It felt like another déjà vu when Baekhyun and I entered a café near my school and found my friends casually entering the same place, taking a different table that is close to the one him & I chose. They were like this when Sehun came to visit me out of the blue, and happened to insist on going to that bubble tea shop before. Except for this time, they were supposed to be going to another place without me since I insisted on taking a walk alone with Baekhyun.

“W-we decided on eating cakes so we are here too.” Hani reasoned out when she saw me eyeing them inquisitively. Lame excuse my dear friend. It’s easy to read what their real intentions are just by seeing the way how they avert their eyes away from us when talking. This is clearly a form of stalking.

Luhan seconded her to back her up, “Yeah. We didn’t even know that you would choose to spend some time here. What a coincidence, right?” He chuckled awkwardly, making Baekhyun stifle a chime of laughs. He must have not missed it too—how they failed to fool us.

I eyed him back and saw how he mouthed ‘They are too obvious.’ to me with his lips. I tore my eyes away from them and silently nodded in agreement with him whilst a smile played on my lips.

A waitress came to our table and asked us our orders before finally leaving us on our own. Baekhyun was just sheepishly smiling at me as his eyes formed to little crescents when he saw me staring at him with a smile I was trying to suppress. For a while we were just staring at each other like that. Silent. And communicating without words as if we fully understood what the other was saying like always.

“So,” He finally spoke as he propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm while gazing at me, “I heard from Soojung that she saw you in a nearby mall in Gangnam during the weekend.” My smile instantly faded when he mentioned her name as if it was a natural thing, as if it was not offending.

“And since when were you in talking terms with her after your so-called ‘break up’?” I asked with a soft voice that was dark and full of heaviness. I was trying to divert his attention from his previous question that I threw a mockery mindlessly, but as if he knew what I was trying to do, he sighed, displeased at how I was doing it my way. I was avoiding having to answer him. I sighed tiredly, feeling down casted.

Baekhyun realized how fast my expression changed that he scrunched his brows furiously at me and asked, “Did she do or say something to you?”

I cleared my throat and sighed. “How did you even find me?” I asked him, trying for the second time to divert away from the topic.

He looked rather dejected that I didn’t answer him, but being the kind boy he was, he answered me instead of starting an argument, “I have my ways, Kim Nana.” He smiled at me when he saw me furrowing my brows at him disapprovingly. Yes, he answered my query, but he just made me feel even more frustrated for being so vague.

“Well, Soojung’s information about seeing you somewhere around here helped me into narrowing down the places I asked someone to find you in.” He informed me as he smiled slyly at me.

“Did you…” I narrowed my eyes at him in disbelief at what he said, “Did you just hire someone to track me?” It sounded impossible, but knowing Baekhyun and the rest, I started doubting how ‘impossible’ can even exist in their life. A spy? A CIA agent? A hired stalker? Just to find me?! Only the rich and high profile ones can do that—them being one.

“Well, you’re not forgetting how capable we are to do something like that, right? But well, considering your reaction… I think I was the only one who got into such height just to see you again.” He blurted out, and let out a bittersweet smile grace his lips. I gawked in disbelief. Hearing him tell it that way made it sound like I’m in a cliché drama where I was the damsel in distress who fled away, but got found in the most unusual and exaggerated way.

I chuckled to myself as I find it amazing how someone would even be willing to go to such heights as to finding me—that is to hire someone to find me. To think that it’s Baekhyun who even did this for me, that goody-two-shoes boy who wouldn’t even dare lift his fist to hit someone for no reason. To think that he was sly enough to pull off such a stunt, I am so impressed.

“Well, you were the third one who found me.” I broke out to him with a happy tone, wiping away the victorious smile that he once had.

“W-who got to see you before me?” He asked and then pouted cutely as if it was a big deal to him that he wasn’t the one who found me first. Competitive, aren’t we?

I crossed my arms and smiled playfully at him, “Well apart from Soojung… your friend Sehun found me first.” I told him.

His eyes widened like an owl’s when he heard me mention Sehun, and as if he was seriously contemplating about something his lips silently parted whenever he mouthed something to himself. I waited for him to speak, but when his eyes shifted back to me, his eyes only grew larger when he opened his mouth to speak, as if he came to a sudden realization that made sense to him.

“Sehun knew where you are, all this time?!” I nodded hesitantly to his query even though I was clueless as to what he was thinking.

He huffed as he cursed under his breath. “That brat acted as if he knew nothing, when in fact all this time he was the only one  who knew you were leaving, who knew about you transferring, who knew about the letters, and who knew where you actually are!” He scoffed as he pieced everything.

I smiled bitterly upon hearing him complain over their brother’s secrecy. I never really intended to involve Sehun in any of this, but it just happened that way. “Sehun just learned about my transfer accidentally.” I blurted out.

Baekhyun shifted his eyes back to me and said, “Since when?”

I shook my head and turned my gaze down on the table. “It was a long time ago. Around that time you guys decided to have a sleepover in my house?” I told him honestly, though I was a bit unsure whether it was really at that time.

“That long?!” Disappointment was obvious in his voice, but I decided to be wholeheartedly honest to him, this time, and nodded.

“And yet he didn’t even say—“

“I asked him to keep it a secret from all of you.” I interrupted him as I directed a sharp gaze at Baekhyun for finding his accusations towards Sehun unnecessary because it’s all my fault that said boy did all that. He was just being a friend when I needed him to be. “He convinced me several times to tell you guys everything, but I was the stubborn one to disapprove the idea. I was so afraid to see how you would react and know how you would feel that I couldn’t say anything. He shouldn’t be blamed for anything, because it’s all me, Baek.”

Baekhyun’s gaze on me never faltered even if I just spilled everything to him. “He found me after snooping inside his uncle’s office to get some information about my whereabouts. And he came to me first, to see me, to tell me whatever that had happened to you guys right after I left. He accompanied me when I came to see Jongin that day during your talent show. He was there for me, being a kind friend I was thankful to have at the moment.” I jabbered out to him with much conviction, to emphasize to him that Sehun was not for once even to blame. It was me. It’s just me, all the time, that is there to blame.

The waitress came in time when I just happened to need a distraction to stop myself from bursting at Baekhyun for not being too understanding. She placed our orders in front of us and curtly bowed before leaving. I was thankful for the minute of interruption, because when we were again alone, the boy in front of me didn’t look one bit happy.

“You cared to seek for his help, and yet you didn’t trust me enough about your troubles?” His voice was stern as accusing words spilled out of his mouth.

I didn’t know how to answer him, that I just took a sip of the macchiato that was served for me. I placed it back flat on the wooden table when I felt satisfied with the taste and placed my hands around the mug, warming my skin to find some ease.

“Don’t you trust me?” His question made the familiar bitter taste take over my mouth as my grip on the mug tightened.

“Have you ever realized how I didn’t know what to do back then? How I didn’t know who to come for help? Because I was so broken, and it just so happen that Sehun was there to help me out?” I uttered out with a sullen tone, earning me a sigh from Baekhyun.