Chanyeol was surprised at how quickly he adjusted to life with Baekhyun. Having a roommate was not easy at first, but soon he was used to sharing a bathroom and a kitchen with another person. He was also surprised at how well-behaved Mina was for a two year old. She spent most of her time sitting quietly on the floor watching television or playing with the toys that Chanyeol went out and bought for her on his supposed “grocery run”. They had been there for three days and Chanyeol had begun to feel bad that Mina had no toys.

 

When Chanyeol had come home with the bag from the toy store, Baekhyun was sitting on the couch reading a book to Mina. Mina took one look at the bag and her eyes went wide. Her face lit up so bright you could have sworn it was Christmas morning. She ran to Chanyeol, who hadn't even taken off his jacket yet, and jumped into his arms.

 

“Channie, is that for me?!” She exclaimed. The excitement on her face warmed Chanyeol's heart and he could not help but laugh.

 

“Yes, it is! I went out and bought you some presents.” He put the bag on the floor and Mina pulled a baby doll out of the bag, along with some doll clothes and a cradle. She dragged the new toys into the living room and contently sat and played with them. Baekhyun stood up from the couch and walked over to Chanyeol, reaching into the bag and grabbing the reciept. He looked at Chanyeol with wide eyes.

 

“Oh, Chanyeol, you didn't have to do that.” He said. “I will pay you back somehow.”

 

“I won't except your money.” Chanyeol said, smiling. “She is a little kid with no toys. We can't expect her to sit in this apartment all day with nothing to play with.” He noticed that Baekhyun was staring at him with a look of awe on his face.

 

“You truly are amazing.” He said. Chanyeol laughed, but he could not help but feel as if the words had a deeper meaning than he thought. He glanced over at Baekhyun, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, talking to Mina. She handed him her baby doll and he rocked it in his arms, pretending it was real. Chanyeol watched them play together, then realized it was almost five-thirty.

 

“What do you guys want to have for dinner?” Chanyeol said, walking over to them and sitting on the couch, tucking his long legs underneath him. Baekhyun shrugged.

 

“I am not really hungry. Mina, honey, what do you want for dinner?” She looked up from her baby doll when she finished neatly tucking it into its cradle.

 

“Uhhhh...” She pondered for a few moments. “Rice!” Chanyeol was puzzled.

 

“All you want is rice? Nothing else?” Chanyeol asked. Mina shook her head.

 

“Two year olds are very picky eaters.” Baekhyun said. “I'll go start making rice, and we can make some kimbap for ourselves. Is that okay with you?” Chanyeol nodded. Kimbap sounded really good to him right then. While Baekhyun was busy in the kitchen, Chanyeol grabbed his laptop and curled up on the couch.

 

 

“Hyung, do you need any help in there?” He called out after a few minutes. Baekhyun peeked around the corner.

 

“You are letting us stay here, the least I can do is cook dinner.” He said, rolling his eyes. Chanyeol chuckled and put up his hands defensively.

 

“Okay, then.” He said. After a while, he began to smell food wafting from the kitchen and he suddenly became way hungrier than he was before. When Baekhyun called out that dinner was done, Chanyeol grabbed Mina off the floor and put her in a chair at the kitchen table. Baekhyun set all the dishes of food in front of her and her eyes went wide.

 

“Wow...” She said quietly. Chanyeol was saddened to remember that Mina had probably never seen this much food in her life. Baekhyun sat down and spooned some onto a plate for her. She couldn't use chopsticks yet, so she used a small spoon that Baekhyun took from his duffel bag. They sat and ate together on their first night together, and Chanyeol had never had a better time.

 

They talked and laughed and told stories until all the food was gone. Surprisingly, Mina had eaten most of it as Chanyeol was not that hungry and Baekhyun let Mina have as much as she wanted. For such a tiny person, she could eat a lot. She had also managed to get rice all through her hair, so Baekhyun had to give her a bath.

 

Mina was terrified of the tub at first, since she has never seen one, let alone sat in one. She cried a little, but Baekhyun assured her it would be just like swimming, except with bubbles. She liked that idea, and got into the tub easily after that.

 

A while later, Mina came running out of the bathroom wearing some pink stretchy pants and an oversized shirt. Her long, black hair was still damp as she jumped onto Chanyeol's lap and kissed him on the cheek.

 

“Goodnight, Channie.” She said. His cheeks flushed when she kissed him.

 

“Have a good sleep, Mina.” He said. Baekhyun put her to bed in the small room connected to the living room that Chanyeol had previously used as a storage room. He had taken some couch cushions and lay them on the floor for her bed. He had extra pillows and blankets in a closet.

 

When Mina was settled in, Baekhyun came out and plopped down on the couch next to Chanyeol.

 

“This is her first time sleeping in a bed since she was eleven months old.” Was all he said. He looked over at Chanyeol, who wasn't quite sure what to say. Chanyeol thought to himself that his decision to let them stay here was probably the best decision he had ever made.

 

“So, how was it, eating at a table for dinner?” Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun smiled.

 

“It felt just like I was back at home. Before all the drama and worries. Just eating and laughing.” He replied. Chanyeol began to wonder how Baekhyun became homeless in the first place.

 

“I don't mean to pry, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but can I just ask how you ended up being homeless?” Chanyeol asked, cautiously. He did not want to make Baekhyun uncomfortable.

 

“Well, it all started with Mina's mother. I had dated her for maybe a year when she got pregnant with Mina. At first, I was completely clueless and didn't know what we should do. She told me that she was planning on giving her up for adoption, which I agreed with. But right after Mina was born, when we got home from the hospital, she left for a friend's house and never came back.” Baekhyun said. Chanyeol's eyes went wide.

 

“Why would she do that to you?” Chanyeol asked, in shock. Didn't mothers have some kind of automatic bond with their children?

 

“She left a note saying that she didn't want the responsibility of being a mother, and that I could do what I wanted with the baby. Naturally, the more time I spent with her, the more I loved her, and I couldn't bear to put her up for adoption. I decided to keep her and raise her myself, which my family completely hated. They thought of me as a disgrace for having a child so young. However, they weren't about to throw a newborn baby out on the streets and let me live with them until Mina e year old. Then my mother came to me one day and told me to pack up and leave. I didn't want to fight with her in front of Mina, so I peacefully packed up a duffel bag and I left.” Chanyeol listened to the story attentively, letting every word sink in. He didn't know how someone with such a tragic life could be so happy all the time.

 

“And you have been on the streets ever since?” Chanyeol said. Baekhyun nodded and pulled his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.

 

“Wow,” Chanyeol said. “You're family seems pleasant.” He scoffed and Baekhyun laughed.

 

“Oh yeah, we are one big, happy family.” He joked. They sat and watched TV together until midnight, when Baekhyun start to drift off. Chanyeol started to get tired as well, but he did not have the energy or will power to get up and go to bed.

 

The next morning, Chanyeol woke up and Baekhyun's head was resting on his shoulder. Chanyeol's arm was draped around Baekhyun's shoulders. He didn't remember sitting like that, so they must have ended up in that position while they were sleeping. He smiled at the still sleeping Baekhyun, who was breathing loudly through his mouth. His heart fluttered slightly at the thought of Baekhyun's head on his shoulder. Chanyeol carefully moved him around until he was able to get off the couch without waking him.

 

He stood up and cracked open the door to Mina's bedroom. She had managed to flip completely around and her head was now on the opposite end of the bed. Her blanket was across the room on the floor. Chanyeol couldn't help but laugh at the comical sight, and adjusted her body so she was facing the right way. He quietly shut the door and looked at the time. The clock said it was nine in the morning. Luckily, it was a weekend and Chanyeol had a day off, so he had nowhere to be that day.

 

Chanyeol began to make breakfast, and the smell coming from the kitchen must have woken Baekhyun up, because he had wandered into the kitchen a few minutes later. He was rubbing his back and stretching.

 

“I am never sleeping on a couch again.” He said. Chanyeol laughed and went back to making breakfast. Baekhyun went to go check on Mina, who had woken up and was playing with her doll when Baekhyun opened her bedroom door.

 

They scuffled back into the kitchen holding hands. Mina's hair was sticking up every which way and her eyes were heavy with sleep. She walked over to Chanyeol and hugged his leg as he stood at the stove.

 

“Good morning, Channie.” She said, sleepily. He patted her head.

 

“Good morning, miss Mina.” He said. She walked back to Baekhyun and lifted her arms for him to pick her up. He lifted her to his body and she lay her head on his shoulder.

 

“Someone is not quite awake yet.” He said, rubbing her back. “You wanna go watch Pororo?” He asked. She perked up immediately.

 

“Yes!” She exclaimed. She got down from his arms and ran into the living room. Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol.

 

“You don't mind, do you?” He asked, gesturing toward the television.

 

“Of course I don't mind.” Chanyeol said. “You live here, too. That TV is yours as well.” Baekhyun thanked him and went to go turn on cartoons for Mina. Chanyeol brought out three egg sandwiches and gave one to each person. He sat down to watch Pororo with Mina on his lap, and Baekhyun next to him. He was beginning to enjoy life with these two.