A/N: I'm back with an update after 5 days! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧  I'm sorry that this update took so long. I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^

Despite the fact that Jongdae’s friendship with one Byun Baekhyun has been getting better, Jongdae finds himself frustrated that he’s gotten nowhere with the other boy.

“It’s been months since I figured out,” Jongdae whines, “and he still has no idea! Why am I the one suffering this?” He buries his face into his pillow and beside him Luhan and Sehun share a commiserative look.

“It’ll be okay Jongdae,” Luhan tries, resting his hand on the other’s shoulder. “Baekhyun just needs some more time until he’s fully over Chanyeol.” Jongdae just gives a muffled whine in response.

“Stop moping around dummy, there’s no point in sulking about it. Besides,” Sehun adds, “you have a field trip in half-an-hour and you’re not even finished packing.” He stuffs Jongdae’s red hoodie into a suitcase along with some loose t-shirts and jeans.

Reluctantly, Jongdae gets up and throws all the clothes he’s planning on bringing in a pile next to Sehun. The latter only shoots him a playful scowl in reply, but resumes placing the clothes in the luggage case.

Thirty minutes later, the singer find himself in front of a coach bus with the rest of their class.

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun exclaims, before throwing himself at his friend. Jongdae feels his face flush but swallows it right back down when he sees Jongin raise his eyebrows suggestively. “I thought you weren’t going to make it,” Baekhyun teases. “I would’ve had to stick with this gross couple the whole entire day.” He points to Jongin and Kyungsoo, who share an eskimo kiss in response to Baekhyun’s comment.

“Wouldn’t miss this trip for the world, Baekhyun.” Jongdae laughs before the two make their way onto the bus with the rest of their class. “I’m so excited to finally be going to Yanggu County. It’d be interesting to see the battle sites of the Korean War.”

“Yeah! We could even go see your grandmother*, right Baekhyun?” Yixing suddenly says, and Jongdae has to stifle his giggles at Yixing’s joke.

“You wish,” Baekhyun says back, flipping his hair out of eyes. It looks like Baekhyun is about to say something else, but instead, he just stares at a couple that are two seats in front of him. Jongdae’s the only one who notices, since his other friends go about putting on their seatbelts and placing their belongings at the top of the bus. Jongdae follows his friends stare and he feels his stomach twist. The couple in the seats happened to be Chanyeol and Amber, playfully teasing each other and sharing small pecks.

“Hey,” Jongdae whispers, gently elbowing Baekhyun’s side. “Don’t pay any attention to them.” Baekhyun tenses, obviously embarrassed of being caught staring at the couple. He turns around to Jongdae and sighs before putting his face into his hands. “Sorry,” Baekhyun breathes out. “It’s just taking some time to get used to. I didn’t expect it to happen at all.” Jongdae internally cringes at the sadness lingering in his friend’s eyes as he resists the urge to hold the other in his arms and tell him it’ll be alright.

Instead, he offers his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder as a symbol of sympathy before lightening the mood and changing the topic. The rest of the trip to their destination without much event, besides Baekhyun’s short glances at their two friends.

Jongdae wonders just how long it could take Baekhyun to get over Chanyeol.

--

They arrive at Yanggu after a little under 3 hours, and excited chatter can be heard from the group of university students as they walk around the town before the trip to the battlefield. Jongdae and his friends all talk a walk around the shops in town, finding cafes to sit at and shops to browse.

While the group is wandering through a rather large music store, Jongdae finds himself wander to the ballad section of the store. He spots a particular album and picks it up, and he feels a faint smile grace his lips. The album had been one of his favorites as a child, and everyone around him at the time knew exactly how much he had really loved music.

“I can’t believe you still remember that, even after all this time,” a voice says behind him.

Startled, he tightens his grip on the album he’s holding and whips around to locate the owner of the (strangely familiar) voice.

“It’s been a while, Kim Jongdae,” a petite girl says. At first, Jongdae wonders how this girl could possibly know about the album he was holding, but as soon as he sees the girl’s signature smile, everything immediately clicks into place.

“Eunji!” Jongdae says, rushing to give the girl in front of him a crushing hug. “I can’t believe it’s actually you. I haven’t seen you since you went to that all-girls middle school.”

Eunji laughs, returning the embrace. “Yeah, I didn’t expect to see you here. I was just about to pick up that album myself,” she points out. “But what brings you all the way out to Yanggu? I thought you were majoring in music, not history.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae laughs, “our teachers thought it would be some kind of ‘eye-opening experience’ for us. But it’s still interesting nonetheless, so I’m not complaining. What about you?”

“Ah,” Eunji pauses, staring at the album still in Jongdae’s hands. “I was going to go study to become a singer, but I ended up majoring in criminal affairs. I’m a detective now!”

The two continue their conversation, chatting aimlessly while wandering empty sections of the music store before they bump into their friends at the entrance.

“Where have you been?!” Kyungsoo asks. “We thought you got kidnapped or something!” And Jongdae lets out a laugh before pointing at Eunji.

“Sorry sorry, I met up with one of my friends from grade school, Jung Eunji. I must’ve lost track of time,” Jongdae says apologetically, and everyone automatically introduces themselves to his friend. “It seems it’s about time for us to leave,” Jongdae says, giving Eunji a sad smile. “It was nice seeing you again!”

Eunji nods her head enthusiastically. “Yes, it really was! We should catch up sometime,” she says, before they part ways.

Jongdae notices that almost everyone is eagerly chatting about their plans for the day after seeing the historic landmark.

Almost.

Jongdae also notices that Baekhyun hasn’t talked to Jongdae at all since they left the music store, and Jongdae begins to worry about the condition of his friend. When Baekhyun only tells him that he’s tired from the ride and walking, Jongdae decides not to press the issue any further.

They take a look at the historic site, jotting down notes and taking pictures. Majority of their day is spent listening to the tour guide explain certain things to them as they talk a walk around the site. Jongdae finds himself feeling pleased at the end of the tour, but tired out. Everyone makes their way to the hotel and Jongdae lies flat on his bed in the room he now shares with Jongin.

“Looks like someone’s completely wiped out,” Jongin jokes, and Jongdae only groans and flings a pillow in his direction in response. Jongin lets out a small laugh before picking up a book and reading it. A few minutes slip by in silence, and Jongdae thinks he’s about to fall asleep when suddenly Jongin’s voice pulls him out of his drowsiness.

“Jongdae,” says Jongin.

“Hmm?” Jongdae hums in reply.

“That girl, Eunji… she’s just a friend, right?”

Jongdae sits up at Jongin’s question and eyes his friend carefully. Jongin only nervously plays with the phone he’s holding in his hands, and Jongdae sees that he’s texting Kyungsoo.

“There’s nothing going on between Eunji and I,” Jongdae states firmly, crossing his arms. “We’re just good friends. Nothing more.”

Jongin lets out a sigh of relief. “That’s good,” he says simply, before going back to texting his boyfriend. Jongdae briefly wonders why Jongin would ask such an outrageous question before simply shrugging to himself and falling asleep.

--

Jongdae wakes up the next morning to a blaring alarm clock that he sleepily disables. He hears Jongin stir next to him, and he moves to get to the shower before Jongin wakes.

Jongdae does his per-usual morning routine. Cleaning up, dressing, etc.

“There’s still an hour before breakfast,” Jongin notes. “I’m going outside for a quick jog,” is all he says as he waves goodbye to his roommate. Jongdae nods and resumes listening to the album he picked up at the music store the other day. He almost doesn’t notice the sound of someone knocking at his door. But he does, and moves to open it.

“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae says, embracing the shorter boy in front of him. “What brings you here so early? If you’re looking for Jongin, he went out for a jog not too long ago.”

Kyungsoo only shakes his head in response. “No, that’s not it Jongdae, but thank you. I’m here to talk to you,” and Jongdae’s eyes widen at Kyungsoo’s seriousness.

“O-of course,” Jongdae says, prompting the other inside his shared room. “What’s up?” He finally asks once they’re both settled in.

“It’s Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo replies.

“Baek? Is he alright? I noticed that he’s been acting strange lately,” Jongdae muses, furrowing his eyebrows in concern.

“Since Baekhyun’s my roommate, I confronted him last night about some things. Things regarding you.”

“Me?!” Jongdae gasps, eyes widening. “Did I do something wrong? Oh god, should I go apologize? It’s all my fault isn’t it--”

“Jongdae!” Kyungsoo interrupts, cutting the other boy short. “Just listen to what I have to say, okay?” And Jongdae nods as Kyungsoo recalls his conversation with Baekhyun the other night.

“Baekhyun, are you okay? You’ve been acting strange recently,” Kyungsoo says, eyeing the boy wrapped around in bedsheets.

Said boy hesitates, nervously picking at the threads of his pillow.

“Come on,” Kyungsoo coaxes. “It’s okay. You can tell me,” he adds gently, giving his friend a light smile.

Baekhyun sighs, before turning to Kyungsoo. “It’s horrible,” Baekhyun finally says. “Everything is happening so quickly and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow. “What’s happening?”

“Everything!” Baekhyun exclaims, startling the other. “Sorry,” he says quietly. “It’s just that… everyone’s leaving me, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone.” He sniffs, clutching the blankets around him.

“Leaving you? No one's leaving you, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo replies softly.

“Of course they are!” says Baekhyun, his voice breaking. “Chanyeol is together with Amber, and Jongdae… Jongdae was with that girl earlier today. She’s taking away my best friend, Kyungsoo. I’m happy for them,” he continues, not letting the other boy interrupt him. “But I saw Jongdae when he was walking around with that girl in the store. I saw the way she looked at him and I saw how happy they were together. I don’t know why, but I feel sick when I think about it.”

Kyungsoo finds himself shocked at Baekhyun’s rant, but smiles in understanding. Even if Baekhyun doesn’t get it just yet, he knows that things’ll turn out fine in the end.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says after checking a text he received from Jongin. “Jongdae and Eunji are just friends. Nothing more.”

Baekhyun stares up at Kyungsoo with wet eyes. He lets a small smile grace his face before walking over to Kyungsoo and wrapping him in his arms. “Thanks. Really. For some reason, I feel a lot more relieved after hearing that,” and Kyungsoo merely laughs at Baekhyun’s revelation.

“He’s as dense as a brick,” Kyungsoo sighs.

Jongdae stares at Kyungsoo in confusion. “Why? Is there some hidden meaning I’m missing here?”

Kyungsoo almost facepalms. “I see why you two were meant to be,” he murmurs under his breath.

“What? Did you say something?”

Kyungsoo smiles at his friend. “No no, of course not. Just talk to him, I’m sure he’ll feel a lot better.”

“Thanks Kyungsoo, I will.” Jongdae says. “But first, it’s breakfast time!”

--

Jongdae and Kyungsoo are the last ones to take a seat at their table. Kyungsoo sits by Jongin and Jongdae takes a seat in between Junmyeon and Chanyeol. The atmosphere is light and there’s buzz of what every student is going to do on their free day in Yanggu.

Despite all of this, Jongdae feels his stomach drop when he tries to catch Baekhyun’s attention, but the latter doesn’t even look at him. After breakfast, everyone breaks up into pairs or small groups to roam around the city. Chanyeol and Amber leave first to take a stroll around the parks and fields. After, Kyungsoo leaves with Jongin to take a tour of the city, and Junmyeon and Yixing go with their friend Zitao to see a show. In the end, it’s only Jongdae and Baekhyun left.

“Baekhyun--” Jongdae starts, but is interrupted when Baekhyun abruptly stands up and walks out, leaving the other staring at his back. Jongdae feels himself freeze for a few seconds before scrambling up to chase after Baekhyun.

Jongdae spends at least 45 minutes searching for Baekhyun, before seeing the latter sitting by a small lake at the edge of town. He quietly walks towards the other and takes a seat next to him. He feels Baekhyun stiffen next to him, but Jongdae finds himself relieved when Baekhyun doesn’t make a move to get up.

After a few minutes of silence, Jongdae finally speaks up.

“Baekhyun,” he says.

“...Jongdae,” Baekhyun whispers back.

Jongdae turns his head back towards the lake. The sun’s rays bounce off the surface of the water and he feels a breeze tickle his nose. “There really isn’t anything going on between Eunji and I,” he finally says.

“Kyungsoo told you,” is all Baekhyun says in reply.

“There really isn’t. So why are you ignoring me?” Jongdae presses, turning towards Baekhyun. The latter only stares out at the field of grass, refusing to meet the gaze of his best friend.

“I didn’t think you’d find me,” Baekhyun whispers, ignoring Jongdae’s question.

“I looked everywhere for you,” Jongdae says.

Another few seconds pass in silence before Baekhyun first starts their conversation.

“I don’t know why,” he starts, “but when I saw you with her, I felt… jealous.” He keeps his eyes trained on the field, but Jongdae secretly wishes that Baekhyun would look at him.

“But you know there’s nothing happening between us,” Jongdae replies. “I’ve known her since grade school. We’re more like siblings, if anything.”

Baekhyun snorts. “Yeah, I know. But still,” He says, as Jongdae notices his fingers grip the tips of the green grass in front of him. “I felt like she was taking you away from me. I couldn’t have something like that happen to me again.”

Jongdae inches closer to his friend. “It won’t,” Jongdae simply replies.

“I was scared.” Baekhyun says. “I was scared that you were going to leave me like Chanyeol did. I couldn’t stand the thought of you two together.”

Jongdae keeps his eyes on his friend, but he feels butterflies flutter in his stomach and he finds it hard to keep a steady gaze on the person in front of him.

“I told Kyungsoo that night,” Baekhyun continues, ignoring Jongdae’s unease. “He knew, but he wouldn’t tell me. So I stayed up all night, thinking of what could possibly cause me to think this way.”

Jongdae swallows the lump forming in his throat as Baekhyun finally turns his head to meet Jongdae’s gaze.

“After thinking for what felt like hours, I finally figured it out,” Baekhyun says. “It’s been weeks since Chanyeol and I broke up. I finally understand what he was saying during our break up**.”

“What he said during your break up…?” Jongdae tentatively asks.

“After all this time,” Baekhyun just continues, leaving Jongdae in the dark. “We’ve always stuck together. After forcing myself to stay away from you after that one incident, and now this…” Baekhyun trails off. “I’ve realized that you’re practically a part of me, Jongdae. Nothing feels right unless you’re there with me.”

Jongdae feels his heart jump into his throat.

What?!

“Baekhyun,” Jongdae nervously starts, pushing himself an inch away from his friend. “W-what are you saying? You’re way too serious,” he shakily laughs.

Why are you being like this? Jongdae thinks to himself.

Isn’t this what you wanted this entire time?

“That’s because I am serious,” Baekhyun states, giving Jongdae an unrelenting stare that makes him squirm in his position.

“How can you be so sure? You’ve only thought about it since last night,” Jongdae argues.

What are you saying?

“Why are you arguing with me?” Baekhyun snaps, and Jongdae almost reels back in surprise. He’s never seen Baekhyun so serious and sensitive before.

Really, why are you arguing with him?

“Why were you avoiding me?” Jongdae replies.

“Because I wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not. You’re being difficult,” Baekhyun retaliates.

“You’re being serious. I’m not used to it at all,” Jongdae shrugs.

Baekhyun lets out a small sigh before situating himself right in front of Jongdae. “Because I don’t want to screw this up,” Baekhyun says. He gives Jongdae a gentle smile before standing up and walking towards the lake.

Jongdae slowly follows, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his friend. “Screw what up?” He asks quietly, fidgeting with the ends of his cardigan.  

Baekhyun leans in close, and Jongdae can feel Baekhyun’s breath on his earlobe.

At this point, Jongdae’s completely wired, his thoughts jumbled up and his stomach a huge mess.

“This,” Baekhyun finally whispers, before putting his hands on Jongdae’s waist-

- and pushing him into the water.

“Wha-?!” Jongdae sputters, coughing up water. “Why --what --” Jongdae intelligently responds, staring at Baekhyun in disbelief.

“You're my soulmate, Kim Jongdae,” Baekhyun states firmly. His soft gaze resting upon Jongdae’s wet figure. “And I don’t care if some dumb watch tells me otherwise, I will make you mine!”

Jongdae fights the blush creeping up on him, but he still feels his face flush and his ears go hot. Baekhyun’s proud statement makes Jongdae feel utterly embarrassed and for some reason, the butterflies in Jongdae’s stomach only seem to intensify at the revelation.

But nonetheless, Jongdae lets down the walls he had set up before seeing Baekhyun. He finally picks himself up off of the cold bank and brushes off the dirt settling on his shirt.

“Byun Baekhyun, you don’t need to worry about a watch telling you otherwise,” Jongdae says.

“I’ve known for this entire time that fate would bring us together.”

* - I'm pretty sure Yanggu is the proper county. I looked up a bunch of information about it as well! Hopefully it's accurate enough ^^

** - If you don't remember, refer back towards the end of CH9! 

Ahh, I'm really sorry if this chapter seemed rushed or anything? I really hope it's alright, but I couldn't think of anything else to further the plot besides this! 

And for those who are subscribed to my Suchen fic, I'll be updating that story tomorrow! :D Don't worry, I haven't given up on it just yet. uvu