The coffee shop across the campus gate is bustling as usual with students trying to keep their caffeine level intake. It’s already past lunch time but the line in front of the order section doesn’t look like it’ll move any time soon. Yifan checks his watch again, the kid is late. It’s only ten minutes past their appointed time but Yifan thinks it’s not a good thing to be late on their first meeting.

The kid, he said his name is Chanyeol, called him yesterday to ask about his spare room. Yifan actually is still wondering if he’s in the right mind when he put up the rent notice in the university board. He definitely doesn’t need the money from the rent fee, maybe he was bored, or maybe he’s just lonely. But Yifan is too proud as a person to admit that he, too, needs other people to survive.

It hasn’t been another five minutes when Yifan’s phone is ringing. He glances at the kid’s name on the display and ponders to just reject it and cancel the deal. Yifan’s contemplation only lasts after the third ring.

“Yeah?”

“Um, hi? Are you still in the coffee shop? My class ended late and I’m on my way there,” Chanyeol’s voice on the other line sounds ragged.

“Yes, I’m still here. How many more minutes should I wait?” Yifan can’t help the cynical tone in his voice.

“I’m here,” and there’s a crinkling sound signaling the shop’s door is opened. Yifan looks up and raises his hand in reflex. There’s a boy waving his hands and Yifan is met with a blinding smile.

“You must be Yifan. Nice to meet you!” Chanyeol’s left hand is still holding his phone while his right hand is reaching to shake Yifan’s hand. His red hair is tousled by the wind and there’s a bullet of sweat trickling on the corner of his left eyebrow. Yifan needs to stop ogling the kid.

“Ah, yes, nice to meet you too, Chanyeol?” Yifan tries to control his expression and offers Chanyeol his timid smile.

Well, see, Yifan initially called Chanyeol “the kid” since he is two years his junior. But apparently this kid is at least six feet in height, with muscles in just the right place.

Chanyeol settles on the chair facing Yifan after placing his order in the counter. He stares and smiles at Yifan, waiting for the older boy to say something.

“So, do you want to check out the place first or should we talk about the arrangement first?” Yifan sips his green tea latte and checks his phone again without any reason.

“It’ll be nice to see your place first and we can talk about the arrangement there,” says Chanyeol, “I need to familiarize myself first in my future home, right?”

*

Yifan’s apartment is located only 15-minute walk from campus. Even though it’s much farther than the university dorm, but he definitely chose it over less walking. It’s nothing fancy, at least for Yifan’s standard. It’s on the third floor; and although there’s a lift on the ground floor, it stays on maintenance for most of the time. The building was painted in standard white cream, and the security guard is nice enough to greet Chanyeol when he enters the building.

“Nice place you got here,” says Chanyeol, looking around the inside of Yifan’s apartment. He steps outside the balcony and sighs a deep breath, “I like it.”

Yifan watches Chanyeol leaning on the balcony railing with spread-out hands, and thinks about the days he will have later with this boy. “It’s a deal then? You’ll be staying here?”

Chanyeol turns his head to look at Yifan and nods, “Yeah, I absolutely fell in love with this place on the first sight.”

“Okay,” Yifan smiles, “I’m glad that my humble apartment suits your liking.”

Chanyeol smiles back at him and Yifan wonders if his curtain needs to be changed since he has never felt so blinded in his entire life.

*

Even from the first meeting, Yifan always knew that Chanyeol is loud. His boisterous laughs never fail to make little earthquakes inside Yifan’s chest. Chanyeol lives in music, his hands will thrum with beats whenever he’s bored and those hums will erupt when he concentrates on something.

But it’s almost 2 a.m. now and Chanyeol is being really loud in the kitchen. Yifan has just fallen asleep at past midnight, and being woken up by loud noises is not a really pleasant experience. He sighs and starts to trudge outside.

“What are you doing?” Yifan leans in the kitchen doorway and witnesses Chanyeol being really busy with his hands.

“I just got home and really hungry so I’m trying to make some instant noodles,” Chanyeol steals a glance at Yifan and grimaces, “Did I wake you up? Sorry.”

Yifan walks to stand beside Chanyeol and sees the cooking ingredients scatter in the kitchen tables, “What kind of noodles requires this much ingredients?”

“I want to try something different,” Chanyeol chuckles, “Also, you still have some corned beef in the refrigerator so I used it too. Do you want to eat it together with me?”

“Well, I guess a little slurp won’t make my face bloated in the morning, right?” says Yifan. He sits in the chair and watches Chanyeol throwing eggs and corned beef to the boiling noodles.

When the dish is ready, Chanyeol adds grated cheese on top of it before presenting it to Yifan. “Ta-dahh! Please enjoy the newest minimalist dish from Chef Park!”

Yifan takes a sip of the broth first before mixing the noodles and cheese altogether. The final taste is something that Yifan doesn’t expect at all. He looks at Chanyeol before taking a slurp again, smile hidden behind his risen spoon.

“How is it hyung?” asks Chanyeol, hands clasped tightly on the table, his noodles neglected as he stares, waiting for Yifan’s opinion.

“Hmm, you called this a simple dish?” Yifan lifts his left eyebrow and puts down his spoon,”Try it yourself.”

“Is it not good?” Chanyeol looks at him quizzically and starts to eat his noodles. He takes one, two spoons of his noodles’ broth and chews the noodles. “Eh? I think this is good enough. At least it’s edible,” says Chanyeol.

“It’s not good, Chanyeol,” says Yifan as he looks at Chanyeol right in the eye and admits, “It’s really delicious.”

Chanyeol’s beam has never been this bright.

*

After that faithful night, they almost always make time for grabbing meal together. Sometimes it’s just Chanyeol cooking at home, and other times, they will go to a small hot pot restaurant near the campus. They share stories over steaming broth and go home with new memories. Chanyeol talks a lot and tells everyone everything. But when Yifan tells Chanyeol the cold days he had in Vancouver and the bustling crowd of Guangzhou, Chanyeol will listen with tiny frowns on his forehead, trying to understand Yifan more.

There’s no definite line when they cross the boundary of acquaintance-slash-roommate to roommate-slash-potential-soulmate. Chanyeol starts seeking Yifan’s comfort whenever he can’t sleep or just plainly bored, invading under Yifan’s blanket and snuggling against Yifan’s warmth. Yifan dreads the time when Chanyeol is busy with assignment, and he resorts to hang out in front of Chanyeol’s class just to peek a glance at the boy. And when Chanyeol is home, Yifan will be the one who leans on Chanyeol’s left shoulder, recharging his longing over the hours they couldn’t spent together with their fingers entwined as they watch the newest episode of Running Man.

Chanyeol doesn’t like spicy things, so Yifan always remembers to stock up some chili powder for himself. Once, Yifan finds out that he has allergy of shellfish: he buys it on impulse in the mart and Chanyeol gladly experiments with it. The dish turns out to be okay but Yifan is not, he gets rashes and itches all over his body; and Chanyeol just packs the shellfish soup, donating it to Sehun’s apartment later. When Chanyeol tries to make amend of his cooking by insisting to take care of Yifan for a full week, the now-healthy-boy thinks stealthily that a sleepless night of scratching his body is totally worth Chanyeol’s undivided attention. But Chanyeol doesn’t need to know that.

*

It’s already Yifan’s last year on school and he will graduate in a couple of months. He has passed his thesis defense successfully and landed a job offer from a notable company. It is a dream job, a decent position, considering he is still a fresh graduate. World Bank Group is opening their new branch for Korea in Songdo and in needs of competent staffs. It will be a waste to reject such an opportunity?

If Yifan gets the job, he will need to move out. The new office is in an awkward distance from their apartment. It takes about an hour and half, sometimes two, to the nearest subway station from the office. After that, Yifan still needs to transfer to the bus going to Songdo International City. Even though Yifan insists that he is fine commuting every day, Chanyeol knows that sooner or later, it will be a hassle for both of them. Chanyeol understands. Chanyeol supports Yifan wholeheartedly to apply for this job and try his luck. But Yifan doesn’t want to leave Chanyeol.

*

So the search for their new home begins. Yifan and Chanyeol decide to just move out together and stay in the area between Chanyeol’s campus and Yifan’s new office. They check ads from the internet and decide that it’s better to pick a place near the subway station. Finally, they find some places befitting their taste and plan to check these places out together.

The place they’re going today is a studio, five-minute walk from Noryangjin station and located in the fifth floor of a light grey building. There’s a convenient store in the first floor and the lift is actually functioning. Chanyeol can’t stop smiling.

The landlord takes them to the studio and opens the door for them, “Feel free to look around and check the place. If you need anything you can call me. I’ll be just downstairs.”

The studio is definitely smaller than their current apartment. It only has one bedroom, and the living room is so narrow that only a love couch and a small tea table will fit. Chanyeol already runs inside to check every nook and cranny of the place. Yifan imagines living here with Chanyeol and smiles at the thought.

“Yifan! Yifan, come here!” Chanyeol shouts from the kitchen.

Yifan walks to the kitchen and sees Chanyeol standing in the middle. The place doesn’t have a dining room, just a simple square dining table planted on the wall. Chanyeol is gleaming as he waves his hands around and the wooden cabinet over the stoves.

“Look, Yifan! I could reach anything with just standing here.” Chanyeol reaches out his hand and Yifan gladly takes it. “You know, there’s a fish market nearby, so I could cook something for you.”

Yifan stares at the gleams in Chanyeol’s eyes and chuckles, “But no more shellfish, remember?”

Chanyeol throws his arms around Yifan and leans his face on Yifan’s shoulder. “I want this place, Yifan.”

*

They decide to come back the next day with the deposit money so they can sign the contract right away. The landlord then gives them the keys and details information of the place before leaving them in their new home.

Chanyeol is sprawled on the bare living room floor, which makes Yifan laugh seeing his boyfriend’s goofy grin. He joins him on the floor, lying facing Chanyeol who currently has his eyes closed.

“Are you happy?”

Chanyeol opens his eyes and turns to Yifan’s serene face, “I am. I always am whenever I’m with you.”

“Thank you for moving out and staying with me,” Yifan takes Chanyeol’s palm and holds it near his heart, “I love you.”

“I’m doing this for my personal gain. Who says I’m staying here for you?” teases Chanyeol as he shifts his body and lies on top of Yifan’s.

Yifan rolls their bodies around and pins Chanyeol on the floor before gunning out to tickle the younger boy. Chanyeol’s deep voice screams, “Hyung!” as he thrashes wildly on the floor.

After some minutes of fooling around, they get exhausted and pile on each other on the floor. Chanyeol clings at Yifan like a koala, face hidden on the older’s neck; while Yifan Chanyeol’s back, humming some melody as he leans on the younger’s head.

The comfortable silence is broken as Yifan randomly says, “Huh, did you change your perfume?”

Chanyeol lifts his head up and squirms to sniff himself. He doesn’t use perfume often, he doesn’t even remember if he sprayed some this morning. “No? Did I use perfume this morning?” asks Chanyeol as he keeps sniffing his body.

Yifan bursts out laughing before hugging his adorable Chanyeol tightly, “You smell like home,” he whispers.

Chanyeol needs to uncurl his fingers from Yifan’s cheesiness and slaps him lightly on the chest. He stares at Yifan and kisses his cheeks before finally planting one on his lips.

“You are home.”

*

Over the course of years, Yifan and Chanyeol realize that their happiness is not defined by where they stay or what they do. It is them, Yifan and Chanyeol.

Together.