The day after Baekhyun sees Chanyeol, he realizes something: Jongin's lack of presence around him throughout the day.

Baekhyun sees Jongin literally everywhere when they aren't alone—when he's being filmed; hears him laughing and speaking for the interview and it seems genuine enough but whenever it comes down to filming for the other segments that require Xiumin and a few of his non famous friends, Jongin just disappears round the corner.

That man doesn't even stay to monitor anymore.

He used to always sit by Baekhyun just to do so though and Baekhyun, after only a short span of time of being around the dancer and adapting to his behavior, isn't used to the new foreign feeling of not having someone like Jongin attached to him almost by the hip all day.

It confuses him the first day and on, but when it reaches the forth day, Baekhyun feels himself becoming so upset he can't help snapping at Jongdae whenever the latter tries to speak to him about something even though it's unintentional and he only hopes his best friend's aware of that.

Baekhyun finds it painfully ridiculous of Jongin to get himself involved in his personal matters and claiming false statements only to react to things differently afterwards which drives him up the wall; the level of frustration Baekhyun settles on is beyond words.

Still, he doesn't quite allow himself to stop attempting to find Jongin.

Though whenever he tries doing so and manages to spot the younger man, he's always either flirting with the coordi noona or talking with Xiumin and Jongdae—he never ing looks at Baekhyun for even a second, and Baekhyun can't help admitting that he feels a little jealous he isn't the centre of attention anymore. 

Baekhyun remembers huffing and turning away, and doing so for the next few days until one fine particular evening...

He finds himself seated in Kamong Café, next to Jongdae who's seated right in the middle of two others; like the necessary border Baekhyun thinks keeps his boundaries from Jongin.

Not that Baekhyun's being childish—but if anyone shows him they don't give a , he always does it better and his circle of friends know best. He's tired of trying to make improvements of their sudden downhill of a friendship, and even trying to find out what he'd actually done wrong—not that he knows of any—that's made Jongin upset.

Upset is but an assumption though.

Baekhyun doesn't even bother looking at Jongin anymore, nor does his eyes travel to Jongdae's when he says, "I'm going to get myself a drink."

"No, let me," Jongdae argues, but Baekhyun quietens him with a palm gesture.

Jongin doesn't look at him but opens his mouth, only to shut it again and Baekhyun grits his teeth hard, clenching his fists beneath the table. He rolls his eyes when they are shut, sort of like the way he notices Kyungsoo does naturally the day they had met... Except, he does it ruder. Getting up, Baekhyun walks to the counter, feeling lazy albeit having no choice but to still look presentable because he isn't not known around this area.

It isn't the first time he's come to be aware of it and when he first did, he remembers thinking that it's hard not being able to be 100% himself in public which it factually is.

"Hello," Baekhyun smiles slightly, greeting Jongin's older sister who reciprocates it with a wide one. "One mint chocolate kamongccino, please."

"Had it ready when I heard you were going to be here with Jongin and Jongdae," she maintains the smile on her face. "Jongin told me about it."

"Yeah?" Baekhyun purses his lips in, softens a little bit but clears his throat to cover up that sudden slip of expression. He pulls out his wallet but that's the furthest he gets to go.

"Jongin's paid for you," she clarifies, passing Baekhyun his drink. "Don't worry about it."

He nods once, flashes another small smile before taking it in his hand and heads back to the table. Baekhyun takes his seat and it takes him a couple of seconds to realize Jongdae's missing presence. And that Jongin still isn't interested in so much at glancing at him.

He assumes Jongdae's gone to the gents. But knowing that sneaky bastard, he's probably hiding somewhere far but close enough to keep an eye out for both him and Jongin.

Baekhyun takes a sip of his drink to avoid sighing. Works for a moment.

Until, he finds Jongdae's previously empty spot now occupied by Jongin and before Baekhyun knows it, Jongin's attention is back solely on the older man himself, which causes the latter to turn away. Not in discomfort, but weighing more towards nonchalance.

"Hi," Jongin begins softly.

Baekhyun chooses to ignore. However, he has to bite on his tongue to refrain from returning the greeting because as much as he wishes to pretend he hasn't just heard Jongin, he can't find it in himself to ignore the dancer and it's unbelievably stupid because he doesn't even know why. It's not like Kim Jongin's anyone special to him—previously a client, escalated to a close friend and now it's seemingly back to square one again.

And honestly it ing affects Baekhyun the way a sudden thunderstorm does a perfect sunny weather but he won't show it. Not when someone's already stopped caring before him.

"Hyung," Jongin sighs, and it sounds like a whine is on the verge of leaving the back of his throat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? Please look at me."

Baekhyun's eyes narrow into slits as he takes in Jongin's desperate tone, but it ends shortly when he Jongin inhales softly next to him. "Really?" He snaps, finally facing the younger man. "Are you ing serious, Kim Jongin?"

"I—I'm really sorry, yes—"

"This has nothing to do with you being apologetic or not," Baekhyun seethes. "You're asking me to look at you after I've spent days of watching you when I have a break, only to get ignored without knowing why? Especially after you're my supposed boyfriend? Really, wow."

"I—"

"You're selfish," Baekhyun pauses, gritting his teeth so that he doesn't spill anything worse. He pushes his drink aside and rises from the chair. "I'm leaving."

But he's already walking away because he's infuriated and incredulous and he doesn't want to stay anywhere he's able to see the dancer. Regret builds in Baekhyun's chest when he steps out of the café though—he hadn't driven here so he's got no choice but to take the bus back to the office.

He sighs, almost scoffs but he suppresses it.

Less than a minute later, Baekhyun sighs again and kicks a tiny pebble on the ground—something he does whenever he's upset and tries to calm himself down.

"Hyung!"

Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows from indistinct surprise and contemplates for a moment, picking up on his pace but decides against it because he's honestly tired. He moistens his lips and promises himself to tune out so he doesn't hear anything and that's what he's going to do.

That way, he won't be able to care.

Something curls around his wrist to stop him from moving further, and quickly, he's forced to turn around to which he complies without showing any form of struggle.

He's taken aback when he comes face to face with a look of fury.

"You don't call me selfish when you were the one who left me," Jongin spits, fingers tightening around Baekhyun's wrist. "I know you don't understand a single thing and you're upset but do you actually know how it feels to love someone only to find out you're as good as non existent to them the next few days?"

Baekhyun's frown deepens. He's more than confused at this point. "Jongin, what are you even—"

"We met nine years ago, hyung. In Seoul, at the beach a couple minutes walk from my house then. I was seventeen and you were studying your last year in a brand new school because your parents had to work in Seoul for almost a year," Jongin tears his gaze away from Baekhyun and frees his wrist, pulling his hand back.

Baekhyun's breathing hastens because Jongin's words make absolute no sense to him but somehow someway, he finds everything all too familiar because he remembers coming to Seoul and he remembers a boy and a beach.

"Kai," Baekhyun stutters. "Kai. I know a Kai. You—"

"I never told you my real name," Jongin tucks his hands in his front pockets and rocks on his heels. "You never used to call me by my real name,"

"Black hair, introverted, great dancer, two sisters," Baekhyun shoots whatever's in his memory, and one after another, he notes Jongin's eyes; the way they light up and it seems to shine brighter and brighter with each fact he throws out. "You're... Kai?"

"I'm Kai," Jongin confirms.

"We were best friends..." Baekhyun's head might explode from overworking his brain to remember everything but he won't quit it because he needs to figure everything out. Now.

His eyes traces Jongin's features as he begins recalling glitches of the past. He feels like a machine in need of being fixed, but he's far from being one and his head is spinning—he falls forward. Baekhyun doesn't have the strength to hold himself up and he's prepared for the worst, but his face never meets the ground because arms wrap securely around his waist, pulling him against something warm.

Familiar, once again, nonetheless.

Baekhyun shuts his eyes shut and squeezes them tightly in hope of blocking out the dots in his vision, but before he knows it, pitch darkness consumes him and he goes a negative hundred weak in Jongin's arms.