That same night, 4:07 am.

"Looks like we've finally made it. Welcome to my grandparents' home!" Chanyeol whispered as he hopped off of his bike, lending a hand to the brown-haired boy who was busy trying to style his hair even somewhat presentable, in case he was to meet Chanyeol's grandparents at this ungodly hour of the morning.

"I'm freezing and I hate you for not figuring out the way here sooner. But I can also hate you later in the morning so let's just head inside and drink something warm before my fingers fall off," Baekhyun said as he rubbed his palms together for a second, trying to make himself a bit warmer which was, in fact, pretty much useless. The doctor felt as though nothing could save his numb toes which were clothed in some thin socks and worn-out converse sneakers.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up inside before we turn into ice figurines!" Chanyeol said as he hurriedly took the keys out of the ignition and grasped Baekhyun's slender wrist, running through the opened gates of the countryside house, up to the very front door of the wooden home.

"Are you sure that your grandparents wouldn't mind me staying here?" Baekhyun whispered doubtfully as the taller fiddled with the keys, trying to find the right one to the house. The gate might have been opened but the door was locked shut.

"No... At least I don't think so... But they don't even know that you're coming with me so let's leave all our worries 'till the morning." Chanyeol confessed as he pried the door open, carefully and quietly holding it open for the brown-haired boy to walk in but not before motioning for Baekhyun to take off his shoes.

"You didn't tell them?!" the doctor whisper-yelled as he stared back at the taller with eyes that were wider than the moon itself, millions of scenarios of Chanyeol's grandparents not being thrilled about his presence polluting his mind as a wave of worry washed over his small body.

"No, but my granny was so happy when I texted her that I'm coming over before leaving Seoul so it should be fine. Look, she even replied with an "I'll be waiting" and a heart, isn't that so sweet?" Chanyeol showed the brown-haired boy the cute text message that his grandmother had sent him, making the corners of his mouth curl into a little smile. Baekhyun's grandmother had never once texted him in his whole life, in fact, she could barely answer the phone whenever somebody called her. The technology was not her forte so for Chanyeol's grandma to be this advanced and even send a heart at the end of the message was more than shocking. Next time when the brown-haired boy would visit Bucheon, he'll make sure to teach his granny a thing or two about texting - the boy made that promise to himself.

"If your grandparents kick me out, you're buying me a train ticket home," Baekhyun sighed as he kicked off his worn-out converses, slipping his cold feet into a pair of pink slippers that the taller passed him. The boy carefully tugged off his coat, waiting for Chanyeol to do the same.

"The last time when I was here... I think that it was a couple of years ago... maybe for Chuseok...? But I'm not that sure anymore cause it's been so long... but everything still looks the same as it did all those years ago. I guess I never realized how much I missed this place...

My grandparents came to visit us in Seoul sometime last year so I guess that was the last time when I saw them both... Damn, it's been so long," the red-haired man took hold of Baekhyun's cold palm as he led the boy through the creaky hallway, trying to tip-toe his way around the house so that they wouldn't accidentally wake up his grandparents at 4 am. That wouldn't be a great first impression.

"Mind your step, I always used to trip over this threshold when I was a kid," Chanyeol whispered as he led the boy into the dark kitchen, trying to find the light switch in complete darkness.

And as the lights of the cozy little kitchen , the lips of the tall, red-haired man whispered: "This isn't the most luxurious place in the world but it feels like home to me so make yourself at home too."

Baekhyun only waved his hands a bit as if saying that it was okay: "It's alright really. I'm not a snobby person so don't even worry about it," Baekhyun chuckled as Chanyeol pulled out a chair for Baekhyun to sit on at the small breakfast table.

"Thank you," Baekhyun whispered back as he sat down onto the said chair, starting to regain the feeling in his frozen fingertips as his hands and toes and cheeks started feeling a bit warmer.

"Would you like something warm to drink? Something like tea?" Chanyeol asked as he took a hold of his ears to warm them up a bit which Baekhyun found incredibly cute. His ears were redder than the nose of Rudolph.

"Yeah, tea sounds nice! I will finally warm up after hours and hours of driving around forests and hills," Baekhyun chuckled, making Chanyeol feel slightly guilty. Only slightly.

The taller reached out to open the cupboards