engl. - BEING WITH HIM; kookv

TWENTY-TWO

Baekhyun

My finger hovered over the call symbol next to Taehyung's contact for the third time that day. For a moment I was surprised that it was so rarely, because I hadn't been able to get the black haired out of my head since Kai's birthday already. It was the worry of where he was at and the fear that he was with Sehun — still. It was Thursday already — the fifth day of Taehyung not coming home. I was walking over the uni campus, on the way to my next lecture, as I saw Chanyeol sitting with Hyuna on a bench. I put away my phone quickly and ran up to them.

»Hey, what's up, mate?«, the blonde greeted me. »Hey.«, Hyuna said as well, nodding her head in my direction. I fist bumped Chan and briefly hugged the red haired girl. »Did you happen to see Sehun anywhere around here?«, I asked Chanyeol without much further ado. He shook his head right away. »He's doing that internship sorta thing at his dad's company this whole month, remember?«, he explained. That's when the information came back to me as well. He couldn't have been at uni in the first place. »Shit, all right.«, I mumbled and just sat down beside Hyuna on the right side of the bench. »Why'd you ask, what's wrong?«, she asked immediately, what I only lowered my head to. »Taehyung, probably.«, Chan answered for me. 

I made a quick pause to sigh and sit back upright. »He hasn't come home since Saturday.«, I clarified, which surprised the two of them. »What, really? Is he still at Sehun's?«, the blonde asked and turned past Hyuna to face me. »I don't know, that's why I was looking for him. Tae sent me a text after Kai's party, saying he's not coming home that night. But I don't know where he is now.«, I explained. My gaze wandered to Hyuna, who seemed to think about something. »Did you not call him?« I sighed again. »Of course — every day. But it's directing me to his voicemail immediately.«

»And Sehun?«, Chanyeol asked. »God, he'd never pick up if I called him. He knows it'd be about Taehyung and I don't wanna give him that gratification.«, I complained and averted my gaze. Calling Sehun would've been useless. The older didn't like me — what became mutual since he started messing with Taehyung. »I'm sure nothing big happened. You're just jealous.«, Chanyeol put me off and took his phone out of his jacket's pocket. The matter seemed to be clear to him and settled with that.

I just rolled my eyes. I didn't have a reason to be jealous anymore, for a long time already. Sure, I did have my time being in love with Taehyung — having romantic feelings for him —, but that was long forgotten. I was worried about my best friend — and those worries were goddamn reasonable. I was afraid of losing him — now more than ever. Afraid that he'd lose himself in the shit he had going on with Sehun, that I'd lose him completely — for good. »It's not like that.«, I clarified and looked at the younger insistently. »I know that Sehun and you aren't on good terms right now and that it bothers you that they're hooking up, but at the end of the day he isn't a bad person, Baek.«, Chanyeol then said, which made me jump up from the bench immediately, surprised.

»Not a bad person? Did you forget what he did?« Hyuna's eyes darted back and forth between the two of us. »No, of course not. I know how he is like, but that doesn't seem to bother Taehyung at all.« I looked at him blindsided. »And you think that's OK? Just because Taehyung doesn't care? «, I asked him, stunned. The blonde shrugged his shoulders. »He'll know what he's doing. It's his life, Baek.« I let his words sink in for a moment and sat back down on the bench. »You really do not care that something could happen to him?«, I asked him a bit calmer this time. »Sehun may not be a bad person, but he's off his rocker as soon as it's about Taehyung.«, I explained strongly. 

Chanyeol sighed and got up from the bench. »I know that. But it's a thing solely between them.«, the taller hummed, smiling sadly. He could probably imagine how things were between Sehun and Tae — since he knew Taehyung and I knew that he cared a lot about him. Taehyung did matter to him. »Call Sehun if it really concerns you that much.«, the blonde suggested. »And when Tae's not home by this evening after uni, then tell me. I'll come around, we'll have a beer and I can try calling Sehun. But, for now, just wait until later and try to relax a bit, all right?«