“Hi.” A man greeted Baekhyun.

“Hello.” Baekhyun greeted back. He smiled at the man.

“I’m just new here in the neighborhood. I’m Kim Jongdae.” The man extended his hand.

“Byun Baekhyun.” He accepted the man’s hand and shook it.

“Ah, are you going somewhere? Am I bothering you?”

“Yeah… kind of.” Baekhyun was about to go to Yixing’s house when Jongdae bothered him. But he is in a good mood right now so he will entertain him for a bit. He’s in front of Yixing’s house anyways so he can talk to Jongdae for a while. Yixing is just inside his house.

“Really? I’m so sorry if I bothered you. I just couldn’t let the chance to meet you pass.” Jongdae pointed at the nearest building near them. “I live there. I saw you yesterday when you passed by. I’m sorry if I’m too nosy. I admit I’m kinda attracted to you. And I want to know more about you. Is it safe to ask if I can invite you to dinner tonight?”

Wow! This man is so fast! But he wants to admit that he is flattered that Jongdae personally approached him. At least he is a gentleman and is careful with his words. He seems so nice. And good-looking as well.

“Well…” Baekhyun is about to turn Jongdae down when he glanced at Yixing’s house. And the said owner is coming out of his house. He’s with a beautiful woman. Baekhyun’s heart is already eaten by jealousy. Was it his girlfriend? Baekhyun knows that Yixing has a girlfriend but he isn’t expecting to see her. He must be stupid for forgetting that Yixing has a girlfriend already. But what can he do? He’s very happy when he is with Yixing. It was enough to make him forget he shouldn’t be loving Yixing anymore.

Oh, my god. He just realized something that he keeps on denying himself—that he was in love with Yixing. If it wasn’t for that woman that he saw, Baekhyun wouldn’t realize his feelings for Yixing.

Yixing looked at his direction. And just like before, Baekhyun cannot see any reaction from his face. And his heart was like broken into million pieces when Yixing didn’t even throw him a second glance while he was walking away with that beautiful woman. And just like before, he wasn’t able to do anything but to look at Yixing’s retreating form.

“Baekhyun? Are you okay?” Jongdae called.

“Yeah.” He answered softly. He tried to toughen himself in front of Jongdae. “Yeah, I’m alright!”

“Hmm… I guess that’s the one who already owns your heart, huh! He’s such a lucky guy.”

Baekhyun neither confirmed nor denied Jongdae’s words.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun nodded and smiled sadly.

“I know we just met today but I don’t want to see you sad, Baekhyun.”

“Sorry. I can’t help but be sad.” He gave out a deep sigh. “It’s so hard to fall in love, right? There’s so much that you need to do and sacrifice for you to be happy. It’s so annoying.”

“Well, happiness is a choice. And love is a risk. Would you take the risk of going out with me?” Jongdae smiled at him.

“Jongdae…” Baekhyun tried to find a way to make his heart cheer up a bit. But he cannot do something bad such as using other people to make his broken heart feel better. “I’m sorry. I’m still in love with Yixing. I know that the easiest way to forget heartbreak is to find someone new. I cannot do that now. And I don’t want to force myself to forget him. I don’t… I don’t want to forget Yixing.”

“It’s okay. You’re right. I cannot force you to forget the man you love. But please, don’t deny yourself of loving again if ever you and Yixing didn’t end up together.”

“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

“What’s your problem?” Sehun asked Baekhyun.

“Sehun, don’t ask Baekhyun about his problem. He might make us pay when he already paid for the three of us here at the spa.” Kyungsoo said.

Sehun and Kyungsoo are still arguing while they are in the massage area of that spa lounge. He called his two best friends after he and Jongdae parted ways. He was so sad and he knew he needed his best friends to cheer him up a little. Or maybe he just wants his friends who are noisy to make him momentarily forget what happened earlier.

“I’m in love.” Baekhyun said later. “With Yixing,”

“Yeah, we already know that.” Kyungsoo nonchalantly said.

“So, what is your problem? It seems like it’s the end of the world with the way you talk.”

Baekhyun looked at the both of them from the other side of the room. “You knew I’m in love with Yixing?”

“Of course.” Sehun answered. “You’re always talking about that man when we are meeting up together. There wasn’t a time when you didn’t talk about him. We’re sick of hearing his name coming out of your mouth every second.”

“And duh, you’re always at his house.” Kyungsoo seconded. “Our neighborhood is small for you to hide his feelings for him. We all know how you like good-looking people. Well Yixing is an exception because you cannot see how handsome he is at first. But you, you were the only one who was able to see his hidden asset. Only stupid people will not notice your feelings for Yixing.”

“So… everyone knows? Really?”

“You know what, Baekhyun. If I can reach you, I will smack you in the head.” Kyungsoo said.

“So what’s your problem with Yixing?” Sehun asked. “Are you pregnant? Is that even a problem? Then we should be throwing a party.”

“That’s impossible.” Kyungsoo said matter-of-factly.

“I know, duh. I just want to tease Baekhyun hyung.”

But he remained sad. “Yixing has a girlfriend.”

Both of his friends stilled. Well, it’s just for a while because they already have their opinions spilling out of their mouths.

“It’s just a girlfriend. It’s nothing.” Sehun said.

“Yeah, just worry if she is his wife. Or even if that woman is Yixing’s wife, you don’t have to worry as well. What is the use of divorce here in South Korea, right?” Kyungsoo seconded.

“Or we can just hire someone to kill the woman. Yixing will be a widower in an instant.”

His best friend suggested more things. But he knows that they are just trying to cheer him up and they don’t really have plans of doing everything that they have suggested. His friends just love to exaggerate.

“Yixing loves that woman. I don’t have any reason to ruin their happiness.” Baekhyun said, defeated.

“You’re so dramatic. I’m gonna throw this candle at you.”

“Why?!” Baekhyun looked at Kyungsoo.

“You’re so annoying. Instead of fighting for your feelings for Yixing, you are succumbing yourself to sadness. We are in the modern world now. You can do everything that you want, just as long as you’re not violating any laws.” Kyungsoo lectured.

“To put it simply, my friend, stop sulking and do something to get the man that you love. So what if he has a girlfriend? You’re in love so they cannot do anything about that. All is fair in love and war, hyung. Go grab your right to do that. Don’t let the man you love get away from you without you doing anything.” Sehun advised.

“Sehun’s right. Look at me and him. We weren’t able to get the men that we love if we didn’t do anything. The thing is, if you fall in love, you have to make all the necessary moves to make that elusive ‘happy ending’ come true. There’s a huge possibility that he will reject you because you don’t know how he feels. But don’t let destiny do all the work. You have to work for it. At times like this, the words ‘if it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be’ won’t do you any good. Why? You didn’t do anything. You can only say that if you did everything and yet you still didn’t get the man that you love. That’s the only time you give up.”

“I’m not giving up, Kyungsoo. It’s just that… he’s in love with someone else. I don’t have anything to fight for in the first place.” That reality is just sad. But he has to accept it. Well, he managed to make Yixing happy even if it’s just for a while. Yixing had been his inspiration since the day he had the chance to know the real Yixing.

“So, you’re just going to be like that? You won’t do anything?”

“Kyungsoo, I can fight for Yixing if I can see even an ounce of his feelings towards me. But there’s none.” Baekhyun sighed. “I just thought that maybe I am destined to be single forever.”

“Baekhyun hyung!” Sehun scolded him.

“What? What’s wrong with being single?”

“Really? Single? You’re so eager to have a steady boyfriend but now you’re saying that it’s okay for you to be single forever?”

“I know I looked like a shallow person because of my lifestyle but I am an understanding person. I can accept my fate if I’m really destined that no man will ever like me.”

“Oh, come on. Yixing is just one of the many people whom you can love. There are so many men in this world.  Just wait until you’re fifty to give up on love.”

“I’ve been waiting for that special guy in my life. Now that he’s here, we cannot be together. I don’t have any choice but to just go on with my life. Anyway, it’s been fun running after that thing called ‘love’. It’s okay for me that I was able to give my heart to an amazing man. No regrets here. I’m happy that I fell in love with Yixing.”

His friends didn’t say anything. But he knows that they weren’t able to accept his decision.

“Oh, I was able to pass my application form to UNICEF and WWF.”

“You’re doing wrestling?” Sehun asked.

“No, dummy. It’s World Wildlife Fund, not World Wrestling Federation.”

“What will you do there?” Sehun probed.

“I will do volunteer work. I just thought that even if I wasn’t able to get married, I can dedicate my life in saving the planet. I’m such a genius, right?” Baekhyun answered.

“You’re insane.” Sehun threw a pillow at him.

“How about your job at the magazine when you’re leaving?”

“There are so many amazing and talented editors here in South Korea.  It won’t be a problem.”

“How about your monthly spa sessions?” Sehun asked. “Your skincare routine? Monthly visits to your dermatologist and other means of pampering that you are used to? Hyung, there are no spas in the jungle.”

“What do you think of me? I won’t be able to live without a fashion magazine by my side?”

“Yes.” Sehun and Kyungsoo answered together.

“Well, I can prove you otherwise.”

“All because your heart is broken by Yixing?” Kyungsoo shook his head disapprovingly.

“Don’t blame Yixing. You should even thank him because if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t realize my other calling.”

“You’re just running away from your heartache.”

Baekhyun went silent. His silence was his way of admitting that Kyungsoo was right. “Yeah, well, if I am running away, it’s better that I get something out of it. At least I can do something for our planet.”

Kyungsoo and Sehun shook their heads. Even if they try to convince him, he wouldn’t change his mind. He would leave the country the moment those two organizations called him.

“But Baekhyun hyung, don’t just give up. Maybe one of these days something will change.”

Baekhyun just smiled at Sehun. He doesn’t feel anything heavy in his heart. He was able to experience love and it was enough for him. He can go on with his life. Now, what can he give Yixing to thank him for being a part of his life?

Oh my god I'm so sorry for updating this story just now. And ending it with a sad chapter 😢 As you have noticed, I introduced a new character which is Jongdae. I chose him because I totally fell in love with him when I saw him on EXplOration in Manila last August 24. He was so beautiful and so ethereal in personal. I had a firsthand experience of being enamoured by his beauty because he stared at me for a solid 5 seconds (I was at the VIP standing section and I was really close at the stage) when they were performing Growl. So yeah, imagine how I went bananas that night. 😂😂😂 Oh, and Happy SeKai Day ❤️❤️❤️