Yesterday, Baekhyun had everything. His dream job as the country top journalist, a perfect tall handsome nice romantic boyfriend, a unit in the middle of metropolist city of Gangnam, and bunches of friends and connections who adored him.

People thought that Baekhyun had everything. That he was happy.

He wasn’t.

Today, he found himself sit in the window-seat of train going to his hometown, moving in a rather high-speed, showing beautiful scenery along the way. Beside him, sitting an old man with his old wife, chatting delightfully. Sometimes, they talked to Baekhyun too. But he was not in the mood to participate.

Baekhyun sighed.

Is this the right decision?

Yes.

~

“Mom,” Baekhyun talked to his phone in between his cheek and shoulder. His hands were both too busy carrying his bags and handing the ticket to the gate out security. “Mom, I’ve arrived at the station. Where are you?”

The station was busy. It was  only a small station in the countryside but it was still busy. People were arriving and departuring from and to the city. In Baekhyun’s case, he was coming home.

“Outside? Alright, see you,” Baekhyun ended the phonecall when he heard his mom’s voice in between other voices saying that she was already outside the station waiting for him.

He had called his mom earlier, saying that he was coming home. And of course his mom was ecstatic to hear the news, given the thought that he had not come home for more than one year already. But she probably would punch him later when she saw him. Baekhyun wasn’t being a nice son lately.

Getting out from the station through the automatic door, Baekhyun finally could smell the air of his hometown. The place where he was born, where he was raised, and where he spent his 18 years of living before he finally went to Seoul.

Baekhyun smiled. From the air itself, it was already much different with Seoul. The capital city was stuffy and noisy. While here was pretty much a rural area with the sound from river flow and the wind rustle through the grass.

Baekhyun almost forgot how much he loved this place.

He looked around the place, trying to find the familiar old black sedan of his family’s car. His smiled got wider as his eyes spotted the car. It wasn’t hard to find it since the area wasn’t too crowded with many vehicles. And it was easy to find because his mother was beside the car, wearing a bright yellow blouse and waving excitedly at him.

“Baekhyun-ah!” His mother called at him.

Baekhyun answered with his bright smile. He adjusted the bag at his hand and his back, then started to walk approaching his mother who was still waving at him and slightly jumping.

“Oh my God, my son is really standing in front of me right now. I’m not dreaming, right?” the woman in front of him uttered in disbelief.

“Mom, please,” Baekhyun shook his head, but he was still smiling. “C’mere, hug your baby boy.”

His mother looked genuinely happy as she moved toward Baekhyun as fast as she could. Baekhyun pulled his tiny mother into his arms. And they hugged each other a little while. It was somehow comfortable and suffocating, all at once.

“How come you didn’t come home for more than one year, huh?” his mother said as soon as they broke the hug off. “What kind of son are you?”

Baekhyun’s smile stayed unfaltered, “I was busy the whole year, okay? Let’s just talk about it at home, Mom.”

His mother squinted her eyes, still not satisfied with the short excuse. But she still nodded in the end, “Okay. But don’t think I’ll let you off that easy.”

“I know, I know. Should I drive, Mom?”

His mother looked like she just remembered something when Baekhyun asked the question. She clapped her hands, “Ah, I forgot. I came here with our neighbour. He drove me since your dad couldn’t come with me to pick you up.”

Baekhyun’s brows knitted together in confusion, “Neighbour? Who?”

His mother said nothing and just gestured him to take the front passenger seat, then she opened the backseat before she finally got in. Baekhyun blinked the confusion away as he walked slowly to the car. He tried to see the driver through the window but the glass was too dark. So he gave up and just stepped around the car and opened the front passenger seat.

Baekhyun didn’t immediately get in. He froze in his feet as he looked at the person who was sitting behind stir. It was a man, probably his age. He was big, but not big as in fat or muscly; Baekhyun could tell he was tall although he was sitting. His skin was white but not pale, and his hair was black with the fringe hanging in front of his eyes. He was really handsome, and beautiful.

To Baekhyun, in his three seconds of observation, he thought it was save to say that this man was perfect. Handsome, long legs, flawless skin, and silky hair. And then...damn it, those eyes were so deep and beautiful. But one thing that had really grabbed Baekhyun’s attention was his gaze.

No one ever looked at him the way that man looked at him right now. It was intense, and his eyes were burning fire.

“What are you doing, Baekhyun? Hurry up, get inside the car,” his mother complained from the back seat.

Baekhyun cleared his throat as he hesitantly got his left foot and the rest of his body into the car. He avoided the man’s gaze since he thought there was no way for him to be able to return that kind of stare.

“Hello.”

Baekhyun jumped on his seat in surprise. Good God, that voice. Was it really come from the man beside him?

The man held out his hand to Baekhyun, “I’m Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun turned around and gulped. The man had a normal stare right now. Their eyes met and Baekhyun thought that he saw a glint cross Chanyeol’s eyes although he didn’t know what it meant.

Baekhyun reached out his hand too, shaking Chanyeol’s hand, “I’m Baekhyun. Nice to meet you, Chanyeol.” His hand was kind of rough and much bigger than his. Baekhyun liked it, and he wondered how his face felt in his hand.

“Should we go now?” Chanyeol asked when they let go off each other hands. “Mrs.Byun?”

“Yeah, Chanyeol. I’m afraid the stew I made earlier will be cold by the time we arrived.”

Chanyeol smiled, and Baekhyun could feel his heart beat a little faster. “Don’t worry, Mrs.Byun. I’ll make sure you’ll eat your stew as if it’s fresh from the pot.”

“You better, kid.”

Kid?

Baekhyun raised his  eyebrows at the term his mother said. Chanyeol was no where like a kid. His mother never called him a kid anymore when he had grown up into a man. She respected him as an adult.

“So, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun didn’t know where did he get his courage to talk to him. “I never see you before. Are you new in this area?”

Chanyeol started the engine, and his focus was in the road. After a few meters they left the spot they had parked the car, Chanyeol finally answered. “No, in fact, I’ve lived here my whole life.”

“Really? But this is the first time I see you,” Baekhyun tilted his head to see a better view of Chanyeol’s awesome feature.

Chanyeol’s eyes were still focus on the road. He didn’t answer Baekhyun this time.

“Chanyeol lives at the end of the road. Maybe that’s why you didn’t know each other,” his mother explained.

“But wouldn’t we meet at school? I mean, there’s only one school in this area, right?” Baekhyun still confused. His hometown was small. Everyone practically knew each other since it was just a small village. Baekhyun should have known Chanyeol if they were in the same age.

“Well, of course you didn’t meet Chanyeol at school,” his mother chuckled. “Chanyeol is younger than you.”

Hearing the statement, Baekhyun turned around to see his mother. “Really? He’s younger than me?”

Chanyeol didn’t join the conversation even though the mother and son were talking about him. His grip was firm on the stir, but he still listened.

“When you were in high school, Chanyeol was still probably in elementary school,” his mother said nonchalantly. Not aware that his son’s eyes were about to come out from its socket.

“What?” Baekhyun choked.

“How old are you, Chanyeol? I forget,” his mother nudged Chanyeol’s shoulder from behind.

Chanyeol cleared his throat, “I’m eighteen, Mrs.Byun.”

“You’re only eighteen?” Now Baekhyun was shouting. “I thought you’re just my age.”

Baekhyun received a smack in the head from his mother, “Yah, why would Chanyeol the same age with you? You’re almost thirty.”

“Mom, I’m only twenty-six, okay? I’m four years away from being thirty,” Baekhyun protested, a little embarrassed that he was just revealing his age to Chanyeol.

“Four years would go by in a blink of eyes,” his mother .

Completely shocked, Baekhyun can’t help just stared at Chanyeol. This man, no, this boy was only eighteen. And the fact that he was being ert for the past five minutes over a teen boy was such a complete shame.

The boy was smiling. He was smirking to be exact, and Baekhyun still thought that he was hot. So he looked away from Chanyeol and faced the window, shamefully acting as if he was watching the view outside.

Tall grass was all he could see. There were only a few houses they had passed by. The street was empty from any vehicles, and Baekhyun suddenly had the urge to open the window and felt the fresh air. So he did.

The wind quickly washed over his face, making his black hair swept to the back. He remembered how he used to ride his bike and spread his arms to be able to feel like flying.

For a moment, Baekhyun forgot about the embarrassing moment he just experienced a second ago.

~

 Baekhyun plopped down onto his bed. His own bed. He could already tell that he would sleep well tonight.

He looked around his room filled with things from his childhood and teenage years. There were some polaroid photos attached at his wall above his desk. His friends from high school were in the most of them. There were a few anime posters also attached to his wall. They weren’t even his favorite anime. He just happened to get a bonus from the magazines he usually bought.

Good old days. When the only thing worried him was only final exams. While now he felt the whole problems in the world were on his shoulder.

“So I heard my brother was coming home.”

Baekhyun snapped his head around to the familiar sound of voice. He smiled as soon as he found his brother stand at his door, leaning with his arms crossed in front of his chest and smirk planted in his face.

“Heechul Hyung!” Baekhyun jumped from his bed, running to hug his older brother.

Heechul reached out to hug his petite brother. His younger brother seemed really not growing much since the last time he saw him. But he definitely became more mature in his appearance.

“I can’t believe I heard the news from Jessica, not from you,” Heechul said as he brought Baekhyun back into his room. “Did you forget that you have a brother, you bastard?” he knocked Baekhyun’s head.

“Ah, Hyung, it hurts!” Baekhyun pouted. “How could you welcome your beloved little brother like this?”

“This kid, seriously,” Heechul shook his head as he saw his brother act cutely in front of him. “Let’s eat. You must miss Mom’s chicken stew, right? Jessica and Yoogeun are here too.”

“Really? I miss sister-in-law and my nephew,” Baekhyun showed his broad smile.

“Yeah, yeah, you miss them but you don’t miss me, huh?” Heechul protested but still dragged his brother to the dining room.

“Of course I miss you too, Hyung,” Baekhyun assured Heechul. When he entered the dining room which also attached to the kitchen, his mother, Jessica who was Heechul’s wife, and Yoogeun, their child were already sitting around the round table filled with bowls prepared by his mom. Baekhyun’s smile got wider. “Noona, Yoogeun-ah.”

The blonde lady stood up immediately when he saw Baekhyun entering the room. She was practically Baekhyun’s favorite woman after his mother. Jessica was an older sister he never had, so he was really grateful that his brother married this lovely lady.

“Noona, I miss y—“

Jessica burst to hug him before Baekhyun could finish. There were so many people hugging him today, and Baekhyun never felt so blessed before. Now coming home seemed like the most right decision he had ever made.

“I was so happy when I received the call from Mom saying that you were coming back,” Jessica said before she broke the hug. “We immediately went here after that.”

His brother’s family also lived in this village albeit a little far from his parents’ house. Unlike him, Heechul never got out from the village. He spent all his life here, with his parents at first, then with his own family. Heechul always looked happy. Maybe Baekhyun shouldn’t really get out from his hometown in the first place.

“Yah, yah, enough with the hugging,” Heechul yelled from the table, snickering as he did so. “Let’s eat before Mom’s stew get cold.”

“You’re right. Let’s eat, Baekhyun-ah. I miss your chubby cheeks,” Jessica pinched his right cheek lightly.

Both of them now joined the rest to enjoy the meal their mother had prepared. Silence ensued as soon as everyone touched their foods. Only the sound of Yoogeun playing with his toys was heard beside the klunk sound of their bowls and spoons.

After a while, Baekhyun decided to open up a topic, “Yoogeun has grown so much since the last time I saw him.”

“You haven’t seen him for more than a year. What did you expect?” Heechul snorted.

“Honey, don’t be so hard on him,” Jessica said. “Baekhyun must be really busy with his job, right?”

Baekhyun cleared his throat and nodded. He brought up a wrong subject.

Heechul rolled his eyes, but sighed in the end. “So what makes you decided to come home today? How long you’re going to stay?”

Baekhyun didn’t immediately answer. He contemplated to tell them truth but he realized he still should tell them eventually. He looked up to see his brother and sister-in-law across from him, and turned his head to the left to see his mother.

“I think I’ll stay for a while,” Baekhyun said. “A lot while, actually.”

“How about your job?” his mother looked concerned.

Baekhyun hummed awkwardly. He didn’t know that this question will be brought up so fast. “I quit my job.”

His mother looked like someone had just told him a very lame joke in a funeral. “It’s not funny, Baekhyun,” she said.

“Mom,” Baekhyun sighed. “I’m not joking right now.”

“You mean you quit your job as a journalist in that bloody newspaper?” Heechul repeated. “What were you thinking?”

Baekhyun looked at Jessica, searching for any help, but she looked indifferent from his mother and brother. So he looked back at Heechul, “Well...I’m not happy with it.”

“What do you mean by that?” at this point, Heechul had raised his voice. “The money’s not good?”

Baekhyun shook his head. He stopped eating completely. All of them stopped eating, actually. The news he brought was too shocking. Baekhyun was probably the most successful in his family in term of a job. He was a senior journalist on the newspaper he worked for. It was a top newspaper in the country. Meanwhile, his brother was a computer teacher in a high school in the village, Jessica was having a small coffee shop, his mother just stayed at home but sometimes knitting sweaters and scarfs to be sold at the traditional market, and his father was working at the wood factory.

Baekhyun had always been the family’s pride. Baekhyun too, was used to feel proud of himself. But not anymore.

“The money was good. But I’m not happy,” Baekhyun admitted.

None of them  said anything. As if they still didn’t think that it was a good enough reason for him to quit his job in the city. Baekhyun felt a wash of both disappointment and relief. He was disappointed to know that his family seemed impassive although he just said that he wasn’t happy. But he was also relieved that they didn’t complain anymore.

“What about your boyfriend? Daehyun, right?” Heechul asked.

Baekhyun paused, feeling like it was too much question for one day. “We broke up, I guess. He cheated on me.”

Jessica raised her pointed eyebrows. Her cold expression sometimes scared Baekhyun. “He cheated? What a bastard.”

Baekhyun shrugged, “I caught him kissing one of the staff in our office.”

“Is that why you quit your job?” his mother accused.

“He got nothing to do with this, Mom” Baekhyun dreaded to get out of the dining room that moment. “I’m not happy, okay? City life and works fed me up. I just can’t do it any longer or else I’m going to burst. That’s why I come back here.”

Baekhyun rubbed his eyes, feeling drained all over again. His mood was getting better when he arrived as he met his family. But now since the question about his life was brought up, he can’t help to feel suffocated.

“Thank you for the meal, Mom. I think I’m going to unpack my things,” Baekhyun said as he stood up and abruptly left the room, leaving his family.

~

That night Baekhyun laid his back on his bed as he painted his eyes on the ceiling. He had just felt his eyelids become heavy when his phone beep.

He rubbed his eyes and got up to get his phone. He took his phone and just stood in silent as he looked at the bright screen. It was probably the hundredth times his ex-boyfriend text him. And Baekhyun did what he had been doing all day, deleting it without reading it. He just didn’t need Daehyun’s bull in his life right now. He was moving on for good.

He spent his entire first day at home, mostly at his room. He unpacked a few of his things. He didn’t bring much. Only his clothes and the essentials. He left his other things in his apartment in the city which he didn’t really know if he’ll come back there again. He looked into his old albums and boxes, searching for memories. Looking at his old things made him want to meet his high school best friends. Where were they now? They were still here, right?

His father had come home earlier, and Baekhyun got another hug for the day. His dad looked good. He got the calm and wise feature which he and Heechul unfortunately didn’t get rubbed off on. He’ll probably talk to his father the next day when his mood wasn’t in the pit of black hole. Baekhyun could act upset in front of his other family members, but not in front of his dad. He loved him so much that he didn’t want his father to witness the bad side of him.

Baekhyun sighed. He walked toward his window and looked outside. If in the afternoon the village was quiet, then at night this area was pretty much like an uncivilized place. It was so quiet, and soothing, and creepy, all at once.

The distance between houses was far. Baekhyun barely could see the closest house to his. He wondered where Chanyeol’s house was.

That kid, Baekhyun thought, was probably the best thing had happened to him today, beside getting endless hugs from his family. Baekhyun wished he could get a hug from Chanyeol too. It would be really nice.

Baekhyun smiled at the thought of it.

A/N:

I dumped every biases of mine in this fic. So don't be surprised if there were many unexpected characters here

Hope you guys like the 1st chapter!

Comments would be very much appreciated

<3 Love