It felt like ages that Baekhyun sat there with Kyungsoo, letting the boy cry. He hadn't known Kyungsoo long but he could tell that the other wasn't an emotional person. His large doe-eyes were often cold and devoid of any emotion and the boy always came off as a closed-off person. Something told Baekhyun that it was unusual for the smaller to openly express his emotions. Whatever happened to cause this must've really hurt him. 

"Kyungsoo? Do you want to talk about it?" Baekhyun questioned once the sobbing stopped. "You don't have to if you don't want to though." 

"No...I-I'll tell you what happened."

Kyungsoo was ecstatic. It was Friday, his favourite day of the entire week. It was the day his best friend Jongin and his family would come over to the Do's house to eat dinner and play games. It was a tradition that originated from before Kyungsoo and Jongin were even born. 

Their moms had been best friends since they were schoolgirls and stayed that way even after they both got married. They were an inseparable duo. They even forced their husbands to bond, threatening the men with divorce if they didn't get along. They were there for each other through everything. Kyungsoo always thought of the day Jongin's mom was diagnosed with cancer. Although he was only seven years old, he could never forget the way his mom sobbed. She was absolutely devasted, spending all her free time next to her best friend at the hospital. His mom was there through all the chemotherapy sessions, holding her best friend's hands until she recovered. 

They got pregnant at the same time as each other, giving birth only two days apart. Kyungsoo was born two days before Jongin. 

Kyungsoo was a strong believer in fate and soulmates. He knew that Jongin was his soulmate. Since they were in diapers, they were best friends. They grew up together, being around each other all the time. They went to the same school and despite Jongin gaining a massive amount of popularity, while Kyungsoo was seen as an uncool nerd, they remained best friends. 

Jongin was always there for him.  Throughout middle school, Kyungsoo was getting bullied by several of his classmates when his best friend wasn't around. The doe-eyed boy was too embarrassed to tell Jongin anything so he kept quiet. He was always the protector of Jongin when they were kids but after his best friend hit puberty and grew a foot taller than him, their roles switched. 

Kyungsoo could never forget the day Jongin came to his house with a massive black eye and bruises all over his face. When his parents questioned the boy, he told them that he fell on his face. They let it go but Kyungsoo could tell his best friend was lying. He prodded Jongin for hours for answers but all he got was a "nothing. Don't worry about it." 

Eventually, he let it go but the next day, he found exactly what happened. 

It was strange when his bullies didn't approach him before his first class. It was almost routine for them to harass him before first period. As the day went by, he didn't even catch a glimpse of them. It was only until he saw the boys in home room. 

They were covered in bruises. 

When they caught Kyungsoo staring at them, they all looked away, looking scared. Kyungsoo's eyes widened. They were... scared? 

Then it all clicked. Jongin beat them up. 

His heart started racing, a blush forming on his face. He had a strange feeling in his stomach. Is this the butterflies that people always talked about? He didn't know, he just knew that this feeling was indescribable. It was like he was floating on air. All he could picture was Jongin smiling widely, staring at him with those beautiful bright eyes. 

Jongin. His best friend. His soulmate. The one he was in love with. 

Kyungsoo's eyes widened, his heart stopping. Love? He was.... in love? 

He shook his head aggressively. No, he wasn't gay. There was no way he liked Jongin in that way. They were best friends and nothing more. 

But why was his heart beating so fast? Why did he find Jongin beautiful? Why can't he imagine life with anyone else? 

It took Kyungsoo days to accept the fact that he had feeling for Jongin. He wanted to keep denying it but everytime he was around the other, he felt those stupid butterflies. At this point, his feelings were undeniable. 

Kyungsoo had no idea what he was supposed to do. There was absolutely no way he would ever tell Jongin how he felt but he couldn't imagine keeping it to himself forever. Maybe he would eventually lose feelings and like someone else. Preferably a girl, who he knew liked him back so he wouldn't have to worry about getting his heartbroken or ruining a lifelong friendship. 

The doe-eyed boy felt like he would explode if he didn't tell anyone about his feelings. The problem was, there was nobody he could tell. He didn't have any other close, or any really, friends other than Jongin. He couldn't tell his parents because god knows how they would react. He wasn't sure how they would react to their son liking a boy rather than a girl. He couldn't tell any of his maids or servants cause they could potentially snitch on him. 

His only option was to get a diary and pour out his feelings. The entire book was dedicated to Jongin. He kept it locked because he would die from humiliation if Jongin ever read any of it. 

Two years had passed since Kyungsoo found out he was in love with Jongin. It was their first day of high school at Seoul Academy, the best, and most expensive, school in South Korea. 

"Are you excited Soo? We're finally in high school! I heard that they have a dance club! Do you think I should out? Oh! And they also have a choir! Just wait until they hear your voice, you'll blow them away! Ah I'm so excited! Are you listening?" 

Kyungsoo snapped out of his thoughts, turning towards his best friend. 

"Sorry, what were you saying?" He questioned sheepishly. 

"Is everything okay Soo? You seem really nervous,"Jongin looked at his friend worriedly. 

"Well I am. I just... I don't know I have a weird feeling. High school is so big and people always make so many friends and they forget their old middle school friends. We'll still be friends right?"

Jongin laughed at the boy's words, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo's neck. 

"We've been best friends for 15 years. You think that's going to change just because of a new school?" 

Jongin joined the dance club and blew everyone away. His good looks and charisma caught everyone's attention and soon, most of the school knew his name. 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, kept a low profile as usual. He watched as Jongin became friends with two boys named Chanyeol and Sehun, who were equally as popular as him. 

All the girls in their grade, and even other grades, always talked about how good looking the three boys were. They would giggle and brag about how one of them was in their class or how they sat next to them. It was like they worshipped them. 

Kyungsoo was jealous. He was jealous that Jongin had so many people admiring him. He couldn't ignore all the whispers of his female classmates, talking about how hot Jongin was and how much they wanted to see him shirtless. Kyungsoo hated how much attention the boy got although he understood why all the girls in his grade were obsessed with Jongin. 

Kyungsoo was afraid that his best friend would become a douchebag the more popular he got, but to his delight, Jongin and his dynamic hadn't changed at all. The taller boy wasn't embarrassed of him even though he was practically a nobody. The two of them still sat together at lunch as Jongin had rejected Chanyeol and Sehun's offer of sitting with them at the popular table. 

Kyungsoo looked forward everyday to eating lunch with his best friend. Seeing the warm smile on Jongin's face made his heart flutter. He always felt giddy when the boy gave him all his attention, ignoring all the people staring at them. 

"And then Mr. Choi said he lost my paper! The paper I spent hours doing! Can you believe it Jongin, I was so angry!— are you listening?" 

"Kyungsoo. Do you think that I would ever be able to be successful in life if I don't inherit my family's wealth?" Jongin questioned, in deep thought. 

"Of course Jongin! Why would you even ask that?" Kyungsoo was bewildered by the sudden question. 

"I just... I'm not smart like you. I'm barely passing my classes. You have potential to be successful and you don't need your parent's money to make it in life. I can't do anything else if I don't inherit my dad's business. I would never be successful," Jongin frowned, looking down at his hands, avoiding eye contact with Kyungsoo. He always did that when he was upset. 

"Where is this coming from Jongin? You are smart! And you have potential! Have you ever seen yourself dance? Anyone who sees you dance  falls in love instantly!" Kyungsoo's eyes widened when he realized what he had just said. Thankfully, Jongin didn't question anything. 

"But you can't make a career out of dancing..." the boy said with a pout. 

"Yes you can! You could become an idol! You're handsome enough to be one and you've already got tons of fans!" Kyungsoo rebutted. 

"But there's no guarantee that I will be successful is there? I don't know what it's like to work hard for my success Kyungsoo. I don't want to ruin everything..." 

Before Kyungsoo could ask what Jongin meant by ruining everything, the bell had rung for their next class and Jongin had already bolted out of the food court. 

After their conversation, Jongin had disappeared for a while. Kyungsoo hadn't seen the other in days. Jongin's family hadn't come over to their house and the boy was absent from school. When Kyungsoo texted his best friend to ask what was wrong, all he got was 'sorry we're sick.' 

When he told him he would come by to check on him, Jongin told him that there was no need and that he would see him at school. 

Kyungsoo was extremely confused but worried. It had been a week now and he still hadn't seen his best friend and he wasn't able to check up on him either? How sick was he that Kyungsoo couldn't even see him? It was strange. 

The whole school was wondering where Jongin was. He even had a couple people ask him if he knew where the boy was and why he was absent. All he could say was that Jongin was sick and he wasn't sure when the boy would come back to school. 

After the seventh day, Kyungsoo had decided that he would visit his friend after school. He had texted Jongin to ask him if he felt better but didn't get a response. That worried him further and he knew that he had to see his friend even if the other told him not to. 

However, he wouldn't have to check up on his friend as he actually showed up to school.  And he wasn't alone. 

Her name was Shin Soobin. She was tall, looking like a model with her thin figure,  fair skin and gorgeous long hair. She was wearing the same uniform as everyone else but her Chanel purse and Louis Vuitton sneakers screamed wealthy. She caught everyone's attention, not just because she was stunning, but because she walked in with Kim Jongin. 

The two of them looked perfect as they strutted in past all the students that were now surrounding them. They looked like a celebrity couple who were too gorgeous to be around such normal looking people. 

Kyungsoo felt his heart shatter into a million pieces when the couple walked past him with no acknowledgement. Did Jongin not see him? Why was he with a girl that Kyungsoo had never seen before? And why was the expression on his face completely blank? 

Kyungsoo was getting frustrated at this point. He tried to talk to Jongin several times but couldn't get the boy alone. Everywhere he went, Soobin followed. 

The entire school was talking about it. Everyone was calling her Jongin's girlfriend, making Kyungsoo's heart throb.

Kyungsoo was about to give up after he wasn't able to talk to Jongin but just as he was about to get in the car to go home, he spotted his best friend standing alone outside the bathrooms. 

"Jongin! What the hell!" 

He ran up to the boy, who's eyes widened in surprise, obviously not expecting Kyungsoo to confront him. 

"What is going on? You've ignored me all week and you haven't even acknowledged me after a week of being gone?! Also, who is that girl you were with all day?" 

Jongin visibly gulped, looking really nervous for some reason Kyungsoo couldn't decipher. 

"I'm so sorry Kyungsoo. I was really sick, I didn't want you to catch anything if you visited me and her dad is my dad's friend. They came to visit us for a while," 

"Came to visit you? While you guys were sick?" Kyungsoo stared hard at his friend, who was turning red. 

"Uh-h we actually got sick after they came," Jongin retorted, averting his eyes from Kyungsoo's piercing gaze. 

"But you were sick this whole week. Have they been here for longer than that?" 

Jongin stayed quiet as Kyungsoo stared at him with his arms folded, waiting for a response. Kyungsoo knew there was something going on. His friend wasn't telling the truth. 

Kyungsoo knew that the other was lying. He could tell by the way Jongin's eyes shifted. Kyungsoo knew his best friend well. Jongin was a terrible liar. The way he couldn't even look Kyungsoo in the eyes just proved that he was hiding something. 

"Hey! I'm done! Let's go home!" Said a high-pitched, cheery voice. 

Soobin came out of the bathroom, a wide smile on her perfect face. She looked between the two of them, her smile dropping when she saw Kyungsoo. She raised an eyebrow, noticing the tension between the two boys. 

"Uh... who's this, Jongin?" She questioned, staring Kyungsoo down, making him extremely uncomfortable. The way she was looking at him with disgust made him both angry and insecure. Who did she think she was?! 

"He's...." Jongin also stared at Kyungsoo with a weird look in his eyes. Kyungsoo couldn't tell what the other was feeling. "...Nobody. Let's go, everyone's waiting for us at home." 

And with that, they both left, leaving behind a confused but heartbroken Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo had never been more confused in his entire life. He spend the entire night thinking about what he could've possibly done to have Jongin ignore him like this. He replayed every moment he spent with Jongin before everything happened, analyzing every memory as if he was going to write an essay on it. 

He couldn't come up with anything. None of it made sense. 

He was sure that Jongin was lying to him about being sick. But why would he lie about something like that? 

And why was he constantly around Soobin? It was like he was her bodyguard, following her everywhere but the bathroom. 

Kyungsoo tried to come up with reasons for Jongin's odd behavior. Maybe his parents were forcing him to be around her for a business deal? He knew that "dad's friend" translates to business partner when it involves two rich older men and Jongin's father prioritized his business over everything. 

But even if Jongin was forced to be around her, he wouldn't ignore his best friend for her. 

His heart throbbed painfully thinking about Jongin ignoring him. Just the thought brought warm tears b in his eyes. 

Every time he saw them together, his heart dropped and all he felt was pure agony. There was an instant surge of emotions; fear, envy, resentment. But the most overpowering emotion was grief. Seeing the love of his life spend so much with someone else was torture. Kyungsoo wasn't a violent person but seeing her giggle obnoxiously every time she was with Jongin made him want to throw her off a cliff. 

He tried to fight off the ache in his heart when he thought about what happened yesterday. Jongin called him a nobody. The same Jongin who proudly showed off their friendship to the entire school, even though everyone thought Jongin was too good for him, refused to acknowledge him in front of her? 

Kyungsoo couldn't sleep as that scene replayed in his mind the entire night. He sobbed the whole time, catching the attention of many students who noticed his puffy eyes. 

But that didn't matter to him. He only needed one person's attention. 

 But that person wasn't there. Jongin was absent. Again. 

After a painfully long day of school, Kyungsoo decided that he was going Jongin's house to confront the male. He had had enough of being ignored. All that heartache was turning into rage. He was not going to leave until he got answers. 

And so, after the bell rang, Kyungsoo instructed his driver to take him to Jongin's house. On the way to his best friend's house, he rehearsed what he was going to say. He was going to confront Jongin, asking him why he was getting ignored and why him and Soobin were suddenly so close. And this time, he was going to get the full truth. Jongin's last response to his questions didn't satisfy him. 

Once Kyungsoo arrived outside Jongin's house, he walked up to the gates. The guard smiled at him, greeting the boy and letting him in without any questions. Kyungsoo was always over at Jongin's house so all the workers in the house knew and loved him. 

As he walked into to the familiar mansion, he was taken aback by how crowded it was. There were so many workers running around, yelling at each other as they decorated the mansion. There were men on ladders, adorning the tall pillars with lights while the others worked on the flower arrangements. 

Kyungsoo was even more confused as made his way through the crowd, cursing as he got bumped into for the umpteenth time. He was looking for someone he knew so that he could question them about what was going on. From all the years he's known the Kims, he knew that they only held parties on two occasions; Jongin's birthday and the Mr. and Mrs. Kim's anniversary, neither of which were anytime soon. 

There was only one way for him to find out. 

He ran up the stairs, dodging all the people who were about to bump him, before finally reaching Jongin's door. 

Being friends so long, they never knocked before entering each other's room. Even though they have accidentally walked in on the other person changing, which always brought a blush onto Kyungsoo's face, it has been a habit that has never once changed. 

So, without thinking, Kyungsoo turned the door knob, aggressively opening the door. 

He regretted that as soon as the scene unfolded in front of his eyes. 

Jongin laying on his bed, Soobin on top of him. Straddling him. His shirt halfway ed. His hands on her waist. The dazed look in his eyes as he pulls away from their passionate kiss. 

"Kyungsoo?" 

"I-I'm sorry." 

He ran out of there, heart thumping in his chest as his eyesight blurred. The scene that he just witnessed replayed in his mind a dozen times as he held his breath, controlling the sobs that were threatening to arise. 

Kyungsoo ran out the mansion, continuously running until his heart felt like it would explode. The sky was dark grey, riddled with clouds as water droplets fell from the sky, drenching the heartbroken boy. He barely noticed, hugging his knees as he couched down. 

He knew he looked pathetic, sitting in the middle of a sidewalk getting soaked by the pouring rain. He could feel the stares from the people around him, probably questioning his sanity. 

But he didn't care. 

Nothing mattered anymore. He lost his best friend. He lost the love of his life. 

The brunet chuckled as he looked up at the sky, letting the rain trickle down his face, mixing with his tears. 

How pitiful he was. 

Kyungsoo felt numb. After spending hours in the rain, he inevitably caught a cold. His parents were beyond furious at him, forcing him under several blankets as they fed him soup for several days. 

Kyungsoo spent most of the days staring at the wall. He was tired of crying and pretty much used up all his tears so there he was, completely and utterly numb. 

He looked exactly the way he felt. Like a corpse. All the color in his face was drained, his once rosy lips were pale with a slight tinge of blue. He had lost a lot of weight in the past couple days, being able to feel his ribs slightly sticking out. 

But as torturous as it was to be home for many days, he was grateful that he didn't have to face Jongin. Just thinking about what he witnessed last made his stomach churn and his eyes sting, he couldn't even imagine how he would react if he saw the male again. Especially if he saw them together. 

They were probably a couple now. Maybe the school even knew about them. They were probably getting cheered on by everyone. 

After all, Jongin is meant to be with a beautiful, popular girl like her. Not with a nobody like him. 

Kyungsoo was dreading going back to school. He begged his parents to let him stay home another few days but after being absent for almost a week, he couldn't miss out on more schoolwork. He was the top student and his grades would suffer if he stayed home any longer. 

But he was a coward. Facing Jongin again made him unbelievably anxious. All he wanted was to run as far away as possible. Maybe he could transfer schools in another country. He knew it was unlikely but he couldn't take any more heartbreak. 

As soon as he stepped into the school, the attention was on him. Every student stopped what they were doing to stare at him, whispering loudly to each other. 

Kyungsoo could feel his heart drop at the way they were looking at him. As if they knew everything.

"Oh look guys! It's the little . Hey Kyungie, finally coming out of hiding?" Doyoung questioned. 

There was a wide, mocking smile on the boy's face as he approached Kyungsoo, laughing at the shocked look on his face. 

"What do you look so surprised for Kyungie? Thought you'd be able to keep your little crush a surprise forever?" 

"W-what?" Kyungsoo looked at the crowd that was now forming around him and Doyoung. He swallowed the lump in his throat, blinking several times hoping that this was all a dream. 

No... they couldn't find out about his crush on Jongin. There was no way. 

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," Doyoung sneered, a smirk on his face as he ped his backpack, pulling out a familiar  unlocked dark brown notebook   

His diary. 

As if it couldn't get bad enough, a mop of dark brown hair and bronzed skin was now in the crowd, holding hands with her again. 

"Jongin has the prettiest smile. His eyes light up like stars. He reminds me of a puppy when he smiles... god how ing pathetic is this," Doyoung jeered as he read through the diary, flipping pages as if he was trying to find anything more embarrassing. 

The second Kyungsoo's eyes locked with Jongin's, he could no longer breathe. His eyes watered as he felt bile rise in his throat. His vision was blurry but somehow, Jongin's face was completely clear. It was like a camera that was focused on an object. 

He couldn't decipher what his best friend was feeling. The look on his face was completely blank, his eyes devoid of emotions. 

Kyungsoo felt like he was going to pass out. 

"That's enough Doyoung. The kid just has a little crush. I can't blame him, my fiancé is the most handsome boy in this school," Soobin giggled, kissing the stoic boy as everyone around them awed. 

Fiancé. 

It all made sense now. That day at Jongin's house, all the decorations. 

Kyungsoo couldn't take it anymore. His vision was getting even more blurry and all the loud voices were suddenly muted. He turned around, using every ounce of his strength to run. His legs felt like they would give out but he didn't stop. He kept going until he couldn’t keep his eyelids open anymore. His vision was surrounded by black dots until everything faded to black. 

“I wish I didn’t love him. I wish I never fell in love with him Baekhyun. Why am I so stupid. Why would he ever want me?” Kyungsoo questioned, red eyes b with more tears. 

“He never deserved you Kyungsoo.” 

Baekhyun pulled the boy into a tight embrace, letting the male sob against his neck. 

“Don’t let them play with you Baekhyun. They are all the same,” Kyungsoo stated, sniffing as he wiped away his tears. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Popular rich boys. They don’t care about anyone’s feelings. Don’t ever fall in love with Chanyeol Baekhyun. He will break your heart.” 

Baekhyun laughed, shaking his head at the thought of falling in love with Chanyeol. Sure, he was cute but Baekhyun knew better than to fall for a rich boy. 

“I won’t Kyungsoo. I won’t ever fall in love with Park Chanyeol.” 

A/N: hi! it’s been a long time since I’ve updated! I’ve been working on this chapter for a long time I really hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a comment + vote if you did!