30 | LOVE ON THE ROCKS

Baekhyun

The moment I heard that loud scratchy voice from outside, I already knew who it was. It’s like a nauseating blast from the past.

He’s back. Choi Hanbin is ing back in South Korea and I just heard him say that he’s back here permanently. This is almost worse than the worst hangover I’ve ever had in my entire life. I just started dating Soobin very recently and this is the last thing I am ready for. I could barely imagine myself breaking the news to him virtually—now I have to prepare myself to do it in person?

For the past three weeks or so, it seemed like fate finally favoured me. Things have been going nowhere else but right.

Oh boy, was I ing wrong!

And to make things worse, Lim Hara is out there too. It’s not like we had anything majorly real back then but I knew something would’ve almost happened between us if my life wasn’t so ed up and if Hanbin wasn’t such a bro-code breaker.

Speaking of which … Soobin is not aware of this. I don’t really plan to tell her; it was nothing anyway. Nothing happened. We didn’t even get to hold hands. Lim Hara to me, if I really have to describe my old feelings for her, was a genuine rebound.

She was there when I didn’t know how to forget Soobin aka move on from my puppy love and be a ing adult. Hara didn’t know about my feelings for Soobin but she was aware that I liked somebody whom I couldn’t have at the time and … she was that friend I leaned on since I couldn’t lean on Hanbin for obvious ing reasons.

Then I guess I learned how to like Hara but obviously, now I know that it was never comparable to my feelings for Soobin which I never thought until recently, was still there very much alive and have been kicking my balls for the past twelve years.  

Back to my dilemma, what the do I do in here now?

This visit doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

I look around the dimmed room, trying to find a spot to hide in. I almost don’t want to keep listening as soon as Hanbin announced that he’s staying for good. I’m too scared to hear more things that I might not like. I just want to hide in a hole and in my case, I could probably hide in Soobin’s closet.

I was about to lean away from the door when I heard Hanbin talking again.

“Can’t we like have the surprise for our family at your restaurant? I know they all miss me and I’m sure it’s going to be a big shock when they see me out of nowhere. Arrange something with your boss, I’m sure he’d be fine with it. Like maybe close the patio for our parents and relatives? I’ll take care of the money, obviously, but I’m sure they’re gonna give us a discount. What’s it called again? The Stray Cat or something?” The idiot asks.

“It’s The Alley Cat, Hanbin.” I hear Hara correcting him and she chuckles at the end.

I wait for Soobin to say something but she keeps mum. This suggestion is making every inch of my muscle itch in discomfort and I can’t imagine what Soobin is feeling right now. That’s too risky for us if we’re trying to keep our relationship a secret in the meantime.

After a while, I finally hear Soobin’s hesitant uhm. “I can’t promise anything right now, I’m gonna have to ask my boss first because usually, it’s—”

“He’s going to say yes to that, I’m sure. Just call him. Right now. Call him, sis. Ask him now while it’s early.” Hanbin’s authoritative tone makes me clench hard on the doorknob that I almost made a noise. I quickly let go before I myself over here.

Soobin continues her series of uhm’s again and I can tell how nervous she is right now. Her voice is so shaky and unstable, it’s making me want to just get out of here and cover her up. But I can’t.

“Do we re—really have to include our relatives too? Isn’t that a little too much? I just feel like—”

“Soobin, for god’s sake—" The growing irritation in Hanbin’s voice irks me once again. “—can you stop being a snob to our family even just for me, just one day? I’m the one who’s been living far away from them but I probably talk to them more often than you ever do. Have some respect. I’m back and I’m sure they’d be happy to be a part of the gathering to welcome me back home.”

I turn away from the door and press firm palms against my face. I just want to storm out of here and take Soobin away from here. Anger boils inside me as I stay still, the lump in my throat burning my neck as seconds go by.

First, this narcissist insists to hold his own ing welcome back party and now he’s forcing a situation that Soobin is obviously uncomfortable with.

I take my phone out and do the first thing that comes to mind. Text Kyungsoo.

In the message, I say, Whatever Soobin asks of you later on regarding the words brother and welcome back party, just say no. Please, for the love of God, Doh Kyungsoo, do this for our friendship. Say no, I beg you.

After a while, I got a brief reply from my boss saying, Who’s this?

I throw my arm up in the air, disbelief crawling to my veins as I glare down at the reply. Before I can come up with a response, Kyungsoo sends me another text saying, Just got a new iPhone. I don’t know how to transfer numbers from my old iPhone. It’s too complicated. Please tell me who you are so I can save you here. Thank you.

I’m gonna murder this . I have no ing time for this. I’m in a dilemma here. So with heavy fingers, I reply. iCloud sync, you ing fifty-year-old. I hit send before collapsing on the end of Soobin’s bed. I can still hear them talking outside and I need to get the message to Kyungsoo before Soobin does call him as Hanbin instructed.

Finally, Kyungsoo replies saying, Oh, you must be Baekhyun. Okay. How do I install iCloud? Is it free or do I have to pay for it?

“Oh my god,” I mumble under my breath as I bury my face on my phone. My last resort was to rush near the window at the far left corner of the room and open it gently. Then, I call this idiot. “Hello, Kyungs—”

“Hello. How do I get the iCloud in my ph—oh wait, another person is calling right now, how do I put you on hold, it’s giving me two buttons on left and right, so I slide it down or do I—

I stick my head out of the window as much as I could before speaking again. “No no no, don’t answer yet. It might be her. Promise me first you’re going to decline and say you can’t allow it when Soobin asks you to reserve the patio for a family gathering.” I say, almost begging.

Kyungsoo groans on the other side. “It keeps beeping, does our call continue even if the other line is waiting, it’s beeping and—” The line ends for a moment and suddenly, I hear Soobin’s voice. “Hello, Chef?” She speaks.

Oh, for ’s sake, Kyungsoo put it on conference mode. This motherer should not own any kind of technological device. “Oh? Soobin? I think I hang up on Baekhyun accidentally, I was talking to him earlier.” Kyungsoo says.

“I’m still here, you midget,” I whisper and I earn a gasp from him.

Palm meets my forehead as I close my eyes. “Soobin, I overheard the conversation with your brother, I’m sorry. I was just—I don’t know, I was trying to back you up in case you’re worried right now.” I explain.

“Brother? Soobin’s brother? Wasn’t he in Japan? Who am I talking to right now? Soobin or Baekhyun? Do I have to press something to go from one caller to another?” Kyungsoo intercepts. I try my best not to scream in frustration right now as I bury my face in my arm that is rested on the window pane.

“I know you can’t really openly talk to me right now so I’m just going to say that you don’t have to be scared, whatever happens. Okay? None of us expected this but … I know we’ll be able to handle it. Just calm down, okay? I love you; we’ll be fine. I will take care of it.” I try to cheer her up despite the fact that she can’t really respond to our conversation right now.

Suddenly, I hear a rustling sound from her end. “Hello? Hi, is this Soobin’s boss? I’m Choi Hanbin, her older brother. How are you, sir?” The voice makes me immediately hang up before he notices the Caller I.D. which I assume he didn’t. Judging from the sudden switch, the motherer perhaps forcefully snatched the phone from the panic-stricken Soobin to take over, as he always did.

“Baekhyun? What do you mean Baekhyun? This is not Baekhyun. I said I’m Choi Hanbin, Soobin’s brother, Sir.” I hear Hanbin’s offended and loud voice which makes me turn away from the window. Oh, . What did Kyungsoo do now?

I quietly march back to the door to eavesdrop. I swear to god, if Kyungsoo gets