Chapter 4:






 

"Yeollie~ Yeollie~ Yeollie~" the child sing songed as he approached his playmate, skipping through the stone pathway of the park. When the said playmate did not turn around, the child decided to yell instead, "Yeollie~!"

"Hunnie~!" the said playmate exclaimed after turning around, seeing his playmate Hunnie approach him while holding hands with another child. Yeollie just stared at the young boy Hunnie was holding hands with, "Who is he?"

When Hunnie finally reached Yeollie, he let go of the boy's hand, motioning for Yeollie to look at his friend, "Yeollie, this is Baekkie."

Hunnie then motioned for Baekkie to look at Yeollie, "Baekkie, this is Yeollie."








 

One rainy afternoon, Yeollie saw Baekkie crying in the middle of the street. The rain was supposed to hide the tears that are falling from Baekkie's eyes, but Yeollie still noticed it. Yeollie who was playing in the rain chose to approach Baekkie instead, "What's wrong?"

Baekkie then looked at Yeollie who's now crouching in front of him. He did not answer Yeollie, he just cried even harder. Scared that Baekkie might not be able to breathe because of too much crying, Yeollie decided to hug him instead, "My mom said that hugs is what a crying person needs. Stop crying, Baekkie."

When Baekkie did not hug him back after a while, Yeollie decided to pull himself from him. Sighing, he chose to make funny faces instead to cheer Baekkie up. It was effective when Yeollie pulled his ear to make himself look like a monkey, Baekkie laughed. He decided to imitate Yeollie and they both laughed in joy, forgetting why Baekkie even cried in the first place.








 

Yeollie and Baekkie got even closer as days passed. When Baekkie discovered that Yeollie's grandfather is friends with his grandfather, the two started going to each other's houses. Their friendship grew, the trio - Hunnie, Yeollie, and Baekkie - became a quartet when Baekkie's cousin started living with his family. The longer they bonded with each other, the more they became insperable; They even decided to study in the same school.

Much to Baekkie and Yeollie's joy, their grandfathers kept on having lunch outs with them. As a kid, they did not put malice into it. Little did they know, their grandfathers already decided for their future.








 

As they grew up, Baekkie became Baekhyun, and Yeollie became Chanyeol. In their words 'We're big now, we need to act our age,' but habit is hard to get rid of. The pair decided to call each other Baekkie and Yeollie when there's no one around.








 

By the time they reached 15, they already discovered what love is. Too scared to ask each other, they turned to their friends instead.

Jongdae, Baekhyun's cousin, ended laughing. Saying they're too young, but Jongdae knew better. It was inevitable. Jongdae noticed it even before Baekhyun confessed to him.










 

On Chanyeol's case, he decided to talk to Sehun. Sehun knows Chanyeol like the back of his hand that's why he hopes Sehun could give him a piece of mind.

"Sehun," Chanyeol called him one evening, "Can I ask you something?"

"You're already asking me, hyung," Chanyeol face palmed. What does he expect from Sehun? "Kidding. What is it?"

"Never mind."

"You won't call me if it's not important. Spill," Chanyeol hates Sehun when he's like this, he's older than him for fcks sake, "It's very rare for me to give you a piece of my precious time. Don't waste it, hyung."

Chanyeol inhaled deeply before spilling the beans, "I think I'm inlove with --

"Baekhyun hyung," Sehun finished the sentence for him, laughing in the process.

"H-how did you know?"

"You're obvious, hyung. We're bestfriends but you treat him differently," Sehun explained, "Let me rephrase it, both of you treat us differently."








 

"Fine, I'll answer," Baekhyun chuckled nervously and looked at Chanyeol straight in the eyes, "Yes."
 

It was like a light has been when Baekhyun saw Chanyeol in the restaurant this afternoon. Years of hidden feelings came crashing in as he saw those almond eyes looking straight into his. Now, there he is again, seated in one of the chairs in this classroom. His eyes that was once filled with happiness were replaced with pain, shock, fear, betrayal, and regret. No, Chanyeol doesn't have to the right to look at him with those eyes. He doesn't. Why should he be given the right to have those - except for the betrayal and pain - when it was all because of him?

He finally looked away, scanning the class before heaving out a deep sigh. No, Baekhyun did not just see Sehun in this class as well. After finally composing himself, he started teaching. He got a double degree when he graduated college, one degree in business administration, and another one in literature, so teaching this class Word Literature shouldn't be hard, right?

"Your professor is not around today because of an emergency, thus you have me as his substitute for today. If you have any objections or negative reactions, feel free to leave the class while I'm still allowing you to do so," Baekhyun said, voice loud and clear for the whole class to realize that he's not here to play with them. He looked around, waiting for anyone to react, only seeing students who just got serious, "Alright. No one? Let's start. Today's reading will be by Pablo Neruda. Anyone familiar with him?"

Jongin was among the three students who raised his hand. Baekhyun motioned for him to stand up before asking, "Tell me something about Pablo Neruda."

Fidgeting, Jongin still managed to answer, "He's a writer from Chile, and one of his famous poem is Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines. He also won a Nobel Prize in Literature."

Amazed by Jongin's knowledge, Baekhyun thanked him for his answer and told him to get seated. Baekhyun then started giving out a copy of the said poem, "As you can see on the handout, that's a copy of Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines. We will read the poem, and give an interpretation on each line, or verse."

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write, for example,'The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance.'

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Baekhyun tried so hard not to look at Chanyeol as the class read the poem, but there he is, staring in those chestnut brown orbs. Those orbs that seemed to just look at him, and make his life revolve around the owner again.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me sometimes, and I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Chanyeol did not try to be subtle. He just looked at those great still eyes, and memories from their past dawned him; Those silly kisses that were shared under the tree in their little hideout, and those I Love You's that weren't returned vocally.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.

Chanyeol's life shattered, so did Baekhyun's. Years of not having each other were lived with sorrow, pain, and regret. Chanyeol loved Baekhyun, but Chanyeol isn't sure up to this moment if the latter really did feel the same for him since then.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. Like my kisses before.
Her voide. Her bright body. Her inifinite eyes.

It is during Mondays where Chanyeol realizes how foolish he was. It was during a Monday where Chanyeol was left aching in the middle of a crowded airport, hoping for Baekhyun to stop walking away and just hear him out. It is during Mondays where Chanyeol realizes that Baekhyun can finally be somebody else's and not his.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her. 
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my sould is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her. 

How can Chanyeol be certain that Baekhyun did love him if he heard it from the latter that he's just playing games? Still, Chanyeol loved Baekhyun, but is it really all in the past? Is that love really gone?

All of a sudden, Baekhyun walked out of the room as the class finished reading the last lines of the poem. Whispers can be heard, asking their seatmates why the young professor suddenly walked out of the class. Did we do something wrong? Only Sehun and Jongin looked at Chanyeol whose eyes are now filled with tears. Looking back at the two, Chanyeol gained courage to run after the petite man, his blockmates asking Sehun and Jongin why Chanyeol ran after the professor.

He ran aimlessly through the corridors, looking for Baekhyun. If not for the faint sob, Chanyeol wouldn't have looked inside the utility room. There he found Baekhyun, crying his heart out. Chanyeol's heart ached after seeing the latter, the betrayal he's felt again immediately vanished. He reached for Baekhyun, but the latter just scotted far from his reach.

"Baek," Chanyeol cooed, still reaching out for Baekhyun, "Baek, let's talk."

Baekhyun did not look up at Chanyeol, instead he kept on moving away from him. Baekhyun couldn't understand why he was so brave earlier, even looking at Chanyeol's eyes as he answered Taemin's question, but no he's just a weakling - hiding from the past that keeps on haunting him.

"Byun Baekhyun," Chanyeol cooed once more, moving nearer to Baekhyun. I don't deserve you, Chanyeol. Just leave me alone, "Byun. Baekhyun."

Eventually, there's no more place to move to. Chanyeol finally reached him, but he loves Baekhyun so much, he did not held him immediately, "Please, Baekhyun. Let's talk."

Byun Baekhyun finally looked at Chanyeol, eyes glistening with tears that makes Chanyeol's heart ache and just want to hug him. He's still sobbing, pushing Chanyeol past his so-called limitation and boundary. Chanyeol reached for Baekhyun's face, wiping away the tears that are escaping from his eyes. Baekhyun leaned in to the touch, God, I missed his touch.

"I'm sorry," was all Baekhyun could say, and a hug was all Chanyeol could reply.

A/N: 1836 words T___T This is shorter than my update last Friday. I was supposed to update this last Saturday, but I went out to do some grocery shopping for Nini's birthday celebration, and forgot to finish it. Mianhaeyo. T____T Though, I commend myself for being able to finish another Chapter in a short period of time. hahahahh

Anyway, thank you so much for voting for EXO on GDA! Hooray! Our babies won the Disk Daesang! v^_____^v Let's keep on voting for EXO on SMA, Gaon, and SOOMPI.

PS. The author of one of my favorite ChanBaek fic subscribed, and I don't know how to react. The pressure is real. T____T