Mar 20
At first I lol'd
And then I serioused
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At first I lol'd
And then I serioused
Our Memories Carved into the Season
The Sky That Doesn’t End Series Masterlist
Genre: EXO AU, High School
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chanyeol x Myeong-suk (OC)
Summary: In which a new girl comes to school. A new girl determined to be alone. That's no problem for a happy virus though. Chanyeol has suddenly found a desire to make a deep connection with someone outside of his brothers, regardless of the trials presented.
Next, AO3
Chapter 1: First Meetings
Wednesday: March 7th, 2013
He turned away from the others as the bell rang, the teacher got everyone’s attention, and they gave their morning greeting. Chanyeol’s eyes, however, did not leave the girl that stood next to the teacher, her eyes downcast as she shifted nervously.
“Everyone, this is Lee Myeong-suk,” the teacher said. “Transferring schools in the middle of the year is difficult, so be sure to make her feel welcome.”
He gestured at Myeong-suk, and she gave a quick bow. “Hello everyone, I look forward to joining you for the rest of the year. Please take care of me,” she said. When she looked up, their eyes locked, and his heart stopped for a second as they both quickly looked away.
The teacher gestured her to a chair, and he tried not to look up as she passed next to him to take the empty seat at the desk behind his, with Baekhyun. Kai snickered next to him and elbowed him in the ribs. He pouted at the younger man, then ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck as his face heated up.
~~~
She studied the boy in front of her while also trying to focus on the teacher, but after they’d made eye contact while she was being introduced, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. He was all long limbs, big ears, and had the definition of puppy dog eyes that reminded her of a spaniel, or a beagle. Whichever kind, he definitely gave off the vibe of an overgrown puppy. That thought had only been made more concrete when he’d sent a pout at his deskmate and she’d caught his profile as she took her seat.
She found herself wanting him to turn again so she could study his profile more, instead of just the back of his head. Almost as though he heard her thoughts (or maybe felt her stare), he started to shift awkwardly, and realizing he was trying to glance behind at her, she ducked her head down, jotting a few notes.
Once she was sure he’d turned back, she grimaced, turning her head as she tried not to bury her face in her arms or glance back at him. Instead, she found her desk mate watching her with a smirk on his face, and she quickly felt her own grow hot all the way to her roots. Realizing she’d been caught, she glued her eyes back on her notes, swearing to not look back up.
All she’d wanted was to get through high school in her own bubble, invisible to the other students, but now she felt like she had a neon sign over her head.
She was just succeeding in refocusing her thoughts when a yellow sticky note appeared in her peripheral. She tried to ignore it, but her deskmate gave a huff and moved it to the edge of her notebook with a quick tap before his hand disappeared again.
His name is Chanyeol :)
She tried to continue ignoring it, but eventually, she gently pulled it off, considered wadding it up, then with a sigh, put it in the pocket in the front of her notebook.
~~~
Chanyeol joked with the others as they finished in the lunch line, dodging slaps and head pats, which they usually failed at due to his height. As they looked for a table, his eyes sought out the new girl, who he quickly found sitting alone at a table against the back wall. Her attention was on a book instead of her food, and she had an earbud in one ear, her head bobbing randomly to whatever tune played through.
“Chan-ah, Chen found a table,” Kai said, bumping Chanyeol’s arm, then following his distracted gaze. “Oh?”
“You guys go ahead,” Chanyeol said, his legs leading him away.
“Oppa,” Irene whined, grabbing onto his arm and breaking his gaze. “Where are you going?”
“Uh,” he stuttered, meeting her gaze then looking back at Myeong-suk. “The new girl is alone. I’m gonna see if she wants company.” He ignored the teasing from his brothers and continued on to his intended target.
Irene huffed in annoyance, opening her mouth to protest, but stopped when Kai patted her shoulder.
“It’s alright,” he said.
“Yeah.” Feilong draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her along. “We don’t always have to eat together. Let’s go.”
Her gaze followed Chanyeol for a second longer before letting it go, satisfied that she had Feilong and Kai’s attention for now.
~~~
“Um,”
The sudden voice jolted her out of the world that had filled her thoughts, and she pulled her eyes away from the book pages to the boy standing on the other side of the table.
Chanyeol.
He balanced his full tray in his one hand, the other rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he shifted on his feet.
“Would it be alright if I sit here?” he asked, meeting her eyes.
She glanced around at the empty table, then to the group he had come in with, then back at him. His eyes had dropped to the table and his smile was awkward, possibly trying to save face.
“S-sorry,” he moved to leave, but she shot forward in her chair, and his surprised gaze met her own. She looked down and clasped her hands in her lap, her face going hot from her actions.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I mean, that seat is open.”
She cautioned a glance up at him and was greeted with one of the happiest smiles she’d ever seen.
“Thanks. It’s Myeong-suk right? I’m Chanyeol,” he said, pulling out the chair across from hers and sliding into it. She inhaled in shock, not having noticed how deep his voice was earlier when he’d made his request. Pulling her eyes away in an attempt to not be caught staring, she closed her book and focused on eating her food. Maybe he would just eat in silence.
“What are you listening to?”
Myeong-suk looked up as he took a bite, his eyes trained intently on her as he waited for a response. After swallowing her own bite she turned her phone so that he could see the screen. “A soloist,” she said, but didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, John Park!” He pointed excitedly at the screen. “I’ve listened to him before. Is this new?”
She nodded her head, a smile alighting on her face. “Yeah. I don’t feel like he’s very well known yet, so I’m surprised you know him. I think he has a new album coming out this summer.”
“I like studying guitarists,” Chanyeol said, meeting her eyes again. “I really like his sound.”
“Me too,” she said, caution forgotten at the shared interest. “It’s really calming.”
“I’m glad he’s coming out with an album. I haven’t really been keeping up with new music lately.”
“Oh, you should check out the new season of Superstar K. I think they have a new guitarist.”
“Really? Yeah, I’ll have to look into it.”
They fell into silence, using their food as an excuse to try and think of something else. Chanyeol rapped his fingers against his knee as she took out her earbud and set her phone aside.
“Do you...” He coughed, trying to clear the awkward air. “Do you play?”
She shook her head, biting into a carrot. “Not really.” He watched her as she took another bite, waiting for her to continue. “Um, I learned the piano when I was young, but we’ve moved a lot, so we sold it.”
“Oh.” He dropped his eyes and looked almost apologetic, but she couldn’t figure out if it was because he brought it up or that she’d lost the instrument, which he’d played no part in. His face brightened up again, and she could see an idea in his eyes. “There’s a piano here at the school that you could use if you wanted to pick it up again.” He looked very satisfied in seeming to have come to her rescue, like a dog presenting her with a stick he’d found.
She smiled awkwardly with a small nod, shoulders curling inward, her original desire to go unnoticed resurfacing. “What about you?” she asked, trying to get his focus off of her. “Do you play the guitar?”
He nodded enthusiastically, his shaggy hair falling into his eyes. “I play the guitar and piano, and I’m learning the drums.” His lopsided grin was back as he watched her reaction.
“Woah! Are you trying to become a one-man band?” she said, leaning forward on the table.
“No,” he said through laughter, waving a hand. He tried to stifle his laughter, and she couldn’t help but smile at his overreaction. “Sorry. It’s just that my brothers always say the same thing.”
“Your brothers?” she asked, her eyes darting over quickly to the group of guys from class.
“Well, friends I guess,” he amended quickly, sitting up straighter and pulling on his ear. “We’re just so close that it feels like we’re brothers. So it seems like a more accurate label.”
After that, he focused back on his food, and she let it drop. She knew the signs when someone wanted a conversation to change. But instead of picking up a new topic, she dug into her own food, thankful for the break. Hopefully, he would find their conversation uncomfortable and go back to eating with his friends. Or that’s what she tried to convince herself she wanted. But she couldn’t deny that there was a part of her deep down that was drawn to his bright smile and sweet spirit.
No.
She finished her food quickly, then stood, giving Chanyeol a small bye before starting to leave.
“Wait,” he said, standing, stretching out his hand only to drop it at her surprised expression. “Um, I’ll see you in class I guess.” She gave a small nod which he returned with a lopsided grin.
~~~
Thursday: March 8th, 2013
Okay. Take two.
He took a deep breath as he picked up his tray from the line, then turned, his eyes scanning the loud cafeteria. He finally found her in the back corner, face once again buried in a book as she ate, but she had earbuds in both of her ears today. He scrunched his forehead as he made his way over, trying to make a plan.
He thought they’d been having a nice conversation until the piano and moving was brought up. So, both were sore subjects. On top of that, he’d slipped, and she’d noticed, retreating shortly after.
She clearly hadn’t planned on making friends with the way she purposefully kept away from everyone, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. He’d been there before, so he wanted to keep trying. There was a pull that he couldn’t explain and something about their conversation the day before told him that she didn’t actually want to be alone.
That being said, if she flat out told him to leave her alone, he would.
He slid into the seat across from her again, immediately digging into his food to make the action seem normal, as well as avoid her surprised gaze. She looked around and he assumed she was trying to find the others again.
Taking another bite he smiled up at her. Her return smile was quick and she went back to her book, not bothering to remove her earbuds today.
“How are you doing today?” he asked.
“Good. You?” her response was one out of manners and not actual curiosity, but he ignored that.
“Doing okay.” he shrugged. “I’m probably going to fail our quiz tomorrow.” She hummed in response, taking another bite of food, her focus remaining on the book. After a few minutes of silence, he turned his head awkwardly, catching her attention.
“What are you doing?”
“Just trying to read the title,” he said, squinting at the unique script. “Trumpet Creeper?” He turned his big eyes to her, now larger due to his curiosity. “Is it good?”
“Um, yeah.” He smiled at how her eyes had widened when she met his gaze, they seemed to do that a lot. “It’s a period manhwa.”
“What’s it about?” He scooted his seat forward, eyes trained on her as he took another bite.
He chalked the rest of lunch as a success as she explained her book, completely startled once lunch was over and she had lost herself. His smile fell as he watched her mind try to shift back to her earlier countenance, and he reached out gently to her shoulder as she tried to zoom away. “Do you think I could borrow it once you’re done?” He asked, watching her process his request.
“Um… sure.”
“Thanks,” he said, dropping his hand. She nodded and quickly headed back to class.
“Did it go better today?” Chen said, jolting him out of his thoughts as he watched her retreating back.
“Yeah, I think so.”
~~~
Friday: March 9th, 2013
On the third day, as he made his way over, he could tell she was expecting him. Her headphones were off, connected to her phone but rolled up on the table. She was reading, but as soon as he moved to sit down, she let the book fall flat on the table, the thump startling him and making him pause.
He waited for her to say something, and then finished lowering himself into the chair as she just observed him. When he had settled and she still didn’t speak up, he chuckled.
“Is something—”
“Did you have a fight with your friends?”
“Uh…”
“Is that why you haven’t been sitting with them?”
“No, I just—”
“Then why are you insisting on sitting with a stranger who has very gently tried to make it clear that she wants to be left alone?”
“I was—”
“Look, I know you’re trying to be nice, thank you. But I just want to read my book and get through high school, hopefully before moving again. I’m not looking to make friends.” She finally stopped, taking a deep breath. He stayed silent, taken completely aback at her sudden outburst, not sure how to respond. When she threw her book and phone in her bag, his brain got back in gear, and he reached for her wrist just as she stood and was gathering her tray. Her eyes met his and they had gone glossy, her face red, and he knew she’d never meant to actually say everything she did.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. But could I talk now?” He spoke softly and loosened his hand so that she could pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t say anything but dropped her gaze, and then lowered back into her seat. “I know what it’s like to be in a new place without a familiar face. And I know what it’s like to tell yourself that you’re better off not trying to make connections.” Her eyes raised back up to his. “But I found that making friends, having someone reach out, can be really great, even if you know that you will probably fall out of touch at some point.”
He pointed back at the group of guys who were being as loud as ever. “I’ve known those idiots for as long as I can remember. We get separated a lot, and I’m still out of touch with another friend, but I couldn’t imagine my life without them. I know we won’t always be together, but for now, they give me a reason to smile. I guess I just wanted to pass that on.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, withdrawing his hand from her wrist. “I also understand needing space though, so I’ll respect that, and if you want someone to talk to, I’ll be around.” He gave her a final smile, and rose from his chair, grabbed his tray, and headed to his brothers.
He’d be teased by some, but Suho would probably be relieved. He was already nervous about having Irene around when Feilong had first introduced her to the group, but Suho had warmed up pretty fast. Chanyeol had hoped the same could happen with Myeong-suk, but it didn’t matter now.
~~~
A little over a week later, he was suddenly intercepted by Myeong-suk as he packed his backpack at the end of the day. She hadn’t even spared him a glance in that time, so he was surprised when she tapped on his arm.
“Um, Chanyeol?” Her voice was quiet and her eyes were trained on her desk. Kai and Baekhyun met his eyes then retreated, pulling the others along.
“What’s up?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
“About last week.” She took a deep breath, then met his eyes. “I’m really sorry. And, um, I’m not sure that I’m ready for a friend, but—” she stopped and then shuffled around in her backpack, pulling out the peach-colored manhwa they’d discussed. “I finished it and you said you wanted to borrow it, so I thought maybe we could talk about it once you’re finished.”
He slowly took it from her, focusing on the cover of the book instead of her. “Thank you,” he said, unable to hold back a smile. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
“I’ll um,” she started. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She grabbed her backpack and rushed to the door.
“Hey, Myeong-suk,” he called. She paused and turned back to face him. “You didn’t have to apologize. But thank you.”
Two days later, he was ecstatic when she came in before class started and could barely keep from immediately getting her attention. Instead, he waited a minute for her to settle in, then turned around in his seat.
“Hey, Myeong-suk,” he said, bouncing slightly, a smile growing when she met his gaze.
“Yeah?”
“I finished it,” he said, holding up the manhwa for her to see, then handed it to her. “Would you be free after school today to talk about it?”
“That was fast,” she whispered, taking the book. “Um, yeah, I’m free.”
“Awesome,” he said, swiveling back in his seat as the teacher entered the room.
Chapter 2
🎁 (MINI CÓMIC)
Feliz primavera/Happy spring! 🌼🌺🪻
Reference:
Our Memories Carved into the Season
The Sky that Doesn’t End Series
Genre: EXO AU, High School
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chanyeol x Myeong-suk (OC)
Summary: In which a new girl comes to school. A new girl determined to be alone. That’s no problem for a happy virus though. Chanyeol has suddenly found a desire to make a deep connection with someone outside of his brothers, regardless of the trials presented.
First, Prev, AO3
Chapter 7: First Date
-Notes at the end of the chapter-
He was nervous.
His palms were sweaty and his hands were shaking and he couldn’t stop bouncing from foot to foot.
He reached his hand for the doorbell and stopped. They weren’t going to like him. They were going to see straight through him and know he was a mess and they were going to turn him away before he even got a chance to go on one date.
No.
No. He was likable. He was cute. He’d been told that before. This would go fine. He knew how to make people smile, and knew how to be polite. So what if he had a huge secret. He could hide it the same way he’d been hiding it for hundreds of earth years.
His finger pressed the doorbell and the sound echoed back seconds later from inside.
He couldn’t do this. They were going to know. They had a reason to be suspicious. They would probably do whatever it took to protect Myeong-suk.
He pivoted on his heel and took a step away from the apartment door but it opened before he could take another.
“We were wondering how long you were going to stand outside before ringing the bell,” a voice called after him. He turned and found a couple standing together in the doorway. The man, who had spoken, stood with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Though, it looked like the corner of his mouth was on the verge of turning up. His wife was not hiding the fact that she found Chanyeol’s nervousness incredibly amusing, but her amusement was soft and caring.
“H-hello, my name is Park Chanyeol. It’s nice to meet you,” he said with a bow.
“Why don’t you go ahead and come in,” the aunt said, waving him forward. “She’s almost ready.”
“Thank you.”
Mr. Jin cleared his throat, trying to continue to appear disagreeable to the situation, but moved for Chanyeol to make his way through. Once inside, he glanced around the modest apartment, back slouched slightly. He straightened up when Mrs. Lee lightly patted his back, then kept her hand in place to push him into the living room area.
“No need to be nervous, he won’t bite and we aren’t planning on interrogating you,” she said. “Myeong-ah has been talking about you for weeks, we were starting to wonder why it was taking so long for you to ask her out.” She brought her hand to his shoulder and lowered him onto the couch, taking the seat across from it. “You seem like a very responsible and respectful young man, so we don’t have to worry about you doing anything to hurt our dear niece, of course. We can trust you.”
She was still smiling kindly at him, but he gulped, suddenly more afraid of her than the uncle who was standing behind her and still trying to appear intimidating. Finally, Chanyeol made himself meet her eyes again, with a smile. “Yes ma’am. We won’t stay out too late, and I’ll be sure to keep her safe.” He looked down, his smile becoming more sincere as he became shy at his next statement. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to her because of me.”
Before anything else could be said between the three of them though, Myeong-suk emerged from the hallway behind Chanyeol.
“Gomo*,” she said, catching everyone's attention, and causing Chanyeol to shoot to his feet and spin in search of her. “Please go easy on Chanyeol. You underestimate how intimidating you are.”
He forgot how to breathe for a moment when his eyes found her. She was always pretty, no matter what, and tonight was no different. She wore a simple floral dress over a sweater with sneakers and had a jean jacket slung over her arms that were resting in front of her. Then their eyes met and his heart jumped into his throat.
“Hi, Chanyeol,” she said, voice quiet. Her fingers played with the fabric of her dress as she observed his outfit, a simple white sweater with dark jeans, and a long navy coat. “Is this okay? I wasn’t sure what we were doing so—”
“You’re beautiful.” He blurted. Silence filled the room. “Uh, that is, you’re—it’s great. Perfect! It is perfect for tonight.” His hand found his hair and he rubbed through it at the back of his head, sighing to himself. She smiled gently at him, accepting and understanding his nervous awkwardness.
“Thank you,” she said.
Silence would have prevailed again had her uncle not cleared his throat, causing them to jump. The aunt giggled and was once again pushing Chanyeol, this time towards her niece.
“Alright, you two have all night to look at each other. Let me get some pictures, then you should head out before it gets much later,” she said, positioning him behind Myeong-suk and moving next to her husband, retrieving a phone to snap some pictures. They stood awkwardly, not sure how close was okay, their arms repositioning lamely. Mr. Jin sighed and walked over to them, moving them closer together and moving Chanyeol’s arm around Myeong-suk’s shoulders. Her arm squashed between them, Myeong-suk wrapped it around Chanyeol’s back and their free hands instinctively found each other.
~~~
“Chanyeol, slow down. You’re going to make me drop it,” Myeong-suk cried through giggles as he pulled her from one souvenir vendor to the next.
“I’ll just get you another one,” he teased with a grin. “Look at these!” He came to a stop in front of a stall with various handmade keychains. She let go of his hand to browse the items and immediately missed the warmth, but it was quickly replaced with warmth in his chest as her smile grew while browsing the many items.
“We should get matching ones,” she said, looking up at him.
Embarrassed at being caught watching her, his eyes darted back to the display, but she giggled, completely unfooled.
He coughed, reaching for a random keychain. “There’s so many to choose from. How are we going to—” his eyes caught two hanging together and his hand shot to them.
“These!” They cried at the same time, eyes meeting in amusement.
“You first,” Myeong-suk said, keeping her hand tight to hide the ones she’d found.
He held up two ice cream cones, one a pink with darker bits, the other a pink and blue mix, matching her strawberry and his cotton candy.
Her eyes widened. “They’re perfect!” She exclaimed.
“What did you find?” he asked, but she shook her head.
“Those are much better.”
“But I want to see what you picked out, though,” he pouted. She slowly opened her hand to show two little dogs: a black one and a white one. “Those are really cute !”
“The ice cream is better though,” she said. “These just reminded me of you.”
“They do?”
“Mm,” she hummed. “You just tend to be really bouncy like a puppy when you're happy.
Especially with how excited you’ve been tonight, bouncing from one place to the next. It’s really cute.”
“Ya!” he shouted through laughter. “What do you mean cute? Give them to me.” He reached to grab them, but she closed her fist again and moved her arm out of his reach, trying to push him away.
“Nooo! Come on stop, you’re gonna make my ice cream spill!” At that statement, a gleam entered his eye and he leaned down, quickly claiming a bite of her dessert. Her jaw dropped in shock and she went still trying to process his actions, allowing him to snatch her hand and release the keychains into his hold. “Hey! No fair,” she sputtered.
He stuck his tongue out at her, handed over his ice cream, and bounded to the vendor. “I’d like these four please.” He handed over the chosen pieces, then pulled out his wallet, receiving a thankful smile from the creator.
“Ya! Chanyeol-ah. You should let me pay for two of them.”
His money was already handed over and he giggled at her protests.
“You and your girlfriend are very cute together,” the older woman said, handing over his change and the keychains in a little paper bag.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the items and dipping his head.
“Not at all. Thank you, dear. I hope the two of you continue to have a wonderful evening.”
“Thank you,” Myeong-suk said. “You as well ma’am.”
With final bows, the two walked away, elbows intertwined. Chanyeol tried to claim another bite of her ice cream, but she pulled it away, moving his into his path.
Slowly, they made their way under the night sky and eventually chose a bench to rest on and finish their snack. Their hands found each other again, and this time their fingers laced, a cold breeze pushing them closer together.
“Wah,” Myeong-suk sighed, her eyes on the stars. “I love the night sky.”
“Ne,” Chanyeol said. His smile was content as he watched her gaze at the heavens in awe. “The moon is beautiful tonight.”
“Mm,” she hummed with a smile, eyes still on the stars and half-full moon, unaware of his gaze. “It always is.”
“Mm.”
~~~
They both sank into their beds that night with deep sighs after deflecting the many curious questions from their families, and sleep came easily. Both at peace with the exciting journey ahead, happy to finally have something constant in their lives.
Chapter 8
Notes:
Gomo: Korean for Aunt (Specifically, father's sister)
Our Memories Carved into the Season
The Sky that Doesn't End Series
Genre: EXO AU, High School
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chanyeol x Myeong-suk (OC)
Summary: In which a new girl comes to school. A new girl determined to be alone. That’s no problem for a happy virus though. Chanyeol has suddenly found a desire to make a deep connection with someone outside of his brothers, regardless of the trials presented.
First, Prev, AO3
Chapter 5: First Clues
He bounced his knee up and down, listening as the guys joked around, offering a smile here and there to try and seem normal, but he wasn’t really aware of what they were talking about. Feilong had his arm draped over Tao and Suho and was commenting about something Baekhyun had done. Remembering Myeong-suk’s distress brought a scowl to Chanyeol’s features as he thought about how Feilong had apparently told Irene plans before talking to the rest of them. He disagreed about isolating themselves, but Feilong should have discussed his plans with the rest of the group first, especially since plans had already been made. Chanyeol still agreed with Suho that they should be careful and plan things out together first if it affected everyone. Feilong seemed completely unguarded around Irene, and Kai seemed to be leaning that way as well.
He was jolted out of his brooding when cold air blew into his ear and he fell forward to get away from the attack, his arms igniting in shock. Looking up he found Baekhyun, Sehun, and Chen laughing behind where he had previously been seated. Once he was reoriented, he yelled and threw a pillow at the trio, which went wide and decked D.O. instead.
“S-sorry,” he said, wincing at D.O.'s glare, water all over him from being caught mid-drink. Chanyeol rounded back on the trio. “What was that for?”
“What is going on?” Suho interceded.
“We were just trying to get his attention,” Baekhyun said, still laughing.
“He looked like he was going to burn a hole into Feilong,” Chen said.
“What’s wrong?” Sehun asked with a fake pout. “Have another fight with your girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Chanyeol defended quickly, raising another pillow.
“No, you just wish she was,” Chen offered, ignoring the raised projectile.
Before Chanyeol could throw it though, Suho stepped in between them, arms raised. “That’s enough.” He turned to the firebrand who had tossed the pillow to the side in spite and was climbing to his feet. “Chanyeol, does this have to do with Myeong-suk? You were both absent from class after lunch.”
“It’s fine,” he said with a huff, deciding he should probably leave.
“No it’s not,” Feilong said, grabbing his arm as he tried to pass. “You shouldn’t be getting too close.” Chanyeol scoffed and ripped his arm away. “Did you tell her something?”
At that, Chanyeol whipped around to face him. “Oh, I can’t tell Myeong-suk anything, but Irene is fine?” He shot.
Feilong’s expression shifted to neutral. “I’ve known Irene for a while now. We can trust her. But I haven’t told her about us.”
“No, you just told her you were moving without letting us know your plans.”
The others started throwing out exclamations and questions, but they ignored them, Feilong taking a step closer to Chanyeol, his eyes flashing in anger. “How did you—”
“She told Myeong-ah,” Chanyeol interrupted. “Made her think we were all moving.”
“So what? We move all the time. With the eclipse coming before graduation we’ll have to move or the Red Force—”
“I’m not moving.”
Feilong scoffed. “Man, you’ve really lost it for this human.”
“Enough!” Suho shouted, pushing them apart. “Both of you sit down and cool off.”
They continued to stare each other down until they were pulled back into a seat. Chanyeol finally broke their gaze, ruffling his hair and looking away with a pout. “Chanyeol, you know we’ll have to move at some point. You’ll have to let her go. And Feilong, it’s no different for you.” Suho sighed, turning to the other man he’d been needing to have a conversation with. “You’re planning on moving, but you told a human before discussing it with the rest of us. With me. When were you planning on bringing it up?”
Feilong let out an airy laugh. “I didn’t think I needed to,” he spat, his glare turning to the leader. “The eclipse isn’t that far away.”
“But we agreed that we needed to finish out the school year,” Baekhyun offered.
Chen nodded in agreement. “It’ll be easier for me to create more legitimate documents this time around if I have some real ones to go off of.”
“Plus,” D.O. spoke up. “We need to try and keep up with information as the times change. Progression has sped up recently, and attending high school is the easiest way to do that.”
“We’ve been keeping an eye on things,” Suho said, taking the lead again. “There hasn’t been any Red Force activity lately. We should be okay until the solar eclipse.”
“Which doesn’t happen till November,” Chen offered.
“Fine,” Feilong said, getting to his feet, looking down to meet Suho’s eyes. “I’ll continue to follow your decision for now. But just because you’re the leader, doesn’t mean you’re always right. I’m gonna get some air.” He walked past, his shoulder hitting Suho’s, and grabbed his jacket, slamming the door behind him.
Suho let out a deep sigh, pushing his fingers through his hair in frustration. Chanyeol stomped away to his room next, not wanting to listen to any more lectures about who he chose to be friends with. He loved his brothers, but they couldn’t expect to be his only friends for hundreds of years.
His heart tightened for a second at what Suho had implied.
I don’t want to go through the rest of my life alone.
~~~
He got up early. Before the sun. Before all of his brothers. He didn’t feel like talking to any of them after storming out the night before.
Well, that had been his plan. He wasn’t expecting D.O. to already be awake and making breakfast. Or Lay to be helping out.
That was fine. He would just sneak past them and get some breakfast at the nearby convenience store.
Thud.
He suppressed a groan, trying to ignore the throbbing where his shin had met the poorly placed coffee table, and he hoped they had been engrossed enough in their conversation to miss the sound.
“Morning, A-Chan.”
No luck.
He quickly hid a grimace with a smile as he turned to the early risers. Lay was watching him with an amused smile over a mug of coffee, but D.O. hadn’t turned away from the stove.
“Morning,” he said in what was most definitely forced cheer. “You’re up early.”
“No,” D.O. responded dryly as he stirred the food. “You’re up early. I’m up at my usual time. Breakfast doesn’t make itself.”
“Right.”
“Why don’t you sit down and have some coffee?” Lay offered. “I’ll look at the bruise that is probably forming on your leg.”
“No, no,” Chanyeol responded quickly, shaking his hand. “That’s okay. I’m just going to—”
“Sit down, Hyung.”
“Okay.” He took a seat before D.O. could send a glare his way, accepting the mug of coffee as Lay crouched down to check his leg.
“Still afraid of your dongsaeng?” Lay asked with a chuckle as his hand hovered over the blooming bruise, the warm glow quickly doing its job.
“He’s the one with the frying pan,” Chanyeol muttered into his arm as Lay stood back up, receiving a full laugh and pat on the back. The three of them fell into a silence that had the giant tapping his leg, waiting to be scolded, or lectured.
“You really like her,” D.O. finally spoke, covering the pot of soup and turning to face them, hands resting on the counter. “Don’t you?”
Chanyeol blanched at first, then relaxed. “I mean, I don’t know her super well yet, but yeah. I’d like to get to know her better. See how far it goes.”
D.O. searched his eyes for a minute, then nodded. “It’s probably going to hurt. You know that right?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened in shock that out of all of his brothers, D.O. wasn’t discouraging or reprimanding him for being reckless. “And it definitely won’t be easy.”
“I know,” he responded, sending him a thankful smile before his expression twisted into confusion. “But why…”
“You’re not the first to fall for a human,” D.O. responded with a shrug, turning back to the stove, signaling he didn’t want to continue.
“I have a family back in China,” Lay stated suddenly, making it his turn to have Chanyeol’s wide eyes turned on him. “One of the times I ended up there, it was really rough. This couple took me in, no questions asked, even though it was dangerous. Is dangerous. They own a restaurant, and anytime I find myself back there, they take me in, treat me like their son, and I work for them. They never had any kids and are getting older. I’ve been with them off and on for probably thirty years now.”
“But what about aging?” Chanyeol asked, grabbing the older man’s arm in concern and curiosity. “Surely they said something.”
Lay shook his head. “Nope.” He looked off in fondness. “They definitely noticed fairly quickly, but never said anything. Occasionally I can see the question in their eyes. I can see their concern when I tell them I’ll be gone for a while. But they never push.” He grabbed his wallet and pulled out a picture of him and a middle-aged couple standing in front of a modest-sized restaurant. “I don’t know what they think I am, but they care about me.”
“Wow,” Chanyeol stared at the picture in awe, and Lay added another. A selfie he had taken during his last stay. The couple now had mostly gray hair. The older man rested a hand on Lay’s shoulder and laughed at the surprise on his wife’s face as Lay gave her a peck on the cheek.
“It’s not easy, but to me, it’s worth it.”
“How’s their restaurant doing?” D.O. asked, placing bowls of soup in front of them, and Chanyeol realized that he must have already known.
“It’s going well. They just expanded.”
“That’s good.” He set down three bowls of rice, then grabbed utensils and joined them. Lay put the photos back and dug into his food, but Chanyeol only managed to push his own around.
“Hey Soo,” he started, cautiously. “What happened to...I mean...did the two of you…”
“It was a long time ago.” D.O. cut him off softly. “You better hurry if you want to be gone before the others get up. They’ll start stumbling in here soon.”
Chanyeol dropped it and went back to eating. “Thank you,” he said quietly and each of them focused on their breakfast.
~~~
He waited in the music room, picking out a new melody on his guitar until it was almost time for the bell to ring, then rushed to the classroom. He sent Myeong-suk a smile but avoided his brothers’ eyes as he took a seat.
Kai tried to get his attention throughout the morning. Elbow nudge, foot tap. Finally, he poked him in the ribs, eliciting a jump from him and a glare from the teacher. The maknae stopped after that.
As soon as the bell rang for lunch he jumped up and turned to Myeong-suk, beaming, and gently grabbed her wrist.
“Gaja,” he said.
Her return smile was confused, but she quickly grabbed her bag and allowed him to lead her out of the room. “What’s the rush?”
“Just wanted to get out of the small room,” he said with a shrug. “It’s beautiful outside and I got excited thinking about how nice it would be to have lunch on one of the benches.” He stopped suddenly and turned to look at her, face scrunched in concern. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “That would be great.”
~~~
It became a habit over the next couple of weeks. On especially nice days, they would sit outside during lunch and listen to music, taking turns sharing favorites, and helping each other with homework. After class, they would head to the music room or library, and on occasion, venture off of school grounds to get ice cream, coffee, or street food.
It didn’t take long for his brothers to occasionally join in during lunch, and sometimes the twins. Myeong-suk had allowed herself to get closer to them, having girls' days to get away from the chaos that the guys tended to become. Even if some of them had become like brothers in a very weird way.
They tried eating lunch all together on a rainy day, but the atmosphere had felt strained, Chanyeol and Feilong having not really made up. Irene had apologized for the misunderstanding and was civil, but Myeong-suk was never fully comfortable around her after that, always making sure to keep up some semblance of a wall.
Everything was going well, and Chanyeol couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy since crashing on earth.
Chapter 6
Our Memories Carved into the Season
The Sky That Doesn’t End Series Masterlist
Genre: EXO AU, High School
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chanyeol x Myeong-suk (OC)
Summary: In which a new girl comes to school. A new girl determined to be alone. That’s no problem for a happy virus though. Chanyeol has suddenly found a desire to make a deep connection with someone outside of his brothers, regardless of the trials presented.
First, Prev, AO3
Chapter 4: First Talks
Chanyeol was nervous, to say the least. He had said hello to Myeong-suk like usual, but she had breezed past him and taken her seat without glancing in his direction. The teacher was seconds behind too, so he hadn’t been able to find out what was wrong. As soon as class was over, she zoomed away, and now he stood in the cafeteria, unable to find her among the crowd.
“Irene,” he called out, stopping her and Feilong as they finished in the line. “Did everything go alright last night? Myeong-suk seemed upset in class today, and I can’t find her anywhere.”
“Oh.” Her brow scrunched, and her eyes darted around looking for her. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. She seemed to be having a good time last night.” She thought for a second. “She did end up leaving first though. I don’t think she was feeling well; she looked really tired.” She gave him a soft smile as his face fell. “She’s probably just tired and needs some space. I would just leave her alone for a bit.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled, then caught two similar faces heading into the room. “You guys go first,” he said, rushing off to talk to the twins. “Hey, Min-seon, Min-jin!” They stopped and waited for him to come over, their expressions taking on worry and mild frustration. “You went to the mall last night right? With Myeong-suk and the others? Have you talked to Myeong-suk today? She seemed upset in class and now I can’t find her.”
They shared a knowing glance, and seemed to have a full debate with their eyes before Min-seon finally turned to him. “You should probably talk to her. There was something that was said and I think it really hurt her. We tried to convince her it wasn’t true but…”
“What? What was said?”
“Ask her,” Min-jin cut in. “Irene was rude and brought up something personal. I’m not sure that it would be right for us to get in the middle of it. You might try checking outside, or the alcove in the east stairwell. They’re both pretty empty.”
“Thank you,” he said, already rushing off.
She wasn’t outside, in the alcove, classroom, or library, and he was running out of time before class started. His brothers would have told him to just wait till after school and stop her before she left, or that there was a reason she was avoiding him. It wouldn’t be the first time. But the same voice that was constantly drawing him to her was screaming at him to find her as soon as possible.
In a last attempt, he tried the music room, accidentally slamming the door open in his haste. “Myeong-suk?” he called out, breathless, but the only response he received was the stillness of the room. He doubled over trying to catch his breath as he tried to think of anywhere else. He straightened back up ready to continue his search when something caught his ear.
Muffled breathing came from the other side of the room, so quiet that most would have missed it. He took a step toward the piano, then another, trying to be as quiet as possible, until he heard a muffled sob. His heart crumpled and he took quick steps the rest of the way. Making his way around the grand piano, he found Myeong-suk against the side of one of the cabinets, her head resting in her knees with her face buried in her hands as her back shook. She looked so small.
“Myeong-suk,” he said softly, but she didn’t respond, only curling farther in on herself. “Myeong-ah, what happened? What’s wrong?”
“Please,” she whispered, voice broken. “Just leave me alone.”
“Myeong-ah.” He crouched down next to her and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. He second-guessed if this was the right thing to do, but they needed to talk. If there was anything he’d learned in his many years on earth it was that communication was important, and humans often struggled with it. He was hundreds of years old and struggled with it sometimes. If something had happened, he couldn’t begin to mend it without knowing what it was.``Please talk to me, ” he whispered as he tried to hold back his own tears.
She shot up, grabbed her bag, and rushed around him toward the door. His shock was momentary, and he followed quickly, his long strides catching up to her just as she made it to the door. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him, trying to catch her gaze. Her face was blotchy and her eyes swollen from crying.
“Let go of me,” she whispered, trying to shake her arm free. When he didn’t release her, she raised her fist and hit his chest, raising her voice. “Go away. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Myeong-ah.” He let her continue to beat his chest as more tears fell.
“I never should have gotten close to you. Why? Why couldn’t I just ignore you? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“I won’t leave you alone like this.”
“Yes you will!” she shouted. “You told me yourself that you move all the time. You’re going to leave before we even graduate. You’ll leave like everyone else in my life.” She hit him one more time, but there was less force, and she didn’t raise her fist again. Instead, her sobbing doubled as she crumpled against him. “I was so dumb hoping anyone would stay around.”
He slowly wrapped his arms around her, one around her shoulders, the other around her neck so he could wipe away her tears, as his own slowly began to fall against his will. “Myeong-ah, I don’t plan on leaving before graduating,” he said, resting his chin on her head. “I do move around a lot, but I would never leave without telling you. I would never abandon you.”
Her sobs increased and as she began to drop to the floor, he lowered with her. She grasped his school jacket, and he could feel her tears where her face was pressed against his shirt.
They stayed that way, well after the bell rang. He stroked her hair and massaged her back and arms, not sure if it was helping her, but needing to do something that might. When her cries quieted, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, glad that he’d picked up the habit when they were more common, and she took it with a trembling hand, not pulling away from his chest, and he went back to rubbing her arm.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
He shook his head. He didn’t know if she was apologizing for avoiding him, hitting him, or crying on him, but it didn’t really matter. “You don’t need to apologize. Can you just let me know what happened? You’re hurting and I want to fix it, but I’m not sure what I did. I’m sorry.”
She stayed silent for a minute. “I wasn’t being fair. You didn’t do anything,” she finally said, her voice hoarse. “I’m just tired of being abandoned.”
He pulled back, holding her at arm's length so he could see her face. “What do you mean?” She didn’t respond so he loosened his grasp and looked down. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re uncomfortable. If it’s too personal. I’ll understand, and we can stay here until you’re ready to go.”
She nodded but made no move to speak. After a second, he slowly started to stand, gently pulling her with him, then led her to the piano bench. They sat facing the window, and he kept an arm around her back, continuing to rub her arm. After a couple of minutes, she relaxed into his side, and he fought to keep from stiffening.
“When I was six, my mom left my dad and I, only leaving a simple note.” Her voice was quiet with a weighted sorrow. “It said we weren’t part of the life she wanted, and to forget her. My dad was heartbroken, and a year later he moved to America, leaving me with my aunt and uncle. I haven't seen him since.” A sob escaped past her lips and she took a shaky breath to keep from breaking down again. “When I was eleven, things started to feel normal again. I had made a friend at my new school, someone who I trusted. I told her everything. Neither of us were popular and would occasionally get picked on. I guess she got tired of it. She traded my secret for popularity with the other girls, used everything she knew about me so that the bullies only had one target, and everything I had confided in her about became ammo for them. Eventually, my aunt and uncle found out, and they transferred me. But, I refused to make friends after that. I didn’t want to risk being hurt again, and I told myself it was easy since we kept having to move for my uncle’s job.”
“I’m sorry.” It probably didn’t mean anything coming from him. “No one deserves to go through that, and I’m sorry you had to.” He felt her nod against him. “Myeong-ah, I would never leave without telling you, and I don’t plan on moving before I graduate.”
“But Feilong told Irene that he would be moving before graduation, and she thought he meant all of you. I shouldn’t have assumed, but you said you move a lot and I just got scared.”
His brow scrunched as he looked at her quizzically. “Feilong said he was moving?”
She nodded.
“He hasn’t said anything.” He turned his gaze to the window in thought. “No one’s mentioned moving.” After another moment, he smiled, trying to hide his confusion and concern from her. “I’ll talk to him about it. Maybe Irene was confused by something he said. But I’m telling the truth when I say I have no intention of moving any time soon. Please trust me.”
She stayed silent for a moment, then nodded her head with a quiet “Okay.”
With a quick squeeze, he dropped his arm from around her and stood up, holding out his hand for her to take. “Why don’t we get out of here? I think I’m in the mood for ice cream. My treat.”
She took his offered hand slowly and got to her feet, the flicker of a smile coming to the surface. It was still a couple of hours before school ended, but there would be little point in going into class this late. Breaking the norm would probably be good for once.
Chapter 5
Our Memories Carved into the Season
The Sky that Doesn’t End Series
Genre: EXO AU, High School
Rating: PG
Pairing: Chanyeol x Myeong-suk (OC)
Summary: In which a new girl comes to school. A new girl determined to be alone. That’s no problem for a happy virus though. Chanyeol has suddenly found a desire to make a deep connection with someone outside of his brothers, regardless of the trials presented.
First, Prev, AO3
Song recommendations
Chapter 6: First Love
Notes at end of chapter
2013.4.19 Thursday
“D.O.?” Chanyeol knocked rapidly on the door to his and Kai’s room, his excitement getting the better of him. “Are you busy?”
Kai was the one to open it as Chanyeol’s fist was halfway to the door again. “Where’s the fire, Hyung?” he asked with a smirk.
“Very funny,” he peeked over the maknae’s frame. “Is D.O. —?”
“Right here,” the shorter man answered, coming to stand next to Kai and rubbing at his eyes. “What is it?”
“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, I just got an idea and wanted to see if you could help me. But it can wait till later.”
“It’s okay, I was just resting my eyes from reading.”
“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asked, and Kai took his leave back into the room as D.O. nodded, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Could you help me make a picnic? For tomorrow?”
“For tomorrow?” D.O. stood up straight in shock, his eyebrows raised and eyes wide. “Hyung, that’s really short notice, I don’t know—”
“Please?” Chanyeol pushed. “I can go to the store and get everything, I just need to know what all to get. And I can make most of it, I just need instructions.”
The cook raised his hand to stop his brother’s rambling and sighed, rubbing his face. Now that Chanyeol had the idea, there would be no dissuading him. “Let’s see what we have in the kitchen and I’ll write up a list. You can run to the store while I get started.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“See if Lay can help too.”
“Okay!” With that, the giant bounded away, leaving D.O. smiling wistfully behind him.
~~~
“So, Didi*, do we get to join in on your feast?” Lay asked as he rolled up another kimbap.
“Of course!” Chanyeol stood over the stove, stirring tteokbokki* that he really hoped would turn out.
“You mean it’s not a date?”
“No,” Chanyeol burst into laughter. They hadn’t made it that far, yet. “I just thought it would be fun. I messaged the twins, and they’re going to be joining us. Sorry, I didn’t really clarify. I guess I just assumed you knew you were welcome. Especially after all this help.”
“You can take that off of the heat now,” D.O. chimed in, looking over Chanyeol’s work. “Why don’t you work on the pajeon next? I’ve finished the rest of the banchan*, and the meat should be done marinating, so I’ll start that next.”
“Okay,” Chanyeol said, turning off the fire and moving the pot to the back of the stove.
“Does Myeong-suk know?” D.O. questioned as he placed a frying pan into the stove.
“...No,” Chanyeol responded slowly, flinching away when D.O. looked up at him. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Are you sure she likes surprises?” Lay asked, turning to meet Chanyeol’s eyes, his own twinkling in amusement.
“I guess I’ll find out, Ge*,” he responded with a matching expression. A light pinch stung his ribs and he hollered, jerking away from D.O. as the shorter man reached to pinch him a second time. Chanyeol retreated away from him towards the healer, so he turned his attention back to the sizzling meat. Once the giant was sure that he was safe again he took up the empty space next to Lay and began to prepare the pajeon batter as they fell into a comfortable silence.
~~~
Myeong-suk entered school feeling like she was riding on a breeze. She’d had an unusually deep and restful sleep and a dream that she couldn’t remember, but it had made her feel safer than she’d felt since she was a child. It was Friday too, the last day before the weekend, and she had lots of free time to spend with Chanyeol...and the twins...and the other guys. But mostly Chanyeol. It was becoming easier to be okay with those thoughts, and she didn’t see herself going back at this point. She really liked him, and she enjoyed the others, but he had changed her life. He had brought the sun back into her dreary skies with his radiant smile, compassionate words, and simple gestures.
~~~
Okay, maybe she more than liked him, but you couldn’t pay her to say that, not yet.
Air left her lungs in a squeal as arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her feet from the ground, and she could feel Chanyeol’s smile in the giggling as his face came next to hers.
“Morning,” he said, spinning around once.
“Ah! Put me down,” she laughed, kicking her legs in fake protest.
After a final spin, he did, and she whirled around, smacking his shoulder, which he rubbed at even though she would never be strong enough to physically hurt him. “What was that for?”
He ducked his head, hand coming up to rub the base of his neck as his ears turned pink and he failed to hide a smile. “Sorry. I missed you.”
She started, then buried her face in her hands, laughing as she tried to cover up the fact that her face had gone red as her heart fluttered from his statement. “First of all we just saw each other yesterday, and second, that was the cheesiest line.” His resulting pout led to another series of giggles, which he shortly joined in on. He embraced her in another hug and this time, now facing him, she returned it, wrapping her arms around his middle and breathing in deeply, shocked once again that he always seemed to smell like a fire. Not the overpowering sour smell that lingered on your clothes long after leaving the campfire and friends, but the comforting and nostalgic memory one held onto. He released her too soon, holding her at arm's length with a smile that threatened to blind anyone who glanced his way.
“I have a surprise,” he said, his voice teasing as he pursed his lips, trying to tamper the excitement on his face.
Her eyes shot wider, brows rising as she waited for him to continue. “Well, what is it?” she finally asked when he stayed silent.
He released her arms, bringing his behind his back as he leaned forward, face inches from hers, causing her heart to stutter. “I already told you. It’s a surprise,” he said, then grabbed her backpack from where it rested on the floor and dashed to their classroom, his laughter echoing behind him.
She blinked, her brain slowly rebooting. When it finally caught up with her, she yelled after him and followed, her own laughter joining his.
~~~
He was out of his seat and through the door as soon as the lunch bell rang, the teacher calling after him not to run. Myeong-suk quickly threw her few things in her bag, hoping to catch up and corner him about the surprise, but before she could take a step toward the door, the twins blocked her path, saying something about lunch. She vaguely noticed some of the other guys rushing toward the door, but was distracted again when Min-seon hooked their elbows together.
“We should sit outside today,” she said, heading towards the door.
“But Chanyeol…” Myeong-suk trailed off, not sure what to say.
“Chanyeol?” Min-jin spoke up. “Did you guys already make plans? He rushed out of here pretty quickly.”
“He, um...” She could feel her face heating as she recalled the morning events, then she coughed, trying to keep from betraying herself. “Nevermind, outside sounds like a great idea.”
They stopped off at their lockers on the way out, and Myeong-suk couldn’t help but notice that the older twin was checking her phone more than usual and was fidgeting.
“Everything okay?” she asked, causing Min-jin to jump.
“Huh, oh yeah, everything’s fine,” Min-sin responded quickly, trying to cover it up.
“What is it?” Myeong-suk pushed, not buying her friend’s dismissal for a second.
“She’s just waiting on a text from a cute boy,” Min-seon cut in, bumping her sister’s hip with a wink.
“Min-seon!” Min-jin flustered, going slightly red to Myeong-suk’s surprise. “I am not.” She turned her eyes to Myeong-suk. “I’m just waiting on the confirmation of some plans.”
Her twin rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “Oh calm down, I said he was cute; never said you had a crush on him. You’d have to be blind to think he wasn’t.”
“Whatever,” the older one huffed, checking her phone again. “We better hurry, lunch will be over before we know it.”
“Great,” Min-seon said, grabbing their hands. “Let’s go.” She pulled them a short distance, but let them go after a couple of feet and skipped ahead to push through a door. They walked along one of the paths in silence, enjoying the wind rustling through the trees. The cherry blossoms had fallen off of the trees, but there were plenty of flowers still coming up in the meager flower beds.
“Ugh, I’m starving!” Min-seon said and the sudden exclamation made birds scatter from the trees. “Oh,” she stopped, the others skidding to a halt behind her. “Looks like our spot’s already taken, ladies. Whatever shall we do?”
Her tone and posture sent warning bells off as Min-jin didn’t move, unfazed, and the situation caused flashbacks to run through Myeong-suk’s brain. Her walls threatened to rise back up as she peered past them into the small alcove. The scene that greeted her made her heart jump into her throat and do a flip. There, right in front of her was a picture-perfect picnic, and standing on the other side was Chanyeol, beaming like he’d won the lottery.
“Tada!” he said, arms spread to show off the layout.
“What…” she started, but trailed off as he made his way around the spread of food and grasped her hand, pulling her into the alcove and back around to where he had been standing.
“D.O. and Lay helped me make the food, so you can trust that it tastes good,” he said, taking a seat on the ground, and she slowly joined him. “And the girls brought the drinks. There’s lots of everything, so we can finish whatever’s left after school.”
“If there’s anything left,” D.O. said, pointing his chin at the entrance where more of the brothers were peeking in.
“What’s going on?” Tao asked.
“A picnic, obviously,” Min-jin said as she took a seat next to D.O., her sister following suit and sitting on the end.
“Have a seat.” She waved them forward, then patted the empty spot next to her, retrieving a thermos from her bag. “The more the merrier.”
Tao and Sehun tried to rush for the spot, but in trying to stop the other, Baekhyun took the spot first, leaving them with dropped jaws.
“Hyung,” Sehun whined, and Xiumin and Chen snickered as they took their own places.
“It’s a good thing we planned on this happening,” Lay stated, passing around small bowls of rice and utensils as the sisters poured drinks. The two maknae continued to pout as they took the open spots near the entrance.
“What’s the occasion?” Chen asked, gaze landing on Chanyeol with a smirk, and the other new additions joined him, Myeong-suk’s gaze tilting up to him as well.
“Ah,” he kept his gaze focused down, grabbing her rice bowl. “Nothing in particular. I just thought it would be a nice way to have a break in the routine.” He placed some meat on the rice, as well as a rolled egg and some kimchi, then handed it back to her. “School’s been really stressful, but we’re so close to the end, and Myeong-suk and I’s song is done, but we never really celebrated.”
She took the bowl slowly, searching his expression for anything, but he kept his gaze elsewhere.
“Here Myeong-ah.” Min-seon handed her a glass of tea, interrupting her inspection. The twin gave her a wink, then a purposeful look at the bowl she had yet to touch. “You should hurry and eat. Lunchtime won’t last forever.”
“Right.”
The others joked around and she smiled along, quickly finishing what Chanyeol had placed in her bowl, and looked over the spread for something else to try.
“Here,” Chanyeol said, holding his hand out for her bowl. “What would you like?”
“Ah, anything is good. Thank you.”
“You should get what you want while you can Meimei*,” Lay offered as he placed a couple of items into the two bowls Min-seon held out to him. “The guys tend to forget that others need to eat too.”
Her eyes darted to the latecomers who seemed to be inhaling their food, making the large amount seem much smaller. Though, between Chanyeol and Lay’s longer arms and D.O.'s glare, she was sure she and the twins would get plenty of food, especially with the way Chanyeol seemed to be piling up her bowl. But she nodded in thanks and pointed at the tteokbokki and pajeon, which Chanyeol quickly retrieved.
At five minutes to the bell, D.O. started packing up the little that was left, and Xiumin joined in, offering to gather the trash. The small group finished quickly, and each filed out, making their way back inside as quickly as possible. With a smile, Myeong-suk grabbed her bag and went to follow, but stopped when a hand gently wrapped around her wrist. She followed the arm up to the owner’s face, and nerves balled up in her chest at Chanyeol’s expression.
“Can...um...can we talk for a minute?” he asked.
She shifted nervously, eyes darting to the school and back to him. “The bell, it’ll ring any second.”
“I know, I just, ugh, if I don’t do this now then...and I really don’t want to wait any longer. I mean, we hang out all of the time, but I want to do something different, and I just…why is this so much harder? We’re friends...but I don’t really want that anymore. This shouldn’t be that difficult, but I don’t want to mess things up and...” He stopped and took a deep breath, then locked eyes with her. “Myeong-ah, can I take you to dinner tomorrow night? As in, a date?”
She blinked as the rambling processed, then again as she tried to process his question. Once it sunk in, all of the air left her lungs and her face burned, but she couldn’t look away even though her voice refused to work. She willed any part of her body to respond as his expression grew more unsure as the moment ticked on. The bell startled them both and pushed her into gear, jumpstarting her brain and muscles. She grabbed his wrist and ran back towards the building, pulling him along.
“How on earth am I supposed to focus in class now?” she questioned. “I’m gonna be spending the rest of today trying to figure out what to wear, and, oh!” She came to an abrupt stop as they made it inside, before taking off again. “You’ll have to meet my aunt and uncle; they’ll skin both of us alive if I don’t introduce you to them when you pick me up. I mean, if you pick me up, I guess? And—”
“Myeong-ah.”
“Huh?” She stopped and turned to face him.
“Was that a yes?”
“Oh, right, um…” she dropped her eyes, suddenly aware of her outburst. “Yes, I would like that very much.”
Chapter 7
Notes:
Didi: Little brother in Chinese
Tteokbokki: Korean spicy rice cake dish
Banchan: Korean term for side dishes
Ge: Older brother in Chinese
Meimei: Little sister in Chinese
Neither of us are fluent in Korean or Mandarin but are learning. Please feel free to message us if you see anything that is incorrect, and we will do our best to fix it