Things have changed quite a lot since the beginning of Kyungsoo's sophomore year of highschool.

For some reason, people were always afraid of Kyungsoo. They stepped away from him, cleared him a path to pass through so that they wouldn't have to be anywhere near him more than necessary. He was used to that. Chanyeol, however, Kyungsoo's complete opposite; Bright, friendly, kind, instead of opening him a path to cross, began communicating with him. Everyone always crowds around Chanyeol. Like the sun has stars orbiting around it, he spreads happiness and life. And thanks to that, Kyungsoo also, received a little bit of life.

The first time they ever met was back on the first morning of highschool's enterance ceremony. Up until that point, everyone had always apologized to Kyungsoo for simply existing within his vicinity, as if fearing a curse would befall them. Everyone, but Chanyeol.

"U-Uhm... If you're looking for the highschool, it's that way." Kyungsoo approached the confused looking tall guy standing in the middle of a divergence in the path. With a small gesture in the right direction, he looked up at the guy, the first freshman he'd seen for the year. Kyungsoo had already prepared himself to be apologized to, and left alone.

But then, instead of receiving a fearful apology, the boy smiled at him. A small yet bright smile with a dimple to decorate. 
"Thank you." He said and nodded with gratitude. 

Even before knowing who or how Chanyeol was, before knowing they would be assigned in the same class, before even learning his name, this guy had already given Kyungsoo his first charm of good luck. A smile. At that moment, all Kyungsoo could do was fill up with happiness and return just as bright of a smile. He remembers very clearly, the way the boy's face turned into something filled with interest, curiousity, while receiving a smile from him. 

Kyungsoo hopes that one day he will be able to be more like Chanyeol. More like the Chanyeol that volunteered to take his task during summer break because he noticed how he does it every time. The Chanyeol that kindly offered him to go out for movies together in exchange for the food Kyungsoo had given him whenever they had to be at school during that break.

He remembers how Chanyeol requested to trade his seats with another student, just to be able to sit next to him. Despite all of the ghostly rumours surrounding Kyungsoo. And that beautiful smile he sent his way when announcing that he's satisfied. How jongdae, Baekhyun and Sehun settled all around him. It made him feel at bliss. 

Ever since that day, his heart has been filled with feelings he had never experienced before. He's going to treasure these moments as his precious memories. 

That happiness didn't last for too long, however. Shortly after, he learned the true power of rumours in the worst, most painful way possible. Rumours hurting the people who matter to him. How sad they've become, how hurt they were. He took responsibility on his own. Staying away from the only few who brought him happiness, thinking that somehow the distance will keep them safe. However, he learned that even with his efforts, the words kept circulating and escalating. 

Thanks to Chanyeol's never ending kindness, and encouraging words and actions, he was able to turn everything around and come to a resolution. He put it to an end by confronting not only those who spoke those words, but also his own fears. Learning how to properly respect the people he loves, and trusting in their good efforts when things get rough.

He made real friends. And it is, to this day, still one of his greatest achievements.

When the outdoors activities festival came around, Kyungsoo got to know another side of Chanyeol he hadn't known. A side filled with passion, excitement, and freedom. The hours they spent together messing around in the music room would be carved in his memories forever. 

He became friends with Sohda around that time, too. And heard her confession of her feelings towards Chanyeol then, too.

Thanks to Sohda's efforts in helping Kyungsoo understand exactly what he feels, or rather, in an attempt to steer him away from Chanyeol, he learned what love was. Even if he quickly after found out that Sohda's intentions were cruel from the start. 

How she was the one who started the rumours and blamed Kyungsoo, how she tried to make Kyungsoo seem like he is interested in Sehun... He still learned a lot from Sohda. And he truly appreciates the honest words the two of them had exchanged over the matter.

And now that Kyungsoo knows the truth, everything feels like it had fallen into place. Like he'd gotten over the first step of transforming himself and grow to become a little more similar to the person he wishes his better version of himself to be. How now knows that he has a secure spot in other people's lives whether he believes he deserves it or not. It's both a burden and a huge relief at the same time to his contradicting needs and honest feelings, but he'll get through it.

Kyungsoo had a few days to think over the change he's gone through. Two thoughts however, kept taking the spotlight over all the rest. The first one being, as expected, the revalation of his feelings towards Chanyeol. Honestly, he would love to continue expanding on that and digging down to the depths of his heart for further proof, he just gets so overwhelmed whenever the thought comes up that he nearly has little malfunctions in behaviour at times.

The second one, not too surprising, being Sohda. After her confession, after the confrontation about the truth, she's gone through a massive change herself. An instant shift in everything that everybody thought they knew about her. With her brand new aura, appearance, and attitude, Kyungsoo wasn't even sure if her 'rank' in the eyes of the students pummeled down or spiked up.

One thing is certain though, she still comes over to their classroom's entrance to speak with Chanyeol from time to time. The previous bubbly air that surrounded them in the past is nonexistent anymore, and was replaced by a laid back family-like energy. Chanyeol's smiles and laughter towards her seemed a lot more mature, and her new way of speaking and carrying herself made her, surprisingly, more approachable for a lot or students.

She simply doesn't hold the same sensation of royalty that used to ooze out of her wherever she went. Kyungsoo thought the fact that she became so real about her true personality with the rest of the school was incredible. It's so brave. It must have taken her a lot of strength to break down the cutesie and sparkly facade down.

Thinking about Sohda gives Kyungsoo so many clashing feelings. He nearly jumped when he snapped back to reality and found her standing beside him. Having been given the task to water the flower garden yet again by the teacher, that's where Kyungsoo spent his break. Well, he wasn't there alone anymore.

He stared at Sohda quietly. Her blonde hair shimmering beautifully in the sun, and her resting face expression has an adorable yet piercing beauty to it. She stood there quietly and looked at the flowers, hands held together behind her back.

"I confessed to him." She said quietly. Kyungsoo jerked lightly from the shock. Oh god. How was she able to do such a thing? Kyungsoo could barely bring himself to tell Sohda how he feels, and she gathered enough strength and confidence to tell the one she loves how she feels? Sohda is stronger than Kyungsoo had already thought she was.

"I got really worked up after our conversation. I got stressed, I was scared. It felt like time started ticking backwards on me after I heard your confession." She continued, then lowered her eyes a little at the flowers. 
"I told him that I love him, and then I couldn't stop, and I told him everything that I'd done over the years to try and keep him for myself." Her voice was quiet and mellow, but she didn't seem to be too emotional.

Kyungsoo's heart was beating faster than ever, he felt both anticipation and terrible anxiety, getting lost in her words because he can't handle the wait to hear how Chanyeol reacted to it.

Sohda's face then shifted into a smile, a very warm and gentle smile, and Kyungsoo could almost feel his spirit leaving his body in an attempt to somehow merge with her in order to learn all the things she knows about the confession. But she then just laughed lightly, raising a hand to play with her hair.

"He scolded me so much for that. He looked so shocked, then angry, then disappointed... And then he sighed it all away and began telling me that he really dislikes knowing that I've done such things." She explained calmly, and Kyungsoo could almost see it in his mind. Chanyeol talking to her with that serious face of his. It must have hurt so bad to have the person she loves scold her and show disappointment in her actions.

"But he was so kind too..." She paused talking for a little while and moved her foot on the ground a little. 
"He apologized for not being able to return my feelings, then before I turned to leave he thanked me for loving him." Kyungsoo could finally breathe. He didn't know which answer he hoped to hear, but a huge weight just lifted off of his heart when the relief of knowing that Sohda got rejected washed over his body. Is it selfish of him to feel relief because of that?

That explained the slight change in the way the two of them interact with each other at school. Kyungsoo had noticed it, but he didn't know the reason behind it was the fact that against all of his expectations, Sohda had come forward and confessed more than just her feelings to him. She was able to shed off her previous shell thanks to Chanyeol's kindness. Just like Kyungsoo himself. Both of their lives are heavily twisting and shifting and changing thanks to Chanyeol. Maybe they have way more in common than Kyungsoo thought.

"Kyungsoo... I don't love Chanyeol anymore." She then said, holding both her hands tight together in front of her as her eyes haven't left the dewy flowers shining under the sun. They are so beautiful when the little water groups make them sparkle. These flowers look to Kyungsoo a lot like Sohda right now.

"Knowing for a fact that I don't have a chance... It felt like I was released from a prison of pain, and anger, jealousy, and selfishness. I was caged by my own feelings... I was stuck there for so long, feeling so intensely for Chanyeol in secret." Sohda continued talking, every words she said came straight out of her heart, Kyungsoo could feel. He couldn't relate to the feeling itself, but he definitely felt very grateful to be able to hear these honest words from her.

Sohda sighed and glanced over at Kyungsoo for a little while. 
"You know, ever since middle school, I got so accustomed to being used by everyone else... They achieved what they wanted, and then forgot about my existence. Everyone always had something, a goal, a target, a reason, and I had nothing I wanted for myself." She brought up memories that were clearly unhappy, Kyungsoo could see from the way her eyes looked a little lifeless. 
"I wanted to have something of my own, so I'd stop being pushed around into helping anybody else." Explaining it like this, Kyungsoo couldn't help but understand the logic behind her thought process.

"And... Even though I didn't have anything in common with Chanyeol, who was still just a lanky weird kid that just started middle school like me, I selected him to be my one desired secret. Just so I'd have something to guard, something to treasure. Just so I'd feel like I exist for something beyond the purpose of serving other's needs." Her voice was serious, and hurt, and came from a place in her heart that's filled with painful loneliness. Kyungsoo imagined what it's like to be in a situation similar to what she had described... And surprised himself by realizing he had been awfully living through the same script.

"The feelings I had for Chanyeol were nothing but an illusion of all that I wanted people to feel towards me. It took me some days to realize why I didn't feel anything at all when he rejected me... It's so stupid. I didn't love him, I just loved the idea of being loved like him." She pouted as she spoke, almost as if scolding herself for what her own past self had implemented so deep within her that it took her this long, and this much trouble to uncover.

Sohda then turned to look directly into Kyungsoo's eyes. Her expression focused and real, with no fake smiles or an effortful high pitched voice. 
"I don't regret anything of what I did. I've come to accept it all. But... I put you through a lot of trouble. And I'm sorry. You didn't deserve any of this, and I knew it from the start. Everything was already so tough for you." She spoke seriously, there was a little hitch in her voice that gave away the fact that on the inside, she still has many regrets about the way things have gone. But then her lips puckered out in another grumpy pout.

"D-Don't you dare say that you forgive me, or some pety bull like that. I don't need your forgiveness." She pointed her finger at him threateningly for a moment, causing Kyungsoo to stress slightly and raise his hands in the air to signal his surrender. After examining him with her eyes, she dropped the finger, her expression softened, and she laughed for several seconds, loosening up her body and allowing Kyungsoo to ease down as well.

"You're a good kid. I can totally understand Chanyeol." Sohda mumbled with a little smile, before clasping her hands together behind her back again, and turning to face away from Kyungsoo. She can understand Chanyeol? Kyungsoo had no idea what that statement meant, but a wave of warmth washed over him when he saw that her cheeks were pushed sideways in a smile from behind.

"I still hate you, so don't expect us to be all buddy-buddy from now on. But... I'll be rooting for you. So you better not mess it up." She said sincerely, then began walking away from the garden while waving her hand back.

Kyungsoo was... Stoked. He was shocked, and happy, and confused, and excited, and worried all at the same time. But more than anything, he was impressed. After this conversation Kyungsoo was even more amazed by how much she had grown. How she was able to learn from her own bad actions and find a new honest path, that he knows will include no more plans, rumours, or greed. It seemed that after all, Kyungsoo still found Sohda to be inspiring in his eyes.

With all their differences, all their actions, feelings, words and deeds, they really weren't that different from one another at all, were they? Both of them are learning how to handle their feelings, how to adjust the environment around them... How to grow into better people.

Kyungsoo will never stop admiring Sohda. He admired her facade before, and now he admires her true self even more. He felt relieved that she had spoken to him again, and spent the time and effort to explain it all.

Because this was, sort of, her way of giving him the green light to keep going on. She gave him the thumbs up that although she had been hurt as a result of her own actions, she will heal. She will be fine, therefore, Kyungsoo should be fine too.

And it worked, it really worked. Because Kyungsoo felt like he could take over the world. With his close friends, Baekhyun, Jongdae and Sehun... With his other friends, Seungwan, Seulgi, Yerim, and Sooyeong. He felt at ease. He felt like he had a place to which he belonged, just the way he is.

Normally, Kyungsoo's schedule on his days off during the weekends, goes as following.

He wakes up, makes his parents coffee, and sits to watch some television with them for a while. Then, he takes out the trash and goes out for a jog. Once in a while he also brings recyclable items to the public disposal around the block. Then, he cleans the house, showers, eats his breakfast, and usually spends the rest of the day at home, watching movies, reading, cooking, anything really.

But today is a special day. Because today Baekhyun and Jongdae are coming over for the first time. Just the thought of having friends to invite over makes him happy. But knowing that these friends are Baekhyun and Jongdae fills his heart with warmth. Which is great, it'll keep him comfortable against the chilly winds of October.

When he finished with his usual weekend morning activities, Kyungsoo began working hard to make their visit a pleasant one. Cleaning was already done as a part of his routine, so when he knew the house was in a good condition, he began cooking already. Well, a little more than just cooking. Actually, Kyungsoo was so thrilled about the pair arriving, that he baked a whole cake for the event.

He carefully squeezed the right amount of whipped cream on top of the cake's white coating with utmost focus, to make sure the pattern he left will be even and symetrical. 

"So today your friends are coming over?" Kyungsoo's father entered the kitchen and watched with a small smile as his son was so concentrated in the act of decoating the cake. Soon enough, the pair should be here. So he was trying his best to finish this before they arrive. 
"Yes." He replied, feeling himself getting giddy from imagining the two of them pass through the front door.

Just as he finished the last , the doorbell rang, making him jump lightly. 
"A-Ahh--- They're here..." He nervously looked at the decoration remains left on the kitchen's counter, and the apron still tied around his hips, panicking about being less than properly prepared to welcome them inside. 

"Don't worry, I'll get the door." His father pet his head gently and left the kitchen. Kyungsoo quickly took the opportunity and cleaned everything up back to perfection. Hearing Baekhyun and Jongdae's voices inside the house already.

After inhaling deeply, Kyungsoo stepped out of the kitchen to greet his two friends. Who seem to be bantering with each other jokingly already in front of his dad. 
"Ah! Kyungsoo!" Jongdae smiled, raising a small plastic bag. "We brought some snacks." Kyungsoo took the bag in his hands happily. 
"Whoa, thank you. I just finished decorating the cake." He smiled back.
"Handmade cake?" Baekhyun inquired with sparks in his eyes. Kyungsoo laughed lightly and nodded. "Yes!" The two high fived each other victoriously.

"It looks like the guests have arrived." Kyungsoo's mom appears from the hallway behind them. "What lovable guests." She smiled at them warmly. 
"Kyungsoo told us a lot about you two, thank you for taking good care of him." 
"Ahh! That smile! Now we know where Kyungsoo got it from." Baekhyun called out when he noticed his mother's smile, causing Jongdae to hit his arm gently. 
"Hey, show some manners." But Kyungsoo's mother just laughed. 
"Well, come on in, don't just stand there." The two of them seemed to be easily and comfortably speaking with his parents. 

Whoa... Amazing. Kyungsoo would have had no idea how to talk so smoothly with any other parent than his own. They all sat and had a lovely dinner together, where, not very surprisingly, Baekhyun and Jongdae were the two to talk the most. Kyungsoo's parents loved them. Kyungsoo felt his heart expanding with happiness.

The three of them eventually made it to Kyungsoo's room, where he brought them slices of the cake he had baked, some drinks, and bowls for the snacks they had brought themselves. 
"Hmm, your room looks pretty simple..." Baekhyun hummed as he entered and looked around the room curiously. 
"Still got those ghostly black curtains though!" Jongdae chuckled as he sat down to the lowered table. 
"Oh, it's easier for me to sleep when there's darkness." Kyungsoo explained and watched how Baekhyun scanned his eyes around the room. 
"Hey! You have some pictures here!" One frame had a picture of Baekhyun and Jongdae with a few other classmates, and a little bit of Kyungsoo's head behind the classmates. Another frame had a similar picture except in a different position.

"Oh... I was looking through the photos from last year's field trip, and found pictures with the three of us together... So..." He mumbled lightly and sat down to the table with Jongdae. Baekhyun placed the frames he had picked and sniffled emotionally before sitting down to the table as well. 
"Speaking of pictures, here, have this." Jongdae grinned, handing Kyungsoo an envelope as Baekhyun blew his nose beside them dramatically. Kyungsoo finds it adorably touching, the way Baekhyun always pretends he's crying whenever someone is doing something that would warm his heart.

Kyungsoo carefully opened the envelope, and found a whole array of pictures. Each picture has the three of them in it, smiling or talking, or just sitting together. Ah! He recognized those. They must have been taken back at the little party the festival staff have thrown at the karaoke place. 

"That party was fun, wasn't it?" Baekhyun smiled. 
"They're well taken. I really liked those." Jongdae added before starting to munch on a piece of a snack he brought. Whoa... The more Kyungsoo looked at these pictures, the lovelier they became. Usually Kyungsoo looks like an accidental ghost has been caught in the frame. But in these, he appears at the center of each one, and he looks... Normal. He looks happy. Not anything like a cursed ghost.

Kyungsoo continued to go through the pictures. There was one where he claps happily for Baekhyun and Jongdae who are singing at the karaoke. One where Jongdae's ruffling his hair affectionately. One where Baekhyun and him were holding hands. Ahh... Seeing all of these memories made him so happy, even though he feels quite embarrassed to be seeing his own happiness being displayed. He never got to see how he looked when smiling wholeheartedly like that before. 

As he flipped through another picture, he found one that was taken outside of the room. Kyungsoo is seen standing and looking outside the window by the stairs, and... Chanyeol is there too. He's standing a little further behind Kyungsoo, leaning against the wall and staring at the window's direction... Or maybe... At Kyungsoo's direction...?

Kyungsoo's heart froze when he saw the picture. No, there's no way that's the case. 
"W-What is this picture?" He asked, showing it to the two of them. 
"Jongdae took this one himself!" Baekhyun grinned. "This cake is amazing, by the way!" He added after taking another bite off his slice.

Jongdae smiled at Kyungsoo calmly. 
"After you left the room Chanyeol came to ask me where you went. Later when I came out myself to check on you, that's what I saw, so I took a shot." He explained with pride.
 "Oh... I must have caused him a lot of trouble by doing this." Kyungsoo mumbled, his eyes still looking at the way Chanyeol's eyes gazed towards his area in the picture. 

"What are you saying, check out the last one." Jongdae teased. And as Kyungsoo flipped to see it, he found that it's a close up picture of Chanyeol. He's looking directly at the camera nervously with his arms in its direction, looking like he was trying to stop Jongdae from taking the picture. Except... His ears are slightly pink. Kyungsoo stared at it for a bit, then chuckled lightly.

Ah... He's happy. He will be able to save all of these memories for a long time now. 
"Thank you." He's going to treasure them well. 
"Don't look so satisfied with just the pictures. Just go and confess already." Jongdae then said with a grin, as if his words had no weight at all. Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo froze in their spots, staring at him surprised. 

"Confess... What...? To whom...?" Kyungsoo mumbled out somehow. 
"Duh, your love, to Chanyeol." Jongdae responded as a matter of factly. 
"Huh... What for?" Kyungsoo's brain hasn't quite registered the depth of these words just yet.
"What do you mean? For you two to start dating, of course!" Jongdae pouted at him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No. That's impossible." Kyungsoo raised his hand and shook his head seriously. That's a big no for him.
"So formal..." Baekhyun whispered poutily. 
"Besides... How do I explain... I'm already satisfied with the way things are between us right now. I can't even imagine anything graeter than that." Kyungsoo looked down at the photo as he spoke, a small shy smile across his lips.
"You say that now... But how would you feel if someone took him away?" Baekhyun's tone sounded like a mixture of curious and serious. He was smiling, but something about that smile wasn't quite full like always. Why does he seem to be in so much pain whenever these subjects come up?

"I don't think... I'd be able to support them..." Kyungsoo replied, devastated, he started to feel a little gloomy just from the thought. That possibility could have easily happened with Sohda before, for example. And imagining anybody else getting all of Chanyeol's attention for themselves doesn't seem like a pleasant scene. 
"A-Ah, sorry sorry, I almost forgot." Baekhyun quickly apologized, probably realizing Kyungsoo's mind immediately returned to Sohda. "But hey, I feel you. Just because you like someone, doesn't mean you want to start dating them right away!" He brightened back up with a troubled smile. 

"Poor Chanyeol..." Kyungsoo heard Jongdae mumble into his palm while averting his eyes.

"Oh, Kyungsoo, what are these?" It seems something had caught his attention. As Kyungsoo followed his line of sight, it landed on a pair of dvd boxes he had placed down on his bed. 
"I rented these movies yesterday. Want to watch them?" Kyungsoo quickly picked them up and showed the boxes to his friends. 

One of them was a classic japanese horror movie about a haunted school, and the other was a more recent korean movie about a detective solving supernatural crimes. 
"Wow! Sounds good! I'm up for that!" Jongdae grinned, while Baekhyun began quivering beside him. 
"P-Please don't do this to meee---!" He whined. But between a genre lover, and a ghost-like real life person, he had little chance to win.

Jongdae and Kyungsoo began happily sharing ghost stories with each other, all while munching on the snacks and cake as if it was nothing to be afraid of at all. And for a while, Baekhyun was nearly losing his mind begging for them to stop, until his phone started ringing, so he exit the room to answer right away in panic, almost as if this was his chance to grasp back to life.

Moments later he returned  with a smile, grabbing their attention from the stories to his satisfied tone of speech. 
"Right, sounds silly to me~" He hummed, then without saying anything, handed Kyungsoo the phone, who, after blinking at it for a bit, placed it to his ear. 

"...--- So Sehun and Vivi are also with me." It was Chanyeol's voice. Kyungsoo's heart thumped in his chest. 
"Vivi?" He asked, interest sparked. Kyungsoo loved Sehun's dog so much when they came to his house to visit last time. 

There was a pause of silence on the line. "Chanyeol...?" 
"A-Ahh--- Right. Hello, Kyungsoo. It seems that Jongin isn't feeling too well." Chanyeol's voice sounded nice from the phone... Just like last time. 
"He asked me to bring you to his place." 
"Oh, really?" Kyungsoo was quite surprised from the unexpected request. Why would Jongin want anything to do with him? Especially when they've met the previous day. And while knowing that Kyungsoo is Jongdae's friend. 

"Yeah, I thought we could all go together." Oh... Maybe it really has something to do with the fact that they've met yesterday, now that he thinks about it. Would Jongdae be fine joining them though? Kyungksoo looked over at his guest, seeing the way he rolled his eyes as Baekhyun hed already began explaining the situation to him. Kyungsoo waited only the line, until it seemed to agree to the suggestion. 
"Alright, we'll be there." Kyungsoo finally said softly into the phone. 
"See you soon." He could hear that Chanyeol was smiling on the phone. The call ended, Kyungsoo felt like the day is going to get better.

"It's fine. I don't mind that much. I mean, it's literally my own home. I just spend more time at my boyfriend's place instead..." Jongdae explained with a light pout, then shrugged. Kyungsoo handed Baekhyun the phone and nodded at Jongdae with gratitude. 
"Thank you for agreeing for us to do this." 
"Haha, don't be ridiculous. Come on, they're waiting for us." Jongdae said, while Baekhyun smiled, already standing and carrying a bunch of plates and glasses in his hands to bring down to the kitchen. The three of them finished cleaning everything quickly. Kyungsoo packed a few things for Jongin just in case. After a heart warming greeting of goodbye to Kyungsoo's parents, they were out on their way. 

Kyungsoo never expected such a good day would turn into an even better one, but now he's going to see Chanyeol on a weekend. He's so lucky.

And so shortly after, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Sehun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and also Vivi, gathered at the destination - Jongdae's house. 
According to what Jongdae had told them, his father and Jongin's mother are busy most of the time, so the chances of them being around are low. When they got there, it seemed that Kyungsoo was the only one slightly shocked. Maybe all of them have already seen it before. It was an unexpectedly big house. Even had a nice little decorative garden at the front. Ah... So Jongdae comes from this type of family. No wonder he was dressed so chic today to visit Kyungsoo's house as well.

After unlocking the front door, they all entered the house. Spacious, neat, modern, it was beautiful. It looked almost like it's barely being used. There is no imprint of a family on the place. No homey scent. 

Sehun freed Vivi to walk around freely, since clearly there would be no danger for him there.
"Right. He's probably in his room." Jongdae shrugged, looking neutral about the whole situation. But Kyungsoo could sense that he was a little impatient. Baekhyun didn't look too surprised from the house's appearance from the inside. At least not as surprised as Sehun, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo himself. Which led him to believe that Jongdae must have invited him over here at least once before.

They've made their way to the second floor on the carpetted stairs, and Chanyeol knocked on the door lightly. 
"Jongin? We're here." There was a rumble coming from the inside the room, and the door opened slowly, Jongin leaning against it, looking troubled, and honstly quite creepy. He stumbled back inside without saying a word. And through the entrance, all five of the guests who came to see him, stared at his room in disbelief.

It was... A mess. No, not a mess. It was chaotic. It was horrible. There were empty boxes of ordered food everywhere, layers and layers of empty juice boxes in a pile by the bed, trash bags all around, none are fully filled, nor tied. There were clothes lying everywhere and even remains of old fruit that must have gone bad some generous time ago. They were all pretty shocked, to say the least. 

The first to come to his senses however, was Jongdae. Who shut his lips tight together and looked down at his feet. He looked tense. Nervous. To Kyungsoo it looked like he was sad, worried, angry... And mostly, ashamed.

Jongin miraculously managed to let his body fall onto the messy bed, rather than on another pile of trash lying beside it. Kyungsoo exhaled lightly, and stepped inside first. Placing the medicine he bought on the way there aside. He walked directly towards Jongin, and placed his hand on his forehead. 
"H-How's... My condition..." The boy mumbled beneath him. But Kyungsoo could only gulp and cover him up quickly with the thick blanket. 

"It's pretty bad. Let's keep you warm." He tucked Jongin in tightly and removed a few balled up clothes from the edges of his large bed. Chanyeol came beside him to look at Jongin as well.
"It's a cold." Sehun said quietly. 
"Definitely a cold." Baekhyun sounded unimpressed. 
"Just a cold." Jongdae huffed out, looking around the room in disgust. "If my boyfriend was here he'd flip." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I brought a few things..." Kyungsoo explained lightly, taking the bag he had brought with him to the bed. He pulled out a small packet of a cooling little forehead pillow and leaned in to Jongin to remove his hair sideways with his fingertips carefully in order to place it down. But before he could reach, Chanyeol grabbed it out of his palm and placed it on Jongin's forehead instead. 

"I also brought some energizing food." Kyungsoo nodded and took out a small box filled with little bits of cooked meat, vegetables, and rice from home. When Baekhyun explained that Jongin was not feeling well, Kyungsoo made a whole health kit on the spot. He took a piece and brought it to Jongin's lips, but Chanyeol pulled it out of his hands and fed it to Jongin instead.

"There's the medicine, too---" It was taken out of his hand before he could even speak. Whoa... Chanyeol is so kind that he wants to take care of Jongin by himself. He must care deeply for his friend to be so eager like this.

"Thank you for helping out, Chanyeol. You're such a great friend." Kyungsoo smiled at him. And Chanyeol quickly averted his eyes, rubbing his head. 
"Aaah... Yeah... Thanks." He looked a bit nervous. Kyungsoo didn't even need to touch Jongin at all, Chanyeol did everything himself instead. Maybe he is very protective of Jongin in this fragile state, and didn't want someone like Kyungsoo to touch him. Ahh... He's so careful and reliable.

It couldn't be for any other reason. There's no way that Chanyeol cares enough about Kyungsoo's health to sacrifice himself by touching a sick person for his sake. And there's not even a little bit of a chance that Chanyeol did it simply because he didn't want Kyungsoo to be treating anybody else with this much care and attention. Kyungsoo had to calm down for a few moments to stop his conceited thoughts.

Several moments and grunts of discomfort later, eventually the other three guests managed to clear themselves a spot on the floor, and settled there, with Vivi calmly sitting in Sehun's arms like royalty, unbothered.

"Kyungsoo... Last night... After I met you..." Jongin began talking in a heavy voice, looking more traumatized than anything else related to actual physical health. 
"Huh? You two met yesterday?" Baekhyun barged into the conversation curiously. Kyungsoo nodded lightly. 
"Yes, yesterday when I was borrowing the movies from the renting store, Jongin was there as well." He began explaining, noticing how everybody's attention is on him, especially Jongdae's. 

"He told me he wasn't feeling too well. And looked pretty shaken, too. I suggested he'd rinse his throat with salt water... But now I'm worried it might have made it worse." He started fidgeting with his own fingers worriedly. Looking down at his knees.

"After I met you... I heard scratching noises in my room during the night..." Jongin spoke again. Oh no, it must have been his ears ringing from the fever. Or possibly some living creatures who have taken a liking to the state of his room. 
"Jongin, please try to rest." Kyungsoo urged him politely and got off the bed. "It might take some time, but I'll clean this room for you." He announced, looking around. He did feel just a tiny bit responsible for Jongin's state.
"I'm pretty good at things like that." 
"Cleansing of malicious spirits...?" Jongin mumbled under the blanket lowly.

"Hmmm~ Jonginie, since you're going to sleep, want me to tell you a story?" Jongdae stepped close to the bed with a smile that could mean nothing but malice. "Huh..." 
"I've heard this one recently. It's a true story, by the way." Jongdae began. 

Kyungsoo started trying to work out a cleaning plan in his mind for this mess of a room, meanwhile. 
"Every night, the sound of a knock comes at the door of a guy that lives in a big house, but stays in his room all alone. He goes to check every time, but there's never someone on the other side of the door." Jongdae's voice turned quieter and deeper. 
"In the past... In that exact house... Inside that exact room..." He whispered something into his ear.
Everyone in the room jumped when they heard Jongin's shout from whatever it was that Jongdae told him at the end of the story. But moments later, he was knocked out, sleeping like a log. After sighing deeply, Jongdae stood up from the bed and turned to Kyungsoo. 
"I can't believe I have to clean after his crap... But, I'll help you out." He didn't look pleased. 

Kyungsoo could tell that it bothered him not only because of the matter of the task itself... It's because he's worried about Jongin. Even with all the disagreements and confrontations they've had in the past... Jongdae is still so kind that he cared for Jongin's well being in his heart. And Jongin's current state is worrying in more than just the health issue. The fact that his room is in such a state means he clearly is suffering through something that stops him from being able to care after himself. 

Kyungsoo felt touched by the well hidden sentiment in Jongdae's heart, and got encouraged from within to work even harder. 
"Me too!" Baekhyun and Chanyeol chanted and raised their hands simultaneously, offering their help. Sehun blinked at all of them quietly. 
"I gotta keep Vivi safe." He said instead. 

Somehow, that broke the icy atmosphere that spread in the room, and everybody, even Sehun, began cleaning up whatever they could while Jongin slept.

The urgent filth was cleaned out first, then the towers and piles of empty foods and drinks containers. Then the bags and other surprises they found hidden within them. In about an hour, the place already looked at least a hundred times better. And out of everyone, Kyungsoo could see that Jongdae was the one working the hardest. Putting the most effort. His heart felt warm... The two of them, although deep in a contraversy between one another, are still half brothers, they truly do have a connection after all. 

Mindlessly, Kyungsoo was folding together a bunch of folders. But out of one of them slipped what looked like an old photo. As he picked it up to place it back, Kyungsoo was surprised to see what the photograph contained. It was a man and a woman sitting next to each other and smiling, in front of them were Jongdae and Jongin. 

Except they must be no older than three or four years old. Ah... This photo is from the time they hadn't known they were only half brothers... They look so happy. Holding each other's hands and smiling at the camera, standing so close to each other. Kyungsoo wondered what kind of relationship the two of them would have had if they actually remained close through the years.

The photo was taken out of his hand, as Jongdae stood beside him and looked at it quietly. His expression was serious. There was longing, happiness, sadness... So much pain and regret, but also, so much love. 
"Are you worried?" Kyungsoo asked quietly. Everyone else were too busy playing fetch, throwing a random object between the three of them to tease Vivi. 

Jongdae stiffened lightly at the question. But then eased down, his shoulders lowered with a long exhale. 
"It's too late for that." He said quietly, and shoved the picture back to the folder it came from.

Kyungsoo felt sad. Hopeless. Jongdae, with such a heart of gold, had to go through such rough emotional turbulances in his life, and yet he never once asked for anyone's mercy. He never caved in, never broke the happiness surrounding him. He's so kind and selfless, while having to deal with this much pain all on his own. Kyungsoo wanted to stop him. He wanted to grab his hand and tell him that it's never too late. 

It's never too late to tell the truth, to learn about one's true feelings, just like he did, all thanks to Jongdae himself. He really wanted to, but he couldn't. Because Jongdae's usual smile returned faster than Kyungsoo could actually act upon his wish.

His heart felt heavy, but Jongdae turned back to him with a gentle smile, and Kyungsoo knew that he wouldn't want this feeling to somehow change the fact that today has indeed been quite a wonderful day. Since all of them got to meet and spend enjoyable time together. It's not Kyungsoo's place to solve this issue for Jongdae, he learned that he shouldn't decide anything for other people already. So he can only hope that if an opportunity arises, he could come of help.

Just as Kyungsoo finally sat down beside Chanyeol and began petting Vivi, who was napping majestically on Sehun's lap, noises could be heard from the bed. Slowly, Jongin sat up and looked around suspiciously for a few moments, until suddenly his eyes widened. 
"Ah! This is my room! It looks so different!" He said in surprise. Even from his voice it was easy to tell that he must feel way better. 

He then got up from the bed in a hurry and rushed straight to Kyungsoo, grabbing both his hands within his own. 
"You're incredible! You saved me! I'll definitely call you next time I get posessed!" Huh...? Posessed? Does Jongin still believe that Kyungsoo has any real suprnatural abilities like the old rumours have told? Kyungsoo blinked at him in confusion, but also relief of seeing his brand new better condition.

Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Chanyeol, all stared at him quietly from beside Kyungsoo. Jongin spent a while staring back at them. Or more specifically, back at Jongdae. He let go of Kyungsoo's hands and turned to face him directly. 
"Thank you." Jongin's voice was suddenly free of all dramatization. He sounded calm, collected, and sensible. 
"All of you." He added, and lowered his head down in a humble way to show gratitude and appreciation, and everything went silent for a long while after.

"A-Anyway," Kyungsoo broke the unexpectedly awkward silence, and brought his bag of goodies to Jongin. 
"You should continue resting and heal up quickly. Take another pill in an hour, alright?" He smiled lightly as everyone else got back on their feet as well. 
"Aha~! Of course. I will do anything you tell me to!" Jongin replied with renewed playful energy. 

They all greeted him goodbye and well wishes of health and left the room. Kyungsoo could see Jongdae and Jongin standing in front of each other at the room's entrance after everyone else had already exit. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but Jongin bowed to Jongdae again before Jongdae shut Jongin's own room's door on him and went down the stairs with a cold expression.

Everyone all left the house together, and began making their way to a spot they could all diverge from. Jongdae looked calm, almost relieved. 
"Today ended up kind of weird, but it was fun. We'll definitely come again, Kyungsoo!" He smiled. 
"Oh for sure! Your cake was really delicious." Baekhyun hummed with satisfied agreement. 
"Please do, I'd love that." Kyungsoo replied with a smile of his own. "We spent all day together, and now it's already dark... It almost feels a little lonely to say goodbye." Kyungsoo said to them both quietly, looking at the path ahead.
The longer one spends with a person, the tougher it is to part ways. Is what Kyungsoo thought while walking together with the group. Spending a day like this, surrounded by people who are so precious to him... He didn't really want it to end. It was only his first time going on such an adventure, so he was very grateful. However the little stressed sadness from parting ways was relieved when they came to the familiar crossroads that he was more familiar with.

"My house is this way." He stepped ahead and turned to around to look at everyone else.
"Thank you for today, please get home safely." He smiled warmly. 
"Hey, Chanyeol, you better walk him home." Baekhyun nudged his elbow into Chanyeol's side.
"Right, it can get dangerous when it's dark." Jongdae nodded. 

"A-Ah, it's alright!" Kyungsoo quickly dismissed the demand. Yeah, Kyungsoo already knows that it's dangerous outside in the dark, and scary. But he also knows that the reason for it is his existence. All his life he scared people on the streets at night unintentionally, simply because of his ghostly appearance and silent way ot carrying himself.  
"I'll try to walk back without scaring anyone!" They do have a point though. If Kyungsoo always ends up scaring people when it's dark, it can put them, and him in a dangerous situation. 

"I'll walk you home." Chanyeol said with determination, stopping Kyungsoo's little panic. 
"I'll walk you home, so don't stress out." He repeated, staring at Kyungsoo's uncertain expression. 
"Would you not want me to...? If so, please say it." He stepped slightly closer to Kyungsoo, sounding serious. 

"T-That's not..." Kyungsoo mumbled, surprised from Chanyeol's quick acceptance of the task and his enthusiasm to complete it. Since the task has to do with Kyungsoo, he didn't expect such sincerity. It was quiet for a moment. 

"So, I'll join Chanyeol." Sehun said, but was quickly dragged off by a pouty Baekhyun. 
"Are you an idiot? We literally live next to each other!" 
"Yes. But then the short way would be that path---" His mouth was covered by Jongdae's hand as the two of them kept walking away, caging him between them with Vivi following along.
"Kyungsoo! Tell your parents thank you from us again!" Baekhyun called from the distance, waving with a smile. Kyungsoo could not do much more than wave back calmly.

And then it was quiet again. Just Chanyeol and him standing on the path with the starry night sky spreading above them. 
"Let's go." Chanyeol began walking ahead. Of course Kyungsoo wanted Chanyeol to walk him home. Why wouldn't he? 

"Looks like our days are starting to get shorter." Chanyeol said again after a while. Kyungsoo hummed in agreement, and they walked in silence again. He's so happy. He had such a great time today, he was so glad that Chanyeol was a part of it as well. He was so happy that he couldn't make his words come out to thank him. He couldn't even look at Chanyeol's face. The back of his head is something Kyungsoo will never get tired of seeing. 
His long neck, his hair flowing lightly in the wind, his ears peeking out adorably. It's a view that right now, only he gets to see. Following his long legged steps from behind. Everything about Chanyeol is so admirable.

Suddenly, Chanyeol stopped, and Kyungsoo looked up at him a little surprised from the unexpected cease. Chanyeol turned to look back at him quietly, curiously. Huh? What is it? 

Only when his eyes trailed down to the edge of his own sleeve, Kyungsoo realized that  he somehow involuntarily managed to grab onto Chanyeol's sleeved arm with his fingers. Embarrassed, he quickly let go and began to stress. 
"A-Ah--- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stop you..." 
"No. No, it's fine." Chanyeol stopped him. Eyes locked directly with his, and Kyungsoo couldn't look away. 
"You can hold on if you'd like. I'll guide you if it's too dark." 
Ah... Really... It's unfair. Chanyeol is seriously too kind. Maintining eye contact with Chanyeol for this long, made Kyungsoo's heart beat so strongly in his chest.

"Ready?" Chanyeol asked calmly, and Kyungsoo nodded wordlessly. Heat began  spreading through his body as Chanyeol continued walking. Kyungsoo hurried up behind him. Now there was barely any distance between them at all. Kyungsoo walked right behind Chanyeol closely. Like a duckling following after its mother. He could even smell the scent of the perfume Chanyeol uses, leaving a trail behind him. 

The truth is, Kyungsoo jogs on this path every saturday morning during the weekends. He knows every little curve in the ground like the back of his hand. But he still took it. He still stayed as close as he can to Chanyeol. He wouldn't be able to face him if Chanyeol knew that the only thing he's having trouble with right now, is handling just how intense and strong Kyungsoo's feelings for him, and not the bumps on the road.

He hoped that one day, when Kyungsoo will want to tell him how he really feels towards him, the same way he's feeling right now, Chanyeol would still offer to become his light in the dark. Although the galaxies are shinging brightly above them, all Kyungsoo can see, is the way Chanyeol is glowing in the night light. The nape of Chanyeol's neck was more fascinating than ever.

The way Chanyeol's individual strands of hair reflected the brightness of the stars against the darkness between them was magical. The whole universe is spreaded around, but the only thing in it, is Chanyeol. Kyungsoo could only wish that one day he also, will become a source of light, just like Chanyeol.