July 1st, 2012 was the day he arrived in this neighborhood. It took exactly 3 hours to get to where he is now, about 135-180 miles away from the cities. Chanyeol groaned and stretched his long legs as he walked out of the minivan and smiling weakly at the blazing sun. At the same time, he clumsily pulled out his suitcase and dropped it carelessly on the concrete ground. No one seems to be outside, of course. It was freaking hot! But, where were the children? Kids would usually play outside, shooting water balloons and spraying water guns at each other. It was awfully quiet...too quiet. Chanyeol noticed that there weren’t that many buildings here, and that there were just houses aligned in single filed lines. Strange, he thought.

Everything was foreign to him, the streets to the buildings and the calm vibe the place gave him. He was so used to the noise-filled busy world that he felt restless here. It was slow paced and more carefree of a neighborhood. Meaning no pressure, no tension, and no more watching the time.

It was exactly twelve when he stepped into the small house with the address number 5098. It was said that he'd live with someone, to share the rent payment. His friend, Oh Sehun, convinced him to stay refuge in that small home while his owner was gone...and while Chanyeol was still jobless. Being laid off wasn’t the best way to end your career as a photographer. He was laid off just because he wasn’t ‘matured’ enough. Well, he wasn’t mature enough to begin with, anyway. Chanyeol was a loud, clumsy giant that would always get caught in some sort of troublesome situation. 'Mature' was for sure not included in his dictionary.

The man helped him carry what’s left of his baggages and immediately left as he dropped the last box hastily on the dusty wooden floor. Chanyeol wasn’t able to thank the man for helping him transfer his luggages to his new ‘home’. Now, he needed to wait 2 hours extra for his best friend to call him. To kill time, he pushed 2 boxes to the middle of the empty living room and pulling his heavy suitcase along with him. There was an old yellow sofa and a T.V that doesn’t even work anymore. He moved to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator was first on his list. There was expired yogurt and packed food messily shoved into the fridge. Chanyeol cringed and turned to the small and round dining table.

Everything was really quiet. Chanyeol felt this indescribable burning sensation in his chest. His feet began to grow restless and he removed his red sweater. If he couldn’t do anything, might as well start cleaning since it wouldn’t hurt to. Sure, he broke into someone else’s home but if he was going to live here, why not be familiar with where things are.

He huffed enthusiastically and rolled up his sleeves. Chanyeol remembered that Sehun told him that there was a spare room on the second floor. So he went up there to take a look. He turned left and peeked through the opened door that was his supposedly going-to-be room. It was a fairly small but, he didn’t mind--in fact he was grateful. It was much larger than the room he had before, when he used to live in the cities. He stepped in more to take a better look, noticing the window that was slightly opened, letting a cool breeze into the room. There was another window in front of his, which was kind of interesting to him. If he ever made friends with his neighbors, he could just throw a pebble at the window to catch their attention or something. He stared out, observing the white curtains that covered his neighbor’s window. The curtains looked delicate, embroidered with complicating stitches of all kinds of shapes and symbols. It looked beautiful.

Chanyeol walked back downstairs and began pulling his suitcase up the second floor. One by one, he began to put all his belongings into the small room. Beads of sweat rolled down his temples as his brown locks stuck onto his forehead. Chanyeol panted and grunted as he pushed the boxes into his ‘room’ and never in his life, had he imagined his belongings to be so heavy. All he brought along with him were clothes, his art supplies, a clothes rack, drums, guitar, and of course, his camera. He pulled out his camera and gently dusts the lenses. He walked out and began focusing his camera at some trees that stood tall and green. A couple of children walking out of some daycare center across the street. As he looked through his camera, he focused on the child holding tightly onto the pink balloon while holding someone’s delicate hands at the same time. He snapped the beautiful moment and unintentionally snapped another random photo while distracted.

Chanyeol walked back into the house looking back at the stolen shots he had taken of the children. He looked and looked and looked until he suddenly stopped and gasped at the last picture he had taken. The smile he had suddenly slackened as he zoomed into the picture, defining it’s distinguished beauty. The picture was beautiful, that was the only way to describe it. The boy that held onto the child’s fragile hands with a genuine smile, was absolutely breathtaking. He looked out the window and hoped to take another glimpse of the angel looking boy, but he was gone. Long gone. He kneeled onto the ground in despair and continue to admire his work. Not until his phone rang viciously, he'd realized 2 hours had past.. The contact number was Oh Sehun. Without hesitation, Chanyeol answered the call.

“Hello?” he said over the phone. There was a muffled laughter of another person.

“Ah--Chanyeol hyung?” Sehun struggled to say as he began mumbling to another person who laughed even louder. He figured it was Sehun’s boyfriend, Lu han. Great, Chanyeol thought, just great. He prepared his ears for the loud screams and laughter from Luhan.

“Yes?”, he sighed.

There was a sudden silence as Chanyeol took a peek through the dusty blinds, “Has Jongin arrived yet?”

Chanyeol hummed, not paying attention to Sehun who continued to nag at his boyfriend across the phone. He watched the airplanes soar across the clear sky and took another glimpse of the day care center across the street.

“I just got a text from Jongin, he’ll arrive in about...20 minutes tops?”

Chanyeol now needed to wait for another 20 minutes. He waited for about 28 days for this day to come, 3 damn hours to finally touch the dusty wooden floors of his new home, and waited for another 2 hours and 20 minutes to meet, Kim Jongin. His soon-to-be best friend.

He retrieved his sweater from the couch and plopped on the kitchen wooden chair. It creaked loudly, filling the empty house with echoes. His long fingers tapped on the table with rhythm as his foot stomped in a steady beat. His lips pursed as different sounds came out of his mouth. Music was his love and joy when he was utterly bored. He stopped when he heard the lock snap open and the door opening. Chanyeol peeked out from the kitchen and spotted a young man, walking into the house with a tired look.

“Hello?” the boy called out, not turning back from the door, “I know you’re there. I heard you banging on my furniture.”

Chanyeol stepped out into the awkward atmosphere, “Hi, I’m Ch-”

The boy suddenly turned around, “I know. I’m Kim Jongin, nice to meet you.”

He flashed a meek grin at the taller boy. Chanyeol grinned back and waving awkwardly at the younger boy who shuffled to the kitchen. Jongin sighed and leaned on the table, “Sorry, I have no food. I was gone for a couple of days for some meeting.”

Chanyeol nodded and headed upstairs to his room--it was still empty. There was no bed, but he didn’t mind. He had brought his sleeping bag just in case. No closet, it’s okay he brought a clothes rack. He was pretty much content with the size of his room. As long his drum set, guitar and desk could fit. He didn’t have many clothes, so there wasn’t a major problem.

He spent the rest of the day in his room, organizing and putting his belongings into place--4 hours trying to put his things together. Jongin called for Chanyeol if he wanted to eat dinner with him and that one of his closest friend will come to cook for them. Chanyeol declined the offer at first and Jongin made an unsatisfied face and insisted Chanyeol to come and eat with him.

“So Chanyeol,” Jongin leaned against the white wall, his dark skin was a very distinguished feature from his body, “How was your day?”

Chanyeol grinned, “It was fine. Despite sitting in a minivan for 3 hours, I’m fine.”

Jongin chuckled and rubbed his hands together, “My lovely hyung is coming soon!”

Chanyeol chuckled, “Your brother?”

Jongin shook his head and grabbed his phone after he heard it vibrate on the hardwood table, “Oh, he’s here!”

Chanyeol nodded and sat with his hands crossed on the table. It was nice talking to someone, it’s been a while since he ate with someone on the kitchen table, too. Jongin and him were getting along just fine, quickly becoming close within a day. His wide eyed friend arrived, cooking kimchi spaghetti, Jongin said it was amazing so Chanyeol tried it and what he said was true. It was amazing. His hyung smirked and sat down beside them while watching with content eyes. That boy didn’t talk much. He only spoke when he was spoken to.

“Hyung, this is Chanyeol, my new ‘best friend’”, Jongin suddenly spoke with his mouth fulled. The boy rolled his eyes and wiped the sauce off the edge of the younger boy’s plump lips.

“Hi,” Chanyeol cheerfully greeted himself to the smaller boy. The boy smiled and waved.

“Hello, I’m Kyungsoo, Jongin's--”

“Soon to be boyfriend.” the younger boy cut off the elder with a sneaky grin on his face. Chanyeol smiled at the sincerity in their eyes and continue to flip his fork on his empty plate. They ate dinner for at least an hour and had a long chat that took about another hour. He liked keeping track of time because time was valuable. He believed that every minute should be a memory and that every day should be a lesson. It was good to start new and fresh, it's good to start new beginnings and it was good to create your own story endings. He wanted to make his life more magical, he once read in a story book that there was just one strange object and it granted the man three wishes. Chanyeol wanted something like that to happen.

For the past three weeks, he made loud ruckuses. Banging on his drum sets, screaming with his new buddy, Jongin when he was bored and Chanyeol would beat box while Jongin made silly dances to his songs. They talked on rainy days and learned a lot from each other, the taller boy learned that Jongin was actually a seventeen year old boy that goes to a high school a couple blocks away from where they live. Jongin used to have dance classes with Sehun when they were younger. His hyung, Kyungsoo, used to go to the same school as him until he graduated and left for a university. His one-sided love was one of his tragedies.

​Chanyeol chuckled as he leaned on his large hands, "Anything else more tragic in your life other than Kyungsoo rejecting you a million times?"

Jongin thought for a moment as he leaned back, "Hmm..That time when Sehun ate all of my Halloween candies."

Chanyeol laughed, and smacked his thighs as they looked up the ceiling. Jongin suddenly looked at Chanyeol skeptically, "What about you hyung? I haven't learned anything from you...only that you're older than me and Kyungsoo."

Chanyeol sat up and cleared his throat, "There isn't much to know about me other than that I used to be a photographer, that got laid off."

Jongin nodded and stood from the old couch, stretching and bending his arms, "Well!" he exclaimed, "Might as well find you a job."

Chanyeol began to surf through the internet, searching for opening jobs around. Which there were none. He had heard that most of the families worked in the nearest cities. The only job that was available was the quick mart just around the corner and the child day care center across the street. Chanyeol tried as a crossing guard, but confused the cars whether to stop or go. Not a good job for a clumsy giant. The quick mart wasn't a good choice either since he at math and there wasn't a spot for him anyway.

Jongin began to get busy nowadays and they were about to exchange the furniture with the one Chanyeol had left behind in his apartment in the cities. So the yellow couch was basically floating on the living room. While Jongin was in school, he began to run around outside singing loudly and disturbing the elders that were chatting outside. He scared children away with his height, claiming that he was a giant that will take their toys. Chanyeol would occasionally look out the window from his room and stare at the neighbor's curtains. He began to get curious to why he hadn't seen his neighbor ever since he moved here.

There were times where he saw a boy walk into the house, but he never came out. He only came out so early so that no one would catch him out. He was a pretty boy and looked quite familiar but since Chanyeol's eyes were bad, he could only see a slight blur of the boy. Chanyeol now turned desperate and started to fill the quiet neighborhood with loud music and pranked some pedestrians.

Park Chanyeol, known as the new guy in the neighborhood. It was just his first month and he's already driving his neighbors crazy from his outrageous personality. You can list him as a prankster, rebellious, and a loud man. No...not man, Chanyeol is actually a 10 year old boy stuck in a 22 year old’s body. He’s stuck in this empty house staring blankly at his window; waiting for something magical to happen. Like a magic pink balloon appearing before him, granting a wish that he’d always wanted. A friend, but that’s impossible. There was no such things as magical pink balloons granting wishes. Chanyeol hurled into a position, wanting to cry out, but but unable. There’s nothing sad, he was just lonely.

It was bad enough that he was laid off from his job. Chanyeol used to work for a photography company, a freelancer that always caught the most beautiful and priceless scenes in life. He wanted to make life more magical like a fairy tale, where there were happy endings, not bitter ones like he recently had a couple weeks ago. He’s still pretty jobless meaning he’s on the urge of desperation. Scanning newspapers, surfing through the internet, and literally going into shops asking if they needed more employees. He tried the mini mart that was just down the street around the corner, then he tried working as a street guard but he would get confused whether cars would stop or go. The only option Chanyeol has was the small Day Care Center that was across the street from where he lived. He noticed there were a lot of children in the area, so he reckoned it would be useful to work there.

It’s fun they said, and the ‘they’ were the old ladies who use to take care of Chanyeol when he was younger. Working with old ladies is fun he thought, well not really. They mostly gossiped about other people’s lives, which were basically inaccurate. Chanyeol can prove that their information was false and over exaggerated, like those stupid reporters or journalists over exaggerating things that aren’t meant to worried over.

Chanyeol headed out the door, grabbing his hooded sweater that was carelessly thrown on the old yellow couch that laid floating on his living room floor. He hadn’t organized his house yet, there wasn’t much to organize anyway. It just consisted of his couch, a lamp, a small dining table with two chairs, a pan, toaster, microwave, and sleeping bag. Yeah, he had no bed... yet. He could survive on the couch and sleeping bag. No need to get fancy with things.

The air was fresh as he walked out of his house. The sun shining above flushed him with warmth and reassurance that he will find a job today, not tomorrow. No need for pink balloons to grant you wishes, he thought, all you needed was self- confidence. Chanyeol stretched out his long legs and began skipping his way across the street towards the small colorful building. The sign was colorful enough to blind him. He blinked three times and swallowed hard before stepping into the building.

"Hello." a soft voice greeted from behind the desk. Chanyeol jerkily glanced over his shoulder and spotting a handsome boy with a smile across his face. Chanyeol cleared his throat, turned to the boy and clumsily bowed while accidentally knocking his head on the table's corner. The boy who greeted him with a bit too bright of a smile. It overwhelmed Chanyeol considering he wasn't used to those smiles. It was beautiful and fresh, like it was only reserved for him. Chanyeol looked up, eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Hey..." he squeaked. Chanyeol flinched and mentally slapped himself for being an idiot.

"May I help you?" the boy chuckled softly and turned away from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol straightened his shirt and folded his collars neatly, rolling up his sleeve, "I want to...uhm...apply?"

The boy stopped and turned back at the lenghty boy, "Apply?"

Chanyeol coughed nervously and nodded awkwardly. The boy nodded and started typing while humming quietly. He guided Chanyeol to a seat nearest to the desk to wait while he goes through the computer. The chair was small. Well, small for his height. It's like seeing a giant sitting on a child's chair...he was sitting on a child's play chair. Crouching awkwardly and patting his thighs anxiously, his eyes kept gliding everywhere. There were no signs of children. It was empty. It was quiet and all he heard where the boy's busy hands typing while asking him questions. The boy suddenly stood up and walked over to Chanyeol with his hands out.

"You're in...welcome! I'm Byun Baekhyun..and you are?" he smiled and reached his hand out for Chanyeol. Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun's long slender fingers before he introduced himself. 

"I'm Chanyeol, Park Chanyeol." Chanyeol smiles back and shook Baekhyun's hand gently. 

They smiled at each other, hands still clasped together as they were there stared at one another. Chanyeol was still sitting while the other stood with his left hand behind his back. They finally let go of each other as a child came out screaming his lungs out. The child held onto a pink inflated balloon, shrieking and crying with anger and frustration. Chanyeol startled and stood up, staring wide eyed at the child whose snot was dripping from his nose. 

He was going to barf, "U-uhm...his boogers are...hanging..." 

Baekhyun chuckled and pulled out a tissue from his pocket. Of course he knew this was coming. The kid immediately shut up after he saw Baekhyun hands wipe the tears off his face. Eyes swollen and cheeks rosey red, the kid helplessly dragged the inflated ballon to Baekhyun, pointing at it. 

"You popped your balloon, hmm?" Baekhyun softly asked. The child shook his head and pointed a finger towards another boy who ran after him. He had curly hair and was taller than the boy who began shooting daggers at him. Baekhyun turned and smiled at the other boy, "Did you pop it?" 

The kid silently walked over to Baekhyun whispering in his ear. Chanyeol was amused with the two kids. The both of them looked fairly familiar, but he couldn't make out what was so familiar about them. Baekhyun soflty sighed and patted the two children's head. 

"Yejun-ah, don't cry, be a strong hyung." he pointed at him, gently patting his back. Baekhyun looked at the taller boy who was fiddling his fingers, "Jihoon-ah, be careful when you play, I want you guys to make up and be best friends again."

Chanyeol smiled sheepishly as he watched the two kid hug each other and holding hands. Yejun, the smaller older boy glared at Chanyeol, sticking his tongue out. Jihoon turned at Chanyeol and gave him an apologeticlook.

"Did he just stick his tongue out at me?", Chanyeol looked baffled. 

Baekhyun whipped his head at Yejun who ran back into Baekhyun's arms, "That ahjusshi is ugly." 

Jihoon sighed and looked back at Chanyeol apologetically again. Baekhyun raised his brow, unamused, "Yejun. This is your hyung, Hyung Chanyeol. You don't say that to people." 

Chanyeol forced a smile on his face while his eyes twitched with annoyance, "Yes..I am your hyung." And I am certainly not ugly. Does this face look old to you? he added, mentally shooting daggers through the child's soul, now respect me! Yejun and Chanyeol threw dirty looks at each other, lightning sparks began to form and started a fire. Jihoon tugged onnto Chanyeol's shirt, handing him a new pink balloon he found in the corner. 

"Mr. Chan, here's a pink balloon."

Chanyeol looked down at Jihoon whose eyes glimmered with happiness and unexplainable excitement. He smiled and gratefully recieved the balloon. His calloused hands brushed against the child's small hands, feeling some sort of warmth. Not like the warmth the sun gave him a while ago...but, the kind of feeling where he feels at home--like he's suppose to be here. The two children ran back into their rooms, steps growing fainter and a light sound of the door shutting. Baekhyun stood up from his crouched positioned and rubbed his hands together, fixing his loose white sweater. Chanyeol stared at the pink balloon and turned to see Baekhyun behind it, grinning at him pleasantly with a sincere, angelic smile. His heart beated again like there was a twist in his guts. 

He officially believe that Pink Balloons are magical.

The next day, he met the boy at the day care center. He wasn't the mysterious boy anymore. He was Byun Baekhyun, the boy that worked in the day care center. Jongin at times but, Chanyeol would fire back about his one-sided love with Kyungsoo.

"You actually found a job, hyung." Jongin smirked as he stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth.

Chanyeol looked down at his camera, "Yes, and I'm happy with my new job."