#he didn’t know what to do with court’s awkward introvert polite energy

[petalsfordany]

Courtney Eaton unintentionally being a comedian and wonderful

[thethirstynoona]

Monster - Chapter 13

That damned tie.  An item reminiscent of your grandmother’s curtains - taupe with cascades of lavender and gold kaleidoscope patterns - was now wrapped around your neck as you struggled for breath while this shadow of a once-charming man rode you into submission.

Category: Drama | Plot Twist | Angst Word Count: 2,930 Group/Members: EXO | Baekhyun A/N: A brief teaser before the next chapter...which won’t be the last. ;)

Chapter 12 | Chapter 14

Five weeks had passed since you’d last heard from him, from her – from anyone remotely connected to your former lover, Baekhyun.  You were sure it was a lost cause, but you decided to dial his number again before Kai woke from his sleep.

“I’m sorry, but the number you dialed is no longer in service.  Please –“

A frustrated sigh managed to escape your lips.  Had it not been for the summer storm, you would have tossed your phone over the balcony of your getaway suite.  Kai had surprised you with a weekend trip to Jeju, and you half-heartedly agreed. This was probably the last weekend you were going to allow him to continue courting you.  Nothing against him as a person, but you had really cozied up to him originally because you needed a replacement for Kay – or at least a way to get back in touch with her.  Once she obtained a job in Hong Kong you knew she was serious about ending the friendship, which put the reality of the situation in front of you.

You loved Baekhyun – not Kai.  You thought back to that day – the one that seemed to go on forever – and wondered where you could have changed things.

(five weeks prior) The interior glow of the coffee shop put a pit in your stomach.  Despite its welcoming light, you knew only heartache was there to greet you. With the dark clouds rolling in, you rubbed your shoulders and headed inside.  There wasn’t a wait in the order line, and the staff didn’t seem to recognize you either – you felt a wave of relief in that fact, since the morning crew had misjudged you so crassly.

“Hi, I’ll take an–“

“Earl Grey,” a seductive voice finished for you.  A meek smile broke your anxious expression when you saw Sehun staring down at you. His gaze gave you confidence that you were going to get the answers you sought.

“Make that three,” Heechul added, poking his head out from behind Sehun.  Upon seeing Baekhyun’s elder brother, the knot in your stomach grew tenfold.  You were surprised at his silence for the short trip to the table.  Heechul seemed the type to be rather gabby.  The stillness between you and the Byun brothers continued until it was broken by the barista bringing the three teas to the table.

“Thank you, miss,” Sehun politely thanked the young girl before redirecting his attention to you, “So, where would you like us to begin?”

You slumped back into your chair and wondered the best way to proceed.  Heechul’s formerly animated and friendly eyes had turned sinister and brooding, which made you wonder what secrets he was dying to divulge.  The shift in his energy made you uncomfortable, and you regretted inviting him to the meeting. 

“Tell me about Baekhyun as a child,” you finally decided, watching closely the reactions of each brother. Heechul seemed perplexed, while Sehun remained stoic.

“Why do you want to know that?” Heechul inquired, attempting to read your next move like a precocious game of chess.

“I want to know if Baekhyun was just as goofy then as he can be now; if he acted super cute or if he was introverted and shy – I just want to know really if his personality changed at all,” you rationalized, truly hoping some light would be shed on this alternate persona he’d manifested.

“Baekhyun has always been Baekhyun, if that’s what you’re asking.  He’s always been a little awkward and cheesy, but to answer your question, Baekhyun has been the same person from childhood until now,” Sehun answered before Heechul could say anything.  That didn’t manage to stop him from adding a comment of his own.

“Well of course he’s still the same – we all are.  I’m surprised he didn’t change when he saw our dear mother fucking the family chef.  Hm, then again, maybe he did…” Heechul trailed off, goading you to respond with the questions he wanted.  As curious as the comment made you, he would have to bait you with more than that to get you to bite.

“Good to know,” you firmly stated, moving away from the mother issue, “How old was he when he started dating?”  Heechul looked quite perturbed, since you weren’t playing his game, and Sehun’s poker face broke only slightly as he smirked at his older brother.

“Baekhyun was a late bloomer, despite his charming nature.  It wasn’t until he got into college and started hanging around Chanyeol that he began his experimentation with women,” Sehun informed, raising an eyebrow when your face winced at the sound of Chanyeol’s name.  

“Oh I heard all about you and Chanyeol,” Heechul dug, hoping then he could finally rile you.  “In fact, everyone in the family has!”  He chuckled to himself and took a sip of his tea. You tried your hardest not to react, but with the offensive way your eyes rolled at him, Heechul knew he was getting to you. 

“Aside from…Taeyeon, had Baekhyun ever loved any of the women he dated?” you continued, stumbling over your adversary’s name.  Both gentlemen noticed the anguish in your body language the moment her name escaped your lips.

“Yes,” they simultaneously responded, though each seemed surprised at the other’s answer.  Sehun paused, allowing his hyung to explain his answer first.

“Her name is Hayeon. She’s Tae—“

“How do you know about Hayeon?!” Sehun interrupted, shouting loud enough for the entire coffeehouse to hear. He instantly stood and apologized for his eruption, sat down, and cleared his throat before continuing. “Hyung, how long have you known about Hayeon?” 

“Who’s Hayeon?” you quietly asked, intrigued to know the other woman whom Baekhyun loved.

“Well that’s a complicated question to answer.  You know Hayeon, too…though you probably know her better as Taeyeon,” Heechul said with a disturbing grin.  “Taeyeon and Hayeon are twin sisters – well, they were.”

“Were?” you gulped, unable to avoid Heechul’s game any longer.

“Taeyeon started dating Baekhyun right as he graduated college.  The two fell head over heels for each other, but little did he know that Hayeon had fallen for him years before – he just never noticed her. Jealousy can be real monster, and Taeyeon was not immune to the depravity of her twin.  Hayeon has been masquerading as Taeyeon for years, warping the mind of your beloved Baekhyun.”

“What happened to the real Taeyeon?”

“No one knows for certain, but rumor has it Hayeon murdered her own sister in cold blood,” he said before pausing.  Heechul scoffed and continued, “And to think, you’re trying to go toe-to-toe with her! What a farce!”  Sehun had his face in his hands as he listened to his elder brother unveil the mystery behind one of the two evils in your life – which turned out to be just one person pulling the strings.

“Does Baekhyun know?” you pondered, praying that he was just as much a victim. 

“He doesn’t,” Sehun quickly interjected, “Y/N, what happened today?  I need to know.”

“So many things…Baekhyun…Taeyeon…” you muttered as you tried to remember the day’s events.  You had finished another round of torture from Baekhyun in the morning, lost your best friend by lunchtime, trudged through the mystifying afternoon tea adventure with Taeyeon, and fooled around with your ex-best friend’s brother.  Thinking back, you were just as mad as Taeyeon – or rather, Hayeon – and Baekhyun.  How were you even still coherent after a day like that? 

“Y/N?  It’s important – for your own safety – did Hayeon say anything about Jeju?” Sehun repeated his queue, waving his hand in front of your face to snap you back to reality. 

“Jeju?” you instinctually responded.  After a moment, you remembered what they’d mentioned at Suho’s birthday – Baekhyun had supposedly killed Taeyeon in Jeju.  Her odd behavior when reliving the experience finally made sense – that was when he ‘snapped’.  “No…she said she made him a monster and said she was trying to save me from him.”

You had the information you needed, despite learning a dark, tragic secret about Baekhyun’s past. Your aim was to save him – the man you loved – from the vile manipulation of the woman he believed he had once loved.  If she had contacted you, you were sure she was already working her way back into Baekhyun’s heart.

“Did she say what she was planning to do?” Sehun pressed, his indifference a distant memory.  It was clear he cared deeply for his brother, though why he hadn’t told Baekhyun the truth was still unknown.  You needed to find a way to end the conversation and get to Baekhyun’s side.

“No, I left before she could say anything.  I’m sure she’ll contact me again, and when she does I’ll let you know,” you hurriedly said as you got up from the table.

“Before you go,” Heechul spoke just before you could turn to leave, “They’re engaged.  Baekhyun and Taeyeon – oh excuse me, Hayeon.  I’d be careful in what you do.”

It was almost as though Heechul had read your mind – your plan fluttered away as the tears welled up in your eyes.  Anxiously pulling at your sleeves to cover your hands, you brought them up to your face to hide your dejection.  You fought with all your might to detain the sounds of agony from your unstoppable sobs. You didn’t want to believe that Baekhyun would simply run back to the imposter woman, but if he’d given her the power to warp his very being, it didn’t seem a far cry from the truth.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.  We should have told you,” Sehun apologized, clutching your shoulder for support.  Abandoning all need to be around the affluent family, you pulled out your phone and called an Uber.  Without a word, you removed yourself from their presence and waited for the cab under the awning of the building outside.  Not a minute before your ride arrived, Kai texted you.

Kai: “Just checking in. Everything okay?”

The black car pulled up and motioned for you to get in.  Upon entering the vehicle, your change in plans finally found an alternate route.

You: “What’s your address?”

Kai sent you his location immediately and without hesitation, you headed to his place.

Thinking about that night made your heart swell with all sorts of emotions.  The last month had been free of any discourse, and your life had seemed to heal and get back to normal.  The last text from Baekhyun haunted your dreams like a plague, and the longer you went without contact, the worse you began to feel.

Unknown: “I’m sorry. For everything.”

You wondered if Baekhyun was happy.  They say ignorance is bliss, and with the amount of secrecy in his family, you wondered if that statement held any truth.  Leaving the hotel room, you wandered the resort and couldn’t help but think about his relationship with Taeyeon and Hayeon – how was he unable to tell the difference between them?  How did a sweet relationship turn into a poisonous one?  What happened between them on this island?  Consumed with the thoughts of the cryptic nature of their relationship, you didn’t realize you’d meandered directly into a private party.

“Excuse me, young miss but this is an exclusive event for invitees only,” a boisterous woman crudely stated, ushering you out of the room with a gesture of her hand. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!  I was lost in thought, my apologies,” you contritely replied, backing out of the conservatory.  Once you looked up, you noticed a substantial amount of prestigious-looking women, all of whom began whispering at the sight of your face. Slowly backing out of the room, you made eye contact with the one who excused you, feeling an odd familiarity. When you made it to the door, you darted away from the judgmental glances.

“Wait!” the same voice called to you.  The pristine woman had followed you out the door and stopped you in the garden, eyeing you up and down in a curious manner.  “Is your name ‘Y/N’?”

“Y-yes…” you meekly replied, wondering just who she was and how she knew you.

“You dated my Baekhyun and broke his heart,” she curtly said, staring you down with a stern vengeance.

“W-what?  What are you talking about?” you blindsidedly refuted as you began to question your consciousness.  Of all places to be, it didn’t seem possible to run into Baekhyun’s mother while on vacation with another man.  You had to be dreaming.

“My dear Baekhyun has been wallowing in a spiral of bourbon and whores since you left him – ignoring his calls like the evil wench you are,” she disparaged, spitting venom at you like a viper.

“I didn’t break his heart – he stopped communication with me!  He blocked me!” you brashly defended, whipping out your phone to show your innocence.

“A likely story – my son was better off when he was betrothed to Taeyeon.  At least then he wouldn’t have muddied the bloodline with some poor beggar girl!” she callously rebuked, swatting your phone out of your hand. The mention of Taeyeon’s name brought back the sour memories of that fateful day once more.  You were done taking abuse from the women of high society.

“Is that all you care about? Reputation and image?  Baekhyun was right about you – it’s not like you ever loved him.  You’re just out to make yourself look good to societal standards,” you begrudged, grabbing your phone and readying yourself to walk away from this pitiful excuse for a mother.  Before you could move an inch, she cornered you against the hedges, leering over you like a cobra ready to strike.

“A mother always loves her child, regardless of how they feel about her.  I’m not the best mother, I’ll admit, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that you have shattered Baekhyun’s heart,” she reproached.

“Like I said, he stopped talking to me – he blocked me!” you yelled back, pushing her away from you.  You unlocked your phone and dialed Baekhyun’s number, putting it on speaker.  The same auto-attendant voice sounded from the device. “See? So unless my phone is broken, then it’s all on him.”

“It has to be your phone,” she bluntly said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and grabbing it from your clutches.  Pulling out her own device, she dialed a number and stared at yours waiting for a ring – nothing.  “Hm.  Just as I thought.” 

“Wait, what are you talking about?  What did you just do?” you stuttered as she tossed the phone back to you.

“Is this not your phone number?” she instigated, holding the screen to your face.  Your number as you knew it was there in black and white. Without hesitating, you grabbed her phone and dialed it again…and again…and again, only to hear the same auto-attendant like you’d heard for months when calling Baekhyun.  It didn’t make sense – how did your phone number not work?  

Baekhyun’s mother’s phone rang with a loud tone, startling you.  It was a number you didn’t recognize, and as you looked up to hand her the phone, you saw her holding yours to her ear, looking at you with a condemnatory expression.  Pieces were starting to come together – your phone number was no longer what you had thought.  Upon seeing your epiphany, Baekhyun’s mother hung up the phone.

“You should really look after your things – especially if you plan to be a part of Baekhyun’s world. Someone changed your phone number without your knowledge, and I’d start the list of suspects with the people who call you,” she monotonously explained, handing you back your phone and taking hers in the process.  “This wasn’t the best first impression, Y/N, but I expect you’ll make up for it the next time we meet!”

Within seconds, Baekhyun’s mother had disappeared back into the conservatory.  You wracked your brain for who could have possibly been the culprit – your phone never left your side. Months had passed since you’d had any contact with Taeyeon/Hayeon or Baekhyun – you’d really only spent time with…

Kai.  Thinking back to the night you first slept with him, your phone had died just after reading Baekhyun’s final text.  Kai only had his laptop available with a USB cord to charge your phone.  You didn’t want to think Kai was capable of doing something like that; he was too pure – he was Kay’s little brother.  The thought of Kai damaging your relationship with Kay filled your head, and your survival instincts began to kick into gear.  You had to get off the island – alone. 

“There you are!” Kai’s cheerful voice sounded from behind you.  His tenor sent chills up your spine, but you knew you had to act normal if you were to find a way back to Baekhyun.

“Hey babe, I’m sorry! I got distracted by the rain and didn’t want to wake you, so I decided to take a walk,” you lied, grinning ear-to-ear as you beamed up at him.  His smile matched yours and offered brunch at your resort, to which you agreed.  Upon reaching the restaurant, your phone buzzed in your back pocket – a sensation you hadn’t felt in too long.

“Grab us a table, I need to use the restroom real quick!” you falsely said as you excused yourself to the nearby ladies room.  Running into the stall, locking it, and pulling out your phone to read the new message happened in one fluid movement.  Seeing the words laid out on your screen, you had never been so happy to have run into such an impolite woman as Baekhyun’s mother.

BaeBae: “Jaaaaagiiiii…I found you. ;)”