October 31^st 2020

As the weather gets cooler and the leaves start to change colours, Chanyeol finds himself in a crowded café, small coffee in hand as he waited for the open mic night to start. The café was filling up slowly but surely, leaving Chanyeol feeling awkward for having taken up a whole table all by himself.

He came much earlier than he needed to, but he attributed that much to just being excited to see Seungwan perform. Perhaps he had underestimated the popularity of the café’s open mic night. He stared down at his phone, too awkward to make eye contact with the patrons filing in through the doors, some resorting to standing or sharing chairs with friends to fit.

Chanyeol jumped in his seat when he felt a tap on his shoulder, looking up to see a girl in the café apron staring down at him.

“Is anyone sitting here?” she asked, pointing at the chair next to Chanyeol with his bag on it. The giant quickly removed it, giving the girl a nod to sit down.

“It’s a busy night tonight, huh?” she asked, giving the café a once-over.

“Uh, yeah, I guess so. Is it usually this crowded?” Chanyeol asked.

“Depends on who’s playing that day. My girlfriend usually comes by on Thursdays, and she’s pretty popular with the regulars. We see a whole lot of new faces too, though. I guess word travels.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I’m Seulgi,” the girl said, holding out a hand.

“Chanyeol,” the giant replied, shaking her hand.

“You seem familiar. Do you go to the university near here?”

“Yeah, I do. Third year photography major. Do you go there too?”

Seulgi nodded. “Second year dance performance major. Small world, huh? Are you here to see someone perform?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, rubbing the nape of his neck. “My… friend. Her name is Seungwan? She told me she plays here pretty regularly.”

A smile played on Seulgi’s lips, but before she could say anything else, someone tapped on the mic, getting the attention of the crowd, effectively silencing their noise to a whisper.

The open mic night went on just about the way Chanyeol would’ve expected, dragging on a little more than he would’ve liked, but still being satisfactory for keeping him entertained. Seungwan’s act was one of the last, and by the time she had made it up on the stage, it was clear that a number of the patrons were just there for her.

People slouching back suddenly perked up in their seats, giving her a louder applause as she sat on the stool, smile on her face and guitar resting on her lap. She adjusted the mic to her height, making quick eye contact with Chanyeol as she did so, smile widening a bit as she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Chanyeol had always known that Seungwan was an amazing singer— that much was never a secret, but when she started singing on that stage, it was clear something had changed.

When she used to sing to him, she’d bow her head down as if she was afraid to be seen, but now, she sat up straight, looking out over the audience, basking in it. Her voice was clear and confident, sending goosebumps down his arms.

A look across the audience told the giant he wasn’t alone in the feeling.

Most of the audience had their gazed fixed towards her as she captivated their attention, looking like they couldn’t even spare a glance away in fear that they would miss a moment of her performance.

He felt a strange sense of pride in that moment. She had spent so many years too afraid to sing in front of other people, but now she sat under the soft spotlight of this café and she shone in a way she never had before.

As quick as the performance started, it was over, the girl standing to bow with her guitar as the café patrons drowned her in applause. She quickly hurried off the stage, making a quick beeline to Chanyeol’s table to say hello.

“You did amazing!” Chanyeol half-whispered as the next singer took their place on the stool.

“I’m really happy you made it tonight, Chanyeol,” she said with a smile. Seulgi stood from her seat, offering the chair to Seungwan who took it with a quick nod.

“Have you met Seulgi already?” Seungwan asked as she took the guitar strap off from around her body.

“I thought he seemed familiar,” Seulgi said, arm resting around Seungwan’s shoulders. “He’s your ex, yeah?”

Seungwan nodded. “Sorry I couldn’t introduce you two myself, I didn’t expect prepping to take so long.”

“Well if it’s any consolation, it was well worth it. You did amazing tonight,” Seulgi said, leaning down to give Seungwan a peck on the head. “I gotta head back to work, but if you need any refills or anything, they’re on me alright?”

Seulgi gave Seungwan another peck on the cheek before waving goodbye to the two, taking her leave and disappearing into the crowd.

“Ah,” Chanyeol said. “Are you guys—”

“Yeah,” Seungwan said with a smile. “We met through the open mic night. She would always talk to me before performing and it really helped my nerves. We ended up having a class together this semester, and things just kinda fell into place from there. We’ve been together for about 3 months now.”

“I’m really happy for you,” Chanyeol said whole-heartedly.

“Thanks,” she said bashfully. “She’s really amazing. I’d love to have you meet her again if the chance ever comes up. If you’d be alright with it, that is.”

“I’d love that.”

“Maybe it could be a double date, depending on how far you get with Baekhyun,” she said with a laugh.

Chanyeol smiles. “If things work out right, I think that would be nice.”

Seungwan’s smile mirrors the giants. “Have you figured out how you feel about him?”

“I’ve been doing some thinking on it. I think I’d like to ask him out, but I’m still not sure yet. What do you think?”

“I think you should go for it! He seems to make you really happy, Chanyeol.”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way towards me?”

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t still be friends. I don’t know Baekhyun too well, but I doubt he would let that jeopardize your friendship.”

Chanyeol hummed, taking a quiet sip of his lukewarm drink. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Whether you go for it or not, you have my full support, Chanyeol. But if the two of you end up getting married, I expect an invitation!”

The giant chuckled. “Thanks, Seungwan.”

~~~~~

The next time Chanyeol and Baekhyun hang out together, the giant tries his very best to not overthink things. They eat dinner, they talk, and they laugh just as they normally would, but the question weighs down on Chanyeol’s mind as they spend their time together, up until they walk up to the convenience store between their apartments.

“I guess I should be heading home now,” Baekhyun said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I’ll see you next time, then?”

“Uh, actually, before you go,” Chanyeol began, his heart racing until it’s all he can hear in his ears. “There’s something I wanna talk to you about.”

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?”

He swallows hard, trying to wipe the sweat off his hands. “I honestly don’t know how else to say it but… I really like you Baekhyun.”

“And I really like you Chanyeol.”

“No, I mean… I like you as more than a friend.”

Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol, almost searching his eyes for something, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I just wanted to tell you. And if you’d be okay with it, I’d really like to go out with you. Like, on a proper date.”

Baekhyun bit his lip, still staying silent.

“You don’t need to respond now,” Chanyeol said quickly, trying to relieve the tension to little avail. “You can take your time to think it through. It’s also okay if you just want to stay friends. I just… wanted to put it out there.”

Baekhyun nods slowly, still silent.

“I’ll uh… leave it there then. I’ll see you around then?”

“Yeah. See you around.”

Chanyeol turns quickly on his heel, heading back to his apartment, face feeling red hot. He quietly berated himself for the awkward encounter, but he couldn’t deny the weight being lifted off his shoulders after getting it out.

He just hopes he didn’t mess things up.

~~~~~

Though he had told Baekhyun to take his time with his answer, it had been two weeks of stereo silence from the smaller boy, and Chanyeol was starting to worry. He was constantly checking his phone for some kind of communication, but always found nothing whenever he unlocked his device.

He tried getting his mind off of things, though that only worked for a fraction of the time. It was only as Chanyeol to Jongdae’s apartment early in the day to help him set up for a party he was throwing later in the evening that he managed to get his mind somewhere else.

The peace of mind was short-lived however, as Chanyeol’s phone lit up as he pinned up tacky Halloween decorations to the wall. He spared the device a quick glance, heart dropping when he saw who had messaged him.

Byun Baekhyun
hey
are you going to jongdae’s Halloween party tonight?

The message itself already gave the giant heart palpitations, hands itching to ask Baekhyun for something more, but he resisted the urge.

Park Chanyeol
yeah, i’m helping him set up now
are you coming?

Byun Baekhyun
yeah
i’ll see you tonight then?

Park Chanyeol
yeah i’ll see you then

~~~~~

By the time the sun had set and the party was in full swing, Chanyeol still saw no sight of Baekhyun. He checked his phone constantly, waiting for some evidence that the boy had arrived, only to be greeted by a blank lock screen every time he looked.

He was seated on the couch, staring down at the phone between his hands when he felt a tap on his shoulder, jumping a little at the sensation.

He turned his head around to see Jongdae, motioning him to follow. Chanyeol stood up to follow, trying hard not to bump into other people in the apartment until Jongdae brings him to the kitchen.

“Baek arrived a bit ago, said he couldn’t find you,” Jongdae said, pouring the two some water. “I told him to go to my room and wait for you.”

“He seemed weirdly nervous when I spoke to him,” Jongdae said, taking a sip of his water and he handed Chanyeol another cup. “I don’t know what’s up with him, but I hope things are going okay with you two.”

“I hope so too,” Chanyeol said, grip tightening on his cup. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“See you in a bit buddy,” he said, holding his cup of water up. “Cheers, dude.”

Chanyeol took a small sip of water, giving Jongdae one more nod before making his way to the boy’s bedroom, giving the door a few soft raps before it opened before him. The tall boy walked in as Baekhyun closed the door after him, taking a seat on the bed, patting the space next to him in invitation.

“I heard you were looking for me?” Chanyeol said, throat already feeling dry.

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t get to contacting you earlier. I was just a little startled when you told me.”

“Look, Baekhyun, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, you don’t need to feel awkward about telling me—”

“It’s not that. I just… I like you too, Chanyeol. A lot.”

“But not in that way?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Just let me finish, dummy. I like you too, but I just figured this whole thing was one-sided. You were fresh out of a breakup and I was afraid if I said anything I might either ruin our friendship or become a rebound, so I thought it was just safer to keep my mouth shut.

“I honestly hadn’t thought about dating again after my last relationship, so I wrote it off as puppy love and tried to wait it out and hope it would go away eventually. When you told me you liked me too, I didn’t know what to do. I clearly had some unresolved feelings over my ex, and I don’t want to hurt you because of that.

“I don’t know what came over me but I spoke with him a few days after you told me. We had a long talk, but we cleared the air and everything, and I started feeling a lot better. I don’t think we’ll ever be friends again, but it started making me question if I was ready for another relationship. And honestly, I’m not entirely sure where I’m at now, but I do know that I really like you.”

“So… what does that mean for us?”

“It means I’d really like to go out with you Chanyeol, but I also need some time to sort out what’s going on in my head. I don’t want to have to ask you to wait for me—”

“I’ll wait. For as long as you need, I’ll wait.”

Baekhyun gave him a gentle smile, putting his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Chanyeol.”