To say that Baekhyun’s family was angry would be an understatement. They were absolutely furious.

As he sat in the living room, tears rolling down his cheeks while he recounted his story, the Byuns knew that it was going to be an uphill task to help their precious youngest son return to how he used to be before.

Bright, talkative, and cheerful.

They had not been overly worried when Baekhyun left home almost 9 months ago with nothing but the clothes on his back. Baekhyun had smiled at them reassuringly and told them not to worry.

“I’ll do better than hyung. Watch me thrive alone for one whole year,” he had said confidently, shooting his brother a playful smirk.

His parents had laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately. Their eldest son Baekbeom embarked on a similar quest two years ago, and he had returned at the seventh month mark, begging them to take him back. He had been evicted from his apartment for failing to meet the rental payments, and returning home was his final act of surrender. Of course, no one really expected Baekbeom to survive 12 whole months on his own, isolated from the powerful backing of his family. Such a task would certainly prove difficult for anyone who had been brought up in the lap of luxury, but this was precisely what Byun Jihoon had hoped to disprove when he encouraged his sons to take up his challenge.

12 months. Byun Jihoon had asked his sons to try supporting themselves for 12 whole months. They were to have zero contact with their acquaintances, and they were not allowed to receive any assistance (although of course, no one would know if they decided to play cheat).

“Don’t ever take our wealth for granted. Being a Byun means that you stay humble and hardworking,” he told his sons again and again, drilling it into their heads that he was not going to raise them into rich, spoilt brats who cannot understand nor appreciate the value of money. Despite being an extremely rich and influential family, the Byuns preferred to stay out of the public eye. Byun Jihoon had never cared much for a flashy public image, much unlike the Parks and the Kims.

The Byuns are a private bunch, but their family name is much revered in the upper echelons of society. After all, generations of success in the hospitality industry has guaranteed them a certain level of prestige and respect. Byun Jihoon had hoped to groom his sons into worthy and capable successors to Byun Enterprises, which owned and managed luxury hotel chains across the world.

Byun Baekhyun may have grown into a sensible, tenacious and independent young man, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t at all spoilt. Being the baby of the family meant that he was constantly showered with affection and attention, some of which came in the form of lavish gifts and expensive violin lessons. It was ironic how things turned out, considering Byun Jihoon’s solemn vow to never spoil his sons excessively. However, there was no avoiding the inevitable ‘curse’ of being born into a wealthy family—Byun Baekhyun was high maintenance. He was used to owning, using and consuming the very best. The only difference between Baekhyun and the children of other rich families was that he was genuinely grateful and appreciative of all that he had.

When Baekhyun left to embark on his journey 9 months ago, he was absolutely sure that he was going to last a year. After all, blind optimism had always been his thing. However, reality was far tougher than he had expected, and for the first time, he realised that he was nothing without the Byun family name. Life had only been this pleasant and smooth-sailing for him because he was lucky enough to be born into a wealthy household. Out there, struck by the harsh realities of life, Baekhyun felt like a floundering fish—one that had jumped out of the water and was now desperately gasping for air on dry land. He was rudely pushed beyond the comfort zone that he had grown so accustomed to, but Baekhyun was determined to make things work.

He was smart, adaptable and likeable, all of which helped ease him into the rhythm of his new life. Every day presented him with new challenges, and it would be a big fat lie to say that he had not considered giving up. Eating instant noodles for almost every single meal, working at the fast food restaurant from dawn to dusk, and the isolation from his family and friends were some of the many issues that he had to tolerate.

Baekhyun was okay with not living a life of luxury, but what bothered him the most was the intense loneliness that clung to him like a second skin. He knew not a single familiar face in this part of town, and he often wondered how his family members were doing. Baekhyun thought the ‘no contact’ rule was stupid, but he gradually grew to realize that it would be for the better. He was sure that any contact with his family would break his resolve, and he would go running back to them with tears in his eyes, just like the big baby he was.

No, Baekhyun was going to be better than that. He wanted to prove to his parents that he was completely capable of striking it out on his own. More than that, Baekhyun wanted to do this for himself. He wanted to prove to himself that he was not a rich, spoilt brat from his father’s worst nightmare.

His daily experiences were sobering and eye-opening, and Baekhyun learnt something new every day. As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, Byun Baekhyun was changing, little by little, into the dependable and mature individual he had hoped to become. He knew how to work for his money, and he also learnt how to be happy with enough.

For the first time in a very long while, Baekhyun had felt a renewed sense of joy. His soul was light, happy, and invigorated.

And then he met Park Chanyeol, an event which Baekhyun would, in hindsight, describe as the beginning of his downfall.

Park Chanyeol reminded Baekhyun too much of himself and the life he had left behind. Baekhyun saw bits and pieces of his old self in Chanyeol, and his renewed attitude towards life made him dislike Chanyeol. Although Baekhyun’s social circle did not overlap much with that of Chanyeol’s, he had heard a fair share of rumors about the notorious Park heir to form a negative perception of him. Meeting him in person only served to confirm the rumors—Park Chanyeol was definitely a self-entitled and arrogant prick.

When Chanyeol had flaunted his wealth like an accessory, thinking that Baekhyun was someone who could be won over by money, Baekhyun found it sad and laughable. He understood how the mind of someone like Park Chanyeol worked, and he knew that Chanyeol’s relentless pursuit of him was nothing but a temporary fad. Once he found someone newer and better to latch onto, Chanyeol would disappear, and Baekhyun knew better than to trust someone like that with his feelings.

Baekhyun knew that his lack of interest in Chanyeol’s wealth was the main reason why Chanyeol had grown so obsessed with him. It was understandable, for Baekhyun had met his fair share of people who only wanted to be his friend because he was a Byun. It was annoying and deeply disappointing, and Baekhyun wondered if that was why his father preferred to keep their family low-profile. Being rich may have many perks, but it is difficult to find genuine friends. Everything was about money, money and more money. Even friendships forged between the rich were about keeping up with appearances, or about forging useful business connections. It was hard to find people who truly valued you for who you were, which was why Baekhyun mostly hung around Oh Sehun.

Oh Sehun may be the epitome of a pompous, narcissistic brat, but at least Baekhyun knew that their bond was genuine. After all, they had grown up together since they were in diapers. The Oh family and the Byuns share a close relationship, their mothers being distantly related relatives. Sehun adored Baekhyun, often following the older male around like a little chick in kindergarten. As they grew older, their bond only grew stronger, and Baekhyun was glad to have someone like Sehun in his life—someone like a best friend and a brother.

When Sehun reappeared in his life like a well-timed surprise, Baekhyun was over the moon. Sure, he knew that they were not exactly allowed to hang out with each other for a year, but he figured that as long as he did not accept any form of assistance from Sehun, it would be alright. He was glad that Sehun had managed to find him, offering him timely support and companionship whilst he grappled with his unexpected feelings for Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun never expected that he would fall for Chanyeol. As similar as they were, Baekhyun knew that they were also very different. Park Chanyeol was the kind of person that Baekhyun would never associate with, even if they had met before Baekhyun’s ‘exile’ from his family. Baekhyun did not think that Chanyeol could ever be serious with his relationships. He was too much of a player, and Baekhyun hated players. Chanyeol was everything that Baekhyun didn’t want to be reminded of, especially since he was determined to distance himself from his previous way of life.

Any form of relationship with the notorious Park heir was going to be messy, and Baekhyun’s secret identity would only complicate things. That was why Baekhyun had been adamant about keeping his distance from Park Chanyeol, but his defenses proved too weak for Chanyeol’s bold advances. Little by little, bit by bit, Chanyeol had managed to worm his way into Baekhyun’s heart, staking a permanent position within.

Baekhyun genuinely loved Chanyeol, which only made this hurt a thousand times worse. It hurt to know that the person you love never trusted you. It hurt to have the person you love leave you at a time when you needed him the most. And above all, it was the regrets and countless what-ifs that hurt Baekhyun the most.

What if Baekhyun had been honest with Chanyeol from the very start? What if he had tried to resolve their misunderstandings in a timely manner? What if the best thing to do had been to confront Irene and expose her lies in front of Chanyeol?

Now that he was back where he belonged, back in the familiar arms of his beloved family, Baekhyun figured that all of this didn’t matter anymore. All Baekhyun wanted to do was to forget.

Baekhyun wanted to start anew.

“I’m so sorry Hyunnie,” Baekbeom had said, angry tears pooling in his eyes. “I should have insisted on driving you back that night. Nothing would have happened to you if I had been a good brother and made sure you got home safe.”

“Please don’t blame yourself. Nobody expected this to happen,” Baekhyun said sadly, reaching out to touch his brother gently.

“To think that a young lady from such a respectable family would do such a heartless thing!” Baekhyun’s mother sighed, wringing her hands in distress. “I actually spoke to her once during a charity dinner. I can’t believe she is hiding such an evil side underneath her demure exterior.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised what she can do,” Sehun piped in, rolling his eyes. “She can probably win an Oscar for her acting skills.”

“I do not have any business dealings with her family, but you can be sure I’m going to cut off all ties with Park Corporations,” Byun Jihoon said sternly. “This is preposterous! I want Park Hyunwoong to answer for his son’s foolishness. In fact, I would love to have a word with both Irene and Chanyeol.”

“Dad!” Baekhyun gasped loudly. “Please don’t get yourself involved. You don’t have to jeopardize your relations with Park Corporations. That is absolutely unnecessary and ridiculous. This entire issue is between me and Park Chanyeol, and I would like it to stay that way. Please don’t blow this out of proportion,” Baekhyun sighed glumly. “In fact, I want nothing to do with Irene and Chanyeol anymore. Can’t we just let this whole matter rest?”

“Baekhyun’s right, Jihoon. Confronting Park Hyunwoong over his son’s actions would do no good. The two of you have been business partners for so long, it would be sad to sour your good relationship over something that isn’t really his son’s fault. If anything, that poor boy is also a victim. How is he supposed to know that he is being lied to by Irene?”

“Then what do you want me to do? They hurt our son! You can’t expect us to do nothing!”

“Dad, you need to calm down. I don’t need you to do anything. All I want is for you guys to stay by my side and support me as I get over all of this. Can you do that for me? Please?” Baekhyun said pleadingly.

“Irene needs to be punished for her awful actions, and Chanyeol needs to learn what a big idiot he has