“What did you do today?”

“The usual,” Sehun pouted at Baekhyun, plopping himself onto Baekhyun’s bed. He lay there with his limbs sprawled out, looking moody and restless. Baekhyun took a glance at Sehun and sighed loudly.

“Maybe you should find something productive to do while you’re here in Busan? Isn’t it boring for you to spend your days just waiting for me to knock off from work?”

“Very,” Sehun replied, staring at the ceiling. “But I don’t know what else to do!”

“Why don’t you return to Seoul?” Baekhyun commented casually, as if it was the most obvious solution in the world.

Sehun propped himself up with his elbow, shooting Baekhyun an ‘are-you-kidding-me’ look. “I came here to keep you company, Baek.”

“I don’t need company, Sehun,” Baekhyun walked over to ruffle Sehun’s hair affectionately. “Go back to Seoul. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Sehun reached out to grip Baekhyun’s wrist and tugged him onto the bed with him. Baekhyun fell forwards with a surprised yelp, landing squarely on Sehun’s torso. Before he could react, Sehun enveloped him in a tight embrace, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Baekhyun’s neck.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Sehun mumbled against his skin, making Baekhyun laugh at the ticklish sensation.

“So needy,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, trying to wiggle his way out of Sehun’s tight grasp.

“Let’s go do something fun this weekend, shall we? I read about a fireworks festival in the papers. Maybe we can go check it out?” Sehun responded, his voice small and hopeful. “You won’t have any work to do over the weekends, right?”

He gently elbowed Sehun in the ribs, successfully freeing himself from Sehun’s arms. Baekhyun felt bad for Sehun, knowing that the younger male had been bored out of his wits in the past few weeks. Baekhyun decided that it was time he made it up to his best friend.

“Sure, that sounds lovely. Let’s go!” Baekhyun responded chirpily, heartened to observe a huge smile blossom across Sehun’s face.

“Sweet!” Sehun pumped his fist in the air in a triumphant display of glee. “There’s going to be a carnival going on at the same time, and I’m sure you’re going to love it.”

“Can’t wait!” Baekhyun shot him a genuine smile.

--

The weekend rolled around eventually, and Sehun drove the both of them to the festival in the evening. Baekhyun felt so liberated to be dressed in casual clothes, having become so sick and tired of the business attire that he had to wear on the weekdays. He felt absolutely at home in an oversized grey hoodie and ripped skinny jeans, feeling the weight on his shoulders disappear temporarily. It was such a nice sensation to feel as if he was back to leading an ordinary and simple lifestyle, away from heavy responsibilities and endless piles of paperwork.

Baekhyun found himself being involuntarily transported back in time, nostalgia flooding his senses as he recalled his memories in the comfy grey hoodie. It had been his favorite hoodie back then, and it was still his favorite hoodie right now. Baekhyun remembered purchasing the hoodie at a discount store with his first paycheck from the fast food joint, a simple act which nonetheless gave him an immense sense of satisfaction. For the first time in his life, he understood the joy of purchasing something with his own hard-earned money, and the hoodie had become something like a trophy of sorts—a memorabilia of his simple lifestyle which he was still too reluctant to get rid of. 

Usually, Baekhyun hated being reminded of the past, especially when it triggered painful memories that he had managed to successfully suppress. However, on certain days, it felt strangely appropriate and even cathartic to reminisce bits and pieces of the 9 months that he had spent outside of the Byun household, for it reminded him of the personal growth that had shaped him into the person he was today. Baekhyun rested his cheek against the cool glass of the car window and stared at the bright streetlamps that whizzed past them.

“What are you thinking about?”

Baekhyun was shaken out of his reverie by Sehun’s concerned voice, and he shot him a reassuring smile. “Nothing much. Just thinking of all the food I’m going to eat at the carnival.”

Sehun laughed and began to list out the food stalls that he had researched over the internet. Sehun was the type of person who liked being prepared—something that Baekhyun had always admired. Wherever they went, Sehun always had a plan ready, and Baekhyun knew that he would never get lost if he followed Sehun. Sehun was like a rock—strong and sturdy and always so reliable. Even though he was a brat most of the time, Baekhyun knew that Sehun was really a kind and dependable soul. It was a side of him which he rarely displayed, except to the people whom he trusted enough to allow into his circle. Sehun may appear to be tactless and self-entitled to most, but to Baekhyun, Sehun was a loyal sweetheart, and the most amazing best friend that anyone would be lucky to have.

Baekhyun truly felt blessed to have Sehun in his life, but that only served to intensify the guilt and confusion which he felt.

What exactly did he feel for Sehun?

--

The carnival was a dizzying array of bright, colorful lights and carefree laughter. It was bustling with an excited and happy crowd, and Baekhyun was similarly infected by the boisterous atmosphere. The moment they alighted from the car, Baekhyun had pulled Sehun excitedly to the game booths, where they squandered their money trying to hurl plastic rings into poles erected on the ground. Sehun hadn’t been too happy when Baekhyun succeeded in winning a plushie from the stall, especially when he hadn’t managed to snag any prizes.

“Don’t be such a pouty baby,” Baekhyun stuck his tongue out at Sehun, who crossed his arms and pretended to look upset. “Your skills just , that’s all.”

In the end, Baekhyun had to treat Sehun to a banana smoothie just so the younger male would stop looking at him with hurt puppy eyes. Baekhyun lost count of the number of times he had laughed heartily throughout the night, too busy stuffing his face silly with various types of carnival food and trying out the exciting games.

This was the life Baekhyun had missed so much—happy, simple and carefree.

--

They had been in the queue to get ice cream when the most melodious voice floated in the air and reached their ears, effectively capturing Baekhyun’s entire attention. Crisp guitar notes were accompanied by the lovely voice of an angel, and Baekhyun found himself rendered speechless by the sheer intensity of the soulful melody.

“Do you hear that?” Baekhyun breathed in awe, nudging Sehun excitedly.

“I think someone is busking over there,” Sehun squinted and pointed to the open grass patch several meters ahead of them. A huge crowd had gathered around the busker, blocking their view.

“Let’s go!” Baekhyun exclaimed, speed-walking towards the crowd without waiting for a response.

“Wait—what about ice cream?” Sehun shouted after Baekhyun, but he eventually abandoned their place in the queue to chase after the overly excited male.

Baekhyun squeezed his way to the front of the crowd, wanting to get a good view of the performer. Baekhyun really appreciated good music and good musicians, and he wanted to be clapping loudly at the front when the song was over.

What he had not expected was that the performer would be a familiar face.

“Following your footprints in the white snow, please don’t go any further, for I won’t be able to follow. If you get too far, I can only watch from a distance. Before the calendar ends, I’ll find you. I’ll come to you so stop where you are.”

Luhan, the quirky male whom he had driven home almost two weeks ago, was singing a beautiful song while he strummed his guitar, eyes closed and fully immersed in the music. His vocals were delightful and absolutely out of the world, eliciting goosebumps all over the expanse of Baekhyun’s arms.

Baekhyun stood in his spot, completely and utterly transfixed by the soulful voice, feeling tears brim in his eyes unexpectedly. He let the salty liquid roll down his cheeks, making no attempt to wipe them off. The lyrics hit him like a truck, and he found himself unable to explain the sudden sorrow in his heart.

“This fallen love becomes an arrow that points to where you are. With footprints that are a tad smaller than mine, I walk this path on the snow.”

When the song was finished, Luhan opened his eyes to see Baekhyun clapping at him with tears running down his face. He grinned brightly and waved enthusiastically at Baekhyun, surprised to see Baekhyun there. Baekhyun smiled and waved back shyly, suddenly feeling very embarrassed for letting his emotions get the better of him.

Luhan was just too darn good of a singer, and those lyrics—god damn. Those lyrics just triggered an overwhelming cascade of emotions within Baekhyun.

“Why are you crying?” a bewildered and concerned voice jolted Baekhyun out of his haze, and Baekhyun looked at Sehun sheepishly while he desperately tried to wipe the tears off his face. Sehun looked lost as he gathered Baekhyun in a comforting embrace, rubbing soothing circles onto the small of his back. “Did something happen?”

Why was he crying? Baekhyun didn’t know.

“The song… the song was too good,” Baekhyun replied, knowing that the younger male would burst into laughter.

“Silly Baek,” Sehun chuckled affectionately. “Is that something to cry over, huh?”

“I was moved, okay?” Baekhyun retorted with a small pout.

“Hey!”

Baekhyun and Sehun turned to look at the person calling out to them, and Sehun’s jaw immediately dropped. He hadn’t been able to get a good look at the busker’s face, but now that he was standing right in front of him, Sehun recognized the brunette almost immediately.

“You?” they both said at the same time, pointing at each other incredulously.

“The two of you know each other?” Baekhyun asked, looking from Luhan to Sehun with a surprised expression.

“It… it’s a long story,” Sehun mumbled, trying to avert his eyes from Luhan.

“No it isn’t,” Luhan responded cheerily. “He insulted me at work, saying that I had cheap and unrefined taste buds. But it’s okay, because I forgive and forget really quickly,” he beamed at Sehun brightly, and Sehun couldn’t figure if Luhan was trying to be snarky or not.

He shot Luhan an annoyed look. “I’m sorry, okay? I was having a bad day. And to be fair, the tea tasted atrocious.”

“Oh god, there you go again, insulting people over tea!” Baekhyun threw his hands in the air exasperatedly. Luhan laughed when he realized that this sort of thing probably happened often with Sehun. “I apologize on his behalf. He consumes tea by the liter every day, so he is a little obsessed over the quality of the tea that he drinks.”

“And the two of you know each other as well?” Sehun asked curiously, trying to blink back his confusion.

“Yes, we sort of do? I drove him home once,” Baekhyun responded with a lighthearted laugh, recalling the highly unusual encounter.

“So he’s the weirdo who climbed onto your car to take selfies with it? The crazy guy who made you drive him home?” Sehun said incredulously.

“Hey!” Luhan exclaimed with a huff. “I’m not a weirdo, okay? I just can’t help myself when I see a car as gorgeous as that! And Baekhyun willingly drove me home too. I didn’t force him to do it,” Luhan said, staring at Baekhyun with wide eyes, as if pleading Baekhyun to back him up.

“Actually, I wasn’t given much of a choice…,” Baekhyun trailed off, his tone light and teasing.

“Thanks so much for the ride, anyway. I really owe you one,” Luhan replied exuberantly. “And I totally didn’t expect to see you in the crowd just now. I guess we really do share an affinity with each other, huh?”

“Your voice was beautiful. Everything was just perfect,” Baekhyun gushed appreciatively. “As you can tell, I cried because of your singing. And your lyrics stole my heart, right there and then. You’re immensely talented, Luhan. You should totally pursue a career in music!”

Luhan laughed loudly, eyes crinkling into half-moons. “I’m glad you enjoyed my performance. The lyrics were co-written with my housemate. He’s a nosy one—always asking to be involved in my songwriting. You can go speak to him if you wish! He’s here at the carnival as well,” Luhan responded excitedly. “He has a stall set up here where he sells his paintings and handicrafts. I’m sure you’ll find him to be an extremely talented artist as well.”

“Let’s go check it out, Sehun,” Baekhyun stared up at Sehun with a bright smile.

“Sure, why not?”

They bade their goodbyes to Luhan and set off to find the stall, Baekhyun bristling with barely concealed excitement. When they finally found it, tucked in an obscure corner beside a wildly popular hot-dog stand, Baekhyun was disappointed to find that it was unmanned. “Where do you think he went?” Baekhyun sighed aloud, spinning around to locate the stall-owner.

“Hey! The owner has gone to the toilet, so he asked me to help look after his stall for a while,” the man grilling hot-dogs in the stand beside them shouted loudly, wiping the sweat off his pudgy face.

“Oh, okay!” Baekhyun responded with a thumbs-up. He stepped closer to the stall and let out an admiring whistle at the paintings on display. The artist was obviously very skilled, and each painting seemed to be alive with its own story begging to be told. His eyes trailed over the paintings appreciatively, eventually landing on the smallest painting of the bunch, framed and displayed behind the cash register, as if the owner had hoped to keep it hidden.

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