"Where's Baekhyun?" Hayun's mom asked during dinner.

"Why are you looking for him?" Hayun asked back in surprise.

Her mom chuckled. "Just that it's weird without him."

Hayun clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

It had been almost a month since Baekhyun first accompanied her home. He always waited for her to finish class ever since. For the first few days, Baekhyun only went as far as Yunho's house. By the end of the second week, he had walked her right to her house a few times. Hayun never invited him to her house because she thought they were not close enough. She still felt awkward with him. But one day, she came home right when her mom just arrived from work. Baekhyun was then invited in by her mom who thought it would be rude not to do so after having him walk her daughter home.

Baekhyun turned out to be just like what Yunho told her. He was such a mood maker though he was too loud and cheerful to Hayun's liking. Her mom, though, seemed to like the brighter atmosphere that contrasted their usual peaceful one. And since then, if Hayun were not in Yunho's house, Baekhyun would come to hers.

"What about you and Yunho?" Her mom asked with a teasing smile.

"What about us?" Hayun shrugged as she ate without looking up.

Her mom leaned forward accross the table. "Any progress between you two? Aren't you two dating?"

Hayun choked on her food and coughed loudly. "Mom!" She protested after downing a glass of water.

"What?" Her mom asked blinking innocently. "He's a nice guy!" She tried. "You've been close with him for years too. So why not? Plus! He comes from a good family."

Hayun rolled her eyes. "Mom, he's just a brother to me."

Her mom took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I just want you to find a good guy. My job as a nurse won't guarantee your life financially. You will work later, I know. But you need someone to take care of you too. And someone who is financially stable will be much better! Yunho will be perfect for you."

Hayun only sighed. She thought it would be no use to argue with her mom. It wasn't like her mom would force her if she didn't want to think about relationships first anyway.

The next day, Hayun finally got to go out with Yera after a week of midterm exam. She found it weird, at first, that Baekhyun had not shown up for days. But she thought it was a good thing because he was getting annoying.

"Ah! The smell of freedom!" Yera exclaimed as they entered the mall.

Hayun laughed at her friend. "You were that much stressed?"

"Weren't you?"

Hayun just shrugged with a grin.

Yera suddenly put her arms around Hayun's neck to hug her squishing their cheeks together. "And I finally got my best friend back!"

Hayun chuckled. "What are you talking about?"

"Baekhyun's been stucked to you like a gum, I didn't get much time with you." Yera pouted. "I almost thought I was going to lose my position as your best friend."

"Hey!" Hayun wriggled free and put her arm around Yera this time. "You were the one busy with Hyeonsoo oppa! And Baekhyun's not my best friend. So your spot is safe!" They both giggled before finally going around the mall.

Days passed and Hayun was getting this weird unpleasant feeling. She had not seen Baekhyun for over a week now. She had told herself several times that this was actually good. Everything was going back to normal for her. 

No more annoying playful Baekhyun to wait for her after class. No more annoying stalker Baekhyun in the library. No more annoying tease from Baekhyun to interrupt her when she was peacefully sketching. No more annoying chatty Baekhyun in the bus on the way home. No more Baekhyun.

But why didn't it feel right? She questioned herself. She tried to push the thoughts away, but that unpleasant feeling invaded her again when she realized she had not been seeing him in Yunho's house either.

Was she worried? She was sure she wasn't. Why would she anyway. Maybe, she thought, she was just getting so used to his presence that even if it was annoying and awkward, she felt odd without it.

When she came out of her last class for the day, she found herself expecting to see him across the door with his silly grin. But he wasn't there. When she was painting in the painting room after class, she expected him to barge in with some snacks like he used to. But no matter how long she stared at the door, he did not show up. When she studied in the library the next day, she stared at the empty seat across her for a long time. When she was peacefully sketching just anywhere around the campus, she longed for his lame jokes and unending questions of what she was drawing.

These thoughts were stressing her out. That unpleasant feeling in her stomach felt like it had grown so big it reached her heart. Maybe she was missing him after all. Maybe she had unintentionally accept him as a friend. Maybe he was no longer a stranger to her. Maybe she was indeed missing him because her days had turned a little brighter with his constant annoying presence.

Hayun could not cope with that feeling and curiosity any longer. She finally gathered her courage to ask Yunho when she was over at his house.

It was the weekend and the boys from the baseball team were hanging out there too. Hayun was surprised to find Yunho and Yera's mom opening the door for her. The parents were often abroad for business and rarely home these days. 

Hayun was cheerfully greeted and embraced as if she were part of the family. She was told that Yera was at the back garden before Mrs. Choi excused herself to go meet a friend. She could guess right away that Yera was probably with Hyeonsoo. But today, she wasn't looking for Yera. She needed to ask Yunho, and she found him in the kitchen alone.

He was preparing sandwiches for the boys when she sauntered to his side. He smiled upon seeing her and she returned the smile.

"Yera's at the back," he informed gesturing with his head to the direction of the garden.

"I know." Hayun shrugged and then crinkled he nose. "But I don't wanna see them being sappy and all."

Yunho laughed seeing her expression.

"Are they even official now?" Hayun wondered because her friend had not told her anything new regarding her crush for Hyeonsoo.

"They're getting there," Yunho replied cutting a tomato.

Hayun nodded and let her gaze fell on the chopped vegetables. She was silent for a moment watching Yunho's hands work with the knife. She had tons of questions regarding Baekhyun, but she wasn't sure how to ask them without sounding like she cared much. She knew Yunho would to no end if she suddenly asked about him.

Yunho suddenly chuckled. "Just shoot away!" He briefly glanced at her; an amused lopsided smile grazed his lips. Hayun stared at him with widened eyes. "You want to ask something, don't you? Or else you wouldn't stick to my side like this."

Hayun bit down her lip and took a breath before finally asking, "I-I just-" She rubbed her nape. "I haven't been seeing that annoying friend of yours lately."

"Baekhyun?"

She nodded once and quickly added, "I mean it's good for me actually. Like phew! Finally no one to bother me! He's really annoying, you know? And now my life feel like it's getting back to normal!"

When she finished, she looked up to Yunho and found him already staring back at her. He was smiling, but his eyes held a different emotion Hayun couldn't pinpoint. 

"You're stuttering and ranting," he stated. "That's something new." He focused back on preparing the sandwiches. It supposed to be a tease, Hayun could feel, but at the same time it didn't sound like one.

Suddenly feeling shy, Hayun lowered her head. "I just...," she started.

"You care about him," he continued for her. "After all, he had been walking you home for quite a while. Right?"

Hayun could only bit the inside of her cheeks. Silence passed between them when Yunho was quiet for a moment as he cut the sandwiches into triangles.

"His dad was admitted to a hospital," he finally said.

Hayun was surprised but couldn't find the right word to reply, so she only let out, "Oh."

Yunho carefully stacked the sandwiches on a plate. "He still attends classes but he always leaves right away. He's not that close with his dad after his mom passed away. Now that his dad is sick, he feels guilty and wants to pay for all the lost times he could've spent with his dad."

For some reason, Hayun felt both sorry and guilty. She had always viewed him as a happy-go-lucky person with no problems to take care of. He always looked cheerful. But he did have problems just like any other human being. Guilt struck her because all this time she didn't once consider his feelings. He was trying to get close to her and be friends, but she was silently pushing him away. In truth, he might just need a new kind of company other than his teammates.

"I'm planning to visit later. You wanna come?" Yunho offered as he walked past behind her with the plate of sandwiches.

Hayun weighed the answer in her mind before finally nodding. "Alright. I'll come."

Baekhyun pulled the cover over his father's body. He sighed when he plopped down on the chair beside the bed. He held his father's hand watching him sleep peacefully.

His heart was heavy seeing his father like this. It only became heavier upon realizing that he had not been a good son. Besides his father's busy schedule, another reason why they weren't close was because Baekhyun had been distancing himself away from him after his mother's death, putting a strain in their relationship. He had always blamed his father for his mother's death when he knew it wasn't his father's fault and that his father was hurting too. He wished he could turn back time and took care of his father better.

The doctor said his father was suffering from cirrhosis. Baekhyun did not know and had not even heard that word until few weeks ago. A chronic liver failure possibly from alcohol abuse was the doctor's explanation.

Had he known this would happened, he would have stopped his father from drinking too much every time he came home from work. Had he paid attention to his father's loss of appetite and weight, the old man wouldn't be lying on this bed right now. But no. He was too ignorant, and too consumed by outdated grief and irrational anger.

Now, he regretted it all. Tears were stinging the back of his eyes as he watched his father sleep.

Squeezing the man's hand, Baekhyun whispered, "Don't leave me." He paused gulping down the lump in his throat and the pain in his heart. "Dad," he added with shaky breath. It had been long since that word come out of his mouth and for weeks he had been saying it as much as he could when his father was awake. "I'm sorry. I'll be a better son to you," he repeated what he had been promising the past few days.

He looked up at the ceiling to prevent the threatening tears from coming out. 

"Baek?"

He turned around at the call and found Yunho standing near the curtain separating the beds.

Baekhyun sniffed. "Oh, hey!"

"Brought some fruits for your dad." Yunho smiled showing a small basket of fruits.

"Oh, thanks!" Baekhyun stood up from his seat and took the basket.

"And I brought you a gift too." Yunho winked before opening the curtain a bit more revealing Hayun.

Baekhyun's eyes were rounded in surprise. For a second, he thought his heart stopped beating. Then he felt his stomach churning with giddiness when he saw her small awkward smile.

"H-hi," Hayun softly greeted before her eyes strayed from his.

She cleared and willed herself to look at him again. She gave him another smile, and in that moment, all Baekhyun's initial worries were washed away. His heavy heart felt lighter too. It felt too surreal for someone to have this much effect on him. And for once in a few weeks, he could smile again.

Hey! Hope you like the update.

Anyway, the story might feel like it's progressing too fast, but we hope it wasn't annoying lol. We're getting into the main story soon.