Seven Lifetimes (A CHANBAEK FF)

Lifetime 5

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For the first time in several hundred years, the sky looked bright---that is, for Baekhyun’s eyes. He’s beyond happy.

Seems like, Seju is starting to feel more and more comfortable with him. They had drunk coffee together, done groceries and even had small chitchats whenever they feel like it before they sleep. They would go together in Seju’s car to the office where they (apparently) both work. They would meet at every break and meet again when the shift ends. Then at home, they both would greet Shin Hyemi with a hug.

It’s like a life Baekhyun never thought he would get.

He was glad that Seju was enjoying his company as much as he does. And with that, Baekhyun’s every morning brightened up, like how his nights got less and less cold.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Baekhyun looked beside him as Seju sat on the stairs in the backyard where the former sat. It's a bright sunny Saturday morning, and Baekhyun was holding his now empty mug with him as stared into the sky.

Baekhyun smiled for a second when he heard what the male said. “I didn’t expect for those kinds of words to be still alive, after all these years.”

“What do you mean?”

“’A penny for your thoughts.’ ‘Hit the sack’. ‘Under the weather’. Things like that.”

“Oh.” Idioms.

Baekhyun turned back his gaze at the sky. It looked lovely. Seju looked lovely, too. But Baekhyun chose the sky because he didn’t want to feel the bitterness of his memory everytime he looked at Seju’s face.

“I actually thought before that.. everything in my time and everything I knew died with me. Because ever since I woke up as a ghost, everything didn’t look familiar. Nothing did.”

Seju didn’t answer. Baekhyun didn’t expect to. Seju didn’t ask him much about anything; how he became like this, how he knew it was a punishment. He didn’t also ask Baekhyun what his plans were, now that he had a physical body and was practically alive. It’s like Seju was trying to respect that part of Baekhyun’s existence. He didn’t want to meddle with it, not unless Baekhyun let him.

Suddenly, Baekhyun felt tiredness all over his body. He laid his head sideways on the handle of the stairs they were sitting on, heaving a sigh. Maybe it was the thought. It’s like that everytime he was reminded of the situation.

“It must have felt worse.”

Baekhyun saw Seju look at him for a second before staring back at the sky. The leaves of the trees reflected the sunshine, making its color turn something like yellow green.

“You don’t have to sympathize much. It’s okay. It's just me... mumbling things."

“Well, I’m just trying to imagine what you’ve been through. No one deserved it. Not even you."

Baekhyun looked down. Suddenly the grass below looked interesting. Did he really didn't deserve it?

"I don’t know much about what happened to you, Baekhyun. But I can listen if you want to let it out. Anytime. We're both here, in this life, together. Suddenly reality shifted and we're together right here."

"I know. Silly, right?"

Chanyeol shook his head, smiling. "Not really. More like, destined. And what I mean is, we're both here. So let's be friends." He placed a hand on Baekhyun's shoulder, as if encouraging him. "I believe you're here for a second chance. So I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy.”