RED

The Third Chapter

Pause.

A pungent pause.

Time went by but they were on pause. It had been three days since that night. Neither Baekhyun nor Chanyeol had said a word to each other and it seemed that it would take another three decades before they did. The first night Baekhyun had cried alone and considered moving out. He'd been hurt but more than that it was the regret that laced his being. He understood. For the first time, he had to be the understanding one, and he understood.

They could never be friends.

They were either archenemies or lo- but no, that could never happen.

It's better if they stayed as enemies.

Over time, Baekhyun had learnt to trust Chanyeol. He had grown to like the thick smell of his paints. He had got used to being excited over the prospect of viewing the artist's paintings and playing songs with him. He liked showing Chanyeol everything about archery, talking to him about books, and even the randomest of things.

Over time, he'd grown to care.

And he'd grown to understand that he'd hate being hated by Chanyeol. But he had to face the fact that fire was never just a friend - it was either big, sparked by vengeance or it was strong, powerful and comforting. It could never just...be there. Fire demanded attention. He understood that their history would never permit them to just move on, because even if Chanyeol forgave him, he'd never forget, not until the scars permeated by Baekhyun vanished.

And that would never happen.

Everytime Chanyeol would feel like he didn't matter, he'd get reminded of Baekhyun. The archer would be tied to his deepest, darkest insecurities, tied to all his misery and pain and hurt. He'd forget Baekhyun until the pain disappeared but until then, every time he ached he'd get reminded of the archer. And how, just how could Baekhyun be so selfish, so uncaring to put Chanyeol on a test of time to see when he'd snap by tainting not only his mind, but also his house, so that every time he'd see Baekhyun he'd get reminded of his pain.

It was a two-way connection. Baekhyun was tied to his pain and misery and the appearance of one would automatically remind him of the other. It was for the best that the archer left. And he'd tried - but only to be stopped by his own selfish desires.

He had one more match to prove himself. With every day, he got closer to his delivery, closer to the Olympics. And now, his parents had publicly not announced him as an heir - he couldn't go back. His brother had a fiance, Kyungsoo was poor and everybody else would keep telling him to go and get an abortion.

He didn't need the mental pressure, didn't want to work hard, otherwise he'd be so focused on keeping himself warm that he'd fail at conquering his dreams.

And he didn't want to leave Chanyeol. Ironically, the artist was the only person he could trust, his only friend.

Why was he such a sadist?

But Baekhyun had to be selfish for himself, for his child, and maybe, for Chanyeol too. He didn't leave. The next morning, Chanyeol didn't comment on his appearance. He didn't kick him out, but he didn't make a gesture to make Baekhyun feel welcomed either, not that he was expected to. The artist's lack of appearance on the archery grounds definitely made him upset but Baekhyun understood. The lack of laughter, talks and jokes bothered him, as if he was holding onto a dying flame - a literal one. Maybe... just maybe, this was how it would be. Maybe, they would never go back to the way they were.

And he couldn't blame Chanyeol. It was all his fault.

They said karma bit back, with interest. He'd never paid attention to that in the past. He was way too busy being a conceited bitch with a successful career, and now both had withered down - the bitch in him and his successful career. He was more vulnerable than ever, pure. Everything that people saw now was everything that he was. There was no filter. For now, he was just hurt and regretful, trying to work hard.