“Love that cannot be together can also be known as love.”

“Tell me again, why am I here flying with you and your father’s employees to Rome when our high school friends are having a quality time together at the reunion party?” Baekhyun grunts as he takes his shades off and boards into the plane, a pouting Chanyeol following closely behind. The smaller man has been complaining non-stop about him having to skip the reunion party ever since they stepped out of Chanyeol’s father’s Mercedes and walked into the departure terminal of Incheon Airport, not paying attention to the praises from the stunned passersby about how charming they looked together, completed with the branded outfits they were wearing.

Once they reach their seats in the business class area, Chanyeol lets Baekhyun take the seat by the window just like what he always does whenever they fly together, absolutely ignoring what was printed on their tickets; old habits just never die. After they are comfortably seated, he turns his body to the right and juts his lower lip out more, showing what he highly hopes to be adorable puppy eyes. “Because we both will be the CEO of—”

“Your argument is invalid, mister.”

“—okay. Because we are an item and I know you will never let me go through everything all by myself. I am too precious.”

“Stop being so full of yourself, Park Chanyeol.”

“Fine,” Chanyeol drags the i sound and dramatically sighs. “Because you’re my best friend, princess, and I know you know I can’t get anything done properly without your existence. Who knows I might embarrass my poor self at the Gala?”

“Says the one who always appears like a perfect future son-in-law in all the events. You’re always perfect, duh.”

A big grin quickly replaces the childish pout on Chanyeol’s face as he leans closer to his best friend who is now busy typing something on his phone, probably texting his dear mother that he is going somewhere. “You think so?”

“I barely lie,” is all Baekhyun says in reply without looking up from his screen, not agreeing nor denying anything.

Chanyeol’s grin slowly turns into a warm smile as he gazes at Baekhyun. The man sitting next to him is indeed very honest (he only lies in the most urgent situation), and that is just one of the wonderful things Chanyeol admires from him.

He always thanks the Heaven for giving such a best friend like Baekhyun to him.

Whenever people ask them about the start of their friendship, they will always look at each other before bursting out in laughter. They officially first met at Baekhyun’s third birthday party (because their mothers were really close), and guess what happened between the two little boys? Baekhyun smeared the whipped cream of his birthday cake on Chanyeol’s face in annoyance because the latter unconsciously joined him in blowing out the candles. Chanyeol, feeling slightly upset for the punishment he did not think he deserved, immediately grabbed a handful of Baekhyun’s birthday cake and smashed it on the birthday boy’s face back. Long story short, unexpected creamy chaos ensued.

So if anything, Baekhyun and Chanyeol started off as enemies.

But being born as the son of the richest businessmen in South Korea (whose wives are close friends) has forced Baekhyun and Chanyeol to get along. With the similar pattern of their lives, they got no choice but to meet each other continuously from time to time, growing up together in a world full of powerful and rich people. And one particular incident during their kindergarten school era marked the official start of their strong friendship.

It was a bright sunny day in August when a six year old Baekhyun saw a cute beagle dog running around him in the park. Without thinking much, he tugged his hand off his nanny’s hold to run after the short-legged hound. Seeing that her young master was simply running around to catch the dog, the nanny just let him be and chose to sit on the bench nearby. But it was not even twenty seconds after that when she rose up to her feet and dashed up to a crying Baekhyun whose knee was bleeding after bumping onto some female skateboarder because he was not looking where he was going. Out of nowhere, Chanyeol suddenly appeared and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun, continuously whispering ssh, Baekie, the pain will go away soon.

Baekhyun’s nanny curiously asked why Chanyeol was in the same park too, and the boy answered that he was bored at home so he told his family driver that he wanted to have a walk in the park—all while still embracing a sobbing Baekhyun. It was nothing special, really, but it was Baekhyun’s first time to be held by someone who was not his family members, and he would not deny that the comfort provided felt nice.

And so the friendship began.

If they used to avoid meeting each other at all cost (which repeatedly failed miserably, thanks to their mothers) before that little incident, now it seems like they cannot live without each other. Being invited to countless events (thanks to their fathers) and attending the same schools have only strengthened the friendship they have to the extent that they are inseparable—like the red dot and the national flag of Japan, or ice cream and its coldness. When you see Baekhyun in a party, then of course you will see Chanyeol sticking close to him as well. And when you find Chanyeol in an event, chances are you see Baekhyun standing next to him, too.

For now, it is safe to say that they are the bestest of best friends.

Some people may say that they are friends just because they come from the same level of social status. But, no, unlike those rich guys in dramas, both Baekhyun and Chanyeol are genuinely friendly to everyone and not unreachable. They do not have a problem in interacting with other people, but to get really close with the others… they will inwardly scream no in their heads.

During their childhood, befriending other children was easy and had no risk. Toys, lunch meals, and pretty much everything was shared between each other without having any secret motives. However, as they grew up and started to understand the cruel of this world, they also learned that sometimes people would just take us for granted. Their fathers told them to create as many friends as they could so that it would benefit them in the future, but being betrayed and used have hurt them so much, so now they choose to just stick with each other instead of trying their luck befriending everyone out there. Besides, they have been together as best friends all this time, and during their years of friendship, none of them has shown betrayal in any forms. Why looking for something better if we already have something good with us, right?

Between the two of them, Baekhyun is definitely the one who got hurt the most from being too nice to his friends. He was so pure and naïve back then; he thought that everything would never go wrong and people were angels in their previous lives. But, alas, his middle school friends had proved that he was only someone they would use for money and power. He was deeply hurt, yes, but it did not stop him from willing to acquaintance himself with the others.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, did not experience too much problems because he always guarded himself up and hardly let people (other than Baekhyun) get too close to him. Friendly, sure, but he did not give permission for anyone to simply enter his sacred bubble.

People come and go, both Baekhyun and Chanyeol know that, and they are thankful that some of the people in this world can be their real friends. Jongdae and Kyungsoo sincerely wanted to befriend Chanyeol since their day one in middle school, and the three of them are still friends until now, despite the different family backgrounds they hold (and Jongdae’s recent marital status). As for Baekhyun, only a classmate during his elementary school years named Sehun, who is now an employee in his father’s company, has managed to stay as his real friend. Jongdae, Kyungsoo, and Sehun have proved that money and power are not always the glue in a friendship. But still, the three of them cannot have the place Baekhyun and Chanyeol own in each other’s heart.

A command from a lady on the speaker for the passengers to turn off their devices cuts Chanyeol’s train of thoughts, and he is about to turn off his phone when a message suddenly comes in. His eyebrows meet as he sees that it is from Kyungsoo, but he quickly taps it open nonetheless.

His loud gasp successfully gets Baekhyun’s attention.

“Chanyeol, why?” Baekhyun calmly asks. Chanyeol’s mouth is agape and his thumb is frozen hovering above his lit screen. And from the way his breath quickens, it tells Baekhyun that his best friend is far from being calm like he is right now. Slowly getting worried, he touches the taller man’s arm and that seems to do the magic since Chanyeol suddenly jolts up in his seat and turns to him with a big grin on his face. “Yeol, What?”

“He is back in town!”

Baekhyun just blinks twice.

“My crush for years is here, Baek!” Chanyeol grabs the shorter man’s shoulders and shakes him hard, no longer able to hold back his happiness. “Luhan is in Seoul!”

People say smiles are contagious; that is probably the reason why a bigger smile appears on Baekhyun’s face upon seeing a big one on Chanyeol’s face.

He does not want to admit the sudden twinge of pain in his chest, though.

₪₪₪

Chanyeol is one to say the glass is half full while Baekhyun is one of those people who say the glass is half empty. They see things differently, but most of the time they end up having the same decision about how to deal with everything.

And that also applies to how they see love; they believe first love is the most unforgettable one, but they have their own opinions about what to do with their first love.

Baekhyun never believes that first love never dies; he believes that once you have moved on, then it is for the better. No more keeping your first love under layers of affection towards your new love, no more thinking about the past. If you choose to move on, then that is it, period. However, the same cannot be said to Chanyeol. In the twenty six years of his existence, he only ever has greatly attracted to Luhan, a Chinese classmate of him in high school who has been his one and only obsession since then. There were many more adorable males who came into Chanyeol’s life, courtesy of being the son of one of the richest businessmen in South Korea, but none of them could be compared to Luhan.

Why? Because Luhan is really one of a kind.

Unlike the rich students who simply got in the prestigious school Baekhyun and Chanyeol attended, Luhan had to beat almost a thousand of poor yet genius students in the entrance test for a full scholarship there. Luhan proved to be a very smart student, not the brightest diamond though since Baekhyun was it, but he always fought for the second place with Chanyeol in all the classes.

Almost everyone in the school agreed that Luhan was like Baekhyun’s twin, giving the fact that they had some common things. Both of them were absolutely the teachers’ sweethearts with how well they were in their studies, and both of them also enjoyed singing to the point that they always got assigned to be the closing performers for their school’s anniversary. Heck, even both of them got so many admirers from simply being beautiful and breathing.

But Luhan’s life was far different from Baekhyun’s.

Luhan and his family moved to Seoul when he was six because his father got promoted there. However, the economic crisis hit Korea hard a few years later that the company his father worked for got bankrupt. His family moved back to Beijing and opened a small noodles restaurant for a living, while Luhan stayed alone in Seoul to continue his studies. Their house was not big, but it was not small either. After his parents left, Luhan had to deliver milk and newspapers in the early morning on weekdays, yet he still had to work as a waiter in a well-known eatery near the school on weekends. He did everything he could for a living in Seoul.

Money was Luhan’s major problem, but he never had problem associating with rich people. At least that was what Chanyeol noticed as he fanboyed over that lad during high school.

Unfortunately, Luhan had to go back to Beijing right after his high school graduation day because he said his mother needed him there. His father, who had become a truck driver, got into a chain car accident a day before his graduation and was bedridden, and their small noodles restaurant only made a little of money so she needed Luhan to help in Beijing, mentally and physically.

Chanyeol was extremely heartbroken when he knew Luhan left since he had not had the chance to ask the Chinese boy to be his boyfriend (his father strictly banned him from dating before he was graduated from high school), so now that his crush is back in the same city as he is, he is excited as hell. He will do his best to get Luhan—damn, he is willing to do all the things Luhan probably expects from his dream man. And he also cannot help but get his hopes up, knowing (well, more like expecting) that Baekhyun will help him to get Luhan.

He believes that things are finally looking up for him now; he, at least, hopes so.

So, yeah, the cliché love story restarts here.

₪₪₪

“Baek, what time does your internship end today?” Chanyeol hastily opens his walk-in closet and hurriedly searches for his outfit for the day. Freshly graduated from Seoul National University at the age of twenty six, both of them are now interns in their fathers’ companies, but they do not follow the schedule of the normal internship. They are trained to be the next CEO, so they receive more lessons about running the business instead of running errands for the higher ups. The business administration major they had in university should help as well.

Baekhyun, who is dressed in baby blue long sleeved dress shirt and black slacks (and is playing Let’s Get Rich), stops his game and jumps off Chanyeol’s bed to help the latter finding something to wear to the office. He always comes to Chanyeol’s house so early in the morning to wake him up, because apparently none of the taller man’s maids is able to do so. After that, he will mostly be the one deciding how Chanyeol looks like for the day, considering how long the giant can take just to decide if he should roll up his sleeves or not. And although they end up riding their own cars to their respective office, they will still always go together. “Probably five. Today is Mr. Kwon’s turn, and you know how strict he is. Five means five sharp.”

“Do you think we can go grab some cheesecake at Wendy’s bakery before it closes?” Chanyeol bends down to get his shining black shoes, the outfit Baekhyun has already chosen in his arms.

Everything is always easier when Baekhyun is around.

“Seems a bit impossible. It usually closes at five thirty, remember? Besides, today is Monday, which means the traffic is crazy,” the petite man shuffles to the door as he hears some knocking from the outside. He opens it only to find one of Chanyeol’s young maids, Seulgi, bringing a tray of breakfast for both of them. Although he is older, Baekhyun still bows his head in gratefulness for the breakfast and shuts the door behind him with his foot after he makes sure she has reached the stairs. He places the tray on Chanyeol’s bed and walks up to his best friend who is now putting on a silk tie. “Let’s just get cheesecake from Sunny’s place, okay? They open until nine.”

Chanyeol studies himself on the mirror, hands fixing his raven black hair to be in place. “But Wendy’s cheesecake tastes better~”

“Cheesecakes taste the same, Yeol.”

“But Luhan always said—”

“Then sorry, mister, you should go there yourself. Yours ends at three today, right? No need to wait for me,” Baekhyun impassively steps forward and reaches out to fix the stubborn, ugly knot of Chanyeol’s tie, unable to ignore the sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach at the mention of Luhan. It is not that he hates Luhan, but there is just something that does not sit well in his heart whenever he thinks about the Chinese man. Perhaps it is because Luhan was always after him in every class during their high school, perhaps it is because Luhan was almost as talented as him too, or perhaps it is because… Baekhyun mentally shakes his head and slaps himself for thinking about the third possibility which involves Chanyeol.

Baekhyun’s dainty fingers grab a hold of the red silky fabric as he kicks those pitiful thoughts away and, after a bit gentle pulling here and there, the knot is perfect. He slides his hand down on Chanyeol’s chest to tap it playfully as he looks up to show his cute eye-smile, the uneasy feeling caused by the mention of Luhan’s name being forcefully forgotten. “Done, Mr. Handsome.”

Chanyeol leans down to nuzzle on Baekhyun’s dark brown locks. “You really are my savior!”

“Well, thank you?” both of them break into soft laughter before Baekhyun remembers about the breakfast Seulgi has prepared. His eyes dart to see the time displayed on Chanyeol’s digital alarm clock and he quickly grabs the sandwiches, stuffing one into Chanyeol’s mouth while taking a big bite himself on the other. He knows they are running late, but no way would he skip breakfast for he perfectly understands the importance of the morning meal (he has learned the hard way a few years ago when he fainted because of skipping breakfast and fatigue, causing Chanyeol to scold him all day long). After finishing his sandwich, he empties his glass of milk in record time and is about to put the glass back in tray when Chanyeol takes his chin in his fingers and gently runs his thumb on the area betwe