Trying to get a feel for how long I write, and this was already really long for me but it's actually only 3k of words?? Either way, I definitely elaborated more and did more research for this story than other stories so I guess I'm proud of it? Enjoy, I guess.

Sehun visits Beijing in the summer after graduating university. Armed with nothing but a week’s worth of clothes, some money, and a Korean-Chinese dictionary, he tentatively steps into the humid Beijing air. The environment here is much worse than in Seoul, and he coughs as he inhales the pollution. Cigarette smoke and engine exhaust permeate the oxygen and within minutes, he’s wheezing. Sweat drips from his face as the sun - that he can’t even see anymore - beats relentlessly upon him.

With difficulty, he manages to hail a cab and communicate with the driver as to where he wants to go. A thirty minute drive later, he arrives at his hotel. It’s located near the heart of the city, only a few blocks from the Forbidden Palace. It’s a rather nice hotel, he muses to himself. Of course Chanyeol and Baekhyun would book him such a luxurious place. Whatever, it’s not my own money. He checks in at the counter (where they thankfully speak Korean) and trudges up to his room. It’s dinner time but he’s tired and beat, so he settles in his room, falling asleep within minutes.

Beijing is the city of dreamers.

Sehun wakes up to the sun pouring in past the curtains and an empty stomach. He groans and rolls over, not wanting to get up. He moves to check his cell phone, but he had forgotten to plug it in to charge last night, so a blank screen greets him. Glancing at the digital clock on the dresser, he sees that it is noon.

Somehow, he finds it in himself to get out of bed and leave the safety of his hotel room. Maybe it was the room cleaning attendants who had been chattering outside in the hallway, disrupting any fantasies of a peaceful afternoon, or maybe it was his growling stomach, angry at him for skipping two meals. Sehun takes a deep breath of the humid Beijing air and coughs as smoke enters his lungs too. He will never get used to the smell of cigarette smoke, no matter how often he encounters it.

Beijing is the city of dreamers. The people are welcoming and the streets are friendly.

Despite the language barrier and his inability to read the street signs, Sehun still manages to find himself a restaurant. The prices are reasonable and the food looks like authentic cuisine, so he walks in and waits to be served. It’s a little past the normal lunch time for the city, so the restaurant is pleasantly quiet. The cold air billowing from the air conditioning provides reprieve for Sehun, who has been wandering around the city for close to an hour. He has no idea where he is, and only hopes that after eating, he can find someone to help him get back to the hotel.

“Hello, sir, table for how many?” The hostess asks, eyes trained on him. But she speaks Chinese and Sehun does not understand, so he only looks on in confusion.

“Uh, no speak Chinese? Speak Korean?” He asks, eyes flitting between the hostess and the back of the restaurant, the door to the staff section swinging from recent use.

“Aiya, you are lucky. Luhan is here today and he speaks Korean. Let me call him.” She turns to leave the counter and moves toward the swinging door. Sehun tries to calm himself. Where is she going? There isn’t a serial killer hiding behind the door right?!

“Luhan! There is a Korean customer here who says he doesn’t speak Chinese! Come translate!!” Immediately, a delicate looking boy with pink clips in his hair pops his head out from the staff room.

“Who is it, Qian jie?” He asks, head tilting in an adorable manner that has Sehun’s heart thumping a little too quickly in his chest for his own liking. If this is a serial killer, I wouldn’t really mind dying in his hands.

“The young man at the front. He looks really terrified, you should go calm him down.” She laughs delicately before heading back towards the counter.

Luhan pads lightly towards the door and bows at Sehun. “Hello, sir, how can I help you?” He asks in barely accented Korean. Sehun visibly relaxes and smiles back.

“Oh, thank God, you speak Korean. I was getting really worried that I would get lost and then abducted somewhere,” he jokes.

Luhan laughs and Sehun blushes. His laugh is like the quiet tinkling of wind chimes when brushed past by a fragrant spring breeze. “That’s quite unlikely, sir. Beijing is constructed to have concentric circles, called rings. The center is the Forbidden Palace. You are in the innermost ring, it is definitely the safest here.”

“Well, that’s good to know, but it doesn’t change the fact of the language barrier. I feel so lucky to meet someone who speaks Korean here, otherwise I would be completely lost!” Before he can continue speaking, however, Sehun’s stomach growls. His face flushes red and Luhan laughs again.

“Are you hungry?” He asks, already reaching for one of the menus on the counter. Sehun nods abashedly. “Follow me, then. Just a table for one, right?” His eyes twinkle in amusement and Sehun blinks repeatedly before nodding again. He takes a seat at the table closest to the staff door and Luhan hands him the menu.

“Uh, I can’t read Chinese.” Sehun stares blankly at the menu and Luhan takes pity on him.

“Here, I’ll help you. Is there anything you want to eat in particular?”

“Hmm... what are the specialties? Or, like, authentic Beijing food?” Luhan chuckles before taking a seat across from Sehun. Qian shoots him a warning glare but Luhan just waves it off.

“Let’s see... Well, our restaurant does serve a mean zhajiangmian if I do say so myself. Most people come here for it actually. It’s like, Korean jajangmyeon, but Chinese. Other than that, Beijing is most famous for its Peking duck. Unfortunately, we don’t serve it here, but I can give you directions to one of the most famous duck houses in Beijing. It is a rather large meal, though, so I wouldn’t recommend you eating it today.”

“I guess I’ll have the jajangmyeon, then,” Sehun says, smiling thankfully at Luhan.

“Ah ah ah,” Luhan chides, shaking his finger in front of Sehun’s face teasingly. “You’re not in Korea anymore, repeat after me, zha, jiang, mian.”

Sehun pouts, but tries nonetheless. “Ja, jang, mien?”

Luhan laughs, and then shrugs. “Close enough, I guess.”

Beijing is the city of dreamers. The people are welcoming and the streets are friendly. It lacks the cold exterior of other big cities, like Shanghai.

Thanks to Luhan’s directions, Sehun manages to get back to his hotel without too much delay. In his hand, he tightly clutches the name of the duck house Luhan had recommended and the address of the restaurant Luhan works at.

The next day, he finds himself back at the restaurant, face to face with a Luhan who is blinking in surprise at him. He shyly smiles and Luhan breaks out in the most beautiful smile in response.

“Hey! Sehun, right? Back so soon?” He asks, eyes crinkling into pretty half-moons.

“Ah, yeah... I wanted to ask, if it wasn’t too much trouble, if you could kind of.. be my tour guide? For this next week? I mean, only if you want to, and I’ll pay you and everything, I just.. I don’t know anyone else who speaks Korean and I’m only going to be here for a week so I guess I just, I don’t know but it’s okay if you say no I-” He is cut off by Luhan’s laugh.

“Of course I don’t mind! I have a bunch of sick days saved up anyways, so I’ll just use them now. But I have one condition....”

“What is it?” Sehun asks anxiously, rocking back on his heels.

“You have to pay for all my food!” He exclaims happily, untying the apron around his waist.

“Of course!” Sehun sighs in relief and smiles charmingly at Luhan.

“Great! Let’s go get Peking duck then!!” Chucking the apron behind the counter and calling out a quick, “I’m taking the week off!” to the back door, Luhan grabs Sehun’s hand and pulls him out of the restaurant.

“Where are we going?” Sehun shouts in alarm, as Luhan pulls him towards a nearby subway entrance.

“Beijing Da Rong Roast Duck Restaurant!” He screams excitedly in response to Sehun’s question. “It’s in Dongcheng and it serves the best Peking duck in Beijing!! Trust me, take it from a native!” He bolts down the subway steps with Sehun in tow.

“W-wait! Luhan, I don’t have a subway card?? Or ticket?? Or anything??”

“Oh yeah,” Luhan frowns. “I forgot about that. But you have money, right?”

“I, yeah, but, I don’t know how to spend these bills?” Luhan sighs and holds an impatient hand out.

“Give it to me, I’ll take care of it for you.” Sehun sends him a scandalized look. “Don’t look at me like that! What, you don’t you trust me? Weren’t you the one who came asking me to be your tour guide?”

Sehun laughs sheepishly and reaches into his pocket to fish out the wad of bills in his wallet. He hands it to Luhan and Luhan whistles while counting. “Wow, I didn’t know you were one of those rich boys,” he says, eyes growing wider as he counts the stack of bills.

“I’m not, my parents are rich and my friends are rich, but I’m not. I just graduated university, I haven’t started my job yet, so I don’t have any of my own money.”

Luhan looks contemplatively at Sehun. “Good answer. I’m gonna go buy you a subway card now, don’t move, okay?” Sehun nods obediently and Luhan breaks into a smile again. “Good boy,” he says, and pats Sehun’s head.

Sehun stands cluelessly by the stairs and watches Luhan communicate with the lady sitting behind the glass window. There are swarms of people passing him, chattering in a language he doesn’t understand and he feels so isolated. But there, is Luhan, like an island of hope in a sea of despair, like a beacon of light in the darkness that is solitude. Not for the first time, Sehun is glad that he has met Luhan.

Not for the first time, he wonders if it’s possible to fall in love with someone only a day after meeting them.

Beijing is the city of dreamers. The people are welcoming and the streets are friendly. It lacks the cold exterior of other big cities, like Shanghai. The different cultures infused into this city are what make it so beautiful.

“Hey, Luhan?” Sehun asks tentatively, eyeing their entwined hands. They have just finished lunch and are both extremely full and satisfied.

“Yeah?” Luhan hums back, still swinging his arm back and forth as the two walk down Wangfujing.

“Why are we holding hands?”

“Huh?” Luhan glances down at his hand and looks confused upon seeing Sehun’s fingers wrapped around his. “I... don’t know...” He looks a little sheepish and Sehun laughs.

“Do you do this with every new person you meet?”

“No!” Luhan says indignantly. “Of course not! I just... I like skinship okay, don’t judge me.” He pouts and peers up at Sehun from underneath his golden yellow bangs.

“Whatever you say,” Sehun singsongs, swinging their hands even more vigorously. Luhan humphs and pulls his arm away. He sticks his tongue out at Sehun and Sehun pokes him on the cheek in return.

“Bully,” Luhan whines, before finding Sehun’s hand again. Sehun smiles complacently and tightens his grip ever so slightly. He hopes he isn’t dreaming when he feels that Luhan has squeezed back too, ever so gently.

“Tell me about yourself,” he says as they head back to Hai Wan Ju.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Luhan replies. The noodle shop’s sign is already coming into view.

“Then tell me about Beijing, your home.” Luhan gently steers Sehun away from the restaurant they had started at, and toward the subway station that leads back to Sehun’s hotel.

“Where can I start? Beijing is so beautiful. I love this city so much.”

“Why do you say that?”

“That’s a story for another day, don’t you think?” Luhan’s eyes twinkle as he bids Sehun farewell.

Beijing is the city of dreamers. The people are welcoming and the streets are friendly. It lacks the cold exterior of other big cities, like Shanghai. The different cultures infused into this city are what make it so beautiful. They say that as long as you work hard enough, your goals, no matter how preposterous they may seem, can be achieved.

“Sehunnie! I have something to show you. I’ll pick you up tonight, be down in the lobby of your hotel at 7 pm sharp, okay?” Luhan’s voice crackles as it comes out of the phone speaker that Sehun has set down on the bedside table. He lounges on the bed, flipping through magazines that he doesn’t understand. Somewhere along the way, they had given each other nicknames, with Luhan calling Sehun “Sehunnie” and Sehun calling Luhan “Lu-ge.”

“Okay, Lu-ge. I’ll see you in a few!” Sehun waits for confirmation and then hangs up. He gets out of bed and stretches before moving towards the bathroom. He needs to take a shower before meeting Luhan. It is now 4 in the afternoon, and he has 3 hours before he needs to get down to the lobby.

At 7 pm, Sehun is ready and waiting in the lobby of his hotel. It is his last day in Beijing, and although he hates to admit it, he has fallen in love. Despite his first impressions of this pollution-filled city, he has managed to find the beauty hidden deep beneath. From the cigarette smoke to the constant engine exhaust, from the endless swarms of people to one person. One person with doe eyes and gold-blonde hair, with the sweetest smile and the most beautiful laugh. Someone named Luhan.

“Sehunnie!” Luhan calls out delightedly, pushing in through the rotating doors and skipping happily into the lobby. “Hurry, hurry. We have to go quick!”

“Not this again,” Sehun groans. “Lu-ge, you have to tell me where we’re going first!”

“Sh.” Luhan grabs Sehun’s wrist and pulls him outside the hotel. “It’s a surprise, I promise you’ll like it!”

He leads Sehun a few blocks down from the hotel and Sehun is amazed to find that this street is bustling. There are so many people walking up and down that had it not been for the darkening sky, he would have mistaken it for daytime. The smell of street food reaches his nose and he looks questioningly at Luhan. “Where are we?”

Luhan beams up at him. “This is Donghuamen. It’s the most famous night market in Beijing. There’s lots of street food here, like bingtanghulu or bingtangshuiguo. There’s also bubble tea!”

“Bubble tea? I love bubble tea!” Sehun bounces excitedly on the balls of his feet.

“No, it’s not the kind you’re thinking of.” Luhan laughs. “This is literal bubble tea. Well, it’s not actually tea, but a sweet juice kind of thing. But the bubbles don’t refer to pearls, they refer to real bubbles. The whole drink bubbles! It’s really cool, I think you’ll like it.”

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go buy some!!!! I want to try it!” Sehun grabs Luhan by the hand and pulls him down the street. Too preoccupied with getting his drink, he misses the way Luhan’s eyes turn a little forlorn.

“Hey Sehun,” Luhan starts as he walks hand in hand with Sehun down the empty streets of Dongcheng. It turns out that once you leave the busy night market, the streets empty out and only the city lights accompany you. Holding hands while they tour Beijing has become a habit; the two of them have slipped into it so easily that it feels weird not having the other’s fingers entwined with theirs while they walk.

“Yeah?” Sehun asks, turning to look at Luhan. But Luhan stubbornly keeps his face forward.

“Remember when you asked me about Beijing and why I loved it?”

“Mhm. Are you finally going to tell me?”

“Yeah, but it’s a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Of course!” Sehun says indignantly, and Luhan cracks a small smile at that.

“Well, I was born in Haidian. You know where that is, right?” Sehun makes a murmur of acknowledgement. Over the course of the week, Luhan has drilled basic Chinese history into his head, with extra emphasis on Beijing. He has also had a geography lesson on the layout of Beijing and could probably come back and explore on his own, with the strictness Luhan had imposed during his “lessons.”

“I’ve lived here most of my life. I wanted to become a soccer player, but my parents wouldn’t let me. That’s why I went to Korea for university. I was hoping that maybe I could get scouted and join an entertainment company, but that dream eluded me too.”

“No way, you wanted to be in one of those boybands?” Sehun asks in astonishment, laughter prominent in his voice.

“Hey, don’t judge,” Luhan shushes indignantly, “I was a huge DBSK fanboy, okay?” At this Sehun actually breaks into raucous laughter.

“Are you sure that’s ‘was’ and not ‘still is’?” He mocks.

“Shut up!” Luhan glares angrily. “Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?”

“I do, I do. I’ll shut up now,” Sehun concedes with another small giggle. Luhan gives one last glower before continuing.

“So, I didn’t make it in Korea, and I had to come back. But I was a language major, so when I got back, no place wanted to take me. That’s why I’m a waiter right now.

“Back then, I was really depressed and I didn’t want to talk to anyone. It didn’t help that my boyfriend broke up with me then, too, because he had actually gotten into a Korean entertainment company and couldn’t be in a relationship anymore.”

“Wait? You had a boyfriend? Who ditched you just like that? Give me his name, I’ll go beat him up for you,” Sehun interjects angrily.

“I wouldn’t recommend that. He actually debuted a couple years ago. You might have heard of him. He’s Lay from XO (Hug).”

“He’s.... in XO? You mean, the biggest boyband in Korea right now? And you dated him?” Sehun’s eyes widen and he stops walking to stare at Luhan.

“Is there a problem?” Luhan asks, finally turning his head to look into Sehun’s eyes.

“No, no, I just...” Luhan begins walking again, looking back at the street.

“Yeah, well, we still keep in touch. And we’re quite good friends now, so it doesn’t matter anymore. The past is in the past.

“Anyways, I was without a career, without family support, and without love. Oh, I was also without money. But Qian jie took pity on me and helped me out a lot then. Without her, I would probably be one of those homeless people roaming the streets, asking for donations.

“During that time, I really liked to wander around the city. Whenever I was in a bad mood, I would just disappear off to somewhere. Qian jie never questioned and she always took over my shifts for me. Sometimes, I would go off for a few hours, sometimes I would go off for a few days. Eventually, I got to know Beijing so well that I could probably draw a map of it in my sleep. And I knew all the little nooks and crannies that most people never bothered going to. Those places became my comfort zones. If I became upset, I would go there and hide for a few hours. I normally stayed the night, and the city lights would comfort me.

“They’re like stars, you know? The lights, they’re like stars. And they spoke to me in the times of my despair. They told me to never give up, and offered me the comfort that no one else did. That’s why I love this city so much. Because it has given me the one thing that no one else has ever given me. Hope.” Luhan turns his face to the skies, and Sehun sees the lights reflected in his eyes. They twinkle like the thousands of stars that hang in the night sky.

“What if... I could give you hope?” Sehun asks, shyly squeezing Luhan’s hand.

Luhan blinks in confusion and glances at Sehun. Sehun takes the opportunity to gently press his lips against Luhan’s softer ones.

“What if... I could give you hope?” He repeats.

Luhan breaks into a smile. “I’ve been waiting for someone to say that.”

Beijing is the city of dreamers. The people are welcoming and the streets are friendly. It lacks the cold exterior of other big cities, like Shanghai. The different cultures infused into this city are what make it so beautiful. They say that as long as you work hard enough, your goals, no matter how preposterous they may seem, can be achieved. But what Sehun likes most of all, is that Beijing is home.