11 years ago, outside of Seoul

“I just don’t understand what Chanyeol oppa sees in her. She’s not even pretty.”

The scathing voice and the muttered assents stops you from flicking open your cubicle door. Whoever it was on the other side of the girls’ bathroom must have serious issues against you judging from her tone. You can’t recognize it though, which is not surprising since there are apparently a lot of girls that you do not even know who take offense that you took their “Chanyeol oppa” off the market.  The number of times this has happened should have made you immune by now, but you can’t help but feel a bit irked about it.

“If she didn’t glue herself to Chanyeol oppa, like, all the time, he wouldn’t even have noticed her in the first place.”

“Did you know that she moved next door to him? Who does she thinks she is?”

What the hell! Nails printing red marks on your palms, you tamp the urge to kick open your bathroom stall and descend hell on these girls for spreading nonsense. Besides, nothing good’s going to come out of it. And you would like to think that you’re the type who would not stoop to their level.

More name calling ensues and you are seriously losing your patience. It’s more than two minutes that you’re stuck in the bathroom stall, and you feel more stupid with every second that passes. Band practice is in half an hour and you cannot subject yourself to this any longer.

“Yah! You girls better shut your traps or I’m going to make sure this ball hit your faces so hard your Chanyeol oppa won’t even recognize you.”

You stifle a smirk as your friend’s menacing tone lances through air just as you were about to open your door. Poor girls, you just met the last person that you want to cross in this school.

“S....s….s…unbae….”

“That’s right, I’m your sunbae, and the girl you’re talking about is your sunbae too. So if you value your faces at all—”

“It’s okay, Yejin.” You say coolly—relishing the horrified looks of the three young students frozen in place. You almost laughed at Yejin’s stance, already poised to hurl her soccer ball to their faces, but you have to keep up appearances. Pulling up the most glacial expression you can muster, you deadpanned, “I’m sure they won’t do it again.”

“Sunbae!” One of the girls stammers, “we didn’t know—”

“Yes, that’s right. You don’t even know me. And I don’t even know you.” Your frosty glance scans the three pairs of eyes already on the brink of tears. “So I hope you stop talking things about me that you have no idea about.” Smiling tightly, you angle your head towards the bathroom door.

“Y—yes sunbae!” The three girls say unison, scampering away to the exit with their heads bowed.

“Damn it, you shouldn’t have let them off the hook so easily.” Yejin huffs, her mud-stained soccer ball resting comfortably at the crook of her arm.

You grin as you (finally) wash your hands by the sink, drying them quickly before slinging your guitar bag on your shoulder. “And what? Slap them with my guitar while you throw your ball at them?”

Yejin chuckles, hair from her unruly ponytail lightly bouncing as she teases, “what the hell are you doing in the stall anyway? It’s not like you cannot take them on.”

You raise your eyebrow. “I think I can hold my temper longer than yours.”

“You’re right.” She smiles cheekily while washing her soccer ball. “Besides you don’t have to kick their . Just one icy glare will do. Maybe that’s why Chanyeol succumbed to your charms.”

You snort. “Scram, Yejin. Your varsity captain might be looking for you.”

Eyes twinkling, she waves at you. “Fine fine, I just escaped practice to take a leak. Who knew I had to defend the honor of some ungrateful friend.”

“Aigoo~~~~~come here.” You hug her tightly until she starts squirming in your embrace. “I wuv you chinggu~~~~”

“Eeeuuww euuuww…” She cringes. “Old school aegyo hahaha, is this why Chanyeol’s crazy about you?”

“I’m outta here.” You leave the bathroom hurriedly, before your friend embarrasses you further. You smile as you can still hear Yejin’s laugh in the bathroom, walking quickly or else you’ll be late for practice.

Your smile falters as you round the corner at the sight of Chanyeol with the same three girls from earlier flocked around him. He was laughing boisterously, while the girls were giggling shyly. Your chest tightens, and you grip the strap of your guitar bag in an effort to brush off your jealousy.

“What the ?” Yejin’s voice interrupts your thoughts, and you both stare as Chanyeol pats the head of one of the girls.

“Yejin, don’t—”

“YA! PARK CHANYEOL!”

The small group turns toward both of you, Chanyeol’s grin growing wider. “Jagi!” He waves goodbye to the girls, whose guilty looks did not register to your mind as you stare sullenly at them while they scamper off.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Chanyeol moves to take your guitar bag, but you shift it out from his reach. The confusion in his eyes bore yours as he tries to read you. “Is there something wrong?” He smiles uneasily at Yejin. “Hi Yejin! Aren’t you supposed to be in varsity practice?”

“Screw off, Chanyeol.” She hisses. “I swear, if you make ____-ah cry, I’ll---”

“It’s okay, Yejin.” You pat your friend’s hand, smiling tightly. “See you later.”

“Wait, what--!” Chanyeol’s voice trails at your wake as you walk briskly to the school gate. Keeping your eyes trained on the concrete pavement, you hug the guitar bag closer to you like a shield. You manage to cross the street away from the school grounds before Chanyeol finally catches up to you.

“Hey…” He grabs your hand tightly, stopping you in your tracks. It’s only a few more blocks to your practice venue, which just happens to be Chanyeol’s garage for today. Life is definitely ty right now.

“Chanyeol, it’s nothing, really.” You attempt a slight smile at him. “Yejin’s just overreacting.”

“Is it something I did?” Chanyeol asks, clasping your hand tighter. “Why would you cry?”

“I didn’t cry okay?” You grit your teeth. “I said it’s nothing, let’s just go practice.”

“Then let me bring your guitar for you.”

“I’m not handicapped, you know.” You loosen his grip and continued on walking.

You can hear Chanyeol faintly muttering “women” before hearing his footsteps closing in on you. “Then why was Yejin overreacting then?” Frustration lines his voice as he rakes his fingers through his hair.

He lets you stew for another block, his steps matching your brisk ones until you too are getting frustrated by the silence. It’s really unusual for him to be this quiet for an insanely long period.

“It’s nothing you did. Yejin just thinks you’re too…close with other girls.” No way will you trouble him about what those three girls were saying about you in the bathroom.

A smile slowly creeps from Chanyeol’s lips, “so you’re….jealous?”

“What! Yeah right! I won’t even give you the satisfaction.” You stomp off. Even if you were jealous, you would die before Chanyeol finds out.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He grabs your hand again and pulls you closer until you were both walking closely side by side. Much as you are annoyed with him, the warmth of his closeness is making it difficult for you to be mad for long.

He intertwines his fingers with yours, swaying your joint hands playfully. “I thought I did something bad… I don’t want to make you cry.”

You stare at him coldly, even though your chest feels lighter at his words. “You better not make me cry or I’ll throw your guitar in the Han River.”

He laughs boldly. “Wow you would travel that far just to throw my guitar.” He laughs more at your dead stare. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you cry.”

“Huh?” You’re surprised at the observation. Not that you intentionally bury your feelings, but crying is the one thing that you prefer doing privately. It makes you vulnerable – and you don’t like to be that way. “Hmmm, I guess I rarely cry.”

Chanyeol nods, seemingly lost in thought. “Well, now’s not the time to cry anyway. Unless you’re going to cry tears of joy.” He leans closer, his lips almost brushing your ear, “I have a surprise for you.”

His deep voice made your throat dry all of a sudden. “You know I don’t like surprises.”

“Trust me, you’ll like it.”

Your confusion grows as you start entering your own gate instead of his. “What’s happening? We’re going to be late for practice.”

“I just made that up so I can kidnap you.”

“Chanyeol, if that’s your surprise, you’re the one who’s going to cry after I slam my guitar over your head.”

“Geezus, no need to get violent.” Chanyeol squeezes your hand. “Sometimes I think you love the band more than me.”

“I love both equally.” You say quickly without hesitation.

Chanyeol chuckles as he shakes his head. “Okay, with my surprise I’m definitely going to go higher in your list…. Ta-da!” He gestures grandly, his eyes glowing with excitement.

Your jaw drops at the sight of a small but seemingly sturdy treehouse nestled atop your family’s oak tree. “What the—???”

“Do you like it?” He asks in eager anticipation. A faint blush shows in his cheeks when you just continued to stare open-mouthed at him. “I…made it….with your dad. Well more of like I’m your dad’s assistant. I don’t know much about carpentry and he has more tools than my dad so we did it together.”

“Is this why Dad insisted I stay the weekend over at grandma’s?” You still can’t believe how they managed to pull this off.

“Yeah. Haha, I was surprised why you didn’t question the large tarp on the tree when you went back.”

“I thought Dad was doing some reinforcement on the branches…” You follow him to the base of the tree, admiring the craftsmanship from below.

“C’mon, go up. Can you give me your guitar now?”

“Fine.” You hand the bag to him, the excitement of seeing the rest of it already making you giddy. It’s a good thing you’re wearing your jogging pants today.

The light touch of Chanyeol’s hand on your hip almost caused you to fall from the ladder. “Don’t be a ert Chanyeol!”

“What! I’m just helping you! These two guitars are heavy!” He answers cheekily from below you.

You scoff at him before making your way up. The treehouse is not that huge, you both had to crouch down to enter the place. And especially with Chanyeol’s long legs the house even feels smaller compared to when you first saw it. But it is still cozy.

“You keep doing your writing on this tree until now and it’s getting dangerous.” Chanyeol explains as you lightly trail your fingers on the dark polished wood. “Your Dad thinks it was a good idea.”

“Wow, I think I’m the only one who has a treehouse in this county. And I’m not even eight years old.” You smile at him. “Thank you. I love it.”

You can’t wait to compose in this upgraded sanctuary, and your mind is already b with inspiration for your next song. You crawl to your bag to get your notebook and start scribbling. Hair covering your face as you lower your head with the pad on your lap, you feel Chanyeol shift closer to you.

“That’s it? No tears of gratitude?”

“Hmmm?” You mutter, pencil between your lips as you think of the next line. Eyes squinting, you survey the lyrics you’ve written so far. It took Chanyeol’s incessant of your hair to finally pull you out of your trance. “What?” You mumble with the pencil still between your lips as you look up at him.

Chanyeol smiles, his fingers playing with the ends of your hair. “Nothing. I like your hair. It’s long and it smells like oranges.”

“Do you like girls with long hair?”

“Is this a trick question?” He teases. “Because those girls earlier also have long hair.”

“You noticed?” Damn it, how can Chanyeol read you so easily?

“I only like it if it’s you.” He cups your cheek and kisses you softly. “You’re very pretty.” He kisses you more thoroughly, soft lips firmly latching on to yours that it made you breathless and weak at the same time. His hand slowly travels to your nape, the feel of his mouth on yours making you moan in mere seconds.

“Chanyeol….” You whisper in between kisses.

“Hmmm?”

“Did you make this treehouse so we can make out?”

You both snort and giggle playfully at the thought. Chanyeol continues to caress your cheek. “I had to invent a reason to convince your Dad to build this.” He smiles mischievously.

Gad, he really is getting under your skin. Just seeing him be mischievous and sneaky is making your heart beat faster.  “You do know that he can easily hang you by the neck on this tree right?”

He lets out a regretful sigh before letting you go. “If you don’t cry at my grave I’m going to haunt you forever.” He hands your notebook back at you. “Go do your music. You love it more than me anyway.” He pouts cutely.

You smile at him as you rifle through your notebook, landing on the page you’ve started to work on last week. “There. I hope that shuts you up.”

Still pouting, Chanyeol lazily browses through the sheet. You contain your laughter when his ears start to turn red. “Is this….about me?”

“Could be…” You inch closer to him as you both peer at the page. “…took me ten drafts just to work out the verse and I’m not even at all settled with the chorus. If it makes your ego feel better, I lost a lot of sleep putting effort over this.”

“Ugh, I think I’m going to cry.” His eyes shining with unshed tears.

You punch him on the arm as he pretends to bawl on your shoulder. He then laughs and proceeds to hug you tightly. “Thank you, jagi. I can’t wait to hear it.”

“Me too.”

Present Day, Seoul

You let out the breath you didn’t know you’ve been holding the moment Kris closes the door. Twiddling your worn pencil on your fingers, you look in disgust at the marks from the grinding of your teeth.

“Still chewing on helpless pencils, I see.”

Sighing, you edge your chair away the moment Chanyeol rolls his own chair beside you. The recording studio seems a bit stifling all of sudden. “It helps me think.” You rummage through the sheets in front of you, looking at the arrangements of A Little Pain that you’ve worked on over a decade ago, along with haphazard notes you’ve started last night. You can feel Chanyeol just staring at you silently, until you can’t bear the close scrutiny anymore. “What’s wrong?”

“Hmmm?”

You face him directly, his wide-eyed gaze making you all the more confused. “Why are you staring?”

“Ah…it’s nothing.” He chuckles, bringing out his laptop and setting it near the soundboard. “I didn’t know you wear glasses.” He brings out his own thick-rimmed pair, his pad and paper ready at the space between them.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know.” You mutter, slightly annoyed at the idle chatter. Honestly, it was going so well. But seeing the pick – and the fact that he kept it after all these years – is muddling your thoughts. There’s no way that you’ll confront him about it though. If there’s one thing that will let you get through this project in one piece, it is to not think about the past.

“Yeah, I guess so. Funny I didn’t notice you needed them before.”

Inwardly wincing that he managed to hear what you said, you brush off the slight tinge off regret in his voice. Keeping your eyes trained on your notes, you feel him staring at you again. “What now?” Irritation is now starting to give an edge on your voice.

Hands splayed up in surrender, Chanyeol grins. “Easy…no need to bite my head off.”

“Then why are you still staring?”

He shrugs. “You just look so different…”

“Give me a break here, Chanyeol. You’ve seen me since last week. You’re acting as if I suddenly have a big wart on my face.”

“I’m still adjusting.” He starts clicking on his laptop, drawing up the music files which you guess are the arrangements he has worked on. “I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

“I thought you look great with long hair, but short hair also suits you.”

You scoff at the offhand compliment, but you can’t help but pat your hair lightly to check if it’s still in place. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop talking about the past.” There really is no way that they could avoid this conversation, and you surmise that there’s no better time than now to set things straight. It’s the only way you can function in peace at all this week.

His eyes stray from the laptop screen and landed on your eyes, and there’s no mistaking the slight hurt behind them. “Why do you want to forget it? Didn’t we have good memories too?” His mouth compresses to a thin line. “If it’s about the pick earlier, then I’m sorry.”

“I just don’t want us to reminisce, okay?” It is really unfair. You just want to do well and finish this job, help the band, and go on your merry way. Without Chanyeol. Why does he keep on making things harder for you not to include emotions into what should have been a simple business agreement?

With hooded eyes, he mumbles, “Can we at least be friends?”

It’s now your turn to feel a bit regretful, especially from the way Chanyeol’s face is filled with disappointment.  “We are friends.” You try to soften your voice to ease the tension. “But let’s face reality, Chanyeol. What do you expect to come out from this? I just want us to compose and make a track that we can be proud of in a week. That’s it. Do you want something more afterward? If you’re feeling guilty or you want to make amends somehow, you don’t need to bother. It was a long time ago and both of us don’t deserve to be burdened from how we acted in the past. Having said that, don’t expect anything more from me after this. It can’t…go back to the way it was. Let’s just more forward and finish what we both signed for in that contract.”

Chanyeol sighs, his frown getting deeper. “I understand…but I just like to believe that we’ll be okay now.”

You let out a sigh of your own. “As I said, we are okay. But what more do you want from me, Chanyeol? Hang around and have fun after this? Heck, you can barely go around without at least ten girls trailing you. Your parents even said that they haven’t seen you in months. So yeah, I don’t want to increase your social obligations. You’re a celebrity, and you don’t have to fit me into your life. Just know that there’s no unfinished business to speak of. We’re good. We both have lives to live. So just let it be.”

His frown turns to a grimace. “Wow that was a mouthful, did you prepare that monologue ever since last weekend?”

Really, there’s no way getting through this guy. “Chanyeol~~~”

“No, okay I get it. Clean slate. And I’ll try not to make you uncomfortable.”

The way you’re crowding me is already making me uncomfortable. You swiftly nod before ruffling through your notes again.

“Thank you.”

Your fingers stilled. “For what?”

“—for not hating me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

A small smile escapes his lips. “But you don’t like me either.”

“No.”

He laughs as he shakes his head. “This is why I like you so much.”

Gad, this guy is becoming harder to understand every minute. “Let’s just work.”

Chanyeol is exerting all effort not to visibly jump in his chair in excitement. It has been a couple of hours since they started working, and the high of building a song has not waned a bit. Granted, they’re not starting from scratch. They already have material to work with. But it’s fun, and a bit exhilarating to transform a track into a wholly different sound. A song that is still akin to the original but has a personality of its own.

And he knows that he is indebted to her for making him feel this excited in a project for such a long time. In spite of what she said earlier, he really is grateful…and guilty for barging into her life like this. He really is trying to make the entire situation less complicated for both of them. But more often than not, he gets ahead of himself and speaks his mind before really thinking about it.

At least they cleared the air. A bit.

“What do you think about this?” He strums the verse at a different key on his guitar. They both agreed to more or less make A Little Pain have a lighter, smoother, more subdued flavor compared to the original. They just have to get used to the new tempo and figure out the basic melody at least for today.

Her brows knit in concentration as she supports Chanyeol’s chord progression through her bass guitar. Damn if that didn’t make him a bit distracted, how fetching she looks with her eyes all intense but with her short mop of hair softening all that intensity.

“Hmmm, I think it should go a half step lower. It would suit D.O.’s voice perfectly.” She rolls her chair toward the keyboard on her left and play the same verse to demonstrate her point.

The corners of Chanyeol’s lips quirk up. “Yeah, I think that’s better.” 

They both made the same annotations to their sheets, Chanyeol also adding the changes to his laptop to at least hear a raw version of what they’re putting together.

“I think we can convert this to a slow rap.” Chanyeol muses, showing his notes to her.

She shifts closer towards him, twin dark heads poring over the lyrics. “Yeah that could work, maybe make this line in English so that Kris can amp it up a bit.” She puts keyword translations of the lyrics on his paper to be polished later.

“So where do I come in?” Chanyeol turns his head towards her, but had to back up a bit. Wow, he didn’t realize that she was this close.

“Do you have to be complete for this?” She asks nonchalantly, pursing her lips as she continues to read his notes. “It’s not the title track anyway.”

He is preoccupied with studying her side profile that it took a moment longer for her words to dawn on him. “Hey, that’s not fair!” Chanyeol protests. “I made that arrangement for your voice, and now you’re not going to give it to me?”

The way her eyes darken got Chanyeol to mentally slap himself. So much for not bringing up the past. “I mean, it’s kind of weird that I had a hand in this song but I’m not participating.”

"You ARE participating...by producing." She counters.

"But..." Chanyeol tried not let his helplessness show. Doesn't she realize how much the song means to him too? "Please." It's all that he can say short of fully begging.

Something must have made her see reason because she finally caves in. "Okay."

"Awesome." Chanyeol shifts his lyrics page towards her. "See, we can split this rap." He circles the verse in question. "And make this my part and Kris hyung for the latter."

A small smirk escapes , so small that Chanyeol would've missed it if he wasn't paying too much attention on every little thing that she does.

"What is it?"

She shrugs. "Oh nothing." She continues when Chanyeol just stares at her. "Do you want to know what I think? From one producer to another?"

He had to admit his curiosity was piqued. "Go ahead."

"I think you should sing most of it."

"Wait...what?" The suggestion caught him off guard. It was so unexpected and yet he can't help but be strangely excited at the idea.

She smiles in encouragement. "Yeah. The key we decided on fits your voice as well. Time to stretch out those pipes, buddy."

"Uh wait." He touches his nape out of nervousness. "Are you sure? What about Kyungsoo?"

"We'll make him the second layer for the chorus. Both of your voices blend anyway. And his voice matches the bridge." She lifts her eyebrows in challenge. "Call?"

"But what would the listeners think? They would think I'm being selfish since I'm producing the track." Much as he wants to do it, the hesitation is still on his mind. There never was a song so far that he was the main vocal.

"Park Chanyeol, you’re like one of the most confident people that I know." She clasps his hands, and he feels somewhat reassured. "You have to convince them that what we decided is the right treatment for the song."

"Okay." There's no way but for him to agree when those trusting and encouraging eyes compel him to do so. Not to mention she’s still holding his hands. "I'll do it."

Her warm smile finally convinces him that he's doing the right thing. "Okay, let's tinker what we've done so far so that it complements your register."  
Maybe it's the fact that they're now composing with his voice in mind that it made him more conscious of getting it right. The "tinkering" stretches for more than an hour, and they're still not close to getting it done to both their satisfaction. They already decided to have dinner delivered to the studio half an hour ago because their momentum would be lost at the rate they're going.

He didn't realize that he was tapping his feet in frustration, his fingers scrambling through the keys of his laptop to try out a measure, then editing it again until he is gritting his teeth in annoyance.

"Do you want to take a break?"

His eyes are still fixed on the mixer at the laptop screen. "I guess...later..." He said distractedly. Why can't he get this right?

"Look at me. Now."

It took every amount of effort for him to look at her. He doesn't want her to see how close he is to giving up.

She brings his head between her palms. "Now close your eyes. Relax."

The warmth of her hands on his temples silently urges him to calm down. He follows her, but his mind is still preoccupied.

"Stop thinking, Chanyeol." She scolds him, and he can feel his guitar placed on his hands. "Just free your mind. Let's go back."

He orders himself to relax, keeping his eyes closed as per instructions. "Now what do I do?" He has no idea what she is planning.

"Let's go to the heart of it." He can hear her softly playing the bass line of the original song. "What is the song about?"

"You tell me, you're the one who wrote it." He teases her while playing the original chords, his eyes still closed.

Lightly laughing, she nudges his foot. "Come on, play along with me."

"It's about waiting...longing for someone."

"Uhuh...go on..."

"Self-comfort...loneliness...maybe a bit of desperation." He continues playing along with her.

"What else?"

"Helplessness."

"Ah, yes. That's what we were thinking then, when you arranged it at your house. It's why the sound is so somber and painful."

Chanyeol almost opened his eyes then, surprised the she voluntarily brought up that moment. "Yeah I guess you're right."

"But it's different now. We changed the sound, remember? The three of you are making a new song this time. How does this sound make you feel?"

"I don't know..." He lets out a defeated sigh. What does it make him feel? He was so preoccupied with all the technicalities that he forgot to come back to what counts the most—the spirit of the song.

"Hope."

He opens his eyes right then, meeting her serious ones. "Hope..." somehow with that single word, the pieces seem to fit.

"Yes, hope." They both continue to play, his lead guitar in synch with hers. "Hope that the person you're waiting for will come back. That's why your version sounds lighter, much more optimistic. Let your music show that."

Chanyeol's lips part in understanding. The heavy feeling slowly easing off his chest. Trust her to always make him see the truth in things. To bring out the best in him.

Oh, crap. He is falling for her all over again.

"Oppa~~~"

Chanyeol is still reeling from his discovery when the girl in question her head towards someone over his shoulder. It took him a long moment to stray his eyes away from her, to land on the bright eyes of the young female trainee standing a few feet from them. "Oh, hi Ha-ni, you shouldn't have bothered getting our food." He accepts the two brown packages of burgers and drinks, trying to steady his shaking hands. He is grateful that Ha-ni is here to give him a few minutes to recover. He was this close to staring like a besotted fool wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"I...ah..." Get a grip, Chanyeol. "She is one of our trainees." He gestures to the shy girl at his side. "Say your greetings, she's a producer for our album."

The two girls exchange their greetings, Chanyeol still deep in thought on his realization and how best to deal with these new (or is it?) feelings. She said it herself, she doesn't like him anymore. Especially that way. What chance does he even have? And are they both willing to even go that road again?

Ugh, Kris hyung would definitely laugh his off if he finds out. So much for making all of this professional. He didn’t even last for 24 hours.

"Chanyeol, your dongsaeng is getting uncomfortable."

The light reprimand cuts his thoughts, "Ah…yes…thanks again, Ha-ni." He absent-mindedly pats her head before she waves as she leaves.

"You both look good together."

"What!" He frantically waves his hands, fearing that she might get the wrong idea. "No, she's just a hoobae. Nothing's going on between us." He stammers.

"Geez. No need to be defensive. I think she has a crush on you." She shrugs. "So I guess hoobaes can be called 'honey' now."

"Ha-ni. Her name is really Ha-ni." He pronounces carefully, trying to hide how amused he is. So does this mean she cares...even a bit?

"Oh." Chanyeol has to bite back a smile when her cheeks redden in embarrassment. "Sorry. You both look great together. She even has long hair."

But I’m finding myself fond of soft and wispy short hair. "So, how about you?" He tries his best to sound unaffected. "Anyone who might be looking for you this late at night?" He remembered Binnie mentioning that she doesn't have a boyfriend right now. But there's no harm in confirming right? Not that he's going to do anything about whatever her answer might be. Or…not yet.

“Nope. No boyfriend.” She lets out a small sigh before picking up her guitar, randomly playing chords. “Say, Chanyeol. Maybe you can set me up with someone.”

That got alarms blazing inside Chanyeol’s head. Here he is, freshly accepting the idea that he is already halfway in love with her and she’s asking him to set her up? “Sorry, can’t think of anyone right now…it’s hard to date someone in this industry because of the weird hours.” Chanyeol’s dead sure that anyone in his circle of friends would jump at the chance to date her. What’s not to like about her?

But if there’s one thing that Chanyeol is not, it’s a martyr.

She sighs again, mulling what he said. “Good point. But I pull in weird hours too, so we’re just even. Hmmm…maybe I should ask your sister if she knows anyone.”

“That’s still media. Weird hours and all. Here’s your burger.” He hands him her food, hoping against hope that it will make her drop the subject. He succeeded.

They are working more comfortably this time around, and Chanyeol can already feel the mood in the room changing a bit. Maybe it’s because of he finally realized the how the music should feel (thanks to her). Or maybe because, in just a short period, here he is again falling in love with his bestfriend.  Or maybe both.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks worriedly as he notices her pinching the bridge of her nose. They’ve been working nonstop for two hours since they finished dinner and it’s also taking a toll on him. “Maybe we should just continue tomorrow…”

“No, don’t mind me. Let’s push for until midnight. I have a gig on Thursday and I want to cover a lot of ground before then.” She picks up her pencil and started to annotate again.

"Okay, let me go to the washroom for a bit." At least just to wash his face so that he can stay awake. He marvels at how hardworking she is, when clearly she must be as tired just as he is feeling right now. Which is a feat in itself considering he has mastered the art of working nonstop and evading sleep especially during the height of EXO’s popularity. Chanyeol decides that he will firmly ask her to call it a night after an hour or so. Or when the creative juices are running low. Whichever comes first.

His plans are in vain when he returned to the sight of her dozing off with her head propped on her notes.

He smiles to himself as he carries her sleeping form to the leather couch, amused that he has done this twice in a span of a few days. He honestly doesn't mind getting used to taking care of her.

He was about to look for a corner to sleep himself when a something start to slip from her pocket. Hurrying to catch it, Chanyeol is surprised to find that the object in question is a cigarette.

She smokes? Funny how that comes across as a surprise to him. Not that he should care. It's her life anyway. But he feels honor-bound to advise her against such an unhealthy habit. You don’t have to be someone’s boyfriend to influence someone to stop smoking right? He didn’t see her go out for a smoke though, so that’s a bit confusing. Why haven't the others tell her to stop smoking? It will change her singing voice for one thing.

Finally deciding that he will intervene, just like with his stylist who smokes way too much before, he slowly puts back the stick in her pocket. Chanyeol rubs his hand across his face, uncertain on what to do with the "predicament" that he has found himself to be in. He honestly didn’t start this with the intention of rekindling the past. He just wants to reconnect, be friends again, and obviously he needs her for this project.

Maybe he's just overthinking things, which is uncharacteristic of him since she's the one who analyzes way too much, not him. Figuring that maybe the lack of sleep is the reason why he’s so agitated, he starts sorting her notes, planning to sleep where she dozed off a while ago since it has the most desk space.

His hands still after digging through the pile to find her old composition notebook, surprised that she kept it after all this time. Well, she’s a great lyricist and no doubt she keeps all her writings.

But this notebook in particular is important to Chanyeol, and he flips through the pages to reminisce the reason why. His eyes finally land on the haphazard scribbles of A Little Pain, remembering how cute she was on the branch of her favorite tree. He can remember it as clearly like it was yesterday.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he searches for another song that he never got the chance to hear.

Chanyeol’s hand trembles a bit when he found it, his heart twisting as he pores through the words that speak so much of her honesty even after all these years. Her song for him.

And that’s as far as he got. It seems like she hasn’t finished the song after all. His fingers drift over some of the blotted words, the smudges that have dried through the years still in plain sight.

She cried over him.

And that just killed whatever little chance Chanyeol thought he might have to winning her heart again.

You wake up with a start to the insistent peal of your phone, belatedly realizing that you have slept in the recording room. Still disoriented, you amble towards the buzzing…scanning the room wondering where Chanyeol has gone off to. “What is it, Yejin?”

“Wow. And a good morning to you too.”

You laugh at the sarcasm in your friend’s voice. “You woke me up, you deserve it.”

“It’s 10am.”

“What!” You look at the nearby clock and true enough it’s almost 10 in the morning. A note on the desk shows Chanyeol’s scrawled writing to wait for him since he’s buying breakfast. “Sorry, I guess I overslept.”

“Don’t you have something to tell me?”

“…uh…no?” You stifle another laugh at the frustration evident on the other line.

“You met with Chanyeol! OMG! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!?!”

“Ugh no need to shout!” You smirk at her, smoothing your hair and trying to wake yourself up. “If you just showed up in Wabi Sabi last week, then you would have seen him! You’re the one who flaked out on me.”

“But you didn’t even tell me you were meeting him! Gad, now I really want to kill my boss. That would’ve been a hell of a reunion.”

You idly sit back on your work desk, booting up the computer to retrieve the files you worked on yesterday. “Trust me, you didn’t miss out on much. How did you know anyway?”

“Through Binnie, of course! I bumped into him this morning.”

Binnie is really screwing up my life. “Okay, I’m just doing a project with Chanyeol. We’re fine. We’ve started working on it actually.”

“You mean he’s there right now?”

“He’s off to buy breakfast—”

“Oh dear Lord, you slept together!??!?!? I knew it!!! You never really got over him—”

“Hey!” Now you start to pace the room, annoyed but still slightly amused at how Yejin is overreacting. “I just dozed off on the couch and he let me sleep that’s all.” You frown. “And what do you mean I never got over him? It’s almost a decade since we broke up.” What is Yejin saying? Of course you have gotten over Chanyeol. Hasn’t the way you cleared things up yesterday proof enough?

“Yeah, yeah, admit it.” She dismisses your protest. “He’s lurking at the back of your mind. No one forgets her first love.”

You steel your voice. “Believe me, I’ve gotten over him. We’re just working on a project, and I’m getting paid to do this. And the band badly needs the funds.”

“Seriously, my friend, the band’s all that you think about. How about relaxing more? That’s better for your health.”

“I AM relaxed! You’re the one stressing me out!”

Yejin’s laughter rings through your ears. “But you love me anyway. Fine, I’m going to Wabi Sabi on your gig. I need a full report.”

“Nothing’s going on, I’m sure.” You reassure your stubborn friend. Even amid her teasing, you know Yejin is still worried about the fact that you’re meeting Chanyeol again.

After the crazy phone call, you browse through the previous music files recorded in the studio you’re in. It’s all stored in the computer you’re handling as Chanyeol explained yesterday. Feeling a bit impatient, you draw up one of the sheet music and start strumming, humming the melody.

“Good morning.”

You swivel your chair, fingers still on the strings of the guitar. Eyes widening, you’re lost for a second at the big pair of boyish eyes smiling at you.

“I’m D.O.” The solemn guy introduces himself, and you stammer your own introduction while you both shake hands. Wow, why do these EXO boys look so different but charming all at the same time. First Luhan, then Kris, and now D.O…your head shakes at the thought of what might happen if the entire group is in just one single room.

“I’m sorry for barging in like this.” D.O. smiles, “but Chanyeol didn’t go home last night so…” He purposely let the statement trail off, and you can feel another bout of embarrassment creeping up your cheeks.

“Ah hmmmm. I’m not sure actually where he is since I unexpectedly dozed off last night when he went to the washroom.” Ugh, what would the other EXO boys think about this? Even if nothing happened, the circumstances are pretty damning.

“Hmmm, okay.” D.O. nods, though you’re not sure he is convinced from the way his eyes are still teasingly directed at you. “Is it okay if I wait for him? Is he coming back?”

“Yeah sure.” You gesture to the chair that Chanyeol was using yesterday, to which D.O. assumed his seat. “He left a note that he will buy breakfast but he hasn’t come back yet.”

“Okay.” His eyes crinkle at the corners as he grins, and you have to admit that you’re a bit startstruck that Do Kyungsoo is just sitting beside you. Because apart from him having one of the best voices in EXO, he’s also a much admired and talented actor.

“Uh…” Okay, time to snap out of your trance. “Do you want to discuss the song?”

“Maybe when Chanyeol comes back.” Even with his speaking voice you can’t wait to start recording the vocal part. “Do you know that we sometimes sing to A Little Pain?”

“Really?” Okay, you don’t know how to respond to what he just said. For one thing, why would Chanyeol still play the song? Even she hasn’t played it for a long time with the exception of last week.

“Yeah, he sometimes plays it and then I asked him to teach me so we can jam together.” His smile widens. “It’s a difficult song.”

You laugh lightly at the admission. “Well, it’s made for a female register, but we changed it a bit. I hope you’ll like the end result.”

“I have a feeling I will.” His eyes shift to the piece on the computer screen, and his brow lifts in surprise. “You know that I sung in that, PD-nim?”

“Ah….yes….it really is a nice song. And please, it’s okay if you just call me by my name. PD-nim makes me feel old when I’m just a year older.”

He nods in response, “can you play it? It’s been too long since I’ve heard it.”

“Uh, sure….”

“Also sing. Please.”

“Ummm…I’m not a singer.” There’s no need to embarrass yourself any further in front of him.

“Nonsense. Chanyeol said you’re good. And if you’re the one who sang A Little Pain before, then I really want to hear that voice.”

You sigh. Oh well, it’s not as if there are any other witnesses to your discomfort. “Okay…here goes nothing.” You strum your guitar—well, actually it’s Chanyeol’s, since you only brought your bass guitar. And you anticipate the awesomeness that will come when D.O. starts singing—

I remember when we were yelled at for talking in the halls
I don’t know why it was so fun even when we were being punished

He smiles encouragingly at you, and so you follow—

After that day (yeah yeah) we always (yeah yeah)
Stuck together like the Astro twins, you were me and I was you

You didn’t realize that you were smiling, happy as both of your voices fill the room—

You cried so much on the day before graduation
You held it in firmly since you’re a guy
Just like that hot summer when we couldn’t say what we wanted, goodbye

The friend label is a label that I got to hate
The feelings I’ve hidden still remain as a painful secret memory
The photos that can’t define our relationship is a heartbreaking story
I’m sorry, summer, now goodbye, yeah

What do I say, we didn’t have to play no games
I should’ve took that chance, I should’ve asked for you to stay
And it gets me down the unsaid words that still remain
The story ended without even starting

Your song on the last day of the school festival, the flickering summer sea
Our feelings that were precious because we were together
Like the deepening night sky, goodbye

The friend label is a label that I got to hate
The feelings I’ve hid still remain as a painful secret memory
The photos that can’t define our relationship is a heartbreaking story
I’m sorry, summer, now goodbye, yeah

Baby oh no oh oh
I’m sorry that this is a monologue
Oh, actually, I love you, yeah
If only our long-time hidden secrets were revealed
I would hold you in my arms

The friend label is a label that I got to hate
The feelings I’ve hid still remain as a painful secret memory
The photos that can’t define our relationship is a heartbreaking story
I’m sorry, summer, now goodbye, yeah

The friend label is a label that I got to hate
A heartbreaking story, I’m sorry, summer, now goodbye, yeah

You’re eyes widen at how he easily adjusts the tone of his voice, making sure you harmonize well. D.O. chuckles, “wow, you have a nice voice. Chanyeol really wasn’t kidding.”

You glow under his praise. Wow, the fact that you had the nerve to sing with him is still surreal. “Not at your level though. It IS a great song.”

“Yeah it is…” Eyes lighting up again, D.O. props his chin on his hand, and you can feel an inquisition brewing. “So, you and Chanyeol were bestfriends in school? Just like in the song?”

Uh-oh. You didn’t know that he was this frank. “Um….yeah, I guess you can say that.”

His heart-shaped mouth slowly transforms into a grin. “But unlike the song, you both didn’t hold back.”

You laugh again out of nervousness. Part of you wanted to be offended that he is prying into your private life, but somehow you can tell that he is just genuinely curious. “Well it was a long time ago, we’re only just friends now.”

The disbelieving glint in his eyes got you a bit frantic. Between Yejin’s accusation that you never got over Chanyeol and now D.O.’s assumptions of him spending the night and questions about your past, you now scramble to set the record straight. “Trust me, outside of this project, I have no wish to be anything remotely connected to Park Chanyeol.”

A shift in the corner of your eye got your attention, and your eyes land on Chanyeol standing by the doorjamb, his mouth unsmiling as he speaks—

“In that case, PD-nim, you should let go of my guitar right now.”

***

A/N: Yay! Finally gotten around to updating! Just found my muse for this chapter when I was staying in Hongdae last weekend. I'm running late so I'll polish the formatting when I get back ^^

For those curious, Yejin is also the soccer captain of the heroine in The Right Time. Had to give her a name so I won't be confused in future chapters hehehe.

And the song I posted above is of course f(x)'s Goodbye Summer (feat. D.O.). Awesome song.

Thanks again for reading, subscribing, and commenting!!!