Elites of Seoul

Chapter 5

 WARNING: attempted suicide

Mrs. Byun decided to check up on Baekhyun after coming back from the late-night meeting held by Jung Yunho.

She was at unease seeing her husband's easy approval regarding her son being married off to the Parks. She knew that Baekhyun would never agree to this arrangement. But there was nothing that she could do to help; she herself had spent years under her husband's control, too scared to fight against him and speak up for herself and her sons.

It was imperative that the Byun family's friendly facade be maintained in front of the Elites and society. Even if it meant, that her family was broken like shattered glass, the shards digging into them deeper with every fake smile they stretched across their lips.

She just hoped that her silent support for her son would be enough for them to pass through this particularly rough time. It will get better for him, she tried to convince herself as she walked towards Baekhyun's bedroom.

The apprehensive woman opened the door of her son's bedroom, surprised to see the bed messy and devoid of Baekhyun.

"Baekhyun?" She called out, her hands trembling from anxiety as she frantically looked around for her missing son.

Her husband will have her head if Baekhyun acted out of order again, and will surely punish the poor boy even more.

"Baekhyun, where are you?" She called out again, her voice breaking near the end, too afraid to speak loudly in case her husband heard her.

She came across the locked bathroom door. Dread pooled in her gut.

Mrs. Byun's trembling fingers shook the doorknob as she pressed her knee against the closed door, trying to push it open.

All she heard was the noise of running taps, water flowing and splashing on the tiles.

"Baekhyun!" She called out louder this time; her gut feeling was telling her that something was wrong. Her son surely hadn't gone mad to be taking a shower with multiple taps open at 3 o'clock in the morning.

"BAEKHYUN!" Mrs. Byun let out an ugly sob before she started to shove her shoulder against the door. "ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!"

No sound came from the young Byun.

Mrs. Byun fell to the floor, weeping loudly for help. "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!"

Jaejoong, who had heard the agonizing screams from the distraught mother, started running towards the screaming, calling for Yunho to come urgently on his phone.

Seeing Mrs. Byun so distraught and fearful, Jaejoong got an inkling of the situation at hand. Jaejoong ran towards Mrs. Byun, telling her to shove her shoulders against the door at the count of three.

After their third shove against the wooden door, they heard the door lock break and crack open. The mother didn't waste any time running to her unconscious son in the bathtub, skidding against the wet tiles.

"Oh my god! Somebody, please save my son! He isn't breathing!" Mrs. Byun's screams echoed in the bathroom and out into the west wing where the Jungs, Kims and the Byuns resided.

Jaejoong was already beside the helpless mother when Yunho reached the bathroom, his eyes wide with shock at the scene in front of him.

Yunho helped his husband with picking up the wet Byun Heir and setting him in the right position for a CPR.

Both Jaejoong and Yunho noticed Baekhyun's disturbing thin stature. How weak was this boy, had he not been eating properly? Jaejoong thought, mad at himself for not intervening Baekhyun's self-destroying behaviour at an earlier stage.