Author's Note: This story is awful and boring and simple and predictable so why are you still here ;u; and the beautiful poster ;; love Chloe so much <333

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrequited love does not die.

It’s only beaten down to a secret place where it hides, curled and wounded.

--Ella Newmark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun knew he had a different life ever since he was four.

He wasn’t like those kids who were out laughing and flying their kites with their friends. He never knew what it felt like to blatantly swim in the river with his clothes on. He never knew how to play soccer and how it felt to be covered in mud and sweats.

Baekhyun never experienced any of those things.

The male was one of the those kids who practiced piano after school. He spent most of his spare time studying and drowning himself in textbooks. Sometimes, Baekhyun felt envious of the maids’ kids because he wanted to know the outside world. Learning the world from a book wasn’t satisfying enough, in fact, it only whetted his appetite and he desired to experience life more. He wanted to get out of the house, wanting to join those kids who were laughing freely like they had no burden for tomorrow while he, had to struggle to get good grades—just so he wouldn’t be a disgrace to the family.

There were times when he was in the car with his mother, heading somewhere and they passed by a park. He would see kids his age laughing and running. He would see those same kids playing either hide and seek or a game of tag. It would get Baekhyun to lean closer to the window with a hand pressed against it with a longing expression.

He wanted to be like them.

But his mother thought otherwise.

“They’re filthy, Baekhyun.”

She would always say the same thing.

Everytime she did so, Baekhyun would sag back into his seat and he gave her a questioning stare, and she would always preach to him about pride and dignity, that they weren’t in the same level as the people at the park they saw earlier, that those kinds of people weren’t even supposed to know people like them.

“Do you understand that, Baekhyun-ah?”

And Baekhyun never did.

But he always gave her a simple nod. Maybe she had acted like that because he was still too little. Maybe it was just temporary. Maybe all of this would change when Baekhyun grew older.

It did not.

Baekhyun began to understand how serious it was when he got into his first school. To think that he was only six at that time and he felt suffocated at what everyone was trying to teach him. Baekhyun was taught to speak with a polite, educated tone—to show that they had value. They had expensive uniforms and everyone was talking so formal to each other. The teachers were walking with their chins upward like they were in some kind of runway. It was obvious that the students were all from high class families, including himself.

It hurt his head.

Slowly, Baekhyun felt his confidence sinking. Even though he had the same status as them, he didn’t feel like he belonged there. And even in such tremendous school, there were still kings and queens—those would be the richest of them all. Most of the students worshiped the ground Taeyeon, Yoona and Key (although Baekhyun could and would never consider him a king...well, not with his diva-esque attitude anyway) walked on. Most of the girls swooned upon seeing Minho—and Baekhyun still wondered how Minho and Kibum became friends with each other since Minho was manly and Kibum was definitely a diva.

Baekhyun tried to make friends but none of them seemed sincere about friendship. There was always, always something behind it. A girl named Luna came to him once, innocently saying that she wanted to be friends with him simply because her parents said something about ‘it would be good if we can establish a contract with the Byun family’. Baekhyun stiffened.

It didn’t take too long for Baekhyun to shut himself off from his surrounding. It was hard to be alone, but it was even harder to make friends with people you weren’t clicked with.

Baekhyun wondered if there was someone who would accept him for who he was.

It was all he ever wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun got home with a scratch when he was seven.

His mother had gotten hysterical and she acted like Baekhyun had just been stabbed in the chest. Baekhyun stuttered and told her that it was nothing, that it was his fault for chasing a cat at school and the poor thing seemed to be scared and scratched him.

Her expression changed drastically at that and Baekhyun felt like digging a hole and hide. It evolved to a long speech of ‘how many times do I have to tell you that they’re filthy, Baekhyun?’ and how playing could distract him from studying and everything and he shouldn’t waste his time for such useless things. She kept on mentioning ‘filthy’ and it was funny because she used the same word for both humans and animals. Sometimes, Baekhyun wanted to argue but he didn’t want to make her angry, so in the end he would just absently nodded to everything and apologized. She made him promise that it would never happen again.

He promised.

Baekhyun’s mother had gotten more protective of him ever since then. He wasn’t allowed to go home by himself and she had hired a personal driver only for him. Ryeowook was still young and he was almost ten years older than Baekhyun, but his family had been working for the Byun family for more than a decade that she trusted he would be the perfect person to take care of her son. Baekhyun was forced to give his schedules to Ryeowook so that the older male would be able to know when and at what time he should pick the young master up.

Ryeowook didn’t talk much and he obeyed everything Baekhyun’s mother said.

Needless to say, Baekhyun felt more and more caged.

Despite all the money he had, he was unhappy. While all those people...all those people who his mother assumed ‘filthy’, they looked...happy and free even without money. Was money even important? If it was, why did he feel this way...?

The situation caused Baekhyun to grow up alone without any close friends. He didn’t want to open himself to anyone, not even to his teachers.

All of these didn’t change even until he graduated from high school and got accepted in a private university. Despite the fact that his mother wanted him to be a businessman so he could inherit the family’s company, Baekhyun took music as his major. It angered his parents too much when they found out but he mostly didn’t care, because if there was anything he liked from what they had taught him, it was piano. And it wasn’t like his voice was bad...he could sing, too, even just a bit.

After a few months of arguing (more like they tried to persuade him to take another major but Baekhyun stubbornly refused), they finally gave up and let him did what he wanted.

But his mother told him that she was disappointed in him.

Baekhyun couldn’t help but feeling slightly hurt because of that.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun felt a bit free whenever he attended his classes.

Music made him feel calm, that he could run away from all of his problems for a while.

One day, Baekhyun was making his way toward the yard—his music theory class was canceled because the lecturer was sick and there was no one to substitute him—when he noticed that there were a lot of strangers around his campus. He frowned slightly to himself before he remembered that his university was holding some kind of photography exhibition that day and it was open for the public. That would explain the sea of strangers.

He sat on the nearest bench available and saw a lot of people with different styles of fashion. They were clad in clothes that Baekhyun wasn’t sure he had the courage to wear. His mother would probably call them ‘filthy’ if she saw how they were dressed. Though, if he was truthful to himself, as weird as they looked, compared to them, he was... He reluctantly looked down to his clothes.

...boring.

Baekhyun had just texted Ryeowook that he was done for the day when a very tall male came into his view. Honest to God, he forgot how to breathe for a few seconds. The tall male must have been there for the photography convention because he had a SLR camera hanging around his chest. Not exactly the latest one, but Baekhyun knew enough that the brand was quite expensive and it had good lenses.

But it wasn’t the camera that made Baekhyun stared.

He’s...good looking.

The tall male spotted him and Baekhyun instinctively lowered his head.

Did he catch me staring...?

Even though the camera was expensive, the appearance showed otherwise. He was definitely one of the guys his mother would forbid to be his friends. If she was there, she would probably tell him that ‘he’s not the kind of people you should interact with’. Baekhyun grimaced. Well, it wasn’t like they were going to talk anyway...

No, of course not. Silly me to think so.

“Excuse me.”

Baekhyun lifted up his head only to find that the male was standing in front of him.

For the first time in his life, Baekhyun felt his heartbeat increased dramatically, like a car that was going over a hundred mile per hour. His throat went dry instantly and his hands became cold.

He has a deep voice.

“I seem to be lost...mind telling me where the photography exhibition is being held?”

Baekhyun had difficulty finding his voice so he awkwardly pointed to his left and yanked his hand over his shoulder in reply, as if to say ‘you should go that way’. The tall male followed the direction of his hand with a slight frown.

“Ah, you mean that building over there?”

Baekhyun hid his face deeper. The male smelled like sunshine and sweat and he made his heart went wild. What was happening to him? Suddenly, he really, really just wanted the other male to leave.

Please just go, please—please just go.

“Thank you.”

Baekhyun nodded vigorously, hoping that the male would just go already. He waited and waited, but the male never left. Instead, he felt his chin being lifted up by two fingers and their eyes met. Baekhyun’s heart almost came to a stop and he went pale.

“Are you a student here...?”

Baekhyun nervously pulled away from his touch and looked down to their shoes. The tall male’s Converse sneakers were dirty and probably time to buy a new pair. “...my—my mother said I’m not supposed to talk to strangers...”

It was definitely the weirdest thing to say.

The male only snorted. “Your mother. How old are you, five?”

Baekhyun ignored his words. He settled his books on his lap and looked away. He somehow wished Ryeowook would arrive soon today.

“Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun snapped his head back to the taller male. “H—how—“

“It was written on your books,” he shrugged and pointed to the books on his lap. “Did your mother do that too?”

Baekhyun gawked for a second before sending the rude man a glare. How rude! Maybe his mother was right, this kind of person was really filthy. He chose not to reply.

His car suddenly came to view and Baekhyun stood up abruptly. He had never felt this grateful for Ryeowook before. Baekhyun adjusted his bag and fixed his eyes on the ground as he walked past the male, but the latter suddenly grabbed him and it caused Baekhyun to yelp.

“D—don’t touch me!!”

The male looked startled by that and unwillingly let Baekhyun go.

Both of them were stunned on their tracks. Baekhyun soon felt guilty for saying that to the tall stranger but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. The other male, he...

He has beautiful eyes.

Baekhyun almost had to force himself to turn around and dashed to his car. Ryeowook looked startled at the sound he made as he climbed into the car.

“Baekhyun-shii, why are you—“

“Go.”

“Eh?”

“Just—just go. Hurry.”

Ryeowook seemed confused but he drove off as requested.

Baekhyun was still breathless from all the running and unconsciously brought his hand to his arm. He was wearing a short sleeves shirt today, so the male’s accidental touch was a direct skin touch.

It was still burning him.

Was the other somehow...disease?

Perhaps his mother was right afterall.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

It never occured to Baekhyun that they would run into each other again. Afterall, the other male wasn’t a student at his university and he only came there last week for the one time photography session.

Strangely, they did.

Their next meeting was on the following week.

Baekhyun was walking out of his class when he spotted the male. He was clad in different clothes, but he was still with the same appearence from last week and was standing on the very same spot they met before. His steps slowed momentarily at the sight before he quickened his pace.

Even with such appearance, he’s still handsome...

The tall male was sitting on the bench, obviously working on his camera. Baekhyun crossed his fingers and wished he wouldn’t see him. He almost broke into a run and frantically searched for a place to hide.

But as if it was meant to be, he did.

“Byun Baekhyun!”

Dear God.

Baekhyun forgot that the male actually knew his name. He pretended that he hadn’t heard the man calling him (even though his voice was surprisingly loud) and he almost fled. The other male must have read his intention because his attempt to escape was thwarted and Baekhyun found himself blocked by the man. Curse him for being so tall and had a pair of nice, long legs.

“Hey.”

It shocked Baekhyun so much that he accidentally dropped his books onto the ground. He hastily knelt down and felt the tall male did the same thing in front of him. Baekhyun refused to look at him as he gathered his books awkwardly—only to find out that the last book was held by the other male. He merely stared at the (captive) book, contemplating whether to save it or chalked it off as casualty and made his escape then.

Oh well, if the tall male wasn’t going to give it back, he could always buy a new one.

“I’m Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun’s lips quivered as the male started talking.

Chanyeol.

“Don’t be scared, I’m not gonna do anything to you.”

Chanyeol’s tone was so soothing that it made Baekhyun to slowly shift his gaze to the taller male. It was the second time their eyes had met and Chanyeol smiled before offering his book back. Baekhyun accepted it albeit, reluctantly and hesitantly.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun quietly mumbled and stood up.

“Hey, wait,” Chanyeol started as he too, stood up. They had at least ten centimeters height difference forcing Baekhyun to lift his chin slightly upward to get a good look. “You know that photography exhibition last week?” Baekhyun gave a hesitant nod as a reply. “The theme was about lighting and they made this small competition to test us if we actually grasp what they were explaining. And I need to come up with a good picture if I want to win. Well, even though they said it was a competition, there isn’t a prize, but...”

Chanyeol paused as he stared solemnly at Baekhyun.

“I want you to be my model.”

Baekhyun blinked rapidly a few times because he wasn’t sure he heard that right. When he finally realized he had heard right (Chanyeol had to repeat it twice), he involuntarily gawked. “M—model? M—me?”

Chanyeol nodded as he tugged the camera strap around his neck. “Yeah. You.”

“B—but, I’m not photogenic—“

“Says who?” Chanyeol said as he casually snapped a picture of Baekhyun without permission.

“I’m—I’m not pretty—stop!!” Baekhyun cried as he covered Chanyeol’s lense with a hand, but too late, he had already taken one.

“You are,” Chanyeol said seriously. “You are pretty. Very pretty, in fact.”

Baekhyun took a step backward with a ragged breath. His expression clearly showed that he didn’t believe the taller male. Chanyeol then sneaked a peek at his camera before breaking into a smile.

“See? You’re beautiful.”

Baekhyun only blinked as he saw the picture Chanyeol showed him was the one where his mouth was opened and his eyes were round. Well, their views on what constitute as beautiful totally differed from each other because Baekhyun disagreed with his opinion and thought that it was definitely far from beautiful. Baekhyun puffed his cheeks in annoyance.

“You’re just trying to make fun of me.”

Chanyeol chuckled. “If I tell you I’m trying to know you better, would you believe me?”

Baekhyun deadpanned.

It was the first time someone had ever told him that.

Baekhyun felt heat starting to creep to his cheeks and he looked down in attempt to hide the emotion. He saw the end of Chanyeol’s ripped jeans and his ugly, worn Converse shoes that needed to be washed. Compared to him, Baekhyun’s jeans were nicer and cleaner with a pair of canvas shoes that were definitely taken care of.

They were different.

He was tidy while Chanyeol was...well, he was... Baekhyun gulped. Chanyeol was definitely someone that his mother would categorize him as...

Filthy.

“I know a few good places for snapshots,” Chanyeol said, pulling Baekhyun out of his thoughts. “Are you free at the moment?”

Baekhyun blinked and looked down at his watch. “My driver...he should be here any minute.”

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at him. “Your driver...? First your mother, Now, it’s your driver. Aren’t you a spoiled rich kid?”

Baekhyun looked a bit hurt at his words and looked away.

“Oh. I’m—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way...well, of course you have a personal driver because it’s safer than public transportation. Who wouldn’t want you to be safe? Even I want you to be safe. Tell you what. Do you have a day off this week?”

Baekhyun’s heart skipped a beat. “Y—yeah. Wednesday.”

“Good. Tell your driver to drop you here on Wednesday and we’ll work it out, okay?”

“B—but...”

Chanyeol caressed Baekhyun’s cheek with the back of his hand and put on a warm smile. “You’re pretty. Believe me. I’m sure I’m gonna win with you as my model.” He patted Baekhyun’s shoulder lightly. “See you on Wednesday, then, Baekhyun-ah.”

With that, the tall male waved a hand and turned around to walk away.

Baekhyun’s heartbeat refused to slow down even when Chanyeol had already disappeared from his vision.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun wasn’t raised to be a liar, so he had great difficulties doing so.

It wasn’t hard to lie to his mother (he told her that he had extra classes). She believed what he told her because all she cared about was good grades.

But it was hard to lie to Ryeowook.

His driver gave him a quirked eyebrow stare which Baekhyun ignored. Of course, being his personal driver for the past decade or so, had entitled him to know that there wasn’t supposed to be any schedule on Wednesday for the semester. Even so, Ryeowook didn’t commented on the sudden shift and Baekhyun felt grateful for the older male for it.

The journey seemed endless because Baekhyun felt extremely nervous and the thought of meeting Chanyeol made the butterflies in his stomach to be more active. When they finally arrived at the university, Baekhyun wondered if he was doing the right thing. But something about Chanyeol attracted him and it made him curious...a bit. Just a little bit. Deciding that he would be brave and try, Baekhyun mumbled a soft thank you to his driver. He was about to get off of the car when Ryeowook spoke up.

“I’ll be back in five hours.”

Baekhyun looked at the older male blankly before clambering out of the car. Why did he say that? Does he know I’m—I’m lying...? He was almost certain that Ryeowook could see right through him and closed his eyes in distress. Suddenly, he felt terrified.

The male went to the place where he promised to meet with Chanyeol only to find out that the other male was already there. All of his attempt to stay calm vanished instantly. Baekhyun began to panic because it was the first time he had ever lied and what if—what if Ryeowook suspected something and he told his mother?

“Hey,” Chanyeol greeted warmly with his hands holding onto his SLR camera.

“Five hours,” Baekhyun screeched. “He said—he said I only have five hours—I’m scared—“

“Whoa, calm down,” Chanyeol frowned as he grabbed Baekhyun’s arms. The shorter of the two was trembling in fear. “Five hours is more than enough.”

“I—“ Baekhyun’s expression changed. “R—really?”

“Of course. ...you’re not seriously thinking we’re gonna spend five hours just taking your pictures, right?”

Baekhyun quietened, feeling very embarrassed. “Are you—are you serious about me being your model...?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said as he hung the camera around his neck. “But it can wait. I’m starving! What do you want to eat?”

Baekhyun blinked. “What...?”

“Have you eaten?”

“N—not yet...”

“Then I’ll take you someplace nice,” Chanyeol smiled and patted Baekhyun’s back. “Have you ever been to the street between fourth and twenty ninth?”

“I—no...”

“It’s a really nice place. Let’s go there.”

“Wait,” Baekhyun hastily said and Chanyeol waited. “I—I should change...”

“Hm? What’s wrong with your outfit?”

“It’s just—“ Baekhyun trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to say it. Not that he had ever said it before to anyone. “Is—is it far? The place that you mentioned...”

“Around twenty minutes by train.”

“T—train?”

“...you’ve never been on the train before?” At Baekhyun’s faltered expression, Chanyeol nodded in understanding. “Ah. Don’t worry,” he quickly added. “We can take the bus if you prefer? ...or taxi, but it’s cheaper by train or bus.”

For a split (stupid) second, Baekhyun wondered if it was alright if he called Ryeowook and told him the truth and asked him to drive them to the said place.

“It’s not bad at all, you know.”

Baekhyun looked up worriedly. “What is...?”

“Public transportations,” Chanyeol shrugged and placed a hand on Baekhyun’s head. “I assure you, it’s gonna be alright. You’re with me, right?”

Right.

“You’ll be safe, Baekhyun-ah. Now, shall we?”

Chanyeol sent him a soothing smile that managed to ease all of Baekhyun’s insecurities. How, he had no clue.

Baekhyun sighed and nodded in defeat.

“...alright.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol had glanced down to Baekhyun’s expensive canvas shoes for a moment and asked him if his feet would hurt if they walked instead of taking any sort of transportation since the smaller of the two was still dubious.

Baekhyun had belatedly agreed with walking. He was still unprepared to take that giant step and willingly let himself be compressed into a compartment with a lot of people pressing onto him. He had shuddered at that thought. But halfway through their walk, Baekhyun wanted to moan in embarrassment (for his lack of endurance) and regret for the choice.

Chanyeol hadn’t looked convinced at first, but he smiled anyway.

Walking turned out to be both fun and tiring.

Fun because it made Baekhyun to look around in awe. He got to see all of the tall buildings and the various number of people walking down the streets. Tiring, because Baekhyun had never walked that far and it consumed most of his strength that by the time they got to the place, he was very hungry. And Chanyeol was right, his feet felt a bit—okay, they hurt more than just a bit.

Dammit, they hurt.

Chanyeol had started eating when Baekhyun took a long moment to observe his food. The former realized his hesitation and nudged his foot under the table. Baekhyun was a bit surprised at the gesture and stared questioningly at the taller male.

“It’s good. Try it.”

“Y—yes.”

“Now.”

Baekhyun hesitantly grabbed his chopsticks and poked at his food. The smell was good, and the shape wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t used to the atmosphere. The restaurant was small and the price was quite cheap—really cheap for him, in fact. It was new to Baekhyun because he rarely ate in restaurants like this. Even if he did with his parents (which only happened once every three months), they would always go to places that would ‘befit people of their station’ (because it was so freaking expensive and high class).

He took a piece of meat from his plate and closed his eyes in distress as he shoved it into his mouth.

Chanyeol waited patiently for his reaction and smiled when he saw Baekhyun’s expression changed after swallowing.

“This...this is good,” Baekhyun said in disbelief as he looked at his plate.

“It is, right? It’s one of my favorite places. You should come here with your friends.”

Baekhyun’s shoulders flinched slightly at the word ‘friends’. He dismissed the odd feeling and continued eating like it didn’t matter. “...I don’t have any friends. But I would love to come here again...”

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, clearly not taking the bait and ignored the sudden subject change. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Baekhyun shook his head and chewed with his mouth closed. He swallowed it all down first before continuing. “...my mother always wanted me to be friends with the people that I don’t like. So...”

“Your mother,” Chanyeol repeated. “Is she also the one who taught you to eat in such a manner?”

Baekhyun’s cheeks visibly reddened. “I’m—I’m sorry—“

“Why are you apologizing?” Chanyeol laughed and his laugh sounded so nice in Baekhyun’s ears. “Oh, I know. Since it’s your first time here, I’ll take a picture of you.”

“Wh—what? Wait—“

But Chanyeol had already taken a few pictures and it made Baekhyun wondered if he had a problem with the word ‘wait’.

“You should finish your food first,” Baekhyun weakly protested. He didn’t have enough courage to look at Chanyeol and he noticed the people around them were stealing glances at their table. “People are staring. Put down your camera and eat—”

“Look to the camera, Baekhyun-ah.”

Baekhyun shook his head.

“Please?”

Sighing, Baekhyun slowly lifted his face up and Chanyeol took the opportunity to take a picture.

“Smile, pretty one.”

“I don’t know—wh—what did you just call me?”

“What? I don’t see what’s wrong with that. You’re really pretty.”

“I’m a guy, for your information,” Baekhyun frowned disapprovingly and pouted. “Besides, you’re just making that up so that I would smile.”

Chanyeol lowered his camera a bit and tilted his head to a side. “How could I win if my model isn’t smiling?”

“Okay, okay, I’ll try...”

Baekhyun breathed deeply and pondered for a moment. He had his eyes looking everywhere but Chanyeol trying to mentally prepare himself before finally directing them back to the camera. Baekhyun looked unsure for a split second before breaking into a shy smile.

Chanyeol held his breath and clicked on the button.

“Was that okay?” Baekhyun asked bashfully.

Chanyeol said nothing as he observed the resulting photo. Chanyeol rarely took a picture of a human being because instead of people he loved panoramas and beautiful sceneries like the skies and rainbows. But with Baekhyun...he was just like nature. His smile was pure and innocent and Chanyeol knew that he wasn’t making it up.

He was speechless because he was wrong about Baekhyun.

Pretty would be an understatement.

Byun Baekhyun was so ing beautiful.

“Chanyeol...?”

Chanyeol snapped out of his trance. “Hm?”

“I said, was it...okay?”

He nodded dumbly in reply. It was okay, it was more than okay. Chanyeol wanted to ramble but he was too stunned to do anything.

“Good,” Baekhyun said with a soft chuckle and gave him a look. “Now finish your food.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

They took the train on the way back to the university and Baekhyun resumed looking around in awe.

Without him realizing, Chanyeol had snapped a lot of his pictures (or maybe he did but was too tired to tell him to stop. Chanyeol had a thing for candid pictures). Everytime he did, Chanyeol would stare at his screen and smile and sometimes he wasn’t smiling at all. It got Baekhyun to feel slightly worried.

Was it good? Was it not good? Baekhyun had no idea.

Something strange bubbled within him, because they didn’t talk much, and they didn’t know each other that much, but...

Baekhyun felt comfortable with his presence.

He loved the fact that Chanyeol laughed a lot. Every little thing seemed funny to him. Everytime he found a new fact about Baekhyun’s life and his ‘first time in everything’, the male would be very amused, but his smile wasn’t teasing. If it was any other person, Baekhyun would probably feel offended, but because it was Chanyeol, he didn’t hate it at all.

In fact, he was glad it was Chanyeol instead of anyone else.

Five hours passed by quickly like a breeze.

Chanyeol was right, five hours was enough. It was more than enough. Chanyeol would definitely get the pictures he wanted and it would end and tomorrow, Baekhyun would go back to live his boring life.

But when they arrived at the university, Baekhyun somehow wished that the day would never end—and that the five hours could be extended to another hour. But he was tired and his feet hurt and sadly, he couldn’t meddle with how the time worked. Baekhyun needed to learn to accept and let go.

The male took a glance to the parking lot and noticed that his car wasn’t there yet—which indicated Ryeowook hadn’t arrived.

They were still given the chance to say goodbye.

“So...it was fun,” Baekhyun cleared his throat and started. He rubbed his hands nervously. “Thank—thank you so much.”

“For a first date, it was.”

“D—date?”

Chanyeol did something on his camera—it seemed like he was observing all of the photos that were taken today—and ignored Baekhyun’s stuttering. His eyebrows furrowed together into a frown and the male hummed softly to himself. “I haven’t got the snapshots that I want yet. Maybe next week?”

“N—next...week?”

“Hm,” Chanyeol nodded and put his camera away. “Maybe it was the background...? It’s  a bit cloudy today, so the light isn’t that good. We’ll try changing places and see which pictures are better.”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to say that it was impossible because he couldn’t afford to lie again and besides, he wasn’t that good of a model anyway. Maybe it wasn’t the background or the weather. Maybe it was because of him, that it was him who failed. Baekhyun wanted to tell him all that but when Chanyeol turned to him and gave him the kindest smile he had ever seen, Baekhyun felt his heart stuttering.

He wanted to see this guy again.

“...alright.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Unconsciously, Baekhyun looked forward to the third day of the week.

Slowly, but surely, it had become a secret for both of them to meet on every Wednesday.

Baekhyun honestly thought Chanyeol just wanted him to be his model, but maybe he was wrong. The tall male brought him to a few places he had never been before (but then again, the only route he knew in his life was home to school back when he was in highschool and now home-university-home). Chanyeol asked a lot of things about him and he couldn’t help but compare how different he was from all those fake acquaintances who only asked him questions for the sake of being polite. Again, if it was any other person, Baekhyun would probably feel annoyed, but the male was different. With Chanyeol, it was like he asked those things because he really wanted to know him better and not to take advantage of their...he didn’t know what they had. Friendship...? Photographer-model relationship?

Strangely, Baekhyun let him.

And he didn’t know why.

Baekhyun would come home with a smile every Wednesday. The smile would be hidden carefully when he was at home because he didn’t want his parents to be suspicious. There were feelings swirling within Baekhyun’s orbs as he flashed back at what had happened with Chanyeol. Every time they met, he would learn something new about the taller male and he couldn’t help but feeling happy.

Ryeowook noticed this.

He noticed how his young master’s eyes were sparkling with emotions every Wednesday. He noticed the smell of sunkissed skin and sweats and he had added a few more car freshener so when Baekhyun reached home, he would smell like usual. He noticed the fond stare and the shyness whenever his young master read something on his phone.

Ryeowook noticed a lot of things but what he liked the most was that the young male was starting to smile a lot.

Baekhyun was in love.

They changed spots every Wednesday because Chanyeol said he wanted to explore new places for his pictures. Being inexperienced in photography, Baekhyun always gave in to his request.

On the third week, Chanyeol took him someplace far.

They took the bus and the journey was more than half an hour. Baekhyun stared at the view the whole time while Chanyeol was busy doing something on his camera. It seemed like Chanyeol was really serious this time because he brought a bag along. Baekhyun had no idea what it contained.

When they finally arrived, there was nothing but farm and field around them. Baekhyun hesitantly followed Chanyeol when the latter motioned him to. The weather was hot and Baekhyun found himself sweating within a minute. He tried calling the taller male’s name to slow down because damn he had longer legs while he didn’t, but whatever he wanted to say got stuck in his throat as he saw Chanyeol’s broad shoulders. It was a nice view. Baekhyun smiled to himself and subconsciously grabbed the end of Chanyeol’s shirt.

He felt comfortable when Chanyeol was around.

It was probably another ten minutes of walking before Chanyeol finally stopped and turned around to face the older male. Baekhyun had been staring at Chanyeol’s back the whole time that he didn’t realize they had arrived at the destination. “We’re here.”

Baekhyun tilted his head to a side to get a better view behind Chanyeol and gasped.

The place Chanyeol took him to was really beautiful.

It was covered in green and flowers as far as his eyes went. There was a river nearby and with just a single glance, the place made him felt serene and peaceful. Baekhyun wordlessly laced his fingers together as he felt the wind blew gently on his face.

“The lighting is...perfect.”

Chanyeol shot Baekhyun an amused stare. “Oh, you understand about lighting?”

Baekhyun only wrinkled his nose in reply. He ignored Chanyeol’s small chuckling and walked a bit farther. Baekhyun was loss at words when he stared at the river. The sound of water streaming was really calming and Baekhyun closed his eyes.

“It’s...really beautiful...”

“It is, right? This is my favorite place.” Chanyeol explained. He was kneeling on the grass with his hands fished into the bag, obviously searching for something. “I’ve been here a few times to take pictures but I need a model to light the views up.”

A model.

Baekhyun slowly turned around to him, uncertainty was all over his face. “Chanyeol...?”

“Hm?”

“I—I think I would only make it worse... You can always find a prettier model...?”

“Nope, you’re perfect.”

Baekhyun was frustrated at his short reply. “Then how come...you keep on snapping my pictures? It’s like...what, the third week already? How much longer ‘til the final date...? What if the time comes and you still haven’t got the best picture to win the competition? And it’s—it’s all because of me...”

“It’s alright.”

“It’s not! It’s—it’s not alright...”

“I don’t have any intention to win.”

“Eh?”

“Besides, there isn’t a competition.”

“H—huh?”

“I lied,” Chanyeol casually said like it was nothing important. “I just want to take your pictures.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he tried to register what Chanyeol had just said. The minute he did, he opened his mouth to speak—or scream in frustration—but Chanyeol had already tossed him something. Baekhyun instinctively caught the light bundle. “Wh...what is this?”

“Wear it.”

Baekhyun soon forgot what he was about to say as he looked down in confusion. “This...?”

“A white t-shirt.”

“I know what it is, Chanyeol. But why do I have to...use a white t-shirt?”

“Because I just want you to.”

Baekhyun frowned disapprovingly at the remark and slowly spread the t-shirt before him. The tee was probably two size bigger. “...it...it doesn’t have any button.”

“Of course it doesn’t. It’s a t-shirt. Don’t you have one?”

Baekhyun’s expression dimmed. “I don’t have any cloth that doesn’t have collar...”

Typical rich boy, was what Chanyeol wanted to say but he held the urge to do so. It wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault that he was like that. It wasn’t like he could choose his family or asked how he wanted to be born. Chaneyol shrugged and stood up.

“Well, it just won’t look natural if you wear that shirt and cardigan. Go change.”

Baekhyun looked down to his outfit, wondering what was wrong with them. “Where...?”

“Where else? Right here.”

Baekhyun visibly blushed. “In—in front of you?”

Chanyeol pressed a hand on his forehead. “Baek—“

“What if someone sees me??”

“There’s no one here, and besides, if anyone would try to do you harm, I would kick them away. Hurry up, or our five hours would be wasted if you keep on hesitating.” Chanyeol gave him sideway glance and Baekhyun pouted cutely in protest.

“Fine. But turn around.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“And no peeking!!”

Chanyeol laughed whole heartedly and turned around.

Baekhyun tried to peel his clothes off in a record time but he successfully failed. It was hard because he was never the one to rush things. It took him quite a while because he folded his shirt and cardigan first in order to not making them dirty—so it wouldn’t raise any suspicion when he return home—but Chanyeol was impatient so he finally turned around just as Baekhyun was about to put the t-shirt on.

Baekhyun squeaked and covered his shirtless body with the t-shirt. The only thing he managed to cover was his chest and stomach while his arms were still exposed.

“You turned! I said no peeking!”

Chanyeol stared blankly at him. Baekhyun felt so ashamed that he couldn’t do anything but to glare at the other. Of course he failed miserably. The other male slowly brought his camera to his face and Baekhyun’s face went pale.

“Don’t—“

“Why not?”

“B—because—“

There was numerous shuttering sound as Chanyeol repeatedly took pictures of the flustered boy. He ignored Baekhyun’s cries of protest. Chanyeol paused to look at the results before stepping closer to the shorter male.

“Go away.”

“They’re good.”

“Delete them, Chanyeol.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“But—“

Baekhyun immediately fell silent when Chanyeol was only a step away from him. His grip tightened on the white tee he held and his lips quivered at the closeness they had.

It sent an electrical wave to his brain and he liked, no, he loved it. Because Chanyeol looked very handsome and protective and breathtaking—

Which was a totally inappropriate thought in their condition.

“Baek,” Chanyeol said quietly as he leaned even closer.

“Y—yes,” Baekhyun whispered.

Chanyeol said nothing after that, he just stared at Baekhyun’s lips. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he should keep on talking to distract himself from the awkward situation. Are we— The latter instinctively closed his eyes the moment Chanyeol leaned down.

Their lips met sweetly.

Baekhyun weakly squeaked at the sensation rushing to his head and abruptly broke the kiss. Everything felt hazy and he needed a little time to breathe but Chanyeol wasn’t going to give him any. The tall male yanked the t-shirt in his hands away and threw it carelessly over Baekhyun’s shoulder before pushing Baekhyun gently.

“Chanyeol, wait—“

Baekhyun feebly yelped as he fell backward and hugged himself in attempt to cover his body. He felt a bit embarrassed and let out another yelp when Chanyeol pushed him once again and this time, his back touched the ground. Fortunately, the white t-shirt prevented his back from getting dirtied up by the ground, although he could feel the faint outline of the grass underneath the shirt and they tickled a bit. Chanyeol placed his SLR camera aside and hovered above Baekhyun. He grabbed his hands and pinned them beside Baekhyun’s head, as if to tell him that he didn’t need to be ashamed.

“Chanyeol...”

Baekhyun held his breath and fluttered his eyes close shyly, feeling very weak underneath Chanyeol.

Chanyeol also held his breath. Simply because he had never seen someone so pretty and flawless like Baekhyun before. If it was any other person, he probably wouldn’t feel this way.

“Baek.”

He had a new synonym for beautiful.

Baekhyun shivered slightly since he wasn’t wearing any shirt and shyly avoided the solemn gaze. “Yes...?”

It was Byun Baekhyun.

Chanyeol then claimed his lips.

This time, the kiss was much gentler than the first one. There was a feeling of longing from both parties as the kiss deepened. Chanyeol didn’t need a long time to get the privilege to access Baekhyun’s mouth. The latter parted his lips slightly and Chanyeol took it as an opportunity to taste Baekhyun’s tongue.

The coldness was soon replaced by Chanyeol’s warmth.

There was a void of space between their bodies and Baekhyun wanted to feel more. Unsurely, he reached for Chanyeol’s shoulders and pulled him closer and closer until there was no space between them anymore. Their kiss had gotten so deep that Baekhyun could taste Chanyeol’s saliva, and yet he didn’t feel disgusted. The male moaned weakly when the taller male slid his hands underneath Baekhyun’s back and in return, he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s neck.

Baekhyun felt his chest flooded with so many emotions that he was afraid it would burst. He almost couldn’t bear to think that after all of this, they would be separated and he didn’t know if they would be able to meet anymore. The thought bugged him so much that he felt like crying between their kisses. As if he was privy to his every thoughts, Chanyeol interrupted them.

“Baek,” Chanyeol whispered knowingly.

“Y—yes,” Baekhyun almost choked.

“Think only about me. Don’t think of anything else.”

The words made Baekhyun shut his eyes in return and the feeling of wanting to cry got bigger. He felt precious. He felt loved. Baekhyun sniffled as he kissed back and nodded before tightening his grip around Chanyeol.

He wanted to think only about Chanyeol.

Needless to say, their little session of photograph was forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun came home with a different feeling that afternoon.

His face was flushed. When he arrived home, he realized he had a fever.

The journey with Chanyeol was a bit tiring that day, and Baekhyun probably caught the cold from being shirtless. Even though Chanyeol was hugging him the entire time, but it didn’t come as a surprise to him, he was always treated like a royal prince at home and that was probably why his immune system when it faced the naturel. Even so, his chest was filled with indescribable happiness. Baekhyun smiled fondly to himself when he remembered the handsome male treated him gingerly and he didn’t even have a scratch from the grass.

Chanyeol protected him well and Baekhyun loved that feeling.

Baekhyun headed to his room the moment he reached home. His mother saw her son wobbling a bit and being a mother, she knew something was wrong with his condition. She called out his name, but Baekhyun just wanted to rest so he ignored her. His mother quickly followed his footsteps to his bedroom and went panicked when she saw her son collapsing onto the bed.

“Baekhyun-ah!”

Baekhyun couldn’t think because his head hurt and he felt drained at the moment. He managed to hum a reply, but within minutes, he fell into a deep slumber.

His mother sat on the edge of the bed and she pressed a hand on her son’s forehead. Baekhyun’s body temperature was a bit high. She sighed worriedly and carefully pried off of his socks and when she was about to pull the bedcover over his body, she noticed Baekhyun’s pants were slightly dirty.

It wasn’t supposed to be dirty. He was studying in the classroom, right?

She frowned to herself. Something didn’t feel right. She quickly stepped out of her son’s bedroom and called out the driver’s name, right before he excused himself to go home. “Ryeowook. Where did you pick him...?”

“At the university, Ma’am,” Ryeowook replied politely.

“Really?”

“Really, Ma’am.”

“Did he fall somewhere?”

“...not that I know of. He just seems a bit tired, in my opinion.”

Baekhyun’s mother expression changed and Ryeowook almost didn’t like it. “What class does he have on Wednesday, again?”

“It’s—“ Ryeowook fell silent. “I—I’m not sure, it’s an extra class.”

She shot him a glare before waving a hand dismissively.

“Thank you, Ryeowook, that is all.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

There was nothing wrong with Baekhyun’s schedules, except for Wednesday.

Ryeowook had been Baekhyun’s personal driver since high school so he would know if something was wrong. Whatever it was, he was glad Baekhyun had came back still in one piece whenever he picked him up on Wednesday. And that whatever secret it was that his master was holding, he would keep it to himself because it made Baekhyun to smile a lot.

How he wished no one would disturb Baekhyun’s happiness.

Another Wednesday came along and Ryeowook had a bad feeling something would happen that day. He silently prayed that everything was going to be alright, but when Baekhyun’s mother decided to come along because her driver had a day off, he wasn’t sure if it was a good sign.

Baekhyun looked just as lost as he was, because his mother had stopped going with him since the last few years, but he said nothing to her in the car. She tried to start a conversation but Baekhyun wasn’t really interested. The young male only nodded or smiled politely as an answer. After a somewhat long journey, they finally arrived at the university and Baekhyun hopped off after excusing himself.

Ryeowook waited until his young master disappeared at the front gate and asked her politely. “Where to, Ma’am...?”

“Just stay here, Ryeowook.”

Ryeowook didn’t answer and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He wasn’t sure if he would like to know what was next. He somewhat wished that Mrs. Byun would get bored and tell him to just drive but it didn’t happen. Much to his fear, after thirty minutes of waiting—and she was as patient as a wall lizard waiting for its prey, Baekhyun appeared at the gate, looking very happy while walking hand in hand with a male.

A very handsome male, to be exact.

If it was just himself, Ryeowook would cheer happily because the male looked very protective over Baekhyun and he looked reliable. And the way Baekhyun smiled—it was definitely heartwarming because Ryeowook didn’t remember when was the last time his young master was able to express an emotion like that. The way his lips quirked into a smile was genuine and passionate.

It was the first time Ryeowook had ever seen them together and he felt that they would make a good couple—family.

But it seemed that that was not the case with Mrs. Byun.

“Filth,” she spoke with such anger. “What is a filth doing with my son??? Ryeowook, follow them!”

Ryeowook loathed the fact that he had to obey and the male started driving the car. He drove slowly with a heavy feeling and endlessly wished and wished for the couple to drift into the crowd and out of sight. Much to his relief, they did after a few red lights. Ryeowook made sure one more time that Baekhyun was gone and glanced at his employer from the mirror.

“I’m afraid they’re no longer seen, Ma’am.”

She fisted her hand onto the seat and groaned in great dislike.

“This is unacceptable! How did my son—my great son—“

Ryeowook narrowed his eyes.

“Ryeowook, I want you to find out that filth’s name and tell him to stay away from my son.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“Why are we here?”

Chanyeol glanced over his shoulder with a small smile. “Because I want to work on these photos...?”

“Oh,” Baekhyun curled his fist loosely in front of his mouth. “Why didn’t you say so...? We can arrange another day...”

“It will only take a while. Make yourself at home.”

With that, Chanyeol fixed his attention back to his laptop. Baekhyun stood in the middle of the living room, feeling a bit unsure of what to do.

Chanyeol’s apartment was small but it was adorned with a lot of stuffs. There were a lot of picture hanging on the wall and lots of photo frames were placed on the table. It felt homey. Baekhyun scanned around the room to find any hint of Chanyeol’s family, but there was none. He tapped a finger on his chin.

“Where are your family...?”

“Hm? Somewhere.”

Baekhyun blinked and tilted his head to a side. Chanyeol’s flat tone somehow made him feel like he had asked something forbidden. He decided to stop and continued to scan the room. His gaze finally stopped at an empty wall. It was a bit off because the other walls were adorned with a lot of things, but not this one.

“Why is this wall empty...?”

“That? I plan to put something on it later.”

Baekhyun slowly took a step forward to the said wall. He pressed a hand against it and looked up. “I see...when?”

“You ask a lot of questions today.”

Baekhyun almost screamed in surprise when he felt Chanyeol’s breathe ghosting over his neck. He immediately turned around and glued his back against the wall. Instead of scolding him for surprising him like that, Baekhyun felt scared.

Did Chanyeol hate it...?

“I’m sorry,” he whispered fearfully. “I won’t—I won’t ask—“

Chanyeol pinned Baekhyun against the wall and trapped the shorter male’s wrists, not allowing him to go anywhere. He stared at him intensely, searching for something. “What is it?”

“I...” Baekhyun’s throat went dry. “I just want to know you better...”

“Hm,” Chanyeol hummed as he leaned closer. “Why do you want to know?”

Why...?

Chanyeol moved his hands away from Baekhyun’s wrists to the empty spots on the latter’s sides. Baekhyun trailed his fingers on Chanyeol’s arms and they slowly climbed up to his face.

Do I need a reason...?

He touched the taller male’s cheek with such a great emotion that he hardly understood what it was inside him and as Chanyeol leaned closer, he shut his eyes as a reaction. Baekhyun gulped before proceeding as Chanyeol touched more of his face...his eyes, his nose, his chin...

...and then he kissed his lips softly.

The kiss lasted longer than ten seconds before Chanyeol cracked his eyes open and pulled away.

“God,” Chanyeol breathed. “You’re so pretty.”

Baekhyun bit his lower lip longingly. “I am...?”

“Yes. I don’t care what everyone else thinks...for me, you are.”

Chanyeol swept a few strands of hair away from Baekhyun’s forehead, and the latter almost cried. Chanyeol made him feel so damn precious.

“Then...then make me yours, Chanyeol...”

Chanyeol didn’t need to be told twice.

The next thing Baekhyun knew, they were on Chanyeol’s bed.

Their lips never stopped meeting, not even for a second. The kisses were painfully tender and sweet that Baekhyun didn’t want them to ever stop. Chanyeol slowly ed Baekhyun’s shirt and his hand accidentally brushed over a . Baekhyun broke the kiss momentarily as he moaned in return, but Chanyeol didn’t give him the freedom for long. Whatever sound Baekhyun was trying to make, it was all muffled against Chanyeol’s lips.

Chanyeol was going to stop.

He was going to.

But he wasn’t sure how.

The way Baekhyun cried his name breathlessly between kisses almost drove him insane. His body was burning with the feeling of wanting to claim Baekhyun forever. Most of it was the selfishness of wanting the pretty male to cry his name and his name only. Baekhyun’s innocent stare and his shy moan made a huge part of Chanyeol that wanted to protect him forever.

Their kiss gradually slowed down and Chanyeol pecked Baekhyun’s bruised lips gingerly. He made it obvious that they would soon stop, but Baekhyun slowly raised his hand and touched Chanyeol’s chest. The latter only stared at him dumbly, unsure of what the pretty male meant by that. Baekhyun, with his cheeks reddened, tried to Chanyeol’s shirt with trembling hands.

“Baek—“

“Don’t stop,” Baekhyun whispered.

“Baek.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said sternly and grabbed Baekhyun’s small hands. He gave the latter a firm stare. “I won’t be able to stop once you let me.”

Chanyeol kissed the inner part of Baekhyun’s wrist, trying to feel his pulse, and Baekhyun felt like he would die if Chanyeol stopped.

“It’s okay...if it’s you, it’s okay...”

He finally managed to Chanyeol’s shirt and the latter willingly took it off. Baekhyun then let Chanyeol took over completely and he closed his eyes. Even when he did so, his face showed obvious fear and Chanyeol felt a pang in his heart.

“What do you want me to do...?”

Baekhyun whimpered weakly when Chanyeol started touching his entrance.

“Don’t let anyone take me away from you, Chanyeol...”

Because I want to be with you.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun woke up to a faint lemon scent in the room and instinctively draped his hand beside him. Instead of someone who was supposed to be there, he only touched an empty spot. Baekhyun slowly fluttered his eyes open and brought himself to sit as he rubbed his eyes. The blanket covered his hips dangerously low, his lower parts could be exposed if he moved just a little bit more.

Click.

Baekhyun blinked sleepily. “Chanyeol...?”

Somewhere in the room, Chanyeol snapped a picture of him.

Click.

“Where are you...?”

“Here.”

It took Baekhyun a few seconds tor realize that Chanyeol was sitting on the chair across the bed, dressed only in his loose pants with the camera on his lap. Baekhyun pouted cutely. “Come here.”

Chanyeol smiled in amusement. “I will. Wait up.”

Baekhyun faked a glare. “Now.”

“Wow. Do you want another round?”

Baekhyun deadpanned and he turned several shades of red at that. “N—no! I—I mean...”

Chanyeol chuckled and stared down to the camera on his lap. He shifted his eyes to the clock and pressed his lips into a thin line. “We only have less than two hours, Baek. I wanna cherish the moment by staring at you because I have to wait for another six days before I’m gonnabe able to meet you again.”

The words saddened Baekhyun because he felt the same way, too.

“Then I don’t want to sleep. I want to stare at you, too.”

Chanyeol’s lips curved upward and he spoke teasingly. “Staring contest?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he tried to slide off of the bed. He halted halfway and winced in pain. Baekhyun let out a soft moan as he placed a palm on the lower part of his back.

Chanyeol looked worried. “Does it still hurt?”

“J—just a bit,” Baekhyun bit his lower lip in an attempt to make it go away but failed miserably. He let out another weak, painful moan. Tears were threatening to fall over and Baekhyun whimpered.

Chanyeol stalked over and knelt before him. “Are you alright? Just rest, baby.”

Baby.

Baekhyun was a bit taken aback by the nickname and somehow, it eased the pain. He smiled affectionately at the other male before letting Chanyeol kissed his lips very gently. Baekhyun rested his hands on Chanyeol’s short, black hair. “Rest with me...please?”

Chanyeol climbed onto the bed and laid down beside Baekhyun. Baekhyun shifted a few times to find a comfortable position against Chanyeol’s chest. Their hands were linked together and they stayed close like that for a while. Neither of them said a word because they didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere. The only thing that was heard in the room was each other’s heartbeat.

Baekhyun had never felt so calm before.

He only needed Chanyeol.

But he was a...

A filth.

His mother’s cold voice echoed in his mind and Baekhyun clenched his teeth.

No, he’s not.

Yes, he is. And what if your mother finds out?

I don’t care.

Chanyeol made him felt safe.

She’ll do anything to get rid of him.

N—no, she won’t...

How can you be so sure?

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked with a frown as he placed a hand on Baekhyun’s cheek. “Did you start thinking negatively again?”

Baekhyun sniffled quietly. “Chanyeol...?”

“Hm?”

“I’m scared,” Baekhyun whispered as he gave Chanyeol’s hand a squeeze. “I’m really scared.”

Without even have to ask, Chanyeol knew what he was talking about. It was either their relationship or his family. Or both. “You don’t have to. Nothing’s gonna harm you, Baekhyun.”

“B—but...”

“I’ll protect you.”

Baekhyun choked back a sob. “Promise me...?”

“I promise. Now rest.”

Baekhyun threw a sideway glance at the clock before snuggling closer to his boyfriend.

Ninety minutes was all they had left.

Baekhyun felt like counting the minutes to losing his life.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol received a knock at his apartment door at precisely six thirty in the morning.

The sound made him snapped back to life and grunted in annoyance. Who the hell came to his apartment at such an ungodly hour? Chanyeol ignored it as he snuggled deeper under the blanket and tried to get back to sleep. Apparently, the uninvited guest was willing to disturb his morning because he (or she?) kept on rapping on the door and Chanyeol groaned in frustration. The male had been staying up late to edit photos of Baekhyun because he wanted everything to be perfect. Chanyeol wanted to be able to finish them on time, just to let the other male realized how pretty he was.

Extremely pretty, to be honest.

And that Chanyeol was head over heels for him.

The tall male dragged his feet lazily toward the door and peeked through the hole. His hand was already on the knob and he was about to turn it but he hesitated for a second. Chanyeol had no idea who it was. He took a few more seconds before finally opening the door.

The stranger before him was skinny and clad in some kind of a uniform.

“Yes?”

The male gave him a smile and bowed politely at him. Chanyeol automatically bowed back and mentally kicked himself. He noticed the stranger was carrying a bag—which seemed rather heavy for a skinny guy like him.

“Park Chanyeol-shii?”

“...that’s me.”

“Wow. You are really good looking.”

“Pardon me...?”

“Ah, forgive my rudeness. My name is Ryeowook and I’m very sorry to bother you at this hour. However, I’m bringing you something...” Ryeowook dropped the heavy bag near to Chanyeol’s foot and it just missed his toes by a few inches. The taller of the two glanced down questioningly. “It’s for you, Chanyeol-shii.”

Chanyeol had a feeling it was something he didn’t like. “What...is this?”

“It’s a peace offering.”

“A peace offering?”

“From the Byun family to you.”

Chanyeol frowned. “The Byun family...?”

Baekhyun?

Ryeowook shifted uncomfortably on his track. He didn’t seem delighted to deliver the news and threw his gaze to the bag on Chanyeol’s feet.

“They want you to leave Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol froze for a second and immediately gritted his teeth. Suddenly, it all made sense. How did they had found out, Chanyeol didn’t even want to ask. He knew sooner or later, they wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore. There would probably times when their relationship would face a test in—he knew it would mostly be in the form of Baekhyun’s family—in order to stay strong. It could be another person. It could be trust issues. But to give him money in exchange to leave their son?

Anger was starting to form within Chanyeol and he clenched his fists tightly.

“Because they think I’m not worth the status?”

Ryeowook grimaced. “I’m just a messenger, Chanyeol-shii.”

Chanyeol snorted and shot the bag a cold stare.

Typical rich family.

So they think they could buy me with money?

It’s always, always about money.

“If it’s just me...” Ryeowook continued and there was a hint of sadness laced in his tone. “I would just let you be with him because...all these years, being his personal driver, it was the first time I’ve ever seen Baekhyun smiled that wide before.”

Chanyeol stayed silent as he stared at Ryeowook.

“And the way he smiled, it was...it was pure.”

Ryeowook lifted his face to look at Chanyeol.

“He’s genuinely in love with you, Chanyeol-shii.”

Chanyeol’s anger dissipated instantly after hearing those words. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder to the stack of pictures on the table that he had been working on. Baekhyun’s flawless face. Baekhyun’s small figure. The way Baekhyun smiled only to himself. Chanyeol only needed a second to know that he, too, had already fallen too deep.

He was desperately in love with Baekhyun.

Chanyeol took a deep breath to calm himself and exhaled through his nose.

“I’m not leaving him.”

Ryeowook only smiled, as if he knew he was going to get that answer.

“I know. But like I said, I’m just a messenger, Chanyeol-shii...”

Chanyeol glanced over his shoulder once again and he was convinced with himself.

“I’m not letting him go.”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun sighed for the umpteenth time as he looked at his watch.

Ryeowook was terribly late. Baekhyun felt a bit worried because the male had never been late before, not even once. He tried calling the older male, but he didn’t pick up and Baekhyun got a text in reply, telling him that he was sorry. He was confused.

Why is he sorry...?

“Baek.”

Baekhyun snapped out of his thoughts and he was stunned to find Chanyeol standing in front of him. He blinked rapidly for a few times. Was it Wednesday and he didn’t realize it?

“Ch—Chanyeol?”

“I’m leaving.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened. “Where?”

“My cousin told me that there’s this place he went to a few weeks ago and the view was beautiful,” Chanyeol said as he casually handed a jacket to Baekhyun. “I’m going there.”

Baekhyun stared at the jacket in his hands. “Is it...is it far?” His voice came out as a whisper because something about it scared him and Chanyeol looked different than usual. The male seemed ready to face anything that was coming his way and he...looked even stronger. Baekhyun noticed his boyfriend had a backpack.

It was as if he was going and would never return.

“It’s quite far,” Chanyeol said. “No one’s going to find us there.”

Baekhyun deadpanned. “Us...?”

Chanyeol seemed troubled with forming his next words. He was silent for a while before he finally spoke. No. He was pleading. “Will you come with me...?”

Baekhyun almost dropped his books onto the ground. He literally froze because Chanyeol was serious and his eyes showed that he was determined to leave, with or without him.

The ‘without’ part somehow bugged Baekhyun.

“I know,” Chanyeol stated even without Baekhyun saying anything. “I know that you’re not going to get all of the luxury if you live with me. I’m just a freelance photographer. You’re not gonna be able to see Ryeowook and he’s not gonna be able to drive you around anymore.” Baekhyun’s expression changed at that, probably wondering how he knew his driver. “You’re gonna have to get used to buses and trains and cheap meals—“

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun interrupted. “Stop—“

“No, I’m not gonna stop until you say yes.”

“I’m—“ Baekhyun trailed off. “I’m scared—“

“And so am I,” Chanyeol said almost desperately as he grabbed Baekhyun’s arms. “I’m so scared of losing you, and I’m scared that I won’t be able to make you happy because I’m not—I don’t have much money for you, and yet I selfishly can’t let you go—”

Baekhyun kissed him.

Chanyeol froze.

The way their lips pressed together felt a bit forced and Baekhyun’s lips tasted salty. Chanyeol slowly looked down as the shorter of the two pulled away but their fingers were intertwining tightly. Baekhyun’s eyes were sparkling with tears.

“Then don’t,” Baekhyun whispered sadly. “Please don’t let me go—“

This time, it was Chanyeol who kissed him.

Their lips molded together perfectly and the memories of their lovemaking flashed back like a movie roll in Baekhyun’s mind. He remembered the way Chanyeol held him gently. He remembered how Chanyeol ed in the same spot over and over again, absently wondering between his moan how the other male could ever find his weakness. He remembered the way he cried out Chanyeol’s name.

He remembered.

He didn’t want to forget.

“I’ll—“ Baekhyun started. “I’ll come with you.”

Chanyeol’s eyes went wide with disbelief and he could only squeezed their hands in response. “You—you will...? Seriously...?”

Baekhyun had never wanted something so much before. He was scared, he was unsure, but he had a feeling it was going to be alright.

The pretty male nodded solemnly and gave Chanyeol a beautiful smile.

“I will, Chanyeol...”

Because being with Chanyeol was all he ever wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun’s mother slammed the magazine hard onto the table. She looked outraged and Ryeowook flinched at her. The anger consumed her so much that her tone came out highly as a hiss.

“What do you mean, they’re not there??”

“They’re not there, Ma’am,” Ryeowook replied calmly. “The apartment is empty.”

“What do you mean, it’s empty??”

Ryeowook lazily wondered if he should google ‘empty’ and ‘not there’ to explain it to her as he opened his mouth to answer but she intercepted him before he got the chance to do so.

“Fine. Fine,” she said with a trembling voice. It was obvious that she was still angry and she was trying her best to calm down. “Ryeowook, I need you to locate the money. We can track him down from the series of the money—“

“I’m afraid it won’t do any good. The bag is at the apartment, Ma’am.”

“...the bag?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“...he didn’t take the money?”

Ryeowook only shook his head in reply and Baekhyun’s mother cried out in fury.