Defy The Earth

Chapter 13

Baekhyun's family had always been a nature-supporter, what with his mother being a biologist, his father being an environmentalist, and his elder brother, Baekbeom being a wildlife photographer – Baekhyun was young. He didn't know what would be become but he knew it would be related to people or nature. He was a really social, innocent and talkative boy, who loved talking to people and he loved nature, so the two fields seemed appropriate for him.

Baekhyun was the sunshine of the house. On the dinner table where every conversation contained serious environmental words and factors, Baekhyun with his child-like enthusiasm and charm talked about literally everything. His parents and his brother adored him, often spoiling him by giving him extra-pocket money and buying sweets for him. He wasn't spoiled though. He appreciated the actions and made them serve as motivation to work harder – he worked like that. Work harder, strive for better, rise higher. It was a simple mindset – yet it was hard to maintain, but not for Baekhyun. His parents and his brother were inspiration for him. They were his back-support.

Baekhyun was that kind of kid who scored the highest, always hundred percent in his effort. He was in most of the clubs and had numerous achievements. His family however, did not treat his achievements as norm – and it was this factor that made him work harder. They celebrated him coming third – they celebrated his every achievement – whether small or big. They were a small, cozy happy family. Their house was quite cozy too – all pink and soft with plants and pets and dogs. His father always took him to his work and asked him to read books and understand more about the world. His mother was really kind and smart and she liked it when cute, little Baekhyun asked her endless questions. She was really wise and the things she taught Baekhyun could never be forgotten by him.

And he enjoyed a lot with his seven-year older brother.

Baekbeom had this cheery, mischievous smile, like his little brother. He would plead to their parents to allow Baekhyun to accompany him for camping out where he took his pictures and Baekhyun would hold tightly to his elder brother's legs and pout disarmingly. They would be granted permission most of the time. Baekbeom was really responsible. He took great care of Baekhyun whenever they would be camping. It was a lovely family, where Baekhyun never had to care about his safety or other's safety at that.

But everything changed one Saturday night, 7 th May – a day after his birthday.

It was tradition in his family that every birthday should be celebrated by giving back to nature and that was the reason Baekhyun found himself in his parents' car, waving to the trees outside the window, smiling innocently at them as they went up to Collardo Plain– at that time, it was a huge, forest area that a company – his least favorite company Webuild – at that time, a new, rising company in its field – planned to deforest. Many environmentalists, doctors, and other supporters had decided to camp out in the ground to show protest. It wasn't anything dangerous – Baekhyun and his family had done things like this many times prior. There wasn't any type of forewarning that he felt – he didn't feel any nausea. He felt quite alright. And happy. And innocent. When they reached in the afternoon, he had been chasing some butterflies around with Baekbeom, who was clicking pictures of the insect.

There was a particular picture – with the butterfly resting on Baekhyun's cheeks – which he still had. It reminded him of the times when he was better.

The people around all knew the Byun siblings – who were filled with vitality and strength and shared a lot of love. Baekhyun and Baekbeom were closer than most siblings, despite their age-gap. They regularly told each other that they loved each other and kissed each other's cheeks, and tickled each other. Their puberty couldn't stop it. They had a record for never fighting – or minimum fighting, because Baekhyun was understanding and so was Baekbeom – they were prefect. Baekhyun had been raised with a lot of love – his lunch had always been home-made, by any three of his family members, and they always included 'I love you' notes in his lunch. They had Family Fridays and were a really happy family. Baekbeom and Baekhyun never lied to his parents – when Baekbeom first started dating, he announced the affair right that day on the dining table, albeit shyly, and his parents welcomed the girl. When Baekhyun, realized that while he liked girls, he liked boys more – his parents and brother were understanding. There were many instances where Baekhyun had felt he was blessed to have such an amazing family.