Kyungsoo noticed a few things that day. One was that Chanyeol really grew into his looks now nearing his thirties. Chanyeol used to have what Kyungsoo would call a “baby face” which was quite gone now. It had been almost fourteen years since then, so that was no surprise to see each other change so much.

Secondly, Chanyeol seemed to have a growth spurt over the years and was now quite significantly taller than Kyungsoo was. Kyungsoo remembered that Chanyeol had always been taller but not this much taller certainly.

Thirdly, Chanyeol didn’t seem to speak or react to other people who tried to converse with him. But when it came to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol spoke normally albeit a bit slower and not as loud or merry as Kyungsoo remembered him to be.

Kyungsoo didn’t rush to conclusions straight away at Chanyeol’s distinct behavior but it did make him wonder.

At the restaurant, Chanyeol refused to talk to or even look at any of the waiters who were trying to take his order, which had caused quite a considerable fuss among the restaurant staff.

But when Kyungsoo came along, Chanyeol did talk and even asked Kyungsoo how he was doing in perfect Korean, which puzzled everyone else who had thought that he might have been deaf or didn’t speak Korean.

Kyungsoo ended up ordering the food for Chanyeol, while Chanyeol read out what he wanted to eat from the menu. Chanyeol wouldn’t talk to the restaurant staff, just Kyungsoo.

When the waiter asked them questions to confirm the order, Chanyeol would act like he did just now. He wouldn’t even bother to look at them or react.

But when it came to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol would talk. Kyungsoo had to act as Chanyeol’s intermediary the entire time they were eating at the restaurant.

And Kyungsoo greatly noticed how Chanyeol was quieter, more passive and didn’t talk as much as he used to.

It was like Chanyeol had mellowed down so drastically and the boisterous Chanyeol that Kyungsoo once knew was long gone. Or so as it was too early to tell.

“I’m happy to see you again, Chanyeol. I’m happy to see you are doing well. I read a lot about you on the news and the association talks about you a lot. I’m glad we ran into each other. How long has it been since you have been living in Japan? How is life there? Do you have a girlfriend? How are your mother and sister?” Kyungsoo eagerly asked, drilling Chanyeol with the questions.

Kyungsoo was just happy to finally meet up with his old friend, Chanyeol, again. For a moment, all the hurt, guilt and distance that had kept them apart was forgotten as they sat together for the first time in a long time as the friends they once were.

Chanyeol was holding up his chopsticks, slurping on his noodles with his head bowed down near the bowl when he looked up and gulped down his noodles.

Chanyeol stared straight into Kyungsoo’s eyes from across the table.

Kyungsoo thought he saw fear in Chanyeol’s eyes before Chanyeol’s expression turned into a soft smile.

“Thirteen years now. Life is good. No girlfriend. My sister is married and my mother lives with her now.” Chanyeol answered.

Kyungsoo was quite underwhelmed by Chanyeol’s answer. Was that it? Didn’t Chanyeol have more to talk about after being apart for so long? Was Chanyeol not excited to see him again?

Was Chanyeol not going to ask him questions too? Maybe Kyungsoo was right that Chanyeol did not care about him anymore after all.

“Uh…” Kyungsoo gaped, “Chanyeol, are you alright? Are you on any kind of medication?” Kyungsoo asked, suspecting something from Chanyeol’s behavior but not having enough evidence to back it up with.

Chanyeol simply shook his head.

Kyungsoo paused in thought before continuing, “I get it. You’re mad at me for all these years. You don’t want to talk to me until I apologize. I really am sorry for all that, Chanyeol. How do I make it up to you?”

Chanyeol lifted his head from his bowl of noodles again and stared with blank eyes into Kyungsoo’s, “Nothing is wrong, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo asked in the softest tone he could manage, “Nothing? We haven’t seen each other in thirteen years and talked to each other in eleven years because of me. Are you not mad at this? Are you really alright, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol nodded to that, affirming Kyungsoo’s statement through actions instead of words.

Kyungsoo paid for both their meals which he hardly ate at all because of how his mind was racing about Chanyeol’s less than comforting decision.

Chanyeol had opened his wallet and Kyungsoo almost balked at how thick and full it was; not because Chanyeol had a lot of money but because Chanyeol only had Japanese yen and not Korean won in his wallet.

Had Chanyeol been planning to pay for his meal all this time with foreign currency which he didn’t even change when he arrived?

Kyungsoo immediately offered to pay when he saw Chanyeol struggling with his Japanese notes.

The waiter at the restaurant had packed Kyungsoo’s hardly touched meal to take away, which was placed on the cashier top while Kyungsoo was making the payment.

“Can I have that?” Chanyeol pointed to the take out on the cashier counter, hovering behind Kyungsoo.

“Yeah sure,” Kyungsoo agreed, seeing Chanyeol pick up the takeout by reaching his hand from around Kyungsoo and standing just a few inches behind Kyungsoo where he remained until Kyungsoo was done making the payment.

“I heard you have a tournament tomorrow morning so you’ll be in Seoul until the tournament is over. Which hotel are you staying at? I can walk you there.” Kyungsoo questioned, standing on the sidewalk of the restaurant with Chanyeol standing behind him still.

“Oh!” Chanyeol exclaimed, rummaging through his coat pockets for a while before handing Kyungsoo a piece of paper.

“What is this?” Kyungsoo took the paper that Chanyeol handed him and read it.

Scribbled on the paper was an address for a popular hotel somewhere downtown, one which Kyungsoo knew exactly it was located at.

“Did you make a reservation here?” Kyungsoo asked, looking up at Chanyeol who was peering over his shoulders from behind.

“No, the association told me to go there,” Chanyeol replied, softly reading the paper from over Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“Let me guess, you don’t know where it is?”

“No idea,” Chanyeol answered.

“I’ll bring you there then. Follow me. We might have to take a subway though,” Kyungsoo urged, showing Chanyeol the way.

Chanyeol walked close behind Kyungsoo, probably too close even because Chanyeol ended up knocking his foot into the back of Kyungsoo’s leg a few times.

Chanyeol’s longer legs and larger strides weren’t helping either.

“Here, walk beside me. Not behind me, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo instructed, pointing to the empty space beside him.

“Oh, okay. Sorry,” Chanyeol muttered, doing as he was told.

When the green pedestrian light was lit, Kyungsoo stepped off the curb and onto the zebra crossing to cross the road only to realize that Chanyeol was still standing there, looking down at the asphalt road.

“Chanyeol, it’s green. Time to go before the countdown is over,” Kyungsoo noted to the ticking time left for the pedestrians to cross.

Chanyeol looked up and stared ahead when he heard his name being called out.

Kyungsoo sighed, pulling on Chanyeol’s arm and walking him down the zebra crossing to the curb on the other side of the road.

Watching Chanyeol act in such a way, Kyungsoo’s theory began to slowly support itself as he was trying to key the pieces in his head on why Chanyeol was like that now.

Because Kyungsoo was sure as hell that Chanyeol wasn’t like this the last time.

Something had happened to him while they were away, which explained why he was like “that” now.

At the subway station, Chanyeol spotted a money exchange booth and tugged onto the sleeve of Kyungsoo’s shirt before pointing at the booth.

Kyungsoo, who was busy reading the timetables displayed on the board, stirred, “Yeah, what is it, Chanyeol?”

Kyungsoo looked to where Chanyeol pointed, “Oh, you want to change your money?”

Chanyeol nodded, pulling out his wallet and handing Kyungsoo a wad of cash and muttering a low, “Please.”

“Sure, let me change it for you,” Kyungsoo was a bit jittery to be holding other people’s money, especially that much.

Kyungsoo handed the money to the teller to change it into Korean won while Chanyeol stood behind, watching from over his shoulder.

After counting and confirming the amount, Kyungsoo handed the money back to Chanyeol who arranged it in ascending order in his wallet.

Chanyeol then handed Kyungsoo an amount of money, holding his hand out with the money but not saying anything.

“No, Chanyeol, I cannot take this. Keep it,” Kyungsoo instructed. “I can take care of the train fare. It’s not that much anyway and what you’re giving me is too much.”

Despite being like that now, Chanyeol was quite compliant and easily listened to what he was told. Chanyeol slipped the notes back into his wallet, arranging it in order.

Kyungsoo paid for both their train fare and bought Chanyeol a ticket. Kyungsoo held Chanyeol’s hand all the way through t