Chapter 2 (3/3):

 

“You’re a ing idiot.”

“Shut up,” Chanyeol moaned, massaging his temples as his head throbbed. “I ing know, alright?”

“Let me get this straight,” Jongin drawled nonchalantly, not looking up from his phone as he shoveled cereal into his mouth. “First, you take your drunk crush back to your room. Then, you get even more drunk with him. And finally, as he’s finally spilling about his personal life to you, you confess to him, and when he’s kissing you, you push him away. Am I missing anything?”

“Nope, I think that’s about right,” Jongdae chimed in, pouring more cereal into his bowl. Chanyeol groaned as his friend’s high-pitched voice combined with the clinking of metal spoons against porcelain bowls triggered another wave of pain through his head. “Oh, that and this giant is weak to alcohol and has the biggest hangover he’s ever had in his life.”

“I can’t believe I actually confessed to him,” Chanyeol cried, throwing his head into his hands, then immediately regretting it when his head pounded. “Do you… do you think I still have a chance?”

“Well, you basically walked out on him,” Jongin mused.

“And yelled at him when he was kissing you,” Jongdae added.

“Got him even more drunk when he was already plastered.”

“Left him in your room overnight without making sure he knew where he was.”

“Oh, and most importantly,” the cousins said simultaneously. “He only likes smart people.”

“I’m never ing coming to this house again,” Chanyeol sighed. His best friends laughed and bounced over to their distraught friend, each slinging one arm over his shoulder. Their own special way of consoling him.

“It probably wouldn’t hurt to start looking for another love of your life, though,” Jongin suggested.

Chanyeol wanted to cry at his bad luck.

 

---

 

The weekend passed way too quickly.

After spending a majority of the day with his best friends, Chanyeol finally gathered enough courage to go back to his room. He didn’t know what he was expecting, and he knew it was wishful thinking to expect Baekhyun to still be there.

He was right. The room was empty when he walked in.

Baekhyun had cleaned before he left. The empty beer cans and take out containers were gone.

But that was it. Just empty.

No note, no trash. No nothing.

Chanyeol considered calling him, or messaging Kyungsoo for help. But, each time he had his phone out, ready to contact either one of them, his nerves got to the better of him and made him throw his phone down. He didn’t think he was prepared to hear Baekhyun’s voice, especially after confessing so recently.

And, you know, having a drunken make out session.

And Kyungsoo… well… he was terrified of what Kyungsoo would do to him when the smaller man found out about how he treated Baekhyun the night before.

He spent his theoretically relaxing vacation days in inner turmoil instead. To call Baekhyun or not to call Baekhyun? Chanyeol was getting a sense of déjà vu; this was all too familiar and brought him back to when he was still trying to decide how to approach his crush.

And now look at him.

Oh, irony, you cruel .

Chanyeol walked into his first class of the week, dreading to sit down. Since getting to know each other, Baekhyun changed his official unofficial seat to the empty one next to Chanyeol. And Chanyeol wasn’t sure if the smaller was going to avoid him or pretend nothing happened.

Chanyeol wasn’t sure which one would hurt more.

 

---

 

At the end, he was wrong.

Baekhyun did neither of those things.

Baekhyun didn’t show up for class.

Chanyeol was confused. Baekhyun was a good student who went to all his classes even if he was sick. In the few months of knowing one another, Chanyeol had never seen Baekhyun ditch a single lecture.

Going into this second class that he was supposed to have with Baekhyun, the uneasy feeling in his stomach increased when he saw his crush didn’t appear in that one either.

A whole school day went by without a single sighting of Byun Baekhyun.

Chanyeol’s first thoughts were Is he okay? Is he hurt? Where is he?

His second thoughts trailed to possible people who could know where his crush was.

Kyungsoo? No, he was still in class…

Jongin or Jongdae? They knew him even less than Chanyeol, there was no way they would have any idea where the silver haired boy was.

Minseok? Come on, Chanyeol, now you’re just being stupid…

Wait.

That professor.

Baekhyun’s ex.

Kim… Kim… Kim Jaehyun? Kim something…

Would he know?

Without any further leads, Chanyeol bolted out the door of his last class, charging for the one place he never in a million years thought he would be running to.

 

---

 

“Hello, sir, how can I help you?”

“P-Park… Pa-Park Chanyeol… H-here to se… to see P-Pro… Professor Kim…”

“Sir, are you alright?”

“I-I’m good… j-just a… just a little… winded f-from… from running…” Chanyeol wheezed, clutching at a stitch on his side.

He was sure he almost gave the student aid at the front desk a heart attack when he burst through the doors of his major’s building. He had thrown himself at the desk, panting and struggling to catch his breath.

“Sir, which Professor Kim are you looking for exactly?”

“Kim… Kim Jun… Kim Junhui??”

“Sir, we don’t have a Kim Junhui in our school.”

“… uhhh… Kim… Kim… umm…”

“Kim Junmyeon.”

The student aid and Chanyeol both looked up at the voice that suddenly spoke from behind Chanyeol. A professor with sleepy eyes and a gentle smile stood there, holding a stack of files. “I can take you to him, I needed to speak with him anyways,” the professor offered kindly.

“Professor Zhang! Students need to book appointments beforehand, and Professor Kim is a very busy—”

“I’m sure he can spare a few minutes to speak with this student,” Professor Zhang replied airily. “Follow me,” he hummed, walking off and leaving a distressed student aid and a flustered Chanyeol.

Not knowing what else to do, Chanyeol sprinted after the carefree professor.

And he had just caught his breath…

 

---

 

“Why do you need to see Junmyeon anywhere?”

“Anyways.”

“Yes, anyways.”

In the few minutes they had been walking together, Chanyeol found himself correcting the medical professor more than a couple of times. For the most part, the Chinese man had a general understanding of Korean, but there were a few words here and there that he didn’t completely pronounce correct. In one embarrassing occasion, Chanyeol had to correct the professor in the middle of his spiel of cooking peppers.

“Um… one of my friends used to know him. And he didn’t come to class today… so I was kinda hoping Professor Kim would know…”

“Why would Junmyeon know?”

“They… uh… used to… to—”

“Is it Byun Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol pursed his lips and kept quiet. Considering the history between his crush and the medical professor, he wasn’t sure how the Chinese man would react.

Surprisingly, Professor Zhang just laughed. But it was a humorless laugh. More guilt ridden than amused.

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone when Junmyeon and I first started… seeing each other,” Professor Zhang admitted hesitantly. “I didn’t even know he and Baekhyun-ssi were dating until a few months into our… relationship… I met him when I first transferred to this school. He was so nice and helped me out a lot. And he always wanted to be together, and I didn’t mind, so I agreed… I didn’t think… I didn’t know.”

“Baekhyun and I…” Chanyeol replied. “I’ve only know him for a few months, too. And I like him. A lot. But, he’s still hurt… from what Jooh—”

“Junmyeon.”

“—Junmyeon did to him. I can’t speak for him, but I know for a fact he doesn’t hate you. He even said you were the nicest person he’s ever met.”

“Well, that makes me feel slightly less grubby.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty. But why do you think Junmyeon would know where Baekhyun is?”

Now it was Chanyeol’s turn to look guilty. “We… got into a fight. And I said some things that I probably shouldn’t have…”

“Ah,” Professor Zhang nodded knowingly. “You guys were drunk.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol sighed. Was he really that easy to read? “And I’ve been kinda avoiding him the whole weekend, but when I didn’t see him in class today… I got worried… and Professor Kim might know where he is…”

“Hopefully he can help,” Professor Zhang said reassuringly. “After everything he’s done, it’s the least he can done.”

“Do.”

“Do. And don’t worry.” Professor Zhang winked at Chanyeol jokingly. “If he doesn’t answer your question, I know a way to make him talk.”

 

---

 

“Junmyeonnie~” Professor Zhang sang as he threw open the door of the office. “Guess who’s here.”

“Yixing!” Junmyeon pushed away from his desk to stand up. “What are you doing here?”

“Just visiting,” the Chinese professor shrugged. “And leading this fine young man over. A friend?”

Junmyeon looked at Chanyeol. The student was standing stiffly by the door; all his opinions about the teacher were flooding back. Not a single one of them was good.

“Park,” Junmyeon greeted the student briskly.

“Professor Kim,” Chanyeol replied coolly.

“How can I help you today?”

“Do you know where Baekhyun is?”

Junmyeon froze. “… Why would I know where Baekh—Byun is?”

“Okay, listen,” Chanyeol sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache from all the bull these past few days. “I know you and Baekhyun dated for a few years and you cheated on him with Professor Zhang. And I know you didn’t tell Professor Zhang that you were dating someone already when you two started your affair. But despite being the lying bastard that you are, you’re still a professor. And you two may have broken up, but you’re still Baekhyun’s professor. And the only reason that guy would skip class would be because of some educational thing, so where is he.”

Junmyeon blinked a few times, shocked at Chanyeol’s sudden outburst. He looked to Yixing for support, but the Chinese man was suddenly very interested in the blank papers on Junmyeon’s desk.

“Y-you’re right,” the professor finally stuttered, still shell-shocked. “It’s true… Baekhyun came to me on Saturday. It was early in the morning, and he reeked of alcohol. I never approved of him drinking…”

“What did he want from you?”

“Well, at first I thought he wanted an apology, or an explanation. We never really resolved our issues, we just kind of… slipped apart. He avoided me and I just let him.

So when I saw him at my door, I was beyond surprised. And confused. Mostly guilty. He deserved an explanation. But when I tried telling him, he just brushed me off. And he… he asked me about the study abroad program.”

“Study abroad?” Chanyeol’s brows wrinkled in confusion. A distant memory of Baekhyun mentioning the program just a few days back surfaced in Chanyeol’s mind. “Yeah, he… he said something about that. The day we ran into you…”

“He wanted to know if it was too late to sign up,” Junmyeon said. “And I said it was extremely last minute, since the students all leave this week, but he was insistent on joining. So, I made a few calls, talked with the teachers responsible for the program. And since Baekhyun’s academic standing is incredibly remarkable, they all agreed to let him in as a last second addition. It was the least I could do…”

“When do they leave?”

“Hmm…” Junmyeon tapped his chin, rummaging through the papers on his desk. “If I remember correctly I think… I think they’re leaving today.”

“Wait, what?”

 “Yes, yes…. I think they left a few hours ago.”

“What?!”

“Yes, it’s definitely today, in fact, they should all be at the airport right now—”

“, are you serious?? Why didn’t you say so sooner!” Chanyeol wailed, turning to bolt out the door for the second time that day.

The two professors watched the door swing closed after Chanyeol ran out. Junmyeon turned to look at Yixing, squinting at his lover suspiciously. “You told Park what to say, didn’t you?”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Yixing hummed back, flicking Junmyeon’s nose teasingly.

Junmyeon snorted, rubbing at his nose defensively. “As if I’ll believe a person as dense as Park Chanyeol could possibly figure out all those things.”

---

“Byun Baekhyun, I swear to god, please, I’m begging you, pick up.”

Chanyeol huffed tiredly, jogging to the parking lot. All the running around was finally getting to him. He tried calling Baekhyun a few times, but each time, it went straight to voicemail. Finally reaching his bike, he held on to the seat as he puffed, struggling to catch his breath.

His phone buzzed loudly.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol wheezed out immediately.

“…Chanyeol?”

“Oh my god, it’s you,” Chanyeol breathed out in relief, gasping and panting still.

“Are you okay? Why do you sound so out of breath?”

“Nevermind that, Baekhyun, where are you?”

“… Sorry, Yeol.”

“Baek, please, I’m sorry for everything I said that night, but please, please don’t board that plane. Just… just give me a few minutes and I’ll go meet you at the airport and… and we can talk—”

“Yeol, please, shut up and listen.”

Chanyeol’s mouth closed immediately. Amazing, Baekhyun wasn’t even with him and he still had control over him.

“Now, I don’t have much time cuz we’re boarding soon, but I just need to get things off my chest, so just stay quiet please.”

“But—”

“Quiet.”

“…”

“Good. Anyways, as you probably know by now, I made a last second decision to join the study abroad program. And, as you probably know, we’re going to Beijing.”

“How long?”

“A year.”

A year. A whole year without Baekhyun. A whole year.

“Ignoring the fact that you just broke my one rule, I’ll continue,” his crush continued matter-of-factly. “I know we’ve only know each other for a few months, but I know how you feel about me. Actually, I’ve known since the day I met you. It was really obvious, and kinda cute. You followed me around like a lost puppy, and you were always so excited and happy when we were together. And your happiness was so contagious that I almost forgot all my problems. And I even thought… it was possible to move on… but I wasn’t looking to get my heart broken again, so I tried my best to ignore it.

But then… we met Junmyeon-hyung… and, that night happened—”

“Baek, please, just come back. We can talk in person. Just don’t go.”

“Shush, Yeolie,” Baekhyun chastised lightly. “And I can’t do that.”

“Why—”

“I can’t do that because I don’t know if I can keep ignoring you.”

“…What do you mean.”

“Yeol, you’re not stupid. You’re incredibly dumb and I love that part about you, but you’re not stupid. You know what I mean.”

Chanyeol knew. He knew what Baekhyun meant. And his heart soared at the realization.

“Baek, are you… are you telling me—”

“I’m saying I might feel the same way you do. I… I think I might like you, too. I don’t know when it started, or how it happened… I just know I looked at you one day and didn’t just see a friend. And I already thought you were cute…”

“Then… then why are you leaving?”

Baekhyun went quiet. Chanyeol could practically see his crush chewing on his lower lip, pondering the question. “I don’t… want to be wrong. I don’t want to find out that what I’m feeling might just be residual feelings for Junmyeon. And I don’t want to be the cause of your broken heart… like he was for me.”

“C’mon, Baekhyun, I don’t care if I get my heart broken. As long as it’s you, I’ll be happy. I’ll be happy being friends, and if it doesn’t work out, I won’t and whine. And I definitely won’t cheat on you.”

“I know,” Baekhyun whispered. “I know you won’t. And I know you’ll be the best boyfriend ever.”

“…But…”

“But I won’t be. At least, not the way I am now. And I… I just don’t want you to be a rebound to Junmyeon.”

“…You said you didn’t want to do the program alone…”

“…I’m not.”

And the happiness Chanyeol felt plummeted.

“…Who… who’s the—”

“Honor student,” Baekhyun whispered back. “A few years younger than us… Junmyeon-hyung got him in with me too… he owes me that much…”

“And, umm… you guys… are you guys—”

“Dating?” Baekhyun snorted. “Barely. If anything, we’re just buddies. Nothing serious. At least, that’s what I keep telling him. I don’t think he’s really getting the message, he keeps telling people we’re a thing.”

“Doesn’t… really make me feel any better.”

“I suppose not,” his crush laughed. “God, hearing you all jealous is so adorable.”

Chanyeol opened his mouth but no words came out. Baekhyun just called him adorable. He could already feel his face burning.

“Yeol, I have to go.”

“What? No, don’t go. Please, just… stay.”

“I… can’t. I need to figure this out… figure out what my feelings are.”

“And this honor kid can help you?”

“I’d rather it be with someone I care nothing about than someone I like.”

“I’m glad you wanna think about us, but you don’t have to leave the country to do it.”

“I do,” Baekhyun insisted. “And… I think… I think it’s better if… if we don’t talk to each other in this year.”

“Baekhyun, you can’t ask me to do that.”

“Chanyeol, please. If I hear your voice even once, or… or just think about you at all… I might go running back. And I can’t do that. If I do, I’ll never be able to figure this out. To understand how I feel.”

“…Baek…”

“Promise me.”

“What?”

“Promise you won’t call me. Or text me.”

“You can’t ask that from me.”

“Chanyeol, please.”

One year. One whole year. The mere thought of it made Chanyeol anxious. And scared. And broken hearted.

Just when he thought he had a chance.

“…I promise,” he finally whispered. What did he have to lose? Baekhyun already made his mind, and Chanyeol knew there was no shaking him.

“….Thank you, Yeol… And I promise you that you’ll be the first person I see when I get back. And, trust me, a year will breeze by before you know it.”

 “Then, can you promise me one thing?”

“Hm? What is it?”

CHanyeol swallowed dryly. He could hear bustling in the background of Baekhyun’s call. They were boarding.

“Promise me… that you’ll take care of yourself. And you’ll eat three meals a day. And sleep early and study hard.”

“Yeol, you sound like my parents—”

“No interrupting, Baek. Just promise. Promise that you’ll be safe, and you’ll come back in one piece.”

“I promise, Yeol.”

“And one more thing.”

“Chanyeol, I really need to go—”

“Promise me… promise that, if you think about me, or figure everything out… promise you’ll come home early.”

“…That’s a lot to promise.”

“Just do it.”

“…I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Final boarding call for flight number 12 to Beijing, final—”

“You should go,” Chanyeol sighed. “Have a safe flight.”

“Thanks, Yeol. I’ll see you soon.”

“Mhm… I’ll see you soon, Baek. I love you.”

“Wha—”

Chanyeol ended the call before Baekhyun could respond.

I love you.

I love you.

.

He knew he was ed the moment he decided to actually talk to Byun Baekhyun.

He shouldn’t have hung up. He should’ve waited to see what Baekhyun would have replied. Would that have convinced him to stay?

Part of Chanyeol knew he hung up because he was afraid of what the answer might be.

He sighed. He was really dreading the year he would have to endure without the love of his life.

 

---

ANOTHER CHARACTER ENTRANCE

also my beta reader hella hates Baekhyun LOL i'm sorry

enjoyyyy