365 Days NOT To Fall In Love; STAR LOVERS // EXO Chanyeol

16."My Closest Friend"

Baekhyun quickly parks his car and jumps out.

He walks fast, trying to remember her directions clearly.

It's late afternoon, the sun has almost entirely set and the weather is freezing. Natural for January weather in Seoul.

The cold breeze makes him shiver and he rushes his steps, wearing a warm padding coat and a mask and a black beanie to hide his identity.

'If I remember correctly, I should reach the market after this turn'

He takes a turn to his right and finally escapes the narrow allies, his eyes widen at the sight.

A sea of people ahead of him, both locals and foreigners can be seen having a good time. The market is endless, with Korean food trucks at each side of the straight road, huge neon signs illuminate all over the place, street performers and artists such as singers and dancers can be seen around. All kinds of music can be heard from different counters and tents and loud voices and laughs fill up the cold air.

"Woah.." is all he manages to say at the sight of this view. He remembers Chanyeol talking about this place a lot when Ji Young would bring him here. Chanyeol would always describe it as a 'hidden diamond'.

He realizes he's been standing at the same spot for too long and decides to keep going, passing through the crowd and trying to remember every detail clearly.

"So, there's this place that I always go when I need to find peace and relax" Ji Young clears her throat, putting down her pair of chopsticks.

Baekhyun stuffs his mouth with food "Really? What place?" He's in a rush since he only came by her place for her to cook him lunch before his afternoon schedule.

She smiles at him, happy that he seems to really enjoy her cooking skills "Chanyeol really likes this place too! He must have talk to you about it" she pauses for a second to give him some of her food since she's not that hungry "It's a market, at the East side of Seoul. It's hidden well but as time goes on more and more people find out about it. When I used to go there years ago not many people knew about it"

"Anyways it's full of fun things to see and delicious food. There's this one hotpot restaurant, 'Kalgosuk' that I always visit when I go there. It's my favorite place since I was little, even the lady owner there knows me. I should give you the address"

Baekhyun nods, shoving his phone to her on the table before taking an other bite of his food "Uh. Write it down, I'll visit it someday"

"You should" Ji Young agrees with a smile, she then looks at him with a huge smile "Ya! Let's make a surprise party for Chanyeol's birthday there!"

Baekhyun also smiles at the idea "Uh! We should definitely do that"

He checks the address on his phone and puts it back in his pocket, looking around like a lost puppy. He had been there once when they held Chanyeol's birthday party at that restaurant but they went by car and it's been too long since then, let alone he didn't really pay attention on their way there.

His eyes widen in surprise as he spots the huge red 'Kalgosuk' sign in the distance, a bit further than the crowded area.
'Found it!'

He rushes to that direction, not so worried about being seeing by any fans since the place is too crowded for anyone to notice him.

He wipes his shoes on the small mat before pushing the door open, the bell above the door jingling as he enters.

He looks around the old restaurant, only a couple of costumers seem to be around. "Oh! Annyeonghaseyo!" The middle-aged woman behind the wooden counter greets him with a friendly smile.

Baekhyun bows his head in respect, looking around quickly as he lowers his mask and walks to her "De annyeonghaseyo. I'm looking for a friend. I was hoping maybe you have seen her around?"

The lady nods for him to go on, the warm smile never leaving her slightly wrinkled face "Tell me her name, maybe I know her"

"She used to visit this place a lot, I'm not sure about now," he scratches the back of his head "Her name is-"

He suddenly hears the same jingling sound, someone just entered the restaurant.

"Baekhyun-ah?"

He turns around at the sound of the familiar sweet voice calling his name.

His eyes widen in surprise, a huge smile forms on his lips "Ji Young-ssi!"

He quickly rushes to her and envelopes her in a tight hug, supporting his chin on her shoulder "I missed you so much, you have no idea"

"I missed you a lot too, Baek-ie" Ji Young hides her face inside his chest, smiling uncontrollably at the sight of her closest friend, already feeling her eyes burn with tears.

After a couple of seconds Baekhyun pulls away to see her face that he so much have missed. He chuckles at the sight of hair strands being glued on her wet cheeks, "Ya," he softly whispers, using his fingers to push the hair away from her face with gentle moves "Why are you crying?"

She grins, her eyes smile too "I'm just really happy to see you"

Baekhyun feels his heart race. He thought that after all this time being away from her, his feelings would have gone away but he was wrong.

He sighs, caressing her long hair and smiling like an idiot in love "I'm even happier, I came here looking for you but I didn't think you'd actually be here" He then pouts, frowning "You even changed your phone number, pabo"

Ji Young bites her lips, feeling regretful that she has been giving everyone a hard time "Mian" she mutters a quick apology and unwraps her arms to escapes his embrace "But you more than anyone should know my reasons"

Baekhyun nods "Uh, I know that you wanted to disappear" he crosses his arms on his wide chest "But that's actually all I know. You never told me the whole truth Ji Young-ssi"

Ji Young sighs, her fingers start playing with each other nervously "That...I didn't want anyone to know. Not even you"

He stares deep onto her glassy eyes before speaking again "Take a seat. I'm buying you dinner"

~~
Hello :)

So Baekhyun met Ji Young! Let's see what happens next ^^

Btw I invented the word 'Kalgosuk' for the restaurant's name haha

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Kate