Chanyeol gaped when he entered in the new apartment that he and Baekhyun’s about to rent. It’s much fancier and more elegant than their new home. The apartment has a white and wood interior design. There’s few essential furniture inside already—such as fridge, stove, sofa, and dining table.
    “Okay, let’s be clear,” Chanyeol turned to Baekhyun—who is in disguised so the realtor won’t recognize him, “You said, I only have to pay ten percent of the rent in exchange of my name on the lease?”
    Baekhyun fixed his mask and lowered his cap. “Yes, now go talk to realtor.” Then he pushed him forward.
    Chanyeol did as he says and went to the realtor to talk about the lease papers and everything. They used the card that Minseok gave Baekhyun to pay off the advance payment and security deposit. When Chanyeol was done signing the contract, Baekhyun went back to his car first, leaving Chanyeol behind. The realtor kept looking back at him while talking to Chanyeol, so he was kind of uneasy.
    Baekhyun doesn’t know what made him trust Chanyeol. He has only known him for a month—it never took him this fast to trust someone. At this point, he should be extra careful of the people around him, but somehow, Haru and Chanyeol felt like a safe place for him. While Sehun… he’s still skeptical of him.
    Chanyeol returned to the car a few minutes later. He handed Baekhyun the contract silently. “I have three rules, memorize them—” Baekhyun started, “One, no visitors are allowed in the apartment,” Chanyeol was about to complain but Baekhyun continued, “If it’s a mutual friend, then I need an eight-hour advanced notice. Two, we will not hire a cleaner, a repair man, or anyone.”
    “That’s outrageous!” Chanyeol exclaimed. “Have you seen how big is the apartment? We can’t manage to clean all that by ourselves.”
    Baekhyun pursed his lips. He knows that, but he really can’t take any risk right now. “Actually… you’ll mostly do the cleaning; I’ll do the cooking.” Chanyeol stared at him in a deadpan manner. Baekhyun bit the inside of his cheeks.
     “I don’t know how to clean a house,” he confessed.
    Bakehyun used to hire a cleaner in his old apartment, but given his situation right now, even a cleaner would be suspicious for him. Basically, anyone who’s a stranger to him is suspicious. Chanyeol is still giving him a straight face, obviously, his rules don’t sit well with him.
    “Why exactly are you doing this?” Chanyeol query in curiosity. “First, you had me sign the lease under my name. Then, you’re wearing that disguise… or whatever that is, like you’re a wanted criminal or something. And now, this? What is going on with you?”
    Baekhyun sighed. He has to tell Chanyeol about his situation, so he’d understand.
    Baekhyun gulped before speaking. “I think I’m being watched,” he said without giving Chanyeol a glance.
    Chanyeol opened his mouth to blurt out something, but nothing came out. His eyes shifted from Baekhyun and back to their apartment. “Watched? You’re… you’re being watched, you said?” he echoed when finally found his words.
    Baekhyun looked at him and nodded.
    “By whom?”
    “I don’t know. My parents, perhaps? I’m not really sure.”
    Chanyeol looked back at their apartment again and back at Baekhyun. “I just signed the contract!” he yelled, panicking.
    “I’m not in any danger,” Baekhyun argued, trying to calm the other one down.
    “Well, I am!”
    Baekhyun let out a long sighed. This will be a long conversation seeing as how Chanyeol is panicking right now. So, Baekhyun carefully explained everything to Chanyeol. How his parents are against him studying Journalism, how they want to throw him to America to study law instead, how he’s secretly joining protests, how Minseok found that wiretap in his unit… he told Chanyeol everything that led to his situation now.
    Chanyeol was just staring at him after he spilled everything to him. It was a few minutes of silence before he finally mustered something to say. “But… what were you doing at the protest that time?”
    Baekhyun shrugged. “To end contractualization?”
    “Wow,” Chanyeol gasped. “So, you were really there to join the strike?”
    Baekhyun squinted his eyes at him. “You and Haru really think I was there to spy for my parents?!”
    Chanyeol can’t form a word to say a he panicked. “You were being suspicious!”
    Baekhyun glared at him as he started the car. “Let’s go back.”
 

“Go back where?” Yixing asked Haru, who’s in a hurry after getting her tumbler from him.
    “To class!” Haru said as she run back to her class quickly.
    She woke up late this morning and forgot to bring her water, so she asked Yixing to bring it to university for her as he has a later schedule compared to her.
    When she turned into the corner few doors away from their room, she saw Sehun waiting for her. He offered to accompany her earlier, but she refused so as to avoid Yixing asking further question of who and why is Sehun with her.
    Sehun stood up straight when he saw her approaching, and reached for her huge tumbler that seemed too heavy to carry around just like that.
    “Is she in?” Haru asked, pertaining to their professor.
    Sehun took the tumbler from her and they walked back to their class. “Not yet, but Chanyeol hyung and Baekh