Chanyeol looked around the rustic and minimalist ambiance of the place, which probably seated 50 people, quite decent for a restaurant space in this part of Seoul.

Kyungsoo told him, while he was cleaning and Chanyeol was sitting on a stool on the bar as he sipped his brewed coffee (the only thing on the menu that Chanyeol would accept), that SOO CHEF was actually a gift from his parents. “I still had two more weeks on active military duty when they opened this restaurant on my birthday, last January 12th.”

Right. Chanyeol made sure to remember that date from now on. That meant Kyungsoo was only about 1.5 months younger than him.

Which meant Kyungsoo had just turned 29, too.

Kyungsoo hardly looked like it, though. People would probably still ask for his ID, if he were to go into a club or buy liquor.

“Even in the army, I was on kitchen duty and I just kept learning and eventually became skilled in whipping up large portions of dishes quickly. My parents had taken care of everything from here, the planning, the financing, the location, filing of permits… My father had also retired last year so we all thought it was a good time to start our own business. Everything was just coming together,” Kyungsoo was saying, wiping the glasses dry and arranging them neatly on the cupboards.

“And you get to be the head chef now,” Chanyeol pointed out amicably. “You’re practically overqualified to remain as sous chef… although…”

Then he and Kyungsoo burst out laughing at the pun.

“I have you to thank because of the patent that was filed under my name,” Kyungsoo reminded him, his gaze softening. “We’ve been getting a lot of traction through social media and word of mouth, despite having only opened recently.”

Chanyeol only shook his head. “Like I told you two years ago, it’s all your idea. You should protect it. And SOO CHEF would be sure to gain even more traction because of the quality and taste of your food.”

He thought to check his social media just then and found that Lay, who had finally and readily rejoined EXO for the sixth comeback album, had posted on his SNS story about the magical takoyaki, with the hashtag #SOOCHEF and #SeomseSeoul on the same line. Chanyeol grinned and proudly showed it to Kyungsoo, whose jaw dropped in shock. “How’s that for some A-lister recommendation?”

“The party you were hosting tonight…” Kyungsoo’s eyes were about to come out of their sockets. “… was for EXO?”

Chanyeol only grinned even more broadly, his left dimple deepening, and pulled out a signed CD from his backpack. He turned the pages, through the 9 members’ photos and thank you’s, up until he got to the part of the lyrics of the songs. He handed it to Kyungsoo to read, and the chef emitted an impressed chuckle when he saw Chanyeol’s name included as author, composer and producer for the songs, ‘What If’ and another one ‘My Answer.’

“Whoa…” Kyungsoo breathed, although in Chanyeol’s humble opinion, he sounded as if he was very proud of him. “You really did it, Park sajangnim.”

“Yeah… so that’s what I’ve been busy with the past couple of years, basically,” Chanyeol admitted shyly, gaze lowering down to his coffee, although wishing he could go on staring at Kyungsoo’s face.  He did not want it to get too awkward.   “Aside from being in Seomse and going through full recovery, I’ve been writing songs… spending time in the studio…”

“Can we listen to it now?” came Kyungsoo’s request, which Chanyeol didn’t have the heart to refuse.

EXO’s repackaged album would only be released to the public once it hit midnight, and it was still 45 minutes away. So essentially, Kyungsoo was one of the first people who would hear it for the first time.

Chanyeol began to feel nervous when Kyungsoo slipped the CD on the player and the sound blasted softly from the speakers on four corners of the hall.

“I remember this,” Kyungsoo murmured, returning to the counter, and opening the album booklet to the page of ‘What If’s lyrics. The first verse began, and Kyungsoo unconsciously lip-synced when D.O. started singing his part.

The taller one couldn’t help staring at how those plump, pink lips soundlessly formed the words Chanyeol himself had written, taking him back to the time when he couldn’t see Kyungsoo at all.

Chanyeol had to remind himself again that this was no dream.

A small smile upturned those beautiful lips now, as the chorus progressed. Kyungsoo was quietly singing along, unaware of Chanyeol unblinking in front of him, in utter fascination.

By the time the bridge of the song swelled, it was indistinguishable which voice was D.O.’s or Kyungsoo’s, or if there were even two voices at all.

About a minute later, Chanyeol wasn’t even aware that the song had finished.

“That was incredible,” Kyungsoo complimented, excitedly picking up the remote for the CD player and skipped to the last song in the album, which was ‘My Answer.’ “Joseong-haeyo. I would love to listen to the entire album, but I can’t wait to hear your other song.”

I can’t wait for you to hear it, either, Chanyeol thought desperately, innately, and braced himself as the piano, which music sheet he composed in only two nights,—that was how much Kyungsoo had inspired him—began to resonate in the room and embrace them both.

Chanyeol caught Kyungsoo’s dreamy smile while he read the lyrics as the song went on, and not once did Chanyeol take his eyes off him.

Kyungsoo sighed, as if profoundly moved, as D.O. hit that high note in the bridge: “You are my everything, yeongwonhalge, my love…”

And then D.O., Suho and Baekhyun all joined forces to bring their powerful voices to harmony:

Oh, I’m nothing, pleas