Late 

"It's never to late to learn, but sometimes we learn when it's too late." ~ someliferules.com

"Jihae... I love you." I almost threw my phone across my bed. After gathering enough courage, I picked up my phone again, to examine the message closer. Unkown number. Bile rised up my throat. No one in their right mind would send such a message. Who would? 

~.~

I rushed to see Luhan, desperate to show him the message. Perhaps the killer had caught up with me. I waited impatiently at the bus stop. A familiar car stopped right in front of the bus stop. A short honking aroused my attention. Baekhyun peeked his head out from the car.

"Hop on!"

"It's okay, Baekhyun!" I tried rejecting, not wanting to trouble him. However, with Baekhyun's insist, I boarded the car.

"So, where are you heading?"

"Err... Mr Deer Building..."

"Are you there to see Luhan?!" Rage escalated in Baekhyun as he queried. 

"Sorry, Baek... you see, I have something important..."

"No! You are NOT going to see him! You shall forget him! I will never ever let you two meet again!"

"Why?" I cried out indignantly, like a child who had just been denied a sweet.

"He is not a simple person. Please. Stay away from him. Okay?" Baekhyun begged as placed his hand on my cheek and caressed my silky hair. I was taken aback by his sudden change in tone.

"Ok, fine." I lied, realising that all I could do was to please him.

"Let's go for breakfast then!" Baekhyun decided, with a smile plastered on his face. Baekhyun seemed so foreign now. So foreign... Had I really known him since young? Is he really that innocent childhood friend that he was?

~.~

"Hello, is that you? Luhan?" 

"Yeah, what's up Jihae?"

"I have so much to fill you in about, but I guess it is inconvenient to meet you." I sighed, lying on my bed. After breakfast, Baekhyun insisted on sending me home. Now, he was adamant on buying lunch for me.

"Never mind then, I shall fill you in about my findings first. Baekhyun had indeed contacted Yoona, to meet her on friday night too!"

"Wow, all 6 boys, if including me it will be 7. 7 people wanting to meet her on a single friday night. She must be busy."

"What's important is that, ultimately, who Yoona met."

"So, who did she met?"

"Baekhyun." I paused for a moment to digest the informations. Hadn't Baekhyun told me that he was away for  a conference that friday night? Why? Why had he lie then? It would have been perfectly normal for him to meet Yoona afterall.

~.~

"Here's your lunch." My front door clicked open. I stared at Baekhyun, trying to stop myself from confronting him. Baekhyun stepped in, carrying two packets of baked rice with some takeaway pizza. Most importantly, two packets of prawn crackers.  I smiled, it reminded me of our favourite past time. We weren't rich then. We would always save our pocket money to share a packet of prawn crackers together. We would hide behind the big oak tree in the playground, eating and chatting. Dancing and laughing. Playing and joking.

"Jihae?" Baekhyun looked up at me behind his cute and fitting glasses.

"Yeah?' I beamed at him.

"I want to marry you... when I grow up to be a big man, like my daddy." Baekhyun promised as he swallowed his cracker.

"Me too! We shall stay together forever." I laughed as we watched the sun retire behind the horizon.

Those days, it was always tearful as we bade each other goodbye to return home. We were 10 years old then. However, eventually, Baekhyun moved away. I never met him till I met Yoona, through Yoona, I got to know of Baekhyun. Yet, our relationship was still as close as ever. 

"Jihae?" Baekhyun asked, waving a plastic spoon in front of my face.

"Oh sorry, this crackers reminded me of our childhood." I smiled.

"I wish we could go back to those times, don't you?" 

"Yeah."

"Then we should, what is stopping us now?"

"What? Baekhyun?" I asked, surprised. 

"Nothing... sorry."

~.~

"Good, Jihae says she wants to return to the past!" 

"It is worth it, everything is worthwhile now. Luhan, you have lost the game."

~.~

Meanwhile, Luhan was in his room, busy analysing Kai's death and his suspicions. 

Byun Baekhyun.

He typed into the google search engine. And paused. He was unsure of what to expect. At last, he hit the search button. Images of Baekhyun beaming at the camera flooded his screen. Baekhyun hugging Yoona, Baekhyun shaking a professor's hands, Baekhyun in his doctor's suit. Somehow, it turned Luhan off. That smile. It disgusted him. Luhan searched that same name again, this time, looking through the news. Three news stood out from the rest. The headlines screamed:

Mega Milestone in career: Luhan discovered interesting poisons and their antidotes...

Baekhyun emerged as top scorer in Korea's university...

Baekhyun identified as one of the genious in his age, among with many others...

Luhan tapped his finger on the laptop, debating which article would be more useful. At last, he ended up scrolling trough all three. He wanted to know more about this boy. He wanted confirmation. Was he who he thought he was? Was he that man he had longed to met for his whole life? The man who he became a PI investigator for? Luhan resumed mulling over the lengthy articles.

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Author's Corner

Haha, sorry for this relatively short chapter. I hope there is enough foreshadowing :D Things will reach a very soooon !