11 years ago, outside of Seoul

“Are you done yet? Huh? Are you? Are you? Huh? Jagi, are you finished? Let me see it? Puhleeassee…”

You glare at Chanyeol, whose eyelids continue to flutter as he aegyo his way into driving you insane. “You know what, I’ll just forego completing your song just to spite you.” Closing your composition notebook with a loud snap for emphasis, you toss it lightly on the small pile of school books at the corner of the tree house. “I’ll just do my homework and—”

“Waaahhh c’mon, I really want to hear it.” Chanyeol scoots closer to you, his long frame effectively pinning you in place at your favorite spot in the treehouse. His mouth stretches to a broad grin that you know won’t be fazed even if you counter it with your trademark look of disdain. You would rather be caught dead than admit that Chanyeol’s aegyo gets to you like every single time. He would definitely have a field day if he finds out that your heart does a little flip whenever cutely pouts, showing a hint of his dimple. Or how you’re so hyper aware whenever he comes near, knowing that every touch coming from him makes you feel comforted yet tense at the same time. Or how every single day you’re falling deeper and deeper in love with him.

“Nah, you of all people should know that 80% of lyric writing is about inspiration.” You reach out and mess up his hair, his grin transitioning to that pout. That cute pout. Oh and that dimple. You have to bite your lip to restrain yourself from gushing over him. Because he’ll definitely gloat about it in the future. No question about it. “So yeah…” You let out an exaggerated sigh. “…the feeling is gone. Nada. Zilch.”

He narrows his eyes, as if he’s catching on your act. Which you wouldn’t be surprised if he already does. “Inspiration huh?” Next thing you know, his mouth is latched firmly onto yours, molding itself that you can only let a small muffled sound in surprise. He persuades your mouth to open for him, and you’re close from gone the moment you did.

God, he really know how to kiss. You let out a small whimper as his tongue slowly takes its time to going through every inch of your mouth, his hand briefly touching your shoulder until it cups your cheek. Getting lost in the heady kiss, you rest your palms on his chest, the slight tremor of the skin underneath betraying that he’s just as affected as you are.

You are so caught up with the burst of feeling that his kiss has awakened that you noticed that he has stopped kissing you. Your lips are still parted, eyes closed, as if waiting for the next onslaught. A few heartbeats of silence got you to finally open your eyes.

The look on Chanyeol’s face got you all bothered and worried – you’ve never seen that kind of look directed at you before. His lips set in a thin line, his eyes were deep and unreadable, his hands curled into fists.

“Are you…are you okay?” You blurt out in concern. Clearly Chanyeol is struggling with something.

He kisses you on the forehead, right where your brows meet in worry. Then he adds quick peck on your nose. “Is that enough?” He murmurs, his voice coming out a bit strained.

“Enough what?”

“Inspiration.”

The heavy feeling on your chest lightens and you dared to , “if that was your plan, well I guess you can say that it worked.” Running your fingers through your hair, you try to shake off the lingering effects of that kiss. “Are you telling me I should continue writing? Because…” you let out an embarrassed smile “…my mind’s a little messed up right now.”

His hand reaches out for yours, and you intertwined your fingers with his. “Same here. I…you make me lose myself, ___-ah.”

“What does that mean?”

His thumb lightly caresses your thumb, shooting shivers to your arm. Just how he manages to do that is completely lost to you.

“I mean, I cannot even think straight when you’re around me.” He squeezes your hand. “I think I’m going crazy with how much I like you.”

For a moment you’re at a loss for words. Finally, you acknowledge that there’s no need to guard your pride. You love Chanyeol way too much that he deserves the whole weight of your feelings for him. “I think I’m worse…” you admit, clearing your throat that has suddenly dried up, “…I’m not just plain crazy. I think about you all the time, you know, that I think I’m going nuts. Insane. I try so hard not to be clingy, and it’s so not like me to do so but…Chanyeol…I love you so much it scares me.”

His breath hitches, “that’s a dangerous thing to say.”

“Why?”

“Because I really want to do more than just kiss you right now.”

Oh god. Your heart is hammering so fast and you can feel your hands getting clammy. You have no idea that Chanyeol is even entertaining the idea, although you suppose is a pretty common topic among boys in general. He’s talking about , right?

Definitely he saw the nervousness in your eyes because he suddenly says, “it’s okay, ____-ah. I know you’re not ready. And the treehouse is not exactly my type of place for it, if you know what I mean.” He smiles to reassure you, but you’re definitely far from figuring out how to react in the first place.

“Have…have you tried it?” You feel the red creeping up your cheeks, hoping the slats of wood under you would swallow you whole. Dammit, why did I even ask that? This is so embarrassing. You don’t know what you have to gain by the question. Because by god, if Chanyeol has some level of experience in this with another girl, you would throttle him.

He bites his mouth to keep from grinning, and at that moment you want hurl yourself at him and beat some sense into him. “Haven’t tried it. I want to try it….with you. I want you.” His eyes darken, and the flicker of desire that you missed out earlier is now on plain view. “But I’ll wait. I won’t force you. We have all the time in the world.”

The fact that he’s being so understanding and so gallant makes you want to hug him and kiss him, and to hell with whatever happens afterwards. But he’s right, this is hardly the time nor the place to do it. Geez, your parents are due home any moment, and you know the treehouse is the first place they’ll look for you. “Thank you, Chanyeol. That means a lot. Believe me.” Your grip on his hand becomes tighter, telling him without words that you’re serious. “I trust you…and I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

“Hey, no need to pressure yourself, okay? Come here.” He tugs you closer to him, your head resting on his shoulder while his arm works its way around your shoulder. Both of you sit against the wall, the details of the conversation running on both your minds. “As I said, we have all the time in the world.”

“All the time…?”

“Yeah.” He points his foot toward his guitar case. “We still have a long way to go. We’ll make the best album there is and Plum Farts will be famous. They’ll be playing our song in every radio station all over the country.”

“I want an award. Like a critic’s choice or something…do we have that in Korea? Or favorable reviews. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hit or not. I just want that song to resonate with people.”

“That’s pretty ambitious. But you can do it. No question. I believe in you.”

His blind confidence in your talent is overwhelming. “But what if we fail? What if nothing happens?” Sometimes you feel that both your heads are just so up in the clouds, with no real grasp of reality. Perfect for two teenagers living in the suburbs. But you know the path you wanted to take is no easy path. The music industry has lots of people who are way more talented than both of you. Who would even give you the time? Or money?

“If we fail, then we do it again.” Chanyeol’s eyes cast towards the heavens, as if he’s praying for some strength. “And again. Until we reach it. Together. We have forever to do it.”

You let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess we have forever to figure it out.”

“Yes we do.” He brings your hand to his lips for a kiss, and there’s no question that there’s no better situation than spending your entire life with Park Chanyeol. You may not have all the answers right now, but you know that he will be there, that you can depend on him.

And somehow, no matter what you do from hereon, it would be all right.

Present Day, Seoul

Something’s wrong. You try to sneak a side glance at Chanyeol, who is seated at arm’s length at your side. His eyes are fixed on the musicians setting up on the recording booth. His jaw is tense, and he barely said a word to you ever since you met him again this late in the afternoon.

Fine, you have an inkling that he’s slightly pissed when he told you this morning to let go of his guitar, but hey it’s the truth right? You just want D.O. to not get the wrong idea about you and Chanyeol. So what exactly did she do wrong? He should even be grateful, for setting things straight in front of his friend. She just did him a huge favor by dispelling any possibility of her being romantic again with Chanyeol. At least D.O. (or anyone they’re going to work with for that matter) will view both of you as professionals.

He’s really acting like a child, he didn’t even ask D.O. to join them for breakfast. There was way too much food that he bought for both of them, it’s so rude not to invite the other person in the room. At least you decided be the better (wo)man and extended the invite to D.O. They’ll be working with him anyway, it’s just bad manners to seem unappreciative of other people’s efforts.

You thought that his mood would have improved by the time you meet again later in the day after he gets some rest. But if that’s the case, there’s no indication of it right now. You note the harsh grip he had on his pen, the clipped tone in which he answers your questions and relays instructions to the musicians. He’s definitely maintaining a fair amount of physical distance from you, unlike the previous days. Which would’ve suit you perfectly – it’s what you asked for since Day One – if it weren’t for the fact that in those handful of moments that you talk to him throughout the recording, he was looking not at you but through you. It’s like you have a contagious disease or something.

Despite that shift in the air, the recording with the musicians happened without a hitch, even wrapping up an hour earlier than what you expected. Even if you know Chanyeol’s being weird to you, he didn’t let it show in front of others, and was very direct and professional throughout the entire night. You were so pleased with the rough mix given to you by the technician that you can’t help but relay how pleased you were the moment the others were out of the studio.

“That wasn’t so bad…isn’t it?” Biases aside, the arrangement really did sound great. To hell with risking another bland reply from Chanyeol, you’re positively ecstatic that the rough mix is way better than what you hoped for when the project started. You crank up the volume on the soundboard, the sweeping melody surrounding the now empty studio. With just a few more tweaks in the dynamics and possibly some tempo adjustments, this may really pass muster SM’s lofty standards.

By the time the track finished, you just blatantly stared at him still editing the composition on his laptop, not uttering a word despite your earlier quip.

“The least I can ask from my co-producer is to at least acknowledge that I’m still in the same room,” you comment as the silence stretched on for a few minutes.

You would have assumed Chanyeol didn’t hear you if it weren’t for the slight tensing of his jaw. “Yeah, it’s good.” His eyes still trained on the screen, he executes a few more clicks of the mouse. “Okay, I made some adjustments to the bridge.”

“Like what?” You swivel your chair closer to his, eager to see the screen for yourself. You note the way he rears back his chair in return, letting you have more command of his laptop. Which he never did until now.

You grit your teeth as you press on the play button. Fine, if he wants to avoid me, fine by me. The idea of Chanyeol distancing himself from you should not bother you one bit, you were having issues before of him crowding you anyway. So why is it annoying now?

Whatever, I’m here to work. Both of you listen to his edits, amazed on your end at how he managed to do most of the changes you were thinking about a while ago. “That’s good,” you comment nonchalantly in your business-like voice. “We can upgrade it by the time the vocals come in.” You look at your watch, glad that you can still get a decent night’s rest before recording again followed by your band’s gig at Wabi Sabi. “What time is Kyungsoo-yah scheduled tomorrow?”

Chanyeol finally looks at you then, his eyebrows shooting up in mild curiosity. “Never realized that you’re already that close when you met him this morning.”

Fine. I guess it’s futile to tell him that Kyungsoo told her to address him informally earlier when Chanyeol’s being so testy.  “Okay…so what time will D.O.’s recording start?”

“Tomorrow after lunch. If it finishes early like today, Kris-hyung can take a hack at it if he’s free.”

You beam at the thought. “Awesome. They’re pros anyway, hopefully we’ll get what we want by tomorrow. I have a gig after that.”

“Fine.”

You wait for him to say something more but you figure the screen is still more interesting to him than swapping notes from the way he is ignoring you again. Besides, you’re tired. The couch was comfortable enough last night but you don’t feel fully rested. Which didn’t bother you before – you barely slept when you and the rest of the boys were booking every gig imaginable to put Plum Farts on the map. Maybe it’s the stress since the day Chanyeol ambushed you in Wabi Sabi since…a week ago. Was it just a week ago? It felt like an entire month of stress.

Packing up your belongings, you cast a glance at Chanyeol. “Did I do something wrong? I know you’re annoyed that I used your guitar without your permission. If you want me to apologize again—.”

“It’s fine.” He cuts you off while typing on his laptop. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” You mutter under your breath, stalking out of the studio. If he’s going to sulk like a child, he won’t drag you along with him. No way.

What the is wrong with him? You seethe as Chanyeol continues to interrupt D.O.’s recording, making the singer try other approaches – which at first you agreed with, but now it’s just freaking ridiculous. The best track from D.O. in your opinion is already in the can 20 minutes ago. It’s pretty much pointless to make D.O. go through it again and again. Is this how they do things in EXO recording sessions?

D.O., ever the professional, just follows as ordered. And his voice is just so splendid you want to cry – to think that he’s taking a backseat to Chanyeol’s main vocal, he’s still making sure that his presence is felt in the song.

“Another round of the bridge, Kyungsoo.” The brat orders, his commanding voice traveling through the other side of the panel. “Try to ease up on the words you stress towards the last two lines, I can’t seem to get the feeling yet.”

What the—what feeling?!??! We already got the feeling six tracks ago! This is just absurd. You press the button to enable your mic, leading the sound technician to stop the playback. “Kyungsoo-yah, let’s take a break shall we? 10 minutes?”

D.O.’s large eyes lift from the music sheet, soft eyes slightly teasing in understanding. “If you’re calling a break for my sake, you don’t have to worry. This is a walk in a park to how we did things before.” He smiles at you reassuringly, and you can’t help but smile back.

“No, actually, the break is for me. I need to clear my mind a bit before we continue. We’re nearing the home stretch anyway.” You wait for D.O. to nod before letting go of your microphone button. “Let’s talk.” You hiss to Chanyeol through gritted teeth. After calling out to the sound technician to also take a break, you leave the room, not caring if Chanyeol did hear you earlier. Or if he will even follow you.

Unconsciously, your little walk leads you to the rooftop again. Stashing the memory when Chanyeol hugged you in the same spot at the back of your mind, you let out a few steadying breaths to calm yourself. Mindlessly, you take out your in-case-of-emergency cigarette.

“Are you already that stressed that you need to smoke?”

Turning around to face the guy you want to throttle, you look at him in disdain. “I’m not stressed. I just wanted to think for a minute.” You reach in your other pocket, belatedly realizing that you left your lighter in your bag at the studio. .

Chanyeol, the frustrating brat, just smirks. “Smoking’s bad for you.”

“Whatever,” you retort. Since holding an unlit cigarette is just plain stupid, you sullenly jammed it back in your pocket. “What was that all about?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The stunt you’re pulling. We already have the recording we wanted. Why are you letting him re-do it? It’s just pointless.”

Chanyeol raises his eyebrows. “I’m letting us have more options to work with.”

“Geez, Chanyeol. He’s not even the main vocal. Cut him some slack.”

That’s when Chanyeol stood a little straighter from his former lax posture, primed to have a verbal showdown. “Since when did you become Kyungsoo’s defender? He can handle it.” His eyes narrowed. “Just because we’re idols doesn’t mean we can’t deal with complex recordings.”

“What the hell! I didn’t say that!” The hell, you need a cigarette. Stat.

“Besides, if you had a problem with my instructions,” Chanyeol continues, completely ignoring your outburst, “you can speak out earlier.”

Crossing your arms against your chest, you glare at him. “I want to present a united front to everyone, to show that we’re on the same page and we know what we want from the get go. I don’t know about you but arguing in front of them is unprofessional in my book.”

He slowly approaches you, meeting your glare head on. “A difference in opinion is healthy. We’ve butted heads before.” He pauses. “Or are you just trying to look good in front of Kyungsoo?”

What in the—? “Listen to yourself, Chanyeol. You just sounded like a jealous prick.” There really is no use arguing with him, not when you don’t even know why he’s being irrational. You bite your lip to stop yourself from lashing out any further.

His eyes darken. “Stop that.”

“What?”

“Stop doing things with your mouth.”

The irrationality knows no bounds. “I speak with my mouth. What the hell are you getting at?”

His voice drops menacingly, “because I know how that mouth feels like. I’ve been there.”

What in the world—?

A few hours later, Wabi Sabi

I wanna let you fly so high
My damp wings
It’s because my tears are soaking into them
Even if I can escape from loneliness
I still won’t reach my dreams

Still flashy as always, Binnie. Chanyeol lets out a small smile before bringing the bottle of beer to his lips. Binnie, ever the grand performer, sweeps out his arms with flourish, letting his rich voice rise to reflect the frustration embedded in the song (which is aptly titled Wings). He is in a dark corner of Wabi Sabi, his back against a pillar to make sure no one approaches him from behind. It took more than one hour of standing incognito before he lets his guard (slightly) down and allowed himself to take off his face mask and give himself, to his estimation, a well-deserved drink. When the bartender recognized him earlier, he gratefully dimmed the floor lights more and focused the lighting towards the stage. Which suits Chanyeol’s purpose since he doesn’t want anyone else recognizing him, much less take a picture. It is best for everyone that he goes through this night undetected.

He takes another swig of beer, the bitter taste a perfect complement to how rotten he’s feeling. He replays Kyungsoo's parting words earlier just after they concluded the recording session and she stormed out after thanking Kyungsoo and the rest of the staff.

“What did you do exactly, Chanyeol? She looks like she can snap any minute when she got back from the break.”

“Nothing. We had words. But we sorted it out.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes are laden with disbelief before lowering his head to hide his smile. Walking through the glass panel to the side where Chanyeol is standing, he declares, “you are sooooo gone, by the way.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol bristles as Kyungsoo continues to study him in that penetrating way of his. It’s damn annoying.  

Kyungsoo proceeds on texting while commenting, “I thought Kris hyung was joking. But yeah, you definitely have major hots for her.”

Major…hots? “You’re starting to sound like Oh Sehun.”

Kyungsoo laughs loudly (he rarely does that, which makes Chanyeol more annoyed), “see, you’re even prickly now. Which is so unlike you. She’s definitely getting under your skin.” He pats Chanyeol’s back in comfort. “And judging from her glares, you have a long road ahead of you. She seems a bit hard-headed.”

Chanyeol sighs, knowing that he definitely crossed the line earlier at the rooftop. “Fine. I’ll work it out. Somehow.”

Fine, he’s being immature. And he let her know it. Which is strange, since he’s an expert on being the energetic and bubbly one, no matter what his true mood is. Or maybe because it’s her that he’s letting his true self show more easily.

But what can he do? It’s one thing that he can’t act on his true feelings, knowing that he can never allow himself to fall for her. But it’s another thing that she has totally washed her hands off of him. And here he thought that they have been doing a lot of progress, building something precious between them (i.e. the song). How can she work alongside him for the past week without even a smidgeon of regard (or some...affection) for him? He was misled by the softness in her eyes when she encouraged him to be the main vocal. Or the way she smiled whenever they both come up with a fitting angle for the song. For her it’s just really all in a day’s work.

Oh well what’s the use. If she wanted to maintain things only on paper, then fine, that’s what he’ll do. He’ll do it. For both their sakes.

Then why are you here right now? He takes another swig of his beer. He must be out of his mind, risking getting spotted by fans, especially if they dig deep enough and trace his connection with her (and knowing their fans, it would only be just a matter of time that they will).

Just bear with me, conscience, I’m doing this for self-preservation. All of the emotions he thought he had forgotten have resurfaced so hard, so fast, that he needs time to sort it out. Time to get used to her being around him but still be in full control. That’s what he’s doing. He’s flushing her out of his system by being majorly exposed to her. He’ll be so used to her that she’ll just be a co-worker. A colleague. Yep. This is therapy.

Problem is, watching her perform just made him remember all the things that attracted him to her in the first place. Such composure, such restrained fire. He knows she hasn’t noticed him watching her, or else there wouldn’t be that unguarded look of pleasure on her face. Nor will she smile as easily to her adoring fanboys who have conveniently situated themselves at a table near her spot, as Chanyeol noted the moment he walked in the bar.

I’m so screwed. I’m getting out of here. He already placed the now empty beer bottle on a nearby abandoned table, ready to sprint ‘cause he’s just behaving like a stalker.

“Can you sing A Little Pain again?”

Fanboy #1’s request stops him in his tracks, and he spies the rest of Plum Farts looking at her for any response. She clears before speaking, “We have something grand planned for A Little Pain. Wait for it, it’s a surprise.” Her smile grows wider. “How about one last song for the night?” She removes her bass guitar and switches to a classical one. “This is one of my favorite songs.” Inclining her head towards Lee, she smiles as the band backs up her strumming, her hair slightly askew from moving around the small stage for the past three hours.

I recommend getting your heart trampled on by anyone
I recommend walking around in your living room
Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)
It feels so good (swimming in your stomach)
Wait until the dust settles

Dammit, she’s so good. There’s way too much potential for Plum Farts to be bigger than what it is now. The original songs that he’s heard tonight can make them earn more than they could imagine if they just open it a wider audience. And all of them are not bad to look at and have their own distinct personalities; he can think of a dozen brands who are willing to sponsor such edgy musicians. He remembered Binnie telling him that there have been a few invites from labels, and it escapes him as to why they’re not snatching the chances they are given.

“Well look who finally came out of hiding.”

Chanyeol visibly jumps at the voice who managed to catch him by surprise. He’s so absorbed with the spot-on cover of the Alanis classic that it took him a few seconds to recognize the familiar face that came with the sultry voice. “Yejin?”

Yejin laughs, her big dangling earrings bobbing around at every movement. “Nice to finally see you again, big shot.”

Chanyeol takes in the high class makeup, matched with the short glittery dress and stilettos. It’s hard to believe that this is the tomboyish soccer player in school. “You clean up good.”

She shrugs. “Just got out of a party to catch the last set. Needed to de-stress.” She elbows Chanyeol, and he can’t help but be nostalgic over how they used to bicker in school. “You clean up good too. I heard from Binnie that the prodigal son has arrived and wreaking havoc in my friend’s life once again.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble.” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “It’s just a business proposition. That’s all. I’ll be out of her radar in a few days.”

She scoffs. “Fat chance. As if seeing you in posters and TV literally everywhere is not enough, you decided to show your pretty self here.” She winks at him before taking his hand. “And who said you’re not welcome?”

Amid half-hearted protests, Chanyeol was dragged to the side of the stage, where the rest of the band is on their way down as applause greets the end of the set.

“Yoo hoo, I’m here!” Yejin waves at them while Chanyeol ducks his head to escape attention from potential onlookers.

Chanyeol knew the precise moment she saw him. At first her eyes lit up, mouth curving to a welcoming smile—

—then the piercing look, matched with a frown…“What are you doing here?”

Chanyeol’s about to invent some excuse when Yejin cuts him off. “He was actually staging his escape and then suddenly you started singing so…voila!”

“Thanks for coming, Yejin.” The girl is pointedly ignoring him, no question about it. “C’mon, let’s grab a bite—“

“—let’s talk next time, _____-ah.” Yejin adjusts the hem of her way-too-short dress. “I still have another party to catch.”

“But didn’t you say yesterday—“

“The talk can wait.” Yejin rounds off to Chanyeol. “Nice to see you again. I’ll catch up next time.” She then proceeds to greet the rest of the band before sauntering off to wherever party she’s going to.

“Hey man, nice for you to drop by.” Bum clasps Chanyeol’s shoulder in greeting. “Why don’t you join us in the basement? Let’s catch up.”

And that’s how Chanyeol spends the hour past midnight, drinking and eating and swapping stories with his friends. A lot of things have changed in their lives, and yet the conversation easily flowed. They didn’t even asked much about him and EXO actually. To which Chanyeol is grateful for he’d rather hear more about them.

Minhyuk finishes off his beer and casts a withering glance at the number of bottles they consumed in less than an hour. “We’re pathetic, guys. The bar’s closing in an hour by the way.”

Binnie hiccups, his glazed eyes betraying how drunk he is. “So…what’s up with you two, huh?” To Chanyeol’s surprise, Binnie gestures at him and the lone girl in the group. “Are there problems with the project? You haven’t exchanged even a word to each other.”

“There’s no problem.” She mutters, finishing off her third beer. Chanyeol knows because he’s keeping count. She looks at him to back her up, to which Chanyeol responds with a shrug.

Lee sighs heavily before popping one of the last pieces of fries in his mouth. “Sometimes I just want to lock you both in a broom closet so that you can just get it over with.”

“Shut up, Lee. As I said, we’re fine.” She addresses the room like a school principal. “You guys should start searching for a different studio, by the way. We need better acoustics. I think we can manage a higher rent once the royalties from the song starts coming in.”

Chanyeol didn’t even think twice. “I know some place uptown that could be what you’re looking for. Or actually, there’s a spare studio in our training center.”

For the first time since they convened at the basement, she addresses him. “That’s fine. We can do it on our own.” She stands up, but not before finishing her current bottle. “I’ll just go to the toilet. Start packing up. We don’t want to cause trouble for Kim ajusshi.”

All the guys in the room waited for her to leave before they started moving…for the most part.

“Hey, Chanyeol. I think I’m drunk. I need these guys to take me home so we’ll go ahead.” Binnie slurs, swinging an arm around Lee’s shoulders and another around Bum’s. “There’s not much to clean anyway.”

The statement was followed by a flurry of yeah’s, and gotta go’s, and other random muttering before Chanyeol got in a word edgewise.

“But—” The protest dies on Chanyeol’s lips as the last of the guys exit the back door.

“Where are they?”

Chanyeol faces her, shrugging again. “They…left?” Never did he intend to be alone again with her when he decided to go to Wabi Sabi earlier. But it somehow ended that way.

She huffs. “Well, that was juvenile.” She exhales loudly before gathering the bottles to be stored in the stockroom. Chanyeol follows, dragging the trash bag along with him. They cleaned the basement silently, maneuvering around each other that they don’t cross each other’s paths.

Maybe because they’re not minding each other that they managed to finish cleaning in only 10 minutes. She surveys the room. “Okay, so that’s done.” Lifting her eyes to meet Chanyeol’s, her tone was serious. “So we’ll have Kris’ recording tomorrow morn—well, in a few hours. Then if we finish early, we’ll start with yours…?”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.”

“Okay. I have another gig here so we have to finish around dinnertime.”

“Fine.”

Chanyeol can feel again that he is getting on her nerves as sets to a thin line. “I don’t even know why you’re here. If this is about the project—”

“It’s all just black and white to you, isn’t it?” Chanyeol counters, a bit surprised at his sudden accusation. It could just be due to the alcohol, but he can’t help but be hurt by her words. “Just the project? Don’t you even...” care about me? Deep in his heart, that’s what he wanted to ask. But he’s afraid of what her answer might be.

“Don’t I what?” Her eyes drill straight to his, her slight frame advancing towards him.

He looks away, telling himself to shut up and bank the neediness in his tone. “Nothing.”

“Just spit it out.”

This is crazy. Why am I doing this to her? Chanyeol is swearing a storm in his head. It is he who has issues, not she. Why is he dragging her just to sort out his feelings?

There’s only one thing he can do. “Just…stay away from me.”

He knew from the moment he uttered the poor choice of words that they didn’t sit well with her. She is glaring at him, her voice drops to a few hundered degrees. “Stay…away? How dare you ask that from me. YOU’RE the one who didn’t stay away.” He can see her hands shaking in anger, and he can’t help but panic over his bluntness. She continues, “you’re the one forcing yourself in MY life and then you tell me to stay away from you? As if I’m the one who asked for this? you to hell and back, Chanyeol.”

Dammit. She’s running away from him, in a hurry to escape the confines of the basement. Chanyeol sprinted to catch up to her, grasping her arm to forcibly turn her towards him, her back pressed against the backdoor.

“I’m starting to fall in love with you again, all right?” Chanyeol snaps. He can’t think sensibly now, nor does he have the luxury of time to think if what he’s doing is the right thing. All he wants right now is to make her understand. “I know you hate the mere sight of me, but I just can’t help myself.” With her eyes wide in shock from his confession, Chanyeol has nothing else to do but plead. “So tell me. Help me. Please. How can I stop it?”

The indecision in her eyes…her quick indrawn breath…and the slight tremble he felt when her eyes strayed to his lips got Chanyeol moving. To hell with the consequences. He plants his lips firmly on hers, cradling her head with his hand to keep it in place. The harsh gasp of surprise from her didn’t go unnoticed, but he presses on…because her lips are molding itself to his, slowly yielding to his sudden assault.

She’s kissing him back.

Invigorated with this realization, he softens the kiss, unsure if he’s reading her signals correctly. When her lips parted under him, he hesitantly offers his tongue through the slight opening. When she accepted it, it took all of Chanyeol’s effort not to moan out loud. Desire rushed through his whole being, her hands making his skin burn as they silkily go up his hard chest before resting on his shoulders. His body longed to feel hers, and he aligns his frame to pin her more securely against the door while still exploring the sweetness in .

I can’t get enough. He can feel the rapid rise and fall of her s against his chest, her whimpers further fuelling his lust for her. The air was silent save from the perfect harmony of their moans as his hips grind against her groin. If he was afraid earlier, he’s more afraid now. He didn’t realize he wanted her this much.

Chanyeol breaks the kiss, keeping his forehead pressed against hers. She is catching her breath, her eyes still closed. Kissing the top of one eyelid, he whispers, his tone harsh with helplessness. “How can I stop when all I can think of is how you’ll feel in my arms.” He drags his lips across her cheek to her ear. “How your lips will taste.” He hugs her fiercely, the wealth of his emotions becoming too much for him to bear. “Tell me if I should stop. Tell me what I should do.”

A choked sob got Chanyeol to facing her again, and his heart drops at the agony written all over her face.    

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, she replies shakily, “You’re right. I should stay away from you.”

Running out of words that can make this right, he nods, giving her enough space to open the door and leave him. When Chanyeol finally got his wits around him, he closes the door with determination. A plan on his head already brewing.

“Why are you still here, Chanyeol?”

He pulls of a grin towards the other end of the basement, greeting the bartender-slash-owner of Wabi Sabi. “Hello, Uncle.” He approaches his Dad’s best friend, clasping his hand. “Sorry for dropping by so suddenly.”

Mr. Kim’s brows knit with worry. “Was that _____? I didn’t know you guys were…involved.”

Guilt washes over Chanyeol, shaking his head to set things straight. “She’s a friend of mine.” The last thing he wanted was for Uncle Kim to go telling his dad that he’s rekindling things with his ex. “But don’t get the wrong idea, Uncle. I didn’t suggest Plum Farts before because of what you saw. They’re school friends and they’re really good.”

The hefty man bursts in a wide grin. “No need to defend yourself. I wouldn’t hire them if they’re not talented. And besides, you own half the place. You have every right on the decisions in Wabi Sabi.”

Chanyeol just smiled. Investing in Wabi Sabi was one of the genius moves that he did with his money then moment EXO hit it big. His dad told him that his friend is in a bind maintaining his bar in Hongdae, and Chanyeol is interested in channeling his hard-earned money towards his passion. By helping spruce up the place and changing the flavor of the music line-ups, he and Uncle Kim managed to make Wabi Sabi cater more to the younger spending market and pull it out of the red in less than a year. But if there’s one thing that can question the authenticity of an indie, underground bar, it’s a mainstream idol manning the helm. So yeah, Chanyeol’s comfortable at being the ghost owner of Wabi Sabi.

“Actually, she hinted last week that we should give them a raise.” Mr. Kim laughs. “I told her I’ll discuss it with you.”

Blood drained from Chanyeol’s face. “…with me?”

“I meant discuss it with the co-owner.” He clarifies with glee. “Or since you’re apparently close, can I comfortably tell her that I’m discussing it with you Chanyeol?”

“No, Uncle. Let’s just stick to what we agreed on. Please don’t tell any of Plum Farts about it.” She should not find out about it yet, that much Chanyeol is sure on. She has a lot of pride in her, and she’s used to acting independently. It’s what he likes about her. She was even ready to bite his head off when he suggested a studio, what more when she finds out that he owns Wabi Sabi.

So he can’t let her know. Not until when he’ll make her so in love with him that she can find it in her heart to understand what he did. Because that’s what he’ll do. That kiss earlier just shows that she’s not totally immune to him. And there’s no turning back on his end.

Not when he knows he has a chance.

***

A/N: Back! Thanks again for waiting for the next update. This just teaches me never to do multi-chaptered fics all at the same time, haha. And it took me quite some time to ensure that Chanyeol's emotional progression has some level of logic. Anyway, I'm not sure when the next update will be, but trust that I'll do my best to write the next chapter soon (especially since we're on romance mode right now).

Songs featured in the chapter is Aucifer's Tsubasa (this is a freaking old Japanese song. I honestly have no idea why I keep on including Japanese songs in this fic but it seems like a good fit for this) and of course, Alanis Morissette's You Learn (you're not too young not to know the song right? Because if you don't, you better listen to this song. Right now.)

And how awesome is Chanyeol's hair right now? Love the ash tints. I love his teaser the most! Let's all hope that EXO pulls off an awesome comeback! (And is that a real tattoo...because...)

And omg the EXO mascots roaming around Seoul for the past two days are so cute. I cannot deal.

So thanks again for reading/voting/subscribing and mostly commenting! ^^

P.S. AFF is having some sort of coding issues (or it might be my browser) so I'll just update this chapter with pictures when it's fixed.