His body laid on the dirt ground, his blood mingling with the dust. The shirt he wore was torn and covered with his iron-scented blood that was seeping out of every cut from his damaged body. Baekhyun had won, yet he had lost. In order to save his village, Baekhyun had sacrificed his own life. He knew what the consequences were when he ran away, but, as seen, he acted blindly towards the consequences. Now, there his body laid on the cold floor, blood leaking out from every part of his broken body.

Before the injured boy could close his eyes for eternity, he had believed that no one would care about him. He had believed that if he were to close his eyes, his body would merely be carried away and buried six feet underneath the ground. That was what he believed, but all of that changed when Baekhyun heard a howl and a cry, ultimately realizing who the sound belonged to. It belonged to him.

"Baekhyunnie!" the man cried, scurrying his way towards the boy and protectively hovered over him. "B-Baek... I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I-I'm..." he sobbed, unable to continue on as he watched his lover struggling just to breathe.

"Shhh..." Baekhyun hushed. With trembling hands, he slowly moved his arms so he could place his hands on the man's cheeks, inevitably covering the man with blood. "You did everything you can to save me, Hoojun. I can never thank you enough... Y-You have not only been my friend but also my lover. That is all I can ever ask of anyone. I-I..."

"B-Baek..."

"I love you so, so, so much," Baekhyun said softly before his eyes fluttered closed, arms going limp and dropping to the ground.Realizing what just happened, Hoojun opened his jaw to let out a scream, but nothing came out. Instead, all he could say was "I love you too."

It was unfortunate that Baekhyun had died before Hoojun could whisper those words to him. Now, with Baekhyun dead, he would never be able to hear those words.

It was almost an hour past midnight, yet Chanyeol still had his fingers dancing graciously and tiredly over the worn out keyboard; the blank page on his computer screen is slowly beginning to fill up with printed words as he typed along.

It had almost been five hours since he started to write, and never once in those five hours did he take a break. Only when he needed to use the bathroom did he stop his work, but after that, he would go back to work right away. Chanyeol knows he is overworking himself these days, but it is necessary for him as an author to speed up his work at times like these. It has already been well over a year since his first book had been published, and miraculously, the book sold quite well for a beginner author like Chanyeol. Though having a well-bought book has its benefits, there are many drawbacks that come along with the benefits. Sure, Chanyeol gets to keep all the money that he earned with his book, but because of the popularity of his book, Chanyeol has constantly been getting demands from readers to make a sequel. Being an author is no easy task, and Chanyeol, unfortunately, got the short end of the stick and learned that the hard way.

Initially, the author himself doesn't even know how his book became so popular. It is only when he had attended several interviews did he eventually find out what made his book so popular. It is because of the infamous character, Byun Baekhyun. Indeed, it is because of that character did the book become so popular. In many of those interviews, there were many times when Chanyeol got bashed on because he killed off the beloved character, but he had no choice. He had to do what he needed to do in order to continue the storyline. However, there has been moments when Chanyeol thought that, as an author, maybe he could have been able to alternate the storyline so Baekhyun didn't have to die.

Does Chanyeol regret killing off this precious character? Sometimes. Many of his readers shared the same feelings as him, for Byun Baekhyun was also his favorite character that he ever wrote about.

Unfortunately, Baekhyun is dead, and that's the end of the story. Well, at least that is what Chanyeol thought before he almost began to receive death threats from his readers for not making a sequel. Don't take this the wrong way. Chanyeol loves his readers very much, but he has feelings just like any other person and receiving death threats from people hurts him emotionally. That is why, for the sake of his readers, Chanyeol has been overworking himself to the extent of exhaustion.

Hours have been spent at his desk, typing away whatever ideas he has in his mind, but nothing seems to work out. Whenever he has written a chapter, he will reread it again and finally decide that it is not up to his expectation, like always. For weeks, he has been stuck on the first damn chapter. For days, tears of frustration have fallen down his cheeks as he tries to write whatever he can.

It has already been three weeks since Chanyeol started the sequel, and he is getting nowhere, which is why he will be visiting his publisher, who is also one of his closest friends, tomorrow. After typing for several more minutes, Chanyeol looks at the time, groaning when he realizes that it is late and he still needs to meet his publisher at nine in the morning since that is the only time available.

Not wanting to suffer as he wakes up tomorrow, Chanyeol decides that it is best to stop writing, so he finally shuts off his computer screen and gets ready for bed.

* * *

When morning comes around, Chanyeol finds that it was absolutely useless to sleep early, for it has become a challenge these days to even open his eyes. There is no doubt that exhaustion is catching up to him, but there is nothing Chanyeol can do about it. Readers are counting on him, and Chanyeol refuses to let them down. No matter how tiring it is to just open his eyes, Chanyeol forces himself anyway.

Groggily, the young author gets up from his bed and starts to get ready to meet his publisher.

It isn't long before Chanyeol finds himself sitting in a café with a mug of black coffee in his hand. He purposely ordered black coffee to stay awake, even though he hates the taste of bitterness. However, no matter how much he hates the taste of black coffee, he drinks it anyway, hoping that it will get rid of the tired expression off his face before he meets his publisher.

Speaking of his publisher, Chanyeol looks at the time on his wristwatch, scrunching up his brows when he realizes that his publisher is already ten minutes late.

"What the hell..." he quietly mutters to himself, thinking that he could've gotten extra sleep if he knew his publisher is going to be late.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Chanyeol almost cringes when he gets to the bottom of the mug, tasting some of the grounded coffee beans. If Chanyeol wasn't awake before, he is now after tasting that awful bitterness of the coffee beans.

"I'm so going to kill him," Chanyeol murmurs under his breath, but as soon as those words left his mouth, a small figure appears unexpectedly behind him.

"You're going to do what now, Park Chanyeol?"

The voice is low and venomous, and the said man can almost feel chills running down his spine as soon as he hears his publisher's voice through his large, elf-like ears. "I didn't say anything, K-Kyungsoo."

"Relax, will you? I'm kidding! Get a sense of humor. You've been lacking it ever since you started your new book." Kyungsoo takes a random chair and places it across Chanyeol before sitting down on it, facing the taller man. "Wow, you look like ."

"Thanks. I love the criticism." Chanyeol rolls his eyes, definitely not appreciating the sarcasm that he is receiving.

"I'm kidding... again." There is a pregnant pause between the two men, but it is nothing out of the ordinary because Kyungsoo understands more than anyone Chanyeol knows that being an author is not an easy job. Kyungsoo has seen his friend beginning to lose the bright and outgoing personality he once had. Ever since Chanyeol became a published author, he has never once been himself. He has constantly isolated himself from the outside world, his friends, and even family. It saddens Kyungsoo to see his best friend slowly beginning to deteriorate, but there is nothing he can do. He has tried many times to convince Chanyeol that being an author is not about isolating himself and writing books, but Chanyeol would never take any of it. With Chanyeol's bright and outgoing personality comes determination, and Chanyeol has always been determined to be perfect, especially at his occupation. No amount of convincing will bring his best friend back, and Kyungsoo knows that if he does not do anything soon, he is going to lose his best friend.

Chanyeol can only sigh as he buries his face in his hands. ", Kyungsoo, I don't know what to do. This writer's block I've been having has been killing me! It's taking too long for me to even finish the first chapter, and... and... God damn it!" Chanyeol starts to raise his voice. "The god damn death threats won't ing stop! Random people on the streets constantly ask me if I'm working on the sequel! They don't even realize how hard I'm trying, but... ... readers just don't understand sometimes."

"Chanyeol, I need you to breathe for a minute. I know you're stressed right now, but you really need to relax. I know what you're going through. I've talked to many writers like you before who had the same problem, but, you know what, they were able to get through it. If they were able to, then you will be able to as well."

"But those writers aren't like me! T-They've never written a character that they've fallen in love with. , I killed off my beloved character, and I can't seem to write my sequel without him... It hurts me when I write without him." Chanyeol almost feels embarrassed when tears are beginning to well up in his eyes as he talks about this character, but it is Kyungsoo who he's talking to, so it doesn't bother him too much. Kyungsoo has always known about Chanyeol's obsession with this one character ever since he published the book; it hurts Kyungsoo to know that there's nothing he can do about it. He isn't the one who murdered the character; it was Chanyeol.

"I know authors make mistakes... but killing Baekhyun off has been the biggest mistake I've ever made," Chanyeol weakly confesses before he feels warmth enveloping his large hands. Looking up, the giant sees that it is Kyungsoo who has his hands wrapped around Chanyeol's.

"I know I can't do anything... but let me give you a suggestion." Kyungsoo the bottom of his , contemplating the suggestion he is about to give to Chanyeol. The latter has his ears open, Kyungsoo notices, so taking a deep breath in, he shakily says, "M-Maybe you can think about him."

"What?! No! That's only going to make it worse for me!" Chanyeol seizes his hands from Kyungsoo's, almost feeling offended by the suggestion.

"I didn't finish, brat," Kyungsoo sputters before realizing the deathly tone in his voice and begins to calm himself down. "Look, I know it's hard to think about him, but maybe it can actually help you accept what has happened. Ever since the book has been published, you didn't give yourself a second to even think about him. It's been over a year already... You need to move along and accept what you did."

The air is silent around them and neither one of them know what to say. Chanyeol, however, is about to open his mouth when Kyungsoo interrupts. "Look, I have to go meet another client right now. Just think about what I said, all right? You need to forget about the past and think about the future. That's what sequels are for. You can do it, Yeol." Before the shorter man leaves, he gives a pat on the giant's shoulder and a reassuring nod. "Call me if you need to talk again. I actually have more time to talk tomorrow at the same time. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, yeah... whatever, sure," Chanyeol murmurs and looks down at his empty mug. A soft sigh leaves his mouth as he thinks about what Kyungsoo just said to him.

I'm so sorry, Baekhyun.

Chanyeol takes his time and thinks for another few minutes when he finally decides that he is ready to leave. Placing the tip on the table, Chanyeol quickly scurries away, already thinking about his first book. While on his way back home, he observes carefully at the world around him; high school children are rushing to get to school; families are laughing happily as if they have no care in the world; Chanyeol then sees something that makes him wonder. He sees many couples around him, hands linked together and faces full of grins. Love is all around Chanyeol, yet it has never taken over his heart. He convinces himself that, as an author, his only priority in life is to write. He convinces himself that his love for books, papers, pens, and typewriters are enough.

Is it really, though? Chanyeol wonders, thinking about his life if he does eventually meet someone. The thought came as quickly as it left, however. Chanyeol just doesn't see the importance of love. He possesses all the books he could ever imagine; he has all the ideas he can ever write about; his love of being an author is limitless and endless. There is no point for him to fall in love with an actual person. There is just no way, Chanyeol believes.

* * *

Night time comes by rather quickly to Chanyeol. Ever since he got home in the afternoon, he has stayed by his desktop, fingers never leaving the delicate keyboard. Only at times when nature calls did Chanyeol leave the keyboard absent of any fingers, but as soon as he would finish his business, he would immediately go back to work. Chanyeol has constantly been typing away the words on his keyboard, eyes so focused on the screen that he'll be surprised if he doesn't go blind the next day.

Because of Kyungsoo's suggestion, Chanyeol has started to think about the beloved character. Never once did Chanyeol think that the suggestion may help him, but it actually did. His fingers have been moving quickly and elegantly over the keyboard. Never have they stopped to take a break, and as Chanyeol is writing, he can already feel the excitement surging through him. This sequel, Chanyeol hopes, will be so much better than the original.

As Chanyeol continues to write, his alarm suddenly sets off, indicating that it is well past midnight and he should be in bed. If it isn't for the alarm, Chanyeol knows he'll be up all night, writing. Thanks to the alarm, he finally decides to call it a night.

After getting ready for bed, Chanyeol finds it incredibly difficult to sleep when he still has that one character stuck in his mind.

Byun Baekhyun...

Without realizing, Chanyeol slowly falls into a world of unconsciousness, darkness finally evading his mind. The last thing he thinks about before he falls unconscious is, of course, Byun Baekhyun, yet he doesn't get rid of the thoughts. He, instead, welcomes it for the first time in many months.

* * *

For many years, Chanyeol has lived in his own house that is isolated from the city of Seoul. Being an author and all Chanyeol purposely bought the house for many reasons; one of them being that it is simply quiet and peaceful. As an author, needs peace and quiet in order to concentrate, for making up storylines is no easy task when one is living in the busy and noisy part of Seoul. Luckily for Chanyeol, for many years, it has always been quiet and peaceful in his neighborhood. Except for this one night.

Chanyeol can barely see the time as he is squinting hard, trying to read the time on his digital clock. Apparently, it is barely five in the morning, and Chanyeol almost forgets why he woke up in the first place when he hears a bustle of noises down in his kitchen. Begrudgingly, Chanyeol sits up on his bed before putting on his bathrobe, too exhausted to even pay a heed to what he looks like at the moment. All Chanyeol can guess is that he looks awful, but he can really care less.

It takes Chanyeol a moment to mentally prepare himself before cautiously opening the door, the noise downstairs becoming ever so prominent.

Chanyeol has never been in a situation where has a robber in his house, so with his instincts, he grabs a baseball bat from his closet and slowly walks down the stairs, careful not to make a sound.

As Chanyeol is walking down the stairs, he can hear his heart beating sporadically and feel his chest about to burst from fear. Indeed, Chanyeol will admit that he is scared, but who can blame him when it's barely five in the morning and there is a potential robber in his house? Heck, the robber possibly has a gun in hand, and what does Chanyeol have? A baseball bat.

When Chanyeol is nearing the kitchen, the noise he heard before abruptly stops. Instead, what Chanyeol hears next almost makes him feel embarrassed. Whoever it is in his kitchen just elicited a soft moan in delight, and Chanyeol can not help but blush at the cute sound. Soon enough, his curiosity reaches its peak, and without wasting another second, Chanyeol barges into his kitchen, baseball bat gripped so tightly by his hands that the tips of his fingers are turning red.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my house?!" Chanyeol shouts before scrunching his eyebrows and lowering his baseball bat, seeing that the "robber" is a young boy who has a jar of blueberry jam in one hand while he has his finger of the other hand in his mouth, seemingly to be something off of it. The young boy who hears Chanyeol shout at him widens his eyes, and he immediately slides his finger out of his mouth.

"Oh, hello! Do you, by any chance, have strawberry jam in your house? I've been looking for it, but it seems that the only thing you have is blueberry jam. Now, I don't really prefer blueberry jam, but since it's the only thing you have, I had no choice but to-"

"I asked who the hell are you?!" Chanyeol shouts again, shocked at how his voice is not as stern as before from seeing how scared the young boy looked.

"I'm... not sure, actually."

"You know what? I don't have time for this. I need to go meet my publisher in three hours. Either you can leave my house right now, or I'm calling the cops."

"But I'll have nowhere to go!" the boy cries out, hoping to get some pity out of Chanyeol, but the latter is not taking any of it. He stomps his way towards the young boy and grabs him tightly by the wrist before dragging the small boy to the entrance.

"Step into this house again and I will not be afraid to call the police," Chanyeol seethes with venom before opening the door and pushing the small boy out.

Before, Chanyeol believed that getting rid of the boy may leave him at peace, but it somehow makes it worse for him. The young boy seems so familiar to him. Almost too familiar, and it is frightening him at how familiar the boy seems. Then, Chanyeol remembers, and the memory starts gushing through him. Without sparing a second, Chanyeol rushes upstairs and dashes to his room, searching for that once book on his shelf. It takes him a second to eventually find it, and when he does, he takes the book off his shelf and opens up to a certain page and begins reading.

Byun Baekhyun is a young boy at the age of eight. He, however, is not your typical teenage boy. Baekhyun is a boy who thrives on adventure, love, and, of course, strawberry jam...

"Oh my God..." Chanyeol whispers when the book starts to slip from his hands, eventually crashing down onto the floor. He can not believe what is happening at the moment. This must all be a dream. Yes, indeed, this is all just a dream. Chanyeol decides that he will go back to sleep, knowing for sure that when he wakes up, everything will all turn out to be a dream. There is no possible way that the character he created and loved so much in one of his fantasy books has come to life, especially a dead character.

There is no possible way.

Right?

Just when Chanyeol is about to enter the world of unconsciousness again, he can't help but feel a tremendous and overwhelming amount of emotions gush through him and into his mind. All these emotions hit him at once, and Chanyeol realizes that these emotions are coming to him because of that boy. "..." Chanyeol groans as he rubs his face with his hands before getting out of bed. The author has decided that he will find the boy that he kicked out and ask him questions. There is just no way that this is happening to him right now, and Chanyeol will prove it to himself by talking to the young boy.

When Chanyeol gets to the front entrance, he takes in deep breaths to calm his breathing. He has no idea who this boy is, and, soon enough, he will find out. There is no possible way for the boy to be... him.

The only way for Chanyeol to actually find out is when he will open the door, and that is exactly what he does. With quivering hands, Chanyeol concentrates on opening the door slowly. Eventually, he is able to fully open the door. The author is expecting to see the same boy from before, but there is no one in sight and not a single movement in the neighborhood indicates that the boy is still there. "!" Chanyeol curses, suddenly feeling guilty when he know realizes that he kicked a homeless boy out of his house. Without thinking for another second, Chanyeol quickly puts on his shoes and runs outside, searching for the familiar boy.

As he searches, Chanyeol begins to think. He thinks about Baekhyun again and wonders what will happen if this boy he is searching for is actually the dead character he wrote about. It surely is impossible, right? Chanyeol can't help but have a bad feeling about all of this, but his priority is to find the young boy, and so he begins to accelerate his speed. With heavy pants, Chanyeol continues to run through the neighborhood, cursing when he feels a rain droplet fall down onto his face. Where can the boy be? The man knows that the boy can't be too far from his house, so where exactly can he be?

Stopping to catch his breath, Chanyeol squints his eyes to look at the other side of the street, hoping to catch the figure he has seen before, but he sees nothing, of course. "Okay... I think I'm going insane," Chanyeol mutters before turning around, but when he does turn around, he is greeted by an unexpected appearance.

"Hi!"

"Holy !" Chanyeol nearly shrieks, hands clutching onto his chest as he tries to calm the pounding in his chest. "W-What the fu- H-How'd you get here? I was searching for you all over the place! Where did you go?!" Chanyeol yells once his heart is beating at its normal pace. Although the author doesn't exactly know why he just yelled at the boy, he did feel somewhat guilty when he looked at the smaller boy who had his head down.

The rain droplet that Chanyeol felt before came down onto his face again, and again, and again, and soon, the sky starts to pour with its descending rain. When Chanyeol takes a closer look at the smaller boy, he finally notices that the boy barely has any clothes on except for a plain, white t-shirt and shorts. Somehow, it pains the author to see the figure standing there with almost nothing on, so without another thought, Chanyeol takes his bathrobe off and wraps it comfortably around the smaller figure. "Follow me... We'll go to my house and we can talk there."

The young boy looks up with a thankful expression on his face and nods, eyes twinkling under the moonlight, and suddenly, Chanyeol doesn't even know the reason for his accelerated heartbeat. The boy looks exactly how Chanyeol imagined and described him to be, and though it is supposed to be frightening the author that this boy looks just like a character he wrote about, Chanyeol somehow feels at ease when he observes the young boy. While observing, however, the author doesn't realize that the young boy is looking up at him, almost as if he is waiting for Chanyeol to do or say something. Upon noticing the stare that he is receiving from the boy, Chanyeol asks, "What are you looking at?"

"I don't know... I'm waiting for you. I don't really remember where your house is," the young boy admits, looking back down onto the ground again before he feels someone grab his wrist, lightly.

"S-Sorry..." Chanyeol stutters, feeling almost embarrassed at how soft his voice has become. He then realizes that while the young boy was waiting for the author to make a move first, he had been observing the boy the entire time. Chanyeol can only hope that the boy hasn't noticed.

As Chanyeol walks back to his house with the young boy in tow, the rain starts to increase, eventually drenching the two men. Chanyeol is freezing at the point, for he gave his bathrobe to the homeless boy, but, of course, he will never admit that. The young boy seems content to be wearing Chanyeol's warm, fuzzy bathrobe, and the author isn't going to make the young boy feel guilty.

The two men finally arrive at home, bodies drenched with rain droplets. Chanyeol looks at the time on the wall clock and groans; he will never get enough sleep now, knowing that he will definitely have to take a shower. Looking at the young boy, Chanyeol almost feels his heart flutter when the former is looking back at him with those same, twinkling eyes. Never before has Chanyeol witnessed someone so beautiful, so perfect, so... ethereal. But, that's the question. Is this young boy really the character from Chanyeol's book? The author is about to ask when he notices the young boy shivering, and Chanyeol quickly forgets his question and hurries to take off the bathrobe from the boy.

"Why don't you take a shower now? The bathroom is upstairs. You can use whatever soap, shampoo, and conditioner you'd like."

"Okay!" the young boy exclaims, but Chanyeol notices that the former is making no indication that he will move.

"Are you going to go or what?"

"Shower with me!"

Chanyeol nearly chokes on his saliva when the boy initiated to take a shower together like it is no big deal. It shouldn't be a big deal since they are both men, anyway, but Chanyeol still can't help but feel the burning of his cheeks. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? You're drenched too, so come on. It'll be faster, anyway!" This time, the boy grabs onto Chanyeol's hand and drags him up the stairs. He is able to find the bathroom with the help of Chanyeol who clarifies which way the bathroom is, and as soon as they enter, the young boy is already taking off his clothes. Chanyeol nearly shrieks at the sight in front of him, but he continues to ask himself why is he even acting this way in the first place. They are both men, and taking a showering together shouldn't even be that big of a deal, so why is he acting this way?

When the young boy is left with nothing but his birthday suit on, Chanyeol can't stop his eyes from wandering. He looks at the boy from head to toe, relishing the beauty of the boy with pale, milky skin. It is absurd, Chanyeol thinks. How can a boy he just met make him feel this way? Did they really just meet, though? Just who is this young boy with the epitome of perfection and beauty?

"Are you going to take your clothes off too?" the small boy wonders, and Chanyeol immediately nods. He then begins to take his own clothes off, and once he is stark , he makes his way to the bathtub and starts the shower. Before allowing the young boy to enter, Chanyeol makes sure that the temperature of the water is just right, and when the water reaches lukewarm, Chanyeol grabs ahold of the younger boy's hand and pulls him towards the bathtub.

At first, the smaller boy seems hesitant in entering. "I-Is the water cold?"

"No, it's not. I already checked."

Still, the boy seems hesitant, and Chanyeol is forced to use his strength and pull the young boy in. The latter lets out a soft yelp and nearly trips over the edge of the bathtub, but before his face can meet the floor of the bathtub, Chanyeol is already there beside the boy, securing his arms around the smaller's waist. Chanyeol doesn't even realize how intimate their position is until he looks up at that boy to make sure he is all right, but all he sees are the cheeks turning bright red.

"Oh! Uh... I'm s-sorry... um... are you okay, though?"

The young boy just nods and beams, his eyes turning into small crescents as he does so. For some reason, it's just like how Chanyeol imagined the character, Baekhyun, to smile. Their smiles are so damn similar, and Chanyeol can't help the frightening thought creeping into his mind, telling him that the boy he's staring at is Baekhyun himself. It just can't be possible, right?

"Thanks to you, I'm okay," the boy finally responds, and that's all that matters to Chanyeol.

While Chanyeol is washing the shampoo off his hair, his back is turned towards the boy, completely oblivious of the latter's actions. However, when he does turn around, the author can't help but grin gleefully when he sees that the young boy has made a fake beard out of the shampoo. Chanyeol is about to turn around again to wash off the remaining shampoo when, suddenly, he sees the smaller boy reach out to him from his peripheral vision. At first, he doesn't realize what just happened until he touched his hair. The grin he once wore on his face completely vanished and it is replaced by a frown and then a smirk.

Two can play that game.

When the boy is least expecting it, Chanyeol takes some of the foam off the boy's chin and puts it on his head. "There, now we're even."

"But not for too long!" the boy responds excitedly before taking the foam off his chin and throwing it at Chanyeol's direction. Fortunately, the taller man is able to dodge the foam that is coming for him. However, he is unfortunately left with foam sticking onto his bathroom wall. No matter how much Chanyeol wants to be angry at the younger boy for not only wasting his shampoo but also the water, he finds that he cannot do so. The bright, gleaming smile plastered on the boy's face somehow brings happiness to Chanyeol's heart, and his heart cannot bear to stay angry at the innocent boy.

Their shower lasts much longer than they thought it would. But it is definitely worth it, Chanyeol believes. He needed to clear his mind from everything and was only able to do that because of the young boy who was actually able to make Chanyeol laugh while throwing foam at each other. The boy is nowhere who Chanyeol thought he was; he is no robber. This boy is someone... special, and Chanyeol, despite not knowing anything about this stranger, feels like he's known this boy for his entire life.

After their tedious task of taking a shower and dressing up, Chanyeol finds out that he only has two hours left instead of three to meet Kyungsoo again. Knowing that he will never be able to fall back asleep, Chanyeol finally decides to ask where the boy came from. The latter is currently getting ready to sleep on Chanyeol's couch when the giant abruptly asks, "Who are you, really?"

"Hm..." the boy taps on his chin, seemingly to think of an answer. Chanyeol is waiting in anticipation, hoping that the boy has some kind of answer because this boy really can't be the character from his book. "I... don't remember. All I remember is coming from a village in Korea..."

. "Okay, then how about your name?" Chanyeol clenches his fist in anxiousness, hoping and praying that the boy won't say-

"Byun Baekhyun!"

No... anything but that.

"Are you sure? Maybe you forgot your real name and-"

"Nope! I'm positive!" Baekhyun gives a firm nod, and Chanyeol feels like he is going to throw up. How is this happening? He has no clue, but maybe someone else in the world actually has the name, Byun Baekhyun. That's also a possibility, but even Chanyeol himself can't bring himself to believe in that possibility. Although he knows the boy's name, he still needs to confirm that this boy is truly the character that he once wrote about and... loved.

"What exactly do you love the most?"

"Well, I love going on adventures!"

... ... ...

"I want to be loved someday... There was this guy that I loved, and I confessed to him, but he never gave me a reply. Well, maybe he did, but I don't think I was there when he did."

No, he's right. Hoojun did say 'I love you' after Baekhyun died, but there's no possible way that Baekhyun could've heard him.

"Oh! And lastly, I love strawberry jam! I know it's kind of weird, but I don't like the fruit too much. It's too sour, and I hate sour things! But strawberry jam is definitely-"

Baekhyun can't even finish his sentence when he sees the look of discomfort contorted on Chanyeol's face.

"Sir, are you okay? You look kind of pale."

Chanyeol is far from okay. The throb in his head is starting to grow, and he can barely focus on the boy who is desperately crying out for his name. The boy can't be Baekhyun. Baekhyun is a dead character from his books! It's physically impossible for a character to come to life, yet Chanyeol has a live character right in front of him. And it's not any character, it's Byun Baekhyun. It's the character that Chanyeol has fallen in love with and murdered.

These thoughts are continuously lingering in Chanyeol's mind. His vision starts to blur, and Baekhyun who was in front of him has suddenly vanished from his sight. However, before Chanyeol can even wonder where the boy has gone, his consciousness takes over him, dragging him into the world of dreams and nightmares.

* * *

Chanyeol can barely recall how he ended up asleep on the couch.

That morning, as soon as he gained his consciousness, he shot his eyes open and glanced at the time on the wall. He remembers that he has to meet Kyungsoo again, but the realization hits him hard when he sees that he has ten minutes to get ready. Immediately getting up from the couch, Chanyeol dashes his way to the bathroom to get ready. While getting ready, the giant is desperately trying to go through his memories from last night to get an answer on how he ended up sleeping on the couch. Chanyeol thinks carefully, eyebrows furrowing as frustration begins to build upon him. But then, Chanyeol remembers him.

Baekhyun.

Chanyeol remembers how the little boy was the last thing he saw when he somehow fell asleep on the couch. Speaking of the young boy, Chanyeol notices that the house is way too quiet. He knows that if Baekhyun is in his house, there'd probably be a ruckus, but the house is left in absolute silence as soon as Chanyeol turns the water off from his sink. Maybe it really was just a dream, Chanyeol tells himself, but that doesn't explain how he ended up on the couch.

"Baekhyun!" Chanyeol decides that calling out for the boy will allow him to figure out if everything really was a dream. There is no response, and the author doesn't know why he somehow feels slightly... empty. Chanyeol's large broad shoulders that were raised slightly higher than usual drops down in dejection. Everything that happened last night had all seemed so real to Chanyeol. He can clearly remember him searching for the younger boy, and then it started to rain once they head back to his house. Chanyeol remembers how he and Baekhyun already took a shower together and how they even had a bubble fight (if that's what it's called) together. The memories had all seemed so surreal to him. If his memories are real, then what about Baekhyun?

"Oh, good morning, sir!"

Chanyeol's elf-like ears quickly perk up, and his shoulders rise up. Before he can even give a response, he turns around and tightly embraces the little boy he knows so well. Chanyeol notices how Baekhyun is a little bit cold, but then he remembers that he didn't turn on the heater. "Chanyeol," the said man says as he continues to hold onto the cold boy.

"Huh?"

"My name's... Chanyeol. Call me that, instead."

"Chanyeol? That's a lovely name."

"So is yours." Chanyeol almost laughs as soon as those words left his mouth. Of course, Baekhyun is a lovely name. Chanyeol is indeed the one who named the young boy after all.

Their embrace lasts longer than Chanyeol had thought, but he doesn't really mind. After holding onto the younger boy, it seems that the latter has warmed up a little bit, to Chanyeol's relief. If it wasn't for Chanyeol's alarm on his wristwatch that went off again, he would've still held onto the little boy just a bit longer. Unfortunately, their time together seems to be limited, and Chanyeol nearly curses when he looks at the time again. He is running late, and knowing Kyungsoo, the latter will not be happy about that.

"Baek, I have to go out for a bit. Do you think you can take care of yourself in my house for a bit? It won't be too long," Chanyeol says as he lets go of Baekhyun.

"You're letting me stay in your house?"

"Of course. Besides, we still didn't get the chance to talk as much as I would've liked. I... want to get to know you more." Chanyeol thinks it's almost ironic since he's asking the character he created to tell the latter something about himself. Chanyeol can't be more than sure that he will know everything about Baekhyun, but for the sake of spending more time with the younger boy, it will be worth it.

Eventually, Baekhyun nods, a bright smile plastered on his face. "I'll make sure your house is protected!"

The smile on Baekhyun's face ultimately ends up on Chanyeol's face, and soon the latter finds himself smiling just as brightly as Baekhyun. "Is that so? Then should I be shocked when I find out my house has burned down?"

"Hey!" Baekhyun teasingly slaps the giant on the chest.

"I'm kidding! Now, I really have to go. I'll see you soon, Baek." Chanyeol pats the shorter boy on the shoulder before running down the stairs. There is a sense of dread as he starts running to the same café as yesterday. He knows how much Kyungsoo hates people who are never on time, and Chanyeol can't help the dread that's gushing through his body. He is sure that he will get a long lecture from Kyungsoo. However, even that can't stop him from smiling after what just happened in his house. His beloved character is alive and well, and Chanyeol has a feeling that maybe fate is giving him another chance with this character.

That is a big possibility, to what Chanyeol thinks. However, fate can always be messing around with people's lives, and that's the fact that Chanyeol completely disregards.

* * *

In record's time, Chanyeol finally reaches the café in ten minutes when it usually takes him fifteen.

Once he arrives at the café, Chanyeol is expecting to see his little doe-eyed friend to be sitting in their usual seat, but when he heads towards their seat, he finds out that another couple is sitting there. Scrunching his eyebrows in confusion, Chanyeol stops a waitress who is just about to walk past him. The waitress is startled by Chanyeol's impulsive act, and the giant apologizes. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but have you seen a man who's at least a head shorter than me with eyes like an owl and hair dyed brown. He probably had a frown on his face because he rarely smiles because..." Chanyeol trails off, noticing that the waitress is giving him a weird expression, obviously having no idea who Kyungsoo is. "Nevermind. Sorry for wasting your time."

"It's fine, I guess," the waitress kindly says and gives a slight bow to the giant before serving another customer.

"Where the hell is he?" Chanyeol mumbles as he continues to crane his neck and look in different directions from the café. He knows he probably looks pitiful at the moment, for someone may think he's waiting for a date who will never show up, but, of course, no one will know the truth. They don't know that Kyungsoo is usually on time for every meeting (except yesterday) and that he will never disappear just like that. For the moment, Chanyeol can't pay a heed to anyone else in the café as he picks up his phone and starts to send a text to Kyungsoo.

From: Chanyeol

Hey, Soo, where are you? Did you leave the café?

Sent 9:23AM

Chanyeol decides to take a seat while waiting for his text from Kyungsoo. Once he is sitting down at a random table, he can't help but stare at his phone, waiting impatiently for the vibration and notification from his phone, alerting him that Kyungsoo has texted him back. However, no matter how much he stares at his phone, he never gets a reply. Knowing that Kyungsoo almost always replies instantly, Chanyeol can't help but feel that something is off. Anxiousness begins to creep up on him until he is suddenly distracted when an employee puts a new batch of strawberry shortcake on display.

Chanyeol knows that a certain someone may be completely surprised if he returned home with a slice of strawberry shortcake. Imagining the look on Baekhyun's face when he returns home with a slice of cake is what makes Chanyeol abruptly stand up and go to the counter, ordering himself a slice of strawberry shortcake.

For the moment, Kyungsoo is completely out of Chanyeol's mind. The latter tells himself that Kyungsoo is just busy and that's why he can't return Chanyeol's texts or calls. This occasion rarely happens. In fact, this may have been the second time when Kyungsoo is not on time and doesn't immediately return any text messages or calls. This should be rather alarming to Chanyeol, but he can't focus on anything besides the boy at home. Baekhyun is actually living. He is neither dead nor injured, and that fact brings Chanyeol at peace.

Just as Chanyeol is walking back to his house, he passes a supermarket. Thinking about how his refrigerator is on low supply, Chanyeol doesn't think twice as he steps into the supermarket, the automatic doors sliding open as he enters.

As Chanyeol is going down the aisles of the supermarket, he mindlessly picks up the items he needs and rushes off to the counter to pay. However, on his way to the counter, a thought comes to his mind, which renders him to walk in a different direction from the counter. He searches the aisle once again, and when he finally finds what he is looking for, he hurries back to the counter with the brand new item in hand: strawberry jam.

* * *

When Chanyeol arrives home, he immediately calls out for the young boy. The latter hasn't responded once the giant has already set the groceries on the table. Noticing that he still hasn't received a response from Baekhyun, Chanyeol furrows his brows and yells for the boy once again. "Baekhyun?!"

Still, there is no response. For some reason, the silence in his house is beginning to worry Chanyeol, so without another second to think, he searches the house for the little midget with the latter in mind. "Baekhyun! Where are you? I have strawberry jam!" Chanyeol can only wonder where the boy is when he starts to think about Baekhyun more clearly in his mind. He searches every corner of the house, but the boy is yet to be seen. Just when Chanyeol is slowly losing hope as he searches the last corner of his house, he feels a presence behind him. Turning around, Chanyeol's heart nearly leaps out of his chest when he sees Baekhyun standing right there with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Where the were you?!" Chanyeol yells angrily, but he regrets yelling when he sees the little boy look down at the floor. The latter shrugs his shoulder, and Chanyeol is so close to facepalming himself when Ba