"Where is everyone?" I asked Beomgyu as I took a seat next to him on the beach.
After a long grueling sessions of questions and visit from the nurse to check whether I was hurt, we came back to the cottage to freshen up.
I skipped lunch with the group and ate a light lunch in my room before I decided to take a stroll along the beach.
It was well past noon and the sky was beautiful hues of cotton candies. the sun setting and the cool breeze was welcoming after a tumultuous start to the day.
I was surprised to Beomgyu sitting alone in the beach, a few students scattered in groups, going about their day, some playing beach ball and some sun bathing while others took dips in the sea.
"Hi, how are you?" Beomgyu ask me when he noticed me take seat next to him.
"I am okay. Can't say the same for you. You look like a wreck" I bumped my shoulders against him.
He looked tired and I was sure it wasn't because he lost the competition. At least I hope not. Otherwise he would have still kept reminding me that it was Yeonjun and my fault.
But there was something dark in Beomgyu's eyes and he seemed distant from the rest of the people here at the beach.
I was starting to wonder I had missed some pivotal event in my absence during lunch.
"I heard from Soobin you met Jia last night. You didn't tell me that" he said slowly and picked up some pebbles hidden in the sand.
"Oh. Yeah, I didn't know who she was. And Soobin seemed to knew her. I didn't think much of it" I shrug and hope my lie is believable.
I didn't want to tell Beomgyu of what I had heard on the bus. I couldn't tell him about it without outing who were the ones who were speading those gossip and I was not sure what he would do to them once he knew what they said.
Was I bad friend for not telling him?
Beomgyu run a hand over his face and stared out in the ocean.
"Hey, what's up?" I prod him.
I wasn't even sure of whether the entirety of what those girls were talking about is true. Maybe Beomgyu's side would help me decide on whether I should tell him about it or not.
"Soobin, Taehyun and I had a fight" he admits and looks down.
"What happened? Is it because of the treasure hunt?" I ask even though my gut tells me otherwise and it is confirmed by the shake of his head.
I patiently wait for him to continue because I feel like pushing him will not be right.
I have rarely seen him so down, so dark and depressed. The Beomgyu I know is always smiles and snarky comebacks. Even when something is bothering him he is good at masking it in a way that you would never be able to pin point what is real problem he faces.
But not right now.
Right now, he is clearing showing his emotions or maybe he is too tired to put up a mask. I wonder what happened between them to affect him so much.
"Sometimes it feels like I am at fault for trying to keep peace with everyone" he shakes his head and throws the pebble in his hand into the water.
"Nope. Not at all. It is what makes you more admirable. A little annoying but admirable" I joke because this side of Beomgyu is too dark and it is unnerving.
Beomgyu let out a small chuckle at my joke, but it was faint, as if his heart wasn't in it.
He kept staring out at the ocean, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. The waves crashed gently against the shore, the sound usually soothing, but today it seemed like even the ocean couldn't ease the turmoil within him.
"It's just...exhausting, you know?" he said after a long pause, his voice heavy.
"Trying to be the one who keeps everything together. I want to make everyone happy, but sometimes it feels like I'm the one who ends up falling apart." he lightly kicks the sand and I put my hand on his shoulder in what I can only hope to be a calming motion.
It doesn't even register for him and I frown, scooting a little closer to him.
"Beomgyu, you don't have to carry everything on your shoulders. It's okay to let people know how you feel too. You're allowed to have bad days, to be upset or angry." it saddens me to see him like this.
This trip was supposed to be a relaxing weekend for us. Why was one bad thing after the other happening to each one of us.
He nodded, though it seemed like he was still struggling to accept that.
"I know, but it's hard. Soobin and Taehyun...they don't always get along, and I'm always stuck in the middle, trying to keep the peace"
"That just seems to be Taehyun problem I think" I shrug when Beomgyu passes me a pointed look.
"But today, it just...it all blew up." he sighs.
"What happened?" I asked gently, hoping he'd open up more.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"We were talking about Jia. We didn't know she was back here. And Soobin didn't tell us. Taehyun heard a few of the students talking about her and confronted Taehyun. That conversation didn't go well" he sounds tired.
"Things got heated, and they started arguing. I tried to step in and calm things down, but it just made everything worse. Taehyun said I was too soft, that I was always trying to please everyone and never standing up for myself. Soobin didn't say anything, but...I could tell he agreed."
I bit my lip, trying to process everything.
"That's...rough. But Beomgyu, they shouldn't have put that on you. You're just trying to do the right thing."
"Am I, though?" he muttered, his eyes still on the ocean.
"I knew in my hear that Taehyun was correct even if his words were harsh. But seeing Soobin defending her yet again, justifying her actions... he has been hurt enough. I didn't want him to relive it again. I didn't want Taehyun to remind him of that time" he shakes his head.
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm just making things worse by trying to keep everyone happy. Maybe it's better to let them figure it out on their own, even if it means they'll fight. I need to take lessons from Kai on this" he sighs.
I placed a hand on his arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"You're doing your best, Beomgyu. And you are your own person. You're not Kai. You both are different and that is what makes your group so great. You're all different and different perspective on things. Kai lets them handle it on their own and you try to mediate when you see things getting out of hand. Both ways are justified" I console him.
He turned to look at me, his eyes reflecting the soft hues of the setting sun. "Maybe you're right. I just...I hate seeing the people I care about fighting."
"I know," I said softly. He looked as tired as he sounded.
"But you need to take care of yourself too. If you keep trying to hold everything together without taking a break, you're going to burn out." I try to put on my scolding voice and hope I sound serious.
He nodded slowly, the weight of my words sinking in.
"You didn't ask me anything about Jia. Did you hear?" he asks me suddenly after a beat of silence.
Guilty.
"I did eavesdrop on a conversation but from my time in school I know one thing for sure - Royals High students love to gossip. What is true and what is not is something I would get to know with time or from the people involved. It doesn't help anyone if everyone makes opinion of others in their head because of rumors and gossips" I admit.
"Trust me, whatever you heard of her, she is worse. She is a manipulative bitch. And if you can help it, don't cross path with her again. Taehyun and Kai and trying to get rid of her now before she can slither back to Soobin" I had never heard Beomgyu speak in such dark manner and it really made me think the kind of person Jia is to garner so much hatred from him.
"We should get back. I am sure the team will be arranging some sort of activities for the evening" he smiles and got up, lending me a hand to help me up as well.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over the beach, I felt a sense of calm silence wash over us.
I told Beomgyu to head back and I would be joining him shortly after another stroll around the cottages. He nodded and went on his way.
I clicked a few pictures as I walked around mindlessly, capturing whatever caught my eyes.
I didn't have a set route I was taking until I started hearing muffled voices.
"You're a bitch for coming back, you know that right?" a familiar male voice called out, anger barely contained.
"I told you before I didn't know you guys were here" a female voice replied in a soothing voice.
Both the voices were contrasting each other, not just in tone but also emotion.
I tiptoed around the building, making sure I don't even breathe too loudly.
I peaked to see the blonde haired Taehyun, his face red as he faced a woman with dyed blonde hair. Even though her back was to me, I knew who she was.
Unease settled in my stomach.
A/N: helloooooo lovely people! Long time no see. I rewrote this chapter 3 times. I knew what I wanted but couldn't seem to put them correctly into words. A few interesting chapters ahead.
What do you think of this chapter? What do you think will happen next? Also, what is going in your lives? Tell me, tell me. It has been long since I talked to any of you.