Chanyeol comes out of the bathroom only in his pants and with a towel hung on his neck. He opens his wardrobe revealing stacked clothes in one column and hung clothes in another column. He scans the stack of clothes looking for his favorite sweater. He takes it out once he finds it and puts it on immediately. He ruffles his damp hair with the towel to dry it and his body stops mid-turn when he notices the two pairs of ice skates - one black pair, one white pair - below the hung clothes.
It has been two years since he revealed his identity to Haewon. They are both now in their third year of highschool, and their relationship isn't the same anymore. Chanyeol purses his lips and closes the wardrobe.
I need to buy some snacks and other supplies for later.
He mentally takes note of the things he need to buy for his monthly shopping. He opens a drawer of his bed-side table and takes out his wallet uncovering two photos of him and Haewon taken two years ago before he revealed his secret. On top of one of them is his twig ring. He pauses looking at the photo. He can't help but to let a small smile curls on his lips. He then closes the drawer and takes his winter coat before walking out of the room.
.
.
.
His fingers dance swiftly on the playstation stick, his lightly bitten tongue pokes out, and his eyes narrow focusing on the TV screen. After coming home from his monthly shopping, he decided to spend the day at home playing his playstation. It's weekend and it's winter holiday - the best combination to be lazy and stay at home. So WinningEleven it is.
"No! No! No! No! Aish! Come on steal the ball!" He nags at the animated player moved by himself like a puppet. "Ah! Nooo!"
"GOAAALL!" Comes the rather high-pitched scream of joy from the girl sitting beside him.
Chanyeol slouches laying back on the couch defeatedly while facepalming himself. His lower lip protrudes as he looks at the girl who has jumped off the couch and is now pumping her fist in the air celebrating her win as if she kicked the ball for a goal in person. She then plops down on the couch still giggling and pokes out her tongue at him.
"I win!"
"Are you sure you have never played this game?" Still pouting, he raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" She laughs.
"You sure?" He asks again.
"You just can't get over the fact that you just lost to your girlfriend, huh, fruity?" She pokes his cheek repeatedly.
"Fruity?" He scoffs while grabbing her finger to stop her from poking him.
"That's your new nickname! I just invented it. You told me both Eustace and Chanyeol mean fruitful. So I came up with a new nickname for you: fruity! Cute isn't it? "
"You and your weird inventions of nicknames for me!" He shakes his head and chuckles. She smiles at him and again he feels time is slowing down for them.
*Flashback*
A drop of tear fell on her cheek.
/You have failed to keep your vow, Park Chanyeol!/
"I'm sorry for keeping it all this time and for revealing it on our special day." Haewon slowly lifts her head and turns to look at him. Her eyes are still glistening with the remaining tears that haven't fallen out. "I understand if you're hurt and want us to break up-" Chanyeol feels two arms encircling his neck before he even finishes his sentence. She places her chin on the crook of his neck while still holding the box in her hand.
"Dumb Dumbo!" He hears her sniffs.
"Haewon-ah..."
"Are you tired of me already that you want us to break up?" She pouts and hugs him tighter. Tears begin to flow making her cheeks wet. He slowly rests his hands on her waist.
"But I-"
"I'm glad that the Eustace I've been waiting for is here, but it's not him that I've fallen in love with. It's this babo Park Chanyeol that I'm now hugging! Even if you're not Eustace, I will still love you." She sniffs while sulking making him chuckle a bit as he snakes his arms around her waist even more.
"Don't ever say about breaking up again! Or else I will really break up with you and hate you!"
*Flashback ends*
It's true that their relationship isn't the same as it was. Their relationship has grown stronger and more serious since the day he reveals his secret. That day, they both realized that they don't just think they love each other, they know they love each other.
Haewon felt betrayed and lied to when she first opened the box, but then she thought about what she would do and feel if Chanyeol revealed it earlier. She then realized that she was never really sure of her feelings for Eustace. Sure he was the first guy she liked, but she only thought she loved him. Thus, if Chanyeol revealed his identity earlier, her feelings for him might only be grounded on thinking she loves him. Though they are the same person, it was Chanyeol, not Eustace, who made her fall in love.
---------------
Haewon walks out of her house one morning wearing two layers of clothes and a scarf encircling her neck. The sun is up, but of course its warmth is beaten by the cold winter. Yet, despite the cold season, her heart is warm with happiness as she walks to Chanyeol's house.
She checks his mailbox before entering the house. It has become a habit of hers to check his mailbox because the tall guy often forgets to do so, and sometimes ends up late in paying bills because of it. She buries her hand inside the box attached to the wall and takes out the envelopes. She then enters the house chanting the name of the senders one by one as she takes one envelope at a time from one hand to the other.
"Phone bill, water bill, electricity bill -" she pauses her chant when she comes to an envelope she has never seen before as she enters his room. She stands in front of his desk narrowing her eyes at the letters written on the envelope.
The letter is directed to Eustace Park.
She knows Eustace is Chanyeol, but it feels strange reading the name after all the Chanyeols on other envelopes. Her gaze moves to the letters on the top left corner of the envelope. The red letters, printed in lower case but are large in size, read "aim". She raises an eyebrow as she continues to read the words below the previous word. This time, all the letters are printed in capitals but are smaller in size. They read "AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MUSIC". Somehow Haewon feels uneasiness inside her heart when she reads the words.
She flinches before her mind can process the information she just takes in when a pair of strong arms encircle her waist from behind. Her hands swiftly and quickly flip the envelope behind the others.
"Whatcha doin~?" Chanyeol cutely asks as he places his chin on her shoulder.
"Nothing. Just putting your mails on your desk." She answers while putting down the envelopes. She then glances at her boyfriend who is still enveloping her when she notices his damp hair, his bare arms, and the dampness on her back she just felt through her layered clothes. Her eyes then widen when realization dawned on her.
"Ya!" She breaks free from his embrace and turns around to face him, but she quickly covers her eyes with one hand when she is faced with his bare chest. "Ya! Can't you put your clothes first before hugging me?!" She waves her free hand at him. Chanyeol chuckles seeing her burning cheeks.
"Why~?" he coos and teases trying to hug her again.
Haewon tries to block him from hugging her with her free hand. She wants to prevent the heat on her cheeks from rising and the beat of her heart from pacing faster. But landing her hand on his bare chest doesn't help. Instead, she feels her cheeks burning even more and her heartbeat picks an even faster pace. Chanyeol easily wraps his arms around her. Out of reflex, Haewon puts her other hand, uncovering her eyes, on his shoulder to stop him from leaning closer. She tries to look away from his body and instead lays her gaze on his eyes - his playful eyes. She gulps when her eyes lock with his. It suddenly feels hard for her to breathe.
"Pervert!" She gathers every ounce of strength inside her and pushes him before running out of his room leaving Chanyeol to laugh.
"Aish! That guy!" Haewon pants for air once she is outside his room. She brings one hand to her chest trying to slow down her pounding heart.
---------------
Is he applying for a university abroad? That must be it!
She can't get the AIM envelope earlier out of her head. But what scares her is the possibility of being apart from him if her earlier thought are true.
"Hey! Are you okay?" His voice snaps her from daydreaming. She turns to look at him who's walking beside her. His neck is wrapped with the scarf she made for him years ago.
"I'm fine." She smiles assuring him, but he knows from her look that she is burdened by something. He grabs her hand intertwining their fingers and puts it inside the pocket of his winter coat. Surprised, she stops in her steps and looks at him.
"It's cold isn't it?" He smiles after puffing out a breath and she nods with a smile after staring at him for awhile. She feels part of the burden in her heart has been taken away by his smile. He knows pushing her with questions won't help her. Right now, warming her heart is the right thing to do. She will tell him what ails her mind when she's ready. They continue to walk to the live music café he's working at. It's winter holiday, but it's weekday today - meaning work. He is permitted to take the evening shift though. And Haewon insisted on coming with him because she is bored doing nothing at home.
.
.
.
If he's going abroad again, why isn't he telling me? When will he tell me?
Questions keep on popping in Haewon's head. Her eyes are glued at the tall big-eared figure who is setting his guitar on stage while she sits on one of the high stools beside the bar.
"He's not going to disappear if you look away, you know?" A husky voice followed by a deep chuckle surprises her. She takes her gaze off her boyfriend and turns to the man standing behind the bar island.
"Oh! Annyeonghaseyo, Mr, Choi!" Haewon bows her head to greet the owner of the café slash Hara's dad. Despite having a large company, the jolly man always tries to find some time to visit his café. The café is actually just one small business he started out of hobby. But Chanyeol told her that out of the other businesses he has, it is his most treasured possession. Haewon was introduced to him one day when he visited the café. And just from the first time she met him, she could tell that the man is different from his cold daughter.
"I told you to just call me uncle." He smiles at her.
"N-ne, u-uncle." She nods still not familiar with calling him with it because though he is very warm towards her, they have only met thrice in the past two years given that she rarely visits the cafe and he is a very busy businessman after all.
Haewon can't help but to glance at her boyfriend again.
"I wish I have half the talent he has in music," Mr. Choi sighs and Haewon turns to the man who's also staring at Chanyeol while crossing his arm. "That young man has a very deep passion for music. I can see it from the first day I decided to be his guardian and sponsor. He will have a very bright future in the music industry," he continues while nodding his head approving his own statement.
"Yes, he does have passion for it," Haewon chuckles a bit. "Sometimes I even wonder if he love music more than me" She mumbles under her breath to herself as she hangs her head looking down at the cup of hot chocolate in front of her. But it doesn't go unheard by Mr. Choi.
"Isn't it obvious?" He asks her.
"N-ne?" Haewon immediately looks up and the man gives her a warm smile.
"He loves you more of course! He's even reconsidering his application for a university abroad multiple times because of you."
So it's true! He's applying for that university. But Haewon is still confused with Mr. Choi's statement.
"He's reconsidering it?" She asks timidly and the man hums while nodding his head.
"I asked him a few weeks ago, when he visited my house, which university he plans to enroll to since he's going to finish highschool soon. He told me he had sent an application for a university he had been wanting to get into back in Australia. But he said that after sending it, he worried if he have to leave you. He said that he might reconsider it if he get accepted." Haewon's eyes slowly look down hearing it. And the man realizes that what he has said is making her feel guilty instead of cheering her up - which was his initial intention. He pats one of her hands.
"My point is: he really loves you. Don't worry about his education. That guy can go to a university here and still be successful because of his passion." He gives her a fatherly smile and she smiles back. Yet, she can't get rid of the burden she feels in her heart.
"You know..." he continues, "I like Chanyeol since the day I met him, and besides his passion and personality, one of the reasons I was glad to take him under my wings is because I wanted a guy like him to be my son-in-law!" Haewon feels a lump in her throat when she hears it. The man soon let out a deep chuckle. "But I'm glad he chose you! The day Hara came to me telling me she fired Chanyeol because he stood up for you, I knew she wouldn't be a good companion for him." He laughs.
"Thank you, uncle," she chuckles.
"Ah. Ah," a deep voice - one Haewon really loves - booms through the speaker and both Haewon and Mr. Choi turns their attention to the guy on stage whom they have been talking about.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Park Chanyeol," the soothing deep voice greets gaining attention from other customers. "I will be accompanying you with music for the next 30 minutes. But before I start, I just want to say to my girlfriend who is here tonight that I'm really grateful to have her by my side for two years - and still counting by the way." Chanyeol chuckles and glances at his girlfriend.
"Woo..." Some people start to giggle and cheer, and Haewon feels her cheeks blushing.
"I love you Haewon!" He makes a heart with his hand while looking at Haewon making some people look her way and giggle while some clap in cheer. Mr. Choi too chuckles at the lovebirds. "This song is for you." Chanyeol smiles at her and starts strumming his guitar. He then starts singing 'Someone' by Musiq Soulchild. Just as always, his deep soothing voice immediately melts her heart - and everyone else's too. Soon everyone forgets the cold weather outside and embraces the the music that fills every hearts with warmth like a hot chocolate in a cold winter day.