“Baekhyun-ah, over here!”

Baekhyun turns to see a fragile old woman tottering towards him. He hurries towards her, dragging his heavy canvas bag along.

“Halmeoni!” he yells, wrapping his arms around his grandmother, making sure not to hurt her small frame. “I missed you so much!”

Byun Kyungmi chuckles, patting her grandson on the back. “I missed you too, Baekhyun-ah.” She pulls away to scrutinize his face more closely. “You’re as skinny as a stick!” she exclaims worriedly, squeezing his hand. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

Baekhyun smiles, listens to his grandmother fuss over him, lets her fill him in on the latest town gossip. He nods periodically, makes small exclamations when he’s expected to respond, laughs accordingly.

He’s missed Cheongsu.

It’s a small town, he admits, stepping onto the small dirt path leading to the village. The people mostly tend orchards or own local shops, and life is peaceful. Baekhyun takes a deep breath, savoring the crisp September air. The deep blue of the sky soothes his frazzled nerves, and for the first time in a long time, Baekhyun relaxes.

“Halmeoni,” he asks between mouthfuls of noodles, “do you know if there are other photographers in the area?”

His grandmother pauses. “I don’t believe so,” she finally says, “but there are definitely kids your age. Park Chanyeol’s a nice boy, and Son Naeun’s sweet. You two would look cute together!”

That makes Baekhyun laugh. “We’ll have to see about that,” he teases back. “Maybe she’s not pretty enough for me.”

Kyungmi chuckles. “Oh, I forgot Yixing!” she suddenly exclaims, clapping her hands together. Baekhyun raises his eyebrows, confused by the strange name. “Zhang Yixing,” his grandmother explains. “He’s Chinese, and why he decided to come here, I have no idea. Poor boy, all alone in a strange country, with not even a single family member to support him!”

“I suppose the community treats him as a communal son,” Baekhyun remarks amusedly, knowing small-town behavior all too well. “I’ll have to meet him at some point.”

Truthfully, Baekhyun does not want to meet this Zhang Yixing. He expects him to be a simpering, stuck-up up who looks down on the village people.

“I’m ready to go home, halmeoni,” he says, pushing his bowl away. “I want to see Mongryeongie!”

Kyungmi chuckles. “Of course you do,” she teases affectionately. “Come on, then. She’s been waiting for you.”

***

“Mongryeongie!” Baekhyun shouts, letting his bags fall into the dust. “Mongryeongie, come here, girl!”

With a loud bark and a flurry of beige-colored fur, Mongryeong leaps into Baekhyun’s arms, slurping at his face with small yaps. Baekhyun leans away, laughing.

“Alright, alright, I get it!” he tells the over-excited corgi. “I missed you too, and I’m sorry for leaving you here for so long, but hey, now I’m back for good!”

The two roll around in the courtyard for a bit longer, and when Baekhyun finally stands up, Mongryeong in his arms, he finds a person standing in the doorway.

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol!” the tall stranger greets cheerily, holding out a hand. “I’m here to visit Kyungmi-halmeoni, but I can come back if she’s not home right now.”

Baekhyun blinks. Isn’t this the ‘nice boy’ around his age? “No, she’s home,” he answers quickly, taking the proffered hand with a smile. “I’m her grandson, Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol’s eyes light up. “OH! You’re that Baekhyun! She talks about you all the time!” Mongryeong escapes from Baekhyun and runs away, barking. “Dammit, she’s never liked me,” says Chanyeol sadly, scratching his head, “and I come every day!”

“What do you even do?” Baekhyun glances back into the house to see if his grandmother’s coming. “She doesn’t need that much help yet, does she?”

“Nah.” Chanyeol opens his mouth to explain, but Kyungmi steps out of the house. “Oh, halmeoni!” He waves, grinning. “I was just getting to know Baekhyun!”

Kyungmi waves a hand. “Go ahead,” she calls. “Chanyeol’s a friendly boy, Baekhyun. I think you’ll like him.” She turns back inside, and Chanyeol beams.

“I help her take care of Mongryeongie,” he says, “since she doesn’t want to run around anymore.”

Baekhyun barks out a short laugh but immediately feels sorry for sounding mean. “Sorry.” He follows Chanyeol across the courtyard. “I never thought she’d hire someone for that, especially since I told her I’d be coming back.”

Chanyeol turns, eyebrows furrowed. “You used to live here?” he asks, confused. “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

Baekhyun shrugs, picking up the bag of dog food in the corner of the yard. “I left when I was fifteen.” He feels Chanyeol’s curious gaze on the back of his head, but thankfully, the other man doesn’t press the topic.

“Where did you go?” Chanyeol asks instead, following Baekhyun into the storage room. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Incheon.” Baekhyun can almost see Chanyeol’s surprised expression. “I know, why not Seoul?” He stoops down to shove the dog food under a shelf. “I don’t know. It just didn’t appeal to me.”

And that is that. They finish feeding Mongryeong, and Chanyeol invites Baekhyun to his place. “I’m sure my parents would love you!”

“Sorry, I’m a little tired.” Baekhyun sends Chanyeol off (“Aw, that’s fine. Feel free to find me anytime!”) and enters his childhood home for the first time in ten years.

We're off to a good start! Anything you can tell by Baekhyun and Chanyeol's interactions? Yixing? Oh, btw, I just made up a name for Baekhyun's grandma lol idk what her name is irl don't bash me--