Hi guys! Sorry for updating this late, but here it is: Chapter 11!

The sun had barely come out yet when Kris went to his car. He sat for a long ten minutes just staring off at nowhere before he started the engine. The stress brought about by the past few days was starting to get to him. That was why he woke up really early today to think about some things. Cruising around the city in a cold, silent morning helps his mind relax. For a few hours, the usual crowded and chaotic city becomes a peaceful sanctuary: no lines of people hurriedly walking to get to their work on time, no cars honking loudly to get their destination as fast as they could, nothing. And for Kris, that was when the city shows its true beauty.

Darkness was slowly blending into day as he drove around aimlessly into the city. Streetlights were one by one turned off as the morning rush of vehicles came out of nowhere. For Kris, it only meant that soon, he had to make a decision: to go or not to go. His hands automatically clenched the steering wheel as he gritted his teeth. This was not as easy as he thought, and he was definitely not in the mood to make a mistake right now. And he was practically aware that there was a very thin line separating genuinely helping a friend and mind-numbingly stupid.

The car came to a stop as the traffic light turned from yellow to red. He would have took the chance to pass the red light, but Kris felt like he did not need to, yet he knew that through that, he would be stalling more and more. He let out a heavy sigh as he thought of the things happening at the office recently. For some reason, which Baekhyun decided not to elaborate that much despite Kris’ interrogations, Joonmyun took an indefinite leave. And now, Yixing was just dangerously practicing morning till night, without stop. Kris would have let it pass, but another thing happened as well: Jongdae was not showing up to his rehearsals with Yixing, with no reason whatsoever. Jongdae refused to talk with his manager, and nobody had talked to him the past few days, even Luhan or Baekhyun. It made him worry, because of the last time that he saw Jongdae, he knew something was definitely wrong.

It only became more stressful, because he knew that Baekhyun knew something, and his cousin was not saying anything to him. He wished that somebody would explain to him what was happening, because how the hell would he run the company when he was too blind to everything that was happening? Baekhyun told him to just let time fix everything, but he was not that patient right now. He wanted, no needed, to fix something wrong, and he must do it as soon as possible. But how was he supposed to do it? There are two roads, and right now he did not know which destination he wanted to pursue. In the end, he needed to bring somebody back on track.

The traffic lights turn green, and Kris revved up the engine as he made up the hasty decision. Maybe for now, this decision would be for the better. It would affect everyone necessary, and totally not because of his own selfish reasons. Before he went on to his journey, Kris stopped by a small convenience store to buy some take-out. Maybe with the help of breakfast, he would have the right decision. He passed by the beverages, and saw a six-pack. Throwing all rational thinking out of the window, he decided to buy it as well.

As he reached his destination, Kris wished that this trip would be as fruitful as he had hoped. Maybe, just maybe he would be able to make a slight difference. He walked slowly and surely to the door. His footsteps were incredibly louder today, or maybe it was just the beating of his heart whatever. Carrying the bag of takeout on his left arm, he used his other hand to press the doorbell. There was no answer, so he pressed it once more. He was just about to question his stupidity for doing this effort, when he heard some noise from the other side of the door. His anticipation rose when he saw the door opening finally.

“Good morning.” Kris greeted as soon as he stood face-to-face with a total “mess”.

“Kris?” Jongdae asked sleepily. His hair was pointed at all directions and his eyes completely indicate weariness. It looked like he had not come out of his apartment for days. “What are you doing here at… 5:30 in the morning?”

Kris held up the take-out in his hand. “I came here for breakfast.”

“Oh, really?” Jongdae looked at him curiously as  he eyed the six-pack. “You are definitely bringing in the best breakfast combo of the century.”

“Why?” Kris asked. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been drinking for the past few days? Come on, this would have very little effect on you.”

“Fine, come in.” Jongdae stepped aside as he let the other one in. “You’re certainly not good for me right now.”

Kris settled down on the couch as he put the breakfast on the table. “Well, you’re not doing well in the first place, so no harm done.”

Jongdae sat beside him as he started eating. “Humph, as expected you ordered take out.” He said with a frown. “ When will you learn to take care of yourself?”

“Just eat.” Kris said as he started eating too.

The two of them ate quietly. Kris noticed Jongdae eating a lot quicker than the usual. He must be really hungry. Then all of a sudden, he stopped eating.

Jongdae opened one of the bottles and drank. “So what are you really doing here?”

“I told you…” Kris said, but Jongdae settled down the place quite loudly on the table.

“Kris.” His voice was calm, but filled with impatience. “Don’t give me that “I want to eat breakfast with you” crap.”

Kris put his plate on the table. “Then you tell me why I’m here. Stop acting like you don’t even know. You suddenly stop going to your responsibilities; you don’t go to rehearsals, you don’t talk to your manager, you don’t talk to your best friend for god sakes. And then you open your door looking like that. So now, tell me, tell me there’s nothing wrong and I’ll walk out the door after that.”

Jongdae looked like he was about to retort, but it ended up as a snort. “You know that’s the first time you used that tone on me.”

Kris was caught off-guard for a second, before he regained his composure. “Stop avoiding the issue.”

Jongdae nodded as he drank another huge gulp of beer. “You’re right as usual.” He breathed in. “I just don’t know what to do right now. I don’t know how to face the others. I don’t know. I just feel so tired. Tell me what to do.”

Kris observed Jongdae’s eyes and he definitely saw the exhaustion from them. Has he always looked this way?

“You know what?” Kris snatched the bottle from Jongdae and started packing up. “First thing you do is fix yourself. You’re a celebrity. Look like one. After that, clean this dump. And after that, go outside and smell the polluted air.”

Jongdae clicked his tongue as he and Kris walked to the door. “And where would I go outside? I don’t feel like going anywhere.”

Kris thought about it for a moment. “Tell you what, you fix yourself by tonight and go to my office. Let’s have dinner later.”

“Okay?” Jongdae looked up to him in confusion.

Kris shrugged as we opened the door. “Okay, see you later then.”

Baekhyun stood unmoving in front of the familiar door, scared that once he presses the doorbell, he would back out right away. On the other hand, he knew that once he took some action, it would finally put some peace and quiet in his mind. He could also use some sleep. Due to the events the past few days, he had not been able to get the healthy amount of rest. Since he allowed Joonmyun to take a leave, the amount of work increased for him, but it was manageable. Aside from that, Yixing was being unreasonably obsessed and workaholic that Baekhyun was afraid he would collapse any moment. There were a lot to think about and he just wanted to put things in the right track so that he would not spend another night tossing and turning in his bed.

Baekhyun was certain though that the reason why he spent so many sleepless nights was not because he was worried about Park Chanyeol, and he was not able to see him these past few days. No, it was not possible. He reassured himself countless times in his head. However, there would be this little voice who would answer him that maybe, just maybe he had started to consider Chanyeol as his friend, and maybe he should check up on him, because the last time they had seen each other was that night at the rooftop, and Chanyeol looked really bothered that night.

Fine, maybe Baekhyun was really worried. And now, he was standing in front of Chanyeol’s door, hesitating, because the other might think he was meddling too much in his business. The taller one was not even calling him for help, so why should he be here? But… what if something happened to him? Joonmyun was not here, so if something wrong happened, there was not anyone who could come to Chanyeol’s aid, so maybe the reason that Baekhyun went here so early was because he was doing some kind of a service to Joonmyun.

Yeah, right. Stop blaming it on Joonmyun.

Baekhyun breathed out confidently. He could do this. It would not be awkward at all. He clenched his fist and watched it slowly turned white, bracing himself to press the awaiting doorbell. It felt like a robot as he realized that it was taking him too long to finish the action. Just a little more… A teeny-tiny bit more…

The door suddenly opened, and Baekhyun was stunned to find himself face-to-face with a pissed off Chanyeol. He felt himself mechanically opening and closing his mouth to find some words to explain himself and the current state he was in.

Chanyeol’s frown worsened. “Ah, so it’s you. I should’ve expected this; you, ruining my day this early. Come in before the neighbors call the police.” Baekhyun felt himself being pulled by Chanyeol in the apartment.

Baekhyun stood rooted in his spot as Chanyeol closed the door behind him, and headed to the kitchen, leaving him alone in the living room. After a few minutes of stunned silence, Baekhyun finally regained his composure and stormed in the kitchen. He found Chanyeol pouring himself a cup of coffee while he toasted some bread,

“Why aren’t you calling me? I thought you were dead!” Baekhyun exclaimed before he could stop himself. All of a sudden, there was a stunned silence as Baekhyun let his words sink in his head and Chanyeol paused, putting the coffee pot on the table

Chanyeol gave him a look of absolute confusion. He tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Baekhyun. “Okay? I wasn’t sure if I heard you right, because you interrupted my sleep. Baekhyun, are you alright?”

Baekhyun stood his ground. He thought that there was nothing worse that he could do at this moment, might as well it up and just continue with whatever the hell he was doing. “I’m okay.” He mumbled indignantly.

Chanyeol looked like he was still not convinced, but he let it go. He went to continue pouring his coffee. “Fine, whatever.” He said as he took a sip of his coffee. Leaning back at the table, he continued to stare at Baekhyun. “Though if it’s not such a bother to you, would you mind explaining to me why at this time of the morning, I got a call from my landlord telling me that someone was standing outside my door for a very long time? I’m starting to get a pretty bad reputation around here.”

“Oh, uhm, I just wanted to check up on you.” Baekhyun said rather quickly. “Since, you know, Joonmyun’s gone and all.” He added hastily.

His answer was followed by a very long awkward silence with them staring at each other. It was only interrupted by the sound coming from the toaster indicating that the bread was done. But still, Chanyeol did not take away his gaze at him right away and only moved after a couple of minutes.

His back was facing Baekhyun as he settled the toast on a plate. He opened the refrigerator, to get the butter. “Do you want to eat breakfast too? Have you eaten yet?”

Baekhyun’s voice came into a slightly higher pitch. “Oh, I’m okay. I’ve already eaten at home, thanks.”

Chanyeol turned back to face him as he placed the plate of toast on the table, but he did not sit down. Instead, he continued his staring contest with Baekhyun. Every second was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the latter.

Chanyeol was the one who broke the silence. “Well, you can see I’m still alive, and no scratches whatsoever.”

“Oh right,” Baekhyun stood restlessly in his position. “Okay then.”

Meanwhile, Chanyeol crossed his arms and chuckled. “I can’t believe this. Are you really worried about me, Baekhyun?”

“I’m not!” Baekhyun huffed defensively. “I’m just checking up on you in case Joonmyun asks me how you are.”

“Is that so?” Chanyeol narrowed his eyes and smirking annoyingly. “Because I was just talking with Joonmyun last night.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened as his mind raced of other excuses. “You are?”

“Yes.” Chanyeol said casually. “So just admit that you’re worried.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he turned around. “I’m leaving.”

“Fine.” Chanyeol shrugged.

“Fine!” Baekhyun turned his head to see Chanyeol still smiling knowingly.

“Thanks for checking up on me though.” Chanyeol said quietly that caused to Baekhyun to stop storming off the kitchen and face him again. “What? Now I can’t say thank you to you too?” Chanyeol asked a stunned Baekhyun.

“Be my assistant for today.” Baekhyun blurted out. Apparently, his mind filter was not working today.

Chanyeol blinked up to him. “What the hell? Are you sure you ate your breakfast properly?”

“Yes.” Baekhyun’s mind was in overload. “I’m really swamped these past few days, and I could use your help.”

“Didn’t it occur to you that I might have work today?” Chanyeol asked in pure confusion.

“Oh, uhm, well, do you?” Baekhyun looked at him uncertainly.

Chanyeol sighed. “Well, I was supposed to be a flower mascot at the amusement park today. So that’s definitely out of the window. Okay fine, I’ll be your personal slave for today. Why did you let Joonmyun take a leave if you can’t handle the amount of work?”

Baekhyun sighed in relief. “Well you know I didn’t expect the work to pile up…”

Work piling up? Yeah right. That’s the reason. Baekhyun thought dejectedly.

Days had already passed, yet as Minseok stepped out of his apartment that morning, he was still not used to not seeing the tall guy patiently waiting for him every day so the two of them could walk together to school. He would automatically look to the left and to the right of the hallway, just secretly hoping that maybe, Tao would pop out to himself, because Minseok was doing something foolish once again. However, there was none, and that smiling face he had always imagined to appear any second was just a far echo from before. The only person he saw was his pleasant neighbor heading out to throw their trash away. Giving her a polite smile, Minseok went on his way to school.

For some strange reason, as he walked through the deserted hallway, he could hear his footsteps distinctly. Every step was loud and clear. He could not help but to smile fondly as he remembered Tao’s constant comments about how noisy his steps were. But then again, it somehow reminded him of what the sudden turn of events. Minseok tried his best to forget, but it was not easy. Somehow, he had not realized how deep he had let Tao in his life in this very short span of time. And it must have been quite deep because, every little thing just constantly reminded Minseok of him. There was just pure emptiness in his heart right now.

It was utterly and undeniably unbelievable how fast things changed. One minute he was happy, and the next day he was hurting. Minseok should have known that this notorious tall scary-looking boy, who he had not heard of in his entire life even though they were classmates all along for years, would turn his life upside down, and his heart into a messy turmoil. Sometimes, he wanted to put the blame on Tao. If he had not just take an interest on him, maybe he would not be a horrible mess right now. But Minseok knew he was wrong. He was not to blame. It was just, sometimes, he wished that Tao could have given him some kind of an explanation. He did not like the feeling he was left hanging.

To be very honest, Minseok knew how happy he was with the boy. No matter how many times he denied it in the past, he liked it whenever the two of them would spend time with each other. It did not matter if they were just playing around, or if they would just stay silent as they walked next to each other. It did not matter as long as they were together. And then there was the time when Tao finally confessed his feelings to him. Despite the worries that Minseok felt that day, hearing those kind words from him just confirmed how such simplicity could drive his feelings into a pile of mess. And when they kissed, it took his breath away. That was why Minseok knew he could not give up that easily.

He was scared. Scared, because he knew that Tao was planning something up his sleeve. What was it? He has no idea. And the fact that he was not saying anything about it to anyone made it scarier. He wanted to understand what was going on, but how could he when Tao was pushing him away. He knew that this “something” was the reason why he was not explaining anything to him, yet he had a bad feeling that it would be something dangerous. That puts on the question as to why would Tao be doing something reckless anyway. He was born into a well-off family, he was the smartest kid in the school (aside from Kyungsoo), and he was close with his brothers. Yet, he would always be reminded of the time that he was beaten up. He never gave a proper explanation about that too.

These past few days though, Tao was acting as normal as he could, well, minus Minseok in the picture. He would usually keep to himself, and he would always arrive and leave the room alone. Before, during lunch time, he would usually eat with him and Kyungsoo, but now he would constantly disappear and would only turn up when classes would resume in the afternoon. He started missing club activities as well, which was a relief to some of the club members, and just yesterday, Kyungsoo sadly informed him that Tao finally handed in his resignation to the club coordinator.

It was only Kyungsoo and Jongin who noticed the sudden changes of Tao’s behavior towards him. Despite Jongin’s constant offers for him to talk to his older brother to find out what was going on, Minseok always refused. He figured that if Tao would want Jongin in this little charade that he was playing, his little brother would have known about it earlier. Some students made it a big deal at first, but they let go off it right away when they realized that there was not anything juicy in this issue anyway. They just all assumed that he and Tao just drifted apart. It was not as if they had something in common anyway. Minseok noticed though that the people who bullied him before did not return. Maybe they were still scared of Tao or something, he did not now.

The gates were slowly closing in as the school bell brought him back to reality. If this was any other day, Minseok would have dashed to the school at that instant, but he did not have the energy to do it. Instead, he kept up his slow pace and watched the metal gates started to close in until it was locked. He just opted to just climb the fence that he used whenever he comes to school late. He carefully pulled himself down as finally, he set foot to the school grounds. There were still a few students loitering around the school grounds as they all headed to their respective classrooms.

Students are starting to empty the hallways as their teachers arrive for homeroom period. When Minseok arrived in his own classroom, his classmates were still doing the usual last minute morning chats and roughhousing. Some of them greeted him and congratulating him for arriving before their teacher. As Minseok settled down in his usual seat at the back corner of the classroom, he immediately turned his head to the particular chair that he would always seek. And there he was. Sitting there without talking to anyone, Tao was there.

From his point of view, Minseok could only see his back and a bit of his side profile. It was enough for him, since, it was the closest that he could ever get from Tao. It was the only thing that would always bring him back to his feet. Seeing him sitting there, it made him believe that at some point, he managed to make him happy. And he still is, without even trying. Minseok knew. Minseok wanted him to know how he felt, but it seemed like he would have to wait. And he could wait, until that time comes. And when that time comes, Minseok would make sure that Tao would know about it: loud and clear.

Luhan had just arrived to the company when he received a text message from Sehun asking him what time he would go off of work today. Smiling like an in love dork, he typed a hasty (and slightly cheesy) reply to his boyfriend before he got out today. He must have woken up a few minutes ago, since when Luhan left Sehun’s apartment that morning, he was still curled up under the bunch of sheets. Luhan never had the heart to wake up his boyfriend, sleeping peacefully like that, so he just opted to give him a quick goodbye kiss before he headed off to work.

As much as he would like to stay in bed all day, and cuddle with Sehun, he had to go the company early today, because the new outfits for Yixing’s collaboration with Jongdae would be arriving today. It would be his duty to make sure that everything would go well with the wardrobe. That automatically meant that the fabrics were good, there are no problems with the seams of the clothes, no loose threads, no problem in color coordination, blah, blah, blah, and other sorts of things that were related to clothes. The work was really a huge deal for him, because he was perfectionist. Luhan believed that the way Yixing would present himself would identify him as well, that was why he could not let anybody down in this, including himself.

Besides, these days, the company might need him anytime, particularly Baekhyun. Luhan noticed how stressed he looked recently due to the fact that he was now working alone. Well, he had seen Baekhyun work alone before, but it was more problematic now since it was not only Yixing that they were talking about. Now, because Jongdae had not been attending rehearsals and had refused the call of every one (including him), Baekhyun and the President were given the responsibility of dealing with the manager of Jongdae and his company as well.

It kind of hurt on his part too, because for days, he had been trying to contact Jongdae as well, but there was no answer. He had also gone a couple of times in his apartment, but there was not answer. All he got was a simple text message telling him that he would be going for a few days to think things over, and to not let anyone know. Well, at least that assured Luhan that his best friend was still alive. It was just… It worried him a little, because Jongdae was starting to keep things to himself again, and that maybe bad for his health.

Luhan was just relieved that he could come home to see Sehun every day. It was not that convenient either, since their schedules were overlapping most of the time, and the only thing that they had time for was for sleeping. That was why they just chose to stay at each other’s place alternately. And usually, one would go home late while the other would already be sleeping. It was not the most perfect set-up in the world, but at least they could wake up next to each other. Although, Luhan felt like he still missed Sehun every time.

That was why when Sehun finally had a day off in his schedule, the two of them immediately made a plan to just at least spend some hours just for the two of them, and that was today. Unfortunately, since Luhan still had work, they would have to wait until later to go out. It was fortunate though that he would still have time to spare, so that today would be perfect. He was just looking forward to it so much; he could not stop smiling whenever he thought about it.

Luhan made his way to his office, and at the lobby, he had met with Baekhyun, and (what a nice surprise) Chanyeol. Even though it was just as he had expected to see the two of them bickering away like the first time he saw them, it was still nice to see that Baekhyun had cheered up somehow. Baekhyun explained to him that he hired Chanyeol to be his assistant for the day, because he really needed help. As much as Luhan got what Baekhyun meant, he still could not help but to give the two a knowing smile as they went off their way.

He felt relieved that the new outfits were already in his office. As soon as he settled down his things on his table, he started to work. Somehow, the fact that he would be going out with Sehun later just fired up his spirit more, and it did well too, because now he felt more inspired than ever. He started checking every article of clothing to see if there would be any damages fixed or if there would be anything replaced so that he could notify the company as soon as possible. He started mixing and matching, trying to decide which clothes go with the others.

Luhan was almost halfway in his work, when he received a call from downstairs at the lobby. The receptionist notified him that someone would be coming up to see him. That was strange; he did not receive any memos today that he would have a meeting. Unfortunately, the receptionist failed to get the name of the person, saying that a bodyguard was the one who gave her the ID. After giving the receptionist an earful, he settled down the phone and waited for this mysterious visitor who came here to see him. And not that long enough, a knock was heard on his door. Luhan put down his notes as he opened the door.

This was a person that he had least expected to be, since he had no idea who he was. He had come face to face with an elegant looking man, who must be around his fifties to sixties already, a tall man with his gray hair. He had the most delicate and proud features, which Luhan could tell that he was a handsome man back in his days. By the way he dresses as well, Luhan could tell that his man was more than well off. His clothes were all expensive, and one piece of them must be worth more than Luhan’s annual salary. How a person of this status could took the time of visiting him and why?

“Good morning, sir.” Luhan said carefully. “May I ask you to come in first?” He stepped aside as he let the old man in his office. He offered him a seat on one of the couches.

“Are you Luhan?” That was the first words from the man’s mouth. His tone indicated authority right away.

“Yes sir.” Luhan answered at once.

The man offered him a hand. “My name is Oh Jaesung. I’m Sehun’s father.”

Luhan eyed the man in surprise as he shook his hand firmly. “It was an honor to meet you, sir.” He knew that Sehun’s dad had only come here for business.

“So,” Mr. Oh started. “You had come to my attention recently.”

“Me?” Luhan asked bewildered.

“Yes.” Mr. Oh gazed at him with a piercing look. “It looked like lately, my son has taken an interest on you.”

“Oh, I see.” Luhan nodded gauging this man well. “It’s true, sir.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Tell me something about you.”

Luhan looked at him square in the eye. He knew that he was trying to test him, so he let out a soft laugh. “To be honest, sir, I don’t think there’s anything I could tell you about myself that your private investigators had not found out already.”

Mr. Oh’s composure slackened for a second. “I see you are pretty straight forward.”

Luhan maintained his smile. “That’s one of the things that your son loves about me, sir.”

To his surprise, Sehun’s father laughed. It was not a mocking laugh, a real laugh. That was when Luhan noticed it: The old man’s proud composure and piercing looks turned into softer ones. Even though he was astounded as ever, Luhan maintained his composure.

“Ah, that kid.” Mr. Oh said fondly. “Do you know that I was supposed to introduce her to the daughter of one of my business partners this month?”

“No, sir.” Luhan said uncertainly. This was getting weird by the second.

Mr. Oh continued. “At first, he would go to all the marriage meet-ups that I would ask him to. I knew he always did that to appease me, but recently he started blowing off all of them, and telling me that he has someone already.”

Luhan stared at him in surprise, clearly at loss for words.

“I know how my son is,” Mr. Oh said. “I know all the people he got together with, but I did care about them really. I knew they were not going to last, but then you came along and you were able to stick by my son’s side for this long. I knew I had to meet you.”

“To be honest, sir,” Luhan said uncertainly. “You turned out to be quite different from what I expected.”

“Why?” Mr. Oh asked. “Did Sehun already tell you about me?”

Luhan shrugged. “He kind of mentioned you from time to time…”

Mr. Oh sighed. “You know, I can’t help but to feel a bit envious of you. You see, I was not really the greatest dad to my son. I usually left him alone to the care of others while he grew up. He didn’t know his mother too. I blame myself for not being able to know him better, and through the years, he just went farther and farther away from me. Now, when we meet, it would always end up in an argument. You must know how he could be a kid most of the time. However, you, Luhan, who had just met Sehun, were able to understand him more than I did.”

“Please, sir,” Luhan said. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You could reach out to Sehun anytime. I could help you.”

However, Mr. Oh only waved his hand in refusal. “I’m thankful for your offer, but I have to refuse. The situation we have now is fine by me. We were both comfortable to have this father and son relationship this way.”

Luhan furrowed his eyebrows. “Then why…?”

“Why did I come here?” Mr. Oh asked. “Well, I already told you, I wanted to meet the person who tamed Sehun, and also, I wanted to ask you to take good care of my son. It would mean a lot to me.”

Luhan nodded earnestly. The two of them talked a little while longer, but soon, Mr. Oh told him that he had to go since he has an appointment in an hour.

“You’re an interesting person, Luhan.” Mr. Oh said as he shook his hand. “Thank you for allotting your time for me today. I hope the next time I see you, Sehun would be there too.”

“Thank you too, sir.” Luhan said as he led Sehun’s father outside. He was just about to close the door, and go back to his work when he bolted outside, and chased after Mr. Oh.

“Sir,” Luhan said in a hurry. “I know that my relationship with Sehun is not the most ideal one in the world, and I know that this is not the one you had imagined it would be. However, I wanted to let you know that I love Sehun, and there’s nothing in this world that can take me away from him. And I promise you that the next time we meet, Sehun would be with me. I promise you that I will love him and make him happy for the rest of my life.”

Luhan felt that he had said too much, but the smile on Mr. Oh’s face reassured him. “I’m sure that Sehun’s happy to have you.”

With a pat on Luhan’s shoulders, Mr. Oh left. As he watched him walk away, Luhan bowed.

The corridor leading to the senior classrooms were particularly empty today. As Kyungsoo walked by himself carrying a lunch box on his hand, he saw a few seniors passing by him. They must be heading to the cafeteria for lunch. He was heading to lunch too, but a bit different. He was heading to his Minseok-hyung’s classroom to eat with him. It was usually the older one who goes to his classroom during these breaks, but since Kyungsoo wanted to be more of a help to his friend, he offered that he would be the one to visit him in his classroom.

He was just a classroom away from his hyung’s when he felt somebody calling him from behind. “Kyungsoo! Hey! Wait for me!”

Kyungsoo breathed out as he turned around, and there he was, Jongin was trailing behind him, running breathlessly. That was another thing: for the past few days, Jongin had been spending time with them as well. Since the incident last week at the cafeteria, Jongin had made sure that he stayed away as far as possible from his old friends, and ate lunch with him and Minseok. To be quite honest, it felt strange at first. No, it was really, really, strange. Since they were both used to having Tao to be their company, it was a bit weird that Jongin replaced him. Kyungsoo doubted at first if Jongin could survive it at first, but there they were.

“You didn’t wait for me!” Jongin exclaimed when he managed to catch up to Kyungsoo.

“Sorry!” Kyungsoo answered. “You took too long at the men’s room; I thought you headed down to the cafeteria.”

Jongin gave him a look of puzzlement. “Really? I didn’t take that long. Why would you think I’d leave you alone?”

Kyungsoo stared at him, totally caught off guard of Jongin’s words. “I didn’t. It’s just… I thought that…” He stammered. “I honestly don’t know.”

Jongin clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You don’t trust me, do you?” He said playfully as he poked Kyungsoo’s cheeks.

Kyungsoo was still rubbing his slightly painful and slightly red cheeks as he and Jongin finally reached Minseok’s classroom. The room was empty except for his senior friend who was sighing dejectedly towards the window. Kyungsoo felt sad to see his friend like that. Usually, it was Minseok who was talkative and cheerful, but since what happened with Tao, he could hardly smile. Of course, Kyungsoo was surprised to hear about Tao’s actions towards his friend lately. It seemed too wrong. He knew Tao, and he knew how much he cared about his Minseok-hyung. It was hard to believe that his behavior would just make a sudden change; there must be some kind of an explanation. However, when Kyungsoo witnessed firsthand when Tao handed in his club resignation. He managed to make an eye contact with the older one that time, but Tao just shook his head, when Kyungsoo tried to approach him.

He thought it would be awkward at first, especially when Jongin joined them during lunch. However, when Kyungsoo tried to send Jongin away, Minseok told him it was okay to stay. Jongin found it weird as well, because his brother acted normally at home, like nothing happened. He was sympathetic towards Minseok, but his hyung refused when Jongin offered to talk to his older brother about the situation. That was why the three of them just let themselves get used to the new set-up that they had been having. Surprisingly, Kyungsoo found out that Jongin got along with Minseok quite well.

“Hi guys,” Minseok greeted when he and Jongin approached his table.

“Hey, hyung.” The two of them answered as the two of them took a seat.

“Let’s eat?” Kyungsoo suggested.

Lunch had been pleasant that day. Kyungsoo and Minseok had brought out their own lunch boxes, while Jongin munched happily in his basket of bread (courtesy of his father as a thank-you for helping out.). Since his dad was still healing on his leg injury, Kyungsoo arranged that his scheduled so that his time at the bakery would be lessened, and he could spend his free time resting. That was why, Kyungsoo had to head home as soon as club activities were finished so that he could watch the bakery. When Jongin heard about it, he volunteered right away. It came as a shock to Kyungsoo, when he found Jongin a few days ago standing proudly in front of the bakery wearing the uniform and all. Kyungsoo was just happy that he attracted a lot of customers.

He was really grateful though, that Jongin had been there to assist him. His dad too. Since Jongin refused any kind of cash payment from them, his dad would make Kyungsoo bring him a basket of bread every day, which Jongin would not surprisingly accept in delight. But other than that, Kyungsoo was just too happy to spend time with the other boy. At least, he was satisfied with their interactions. He could not ask for more. Sometimes though, he would be reminded of the scar lining Jongin’s wrist. He had planned a few times to ask him about it, but when he found the right moment, Kyungsoo always chickened out.

“I feel bad for Minseok-hyung.” Jongin commented as the two of them made their way back to their classroom. “He just looked so sad.”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah, but what can we do? It looked like Min-hyung didn’t want us to do anything.”

Jongin sighed. “I know, but it’s just... The fact that I know that I could do something since Tao-hyung’s my brother and all… It’s a bit frustrating.”

Kyungsoo was about to answer when a group of seniors came up the stairs. He was able to recognize them right away. There was the captain of the basketball team with the other members and some girls, and one of them was the girl from the cafeteria. Suddenly, a lump formed uncomfortably on Kyungsoo’s throat. He wanted to vanish right away. This was the first time that he had encountered them. The atmosphere turned dark immediately, because their group stopped talking and laughing right away. Kyungsoo felt his hand growing cold as their group came closer to him and Jongin. He tried to look as defiant as he could. He knew he should not feel intimidated by them, but still he felt a bit uneasy.

It was subtle, but Kyungsoo was surprised when Jongin stepped a bit ahead from him, so that he would cover Kyungsoo. That was when it hit him, Jongin attempted to protectively shield him in case something goes wrong. Kyungsoo was grateful, that Jongin made this effort. However, he made up his mind could not back down. Instead, he stepped forward quickly, so that he would match confidently with Jongin’s step; the two of them walking side by side each other. He should not be afraid, since he knew everything would be alright. And it was. The senior group passed them without a word, and Kyungsoo felt relieved.

Beside him, he heard Jongin chuckled audibly, and Kyungsoo could not help but too smile too.

The last beat of the music was beating on faintly in his ears as Yixing pulled himself of the last position in the choreography. He did not know how long he had been staring at himself on the mirrors, figuring out the next step he would do. Thinking that he had not done enough yet, he picked up the remote once more and pressed play. The familiar song that had been played repeatedly for the past few weeks started playing and he started dancing as well. It was around the middle of the chorus when he realized that he was not in sync with the beat. He stopped dancing and started over. However, he made the same mistake once more. Feeling more frustrated than ever, he threw the remote away.

He made his way onto one of the couches in the rehearsal room and settled down. He reached over his bag, and took out his phone. Nothing changed as he checked it, no messages nor calls that came. Yixing covered his face in exasperation. For days, he had attempted hundreds of times to contact Joonmyun. He tried calling him again and again, but he always ends up straight through voicemail. He sent him text messages as well, trying to explain things and asking for some time to talk, but no replies. It was pretty obvious that his friend did not want to talk to him.

It came to him as a shock when Baekhyun arrived alone during rehearsals, and informed him that he asked Joonmyun to take a break first. At first, Yixing resented the idea, telling Baekhyun that he needed to talk to Joonmyun as much as possible. However, Baekhyun explained to him how Joonmyun needed some time away, and it would be better that way. On the other hand, Yixing did not expect that it would take this many days for Joonmyun to return, and he wished that Baekhyun would just tell him where his friend’s hometown was. Now, Yixing was just stuck, and trying to convince his friend to go back to the city.

He felt so dumb that he did not know how he could reach out to Joonmyun. Hell, he realized that he had not found out where Joonmyun’s province was. However, Baekhyun told him that it might be for the better, because if Yixing found out about it, he would jump to his car right away and chase after Joonmyun. But the fact that he was too idle was not helping either. Even though he practiced, and he practiced, ad he practiced all day and night, did not pacify his spirits. Instead, he worried too much, and he just got more distracted as time passes.

Drinking plenty amount of water, Yixing headed back to practice once again. This time, he did the choreography perfectly, but he did not feel satisfied or accomplished. He started over once more, and he perfected it again. But deep inside, he did not feel that he did well. For one, Jongdae was not going to rehearsals and it was driving everyone nuts. For Yixing though, he felt kind of relieved, because to be very honest, he had no idea how to face his senior properly. The memory of their last encounter was still bringing unpleasant feelings in his gut.

As he looked at his reflection, it felt like the room was starting to close in on him. That was why he decided to head out of the practice room to breathe in some fresh air. He had barely stepped out of the room though, when he found himself being pushed back inside. He had nearly tumbled on his own feet when he realized that he was pushed by Joonmyun’s friend, Chanyeol. Yixing had barely able to regain his composure when Chanyeol looked at him from head to toe as if he was going to kill him, not giving Yixing anytime to react.

“Baekhyun told me to watch over you.” Chanyeol sneered at him. His voiced inked with utmost dislike

Yixing raised his eyebrows. “Care to explain to me what you’re doing here?”

“I’m Joonmyun’s replacement for the day.” Chanyeol fired back at him. “Why? Do you have any problem with that?”

“No,” Yixing answered quickly. Just the mere mention of Joonmyun’s name distracted him already. “Have you heard from Joonmyun? Is he alright? Is he coming back soon?” If he wasn’t so desperate, he would not have asked those things to the taller one. He knew about Chanyeol’s opinions towards him.

“Wait, what?” Chanyeol settled down on the couch. “You need to calm down, man, jeez…”

“Easy for you to say,” Yixing said reproachfully. “You’re able to talk to him, and I can’t”

Chanyeol crossed his legs as he sat down comfortably with a smug smile on his face. “Well whose fault was it anyway?”

Yixing took a seat beside Chanyeol, and let the words sink in his system. “Look, I know you don’t like me.”

Chanyeol snorted sarcastically. “Well, I’m glad to know that at least the message had been received.”

“Okay,” Yixing said calmly. “I know that I wasn’t the best person ever, and I know how I hurt Joonmyun in the past. And I know every thing’s my fault…”

“Hold it right there.” Chanyeol interrupted as he straightened up his posture. “You see? That’s the reason why I don’t like you for Joonmyun. You two keep blaming yourselves about the past, and you two keep on going on and on and on about it, when the only thing that mattered now is the present and hopefully, the future. But no, every time he sees you, it only reminded him of everything. I mean, can’t you two just move on? I know, Joonmyun told me about your story and Baekhyun would kill me, because I’m meddling right now when he told me not to… But here’s the thing; I might not be there to witness your past, but I know how my friend had always felt, and I know how much it kills him. And also, by the looks of it, you’re not doing so well yourself. So now, tell me, how do you feel about Joonmyun?” 

“I’m in love with him.” Yixing blurted out before he could stop himself. He paused when he realized the words he had uttered.

“Good,” Chanyeol said satisfied. “That wasn’t so hard to admit, was it?”

Yixing’s mind flooded with thoughts as he finally comprehended the sudden realization that he had.

“You know,” Chanyeol continued. “If you hesitated for a second there, I would have clobbered your face to the ground, but you answered so quickly, it shocked me too.”

“Joonmyun,” Yixing muttered. “I need to see him.”

“Whoops,” Chanyeol shrugged. “I can’t tell you that. Now, I made a promise to him that I won’t reveal his whereabouts. Sorry.”

“Please,” Yixing pleaded a very shocked Chanyeol.

“I’m sorry, I really am,” This time, Chanyeol’s face turned serious as well. “But you see I really can’t”

“Why?”

“Hey, I just gave you a pep talk. That doesn’t really change the fact that I still hate you.”

The usual chatter in the locker room felt too familiar for Jongin as he stepped out of the shower. The only thing that was different now was that he was not part of the conversations at all. Since he made a choice to choose Kyungsoo’s side, every member of the team started ignoring him. Although they remained casual whenever they talk or address him, the fact that he went against the captain bore in everybody’s minds. Now, everyone would just pass by him as if he was invisible. If he was not the best player of the team, Jongin knew he would be kicked out right away.

Surprisingly, he found himself hardly caring anymore. Yes, people looked at him differently now, and the amount of his fans (thankfully) decreased dramatically, at least he felt comfortable letting his guard down now. Besides, aside from Kyungsoo, he started interacting with the other members of their class. Jongin found himself liking them, because somehow for the first time, he was making friends, the real ones. At least now, he was able to distinguish which ones who befriended him out of sheer convenience and the ones that were not.

While pulling out a fresh shirt, a letter fell out of his bag. It was a pink envelope, which was designed with glitters outside. Jongin shook his head as he chuckled. It was a bit surprising for him to receive a fan mail, and he shivered a little when he thought how the letter got into his bag. He changed into a new set of clothes. After cleaning up his stuff, he proceeded outside the basketball team’s locker room without saying a word to anyone. It would not matter if he tried to, the team would just ignore him anyway. It was completely pointless.

Jongin then proceeded to the school gates. Since he started volunteering to help Kyungsoo and his dad, he and Kyungsoo would wait for each other and go to their home together. When he heard that Kyungsoo was helping out with the bakery, he immediately offered to help him. He knew how Kyungsoo would always fuss about his dad, and he might need some assistance since he might get distracted from worrying too much. Besides, Jongin would have all the time to look at the deliciously looking breads all the time. It was his heaven.

Jongin paced back and forth as he waited for Kyungsoo. Some of the students were on the way home, and some of them greeted him as they passed. He checked his watch. Kyungsoo was a bit late today. Usually he would arrive way earlier than Jongin, because of basketball practice. He was about to head to the Home Economics room, when he saw Kyungsoo’s familiar figure walking towards him. His facial expression was a bit dimmer than the usual. It worried Jongin a little as he waited a bit patiently for Kyungsoo to reach the gates.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jongin asked when Kyungsoo was just a few feet away from him.

“It’s Minseok-hyung,” Kyungsoo sighed. “He collapsed during club activity.”

“What?” Jongin making his way back to school. “How did that happen? He was fine when we had lunch.”

Kyungsoo meanwhile grabbed his wrist to stop him. “It’s okay. He woke up at the infirmary. The school nurse already accompanied him home. She said that hyung was just a bit dehydrated, and with the part time jobs that he’s doing, he must be overworked. Plus, he’s been worrying about the cultural festival these days. It might be stressful for him too, because of some problems.”

“Oh,” He and Kyungsoo looked at each other and they both know what the other was thinking despite the unspoken words. “I really hope he’s okay.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said dejectedly. “This really .”

Jongin could only nod. They tried to switch into a more cheerful topic then. It really did bother Jongin a lot about the situation of his Tao-hyung though. If he had not learned from Kyungsoo that something had happened between him and Minseok-hyung, he would have had no idea. At home, Tao would act normally, from time to time, he and Jongin would have their fights, he continued to dote on him, and all those things. He felt really sorry for Minseok-hyung though. He had offered his help lots of times before, but he was always rejected. However, after this incident, Jongin was now more worried. This little problem of theirs must be a big deal after all. If not, Minseok-hyung would not be this stressed at all. He made a mental note to ask his older brother about it later.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said distractedly. “Tomorrow is the cultural festival. Finally”

“Right!” Jongin exclaimed. “And, remember, I’m watching you!”

Kyungsoo sighed as he shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re pressuring me for this. I’ve performed countless times at school. Are you sure you haven’t watched me yet?”

“Come on,” Jongin shrugged. “Would I be this excited if I’m just kidding?”

“Well, I hope you’re not kidding.” Kyungsoo pointed a finger at him. “And you better come to the performance, or else I won’t be bringing you any bread basket anymore.”

Jongin pouted. “Fine…”

Once they had arrived at the bakery, Kyungsoo left Jongin in charge while he helped his father return to the house. A few customers came in while he waited for Kyungsoo. Jongin was just giving the change to a group of giggling junior high girls when Kyungsoo came back.

“How’s Appa?” Jongin asked as Kyungsoo wore his apron.

“Complaining about the crutches as usual,” Kyungsoo answered. “The sooner he heals, the better.”

“He is coming to the festival tomorrow, isn’t he?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Don’t even try to hide it. I know that you two had an arrangement to meet tomorrow.”

“Yes!!” Jongin did a triumphant pose. “We’ll be your cheering squad tomorrow!”

“Fine,” Kyungsoo sighed. “Just take good care of him, okay? Be extra careful!”

“I swear on my basketball jersey!” Jongin said cheekily.

Kyungsoo smiled. “Yeah, you better.”

They went back to business. A little while later, the usual flood of customers came. Kyungsoo had told him multiple times that it was because of Jongin that was why they had been getting a lot of regulars these days. They were not just junior high girls; there were also some elementary kids, high school girls, and older. Jongin was shocked one instance when an ahjumma did not leave the bakery until she had snapped a selca with Jongin. Kyungsoo still about it. It must have been around an hour already when they both were able to rest.

“Hey, Jongin,” Kyungsoo called out to him. “Can you pack up this cake? The customer needs it to-go.”

“Okay,” Jongin replied as he got the box from Kyungsoo and fetched the roll of ribbon they use to tie up the box. As he did that, he watched distractedly as Kyungsoo talked with the ahjumma customer. Somehow, Jongin always admired how his friend communicated with other people. They seemed to warm up to him easily. No matter who it was, he would always smile kindly. Although Kyungsoo had always told him that it was him who brought the customers in, Jongin always believed that they return, because of his friend.

Jongin was too unfocused by staring at his friend that he didn’t notice that he had already finished tying up the box. It was not until Kyungsoo snapped a finger in his eye that he went back to reality.

“Hey, are you alright?” Kyungsoo asked him as he took the box of cake from him.

“Oh, uhm, yeah,” Jongin only noticed that he was holding a box of air a few seconds later. He brought down his hands right away, and stared off at the distance quietly.

Kyungsoo approached him after giving the box to the customer. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem to be distracted. Are you sick?” Kyungsoo brought up a hand on his forehead. Jongin felt his cheeks warming up. “You might faint like Minseok-hyung.”

“I… I’m fine.” Jongin gulped as he stared into Kyungsoo’s eyes, which were twinkling in concern. He felt more awkward, that’s why he removed the hand from his forehead. “I’m one hundred percent alright.”

“Okay.” Kyungsoo stepped away from him and went back to whatever he was doing.

Jongin let out the oxygen that he had not noticed that he was holding in. Somehow, the air had turned quite hot.

“Say, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said as he wiped the counter.

“Yeah,” He croaked.

“I always forget to tell you,” Kyungsoo continued. “But I really want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me and especially for Appa.”

Strange… His heartbeat was beating really fast.

“It’s no problem.” Jongin said when he found his voice.

Kyungsoo turned to him with that warm smile of his, and Jongin suddenly felt like he missed a step at the stairs.

What was that.

The sun was almost setting when Sehun arrived at the company. Every step that he took was filled by anticipation. Since he was stuck at his apartment for the whole day, he was just looking forward to just go out and smell the fresh air. Aside from that, he was too excited to see the face of Luhan. All the paper works and scripts that he had gone through the whole day would be worth it when he finally sees his boyfriend smiling at him. Luhan was not expecting him to visit the company today that was why Sehun intended to surprise him.

It was unbelievable how much he missed his boyfriend. Due to their very hectic schedule these past few days, they were not able to see each other that much. The sad thing was they were sleeping in the same room and on the same bed. Aside from that, most of their conversations were either through calls or texts. Even though technically, they had been together for months, the both of them had an unspoken understanding that their relationship had just started for about a week only. That was why it really that they had not been spending that much time together at the early parts of their relationship.

Sehun had been planning this day for quite some time now, because today was one of those times that he and Luhan had some time to spare for each other. The fact that the both of them had not been in a serious relationship before just made this special for the both of them. It mind sound funny and really cheesy, but they were each other’s first boyfriend, and no one was planning to screw things up. Today should be the most perfect day ever, because it would be one of those things they would keep in their memory and the start of many other dates to come.

Since the he and Luhan were both clueless in these types of relationship stuff, Sehun sought the help of Baekhyun to ask for some advice. Baekhyun was all the while helpful of him, and like many others, was relieved that finally the two of them got together for real. Both he and Luhan were surprised that a lot of people seemed to be there to support their relationship. Sehun just hoped that things would go like he had planned, because he really wanted to make Luhan happy, and he was ready to do anything to make it happen.

Various scenarios had been running through his mind as he trudged his way to Luhan’s office, and he could not help but to smile dumbly as he played it repeatedly in his head. He was too lost in his own daydream that he did not notice that he had bumped to some of the company employees as he walked. He knew how smitten he was with his boyfriend, and like Baekhyun had described it; he was like “a lovesick idiot” whenever he was around his boyfriend. Well, Sehun would never even deny it. He really was totally whipped.

His smile grew wider when he was faced with the office door, and his anticipation must have been so obvious when he knocked on it. The door finally opened revealing a slightly surprised, yet smiling Luhan.

“Sehun!” Luhan said in delight. “What are you doing here? I thought we’re gonna meet at the restaurant for our date?”

Before he said anything, Sehun stepped into the office, and gave his boyfriend a soft, yet lingering kiss. He could not help but smile when he realized that even though they had done this countless of times before, it still took his breath away. By the way that Luhan held him; it must be the same for him as well. Before they pulled away after a short while, Luhan added a quick peck on his lips.

“I wanted to surprise you, that’s why I came here early.” Sehun said still with his eyes still closed, enjoying the sensation of being this close with his boyfriend. “God, you don’t know how much I missed you.”

Luhan wrapped his arms around Sehun’s neck and buried his nose into it. Sehun could feel goosebumps when he felt Luhan’s breathing. “I miss you too… really, really miss you. I miss hearing your voice. When did we last talk face to face?”

“It’s been a couple of days already.” Sehun sighed. “How’s your day?”

“Pretty interesting,” Luhan replied, but did not elaborate. It did not matter to Sehun though, as long as Luhan’s okay. “How about yours?”

“Well, you know that already,” Sehun answered. “It’s composed of papers, papers, and more papers.”

Luhan chuckled as he looked up at Sehun. “It must have been pretty boring.”

“It really was.” Sehun looked back with a sheepish smile. “Are you ready to go?”

“Hmm,” Luhan nodded. “Just let me fix my things, and then we can go.”

Sehun sat on his seat as he waited for Luhan. Luhan went over his desk to fix some of the remaining mess on it. Sehun loved watching how Luhan’s eyebrows would meet as he double-checked and triple-check all of his works. It showed him how hardworking his boyfriend was. He also loved how Luhan would fuss from time to time whenever he remembered something important. He sat contentedly on his seat, because he had realized repeatedly how great his boyfriend was.

“What’s with the smile?” Luhan asked as he reached a hand to Sehun to indicate that he was ready to go.

“Nothing,” Sehun held his hand as he finally stood up. “I just realized how lucky I am to have you.”

“You’re just realizing that now?” Luhan pouted cutely.

“Well, I’m sorry,” Sehun answered with a smile. “I always realize that whenever I see you.”

“You cheesy person,” Luhan laughed with his eyes twinkling. “But for the record, I think I’m pretty lucky too.”

They shared one last kiss before they exited the office hand in hand. The two of them were walking at the hallway when they ran into Baekhyun, and (his assistant for the day, as Baekhyun had explained) Chanyeol. Baekhyun was running into another meeting, so he only had time to wish the two of them a good time.

“Baekhyun-ah’s been really busy these days.” Luhan said. “I’m pretty glad that Chanyeol-ah’s here to cheer him up.”

“Yeah,” Sehun said as he watched the two retreating figures. “Weird…”

“What’s weird?” Luhan asked.

“Nothing much,” Sehun answered. “I’ve met Chanyeol before, but seeing him with Baek… It felt like it was awfully familiar. I can’t seem to place what it is.”

“Oh, maybe it’s just déjà vu?” Luhan suggested.

Sehun shrugged. “Maybe… But hey, that’s not important right now. Are you ready for our date?”

Luhan nodded enthusiastically, his energy reflected Sehun’s. The two of them headed down to the parking area where Luhan’s car was. Since Luhan had absolutely no idea where they were supposed to go, he had let Sehun drive. The look on his boyfriend’s face amused him greatly when Sehun finally led them into an arcade downtown.

“Arcade?” Luhan asked him in shock. “We’re going in there?”

“Yes.” Sehun nodded with a playful smile.

“Oh my God.” Luhan laughed, and his expression unsure as he looked around. “All of the people here must be teenagers and younger.”

“Come on, don’t worry.” Sehun said as he pulled Luhan inside. “We’re here to have our very first real date experience.”

“It’s like we’re high school students again,” Luhan said still laughing. “I’ve never been to these places before.”

“Exactly.” Sehun said. “Since the two of us had never gone out with anyone before, it’s not too late for us to be in a teenager date, isn’t it?”

“You are so weird.” Luhan said fondly.

The two of them ended up having a good time. Although it proved that they both at arcade games, being able to experience something like this was completely new to them and it felt good. In the end, with the combined tickets that they won, they were able to exchange it into a small white teddy bear. It was so small that it fit Luhan’s hands perfectly. It didn’t matter though, because they were just happy that they won.

After that, they went to walk around downtown to eat some food, since the both of them were starving. After eating some street food, that Sehun had never ever tasted before in his entire life. Luhan was surprised to find out that Sehun had never eaten cotton candy ever. That was why he let go of Sehun’s hand and disappear for a few minutes, only to come back with a stick of pink cotton candy in his hand that the two of them shared.

They ended up sitting at the riverside talking about anything under the moonlight. All in all, Sehun felt his heart swelling out of sheer happiness as Luhan leaned his head on his shoulder. He listened as Luhan recounted some events of his past that he had failed to mention to Sehun before. As he listened to his boyfriend’s stories, Sehun realized how they both accepted each other’s every flaw in their past. He knew how much they value and love each other. For him, Luhan was someone that he had always been sure in his entire life. That was why Sehun had said these words all of a sudden:

“Move in with me.”

There was a long pause, and Sehun felt Luhan’s hand reaching out to his. He held onto it tightly, because somehow, he had an idea what’s going to happen next.

“Sehun-ah,” Luhan started. “You know how much I love you. All these times, I’ve always wanted to be with you; not only right now, but forever. You’re the most important person in my life, and if I lose you, I’ll die. I’m really happy that you’re asking me that, but…”

Luhan looked at him so sincerely, that Sehun could not help but to look away.

“No.”

It was already nightfall when Tao arrived at their building. He was worried for a couple of minutes, but it seemed like he still made it in time without being really conspicuous of his whereabouts. It had been a few days since he met the gang member, but still there was not any progress in his mission to meet their leader. Recently, all they had been asking him to do was to deliver some of the packages that needed to be sent. Tao knew that as much as irrelevant those tasks were they were gauging if he would just stay put and not do anything to compromise the gang.

As much as Tao hated receiving orders from strangers (for one he knew they could not be trusted.), he knew that he needed to this so that he would finally be able to have some peace of mind. That was why he convinced himself that he should just it up, and do what they want to do. The only problem was he did not know when these tests would end. It could take a week, a month, hell; it could be a whole year. He must be careful with his actions, or else it might lead to some consequences. The important thing was no one would be at risk to get hurt but him.

It was not easy; acting natural at home and at school, Tao had always been cautious of his actions. He would not know what to do in case his Baekhyun-hyung or Jongin find out about this. For one, he knew his hyung would do anything to stop him, and at the same time, Jongin might do something harmful to himself once again. Tao just tried to stop thinking about it in the process. He figured that if this situation finally reached its end, there would not be any problems at all, and all of them could just move on with their lives.

There was one thing, or rather one person that worried him so much. It was not because he felt that Minseok was in danger, he trusted Jonghyun’s words enough to know that Minseok was safe. On the other hand, he knew how Minseok had been dealing with the whole situation, and it was not great. Tao felt guilty that he had confessed his feelings to him. From time to time, he had beaten himself up because of the fact that he let himself be close to Minseok, and now he ended up leaving his side without any explanation. He knew he had been unfair.

Since Day One, Minseok had always caught his attention, and Tao had no idea what was the reason that drew him to the chubby cheeked boy every time that he saw him. It was something that could not be explained, and Tao had not realized how he had let himself fall and fall. He just found himself deep inside a world that Minseok exists, and his past was just a far echo, hidden behind a steel door. Being with Minseok had made him feel that he could have a normal life. Somehow, Tao found himself caring for someone else other than the people he knew and loved. Somehow, even though it never occurred to him before, Tao had fallen in love.

But it seemed like it was not meant to be. He was aware that from the moment he made up his mind, he knew that he had to stay away from Minseok. He could not risk him being hurt as well. He did not know anything. And Tao knew that if in the end, things turned up to be alright, he still could not be with him, because the damage had been done. One way or another, Tao had already managed to hurt Minseok, and there was no way he could still fix that. When that day comes, Tao could only just hope that Minseok would be happy.

The sound of the elevator brought him back from his reverie. Tao stepped out and went to their home. He thought that no one was home when he came in. That was why it came as a shock when he saw Jongin exiting the kitchen munching a slice of bread in his mouth. These days, it was usually Tao who arrived first, since Jongin was helping out Kyungsoo at their bakery. He knew that Jongin already had an idea about what happened between him and Minseok, despite that, he had not asked anything about it. However, Tao knew it would just be a matter of time before he does.

“Hyung!” Jongin greeted.

“Hey,” Tao greeted in return. “Did you just arrive?”

“Yeah,” Jongin nodded.

“Is Baekhyun-hyung here yet?” Tao asked.

“Not yet.” Jongin replied. “He left a note at the fridge. He said that he’ll be home late.”

“Okay,” Tao said as he made his way upstairs. “I’ll be going to my room then.”

“Hyung, wait.”

Tao turned around to find Jongin watching him with uncertainty. “What is it, Jongin?”

Jongin looked at him in all seriousness. “Please tell me what happened with Minseok-hyung.”

Tao did not let his guard down and shrugged. “Nothing, why would you ask something like that?”

“Oh come on, hyung,” Jongin insisted. “You know that something happened. I know you’re hiding something.”

“I told you,” Tao said keeping his voice in control. “Nothing; I just grew tired of him, that’s all.”

“What?!” Jongin’s expression turned grim. “That’s full of crap and you know it!”

“Full of crap or not,” Tao retaliated. “It was none of your business in the first place. So shut up.”

“How could you say things like that?” Jongin’s voice was filled with contempt. “Can’t you see how you’re hurting Minseok-hyung?! And now you’re telling me that you’ve grown tired of him?! That’s all?! How could you just treat him as if he’s just a piece of trash?!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tao fired back. “You don’t even know who I was doing this for.”

“Hyung,” Jongin’s eyes widened as if he finally comprehended something. “Hyung, if this was about… Don’t do anything dangerous!”

“I’m not,” Tao denied.

“Hyung,” Jongin begged. “You promised you’re not going to do anything about it and move on! You promised me and Baekhyun-hyung! I’m okay now! I’m not doing anything to hurt myself anymore! I can take care of myself now! Just, please, forget everything!”

“Forget?!” Tao felt angry and frustrated. “Did you think it’s easy trying to forget finding you almost drowning in your own blood?! Don’t just go and drop careless comments, Jongin!”

Jongin was close to tears now. “I just don’t want you to do anything reckless, hyung! If you’re still planning to…”

“Who says I was doing anything dangerous?!” Tao said feeling guilty for his sudden outburst. “I’m not, okay? Don’t overthink, Jongin. Calm down. There’s nothing going on.” Tao turned back once again, hoping to avoid any more arguments with his younger brother.

“Minseok-hyung fainted earlier,” Jongin spoke up all of a sudden. “Just thought you should know…”

Tao clenched his fist. He knew if he let his guard down, he would run away and go straight to Minseok’s house.

Jongdae felt goosebumps in his skin as he got out of his car. Somehow, he still could not comprehend how unbelievable this day had been to him. He knew that he had been neglecting about a lot of things the past days. Based on the countless calls he had been receiving from his manager and CEO, he knew that he would be in trouble. Luhan and the others had tried contacting him as well, but at that moment he had felt so lost. He noticed as well that he had not received any calls from Yixing. Well, why would he in the first place. He knew that things did not end up well for him too.

Isolating himself was not new to him, because this was not the first time that he had done this. In fact, he had done this a few times before. For him, it was better this way. At least, by hiding himself from everybody else, he knew that he would not be able to hurt anybody else. At the same time, he could escape the feeling of being hurt as well. He just felt tired of every little thing that was happening. And to know that he had caused most of those mistakes, he felt like he was losing his willpower slowly.

The past days had proved to be quite consistent for him. Most of the time, if he was not spending his time obsessing about the incident in the rehearsal room with Yixing; he would just have a glass of any alcoholic drink that he could hold. And every time, he would always think of the look on Joonmyun’s face when he saw them. It haunted him. He knew that because he knew how Joonmyun felt at that time. And yet, he had no idea how he could fix everything. If only somebody would tell him how to get rid of the loneliness he felt.

People from his company came at first. His manager would return at morning and at night, but Jongdae ignored them all. He had no energy to face all of them. It came to him as a surprise that morning though when it was Kris who came to visit him. It was so unexpected when Jongdae heard the sound of his doorbell. It was not as if he had been sleeping all along. The past few days, he had never had a proper one. He would just drift in and out of consciousness trying to forget all the wrong things that he had done.

It was different though, when he saw Kris standing outside his door. Somehow, his lonely soul was uplifted, and just like that, he felt that thing would be okay in the end. He was surprised when Kris had invited him to dinner that night. He knew that even though the other just intended to go out as friends, it did not stop Jongdae from looking forward for it. In his heart, despite the hurt or pain that he had experience, there would always a part of him that believed that Kris would be able to make every wrong in his life okay. And he had always held on to that belief.

That was why when Kris told him to fix himself up, he did. The energy that had been lost to him the past few days returned. He spent the whole day cleaning his apartment; he threw out the accumulated trash, he washed the dishes, he did the laundry, and all the things he had stopped doing himself due to his hectic schedule. Also, for the first time in days, he had cooked himself a proper meal. He ate with gusto when he realized how hungry he was. It felt good, and Jongdae knew that it was all because of Kris.

That was why he made sure he prepared well for the night. He chose the best clothes he had in his closet. This was the first time that he was coming out of the apartment, and he would spend it with Kris, that was why he made sure that he was presentable to everyone. He could not deny his anticipation as he drove to Kris’ company. Although he wished that he would not run into anyone relevant, at that time he kept it at the back of his head. The only thing that mattered now was he was going to have dinner with him. He did not care if he ran into some people.

When he arrived at the office though, Kris’ secretary informed him that the President was still in a meeting. She told him to wait for a little bit, because he would be coming anytime soon. Jongdae sat restlessly in the waiting area. He worried that he must have looked worn out now. He checked his watch. Thinking that he could still have the time to give himself some last minute fixing. He went to the restroom, and tried to fix any unruly hair that he had on his head. After making sure that his clothes still look fine, he made his way back to the office.

He could not believe his eyes when he rounded a corner. There, talking to Kris’ secretary was his older sister, Victoria. It had been a long time since he saw her, and he was surprised to find her here. Even though he was far away, he could still admire how beautiful she was. Dressed in ordinary people’s clothes, she had always had the ability to catch everyone’s attention. Seeing her after all this time, gave Jongdae a sense of nostalgia, but at the same time it reminded him of some bitter memories that he had hidden from. 

Jongdae stand rooted in his position as he listened to the conversation.

“I can’t stay here long,” Victoria was saying. “He’s still in a meeting?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The secretary answered. “Do you want to leave a message?”

“Hmm… Okay, let’s just do that.” Victoria said as he handed a paper bag to the secretary. “Tell him that Victoria came by. This was his jacket. Tell him that he forgot it the last time that he stayed over. Oh, and can you please add that he still owe me twenty bucks? Thanks.”

Jongdae froze. Kris stayed over at Victoria’s? They still talk to each other? He tried controlling his breathing. He was too distracted by his discovery that he had not noticed right away that Victoria was already leaving. It was too late when he realized that he was there, standing face to face with his elder sister.

“Jongdae…” Victoria’s eyes widened as they looked at each other.

As he looked into his sister’s eyes, Jongdae remembered everything in his past. And most of all, he remembered all the hurt. He could not take it. Turning around, he made his way through the elevator. He walked quickly, but clearly it was not enough because Victoria managed to squeeze inside the lift before the door closes. Jongdae did not say anything to acknowledge her, but his sister must have meant business, because she pressed the emergency button.

“I don’t know if you’re going to talk to me.” Victoria said. “But I know what you’re thinking right now.”

“Oh yeah?” Jongdae’s voiced croaked with an accusing tone.

“Yes,” Victoria answered. “I know you’re now jumping into conclusions.”

“How could you be so sure?” Jongdae snorted mockingly.

“Oh my God, Jongdae.” Victoria said. “When are you going to start to grow up?!”

“Do you know how hypocritical you sound right now?” Jongdae fired back.

Victoria sighed. “If you’re going to act like that I might as well give up.”

“Give up?” Jongdae asked. His anger was rising. “You’ve given up on me a long time ago.”

Victoria did not move. “Don’t act so high and mighty on me. You don’t know how much you’re losing when you’re being like that. You’ve had a lot of chances before, and you’ve wasted it all. This time, I’m going to make my move, and I’m not going to waste this opportunity.”

“What do you mean?” Jongdae asked.

“You know what I mean.”

That was the last thing Victoria said as she got out of the elevator. She never looked back as the doors close, leaving his younger brother behind. Afterwards, Jongdae made his way home, ignoring all the calls coming from Kris. His thoughts were focused on his sister’s last words.

And he did know. He did know what she meant.

Joonmyun was dozing off in his seat when the bus had driven into a slightly sharp hump. The sudden motion woke him up and he looked around disoriented checking if he already missed his stop. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that luckily, his stop was still the next one. Feeling that the sleep had already left his system, Joonmyun just opted to watch the passing buildings outside. It was a mystery to him how little the city changed since he last came home. The whole familiarity was lost to him as the bus passed through the nightly hustle and bustle of the place.

 It was not as if he had not come home for a long time. Joonmyun made sure that he would at least have the time to visit his family for at least once a year. Since the expenses of the travel back home was really not that cheap, he figured that he should just save the money and send it to his mother every month. Although his mother always tried to tell him that she could manage, Joonmyun thought that it was the least he could do to help the household. Besides, he knew that his grandparents were not so energetic anymore to work.

At that moment, he felt his phone vibrating. There had been a sudden jolt in his insides, because he was afraid to know who it was. He could not help, but to breathe out easily when he saw that it was just his mom asking him if he was on his way home yet. For the past few days, she had asked him to deliver some of the orders she had all over the city, and he was just happy to oblige. At least, helping his mother in her business kept him busy all the time and kept his mind from thinking about some things, or rather a certain someone. To put it in other words, it helped him escape;

He knew that by going back home to the province was not the best solution in the world. On the other hand, he really wanted to take a break, and when Baekhyun told him to, he could not help but to say yes. Joonmyun felt like things had been accelerating into a break neck speed that he could not keep up with himself anymore. He knew he had been careless with his feelings, and every little thing was in a mess right now. He should not have said anything. He should not have felt anything. His heart should have known better.

But how could he when every time he sees Yixing he could not help it? And it was wrong. Every time he closes his eyes, he could always picture the scene in the locker room exactly as it was. Yixing was kissing somebody else. It hurt Joonmyun a lot that he had to witness that. He felt his heart breaking into pieces, because no matter how hard he tried to repress it in his mind, he had always hoped that it should be him. But no, he had to be that selfish. He felt the room closing in on him, and the air was suddenly suffocating. He had to get out.

He never realized how much love could hurt, especially the first one. He ran away. He ran far until his legs took him to the only place that he could feel safe. That was where he poured his heart out; all the hurt and frustration he had felt all these times came out into streams of tears. Yet, a part of him was feeling guilty, because he always assumed that when the time comes, he would be happy for Yixing. At that time though, he could not. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Joonmyun just wished at that time for the pain to go away.

And then Yixing came, and hearing his voice just opened the wound on his heart more. Joonmyun did not want him to see him, because he knew that once he sees the other’s face, he would break. That was why he had to run away until his heart was ready to face him once more. However, Yixing had been trying so hard to talk to him. These past few days, Joonmyun had received countless texts and calls from his friend, but he chose to ignore all of them. He did not want to be found until he was sure that he had found himself.

The cold evening wind blew as he stepped off of the bus. He liked walking on this empty street like this. He felt the nostalgia as it reminded him during the time that he was just a mere high school student. He could not believe how much time had passed and how many things had happened. All he knew was the version of himself back then was not much different from who he was right now. Things might have been more simple at that time, but even before, there was only one person who he kept on thinking about.

“I’m home!” Joonmyun called out as he removed he went in the house

“I’m in the kitchen!” He heard his mother’s voice.

Joonmyun found his mom cooking dinner. After asking him whether he was able to deliver the orders to all the customers, she began to set up the table. Joonmyun noticed though that she only prepared for two persons.

“Mom?” Joonmyun asked. “Where are Grandpa and Grandma? Have they eaten dinner yet?”

“Oh, yes.” His mother laughed fondly. “You know them, since you came home with those drama DVDs that you bought them they’ve just been watching that all day.”

Joonmyun joined in the laughter as well. “That was supposed to be yours. I didn’t know they were fans too.”

“You should hear them recite the TV schedule then.” His mom answered as she took a seat. “You’ve heard them cheering when you told us your new job.”

The two of them started eating. From time to time, they shifted on topics about his mother’s business to Joonmyun’s life at the city. Every time he talked to his mother like this, he was reminded how he missed his family. Life might be simple and plain with them, but Joonmyun always felt happy whenever he saw them. Their chat was interrupted though when Joonmyun’s phone lit up all of a sudden. He checked the call and it was Yixing. He immediately sent it to voice mail. There was silence as he settled down the phone back at the table.

His mother cleared . “You know you had to answer that phone soon.”

Joonmyun looked at her. She was smiling kindly. “Oh, uhm, we’re eating dinner, so I don’t want anything to interrupt.”

“Okay,” She stayed quiet after that. Joonmyun thought she had let the issue go, but a few minutes later. “You know you could go back to the city as soon as possible if you wanted to.”

Joonmyun looked at her. “Mom, are you trying to kick me out?”

His mother laughed once more. “No I’m just saying that somebody clearly misses you this much already.”

“Oh,” Joonmyun laughed awkwardly. “That, that call was nothing.”

“If you say so,” His mom teased. “I just want you to know that when you’re done thinking things over and you finally decided what next step to take, Grandpa, Grandma and I would always be here to support you.”

Joonmyun stared at his mother at loss for words.

“What’s wrong?” His mother asked “Are you still surprised that I know something’s wrong? I’m your mother, of course I’ll always know.”

Chanyeol did not really expect it when Baekhyun turned up at his doorstep that morning. Honestly, he was at first irritated, because he was awakened by the sudden phone call from his landlord telling him that someone had been lurking in front of his apartment again and if he did not do anything about it in the next five minutes, he would call the authorities. The first person who came into his mind was that Jinsoo was there to pester him once again since it had been about a week and he had still not given an answer about meeting his brother’s mom.

It felt a bit of a relief though when Chanyeol opened his door and found Baekhyun in front of him. He had noticed that Baekhyun was acting weird though, but behind that, Chanyeol noticed how tired Baekhyun looked. It looked like he had barely had slept for days. It kind of worried him to see the smaller one look like that. It felt like he was really drained. Chanyeol just assumed that it must be because of work. He just wished that he could just stress over work as well, because the thing that had been keeping him up for a couple of days was a lot different.

If Joonmyun had not left, making a decision whether he would meet his brother’s mother would be easier. Sometimes, he would have the urge to contact Jinsoo and be done with it. However, he would end up remembering that he was just a lowly bastard and how could he face a woman of that status. In the end, he would just chicken out. He knew it would not be easy. Hell, he might get end up being humiliated and all, but the stubborn energy in his body wanted to find out what would happen if he just took the chance.

This situation had been him worried for days, and when Baekhyun offered him to be his assistant for the day, Chanyeol took his chance. He wanted to take his mind of things for a little while. Maybe spending time outside the apartment would help him in his decision. Besides, by the way Baekhyun appeared; it looked like he needed some help anyway.

It was strange, because the two of them never talked about what happened at the rooftop a week ago. Chanyeol knew that it was not the first hugged that the two of them shared, but at that time, it felt different. He felt different. At that moment, Chanyeol had let himself be vulnerable to Baekhyun, and he was not the kind of person to let his guard down to anyone. And yet, he let himself be comforted by the smaller one. He would not deny it, he felt better afterwards. Chanyeol felt safe when Baekhyun held him, and he knew then that the next time that they see each other, he would be seeing Baekhyun in a whole new light: a very different Baekhyun than the one he was used to.

He was leaning back onto Baekhyun’s car. The manager was just clearing up some things in his office before they both go home. Being alone like that reminded him of his dilemma once again. The whole day had passed and still he had not made any decisions. He wondered though, if this week ends and he still does not give any answer, will Jinsoo appear at his doorstep again? Maybe he should just say that he refuses so that he could already move on, but no, he could not just leave it like that. God, he sounded like a bipolar in his mind.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Baekhyun’s voice suddenly appeared and startled Chanyeol.

“What the hell?!” Chanyeol held his chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“I’m sorry!” Baekhyun apologized. “I thought you saw me coming, since I’m walking towards you.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol felt a bit dumb. He must have drifted off thinking about a lot of things. “I’m sorry too.”

“Here,” Baekhyun handed him a can of soda. “I figured you might be thirsty, so I brought you one. See I have my too.” He showed off his drink.

“Chocolate milk?” Chanyeol snorted. “Seriously Baekhyun, how old are you?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Leave me and my chocolate drink alone!”

Chanyeol smiled. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Baekhyun looked up to him uncertainly. He must have been startled with the lack of argument from Chanyeol. The two of them tried their own drinks quietly. Clearly, spending time together for a whole day was good for them. They had somehow made an unspoken truce about their petty arguments. Baekhyun joined him and leaned back onto the car. The sounds of the city were their background. In some way, Chanyeol appreciated them at times like these. It brought peace in his mind knowing that the world still turns whenever he stopped his.

“Is something bothering you?” Baekhyun quietly asked, breaking the silence. “You seem to be distracted the whole day. Did I overwork you?”

Chanyeol shook his head. “It’s really nothing important.”

“Oh come on,” Baekhyun insisted. “If it’s really nothing, you won’t be drifting off most of the time.”

“I don’t really know if you could solve this problem I have.” Chanyeol said hesitantly.

“Try me.” Baekhyun said.

“Okay,” Chanyeol complied. “Let’s just say I was offered this job. It’s really huge, and it really is important to me. But, honestly I’m terrified to take it because there might be some consequences along the way that I might not anticipate. However, at the same time, I wanted to; because I might regret it in the future if I did not even try. And now I’m confused because I could not make up my mind about it. I don’t really know what to do, Baekhyun. The only thing that I’m sure of is the fact that my life would change a lot if I do take it.”

“Hmm,” Baekhyun thought about it. “Have you thought about refusing the offer?”

“Yes,” Chanyeol answered. “A couple of times now.”

“But you said it’s life changing.” Baekhyun said. “Why don’t you want it?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m terrified.”

“I don’t think there’s any reason to be afraid.” Baekhyun said. “You said it yourself. You might regret it in the future if you don’t try, which only means one thing. You’re heart wanted you to accept it, but your mind was just messing everything up. If it could really change your life, why not? The Chanyeol that I know was not the one who backs down. He was the one who’s always a fighter, and this thing, whatever it might be is just one of them. And you know that you’re gonna beat yourself up if you back down from a fight. That’s why I suggest for you to accept. If in the end, you fail, well at least you can sleep knowing that you at least stood up to take the plunge.”

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun for a long time. He was right. He kept thinking and thinking about this thing to much, that he actually ignored the fact that from the very moment that Jinsoo told him the story, he had already made up his mind.

“Thanks, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said quietly.

Baekhyun chuckled. “It’s no problem.”

“Since when did we become this close?” Chanyeol joked.

“Who says were close?” Baekhyun then nudged Chanyeol’s arm with his elbow.

He knew that Baekhyun did not mean it to happen, but a moment later, the can of soda spilled on Chanyeol’s shirt, causing the two of them to panic.

“Oh my God!” Baekhyun used his handkerchief to dab the spilled soda. “I’m so sorry!”

“Baekhyun, it’s okay….” Chanyeol tried to pry away Baekhyun’s hands from him. “We’re already going home. I’m just gonna change later.”

But Baekhyun was just too stubborn. “But still…!”

“Baekhyun.” With the both of his hands, he managed to hold on to Baekhyun’s wrist. Chanyeol felt him froze in his grip. Baekhyun looked up to him with surprised eyes. As Chanyeol looked at him, he felt something unexplained in the pit of his stomach. He found himself releasing one of Baekhyun’s wrists. His hand, now free of the other’s found his way to Baekhyun’s cheek. He traced a finger on Baekhyun’s jaw.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked all of a sudden.

Chanyeol paused when he realized what was happening. He cleared his throat. “Oh, uhm, let’s go home.” He said self-consciously as he took step away from Baekhyun.

Later that night, as soon as Chanyeol arrived home, he frantically searched for the calling card that Jinsoo gave him. His hand was shaking as he dialed the number on his phone. He could hear his heart beat drumming in his ears. Jinsoo’s kind voice answered right after the first ring. Chanyeol answered him in his most determined voice.

“Ahjussi, I’ll do it. I’ll meet my brother’s mom.”

So that’s the end for Chapter 11. So how are you guys?

Oh gosh, first of all. I AM SO SORRY for again, a delayed update. There were just too many things to do, and I wrote another fic (it’s not this long though) and I just got more and more distracted. But never fear, because great news, I have finished outlining this story until the very last chapter!! (This is another reason why I wrote this update later than expected!) I’m really excited about it, and hopefully, now that I have this, it would be easier for me to write updates. I’m not going to tell you how many chapters there are all in all, but I’ll give you a tiny clue: We’re nearly halfway there, just a bi~it more.

Anyway, some notes on this chapter. I felt like I trolled you a bit in here… (Especially the krischen part. Hey guys~ *waves guiltily*). Then, there’s Chanyeol’s case. Oh that development in his life, I’m really looking forward to that! Also, I know drama, fluff, and drama. And trust me, some mysteries and behind stories are going to be revealed in the next few chapters. So get ready… ^^

And since I am so excited, I want to present some dish into the future chapters. :p two couples would have a 3^rd party. One couple would have the “false” 3^rd party, which the person that would come between them was really not relevant, so there’s really no need to worry about that, and the other couple would have a “legit” 3^rd party who would be a bit of a dilemma in the future. Can you guess who’s who? *winks*

Oh, and another thing, for the next update, it would be a mini-chapter and the focus would be on: SULAY, the both of them. So please, expect drama and more drama. Yay. ^^ Hope that you guys would read it.

So I think that’s it for this chapter! I’d be waiting for your comments or inquiries if there are any.

Also, hello to you awesome subbies! Yes, all of you!

It's now past 5am here~ So I guess I'll sleep now!! But before that... EXO COMEBACK!!!

*DROOLS*

ANYWAY (!!!)

Till next (mini) chapter! Have a good day!

Jaa~