THUD

Finally! That makes the last of one. Phew, if Chanyeol had to carry one more box up and down these stairs his back would definitely snap. He never moved houses before, and never knew anyone who moved in, so he hasn't got to experience the 'joy' of bringing all of the heavy carboard boxes into a house. Let alone lift them up the stairs. After wiping the sweat off his forehead with the bandana tied around his wrist he raised his long arms up in the air, stretching his body backwards and letting out a sigh. Good thing most of the bigger furnitures have already been delivered by the workers. 
The summer is really unforgiving. The heat comes from inside and out, especially in this countryside area at the edge of town. Inside the big city you barely get to be exposed to the sun thanks to the shade tall buildings are creating. Don't get it wrong though, Chanyeol was thrilled that his family decided to move here. Their house is much bigger and he owns the biggest room on the second floor! Plus they have a big garden now where he could let his puppy roam free without worrying too much.

It'll be a fresh new start in his life. His parents waited until he finished university to move here, and he really appreciated it. His parents always supported him with his passion. It's still summer break so he will have a about a month or two to settle down before starting the hunt for a job that'll use his musical talent. Once they finish unpacking all of the non-furniture items and putting everything in place his new life is going to begin.
The sun now stands at the middle of the sky. Chanyeol and his parents are exhausted from the constant movement of relocating all of their items correctly. Well, who is Chanyeol to complain? He only finished with his own room while his parents were busy doing the rest of the entire house. To be fair, it does take much longer to connect all of his equipment than it does to shove books into shelves. First he had to make sure that his computer is running smoothly, then he had to plug in every single one of his audio devices. That includes his mircophone, his keyboards, guitars and even special effects drumming board.

Right when he opened his door to get back down and continue helping his parents with the kitchen and cutlery, the doorbell of the house rang twice. Ah, that's such a pleasant doorbell noise! A little soft 'Ding Dong' instead of their old apartment's buzzy 'RRRGGGH'. Not only was it a nice ring, it also came just on time. All family members needed a break. Even the Park's little puppy Toben was already sleeping against one of the carboard boxes. 
Chanyeol quickly went down the stairs and approached the door.

"I got it!"
"Thanks hun, we'll be there in a sec!" He heard his mother calling back from behind the kitchen's wall.

When Chanyeol opened the door he saw a young man with big eyes and even bigger glasses standing and looking up at him. Even though it was summer time already, this guy was wearing a long sleeved shirt, and didn't look like the heat bothered him at all. Did he just come from an air conditioned place? He was holding a big weaved basket covered with a decorative white lace cloth as a lid. After the two of them stared at each other blankly, the surprisingly handsome shorter guy at the door suddenly turned around to look at an older woman who was making her way to them. She arrived with a smile and stood next to the guy while holding a tray with what looked like home made lemonade and some glass cups.

"Good afternoon to you, young man. It's a pleasure to meet you. You've just moved in today, right? We are the next door neighbours, Do family." The woman spoke calmly and her personality was noticeably warm and affectionate.

She was clearly older than the guy she was standing next to, around the same age as Chanyeol's own mother. That means he must be her son. So the reason he didn't say anything was because he waited for his mother? Whoa, such good manners!

"It's good to meet you two as well! We are the Park family. My name is Chanyeol, come on in, my parents will be here soon." Chanyeol smiled charmingly at the two who stepped inside, and lead them through the cardboard boxes to the living room that was already pretty much unpacked.

The two Do family members sat down together on one of the couches and placed their items on the coffee table located in front. It didn't take long before Chanyeol's own mother and father arrived as well and greeted the two of them cheerfully. 
Ah, so the boy's name is Kyungsoo, and he is only one year younger than Chanyeol himself. It was odd that he didn't even introduce himself, his mom did, But that's good news! They could become neighbour buddies. The five of them ended up sitting and talking for a while. 
All the Parks were in awe from the lemonade and the many baked goods that were in the basket. The ones doing the talking were mostly the parents, and while Chanyeol tried to make eye contact with Kyungsoo to initiate an invitation to his room so they could get to know each other, Kyungsoo seemed completely out of it. He just sat there quietly and played with his own fingers the entire time. Was he shy? That's actually kind of cute. Most of his friends from the city are the kind of people to be the ones talking and trying to act all cool. But here he doesn't feel the need to try and impress anybody.

The only thing that finally caught Kyungsoo's attention was Toben walking to the living room to sniff and greet him and his mother. Chanyeol watched how Kyungsoo's eyes began sparkling and he immidiately reached down to the puppy and picked him up in his arms. Even though he was playing with Toben right there with everyone around, Kyungsoo stayed completely mute except for an occasional laughter here and here which gave away the fact that his voice was really soft and pleasant. He was a little weird, but It's only the first day they ever meet and he might be nervous or shy. When he gets the chance he will definitely get to know this boy better.

"What's his name?" Kyungsoo suddenly spoke while looking directly at Chanyeol.
"Ah, the puppy? His name is Toben." Chanyeol replied with a smile.
"Toben.." He repeated softly before rubbing all over Toben playfully.
"He is very cute." The boy spoke again while looking right to Chanyeol.
"I agree!" Chanyeol cheered and reached his hand to Kyungsoo's direction to Toben's fur.

His reaction was unexpected. Kyungsoo quickly extended his arms to Chanyeol and gave Toben to him before pulling his arms back and holding them on his knees, tugging to his own trousers with his palms. Huh? His expression is really nervous all of a sudden as well. What happened? What did Chanyeol do that made him this stressed?
Chanyeol held Toben for a bit before the pup squeezed his way out of his owner's hands back to the floor. Kyungsoo was looking at him in silence and Chanyeol felt really guilty for some reason. Good thing his mother was there, because at the moment she placed her palm on Kyungsoo's hand he calmed and removed his stare from Chanyeol. What exactly happened? Did anyone else notice this strange event right now? When Chanyeol tried to get confirmation from his parents about it by staring at them neither of them noticed. 

The Do family mother told them about her husband being out of town for an art gallery display in Busan, and that Kyungsoo is starting to take after his father with his own art. That makes sense, from Kyungsoo's appearance it's easy to guess he would be related to something creative. 
That's good news again! It means they have more common ground to bond over. Chanyeol hoped that whatever he might have accidentally done earlier didn't blow the chance. They visited for about an hour, maybe a little longer, before leaving and waving the Park family goodbye. The goodies basket was a really adorable gift to give to the Parks. Since there were leftovers they were carefully placed in the fridge, and the three of them were energized to continue the process of unpacking everything.

The sun left the sky and in it's place the moon has risen. They were exhausted to say the least. It's been a long day, but nearly the entire pile of boxes in the middle of the house was empty. Tomorrow they will have to continue, but it'll be a lot easier and will consume a lot less time. After a light dinner of some sandwiches and salad the three family members were getting ready to sleep.

After Chanyeol spent at least four whole minutes trying to figure out the perfect temperature in his personal bathroom that is attached to his room, he finally showered properly. Diving into his bed felt like heaven. His whole body felt sore from the excess carrying of heavy weight all around. It must be the same for his dad. He let out a long sigh of relief and realized that his bed is located right under a big window covered with curtains, so he pulled the curtains aside. The view from his room was apperantly directing right at a big window on the second floor of the house next to theirs. Trying to overcome his curiosity Chanyeol looked to the different directions, the area was so calm. There were no cars driving around constantly like in the city, and except for the single street light located between their house and the neighbours' house, the only source of light outside was the moon itself.

Oh, something moved in the window. Chanyeol's eyes turned to the window across from his right away. The house next to theirs belongs to the Dos. It would be a funny coincidence if Kyungsoo would be the one occupying the room he can look right int--
It is Kyungsoo. Chanyeol was a bit startled from his own successful guess, and quickly sat up on his bed and moved closer to the window. He watched how Kyungsoo entered his own room, wearing a bright mint colored set of pajama. He didn't have his glasses on, but his eyes looked just as big as they did when he wore them. Will Kyungsoo be able to see him through the window?

Chanyeol had a plan cooking. He grabbed a notebook he usually uses to write down lyrics and melodies and a marker. After writing something quickly, he rose his self-made sign up against the window and waved it around. He almost burst out laughing when he noticed his plan worked. Kyungsoo actually noticed it. He turned his head towards him, but it seems he had a difficult time reading the sign because his eyes began squinting. Hahaha, this is the best. Kyungsoo actually grabbed his glasses and leaned closer to the window to look at the sign.

At first he was surprised, but then Chanyeol saw a smile growing on his lips. Even though they were in different houses and the windows were closed, Chanyeol could hear the giggle Kyungsoo let out because he imagined it'd be similar to the one he heard when Kyungsoo played with Toben earlier. Kyungsoo then waved his hand towards Chanyeol with a soft gesture and closed his own curtains fully. Chanyeol had a blast in this short exchange. Well, it wasn't exactly a conversation, all Chanyeol wrote in his note was "GOODNIGHT-WOOF" and scribbled a messy Toben next to it. As small of an event as this was, it made Chanyeol feel really relieved. The fact that he made Kyungsoo smile, and even wave at him, means that there isn't anything bad going between them.

Chanyeol turned around and placed the notebook and marker aside, sliding back under his blanket and shutting the curtains to block the moonlight. So far, first day was an immense success. Unpacking can be considered done except for a few little things, the neighbours are lovely, and he LOVES his new room. When falling asleep Chanyeol realized he has been a fool, because he forgot that he had his own airconditioner in his room, and it could have saved him a lot of sweat earlier today. But well, late is better than never. 

---

A few days have passed and ALL the preparations were finally done.
The new house is now officially ready! The last of the boxes are now waiting at the front of the house for Chanyeol to put them away at the recycling bin at the other side of the street. It was part of his plan for today anyway. He wanted to explore around the little town today and see what there is to do for fun. His mother already told him that many of the residents aren't at their homes right now because the majority of them are on vacations around the country or even overseas. Many of the residents in this town are actually very wealthy so the houses must have interesting architectures.

After a good sleep and a little bit of exercise in the morning Chanyeol was on his way to the commence his plans. Toben was a proper companion for the journey. He placed the boxes in the recycling bin and started strolling around the town with his puppy. There were large gardens for each of the houses, and many trees, bushes and flowers decorating the streets. It was clean and quiet and pleasant. Ah, this path would be good in case he wants to go jogging sometimes. Chanyeol was also correct about the special appearances of the houses themselves. Some of them had very modern designs, and some had very ancient looking ones with vines growing over the bricks and big wooden doors and windows. So beautiful. Moving to live in such a place is almost like staying on a permanent vacation!

When he got back home after nearly an hour of wandering around and taking pictures from time to time he realized how much different the view from his house is compared to the rest of the town. Since the Parks' house was located at the edge of the town next to the Dos' house, the two structures had an enormous untouched field right behind their gardens. It's almost like these two houses were isolated from the town somehow. It just means that the view from their garden beyond the fence must be really spectacular.

It was incredibly hot today as well, and all Chanyeol wanted to do is stay inside and play on his computer.. Maybe compose some music or practice an instrument. But his curiosity about the view of the field from beyond the fence was too great, and he decided to go check it for himself. He put Toben back inside and filled his little bowl with water, then opened the big glass door to the garden and walked until the very edge of it by the fence. Even for a giant like him the fence was pretty tall, so he got on the tip of his toes just enough to stick his eyes above the fence and look around. 

He scanned the field with his eyes before spotting something triangular in it's center. Huh? He was sure the field was untouched, a moment ago when he looked at the view he didn't see anything. Did someone just put it there? Or did he not notice it because it was blocked by one of the houses? Either way, he is now intrigued, and whatever it may be will be known to him in one way or another.

Chanyeol pulled himself on the stone fence and landed back on his feet on the other side of it. The ground was dry and the field was covered in golden unattended wheat that grew into wilting state because of the heat. He started clearing his way carefully through the strands, trying not to step on any and cause any harm to the nature. The littler trail he leaves behind him the better. Chanyeol began to get closer and closer to the unidentified object in the middle of the field, and was able to see that the triangle shape he spotted before was actually a parasol. Underneath it he saw a person standing in front of a painting canvas. He was getting really close to the person and his steps were pretty loud through the dry wheat that brushed against his trousers, but the person didn't seem to pay attention to it.

He ended up standing in the shade of the parasol right behind the painting person who had a big round straw hat on their head, and looked at the canvas. It was a painting of a person wearing all white lying in a field similar to the one he's surrounded by, and looking up at the sky. The feeling it gave Chanyeol was conflicted. It looked like a very happy scenario of a peaceful person, but it also looked like the person drawn was so lonely. Chanyeol moved aside and leaned foreward to see who the painter under the hat was and to his surprised, he recognized Kyungsoo's big glasses right away.

"Ah, Kyungsoo! Hello!" Chanyeol stepped to stand next to him and waved towards the shorter one with a bright smile.
"Chanyeol?" Kyungsoo replied surprised and almost messed up the lines on the canvas. He placed the brush aside and looked up at him surprised and curious.
"It looks like you got yourself a nice little studio out here."
"Thank you." He said and without saying another word began packing up all of his equipment.

Chanyeol blinked at his actions. Huh? The fact that Chanyeol came there doesn't mean he needs to stop like this.. A heavy feeling of guilt and regret started spreading in Chanyeol once again, the same kind of feeling he had when he wanted to pat Toben on the first day they met. Why does he react like this? Maybe Chanyeol is the one being insensitive.. Maybe he is really shy and anxious and Chanyeol is giving him a hard time to adjust to having a new neighbour. 

"Hey-- You don't have to leave, I just noticed something in the field and wanted to see what it was. It looks lovely!" Chanyeol tried to convince the other to stop his fast packing moves, but recieved no response. Kyungsoo didn't even raise his head to look at him. Ah.. so he did mess up? Chanyeol really couldn't understand it. He looked down at the ground and rubbed his forehead, his other arm resting on his own hip.

"Nice day." Kyungsoo suddenly said while looking up towards Chanyeol again. He stood still and stared right at Chanyeol's face.
"Have a nice day as well." Chanyeol said with a small smile. Only after he finished speaking Kyungsoo removed his eyes from him and began carrying the canvas stand and painting equipment through a little path that was already wheatless in the field.

So Chanyeol has been a fool yet again. He walked so carefully through the full part of the field instead of looking around to see the path that has already been there. All he could do was laugh about it. At least his way out will be easier. While watching Kyungsoo carry the things out of the field he wondered if help with bringing the parasol back would be needed, so after a slight moment of hesitation he folded it, lifted it up and began following Kyungsoo's steps. It seems Kyungsoo wasn't aware that he was followed, because when standing in front of his own house's door he nearly jumped after seeing Chanyeol's shadow behind him. Kyungsoo placed everything right at the enterance of the house and turned back to Chanyeol.

"Thank you, Chanyeol." He said, taking the parasol from Chanyeol's hands and looking up at him again.
"You're welcome, I will see you around." Chanyeol smiled back at the other again and waved gently.

Kyungsoo looked at him until the moment he finished speaking, and then nodded, bowed with gratitude, and closed the door after him. That.. Was so odd. This Kyungsoo guy is really a special one. He barely speaks, but looks at Chanyeol really attentively when he talks. He doesn't seem to be hating contact, but rather just nervous? Or shy? Chanyeol can't help but feel some sort of responsibility to get to know him. It is unclear to him why, but the reason is definitely not out of pity. It's more like interest, sympathy, maybe even attraction.

That's alright, he has all the time in the world now.. Well, at least until the end of summer to get to know him, and more about him. It'll be better if they could get along faster, that way they could spend the summer together in their airconditioned houses. He wouldn't mind being outside either though, if it means knowing Kyungsoo a little more.

That night Chanyeol watched out of his window into Kyungsoo's room until he saw him entering his bed as well. That's when he got a little excited and began waving with a big smile. Kyungsoo noticed it and stared blankly towards him. Since there was no sign, he didn't put on his glasses, only waved back a little bit before shutting the curtains.
Chanyeol feels a little bit like a stalker, but Kyungsoo is just so handsome and cute wearing his pajamas. Maybe next time Chanyeol should be more clear about his intentions. Coming and surprising someone from behind like he did earlier really is a little bit too much. He should approach Kyungsoo calmly and peacefully. When he meets his friends again he will ask for advice as well. They will know how to befriend such a guy for sure.

Chanyeol slept well that night, dreaming of lying down in a sunny field and watching the clouds passing through the sky. It was peaceful. It was silent. It was a little lonely.