Two Weeks Later

            The winter exams had finally ended and most of Pusan University’s students were relaxing in the student lounge. Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Minseok were gathered together in a back corner snacking on potato chips and soda. Although they were laughing and having a great time, there was an emptiness hanging in the air. It was the same kind of emptiness the trio felt without their best friend Baekhyun. After his grandmother's quiet funeral service, not many people have seen or heard from the mourning teenager. He now lived alone in that small home.

            Chanyeol has kept his eyes busy with surveying the campus for any signs of Baekhyun. So far, the results were coming up short. The trio doesn’t even see him taking any transportation, which means Baekhyun is going out of his way to avoid everyone. Being without his hyung was giving Chanyeol such an empty space in his heart. There wasn’t going to be another day without talking to him. It would be easier if Baekhyun had just answered the doorbells or the phone calls, but he didn’t even do that.

“What are you searching for,” Minseok asked stuffing a hand in his chip bag.

“Baek…”

“I’m honestly really worried about him. He lost his last family member and now is ignoring his best friends. What if he’s hurt in his home and no one has been there to help him.”

            Jongdae had brought up a point that nearly crippled Chanyeol. Before witnessing an elder pass away slowly, Baekhyun had been told that his entire life was essentially a lie. He wasn’t really Baekhyun. His name was Jitae. Without even saying goodbye, Chanyeol gathered all his belongings and ran out the lounge. People stared at him while he raced out the front doors. School was still in session, so Baekhyun had to be somewhere on campus. The question is where.

            After checking all the music halls and even the theatre, Chanyeol found himself standing in front of the library. He hadn’t been there since Eun-je had confessed to him a few weeks ago. There was no need for studying at the moment, but maybe this is where Baekhyun was hidden. After walking in to the extremely empty room, Chanyeol began to walk to the librarian. Before searching the massive amounts of aisles, maybe the woman had seen his hyung. Just a few feet away from the front desk, Eun-je stepped in front of the tall boy with a pouted face.

“Hello there stranger,” she smiled. “You haven’t been answering my calls or texts. Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine. I was just busy with exams and helping Baekhyun with-“

“It’s always about Baekhyun with you…”

“…”

            Chanyeol held his tongue. Of course it’s always about his best friend. That’s the one person he cares for the most. It’s the one person he actually loves. Eun-je has no right to be jealous in his eyes.

“Why can’t I get that much attention?”

“Because I don’t like you,” Chanyeol growled. “You almost ruined my friendship with Baekhyun by planting your lips on mine. I didn’t want that! In fact I didn’t even want to go on that date! I should have stayed home and stayed with Baek.”

“What did you just say to me,” Eun-je spoke smacking his cheek.

“How about you get your hands off me and go find someone else. I’m done speaking with you. If you don’t mind I’ll be leaving now.”

“I knew it… You are gay.”

“Excuse me,” he said turning to her.

“You love him. Admit it!”

“So what Eun-je? I do love him and I always have! Leave us the hell alone. Like I said I’m leaving!”

            He turned around before she could get the last word in. Eun-je had seemingly been after Baekhyun since their date. She was always bumping into him so hard his books would spill out his hands. That or she would have a group of male friends surround him and harass him until tears were close to spilling. Chanyeol hated her.

            The librarian walked over to him ready to yell for making such noise, but Chanyeol stopped her by asking if she had seen Baekhyun. It took a second to remember who she had seen walk in, but a nod showed that he had come and went to the second floor. That floor was used mainly for avoiding absolutely all possible noise, but there weren’t many people here in the first place. It was weird that Baekhyun had chosen to go up there, but maybe he wanted to avoid all people.

            While seeing Chanyeol walking up the stairs, Baekhyun had looked up to see his best friend wildly searching the floor already. His heart began to race and his palms shook. It had been a long time since Chanyeol’s handsome face had come into his vision. His hair was getting longer, and Baekhyun love’s when it’s long. He gets to run his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair when they hang out, but as of right now they weren’t seeing each other at all. After getting all his books back into his bag, Baekhyun ran behind a shelf and headed towards the stairs avoiding meeting Chanyeol. He wasn’t ready to see him just yet. His heart was too broken.

~*~*~*~*

“Baek,” Chanyeol called walking into the cold room.

“What are you doing here?”

            After being unsuccessful in the search for his hyung, Chanyeol had enough. He needed to talk to Baekhyun and tell him everything. That he was sorry for letting Eun-je ruin their friendship, not visiting him after his grandmother’s death, but more importantly that he loved him. Baekhyun was sitting in the middle of the living room going through photo albums of people who were apparently his family, or were never really his family. He was pale and looked cold. Chanyeol sat down next to him and wrapped his strong arms around those frail shoulders. Baekhyun turned and looked deep into his best friend’s handsome brown eyes. It took them both nearly all the strength they had to not kiss each other despite how close their faces were.

“I’ve really missed you, hyung. Where have you been? It scares me when you don’t answer my calls or texts. You didn’t even open the door for me…”

“I’m lost, Yeol. Everything I thought I was. Everyone I thought I knew… It’s all been a lie. My whole life has been based off a lie,” Baekhyun sighed looking down. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“The only thing that has been a lie is your name and your parents. You know me. I’m not a lie. Jongdae and Minseok have always been your friends.”

“No. It’s not. Nothing is the same. My past is all a big pile of confusion. I’m not sure of anything anymore…”

            Baekhyun knows the one thing he is sure of, is his love for Chanyeol. Though saying that was a lot harder than he thought. The words couldn’t even pass his shaking lips. Anger began to fuel through Chanyeol. His best friend doubted every emotion they have felt for each for all the years. He slammed his fist against the floor and grabbed Baekhyun tight by the collar.

“It has not been a lie Byun Baekhyun! This friendship is real! All of these years, all of the memories, they’re all ing real! My love for you, that is real! Can’t you see it,” Chanyeol screamed.

            He let his grip loosen as Baekhyun stared in shock. Chanyeol knew that wasn’t the way he wanted to confess and regret was already consuming his body.

“Baek I’m sorry…”

“What did you say,” Baekhyun cried.

“I love you. I always have. Stupid me was too busy ignoring the amazing person in front of my eyes. School, dates, and all that was blocking my real feelings. You are everything I want.”

“…I-I love you too, Yeol. I was afraid you were too wrapped up with Eun-je. It killed me to see you two together. The drop of hope I had left of us being together was ripped away when you kissed her.”

            Chanyeol could see the heart of his hyung breaking at the thought of Eun-je. His hands were shaking with nerves, but he tried to stabilize them before placing them onto Baekhyun’s face. He pulled their lips so close he could almost feel them touch.

“No one is taking you from me ever again. It’s you and me from here on out.”

            He pulled Baekhyun just a little bit closer allowing their lips to touch gently. It was a very soft kiss, almost as if they were barely touching, but feeling that closeness after weeks of pure tension sunk into their lips. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around the small of his hyung’s back and pulled him even closer. Baekhyun smiled in the middle of the kiss before losing balance and falling over. Though the stronger one never let go and allowed Baekhyun fall to the floor, still kissing him.

“Yeol,” he smiled reaching out his lips for another kiss.

            Chanyeol didn’t answer. He just deepened his kiss, prying open Baekhyun’s mouth with his own lips. Their tongues nervously pressed up one another, at first a little awkward. Chanyeol had his first kiss already with Eun-je but he was completely inexperienced in this particular department of kissing. Baekhyun on the other hand had never kissed anyone. But when it’s with someone that they’ve been dying to be with, it was if their bodies knew how to respond to the foreign actions. The eldest boy pulled away with a massive smile. Chanyeol pulled him back closer, their hearts racing against each other.

“Baek,” he began looking deep into his eyes. “Can you promise me just one thing?”

“Sure. Anything for you.”

“Can you be only mine from here on? Be my boyfriend, my rock, my best friend. Only mine.”

“I already am,” Baekhyun smirked kissing his now boyfriend.

            The two snuggled and spoke quietly for almost three hours before deciding to head outside and walk around a bit. They didn’t have a set destination, but that was fine because walking hand in hand was all they wanted to do. Everyone who passed by the new couple stopped at first, taken aback that two boys would be flaunting something so many would hide. But love isn’t something Chanyeol or Baekhyun wanted to keep to themselves. Surprisingly, the reactions they receive were more like “oh finally. We knew this before they did.”

            After walking for sometime, the pair reached the wheat fields. Minseok was somewhere in there working with his father today. Maybe they could steal him for a little while because working in the fields all day is very strenuous. Though there was a loud rumbling sound and almost thirty boots clanking to the dirt road. Baekhyun turned the corner first, Chanyeol trailing behind with their hands still interlocked. It was the Korean army knocking door to door and going up to everyone they saw first. They were no exception, because a young soldier around twenty-five came running up to them. Baekhyun froze in fear. That army was here looking for him, and had it not been for his grandmothers confession, he wouldn’t care. But now, Baekhyun knows the truth and can put the whole town at risk. The President said he would punish all who kept him hidden. Chanyeol could see the nerves slamming into his boyfriend.

“Yeol, we need to run. We need to go right now.”