January 3, 2018; 3:45AM

Baekhyun slips on his shoes by the front door, his bag snug on his arm. The living room was quiet, something Baekhyun was never quite used to. Through the curtains hung up on the windows thin streams of light shone in from the moon outside. It was peaceful, calming almost. It was completely contrasting to what he was feeling inside. His heart was hammering against his ribcage, a sweat breaking out on his forehead, and his pulse fast. His fingers were shaking as he dug around for his keys in his bag. Would he drive there? He said it would be within walking distance. 

He was nervous and on the edge of having a panic attack. He knew that it was Jaeyul who had been harassing him the last several months. It wasn't anything new or surprising to him. Jaeyul tried to keep his identity secret on some kind of level, but the anonymous messages, the altered voicemails-- they were all worded the same way Jaeyul would word his old text messages. Jaeyul said he wasn't upset with Baekhyun ending things but his actions contradicted his words. He knew he leaked the pictures to the media. Now he was harassing his other band mates? 

A soft sigh leaves his pink lips. Not exactly how he planned to spend his time off, let alone at nearly four in the morning. He had everything planned. He would kindly tell Jaeyul to off, rough him up a little if he had to, and then come back home. That was it. He wasn't sure why he wanted to meet up in the first place-- to yell at him? Rough him up? His shaky fingers grab the keys in his bag, his free hand unlocking the front door and pulling it open. 

He startles and visibly jumps when bumping into someone. "Baekhyun?" He lets out a sigh of relief when seeing that it was only Junmyeon, shiny keys dangling in his hand. He must be returning from his shoot. Tonight would have been so much better if they just went to the damn movies. He forces a smile on his lips, though it just comes off as skittish and nervous. Junmyeon picks up on it immediately. "What are you up to?" Baekhyun knew how odd he must've looked leaving the dorms so late and with such an anxious expression. He really was at hiding things. 

"I, uh, I'm meeting with a friend."

"At nearly four in the morning?" Junmyeon's tired and Baekhyun can easily point out the dark bags under his eyes. His shoot must have been a nightmare. He didn't want to burden his leader more than he had to. After all, he's expecting to be back by morning. "Is it really a friend?" His voice was skeptical and Baekhyun wasn't sure why that rubbed him the wrong way. Not that he could blame Junmyeon after the secret rendezvouses he had been doing for the last few months. 

"I'll be back soon. They've been having a rough night. I might take them out for some food." He brushes off Junmyeon's question. He couldn't let him pry too much, he didn't have much of the story planned out. He might end up exposing himself if he isn't careful. 

"Be careful, Baekhyun. It's late and there's weird people that wander the streets. What if something happens to you?" Baekhyun groans at this. Even now he was getting the "motherly lecture" that Junmyeon often gave the members. "Do you have mace on you? If you place your keys in between your fingers you can use them as a weapon. In case someone tries to jump you or anything." Junmyeon goes to open his mouth to speak more, though Baekhyun notices a falter in his confidence and he quickly shakes his head. "Just don't be out too long." He gives Baekhyun a gentle pat on his shoulder before stepping around the other and heading inside.

"I'll be back by the morning." He calls out before making his way down the front steps. He pulls onto his winter coat tightly, his shaky and cold fingers burying themselves into his pockets. The hammering of his heart against his own chest was becoming impossible to ignore and it was starting to get on his own nerves. What would he do if it wasn't Jaeyul? Jaeyul was bad enough, but he knew the other wouldn't hurt him. Someone else? Who knew what they would do to him.

He checks his phone for any messages, sighing when not seeing any. Where the hell were they supposed to even meet up? They should have discussed this before--

Two hands sneak up behind Baekhyun, immediately covering his mouth and pulling him into a back alleyway. He tries to fight them off on instinct, though the person seemingly wasn't budging. He sends a hard kick to the person behind him, feeling his foot collide with someone's knee. It felt painful and he must have been right when the person lets go and swears loudly. He spins around on his feet quickly, eyes widening when seeing Jaeyul. 

"Jaeyul, what the are you doing?" He shouts and shoves the man harshly. "Why have you been doing this to me? I was nice to you."

"Nice. If that's what you call it." The other scoffs in response. "Victim complex as always." He sneers and takes a step closer to the shorter male. "You humiliated me--"

"No one knew who you were, Jaeyul. How were you humiliated when it was my face that was plastered everywhere? The media never did anything to you; the public never did anything to you!" He shoves the other away once more. "And now you're stalking me like a low-life loser? And harassing my group members? What the did they ever do to you, huh?" Baekhyun shoves him once again. All the pent up frustration he's been dealing with for the last several months was finally at its boiling point. "I never thought you'd stoop to something so pathetic." 

It's as if those words struck something within Jaeyul because as soon as the words left Baekhyun's lips, Jaeyul had him shoved against the brick wall. "You never gave me a chance. I did so much for you and the moment I slipped up you ditched me." Baekhyun's struggling against Jaeyul's hold but his grip his tight. "You wanted nothing to do with me whenever one of your members would ask about me. You acted like I didn't exist. Do you know how hard it is to be treated like trash?"

"Of course I know what it's like--" 

"I didn't ask you to speak." His voice is loud out of nowhere and Baekhyun's heart is starting to slam against his chest. This wasn't how he pictured things going. He was hoping they'd talk it out. 

"So what is it that you're trying to accomplish with all of this? Scare me?" Baekhyun stomps on the other's foot, slipping out of his grip when Jaeyul swears loudly and takes a step back. "Because you aren't. I'll take you to the police myself with everything you've been doing. You've been stalking me, harassing me, harassing my group mates. I have proof of you stalking me. I have audio, pictures of you snooping around, I have witness acco