Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

93

The dull smiles and limp steps.

They were dying with a stinging pain inside their chest. A pain that symbolized their heavy guilt. They couldn't help but blame themselves for Baekhyuns sudden disappearance. They should've been there for him a lot more, but... the older had also drifted away from them on his own. In the end, Baekhyun left on his own record. He didn't want to stay in the place that caused him so much, terror. He wanted to leave and get stronger so that when he did come back... he would not back away from the battle.

The group of boys stared at the stack of boxes, each with a small gift inside. Luhan was the first to open the small box. He wanted to comfort his friends and keep smiling, but in reality, he was suffering the most. He saw the gold necklace sit there by itself and could immediately sense the tears rushing down his face. He covered his mouth to silence the rising sobs while clenching the necklace tightly. The gift didn't have a name or letter added to it. It was supposed to be from an anonymous individual, but... Luhan knew exactly who it was from.

'Lulu'

The memories came into view like a harsh set of waves. The moments he experienced with the younger were all flooding in. The sudden ache at the center of his chest only increased as he longed for his best friend. His friends could only quietly comfort him while they let out their waiting tears as well. They missed him... they really did.

"Young master. It's time to leave."

Baekhyun turned to his guard with a soft smile. He returned his gaze towards his friends, watching them break down from afar.

"I know." He let out a hesitant sigh. A part of him wanted to run into their comforting arms but, another part desired to leave. His hand dragged down the wall while his eyes stayed on his friends.

"Time goes by fast." He closed his eyes, feeling the tears pile up. His hand fumbled towards his neck as he carefully held his own piece of jewelry.

"I hope they enjoy the gifts."

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Baekhyun pushed up his glasses with a tired stare. A long yawn escaped his lips as he proceeded to read the important files. It contained significant details on his upcoming mission, so he really needed to pay attention and form a plan. He rushed his cold fingers through his white hair and exhaled. He was tired, extremely tired. Recently, his tasks had begun to pile up because he was assigned to take control of Aella's work. The girl had stationed herself in Japan to take care of a few issues that had arisen in the area. She would probably stay there two weeks max, so Baek wasn't too worried. But, the work was getting a little tiring since he did have a mission to conduct in a few days. Jake had fortunately taken some of Aella's work himself so that the older didn't have to deal with so much stress. Baek mentally thanked Jake as he put a small reminder to buy the younger some food. As he was about to start focusing again, his phone rang, signaling that a message came in. He grabbed his phone and checked the text he had received from... an unknown number?

+82 ** **** 4276

+82 ** **** 4276
Good evening Achlys. This is the main assistant from Blue Blood contacting you to address a few topics. Excuse us for the late notice, but we wish to arrange a meeting with you to discuss the matters on an alliance. We would appreciate a response, and we will surely answer any questions you may have. Again, Blue Blood apologizes for the late inconvenience.