"Chanyeol-ah, you should really buy new clothes. I'm tired of always seeing you in the same hoodies." 

 

 

Junmyeon's voice echoed in the young man's head as he was looking at his dressing-room filled with nothing else but those black hoodies and sportswear pants. It was not really fashionable, he had to admit, but Chanyeol was comfortable in them and he preferred looking like a gang member than like one of those rich kids whose clothes were worth one month of salary. 

 

 

Of course, Chanyeol wanted to look classy sometimes, just like his roommate, but his sense in fashion was worse than anything in the world. He had once tried looking for new stuff on the Internet and when he had showed his selection to the older man, Junmyeon had mocked his lack of fashion sense for at least a week.

 

"Instead of laughing, you could help me hyung." Chanyeol had said but Junmyeon had simply left the apartment to meet his boyfriend, Yixing, or was it Yifan? Chanyeol didn't know, maybe his friend was dating both of them, but who was he to judge anyway. 

 

 

Chanyeol had no one to help him but he thought that if he went to a clothing store, someone would be able to help him find a new style. That is how the tall man found himself waiting for the bus going to the center of the capital where he was sure to find good shops, with pretty and affordable clothes. His big eyes were watching a couple sitting on a bench on the other side of the road and Chanyeol couldn't help himself not to feel jealous about their relationship. 

 

 

He had never dated anyone, and he wondered how it felt like to actually be in love with someone. Junmyeon had once told him that love was thinking that your lover was the most beautiful thing in the world, that you would do anything to protect him. Love, was in fact a pretty scary feeling to Chanyeol. He couldn't even protect himself at home, always burning his fingers when he was trying to cook, or when he was going outside, he was sure to bump into someone or cross the road without looking in all directions because he was focused on his phone. 

 

 

So how was Chanyeol supposed to be protecting the one he would probably fall in love with? 

 

 

Chanyeol sighed. Sehun had told him how dumb he was for feeling that way because love was actually a pretty thing, but it was easy for him to say something like that when Chanyeol thought that Sehun was flawless and that Jongin matched him perfectly. He couldn't help but feel afraid of this powerful feeling since he was one of the clumsiest men in Seoul. 

 

 

He got up once the bus he was waiting for was finally here and bowed his head down a little bit to the driver while scanning his pass and then he found a place next to an old woman who was apparently having a fight on the phone with her daughter. Was love also something that made people angry? Chanyeol didn't know, but it was something he thought would be possible as he watched the woman almost screaming at her own daughter. 

 

 

Love was a weird feeling, Chanyeol thought. 

 

 

He was staring at his phone, scrolling through the Internet to find ideas about what he could buy and he found pretty things, but when he saw the price, the young man closed the page quickly. So expensive. How could a simple white shirt cost that much? He didn't even know the brand but who was he to talk? He didn't know anything about fashion.

 

 

The driver finally stopped near the city's shopping district and Chanyeol got off the bus after smiling at the old woman to try to ease her after her little quarrel with her daughter. She would maybe think that he's crazy for smiling like that at a stranger but Chanyeol didn't really care. The sun was actually shining outside so the tall man decided it was a good day to smile and be happy. 

 

 

And go shopping.

 

 

He had never gone to Hongdae alone, Sehun always being the one dragging him there and buying  lots of things for Jongin who was always busy training at his dance studio. Chanyeol had never bought anything there but he knew that everything was mostly cheap so it was perfect for his low-budget. He started to walk in the far too crowded streets, looking at all the shops around him and trying not to bump into anyone while looking around him. It was a hard process, he had to admit.

 

 

Even harder when his stomach started growling all of a sudden, reminding Chanyeol that he had forgotten to eat this morning before going out. He searched around him for any street-food trunk and his gaze finally zeroed on a tteokbokki stand and he slowly walked in front of the old man cooking the little rice cakes in the spicy sauce. It smelled so good and Chanyeol didn't hesitate to buy a full bowl of the precious food. He tasted the first bite and, fortunately, it wasn't too spicy so he didn't have a hard time finishing his meal even if the spice was still burning his mouth a little bit. He then bought ice cream to ease the burn since the tall man wasn't really used to it and the sweet flavor did its job pretty well.

 

 

Chanyeol was full and he felt that it was now the perfect time to finally search for one shop instead of looking around without actually caring. The thing he liked the most about Hongdae was the diversity of fashion style the different shops had and Chanyeol knew that he would eventually find one where he could buy pretty and comfortable clothes. Maybe Junmyeon would be proud of him and his initiative, or maybe he would be too busy with his lovers to even bother to congratulate Chanyeol for it. He didn't know but either way, he knew that it would probably make Junmyeon happy even if the latter wouldn't say it out loud. 

 

 

Hongdae was also well-known for the bands playing music in the middle of the street and Chanyeol loved how he was able to listen to different varieties of music in the same hour since the bands were usually quite close to each other. There was one playing not far from where Chanyeol had bought his meal and he got closer to the musicians to fully enjoy his time. The singer had a voice that reminded Chanyeol of a soft cloud as it was smooth and pleasing to hear. A small smile appeared on the young man's lips as his eyes trailed over the group of people around the band only to discover that one particular man seemed pretty bothered by the band playing in front of his store. Chanyeol looked at him walking toward the singer to make him stop.

 

 

"Jongdae! Your band is right in front of my store, nobody's coming in because of you!" The young man yelled in protest to the singer while Chanyeol understood that they both clearly knew each other.

 

 

"Are you sure? I thought I was helping you but I guess my beauty exceeds yours." The man named Jongdae suddenly laughed and the other one simply rolled his eyes and asked him to go away before walking into his store again.

 

 

Chanyeol smiled a little bit more because of the strange show he had just witnessed. He could feel that the two men's friendship was genuine even though they were both fighting over a small thing and it reminded Chanyeol of the old lady in the bus earlier that day. They certainly all cared about each other and yet, they still fought for something that Chanyeol thought wasn't really important anyway. 

 

 

Chanyeol’s eyes landed on the small shop’s facade as he read the fading words of the storefront. Lumen. Quite ironic, using a name like this one for a shop that was starting to turn into ruins as the front door had clearly known better days, the windows were dirty from a lack of cleaning and, of course, the name of the shop wasn’t as bright as it should have been when it first opened. Looking at it like that, Chanyeol thought that no one would come to a shop like this one but it added some charm to the mostly perfect street, he had to admit. 

 

 

From where he was, Chanyeol couldn’t really see the kind of things that were being sold in the shop so, as he started to feel curious, he walked towards it and slowly pushed the front door as a soft bell rang when he entered the shop. He was then met with a clear white room filled with clothes of different bright colors and the young man almost regretted coming into this shop since it didn’t match his tastes but the joyful smile of the seller was actually so heartwarming he didn’t want to leave. Not yet.

 

 

"Welcome! Can I help you with anything? Do you wish to look around alone? Do not hesitate to ask for help!" 

 

 

The young man’s voice was so cheerful that Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile a little bit at his behavior. It seemed like he wanted to talk, a lot, but because of his working position he had to restrain himself and it actually was funny since Chanyeol had always been the same kind of guy, always wanting to talk to other people and cheer them up. 

 

 

Chanyeol found that the young seller was actually really pretty, as his cheeks looked really soft with a light pinkish color on top of them. His droopy eyes were sparkling under the bright light of the store and it made him look like a little puppy Chanyeol wanted to adopt. He wasn’t as tall as him though, but the tallest man found that it was a plus to the beauty of the young man whose wide smile made Chanyeol feel butterflies in his stomach. Without knowing him, Chanyeol knew that he was a colorful person, and his pink hair was only an example of that fact. 

 

 

Chanyeol’s mood turned gloomy as he noticed that the only clothes he was wearing were all black and had nothing too wild in them. Even his hair was ordinary. He kind of wanted to look like the young man, bringing happiness into one’s life only with his looks. It wasn’t a lot to do, really, the process wouldn’t be that hard and Chanyeol really wanted to give it a try. All he had to do was to find something brighter than what he was wearing, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

 

 

The shop was organized by size, which was actually quite endearing to Chanyeol who always had a hard time finding clothes that would fit his big frame. He was a giant, he couldn’t deny it, but he loved wearing oversized clothes because he felt comfortable in those and maybe that was why he didn’t have a lot of clothes since it was hard for him to find clothes that big. He started looking through the biggest size but all these colors were starting to make him dizzy as he was not used to this mix of colors into a single place. It was like a rainbow, which was actually pretty, but maybe a little bit too vivid for his tastes.

 

 

"E-Excuse me sir? I was wondering if… You had anything less… Colorful?" Chanyeol finally asked the young man as he was starting to feel uncomfortable around all of these colors. 

 

 

"Sir? You can just call me Baekhyun. And let me see if I can find something for you! Wait here, I’ll be back." The young man called Baekhyun said as he disappeared behind a door probably leading to the storeroom of the shop.

 

 

Chanyeol had a shy smile as he waited there for the young seller. Baekhyun. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful person and Chanyeol thought that it fitted him perfectly. He whispered the name while waiting, testing how the name felt on his tongue and it was so incredibly easy to pronounce it, and so satisfying. He wanted to say it out loud, to see if the feeling was the same or if it could change something, make it even more powerful.

 

 

"Baekhyun!" 

 

 

Without noticing it, Chanyeol had almost screamed the name of the store merchant and as he finally noticed his strange behavior, he put his hands on his mouth as if he could keep the sound he had just made. But it was too late and his gaze met Baekhyun’s as he was standing in front of him, darker clothes in his arms. But the latter didn’t seem to actually be surprised by Chanyeol screaming his name and he simply smiled at him as it was obvious he was trying to restrain a laugh.

 

 

"I’m back, I’m back. Don’t be too impatient Mister giant ears." Baekhyun said while walking towards him and putting the clothes he had taken from the storeroom into Chanyeol’s arms. "Now, go change and we’ll see if it matches your big round eyes."

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t know what to say as the young man was almost pushing him into the changing room, closing the curtain behind him once he was in the small space. Baekhyun was really friendly to him, maybe a little bit too much for a total stranger, but it was refreshing and Chanyeol liked the feeling of it. It was like he was shopping with a friend, but not the same way as he had once done it with Sehun. The latter was always looking for things to buy for his lover, and Chanyeol was only with him to watch. This time, it was different. He was here for himself, and it felt good to actually take care of himself for once.

 

 

"I’m Chanyeol by the way!" He stated while taking off his black hoodie and looking carefully at the clothes Baekhyun had chosen for him.

 

 

"Okay Chanyeol-shi, I liked Mister giant ears better but Chanyeol works perfectly fine." Baekhyun answered from the other side of the curtain as a soft giggle could be heard.

 

 

He liked it. Chanyeol liked the way the young man was saying his name. And he liked even more how his laugh was so cheerful, a genuine one. He smiled and simply put on the first shirt he grabbed without actually looking at it. All he knew was that it was brown and the sleeves were short. He then opened the curtain and Baekhyun turned to look at him almost instantly, a huge smile crossing his face. An ethereal face. Why was Chanyeol thinking that way? He was out of his mind, probably because of all these colors surrounding him. That was the only plausible explanation.

 

 

"You’re handsome! I like it! Look at you." 

 

 

Baekhyun pointed out a mirror and Chanyeol walked towards it and he actually didn’t know what to think. Of course, the shirt fitted him perfectly and he liked how the cotton felt against his skin. But the pink unicorn drawing on the front? It wasn’t really what he had expected but coming from someone as colorful as Baekhyun, he should have expected something like this to happen. He maybe was too naive, foolish, but he still had hope. The shirt wasn’t ugly if he had to be honest, but he didn’t like it on himself. Maybe on someone else, someone like Baekhyun it would be prettier, but for him, it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to tell Baekhyun that he didn’t like it, that he preferred something without anything weird on it but Chanyeol loved the way the young man was looking at him happily. He couldn’t break the happiness of small puppy, could he?

 

 

"It’s… Good? I’ll take it…" Chanyeol had a nervous laugh as he returned to the fitting room to undress quickly. 

 

 

He sighed, softly so that Baekhyun could not hear him and grabbed the next shirt but this time, he looked at it carefully. It was a dark green one but, of course, a big red bird was drawn on the front. He took the next one, and the next one. They were all like the first two ones, all having crazy drawings on the front but Chanyeol couldn’t simply tell Baekhyun that he wasn’t going to buy anything, not after seeing his bright smile, not after hearing him laughing happily. 

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t know Baekhyun, having just met him, but the young man seemed so fragile that he wanted to protect him with all his might. Then, Chanyeol remembered Junmyeon’s words about this feeling called love and everything started to blur his mind as it hit him. Was Chanyeol in love with Baekhyun, this eccentric guy wearing bright colors to match his pinkish lips and hair? He had never believed in love at first sight, and maybe it wasn’t even love since Chanyeol had never known what that feeling really was, but he still wanted to make Baekhyun happy and if buying those ugly shirts was the first step on this path to happiness, then he was going to buy them, even if he would only wear them as pajamas.

 

 

He didn’t bother trying them though, simply took all the clothes in his arms, and went out of the fitting room as embarrassment filled his whole body. Why was he doing this for a simple stranger? Chanyeol didn’t know, and it was weird to actually care that much about someone he didn’t even know the favorite color of though it was obvious the young man loved all the colors melted together into a beautiful rainbow. 

 

 

"I’m going to take all of them." Even if it wasn’t as loud as a whisper, Chanyeol’s voice was still clear enough for Baekhyun to hear it and the latter seemed surprised by his words.

 

 

"Really? That’s a lot, Chanyeol-shi. You’re my best costumer of the year, you deserve a prize!" Baekhyun said while laughing as he started to scan the articles behind the counter. Chanyeol would maybe not have any money left after paying for all of these shirts but if it meant that the young man was happy, then it was fine to him.

 

 

"A prize? Then, will you go out with me, Baekhyun-shi? We can have coffee or, I don’t know, anything else you like." 

 

 

It was a bold move, one Chanyeol almost regretted as soon as he had said those words but the pretty smile Baekhyun offered him embraced him like a warm blanket lingering on his shoulders. In the end, wanting to protect the young man was a comfortable feeling Chanyeol was getting used to and he wanted to know how far this little spark could take him.

 

 

"That would be lovely, Chanyeol-ah."