Strawberry & Mango - ChanBaek

Chapter 2

Chanyeol tried his best to keep his promise, knowing perfectly well that letting go of Baekhyun was best for him. It was hard, of course, and during the first weeks following the wedding, the loneliness of the city and the heartbreak took a toll on him. He spent endless nights crying, his heart aching from the way things had turned out.

He still tried though, and he took as much advantage as he could of everything his father taught him at the company to use as a distraction to his heartache. As the future head of Park & Co., he would be representing not only the company, but the empire that his family had formed and solidified in the country. After all, the Parks were almost royalty, considered the highest of classes of society, with a power over the economy and the government so potent that no one dared to cross them.

Chanyeol was an heir of that family, and as such, he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He had to succeed, failure wasn't an option, so he'd worked hard all his life to make his family proud and to instill discipline and excellence in himself since a young age.

Baekhyun had been the only thing outside of that bubble he forced himself into that he had allowed himself to truly indulge in. He was his only distraction. Now that Chanyeol was determined to forget his love for Baekhyun, though, the giant was determined to use all his time and skills to become another great heir to the imposing and powerful Park family.

As time passed and weeks turned into months, Chanyeol continued to push forward with his plans, studying hard, becoming the top student of his class at the most prestigious university in his country, and working part time at his father's company. He would make everyone proud, just like he promised Mrs. Byun. Nothing would stop him from doing so.

He needed to take breaks, though, a fact that his father continued to remind him of every other week. Hence why he got Chanyeol a luxurious Mercedes Benz so he could go back to his hometown every now and then to visit his mother and his friends.

"Being CEO doesn't mean you have to forget about your personal life, son. Take breaks, breathe, and enjoy your life. You're still young," he would often say, pain and regret in his eyes. Of course, he'd let go of Chanyeol's mother after the pressure had been too much. He didn't want Chanyeol to reach that point either, so Chanyeol always listened to his advice as best as he could.

College was still demanding, though, and he focused as much as he could, indulging occasionally by going to parties here and there, something he hadn't allowed himself to do in high school, and if he ever did go to one, was to look after Baekhyun. Now that the smaller wasn't around, though, he could be more carefree. He didn't rebel up much, but he did do stuff he hadn't before, like making out with that one cute classmate of his, Oh Sehun, or getting tipsy.

After two months, though, right when he had built a routine that allowed him to keep up with the hectic pace of life in the city, he figured it was time to indulge and decided it was time to go back home for a weekend. His mother was delighted, of course. She'd received him with tears and kisses and hugs and a lot of food, claiming she'd missed her baby.

The first night, he spent it at home with her only, wanting to spend some quality time with her like they used to do before left. He enjoyed it, of course, telling her all about how college had been, how working at the company was, and of course, giving her news about his father. Her eyes lit up at the mention of him and she listened attentively, not even bothering with hiding her interest.

"Of course I care Chanyeol! He was my husband and I know how stubborn he can be,2 she replied once Chanyeol pointed out her reaction.

Chanyeol knew better, of course, and was perfectly conscious of the fact that she was still very much in love with him, as was his father with her. There wasn't much he could do, though, and instead decided to keep it in mind for when he took over the company. Perhaps he could do something to get them back together when the time came.