CHAPTER SIX

"Old Memories"

Chanyeol pulled you along, out of the gigantic mansion after telling you that he wanted to go do something fun together with you. Once the two of you were outside, he finally let go of your hand. With that grinning look he had so often on his face, he pointed to the pavement you stood on. “Stay here, okay? Just a few seconds” he said.

“Arasseo.” You tilted your head confusedly, not knowing what he was doing.

He turned around and walked to the side of the mansion. Chanyeol turned a corner, and you couldn’t see him anymore. A few minutes later, a white motorcycle came driving in from that side of the other side, with a rider on it with a helmet. When the motorcycle neared you, you realized that it was Chanyeol driving it. He lifted the helmet a bit, gesturing to the back of the motorcycle. Two people could sit on it. “You should get on.”

You were still confused, but followed his instructions and sat on the motorcycle, putting on a helmet similar to what Chanyeol had on. “I thought we were going somewhere near here.” you admitted.

“It’s pretty near but walking isn’t as thrilling as riding the motorcycle,” Chanyeol told you loudly over the noise and started the engine again. The motorcycle slowly drove down the driveway as you got used to the feeling of sitting there.

The motorcycle’s speed gradually grew as the mansion disappeared into the distance, zooming past cars that started appearing as both of you went further from the mansion. You never rode a motorcycle before, so this was a first experience for you. Chanyeol seemed like a good driver.

On the middle of the route, you shouted over the engine, “Do you like driving the motorcycle?”

“Yes.” You couldn’t see Chanyeol’s face, but you could tell that he was smiling from the tone. “I always have.”

The pace slowed down again as you reached the center of the city. The mansion was located on the outskirts of Seoul, but now that you were at the center, it was a lot more crowded. The drive was still pretty short though.

Chanyeol drove on with his motorcycle for a few more minutes before stopping slowly at an old building. He climbed off of the motorcycle and took his helmet off, running his fingers through his messy hair. “This is it.” He pointed to the building doors.

You looked at the building, and saw that it was a normal, average restaurant. The name looked familiar, but you couldn’t think of where you saw it before.  

Chanyeol saw your hesitation and pulled your hand along into the restaurant. The air was humid inside, and very few were inside. It was clearly a small business. The air, just like the exterior of the restaurant, seemed familiar, but you still couldn’t remember where it was from.

“Ahjumma!” Chanyeol called, smiling at a middle-aged woman who was serving the customers. He sat at one of the tables, and gestured for you to do the same.

The middle-aged woman glanced over at him and smiled back, quickly rushing over to the two of you. “Chanyeol dear. It’s been awhile since you last came!” She was familiar looking as well! Just like the rest of the restaurant. Yet you still couldn’t remember where the familiarity came from.  

“I know, I’ve been busy with things.” He shrugged apologetically.

She nodded and looked at you. “Who’s this lovely girl, Chanyeol? Your girlfriend?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, and quickly shook his head, raising his hands. “N-no! Ahjumma, this is Kim Eunjin. She’s my friend.” He quickly explained to her. You could feel your face heating up a few degrees too, just like how embarrassed Chanyeol seemed.

“Oh, sorry.” The ahjumma continued smiling, not noticing the awkward situation. “Aigoo, Chanyeol, you’re already twenty and still single. You need to find a girlfriend, don’t you? That’s why I mistook that you two were in a relationship.”

“Haha.” You nodded and laughed. “That’s fine.”

Chanyeol quickly switched the topic. “Ahjumma, the usual for both me and Eunjin, if that’s alright,” he ordered food.

“Of course, of course.” The ahjumma patted her hands on the sides of her apron and walked away.

You looked at Chanyeol. “Do you know her very well?”

“I do.” he answered you “I came to this restaurant a lot as a kid, and the food is familiar here. She’s used to seeing me here.”

“She seems very nice.” You bit back the urge to ask him why the entire restaurant was so familiar.

A few minutes later, two plates of red dukbokki were served. The ahjumma wiped her hands on the side of her apron again and smiled. “Enjoy!”

Chanyeol explained to you, “I noticed that you didn’t eat much at lunch, so I thought that treating you to a place where you might normally eat will be better. Does a western lunch not suit your taste?”

*He noticed?* You did like eating the food at lunch, especially after teasing Oh Sehun, but you did not each much, just like what Chanyeol said. You ate enough to kill your urges of hunger, but not enough like you usually do. “The meal was good. I liked it. But maybe it’s just like you said, I wasn’t exactly used to the food.”

“Thought so.” he grinned. “Well, you can take the meal before as the first half, and this is your second half. Eat as much as you want.”

You picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a bite of the dukbokki. The spicy taste was scarily familiar again, JUST LIKE everything else. You couldn’t contain your curiosity anymore, and finally asked, “T-this might seem like a really strange question, but everything here seems so familiar. I feel like I’ve been here before, but I’m almost positive I haven’t at the same time.”

Chanyeol’s teasing grin was still on his face, not vanishing. You were sure that he knew something about the odd familiarity of the restaurant. He just wasn’t telling you. “Hm..” h