Work Text:
Chapter 1
Park Chanyeol has it all. He is a famous idol turned producer now. He owns one of the hottest record labels and entertainment companies, SM Entertainment. Although the headquarters is in Seoul, South Korea, Chanyeol has taken the company global with a branch in San Francisco, California, where he works primarily. He left home, Seoul, at 20, and it’s been a decade since he went back. Chanyeol’s parents died when he was 12. His grandmother sent him to the US after his aunt, his mother’s sister, seeing his talent, wanted to help him in his music career. At first, Chanyeol had difficulty adjusting to not only the language but also the American culture, but Sehun, his cousin, his aunt’s son, helped him a lot. Sehun always wanted a brother, and with both Chanyeol and Sehun being the only children, they got along like a house on fire. Chanyeol did his graduation and master's in music from the University of San Francisco. Chanyeol was scouted by a major record label during his first year of undergrad for a boyband. He became the main rapper. After seven years of being an idol, he wanted to promote his own music and talented lesser-known artists, so he started SM Entertainment with Sehun. Together they released 10 albums; all were platinum sellers and won many awards in music shows in Korea as well as the US.
Things were going on well till one day, Chanyeol received a phone call that changed the trajectory of his life. His grandmother had passed away due to old age. Chanyeol, his aunt, and Sehun return to Seoul for the funeral. A few days later, when it was time to return, Chanyeol wished to stay back.
“Are you sure? It’s been a long time since you left. Will you be fine?” Mrs. Park asks him.
“Just for a while. I will definitely come back.” answers Chanyeol.
“Hyung, if you want me to stay, I will," says Sehun.
“No. Don’t worry.” Chanyeol convinces Sehun.
After they leave for the US in two days, Chanyeol goes around the house to check it out. His aunt had arranged for the house to be sold. Her agent was a kind man, Mr. Kim Junho. He let Chanyeol stay as long as he wanted, and then Mr. Kim would sort out his grandmother’s things and then put the house up for sale. With nothing else to do, Chanyeol visits his headquarters. SM Entertainment Seoul was huge. The CEO, Doh Kyungsoo, and Vice President, Kim Jongin, were his good friends. Kyungsoo was Chanyeol’s classmate at school. And Jongin was his junior.
Kyungsoo invited him to a weekend party at his beach house.
“I know that this is not the right time, but I want you to meet a few of our classmates who are longing to meet you. Remember Chen and Minseok? That Chinese exchange student Yixing? They all want to meet you," says Kyungsoo.
"Sure, no problem. It’s been 10 years since I last saw them. Jongin, will you come?” asks Chanyeol.
“Of course, hyung. I knew Chen hyung and Yixing hyung through their agencies when they auditioned for us last year," says Jongin.
“Oh yes, I forgot about the talent show. Who was the winner?” asks Chanyeol.
“It was Chen," says Kyungsoo.
“Great. I will definitely be there on Saturday.” confirms Chanyeol.
“I will come and pick you up, hyung," says Jongin.
Chanyeol nods his affirmation. No harm in meeting old friends, thinks Chanyeol.
Saturday night:
Chanyeol and Jongin arrive at Kyungsoo’s beach house. It’s a huge house facing the sea. The driveway is filled with lots of sports cars, indicating the wealth of the guests. There is heavy security in place, and safety measures were taken to cordon off the paparazzi so that no one gets any odd angles or even blurred photos. It took them a while to find Kyungsoo, who then introduces Chanyeol to his friends and classmates. Chanyeol thinks that Chen, Minseok, and Yixing look the same. Minho has become bulky, while Taemin looks prettier. They catch up on life updates. Chanyeol feels that the years apart haven't changed them at all. Slowly he wanders around the house. Kyungsoo’s beach house is simple yet elegant, unlike most luxurious beach houses he has visited. The views of each room are stunning and face the sea with natural light entering the room. He finds a huge glass aquarium in one of the rooms. He enters and finds exotic and colorful fish swimming around calmly. He is mesmerized by the colors and gets closer to the glass to view them.
Suddenly he sees an eye looking at him from the other side. Chanyeol jerks away from the glass and so does the other person. Chanyeol stares at the man who stares back. His eyes are twinkling with mischief. They move together across the tank. Chanyeol smiles softly, and the man responds by smiling brightly. Chanyeol finds him cute. The man taps his finger on the glass and so does Chanyeol. He then signals to hold his palm, and Chanyeol does it. Both burst out laughing. Chanyeol feels an instant attraction at that moment. The man steps away from the glass momentarily. Chanyeol’s face drops, but the next minute when he sees the man coming closer, Chanyeol’s face brightens up with a huge smile.
“Fancy seeing you back in Seoul.” The man says.
“You know me?” Chanyeol is curious and doesn’t remember meeting him.
“Of course I do. Park Chanyeol. Mrs. Park's grandson. We went to the same school.”
“Still nothing. Your name?”
“Byun Baekhyun. Your grandmother’s neighbor’s son.” The man extends his hand.
Chanyeol shakes his hand and feels an electric current hit him. He immediately pulls his hand out. And that’s when he hits him. The small, slightly fat, and chubby boy who wore thick reading glasses and braces till he was 14. Chanyeol and he, along with Baekhyun’s younger brother Mark, used to hang out a lot together and most afternoons end up playing in each other’s houses till his grandmother and Baekhyun’s parents got back home. Baekhyun’s parents shifted to Busan when they both turned 15, and then Chanyeol lost touch with him. But the man who is standing in front of him is in no way the same boy. Baekhyun has grown up well. He has lost weight and looks fit now. With the glasses and braces removed, his features look more defined. His thick, longer black hair has been styled into the latest haircut with brown locks, which enhances his natural brown eyes. In short, Baekhyun’s glow-up is stunning and attractive.
Chapter 2
Chanyeol recovers from his shock and tries to talk to him.
“Now I remember you. How have you been?”
“Good. I thought you moved to the US?” says Baekhyun.
"Yes, I did. My grandma passed away recently. So I came back home for the funeral. I will be here for a while.”
“Nice. Welcome back. See you around.” Baekhyun walks out of the room. Just then, Kyungsoo walks into the room.
"Hey, I was looking for you. "So you met Baekhyun, huh?" says Kyungsoo. He had mischief written all over his face.
"Ah, so this is why you wanted me to come, is it?”
“Maybe. I always wondered what happened to the both of you. You too were so close.”
“The usual. He moved to a different city. I moved to a different country, and we lost touch. That simple.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t believe that it was that simple, but he wasn’t going to argue with Chanyeol today.
That night Chanyeol thinks about Baekhyun a lot and falls asleep. The next day, Chanyeol asks Kyungsoo about Baekhyun.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself? We have a meeting today. He is coming over in twenty minutes.”
Before Chanyeol could react, Kyungsoo left the room. Chanyeol hangs around till he meets Baekhyun.
“Hi again," greets Chanyeol.
"Hi, how are you?” says Baekhyun.
“Would you like to join me for lunch today?” asks Chanyeol.
“Hmm. Let me see. It’s too short a notice," says Baekhyun. Chanyeol’s face drops. Baekhyun looks at him. “How about dinner tonight?”
“Sure. What time?”
“I will finish with my meeting and text you. See you later.”
Later that night:
Chanyeol takes the cab to the restaurant Baekhyun has texted. It looked familiar. Baekhyun walked in right behind him.
“Hello, Mr. Kwon. How are you?” asks Baekhyun. The owner was their high school's cafeteria staff. He helped them get seated.
“Do you remember Chanyeol?”
“Of course. Long time. Heard you moved abroad.”
“Yes. I am back for a short visit," says Chanyeol.
“Nice seeing you again. Enjoy your dinner.”
Dinner wasn’t fancy, but the food was delicious. It was a small family-run restaurant.
“So what do you do? I am curious.”
"Well, I did my fashion design course, and now I am officially designing clothes for a few music videos. I met Kyungsoo for one of your artist’s videos.”
"Nice," says Chanyeol. Conversation flows smoothly, and before he realizes it, it’s time to leave. Chanyeol offers to drop him, but Baekhyun declines.
When he gets home, Chanyeol calls Kyungsoo to get Baekhyun’s number.
“Wait, I thought you went out on a date. Didn’t you ask him yourself?”
“No. We went for a casual dinner. Did Baekhyun tell you that?”
“Oh man. "It's been what…15 years, and still you are clueless, aren’t you?” says Kyungsoo.
“Could you stop talking in riddles and get to the point?"
Kyungsoo tells him that Baekhyun always had a crush on him, but Chanyeol never noticed him due to his appearance. The way they were close to each other, many thought that they would end up together. It so happens that Baekhyun even came to the US to meet Chanyeol, but then when he returned, he had totally changed. Afterwards, his friends, including Kyungsoo, stopped mentioning Chanyeol.
“When did he come? I never knew.”
"Oh, about 5 years ago.”
“Give me his number; I want to talk to him.” After much arguing, Chanyeol finally gets his number. He texts to meet him the next day.
The next day:
They meet up at the farmers' market. Chanyeol gets to the point right away.
“I didn’t know you visited San Francisco 5 years ago. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Baekhyun looks at him. What else did Kyungsoo tell you? I am going to beat him up.”
“Everything. Baekhyun, I had no idea. If only I had known..."
“What would you have done? Just forget it. It’s awkward as it is. I have moved on and I have a boyfriend now.”
Chanyeol chokes on the drink he was sipping. "Oh, you do?”
“Yes. You can meet him tonight at Chen’s home party. You are coming right?”
“Ah yes, I am.”
After dropping Baekhyun, Chanyeol calls Chen and invites himself over. Next he calls Kyungsoo.
“Oh Suho is nice. You are coming to Chen’s right? He will be there. They are inseparable," says Kyungsoo.
Chanyeol arrives at Chen’s house at 8 pm sharp. He sees Minseok, Yixing, Minho, and Taemin. Kyungsoo and Jongin arrive a few minutes later. Chanyeol is anxiously waiting for Baekhyun. When they arrive, Chanyeol goes and hides in the guest bathroom. After a couple of minutes, he hears a knock on the door and Kyungsoo’s voice calling him out. Chanyeol opens the door to Kyungsoo’s naughty smile.
“They are here.” He literally sings. Chanyeol shakes his head but follows him to the living room. There he sees only Baekhyun, bright and chirpy. Chanyeol never realized till now how beautiful Baekhyun was. When he walks up to them, Baekhyun is gushing over Suho’s latest case. Chanyeol gathers that Suho is a leading lawyer in a top firm. Baekhyun sees him and pauses.
“Hi Chanyeol. Meet my boyfriend Suho. Honey, this is Chanyeol, my childhood neighbor before we moved to Busan.”
“Hi, Chanyeol," greets Suho. He is tall and handsome but not as tall as he. He speaks eloquently and is well mannered.
Chanyeol finds Kyungsoo. “Tell me, what does he see in him?”
“Who? Baekhyun? "Ah, a nice, successful man to settle down with," answers Kyungsoo.
“Yeah right. He’s so snobbish. Didn’t know Baekhyun liked his type.”
“That’s because his parents are filthy rich. He comes from generational wealth. But get to know him. He’s a nice man.”
“I don’t like him.”
“Nobody asked you," replies Kyungsoo.
Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun aside. “What do you see in him?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard right. Just answer.”
“He’s a nice and decent man who cares a lot about me.”
"Ah, so there is no love.”
“I didn’t say that. He does love me.” replies Baekhyun.
“Just not the way you want him to," says Chanyeol.
Chanyeol sees a slight change in Baekhyun’s face. Ah, I hit bull’s-eye, he thinks to himself. Baekhyun inhales before opening his mouth to speak.
“You don’t know him. If you get to know him, then you will see that he’s a good man.”
Chanyeol shakes his head as if he’s still not convinced by what Baekhyun tells him.
“We will see.”
Kyungsoo walks into Chanyeol’s office the next day and bangs his desk.
“What did you say to him?”
“Him who?”
"Oh, you know who? Don’t act.”
“Baekhyun. I just asked him what he sees in that guy. That’s all.” Chanyeol answers sheepishly.
“Don’t you dare mess with him. He is over you and has moved on. It took him years. Suho is a nice guy.”
“In all honesty, don't you both think he’s been unfair with me? I mean he liked me and came all the way to the US to meet me. He could have just told me about that.”
“What would you have done? You were going around with so many people at the same time. Would you have dropped everyone to spend time with him? Got to know him?” asks Kyungsoo.
“Are you his friend or mine?”
“Both. As it is, he is having a tough time dealing with his in-laws. Don’t add to it.”
Without realizing it, Kyungsoo had just handed him a good reason to break them apart. Chanyeol smirks. Kyungsoo stops his monologue.
"Chanyeol, I am warning you. Don’t mess around. You will leave in 3 weeks. Remember that," says Kyungsoo. That sobers him down a bit, but Chanyeol is willing to take the risk. He texts Baekhyun to meet, but Baekhyun refuses.
Chapter 3
For the next three days, Chanyeol is persistent until Baekhyun gives up and meets him. For the next few days, Chanyeol keeps making excuses to meet with Baekhyun. Baekhyun too hangs out with him. He never brings up Suho or his parents in their conversation, but Chanyeol knows that all is not too well with them. And it happens. Just like the way Chanyeol predicted to himself, trouble brews between Baekhyun and Suho. Suho’s parents didn’t like him from day one. They felt that Baekhyun lacked the finesse that they needed in Suho’s partner.
“They could have simply said I am not rich enough," cribs Baekhyun. Chanyeol is quiet.
Baekhyun wants him to talk. ”Say it. I can read your face. You badly want to tell me, I told you so.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I am going to stand up for myself if he doesn’t. I am not going to get bullied by rich snobs.”
Chanyeol remains quiet. Baekhyun leaves his ramen halfway and goes home. Two days later, Chanyeol comes to know through Jongin that Baekhyun had broken up with Suho. He is thrilled. Chanyeol decides to swoop in. He visits Baekhyun at his house. When Baekhyun opens, he looks normal but a little tired.
“Not a word from you.” He tells Chanyeol.
“I won’t say a word." Chanyeol dramatically zips his mouth, which makes Baekhyun laugh. They chat for a while sipping the red wine that Chanyeol had gifted him.
Chanyeol finds a loose hair of Baekhyun's, which was curled on his forehead. He instinctively pushes it up. By doing so, he moves closer to Baekhyun. The next minute, he finds Baekhyun’s mouth on his, kissing him. Chanyeol kisses him back. They make out right there on his couch.
Chanyeol pauses and pulls away from him.
“Are you sure about this? There is no turning back.” He wants to confirm. Baekhyun whispers, “I am sure.” He kisses Chanyeol again. Chanyeol carries him.
“Where is your bedroom?” His voice cracks.
“Upstairs.” Baekhyun kisses his Adam’s apple, driving Chanyeol crazy. He stumbles but steadies himself and then carries Baekhyun to his bedroom and shuts the door.
Two days later:
Baekhyun has never been this happy before. He has always been in love with Chanyeol since his childhood. Now that Chanyeol reciprocates his feelings, he is in seventh heaven. They hang out together and let their friends know that they are dating and are a couple. Just like that, while they were having fun and getting to know each other again, time flies, and Chanyeol’s three weeks are up. Sehun calls him for an important client meeting. He tries to attend it via Zoom, but due to a technical glitch, he connects late. The client leaves frustrated, and the next available date to connect with them is over a month away. Chanyeol decides to fly back to San Francisco.
“So when do you leave?” asks Baekhyun that night in bed. They were cuddling up after a lovemaking session.
“Two days.” Chanyeol kisses his forehead. “Why don’t you come with me?”
“Me? No. I am fine here. Besides, I have my work here. When are you coming back?”
"Well, I cannot come anytime soon. I have lots of meetings and new artists lined up. It will definitely be another three or four months for me to get free even to breathe." Both are silent.
Two days later:
Chanyeol flies to San Francisco. Baekhyun sees him off at the airport. He clings to Chanyeol and hugs him tightly.
“I love you.” whispers Chanyeol into Baekhyun’s ears.
“I love you too.”
“Come with me.”
“You know I would, but I have work," says Baekhyun.
“We will make this work, I promise," says Chanyeol and wipes Baekhyun’s tears. He kisses him softly. Baekhyun kisses him back with love.
“I am going to miss you."
“Me too.”
Chanyeol hugs Baekhyun one last time and heads towards the security. Just as he is about to enter the line, he turns around and waves to Baekhyun, who waves back.
The first week they kept texting each other throughout Baekhyun’s day, as it was night for Chanyeol, but during his night there was absolutely no communication from Chanyeol. He makes up for his absence on the weekends by FaceTiming. Baekhyun is happy with that. They are both exhausted, but wanting to spend time with each other, they forget the exhaustion. Slowly work takes priority. Chanyeol misses a couple of calls, and when he calls back, Baekhyun is busy. Days turn into weeks, and before they realize it, weeks turn into months. Baekhyun starts to miss Chanyeol a lot. He tries to clear up his schedule to fly to the US, but getting a visa becomes a hassle. It would take another few months to get a visa appointment due to Seoul being a high-demand embassy. Baekhyun gets frustrated but never shows it to Chanyeol whenever they FaceTime, which has become rare. It’s been six months since they both saw each other properly. Baekhyun misses him a lot.
On the morning before his 31st birthday, Kyungsoo gives the guest list to Baekhyun one last time. He asks for any other last-minute detail. Kyungsoo took it upon him to arrange for the party. It was both Baekhyun’s birthday and the success of his new spring fashion line. Baekhyun absentmindedly glances at the paper and gives it back to Kyungsoo. Throughout the day, Baekhyun keeps getting congratulatory calls, which he attends on autopilot. His mind is elsewhere. This was his first birthday after he started dating Chanyeol, and Chanyeol is not going to be there. That evening, he was getting ready to go out to dinner with Jongin and Kyungsoo when his phone rang. It was Chanyeol on FaceTime. He answers happily.
“Omg, darling, what a surprise? How come you are free now? I thought you were flying out to meet your client." Baekhyun says while applying eyeliner to his eyes.
“I just landed and had a few minutes to spare, so I thought I would wish you a happy birthday in advance. You look gorgeous, baby. Show me your outfit.”
Baekhyun carefully places the phone on the stand and shows him his outfit. He is wearing a cobalt blue velvet top, which is backless and tied with strings, and black pants. Chanyeol whistles after he stops. Baekhyun blushes.
“Do you have to go out dressed like that?” asks Chanyeol.
“Ah, yes. I have one more, hmm... interesting outfit to wear when I finally get to meet you.”
"Okay, show it to me now," asks Chanyeol huskily.
“Not now. I am getting late. Maybe tomorrow," says Baekhyun. Just then, Chanyeol’s call drops. Baekhyun gets irritated, but then there is a knock on his apartment door. Curious as to who it was, when he opens, Baekhyun almost screams. There, standing before him looking absolutely handsome, was his boyfriend, Chanyeol.
“What are you doing here?”
“Meeting with an important client.” Chanyeol walks into the apartment, carries Baekhyun, and walks into his bedroom.
Three months later:
It was a sunny Saturday morning. All are gathered in the beautiful church in downtown Seoul. The crowd was patiently waiting for the other groom to walk down the aisle. Chanyeol stood at the altar nervously. Sehun steps up and pats his back assuringly. After the surprise visit, Chanyeol told Baekhyun that he was wrapped up with the US operations and resigned from his post as the president. Sehun took over from him. In a recent development, Jongin was selected unanimously by the board of directors as the CEO of the US operations. Chanyeol flew back to Seoul to take his position as the president of the Korean office. While the board meetings were going on, Chanyeol saw that both Sehun and Jongin were quite familiar and more than friendly and comfortable working with each other. He knew something was brewing only for Sehun to confess that he had fallen in love with Jongin when they had visited Seoul. So Jongin was more than willing to trade places with him.
Chanyeol was happy that his baby brother had found someone just like him. His aunt and uncle had approved of Jongin. All three were sitting together in the front row. Kyungsoo was Baekhyun’s best man while Sehun was his. Their friends, Chen, Minseok, Yixing, Minho, and Taemin, all turned up and were happy that Chanyeol was finally marrying Baekhyun. The music played and pulled Chanyeol out of his thoughts. Baekhyun walked with his parents. Mark was already waiting for him beside Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s eyes never left Baekhyun. He looked radiant in a white suit. After the ceremony was over and the priest declared them husbands and asked them to kiss each other, Baekhyun whispered into his ear. “I am pregnant.” Chanyeol was beyond happy. He kissed Baekhyun deeply and whispered back, "That's the best news I have heard today.”
The End.