“I don’t understand what brings her back so suddenly,” Sehun’s brows furrowed imagining how bad Chanyeol must be feeling.

The three boys were together at Lay’s place, waiting for Chanyeol who said that he was on his way there. His voice sounded tired.

“It’s been a very long time since they broke up” Baekhyun didn’t understand either. “Why would she show up now all of a sudden?”

“He was just starting to get along with Sarang,” Sehun shook his head disapprovingly.

“Did Sarang know about Hyojung coming back?” Baekhyun wondered, feeling genuinely worried about her.

“Probably not,” Lay said, “I don’t think he told her.”

“But hyung,” Sehun frowned, “Does that mean he’s going to leave her and get back together with Hyojung?”

“This can’t be!” Baekhyun almost yelled. “He can’t be that stupid.”

Lay sighed. He wanted to believe that Chanyeol won’t be that stupid but they all knew how much of an impact Hyojung had on his life.

She was his first love and his first heartbreak.

“Guys, let’s not bombard him with such questions when he comes,” Lay said. “He must be having a hard time already” he warned, “Don’t blame him for anything. We all know the he went through.”

Sehun sighed.

“You’re right” he nodded. “And he never got to have a proper goodbye. It was such a mess.”

Back when they broke up, it wasn’t just a normal breakup. Hyojung left with very little explanation that made almost no sense to Chanyeol.

She didn’t tell him that she was leaving. She never showed signs. One day he woke up and she was no longer there, no longer reachable neither on the phone nor in person.

He looked for her everywhere until he found out she was with someone new and he couldn’t understand how she could run right into another one when she just broke up with him.

He couldn’t understand it. She loved him. She belonged to him. So how did that happen?

All he wanted was for her to take him back. She was his everything and he was willing to forgive her, or even ask for her forgiveness if it meant she’d get back to him, although he did nothing wrong to her in the first place.

He tried talking to her, seeing her, bringing her back but it was like this new Hyojung is someone he never met before. She wasn’t the same person who was madly in love with Chanyeol.

She was cold and cruel and she ended everything alone, like he had no say in it, as if he wasn’t a part of their relationship too.

The boys silenced up when the bell rang. It was probably Chanyeol behind the door.

“I’ll get it,” Baekhyun stood up quickly and went to open.

When he opened he found Chanyeol there, leaning his arm tiredly against the doorframe tiredly.

“Come in” Baekhyun moved, letting him in. He tapped Chanyeol’s shoulder lightly as an encouragement.

Chanyeol went in to the living room, joining Sehun and Lay.

“Hey!” Sehun greeted, trying to sound cheerful but Chanyeol only nodded back as a greeting for him and Lay.

“What’s up?” Lay asked.

Chanyeol threw himself down on the sofa and extended his legs on the dirty coffee table in front of him.

“Hyung,” Baekhyun came back from the kitchen, “You’re out of beer?”

“Aishh” Lay winced, “Man I knew I forgot to bring something. I just couldn’t remember what it was.”

“Typical” Sehun mumbled, earning a glare from his hyung.

“Just go get some” Lay tossed his wallet to Baekhyun. It hit his cheek like a slap.

Baekhyun was going to say something but stopped when Chanyeol laughed. It wasn’t wholehearted but still, Baekhyun was ready to let it slip.

“Take my car,” Chanyeol handed his keys, “I parked behind yours, the pathway is closed.”

“Alright” Baekhyun took it then gestured Sehun to get up, “Wanna go?”

Sehun shrugged, “Why not?”

Chanyeol and Lay sat in silence for a few minutes before Lay decided to speak.

“How is it going?” he asked.

Chanyeol didn’t look up, he kept staring at the coffee table where he rested his legs.

“Bad” he breathed a laugh.

“She wants to get back together with you?”

Chanyeol nodded, “Apparently.”

“Did you tell Sarang?”

Chanyeol sighed, “I didn’t.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What are you going to do? Will you leave Sarang?”

Chanyeol looked up with furrowed brows.

“Hurting Sarang isn’t even an option” he shook his head, “That girl…” he half smiled remembering her face, “I don’t ever want to hurt her, that’s why I couldn’t tell her about Hyojung coming back” he said.

“You won’t tell her?”

“If I did, she will get worried. That’s why I have been avoiding her lately. I couldn’t look her in the eye and smile and act as if nothing happened when Hyojung came back, but I also don’t want Sarang to think I still care about Hyojung so I couldn’t get myself to tell her.”

Lay paused for a moment.

“You think avoiding her won’t hurt her? Keeping something as important as this from her won’t hurt her? I don’t understand your calculations.”

Chanyeol breathed impatiently, “Then what the am I supposed to do? Huh?”

“Listen I know you’re messed up now. Hyojung showed up after like what? Four years or something? I know it isn’t easy at all for you, but there’s this question you need to think of carefully then answer honestly” Lay said.

“What is it?”

“Do you want to go back to Hyojung? Or do you want to stay with Sarang?” Lay asked clearly. “I know you’re probably confused and you don’t have to answer it right now. What I’m saying is, take some time to think about it, sort out your feelings, and come up with a clear decision.”

Chanyeol sat straight and took a long breath.

“Hyung,” he called, “Do you remember back when dad kicked me out of the apartment and took my car and credit cards and you let me stay here with you?”

“I do,” Lay answered.

“And do you remember what happened before you left to China?” he asked with a small laugh.

Lay closed his eyes feeling a bit guilty.

“I do,” he nodded.

“Don’t feel sorry. That night, if you hadn’t beat the out of me I would have probably stayed blind and stupid. I still remember very clearly what happened.

I was kicked out, Hyojung wouldn’t take me back, I blamed my parents and wouldn’t talk to them, my father didn’t want to talk to me either, you took me in and he blamed you for helping me instead of letting me learn from my mistakes,” Chanyeol pressed back his hair before he continued.

“What he didn’t know is that it was you who opened my eyes for the truth. That night I came back drunk and already beaten up from a fight I picked on the street because I used to do that a lot. I wanted to let the anger out. And when you saw me like that, you were done. You really beat the crap out of me and it hurt like hell, but it’s that words that you said back then that remained.

Open your eyes you ing stupid bastard. She doesn’t love you and she never did. You can go around blaming every ing person in the world but deep inside you will still know that she didn’t love you. Stop trying to put up excuses, stop lying to yourself you know it too! She left with someone else now stand the up and walk and leave it all behind. And if you want to keep living your life like the loser you are right now, then don’t let me find you here when I get back from China.”

Lay smiled, “I came a month later and you weren’t there” he laughed, “Only because you were already back on your feet. You went back home and already started fixing everything with your family. You were still hung up with bitterness, but you also stopped trying to reach her and that was an improvement.”

“That’s what I’m trying to say,” Chanyeol said. “The things you said back then were correct. You opened up my eyes and no matter how hard I tried to deny it at first, I eventually faced myself and I admitted it. She never loved me. I’m not stupid to go back to her, she was only there for the money” he shook his head indifferently, “I’m over that now” he said.

“You don’t love her anymore?”

“No,” Chanyeol smiled, “When I saw her I realized that I stopped loving her long ago. You know, hyung? Sarang is like a breath of fresh air” his smile widened, “She’s something else.”

“You really love Sarang don’t you?”

Chanyeol’s heartbeats quickened with excitement. He couldn’t control the smile on his face, he felt like suddenly running to her and holding her so tight and kissing her.

“She’s taking over me” he laughed, “She doesn’t know it yet but I don’t only like her so ing much, I love her” he finally admitted. “I want to keep her with me forever. I want to spoil her and take care of her and make her happy.”

Lay laughed. He was so happy for finally seeing Chanyeol like that.

“Then I suggest you don’t mess it up with her” Lay said.

“Right” Chanyeol nodded, “Tell me what to do.”

“I think you should put an end to whatever is going on with Hyojung. If you don’t meet her she’ll keep coming in your way so just go see her and tell her clearly and calmly that it’s over, then tell Sarang” he said, “Tell her about what happened and how you ended it because you are one hundred percent sure that you love her and want to stay with her forever.”

Chanyeol thought for a moment, “That’s actually a pretty good idea” he approved, “I’ll see Hyojung tomorrow and tell her to get out of my life for good, then I’m going to tell Sarang everything. This way she won’t be hurt” he smiled at Lay gratefully for helping him.

***

“I thought you said he didn’t even like his wife” Hyojung said, feeling like the blood is boiling in her veins.

Hwasoo smirked, “I thought you said you could effortlessly get him back” she mocked, playing with Hyojung’s ego. “Now you’re threatened by her?”

It was Hwasoo who contacted her when she knew that she had already broken up with her boyfriend and she was the one who convinced her to get back to Chanyeol

“You’re kidding right? You know he loved me” Hyojung said, “You know he was crazy about me.”

Hwasoo smiled but there was a hint of disgust on her face. She didn’t like Hyojung since back then, since Chanyeol couldn’t look at anyone but her. But she said that if she was willing to lose Chanyeol now, she’d rather it be for Hyojung instead of Sarang.

But the truth was, she only wanted to mess up Chanyeol’s relationship with Sarang as a start, that’s why she was using Hyojung, then she’d try to win him over.

“That’s the past tense, Hyojung-ah” Hwasoo laughed, not because she found it funny but because she wanted to trigger off Hyojung.

Hyojung scoffed, “I just got started” she said, “Sooner or later I’m getting him back.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see, I—“

Hwasoo stopped talking when Hyojung’s phone rang, drawing both their attentions to the screen.

“It’s Chanyeol,” Hyojung said feeling confused.

“I see you’ve got my number” she said as soon as she answered the phone, the smirk evident in her voice.

“Let’s meet tomorrow” he said, ignoring her remark, “We need to talk.”

“Of course!” Hyojung instantly agreed, a little too excitedly.

“Tomorrow at two thirty and I don’t mind where,” he said, “Send me the address, and let it be a