A heavy silence settled between the two as Baekhyun finally spoke up. "He was my boyfriend," he told Kyungsoo solemnly. He turned to the man. "Emphasis on was. This was from back in the United States, actually, long before I had returned to Korea." He let out a soft sigh before placing the frame back on the stand near the photo wall. Just like before, the frame was face down, hiding the picture Baekhyun had been meaning to destroy these days. 

"What... what happened? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Kyungsoo pressed lightly, curious but still trying to refrain from being overbearing. 

Baekhyun let out a bitter laugh. Kyungsoo cringed at the sound. "I'm not even sure myself, really..." Baekhyun strolled to the couches in the center of the room, and Kyungsoo followed him, both men settling in the two seats. "We... we were happy. At least, I thought we were. I was. When we first met, I had just gotten to the United States, far from parents, not knowing a single thing. He helped me learn and grow, he helped guide me. At first that's all he was - a guide, a friend. But then, we had gotten so close. It was like he already knew everything about me, and I knew everything about him. I thought I knew everything about him. It felt like he was the missing puzzle piece to my life. It felt like I wasn't even living before I had met him..." Baekhyun finished, a look of pure fondness in his eyes as he reminisced the happy memories. "We... we had even planned on getting married..." he added softly. 

"It all sounds wonderful, so then... why didn't you?" Kyungsoo asked. It was obvious Baekhyun was a hopelessly naive romantic at this point, seeing how invested he was in this relationship. The lovesick puppy look was clear to Kyungsoo. He felt a little irked now. 

"I told him, I would have to tell my parents about him first before announcing anything of our marriage. I told him I would be returning to Korea for a little bit, alone of course, so as not to shock my parents too much with the big news immediately. I was ready to leave, that fateful night, but my flight had been cancelled." He laughed shakily. "I guess Mother Nature wanted me to find out the truth before I signed myself away because that was one stormy night. I returned back to his apartment to see him. And I found him there... with someone else. As it turns out, he had been seeing someone else for a while already. I don't know how far they had gotten, but just the idea of it was enough to drive us apart for good. The worst part was, he hadn't even felt bad for what he had done. He'd simply gotten up and left that night, taking that other man with him. Only later did he tell me that he just couldn't find it in himself to love me anymore..." Baekhyun stated. The look of fondness was long gone now, and there was nothing left but pain and sadness in his eyes. Kyungsoo watched as Baekhyun's face crumpled. 

"For so long..." he whispered softly, "for so long, I had asked myself what had I done wrong that he had felt the need to find someone else. What had I done so wrong that he couldn't find it in himself to stay with me or leave me, but rather just hang in the middle like that." A few tears now made their way down Baekhyun's reddened cheeks. "I loved him so much... I loved him to the point where I was ready to give up everything for him if my parents had refused to bless our marriage. I was ready to live the rest of my life without them, thinking it would only be complete with him. Was my love not enough...?" he asked softly. "Was it not even enough for a proper explanation? A proper goodbye? What was my worth if I was left behind like that?" He took a sharp inhale. "I did come back to Korea on a later flight." He laughed again. "But it was for a completely different reason than originally planned." He had gone quiet after that, staring intently at the rug on the floor instead of at Kyungsoo or anywhere else. 

Only when he felt another warm hand over his tightly curled one did he perk up. He finally looked at Kyungsoo, who was gazing at him softly. He lifted his other hand to Baekhyun's face and wiped one last tear away gently. 

"It wasn't your fault, Baekhyun," he