Act Five Point Five

Geomeun Jinju Senior High School, four years ago

“Chanyeol, we did it!”

            After the trial is decided and Mr. Lee was proven guilty and went to jail, Baekhyun ran to Chanyeol who sat in front as the witness. Chanyeol didn’t expect the shorter to jump on him so he didn’t have much choice unless open his arms to catch the guy. It is good that everyone else has left the trial, because when Chanyeol nodded his head in happiness and Baekhyun smiled at him, the times seem stop for a second.

            They both are staring at each other when Baekhyun suddenly got closer to Chanyeol and kissed him on the lips.

***

“Don’t you feel hot? This is why you always get sick!”

            Baekhyun put his scarf on Chanyeol’s neck. The latter just wear a freaking white sweater when it is freezing outside. He is ready to put off his padding jacket when Chanyeol blocks him.

“I am okay, it didn’t feel cold at all” Chanyeol stated

“But it is freezing!”

            Chanyeol seems uneasy at first, but then he pulled Baekhyun to the secluded area before guiding the smaller’s hand up to his forehead. He closed his eyes when Baekhyun understood, widened his eyes like a puppy and Chanyeol nodded. Before Baekhyun could say anything, Chanyeol signaled him to see his hand which forms a fist between them, and spark of fire is shown. Chanyeol’s wide back blocks anyone to see what is happening between them, but well- Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself to shout in surprise so Chanyeol is surprised as well.

“H-how could you? I mean, h-how th-this could happen-? It just came right? Y-you are not joking or- or-“ Baekhyun stuttered

Chanyeol grip Baekhyun’s shoulder, keeping the smaller straight “I know. It just happened, like, recently- I- suddenly feel hot and- and- that is just happened”

“Alright, keep calm. Everything is going to be okay. Keep calm” Baekhyun keep muttering at himself as he looked at the taller “Did you ask the Doctor already?”

Chanyeol shook his head “I am too afraid they will put me into the lab, thinks I am kind of alien- and-“

Baekhyun looks surprised and he shouted immediately “No, they won’t do that on you!” he is confused but he knows that he needed to do something “No, I won’t let that happen to you. But you know we need a professional here, so-“

“Doctor?” Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun, half worried, half terrified

Baekhyun didn’t answer though.

***

Baekhyun frowned looking at nearly crying Chanyeol in the line “That is okay Chanyeol, they will just check on you. It will be fine”

“But what if they force me to follow them?”

“You will say no, and there is nothing they could do”

“I make fire out of my hand! That is abnormal!” Chanyeol said in panic “I don’t think this is a good idea at all, Baek- let’s go back and ignore it“

            Seeing the panic on Chanyeol’s eyes, Baekhyun knows he shouldn’t force it.

So he pulled Chanyeol’s out of line and said “Alright, let’s back home and let me tell you a story”

            Chanyeol seems confused. But he followed him like a lost puppy anyway.

            When Baekhyun said home, Chanyeol thought it is the orphanage. But Baekhyun turned around and escorted Chanyeol to another area of the Town. They have been friends almost two years, but Chanyeol never visit Baekhyun’s house ever once.

            He is surprised to see a big mansion with a gate too high that Chanyeol couldn’t get a glimpse of anything. Baekhyun told him to follow him. The owner took out the keys on his pocket and opens the gate, with a shrieking sound of a rotten iron, the gate is opened.

            The mansion is great, it is sad to see it filled with wild vines and piled of snow. Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows, slowly follows Baekhyun who head to the main door. The shorter asked him to come in as he took of his shoes and let Chanyeol do the same.

            At least the interior is still fine and good. Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun in disbelief, asked him with questioning looks, demanded an explanation. Baekhyun knows this will happen, so he asked Chanyeol to take a seat anywhere, because it seems like the house is not taken care well.

“I have told you that I was rich” Baekhyun made sure to use the past tense “Not anymore” he added “My parents are passed away three years ago. A year after they are killed, I was sent here forcefully by my uncle without nothing much unless the money to be lived on. I couldn’t afford to take care of the mansion, so it becomes like this”

“I am sorry to hear that” Chanyeol said

            Now all of the fear has disappeared from his face, he only worried about Baekhyun, truly.

Baekhyun tried to shrug his shoulders casually although he is still haunted by his past, he lied “I passed the term already, it is sad but- life must goes on. The thing in your hands is not the only one who is abnormal Chanyeol-ie”

“What do you mean?”

“Have I told you who killed my parents?”

Chanyeol shook his head. The truth is he wanted to ask. But seeing sadness on Baekhyun’s eyes, Chanyeol always tries not to bring up the topic.

“Me”

            Now, he widened his eyes.

“Someone who looks exactly like me that everyone keeps saying it is me. They thought that I am bipolar to the point I need to be checked on psychiatrist. But you know what? I am not. I saw it with my bare eyes. I was there in the closet. Fifteen years old boy is hiding in the closet when all of that is happened. He saw it with his bare eyes, a boy who is exactly looks like him, is killing his parents, his trainer, and everyone in the room” Baekhyun paused only to say “except me”

            Chanyeol tensed on his position. The way Baekhyun said it. He knows that Baekhyun still has that little revenge on his heart. He didn’t understand though. For the guy as perfect as Baekhyun, why something bad is still happening to him?

            Chanyeol gulped when Baekhyun approached Chanyeol, just centimeter away from his nose. The shorter guy patted Chanyeol’s hair playfully as he smiled dearly. He took Chanyeol’s hands on him and said.

“Do you believe me Chanyeol? That I am not the killer?”

Holding his breath, he didn’t know himself why he is nodding though.

Then Baekhyun kissed Chanyeol’s forehead and said “Me too. I believe in you. Nothing is bad will happen to you. I am going to protect you with my all”

            The temperature seems to get higher, but it is not because of the heat that radiates from Chanyeol’s body. It is because of the guy in front of him who grew impossibly prettier and more adorable. The only word Chanyeol can think about is his angel, Baekhyun.

            That night, when both of them decided to sleepover, and Baekhyun has already slept, Chanyeol sneaked out to the front house. He took most of the wild vines those grew messily on the door. Roughly but in silence, Chanyeol ripped all the wild vines out of the house and piled it up on the snowy ground.

            The cold wind blew strongly, but Chanyeol didn’t feel cold, obviously. He lifted his right hand at first, stared at it for minutes before making a fist and opens his palm. A ball of fire soon comes on his hand, its flame is dancing dangerously even the cold can’t do anything. He squatted at the piles in front of him, places the fire on it and it burns right away.

            Chanyeol is looking at the dancing flame in front of him while thinking back about the past he has been through. Eighteen years old Chanyeol actually hides something for a long time. Just like Baekhyun, a fact that he is trying to forget.

            He transferred to this orphanage not because of the closure of the orphanage, but because he is accused to do something terribly bad. The Summer School six years ago, although he didn’t have any memory left, but he is the one who burned the school into the fire. He is the one who opens the way for the other eleven kids those came with him to run away.

            The fact is, Chanyeol has controlled his fire since he is twelve years old.

***

“What is this?”

            Baekhyun seems angry. It is not the first time he saw Baekhyun is angry though. But it is not just angry. As he saw sadness, disappointment, all are combined in his brown eyes. He lifted his eyes to look at Chanyeol, demanded an answer.

“I am adopted” he answered very slowly in a whisper that Baekhyun couldn’t possibly miss it, so Chanyeol continued “Mr. Lee signed the adoption card and put my name on it”

“No. I mean-“ Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol “It couldn’t just happened in a night. Park effin’ Chanyeol, how long you hide this from me?”

Chanyeol gulped, trying to turn down Baekhyun’s voice but he knows he couldn’t, so he said “For a month already. I couldn’t bring the topic to you, I am really sorry. Baekhyun-ah, I really didn’t want to leave you b-but-“

Baekhyun slaps Chanyeol’s hand which tried to hold him, the tears are already threatening at the corner of his eyes but he still glared at Chanyeol “Don’t ‘Baekhyun-ah’ me! I hate you Chanyeol! I so hate you! Why did you do this to me” and then he started to cry “You said that you won’t leave me, you said that we will live together, y-you said that-“

            The words become incoherent as Baekhyun sobbed so loudly. The nurses started to come to check, but Chanyeol shook his head, telling them that he will handle it. As Chanyeol squatted in front of crying Baekhyun and pulled him into his arms.

            It is not like the warm hug he felt before, instead Baekhyun only feel coldness and he cried even louder.

“I will never leave you alone, Baekhyun-ah. I will stay by your side, I promise you” Chanyeol deep voice is trying to soothe the crying Baekhyun

But Baekhyun realized that he only has less than 24 hours to be with Chanyeol so he said “You promise me. Pinky promise”

            It is a command, Chanyeol knows. So he pushed Baekhyun a bit only to tie his pinky finger with his. Chanyeol smiled, asking Baekhyun to stand up and spend the rest of the day with him.

“-and I promise you that I will protect you no matter what because you are always getting in trouble and you are bad at sports” Baekhyun said in one breath that made Chanyeol chuckled

“Don’t break your promise” Chanyeol

“I should say that, you liar. Don’t break your promise”

“How can I when you are the one who save my life? I will never let you go” Chanyeol whispered on Baekhyun ears before kissing his cheek and made the latter hit him while is blushing badly

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“I forgot to ask you. So, which family that adopted you?”

“They are rich enough to make Mr. Lee sell his only coworker to them” Chanyeol stated but soon turned into serious when he saw Baekhyun is glaring at him, he gulped “I heard that I will have two new siblings, one is older than me, and one is younger than me. And- heard that they are researcher family-“

“Alright, surname?”

Chanyeol laughed “You wouldn’t believe me if I said this-“ Baekhyun raised one of his eyebrows, a sign of he is getting annoyed, so Chanyeol immediately said “Park. See, you wouldn’t believe me! We had the same surname!”

“Already calling them we” Baekhyun mumbled

“Pardon me? Do you say something, Angel?” Chanyeol asked

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and pinched Chanyeol real hard “I don’t. Just give me your effin’ number when you are there. Now you have move to the new rich family, they should buy you a phone. This is my number. Don’t forget to call me, alright?”

            Baekhyun gave him a piece of paper, his number is written there. Chanyeol smiled, took it immediately and put it safely in the pocket of his jacket. He will save the number for sure. He won’t forget Baekhyun, ever.

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***

            Chanyeol never contacted him.

            After finished his school, Baekhyun tried to apply on the university in the Town. But he is failed. He