Chapter 23



 

*.☽.*

The mixture of gold, orange, and yellow leaves of the trees around us continued to dance with the gentle wind. The mountain was perfectly dressed in Autumn colors and I just loved it.

Baekhyun and I were in the same spot right behind his car. It had been about fifteen minutes since we made up and he refused to let me go, literally. Like how he was back hugging me right now with his arms wound around my waist. I could only close my eyes as if mentally saving everything in my memory. And as soon as I was able to concentrate on his warmth, I slowly started to get drowned in the thought of how good it felt to be inside his arms.

Then, I somehow just realized that he came to see me early which only meant he left Seoul way earlier. I opened my mouth in an attempt to ask him but ended up closing it when I felt his arms tighten around my waist.

“You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.” He said right next to my ear, making the corners of my lips turn upward to make way for a smile.

“Is that why you’re here this early?”

“That.” He replied quickly. “And the realization that I couldn’t stand the thought of you being mad at me.” He slowly loosened his arms around me only to spin me around so I could face him. “The way you sounded hurt and mad at me last night…it was killing me, you know.” He added while his eyes did nothing else but bore into mine.

I could sense guilt in his voice and I couldn’t help but also feel sorry for the way I acted, knowing that it wasn’t just entirely his fault. I was to blame too.

Kim Ara.
I didn’t want to ruin the moment but I knew I had to ask him. I had so many questions about her and I wanted to hear the answers straight from him.

"Baek?" I hesitated.

"Hmm?”

"I want to know…” I gulped to win over my nervousness. “I want to know about Kim Ara."

He looked slightly taken aback and hesitant at first but then he started to speak.

“Ara and I met because of Soo Ah. I met her at Soo Ah’s party years ago. They already knew each other even before her acting and modeling career began. She's nice and I kind of liked her in the long run."

I didn’t know how his last sentence made me feel but I was also aware that I couldn’t take back my words now.

"I saw the music video."

He probably knew which one I was referring to.

"That." He took a deep breath. "My publicist, Miss Kim, saw a photo of us hanging out and suggested to have her on the music video of my new song, and surprisingly, everyone else seemed to agree with it. A lot of people like her and they thought that I’d be good publicity for us both. They even told us that if we get positive reactions through the music video, we wouldn’t have any problem with our relationship in public."

I bit my lip, fully aware of the fact that the public approved of his relationship with her. I mean, they were even talking about them up until now.

"How long were you together?"

"Two years."

Two years is a long time.

"So, why did you break up?"

"She…” There was a momentary pause as he cleared his throat and tilted his head away. “She fell out of love."

My heart sank.

"Well, she denied it but I was pretty sure she did.”

I saw him blink a few times and I could tell how much it must have hurt him.

“If she didn't, then she wouldn’t have entertained Seo Tae Joon."

I wanted to cry the moment I heard another man’s name. I couldn’t believe something like this happened to him.

"Tae Joon is a model. He was pretty famous at that time too. He and Ara used to do several magazines cover together and maybe...maybe I got too busy with my career too. I got so engrossed with my stuff and I don’t know, maybe I kind of taken her for granted, I don't know."

My heart throbbed and I wasn’t the kind of sure if it was because of the thought that someone hurt him before or because I was the one who brought this all up. I was about to apologize but he smiled at me reassuringly as if he just read my mind.

"I asked her if she wanted to just end things between us so she could finally be with the one she really wanted.” He took a deep breath. “But then she told me that I was that someone. I was the one she wanted that I was wrong thinking that she didn’t love me anymore. She said she’d stay and prove that to me. So, we both tried to work it out. We held on to the relationship as long as we could but…” He swallowed. “But things were just undeniably different between us after. I didn’t know if it was just her but I also kind of felt indifferent towards her later on. She wasn’t the same person and maybe I wasn’t the same too and then everything just went out of hand after. The conflict between us was getting bigger as we both got so stressed with our careers. Things between us got so unhealthy we just kept on hurting each other and we eventually had to end things to save us both.”

“I’m sorry that I had to ask about this…”

“No baby, it’s okay.” He said as he lifted a hand on my cheek. “It happened a long time ago. And I guess it’s better that you hear all of these straight from me. I don’t want you to ever feel like she still meant something to me. Yes, we might see each other from time to time now that she’s here in Korea but that’s it. I swear, you’re the only woman I want now…” he paused. “And I don’t care how complicated it gets, I’d still want you.”

I was looking intently at him while my heart danced with his words. And I couldn’t help but wonder how someone could fall out of love with this man. That’s just absurd. I couldn’t even make myself think about choosing someone over him. I wouldn’t want anybody else apart from him. And I guess I’ve never loved someone as much as I love him now. No one could compare to how he makes me feel every time.

So, without any word coming from me, I tiptoed before I wrapped my arms around his neck for a hug. It only took him a few seconds before he hugged me back.

“Thank you,” I muttered. “Thank you for coming to see me this early. Thank you for making an effort to fix everything.” I trailed off when I felt his arms tighten around me. “I missed you…so much.”

“You have no idea how frequently I think about you when we’re not together.” He replied in a gentle voice.

My weak heart was about to melt when I suddenly remembered something. I immediately detached from him and looked at his feet which sent him looking baffled.

“Are your legs still okay?” I asked him.

“Huh?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows. “They’re fine, why?”

“Because you’ve been running non-stop on my mind.” I tried my hardest not to laugh and get through this pickup line.

His eyes grew wide, his mouth fell open and looked at me silently for a few seconds. His unexpected reaction made me feel uncomfortable. My face started to heat up.

 Oh my god, what a good way to embarrass me in front of my celebrity boyfriend.

“I-I shouldn’t have s-said that…” I struggled to say while I looked straight into his eyes. “Right?”  I added and by this time, I was certain that my face had turned into a strawberry.

He didn’t answer, the subtle disbelief still written all over his face.

“Gosh, this is so embarrassing…” I mouthed as I moved a few steps away from him.

Then I heard him laughing and I knew why. He was laughing at me and not at what I just said. He must be most probably thinking how lame and corny I was and I couldn’t blame him. Out of nothing else but embarrassment, I just stood a few steps away from him and waited for him to stop laughing.

“You’re so cute.” He told me as he stepped closer to me, immediately placing a hand on the small of my back to pull me next to him.

“I wasn’t being cute.” I was surprised at how hurt I sounded as I tried to avoid him.

“But you are… you and your vintage line.” He reasoned out with a beautiful grin on his face.

“I should’ve kept that old-fashioned line to myself…” I said, almost sulking as I attempted to walk out.

I heard him let out a soft laugh before calling me.

“Hey baby, wait. I told you it’s cute.”

I wasn’t looking at him as I continued to walk away but I could perfectly imagine how perfect his grin was.

“Really. It’s funny too.” He went on as he finally grabbed my wrist to pull me closer to him once more. “It’s the funniest thing I’ve heard today.” He added, obviously trying to stifle another laugh.

I wanted to punch him for openly making fun of me but he’s so handsome I wouldn’t want to ruin his face, so I just looked away.

“Hey, Baby.” He muttered.

I refused to look at him because the truth was, I was already scolding myself for bringing up that stupid line I probably got from my grandmother.

“Baby.” He said once more. “Are your legs still fine?” He asked, chuckling.

Oh my god, this guy! My eyes grew wide as I finally turned to him and I was about to open my mouth to argue when he suddenly lifted me and carried me in his arms.

“Baekhyun!” I shrieked in surprise, my hands automatically meeting behind his neck for support. “What are you doing?”

“Since you’ve been running non-stop on my mind too…” He answered casually. “I’m afraid your legs might give up anytime soon.” He added, ending his statement with a wink.

I guess it was my eyes’ turn to grow wide.

“Promise me you’ll take care of your legs…” He continued. “You’ll still have a lot of running to do.”

 “OH MY GOD BAEKHYUN SHUT UP!” I told him as I hit his shoulder right before he started to walk closer to his car.

I watched him while he laughed. His laughter filling my ears, his beautiful crescent eyes, and his perfect smile in full display, made me forget about everything.

Gosh, I love this man.
He swept me off my feet both literally and figuratively.

*.☽.*

10:47 AM

We drove back to the town when I found out that he had a schedule in the afternoon. He was about to start his tour next month so he already had scheduled rehearsals now. I couldn’t be happier for him and congratulated him and he replied by making me promise that I would go to one of his concerts.

Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

We were right at the entrance of the town when he mentioned that he was kind of hungry. Honestly, I was a bit hungry too. And Since Uncle Jin Woo was at home, Auntie’s house was not an option. Without having any better ideas, I told him to drive to the nearest café. We both agreed for him to just wait in the car while I buy something inside.

For some reason, the nearest café was Take me to the stars. The same café where Eun Chan and I talked. While I was ordering, I couldn’t help but felt a bit anxious because being in this very place reminded me of that day. I recalled everything he said to me. The photos, and the crazy fact that he knew about my relationship with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun.

I haven’t told him about any of it yet. Gosh, how could I ever forget about it? I didn’t know if it was a big deal but I promised him I’d tell him about my conversation with Eun Chan. I certainly have to tell him today.


*.☽.*

I handed him the food and coffee I bought right after I got inside his car. I didn’t know I spaced out for a few seconds if he didn’t call my name. When I turned to him, he’s got a worried look on his face.

“Is something wrong, baby?”

My heart suddenly started to hammer right behind my chest. I didn’t imagine it’d be this hard. For some reason, I felt scared he’d know. What if this would only add to the stress he’s trying to deal with right now? Well, I was a hundred percent sure it would but I had to tell him. I had to tell him about Eun Chan.

“Eun Chan.” It was all that I could muster.

“What about him?” He asked.

“He..uh…” I gulped, and tilted my head down a bit before looking up at him again. “He knows… about us.”

His worried expression immediately transformed into annoyance. His eyebrows furrowed, his lips forming into a thin line.

“What do you mean, he knows about us?” It was obvious that he wasn’t expecting this news.

“He knows I have a boyfriend and he knows it's you…” I trailed off as I watched him take in everything. 

“He’s got the photos, Baek.” I bit my lip. “The ones on the internet.”

“What?” He asked unbelievably.

“He has the copy of the original photos,” I said, my voice almost shaking.

I suddenly got so scared upon remembering the kind of information Eun Chan had in his hands. I could only pray that he’d be true to his words and not do anything to harm Baekhyun.

“Why the hell does he have those freaking photos?” He continued to ask and I could tell that his anger was building up.

“He’s with a top broadcasting company in Seoul.”

“Damn it!” He hissed.

He looked like he was about to break things. I saw how his jaw clenched right when he leaned his head against the headrest of the driver’s seat. He lifted a hand to brush his hair up, revealing his creasing forehead. He shut his eyes closed and swallowed a few times. I was pretty sure he was trying to control his anger or maybe his frustration right at that very moment.

“Baek…” I hesitated.

He didn’t move nor turned to me. I opened my mouth once more hoping I’d be able to come up with a decent set of words but failed. I ended up fidgeting with my fingers on my lap instead. I knew I was about to cry once more, so I bit my lips trying my best to overcome and forget about the painful lump in my throat.

“Manager Kang…” He stated, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I talked to him recently.” He paused to wet his lips. “I asked him why, of all people, would he ask me to break up with you.” He smirked. “And you know what? Aside from the fact that the company was pressuring him to talk me out of this, he said also he received a personal call from someone asking him to convince me to break up with you or else that person would expose me.”

I blinked once.
Twice.
Thrice.

“No,” I uttered in disbelief. “H-he said he’d never do something like that…”

My god. He lied to me. Gosh, I wanted to cry. I wanted to for so many reasons. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Eun Chan, being my friend for how many years would be able to do something like this. I heard him pretty well when he said he wouldn’t do such things. But what do I know? It’s been a few years. He had changed. I guess I didn’t have the slightest idea of what he’s like now.

I was angry. I felt betrayed though I shouldn’t have trusted him in the first place.

“Baby.”

I felt his hand reach for mine, held and squeezed it. I turned to look at him instantly and noticed how he didn’t look mad now, only concerned.

“We’re gonna be okay, right?” I asked him, my voice above a whisper.

“Of course.” He said with a small smile on his face.  “We’re going to be alright. We are going to be alright.”
 

I knew he wasn’t just convincing me.
He was convincing himself too.
 

*.☽.*

The next few weeks went by a blur. The internet was crazy. I saw a lot of articles linking Baekhyun