They started out as a sprout.

“Okay class, today we will be learning about our environment! And the best way to do that is help it yourself!” Mrs. Park beamed down at the class of first and second graders who looked up at her curiously. Some were doodling on a paper with broken crayons, others bickered with each other, and a handful actually paid full attention to the teacher’s words. Jihae was one of those kids that didn’t find herself fitting in with the other girls who were interested in nail-polish, Barbie dolls, and maybe some of the other boys in class. She was always in a little world of her own, and nobody really bothered to invite her to the larger friend circles. Even when her older brother, Sehun, tried to get her to fit in, she just didn’t click with the other kids.

“You all will be planting trees with partners! This way, you can make friends with your new classmates!” Mrs.Park continued speaking, clasping her hands together. She turned to grab a plastic cup covered in a tangled mess of black sharpie doodles. The cup held several wooden popsicle sticks, one for each student. After giving the cup a good shake, she pulled out two sticks at once before proceeding to announce the names. “Sehun and Luhan!”

Jihae snickered as Luhan groaned in response to being paired with her brother. It was well known that Luhan had a little crush on the most popular girl in the second grade; she was beautiful, smart, and sweet just to top it all off. It was a shame that he wasn’t able to be partnered with her.

“Luhannie!” Sehun ran up to his classmate who was trying to hide his dismay. Mrs.Park ignored his obvious negative reaction, and continued reading off partners. She knew he would get over it; Luhan and Sehun had always been tied together at the hip. There was no way they wouldn’t get along.  

Jihae began to lose patience as her name still hadn’t been called. She found herself angrily drawing a picture of a chicken on a worksheet, but only for the crayon to be snapped in half from the immense amount of pressure she asserted on it. An obnoxious crack sounded throughout the room, and the whole class turned their heads to look at her judgmentally. 

Great, they already think I’m weird. Now it’s even worse! Jihae hissed to herself.

“Baekhyun and Jihae.” The teacher pulled the last two popsicle sticks from the cup, holding them out in front of her. Jihae looked around the room as the class began to rise from their seats, their voices all coming together as they squealed and chatted animatedly. She caught the eye of a boy with dark brown bangs that cascaded over his puppy-dog brown eyes. When he caught her gaze, his eyebrow quirked up teasingly, and those cocoa eyes glinted with mischief for a split second. Jihae ripped her eyes from him, the embarrassment of being caught staring almost unbearable.

She scampered out of the classroom, pursuing the other students to the school forest across the street before he could talk to her.

Each pair of students was to choose a spot where they would plant their tree, and sit down there until a sapling was handed out to them. She and Baekhyun communicated awkwardly, but finally decided upon the spot the farthest from the other students. Jihae had reasoned that the other students’ trees might steal all the water and love from their own sapling if they planted it too close. It was like needing space from your neighbor's house. 

“Don’t you think this place is a little too far off?” Mrs. Park enquired skeptically. 

“That’s what makes us special!” Baekhyun flashed her a sunny smile, and the teacher really couldn’t argue with his enthusiasm. After Mrs. Park gave the class instructions and the cue to begin work, Baekhyun turned to Jihae. The little streaks of sunlight peaking through the other trees washed over his hair and cream skin, his bright eyes reflecting the mood of the blue sky that was dressed in puffy nimbus clouds.

“Let’s start digging a hole to put our sapling in.” He tilted his head to the side, waiting for her approval. Jihae simply nodded shyly, avoiding his eyes that emitted rays of happiness at the speed of light.  

From that point on, they began to dig up a little hole in the damp soil. After they had created a sufficient hole for the tree, though a little sloppy, Jihae moved to remove the little sapling from the plastic bag. Under the supervision of Mrs.Park, she carefully lowered the sapling into the opening in the ground, and Baekhyun filled up the space around it with soil. Once it was patted down firmly and the little sapling stood upright, Baekhyun jumped to his feet.

“We did it!” He pumped his fist into the air, almost knocking over the sprout in his overwhelming excitement. He stuck his other hand out in front, looking at Jihae expectantly. Catching on quickly, she met his hand in a high-five, grinning at him more comfortably.

They grew to become a sapling.

“Baekhyun, that’s so gross! Stop!” Jihae screamed, pushing at his chest as he moved towards her. He had just fallen in puddle of thick mud, and insisted on hugging her. Apparently “sharing is caring” worked for all situations.

“I thought you liked me?” He pouted, sitting down on the grass to wipe as much of the wet sludge off his shirt as he could.

Jihae scrunched up her nose in disgust, though she was sure her cheeks were burning in embarrassment.

“No, you’re ugly. Like a burnt piece of bacon.” She retaliated, pushing those bashful emotions to the back of her mind.

“I told you not to call me that!” He whined. The mud was starting to dry to a crumbly, thin paste that clung to his face and arms.

When she stared at him for a seemingly endless amount of time, he spoke again, softer than before.

“Remember when we planted that tree in the first grade all those years ago?” He hummed, absentmindedly gazing up at the clear blue sky.

“That was four years ago.” She commented, sitting down next to him before proceeding to pull out chunks of grass from the ground.

“But still, do you remember?” His eyes locked with hers in a penetrating gaze.

“Yes, I do.” Why the heck did I just say "I do"? That's like getting married! Gross! She thought to herself, but quickly shook it off. 

“We’re going to be graduating from elementary school tomorrow…I think we should at least go visit it once before that. I'm kinda curious as to how its been growing.” He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck timidly. 

“Why not go right now? Our parents won’t be expecting us for another hour.” Jihae shrugged.

The pair walked over to the familiar patch of field covered in trees and greenery, reminiscing in the memories made in each spot over the years-or rather the memories made with each other. If not for Baekhyun, Jihae might not have even had friends to that day. She was naturally introverted, but ever since she partnered up with the boy to plant that tree, she had found someone who welcomed her as who she was.

He had become her best friend, even though she hated to admit it.

After several minutes of hearing nothing but the light crunch of leaves and twigs under their feet, the pair finally came to a stop before a tree that stood just a few feet above them. It was a simple sugar maple tree; each of the pairs of that class had planted the same type of tree. It had little green leaves poking out from the branches, and the bark was beginning to thicken.

But what made theirs different was the fact that it had grown so tall, or even survived at all. The others that were planted in the heart of the forest had died off within a few years, due to lack of nutrition or supplements. Their tree was strong, even though they had planted it on the outskirts of the forest.

“Thank you, Baek” Jihae bit her lip, turning to the boy.

“For what?” He tilted his head to the right innocently, dragging his gaze away from the tree that stood so firm before them. 

Jihae took a deep breath, noticing that her hand was trembling. Why was she suddenly so nervous? All she intended was to express her gratitude, yet such a simple task was appearing to be so painstaking.

“Thank you for being my friend.”  

Just as the tree began to sprout buds, a storm came by just to sweep them away.

Jihae smacked her brother’s arm in frustration. “Stop saying that! That is completely untrue!”

“From what I’m seeing, and what the whole school sees, you’re denying it.” Sehun shrugged. He was in his second year of high school, whereas Jihae was entering it to be a freshman. It was clear that being in the same school as your sibling had some perks, but it also came with downsides.

“I do not like him.” She growled just as the boy who occupied the topic of their conversation walked up to their table.

“Who don’t you like?” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow playfully before slipping his bag off his shoulder and sitting down in the seat between them. He had no idea, did he?

Sehun snickered, his eyes glinting with mockery while he looked at Jihae. “I’ll catch up with you two later, have fun!” He rose from his seat, snatching his worn out bag from the table top, stalking away to join his friends who were waiting across the cafeteria.

Baekhyun flipped his dark bangs back so they were swept to the side, exposing his forehead. “We should hang out one of these days.”

“I got on the school counsel this year though, Baek. We have meetings afterschool.” Jihae pinched her eyebrows together.

Baekhyun sighed inwardly. “Yeah, well I got on the school counsel as well!”

“Really? How?”

“What do you mean ‘how’?” He snapped.

“I don’t know, you just never seem to be involved in anything-” Jihae stopped herself when she saw the hurt flash in his eyes.

“Why do you always underestimate me?” He questioned, his usually calm features contorting into those of rage. “Ever since we met, it’s like I’m nothing but some toy to keep you company. You never acknowledge the fact that I’m also a person who is capable of getting things done; and I’m not just there for your personal purposes! But then again, may be you don’t have a choice since you couldn’t make any other friends other than that time I was forced to partner up with you to plant that stupid tree.” He spewed, breathing heavily. The moment those last few words flew out of his mouth, he knew that he had gone too far. It was true that he felt overshadowed by Jihae, and that he was experiencing frustration towards her behavior, but he had crossed the line. Though he may have felt bitterness towards her, he definitely did not regret befriending her.

But it was too late; he could not take those careless words back. Jihae’s eyes were already pooling with tears, and she choked back a sob while hastily gathering her belongings. Not even sparing him another glance, the girl bolted off towards her first class, attracting the curious stares of other students that were soon traced back to him.

The whole day was a drag as he sat through classes while the teachers went over the boring curriculum and rules for the year. All he wanted was to get out of that hell-hole of a school, and find Jihae so he could set things right. He had known her for way too long, and made far too many memories with her just to throw it all away because of a slip of the tongue.

The moment the bell rang, he almost sprinted out the gates of the school before he realized that he indeed, had been elected to the school counsel. At least if he attended the meeting, he would have a chance to speak to Jihae.

The designated meeting room was the lecture hall, in which a large round table was set up with chairs lined around it and name tags attached to each seat. Baekhyun found his name on one of pristine white sheets taped to the table.

Byun Baekhyun, Freshman Board Member

What a powerful title, he thought.

While the other thirty members trickled into the room in bunches, his heart plummeted and skyrocketed at the same time when he read the name tag on the spot next to his own.

Jihae silently sat down next to him, avoiding eye contact-or any interaction at all- it was like he didn’t even exist. When the president brought the meeting into order and began round table discussion, Baekhyun found himself unable to focus. He truly wanted the position that he had been elected for, but he couldn’t concentrate unless he fixed his relationship with Jihae first. With each glance he managed to steal, he could only notice how beautiful her side profile was. Her wavy brown locks cascaded over her shoulder effortlessly as she took notes, and even her hands were so delicately pretty. 

The other members continued to debate about something along the lines of the school sports budget or the likes, and Baekhyun couldn’t take the stress anymore. Tearing off a piece of paper from the corner of his meeting agenda, he scribbled two words on it before discreetly sliding it over to Jihae’s paper.

She looked at it coldly, and wrote two more words onto it before shoving it back. His heart ached slightly when he read the words written down, but didn’t let it unnerve him.

The meeting adjourned an hour later, and Baekhyun sighed in relief when he was free to go home. Jihae was already gone by the time he cleaned up his materials and papers, but he knew that chasing after her would do no good.

She needed space and time to think.

But when he walked out into the open air under the overhanging maple trees, the wind buffeting his hair and the clouds above pelting his body with rain, he thought about something completely irrelevant at the moment. Trees were cracking in half, bushes we being ripped from the roots, and leaves were skidding across the pavement chaotically. There was no way in hell that he would be able to walk home safely.

Would their tree be fine? Probably not.

But maybe this storm was a sign.

He watched as the torn piece of paper we had written on earlier fell to the ground, immediately getting drenched. The words written on it rang in his head endlessly.

I’m sorry. 

I’m not.

Perhaps he needed some space as well. 

When the storm brought its wrath down upon them, the tree snapped in half.   

A month after Baekhyun had expressed his pent up frustration to Jihae, they still hadn’t spoken. One would have thought that they would have made up by now, but the issue between them had been going on ever since they met.

“She thinks I’m so stupid, Tae!” He exclaimed one day. “I don’t know what to do. I like her, but I also don’t want to be treated like a subordinate. She was always nice and all, but I could always tell that she held some underlying judgment under those sweet words.” He buried his face in his hands, trying not to scream in frustration. After his fight with Jihae, he had found himself in the arms of Taeyeon, who had been a long term friend ever since middleschool. She was understanding and caring, so he found it best fit that he went to her for advice and comfort. 

Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows, thinking about what he had told her. She didn’t know what to say, but her feelings were getting in the way of her logical thoughts. It was no new fact to the whole school that she had liked Baekhyun ever since the 7^th grade, but he never noticed since he was always so caught up with Jihae.

Maybe this rift in the pair’s relationship was an opening for her to finally make a move, but that was also against her morals.

When Baekhyun looked up at her expectantly, he saw her looking down at him with something different than before. Was she always this pretty? How did he not notice such a stunning girl before?

He blinked a couple times when the image of Jihae flashed in his mind.

I think she’s been holding me back for too long now. I think it’s time I made some of my own decisions in my relationships. 

“Baek, I think-” Taeyeon began, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She gasped when he cut her off, pulling her towards him on the couch. Their lips crashed together, and Taeyeon couldn’t find the strength to pull away. She wasn’t sure if it was his strong grip on her waist that was preventing her from moving, or whether it was the fact that this was what she had desired all along.

She let her hands entangle themselves in his soft hair, while his fingers drew circles in her side as their lips moved together in tandem.

When they pulled away from each other and she rested her head on his chest comfortably, Baekhyun came to a new conclusion.

It was so wrong, but it felt so right.

The tree started to grow back, but it would never be the same as before.

“Baekhyun, I can’t do this anymore!” The girl sobbed, streaks of mascara and eyeliner running down her face.

“Tae, why are you suddenly like this?” Baekhyun moved to pull her into his embrace, but she was quick to back away against a locker.

“It’s been over a year, Baekhyun. Almost two, actually! I’m sick of seeing those longing glances that you throw at her across the hall. It’s clear that we shouldn’t be together. You belong with her, and I think both of us would be so much better off without each other.” She wiped the tears that had dripped down her chin.

Baekhyun swallowed his saliva. It was true; he had dated Taeyeon for almost two years ever since that day they had kissed. He suddenly felt terrible about his actions. He had used the girl as a distraction from Jihae, and had led her on for over a year.

“We’re going to be seniors next year. You should make things right before it’s too late. We’re over, Baekhyun.” She said softly. She cast him one last meaningful glance before walking down the hallway, leaving him to stand by himself.

Without thinking, he sprinted out of the school to the location at which it all began. He was surprised to see that the tree was still intact, however half of it was broken off. It was growing, though. He remembered that thunder storm a few years back, the one that had served to create the rift in their relationship. But now that he saw that their tree was still pushing to live and grow, despite it’s injuries, he felt that there was hope.

If this tree could recover from such a fatal attack, so could their relationship.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

His fist slammed on her front door. Baekhyun felt his chest rising and falling in rapid succession, his heart pounding out of control. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to the fact that he had ran all the way to house, or because he was nervous.

The door swung open to reveal Mrs. Kim, Jihae’s mother. “Oh, Baekhyun! It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you! Come in!” The woman smiled warmly, but it was clear that there was some underlying awkwardness in her tone.

“I assume that you would like to speak to Jihae?” She enquired while hastily cleaning up the cluttered coffee table.

“Yes, that would be wonderful, Mrs. Kim”. He smiled politely.

“Jihae, there’s a friend waiting for you downstairs!” Her mother called, looking up the staircase.

Soon, the girl’s light footsteps were heard pattering down the wooden staircase. “Is it Hyorin?” She asked happily. When she saw Baekhyun waiting on the couch in the living room, her smile dropped into a straight line.

“Wow, so you finally decide to visit.” She muttered bitterly.

“We need to talk.” He ignored her comment.

“About what?” She growled. “About how you literally just yelled at me and then ditched me like a piece of crap? About how I clearly meant nothing to you, since it was so damn easy for you to date Taeyeon? About how you actually broke two girls hearts within the span of a year?” Jihae screamed at the top of her lungs, releasing all the pent up frustration that had been held captive in her mind for so long.

“Please Jihae-” Baekhyun rose from his seat, reaching to grab her hands.

“No, Baekhyun. If you had just told me how you felt before, I would have tried to fix myself! After you yelled at me that day, I realized how I had been treating you for so long. I felt regretful! I wanted to make it up to you after thinking about it, but of course, you just had to go find another girl.” Jihae paused for a moment, tears b in her eyes once more. “I thought we had something.” She whispered.

“I checked on our tree today.” He said softly. “I thought the storm that came by that night would have knocked it over completely, but I was surprised to find it still standing upright. It was damaged all right, but it was hanging in there.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” The girl snapped.

“If our tree was able to withstand and recover from such a violent storm, how does that make us any different?” 

When she looked at him with those soft brown eyes, he felt his heart clench, shooting pain throughout his chest. He felt his legs collapse underneath his weight, and the last thing he heard was Jihae’s desperate scream to call an ambulance.

Darkness. 

The tree was soon strong once again, but they could not ignore the wrathful winter up ahead.

Ever since the day that Baekhyun had passed out, he had begun taking care of himself better, as there was no say in how much time he had left.

Jihae had begged him to tell her what was going on, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice out the painful truth. They had just made up; he couldn't bare to let their relationship fall to pieces once more. 

His mind replayed the events that had played out within the walls of the hospital that night.

“If this happens again, it might be fatal.” The doctor murmured, his lips twisting into a frown.

“What’s wrong with me?” Baekhyun asked.

“You have a heart condition, Mr.Byun. Last night, you went into cardiac arrest.”

“He’ll still…live with it, right?” His mother had asked, her voice shaking.

“It’s not easy to say, but it might be a matter of months.”

His mother’s screams of anguish echoed in his ears for days.

The tree stood tall above all others, but she did not anticipate the harsh coldness that would soon envelop them.  

Baekhyun and Jihae found themselves lying down on the ground under their favorite spot in the world; under their tree in the forest.

"Baekhyun, can I ask you something?" She murmured, her eyes never leaving the cloak of stars that hovered over the atmosphere. She didn't need to see his face at the moment, as simply the sound of his shallow breathing and the tickling sensation of the small hairs on his forearm brushing against her skin was enough to comfort her troubled mind. 

"Yes?" He hummed in response, shifting his body so that he could take in the features of her face. Everything about her seemed to embody the definition of perfection; from her curious brown eyes, the delicately sloped shape of her nose to the light pink lips that curved into a complacent smile. Her hair almost blended in with the cold prickly grass under her head - almost like a fairy. 

"What would you do, if someone you cared for a lot...just left? Without any warning." She asked, her eyebrows furrowing in contrast to her previous carefree temperament. 

Baekhyun swallowed the lump that had grown in his throat and fought to slow his rising heart rate. He reached for her petite hand, entwining his long fingers with her smaller, delicate ones. 

"If this is about me, please don't worry, Jihae. We've been together for so long, why would we ever let ourselves be apart?" He pulled her over until she hovered over him, their foreheads lightly brushing. 

"You're right, I don't know why I was having those incredulous thoughts." She smiled chastely, playing with his fingers that were still locked between her's. 

While she was busy immersing herself in some relieved thoughts, Baekhyun found his eyes watering slightly. His heart ached for her-no, for them- becaume he knew that he shouldn't be making promises he couldn't keep. Just as a lone tear let itself cascade down his cheek, he pulled her head down to rest on his chest. She comfortably snuggled into him, unaware of the waterfall pouring down his face. He may have felt warm to the touch, but the cold persistent pain that he felt in his chest was overwhelming. 

It was unfair for him to lead her on for so long, allowing her to drown in oblivion until the last minute. But by the time she dove back into reality, she would have already been underwater and unable to breath. 

However; he already knew that every tree must die at one point, whether it succumbs to the harsh winter season, or splits in half because it's unable to withstand the violent winds of a thunderstorm. 

But the catch is that you never know when that tree will finally give out.

And that was Baekhyun thought about that exact moment. Rather than preparing for the tree to collapse, and waiting for the end like a test result, it would be better for them to enjoy their last moments together in bliss and happiness. 

That way, even if the tree was a maple, redwood, or even weeping willow, it would be remembered as Evergreen forever in their hearts. 

When the winter season came by, the tree's leaves came tumbling down, and it's branches froze over. 

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Jihae cried, burying her face in Sehun’s shoulder as sobs racked her body.

The night after High school graduation, Baekhyun and Jihae had gone out together to get some ice cream to celebrate.

She didn’t know about his condition.

She didn’t know that his heart would give out again.

She didn’t know that it was so close to the end.

“I feel so betrayed…” She cried harder. Baekhyun had refused to tell her anything for a whole year, and she hated to find out the hard way. If she had known earlier, she would have been so much more careful.

“Kim Jihae?” A nurse walked out of Baekhyun’s room and looked around the waiting area.

“Yes?” Jihae said weakly.

“Baekhyun would like to see you.”

Jihae had never gotten up faster in her whole life.

The moment she walked into the hospital room to see him-the love of her life- sitting up on the white bed, hazily staring back at her, she almost broke down again. Her heart ached at seeing the bubbly, beagle-like boy that she had grown up with-through thick and thin- look so weak and helpless.

“I hate you so much, Byun Baekhyun.” She murmured, caressing his hand.

“If you hated me, why would you be here?” He chuckled, trying to keep the mood light.

“I hate you so much that I grew to love you.” She smiled bitterly to herself, more tears cascading down her cheeks.

“Baby don’t cry,” He sang softly, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips while wiping away the tear drops that clung to her face and dripped on his shirt.

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Just…be here with me. When I go, I want you to be the one by my side.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Baek.” She stated adamantly.

He simply looked at her, memorizing each and every little feature of her face.

That night, they fell asleep in each other’s arms to the steady hum of the air conditioning machine.

But the winter season showed no mercy.

Jihae was awakened by a piercing noise next to her ear. She bolted upwards, checking the heart rate machine.

Beeeeeeeeeeeep. A long note signaled the flat line of his heart beat.

The last leaves of the tree had fallen victim to the freezing winter.

The tree was dead.

Jihae couldn’t bear to sit through his funeral. She had given her speech, but had ended up crying through it.

The only place that she thought would be fit for her to go was the one and only forest in which she believed-no, she knew- his heart rested. Looking up at the giant maple tree, she couldn’t help but think that it looked so bare. It’s leaves had fallen to the ground surrounding the trunk, and the branches were a sickly dark grey color.

Ironically, it looked like it had died just a few days ago.  

She sighed, breathing in the cool air, a wave of nostalgia overtaking her mind and body.

She remembered the first day they met in that exact spot. He was so enthusiastic about planting that tree.

She remembered the day they came to check up on it before elementary graduation, and she had told him how much he meant to her.

She remembered the endless nights of stargazing and sweet nothings whispered under the protection of that same tree.

And lastly, she remembered the final day she had spent with him here. He had lied; there was no doubt about that. But the difference was that she had enjoyed the last few moments with him, even if it was in complete ignorance. Maybe that’s why he didn’t tell her; so that they would be happy together.

Smiling, she bent down to reach into her bag. Even if their original tree was dead, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t start again.

Pulling out a small, spiky sapling, she began to dig a hole. Once the sapling was planted firmly in the ground, she stepped back to look at her work. The little tag on one of the branches read “Common Evergreen.”

Even though he was gone physically, they would live on together with this new beginning.

They were Evergreen.

For those of you who patiently read through this whole 5000-word hot mess, thank you! This is my first Baekhyun fic, and it is definitely one of the longest that i've ever written. I hope you enjoyed it! 

-Vixxy