Chapter 1: Through the eyes of destiny

 

Chanyeol’s Point of View

 

This day—yeah, curse this tiring day which sipped all energy out of me, leaving me sweating, panting and sprawling on the floor along with the other trainees. Train here and there. For goodness’ sake, my limbs were gone limping because of too much practicing! We barely have a break.

 

Oh well, it was not like I am complaining because I chose this path of my life but yeah, I am really complaining right now.

 

“Ugh, I can’t do this anymore.” Jongin said as he sprawled on the floor beside me. I just smiled and I crawled over to his space, creeping him out. “Jongin-ah, you are really a great dancer and I adore you so much, you know?” my smile—or rather a grin—gets wider as panic registered on Jongin’s face.

 

We can say that I am a sasaeng fan of this Kim Jongin. He is just so great in dancing, while me, and let’s not talk about me. Dancing plus me is definitely will be a syntax error kind of equation.

 

“I will wipe your sweat for you, okay~?” I cooed and get my handkerchief in my pocket to wipe it on Jongin’s bare neck and chest when he suddenly ran, clinging his arms to Kyungsoo, the owl. Well, you can imagine why I call him owl, right? Kyungsoo-ah have bulging, large, yet cute doe eyes—just like an owl’s.

 

“Never mind, Chanyeol. I will take good care of Jongin.” As Kyungsoo said that, I saw Jongin’s triumph face as he grinned at me, but turned into a cute kitten when Kyungsoo started caressing his cheek with his own handkerchief.

 

And I was left alone by myself, again.

 

Pouting, I walked to Luhan hyung, gently grabbing the hem of his sleeve, “Luhan hyung, let me wipe your sweat, please.”

 

Luhan hyung is a Chinese and he is really pretty. Once, Jongin showed Luhan hyung’s photo to his friends on high school and told them he was his girlfriend and they were all envious of Jongin for having such a pretty girlfriend. They don’t know that Luhan hyung is really a boy up until now.

 

Well, Luhan hyung kicked Jongin’s when he learned the mischievousness of the latter, yelling “I am manly!” which echoed in the four corners of our practice room.

 

“Okay, okay Chanyeol. Jongin rejected you again, eh?” Luhan hyung cooed, patting my head as a sign of affection. He may be, just what he says, manly but he still has this sweet side of him which he only bothered showing to us.

 

“Yeah, hyung. I am so broken hearted.” I said then I faked a cry, waiting for Luhan hyung to cuddle me.

 

This is our stress reliever. Whenever we are tired from all of the practices and trainings, we will usually find ourselves having fun with each other, cuddling and saying sweet nothings.

 

Luhan hyung laughed to what I have said, and he was about to hug me when Sehun suddenly appeared out of nowhere, snatching Luhan away from me then dodging me to the side with a push full of force.

 

“Ouch, what the , Sehun?! That hurts!” I cried out of pain, caressing my chin that really hurts because unfortunately, it met the floor.

 

“You will buy me a bubble tea, right Luhan hyung? Let’s go now!” Sehun pouted and grabbed Luhan hyung’s arms, pulling him away and leaving me dumbfounded with a throbbing-because-of-pain chin.

 

Look at that brat’s attitude. He did not even bother to apologize! Ugh, really.

 

My eyes then abruptly search for a new target to cuddle with, but it seems like everybody is paired up already…

 

1. Minseok hyung is being fed by Jongdae. They are eating buns which made their cheeks to fluff because they just ate a mouthful of it. Well, it seems like they are on the super bowl or something, not wanting the other to eat more than themselves. I am not bitter, okay?

    

2. Tao is then bothering Yifan hyung about the latest Gucci bag that was released on the market, but Yifan hyung is not even sparing a glance on the former because he is busy sketching a bunch of wolves that looks like a bunch of cockroaches. I am really not bitter nor jealous, okay?

    

3. While Junmyeon hyung and Yixing hyung was caught up in their own world; Junmyeon hyung is teaching the latter to speak more fluently in Korean, but Yixing hyung seems dazed, and he cannot remember anything that Junmyeon hyung taught. I said, I am not bitter.

    

    

I AM SO BITTER ONLY!

 

Look, I am out here on the cold, without someone to hug and cuddle, while my fellow members are so happy that I might puke to one of them already.

 

Will the path of being alone forever is the path for me in this group? I was fed up being a third party, and always getting my kick out of the way.

 

Chanyeol is so pitiful!

 

 

Baekhyun’s Point of View

 

I am running toward the cosmetic shop, panicking and panting.

 

I’ve got no more eyeliner because a stupid classmate of mine thought that it was a ing pencil and so he used it during Arts class and there, my eyeliner was gone. I really want to punch the face of that classmate of mine, but hell no! My beautiful hands will never punch a not worthy-ugly face.

 

Then like a miracle, a brochure flew in my classroom’s window, landing exactly on my desk which tells that there will be an eyeliner sale today in this mall. So right after my class, I abruptly ran in here to squish and engage myself into an intense battle with sale-addicted-ladies just to have a new, limited edition yet cheaper than usual eyeliner.

 

By the way, the name is Byun Baekhyun. Nagger and a diva, but you can always count on me.

 

So anyways, I am running the hell out of me when I heard the squeals and screams of some girls on a certain shop, which only means that the battle for sale products started already.

 

BAM!

 

 

“Woah, sorry!” said by the giant who bumped me, making me sprawl on the floor. The giant reached a hand to help me saying, “Here, let me help you.”

 

I immediately slapped his hand away from me then I stood up, brushing the dust on my then I looked at him with the judging and squinting eyes of mine, sending to him the message that I hate him.

 

“I don’t need your help. As you can see, I am completely fine and I can stand on my own.” I fumed at him, tone full of venom.

 

What the ?

 

I need to get in the sale as fast as I can, or else I will have no eyeliner until my parents will give me my allowance which is about a month from now.

 

A month without eyeliner? ABSOLUTELY, NO WAY!

 

I was about to run when the giant suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me back and crashing me onto his chest.

 

“What the is your problem? I need to go, now!” I yelled at him panicking, looking with the use of my peripheral view, the ladies who are still busy grabbing sale items and such as caught my attention, and wishing that I will get out from this guy’s grip on time.

 

“Look, I am sorry. Very sorry, actually. I know that you are mad at me, that’s why I am apologizing right now.” He said that while looking directly on my eyes.

 

Discomfort. I am not comfortable with his stares, it sends a ing racing tournament right into my heart, pumping my blood so fast and making me all nervous.

 

Truthfully, I really don’t want people staring right into my eyes, it feels like they are searching through my soul.

 

Ugh, . Who the hell is this irritating guy?!

 

“Okay, look! I am not mad, okay? Now can you please get your dirt hands off me?”

 

He immediately let out his grip on my wrist. I frown at him, and he also frown back at me.

 

Well, whatever. I turned my back on him and was about to run to the sale but I was stopped yet again, “Tss, so irritating. You are such a midget, you know?” my ears turned red and before I knew it, I was stomping my way back to him and pointing a finger on him.

 

“Yah, you giant! I am not midget, okay?” I scoffed at his face, and I saw how his nose scrunched because may be, some of my saliva sprawled on his oh-so-handsome-but--him face.

 

“Whatever, smurf.” He rolled his eyes, but I saw the grin on his face indicating that he is only doing this to piss me off.

 

I squinted my eyes on him, glaring on him as if I am telling him to shut the hell up before an evil idea came into my mind.

 

Without further ado, I kicked him to where-it-hurts-the-most, and I run away from him just to save my dear life.

 

When I hide in a crowded shop, that’s when I hear his shout, “YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, SMURF!”

 

And I decided right then, right then on that spot that I need to hire a butler already to save me from a giant murderer.

 

 

Chanyeol’s Point of View

 

Swear to God, I will never forget him.

 

How can I even forget him when he kicked me on my groin?! Really, if I will never have the chance to produce a baby, I will sue him on the court, like literally.

 

He should be thankful that he is cute, or else I already did something unhuman to him.

 

“HAHAHA!” I suddenly blurted a laugh when I remember his angry and fuming face, which I really found so cute. I don’t know why but I cannot remove from my brain the face of that smurf. Not because I am mad at him or something like that, but there is another reason that I cannot really pinpoint what.

 

My phone suddenly rang, scaring the hell out of me. I abruptly shoved it out of my jeans’ pocket, and to see that Minseok hyung is calling me.

 

I answered it.

 

“Chanyeol, go back here in SM Entertainment already. The trainers were yelling us for letting you go away without their permission.” Jongdae mumbled from the other line, which I concluded is pouting right now.

 

Wait, this is Minseok hyung’s number yet Jongdae is the one whom I am talking to right now. Aigoo, they really stick to each other like a glue, huh?

 

“Okay, I understand. I will be back in there immediately!” I said and ended the call, shoving the phone into my pocket.

 

I was on my way to the mall’s exit but someone caught my attention.

 

That person who is crying and heaving like a madman on the corner, with smudge eyeliner on his eyes. That’s smurf, right?

 

I immediately ran to him and without even thinking, I reach a handkerchief to him expecting that he will just reject my help, again. He was shocked when he saw me at first, but not more than five seconds after, he looked away from me and sniffed, “I d-don’t need that.”

 

I don’t know what got into me, but I cupped his cheeks and wiped his tears using my thumb, “Don’t cry.”

 

He opened his mouth as if he will tell me something but he immediately closed it again. He looked like a cute fish because of that, and I couldn’t help but to let out a soft giggle. He glared at me then, “Why won’t you just don’t bother me at all? I don’t even know you. So please, stop bothering me too.” My arms gone limp when I heard those words escaping from his tiny lips.

 

Yeah, he’s right. Who am I to even bother him? What do I care if he was crying? We don’t even know the names of one another.

 

I clenched my fist, and bit my lower lip to gain some extra confidence.

 

“Maybe yeah, I don’t know who you are but there’s this certain feeling that I cannot explain when I saw you crying. Maybe we are nothing but strangers right now, but I couldn’t help but to worry about you, and I don’t know why it is like that.”

 

He was stunned and I get that chance to lace our fingers together, squeezing his hand a bit.

 

“Now, will you tell me why were you crying?”

 

He look away from me and he pouted. “Sold out.” He mumbled a bit like whispered that’s why I couldn’t understand what he said, making me to let out a raspy “Huh?”

 

“The eyeliners on sale were sold out right onto my face, just because you were such a persistent brat a while ago!” He scowled, shoving my chest playfully.

 

He is really cute.

 

I laughed because of what he said so I let go of his hand, and then I patted his head, ruffling his hair afterwards.

 

He looks like a poodle.

 

“What’s your name?” I took the initiative to ask.

 

He jutted his lower lip out, “Baekhyun, you?” he looked upwards to meet my stare at him.

 

His eyes formed crescent when he grinned widely on me. Oh, he has a beautiful eye smile!

 

“Chanyeol!” I answered back with a wide smile, then I patted his head again which looks like getting to be a habit of mine already. “And because we already know each other, don’t ever call me giant again, okay?”

 

He glared at me then, “You called me smurf, too so it was just fair enough. Where’s justice for people like me who lacks height because you stupid giants get all of the miracles for us?” He complained, removing my hand which was resting on the top of his head.

 

Unbeknownst to me, a smile suddenly made a way on my lips. He is really cute, you know!

 

“Baekhyun is so cute.” I chuckled teasingly which made him to pout.

 

“Shut up, giant.”

 

“Smurf.” I retorted back, grinning.

 

“Yah, stop it! I said not to call me smurf again, right?”

 

“But you were the one who called me giant first, right?” I raised a brow and moved my face closer to his, leaving about an inch space between us.

 

“Tss, whatever.” He pushed my face away from him with the use of his fingers which are pushing my forehead.

 

Then he looked at his phone when it suddenly rang which caused for his brows to crease. He looked at me, and pouted. “I need to go now, Chanyeol.”

 

I suddenly became sad when he said that but I managed to give him a small smile, “Oh, okay. Take care, Baekhyun.”

 

He smiled back and bowed, “See you soon again, Chanyeol!” after he said that, he ran to the mall’s exit.

 

I just watched him in silence as he get out of the mall. I could not help but to let out a snicker when I saw how he shoved some people out of the taxi he will ride into.

 

Oh, I need to go back too to train again. What the heck?

---

We just finished another day of intense training and all eleven of us are sprawled again on the floor.

 

Two weeks had passed since I met Baekhyun in the mall, and ever since then, our paths were not yet again crossed.

 

Did he even remember me?

 

“Boys, we already have our new and awaited last member!”

 

All of us immediately stood up when manager hyung stormed inside of the training room and he blurted out that.

 

Wow, we are eleven already and we will have one more member, so we will be twelve already. Our group is surely a big team, like a dysfunctional family or something.

 

“Who is it, manager hyung?” Yifan hyung asked as our representative.

 

Manager hyung just smiled as an answer and the door suddenly opened revealing our newest and last member.

 

Wait.

 

“YOU?!”

 

Oh, great. He still knows me!