Author's Note:

Not a Taemin-chapter. Not even a LuMate chapter. I wrote this chapter as a way of addressing the issue of EXO's saesang fans. I really feel sorry for Baek Hyun and his brother. I know that they love EXO, but I just wish they also knew their limits. It saddens me to know that something as simple as privacy cannot be respected. :| 

And will this be the last of the Byun Baek Hyun Chronicles? For now, it will be. But something tells me it won't be the last. :))

Enjoy this chapter everyone! I hope it serves as a lesson for any EXO fan out there, Saesang or not. 

Also, thank you for reading, subscribing and commenting despite my lack of updates :)

Btw, this event occurred during the roommate's third year (thus the surprise appearance of Sunggyu!)

It started a few weeks ago. At first, Baek Hyun thought her sudden, multiple appearances in his life were mere coincidence. He saw her at his department that one time, automatically assuming that she had class there. There was that other time that she was in the same cafeteria as he was, 'coincidentally' right beside him as they fell in line; he had failed to miss the sideward glances the girl snuck at him.

It was pure chance, Baek Hyun thought, until a few weeks later when he noticed that those instances became more frequent than normal. In a campus that was so huge, spanning over acres and acres of land, and filled with people from all walks of life, it wasn't unusual to see a new face every day, and every encounter with someone familiar was by sheer luck. There was no way, then, that the sudden, multiple appearances of that girl in his life were mere coincidence.

And so he came to only one probable conclustion: he had a stalker.

Baek Hyun was known for his cheerful disposition, and he used that to his advantage, refusing to let his stalker get to him. The campus choir had just begun their rehearsals for another competition, and Baek Hyun knew that he shouldn't bother with the petty things and should focus on the contest instead.

But ignoring his stalker and hiding it from everyone proved to be a wrong move.

It was a lonely, orange sunset afternoon when Lu Han, Lay and Chen came home, carrying a puffy-eyed, sprained Baek Hyun. Without hesitation, the poor boy broke down, and finally confessed to having a stalker to everyone in the dorm. His stalker had disrupted their practice that afternoon, and after a series of unfortunate events that resulted to Baek Hyun spraining his ankle, the poor boy was rendered immobile, causing his temporary removal from the choir he loved the most.

After receiving proper treatment for his injury, he had locked himself up, going as far as even throwing Chan Yeol out. You and Lu Han were more than happy to temporarily adopt the lanky virus who settled in quite well on the mattress you had set-up beside Lu Han’s bed. Still, with his partner-in-crime down in the dumps, the usually hyperactive Chan Yeol was reduced to a depressed mess, sulking in your room whenever he was reminded of Baek Hyun's condition. He had lost the will to even try talking to his roommate.

With two sick puppies—both of who were too stubborn and depressed and emotionally-unstable to attend their classes—under your wing, you decided that Baek Hyun’s stalker Had. To. Stop. Once and for all. You didn’t like it when your boys were down, because that made you down as well (in the most inconspicuous way possible).

It was the third day of Baek Hyun's self-confinement when his stalker was finally seen lurking around the dorm area. You wondered why she only came now, but thought no further because you realized that stalkers had a complex mind that was too complex for ordinary, senseful people like you to understand.

You and Chan Yeol were upstairs (with him incessantly chatting and rambling about TVXQ’s newest single—it was his way of coping with the stress) when Se Hun swung the door open and told you to go down immediately. “Noona! Noona! Trouble downstairs! Trouble downstairs!” he exclaimed, and grabbed your and Chan Yeol’s wrists without a second thought. He pulled you both up and dragged you out of your room, down the stairs, and finally, onto the first floor where Kai, Sunggyu, Hoya and Dongwoo, along with a few other dormers who were there had gathered around the sofa. What—or who, to be more accurate—was in the middle of that group, you didn’t know, but you had a pretty damn good idea. You could hear soft whimpers coming from the center of all the attention.

Turns out, Hoya and Dongwoo, who were returning from their classes, saw the girl trying to climb up the pillars and onto the second floor, right where Baek Hyun’s room was. Too quick to be strummed by their emotions, the pair brought the girl inside, not even bothered by the fact that they had lost any sense of gentlemanliness in them. They roughly took her by her arms, and dragged her to the sofa and glared down at her. Kai and Se Hun, who were visiting when they should’ve gone home to study for their English quiz the next day, and Sunggyu, whose classes ended late on days like this, were just in time to see Hoya and Dongwoo interrogating the girl, and immediately jumped in on the scene, taking measures to prevent things that might lead to a horrible assault case and a sad court trial (Sunggyu was thinking too far into the future). 

You clapped loudly, eliciting silence from everyone; even the whimpers had stopped. All heads turned to you and Chan Yeol, and when they saw the serious look in your eyes, telling them that you got this and that you would handle this, they parted, taking a few steps back to reveal the girl. Sunggyu nodded at you and loosened his grip on Hoya. Kai followed and let go of Dongwoo’s neck. After giving them a reassuring smile, you made your way towards the center of all the attention, of all the chaos, of Baek Hyun’s self-confinement, of Chan Yeol’s depression, and of your woe.

As soon as Chan Yeol saw her, he lunged forward, letting out a feral growl. The happy Chan Yeol was gone, the depressed Chan Yeol was gone, the Chan Yeol who whimpered like a puppy every time you had left him in the room was gone—replaced by this belligerent creature powered by all the rage that he’s been bottling up the past few days. You couldn’t blame the poor boy. His incessant chattering, his seemingly pointless fanboying over TVXQ, and the pouts he’s been feeding you with to get your love and attention (ugh.) were all just cover-ups for the anger that slowly accumulated in his mind and in his heart.

At once, you reached out for him, using all your strength to pull him back. He persisted, however, and you were left with no choice but to punch him on the cheek. The loud impact made everyone, even the girl, cringe. Chan Yeol stared at you, wide-eyed and hurt as he put a hand on his swollen cheek. “Noona,” he sniffled, frown growing deeper when he saw that you were unfazed by your actions.

“Don’t act like that again, Chan Yeol,” you bluntly stated. He sniffled once more, causing you to soften and reach out to pat his cheek. “Please don’t act like that again. Noona is here to handle things, and I’d appreciate it if you control yourself better. Arasso?” you cooed, treating him with kid gloves (because Chan Yeol liked it a lot when you treated him as if he were Se Hun). The tall boy closed his eyes, blinking back the tears that resulted from your stinging slap. He opened them, eyes brighter and back to their original sparkle, and gave you an approving smile. Puppy Chan Yeol was back.

“Okay, Noona. Sorry about that,” he said. His grin widened as he showed you a thumbs-up, “Go get her, Noona!” he cheered in that awfully hoarse voice of his. “The future of Baek Hyun and Chan Yeollie lies in your hands!”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “I would’ve done that even if you didn’t tell me to,” you said, before taking the last few steps to meet the girl upfront.

She looked up at you, blinking. You, meanwhile, stared down at her, studying her like a hawk.

She was…well, an average-looking girl. She looked like the girls in your Physics class, or the girls in that teahouse you and Lu Han often visited, or the girls back at your high school—with their average smiles and average height and average grades.

Short bob. Clean cut. Single eyelids. A thin layer of eyeliner. White skin. Pale pink cheeks and lips. Black shirt. Denim shorts. Red sneakers. Average look. Average height. Average. Average. Average.

You continued to scrutinize the girl, observing every average detail of her averageness. You were still processing the fact that it was this average girl who has been causing so much trouble. It’s the seemingly normal ones that do the craziest things, you thought.

The girl began to quiver, averting her gaze from yours as she looked down at her lap. You noticed the handmade bracelet around her wrist; the letter-beads tied around it said “BH.”

You bent down to her eye-level. “Miss, look at me,” you ordered her. She shook her head, closing her eyes tight. You sighed, patience wavering. You’ve always been patient, but stubborn people seemed to the patience out of you. “Listen, Miss, we just need to settle a few things. The boys aren’t going to hurt you, and neither will I...unless you—I mean, Miss,” you sighed again, “I’ll just get to the point.”

“You like Baek Hyun don’t you?”

It was the mere mention of the bacon-boy’s name that made her look up at you, eyes and ears finally attentive. “Yes, of course! I love him!” she confessed, unashamed and certain of her feelings for him.

“And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m not experienced in that area, but liking someone isn’t a bad thing. In fact, for you, it must be wonderful. But the thing is…Hmm, I’ll be blunt about this because sugar-coating it would just worsen everything. Miss, you stalking Baek Hyun has affected not only him, but him,” you point at Chan Yeol, “And me, and everyone here and every resident of this residence hall. In short,” you narrow your eyes, steel glare boring into her terrified eyes, “You’re causing too much trouble. I don’t see how this is something you can be proud of. When all of this is over, when the time comes that your feelings for Baek Hyun have faltered—“

“That wouldn’t—“

“No, it will. It eventually will, Miss,” you counter, raising a hand to silently tell her not to dare interrupt you again, “When that time comes, you’ll think back and find yourself regretting doing what you’ve been doing the past few weeks. And you’ll regret being someone who may have potentially ruined Baek Hyun’s happiness, Chan Yeol’s happiness, my happiness, everyone’s happiness. Perhaps what I say is an exaggeration, and perhaps I am being too mean, but Miss, all I want is for you realize that what you’re doing, what you have been doing is all wrong and it’s causing trouble, it’s causing sadness and most of all, it’s causing pain. I’ve had two sick puppies under my wing and I want nothing more than for them to get back up on their two—or four, depending on how you look at it—feet and act like their normal selves again.”

“You like Baek Hyun, don’t you?” you asked her again. This time, she breaks down and cries, nodding. “And because you like him, you’d want to see him happy, right?” She nods again, covering her tear-stained face. “And there’s nothing wrong with liking him. In fact, that’s wonderful. But there are better ways to show it, ways that are more socially acceptable and ways that Baek Hyun himself would appreciate. That’s why, Miss, please stop this. Stop it before the damage becomes worse, stop it before you end up hurting Baek Hyun, and Chan Yeol and everyone and most of all, yourself. Let’s stop this, okay?”

She musters the strength to uncover her face. Her mascara and eyeliner had smeared, and she wiped her fresh tears with the sleeves of her shirt. “I’m sorry, I just…I’ve never liked a guy as much I liked Baek Hyun, and I…With all the competition, I know I’ll never have the chance with him, so I…I…This was the only way we could…be together. That’s why I…I mean I…Oh, god, I’m so sorry.” The girl wept, her tears dripping down onto the carpeted lobby. “I…I want to apologize to Baek Hyun himself, but I know now isn’t the best time, but please, know that I really am sorry. And that I…that I’ll stop. You’re completely right: I don’t want to see him sad, and I most definitely don’t want to hurt him. So I’ll stop. I’ll stop. I promise I’ll stop.”

You heard footsteps behind you, and before you knew it, Chan Yeol was already beside you, knees bent. He flashed her a huge smile and pat her head, “Okay, that’s all we needed to hear. I forgive you, and I’m sure Baek Hyun forgives you, too.”

~

“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” you said, yawning and stretching as you leaned back on the couch. After the confrontation, Dongwoo and Hoya were gentlemen enough to volunteer and the girl home. Before she left, she had given you a smile and bowed, thanking you for the slap of reality you had dealt her. She said that she’s “…Never encountered someone so mean and blunt,” but thanked you otherwise. She had also asked you to give the bracelet she wore to Baek Hyun, saying that her letting go of it was a symbol of how she’ll get rid of that unhealthy obsession she has with the bacon-boy.

After she had left, everyone had gone onto their own ways: some retreated to their rooms, others went off to eat, while there were those who went to the study room. You and Chan Yeol occupied the sofa, while Kai and Se Hun sat on the floor to play their video games. The lanky happy virus scooted closer and closer to you, driving you to the very end of the couch, as he begged you to accept his hug of appreciation. Se Hun, irritated, would pause the game every now and then to glare at his Hyung and threaten him.

As Chan Yeol and Se Hun busied themselves with a glaring contest, you looked up at the staircase, smirking as you saw a familiar pair of feet. “Wouldn’t you want to offer me a hug of appreciation, Byun Baek Hyun?” you raised your voice. Chan Yeol and Se Hun ceased their absurd way of settling things, while Kai dropped his controller. The three followed your gaze. “Hyuuuung, are you there?” Kai asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Oh, he’s there, all right. He’s been there since what? Chan Yeol and I went down.”

Suddenly, whimpers were heard, along with the soft thud of wood and a bandaged leg against the padded stairs. Gradually, Baek Hyun revelead himself, his eyes ready to cry. Chan Yeol got up to rush to his roommate’s side but Baek Hyun stopped him. “I can do this,” he said, pushing himself forward. Eventually, Baek Hyun made it to the bottom of the stairs and into the lobby, coming face-to-face with the four of you.

It was silent for a few moments as the four of you stared at Baek Hyun: his face had grown pale over the past days, his eyes no longer held the shimmer EXO’s moodmaker was known for. His lower lip jutted out, telling you that he was ashamed of how badly he treated everyone who has done nothing but be worried about him, and how badly he’s treated the entire sitation. “I’m sorry for dragging you all into this,” he mumbled.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’re your brothers, remember? Your problems are our problems,” Chan Yeol reassured him, placing a hand on his roommate’s shoulder.

“Yeah, Hyung. Even if we don’t live here, we get worried too, you know!” Se Hun piped in.

The three approached Baek Hyun and proceeded to encasing him in their death group hug, ruffling his hair and pinching his cheeks. “Okay, okay! I get it! You’re all in love with me, geez!” At that, they push him away, and begin to make vomiting gestures. Baek Hyun scoffs. “So much for the love.”

“At least you’re back to being yourself,” you commented.

And in matter of a split-second, Baek Hyun has his arms wrapped around you. Because of his stupid injury, the two of you lose balance and fall on the sofa. “HUHUHUHU THANK YOU, NOONA!” he sobbed, nuzzling your neck and wetting your shirt with what seemed to be a river of his tears. Good god, his tears won’t stop flowing.

“WHAT THE—I WAS ONLY JOKING ABOUT YOUR HUG OF APPRECIATION.”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER, NOONA.”

“GET OFF, BAEK HYUN, GET OFF! I DIDN’T SAY YES TO YOUR OFFER!” you shout, trying to pry off the bacon-boy. But you were caught in his hug of death, his arms wrapped securely around your neck and torso, that your arms wouldn’t even budge. “GET OFF BYUN BAEK HYUN!” you screamed, wriggling and and struggling to break free.

You then noticed the cheeky grins of the three remaining boys. It started with Chan Yeol who looked at Kai and then at Se Hun. Their lips formed mischievous smirks, and your eyes widened, realizing what they just realized.

“Oh, no. Don’t you all dare,” you tried to give them your infamous glare, but Baek Hyun’s nest of fluffy hair tickled your eyes, rendering them useless. “Oh, no. Oh, god, no. OH GOD, NO.” you exclaimed as three bodies smashed onto you, flailing their arms and wrapping them around you and Baek Hyun.

“NOOOOOOOONNNNNAAAAA~” they all purred, choking you with their love. Their sick conception of love, rather.

It was after three minutes (or infinity, you were pretty sure it was an infinity) of nothing but heavy, insufferable heat when your roommate and his co-choir members arrived. You mentally cheered, thanking the gods for answering your prayers. Lu Han’s doe eyes rounded to an unearthly size when he heard your cries of help underneath the mess of four bodies piled on top of each other. He ran to the couch, and pulled at one of the entangled limbs. “What are you doing to my roommate? Let go of her! You’re going to kill her!” he frantically yelled, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“HOW CAN OUR LOVE KILL NOONA?! AND NO, HYUNG. YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE, SHE’S OUR NOONA NOW,” Baek Hyun bayed.

Lu Han abruptly stopped his efforts, his arms falling limp to his side. Despite being underneath everything and everyone else, you felt the dark atmosphere that slowly engulfed the lobby.

“Oh, you’re going down,” was the last thing you heard, before completely drowning  and giving in to the heat.