you didn’t know

"Just stay inside, alright? My bodyguards will be stationed outside this building. Yejin's will arrive later." Minho pointed down the window to the three men standing outside the apartment, dressed casually and easily blending in. He had called them, as did Yejin.

They all planned to stay the night because in no way were they going to leave Baekhyun alone. Perhaps he was overreacting in scattering security outside, but Minho just didn't want to risk it. Matters would worsen and they would not be able to help Baekhyun at all if something were to happen to any of the four of them. And if anything, Minho feared having Baekhyun blamed.

"Chanyeol and I will drop by the house, is there anything you want me to bring?" he asked as Junmyeon and Chanyeol followed him. Yejin was left behind to watch over Baekhyun who finally went back to sleep.

It was already evening and that made everything more intimidating. Living in a gated village all his life, he had never seen a neighborhood so alive at night. It felt like everyone was outside. People of all ages loitered the streets and their noise filled the air. A complete contrast to the more silent, ala ghost town, of their own neighborhoods.

Junmyeon gripped onto the hem of Minho’s shirt. “Some blankets? I want Baekhyun warm.” he replied. Minho had been his pillar since they got here, now he was leaving. Albeit they will only be gone for a few hours to buy medicine and some groceries as Baekhyun’s apartment was practically empty, Junmyeon did not know if he could hold his emotions in any longer.

Minho noticed how Junmyeon was still disoriented. He couldn’t blame him, it was all too much, too sudden to take in. He brought Junmyeon into an embrace, calming him significantly. “The important thing is, we found him. We’re here now and he’s not alone.”

Junmyeon nods against his chest, and soon bids them goodbye. He sent a little smile at Chanyeol before the young man entered Minho's car after he decided to accompany the oldest with no other words.

Chanyeol desperately needed a moment to breathe.

♠️

It took a while to exit Baekhyun's neighborhood, and it gave them more exposure to see more of what it's like. Low ceiling houses, cramped up lots that barely allowed any space; narrow streets that served as a playground for children; vendors scattered in every nook and cranny. Chaos.

Chanyeol took it all in.

This, is Baekhyun's home. This, is Baekhyun's true identity. And this, is the truth that Baekhyun kept for months on end.

"What are you thinking?" Minho asked after they finally exited the poverty-stricken town and was back on the main highway. Familiar and serene.

Chanyeol watched as the streetlamps passed, remembering all the times he drove Baekhyun to their campus to drop him off, only to find out now he was coming home to a small box of an apartment. What did that feel like? "I don't know…" he replied after a long moment.

"Are you… still angry?"

"I don't know."

Minho sighs.

When they imagined Baekhyun's poor status, they thought he still lived in at least decent terms. They knew the slums existed, this was basic knowledge, but it always remained a mere idea.

Their concept of poor came from the people around them. People who at least still lived in intact houses; people who are still able to eat at least three meals per day; people who couldn't afford luxury but were still able to live in some form of security. That was the 'poor' they knew.

That was how detached they were from reality, as they unfortunately realized.

So, to be exposed to Baekhyun's actual reality - it was too much to comprehend.

"So many things are running through my head right now." Chanyeol breaks the silence.

"Like what?"

"Like if I were to continue this relationship, how will I tell my parents." Chanyeol snorts, rather bitterly. "That I'm ashamed I'm worrying about how this is going to affect my reputation and my family's. When I accepted to love Baekhyun, I accepted that I would be defending a commoner - not someone who lives in that town and can barely feed himself."—

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