---

IV

 

“Where’s Baekhyun?”

 

Kai looked up at the voice and he almost cursed when he saw someone very tall, white-skinned, and blonde haired. “U-um, sir…he, uh, he’s—”

 

“I’m in a hurry.”

 

Kai wanted to scoff, but he held himself. “H-he’s not here, sir.”

 

“I can tell you’re lying.”

 

“Sir.” Kai said sternly, finally losing it. “The owner went home yesterday exactly 3:50 in the afternoon. He left us to lock the café. He still hasn’t showed up today. I’m telling you the truth, sir. Now if you still wouldn’t believe me, you can ask the other workers.”

 

The tall man stared at him for a while but Kai has enough mental strength to stare back at the blonde’s eyes. When a girl beside the man told him to hurry up if he wouldn’t order anything, the blonde clicked his tongue before flashing a glare at Kai. “Tell him I went to see him. I’ll be back tomorrow.” With that being said, the tall man walked out of the café, the lining up customers watched as he walked pass them.

 

Kai sighed as soon as the blonde was out of the café. Then, he called for Lay. “Lay, I need to call Baekhyun.”

 

The sun-kiss skinned male immediately went to the room beside the stock room. He locked the door before he proceeded to call Baekhyun.

 

“Please, pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick—”

 

[Hello?] The other’s voice was somewhat deep, Kai could tell he’s just woke up.

 

“Baekhyun, listen, Kris came to the café. He was looking for you.” Nothing was heard on the other line and Kai could figure that Baekhyun’s breathing halted after he said the name. “I don’t know what he wanted, but don’t come here yet. He said he’ll come back tomorrow, and if he doesn’t see you, I think he’ll still come by until next week.”

 

[O-okay.]

 

“We’ll take care of your café, don’t worry… So I’ll hang up now, I still have to get back to work. Be safe.”

 

---

 

Baekhyun woke up to the sound of some clicking. When his eyes fluttered open, he immediately closed them for he was met with a flash that came from—“What’s that?!” he shrieked, and hid under the blanket. His voice cracked causing a low rumbling noise fill the room he was in.

 

“Good morning, and I’m sorry. I’m taking pictures.” He heard Chanyeol say. “Hey, are you hungry?” Baekhyun did not reply so Chanyeol pulled the blanket slowly. “I’m going to cook us breakfast, what do you want?”

 

Baekhyun glared at him before looking away and muttered, “Anything.” He could feel his face heat up.

 

Chanyeol nodded before going to the kitchen.

 

The small male on the bed closed his eyes. Chanyeol looked so attractive, Baekhyun could almost hear himself squeal. He covered his mouth as soon as he felt he was about to emit some sound.

 

---

 

Chanyeol found Baekhyun staring at his phone when he went to the room to call him out for breakfast. “Baek.” He saw Baekhyun flinch, Chanyeol wasn’t dumb not no know that something was wrong. “What’s wrong?”

 

Baekhyun looked at him and tried to smile as he shook his head. “Ah, nothing.”

 

“Okay, if you say so.” He wasn’t convinced at all, but he decided not to pry. He held out his hand for Baekhyun to take. “Can you trust me, Baekhyun?”

 

Baekhyun’s fake smile fell off his face as his emotion went to being confused. “What?”

 

“Can you trust me?” Chanyeol nodded to his hand.

 

The raven haired stared at him for a while before hesitantly reaching for Chanyeol’s hand. “I c-can try.” As soon as he said that, he found himself being pulled off the bed and out of the room.

 

“You should at least try if you wanted to remember me. Then, if you finally found it in yourself that you could really trust me, always remember I’ll be here, you could always tell me what’s bothering you. And to be honest, I don’t have a plan. I don’t have anything in mind, I don’t know what to do to make you remember.”

­

Even if he doesn’t ask, Baekhyun already knew what Chanyeol was talking about. “You can just do the things we used to before the accident­­, or tell me about us.”

 

Chanyeol stopped as they reached the kitchen. He tilted his head as he looked at Baekhyun. “Do the things we used to?”

 

Baekhyun’s brows rose in confusion. “Hm?”

 

“Baekhyun, if I do the things we used to, um, wouldn’t it be…uh, awkward…? To you, I mean. Wouldn’t you be awkward with me? It’s just that we were a couple before—technically, I’m still your boyfriend and you’re still mine but don’t yo—”

 

“Chanyeol, stop. Breathe okay?” Baekhyun offered him a small smile as a small hand patted his back. “Simple solution, we could always act like a couple.” A new thing to the dark haired guy, he wasn’t stuttering anymore around Chanyeol. It was a strange feeling for Baekhyun, but he’s now starting to trust this guy.

There was no more customers arriving and so, Kai had given himself the liberty of resting by leaning his hip on the counter. He was exhausted. The café was almost full. Very loud chattering filled the place. He tapped his fingers on the counter and started thinking about Kris.

 

There was absolutely no point for Kris to come to Korea and look for Baekhyun, that’s why Kai was so twisted in his thoughts that he didn’t notice someone on the line until that someone cleared a throat.

 

“A—oh. Hello, may—Mrs. Byun!” Kai smiled, biting his lips on the process and draped a hand on his nape. He chuckled dryly, a clear indicator that he was feeling nervous. Baekhyun’s mom just caught him being lazy!

 

“Hello to you, too, Jongin.”

 

Kai’s breathing halted before he shook himself and cracked a genuine smile. He liked it when Baekhyun’s mom calls him in his real name. It makes him happy. He remembers him mom whenever someone would call him Jongin, and he hates every single person who does that but when it’s Baekhyun’s mom, he doesn’t know exactly why but he likes it. Maybe because he sees his mom in her. Kai had always liked Baekhyun’s mom. She reminds him of his mom so much. She and Kai’s mom almost have the same personality and their smiles were almost identical twins.

 

“Have you seen Baekhyun? Did he went here?”

 

“Ah no.” Kai answered as he shook his head. “He hasn’t been here and I told him not to come here yet.”

 

“Oh, why’s that?”

 

“Mrs. Byun, Kris came earlier this day, he was looking for Baekhyun and I’m sure he’d be loitering around here until next week.”

 

---

 

Baekhyun was still in Chanyeol’s apartment. They were on the couch. It was still early in the morning but they were already getting bored of the movie they’re watching.

 

Chanyeol looked at his side. “Baek?” Baekhyun hummed in response, eyes sleepily fixed on the television. “Don’t you have to go to the café?” He saw Baekhyun shaking his head. “Why aren’t you going?”

 

The dark haired wanted to say the he’s avoiding someone but he doesn’t want him or anyone else to know why Kris was looking for him. “I feel lazy.”

 

Stating that he understood, Chanyeol nodded.

 

“Chanyeol?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Baekhyun contemplated for a while before he dropped his head on Chanyeol’s lap, “Tell me about us.” Baekhyun felt his cheeks running hot. He didn’t know what has gotten into him, why he was suddenly bold. It was so embarrassing and he just wanted to take back what he said, but Chanyeol had already said ‘okay’.

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

“How did we meet?”

 

“How we met? Hmm.” Chanyeol suddenly has his hand on Baekhyun’s hair, gently brushing it with his fingers. “We met through our parents’ me—ah, wrong. You weren’t looking at me at all that time, you didn’t even listened when we were introduced so I guess that’s just me knowing you. Anyway, our parents are business partners, they were also high school classmates. My mom brought me with her in a meeting at the Byun’s Company because I don’t like being alone at the house—we were still 8 years old that time. That very day, you were inside your father’s office, throwing tantrums. Your dad introduced me to you, but you weren’t listening. You didn’t even spared me a glance.”

 

“I think I remember that.” Baekhyun thought for a while. “Hey I did! I was looking when you came in! I just didn’t care. So you were that little kid with an airplane.” The raven haired wondered and suddenly, Baekhyun was laughing. Chanyeol’s stopped combing his hair to ask what’s wrong and why the smaller guy on his lap was laughing. “I remember that. I was throwing tantrums because I saw mom wearing something black on her eyes and I wasn’t. I asked my mom to put some on my eyes too but she told me I’m not allowed to, so I broke her eyeliner. She didn’t have other choice but to buy a new one because I wouldn’t stop bawling, and so she wasn’t there in the office when you came.”

 

“Ah, so that was why you kept on shouting ‘Daddy, I want that too!’” Chanyeol laughed, clapping like a seal as his voice boomed across the room.

 

“So!” Baekhyun yelled, catching Chanyeol’s attention and was able to stop him from laughing hysterically. “When did I meet you?”

 

Chanyeol placed a finger on his chin and thought hard. He snapped his finger. “Oh, I remember! We were inside a store, you and I picked one puzzle at the same time. We had a tug of war. The two of us were pulling really hard and we were so noisy. Then, hmm.” He tapped his lips before continuing. “The puzzle slid off my grasp and you fell on your . That’s when I notice that was you, the son of Mr Byun. Then I told you I was really sorry, you didn’t accept my apology though, so what I did was I bought the puzzle for you. It was crazy. You launched yourself on me. You assaulted me with lots of ‘Thank you’s’ and said out of the blue that ‘You’re my best friend from now on!’. That was it.”

 

Baekhyun eyed Chanyeol before firing a question. “That boy was you? All this time I thought that was Kai.”

 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Oh come on. My hair was curly that time.”

 

“Hm. Right. I forgot Kai always has straight hair.”

 

“Uh-huh. Now what?”

 

“Um, when…uh, when…we—whendidwebecameacouple?”

 

Chanyeol’s hand resumed on brushing Baekhyun’s hair but somehow, his hand brushed with Baekhyun’s forehead. “Baek, your skin is hot. Are you blushing?” he teased, only to receive a pinch in his thigh. “Okay, okay. God, did that hurt. So when we became a couple…hm, Baekhyun you’re blushing. Yiiiiee—ow ! What the hell, Baekhyun?! I think your teeth were left buried on my thigh. You didn’t have to bit me though. Tss.”

 

“Just—just tell me about it, okay? And stop, stop bein—”

 

“I get it, I get it. We became a couple on uh, um, during our play in our last year in high school. I was playing as the prince, and you dressed up as a girl because the princess wasn’t able to show up, she had the measles. You were forced to do her role because you memorized the script and there wasn’t any girl around. I was the cause though, I pointed at you because you look feminine sometimes.”

 

Baekhyun’s cheeks heated up even more when Chanyeol said he looked feminine sometimes. The hand brushing his hair suddenly stopped on his neck and it tickles. Baekhyun can feel his spine awakening. “Th—then what?”

 

“There was a part where the prince would confess to his princess.” Chanyeol continued. “So of course, my disoriented mouth and brain should ruin the whole play. When the prince was about to confess, the prince became Chanyeol. Everyone was quiet as the prince who became Chanyeol stared at his princess, the girl suddenly became Baekhyun. The confession was heartfelt Baek. That was all from my heart, yeah cheesy. I was suddenly separated from my role as the prince as I confessed to you and not the princess. And the worst part that ultimately ruined the play was when I said your name out loud. That was when I realized I just confessed my feeling to you during our play, in front of our schoolmates. The play was ruined, but the audience cheered for the two of us. And at the backstage, you pulled me inside the dressing room and told me you feel the same and we…um, you know…kissed. But it was more like you kissed me.”

 

When Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun down on his lap, he noticed the smaller hiding his face behind his hands and heard something that sounded like, “Oh my god.” Chanyeol could tell Baekhyun was blushing like mad, but he didn’t tease the latter. He didn’t want to have bruises on his thigh. Baekhyun’s teeth were just like those of a vampire.

 

“Baekhyun?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Do you…by any chance, remember anything?”

 

Baekhyun, with his head still on Chanyeol’s lap, and his hands all over his face, didn’t answer. His face heating up even more he heard Chanyeol’s voice, so instead of answering, he turned around, burying his face on Chanyeol’s lap until his nose was suddenly nuzzling into something, which had made Chanyeol froze and then Baekhyun noticed……. Baekhyun shrieked and jerked away from Chanyeol, as far as the couch would allow. His face was very red, he swore he just wanted to die right there. “Oh my god I didn’t mean to oh my god I want to die I don’t want to live”

 

Chanyeol could only chuckle at the way Baekhyun was fanning himself with his hands. “Quit talking like that Baekhyun.”

 

“I can’t. I can’t.” Baekhyun said in between his sharp intake of breath. “Oh my god.”

 

Chanyeol slowly crawled over Baekhyun’s fidgeting figure at the other end of the couch. “Baekhyun, you’re talking as if this hasn’t been inside you.”

---

 

Mrs Byun was on her desk, going through some papers, when the door suddenly creaked open. “I’m busy, can you wait for a sec? And oh, please sit down.”

 

“Mrs Byun.”

 

The woman stopped moving her pen. Is this real? She thought. She slowly lifted up her head to meet the younger one that was sitting across her desk. “Wu. W-what brings you here?” She asked nervously.

 

“I’m just going to ask if you know where Baekhyun is.”

 

She knew where Baekhyun was, Chanyeol told her that her son was with him, and she was a terrible liar. She sighed before going back to the papers. “I don’t know, Yifan.”

 

“Please, I want to know.”

 

“I don’t know, really. I’m sorry, Kris. You know how much of a bad liar I am. This morning, I went to his room, it was open, I was surprised he wasn’t there. He also hadn’t been able to show up at the café.”

 

Kris nodded, giving in to her lies. “Oh, okay. I guess I’ll just have to go then.”

 

“Okay. Goodbye, Yifan.”

 

Just before the door was closed, Kris’ head piped in again. “Mrs Byun, if Baekhyun finally showed up, please tell me. Thanks.”

 

---

 

The next days were spent in trying to remember things. One would be lying if he say he hadn’t remembered anything. Another would be lying if he say he wasn’t loosing hope.

 

Baekhyun seemed to feel like something would click in his mind. He remembered something but it was all too blurry for him to make out. He was trying to distinguish some details. He was thinking that he was finally remembering, through small things, but he didn’t want to tell Chanyeol yet. He didn’t want to give the other some false hope because he wasn’t sure yet. But one thing he was sure of is how he feels around the tall male. He was certain that his heart beat’s pace pick up whenever the taller would look at him. He was sure his cheeks would flush when he hear the other’s deep voice. He knew what he feel about Chanyeol but there’s something missing. His memories.

 

The raven haired male finally came to trust Chanyeol as the days passed by, although it seemed a bit fast that he just gave his trust in matter of days, he didn’t care. He wanted to remember, so he has to trust the other.

 

Chanyeol, on the other hand, was worried. He was starting to lose hope because all that Baekhyun remembers was their memories when they were still kids. He was nervous because when he ask Baekhyun if he remembers anything, the latter would just stare at him blankly. He does that oftentimes.

 

It almost seemed like Baekhyun’s half mind wasn’t with him. He was worried, and even more when Baekhyun’s mom told him they couldn’t be anywhere near the café and neither of their companies, and she also told him something about a man named Yifan. He didn’t know anyone named Yifan and it worried him to the depths of the earth.

 

“Baek, who’s—who’s Yifan?”

 

“Yi-who?” Baekhyun’s eyes rounded and his lips formed an ‘o’ shape. He waited for Chanyeol to respond but he didn’t get any when Chanyeol waved it off with a ‘never mind’.

 

Maybe Baekhyun doesn’t know about someone named Yifan after all. But then early this morning Baekhyun told him he doesn’t want to go to the café. Maybe he’s got something to do with Yifan, he just doesn’t want Chanyeol to know. It irked Chanyeol to no end but he decided to just get it off his mind. Pursing his lips, Chanyeol walked toward his car with Baekhyun behind him. “Let’s go somewhere.”

 

“Somewhere? Where?”

 

“You’ll know when we get there.” He said when he led Baekhyun inside. “I’ve checked the car.” Wave of the traumatic accident suddenly overpowered his brain wherein he froze outside the vehicle.

 

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun called. “Come on.”

 

Chanyeol quickly went on his seat. “Let’s be safe. Seatbelt.” He said, nodding on the thing beside Baekhyun.

 

 

The car ride was silent except for the music that went on and Baekhyun humming to it. Chanyeol couldn’t think straight. He felt like something’s going to happen and he was not feeling okay. He suddenly pulled over at the middle of the endless road.

 

Baekhyun, alarmed, suddenly toned off the music as he turned to Chanyeol. “What’s wrong?”

 

Chanyeol didn’t reply. He just stared at the road ahead them. He felt sick. It was as if he something like what happened almost 4 months ago would happen again.

 

With his hands on the steering wheel, Chanyeol sighed heavily and let his head hung down as memories of the accident flashed right through his head. For a moment, Chanyeol forgot he was with Baekhyun as the accident haunted him in his mind. He was hitting his head on the steering wheel.

 

Baekhyun watched in horror as Chanyeol continuously hit his head against the steering wheel as strings of curses goes out of his mouth. “Chanyeol, Chan, what’s happening?” But Chanyeol didn’t hear him. Biting his lips, Baekhyun blindly reached for Chanyeol’s forehead just before the taller manages to hit himself again.

 

Closing his eyes because of the sudden pain at the back of his hand, Baekhyun let his other hand drape over Chanyeol’s back, trying to soothe him. “Chanyeol.”

 

“I’m so sorry, Baek. I just—I don’t know. What happened back then kept on coming back to me. I’m scared I’ll do the same thing again.”

 

Baekhyun took Chanyeol in his arms and scooted closer, as close as the seat would take him. He embraced Chanyeol, and pulled the taller one’s head close against his chest. “It’s going to be okay, Chanyeol.” Now his feeling toward the tall male is definitely defined. One of Baekhyun’s arms draped over Chanyeol’s shoulder, while one of his hands held on to Chanyeol’s. “It will be okay. You won’t do the same thing again. I know because I trust you.”

 

Fate was one of the things Chanyeol hated. It was the reason why he lost Baekhyun, it was the reason why he couldn’t be with Baekhyun. Maybe fate didn’t want the two of them to end up together.

 

Out of the blue, a noise startled the two of them. There was nothing in front so Baekhyun looked at the back. His face painted a scared emotion. His grip on Chanyeol’s hand tightened as Chanyeol followed his gaze. It all happened so suddenly. Chanyeol quickly grabbed Baekhyun placed his hands around the smaller male, trying to protect him, while the noise continued to grow louder and louder as it neared their car.

 

Chanyeol didn’t notice the way his tears fell as a loud bump violently pushed the car forward. He doesn’t have the time to think about the pain his body was receiving. All he cared about was that he has to protect Baekhyun by all means.

 

It took Chanyeol some time to comprehend what just happened. A truck which seemed to be out of control hit the car. He was just about to take in the look of his car from the inside when he suddenly remembered Baekhyun. He quickly but gently pulled Baekhyun’s face away from his chest. He checked if Baekhyun was bleeding somewhere, he wasn’t. But he wasn’t awake either. Chanyeol shook him awake but Baekhyun just wouldn’t open his eyes.

 

“Baekhyun, please. Baekhyun, wake up! Baekhyun!” No he couldn’t. Please no, came Chanyeol’s thoughts. His mind started thinking about the possible things as to why Baekhyun wouldn’t open his eyes. Just then Chanyeol felt something dark trickled on the side of his left eye. He wiped it off using the back of his hand. Blood.