lights off | baekyeon

chapter one

20:56

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     "Aren't you tired?"

     Byun Baekhyun glanced to his right to find his bandmate, Oh Sehun, staring at him with a questioning gaze. It was only then that he realized he had been squeezing Sehun's arm absentmindedly. With a clouded mind and aching body, he barely registered his own actions. Flashing a grin at Sehun, the black-haired boy intensified his actions cheekily, earning an eye roll from Sehun. The youngest, however, made no move to stop the beagle. You can say he's definitely used to it.

     Tired is an understatement, though. 

     His thighs screamed for him to just settle on the lift's marble floor, regardless of knowing how cold it would be. When one is on the verge of collapsing due to fatigue, anything is possible, really. Fighting the urge to close his eyes, Baekhyun concentrated on reflecting on their performance today. 

     It wasn't their first SMTown Live performance, but the excitement that he felt before stepping onto the stage — the flutter of his heart, butterflies swarming his stomach, palms that were lined with a slight sheen of sweat — it never really goes away. Their hardwork for the past few months was proved to be worth it when he heard the audience's cheering despite his earpieces. The wide smiles on their faces once again reminded him of the reason as to why he aspired to be a singer. 

     A small 'ding' sounded, piercing through the bubble of silence in the cramped space. Everyone was exceptionally quiet, but that was understandable since they were all beyond exhausted and craved for the comfort of their own hotel rooms. As the lift doors slid open, all 9 boys bid farewell to each other and headed in different directions. 

     "Hyung!"

     Turning, Baekhyun found Jongin half-jogging towards him. A sheet of paper hung loosely between his fingers and he passed it to Baekhyun. "Our schedule for the next few days."

     Accepting the paper, Baekhyun briefly scanned the content. "Aren't we heading back to Korea right after tomorrow's concert?"

     Jongin shrugged in reply. "Manager said that due to some miscommunication, our schedules for the rest of the week in Korea are cancelled. Hence, we can have a short break in Japan."

     At the thought of having a short break, Baekhyun's heart skipped a beat before he realized what a break really meant — more practicing.

     Patting the younger one on the shoulder, the both of them went in opposite directions and Baekhyun soon arrived at his room. Scanning his key, he entered the room, closed the door behind him, tugged his shoes off. As soon as he changed to fresh, comfortable clothes, he threw himself onto the huge bed, facedown. Lay there without moving an inch, emptied his thoughts, inhaled the crisp scent of the freshly washed sheets. Let the fatigue overcome him and embraced the incoming sleep.

     Nearly there... nearly there...

     Before he allowed himself to 'shut down' completely, Baekhyun found himself groping aimlessly for his phone to check the time. But what greeted him was an empty pocket. That washed a big part of the fatigue away and caused him to bolt from his bed, casting a quick glance at his surroundings. Then, an unwelcome thought flitted into his mind.

     That's right — he left it in the lobby while talking to Kyungsoo. 

     Groaning mentally, Baekhyun grabbed his card key and dragged himself to the door. As the warmth from his room gave way to the low temperature in the corridors, the boy shivered but managed to trudge his way to the lift, down to the almost deserted lobby, and fortunately retrieved his phone. He was in luck since the receptionist was ending work in about 15 minutes.