Chapter Text
He sat on his balcony, one October afternoon. He had just finished unpacking his clothes and putting all the furniture in place. His new apartment reflected every bit of his personality. Every painting, every vase and every music record.
He felt really tired, having spent the whole day cleaning and sprucing up his new place, but he was happy. He paid a fortune by hiring an interior design team, but as he admired his white and baby blue minimalist-designed haven, he thought it was all worth it.
His apartment stood on the middle floor of a luxurious building in a high-end area, just five blocks from his office. It was a two bedroom apartment that had en-suite bathrooms, a huge balcony, and walk-in closets. He placed a glass table with matching white steel chairs on his balcony, which had a breathtaking view of the city.
The moment his broker had shown him the apartment, he had immediately fallen in love with it. It was expensive, but it was one of his dreams. He never indulged in other material things. For quite some time now, he had been saving for this apartment, a place where he would spend the rest of his life. According to his friends, this was where he would idle away his virgin years.
Yes. Kim Baekhyun was twenty- five years old. Never been touched and infrequently kissed.
His boyfriend, Kwon Minho, lived a thousand miles away from him. They had been together for three years now, but he lived in Massachusetts. While Minho went to medical school, Baekhyun worked as an editor.
Minho was old-fashioned. Traditional and quite a gentleman. He never insinuated that they should sleep together, and Baekhyun was thankful for it. Baekhyun had been fantasizing about his first time all his life. He wanted it to be an intense experience. The man, the time, the place …. Everything had to be perfect.
He wanted no regrets. It had to be unforgettable. He didn't hold on to it for so long, only to be disappointed. He wouldn't have sex just for the sake of losing his virginity. He wanted it to be electrifying and memorable, so that when his hair turned gray, he’d go back to that particular moment and remember it only with a smile on his face, nothing less.
Maybe he'd do it with Minho someday, but until they're both ready, he felt satisfied given the way things were.
Baekhyun met Minho at a party he attended with his family. Baekhyun’s parents were friends with Minho’s . Baekhyun thought he was cute and comfortable to be with, but not exactly his type. He usually preferred guys with a dangerous edge, cool facades, and a devil-may-care attitude. But he knew too well that there's always a high price to pay to be with a guy like that. There's too much risk involved, and Baekhyun didn't see himself as a risk taker. The last thing he wanted was to lose himself to a guy who would easily fool around with other people. So, he settled for safe, cute, and comfortable. And Minho, with his dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, tan skin and deep dimples, was an assured security blanket.
He recalled one of the many conversations he had with his friends about Minho. His best friend, Kim Jongin, once told him, “You should really think better of yourself. I think there are better fish in the ocean”.
Baekhyun met Jongin in college and they became close instantly. Their personalities weren't similar by any means, but somehow they matched. They've been best friends ever since.
His friends thought of Minho as too prim, too proper. In other words, too boring for him. They believed he deserved somebody much cuter and more interesting than Minho. Someone who could make him laugh, challenge his mind, and encourage him to explore his wilder side.
Baekhyun could understand their opinion perfectly well. He had never heard Minho tell a joke or laugh at one. Minho couldn't seem to tolerate simple foibles in human behavior; even temporary things like getting wasted, occasional smoking, short and revealing clothes or highlighted hair irked him. He was unaware that Baekhyun himself had found refuge with a cigarette once in a while.
“He's like the fireman who will always water your fire!” His other best friend Kim Yerim, said. “You have a wilder spirit than you'd like to admit. Having a guy who puts a stopper on all your flair won't help you spread your wings.”
Baekhyun met Yerim a year after he became friends with jongin in college. Jongin and Yerim are siblings, but they look nothing alike. Even personality-wise, they are opposites. While Jongin is all sweet and soft and a bit sassy, Yerim speaks without a filter and is often so loud you would think she’d swallowed a microphone. Though she may come off as a bit brash, Yerim is really caring and treats Baekhyun like her own brother. Baekhyun and Yerim now work together. Yerim writes gossip columns which is perfect for her because she is a very nosy person.
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Minho hoped to be a doctor one day, just like his parents. Baekhyun's sister, Taeyeon, goes to the same medical school as Minho.
Baekhyun could never be a doctor, no matter how smart he was. He couldn't stand the smell and sight of blood. He was the odd one out in a family of doctors. Well, maybe if you can't be one, then marry one. And maybe that was the reason he dated Minho in the first place.
Baekhyun had a broken relationship with his mother. Somehow, he felt that his mother didn't love him the same way she loved his sister. And all his life, he tried his best to win her over. But she never acknowledged him. Not even when he got accepted by the best universities in the country. Not even when he graduated with Honours. Instead of being proud, his mother said, "it's a very easy program!".
Baekhyun earned a dual degree in journalism and mass communications. He possessed a talent for writing. He was the only one in his family who had a knack for it. His sister couldn't put a paragraph together; his mother couldn't understand the context of metaphors, and his father never showed interest in any form of literature. But no matter how good he was, his family brushed off his achievements like they were insignificant.
At the party where Baekhyun met Minho, his mother introduced Minho to his sister first. But he couldn't take his eyes off Baekhyun. He tried to strike up a conversation with him every chance he got. Baekhyun’s mother must have really liked Minho, for it didn't matter which child of hers he asked out. At first, he didn’t know what his mother saw in Minho. But Baekhyun became so engrossed in pleasing her that he eventually found himself enjoying Minho’s company too.
But Baekhyun lived in New York and Minho was in medical school in Massachusetts. Their odd working hours and heavy load made it impossible for them to see each other often.
They often spoke on the phone, but they only saw each other once a month, sometimes less than that. However, Baekhyun got used to their setup and thought that the phone calls and video chats were enough to keep him secure with their relationship.
What else could he have asked for? They loved each other. His mother strongly approved of their relationship. When the time felt right, maybe they’d get married and Baekhyun would lose his virginity on their wedding night. What else could be more perfect?
Maybe he wasn’t like Yerim or the people who enjoyed sex and sleeping with their boyfriends. He had accepted feeling old-fashioned and would rather wait for the right guy or for marriage. His friends might argue that Baekhyun just said this because Minho never triggered sexual feelings in him, but what if he wasn’t a sexual person? What if he just felt incapable of succumbing to intense passion? Moreover, his conversations with Minho always drifted into topics like HIV, teenage pregnancy, and abortion. If those weren’t mood killers for sex, he didn’t know what might be.
Like his parents, Minho did not approve of his job. Getting this apartment offered a way for Baekhyun to show them that he could manage well on his own, even though he wasn’t a doctor. He found a way to assert his independence and stand up for himself, regardless of what they wanted him to do or who they wanted him to be.
Suddenly, Baekhyun felt glum. Ten minutes ago, he was happy, and content with his life, but now, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Thinking about Minho and his own parents had that effect on him. No matter how posh this apartment seemed, his mother wouldn’t approve of it. She would think Baekhyun wasted his money. Yes, it put a huge dent in his savings, and he would require years to pay off a sizable mortgage, but when did he ever do anything risky in his life?
His eyes drifted off to his neighbors balcony. Baekhyun hadn’t seen them yet, and he hoped they’d be nice or at the very least, trustworthy. He shared a bedroom wall with them. Not only that, his bedroom window was parallel to theirs and a wide platform connected them, the kind that would allow them to break into his apartment through his bedroom window. This was the only thing he didn’t like about the place. Every day he prayed that he hadn’t become neighbors with mobsters.
He scanned the steel chairs and glass table on the balcony beside his. They seemed almost the same as his, only theirs were black. Good to know that he and his neighbors had the same taste.
Baekhyun noticed an abandoned bottle of Heineken and an ashtray with cigarette butts. He guessed that at least one male lived in that family. And likely, no babies. Baekhyun believes he either lived next to a couple or a bachelor. It’s comforting to know no one would complain if he held parties or let his friends sleepover and jongin decided to play Shinee over and over again.
Baekhyun turned around and started going back into the living room. Just before he could completely go inside, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. His neighbor stepped out onto the balcony. He wore only a pair of jeans. Baekhyun stared at his perfectly tanned torso. His biceps were remarkably massive and he at least had a six-pack. The stranger lit a cigarette, and stared out into the sky, lost in his thoughts. His jet-black hair was disheveled and even from afar, Baekhyun could make out the long, dark eyelashes.
As he stared at the man’s profile, a sense of familiarity filled him. Oh my god! It can’t be!. Baekhyun’s heart was pounding loudly against his chest. He knew the stranger, well, not really a stranger. His neighbor was NYC’s most wanted bachelor, a.k.a, the city’s most notorious playboy, Park Chanyeol.
Baekhyun’s mind raced with information about him he didn’t even know he had.
Prodigal heir of Park Industries, son of a steel and mining magnate; filthy rich. But instead of living in the shadows of his father, he desired to draw his own map, his own future. Park Chanyeol graduated with a double degree from Harvard, straight A’s, high distinction, but he made his father quite angry when he announced that he wouldn't work for their company right away. Instead, he chose to play in the stock market and opted to use his hobby, photography, for gainful employment.
Chanyeol worked as a freelance photographer for IRIDESCENT , the magazine that also employed Baekhyun. He was a celebrity in the office. All the girls and even a few boys fancied themselves in love with him. Even Yerim couldn't stop talking about him like he was god’s gift to men and women alike, or finally one guy deserved being called one. Baekhyun was probably the only one who didn't want to go to bed with him. He found him intriguing, yes. But he didn't really understand the fuss about him.
Baekhyun hid behind his curtain and continued to watch him. Okay. He's not bad. No! Who am I kidding? He looks as handsome as the devil himself! He sighed to himself. Maybe he's worth the fuss after all!
Chanyeol fished his phone out of his pocket and made some calls while standing on his balcony. After a few minutes, he put out his light and went inside. Baekhyun continued to watch him through his window. He put on a white shirt, grabbed his leather jacket, and left.
Baekhyun couldn't help smiling to himself. My apartment just got even more interesting!