallest bag from the bunch. "Better?"

"Why you―"

The look on Beomgyu's face was enough to express how much he wanted to punch the latter, but he couldn't with both of his hands full as Taehyun couldn't hold back a smile.

Beomgyu found himself surrendering at the sight of Taehyun smiling. He rarely ever does that. But now that he is, he couldn't help but feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

"Let's go," said Taehyun, taking a handful of his bags from Beomgyu as their fingers brushed against each other lightly. That brief sensation was enough to send Beomgyu's heart racing slightly, his mind not knowing why his body was reacting in such a way.

"Taehyu, do you mind waiting here for a bit? I need to use the bathroom," Beomgyu said softly, gesturing towards the wall of the shop across them.

"Sure," Taehyun latter replied, taking the other handful of bags from Beomgyu as the latter disappeared from his sight, blending in perfectly with the sea of people.

Ten whole minutes had gone by, Beomgyu still nowhere to be seen as Taehyun grew mildly anxious. Trepidation rose in his blood as he picked the bags up, walking and pushing past the swarm of people as he tried to walk in the direction he last saw Beomgyu.

He kept walking and walking until he ended up in the middle of Myeong-dong. Taehyun looked around nervously, his heart beating with unease as he tried to figure out just where he had ended up―

His mind has completely left the task of finding Beomgyu as anxiety plagued his thoughts, giving way to dread. He was lost. Everywhere he turned looked the same: buildings, shops, people―more people.

He had spent the entire day here on this street, yet he hadn't had the slightest clue where he was at that moment.

People were passing by like a school of fishes, swarming past him as Taehyun felt his vision going in circles, his mind frozen in place. Looking around helplessly, he tried to search for Beomgyu amongst the bustling crowd.

"BEOMGYU!" He called out, the voice in his head louder than his actual voice. No response came. No Beomgyu to be seen. His breath quickened, trepidation toying with his mind as his hands began to tremble madly. Fear swelled into a contagious fog, threatening to swallow him whole.

So many thoughts rushed through his mind, overwhelming him with fear.

His mind was spinning in circles now―his body not willing to move as he stood there helplessly.

"BEOMGYU!" He yelled once more. The murmurs of the crowd and conversations of people passing by drowned out the sound of his shouts.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. The cries and shouts in his head deafening, his body wanting to surrender to his anxiety. His legs daring to collapse any second now―

Then all of a sudden, a hand gripped firmly onto his, dragging Taehyun from the crowd and his daunting thoughts. He looked up to see Beomgyu, pulling him away as he found himself back in reality. He hung his head low, his trauma too strong to give in to his pride as he allowed Beomgyu to seat him on a bench nearby.

"Taehyun," he heard Beomgyu call out.

He looked around. They were finally out of the crowd, the air feeling less stuffy as Taehyun brought out a trembling hand, holding onto Beomgyu's jacket.

"D-d-don't―don't leave me like that again," he breathed softly, still looking a bit shaken.

Beomgyu held onto Taehyun's hand, feeling his pulse still beating rapidly with fear. "I won't," he vowed.

Taehyun looked up, his eyes meeting the latter's as a wave of relief washed over him, feeling his throbbing heart speed up in a different way. Time stops just long enough for Taehyun to feel lost in Beomgyu's eyes, as if those brown orbs were a gateway to a completely different dimension, far from earth and life.

"Everything is going to be okay," Beomgyu said softly, his hand still firmly holding onto his.

He never knew to how trust anyone, not even Assistant Yoon. But oddly enough, hearing Beomgyu say those simple words made Taehyun want to believe that, indeed, everything will be fine.