“Hello, Lu Han.” Baek Hyun said over the phone as he paced around his living room. “Erm… I’m sorry I can’t make it for your wedding this Sunday. Something urgent came up, yes…Congratulations to you and… Se Hun.”

Baek Hyun placed the phone on the coffee table, it would be better if he could smash it.

He paced to the sofa by the window, curled up his legs and leans against the back rest in the empty house.

Only dim lights reminded him of romantic dinners, only silence reminded him of living with someone and only one room was vacant but filled with his scent.

How could he attend someone else’s wedding when his life had just crumbled?
How could he truly wish someone and put on a smile for them when he does not feel that way?
How could he attend his best friend’s wedding, only to see his ex, exchanging vows with him?

It was Baek Hyun's deepest genuine wish to see his buddy holding someone he loves one day walk down the aisle, giving his best man speech on how he was a dork and needs someone who can protect his innocence, but he could not bring himself to as soon as he realized the person who just left him last year is suddenly his buddy’s fiancé…

This friendship if Baek Hyun could tell Lu Han that he used to be in Se Hun’s arms, that he still has lingering feelings for him, that he might not control himself during “Does anyone object?” part of the ceremony, all of these could potentially cost 24 years of friendship broken, unable to mend forever.

Thinking of all of these sent Baek Hyun’s eyes blurry again, heart throbbing heavily, he’s sick and tired of his life. If only Se Hun had never appeared in his life, if only he had never entered the convenience store, if only he had went back to his hometown that day, if only…everything wouldn’t have happened!

It would not have been so miserable and so hard to cope. Why does his best friend has to meet him now, WHY ISN’T IT SOMEONE ELSE…!

“ARRGH!!!! STOP THINKING!!” He got up and made a dash to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of pills, poured out 3 tablets and reached for his glass of water.

It slipped, shattered into tiny pieces on the floor.

Baek Hyun scurries to pick them up, tears inexplicably dripping down his cheeks, blending with the little puddle of spilt water on the ground.

A shard cuts his palm across, blood oozed out in lightning speed.

“I…I…” He looked at the broken glasses around, that was the glass...

“It’s limited edition.” Se Hun smiled.

Baek Hyun checked the glass out, at the bottom of it, carved ‘Se Hun & Baek Hyun’.

“It’s just a normal glass with our names on it. How is this limited edition?”

“Because it’s unique. See, I also have it.” Se Hun waves his happily. “Now we can drink wine together every night with this.”

Hahaha…yea, nights that won’t last long.
Se Hun is gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Client meeting later, have you got your presentation ready?” Min Seok asked as he stopped b Baek Hyun's desk.

"All documented and ready." Baek Hyun waved a folder. 

"Of course, any presentation done by you is excelle...oh my god, what happened to your hand?”

A bandage wrapped around Baek Hyun's hand, the glass cut slit across his palm was deep. It was painful to move it around freely. “Can't handle myself with a knife.” Baek Hyun grabbed a pen knife with another hand and points it up before acting like his hands got stabbed.

Min Seok laughed. “What an expression! I feel so much pain from seeing it! Hahaahahahaha!! Be careful next time and… OI JONG DAE, THAT’S MY COFFEE!”

Baek Hyun watched Min Seok ran after his colleague, then took a quick glance at his bandaged hand as he placed the pen knife back to the pencil holder.

The blades of it, would it be sharp enough to stop his heart?

“O.M.G I just saw the new staff! Kyaaaaaa!!!”
“What what? It’s a guy?”
“Yesss!!! And he’s super HAWT!!!”
“You sure he’s the new head?”
“Yea! He was walking with Leader Kiim!”

Baek Hyun wheels over to the 2 female colleagues, Luna and Victoria behind his desk. “What’s this about a new staff?”

“Eh! Baek Hyun you didn’t know?” Victoria exclaimed.

“Was this when I was on medical leave last week?” That was the week Baek Hyun had to take leave, he needed that time to self-medicate his emotions over Lu Han’s wedding.

“Ah! Yes yes! You just came back, no wonder you haven’t heard. Shin head met with an accident the day you took leave,” Luna said and Victoria continued.

“So a new head is taking over for a few months.”

“I’d rather serve a hawt guy than that old Shin, the other day I saw him glaring at Krystal’s .”

“But Krystal’s always wearing those super short tight dress, I always glare at her line. Sometimes it’s G-string.”

“Ew Victoria, are you a ert!?”

Baek Hyun slowly retreats as the conversation started to go haywire and too off for him to listen anymore.

 

“It’s a deal!”

Baek Hyun shook the ambassador’s hands. “It’s an honor to collaborate with such a prestigious China company. Thank you so much Mr Wu.”

“No. Thank you. You made the presentation very lively and interesting, I see potential in this contract more than the others I have attended. It’s very nice to see smiles than serious faces don’t you think? Anyway, be mindful of your hand next time.”

Baek Hyun smiled as he sends Mr Kris Wu off at the entrance.

“Woah the meeting lasted for 2 hours?” Jong Dae comes over out of nowhere, his arms over Baek Hyun. “That’s awesome Baek! Anyway, you might like our new head. He’s pretty easy going and fun. And…after your leave, you look thinner.” Jong Dae raised Baek Hyun’s wrist. “I can’t tell if this is a bone or stick anymore. Hmm, I bought this from the cafeteria, eat it before you go back, I gotta run for my client now. See ya!”

Jong Dae made a dash out of the office building as Baek Hyun stands in the middle of the lobby, holding the bread he had received from Jong Dae.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His stomach grumbled, but honestly had no appetite whatsoever, needless to say even the bread Jong Dae had given him in the afternoon was still in his bag untouched.

He just want to get home now after all the exhausting acting in the day when his phone rang. He lets it miss call him, there was no energy and mood left for him to answer.

Baek Hyun reached his doorstep, only to be greeted by 3 guys surrounding it. His heart sank immediately.

“40 million won uh Byun Baek Hyun.” One of them leans closer.

“I will transfer you soon…” Baek Hyun said. “I’ve been trying very hard to get this sum. Can you give me 2 months?”

“2 months? Sure.” One of the smirked. “That’s 20% interest a week.”

Baek Hyun frowned. “What?! I can’t pay…”

A guy in black cap huffed, putting his fingers down Baek Hyun’s cheeks. “A guy like you can easily earn 10 million a night, we are just going easy on you.”

Baek Hyun slapped the guy’s hands off him. “It’s Yun Ho’s debt! He’s already gone from my life 3 years ago, why do I have to pay for his debt in the first place?!”

The 3 guys laughed together at Baek Hyun’s whine. “If we could find him, our boss is going to earn so much more than just money. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Count yourself lucky our boss didn’t ask for your head. By this month end, if you don’t get the money ready, you know what happens to your parents right?”

The 3 of them patted Baek Hyun’s back before heading off.

Baek Hyun stands hopeless in front of his house, grabbing his head and sinking down to the floor. “Urgh…Just leave me alone please…” Tears fell continuously and he wipes them away with his hands, thoroughly, his bandage almost ripped. “I don’t want this…urgh…”

Baek Hyun calms down after a very long time, who knows how many hours, how many neighbors had passed by, he finally lifted his head off his hands and stands up to get his key from his bag when he hears a gate noise from his side. It was probably his neighbor whatever, he doesn’t want to care, he doesn’t want to be involved, he doesn’t have the energy, he doesn’t want to see, argh! He doesn’t want anything just get the key in to the key hole already GOD DAMN IT!

“!!!” He shouted. He had to, “OPEN UP YOU…URGH!!!” He threw the key on the ground as it slid over to his neighbor’s shoes. Without looking up, he breathes heavily before furiously reaching over to pick it up when his neighbor bent down at the same time.

The warm fingers of a human on his hands.

That short and little moment of a human after so long, warm but hateful at the same time. He grabbed the keys quickly and stood up, plunged the key into the keyhole and heads in to his house, slamming the door so hard, the entire apartment could hear.

 {RING RING}