If there was something Byun Baekhyun hated most in the world, it was elderly women. It sounded mean and cruel, because how could anyone hate the elderly? But Baekhyun does. He really does. He hates them with a passion.

They seem to think he’s an invalid – that he can’t do anything himself. Whenever they see him at the supermarket or if he’s crossing the street he’ll get at least ten middle-aged or elderly women asking him if he needs help.

No. He doesn’t need help. If he did, he’d be asking for it. Why is it so hard for people to realise that just because he can’t see doesn’t mean he’s incapable of functioning like a normal human?

And besides, he can see. He just sees things in a way that’s different from most.

He could tell you that right now, as he sat in the tiny café his friend owned and worked at, there were a group of teenagers sitting roughly two meters north-west of him, he could tell you the exact food they are eating, how much and what type of perfume they used, whether they are male or female, the topic of their conversation, and that they were making fun of him a few moments beforehand.

Most people do, though. It’s not every day one sees a blind man. In a world where love depends on sight, blind people have no place.

Baekhyun disagrees, though.

He once thought he was useless, that he’d never find love and he’d die without having found meaning in life. He believed no one would love him because he was blind and he didn’t even know if he was ugly. Someone could tell him he is beautiful but he’d never actually get to see it himself. What if they were lying? What if they just said that out of pity?

But now, he didn’t care. He couldn’t care less about his self-image. Paying too much attention and revolving your life around your image and how people see you is not the way to live your life. If you live that way, you miss out on so many things. It’s like visiting a park with earplugs and your phone. You may hear and see some good things on your phone and through your music, but you miss out on the true beauty of nature. It’s like going to a beach but staying fully clothed. You can’t truly experience life if you don’t strip yourself of your worries and stop caring about what other people think.

“Excuse me, are you done with that, sir?”

The boy was young, judging from his voice. Probably in his mid-teenage years. He seemed to have enough respect, and didn’t wear too much deodorant or perfume like most teens did. Baekhyun nodded and smiled at the waiter, moving his arms from where they rested on the table lest he get in the way.

His usual chocolate muffin had been a little dry today, and he planned on complaining about it to Kyungsoo as soon as he got the chance.

Kyungsoo is kind of like Baekhyun’s father. He always complained about him being a nuisance but would drop everything in a heartbeat if Baekhyun ever needed help. Even though the other male had been a little more distant after meeting Jongin, his soulmate, Baekhyun still seemed to be his number one priority. And whenever Kyungsoo couldn’t be there, he’d send Jongin in his place.

“Baek!”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Baekhyun turned his head in the general direction of the familiarly deep voice with his lips downturned.

“What’s the matter with you?” Kyungsoo asked, voice laced with mock concern.

Baekhyun huffed.

“My muffin was dry.”

Kyungsoo laughed and Baekhyun heard the piercing screech of a chair on wooden flooring as the other took a seat opposite him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working? You don’t want customers leaving nasty reviews about you, do you?”

“I would be working, if there was anyone other than you in the café right now.”

Baekhyun smirked, but quickly wiped it from his face and pouted.

“How was I supposed to know? It’s not like I can see them.”

If Baekhyun could see, he would’ve seen the way Kyungsoo smirked at him.

“I’m not an idiot, Baekhyun. I know you can tell when there’s other people around. You’re blind, yes, but not deaf.”

At that, Baekhyun couldn’t help but send his friend a toothy grin.

“You got me,” he laughed.

“So,” Kyungsoo began with that voice, and Baekhyun knew what was coming. “Met anyone recently?”

“No,” Baekhyun replied flatly and heard the other male sigh in response.

“Come on, Baek. You’ve gotta get yourself out there, your soulmate is waiting for you! You’re twenty-one already, you should have met and moved in with them already!”

Baekhyun’s eyebrow furrowed, but not aggressively.

“Don’t base my life off yours, Soo.”

“But still! You really have to find your soulmate, Baekhyun. Don’t you ever wonder what they’re like?” Kyungsoo pressed, despite knowing it was a sore topic for him.

“Of course I do,” he mumbled. “It’s a bit hard, though, considering I can’t exactly ‘imagine what they look like,’ as Sehun so kindly put it.”

“I know, Baek., I know. It’s hard for you and I completely understand that, but your soulmate will, too. They’ll have to,” the other said softly, leaving a gentle pat on Baekhyun’s significantly smaller hands before walking off.

Baekhyun huffed and got up, shoving his phone into his pants and putting his thick, oversized coat on to prepare himself for the chilly winter air.

He opened the door and felt the crisp air hit his cheeks immediately, he stood there for a moment and turned his head back to the direction Kyungsoo had left in.

“I’m going to leave a nasty review on this café! Mark my words, Do Kyungsoo!”

He heard an airy chuckle and a short, “Your words have been marked, Byun Baekhyun!” from none other than Do Kyungsoo himself and he left the building with a small smile.

-

By the time Baekhyun made it to the university, it had started raining pretty heavily. He struggled to find shelter when could feel the water soaking through his coat and onto his sweater, but he almost cried in relief when he found a building somewhat close to him. His cane was never much help during storms and he had left Mongryoung at home because the poor puppy had just gotten some shots, so he was essentially left to fend for himself without any means of sight.

He shrugged off his jacket as soon as he entered the building, feeling the chill of the winter air making its way through his clothes and causing a shiver to run through his body.

“Excuse me?” He called out into the open space, half expecting and answer. “Is anyone there?”

He was met with only the pitter-patter of rain on the roof of the building.

Baekhyun grinned to himself as he began to walk slowly around the room, looking for anything that would give him a sign as to where, exactly, he was.

After shuffling around the place and feeling the walls, he deduced that this was the music room of the university. He sighed in relief, he was in the right spot. A lucky guess, one would say.

He made his way to the left corner of the room where he knew the piano was located. He took a seat on the cold leather seat in front of the ivory piano and rested his petite, soft fingers gently on the keys. He glides them smoothly along the piano, feeling the dents and bumps of the keys as his fingers find their place.

Baekhyun presses down, indulging in the tranquillity he does not often come across as someone with heightened hearing. Soon enough, there is a melody of harmonious, rich notes echoing through the empty room as the wind gently brushes the curtains from the windows with a soft whistling sound, accompanying the rain.

He is where he belongs. A serene atmosphere settles around him and he takes a moment to revel in it.

Baekhyun is so immersed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the door open and someone enter.

“You play beautifully.”

The deep voice of the unexpected guest causes Baekhyun to jump out of his skin.

“Uh, y-you were listening?”

‘God dammit, Baekhyun. Of course he was listening – why else would he say you play nicely?’ he inwardly cursed.

The stranger chuckled, and Baekhyun figured it was a really, really nice sound. His voice was deep but not intimidating. It was soothing.

“Yes, I was listening,” the man replied, amusement clear in his voice yet not masking the sincerity of his compliment. “And you really do play beautifully. How long have you been playing?”

Baekhyun scrambled to collect his thoughts into a cohesive sentence.

“Oh – Uh – My mother taught me to play back when I was little and I just… Kept doing it, I guess?” He sent a nervous smile, lips slightly pulled up at the edges but teeth not quite showing, in the direction he presumed the other to be in. He seemed to have guessed correctly when the other said nothing about his lack of accuracy.

“That’s amazing,” the deep voice replied, and Baekhyun’s ears melted a little bit more with each word. “My name’s Chanyeol, what’s yours?”

“Baekhyun.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Baekhyun.”

He couldn’t see the smile on the other’s face, but he could hear it in his voice.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Baekhyun straightened his back a little and grinned at the other, teeth and all, and he’s pretty sure he heard Chanyeol’s breath hitch.

There was a moment of silence between the two; however, it wasn’t awkward at all. At that moment, it occurred to Baekhyun that Chanyeol really wasn’t like most other people he had the displeasure of conversing with. That, or he hadn’t noticed his blindness yet.

“Could you play me a song?” Chanyeol asked enthusiastically.

Baekhyun ran his hand across the back of his neck.

“Sure,” he replied. “What do you want me to play?”

“Anything,” Chanyeol said. “Play something that means a lot to you.”

Baekhyun smiled and immediately moved his fingers across the keys into position. The song he chose was the one he used to play with his mother, before they lost contact. He remembered sitting with her on one side and his father on the other, playing the song for them and they sang along beside him.

His smile only grew wider as he was accompanied by a deep, soothing voice. He happily joined the other in singing, his voice flowing out in mellow tones, harmonising easily with Chanyeol’s deeper voice as the song came to a close.

“I’m not at all cold in this winter that I spend with you,”

“Because you are always next to me,”

“Because you are always with me.”

The song ended, and they sat quietly as the last note resounded through the room.

“I know this might sound strange, but I was wondering… Are you blind?” Chanyeol asked after a while, voice hesitant and Baekhyun could hear him fidgeting where he was standing. “I’m so sorry for assuming things if you’re not, I just – well, your eyes have been closed the whole time and I just assumed that maybe… but then you played so well and I second-guessed myself, but – ”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun cut in, his amusement clear in his voice and his features. “Yes, I’m blind. You didn’t offend me. There’s never any harm in asking.”

He heard Chanyeol let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay, that’s good. I mean, not that you’re blind, but that I didn’t offend you. Not that being blind isn’t good, or bad. Or – am I making any sense? I don’t think I am, but you get what I mean,” Chanyeol rambled before pausing. “Why are you laughing?”

Baekhyun’s chuckles increased in volume as he heard the pout in Chanyeol’s voice.

“You’re hilarious, Chanyeol. I know what you meant. I’m blind, not invalid.”

“Oh my god, I didn’t mean it that way, I’m so sorry – ”

“Relax! I was joking, loosen up, will you?” he smiled. “Just treat me the way you would anyone else.”

It was clear that Chanyeol was still hesitant, but he relented anyway.

“Okay,” he said with a grin.

Another comfortable silence ensued and Baekhyun was stuck trying to think of something to keep the conversation going.

He was always bad at this, while he was outgoing and relatively easy to get along with, he sometimes struggled with keeping conversations going when someone wasn’t initially rude to him.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Chanyeol began. “I’ve never seen you around here before.”

Baekhyun had to stifle a laugh.

“I’ve never seen you around here before, either.”

It took Chanyeol a few moments to realise what he’d said, and the other began spluttering and mumbling things under his breath that even Baekhyun couldn’t quite catch.

“Chanyeol, calm down,” Baekhyun chuckled, resting a hand on the other’s shoulder. “It was a joke. You don’t have to take everything I say so seriously.”

A low chuckle filled the silence and Baekhyun couldn’t explain why he loved that sound quite so much.

“Sorry. I just don’t know how to react when you say things like that.”

Baekhyun simply grinned in response. There’s three types of reactions that people have when meeting him for the first time; awkward, repulsed, or – what Baekhyun likes to call – the ‘mother’ effect. Most people are awkward, not really knowing what to say or do and they tend to try and find ways of removing themselves from the situation. Quite a few are repulsed by him – not that Baekhyun really understands why, because why would anyone be disturbed by a blind person? Sure, he can’t see, but he’s not covered in or anything. It really doesn’t make much sense. Then there’s the ‘mother’ effect. The name comes from the general demographic that actually does this. It’s the one where they think you’re completely helpless and unable to fend for yourself, and so they talk/treat you like a child and try to do everything for you. Those are the people Baekhyun hates the most.

But Chanyeol doesn’t fit into any of those categories.

Sure, he’s awkward, but he’s not trying to get away from him. He seems to actually want to get to know Baekhyun.

“Uh, yeah. Anyway, tell me about yourself, Baekhyun.”

“Well, my full name is Byun Baekhyun, my hair is a result of letting a friend near the hair dye, I liv