Hannamdong UN Village [EXO's Byun Baekhyun]

Chapter 5: Outdoors

The sun was not as hot anymore, and the air was a little better than previous days, but Haru was locked up in her room all morning, thinking of why she couldn't get past this chapter without sounding too much like a heartless author. The air didn't even get to meet her to excite the girl to step outside for a while.

She ruffled her hair in desperation, pushing back her seat away from the glaring laptop screen and saved what little bits of words she had typed before going out of her room for a drink.

The neighbourhood was known to be calm, silent and peaceful to the public, but as Haru lived there day by day, the silence was starting to suffocate her. There weren't any kids running around the streets or mothers chattering in gossip after shopping in the nearby market like her previous neighbourhood had. Her flat there wasn't as spacious as Baekhyun's house, obviously. She didn't have pools or jacuzzis, large flat TV screens or automatic curtains, nor did she have floors above the first one, but it sure was comfortable with the customized decor that shows her personality through years of living in it.

It sure was like a safe haven. Haru believed the house she was living in could have been just as comfortable if the owner would spend half his time in the place and create memories like he had in her old place.

Sadly, that was not the case.

The house was wide, too much space with simple decorations and statues around the living room. Professionally taken photographs of her boyfriend was hung in a few places, and there were a few picture frames that consisted of his family and her as well, near the fireplace, but asides from that, the house looked like a modeled sample home.

Haru placed her glass in the sink, her mind clouded with so many things, her movie script, her novel, her old home, her mom, Baekhyun...

She hadn't seen him the last three days at all. He was out of town for a schedule and couldn't use his phone during the time. Haru understood. It was his life, work, and passion. She shouldn't interfere with his success - though she desperately wished she could be with him through it.

Again, Haru cleared those thoughts away. She needed to go out and do something before the loneliness gets yo her. Clearing the sink and going upstairs, Haru was determined to clear her head of all negativity.

She changed out of her home clothes into something more casual to go out in. Pulling a pair of shorts and a white tee, Haru took her cap and wore her sneakers. She slipped on her mask and took her usual going out bag.

As soon as the doors and gates were confirmed to be locked, Haru walked out. She had no idea where she should go, but she decided she'd let her feet bring her wherever they wanted to go. It started with a boring walk around the neighbourhood, where she saw nothing but brick walls and CCTVs. Eventually, Haru headed out the complex and into the streets. She observed people walking around her and the buildings around her.

Once again, as she spotted couples holding hands, laughing, walking, just hanging out, she felt the familiar surge of jealousy climb up the pit of her stomach. It had been like that the past few days. Haru learnt to suck it in and ignore the feeling. Earphones plugged to her ears, Haru played a playlist rid of everything EXO or Baekhyun. Don't get her wrong, his voice was one of the things that had her falling for the man, and his indescribable aura in EXO's songs were the most amazing thing ever, but she just couldn't hear his voice right then. Not when she knew she would long for him when he wasn't available for her at the moment.

The streets of Seoul outside of the house complex was buzzing with chatter and street noise. The noise played in the background of her music, and it helped calm her down. When she spot an empty bench by a small park, she took it and just tried to enjoy the moment as she observed everyone walking by. Observing had always been a way for Haru to improve her sense of people - that way she could write better with more experiences as she went on. Every step a person took felt like a sentence in a chapter, and she smiled as another idea popped into her head for a later scene in her on-going novel.

Going out wasn't a bad idea, after all.

As she sat in her solemn peace, her phone rung, Baekhyun's 'Beautiful' from EXO Next Door played as her ringtone and Haru smiled. The singer himself had set this as his own ringtone on her phone, and it was only for his calls. Haru pressed accept the moment she could reach her phone.

"Hello-?"

"I'm done! Finally! I'm heading back to Seoul now!"

When she finally heard his voice, she regretted not putting up his songs much earlier. Haru had missed the man, and his voice was one of the only things she wanted to hear the past week. No idea how much his voice could cover a little bit of the hole she didn't know existed i. her chest.

"Easy, tiger. Seoul isn't going anywhere," Haru said, despite having the same ampunt of excitement Baekhyun was showing, if not more.

"I'm just.. God, I miss you," he confessed. Heat found Haru's cheek as she blushed through the phone call. Baekhyun had always been straight forward, but she could only imagine the ears around him as he was speaking to his phone, the desperation in his voice that showed he was hiding it to nobody, and the fact that he just blatantly spelled her exact feelings like that...

"I miss you, too," she managed. "Have a safe trip back home. I'll cook you something."

Baekhyun replied, his tone obvious that he was grinning ear-to-ear, "Sounds great."

Yeah, the walk did just the trick.

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