a/n; the first half of the chapter is hella boring but hey sorry i needed some fillers and brief introduction. hope you understand :3

It was raining outside.

“When will you be coming back home?” a soft sob murmured into the hallow of Baekyun’s already soaked shoulder, “You won’t be gone for long, right Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, already knowing the tough truth.

Baekhyun paused before gathering up whatever voice he had left to answer the body that clung so tightly onto his own. He hastily tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to overflow, “I don’t know when I’ll be back Chanyeol.” Baekhyun strained before bringing his arms up to loop around the back of his best friend, cheeks streaked with the fresh saltiness of his own tears.

The two boys stood motionless, only listening to the sounds of each other’s muffled cries until a familiar tone broke through their barrier, “Chanyeol, it’s time.” It was Chanyeol’s mother. Baekhyun could feel his best friend tense at the words that seemed to pierce his body like a sword only causing Chanyeol to cry more.

It hurt, being pried away from your best friend for who knows how long without any promise of return. It left that emptying feeling in their chests, almost as if all the air in the world refused to let either Chanyeol or Baekhyun breathe it. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had done everything that two 8-year old boys could have ever possibly done together. They were, as cliché as it was, two peas in a pod. Neither dusk nor dawn could separate the two from being together.

“You can’t go! I can take care of you! My momma and I will take care of you! Baekhyun you can’t!” Chanyeol’s last desperate pleas rang out before his mother stepped in to cradle the young boy in her arms. The look in his Chanyeol’s eyes was something that Baekhyun would never be able to forget for his entire life.

Once Baekhyun was settled into the car that would be taking him far, far, away from his best friend and his home, Chanyeol knocked on his window, eyes red and glassy, lip quivering, and hair a mess from earlier.

Chanyeol placed a beaded string bracelet into the palm of Baekhyun’s shaking hand, “I’ll see you soon, okay?” Was the last words he heard from his best friend before the heartbreaking last waves initiated from the back seat car window as Chanyeol started to bleed in with the background around him as Baekhyun’s eyes blurred his vision.

The entire flight to France was nothing but tears and disgusting airplane food, as well as a few soothing motherly conversations that made Baekhyun feel only .0983% better before slipping back into his gloomy state for the remaining seven hours they had left before landing in some foreign area.

It took several days before Chanyeol’s mother finally convinced him to actually go out and play with the other neighbors without Chanyeol bursting out into tears and going on and on and on about how he and Baekhyun would play outside too. Chanyeol was an extremely sensitive child, in case no one noticed.

Elementary in France was a complete culture shock. Baekhyun only managed to attend school for about three and a half days before his parents, as well as teachers, came to an agreement that it’d be best for Baekhyun to be homeschool for a suggested period of time until he was familiarized with the new environment. To be completely honest, Baekhyun loved the idea of homeschooling, and that resulted in being tutored until his last year of middle school, which he was then transferred to some prestigious high school that educated about every snobby kid in Paris.

“Byun Baekhyun,” the teacher attempted to say with her best utmost effort in getting all of the syllables to blend together well enough to remotely sound like ‘Baekhyun’, “present?”

“Present,” Baekhyun responded in his best pronunciation of French that his Korean tongue allowed, even though he’s been practicing at home for the past six years and it should have already been down pat, but it isn’t and Baekhyun doesn’t really care. The teacher nodded acknowledging him before moving onto the next name until she reached the end of the attendance rooster. Before explaining their first class assignment, Ms. Adrienne cleared scanning each individual student, hazel eyes lingering on Baekhyun’s face longer than the others.

“Well shall start our reading on page 57. Do not read a paragraph more when you have reached page 62. As a class we will go over the questions about the reading together once everyone is finished. You may begin.”

Baekhyun sighed, flipping the pages carelessly causing the students around him to cringe as he wrinkled the corners of their pristine textbooks, clearly not giving a single about what they thought.

Most of Baekhyun’s high school days were spent alone. He never bothered on making small or casual talk with the other students since he really had no topics to converse about in the first place. Being the only Korean student enrolled at his high school Baekhyun found it quite easy to keep to himself, sparing a few brisk hellos.

It was the summer before his senior year of high school when his mother and father sprung the good news over dinner, “We’re sending you back to South Korea to complete your education.” Baekhyun almost choked on a piece of bread, yes bread, while flailing his arms around like a maniac for his parents’ to repeat what had just came out of their mouths since he was too busy coughing to actually speak. “I’m going where!?” Baekhyun screeched after nearly dying.

“Back to South Korea,” his father blinked a little startled by his son’s sudden outburst, “and there’s no need to yell Baekhyun. Your flight has already been booked and you’ll be leaving in two days.” His mother nodded along when Baekhyun threw her a look of disbelief. “Finish up your dinner before you start hyperventilating and we’ll end up having to pack your things for you instead.”

Baekhyun hadn’t grasped onto the fact that he would be leaving France on his own to stay with his Aunt for the duration of high school and possibly, he hoped, college until the flight attendant sounded over the intercom warning passengers to remain seated until further notice.

“I’m actually on my way back to South Korea,” he said with overwhelming joy to himself but the woman next to him thought Baekhyun was attempting to spark a chat with her. She obviously was not interested in whatever Baekhyun had to ramble about since she later blasted her 5,000 years old classical music through her equally as old pair of headphones. Rude.

“I haven’t been in South Korea since I was 8-years old, did you know that?”

“I had to leave behind my best friend, his name was Park Chanyeol. He was the best. I still remember the stupid young boy things we did. Oh, oh, oh! One time for his birthday, we decided that it’d be a good idea to let the water in the bathtub overflow so it’d be like our very own pool, ya know? Isn’t that the craziest thing you’ve ever heard?” Baekhyun paused to take a breath, “And now I’m coming back and I know it’s unrealistic to think that over the course of 9 years we can just pick up where we left off and become the best of friends again but hey, it’s worth a shot right? Not that I’ve been keeping in touch with him. Or happen to know what school he attends. Or if he’s still alive, even though I know he is and it’s terrible to think that he could have died…”  

“Ahem! I do enjoy hearing your whole childhood story and all but could you um, maybe, shut up?” The man behind Baekhyun said, a clear mask of annoyance threading in, “no one is even up besides you. You’ve just been spewing out your precious memories to a silent cabin for the past two and a half hours.”

“Ah, sorry!” Baekhyun piped a little louder than he’d intended. Slowly, he slid further and further down his seat embarrassed about what had just happened. But it wasn’t his fault that he was just too unbelievably thrilled to be coming home.  

2 weeks later…

“Well, Baekhyun, today is the beginning of your last year of high school! Make it count!”

“I’ll try to aunty!” Baekhyun reassured with a bright grin swiping a plain piece of toast off the large tray before running out the door with the bread in his mouth, just like every other cliché anime scene out there. He could hear his aunt wish him good luck once more just before she was cut off and out of earshot.

Baekhyun had been nearly 20 minutes early to his new school and the courtyard was already jam packed with students, many people filtering in at the same time he was. He managed to greet a few faces with tiny bows, something that felt so odd doing now that the students would actually return the simple gesture with their own small bows. It was refreshing. Baekhyun took his sweet time dawdling up the path in the middle of the courtyard, glancing here and there, studying his entirely new environment with care.

‘Seoul National High School’, the letters hanging above the main entrance read. Baekhyun sighed as a smile soon followed, “It feels good to be home.”

The hallway resembled much of the courtyard, crowded with bustling bodies and lively chatter floating around the corridors. Baekhyun silently attempted to maneuver his petite frame through the waves of students, quickly scanning his wrinkled schedule before returning his gaze back to what was in front of him so he’d avoid any of that unnecessary bumping into the wrong person .

His schedule read, Calculus in room number 204 on the second floor of the building. Baekhyun nodded to himself, smoothly jerking his head to the right removing the shiny caramel brown bangs out of his eyes. Upon entering his first period class, a light tap busied his shoulder, “Excuse me but are you Byun Baekhyun?”

“Yup, that’s me.” The brunette replied as he swiftly turned around to match the unknown voice with an even more unfamiliar face. The male was around the same height as Baekhyun, with well-groomed black hair and an awful old man atmosphere. No offense. “That’s great! I’m Kim Junmyeon, student council president, tennis captain, head honcho on the mathletes, as well as the fifth ranking student in our entire grade.” Baekhyun’s head began to spin from all of the nonsense Junmyeon layered out in one go while he made an effort to remember all the things this guy was in charge of.

“Nice to meet you, do you have Calculus as well?” Baekhyun question while his hands began massaging little circles into the sides of his temples.

Junmyeon looked a bit offended, “Calculus? Oh no no. I’ve already finished my requirements for the math courses in my junior year. I’m just here to show you around. Student council president rules.” The other explained shoving a paper into Baekhyun’s face way too close for him to even see anything that was written on it. As Baekhyun reached out for the paper, Junmyeon was already tucking it back into the front pocket of his blazer.

“Anyway, shall we get you familiarized with the school before class starts? We should have a good chunk of time to get at least the general ideas covered.” Junmyeon assured as he tapped on the glass of his rather expensive looking watch.

“Of course! I’d love to,” The brunette agrees, “I could really use a tour of this place anyway.”

“Fantastic!” Junmyeon smiled, and it was kind of ugly, before snatching Baekhyun’s wrist and tugging him into the mass of moving students.

Five minutes in and Baekhyun was already aware of how the classrooms were organized as well as where all of the bathrooms and all the water fountains were on the first and second floor. Junmyeon mentioned something about not risking the chance of dehydration, weird guy. Baekhyun was now immersed in learning about how the social rankings worked around Seoul National High School and what to and not to do to in order to join the system but not disturb the way it ran. Seemed easy enough Baekhyun thought.

“Okay so listen to me Baekhyun, you do not want to be at the top of the ranks. That’s uncharted territory, where the sun doesn’t touch the land, a scary place. Top ranks are just a bunch of snot-nosed rich kids that do as they please.” The other clarified making sure to throw in a bunch of mumbled up hand motions to emphasize his point before continuing on. “You also do not want to be on the other end of the stick. That is also considered as uncharted territory. But the only way you’ll end up there is if a)you’re a complete idiot lacking any kind of knowledge of the cast world or b)you’ve done something to the top ranks that has caused you to hit rock bottom.”

Baekhyun listened attentively, occasionally nodding along whenever Junmyeon would spare him a glimpse to make sure that he was following and not lost somewhere in the horde of people or the horde of Junmyeon’s words.

“You want to be placed somewhere among the upper middle section. That’s where most of the easy-going people like you and I are categorized. It is, if I do say so myself, the best place to be.”

“Don’t be in the top ranks and don’t fall to the bottom, got it.”

“Oh and one more basic thing,” Junmyeon shifted his eyes back and forth before leaning in close to whisper something into Baekhyun’s ear, “if you happen to encounter a top rank today, do not, I repeat not, get in their way.” And with that the student council president straightened himself out, gave Baekhyun a hearty pat on the back, and left him while flinging a thumb’s up in his direction before doing so.

On his way back to Calculus, Baekhyun began to reflect on the “lessons” Junmyeon verbalized. In all honesty, Baekhyun found this whole caste like system going on to be quite ridiculous. But Baekhyun was in no position to voice his opinion on the status quo of his new school since he was in fact, a new kid. It just made no sense and seemed like a pointless way of ru–

The brunette’s nose soon smashed into the shoulder blade of some other student that happened to be standing in the doorway of his math class, “Ow ! , I’m sorry.” Baekhyun winced, rubbing his stinging nose.

“No, crap. I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the doorway.” It was another male student. This time he was shorter than Baekhyun, and had dark reddish tinted hair and tremendously circular eyes. Quite the unusually cute mixture. “I’m Do Kyungsoo,” he spoke casually assisting Baekhyun with his sore nose, “you are?”

With one hand extended outwards, the brunette grinned, “Byun Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo was in mid-reach of shaking his hand and openly ready to accept the start of a possibly beautiful friendship when he froze, eyes growing wider with what looked liked shock and fear. “What’s wrong Kyungsoo?” He asked with a concerned brow. Kyungsoo stuttered, “P-p-p-park C-chanyeol…”

“What?”

“C-chanyeol!”

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun restated and Kyungsoo furiously nodded his head, pointing to a space behind Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Park Chanyeol.”

The brunette whipped his frame around, suddenly face to face or more like face to neck with a rather tall person. Baekhyun’s eyes traveled from the boy’s neck and up to his face where he was met with such a disgusted scowl. “You’re Park Chanyeol?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol’s deep voice rumbled, “and you’re in my ing way. Now move.”

Baekhyun was at a lost of words and didn’t bother on moving until two large hands gripped his arms, forcibly moving him aside. The brunette crashed into Kyungsoo causing them both to stumble. “What the was that?”

“Top Ranks. Possibly one of the worst Top Rank here. Park Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo answered in a whisper as he stabilized himself against the desk, glaring at the giant who made his way towards the back of the classroom.

Baekhyun was ready to flip until the name struck him like a train, “ing , that’s Park Chanyeol.”  My best childhood friend.

author's note; okay year first chapters are always and boring. i'm sorry just needed to do some introduction and fillers and all that jazz. sorry for such a long chapter. ugh. anyway i hope this was alright and yeah i'm dead. goodnight/goodmorning/goodafternoon my loves. /dances away into the shadows

i'll try to go back and edited if i have the time but for now i'm going to leave it lol i'm a lazy