These meetings, Chanyeol leaning against the bushes and Baekhyun speaking out the window, went on for another year. Not once did Baekhyun question Chanyeol about what he looked like or where he came from. Instead he talked about the things going on in the palace; new renovations, servants, food, events. Sometimes they would miss a day from their busy schedules as they turned fifteen.

It all seemed so surreal. Being able to talk to the person Chanyeol had been crushing on since he was ten. Not to mention, it was the prince of the very kingdom he was living in! Many would say it was just luck. Chanyeol thought it more to be fate. Only a few peasants ever spoke to the Prince, especially on such a personal level. But Baekhyun still believed he was a prince from a faraway kingdom. Chanyeol hoped to keep it that way. It was better living a fabricated life than letting Baekhyun know who he really was.

Occasionally while Chanyeol was talking to the Prince, people would pass by and wonder what was going on. When they heard Baekhyun talking, they assumed Chanyeol was just eavesdropping. Sometimes they would ask him and Chanyeol would just tell them he was taking a break from walking. Most people believed him, but others were skeptical, thinking he was a stalker. Some even reported it to the palace guards, but Baekhyun told them he was talking to a close friend. Eventually, Baekhyun began to grow suspicious. After getting, probably, the twentieth report from the guards about the person under the window, the Prince confronted Chandresh.

Chanyeol arrived under the window at the usual time. There was something different, though. When Baekhyun spoke, his voice came from directly above Chanyeol’s head.

“Chandresh?” Baekhyun asked, voice wavering.

Chanyeol looked up to find the Prince’s torso hanging out the window looking down on him. His heart leapt into his throat and he was rendered speechless. He was caught red handed.

“U-uh, Chandresh is… He's… He's busy!” Chanyeol said, looking at his feet. He wanted to run. He wanted to run far, far away from Baekhyun and the palace. He wanted to hide under his covers for all eternity. Never again would he come out, for the humiliation was too much. Baekhyun would be furious that he was lied to. He would have Chanyeol arrested and sent to the dungeons for deceiving the Prince. Chanyeol’s world was on a one way road to hell. This was possibly the worst day of his entire life. All he wanted was to talk to Baekhyun and get to know him, as he had been doing. He wanted to stay as they were; faceless talking. Now it was all ruined. Chanyeol cursed himself out. Why did he have to fall in love with a Prince? Why did he stop under the window that one fateful day? He was content admiring Baekhyun from afar. He was ok knowing that Baekhyun was royalty and he was a peasant. He had come to terms with it long before he made up Prince Chandresh. But he craved more after the first few times of talking with the Prince. It was an addiction, much like a drug.

Chanyeol squeezed his eyes tight and opened them when he heard quiet sobbing. He looked up and saw Baekhyun crying. The Prince was still leaning out the window, but his eyes were red and puffy. His cheeks were a bright red and he had a deep frown on his perfect features. Chanyeol’s stomach churned and he looked away. He couldn't stand seeing Baekhyun in such a state. He knew it was because of him, and he didn't know how to fix it. He had never been great at dealing with people.

“Prince Baekhyun,” Chanyeol choked out. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn't enough.” Baekhyun sobbed. “Sorry isn't enough. You lied to me! You made me believe you were an actual friend, that you were someone I could trust and consult. I thought you were a Prince, just like me, who understood what I was going through. All the pain I had endured… I thought you understood. But you're just a lowly peasant. A dirty, lying peasant who manipulated me.” Baekhyun rubbed his eyes. “You wanted to get close to me just because of my wealth! What do you want? Money? Gold? I'll give whatever it is as long as I never see your face ever again.”

The words stung. Chanyeol felt like a thousand knives impaled his chest. All he wanted was to get close to Baekhyun, to make him happy and to stop crying that one day. He had for a long while, but he should've known it would all fall apart at some point. Chanyeol felt tears prick his eyes. He heard Baekhyun’s voice get quieter and he knew that the Prince was going back to his room, probably to continue hating Chanyeol. Before Chanyeol left, though, he shouted through rapidly falling tears, “My name is Park Chanyeol!” Then he ran away, hating himself for all eternity.

Weeks passed. Chanyeol was no longer the enthusiastic mood maker he was before. Everything seemed so dull to him. He walked around with his head low, hoping to disappear into oblivion. Sometimes he would sit in his room staring at the wall thinking about what could have been. His mom would come to check on him every once and a while, and so would Jongdae. Everyone who knew him grew concerned, but he didn't care. All he wanted was for Baekhyun to not hate him.

One day while sitting in his room, Chanyeol heard commotion outside of his window. He got up from his bed and looked out the window. A huge mass of people were gathered around the front of his shop. They chattered excitedly and were all facing to the left. From Chanyeol’s perspective, he could see nothing, for the window didn’t allow him to see very far. He pressed his face against the glass and tried desperately to look, but he only saw more people. Once the crowd started to split, that’s when the gold and red uniforms of the palace guards became visible. They had solemn faces as they surrounded the person of royalty. All of their swords were drawn and held out to ensure no one dared come at them. As they moved under Chanyeol’s window and turned towards his family’s restaurant, he saw a head of brown hair in the center wearing blue and silver. He was much shorter than the guards, and when he looked up for a split second, Chanyeol’s heart seemed to stop. He watched Baekhyun and the guards stop in front of the shop. One by one they entered, but keeping two alongside the Prince.

Chanyeol rushed out of his room and stood on the stairs just before the wall turned into open space, listening to the chatter among the guards. He heard his sister welcome them and do her usual routine as a waitress. He crouched down and looked between the railings. The guards were much scarier up close and seemed to tower over everyone else. Their shoulders were broad and ripped. Chanyeol shuddered. What if he was taken away by these people? They could rip him in two!

“Hello,” said one of the guards, disregarding Chanyeol’s sister’s questions about where to sit. “We are not here to eat, my apologies.”

“Oh, that is not a problem. Is there something you need, then?” Chanyeol’s sister asked.

“Yes, we are looking for a teenager by the name of Park Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol wanted to make a break for it at this point. Maybe if he was quick enough, he could run out the back door and hide in the dumpster. Surely they would see him, but if he got into the dumpster fast enough, they might not be able to find him. But if they did, he would be dead meat. Chanyeol’s future wasn’t looking too bright, at this point. Baekhyun probably came with them to oversee his arrest because he had lied to the Prince. Chanyeol crossed his fingers and hoped his sister wouldn’t say anything. Unfortunately, his sister didn’t know the gravity of the situation and didn’t even know why the guards and the Prince were at their shop.

“Chanyeol!” his sister called. He didn’t respond and tried to slow his breathing. Then he heard his sister say something to the guard. She appeared at the bottom of the stairs, both hands on her hips. “Chanyeol,” she hissed low enough so the guards wouldn’t hear. “What are the royal guards doing here with the Prince? What have you gotten yourself into?” Chanyeol shrugged and felt his hands start to shake. “Well, get down here before I get in trouble.”

“Is something the matter, miss?” the guard asked.

“No, sir.” She turned back to him and waved Chanyeol down. “Hurry up!”

With much reluctance, Chanyeol stood up and made his way down the stairs. He gripped the railing till his knuckles turned white. His legs shook with each creaky step. He wasn’t prepared to see royalty, let alone Baekhyun. His hair was a mess, his clothes smelled foul, and he had bags under his eyes. He was more like a homeless peasant than anything else.

When he got to the bottom, the entire restaurant was silent and it was as though time had froze. He looked at the looming guards and wished he could have shrunk into the floor and disappeared. It would be much better than staring them right in the pupils. They had sharp eyes that were trained on Chanyeol. With their swords raised, they looked as though they were going to attack him. He started to shake even more than before, and this time it was his entire body. He wanted to say something, anything, to apologize and make them leave, but they stood like statues. Suddenly, one of the guards was shoved to the side, causing him to stumble, and Baekhyun appeared from behind them. He stared at Chanyeol for a split second before running at him. At first, Chanyeol thought Baekhyun was going to bring out a knife and get revenge. That would be quite a way to go. His family and the village would talk about it for a while, all wondering why the Prince had killed a nobody like Chanyeol. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Chanyeol’s especially, Baekhyun flung his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and buried his face into Chanyeol’s chest.

Chanyeol stood just as still as the guards. It took a second for reality to sink in. Baekhyun, the Prince Baekhyun, Chanyeol’s five year crush, was hugging him, of all people. His face flushed and he tried to pry the Prince from his neck. Many incoherent noises came from his mouth as he tried to ask what was going on. Finally, Baekhyun let go, but only moved his hands to Chanyeol’s waist and looked up. Chanyeol’s face was growing extremely hot, and his mind turned to mush. He looked Baekhyun in the eye and felt like fainting. Such perfection in close proximity wasn’t good for his mental and emotional status. Chanyeol opened and closed his mouth, trying to form the right words.

“I might die…” was all Chanyeol managed to whisper before his already shaking legs gave out. Baekhyun went down with Chanyeol, not prepared for the sudden weight. The next thing they knew, they were lying side by side, staring up at the ceiling as baffled customers, Chanyeol’s sister, and the guards circled them. Baekhyun laughed, but Chanyeol was wide eyed. When he finally came to his senses, he scrambled to his feet, still shaking, and tried to find a way out of the growing crowd, which had started to trickle in from the outside. Baekhyun followed suit and grabbed Chanyeol’s sleeve.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said. “Can we talk in private?”

Chanyeol just nodded and pointed to upstairs. The crowd moved and Chanyeol walked up the stairs with the Prince following close behind. The guards stood at the bottom, arms crossed, while people tried to look upstairs, but Chanyeol’s sister shooed them away and made them go back to their regular routine. This was already going to be the latest gossip of the kingdom in a matter of hours. It was best not to give them anything else to talk about.

Baekhyun closed Chanyeol’s bedroom door behind him and looked at the taller, hands clasped tightly together. He looked into his eyes, but then looked away. Chanyeol did the same. Neither said a word until Baekhyun exhaled.

“Chanyeol,”

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol blurted.

“Chanyeol, it is okay.”

“I really didn’t know what I was thinking and… what?”

“I’m not mad at you, and I shouldn’t have said some of the things I did. It was immature and childish, but understand that I was… very torn about it.” Baekhyun sighed. “But, I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, as you have. In that time, I realized that it really didn’t matter who you are. I jumped to conclusion, about you manipulating me, and I’m so sorry. As royalty, we are supposed to look down on the lower class, and I thought that all peasants were like that. That is until I met you. Although you were under the pseudonym ‘Chandresh,’ you were still you. You seemed genuine each time we spoke, and never once did it seem like you were doing this all for an impure reason. I’m sorry I doubted you, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol was at a loss for words. He swallowed. “I-it was wrong of me to lie to you, though…” he muttered.

“Yes, it was,” Chanyeol felt his hopes crumble. “but I don’t care. I really started to know who you were, and… and I miss talking to you. I truly do. I realized how I lost a close friend from jumping to conclusions. I’m sorry… and I was hoping we could still be on speaking terms, at least.” Baekhyun’s cheeks tinged pink. “It doesn’t have to be everyday, either, like before, but from time to time, please don’t forget to say hello.”

Chanyeol nodded.

“Well, that is all. I’ll guess I’ll be seeing you in the future.” Baekhyun smiled and then left.

Chanyeol was utterly speechless. He heard the commotion of the guards shuffling out the door and it shutting behind them. Then he heard the crowd outside grow again as Baekhyun left, heading back to the palace. He stood there, in the center of his room, for a good while. He was still trying to recover from the fact that the first thing Baekhyun did was hug him, and then they talked in private about how Baekhyun wanted to continue to talk to him. Although he was somewhat hurt when the Prince had said “friends,” he wasn’t complaining. It was better than being strangers and admiring from afar. When he finally came back to his senses, he collapsed on his bed, a wide smile spread across his face. It was probably the best day of his entire life.