The second the car came to a stop, she climbed out and made her way to the front door. Seeing her haste, Baekhyun rushed to catch up with her. He slipped in in time before the front door slammed shut and he would have to spend time keying in the password while she took the chance to lock herself in the bathroom. He sprinted the few meters between them and grabbed her arm, careful not to use too much force.

"Don’t touch me!" She screamed and shoved him away.

"I just want to talk without having you walk away from me! Can we please… Just be normal?"

"Normal? Do you need me to point out everything single thing that is not normal about us? I can go on all night, Baekhyun."

"Nara, please-"

"Don’t say my name with those filthy lips. Those lips that commanded death on so many people…"

"It’s not an everyday thing-"

"I don’t care if you do it everyday or every second, you live because of their deaths! It’s disgusting! Living in the same house as a murderer, sleeping in the same bed as the man who brought harm upon my son."

"I just… I just want you to stop running away from me."

"That’s not possible. And you know exactly why."

When she climbed up the stairs so quickly as if her life depended on it, Baekhyun plucked up the courage to ask a question he’d been suppressing for years.

"How do I make you love me?"

She halted abruptly, and for a second Baekhyun feared the force might topple her. She turned to look at him, but she gazed anywhere but at his eyes.

"Release me from this prison."

His gaze immediately hardened. “I won’t allow a divorce.”

"Then there’s nothing left to say."

Baekhyun exhaled heavily as soon as she was out of sight. The temptation to knock over every piece of furniture in this house shook his fists; but the outcome was expected. Every conversation they had—which was very little—would end up this way. She, bringing up all the horrible things he had done to her, and him, being so guilty that intelligent words would leave him, and all he could do was beg.

And he didn’t deny that he was one. Nobody had the power to make him go on his knees but her. Despite the warnings he had received from a few leaders, Baekhyun never once considered the possibility that she could one day bring his downfall. Or rather, he didn’t want to.

He left the house for a drive; he needed to cool his head before facing her again. It was stupid, really, how the most dangerous man in South Korea could be so easily kicked to the ground by the words of a petite woman. He begged, pleaded, sobbed and chased after her for years, yet he could never fully have her. The body was there beside him, but not her heart. And when he thought of not even having her body, he knew the emotional torment was worth it. Baekhyun was at a point whereby he needed to have at least a part of her with him all the time, and that one part was their wedding ring. He didn’t wear it on his finger, though, because his hands were the dirtiest part of his body, to him at least. He wore it as a necklace.

He noticed she stopped wearing the ring a few years back, around the time he refused her divorce and resorted to underhand means to make her stay. That night was the first time he got on his knees to beg. If she didn’t want to wear it on her finger where she would be reminded of anything unpleasant, then at least wear it on her neck. Although she just brushed him off harshly, Baekhyun saw the sparkle around her neck the next morning, and he knew there was hope.

That’s right. There was hope. She wasn’t completely heartless and against him. There was still that tiny part of her that held onto the friendship they had before this whole thing happened. Baekhyun didn’t know about her, but she was the only friend he had. They did a whole lot of crazy things together, too many to recall, but the most memorable one was the first time she sung for him.

-

"Are you sure this is okay?"

The girl looked at him. “It’s not okay. But we’re doing it anyway, aren’t we?”

"Screw you I didn’t mean it literally."

"Loser." She chuckled softly. "And you’re the one with a mafia father. Sheesh."

"Okay, okay, let’s just hurry up and get in. I don’t feel safe out here."

They made it into the teachers’ room and grabbed the key for the auditorium before running the entire journey there. Getting into the large room was easy, and soon they found themselves standing on the stage. Baekhyun set up the camera while she went backstage to get a microphone. Once she was ready, he sat down in front of the piano and gave her a nod.

The melody to Ailee’s Evening Sky filled the auditorium, and Baekhyun waited for her sweet voice to overpower it. They were filming something for her audition into an entertainment company. And they would have done it during actual school hours if it weren’t for the fact that she realised the deadline was tomorrow morning, when they would all be having lessons. It was her dream—becoming an idol. She knew she would have to dance sooner or later, but that could wait, she enjoyed nothing more than singing.

The song came to an end, although Baekhyun was her only audience, she felt that was more than enough.

-

More than enough. Just having her beside him was more than enough. Baekhyun should be thankful for that. And he had no right to ask for more. Living in the same house as her was already an undeserving privilege for someone like him. Happiness, he believed, was something he was not worthy enough to experience.

Feeling renewed, Baekhyun drove back home. Deciding to make lunch for them both, he loosely threw on an apron and began cooking. Not once did she come down and tie the strings of his apron for him, like he imagined in his head. And Baekhyun reminded himself once again that fantasy will stay fantasy.

After setting up the table, Baekhyun climbed up the stairs to their room and paused in front of the door. He took a deep breath before raising his knuckles to the wood and knocked against it a few times. When he received no answer, he twisted the knob and entered. She wasn’t asleep, thankfully, but her earphones were plugged in as she sat at the study desk, spinning a pencil between her fingers with a notebook on her lap.

Baekhyun stood there for a moment, quietly taking in the scene. He loved seeing her like this, peaceful and doing something she enjoyed—composing. She spun around in her chair playfully, until her eyes landed on him and her small smile vanished in an instant. The soles of her feet met the ground, and she stared at him almost warily. His heart sank at such a reaction, but he deserved it.

She removed her earphones, and Baekhyun took the chance to speak. “Come and eat.”

"I ate at my grandmother’s," she said.

"Oh." Baekhyun nodded slowly. "Okay. I’ll leave it in the fridge, then."

He backed up and shut the door. His footsteps are slow with purpose, and he stopped by the staircase to look back. Three seconds, he would give her three seconds to come out. And even his counting was unfair to himself. Ten seconds passed and there wasn’t a hint of movement from behind the door. Sighing, Baekhyun made his own way down to the dining table. For some reason the rice felt hard on his tongue, and everything tasteless. Weird because the last time he cooked for her, when they were still on good terms, she said he was an amazing cook.

He washed the dishes and wrapped the rest of the food in cling wrap before putting it in the fridge. Wanting to give her space, Baekhyun sat in the living room until evening, when he made his way up to shower and prepared to leave the house. She looked at him weirdly when he began dressing up, and Baekhyun could almost hear the question in her head.

Where is he going?

He smiled to himself as he buttoned his navy blue blazer. Just ask me, you silly girl. He knew that would never happen, though, she valued her pride a lot. Combing his fingers through his hair, Baekhyun unplugged his cellphone from the charger and put it into his back pocket. He stopped by the door and glanced at her.

"I’m going out, call me if anything happens," he said, and then paused, "or if you want me to buy anything back."

She turned away. “Okay.”

Smiling wistfully, Baekhyun slipped out of the room and shut the door. As he made his way down, he began calling up his dealers for a meeting. He needed to tell them there would be no supplier for the next two months, as well as prepare his patience for their whining.

~*~

The dealers did not take the news well, as Baekhyun had expected, but after a harsh glare, they shut up and sat down. It was easy finding something else to appease them, they were dogs after all, just distract them with a new chew toy and all would be well. He spent the entire night entertaining those goons with the women at his den, which had stopped operations as a barber shop.

Getting drunk was inevitable, and Yixing, being the reliable assistant, abstained from the drinks and drove Baekhyun home. They arrived at his home in the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, Baekhyun was the quiet and sleepy type of drunk. The downfall of it was that he was especially touchy-feely when in that state. As Yixing helped him up the porch to the doorstep, he had to endure various neck-blowing and snuggles from the superior.

"Baekhyun, you need to key in your password," Yixing said, struggling to steady them both with Baekhyun’s staggering. The latter giggled and began to randomly press keys, earning sharp beeps which signaled failed attempts. If he carried on like this, an alarm might sound. Yixing quickly pulled Baekhyun’s hand away and sat him down on the rattan swing nearby. Taking out his phone, he hoped the woman inside the house was a light sleeper.

"Hello…?" Came the groggy voice.

"Baekhyun’s outside, and we need help."

Some shuffling was heard before the line went dead, and Yixing prayed hard she hadn’t went back to sleep. He decided to give her a few minutes to see if she did go back to sleep before calling again. But the door suddenly opened from the inside, and she stared at him with squinted eyes. Yixing lamely pointed at the side where Baekhyun sat, dozing off. She followed his finger and sighed.

"Help him in," she said, opening the door wider for them. Yixing picked up the drunken man and brought him up the stairs like she instructed. With her help, they tossed Baekhyun onto the bed.

"Can you manage on your own?" Yixing asked, adjusting his clothes.

"Yes. Thank you. Do you need some water or…?"

"No, I’m fine. Sorry for the trouble, ah, I can make my own way down. Have a good rest." Yixing bowed and left the room. As soon as the door shut, she turned to look at the mess of a man and sighed once again. She picked his dangling legs up and tucked them under the covers, before bringing the soft sheets up to cover him. Baekhyun snuggled into the silk and made a soft noise of content before laying motionless. She went down and got a glass of water with some painkillers and set them on the nightstand beside him before returning to bed.

The disturbance had woken her up fully, and going back to sleep seemed nearly impossible. Baekhyun slept like a child the entire time, and it was only during times like this that she could feel her resentment for him drop just a fraction. Perhaps it was because he was quiet, and there were no words coming from him that could tick her off. Or maybe it was because he looked so innocent while sleeping that it gave her the delusion Baekhyun was just as innocent awake.

Which was far from the truth.

Baekhyun was by far the most cunning man she had met, as well as the most child-like. She wondered how it was possible for someone to be a mix of two polar opposites, and she decided that Baekhyun was just an exception. She didn’t know how he acted outside of this house, but it was likely along the lines of violent and oppressive. That was his cunning side. But at home, at home he acted like a normal married man. Making lunch, cleaning up the house, doing laundry and so much more. It made her views of him conflicted, as well as her feelings. There was no doubt she had zero romantic feelings for him, and all the more there was no doubt she hated the sight of him.

She looked to her side where Baekhyun slept with the tiniest of smiles on his face.

But when he looked so at peace, how could she bring herself to hate the man she once called her best friend?

-

"I am so sorry! Oh no, oh no…"

While her papers fluttered to the ground, she caught a glimpse of the man who crashed right into her thick hardcover books. She wondered how he could ignore the pain that was surely searing through his chest right now to pick up her stuff. After a few more seconds of staring, she finally matched his face to the database of people she knew.

Byun Baekhyun, otherwise known as ShimWon High School’s bad boy. Nobody dared to offend him in fear of his father sending men to burn down their houses, like one rumor had said. Baekhyun was shunned by almost everyone in this school despite his good looks for two reasons. One, the rumors. Two, his nasty temper. Honestly, despite being classmates with him for two years, she had not witnessed for herself his ferociousness, but rumors didn’t go around for no reason; it was safer to stay out of his radar.

"It’s okay," she said, eyeing the other for any reaction. In contrast to what she expected, the boy looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"I didn’t mean to…" He murmured as he handed her the stack of worksheets.

"Relax, I know it wasn’t on purpose." She took the papers and stood up. With a curt nod, she went on her way. Was that really Byun Baekhyun? The man who could supposedly murder your family and still get away with it? He didn’t match the name mentioned in those vicious rumors about him. Maybe this guy wasn’t as bad as the rumors made him seem.

-

"Are you going home?"

The sudden voice in the quiet classroom made her flinch, or perhaps it was just the owner of that voice that caused such a reaction. She stopped packing her things and turned around to see Baekhyun with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Y- Yeah. Aren’t you?"

"I am. You shouldn’t go by the back gate."

"Why?" She asked. Leaving the school by the back gate was a short cut to her bus stop, and she went by that way everyday.

"Just don’t." If it wasn’t for the smile on his face she would’ve been intimidated.

"O- Okay…?"

"Shall we go together?"

She hesitated for a bit, recalling what everyone said about him. But those rumors were defeated by that simple incident where he had bumped into her and looked at her like an abused puppy. She didn’t see the harm in it. Perhaps those rumors were baseless after all.

"Alright." She said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. They left the classroom and passed by a handful of students, who did a double take.

Byun Baekhyun? Walking with one of the prettiest girls in school?

Or rather, Byun Baekhyun walking with someone? Since when did he even have friends?

She kept herself from shaking her head; Baekhyun himself seemed nonchalant about their subtle gazes. He walked her to the front gate before stopping.

"Aren’t you leaving?" She questioned.

Baekhyun shook his head with a grin. “No, I just remembered I have some things to take care of. See you tomorrow- ah, tomorrow’s Saturday. See you Monday, then.”

She chuckled. “Bye.”

Baekhyun waved at her and stood until she disappeared down the pavement. Once she was gone, he his heels and headed to the back gate with urgency. As soon as he arrived, his entire persona changed. The hopeful and innocent spark in his eyes doused with aggressiveness and charisma. Baekhyun tossed his school bag to the side and approached the student who had his arms held behind his back by two of his men.

"Hello," Baekhyun greeted. The student stuttered to reply. "Do you have what I want? Or rather, what you owe me?"

"I- I… I don’t- I don’t have it. I haven’t raised enough yet, one week was too short-" The student was cut off by a stinging blow to his cheek.

Baekhyun grabbed his collar and yanked him close. “Are you bargaining with me?”

"No! No- I’m just-"

"Do you think I’m wrong for treating you this way?"

"No! Not at all…"

"You pay back what you owe, Kim Daejung. And if you can’t do that through money, then we’ll have to find some other way, don’t we? One kidney should be more than enough to pay off your debt."

"No please! Please don’t! I- I’ll raise the money, I swear! Just give me a bit more time-" The student was kicked to the ground.

"Bargaining again, Daejung," Baekhyun hissed. "I was kidding about selling your organs, we don’t deal in that area. Not yet, at least, unless of course you’d like to volunteer to be the first."

"No!"

"I thought so." Baekhyun grinned sharply and leaned in. "Three days, Daejung. You have three more days."

"Thank you! Thank you, Baekhyun, thank you so much."

Baekhyun waved him off with a flick of his wrist. “Not without a price, though.”

His men received the nod and began to pelt the student with violent kicks. Baekhyun stood back, not wanting to dirty his hands, but the scene pleased him immensely. Having someone at the mercy of your words; although cruel it was oddly satisfying. That was the world Baekhyun was born into; and that was the world she would have chosen not to catch a glimpse of.

As she sprinted away from the scene, she realised there were two sides to everyone; bad and good and some people live while only seeing one side. But she had been lucky—or unlucky—enough to see both sides of Byun Baekhyun.

-

Looking at him now, with his fingers curled towards his slightly parted lips, she wondered which side was she seeing. Obviously it was the good, but whenever she looked at him, all she could see was his bad. Every single thing he had done to disappoint her would show up in the form of a menacing scowl on his face whenever she looked at him. Maybe she was just forcing herself to see his negatives, but even then, she couldn’t change her perception of him. Or rather, she simply didn’t want to.