The Flowers You Left For Me.
13 Facing The Truth
Areum’s POV
Baekhyun’s eyes are unfaltering as he fixes his attention onto me. There are no signs of any feelings behind them, just a cold emotionless stare. Chanyeol looks nervously between us. He opens his mouth repeatedly in an attempt to clear up the dark atmosphere that looms over us, but doesn’t know how to start.
“Kai’s moving?” I confirm. “Why?”
Baekhyun remains silent with his mouth held in a firm line.
I furrow my brows and attempt to recall a reason as to why Kai would move. My mind settles on the short period of time Baekhyun was with Kai in his apartment last night. Did Baekhyun say something then? Is he the reason why Kai moved? ...Is Kai really moving?
“What did you say to him?” My voice cracks as I take a step towards him.
He shifts and looks away with guilty eyes. “He moved on his own will.”
“Liar!” I bellow.
“Areum, calm down.” Chanyeol puts a hand on my shoulder, but I shove it away.
“Shut up.” I sneer at Chanyeol and shift to meet eyes with Baekhyun. “What do you mean he moved on his own will. What made him move?”
“Look, if Kai wanted you to find out all of this information, he would’ve told you already without my knowledge. But clearly, he hasn’t.” Baekhyun smirks and puts his hands in his pockets.
“You know something. You-”
“I told you before Areum,” He raises his voice, cutting me off. “Kai is not someone you want to deal with. He doesn’t deserve to be around others after what he did. I guess after all of these years, he finally realised it now.”
There’s only two people who know about Kai’s past. Baekhyun, and me. If Kai wanted to hide because of his past, he would’ve done it long before I arrived in town. I get it now, I understand. I take a shaking step back and glare at Baekhyun. Everything he’s done has been aspiring to separate Kai and I.
I search for a hint of guilt in his eyes, a sign that he regrets everything. A sign that he’s sorry.
I find nothing but a satisfied smile. Who is he to try and dictate my life? He has no right to control who I can and can’t be with.
Baekhyun moves towards me with an outstretched hand and I step back to avoid him.
“Ari.” His voice is suddenly soft, but not soft enough to delude me.
“Don’t touch me!” I yell and push him back away from me. His expression shows a mixture of pain and anger but I show no sympathy. Everything about him disgusts me. I don’t want to see him, not now, not ever.
“Kai abandoned you Ari!” Baekhyun says.
“No you abandoned him!” I counter him.
He scoffs. “Me? Abandon him? I was never with him! Why would I be friends with a murderer?”
Chanyeol’s eyes widen and I snap. I raise my hand and draw in a long angry breath. My hand comes down hard towards Baekhyun’s face but in a blink of an eye I’m backed up against the wall with Chanyeol by my side. His forehead presses against mine and his breath tingles around my face.
I gasp and push him away. I turn back to Baekhyun who stays frozen in his spot, his eyes lock on his shoes.
“Why did you stop me?” I bellow at Chanyeol. “You heard what he said!”
“Ari, calm down.” He put his hands on my shoulder.
“Calm down? After all those things he said you want me to calm down?” I breathe hard. Everything around me looks surreal from anger. This whole situation feels like a bad dream, one that I can’t wake from.
Kai, that’s who I need right now. He’ll make everything better. I look at Chanyeol one last time and break free of his grip. I turn towards the door and head downstairs.
“Ari where are you going?” I hear Chanyeol calling after me but I don’t bother looking back.
“To find Kai!”
Out of nowhere, Chanyeol’s hand grabs me by the wrist and spins me around. His brows furrow as he leans closer to me.
“And what are you going to do when you find him?” He asks bitterly.
I hadn’t thought of that part. All I know is that I need to see him, to prove Baekhyun wrong. Kai would never leave me. Not like Chanyeol did.
Chanyeol lets out a sigh and releases his grip on my arm. “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”
I open my mouth to reason with him, but he pushes past me and starts for Kai’s apartment. I follow after him hurriedly, knowing he won’t take “no” for an answer. We take the bus to his apartment in silence. There’s nothing I have to say to him and he’s respectful of that. When we arrive, Chanyeol stops me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Ari, just, be prepared that he might not be-”
“He’s there, I know he is.” I say, full of confidence and scurry up the stairs. As I brush through last flight of stairs, an unsettling feeling stirs at the base of my stomach. My legs grow weak and I lean against the wall to stabilize myself. Is it possible that he isn’t there? What if, he really did leave. Baekhyun wasn’t lying… was he.
“You alright?” Chanyeol’s hand on my shoulder is soothing. I nod and we walk side by side towards Kai’s door. My hand trembles with anxiety and Chanyeol grabs a hold of me. I feel him grinning beside me but I ignore it. All I focus on is the door that stands just around the corner. Chanyeol’s voice lingers through my ear, but the loud beating of my heart clogs it out.
The sign is orange. Neon orange.
Chanyeol’s hand on mine tightens as we draw nearer and the words come into view. I halt a few feet away, unable to accept the reality.
“No.” I back away letting go of Chanyeol. My voice catches on my throat and I struggle to breath properly.
“A-areum.” Chanyeol catches my attention. “The door’s open.”
I hesitate as I watch him pushing the door halfway. He waits for me to walk in first. I raise my eyebrow and slowly make my way into the apartment, Chanyeol following.
“It’s… empty.” I mutter, almost whispering.
Within a few steps into the apartment, I find myself on my knees. I stare at the floor. The light from the window shines brightly on my watery eyes.
“Areum, c’mon, let’s walk around.” Chanyeol suggests, unsure of how to assist me.
I raise my head and nod slightly. He helps me stand up, supporting my body as I walk around. I hold onto his arm tightly as we take a tour around the familiar living space.
I look around the empty living room. The floor is discolored, marking where his couch once was. The place where I first realised, I loved him. The first time I found myself trusting anyone in a long time. The first time… I went outside of my boundaries.
Chanyeol pulls me slightly to move on. A single tear runs down my face, but I brush it off. We walk into the kitchen. The place where he revealed his childish and cute self. He even practiced cooking to impress me. I smile at the thought.
Everything is cleaned out. I double check the cupboards just to make sure.
“Areum, there’s nothing… there.” Chanyeol’s eyes widen.
I take out a single cup noodle and read the post-it stuck onto it.
You’re right, I don’t deserve her. Thanks for opening my eyes. -K
Reading the message over and over again, my vision becomes blurry and endless tears fall onto the post-it. I start breathing heavy, but it feels like I have no air to take in. The room spins around in circles and I feel an arrow pierce my heart. I wobble in place and stumble forward. Chanyeol manages to catch me. He falls on one knees, making me stand up above him.
Why does he make himself so isolated? Why doesn’t he at least try find happiness? You do, you deserve me more than anyone! So please, come back.
I look into Chanyeol’s eyes with desperation. Tears drop down from my eyes to and stream down his cheeks. I watch as his own tears fall down his face. I fall into his arms and wrap my arms around his neck tightly. I sob into his uniform. Hesitantly, he bear hugs me back.
“He’s gone.” I repeat, unwillingly accepting the reality. “How can he be gone?”
How can he just leave me?
I lose my sense of reason as I cry out into Chanyeol’s uniform. Kai!
With Chanyeol’s soothing hand rubbing my back and find myself crying harder. Chanyeol, Kai, both of them.
They both left me.
I hiccup and pull myself out of his arms, wiping my tears out of my eyes hastily. His eyes lock with mine and I know.
Nothing good happens when you let people into your life Areum. It all ends with pain. How did it take two people for you to realise that?
“Ari, wait up!” Chanyeol calls after me as I walk out the door. My face is dry from tears and my eyes are fixed on the floor before me. I don’t feel anything, nothing feels real. I stumble on the last of the stairs and Chanyeol runs to stop me. His eyes meet mine for a split second before he gets the message to leave me alone.
He backs away as I leave the apartment and keeps quiet the whole way back to the bus stop. I feel his worried stares beside me as we wait for the bus, but neither him nor I say anything.
I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the passing cars. Deep down, I should’ve known that this was coming.
I knew he was going to leave me.
-----
Chanyeol’s POV
“Are we going back to work?” I ask, forcing my voice into my usual, cheerful tone.
She doesn’t respond.
“Everyone will be worried if we don’t show up soon.” I continue, kicking my feet against the floor. “And who knows, we might even get fired.”
Silence.
I force a laugh. “I can’t lose this job Ari, I actually-”
“Just stop it.” She doesn’t look at me when she speaks.
I furrow my brows and force myself into her line of sight. “I know you’re upset Ari, but-”
“Don’t call me that.” She says forcefully. Her red eyes harden as they glare at me.
Her expression is cold and emotionless. Just like, if not worse, when she first came to Seoul.
Baekhyun’s eyes are unfaltering as he fixes his attention onto me. There are no signs of any feelings behind them, just a cold emotionless stare. Chanyeol looks nervously between us. He opens his mouth repeatedly in an attempt to clear up the dark atmosphere that looms over us, but doesn’t know how to start.
“Kai’s moving?” I confirm. “Why?”
Baekhyun remains silent with his mouth held in a firm line.
I furrow my brows and attempt to recall a reason as to why Kai would move. My mind settles on the short period of time Baekhyun was with Kai in his apartment last night. Did Baekhyun say something then? Is he the reason why Kai moved? ...Is Kai really moving?
“What did you say to him?” My voice cracks as I take a step towards him.
He shifts and looks away with guilty eyes. “He moved on his own will.”
“Liar!” I bellow.
“Areum, calm down.” Chanyeol puts a hand on my shoulder, but I shove it away.
“Shut up.” I sneer at Chanyeol and shift to meet eyes with Baekhyun. “What do you mean he moved on his own will. What made him move?”
“Look, if Kai wanted you to find out all of this information, he would’ve told you already without my knowledge. But clearly, he hasn’t.” Baekhyun smirks and puts his hands in his pockets.
“You know something. You-”
“I told you before Areum,” He raises his voice, cutting me off. “Kai is not someone you want to deal with. He doesn’t deserve to be around others after what he did. I guess after all of these years, he finally realised it now.”
There’s only two people who know about Kai’s past. Baekhyun, and me. If Kai wanted to hide because of his past, he would’ve done it long before I arrived in town. I get it now, I understand. I take a shaking step back and glare at Baekhyun. Everything he’s done has been aspiring to separate Kai and I.
I search for a hint of guilt in his eyes, a sign that he regrets everything. A sign that he’s sorry.
I find nothing but a satisfied smile. Who is he to try and dictate my life? He has no right to control who I can and can’t be with.
Baekhyun moves towards me with an outstretched hand and I step back to avoid him.
“Ari.” His voice is suddenly soft, but not soft enough to delude me.
“Don’t touch me!” I yell and push him back away from me. His expression shows a mixture of pain and anger but I show no sympathy. Everything about him disgusts me. I don’t want to see him, not now, not ever.
“Kai abandoned you Ari!” Baekhyun says.
“No you abandoned him!” I counter him.
He scoffs. “Me? Abandon him? I was never with him! Why would I be friends with a murderer?”
Chanyeol’s eyes widen and I snap. I raise my hand and draw in a long angry breath. My hand comes down hard towards Baekhyun’s face but in a blink of an eye I’m backed up against the wall with Chanyeol by my side. His forehead presses against mine and his breath tingles around my face.
I gasp and push him away. I turn back to Baekhyun who stays frozen in his spot, his eyes lock on his shoes.
“Why did you stop me?” I bellow at Chanyeol. “You heard what he said!”
“Ari, calm down.” He put his hands on my shoulder.
“Calm down? After all those things he said you want me to calm down?” I breathe hard. Everything around me looks surreal from anger. This whole situation feels like a bad dream, one that I can’t wake from.
Kai, that’s who I need right now. He’ll make everything better. I look at Chanyeol one last time and break free of his grip. I turn towards the door and head downstairs.
“Ari where are you going?” I hear Chanyeol calling after me but I don’t bother looking back.
“To find Kai!”
Out of nowhere, Chanyeol’s hand grabs me by the wrist and spins me around. His brows furrow as he leans closer to me.
“And what are you going to do when you find him?” He asks bitterly.
I hadn’t thought of that part. All I know is that I need to see him, to prove Baekhyun wrong. Kai would never leave me. Not like Chanyeol did.
Chanyeol lets out a sigh and releases his grip on my arm. “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”
I open my mouth to reason with him, but he pushes past me and starts for Kai’s apartment. I follow after him hurriedly, knowing he won’t take “no” for an answer. We take the bus to his apartment in silence. There’s nothing I have to say to him and he’s respectful of that. When we arrive, Chanyeol stops me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Ari, just, be prepared that he might not be-”
“He’s there, I know he is.” I say, full of confidence and scurry up the stairs. As I brush through last flight of stairs, an unsettling feeling stirs at the base of my stomach. My legs grow weak and I lean against the wall to stabilize myself. Is it possible that he isn’t there? What if, he really did leave. Baekhyun wasn’t lying… was he.
“You alright?” Chanyeol’s hand on my shoulder is soothing. I nod and we walk side by side towards Kai’s door. My hand trembles with anxiety and Chanyeol grabs a hold of me. I feel him grinning beside me but I ignore it. All I focus on is the door that stands just around the corner. Chanyeol’s voice lingers through my ear, but the loud beating of my heart clogs it out.
The sign is orange. Neon orange.
Chanyeol’s hand on mine tightens as we draw nearer and the words come into view. I halt a few feet away, unable to accept the reality.
“No.” I back away letting go of Chanyeol. My voice catches on my throat and I struggle to breath properly.
“A-areum.” Chanyeol catches my attention. “The door’s open.”
I hesitate as I watch him pushing the door halfway. He waits for me to walk in first. I raise my eyebrow and slowly make my way into the apartment, Chanyeol following.
“It’s… empty.” I mutter, almost whispering.
Within a few steps into the apartment, I find myself on my knees. I stare at the floor. The light from the window shines brightly on my watery eyes.
“Areum, c’mon, let’s walk around.” Chanyeol suggests, unsure of how to assist me.
I raise my head and nod slightly. He helps me stand up, supporting my body as I walk around. I hold onto his arm tightly as we take a tour around the familiar living space.
I look around the empty living room. The floor is discolored, marking where his couch once was. The place where I first realised, I loved him. The first time I found myself trusting anyone in a long time. The first time… I went outside of my boundaries.
Chanyeol pulls me slightly to move on. A single tear runs down my face, but I brush it off. We walk into the kitchen. The place where he revealed his childish and cute self. He even practiced cooking to impress me. I smile at the thought.
Everything is cleaned out. I double check the cupboards just to make sure.
“Areum, there’s nothing… there.” Chanyeol’s eyes widen.
I take out a single cup noodle and read the post-it stuck onto it.
You’re right, I don’t deserve her. Thanks for opening my eyes. -K
Reading the message over and over again, my vision becomes blurry and endless tears fall onto the post-it. I start breathing heavy, but it feels like I have no air to take in. The room spins around in circles and I feel an arrow pierce my heart. I wobble in place and stumble forward. Chanyeol manages to catch me. He falls on one knees, making me stand up above him.
Why does he make himself so isolated? Why doesn’t he at least try find happiness? You do, you deserve me more than anyone! So please, come back.
I look into Chanyeol’s eyes with desperation. Tears drop down from my eyes to and stream down his cheeks. I watch as his own tears fall down his face. I fall into his arms and wrap my arms around his neck tightly. I sob into his uniform. Hesitantly, he bear hugs me back.
“He’s gone.” I repeat, unwillingly accepting the reality. “How can he be gone?”
How can he just leave me?
I lose my sense of reason as I cry out into Chanyeol’s uniform. Kai!
With Chanyeol’s soothing hand rubbing my back and find myself crying harder. Chanyeol, Kai, both of them.
They both left me.
I hiccup and pull myself out of his arms, wiping my tears out of my eyes hastily. His eyes lock with mine and I know.
Nothing good happens when you let people into your life Areum. It all ends with pain. How did it take two people for you to realise that?
“Ari, wait up!” Chanyeol calls after me as I walk out the door. My face is dry from tears and my eyes are fixed on the floor before me. I don’t feel anything, nothing feels real. I stumble on the last of the stairs and Chanyeol runs to stop me. His eyes meet mine for a split second before he gets the message to leave me alone.
He backs away as I leave the apartment and keeps quiet the whole way back to the bus stop. I feel his worried stares beside me as we wait for the bus, but neither him nor I say anything.
I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the passing cars. Deep down, I should’ve known that this was coming.
I knew he was going to leave me.
-----
Chanyeol’s POV
“Are we going back to work?” I ask, forcing my voice into my usual, cheerful tone.
She doesn’t respond.
“Everyone will be worried if we don’t show up soon.” I continue, kicking my feet against the floor. “And who knows, we might even get fired.”
Silence.
I force a laugh. “I can’t lose this job Ari, I actually-”
“Just stop it.” She doesn’t look at me when she speaks.
I furrow my brows and force myself into her line of sight. “I know you’re upset Ari, but-”
“Don’t call me that.” She says forcefully. Her red eyes harden as they glare at me.
Her expression is cold and emotionless. Just like, if not worse, when she first came to Seoul.
Notes
*Stretches* Happy Monday, readers^^^
I don't know about you, but I woke up late today. Best extra 25 minutes of my life. And after, a lecture in the car by my father as he drove me to school, lol. It was worth it.
This chapter is pretty intense. Well, I mean. From now on our chapters will be HEAVY with detail and everything. We also have a big surprise coming up for you guys, so stay tuned.
AND how do you guys like the new photos we have for the characters. We think ARI is ADORABLE. lol AND PROPS TO NANCY FOR THE COVER PHOTO AHHH
VOTE///COMMENT///SUBSCRIBE if you want to see more. It really motivates us to keep going.
Sending lots of love from behind the screen~!
See you next MONDAYEE
-Alexis Thao
P.S. Did you hear? Zhang Yixing fainted while filming "Infinite Challenge" in China because of exhaustion. *CRIES* MY UNICORN. SM is slowing beating the shit out of Lay. I'm ready to light my torch and kill. (loll) giving him all my blessings, ZHANG YIXING FIGHTING~!
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@Alexis Thao
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2/11/17