One.

For my readers, my subscribers, my commentors, my upvoters,

For you.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this small gift.

(From: a simple author who couldn't have done anything without you)

150214 Saturday 10k+

“Mr Park, how would you describe your popularity?”

“Mr Park, what is something you would want to say to your fans?”

“Mr Park, can you tell us how you felt in your debut days?”

“Mr Park, I heard that you and Sandara are …”

“Mr Park, is it true that you and …”

“Mr Park, rumours have spread that you had been doing drugs …”

“Mr Park, I heard from a fan that you were smoking the other day …”

“Mr Park…”

“Mr Park …”

The paparazzi and reporters are everywhere. For someone like Park Chanyeol, who’s currently the most popular celebrity in Korea and possibly east Asia, these are the kind of burdens he has to put up with every day, every time he leaves the privacy of his home or the comfort of his car.

At the start, he had been earnest in answering, with wide eyes and sincere expressions, but after a while, as his popularity grew more and more, he realised it was pointless.

“Mr Park…”

“Mr Park …”

Click. Click click. Click click click.

Click click click click. Click. Click click. Click.

Ugh. What a pain.

Wearing thick sunglasses and a hoodie over his head, Chanyeol opens the Korean Newspaper as he sits in a small 50-year old café for the elderly. He keeps his back slouched, attempting to seem like an old person himself, and even though he looks like he’s reading the newspaper, he’s actually only trying to hide his identity.

This café is recommended by his grandparents, who had met each other here, when his grandfather was a poor waiter earning his money to pay for his university fees and his grandmother a rich young lady who wanted to spend some time enjoying her tea time when she’s not pressured by her parents to get into university. Because it’s so old and only elderly people come here, Chanyeol can relax more and know that he is most likely able to spend his time in public without being treated as someone different.

As he skims over the newspaper half-heartedly, something catches his eye.

In the middle section of the newspaper, at the Entertainment/Celebrity section, there is a picture of him in his airport fashion right smack in the middle, with the bold headlines ‘PARK CHANYEOL GOING OUT WITH SANDARA PARK?’. Shocked, even though he should’ve been anticipating this, Chanyeol starts reading it, wondering what the hell the paparazzi have been making up this time.

“Park Chanyeol had been seen by a fan to be going out with Dara from 2ne1 two nights ago, in one of the Seoul parks. Below are some fantaken pictures from the fan and Dispatch! Are these ‘Parks’ really in love? We’re waiting for their statement! Stay tuned to find out!” When Chanyeol looks downwards, he scoffs loudly. A little too loudly.

Face reddening, he takes a peek over his newspaper and sees a lot of elderly people in the café staring at him weirdly. Without realising, he lets out one of his lame grins (that he had stopped showing since he had started being a celebrity) at them before hiding behind the newspaper again.

These photos are dark and unclear, and are certainly not 720p. They’re not even up to 360p, for God’s sake, and 360p is already bad enough quality. But he has the urge to laugh once more when he sees the photos again.

Sandara Park’s face is definitely clear in the pictures as her features can be made out in the darkness of the trees, but the guy that is standing close to her is hidden by the shadows. Chanyeol can tell that he’s around the same height as him though. He laughs again (this time keeping it an evil chuckle), because Park Chanyeol, 22 years old, has no interest in love at such a young age. And definitely not for someone 8 years older than him!

Besides, when Park Chanyeol had debuted a few years ago, he had been so nervous in front of the camera he had let out his forbidden grin that made his eyes twitch and his mouth seemingly take over the majority part of his face, and guess who had made his self-esteem drop down below the sea? None other than his bias in his favourite group, 2ne1.

“I think Park Chanyeol will seem like a cute little brother to me.” She had said, that fateful night two years, 3 months and 4 days ago in a radio talk show with Ryeowook. “Just that … there’s this face he does when he smiles … and it’s just …” Her lips had been pulled up into a strange smile, and the entire radio had erupted in laughter. They had laughed for minutes.

Chanyeol hid that grin of his after that. It’s not like he’s doing it on purpose, god dammit! Perfect people have to have flaws too!

Besides, now Park Chanyeol’s popularity had risen so high that Dara’s 2ne1 can’t even compare to him! And even if Dara-noona wanted a piece of his , he wouldn’t let her have it!

Huffing in annoyance, and so immersed in his bad memories of his heart being crushed by his idol, he doesn’t realise he had lowered the newspaper a little until his face can be partially seen by other people. As he reminisces the time Sandara had not once, not twice, but more than thrice crushed his ego, he doesn’t notice when someone slips silently in the seat opposite his, as if he had always belonged there.

“Park Chandara my …” He mutters to himself as he crosses his legs and prepares to flip the page, but as his eyes trail over to the top of the next page, his entire being freezes when he hears that familiar Click.

Click. Click. Click.

His eyes slowly trail up, as if afraid to confront the inevitable. His sunglasses are already sliding down to his nose. His heart stops when he sees what’s in front of him.

Or rather, who’s in front of him.

The small boy, who has really soft looking light brown hair, has an expensive looking camera covering his face. Chanyeol hears more Clicks fill the room. He’s surprised the elderly aren’t the least bit curious on what this brat’s doing! This is illegal! He can’t take a photo of someone without permission!

“The are you doing?” Chanyeol hisses, then immediately regrets it as he covers his mouth, realising that he had cursed in front of someone who can potentially ruin his career. And then his sunglasses slips off his nose. He tries to catch the falling glasses, but in the process he has to drop his newspaper, and as he reaches for the glasses, his newspaper falls to his coffee, and in the end his glasses drop anyway and they fall to the ground with a gentle thud. ‘Now the famous Park Chanyeol has revealed his clumsy side!’ Chanyeol can already imagine the headlines on the front page. Silence envelops his entire being … except for the Click. Click. Click.

“. Stop that!” . Chanyeol immediately regrets it again. ! Stop swearing, you dumb !

Click. Click. Click.

“Please … please stop that.” Chanyeol’s voice is calm as he pulls the same sort of tranquil over his face whenever he is faced with the public. “I’ll give you however much amount of money you want. Just stop that, and leave me alone. Say the number and I’ll give it to you.” The hands freeze, and the boy puts down his camera. Chanyeol is met with a fresh, smooth face, with smiling eyes and a cute button nose, and his lips pulled slightly upwards into a small smile.

How can this stupid brat blackmail him like this?

Then again, how dare he let himself get blackmailed in the first place? He wasn’t careful enough. !

Sighing inwardly, Chanyeol takes out his cheque book and an expensive pen, but before he can do any more, the boy speaks.

“Pretend I’m not here. Keep doing what you’re doing.” With that, the teenager picks up his camera again and holds it to his eye, ready to take more pictures, but Chanyeol lets out an impatient sigh and sets down his cheque book on the table.

“Did you not hear what I said?” Chanyeol hisses, but once again tries his best to control himself. “Say the number, and I’ll give you what you want.” The boy lowers his camera and stares at him like he’s the weirdest human being on earth.

“Oh, my favourite number is 48!” He says, then holds up his camera again. Annoyed, gritting his teeth beneath his otherwise expressionless face, Chanyeol writes ‘480,000 USD’ on the cheque before ripping it off and giving it to the paparazzi in front of him. The boy, confused, lowers his camera again and accepts the sheet of paper.

“Now leave me alone please. Delete those photos, don’t come back here, don't tell anyone I was here, don’t reveal anything.” Chanyeol says calmly as he watches the boy hold the paper up to his face, as if scrutinising it. That’s what all paparazzi do. They want to see if the money is truly there or not. What greedy blackmailers. Chanyeol thinks to himself, but in a blink of an eye, the boy before him had slammed his hand down on the table and slid the paper back to him.

“I don’t want your money!” The boy says before he sits back down. Chanyeol takes the paper back, sighing as he realises how stupid he had been. Of course children don’t want money.

“What do you want then?” He asks. “Toys? Video games?” The boy before him looks offended.

“How old do you think I am?” Chanyeol shrugs, feeling impatient.

“I don’t know, sixteen?” He guesses. “Maybe sixteen’s a little too old for toys … What do you want? Don’t expect me to know because I haven’t been sixteen for six years …”

“…Neither have I!” The boy before him chirps, and Chanyeol’s jaw drops. “In fact, Mr Chanyeol, I am older than you! By six months!”

What …………………….

“Bull!” Chanyeol blurts, then realises what he had done again, and covers his mouth. As if he has ten arms, Baekhyun had already lifted his camera and had taken a few shots of him. Click. Click. Click.

“Will you stop that?!” Chanyeol hisses, eyebrows pulling down in frustration, large eyes widening as he lets his façade melt away. This seems to fuel up the boy more, and he starts taking more pictures. After a while, he gives up, letting out a huge sigh before he puts down his camera.

“Fine, whatever you want.” The boy mutters, shoulders slumping. “Never knew you were such a moody person.” Just when Chanyeol thinks he’s going to have his alone time again, the boy lights up like a Christmas tree, his eyes full of excitement as he stares at Chanyeol.

“Okay! Why don’t we try something else?” He smiles at Chanyeol, and Chanyeol can’t help but question whether this boy is truly older than him. “Since everyone knows you, Mr Chanyeol, and you don’t know me, that must be creepy. So I’ll introduce myself.”

“Uh, I really don’t want to – ”

“My name is Byun Baekhyun, and I just graduated with a Photography degree. I’m currently studying journalism in college, and right now I am practising journalism!” Baekhyun says. “I’m turning 23 soon, and right now I have a job as a journalist in a magazine. You’re the very first person I’m going to interview! Isn’t that great?” Oh no…

“… I don’t give a shi –”

“Now that we’re acquaintances, Mr Chanyeol, and since you’re shy of cameras, I’ll start by asking you some questions!” Baekhyun smiles again, and Chanyeol just knows this boy is trying to look innocent to hide his evil paparazzi nature. Chanyeol just knows it.

“No, I am not going out with Sandara Park! Just leave me alone!” Chanyeol hisses again, not wanting to deal with all these stupid rumours that have stemmed from nowhere! “I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke, I don’t even have time for smoking – ” Chanyeol realises he swore. Again.

His career is going down the drain.

“…” Baekhyun tilts his head to the side, eyes blinking in confusion as they stare at Chanyeol weirdly. “… Those questions are boring. I want to ask you more interesting ones.”

“Let’s start with an easy one …” Baekhyun trails off as he looks down at his book. Chanyeol stalls. , what can be more interesting than those already …

“Do you prefer cats or dogs?” He knew it! He knew Baekhyun was going to ask –

Wait, what?

“C-C-C-ats or dogs?” Chanyeol splutters dumbly. Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

“For a celebrity, you sure are unprepared.” Chanyeol sputters this time at the insult.

“Come on! Cats or dogs?” Chanyeol wracks his mind. Since when was he last asked this question?

“D-dogs?” Baekhyun’s previously unimpressed face had melted into a small smile of encouragement, and he takes out a notepad and starts writing the answers down. “Me too! So when was the last time you listened to Chinese music?”

“What the – ”

“Just answer the question! I don’t think we have much time!”

“Uh … Uh I …” What? Wait, he doesn’t even listen to Chinese music! Does he? …He doesn’t even know, god dammit! Baekhyun sighs, almost impatiently, and Chanyeol somehow feels offended. Dude, you’re supposed to be a professional paparazzi … Stop looking at me like you're doing me a favour.

“Oh hurry up, will you?” Baekhyun sighs again, and Chanyeol wants to wipe that annoying sigh off his memory!

“I don’t know! Ask me another one!” The boy sighs again, and reluctantly scribbles something before flipping the next page.

“Have you ever kissed your grandmother on her left cheek?” Baekhyun asks, then looks up at him. “You have a grandmother, right?”

“Of course I do!” Chanyeol snaps, watching as Baekhyun flinches ever so slightly at the outburst then lowers his eyes again at the notepad. “Of course I have a grandmother! I have two! Everyone has two!”

“Yes yes, I heard you the first time.” Baekhyun waves him off impatiently. Chanyeol stares at him, appalled – no one had ever treated him like that before! Never had he been met with such rudeness. But then there comes the question: Has he ever kissed his grandmother’s left cheek before?

Wait, has he ever even kissed his grandmother before?

Chanyeol sits there, thinking the out of his brains, but before he can even come up with an answer, Baekhyun sighs again.

“You’re the slowest person I’ve interviewed.” Baekhyun complains. Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

“I’m the only person you’ve interviewed.”

“… … …Since you’re so stupid (man, I never knew celebrities could be that dumb),” Baekhyun mumbles mostly to himself, but Chanyeol hears every single damn word. “I’ll start by asking you to choose between something. Is that okay?”

“No – ”

“Okay! Crocs or bare feet?”

“What kinda – ”

“Crocs or bare feet?” Baekhyun repeats, impatient.

“…Bare feet.”

“…Funny, because I prefer crocs.” Well, not everyone’s going to have to agree with you …

“Tall or short girlfriend?”

“I’m not answering love questions – ”

“Tall. Or short?” There’s something in Baekhyun’s tone that Chanyeol can’t refuse. He honestly doesn’t know whether he wants a tall or short girlfriend, because none of them appeal to him (he’s currently aual, why can't people understand that?!), but as he takes a look at Baekhyun, whose small frame makes him look tiny, Chanyeol can’t help but blurt out “Little.”

“Have you ever spit on the ground before?” Chanyeol doesn’t know if he heard it correctly.

“What?”

“You know? Had phlegm stuck up your throat and you needed to spit it out somewhere?” Baekhyun articulates every word slowly, but the taller decides to ignore the fact that this boy before him is acting like he can't understand a word. Chanyeol’s face reddens as he remembers that one time when he had seen his grandfather spit and he wanted to copy him -

“That’s stupid! I would never…” What does this guy want? To ruin his life? He can’t even finish his sentence before going red again, because Park Chanyeol can’t really tell fibs.

“Liar!” Baekhyun points out and he scribbles something down. If possible, Chanyeol’s face flushes to an even darker colour at being found out. Is he really that bad?

“What the hell are you writing?” Chanyeol whispers, and god dammit he really needs to stop swearing, but this boy brings out the worst in him!

“Your answers, of course.” Baekhyun smiles. That’s when Chanyeol realises that he shouldn’t be answering the questions of reporters, or paparazzi, or even journalists! Just as he is about to kick this nosy guy out of his life, his phone rings.

“Hello?…”

“Chanyeol! Where are you?”

“…Nowhere you need to know. Why?” He eyes Baekhyun carefully, who’s watching him with patient eyes.

“I want to outline your schedule with you before you leave for home on New Year’s. I’m calling someone to pick you up so send me your location. Come back quickly.” With that, Joonmyun hangs up.

“Ooh. Where are you going?” Baekhyun asks curiously as he watches Chanyeol type something on his phone, puts it in his pocket and starts to pack his things. The taller stands up.

“None of your business.” Chanyeol replies. “Hope to never see you again.”

“Wait!” Baekhyun follows him, his small hurried steps trying to mirror Chanyeol’s long strides. “Let me come with you!”

“No!” Chanyeol feels afraid that this boy’s strange (but goddamn hard) questions will forever haunt him.

“Then… Wait!” Baekhyun continues after him. Chanyeol quickens his pace as he rushes out of the cafe. Thank god it’s a peaceful Monday afternoon with only the elderly out and about the small town streets.

“This is a rare chance for me to meet you! Mr Chanyeol, give me a few more minutes to finish my questions!” Baekhyun calls after him. Chanyeol feels half sorry because that kid is carrying such heavy equipment over his shoulder and he’s careful for them not to break and here Chanyeol is, still running away from him. Chanyeol sees a familiar black car and waves his arm.

“I’m only here for a small project, and I have to go back home in a few days!” Chanyeol hears a crash, and when he looks back, hand hovering over the door, he sees Baekhyun crouching down to pick up his things, his small face scrunched up in dejection and frustration. He feels his heart ache upon watching that scene, but he swallows down his human heart and opens the door to the car, then gets inside.

“Mr Chanyeol!” He feels a small voice call out desperately before his tinted window is winded up, and his driver speeds off back home.

“Who was that?” The bodyguard (that is driving) asks curiously. At most times, bodyguards don’t talk to Chanyeol. Likewise, Chanyeol wouldn’t be bothered answering

But as he remembers that crestfallen face of that boy, he can’t help but answer back.

“Some stupid paparazzi.”

Even as he says this, the bodyguard traces no hint if annoyance and disgust in Chanyeol’s tone, and when he looks back, he sees Chanyeol’s eyes trail out the window far, far away, distracted and unfocused.

Day 1: Feb 14

“Mr Park, I heard you came to Damyang because you had a childhood friend that lived here…”

They honestly follow him everywhere.

“Mr Park, it’s Valentine’s Day today, so could you be …?”

“Mr Park, could your childhood friend perhaps be more than just a friend …”

It doesn’t stop.

“Mr Park, I heard she was older than you …”

“Mr Park, are you fond of older women …”

“Mr Park, I heard her name was Yoora …”

Chanyeol blows.

“She’s my sister. I’m visiting my sister.” Chanyeol grinds out, thankful his sunglasses are able to hide the irritated expression in his eyes. He keeps his voice calm and stretches out his lips into a wide, handsome grin, and even though his manager, Kim Joonmyun, is pushing him and reminding him that he’s not supposed to answer any questions, he lets his height overpower his poor manager and he stands firm on the ground even as more paparazzi approach him with a mischievous triumphant spark in their eyes and microphones in their hands. They want more information, and they know Chanyeol will give them more.

Or not.

“Please stop following.” Chanyeol says quietly, his voice serious and yet charming. “It’s Lunar New Year’s, and I just want some time alone with my family.” With that, he brushes all of them off before striding off to the car, letting a short and helpless manager rush after him.

When he’s inside, he sighs, taking off his glasses before looking out the window at the endless ocean of people. When will they ever stop?

Sometimes being a celebrity is so hard that Chanyeol actually regrets being one.

He arrives at a small cottage surrounded by trees and nature after hours of trying to avoid paparazzi vehicles that will not stop trailing after him (and some sasaeng fans too), and thank the gods there are actually people that want to give him peace and have misdirected the vehicles elsewhere.

At this rate, he knows he will put even his sister and parents’ privacy in danger, so he’s probably going to have to spend the next three weeks alone, by himself, in a secluded place where he can finally enjoy his isolation (and throw a tantrum alone on how he can’t spend the most important time of the year with his family).

He had indeed been wanting to meet his family that had moved to Damyang after much unrest when Chanyeol’s popularity had risen over the rainbow, but after all the trailing, he had decided to turn the other way and tell his manager that he wants to instead stay at a place where he can’t be found – where people don’t really recognise him or don’t expect to see him there.

After much cursing and complaining, Joonmyun had given up and had searched for a location with his phone, and finally he’s here, at a cottage of an old couple who had gone overseas for the holiday and had graciously decided to lend their house to a tired old pop star who wanted nothing more than his own personal space.

“I’ll meet you in three weeks, is that correct?” Joonmyun asks him, and Chanyeol nods tiredly as he accepts the luggage Joonmyun passes to him. “Have fun.” His manager says. “Use this time to rejuvenate yourself.” With that, as if not wanting to waste any more of Chanyeol’s limited holiday time, small Joonmyun rushes off to the sleek black car, and in seconds the vehicle had disappeared, leaving a trail of dust behind.

Already Chanyeol’s headache is clearing as he smells the fresh air on this side of Korea, and he can hear birds chirping above him as he grabs his suitcase and walks inside the house, which had been left unlocked for him.

Day 2: Feb 15

Chanyeol wakes up to the birds chirping outside and soft sunlight shining shyly over his closed eyelids. When he opens them, his whole room is still dim, and he comes to a realisation that it’s still early in the morning - breaking dawn.

As he comes to a sitting position, he realises that he had been so tired that once he arrived at 3:00 in the afternoon yesterday, he had wheeled his luggage in, looked around the house, and then came across a single bedroom, with paintings on the walls and reminding him of his room when he was younger. Immediately he had been drawn to it, walking with a sort of unrestrained awe as he lets his fingers trace over the bed, staring at it in wonder when he sees the blankets so like the ones he used to fall asleep holding when he was a child. He sits on it, feeling the softness of it almost come undone in his fingers, and, as if still in disbelief, he slowly moves his body until he’s lying down, then moves until the blankets are on top of him. When he closes his eyes, he is reminded of nights when his mother would sneak inside and tuck the blankets over his shoulders, and the softness of these bed sheets makes it feel so much realer.

Unintentionally, the most popular male idol Park Chanyeol falls asleep in the house of two people he has never seen, and will probably never see. And he feels more at home than he ever has in a long, long time.

He decides to take a walk.

The tight jeans and designer clothes feel too restricted on him, and he wants to break free. Chanyeol opens his suitcase and is relieved to find casual, comfortable clothes that he would’ve hated to wear when he was a teenager, but in which now he invites them with open arms. He silently thanks Joonmyun, or whoever that had been so kind as to give him exactly what he needs, and he puts it on before leaving the house.

He feels like there’s no need to lock it, since this place is so peaceful it’s almost silent.

The cold breeze his face, and as he walks, he gets to finally take in the scenery around him - he notices the trees that seem as old as the 1800s, and he feels comfort as they watch over him, like his grandparents or parents supervising him when he was younger, watching his every move and he knows he’s not afraid because they’ll catch him if he falls. A small pathway attracts his attention, and before he knows it he’s already walking on it, following wherever it stretches, wherever it ends. As he walks, he wonders to himself: since when was the last time he had heard nature in his ears instead of music and the screams from fans and the never ending questions from the paparazzi? Closing his eyes, he decides to continue to follow the path, passing by some people who are also taking a walk this early in the morning, and someone sitting on the bench, admiring the small lake in front of him just as Chanyeol is appreciating the quietness around him, listening heightened after having closed off one of his five senses.

He doesn’t know how long he walks, or where he’s going, but he knows that as long as he continues on the path beneath his bare feet, he will always know the way home.

He doesn’t know that, as he’s following the path, someone’s following him.

After a long while, he opens his eyes, feeling more refreshed than he ever had in a long, long time. In the meantime, he had found himself sitting on a bench overlooking the lake, eyes slipping to a close once his touches the wood of the bench.

He stays like that for a while, not bothering with anything and just wanting to remember this gentle breeze on his skin and the rustling of leaves above him. But then something disturbs his tranquility.

Click. Click. Click.

Seems like his nightmare can’t leave him. He’s still hearing those sounds in his mind.

Click. Click. Click.

Wait, this rhythm of clicking sounds very familiar -

Click. Click. Click.

Chanyeol’s eyes snap open and he turns around.

“It must be fate, am I right?” It’s that boy again, and he has that same smile on his face.

“To be able to find you again, Mr Chanyeol, alone and so unguarded, in such a quiet place!” Chanyeol flinches and nearly falls off the bench.

“Wh-What are you doing here?” Chanyeol asks when he actually falls off the bench and lands -first on the dust. Baekhyun, even though he is so much smaller than him, suddenly looks like a scary murderer in his eyes.

Baekhyun blinks, then his eyebrows lower in puzzlement.

“I live here, of course!”

“…” Chanyeol lets out a nervous laugh as he tries to stand up. Baekhyun doesn’t scare him. But … Chanyeol looks at the same equipment slung over his shoulder and that same camera in his hand. He is heavily equipped.

He is heavily equipped.

“Don’t lie to me!” Chanyeol laughs again, near tears. “Okay, I’ll give you whatever you want, I swear! Just don’t follow me! Don’t kill me!” Baekhyun stares in confusion, but that’s the reaction Chanyeol needs, because he gets on his feet steadily and bounds off, feeling his heart beat so fast it can almost race against the wind whistling in his ears.

Briefly, he hears Baekhyun call out, but he doesn’t care because he needs to run away.

That man, even though he has an angelic smile, is an absolute devil.

Chanyeol wakes up, feeling the strong sunlight shine beneath his eyelids, and he sighs in relief.

Thank god that was just a dream. But hell, the realness of it almost had him fooled!

Chuckling to himself, he looks at the time, which reads 8:30am. He gets out of bed, deciding that it’s time for him to eat some breakfast, then go outside for a walk.

Strange, though, because he swears these clothes weren’t the ones he was wearing last night.

With toast in hand, he walks out of the cottage just as a sense of déjà vu lands over his heart. Feeling a little strange, he continues on anyway, and starts walking up the path that seemed exactly like the one he had walked on in his dreams. He brushes the familiarity off as his delusions of being with too many paparazzi and sasaeng fans, but the more he walks, the more familiar it feels.

He scoffs and laughs to himself: What’s going to happen next, a random journalist from his dreams popping out of nowhere, scaring him half to death?

“Boo.” He hears a soft voice next to him, right beside his ear, and he flinches with a yelp, stumbling over off the path. When he looks back, he sees that same guy, with the same clothes, with the same camera, staring at him with the same, large smile.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” He screams, actually screams. He just knows this world is going to end.

...

…

Silence answers him, except for a few squawks here and there from crows, but otherwise … nothing.

No one’s going to save him from this maniac?

Seriously?

But compared to the dream he had (which he’s beginning to realise that maybe it really wasn’t a dream) earlier, this time he’s less afraid, and probably more prepared.

And definitely more embarrassed

Face flushed close to a deep purple, Chanyeol straightens himself and dusts himself off, then throws a glare over at a laughing boy almost half his size.

“Stop following me, paparazzi!” Chanyeol shouts, feeling as if he’s a kettle on edge, ready to burst. The boy stops laughing immediately and stands up stiffly, as if trying to get as close to Chanyeol’s height as possible, and he 'hmphs'.

“I’m not a paparazzi!” He defends, holding up his camera as if that is proof of anything. “I’m a journalist, and my name is Byun Baekhyun!” Then he holds it up to his face and Click. Click. Click.

“Yeah, big difference.” Chanyeol sneers, feeling nasty as he hides his face, but that’s because he had just been humiliated in front of a mere boy. Him, The Park Chanyeol!

“Look, I know you’re after money, so I’ll give you whatever you want … Just give me some peace!” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun shakes his head, his soft brown hair bouncing, and that innocent aura is still around him (and it pisses Chanyeol off seeing that, because he is a devil in disguise).

“I don’t want money!” Baekhyun chirps. “I just want you …” He points to Chanyeol, as if Chanyeol doesn’t understand what he’s saying. “…to let your guard down.”

“…?” Chanyeol stares at him like he’s stupid. “My guard is down.” He sighs and leans down until he’s level with Baekhyun, then puts on his most charming tone. “Look, kid, I know – ” Before he can finish, he feels a fist flatten his face.

He immediately flinches back in shock rather than in pain, holding his now bleeding nose as he stares at Baekhyun in disbelief.

“Are you ing crazy?” He curses, and Baekhyun smiles as he holds his camera up. Click. Click. Click. “God, stop that!” At the frustrated and annoyed tone, Baekhyun stops and he puts it down, his face now a mask of seriousness.

“First, Mr Chanyeol …” He starts. “Your guard wasn’t down. That calm face and cool voice of yours is just an outer part of you that you show everyone inside the camera.” He holds up two fingers, and Chanyeol stares in wonder at how small his hands are compared to his – and yet they are so long and nimble for a kid like him. “Secondly, I am not a kid. In fact, you might as well call me hyung.”

“As if!” Chanyeol scoffs as he crosses his arms. “You’re crazy.” He starts walking away, not even caring anymore the fact that his nose is bleeding and that he, The Park Chanyeol, is looking like an absolute mess right now. What would Joonmyun say? Then again, who cares? No one’s looking …

…Except for Byun Baekhyun.

“Wait, Mr Chanyeol!” Baekhyun bounds after him. “The questions I had for you from the other day weren’t finished! I still have a ton of them!”

“Your questions are stupid!” Chanyeol shouts backwards. “They’re stupid, because no one can answer them!”

“You can’t answer them, Mr Chanyeol…” Baekhyun appears at his side. “…Because you’re stupid.” Chanyeol gapes. No one has insulted him so much in his life, and this Byun Baekhyun has already insulted him several times and they’ve only met twice!

“Now, kid, lookie here – ” He feels a blinding slap to his shoulder, and he flinches away in pain, leaning against the tree for half a minute. When he recovers, rubbing his poor abused arm, he sees Baekhyun crossing his arms, camera slinging over his neck.

“’Kid’ here can probably punch better than you, so shut up and respect your hyung, Mr Chanyeol.” Baekhyun says confidently, and Chanyeol tries to hide his moans of pain as he stumbles back onto the path. God dammit, he can’t even appreciate the scenery at this point!

“Do you want a tissue?” Baekhyun asks concernedly, expression completely different from the one on his face 0.2 seconds ago. He holds out a packet. Since the blood is still flowing, Chanyeol desperately grabs it with a grunt. As he wipes his nose, Baekhyun hovers over him like an excited bee.

“…So, are you going to answer my questions?” The innocent Baekhyun is back, but Chanyeol knows he’s anything but. After all, that punch can send Team Rocket flying! Chanyeol is a little afraid of rejecting him, because he can see what the tiny boy can do. And also, negotiations.

And yet, the bigger part of him doesn’t want anything to do with this boy that can seems so innocent but ~~definitely~~ probably has evil hidden within him.

“No.” With that, Chanyeol starts sprinting off along the path, knowing that the short boy can’t even measure to his long strides.

Ah. Chanyeol takes in a breath of fresh air as he slows to a walk, his breaths coming in short pants after that nice little jog around the park to avoid a certain little fly.

It’s such a beautiful day, especially in an environment like this, where you can do whatever you want without feeling judged and without constantly being afraid of people who might be watching you from beneath the shadows. A beautiful day in a beautiful place indeed.

Except …

“Will … you……… stop following…….. me?” Chanyeol turns around and confronts the small boy who is clutching his camera with his trembling hands and slow walking (almost stumbling) because he’s so out of breath. It’s okay, because Chanyeol is dying for breath.

“…I’m … not … following … you …” His voice is raspy, but so much better than Chanyeol’s hoarse one. Because he’s so tight on schedule lately, Chanyeol hasn’t had much time to exercise, so now he’s completely out of shape.

“Then … why are you ……here?” Chanyeol shuts his eyes tightly and wipes the sweat from under his bangs, and when he opens his eyes again, he sees that Baekhyun had straightened up.

“Because … I’m going the same way as you.” He replies simply, his voice regaining strength, and he lets out a smile. Damn, he should stop smiling. It’ll make anyone believe he’s got no ill intention.

“Well … then don’t go … the same … way as … me!” With that (even though he’s exhausted), Chanyeol starts sprinting off again, intending to run away from his nightmare as far as possible.

“Just … stop …” Chanyeol begins, his whole body sweating as he jogs across the park. They’ve been doing this, dog chasing its tail, or mouse being chased by cat, for five rounds around the park already. “…following … me …”

“I’m not …” Baekhyun replies, just as exhausted as he is, but somehow his shorter legs continue to take him to wherever Chanyeol’s going. “…following… you …”

“Then … stop … running ……my way …” Chanyeol stops jogging and starts stumbling instead. Baekhyun does the same, following closely behind him.

“Public … park … do whatever I … want …”

“…”

Finally, with their energies spent, Chanyeol rushes over to the grass as a last minute resort and collapses onto their soft blades. Baekhyun does exactly the same thing.

They spend minutes lying on the soft grass, arms spread out like an eagle as they face the blue, blue sky, their chests heaving up and down deeply after having done the amount of exercise suitable to last them the entire week.

It’s strange, because even though he had run miles, Chanyeol somehow feels calm, not counting the racing of his heart from the exercise.

“So, Mr Chanyeol …” A soft voice next to him enters his ears, and he wants to close his eyes and block that sound out and live his own lonely life free of disturbances and little boys with soft fluffy brown hair and bright smiles, but somehow they find themselves in Chanyeol’s brain anyway, running in circles nonstop. “…Are you going to answer my questions?”

“No.”

“You’re very cold.” The journalist remarks. Chanyeol feels offended.

“I’m not. The rules say that I can’t answer any questions unless my manager allows me to.” He replies.

“Your manager’s not even here.”

“Exactly.”

“…You’re such a goody-two shoes.”

“What did you say?”

“Why do you always have to follow so many rules?” Baekhyun props himself on his elbows and looks at Chanyeol, who wants to look away. “Life is not about following them.”

"You follow me though." Chanyeol mutters.

"What was that?" Baekhyun says loudly.

“They’re made to be followed. Rules.” Chanyeol bites back, turns over until his back is facing the smaller, then mutters out a soft “Idiot.”

“I heard that!” Baekhyun shouts. “Besides, life is about bending the rules, not strictly abiding them……Idiot.”

Chanyeol props himself on his hands, wanting to curse at this impertinent boy, but when he turns, he sees a flash and … Click. Click. Click.

“Damn!” Chanyeol hollers, then lies back on the grass. The other snickers behind the camera.

“Now there’s more of your true self!” Sounds positive coming from Baekhyun, but is actually sickening to Chanyeol as he hears more Click. Click. Click.’s.

“Now are you going to answer my questions?”

“No. And stop following me!” Baekhyun lowers his camera and pouts.

“But I thought we were friends!”

“Hah.” Chanyeol lets out a sarcastic laugh. “As if we ever will be. I don’t make friends.”

There is a short silence, and for a moment Chanyeol wonders whether he had offended Baekhyun. Good. He thinks to himself as he feels the sunlight shine beneath his eyelids, and maybe Baekhyun is leaving because he finally got the hint, and Chanyeol’s beginning to feel peaceful because that boy is finally leaving …

Click. Click. Click.

He groans.

“Don’t you get it?” Chanyeol opens his eyes and stares into the camera. “Leave me alone! Shoo. Give me some time to myself.” Click. Click. Click. “Argh!” Finally the clicks stop, and when the camera lowers, Baekhyun’s disappointed face appears above it.

“…Fine then.” The smaller lets out a dejected sigh as he rolls over and stands up. “Goodbye. Sooner or later you’ll feel lonely in this silent place, where there is no one to talk to, no one to hang out with, no one to disturb you.” He turns his back just as Chanyeol is thinking Good. That’s exactly how I want it to be. “Trust me.”

Then he walks away, leaving Chanyeol feeling like he just got added into the Guinness World of Records for doing something extraordinarily outstanding.

Day 4: Feb 17

Two days later, Chanyeol is reading a book on a bench under a large large tree, feeling like the whole world is his. He feels something really light drop on his head. As it slides off his hair, Chanyeol sees it fall before his eyes. Oh, a leaf.

Shrugging, the celebrity turns a page, then feels something of the same mass fall on his hair once again, and this time it slides off the right side of his head. From the corner of his eye, he can see it’s a leaf – again. Then one after another, light weights begin to land on the top of his head, one by one, as if suddenly the sky has suddenly decided to snow with leaves ……

Confused, he tilts his head up –

–and sees smiling crescent eyes and a large grin.

“Aaah!!!” Chanyeol screams, nearly falling off the bench, and when the book drops on the ground, he realises one of the pages had creased because of it.

“Look what you did to the book!” He shouts as he kneels down to pick the book up. Damn, this book isn’t even his! Baekhyun looks half guilty, half not guilty as his smile fades away.

“I’m sorry.” He says, and he leans closer. Chanyeol automatically leans away, but even from the growing distance he can see Baekhyun’s small chipmunk eyes widen as he peers at the title.

“Hey! I know this story!” He grabs the book from Chanyeol as if they’re friends sharing good things, and Chanyeol is at a loss at the familiarity. Honestly, no one has been that familiar with him before – insult him on their first meeting, punch him at their second, and snatch his belongings (technically it’s not his but still) on their third. “The blind lie detector, right?”

“……” Chanyeol doesn’t even remember the title, and as he looks at the front cover, he realises it is called so. Baekhyun is smiling dazzlingly once again up at him.

“My grandma used to read that to me when I was younger!”

“…Yeah, whatever.” Chanyeol honestly doesn’t want to associate with a guy that can somehow make you feel like you are long lost best friends or something. It’s so strange, and Chanyeol has never been so familiar with such a stranger before. “Goodbye.”

“Wait!” Baekhyun scurries around, and that’s when Chanyeol sees leaves in his hands as the smaller throws them in the air around him, rushing for something. “I haven’t even given you your set of questions yet!”

“What? Are these high school entrance exams?” Chanyeol rolls his eyes as he starts to walk away, his heart beating faster when Baekhyun starts following him. He’s not afraid, and the only thing that goes through his mind is Oh no, not again.

“Stop following me!”

“I’m not!”

“…”

“Clearly you’re following me.”

“Clearly I seem to be going the same way as you are.”

“…”

Chanyeol hurries towards the end of a path where it splits, and he turns right. Baekhyun hurries after him. Suddenly, Chanyeol takes a detour and he turns around, walking right past a surprised Baekhyun, who then does the exact same thing.

When he arrives at the other alternate path, Chanyeol turns around and points accusingly.

“Clearly you’re following me!”

“No, I’m not!”

“I changed direction, and so did you!”

“Well, I just happened to change my mind the same time you did!”

“…”

They stare at each other, faces mirroring each other’s seriousness, then Baekhyun surprises Chanyeol by breaking his façade into a hopeful grin again.

“So, are you going to let me interview you?” The questions are getting tiring, and Chanyeol just wants out of it.

“What do you want to ask me?” Chanyeol steps closer and leans down until he’s eye level with Baekhyun, lips pulling into a wide smirk. “How often I get laid? How many women I’ve had?”

Baekhyun blinks, eyes wide as if he doesn’t understand.

“Well, let me tell you…” Chanyeol leans closer to Baekhyun until his lips are right next to the smaller’s ear. Somehow his heart can’t stop racing. “…I ed exactly twice, with two different women. That’s all.” Then he leans back, and his cocky smirk is gone.

“Is that what you want?” Chanyeol stares down at the smaller, who is standing there frozen like a statue. Baekhyun starts going pink, then to a deep red as he realises what he had just heard. “Now you have it. Go tell the whole world. You can leave me alone now.” As he walks away, he somehow feels flushed as well, for saying such dirty words to someone who looks like a child. Wait, is there some sense of loss as well? And why a sense of calm? Isn’t he supposed to be punching himself and ramming himself against the wall for saying such a sensitive topic to someone who might reveal it to the entire world?

Is it because he trusts this guy?

No way, right?

“Wait!” He hears that same voice, full of pureness and innocence, call after him, and half of him wants him to roll his eyes. Then again, he should’ve expected that the other wanted more than such a brief explanation. He turns around, ready to say anything and reveal anything, but he sees Baekhyun stand stiffly, eyebrows turned down in determination, cheeks flushed pink. Haha, how cute.

“Firstly …” Baekhyun starts. “We journalists do not go for that kind of stuff! We’re special kind of journalists, who ask smart questions! Not cliché ones like those!”

“…”

“Just because you’re celebrities, don’t think you’re so cocky that we want to know about your life!” Baekhyun says. “We have no interest in that. That’s your own private life in which we have no right to reveal! By the rules and regulations, we should only ask you the type of questions that fans would be curious about, like your favourite colour, or whether you double knot your shoelaces, or …”

“…”

“…Anyway, I’m going too much into this.” Baekhyun looks down at the ground for a moment, and Chanyeol swears he’s feeling more flustered by the minute. Then the smaller looks up again with a grin, even though his face is still red. “So, are you willing to let me interview you?”

“………” Honestly, Chanyeol doesn’t want to go through that celebrity chasing-interviewing process again, but this boy is relentless and determined and goddamn stubborn. Also, negotiations, as he mentioned to himself a few days ago.

“Fine! But that’s if you leave me completely alone, and after I answer your questions, you’ll never see me again. Got it?” Baekhyun nods obediently, and Chanyeol can see how much of a puppy he looks. As he rushes over to a bench off the path and behind the trees, one of the benches that look like the one he had sat on that dawn a few days ago, Chanyeol realises he wants him to follow.

Rushing over, Chanyeol has a sudden idea.

“Also, for every question you ask of me, I get to ask you one too!” Chanyeol says. “Because otherwise you’d just be a creepy stalker and I’d just have to watch myself without knowing how to blackmail you too.” Baekhyun grins as he watches Chanyeol sit down next to him.

“Will do, Mr Chanyeol!” He takes out a notepad from his large bag, and that’s when Chanyeol realises he wasn’t carrying this bag earlier, because if he had, Chanyeol would so have noticed it. “Any question at all! If you reject one, I’ll be able to reject one too!”

“Whatever.” Chanyeol sighs, not knowing why he’s spending his free time with some stalker. He should be spending this time alone, admiring the nature, feel the wind against his flawless face ... rejuvenating.

“Also, I promise I won’t blackmail you, Mr Chanyeol.” Baekhyun reassures, and Chanyeol wonders how this boy can always smile and never stop. “That’s not in our rules and regulations as a journalist.”

“…Yeah, but journalists go around and interview rumours on famous people.” Chanyeol grumbles, and suddenly comes a blow on his arm, making his already forming bruise hurt even more. His mouth opens in silent pain as he clutches his arm, and when he turns to look at why the hell this kid had hit him, he sees Baekhyun glaring up at him.

Like a little ball of fire.

Or just an angry Chihuahua.

“Don’t compare paparazzi to journalists!” Baekhyun defends, voice riled up. It’s almost cute. “We’re completely different! We don’t stalk people, we make sure to ask them actual questions.”

“More like stupid ones.” Chanyeol mutters, and he regrets it the moment he feels a blinding pain up his arm again.

“We ask meaningful questions! Questions that aren’t to confirm stupid rumours, but to make the people we’re interviewing learn more about themselves!” Baekhyun huffs, as if him raising his voice had taken a toll on his small body, and Chanyeol almost wants to pat that small soft brown head and reassure him that it’s okay.

But Baekhyun is so passionate about this that Chanyeol feels almost playful.

“You paparazzi just stalk us – ” Before he can even finish (and this time he has his hand over his bruised arm for defense), Baekhyun had jabbed him in the waist, and he doubles over as much as he can in the bench in absolute pain.

“We’re not paparazzi!” Baekhyun hollers. Chanyeol is torn between wanting to laugh at Baekhyun’s sensitive reaction and cry at the amount of pain such a small ball of anger can give him.

“All right, all right.” The celebrity wheezes as he sits back up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know about that.”

“That’s fine! Now you know!” In a second, Baekhyun’s face had morphed from a scowl to a smile. Chanyeol briefly wonders how he can do it as smoothly as flowing water.

“Okay, so let’s start with your questions, shall we?” Damn, that smile sure is dazzling, so much that it’s blinding his eyes. The whiteness of his teeth is going to be the death of him, to be honest. “Do you watch Disney movies? If so, which one is your favourite?” The Chanyeol one day ago would’ve scoffed and said he doesn’t do Disney movies, but right now his eyes widen into large balls.

“Are you kidding? The new one, Frozen, of course!” Chanyeol exclaims as the famous songs run through his head, and he sees Baekhyun’s eyes widen along with his.

“Me too!” The smaller lets out a large grin. “Olaf is so cute, isn’t he?”

“Seriously? It’s Sven.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes. Baekhyun lets out a small chuckle and Chanyeol’s heart strangely skips a beat.

“Okay, do you drink milk at night?”

“…I used to, when I was like, 3.” Chanyeol replies, but just as he’s preparing to answer the next question, but then the journalist stares at him in disbelief.

“No way!” He says as he rests his chin on the top of his pen. “How’d you get so tall?”

“It’s not that I’m tall…” Chanyeol bends his back so he’s eye level with the other, their faces inches away. “…it’s just that you’re short.” Baekhyun blinks for a while, as if not understanding, then he reddens in embarrassment and he ducks down, scribbling something in his notebook.

“Mr Chanyeol, you’re not funny.” Baekhyun remarks, but Chanyeol can tell he’s flustered by the wavering of his voice. He wants to laugh, because damn this boy is so cute, but he doesn’t because he doesn’t want to embarrass the smaller more.

Just as he’s about to apologise, though, and give the journalist a Free Punch, Baekhyun looks up with a sparkle in his smiling eyes.

“Are you ticklish?”

The celebrity tries to keep a straight face, so he raises his eyebrow as he looks at the smaller. He’s already feeling squeamish. “Pfft, as if someone like me can get ticklish …” His eyes widen considerably when Baekhyun drops his notebook on his lap and wiggles his fingers at him evilly. Instinctively, he flinches and moves as far away as he can, his lips opening to form a loud, uncontrolled “NO –”

“Just joking.” Baekhyun shrinks back as he takes his notebook to begin writing again. Chanyeol narrows his eyes when he realises Baekhyun’s clutching his pen, and from far away it seems like he’s deeply concentrated in writing, but when Chanyeol looks closer he can see Baekhyun’s lips pulled up into a huge grin, his small shoulders shaking in laughter, such that he doesn’t even have much energy to hold his trembling pen.

“That’s not funny!” Chanyeol exclaims, cheeks feeling hot. This time, Baekhyun reveals himself as his laughter finds its voice, and he laughs and laughs and laughs and he doesn’t stop.

“Well, let’s see if you’re ticklish then.” Chanyeol starts, wanting to do anything to hide his embarrassment as he grins madly. At the same time, though, he’s truly curious as to whether the other is ticklish or not. Baekhyun rubs his face (is he wiping a tear away?) as he calms himself down, then sits up straight.

“Try me.” Baekhyun challenges, large smile playing on his lips. A little unsure now, Chanyeol leans forward and jabs the smaller’s stomach a few times, but no reaction. Unsatisfied, he jabs his chest, then his neck, then his arm, then his waist –

Baekhyun flinches away, choking in laughter. Chanyeol smirks, then reaches forward to jab at his waist again. The smaller laughs and tries to move away, but the limited space on the bench seat disallows him to do so, and in the end he ends up being a puddle of giggles and breathless gasps at the corner of the bench. When Chanyeol decides he’s had enough of revenge, he pulls back and catches his breath, his grin pulling up wider and wider. And wider. The smaller does the same.

“So… Are there any questions you want to ask me?” He pants out. Chanyeol remembers their deal.

“How many questions can I ask?”

“…Doesn’t matter. I guess.” The smaller shrugs. As Chanyeol mulls this over, he realises he honestly has no idea what to ask. Baekhyun probably has anticipated this, and when he fully regains his strength, he lets out a cheeky grin.

“Not that easy, is it?” He says playfully. “To think up of questions.”

“Whatever.” Chanyeol grumbles.

“That’s why you have to write them. Like me.” Baekhyun taps his notebook, and the celebrity rolls his eyes.

“…So why were you following me?” He starts, but the expression on Baekhyun’s face shows him that he shouldn’t have, because he’s not going to get much out of him.

“What are you talking about?” The smaller huffs and crosses his arms stubbornly. “I wasn’t following you!” Chanyeol sighs.

“What’s twelve divided by zero?” Baekhyun asks, his lips pulling up into a small smile for the millionth time that day. Chanyeol rolls his eyes. Then again, he should be used to these kinds of questions by now.

“So this is a test now?” Baekhyun says nothing. “You think I’m stupid?” Chanyeol lets out a laugh. The smaller sighs.

“Well, if you walked as much as you talked, you’d have answered it by now, Mr Chanyeol.” Chanyeol narrows his eyes at Baekhyun’s impatience.

“Fine! Zero!” He replies hastily, his mind muddy because of that challenge, and when he sees Baekhyun’s eyes turn into evil little moon crescents, he realises his mistake. “Wait – ”

“Nup. Nup nup nup you can’t take it back now.” Baekhyun grins widely as he jots something down, and Chanyeol stutters, trying to protest, but whatever he says is lost in the air between his lips and Baekhyun’s ears and also trapped in his embarrassment at such a careless answer.

“God dammit!” He groans as he hears Baekhyun chuckle. Damn this boy.

“Tut tut. Stop swearing now, Mr Chanyeol, or else I might reveal it to your fellow fans~” Baekhyun teases, but Chanyeol isn’t even bothered by it as he shoots the smaller a half-hearted glare.

“You would.” He replies sarcastically as he leans back on the bench and lets out a huge sigh. He cannot believe he just made the worst mistake in life!

What’s his grandmother going to think of him? Grandmothers?

“What’s zero divided by twelve?” Chanyeol asks suddenly, and Baekhyun doesn’t even bat an eyelash as he says ‘Zero’. Chanyeol groans again as the smaller rolls his eyes.

“Saw that coming.” He says.

“I wasn’t very good at maths anyways …” Chanyeol grumbles. Baekhyun still has that large smile on his face, and Chanyeol thinks, maybe getting something wrong isn’t that bad of a loss after all.

“Why do you smile so much?” Chanyeol asks as he watches Baekhyun’s upturned lips. “Doesn’t it get tiring? Don’t your muscles hurt?” Baekhyun’s smile grows wider, if possible.

“That’s because smiles are good for you.” He replies. “It makes you happy.” There’s a chuckle. Absolutely adorable.

“Not only that, but when you want someone to smile, you smile too.

Because smiles are contagious, right?”

The entire day goes by with Baekhyun asking Chanyeol questions, then Chanyeol asking Baekhyun questions back. He finds out that Baekhyun’s birthday is on the 6^th of May, truly earning the ’92 liner like himself. He returned to Damyang, not because he had to spend his Lunar New Year’s with his family nor celebrate Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend (he doesn’t have one), but because he had things to do. This used to be the place he always came during summer, because his grandparents lived here, and so this place gives him a lot of memories. He knows almost every inch of this small part of Damyang (that somehow no tourists go to) and now, aside from ‘having things to do’, he’s going to explore those places again. His parents and older brother live in Bucheon, but because of a certain request, he has to come here to spend the holidays, alone.

Just like Chanyeol.

But of course Chanyeol’s not going to ask him if they should hang out at his cottage (not actually his, but), because he doesn’t even know this kid. Like, at all. They’ve only known each other for half a day.

But if Chanyeol can continue, he also knows Baekhyun’s favourite number is 48, favourite colour is white, likes walking around with crocs on like he’s doing now, has these sunglasses that he keeps in his pocket, and because he kept it in his pocket, it’s a little crooked, and that’s why he’s embarrassed to wear them. He likes the stillness of the lake and the rustling of the leaves above him, and he feels like the trees are watching over him, protecting him from harm. Baekhyun likes the arts, like painting and drawing and photography, and he likes singing but Chanyeol knows he can’t sing for (after all, he had been the unfortunate victim of having to listen to the worst off-pitched performance ever). When he had dared the smaller to sing twinkle twinkle little stars, man, he immediately regretted it afterward: Baekhyun’s voice really hurt his ears. That guy is the most off pitch person Chanyeol has ever heard.

Baekhyun can’t play piano, nor guitar, but he claims he’s learnt the drums before. Chanyeol rolled his eyes then, scoffing in disbelief, but Baekhyun had challenged that he’d show him one day if Chanyeol would dare. Of course, Chanyeol doesn’t dare.

Even though he believes Baekhyun can only tap the drums like amateurs do.

His full name is Byun Baekhyun, and when he was younger he had wanted to be a mathematician until he found out he at maths. When Chanyeol asked him how he did in the entrance exams, his result surprised Chanyeol to the point that he nearly fell off his chair. This guy is good at maths, exceptionally good, but Baekhyun shook his head, his smile a little sad, and he had said he wasn’t good enough.

Then he looked for other pathways, which, he discovered, that journalism and photography were interesting, so he took part in it. At first, he had vowed never to do journalism because he found all of them on TV so annoying, but then there was a journalism club that he was forced to join in university and then their crew was all about privacy and friendliness and not asking cliché questions. It was stupid, and not even the university itself really took them seriously, but Baekhyun had enjoyed it, and found the love in it.

He said true art was to find the beauty in others. And true beauty is the true self. That’s what he and Journalism for Jerks, his club, believed.

Other than that, Baekhyun likes to interact with other people, and he claims he’s a people magnet (which Chanyeol completely disagrees with, and had even rebutted that statement with ‘I had wanted to run away from you the first time I saw you. I still do’, in which Baekhyun pouted cutely and then punched him like he was the strongest man in the world). Speaking of which, Baekhyun’s punches hurt like hell but somehow his dazzling smile makes up for it. He said the true weapon was to pretend to be someone else, a cute little innocent puppy, but when someone offends you or take advantage of you, BOOM! There’s that power of yours, and they’ll run off with tails between their legs.

And when Baekhyun finishes about himself, Chanyeol had added ‘You like following people’, but Baekhyun had completely denied it and said he was ‘just going his way’. Then Chanyeol had shot back, saying ‘Oh, and you have a tendency to deny the obvious too’, in which Baekhyun sent him one of his famous punches to the same bruised arm.

By the time the sun sets, the both of them know their time is over.

Baekhyun stands up, smiling, but somehow Chanyeol finds it not as wide as it was the first time he saw him. And yet, it might just be the trick of the light, or the trick of his heart.

“It was nice knowing you, Mr Chanyeol.” Baekhyun says as he stretches out his hand towards Chanyeol, in which Chanyeol takes before he can even realise what he’s doing.

“Yeah, as long as you don’t follow me again.” Chanyeol mutters to himself, but this time more jokingly as the corner of his lips curl up. He feels Baekhyun’s hand in his, warm and dry and yet he doesn’t want to let go. Eventually, when they let go, he feels a sense of loss, so he stuffs his hands in his pockets to hopefully make up for that loss. He watches Baekhyun put all his equipment in his large bag and hold the long equipment in his arm.

“I won’t. Not anymore, since I got what I wanted.” Baekhyun smiles again, and yet somehow Chanyeol detects a sense of sadness in that curve.

“I just wanted to say, Mr Chanyeol …” Chanyeol waits, half patiently and half impatiently. “…that you let your guard down today, and that was really nice.” Chanyeol blinks.

“….Oh, and your smile is very wide.” Chanyeol flushes as he remembers that ugly grin of his that people always criticise. He wants to bury his head in shame. “It’s … very nice to look at.” ???????

“Wh –”

“Well, Mr Chanyeol, I’ll go now.” With that, he starts walking away.

Chanyeol feels like if he lets Baekhyun go, he might never see him again.

“Wait!” Chanyeol shouts as he watches Baekhyun stop in his tracks. “Uh … since it’s late, why don’t you stay at my place?”

Baekhyun turns with that same smile that makes Chanyeol feel sad. He doesn’t know why he’s feeling like this towards a stranger.

“It’s all right, Mr Chanyeol. I have things to do.” Baekhyun shrugs.

“Why would you reject me? I thought we were friends.” Is Chanyeol being desperate? Baekhyun laughs, but the laugh is tinkling with sadness.

“…Mr Chanyeol, you don’t make friends.” There is a short silence, then: “…Bye.” With that, he turns back and starts walking away. Chanyeol watches helplessly and speechlessly as the smaller walks off towards the direction of the sunset, the orange shining on him like gold.

He sits there, wondering if he had just missed the peak of his life.