Violins and Stargazing

Of Gold and Obsidian
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Sehun had gotten him a Stradivarius violin for Christmas, a gift which Baekhyun was both thrilled and reluctant to accept. Thrilled because he had been itching to play, but reluctant because that instrument probably burnt a hole in Sehun’s deep pockets. Stradivarius violins were rare and did not come by at a pretty price, but they were every violinist’s dream, having been touted for their superior craftsmanship and sound.

 

Baekhyun roamed his hands over its smooth wooden body and smiled at the thought of having a second Stradivarius added to his violin collection-- a collection which he sadly had no access to. Sehun always gave the best gifts, and Baekhyun felt slightly bad that the only thing he gifted Sehun this Christmas was a bag full of crunchy Snickers bars. Sehun had thrown him a sour expression, yelled out a “You owe me something better next year!”, and immediately tore into the bag to stuff his face full of his favourite chocolate bar.

 

Baekhyun stared at the framed painting  sitting on his wall and felt warm feelings stir in his chest. Chanyeol’s gift was definitely the best one that he had received this year. What moved Baekhyun most was that he mattered enough to the rich brat to have him hold a paintbrush to a canvas.

 

With his eyes on the painting and a small smile on his face, Baekhyun the audio recorder and started playing the violin.

 

--

 

“You’ve changed.”

 

Kai looked at Chanyeol with his cat-like eyes, a teasing smirk on his face. Chanyeol fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze and downed a shot of tequila.

 

“Oh? How so?”

 

“It’s 2 am, you’re in a club, and you’re just sitting here like a docile bunny. The Park Chanyeol I know would already be all over a girl, probably getting a or more in the bathroom. Where did that Chanyeol go?” Kai laughed, wrapping his arms tighter around the scantily-clad lady snuggled by his side. “Is this about Irene? Or perhaps Baekhyun?”

 

Chanyeol’s body stiffened at the mention of their names. “Why are you bringing Irene up?”

 

Kai flashed him a lazy grin and the lady’s hair. “Well… The two of you used to date. Maybe her return managed to evoke old feelings inside of you.”

 

Chanyeol laughed. “You know very well how and why we broke up,” he said, shaking his head. “My feelings for her aren’t like that. Sure, I really do love her, but I love her like a precious little sister.”

 

 

When Chanyeol and Irene started to date in high school, not a single person around them was surprised. Since their families were close friends, the two of them had grown up together, went to school together, and basically did everything together. Although Chanyeol had always been a selfish little brat, he willingly shared his toys and sweets with her, and he assumed his position as her knight in shining armour when they grew older. No one could date Irene without passing through one of his rigorous ‘tests’, and he often bought her expensive gifts just to see her smile. Everyone around him said that he was completely whipped, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before they turned into a couple.

 

It wasn’t until they got into a relationship that Chanyeol realised that he had confused his feelings for her as romantic love. He loved her intensely, but only as a sister. Chanyeol had been torn between telling her his true feelings or sticking out in this relationship to see if he could grow to love her in a romantic way. In the end, Irene initiated the break up 5 months into their relationship, relieving Chanyeol of the burden on his shoulders. She was leaving for college in the States and did not want the complexities of a long-distance relationship. “Besides, I think the two of us fit together better as friends,” she had told him sweetly. It was a painless and amicable break up, but Chanyeol had been heartbroken all the same, seeing his childhood friend fly thousands of miles out of the country.

 

“So this is about Baekhyun then?” Kai chuckled. “I never expected you to grow serious about him. In fact, I didn’t know you were capable of being serious about someone. I shudder when I think of the countless hearts you have broken thus far.”

 

Chanyeol quickly shot him a dark glare. “You make me sound like a jerk, Kai,” he mumbled indignantly. “Maybe that’s how everyone thinks of me, but I don’t want him to see me that way.”

 

When Kai did not respond, Chanyeol continued. “He makes me want to become a better person,” he said, his voice ringing with conviction.

 

That sentence sent Kai into a hysterical fit of laughter. He stared at Chanyeol incredulously and wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “That is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard! , that Baekhyun guy has you wrapped around his little finger.”

 

“And I won’t stop until he’s mine," Chanyeol smirked.

 

Kai gave Chanyeol a thumbs-up and returned his attention to the lady, who had been pawing seductively at his chest. Kai smiled appreciatively and leaned in to capture her lips in a long, sloppy kiss.

 

“Don’t mess around too much, someone might get jealous.” Chanyeol stood up, winked at an unamused D.O, and walked out of the private room.


 

--

 

“Baekhyun! What brings you here?”

 

Chanyeol beamed widely at Baekhyun, who was standing nervously on his doorstep. “This is for you. Your belated Christmas gift,” Baekhyun said, passing him a CD that read ‘To Chanyeol’ on the casing.

 

Chanyeol’s grin immediately grew larger. He turned the CD around in his hands with a curious glint in his eyes. “Wow, what’s in it? y pictures of yourself, I hope,” he winked cheekily.

 

“You wish,” Baekhyun retorted sassily and smacked Chanyeol across the arm. “It’s not much and I’m not sure if you’ll like it, but I hope you’ll find some use for this,” Baekhyun continued, sounding small and unsure.

 

“Nonsense. I’ll like anything that comes from you,” Chanyeol replied, hugging the CD to his chest. “Thanks so much, Baekhyun. Come in for a cup of coffee?” The last statement was more of an order than a question as Chanyeol pulled him into the house and shut the door behind him.

 

“I don’t want any coffee. It’s already 9pm. I don’t want to have insomnia tonight.”

 

“Red wine, then? That stuff helps you sleep better.”

 

Baekhyun shrugged in acquiescence. He wouldn’t mind some red wine. He made himself comfortable on the sofa while Chanyeol got the wine glasses out.

 

“You’re watching Sherlock?” Baekhyun called out as he stared at the paused TV screen in front of him.

 

Chanyeol emerged from the kitchen, juggling a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, two wine glasses and a huge bowl of chips in his hands. “I was planning to binge watch Season 3 before you showed up. Do you like Sherlock? We could have a Sherlock marathon together tonight.” He shot a charming smile at Baekhyun, who looked adorable in his oversized hoodie and casual sweatpants.

 

“I like Sherlock, but I was actually planning to do some star-gazing ton

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fauxglitter
I can't believe this story got featured, thank you all so so so much! :)) It is an incredible feeling and I am still in disbelief :') To all my old and new readers alike, thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope y'all will continue to enjoy the story! <3

Comments

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XiaoShixun #1
Chapter 26: Sehun and luhan
laurelynn98
#2
Chapter 16: you can just say han river lol

hangang isnt the name, it literally means "han river" in korean 한강

lmaoz that actually took me so long to figure out after i moved here too
laurelynn98
#3
Chapter 5: most places in korea have a door code, not keys

hence why the boy who always hangs around is always in my house too lmao
laurelynn98
#4
Chapter 5: NOT HONGDAE XXX
applesandcookies #5
Chapter 30: I think the reason Chanyeol gets so much flack by readers is because it’s hard to see him believe Irene so easily when the evidence to the contrary is right in front of him. Baekhyun played hardball for so long by ignoring his money and resisting his attempts to befriend him, would a gold digger do that? If someone hired people to stage a mugging, why was he injured so severely? Like Chanyeol saw how Baekhyun was suffering PTSD, physical pain, and psychological pain from being unable to play the violin. You can’t fake things like that. If Baekhyun wasn’t actually the secret son of a rich family, what would it have took for Chanyeol to believe him?
It’s just hard to see Chanyeol feeling like he’s the victim while Baekhyun literally can’t hold chopsticks right anymore… Though I did find that you did a good job of justifying Chanyeol’s reasons for having insecurities in his letter, and I like how he recognized his faults and apologized genuinely. But Baekhyun’s suffering was a little too severe for Chanyeol’s distrust to feel reasonable.

However, I do like how the characters in your story suffer REAL consequences. Like most authors wouldn’t have Baekhyun suffer a permanent injury and Chanyeol suffer a limp like that, but you make the characters deal with that, which makes the story more realistic. In life, not everything heals up perfectly, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find happiness in other ways.

Also, I like how it took some time before Chanbaek were able to rekindle. I thought for sure that they would make up right after Irene’s exposing, because most authors would do that. But I like how you let Chanbaek spend some time apart, calm down, and grow without each other. It really shows how they both matured.

I see a lot of the people in the comments feel sorry for Sehun… but I don’t. Sehun suffers from the same kind of possessive entitlement as Chanyeol in this story. At one point I thought it was best if Sebaek were together, especially in the mid story when Chanbaek were separated, but towards the end, it just shows that Sehun’s love is, as LuHan puts it,“selfish”. When Sehun told Chanyeol off after the carnival, that’s when I realized Sehun’s “protection” of Baekhyun crossed the line into possessive territory. Sehun purposefully manipulated Chanyeol into leaving by convincing him that Baekhyun didn’t want to see him, even though he didn’t know that. At this point, Sehun was selfishly projecting his desires and jealously into the situation. He deprived Baekhyun of his agency to decide what he wants. I can’t believe the story didn’t address how Sehun indirectly caused the accident? I really wanted Sehun to apologize and acknowledge that his love for Baekhyun also became toxic. I guess having to see Chanbaek get back together is also punishment for him though.

But don’t take this comment to mean i didn’t enjoy the story. I am leaving such a long comment because this story genuinely enthralled me and made me want to analyze a bit more. Overall, I am satisfied by this story and it really subverted a lot of expectations so thank you so much for sharing with us :)
eray612 #6
Chapter 30: Why this story is stuck in my library? And today i just read it within 18 hours non stop and my expression be like 😊🥰🤨😡🤬🥺😢🤯😭😭😭😭😭😌🥰🥰
Vampirella77 #7
Chapter 30: I'm reading this story for the third time. I love it so so much.
cycynyny #8
I keep coming back to this Masterpiece.
MyLipsOnEXOs
#9
Chapter 29: The letter never fails to make me cry
kworld320 #10
Chapter 30: Amazing, amazing, amazing.
The story is so interesting and well written!!!
Great job here dear writer!!!