Sehun decides to tell Chanyeol first. He texts him to meet him at the train tracks, since Chanyeol is no longer welcome in his house. Chanyeol shows up right on time, looking worried.

“Are you okay?” he asks immediately. “Your text seemed urgent.”

“I’m fine,” Sehun replies, trying to sound sincere. “You know, aside from the fact that my parents are forcing me to get married at eighteen years old to someone I’ve never met. I’m great. Wonderful, even.” His voice becomes more and more panicked as he rambles on.

“Sehunnie,” Chanyeol cuts in. “Let’s slow it down, okay? Here, let’s sit down and talk.”

They sit down on the grass next to the tracks, and once they’re comfortable, Chanyeol looks expectantly at Sehun, who takes a deep breath. “Chanyeol, I need you to just listen to everything I say without interrupting, okay? I promise I’ll answer all your questions when I’m done, but I need to get everything out first.”

“Of course,” Chanyeol agrees immediately. “You should know, though, you’re not doing much to alleviate my worry.”

“Sorry,” Sehun says sheepishly.

Chanyeol shakes his head fondly. “It’s okay, Sehunnie. Now, let’s hear this speech you have for me.”

Sehun tells him everything. Chanyeol already knows about the pending arranged marriage, but Sehun begins his explanation with that anyway. He tells Chanyeol about how his parents are using Junmyeon’s engagement to justify Sehun’s early marriage, about how once he’s married, he likely won’t be allowed out of the house. He reminds Chanyeol about how he’s no longer allowed to meet any of his friends or do what he loves. And then he reveals the idea about running away.

Chanyeol looks like he desperately wants to interrupt. Sehun is grateful that he doesn’t. He tells Chanyeol all his thoughts about the idea - all the concerns and reservations he has, and all the positives he sees. When he’s finally done explaining, Sehun suddenly feels exhausted. He knows he promised to answer Chanyeol’s questions, but in all honesty, he’s not sure if he’s up to it.

But Chanyeol just puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It sounds like you’ve thought a lot about this. And I could be wrong, but it kind of sounds like you’ve already made up your mind, too.”

Sehun sighs. “I guess I kind of have. But I just - I needed to know what you think. You’re my best friend.”

Chanyeol grins, not as widely as usual, but there’s still humor in his expression. “I always knew I meant something to you.” Sehun, in spite of himself, manages to playfully hit Chanyeol’s arm. “In all seriousness, though, I’m not against it.”

Sehun senses that there’s more to the statement than that. “But?”

“But I just want you to be sure that you’ll definitely be happier if you go through with it,” Chanyeol explains. “I’m not going to sit here and lie to you that I’m completely okay with it. I’d obviously prefer to have my best friend close to me, but if I know that you’re emotionally better off wherever you are than you would be here, I’ll feel a lot better too.”

“I would be,” Sehun promises. “Chanyeol, I - I really love Jongin. I love him so much, it’s scary. And I don’t know for sure that it’ll last forever, but I do know that no matter how I picture the future, I can’t see one without Jongin in it. I’d be throwing my happiness, my life away if I stayed and married that girl.”

“Then I think you should do it,” Chanyeol says simply. He pauses for a second before adding, “But you better keep in touch, you hear me?”

Sehun feels a genuine smile spread across his face. “Of course, Chanyeol.”