“What are we doing?” Baekhyun folded his arms in a mix of annoyance and amusement. While the carnival was always graced with cooling sea breeze, Baekhyun could still feel the back of his shirt sticking to his back. He was not prepared to do much walking in the sun today, but that was before Luke insisted that they should not be sitting around, with nothing to do. And so, Baekhyun humored the child.   Luke was grinning, as he let go of Baekhyun’s shirt after successfully tugged him to the game stalls, which was all the way at the far end of the carnival. Baekhyun had not wandered to this end since figuring out that most of the stalls were a scam of money. The seven-year-old didn’t seem to share the same belief. Right before them, were a pyramid of sodas can in mismatched colors.   “I heard throwing balls helps when you are upset.” Luke gushed, with a little bounce in his step.   “Then you can play it,” Baekhyun replied.   “I am not upset. You are.” Luke answered, earning a sharp gaze from Baekhyun. “Besides, I ain’t got any money.”   Baekhyun let out a sigh, before glancing up at the teenager manning the store. The teen lifted out several fingers lazily, and Baekhyun paid up accordingly. Though Luke had claimed all these was because he wanted to cheer Baekhyun up having sense his unhappiness, the child’s eyes lit up eagerly as the bucket of three balls were placed before them. It was so easy to read this kid.   “Go ahead.” Baekhyun nodded, knowing Luke was waiting for the permission.   Luke grinned sheepishly before reaching out a ball in the bucket. He his lips in all seriousness, before throwing the ball with all the might that his seven-year-old body could muster. Baekhyun watched as the ball flew towards the cans in surprising fast speed, and right over the pyramid without hitting a single target.   “Oops.” Luke scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks flushed red. “It didn’t look this hard.”   “Step aside, shorty,” Baekhyun commanded as Luke complied silently. His brows furrowed as Baekhyun took aim, and the ball went right through the base, toppling all six cans with a single strike.   “WOW! WOW! You are good!” Luke cheered with admiration. Baekhyun was rubbing his arms unconsciously, too surprised at hitting his target, to be annoyed by Luke’s overwhelming glee.   “I didn’t think I will remember how to do this.” Baekhyun found himself muttering under his breathe.   Luke was watching him with his mouth still gaping open, and his eyes swimming with admiration. “Could you teach me?”   Picking up the last ball in the basket, Baekhyun handed it over to the kid. “It’s all in the wrist. Here, get into position. No, adjust your stance. Yup, that’s right. And keep your elbow bent…”   As Baekhyun showed Luke the correct stance of throwing, an odd sense of déjà vu rose in him. Baekhyun wasn’t naturally good at throwing balls. Someone had taught him, a long time ago. He had heard the same words spoken to him before. Who was it?   A loud clank shook Baekhyun out of his thoughts, indicating that Luke had managed to hit the target. A couple of tries later, and a few more dollars lost, Baekhyun was holding a corgi plushie in his hand, while Luke was running in front of him with a fidget spinner.   “This is so cool! What is this? Look at this?” The chubby boy held out the spinning toy to Baekhyun’s face.   “You really need friends if you haven’t seen this before,” Baekhyun mumbled, though he let a smile crept onto his face at the sight of the happy child. It was indeed good to be seven, the boy had long forgotten that he was mad at Baekhyun just moments earlier. For the first time, Baekhyun found himself envious of Luke. Life was a lot easier at that age.   “I told you I have a friend.” Luke stuck a tongue out in response. “I got an invite to my friend’s house tomorrow. I have never been to anyone else’s place before.”   “Oh?” Baekhyun answered distractedly.   “Yea! She was one of my classmates that I ran into yesterday. Not the one who was making fun of me for being alone… the nicer one. She said her mum made great cookies.”   “A girl huh?” Baekhyun smirked at the young boy who only rolled his eyes. He glanced at the plush toy in his hands, before handing it over to Luke. “Here, she will like this. Tell her you won it.”   Luke blinked at him in confusion. “I didn’t win it. You did.”   “You really have a lot to learn about how to impress girls. Just take it.” Baekhyun commanded and Luke dutifully took it after a moment’s hesitation.   Baekhyun supposed he understood Luke’s excitement was more about the fact that he had a friend, rather than the gender of this friend. It really was easier as a child, Baekhyun thought wryly. It wasn’t like it was very hard for a man like Baekhyun to impress the opposite gender, but it was definitely done with a lot more thought and deliberation.   ‘I have cookies’ would never really worked as a pick-up line.   “You really don’t want this? Are you sure you don’t have anyone else to give this too?” Luke interrupted his thoughts.   “Yes, stop rubbing it in.” Baekhyun chided, though it was mostly out of good nature. “I am helping you making a good impression.”   “Thank you.” The boy muttered. “I know you probably think I am being stupid. But I really do want her to like me…”   “No…” Baekhyun replied firmly. “It’s not stupid to want her to like you.”   Luke stopped in his tracks, glancing up at the man in surprise. “You were telling me not to make friends.”   “I was telling you not to trust the wrong friends.” Baekhyun waved a hand around, not willing to bring up the topic anymore, now that Luke looked significantly happier. He wasn’t that much of an to ruin that. Besides, Baekhyun was tired.   “She’s nice… she tells the other boys off when they make fun of me.” Luke said. When the boy caught Baekhyun staring, he quickly turned a shade of red. “Not that they were bullying me. They were just trying to be funny. They might like me better if I shared this with them eh?”   The boy lifted the fidget spinner.   At Luke’s wide expressive eyes, Baekhyun felt a clump in this throat. “Forget those boys. Who cares if they don’t like you? You will be an easy target if you keep trying to get them to like you.”   “I am not trying to get them to like me… I just want to be nice to them. Mum said we must always be kind.”   “Did she now?”   “Yea! She says if I treat everyone with kindness, I will grow up to be a very handsome man.”   Baekhyun burst out laughing as Luke scowled.   “There’s a lie that adults tell children isn’t it?”   “Yes, it is.”   “I knew it!”   As Luke muttered under his breath, Baekhyun shook his head in resignation. He had a lot of thoughts about why it never paid to be kind, but he decided, that Luke had enough life lessons for the day. Baekhyun really was tired. His mind had been swarming with heavy thoughts, and it was only Luke’s infectious joy that relieved him momentarily.   “I have to go now.” The young boy said as he took a worried glance at Baekhyun’s watch. “I guess I won’t see you tomorrow.”   “Are you actually worried about me?” Baekhyun folded his arms in amusement. He had to admit, he was getting used to Luke and was pretty sorry to see him go. Baekhyun wasn’t looking forward to returning alone to his own thoughts.   “Well yea, I get to play with my friend tomorrow. But you don’t have anyone here, do you?”   “I’ll live,” Baekhyun answered drily.   Luke, probably realizing he said something rude, lowered his head slightly. “You are my friend. I don't want to see you lonely.”   Baekhyun shrugged, before asking the young boy if he needed a ride. Luke shook his head, declaring that he liked to walk. It sounded ridiculous to Baekhyun but before he could say anything else, Luke interrupted.   “Are you still in town, on Saturday?”   “I am not sure,” Baekhyun answered honestly. He had yet to decide how long his stay would be.   “Oh. Well, there’s a magic show every Saturday at 3 pm. I am planning to catch it. I think I can figure out the trick soon! I hope to see you again, Mr. Vader!”   Baekhyun was just about to interrupt Luke regarding that particular nickname when the boy turned around and ran out of sight, his tiny body easily lost in the crowd. The older man found himself rooted to the same spot even when it was clear the child was long gone. He didn’t know where to go next.   Would he be around on Saturday? That’s two days from now.   Why though, did Saturday felt like it was supposed to be busy? The question briefly crossed his mind as he made a move to be on his way. And when he finally figured it out, Baekhyun took in a sharp breath.   Saturday used to be date night.       When Baekhyun first saw her, it was a Saturday.   He really shouldn’t be in the office that day, but such was a life of a small employee trying to finish his first big project. He had bosses to answer to and a lot to prove. Baekhyun even wondered if he had taken on more than he could chew. Still, Baekhyun took it in stride, believing that it was an opportunity that he could not lose. It had a been a chore that no one else was willing to do, a project that everyone was so sure that was going to fail. But Baekhyun liked challenges. He had always prided himself on seeing opportunities in places that others couldn’t.   Baekhyun saw her that day.   Lee Sooyoung.   She was much more beautiful in person, but every bit as graceful and elegant as Baekhyun had heard. Lee Sooyoung stood out like an angel in the human world. She was the opposite of plain, the envy of the average. She was a standard of her own, the type of person who was born on a pedestal while the rest could only fight their way to be near her. He had been so armored by the sight of her walking past that he had run straight into the glass door of the pantry that he was headed towards, for his third cup of coffee of the day.