There was a knock at the door and Chanyeol threw it wide open. His hair was wet from a shower and he had a huge grin on his face as he stood shirtless in the doorway. "Suho!" he threw his arms around his manager and squeezed much to the man's surprise. "Hi Chanyeol. You ok?" he asked suspiciously as he walked into the massive white apartment.

Glass covered every available surface and the walls gleamed bright white. The floors were polished concrete with white rugs scattered here and there under white furniture. Chanyeol's bright red mop of hair looked out of place in the apartment void of colour. 

Something else looked out of place too. An old guitar, scratched and still dusty, leaning against the side of an armchair. "What is that?" Suho eyed it suspiciously and Chanyeol grinned as he picked it up. "Found my old guitar at home! Isn't she beautiful!" He strummed a few chords and closed his eyes before putting it gently back down. "How are things?" Chanyeol called out as he wandered off forcing Suho to follow him into the kitchen. "Good Chanyeol. They're good. Sales are still high, your scandal has only been good for publicity, and every gossip site is going wild linking you with various stars. Every single celebrity you've ever been spotted with is specualated as this 'other person' in the message you made me post."

Chanyeol just laughed loudly and opened his refrigerator. It was completely empty besides a big white box and he opened it and took out a cake. "Try this." He shoved the bee sting towards Suho who eyed it suspiciously. "What is it?" he asked without taking it. "It's a bee sting. Cake, honey flavoured cream, almonds...." Chanyeol shrugged and shoved a huge bite of the cake into his mouth and chewed away happily as Suho scratched his head. He'd known Chanyeol for years and he'd always been quiet. Slightly moody, always introspective, always self aware. This new man in front of him was like a different person. He watched Chanyeol shove the entire remainder of the cake slice into his mouth and chew as he wandered around his apartment shirtless and barefoot.

Suho followed him into the living room where Chanyeol planted himself on the armchair and picked up the guitar again. He strummed it and closed his eyes happily, plucked at the strings with his fingertips, before opening a thick notebook on the coffee table. He made a few notes before looking up at his bemused Manager watching him with curiosity. "What?" he asked and Suho laughed. "What do you mean what? Since when do you smile like that when writing music? And cake? Chaneyol you have the Vogue cover launch party in less than a week!" 

"So?!" Chaneyol just grinned in that new and slightly scary way as he grabbed at the non existent fat on his rock hard stomach. "If I'm a bit chubby then so what! It's the photo that's important and that's already done!" he went to the kitchen and came back with another sweet cake and badgered his Manager into taking a big bite. Suho gave in and had to admit it tasted pretty good.

Suho eventually managed to round him up into his vehicle and head towards the TV studio. He was going to be live on TV on a popular talk show. He would be interviewed and then he was going to play two songs from his current album. Suho herded him out of the car and into hair and makeup and Chanyeol sat down and let the woman do her job fussing over his fluffy red mop and putting makeup all over his face.

He took his phone out and stared at it while the hair and makeup stylist worked. He had only seen him that morning but he already missed him. Chanyeol's finger hovered over Baekhyun's contact but he didn't press it. He so badly wanted to, just to hear his voice, even just send a text. But he didn't. He'd been given so much already he couldn't bare to take any more than Baekhyun was willing to give. He would wait forever if he had to. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and closed his eyes as the stylist drew around his eyes heavily with a thick black liner.

After what felt like hours he stared at himself in the mirror. Park Chanyeol the man who loved to wander by the creek, who liked to play his guitar out on the front porch, who liked to stuff his face with rich and sweet cream cakes was gone. In his place was Park Chanyeol the idol, the musically gifted heartthrob, the handsome cover model with the hot body. But as he stared at himself with introspection he knew a part of him was retained. He felt more authentically himself than he ever had before and the thought made a glowing smile cross his face.

He smiled pleasantly at the interviewer, a popular and charming middle aged woman, well experienced in the art of good tv. As much as Chanyeol tried to talk about his new album she kept leading him back to the one subject on everyone's mind.

"So, Chanyeol, you have recently endured a very public breakup with Do Kyungsoo. I know we were told that you wont answer any questions about that. In fact.." she smiled softly at the camera "I think the whole world knows the story already anyway. But what you aren't telling us is who this mystery person you referred to in your personal message to your fans is." She turned to Chanyeol who tried to hide the smile on his face but it broke through his veneer and she knew she had him.

"I don't want to talk about him. It's private." Chanyeol said but the layer of makeup couldn't hide the blush across his cheeks. She prodded and prompted and lightly teased his bashfulness and he ended up giggling like a child as she tried to pull information out of him. "So are you officially off the market again Chanyeol?" She asked and Chanyeol just sighed softly as he stared at his hands. "Unfortunately its a one sided love right now. But things might change in time. I'm going to try my best to win him over." He grinned at her and looked over to see Suho with his hands in his hair behind the camera man.

They cut for a break and Suho was livid. "What are you doing? I told you not to talk about your personal life. Chanyeol the message on your website was enough. Leave it alone." Chanyeol just shook his head and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well Mr Manager! Last time I checked you worked for me not the other way around!" He grabbed him around the shoulders and half hugged him as he began to laugh. "What if he's watching? I hope he is Suho! I've got a surprise for him!" Suho could only groan. His idol was out of control. To an outsider Chanyeol looked drunk, he was so flushed and giggly, so deliriously happy. But Suho knew he was drunk on love and unfortunately there was no rehab for that.

The crew reset and Chanyeol talked a little more before he pulled out his old guitar. "That looks well loved." The interviewer commented and Chanyeol nodded. "It was a gift."

He began to strum and, to Suho's exasperated dismay, the chords weren't the pre-planned second track from his new album. Instead he poured his heart out into the song which had shaken all the bad memories free and left him with only warmth. The song which was once a childish expression of love still meant as much to him thirteen years later.

Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

When he was done his eyes brimmed with tears and he quickly blinked them away. He played an acoustic version of his new single and before he knew it the appearance was over. Suho was hustling him out of the building and into the car. "I hope you get your man Chanyeol," he said as he shook his head in exasperation. "Because you might just be throwing away your career."