Love at first sight maybe is the most cliché love story in the history. It is the most used love scenario. The sudden violently pounding heartbeat; the hasty increase of pulse; the words of from the moment I laid my eyes on you, I knew I love you – all of these encompass the portrayal of love at first sight.

And Baekhyun believes not only in love at first sight; or in love in second sight; but also in novels and dramas He believes in happy endings and fairytales; soul mates and destinies. Maybe he is too much of a hopeless romantic but he doesn’t care, he is a firm believer that every love story, may have ups and downs, bumpy roads and detours but everything, in time, ends happily.

***

“Then they live happily ever after” Baekhyun clasps together his tiny little hands after he finished reading The Beauty and the Beast. Ten year old Baekhyun emits the aura of buoyancy as he ended the third book he was reading for his younger brother, Kyungsoo.

“I want one more.” Kyungsoo coos as he presses his body closer to his brother. The boys savor the warmth of their blanket.

“It’s already midnight Kyungsoo, you need to sleep. If father finds us still wide awake, he wouldn’t let us visit mom tomorrow.”

“But I want you to read Cinderella again.” The spark in Kyungsoo’s big eyes makes Baekhyun’s hands reach for the blue book on the pile of hard bounds on their bedside table. He can't stand the pouty lips and the sparkly eyes.

Baekhyun completely adores his younger brother because he is his only treasure left; ever since their mother died, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are inseparable treating each other as their pillars. And when Baekhyun, at a young age of ten has experienced the trauma of witnessing a loved one die, Kyungsoo became his support, and instead of being swallowed by fear and worry, Baekhyun became stronger and livelier because Kyungsoo is always there to make his life a thousand times better.

His mother’s last words are imprinted in his memory, Stories end; it’s a fact but what remains are the memories and the beautiful endings.

Their mother never regretted the shackles of marriage, motherhood, responsibility, and reality. Their mother had met their father when she was twenty four while she was traveling through the town and asked for directions and the lucky guy who had met her was their father. Baekhyun said her mother didn’t believe in fairytales until she laid her eyes on him. At a young age, his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and has a few years to live, she wasn’t a patron of happy endings because she was too much of a depressed girl mourning over her short life but when she met Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s father, everything became a wonderful world to live in.

He remembers his mother’s voice ending the stories with those lines. Stories end; it’s a fact but what remains are the memories and the beautiful endings. He recalls the late night story telling that he and Kyungsoo adored. The light form his mother’s eyes, sparks and the magic are imprinted in his mind and his heart. Their mother is undeniably, until her last breath still, is deeply in love with their father. The love might have ended shortly but it ended happily because the love that is present is true and will forever remain.

And Baekhyun is sure, his father will live a happily ever after ending because the love is still there. As long as the love is present, fairytale exists.

He wants Kyungsoo to believe in fairytales too, to never forget too, to see the magic too so ever since their mother passed away, Baekhyun doubled his effort to quickly learn how to fluently read because he wants Kyungsoo to believe in happy endings too.

Years have passed, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, though the bond got tighter, they grew up with two different personalities. Baekhyun is a dreamer, Kyungsoo is a realist. Baekhyun doesn’t settle for just okay but strives for the best.

As it turned out, Baekhyun couldn’t be tamed and found it increasingly frustrating being held in a small town where his dreams are restricted. Soon, he decided to leave town and move to Seoul with all the wide ranges of courses he can choose from, he’s sure, his dream to be an author will be definitely be fulfilled. His father once said, making children’s fairytale stories will end in the dumps because no one reads them aside from the kids or maybe the children aren’t even interested in stories anymore because the variety of gadgets that are lined up before their eyes but Baekhyun’s decision is firm. In the end, his succeeds into getting his father’s affirmation.

Kyungsoo has been supportive but Baekhyun knows his younger brother is deeply saddened, he is too but Baekhyun had vast dreams and he wants the dreams to be fulfilled. Kyungsoo can study in Seoul too after a year; that’s what they have agreed upon. Baekhyun decides to take up Literature. A year has passed and he receives a call from his brother telling him Kyungsoo won’t be able to study in Seoul because the younger one decided to stay in the province. It’s more practical.

Months later, Baekhyun became aware of the reason; his younger brother is in love and wouldn’t leave town with the fear of being away with his love.

Baekhyun’s visit began to lessen; the every weekend stay turned into once a month trip and soon became a once a year visit. He would take the time to reach Kyungsoo and his father by phone or video call. It isn’t because Baekhyun has grown tired of visiting but his too focused on his studies and part time jobs. And soon, Baekhyun stopped visiting.

After college, Baekhyun started his career as writer, his first job is to proof read children stories that are about to be published. Two months after, he is given an opportunity to contribute to the children’s book. He also got a job to regularly write an article for a magazine. In seven months, Baekhyun is starting his first novel.

Five years later, Baekhyun’s steps foot once again on the sands where he grew up, the air still smells fresh, it still feels home. He took a week leave from work, not because he needed a vacation but because Kyungsoo requested for it. It isn’t always that his younger brother will ge married.

Who would have thought his younger brother would get married before him? He laughs at the thought but he’s more than happy because Kyungsoo will have a happy end to his fairytale. Baekhyun can feel though they are miles apart that Kyungsoo is head over heels for the guy. Every call exchanged between him and his brother consists of I really love him hyung and more stories of love and happiness.

He recalls a week before when Kyungsoo called him in the middle of the night. The call was so sudden, Baekhyun feared something bad had happened, it made him more frightened when Kyungsoo started sobbing, he was starting to tear up to until Kyungsoo announced, “I’m getting married” Baekhyun remembered crying because of the panic he felt but soon calmed down and started shrieking because what the actual hell, his younger brother is getting married.

Once again, he steps foot into his hometown. Baekhyun is cut from his trance when he hears a familiar voice calling his name, when looked around the bus station, he sees a teary eyed Kyungsoo from afar.

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun exclaims because Kyungsoo’s wedding is today and he’s supposed to be pampering himself.

No words came out as Kyungsoo enveloped his older brother into a hug, the sobs are muffled by Baekhyun’s shirt as the younger one continues to cry.

“I missed you.” Baekhyun whispered while he places gentle onto Kyungsoo’s back.

It takes a few minutes before Kyungsoo has calmed down, Baekhyun wipes away the fallen tears from his brother’s eyes.

 “I miss you too hyung.”

The roads are familiar, childhood memories are coming back and all throughout the car ride from the station to the venue, Baekhyun cant stop himself from smiling.

“You’ll love him” Kyungsoo encourages as he continues to bombard Baekhyun with praises on their way to the wedding venue.

“I get it Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun smiles wholeheartedly, “You love the guy.”

“I do. I really do hyung.”

“You’ll meet him soon.”

“I’m excited.”

Baekhyun has been in two relationships, one is with his childhood sweetheart Kris who dumped him during junior high but the failed relationship became a successful friendship. The other one is Sehun, who is 2 year his junior. After a few months of dating, they both realized they are meant not as lovers but as best friends. And best friends they’ve become.

Baekhyun knows his happy ending will come true. When he meets the one, he’ll know. Baekhyun’s reverie is cut short when he heard his brother calling him,

“I want you to meet my soon to be husband.” Kyungsoo’s smiling is like the sun, it’s so bright that it seems blinding. Baekhyun can feel how happy Kyungsoo is.

“Okay, let’s meet this guy.”

“I can’t see him before the wedding so, well, because of the superstitions. So, I asked him to meet you outside.”

“We’re living in the 21^st century and you still believe in superstitions?”

“You believe in fairytales too hyung.”

“Okay, point taken. So how do I know he’s the one.”

“He has this creepiest smile?”

Baekhyun’s expression can be read by anybody, it basically conveys You have got to be kidding me.

Baekhyun is excited to meet the guy.

Baekhyun prides himself of being imaginative and creative. Being an author, he needs such abilities. So in tough times, he doubles his imaginations and barely considers undergoing the stage of grief. He keeps his beliefs full no matter what – which maybe why he always manages to escape the call of depression.

Love is not always rainbows and butterflies. Love isn’t only seen in movies or in dramas. Love is not restricted to the amount of time you spend with one another. Sometimes, love is found in the most unexpected place, the most unreal time, and the most unanticipated person.

Sometimes, everything is unforeseen.

Baekhyun never meant to feel anything. He didn’t plan on anything. To know that his younger brother Kyungsoo is happy is Baekhyun’s top priority. But then suddenly, he can’t control the beating of his heart and his stomach hurts a lot. It’s scary and heart breaking and it feels like the world is shaking. It’s making him dizzy.

He stands there outside the door, eye to eye with a person taller than him with the creepiest smile he ever since and then it hits him.

It all goes down to the most cliché story, love at first sight. It’s painfully heart breaking because undoubtedly, Baekhyun is experiencing one of the most overused scenes because to hell with everybody, he may be in love with a person who has the most stupidly beautiful but creepy smile.

“” he curses almost a whisper and he runs away. He can hear the faint words of Hey, hyung. As soon as the coast is clear, he tries hard to entertain the guests and keeps himself busy. He keeps himself faraway as possible because it’s ing terrifying. This has got to stop.

He succeeds for almost an hour but Baekhyun is sure he’s being punished for the bad deed he did to Kris Wu back in junior days when he threw paint balls into Kris’s car. Baekhyun is pretty sure today is day he’ll receive the karma because someone is approaching him and his heart beats uncontrollably fast. He fears he’ll suffer from a heart attack though he is 200 percent sure he doesn’t have any heart problem or maybe their family doctor is a con actor because maybe he does have a heart disease because right now, his heart is in pain. As the person walks nearer and nearer, his chest pain seems to escalate even more.

Baekhyun feels light headed and his heart still hurts. And maybe he died a little inside because of so many emotions and maybe a part of him will die again because,

“Hi Baekhyun hyung, It’s really nice to finally meet you. I’m Chanyeol”

Baekhyun is terrified, he wants to cry.

And maybe his heart breaks into a million pieces and maybe in that little span of time, Baekhyun questions his belief, Do happy endings still exist? Because he might be in love with his brother’s husband.

“I’ve heard so many things about you and I promise you, I’ll forever love Kyungsoo.”

____     

Baekhyun is happy. Yes, he is. Why wouldn’t he be?

Maybe he is just tired from the long train ride or maybe he is too stressed about his first book. His heart is just beating wildly because of wariness and somehow, excitement too because his younger brother is getting married. Sorry to say, it isn’t the real explanation on the twinge in Baekhyun’s heart.

It’s crazy, Baekhyun thinks because everything doesn’t make sense. Why would he fall in love so easily? And it’s crazier because why would he fall in love with a man on a white suit that is about to marry his most loved younger brother. Everything is crazy, perhaps, Baekhyun needs to pay a visit to a psychiatrist.

Baekhyun rethinks his decision and settled for a cardiologist because there’s a problem with his heart and it isn’t funny. He tampers with his decisions once again because he needs to go to a psychiatrist and a cardiologist too.

He is supposed to be beaming with happiness; jumping in joy but he isn’t and he’s trying his best to keep up his trademark eye smile.

Baekhyun lets out a heavy and weary sigh, his brother who is now standing wearing an elegant suit Baekhyun has picked out for him, is about to say his vows, the wedding will end soon. 

Kyungsoo delivered a simple yet touching vow that focuses on promises and oaths he’ll do for Chanyeol. To love you forever and be with you all the time; to support you in the best way I can and be the best husband for the rest of our lives. And then Kyungsoo sings with his soothing voice that unquestionably wows the crowd.

Baekhyun is definitely proud and he came into a conclusion that he’s happy for his brother but then it changes abruptly. Someone call the doctor because Baekhyun thinks he’s bipolar. One moment he is happy then one moment he is feeling this sickening feeling in his stomach.

Too caught up with his dilemmas, Baekhyun doesn’t even notice Kyungsoo stopped singing until he hears a deep voice over the speakers.

It is Chanyeol’s turn to say his vows.

“It was love at first sight” Chanyeol’s smiles proudly, the first few words of his vow were uttered beautifully. With his deep voice, everyone’s ears are focused on every syllable.

“I never believe in novel-like stories because I think they’re all bulls.” Chanyeol pauses and mouths an im sorry to everyone which made the guests laugh in response.

 “How can one person feel his heart burning in pain if our emotions come from our brain and not from the heart? It’s based on science. But you see, I’ve been too naïve for the past years because suddenly, fairytales become real. Butterflies in the stomach never made sense until I made an eye contact with you. It was so immediate and powerful—far deeper and inexplicably beyond any calculation of time and place.  It’s unexplainable but somehow it’s so novel-like.”

Chanyeol’s voice begins to crack, muffled by the tears and the hiccups, “I’ve always had goals, aspirations, things I wanted to do. But when I met you, I learned what it was to dream. My dream is to be with you for the rest of my days. The day you told me you love me too, that was the best day of my life. Until today, it’s still the best day because I have you. I love you Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun needs no cardiologist, he needs no psychiatrist because now he knows what he needs, he desperately needs Disney because he needs a love story, he needs a fairytale, he needs a fairytale ending with happily ever after.

a/n: we all want a happy end to our love story. :)