locked [chanbaek and kaisoo]

Chapter 8

Kyungsoo?

Baekhyun felt as if someone had just punched him in the stomach.

He didn't expect to, and even more so didn't want to hear this name ever again.

He knew about Kyungsoo from the strange talk he had with his co-workers before. More specifically, on the day he first entered Chanyeol's father's company. Already then, when he first heard it from Kibum, Baekhyun had decided to learn that name well, and remember it, because, slipping out in the wrong situation, it could have made a lot of trouble. Furthermore, Baekhyun was genuinely sorry for Jongin. He didn't really know what it must have felt like to be left by someone you loved, but he imagined it must be pretty much devastating.

So that's why already then, he had decided to be very careful, if the topic of Jongin's lost lover somehow came up in any conversation.

And here it came.

Worried, and not knowing what was going to happen next, Baekhyun threw a careful look at Chanyeol. He didn't know what reaction to expect from the other.

The same as Jongin's? Worse? Better? Same?

But, surprising Baekhyun, the taller seemed to be much more collected and calm than he expected him to be. Of course, there was a slight frown resting on his features, and his eyes were dark with concern for Jongin, but he didn't look like someone in panic, or even someone who was even angry. Honestly, somehow Chanyeol didn't look even half as shaken as Jongin.

He just looked worried.

But didn't Baekhyun's co-workers say that Chanyeol was just as sensitive to Kyungsoo's topic as Jongin was?, Baekhyun wondered. Didn't they tell Baekhyun to never mention that name in front of both of them? They did. So how could Chanyeol be so strangely calm?

Staring at the latter in worry and confusion, Baekhyun couldn't get his head around that.

"Jongin ah." Chanyeol said, eyes glued onto Jongin, and not moving away even for a second. He took a tiny step forward.

"It's okay. Come here."

He reached out his hand for his friend, but Jongin shook his head. Tears, painful and unstopable, already brimmed in his eyes.

"Yeollie, I swear," he inhaled brokenly. "I saw him. He's... he was.. s-standing there."

Hearing that, Baekhyun's eyes unwillingly tore away from the other two, and moved to search through the people walking past them. But he saw no one there, who stood still. Everybody were either talking on their phones, or rushing somewhere after the long day of work, but no one was just standing around, doing nothing, or furthermore looking at Jongin.

Chanyeol seemed to have noticed that even before Baekhyun did. He didn't even look back at the crowd, his eyes only plastered onto the form of his shaken best friend.

"He's not there, Jongin ah." he took a step closer, eyes sorrowful and sad. "I'm sorry, but Kyungsoo is not there."

Jongin's eyes widened in panic, and he turned around instantly.

His eyes desperately searched through the crowd. But they couldn't find what they were looking for.

Jongin looked like he was about to break.

"We talked about this before, Jongin ah," Chanyeol quickly pleaded, and reached out to gently tug at Jongin's sleeve. "Just stop. It's enough already."

"What's enough?" Jongin asked, as he pulled his arm away from Chanyeol's grip, giving his best friend a stare. "What's enough, Chanyeol? I saw him, he was there! He stood there, and he looked...