For Baekhyun;

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thank you for existing in our lives.

Chapter 7

Haera

            Sehun

                        >Sorry, he’s avoiding me. He went straight home after his first class. We’ll talk to him together tomorrow, okay?

                        >How’s the workshop?

                        >Have you eaten lunch already? Where are you eating?

            I pocketed my phone after reading Sehun’s messages and didn’t even bothered to reply. I tiredly sighed and continue stabbing my food with chopsticks. We were given one hour and fifteen minutes to eat our lunch inside the AVR. The film fest management provided our meals, even the drinks. We’re, practically, living the life here, except, I can’t enjoy my lunch because of conscience. Fortunately, I can still focus during the workshop.

            “You won’t get full by just stabbing your food,” Minseok said beside me. “You actually have to put the food in your mouth, and chew, then swallow.”

            I softly glance at him, wearing a pout. “Minseok-ah…”

            Minseok arched an eyebrow a me. “Minseok-ah? Yah, I’m two year older than you, so call me oppa.” He then flicked me in the forehead, but not too hard.

            I scoffed and continue to stab my food. “I don’t even call Jongin ‘oppa’.”

            He rolled his eyes. “You don’t call your twin ‘oppa’, you little princess.” He grips a dish with his chopstick and leans it towards my mouth to feed me. Minseok mumbled ‘ah’, telling me to open my mouth and just eat it.

            “Is that spicy?” I suspiciously asked, eyeing the food.

            Minseok shook his head, so I munch in the food he’s offering.

            “What’s the matter?” he asked as he goes back to eating. “You can tell me what’s bothering you, but please eat as you do.”

            I sighed once again. I start telling him about how I forgot to tell my best friend, Kyungsoo, about the film fest and lying to him that it’s a surprise instead of telling the truth. I also told him the possibility that Kyungsoo might be also mad about the fact that he’s not the first one to know about it. I was eating in between talking to him, and most of the time, Minseok is reminding me to eat first. He was listening intently to my story, not even bothering to comment unless he can’t follow something I had said.

            “Sehun sent me a message that Kyungsoo went home after his first class, he has four classes today,” I sighed as I finished telling him what happened.

            Minseok has his left hand in his chin, like he’s processing everything I just told him. He pouted and titled his head to me. “How long since you’ve been friend with Kyungsoo, you said?”

            I said ten, then Minseok smirked and eat the remaining food in his bowl.

            “What do you think should I do? I can’t ask Jongin about this stuff, he’ll punch Kyungsoo for getting mad at me and for making me worry,” I pouted.

            Minseok stared at me as his finish chewing the food on his mouth. “Is Jongin that over-protective of you ever since?” he asked.

            I nodded. He pointed a finger at my food, sign that I should eat. I obeyed him and continue eating as I wait for him to speak.

            “I don’t think he’ll punch Kyungsoo over that,” said Minseok.

            I shrugged as I empty my bowl. “You don’t know Jongin. He’s stupid,” I chuckled. “And I didn’t tell you what happened to talk about Jongin, I came for an advice.”

            Minseok chuckled. “Who’s the first people to know before him?”

            I finish chewing the food, taking my time to contemplate whether to tell him the truth about the possibility that Kyungsoo got mad because of Baekhyun. “Jongin, Sehun, Chanyeol,” I slowly said, biting the chopsticks while talking, “…and Baekhyun.”

            “Baekhyun?” Minseok said.

            I nodded. “Yeah, he happens to be there with Chanyeol when I found the poster.”

            Minseok furrowed his eyebrow while staring at me suspiciously. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I don’t see the guy being the jealous type of friend. Why would he be mad at you for not telling him first about the film fest?”

            He’s right, though. Kyungsoo is not jealous type of friend.

            I fidget in my seat, holding the chopstick too hard that I might even brake it into half.

Should I tell him? He won’t understand, otherwise. But he’s Baekhyun’s brother! Nope. I should not tell him. But he seems mature and won’t tell Bakehyun about it. Nope. Blood is thicker than anything else, Haera. Just make him promise not to tell his brother. Jongin said I can’t and should not rely on anyone’s promises.

            I continue on stabbing my food again. “Well,” I started, keeping my attention to my food and away from Minseok. “I’m still not sure about this, just a hunch. You see, Kyungsoo may or may not hate Baekhyun—and that’s enough reason for him to get mad at me more.”

            “I don’t understand,” Minseok said. “He got mad, because Baekhyun knew first before him. Will it make any differences, then, if it’s just Chanyeol who found you looking at the poster?”

            I sighed and turned to him. “I think so. He barely knew Chanyeol, anyway.”

            Minseok chuckled. I glance at him to see him wearing a smirk. “Are you close to Baekhyun?”

            “We have English together. We don’t really talk until that day when I saw the poster. I’m actually surprise I got along with him that fast. He’s just friendly, I suppose.”

            He laughs and shook his head. “He’s not friendly, Haera. Chanyeol is. Baekhyun keeps his circle small as much as possible. Plus, he doesn’t like being friends with women.”

            “So… he’s just being nice to me? Why, though?”

            Minseok shrugged. “No one can resist you.”

            “Kyungsoo can,” I miserably said.

            “I don’t think so.” Minseok shifted from his seat and face me. “One tip—stay away from Baekhyun.”

            That got my attention and my eyes widen. “But why?” I whined.

            Minseok arched an eyebrow at me. “But why not?”

            Yeah, Heara, what’s with the whining? Because! He’s not making any sense.

            “I don’t understand how it can help me make Kyungsoo forgive me.” Even though I know how, but that’s just crazy. Kyungsoo won’t tell me to stay away from his number one rival in this university just because he doesn’t want me to be friends with him, will he?

            Minseok took his mineral bottle in the table and drank from it before turning back to me. “If you want your best friend back, just trust me and stay away from Baekhyun,” he shrugged.

~*~

On Friday evening, I was leaning on the wall in the hallway, waiting for Kyungsoo. His last class for today ends at eight o’clock, it’s already quarter to eight, and I got here after my last class. Sehun has some groupwork he has to attend to, and he promised to apologize to Kyungsoo alone, too, after he finish his responsibility for their group.

            I was staring at my shoes, thinking of how to approach Kyungsoo later. Sehun and I tried to talk to him earlier, but everytime we had the chance to corner him, he’ll find his way out to get away from us. I can’t wait for him outside his classes earlier because I had my own classes too.

            I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to realize that Kyungsoo’s class