Two

The muffled sound of a ringing alarm clock stuffed under pillows and blankets had woken Baekhyun up from his deep slumber. He turned off the alarm and managed to untangle himself from the thick sheets, only to find as he stared at himself in the mirror, that the puffy skin around his eyes had swollen from crying too much the day before. He patted his cheeks sharply, inwardly reminding himself to forget his mom’s words.

The sound of his phone’s ringtone caught his attention, pushing away any thoughts he had in his mind. Rubbing his eyes slowly, he managed to clear his blurred vision and grabbed his phone by the nightstand. As he squinted at the screen, he recognized Kyungsoo’s name.

He slid his finger against his phone, and Kyungsoo’s loud voice echoed through the speaker a few seconds later.

“Wake up, Baek—”

“Why are you calling me at this time? It’s seven in the morning for God’s sake!” Baekhyun groaned as he heard the laughter on the other side of the phone.

“What did your mom say?” Kyungsoo asked.

Baekhyun bit his lips for a moment, before mumbling out in a small voice. “She… didn’t say anything.”

“Did she give you permission to participate in the competition?”

“For God’s sake, Do Kyungsoo, stop asking me!” Baekhyun snapped.

Once the words left his mouth in their aggravated tone, Baekhyun regretted it. He regretted yelling at Kyungsoo, who was clearly not at fault. However, knowing that Kyungsoo and Jongdae were allowed to participate in the competition and he was not, Baekhyun couldn’t help the jealousy that built up in his heart. Yes, he was jealous of his two friends. They all gave their everything just to be promoted in the competition, knowing that it wouldn’t be an easy chance for anyone. Their music teacher was of strict and detailed person, so they did try their best to demonstrate their true abilities in singing.

But luck was not on Baekhyun’s side. He didn’t understand what had gone through his mother’s mind. Maybe something triggered her heart the day before, reminiscing each moment she’d had with her late husband.

“Alright, alright. I won’t ask you anymore,” Kyungsoo replied. “I’ll… uhm… See you at college.”

Baekhyun hung up abruptly, and threw his phone on the bed, only to realize that someone had been listening to him as they cleared their throat to gain his attention.

“Who was it?”

Cold and unfriendly were the best words to describe the tone of her voice. Baekhyun flinched when he heard it. Throwing a glance at the door, he saw his mother, who was leaning against the wooden doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Kyungsoo,” he answered sharply, pretending to be busy as he stood up and headed to the closet near the window, kicking away his scattered and unwashed clothes and socks on the floor. He rummaged through his clothes inside the closet, trying to ignore his mom’s stare.

“Where are you going this early in the morning?”

Baekhyun looked up and answered, “College.”

“What for?”

“Because I want to?”

He walked to the bed and grabbed his towel by the rack before padding towards the bathroom. He noticed his mother’s sharp gaze, and thought it best to ignore it.

“Today’s Sunday and you don’t have classes on Sundays,” Mrs. Byun stated firmly. “Unless you’re attempting to attend the practice classes, which I am not going to allow you—”

“I believe we have agreed to stop talking about this, Mom. I think we’re done here.” Baekhyun stopped walking. He hung the towel on his shoulder, sighing as he ruffled his morning hair and attempted to walk into the bathroom.

“I am not done talking to you!”

Baekhyun halted. His knuckles went white, ears red, and eyes small. Turning around, he gave his mother an indignant look. She was standing a few meters away from him, and he could clearly see the change in her expression. She was furious.

“What is it again, Mom?”

He still respected his mom. He knew the fact that everything she said yesterday was true. She didn’t want her son to be like her late husband. But the thing was, everything was different now. His dad wouldn’t kill himself over something stupid. He wasn’t saying his late dad was stupid for killing himself just because he was depressed. No.

Seeing how Baekhyun was striving to become a famous singer and how he was filling his precious times with singing just made him wonder: why couldn’t his mother notice? Why couldn’t she realize his passion for singing? He asked for nothing else but to be a well-known singer. He didn’t grow up to kill himself, so she shouldn’t be worrying over something like that. But she didn’t understand.

“I’m not going to allow you to participate in the competition. That’s the final say.”

“But, why?” Baekhyun pleaded.

“There’s no reason to it.”

“There must be a new reason to it, Mom. You gave me a ridiculous one yesterday. You can’t stop me from achieving my dream!”

“I don’t want you to be like your dad!”

“Who says I’m going to be like him? What’s the problem with me being a singer? He was a painter! I am a singer. We are different, Mom. Now if you’re worried I might take my life just like Dad did, just bear in your mind that I’m never going to do that.”

“You were small back then, Baek. You know nothing of your dad.” She lowered her voice, a mix of disappointment and regret written all over her face.

Baekhyun’s heart clenched. “Of course I know him. He’s my dad after all.”

Walking into the bathroom, he slammed the door behind and ignore the shout from his mom. He cupped his ears, silently wishing that his mother would just leave him alone and change her mind and allow him to join the competition.

It was almost nine when Baekhyun decided to go to the college. Grabbing his bag tightly, he headed down the stairs and found his mother sitting in the dining room. He halted, not knowing whether or not he did the right thing.

However, stubbornness took over and he decided it was best if he followed his guts. He would just attend the practice and pretend that his mother did allow him to enter the competition, even though he knew it would never happen.

He turned the knob as silent as possible, hoping that his mother wouldn’t hear the clicking sound. The front door finally pushed open, and much to Baekhyun’s surprise, there was a tall figure, much taller than himself, standing right in front of his house. His hair was completely disheveled probably messed up by the strong morning wind, and he was wearing all black from head to toe. However, Baekhyun did notice that the man wasn’t wearing a sweater to keep him warm from the cold weather. He was shivering a bit, indicating that he had been outside for quite some time. The weather was quite unpromising, and Baekhyun wondered why the man wait around without even knocking on the door.

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes and asked, “Can I help you?”

The unknown man looked up, his face showing a mix of surprise and happiness, though he didn’t reply to the other’s question.

Instead, the man’s arms suddenly wrapped tightly around Baekhyun’s petite body, and the shorter swore he could feel the rapid heartbeats from the unknown man. Rationally, one would shove a stranger away when he was hugged so suddenly, but Baekhyun didn’t do so. Instead he froze in his position, letting the man rub his back softly. He knew he should have been scared by the sudden contact, but strangely enough, he felt a slight sense of safety. The man smelt faintly of a fresh canvas and a new palette, leaving Baekhyun to unconsciously reminisce on past memories of his father. The familiar yet strange scent broke Baekhyun’s train of thought, finally registering that a complete stranger was hugging him, and he attempted to push the man away, but to no avail.

Baekhyun’s face grew pale from the sudden wave of shock when he felt a hand touching his head.

The unknown man was Baekhyun’s shiny hair, like how his mother always had. Fingers raked through his hair, and the stranger tightened his embrace.

The man had yearned to touch Baekhyun, always wanting to learn the feelings of hugging a human. He had seen Mr. Byun hugging his son whenever he was sad. If he had known earlier that hugging someone would bring calmness to his heart, he would do it every day. Ironically, he only had a day to fulfil his longing wish.

Baekhyun once again attempted to push the stranger away, and as the taller sensed the denial, he released Baekhyun from his arms.

Baekhyun seemed breathless. Stepping away from the taller man, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

The man appeared to be confused at first. He wanted to hold Baekhyun’s arm, but was shoved away instantly.

“W-Who are you?”

The taller man stopped moving. He knew straight away. Baekhyun didn’t recognize him.

“W-Why did you hug me?” Baekhyun asked out of curiosity. His eyes grew wider as seconds passed, a sense of fear beginning to take over him. He scanned the man from head to toe, trying to remember him, and though something stirred in his mind, Baekhyun didn’t know what it was.

I am Chanyeol.

If Chanyeol could talk, Baekhyun would have obviously known who he was. He would tell Baekhyun everything: from how he was actually a portrait-turned-human for just one day. But of course, no one would believe that. Being human wasn’t as easy as he had previously thought. He had never spoken before, and it was hard to cope with the surroundings without having learnt how to speak. Everything seemed so impossible to do, especially knowing he only had one day to do everything with Baekhyun. Chanyeol curled his fingers into a fist.

He struggled to speak, and his voice came out ambiguously, the other struggling to understand.

“C-Chan… y-yeol…”

“What did you say?” Creasing his eyebrows, Baekhyun looked right into Chanyeol’s eyes.

Chanyeol let out an exasperated sigh and his heart plummeted. He wished he could tell Baekhyun everything; that he was the same portrait Baekhyun used to know when he was a baby, and that he had known Baekhyun from the beginning. He knew he had done the stupidest thing ever by hugging the shorter man, but the urge to cheer-up Baekhyun’s day was just too strong, and he couldn’t deny that feeling of wanting to protect Baekhyun and keep him away from the sadness.

“Ch… Chanyeol,” he repeated, his voice a little more collected.

Baekhyun looked dazed for a second. The man’s voice was deep, in a way that Baekhyun somehow liked.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun guessed, partly hoping that he was right. “Is that your name?”

Chanyeol nodded instantly. A smile formed on his lips, knowing that at least Baekhyun finally knew his name. Perhaps, it was fine that way.

Baekhyun took a moment to scan over Chanyeol’s face. He was sure he had seen that face before, but where? A weird feeling glimpsed in his mind, but he couldn’t quite capture what it was. Even though they had just met, something made Baekhyun feel like he had known the man for years already.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” Baekhyun couldn’t help but ask. A part of him wanted Chanyeol to say yes to his question. However, he still kept a fair distance from him because he was afraid with the sudden appearance of the tall man.

It felt so strange. Chanyeol wanted to nod, but his heart said the otherwise, and following his instinct, he shook his head slowly.

“Then why were you…” Baekhyun couldn’t finish saying his words, his voice faltering as the taller cut him off.

Chanyeol smiled sincerely, bringing the shorter male close to him again. However, that time around, Baekhyun knew better and pushed himself away. It felt awkward.

“No. No hugging please,” Baekhyun said, hands flailing up in the air before he took a few steps back once again. He almost stumbled on his feet slightly, but Chanyeol caught him by the waist. Baekhyun struggled to free himself from the taller man’s burning touch. Chanyeol however, was dumbfounded for a moment. He frowned, but his expression didn’t stay long, instead choosing to bow as a sign of apology.

Baekhyun grimaced. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the taller man straight in the face. His wide eyes, red lips and protruding ears; they were too familiar to Baekhyun despite not remembering having ever encountering the man before. He frowned as he kept thinking, only to realize Chanyeol bowed to him a second time.

“No, don’t be sorry, okay? It’s alright,” Baekhyun said, awkwardly pulling at the fabric of his shirt. He gave Chanyeol that scrutinizing look once more and decided to ask again, “But, really. Do I know you from somewhere?”

Chanyeol wanted to tell the truth. Baekhyun obviously knew him, but fifteen years were long enough to make Baekhyun forget about him. After all, Baekhyun hadn’t seen him after Mr. Byun had passed away, so Chanyeol couldn’t blame him for forgetting.

“A-Ah…” Chanyeol struggled with his words. His throat was hurting, almost as if it were swelling from overworking the unused vocal cords. Kai was right. He could never talk in front of Baekhyun. Even if he could find the courage to speak, it was difficult for him since his throat wasn’t used to talking as much as humans did. His heart ached slightly at the thought.

Baekhyun scratched his neck unconsciously feeling quite uncomfortable with the whole situation.

There were a few moments of silence before Chanyeol bent down unexpectedly, putting his hands on his stomach with a pained groan through gritted teeth.

“Hey! Are you okay?” Baekhyun asked, a sense of panic overcoming him. He touched Chanyeol’s shoulder hesitantly, but the man didn’t look up. Instead, he knelt down on the floor, eyes closed and teeth chattering. Baekhyun stood over the man nervously, not knowing what to do. He looked to the left and right, hoping that someone would come and help him, but there was no one to be found. He wanted to rush inside and call for his mom, but he didn’t feel that was needed.

“Do you have a stomach ache?” Baekhyun asked worriedly. Stupid question, he knew that. However, he couldn’t help but ask. He kept looking at Chanyeol’s trembling hands. The air tensed and Baekhyun struggled to help the man stand back up, putting his left hand around Chanyeol’s waist to support him.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Chanyeol groaned in pain again. His eyebrows knitted together as he endured the pain. Just as Baekhyun was about to ask another question, he heard a grumbling sound from Chanyeol’s stomach, freezing completely as he glanced over at the other.

“Are you… hungry?”

Chanyeol didn’t answer; his stomach did. It grumbled again, a bit louder the second time.

“You are hungry,” Baekhyun concluded. He smiled when he saw the beads of sweat on Chanyeol’s forehead. “You haven’t had breakfast, have you?” Baekhyun asked.

Chanyeol froze.

“Let’s have breakfast together. I haven’t eaten yet either.” Baekhyun casted a smile at Chanyeol as he slowly released his grip on the taller man’s waist. Chanyeol relaxed a little, and Baekhyun assumed that he was fine to walk on his own. He started to feel hungry too, but upon realizing that his mother was still inside and that they weren’t really on the best of terms, he took a step forward away from the door. “We can go to my favorite café,” he continued. “My treat.”

Chanyeol nodded again and without realizing it, his journey with Byun Baekhyun began.

They arrived at Baekhyun’s favorite café in the neighborhood. Noticing an empty table by the window, Baekhyun instinctively pulled Chanyeol’s hand and asked him to sit on the wooden chair.

The smell of freshly baked potato spread across the café, and Baekhyun’s stomach growled in hunger. He gulped down his saliva, sniffing the sweet aroma of white coffee that greeted his nose.

“What do you want to eat?” Baekhyun asked when a waiter came over and handed him the menu. He gave the menu to Chanyeol, asking the latter to choose what to eat for his breakfast.

Chanyeol eyed the menu intently. The writing was large and clear, but he still couldn’t understand anything. He never learnt how to read and the mixed symbols on the page only confused him more. He only knew how to understand things people said, and already took enough talent. He sighed unintentionally, gaining a concerned glance from Baekhyun.

“Why? What’s wrong? Don’t you like anything on the menu?” Baekhyun asked. He looked at the waiter who was standing at the table’s side, only to realize he shouldn’t say such a thing in front of the waiter. Baekhyun smiled apologetically before he threw a glance at Chanyeol once again.

“Baekhyun… Ch-choose.”

Baekhyun nodded and ordered quickly, getting two glasses of iced lemon tea and a plate of tuna sandwiches since he didn’t know what Chanyeol liked. It was minutes after that the waiter finally returned to their table, bringing their orders and Baekhyun could clearly see the relief and happiness in Chanyeol’s eyes.

Much to his delight, Chanyeol quickly grabbed the sandwich and eagerly shoved it into his mouth. He then looked at the straw in the glass in confusion before Baekhyun demonstrated how to use it, and copying the other, he sipped at his drink. Everything on the plate was finished in the blink of an eye. The only thing left was Baekhyun’s drink, which he hadn’t finished yet. Baekhyun handed over a napkin to the taller man, but Chanyeol didn’t know how to use it. The former had to motion and show Chanyeol the proper way to use it, and he blushed a bit as Chanyeol eyed him in concentration, following every movement of his pointy fingers. When Chanyeol finally figured out the correct way to wipe his mouth, Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief.

“So, where do you actually live?” Baekhyun started the conversation, though he wasn’t sure of what he should ask. He’d been yearning to know more about the mysterious man since the moment they had met that morning, because a part of his mind told him they’d met before. However, only ambiguous memories were playing in his mind, the incomprehensible thoughts only leaving him in a state of doubt and confusion.

Chanyeol put the napkin aside, taking a few deep breaths and staring at Baekhyun as he bit down on his lips.

Why can’t you remember me?

Chanyeol’s fingers curled into a fist involuntarily. “Home.”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed; he wasn’t expecting to receive such an answer. Nevertheless, he let out a soft chuckle seconds later because he certainly found Chanyeol to be a bit… cute, clumsy, even. Glancing at him from the side of his eye, he noticed how uncomfortable Chanyeol actually was. He fiddled with his fingers, kept his head down from time to time and there wasn’t a single moment when he could speak clearly. His eyes travelled everywhere, but had not even once focused on Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun didn’t know who Chanyeol was, or where he came from. There was only one thing he knew for sure: that Chanyeol was a kind person; he could sense it. Even though Chanyeol didn’t look like a person who would protect anyone from danger, there was a strange feeling mingling inside Baekhyun, almost like his conscience was trying to assure him that Chanyeol was safe to be with.

Chanyeol gestured for the shorter man to wait for him, telling him to stay seated for a while. Baekhyun didn’t say anything in return, and instead just nodded. He took a sip of his iced lemon tea while his eyes stared deeply at Chanyeol’s movement.

Chanyeol walked towards a young boy sitting two tables away from their own, seemingly working on some homework. Piles of books were arranged on the table, and the boy was writing notes down in his book. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, taking a few wild guesses as Chanyeol took his time to talk to the boy. What was he doing?

His thoughts were disturbed when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Fishing it out, he slid his finger against the screen, only to see that someone had sent him an SMS.

My flight to Korea is this morning. Meet at Sehun’s tonight.

His heart froze at the short message. Why didn’t the sender tell him earlier? Perspiration dampened his forehead and palms, and it gave him goose bumps just to think about it. He wasn’t expecting the return, though he actually had been missing the sender. Why did nobody tell him about this?

He dialed up Sehun’s number, and waited for his friend to answer.

“Hello—”

“Why didn’t you tell me that he’s flying back to Korea this morning?” Baekhyun asked before the other could even finish his sentence.

“Calm down, Baekhyun. Well, he asked me to keep this a secret from you,” Sehun croaked, his voice sounding tired. Baekhyun assumed that his dear friend had only just woken up from his deep slumber. Knowing Sehun for more than five years, Baekhyun knew that the man only got out of his bed at noon.

“You should’ve told me. I didn’t prepare anything for him!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

“Hey, hey,” Sehun interrupted. “Calm down, Baek. Everything is well prepared. We’ve had everything planned for three days already. Luhan and Junmyeon have been helping me. Did he say anything about coming to my house?”

With his eyebrows knitted together, Baekhyun was completely confused. “What are you guys up to?”

“Just a small party. You can come to my house now if you want. But I haven’t showered yet,” Sehun added.

“I—” Baekhyun paused. His eyes diverted to Chanyeol’s back, a voice in his mind telling him to decline Sehun’s offer. Chanyeol was giggling, and although Baekhyun wasn’t sure what the former was talking with the boy about, delight occupied his heart. “I don’t think I can come to your house right now. There’s something I need to do first.”

He was afraid that Sehun would get mad or be suspicious. Fortunately, the man didn’t sense the slight awkwardness in Baekhyun’s voice.

“It’s all good,” Sehun replied. “But make sure you come to my place tonight. He wants to see you.”

“Alright.”

“Chin up. Don’t think too much about that competition, alright?”

He had almost forgotten about that, but when Sehun mentioned it again, his heart ached a little. Baekhyun hummed in response before hanging up.

It took Chanyeol roughly another five minutes to return back to their table, with a paper filled with written notes in his hand. He wanted to grab the paper when Chanyeol pulled his chair out; but the latter was faster than him. He hid the paper behind his back, before shaking his head at Baekhyun’s action.

“What are you hiding?” Baekhyun asked curiously, waiting for Chanyeol to answer his question.

The taller man kept a poker face before putting the paper flat on the table, fingers sliding to each corner of the paper to straighten it up, letting Baekhyun see the written notes.

“What is this?” Baekhyun scrutinized the word, his gaze wandering over the page as he read the content over and over. “A list?”

Chanyeol nodded.

“Did you ask the boy to write these?” Baekhyun asked, demanding a clear answer from the man before him. Again, he received a nod. Baekhyun took a deep breath. He nibbled on his lip, them slightly as he read the list again, webs of thoughts wandering in his mind

“Why did you do this?”

Chanyeol didn’t know what and how to answer this question. It was a simple one, yet it contained so many emotions. Rubbing the back of his neck, he managed to stutter a reply, but it turned out to be harder than he had expected.  “Baekhyun… sad…”

Chanyeol sighed, knowing that he would never talk properly even if the complete words were just at the tip of his tongue.

The words were vague, but Baekhyun understood what Chanyeol was trying to say. Even in such a small time, he had gotten used to Chanyeol’s lack of speech, or maybe he had just learnt to understand him by heart. He loved how his name sounded beautiful when Chanyeol said it, even if he seemed to be struggling in saying anything.

Baekhyun asked, “How did you know that I wasn’t okay this morning?”

Chanyeol hummed.

“Do you want to spend some time with me today?” Baekhyun asked instead. He couldn’t believe what he said, but he was certain he wanted to follow through on his invitation.

Chanyeol, however, was in shock. Did he hear correctly? Did Baekhyun invite him to spend his day with him? His heart leapt at the invitation, obviously loving it. He wasn’t good at hiding his emotions, because after all, he only had less than twenty-four hours to fulfil his wish. He had to open his heart to everything, to Baekhyun especially.

“Are you okay with that? I can clear off my schedule for today,” Baekhyun said, smiling when he saw a grin on the other’s face. Unfortunately, his heart sank a bit at the mention of his schedule, because he was supposed to have a vocal practice with his friends later, but when he remembered that his mother didn’t allow him in the first place, he shook the thought away, hoping that spending his time with Chanyeol, would help clear his mind.

Chanyeol nodded again, this time a bit quickly. His eyes widened in excitement, anticipating and waiting for Baekhyun to give a positive response. Baekhyun responded with a smile too, and his eyes averted to the list again. Somehow, Chanyeol hoped Baekhyun would like his suggestion because…

“This is so funny!”

The silent café suddenly erupted with Baekhyun’s laughter. He held his stomach, trying to suppress his laughter but failed. A tingling feeling tickled his heart, and he couldn’t stop laughing. Chanyeol’s head jerked back at the unexpected response. A few customers sitting at other tables turned their heads to look at both of them, slightly disturbed because of Baekhyun’s annoying laughter. Chanyeol looked around and stood up, the screeching sound of the chair on the floor loud enough to hurt someone’s ear. He bowed apologetically on behalf of Baekhyun, because he was embarrassed by Baekhyun who just made a fuss about the list. When Baekhyun’s laughter died down, he looked at Chanyeol, casting a sincere smile on his face upon noticing the red tints on the man’s cheeks.

“No, wait, are we going to do all these things?” Baekhyun snorted. His eyes never left Chanyeol, who just sat back down. Chanyeol’s cheeks were still as red as tomatoes, slowly trying to calm down his embarrassment. Nonetheless, he still nodded his head, answering Baekhyun’s question.

“Look,” Baekhyun gestured Chanyeol to come closer, watching as the latter followed his instruction. “Some of the ideas here are too ridiculous and I really mean it. You see, how can we go to the Paris and bring the real Eiffel Tower back to Korea?”

Chanyeol froze.

He didn’t know what the Eiffel Tower was, nor did he have any idea what Baekhyun was talking about. He only asked the boy to come up with any ideas to put in the list of things-to-do-with-Baekhyun, and maybe the boy wrote everything he had in his mind, not realizing that Chanyeol couldn’t understand the written words. If Chanyeol knew what to do, he wouldn’t ask the boy to help him in the first place, and now he was embarrassed of himself. Looking at Baekhyun, he was sure it was something impossible to be done, judging from the way those crinkles lined up between Baekhyun’s eyebrows.

Taking the paper from Baekhyun’s hand, he took a good look at the notes. It took him a moment to try and understand everything, but he couldn’t. Squiggling and weird scratches of handwriting were all he could see, written by the young boy he had met earlier. He really wished he could read. He somehow forgot that he was once a portrait to begin with, not a human. How could he possibly learn everything in one day? It was ridiculous.

“You… you can’t read this too?” Baekhyun asked carefully, eyes scanning Chanyeol’s face. He didn’t know whether he had understood correctly or not, but confusion didn’t leave his mind when trying to understand why Chanyeol seemed to be struggling. In the short matter of time, Baekhyun learnt that Chanyeol would occasionally crease his eyebrows and pout when he didn’t like something, one of his more obvious habits.

Chanyeol looked up from the paper and shook his head as an answer. He seemed disappointed as he returned the paper to Baekhyun.

“Oh,” Baekhyun said, realizing he had made the atmosphere awkward. “I’m sorry.”

Chanyeol showed his toothy smile.

Baekhyun eyed him curiously before shifting his eyes to the list once again. He made sure he read everything carefully, inwardly keeping in mind what could be done and what couldn’t. Chanyeol noticed that the man in front of him was smiling at times, though he wasn’t sure of what reason.

“Some of the ideas here can be done,” Baekhyun prompted. “But some of them are just too ridiculous to do, to be honest. I mean, we can cross-off the impossible ones and just do what’s left, right?”

Chanyeol nodded in return, and he earned a sincere smile from Baekhyun.

“Alright, so I’ll just cross-out the first one, and we’ll do the second one on the list,” Baekhyun chirped as he took out a pen from his duffel bag and crossed the first line on the paper. “Let’s see, the second one here is “take pictures together”. Well, we can do this,” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol unknowingly clapped his hands together as he giggled. His eyes squinted as he laughed, and Baekhyun swore he had never seen such a beautiful smile from anyone before. He looked like a kid who had just been given ice cream by his mother. For someone like Chanyeol, he should’ve acted according to his age, but Baekhyun found it endearing.

“Why are you so happy?” Baekhyun asked, though he knew he didn’t need an answer to that.

Chanyeol beamed.

I am happy because I finally get to spend some time with you.

A part of Chanyeol wished Baekhyun could hear his inner voice. Disappointment eventually clutched at his heart when he saw Baekhyun clearly didn’t expect an answer in return. He simply just didn’t care because he knew Chanyeol would never talk properly in front of him.

Baekhyun wouldn’t know.

After they both had left the café, Baekhyun asked Chanyeol to follow him to his college. It was minutes after that they finally reached their destination. The college, Chanyeol noticed, was half empty by the time they both arrived on campus. The rustling of leaves and the sounds of robins singing accompanied the pair as they walked towards the huge building. The scenery was nice; Baekhyun couldn’t remember the last time he felt so happy walking to college with someone.

Not liking the quietness, Baekhyun suddenly coughed a little.

“Are you okay following me to my college?”

Chanyeol’s head jerked up upon hearing Baekhyun’s voice. “Where?” His voice was still soft and low, like a diamond was kept inside his mouth, preventing him from talking any louder.

“Are you okay? College?” Baekhyun repeated. He tilted his head at the same time, two fingers tracing a line on his palm as he mimicked the motion of a walking person. He knew he sounded so stupid for talking like that, but assuming Chanyeol was a little slow at understanding, he thought that would be the best way. He coughed again before taking out a piece of paper from his duffel bag. “I need to return this score to my teacher.”

Chanyeol took a brief look at the score notes, but he only saw weird handwriting styles different from the one he read in the menu and the list earlier. He didn’t reply. Instead, he looked down at his feet, watching how the dirt collected on his shoes as he walked across the dusty road. Every now and again, he would kick the stones he found on the road and smile fondly, only to receive a weird look from Baekhyun, which the taller male didn’t notice.

It took them roughly fifteen minutes to finally reach their destination. When they both arrived at Baekhyun’s classroom, Chanyeol believed, the expression on the former’s face changed. His face wasn’t bright like before; his mouth had curled into a pout and his eyebrows furrowed in disturbance. Chanyeol wanted to ask what was wrong, but he kept the question to himself when Baekhyun walked ahead of him, gripping the score tightly in his hands.

Chanyeol walked behind him, and saw the way Baekhyun’s shoulders slumped a bit, breath hitched. Something was bothering Baekhyun, and Chanyeol could sense it. Striding closer to the shorter male, he held Baekhyun by the arm, though he was hesitant at first. Baekhyun, who was surprised by the sudden contact, turned his head to the right.

Chanyeol’s face lit up with a smile.

It was as if he was trying to calm down Baekhyun, or even cheer him up. No words needed, only shared glances.

There was a faint sound of someone singing in one of the rooms near the hallway, distracting them for a moment. Chanyeol found it soothing, and he swore he felt his legs dancing to the singing voice, following the rhythm. The closer they got to the practice room, the louder the voice was. Baekhyun clearly noticed how Chanyeol’s eyes fluttered closed as he listened to the sweet voice.

“Do you like this song?”

Chanyeol’s eyes snapped open before nodding his head in response. Soon, the pair reached the practice room, where voices of people instructing and singing could be heard.

“Well, let’s see if my lecturer is in there,” Baekhyun said and pushed the door open. He didn’t want to, but he had to. Chanyeol followed him from behind, unsure if he should enter the unfamiliar place.

In the room, four teenagers were standing in a line, while a middle-aged man was instructing in front, holding a music score similar to Baekhyun’s.

“Baekhyun!”

“Hey, Jongdae.” There was a bitter taste in Baekhyun’s mouth and he hated it. He saw his friends turn their heads towards both of them, and Baekhyun saw how Kyungsoo’s face changed upon realizing his appearance in the room. The male kept his head down, avoiding Baekhyun’s gaze. Baekhyun smiled bitterly. You are pathetic, Byun Baek, Baekhyun thought to himself.

“Baekhyun, what are you doing here?” his teacher’s voice echoed through the practice room.

The air stiffened, and silence enveloped the group as Baekhyun took slow steps towards the middle-aged man. The mustache on his face made him look fiercer and unfriendly, but Baekhyun was used to that kind of stare and expression. His teacher was a kind person, who would always help him improve his singing, listen to his problems and be a shoulder to cry on. But today, he knew his teacher couldn’t help solve his problem, even if there was a way to get rid of it.

“Sir, I’m sorry for interrupting your class. I just wanted to return the score you gave me the other day. I… I shouldn’t keep this anymore.”

Head hung low, Baekhyun handed the score over to his teacher, waiting for a response from the elder.

A sigh was heard. “You know you can send it back to me some other time. You do know that you can’t just barge in here without my permission? This room is for the participants of the competition only.”

Baekhyun bit his lips. If he wasn’t aware that everyone was looking at him, he probably would’ve bitten his lips until they bled.

“I know, Sir.”

The score exchanged hands, and Baekhyun saw how his teacher took his time to take a brief look at the score notes before he placed it on the piano.

“Your mom called me just now,” the older male explained. “I’m sorry but you can’t participate in the competition without your guardian’s permission.”

“I know.”

He obviously knew.

Baekhyun didn’t really remember how he ended up crying in front of Chanyeol after they had both left the practice room. He just let his feet bring him anywhere. Maybe they were still in the neighborhood; or maybe they were somewhere in the busy city. The moment Baekhyun lifted his head up, he found a pair of eyes stare into his, trying to decipher his emotions.

“What?”

Chanyeol pointed his finger at his own eyes, trying to tell Baekhyun something. “Don't…”

Baekhyun blinked several times, failing to realize that there were tears in his eyes. He was about to ask Chanyeol something when he felt a thumb caress his cheek, wiping away the tears. Chanyeol’s fingers were cold and trembling.

“Don’t cry…”

Baekhyun’s lips curled into a small smile before he nodded. “Alright, I’ll stop crying.”

And again, he found himself being snuggled up into a warm embrace, and this time around, he didn’t push Chanyeol away.

The sun had settled high in the sky, too bright and too hot, leaving two people huffing tiredly as they ran across the busy street. Baekhyun decided to show Chanyeol around the town, since the man seemed a bit lost when he was exposed to it. At times, their shoulders bumped against each other as they walked in and out from one shop to the next, and Baekhyun had to keep a certain distance between him and Chanyeol. Whenever they found something interesting to eat or watch on the streets, they would stop walking, and just laugh with each other, preserving the moments of them being together. Once in a lifetime, Chanyeol thought. Even though Baekhyun wasn’t really into trying things from the street because he found it a little too childish, everything seemed endearing when he was with Chanyeol.

As they made their way around the corner of a building, their eyes caught a glimpse of a figure sitting down on small stool just a few meters away from them. It was a small figure of an old man, and he was painting something on a white canvas. Scooting closer, they noticed that the old man had already finished painting some pictures. The canvases were propped up carefully against the wall and most of them were realistic portraits of people.

Something struck in Baekhyun’s mind, and a smile grew on his face.

“Chanyeol, do you want to try something?”

The taller man looked at Baekhyun, seemingly puzzled.

“Come, follow me,” Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol’s hand and they strode closer to the painter.

“Ahjussi.”

Baekhyun called out for the old man after a few seconds of hesitation. Chanyeol was staring at him straight in the face, inwardly asking the other whether they were allowed to ask anything of the old man.

The old man’s hand stopped moving. He was in the middle of finishing the last on the canvas. Taking his time, he pulled the paint brush away, resting it casually between his wrinkled yet pointy fingers. He looked at the young man, who was now squatting beside him. The old man didn’t sense his presence before, but he didn’t feel surprised with the sudden appearance of the latter. He then looked up, noticing the other young man was standing awkwardly behind his friend.

To Baekhyun, the smell of the new canvases was invigorating, bridging the gap of time between childhood memory and present day indulgence, causing him to scoot closer unconsciously.

“Yes?”

The old man sounded friendly, as if he would do anything for the man beside him. He flashed a warm smile to the younger, a small wave of hope hitting Baekhyun.

“Is it possible if I ask you to draw a portrait of him?” Baekhyun asked, glancing at Chanyeol and the painter alternately. “I’ll pay for it,” he added, focusing his eyes on the man’s face and his equipment on the pavement.

The painter took some time to answer Baekhyun’s question, but soon the wrinkles on his face grew larger as his smile went wide. “It’s my pleasure, young man.”

He asked Chanyeol to sit on a bench while he prepared a new palette and canvas to start the portrait. But as Baekhyun was about to step aside and stand behind Chanyeol, he was startled when he felt a sudden touch on his hand. Chanyeol was looking at him with an unreadable expression. Baekhyun was never good at reading a person’s face or mind. He wished he could read Chanyeol’s mind, and understand what the man had been thinking about during the time they had spent together.

‘Together,’ Chanyeol mouthed.

For a second, there was complete silence. The people walking around the pavement seemed to fade away into the midst of unknown imagery and Baekhyun could only see him and Chanyeol, together holding hands, fingers intertwined. Baekhyun didn’t pull away. Instead, he stepped closer and sat beside the other male. Shoulders grazed, heartbeats quickened and minds further blurred. Baekhyun felt everything in that one moment.

Baekhyun turned his head to look at Chanyeol, who had been staring at him with hopeful eyes. “T-Together, okay?” the taller repeated quietly, using his voice to try and show his emotions.

In the end, Baekhyun nodded, still partly confused. “Uh, okay.”

The painter smiled the entire time as the young men made up their minds, unsure of what to do. “Move closer,” he suggested as he put his palette aside. “You would look great together like that.”

Baekhyun once again felt a large hand wrapping around his shoulders and he was pulled even closer. He gulped down, awkwardly straightening his body and straining his neck a bit. That position didn’t last for long, when once again, he found Chanyeol lacing their fingers together. He pressed his lips together, unsure of what was going on. His heart beat in excitement, or was it something other than that? Baekhyun had no answer to that question. Instead, he focused on the painter’s face as he watched the way the brush moved gracefully across the canvas, trailing red and yellow paint.

Seconds passed by, and not even once did Baekhyun turn his head to the side. He was completely static in his place, like he was cursed into a stone.

And not even once did he realize that Chanyeol had been looking at him the entire time, internally questioning whether it was the right decision to sacrifice his life, just help improve Baekhyun’s day.

For the first time in his human life, he doubted his decision. He couldn’t deny the fact that his day brightened too whenever he saw the smile on Baekhyun’s face. But he now realized that one day wasn’t enough. He needed more. He needed forever.

For the first time in his human life, he regretted his abrupt decision; regretted making the decision without thinking about the consequences of sacrificing his life just for a man who didn’t even remember him. He thought that he should’ve just stayed in the portrait, keeping everything pent up inside him until Baekhyun found him in the attic some other time, maybe in years’ time when Baekhyun finally remembered his existence.

For the first time in his human life, he wished for a lifetime with Baekhyun, but maybe he was already too late to turn back the time.

He was too late for everything, as he knew his clock was ticking to the time when his hope would crumble and his life would end. He knew he had made a huge mistake when he heard a soft whisper in his ear telling him that he had silently fallen in love with Byun Baekhyun.

And for a while, Chanyeol couldn’t work out what was real and what was a dream. Being with Baekhyun, he had a strange feeling that even if he wished for something impossible, it could possibly still be granted.