His Biggest Hater

57

"You never told me that you were leaving."

Chanyeol freezes where he is, the hand holding onto his locker door gripping tighter. He steps back and slams it shut, turning to look at Baekhyun who was standing in his blind spot. Baekhyun looks the same, and that's to be expected because it had only been a week since Chanyeol's seen him, even if it felt like ages. The only difference Chanyeol can pick out is his new hoodie, and the glare that he has directed at him. Baekhyun never stares at him that way.

"I didn't think you'd need to know."

The slight downturn of Baekhyun's lips disappears and instead he's now expressionless, staring at Chanyeol in a way that makes the taller look away.

"What, so now that you figure out that I like you, you start keeping things from me?" Baekhyun questions, and though his face is void of emotion, Chanyeol can tell that he's trying hard to keep it out of his voice. "I had to find out because of a gushing Yoora, bragging about how her brother's moving to Seoul to become an idol."

Chanyeol doesn't say anything and instead turns to lean his back on his locker, staring at nothing as he listens to Baekhyun. The halls around them are empty, and the simple sound of his shoe against the ground echoes through the place. The only reason he's still there, at 6 PM, is because of his basketball practice.

He never expected to see Baekhyun here, because this past week was the littlest Chanyeol had seen of Baekhyun ever.

It wasn't so much that Chanyeol was ignoring Baekhyun, nor was Baekhyun ignoring Chanyeol, but the two of them merely weren't reaching out for each other. Instead of waiting and walking home together, they just went when school was finished, their timing always a little different because of friends, teachers, or bathroom stops. Instead of eating lunch together side by side, they sat at different spots on their big table of friends, chatting away and listening to each other but never answering. Instead of heading over to each other's houses, they said hello to their parents, glanced at each other and smiled awkwardly before heading back inside to do homework, secretly hoping that the other would invite them over.

The news of Chanyeol's departure obviously snapped Baekhyun out of whatever spell the two were under, and now he's here to rule it out.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me that SM accepted you," Baekhyun says quietly, sadness seeping in through his voice. Chanyeol turns his head to stare at Baekhyun, who's wearing an expression so downcast that the taller thinks he might see Baekhyun cry a second time. "You may have rejected me but that doesn't mean I don't care anymore."

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun for a few more seconds before returning his gaze to the front again, closing his eyes.

That's when he hears a sniff, and he's honestly too afraid to see Baekhyun cry again.

"If it changes anything," Baekhyun begins, his voice choked and small, "Please forget that I ever said any of that, the other day. I... I don't want us to change."

Chanyeol lets out a breath and he lowers his head, opening his eyes to stare at the ground below him.

"It's not like it matters," he speaks up. He can feel Baekhyun's gaze on him. "I'm leaving anyway."

—

hi my lovely children

i'm going to eat korean food tomorrow and i'm excited af le sigh i wish i could live in korea for like a year (not forever tho, because society is super duper harsh and i'd get critisized so hard)

i hop u had a nice day and enjoy my earlier than ever update. that's right, i'm sparing u ppl who always have to stay awake till like 1 AM... i'm also sparing myself

I LOVE COSMIC RAILWAY

P-Nut oot.