Masquerade | Johnyong

★ Chapter thirty-three

Chapter 33: my little hawk, why do you cry?

Baekhyun lightly touched the photo of Chanyeol and Nahyun before picking it up. He softly smiles, seeing how adorable his child has gotten.

"So you named her Nahyun?"

"Yeah." Chanyeol answers from the kitchen as he makes some tea.

"I was going to name her Nari." Baekhyun says as he sits down.

"And I was going to name her Baekhyun junior but then I realized she's a girl." Chanyeol pours the tea into a small cup before serving it to Baekhyun in the dining room.

"I know. We talked about it once." Baekhyun reminds him. Chanyeol stares at him. Baekhyun looks away, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I remember. . ." Chanyeol mutters. He clears his throat before sitting across from Baekhyun. "You're not meeting her right now." He says. Baekhyun's eyes grow wide. He scoffs.

"Calm down. I'm still keeping my promise. I said you can meet her after I explain. That was the deal." Chanyeol says, watching Baekhyun calm down. He notices the small twitch at the corner of Baekhyun's lips.

"So. . .go on."

"Ok." Chanyeol takes a deep breath. "Months before Nahyun was born, I accidentally came across something I wasn't supposed to. I had been too nosy. I've always been nosy which is why Johnny's father never liked me. I always had a lot of dirt on him. However, this time, Mr Seo wasn't going to keep letting me slide just because my mom and Johnny's mom were supposedly sisters." He starts. Baekhyun let out a soft chuckle.

He already knew nothing can stay hidden under the sun because Chanyeol always let his curiosity get the best of him.

"He took me-  he beat me up. . ."

Baekhyun's mouth opens in shock.

"That's why I didn't come home that evening. I was tortured for three days. He was going to kill me, I thought."

"Wait." Baekhyun sits there, trying to process what he just heard. He blinks rapidly, clenching his fist. He tries to say something but bites his lips instead.

Chanyeol sighs. "I told him I'd keep my mouth shut but he didn't believe me." He continues but pauses, unsure if he really should as he sees the look of what seems like horror on Baekhyun's face. He gives it a moment before continuing again. "He said if he was going to let me go I would lose something. You gain something, you lose something — he said. I didn't know it would be you I'd be losing." Chanyeol's voice starts to tremble. He stops to maintain composure.

"I'd have to marry one of his subordinates. She would report my every move. I wouldn't be surprised if she's gone to tell Mr Seo that you're here. He said if I didn't do as  told, he would kill you. I couldn't let that happen so I had to leave and marry Amanda — even if it hurt you. You and Nahyun would still be safe at least." Chanyeol explains.

Baekhyun is left speechless or maybe he couldn't speak because he would burst into tears if he tried. Chanyeol quietly excuses himself as his phone rings.

"Johnny! You called me first, how odd." Chanyeol lets out a mischievous chuckle. "I'm kind of in the middle of something important." He says.

"It's about Taeyong though." Johnny says which quickly gets Chanyeol's attention.

The next minute, Chanyeol is grabbing his coat from the closet. Baekhyun notices his haste and asks him what's going on.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'm just going to see Taeyong, something's up."