“God, I deserved a bubble bath and a proper 5-star meal when I get home later.”

“Pray then. Don’t tell me. I can do nothing. I am no God.”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes without turning his attention away from the road. Jongdae can be super annoying sometimes. He always think about Jongdae’s girlfriend and her level of patience. Baekhyun has a high respect for her for staying with her stupid boyfriend.

 

Baekhyun just finished his 9-to-5 job as one of the administrative staff in an advertising firm in the heart of Seoul. He called Jongdae because he was thinking of having dinner with him but too bad his best friend has to close the cafe for tonight at the coffee shop he worked at as a barista.

 

“You wanna have dinner here? I think Minseok can whip up something good for you. He’s been looking for guinea pigs to test new dinner menu for the cafe.”

“Nah, I’ll pass. I really want to go home. Joonmyeon really killed me with paperwork today.”

“Okay then. I’ll talk to you later okay? My break is over.”

“Okay.”

 

They exchanged goodbyes before Baekhyun ended the call. Talking to Jongdae could make his blood pressure goes up to the roof but he has to admit; it’s quieter without Jongdae. He turned up the volume of his stereo and jammed to his favourite Girls’ Generation tunes to tone down his loneliness.

 

He arrived at his apartment building 10 minutes later. When he was about to walk up the stairs, he saw a lot of boxes at the recycling area.

 

‘Probably someone just moved in.’ He thought before stepping on the stairs.

 

***

 

When he’s out of shower, he went to his small kitchen while rubbing his wet hair with a small towel. He looked at his cabinet as if he has a lot of choices behind those closed doors. When he opened one of them, a fly came out of the cabinet. He sighed.

 

“Ramen night again.”

 

It’s not like he’s not used to eating ramen. Usually this is his usual menu other than other instant food (rice, microwaved meals, etc.), plain bread, or take-outs. It’s just that he already ate ramen the previous night. He’s too hungry to wait for his take-out order and his food stock has already finished. He sighed again before taking a cup of instant noodle.

 

However, when he was waiting for his noodle to cook, he smelt something ambrosial from somewhere near to him. For the past two years he has been staying here, he never smells anything so homey since most of the tenants here are single young adults like him. He thought of leaving his noodles and follows the smell but he didn’t want to waste his food.

 

The combination of another whiff of the attractive smell and his growling stomach made him left the cup and followed the smell.

 

When he went out the door, he realised the delicious aroma came from the apartment next to his. He never knew he has a neighbour. The unit was empty since he first moved here. He thought the apartment was haunted that nobody wanted to move in but when he was told by a neighbour about why nobody wants to rent this apartment (ridiculous rent rate for a four-storey apartment building with no maintenance fee for elevators), he understands the reason behind the empty unit. Then, he remembered the boxes he found downstairs and that’s when it clicked to him; the boxes belonged to the one who rented this unit. He was a bit shocked to found the door was slightly ajar.

 

He pushed the door a little and saw a neat unit (well, neat compared to his own apartment) with a simple decoration. A few boxes were scattered here and there around the apartment but it didn’t ruin the image of minimalist interior concept. His feet then moved towards the kitchen. He stared at the kitchen in awe. It’s like entering the kitchen he always saw in cooking shows. Whoever this person is, he or she must loves cooking so much. He walked to the stove. On it was a blue cooking pot with its lid on. He could hear something bubbling inside. The smell must come from here.

 

He was about to open the lid to see what’s cooking inside when suddenly he was pulled to the back. He wanted to fight but this person was controlling his arms as if he’s a doll. The next thing he knows, he was pushed down to the floor, face down. This person had a firm grip on his neck and his knee landed on Baekhyun’s back.

 

“The are you doing in my house?” The man growled.

 

The only reaction Baekhyun could do that time was to moan painfully. He almost choked because of the tight grip on his neck. He could only gasp for air (and mercy) but the man still wouldn’t get off his back. He wanted to answer the question but the answer came out in form of some sort of alien language. When the man realised he nearly killed poor Baekhyun on the floor, he let go of Baekhyun’s neck but still strongly gripped his hands. Whoever this man is, Baekhyun thought, he must be very good in self-defence that even he, who mastered the art of hapkido, couldn’t matched the power of the man. A stronger push on his back reminded him that he hasn’t answered the man.

 

“I just followed the smell.”

“What smell?”

“Whatever you’re cooking, it smells nice and I couldn’t help but to search for the source.”

“How the did you enter my house?”

“Wow. Didn’t your mother teach you proper language?”

 

He cried when the man flicked his forehead.

 

“The door was opened!” Baekhyun shrieked. “And I was just being a nice neighbour, trying to see if my new neighbour is doing okay!”

“The door was open?”

 

Baekhyun immediately snapped his head to look at the man, looking pissed off. He was about to say ‘yes, you’re the dumb one to let your door open while you’re not inside’ when he saw the man’s features. Even under the dim light, he could see how beautiful he is. Wide eyes with rich white area and brown, bright irises, cute nose and heart-shaped lips covered the man’s clear face. His nose and lips scrunched funnily before he passed an apologetic smile to Baekhyun, who maybe swooned a little at the smile.

 

“I guess it’s my mistake too.” The man said with a regretful tone.

 

Baekhyun shrugged. The man then let go of his hand before moving off from Baekhyun’s body. He offered a helping hand to Baekhyun who grabbed it gratefully. Baekhyun was amazed at how strong the man’s arm was for someone who looked smaller than him. They stood in awkward silence before the man held out his hand.

 

“I’m sorry we have to meet like this. I’m Kyungsoo.”

“I’m Baekhyun.”

“Are you hurt anywhere? Did I bruise you?” Kyungsoo asked nervously.

“I’m fine, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun assured the shaking man. “I’m sorry for barging in though. I could act recklessly when I’m hungry.”

 

Kyungsoo chuckled. Baekhyun felt delighted to be the reason why Kyungsoo laughed and he will do anything he can to listen to the melodious laughter again.

 

“You’re hungry?” Kyungsoo asked sincerely after he finished his laughter.

“Starving.”

“Wanna have dinner with me? I cooked a lot.”

 

Kyungsoo burst into another laughing fit when Baekhyun nodded until his neck could snapped.

 

***

 

“Dude, this is so delicious!”

“It’s mac and cheese, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo deadpanned. “Nothing special about it.”

“Better than mine! You must put a lot of cheese in here!”

“Just a mix of cheddar and parmesan. What about yours?”

“Cheese slices.” Baekhyun answered.

 

Kyungsoo looked at him with high eyebrows. Baekhyun told him he cooked mac and cheese with only macaroni, milk, cheese slices and a few minutes of microwave heat (bless Buzzfeed Tasty for the recipe). Baekhyun has to admit; he’s only a decent cook. Most of his food was cooked in the microwave even though he has a cooking stove. He only used it whenever he buys meat and chicken, which he rarely buys since he’s not that good, so he doesn't want to waste his food and money. He tried to do chicken chop a year ago but it ended disastrously. He never wanted to recall the tragedy but he’s grateful he was still accepted as a tenant in the building even if he almost burned it down.

 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, must be a great cook by looking only at his kitchen. He has a lot of ingredients; spices and condiments, and a fridge full of variety of vegetables, fruits and meats. He has different utensils too; pots, pans, and knives. Baekhyun only has one knife, so he was fascinated to see Kyungsoo’s collection of knives.

 

While they’re enjoying their late dinner, they exchanged stories about themselves. Baekhyun learned that Kyungsoo just moved here from his previous apartment at the outskirts of Seoul (hideous and dangerous, as described by the smaller). He’s here because it’s closer to his workplace (financial officer in a supermarket). When Baekhyun asked him why he stayed here instead of a decent apartment, Kyungsoo just shrugged and said this apartment is enough for him.

 

That night, not only Baekhyun had one of his prayers answered (Baekhyun acknowledged Kyungsoo’s mac and cheese is a five-star meal), he also gained a new friend.

 

***

 

Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun who was very seriously cutting the onions for the chicken fajita. Having Baekhyun over is like having two smaller version of his beagle-like childhood best friend, Chanyeol. Even though they only know each other for two months, he knows there is a serious Baekhyun hiding behind the playful Baekhyun. He can be annoyingly loud and messy, but when he is learning, he could be as serious in the kitchen as Gordon Ramsay.

 

When he knew most of Baekhyun’s food was instant, he immediately taught Baekhyun how to cook simple yet fulfilling meals. He’s not that good as claimed by Baekhyun, but he still can cook better than Baekhyun. Creating an Instagram account just to follow Proper Tasty, Cookat Korea, and other Instagram accounts about foods and recipes was worth it. The recipes in those accounts helped him a lot in improving his cooking.

 

As Baekhyun finished cutting the bell peppers too, Kyungsoo turned the stove on to sauté the onions and peppers. Baekhyun eyed the skillet curiously as he threw in the chicken, cumin powder, garlic powder, chilli powder, paprika and barbecue sauce.

 

“How did you afford all of this?”

“Incredible staff’s discount at the supermarket.” Kyungsoo simply answered. “And I know how to save money.”

 

Baekhyun just nodded while staring at the hot skillet. Kyungsoo, then, asked Baekhyun to prepare the tortillas and shred some cheddar cheese for the garnishing. Once the chicken is done, they all moved to the island to eat their dinner. Baekhyun again moaned in delight as he chewed the juicy chicken.

 

“Control yourself, buddy. People could think I was giving you a BJ.”

“I can’t!” Baekhyun wailed dramatically. “This fajita is better than the one I had in Mexican pub in Gangnam! And they had a Mexican chef!”

 

Kyungsoo just shook his head, letting Baekhyun enjoyed his dinner. They’ve been having dinner together for two months now. The next day after their first meeting, Kyungsoo wanted to invite Baekhyun for dinner since he pitied the guy for having dinner alone too. However, before he could get out of his bedroom, he heard the doorknob was shaking and a click as a sign the door was unlocked from outside. He was prepared to reach for a knife as his defence when he saw it was Baekhyun who walked into his house.

 

“Baekhyun.”

“Hey.” Baekhyun coolly greeted. “What’s for tonight?”

 

Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun disbelievingly. Apparently, Baekhyun has a habit to open the door using pins if he’s comfortable enough around the person. He even opened the bathroom’s door at the place he rented with Jongdae during their university years, just to save money by having shower with Jongdae. He was beyond shock at the new fact he learned about his new friend. He didn’t know if he should be worry or what even if Baekhyun assured him he won’t do it if Kyungsoo is uncomfortable with his weird habit.

 

“Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun, who was enjoying his third chicken fajita tortilla, looked at him with full mouth.

 

“Do you want me to give you a key to my apartment? I wouldn’t mind if you come to have dinner with me. I just worried people will get the wrong idea. They might think you as a burglar.”

 

Baekhyun scoffed before chewing quickly to answer Kyungsoo’s question.

 

“Do you think people will think I’m a thief if they see this perfection?” Baekhyun pointed at his face.

 

Kyungsoo felt like hitting his head with the blender. However, the dark thoughts ended when he saw barbecue sauce stain at the corner of Baekhyun’s rectangle lips. He chuckled. Baekhyun looked puzzled though.

 

“I know you’re hungry, Baekhyun. But please don’t eat like a child.”

“Huh?”

“You have crap on your face.”

 

Baekhyun tried to remove the stain himself by using the back of his hand only to spread it to his cheeks. Kyungsoo laughed loudly before leaning closer to Baekhyun.

 

“Are you sure you’re 26?”

 

Kyungsoo asked before wiping off the stain using his thumb. He, then, the thumb, tasting the delicious barbecue sauce in his taste buds.

 

Realising what he had done, his face went red.

 

Little did he know, Baekhyun’s face was redder than his.

 

***

 

The day Baekhyun realised he has feelings for his narrow-shouldered friend was when he went missing after they met five months ago. At first he thought it was just a fling. He likes spending his nights with Kyungsoo. It’s refreshing for him since his only friend is Jongdae. Since Jongdae was busy to hang out with him these days, most of his nights were spent with his neighbour. Sometimes they will hang out in Kyungsoo’s apartment until early mornings, watching movies or just chatting while waiting for one of them to get sleepy (usually Kyungsoo was the one who dozed off first and Baekhyun spent five minutes ogling the beautiful face before going to back to his apartment). They will have brunch on some weekends too (sometimes at their favourite breakfast spot, sometimes Kyungsoo will cook for them). Some nights, they will spend time at Baekhyun’s to eat greasy fast food while watching anything interesting in Netflix (“You deserved some rest at night too and that’s why I’m buying food for us,” was Baekhyun’s answer when Kyungsoo asked him why he shouldn’t cook for them).

 

It was Jongdae who made him realised he was romantically attracted to Kyungsoo. Feeling anxious about Kyungsoo went missing for two nights already, Baekhyun decided to call Jongdae.

 

“Wow. Now you remembered me, best friend?” Jongdae sounded mad when he picked up the call.

“Like you never ditch me during the first few months you started to date!” Baekhyun snapped.

 

Jongdae groaned, asking him about why he called. Baekhyun immediately began to whine at him about missing Kyungsoo. Jongdae just listened to him quietly, knowing how his best friend doesn’t like to get interrupted while talking. When he finished talking, Jongdae was still quiet. Baekhyun was irritated and wanted to lash out at Jongdae for not helping before Jongdae spoke.

 

“Do you like Kyungsoo, Baekhyunnie?” Jongdae asked with a serious tone.

“Of course I do, Jongdae-ya. He’s my friend.”

“No, no. I mean, do you like like Kyungsoo?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, do you like Kyungsoo like I like my girlfriend?”

 

Baekhyun went quiet. He always said Kyungsoo’s beautiful. He likes to watch how domestic Kyungsoo is in the kitchen. Although he knew Kyungsoo was annoyed that he kept on picking the locks to enter Kyungsoo’s apartment, Kyungsoo never stopped him. The smaller never complained about how Baekhyun always dine in his apartment. He likes how Kyungsoo smells too. He loves how squishy Kyungsoo looks in apron and while he sleeps. He looks like a penguin. He likes how Kyungsoo laughs. He likes it when Kyungsoo–

 

“Holy . I do like him.”

 

Baekhyun heard Jongdae said something but his ear picked up another sound from outside. It sounded like Kyungsoo’s apartment being unlocked. He immediately ended the call after apologising to Jongdae. Then, he bolted for the door. He has his heartbeat skyrocketed when he saw Kyungsoo’s door was indeed opened but he felt discouraged when he saw another guy came out of the apartment. The guy was tall and lanky. He was holding a small bag. Baekhyun stood statically in front of his door. The guy flashed him a polite smile when he saw Baekhyun was staring at him.

 

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?” The tall guy answered.

“Are you Kyungsoo’s boyfriend?”

“What?! No!” The guy looked flabbergasted before looking guilty. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I was shocked that people thought I’m Soo’s boyfriend. But no, I’m not. I’m his best friend, Chanyeol.”

 

Baekhyun never felt so relieved in his life.

 

“Where’s Kyungsoo?”

“Oh. You didn’t know?”

 

Baekhyun just realised he doesn’t have Kyungsoo’s phone number. He never thought of getting it since they were neighbours and they meet almost every night. Even if he wants to tell Kyungsoo something, he will wait until they meet for dinner.

 

“He’s hospitalised. Something happened at the supermarket and– Dude, are you okay? You looked pale suddenly.”

 

The only things Baekhyun remembered he did that time were he ran back into his apartment to grab his wallet, phone, and key before asking Chanyeol to bring him to visit Kyungsoo.

 

***

 

Baekhyun’s tears fell down when he saw Kyungsoo on the hospital’s bed.

 

“Soo...”

“Baek?”

 

A few drops of tears ran down Baekhyun’s cheeks again. He missed Kyungsoo so much. Kyungsoo looked worried though looking at his kinda-crush (“just admit that you like him, idiot,” he can hear Chanyeol says that to him) crying. He was puzzled though.

 

“Baekhyun, why are you crying?”

“You. Got. Hurt.” Baekhyun said with a hiccup at every end of his words.

 

Kyungsoo wanted to laugh so bad at how adorable Baekhyun is when he’s worried but he decided to swallow it. He didn’t want to hurt Baekhyun’s feelings. He cares about the man too much.

 

“Baek, I just broke my arm. It’s not like I’m dying.”

“Still!” Baekhyun cried.

 

Kyungsoo signalled Baekhyun to sit down at his uninjured side. He held Baekhyun’s palm. When he did that, the ugly sob reduced to occasional hiccups, but at least there were no more tears.

 

“I’m fine, Baekhyunnie. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Baekhyun just nodded. Kyungsoo kept rubbing his thumb over the back of Baekhyun’s palm as the action seemed to calm Baekhyun. Feeling a little brave, Kyungsoo pulled Baekhyun’s closer to his lips and kissed it.

 

“I’m sorry for making you worry.” Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun straight into his eyes.

“It’s okay. I just worried too much.”

“Thank you for worrying about me.”  Kyungsoo kissed Baekhyun’s hand again.

 

Baekhyun felt the blood rushed to his cheeks. Kyungsoo’s bold action made him wanted to burst like the fireworks. His gentle voice silenced Baekhyun.

 

“I miss you.” Kyungsoo gently confessed.

“It’s been only two days.” Baekhyun tried to tease but he couldn’t hide his nervousness.

“You didn’t miss me?” The smaller decided to tease back.

 

Baekhyun’s mouth went like how fishes looked like when they were out of the water. Feeling shy, he decided to quickly hide his face on the side of the bed. Unfortunately, he smashed his head on the bed railing instead on the mattress. He was about to scream painfully before he remembered he’s at the hospital. He whimpered instead. Feeling Kyungsoo’s palm on his cheek, he let himself being pulled towards Kyungsoo. He felt his heart missed a beat when he felt a kiss on his hurt (probably bruising too) forehead. He shut his eyes as he didn’t dare to look at Kyungsoo’s eyes but the soft caress on his cheek made him opened his eyes. Kyungsoo looked at him confidently.

 

“Better?”

 

Baekhyun, unable to utter another word, just shyly nodded.

 

His forehead was still hurt as to be very honest, but when a soft pair of lips landed on his, he forgot all his worries and pain.

 

***

 

It’s Saturday and usually, the couple will have their usual brunch together. However, when Kyungsoo woke up, he saw Baekhyun’s side on their bed was empty. He grabbed a hoodie and wore it as he began to search for his lover.

 

“Baek?”

 

He tried to knock the door of the bathroom but it was unlocked and empty. He tried to search the living room.

 

“Baby?”

 

He wanted to go back to the bedroom to take his phone and call Baekhyun. However, his steps were stopped when he heard some noises from the kitchen. He tiptoed to the last place Baekhyun will be at this early. His heart literally dropped to the floor when he saw a man entered the kitchen through the window in front of the sink.

 

“Seriously, Mr Do? First, my apartment’s door and now, our kitchen window?” Kyungsoo scolded Baekhyun.

“It’s not like we’re still living in the apartment, Mr Do.” Baekhyun answered back cheekily.

 

Kyungsoo felt like slapping the soul out of Baekhyun. He knew they moved to a different suburb in Seoul and they’re living in a small yet cosy double-storey house. He just worried Baekhyun will be seen as a thief and he didn’t want to deal with police and angry neighbours at this hour.

 

“Babe, we have the main door installed for a reason.” Kyungsoo rubbed his hair aggressively.

“But that’s not fun.”

“Entering through kitchen window is fun?”

“Yes.” Baekhyun answered excitedly.

 

Kyungsoo mentally slapped his forehead. This is why sometimes he questioned why he asked Baekhyun to marry him five years ago.

 

“You love me, Do Kyungsoo. That’s why you asked me to marry you.”

 

Kyungsoo hates it too when his husband knows him too well.

 

Baekhyun knew Kyungsoo thinks it’s weird for him to enter the house in a weird way. Well, how else they will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary other than the re-enactment of their first meeting eight years ago, right? He knew he entered Kyungsoo’s apartment by the door but they still first met in the kitchen. Remembering that night eight years later, he’s glad he entered Kyungsoo’s apartment.

 

“What do you want for brunch? Do you want anything special? I watched another tutorial video in Proper Tasty last night. There’s a recipe of delicious barbecue ribs. Wanna try it?”

“Nah.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Mac and cheese? I went out to buy the ingredients.”

 

Kyungsoo was about to argue about celebrating their anniversary by having mac and cheese when he saw Baekhyun’s hopeful face. How can he say no to that beautiful and glowing face? Besides, his husband woke up earlier than him to go out and buy the ingredients.

 

When Kyungsoo nodded, Baekhyun jumped like an excited puppy before ran towards his husband. He wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo’s neck while the latter pulled him closer by the waist.

 

“Happy anniversary, babe.” Baekhyun pecked Kyungsoo’s lips. “I love you, Do Kyungsoo.”

“I love you, Do Baekhyun. Let’s grow old together.”