Baby, You and I

둘 [Dul]

It was about two years ago when Byul Jaehyun woke up to the endless knocks on his door. That time, he just became the appointed CEO of his father’s company that has been on top of the business world for generations. Jaehyun can’t be any happier. That’s why when someone knocked on his door at an hour when he was supposed to be taking his beauty rest, he still opened the door with a small smile... which immediately disappeared after seeing who it was.

Park Chaehyun, that one night wonder, was looking as beautiful as he remembered her. She was standing right at his door with her newly-dyed blonde hair, designer coat, and expensive boots. Without any words, she walked into his apartment and kissed the daylights out of him, which took him by surprise.

“Fu—Chaehyun!” Jaehyun pulled away from her, taking in a lungful of air. She suspiciously smelled like alcohol and s*x. “Hello to you, too. What the fvck are you doing?”

She started slurring on her words. “We need to talk.”

“Okay, whatever. Did you really have to attack me like that?” Jaehyun wiped his lips with the back of his hand and ran the other hand through his hair. “Sit down.”

“Zhao and I broke up,” she breathed out, still standing close to him.

“Who in tarnation even—” Jaehyun’s words got cut off after seeing Chaehyun’s sharp glare.

Jaehyun hated drama. It was the reason why he never let himself get into relationships. Chaehyun was convenient because she hated the same thing and here she was, knocking at his door to tell him a story about some guy she just broke up with.

“What the fvck does that have to do with me?” he asked after a pause.

“I didn’t tell him I had a son. But then my stupid brother just had to introduce that kid to him and everything went downhill.”

At that, Jaehyun gaped at her. “You didn’t fvcking tell me about it, too. Are you married or something?! Because that’s seven levels of fvcked up, Chaehyun. You shouldn’t have been playing around if you were married with a kid!”

Chaehyun let out a peal of dry laughter. “He’s your son, idiot.”

Jaehyun blinked, feeling the blood from his head draining. “W-what?”

“He just turned two. Yesterday. That one night trial we did brought the kid to life.”

Five...

Ten...

Seventeen seconds of silence later, Jaehyun finally absorbed what Chaehyun just said. “Are you fvcking kidding me?!” And he started freaking out. “I can’t have a kid, Chaehyun! I’m... I’m just about to start with my life. What the fvck do you want?!”

Chaehyun didn’t speak, turning to sit in one of his couches instead. She looked like a mess and a disappointed one, at that.

“Chaehyun, you’ve had the time of your life, for fvck’s sake. You’re three years my senior. And I’m just twenty-four. I can’t... I can’t be committed to anyone or anything yet. My father would kill me!”

“Fine. Just give me money to start my life over,” Chaehyun finally said.

Jaehyun had let out a heavy breath. “You’re acting like a real btch now, do you realize that?”

“I was fvcking disowned by my family, Jaehyun. The least you can do is help me get out of this fvcking shame so I won’t have to drag your ass with my downfall!”

“Fine. Fine!” Jaehyun pulled on his hair. “How much do you want?! How do I even know that’s my kid? You fvcked so many men. Damn it.”

Without thinking clearly, Jaehyun helped Chaehyun process her papers to leave the country and opened up a different account for her, just for the sake of immediately getting rid of a possible scandal. He practically made her disappear with a different identity and the secret about their mistake remained in between them. Jaehyun didn’t take any chances. He wasn’t ready for this responsibility yet because he was still young and having a kid would be a burden. Chaehyun only told him about their son’s existence but he was too scared to ask about the kid because he knew having a baggage at that age would ruin his life. Such a scandal would prohibit him from going further.

That was until a month ago, two years after Chaehyun’s disappearance, when he had a serious talk with his father.

“You are going to marry Kim Jiyeon and that’s final.”

Jaehyun buried his face in his hands. “Dad, I can’t marry her.” He looked up. “I don’t love her.”

“So what? I can name so many in the business circle who married without that.”

“I don’t even like her. In fact, I don’t even know a single thing about that girl and she’s way older!”

“That’s exactly what you need in life, Jaehyun. You’ve been playing around, with men and women. You need to settle down and have a matured person beside you to grow up with.”

“Dad, please don’t force me. If I really have to, just... at least let me pick someone of my liking. Okay?!”

His father leaned back. Thankfully, they were in a secluded booth in one of Jaehyun’s friend’s restaurants and not many people could hear what they were talking about. “Well, you have to find someone sooner then.”

“What’s the hurry, anyway? Are you dying or something?”

“No, you i***t. I’d more likely kill you first because of all these playing around you’re doing. For once in your life, take something seriously.”

“Dad, I’m working my ass off to be the best that I can be as your CEO. But this? It shouldn’t be necessary. Seriously. Why are you getting so worked up?”

His father took a deep breath. “Look, your mother has been nagging me to stop working because she thinks it’s about time for my retirement. But the board won’t agree to have a chairman who won’t take his life seriously.”

Jaehyun was aghast. “Fvcking hell. Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been planning to retire?!”

Mr. Byul extended an arm to hit Jaehyun hard, square on his temple. “If you curse in front of me one more time, you’d end up chewing these china plates. Do you understand?”

Jaehyun nodded, massaging his hurt temple. “How do you expect me to produce a bride in an instant? Can’t you just tell mom to wait some more or ask the board to forget about this stupid rule of having an heir before becoming a chairman? Because I’m sure that’s what they’re all thinking.”

“Hey, little brat, I wasn’t ready to become a father, too, when you were born. You’re lucky I’m not yet dead while you’re stepping up. In my case, I was really forced to have a baby because my father was dying when I was having this exact conversation with him.”

“But being a CEO is already a pain in the ass. I don’t wanna be a chairman yet. Let alone, be married. To someone I don’t know.”

“Well, then, come up with something because these people won’t change generations of qualification just for your advantage. It’s more for formality than anything else, but it wouldn’t hurt to do what pleases the general public before stepping up.”

And that’s exactly how Jaehyun finds himself standing in front of his best friend’s doorway tonight with shaky hands. Because as always, Lingxi must have a solution to this.

“What the—Jaehyun?! Are you drunk?”

Jaehyun steps into the apartment, clinging his arms around the guy who just opened the door. “What the fvck are you doing here, Seojoo?”

“It’s my boyfriend’s house, you idiot.” Seojoo drapes his arms around Jaehyun’s waist to make sure he doesn’t fall. “What are you doing here? At this unreasonable hour, if I might add.”

“Chaehyun’s dead."

It takes several seconds for Seojoo to comprehend. “What?! How—Wait, you mean Chaehyun? As in the Park Chaehyun? Yuan’s best friend?!”

Jaehyun buries his face into Seojoo’s neck. “She was my only fvcking chance, Seojoo. I was going to marry her, whether she wanted it or not. She was the only girl I genuinely liked. Now, she’s gone. What a fvcking bad luck.”

“Does Yuan know about this yet? What happened? I mean, wasn’t it just last month when—”

“Baby, who’s there?” Lingxi calls out from somewhere in his bedroom, walking out in his pajamas. “Who are you talking... to—Jaehyun?!”

As soon as his best friend sees him almost losing his balance, Lingxi runs to help Seojoo sit him on his long, white couch.

“What the fvck happened?!” Lingxi exclaims.

“Remember Chaehyun? The girl who’s been practically blackmailing Jaehyun for two years?” Seojoo asks.

Lingxi turns to face his best friend. “s**t. How did the talk go? Did you find her?”

“What talk?” Seojoo asks dumbly.

“He was going to talk her into marrying him so he didn’t have to go through the trouble of looking for potential brides. It’s easier. Knowing Chaehyun actually came from a fragrant name.”

Jaehyun suddenly shifts and straddles Lingxi. His two friends just shrug, glancing at each other, because they already know that a drunk Jaehyun is a really clingy Jaehyun.

“She’s dead,” Jaehyun murmurs into Lingxi’s neck.

They all turn quiet after this. It’s Lingxi who speaks first after they get the needed time to sink everything in.

“Well, s**t. What happened?”

“Car crash,” Jaehyun answers. “She was with Yuan. When I told Yuan where she was, he immediately booked a flight with that Zhao guy and went there to find her. To make amends, I guess.”

Lingxi runs circles along Jaehyun’s back to calm him down. “And?”

“I think...” Jaehyun pauses to hiccup for a bit before he goes on. “They got into a fight that led Chaehyun to losing control of the steering wheel. Maybe Chaehyun still felt betrayed that this Zhao guy broke up with her not because of her baggage but because he’s into another man. Her best friend, no less.”

“That’s... awful. How’s Yuan?” Seojoo asks.

“He’s recovering in an ICU,” Jaehyun mumbles.

Seojoo gasps. “It was that bad?”

“One of them is dead. Of course, it was that bad. I’ll visit Yuan in China tomorrow,” Jaehyun announces incoherently. “He doesn’t know yet that Chaehyun’s dead. The doctors advised everyone not to tell him yet because it might affect his recovery.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Lingxi whispers into Jaehyun’s ear, pulling him closer. “Everything’s going to be alright.”

“No, nothing is going to be alright,” Jaehyun wails, shaking his head with his eyes closed. “I swear that woman is so salty. Why does she have to get herself involved with every gay man?”

Lingxi pulls away with a horrified expression. “Jaehyun!” he scolds. “The poor girl’s dead and this is what you’re going to say about her?!”

“You can’t blame me, Ling. I’ve been practically funding her life for two years just because I wanted her to shut the fvck up about that scandal. Thankfully, I haven’t seen her face once after she attacked me in my old apartment and I was okay with everything. But then when I was ready to take responsibility for whatever we had, she just had to die. I’m going to fvcking kill Yuan when I see his fvcking face.”

“Calm down,” Seojoo gently says, patting his shoulder. “I know you’re just saying all of this because you’re drunk and frustrated.”

Jaehyun takes a deep, steadying breath. “I just...” He slumps forward, leaning his forehead against Lingxi’s shoulder. “You both know that she’s the first and only girl I had s*x with. That means a lot coming from someone like me who never takes a girl out on a date for s*x. You know I only get seen with these girls for publicity and now the only girl I genuinely thought attractive is dead.”

They stop responding for a bit until Jaehyun feels darkness consuming his conscious mind. The last thing he remembers is feeling either Lingxi’s or Seojoo’s arms carrying him upstairs towards the guestroom.