9.

Chanyeol is delighted by the sight of the people in the hall. Looking at the participants’ smile as they are having good times with the volunteers, his heart feels warm. The pair of those big eyes then gaze at the twins, both of them are tittering along other people in their group. And when Chanyeol’s steps is about to bring him to them, his ears catch a voice from behind calling his name formally thus his steps halt. As the tall guy turn himself around, Dr. Kim comes to the sight. Somehow it feels strange that even that doctor is beaming, his eyes are sharp that Chanyeol could feel they are piercing on him.

They exchange greeting with a handshake, then the other guy’s tip his head to the outside, informing the businessman that they should have a talk in a more suitable place. And so those gentlemen’s steps bring themselves to have a seat at the couch with coffee table at the lounge.

Minseok’s finger lightly touches the frame of his glasses, pushing it closer at the bridge of his nose. He glances up to the man who has a curious look on his face before finally initiate to satisfy his wonder.

“I didn’t meant to be rude, I’m sorry if I’d sound so but…” he pauses. “The twins, I mean, her kids…they aren’t yours, right?”

That tall guy’s face slightly tenses up at those words. Even the doctor is actually stating fact, Chanyeol finds it a bit unpleasant for him to hear it from other’s mouth – of course. After all though, that is the truth. So he clears his throat awkwardly and hesitatingly nods. “They aren’t.” Chanyeol bites his inner cheek and thinly smiles meanwhile the other man gasps inaudibly.

“I knew it..!” he speaks to himself. Minseok’s jaws clench as he brushes his hand on the face, expressing his disbelief. “No wonder he really looks like…what am I thinking is true, right?”

“If you think of Mr. Byun, then yes,” the taller guy breathes. “They are definitely his. I am just an acquaintance who happened to meet her five years ago, nothing more.”

“Oh my God…” he murmurs. “Then, you guys haven’t got married yet?”

Chanyeol chuckles dryly as he shakes his head. He already expected that kind of assumption from this man in front of him which makes him not even surprised to hear it. “We never even think of it.”

“Then…why…?”

“She wanted to protect Baekhyun’s dream, of course. But for the rest of the story, I think it’d be the best if you listen from her herself.” Chanyeol sighs. “But one thing that I’m sure of,” he lifts his gaze up to meet Minseok’s eyes. “She never meant any harm towards Mr. Byun. That girl…she always hides it but I could see that every single second in her mind, she only had him.”

Upon hearing that, Minseok lets out a very heavy sigh. His heart drops. All this time, he did not even try to seek the reason behind the girl’s actions. Foolishly, he becomes a person who blindly punished his friend while protecting the other. As a friend whom once called himself as a close brother of that girl, he is embarrassed by his own deed. Now he doesn’t even know how he should face her, he was too sorry for what he had done.

That girl was barely in her 20s yet has made the biggest decision in her life, carrying the children of the man she loved without anyone’s taking care of her, stood up by herself to build her life again and raised the lovely kids he saw a while ago all by her own.

Then when he thinks of that couple’s cruel fate he feels…

“They even have kids…oh dear God,” Minseok mumbles, then look at the young chairman’s face again. “You know that Baekhyun…is very sick, right?” It takes a while for Chanyeol to nod his head and answered a ‘yes’ but when he does, Minseok lets out a heavier sigh. That doctor has almost losing his charismatic side at this point when he ruffles his hair terribly and immediately pin his gaze down to deal with his miserable thought. “What should I do now?”

This is the place, the usual place as he said.

In the past, we used to ‘picnic’ at any spots here in this park and do our stuff – sometimes studying, or movies and most of the time just chattering. And at this very place also, we declared ourselves to be in a serious relationship. Years have passed and this place have been upgraded thoroughly. Now there are even a roofed part, with clear glass window in this place. Thus I choose to sit on one of the benches at this side, thinking that it would be really cold outside since it is now winter.

My eyes glance at the wristwatch I am wearing, looking at the time. It is almost noon, I am using my lunchtime for this.

I arrived much earlier than the time we have agreed last night, for I think this is need to be done by today. To be honest, I have no idea on how should I put it into words that I could explained. There are several kinds of thoughts that I have been brainstorming since almost three weeks ago but now when I am at the very place, getting nearer to the exact time, they are already lost in the air. Should I come to the conclusion right away or what?

If I had to explain it one by one, then how? In what order? How am I going to initiate the topic?

In the meantime, I find myself nibbling on my fingers and my feet lightly keep on tapping the floor.

Which part am I feeling nervous of?

Perhaps getting my hopes up that Baekhyun would accept all of this, is the reason why I am anxious. This wouldn’t be easy, not for me, not for him. It was never easy in the first place. Imagine being Baekhyun, he was left alone by the only person he trusted out of sudden then finally when he is at the peak of his life where he achieved what he wanted, he is burdened by the fact that he has a child of his own. And not even one but they are twins, in fact.

He could slap me on my face and hate me with all his life all over again, he could