She was there when Baekhyun told his mother, there to hear her sob uncontrollably, there to see Baekhyun hold her in his arms, tears running down his face. Nothing could compare to a mother’s cry for her son and this claws at Taeyeon’s heart, making her want to scream herself hoarse.Why? Why is this happening?

“Taeyeon” Baekhyun’s mother whispers in her ear, “Take care of him. He needs you more than ever.”

Taeyeon nods, tears falling.

-

She was there when Baekhyun told his closest friends, Jongdae, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo. She was there to see Jongdae eyes red and spilling over with tears and soon all of them are in a tangled mess on the ground, sobbing, wailing as if that would make four weeks longer, as if Baekhyun will still be alive after four weeks if they cried hard enough.

“Pr-promise me” Baekhyun said in short uneven breaths, “Pr-promise that you’ll all st-still b-be in a gr-group. Th-there will st-still be EXO-”

“No” Kyungsoo shook his head, wiping his eyes, “No way. We can’t do that. Not without you.”

“Wh-what?” Baekhyun stuttered, looking at him wide eyed, “B-but you g-guys c-can’t! Y-you guys can’t break up! We have our comeback and w-we’ve w-worked so hard-”

“No.” Chanyeol said firmly, squeezing Baekhyun’s shoulder, “It won’t be EXO without you.”

-

 

Taeyeon was there to watch Baekhyun get sicker. There would be times when he would almost collapse if Chanyeol wasn’t there to catch him or times he would look defeated, tired, ready to faint Jongdae wasn’t there to give him a hug.

 

She was there at Baekhyun’s and Jongdae’s apartment,in the kitchen. Taeyeon was cooking jjajangmyeon, Baekhyun’s favorite, laughing at Baekhyun and Jongdae bicker about pointless things. Jongdae reached over to hit Baekhyun lightly on the head when suddenly Baekhyun bolted to the bathroom. A few seconds later, they heard him loudly vomiting in the bathroom. They suddenly dash inside to see a pale Baekhyun with a pained expression, hovering over the toilet. Jongdae immediately rushed over towards him, wrapping one arm around his waist and patting him softly on the back, trying to calm him down. “It’s okay, Baek, you’re okay, Baek...”

“No!” Baekhyun choked, gasping, “There will- be no more EXO- and it’s all my fault! It’s-all my fault and-I’m so useless and-”

 

“No, no, it’s not your fault, it’s not your fault” Jongdae whispered softly, pressing a soft kiss on the top of Baekhyun’s head, “Don’t say that, Baek. You are not useless, you’re a great singer, you’re a great dancer, you’re my best friend!”

 

“But I’m so weak and so worthless-”

 

Taeyeon couldn’t deal with it. She left the room, collapsing into the couch, her chest heaving with sobs that broke her heart into tiny little pieces. There she was, gasping and shaking, and maybe this is what a heartbreak feels like: when you’re sick to your bones, when you feel torn and vulnerable, wanting to scream out loud, your heart being ripped out of your body, and then you feel empty, numb, cold, hopeless.

 

Jongdae comes into the living room later, spotting her. He sits down next to her, letting out a huge sigh, his fingers running through his hair. “He’s asleep” he mumbles, and that’s when he allows himself to let go of the calm demeanor he held onto and break down.

-

 

Taeyeon was there when she and Baekhyun got a time to be alone together. She makes him dinner and when they’re full, Baekhyun grabs her hand and drags her to the piano room where they sit down on the bench. Baekhyun closes his eyes, humming softly while his fingers dancing along the black and white keys, emitting beautiful melody. He starts to sing and Taeyeon bites her lip to stop from bursting into tears, knowing this was probably the last time she would hear his piano playing, hear his voice. So she cherishes this moment, singing along with him, their voices smooth and angelic, in perfect harmony.

 

Later that night they settle by the couch to watch a movie. Baekhyun’s head is in her lap and she is his soft hair. Taeyeon has a hard time being calm, being calm for Baekhyun. This is just another date, she thinks, this is just another date. And her thoughts start to wander.

 

Taeyeon thinks of a wedding in May, thinks of bright blue flowers and gold bands that shine as bright as the sun and seem like a promise. She thinks of a honeymoon in Paris, looking at the view up on the Eiffel Tower, letting Baekhyun’s voice serenade her as he wraps his arms around her waist. She thinks of home, warm and cozy, on the couch with Baekhyun bouncing a little baby girl in her lap, black curls and rose petal mouth.

 

She thinks of loving Baekhyun to the ends of the earth, until their children grow up and soar into the world like birds, until their hairs grow silver and their bones grow weak, until the stars lose their glow and the sun burns out, and they’re in their own story, being the protagonists and the authors.

 

This is the story of a boy and girl who found each other while promoting in the same company. There is friendship growing stronger and stronger and there is hours and hours of separation and loneliness. There are stars everywhere, in inky skies, in milky white skin, and warm brown eyes. There is a dorm of loud happy loyal friends and there’s slender fingers playing the piano and there’s falling in love along the way.

 

And their story may not be worth etching in the sky, may not be worth recording in history books, may not be worth telling and telling until the whole world has tasted of it on its tongues, but it’s something special to Baekhyun and Taeyeon.

 

Baekhyun emits a  small whine, dragging Taeyeon back into reality. They look at each other, exchanging smiles. Baekhyun reaches up to put his hand over hers which was on his head, frozen still, “Keep doing that thing, babe. It feels good.” Taeyeon lets out a small chuckle and her heart skips a beat when he gives her a soft kiss on her cheek. So she continues, running her fingers through his hair until he falls asleep. Taeyeon looks at her boyfriend and sighs, “What am I going to do without you, Byun Baekhyun?”