Happy Birthday my darling beagle. <3               Baekhyun lifted his head as he slowed his pace. He had just gotten out of his lecture and he thinks he is lucky to be hearing his girl’s voice right as he thought of her. Baekhyun smiled as he silently watched the girl speak.   He couldn’t believe that this girl was his.   If anyone had told him five years ago that he would end up falling in love with a quiet, studious, and hardworking girl like her, he would have burst out laughing in their faces. Yet here he was, admiring the back view of the top student.   What have I done to deserve you?   As if sensing his eyes on her, the girl looks into his eyes and grinned. She raised an arm in his direction, fingers wiggling, wanting the male to come over. Baekhyun did just that.   “Can’t you get someone to cover for you? I really want to go for that IT fair.”   Baekhyun nodded in acknowledgement at their mutual friend as he did the same. Sehun had been long friends with the both of them. Mainly because they had been in the same high school, and also because Sehun was amongst the top students too. Albeit, Sehun was more into Math and Science whereas his girl was into Language and Arts.   His arms wounded around her petite body. He left a quick peck on her shoulder in a silent greeting, before he stood behind her, the girl still in his arms. Baekhyun took a glance down at the back of her head and then decided to rest his chin on top of it. He loves the fact that he towered over his girl, the obvious height difference giving him certain advantages that he personally felt hard to get with other girls.   “I can’t, Sehun.” She pursed her lips, a gesture Baekhyun had learnt that was a clear sign of her in discomfort. “My manager Unnie said that one of my workmates called in sick and we’re really shorthanded today.”   “I thought you said the IT fair is on until next weekend? We could all go together then.” Baekhyun suggested.   Sehun gave a glare to the boy. “I’ll be in my hometown for the weekend, remember? Hyung’s finally coming back home for vacation and I really want to meet my niece.”   “Will you be doing anything significant today?” The girl turns to question her boyfriend. Baekhyun shook his head, although a little cautiously because he was sure he wasn’t going to like her idea. “Then how about the two of you go for that fair without me? I’m sure Baekhyun won’t mind having a little best friend date for once.”   Baekhyun instantly whipped his head down to stare at the girl. He knew he used to joke about how she had stolen him away from his best friend, but he couldn’t see himself spending alone time with the other male without the presence of his girlfriend anymore. “Baby,” he whined. “Why do I have to accompany him?”   She grinned back at him, obviously having fun playing with her boyfriend’s feelings. “You asked for it.”   “But I don’t even like electronic gadgets.” He grumbled in annoyance, although her beautiful smile was enough to make him agree to everything she says. Also, he lied about the dislike just because he couldn’t find an actual reason to make her forego the request.   “They have PC games on sale too,” she further coaxed. “I think Sehun told me that they’re letting people try Overwatch at one of the game stations. And they’re opening the Virtual Reality demo for the first time in public too.”   His ears perked at the name of the new game he had been looking forward to. He didn’t remember mentioning the specific game to her before, but knowing how much time she spends with him, just watching him play League of Legends, he was sure she had read up about the popular game and had come up to her own conclusion that her boyfriend would also be interested in acquiring it.   “You’re playing a very dirty game, sweetheart.” Baekhyun shook his head.   “I’ve learnt from the best teacher,” she purred, latching onto his left arm. Baekhyun couldn’t help the shift in his eyes. He had long learnt of this playful side of her, but whenever it comes up — and it’s always at the rarest moments — he feels the surge of affection spilling over.   It was one of the reasons he felt lucky; because he gets to see this dormant side of her that no one else knew of.   He yelped at the sudden pat on his . Baekhyun turned to glare at his girlfriend.   “Go enjoy your play date. I’ll call you tonight after work, okay?” The girl smiled.   He was lucky to have an smart girlfriend.   It was game over.                 Baekhyun leapt for his phone the moment he stepped out of his shower. The screen was blinking from an incoming call.   “Hey baby.”   “Baekhyun you will not believe who I ran into today!” She squealed.   “Okay,” he chuckled. He adored her whenever she gets excited. “And who will I not believe you ran into?”   “Hold on,” she told him. There was a little rustling from the phone as it was passed to someone else.   “What?” The baritone voice that went through the receiver surprised him.   He could imagine his girlfriend giggling in the background as she spoke. “Talk to him!”   “Hey, dude.”   Baekhyun’s grip on the towel that he had been using to dry his hair weakened, causing the flimsy piece of cloth to drop and land beside his feet. His girlfriend was right when she claimed he wouldn’t believe who it was.   “Hello? Baek?” The male called out before sighing. “I think he went into shock. He’s not replying.”   She groaned and he could hear her voice clearly once more. “Baby? Why aren’t you talking?”   “Is that…” He managed to croak out. “Park Chanyeol?”   “Mhm! Now please, talk to him, okay? We’re still at my work and I just need to get changed before we leave.”   “O-okay.”   “Hey man,” Chanyeol’s voice seeped through his ear.   “Park Chanyeol.” Baekhyun breathed, trying to calm himself. “I thought you forgot about me after all these years.”   His lungs seemed to have expanded as he felt relief overcome him when he hears the low laughter.   “Of course I wouldn’t forget my best friend! Dude you were the first person that came to my mind when I landed in Seoul! It just so happened that my mum decided to come to this cafe she was so hyped about that your girlfriend coincidentally is working at.”   There was a second of silence as Baekhyun let his memories wash over his mind.   “How have you been, buddy?” His own voice sounded shaky but he knew it was because of happiness more than anything else.    This was Park Chanyeol; the best friend he had since he was a baby. They were like peas in a pod, no one ever saw one without the other as they grew up. And when they both moved to the same middle school and met his then-classmate-now-girlfriend, Baekhyun could already envision the three of them growing old together.    “I’ve been doing well,” Chanyeol answered. “Japan was cool. Their schools are almost like Korea’s; the only downside was that I could barely understand what they were saying for almost a year. I need to show you their mountains! And their ski resort. Dude, I have to bring you there one day!”   Baekhyun grinned stupidly to himself as he took a seat on his bed. His forgotten towel on the floor had become a target for his foot to kick around as he mindlessly listened to Chanyeol’s adventures. He was still having a hard time convincing himself that it was really Chanyeol speaking to him on the other side of the phone call.   “Baek! Are you listening?”   The cheery high tone brought him back to earth as he realised that Chanyeol’s voice was gone and had been replaced with his girlfriend’s.   “Yeah…?”   “What did I say?”   He pursed his lips and tried to rack his brain. “You’re on your way home?”   He tried. He really did.   She groaned at his inattention. “I said that like five minutes ago!” Baekhyun’s lips twitched into a smile as he imagined her pouting.   “I’m sorry baby, I was just thinking. So what were you saying?”   The girl gave a sigh but decided to repeat her words anyway. She was already used to him spacing out on her whenever they converse on the phone. “You’re free this Thursday, right? I’ve only got one class in the morning so we can meet up for lunch.”   “Sure.”   Baekhyun cannot remember how this situation came about, but three days after the phone call, he was sitting in the opposite booth from Chanyeol, his girlfriend had taken a seat beside him.   They were in a Vietnamese restaurant — because his girl was craving and how could he ever say no to her? — and had perused the menu almost fifteen minutes ago, leaving them with nothing much to do. While everyone was eager to catch up with one another, Baekhyun couldn’t dismiss the awkward tension. Knowing his girlfriend, she was more of a one-on-one person who liked to make personal connections at her own slow pace, and so it was a surprise to him when he found out that she was the one who initiated this gathering. Baekhyun watched out of the corner of his eye as she took another sip from her half-full cup of water because she didn’t know how to start the conversation.   Hence, Baekhyun made up his mind to open his mouth first.   Chanyeol beat him to it.   “How long have you guys been together?” The red-head in front of him grinned deviously.   It was in the last year of middle school that Chanyeol had just up and left the country without any prior notice. Anyone that knew of the trio, knew that Chanyeol’s sudden departure had left the remaining two devastated. And the only way they could cope with the loss of a friend was through each other. Thus, it was easy to predict that the mutual feelings between Baekhyun and his female friend had quickly escalated into something more.   Baekhyun took a moment to recount their recent anniversary. “Slightly over three years.”   At this, the girl by his side sat straighter. She tilted her head curiously.   “How did you know we got together?”   “Wait, you weren’t the one who told him?” Baekhyun turned to ask her. She only shook her head. He returned his attention to the male. “Then how did you know?”   Chanyeol leant back in his seat, bringing both his arms up to hook them behind his head with a smirk. “Please Baek, you were always following after her like a lost puppy.” Baekhyun had to down his cup of cold water in order to hide his blush. “It would have probably taken you less time to realise your feelings if I was around to give you an extra push.”   “Channie.” It was the first time either of them had used the affectionate nickname they gave him and yet it flowed out of so naturally. “You and I both know you would have done anything to watch Baekhyun suffer more, even if it means you had to personally intervene just to make him jealous.”   The male nodded gleefully. “Touché.”   Their food arrived in time, and Baekhyun was thankful for the intrusion because he felt a little uncomfortable at the topic of their relationship when Chanyeol had been a part of the inseparable trio. Thinking about it now, Baekhyun felt like he had unknowingly pushed Chanyeol out of their bubble without his consent.   But it seems as though Chanyeol would beg to differ.   “So it took you almost two years after I left to finally grow some balls and confess, huh?” He had thrown the question out so effortlessly; it took a while for Baekhyun to process that Chanyeol had really been away for the past five years. Chanyeol was already chowing down on his bowl of Pho as he waited for him to speak.   “I had balls even before you left.”   That statement caused both his friend and girlfriend to snort into their food. He glared at the girl who was trying to cover the action up as coughs.   “You’re supposed to be on my side!”   This made Chanyeol burst out in laughter.   Baekhyun couldn’t help the grin that emerged as he took in the sounds of his friend’s baritone laughter and his girl’s giggles. He gave a dramatic sigh as he hooked an arm over her shoulders.   “You see, Chan. I’ve always been ready to confess to her. But I didn’t want her to be scared of the giant that was going to be interfering us on our future dates.”   “On the contrary,” she spoke up after swallowing her pho. “I think I would have pre