Chapter 33

“Hey Yeol! I need your help with the fire! It keeps dying!” Baekhyun shouted while he kept fanning towards the grill, hoping to start the fire again.

Chanyeol sighed and took the fan and tongs away from his best friend. “What kind of man doesn’t even know how to start a simple fire? Stand back and watch how the real expert do it.” Baekhyun folded his arms and cursed under his breath at his best friend.

Because of the incident yesterday, the barbeque had to be cancelled, so you felt that it was your fault, and thought that it was right to have the barbeque party the next night. Everyone agreed to the idea and started working on it right away. Kyungsoo had gone to get some blankets in case it gets cold since the barbeque was held by the beach. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were busy setting up the place, as well as starting the fire while Yeseo and you prepared the food and drinks.

The both of you were in the kitchen, cutting the chicken and vegetables. You didn’t know why but you felt excited. It was the first time you were having a barbeque after so long. Of course you would choose staying in your room the whole night but since you’ve made a promise to yourself not to, you tried your best to keep yourself excited. Yeseo noticed and she smiled.

“What are you so happy about?” She nudged your arm.

You chuckled and shook your head. “Nothing, it’s just that I can’t believe I’m doing this right now.” You looked outside the window and saw Chanyeol and Baekhyun still arguing about the fire.

Yeseo nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe you’re actually here, doing all this, and actually making new friends.” She laughed. You couldn’t help but chuckle since what she said was true.

Then suddenly, Yeseo became serious. “I heard you and Kyungsoo were up early together making breakfast. Is that true?” You suddenly felt yourself went stiff. Could she have misunderstood the situation? You tried your best to calm yourself and find the right words to say.

“You see uh…I was just helping him and besides, you wanted me to ask him about you right?” You managed to say.

Yeseo’s eyes sparkled then and she clasped her hands together. “So you guys were talking about me? Oh my God, you are awesome Hae Ra! I owe you loads. So, what did you two talk about me?” She was looking at you expectantly and you felt a little guilty.

“Uh, actually, we weren’t really talking about you…” You examined her expression. Sure enough, a small pout formed on her lips, but you quickly came up with something to make her feel better. “But, I have a plan. My plan is to get close to Kyungsoo, so that he’ll open up more to me and will finally be able to say how he really feels about you.” You tried your best to show your pearly whites.

Slowly, she nodded and a smile formed on her lips. “You are a genius, I’m so glad you’re my best friend. Of course, why didn’t I think of that?  You and Kyungsoo aren’t close enough to be talking about these kinds of things, of course he’ll notice if you suddenly asked about me.” She clapped her hands excitedly and turned to grab your hands. “I’m counting on you buddy.” She said before bringing the food outside to the barbeque area.

You sighed and leaned against the counter.

That was close…and tiring. What does she see in him anyway? All this is so troublesome.

Once the food and grill was ready, all of you sat by the beach and ate.

“Wow, this is delicious!” Baekhyun exclaimed as he inhaled the food.

All of you sat around a small fire that Chanyeol was able to start to keep all of you warm. Thankfully the wind wasn’t that strong like the previous night so all the sand wouldn’t fly into your food while you ate. After a few minutes, things were starting to get awkward as all of you were already full and were just sitting around the fire. Being someone who didn’t really like awkward situation, Baekhyun came up with a suggestion. He turned to Chanyeol who was quietly sitting beside him.

“You brought your guitar right? Bring it out! Let’s sing some songs!” He nudged Chanyeol’s arm.

Chanyeol just shook his head. “Nah, I don’t feel like playing. Besides, I doubt any of us here can sing that well.” Baekhyun looked at his best friend with a look of disappointment in his face.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo cleared his throat and raised his hand. “Excuse me, how would you know if any of us can sing well or not? Most importantly, what do you know about me? I might turn out to be the best singer you would ever know. And besides, maybe it’s not the singing that’s important. It’s the music. How can we be so sure you can play well huh?” He said, trying to challenge Chanyeol.

Baekhyun wanted to defend his best friend but Chanyeol suddenly stood up. “Wait here, I’ll bring my guitar.” He said in a monotonous tone.

Kyungsoo smirked. Once Chanyeol left, the atmosphere became quiet again. How you wished you were back in the room. You really couldn’t stand the awkwardness. Thankfully, Chanyeol came back with his guitar in a flash. Slowly and carefully, he ped the cover and brought out the guitar. He positioned it on his lap and looked around. Kyungsoo just smirked and folded his arms, signaling Chanyeol to play.

Adjusting his fingers on to the fret bar, his other hand started to strum and a beautiful sound was emitted from it. He started to play a random tune, which was catchy and nice. The air was only filled with the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore and the soothing guitar. You knew Chanyeol was in the song composing club, but you never knew he could play the guitar so well. You listened intently and realized that the song he was playing on the guitar was familiar. Suddenly, someone started to sing along and your draw dropped. It was Kyungsoo.

He was singing the words to the song Nothin’ on You by Bruno Mars and it blended perfectly well with Chanyeol’s guitar. The rest of you just stared in awe. Chanyeol was taken aback from the singing as well but he kept on playing to match Kyungsoo’s singing. He even managed to harmonize with him. You started to feel the hair at the back of your neck stand at the sound of their voices. Baekhyun was smiling and clapping along while Yeseo was just dazed and stared at Kyungsoo the whole time. When they were done, the three of you applauded them but the both of them were just looking at each other.

You were expecting them to have another argument when Chanyeol suddenly offered his hand to Kyungsoo for a high-five. Everyone was shocked. Even Kyungsoo himself. He hesitated for a while and examined Chanyeol’s face. Chanyeol had a genuine smile on his face.

“Come on, don’t leave me hanging here. I’ll admit it, you’ve got the voice.”  He smiled and gestured Kyungsoo to give him a high-five.

Kyungsoo chuckled and shook his head while at the same time he high-fived Chanyeol. Baekhyun went wild. “OHHHH. So now what, the both of you are buddies? Is this a dream come true? Are the pigs flying—“

Chanyeol slapped the back of his best friend’s head to shut him up and the rest of you burst into laughter. You had to admit, you were relieved. Even if it was just simple gesture like a high-five, you were glad that the both of them at least accept one thing about each other. For the rest of the night, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo sang some songs and the barbeque ended when the night had gotten freezing cold. After packing up the things, all of you headed into your room. You were about done cleaning the dishes when you felt someone tap on your shoulders.

You turned around to see Chanyeol standing behind you with his finger on his lips. “Follow me. I want to show you something.” He said in a whisper and casually laced his fingers around yours before bringing you somewhere.

Apparently, that somewhere was the swimming pool behind the villa Kyungsoo brought you to the night before the incident. Chanyeol was acting all excited, as though he had found some lost treasure. You chuckled and rolled your eyes. “I’ve been before. Boy, you are slow aren’t you? This place is huge; anyone would be able to see it.”

A small pout formed on his lips as he sat at the edge of the pool. “Really, you knew? Damn. How did you know about this place anyway?”

You sighed and sat beside him. “Like I said, anyone might be able to see this place. And besides, Kyungsoo brought me here—“

“Oh. He did?” Chanyeol’s voice suddenly dropped and he wasn’t looking at you anymore. Instead he was fidgeting with his fingers and his eyes dropped low. You suddenly remembered it was the night when you were supposed to meet Chanyeol when Kyungsoo dragged you to that place. You saw the opportunity to apologize.

“Y-yeah…he took me here the night you wanted to meet me…” You felt a little guilty all of a sudden.

“Oh.”

You wanted to slap yourself right then and there for being so insensitive.

“Listen, I wanted to apologize for that night, I overreacted and I was on my way to see you but Kyungsoo suddenly appeared at my room and—“

“He was in your room?”

“No, not in my room, he was outside, but he—“

“Forget it. It’s doesn’t matter anymore.” He said and you kept quiet. You could tell he was hurt and you knew why.

You felt as though you needed to do something, to comfort him, to make it up to him, but you have no idea.

“I’m sorry.” You mumbled. You heard him sigh and he pressed his palms over his eyes. A few seconds later, he suddenly looked at you with a smile on his face.

“Hey, there’s no need to apologize. I get it, you were busy, and it’s fine. At least I know you didn’t ditch me on purpose.” He chuckled and his voice bounced off the walls.

He was smiling at you but you knew it wasn’t genuine. He was just smiling so that you wouldn’t feel so guilty. It didn’t work though. You felt so crappy you wished you could just disappear. You decided to talk about something else to get rid of the awkward atmosphere between the both of you.

“So uh, I didn’t know you could play the guitar so well. Let alone, sing. You really impressed me back there, and the fact that you and Kyungsoo actually clicked for the first time. Not bad at all.”

“Do you see me as a man now? Did I make you heart flutter with my amazing guitar and singing skills?” He wriggled his eyebrows at you and chuckled. You playfully slapped his arm.

“You’re just asking to get smacked right now you dirty old skunk. And I’d have to say, you really did enjoy yourself with Kyungsoo tonight.” You said.

Chanyeol laughed, his voice echoed. You smiled, knowing that you were able to make him forget about your previous conversation.

“Hey, I might not be fond of Mr. Fancypants but I know talent when I see one, and I hate to admit, that shorty has got the voice.” He chuckled.

The both of you continued to talk about more random stuff and before you realized, it was already past midnight and the air was getting chilly. You could feel yourself shiver and decided it was time to head back to the villa. The both of you walked back slowly, still talking and giggling about random things and you suddenly realized that the both of you were back on good terms again. By the time you reached the villa, all the lights were turned off, except for the dim lights in front of your rooms. Unknowingly, Chanyeol walked you to your room and before you went in, you turned to face him.

“Thank you for tonight. And I’m really sorry for being such a drama queen and I know I must’ve hurt your feelings—“

Chanyeol cut you short by pinching the bridge of your nose.

“If you don’t stop apologizing this minute I swear I will rip your nose apart. I’m fine, really.” He said as he released his grip on your nose and ruffled your hair.

You will still sure he was hiding something from you but decided that it was best for you to just keep quiet. The both of you were already on good terms and you didn’t want to ruin the mood any further. You nodded and turned to enter your room when Chanyeol stopped you.

“Actually, wait…” He said. He was pulling on your arm and he looked as though he wanted to say something.

“What is it?” You questioned him.

After a few minutes, he shook his head and let go of your arm. “It’s nothing. I forgot what I wanted to say. Good night Hae Ra.” He said before walking back to his room. You stared at him in confusion but didn’t really think much about what happened and went back in your room. It was a long day and you just wanted to lie on the bed and fall into a deep sleep.