CHAPTER 46

[Byun Baek Hyun’s POV]

“I’m quite surprised you wanted to see me,” Taeyeon said the moment she arrived at the building’s rooftop.

Checking my watch, I spoke as I turned to face her, “You’re late.”

Taeyeon scoffed and eyed me smugly, “It’s only seven minutes, Baekhyun. Don’t be too sensitive.”

I still need to catch up on Hanna’s performance, I almost told her.

Hanna’s already gone for the music show together with the other members and Manager Song. I sacrificed my chance to watch her so I could speak with Taeyeon on her free time. I chose to meet her on the rooftop to avoid any more witnesses. I don’t want to start another issue about us and hurt Hanna in the end.

“Why did you call me?” she asked sweetly. Walking towards me, she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Our last meeting didn’t turn out well. I actually thought you wouldn’t want to see me again.”

I grabbed her hand and forcefully removed it. She only smiled bitterly.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Taeyeon. I went here not because of you,” I spoke under my breath.

Taeyeon’s gaze on me hardened.

“Then for whom? Hanna? That girl again?” she demanded, her voice filled with acrid hate and disgust.

“Yes. For her,” I snapped. “What do you care?”

Taeyeon flinched.

“You really like her, do you?” she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

I didn’t respond.

“You told me you don’t like her!” she burst out. “You said you don’t feel anything for her, Baekhyun! You told me!”

Taeyeon began hitting me on the chest. I remained silent, unmoving. I stood and received her every blow.

“You lied to me. You fooled me,” she said, her voice lowering down into a defeated whisper. Taeyeon had begun crying.

“I never said I don’t like her. And I never promised I won’t be,” I murmured. Taeyeon’s blows became weaker. She stopped and glared at me, her eyes wet with tears.

“What did you ever see in her?” she demanded in disgust. “She’s nothing, Baekhyun. She doesn’t even suit you.”

I bit the insides of my mouth.

“Don’t speak to her that way,” I warned, my voice low and feral.

Taeyeon didn’t listen. She continued, “She’s nothing but a loser. A beginner. She hasn’t even proven anything. Just because she has a pretty face, a pretty voice… Just because she can write songs. Do you think she’ll be successful? No, Baekhyun. I’d bet everything that she’s going down. She doesn’t belong in this industry. She---“

“I said stop!” I shouted, cutting her off. My hands balled to fists and began shaking wildly on my sides. I bit my lip to stop myself from bursting out. Taeyeon looked surprised. I never raised my voice to her before, much less yell at her. She looked utterly bewildered. “Say anothing word about her, Taeyeon, or I swear to God---“

“What? You’ll hurt me?” she snapped, taking a step closer to me. She stared at me furiously. “How long have you known her, Baek? Huh? A month? You have known me for years! And you’ll just going to replace me with some random girl? Face it, Baekhyun. She’s nothing compared to me.”

Something just snapped inside me.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Taeyeon’s still my friend and she’s a woman, I would have already hit her. It took me a lot of strength and control to stop myself from retaliating.

“She’s nothing… like any girl I’ve met before…” I spoke slowly under my breath. “She’s nothing like any girl you could ever dream of. And you're right that she's nothing compared to you. She could never be like you. Because she's already far greater than the kind of person you are, Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon looked like I had just slapped her.

“You’re crazy,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “You think you two can be together? You think I would let you? You think the members would let you?”

I flinched. She’s hitting way below the belt.

“The members are out of this,” I whispered.

“No, Baekhyun. They are,” she countered, her voice gaining more confidence. I know she’s already seeing through my weakness. She knows the boys are one of the many barriers between Hanna and I. She knows we can’t be together without their permission. She knows it’s going to be hard. “You’ll hurt them. You’ll betray them. You’ll break their hearts if you continue this, Baekhyun.”

“Shut up, Taeyeon,” I snapped. I won’t let her step on me again. I’m a man. I won’t let her rip my ego into shreds again. “The members are mine to deal with. Stop minding other people’s business and work on behaving on your own.”

She smirked. Placing a gentle hand on my cheek, she inclined her head to the side and spoke, “You like Hanna. But… does Hanna like you back?”

I bit my lip to hide my smile.

If you only knew, I thought.

I removed her hand off my face and stared at her directly, “It’s not your business to know whether Hanna likes me or not. But you saying something about her actually reminds me of something…”

Taeyeon’s eyes narrowed.

Now, it’s my turn to step closer to her. She tried going back but with her hand still within my grasp, I stopped her from moving. Leaning my face closer, I whispered to her ear in the coldest and most dangerous tone I could muster, “Stay away from Hanna, you understand? Stop plotting ways to hurt her. Stop trying to do anything against her. Because if you do, I swear to God, Taeyeon, I won’t hold back. You’re going to go through me and I might just forget that I am friends with you.”

I heard Taeyeon’s sharp intake of breath.

Letting go of her hand, I walked away – leaving her standing motionless on the building’s rooftop.

***

[Sol Han Na’s POV]

The boys cheered as the bottle of champagne successfully popped open. Chanyeol held it high in his arms to avoid soaking anyone within reach.

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