Kyungsoo stopped short, almost dropping the bag of groceries on the floor, when he realized that there was someone else in the kitchen.

Chanyeol didn’t tell him that he would have other company.

“Oh, Kyungsoo-yah!” Mama Park greeted as soon as she turned around, her kind eyes crinkling happily at the sight of her son's beloved best friend. "I’m glad you’re here."

Kyungsoo laughed nervously as Chanyeol's mom hugged him tight. Would Mama Park wonder how he had entered Chanyeol's apartment unassisted? It was because Chanyeol had given him the access code, right after the tall giant moved in! He gently patted her on the back. “Annyeong-haseayo, Omma. How is Chanyeol?”

“He is asleep right now. He’s doing much better.” Mama Park giggled at the familiar, sweet way Kyungsoo referred to her, as she loved Kyungsoo as if he were her own son. She framed his handsome face in her hands, staring at him fondly. “I wish I could stay, but I have to take Toben to the vet for a check-up. It’s hard to have two sick sons at the same time!”

Kyungsoo had to chuckle. “Uh, don't worry, Omma. I can stay with Chanyeol. It’s no problem."

Mama Park noticed Kyungsoo's groceries. “Are you going to cook for him? I stocked the fridge with everything you may need, but you know best when it comes to ingredients.” She lovingly planted a kiss on Kyungsoo's squishy cheek, which made the bespectacled boy blush as the two bade farewell to each other.

Kyungsoo put away the fresh food and spices he had brought, arranging them on the cupboards and chiller meticulously before checking on Chanyeol in his bedroom.

The taller one had just undergone vocal cords surgery about two days ago, and he was now recovering at home. When Chanyeol first told him that he had developed cysts in his larynx, he’d advised him to get them checked immediately.

“You want me to go with you?” Kyungsoo had offered, brows furrowed in worry.

Chanyeol had squeezed Kyungsoo's shoulder in comfort. “Gwaenchanha. I was told it’s not that serious, but yes, I have been scheduled for surgery. Everything’s going to be just fine."

And the surgery went well, but it was just that Chanyeol wouldn't be able to speak, or sing or articulate anything vocally for 3 more days.

Kyungsoo could only imagine how torturous the present situation must be for the most expressive person he'd ever encountered in his life.

“Chanyeollie...?” he called softly, knocking on the door.

No answer.

Kyungsoo opened the bedroom and found the giant sprawled to his side, still fast asleep, and even snoring a little.

He smiled a bit, and shut the bedroom door behind him, while he began to prepare something for Chanyeol to eat.

He hadn’t exactly told Chanyeol what time he could come over. He had lunch with his family then before stopping by E-mart to buy ingredients for Chanyeol. He actually liked cooking in Chanyeol’s apartment because the taller one had really nice kitchenware, especially those that they bought together in Japan, and Chanyeol made sure he had a supply of the basic sauces and spices such as soy sauce and onions, since his best friend liked to cook as well.

He’d researched the other day that post-vocal cord surgery diet should consist of soft foods, and cold drinks. He thought to do noodle soup with shreds of chicken to make it easy for Chanyeol to consume.

So he went to work, boiling about a pound of white meat into a pot, while he chopped some spring onions, garlic and peppercorns.

He was very at peace with the silence, moreover when he was in his element; in this instance, cooking. By the time he was sampling if the noodles were al dente, Chanyeol was shuffling in the kitchen to check what he was doing.

The giant met his eyes and waved, giving him a small smile. But on the inside, he couldn’t have been more ecstatic that Kyungsoo thought to come and visit him at home. His best friend only had two more weeks before his enlistment day and yet he was choosing to spend one day with him.

Kyungsoo nodded and asked, “Are you hungry? This would be cooked in a few minutes.”

Chanyeol motioned with his fingers, forming an inch of space with his thumb and index finger, as if to say, “A little bit.”

“Araseo. You can sit and wait at the table.”

But Chanyeol was not one to relax and be idle, so he made use of his time by handing Kyungsoo a couple of bowls and getting some water from the fridge.

He noticed that the kitchen was well-stocked now. He knew his Omma bought some food this morning but he realized that Kyungsoo had also added some more, which he appreciated a lot. He opened the freezer to fetch some ice, when he noticed two tubs of ice cream in there. He took out the first one and made a face, glancing over at Kyungsoo with disgust.

He showed the label Kyungsoo, which said, MINT CHOCOLATE.

Kyungsoo turned off his electric stove and giggled. “That’s for me!” Then he went over and showed him the other tub of ice cream, which was Chanyeol’s favorite flavor, SHOOTING STAR. “Happy?”

Chanyeol’s toothy smile cracked his face, eyes crinkling. Kyungsoo was thoughtful enough to get him ice cream, because he wasn’t allowed to eat anything solid just yet.

Kyungsoo returned both containers of ice cream in the fridge. “Later, all right? For now, let’s just eat some noodles.”

While Kyungsoo set the table, Chanyeol thought to get something from his room, in order for him to communicate with the smaller one better.

Kyungsoo almost laughed out loud when Chanyeol emerged with a notebook and a pen. Good luck with reading Chanyeol’s hasty penmanship.

“Gomawo,” Chanyeol wrote in his notebook as Kyungsoo served him a bowl of his chicken noodle soup.

Kyungsoo only smiled, as he sat across him and enjoyed a bowl of it himself.

Chanyeol blew on the hot soup for a while, as his throat wouldn’t be able to take anything that was too warm. He watched Kyungsoo slurping on the noodles gracefully. He quickly wrote on his notebook. “What do you want to do today?”

Kyungsoo looked up to see Chanyeol’s question on the notebook, instantly recognizing the words through the taller one’s messy handwriting. He shrugged. “Just hang out… I guess.”

Chanyeol tried to think of something, since they couldn’t really hold a conversation—or at least a two-way one, so he wrote a laid-back, somewhat interesting activity: “There’s a new episode of Infinite Challenge that I haven’t seen yet, so would you want to watch that?’

Kyungsoo instantly agreed, urging him to eat his noodles now. Chanyeol tested the temperature with his tongue first and figured it was safe enough. He hummed in approval suddenly, causing Kyungsoo to laugh.

“Is it really that good, or are you just hungry?”

Chanyeol shook his head immediately, as if to disagree. He grabbed his pen and wrote, “It’s really that good! This noodle soup has just gotten 100x tastier since the last time you made it! What have they taught you in that cooking school, huh?”

Kyungsoo laughed some more. Even vocal cord surgery wouldn’t restrain Chanyeol from being talkative enough for the both of them. He and his mother had attended the same cooking school this year, and successfully attained their cooking certificates. He had included this in his application for enlistment and was informed that he would be assigned to kitchen duty after training. “Aniya, I didn’t change anything, and noodle soup wouldn’t be something suitable to present in cooking school.”

“Or maybe I just miss your cooking,” was the next thing Chanyeol wrote on his notebook… which made Kyungsoo blush for some reason.

“I’ll make you some mashed squash tomorrow… and maybe some eggs for protein. Is that fine?”

Chanyeol glanced up, his chopstick stopping mid-way to his mouth. So Kyungsoo was coming over again tomorrow?

Kyungsoo looked away, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge. “Or if someone else is keeping you company, then I’ll just… visit another day, I guess.”

Chanyeol waved a hand in front of Kyungsoo, a bit desperate. His almond-shaped eyes seemed to say, “Aniya, aniya, that’s not what I meant!”

He turned over to a blank page of his notebook and wrote even more speedily, “Yes! Come over tomorrow! I’d love that!”

Kyungsoo was slowly grinning now, pouring himself and Chanyeol some water on their glasses, as they finished off their soups and the taller one giving off a satisfied burp.

Kyungsoo then shooed him away so he could do the dishes, while Chanyeol ambled off to the living room, taking the notebook and pen with him, to set up his massive LED TV.

Would Kyungsoo like to play VR games instead?

Chanyeol took out the controllers, in case Kyungsoo wanted to. He went and searched for the Infinite Challenge episode he’d saved in his playlist (he did that to catch up on the variety shows he’d missed on broadcast whenever he or EXO had a professional schedule). Since Kyungsoo was still cleaning up in the kitchen, he remembered that his doctor prescribed for him to take one of his tablets after a meal. Just as he had done so, Kyungsoo joined him in the living room and they sat down next to each other.

Kyungsoo didn’t even say anything so Chanyeol took it as cue to start the show.

Chanyeol had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing, but it was almost impossible. Myeong-Su ahjussi and Jae-Sook hyung were too hilarious, and Chanyeol was already shaking with laughter. Kyungsoo was actually laughing out loud, more from Chanyeol’s reaction, rather than focusing on what was on the screen. Kyungsoo had to hold him down but to no avail, because Chanyeol was too heavy for him, and was already collapsing on the floor, laughing mutely as letting his deep voice come through would be absolutely off-limits, and could potentially prolong his healing process.

Kyungsoo had tears in his own eyes, helping his best friend up back to the sofa. “Should we watch something else? This is too entertaining for you.”

Chanyeol had to dismally agree, as Kyungsoo took hold of the remote and searched for a movie that wouldn’t induce overly enthusiastic reactions out of Chanyeol.

Then he noticed a folder that had his name on it. “What the…?”

He clicked it open, with Chanyeol trying to grab the remote