Beomgyu’s POV:

I ran. The cold night air burned my lungs, but I didn’t care. My chest tightened, and my vision blurred as emotions overwhelmed me again. Stupid hyung… stupid Yeonjun… why does he have this effect on me?

The wind stung my face as I pushed forward, my feet pounding against the pavement. And then, through the haze of my racing thoughts, I saw it. A familiar figure. His back was turned to me, shoulders slightly hunched, as if carrying the same weight I felt. It was Yeonjun.

Without thinking, I closed the distance between us.

Yeonjun’s POV:

Damn it. I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing. My chest felt heavy, and before I realized it, tears were threatening to spill again. Why can’t I get him out of my head?

Lost in my thoughts, I felt someone grab my arm. Startled, I turned, and my heart stopped.

It was Beomgyu.

He was out of breath, his chest heaving, and his tear-streaked face looked up at me. His eyes, full of emotions I couldn’t read, cut straight through me.

“Beomgyu, wha—” I started, but the words caught in my throat.

Before I could finish, he stepped closer, cupped my face with trembling hands, and pressed his lips to mine.

My mind blanked. The world around me froze. What… what is he doing?

The warmth of his lips was unexpected, and for a moment, I couldn’t move. But then, the emotions I’d been suppressing broke free. My heart raced, and tears slipped down my cheeks as I reached up, cradling his face in my palms.

I kissed him back.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. The world disappeared, leaving only us. The tension, the pain, the unspoken feelings, it all melted away in the heat of the kiss. My fingers slid into his hair, pulling him closer as I poured everything I couldn’t say into that single act.

When we finally broke apart, our foreheads rested together, breaths mingling in the cold air. His tearful eyes met mine, and I whispered the words I’d been too afraid to admit.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”

I gently caressed his face, my fingers brushing against the skin I had caused to tear and swell. His puffy eyes, red-rimmed and glistening, stared into mine with a rawness that made my chest ache.

"I’m sorry… I’m so sorry," I whispered, my voice breaking as I closed my eyes. Guilt weighed heavy in every syllable.

"Hyung…" Beomgyu’s trembling voice pulled me back, cracking like fragile glass. "I... I didn’t know you were going through all of this… alone."

His words made my throat tighten, but before I could respond, he continued, his lips quivering as he spoke.

"Taehyun told me… he told me you loved me." My breath hitched, panic flaring in my chest. Before I could explain myself, his next words poured out, soft but certain.

"I love you too," he confessed, his voice trembling yet resolute. "I don’t know how to describe it, but when Taehyun said those words, my heart raced. It’s like… like I’ve always felt the same way, but I didn’t see it, didn’t realize it the way you did, hyung."

A wave of relief swept over me, washing away the weight that had kept me anchored in fear. His next words felt like balm on a wound I thought would never heal.

"Don’t be sorry, Yeonjun," he whispered.

Unable to hold back any longer, I pulled him into my arms, my body trembling as I buried my face in the crook of his neck. His warmth enveloped me, his familiar scent grounding me. It felt like an eternity since we’d been this close, and I wanted to savor every moment.

"Can we go home?" I murmured, my lips brushing against his skin, my shaky breath ghosting over his neck.

He nodded, his arms tightening around me. "Let’s go home, hyung."