A single bulb lit the small bathroom, sometimes swinging ever so slightly, affecting the shadows of objects and people, but it was a small detail that Baekhyun never fully committed to addressing.

Squeezing the sponge as he gently rubbed it against Kyungsoo’s back, Baekhyun watched as the boy gave a light push to the floating toy boat near him. More often than not, Kyungsoo would be slightly more talkative during the evening before eventually winding down around his bedtime, but even the questions runnings through his little mind was apparent to Baekhyun.

“I know you have questions, honey… You can ask them if you want,” Baekhyun said softly, eyeing Kyungsoo’s body language with his full attention.

It took some time, but Baekhyun remained patient. Ever so slightly, he felt the six year old’s body tense, as if he was hesitantly to ask a question that was bothering him the most. Then, after Baekhyun called his name, Kyungsoo turned his head to look back behind him, making eye contact with the only parent he had ever known.

“Is he my father?”

The words came right to the point, and Baekhyun could feel a rush of fear run throughout his entire body. There were too many things to explain. His relationship with Chanyeol was complicated and murky, not to mention the fact that the man didn’t know he even had a son and that Baekhyun had kept it a secret all this time.

But it was justified. It wasn’t like Chanyeol was fit to be a parent at the time. He wasn’t even fit to have a stable relationship with anybody…

How could he explain it to the six year old who was staring at him for answers? Baekhyun had always kept the subject of Kyungsoo’s other father at bay and, without questions, the child never prodded questions about it. Maybe he got the sense that his dad had no intentions of ever speaking about his former flame (Kyungsoo was observant).

For years he had feared this moment, never truly preparing for when it could happen--partially due to stupid ignorance and wishful thinking. It was unrealistic to think that Kyungsoo would never ask or inquire why he only had one parent and not two despite the fact that many of the other children in town had just that. In fact, it was only a matter of time.

Swallowing his pride was the hardest thing to do, even in their situation. Baekhyun took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he began to answer the question he had long avoided for the past six years.

“Yes…” His voice trailed off and paused for a moment before starting again. “But he doesn’t know that.”

“Why is he here now?”

Baekhyun stopped. It was though Kyungsoo was asking where Chanyeol had been for the last half decade. The feeling in his chest tore at him. “He’s visiting his parents and his sister, Aunt Yoora.”

“Why not us?”

“Because we’re not his family, baby,” Baekhyun said, almost forcing the words out of his mouth. He massaged the sponge on Kyungsoo’s back in a soothing manner. “He’s not...aware of us.”

“But he’s my dad.” Kyungsoo’s voice gave that hint that the six year old felt hurt by what he didn’t understand. He tried to hide it, but being that he was a child, Baekhyun could hear it in his feeble voice.

“Soo, it’s not like that.” Biting his bottom lip, Baekhyun made the decision to stop what he was doing and lift the boy up to turn him around to face him. “He doesn’t know he has a son. It’s not his fault… It’s not yours, either. It’s mine. I never told him about you, because… because your father wasn’t ready at the time. He wasn’t prepared to have a perfect boy like you, and I didn’t want you to grow up with that.”

“Can we tell him now?”

Baekhyun gaped at his son. He had intentions of never saying a word about it to Chanyeol. Despite his parents knowing the truth and Mrs. Park yearning for her son to know about the grandson she loved from afar, Baekhyun was terrified of the possibility of abandonment.

What if Chanyeol was to find out and he was a good father? Kyungsoo would likely get attached, and it’d be harmless until the day the giant would have to go back to the city to focus on his own life, his own career… Both of which didn’t involve Kyungsoo or the responsibilities of having to take care of a child. And then what? The six year old would become heartbroken after being left behind once again, and Baekhyun couldn’t bear that thought of that. He knew what it felt like to be left behind, especially by Chanyeol. The feelings of anger and heartache haunted him for years before he finally moved on. Was it selfish to protect Kyungsoo from the pain that came with having a father that had the ability to disappear from his life without a single word?

Shaking his head slowly, Baekhyun was weighted down with the feeling of guilt. “No, we can’t, because he’s still not prepared… I don’t know how he feels about having us.”

“What about someday?”

“Well…” Baekhyun wasn’t sure when exactly someday was or if he’d actually get the guts to tell Chanyeol about it, but a small promise was all he could do. “Yeah… Maybe one day...”

-

-

It seemed like another ordinary day, but Baekhyun knew that it honestly wasn’t. Not a day had gone by since Chanyeol arrived that the locals weren’t talking and whispering about him. He was the hottest gossip circulating, and it wasn’t to anybody’s surprise. They always spoke about him like he was one of the lucky ones. Very few people left the town and actually made it. Generally, the outside world seemed to entice the young and spit them back out. Chanyeol was the exception.

A famous musician visiting his old hometown was bound to garner a lot of attention, and he should’ve expected that even where he worked was no safe haven from running into his ex. As Baekhyun was finalizing a sale to a father of one of Kyungsoo’s classmates when he began to take notice of the murmuring buzzing around him, especially with the elderly ladies down the market. After locking the money away, he looked up to question what what going on and almost immediately regretted it the second he locked his eyes on Chanyeol’s tall figure.

His ex had stopped over at a stand that was a few feet down, inspecting the fish inventory while simultaneously being amused by the seller who seemed so blessed to have such a man as a customer. Baekhyun wasn’t aware that he was frozen in his place until he felt a hand touch him on the shoulder.

“So, it’s true. He is back…”

Stiffly, Baekhyun nodded. “It feels a bit weird… More weird now that things aren’t exactly...ideal.”

Jongin, his co-worker who helped with transporting the goods to the stand, agreed, nodding before turning his eyes to Baekhyun. “Want me to take over for now?”

It was tempting to disappear through the back flaps of the market stand, but Baekhyun ultimately declined. “I’ll be alright. We already bumped into each other the other evening, so I think I can handle another run in.”

“If you say so,” Jongin conceded, taking a step back. “I’ll be here if you need me. I just have to do a small favor for Ms. Kang and carry over some things for her.”

Taking his attention off of Chanyeol, Baekhyun looked at Jongin with grateful eyes. “Thank you for offering, Jongin.”

“Anything for you, Baek…” Jongin pursed his lips before turning around and making an exit.

Inhaling slowly, Baekhyun attempted to rid his mind of the distraction that Chanyeol was and greeted an elderly man making his way to the stand. Recognizing him to be a grandparent to one of Kyungsoo’s few friends, the brunet was quick to smile.

“Mr. Nham! Good afternoon!”

Chuckling with a rough voice, the old man nodded towards the fresh vegetables. “I need some lettuce today, Baekhyun...The Mrs. is planning on making a dish today to give to the Parks.”

“Oh… What for?” Baekhyun asked, careful to not sound too intrusive as he reache for a plastic bag.

“Well…” Looking behind him, Mr. Nham took one look at Chanyeol, who was still surrounded by a fair amount of people. “She said it was to welcome back Chanyeol over there. I suppose I could say hello, but I’ll probably have the opportunity later when we drop it off.”

“He’s popular around here, isn’t he?” Baekhyun commented, packing one lettuce body into the bag before tying the knot.

“He’s been gone for a long time. That’s probably why everyone’s so excited to see him,” Mr. Nham said as he opened his wallet. “I hear he’s famous with that music he used to play around here a long time ago. That’s what I’ve heard.”

Shrugging, Baekhyun held out the bag in exchange for the money. “I don’t know about that. I haven’t been keeping up with all that stuff. Kyungsoo’s too much of a handful.”

“Alright, well thank you, Baekhyun. Take care of that boy of yours.”

“Will do, sir.” Waving him off, Baekhyun let out a breath. Glancing to his right, Chanyeol seemed to be finishing with his business.

Perhaps it was out of embarrassment that Baekhyun suddenly couldn’t face outwards. He turned his body, back facing the market, and grabbed the first thing that he saw which was an broom with its hairs sticking in all direction. There was nothing to sweep nor clean, but it kept his head and face down, shielding it from Chanyeol’s direction.

Inside, he hoped that this gimmick would work, though part of him wished it didn’t. There was still something exciting about Chanyeol and being around him that aroused his character, but those were all feelings of the past that were attempting to resurface and the person he was in that moment wouldn’t allow it.

Despite the doubt that lingered, the voices of the few women and children who were following Chanyeol gradually moved on. Once he got the courage to do so, Baekhyun looked back up, turned around, and saw that Chanyeol had gone past his stand.

-

-

What’s it like working with famous people?

Can I have your autograph?

Chanyeol, are you single?

You should start looking to settle down! I have a daughter that you should meet!

All his mother had given him was a list of things that she needed from the market. Having people practically follow him through his entire trip wasn’t one of the things that he anticipated. Though he had been through worse with his actual fans throughout his career, he was beginning to like the idea of being unnoticed and undisturbed for once while he was on vacation. Of course, what happened at the market was a bit of a let down.

Arriving at home, Chanyeol found himself alone. His father was out, surveying the rice seeds that were almost ready to be planted, and his mother was elsewhere. He didn’t know where exactly, but he didn’t question it. Around there, it wasn’t so unusual for residents to visit one another for no special reason.

After washing and putting away the vegetables and fish, Chanyeol contemplated going back to his room or doing something else. He didn’t have any idea what the alternative was, but there wasn’t much appeal to his bedroom anyhow.

It was only his third day there… Was it his third? He could barely remember. It seemed like the old town by the sea took any sense of time away with the tides.

Chanyeol walked up the stairs and opened the creaky door to his bedroom with the sole purpose of retrieving his cell phone. He didn’t have much use for the thing since internet seemed to be nonexistent and the signals were so weak that they would often disappear often. Rather than be frustrated, he just left it alone.

Despite the awful connectivity, Chanyeol pocketed the device.

-

-

Back in the day, The Shack was the prime place to be when not in school. To Chanyeol’s surprise, the place was actually still there--granted a little rundown. The signs were faded and old posters pasted on the outside walls of the establishment were tearin g due to age, and yet. Without hesitating, Chanyeol entered through the doors, hearing the rustic bell ring upon his entrance.

The interior changed quite a bit, but the overall structure was the same. The storekeeper was somewhere in the back (Chanyeol could hear the fumbling of boxes), so Chanyeol made his way around the store.

He felt oddly as though he was back in high school with nothing but a few coins in his back pocket. It was most likely the nostalgia, but the feeling was hard to shake off.

As he was drifting his fingers along the snack aisle, the bell rang again as the store front door swung open. Initially, Chanyeol paid no mind to it as he continued on with his own business, but when he heard his name being called, his ears perked. Looking behind him, he saw a familiar face making their way over to him.

It didn’t take long for him to recognize the individual as excitement rushed through him. “Yixing! Is that you?”

“Yeah! Can’t believe you still recognized me!”

Chanyeol was quick to give his friend a hug, one that was as tight as he used to give back in high school. As a while, he let go, both having a fit of laughter as the old gesture.

Once the laughter finally receded, Chanyeol asked, “What’re you doing here?”

“I wanted to stop buy and buy something to drink. I’m on my lunch break right now, actually.” Yixing’s smile never wavered. “But I didn’t think I’d run into you here.”

“It’s a small town,” Chanyeol said, giving a shrug. “Not much to see or do.”

“Yeah, well, this old place never really had a lot to offer,” Yixing agreed. “So, how’ve you been? I used to keep up with you over the news and what-not, but life at home’s been getting kind of busy. I’m always working.”

“I’ve been doing okay for myself,” Chanyeol answered, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been radio hosting for a while now, but I think an album might be on my list for the new year.”

“I still can’t believe you’re famous now… It almost seems like it was just yesterday that you and Baekhyun left for Seoul after all those years of just talking about being a musician.”

“Right…” Chanyeol almost forgot about those years and how he spent so much of his time playing his guitar, talking Baekhyun’s ear off about lyrics… The brunet never cared much about music, but he put up with it, nodding along and listening to whatever he was requested to listen to. If anything, music wasn’t the thing that kept Baekhyun around as much as it was their relationship.

Yixing sighed. “I’m so happy for you, though. You’ve worked hard to get where you are right now… For a while, I thought you were going to come home, too, after Baekhyun came back in less than a year. I thought that…”

“Thought what?”

“Well… It doesn’t matter now. I guess you two just went your separate ways--ah, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m saying all of this. It’s none of my business.” Waving his hands in front of him, Yixing changed the subject. “Anyways, it was nice seeing you. I’d stay more to talk, but my break’s almost over and I have to get back.”

“Yeah, but hey, we could get together sometime if you want,” Chanyeol genuinely offered, though his mind was still hung up on the mention of Baekhyun.

“You know what? Yeah, that sounds really nice,” Yixing grinned. “What about tomorrow night? Is that good for you? I can ask around, maybe get the other boys in on it.”

“That’d be great! I haven’t really seen anyone else since I’ve been here. I’ve seen Baekhyun, but that’s about it.”

“Oh, yeah! Baekhyun works at the market in case you wanted to say hi. He’ll give you a really good deal on those tomatoes if you ask him.”

Chuckling, Chanyeol put a hand on Yixing’s shoulder. “I don’t think he wants to see me during broad daylight, but thanks for the hint. I might try it one of these days.”

“Well, I really have to go now, but it was nice seeing you!” Yixing gave a hearty pat on Chanyeol’s back before walking over to the refrigerated aisle and getting two bottles of water. The old storekeeper came out from the back as soon as Yixing reached the front and pulled out his wallet. “See you tomorrow night!”

Grinning, Chanyeol waved good-bye as Yixing left before grabbing a random snack off the shelf and paying for it.

-

-

The sun was beginning to set, and by the norm, Baekhyun was usually the one closing the stand and making sure every product was securely put away. Theft rarely happened around there, being that everyone was so close and friendly with one another, but precautions were still taken even to the extent of putting the goods in a locked up shed for the night.

With only one light bulb hanging above his head, it made it hard to see very clearly. The market was lit up by a street lamp or two, but it was still dim. Not many people came around during the evening unless something was happening, which was rare as well.

It was nearing six o’clock when Baekhyun began the transition of leaving the stand and all of its responsibilities over to Jongin. Taking off the old apron, he smiled as his co-worker entered through the back.

“Right on time,” Baekhyun said, greeting the latter. He hung the apron on a hook to his left. “Need me to do anything before I go?”

“It’s alright. You can go home and take care of Kyungsoo,” Jongin said, giving the brunet a warm smile. “I’ll do the rest around here.”

“If you’re sure, then alright.” Taking off his rubber gloves, Baekhyun nodded over to something behind Jongin. “By the way, Mr. Lee left some product over there in that corner for you and me to take home.”

“Oh?” Jongin turned his head. “I see… He’s too kind sometimes. I wonder how he even makes profit.”

“Well, you know he sells things in the next town over, too.” Baekhyun put the gloves away in a plastic box compartment. Once he finished pushing the box back where it belonged, he turned his body to face Jongin. “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah--oh, wait! Baek, hold on.” Jongin reached out and grabbed the brunet by his wrist just as he was passing him. “Yixing wanted me to tell you about something that’s going on tomorrow. He’s inviting the old high school gang for a little get-together so he told me to invite you, too.”

Baekhyun paused, hesitant on accepting the invite. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary until he realized that Chanyeol would most likely be there. His mixed feelings came across his face in such an obvious fashion that Jongin gave a small grin as he let go.

“If you don’t want to, then it’s fine--”

“No, no,” Baekhyun suddenly interrupted, shaking his head. “It’s not that I don’t, because… I mean, it really has been a long time since we’ve all seen Chanyeol and I don’t mind being around him. Really... But I have Kyungsoo to look after. I would get my mother to watch after him, but he spends so much time with her already that I just feel bad at the thought of leaving him there even more.”

Understanding, Jongin nodded. “No, yeah. I get it. I’ll just tell Yixing that you’re busy. Besides, Chanyeol’s your neighbor, so you probably see him around a few times.”

Baekhyun didn’t bother correcting the man that he and Chanyeol weren’t neighbors at all, though technically, they were because of the fact that they grew up next door to each other… Sighing, he gently touched Jongin’s arm. “Thank you for the invite, though. I’ll see what I can do to make up for it.”

“Ah, no, you don’t have to do that. It’s perfectly okay--”

Jongin was cut off by the sound of someone knocking on wood. The two of them both turned their heads towards the front of the stand, caught of guard. It was Jongin who recovered first, leaving Baekhyun's side to attend to the individual waving at them.

“Chanyeol! Hey! Good to see you!” Jongin shook the giant’s hand, clearly unsure of whether or not a hug was permitted, but Chanyeol took the initiative anyways. “What brings you here?”

Baekhyun slowly approached the front, eyes steady on Chanyeol who didn’t hide the fact that he was making small glances towards his way. Distracting himself, the brunet reached over and ripped a plastic bag from the side hook.

“I need some lettuce and tomatoes,” Chanyeol answered, looking down at the wooden crates to inspect the produce available to his picking. “I was actually here earlier today, but I forgot to buy some.”

“Got distracted by your local fans?” Jongin joked, folding his arms.

Shrugging, Chanyeol grinned as his eyes traced back to Baekhyun. “My mother only needs about a pound or two… Actually, I don’t really know. Two to be safe. I dont know much about cooking so...”

“Got it.”

Before Chanyeol could say anything else, Jongin asked, “When are you going back?”

“Uh, Sunday? The weekend after the next.”

“Ah… So you’re not even really staying that long.”

“No, I wanted to get back to work as fast as I could,” Chanyeol told him, reaching in his pocket of the money to give to Baekhyun. “I’m really busy, actually. I don’t have time for anything outside of work.”

With pursed lips, Baekhyun handed over the produce in exchange for the money. “How’s radio hosting?”

The question came as a surprise to Chanyeol who raised a brow. Cocking his head, he smiled. “You know I’ve been hosting the radio lately?”

Baekhyun shrugged as if to say nothing more of it. “Sometimes I tune in when everything else is pretty much static.”

“And how often is everything static?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes determined to keep contact with Baekhyun’s. “Every night?”

Scoffing, Baekhyun couldn’t help but give a small smile. “No... Maybe once or twice a month, but--”

“Liar,” Chanyeol teased. Before the brunet could retaliate, he asked, “Are you done with work now?”

Taken aback, it took Baekhyun a second to answer. “Yeah, actually, but--”

“Great.” To Jongin, Chanyeol offered him a few bills. “Don’t say anything. Just take it. Think of it as a thank you for dealing with me all those years.”

“Chanyeol, this isn’t--”

Then, with his attention fixated on Baekhyun, Chanyeol nodded his head in a direction going out from the stand. “Let’s go home.”

Let’s go home... Words that were so familiar, yet distant. It echoed of nostalgia and rang in Baekhyun’s ears, shaking him. Old feelings were being triggered out of their dormant state, but he wouldn’t dare allow it.

Yet, he gave an inch of allowance to the indulgence that he craved of those buried feelings. With an intake of breath and a clear understanding that any time spent with Chanyeol was nothing more than just another step on the road of disappointment (again), Baekhyun nodded.

“Wait for me at the end. I have to get my bike, but I’ll walk with you.”

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a/n: Fun fact: So, why does Baekhyun ride a bicycle? Yes, it's rustic. It gives off that simplistic feeling... But in all honesty, my grandpa who lives in the Philippines as a rice farmer rides an old bike to go to places like the baranguy council meetings or to the nearest tindahan. Old bikes remind me of him.

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