Love, Maybe | BaekYeon

prologue

Whispers and murmurs filled the hallway as the first day of school finally started.

Taeyeon was talking with her friends when someone brushed past her shoulder, walking nonchalantly down the hallway as if all the surprised gasps and murmurs weren't about him. She eyed the back of the boy that just walked past her, wondering why everyone is talking about him as if he is someone notorious in their school.

They didn't stare at him in awe like a celebrity, but in curiosity and a bit of fear.

She blocked out her two friends that continued the conversation beside her, and kept her gaze on the mysterious boy. When he finally stopped in front of the vending machine to buy himself a drink, Taeyeon let out an audible gasp, surprised to see him.

He had grown taller and some parts of his face had matured to his age, but Taeyeon could still recognise his signature features from all the years she knew him. He had always been decent looking from the years she knew him, but after two years of not seeing him, he had lost his baby fat and became quite handsome from the angle she was staring at him from.

"Hey," her friend nudged her shoulder, but Taeyeon kept her gaze on his face as he bent down to grab the can from the machine. "Isn't he your nemesis?"

"What?" She tore her eyes away from him and turned to look at her best friend. "No? We were never enemies."

"Taeyeon-a, have you forgotten what school was like for you when he was here? You two literally butt heads in everything, whether it was a school competition or grades, you two were always at each other's throats. And one time he got 1st place for the Science competition you worked so hard for, you grieved in 2nd place for a week, refusing to hang out with us."

The images of her crying alone in her room, hugging her 2nd place trophy, floated into her mind.

"Stop bringing that up. I was 12," she mumbled as her cheeks flushed at the embarrassing memory.

Her friend giggled and looped her arm around hers as they started to walk towards class. "But wow, I thought he moved to Seoul for good. Why is he back?"

"Who knows. But the whole school knows about what his father did. Being back again isn't good for him at all," Taeyeon's other friend said as he casually rested his elbow on her shoulder. "Remember when he got bullied after his father went to prison and the whole school found out? If I were him, I wouldn't come back."

Taeyeon glared up at her friend, pulling her shoulder away from him.

"What is his name again?" her other friend asked. "I remember that he had a really unique surname."

"Byun Baekhyun," Taeyeon replied without thinking, as if the name had never left her mind ever since he left.

It is hard to forget a name that alternates above and below hers on the exam results board after every single exam.

Her friends stared at her in surprise, surprised that she still remembers his name.

"I thought Kim Taeyeon never holds grudges," her guy friend teased, poking her in the temple.

"Park Chanyeol, do you want to die?" Taeyeon grumbled as she glared up at her tall friend.

Chanyeol immediately put up his hands in defeat, but the stupid grin stayed on his face, gazing down at her teasingly. Taeyeon rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him as they finally reached their class and Chanyeol had to go to his class.

"Taeyeon-a, you know why Chanyeol always teases you right?" her friend whispered into her ear as they entered the class.

"Don't start," Taeyeon whispered, glancing around the class to look for a certain someone as they took their seats in front.