“What a ert, collecting all these stupid girly dolls, do you have nothing better to do?”

Chanyeol teased the poor and vulnerable student as his friends continue trashing the contents of Baekhyun’s schoolbag. Hello Kitty dolls scattered onto the ground in the restroom, starting to become wet against the tiles. Baekhyun bravely reached out his hand to catch the dolls, they were important to him. However, Chanyeol reacted faster and proceeded to step on Baekhyun’s hand, causing the shorter to wince in pain, biting his lip to endure the pain that was coursing through his veins.

“I can’t believe this dude, still reaching out for the damn dolls in this state.” Chanyeol chuckled, marvelling at his creation. Baekhyun had a busted lip, his uniform was torn and his knees were scraped. Why did Chanyeol hate Baekhyun so much? Chanyeol himself didn’t really know either, maybe it was because it irked Chanyeol to see Baekhyun parade his Hello Kitty dolls so proudly, it brought much distaste to his eyes.

“Chanyeol, what will you get out of this? Please just let me go, I’ll-” Baekhyun was slightly desperate at this point, if Chanyeol and his friends were planning to give more harsh blows to his body he doesn’t think he can explain it to his family, he had been forced into a kneeling position for about thirty minutes now and he feels extremely drained. If the janitors actually bothered to scrub the floors properly he would gladly pass out and sleep right there, but for now he just looks at the already soiled Hello Kitty dolls with a tinge of despair, wanting to leave so badly.

With another slap on his cheek, Chanyeol chuckled along with his friends before dropping him to the ground, Baekhyun immediately groans at the impact and sinks to his now safe-haven, the floor. 

“Don’t tell me what to do, you girly freak. I’m looking forward to our next meeting, and maybe you can watch another batch of your Hello Kitty dolls get torn apart?” Chanyeol spat before finally leaving Baekhyun alone, his clique walking away with an air of arrogance. Baekhyun sighed as he gathered his items, his heart winced a little when he sees the arm and the body of the doll being dislocated, he reminds himself to sew them together quickly.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Mi Sun ah.” Baekhyun muttered as he struggled to get up, having to hold the toilet basin for support. With a painful stretch, Baekhyun looks at himself in the mirror, looking at his now bruised cheek and bloody lip. Baekhyun wanted to hate his bullies, he wanted to curse and spit venom at them, but he couldn’t, not when they made the whole school believe that he was some quiet ert who enjoyed collected girly dolls as a hobby. The people in school judged him for bringing dolls to school, but luckily for him he had one or two friends who still stuck around, knowing fully well what was going on in Baekhyun’s life.

-

 “Mi Sun, oppa is here!” Baekhyun popped his head into the children’s ward in the hospital, his 8 year old sister immediately recognizes him and reaches out for a hug. Baekhyun lunged forward and gave his sister a big, warm hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down and brushing the hair away from her face. Her cheeks seemed much fuller than before, that’s good news.

The Byun Family were struck with bad news three years ago when Mi Sun was diagnosed with childhood leukemia. Baekhyun’s parents were distraught, and so was he - seeing his little sister struggle with all those tubes and treatments had made him cry to sleep way too many times, but it was Hello Kitty that gave their family strength. How his sister would smile whenever she saw the character on TV, how she would exclaim with excitement whenever she received a Kitty doll. Baekhyun then made it his responsibility to be the good older brother he is and reward Mi Sun with all the Hello Kitty dolls she wanted as long as she was happy. What Mi Sun didn’t know is that for the sake of her happiness, her older brother has been suffering torment in school for bringing them along with him to school. Baekhyun didn’t have the heart to tell her, it would crush her little innocent heart.

“Oppa, what happened to Kitty?” Mi Sun asks as Baekhyun hands her yet another doll, the one that he tried really hard to fix and sew but the damage was still pretty obvious. 

“Oppa was clumsy today and ...tripped! Kitty fell out of my bag so she was injured too, just like me.” Baekhyun lied, pointing at his own scraped knee against the doll’s damaged arm. Mi Sun was naive, and easily believed the lie. Mi Sun quickly kissed the doll and stacked it next to her collection on top of her bed. This was her twelfth Hello Kitty doll.

“Mi Sun ah, the doctors said that you are getting better. Keep that up and you can come back home with Mom, Dad and oppa okay? We have an empty shelf for you to put all your Hello Kitty dolls in.” Baekhyun said encouragingly, holding his sister’s little petite hands into his own. Mi Sun nodded with a big smile on her face, her mama promised to buy her Kitty bed sheets too.

“Eung!” 

-

Chanyeol walks proudly in the hallways, and once he notices the familiar Byun who is trying to make himself invisible, he quickly shoves the smaller student and smirks when Baekhyun tried to balance himself but eventually falls down.

Baekhyun groans as he notices his uniform tearing once again, it was partially his fault - anyone with a uniform like his would quickly go and buy a new set because it was worn out and it would be tedious to fix every single flaw, but Baekhyun and his family have been trying their best to cut costs, anything no matter how small that would make Mi Sun’s hospital bills slightly more affordable.

The Byuns were not exactly poor, but they were not considered middle class either. Baekhyun found out that his parents have started taking on more jobs ever since Mi Sun had been diagnosed. Baekhyun offered to help, but his parents insisted that his education was important as well, so they did not allow Baekhyun to take up a part time job.

“You poor little thing, wearing rags to school, huh? Saving money for more dolls?” Chanyeol taunted, humiliating Baekhyun in front of the other students. Baekhyun hated the attention he was receiving, he avoided their gazes and attempted to get back up and hide. Chanyeol motioned for his friends to begin, and he watched as they kicked Baekhyun in the ribs, before throwing his backpack to the ground as well. If they weren’t diverting their anger to his bag, they would divert it to him instead. Both Baekhyun and his backpack curled up protectively, wishing for this torment to end.

Baekhyun really wanted to understand how he became a main target of bullying, he treated others with kindness, never invaded anyone’s personal space but why did everyone hate him? Was it so wrong that he brings dolls to school? Was it a crime? Baekhyun tugged at his hair a little, life was so unfair.

The bell finally rings, and they finally leave Baekhyun and his backpack alone. As usual, they didn’t hit him in the face to avoid suspicion, but Baekhyun could feel the rawness of his skin which made him feel sore and dizzy. Nobody bothered to help him. Baekhyun remains silent, though his fists are curled up with frustration, what was Chanyeol’s problem?

-

“Hey, I need to go to the hospital today to see my uncle, you guys can go without me.” Chanyeol told his friends before they walked their separate ways. Chanyeol’s favourite uncle, Kim Jongin, is a doctor at Seoul National hospital, and his uncle has happily invited him to have lunch together today. Chanyeol had never refused his uncle’s offer. Ever.

“Hey Chanyeol!” Jongin stretched out his hand, waving to the high schooler at the hospital entrance. Chanyeol quickly ran over and gave his uncle a hug, his uncle was more like a fatherly figure than his own father, who was busy running a hotel tycoon and being absent from many significant milestones in Chanyeol’s life.

“Uncle! I missed you!” Chanyeol acted like a child around his uncle, who just laughed at the high schooler’s antics.

“Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria, I have many stories to tell!”

-

“So there’s this little girl that I’m treating and she is so adorable, and the greatest thing is that she is nearing the end of her treatments, she can finally go home after three years.” Jongin said happily, grabbing a piece of kimbap and stuffing it into his mouth. 

“That’s great, Uncle. If not for my father’s business I would have chosen to study medicine and become a doctor like you too.” Chanyeol complimented. Chanyeol idolized his uncle, he was rich, smart and caring - clad in that doctor’s robe, he was the epitome of perfection in Chanyeol’s eyes.

“The road to becoming a doctor is tough, I don’t get enough sleep.” Jongin chuckles, but his eyes slowly avert to somewhere else.

“Baekhyun-ah!” Jongin suddenly calls out. Chanyeol’s ears shot up, and the moment he turns around, he immediately recognizes the weakling from school. With that ragged uniform and stupid backpack, and low and behold, the signature Hello Kitty accessory. Baekhyun shivered slightly as he recognized Chanyeol, he hoped the taller wouldn’t harass him here.

“Good afternoon Dr Kim,” Baekhyun bowed, and tried to give the best smile he could in this situation, he didn’t really like the confused yet venomous glare from Chanyeol. 

“Baekhyun, I told you multiple times to just call me Jongin. And also, this is my nephew Chanyeol!” Jongin introduced the two proudly, not knowing the conflict that they were having in school. 

“I’ve seen him, we go to the same school.” Baekhyun mumbles, looking away whenever Chanyeol tried to make eye contact with him. Tough luck today, Baekhyun thinks.

“Oh that’s great! He comes often so maybe you two can be friends,” Jongin smiles and pats Baekhyun’s back, but Baekhyun’s face only darkens. There’s no way they can be friends, absolutely no way.

“Okay then I shall not disturb you guys, see you around Jongin, and...Chanyeol.” Baekhyun does a quick bow and timidly runs away to the children’s ward. Chanyeol goes back to eating, thinking of new ways to tease the boy at school the next day, maybe he could spread rumors that Baekhyun is trying to seduce his uncle? That would be funny.

“That boy, I feel so bad for him.” Jongin suddenly says as he looks in Baekhyun’s direction, Chanyeol paused himself from eating and looked up at where his uncle was looking, he wondered why Baekhyun was so pitiful, is it because Baekhyun is terminally ill? Is that why he’s at the hospital?

“Why, uncle?” 

“Remember that little girl I told you about, the one with leukemia? Baekhyun is her older brother.” Jongin explained, and Chanyeol’s heart suddenly felt heavy, sweat was starting to form on his forehead and he suddenly had flashbacks to all the times he had bullied the weakling in school. School, the place where it was supposed to be Baekhyun’s escape from the troubles at home, turned into a living hell thanks to Chanyeol.

“Oh...I didn’t know that.” Chanyeol said with a tinge of guilt.

“He is honestly such a good older brother, every time he visits he makes sure to bring some Hello Kitty items to cheer her up, especially during the painful treatments.” Jongin continues to say, and this strong air of guilt and remorse just continued to creep into Chanyeol’s veins. Chanyeol considers himself an idiot now for all those times he called Baekhyun a ert, how he had trashed and torn all those Hello Kitty dolls in front of Baekhyun. How much Baekhyun’s heart was breaking when he saw his sister’s gifts ruined and soiled. How misunderstood Baekhyun was as the guy who liked girly toys. Park Chanyeol is truly an .

“His family isn’t well off either, they are trying their best to make payment on time but it often gets delayed. The most I can do is to treat their daughter to the fullest and make her healthy again, but still, it’s sad. From the scratches on his skin, I could tell he was getting bullied in school too, haish, I hope life treats him better.”

“Yeah, we should totally help him to the best of our abilities.” Chanyeol agreed, afraid to admit that he was the very person who caused Baekhyun to become the main victim of bullying, he knew his uncle would be so disappointed if he were to find out that he is one of the main bullies.

“Chanyeol, if you see him getting bullied in school you have to help him, alright? He’s going through a hard time.” 

“Yes, I will.”

-

Before Chanyeol left the hospital cafeteria to go home, he made a small trip to the children’s ward, for he kind of wanted to see Baekhyun after feeling immense guilt for all the times he had made the boy suffer.

Chanyeol slowly peeked into one of the wards, and found Baekhyun sitting next to a little girl with wires in her arms, looking a little sleepy yet giggling when Baekhyun imitates the voice of Hello Kitty, doing a little skit with the dolls.

“Mi Sun-ah, what’s your favourite food?” Baekhyun covered his face with the doll, moving the doll’s arms a little while speaking in a high pitched tone. 

“Chocolates!” Mi Sun said excitedly, eyes twinkling at how animated the doll was, that it almost seemed like she was watching a cartoon in real life.

“Wow, chocolates are my favourite too!” 

“Cats don’t eat chocolate, silly!” Mi Sun giggled, and soon the other kids in the ward were also watching Baekhyun acting as Hello Kitty, curious as to why the little girl was finding it so humorous.

It warmed Chanyeol’s heart to see Baekhyun bringing joy to all the sick children in the ward, he also notices Baekhyun’s little smile behind the doll, he looked so happy that Chanyeol wants to see Baekhyun smile for longer, he looked beautiful.

He looked so different from the Baekhyun he knew in school. The shy and timid boy who is always whimpering in fear and has hardly said a word, scared that he might have mixed with the wrong crowd. Chanyeol prefers this happy boy over the one he usually bullies in the restroom. Though it hurt Chanyeol to realize that Baekhyun must have been holding in the pain from this morning, acting like he was okay so that his sister won’t be concerned. Chanyeol remembers his friends throwing in some harsh kicks, it must hurt like a . His eyes hover over to Baekhyun’s backpack, which he has now transferred into a paper bag so that nobody can see how pathetic and torn his school bag is.

Baekhyun suddenly looks in the direction of the door and Chanyeol quickly ducks his head to not get caught. Chanyeol cowardly runs out of the children’s ward, but a thought keeps churning in his head, about how badly he had ed up.

Chanyeol calls for his driver to bring him to the biggest toy store in the area. If he wanted to apologize, he had to do it his way. 

“I want this whole row of Hello Kitty dolls, please deliver them to Seoul National Hospital.” Chanyeol pointed at the top row of Hello Kitty dolls in the department store, they were a good size for an 8 year old, and the dolls were wearing the most intricate and beautiful outfits in Chanyeol’s eyes, they were perfect.

“Right away, sir.” The staff quickly wrapped the dolls in nice, big and pink boxes. 10 boxes filled with Hello Kitty items, Chanyeol will go and apologize to both Baekhyun and Mi Sun tomorrow.

-

Baekhyun walked into the school, once again with another Hello Kitty doll dangling on his bag. Baekhyun was prepared for any blows or kicks, he had stocked up his room with medicated oils and bandages, they could hit him all they wanted, his sister’s happiness is more important to him.

However, Baekhyun was surprised to see that everyone just carried on with their usual lives today, nobody glared at him or taunted him, and it seems like Chanyeol wasn’t in school today either. Baekhyun hopes that he can get through the day smoothly, he was looking forward to seeing his sister again.

-

Baekhyun goes to the children’s ward after school, and he picks up the sound of Mi Sun giggling even before he enters. Confused, Baekhyun opens the door, eyes widening once he sees Chanyeol entertaining his sister.

“Hello Kitty! Play with us today 

We'll laugh and sing on this lovely sunny day 

All your friends are waiting for you 

Ready to run and play”

Baekhyun is stunned at what he was seeing in front of him, was Park Chanyeol, wearing a blouse with a Hello Kitty pin on it, singing to his sister with a guitar? Mi Sun clapped her hands excitedly, and upon seeing her older brother, her face only became brighter.

“Oppa! This Chanyeol oppa is singing the theme song!” Mi Sun giggled, and Chanyeol suddenly felt extremely nervous facing Baekhyun, from his emotionless face, he didn’t know how Baekhyun was going to react.

“That’s great Mi Sun-ah, are you feeling okay?” Baekhyun sat on the stool next to Chanyeol, checking up on his sister.

“Eung! Oppa got me lots of toys too!” Mi Sun pointed at the mountain of pink boxes next to her, and Baekhyun could only look at them in awe, those must have cost hundreds. Baekhyun tried to make eye contact with Chanyeol, but quickly looked away again - he couldn’t help but flinch whenever he was near Chanyeol, he had been conditioned to act this way around the taller overtime.

Chanyeol, having picked up on Baekhyun’s discomfort, slowly gets up to give the two siblings some space.

“I’ll go get some food, I’ll be back soon!” Chanyeol walks out and closes the door behind him. Baekhyun immediately sits closer to his little sister, and starts interrogating her.

“Mi Sun, did you thank Chanyeol for all the gifts?”

“Yes!”

“Did he say anything?”

“Eung! He said he goes to the same school as you and accidentally broke Kitty’s arm one time, so he came with many more!” Mi Sun giggled as she hugged her new plushie, along with the many other plushies on her bed. Baekhyun decided that it was Chanyeol’s way of apologizing for all those dirtied Hello Kitty dolls in school. Baekhyun remembers spending the night scrubbing the dirt off the dolls’ faces, attempting to sew them back to how they initially looked. Well, this was a nice gesture.

But this was way too foreign for Baekhyun, did Chanyeol skip school just to spend the whole day with Mi Sun? Why was he doing this? Baekhyun was divided between feeling grateful and scared. Knowing the Park Chanyeol in school, he was the one who enjoyed throwing in surprises, and they are usually not good surprises…

-

Baekhyun exits the room quickly and bumps into Chanyeol who had just returned, with some snacks in a bag. Baekhyun stiffened as Chanyeol approached closer, not sure as to how to respond to this sudden act of kindness.

“Park, if this is some kind of joke please stop, my sister did nothing wrong.” Baekhyun could only think of the worst, that maybe Chanyeol was faking everything and his sister will naively believe everything. Baekhyun had to protect his little sister from harm.

“Baekhyun, it’s not like that. Jongin told me what happened to your sister and I realized how ed up I was to bully you in school, and I’m sorry for all the times I ruined the Hello Kitty dolls, now I understand why they mean so much.” Chanyeol spoke from the bottom of his heart, exercising a rare emotion called empathy and seeking forgiveness from Baekhyun. Baekhyun stood there stunned at Chanyeol’s apology, unsure of how to react.

“W-Why are you suddenly being so nice? Are you trying to get me to trust you and then beat me to a pulp? You can drop the act, we don’t need your pity, Chanyeol.” 

“I know it’s hard to believe me now, but please consider this as my gift to Mi Sun okay? She seems to love Hello Kitty very much.” Chanyeol pleads, and when Baekhyun turns his head to see Mi Sun boasting the dolls to the other children, he can’t say no. Not when his little sister’s smile was so bright and lovely. Mi Sun also seems to love Chanyeol’s company very much, he knows his sister will thrash and cry if he were to go in and say that she won’t be seeing Chanyeol anymore.

“Fine. Also, you better come soon, she’s waiting for the next song.” Baekhyun held out the door, opening the door for Chanyeol to enter. Chanyeol considered this his second chance, and he was going to prove to Baekhyun that he really means what he said.

“Next song coming right up!”

-

Chanyeol and Baekhyun start to develop a friendship, the old bully now possesses a protectiveness towards Baekhyun, accompanying him in school and following him to the cafeteria everyday. It started with little conversations about Mi Sun, and slowly progressed to talks about their daily lives. Chanyeol had a massive ego, so it was great that Baekhyun was fascinated with whatever Chanyeol had to share, and similarly with Chanyeol being an only child, he enjoyed Baekhyun’s stories of how it was like to have a sibling. Some would say Chanyeol looked like Baekhyun’s friendly bodyguard in school, and soon all those rumors and backlash about his Hello Kitty dolls died down quickly.

Chanyeol would sometimes follow Baekhyun on his trips to the hospital. If the last treatment was to go smoothly, Mi Sun can be discharged in about 3 months. Chanyeol brings his guitar, and Baekhyun brings his Hello Kitty dolls.

Slowly, yet unknowingly, a love blossoms.

“Cucumber bean paste soup~

Cucumber bean paste soup~”

Chanyeol wrote a song about Baekhyun’s least favourite food, cucumbers. It brought delight to the 8 year old, the two having teamed up to tease Baekhyun. Baekhyun fakes a cry and pouts, though he was enjoying it very much. These hospital sessions were getting more and more enjoyable, and Baekhyun wonders if it’s because of the power of Hello Kitty, or the power of Chanyeol. This song is going to be stuck in his head for a while.

“Oppa! I’m gonna marry Chanyeol oppa when I grow up!” Mi Sun said suddenly, stunning the two high schoolers. Chanyeol slowly stifled a giggle, while Baekhyun’s eyes only grew bigger, shocked at his little sister’s statement.

“No you can’t! You will forever be my little baby sister!”

Mi Sun whined, “Why not? Oppa is single!”

Because...Because he’s mine!

“Because...you are only 8! Chanyeol is almost three times your age!”

Chanyeol laughs so hard that he slammed his foot on the ground, eyes crinkling at the two siblings bickering.

“Baek, don’t be so narrow-minded, s are common nowadays. Mi Sun ah, when you get discharged, oppa will bring you on a date.” Chanyeol encouraged, giving Mi Sun a pinky promise.

“No! Absolutely not! I disapprove!” Baekhyun whined, seems like his competitor is now his sister.

-

Perhaps the time when Baekhyun felt that he was really in love with Chanyeol, was during a critical time after Mi Sun’s last treatment.

Baekhyun treated the session like any other day, planning to bring more Hello Kitty dolls with him. Chanyeol had to go for band practice that day, so he couldn’t tag along. Baekhyun opened the door slowly, and looked at his little sister sleeping quietly on the bed.

“Mi Sun ah, oppa is here…” Baekhyun nudged his sister a little, but she didn’t respond.

“...Mi Sun?” Baekhyun turned his sister around. 

Pale lips, pale face. She wasn’t breathing.

“Mi Sun!” Baekhyun shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. He presses the bell for the doctor immediately, Jongin and another doctor rushes in with the nurses and they perform CPR on the poor child. Baekhyun is sobbing at this point, the nurses try to bring him outside but he resists, he wants to know what’s going on, if his sister is alive or dead. 

Baekhyun wants to call his parents, he’s scared, but with how fast things are going, and with so much uncertainty revolving around him, he collapses onto the floor and cries. A nurse tries to help him up onto the chair, but he sinks to the ground once more, too immersed in a combined feeling of fear and shock coursing through his body. While another doctor is administering the CPR, Jongin glances at the high school student looking so miserable and scared outside the room.

“Nurse Song, please tell the desk to make a call to Seoul high school for Park Chanyeol, tell them there has been an emergency.”

-

Chanyeol dashes across the hallways and to the children’s ward, to see Baekhyun crying his eyes out, covering his tear soaked face with his hands. Chanyeol was informed about the situation, and the doctors were still doing their job inside. Baekhyun is in so much despair that he doesn’t even notice that Chanyeol is now squatting next to him.

“Baekhyun...Baek, take a deep breath.” Chanyeol tried to pull the smaller up, adjusting himself so that the smaller can lean on his shoulder. Baekhyun complies, the strain of kneeling taking a toll on his legs, he continues to sob, the fear and uncertainty looming over his head with a great burden.

“Shh…” Chanyeol didn’t really know what else to say, he himself didn’t know if Mi Sun was going to make it. Chanyeol too wanted to tear up, Mi Sun is such a lovely little girl, she deserves to be healthy and spend the rest of her childhood playing outside and not in the confines of the hospital. Chanyeol can’t imagine this little girl’s life just ending like this.

Baekhyun hiccups, and hides his face in Chanyeol’s broad chest. This was the closest thing to comfort at the moment, he needed someone to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright, that his sister is strong and will pull through. He needed that strong and comforting hug and that woody yet fruity scent to help him through this difficult time. Baekhyun needed Chanyeol.

They rested like this for a while, with Chanyeol helping Baekhyun to make the calls to his parents. Mr and Mrs Byun gasped at the news, and immediately took leave off from work to take the earliest train to the hospital. 

A few moments later, the nurses and doctors exit the ward. Baekhyun was the first one to stand, with his puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks awaiting for any kind of update.

Jongin removed his mask and dabbed his sweaty forehead. With a smile, he patted Baekhyun on the back.

“Your sister is okay, it was good that you alerted the nurses on time, we have stabilized her condition now.”

Another fresh set of tears welled up in Baekhyun’s eyes, these were happy tears, his sister is okay. Chanyeol gave a soothing rub on Baekhyun’s back, he was glad that this day didn’t end tragically.

“Chanyeol, I see that you have matured. Not so much like the crybaby I used to babysit, hm?” Jongin jokes as he ruffles his nephew’s head. Chanyeol blushes, and Baekhyun finally breaks out into his first giggle of the day.

If what Baekhyun feels towards Chanyeol is love, he wants to experience it more everyday.

-

Chanyeol looked fondly at the two siblings sound asleep in the ward. Mi Sun was now breathing properly and sleeping peacefully on her bed, while Baekhyun was sleeping next to her in a makeshift bed, a hand reaching out to hold Mi Sun’s smaller palm. After today’s shocking incident, it was clear that he had been drained of his energy.

“Baekhyun? Mi Sun?” 

Chanyeol turns around and notices two adults walking closer to the two sleeping siblings, leaving a gentle kiss on both their cheeks. It was around 9p.m. at night, and the couple had finally arrived from their respective jobs.

“Greetings, I’m Park Chanyeol. Do you happen to be Mr and Mrs Byun?” The couple looked up and nodded.

“Are you Baekhyun’s friend? The one on the phone?”

“Yes, I stayed with him since this afternoon. Mi Sun is fine and Baekhyun is just tired.” Chanyeol assured the parents that their two children are fine, and finally Mr and Mrs Byun can heave a sigh of relief.

“Thank you so much Chanyeol, for looking after both Baekhyun and Mi Sun.” Mrs Byun reached out to hold Chanyeol’s hands, showing her gratitude.

“Were you the guy that Mi Sun said she wants to marry?” Mr Byun chuckled, arranging the Hello Kitty dolls on top of Mi Sun’s bed. Chanyeol chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, but unfortunately, I’m more interested in her brother.”

-

Baekhyun slowly woke up, and noticed his parents were smiling at one corner, clapping away like seals. Mi Sun was still asleep, and he smiles when he looks at the electro diagram, his sister maintained a healthy heart beat. 

“Isn’t that Park Chanyeol so charming? Imagine if we had him as our son-in-law, omo! A prince for our lovely Baekhyunnie!”

“...Mom, what are you talking about?” Baekhyun rubbed his eyes, stifling a yawn. Mrs Byun sat closer to her son, and nudged him suggestively.

“Son, have you ever thought of dating Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun immediately reddens, and punches his mom playfully.

“Mom!” 

“But please consider it okay? Chanyeol looks so in love with you, I just want the best for my Baekhyunnie.” Mrs Byun teased once more, causing Baekhyun to blush again. 

As if I never thought about it...Baekhyun thinks.

-

“Hey Chanyeol, my parents want to thank you for helping us that day and are planning to invite you over for dinner. Are you free this weekend? We will celebrate Mi Sun being discharged as well.” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol as they made their way to their next class.

It has been a month since the incident, and now with Mi Sun being healthier than ever, she was finally given permission to go home. Mr and Mrs Byun are overjoyed, and told Baekhyun to invite Chanyeol over too. Chanyeol deserved some recognition in Mi Sun’s speedy recovery, he continued singing songs with his guitar and bringing Hello Kitty dolls whenever he was free.

“Hmm, I should be free. See you then?”

“Yup! See you!”

-

On the day Mi Sun was discharged, all the nurses said goodbye to her and she happily left the hospital with a luggage full of dolls. The Byun family were looking forward to having their youngest back home after 3 difficult years. Mi Sun was excited to return to her old bedroom too, and she was even more excited because her Chanyeol oppa was going to visit today.

“Mi Sun! Chanyeol is here!” Baekhyun laughed at the 8 year old who was now twirling in her blue poofy dress, jumping up and down excitedly for Chanyeol’s arrival. Mr and Mrs Byun were busy working in the small kitchen to cook up their signature dishes, for they wanted to impress their important guest.

“Mi Sun, hello~” Chanyeol greeted the little girl, who now had a healthy flush to her cheeks. Chanyeol was holding onto a Hello Kitty paper bag in one hand and a cake box in the other, and he was dressed as if he was attending an important celebration. The two Byun siblings can only marvel at Chanyeol’s appearance in awe, it was obvious that the two have similar preferences in men.

Chanyeol had his hair styled up, he was wearing a cream blazer with a white top inside, and blue jeans to perfect the overall look. Chanyeol looked so good that it didn’t seem right to invite him into their shabby little apartment. Baekhyun suddenly feels underdressed in his own home, simply wearing a white shirt with sweatpants.

“Oppa! Come take a look at my room!” Mi Sun dragged the taller’s arm, Chanyeol had promised to have tea time with Mi Sun, in her pretty pink Hello Kitty tea cups. Chanyeol gave a quick wave to Baekhyun before stumbling into Mi Sun’s room to join her for tea. 

Baekhyun huffed a little once Chanyeol is gone, how is it that his sister managed to have Chanyeol all to herself so quickly?

-

“To Mi Sun’s quick recovery!” 

They all clinked their plastic cups filled with juice, and ate happily with all the dishes that they were served. Chanyeol really enjoyed Mr and Mrs Byun’s hospitality, they would always offer him more food and put meat and kimchi over his rice. There’s this really warm atmosphere that made Chanyeol feel at ease. Though the food was generally simple and ordinary, Chanyeol loved all the dishes and took a double serving of everything. Baekhyun’s eyes widened at how much Chanyeol could eat, he was glad that Chanyeol enjoyed the food.

“Wa! A Hello Kitty cake!”

Mi Sun pointed to the cake that Chanyeol had brought, it was a Hello Kitty themed fresh cream cake with figurines and fresh strawberries stacked on top. The most beautiful cake for the most deserving little girl.

“Mi Sun, blow out the candles!” Baekhyun encouraged his little sister, and with a big puff, she blows out the candle.

What a joyous occasion it was, Baekhyun wished he could live this day all over again.

-

“Chanyeol, the weather outside is pretty cold, do you want to stay the night?” Mrs Byun asked concerned, it has started snowing and it seemed pretty harsh. It would be awful to let their guest leave in this kind of weather. Mrs Byun turned up the heater, while Baekhyun went to get warm slippers for everyone.

“Urm...if I’m not intruding then I would love to.” Chanyeol responded. If he were to be honest, this was probably the best day he’s had in a long time. The cheery laughter, the delicious food and great company - he wouldn’t spend this day any other way, and it may be selfish of him but he wants to spend more time here, Chanyeol wants to see how Baekhyun’s daily life is like in this cozy apartment.

“We don’t have any spare bedrooms though, do you mind sharing a room with Baekhyun?” Mrs Byun asked, though slightly embarrassed. Mr Byun was already digging out their best mattresses, a mattress big enough for two.

“Of course I don’t mind!” Chanyeol replied in a surprisingly high pitched tone, causing Baekhyun to chuckle. Chanyeol let the excitement get to him too easily, he blushed at quickly brushed his fingers against his vocal chords.

“Alright, now that it has been settled, it’s bedtime!”

-

While Baekhyun was busy showering, Chanyeol took his own sweet time to look around Baekhyun’s room. It wasn’t big and spacious like his room, but there were so many pictures and messages stuck to the wall that he wanted to look at each and every one of them slowly.

Chanyeol smiles to himself, and he now sees the striking similarities between Mi Sun and Baekhyun when he looks at Baekhyun’s baby photos. And Baekhyun also held onto something dearly in his baby photos, a Hello Kitty doll. Looks like his sister is not the only one who likes the character. No wonder Baekhyun could imitate Kitty’s voice so well too.

“Ohmygod, that picture is so embarrassing.” Baekhyun closes the door gently behind him, it was pretty late into the night now and Mi Sun is fast asleep in the room next door. Baekhyun walks closer to the photo Chanyeol was looking at, it sure did bring back old memories.

“Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol get into the sheets, and they smile at how warm the blankets are. Baekhyun’s usual mattress is folded in one corner, replaced with a two-person mattress provided by his parents. Chanyeol liked the thought of sleeping next to Baekhyun, he felt like an excited middle school girl, heart bursting with joy and feeling tingly all over. 

“Chanyeol...is it ok if I come closer? I’m a little cold…” Baekhyun asks.

“S-Sure!” 

Chanyeol feels lucky that the room is currently dark, meaning he could hide his red and hot face and actually express his emotions. Chanyeol smiles like a damn fool. Baekhyun shifts closer, until his skin presses Chanyeol’s slightly.

“Chanyeol…”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun suddenly speaks up, turning to the taller’s direction.

“For what? I should be thanking you guys for your hospitality instead.”

“No… really, thank you for everything. I doubted you before but you have proven to me that you are so much more than the Park Chanyeol I used to know, thank you for putting a smile on Mi Sun’s face, and thank you for making my days more bearable.” Baekhyun chuckles, maybe because it’s nighttime, he feels more confident in pouring out his emotions.

Chanyeol feels a sudden urge to kiss Baekhyun, the smaller’s confession likewise gave him the confidence to do something that he had wanted to do for a long time.

Cupping Baekhyun’s cheek, Chanyeol leans in and places a tender kiss on Baekhyun’s lips. With their close proximity now, Chanyeol could easily see how Baekhyun’s eyes widened in shock before closing them again, and proceeded by leaning in to the kiss. Baekhyun’s hands slowly went around Chanyeol’s neck, feeling the smoothness of his skin against his fingers. Chanyeol uses this opportunity to roll himself over, with Baekhyun now laying below him. 

They pull apart for a while, looking into each other’s eyes with no words exchanged before leaning in again once more for another kiss steeped in passion.

The two felt a kind of chemistry, filling them with warmth in this cold weather. The sound of their hearts beating proudly as they filled each other with loving kisses. Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun closer, kissing deeper and more passionate, until Baekhyun finally let out a gasp to breathe for air.

“Chanyeol, I love you.” Baekhyun panted in between breaths, the once cold room no longer feels that cold anymore. Chanyeol had his hands wrapped around Baekhyun’s waist, face buried in Baekhyun’s neck to inhale his sweet scent.

“I love you too Baek.”

-

5 years later, the soon to be heir of the Park Hotel chain is seen entering Sanrio Puroland with Baekhyun and Mi Sun. 

Mi Sun was sad that her oppa ‘stole’ her boyfriend, but the moment she entered middle school, all that resentment had washed away, though she always reminds Chanyeol that there’s no man more perfect than him in this world. Chanyeol continues to be whipped for Mi Sun, showering her with gifts and playing with her whenever he was free.

For now, they enter the home of Hello Kitty, the amusement park that represented the start of Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s relationship, and a reminder of Mi Sun’s days in the hospital. Mi Sun makes a dash for the queue to meet Hello Kitty, holding her old plush toy in one hand. Chanyeol and Baekhyun tag along behind, with Baekhyun’s engagement ring brushing against Chanyeol’s fingers. 

Things finally fall into place, after falling apart for so long those years.

And that, is the magic of Hello Kitty.