SHE was lying in bed with the door locked. The curtains were drawn and the light was off. The Notebook was in the DVD player. An empty tub of ice cream was on the floor next to dozens of crumpled tissues. She got her music blasting, so loud no one could hear her sobs. Her fingertips were smudged with black from wiping away mascara-stained tears. She was replaying their last conversation, thinking I’ll never get him back.

FLASHBACK

The black Alfa Romeo stopped right in front of Taeyeon’s house. She wondered why exactly she agreed to Baekhyun’s invitation to send her home. Usually she would come up with tons of excuses but today, she plainly answered yes much to her own and Baekhyun’s surprises. Perhaps she had enough with the chaos that really scrutinized her thoughts into maze. Or maybe she was tired to withstand the pranks played by her college mates. But whatever the real reasons were, she was with Baekhyun now and he was like her guardian angel, saving her each time she was drown in misery.

“You looked sad, gloomy, and miserable these days. Where’s your smile, lil missy?” Baekhyun asked as he leaned his back against the driver seat, wearing a calm expression on his face. His eyes were rooted towards Taeyeon, trying to analyze her.

Taeyeon just smiled. She closed every single door possible for Baekhyun to act all Doctor Phil and give out his sublime speeches in an attempt to cheer her up. But she realized that Baekhyun was someone who she could confide to; he was someone she could trust at the very least.

“Sooyoung… she’s back.” She revealed calmly.

“I know.”

Taeyeon was surprised. She stared at Baekhyun for a long time. There was a smile drawn on his face. However, that smile wasn’t sarcasm or he wasn’t trying to be cynical either. It was a smile to sooth her heart. It was a smile to make the situation less awkward.

“How did you know?” She asked.

“I met her a few days ago in Gangnam.”

“Oh…” Indeed this is a small world after all, she thought.

She removed the seatbelt and readied herself to go out from the car. But Baekhyun’s words made her stay put.

“You and Chanyeol…”

She gazed at Baekhyun with eyebrows cocked, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“You and Chanyeol… Are you guys… Urm… in a way involved with anything serious?

She dropped her jaws. Frankly, she didn’t know how to interpret Baekhyun’s question. “What do you mean by anything serious?”

“Well… Since both of you are getting engaged because of your families, is there anything serious going on between you guys? Perhaps falling in love… maybe?”

She just crooked a plain smile on her face. “Thanks for sending me back, Baekhyun.”

She opened the door of the car. She hadn’t had the heart to engage any further with Baekhyun regarding her relationship with Chanyeol. She then stepped out from the car and was about to enter her house when Baekhyun grabbed her hand. She was dumbstrucked for a second.

“Taeyeon… Just cancel your engagement. Leave the Park family. Leave Chanyeol.”

His words echoed and reality finally shook Taeyeon. How dared he ask her to leave Chanyeol. It wasn’t his call. This was her life and she was sure as hell that Byun Baekhyun didn’t have any authority whatsoever to run it for her. She yanked her hand away from him. “Baekhyun, I respect you as a good friend. Don’t do something that will change that.”

“Chanyeol is just using you, Taeyeon. You’re just his puppet, a replacement of Sooyoung. He never loves you and he never will. In his heart, there’s only Sooyoung and Sooyoung alone. Now she’s back for good. And I think it’s time for you to swallow this fact. Let Chanyeol go and end your suffering. You deserve so much better than this.”

Taeyeon mummed. She was trying hard to stop her tears from raining down her parade.

“I know Chanyeol damn well. He’s someone who’s loyal to love. He’ll never break his promises. He loves Sooyoung more than anything in this world. He promised to wait for Sooyoung and marry her someday. And right in front of me, Sooyoung said that she won’t let Chanyeol go ever again.”

She still remained silent. She tried to block every single word that came out from Baekhyun’s mouth from hurting her. She was done crying for Park Chanyeol and she didn’t need Baekhyun to tell her that she wasn’t the one that Chanyeol loves. She knew all along that she wasn’t a match for Choi Sooyoung.

“Just leave Chanyeol, Taeyeon. He’s the same like his old man. They would do anything in their power to get whatever they want. You’re only a pawn. Leave before he throws you away like you’re some kind of .”

Baekhyun shook her shoulders with his hands and that was when her dam broke. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Baekhyun was brought into a panic state.

“I…I…I…Can’t.” She couldn’t choke back the sob. Her eyes became blurry from the tears. It was hard for her to explain to Baekhyun why she can’t leave Chanyeol.

“Taeyeon… Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me that you’ve fallen for him?” He dropped his hands from her shoulders.

“I love him.” That was all she could say to him.

Seeing her tears, Baekhyun mustered all of his courage and wiped away the tears that were scarring her pretty face. He hated the fact that those tears weren’t for him. Those tears were for Park Chanyeol.

“Syyyy…. It’s okay.”

He tried to coax her. But she was having an emotional breakdown and nothing he could do to end her cry.

“Syyy… Your place is with me, by my side, Taeyeon. Be with me. Stay with me. I’ll treat you a hell lot better than Chanyeol ever will. I love you, Taeyeon. I love you. More than you can ever imagine.”

*

“Aigoo, I’m pretty sure this is the place, Taeng-ah. It’s supposed to be on this level.” Park Serah, Chanyeol’s grandmother grumbled.

I looked around the level four at the biggest shopping complex in Seoul. There was no sign of the bridal boutique that grandma Serah had mentioned. Maybe she got the level wrong. I went back to where she was standing.

“I don’t the boutique anywhere, grandma. We’re at the wrong floor I guess.”

Looking dejected, grandma Serah heaved a heavy sigh. She was devastated because she couldn’t remember exactly where the bridal boutique was located. It was her fault for not keeping the business card that her old friend gave her and led both she and Taeyeon to roam around the level countless of times. Pity the young girl.

“Grandma, how about if you sit down first. You must be tired.” Taeyeon suggested when she noticed that the old lady was out of breath. Grandma Serah nodded and with Taeyeon’s help, she made herself comfortable on one of the comfy sofa that was prepared by the shopping complex.

“What do you wanna drink, grandma? Are you hungry as well?” She asked.

“I don’t have any appetite, darling. You just buy a drink for me, anything would be okay.”

Hearing her answered, Taeyeon made her way to the nearest kiosk. She didn’t actually know what Grandma Serah would like for her drinks, so she opted to buy them two bottles of refreshing ice lemon tea. It was summer and they could feel the heat from it despite there were air conditioners all around the shopping complex.

And that was when her eyes caught the lovey dovey act of a pair of love bird. They were busy picking up wedding dresses at one of the shops there. The ice lemon tea that she took a sip a moment before suddenly tasted bitter. The refreshing dose that she desired from the drinks disappeared into thin air.

Chanyeol looked intimate with the tall model-like girl beside him. It was a no brainer, a straight to the point answer that the girl who made him smile like the happy virus he had always been was Choi Sooyoung. Choi Sooyoung was Park Chanyeol’s dream girl, the girl that made him lose his sleeping time, the girl that made him lose his sanity and the girl that made him took a rush decision in agreeing to be married to her as an act of revenge.

She quickly diverted her eyes from the pair. She couldn’t watch the romantic moment that they were sharing anymore. Her heart was broken into thousands tiny little pieces. Her eyes were drenched with tears but she suppressed them from flowing out like a flood as she gritted her lips hard. She inhaled deeply and faked a smile on her face. She then walked reluctantly towards Grandma Serah. Feeling that her energy was reaching zero, she sat next to her.

“Taeng darling, what’s wrong with you? You look pale.” Noticing that her soon-to-be granddaughter seemed out than her usual self, the old lady asked with concern. The bottle of ice lemon tea that Taeyeon handed to her was put aside. She her brown locks lightly with love, just like how she always did with her own granddaughter, Park Yura.

Taeyeon shook her head as she curved a smile on her face “Nothing grandma. I’m feeling hungry all of the sudden. Can we eat first?” She pulled one aegyo act, hoping that her grandmother won’t feel that something was off about her.

“Okay dear. But after we eat, we must find you that bridal boutique. Your wedding is less than two weeks. There are so many things left to do.” She said as she got on her feet.

A sudden rush of relieve engulfed Taeyeon as she and Grandma Serah made their way to the Chinese Restaurant. Hopefully, they won’t meet with Chanyeol and Sooyoung. If not, she would have to hang herself after Grandma Serah grills her with questions about the couple. But before they went into the restaurant, she threw one final glance at Chanyeol that was hugging Sooyoung happily inside his embrace. There was a sharp pain, an indescribable feeling that began to blossom inside her heart.

*

Rum Pum Pum sang by f(x) echoed from her iPhone, asking to be picked up. Looking at the caller ID, Taeyeon was having a war with herself whether or not she should be answering the call. The intimate moments that she saw at the shopping complex once again flashed right in front of her eyes.

She knew that Park Chanyeol hurt her but she wanted to hear his voice. She had yearned for an explanation but she didn’t have the courage to ask him about Sooyoung. She was terrified to hear his answer. If Park Chanyeol chooses Choi Sooyoung over her, her life would meet its end.

The phone was still ringing, so she decided to answer it.

“Hello…”

“Hi, Taeyeon. Are you sleeping?” Chanyeol asked.

It was three in the morning and judging from his tone, Chanyeol hadn’t sleep yet. Did he just come back from his date with Sooyoung? She dismissed that thought and gathered herself together. “Not really. Why are you calling me? Is there anything that you want to discuss?”

Chanyeol never really bothered to call her. Nowadays, it was always her that kept in touch with him. Before this, they always spent their time together, trying to get to know each other better. But since Chanyeol dropped the bomb about Sooyoung’s return to her, all of that changed in a blink of an eye. All of the sudden, Kim Taeyeon was deleted from the daily life of Park Chanyeol. And Choi Sooyoung once again took her rightful place back in keeping him company.

But Chanyeol didn’t say a word. So, she was the one to ask him a question. “You know that our wedding day is in two weeks, right?”

“Yeah, I know. Grandma Serah and my mom had been repeating the same thing over and over again. How could I even forget?!” He said in a harsh tone.

Chanyeol’s words were like a sharp object, penetrating deep into her heart. This wedding may not be as important to him as to her, but could he at least pretend that he cares?

And their conversation once again fell into deep silence.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t call you this early in the morning. I’m hanging up. Good….”

He was about to end the phone call but Taeyeon cut him off. “I saw you with Sooyoung at the bridal boutique.”

Chanyeol was left speechless. For a moment, the phone call remained dead.

“So? What about it?” He queried roughly. Taeyeon sensed that Chanyeol was ready to blow his lid any second from now. But she didn’t give a damn about it.

“A friendly reminder, don’t expose yourself with Sooyoung too much when you’re in public.  Mind you, you almost get caught by Grandma Serah today.”

“Excuse me; please mind your own business. Whatever I want to do with Sooyoung, it has nothing to do with you. You don’t have any right to pry. So, stay out of my life!”

“I don’t intend to pry at all. I’m just telling you to be careful. If you’ve been spotted by Grandma Serah while you’re having a moment with Sooyoung, I’m the one who’s going to be dead meat. I’m the one who she’s going to interrogate for answers.” If Park Chanyeol thought that he was the only one who could explode, he was dead wrong. Taeyeon also can’t handle her temper anymore. Clearly, Chanyeol was doing a well-done job by provoking her with his words.

“Ah…. So, you’re worried about me and Sooyoung. What a noble act, I must say.” He said sarcastically. “Then, explain to me about you and Baekhyun. Even you were having a moment with him in front of your house. Aren’t you afraid that Grandma Serah will catch you in the act with him?”

She was dumbfounded when she heard his words. How the heck did he know? Did he see them together before? “Baekhyun and I….” She stuttered to explain herself before Chanyeol cut her halfway.

“Save it, Taeyeon. I don’t want to hear anything. I don’t give a damn if you want to flirt with Baekhyun or you want to be intimate with him. Seriously, I won’t mind at all. Suit yourself. But let me warn you, as long as you’re my fiancée, please take good care of my name and my family honor. Understand?”

As long as you’re my fiancée….

As long as you’re my fiancée….

Those words ricocheted inside Taeyeon’s mind. Until when Park Chanyeol? Until when would I still be your fiancée? Tears started to rain down her cheeks but she quickly cleared them away. She didn’t want to cry anymore. Enough! She was done crying. Her tears won’t solve anything. Chanyeol wouldn’t care even if she cried a river or even if she got blinded from crying. He wouldn’t care.

Because there was never Kim Taeyeon inside Park Chanyeol's heart, only Choi Sooyoung.

Whoopsy... Another odd couple fic from me. ChenTae, LayTae and now, ChanYeon.

But this one is going to be ongoing. School is going to start soon, so I can only posted this story in parts.

Hope you won't mind and do leave your thoughts about this couple okay.

And sorry for any grammar errors. I didn't check it yet.

Oh... Should I let Taeyeon has a change of heart and turn her love to Baekhyun,

Or perhaps, should I make Chanyeol realized his love for Taeng and let Sooyoung go?

But anyway, more conflicts to come. ^^