Love, Not War (Book 2)

Chapter 2

Mingi from Ateez above

With one last look at Felix's picture, Chan and Mingi walked out of the cemetery. When they got to the black Jeep parked by the gate, a boy was leaning on the car, furiously typing on his phone. It was a group chat with his best buddies in college.

Taehyun: I'm telling you guys, he has been in that place for more than three hours now. And he deliberately left his phone in the car so I wouldn't call him. What kind of boyfriend is this?

Y-Junie: Hey don't be like that. For him to spend that much time in there, it just means the person is very important to him. Why don't you ask who the person is?

SooSoo: I agree. Maybe he went to see his parents. I heard they passed away when he was a child.

Taehyun didn't think so at all. He was extremely upset.

Taehyun: Then why didn't he take me along? He could have introduced us. After all, we're together.

Kai: Maybe he's not ready. I mean, he's Christopher Bang. You're dating a big shot. Why don't you be more patient?

SooSoo: Yeah patience is the key Tae. In all the books I've read about dating big shots, they always have some type of secret or the other but they end up telling the one they love. Don't worry. It's just a matter of time.

Y-Junie: Of course of course! You're the love of his life. He'll tell you sooner or later.

Kai: You're worrying unnecessarily. Just talk to him.

Taehyun didn't know how to explain to his friends the situation. He loves Christopher Bang but he wasn't sure that he was the love of Christopher Bang's life. He could just feel it. He and Chan did almost all the things couples should do but there was just something always missing...

He heard the sounds of footsteps appraching and raised his head to see Chan and Mingi heading towards the car. He quickly typed to his friends.

Taehyun: He's out now. I'll keep your advice in mind and be patient.

SooSoo: Good:)

Y-Junie: That's more like it! It's been almost a year now TaeTae. I hear wedding bells already!

At that, Taehyun blushed and quickly typed back.

Taehyun: Stop talking nonsense!

Kai: Aww he's shy. I bet he's blushing hehe.

Taehyun: Goodnight!

He closed the app and smiled at Chan who was now standing before him. Chan's face was expressionless but he didn't mind. He was already used to it.

"Why did you come out of the car?" Chan asked with a slight frown. He opened the door and stepped back to let Taehyun enter. "Get in. It's cold outside. I don't want you getting sick"

Mingi glanced and Chan and shook his head. This person wore a thin shirt in the cold but he was preaching to someone else about getting a cold. He scoffed. If it weren't for him, Chan would be mess by now.

Chan's words made Taehyun feel warm and giddy inside. He entered the car, still smiling. "I just got tired of sitting so I went out to stretch my legs"

Chan got in and closed the door. He didn't like Taehyun's answer at all. His frown became deeper. "Lay down and stretch next time or don't stay out for more than 10 minutes". After all, if this person gets sick, It was like Felix getting sick.

Taehyun's heart was so sweet. With those words, he didn't care about why he was upset in the first place. Who cares who Chan visits at the cemetery? At least, Chan cares about him a lot. He nodded his head like a good boy then scooted closer to Chan, resting his head on his shoulder. "I'm sleepy"

"Sleep then" Chan replied. "I'll wake you up when we get to the villa". The boy replied with a hum and closed his eyes.

Chan looked down at the boy that had stayed with him the longest. Almost a year. Taehyun has been with him for almost a year and he hasn't found out Chan's purpose for him. Chan felt it was good. This way, the boy will stay by his side forever.

He raised his hand and stroked the boy's platinum blonde hair. The strands went through his fingers like silk and his heart calmed a bit. The hairstyle was the same. The texture was almost the same. This was the boy closest to Felix he could get.

The face was not the same at all. Nor was the stature. The eyes were black not dark brown. There were no cute freckles. The lips were not as soft. The body was not as responsive. The attitude was too compliant but Chan could overlook all those as long as it gave him even a little peace. As long as he could hug the boy and think he was hugging Felix, everything was okay.

As Mingi drove to the villa, he glanced at the mirror and sighed when he saw Chan quietly stroking the boy's hair, like he was petting a cat. This was unhealthy. So unhealthy but there was nothing Mingi could do. If Chan didn't get a replacement for Felix, then he would go crazy. He shuddered as he recalled that day. It had happened once and Mingi never wanted it to happen again.

********

It was way past midnight by the time they got back. The villa was situated in a secluded part of Seoul. Chan didn't like having too many neighbours so he specifically bought the villa where no one would easily be able to disturb him. As the owner of the best technological company in the world, the villa was equipped with state of the art security and latest technology.

Downstairs, there was one room allocated to Mingi and one for him and Taehyun. Mingi went to bed immediately for he didn't want to be late for tomorrow's meeting.

The meeting they were going to have tomorrow was on a large scale project and both parties didn't want the news to be out until they had finalized everything so they both decided to keep a very low profile. The media had no idea about their collaboration.

Chan was standing on the balcony, staring up at the stars in the sky, thinking of the time he had taken Felix out on a date. He had paid a lot to get those fireflies and lied that he caught them himself. Felix was so impressed. He didn't realise it then but the way Felix admired his bravery and effort made him happy. He truly felt like he had done a heroic deed. He could still recall the way Felix's eyes sparkled as he admired the fireflies. Felix was so pretty. He gazed at the fireflies like an innocent child. But then, Chan never saw Felix as innocent. In fact, he thought Felix was the worst kind of human being. Now, he desperately wished he could go back in time and change everything.

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