Tangled Hearts

"Do you really live with your grandmother?" Chanyeol inquired, attempting to spark a conversation as they rode the bus.

Baekhyun barely glanced up from his phone, responding without a hint of interest. "That’s none of your business.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, utterly baffled by Baekhyun’s aloofness. After a short, awkward silence, he pressed on. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“Relax. Your daddy issues are safe with me.” Baekhyun chuckled, still preoccupied with the screen.

“You’re impossible.” Chanyeol muttered, leaning back in his seat, giving up for now. He stole a sidelong glance at Baekhyun, who remained glued to his phone. “Aren’t you even a bit curious?”

Baekhyun paused for a moment, wearing a thoughtful expression before replying, “Honestly, I just don’t care about you... so, no.” he flashed a bright smile, adding: "Just think of this as charity work.”

Chanyeol shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.” The remainder of the bus ride was shrouded in silence.

Finally, they reached their stop. "Move! We're here." Baekhyun instructed, stepping off the bus. Chanyeol followed him along, their destination soon coming into view. A small house designed in traditional Korean style.

“Your place is beautiful.” Chanyeol remarked, admiring the architecture. “What a pity the owner seems a bit grumpy.”

“Call me grumpy one more time and I’ll make sure you leave here with a black eye." Baekhyun shot back, fixing Chanyeol with a fierce glare. “Good luck explaining that to your parents.”

Chanyeol raised his hands in surrender, chuckling in good-natured defeat. They passed through the gate and entered the house, but in an instant, Baekhyun’s demeanor had a dramatic change.

“Nana, I’m home!” he called out cheerfully, causing a small woman, just like him, to emerge from the kitchen.

“Hi, Baebae!” she exclaimed, enveloping her grandson in a warm hug. It was only then that she noticed Chanyeol awkwardly lingering nearby. “And who is this?”

Baekhyun turned, blinking as he thought of an introduction. “This is Chanyeol. Let’s just say he’s a classmate..." he smiled at his grandmother. “We have an assignment to do and I invited him over since I had to come here anyway."

“That’s nice! Come here, dear." she said, wrapping her arms around Chanyeol as well. “I’m Yumi, but you can call me Grandma. Are you both hungry? I just baked a cake and made fresh orange juice!”

"Uh... no thanks, I'm good." Chanyeol politely refused.

“Stop being a wuss. Just say yes." Baekhyun admonished, rolling his eyes. Yumi lightly slapped his shoulder playfully. “Ouch! Nana?!”

“Be nice to your friend.” she scolded, while Chanyeol hid a giggle, amazed at how quickly Baekhyun’s personality had shifted. “Now, no need to be shy! You’ll think better on a full stomach.”

Chanyeol nodded, his smile widening, just as his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and saw that his sister was calling. “Uh, excuse me for a second, I need to take this." he said before stepping away to answer.

“Hey, Soo." he greeted cheerily.

“Hey, Chan. How’s it going? I heard Dad showed up at university today.” she said, concern creeping into her tone, knowing how strained their relationship could be.

“I’m okay. I’m used to Dad’s antics by now." he replied, sighing. “He’ll never accept my choices about my future, but that’s just how it is.”

“I’m so sorry... I could talk to him if you want.” she offered softly, hoping to mend things between them.

“No, please don’t! If you defend me, he’ll just bother you too." he countered. “I'll manage this... He’ll have to understand eventually. It’s my life after all.” he exhaled deeply, the weight of his worries evident. “I just wish he would understand. Our relationship is hurting because of this, but I refuse to live a life dictated by him.”

“Chan…” Sooyoung’s voice softened. “Try not to think like that. Dad doesn’t mean to control you... He just wants what he believes is the best for you."

Chanyeol was taken aback a bit by her words. “So you agree with him?” he asked, clearly shocked.

“No! I’m on your side! But you know, your field can be tough when it comes to finding good job opportunities..." she explained. “I totally support you following your passion, but do you really see a stable future?”

“I don’t want to argue about this. I already had a fight with Dad today. Let’s just drop it for now. I’ll talk to you later." he said, shaking his head.

“Wait!” Sooyoung called out. “Are you coming home for dinner?”

“I’m not sure. I might just head back to the dorm." he replied, feeling the urge to avoid the topic.

“Where are you?” she asked, curiosity piqued since she thought he was already at his dorm.

“Um... I’m at a friend’s house. Gotta go!” he hurriedly answered, trying to change the subject.

“What friend? Why are you being evasive?” she probed further. “Are you seeing someone?”

“What? No! You’re out of your mind. I have friends you haven’t met, okay? Bye!” he exclaimed, quickly hanging up. Just moments later, his phone buzzed again, a text from his sister: 'I want to know everything about them ;D'

“Idiot.” he chuckled to himself, turning around only to be startled by Baekhyun, who was watching him intently. “Jesus! You scared the hell out of me!” he exclaimed dramatically.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “My grandma sent me to check if you got lost or something. I mean it's a small house but whatever. Just come eat."

“Wait a minute... Were you eavesdropping?” Chanyeol teased, smirking. “So you are interested in me after all!”

“In your dreams, loser." Baekhyun shot back, turning his back to Chanyeol. “Whatever. If you want to stay hungry, you can just hang around here.” with that, he headed toward the kitchen, leaving Chanyeol to smile and follow the small one.

Yeah... Baekhyun was definitely hiding his kindness behind all that angry facade and that made Chanyeol want to tease the small one even more.