The school’s corridors are all quiet and empty because it’s the middle of the day. Everyone is inside their classrooms or in their respective club activities. It’s been a long time since Kris roams the school — he kind of misses it.

As he walks the peaceful path and passes the faculty room, a light pink headed girl gets out of there. With a file of papers in her arms, Shen is a little surprise when she sees him and yet she moves on.

“Hey,” Kris is bit shy calling her attention, wanting to scratch his nape but it will be off of his character so he doesn’t do it, “you seem pretty busy.”

Shen blinks and shakes her head; both of them are walking the way. “The Taekwondo Club doesn’t have any activity today but tomorrow is the start of our training. We’re almost in the nationals and we lost two amazing players so we need to prepare a lot.”

Kris never seen this girl before as serious as this. He always sees her goofing off and loudly complains about everything but now, she seems to be a dedicated manager.

“Shen-sshi,”

“You can’t call me with that name!” And in a pop, the old-loud-Shen cracks from her seriousness.

“But, that’s your last name.” Kris does not mean to be friendly but trying to be formal with her, if she and her friends are not messing up the whole rule though. “Can we talk?” Kris asks her out of the blue, making them pause from walking.

The girl looks at her with blank expression and says, “We’re talking now.”

“I know but…” Kris chuckles. “…I want to talk to you about Chanyeol.”

Left and right, Shen observes her surrounding with her hawk eyes. “As long as no stupid freshman lingers with us, come this way.”

Shen brings the President to the Taekwondo Club Room. It is vacant unlike when Kris last gone there.

“This is not an Afternoon Tea Time Club so we have nothing to offer you, sir.” Putting the papers inside the drawer, the girl sits on the folding chair near the blackboard and Kris rests his on the long table.

“That’s ok.” He folds his arms to his chest.

“So, what do you want to discuss about Chanyeol?” Checking on her fingers, Shen gives a quick glance at him.

Kris allows an ample silence passes through them before he speaks, placing both hands on the table. “I think I like him.”

“For Christ’s sake,” Shen rolls her eyes, tapping her hands against each other like clearing off the invisible dirt on it. “That is an old man’s story.”

“Huh?” He tilts his head in confusion.

“Remember in our middle school days? Since that moment you called Chanyeol looking so excited, I knew you have feelings for him.” Shen reminds him the history. “Why do you think I told you that male confessions are only available every Thursday? I could read you from that point.”

Kris now believes Chanyeol that Shen Yeorum is an incredible person. And, he realizes it himself that he has liked Chanyeol for long time.

“Hey, you look like an idiot with your face right now.” The president wipes the light expression and returns to his default poker face. “To be honest with you, I hate the fact that Chanyeol stays with you. You’re taking my best friend away from me and I don’t care if you like him. But I guess, although you’re a playboy, you’re much better than Min. That jerk of a guy is so h’beep’ he taught Chanyeol this disgusting French kissing and almost jumped on him before they’re completely over.”

“What?” A sudden fire of anger ignites inside Kris, hearing that.

Shen nods. “You don’t need to be bothered of Choi Min. I already prepared his grave once he’s back. Anyway, I’m not precisely asking you to protect or take good care of Chanyeol but I hope you don’t do something stupid to him.”

“I won’t.” Kris bluntly responds and the girl nods again. “The reason I’m telling this to you is… I don’t know… maybe because I want to release this out to someone.”

“And, you think I’m reliable enough?” Shen smirks, raising her eyebrow. Kris simply shrugs.

“You may be aware that Summer is my and Chanyeol’s first love.”

“How could you like such lunatic girl?”

“Excuse me? You’re more lunatic than her.” The blond scoffs. “When she returned here, Chanyeol has been acting strange. He seems jealous every time I had an interaction with Summer. And I guess, he still likes Summer because he’s spending good times with her at this moment that we’re talking.”

“Oh my, my poor boy can’t be in-love with that Summer girl.” Shen gasps, standing from the folding chair. “I get it now, Mr. President. What you want me to do is plot an assassination for that Summer b’beep’, is that right? Hohoho, I love that!”

“No, Summer is innocent here. We cannot kill her as you wish and don’t call her b’beep’ please.”

“You’re confusing me.”

“You’re the one making it confusing.” Silence then goes between them.

“I’m sorry.” The girl sighs and shakes her head. “I’m neither your friend nor friend with that Summer Kim. Even though I’m not hired as Chanyeol’s chaperon anymore, I’ll find a way to keep my merchandise away from you two.”

The pink haired girl sways her hand shooing the president from that room. Facing the door as he goes out, Kris thinks talking to Shen is not a good idea.

✿✿✿

Days later…

Chanyeol wakes up feeling unwell, not because he feels sick, the ‘House Bond’ ring is missing. He remembers he places it on the nightstand before going to sleep but it is nowhere to be found this morning. He checks it under his furniture and below the bed; unfortunately, the white gold jewelry is not there.

He feels sinful enough for staying in the Blue House and not in Kris’ unit, and this will increase his misdeed. His life is getting messier and messier. He shouldn’t have left his husband’s side.

For nearly a week now, Chanyeol’s mother grounded him inside the security of the palace. With her power as Jongno’s Representative and main shareholder of FSA, she asked the school to have her boy a temporary leave of absences. And not only Chanyeol…

“Good morning, Chanyeol.” Summer enters his room as much to her heart’s content.

Yi Hong’s aim to why she had to give them a break from school is because Chanyeol needs to ponder on his misbehavior in their previous dinner. Also, as his bride, Summer is required to study the Royal Tradition of their family. Only a few days gone by but Summer is able to learn a lot from the education they are providing her.

“Can you read this context for me?” She sits beside Chanyeol on the edge of the bed and shows a page on the old book she’s holding. “There’s this one hanja that makes the whole passage difficult to understand.”

Chanyeol, who is still full of the contract ring in his mind, exhales deeply and reads the praise on the book, “The white flowers fall from Cornus tree.”

“Thank you.” Summer kisses him on the cheek and leaves him alone.

The moment the girl is gone, Chanyeol harshly rubs his touched skin. He knows it’s more than studying or pondering that he and his fiancé is obligated to get stuck in the palace. His mother wants him to eventually accept his engagement.

The sadder thing is Kris seems to completely lose his interest to Chanyeol. Since the day Summer scolded him for being selfish, the blond becomes cold. He treated Chanyeol like his other colleagues in the council. The usual three of them were poking fun, in the office, classroom or the cafeteria like when they were kids. It’s a beautiful picture but Chanyeol likes his intimate relationship with Kris more. He misses cooking for the taller teen, he misses their teasing, he misses his touch, and he misses everything about him.

Chanyeol stomps his foot, remembering Kris hasn’t sent any message to him.

With all his miseries, he gets up from the bed and opens the drawer of his nightstand. He takes the King Lear book out of it, closing his eyes as he hugs it. It’s good to have something that will jog his memory of his husband.

In the afternoon, Chanyeol is done reading half of the book while he is laying his side on his cream-colored-chaise-longue. He is flipping the next page when the cheerful Summer visits him again for the second time in this day.

“Good afternoon, Chanyeol.” Chanyeol hisses softly because he doesn’t want to get distracted, turning his body to the opposite side. All of sudden, he feels a weight to the cushion he’s resting, he glances and comes aware Summer’s curious face is too close to him. He tries to ignore their situation and eyes on the book.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be studying?”

“I am but it’s getting boring.” Chanyeol sees her shadows stops leaning to him and feels her sitting beside him at his back. “Can we take a break like let’s go shopping, hangout in the café or something?”

“Summer.” Chanyeol does not want to scare Summer with his tone but he thinks the girl is being rude to their tradition. “You don’t have the right to call the same things I’ve learnt boring. If you dislike the idea of what my mother instructed you, you’re not capable to be my wife.”

“I’m sorry.” Summer softly says, standing from the surface. “I just feel lonely with all this studying.”

Chanyeol closes the book, moving to a sitting position to face the girl. “I’ve been alone too when I was in your case. I know you’re smart so I know you’ll go through this smoothly.”

The sadden Summer takes time to nod at him. “I do apologize for the interruption.”

The girl bows and closes the door and Chanyeol is left alone again. Sighing in relief, he goes back to the part he is reading.

He is bored as well but he rather dies in boredom than to feel like cheating on his husband.

The day runs swiftly and the next one has arrived. Chanyeol slowly peels his eyes open. He visions a blurry figure lying beside him. With a few blinks of an eye, the image is getting clearer and clearer, and he discovers the person wearing a white nightgown.

He screams making the girl beside him automatically wakes up.

“Chanyeol?” Summer looks bewilder of the situation, her eyes half-lidded and drowsily raises her body from the bed.

The horrified boy points his finger to the door and says, “Get out!”

Summer is still dumbfounded, yet she smiles. “What?”

Chanyeol cannot take this anymore. He gets up from his bed and ducks around it to pull the girl out of there by her elbow.  He drags him to door and throws her out.

Chanyeol then receives a slap on his face from the palm of his own mother, that night Yi Hong went home.

“You’re more than an ill-mannered kid from the streets. Who taught you to be like that, huh, Park Chanyeol?” The teen caresses his own stinging cheek and doesn’t reply to his mother. “Answer me, boy!”

“But she… but she sleeps beside me without my permission, Mama.” He stutters as he speaks.

“Regardless, Park Chanyeol, you shouldn’t have been so arrogant!” Yi Hong sighs her frustration and massages her forehead with one hand. “I don’t know what to do with you. You are blessed with wealth and education but you acted like an untamed animal. You’re an embarrassment of our family!”

 From the last word his mother discharges, the burden of pain, which built up inside him since he was a little boy, cannot bear staying in him any longer. All his life, he has been directed by his mother to everything he does, gaining so much agony from her and the other people, and he’s only escape are with his friends — those friends Yi Hong also tries to ruin.

Chanyeol’s tears fall down the floor and he sobs with a hiccup. Why life is so cruel to him?

“I’m so done with this.” He mutters with quivering lips.

“Pardon?” His mother raises an eyebrow to him.

“I’m sorry but I can no longer be your puppet. I’m so tired, Mama.” Chanyeol bravely says, his hands at his sides. “If you think I have sinned, you can neglect me as your son.”

Chanyeol’s mind goes blank after that.

He regains his consciousness back as he finds himself standing beside a post at the bus stop, his bare feet runs the distance from the Blue House. He touches his face with his trembling hands and feels it is dry from his tears earlier. The autumn’s cold wind brushes to his body that is merely covered with thin t-shirt and sweat pants. No one else is walking the streets or sitting on the bus stop. Since he’s in this certain spot, whether Kris will accept him once more or not, there’s no turning back to the Blue House.

Kris, can you pick me up? Chanyeol is going to the place he considers home.

✿✿✿

As soon as he receives his wife’s text, Kris hurriedly heads to the bus stop near his unit. It is midnight so he can barely see people wandering in his background and the fall season has come. Protected by a black-military-like-long-coat, the four-eyed blond paces the width of the bus stop.

After a few moments, while he is not looking at the road, he hears the sound of the newly arrived bus stopping at his side. He turns his head to the bus and anticipates for the person who is getting off from there.

A pitiful Chanyeol comes out of the vehicle, who wears a little piece of clothes.

“Krease?” Kris doesn’t waste time and locks the poor boy into his arms, glancing at his dirty bare feet. He slightly moves apart to look at his face, which seems it poured some heavy emotion. “Krease.”

Kris wants to kiss Chanyeol’s shaking chapped lips but that is not the right moment to get into romance. He takes off his coat and covers it to his wife and then he faces him with his back, squatting a little.

“Hop on, Honey.” He offers a piggyback while trying to glance at the other boy over his shoulder.

“But…”

“No one is watching, come on.” Chanyeol nods and gets on top of Kris’ back and they start moving.

In the middle of their walk, the husband senses his other half’s nose nuzzles his neck like sniffing him.

“I miss you.” Chanyeol blurts out and Kris cannot help forming a small smile on his lips.

“I miss you too.” He replies, the other teen wraps his arms tighter on his neck but he doesn’t mind.

“Krease, I lose our ring in our house. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. We can buy you a new one.” Chanyeol hums in response, getting comfortable behind him.

Kris chooses to use the backdoor of his unit’s building in order to enter there discreetly. As they get inside the structure, the blond brings his wife down the floor, only to carry him in bridal style this time. He takes him straightly to the bedroom and goes to the bathroom to get a glass basin and pours some water with soap on it. He pulls one tiny square shape towel from his closet, soaking it on the basin and puts them down the floor under Chanyeol’s feet. Kris cleanses his wife’s wounded and dirty feet. Once he is finished, he brings them to the bathroom, washing his hands and sits beside Chanyeol on the edge of the bed.

“Feeling better now?” The blond combs the frizzling black hair of his wife while they are looking at each other lovingly.

“Yes.” Kris puts his lips on his and he feels so alive kissing that boy again. It is short yet wonderful. “You must be wondering what happened to me.”

“I am but I am not forcing you to tell me anything about it.” He holds Chanyeol’s hand and intertwines it with his. “I can wait till you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” The boy dispenses some tears on his eyes and Kris wipes it for him. Other than his working thumb, he kisses those tears away — it hurts him seeing his wife so sad.

Kris is being a patient husband as much as possible. Chanyeol needs it and fate is fair, since the other boy does not know his origin as well. But sooner or later, both of them have to open up about it.

Cuddling on the bed, the couple share more kisses before they drift to their dreamland.

To be continued…

A/N:

Want me to get done with the chapter 20? Comments motivate me so please post feedback below.