The next day, Baekhyun found himself on the floor, sprawled on the carpet.  Again, he cursed himself for moving and moving while asleep, which always ended up with him on the floor.   He stretched and sleepily trudged to the kitchen, drank water, got back to their sleeping quarters and kicked Chanyeol's protruding from the bed.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." One kick, one grunt.  This went on for some minutes until the smaller was forced to increase the strength of the kick, which made Chanyeol end up on the floor too, his eyes open wide— too wide for Baekhyun's liking.

"What was that for?" Chanyeol grunted, scratching his head.   He sat up and creased his eyebrows at the older, and Baekhyun cannot help but feel something so familiar yet so new.

"Yeah, stupid, there's class."

It was an almost synchronized movement of the two, Baekhyun eating while Chanyeol taking a shower and vice versa.  When at last they were ready, Baekhyun stopped for a moment by the door frame and asked a question:

"Last night didn't happen, didn't it?"

Chanyeol chuckled and shook his head, then processed that Baekhyun's back was facing him.

"What happened yester night?"

Both laughed and nodded, and went to class.

They were early for their 8:00 class which was a miracle in itself. The other miracle being Chanyeol's long-time crush finally, finally talking to him; something that the taller has said time and again was his wish.

"Hey, what time is it?" A quite deep voice asked as Chanyeol had just sat down on his seat.

"7:45."Chanyeol answered without looking at the speaker. But when he looked at Baekhyun, he saw that the other was looking at someone else.  Thus, his ears (who were big by nature) got red, and he turned and came face to face with a guy wearing a navy blue sweatshirt and jeans, with misaligned straps of a back pack.  He was tanned in skin color, his hair platinum blonde which stuck out to every place but was fashionable; and Baekhyun could feel something again.

"Thanks- I'll just-"  Said guy pointed to the seat at the other end of the row.  Chanyeol, quick to respond, stood up and let the person walk through.  The guy gave a small smile to the two friends and went to his seat. Before passing them, though, this conversation happened.

"Oh- what're your names again?" The tanned guy asked.

"I'm Baekhyun,"he started, "and this is—"

"Park Chanyeol. Nice meeting you."The person said as he offered his hand.

"I'm—"

"Kim Jongin. We know."  Chanyeol said with a nervous laugh, hoping he wouldn't be branded a stalker. The other guy just laughed and shook his hand.

"Nice meeting you two."

When the younger sat down, he was rewarded by a jab on the ribs of the other.

"Smooth, Yeol.   That was so smooth."  Baekhyun taunted.

The other merely nodded and clutched the hem of his shirt tightly.  He looked downhoping his best friend, who was now grinning widely beside him, could not see the stupidly wide grin he wore.

Another miracle was Baekhyun not forgetting his wallet when they ate out.  Of course, they did not eat out on the place where their "proposal" happened but on somewhere farther than that.

"Let's not order the whole menu, okay?"The younger told Baekhyun which resulted into a laugh by the both of them.

"Yeah; sure, sure." As the other finished ordering, Chanyeol thought of something that, in the latter years, the one thing he has not yet classified as either a good thing or a bad thing.

"Hey, Baekhyun."  Chanyeol called out after the older had made their order. "Let's do the proposal again."

"Thought I said I didn't want to remember that."  Baekhyun snickered and gave the younger a soft kick in the legs.

"Is it mean? Unfair?"

"What's your intention? Because a good act done in a bad intention is not necessarily good but is not bad too."

"Well, our initial intention was that we be allowed not to pay—" they ended up chuckling over that fact, "—but now our intention is to bring them smiles and happiness.  You know, like this mobile theater or something."Chanyeol nodded.

Baekhyun nodded and slightly paused as the food came.  They silently ate for a while then the older spoke up. 

"I guess that's not bad. I mean, the free drinks are a plus, or something." They still had the bottle of red wine left unopened courtesy of the first "proposal".

Chanyeol nodded and grinned.  "Then I guess that's a done deal?" He stretched out his hand to Baekhyun, who smiled and nodded, too.

"Deal."

They didn't do a proposal until two nights later, because both were busy with their papers.  It was only two days later when they finished all of those and Chanyeol excitedly dragged Baekhyun out to the night.

"Where do we go now Chanyeol? It's 7 and I am so tired—"

"Baekhyun, please- I want to eat. And I want to eat now." Instead of the elder's mouth answering, it was his stomach, grumbling because of the lack of sufficient food that told the whole story.  Baekhyun's cheeks reddened.

"And your stomach says so too."  Chanyeol said with a chuckle.  

They ended up eating at a restaurant which has this Japanese theme to it.  Immediately, Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun's hands and in they went, looking like a couple out for dinner.  They sat on the corner seat again, now beside each other, smiling sweetly at each other which is funny because just days ago Baekhyun would have gagged at the smile but now he felt like his heart was about to burst through his ribs.

After ordering, Baekhyun pressed something hard and round on Chanyeol's palm and the other immediately closed his fist around it. They talked about random things and to the third party watching them, they do look like a couple deeply in love. No one was sitting on the tables beside them, giving them privacy.

But on closer inspection, this was what they were talking about.

"God damn, Chanyeol, you could have told me!"  Baekhyun laughed as Chanyeol confessed he was about to approach his crush, Jongin, when the older pulled him to run to their next class.

"I can't; we were already running!"  The younger said, chuckling.  Their hands weren't untangled yet and Baekhyun could feel a thumb brushing on his palm, making him stop mid sentence and look at the other, questioning. Chanyeol just looked at his older friend with raised eyebrows, as if to say: "What? We're a couple, right?"

When their food arrived, they ate while talking.  After that, the younger stood up.  In just one night of a trial proposal, he knew exactly what was happening: Chanyeol talked to the manager, smiled at Baekhyun knowingly, paid their food and nodded.

The manager requested everyone to quiet down as someone was about to say something, then gestured for Chanyeol to speak.  He cleared his throat, looked away for a second, and when he looked back at Baekhyun he had this loving gaze again.  Baekhyun easily responded back with a small, also loving smile.  Acting classes sure has its perks, the older thought, but Baekhyun cannot help but think that the smile he was wearing now was not because of acting classes.

"Thank you everyone." The younger said, bowing.  When the hell did he learn Japanese, Baekhyun did not know; but if it helps, why not?

Chanyeol launched into his speech which was, impressively, in Japanese.  He occasionally took glances at the older as he told everyone about their "love story". It took place at the Land of The Rising Sun, and Baekhyun almost laughed as the joke processed finally: they were in a Japanese restaurant so naturally, the plot would be in Japan.

"I fell in love amidst the blooming of the sakura.  He walked there leisurely with who I thought was his girlfriend.  Now I know it was your sister."  Again, little laughs ensued among the crowd, even where Baekhyun was.  People looked at him and he learned not to give a damn about their gazes.  As Chanyeol said, this was like a mobile theater.  “I was tasked to take photos about the festival, and my lenses captured someone that was immortalized by a picture I am going to show to you know.”

Chanyeol then took out a picture of blooming sakuras with people on the road and showed it to everyone. 

“This is the picture, and as you can see-“, he pointed out to a spot there, and Baekhyun remembered that yeah, it was him there, but it was because of another thing “—there he was.  I could not stop looking at this picture the moment it was developed, and I went every day.  I told myself I was capturing more pictures but the real thing that was lurking in my mind was that I hoped I would see him again.  And I did.”  The taller looked at Baekhyun and slightly chuckled, the other slightly confused as he creased his brows.

“I saw him again, and this time I did not mess up my chance.  I approached him and told him that frankly he was one of the most beautiful people I have laid my eyes- and lens- upon.  His expression now is the same expression he wore when I first talked to him.”  By this time Baekhyun was assuming an amused yet slightly confused expression characterized by his brows creased but his mouth still smiling, his eyes both questioning and entertained at the same time.  Everyone looked to him and he immediately hid his face in his hands, blood rushing to his face.  They took this as a sign that he was embarrassed, and it was partly true—but the full truth was that he was trying to think of how Chanyeol could concoct a story like that. 

Chanyeol talked more about how they “dated” in Japan, how they “broke up” and “got back” after some time proving that their relationship was indeed “strong”, and all.  Baekhyun only caught few words from the speech and was actually mentally applauding at Chanyeol.

“Park YunJoong, I love you.”  Chanyeol said, still in Japanese. The older lifted his head from his hands, some tears escaping from his eyes caused by some self-gagging and lonely dramas replayed in his mind. 

The younger approached his friend and held his hand, while everyone else was murmuring excitedly. 

Chanyeol continued, "I love you, and even though they always say that we won't be lasting this long, well, to hell with them." Pretending to understand Japanese, Baekhyun laughed, luckily in the right time.  The taller grinned widely and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and kneeled.

"Park YunJoong, will you marry me?"

Everyone clapped and cheered, and Baekhyun, out of "shock", merely nodded.  But who was he kidding, seriously? 

They hugged then sat down as everyone greeted them.  Their smiles were put on for the simple reason of pleasing everyone.  Then the owner of the restaurant went to their place, eyes filled with tears, some escaping to trickle down to her cheeks.

"Hello, gentlemen."  She managed to say.  She smiled at them so sincerely that both were suddenly struck by guilt.  "This won't take long, but I just wanted you guys to know that what you did reminded me of my own proposal." Immediately, Baekhyun looked at the hands of the woman and was surprised to find a ring on her finger. She merely nodded and looked down, gazed her ring and it with gentleness.

"My husband died a decade ago."  She started, and the two men were intently listening. "He proposed to me here, in this exact spot.  He told me we would build a family here in Korea."Chanyeol has noticed something, and he blurted out his question before further thinking could be made.

"So you are from Japan, am I right ma’am?"  Chanyeol asked in straight Japanese. The woman nodded.

"He promised me he would get this land, and he did.  We planned on having our own house, but he was so insistent on us having a restaurant that he converted our first floor to this. Well, this is it; his legacy to us.  I remembered him when I saw your proposal and I think that was his sign to tell me that he is still with me."

"He is always with you, ma’am. Love is eternal."  Baekhyun was also in the verge of tears, and Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Baekhyun, pulling him closer.  The woman smiled at them and then bade goodbye, saying that their desserts will be on them.  Mochi balls soon found their way to Chanyeol and Baekhyun's stomach, and some the owner gladly wrapped for them.  They also asked if they be taken a picture with the owner.  When at last they can, the two bade goodbye and walked into the night, hand in hand.

A safe distance and Baekhyun immediately untangled his hands from Chanyeol's.  They walked silently as the stories from earlier evening wound up in their consciousness again.

"You know, we could use that story."  Chanyeol said, swinging the bag of mochi balls up and down much to the worry of Baekhyun.  They were a good batch, he must admit.

"On what?"

"Our project. I mean, he just said that we need human experiences, right?"  Baekhyun nodded and looked away.

Another awkward silence enveloped them.  While Baekhyun was busy reminiscing what happened earlier,Chanyeol noticed something as he looked at his friend—

"Byun Baekhyun are you ing blushing?"

Baekhyun's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened.  Shaking his head, he placed his hands on his cheeks and puffed them, much to the amusement of Chanyeol.

"No, it's just cold— yep."

"You just gave me a mini- heart attack, Byun."  Chanyeol said as he swung an arm around the smaller's shoulders, pulling the other closer.  "I thought you liked me."He said, wriggling his eyebrows that made Baekhyun chuckle both because of relief and because he looked really funny.

"Shut up, that is just gross."  Baekhyun said.  Suddenly, Chanyeol stopped and let Baekhyun walk a few steps before the latter noticed.  He looked back and saw the other staring.

"What are you staring at?"  Baekhyun asked.

"Am I not that attractive?"  Chanyeol asked back, making Baekhyun feel that his heart rate shot up just a little bit.

Goddammit, why.

"Setting aside the fact that you are my roommate and best friend,"Baekhyun said, "you are attractive. Now stop looking like a little lost puppy and maybe Jongin will-"

"Shut up!" Chanyeol said, grinning from ear to ear at what he heard.  For some reason, hearing that from Baekhyun was special. He ran the few meters, closed the distance between them and placed an arm around the smaller's shoulder again. "I didn't say I wanted to ask him out."

"You were, weren't you." The smaller said.

"Am. I will—I mean I’m planning to."Chanyeol said, and Baekhyun felt his heart drop.

Not to Chanyeol, please.

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Hi guys, thank you for reading! I hope next chapter's a bit okay than this.  Thank you guys! ILYGSM. Subscribe and comment jsy. o u o