warning(s): creepy stalkerish behavior, kinda heavy chapter.

**

Hayoung most dreaded day to come will be Wednesday. For some reason, every bad thing that happened in her life always took place in that day of the week. She heaved a heavy sigh as she walked out her first class, her laptop hugged close to her chest. Most of her friends didn’t have an early class on Wednesday, making her grumble under her breath as she made a bee-line to the garden in art faculty.

She was self-conscious from the moment she woke up, knowing that Jinyoung would be around her faculty building on Wednesday. For two weeks, after receiving the creepy text messages from an unknown number who broke into her apartment. She assumed it to be Jinyoung. avoiding him wasn’t hard as she managed to stick close to one of her classmates at all time. But today her classmate didn’t attend their class.

Usually, Hayoung was able to feel comforted whenever she was inside the garden area. Not many used the place to hang out as it was secluded, though if there were any who hang out there, it usually was couples who needed their alone time. She took a seat on one of the bleachers, taking out her sketchbook and pencil case thinking that she would be able to get her mind off things.

It was all ruined when someone took the seat next to her, she saw a whipped of a washed out blonde hair in her peripheral view. Curious, she took a peek at who it might be only to have her heart dropped to the floor.

Jinyoung.

He was seated next to her with a smile that she deemed as creepy. Hayoung doesn’t want to act as if she assumed he was the one who barged inside her apartment even though the creepy smile he gave her was enough of a confirmation. Going rigid in her seat, she tried her best to give him a slight smile.

“I didn’t see you for awhile,” Jinyoung begun to talk, scooting his body closer to her until his arm is pressed against hers. She could feel herself shivering, “I missed you.”

Now, that was way too creepy. Hayoung only muttered that she had been busy with her assignments that she doesn’t hang out in the campus as much, confusion filled her when Jinyoung laughed - rather bitterly at that.

“Bet you were hanging out with your new boyfriend? You should hang out with me too.” Jinyoung said, stretching his arm to rest it on her shoulder. Hayoung knew that tears are filling up her eyes at the sudden gesture of his.

Though before Hayoung managed to say something, a voice was heard behind her.

“What the are you doing, creep?”

It was Jongdae, inviting himself to shove Jinyoung’s arm off her body as he make Hayoung scoot to the side so he could sit in the middle of them. Jongdae flashes Hayoung a brief worried smile before he turned his head to look at Jinyoung in a judging manner.

“ off.” Jongdae said. The thing with Jongdae was he doesn’t have any filter when it came to someone who gave him a negative vibe, Hayoung’s uncomfortable and teary eyes are enough explanation. She saw how Jinyoung got up to his feet to leave them alone, but what he had to say managed to make the tears she was holding fall.

I’ll see you around, Hayoung. Was what Jinyoung said, for some people who were not skeptic and afraid of him, they would think that he was being civil at her. But not for Hayoung; not when she knew that he had followed her around wherever she goes. She was glad that Jinyoung didn’t manage to see her tears. Completely forgetting that Jongdae was just seated next to her.

She flinched when she felt a pair of arms looped around her body. Her paranoia led her to think it was Jinyoung who does it. Jongdae shushed her when she let out a choked sob, letting her know that she was safe and nobody is able to harm her. Gratefulness is not enough to describe how she felt about having Jongdae to comfort her―he might not be Baekhyun and she knew that she has explaining to do later―and told her everything is going to be okay.

Jongdae let her cry to her heart's content, she was still hiccuping when he brought her to his car after he helped her with her laid out stuff. He doesn’t pry, doesn’t ask her what happened, though he made sure that he was here for her by letting her head rest on his shoulder as he combed her hair.

It was only after her hiccups died down when he asked her in a very soft tone; swiping his thumb on her cheek to wipe any excess tears. “What happened?”

Hayoung only look at him with her red swollen eyes, debating whether she wanted to tell Jongdae about what happened in the past month―it would be unfair if she doesn’t tell him, she came to a conclusion. After all, Jongdae has been her best friend for a very long time, a brother figure she never had. Hayoung took a deep breath, opening to let her story flow out.

**

“So you're telling me that you’re in love with Baekhyun.” Jongdae concluded, making her whine and slapping his chest hardly.

“That was not the point!” She defended herself.

“Okay, okay. I’m pretty offended though you didn’t ask me to fake date you when am a very good candidate for it,” he , poking her cheek with his index finger, “but you are not in love with me so it was fair that you asked Baekhyun instead.”

Hayoung whined at it, pulling herself away from Jongdae’s comforting arms to act as if she was sulking because he decided to focus on her love life instead of the real problem at hand. He laughed at that, patting her head with so much affection. They were silent after that, only Jongdae’s choice of ballad song sounded in the small space of his car.

“You should get a restraining order,” he looked at her seriously, “Baekhyun and I are more willing to be a witness.”

She mentally face-palmed herself for not thinking about doing so. Whining to herself at how dumb she was being, she could have stopped her problem way quickly. “Yeah, I should really do it huh.”

Jongdae nodded his head, offering her smile. “Now, let’s talk about Baekhyun.”

“There is nothing to be talked about. We fake-date, that is all.”

“You fake date him yet you are living in his apartment that none actually allowed to have a sleepover at make that make sense.”

Hayoung pursed her lips, weighing down Jongdae’s words. It was true that Baekhyun never let anyone have a sleepover at his place, she doesn’t know what was the reason for it as she never asked. Though, it still doesn’t change the fact that Baekhyun was only doing that out of courtesy of making her feel safe. Before Hayoung managed to say something, there was a knock on Jongdae’s car, she looked up to where the knock sounded only to blush at the sight of Baekhyun looking absolutely… ruffled.

Despite living together, sometimes Hayoung didn’t see him in the morning as they have a different class schedules. She glanced at her watch to see that Baekhyun’s first class of the day was going to start in fifteen minutes, wondering why did he even manage to find her. Jongdae unlocked the car door for him, exiting the backseat after Baekhyun was sitting next to her.

It was nonchalant, way too nonchalant with the way Baekhyun slumped his body very close to her after giving her lips a quick peck as a greeting. Hayoung pinked at it, knowing that Jongdae was following Baekhyun’s movement so closely with his eyebrow raised though he decided to not say anything as she made herself comfortable in Baekhyun’s arms, telling him what had happened in a hushed tone.

The comfort of being in Baekhyun’s arms are clearly different from being in Jongdae’s arm, she noticed. Wondering what differentiated it, was it the way Baekhyun tightened his arm around her waist as he listened, or was it because of the slight brush of his lips on her forehead? Hayoung had no idea.

“Jongdae said I should get a restraining order against Jinyoung.” Hayoung said with her lips pursed, watching how Baekhyun nodded his head as if he was agreeing with the idea.

“We should, I’ll be glad to testify.”

Once it was settled that both Baekhyun and Jongdae will help her to get the restraining orders; Baekhyun left to his class. But not before giving her lips a kiss that lasted like a lifetime. Shamelessly at that since Jongdae was watching.

“He loves you, Hayoung.” She heard Jongdae sigh, though it was not an exasperated sigh but a sigh of endearment.

“Give it a quit, Jongdae.” Hayoung pleaded, not wanting to lead herself into thinking that Baekhyun feel the same way as she does.

“Listen, he loves you. I am sure of that, he wouldn’t kiss you and comforted you the way he did if his feelings for you is fake.”

“Maybe.”

“At least admit it that you are in love with him.” Jongdae said, focusing on his phone which annoyed Hayoung.

Hayoung stared, and stared at Jongdae. She thought of how she really felt about Baekhyun, thought about the shared kisses they shared that felt real. She thought of the nights Baekhyun cradle her in his bed when she had a nightmare, and thought of how content she felt whenever he was near her. There could only be one conclusion―and Hayoung was brave enough to finally admit it.

“Yeah,” she breathed out, her heart was filled with the colors Baekhyun painted, making her realize that she was indeed in love with him, “yeah―I’m in love with him. I’m in love with Byun Baekhyun.”

**

It should be expected that the court didn’t want to hear her, after all, Hayoung knew that she doesn’t have any kind of hard evidence that showed Jinyoung was harassing her. The process was long and exhausting knowing that she had to sit down in the same room together with Jinyoung who gave her smile of victory. It bothered her that Jinyoung himself knew that she was not going to succeed. No wonder he was being way too calm about meeting Hayoung in court before it proceeded.

“Good luck trying, angel.” Jinyoung had said to her before the court started.

The entire time they were inside the courtroom, Hayoung felt suffocated. Even though Baekhyun and Jongdae was there together with her, it still didn’t help her to feel at ease. She knew her breath was taken away from her when the jury declined her, telling her that her evidence and witnesses are not strong enough as prove for the jury to give her the restraining order.

Once again, the hope Hayoung held on to vanished in thin ai