The Letter 24

[exobubz]

Chapter 24
Turning Corners



It was a few days later that Chanyeol found someone to go along with his attempt to push Baekhyun into making a move. Kim Taeyeon agreed to the role of being his fake new interest. Chanyeol was a little apprehensive at first. He didn’t know whether or not Baekhyun would be more jealous of a girl or another guy, but Sehun and Kris pushed him to go in the hetero direction.

The plan was fairly simple and generic: show off as much as possible in front of Baekhyun. Taeyeon began to sit with Chanyeol and his friends during lunch, and Chanyeol made it a point to laugh loudly—and unrealistically— at anything and everything said at the table. Hands were intertwined and noses touched.

Chanyeol was sure that Baekhyun saw it all. He caught him looking when he glanced over at his vixen’s table. The smile planted on Chanyeol’s face by a not-so-funny joke faltered for a second as he saw the blank and non-caring expression on Baekhyun’s face. Chanyeol immediately turned away and leaned closer to Taeyeon while being pissed off by the lack of emotion in Baekhyun’s eyes.

One day, at Kai’s house drinking casually like they did every week, Chanyeol let out the frustration of Kris and Sehun’s failed idea.

“It’s not working!” Chanyeol said, moving his can around, swishing drops out of the container. “You assholes told me—”

“It’s not our fault you’re in love with someone like that,” Kris said, shrugging.

“Byun’s really stiff,” Sehun said, nodding his head.

Chanyeol set his can down and threw his face in his hands. “This is a fucking disaster! I miss that stupid vixen! I’ve been so bored! And lonely! I’m tired of being fucking horny, but being too depressed to jack myself!” Chanyeol groaned and dragged his hands down, slouching in the chair. “God damn it, Baek!” he cried at the ceiling.

“Maybe your act is unrealistic,” Kai suggested.

“What the hell!?” Chanyeol said, scowling at Kai. “My acting is great, you little shit!”

“You laugh so fake!” Kai cried, motioning to Chanyeol. “I mean, god damn, Yeol! What’s with your ‘hahahaha!’ at lunch?”

Chanyeol threw his head back and groaned in frustration. “I don’t know what else to do!”

“Be more possessive around Taeyeon,” Kris said, yawning. “Like, push her against the wall in front of Byun.”

“Mhmm,” Sehun non-verbally agreed, nodding his head.

“That’s so stupid. I’m not gon—”

“Do you want Baekhyun or not, Yeol?” Kai asked rather aggressively.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol sighed, blinking at the ceiling.

“Okay, then. Now, here’s what’s going to happen,” Kai said. He put his can down and leaned forward from his seat. He glanced at Sehun, then Kris, then finally, Chanyeol, who slowly leveled his head and cocked it to the side. “You and Taeyeon are going to be positioned near your locker. Taeyeon’s going to be against the wall and you’re in front of her with your arms keeping her trapped—”

“How the fucking hell is this going to work if Baekhyun’s probably not going to be there to see it!?” Chanyeol cried.

“Will you shut up!?” Kai retorted, throwing daggers at Chanyeol. “I was getting to that, you ass. Anyways, Baekhyun's going to stroll right into you after we herd him in your direction. Sehun, you’re going to get Baekhyun since you’re—”

“Yah!” Chanyeol objected, raising from his seat. “I don’t want Sehun anywhere near—”

“Sit the hell down!” Kai ordered. Chanyeol frowned, but reluctantly sat back down. Kai then turned his attention back to Sehun. “Sehun, you’re going to get Baekhyun and do whatever it takes to get him to walk in that locker hall.”

“Whatever it takes?” Sehun asked, smirking.

The smirk didn’t go unnoticed. Chanyeol’s eyes saw fire and his blood began to rush. “No! Not ‘whatever’!”

“What, Yeol?” Sehun paused. “Don’t want me kissing Baekhyun into doing what I want him to do?”

“Fucking—” Chanyeol got out of his seat and went for Sehun’s neck. He hadn’t drank that much, but it was enough to lose restraint. Kris was close enough to pull Chanyeol off as he was pulling Sehun back and forth by the collar.

“Yah! Quit acting like an idiot!” Kris snarled. He pushed Chanyeol back down on his own seat. “Sit down and listen!”

Chanyeol grumbled a few things while still glowering at Sehun, who resumed at putting on his blank poker face. After he settled down, Kai continued. “So yeah. Sehun, you get Baekhyun to somehow get his ass in that hall. Chanyeol, just pretend like you’re cornering Taeyeon for your own sexual benefit.”

Chanyeol pursed his lips, then sighed. He rubbed his hand against his head, frustrated that things had gone this far. “Fine. Damn it, let’s just get this over with.”

“Tomorrow. After School.” Kai took a large gulp from his can of alcohol. “No backing out. Now, if you don’t mind—” Kai set his can on the table, “—I’m gonna go head to the gym.”

“What the fuck’s so great about the gym!?” Sehun grumbled. “It’s gross and disgusting. It’s just a bunch of guys wearing thin as fuck shirts and sweating like crazy.”

“Ah, who cares about those ‘bunch of guys’?” Kai laughed as he got up from his seat. “I only care about one. Anyways, I’m going. Let yourselves out. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned to Chanyeol and pointed a finger. “Grind against Taeyeon. Brush your lips against hers. Touch her breasts.”

“What the fuck!? No!” Chanyeol cried.

“—or at least pretend to.” Kai turned around and began to head towards the closet in the nearby hall to grab his duffle bag. “You gotta step the fuck up, because right now, Yeol, this jealousy thing isn’t working.”





Baekhyun screamed, but his voice was heavily muffled by the pillow under him. What the fuck was Chanyeol doing!? Who was that girl!? Baekhyun felt his heart race. Is she another conquest!? Baekhyun’s mind asked. The blood rushed through him. Conquest…conquest…what if he’s done with me and he moved on? Baekhyun thought sadly.

“He couldn’t have moved on so easily…” Baekhyun mumbled.

Baekhyun rolled on his side and stared at the wall his bed was set against. He hated the feeling in his chest right then and there. It happened every single time he caught sight of his giant and that gorgeous girl. His idiot shouldn’t be going off with someone else when they still had unfinished shit—Baekhyun stopped his thoughts as he realized that he kept referring to Chanyeol as “his”.

Baekhyun sighed angrily. He felt like Chanyeol was slipping through his fingers, but he was too scared, too prideful to close his hand and pull Chanyeol back. Whenever Chanyeol looked at him, he would just freeze up and have this cold as fuck look on his face and Baekhyun hated that! He had no control over his face whenever that happened.

“I didn’t know I’d feel this strongly about someone I just like…” Baekhyun grumbled. “Liking someone can’t be this complicated. Shit like this should be reserved for love! It—” Baekhyun became silent. Love. The word echoed in his head.

You’re in love with him…You’re in love with the giant idiot—No, no I’m not. I’m being stupid. Baekhyun shook his head, but his heart raced faster than it did before. How the hell can I “love” someone like that!? He’s an idiot! He’s stupid! He’s cocky; he keeps me wrapped around those fingers of his; he’s out of my fucking league; I’m poor—wait. Shit—Why am I making myself seem like I’m not even fucking worthy of that idiot-jerk-ass-fucker?

Baekhyun groaned loudly, but began to whimper soon after. “What the fuck…I’m in love with him.” Baekhyun closed his eyes, rolled on his stomach again, and shoved his face back onto his pillow. But he already moved on…Stupid.





After School the next day, Chanyeol and Taeyeon were positioned in the area Kai had directed them to. Kris left early because he had plans with someone, but Kai was fine with it. The plan didn’t need any extra hands anyways. Kai immediately sent Sehun to go find Baekhyun.

Sehun was told that Baekhyun would be in the locker room. Chanyeol told him this, though he really didn’t want to, knowing that Sehun would most likely stumble on Baekhyun half-naked, hot, and wet. But, when Sehun got to the locker room, no one was there. The place was completely empty.

He sped-walked and checked every floor level of the school building. Every floor, Sehun would look out the windows to see if Baekhyun was outside, out in the yard or sports field, but he never was. When he reached the highest floor, he  had received a multitude of hate texts from Chanyeol and about two from Kai, asking him what was taking him so damn long.

Sehun was about to give up when he remembered there was one more level that he forgot to check: the rooftop. He raced over to the staircase that led up to the roof, pushing aside the memory of stumbling on Luhan being fucked in one of the old classrooms.

When Sehun pushed open the door, his eyes scanned the area, and sure enough, Baekhyun was there. He was leaning against the fence and looking off into the distance. Sehun watched the kid, who was lost in his own world. He watched as Baekhyun’s hair flittered along in whatever the wind commanded.

Sehun stood there and found himself understanding why Chanyeol was so in love with the guy. He almost felt sorry for himself for having Baekhyun’s love at one point in time, yet never taking time to give them a chance. It could’ve been nice…Sehun sadly thought. He sighed knowing that he lost his chance when Chanyeol stepped in. Then, Sehun began to walk his way towards Baekhyun.

“Hey, Byun.”

Baekhyun suddenly leaned off the fence, turned around, and fixed his posture. “Ah, hi, Sehun.”

“Hey,” Sehun repeated. He looked Baekhyun up and down before glancing off to the sight behind him. “What’re you doing up here?”

“I just needed some secret place to go,” Baekhyun mumbled, shrugging. He turned his head to the scene. “It’s a nice view, right?”

“Yeah…” Sehun agreed. He didn’t mention to Baekhyun how the sight was prettier last year when the school had more trees and when the school didn’t invest so much in petty little cosmetic landscaping. Back in the old days… Sehun snapped himself out of his thoughts and began to wonder how he was going to get Baekhyun to go down to the locker hall. “So, I’m guessing you’re here to think.”

“Yep.”

“I couldn’t find you in the locker room. I was looking for you,” Sehun mumbled.

“I skipped class.”

Sehun raised a brow. In what he knew about Baekhyun, the kid never skipped a class. “Mind too occupied, huh?” Baekhyun nodded. He turned back to the view and hung his fingers along the fence. Sehun studied him before asking, “Chanyeol?”

“Yeah. That god damn idiot.”

“Oh,” Sehun said as he quirked his lips. “The giant.”

In Sehun’s mind, his mission and objective became fogged by his own curiosity and thoughts. He walked to Baekhyun from behind and rested his chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Want me to help you with that?” he said, asking the same question he asked practically two weeks ago. “Help you clear things up about him? Or maybe make you forget?”

Baekhyun noticed the question and shook his head this time. “N-No. I’m good.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“It’s fine. I don’t think I need your help anymore, Sehun,” Baekhyun said softly. He still allowed Sehun to rest his chin on him. “Thanks though.”

“So, you finally figured yourself out?”

“Yeah.”

“You should go tell, Yeol.”

“I should.” He didn’t know where it came from, but Baekhyun started feeling a slow, steady surge of courage. “I should just go tell him and get this stupid shit off my chest. I mean, he might’ve moved on, but then at least I can get it out there and move on, too.”

“Uh, I don’t know about the moving on par—” Sehun stopped himself after deeming that it was too complicated to explain his thoughts. He suddenly felt like helping Baekhyun. Shit… he liked the guy. He would admit that. “Never mind. Yeah, go tell him.”

Sehun leaned off of Baekhyun and Baekhyun turned around and gave him a quick hug. Sehun thought it felt nice, but was too slow to hug Baekhyun back. “Thanks, Sehun.”

Sehun felt a tug on his heart as Baekhyun pulled away, grinning up at him. “No problem.”

The words made Baekhyun blink and think of the first time he met Sehun when he said the exact same words. Baekhyun grinned even more as he realized that even though Sehun didn’t end up being his, he was still there, always in-avertedly helping him. Baekhyun let go of Sehun and stepped away. “Do you know where I can find him?”

With a foggy mind, Sehun mumbled, “The locker hall…”

“Alright. Thank you! I’ll see you later, Sehun,” Baekhyun said as he began to make his way back into the building.

Sehun was still stuck in a slight daze and didn’t snap out of it—even when the door loudly closed—until his phone vibrated in his front pocket. Sehun fumbled to grab the device and answered the call. “What!?”

He wasn’t surprise to hear Chanyeol’s voice. “Yah! What the hell are you doing with Baek!?”

Sehun groaned. “Shut up, Yeol! He’s on his way, damn it!”

“Are you fucking with me right now—”

“No, I’m not!” Sehun yelled into the phone, rolling his eyes as he put it up against his ear again. “I found him. He’s going there right now.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol sounded like he suddenly stopped being angry and became more nervous. “Alright. Thanks, brat.”

“Whatever, you dick—” Sehun came to an abrupt stop as he realized what the hell was happening: Baekhyun was going down there to seriously tell Chanyeol how he feels and Chanyeol’s going to—“Shit! Yeol! Abandon the plan! Abandon the fucking plan!” Sehun waited for an answer. “Hey! Are you fucking listening—” He ripped the thing off his ear and looked on his phone. Chanyeol had already hung up.





When Kai heard faint footsteps in the distance, he quickly made his way back to where Chanyeol and Taeyeon were. He nodded to Chanyeol, who nodded back. “He’s coming. I’ll take my leave.”

“Okay.”

Chanyeol’s body was rushing with adrenaline. It had to be perfect. This has to look realistic…He turned to look at Taeyeon. “Are you ready?”

She gave a small laugh, smiled and put her thumbs up. “Yup!”

Chanyeol grinned. “Thanks for doing this…”

Taeyeon punched Chanyeol on the arm. “Yah, if you really like this guy, why not?”

“Okay. So uh…I guess, you should just, you know, put yourself against the wall like—yeah like that.” Chanyeol took a step forward and placed himself slightly against Taeyeon. “Ah, sorry.” He then placed an arm next to Taeyeon’s head and bent down.

When he noticed Baekhyun from the corner of his eye, Chanyeol switched modes and turned on the beast. He closed his eyes, smirked, and brushed his lips against Taeyeon’s just like how Kai suggested before. Taeyeon responded by giggling. Unexpectedly, she grabbed him by the uniform and pulled him closer. Chanyeol was flustered for a second before following the lead and laughed as genuinely as he could. All the while, he placed a shaking hand on her hips.

He couldn’t resist anymore. Chanyeol turned his head and glanced in Baekhyun’s direction. He wasn’t quite sure what he saw. Chanyeol saw Baekhyun’s mouth gaping slightly open and his eyes blink a few times. Chanyeol held Baekhyun in eye contact.

Come on, Baek. Come over here and pull me away from Taeyeon, Chanyeol thought, telepathically trying to tell Baekhyun.

What happened next made Chanyeol feel horrible and he didn’t know why…Maybe it was from the look of Baekhyun’s face or the way he didn’t run over and pry Chanyeol off Taeyeon in a jealous fit. He didn’t know, but he knew one thing for sure: Baekhyun tensed up and immediately took the next turn, disappearing from Chanyeol and Taeyeon’s sight.

It was a few seconds after he left, and a few moments after Chanyeol was left numb from whatever it was that left him that way, that Taeyeon pushed Chanyeol off of her and rolled her shoulders. “Do you think it worked?”

“I…I don’t know,” Chanyeol mumbled, unsure. His eyes were still glued to the corner where Baekhyun left and his mind kept replaying that look on his face.

Taeyeon sympathetically grinned and patted Chanyeol. “I’m sure it did! Don’t worry!” She looked down at her watch. “I’m sorry, Channie. I have to go now! This took a little longer than I thought it would. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She patted his arm again before waving good-bye and leaving.

Chanyeol found himself alone in the hall with nothing, but the silence. He stood there, unwavering, until Sehun burst in the hall, coming in from the same hall that Baekhyun did. “Yah! Park!” His voice echoed in the hall. “Park!”

Chanyeol snapped out of his state. “What?”

“Byun…” Sehun said breathlessly as he stopped in front of Chanyeol. “Tell me...ah—shit. Tell me that you heard what I said on the phone.”

“I did. I heard you say that Baek was coming—”

“Not that part!” Sehun snapped. “The part where I fucking told you to abandon the pl—shit, never mind!” Sehun cursed again as he ran his hand through his hair. “This was stupid…This entire thing was stupid. Call this jealousy thing off, Yeol. You’re fucked deeper than you were before.”

“What’re you going on about?” Chanyeol asked in a serious tone.

“I just—nothing. Nothing,” Sehun growled, shaking a hand in front of Chanyeol. “I’ll take care of it. Just tell me where Byun went."

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