Chapter 17: Echoes of Past 1.1

A 'Chanbaek' and 'Chemin' chapter...

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It was Saturday, no school and Chanyeol is happy. He didn’t have to bother staying up late to do his home works, but to relax and maybe have a quality time with Myungsoo.  But regarding about Myungsoo, his brother is quite busy for some while in the company and Chanyeol is left alone in the empty house.

Sighing and blowing his fringe away from his eyes, Chanyeol stares at the phoenix engraved at the middle of his blemished dark orange ceiling. A symbol of their clan like the Wu’s dragon. It was ridiculous, Chanyeol thought when he first heard and saw the phoenix symbol. His parents would say, it would protect him and the phoenix would also protect his love ones if he wished.

He was fascinated, marvelled and admired the phoenix with awe and respect, he wished, he yearned and asked for the phoenix’s protection and guidance over his family. He only wished that one and thoughtful desire. He prayed every day, telling its story for the day, talking with it, because the phoenix was all he had when he was young.

It happened, what he wished for. A year or two, it happened, and he praised and thanked the symbol with joy and continued.

He didn’t ask for anything, but that.

And when a new boy comes by at the neighbourhood, he greeted him with excitement because that was who he was. The boy was frightened of course, stunned and anxious at the boy who met and greeted him the first day his family moved to the neighbourhood.

After that day, they became friends after a week and they became inseparable. Their parents would say that they are like a married couple and they would blush and giggle over it and tell their parents they are. It was joke, an innocent one.

Chanyeol continued to ask for the phoenix’s protection and guidance over his family and added his best friend’s family and his best friend also. He was thoughtful of others and never thought of himself.

He was selfless.

He was 8 and his best friend was 10. It was a normal day, Chanyeol going back home, leaving his things in his room and leaving the house to meet up with his friend. He waited in the playground that they always meet up and played around every day, he waited.

But he never came.

He brushed it off, thinking that the latter maybe forgot about their meeting. Myungsoo came with hitched breaths, explaining to his younger brother calmly about his best friend. Blinking, Chanyeol smiled to him and nodded his head.

Myungsoo was-of course-taken a back with his younger brother’s response and didn’t bother about it and Chanyeol went back home around 7 in the evening with Myungsoo holding his hand tightly.  They came back home, their ears picking up a painful wails and cries from their uncle and aunt.

Chanyeol was still dizzy and in daze while Myungsoo was pained by the things he heard their crying aunt was saying. He was the first one to pick up and he looked at his younger brother, who was lost and he was glad. Putting both of his hands in Chanyeol’s ears, he led his brother upstairs.

Setting his brother in his bed, Chanyeol looked at him and Myungsoo broke the news. Their parents died in a plane crash on the way back.

Chanyeol didn’t cry.

From the day on, Chanyeol hated the phoenix and everything and after a while, he pushed it all back to the pits of his mind and gone back to whom he was, but two things changed.

His parents died and they’re not coming back and his best friend had left him.

Memories fleeted in his eyes and played on his ceiling like a film. He watched it in daze and he chuckled bitterly. He remembered some memories he buried deep inside his mind. He was marvelled at how his mind could still remember it and how it was so cruel to play it back.

He sits up and shifts his gaze to the photo frame and his best friend.

“Bai…” Chanyeol muttered, his eyes trained on the seemingly older of the two and he smiled.

~*~

Baekhyun takes a bite on the chocolate cake that Kris had brought to him two days ago. It was delicious as he expected and he didn’t regret ordering it. It was quite funny that they had a cake of their own in his own café, yet he bought one on the outside.

He didn’t mind though, he was quite used to the taste they had and he wanted to try the cake on the other side of the road. He was taking his lunch, finishing off his breakfast a few hours ago. He was the eating vicinity, customers coming in and out of his café, breeze of music vestige in his ears; he smiles contently.

Baekhyun wasn’t fond of sweets like his friends does, he likes them, yet he wasn’t fond of them. He wants to take a sweet bite once for awhile in a week to ease his tongue that yearn different tastes.

He didn’t expect to open up a café of his own as he watches his surroundings. He only loves playing the piano as he remembered when he was young. He dreamt of being a pianist or a singer when he was young. He remembered a boy telling him that he’ll be his number one fan from that day on until forever.

He was amused at the blurry memory that he remembered.

Kris told him that he wasn’t really a Wu to begin with and in fact he knows that, because how a Baek could become part of the Wu? It was completely irrelevant and ridiculous, he thought. He remembers his name only and everything except his name was burned or maybe was locked up in deep of his mind.

He remembers Kris asking him if he remembered anything, anything from the past and he would reply no in a way of shaking his head because from the day he met Kris; he already lost his own voice.

The doctor told him, after Kris’ family adopted him a few months ago prior when he was still 10, that the nerve connecting to his voice or so was frozen. He didn’t quite understand that much when he was still young, he was in daze and his mind was cloudy. One thing he understood was that he was mute when Kris told him in a simplest way than the doctor’s.

He didn’t cry or was shocked. He was in fact calm and collected at the news that was broken down to him. He nodded it off and just continued to live.

When he was 15, he starts to remember pieces of his memories, bit by bit, he remembers, but he brushed it off because it was still blurry.

When he was 18, he remembered half of his memories, his parents died in a car accident right in front of his eyes, their moving and Kris family as their family friends and he didn’t remember anything else except those.

As to now, he was 21; he was remembering some blurry fragments of his half past that he still didn’t remember and he accepts them and was amused at those fragments. He wants to regain his memories to see how far he had gone through when he was young. He wanted to know if there is something or someone important that he left behind or didn’t remember.

Taking a sip on the bittersweet latte that Sungyeol made for him, he takes a few moments to ponder what he is going to play for today before standing up, picking up his dish and leaving the table.

~*~

Minseok slices the pineapples to bits before putting them in the bowl together with the cream and whipped them up. Few days ago were rough for him and his employees. Picking up on the day where he went back to the café after buying the strawberries and two gallons of milk, the day processed smoothly as he pushed back what happened in the store in the back of his mind and concentrated on the operation they had.

The event was successful as they had prepared everything before the ceremony comes to an end. They were of course in suits as they also attended the wedding. The foods were freshly baked and cooked and the guests were happy and so were the newlywed couple.

They were laughing, joking and chatting as they ate their fruitful works and Minseok didn’t forget to ask who was obsessed in strawberries and found out that it was the bride who was very fond of it. Nodding and brushing it off, the day passed on with laughters and cheers.

Going back to the present, Minseok was whipping up the cream with bits of pineapples as the memory of Jongdae and him meeting up in the store resurface in his mind. He tried forgetting it, but it was no use.

Jongdae hated him and that was final. The younger always kept his promises and has a big heart and mentioning about big heart; he abused it. Well, not ironically abusing it to the literal, but he does kept inflicting pain to the Jongdae and the last and the most painful things he did was the last straw of their relationship.

You could say that, Minseok would never forget about it and that he knew he deserve such treatment from Jongdae. He never wanted to hurt Jongdae. Never in his mind or soul, did he want to hurt the younger, but after Sungyeol telling him what he did to Jongdae, summarizing it up  and explaining to him how it inflicted Jongdae, Minseok knew he was in deep .

Jongdae, as I have said, has a big heart. He gave Minseok, once chance. Once chance to correct it all, well maybe, not to fix up the past because that’s pretty much impossible, but he gave Minseok once chance to prove he was really sorry and that he was so wrong to do those things.

Handing off the finished whipped up cream pineapple to Fey; he takes up a slip at the order lists area. He eyes the order and nods his head as he remembered the orders. Putting the list in the pocket of his apron, he went to get the fresh milk, liquid raspberry and watermelon from the refrigerator and placed it near the blender. Pouring a half cup of fresh milk, a quarter of raspberry and taking a shave of ice, he blends the trio.

As he was blending the trio, he remembers doing the same thing when he was preparing for the apology dinner for Jongdae. He remembered giving it all for the apology dinner and had everything set up all by himself. He was ready for everything and he held a big surprise for Jongdae that day as he clearly remembers.

He was prepared to do it all just making Jongdae to forgive him and take him back, he remembers how very idiotic he was to think that everything will progress smoothly, but it didn’t.

He left the area, leaving a note to Jongdae that he’ll be back and when he returned, Jongdae wasn’t there. There was no sign of him and he spotted a small thick card on the cake that he made and after reading what it said, he knew he lost it.

He lost Jongdae.

Smiling bitterly as he stopped blending the shake, Minseok poured the raspberry shake in the cylindrical glass and repeats what he did, but this time, watermelon syrup is added not raspberry.

Minseok knows he didn’t lose Jongdae yet.

He was so close to Jongdae and he had to go back to square one. He had hopes that Jongdae would love him again and that he would take him back, because he does. He wants Jongdae to give him one more chance and he could assure him that he wouldn’t screw it up like last time.

Sungyeol told him that it could happen, but he has to wait. He hast to wait the wounds that he caused to Jongdae. He hast to wait for it to heal, because if he rushed things, Sungyeol guaranteed to him that he’ll lose him forever and he doesn’t want that.

Finishing up the shakes, Minseok takes a fresh sliced cakes of chocolate marble and angel puff caramel from the fridge and placed the plates on the counter and took a strawberry syrup and drew hearts on the chocolate marble before taking the chocolate syrup next and decorated the angel puff with wings and placing back the syrup on the sides together with the other syrups.

Placing the decorated plates with the sliced cakes on the tray together with the shakes, Minseok rings the bell and Krystal comes and takes the tray from him.

~*~

Jongdae places the decorations on top of the white coating of the soft foam.  He was working on a birthday delivery and-well; you could say that his time is very hectic. He must not lose a single second, because if he does, everything is screwed. That’s over exaggerating, but somehow, it’s closely related to what he is trying to say that he can’t spare a second to useless things.

He was busy placing the decorations when the memory of Minseok and him meeting in the store resurface in his mind. He shakes his head as he tried to push back the memory and hissed and continued to place the fruits on top.

But another memory fleeted in his mind and for some reason, he can’t push it away.

The memory flashed in his mind, playing it like a film, he remembers the day when he left the card on the cake to Minseok to show how he was very disappointed and that he hated him. Jongdae, in fact, really hated Minseok to the core even with a big heart of his; he’s still a human being with feelings. He wasn’t a toy nor was he a puppet to begin with.

He loved Minseok without a doubt and gave him everything (well, no not everything, really because in that way, it’s so absurd, they were just high school students back then, so yeah, not everything but let’s say mostly everything.) that he has. He never thought of doing things that’ll hurt Minseok and he trusted the thought of Minseok doing the same because the older gave his word.

And Kyungsoo was right.

Everything has a price, even love. He took the deal and he was happy, yet the price was horrendous and cruel and twisted. He paid the deal with the price of Minseok inflicting pain to him and him hating Minseok and them breaking up. He suffered terribly as being he was still young and until now, he still wavers at the older.

They met, countless times, (we live in a small world, you know) and he just passed by him without a single glance because mainly, they don’t practically run to each other, but if they did, he would just pass by him but with a pained heart. His wounds would take its toll and hurt his heart and he’ll have to take the measurements again.

Jongdae isn’t willing to give Minseok another chance even if the older begs or pleads him. He won’t give him another chance because, obviously, he screwed up the chance he gave him back then and if he would give him a chance, he will probably screw it up and he wouldn’t like another wound in his heart. Nine wounds are enough wounds his heart will take; adding up another one will probably kill him.

But during the days in between the weeks and months, he would miss Minseok, he admits. He would wish that the past wouldn’t be like that and that Minseok would kept his promise that day he gave him a chance. If Minseok, at least, showed up, he would forget all what he did to him and take him back to his arms. He wished and yearned for that in the shifting of the days and he wished everything wasn’t like this.

Placing the crystallized sweetly sour purple butterfly on the side on top of the soft sugar flower, Jongdae places the cake inside the box, putting up the letter that the father had told him and closing it up before wrapping it beautifully.

He places the box inside the delivery bag together with the other two and calls out to Ilhoon. He gave the addresses of the box that he is going to deliver and motioned him to go. Ilhoon grins and takes off to deliver the boxes.

Sighing with traces of tiredness, Jongdae takes a bowl of kiwi and orange from the fridge and helps Jessica in placing the fruits on the cake.

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A/N: Hohoho! Yo! mellissa here! *greets energetically* So I’ve explained some things that are very very important in the future chapys that you’ll about to read soon. Hope you’ll remember  some of these because when you read the future chapys, everything will connect to each other ^^ Share me your thoughts about this chapter!

Question: So…seeing your comments about the previous question, I concluded I will not ask about the dying of a character anymore, so instead I’ll focus on others.

So, if EXO would make a comeback…when do you want it?

So that’s everything~

Later!