Chanyeol sat inside his closet, rampaging through his bags and clothes, looking for matryoshka dolls set he bought for Kim Jongin, his editor, as the latter’s wedding gift. He knew that it’s not really a common wedding gift to give, but when his editor told him he was going to get married in three months, Chanyeol was currently in Moscow on his final leg of Russian trip. So why not buy his editor a set of those Russian unique dolls then, he’s already in Russia anyway, he thought at that time. Now, three months later, with the wedding was only two days away, Chanyeol totally forgot where he placed that gift after coming back to Korea. And that was exactly why he was on this pile of mess of his closet.

The guy sighed and stopped looking. He had no idea where those dolls were. But after remembering that he had no time to buy another gift, he started looking again. This time he pulled out a brown leather bag he used to wear everywhere because his mother bought it for him as a present when entered college. He chuckled and smiled at the pleasant surprise. He thought he had thrown the bag away after the front part of the bag were ripped on an unfortunate accident involving him and a vicious little dog a year ago, but no, it turned out that he still kept it.

He actually knew that he wouldn’t find the gift he was looking for on that bag, but hey, it’s not wrong to just check, right? So he did. He opened the bag and checked it thoroughly. That was when he found a small wooden keychain on the inner pouch of the bag. He took out the keychain and stared at it for a while. He then smiled at the keychain while the name of a particular boy with a very beautiful smile popped up on his head.

Byun Baekhyun.

---

It was a beautiful spring day. I was on a meeting with Jongin in small restaurant near the publishing office which published my book. We sat on the table placed on the terrace outside the restaurant and were talking about the edit he made on the first draft of my second book.

Being a travel-writer-slash-photographer was actually a very fun job, since I got to do the two things I loved the most, traveling and taking pictures. But when it comes to writing, it can give me a real pain in the head, especially when Jongin rejected almost everything I’ve written on my draft. He almost always said that my style of writing wasn’t appropriate for commercial use, and that I have to choose my words carefully. Nevertheless, Jongin was a great editor who did his job wonderfully, especially because he put up with me.

“I think that was all hyung.” Jongin said after explaining each of the correction he made, “I must say, I’m impressed this time.”

“Told you Jongin-ah, I’ve improved.” I grinned, feeling relieved that this draft wasn’t as disastrous as the first draft of my previous book.

Jongin laughed and then gathered his belongings. “I’ll get going then.”

“So fast? I thought you’re going to have a lunch with me and Sehun? Maknae will come in half an hour.”

“I’m sorry hyung, but I have another appointment with another author.” Jongin smiled apologetically.

“Let me guess, Do Kyungsoo? That new author who came to the office two weeks ago?”

“Yes.” Jongin nodded, but he avoided my eyes. In that instant I realized that there was something up with him.

“You like him, don’t you?” I grinned watching his reaction. He tried his hard to say that he’s not but his reaction telling me an entire different story. “Alright, go to your prince, lover boy.”

“Hyung! It wasn’t like that.” He paused and shook his head frantically, “Our relationship is only business.”

“Yeah right.” I rolled my eyes at his excuse, “Just get going already!”

Jongin stood up and walked away after saying, “Tell your cousin my greetings, and that I’m sorry I can’t have lunch with both of you.”

I was still watching Jongin walked away from the restaurant when I felt my phone buzzed. I took it out from my pocket and saw there was one new message from Sehun.

From: Little Cousin
Message: Hyung, I’m sorry but I can’t have lunch with you. Luhan hyung need my help with his project and I have to help him. I’m so sorry~! I promise I’ll treat you next time.

I smiled reading the message, Sehun and his crush, Luhan. I’ve never seen my cousin so infatuated with someone else so when he did, I was just happy for him.

To: Little Cousin
Message: Alright. You don’t you have to treat me, but you have to design the cover for my new book. What’s the point of having a graphic designer as my cousin if I can’t use him? :p

Not even five minutes after, Sehun replied my text with a simple ‘Deal!’ so I decided not to further more. I glanced at my watch and it shown that it was already 1PM. So I reckoned that I’ll just order something to eat and enjoy my lunch alone.

---

Chanyeol stood up and walked out from his closet, totally forgetting about the matryoshka dolls set he was looking earlier. He sat on the couch on his living room with eyes still staring at the little wooden keychain he got on his hand. He smiled and then waved the keychain in front of his face as the memory of that beautiful day rolling back inside his brain.

“I wonder if you still remember me?”

---

I was enjoying my pasta that I ordered earlier. Having lunch all by myself wasn’t actually a very bad thing to do. It makes my food tasted even more delicious since I can enjoy it properly because I wasn’t busy talking to other people. Maybe I should do this more often, I noted inside my head.

I was still busy munching away my food when I noticed the presence of someone standing beside my table. I looked up to see who it was and I was greeted with a face of a boy who I swear had the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen in my life. Especially when I also noticed that his eyes were shaped into crescent moon when he’s smiling. Not to mention the genuineness that I could feel through his smile. It’s been a long time since I saw such a genuine smile, and this time it was coming from an unknown boy whose name I didn’t even know.

He raised his hand and showed me a ‘five’ with his palm, and I just nodded at whatever he was asking me because I was too awestruck by his beautiful face and beautiful smile. When he saw I was nodding at his request, I could practically saw that he was beaming at me. He then smiled even wider and at that point I really thought that I could be blinded by his smile.

Gosh, that smile.. It was just very beautiful and precious.

The boy then took a seat across mine and took out some papers from his bag. He gave the paper at me and I was starting to think that this boy was a fan of my book or something. I was ready to gave him my sign when I saw there were some writings on the paper.

‘Hello! I’m sorry for interrupting and thank you for sparing your time for me. My name is Byun Baekhyun. As you might noticed already, I can’t talk, so I’m very sorry that I can’t introduce myself properly.’

I looked up at him after reading the paper he gave me. So that’s why he didn’t say anything since the start? He’s mute? Poor little thing.. I wonder if he had a beautiful voice since his other features were beautiful too.

I accidentally gave him an apologetic smile and he responded by waving his hand and shaking his head. It seems like he’s trying to say that he was fine. He then gave me another paper with another writings on it, so I took it from his hand and read it.

‘I’m currently doing a project in order to celebrating the upcoming Children’s Day in the place where I’m currently volunteering. I won’t ask you for donation or something like that, I just need you to write an encouraging message for these sick children to get better. In return, I will give you a small gift as my thank you. Is that okay with you?’

I looked up again for the second time after reading the paper. He smiled at me and all of the sudden I could feel that genuineness all over again. I nodded at him, letting him knew that I agreed to write the message he was asking me for. So he gave me small blank paper and a pen, asking me to write on that paper.

As I already said, even though I’m a writer, writing can give a real pain in the head, since I’m not really that good in making meaningful sentences and what not. So I decided to go with a simple straightforward message that hopefully, was encouraging enough. I gave the paper back to him, but then I saw him frowning at my message. Was it really that bad?

---

Chanyeol laughed at his own memory. Even though he found out later that what the boy was frowning about wasn’t actually his ability to write a message, he still felt devastated when he saw that frown on the boy’s face.

Remembering about the message, Chanyeol suddenly remembered about one other thing that the boy left him beside the keychain. He ran back towards his closet and took the brown leather bag where he found the keychain earlier. He rampaged through it and finally found a small crumpled paper on the same pouch where the keychain was placed. He straightened out the paper and smiled while reading its content.

‘I hope you’ll remember me when you see this wooden keychain, have a nice day!’

---

The boy then placed the paper in front of me and pointed at the bottom part of the paper. I stared at him with a confused look since he was pointing at the blank part of the paper. But then I saw him mouthing something at me. “My name? You want me to write my name?” I asked him. He nodded and smiled a relieved smile that I actually understood what he was trying to tell me.

So I did. I wrote my name below the message I wrote. He then took the paper, read my my message once again and folded it neatly then put it in his bag. While doing so he also took out a small wooden keychain and gave it to me. I received the keychain and paid a close attention to it. It was a simple keychain, modeled after a chibi anime character, and it seems like it was carved by hand.

I looked at him and smiled. “Thank you, it’s a very cute keychain.” I said. There was a pink tint arose on his face after I said that to him and it made me realized that he was blushing on my compliment. What a cute boy.

He pointed at the keychain and then pointed at himself, then he motioned his hands into something what looked like carving a wood. “You made this yourself?” I asked. He nodded at my question and laughed, even though it was an inaudible one.

“You’re good!” I exclaimed, surprised that he really made that himself. He grinned and mouthed a ‘thank you’. He then took out yet another blank paper but this time, he was the one who wrote something on it. After he’s done, he folded the paper and gave it to me. He then stood up and bowed at me, signaling that he was ready to leave.

On instinct, I grabbed his hand and held him from leaving but he seemed very startled by my action. I then let go of his hand and smiled apologetically at him. “I’m sorry,” I said, “I just.. uh.. wondering.. If we will ever meet again?” I sheepishly asked. I knew it was a desperate attempt, it’s not like he knew who I was and I knew who he was. It’s just that I have the urge to know him a little bit more, maybe become friends with him or something, that’s why I did what I did.

So he smiled, nodded, and mouthing something what I catch as ‘we will’ before walked away from my table. I, on the other hand, was still too dumbstruck by the fact that he already left. But then I suddenly remembered about the paper he gave me before he left and eagerly opened it, hoping that it was maybe his number or some sort. But after I opened the paper, I couldn’t help but chuckled at its content. Because even though it wasn’t anything like I was hoping, the message written on it was still a very precious one because it meant that he wanted me to remember him.

“Have nice day to you too!”

---

It was already two years after Chanyeol met Baekhyun for the first time. Not that there was a second meeting on these past years either. But Chanyeol felt content though, he believed that when it was the time, he will definitely meet again with the boy with the beautiful smile who managed to snatched a place on his heart only with one meeting.

Chanyeol smiled and folded back the small paper the boy gave him and put it in his wallet. Then he grabbed his set of keys and attached the wooden keychain on it. He placed the key set on the coffee table in front of him and stared at the keychain endearingly.

“It does make me remember you, Byun Baekhyun. And I hope that we will meet again, soon.”

---

When I said this is based on my personal experience, it was the part where I was eating my lunch and then a mute Japanese guy came to me to sold a wooden keychain he made himself. Other than that, it was purely made up. :p