Chanyeol slammed his hand down on the alarm clock and rolled himself out of bed. He sleepily glanced at his cell phone which told him it was six o' clock.

 

He yawned and stretched his arms high above his head, shuffling his way into the bathroom to take a shower. Quickly, he washed up, shaved and threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt before walking back into the bedroom. He grabbed his bag and shoved his papers, books, and binders into it carelessly. Today was his last day of classes before there was a week long vacation and he was looking forward to being able to sleep in. He sat on his couch watching early morning television until seven-thirty. He put his jacket on and grabbed his bag, walking out the door and locking it behind him.

 

Outside, the air smelled like exhaust and street food. There were a few food vendors along the street outside Chanyeol's apartment and sometimes he ate there for lunch. He took a left and entered the coffee shop where his friend, Jongin, worked. Jongin had befriended Chanyeol when he first moved to Seoul. They hung out a few times and he had helped Chanyeol find his way around numerous times. He walked up to the counter and Jongin beamed at him.

 

“Good Morning, Chanyeol hyung. The usual?” He asked, already preparing Chanyeol's latte.

 

“Yes, thank you.” Chanyeol replied, taking out his credit card. “And a bagel, as well, please.” Jongin handed him his order and Chanyeol thanked him as he hurried out the door.

 

It was the end of February and most of the snow had melted. It was still chilly out and the wind did not help that much. Chanyeol wrapped his jacket tightly around his thin body as he crossed the street, taking his usual route to class. He entered the school and sat down in his seat just in time for class to start. Today's class was going to be a review about camera angles, lighting, and equipment management. Chanyeol checked out for the remainder of the class, since he was passing it with a solid A and already knew everything the teacher talked about. When the professor dismissed them, he stood up and packed his things into his bag as fast as he could. It was a large class with a lot of people, and he wanted to get out of there before everyone was crowded at the door.

 

He walked back to his apartment and everything was the same as it was this morning, except for one thing. Outside the coffee shop, there was a man sitting on the ground. He was a young man, probably a few months older than Chanyeol, and he was wearing a brown leather jacket. His jeans were torn at the knees, but it didn't look like it was done on purpose. He has an old, worn pair of sneakers. His short hair was brown and was flying around wildly due to the wind. His face was handsome, even when it was scrunched up at the nose from the cold. Chanyeol wondered what could cause such a handsome, young, man to be sitting outside alone in this kind of weather.

 

There was a bundle of cloth next to him that looked like something wrapped up in blankets. He looked pleadingly at the passing people as if he needed help, but said no words. Each time the wind blew, he hugged the bundle next to him tighter to his body. Chanyeol noticed that he had an empty coffee cup sitting next to him with the word “Spare Change” written on the side in messy handwriting. This man was homeless. A sudden pang in his heart motivated him to walk over to the man and put some money into the empty cup. Chanyeol noticed that he was the first to give anything to the man as the cup was empty. As he approached, the homeless man looked up at Chanyeol with light in his eyes.

 

 

“Thank you so much.” He said, sincerely, gripping the bundle tighter. Chanyeol looked down at it and realized that it was a small child, wrapped in blankets. The little girl couldn't have been more than three. The only part of her uncovered by blankets was her small, round face. She looked directly at him and smiled. Chanyeol inhaled sharply and smiled back, putting another couple dollars into the cup.

 

“God bless you.” He said to the brown haired boy and the little girl sitting on the sidewalk, and he turned around, walking the rest of the way to his apartment. He got inside and plopped down on the couch. The professor had reminded him that there was a mid-year project that was due and it had to be a half an hour long movie about someone who is very important to you. Chanyeol found this assignment extremely difficult due to the fact that his mother was dead, his father was estranged from him, and he didn't really have any friends in Seoul or back home. He sighed and threw his bag onto the floor, leaning back and closing his eyes.

 

He woke up a while later and it was four o' clock. Chanyeol trudged into the kitchen and opened the fridge only to find that all he had left in there was a half eaten sandwich and a few bottles of mountain dew. He checked his cupboards and had no luck finding anything to eat. A trip to the store was inevitable at this point. Chanyeol sighed and threw on his jacket, grabbing his torn wallet from the counter and heading out the door.

 

He walked a little ways down the street and noticed the brown haired boy was no longer sitting outside, but he was seated at a table inside the coffee shop, the little girl in a high chair next to him. Both of them were smiling and he was feeding her some kind of pastry. Chanyeol stopped and went inside. He walked up to Jongin who looked as if he was about ready to end his shift. He was folding his apron and putting it in some kind of cubby. Jongin saw Chanyeol approaching and walked over to him.

 

“Hey, Jongin” Chanyeol said, patting his friend on the back. Jongin nodded his head once at him.

 

“Hello, hyung.” He replied. He noticed Chanyeol looking at the brown haired boy and the little girl from across the shop. “I invited them inside. I gave them something to eat and drink, on me.”

 

Chanyeol was not sure what it was about the scene, but watching the man feed the girl and the way the girl was smiling despite their unfortunate situation warmed Chanyeol's heart. He wondered what their story was, how they ended up homeless, where the girl's mother was, what their names were. He felt the sudden urge to walk over and start a conversation with the boy.

 

“People have been complaining about them sitting outside, but I am not going to report them. They are homeless, for Christ's sake. Someone's gotta give them a break.” Jongin continued. Chanyeol nodded in agreement and put his hand on Jongin's shoulder.

 

“Okay, well I have to run to the market. I'll talk to you later.” He said.

 

“Alright. See ya, hyung.” Jongin said, smiling. He turned and walked into the 'employee's only' room of the shop. Chanyeol turned back toward the man and the girl and noticed that the little girl was looking at him. They made eye contact, and she smiled brightly right at him. He could not help but smile back.

 

He walked over to them and bent down next to the girl.

 

 

“You have a very pretty smile.” He said to her. The brown haired boy looked down at him and smiled. He must have recognized Chanyeol.

 

“Thank you!” The little girl said, food still in . Her voice was sweet, like little bells. Her words were slightly hard to understand, but that was because she was still a toddler. Chanyeol rose and looked at the man who was taking a sip of coffee. He extended a hand toward him.

 

“Hello, my name is Chanyeol. I don't mean to intrude, but I think I recognize you from earlier today.” He said. The man nodded, taking Chanyeol's hand an shaking it firmly.

 

“Yes, of course! Thank you for your generosity. My name is Baekhyun and this is Mina, my daughter.” That caught Chanyeol off guard a little. He had assumed she probably was not his little sister, but hearing him say “daughter” out loud shocked him. Chanyeol waved at the little girl who was singing some kind of song to herself while watching the television on the wall attentively, ignoring him. Baekhyun laughed and bent down to the little girl's level.

 

“Mina, say hello to Chanyeol.” The little girl's attention broke from the TV and she beamed at Chanyeol. Her smile was adorable, and is stretched from ear to ear. Her eyes were barely visible because of her chubby cheeks.

 

“Hello” She said loudly. She hid her face behind her hands playfully when Chanyeol said 'hello' back. She must be a tad bit shy. Chanyeol turned back to Baekhyun.

 

“Anyways, about the money, it's really not a big deal. I am happy to help whenever I can.” Baekhyun thanked him again and told Chanyeol that he should get Mina settled down. Chanyeol bid his farewells and exited the shop, almost forgetting that he still had to go to the market. He walked there and back as fast as he could since it was starting to get dark out. When he got back to his house, he put the food in the kitchen and made himself some ramen.

 

He sat down on his couch and looked out the window at the city lights of Seoul. On the sidewalk below, he noticed a Baekhyun holding hands with Mina and walking towards the public park. Chanyeol felt the pang in his heart again, but sat back and watched TV until around eleven, when he started feeling tired. He turned the television off and went into the bedroom, surfing the internet until he fell asleep.

 

 

 

The next morning, he did not have class, so he slept until noon. He woke up feeling as tired as he did before he went to bed, but nonetheless dragged himself out of bed and scuffled into the kitchen. He cracked a couple eggs into a pan and swirled them around with a spatula over heat until they were cooked. He sat in the living room eating his breakfast and waited until he had to start getting ready for work.

 

At around 3:30, he took a shower, put on his work uniform, and headed out the door. Again, he passed Baekhyun and Mina, who shouted “Hello, Chanyeol!” when she saw him walk past. He stopped and handed her a piece of candy form his pocket. He smiled at Baekhyun, who seemed a bit surprised but smiled back, before continuing to work.

 

 

Business was really slow at the bookstore, only a few customers came in and bought anything. Chanyeol was supposed to work until closing time, so he had nothing to do for a long time. He sat behind the counter fiddling with his wristwatch. He passed the time by watching the people passing by the windows. He counted the people who walked by, and when he had reached fifty-three, a familiar face entered the bookstore.

 

“Appa, look!” Mina's sweet voice rang out from the front of the store. Baekhyun looked at where she was pointing and noticed Chanyeol standing behind the counter.

 

“I didn't know you worked here!” He said, taking a book out of Mina's hands and placing it back on the shelf.

 

“Oh, hey! Yeah, I guess we are just running into each other a lot lately, huh?” Chanyeol said. Mina directed Baekhyun's attention to a shelf of children's books. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun read a short story to her, sitting on the small armchair next to the shelf. He noticed that Baekhyun's eyes were hazel and sparkled when he spoke. Baekhyun finished the story and noticed that Chanyeol was staring at him. He waved his hand in front of his face, raising his eyebrows.

 

“Hello?” He said. Chanyeol blinked twice and shook his head, laughing nervously.

 

“Oh! Sorry, I just spaced out a little.” Baekhyun laughed along with him. He was so light-hearted and kind for a homeless man with a young child. He should be angry, or depressed, but he was almost always smiling when Chanyeol saw him around. He never complained as far as Chanyeol could see. He always said 'please' and 'thank you' when people put money in the empty coffee cup. Baekhyun and Mina left the store hand-in-hand and Chanyeol was alone again. Closing time was in only half an hour, so he decided to close early. He turned off the lights, locked the door and walked back to his apartment. It started to rain just as he shut the door behind him.

 

He went to sleep that night with the image of Baekhyun's hazel eyes on his mind.