chapter 1

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Another heavy sigh escapes the young man’s plump lips. Honestly, a man his age shouldn’t have so many burdens at eleven in the evening. Viva Polo, his mother’s own restaurant had just finished their business hour. Tuesday was not so good, he wished it were the weekend everyday. He closed the large folio size accounting book and placed it under the cashier rack, locking it secure. His best friend, Kim Jongin was wiping the table, the tan skinned university student needed a job and Chanyeol’s mother doesn’t mind, they were a little short staffed, and Jongin doesn’t mind the payment. Business was slow and it felt harder when the whole restaurant was now what you depended on.

It wasn’t like it was not getting any customer but being 100% dependent on it was tough really. Of course they had their saving but that was still for another year in university. Chanyeol cant work outside of the restaurant, his mom had no one except Yunho, the cook, and now Jongin. Also, she wasn’t getting any younger as well.

The next morning Chanyeol side by side walked towards his last class of the day with Sehun. Another good friend of his, both were average university students that came from and average family, nothing too special. Sehun was right now obsessed with Kim Minseok, also known as Xiumin. Now this Xiumin guy was living Chanyeol’s dream. He was a singer, not a soloist but from a rising boy band called CBX or whatever. The taller would kill to be a singer, especially be in a boy band, he would definitely be the cool, calm, and collected rapper. Wearing those oversized expensive hoodies, caps and limited edition sneakers. But his love for his parents was far greater of course, and culinary seems to have a brighter future for the family business.

Currently Chanyeol is enrolling to be a great chef, he is now though, despite his love for rap music and occasionally dancing—that’s how he met Jongin, he was a prodigy when it came to coming up for recipes and innovating new kinds of food, whilst extraordinary ingredients. He was a thinker, risk-taker, and it got him this far. He won a lot of mini cook offs during all his year in university and his mother knew Viva Polo was saved. His sister was hopeless on cooking and kitchen duty.

“They just released a new music video! ing finally I have been haunted for 6 hours thinking about how angelic Xiumin’s voice would be!” squealing for the 363rd times that day Chanyeol rolled his eyes at the young patisserie major, but craning his neck to get a better glimpse of his best friend’s phone. There it played a music video of Sehun’s favorite boy band; flashy outfit, flashier background, thick make-up and smooth dancing. 

“Wow, they look so good this comeback…” Sehun mumbled to himself, bringing his Samsung impossibly closer to his face

“Careful man, don’t want you get blind” the former basketball player chuckled at his fan-boy friend, always seemingly surprised by the act he’d done countless of time. Sehun scoffed at the comment but continued to watch them anyways. Whilst walking towards the destination building he couldn’t help but notice some girls were also squealing like Sehun had done a few minutes ago. CBX must be big of a deal. Well, Chanyeol only assumed they were all screaming at the said band. Sehun did say something about they were the next big thing.

It was a year ago CBX debuted and Chanyeol really was just into it because Sehun wouldn’t leave him alone when it comes to them. Not that the dark haired mind but the ‘B’ in CBX stands for beautiful because Byun Baekhyun really is. He loves looking at the small man’s hip wiggling and his eyes forming a crescent when he is happy, especially the oddly rectangle mouth that came to form every time he laughs. Park Chanyeol was whipped.

But he had fallen out of them the sooner they had fallen in, God had decided to pick his dad to accompany him in heaven, apparently they need more people in heaven. Heaven being a magical mystical place that was drawn to be an impossible to get in destination had picked his dad to come to it. Let’s just say somehow his father had done so many good deeds and had enough time to walk the earth. Moving on, Chanyeol was now the man of the house. It wasn’t easy balancing everything but after six month of ups and down, everything was showing a good sign of stability, including Viva Polo. However, he still has to do something about it if they want to live at ease, not too mediocre.

“You know, I’m going to CBX’s concert next month, and I still couldn’t get my hands on that limited edition cup they are selling, damn! Xiumin’s sells really fast!”

“What?!”

“What?”

“They sells cup with your idol’s face on ‘em?!” Chanyeol stopped on his trail, both had now arrived in front of their lecture room. Sehun being the gentlemen that he is, or so he felt after opening the door for both of them, sighed heavily. His shoulder slumped down dramatically, placing his hands in the air like he was about to drop a beat

“Uh yeah! So…?”

“That’s creepy man”

“Hey dude, anything to make money” the younger shrugged his shoulder, taking a seat near a window so he wouldn’t have to die in boredom. Anything to make money

Park Chanyeol spent a good full minute linking it all together. CBX is the answer to his problems! That’s it!

“Hey Sehun!” the bulkier man called out a little too enthusiastic for the quiet-empty classroom, almost startling the other students across the room.

“What?!” he replied as equally surprise as anyone would be after your friend would shout at you out of the blue. Sehun’s thin lips turn into a frown after seeing his best friends sparkling eyes. It’s his ‘hey I got this awesome idea’ face that would surely crash down and fail, but its still and awesome idea, so let’s hear it out

“Speak my dear friend. Your disgusting saliva is starting to drip everywhere from that large mouth if you aren’t planning to stop smiling”

“Ah sorry! You see, you would buy a cup with Xiumin’s face on it right?” Sehun remain quiet, his face not converting any different expression, taking it as a good sign Chanyeol took a deep breath and continued on

“But listen here… would you go to a café, or a restaurant lets say, that was filled with everything CBX! Like their posters, albums, goods, and umm…. Even the food is named after them. Would you go there?”

The answer was a squealing yes. Now Chanyeol had Sehun’s hand to help with realizing his fan-café dream! Actually it was for the well being of Viva Polo, sorry CBX. CBX is a great band and Chanyeol acknowledge that, especially Baekhyun of course. Now, he had to convince his mother, of course bringing the expert Sehun himself with him whilst they discuss the big project for Viva Polo.

“Come again?” Mrs. Park’s expression hadn’t change even after the third explanation they had run over. She wasn’t sure of the idea, because in order to get the stuff to decorate the place, they need money of course. Sehun was willing to put some of his merchandise in the restaurant for the time being; but his bias was Xiumin. Chanyeol needed a willing Baekhyun and Jongdae biased to donate them the décor for their fan café. He wasn’t much of a Baekhyun fan that much to buy his merchandise, it wasn’t cheap and he had other things to think about. Thankfully Chanyeol had a crazy dedicated friend like Sehun. The younger was willing to help and raise awareness of their future fan-café dream, just because it’s CBX.

Being the 10 months old boy-band fans were growing rapidly, they are at their peak, and was invited to every kind of variety on national TV even international when they were ask to spread the K-wave in Dubai and America in join concerts. It was week three of their CBX fan-café dream and things were surprisingly going well. Because despite the rookie status of their fandom, fan-café for CBX are slowly popping out; Chanyeol’s head was throbbing really hard, he really hoped he was the first fan-café for CBX but he thought wrong. Sehun was somewhat a little disappointed with the fandom for starting off before his best friend’s dream but he swat that negative thought away and grab the iPhone from the large hands of the prodigy chef and threw it to the nearest sofa cushion

“Come on! It’s just one café, besides they don’t have the food named after them yet! Lets not slack off and get going! Come on hyung!”

Smiling the older hugged the younger chef in gratitude. Jongin came right through the door with a box filled with rolled paper. It wasn’t illegal to print out your own posters right? Besides, it was cheaper, and as long as it doesn’t belong to any fan-sites it shouldn’t cause a buzz.

Week five was when Mrs. Park was surprised that the new menu had suddenly become the most ordered thing here in Viva Polo. She was also shocked when some girls were even brave enough to ask her for a picture in front of the carton standee Chanyeol had an idea of printing. It wasn’t cheap but cheaper than getting the real Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin to stand there and a smile. Also that evening, Sehun had brought great news to the whole Viva Polo family. After closing at eleven the young chef broke out the news of multiple fan-site was willing to have a fan gathering using their restaurant!

Never in Chanyeol’s life that he saw his mother cried… in happiness of course! She was very doubtful of her son’s crazy idea, but it was a crazy great idea turns out. Of course like any sane person would act Chanyeol gave Sehun full permission and support to rent out Viva Polo for a day.

Next Monday, Chanyeol and Sehun was met with five beautiful ladies, each heads of the CBX fan-sites, two for Jongdae, one for Baekhyun, one for Xiumin and one for XiuChen. They were all very loud and enthusiastic, it’s like Sehun had finally found his family. They discussed a great deal of layout setting, activities on what to do, and even special food and cakes. Sehun had apparently told them about him being a great patisseries chef and the girls were dying to give him ideas for CBX cookies. Well Chanyeol could only stand on the side and listen to them all living out their dream.

What Chanyeol felt for CBX was different for what Sehun is feeling for them, at a point he felt like using the CBX name for his own personal matter. But he can’t say that out loud, can he? He probably shouldn’t, he was having fun too in all of this anyways.  All he wants was a bigger name and recognition for Viva Polo and gaining it this way was better than suddenly changing Viva Polo to a strip club; not that his mother would approve of course. Besides, letting people express their feeling and love towards a certain group is way better. Here, they can talk about the thing they love the most with anyone and at anytime. Surely talking is way more fun than just chatting online. It’s amazing how fandom could just get together and talk like they have known each other for year becaus