Requested by: ByunBaekButt

Characters: Baekhyun [EXO] & Han Soyoung [OC]; Yun [LUNAFLY] & Kim Yura [OC] -- Read "Command-Shift-3" and "Coming Home" prior

Premise: My gift to you for creating posters for this shop!  You gave me free reign and this is the result :)

Author: Admin K, DivinestSense

Serendipity

“Hey, do you want to work together on Professor Ahn’s assignment later today?”

“Sure!  Oh wait, isn’t your sister in the city today, Jihae?  Are you sure it’s okay?” Jie asked as they walked towards the bus stop.  She was a second year in college, just like Jihae, even though she was a year older.  Entering a year later than most made it difficult to find friends, but her country-girl companion had taken it upon herself to fill the place of many friends.  Having only had one friend growing up, knowing that she now had a second was enough.

The two of them became each other’s better half, so to say.  Jie knew all of the slang, all of the cool ins and outs of the city.  She would often teach her friend how to disguise her accent—a trait the other was very self-conscious of.  Meanwhile, Jihae would help Jie integrate into society better.  Even though she was naturally outgoing, she became slightly uncomfortable when multiple people tried to speak to her, a result of only ever depending on one person.  It was difficult for her to trust other people to stick around.

Jihae shrugged, “Yeah, it should be fine.  If I remember correctly, she and her boyfriend were spending the day in Hongdae, and I am not third wheeling that date.  I love them, but I’ve never seen two people who could get so excited over Mozart.  Ever.”

“Well they won’t find that in Hongdae.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.  Doesn’t your friend’s boyfriend perform there in that area today?”

“You’re right.  Who knows, maybe they’ll cross paths?” Wondered Jie.  That would truly be a strange coincidence. 

“Serendipity," was the reply, accompanied by a knowing smile.

Sharing a grin with Jihae, Jie couldn’t help the small wave of excitement that washed over her.  From surviving the same struggles a few years apart to just so happening to find the other online, she joked that it was dumb luck that things had worked out the way they did, but she preferred her friend’s word choice: serendipity.

“Something like that, yeah.”

“The museum was wonderful, thank you so much for taking me.”

“It’s one of my favorite places to go—my mind feels so free there.  But I’m sure you’ll love Hongdae just as much, if not, maybe a little bit better,” Baekhyun said as they walked hand in hand down the street, their matching ring just barely kissing each other.  After their first date, he had decided against wearing rings—it felt too awkward holding his girlfriend’s hand wearing more jewelry than she.  But the next time he saw her, she must have noticed his bare fingers, for they bought couple rings on their second date (which they wore incorrectly on different hands at his request so that he could subtly brag to others that she was his girlfriend).  He wasn’t ashamed of his sense of fashion—it was the way that other people looked at them that made him tone down his appearance.  Put together from head to toe, neatly composed of crisply ironed shirts and well-tailored shorts, his structured upbringing was practically spelled out on his clothing. 

She, on the other hand, though stunning and beautiful, usually opted for flannels and jeans.  To Baekhyun, nothing could make her more breathtaking, for she was everything he had ever dreamed of from the inside-out.  If random pedestrians had just given him a quizzical look, or a brief second glance, he would have overlooked it, but they looked at the love of his life with disbelieving, condescending eyes.  He would never ask her to change for other people, so slowly and surely, he transitioned from designer labels of the latest season to comfortable clothing that blended in.  She must have noticed, but never did she mention it. 

He wanted to this for her.

Ever since he began dating her, his life of structure and of obsessing over his femininity was slowly being toned down and for that he was eternally thankful.  He didn’t dislike his former lifestyle—in fact, he still acted like his mother raised him at home—but being with her was like a breath of fresh air, and every time his eyes found hers—every time his heart fluttered—he was reminded of how lucky he had been that first time he had logged on to that website two years ago.

When she had to return home that weekend after visiting her sister, he was devastated.  They had toured the area and drank coffee, nothing extraordinary, but he could honestly say it was the best day of his life.  That day proved true that it did not matter what one did, it was the company that mattered.  Baekhyun had plenty of friends (or people whose presence he could tolerate), but they fit well within the well-manicured box his mother had help establish for him.  Loneliness despite being surrounded by people had to have been worse than being alone, for each body was a false hope for him.  Everyone played a role and never beyond it—a fact he had come to accept and expect of others—so he had worried that the end of their date meant the end of whatever kind of relationship they had.  After all, she was a ways away and he had pretended to be a girl online—logically, it didn’t make sense.

But he was wrong.

When he logged onto his computer that night, he found a message from her, saying how she couldn’t wait to see him again; there was no stopping his excitement when he took a screen shot and set it as his laptop’s background. 

He was in love.

And so was she, but even so she stayed in the countryside and he remained in Seoul.  They took turns visiting each other, but it was often he who traveled out her way.  All he had to worry about was studying, she had a farm to take care of and he would never rip her away from responsibilities.  It wasn’t necessarily the cheapest way to have a relationship, but it was the only way they could at this point (plus, he would never put a price on what he felt).  He had promised his father graduate school—moving out to her wasn’t an option at this point.

They were at a place in their relationship where he could picture a future for the two of them, but neither of them had really mentioned it.  He was out of college, preparing for graduate school and she was being pressured to take over the family farm.  He was sure her parents would prefer she marry a guy who knew about farming—or who was at least willing to touch dirt—rather than a spoiled city boy such as himself. 

But with her, his upbringing had never gotten in the way, so he was not going to let it any time soon. 

He was going to propose.

Not tonight, eventually; he had a ring back home.

“So what are we going to do in Hongdae?”

“There’s a really talented singer there, so I thought we’d watch him perform.”

He had heard rumors of this guy a month or so ago.  It was actually his wonderful girlfriend’s sister who suggested he make a date out of it.  He knew that she appreciated music for she often requested he sing and play piano for her and he could not wait to show her a different side of music—less of the harsh judgment and years of lessons and more of the words from the heart.  Of course, he always meant tales of love when he sang them to her, but there was something so raw about singing outside to hopefully draw a crowd—but regardless, singing for the pure joy of it—that inspired him.

“Byun Baekhyun, are you admitting someone is a better singer than yourself?”

“Han Soyoung, are you tea