#91: Fix You [5/7]
===
But if you never try, you’ll never know
just what you’re worth
===
It’s two weeks before the wedding.
And Kris has been missing for five days from his sight.
Usually, if Kris won’t make in the end, he will send Tao a message about it. He will let Tao know if he will come or not. But there has been no message and calls from him. The last time he saw Kris was on Saturday and it’s Thursday already. Tao can’t even wonder where he is because, just admit it, he never really got to go to places with Kris. He doesn’t even know where Kris usually hangs out. He can’t ask Victoria or even Changmin if Kris is present at the office because, well, who the hell he is to Kris after all?
All Tao does is wait, wait, and well, wait. Wait until Kris decides to show up in front of his door with a smirk of ‘I know you miss me so bad’ and picks him up in a tight hug. Or maybe he can kick Kris’ shin and hug him after. The point is that Kris comes back.
Will Kris come back?
He has to come back. They’ve made a promise to take whatever they can have until the day they need to part. They’ve made a promise to still be in each other’s arms even after the world declares that Kris was never, is not, and will never be his. Kris has to come back.
It’s like a déjà vu. It’s like their first months together all over again. Tao, being unsure if he can meet Kris at Friday this week or not. And Kris, looking like a distant dream for him whenever he’s not around because come on, it’s Kris Wu we’re talking about. Kris Wu is not supposed to be involved with such a common person like Tao. Kris Wu is supposed to have no time hanging around the places aside of his office and his circle. Tao and Kris, their paths weren’t supposed to collide.
“Let me guess.” Baekhyun comes up to him, on the bench at the side of Han River. Such a nostalgic place. “He’s not around anymore.”
Tao hisses quietly. “I’m not in the mood for some lecture, Baek.”
Sighing, Baekhyun occupies the empty spot next to Tao. “I’m not giving you any lecture anyway.” He says. “I’m just trying to tell you that -
“That I should forget about him while I still have the chance.”
Baekhyun is silent for a while. “That’s right.”
The inky black night sky above them is starless tonight. The wind is harsh and cold. Tao is wearing three layered clothes yet he’s still trembling out of the icy wind. Or maybe it’s not the wind that gets him freezing. “But, what to do?” Tao chuckles, too bitterly, as he turns his head to face Baekhyun. “I think I won’t be able to forget him ever.”
Gasping silently, Baekhyun gives him a look of pity. “Tao, sometimes it’s necessary to hide your feelings. You can’t keep being an open book like this. You’ll get hurt easily because of it.”
“But what can I do? I - I love him, Baek,” Tao doesn’t even know why he’s starting to sob, but he doesn’t try to fight it off as well, “I know it sounds crazy because it’s only been like, what, five, six months of us? Seven months? It’s too short but I love him already. I love him.”
“Peach,” he notices Baekhyun is in the verge of having his tears falling as well, “I’m so sorry if your first love has to be like this, but it’s how it was always meant to be. He’s… he’s not good for you.”
“Everybody is saying that! All of you said that but no one actually cared to understand how I feel everytime I hear someone saying that the only love I’ve ever known is not good for me - so what if it’s not?? I can love him, Baekhyun, I’m the only one who can love him without any flaw! I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to protect from his, his life as a Wu; I can love him!”
Baekhyun can’t even stop himself from gaping over Tao’s words. He looks petrified, as if Tao has just told him something terrible. “Z-zitao, I - “
“I’m sorry,” Tao blurts out as he stands up abruptly from the bench, “I’m sorry - I shouldn’t have - I’m so sorry, I - I’ll be going,”
“Tao - “
“Tao?” Tao looks up to see the stranger who suddenly called his name, and he finds Baekhyun’s lover, Chanyeol, looking at him worriedly. “Are you alright?”
“H-hyung,”
“What happened to y - “
“I need to go now.” Tao hurries as he walks by.
He hears Chanyeol calls for him again. “Don’t forget to come with us tomorrow! My noona’s fifth memorial, remember?”
Tao answers with a muffled ‘yes’ as he keeps running.
When he opens the door, a silhouette of a man standing in the middle of his living room almost got him screaming out of shock. He immediately searches for the lamp’s switch button, praying to the Heavens that it’s Kris waiting for him. But when the lights are turned on, he sees someone entirely different from his expectation. Light brown hair, pristine white dress shirt, gray cotton pants, black dress shoes. Sharp jaw, sharper eyes.
“Huang Zitao.”
In fact, he never expected the person to ever meet him.
“Nice to meet someone handsome.” The smirk looks so painfully similar, probably because this person shares the same dominant gene in their blood. “I’m Sean Wu, Kris’ brother. No need to be scared.”
“Sehun.” Tao breathes out.
Sean Wu looks uncomfortable with how Tao calls him by the name. “It’s Sean to you. Anyway, don’t mind me. I just stopped by to say hi.” He smirks again as he walks forward, closer and closer to where Tao stands. “I just wanted to see what kind of a charmer that my brother has been head over heels for. Hmm,” Sean leans closer to observe Tao’s pissed off face, “you are indeed handsome, beautiful even. No wonder why. Brother really has good eyes.”
‘Zitao, I… I don’t mean to scare you, but… I suggest you to be careful of Sehun.’
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to be alone here without any guest.” Tao says slowly through gritted teeth.
“Brave as well. I like you already.” Sean laughs, and somehow it sounds malicious in his ears. “Okay, okay, no need to be mad. I’ll just walk myself out.”
“Please do.”
Chuckling, Sean walks casually, passing him by. He turns around to watch the latter leave, only to hold his breath when Sean Wu looks back at him and smirk once more.
“I never expected,” Sean says quietly, “that he will find another Yura.”
‘Let’s… let’s just say that you wouldn’t want him to know that you exist.’
With the last smirk, Sean disappears behind his front door.
Who the hell is this Yura anyway? Tao’s head is in so much pain that he can’t force it to think more. He goes back to the living room and collapses on the couch. Pathetically, he starts to sob, which then turns into a loud cry. Even as he curls himself and sinks further onto the fabric, his cry only gets louder.
It’s really troublesome to love someone.
==
When he opens his eyes again, the first thing he sees is Kris’ face.
“Good morning.” Kris smiles softly. “It’s still 2 AM, but since it’s already another day, so.”
Tao still stares.
“Do you know? It’s Friday again.” He sees Kris grinning as he feels Kris’ hand ruffling his locks gently. “Should we head to our usual Friday date?”
“Whoa,” Tao croaks out, “I must be… missing you so much, that I dream of you.”
He hears Kris’ warm chuckle. Is he really dreaming? “Adorable.” Kris says, and he can feel Kris pinching his cheek. “It’s not a dream, Zitao.”
Tao is blank for a short while, before he opens his eyes properly. “If it’s the case then,” he mumbles as he gets up to sit and looks down at Kris, who’s kneeling on the carpet, “where the hell have you been?!”
“I…” Kris’ eyes wander around the room before they focus on him once more, “well, around.”
“You didn’t even call.”
“My phone… I lost my phone.”
Tao frowns. “Very weird of you.” He mumbles before he takes a hold of Kris’ arm and pulls him onto the couch with him. “What were you saying earlier?”
“Let’s get out for our Friday date.”
“You said yourself, it’s 2 AM in the morning.”
“Why don’t we start our day earlier so we can have much more time until later?”
“Yifan,” Tao sighs, “if it’s about time, we still have like, two weeks, right? And we’ve agreed not to end us after that too.”
His heart almost fell when Kris offers him a very melancholic smile. “Weeks are just measurement, Tao. Sometimes our chance doesn’t match up with our time.”
“What… what are you saying?”
“Let’s go.” Kris says as he stands up abruptly. “I’m taking you to somewhere nice, don’t worry.”
“It’s still dark.”
“Which is why we better go now.” Kris reaches out a hand for Tao to take, and he gives out the smirk Tao has been secretly missing for. “Will you trust me today?”
Tao stares blankly at Kris’ hand. “I’m kind of scared. You’re acting weird.”
“Zitao,”
“Yifan.”
“Will you just trust me today? Just for today.”
Sighing softly, Tao takes the hand and stands up as well. “I feel anxious about this but since you look so eager to go then I’ll just agree with whatever y - “
He doesn’t have the chance to finish his words because Kris is already kissing him with so much pressure. He almost ran out of air to supply to his lungs, but then he thinks that it’s quite alright to sacrifice breathing just so he can taste the desire and the excitement on Kris’ lips. They release each other with a pop after a while, both panting out of the lack of oxygen. “I,” Kris breathes out, “I…”
“You…?”
“I… I’ll wait for you to change your outfit. Now go.”
They ride on Kris’ shiny black gigantic motorcycle. The wind is so cold, they seep through the fabrics of his clothes. Tao tightens his hold around Kris’ waist as they travel on high speed. He can’t even see the way they’re riding through because Kris decided to play Messi right now.
But Tao also had decided to trust him for today anyway.
When they finally stop, Kris laughs and tells Tao that he can open his eyes now. Tao doesn’t know how Kris can tell that he hasn’t been brave enough to look around. “We’re here,” Kris says excitedly.
Tao opens his eyes and finds a medium sized, futuristic looking house, and also realizes that they’re on some kind of high land, obviously quite far away from the city. “What the - “ he gasps as he looks around, over the billion city lights scattered beneath them like a sea of Christmas lights, “it’s so beautiful, Yifan!”
Kris chuckles. “Get inside first? We’ll catch cold if we stay out for too long.”
The house itself is very aesthetic in Tao’s eyes. It’s not even that big, although not too small either. The futuristically decorated living room is twice - or maybe even thrice the size of his own living room back in the apartment, the kitchen is perfect with bright lightings and shiny appliances, and there are two doors which he assume is the doors to the bedrooms in the house. He sighs dreamily.
He can easily imagine a life with Kris in this kind of place.
A pair of hand sneaks around his waist, wrapping gently before warmth seeps all along his back. “I love it here.” He whispers as Kris rests his chin on his right shoulder. “I really love it here. Can’t we stay here forever?”
Kris chuckles, sending warm puffs of breath to collide against the skin of his neck. “Believe me, I’ve imagined it for too many times when I came here yesterday.”
“I’m curious about what you’ve been doing lately that you couldn’t even give me a word,” Tao smirks, “but if you don’t tell me then it means it’s not my right to ask.”
“Hmm,” Kris hums, this time directly on his neck, sending this tingling sensation throughout his body, “let me make it up to you.”
Tao half smirks half smile - because he can’t hide how happy he is at the moment. “And just how would you do it, Mr. Alpha?”
Kris doesn’t answer. He leans back and turns Tao’s body around, and without any hesitation, captures Tao’s lips in a kiss, a deep, slightly sloppy one that makes Tao’s knees wobbly. Not wasting any moment, Tao wraps his arms around Kris’ neck and his right leg on Kris’ waist. Kris urges him to lift his left leg as well, and when he does, Kris holds him firmly and starts to move, almost blindly, to the nearest bedroom from where they were.
In the back of his mind, Tao can see everything just like watching a cliché romance movie he doesn’t want to like yet keep watches anyway. Kris throws him on the bed and joins him after, both start taking off their clothes, and Tao realizes that it’s nothing like how they used to do it. They were usually in a perfect pace; not too slow yet not too fast. But this time, they’re doing it in such speed, probably due to the fact that they need to get used to not having enough time with each other. Kris’ right hand is on his hair, while the left hand is twined together with his own hand. Their clothes must be scattered messily on the floor around the bed. The kiss is nothing near innocent, their bare, flushed warm bodies keep on colliding against each other because they want more, more, more of each other’s taste.
“Tao,” Kris calls his name in a bare whisper, and it’s a very familiar sound, “I love you.”
He gasps, out of the familiar sugar rush, out of euphoria.
“I love you so, so damn much.” Kris whispers again.
Tao slowly wraps his unoccupied hand around Kris’ neck for a life support, because he’s practically drowning into a sea full of emotion. “I love you too, Yifan.” Tao whispers back.
“Let me make love to you.”
When their eyes meet, Tao doesn’t need words to say thousands of yes to Kris; his eyes are already doing the job. And when Kris kisses him back and takes a hold of his thigh, he doesn’t hesitate to just let everything be.
But hey, he never hesitated anyway when it comes to Kris.
===
Lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
===
He must’ve fell asleep for a short while from the exhaustion. His back is still slightly sore when he opens his eyes to the yellowish glow of the sun slowly crawling up to the sky through the window of the bedroom. His eyes are immediately open because of its beauty; he never really got the chance to watch the sunrise back in Seoul. The raw beauty really puts him in utter awe.
“This is why I insisted to go early.” Kris’ voice sounds hoarse, and content at the same time.
“You’re awake.” Tao chuckles. He can’t see Kris’ face since he’s back-facing him but he can tell that Kris is smirking.
“And so are you.” Kris presses his lips gently on the spot between his neck and shoulder. Tao’s heart aches from such gesture; he feels so loved, so adored. “Good morning.”
“You’ve said that back in home.”
“Well, it’s a complete ‘good morning’, with the sun and all.”
Tao laughs as he turns around. He gasps when Kris swiftly swings his arm to catch him in an embrace. “Whoa,” Tao stares at him, “why are you so handsome even when you just woke up?”
“And you’re so adorable and noisy even when you just woke up.” Kris grins when Tao pinches his arm. “And I would’ve, if I can, traded all I have in exchange to have you like this, every single morning, for the rest of my life.”
The air is still as Tao cups Kris’ cheek gently with his hand. “Yifan,” he sighs.
“Zitao.”
“May I ask why did you bring me here?” Tao leans closer until the tip of their noses touch. “It can’t be just because of our Friday date.”
He finds Kris out of explanation again. Kris just stares and stares at him, as if he’s asking him not to torture him with such question.
“This,” Tao croaks out, “this… can’t be my farewell gift, right?”
He doesn’t care if Kris is perplexed by his question, or if his eyes are getting watery out of sudden. It’s already his nature, his perception of the world; nothing good ever lasts long enough, at least until we’re ready to let it go.
“I… we’ve promised, not to end us as long as we can endure it, but,” Tao scoots away with a smile on his lips, an obviously bitter one, “I kept thinking, that no one wants to live a complicated life. Not even me, not even you. You… you are the only thing that makes me expect my tomorrows with excitement, YIifan, but I think, I think I’m the thing that makes you insecure and nervous of your own tomorrows.”
“Zitao,”
“Yifan.” Tao still maintain his smile as he wipes away a single tear on his cheek. “I’ll understand. Maybe it will be hard for me for a few weeks, but I will understand eventually. We… we’ve had something beautiful, something magical there. It was sad, it was beautiful, it was… tragic. And it was meant for us to let it go, let it be. What I’m saying is - “
“Tao,”
“ - that we might need to let it go sooner than we’ve expected, don’t you think?”
“Zitao,” Kris calls brokenly, “enough already.”
“But I was right, wasn’t I? This is my farewell gift.” Tao finally sobs openly. “You brought me to such a beautiful place like this, you made love to me, and you let me wake up next to you. I must admit, it’s a very beautiful gift indeed.”
Kris immediately pulls him into his arms, placing his head on his chest, and keeps his embrace tight. Tao can feel Kris’ shoulders shaking; he must be crying too. “Hey, don’t be sad,” Tao’s words slightly muffled against Kris’ skin, “we can… we can play pretend, right? Let’s pretend… that it’s the first morning of our life here. Our life, together. Let’s pretend.”
He never saw or heard Kris cry. He never even imagined a crying Kris because it seemed like it won’t suit him. But now that Kris is sobbing above his head, he can’t help but feel the pain as well.
“I love you, Huang Zitao,” Kris breathes out between catching his breath, “no matter what you will see, or what you will hear later, just remember that I love you, I really do. Even if the world comes to you and tell you I don’t, just keep in mind that I do. I love you.”
Tao closes his eyes, letting his tears fall more. “I love you too, Wu Yifan.” He whispers. “Maybe I will resent you for a while later, but I will still love you as well. Even if someday, someone come and my brain tells me that I might can love the person instead, I will still love you.”
He feels Kris nodding. “Promise.”
“Promise.”
==
The house is medium-sized, but the lane is surely spacious. Apparently they’re in some secluded area, and the entrance street is surrounded by trees at each sides, circling the entire area, making it looks like they’re living in the woods. The first thing they do after they get up from the bed and wash their faces is to check on a couple of bicycles parked side by side near the front door. They ride along the front yard, the back yard, to the streets, and get back by walking, talking simple things they never talked about before - ‘why do you like navy blue so much?’ ‘so you really can’t stand cold?’ ‘have you ever got in trouble because you dyed your hair?’ ‘why did you choose Seoul, though?’
It’s like they’re walking on eggshells, ready to crack them in any second. They don’t talk about their previous conversation on the bed this morning. They don’t talk about their farewell. There is no confirmation about the farewell, but it seems like each of them already knows the outcome. Maybe it’s too painful for them to deal with the fact that they’re not meant to last for long, so they decide to mask all the pain with doing a lot of things that can make them temporarily forget.
Tao cooks them brunch. Two plates of ham and cheese French toasts resting on the dining table, complete with orange juices. It’s actually the first home brunch they ever had together, and it feels surreal for Tao as Kris sits eagerly and grabs the utensils. He watches as Kris devours his meal with so much passion. “Is it that good?” Tao frowns jokingly.
“It looks very plain, actually. Unlike the ones I usually eat on my friend’s café, but,” Kris adds immediately when Tao raises a knife in his hand, “it’s somehow more delicious.”
“Probably the cheese.”
“No,” Kris winks, “probably you.”
Tao rolls his eyes. “Definitely the cheese.”
It’s very easy to pretend that they’re just a normal couple, enjoying their first day of honeymoon. It’s very easy to pretend that they’re free from any burden, any consequences, and any responsibility. It’s very easy to put up a smile and be nonchalant of everything instead of facing the truth.
At afternoon, Kris smoothly slips something onto Tao’s ring finger when they’re watching Avengers’ sequel on the flat screen TV. Tao stares at the foreign object on his finger first, then looks up at Kris, demanding an answer.
“To remind you of me,” Kris smiles as he lifts his hand and shows the similar thing on his finger, “and to remind me of you.”
Tao stares again at his hand. A plain, silver band wraps around his ring finger. “To remind us of each other.” To remind us of what we had and what we could’ve been.
“To remind you,” Kris pauses shortly to glance at Tao’s ring, “that you will always have all of my heart.”
That sends a pang on his heart. Tao takes Kris’ hand, where the ring rests perfectly. “To remind you,” Tao replies, “that I won’t be waiting, but I will always be ready to have you again if God ever allow me to.”
Tao finds an iPod doc in the bedroom. He brings it outside and places it at the dining table. He tells Kris to move all the furniture aside to make a space for them in the middle of the room and plays a cheap clubbing song Baekhyun once sneaked into his phone. Kris gives him a judging look, but he laughs it off and pulls Kris to move his body. They end up dancing messily around the room, dragging each other aimlessly, laughing all the while.
They’re in a trance, stuck in a limbo, smiling like they ever stood a chance.
Kris eventually pulls Tao into a kiss when the song ends, and somehow they make it to the bedroom, and it’s like last night all over again. Tao falls back onto the bed, clothes are being thrown away again, Kris pauses for a while to stare and stare, Tao tugs gently on his hair to let him know that they shouldn’t waste any second, and Kris proceeds. Somewhere along the rhythmic pressure below his waist and Kris’ chant of his name, Tao realizes that they are a bittersweet, tragic story. A tale of two souls wanting more than what they are fated for.
They were built to fall apart.
At 4 PM, Kris excuses himself to go somewhere out of the area. “I won’t be long.” Kris tells him, and a wet kiss on the temple of his head follows suit. “Just need to take care of something.”
“Can’t I come with you?” Tao asks with a pout.
“Adorable.” Kris pinches his cheek. “I’ll come back with dinner.”
“At dinner or with dinner?”
“With dinner. I’ll be back before the sun set.”
Tao gets up as well and put some clothes, following Kris out of the bedroom. He watches from the window as Kris walks down the stairs at the porch and pulls his bicycle with him. However, he pauses at the gate, and Tao watches as Kris picks up a stalk of the white flower from the tiny garden. Kris slides it into the pocket of his jacket and rides his bicycle away.
Sighing, Tao walks back to the living room. He’s very much alone. There’s this buzzing noise in his ears from the heavy silence. Is it going to be like this when the day comes where Kris won’t be able to come back to him again?
==
Kris does come back before sunset.
But instead of bringing dinner, he brings two - no, three guys with him.
Which then turns out to be no other than -
“Get your things together, Zitao. We’re leaving now.” Baekhyun barges into the house. Behind him is Chanyeol, with a scarier expression on his face. Behind Chanyeol is Changmin, his supposedly future cousin-in-law, who wears this troubled look on his face which is similar with Kris.
“Wait, what, how are you guys here?!” Tao asks in horror, glancing at Kris, begging for some help.
“How dare you,” Baekhyun hisses as he turns around to face Kris, “to lock him up here??”
“Baekhyun, what are you d - “
“Calm down, Byun Baekhyun.” Changmin speaks up. “Zitao won’t listen if you’re like this.”
“If he won’t listen then I will drag him out with my own hands.” Baekhyun says through gritted teeth. “Anything, as long as he doesn’t breath in the same room with this bastard.”
“Baekhyun!!” Tao shrieks. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“I’m saving you from this person!” Baekhyun points at Kris.
“What?!!” Tao looks at Kris, demanding an explanation, but Kris only looks down over the tiles. “Yifan, what is going on?!”
“I’m not letting you be anywhere near him, Huang Zitao. Grab your things and go with me now.”
“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?!” Tao spits back as he goes to Kris to at least hold his hand for support. However, Kris flinches once their hands almost touch. It’s like his hand is burning hot that Kris can’t hold it. “Y-yifan?”
“Me?? I’m the one who is sane enough not to let this person wreck you further!”
“He never did anything bad to me, Baekhyun! What the hell are you - “
“Oh wow, wow,” Baekhyun maliciously glares at Kris, “look at what you’ve done to him, Kris Wu. Very well of you.”
Tao decides to stand in front of Kris, facing Baekhyun. “What has he done to you that you are being like this?!”
Baekhyun stares at both Tao and Kris simultaneously in disbelief before he huffs. “Great. Now I’m the bad guy. I’m the villain. Aren’t I, Kris Wu?”
“Yifan,” Tao turns around, “what is going on?!”
“Tell him, Kris Wu!” suddenly Chanyeol speaks. “Tell him how you let your father scared my sister away, tell him how you refused to see her that she ran away and got played by your brother, how he chased her around to her death!!”
Tao goes numb. It can’t be.
‘I never expected that he will find another Yura.’
Yura. Chanyeol’s sister, Yura noona. Park Yura.
Of course.
“Y-yifan,” Tao whispers, “is that… is that true?”
“Tell him how much of a coward you were,” Chanyeol says in a hiss, “tell him that it can happen to him as well, even worse!”
“Yifan,” Tao places his hand on Kris’ shoulder, “Yifan, please say something.”
But Kris can’t even look up to meet his eyes.
“And while you’re on it,” Baekhyun adds, “tell him about your conversation with Aunt Liyin five days ago!”
“Byun Baekhyun.” Changmin warns.
“What??” Baekhyun barks back at Changmin. “This is the truth he has to know! This is the most important one! Kris Wu, tell him!”
“Y-you met my mom??” Tao shakes Kris’ body gently. “Yifan, answer me!”
“Or should I tell him for you? It’s fine, I’ve heard enough back then.” Baekhyun says, and Tao hears Changmin telling Baekhyun repeatedly not to do it but Baekhyun speaks again nonetheless. “It’s about your father’s death, Tao.”
Tao gasps.
“Your father died,” Baekhyun says slowly, “because of the sickening affair in his filthy family!”
Tao turns around to face Baekhyun again. “What??”
“His step-mother, who was barely someone back then because she was a mistress, sent someone to chase his mother, the late Mrs. Wu,” Baekhyun walks forward, “who knew it beforehand, and asked for help from her private chauffeur, Huang Guan.”
His heart stops for a while at the mention of his father’s name.
“Your father died in his try to save his mother, Zitao.”
“Byun Baekhyun!”
“His family killed your father!!”
“Byun Baekhyun, that’s enough!” Changmin steps into the scene. “It’s not your right to tell him that!”
“Then who the hell will take the glory to do so?? That bastard over there? Can’t you see him?? He can’t even look at Tao now!!”
“Fan, say something!”
Tao goes even number. The ground is spinning beneath him. He can’t even find the center of his mind anymore. He seeks for Kris, for a help, for some enlightenment because no, it can’t be too tragic like this. “Y-yifan,” he whispers, brokenly, as he holds onto Kris’ shoulder, as if he’s depending all his life on it, “is t-that true? It’s - Baekhyun is lying, right? It can’t be that dramatic, right? I - Yifan, Yifan?”
Kris finally looks at him, with bloodshot eyes wet with fresh tears falling down. He doesn’t say anything. Maybe it’s because he can’t find anything to say, be it right or wrong.
“Yifan?” Tao calls again. “Lie to me then. Tell me it wasn’t correct. Tell me Baekhyun’s making up things. I will believe you. I will believe you.”
“You’re done with him, Tao, now let’s - “
“Yifan!!” Tao screams, and Kris looks away again, wincing. “Lie to me now!!!”
Somewhere between his begs to Kris and Baekhyun’s effort in pulling him away, he loses his balance and falls onto the floor. And just right before everything turns black, he sees Baekhyun’s worried face and Chanyeol’s alarmed one. Changmin is behind Baekhyun.
But there’s no Kris in sight.
===
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