“Byul, you’re here.”

As Byul regained her footing, she immediately locked gazes with those familiar dark eyes. Her breath was momentarily caught in . Aware that the boy’s hands were still holding her up, she shrugged them away while awkwardly clearing . “Hey, Baekhyun,” she muttered, her voice coming out deflated.

Baekhyun kept his smile plastered on despite his sudden appearance not being as warmly perceived as he originally imagined. He looked like he was just out of work because he was clad in a button-up, slacks, and a tie. “I thought I’d visit. You didn’t answer my call.”

“Oh, that.” She had almost forgotten about his call because of the aftermath that had followed. “Sorry. Something came up and I haven’t had a chance to text you.”

“That’s alright. I thought maybe you’d know how sincere I was if you heard me talk to you in person.” He beamed at her.

Something about being within two feet of Byun Baekhyun made her uncomfortable. Sure he seemed normal at that moment, but Byul was aware of how it took only one little slip for something to completely unravel him. The man was like a ticking time bomb. “Th-That’s okay. You didn’t need to come all the way here. I knew you were sincere," she said, choosing her words carefully.

“Really?” Baekhyun tilted his head to one side.

“Yeah, plus I have some errands to do right now. You kind of came at a bad time. And it’s getting late and—”

“That is nonsense.” He broke into laughter and slung an arm around her shoulders. Baekhyun led them towards the apartment building’s doors. “How about I take you out for dinner, huh? Let’s just talk.”

“Baekhyun, I…” Byul looked down and watched her own feet unwillingly follow the boy outside.

“How about we get tteokbokki at that place that you really like?”

As soon as she saw herself step out onto the pavement, a warning signal was flaring itself in her head. Like instinct, she immediately dug the heels of her shoes against the floor. Baekhyun was forced to remove his arm from her shoulder. He stopped and looked back at her in question.

“Something the matter?” He smiled again, his tone suggesting he was innocent.

“I-I’m busy right now. This isn’t a good time. I need to go.”

He held his hand out for her to take. When he took one step to approach her, Byul took an automatic step back. “How about I come with you—?”

“She said she needs to go,” a hard voice behind them said.

Over Baekhyun’s shoulder, Byul saw Sehun standing by the edge of the parking lot with his hands in his pocket. A dark cloud seemed to be hanging over him. Baekhyun’s expression had immediately darkened. The hostility in the air could be cut with a knife. Byul opened to speak, but nothing came out. She looked back and forth between them, trying to judge where the situation was leading to.

A fight?

Sehun’s stare was sending daggers that could kill at the back of Baekhyun’s head. He approached them slowly and stopped six feet away. In the silence, his footsteps had sounded deafening. Baekhyun still hadn’t turned yet at that point, as if he was taking the time to compose himself. Byul watched him adjust his tie and practice his smile before he cleared his throat and finally faced Sehun.

“Hi!” he greeted a little too enthusiastically. “And you must be…?”

Sehun narrowed his stare, wondering what the boy was up to. In Byul’s eyes, they had yet to meet, afterall. “Sehun,” he said, playing along.

“Well, Sehun, Byul and I were just about to grab food and chat—”

“Actually, she said she was busy,” he reminded him, cutting him off. Sehun showing up was obviously not in Baekhyun’s plan and he could see that it was rattling him.

“Alright then,” he said after a moment of hesitation. Sehun noticed the twitch in the corner of his mouth. “What’s the relationship between you two? Are you close?”

He looked at Byul for the answer, but Sehun had beaten her to it.

“I’m keeping an eye on her. You didn’t have to come.” The sudden edge in Sehun’s deep voice was calling command. He lifted a hand and gestured Byul to come near him with his index finger. Automatically, Byul was scurrying over to Sehun’s side, having to awkwardly step around Baekhyun.

The other boy hadn’t moved a muscle while Byul hurried away, only his eyes shifting to track her. He could tell that Sehun was locked on his every move anyway. Even putting a hand in his pocket would send him an alarm. The worst thing he could do was keep fighting it. His plans were already ruined the moment Sehun made his appearance.

Sehun tucked Byul away behind him as soon as she had crossed over to him. He didn’t like the way Baekhyun was looking at her. “So can I help you with anything else, or…?”

Slowly to not alarm Sehun, Baekhyun pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. His fingers flew over the screen while he sent a brief text. He only looked up again once he tucked his phone away. “Nope. I just wanted to see Byul. Maybe I’ll see her some other time.”

The smile he had flashed to Byul made her grip Sehun’s arm. Looking up at the hard look on Sehun’s face, she chose not to answer him. The way he was clenching his jaw looked like it hurt. His glare had held so much power and animosity that she wondered how Baekhyun was still standing on two feet.

A black limousine pulled up into the parking lot and glided to a stop beside Baekhyun. Giving them one last phony smile, he climbed inside the vehicle. Sehun watched as the limousine brought Baekhyun away. Eventually, it had turned the corner and was out of sight.

Byul released the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Sehun?” she said, interrupting the silence first.

She moved to stand in front of him when there was no response. Looking at his face, he was still staring after the vehicle where it had disappeared. Did he not hear her speak?

“I, uh, left because I wanted to come to you and say sorry,” Byul spoke again. Reaching a hand up, she pressed a finger on the deep creases between his brows.

Finally directing his eyes on her, Sehun felt himself relax. He brought her hand down with a light hold on her wrist. She watched in amazement as the anger and hatred dissolved away from his eyes and turned into the warm gaze she was familiar with.

“It wasn’t fair that I got mad at you. I thought about it. You had the right to be upset about this whole situation. Especially since he showed up and—”

“It’s fine, Byul,” he interrupted with a small shake of his head. “I should be apologizing. I haven’t explained, umm…” Sehun scratched the back of his nape and looked away. “Sorry. I didn’t rehearse an apology, if you couldn’t tell.”

Byul laughed, stepping up closer to him. “I think it’s okay. You don’t even have to apologize.”

In reality, he never truly left her side. Even if Sehun stormed out earlier, he simply went in his car parked at the back of the building to sulk. He kept an even closer look at the area. Because Baekhyun was contacting Byul, was he up to something? It didn’t feel right to leave her alone, not then of all times. No matter how upset he could be, he still cared about her and would never risk his pride over her safety. He had been surprised to see Baekhyun exit the building with Byul in tow. When did he get a chance to slip inside?

Sehun his lips, shyly avoiding her eyes again. Everyday he wondered how a girl had the power to strip him of all his defenses. “Can I make it up to you? Want to walk around the block and find something to eat?”

Byul smiled. “That sounds great.”

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Ehh.” Byul shrugged, staring down at her little bowl of bingsu. Strawberries, blueberries, and little cubes of mochi decorated the ice. “I already had dinner and this looked good on the picture.”

Sehun snickered. He had a helping of kimbap in front of him while Byul opted for the dessert despite the cold breeze that lingered in the evening air. The two had found a little outdoor venue at a food truck to eat. The tables were behind the truck and away from passing civilians. For the most part, it was silent between them. It was as if they were both taking the time to comprehend everything around them. Since Baekhyun had paid a visit, Sehun was on high alert. He had glanced at everyone around them twice in suspicion. Sehun chose that particular area on purpose because it was less crowded. The only people eating there were the two of them and a man who had joined a minute after.

Byul sighed in content as she took another spoonful of dessert. She was glad that they hadn’t fought for long. She couldn’t stand being angry with Sehun anyway. Byul recalled the time when they didn’t speak to each other for a whole week over a misunderstanding. That drove her insane even if she acted careless and apathetic about it.

“So, uh, when do you want to ask me questions?”

Sehun’s words made her look up at him. She was surprised he brought it up first. Byul had been wondering how to bring it up and was glad he took the initiative. To make sure they were thinking of the same topic, she played dumb. “Talk about what?” she asked.

“About me.”

To buy time to compose herself, she ate another big bite. She still hadn’t figured out what to ask before anything else.

“Can I ask you something firs