"Taeyeon-ah, you're not coming home?" Asked her choreographer as she's putting her things into her sports bag.
"Ah, no. I want to pratice my singing after this," Taeyeon answers with a smile as she prepares the stand mic.
The choreographer smiles and waves her hand to Taeyeon, leaving the room and Taeyeon alone.
She heaves a sigh and picking up her phone from the floor. She sit against the mirror wall and logging in to her instagram. She open the photo she just uploaded earlier and read the comments. Most of the comments are in foreign language so she couldn't really understand wether its a hateful or a loving comment. But she smiles as she read the loving comments, both in korean and basic english. She's taking her time for reading the comments on every picture she uploaded. She couldn't read them all of course but she spend around 5 minutes for a picture.
Her smile slowly fading when she gets into one photo which she never knew will be one of the scandalous photo of her. Two pieces of oreos. It's kinda funny to her knowing that a lot of people wants her to delete this photo. Heh, she thought that everyone would love oreo right? But sadly, not this one. They hating it. They spit on it. They crush it.
She open the comment sections, and to her surprise there are a lot of comments saying congratulations of baekyeon's second year. Happy baekyeon day. Your love is still strong. We support you. We love you. If only they knew the truth. Will they still leaving such loving comments like this? Nah, she doesn't have the guts to even think and hoping that they will. The dating news was enough to hurt alot of people without her intention to do. Hurting them once again which such news is so cruel for her to do. But is what she's doing now is the right thing? She still not sure about that.
She keeps on reading the comments, all the way up. Everyone saying congratulations. A thought came into her mind. Did he also receive these comments? To satisfy her curiosity, she goes to his account, her label-mate account, Byun Baekhyun. She has to be careful, trying hard not to accidently liking on his picture. If she did, the world would flip upside down a thousand times once again.
She opened the recent photo, and it turns out that he also received those comments. Have he read it? What is he thinking if he had?
She open the tagged photo. There are some pictures with their combined names or edited photo. But the photo about him and his best friend dominates it.
Does she jealous about it? No. She knows how great it is to have a best friend and makes the world questioning your sexual orientation. It just shows how close and intimate you are to each other.
Is she angry about it? No. The fans have their right to do it. Even though sometimes it crossed the line. But no one can stop them, right?
What she feel is sadness. How people could be so hateful to them. How people saying bad and harsh thing to each other, just because they don't agree on the others likings. Because they want people to believe what they're believing.
If only she was careful that night, maybe today the fans will live peacefully. If only they didn't meet that night, maybe today everything will be just like the usual. Being friends, laughing and walking together.
All these hateful comments, she wants to get rid of it. She wants to stop it. But how? Everything she does seems wrong. Maybe living is considered as wrong.
She put her phone back on the floor, not wanting to get her mood on the bad side because the members will notice it and asking her things. She have to be strong for her member. Or at least pretend to be.
She stand up, walking to the computer which attached to the sound speaker and turning on the first song, I. She starts singing whole-heartedly. Her beautiful voice filling the dance practice room.
She keeps singing her entire album, and when it get to her song Gemini, she can hear her own voice starts to shake and becomes unstable. She stops for a while and control her breathing while the instrument still playing through. Once she thinks she's feeling better, she continues her practice.
Two lines is all she sings before she stops and stare at her reflection in the mirror. She can't help it anymore. A crystal drop starts to fall down from her eyes and she duck her head down. She wants to continue practicing, but she can't even lift her head and sobbing like a little kid.
Should be me and you~
She fall down on her knees as the song ended and continuing to the next one. Instead of standing up and practicing, she buried her face on her knees and crying like a little baby. Like a baby who can only cry, because it can't say what it wants.
"Why?" She sobs. "Why can't it be the both of us?" She cried, not caring about the blasting music of Stress, and only her cries.
●♡●
Baekhyun walks out of the practice room as the last person, while the other guys had come home an hour ago. He stayed behind because he wanted to practicing the moves and timing so it becomes a perfect and smooth moves.
He walks silently on the coridor, planning to go straight to the dorm and sleep. From afar, he can hear something like an instrumental ballad music playing from one of the dance practice rooms. The door is slightly open. Baekhyun stopping his steps for a second. He's familiar with the song, but he can't grasp what song it is. But he knows that he listened to it maybe thousand times. But then the music stops.
Argh, I know that song! But what is the title? Who is singing it? Damn, I hate this.
He continues to walk and just a few steps from that room, much to his surprise, Taeyeon walks out of the room in her white mickey shirt and legging. Her blonde short hair is tied messily and he can see the redness of her eyes. What happen? Was she crying?
Taeyeon notice his presence and frozen in place, not sure what to do. She looks like a filthy mess right now and it is not the best way to meet your ex with this kind of appearance.
Suddenly, she can see the sweet smile that enchanting her on theit first meeting. He walks towards her and looking at her right in the eye.
"Noona, are you going home?" He asked, the smile is still there.
Taeyeon have to mentally slapping herself before replying. "Ah, yes," she forced her best smile.
Baekhyun notice that forced smile. It looks so sweet and seems like everything is okay. But that is her specialty. Something isn't okay, he can tell.
"Want to buy some snacks? I'm a little hungry right now," Baekhyun rubs his undone abs and pouting. Taeyeon used to love that.
Taeyeon shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but the members might be worried about me. Don't forget to buy some snacks for your members too, okay?" She smiled and turning around, walking away from Baekhyun.
With a swift move, Baekhyun runs to her and grab her wrist, making her turns her head towards him. "Please," he begs.
Seeing the serious eyes and the strength of his grip, she knows she can't say no. She let her hand freed from him and nods. A feeling of happiness flashes in Baekhyun's eyes, and he starts to lead her towards the office's cafe.
Baekhyun ordered a glass of caramel coffee and a pink cupcake with some sprinkles on it, while Taeyeon ordered a glass of lemonade. She needs to refresh her feelings and mind.
"So, how are you doing?" Baekhyun starts.
Taeyeon lifts both of her eyebrows. "I'm doing fine, I guess," she answers.
"What about comeback? Have you think about it?"
"Not really. The girls really wants to have a comeback this year but all of us are still busy with our individual schedules. So, I don't know if there will be a comeback or not," she explains. Baekhyun nods in understandment. "How about EXO? How's your comeback? I heard you broke a record again," Taeyeon smiles at her junior.
Baekhyun chuckles. "Ah, yeah. We heard that too," he smile shyly. But Taeyeon can see the happiness on his expression. That kind of smile doesn't appeared everytime, only when he's really feeling good.
"It's good. You're receiving lots of love," she said.
"Yeah. We really thankful to our fans. They support us through our dark times. That's what you call true fans," Baekhyun smiles as he recalling the fanchants, the excitement and the happiness of his fans.
Taeyeon keeps silence and can only let out a bitter smile. I hope they support us too. But that was greedy, right? She thought.
"What's wrong?" Suddenly Baekhyun asked. Taeyeon look at him in the eye. "I know that you were crying. It is obvious,"
Taeyeon shakes her head and avoids eye contact with him. "Nothing. Just getting emotional when I practiced my songs earlier," she lied. But Baekhyun didn't buy it.
"Stop lying. You've always been lying to me even when we're together,"
"Don't bring the topic. I don't want to talk about it anymore,"
Both of them stares into each other eyes. The tense aura can be felt like a miles away. Baekhyun thinks what might be the reason of her tears, and something come up in his mind.
"Is it about Chanyeol and that music festival thing?"
Taeyeon frown. "Why are you bringing Chanyeol?"
"It cause a chaos amongst fans," he points out. "They think you two are dating and it will break my relationship with Chanyeol. I talked with Chanyeol and he had no idea how the heck they could think that way,"
Taeyeon hide her face with her palms and groans. "It's not about him and it's not about the dating thing. It's nothing. Trust me. Let's just go home," Taeyeon stand up and grabbing her bag.
"Or is it because......our second year?"
His words stops Taeyeon from her actions.
"Happy baekyeon day. Happy second year," he laughed. Taeyeon is still froze at her spot.
"Yeah, I read those comments. It's heart warming though. Even though some hate comments managed to slip in there," he laugh again. "And the tagged photos. They were an awesome editor aren't they? It looks so real like a fantaken," he keeps complimenting them.
Baekhyun stand up and steps towards Taeyeon whose holding her bag but not moving an inch. He put the bag down and makes her sit once again. This time, he's beside her. Taeyeon keeps her head down, not daring to lift it up.
"I know that you must be reading the hateful comments. Don't deny it. I saw you earlier today and you were fine. Your laugh and smile wasn't fake. But now everything is.....a mask. Do you think I wouldn't notice it?" He said, holding on her right hand.
"Those people...they don't know what they're talking about. What the wrote on SNS, so-"
"They were right abou us breaking up," she cut him off. "They were right about how we couldn't stand for our relationship. We were fake," tears starts to fall down from her eyes and Baekhyun can clearly see the drops even though she keeps her head down.
"It's not about the hateful comments. I know that I shouldn't mind it. But the thing is how our relationship created a war amongst fans. How our relationship, which gives us happiness on us, brings pain and even death on them. Two people died when the news came up! How our relationships, turns from something beautiful into something horrible and cruel," she sobs.
"I can't get rid of this guilty feelings for lying to our fans. To those who supports our relationship. They seems so happy about our relationship and it seems so cruel to tell them that we broke up. But letting them believing on something false, is just as cruel as it is. I don't know if what we are doing is right. I don't know anymore what is right and what is wrong. I don't even know is talking about this with you, again, is right or wrong," she cries harder. Her body starts to shake and she leans on the table for support.
"I can't seem to do the best thing for them. I'm feeling like everything I did... will never be enough to pay for their love when all I do is lying to them. Their love is so pure and I don't know if I deserves their love. Do you know how it feels Baek?"
Baekhyun keeps silent all this time. He's a thousand percent understand what she's feeling. Because he has the same thought.
"I know," he answers. "But we did our best for them. It will never paid our faults, I guess. But trying our best and making them happy, is something worth. Making them forgetting their problem and smiling while listens to our songs and watching our performance, is one of the way to deliver our apologize. Proving to them that we'll going to make it up to them even until only one person left in the fandom. It's all worth to try. The fans love you and some may think that you are somebody to their world. You give your best. So don't question about your worth. You are worthy to them, like how they are worthy for you,"
Taeyeon calms down hearing his little speech. He's right. She shouldn't doubt the fans' love. How ungrateful huh? Doubting the people who made her who she is now. Doubting the love of the people who cheered for her everywhere she goes.
Taeyeon wipes her tears and slowly lift her head up, giving a little thin weak smile to Baekhyun who is looking at her with a smile. Taeyeon notice the watery eyes of him and laugh.
"If you want to cry, why don't you do it? I look like the crybaby here," she tries to joke around but a smile is all Baekhyun gives to her.
"Because I'm your fan. A fan will always try to be strong when his idol is breaking down. A fan will always try to give his idol strength, even when he doesn't have any strength for himself. Because a fan...loves his idol," he smiles.
Taeyeon is touched by his words. She wants to think that he's saying this just to make her feel better. Yes it is, it does makes her feel better. But she also can see the sincerity in his glistening eyes and the smile. She can feel it.
Taeyeon takes Baekhyun by surprise and giving him a chaste kiss before hugging him tightly.
"Baekhyun-ah," she calls him with her sweet voice. "Please keep being my fanboy. One day, when things are normal, I want you to turn from a fanboy to a boyfriend once again," she asked with a smile.
Hearing her words, Baekhyun widely smile and laugh. He return her hugh tightly and scented her blonde hair. "You don't have to ask. I'm still your fanboy and will ever be. I promise to be your boyfriend once again. Oh, maybe a husband?"
Taeyeon chuckles.
"Anyway, you don't have to worry about that. Even if we broke up, I know that I'm still in love with you and I hope you too," he says.
Taeyeon breaks the hug and smile at him. "I can't lie again. Of course I'm still in love with you,"
Baekhyun ruffles her hair and pulls her into his arms. Taeyeon leans her head on his shoulder while his arms wrap around her.
"About lying to our supporting fans....we'll do something about it. We don't want to hurt them right?" Baekhyun asked and Taeyeon nods. "We're going to find the right time. Just not when a company scandal came out again," he jokes, making both of them chuckling. Yeah, their scandal always came out when another scandal is up. Bad news at a bad time, right?
"But hey, you know what? You said haters were right about we were faking or we broke up. That we're lying to our supportive fans. But one thing you should know," baekhyun paused.
"What?"
He kiss her temple and hug her even more. "That when the news came out, it wasn't a lie. When they said we're dating, it wasn't a lie. When they said we're in love...it wasn't a lie. They are right about it, and they are still believing what is real: our love,"
Taeyeon smiles and wrap her arms arounf his waist. "Thanks for being here for me,"
"That's what a fan do!"
Taeyeon let out a little laugh on his answer. He always know how to lift her mood.
"Hey, one more thing," Baekhyun tap her shoulder, making her sitting up straight and looking at him with her pretty eyes. Baekhyun pick the pink cupcake he ordered, and put a small candle on it, lighting it up with the lighter he borrowed from the cashier guy without Taeyeon knowing.
"What are you doing? Our birthday has passed," Taeyeon watching Baekhyun in confuse.
"What are you saying? There's something we need to celebrate!" He said as he put he lighter on the table and lift the cupcake to their face level. "Say it with me," he grins.
Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows with Baekhyun's words. What is there to say? It's no one birthday.
"Come on! You read it on your photo's comment!" He whines cutely.
Taeyeon open her mouth and eyes widely as she realizes what he means, before laughing. "Ah, what is this? Do we really have to do this?"
Baekhyun pouts. "Come on, let's celebrate it with our fans!"
Taeyeon smiled and hold the cupcake with her hands on top of Baekhyun. But of course, he removed his hand and change the position. "Ready?" He asked. Taeyeon nods. They close their eyes and making a wish. A wish that both of them always wanted: a chance to be together once again and will always have the chance to repay the fans' love.
They open their eyes and smiling ear to ear to each other. They blow the candle together and with a smile they say.....
"Happy Baekyeon Day."
Happy baekyeon day! I know this is late but I need to control my own feelings while writing this >< I hope you like it :D