Another hotel down.
Chanyeol was extremely nervous now. Nervous that the next hotel would be the one since it's the only one left and the entire journey would come to an end.
Somehow, as the road went on, his coming to Japan started becoming more and more about this road trip than the final destination.
Considering how nervous he felt, making a final destination movie reference isn't overdoing it at all. After a long, long time he felt..happy and he was nervous that this happiness would come to an end just as this journey would.
"Chanyeol!! Park Chanyeol!!"
"Ouch!!" Chanyeol whimpered, reacting to a sting on his arm.
"You pinched me." He said, stunned.
"Yeah well you weren't listening." Replied Baekhyun, brazen and unabashed.
Chanyeol glared at him.
"Now that I have your attention, I was telling you about how you're extremely lucky to have me as your driver for no other driver could cover these distances at my pace while keeping you entertained." Beamed Baekhyun.
"So you bruised me to gloat about yourself?"
"Basically, yeah." Replied the brunette, proud of himself.
"Baekhyun do you ever realise- wait is that a 'Girls' Generation Foreva' bracelet on your hand?" Chanyeol asked, noticing the red band which had slipped from Baekhyun's forearm to his wrist.
"No, it's not. It's just a random wrist band." Replied Baekhyun, trying to keep his calm while pushing the bracket back under the sleeve of his shirt.
"I've seen this on my cousin sister's hand Baekhyun. I know it's a girls generation band. You're a total fan boy aren't you." Chanyeol cackled.
"Earlier with that song Gee in your playlist and now a whole fan band." He couldn't control his laughter.
Baekhyun rolled his eyes.
"What were the fans called? Some? Sole? Sone? Right Sone!!!" He continued, sprouting words from within his chuckles.
"What is so hilarious about being a girl group fan?" Baekhyun mumbled.
"Nothing. It's adorable, really. Very unlike your 'Being cool runs in my blood' image but adorable whatsoever. Especially your band.." And there, he started laughing again.
"Okay stop. The thing is, you know girls' generation's leader? Taeyeon? Her and I used to date at one point. So when the first girls' generation merchandise came out, this band was one of them and she wanted me to have it. We broke up a long time back but it's still a gift from one of my closest friends.. so yeah. Moreover, girls' generation has some real nice songs, you should be more open minded Yeol." Baekhyun confessed.
Chanyeol was awestruck.
"So you.. and Taeyeon? For real? Wow. Did I tell you that I used to be a trainee at SM entertainment for a few months too? My parents thought I'd become 'less shy' that way, interacting with fellow trainees and so they sent me there. I was supposed to debut with that hit group EXO? The group who sang 'growl'? But I dropped out, the idol thing was not for me." Chanyeol replied.
"You're kidding!! I was supposed to debut with EXO too!! That is where I met Taeyeon- at SM. But then my parents got into an accident and I moved to Japan where my grandfather lived- lives." Baekhyun couldn't believe it. He wasn't the kind who believed in destiny and fate and all those baseless words but this encounter felt far too special to just be a coincidence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Welcome To Yokohama." Read the sign board.
"10 km left to Sakura hotel, 9km right to Blue sky, Beach and Resort." Read another sign board.
Chanyeol was almost there. A few more minutes and he would be able to meet her again. And... do what? Beg her to date him again? Promise to not complain even if she treats him like a toy?
"Stop." Chanyeol said, instinctively.
"We're almost there." Said Baekhyun.
"Stop." Chanyeol repeated, assertively this time.
"What is the matter?" Baekhyun asked, concerned, as he pulled over.
"Let's go to Blue sky. I've always wanted to go there. There is still plenty of day light left, even if we go there now, we would still make it to the hotel in good time. Please?" Chanyeol requested.
"You are in the mood to make sand castles?" Baekhyun gave him a puzzled expression.
"No. I want to Jet Ski."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baekhyun made it a point to never regret his decisions. And he was excelling at it now as he mentally appreciated Chanyeol's physique, especially with that body suit on.
The instructor was rambling on about some safety precautions but Baekhyun couldn't care less.
Those abs are quite well sculpted, Baekhyun thought to himself. He must work out a lot. Mmmh...
I wonder what they feel like..
"..And that is all. Now you're ready to go." Finished the instructor.
"Here are your life vests, these will be connected to a safety point here. If you fall off your vehicle, these will ensure that the vehicle automatically stops." the other instructor added.
This is when it Baekhyun registered the ominous fact. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were riding different jets and Baekhyun hadn't heard a single word of what the instructor had said, assuming that they'd be riding one and Chanyeol seemed well prepared.
"Wai-wait." Baekhyun tried to stop.
Chanyeol looked ecstatic.
"Ready?? And Go!!! Press the accelerator!!." The instructors pushed them.
"NO WAIT....ahhhhhhhh." And he was in.
He tried to press the brake but the ride won't stop.
Panicked, he pressed the handle bars and gained more and more speed.
I take my words back, I regret my actions very,very much, he thought to himself in what he thought would be the last seconds of his life.
He looked over at Chanyeol who was looking as if he was having the time of his life.
"Chanyeol!!!!" Baekhyun tried to scream over the engine and the gushing water.
"Baekhyun isn't it amazing?!!!" Screamed Chanyeol, understanding Baekhyun's scream for help as an expression of joy.
"CHANYEOL!! How do I stop??" Baekhyun shouted, again.
"How do you pop??" Chanyeol was confused. Why did Baekhyun want to pop in the middle of the water?
"No! How do I stop? B-R-A-K-E?" Baekhyun spelled- screamed out.
"Oh! There is no break! Weren't you listening?" Chanyeol said as he sped up, overtaking Baekhyun.
So what Baekhyun was pressing again and again was the accelerator. That explained why he was gaining more and more speed every time he tried to halt.
Finding no other get away, he tried to calm himself.
He took deep breaths, in and out, told himself that he can do it and chased after Chanyeol.
Finding Baekhyun catching up, Chanyeol slowed down. The whole experience was levitating.
Every jolt of air that Chanyeol felt, expanded his lungs. He felt as if, in that moment, nothing could ever go wrong. He would never feel suffocated or at a loss of breath again. He had all the air that he needed...
He was free.
"Chanyeol! How could you leave me behind like that? " said Baekhyun, coming from behind.
"Take this!" He added as he jet sprayed Chanyeol with water and sped ahead. Baekhyun had learned a few tricks of his own by now.
"You wait! I'm coming for you!" Chanyeol followed, putting in all his strength and feeling every bit of this delight.
They passed through tunnels, left gnarled trails, raced and joked.
"Chanyeol look." Said Baekhyun as he pointed towards a few fish which jumped up and down with them.
"The instructor said that there is some fish food in the front pouch." And he had not lied.
Within a few seconds, Baekhyun and Chanyeol's entire attention was diverted to feeding the fish that swam with them.
Chanyeol watched as the fish danced with elation, just because of a few pieces of food.
There was happiness in small things. For the fish, it was in the food, for Chanyeol, it was in watching them and... him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why didn't you just tell me that all I had to do was press the red button to get the jet to a halt?" Baekhyun complained, for what felt like the hundredth time as the both of them lay on the sand after the strenuous yet exhilarating ride.
"I could've died out there!"
"You should've paid attention to the instructions given at the beginning." Chanyeol replied, for the hundredth time. "Instead of gaping at my abs." He added, after a little thought, with a tiny, almost non existent, smirk on his face.
Baekhyun didn't even deny it.
"Chanyeol. I have a riddle for you." He said, neither of them looking away from the fascinating blue sky above them.
The sky from here was extraordinarily blue.
It seemed highly illogical why it would be different here than any other place yet.... perhaps that is why this place was called The blue sky.
"Okay.." Chanyeol responded.
"The Sun in sorrow asked God -'why is it that the Moon is considered the symbol of love and beauty when it is my light that it reflects and people flinch at the mere sight of me?'
What do you think God told the sun?"
"I don't know." Chanyeol replied, curious where Baekhyun was going with this.
" He said ' It's because you shine brighter than what a mundane human can understand or acknowledge. It's because you're special. Also, never forget that it is you who is considered the symbol of hope, you whom people rely on to achieve the impossible- that is the kind of strength you possess, that is the kind of strength that makes people bitter or even envious of you'"Baekhyun responded.
For the nth time today, Chanyeol was astounded.
Baekhyun had spoken volumes without even saying anything.
"Did you just make this up?" Chanyeol enquired.
"No my grandfather taught me this, when I was new to Japan and was an outcast in school."
"You, an outcast? You just made this up too, didn't you?" Chanyeol raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Baekhyun surrendered.
Chanyeol chuckled.
Then solemnly he said, "Thankyou".
"You are welcome."
"Ahh." Baekhyun screamed. "What was that for?" He protested , rubbing his hand on his arm, where Chanyeol had just pinched him.
"I like to get even." Chanyeol smiled.
"You petty, petty individual." Baekhyun hissed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ride to the hotel was a silent one. Every honk sounded like a foreboding tune to their anxious minds.
Finally, at 10 pm, they reached the hotel.
Chanyeol had had way too much to eat at the Blue sky resort that he felt queasy now.
Every step he took felt as if he was climbing a steep mountain, as if a single mis step would mean falling back down from a cliff which he had just learned to climb.
Slowly and steadily, he entered the lobby and made his way to the reception. Baekhyun too entered the lobby, close enough to the reception that Chanyeol and the receptionist's conversation was well within his earshot.
"Let me look it up for you sir, just a moment." Said the receptionist as Chanyeol waited, apprehensively.
"I am sorry sir, no such person with this name works here."
Her words felt like a boulder that injured him but at the same time broke the boulder which was constantly hurting him.
"Can you please check again? She went to The All Sakura Conference held in Tokyo?" Baekhyun took over.
"Sorry sir- oh wait. There is another, smaller branch of Sakura hotels in Yokohama, we went to the conference as one team and so your informant might have missed out on them. Perhaps, she works in the other Sakura hotel?"
A plot twist after plot twist.
Within a day, more had happened in Chanyeol's life than in the last several years of his existence.
Hi again! I'm sorry @Mallierenner for the late update but I promise you the next one will be faster and.... juicy. A big thanks to all the voters and the readers, you all really mean a lot to me💕