Spring, 2000  

Primary School

 

“Chanyeolie!! Let’s go home together.” A 3rd year Baekhyun tapped the fatty boy with the glasses on the shoulder to make the boy notice him.

“Ah-... o-okay!” Chanyeol answered nervously, until he noticed something. “Ah, wait Baekkie...”

“Yes Yeol-lie...?” Baekhyun turned to see the fat boy and smiled.

“Wait up! You’re shoelace...” Chanyeol said.

“Huh?” confused, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, waiting for a further explanation. But before Baekhyun can ask, Chanyeol moved to the frontside of him already, squatting down and tying Baekhyun’s loosened shoelaces.

Baekhyun can only see from above how his fatty friend trying hard to squat down with his plump belly just to tie on his shoelaces.

After he was done, Chanyeol huffed satisfiedly and said, “Now you’re ready!” He looked above with a grin then stood up and smiled genuinely at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun looked into his perfectly tied shoe laces, and then to the smiling Chanyeol. Look into his shoelaces again, and then to Chanyeol again.

“Waa~ thank you Chanyeollie! I love you!” he said after that and give Chanyeol a little peck on thefat kid’s cheek.

Chanyeol  blushed madly and couldn’t say anything when Baekhyun drags him home later after that.

 

For Baekhyun, Chanyeol will do everything even it was just tying a shoelaces.

 

---

 

Spring, 2003

Middle School

 

“Baekhyun-nie.... your shoelace!”

Teenage Baekhyun grinned widely while looking at the teenage Chanyeol who ran to the front side of him and then tied his shoelace for him.

While he smiled fondly at Chanyeol, he caught a glimpse of weirds stares on the school corridor from the corner of his eyes.

At first he didn’t really realize it. Baekhyun looked back at Chanyeol who finished tying his shoelaces, stood up and smiled brightly at him.

Baekhyun’s smile widened again.

Only for a while, though. Because when he was about to send a sweet quick peck on Chanyeol’s cheek like always, his ears caught the meaning of the weird stares he felt previously. Some of them whispered “Dorky!” while the other mentioned “Disgusting!” and the other even spat “Gay.” behind his back.

Baekhyun kiss hanged on the air. He gulped before he decided to pull his body back.

He looked at Chanyeol, who’s smiling cluelessly and genuinely asking him to go home together as always.

Baekhyun used to love those smiles and shyly asked question.

But today, he felt something prevent him from answering.

And before Baekhyun himself realized it, he pushed Chanyeol’s right shoulder a little harder than what he meant to, and walk straight home with a little doubt inside his heart, leaving Chanyeol alone in the hallway,... confused.

 

---

 

Spring, 2006

High School

 

Ever since their last spring on middle school together, Baekhyun and Chanyeol stop their routine of going home together.

But there was one thing they—well, it was actually just Chanyeol—didn’t stop doing.

 

Today was their first day at highschool.

Baekhyun slung his school bag into his shoulder, ready to go home. Both he and his new highschool friends walked by the school corridor, one on each side of him, toward the school gate.

That is until, a deep, yet, familiar voice called on him. (Baekhyun remembered it used to be more cheerful, but that was puberty done to you once you reach 15 and started to grow some hair down there.)

“Baekhyun.” Baekhyun and friends hold their step.

Baekhyun’s friends turned their body to see who’s calling while Baekhyun himself didn’t even bother to turn his head to see the caller. “What?” Baekhyun asked grudgingly without looking. He could feel the guy behind him walk slowly passed one of his friend on his left and stand in front of him first, before he lower his body to the ground.

“Your shoelaces,” he said calmly while tying Baekhyun shoelace, smiling as fond as ever, just like the Chanyeol he knew. Although, there was a different vibe that he felt from this Chanyeol, Baekhyun brushed it off.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol who was busy tying on his shoelaces in shocked. Well, in a ‘How long has it been, cause i miss you so bad’ kind of shock but even Baekhyun himself probably didn’t know how to name this kind of feeling. He kept staring at Chanyeol for a few seconds until from the corner of his eyes, he could feel weird stares coming from his new friends.

Suddenly, he felt his anger toward Chanyeol rose again.

After Chanyeol finished, he looked above and smiled—like always—only  to receive an angry look and disgust expression from Baekhyun. His heart clenched. Not because the angry look but because there is sadness and disappointment in those eyes he really didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to see Baekhyun looked like he was in pain like that. But what could he do? Who was he? He was just a dorky old friend whom Baekhyun didn’t want to befriended anymore.

Realizing this, he quickly covered his frowning heart and said, “Now, you’re done!” with a smile to swipe a slight of pain inside his heart while looking at the cold Baekhyun who’s straightly walking pass him together with his friends.

 

---

 

“What was that Baekkie?” one of his friend asked without even want to know the answer.

“Yeah, Baek. That was soooo gaay! Be careful. Dorkiness can spread. You’re awesome darling! Don’t get too close to that creature anymore!” said the other one.

Baekhyun didn’t answer. He could only cursed the guy—Chanyeol, his ex-childhood friend—inwardly for embarassing him in front of his new high school friends. Their friendship was long, long gone and Baekhyun clearly didn’t want to repeat his middle school nightmare again.

 

---

 

Chanyeol, even after Baekhyun already disappeared from the hallway, starred on it like he could still see Baekhyun there.

Baekhyun has changed. But for Chanyeol, there is only one Baekhyun no matter how far he has changed. And he was still perfect for him.

For Baekhyun, Chanyeol would do everything, even if it’s just tying a single shoelaces. But this time, there would be no smiling Baekhyun and a peck on his cheek.