𝑯𝑬𝒀, 𝑩𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𑁍

Chapter • Twenty-Two

When Baekhyun acquired a new family, he had been so overwhelmed by the boy’s presence that he hadn’t paid attention to the other addition. His new father.

The toddler didn’t know what that word meant, what a father’s figure actually represented and embodied. He had grown up with his mother, both of them alone, and never did they need a father to help them. So when the man came into the picture, Baekhyun didn’t really know how to react.

Furthermore, Chanyeol’s father had an imposing stature and strong aura, being a military officer. To say that the young kid was scared was an understatement.

And his fear proved to be justified.

Baekhyun grew up loved by his mother and adored by his brother. All his short life, he had lived following his Hyung’s every step, seeing in him the image of a hero. Chanyeol was untouchable. He was loved by everyone, he was smart and good in sports and to add to the pile he had great looks. The sole stain in the picture was his father.

Chanyeol was strong, but the only time he would writhe was in front of the man. And Baekhyun discovered it the hard way.

Back in the days, his mother used to be a daytime nurse at some city hospital, and Chanyeol’s father only came when his work allowed it, which meant rarely. But when he came, he noticed that his brother would behave, talking less and seeming almost morose. Baekhyun, with the innocence of a child, also had all his daily energy to express. And that day, when Chanyeol’s father was here, he unfortunately expressed it the wrong way, accidentally making a vase fall into pieces on the floor.

Baekhyun had been raised without ever knowing what even the smallest tap on the end was, so when the man stood up, and with his strong calloused hand, hit him in the shoulder, shock had been grand. The fury in the man’s eyes had made his blood freeze and he could only look at him wondering if he would survive through what was about to come.

But nothing came. Or more like Chanyeol came.

When Baekhyun thought that the second blow would come, instead Chanyeol took it for him. A punch on the chest, and he started coughing.

Being the kid he was, he listened to his Hyung when the latter told him to go into his room and wait there. So he waited there. He waited and listened to the muffled sounds of flesh hitting flesh.

And the sole image he could proceed in his brain was the one of Chanyeol writhing in pain. It was when he got his first panic attack. Like the walls around him were gushing him and his body couldn’t function right anymore, air becoming rare in his hurting system. He discovered that this wouldn’t be the only attack he would have.

When his father was here was the only moment Chanyeol would succumb. And it broke Baekhyun to no repair.

Starting from there, he hated his stepfather. But that hatred wasn’t even comparable to the fear he hold concerning the officer.

Since that day, Baekhyun wouldn’t look him in the eyes, and more often than not, Chanyeol would crawl in his bed at nights and caress his tummy, helping him calm down after the storm had hit their home. He had never seen him cry, though. But he knew that it was only because Chanyeol would brush off his tears before coming to see him, and it hurt even more.

Even after that day, Baekhyun did get hit again. But he never told his mother. As long as she was happy with that man, he was happy too.

And if the man left, Chanyeol would have to leave too, which Baekhyun feared even more than his stepfather.