1/1
NaggingIt’s around seven in the morning and the sky couldn’t be any clearer. It was the perfect scene—save for Kyungsoo shouting at his boyfriend to wake up.
“You know you have work in an hour right?” Kyungsoo says agitatedly, slapping Junmyeon’s exposed calves that peeked out from under the covers. “I told you that you shouldn’t have gone out with your friends and I told you to come home earlier.”
Junmyeon groans and buries his face into his pillow in hopes that it would make Kyungsoo go away. Sure he went out drinking with his friends last night, but he swears that he came home before 9PM—or his vision was too blurred to read the realistic 5AM on his wristwatch.
Kyungsoo pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a breath. The serene look on his boyfriend’s face never pissed him off so much but the idea of getting back in bed to cuddle with him appealed too much. But for now, he would settle for ripping the blankets off Junmyeon and dragging him into the shower. He reeked of alcohol.
--
He doesn’t know how he did it, but Kyungsoo managed to get him ready for work in thirty minutes time and to roughly organize his papers, but what really woke Junmyeon up was his boyfriend throwing him in the passenger seat of the car with him still half asleep.
“You’re just like a child,” Kyungsoo huffs as he backs out of the driveway. “You have to work for roughly nine hours a day and you still dare to stay out until the sun rises. Are you even human?”
Junmyeon rolls his eyes and continues to munch on his buttered toast, using it as a dog muzzle because if there wasn’t anything covering his mouth, he was positive some not so nice words would slip out. He could only scoff at him. Who was he calling a child? He was treating him as if he were out cheating and doing illegal things. It was ridiculous.
“I know. I was wrong and you were right,” Junmyeon apologizes dryly, “just like you always are,” he mutters the last part.
Kyungsoo glowers at Junmyeon, hearing that last bit, but he shuts his mouth because if they argue now, thirty kindergarten kids are going to be left outside waiting for their teacher. Junmyeon sees his office building a few meters ahead and hurriedly pulls off his seatbelt, not even waiting for Kyungsoo to park properly.
Fixing his tie, he jumps out of the grey car and sprints to the doors, not even bothering to look back. The young teacher sighs and shakes his head, watching the brunette slam face first into the door before sheepishly opening it.
“Just like a child,” Kyungsoo mutters, driving away from the office building.
--
“Oh hey, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae casually greets his friend, as he takes a bite of his sandwich.
Kyungsoo doesn’t even acknowledge him as he’s too busy texting Junmyeon to notice. The moment he sits down, a sound of flatulence is heard throughout the staff room together with Jongdae’s annoying laughter.
“NO WONDER PEOPLE DON’T TALK TO YOU,” Kyungsoo growls as he slams his phone down on the table.
“Whoa calm down, runt. It’s a whoopee cushion,” Jongdae snickers. “I confiscated it from one of my second graders. He’s gonna be just like me when he’s older. I can feel it.”
“We don’t need any more yous in the world,” the other replies. “We already have a Baekhyun and a Chanyeol. That’s quite enough.”
Jongdae snorts and snatches the younger’s phone out of his hands, punching in the pin like it was nothing. Kyungsoo glares at his co-worker, not even bothering to ask how he knows his passcode. It was his fifth time changing his pin since he’s met the man.
“Damn, are you and Junmyeon okay?” Jongdae inquires, raising a brow as he scrolls through the couple’s exchanged texts.
Junhoney: uh do you know where my lunch is?
nevermind found it
hey where are my papers for my presentation this afternoon?
oh found them
sorry
have fun at work!
You: Don't lose your pride. I can’t help you find that.
Junhoney: i said i was sorry
You: .
“Wow not even a proper reply,” he clicks his tongue. “You just sent him a period.”
“Periods are used to end things,” Kyungsoo hisses, taking a bite out of Jongdae’s sandwich.
--
“Damn, that’s cold,” Chanyeol says, peering over his supervisor’s shoulder. “All you got was a period. Is that even a reply?”
Junmyeon groans and ruffles his hair in frustration, his expression seemingly distraught. He supposes he has to apologize to Kyungsoo again (although he believes shouldn’t be apologizing at all).
“No, it isn’t. But that doesn’t matter, because now I have to make it up to him,” Junmyeon says, grabbing his wallet out of his pant pocket, “as always,” he mutters the last bit.
As he sorts through his wallet, he slips out a twenty dollar bill and throws it at Chanyeol, to which he tries catching with much difficulty.
“What’s this for?” Chanyeol inquires, picking the bills up off the floor. “Is this your own special way of giving me a raise? I'd much rather prefer you paying it along with my cheque, but this works I guess.”
“That’s for buying flowers for Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon sighs, trashing the brown paper bag his lunch was once in. The “Have a nice day at work” message is almost illegible in the rushed hand writing of his boyfriend’s but it wasn’t like Junmyeon read those anymore.
Chanyeol shakes his head in disappointment as he walks to the exit. “The usual?” he calls, watching his boss gather his things.
Junmyeon presses his lips into a thin line and nods firmly, “the usual.”
--
The flowers outside on display bloom vividly, though the inside of the store is agreeably much more appealing. The flora was arranged to their species accordingly with pretty little price tags hung on each pot. Chanyeol could feel the humidity rise as he stepped into the nursery.
“Hey Baek,” Chanyeol greets nonchalantly, sliding the twenty towards the brunette, as he pulls up a stool beside the counter.
The young man looks up from his papers and rolls his eyes, not even bothering to use the cash register. He pulls out the right amount of change and recklessly drops it on the desk, making his way to the refrigerator.
“Again?” Baekhyun raises his brows, even though he already knows the answer.
“Again,” Chanyeol confirms, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.
Baekhyun clicks his tongue in discontent and pulls out a bouquet of white roses, tied together by a baby blue bow.
“What do I write on the card this time?” he asks, biting onto the pen cap. “Something light hearted or serious?”
Chanyeol pulls at his dress shirt uncomfortably and grimaces at the amount of sweat he’s accumulated already. “Something quick so I can get out of this rainforest,” he frowns.
--
Junmyeon takes the bus back home, bouquet and card in hand. It’s usually near the end of the day when he finally calms down, but it’s also when he actually begins to feel remorseful. It almost makes him want to return the flowers Chanyeol bought and get them himself because he knows the sentiment in these are lacking.
In the card is a simple message, written in Baekhyun’s beautiful calligraphy, reading “I’m sorry and I love you.” However, words on paper only go so far and can only hold so much sincerity, and Junmyeon prays his feelings reach Kyungsoo.
Sometimes he just wants to let it all out and have the words spill into the air instead of paper for once, but he’s scared of upsetting his boyfriend again. And so, he decides to take the safer approach. Either way, he’s more than ready to make up with his boyfriend, because, it feels like the only time he ever gets to see Kyungsoo smile anymore is when he apologizes.
He wishes he knew how to make him smile another way, but he isn’t really sure how these days.
--
The moment Kyungsoo turns off the lights in his classroom, regret washes over him and he can’t help but wonder if he was too harsh with Junmyeon today. He was always forgetful, Kyungsoo recalls, but he can’t remember when it started becoming an issue.
It’s true that he wishes Junmyeon would be more thoughtful about his surroundings but it’s also that rare moment of realization of his that he adores seeing. It’s when he’s thinking too hard and has this sort of sudden look of awareness when he does pay attention. It’s one of the things he grew to love about him.
There are days Kyungsoo wishes he could stop pushing his lover away and nagging him constantly, but when he’s not doing either of the two, he’s not sure what else he’s capable of. There’s one thing he knows for sure though, and it’s that Junmyeon’s doing a heck of a lot better than him at being a good boyfriend.
Starting the engine of his car, he swiftly drives out of the parking lot and onto the road. Kyungsoo pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind until tomorrow and keeps his eyes on the road.
Until he finds ways improve himself, seeing Junmyeon’s adorable face is enough for him, he resolves.
--
“If I have to buy one more bouquet of roses, I’m going to fling myself out the office windows,” Chanyeol cries, collapsing on the couch. “Like, fast. I’ll do it before Junmyeon even gets to talk to me.”
Baekhyun nods in agreement as he leans against the kitchen counter. “I hate to say this, but I agree with Yeol,” he says, crossing his arms. “It’s getting warm these days and a lot of weddings are happening. I barely have enough time to organize center pieces for real customers, let alone Junmyeon’s apology bouquets.”
Jongdae sighs as he measures the water for the rice, putting the pot in the rice cooker. “Those two really need to stop these daily fights,” he adds. “I’m scared for Kyungsoo’s kids. He keeps his cool around me and the other teachers, but you can literally feel the anger emitting from his body. Word is the principal’s too afraid to approach him about it, too. Poor guy’s terrified of a kindergarten teacher.”
“Maybe they’re just waiting for the right time to work things out,” Chanyeol suggests, hope apparent in his voice.
“It’s been like this for nearly a year,” Baekhyun snorts. “At this rate, you could fix more than they could and you’re pretty ing destructive.”
“I am not destructive,” Chanyeol interjects, standing up (his lanky arms knocking over the flower vase in the process). His face reddens as he sits back down. “I’ll shut up.”
Jongdae raises his brow and snaps his fingers, “You know, Baek, you’re not so stupid after all.”
“Thanks. You’re not as big of a douche as everybody says,” Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows.
“What? People say that?” he squeaks, clearing his voice shortly afterwards. “Whatever, that’s not the point. What I meant was that you might be onto something great.”
Baekhyun scoffs, “I’m always onto something great.”
“Shut the up and let me finish,” Jongdae hisses, pelting grains of rice at the man. “Anyway, thanks to you, I’ve come up with Operation Kyungmyeon.”
Chanyeol rubbishes the last of the flower vase and wipes his hands on his t-shirt, excitement evident in his deep voice. “Oh that sounds fun, what is it? It’s about Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, right? IT IS, ISN’T IT?”
“Calm down, sparky,” Jongdae ushers, gesturing the taller male to sit down, “but yes. It is about them.”
Baekhyun pushes himself up off the counter and sits down cross legged, beside Chanyeol. “So what is this plan of yours, Captain Kim?”
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Byun,” Jongdae grins and drags out his easel, flipping the large sheets of paper to a clean slate. “So here’s what I was thinking...”
--
It was Saturday morning and the weather couldn’t be any more perfect than this. It was the perfect day to execute the beagle line’s plan.
“I can’t believe we agreed to your idea,” Baekhyun hisses through his cellphone, as his face is hidden by a shrub. “And when the hell did we decide that I was going to be stationed here?”
“Do you want to be free from their petty fights or not?” Jongdae retorts. “We decided this the day we went over the plan. You fell asleep so Chanyeol and I settled everything without you. Now shut up and start using our codenames, Agent Crack.”
“Roger that, Agent Chode,” Baekhyun replies irritably.
“It’s Chen,” Jongdae corrects.
“I know, but you’re a . Chode suits you better than Chen,” Baekhyun concludes.
“Agent Colossal feels like he’s being ignored,” Chanyeol interrupts, feeling neglected.
“Let’s keep it that way, Titan,” Jongdae says, packing his bag for the day. “You guys are at your stations, right?”
“Yep!”
“I am hiding in a bush on a Saturday morning.”
“Alright, keep your Bluetooths in your ears and let’s get this show on the road. If anything goes wrong, the word is ‘papaya’. EXO, go!” Jongdae exclaims.
“EXO, hwaiting!” Chanyeol cheers.
“This is so lame,” Baekhyun grumbles.
--
It’s around 11AM in the morning when Baekhyun can finally come out of the shrubs after approximately two hours of hiding. He curses Jongdae and Chanyeol for not waking him up the night of preparation but what’s done is done. Right now, he needed to focus on getting into Kyungsoo and Junmyeon’s house.
--
(Two hours previous: 9:04AM)
“Hey Junmyeon!” Chanyeol greets enthusiastically, allowing himself into the couple’s home.
“Who’s at the door-,” Kyungsoo asks, yawning. “Wait what? Chanyeol?”
“Spiffy living room you’ve got here, did you guys redecorate it?” Chanyeol says, making small talk with the obviously uncomfortable twosome. “Oh man it feels like forever since I’ve last been here. Like what? Two years?”
Baekhyun smacks his hand against his face and curses as Jongdae lets out a disappointed groan.
“You ing idiot, we were there two weeks ago for a potluck!” Chanyeol hears Baekhyun hiss through the Bluetooth.
“OH MY BAD,” Chanyeol curses aloud, frightening Kyungsoo. Junmyeon stares at Chanyeol with a bewildered expression, unsure of what to say.
“CHANYEOL WE’RE NOT EVEN THIRTY MINUTES INTO THE MISSION AND YOU’RE ING UP,” Jongdae shouts through the device.
Chanyeol panics, quickly making up an excuse on the spot. “I meant, oh , my bad! What am I doing talking about your living room!” he stutters, staring Junmyeon dead in the eye. “I have something more important to talk about!”
Junmyeon nods slowly, turning around to face Kyungsoo who simply shrugs in response, clearly equally confused as he is. “So…?”
“Tell him Kris wants the employees to bond over the weekend or something,” Jongdae suggests.
“Uh… The big boss man called everyone and told us to go bond with a co-worker,” Chanyeol lies, his palms getting sweatier by the minute. “He said it was a trust building exercise!”
Junmyeon furrows his brows and scratches his head, trying to recall such a thing. “That’s funny… I don’t remember Kris and I discussing anything of the like.”
“Oh , I forgot. Junmyeon’s second in command,” Jongdae freaks out.
Chanyeol internally curses, trying to calm down as much as he can. “Well he did, so now you and I are going to uh…”
“The movies!”
“We’re going to the movies!”
Junmyeon looks to Kyungsoo for approval and receives another shrug before the latter leaves the living room.
“…Okay then,” he replies, blinking. “Let me get my stuff, I guess?”
“Great,” Chanyeol grins, sweat dripping down from the side of his face.
--
(Approximately one hour previous: 10:14AM)
Someone knocks on the door and Kyungsoo hesitantly opens it, in fear of Chanyeol coming back. An hour had passed and the awkwardness still lingered in the living room. Behind the door stood Jongdae in a baseball tee and jeans and a backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Happy Saturday,” Jongdae greets, walking into the home.
“Thanks, I think?” Kyungsoo replies. “What brings you here?”
Jongdae grins to himself in satisfaction, “Glad you asked,” he says, fishing out two tickets from his jean pocket. “You see, I got two free tickets to Lotte World and neither Baekhyun nor Chanyeol are home so I was wondering if you wanted to come with me instead.”
Kyungsoo glances at the tickets and looks back at Jongdae. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do on a Saturday (especially considering the fact his boyfriend was dragged out of the house by a socially handicapped giant).
“Hmmm, yeah okay, that sounds fun,” he answers. “Do you wanna head out now?”
Suddenly, Jongdae throws his hands over his crotch and crouches down in an extremely awkward position, trying to make Kyungsoo as uncomfortable as possible. “Actually, can I use your washroom first?”
“I don’t know… upstairs is kind of messy and-“
“Do you want piss on your newly laminated floor?” Jongdae interrupts, glaring at Kyungsoo.
“I- no!” the younger stammers.
“My bladder thanks you,” Jongdae says before running up the stairs.
“Chanyeol, you hear this? Take notes,” Baekhyun sneers, relishing in the fact that he can’t reply with Junmyeon in his presence.
Jongdae snickers as he makes his way to the master bedroom, located at the back of the house, directly facing the backyard. The backyard was very nice, seasonal flowers blooming all around with a lovely pool placed right in the middle of the land. Everything looked like it was from an Ikea catalogue; pristine and perfect- meaning more Baekhyun had to be careful about.
Sliding the backpack off his shoulders, he s the bag and takes out the materials needed and puts his plan into action.
“I’m tying the rope to the bed now,” Jongdae whispers, tugging on it forcefully, testing its stability.
“If I break anything, my hospital bill is on you,” Baekhyun threatens.
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Jongdae mutters, opening up the window and popping out the net.
Taking the rope in his hands, the teacher threw the cord out the window, watching as it spiraled down to the ground, not too far from the pool.
“The rope is down,” he declares, packing up his things. “Now wait thirty minutes after we leave and if we don’t come back, you’re in the clear. Got it?”
“Roger that, Chode.”
--
(Present time: 11:02 A.M – Operation Kyungmyeon is a go)
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Baekhyun stands up, his lips.
Running to the back of the house, he searches for the rope Chen had left behind for him. Finding that the rope is right by the pool, he takes a hold of the cable and brings it to the side of the house, getting ready to climb. After three tugs on it, he nods to himself and decides that it is, indeed, stable enough to use.
Setting one foot on the side of the house, Baekhyun lets out a breath and heaves himself up. As he pulls himself up higher and higher, the hotter his body feels. By the halfway mark, he can feel the sweat accumulating on his back, causing a kind of prickly feeling underneath his backpack.
“You’ve almost got it, Baek,” he grunts, cheering himself on.
Minutes later, the aggressive florist begins to lose hope and irritation spreads throughout his entire being. He does not want to climb anymore.
So, when the cicadas start to buzz, Baekhyun’s attention falters and he makes the mistake of looking up. The sun shines down upon the angry young man’s face, blinding him for a mere five seconds, but apparently five seconds was enough for him to miss a stride and come crashing down.
“ NO. NO, NO, NO THIS- NO,” he yells furiously, before crashing on top of the back roof.
Fortunately, the fall was only a mere two and a half meters and nothing of his body was broken. Either way, Baekhyun’s body is beginning to ache and the desire to help the couple has begun to subside. But of course, he knows he can’t stop now. Because even though he almost broke a rib and possibly his neck, he can’t deny that a small part of him is still determined to help Junmyeon and Kyungsoo out. He wants to help out. So now he just has to find the rope again and man up.
“,” he shouts, staring up at the open window.
For a bitter person, sometimes he believed he was just too nice.
--
“I’m in,” Baekhyun deadpans, lying flat on the floor. The strength he once had was long gone. So was his pride (but he’d rather not get into that).
“Roger that, Agent Crack,” Baekhyun hears Jongdae whisper through the Bluetooth. “Kyungsoo just left to go to the washroom and he could be out any minute. Your mission is to scope out the house for any scrapbooks or pretty little memories of theirs.”
“Then what, Chode?” Baekhyun asks, scanning the bedroom with his eyes.
“I don’t know, you’re the artsy one,” Jongdae responds dryly. “Use some of that Baekhyun finger magic and whip up a masterpiece.”
“I’d rather whip you,” Baekhyun hisses. He could feel the sarcasm emanating from Lotte World.
“I’m not into your ,” Jongdae sneers. “Anyway, just look around for anything super important. We’ll continue with our original plan from there. Kyungsoo’s back now, so I’m muting my Bluetooth. Talk to me once you’ve got it together.”
Baekhyun breathes in and out, calming himself to prepare for his biggest art piece yet. It was game time. He stands up and runs down to the living room, praying that they have something he can work with. The walls in the couple’s home were near bare, making it much more difficult for the agent to work with.
Pacing back and forth, he ponders how he should go about this mission. Baekhyun’s pacing progresses into a marathon around Kyungsoo and Junmyeon’s home, in which he walks in every nook and cranny there is. The walk continues upstairs, as he finds himself back in the master bedroom.
“It’s been an hour. One fricking hour and I still have nothing,” Baekhyun growls, aggressively flailing his arms. “I’m pathetic. I don’t deserve to be an art major. I don’t deserve to live. I- ah .”
Baekhyun falls to the floor and winces in pain as he cradles his foot, cursing himself for not looking. However through the agony and squinted eyes, he finds a box underneath the bed and ignores the pain to retrieve it.
“This better be good,” he mumbles, opening up the box.
Despite the discomfort of Baekhyun’s throbbing toe, and the misfortune he had endured from just getting into the home, even he had to admit that it was worth finding this box. Quickly flipping through the pages, Baekhyun slings his backpack over his shoulder and brings everything down to the living room.
“Agent Chode, Agent Colossal, I’ve hit the mother load. Report back to me in about thirty minutes and I’ll be ready to begin stage three,” Baekhyun smirks, as he begins to make quick sketches of the living room walls.
“Operation Baekhyun Is A Slick Motherer is a go.”
--
Chanyeol skips towards the car, pushing Junmyeon forwards as his hands clasp the older’s shoulders. The concerned look on the leader’s face is left unacknowledged by the giant and becomes even worse when he is shoved into the passenger seat of Chanyeol’s car.
“I love movies,” Chanyeol exclaims, backing out of Junmyeon’s neighbourhood and heading straight for the road. “They’re so entertaining. What’s your favourite movie, hyung? Oh, do you know what my favourite is? Okay it doesn’t matter I’ll tell you anyway-“
Over the course of their drive to the movie theatres, Junmyeon has had nearly five near death experiences and nine almost-heartattacks. The theatre wasn’t particularly far. It just a twenty to twenty five minute drive away. But within the first five minutes of sitting in the car, he had learned driving habits of Chanyeol's that would ensure him of never getting into a vehicle with the man again.
“Chanyeol,” Junmyeon feebly calls his name, as he eyes the speed limit sign they had just rushed by.
“-You know the movie Finding Nemo?” Chanyeol continues to ramble on. “Finding Dory is coming out in like a few years!”
“Chanyeol,” Junmyeon calls again, not much louder than the last time. The speedometer had once again increased.
“ I LOVE FINDING NEMO,” Chanyeol shouts aggressively, stepping on the gas. “THAT MOVIE IS MY .”
“CHANYEOL,” Junmyeon shrieks, nearing tears as they drive a ninety in a sixty km zone.
Chanyeol swerves the car right and steps on the brake, pulling the vehicle to an abrupt stop. “Yeah?”
Junmyeon is clutching onto his seat of the car, holding on for his dear life with both of his eyes shut tight. It takes a good three minutes of convincing himself he’s alive and still on earth before he can open an eye.
“I- I’m alive?” Junmyeon exhales, loosening his grip. “We’re alive?”
“I’m pretty sure we’re alive,” Chanyeol blinks confusedly and looks outside the window, observing their surroundings.
Junmyeon tears up and rips off his seatbelt, flinging himself out of the car. As he lands on his knees, he kneels and hugs the ground. “Oh dear God,” he cries, “Lord, thank You for putting an end to this tyranny.”
“Oh, we’re here,” Chanyeol says, calmly stepping out of the car. “Let’s go, hyung.”
--
The movie theatre is packed with teenagers and tweens, making it harder for the duo to navigate their way through to buy tickets (or more specifically, for Junmyeon, as he is vertically challenged compared to the almighty colossal Chanyeol). Lost in the sea of adolescents, Junmyeon fails to follow Chanyeol, giving the latter a chance to slip away for at least a few minutes.
“Thirty minutes has passed. Agent Colossal reporting for duty,” Chanyeol announces into the Bluetooth, trying to supress his giddiness. “I feel so mysterious, this is great.”
“Uh yeah, Agent Chen reporting for whatever,” Jongdae says blandly. “Be quick, I just sent Kyungsoo away and he’ll be back any minute. Have you figured out what to do?”
Chanyeol hears Baekhyun snort from the other line, offended that Chen even asked.
“Damn right I have,” Baekhyun revels at the thought of his idea, “so listen up. This is where part three of Operation Kyungmyeon comes in and we’re going to use our mystical Bluetooth magic and teamwork for this.”
“Sounds good to me,” Chanyeol remarks, rubbing his hands together.
“I like what I hear, Butthyun,” Jongdae commends, curiosity sound in his voice. “Keep going.”
Chanyeol could feel Baekhyun smirking on the other side.
“Ultimately, I’m going to need the two of you to ask some questions and bring out their inner lovebirds,” he concludes.
--
Baekhyun runs through his design brief with Chanyeol and Jongdae, explaining how he plans for home operations to pan out, while the two listen attentively. From there, Chen has already got the ending planned out.
“Chanyeol, you know what to do right?” Jongdae asks, confident in their baby titan.
“Yes, sir!” Chanyeol confirms.
“Alright, now get out there and ask those questions,” Baekhyun cheers. “You have three hours until your time is up. Go.”
--
Chanyeol runs back to Junmyeon, with two tickets in hand and a big smile, excited to begin his mission. “Hyung, I bought the tickets,” he bellows, dragging Junmyeon to theatre number eight, “snacks too!”
Junmyeon furrows his eyebrows stares at the screen, watching the advertisements play back to back. The two jog up the stairs and seat themselves near the top middle row.
“You bought the tickets without me?” he questions, slight disappointment coating his words. He sighs and shakes his head, deciding not to dwell on such a trivial matter. “What movie are we watching?”
Before Chanyeol can answer, the lights are turned down low and the movie begins to play; its title showing on the screen in big, bold letters.
“You bought us tickets to a chick flick?” Junmyeon groans.
--
Baekhyun sits at Kyungsoo’s desk, clicking away on his desktop as if it was his in the first place. He clicks into the pictures folder and scrolls through all the lovely photos he kept of him and Junmyeon. From date nights to birthday parties; from lazy days to family gatherings; the pictures were all here.
“Perfect,” Baekhyun sighs, leaning back on the office chair, watching the print outs slide out and stack on top of each other.
“Absolutely perfect.”
--
As the movie nears its , Chanyeol stirs in his seat, not even paying attention to the large screen. Instead, he stares at Junmyeon using his peripheral vision, who was currently putting their shared bag of popcorn in a death hold. He had never seen eyes as sympathetic as Junmyeon’s right now.
“Have you ever… felt the same way as him?” Chanyeol asks, anxiously.
--
“Have you ever… felt the same way as him?” Baekhyun hears Chanyeol ask, as he readies his microphone.
--
“Who?” Junmyeon responds, his eyes never leaving the screen.
“The main character,” Chanyeol purses his lips. “The one who keeps going back in time, over and over again, just get his life perfect.”
Junmyeon snorts and falls into a silence. “I can’t say,” he mutters. “I don’t have the ability to go back in time.”
“But if you could?”
“Then I suppose would,” he answers. “I mean, there have been tonnes of situations that I wish I could go back in time and fix.”
Chanyeol remains silent, waiting for Junmyeon to continue and so he does.
“These past few years especially,” he sighs. “I just… it’s hard disappointing the one you love all the time. And I know it’s hard on Kyungsoo too. It’s not fair for him to have to deal with me like I’m another one of his kindergarteners. He nags me all the time, and it’s annoying. Nagging from anybody would be irritating. But from him…”
Junmyeon takes a deep breath and exhales, as if the theatre had deprived him of oxygen. Chanyeol looks over at him again and he can see tears brim the corners of his eyes, but again, he remains still.
“Even if he shouts or yells at me, I can’t bring myself to hate it. It’s because he cares… and that’s what I love about him,” Junmyeon chuckles. “But these days I can’t do anything right, so I’m stuck sending him apology flowers every day. I want to tell him all these things, but I can’t. The words get stuck. Honestly, if I could keep him around with me all day, I would. I guess to answer your question; I suppose I could relate to the main character. If I could go back in time, I’d treat Kyungsoo the way he deserves to be treated.”
The movie is coming to its end and the entire theatre is in tears. Chanyeol doesn’t really know what happened in the end, but what he does know is that the teardrop that fell from his eye was caused by something far more touching.
--
Chanyeol’s three hours of interrogation come to a close and Baekhyun stops his timer, whispering “end,” before the two put each other on mute. Reviewing his chicken scrawl of notes that could make an English teacher cry, Baekhyun nods to himself and rips out the page, setting it aside for later use.
“Ready, Chode?” Baekhyun says, readjusting his Bluetooth.
Jongdae quietly scoffs and whispers into the microphone, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Baekhyun whips out his phone and looks at the clock. “Alright,” he hums, pressing the start button. “You have three hours. The countdown has begun.”
--
“Kyungsoo, let’s go to the French Revolution ride,” Jongdae smiles cheekily, throwing an arm around the younger. Fixing Kyungsoo’s relationship problem was one thing, but Chen’s grudges for the man were another.
Half the day was spent putting Kyungsoo in hysteria and until he decided they were even, he would continue being the man’s personal satan.
“Can’t we go on something a little… gentler?” Kyungsoo squeaks, staring up at the hellish roller coaster. “Like the teacups? The Lottey Train sounds nice too.”
Jongdae wasn’t about to forget Kyungsoo setting his desk on fire. April Fools or not, thirty kids cried that day and his classroom still smelled like a campfire. All in all, he was practically killing three birds with one stone here at Lotte World. He gets to spend a day at an amusement park, see Kyungsoo cry a little and fix a relationship
“That’s a sissy ride,” Jongdae scoffs. “Are you a sissy?”
Kyungsoo widens his eyes and looks down, shuffling his feet. “Well I-“
“Oh look we’re next,” the Jongdae announces. The mischievous glint in his eye does not go unnoticed by Kyungsoo.
Jongdae takes a seat in the rollercoaster almost too excitedly, but what he’s really excited about is hearing his lovely co-worker cry and scream to get out of the cart. He didn’t believe in revenge. No. What he believed in was justice.
If things were to go Kyungsoo’s way, he would have approached the contraption reluctantly, but he had no say in the matter. If things really went his way, he wouldn’t even be worrying about his health right now. Unfortunately, Jongdae had pulled him into the thing faster than he could run away.
By the time Kyungsoo lets out the breath he’s been holding the entire time, he begins to regret opening his eyes, because the last thing he saw clearly was the protective bar lowering down to their waist and the rest was a blur.
“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” Jongdae shouts, throwing his hands in the air.
Kyungsoo grips onto the bar tightly and leans his body back into the seat, feeling as if his body would fly out and into the galaxy if he didn’t. He was doing everything in his power to not cry.
“THE 540 DEGREE LOOP,” Jongdae laughs uncontrollably. “HOLD ON TIGHT KYUNGSOOoOOOoooOOoOoOo.”
Clearly his power was nothing compared to the French Revolution.
“ NO LORD PLEASE HELP,” Kyungsoo cries hysterically, his knuckles turning white. “LORD HAVE MERCY BUDDHA HOLY SHARK BALLS PLEASE GET ME OFF.”
Kyungsoo curses loudly and lifts his head up from the seat, but he is quickly reminded as to why it was a bad idea when the force of the wind pushes his head back and knocks him out.
“OH , KYUNGSOO,” Jongdae yelps, glancing over at the young man. “ABORT MISSION. I REPEAT, ABORT MISSION. KYUNGSOO’S DOWN.”
--
“Oh man, Junmyeon’s not going to be happy about this,” Jongdae sighs, biting his nails. “Kyungsoo, wake up. C’mon it’s been like fifteen minutes.”
“I can’t believe you took him to the French Revolution,” Baekhyun groans, burying his face in his hands.
“It’s not my fault,” Chen hisses. “He panicked and he slammed his head against the seat!”
The sunlight shines down upon Kyungsoo, making him feel unbearably warm. A sense of aching comes over his body as he awakens, noticing how heavy his head feels right now.
“Jongdae?” Kyungsoo mumbles, rubbing his eyes.
“Oh, he’s awake!” Jongdae brightens; rushing to the younger’s side and helping him up.
“No thanks to your dumb ,” Baekhyun criticizes, as he continues his calligraphy.
The workers of Lotte World examine Kyungsoo one last time before deeming him healthy and happy (but really, he’s just healthy, because who would be happy after passing out in a rollercoaster?).
Kyungsoo groans and rubs his neck, suddenly feeling a lot sleepier. “Can we go on the teacups now?” he asks, sheepishly.
Jongdae raises his brows and smiles, nodding in approval.
“Yeah, let’s go on the teacups,” he agrees, throwing an arm around the boy, “Lottey Train too.”
He supposes Kyungsoo has had enough justice for today, so he’ll let him go; just this once.
--
The sun is hanging low in the sky, casting an orangey glow over Lotte World and Jongdae thinks it’s time for the two to go home. Kyungsoo steps into the monorail train, Jongdae being one step behind.
The moment Kyungsoo sits down, he immediately presses his face against the window and looks outside. From the contented sigh he lets out, Jongdae supposes that Kyungsoo’s worn out from playing all day (something he regards as a beneficial factor, concerning their mission).
Passengers have boarded and the train moves slowly, travelling around the amusement park. It’s a familiar view, Kyungsoo thinks to himself, recalling the first year he and Junmyeon dated.
Jongdae stares at Kyungsoo, practically reading his mind. The younger’s expression remained blank but Jongdae thinks he’s known Kyungsoo long enough to predict what he’s thinking about.
He’s almost completely sure too, because the first time the Kyungsoo came to Lotte World with a lovely young man named Junmyeon, it was all the boy could talk about during their lunch breaks. There was no doubt that the memories were what was on his mind.
The first year of their relationship was perfect, Jongdae remembers. It was the honeymoon stage. Things were looking up for those two. Kyungsoo had gotten his first official teaching job and Junmyeon had been rewarded his first promotion. They were flawlessly in love and he believed that they would stay that way.
“Thinking about Junmyeon?” Jongdae teases, nudging Kyungsoo’s side, causing him to jump in surprise.
Now here he was trying to bring things back.
“No,” Kyungsoo stutters as he stares Jongdae dead in the eye—a form of false assurance. But of course, the colour in his cheeks had told the elder otherwise. “Why would I?”
“Well why wouldn’t you?” Jongdae laughs, leaning back on his seat. “You two had your first date here, right?”
Kyungsoo blushes and shifts his gaze back outside the window and Jongdae knows he’s hit the jackpot.
“You guys are a couple. Just admit you were thinking about him,” he urges.
“It’s awkward,” Kyungsoo mutters.
“Awkward?”
“Yes, awkward,” Kyungsoo groans, laying his forehead against the window ledge. “He’s… we’re awkward, okay?”
Jongdae looks at Kyungsoo apprehensively, deciding to forget about the mission for one moment. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.
“Remember mine and Junmyeon’s first year?” Kyungsoo says, smiling to himself. “We’re about on our fourth and it’s just…so painfully awkward now compared to back then. I can’t say the things I want to say without nagging him and when I’m not nagging…”
Kyungsoo lets out a deep breath and Jongdae just smiles in reassurance, allowing him to continue.
“When I’m not nagging, I’m not sure what else I’m capable of doing,” he shakes his head slowly. “I just hope he’s taking care of himself when I’m not around. I worry about the stupidest things like, is he eating well? Is he staying out late? Is he drinking too much? The nagging is excessive, even for me. I really want to say nice things to him, I really do. I want to tell him all these things civilly and tell him how he doesn’t have to apologize every day when it’s just me and my bitter words. Not to mention how I want the best for him and how much I love him and appreciate him trying so hard to make me happy.”
“Then why don’t you?” Jongdae suggests, biting his lip.
“How do I go about that?” Kyungsoo mutters. “Sometimes I wondered if we should have just stopped."
The panic is Jongdae’s eyes in apparent but Kyungsoo remains still, gazing out the window. “I’m glad we haven’t though. Because I think I’d die from missing him so much.”
It’s true that Jongdae believed Kyungsoo and Junmyeon were flawlessly in love with each other, and it’s true that he envied Kyungsoo for that. He was convinced that he himself would never find anything like it. They were ridiculously in love and he trusted that they would remain so. But, now here he was, trying to bring things back. The flawless couple everybody loved so much, unexpectedly, had flaws.
Jongdae purses his lips and lets out a breath. He follows Kyungsoo in pressing his forehead against the window and looking out at the view before them. It was okay if he didn’t have a first love experience, he thinks to himself. Because at the end of the day, he would get to see somebody’s first love happen all over again.
The monorail comes to a halt and they arrive at the exit, with Lotte World’s employees happily waving the visitors goodbye.
“Come on, we’re here,” Jongdae gets up and stretches. Extending his hand, he smiles and ushers Kyungsoo to get up. “It’s time to go home. Junmyeon’s probably waiting for you.”
--
Jongdae starts the car as soon as he straps on his seatbelt. Next to him, Kyungsoo is knocked out and he supposes it’s for the best, considering how tired he must be after today. Backing out of the parking lot, the man sighs and makes his way onto the highway.
“So, how are things going to fly?” Jongdae asks, lowering the radio’s volume.
“Well, we are now officially three quarters through with this mission,” Baekhyun says, finishing up his last collage. “You should be bringing them back home by now.”
“Already on it,” Agent Colossal chirps, as Baekhyun hears a door close.
“Same here,” Jongdae replies, glancing at his co-worker. “I’m on the highway and Kyungsoo’s sleeping in the passenger seat.”
Baekhyun hums and sticks something onto the wall, inspecting it for any signs of a slant. “How should we go about this, after you all get home? You only really went through half of the plan thoroughly yesterday.”
“That’s because you fell asleep, you ,” Jongdae hisses, as he switches lanes. “Anyways, what kind of amazing art piece did you manage to put together for these two?” He asks, slightly curious.
“I pieced together some memories,” answers Baekhyun, ambiguity lacing his every word.
Jongdae rolls his eyes at the other’s vagueness and stops at the red light, adjusting his Bluetooth. “You ,” he mutters. “Anyways, I was thinking. How are we going to present this stuff to them?”
“I thought you would have it figured out,” Baekhyun groans into the microphone.
“I did,” Jongdae interjects, trying to defending himself. “I just… forgot. Okay no, you know what I’ve got this. Calm down and light a doobie, it’s all chill.”
Baekhyun slams his face against the desk and wonders why he ever put his trust into a second rate second grade teacher and a confused giant, but he dismisses the thought because right now, all he had was hope.
“Okay I’ve got it,” Chen brightens, unnoticing of the awakening Kyungsoo beside him.
The younger’s eyes flicker and he shifts to his side, rubbing his face against the palms of his hands. Kyungsoo notices the earpiece in his co-worker’s ear and decides to keep quiet, as he draws circles on the window.
“How about Kyungsoo and Junmyeon return home to a dark house and everything—kind of like a surprise party—and then BAM we hit the lights and you do the thing,” Jongdae beams, "We could call this ‘A story that can only be told if we love’. Nifty, right? Start cleaning up now, Baek. We’re almost there. Kyungsoo’s going to freak if he finds out we broke into their house.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as he snaps his head towards Jongdae, catching the other off guard. “BAEK’S IN MY HOUSE?” he shouts, as the car from behind honks loudly.
“PAPAYA,” Jongdae screeches as he punches Kyungsoo in the nose, his hands immediately clutching onto the wheel. He steps on the gas and speeds past the yellow light, eyes bulging in panic. He didn’t even need to look at the boy to realize he was unconscious (again).
“WHAT’S GOING ON?” Baekhyun shouts through the cellphone, “HEY CHODE.”
“I JUST PUNCHED KYUNGSOO IN THE NOSE,” Jongdae freaks out, glancing at Kyungsoo from the corner of his eye, noticing a trail of blood streaming down his nostrils.
As he comes to his next stoplight, Jongdae rushes to get the box of tissues from the backseat of his car. He knows he only has about twenty seconds to tend to Kyungsoo’s nosebleed, so he gives up on twisting the tissue into a little rod and just throws 3 sheets onto the younger’s face.
“HE’S KIND OF UNCONSCIOUS RIGHT NOW,” he adds, continuing to drive.
“KYUNGSOO’S UNCONSCIOUS?” Chanyeol shouts, forgetting that he is in the car with Junmyeon.
“KYUNGSOO’S UNCONSCIOUS?” Junmyeon yelps, glaring at Chanyeol.
“Not again,” Baekhyun groans, burying his face in his hands.
Baekhyun decides he’s had enough of Chanyeol and Jongdae’s bull for today, so he makes a note to make them miserable when they’re done with this mess. However, for now, he was going to have to make do with the situation they have.
“No okay, you know what?” Baekhyun snarls, “We’re going to use Kyungsoo as a pawn now and now that Junmyeon’s all worried, we’re going to use him too. It’ll work out.”
With Jongdae in a frenzy, trying to aid Kyungsoo’s injury and Chanyeol desperately trying to calm Junmyeon down, Baekhyun hangs up on the both of them and lets out a growl.
“I am going to beat their asses when we get home.”
The florist sighs as he leans back in Kyungsoo’s office chair, shaking his head at his surroundings.
“Is this even going to work?” he mutters as he puts away the last photo album.
--
“This is going to work,” Baekhyun cheers himself on, as he stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You are strong, beautiful and genius in every way possible.”
Baekhyun continues to whisper encouraging words with tears b his eyes until he finally breaks down into pathetic little sobs, as he mumbles the lyrics to Girls’ Generation’s “Way To Go.” It’s safe to say that by the end of that song he is a broken man.
The door is closed upon Jongdae’s arrival and Kyungsoo’s arm is swung around his neck, with his body just barely supported by a flimsy hand on the waist. He could have sworn he requested Baekhyun to leave the door slightly open for him, but when he hears sobs from the upstairs bathroom overpowering the sound of Genie, he decides it would be best to leave the pansy alone for a moment. Ten minutes should be enough for Byun Baekhyun to repair what is left of his pride.
--
“Is Kyungsoo okay?” Junmyeon asks for the billionth time, wondering if Chanyeol could be any slower.
Chanyeol frowns and tries not to think about how crazy he’s driving Junmyeon right now and quite literally at that. The speedometer is at a solid 55 because he knows if they go any quicker, they’ll beat Jongdae and Kyungsoo to the house.
“Don’t worry about it, hyung. He’s probably just lying in bed now,” Chanyeol consoles the man. “He’s okay. You’re both going to be okay.”
Junmyeon slinks back into his seat and lets out a sigh because if anything happened to Kyungsoo, he wouldn’t ever forgive himself for it. And although the words never go further than the tip of his tongue, he wouldn’t ever hesitate to admit that Kyungsoo is his everything.
“I hope so,” he mutters.
--
There were a lot of things that Jongdae could have done differently today, he thinks. But with the bass booming from the inside and Baekhyun’s cries drowning out the sound of Girls’ Generation, he was going to have to make do with what he had.
Jongdae strategically leans his body over the porch railing, trying to balance himself on the edge, with Kyungsoo’s body heaved over his shoulder. If he didn't know any better, Kyungsoo was no better than a cheap sack of potatoes from the sketchy grocery store down the street.
From his basic understanding of second grade first aid and the world of “boo-boos,” bumps on the head were the worst bumps of all and so, to prevent this, Jongdae substitutes his shoulder for his arms and holds Kyungsoo bridal style. What could be interpreted as a loving and friendly gesture is ruined by a shove through a window. Either way, this was as romantic as things were going to get between the two of them.
Clutching onto Kyungsoo’s shoulders, he cautiously loosens his grip when he determines that the younger’s body has touched floor. Jongdae follows suit and squeezes through the opening as if he were escaping from his mother’s womb once more and falls into the home on his hands and knees.
“STOP CRYING AND GET DOWN HERE,” Jongdae shouts as he stands up, his breathing erratic.
The intense sound of dub step and girl group rap is shortly cut off, followed by two loud slaps to the cheeks and a stifled whimper.
It was time to for Byun Baekhyun to man up.
--
“Alright hyung, just let me park and we can go inside,” Chanyeol says as he backs the car up into the driveway. But before the car is even put into park, Junmyeon is already out of the vehicle and pounding on the door, anxiously searching for the right key.
Junmyeon quickly unlocks the door and twists the knob in a heartbeat, pushing his body forwards. “Kyungsoo!” he calls out, apprehension lacing every syllable.
The lights are off and Junmyeon can’t stop panicking and crying out Kyungsoo’s name, in the utmost fear that something’s happened to his boyfriend. Junmyeon calls out for Kyungsoo one last time and Kyungsoo responds, his eyes flitting open.
“Junmyeon…?” Kyungsoo murmurs, as he regains consciousness.
Large numbers counting down from 10 are projected onto the wall and Kyungsoo’s seated on one of their floral couches, blinking rapidly in attempt to grasp the situation around him. Junmyeon is ready to run to Kyungsoo and give him a full on check-up with an ice pack ready in the fridge just in case, but as soon as the countdown reaches 0, his feet are rooted to the ground.
He can’t really describe the feeling he has in the pit of his stomach, but it definitely resembles the butterflies he felt on his first date—which very well may be what he’s watching right now. There is a dim light that illuminates the room, but just enough so that the faint shadows of three friends remains hidden behind the staircase.
Upon the lemony walls of the pair’s home, a projection beams just slightly above the television stand and all eyes are fixated on the slideshow before them. Kyungsoo’s eyes are wide and Junmyeon almost forgets to blink, as the both of them silently refuse to divert their attention from the beauty that was them.
Photos timing from their very first date to the most recent rendezvous flash on the screen and neither of them know what to feel at the moment. There is a photo of an extremely blurry body and a bewildered young man behind the person, in which neither of their faces could be made out. In a sense, it’s their first day together in a nut shell.
It was when they first met. It was when newbie Junmyeon was taking a celebratory selca for his first office job and teacher’s assistant Kyungsoo crashed into him during a coffee run, causing him to accidentally press the capture button. It might as well be the ugliest photo in all of history but the couple believes otherwise.
There is a photo of Junmyeon and Kyungsoo sitting in a teacup, with a generic V-sign on both of their hands. It’s their first date to Lotte World and you can clearly see how nervous the both of them are, especially Kyungsoo with his sweat patches on his white V-neck.
There are so many photos and videos that they remember taking, but somewhere along their relationship, they forgot the emotion behind all the dates and memories. Kyungsoo glances at Junmyeon and he coyly bites back a smile before turning away in fear he would be caught in the act. Junmyeon spots Kyungsoo from the corner of his eye and laughs. All of a sudden, it feels like they’re meeting for the first time again.
Coming from the speakers is what seems to be a drawled sigh. The sound is of poor quality, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that it’s Junmyeon talking over the slideshow.
“I mean, there have been tons of situations that I wish I could go back in time and fix,” he begins.
Kyungsoo gazes affectionately at Junmyeon through the entire slideshow and it takes every fibre of his being to hold back his tears. The part when Junmyeon confesses his love and desire to treat him better plays and waterfalls pour from Kyungsoo’s eyes. He doesn’t even make an effort to resist the urge to cry anymore.
When Junmyeon sees Kyungsoo crying, he wants to run straight to his side and hold him in arms, whispering sweet solaces to him. However, the time interval between his recording and Kyungsoo’s is too short.
It doesn’t even take a minute for Junmyeon to start choking up.
“…I think I’d die from missing him so much,” Kyungsoo’s voice finishes.
The projection ends with a photograph of the two kissing at a friend’s wedding and a caught bouquet in a flustered Kyungsoo’s hand. Within a matter of seconds, the image has been duplicated and Junmyeon’s holding Kyungsoo’s face in his hands.
“I love you, you know that right?” Junmyeon says, as he presses his forehead against his boyfriend’s, making his usual ugly crying face. “And that-”
Kyungsoo doesn’t even give Junmyeon the time to finish his sentence, because the next thing they knew were the curvatures of each other’s lips and the love that came with them. They pull away and Junmyeon is in a daze, as he stares at his lover in wonder.
“I know,” Kyungsoo grins, as he goes in for another peck. “I know.”
Jongdae and Baekhyun let out a giant sigh, and lean against the railing in exhaustion. They give each other a weary low-five and chuckle as Chanyeol continues to stare at the lovers in confusion, with knitted eyebrows.
“Isn’t it ironic how relationships are based on communication, but Kyungsoo just cut Junmyeon off like that?” Chanyeol mumbles. Baekhyun slaps a hand over the giant’s lips as Jongdae makes motions of zipping his mouth shut.
The couple can hear the trio in the background and let out a small chuckle because they decide it would be best to dismiss it for now. As much as they didn’t want to admit it, they owed those three the world.
At this point, Junmyeon and Kyungsoo kind of don't care about how messy their home is right now, or the fact that they shoved Kyungsoo through a window.
Before today, Junmyeon never knew that nagging could sound so sweet and Kyungsoo doesn't think his boyfriend's forgetfulness could be so endearing.
The first year of their relationship, they explored the wonders of the world together and expected nothing more. The second year of their relationship they strived to be the best of the best. The third year, the flaws were too evident to disregard and so was the ever growing gap in between them. This year, they’re learning to love the imperfections they’ll never perfect, because quite frankly, those faults had never seemed so beautiful until now.
That’s all they ever needed—each other.
It was a story between the two of them that could only be told if they loved.
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