Somewhere something wonderful is waiting to be known ~ Carl Sagan

Seoul 2000

Baekhyun’s love for Park Chanyeol began years ago, in a humble bookshop ironically placed between two garish fashion stores. As the eight year old entered the shop, he looked up in sheer wonder at the myriad books, each one holding a hidden treasure. He walked through the aisles and back again, reveling in the aroma of crisp pages waiting anxiously to be turned. Every now and then a flashy cover would catch his eye but he’d shrug and move on in the hopes of finding something better.

He didn’t have much time though.

It was only a matter of 30 minutes or so before his mother would find and severely scold him. His chest heaved as he imagined her nostrils flaring, eyes turning to slits, and lips contorting into a perfect concoction of disappointment and disdain.

She’d become so overbearing ever since Baekhyun had been diagnosed with the “condition” (as his mother liked to call it). He supposed she had good reason to be, but it still didn’t justify her over protectiveness about everything. Sighing deeply, Baekhyun stole a furtive glance at the shop’s entrance before sighing in relief; his mother was nowhere to be seen.

As he drew in a sharp breath, an intangible feeling of freedom blossomed within him and surrounded his body like an invisible armor. 

At least for now, Baekhyun could forget about his “condition”. At least for now, he could forget the discomfort of swallowing two dry pills every evening. At least for the next 30 minutes, he could pretend that he was indeed a normal eight year old boy.

It was amazing how this tiny little bookshop was able to cast all of Baekhyun’s painful memories into oblivion and leave behind a heightened sense of belonging.

As he meandered deeper into the store, the familiar melody of drizzling rain entered his ear. He glanced outside with sun-strained eyes to find the sky’s tears falling upon the yellow daisies outside the shop.  A smile crept onto his face as he watched the sun kiss away the wind and soak up the raindrops. He’d always been fond of daisies; they projected such radiance and warmth - two things Baekhyun severely lacked.

But maybe they were hidden deep inside one of the dusty books resting upon these shelves. With a quick intake of air, Baekhyun closed his eyes and ran an anxious hand over a row of books, stopping only when intuition told him to. His little hand landed on a thick book with velvety pages. As he pulled it out, a breathless gasp escaped his parted lips. The cover was magnificent: a pitch black sky besprinkled with glistening constellations. His trembling fingers ran over the sparkling diamonds that contrasted beautifully against the darkness.

Baekhyun’s eyes twinkled, reflecting the stars on the cover, as he glanced at the book’s title embellished in sterling letters:

            The Stars and Beyond

The author’s name, Park Chanyeol, was written directly underneath it, in shinier but smaller letters. Baekhyun opened the book anxiously to its front page. Along the side ran a piece of text entitled About the Author and beneath it lay a small image of a boy of similar age to himself. He had ringlets of golden hair framing a cherubic face, and a pair of thick, black glasses covering large, inquisitive eyes. His lips were pulled into a wide, teeth-flashing smile and one side of his face was scrunched up in what appeared to be painful joy. Baekhyun grinned at the silliness of the boy’s expression before reading the authorial description.

Dr. Park Chanyeol is a child prodigy to say the least. Despite being only eight years old, he has achieved a lifetime of accomplishments. Among other things, he has doctorates in Astronomy and Chemistry and is in the process of earning a medical degree. His hobbies include exploring the natural world, conducting fun experiments in his private lab and eating chocolate chip cookies. The Stars and Beyond follows the events of the six-month journey in which Park Chanyeol relentlessly uncovered the secrets that lie outside our galaxy.

Baekhyun's eyes widened after he finished reading. Now here was a real hero, an eight year old boy who’d traveled the world, who'd reached the stars. He’d written a book for God’s sake! He was living proof of what little boys could do in this big, scary world.  

And this was it. This was the book he’d been waiting for all along. It was funny how serendipity practically handed you the answer to all your problems.

He sighed and stared at the picture of Park Chanyeol again, focusing on the boy’s twitching eye.

The young scientist indeed looked rather weird but there was a sun-like radiance about him. Pure happiness leaked through the book's pages and into Baekhyun's heart, making it heavier somehow. 

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