"Why do I have to go too?" Baekhyun whines as his mother continues to pull lint from his blazer. "Why can't you and dad go by yourselves?"

His mother frowns at him, pinching his cheek so hard Baekhyun yelps and leaps away from her. "They invited the whole family, Baekhyun-ah."

"I have homework to do," he retorts, but his mother only laughs as she pushes him out of the door.

"Would you really be doing your work if we left you by yourself?"

Baekhyun laughs as well -- of course, mother knows best. "Maybe," he replies, and then, "No, probably not."

He crawls into the backseat of the car and immediately puts his headphones in to keep himself entertained during the ride to the hotel. Krystal had insisted that Baekhyun listen to more than sappy love ballads and had put together a playlist of songs for him. He hasn't managed to listen to all the songs just yet, but he likes what he has heard so far. The playlist is made up of mostly songs in English, but Baekhyun doesn't mind. He believes that music should transcend languages, because music should be listened to with the heart. Which is perhaps what makes Krystal's playlist all the more special to him; he imagines he is listening to the girl's heart through the songs. 

Being with Krystal and Kai has become part of Baekhyun's daily routine. When he isn't with Kyungsoo, he's with the siblings. They are always fun to be around, and Baekhyun is honoured that he of all people gets to see the sides of them that they rarely show anyone, but they're still guarded. They trust him more than most, but that doesn't mean they trust him completely. Baekhyun is happy to answer any and all questions they have about him, but when he tries to ask them about themselves, all he gets are subject changes and coy smiles. He wonders what could possibly have happened that made them shut everyone out, and he wishes that one day they'll let him in.

Baekhyun feels someone pull his headphones out, and he looks up to see his mother looking at him sternly. "I said, we've arrived," she says as she unbuckles her seat belt, "What did I say about listening to your music so loudly?"

He apologises half-heartedly as he puts his phone away and gets out of the car. Baekhyun follows his parents like the good son he is and bows whenever he is introduced to his father's colleagues. After the fifth person asks him about how he does in school though, Baekhyun decides that enough is enough. He quickly excuses himself to go to the bathroom, with no intentions of returning to the party before dinner. He escapes to the hotel gardens to sit by the fountain, enjoying the cool evening breeze. The place is empty, save for a couple making out not far from where he is, but they're too absorbed in each other to bother about him. Baekhyun chuckles to himself because they remind him of two other people he knows.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" The girl whines but the boy only laughs. Baekhyun purses his lip; they even sound like Kai and Krystal. He turns to get a better look at the pair, but it's hard to make out their faces due to the lack of proper lighting. All he can see is the boy wrapping his arms around the girl from behind while she furiously dabs makeup over something on her collarbone -- a hickey, Baekhyun guesses. He's about fifty percent sure that the couple are his friends, because it's just like Kai to leave a hickey on an exposed area of his sister's skin. 

"Baekhyun?" The girl suddenly calls as she takes a step closer to him. 

It is Krystal after all, and Baekhyun feels the grin on his face before he even thinks to smile. She smiles back as she leans in for a hug and a kiss. He thinks his heart stops beating when he sees how beautiful she looks under the night sky. Krystal is wearing a sleek off-the-shoulder navy dress that is adorned with beautiful crystals. It's dark, but it still shines bright, just like the girl herself.

"Hyung," Kai calls as he leans in for a hug too, frowning when Baekhyun turns his head before the younger boy can kiss him. Baekhyun doesn't like the frown on Kai's handsome face, and so he cups the boy's cheek and pulls his head down for a chaste kiss. He decides it's a good thing that there isn't proper lighting in the gardens. The pair of them are dressed similarly, with a blazer over a crisp white dress shirt.

Baekhyun laughs when he looks at Kai's face properly. "You have lipstick on your lips, Kai-ah," he teases as he reaches up to thumb the red lipstick away. 

"So do you," Kai returns, and Baekhyun drops his hand from Kai's face hastily to wipe away the colour from his own lips. He is grateful when Krystal hands him a compact mirror so he can make sure that his face is lipstick-free again.

He takes a seat on the side of the fountain again as he hands the mirror back to Krystal. Kai sits down next to him and Krystal nonchalantly places herself on Kai's lap. "I don't want to dirty my dress," she shrugs.

"Aren't you afraid people might find out about you two?" Baekhyun tilts his head to the side curiously.

Krystal only smiles, reaching over to pat his hair. "Don't you think it'll be more suspicious if we try too hard to hide it?" she retorts and Baekhyun nods, seeing the logic in her argument, "Besides, people are stupid. All they do is coo about how we're the cutest siblings ever, don't they?"

Kai hums in reply, his face buried in Krystal's neck. "If you're leaving another hickey I swear to god --" Kai's laughter interrupts Krystal's threat, and he promises no more hickeys. "Not until we're back home," he adds cheekily, "Your room or mine?"

Krystal elbows him sharply for that comment. "Mine," she replies eventually, leaning her head back to rest on Kai's shoulder. "Your room stinks."

"What brings you here, hyung?" Kai asks Baekhyun, clearly ignoring Krystal's earlier comment about his room.

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at the question. "My dad works for the company that's hosting the dinner?"

"Right, of course." Kai blushes, looking down, his hands tightening around Krystal's waist.

"Your dad works for the company too?" Baekhyun asks, reaching over to gently squeeze the boy's shoulder.

Kai shrugs. "Sort of."

Baekhyun doesn't think the answer makes sense -- how can one 'sort of' work for a company? -- but as always with these two, he doesn't ask for elaboration. He wouldn't get it even if he asked anyway.

Kai lifts Krystal off his lap, excusing himself before disappearing back into the crowd of adults. Baekhyun turns to Krystal, who is staring worriedly after Kai. He doesn't know what just happened, but he feels guilty nonetheless.

"Did I say something wrong?" He stands up too, wanting to go after the boy, but Krystal's hand on his arm stops him.

She bites her lip, and Baekhyun knows that she's choosing her words carefully. "Our dad's job is a bit of a sore subject for him, that's all."

"Why are you two always like that?" He snaps, and he feels the guilt curdling in his stomach when he sees Krystal's wide-eyed expression, but he can't stop now. "It's always riddles with you two! I tell you everything you want to know about me, but when I try to ask you guys something all I get are vague answers at best. I'm sick of it! Why don't you trust me? What the hell happened that you two are so afraid to trust people? When will you give me straight answers, huh? Tell me, Krystal, because I'm dying to know. Or are you going to shrug this off as well? Of course you --"

The sharp slap Baekhyun receives cuts him off mid-rant. 

Krystal's chest is heaving with the force of her effort to hold back her tears, but the hurt in her eyes is buried under her anger. "If you're sick of it then leave! No one's asking you to stick around with friends like us, are they?" she raises her voice. "And don't try to say we're not friends," she adds when Baekhyun opens his mouth, "I know you're thinking it." She shoots him one last withering glare before running off in the direction Kai went, leaving Baekhyun standing by himself at the fountain.

And Baekhyun realises that the only thing worse than them keeping secrets from him is watching the both of them walk away. He doesn't think he has felt more alone in his life.

A/N: I haven't written chapter 6 yet, which means I'm technically not supposed to be posting this yet, but I couldn't help myself. Sighs.