2013.04.05, 13:22

Artworks and paintings aren't really in Baekhyun's field of interests. What he actually meant by "work of art" was something like poetry, literature, and even music. Visual arts like paintings and sculptures weren't really his thing, and when Chanyeol asked him to go to one of the famous art galleries in one of the neighboring areas of Shinsa, he honestly wanted to decline.

But the moment he entered the entrance of the Arario Seoul Gallery in Cheongdam with Chanyeol by his side, he has to admit that he felt astounded and whatever hesitations he had about visiting an art gallery suddenly evaporated into thin air.

The art gallery wasn't exactly enormous, but the way it was decorated and furnished gives it a classy and sophisticated feel to it that Baekhyun actually felt intimidated about going in. The whole gallery, in Baekhyun's honest opinion, has a certain charm to it that makes him suddenly interested in visual arts even though he originally doesn't, and he finds it a very positive matter.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, casually greeted the receptionists and staffs at the entrance of the gallery while bowing respectfully. The smile in his face never vanishing as he converses and laughs with them a little. Baekhyun figured that the taller guy must be a regular visitor here as well.

When the two boys passed through the entrance, they started walking slowly in the halls where artworks and little sculptures were displayed beside the walls. Baekhyun glances at them with awe; appreciating the colors and images in every single painting and work of art he scans. He isn't really a fan of artworks and paintings, but he has a little background about it thanks to his art class in high school.

When he stumbled upon a seemingly abstract painting on one of the walls, he literally halted from his stroll to stare at it with squinted eyes. The other paintings he just saw, although some of them were complicate and intricately done as well, weren't as confusing and baffling as this one. Baekhyun winced at it as if he was trying to burn holes in it when Chanyeol suddenly poked him from his back.

"That one's weird, isn't it?" the other said with his typical and normal deep voice.

"Yeah..." Baekhyun said in an unfocused manner while tilting his head to the side a little, trying his best to form an image or picture or something from the flurry of brush and colors on the painting. "I don't get it. It seems so... blank."

"Well it is blank, to be honest." Chanyeol said before chuckling a little.

Baekhyun then gazed at his back to stare at Chanyeol incredulously, then opened his mouth to ask, "Really? A painting without meaning?"

"It's called abstract, Baekhyun..." the other said with a little smile that makes his face contort into one of the most adorable expressions ever. Baekhyun wanted to clutch his chest with that but just shrugged it off.

"Hey, I know what abstract is..." the shorter boy said in a playful manner, earning him a little chuckle from Chanyeol. "I mean, I didn't know that abstracts are like totally meaningless or something..."

"They're not entirely 'meaningless' actually," the other defended in a gentle way. "They just... uhh... I don't know. I'm not really good with explaining things, to be honest." he said a little sheepishly while chuckling.

Baekhyun wanted to protest with that as well. Never once did he think that the taller guy is not good about explaining things when he's literally so talkative about everything and he wanted to tease the other a bit about it, but he realized they aren't even that close yet to kid around casually and just smiled and nodded instead.

"Let's go to that section over there," Chanyeol suddenly said while grabbing the shorter boy's arm softly. "Those are where the modern and contemporary arts are. They're my favorites so let's go!"

Baekhyun laughed after that and let himself be half dragged by his new friend to wherever he was taking him again.

-----

After spending a couple of minutes in Arario Seoul, Chanyeol suddenly beamed the other one of his silly grins again while literally clapping his hands in excitement before saying they should visit CAIS Gallery as well. Baekhyun was in the middle of analyzing a random contemporary art painting displayed by the middle of the hall when Chanyeol suddenly beamed at him with such anticipation in his voice.

It seems like that certain art gallery that Chanyeol wanted to visit as well is where almost all the famous works of local Korean artists are housed and displayed, and Baekhyun admits that he felt really curious about checking the place out as well so he didn't hesitate to agree to the other at all.

CAIS Gallery isn't exactly that far from Arario Seoul, Baekhyun concluded after reaching the place almost after 10 minutes of walking. The ash blonde boy figured that they must be in some sort of section in Cheongdam where most art galleries and exhibits are located, since all he saw around them when they were walking were more art gallery houses and such.

When they entered CAIS Gallery, Chanyeol proceeded with his usual greetings and smiles and bows to all of the staffs in the entrance. They were about to register their names and other necessary information on the log book of the receptionist when a deep voice suddenly called out to them.

"Chanyeol?" a deep and slightly husky voice spoke from their back. Baekhyun turned around to see a tall guy with a lean and fit physique smiling slightly at them.

"Kris hyung!" Chanyeol beamed with a silly smile before waving a little to said guy.

"How're you Channie?" Kris said while slowly approaching them. Baekhyun felt like stepping back a little because of the intimidatingly cool aura the dashing guy is emitting.

Chanyeol wasn't as awkward as Baekhyun though as he answered the other's question. "Doing good, hyung! How about you?"

"Doing fine as well." the other replied while suddenly facing Baekhyun's direction and smiling knowingly in the process. The shorter boy felt extremely shy and sheepish under that gaze. "The gallery's doing good too. We have a lot of new stuffs in. Would you want me to show them to you and your new boyfriend?"

Baekhyun's eyes almost widened to the size of a tennis ball with that while Chanyeol's face turned bright red. "N-No hyung! He isn't my boyfriend!"

Kris quirked an eyebrow with that and sent a playful stare to Chanyeol. "Oh really?"

Baekhyun seemed to finally found his lost voice with that and successfully brought himself to say "Y-Yeah. We just met hours ago, actually..."

"I-I'm just helping him tour around Seoul since he's on a vacation alone and-"

"Okay okay I get it don't be too defensive, Channie." Kris said mischievously before laughing a little. Chanyeol looked mortified with that and Baekhyun admitted the sight of it almost caused some butterflies in his stomach to flutter.

"O-Okay..." Chanyeol said awkwardly while looking down to the ground, all feeling of optimism and confidence suddenly replaced by utter embarrassment.

Kris had enough of his own teasing and chuckled again before saying, "I should go. I have a business to attend to. Enjoy your visit here, Chanyeol and...?" he trailed off with a questioning tone in his voice while looking at Baekhyun kindly.

The ash blonde boy then snapped from his trance and replied quickly. "B-Baekhyun, sir."

"Alright. Baekhyun. Well, see you guys around!" Kris exclaimed while waving to them before turning around to leave.

Chanyeol, who was still utterly mortified after being outed in such an unpleasant manner, called out to Baekhyun shyly before they both entered the gallery.

When they started walking through the halls with numerous paintings and sculptures adorning the walls, Chanyeol scratched his head a little and cleared his throat before finally speaking and cutting off their awkward atmosphere. "Crap."

Baekhyun was a little surprised with that and he stopped on his tracks to stare at the other questioningly.

Chanyeol sighed in despondency and asked the other something. "He just said 'new boyfriend', didn't he?"

Baekhyun didn't really mean to laugh at that but he uncontrollably let out a small chuckle because of the taller guy's cuteness. Luckily for him, Chanyeol wasn't offended or embarrassed at all and just chuckled with him instead.

Baekhyun was the first to get over from his slight laughter and said, "Yup. He just did."

"Ugh." Chanyeol snorted. He then flashed the other that blinding smile of his again that somehow always makes Baekhyun feel a warm, fuzzy feeling of comfortableness. "I guess the cat's out of the box as well, huh?"

Baekhyun just hummed in reply and smiled at the other in return, feeling too overwhelmed by Chanyeol's adorableness that he didn't really find the right words to say.

Chanyeol continued on. "You know, my ex-boyfriend and I often visits this gallery before." the taller guy suddenly opened up with a lesser smile than a while ago. Baekhyun shifted his silly smiling face as well into a more serious expression. "Kris hyung is the branch manager here and we became close with him since we often visit this place. And when my ex and I broke up, Kris hyung is one of the good people who helped me out move on and stuff."

Baekhyun wasn't really sure how to react with that sudden opening up of the other's really personal life, so he just hummed and nodded his head in agreement.

"That's why he looks really happy and playful to see me together with you just a while ago," Chanyeol added. "I mean, I never visited this place again after my ex and I parted ways last month."

"But why did you suddenly decided you wanna go here again?" Baekhyun asked in a gentle and calming manner, afraid that he might break off the seemingly serene moment between them.

"I don't know..." the other replied with all honesty. "Maybe I really am just completely over my past boyfriend, I guess?"

"Good for you..." Baekhyun suddenly replied in a seemingly bitter way. He didn't mean to sound a bit resentful and down-spirited but it just somehow came out of his lips without his own permission.

The taller guy took notice of it of course, and quickly smiled in a goofy way again. "You know what? I think we should have some change of plans."

The ash blonde boy shot him an incredulous look while furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I am no longer you're one-day tour guide," Chanyeol suddenly decided to himself in a playful and mischievous manner. "Let me be your one-day date instead."

Baekhyun's eyeballs almost popped out of his face after that, disbelieving his own ears for hearing such a proposal from the other. "...What?"

"You're supposed to go to Seoul with your boyfriend, right?" Chanyeol asked in a giddy manner. "And since he isn't around, then let me be his replacement for you."

Baekhyun wanted to protest again from the other's sudden change of plan, but even before he can even speak and protest, his head was unconsciously nodding in agreement already due to the other's intense cuteness; Baekhyun can't even think properly whenever Chanyeol flashes him a genuine smile. The shorter boy then concluded that actions truly speak louder than words.

"Great!" Chanyeol beamed at him, almost jumping up in severe excitement again. "Then the one-day date begins now!"

Baekhyun isn't really sure if his decision to spend the whole day with this stranger is a good decision or not, but after having internal dilemmas and personal quarrels inside his mind, he concluded to himself that he doesn't consider Chanyeol a stranger at all anymore, but more like a new friend or a personal tour guide to be honest.

Or as a one-day date, as Chanyeol would like to put it.

(NOTE: can we just give Chanyeol some love right now. ugh. i hate how i made him so adorable and charming in this fic. ugh.)