It felt weird to be back in Yanggu after so many years. Eight years. 

The stark difference between Seoul and Yanggu never fails to amuse me. The biggest difference is the air. Back in Seoul, I would never even dare to leave the house without a mouth mask.

At least, that's what I thought when I was leaving for my two week vacation at home after graduating from medical school. I had wanted to go on a trip with some friends to Jeju or maybe someplace in Europe. But I had my reasons for coming back once before I started my residency. I missed my family. Especially my grandmother. 

And the other reason is Park Chanyeol. 

He is also the reason I left Yanggu in the first place.

"Hey, Baek!" Chanyeol was sprawled on the floor in his bedroom while Baekhyun was on the bed, reading for the upcoming exams. 

"What?" Baekhyun mumbled, not looking up. 

"When do you think you'll get married?" There was a pause. 

"I don't know. You?"

"I think I'll be married before I turn 25."

"Why the rush?"

Chanyeol pretended to think for a moment. "I don't know. I'll probably have a job by then, right? I just want to settle down with the woman of my dreams as soon as possible." 

Woman. The word alone was enough to bring out a frown on Baekhyun's face.

"You can be my best man." 

That did nothing to help the uneasiness he was feeling.

It wasn't even Chanyeol who gave me his wedding invitation. He hadn't even told me he got engaged to his high school sweetheart, Moon Ga Young. It was sometime last month that I had met Ga Young in Seoul, who was shopping for the wedding that I found out about the whole affair. She had given me an invitation card and a smile along with the words, "We would love it if you came." 

Even after eight years, it still stung. Not as much as it did back then, but I didn't think I would be able to manage this trip. I almost considered not going but Jong In forced me. 

Jong In was the only person in Seoul that I knew from Yanggu. I wasn't in touch with him for the first couple of years I was in Seoul. It was only in my third year of pre-med that Jong In started going out with a friend of mine, Krystal, that we started hanging out and became friends, later flatmates. Jong In and Chanyeol had been on our school's football team and had been in touch with each other even during college. Jong In had known about Chanyeol's wedding for months. 

"I'll get bored there alone, Baekhyun." Jong In said one morning as he tried to convince me to go. 

"Why? Your entire football team is going to be there." There was a slight bitterness in my voice. I hated almost everyone on the football team. "It'll be like a reunion." 

"Yeah but they're all a bunch of country bumpkins." I threw him a look. 

"What and we're not?" 

"We've been living in the city for what? Eight years? We're no longer bumpkins. We're chic city boys." 

I snorted. "I don't care. Your whining isn't goin to make me want to go." 

"Why not? Weren't you and Chanyeol really close back in high school?" Define close. "Ga Young was in your class in senior year as well." 

"I don't know, man." I so did not want to go back to Yanggu. A small part of me wanted to see Chanyeol again, but see him getting married? My heart isn't that strong. "I'll let you know in a few days." 

Jong In hadn't waited for a few days. He had gone and booked a ticket for both of us. Then my grandmother had called me and told me to come visit. More like ordered me. 

I couldn't say no to her. So I had agreed. 

The air in Yanggu was not like the city. It was different. It was suffocating. Because every street and every corner reminded me of Chanyeol and for the two weeks that I was there, I couldn't breathe. 

"Never have I ever..." The girl from class 2 pouted as one of the guys, Oh Sehun refilled her glass of beer. "Been in love!" 

Baekhyun's gaze turned to Chanyeol. What surprised him was that Chanyeol was already staring at him; and with a look so intense, Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat. Chanyeol raised his own glass of beer and took a sip, eyes never leaving Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun turned away and gulped down the contents of his styrofoam cup. 

The wedding was all anyone in Yanggu was talking about. When I went running in the morning, the lady at the flower shop was bragging about some plants. 
"They're for the wedding! Aren't they gorgeous." 

It was a small town. Everyone knew everyone, and everyone especially knew Chanyeol. He had gone to Busan for college but as soon as he was done, he came running back. He was the coach of the school's football team and then later during the day, he worked shifts at his mother's restaurant. Ga Young was a History teacher at the school. And the two were Yanggu's most adorable couple. They had been dating for the last eight years and everyone was glad they were getting married. 

When my grandmother had a few of her friends at our house for tea, I eavesdropped on them while they gossiped about the wedding. They were getting married at our high school.  Yanggu High was where the two had met, where the two worked and now it would be the place they had tied the knot.

My grandmother and her friends thought it was romantic. I was ready to throw up by the end of that conversation.

The wedding was supposed to be on the 26th of June. A day before I had to go back to Seoul. Jong In was going to stay for a few more days before returning, so I was going to have to travel alone. I didn't mind. I wanted to get out of Yanggu as fast as possible.

I spent most of my days, lounging about in the living room, chatting away with grandma. It got a bit annoying when her friends came over but I couldn't go up to my bedroom. I would take refuge in the kitchen or the backyard but never my bedroom. All the memories jumped at me everytime I sat down on my bed. 

I could almost imagine Chanyeol greeting me with a smile, as he would lean back in the chair at my desk. Imagine him pulling me close and planting kisses wherever he could. Whispering every once in a while that he loved me. 

I couldn't bear to stay in that room. I could hardly sleep in there. 

A week later and I was returning from my morning runs when I ran into Ga Young. She smiled when she saw me and invited me for coffee. 

"I don't drink coffee, sorry." 

Lie. I was a medical student. You can't survive without coffee. But I couldn't look at her, all happy and cheery acting like everything was fine between us. She knew. About my relationship with Chanyeol. Chanyeol and I hadn't publically announced that we were dating, but she was one of the few who had known about it. Apparently, that hadn't been enough to discourage her from kissing him in front of the entire school. She just pretended she didn't know about us. 

Apart from that, she was a very nice person. One of the few people in our school that I respected and admired. She had a warm and cheery personality and was the kind of person everyone liked. She was a good match for Chanyeol. It drove me crazy that I couldn't bring myself to hate her, even though I wanted to.

"What about tea? How about you come over for dinner tonight?" She looked so excited at the prospect. "Chanyeol misses you so much." 

"I would love to, but I already have plans." I gave her a sympathetic smile. 

"You're just saying no to whatever I say." She pouted as she spoke, but a second later, her whole face lit up. "Do me a favour! You can't say no, more than two times in one conversation."

I snorted. "Who made that rule?"

"I did." She gave me a toothy grin. "You have to play the piano at our wedding."

"What? No way." 

"Baekhyun!" She whined. "Please. It would drive everyone nuts. Especially So Hee. She would be so jealous that Byun Baekhyun played at my wedding and she had to make do with a local band." 

I made a face at that. I hadn't touched the piano in years. I wasn't going to do so anytime soon, either. I was about to refuse but she beat me to it.

"It can be your wedding gift for me!" She was giving me the puppy eyes now.

"Oh, so should I throw away the Gucci bag that I bought?" 

She gasped. "No, no. The Gucci bag for me and the song for Chanyeol." 

For Chanyeol. 

A part of me still didn't want to play the piano, but a major part wanted to see Chanyeol's reaction. 

So I agreed. 

Baekhyun was in the music room, practising on his piano when he heard a noise. He looked up and saw a tall guy, who Baekhyun thought was in class 3, knocking at the window. Baekhyun got up and slid the window open when he noticed that the guy was dressed in shorts, a jersey and a worn out pair of shoes. 

"You're amazing, man." The guy started and Baekhyun gave him a questioning look. "The piano." He continued. "You were playing, right? Can you do that song from Titanic?" 

Baekhyun frowned. "Yes, but I'm not doing a live show here and neither am I taking any suggestions." 

Though Baekhyun had meant to come off as rude, the guy didn't seem to mind. He threw his head back and laughed. "Fine. Play your Mozart or Chopin or whatever." Baekhyun's frown deepened. "You make even the boring stuff sound amazing." 

Baekhyun wasn't sure if he should be offended or pleased at the compliment. He chose not to reply but the guy continued. "I'm Park Chanyeol, by the way." 

"Byun Baekhyun." He said with a nod. 

"I know. I'm a fan." Chanyeol offered him a smile and a wink, and a second later he off running back to the field where the football team had assembled. 

I was already regretting agreeing to Ga Young's request. We had done a lot of arguing and in the end the deal was made. I was going to play one song ("You have to sing too!" Ga Young would shout) before the bride's entrance, and then join in with the rest of the band as she walks down the aisle. 

I sat down to practice as soon as I got home. My old piano was still in the living room and weirdly, it was still tuned. I didn't think much about it and ran upstairs to my room to get my old sheet music. 

I wasn't sure I'd be able to play but once I started, I couldn't stop. Every note came rushing back to me, and soon my mind was muddled with songs and notes and lyrics and I was singing. Grandma joined me in the living room as I was finishing the first song and a couple of songs later, a few of the neighbours had gathered as well. They sang along with me as I played, and to be frank, it was the happiest I felt in the last eight years. 

"Baekhyunnie! Play that song!" People shouted all sorts of suggestions and I complied, playing all the songs that I remembered. 

Two hours passed, singing and playing and chatting and laughing. I felt possessed. I felt like the old high school me, who was social and outgoing and didn't hole himself up in rooms and hide behind books. And the music. It was making me feel things I had long forgotten. The feel of the keys underneath my fingers, the perfect harmony of the sounds, the exhilaration everytime I hit a high note. 

It sounds cheesy but I was one with the music. 

I finished the last song and everyone clapped and cheered. I gave them a smile and a small bow when I noticed just how many people were there. Grandma had slid open the back doors and the around twenty people lounged in the backyard. Some were sitting on the porch while others were occupying chairs. Grandma was doing what she did best. Feeding everyone, giving out tea and biscuits. 

I remembered the last time I had played like this and for a moment I was overwhelmed. I swallowed the lump in my throat and held back the tears. I went to join the others at the porch when I saw him. 

I was kind of surprised that it took me this long to notice him. But there he was. Sitting on the grass, talking to my grandmother and two of her friends. It hurt to see how different he looked but so, so familiar. 

The smile that graced his face, his hair fell into his eyes with a casual elegance, the sound of his laughter were just as I remembered, but there was just something about him that had changed.

Or maybe it was the way that I saw him that had changed.

"Exams just got over today, Baekhyun!" Chanyeol whined as he dragged him out of the school library. 

"I was only returning books, you idiot." He shook his head in exasperation. "What do you want to do?" 

"Let's watch a movie." He suggested. "Your house?" 

Baekhyun agreed and they spent rest of the evening watching random movies on the TV. It was eight by the time, they got up from the couch and then realised that it was raining outside. 

"Do you have an umbrella, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asked as he peered out of the window. Chanyeol shook his head and Baekhyun offered him his own when Baekhyun's grandmother barged in demanding that Chanyeol should stay the night. 

"Look how heavily it's raining. You'll get drenched even with the umbrella!" She had a point and it was Sunday the next day so there wasn't a problem. 

It was eleven when the two boys decided to go off to sleep. A spare mattress had been spread on the floor next to Baekhyun's bed and Chanyeol was currently lying on it, snuggled under the covers. Even though they had switched off the lights, they continued to talk in the dark. 

It wasn't dark all the time. Every few minutes, the lightning outside would light up the entire room, just so that he could make out Baekhyun's face, and the clouds would rumble so loud, that their conversations got interrupted more often than they wanted. 

It was nearing midnight when Chanyeol said. "Baek, are you scared?" Baekhyun only hummed in reply. "Because of the storm outside?" 

"No, not really. You?" 

"Me neither." 

"Liar." A small laugh was heard and then Baekhyun mumbl