Title: Waltz

Pairing: BaekYeol

Rating: nc-17

Length:  6602 Words (3/11)

Genres: Romance

Summary: Baek Hyun has been getting relentless calls from a strange number at the strangest times and he decided to post the contact number on some gay dating website for the calls to stop. It was supposed to work, goddamnit.  

 

===

 

Baek Hyun considered himself to be sharp.

 

He noticed things, whether he liked it or not, and in his long hours sitting on the leather office chair under the strong fan of the A/C, he noticed a lot of things about Do Kyung Soo, his cubicle-mate.

 

It was strange that he noticed all these things about Kyung Soo, but to study people when he should be doing his work was even stranger to begin with.

 

Baek Hyun liked to think that he was eccentric too, sometimes.

 

Jong Dae would say “Shut up and do something more useful.”

 

But Baek Hyun thought that his friend was just another at another man’s parade.

 

Wait.

 

He was sure the euphemism was different.

 

“Why are you staring at me?”

 

Kyung Soo’s question was curt, typical of him, and Baek Hyun hadn’t realised that he had been staring all this while. His grandmother would be disappointed. It was rude to stare, but it was Kyung Soo. Would it be rude to be rude to a rude person?

 

What did he say.

 

Eccentric.

 

Jong Dae would’ve been proud at his thinking.

 

“You’re twitching.” Baek Hyun had remarked simply, left leg crossed over his right knee and his left elbow was pushed to his left thigh to support his chin on his palm as he hunched down and studied Kyung Soo.

 

Well, yeah.

 

So he was staring.

 

Kyung Soo had immediately stopped his immaculate jabbing at the calculator and turned to face Baek Hyun. His face was unreadable, his hair was styled like how he did it every day –black and gelled up. His shirt was white, crisp, his pants were black, his tie was green (Grey on Mondays, blue on Tuesdays, green on Wednesdays, yellow on Thursdays and finally, maroon on Fridays –hell, Baek Hyun didn’t know why memorised them) and his spectacle was framed in thick black plastic just like his black, black heart.

 

His blood probably oozed black too.    

 

Kyung Soo gave him a sceptical look, an eyebrow raised and eyes hooded manically.

 

“How am I twitching?”

 

Kyung Soo looked annoyed –well, more so than his usual broodiness.

 

“I wouldn’t say that you’re twitching in the literal sense –”

 

“But you just did.”

 

“It’s not the same as muscle spasms –”

 

“You’re confusing me, Baek Hyun-ssi.”

 

“Then maybe you should’ve just kept your mouth shut and let me finish –”

 

“Stop wasting my time, the firm pays you to be productive.”

 

Baek Hyun straightened himself up after that, lips sealed shut and he just stared ahead. To the front, through the air, right through his cubicle-mate because at that moment, that day, Do Kyung Soo did not exist.

 

He didn’t say anything, both Baek Hyun and Kyung Soo were good at shutting up and so he took in a shaky calming breath. It was frustrating –Do Kyung Soo was frustrating and the worst thing was, he can’t lash out at the shorter male, no, because logic didn’t work that way with Kyung Soo. Logic doesn’t even work with Do Kyung Soo, what the hell.

 

So Baek Hyun instead slumped into his chair, shoulder slouched and he let out a deep sigh.

 

Jong Dae always did that to him sometimes; he wondered if the frustration that he was feeling now was what his best friend had dealt with daily.

 

“Why are you so moody?” Baek Hyun finally asked in a resigned tone. “I mean, you are moody most of the time, but today, you’re ier.”    

 

The disgruntled groan was expected, just like the man looking away and continuing on with his work.

 

===

 

“Don’t you think he’s a bit different today?”

 

Jong Dae had groaned out distressfully from next to him and Kyung Soo had looked up from across the table with that ugly glare of his. It never had worked on Baek Hyun before, not now, and it was not going to in the near future.

 

It was weird how Kyung Soo always said that both Jong Dae and Baek Hyun were a nuisance, like a pair of bugs, “Fleas, that’s what you two are.” And yet every day at twelve noon sharp (without fail) he would stand up and inform Baek Hyun, “It’s lunch break now.” while silently following the elder for lunch, coffee or to the audit department to fetch Jong Dae along (if said auditor was not at the client’s place).

 

Baek Hyun was halfway through his jajangmyeon.

 

“Seriously, Jong Dae-yah, look closely. Our Kyung Soo has a different aura, I see red. A lot of red, honestly, did you kill anyone? Do we know them?”

 

Jong Dae actually smiled at that and Kyung Soo was quiet as he placed the chopsticks on the neatly folded napkin next to his bowl, eyes sharp and expression almost blank. He was emitting that sort of aura again, that murderous intent or something whenever he was annoyed.

 

“I wish I did. But you’re still here, aren’t you? Breathing in my air greedily, so uninvited.”  

 

===

 

“Why are you using her number?”

 

“Who is this ‘her’?”

 

“Hae Jin.”

 

“Who is she?”

 

“Are you serious right now?”
 

“I seriously have no idea who you’re talking about. Now, can we please talk about how much you owe me from the damage to my car?”

 

===

 

It was later into the night and Kyung Soo had gone back earlier. It was strange how he always managed to go back early, working mechanically like a robot with intense concentration and somehow, always managing to finish up everything on time. It was admirable, really, except that Baek Hyun kinda hated him too for that.

 

By the time he shut down his PC, there were few other staff left and he thought he saw the audit department’s light still on when he walked out. Jong Dae had went away much earlier that day after lunch hour, busy at the client’s place, and Baek Hyun noted that it was 10.20pm when he exited the lift, shoulders heavy with fatigue, disgruntled by the cruelty of the world.

 

It was always the world against him as a matter of late, fate and and bad luck. He wondered if he actually was paying for the sins his parents had committed when they were younger? Karma and all that, because Baek Hyun sometimes felt so small, as if the world can swallow him whole.

 

Baek Hyun owned a car, but he usually used the public transportation to work because it was hard to find available parking spot at the parking lot of his office, and he didn’t like wasting time queuing with the rest of the world during the morning and the evening traffic.

 

He was too smart for that, see, and also a bit frugal (he wouldn’t say stingy, because stingy was all about Jong Dae).

 

Plus, his rear bumper was still out of place, he didn’t think it was wise to drive the vehicle around, so, score.

 

And so that night, as he was walking to the bus stand, it was strange (also sort of expected) to see a familiar white Evogue was already parked there by the roadside with a familiar looking man leaning against the car.

 

He should have felt annoyed, really, when he caught Chan Yeol’s attention, but he couldn’t explain why his shoulders had slackened at the sight, warmth flooding into his chest.

 

“So now you’re stalking me for real?”

 

The man, Chan Yeol, had quickly looked up, face a little flushed, but the frown marring his face was unmistakably that of a guilty look.

 

Baek Hyun knew that walking up to the man was a bad idea, but he did just that.

 

Baek Hyun didn’t understand a lot of things about himself, and one of those was this.

 

How can he actually be calm when he should be freaking out that a former stalker was waiting for him? They drank once (or last night), discussed about the car and the man somehow had agreed that Saturday was a good day to meet up with a decided workshop before they both went Dutch. Baek Hyun went straight home and Chan Yeol had stayed behind.

 

The way Chan Yeol threw the cigarette bud to the ground was strangely attractive, even the way his long leg stepped on the lingering amber was too.

 

Baek Hyun looked away to the bus stand and saw that no one was waiting there. He did it because it was a good distraction from the tall man, but Baek Hyun told himself that he only did that to see if there will be any witnesses around if Chan Yeol were to kidnap him and do weird things to him like cutting off his limbs, tearing out his guts and liver.

 

He should’ve known not to watch Hannibal too much.

The season 2 had ended, shame.

 

Baek Hyun stopped in front of Chan Yeol, allowing the man to study him like how he had done to the man earlier and it was so ing strange how comfortable he was at that moment.

 

“Not really.” Chan Yeol shrugged with a frown and Baek Hyun looked up to his face. It was not fair how the man was really tall when he looked young.

 

See, the thing about him was, Baek Hyun grew up in a family of an average height. He stood at 174cm while his brother was at 175cm and his father at 173cm. His mother was 160cm and his grandmother was about the same. His best friend, Jong Dae, stood at 173cm and his cubicle-mate Kyung Soo, stood at 173cm too.  It was just a thing he had.

 

He was about the company he kept around, because Baek Hyun liked having only few friends that he can relate to than a group of friends who he can barely keep up with. That and he liked surrounding himself with people of about the same height; there was nothing wrong with that.

 

Chan Yeol’s existence was like a slap to the face.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

Baek Hyun had asked, eyes blinking and the bag was heavy on his back.

 

Chan Yeol smiled after that and Baek Hyun wanted to punch the man because he thought that it was ing irritating (or attractive, honestly) how quickly the man’s face had lightened up.

 

“Aren’t you curious, Baek Hyun-ssi?” Chan Yeol had asked. The breeze was soft, ruffling leafs from the few trees around the place and it made the tall man’s face seemed soft.

 

“About what?” There was a lot of things that Baek Hyun was curious about –why was he here when he can be home, showering and resting, and there was also a question, like, why hadn’t he asked Kyung Soo to go and have a drink with him, because he certainly needed a little bit of soju for this windy night.

 

But they were just as thus.

 

Questions.

 

“The phone calls –the last three months. Aren’t you the least curious about it all?” Chan Yeol had started, smile slowly fading into a firm line. “I need you to understand my reason, why I did all that. It’s not fair for you. It’s not fair for me.”

 

There were a lot of pros and cons for this, for one, despite being curious about it all, Baek Hyun was just tired. Two, why had Chan Yeol even bothered about all this? It was not as if Baek Hyun cared –wait, he did care, because the calls were a nuisance. Three, was there any deeper ploy that he can gain out of all this?

 

It was already 10.35pm when Baek Hyun flipped his wrist up. Chan Yeol’s eyes had followed his movement.

 

“How do you suggest we do all that?” Baek Hyun straightened up. “Because it’s going to be a long night, I will need more than just explanation.”  He said, grimacing at the thought of having to be early the next day.

 

Chan Yeol’s laugh had been small, but that might be because he seemed to be nervous. Baek Hyun can sort of tell, he kept shifting his weight on one leg to another and it was weird. Because Chan Yeol was really tall and even the subtlest movement had a thousand voices.

 

“Wanna go for a drink with me?”

 

He crossed his arms over his chest, neck a little tout from the long day of work.

 

“I’m working tomorrow.” He said. Maybe it was a bad idea after all.

 

“You can have coke and I, the beer.” The way Chan Yeol had suddenly grinned suggested that the man liked to smile, because it seemed so easy, so effortless and Baek Hyun had to cringe at that. He didn’t like smiles, he didn’t like rays, he didn’t like sunshine and Chan Yeol was the very definition of all that combined and it was rather insulting, if he was honest with himself. 

 

He used to smile a lot too, before life and happened.

 

“Is this a ploy to have my organs and sell them?” If he had hated the way the man smiled, it was safe to say that the way Chan Yeol laughed just took his breath away and not in a good way. “I’m serious, man, and we got off to a really bad start, it’s not promising.” It was rotten, ing bright and so –so damn radiant.   

 

He clapped his hands excessively when he laughed, body hunched over and only now Baek Hyun noticed the man had worn a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, a simple navy polka dot buttoned up shirt and a long sleeved black cardigan with its sleeve folded to his elbow, showcasing long and toned arms. He wore specs this time unlike the first and the second time they saw each other. They were huge with black plastic frame and his hair was red with his bang styled sideways.

 

Baek Hyun raised an eyebrow, remembered how his grandmother had mentioned that happiness was infectious. But he bet that at that moment, she was dead wrong, because what he felt now was a confusing jumble of murderous, appalled, weird, weird and weird.

 

“Sorry,” Chan Yeol said after a while. “Didn’t mean to laugh, that was rude, my bad.”

 

He didn’t look apologetic at all, but Baek Hyun didn’t know why he preferred that to a genuine apprehension.   

 

“Meh, it was uncalled for, but I didn’t expect more from a chick-looking guy who banged my car.” Baek Hyun sighed and added “–also, a former stalker.”

 

He shrugged and Chan Yeol had boisterously laughed again, eyes crinkled shut before he pushed one hand up with the back of its palm pressed against his forehead. It reminded Baek Hyun of a swooning maiden.

 

“So,” Chan Yeol said after he had calmed down, face a little flushed. “How about that drink?”

 

Baek Hyun had thought why the hell not.

 

“Sure.”

 

Chan Yeol had a lot of explanation to do, after all.

 

===

 

“That’s not Coke.” Chan Yeol had remarked and Baek Hyun was at the point of not caring anymore.

 

He ordered a lame glass of Coke mixed with Captain Morgan, liking how the spiciness of the rum went well with the Coke’s sugary trait and also because he was a lightweight and two mugs of beers had always equalled to dead drunk.

 

“It’s Coke.” He said, sipping on the drink.

 

They had taken a seat at one of the booths, basking in the dim light and some hip-hop. It was funny how easy it had been for Baek Hyun to settle in, being comfortable with a stranger and Chan Yeol had been surprisingly pleasant for his standard.

 

“What do you do, Baek Hyun-ssi?” Chan Yeol had asked instead, gum black and teeth white.

 

Ah, Baek Hyun-ssi. Somehow it made him so angry hearing that. Baek Hyun-ssi, Baek Hyun-ssi, Baek Hyun-ssi –work, work, work.

 

Chan Yeol was sipping on his beer when Baek Hyun answered him.

 

“Just Baek Hyun is fine.” He said, huffing out, and leaned on the chair. “Currently attached with Gabe & Young,” Baek Hyun told the man sceptically. He didn’t think that it was really safe to tell the man too much about himself because no matter how decent he might seem now, it was not normal for a person to spam another person with endless calls in the morning, afternoon, evening and late night for three months straight.

 

And yet, here you are.

 

What point are you even trying to make?

 

Chan Yeol’s eyes widened before he forcefully placed the mug on the table.

 

“No ing way.” He gasped out. “One of the big 4?”

 

Baek Hyun arched an eyebrow at that, surprised that Chan Yeol was familiar with the concept of big 4 audit firms, which really meant the four biggest audit firms globally and all and, ah, he can only conclude that Chan Yeol must be majoring in –

 

“Accounting too?” He asked, to which, was responded with a frantic nod.

 

“3^rd year, 2^nd term,” Chan Yeol had supplemented, confirming Baek Hyun’s suspicion that the man was, indeed, a student. “Taking tax this semester and it’s a pain in the .”

 

Baek Hyun only grinned at his whiny voice.

 

Weak.

 

What a child. 

 

“I’m attached to the tax department.” He was thankful that he didn’t sound so smug about it. Chan Yeol’s eyes seemed as if they were about popped out.

 

They went quiet after that, thin fingers used to trail at the rim of his glass and Chan Yeol just staring at him. It was unsettling, because Baek Hyun didn’t liked to be stared at, but he thought the man in front of him looked more conflicted than he could ever be. At times like this, he was thankful that he’d been with Kyung Soo on a daily basis, so used he was to the man’s blank face that the trait just sort of rubbed on him.

 

It was easy for him to mask what he really felt these days.   

 

Chan Yeol, however, was still staring. It was awkward, and it was bad how it all was making him flustered.

 

Baek Hyun never had liked attention –that was all about Jong Dae.

 

Why were they there in the first place?

 

“You know,” Baek Hyun started, breaking whatever weird haze they were in and Chan Yeol had hardened his face, as if woken up from a trance. “It’s getting late. You should really start with that explanation.” He ordered.

 

Baek Hyun was better at this. Giving out orders, because professionalism was something he can deal with well, and Chan Yeol took a breath in before he gave the shorter male a defeated smile. He leaned onto his side of the booth and the dim orange light made his soft face seem softer. 

 

“I think we got off on a wrong foot here.” Chan Yeol said, voice deep, but face almost pretty. “My name is Park Chan Yeol. I’m 21 this year and I’m not a stalker.” The way he stressed on the ‘stalker’ almost made Baek Hyun laugh, because at that moment, the other male had looked very young indeed. 

 

He took another sip of his drink, and Chan Yeol seemed more flustered at that, at Baek Hyun’s lack of response.

 

“Go on.” Baek Hyun urged him.

 

But he instead took out his phone from his pocket, and Baek Hyun watched amusedly as thick fingers unlocked the phone and tapped few applications here and there before finally, Chan Yeol placed the phone gently onto the table, facing it up before he pushed the device towards Baek Hyun.

 

There on the screen showed a face of a woman, beautiful with luscious lips and sharp rounded eyes. Her skin was fair and her hair was black and wavy. Next to her was Chan Yeol. They had their heads leaned against each other.

 

And her face was familiar.

 

“This is Hae Jin,” Chan Yeol had started. “She’s my ex-girlfriend.” He said, pulling an “Ahh.” from Baek Hyun.

 

She looked very, very familiar.

 

Chan Yeol hadn’t pulled the phone back, but he was leaning back against his side of the booth, face scrunching up and he had looked straight at Baek Hyun.

 

“We were together for seven years,” Chan Yeol said. “Until she moved to Brighton three years ago to continue her studies there.”

 

“Look, I’m sorry to interrupt, but is there any relation between the girl and you spamming me with calls at ungodly hours daily?”

 

Chan Yeol had answered him sheepishly.

 

“I’m getting there, just –just hear me out, okay?” 

 

Baek Hyun couldn’t help the sigh he let out, but he nodded nonetheless. Taking another small sip of his drink, he put his glass down before rubbing his eyes with cold fingers. He was tired, and he needed to be up early the next day, but Chan Yeol had looked so pathetic across the table and Baek Hyun didn’t have the heart to tell him off.

 

Damn his grandmother again.

 

“Just scroll around for the next few pictures.” Chan Yeol had ordered and made a face at Baek Hyun’s pointed stare, “It’ll help with my explanation, just, please.”

 

Baek Hyun heave out another sigh, shoulders slumped tiredly, but he still tapped the home button of the phone, surprised that when he slid on the screen, there was no requirement for a passcode and such. He scrolled his finger on the picture, warily looking at the next picture of a screenshot of a facebook post, instagram and such.  

 

“I’ll make this short.” Chan Yeol said, “There’s lack of communication in our three years apart, feelings sort of disappeared, but I don’t want to end our relationship just yet, because that’s not going to be fair to either of us, but she came back earlier this year and dumped me.” Chan Yeol had sighed out. “Brutally so, I would say –I’m sorry, I know we just met, but can you please not grin like that at the moment?”

 

Baek Hyun bit his lips then.

 

Did he just –

 

What would his grandmother say had she known?

 

Rude.

 

But he can’t help it. The girl was brutal indeed, broke off a poor boy’s heart through facebook (the screenshot was there, 3,567 thumbs up)and now he understood Chan Yeol’s need for pictorial assistance. That was what the screenshots and pictures all about.

 

“I’m sorry,” He said, sincerity be damned, and he schooled his face into a blank one. “Go on.” he told the man and Chan Yeol had nodded.

 

“We broke up. As you can see, she posted it on my Facebook’s wall for the whole world to know and at first, I thought she was joking until I saw her relationship status and all of our pictures were deleted.” Chan Yeol said, “I wasn’t angry or sad in the beginning, but more confused than ever. She just returned and I didn’t have her local number so I asked around for them. A friend gave me her number, well, your number, and I’ve been calling ever since.”

 

“For three months straight?”

 

Chan Yeol was quiet for a while, face painted with thousands of emotion before he settled with a defeated look.

 

“I thought I deserve an explanation, at least.” He sighed dejectedly. “And it just got out of control, I just got angry and I kept calling her. You’ve answered, and it got me angrier. I mean, why is another dude answering her phone?”

 

“For three months?”

 

“Look –it just got dragged on –”

 

“No, but for the whole three months?”

 

“I just need to understand –”

 

“Dude, the first month was a clear indication enough.”

 

Baek Hyun thought that he should’ve seen it coming.

 

Chan Yeol’s face had coloured and his jaw was tight. His fingers were balled into a fist and if it wasn’t because of the music and chattering noises from the whole bar, Baek Hyun thought the way Chan Yeol had slammed his fist to the table will have all the heads turned their way.

 

“You don’t get it.” He said through gritted teeth. “This was a seven- years relationship, this was not a year, or two years or three, I was serious with her –I thought we were serious, and to break up with just ‘I don’t think I want to do this anymore, let’s just break up Chan Yeol-lie.’ is hardly fair, isn’t it? It’s ing degrading, it’s not fair, and I deserve more than that, because hey, guess what? An explanation would be ing nice!” Chan Yeol had looked crestfallen, disappointed even, and Baek Hyun couldn’t explain the guilt that had spiked up from his chest.

 

He was an .

 

Jong Dae might be right after all.

 

“I’m not in love with her anymore, we both weren’t and the breakup was expected. But for that seven years’ worth of dedication I’ve given, don’t I deserve an explanation, at least?” Chan Yeol leaned back, posture so defeated and Baek Hyun, for the first time in a while, didn’t know what to say.

 

Chan Yeol didn’t look hurt, but if anything, he just looked betrayed. Baek Hyun wished that he can empathise with the man, can relate to his pain, but the truth was, the closest thing he’d gotten to a relationship was that five months fling he had with –

 

“I’m sorry.” Chan Yeol said after a while. “I didn’t mean to get worked up like that, but it’s just frustrating, s’all.”

 

Baek Hyun was quiet, and so was Chan Yeol. But the man had looked down to his balled up fists now, and Baek Hyun did what a fellow man should’ve done.

 

He called the waitress and asked for another mug of beer.

 

===

 

“My best friend once threw up on me when he got drunk.” Chan Yeol said while sipping on his beer.

 

“My best friend does that daily by existing alone.” Baek Hyun nodded in understanding, because you know, Kim Jong Dae.

 

“Best friends are irritating, honestly –hyung, hyung, hyung.” Chan Yeol looked miserable and Baek Hyun realised that more beers equalled to a more honest Chan Yeol.

 

“Hah, how about a cubicle-mate slash close friend trying to murder you on a daily basis.”

 

“And then there’s the sister who sends seven to eight selfies every day while commenting how pretty she is and that the world should be kneeling to her.”

 

“And parents.”

 

“Ugh, parents.”

 

“Don’t forget to bring your boyfriend along? That Jong Dae-yah, sweet boy he is.”

 

“Chan Yeol-lie, what did you score for your midterm? What are you taking this semester?”

 

“Byun Baek Hyun, turn straight soon and start breeding babies like Baek Beom is doing now.”

 

“Chan Yeol-ah, Hae Jin-ah is not a good girl, find a better new one.”

 

“People.”

 

“Yeah, people.”

 

It was so ing weird.

 

Drinking with Chan Yeol was pleasant, he was funny in fact, when he didn’t talk about Hae Jin, insightful even, and he can take Baek Hyun’s snarky personality well. Except that when Baek Hyun had only downed 2 glasses of Coke and Rum, body a little loose, Chan Yeol had had six mugs of beers and he was a giggling mess. He was leaning so heavily on Baek Hyun’s side and it was 12.54am and it was somewhere between Wednesday and Thursday and Baek Hyun needed to clock in at 8.30am the next day or really, that day.

 

Baek Hyun had seen drunk, he’d dealt well with drunk before because Kim Jong Dae was impossible when drunk, screeching and testing his range of voice with do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, hissing that he was the real ideal vocalist of some weird named band that Baek Hyun didn’t think even existed.

 

This was ridiculous.

 

ing ridiculous and he thought that life somehow must have a personal vendetta against him, so driven to drown him in ocean of and tears and a broken heart.

 

“Baek Hyun-ssi!”

 

If a smiling Chan Yeol was ugly, a drunken Chan Yeol was unbearable.

 

“Real man, you said,” Baek Hyun groaned; Chan Yeol’s left arm was around his shoulder, weight slumping on his side and Baek Hyun regretted for not being fitter because he thought that he could faint at any moment now.

 

“Baek Hyun-ssi!” Chan Yeol’s whine was deafening, the walk was tolling and Baek Hyun wondered when they will reach the taller man’s car, if ever, at this rate. “Baek Hyun-ssi!”

 

Chan Yeol was a wreck –face red and neck too with shirt and sweater warm, from his sweat, probably. The opened space parking lot was cheaper compared to the basement ones, but they were far from the bar and he cursed the seven skies for making Chan Yeol such an accounting student and decided to be stingy on that day.

 

“Baek Hyun-ssi!”

 

Honestly, what are you even doing here taking care of a total stranger?

 

“Stop calling my name,” he hissed, partly because he was breathless and he was convinced that it was Chan Yeol’s weight that made him so breathless, his weight alone, because Baek Hyun’s stamina can’t be that bad, “You don’t even know me, hell, I don’t even know me.”

 

The way Chan Yeol had abruptly straightened up startled him, slumping weight suddenly gone from his side and the man had stood so upright, towering over him and Baek Hyun looked up to the almond-shaped eyes. Chan Yeol’s head was bobbling, but that was probably because his sense of coordination must be in a state of cluster.

 

And then came the clammy finger that smelled suspiciously like sweat, beer and vomit. Except that he was pretty sure Chan Yeol didn’t vomit earlier and it pulled a rather distasteful grimace out of him.

 

“Shh.” Chan Yeol shushed him with index finger pressed on Baek Hyun’s thin lips messily. “I know you, you know you, you know me.” He smiled, eyes bright and even his face softened. “I call you, you know, call Hae Jin-ah, but you answered! And your voice was really nice, but I really, really wanted to talk to Hae Jin-ah, but it’s your number now.” The tall man’s face had gradually changed from a soft smile to a frown and Baek Hyun almost felt pity for him.

 

Almost.

 

“It has always been my number.” He said.

 

“No! No –Hae Jin-ah just returned, got her number from Jong In-nie because she told him that’s her new number and so I called, but it’s you!” Chan Yeol said frantically, eyes wide, face so confused. “And then it’s just you, I know it’s you, but I just have to call. She’s gone, but I need to know.”

 

Ah.

 

Are you even being truthful?

 

It was getting pathetic the longer they stood there. He pulled Chan Yeol’s arm back around his shoulder, groaning at the weight again and dragged him to the parking lot.

 

They were strangers, they were, at least until the fateful accident that Saturday. It was strange how Baek Hyun can empathise with him now, of all times, can be gentle despite wanting to just push the man aside because why should he care? It was not his problem –Chan Yeol was not his load.

 

Chan Yeol used to cause him so much misery from his endless calls.

 

Why should he care now?

 

“C’mon you weak child, let’s get you to a bed.”

 

Baek Hyun reasoned with himself that there will be another time for questions no matter how insistent the curiosity was. Chan Yeol was in a bad state and Baek Hyun was too tired to function.

 

They soon reached the white Evogue, and by that time, Baek Hyun was already so breathless to the point of wheezing, he thought he could die.

 

What did he say; he didn’t think he’ll pass thirty at this rate.

 

Chan Yeol was singing all the way. His voice was deep, it was depressingly out of tune, but it had potential.

 

[Fly me to the moon

 

And let me play among the stars

 

Let me see what spring is like

 

On Jupiter and Mars]

  

“Where’s your key?” Baek Hyun had asked, stopping Chan Yeol from singing.

 

Chan Yeol had looked at him with squinted sceptical eyes.

 

“Are you trying to rob me?” He said, head slowly leaning down as he scrutinised Baek Hyun like an old woman looking at her great-grandson whenever a cookie went missing. Chan Yeol’s arm was still around the elder’s shoulders though, his weight was crushing the smaller one.

 

“Hey, don’t go and talk like that to me. You’re the stalker.” Baek Hyun frowned.

 

“Is this ?” Chan Yeol gasped out and Baek Hyun really wished he could just bury himself.

 

“No. You’re drunk, I’m trying to get us home because you obviously can’t drive.” He told Chan Yeol, but more like groaned out because he was really tired and he just wanted to shower and goddamnit, he thought that he would really go blind at Chan Yeol’s beaming smile.

 

“Pocket,” Chan Yeol sang. “It’s in my pocket, come look for it!” He said excitedly, standing straight and his breath stank when he talked and he pulled both of Baek Hyun’s arms to his hips.

 

Baek Hyun let out a groan, because it, he didn’t even know Chan Yeol that well, except that his name was Park Chan Yeol, and he was 21 and he was 3 years younger than Baek Hyun and his family was all in the States and he had an elder sister and that Hae Jin was his girlfriend whom he had a long distance relationship with when she moved to Brighton 3 years ago to further her studies. She had returned for her break, told him through Facebook that they were over and gave Chan Yeol’s friend a fake contact number and Chan Yeol was over her, but he was still unsatisfied because he just needed a ing closure.  

 

Baek Hyun let out a sigh, hands quickly searching the drunk’s pocket. The pockets were deep, and the skinny jeans were tight, and he had to force his hand deep into the fabric because Chan Yeol apparently had been sweating and the jeans sort of clung to his skin.

 

He looked up at the sudden giggle.

 

“Ooh Baek Hyun-ssi, this is really inappropriate.” Chan Yeol grinned with a flushing face; tone teasing, and it reminded him of that tone old flirty men usually used with young girls. “Why are you groping me like this?”

 

Baek Hyun felt his chest constricting, guts churning and shoulders so light, like he was being elevated, because never in his life, had he felt this strong need to kill someone.

 

He can’t ing breath.

Should he just mug him and leave Chan Yeol for the dead?

 

He finally pulled out the rectangular looking key that smart cars these days always use.

 

“I’m driving.” He said. Chan Yeol wiggled his eyebrows and Baek Hyun thought that he threw up a little in his mouth.

 

“You can drive me anytime you want, baby.”

 

===

 

Despite all of Chan Yeol’s bravados with being flirty and stuff, wriggling eyebrows suggestively, insinuating ual innuendos at every one of Baek Hyun’s sentences “How do I use the gear stick?”, ordering beer after beer and peeing every hour, he didn’t look as great kneeling on the floor, retching his guts out into the toilet bowl in Baek Hyun’s bathroom.

 

The elder had looked on from the doorway, strangely satisfied.

 

He thought it was easier to just take the man home. He asked Chan Yeol where he lived and the man had told him –“In your heart.” No, seriously, where do you live? “Deep down somewhere in your eyes, baby, I can look at them all night.”

 

“ this , man,” Chan Yeol had sobbed miserably. “I hate my life.”

 

Baek Hyun shook his head, shirt tucked out and shoulder pressed against the wooden doorway. He had crossed his arms over his chest and he didn’t know why he was smiling at the miserable looking man.

 

Baek Hyun should really stop hanging out with Kyung Soo.

 

“You’re 21,” He snorted because Chan Yeol was really a huge and tall mess. “You’ll get over it soo –” and then a thought just sort of occurred to him. Like an epiphany, an inception kind of thing to a sudden realisation. His eyes widened extensively and he unclasped his arms from his chest, rushing to the heaving man and quickly grabbed the drunk’s shoulder.

 

Chan Yeol had turned to look at him, vomit wetting his chin and mucus threatening to drop from his nostril.

 

“When’s your birthday?” He asked quickly, panic grappling in his chest because he just had the feeling that –

 

“November 27^th. Why?”

 

Oh God, oh Lord, Baek Hyun just can’t breathe. He should’ve known.

 

It was the last week of May, November was five months away.

 

“You’re not even ing legal!” he said exasperatedly, lost, as if the floor will open up and swallow him whole. “Why are you drinking? Why are you drunk!”

 

Chan Yeol had grinned stupidly.

 

“Ah, does that make you an accomplice?” He sounded high, high on his ing vomit and Baek Hyun wished he could stuff the tall man’s head into the toilet bowl just to make a point.

 

Baek Hyun cringed when Chan Yeol leaned down again and heaved out for the umpteenth time; the sound itself made Baek Hyun nauseous.

 

“Baek Hyun-ssi,” Chan Yeol whined and Baek Hyun heaved out a deep sigh. He felt old, jaded, so used and so, so tired. “Baek Hyun-ssi, it ing hurts.” The man cried out, and sounded like a whiny child –both of which he detested.

 

Children and their whining and Chan Yeol’s deep voice and his whining.

 

He didn’t know what was actually hurting Chan Yeol. His stomach, his heartbreak or life in general.

 

“I’m hurting, too.” Baek Hyun spat.

 

Yeah, he hurt a lot.

 

Hurting from the world and life for constantly throwing his way and delivering Chan Yeol along the way. Hell, he only knew the man’s family name moments before and here they were now, in his apartment, in his bathroom, with one man being sick and the other feeling strangely responsible for a former stalker.

 

Baek Hyun smacked the back of the other man’s head, satisfied with his loud moan and Chan Yeol had turned to look at him, face red and lips trembling and neck also red.

 

“Don’t worry Baek Hyun-ssi, we can work this out together. Se Hun-nie said that he has this plaster t-that, to ugh, ah, heal a breken herrt--”

 

But then his face scrunched up, eyebrows furrowed close together before his eyes slowly scrunched shut and –

 

“No!” Baek Hyun cried out, backing away except that it didn’t work, because Chan Yeol was gripping the hem of his trousers so tightly and his face followed suit at the elder man’s retreat and then –

 

Sneeze.

 

Of course.

 

Of course Chan Yeol had to sneeze.

 

Ha-ing-chu.

 

He can handle the thick white snot running down his white shirt, hell, he can even handle the drool or the vomit, but the combination of snot, vomit and drool was a little too much and he stared blankly ahead to the wall.

 

Chan Yeol didn’t exist, that moment, that second.  

 

“God bless my soul.” Came the pleased sigh.

 

He was alone in the bathroom; he can pretend that it was not 2-something-AM in the morning and that he didn’t need to be in the office by 8.30am. He should shower, wash the vomit and the snot from the bathroom floor. Then, he should sleep like none of this ever happened.

 

“Baek Hyun-ssi!”

 

But what about the whining –

 

 No.

 

Chan Yeol didn’t exist.

 

===

 

 

a/n: The actual legal drinking age in Korea is 19 (or 20 in their age), but I have my reason for changing it. The reason will be revealed in the future chapter ;) and lol I used the facebook status simitator, it turned out ok I supposed but meh hahahahaa

 

OMG just got my PC!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry that it took a bit of time for me to upload this. But everything is sorted out, hopefully everything will be smooth from here on. And I’m SO SORRY for not attending to everyone’s comments!!! I will do so from now on seeing that I got a new pc DON’T WORRY!! Author-nim will not abandon you guys just like that!!!!!!!!!!

 

Anyway, how was the chapter? Okay? Nay? Just hit me with a comment or two (THIS TIME I WILL SURELY REPLY!!!!!!!) and lemme know. Chapter 4 will be up in few days. It’s already done and edited so just you wait XD

 

A big thank you to dancingducks for fixing up my grammars etc. Everyone knows how y I am when it comes to all that stuff. And thanks again to YatLuvG for the lovely poster. I really, really, REALLY love it!!!

 

Until then.

 

-bluecoins