“Chanyeollie!”

He abruptly turned as someone grabbed his arm on the way to the exit.

“Where are you going?” Mrs. Park asked her son while grinning sheepishly at D.O., Kai and Sehun, who were gushing over the delicious takoyaki served just now.

“Uh…” Chanyeol gulped, smiling distractedly at EXO’s maknae line. “I just have to… go somewhere.”

“Right now?” Mrs. Park inquired, somewhat incredulous now, through gritted teeth. “We’re in the middle of hosting a party.”

“I know, I know.” He put two hands together and gestured apologetically to his mother and the three EXO members. “I won’t be gone long, though. I just…” He was starting to back away, with Mrs. Park’s eyes widening at him in disbelief. “I’ll be back soon!” He promised thinly as he whirled around and transitioned into a run, which made some of the guests confused at the almost desperate pace the Seomse CEO was running.

He unlocked his Mercedez-Benz G65 (as he had only returned to driving less than a year ago, and even now his mother grew worried everytime he was behind the wheel) with his car key and he climbed up in it in a flash. Just before starting the vehicle, he had the mind to check the location of SOO CHEF, if it was available.

His heart pounded when it revealed that it was situated on a second floor of a commercial building, about a 15-minute drive from Seomse Seoul.

Chanyeol took two, maybe three, deep breaths to calm himself down. It had to be Kyungsoo’s restaurant.

It just had to be.

He turned the ignition and entered the address on the GPS, switching on his headlights as he drove out of the parking lot to the highway.

He came upon a red light two blocks later, with his fingers unconsciously thrumming onto the steering wheel. He glanced at his wristwatch nervously, as it was turning half past ten in the evening. Was it a little late? Would the restaurant be closed?

The ordered food arrived at almost 10 p.m. though, so hopefully…

He tried not to get his hopes up too much, as the restaurant name could just merely be a coincidence.

It had been 20 months since he last saw Kyungsoo in the flesh. Chanyeol wondered if he had completed his military service already. Some soldiers served up to almost 2 years. He himself had been discharged after 22 months.

With these aimless thoughts running through his head, the GPS had led him somehow to the back of the building. He knew he had the right location, so he just decided to alight from his SUV, grabbed his backpack and ran around to the front. He saw a 24-hour convenience store at the ground floor of the building but he was unable to find the stairs to proceed to the second level.

He entered the store gingerly and a bored teenage attendant looked up to him in disinterest. “Annyeong haseayo,” came the boy’s sleepy greeting.

Chanyeol greeted him back, even bowing. “Uh… how do I get to SOO CHEF?” He asked uncertainly, even pointing to the ceiling to get his meaning across.

“Take the stairs at the left doorway before turning the corner,” the teenager sighed, returning to reading his comic book.

The fact that the boy didn’t correct him meant that he was indeed heading to the right direction. Chanyeol had to bite the side of his cheek to prevent a full-on grin from cracking his lips. “Kamsa-hamnida,” Chanyeol told him, about to exit.

He hurried towards the doorway where he indeed saw stairs going up to the second floor, before turning the corner. When he reached the twentieth step, he slowed down his pace and realized the entire second floor, which was occupied by the re