⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ Value of Zero ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

"Fuck this, I'm going out."
Beomgyu groaned, kicking his feet in annoyance, throwing the blanket off his body in which he had cocconed himself into for five hours, sobbing and hiding miserably.

It was already half past 1 and his stomach was growling with hunger. He regretted refusing to eat those delicious pancakes, and now he was suffering from both heart-ache and stomach ache.

"So annoying." He whined, kicking his feet like a toddler throwing a tantrum for his favourite candy. He was so frustrated, and the hunger on top made him extra annoyed.

He needed to get something to eat, right now.

"I need something sweet to cure my sour mood." He mumbled to himself, reluctantly getting out of bed after cursing his life for ten minutes, standing infront of his dresser, grimacing at how bad he looked right now.

Beomgyu looked like a mess. His usually soft, silky hair was sticking up in every direction, tangled and disheveled from his frantic movements. His puffy, red-rimmed eyes were proof of his recent crying, and his face was blotchy and tear-streaked.

He looked absolutely unkempt and horrible. Great.

"Now I'll need a shower too. Ugh." Beomgyu whined. The thought of having to clean up only served to make him want to cry again. He was heart-broken, he looked horrible and his stomach was empty. Was anything more horrible left to happen to him?

With a sigh, Beomgyu reluctantly made his way towards the bathroom. He turned on the shower, waiting for the water to warm up before stepping inside.

The warm water washed over him, helping to soothe his aching heart and body. He took his time showering, letting the stream of water wash away the physical reminders of his earlier crying session. As he stepped out of the shower, he felt a little bit more rejuvenated, though the weight of his heartbreak still pressed against his chest.

After his shower, Beomgyu walked back into his bedroom and started to get dressed. He picked out some comfortable, casual clothes - a hoodie, jeans, and his favorite pair of sneakers. He didn't want to spend too much time getting dressed, as he was eager to get out of the house and distract himself.

He quickly combed his still-damp hair, trying to tame his messy locks into something somewhat presentable. After a quick glance in the mirror, he decided that he looked good enough to go out. He grabbed his keys and phone before heading towards the front door, steeling himself for the outside world.

"Here we go." Beomgyu got inside his car which he seldom used. He wanted to drive and take his mind off things and quickly grab something to fill his stomach, so driving was his only option.

He turned on the radio, as it played some random music Beomgyu had no idea about, but enjoyed either ways, driving past his quiet neighborhood towards the cafe he visited last time. The pastry there was quiet amazing.

After parking his car outside, Beomgyu stepped into the small cafe.

"Blue Spring". He remebers visiting it twice while going to University. It was a blue-themed cozy, quiet place, with soft, soothing music playing in the background and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. As he took a look around, he noticed that the cafe was relatively empty, with only a few patrons scattered around the tables.

He strolled inside the café, making his way towards the counter to get his order.

He leaned over the counter-top to see a female worker he had met last time, assembling some bread into a package box, and a tall man with black hair making coffee near the coffee machine.

Somehow, the man seemed familiar. Those wide-shoulders, the back of his head and those arms, Beomgyu couldn't help but feel like he knew it, but from where?

He was trying to remember it, when the man suddenly turned around; greeting him.

"Hello, Welcome to Blue Spring Cafe how can I serv- BEOMGYU???"

Beomgyu almost yelled from surprise right there, his eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Was he seeing things right?

"Choi Soobin?" He gasped out, his mouth open like a fish. Out of all the things he expected, he didn't expect this to happen.

Seeing his ex working in a café he liked wasn't on his November 2024 Bingo. Beomgyu couldn't believe his luck. Of all the cafes in the city, he had to walk into the one owned by his ex. He took a moment to survey Soobin's face, noticing the way his eyes scanned over his features. He suddenly felt self-conscious, wondering if all his recent crying and heartache were obvious on his face.

He cleared his throat, looking away from Soobin and muttered a "Hi" in return, feeling a pang of guilt for accidentally wandering into his former lover's territory.

"Y-you work h-here?" Beomgyu stammered with his question, cursing his absolutely shit luck today. He should have just eaten those cold pancakes at home.

"Yeah I do. Hi." Soobin replied seepishly, letting his eyes graze Beomgyu's soft features he missed so dearly. He noticed the fatigue in his face and gloominess in his eyes, which concerned him. Was Yeonjun not treating him well? Or was it the University load again?

A brief silence fell between them, both of them lost in their own thoughts, before Soobin spoke up again.
"You look tired," he commented quietly, concern evident in his voice. "Is everything okay?"

Beomgyu couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise at the genuine worry in Soobin's tone. He was so used to dealing with Yeonjun's indifference lately that the contrast was stark.

"Yeah," Beomgyu lied automatically, not wanting to burden Soobin with his problems. "I just had some late nights paper-checking of the students."

Soobin studied him closely, as if he could see right through his false claim. "Are you sure you're eating well?"

Beomgyu's heart clenched at the question. He hadn't been taking care of himself lately, too preoccupied with his studies and his tumultuous relationship with Yeonjun.

"I'm fine" he said, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his tone. "Just been busy, that's all."

Soobin seemed unconvinced but didn't push any further. Instead, he asked, "Did you want to order something? The special today is strawberry cake with strawberry drizzling and cream-cheese."

Beomgyu's stomach grumbled at the mention of food, that's why he was here afterall.

"Actually, yeah, I'll have that" he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Soobin nodded and went to put in his order, leaving Beomgyu alone with his thoughts.

As he started plating Beomgyu's order, he couldn't help but steal glances at him, noting how his ex-boyfriend still looked as handsome as ever.

Soobin carried the strawberry cake over to Beomgyu's table, setting them down in front of him with a small smile. "Here you go" he said, watching as Beomgyu dug into the food.

As he sat back down behind the counter, Soobin couldn't shake the worry and curiosity that tugged at him. He wanted to ask Beomgyu about his relationship with Yeonjun, but he also didn't want to overstep any boundaries.

After a few moments of silence, Soobin couldn't hold his curiosity back any longer.

"How are you and Yeonjun doing?" he asked casually, as if he were asking about the weather.

Beomgyu froze hearing Soobin question that. The question he was desperately trying to run away from. What was he supposed to tell him?

That he was just treated like a zero right now, his presence apparently not making any difference in Yeonjun's life?

Just like Zero makes no difference if added to a number, he didn't make a difference by being added into Yeonjun's life as well.

His value was Zero.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Hello Luvs!! Well well, here we go~
Soobin is finnally in the picture properly, and you can smell drama now I bet.😋

Hope y'all had fun reading this chapter!

What's your favourite ship in TXT beside Beomjun? Mine is Tyunning, if it isn't obvious already. My fav is Tyunning actually lol.

Anyways, next chapter will be up after 40 votes as usual! See you in the next one!
-Rin💗