Sound of Winter || Taegyu

Chapter Eight

"Why are you being so difficult?" Seiji sighs loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly and allowing his eyes to close. Seiji places the glass cup down on the ground between both of them and stares at Beomgyu.

Beomgyu continues to stare at the four walls that hold him captive, searching for some meaning to everything that has happened, but he never finds one. Multiple times he's tried closing his eyes and blocking out everything, creating a fake world in his mind, but the memories always flood back when he closes his eyes – this is his new reality.

So instead of sleeping, he stares at the walls. The rough, jagged walls with little imperfections everywhere. It's like a puzzle to him, each crack telling a new and different story that he's unable to decipher.

At first he counted the minutes, but then they turned into an hour, then two, and then three. His mind went into a haze and now he's unsure of how long he's been here. He simply stares at the wall now, only speaking whenever he feels like it's safe to do so. It didn't take long for him to realize that he's unable to fight his way out of the situation, the numerous bruises scattered across his body being a sure fire way of proving that.

He feels broken, stripped of his dignity and sense of self. A prisoner captive of his own mind and of the four walls that surround him.

Every part of his body hurts, mostly because he's been lying on cement for who knows how long. The only times he's been allowed to get up from the area he's been confined to is when he's escorted upstairs to the bathroom or when he's allowed to eat.

"It's just water," Seiji tries again, grabbing the cup off of the floor and taking a sip from it, holding it out for Beomgyu to see inside of it. "See?"

Seiji motions the drink in his direction once more and Beomgyu leans forward enough to grab the cup with a shaky hand before quickly pressing himself back up against the wall, looking inside of it to ensure that it actually is water.

He raises it to his lips, taking the first tentative sip as the water hits his dry lips. It's like heaven to him. Pure and refreshing as it cascades down his throat, washing away the stale taste of captivity. He closes his eyes, savoring each gulp, each one more satisfying than the last.

When he's done, he places the cup back down on the ground between them. A simple nod to give his appreciation before he leans back again, wrapping his arms around his knees.

The silence has overcome them again, only the low humming of the air conditioning being heard throughout the room. He fiddles with his thumbs as Seiji sits in front him, arms crossed as he stares intently at Beomgyu.

Minutes tick by slowly, the silence between them almost deafening. It seems to stretch out endlessly, neither of them speaking or moving. They both sit there, waiting for something to happen.

"Who was he?" Beomgyu asks, breaking the silence between them. His eyes lift up to meet Seiji's, who is staring back at him in confusion. "You said I look so much like him," he continues. "So who is he?"

The room is filled with an eerie silence that's broken off by Seiji's sharp inhale. He moves closer and Beomgyu swears that his eyes soften for a moment.

After a few seconds, Seiji finally speaks up. "I used to have someone that I loved very deeply," he speaks, voice low as he collects his thoughts. "He's gone now."

He looks at Seiji in confusion, unsure of what he means by gone. Seiji doesn't look at him, instead he stares off into the other direction, lost in thought.

"I loved him, you know? I thought he felt the same way," his voice continues, growing softer. "He was my everything. Then one day, he just... disappeared. I tried contacting all of our friends and his family but none of them returned my calls."