Chapter 21

Baby's Breath

*Chapter 21;

December arrived sooner than Baekhyun would have liked. The weeks after Chanyeol's leave had inevitably left a hole nobody else could fill in his heart, but as all things went, time healed some wounds. Baekhyun started paving the road to his future again without worrying so much about Chanyeol, because he could only last so long using his stepbrother as his crutch before he'd forget how to walk on his own.

But, life had started to bore him once again.

He had started playing soccer again with his friends and played in a number of small tournaments, but the rush of excitement he always felt running into Chanyeol's arms after scoring a goal or seeing his stepbrother cheer for him at the bleachers was gone. When soccer wasn't enough to occupy his time, he started studying and passed his entrance exams with sort-of flying colors. He thought he didn't do so well, but his mother was crossing her fingers. Honestly, he just didn't want to let her down after she had started attending Sunday service again to pray for at least one of the Ivy League colleges accepting him.

After entrance exams were over, the seniors, including Baekhyun, had developed a habit of skipping class and living their last days of freedom recklessly before college. Nothing had really changed about his circle of friends after Chanyeol left.

Luhan had to return to China last week when his family thought their business wasn't going well in Korea, so they left. Well, the most important part was that Luhan had left Sehun, and Sehun had been so depressed that he refused to hang out after school. One thing hadn't changed about him, though: Sehun never quit the volunteer work he picked up while dating Luhan.

Jongin... Jongin was still the same, more or less, but he had started dating a girl named Jung Soojung from the all-girls high school nearby. She was incredibly beautiful and it was no wonder why Jongin dated her, but she was sort of a

"." Baekhyun sighed, "She's a , Jongin. Dump her."

"Hey," Jongin frowned, punching his friend in the arm (only to prove that he was doing his part as a defensive boyfriend, nothing more), "I know it's only been three days or something, but she's cool."

"No, she's a . She's not the kind of girl you'd want to take home to your mom."

"I know, man," Jongin sighed, but Baekhyun caught the look in his friend's gaze that prompted him to change the subject. He didn't know what Jongin saw in a girl who was all sorts of trouble, but then again, Jongin had strange tastes and a natural go-instinct for danger. He never understood it, but he thought it was just thatJongin felt something for Soojung that nobody could understand.

He glanced at his wristwatch and exhaled, his breaths curling into condensed air. It was getting so cold nowadays that he had to wear at least three layers underneath his school uniform and keep lip balm in his pocket so they wouldn't get chapped from the weather. Ever since the first snow last month, it had been snowing nearly everyday.

"We should check up on Sehun." he said to Jongin as they walked in the direction of Sehun's apartment. After Luhan's departure, he and Jongin had visited Sehun once and found their friend vomiting in the toilet with soju bottles scattered on the bathroom tiles. It was really tragic, how Sehun had lost Luhan when neither of his parents were ever home. Despite knowing Sehun for years, Baekhyun had never really seen his parents because they were always out, either gambling or drinking with different men and women. Baekhyun remembered coming to Sehun's apartment once to find his fridge full of alcohol and appetizers for beer, then the occasional plastic container filled with spoiled side dishes.

He remembered Sehun smiling and showing him a separate cabinet under the sink where he kept his food supply, which only consisted of ramen and instant meals that wouldn't spoil. After that, Baekhyun never teased Sehun whenever he ate twice as much as the others at school.

Just when he had thought things were turning around for Sehun after Luhan agreed to date him, things had just gotten worse.

Luckily, when he and Jongin came by Sehun's apartment, they found him stretching at the playground. Sehun never really liked staying home anyways. The three of them went for dukbokki and kimbap at the nearest restaurant and Sehunwith a bright smileinsisted that he pay for their dinner. Jongin and Baekhyun couldn't help but glance at each other while Sehun pulled out crumpled bills from his pocket, holding up the whole line of customers as he unfolded and counted each one.

Jongin offered to sleep-over at Sehun's place, which left Baekhyun's mind at ease because he knew Sehun wouldn't spend another night alone and he could get home as soon as possible to check their mailbox.

Other than the times Baekhyun waited for his newest subscription of a gaming magazine, he had never waited so eagerly for the mail. Much to his mother's surprise as well, he always stopped by the mailbox first and handed her the bills. Then, he would bite a cream-colored envelope between his teeth and race into his room to be the first to rip it open.

It was Tuesday, which meant that Chanyeol had sent him a letter over the weekend. He checked the mail everyday, and there were times Baekhyun deliberately waited outside in his pajamas for the mailman to hand-deliver him their letters.

Since phone calls weren't allowed during the hours Baekhyun was out of study-hall time, he and Chanyeol had been sending letters to each other in hopes that it would lessen the gap they felt in their hearts that couldn't be filled by anything or anyone else. Although Baekhyun had a difficult time reading Chanyeol's letters at times because of his spelling and grammatical errors, he had noticed that Chanyeol improved at least a little bit.

Eagerly, Baekhyun laid on his stomach and tore open the envelope to find Chanyeol's letter folded three times inside. As always, the page was filled to the margins with words as if Chanyeol had tried so hard to fit everything he wanted to say to him in the small space he had available. He had even written on the back and drawn him a picture.

Dear Byun Baekhyun,

Baekhyun, are you doing good? I'm doing good! I miss you a lot. The lady here said I can see you soon, if I show improvement or something. Isn't that happy? I wonder if Baekhyun's leg is all right now. I still worry. I miss the ice creams that we ate and when I played games with Baekhyun. I hope we can play again! That would be happy. The friends here are nice to me but they are not Baekhyun so I get sad sometimes because I would like to play with you again. They said I can play with you again if I learn good. I wonder when that will be? I wonder if Baekhyun is sad because I'm not there to tell Baekhyun to smile and be happy. I would like a lot of happy for Baekhyun. I will write Baekhyun a longer letter next time because they only give me one paper. I love Baekhyun!

Super Chanyeol

(On the back was a poorly-drawn picture of a cookie, for some reason.)

It was somewhat amusing how Baekhyun could almost hear Chanyeol's voice in his head as he read his letter. Each one was slightly different from the last one even though he tended to repeat some words... but to Baekhyun, they were all unique because he could only imagine how long Chanyeol had spent writing each letter carefully like he always did.

Sometimes, Baekhyun cried while reading Chanyeol's letters because he missed him so much, but most of the time, he smiled. He smiled and ripped out a page of his writing notebook to write him a letter as soon as possible, too.

Dear Super Chanyeol,

I'm doing fine, keke. I miss you a lot, too... Do you think you could come over for Christmas? Will they let you visit us, or maybe I could come visit you? I'm a little worried sometimes, Chanyeol, because I took my entrance exams last month and I don't think I did very well. Maybe if you were here, you would tell me that it's okay if I end up being a garbageman or something. Keke. When you come back home, we could play games and eat all the ice cream you want, so come back soon, okay? Mom told me that you might come back before next year if you're good... but we're still working that out with a lawyer. Did you know Yifan hyung hooked us up with a lawyer who will do pro bono work for us? Pro bono means for free, by the way. Keke. Anyways, I miss you a lot. It's not really fun here anymore without you... by the way, what do you eat over there?

Byun Baekhyun

(He drew a glass of milk on the back.)

He posted the letter before school the next morning and waited for a week for a reply, but on Tuesday, he came home to an empty mailbox. Of course, there were some bills and other envelopes, but the cream-colored envelope wasn't there.

He waited for another week.

No cream-colored envelope.

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jindeul
Chapter 15 will be up tonight or tomorrow!

Comments

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27leialimel27 #1
Chapter 26: Please if someone can answer my question, I finished this story in one day and maybe it is because I am French but I don't understand something : what happened to luhan, why did he try to suicide ? Was he depressed or something and Chanyeol helped him ? and also for the author, do Chanbaek finish together as a couple at the end ? I love the story so much but I want to know more about luhan please
mahtao #2
Chapter 13: I think it's interesting.
It's not a common life for everyone but I can feel baekhyun feeling.
Thanks
Pinku2haru #3
Chapter 31: I read love this story and I'm so thankful to you that you put a happy end for items, it reminds me of :the letter c : which the couples were kai and kris, I love the both story so much
ramsha23
#4
Chapter 14: this is an absolute masterpiece. My heart hurts >.<
KpopFanficaddict #5
THIS WAS THE SADDEST STORY EVER!
chanbaekii #6
Chapter 29: IM IN TEARS THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FICS I'VE EVER READ IN MY WHOLE LIFE
Ze_Lay #7
MY EYES HURT SO MUCH FROM CRYING QQ
real_cmh
#8
Chapter 29: woah, Jindeul, youre so mean! you made me cry! T_T
OceanicKey #9
Chapter 30: Is it still possible... perhaps to get a hard copy?
meurtrier #10
gets me all the time. forever my fave! <3