Valentine’s Day 11 Years Ago, outside of Seoul

“Unni, are you dating Chanyeol oppa?”

Two girls from the neighboring school cornered you on the way to the music room. Oh, if only I get 1,000 won for every time I hear this. Adjusting the strap of your guitar bag, you slightly shake your head at them.

Who would’ve thought that all these years of being best friends with Chanyeol would resort to this? Before you knew it, he skyrocketed to Mr. Popular in your small school – towering over almost all of the boys in your year, the students naturally gravitating towards his infectious charm and openness. Plus, he’s not bad looking and the drummer of a well-known school rock band. Who could resist, right?

And this is exactly why you — as his bandmate-slash-neighbor-slash-bestfriend — are the automatic collateral damage when it comes to the number of fangirls he’s amassing. You’re used to people mistaking your relationship as such. While both of you joked about it at first, you’re starting to feel the strain wearing you down…especially on days like this…Valentine’s Day...

Because, believe it or not, you’ve come to like him that way as well…just like these girls in front of you. Girls waiting in the sidelines in the off-chance they can become Chanyeol’s girlfriend.

And you hate it, you can’t even point out the time when you viewed him as more than just your best friend. All of sudden you notice the littlest things about him, your heart doing a little flip whenever he looks or touches you. You’ve denied it for months, because having these feelings will immeasurably change your friendship. And that absolutely cannot happen, not when you definitely know that he won’t return your affection. He doesn’t treat you in a particularly special way. He’s friendly to ALL the girls. And he always talks to you about the pretty girls in school.

Hell, you guys used to spit on each other when you were kids. That’s not exactly romantic movie material.

So a confession is definitely not on the table, and you try your best to accommodate each girl who ask you the same question over and over again. Because that’s what friends do for each other. But yeah, the questions you get during Valentine’s Day and White Day are way above your average daily quota.

“No, I’m not dating him. We’re just friends. He lives next to me and plays in the band so that’s why you see us together a lot.” You stretch your mouth, hoping for some semblance of a smile. Who knows, maybe Chanyeol will really like one of them, and you want him to be happy.

One girl casts you a dumbfounded look. “You’re not, Unni? But he’s like…so dreamy!” All you’re thinking about is how to save that other girl with her from falling to the ground. She looks like she’s about to swoon.

“Errr…yeah, he IS dreamy all right.” You say dryly. “I guess you’re going to give him those? I’m not sure where he is but he must be hanging around the campus.” You eye the boxes of chocolate on their hands.

“That’s our problem, Unni! We cannot find him anywhere! Can you give these to him? Our parents are going to pick us up any minute.” You can practically see the tears b in the eyes of the mid-swooner.

O…kay. You get these types of requests all the time. While you encourage them to give it to him directly, you know that these gifts should reach him on THIS day in particular. You accept the boxes, thinking that you can just drop these off at his house if you don’t see him in the campus grounds, since classes have already ended. They thanked you effusively before leaving.

You tug your guitar bag closer to your body, hurriedly walking to the school building. The new lyric you wrote the other day badly needs a running melody if you want to include it in the set of the next gig. You’ll arrange it first on the piano before recording the bass parts so that you can have a raw guide for your band mates.

Thankfully the music room is empty when you arrived. You place both chocolate boxes on top of the upright piano, but not before surveying them first. Wow, they look handmade. How much effort did they put in this? You frown over the boxes because you know that more of these are with Chanyeol right now. And you’re sure that one more gift from you won’t even be noticed.

You sigh as you take out your gift from the pocket of your guitar bag. It’s a guitar pick, you had his initials painted on one side and the date when you officially named the band (which is the day you composed A Little Pain together) on the other. You wonder why you made such a personal gift, there’s a chance he might read something more into it given that it’s Valentine’s Day. Shaking your head, you decide not to give it anymore. You stash the gift back and make a mental note to run by the sweets store to get chocolate just like you bought for the rest of the band.

Sitting on the bench with your materials in place, you start fiddling with the piano keys and hope for inspiration to take over. You smirk over the lyrics scrawled on your notebook, noting the irony of it.

“Happy Valentine’s Day chingu-yaaaahhhh!” A pair of strong arms goes around your waist, knocking you forward almost to the keys as he leans against your back. You don’t have to turn around to see who it is. Chanyeol is really an effervescent fellow, and with that energy comes a great deal of skinship. That guy certainly has no sense of personal space whatsoever.

You tamp the rapid beating of your heart by knocking him over the head. “Yah, you almost smashed my face on the piano!”

Chanyeol huffs and scoots himself beside you, sliding you perilously close to the edge of the piano bench. There’s only so much space to accommodate both of you given his tall built. Your shoulder and knee can as easily bump into his even with the slightest movement.

“I knew I’ll find you here!” Chanyeol exclaimed, his eyes drifting to the chocolate boxes you placed a while ago. A small frown forms on his lips, “are those gifts, ___-ah?”

You nod, mindlessly pressing random keys to make you seem unaffected. “The girls in the other school wanted to give them to you. Since it’s Valentine’s Day.”

His frown deepens as he reaches for the boxes, reading the messages on top of them. “I don’t want them bothering you, ____-ah. I’m sorry.”

You smile bitterly, still looking ahead at your composition. “Don’t worry about it.” You stop playing with the keys when he remained silent.

“Hey…” you use both forefingers to stretch the corners of his mouth upwards, “…smile again, Chanyeol. I’m not used to you getting all broody. You’re like the Energizer Bunny!” You brightly smiled.

“I think I’m in love with someone.”

Your smile froze, and your hands fell limply to your sides. So that’s why he’s mad about the gifts, his girlfriend might not like it. There’s a hollow feeling at the pit of your stomach, and you try to cover the sadness in your heart by being supportive. “That’s great Chanyeol!” if that didn’t sound overly fake.

“Well…the problem is…” he bites his lip, seemingly deep in thought, “I don’t think she likes me that way.”

“What! You’re kidding right?” You playfully punch him on the shoulder, although you didn’t intend it to be a bit stronger than how you usually do it. “What’s not to like about you? Just tell her how you feel, use that signature Park Chanyeol charm.” You swivel abruptly to face the piano, your fingers slightly shaking as you turn your notebook to another set of lyrics. Honestly, you just want to go home and sulk than be here with Chanyeol thinking about the girl he’s in love with.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll do that,” Chanyeol murmurs. He then leans closer to you, reading the words you have scribbled earlier. “What’s this? Another song for Plum Farts?”

You cringe at the band name. For some reason it caught on like wildfire until it’s too late for you to suggest a change. “Yep, please do not disturb me.” You are now single-mindedly determined to at least be productive as long as you’re stuck in the room with him.

“Errr, but ___-ah…” he grabs your notebook to read the lyrics closely, causing you to stop altogether and be slightly irritated at him for being nosy, “…the words…it’s about kissing…”

You raise an eyebrow. “And? What’s the problem? It’s a love song.” You try to snatch the notebook back but his hold on it is unusually strong.

“Have you kissed anyone yet?”

That put your guard up. “Of course I have!” You sputtered. Well, that’s a lie, but it’s safer to do so than have Chanyeol tease you again. “And what if I haven’t? That doesn’t mean I cannot write about it convincingly. It’s called imagination.” You’ve read romance novels and watched romantic movies, surely you know how it goes.      

“But you see,” Chanyeol closes the notebook and places it on top of the piano keys, his eyes a shade darker as they meet yours, “you have to experience it to express the feelings behind it. Or else it wouldn’t be heartfelt.”

You laugh nervously. “Sure Chanyeol, just wait here while I corner some poor boy in the hallway and ask him to kiss me.”

“Why bother? I’m right here.”

Your heart thudded loudly against your chest. “What! You’re joking right?” You ease away from him but he covers your hand with his.

“Try me.” He then chucks the underside of your chin lightly. “Don’t chicken out of this. We can laugh about it afterwards like we always do.”

“I’m not afraid.” You stammer as you rub your damp palms against your uniform. Damn it, Chanyeol, I don’t think I can laugh about it later even if you will. You stare at him while he stares back, then you realize that he’s waiting for you to make the first move. What the ?

“What? You said you’ve done it before.” Chanyeol teases as you stare incredulously at him. “So show it.” He closes his eyes.

Crap, what do I do? You take a moment to survey his face, now looking more like an angel (with odd-shaped ears) than the annoying devil (same odd-shaped ears) he was a while ago. You gulp audibly, unsure of what to do next. Then you realize that you’re overanalyzing, and that will hardly help you get out of this unscathed. Well I’m the only the one with the more-than-friends feelings here so just do it and be done with it.

You lean in towards him, your lips hesitantly touching his. Your heart starts racing as you press further, keeping your lips shut while Chanyeol didn’t move at all, letting you do all the work. You curse at the stupidity of what is happening that you pull back instantly, the blush on your cheeks making you more irritated than ever.

Chanyeol opens his eyes and you know instantly that he’s stopping himself from laughing out loud. “ this,” exasperation clearly in your tone, “I’m getting out of here.” You stand to leave the bench but Chanyeol stands at the same time and takes your hand, rounding you to face him.

To your surprise he brings one hand to your lower back, drawing you closer to him. You crane your neck to look at him as he dips his head.

“My turn,” he murmurs before capturing your lips on his, shocking you to the core. Chanyeol’s mouth teased and probed, nibbling languidly as if he has all the time in the world. You felt the stiffness on your lips drain away, leading you to close your eyes and savor the strange sensation spreading to your body. You mimic his movements, eagerly learning from him. Warmth started to pool on your belly as Chanyeol gathers you even closer to him, making you cling helplessly onto his arms. Your lips parted soon enough and he used that opportunity to slowly slip his tongue inside your mouth, startling you a bit.

Damn you Park Chanyeol, you probably have done this with a lot of girls to be this good. With renewed jealously, you snake your tongue to play with his, standing on tiptoe to reach up and run your fingers through his hair. He lets out a small grunt as he cups your cheek to slant your head, tasting as much of you as he can.

You push him away a few beats later, just before your knees buckle under you. You’re mad at yourself for accepting his dare in the first place. Now you know how it feels like to kiss him and you’re basically helpless while he runs off with another girl.

“Let’s stop this, Chanyeol.” You mumble, slightly out of breath. “You’re in love with someone. She’ll be angry if she knows about this. Even if it’s just for a stupid song.”   

To your confusion, Chanyeol slowly smiles. “I don’t think she will.”

A small crease formed between your eyebrows as you try to understand what he’s saying.

“I mean, I don’t think she’ll be angry at all.” Chanyeol walks towards you, his intent clear in his eyes. “I think I’m in love with you, ____-ah. Will you go out with me?”

***

Present Day

“Wake up. It’s almost noon.”

You groan in protest as you muster the strength to open your eyes. Trying to get your bearings, you search for the voice you heard – which sounds a lot like the ajusshi who owns Wabi Sabi.  A sharp pain lances through your head, making you realize that you’re in the throes of a massive hangover. You slowly sit up and bury your head between your hands.

“Ugh, ajusshi, I’m so sorry.” Your voice is gravelly, and your throat feels like it’s rubbing against sandpaper. “I wasn’t planning to crash in here.”

The Wabi Sabi uncle chuckles and hands over an aspirin and a glass of water. “No problem, ____-ah. Just like old times eh?”

You smile sheepishly before taking the medicine from him. You’re way more indebted to Kim ajusshi than he’d cared to admit. He took pity on five provincial nobodies and gave you the break that you craved for. Wabi Sabi is the gig that finally put Plum Farts in the map—well at least in Hongdae.

“Well times have changed, we’re not penniless now.” You smirk as you put on your boots, struggling to concentrate since your head is still spinning. “We’re just poor.”

Kim ajusshi scoffs. “Don’t be modest in front of me. You’re booked solid for the next six months, that’s hardly what you call poor. I don’t even know why you’re putting up with us. Wabi Sabi is now too small for you.”

You sigh loudly. “I know! Why are we still playing here when you’re paying us peanuts!” You exaggerate and beat your chest as if you’re in tremendous pain.

Kim ajusshi laughs boisterously and you can’t help but hug him, even if you’re still feeling whoozy. “Of course we’ll still play here. This is like our second home!” You plant a loud kiss on his cheek. “But you should give us a cut of the Thursday and Friday profits now. I can barely breathe in your bar,” you teased, which also reminds you that today is Friday and you’re due to be back in Wabi Sabi again in nine hours.

His eyes twinkle, “You guys are the reason why we’re so packed even during Thursdays. I’ll confer with my business partner about it.”

You laugh and wave him off. “I was kidding ajusshi. Now you’re giving me ideas!” You pat your pocket, searching for your mobile but came up empty. You look around the couch, “hmmm, I can’t find my phone…maybe it’s in my bag. Anyway, got to split, I’ll be back tonight so you won’t even have a chance to miss me.” You wink at him before sprinting back to the bar to get your things.

“Hey, ___-ah, wait up.” Kim ajusshi approaches you with a jacket on his hand. “You forgot this.”

Your brows furrow as you take the unfamiliar bomber jacket. “Oh, this is not –” your voice faded and spotty memories of last night came crashing on your mind, clearing your head a bit off from the hangover.

Lips thinning, you finally remember the last time you saw your phone.

***

“So who is she?”

Chanyeol glances nervously at Baekhyun, a lone strand of Kyungsoo’s kimchi spaghetti still drooping from his mouth. “Who is who?” Chanyeol slurps the noodle before stuffing his mouth with another bite, trying to stall the inevitable.

Baekhyun throws his hands in the air in frustration. “The one who owns the phone! You’re soooo not getting out of this one Chanyeol. You even know her passcode.”

Chanyeol can feel his eye twitching from the grilling session. The other EXO boys are looking at him in anticipation, waiting for him to say something. Serves me right for trying to be the good guy.  Luhan-hyung was bordering on obsessed in getting his best friend’s dongsaeng’s number a while ago that he at least had to try breaking into her phone (which was successful by the way). Besides, he knows how it feels to have unfinished business and letting time apart screw things up. It’s the least he can do.

“Uhuh, well she is…was…is…my....” This is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon moments where Chanyeol is at a loss for words. The other boys stare at him as if he has grown three heads. He stops attempting to make sense and leaves the dining area abruptly, feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden. Seeking refuge at the balcony, he stops short when he sees Kris already lounging in the space, his long legs propped up the table and his arms crossed against his chest.

“Oh, sorry hyung, I’ll just go—”

“That’s okay,” Kris’ clear voice slices the air between them, “close the door and sit down. We need to talk.”

Chanyeol hangs his head low before assuming the chair opposite Kris. He can avoid the others, but Kris… well, there’s no avoiding duizhang.

“What happened last night? I know you’re supposed to talk to her.”

Chanyeol scratches his head, “yeah…about that. We got sidetracked a bit.” Kris raises an eyebrow. “C’mon hyung, I haven’t seen her for years. We had to, errr, catch up. But don’t worry! I’m meeting her again.” Now that he has her phone hostage, although he wasn’t planning on it. Funny how things work out for themselves.

“Okay, you’re sure this will work? We only have a few days at most.”

If there’s one thing Chanyeol wouldn’t dare do, it’s to disappoint Kris. “Yes, I’m sure of it.” He lets out a long sigh. “I can convince her.”

Kris stands up and pats Chanyeol on the shoulder. “Good luck with that.” He then leaves Chanyeol, giving him time to mull over his plan.

What to do, what to do…do I call her first? Oh wait, I have her phone with me. Chanyeol tells himself to just chill. He’ll just call Binne and—

Just his luck, Binnie found that same moment to call him. “Hey man,” Chanyeol answered. It’s good to hear an old familiar voice. “What’s up? I thought you were playing.”

“We just finished. Actually we played A Little Pain for two nights running. How cool is that?”

Chanyeol’s heart drops, though he was saved from analyzing the new information when a new voice cuts in…

“Yah! Park Chanyeol! You stole my phone!”

Gotcha. “Hey! Why make me the bad guy!” Chanyeol leaps from his chair, giddily pacing the width of the balcony as he takes satisfaction in riling his best friend.  

“You stole my phone, you—”

“I didn’t steal it…I just forgot to give it back.” Chanyeol says defensively.

“Then give it back! Don’t you even dare open it.”

“Why are you being secretive, do you have pictures of me in it?” He laughs heartily while she scoffs. “Don’t be paranoid, ___-ah. It’s locked!” Although I figured out your passcode.

“You sonofa—”

“And now you’re calling me names? After all that we did last night?”

A lengthy pause ensues before he hears her voice, full of accusation. “You didn’t take advantage of an inebriated girl, did you?”

Chanyeol snorts. “More like you took advantage of me.” He’s definite that she didn’t remember a thing after everything she drank. “You have to take responsibility.”

She snorts back. “Make your fangirls do it for you. Just give me my phone back. I’m sure SM has a messenger or something.”

He slowly smiles as he sets his plan into motion. “Can’t. Too busy. I have a hole in my schedule tomorrow at 3pm so just meet me quickly at the coffee shop inside the SM building. I’ll inform the guard that I’m expecting you.” Chanyeol abruptly disconnects the call before she could respond.

He continues pacing the balcony, blatantly ignoring the call from Binnie since he knows that it’s her and she’ll argue with him again. So no, no answering the phone. He’ll deal with her tomorrow.

He just hopes that what he’ll do won’t make her hate him more.

***

A high-pitched voice interrupts your thoughts. “Do you like Chanyeol-oppa?”

Dear Lord, I’m back in middle school with an invisible “Park Chanyeol’s bosom buddy” on my forehead.  You tightly smile at the bubbly girl, thankful that your sunglasses are hiding the sarcasm in your eyes. “What makes you think that?” Okay, so the tone just exposed the sarcasm.

The girl’s eyes widened. “Uh, because we do? We’re waiting for him arrive.” She sweeps her hand grandly towards a small group of girls, cameras at the ready. One of them has a small sign with Chanyeol’s face on it.

Oh god, was I so out of it that I didn’t even notice them? “Oh, hmmm, yeah. I guess you can say that. All of you are waiting for him?” Your fingers tighten on the handles of the paper bag carrying his jacket, wondering why Chanyeol insisted on meeting you here of all places.

The girl checks her watch, “yup, he’s due any moment now. Coming from a radio guesting.” She beams at you before joining the bigger group near the entrance.

Wow, the feeling of everyone trailing you and watching your every move. You shudder, knowing that it’s a life you hardly want, and obviously a life that Chanyeol is okay with. Leaning against the wall near the entrance, you crane your neck to view the entire height of the imposing building. You have been outside SM for the past thirty minutes, still deciding whether to go in or not.

You reach for the lone cigarette in your pocket – your landlord gave you one “for emergency purposes”. Well this feels like an emergency. You haven’t been here since—well, that day. And that single memory is totally not what you need right now.   

You decide that a quick fix to calm your nerves can be saved for later. There’s a high likelihood that you’ll need it more after meeting with Chanyeol. You push your sunglasses more securely across the bridge of your nose, finally deciding to get in the blasted building.  

A heavily-tinted van suddenly pulls up at the entrance, eliciting squeals from the small welcome party. You hung around the back of the crowd, hoping to just get in after the girls leave.

Chanyeol unwounded himself from the seat of the van, dressed casually in shirt, jeans, and a hoodie. Smiling brightly and waving at the girls, he expertly manoeuvres his way through the crowd past you and enters the building.

You drag your fingers through your hair in frustration, making your short hair stand on all sides. Damn it, I’m not supposed to be here.

A large hand suddenly grabs your wrist. Your eyes widened on seeing Chanyeol towering over you. “Let’s go.” He drags you along the way past the shocked faces of the girls in your wake.

Both of you literally spilled into the lobby, where the rest of Chanyeol’s staff is waiting.

“What was that all about Chanyeol?” The tall guy who you assumed is the manager asked angrily. “Why did you bring a fan inside?”

“She’s not a fan, hyung.” Chanyeol answers coolly, trying to appease his manager. “She’s my friend, _____.”

To your surprise, the Manager was suddenly all smiles, shaking your hand as he introduces himself. You take off your glasses and introduce yourself in return.

“Well, nice meeting you at last, ___-sshi.” The Manager elbows Chanyeol, “say, Chanyeol, you didn’t tell me that she is pretty as well! So she’s pretty, writes music, and plays in a band. A hard-hitter in my book. Are you sure you can really persuade her to go along with it?”

What? Persuade me to do what? You narrow your eyes at an obviously panicking Chanyeol. “What’s going on?” you demanded.

“Hyung! I didn’t tell her yet!” Chanyeol’s voice fairly boomed through the lobby, earning side glances from the others in the area. “Give me a few minutes.” He takes your hand this time to enter the elevator. Thankfully the unit is empty and you wrench your hand from his grasp.

“____-ah, I—”

“Where’s my phone?”

“C’mon, ___-ah, let me speak first—”

“I won’t listen until you give me my phone back.”

Chanyeol sighs and hands you your phone. You hurriedly unlock it and scan for important messages or missed calls. Fortunately, there aren’t.

The elevator stops at the roof deck. You follow Chanyeol until you’re both at the main area overlooking Gangnam’s busy streets.

“Here’s your jacket.” You force the paper bag into his arms. “I know you’re busy, so it would be best for both of us if you make it quick.”

He searches your eyes for a brief moment, trying to gauge your mood. “Okay, here’s the thing. It finally happened, ____-ah. Your wish happened.”

“What wish? I swear, Chanyeol, stop talking in riddles and just tell me straight—”

“They’re giving us a chance to do more of the creative work.” His eyes positively sparkled with excitement. “We’re doing a sub-unit, Kris-hyung, Kyungsoo, and I. They’re letting us do some of the songs for a mini-album if it passes their standards.”

You can feel your reserve melting. “That’s great, Chanyeol. It’s not my wish, you know. I just want you to be…” You search for the right word, “…fulfilled? Musically, that is. But forget what I said, all of this EXO business is already working out for itself right? Sub-unit or no sub-unit.” You are sincere but somehow what you just said came out pretty lame, so you pat his arm before making your way back to the elevator.

“Don’t leave me yet, ___-ah! Are you not happy for me?”

“What are you saying, Chanyeol? Of course I’m happy for you, I’m your…” you can feel tears prickle at the corner of your eyes, to your irritation. You hate crying the most. You clench your fists before continuing, “I’m your friend. And you worked so hard. So I am happy.”

Chanyeol suddenly hugged you so hard, you had trouble breathing properly. “Thank you, I thought we weren’t going to be friends again. I’m glad that we are.” He murmurs against your hair. He draws back, still holding you in his arms while you gape at him, stunned at his actions. “I screwed it up didn’t I?” Chanyeol asks softly. “Your dream. I knew it the moment I left—”

“Please, Chanyeol. I don’t need you.” Your heart twisted with the lie, and you gently push his hands away. “We should be responsible for our own dreams. Let’s just forget about everything okay? I have to go.”

“But what if I need you, ___-ah? Will you be with me?”

What does that mean? You curse your heart for suddenly leaping up with his words. “Why do I have to be with you? Everything has changed now.”

“Things do not have to change unless you let it. We’re friends, right? Help me.”

Your hands have gone numb, highly suspicious about what Chanyeol is getting at. “Help you with what? What do you need from me?”

“The song, ____-ah. I need A Little Pain.

***

You plant a hard straight at the punching bag, satisfied with the slight rattle from the chain above you. Going to the small boxing gym has been a ritual ever since you moved to Seoul three years ago. The nice ajusshi who owns the joint allowed you to man the desk by the entrance in exchange for some free lessons then, when you were still saving what little money you have and can hardly use it on expenses other than food and rent. Now, you can already pay the membership fee with no reservations, although you rarely drop by nowadays due to the back-to-back gigs.

The small, somewhat dingy, boxing gym is now your current happy place. It makes you focused and intense while de-stressing you at the same time. And de-stress is what you’re craving with all that is happening for the past few days.

What a jerk. You swiftly execute a couple of combinations, imagining Chanyeol’s face imprinted on the punching bag. All that about being friends again was only because he needed that blasted song for his album. And I’m a fool for believing our friendship matters. You grit your teeth as you shuffle your feet to circle the bag. You were too shocked (and immensely hurt) that Chanyeol would even dare to ask for the song. He even pointed out that Binnie and the others told him that you don’t play it in Seoul except for those two nights last week so obviously it’s not a big deal to take it out of Plum Farts’ repertoire.

But he’s wrong. It IS a big deal. Damn it, that song is the only thing linking you and Chanyeol. It’s too precious to just be reworked into who-knows-what shape or form by those cold, faceless SM producers. You wince at the thought of your song being a tool to rack up more money than that conglomerate obviously doesn’t need. It would just be a random, soon-forgotten track in a large pool of songs they churn out like a machine with all their artists.

The final right hook clashing with the bag rang through the walls, as the gym is quieter than usual given that it’s the middle of the day. You take a break and sit at the side of the ring, drinking from your water bottle while wiping away the sweat over your eyes with your other hand. Breathing deeply, you go over last night’s band meeting. You promised Chanyeol that you’ll get back to him about his proposition, despite the glaring NO you instantly wanted to shout at him. While the song was composed and arranged by both of you, it’s still the band’s property. And you cannot decide for them without picking their brains.

To your chagrin, the band deferred the decision back to you, emphasizing the strong attachment you have to the song. Seeing that A Little Pain won’t be part of the upcoming EP that the band is working on, they don’t see any problem selling the song. Besides, as Lee pointed out, the additional cash can help them in producing the EP faster, since you are being a hard in picking from the couple of labels that wanted to sign the band and back up the album.

So now it’s your fault that you’re losing your baby. You already received a couple of love calls from producers wanting to sign the band, but you didn’t feel that any of them were a natural fit with the band’s style and where it is headed. While the rest of them have mixed feelings about your position, you all compromised and chose to produce the EP yourselves, hoping to get enough traction and catch the attention of a label that will be mutually beneficial for everyone. Despite the Plum Farts’ packed schedule and the income that comes with it, funds are still running out – the expenses for the studio, instrument upgrades and such. The song can be a quick fix for that, no doubt SM will pay handsomely if they like it, to which Chanyeol seems confident that they will.

So now it’s your call. You seriously don’t want to sell it, but your personal feelings have since become second place to the needs of the band. You slowly smile to yourself, glad to have thought of a way to still release the song on your terms and get the funding that you need.

***

“Care to share that happy thought with me?” Chanyeol laughs at her shocked face. Binnie has tipped him off on where to find her. Geez, she boxes? I’m going to be dead meat by the end of the day. He nonchalantly sits beside her on the ring, digging out the hand wraps from his bag and starts putting them on.

“Wait, what are you doing here?”

Chanyeol can already imagine smoke coming out of her nose. God, she’s cute every time she’s all riled up. He innocently glances at her, “what, is it illegal for me to work out?”

She curls her lips. “Then why don’t you go work out in Apgujeong or wherever. Someone here might recognize you. You’re here just to spite me.”

He places a hand on her thigh to stop her from standing. “That’s not true. I just want to exercise with you.” And I miss you, Chanyeol adds to himself. He knows he should’ve waited for her to call him regarding his proposition. But he just had to see her again, make sure she was all right from what he said the other day. He has to know that they’re still friends despite the huge favor he’s asking from her. Not to mention that Kris and Kyungsoo are breathing down his neck.  

She huffs, slapping Chanyeol’s hand away from her. “Do you even know how to box?”

Chanyeol arcs an eyebrow at the challenge. He peels of his jacket to reveal the sleeveless shirt underneath, his toned biceps scant inches away from her. He knows she is watching judging from the slight flush in her cheeks. “Good news for you, I’ve boxed before.” He hasn’t boxed for months, but he knows he can hold his own.

She grunts before moving away, Chanyeol trailing behind her. They stand side by side facing their respective speedballs, rapidly hitting them in a regulated pace. Chanyeol clears his throat, raising his voice to be heard amidst the loud bouncing noise. “So, how long have you been boxing?”

She increases her speed while hitting the speed bag in perfect harmony. “A couple of years. Why?”

Chanyeol notes her experienced form, not to mention appreciating his view of her tank top slightly riding up whenever she reaches for the speedball, flashing a glimpse of her flat abs. “Just that your body looks really good, ____-ah.” Chanyeol didn’t realize he said that out loud until she stops and looks at him in disdain.

“What? It’s a compliment!”

She reaches the narrow corridor that connects the main area to the locker rooms, looking at both ends which means that she’s making sure they’re not heard by the others. “Cut it out, Chanyeol,” she hisses. “Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? You win. You can have the song.”

While Chanyeol automatically brightens at what she said, he’s also a bit hurt from her choice of words. “It’s not a contest, ___-ah. There’s no winner or loser.” He smiles at her, trying to get her to understand him. At least given this development he can make an excuse to still spend some time with her, even if it’s just for today. Maybe if this somehow breaks the ice they can see each other more often, more comfortably. “Let’s have a drink…or how about dinner? We can go over the details—”

“There’s a condition.” She levelled her eyes up at him. “I have to co-produce it. No way I’m handing it over and have your people re-master it and make a dance track or drown it with auto-tunes.”

Co-produce? Chanyeol can feel the rush of adrenalin pumping from pure inner excitement. While he wanted to retort that he’s insulted at how she has too little faith in him, this is overweighed by one teeny-weeny fact: that he will be the producer of the song. It took him long hours to convince the creative team to let him do it, along with around five samples of his recordings of how the A Little Pain can be re-arranged to jive with the rest of the album.        

“Okay, you can be co-producer.” Now she really won’t be able to avoid him. He’ll get a chance to be friends with her just like before.

She narrows her eyes. “How is that your decision? Don’t you have to check with the producer?”

He casts his eyes upward, trying to cover the omission. “I can persuade him, don’t worry.” Not one to think before he acts, Chanyeol roughly embraces her in gratitude. He whispers in her ear, “thank you, ___-ah, this really means a lot.” He then gives a soft kiss on her forehead automatically, just like he used to in middle school whenever she does something thoughtful for him. All of a sudden she stiffens in his arms.

Chanyeol stills, his hands still holding her shoulders. He searches her eyes, trying to find the reason for her sudden response to him. He can see a hint of panic — and fear — in them, almost causing him to call her out on why she seems to be afraid of him. But then her lips parted, distracting him and drawing his gaze to . And all his present thoughts flew out the window.

Now all he wanted to do was kiss her right there.

****

A/N: OMG major word vomit, this chapter took forever for me to hash out! Anyway, hope you like it!

The scene of Chanyeol with the rest of EXO grilling him about the phone is the scene after Luhan’s confrontation with Chanyeol in Chapter 5 of The Right Time. I hope there aren’t any inconsistencies. Again, feel free to point them out to me :) And in case anyone’s wondering, the song that Luhan alluded to in the bar (which is Wabi Sabi, I didn’t name it when I did The Right Time) in that same chapter is also A Little Pain. I think the song also fits well with Luhan and the girl/you at that point of the story.

The next chapter’s going to be exciting as it will involve the recording studio and will have a couple of KrisxChanyeolxKyungsoo interactions to entertain all of you. Yay!