GOODBYE HELLO 'Lost & Found Sequel' (a ChanBaek/BaekYeol novella)

CHAPTER 4 (Chanyeol)

Before the official meeting with the French investors, our CEO grants the group the luxury to tour the ship. I trail behind them, more preoccupied by my phone than the ship. The Quantum of the Seas is as breathtaking as it had been the first time Baekhyun and I cruised on the ship a year ago to celebrate his birthday.
The Quantum of the Seas is an Asian cruise ship having 16 passenger-accessible decks. It features 1570 balcony staterooms, 147 ocean-view staterooms, and 373 interior staterooms. Aft-facing staterooms are two-story suites. Interior staterooms feature a floor-to-ceiling 80-inch HD TV screen displaying live views from the outside of the ship, a "Virtual Balcony".
Deck 14 features an outdoor pool having a large video screen, an indoor pool having a retractable roof, an indoor Solarium having an adults-only pool and a kids' water park featuring the first wave pool on a cruise ship, the H2O Zone.
Deck 15 aft features a Wave Loch Flowrider surf simulator, a rock-climbing wall, and a skydiving simulator, the RipCord by iFLY.
The NorthStar tower on one end of the top deck features a glass-walled observation capsule on the end of a crane arm that can reach a height of 300 feet above sea level.
The cruise ship also includes a Spa and Fitness Center on decks 15 and 16; SeaPlex, an indoor gym on deck 15, featuring a basketball court, a flying trapeze school, a roller-skating arena and bumper cars ride, plus table tennis, air hockey and foosball tables on a second-level mezzanine; Adventure Ocean, a kids' club, on decks 11 and 12; Two70˚ lounge on decks 5-7 at the stern of the ship featuring 270-degree panoramic ocean views, a projection mapping system and 6 robotically controlled 100-inch TV screens; The Royal Theater on decks 3-5; a Casino on deck 3; and the Music Hall on decks 3 and 4 featuring self-leveling pool tables.
I stare at the phone in my hand, clenching my teeth in frustration. It’s been acting weird since this afternoon. I can't make a proper call or send a proper message either. I can't even answer Baekhyun's calls or read his messages either. I couldn’t get a chance to have a technician take a look at my phone due to the circumstances. I couldn't even fit in my schedule to buy a new phone instead.
I curse silently. Baekhyun is probably losing his mind, worrying. I need to find a way to talk to him. Borrowing a phone will do me no good either since Baekhyun changed his number recently. The odds are all against me. I sigh heavily. Before I know it, the group have reached deck 6 and the meeting starts as soon as we settles ourselves in a two-story loft suite. I try to focus my attention on the meeting as I put away my phone for a moment.
****
As soon as the meeting is adjourned, I excuse myself and head to the lobby deck.
"Is there a technician on board who can help me?" I ask a crew, explaining my problem.
"I know someone who can," he answers. "He's on deck 14, Sir. If you wish, I can accompany you."
"No, thank you," I say. "Where can I find him exactly?"
I listen carefully to his instructions. I thank him after and head to deck 14. I find the person I need a moment later, desperately hoping he can help. I show my phone to him, explaining carefully what the problem is. He has me wait as he sets to work immediately. He plugs one end of a USB cord to my phone and connects the other end to a laptop. I can't see what he's doing, but I pray he knows what he's doing. He seems confident enough. I wait patiently for about thirty minutes.
"Sir, you can use your phone now," he tells me as he hands back my phone. "I copied all your phone's data to my laptop before doing a factory reset. After the reset, I transferred back all your data to your phone. I find no problem anymore."
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much! You just saved my life."
"You are very welcome, Sir," he says, smiling. "I am grateful I can be of help."
"Here." I reach for my wallet. "I don't know if this is enough, but–"
"Ah!" He holds up his hands, shaking his head. "There’s no need, Sir."
"Are you sure?" I ask him. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"It’s my job to serve our dear passengers," he tells me. "Rather than accepting a payment, I would appreciate it more if I can ascertain you find pleasure cruising on the Quantum of the Seas."
I smile and say, "It's my second time on the ship, yet it never fails to impress me."
I bid him goodbye, expressing enough gratitude. I haven't thought about resetting my phone. But I still wouldn't have since I don't have the equipment needed. I couldn't dare lose my phone's data.
I pause before the railings, watching as snow drifts towards the sea. I shiver involuntarily. The ship is on standstill. I scan the horizon. I can barely make out anything from the night, except for the city lights in the far distance. I sigh, wishing Baekhyun had come with me.
I turn my attention to my phone. I am about to call Baekhyun when my phone suddenly rings. I raise an eyebrow. Just the person I need to talk to.
"Baekhyun," I greet.
"Thank God!" he answers. "I started to think you're avoiding my calls. I'm worried sick."
I was right. He’s about to lose his mind.
"I am really, really sorry," I tell him, feeling bad. "My phone was malfunctioning. I couldn't make calls and even send messages. I didn't have the chance to have someone fix it until just a moment ago. I was about to call you when you beat me to it."
"Where are you?" Baekhyun asks instead. "Don't put down the phone until I tell you so."
I frown. Why is he–
"You followed me," I say, unsurprised at all. "I'm on deck 14."
I hear footsteps from his end of the line.
"You're not mad?" he wonders.
I hear the opening of the elevator.
"Why would I be mad? Because you followed me?" I ask. I feel tension coming from him. "Baekhyun, calm down. I'm alright."
He really is worried about me. I can't blame him. He kept a nightmare within him for two years. It could've destroyed him if he hadn't been strong enough. Until another nightmare starts to hunt him again. I am afraid he might completely go insane and blame himself for whatever might happen tonight. I desperately hope nothing bad will happen tonight.
I feel useless since I knew nothing. If I had known Baekhyun had been torturing himself with those nightmares, I would've done everything I could to save him. But he kept everything from me. I can't blame him for that either. I blame myself for being insensitive. I blame myself for being too understanding that I fail to see that something had been bothering Baekhyun. I curse at myself. I can't let anything hurt Baekhyun again. I can't bear to see him hurt again. It would destroy me.
I hear the ping of the elevator on both sides. I turn to see Baekhyun stepping out of the elevator, his phone on his ear. He wears a designer shirt and black jeans under a light blue coat, looking like a runway model. I sigh, jealous of his godlike beauty. The anxiety I felt before his arrival fades, only to be placed by longing.
Baekhyun cranes his neck, looking for me. I could watch him all night and would never get tired of admiring his beauty, but I see the look in his face and decide to drop the idea.
"I see you," I tell him. "Turn left."
I smile and wave at him as he sees me. He pauses for a second, looking at me strangely, and runs straight to me.
"Baekhyun?" I say, confused. What has gotten into to him?
I am about to pull him in for a hug, but he grabs my arm by surprise and pulls me away from the railings. I feel the shaking of the deck under my feet as turbulence hits the ship. Don't tell me...
I lose my balance, forcing Baekhyun to release my arm. I land on fours. I grit my teeth in pain as my knees absorb the shock. I start to straighten up, but Baekhyun stops me.
"Stay down!" he orders.
I reach out to catch Baekhyun as he moves towards me, but stronger turbulence causes the ship to lurch. I hit the deck for the second time, banging my head slightly. I feel the ship shudder from the tension against my body. I glance towards–
"Baekhyun!" I scream in horror as his body slips over the edge. He catches the railings with one hand.
"Baekhyun!" I struggle to move against the rocking ship. "Hang on!"
"Help!" he gasps.
I reach him just as his hand releases the railings, his fingers touching mine for only a second.
"Baekhyun!"
My heart stops for a beat.
The ship appears to regain its balance. I snap. I slam my hand on the emergency button near me. I grab one of the flashlights placed below the railings. The beam is long enough to reach the water. I see Baekhyun struggling to keep afloat.
"Baekhyun! Calm down!" I shout, hoping he can hear me. "I'm coming!
I try not to panic myself as I drop the flashlight and start taking off my coat and pants. I’m left with only a shirt and boxers. I shiver delicately against the freezing atmosphere. I grab the flashlight and the life jacket I saw earlier. I am about to jump when I hear footsteps coming towards me.
"Sir, wait–"
I don't wait for whatever he has to say. I hold my breath and plunge into the water. I think I have plunged into my death instead as the freezing temperature chases the living daylight out of me.
The ship radiates enough light that I find no trouble looking for Baekhyun in the water. I reach for him, ignoring the burning feeling in my skin. I pull him out to the surface.
"Baek-Baekhyun," I whisper, shaking him.
He opens his eyes, gasping for air. He throws his arms around me, his body trembling violently. I release the flashlight to get my hand free. Baekhyun's teeth chatter as I replace his coat with the life jacket. I hear something from above. I glance up to see a rescue boat coming down from the ship.
Seconds later, the rescue team helps Baekhyun and I get into the boat. They wrap us both with thick blankets. I pull Baekhyun into my arms silently. We are both trembling from the cold. Baekhyun has it worse. His skin looks paler.
"Are you both alright, Sir?" asks one crew, the closest to us.
The two crew behind him set to work immediately by securing a set of harness to both ends of the boat to lift it back to the ship. One crew presses a button on a control. I feel the boat rise gently from the water.
"Mm-mm-my a-arm," Baekhyun whispers through chattering teeth. "It's br-broken."
"What?" I loosen my hold on him, afraid that I might've hurt him more. "Which one?"
"Left," he breathes.
"Medic on standby? Over," says the crew holding a radio close to his face.
I hear a short reply.
"Copy that." He glances briefly at Baekhyun. "A passenger injured his arm. It appears to be broken. Over."
Another short reply.
"Copy that."
I don't know how long I was holding my breath. My head starts to clear as I calm myself.
"Chanyeol," Baekhyun whispers to my ear. "I feel sleepy."
I glance at his left arm, limp and swelling. He must feel numb from the pain and from the cold. I flinch inwardly. I feel Baekhyun drifting off to sleep.
"No, don't sleep yet," I whisper back, shaking him a little. "Let's have the doctor look at you first."
"Mm," he answers, shifting in my arms.
As the crew fastens the boat back to the ship, I notice there are at least a dozen people who have fallen from the ship and have been rescued by other teams. They settle on the deck, covered in thick blankets as a group of medic checks up on them.
After thanking the rescue team, I carry Baekhyun down to the deck, setting him on a nearby seat. A doctor and a nurse rush to our aid.
"I’m alright," I tell them and gestures to Baekhyun instead. "Please. He's hurt. He broke his arm."
The doctor does a check up on Baekhyun first before giving instructions to the nurse. The nurse opens the kit he’s carrying and takes out a syringe. He fills it with what I guess is a painkiller and hands it to the doctor. Baekhyun closes his eyes as the doctor gives him a shot. He wraps a brace around Baekhyun's arm after.
"Don't worry. I heard the ship is heading back to the mainland as soon as possible," the doctor says. "Without an x-ray, I can't be sure if it's a slight fracture or a severe one. But the morphine will last long enough until the ship reaches mainland. An ambulance will take you straight to the hospital."
"Thank you," I say, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Both of you don't show any sign of hypothermia," the doctor continues, reaching inside the kit. "But take this just in case."
He hands me two tablets.
"Can I sleep now?" Baekhyun asks, his eyes dropping.
"Yes," I tell him, stroking his head.
"Get inside quickly and change into dry clothes," the doctor orders.
I thank the doctor and the nurse again as they excuse themselves. I lift Baekhyun into my arms and take him into the stateroom the CEO had reserved for me. I tuck Baekhyun in bed, careful not to hurt his left arm.
"Stay here," I whisper, touching his face. "I will get us sets of clothes. I won't be long."
Baekhyun nods weakly with his eyes closed. I smile and press my lips against his forehead. I straighten up and head to the clothing shops.
****
I undress and dress a half-asleep Baekhyun, which is harder than I thought it would be. But I find it quite funny though.
"Have you been eating too much lately? Why are you so heavy?" I tease, laughing quietly as I put him back to bed.
"Let me sleep," he groans, pushing me away with his right hand.
I chuckle as I dry myself with a towel and change my clothes. I manage to retrieve my coat and pants from deck 14. I hang them in the built-in closet. I join Baekhyun on the bed a moment later. I don't touch him, afraid that I might hurt his left arm. But he snuggles close to me, sighing contentedly against my neck.
"Baekhyun?" I whisper, not sure if he's awake.
"Mm?"
"How's your arm?" I ask.
"It hurts," he whispers, his lips brushing my neck.
"I’m sorry," I tell him.
"Don't be," he says.
I kiss his forehead. "We’re still an hour away from the mainland. Sleep."
"Sing for me."
I smile and start to hum a lullaby. I watch Baekhyun as he falls asleep, stroking his head every now and then. The room is silent and warm. I don’t want to sleep though. There’s nothing left to do, but think.
I curse silently. I promised myself I won't let anything hurt Baekhyun again. But five minutes have barely passed before I've broken my promise. I can't help, but blame myself.
I replay what happened tonight in my head. I close my eyes in agony. No matter how I see it, it’s my fault. If I wasn't standing there, Baekhyun wouldn't have broken his arm and wouldn't have fallen to the water. I barely saved him. I refuse to imagine what would happen if I was a too late or if something even worse–
I gasp. Tears sting my eyes. I glance at Baekhyun. I touch his face, my fingers lingering on his lips.
"I’m sorry," I breathe. I lean in, kissing his forehead. "I am so sorry, Baekhyun."

End of Chapter 4