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5 hours earlier

"Byun Baekhyun?" a girl dressed in professional office attire asks, knocking on the door of their practice room. Everybody turns to look at the shorter, and he hurries to stand up and greet the lady. 

"Yes, that's me. Is there any issue?"

"Come with me," the girl says, leading him away from the practice room and to a pretty secluded office room where she sits him down and hands him a contract. His contract, that he signed with the company just a few months ago.

"Uh?" he asks. But, in his gut, the dread begins to swirl. He steels himself.

It's coming.

"I'm afraid we can no longer sign you as our trainee."

Baekhyun sighed. He knew it would happen, sooner or later. He had let himself dream, just a little bit, but this was inevitable. Because he was the useless Byun son, the one that had no other choice but to do whatever his parents wanted him to do.

Not even the heir, to be honest.

Just the puppet flower boy. 

The boy his parents would marry off to some rich girl that had connections so his father's greed could be satisfied... somewhat. It could never be satisfied, really. 

The boy with the dead brother.

The good-for-nothing.

Byun Baekhyun steels himself. It's okay, he thinks. He knew this was going to happen. He expected it. He kept his expectations low. It doesn't hurt, he convinces himself.

"Thank you," he manages. The girl studies him before nodding and pointing at another page for him to sign. She hands him a pen and he accepts it. He signs the paper, no big deal. His hands don't shake. He doesn't cry. He doesn't wither like his parents want him to. 

But he feels like throwing up when

the girl neatly shuffles the papers and

slides it into her folder and

thanks him and

checks her watch and

guides him out of the office and

and

and

and

tick tock, tick tock,

time's up.

Like a zombie he makes his way back to the practice room to grab his things. He remembers to smile and to thank the teacher. He remembers to bow and say goodbye. He leaves Kim Entertainment. 

Baekhyun thinks about calling Luhan, but he decides against it. He thinks about Chanyeol. The tall boy with that stupid laugh and those large ears and those warm eyes that look at him like he's everything even though he knows that he's nothing. Those hands that make sure he doesn't get hurt, that carefully covers the roof of the car everytime he climbs out of his seat like a gentleman, that reaches for the heaviest groceries even if he complains that, I'm a man too, Chanyeol. I can carry my own groceries. 

And Chanyeol would laugh, and he would say, "I know, Baekhyun. You're just important to me. I don't want you too tired, okay, boyfriend?"

You're important to me.

Those words may seem like nothing to somebody else — it's not an i love you or even an i like you but to Baekhyun it means so much because it made him feel worthwhile. 

And no, Baekhyun's not mopey by nature. He won't sulk and most of the time he tries to be bubbly and to bring happiness into other people's lives because that makes him happy too. 

But, somedays, he feels defeated. 

Like now... because how was he going to tell Park Chanyeol that his time