Beyond This Fucked Up World [choi yeonjun]

Chapter Fifteen - Meet And Greet At The Supermarket

We arrived at a small supermarket and went inside. Since Kai was the one who wanted to go to the supermarket, I just walked silently behind him and watched him shop. I looked at the different products on the shelves and eyed every single package of the chip bags that were in the department. Kai scanned the shelf for the right kind of chips while I surveyed his profile.

His features were sharp and striking. He had a strikingly petite nose that had something slightly graceful about it. Looking at him from the side was addictive and I could imagine that many people often asked for his number or the like. Maybe he was even asked about a modeling career once on the street, because such features are quite popular there.

He grabbed a red chips bag and made his way to the next corner of the supermarket.

"Aren't you going to buy some?"

"Don't have any money on me." He turned to me and continued walking backwards to his target shelf.

"Who leaves the house without taking money with them, huh?"

"Someone who never got their monthly salary because that person quit a week before."

"Oh, that's right." Was all he replied, turning around guiltily again. He scratched the back of his head and looked down at the floor.

We arrived at several refrigerated shelves, all lined up against one wall. A few meters across from us was the cash register and between us were three more sections of shelves. Kai opened one of the refrigerated doors with several different cans of all kinds stored behind it.

"Can you hold this open?" He instructed me and I took the door from him.

He reached into the shelf and grabbed a few cans. He pushed the cans aside with his hands and searched behind them for other varieties and reached even deeper into the refrigerated shelf to pull them out. He stashed them all in his arms and I wondered why he needed so many.

"Have some too if you want, I'll pay for it."

"No thanks, I don't need anything." I said, but Kai reached for another can that I happened to have stared at and handed it to me patiently. He took the fridge door from me and shut it quietly.

"Thank you." I whispered and clasped the can with both hands and pressed it against me.

He, however, just turned around as a matter of course and was about to go to the checkout, but was distracted by someone.

"Beomgyu! What are you doing here?" Kai shouted cheerfully, smiling broadly. In front of us stood Beomgyu, also with a broad smile. He was wearing a black shirt with red writing on it and a red, blue check skirt with black leather shorts underneath.

His face was still covered with small abrasions, as well as his hands, which still had some plasters on them. But what I discovered were new small and medium-sized abrasions on his forearms, some of which had already been treated with plasters.

"Shopping for things, what do you think I'm doing here?" Beomgyu answered the question Kai had just asked.

"What happened to your arms?" I interrupted their conversation, pointing to his abrasions.

He raised his arms in front of him, looked at them briefly and said, "What could have happened?" and then lowered his arms again as if it was normal to have abrasions all over one's body every day.

"I'm sure he thought he could keep up with Taehyun on the skateboard again." Kai explained to me, laughing out loud.

"Hey, I can skate better than you do, so just shut up!" Beomgyu countered, looking overly offended. Kai just laughed at him and walked past him, towards the checkout. I followed him again and next to me Beomgyu, who did the same.

He leaned towards me a little and asked "Are you coming to the skatepark with us, too?"

I looked up at him hesitantly, both my hands clutching the can again.

"Sure." Was all I said, thinking about who would all be there.

Apparently Kai bought all those cans for the meeting at the skatepark and since Beomgyu asked me just now if I would come along, it was clear that he would be there too. According to the meeting place, Taehyun would probably be there as well so I wondered if Soobin would be meeting them too.

Then my mind drifted to Yeonjun and the idea that he might also be at the meeting made me dizzy. I felt a rapid throbbing in my chest and felt my body getting warmer and warmer. I couldn't gauge whether the throbbing sensation was one of excitement or fear.

"Cool! Then I can prove to you that Kai is full of shit."

"You don't have to prove anything to me." I said absently, staring at Kai's back.

The latter suddenly turned around and Kai's flawless face looked down at me and gently took the can from me, which had to be paid for.

He put it with the other cans and had the cashier scan everything. Kai paid for all the things and Beomgyu grabbed a can right after and opened it with ease. He took a sip from it and sauntered back over.

Kai came over shortly after and held the remaining four cans and the chips bag in his hands.

"Thanks for helping me carry them, Beomgyu." He thanked him with a wry smile.

"You're always welcome." Beomgyu replied, grinning gleefully.

Kai ignored his statement and handed me my can again. I insisted on holding a few things too and he just gave me the bag of chips. Beomgyu probably wanted to make an impression afterwards and snatched two drinks to be able to carry something as well.

The three of us now walked to the skatepark on the beach and marched side by side. But the footpath was only made for two people, so I had to walk on the street. To my right, Beomgyu walked and talked casually with Kai while I walked beside them and listened.

We had already walked a few meters and I wondered if they had both forgotten me by now, but that changed abruptly when Beomgyu grabbed me by my shoulders from behind and pushed me between them. He casually put his arm over my shoulder and strolled on.

"So, I heard you ran away from a waiter yesterday because you didn't pay? First you steal money and now you don't pay? Are you broke or something?" He showered me with questions, grinning as if he was proud of me.

"Well first of all, it was Soobin's order that HE didn't pay and because of the stolen money I was just a hostage."

"A hostage!" Kai laughed loudly, dropping his head into his neck.

"You can call it that."

"Yeonjun told me to say that in case anyone asked about it."

"Best you leave that last part out then." Beomgyu spoke in my ear.

"You say that like you're giving me advice right now."

"I am! I don't want you to go to jail because of us."

"We'll see about that." I whispered inaudibly.

"We're not that bad. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh, and that three times in less than two weeks? I've already got one foot in jail and you're joking about it." Beomgyu continued to embrace me, laughing even more amused at my statements. His and Kai's laughing voices also made me laugh and just like Soobin, they made me feel safe.