— ‘ Press your number again, answer me ’
baekhyun x f!reader / after the break up, baekhyun goes the wrong ways just to win you back. / tw: angst, illegal activities, time skips, toxic behavior (not romanticized), emotional malfunction, possessiveness, stalking?, changes of pov, obsession, very mild violence, profanity, fluff, yearning? / 3.1k words
a/n: I’ve been binge listening to press your number & guilty by taemin ALL these days when I finally got my plot idea and finally write this. from the side the warnings look like a little bit of everything but I promise it’s good (I think). I hope it isn’t too 2018 coded
“I'm so tired of this Baekhyun! So, so tired! It's always the same!” you crossed your arms tightly, nails digging into your sleeves. “How can you be so smart and still never listen to what i'm saying?” Baekhyun exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. He knew you were right—He knew it the second your words left your mouth. He just wanted to be with you, pull you closer, act like none of this happened, but his pride came in faster than any of his logic does. “Because I’m deaf to your fucking bullshit!” Baekhyun snapped, his words hitting harder than what he intended to—but not enough to stop him. “Just leave!” He grunted, his whole body tense. The silence that follows was deafening. His hand twitches at his side, like he wanted to reach for you, but stopped himself. “I know this won’t work,” he mumbles. You immediately start shaking your head. “Wh-what? What the hell do you mean?” Baekhyun scoffs, already looking impatient. “You know damn well, we always—” “No, baekhyun!” You said, your voice breaking. “You’re acting as if I’m the one being immature all the time for–” “See! This is it! For the sake of both of us.. let’s–“ He hesitates for a second. “Let's break up.” He adds. Baekhyun’s gaze drops to the ground, his jaw still clenched. You were lost for words, for a moment, you can’t help but just stare at him while tears well up in your eyes. “Fine,” You mutter. “Don’t expect me to answer you when you regret this.” You walk away and shut the door louder than what you intended.
For the past few days, the only thing Baekhyun has done is rot in his house with his cousin and call you desperately. At least 3 times a day. You never answered any call of his despite everything, how much it hurts, you keep ignoring. You want him to realize how immature he was and come back begging for you and realize his mistakes, but you never expected him to come back like this.
“Baekhyun, you have to do something about this,” Chanyeol sighed. Leaning back against his chair. “You can’t sit and rot. Go win her back. Show her you’re a man.” He remarked. Baekhyun just stayed silent, staring at the floor as if it might tell him something. “Baekhyun,” Chanyeol called. “Would you stop fucking nagging me—” “Listen!” Chanyeol interrupted. “I have some contacts.” Chanyeol’s tone seemed to drift off, as if he didn’t want others to listen despite them being alone. “What do you mean by contacts?” Baekhyun questioned. “Those who can help you with your situation.” He finally says, his smile dropping. “People who make things happen.” Baekhyun lets out a scoff. “Yeah, threaten her to come back?” Baekhyun said sarcastically. “Not her,” Chanyeol muttered. That makes Baekhyun finally look at Chanyeol. “Then what?” Chanyeol’s head leans back. “You said she keeps ignoring you, right?, so make sure she can never ignore you ever again.” The silence in the room was loud. Baekhyun looked back at his phone, the 4 calls he already made to you. None of them answered, and his jaw tightened. “What do I have to do?”
Chanyeol reaches over the table beside him, grabbing a thick stack of cash tied together. He tosses it onto Baekhyun's lap. “Here,” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun glances at it, confused. “Go to the main road of the city. You’ll know who to give it to. He’ll carry a metal briefcase.” He says, sitting down on his leather couch. Baekhyun doesn’t even touch the money. “I don’t get it,” Baekhyun says worriedly. “This was nothing to do with winning her back—” “You’re building trust.” Chanyeol began. “Next week, you’ll go by yourself, to meet a guy I know. Do you want to see what she’s doing?” He bickered. “Yes,” Baekhyun said quickly. “Yes.. please.” He whispered. “Great.” Chanyeol responded. “This guy will keep an eye on her.” “What?,” Baekhyun asked. “I don’t want someone to stalk her!” Baekhyun accused. Chanyeol lets out a low, dry laugh “No one’s stalking her. Relax” Chanyeol almost smirks. “He’s gonna make sure you're not the only one who cares where she is.” Baekhyun knew how wrong that was, to stalk and invade your privacy. But on the other side, imagining you with another man, laughing, letting anyone that isn’t him close. “He’ll tell me when she’s with someone else?” Baekhyun says quietly. Chanyeol’s lips just barely twitch.“Of course.” Baekhyun looks at the money on his lap, doubting. And then slowly—he picks it up. “Main road you say..”
Baekhyun was terrified walking around with that amount of cash in his pocket. What if a policeman came near? What if the man with the briefcase is an undercover cop? What if—
His thoughts get cut off when he sees the briefcase man. Baekhyun doesn’t dare to breathe near him and just hands him the cash while the man hands him the briefcase. Before Baekhyun could turn, the man says “Hey, you’re the one with the girlfriend, right? Chanyeol told me.” Baekhyun’s too terrified to say anything, so he just simply nods. “Look, I already know her name,” the man explains. “I already have my eyes on her. Give me your number and I’ll send you everything you want me to.” And right then, in that moment, Baekhyun knew he was too deep to back off. He knew that he should just simply go and apologize, but this, knowing he could win you so easily without hurting his ego, without seeming pathetic while apologizing, seemed like too good in his eyes.
While Baekhyun was gaining more trust by morally grey people, he was still thinking about you, trying to call you from different phones since you blocked your number. Since then, Baekhyun had fallen into drinking and smoking to get a short dopamine spike so it wouldn’t feel like you’re gone. Baekhyun was smoking another cigarette while Chanyeol came into the room. “Smoking now?” Chanyeol teased. “You’re a real tryhard gangster now.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes and lit the cigarette. “Shut up, dumbass.” Chanyeol sneered and raised his eyebrow. “Still desperate for her? Trust me, you’ll get her soon.” Baekhyun shook his head and sighed. “It’s been a week. Gosh, I could have—” Baekhyun’s speech gets interrupted by a notification on his phone. “What is it?” Chanyeol asks, leaning in closer. Baekhyun doesn’t reply right away, his eyes are locked on the screen, it’s a message, from a number he doesn’t recognize. “Open it,” Chanyeol said simply. “It’s probably your ex’s stalker.” Chanyeol taunted. Baekhyun shoots him an annoyed glance before opening the message. It simply says: “She was alone all day.”
“That’s it?” Baekhyun mutters, his whole mood shifted in an instant. Chanyeol glances at Baekhyun, amused. “You’re so pathetic, Baek.” Chanyeol lets out a scoff and walks away from the room like it’s nothing. Baekhyun rolled his eyes with annoyance, but then he stared back at the message. First—relief settles in, quick. No one else is taking his place for now. But it doesn’t last. Because right under that, he felt terribly guilty for invading all of your space, knowing things he shouldn’t. Baekhyun exhales slowly, running a hand through his hair. He knows he can stop anytime. He should stop. But he knows that if he stops now, he’ll go back to knowing nothing about you. And somehow, that’s even worse. “Just a bit longer..” Baekhyun mutters under his breath.
Everyday when he would get anonymous updates about you, the guilt about it fades a little more, or maybe the feeling of possession than the guilt ever was.
And with each message, Baekhyun would get more noticeably confident. He would begin to ask questions. Some were harmless, such as “How did she look today?” And then, they get less harmless, such as “Was she wearing something revealing?”. It doesn’t stop there. Because sometimes—messages aren’t enough. Photos are better, even if they’re harder to get.
“Baek, you’ve been all day on your phone checking it like crazy. You know he sends an update once a day.” Chanyeol mutters, watching from across the room. Baekhyun doesn’t reply, doesn’t even look up. He keeps staring at his phone screen. “Baekhyun!” He calls. “What do you want?” Baekhyun asks with irritation clear in his voice. Silence stretches between them before Chanyeol exhales. “I’ve never seen someone this desperate for a woman that—” “Oh my god, shut the hell up!” Baekhyun snaps. His words come out fast. Harsh. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor fills the room as Baekhyun stands up abruptly. “Yes, I am desperate.” He says, voice rising. “Yes—I’ll do anything so she won’t go with another man.” Baekhyun starts pacing around the room, hand running through his hair. “I’m so sick and tired of you telling me how this is all on me,” He continues, turning back to chanyeol. “You’re the one who told me to do this in the first place!” He shouts. Chanyeol just stared at him, unbothered, which made Baekhyun get even angrier. “I’m not the fool you think I am.” He adds calmly, but his hands are shaking. Chanyeol scoffs quietly, shaking his head. “Whatever.” He turns, walking out of the room. The door behind him shutting a little too hard. The silence that follows later is heavier than before. Baekhyun just stands there, breathing hard. Then—his phone lights up. Baekhyun practically sprinted towards his phone, desperately unlocking it. “She wasn’t alone today, with a man.” The message reads.
“…what the hell?” Baekhyun mutters under his breath. The sender goes offline immediately, leaving Baekhyun stunned. “Send the location,” Baekhyun types furiously, but the messenger won’t respond. First hours, then for days. Baekhyun can’t sleep that night, his mind racing. That same night, he finds himself driving. The city is dim and emptier than what it usually is. He finds himself stopping in front of a small, local store—open late, barely lit. For a moment, Baekhyun just sits there, thinking, before he gets out of the car and enters the shop. The bell above him rings softly as he walks in. A tired cashier barely looks up. “Welcome.” She says. Baekhyun doesn’t respond. He moves slowly through the aisles, but his eyes aren’t on the shelves, they’re on the corners of the shop, the ceiling, searching carefully for cameras, there are none. Baekhyun's heart races, he knows this isn’t right, he should simply apologize, but instead, Baekhyun’s hand slowly pulls his gun out of his pocket while the girl isn’t looking. “Give me all your money,” He says, voice low. The cashier freezes, now alert. “I won’t hurt you at all.” He adds quickly, too quickly. His grip on the gun isn’t even steady. “Ju—just give it quickly.” The cashier quickly opens the cash register, cash shoved into his hands. He doesn’t even count it. By the time he’s back in the car, his hands are shaking, his breathing feels . He knows this is wrong, but your face flashes through his mind. And just like that, he drives away. Later, he stops by the sender's usual place. Baekhyun throws the money onto the table. “More,” he says, almost begging. The man raises an eyebrow. “I need more updates and information,” Baekhyun demands, his voice breaking slightly. “I can’t do this. One update a day isn’t enough. If you need more money I’ll get it. Just please—” A pause. He exhales and runs a head through his hair. “Tell me where she is.” He says quietly.
The man smiles. “Gladly.”
Baekhyun drives aimlessly around the city to try to clear his head after everything from the past week. Baekhyun doesn’t even know where he is, but as he passes by a local park, he spots you, clearly chatting with another man. Completely free of any sadness, like nothing ever happened, like he never happened. Baekhyun’s blood boils. He stops nearby but not close enough so you won’t be able to see him. The man you were chatting with wasn’t even someone you were interested in romantically—just a friend you wanted to catch on with. But to Baekhyun it didn’t matter. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw tightening. As soon as Baekhyun spots the man alone, he gets out of the car and follows him. “Hey!,” Baekhyun shouts towards the man. The guy turns around, confused. That’s when Baekhyun steps closer with a fake friendly smile. “Stay away from her, alright?” The man frowns. “Excuse me?” Baekhyun lets out a dry, humorless laugh. “You heard what I said.” Baekhyun’s smile dropped. The man scoffs and tries to walk past him—but Baekhyun grabs his arm. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to make him stop. “You don’t wanna get involved in something you don't understand.” Baekhyun mutters, voice low, dangerous. There’s a short, tense pause before Baekhyun lets go of his arm, like nothing happened.
The days after the breakup with Baekhyun felt oddly strange, not in the way you expected. There was no dramatic collapse, no constant crying or intense pain. Just a weird emptiness in your chest that constantly lingered. You continued with your life, going out with friends, more than usual. Trying not to think about Baekhyun—even when he tried to prove how you simply can’t ignore him. Private numbers, missed calls, and lots of messages you don’t wanna even open. You kept telling yourself that ignoring him was the right choice. You needed space, time, that he needed to apologize like a real man. And yet, you’d stare at his contact name at night, wondering what he’d say if you ever answered. And lately, you felt like something was off. You can’t even explain it properly, it was in small things—feeling watched while hanging out, especially with male colleagues, the same car that lingers at the corner of the street. You tell yourself that you’re overreacting, that it’s nothing, because it’s probably nothing.
When you were walking around the neighborhood, your friend approached you. “Hey!” He calls. “Oh, hey!” You turn around to face him, approaching him with a warm smile. “How are you?” He asked, his expression telling you he’s about to drop something on you. “I’m pretty much fine. Did something happen?,” You questioned. “You look terrified.” The guy exhaled before explaining. “No.. I mean yeah,” He mumbled. “Yesterday a guy just approached me, and you probably know him, because he told me to stay away from you.” Your smile almost immediately faded when his words came out. “What?” Your stomach dropped. Your mind replayed every single friend of yours that could possibly intimidate him, and you could find none. Maybe the person who intimidated him wasn’t one of your friends, maybe it’s your ex. But, how? When you were together with Baekhyun, he was a sweetheart to your male friends, or at least he seemed so. “That’s so—did he, did the guy who threatened you come out of a black car?” You asked worriedly, expecting a negative response from your friend. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” He answered. “Why? Do you think you know who it was?” You sighed and rubbed your temples. “Maybe,” you said, disappointment clear in your voice.
And lately, walking alone felt like the world was closing on you. You know now, Baekhyun is observing you everywhere you would go, somewhere you can’t even spot him. And what scared you the most wasn’t that, it’s that you don’t know what he’s planning. You try to convince yourself you’re clearly overthinking, every passing glance felt like an eternity. That same day, you stepped into a small candy shop, hoping normalcy would calm you down. Bright lights, quiet music, nothing that could possibly be wrong. Until—you see him. Not a maybe, not a resemblance. Byun Baekhyun. He steps out from between the aisles, slow, deliberate. Looking around, scanning, searching, for you. Your breath catches in your throat, he looks different. Tired, but you can see the desperation in his eyes. And for a split second—you freeze. Your first instinct is obviously to leave. Just turn around, pretend this didn’t happen, but your feet are glued to the ground. And then—Baekhyun’s gaze lands on you. Everything stops. For a moment, none of you say anything, none of you move. It’s just eye contact, heavy, unavoidable, familiar. He’s the first to move, he carefully steps closer to you, like you’re an animal who might run away if he does any sudden movement. Your heart pounds in your chest, it felt like he could hear it. You should leave, say something at least, but all you manage to do is twitch your feet. “Don’t.” He mutters. His voice is much rougher than before, nothing like the Baekhyun you knew. “I’m not here to—” He stops himself, swallowing hard. “Don’t walk away, please.” He practically begs, his eyes softening despite his looks. Your eyebrows knitted together. “You stalked me.” You say, not a question. “I—I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Baekhyun uttered, full of shame. “And you thought that was better than just apologizing like a normal person?” You scoffed. “Baekhyun, really—” “I’m sorry.” His words came out fast, too fast. “It’s too late. I know it. I called you everyday to apologize but would never answer,” Baekhyun sniffled, his eyes not leaving the floor. “I’m not justifying myself. I know what I did and how bad it looks, but I could not stand not knowing anything about you.” And then, right in front of everyone in the store, he drops to his knees. “I'm sorry..” He hugged your knees, you could feel his tears wetting your pants. “I'm so–so sorry..” He gripped you harder. “Call the police if you want. I don’t care,” He adds. “But please, please.. never shut me out like that ever again.” His shoulders shake slightly. “I can’t handle that.” You don’t move, you don’t speak. You have never seen Baekhyun like this, desperate, emotional, broken. Not for you. Your hands stay frozen at your sides. “..you scared me Baekhyun.” Your voice is quieter than what you expected. “That’s not love. That’s—” you hesitate. “…that’s something else.” Silence stretches in the small store besides for Baekhyun’s sobs. “…get up,” you say. Baekhyun paused, not sure. “Is that a—” he said, hope clear in his voice. “No,” you say sharply. “If you want me to forgive you, earn it.” Baekhyun got up, still with tears in his eyes, his shoulders still visibly tense. But something shifts in him, not relief, but small hope. “Okay.” he says quietly. “I swear.” He swallows, nodding to himself like convincing himself too. “I will never do this ever again.” And for the first time, you don’t fully forgive him, but you don’t run away either.
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