heart attack
heart attack
pg-13; romance; chanyeol/girl!kyungsoo, side!jongdae/liyin; 9, 346 wc
summary: maybe pretending to date your best friend isn't a bad thing, after all. (or, the five times chanyeol and kyungsoo pretend to be in a relationship, and the one time they didn't have to pretend at all.)
a/n: first of all, i would like to thank every single one of you on tlist who basically indulged me and did this with me. what started out as a simple spoken idea turned into this wonderful project and i cant even begin to tell you guys how much your participation really means to me. ;_; second, here's a shoutout to two wonderful people: vamyreunnie for holding my hand and always being there to bounce ideas off of, and admortems because #LASTPOSTERSUNITE! ♥
soooo, this is actually my first time writing het. this is also the less complicated version of my original kyungsooperior entry for chansoo lol. so i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i enjoyeed writing the whole thing :")
i.
from: kim jongdae
sorry, i wont be able to wait for u today
i have a date wit liyin noona this afternoon~ ♡
hope u wont die with mr lee in detention tho!
my prayers are wit u!!! fighting!!
Chanyeol tsks at his phone screen. The asshole. Chanyeol can't believe he has a best friend as inconsiderate and as heartless as Kim Jongdae. The least Jongdae could do is wait for him to get back from detention since he's part of the reason why Chanyeol had to stay later than everyone else in the first place. But, of course, trust Jongdae to prioritize some girl over his best friend. And at a time like this, even.
Best friend, my ass, Chanyeol continues to grumble to himself. He pulls his bag higher up his shoulder, one hand curled around the strap as he walks down the almost deserted hallway alone. It's already past five in the afternoon and Chanyeol can barely see other people loitering around at this hour. It's quiet, peaceful, the complete opposite of the loudness brought about by the bustling activity during daytime at school. Somehow, Chanyeol likes it, likes the serenity he finds in barren halls and empty classrooms.
Chanyeol knows that most of the students have already gone home, so it's a bit of a surprise when he walks past an open classroom and finds it occupied by a few people.
Curious, Chanyeol traces his steps back and then stops in front of the room for a moment. He takes a peek and sees four students inside - a girl surrounded by three guys. From where he's standing, he can only make out what the girl looks like - petite, big, round eyes, full lips, short hair that falls just above her shoulder - and it takes a few seconds for Chanyeol to actually realize that he recognizes her but, somehow, can't remember where he'd seen her from before.
Chanyeol only continues to stare at them, not moving an inch from his spot. He's really not sure what's keeping him here; the students inside don't seem like they're doing anything unusual, just standing and talking quietly among themselves. But Chanyeol can't still shake the feeling that something is wrong - there's just something in the way the girl's posture seems so stiff and tense that has Chanyeol unable to look away.
Now, he isn't one to poke his nose into other people's businesses, especially not when said business can cause him nothing but trouble. And this one, Chanyeol thinks, just practically spells trouble with a capital T. Chanyeol sighs. He really doesn't want to get involved in things like these. Maybe he can just walk away, pretend that he didn't see anything-
One of the guys suddenly reaches out to grab the girl, his fingers gripping tight around her arm.
"Yah! What do you think you're doing?!" Chanyeol finds himself blurting out before he can even stop himself. The three guys immediately turn around to look at him, glaring, and, in that exact moment, Chanyeol feels his body go cold. He wills his knees to stay firm and not give up on him in fear.
They say curiosity killed the cat and, in this case, he might as well be slaughtered just by how hard the three guys are staring him down right now.
The girl seems just as surprised at Chanyeol's sudden outburst - her eyes are now even bigger than when Chanyeol had first seen them a few seconds ago, and she's looking at him like Chanyeol's simultaneously the bravest and the stupidest person out here. (Chanyeol can pretty much agree to that.)
Chanyeol forces his feet to move, one, two, three more steps, and only when he gets close enough does the other guy finally let go of the girl's arm. Chanyeol bravely steps in between them, shoulders squared, shielding the girl from the guys rounding in on her.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the guys spits out.
That momentarily shocks Chanyeol. Oookay, maybe he really didn't properly think this through. What should he introduce himself as? Her friend? Her brother? Her classmate? Some random stranger who just happened to pass by and is coincidentally stupid enough to get himself involved? Chanyeol wants to punch himself so bad for acting so rash.
"I'm her boyfriend," Chanyeol eventually decides to answer with as much conviction as he can. He wills himself not to get flustered, trying his hardest to keep the blush from rising in his cheeks. "If you have any problem with her, you can deal with me. Or we can bring this to the principal's office if you prefer it that way."
Chanyeol can't believe the words that just slipped right out of his mouth. He doesn't know where he's getting all this courage and bravado from but it's probably somewhere deep, deep, deeeeeep down inside of him. The three guys are still glaring at him but Chanyeol just firmly holds their gaze, chin raised in the air as if he's daring them to move a single inch. Frankly, Chanyeol isn't really good at fighting but he hopes he can at least scare these guys away with his height.
"What a waste of time," says one of them. He throws one final glare in Chanyeol's direction before ushering the other two guys to follow him out.
Chanyeol heaves a sigh of relief. That was close. For a second, Chanyeol really did think that he would have to resort to violence just to drive those guys away. He's never tried beating anyone up before - actually never really found the reason to do so - but Chanyeol supposes he won't suck so bad if it really comes down to it. His mom probably won't be too happy once she sees the bruises, though, and-
"Are you stupid?"
Chanyeol jerks in surprise and turns around, only to see the girl looking blankly at her. Chanyeol blinks. "What?"
"Yeah, you're clearly stupid because you don't know when and when not to butt in into other people's businesses," she continues rather bluntly. "You really didn't need to do that. I can easily fight them on my own, you know."
"Well, I couldn't just stand there and watch them harass you!" Chanyeol defends.
"But still," she persists, "if you actually got hurt because of your stupidity, then that wouldn't be any better for the both of us, would it?"
Chanyeol grits his teeth in annoyance. Is this it? Is this what he gets after he practically risked his life and his gorgeous face? Maybe he really should've left. Maybe he really shouldn't have let himself be swayed by this unreasonable urge he felt to protect this girl who clearly doesn't need any help and who obviously doesn't know how to show gratitude to someone who willingly lends her one.
"Look, I'm sorry that I came barging into whatever business you have with those three guys. I was only trying to help because I thought you were in trouble," Chanyeol explains. "And if you didn't appreciate my help, that's fine, but you don't have to be so rude about it."
He turns back around and starts walking-
"Thank you!"
-only to suddenly stop in his tracks after hearing those two words that Chanyeol never thought he would hear, given their earlier argument. Chanyeol remains unmoving, stunned in his place.
"Thank you, I guess," comes her voice again, only much softer this time. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so rude earlier. But, really, thank you."
Before Chanyeol is even aware of it, a smile is already tugging at the corners of his lips, replacing the traces of frustration on his face just moments ago. "Apology accepted," he says with a grin. "My name's Park Chanyeol, by the way. What's yours?"
"Kyungsoo," she answers. "Do Kyungsoo."
Neither of them still know it at this point in time but this-this is definitely going to be the start of a beautiful friendship (and, maybe, just maybe, something more).
{Time flies. Seasons change. And, soon, Chanyeol finds himself getting closer and closer to Kyungsoo everyday.
Frankly, it's not a walk in the park to befriend someone like Kyungsoo. She's a headstrong girl, quite opinionated, but can be calm when she needs to be - very different from what Chanyeol initially had in mind - and Chanyeol is pretty surprised that they've managed to stay friends despite their clashing personalities.
Chanyeol always vehemently denies it when he's asked but, really, he thinks he's pretty lucky to have Kyungsoo in his life like this.}
ii.
"So, how about Thursday night?"
Kyungsoo worries her bottom lip at the invitation. In front of her, Junmyeon appears so hopeful and anxious at the same time, his smile gentle as always. Just looking at him has Kyungsoo feeling like the hugest bitch for not thinking about anything but rejecting him once again. Kyungsoo really doesn't want to do it - Junmyeon is a nice guy and the last thing she honestly wants to do right now is break his heart for the nth time.
But Kyungsoo only sees Junmyeon as a friend. No matter how hard she tries, Kyungsoo just can't picture herself dating him anytime soon.
"Junmyeon-"
"Or if you can't go on Thursday, we can do it on Friday? Or-whenever you're free," Junmyeon interrupts. The small crowd standing by the lockers is surreptitiously glancing at them now and it only makes Kyungsoo flustered beyond belief. She just wants to end this conversation as soon as possible.
"Junmyeon, you're a really nice guy and I'm flattered that you feel that way about me," Kyungsoo stops, takes a deep breath, and then continues, "but I'm sorry, I'm just not into you in that way."
Kyungsoo immediately sees Junmyeon's face fall and she only has a second to feel guilty about what she did before Junmyeon is asking her another question again, "am I not good enough for you, Kyungsoo?"
Kyungsoo shakes her head. "It's not that-"
"Then what is it?" Junmyeon asks. The hurt clearly reflected in his voice is something that Kyungsoo never wanted to hear. Ever. "Why won't you just give me a chance?"
In that exact moment, Kyungsoo sees Chanyeol and Jongdae walking towards their direction, their book bags slung on their shoulder. As soon as Chanyeol recognizes her, a smile pulls at his lips and Kyungsoo distractedly thinks how ridiculously huge it is that it can even split Chanyeol's face into two. When they're almost close, Kyungsoo can tell Chanyeol's about to greet her like usual - he has this way of ruffling her hair or patting her head that always, always makes Kyungsoo want to punch the living daylights out of him - but he stops himself from doing so the moment he notices the strained expression written on her face. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow in question instead. Kyungsoo just gives him a shaky smile in response.
"Kyungsoo?" Junmyeon prompts. The single mention of her name catches Kyungsoo's attention and it brings her back to the harsh reality of Junmyeon still standing before her, patiently waiting for her to speak.
"I-" Kyungsoo bites her bottom lip. She doesn't want to lie, but Junmyeon isn't giving him any other choice but to do this. "I have a boyfriend, Joonmyun. So I really can't go out with you."
At this revelation, Junmyeon's eyes widen like saucers. "What?"
Before Kyungsoo can even open her mouth to explain, a hand suddenly wraps itself around her waist, pulling her close to a warm body. Kyungsoo gets the distinct feeling that she knows who it is before a deep, familiar voice comes to her rescue. "Is someone bothering you, babe?"
Kyungsoo looks up and is unsurprised to see Chanyeol beside her. He's not looking at her - rather, he has all of his attention on the person in front of them, eyes locked onto Junmyeon. Kyungsoo tries not to squirm away; Chanyeol still has his hand curled protectively around her.
There's an odd, tensed atmosphere that suddenly envelops them and Kyungsoo knows she has to say something, anything, to somehow drive it away. "No," she finally croaks. Chanyeol peers at her then and there's really no mistaking how he looks a little amused at the way her voice just broke. Kyungsoo feels the urge to pinch him on his side. "Junmyeon was just asking me something about the student council meeting this afternoon." Kyungsoo cautiously glances at Junmyeon. "Right, Junmyeon?"
Junmyeon swallows and Kyungsoo has to admit that it's a little hard to see him forcing a smile onto his face. "Yeah," he answers. "I guess I'll just see you this afternoon?"
"I'll make sure to bring her there," Chanyeol suddenly throws in. Kyungsoo wants to elbow him in the ribs so hard because there really is no need for Chanyeol to say that, like he's even shoving the boyfriend thing even more at Junmyeon's face. It's already bad enough that they're pretending just to get Junmyeon off her back.
"Right," Junmyeon says, suddenly clearly uncomfortable in Chanyeol's presence. "I guess I should get going..."
Kyungsoo can't do anything but watch Junmyeon as he walks away, shoulders slumped in defeat. She feels bad for hurting him, for lying to him, but Kyungsoo supposes rejecting him this early is for the best. Kyungsoo doesn't have any plans of leading him on, anyway, and she's pretty sure it'll only hurt him even more if she really did end up accepting his invitation for even just one date.
"Am I missing something here?" Jongdae asks as soon as Junmyeon is already out of hearing range. "Did you two suddenly decide to be in a relationship without even telling me?"
"Nah, we were just pretending," Chanyeol answers. He finally lets go of Kyungsoo, arm dropping from her waist. Kyungsoo finds herself able to breathe more easily after that for some reason. "Since Kyungsoo here seems to get into a lot of trouble with guys. It's certainly not the first time we did it."
Kyungsoo frowns. That may be true; Chanyeol did come to her rescue for both times but- "I can't ever remember asking for your help, though."
Chanyeol breathes out an exasperated sigh. He turns to Kyungsoo and proceeds to ruffle her hair. "Can't you just learn how to be grateful for once?"
Kyungsoo moves away from Chanyeol to avoid any more further damage on her hair, glaring. Chanyeol normally treats her like she's one of them, one of the guys, and while it usually doesn't bother Kyungsoo that much, she still thinks it would be nice if Chanyeol can learn to see her as a girl. Even just for once.
"Are you sure you two don't like each other?" Jongdae asks as he watches all of this unfold before his very eyes.
"I'm sure," Chanyeol answers, laughing as he successfully avoids one of Kyungsoo's punches. "I don't date mean shorties like this one."
"That's good to know," Kyungsoo rebutts. "It's not like I want a stupid giant for a boyfriend like you, anyway."
Jongdae just laughs at them. He's not sure whether to believe them - there's just something between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo that he can't quite point out. But Jongdae decides to let it rest for now; maybe he'll find it out soon enough. "Okay, you two. Whatever you say."
{ from: park chanyeol
we r gonna get ice cream 2day and ur not
going to say no, just like wat u did to others
i'll see u in the lobby!!
Kyungsoo lets out a sigh as soon as she reads Chanyeol's message. All of her other friends have been asking her to go out after classes and while Kyungsoo usually accepts them on a normal day, she can't get herself to do the same thing today. Not when she just saw how rejecting Junmyeon caused an obvious strain on their friendship.
Frankly, she never told any of her friends how she still feels guilty at this point. Kyungsoo thinks they don't really need to know, anyway; she's pretty sure they're just going to ridicule her for taking things too seriously again.
The ringing of her phone suddenly startles Kyungsoo, pulling her back to reality. She grabs it from her pocket and doesn't even look at the screen before she answers; she already knows who it is.
"What," Kyungsoo says, annoyed.
"Don't even think about bailing out on me," Chanyeol warns on the other line.
"I'm not-"
"You just stepped out of the school lobby, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol says. "I can see you."
Kyungsoo glances at her surroundings and is surprised to find that Chanyeol's right. She'd been too preoccupied with her thoughts the whole time she was walking around. Kyungsoo turns and sees Chanyeol just a few steps behind her, smirking. Kyungsoo rolls her eyes at him.
"You're ridiculous," Kyungsoo says, just loud enough for Chanyeol to hear it even in person. Chanyeol laughs and then quickly jogs to where she is, ending their short phone call in the process.
Kyungsoo's fully aware that this is Chanyeol's way of comforting her. Despite doing everything so Chanyeol won't notice how upset she's been at herself for the past few days, Chanyeol still manages to find out.
Chanyeol knows her better than anyone else and, Kyungsoo realizes, that thought alone is already terrifying.}
iii.
Chanyeol loves weekends, mostly because he can freely laze around as long as he wants, obligatory school responsibilities be damned. But Chanyeol admits he loves weekends even more, especially when he gets to spend them with his best friend, doing nothing but waste their whole day on food and videogames.
Saturday afternoon sees Chanyeol and Jongdae locking themselves up in Chanyeol's room, sitting side by side on Chanyeol's bed with a controller on each hand and Grand Theft Auto flashing on the screen. They've been playing for almost two hours now, silence filled with nothing but the sound of engines whirring and buttons being angrily pressed on the controller. Everything changes, however, when Jongdae suddenly brings up the topic of their school prom.
"Have you asked anyone to prom yet?"
"No," Chanyeol simply answers. He doesn’t take his eyes off the television screen and keeps on mashing the buttons of his controller, hissing when Jongdae's car suddenly cuts through and takes the lead. Beside him, Jongdae smirks, very much pleased. "You?"
Jongdae nods. And then, as if belatedly realizing that Chanyeol must have his eyes still glued to the flashing screen just like him, he says, "yeah. I asked Liyin noona."
Chanyeol momentarily peels his attention away from the game just to look at Jongdae. "And?"
"She said yes," Jongdae replies. Chanyeol can't help but snort at how happy he sounds. Honestly, he won't be too surprised if Jongdae also has that stupid lovesick smile on his face. That is just how completely whipped Kim Jongdae is.
The final lap of their game ends with Jongdae reaching the finish line first, Chanyeol's car just zooming a few seconds behind his. Predictably, Jongdae whoops as soon as he's announced as the winner and it makes Chanyeol laugh seeing him do a little, silly dance of victory on his seat - which is just basically Jongdae flailing his arms in a ridiculous fashion.
"Does noona even know how hopeless you are on the dance floor?" Chanyeol teases.
Jongdae stops his wiggling and glares at Chanyeol. "Excuse me, but I think you suck at dancing even more than I do," he replies, affronted. "Which is why I think it's best that you warn your date about your two left feet beforehand!"
"Who says I'm going with a date?" Chanyeol asks. He turns his attention to the television screen and chooses the restart option using his controller. "I might just go alone, you know. It's too much trouble to ask someone to be my date to prom."
Jongdae frowns but picks up his own controller again. "There's no harm in trying, though. I mean, senior prom only happens once in your entire highschool life, right? It's best if you can spend it with someone you like."
The thing is, Chanyeol doesn't exactly have someone like that. Sure, he finds a lot of girls in school cute and sexy and charming, but Chanyeol also knows that they're nothing but fleeting attraction. What Jongdae said made sense, however, so Chanyeol thinks it really wouldn't do if he decides to go to prom with just any girl.
It's already been a few days since he had that conversation with Jongdae, but Chanyeol still catches himself pondering about it even until now. It doesn't make sense because Chanyeol absolutely doesn't mind going to prom alone. But, maybe, there's a little part of him that wonders what it's like to be in Jongdae's shoes. Maybe there's still that hopeful part of him that still pushes these thoughs to the forefront of his mind.
Chanyeol shakes his head and forces himself to concentrate. The library is empty today, save for a few people scattered in different tables, focused on their own respective work. Chanyeol decided to spend his lunch break here because he needed to finish his homework for his next class. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, is also here because she was kind enough to tolerate Chanyeol's whining and accompany him.
Kyungsoo is sitting adjacent to Chanyeol, her fingers busily tapping the keys on her laptop. Not once has Kyungsoo's attention ever strayed from her computer screen, which makes Chanyeol a little curious about what she's doing. Chanyeol's about to ask her about it when he suddenly notices Kyungsoo chewing on her lower lip, her focus still unwavering. Chanyeol sighs; she never really did outgrow this habit.
Chanyeol moves his hand towards her to gently bop Kyungsoo on the chin. "Stop nibbling on your bottom lip. You'll hurt yourself like that."
Kyungsoo huffs, obviously annoyed at Chanyeol interrupting her in the middle of her work. Chanyeol has to bite on his own bottom lip to stop himself from laughing. Kyungsoo's just so cute when she's annoyed. Chanyeol rests his head on his folded arms and looks up at Kyungsoo through his lashes.
"Kyungsoo," he cautiously calls. Chanyeol drums his fingers against the edge of the table as he waits for Kyungsoo to acknowledge him. "Do you have a date for prom yet?"
The sudden question has Kyungsoo looking up from her laptop, the powerpoint presentation she's currently working on now momentarily forgotten. She raises an inquisitive brow at Chanyeol. "Why are you asking?"
Chanyeol just shrugs. "No particular reason," he says. "Jongdae's just been bugging me to go and ask someone because he's going with Liyin noona." Chanyeol can still remember how irritating it had been to have Jongdae repeatedly push him to find a date, as if it's the most important thing in the world.
"Then why don't you?" Kyungsoo asks. "Ask someone, I mean." She goes back to typing after that and Chanyeol feels offended for a second that Kyungsoo apparently finds whatever she's doing more interesting and worthy of her attention than her best friend.
"Can't think of anyone that I wanna go with," Chanyeol replies honestly. Suddenly, a brilliant idea strikes him and Chanyeol perks up in his seat, almost jabbing his knee against the table in the process. "Hey, why don't we just attend prom together?"
Because why the hell not, right? Kyungsoo isn't just any girl - she's more than that. She's one of Chanyeol's best friends and while they've spent most of their time lovingly arguing with each other about even the pettiest of things, Chanyeol's pretty sure he'll have a hell of a lot of good time with her than with any other girl.
Kyungsoo stares at him incredulously. "And what makes you think I'll go with you?"
"Because I'm your best friend?" Chanyeol answers in a heartbeat. "And I know you don't have a date yet because guys are too scared of you to ask you out."
Kyungsoo rolls her eyes. "They're afraid of rejection, you mean," she mumbles. And Chanyeol knows she's right. It would make sense, considering how Kyungsoo has made quite a name for herself for rejecting all the guys that had asked her out in the past. Chanyeol never asked her why, however; Kyungsoo's decision about dating isn't any of his business. "So, basically, you're saying you're not afraid that I'll reject you?"
Chanyeol scoffs. "Please. Like you can even get yourself to reject this face." Chanyeol then proceeds to shamelessly make his patented Puppy Dog Face at Kyungsoo, tilting his head a little sideways and jutting his bottom lip out for good measure. He's lucky that Jongdae isn't here to witness this - he absolutely doesn't want Jongdae ruining his plans and laughing at him.
Kyungsoo scrunches her face into a look of disgust. "Gross, Chanyeol. Stop-" She reaches out and tries to cover Chanyeol's face with the palm of her hand. Chanyeol doesn't stop, however, and it isn't long before Kyungsoo's laughing at his antics. Chanyeol feels something odd flutter in his chest at hearing her mirth.
"Ugh. Fine, I'll go with you," Kyungsoo finally concedes. "Just stop making that face, Chanyeol. It's awful."
Chanyeol just laughs, his chin now resting on his hand as he looks at Kyungsoo. "Your wish is my command, prom date."
Kyungsoo hits him hard on the shoulder.
They say prom night is a special time, a once-in-a-lifetime event that should be treasured and remembered. It's going to be a part of his high school memories, Jongdae tells him, and it'll be something that he'll probably look back to when he's old and wrinkly and can't stand up anymore on his own.
So Chanyeol tries his hardest to remember everything that happens that night. He tries not to forget the place, the people, the way the foods taste, the loud music blaring from the speakers. Chanyeol tries to remember it all.
But, in the end, Chanyeol's memory of his senior prom night revolves around nothing but Kyungsoo alone.
Kyungsoo in her stunning little black cocktail dress, the way it hugs her waist perfectly and falls just above her knees. Kyungsoo with her long hair styled into big, elegant curls, the way it flows beautifully past her shoulders. The shade of red that paints Kyungsoo's cheeks the moment she sees Chanyeol standing outside their front door. The way Kyungsoo tries not to stumble on her feet when she realizes that more than half of the guys are blatantly looking at her. The shy nod of her head and the firm grip of her fingers against Chanyeol's own when Chanyeol finally asks her to dance.
Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo.
Everything is just about Kyungsoo. But, oddly enough, Chanyeol thinks he still got enough precious memories to cherish for the rest of his life.
{"We stand here today on the precipice of the future," Kyungsoo starts, her voice booming through the speakers. "It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today."
Chanyeol doesn't tear his eyes away from the stage, from Kyungsoo who's standing on the podium, looking so beautiful and confident in their graduation robe as she gives her speech. She and Chanyeol have both been lucky to get into the same college after they finished high school and their constant presence in each other's lives have definitely made their friendship a lot stronger than before.
But now, they're graduating from university - they're going to close another chapter of their lives and face a brand new start. The thought of moving forward, of spending every single remaining day of his life without Kyungsoo by his side brings a kind of pain that freezes Chanyeol in his seat, the ache filling his chest and making it hard for him to breathe.
"If you think this is the end, then let me the first to tell you that it's not." Kyungsoo's still speaking up there on the podium and when Chanyeol looks at her, he sees not just Kyungsoo as his best friend, but Kyungsoo as someone who he can't really afford to lose. "It's not," she then repeats, sounding more certain this time. "It's a new beginning for all of us."
And Chanyeol realizes it's true. This isn't the end.
This isn't their end and he's going to make sure of that.}
iv.
"You need something from me," Chanyeol lightly accuses as soon as Kyungsoo takes the seat opposite him and sets down a cup of blended vanilla bean frappuccino - with a shot of espresso just the way Kyungsoo knows he likes it - and a plate of his favorite sticky cinnamon bun on the table. "You usually bribe me with food when you're about to ask me to do something for you. Okay, Kyungsoo, what is it? Spit it out."
Kyungsoo immediately flushes at that. After all these years, Chanyeol thinks it's one of the things that never really changed about Kyungsoo - the faint blush that sweeps the apple of her cheeks still looks beautiful on her.
"Um. Remember Baekhyun? One of the good friends I made back in college?" Kyungsoo tentatively asks. Chanyeol nods. It's pretty hard to forget who Baekhyun was, not when the girl practically made it her life mission to send suggestive looks at Kyungsoo every single time Chanyeol was within a few radius from her. "They're having a charity event at the company where she's working at and she asked me to come."
Chanyeol downs his food with a sip of his cold drink before he replies, "okay. Sooooo?"
"So," Kyungsoo goes, clearly nervous with how she's trying to stall things, "I was hoping you could come with me as my plus one."
Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at her in silent question. Kyungsoo only continues, "I know it's not your thing, but I really want to support Baekhyun and I don't want to go alone. Besides, she knows you, too, and I'm pretty sure she'd be glad to see you again after all these years."
"You do remember that Baekhyun used to believe that we're dating back in college, don't you?" Chanyeol asks. He has a feeling that Kyungsoo's still pretty much aware of that fact, but he just wants to be sure. His hunch is confirmed when Kyungsoo nods. "And you bringing me to that charity event as your plus one might just lead Baekhyun into thinking that we still have something between us."
Kyungsoo hums. "So?" She leans forward and looks at Chanyeol with nothing but confusion written all over her face. "What's really your point, Chanyeol?"
"The point is," Chanyeol starts, his fingers fiddling with the fork on his plate, "you're okay with that? You don't mind giving Baekhyun the wrong idea?"
Kyungsoo shrugs. "We've done the same thing before, haven't we? I don't see how this is any different from all those times."
But the thing is, it is different. He doesn't remember when it started but somewhere along the way, somewhere along the lies and the pretend dates, things just started changing for Chanyeol. There's a different kind of affection that blooms in his chest when he looks at Kyungsoo now, and Chanyeol knows what it is, knows what this means for their friendship. It's terrifying because Chanyeol never once thought that he'll actually fall in love with his best friend.
But, here he is, sitting in front of Kyungsoo, his heart continuously tripping over itself as he looks at her.
"Okay," Chanyeol says, sighing. If there's another thing that didn't change after all these years, it's that Chanyeol can't still say no to any of Kyungsoo's wishes.
Kyungsoo smiles at him, relief quickly showing on her face, and, somehow, it makes Chanyeol think that everything's going to be just fine.
"What do you mean I'm included in the date auction?" Kyungsoo asks incredulously. Beside her, Chanyeol's trying not to butt in with his two cents. This is nowhere near included in their plans - they were just supposed to show up, eat, stay for a little while and maybe talk to a few people and then leave. Baekhyun never mentioned something like this when she invited Kyungsoo.
"It's exactly what I mean," Baekhyun calmly answers. "Every female guest in this charity event is going to participate in the date auction. And you're one of them so-"
"But, Baekhyun, I can't do this!" Kyungsoo hisses. She's never been one to enjoy any kind of attention lavished on her and being included in this date auction will obviously give her just that - attention that she doesn't really want.
"You'll be fine," Baekhyun tries to soothe her, "we invited decent guys in this charity event, and I'm a hundred percent sure whoever you'll end up with will treat you nicely."
"Baekhyun-"
"Kyungsoo," Baekhyun interrupts, "will you just trust me on this one?" Kyungsoo doesn't answer. They end up just staring at each other, not a single word being uttered between them. Chanyeol can clearly see how anxious Kyungsoo is, and he finds himself feeling desperate to ease her worries away.
"Hey," Chanyeol whispers. Kyungsoo turns to him with worried eyes and the look on her face has Chanyeol quickly summoning just about enough courage to hold her hand. "It's gonna be alright."
There really is nothing more that Chanyeol can offer Kyungsoo other than that but, thankfully, those few words seem enough to calm her down, even just a bit. She lets out a sigh and then nods, before finally turning to Baekhyun once again. Baekhyun holds Kyungsoo's hand as she stands, as she walks away from their table, while Chanyeol is only left to watch them eventually disappear in the crowd.
Chanyeol worries on his bottom lip. Kyungsoo isn't at all prepared for this, and neither is he. Chanyeol can't help but groan as he mentally counts how much money he'd brought this evening. He really doesn't have much and Chanyeol can only hope everyone's just as stingy as he is or he's really going to end up so broke after this date auction.
It doesn't take long before someone is flicking on their headset, the hum of life echoing once more from the speakers. The lights suddenly flood the stage and Chanyeol sees a man come up with a mic on his hand. The man grins broadly as he waves to the crowd, relishing the undivided attentiom they pour onto him.
"...and we're back, ladies and gentlemen!" the host - Zhou Mi - shouts. "As promised, we will now be starting our main event for tonight."
At the announcement, the crowd suddenly turns into a frenzy, cheering loudly and making a ruckus. Apparently, everyone is ready for the bidding wars to begin. It only makes Chanyeol even more nervous for Kyungsoo.
"For our first participant, we have Ms. Do Kyungsoo!" Zhou Mi announces and if there was any way his heart could jump right out of his mouth, Chanyeol would probably see it beating and making a mess on the polished floor at this exact moment.
Kyungsoo keeps a calm face amidst the loud applause as she walks down the stage, her shoulders tense and her lower lip caged in between her teeth. People start to cheer loudly at her entrance, the men in the audience probably thanking whoever it is responsible for the auction for giving them the chance to win a date with this lovely, young woman.
"It says here that Ms. Kyungsoo enjoys watching movies, interior designing, and playing sports."
Chanyeol wants to snort out loud at that last one. Sure, Kyungsoo may enjoy playing all sports, but he also knows his best friend would rather go shopping than play soccer with him.
"Well, then, ladies and gentlemen..." Zhou Mi starts, pulling Chanyeol away from his thoughts. He smirks then, deliberately pausing in order to draw up both tension and excitement from the crowd. "...we'll start bidding at 5,000 won. Do I hear 5,000?"
"5,000!"
"7,000!"
"10,000!"
Chanyeol's eyes almost bugs out of their sockets at how Kyungsoo's price immediately begins to skyrocket in a rather tenacious battle. Nobody seems to want to yield to anyone else for the right of going out on a date with such a pretty girl and thanks to a few stubborn guys banding together, her price tag soon breaks the 20,000 won.
"I have 20,000. Do I hear any other bids?" Zhou Mi asks, glancing around the room to make sure that he isn't missing anybody who's willing to throw a higher bid.
Chanyeol curls his hands into fists. And then- "50,000 won!"
Chanyeol can't believe he just offered that kind of amount, and neither does everyone in the room, if the way they immediately fall silent as they stare at Chanyeol is any indication. It's surprising to see the price jump twice of what it had been and, right now, Chanyeol has a niggling suspicion that people are probably thinking that he's out of his mind. (He probably is, Chanyeol thinks solemnly.)
Up on stage, Kyungsoo stares at Chanyeol in disbelief, her eyes popping out so far from her head that Chanyeol briefly worries about them falling straight out. Back in her seat, Baekhyun just smirks; she knew something like this would happen right from the very start.
"Wow," Zhou mi expresses in awe. "Are...are there any other bids?"
There doesn't seem to be anyone else willing to put up a fight, for which Chanyeol is greatly, greatly thankful.
"Going once..." Silence reigns.
"Going twice..." No one still says a word.
"Sold! For 50,000 won!" Zhou Mi finally roars, voice reverberating against the four corners of the room.
The crowd bursts into polite applause after that, causing Chanyeol to finally slump onto his seat and breathe a sigh of relief. That must have been one of the most nerve-wracking moments in his entire life. Chanyeol looks up and immediately spots Kyungsoo throwing a grateful smile in his direction before she eventually steps off the stage. As expected, it makes Chanyeol's heart beat wildly in his chest.
He may be 50,000 won poorer after that bid, but Chanyeol thinks - no, he knows - it's worth it.
Kyungsoo is definitely worth it.
{"Thank you for saving me back there," Kyungsoo tells him a few days after the date auction. They find themselves in her apartment instead of eating out like they're used to because Chanyeol had been successfully lured by the promise of free food - aka Kyungsoo wanted to try out her new kimchi fried rice recipe and she needed someone's honest opinion on food. Chanyeol was only too glad to be that person.
"Not a big deal," Chanyeol answers with a shrug. Because, really, now that he's thinking about it, 50,000 won is nothing compared to Kyungsoo's safety.
"It is for me, though," Kyungsoo says. She turns around and leans back against the counter, looking at Chanyeol with nothing but gratitude shining in her eyes. "So. Thank you."
"Finally learned how to be grateful, huh?" He jokes, just to diffuse the sudden, weird silence in the air. At his response, Kyungsoo's cheeks immediately scorch with embarrassment and a rather disarming shade of crimson discolors her otherwise flawless complexion.
It's cute and Chanyeol just catches himself wanting to kiss those cheeks throughout the entire night.}
v.
"You're late," is the first thing that Yura, his sister, welcomes him with as soon as she opens the door.
Chanyeol brings up a hand to sheepishly scratch the back of his neck, a rueful smile on his face. "Sorry, we were caught up in traffic. It's Kyungsoo's fault, really, because she took a long, looooong time to dress herself up for this occasion."
Behind him, Kyungsoo hits him hard and wails a rather indignant, "I did not!"
Yura laughs and then practically shoves Chanyeol aside so she can properly welcome Kyungsoo and hug her. Being girls, Yura and Kyungsoo share a rather close relationship with each other and Chanyeol likes to think it's because they're the two closest girls to his heart.
Kyungsoo suddenly squeals when Yura squeezes her especially hard. This has Chanyeol making a face at his sister. "Glad to know you missed her even more than you missed me."
"Aww, is my baby brother jealous?" Yura teasingly asks. She lets go of Kyungsoo and then turns to Chanyeol once again, her arms wide open and inviting. Chanyeol groans because Yura's treating her like a little child again. "C'mere and give me a hug then."
Chanyeol rolls his eyes but still steps forward to hug Yura, his arms begrudgingly coming up around her waist to hold her even closer. It's not like Chanyeol missed his sister - he absolutely didn't because Yura's annoying and bossy and had practically spent most of her time teasing the hell out of Chanyeol back when they were little kids - but Chanyeol can't deny that this feels pretty nice. Chanyeol allows himself to momentarily rest his head on top of hers; it's been so long since he'd had a whiff of his sister's favorite shampoo.
"Everyone's waiting for the both of you," Yura mutters against his shirt. She pats his back before finally letting Chanyeol go. Yura then steps aside to let them in.
The amount of people inside kind of surprises Chanyeol a little bit, considering how long it's been since he attended their annual family reunion. It seems like his whole family - both from his mother's and father's side - has doubled in size since he last saw them, and Chanyeol feels a little regretful for not being able to go to this all those years ago.
"Chanyeol!" says his grandma, her eyes lighting up in recognition as soon as she sees him. Chanyeol makes sure to hold onto Kyungsoo's hand (so she won't get lost and nothing else) before he worms his way through the crowd, feeling excited and nervous at the same time. She kisses both of Chanyeol's cheeks as soon as he gets close. "Oh my goodness, you've gotten so handsome! And so tall!"
"I missed you, too, grandma," Chanyeol says, laughing into her shoulder when she proceeds to pull him into a tight hug.
The warmth of Kyungsoo's hand enclosed in his reminds Chanyeol that he hasn't introduced her to his grandma yet. So when he pulls back from the hug, Chanyeol tugs on Kyungsoo's hand to make her stand next to him. "Grandma, this is -"
"Is this her?" His grandma suddenly throws in. "Is this your girlfriend?"
"Whaa-"
"Yura's right; she is, indeed, a pretty one," his grandma continues. Chanyeol's too dumfounded to even say anything. She proceeds to pull Kyungsoo close and looks at her with such happiness that Chanyeol's never seen on his grandma's face before. "Chanyeol has never brought a girlfriend before, you see, so I'm glad you're here to meet the whole family."
Chanyeol sputters in shock as soon as the realization hits him hard like a ton of bricks. "Wait, Kyungsoo's not-we're not-"
The only thing his grandma does is aim an icy glare at Chanyeol to shut him up. She then turns to Kyungsoo, her foul expression earlier now entirely gone, replaced with a gentle smile playing on the edges of her lips. "You must be pretty tired from the three-hour drive. Why don't you sit here with us while Chanyeol helps prepare the food?"
"Um-" Kyungsoo begins to say.
"I insist," his grandma asserts. Kyungsoo throws an apologetic look at Chanyeol before she reluctantly lets his grandma pull her into an empty seat.
Chanyeol huffs. This isn't fair. He's the one who drove the car for three straight hours while Kyungsoo just sat there and fiddled with the radio the entire time, finding every possible music that annoyed the hell out of him. And now he's even expected to help Yura in preparing their lunch.
Speaking of Yura...
He quickly shoots A Look towards his sister, who's anxiously standing just a few steps behind him, and gestures for her to follow. They have a lot of things they need to talk about.
"Can you tell me what's happening?" Chanyeol asks quietly. They're huddled in front of the stove, Yura stirring the pot of kimchi soup and Chanyeol just basically standing there to be a willing taste tester. "Why does grandma think that Kyungsoo's my girlfriend?" He shifts to look at her fully, his eyes turning into suspicious slits. "What kind of weird things have you been telling her?"
"First of all, I didn't tell her any weird things, if that's what you're really concerned about," Yura defends, rolling her eyes. "She's just been worried about you, you know. Grandma's always asking me if you've found a nice girl to date yet because you're not around anymore to attend our family reunions. For a few years, I just told her that work's been keeping you very busy and I think that was when she started to really worry about you being too childish and immature to love, or something. So I just kind of blurted out to her that you're finally dating someone to put her worries to rest."
Chanyeol sighs. He understands where Yura's coming from. He really does. But it doesn't mean that he's completely okay with it. Fooling their friends and coworkers into believing that Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are in a relationship is one thing, but it's a differeng thing entirely to even have his family involved in this kind of pretense.
"She seems really happy about her," Yura observes, which is totally not helping Chanyeol's judgment. "But, you know, I don't expect you to play along with this if you don't want to. We can just tell grandma the truth if you two really feel uncomfortable about it."
Chanyeol takes a subtle glance to where Kyungsoo and his grandma are sitting and something tugs at Chanyeol's heart at seeing both of them so engrossed in a light conversation. It doesn't even surprise Chanyeol when he realizes that this is quite a sight that he can get used to.
"Just for today," Chanyeol decides. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe Kyungsoo can distract his grandma with her charm and then they can leave without anyone else finding out the truth. He'll just have to apologize to Kyungsoo in advance and ask for another favor.
Beside him, Yura just smiles and holds out a spoonful of kimchi soup for Chanyeol to taste.
"So, tell me, how did you two meet?" Chanyeol's grandma asks as Kyungsoo passes her a piece of meat wrap that she meticulously made herself. "Knowing my grandson, he probably did something really stupid or weird just to get your name. Am I right?"
Kyungsoo laughs while Chanyeol groans. "Kind of like that?" Chanyeol doesn't miss the brief look that Kyungsoo sends her way. "He saved me from the bullies at school all by himself. I think it's pretty stupid and brave at the same time."
"Really?" his grandma asks, meaningfully looking at Chanyeol to fill out the rest of the story. "What happened then?"
"Well, uh." Chanyeol scratches at his chin, and tries to remember what exactly happened all those years ago. He admits he doesn't exactly have the best memory out there, but he's pretty sure meeting Kyungsoo that first time can't easily be erased from his memory. "I was just about to go home that afternoon when I saw her and three other guys in a classroom. They got her surrounded and she looked like she wouldn't be able to handle all of them then so I just decided to step in. This happened, I think, ten or so years ago?"
"Fourteen years, to be exact," Kyungsoo says.
"It's been that long?" Chanyeol asks, surprise in his voice. More than the actual amount of time that passed since they met each other, Chanyeol is more surprised that Kyungsoo actually knows how long it's been exactly.
"Yeah," Kyungsoo sighs. "Who knew we'd get to this point after that, huh? Because I certainly didn't." Chanyeol can't help but smile; he never really imagined it either. "You're just so bubbly and overenthusiastic and noisy. Also very playful, sometimes even acting without a care in the world. Just -so different from me."
"That's a good thing, though, right?" Chanyeol pouts. "Because they say opposites attract each other."
"I guess so," Kyungsoo answers, smiling. "I mean, at least it would perfectly explain why I fell in love with you."
Chanyeol tries to repeatedly remind himself that everything Kyungsoo just said doesn't hold any kind of truth in them, that this-this is just supposed to be an act and nothing else. But there's something in the way Kyungsoo is looking at him that has Chanyeol, somehow, thinking about and considering the what ifs. There's something in the way Kyungsoo's eyes are shining with something akin to fear and honesty that has Chanyeol reaching over, lacing his fingers through Kyungsoo's and grasping her hand tightly against his.
"Me too," Chanyeol manages to say even through the lump in his throat. He holds their joined hands up to his lips, just so he can kiss the nearest part of Kyungsoo that he can touch. "Aside from the very obvious fact that you're perfection personified-" Kyungsoo's face suddenly takes on a bright, pink hue at his compliment and it takes everything for Chanyeol not to coo at her cuteness. "-I think that's just about the perfect explanation."
"What a perfect love story to tell your kids someday," Chanyeol's grandma crows, which just drives every one in the table to simultaneously coo at them.
Now it's Chanyeol's turn to blush, his cheeks flushing to the color of scarlet. "Grandma," he protests, but doesn't let go of Kyungsoo's hand, only gripping it tighter with his own.
{"So. Fourteen years ago, huh?" Chanyeol cautiously asks, occupying the empty space beside Kyungsoo. After what happened at lunch, it was pretty hard for the both of them to get some time alone for themselves. But now, it's already after midnight and Chanyeol's pretty sure everyone's in their own respective rooms other than them.
Kyungsoo silently laughs and, despite it being so low and restrained, Chanyeol thinks it still sounds so ridiculously loud in the serenity of the night. "Are you seriously just going to repeat the fact that I've been in love with you for fourteen years?"
"Maybe," Chanyeol mutters, "if that's the only way I can get myself to believe it. I mean, I've actually pinched myself about twenty times today, just to see if I'm going to wake up and find all of these a dream."
"That's ridiculous," Kyungsoo tells him, laughing again. "You're really ridiculous, Chanyeol."
"You can't blame me, though." Chanyeol purses his lips, as though he's trying to decide whether or not he should say something else. In the end, the words that try and force themselves out of his throat win. "Until now, I still think you're just going to poof into thin air if I kiss you." Chanyeol tries to cover up his nervousness with an awkward laugh but it comes out more of a garbled pathetic noise than anything.
"Why don't you try it then?"
Chanyeol turns his head to the left so fast that he almost got a whiplash. Kyungsoo's just staring at him, her eyes glowing a beautiful orange-red as they reflect the light of the flames from the fireplace. Chanyeol feels his throat go dry. "What?"
Kyungsoo shifts in her position to look at him properly. "Why don't you kiss me and see?"
Chanyeol's stomach lurches at that. He doesn't move, however; Chanyeol only stares at Kyungsoo intently, as though trying to imprint her features in every nook and cranny of his mind - her big, round eyes that are framed by those breathtakingly beautiful eyelashes; her lips, full and perfectly heart-shaped; her cute, little nose; her round and squishy cheeks.
And then, Chanyeol finally gets to do what he's been dreaming of doing for quite a long time now - he leans in and holds Kyungsoo under the chin, their lips meeting in a soft and warm kiss. It's a million times better and sweeter than what Chanyeol had imagined his first kiss with Kyungsoo would be, and Chanyeol just wants to do it again, press his lips against Kyungsoo's until both of them are drowning in each other and gasping for breath.
So he does. Over and over and over again.}
i.
It's in the middle of a warm, sunny day in June when Chanyeol suddenly receives a phone call from Jongdae.
"Hey, man, just checking in if you got the invitation?" Jongdae asks.
Chanyeol grabs the remote and pauses the movie playing on his television screen. He then decides to put the phone on loud speaker before setting it down on their bedside table. "Yeah, I did." Chanyeol lies down again, hugs the soft body next to him and buries his face in the crook of a warm neck. He makes it a point to drop a few open-mouthed kisses on the skin there. "Congratulations, Jongdae."
"Thanks," Jongdae answers. Chanyeol doesn't need to see Jongdae to know that that there's a smile drawing itself on his face right now; Chanyeol can practically hear him smiling through the phone. "You better come, okay? I'm expecting my best man to be there."
Chanyeol laughs. "Yeah, yeah. When did I ever abandon you?"
"Well, Park Chanyeol, there's actually this one time in high school when-"
"That was a rhetorical question," Chanyeol interrupts, his voice going a little higher than usual when he's being indignant about things. Chanyeol winces and tries to keep his tone down a little after that. "You didn't have to answer that."
"I know. I just like annoying you." Jongdae's loud, familiar laugh comes through the receiver then and Chanyeol can't believe that the Jongdae who used to be his partner-in-crime in everything back when they were still in school is now the Jongdae who's about to get married to Liyin noona. Time sure flies so fast.
Chanyeol shakes his head, smiling. "Still an asshole like before."
"Whatever, I'm sure you still miss this asshole," comes Jongdae's rather confident response. "Anyway, please tell me you're actually going to bring your girlfriend to the wedding."
Beside him, Kyungsoo stirs and Chanyeol finds it uncanny how, even in her sleep, she always seems to sense it when someone talks about her. Chanyeol only holds her closer by the waist, arms only tightening fractionally so he won't end up waking her from her slumber. Chanyeol drops a kiss at the back of Kyungsoo's head, feeling perfectly content in his position as the big spoon.
"Nah," Chanyeol finally answers, barely containing his excitement at the next words tumbling out of his mouth, "I'm bringing my fiancee."
The diamond in Kyungsoo's engagement ring gleams in the sunlight and Chanyeol can't help but appreciatively run his thumb over it. It won't be long now 'til he's the one sending Jongdae his own wedding invitation.
Chanyeol smiles like a fool in love, his heart thumping wild and hard in his chest again as he imagines that special day. He can't wait.
pg-13; romance; chanyeol/girl!kyungsoo, side!jongdae/liyin; 9, 346 wc
summary: maybe pretending to date your best friend isn't a bad thing, after all. (or, the five times chanyeol and kyungsoo pretend to be in a relationship, and the one time they didn't have to pretend at all.)
a/n: first of all, i would like to thank every single one of you on tlist who basically indulged me and did this with me. what started out as a simple spoken idea turned into this wonderful project and i cant even begin to tell you guys how much your participation really means to me. ;_; second, here's a shoutout to two wonderful people: vamyreunnie for holding my hand and always being there to bounce ideas off of, and admortems because #LASTPOSTERSUNITE! ♥
soooo, this is actually my first time writing het. this is also the less complicated version of my original kyungsooperior entry for chansoo lol. so i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i enjoyeed writing the whole thing :")
i.
from: kim jongdae
sorry, i wont be able to wait for u today
i have a date wit liyin noona this afternoon~ ♡
hope u wont die with mr lee in detention tho!
my prayers are wit u!!! fighting!!
Chanyeol tsks at his phone screen. The asshole. Chanyeol can't believe he has a best friend as inconsiderate and as heartless as Kim Jongdae. The least Jongdae could do is wait for him to get back from detention since he's part of the reason why Chanyeol had to stay later than everyone else in the first place. But, of course, trust Jongdae to prioritize some girl over his best friend. And at a time like this, even.
Best friend, my ass, Chanyeol continues to grumble to himself. He pulls his bag higher up his shoulder, one hand curled around the strap as he walks down the almost deserted hallway alone. It's already past five in the afternoon and Chanyeol can barely see other people loitering around at this hour. It's quiet, peaceful, the complete opposite of the loudness brought about by the bustling activity during daytime at school. Somehow, Chanyeol likes it, likes the serenity he finds in barren halls and empty classrooms.
Chanyeol knows that most of the students have already gone home, so it's a bit of a surprise when he walks past an open classroom and finds it occupied by a few people.
Curious, Chanyeol traces his steps back and then stops in front of the room for a moment. He takes a peek and sees four students inside - a girl surrounded by three guys. From where he's standing, he can only make out what the girl looks like - petite, big, round eyes, full lips, short hair that falls just above her shoulder - and it takes a few seconds for Chanyeol to actually realize that he recognizes her but, somehow, can't remember where he'd seen her from before.
Chanyeol only continues to stare at them, not moving an inch from his spot. He's really not sure what's keeping him here; the students inside don't seem like they're doing anything unusual, just standing and talking quietly among themselves. But Chanyeol can't still shake the feeling that something is wrong - there's just something in the way the girl's posture seems so stiff and tense that has Chanyeol unable to look away.
Now, he isn't one to poke his nose into other people's businesses, especially not when said business can cause him nothing but trouble. And this one, Chanyeol thinks, just practically spells trouble with a capital T. Chanyeol sighs. He really doesn't want to get involved in things like these. Maybe he can just walk away, pretend that he didn't see anything-
One of the guys suddenly reaches out to grab the girl, his fingers gripping tight around her arm.
"Yah! What do you think you're doing?!" Chanyeol finds himself blurting out before he can even stop himself. The three guys immediately turn around to look at him, glaring, and, in that exact moment, Chanyeol feels his body go cold. He wills his knees to stay firm and not give up on him in fear.
They say curiosity killed the cat and, in this case, he might as well be slaughtered just by how hard the three guys are staring him down right now.
The girl seems just as surprised at Chanyeol's sudden outburst - her eyes are now even bigger than when Chanyeol had first seen them a few seconds ago, and she's looking at him like Chanyeol's simultaneously the bravest and the stupidest person out here. (Chanyeol can pretty much agree to that.)
Chanyeol forces his feet to move, one, two, three more steps, and only when he gets close enough does the other guy finally let go of the girl's arm. Chanyeol bravely steps in between them, shoulders squared, shielding the girl from the guys rounding in on her.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the guys spits out.
That momentarily shocks Chanyeol. Oookay, maybe he really didn't properly think this through. What should he introduce himself as? Her friend? Her brother? Her classmate? Some random stranger who just happened to pass by and is coincidentally stupid enough to get himself involved? Chanyeol wants to punch himself so bad for acting so rash.
"I'm her boyfriend," Chanyeol eventually decides to answer with as much conviction as he can. He wills himself not to get flustered, trying his hardest to keep the blush from rising in his cheeks. "If you have any problem with her, you can deal with me. Or we can bring this to the principal's office if you prefer it that way."
Chanyeol can't believe the words that just slipped right out of his mouth. He doesn't know where he's getting all this courage and bravado from but it's probably somewhere deep, deep, deeeeeep down inside of him. The three guys are still glaring at him but Chanyeol just firmly holds their gaze, chin raised in the air as if he's daring them to move a single inch. Frankly, Chanyeol isn't really good at fighting but he hopes he can at least scare these guys away with his height.
"What a waste of time," says one of them. He throws one final glare in Chanyeol's direction before ushering the other two guys to follow him out.
Chanyeol heaves a sigh of relief. That was close. For a second, Chanyeol really did think that he would have to resort to violence just to drive those guys away. He's never tried beating anyone up before - actually never really found the reason to do so - but Chanyeol supposes he won't suck so bad if it really comes down to it. His mom probably won't be too happy once she sees the bruises, though, and-
"Are you stupid?"
Chanyeol jerks in surprise and turns around, only to see the girl looking blankly at her. Chanyeol blinks. "What?"
"Yeah, you're clearly stupid because you don't know when and when not to butt in into other people's businesses," she continues rather bluntly. "You really didn't need to do that. I can easily fight them on my own, you know."
"Well, I couldn't just stand there and watch them harass you!" Chanyeol defends.
"But still," she persists, "if you actually got hurt because of your stupidity, then that wouldn't be any better for the both of us, would it?"
Chanyeol grits his teeth in annoyance. Is this it? Is this what he gets after he practically risked his life and his gorgeous face? Maybe he really should've left. Maybe he really shouldn't have let himself be swayed by this unreasonable urge he felt to protect this girl who clearly doesn't need any help and who obviously doesn't know how to show gratitude to someone who willingly lends her one.
"Look, I'm sorry that I came barging into whatever business you have with those three guys. I was only trying to help because I thought you were in trouble," Chanyeol explains. "And if you didn't appreciate my help, that's fine, but you don't have to be so rude about it."
He turns back around and starts walking-
"Thank you!"
-only to suddenly stop in his tracks after hearing those two words that Chanyeol never thought he would hear, given their earlier argument. Chanyeol remains unmoving, stunned in his place.
"Thank you, I guess," comes her voice again, only much softer this time. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so rude earlier. But, really, thank you."
Before Chanyeol is even aware of it, a smile is already tugging at the corners of his lips, replacing the traces of frustration on his face just moments ago. "Apology accepted," he says with a grin. "My name's Park Chanyeol, by the way. What's yours?"
"Kyungsoo," she answers. "Do Kyungsoo."
Neither of them still know it at this point in time but this-this is definitely going to be the start of a beautiful friendship (and, maybe, just maybe, something more).
{Time flies. Seasons change. And, soon, Chanyeol finds himself getting closer and closer to Kyungsoo everyday.
Frankly, it's not a walk in the park to befriend someone like Kyungsoo. She's a headstrong girl, quite opinionated, but can be calm when she needs to be - very different from what Chanyeol initially had in mind - and Chanyeol is pretty surprised that they've managed to stay friends despite their clashing personalities.
Chanyeol always vehemently denies it when he's asked but, really, he thinks he's pretty lucky to have Kyungsoo in his life like this.}
ii.
"So, how about Thursday night?"
Kyungsoo worries her bottom lip at the invitation. In front of her, Junmyeon appears so hopeful and anxious at the same time, his smile gentle as always. Just looking at him has Kyungsoo feeling like the hugest bitch for not thinking about anything but rejecting him once again. Kyungsoo really doesn't want to do it - Junmyeon is a nice guy and the last thing she honestly wants to do right now is break his heart for the nth time.
But Kyungsoo only sees Junmyeon as a friend. No matter how hard she tries, Kyungsoo just can't picture herself dating him anytime soon.
"Junmyeon-"
"Or if you can't go on Thursday, we can do it on Friday? Or-whenever you're free," Junmyeon interrupts. The small crowd standing by the lockers is surreptitiously glancing at them now and it only makes Kyungsoo flustered beyond belief. She just wants to end this conversation as soon as possible.
"Junmyeon, you're a really nice guy and I'm flattered that you feel that way about me," Kyungsoo stops, takes a deep breath, and then continues, "but I'm sorry, I'm just not into you in that way."
Kyungsoo immediately sees Junmyeon's face fall and she only has a second to feel guilty about what she did before Junmyeon is asking her another question again, "am I not good enough for you, Kyungsoo?"
Kyungsoo shakes her head. "It's not that-"
"Then what is it?" Junmyeon asks. The hurt clearly reflected in his voice is something that Kyungsoo never wanted to hear. Ever. "Why won't you just give me a chance?"
In that exact moment, Kyungsoo sees Chanyeol and Jongdae walking towards their direction, their book bags slung on their shoulder. As soon as Chanyeol recognizes her, a smile pulls at his lips and Kyungsoo distractedly thinks how ridiculously huge it is that it can even split Chanyeol's face into two. When they're almost close, Kyungsoo can tell Chanyeol's about to greet her like usual - he has this way of ruffling her hair or patting her head that always, always makes Kyungsoo want to punch the living daylights out of him - but he stops himself from doing so the moment he notices the strained expression written on her face. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow in question instead. Kyungsoo just gives him a shaky smile in response.
"Kyungsoo?" Junmyeon prompts. The single mention of her name catches Kyungsoo's attention and it brings her back to the harsh reality of Junmyeon still standing before her, patiently waiting for her to speak.
"I-" Kyungsoo bites her bottom lip. She doesn't want to lie, but Junmyeon isn't giving him any other choice but to do this. "I have a boyfriend, Joonmyun. So I really can't go out with you."
At this revelation, Junmyeon's eyes widen like saucers. "What?"
Before Kyungsoo can even open her mouth to explain, a hand suddenly wraps itself around her waist, pulling her close to a warm body. Kyungsoo gets the distinct feeling that she knows who it is before a deep, familiar voice comes to her rescue. "Is someone bothering you, babe?"
Kyungsoo looks up and is unsurprised to see Chanyeol beside her. He's not looking at her - rather, he has all of his attention on the person in front of them, eyes locked onto Junmyeon. Kyungsoo tries not to squirm away; Chanyeol still has his hand curled protectively around her.
There's an odd, tensed atmosphere that suddenly envelops them and Kyungsoo knows she has to say something, anything, to somehow drive it away. "No," she finally croaks. Chanyeol peers at her then and there's really no mistaking how he looks a little amused at the way her voice just broke. Kyungsoo feels the urge to pinch him on his side. "Junmyeon was just asking me something about the student council meeting this afternoon." Kyungsoo cautiously glances at Junmyeon. "Right, Junmyeon?"
Junmyeon swallows and Kyungsoo has to admit that it's a little hard to see him forcing a smile onto his face. "Yeah," he answers. "I guess I'll just see you this afternoon?"
"I'll make sure to bring her there," Chanyeol suddenly throws in. Kyungsoo wants to elbow him in the ribs so hard because there really is no need for Chanyeol to say that, like he's even shoving the boyfriend thing even more at Junmyeon's face. It's already bad enough that they're pretending just to get Junmyeon off her back.
"Right," Junmyeon says, suddenly clearly uncomfortable in Chanyeol's presence. "I guess I should get going..."
Kyungsoo can't do anything but watch Junmyeon as he walks away, shoulders slumped in defeat. She feels bad for hurting him, for lying to him, but Kyungsoo supposes rejecting him this early is for the best. Kyungsoo doesn't have any plans of leading him on, anyway, and she's pretty sure it'll only hurt him even more if she really did end up accepting his invitation for even just one date.
"Am I missing something here?" Jongdae asks as soon as Junmyeon is already out of hearing range. "Did you two suddenly decide to be in a relationship without even telling me?"
"Nah, we were just pretending," Chanyeol answers. He finally lets go of Kyungsoo, arm dropping from her waist. Kyungsoo finds herself able to breathe more easily after that for some reason. "Since Kyungsoo here seems to get into a lot of trouble with guys. It's certainly not the first time we did it."
Kyungsoo frowns. That may be true; Chanyeol did come to her rescue for both times but- "I can't ever remember asking for your help, though."
Chanyeol breathes out an exasperated sigh. He turns to Kyungsoo and proceeds to ruffle her hair. "Can't you just learn how to be grateful for once?"
Kyungsoo moves away from Chanyeol to avoid any more further damage on her hair, glaring. Chanyeol normally treats her like she's one of them, one of the guys, and while it usually doesn't bother Kyungsoo that much, she still thinks it would be nice if Chanyeol can learn to see her as a girl. Even just for once.
"Are you sure you two don't like each other?" Jongdae asks as he watches all of this unfold before his very eyes.
"I'm sure," Chanyeol answers, laughing as he successfully avoids one of Kyungsoo's punches. "I don't date mean shorties like this one."
"That's good to know," Kyungsoo rebutts. "It's not like I want a stupid giant for a boyfriend like you, anyway."
Jongdae just laughs at them. He's not sure whether to believe them - there's just something between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo that he can't quite point out. But Jongdae decides to let it rest for now; maybe he'll find it out soon enough. "Okay, you two. Whatever you say."
{ from: park chanyeol
we r gonna get ice cream 2day and ur not
going to say no, just like wat u did to others
i'll see u in the lobby!!
Kyungsoo lets out a sigh as soon as she reads Chanyeol's message. All of her other friends have been asking her to go out after classes and while Kyungsoo usually accepts them on a normal day, she can't get herself to do the same thing today. Not when she just saw how rejecting Junmyeon caused an obvious strain on their friendship.
Frankly, she never told any of her friends how she still feels guilty at this point. Kyungsoo thinks they don't really need to know, anyway; she's pretty sure they're just going to ridicule her for taking things too seriously again.
The ringing of her phone suddenly startles Kyungsoo, pulling her back to reality. She grabs it from her pocket and doesn't even look at the screen before she answers; she already knows who it is.
"What," Kyungsoo says, annoyed.
"Don't even think about bailing out on me," Chanyeol warns on the other line.
"I'm not-"
"You just stepped out of the school lobby, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol says. "I can see you."
Kyungsoo glances at her surroundings and is surprised to find that Chanyeol's right. She'd been too preoccupied with her thoughts the whole time she was walking around. Kyungsoo turns and sees Chanyeol just a few steps behind her, smirking. Kyungsoo rolls her eyes at him.
"You're ridiculous," Kyungsoo says, just loud enough for Chanyeol to hear it even in person. Chanyeol laughs and then quickly jogs to where she is, ending their short phone call in the process.
Kyungsoo's fully aware that this is Chanyeol's way of comforting her. Despite doing everything so Chanyeol won't notice how upset she's been at herself for the past few days, Chanyeol still manages to find out.
Chanyeol knows her better than anyone else and, Kyungsoo realizes, that thought alone is already terrifying.}
iii.
Chanyeol loves weekends, mostly because he can freely laze around as long as he wants, obligatory school responsibilities be damned. But Chanyeol admits he loves weekends even more, especially when he gets to spend them with his best friend, doing nothing but waste their whole day on food and videogames.
Saturday afternoon sees Chanyeol and Jongdae locking themselves up in Chanyeol's room, sitting side by side on Chanyeol's bed with a controller on each hand and Grand Theft Auto flashing on the screen. They've been playing for almost two hours now, silence filled with nothing but the sound of engines whirring and buttons being angrily pressed on the controller. Everything changes, however, when Jongdae suddenly brings up the topic of their school prom.
"Have you asked anyone to prom yet?"
"No," Chanyeol simply answers. He doesn’t take his eyes off the television screen and keeps on mashing the buttons of his controller, hissing when Jongdae's car suddenly cuts through and takes the lead. Beside him, Jongdae smirks, very much pleased. "You?"
Jongdae nods. And then, as if belatedly realizing that Chanyeol must have his eyes still glued to the flashing screen just like him, he says, "yeah. I asked Liyin noona."
Chanyeol momentarily peels his attention away from the game just to look at Jongdae. "And?"
"She said yes," Jongdae replies. Chanyeol can't help but snort at how happy he sounds. Honestly, he won't be too surprised if Jongdae also has that stupid lovesick smile on his face. That is just how completely whipped Kim Jongdae is.
The final lap of their game ends with Jongdae reaching the finish line first, Chanyeol's car just zooming a few seconds behind his. Predictably, Jongdae whoops as soon as he's announced as the winner and it makes Chanyeol laugh seeing him do a little, silly dance of victory on his seat - which is just basically Jongdae flailing his arms in a ridiculous fashion.
"Does noona even know how hopeless you are on the dance floor?" Chanyeol teases.
Jongdae stops his wiggling and glares at Chanyeol. "Excuse me, but I think you suck at dancing even more than I do," he replies, affronted. "Which is why I think it's best that you warn your date about your two left feet beforehand!"
"Who says I'm going with a date?" Chanyeol asks. He turns his attention to the television screen and chooses the restart option using his controller. "I might just go alone, you know. It's too much trouble to ask someone to be my date to prom."
Jongdae frowns but picks up his own controller again. "There's no harm in trying, though. I mean, senior prom only happens once in your entire highschool life, right? It's best if you can spend it with someone you like."
The thing is, Chanyeol doesn't exactly have someone like that. Sure, he finds a lot of girls in school cute and sexy and charming, but Chanyeol also knows that they're nothing but fleeting attraction. What Jongdae said made sense, however, so Chanyeol thinks it really wouldn't do if he decides to go to prom with just any girl.
It's already been a few days since he had that conversation with Jongdae, but Chanyeol still catches himself pondering about it even until now. It doesn't make sense because Chanyeol absolutely doesn't mind going to prom alone. But, maybe, there's a little part of him that wonders what it's like to be in Jongdae's shoes. Maybe there's still that hopeful part of him that still pushes these thoughs to the forefront of his mind.
Chanyeol shakes his head and forces himself to concentrate. The library is empty today, save for a few people scattered in different tables, focused on their own respective work. Chanyeol decided to spend his lunch break here because he needed to finish his homework for his next class. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, is also here because she was kind enough to tolerate Chanyeol's whining and accompany him.
Kyungsoo is sitting adjacent to Chanyeol, her fingers busily tapping the keys on her laptop. Not once has Kyungsoo's attention ever strayed from her computer screen, which makes Chanyeol a little curious about what she's doing. Chanyeol's about to ask her about it when he suddenly notices Kyungsoo chewing on her lower lip, her focus still unwavering. Chanyeol sighs; she never really did outgrow this habit.
Chanyeol moves his hand towards her to gently bop Kyungsoo on the chin. "Stop nibbling on your bottom lip. You'll hurt yourself like that."
Kyungsoo huffs, obviously annoyed at Chanyeol interrupting her in the middle of her work. Chanyeol has to bite on his own bottom lip to stop himself from laughing. Kyungsoo's just so cute when she's annoyed. Chanyeol rests his head on his folded arms and looks up at Kyungsoo through his lashes.
"Kyungsoo," he cautiously calls. Chanyeol drums his fingers against the edge of the table as he waits for Kyungsoo to acknowledge him. "Do you have a date for prom yet?"
The sudden question has Kyungsoo looking up from her laptop, the powerpoint presentation she's currently working on now momentarily forgotten. She raises an inquisitive brow at Chanyeol. "Why are you asking?"
Chanyeol just shrugs. "No particular reason," he says. "Jongdae's just been bugging me to go and ask someone because he's going with Liyin noona." Chanyeol can still remember how irritating it had been to have Jongdae repeatedly push him to find a date, as if it's the most important thing in the world.
"Then why don't you?" Kyungsoo asks. "Ask someone, I mean." She goes back to typing after that and Chanyeol feels offended for a second that Kyungsoo apparently finds whatever she's doing more interesting and worthy of her attention than her best friend.
"Can't think of anyone that I wanna go with," Chanyeol replies honestly. Suddenly, a brilliant idea strikes him and Chanyeol perks up in his seat, almost jabbing his knee against the table in the process. "Hey, why don't we just attend prom together?"
Because why the hell not, right? Kyungsoo isn't just any girl - she's more than that. She's one of Chanyeol's best friends and while they've spent most of their time lovingly arguing with each other about even the pettiest of things, Chanyeol's pretty sure he'll have a hell of a lot of good time with her than with any other girl.
Kyungsoo stares at him incredulously. "And what makes you think I'll go with you?"
"Because I'm your best friend?" Chanyeol answers in a heartbeat. "And I know you don't have a date yet because guys are too scared of you to ask you out."
Kyungsoo rolls her eyes. "They're afraid of rejection, you mean," she mumbles. And Chanyeol knows she's right. It would make sense, considering how Kyungsoo has made quite a name for herself for rejecting all the guys that had asked her out in the past. Chanyeol never asked her why, however; Kyungsoo's decision about dating isn't any of his business. "So, basically, you're saying you're not afraid that I'll reject you?"
Chanyeol scoffs. "Please. Like you can even get yourself to reject this face." Chanyeol then proceeds to shamelessly make his patented Puppy Dog Face at Kyungsoo, tilting his head a little sideways and jutting his bottom lip out for good measure. He's lucky that Jongdae isn't here to witness this - he absolutely doesn't want Jongdae ruining his plans and laughing at him.
Kyungsoo scrunches her face into a look of disgust. "Gross, Chanyeol. Stop-" She reaches out and tries to cover Chanyeol's face with the palm of her hand. Chanyeol doesn't stop, however, and it isn't long before Kyungsoo's laughing at his antics. Chanyeol feels something odd flutter in his chest at hearing her mirth.
"Ugh. Fine, I'll go with you," Kyungsoo finally concedes. "Just stop making that face, Chanyeol. It's awful."
Chanyeol just laughs, his chin now resting on his hand as he looks at Kyungsoo. "Your wish is my command, prom date."
Kyungsoo hits him hard on the shoulder.
They say prom night is a special time, a once-in-a-lifetime event that should be treasured and remembered. It's going to be a part of his high school memories, Jongdae tells him, and it'll be something that he'll probably look back to when he's old and wrinkly and can't stand up anymore on his own.
So Chanyeol tries his hardest to remember everything that happens that night. He tries not to forget the place, the people, the way the foods taste, the loud music blaring from the speakers. Chanyeol tries to remember it all.
But, in the end, Chanyeol's memory of his senior prom night revolves around nothing but Kyungsoo alone.
Kyungsoo in her stunning little black cocktail dress, the way it hugs her waist perfectly and falls just above her knees. Kyungsoo with her long hair styled into big, elegant curls, the way it flows beautifully past her shoulders. The shade of red that paints Kyungsoo's cheeks the moment she sees Chanyeol standing outside their front door. The way Kyungsoo tries not to stumble on her feet when she realizes that more than half of the guys are blatantly looking at her. The shy nod of her head and the firm grip of her fingers against Chanyeol's own when Chanyeol finally asks her to dance.
Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo.
Everything is just about Kyungsoo. But, oddly enough, Chanyeol thinks he still got enough precious memories to cherish for the rest of his life.
{"We stand here today on the precipice of the future," Kyungsoo starts, her voice booming through the speakers. "It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today."
Chanyeol doesn't tear his eyes away from the stage, from Kyungsoo who's standing on the podium, looking so beautiful and confident in their graduation robe as she gives her speech. She and Chanyeol have both been lucky to get into the same college after they finished high school and their constant presence in each other's lives have definitely made their friendship a lot stronger than before.
But now, they're graduating from university - they're going to close another chapter of their lives and face a brand new start. The thought of moving forward, of spending every single remaining day of his life without Kyungsoo by his side brings a kind of pain that freezes Chanyeol in his seat, the ache filling his chest and making it hard for him to breathe.
"If you think this is the end, then let me the first to tell you that it's not." Kyungsoo's still speaking up there on the podium and when Chanyeol looks at her, he sees not just Kyungsoo as his best friend, but Kyungsoo as someone who he can't really afford to lose. "It's not," she then repeats, sounding more certain this time. "It's a new beginning for all of us."
And Chanyeol realizes it's true. This isn't the end.
This isn't their end and he's going to make sure of that.}
iv.
"You need something from me," Chanyeol lightly accuses as soon as Kyungsoo takes the seat opposite him and sets down a cup of blended vanilla bean frappuccino - with a shot of espresso just the way Kyungsoo knows he likes it - and a plate of his favorite sticky cinnamon bun on the table. "You usually bribe me with food when you're about to ask me to do something for you. Okay, Kyungsoo, what is it? Spit it out."
Kyungsoo immediately flushes at that. After all these years, Chanyeol thinks it's one of the things that never really changed about Kyungsoo - the faint blush that sweeps the apple of her cheeks still looks beautiful on her.
"Um. Remember Baekhyun? One of the good friends I made back in college?" Kyungsoo tentatively asks. Chanyeol nods. It's pretty hard to forget who Baekhyun was, not when the girl practically made it her life mission to send suggestive looks at Kyungsoo every single time Chanyeol was within a few radius from her. "They're having a charity event at the company where she's working at and she asked me to come."
Chanyeol downs his food with a sip of his cold drink before he replies, "okay. Sooooo?"
"So," Kyungsoo goes, clearly nervous with how she's trying to stall things, "I was hoping you could come with me as my plus one."
Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at her in silent question. Kyungsoo only continues, "I know it's not your thing, but I really want to support Baekhyun and I don't want to go alone. Besides, she knows you, too, and I'm pretty sure she'd be glad to see you again after all these years."
"You do remember that Baekhyun used to believe that we're dating back in college, don't you?" Chanyeol asks. He has a feeling that Kyungsoo's still pretty much aware of that fact, but he just wants to be sure. His hunch is confirmed when Kyungsoo nods. "And you bringing me to that charity event as your plus one might just lead Baekhyun into thinking that we still have something between us."
Kyungsoo hums. "So?" She leans forward and looks at Chanyeol with nothing but confusion written all over her face. "What's really your point, Chanyeol?"
"The point is," Chanyeol starts, his fingers fiddling with the fork on his plate, "you're okay with that? You don't mind giving Baekhyun the wrong idea?"
Kyungsoo shrugs. "We've done the same thing before, haven't we? I don't see how this is any different from all those times."
But the thing is, it is different. He doesn't remember when it started but somewhere along the way, somewhere along the lies and the pretend dates, things just started changing for Chanyeol. There's a different kind of affection that blooms in his chest when he looks at Kyungsoo now, and Chanyeol knows what it is, knows what this means for their friendship. It's terrifying because Chanyeol never once thought that he'll actually fall in love with his best friend.
But, here he is, sitting in front of Kyungsoo, his heart continuously tripping over itself as he looks at her.
"Okay," Chanyeol says, sighing. If there's another thing that didn't change after all these years, it's that Chanyeol can't still say no to any of Kyungsoo's wishes.
Kyungsoo smiles at him, relief quickly showing on her face, and, somehow, it makes Chanyeol think that everything's going to be just fine.
"What do you mean I'm included in the date auction?" Kyungsoo asks incredulously. Beside her, Chanyeol's trying not to butt in with his two cents. This is nowhere near included in their plans - they were just supposed to show up, eat, stay for a little while and maybe talk to a few people and then leave. Baekhyun never mentioned something like this when she invited Kyungsoo.
"It's exactly what I mean," Baekhyun calmly answers. "Every female guest in this charity event is going to participate in the date auction. And you're one of them so-"
"But, Baekhyun, I can't do this!" Kyungsoo hisses. She's never been one to enjoy any kind of attention lavished on her and being included in this date auction will obviously give her just that - attention that she doesn't really want.
"You'll be fine," Baekhyun tries to soothe her, "we invited decent guys in this charity event, and I'm a hundred percent sure whoever you'll end up with will treat you nicely."
"Baekhyun-"
"Kyungsoo," Baekhyun interrupts, "will you just trust me on this one?" Kyungsoo doesn't answer. They end up just staring at each other, not a single word being uttered between them. Chanyeol can clearly see how anxious Kyungsoo is, and he finds himself feeling desperate to ease her worries away.
"Hey," Chanyeol whispers. Kyungsoo turns to him with worried eyes and the look on her face has Chanyeol quickly summoning just about enough courage to hold her hand. "It's gonna be alright."
There really is nothing more that Chanyeol can offer Kyungsoo other than that but, thankfully, those few words seem enough to calm her down, even just a bit. She lets out a sigh and then nods, before finally turning to Baekhyun once again. Baekhyun holds Kyungsoo's hand as she stands, as she walks away from their table, while Chanyeol is only left to watch them eventually disappear in the crowd.
Chanyeol worries on his bottom lip. Kyungsoo isn't at all prepared for this, and neither is he. Chanyeol can't help but groan as he mentally counts how much money he'd brought this evening. He really doesn't have much and Chanyeol can only hope everyone's just as stingy as he is or he's really going to end up so broke after this date auction.
It doesn't take long before someone is flicking on their headset, the hum of life echoing once more from the speakers. The lights suddenly flood the stage and Chanyeol sees a man come up with a mic on his hand. The man grins broadly as he waves to the crowd, relishing the undivided attentiom they pour onto him.
"...and we're back, ladies and gentlemen!" the host - Zhou Mi - shouts. "As promised, we will now be starting our main event for tonight."
At the announcement, the crowd suddenly turns into a frenzy, cheering loudly and making a ruckus. Apparently, everyone is ready for the bidding wars to begin. It only makes Chanyeol even more nervous for Kyungsoo.
"For our first participant, we have Ms. Do Kyungsoo!" Zhou Mi announces and if there was any way his heart could jump right out of his mouth, Chanyeol would probably see it beating and making a mess on the polished floor at this exact moment.
Kyungsoo keeps a calm face amidst the loud applause as she walks down the stage, her shoulders tense and her lower lip caged in between her teeth. People start to cheer loudly at her entrance, the men in the audience probably thanking whoever it is responsible for the auction for giving them the chance to win a date with this lovely, young woman.
"It says here that Ms. Kyungsoo enjoys watching movies, interior designing, and playing sports."
Chanyeol wants to snort out loud at that last one. Sure, Kyungsoo may enjoy playing all sports, but he also knows his best friend would rather go shopping than play soccer with him.
"Well, then, ladies and gentlemen..." Zhou Mi starts, pulling Chanyeol away from his thoughts. He smirks then, deliberately pausing in order to draw up both tension and excitement from the crowd. "...we'll start bidding at 5,000 won. Do I hear 5,000?"
"5,000!"
"7,000!"
"10,000!"
Chanyeol's eyes almost bugs out of their sockets at how Kyungsoo's price immediately begins to skyrocket in a rather tenacious battle. Nobody seems to want to yield to anyone else for the right of going out on a date with such a pretty girl and thanks to a few stubborn guys banding together, her price tag soon breaks the 20,000 won.
"I have 20,000. Do I hear any other bids?" Zhou Mi asks, glancing around the room to make sure that he isn't missing anybody who's willing to throw a higher bid.
Chanyeol curls his hands into fists. And then- "50,000 won!"
Chanyeol can't believe he just offered that kind of amount, and neither does everyone in the room, if the way they immediately fall silent as they stare at Chanyeol is any indication. It's surprising to see the price jump twice of what it had been and, right now, Chanyeol has a niggling suspicion that people are probably thinking that he's out of his mind. (He probably is, Chanyeol thinks solemnly.)
Up on stage, Kyungsoo stares at Chanyeol in disbelief, her eyes popping out so far from her head that Chanyeol briefly worries about them falling straight out. Back in her seat, Baekhyun just smirks; she knew something like this would happen right from the very start.
"Wow," Zhou mi expresses in awe. "Are...are there any other bids?"
There doesn't seem to be anyone else willing to put up a fight, for which Chanyeol is greatly, greatly thankful.
"Going once..." Silence reigns.
"Going twice..." No one still says a word.
"Sold! For 50,000 won!" Zhou Mi finally roars, voice reverberating against the four corners of the room.
The crowd bursts into polite applause after that, causing Chanyeol to finally slump onto his seat and breathe a sigh of relief. That must have been one of the most nerve-wracking moments in his entire life. Chanyeol looks up and immediately spots Kyungsoo throwing a grateful smile in his direction before she eventually steps off the stage. As expected, it makes Chanyeol's heart beat wildly in his chest.
He may be 50,000 won poorer after that bid, but Chanyeol thinks - no, he knows - it's worth it.
Kyungsoo is definitely worth it.
{"Thank you for saving me back there," Kyungsoo tells him a few days after the date auction. They find themselves in her apartment instead of eating out like they're used to because Chanyeol had been successfully lured by the promise of free food - aka Kyungsoo wanted to try out her new kimchi fried rice recipe and she needed someone's honest opinion on food. Chanyeol was only too glad to be that person.
"Not a big deal," Chanyeol answers with a shrug. Because, really, now that he's thinking about it, 50,000 won is nothing compared to Kyungsoo's safety.
"It is for me, though," Kyungsoo says. She turns around and leans back against the counter, looking at Chanyeol with nothing but gratitude shining in her eyes. "So. Thank you."
"Finally learned how to be grateful, huh?" He jokes, just to diffuse the sudden, weird silence in the air. At his response, Kyungsoo's cheeks immediately scorch with embarrassment and a rather disarming shade of crimson discolors her otherwise flawless complexion.
It's cute and Chanyeol just catches himself wanting to kiss those cheeks throughout the entire night.}
v.
"You're late," is the first thing that Yura, his sister, welcomes him with as soon as she opens the door.
Chanyeol brings up a hand to sheepishly scratch the back of his neck, a rueful smile on his face. "Sorry, we were caught up in traffic. It's Kyungsoo's fault, really, because she took a long, looooong time to dress herself up for this occasion."
Behind him, Kyungsoo hits him hard and wails a rather indignant, "I did not!"
Yura laughs and then practically shoves Chanyeol aside so she can properly welcome Kyungsoo and hug her. Being girls, Yura and Kyungsoo share a rather close relationship with each other and Chanyeol likes to think it's because they're the two closest girls to his heart.
Kyungsoo suddenly squeals when Yura squeezes her especially hard. This has Chanyeol making a face at his sister. "Glad to know you missed her even more than you missed me."
"Aww, is my baby brother jealous?" Yura teasingly asks. She lets go of Kyungsoo and then turns to Chanyeol once again, her arms wide open and inviting. Chanyeol groans because Yura's treating her like a little child again. "C'mere and give me a hug then."
Chanyeol rolls his eyes but still steps forward to hug Yura, his arms begrudgingly coming up around her waist to hold her even closer. It's not like Chanyeol missed his sister - he absolutely didn't because Yura's annoying and bossy and had practically spent most of her time teasing the hell out of Chanyeol back when they were little kids - but Chanyeol can't deny that this feels pretty nice. Chanyeol allows himself to momentarily rest his head on top of hers; it's been so long since he'd had a whiff of his sister's favorite shampoo.
"Everyone's waiting for the both of you," Yura mutters against his shirt. She pats his back before finally letting Chanyeol go. Yura then steps aside to let them in.
The amount of people inside kind of surprises Chanyeol a little bit, considering how long it's been since he attended their annual family reunion. It seems like his whole family - both from his mother's and father's side - has doubled in size since he last saw them, and Chanyeol feels a little regretful for not being able to go to this all those years ago.
"Chanyeol!" says his grandma, her eyes lighting up in recognition as soon as she sees him. Chanyeol makes sure to hold onto Kyungsoo's hand (so she won't get lost and nothing else) before he worms his way through the crowd, feeling excited and nervous at the same time. She kisses both of Chanyeol's cheeks as soon as he gets close. "Oh my goodness, you've gotten so handsome! And so tall!"
"I missed you, too, grandma," Chanyeol says, laughing into her shoulder when she proceeds to pull him into a tight hug.
The warmth of Kyungsoo's hand enclosed in his reminds Chanyeol that he hasn't introduced her to his grandma yet. So when he pulls back from the hug, Chanyeol tugs on Kyungsoo's hand to make her stand next to him. "Grandma, this is -"
"Is this her?" His grandma suddenly throws in. "Is this your girlfriend?"
"Whaa-"
"Yura's right; she is, indeed, a pretty one," his grandma continues. Chanyeol's too dumfounded to even say anything. She proceeds to pull Kyungsoo close and looks at her with such happiness that Chanyeol's never seen on his grandma's face before. "Chanyeol has never brought a girlfriend before, you see, so I'm glad you're here to meet the whole family."
Chanyeol sputters in shock as soon as the realization hits him hard like a ton of bricks. "Wait, Kyungsoo's not-we're not-"
The only thing his grandma does is aim an icy glare at Chanyeol to shut him up. She then turns to Kyungsoo, her foul expression earlier now entirely gone, replaced with a gentle smile playing on the edges of her lips. "You must be pretty tired from the three-hour drive. Why don't you sit here with us while Chanyeol helps prepare the food?"
"Um-" Kyungsoo begins to say.
"I insist," his grandma asserts. Kyungsoo throws an apologetic look at Chanyeol before she reluctantly lets his grandma pull her into an empty seat.
Chanyeol huffs. This isn't fair. He's the one who drove the car for three straight hours while Kyungsoo just sat there and fiddled with the radio the entire time, finding every possible music that annoyed the hell out of him. And now he's even expected to help Yura in preparing their lunch.
Speaking of Yura...
He quickly shoots A Look towards his sister, who's anxiously standing just a few steps behind him, and gestures for her to follow. They have a lot of things they need to talk about.
"Can you tell me what's happening?" Chanyeol asks quietly. They're huddled in front of the stove, Yura stirring the pot of kimchi soup and Chanyeol just basically standing there to be a willing taste tester. "Why does grandma think that Kyungsoo's my girlfriend?" He shifts to look at her fully, his eyes turning into suspicious slits. "What kind of weird things have you been telling her?"
"First of all, I didn't tell her any weird things, if that's what you're really concerned about," Yura defends, rolling her eyes. "She's just been worried about you, you know. Grandma's always asking me if you've found a nice girl to date yet because you're not around anymore to attend our family reunions. For a few years, I just told her that work's been keeping you very busy and I think that was when she started to really worry about you being too childish and immature to love, or something. So I just kind of blurted out to her that you're finally dating someone to put her worries to rest."
Chanyeol sighs. He understands where Yura's coming from. He really does. But it doesn't mean that he's completely okay with it. Fooling their friends and coworkers into believing that Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are in a relationship is one thing, but it's a differeng thing entirely to even have his family involved in this kind of pretense.
"She seems really happy about her," Yura observes, which is totally not helping Chanyeol's judgment. "But, you know, I don't expect you to play along with this if you don't want to. We can just tell grandma the truth if you two really feel uncomfortable about it."
Chanyeol takes a subtle glance to where Kyungsoo and his grandma are sitting and something tugs at Chanyeol's heart at seeing both of them so engrossed in a light conversation. It doesn't even surprise Chanyeol when he realizes that this is quite a sight that he can get used to.
"Just for today," Chanyeol decides. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe Kyungsoo can distract his grandma with her charm and then they can leave without anyone else finding out the truth. He'll just have to apologize to Kyungsoo in advance and ask for another favor.
Beside him, Yura just smiles and holds out a spoonful of kimchi soup for Chanyeol to taste.
"So, tell me, how did you two meet?" Chanyeol's grandma asks as Kyungsoo passes her a piece of meat wrap that she meticulously made herself. "Knowing my grandson, he probably did something really stupid or weird just to get your name. Am I right?"
Kyungsoo laughs while Chanyeol groans. "Kind of like that?" Chanyeol doesn't miss the brief look that Kyungsoo sends her way. "He saved me from the bullies at school all by himself. I think it's pretty stupid and brave at the same time."
"Really?" his grandma asks, meaningfully looking at Chanyeol to fill out the rest of the story. "What happened then?"
"Well, uh." Chanyeol scratches at his chin, and tries to remember what exactly happened all those years ago. He admits he doesn't exactly have the best memory out there, but he's pretty sure meeting Kyungsoo that first time can't easily be erased from his memory. "I was just about to go home that afternoon when I saw her and three other guys in a classroom. They got her surrounded and she looked like she wouldn't be able to handle all of them then so I just decided to step in. This happened, I think, ten or so years ago?"
"Fourteen years, to be exact," Kyungsoo says.
"It's been that long?" Chanyeol asks, surprise in his voice. More than the actual amount of time that passed since they met each other, Chanyeol is more surprised that Kyungsoo actually knows how long it's been exactly.
"Yeah," Kyungsoo sighs. "Who knew we'd get to this point after that, huh? Because I certainly didn't." Chanyeol can't help but smile; he never really imagined it either. "You're just so bubbly and overenthusiastic and noisy. Also very playful, sometimes even acting without a care in the world. Just -so different from me."
"That's a good thing, though, right?" Chanyeol pouts. "Because they say opposites attract each other."
"I guess so," Kyungsoo answers, smiling. "I mean, at least it would perfectly explain why I fell in love with you."
Chanyeol tries to repeatedly remind himself that everything Kyungsoo just said doesn't hold any kind of truth in them, that this-this is just supposed to be an act and nothing else. But there's something in the way Kyungsoo is looking at him that has Chanyeol, somehow, thinking about and considering the what ifs. There's something in the way Kyungsoo's eyes are shining with something akin to fear and honesty that has Chanyeol reaching over, lacing his fingers through Kyungsoo's and grasping her hand tightly against his.
"Me too," Chanyeol manages to say even through the lump in his throat. He holds their joined hands up to his lips, just so he can kiss the nearest part of Kyungsoo that he can touch. "Aside from the very obvious fact that you're perfection personified-" Kyungsoo's face suddenly takes on a bright, pink hue at his compliment and it takes everything for Chanyeol not to coo at her cuteness. "-I think that's just about the perfect explanation."
"What a perfect love story to tell your kids someday," Chanyeol's grandma crows, which just drives every one in the table to simultaneously coo at them.
Now it's Chanyeol's turn to blush, his cheeks flushing to the color of scarlet. "Grandma," he protests, but doesn't let go of Kyungsoo's hand, only gripping it tighter with his own.
{"So. Fourteen years ago, huh?" Chanyeol cautiously asks, occupying the empty space beside Kyungsoo. After what happened at lunch, it was pretty hard for the both of them to get some time alone for themselves. But now, it's already after midnight and Chanyeol's pretty sure everyone's in their own respective rooms other than them.
Kyungsoo silently laughs and, despite it being so low and restrained, Chanyeol thinks it still sounds so ridiculously loud in the serenity of the night. "Are you seriously just going to repeat the fact that I've been in love with you for fourteen years?"
"Maybe," Chanyeol mutters, "if that's the only way I can get myself to believe it. I mean, I've actually pinched myself about twenty times today, just to see if I'm going to wake up and find all of these a dream."
"That's ridiculous," Kyungsoo tells him, laughing again. "You're really ridiculous, Chanyeol."
"You can't blame me, though." Chanyeol purses his lips, as though he's trying to decide whether or not he should say something else. In the end, the words that try and force themselves out of his throat win. "Until now, I still think you're just going to poof into thin air if I kiss you." Chanyeol tries to cover up his nervousness with an awkward laugh but it comes out more of a garbled pathetic noise than anything.
"Why don't you try it then?"
Chanyeol turns his head to the left so fast that he almost got a whiplash. Kyungsoo's just staring at him, her eyes glowing a beautiful orange-red as they reflect the light of the flames from the fireplace. Chanyeol feels his throat go dry. "What?"
Kyungsoo shifts in her position to look at him properly. "Why don't you kiss me and see?"
Chanyeol's stomach lurches at that. He doesn't move, however; Chanyeol only stares at Kyungsoo intently, as though trying to imprint her features in every nook and cranny of his mind - her big, round eyes that are framed by those breathtakingly beautiful eyelashes; her lips, full and perfectly heart-shaped; her cute, little nose; her round and squishy cheeks.
And then, Chanyeol finally gets to do what he's been dreaming of doing for quite a long time now - he leans in and holds Kyungsoo under the chin, their lips meeting in a soft and warm kiss. It's a million times better and sweeter than what Chanyeol had imagined his first kiss with Kyungsoo would be, and Chanyeol just wants to do it again, press his lips against Kyungsoo's until both of them are drowning in each other and gasping for breath.
So he does. Over and over and over again.}
i.
It's in the middle of a warm, sunny day in June when Chanyeol suddenly receives a phone call from Jongdae.
"Hey, man, just checking in if you got the invitation?" Jongdae asks.
Chanyeol grabs the remote and pauses the movie playing on his television screen. He then decides to put the phone on loud speaker before setting it down on their bedside table. "Yeah, I did." Chanyeol lies down again, hugs the soft body next to him and buries his face in the crook of a warm neck. He makes it a point to drop a few open-mouthed kisses on the skin there. "Congratulations, Jongdae."
"Thanks," Jongdae answers. Chanyeol doesn't need to see Jongdae to know that that there's a smile drawing itself on his face right now; Chanyeol can practically hear him smiling through the phone. "You better come, okay? I'm expecting my best man to be there."
Chanyeol laughs. "Yeah, yeah. When did I ever abandon you?"
"Well, Park Chanyeol, there's actually this one time in high school when-"
"That was a rhetorical question," Chanyeol interrupts, his voice going a little higher than usual when he's being indignant about things. Chanyeol winces and tries to keep his tone down a little after that. "You didn't have to answer that."
"I know. I just like annoying you." Jongdae's loud, familiar laugh comes through the receiver then and Chanyeol can't believe that the Jongdae who used to be his partner-in-crime in everything back when they were still in school is now the Jongdae who's about to get married to Liyin noona. Time sure flies so fast.
Chanyeol shakes his head, smiling. "Still an asshole like before."
"Whatever, I'm sure you still miss this asshole," comes Jongdae's rather confident response. "Anyway, please tell me you're actually going to bring your girlfriend to the wedding."
Beside him, Kyungsoo stirs and Chanyeol finds it uncanny how, even in her sleep, she always seems to sense it when someone talks about her. Chanyeol only holds her closer by the waist, arms only tightening fractionally so he won't end up waking her from her slumber. Chanyeol drops a kiss at the back of Kyungsoo's head, feeling perfectly content in his position as the big spoon.
"Nah," Chanyeol finally answers, barely containing his excitement at the next words tumbling out of his mouth, "I'm bringing my fiancee."
The diamond in Kyungsoo's engagement ring gleams in the sunlight and Chanyeol can't help but appreciatively run his thumb over it. It won't be long now 'til he's the one sending Jongdae his own wedding invitation.
Chanyeol smiles like a fool in love, his heart thumping wild and hard in his chest again as he imagines that special day. He can't wait.