Man in the Portrait - One
Title: Man in the Portrait
Pairing: Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Side Pairing(s): Kris/Baekhyun
Rating: R
Warning(s): [click to open]character death, language, portrait!chanyeol
Summary: Chanyeol only had 24 hours when he was given a chance. Baekhyun wanted forever when everything was too late.
Part One
It was somewhere in late of November when he first opened his eyes and realized that the world around him was so beautiful. He had never seen such a view before. Little did he know, if he looked closer, he was actually in a confined room. Strangely, the view was still beautiful to him, though he realized that it was in a total mess. Half of the room was filled with white canvases laid against the wall along with dozens of paintbrushes scattered on the floor to add up to the chaos in the room. A dusty middle-sized cabinet took up most of the spaces, leaving no room for the small things to cast their shadows on the floor.
In front of him, there was a middle-aged man with smiling eyes and a wrinkled forehead, looking at him intently. He somehow looked dissatisfied. As time passed, the man occasionally frowned and smiled at the same time. He wondered why he was right in front of the unknown man, and why he couldn’t move a single bit of his body when the man could.
A small chuckle escaped the man’s lips, leaving him in confusion. There was a whisper telling him to scream. He wanted to scream so loudly when the man suddenly pointed a paintbrush right at his left eye, or so he thought. However, luck was not on his side because he couldn’t let any voice out. A brief second later, a woman around the man’s age, with brown wavy hair and a gentle-looking face walked into the messy room, bringing a cup of tea in her hands.
“He looks gorgeous, dear,” the woman said in awe as she turned her head to the man’s direction. She set the cup on a small desk right at the corner of the room. Later then, she walked straight and stood beside the unknown man.
“Doesn’t he?” A smile hovered on the man’s chapped lips. He looked somehow exhausted and weary, but he managed to let out a sigh of relief as he stood up and walked away to grab the cup. He took a sip of his drink, savoring the fine taste of freshly brewed tea.
The woman then sat on the chair, a little bit wobbly before she stabilized herself on it. She then looked at him attentively while squinting her eyes a bit. “What is his name?”
“What is it?” The middle-aged man who was still sipping at his tea looked at the woman.
“He should have a name too, like your other works; Mark, Stefan and all.” She smiled as she turned around to see the man.
“I’m thinking of a suitable Korean name for him, since he looks a lot like a typical Korean guy,” he mused. “My other works were all real people who have their real names, but… this one is not.”
“He’s not a real person?” The woman looked so surprised. Her eyes widened, a bit startled when she turned around to look at him again. “But he looks so real and beautiful.”
The man chuckled. “I met him in my dream last night. It felt so surreal, like I don’t even know if he really exists or not. Maybe I’ve once stumbled upon him while I was walking on the street. You know, things like these sometimes happen to many people.” He explained before giving a stare at the woman, and put the cup back on the desk. Wiping his lips with his long and thin fingers, he walked forward towards the woman.
“Did he appear in your dream?” The woman asked back. “That’s so wonderful. How could you even remember what he looks like when he’s just a guy in your dream? And baby…” she stopped talking before continued. “I mean, look at his sparkling eyes. He’s a gorgeous boy.”
The man flashed a grin. “Like I said, it felt so surreal. This young boy right here, I think he was trying to tell me something last night. We were in a small cottage surrounded by a corn field and I don’t think I know where that place is. But when I wandered around the cottage, this boy happened to be there,” the man stopped talking for a while as he recalled his dream.
“He told me that he had been waiting for me for quite some time and wanted to tell me something. I was startled at first, not knowing what to reply. And seconds after, he was gone. He literally vanished into thin air. Just like that, right before my eyes, and that’s when I jolted up from sleep, realizing that it was only just a dream.” He then sighed in disappointment. The dream was still fresh and new in his mind, so how could he forget such a gorgeous face?
“So is that why you decided to draw his face?”
“I guess so. Maybe he’s real in this life. Maybe he’s just my imagination. But there’s something I felt whenever I drew every single line of his features. I don’t know, but this is the first time I felt so happy drawing someone’s face though I don’t even know who he is.”
The woman smiled in return. “So are you indicating that you weren’t happy when you drew those previous portraits of yours?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. Of course I was happy.” He smiled, taking a deep breath in between the sentences. “After all, drawing is my passion,” he added. “But this time, it feels different. Drawing him is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s hard to explain, darling.”
The woman smiled. She understood it clearly. Emotions or feelings were something that people weren’t be able to explain, even through spoken words. Nodding her head slightly, she asked the man. “So what are you going to name him?”
The man walked up, his hands wrapping around the woman’s shoulders. “I think I’m going to name him Chanyeol.”
“Chanyeol,” the woman repeated. “That’s a nice name. I really love it, dear.” She smiled once again before taking a good look at the subject. “Maybe I should buy a frame for him too.”
It was only later that Chanyeol knew that he was just a man in the portrait, not a human being like the man or the woman before his eyes.
It was three days later when Chanyeol knew that his creator’s name was Mr. Byun. A few minutes after Mr. Byun was satisfied with his artwork, Chanyeol was put in the living room, with a silver frame adorned around the portrait. It was a frame Mr. Byun’s wife had bought two days ago. Chanyeol silently thanked Mr. Byun for putting him there because it was the perfect place to see people going in and out from the house.
Mr. Byun was actually a famous painter, Chanyeol learnt. The former had traveled all around the world, drawn every single face of people he had talked to, and turned them into a beautiful portrait. Some portraits he had drawn would be sold to anyone who would pay under reasonable prices, while some of them would be put and displayed in his gallery. If the portrait was precious to him or if it reminded him of some sweet moments, he would keep them in his house.
However, Chanyeol wasn’t like any other of Mr. Byun’s drawings. He was actually a tad different. He could understand the things people said whenever they saw his portrait, and Chanyeol could never pretend that he actually understood what they were saying.
“He looks so beautiful!”
“Look at his big eyes!”
“Your wife is right. His eyes really sparkle.”
If Chanyeol could talk, he would thank all of them for the compliments. Most of Mr. Byun’s friends were artists too, so he was really glad because he was being praised for being a beautiful portrait drawn by his creator. Their eyes would fix onto Chanyeol’s portrait, trying to decipher the meaning behind his deep stare. For the first time in his life, Chanyeol was proud to be living in this world, though he was only a portrait.
Other than that, Chanyeol could tell that Mr. Byun’s house was quite big. Looking at how big the living room was, he could tell that Mr. Byun was a rich person. However, there were only two people staying in it: Mr. Byun and his wife. Judging by how quiet the house was, Chanyeol guessed Byun’s family hadn’t had any child. He had seen some of Mr. Byun’s friends come with their children, and Chanyeol liked how their laughter filled the house. Maybe Mr. Byun didn’t have the chance to have children like his friends had. At least not now.
Sometimes, Mr. Byun would clean his portrait with a clean towel, treating him like he was made of fragile material. Chanyeol wanted to thank Mr. Byun so much for creating him, for letting him live in this world, but then again he knew he could never do that.
Sometimes, Mr. Byun would talk to him about everything. Even though Chanyeol couldn’t reply to Mr. Byun’s words, he wanted to let the man know that he would listen to everything.
Chanyeol never knew how he looked like. He kept wondering and asking some questions to himself. Was he a handsome man like Mr. Byun? Were his eyes really sparkling as what Mrs. Byun had said on the first day they met? And other than that, what color of skin tone did he have? All those questions kept lingering around Chanyeol’s mind, and they kept bugging him.
His questions were answered one day; maybe God heard his silent prayers when Mr. Byun bought a big mirror and asked the men to place it right across the wall Chanyeol was put. When it was set up carefully, it was then Chanyeol could clearly see his face for the first time.
Chanyeol was left speechless; even though he could never talk in the first place. His eyes stared into distance, looking at himself through the mirror.
He had big brown-black eyes, and it really sparkled just like Mrs. Byun had said before. He didn’t know what color his hair had, but it was similar to something like wine, Chanyeol noticed. He remembered the color of wine when Mr. Byun called over his friends to come over to his house and had a few nonchalant talks, accompanied by couple glasses of wine until midnight came.
Chanyeol’s eyes then focused on his lips. They were a bit plump, light red in color that almost shamed the roses. His nose was not too short or too long; it was perfectly fine. His eyes darted to the lower part of the portrait of him, noticing that he wore a coat and a striped shirt on the inside. However, there was one thing that irked him the most. Chanyeol didn’t like his ear. He had big ears that stuck out too much, not like Mr. Byun’s. The latter’s ears were fine and looked perfect too, Chanyeol thought. Even so, it wasn’t like he could complain about it to Mr. Byun, because he wasn’t a human in the first place. Mr. Byun said he only met Chanyeol in his dream, so Chanyeol guessed that maybe he really looked like that.
Another thing Chanyeol kept noticing was when every time there were people who came to his house to appreciate Mr. Byun’s drawings, there would be one favorite question asked by them when they came across Chanyeol’s portrait.
“Where did you find him?”
And there would be a definite answer to the same question.
“He’s the only one that I found in my dream.”
Chanyeol couldn’t recall his meeting with Mr. Byun in his dream before he was created. He didn’t know why Mr. Byun kept talking to him as if he were a human. Maybe Mr. Byun was lonely. Maybe he had no one he could really talk to whenever he had bad times.
Mr. Byun always had that solemn face whenever he talked about his wife. He once told Chanyeol that he had married to her for almost four years, but luck was not on their side because they still had no sons or daughters. He didn’t blame their fate, he just didn’t know what had gone wrong.
“You know what, Chanyeol. I really wanted a son, long before we were married,” Mr. Byun said one day.
Is that why you are always sad?
“I just wanted my wife to be happy, because I know she’s been pretending to smile every time we talk about our friends’ children.”
Mr. Byun’s eyes then looked into Chanyeol’s eyes, hoping that the portrait would give a response. But he knew, that was utterly impossible. If and only if he knew that Chanyeol had been answering to each of his questions, he would never dare to say anything to Chanyeol; because portraits weren’t supposed to talk and understand everything.
When everyone had gone to sleep, it was then Chanyeol silently prayed that God would give Mr. Byun’s family happiness.
Miracles did happen. Mrs. Byun was pregnant when she told her husband that she felt sick. They had no idea that they would come home with good news from the hospital.
On the other hand, Chanyeol knew God heard his prayer. If he could scream in happiness, he would. He was so thankful that he was a part of this family, and he hoped they felt the same too.
It was somewhere in the late of May in 1992 when Chanyeol met him. Mr. Byun was rushing in and out of the house, carrying a lot of things in his hand as he tried to keep his body balanced. After a while, Chanyeol could see Mrs. Byun walk slowly towards the living room as she was holding something in her hand. Chanyeol was left surprised when he saw that her stomach was not big like nine months before, and he wondered what had actually happened. A few minutes later, Mr. Byun then dashed towards his wife and helped her out by guiding the way to the sofa.
Chanyeol’s eyes focused on the thing Mrs. Byun was holding. It was neatly covered with white towel and it somehow looked so small and fragile.
“I’ll get the things from the car first. You just stay here with Baekhyun okay,” Mr. Byun said before leaving his wife alone.
If Chanyeol could make an expression, he was sure he would be frowning. That thing had a name like him, and the name was Baekhyun. It was a beautiful name, Chanyeol thought. After all, Mr. Byun was always good in choosing names. He even thought that his name sounded beautiful too.
Later, Mr. Byun came in and sat beside his wife. His face was filled with happiness, and Chanyeol clearly noticed that.
“You cutie pie,” Mr. Byun whispered as he kissed that thing named Baekhyun. When Mrs. Byun flipped over the towel that covered Baekhyun, Chanyeol then realized that Baekhyun was a baby. The painter’s gaze sparkled, and his smile turned wider as seconds passed by. He pinched Baekhyun’s cheek and kissed him on the forehead once again.
Chanyeol looked from afar and he couldn’t really tell what was going on. He felt something strike his heart; if he could feel any, but there was a pang of jealousy too when both of them smiled in happiness.
“Chanyeol,” Mr. Byun looked at him, smiling.
Yes?
“This is my precious son, Byun Baekhyun,” he said before pulling his eyes away to look at Baekhyun. “And Baekhyun. He’s my precious friend, Chanyeol.”
Hello, Baekhyun.
Baekhyun’s eyes were small and Chanyeol swore that his portrait was four times bigger than Baekhyun.
Chanyeol was glad that the family finally grew bigger. There was nothing Chanyeol could wish for, as long as they were living a happy life. Above all, Chanyeol was grateful to be living with them too.
Baekhyun was almost two when he finally talked. The only words he knew were Dad, Mom and Chanyeol. Chanyeol was glad that he was in the list of words Baekhyun knew.
At times, Baekhyun would be left alone in the living room, playing all by himself. He would cry when he got bored, but when his eyes fixed at Chanyeol’s eyes, he would immediately stop crying. Chanyeol had a stare that would hush Baekhyun’s cry down, and he was glad that he was able to keep an eye on Baekhyun; although Mr. Byun had no idea that a portrait could keep an eye on his son.
At some other nights, Baekhyun would sleep in the living room with his right thumb stuck in his mouth. He often drooled too, and Chanyeol would say that Baekhyun was a cute boy.
Chanyeol sometimes wondered how life as a human would be. He was obviously jealous of the human’s ability to walk everywhere they wanted when all he could do was to stay still. He really wanted to feel the feelings by talking, like literally talking and how it felt to love and be loved.
He really wanted to be a human like Baekhyun.
Baekhyun was five when he had to face the most tragic incident that happened in his life. Mr. Byun was found dead in their bathroom due to depression. Unknown pills were scattered on the wet floor and blood was everywhere. Lying there near the bathtub, there was a small knife; and they believed Mr. Byun cut himself to death.
No one knew the real reason of his death. Mrs. Byun was so devastated by the news, but she had to be strong for Baekhyun.
On the other hand, Chanyeol wanted to cry so hard. At first, he didn’t understand what death meant to humans, or to him. But seeing how much Mrs. Byun suffer through days and nights without her husband, seeing how clueless little Baekhyun was when his mother kept hugging him and telling him to stay strong; Chanyeol supposed life as a human wasn’t that beautiful or perfect as he had always thought.
That night, the pain inside Chanyeol was greater than any other days as seconds came and went.
Chanyeol was left alone in the living room as usual. No one would talk to him like always, because the only person who always did that was Mr. Byun. And he wasn’t there anymore to accompany Chanyeol.
The rain was falling hard and thunder crashed in the sky, leaving Chanyeol to feel so lonely and afraid. He had gone through a roller coaster of emotions since he had been living in that house.
Chanyeol would feel happy if Mr. Byun talked to him and told him about his days.
Chanyeol would feel sad if no one was there with him when he needed one.
Chanyeol would feel jealous when he saw Baekhyun being hugged and loved so much by his parents because he wanted to feel it too.
Chanyeol would feel irritated every time he saw his reflection in the mirror, especially when his eyes focused on his ears.
Chanyeol had felt most kind of emotions; but he loved them anyway.
It was then he heard someone walk towards the living room quietly. The clock read 11pm, and Chanyeol wondered who would be around that area late at night.
It was Mrs. Byun, striding closer to Chanyeol. Her eyes looked heavy with emotions, and Chanyeol thought maybe she wanted to tell him something like her late husband had always done in his previous life whenever he was sad.
But his guess was wrong. Mrs. Byun didn’t come there to talk to him, or to complain anything to him. Instead, she took the frame off the wall and padded towards the stairs.
Chanyeol wanted to ask why, but he couldn’t. He barely heard a sniff coming from Mrs. Byun as she held the portrait tightly in her arms.
It was later then Chanyeol noticed they both arrived at the attic. When she opened the door to the attic, the surrounding was cold and unfriendly. It was dark and Mrs. Byun didn’t bother to switch on the lamp. Chanyeol couldn’t see anything in there.
He didn’t like it there. He preferred to be in the living room, even though sometimes he felt left out. But this was even worse than being in the living room.
He wanted to shout when Mrs. Byun put him on the floor and leaned him against the wall. Giving Chanyeol a last look, Mrs. Byun said, “I’m sorry, Chanyeol.”
Why are you sorry?
“You remind me of my late husband, Chanyeol.” She heaved a sigh. “I-I need to get rid of you before anything turns out of control.”
Chanyeol knew Mrs. Byun was still sad over her husband’s death, but that didn’t mean she could leave him alone in this confined, quiet attic. Chanyeol hated being alone; he hated seeing everyone dwelling in sadness. What wrong had a portrait done to make it receive such punishment? He had feelings too. Chanyeol wished he could tell the woman before him those words.
“Chanyeol.”
There was uncertainty in Mrs. Byun’s voice. Her eyes looked gloomy but Chanyeol’s were gloomier, if she could notice that.
Please don’t leave me. I hate being alone.
“I’m sorry, Chanyeol. You’re the last one I put in here. I’m sure he would do the same thing if he were at my place.”
Chanyeol had already pictured his fate. Left alone in the confined, dusty room until someone came up to save him once again; that was what he was sure of.
He felt something wet fall from his eyes and he didn’t know what it was. That was the last time Chanyeol had seen the light when Mrs. Byun slammed shut the door, leaving the portrait in the darkness.
Chanyeol never knew it had been almost a year he was sitting still in the darkness, without no one to share the warmth with him. He missed everything, and he missed his reflection on the mirror. But the most important thing was that, he missed the family he was living with. He would never hear Baekhyun’s giggle in the living room whenever the child was left alone to play by himself. He would never hear compliments from visitors anymore, would never hear his heart beating in excitement whenever Mr. Byun or anyone talked to him. He missed everything.
Seconds came and went, and twelve years passed by so fast. Baekhyun had grown up into a lively boy. His cheerful smile resembled his late father so much. His artistic talent surely came from Mr. Byun, but he focused more on singing rather than drawing. Drawing wasn’t his cup of tea, and he wondered why someone would bother sitting for hours just to draw a picture on the canvas.
Baekhyun had mostly won in most of the singing competitions his school was holding together with his friends, Kyungsoo and Jongdae. Not to mention, he even got an invitation to perform on the stage with professional singers for the National Day. Although Baekhyun was famously known as one of the youngest singers in his district, his mother would still hate the fact that being famous was actually nothing.
Baekhyun’s father was once a famous painter too. Everyone thought he was living a happy life when in fact, he was living with depression. No one knew why, because he never told his problem to anybody; except to Chanyeol. But the thing was, he still screened some of them and chose to keep the problems in his heart. That was his problem.
And obviously Mrs. Byun didn’t want to lose Baekhyun too. She was afraid that Baekhyun would face too much pressure and end up doing the same thing like her late husband did.
Baekhyun had long forgotten how it felt to have a father, because he barely remembered anything when his father was gone. He was just five when he lost a father. And when graduation day appeared, Baekhyun would always ignore the glances he got because everyone in his class, or maybe school knew his dad was dead. The news spread quickly since his father took away his life on his own. And even though it had been years already, the tale of a famous painter killing himself due to depression was the one that would never die.
The attic was covered with dust and spider webs, Baekhyun noticed. A single dim light bulb lit the area as he turned on the switch. The place was quite small, with a steeply slanted roof and a small window at the west side. It was covered with a black rug which was blocking the sunlight to reach in the dark attic. Baekhyun covered his nose with his hands to avoid inhaling the dust, slightly coughing as he accidentally inhaled the dirty air.
He rolled up his sleeves, and bent his body down to rummage through the junks and old things his parents had put years ago.
As his eyes roamed around the attic filled with his late father’s belongings, Baekhyun finally found what he wanted.
An old photo book was there inside a small box behind the curtain, revealing the old photos of his family. His face lit up in happiness upon holding an old photograph of his mother and his late father together in their old house in Busan. It was back when Baekhyun wasn’t born yet. His mother was wearing a white dress with red polka-dots, and his late father was wearing a complete white suit, with a black walking stick in his grip. There was surely a vibe of old picture, since the color was almost faded. He squinted at the handwritten notes written at the back of the old photograph. Baekhyun guessed it was his father’s handwriting, since he was known to have a better handwriting than his mother.
A smile curved on his lips as Baekhyun turned around and decided to go downstairs, but he immediately stopped walking when he felt something was eyeing him. His goosebumps started peeking out on his fair skin, and Baekhyun’s eyes darted around once again.
No one was there in the attic. Actually, no one was supposed to be there.
Baekhyun shook his thoughts away, pretending that he was being delusional. With one hand closing the door to the attic, he climbed down the stairs and hopped towards the kitchen which was located near to the attic.
“Mom! I found your picture!” Baekhyun’s voice resonated across the house. He gave his mother a warm hug before showing her the picture he found in the attic.
His mother finally smiled when the old picture exchanged hands. She had to wipe her tears of happiness, or maybe sadness, because she just missed her late husband.
She took a glance at her son for a moment. Baekhyun resembled her husband so much, and she had to admit that she would inevitably cry whenever she saw her son’s face. The happy eyes, the cheeky cheeks and the rectangular-shaped mouth whenever he smiled were all too similar. But all in all, Baekhyun was there with her and that was enough for her.
“Don’t cry, Mom,” Baekhyun pleaded with a whiny voice. He wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulder, pulling her into his warm embrace. “This is why I don’t want to show you the picture. I know this would somehow happen,” Baekhyun said, his mouth slowly turned into a pout.
She smiled while wiping her tears from her swollen eyes. “Shut up, Baek…”
Baekhyun hugged her tightly and he had to agree that he hated seeing his mother cry. He only had her in his life and seeing her shed any tears was the last thing he had ever wished for.
Chanyeol never expected that he would see Baekhyun again. He was surprised when he saw Baekhyun in the attic yesterday, and shockingly he came again today. His heart leaped in happiness when he saw Baekhyun’s face. The boy was rushing towards the corner in the attic, but Chanyeol could still see him from afar.
Baekhyun looked tired and disheveled, different than yesterday. Yesterday, he was so happy while looking at the photograph. Yesterday, he was so happy when he called out for his mother. But today, he wasn’t like that. Chanyeol somehow hated seeing Baekhyun’s tired face, and he wondered what had happened to the young boy.
It was then Baekhyun suddenly burst into tears. He buried his face in his palms, and his cries could be heard clearly too. His body shuddered, slightly in pain and anger because he felt that today was just an awful day for him.
Chanyeol wondered why, and what happened to him. He awfully wanted to ask Baekhyun, but he knew he could never do that. He was sitting there quietly, trying to read Baekhyun’s mind, since that was the first time he had seen Baekhyun cry all alone.
Chanyeol was startled with the sudden sound of the music that reverberated in the small room. He noticed that Baekhyun took something out of his pocket, and put it on his ear.
“No, just leave me alone.” Chanyeol suddenly heard Baekhyun’s voice.
He kept staring at Baekhyun from behind, who had his back facing Chanyeol. At times, Baekhyun would wipe the tears that fell on his cheeks. He was trying to sound as natural as possible when he talked to someone Chanyeol didn’t know.
“My mom won’t allow me to participate in that competition, alright?” Baekhyun said again. And this time, he was crying harder as he silently listened to the voice on the other line.
“No, please. I’m just fine, Sehun. Please don’t tell Yifan or anyone. Promise me.”
Silence again.
“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks anyway.”
Baekhyun was done for that day. Taking his time, he stood up, straightening his body before he walked towards the stairs and climbed down.
On the other side of the attic, a portrait of a young man leaning against the wall was looking at Baekhyun intently until Baekhyun made his way out of the attic. He wished he could be with Baekhyun and told him that he would always be there whenever Baekhyun needed him. He wanted Baekhyun to know that he shouldn’t be afraid of being alone, because he, Chanyeol, would never leave him alone.
It was a typical night like any other nights. The clock struck almost midnight when Chanyeol suddenly heard a strange inhuman sound in the attic. Everything looked the same around him. Nothing appeared in front of him or frightened him. He heard the voice twice already, noticing that the sound was new to him.
“Interesting.”
A husky voice was heard. Chanyeol blanched. He was scared to death because he didn’t recognize that voice. The only voices he was familiar with were Mr. Byun and his wife’s. And Baekhyun’s too. Their voices were friendly and kind, but this one, it had a very dangerous vibe in it.
W-Who are you?
“This is my first time seeing a crying portrait. Like really, you’re indeed a special one. I’ve never seen anything like this though.”
Who are you?!
“Ah, don’t be afraid, Chanyeol. I’m here to help you.” The voice chuckled in happiness, leaving Chanyeol to be more than afraid. “I can help you to become a human.”
Y-You can hear me? How do you know my name?
“That’s quite a long story to be told. But let’s just assume that I am actually an angel sent from a place between heaven and hell,” said the voice. “And I know you need my help.”
Chanyeol doubted it. How could an angel sound so creepy and dangerous at the same time? Before Chanyeol could think any further, a sudden gush of wind hit him and the portrait fell down from the wall onto the floor, lying helplessly. Chanyeol was now staring defenselessly at the floor, realizing that he could do nothing to protect himself from the unknown voice.
“Hello, Chanyeol.”
Chanyeol sensed his frame being picked up by someone, and he was put against the wall again. He swore his heart flinched in surprise when he saw the silhouette in front of him.
There was a man, wearing all black from head to toe. Chanyeol was obviously surprised with the sudden appearance of the unknown man. But of course, Chanyeol didn’t take a few steps back as he saw the man, who was bending his body down, face to face with him. He wished he could run away, but he forgot that he was just a portrait.
“Now boy, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you,” the unknown man said, as if he could sense the tense inside Chanyeol’s mind. He bent his body down lower so that his eyes met with Chanyeol’s. He picked the portrait up slowly and held it up high in the air, before putting it down against the wall back.
D-don’t come closer to me.
The angel in disguise chuckled again. He pretended not to hear Chanyeol’s plea and walked closer.
“I heard your prayer,” he went on. “My name’s Kai. And I grant wishes from non-living things, like you,” the angel, Kai, whispered as he leaned in closer. He chuckled amusingly. Chanyeol didn’t like his tone though. Yet, he still believed that the man in front of him wasn’t a human either, because his instinct said so. He noticed that Kai’s eyes changed color every time his emotion altered too. When Kai was laughing, his eyes turned sapphire blue, and they would turn to blood red when he stopped laughing. That freaked Chanyeol out, but he guessed that was natural for an angel to have that ability.
“I know you wanted to be a human ever since you first saw the world around you,” Kai smiled as he said that. “Even though it was not an easy wish to be granted, I can still do that,” Kai said, sounded a bit promising.
You can help me?
“Of course I can, but there is one thing I need to tell you,” Kai smiled, but Chanyeol knew there was a hidden truth behind it. Somehow, he didn’t feel the need to hear Kai’s next words, but he had no choice but to do so.
And what is that?
“I can turn you into a human under one condition though,” Kai continued, and his smile curved even wider as he laughed cynically. His eyes turned to blue and red at the same time, and that scared Chanyeol even more.
On the other hand, Chanyeol knew he was going to sacrifice his life for that. He knew the time had come. After all, he really wanted to become a human. He wanted to be with everyone in the family, and Baekhyun too.
“Give me your soul in exchange,” Kai muttered under his breath, and he once again flashed a devious smile as he saw the sudden change in Chanyeol’s eyes. Humans couldn’t see or sense the sadness in his eyes, but Kai could easily tell that Chanyeol was confused and felt cheated at the same time. Life wasn’t as beautiful as Chanyeol had thought.
Chanyeol wanted to ask why. It was because of all things, why did he have to give his soul to the angel? But Kai had answered his curiosity without even being told to.
“Because you weren’t meant to be a human in the first place,” Kai mused. “And I can only give you a chance to be a human in just a day, not forever.”
You weren’t meant to be a human in the first place…
Chanyeol’s heart plummeted-if he had one. He knew he had no choice. Even though it was kind of unfair for him, he couldn’t voice out his objection. He was a mere portrait that needed a body for his soul to live in. Above all, he wanted Baekhyun to know that he would be there for him, and that he would love Baekhyun and sacrifice everything as long as Baekhyun was happy again.
And Kai laughed deviously as Chanyeol agreed to his condition.
Narrowing his eyes in dangerous way, Kai muttered, “You’re sure about this?”
Chanyeol didn’t need to be asked twice. He was really sure of his decision.
Smiling, Kai said, “You’ll regret this later.”
Chanyeol felt like the world around him was spinning so suddenly that he couldn’t see anything. Everything was pitch black. Though he was still afraid of what the new world would look like, he just let everything go. He knew that everything would be fine. He just knew.
Prologue | Two
Pairing: Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Side Pairing(s): Kris/Baekhyun
Rating: R
Warning(s): [click to open]character death, language, portrait!chanyeol
Summary: Chanyeol only had 24 hours when he was given a chance. Baekhyun wanted forever when everything was too late.
Part One
It was somewhere in late of November when he first opened his eyes and realized that the world around him was so beautiful. He had never seen such a view before. Little did he know, if he looked closer, he was actually in a confined room. Strangely, the view was still beautiful to him, though he realized that it was in a total mess. Half of the room was filled with white canvases laid against the wall along with dozens of paintbrushes scattered on the floor to add up to the chaos in the room. A dusty middle-sized cabinet took up most of the spaces, leaving no room for the small things to cast their shadows on the floor.
In front of him, there was a middle-aged man with smiling eyes and a wrinkled forehead, looking at him intently. He somehow looked dissatisfied. As time passed, the man occasionally frowned and smiled at the same time. He wondered why he was right in front of the unknown man, and why he couldn’t move a single bit of his body when the man could.
A small chuckle escaped the man’s lips, leaving him in confusion. There was a whisper telling him to scream. He wanted to scream so loudly when the man suddenly pointed a paintbrush right at his left eye, or so he thought. However, luck was not on his side because he couldn’t let any voice out. A brief second later, a woman around the man’s age, with brown wavy hair and a gentle-looking face walked into the messy room, bringing a cup of tea in her hands.
“He looks gorgeous, dear,” the woman said in awe as she turned her head to the man’s direction. She set the cup on a small desk right at the corner of the room. Later then, she walked straight and stood beside the unknown man.
“Doesn’t he?” A smile hovered on the man’s chapped lips. He looked somehow exhausted and weary, but he managed to let out a sigh of relief as he stood up and walked away to grab the cup. He took a sip of his drink, savoring the fine taste of freshly brewed tea.
The woman then sat on the chair, a little bit wobbly before she stabilized herself on it. She then looked at him attentively while squinting her eyes a bit. “What is his name?”
“What is it?” The middle-aged man who was still sipping at his tea looked at the woman.
“He should have a name too, like your other works; Mark, Stefan and all.” She smiled as she turned around to see the man.
“I’m thinking of a suitable Korean name for him, since he looks a lot like a typical Korean guy,” he mused. “My other works were all real people who have their real names, but… this one is not.”
“He’s not a real person?” The woman looked so surprised. Her eyes widened, a bit startled when she turned around to look at him again. “But he looks so real and beautiful.”
The man chuckled. “I met him in my dream last night. It felt so surreal, like I don’t even know if he really exists or not. Maybe I’ve once stumbled upon him while I was walking on the street. You know, things like these sometimes happen to many people.” He explained before giving a stare at the woman, and put the cup back on the desk. Wiping his lips with his long and thin fingers, he walked forward towards the woman.
“Did he appear in your dream?” The woman asked back. “That’s so wonderful. How could you even remember what he looks like when he’s just a guy in your dream? And baby…” she stopped talking before continued. “I mean, look at his sparkling eyes. He’s a gorgeous boy.”
The man flashed a grin. “Like I said, it felt so surreal. This young boy right here, I think he was trying to tell me something last night. We were in a small cottage surrounded by a corn field and I don’t think I know where that place is. But when I wandered around the cottage, this boy happened to be there,” the man stopped talking for a while as he recalled his dream.
“He told me that he had been waiting for me for quite some time and wanted to tell me something. I was startled at first, not knowing what to reply. And seconds after, he was gone. He literally vanished into thin air. Just like that, right before my eyes, and that’s when I jolted up from sleep, realizing that it was only just a dream.” He then sighed in disappointment. The dream was still fresh and new in his mind, so how could he forget such a gorgeous face?
“So is that why you decided to draw his face?”
“I guess so. Maybe he’s real in this life. Maybe he’s just my imagination. But there’s something I felt whenever I drew every single line of his features. I don’t know, but this is the first time I felt so happy drawing someone’s face though I don’t even know who he is.”
The woman smiled in return. “So are you indicating that you weren’t happy when you drew those previous portraits of yours?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. Of course I was happy.” He smiled, taking a deep breath in between the sentences. “After all, drawing is my passion,” he added. “But this time, it feels different. Drawing him is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s hard to explain, darling.”
The woman smiled. She understood it clearly. Emotions or feelings were something that people weren’t be able to explain, even through spoken words. Nodding her head slightly, she asked the man. “So what are you going to name him?”
The man walked up, his hands wrapping around the woman’s shoulders. “I think I’m going to name him Chanyeol.”
“Chanyeol,” the woman repeated. “That’s a nice name. I really love it, dear.” She smiled once again before taking a good look at the subject. “Maybe I should buy a frame for him too.”
It was only later that Chanyeol knew that he was just a man in the portrait, not a human being like the man or the woman before his eyes.
It was three days later when Chanyeol knew that his creator’s name was Mr. Byun. A few minutes after Mr. Byun was satisfied with his artwork, Chanyeol was put in the living room, with a silver frame adorned around the portrait. It was a frame Mr. Byun’s wife had bought two days ago. Chanyeol silently thanked Mr. Byun for putting him there because it was the perfect place to see people going in and out from the house.
Mr. Byun was actually a famous painter, Chanyeol learnt. The former had traveled all around the world, drawn every single face of people he had talked to, and turned them into a beautiful portrait. Some portraits he had drawn would be sold to anyone who would pay under reasonable prices, while some of them would be put and displayed in his gallery. If the portrait was precious to him or if it reminded him of some sweet moments, he would keep them in his house.
However, Chanyeol wasn’t like any other of Mr. Byun’s drawings. He was actually a tad different. He could understand the things people said whenever they saw his portrait, and Chanyeol could never pretend that he actually understood what they were saying.
“He looks so beautiful!”
“Look at his big eyes!”
“Your wife is right. His eyes really sparkle.”
If Chanyeol could talk, he would thank all of them for the compliments. Most of Mr. Byun’s friends were artists too, so he was really glad because he was being praised for being a beautiful portrait drawn by his creator. Their eyes would fix onto Chanyeol’s portrait, trying to decipher the meaning behind his deep stare. For the first time in his life, Chanyeol was proud to be living in this world, though he was only a portrait.
Other than that, Chanyeol could tell that Mr. Byun’s house was quite big. Looking at how big the living room was, he could tell that Mr. Byun was a rich person. However, there were only two people staying in it: Mr. Byun and his wife. Judging by how quiet the house was, Chanyeol guessed Byun’s family hadn’t had any child. He had seen some of Mr. Byun’s friends come with their children, and Chanyeol liked how their laughter filled the house. Maybe Mr. Byun didn’t have the chance to have children like his friends had. At least not now.
Sometimes, Mr. Byun would clean his portrait with a clean towel, treating him like he was made of fragile material. Chanyeol wanted to thank Mr. Byun so much for creating him, for letting him live in this world, but then again he knew he could never do that.
Sometimes, Mr. Byun would talk to him about everything. Even though Chanyeol couldn’t reply to Mr. Byun’s words, he wanted to let the man know that he would listen to everything.
Chanyeol never knew how he looked like. He kept wondering and asking some questions to himself. Was he a handsome man like Mr. Byun? Were his eyes really sparkling as what Mrs. Byun had said on the first day they met? And other than that, what color of skin tone did he have? All those questions kept lingering around Chanyeol’s mind, and they kept bugging him.
His questions were answered one day; maybe God heard his silent prayers when Mr. Byun bought a big mirror and asked the men to place it right across the wall Chanyeol was put. When it was set up carefully, it was then Chanyeol could clearly see his face for the first time.
Chanyeol was left speechless; even though he could never talk in the first place. His eyes stared into distance, looking at himself through the mirror.
He had big brown-black eyes, and it really sparkled just like Mrs. Byun had said before. He didn’t know what color his hair had, but it was similar to something like wine, Chanyeol noticed. He remembered the color of wine when Mr. Byun called over his friends to come over to his house and had a few nonchalant talks, accompanied by couple glasses of wine until midnight came.
Chanyeol’s eyes then focused on his lips. They were a bit plump, light red in color that almost shamed the roses. His nose was not too short or too long; it was perfectly fine. His eyes darted to the lower part of the portrait of him, noticing that he wore a coat and a striped shirt on the inside. However, there was one thing that irked him the most. Chanyeol didn’t like his ear. He had big ears that stuck out too much, not like Mr. Byun’s. The latter’s ears were fine and looked perfect too, Chanyeol thought. Even so, it wasn’t like he could complain about it to Mr. Byun, because he wasn’t a human in the first place. Mr. Byun said he only met Chanyeol in his dream, so Chanyeol guessed that maybe he really looked like that.
Another thing Chanyeol kept noticing was when every time there were people who came to his house to appreciate Mr. Byun’s drawings, there would be one favorite question asked by them when they came across Chanyeol’s portrait.
“Where did you find him?”
And there would be a definite answer to the same question.
“He’s the only one that I found in my dream.”
Chanyeol couldn’t recall his meeting with Mr. Byun in his dream before he was created. He didn’t know why Mr. Byun kept talking to him as if he were a human. Maybe Mr. Byun was lonely. Maybe he had no one he could really talk to whenever he had bad times.
Mr. Byun always had that solemn face whenever he talked about his wife. He once told Chanyeol that he had married to her for almost four years, but luck was not on their side because they still had no sons or daughters. He didn’t blame their fate, he just didn’t know what had gone wrong.
“You know what, Chanyeol. I really wanted a son, long before we were married,” Mr. Byun said one day.
Is that why you are always sad?
“I just wanted my wife to be happy, because I know she’s been pretending to smile every time we talk about our friends’ children.”
Mr. Byun’s eyes then looked into Chanyeol’s eyes, hoping that the portrait would give a response. But he knew, that was utterly impossible. If and only if he knew that Chanyeol had been answering to each of his questions, he would never dare to say anything to Chanyeol; because portraits weren’t supposed to talk and understand everything.
When everyone had gone to sleep, it was then Chanyeol silently prayed that God would give Mr. Byun’s family happiness.
Miracles did happen. Mrs. Byun was pregnant when she told her husband that she felt sick. They had no idea that they would come home with good news from the hospital.
On the other hand, Chanyeol knew God heard his prayer. If he could scream in happiness, he would. He was so thankful that he was a part of this family, and he hoped they felt the same too.
It was somewhere in the late of May in 1992 when Chanyeol met him. Mr. Byun was rushing in and out of the house, carrying a lot of things in his hand as he tried to keep his body balanced. After a while, Chanyeol could see Mrs. Byun walk slowly towards the living room as she was holding something in her hand. Chanyeol was left surprised when he saw that her stomach was not big like nine months before, and he wondered what had actually happened. A few minutes later, Mr. Byun then dashed towards his wife and helped her out by guiding the way to the sofa.
Chanyeol’s eyes focused on the thing Mrs. Byun was holding. It was neatly covered with white towel and it somehow looked so small and fragile.
“I’ll get the things from the car first. You just stay here with Baekhyun okay,” Mr. Byun said before leaving his wife alone.
If Chanyeol could make an expression, he was sure he would be frowning. That thing had a name like him, and the name was Baekhyun. It was a beautiful name, Chanyeol thought. After all, Mr. Byun was always good in choosing names. He even thought that his name sounded beautiful too.
Later, Mr. Byun came in and sat beside his wife. His face was filled with happiness, and Chanyeol clearly noticed that.
“You cutie pie,” Mr. Byun whispered as he kissed that thing named Baekhyun. When Mrs. Byun flipped over the towel that covered Baekhyun, Chanyeol then realized that Baekhyun was a baby. The painter’s gaze sparkled, and his smile turned wider as seconds passed by. He pinched Baekhyun’s cheek and kissed him on the forehead once again.
Chanyeol looked from afar and he couldn’t really tell what was going on. He felt something strike his heart; if he could feel any, but there was a pang of jealousy too when both of them smiled in happiness.
“Chanyeol,” Mr. Byun looked at him, smiling.
Yes?
“This is my precious son, Byun Baekhyun,” he said before pulling his eyes away to look at Baekhyun. “And Baekhyun. He’s my precious friend, Chanyeol.”
Hello, Baekhyun.
Baekhyun’s eyes were small and Chanyeol swore that his portrait was four times bigger than Baekhyun.
Chanyeol was glad that the family finally grew bigger. There was nothing Chanyeol could wish for, as long as they were living a happy life. Above all, Chanyeol was grateful to be living with them too.
Baekhyun was almost two when he finally talked. The only words he knew were Dad, Mom and Chanyeol. Chanyeol was glad that he was in the list of words Baekhyun knew.
At times, Baekhyun would be left alone in the living room, playing all by himself. He would cry when he got bored, but when his eyes fixed at Chanyeol’s eyes, he would immediately stop crying. Chanyeol had a stare that would hush Baekhyun’s cry down, and he was glad that he was able to keep an eye on Baekhyun; although Mr. Byun had no idea that a portrait could keep an eye on his son.
At some other nights, Baekhyun would sleep in the living room with his right thumb stuck in his mouth. He often drooled too, and Chanyeol would say that Baekhyun was a cute boy.
Chanyeol sometimes wondered how life as a human would be. He was obviously jealous of the human’s ability to walk everywhere they wanted when all he could do was to stay still. He really wanted to feel the feelings by talking, like literally talking and how it felt to love and be loved.
He really wanted to be a human like Baekhyun.
Baekhyun was five when he had to face the most tragic incident that happened in his life. Mr. Byun was found dead in their bathroom due to depression. Unknown pills were scattered on the wet floor and blood was everywhere. Lying there near the bathtub, there was a small knife; and they believed Mr. Byun cut himself to death.
No one knew the real reason of his death. Mrs. Byun was so devastated by the news, but she had to be strong for Baekhyun.
On the other hand, Chanyeol wanted to cry so hard. At first, he didn’t understand what death meant to humans, or to him. But seeing how much Mrs. Byun suffer through days and nights without her husband, seeing how clueless little Baekhyun was when his mother kept hugging him and telling him to stay strong; Chanyeol supposed life as a human wasn’t that beautiful or perfect as he had always thought.
That night, the pain inside Chanyeol was greater than any other days as seconds came and went.
Chanyeol was left alone in the living room as usual. No one would talk to him like always, because the only person who always did that was Mr. Byun. And he wasn’t there anymore to accompany Chanyeol.
The rain was falling hard and thunder crashed in the sky, leaving Chanyeol to feel so lonely and afraid. He had gone through a roller coaster of emotions since he had been living in that house.
Chanyeol would feel happy if Mr. Byun talked to him and told him about his days.
Chanyeol would feel sad if no one was there with him when he needed one.
Chanyeol would feel jealous when he saw Baekhyun being hugged and loved so much by his parents because he wanted to feel it too.
Chanyeol would feel irritated every time he saw his reflection in the mirror, especially when his eyes focused on his ears.
Chanyeol had felt most kind of emotions; but he loved them anyway.
It was then he heard someone walk towards the living room quietly. The clock read 11pm, and Chanyeol wondered who would be around that area late at night.
It was Mrs. Byun, striding closer to Chanyeol. Her eyes looked heavy with emotions, and Chanyeol thought maybe she wanted to tell him something like her late husband had always done in his previous life whenever he was sad.
But his guess was wrong. Mrs. Byun didn’t come there to talk to him, or to complain anything to him. Instead, she took the frame off the wall and padded towards the stairs.
Chanyeol wanted to ask why, but he couldn’t. He barely heard a sniff coming from Mrs. Byun as she held the portrait tightly in her arms.
It was later then Chanyeol noticed they both arrived at the attic. When she opened the door to the attic, the surrounding was cold and unfriendly. It was dark and Mrs. Byun didn’t bother to switch on the lamp. Chanyeol couldn’t see anything in there.
He didn’t like it there. He preferred to be in the living room, even though sometimes he felt left out. But this was even worse than being in the living room.
He wanted to shout when Mrs. Byun put him on the floor and leaned him against the wall. Giving Chanyeol a last look, Mrs. Byun said, “I’m sorry, Chanyeol.”
Why are you sorry?
“You remind me of my late husband, Chanyeol.” She heaved a sigh. “I-I need to get rid of you before anything turns out of control.”
Chanyeol knew Mrs. Byun was still sad over her husband’s death, but that didn’t mean she could leave him alone in this confined, quiet attic. Chanyeol hated being alone; he hated seeing everyone dwelling in sadness. What wrong had a portrait done to make it receive such punishment? He had feelings too. Chanyeol wished he could tell the woman before him those words.
“Chanyeol.”
There was uncertainty in Mrs. Byun’s voice. Her eyes looked gloomy but Chanyeol’s were gloomier, if she could notice that.
Please don’t leave me. I hate being alone.
“I’m sorry, Chanyeol. You’re the last one I put in here. I’m sure he would do the same thing if he were at my place.”
Chanyeol had already pictured his fate. Left alone in the confined, dusty room until someone came up to save him once again; that was what he was sure of.
He felt something wet fall from his eyes and he didn’t know what it was. That was the last time Chanyeol had seen the light when Mrs. Byun slammed shut the door, leaving the portrait in the darkness.
Chanyeol never knew it had been almost a year he was sitting still in the darkness, without no one to share the warmth with him. He missed everything, and he missed his reflection on the mirror. But the most important thing was that, he missed the family he was living with. He would never hear Baekhyun’s giggle in the living room whenever the child was left alone to play by himself. He would never hear compliments from visitors anymore, would never hear his heart beating in excitement whenever Mr. Byun or anyone talked to him. He missed everything.
Seconds came and went, and twelve years passed by so fast. Baekhyun had grown up into a lively boy. His cheerful smile resembled his late father so much. His artistic talent surely came from Mr. Byun, but he focused more on singing rather than drawing. Drawing wasn’t his cup of tea, and he wondered why someone would bother sitting for hours just to draw a picture on the canvas.
Baekhyun had mostly won in most of the singing competitions his school was holding together with his friends, Kyungsoo and Jongdae. Not to mention, he even got an invitation to perform on the stage with professional singers for the National Day. Although Baekhyun was famously known as one of the youngest singers in his district, his mother would still hate the fact that being famous was actually nothing.
Baekhyun’s father was once a famous painter too. Everyone thought he was living a happy life when in fact, he was living with depression. No one knew why, because he never told his problem to anybody; except to Chanyeol. But the thing was, he still screened some of them and chose to keep the problems in his heart. That was his problem.
And obviously Mrs. Byun didn’t want to lose Baekhyun too. She was afraid that Baekhyun would face too much pressure and end up doing the same thing like her late husband did.
Baekhyun had long forgotten how it felt to have a father, because he barely remembered anything when his father was gone. He was just five when he lost a father. And when graduation day appeared, Baekhyun would always ignore the glances he got because everyone in his class, or maybe school knew his dad was dead. The news spread quickly since his father took away his life on his own. And even though it had been years already, the tale of a famous painter killing himself due to depression was the one that would never die.
The attic was covered with dust and spider webs, Baekhyun noticed. A single dim light bulb lit the area as he turned on the switch. The place was quite small, with a steeply slanted roof and a small window at the west side. It was covered with a black rug which was blocking the sunlight to reach in the dark attic. Baekhyun covered his nose with his hands to avoid inhaling the dust, slightly coughing as he accidentally inhaled the dirty air.
He rolled up his sleeves, and bent his body down to rummage through the junks and old things his parents had put years ago.
As his eyes roamed around the attic filled with his late father’s belongings, Baekhyun finally found what he wanted.
An old photo book was there inside a small box behind the curtain, revealing the old photos of his family. His face lit up in happiness upon holding an old photograph of his mother and his late father together in their old house in Busan. It was back when Baekhyun wasn’t born yet. His mother was wearing a white dress with red polka-dots, and his late father was wearing a complete white suit, with a black walking stick in his grip. There was surely a vibe of old picture, since the color was almost faded. He squinted at the handwritten notes written at the back of the old photograph. Baekhyun guessed it was his father’s handwriting, since he was known to have a better handwriting than his mother.
A smile curved on his lips as Baekhyun turned around and decided to go downstairs, but he immediately stopped walking when he felt something was eyeing him. His goosebumps started peeking out on his fair skin, and Baekhyun’s eyes darted around once again.
No one was there in the attic. Actually, no one was supposed to be there.
Baekhyun shook his thoughts away, pretending that he was being delusional. With one hand closing the door to the attic, he climbed down the stairs and hopped towards the kitchen which was located near to the attic.
“Mom! I found your picture!” Baekhyun’s voice resonated across the house. He gave his mother a warm hug before showing her the picture he found in the attic.
His mother finally smiled when the old picture exchanged hands. She had to wipe her tears of happiness, or maybe sadness, because she just missed her late husband.
She took a glance at her son for a moment. Baekhyun resembled her husband so much, and she had to admit that she would inevitably cry whenever she saw her son’s face. The happy eyes, the cheeky cheeks and the rectangular-shaped mouth whenever he smiled were all too similar. But all in all, Baekhyun was there with her and that was enough for her.
“Don’t cry, Mom,” Baekhyun pleaded with a whiny voice. He wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulder, pulling her into his warm embrace. “This is why I don’t want to show you the picture. I know this would somehow happen,” Baekhyun said, his mouth slowly turned into a pout.
She smiled while wiping her tears from her swollen eyes. “Shut up, Baek…”
Baekhyun hugged her tightly and he had to agree that he hated seeing his mother cry. He only had her in his life and seeing her shed any tears was the last thing he had ever wished for.
Chanyeol never expected that he would see Baekhyun again. He was surprised when he saw Baekhyun in the attic yesterday, and shockingly he came again today. His heart leaped in happiness when he saw Baekhyun’s face. The boy was rushing towards the corner in the attic, but Chanyeol could still see him from afar.
Baekhyun looked tired and disheveled, different than yesterday. Yesterday, he was so happy while looking at the photograph. Yesterday, he was so happy when he called out for his mother. But today, he wasn’t like that. Chanyeol somehow hated seeing Baekhyun’s tired face, and he wondered what had happened to the young boy.
It was then Baekhyun suddenly burst into tears. He buried his face in his palms, and his cries could be heard clearly too. His body shuddered, slightly in pain and anger because he felt that today was just an awful day for him.
Chanyeol wondered why, and what happened to him. He awfully wanted to ask Baekhyun, but he knew he could never do that. He was sitting there quietly, trying to read Baekhyun’s mind, since that was the first time he had seen Baekhyun cry all alone.
Chanyeol was startled with the sudden sound of the music that reverberated in the small room. He noticed that Baekhyun took something out of his pocket, and put it on his ear.
“No, just leave me alone.” Chanyeol suddenly heard Baekhyun’s voice.
He kept staring at Baekhyun from behind, who had his back facing Chanyeol. At times, Baekhyun would wipe the tears that fell on his cheeks. He was trying to sound as natural as possible when he talked to someone Chanyeol didn’t know.
“My mom won’t allow me to participate in that competition, alright?” Baekhyun said again. And this time, he was crying harder as he silently listened to the voice on the other line.
“No, please. I’m just fine, Sehun. Please don’t tell Yifan or anyone. Promise me.”
Silence again.
“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks anyway.”
Baekhyun was done for that day. Taking his time, he stood up, straightening his body before he walked towards the stairs and climbed down.
On the other side of the attic, a portrait of a young man leaning against the wall was looking at Baekhyun intently until Baekhyun made his way out of the attic. He wished he could be with Baekhyun and told him that he would always be there whenever Baekhyun needed him. He wanted Baekhyun to know that he shouldn’t be afraid of being alone, because he, Chanyeol, would never leave him alone.
It was a typical night like any other nights. The clock struck almost midnight when Chanyeol suddenly heard a strange inhuman sound in the attic. Everything looked the same around him. Nothing appeared in front of him or frightened him. He heard the voice twice already, noticing that the sound was new to him.
“Interesting.”
A husky voice was heard. Chanyeol blanched. He was scared to death because he didn’t recognize that voice. The only voices he was familiar with were Mr. Byun and his wife’s. And Baekhyun’s too. Their voices were friendly and kind, but this one, it had a very dangerous vibe in it.
W-Who are you?
“This is my first time seeing a crying portrait. Like really, you’re indeed a special one. I’ve never seen anything like this though.”
Who are you?!
“Ah, don’t be afraid, Chanyeol. I’m here to help you.” The voice chuckled in happiness, leaving Chanyeol to be more than afraid. “I can help you to become a human.”
Y-You can hear me? How do you know my name?
“That’s quite a long story to be told. But let’s just assume that I am actually an angel sent from a place between heaven and hell,” said the voice. “And I know you need my help.”
Chanyeol doubted it. How could an angel sound so creepy and dangerous at the same time? Before Chanyeol could think any further, a sudden gush of wind hit him and the portrait fell down from the wall onto the floor, lying helplessly. Chanyeol was now staring defenselessly at the floor, realizing that he could do nothing to protect himself from the unknown voice.
“Hello, Chanyeol.”
Chanyeol sensed his frame being picked up by someone, and he was put against the wall again. He swore his heart flinched in surprise when he saw the silhouette in front of him.
There was a man, wearing all black from head to toe. Chanyeol was obviously surprised with the sudden appearance of the unknown man. But of course, Chanyeol didn’t take a few steps back as he saw the man, who was bending his body down, face to face with him. He wished he could run away, but he forgot that he was just a portrait.
“Now boy, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you,” the unknown man said, as if he could sense the tense inside Chanyeol’s mind. He bent his body down lower so that his eyes met with Chanyeol’s. He picked the portrait up slowly and held it up high in the air, before putting it down against the wall back.
D-don’t come closer to me.
The angel in disguise chuckled again. He pretended not to hear Chanyeol’s plea and walked closer.
“I heard your prayer,” he went on. “My name’s Kai. And I grant wishes from non-living things, like you,” the angel, Kai, whispered as he leaned in closer. He chuckled amusingly. Chanyeol didn’t like his tone though. Yet, he still believed that the man in front of him wasn’t a human either, because his instinct said so. He noticed that Kai’s eyes changed color every time his emotion altered too. When Kai was laughing, his eyes turned sapphire blue, and they would turn to blood red when he stopped laughing. That freaked Chanyeol out, but he guessed that was natural for an angel to have that ability.
“I know you wanted to be a human ever since you first saw the world around you,” Kai smiled as he said that. “Even though it was not an easy wish to be granted, I can still do that,” Kai said, sounded a bit promising.
You can help me?
“Of course I can, but there is one thing I need to tell you,” Kai smiled, but Chanyeol knew there was a hidden truth behind it. Somehow, he didn’t feel the need to hear Kai’s next words, but he had no choice but to do so.
And what is that?
“I can turn you into a human under one condition though,” Kai continued, and his smile curved even wider as he laughed cynically. His eyes turned to blue and red at the same time, and that scared Chanyeol even more.
On the other hand, Chanyeol knew he was going to sacrifice his life for that. He knew the time had come. After all, he really wanted to become a human. He wanted to be with everyone in the family, and Baekhyun too.
“Give me your soul in exchange,” Kai muttered under his breath, and he once again flashed a devious smile as he saw the sudden change in Chanyeol’s eyes. Humans couldn’t see or sense the sadness in his eyes, but Kai could easily tell that Chanyeol was confused and felt cheated at the same time. Life wasn’t as beautiful as Chanyeol had thought.
Chanyeol wanted to ask why. It was because of all things, why did he have to give his soul to the angel? But Kai had answered his curiosity without even being told to.
“Because you weren’t meant to be a human in the first place,” Kai mused. “And I can only give you a chance to be a human in just a day, not forever.”
You weren’t meant to be a human in the first place…
Chanyeol’s heart plummeted-if he had one. He knew he had no choice. Even though it was kind of unfair for him, he couldn’t voice out his objection. He was a mere portrait that needed a body for his soul to live in. Above all, he wanted Baekhyun to know that he would be there for him, and that he would love Baekhyun and sacrifice everything as long as Baekhyun was happy again.
And Kai laughed deviously as Chanyeol agreed to his condition.
Narrowing his eyes in dangerous way, Kai muttered, “You’re sure about this?”
Chanyeol didn’t need to be asked twice. He was really sure of his decision.
Smiling, Kai said, “You’ll regret this later.”
Chanyeol felt like the world around him was spinning so suddenly that he couldn’t see anything. Everything was pitch black. Though he was still afraid of what the new world would look like, he just let everything go. He knew that everything would be fine. He just knew.
Prologue | Two