Chapter 8 : He Wasn't Himself

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Chanyeol stood in the middle of one of the largest and busiest airports in the world, Incheon International Airport. There were a large number of passengers could be seen arriving from flights awaited by relatives and not to mention some were rushing towards specified gate to catch on their flight. The voice of a female gate agent could be heard, informing passengers about their flight to certain destination city. Whereas some were chattering delightfully while enjoying mouth-watering dishes at a rather large restaurant there. The day for his friend, Baekbeom to go back to California had came. At first, he was unwilling to come since he knew Baekhyun would be there too, but knowing that he would not be seeing Baekbeom for the next one year, he pulled himself together to be there. If it wasn't because of doing a favor for his friend and the need for living expenses, he would have quitted being the tutor for such ill-mannered kid. 

 

 

"It's almost time" Baekbeom said, as soon as he heard the announcement. He carried a rather huge luggage as if he was moving to live there for years.

 

 

 

"Hyung, can you not go?.." Baekhyun pouted, feeling reluctant to let his only brother go.

 

 

 

"I would love to stay here longer, but I can't.." Baekbom reached out for Baekhyun and gave him a long tight hug.

 

 

 

"Take care of yourself okay? Listen to eomma and don't act naughty. Eat well, sleep well and study well"

 

 

 

"Yeah.. the same old nag again" Baekhyun replied, loosening the too-tight hug that he could barely breathe.

 

 

 

"Aish this kid. Listen to your brother" Mrs Byun added, taking her turn to hug him. Tears started to fill in the mother eyes, waiting for times to roll down the plump cheek freely.

 

 

 

Chanyeol felt out of place that he preferred to just watch the family having their moments. He was keeping a distance from Baekhyun, pretending not to even bother on his existence there. Meanwhile Baekhyun, was fighting back against his emotion. He had been stealing glances to Chanyeol since they first reached here, but received a fully brushed-off response from him instead.

 

 

 

"Chanyeol ah.. Look after my brother for me, please? Or I won't be able to live peacefully there" Baekbeom added, now giving the taller a loving hug for short.

 

 

 

"Don't worry about that" Chanyeol smiled, feeling a heavy load placed down on his shoulder for such request.

 

 

 

"Thank you for that. Ah. I think I gotta go now" Baekbeom picked on his luggage after hearing from the gate agent once again, informing about fight to California.

 

 

 

"Okay. Take care. Be safe there!" Chanyeol added, waving to him until he slowly disappeared from their sight.

 

 

 

"I see you are Chanyeol, right? Baekhyun's tutor? My apology that we haven't meet properly because most of the time, I wasn't home" Mrs Byun broke the short silence between them as the three of them were making a way out. Baekhyun's father could not make himself there, as usual, he was too busy with businesses.

 

 

 

"Ah yes I am. No, I'm okay about that" Chanyeol bowed down a little, giving a sweet smile to the warmhearted mother. A smile that took a certain person's breath away.

 

 

 

"I'm really sorry on behalf of my son, Baekhyun if he caused you any trouble" Mrs Byun added while linking her arm with Baekhyun. He was quiet all the time, wandering his eyes around watching people.

 

 

 

"No no. There's nothing to worry about. He's good" Chanyeol felt like the worst liar while uttering the last sentence.

 

 

 

"You're such a good guy. I'm very thankful. Why don't you come and join us for lunch?" She offered.

 

 

 

"I would love too but I have to refuse. I'm sure my mother is waiting at home"

 

 

 

"Oh it's okay. So maybe next time? We'll take our leave now. See you, Chanyeol" Mrs Byun replied in soft motherly voice, dragging Baekhyun to leave there.

 

 

 

Their eyes met for a short second before Baekhyun turned around. Something was different in the way he looked at the taller, Chanyeol could tell. The piercing and full of hatred glare he usually gave him, were all replaced by soft and gentle look. Only then Chanyeol realized how alluring those single lidded eyes were.

 

 

 

"That boy is completely different from his other family. Maybe.. he was adopted?" Chanyeol shook a head to his ridiculous thought. People could tell Baekhyun and Baekbeom were related by blood on the very first glance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

It was a rainy Thursday evening when Chanyeol jumped off the taxi right in front of The Byuns mansion. Dark clouds overwhelmed the blue sky and the sun was hiding behind enormous pillow of clouds, missing out on its old-gold color. The clouds mercilessly pouring out its content down to Earth, soaking up on the black printed shirt wore by him. Chanyeol quickened up his pace into the house with half drenched shirt as the cold wind brushed against his exposed arm. The housekeeper handed him a dry towel, probably noticing on his wet bangs and soaked up shirt. Like normally, the house was empty and quiet with only housekeepers in. 

 

 

"Thank you" Chanyeol smiled to a petite lady in her forties.

 

 

 

"You should change or you'll catch a cold" said her, concerned. 

 

 

 

"I'll ask Baekhyun for shirt" Chanyeol replied, still drying on his hair while marching upstairs. 

 

 

 

He stopped in his tracks while he was right in front of the door of the boy's room, hand on the doorknob. Finally, he was there after almost a week avoiding Baekhyun. Not that he had forgotten the incident happened, but more to letting it slid off. Let by gone, be by gone. Chanyeol entered the room just to find Baekhyun wrapping up himself under the cover that only few strands of hair could be seen popped out from it. He's doing it again, huh?

 

 

 

"Lend me a shirt. I'm wet" Chanyeol said while moving to a large wardrobe positioned at the corner. 

 

 

 

"Mm" Baekhyun weakly answered in a muffled soft voice of his.

 

 

 

"Thanks" Chanyeol replied, astonished to see neatly hung row of shirts the moment he opened it. 

 

 

 

He picked out a white maze patterned red shirt after quite some time puzzling there. This is cool. He shifted eyes to the boy just to make sure he was still in the cover, before tugging off his soaked shirt and putting on Baekhyun's. Fortunately, Baekhyun was more or less the same size as him (except for the facts that he was incredibly shorter), it fitted him just nicely. He did not miss out to fix on the tousled hair of his while walking passed a standing mirror.

 

 

 

"You can wake up now"

 

 

 

No answer.

 

 

 

"Get yourself up now while I'm asking nicely"

 

 

 

Quiet.

 

 

 

Chanyeol sighed as he moved to the bed, pulling off the cover to see the living being under it. Baekhyun was sleeping with a frown on his face and flushed cheek. His body was slightly shivering with sweats on the forehead of the pale face.

 

 

 

"Baekhyun?" Chanyeol placed hands on his shoulder, softly shaking on the body.

 

 

 

Chanyeol was taken aback to feel how warm his body was. He hesitantly put a palm on the boy's forehead with other hand placed on his own, comparing their body temperature. His eyes slightly widening to feel the high temperature of the other. He has fever! Chanyeol pulled the cover up to the boy's chest with a terribly worried face on. He quickly ran downstairs and came back with dry towels and a bowl of cool water. Chanyeol soaked up dry towels and then placed the moist towel on the boy's warm forehead with another one he used to dab on the smaller body to help on cooling down the temperature. Before long, a housekeeper entered after knocking on the door, bringing a cup of warm herbal tea and glass of plain water as asked by Chanyeol.

 

 

 

"Here you go. Will he be okay?" She asked while placing it on a small table by the bed.

 

 

 

"I think he'll be fine. The temperature will cool down after a bit"

 

 

 

"Okay. Just call me if you need anything more" she added, taking her leave and closed the door behind.

 

 

 

 

~ ~ ~

Chanyeol sighed in relieved when the shiver of the smaller gone. He dropped his gaze on the harmless sleeping baby face of the latter. It would be nice if he wore this face all the time. Chanyeol could not avoid himself from noticing the beautifully shaped slim fingers of the boy. How can a guy has such lovely and appealing feminine looking fingers? W-wait, what was I thinking?? He looked away as to experience a chill feeling running through his veins straight to his pounded heart. Baekhyun came to awake after a while with half opened eyes. He forced himself to sit up, feeling his head weighing a ton.

 

 

 

"Arghh! My head hurts so much" 

 

 

 

"You're not completely recover yet so don't force yourself" Chanyeol voluntarily circled an arm around the smaller to help him up. Baekhyun thought his headache worsened in instant to feel the tender touch. 

 

 

 

"Recover? From what?" Baekhyun felt the world around him was spinning that he decided to lie down again but stopped by Chanyeol.

 

 

 

"Fever. Drink this, then only you can go back to sleep" Chanyeol ordered, handing the cup of herbal tea to him.

 

 

 

"Is this herbal tea? No, I hate it" Baekhyun refused, shaking his head.

 

 

 

"Drink it." 

 

 

 

"But-"

 

 

 

"Now" Chanyeol brought the cup near to the boy's mouth, forcing him in as nice way as possible. Smirking to himself as Baekhyun finally gave in when he took the cup and drank it in one shot.

 

 

"Yucks I don't like it!" Baekhyun frowned.

 

 

 

"Eat this" Chanyeol ordered, again, giving a Panadol to him. 

 

 

 

Surprisingly, Baekhyun obeyed to that without saying a word. He swallowed it in and reached for the glass of water from Chanyeol, gulping it down his troat. The taller then placed palm on his forehead, in which caused Baekhyun to almost paralyzed once again. His heart was beating like crazy, waiting for time to burst a minor Earthquake.

 

 

 

"It cooled down a bit. Now you can go back to sleep"

 

 

 

"I didn't know you worked as a nurse before. That's a nice shirt you got there" Baekhyun said, lying down again and pulled the cover up.

 

 

 

"I'll return it later" Chanyeol replied while reaching for his bagpack on the chair.

 

 

 

"W-where are you going?" Baekhyun mentally slapped himself for asking that, sounded like he refused to let Chanyeol leave.

 

 

 

"Home. You can't be expecting me to wait and watch you sleep, right?"

 

 

 

"Hell no. Just get out now. I want to sleep" Baekhyun turned his back to Chanyeol, burying his face under the cover, hiding the visible blush formed.

 

 

 

"See you then. Have enough rest" Chanyeol was about to step out the room when..

 

 

 

"I'm sorry.. and thanks" 

 

 

 

"What did you just say?"

 

 

 

"I'm not going to repeat that. Now go away" Baekhyun, still was giving his back to the taller.

 

 

 

Chanyeol couldn't keep a smile from cracking on his charming face while leaving the room, just like a fool he was.