Baekhyun was there, and he had his arm around the waist of a woman. A girl, Gyuri was quick to correct herself because said girl couldn't be that much older than her, but somehow she looked a lot more like a woman than her.

She felt something shift inside her, tightening ever so softly around her heart, and her hand went straight to her chest, only to realize that she couldn't do anything against the sensation.

“I'm so sorry! You should have ordered something while you waited.” Baekhyun grumbled with a subtle and quite remorseful pout.

But none of those words, no matter how genuine they were, were registered by Gyuri. With her eyes locked in Baekhyun’s tight hold around the girl’s hand, and his delicate fingers intertwined through hers. That was everything her attention could see.

“By the way, this is...” Baekhyun started happily, letting the girl’s hand go to nudge her forward as if he'd decided Gyuri wasn't paying enough attention to what he was saying. “...Do you remember I told you, right? 

He didn't tell her. 

Gyuri merely stared at Baekhyun, racking her brain to remember if he ever said anything about any woman, and he didn't. He always made it feel like he confided in her, but she realized that was all a lie. 

He did not.

“She finally agreed to go out with me,” Baekhyun announced, smiling shyly and his cheeks turning rosy in an instant.

Everything inside her suddenly split up. A part of her was utterly mesmerized by the sight of his flushed face. She couldn't deny the bashful glint in his eyes as he admitted it. The other part, simply breaking apart. 

Her heart throbbed, and her eyes watered, but all those feelings were weak to the twist and churn her stomach did, that she had to cover , afraid of throwing up. The bodily response against the sight was so sudden, Gyuri had to close her eyes to keep herself together.

“Can you believe this girl?” Baekhyun kept on, either not paying attention to her reaction or not caring at all, “She says I'll annoy her to death.”

The back of itched, making her cough instantly as if she was choking on something, and it didn’t matter how much Gyuri tried to clear it and stop the coughing fit; her stomach kept spasming until she felt something coming up. She began to breathe harder, almost wheezing because whatever it was, it was getting stuck in the middle of her esophagus, plugging her pipes and preventing her from getting more air into her lungs.

“Woah! Are you alright?” Baekhyun asked, finally forgetting about his whiny rant.

It didn’t help Gyuri though, hearing the genuine concern in his voice only made it worse. That question alone made her cough hard enough to gag, and she realized there was no hope. He cared. She might have irremediably fallen for him because he genuinely cared.

“There you are,” A deep, unwavering, and yet soft voice echoed amid her pain. “They forgot to pack your sandwich.”

In the blurriness of her tears, Gyuri saw a brown paper bag, which she recognized was for take-outs, getting placed in front of her, but it was the voice that stopped the fit for a fleeting moment. It wasn't just the gentleness of his voice but also how his manly hand landed straight against the middle of her back, rubbing steady circles that somehow managed to ease the cough.

Gyuri didn’t have to raise her eyes to know the ciabatta man was back, as she would never in a lifetime forget a voice like his, but she did anyway, and she found him there. It was the moment he kneeled next to her and to her eye level that stirred Baekhyun up from the surprise.

“Who the hell are you?” Baekhyun shot with a scowl.

“A friend.” Gyuri saw the man answer as she fixated on the movement of his mouth.

“She doesn't have any friends.” Her best friend defended. 

Gyuri closed her eyes again, feeling the piercing on her skin just about everywhere in her body, and amid the fogginess of her pain, she heard Baekhyun gasp at the hurtful meaning of his own words.

“I'm an .” He added, and even if she couldn't even look at him, she knew he was talking directly to her. “You know that is not what I meant.”

“You’re an hour late, and we made plans.” The ciabatta man added.

His voice was steady and stripped of any emotion, and when Gyuri looked at him, he was back on his feet and offering her his hand. She didn't know what came over her nor why she did it, but she took his hand and held onto him for dear life.

Baekhyun gasped. 

Gyuri was sure she saw his eyes going wide in surprise for no other reason than she was holding the hand of a man that wasn't him, or her father. The frown that showed up on his features was unmistakable, and somehow, upsetting him made the pain even worse. The pressure thumping against her ribs was getting stronger with every second she stayed in his presence. 

Suddenly shivering, Gyuri coughed one more time and felt her skin getting covered in goosebumps. Wheezing and staggering as her surroundings shifted once again, she choked on something. 

“What the hell?” Gyuri whimpered as she spat out something slimy off her tongue.

She went still. For a split second, Gyuri thought she was choking on her own blood, but her eyes blurred with tears when she realized she had a single, bright red flower petal all smudged and stuck to her hand. 

Gyuri couldn't stop the certainty of her fate take over and crush her. She lost all strength and collapsed, but a strong arm was around her just as fast and supporting her as she moved forward. The pain creeping its way through her body was so sudden and so sharp, it made her gag again, and not even when she clasped her hand over was enough to stop the ample flow of nauseating beauty that came out off her.

The arm secured around her body managed to lead her to a lonely alley and held her trembling figure as she convulsed over a corner, throwing up and choking on the beautiful bright