CHAPTER 6

Sassy All the Way

A can of root beer soda and a clubhouse sandwich—Baekhyun thought his lunch was solved already. Albeit the fact that every food here seemed to had sprinkles of gold judging by how expensive they were, they were quite delicious, and the serving was good. The cafeteria of the company was not as jam-packed as he expected, much to his convenience. He was even sitting alone in the corner, with his hood up, because well, he was kind of out of place here. He was been receiving odd looks since he entered the place to sooth the wailing of his empty stomach. Maybe it was because of his clothes, he thought.

While munching his sandwich though, he chose that this time would be the right time to announce to his friend of his presence. Of course, it had to be through his very seasonal old fashioned phone. And not even fifteen minutes had passed, he saw Luhan entering the cafeteria.

He raised a hand as he leaned against the cushioned chair, taking the elder’s attention to him. Luhan’s lips stretched into an excited grin as he skidded his way to his direction. “What the hell, Baek, you actually visit me here?” Luhan beamed, sitting in front of him.

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun scoffed, “No! Why would I?” but the teasing tone laced with that lie earned him a stomp on his feet under the table. “Ow, jeez! No need to be violent, doll face.”

“Stop calling me that,” Luhan hissed.

Baekhyun waved his hand as if brushing off the direct order before taking the soda can and drank from it. Luhan knew he wouldn’t be stripped off of that nickname as long as he had that doll face.

“Really, Baekhyun,” Luhan chuckled, gesturing the place. “What are you doing here? I almost thought the text was just a prank until you called me here.” Baekhyun placed the empty can on the table just in time Luhan thought of one possible reason why his friend went all the way to Seoul.

“Wait—don’t tell me you—“ Luhan wasn’t even finished in his sentence when Baekhyun nodded.

“Yes,” he said, confirming Luhan’s hunch. “I kind of agreed to be Oh Sehun’s illustrator.” Baekhyun leaned back again, crossing his legs under the table. He lifted his shoulder and thinned his lips into a straight line, “Surprise?”

“Surpri—“ Luhan huffed before he chuckled, “Surprise?! , Baek, I am elated!” He squealed, earning glances from the passerbys. Luhan grabbed both of his hands on the table, putting them together and squeezed them tightly. “You got your very first job after 100 years—“

“—one year, actually—“

“and we’re working in the same company—“

“—obviously,”

“And you get the chance to date the CEO—!“

Baekhyun shuddered at that and he snatched back his hands. “Luhan,” he interrupted, silencing the man before him. This time, it was Baekhyun who took his hand in his. “First—you will not mention to anyone, anyone you hear me, about Mr. Park and I. I mean—we’re not dating—but if they knew about what happened that night after the fan meeting or even that…that scene you witnessed in front of the taxi—I swear it will cause World War III.  This time, I get to be the Pearl Harbor those girls would try to blow up.”

Luhan frowned, “It’s clear that Mr. Park is interested in you!”

“Shh!” Baekhyun covered his mouth with his hand, yelping when Luhan bit a chunk of his skin that made him retreated his hand. His glare to the elder wasn’t really as harmful as it looked. Luhan stuck out his pink tongue at him like he wasn’t the elder of the two. Baekhyun shook his head at the childish display of affection, and decided to open his concern to which—the sole reason why he bothered Luhan in the middle of his only one and a half hour of break today.

“So… I kind of…going to start working next week and I figured that I should find a place to stay in the city. But unfortunately, I am not a city boy so maybe, if you could help me find a place to live then I’d appreciate it so much.” Baekhyun took a deep breath, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

The elder seemed to be having fun seeing him flustered. Instead of an answer, he got Luhan’s hands messing with his bangs, which, he didn’t appreciated at all. Baekhyun scowled and slapped the hands away, much to Luhan’s entertainment.

“Oh, it’s been so long since you asked for a favor, I am so touched.”

It made his scowl uglier, “Shut up.”

Luhan’s laugh was contagious, they both ended up chuckling. The elder propped his elbow on the glass table, humming as he thought of some way to help the younger. “I could share my pad, but I doubt you’d tolerate my night escapades with my one and only so I will look for any vacant condo unit near the place,” he said fishing out his phone to surf the net.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, caught a very subtle hint of what he shouldn’t pry on, but he did anyway. “Wait, you said… night escapades?”

And the rest of the lunch period consists of Luhan trying to explain his and Sehun’s not so official relationship.

----------

Luhan asked for permission to leave that afternoon to give time for Baekhyun. The latter thought that Luhan might be a respected employee that was why everyone was nice to him, and it gave him privileges like this. They left the building around three in the afternoon. Baekhyun couldn’t even say no to Luhan’s taxi fare treat.

They were now on their way to this place where Luhan found him a slot. To be honest he didn’t know anything about this so he let his friend did all the thing. But it didn’t mean that he won’t learn as he watched right?

Upon entering a colossal building, Baekhyun yawned and scratched his nape when Luhan talked to the receptionist. Baekhyun looked around and thought that the place was rather familiar. But before he could even ransack his brain, Luhan already tugged his arm and told him the good news.

“I got you a place!”

Baekhyun’s eyes doubled in size, “Wh-What? In here?”

“Yup, I paid your first month already, the rest is up to you when you got your first pay. Think of it as a thank you for agreeing to be Sehun’s illustrator.” Luhan pinched his nose. “I learned that the guy was stubborn and wouldn’t stop unless he gets what he wants. And he wanted his trilogy to be the next hit,  so, as much as possible, he wanted what’s best for his book.”

“But Luhan—“

“No buts,” Luhan clamped his lips shut with his fingers, making him looked like a duck for a second. The elder linked their arms together as he played with the key card in his hands. The elder led the way to the elevator when he started talking. “The owner of this condominium building is Sehun’s friend. I met him one time when we went out. He’s also a businessman. He was asking me to transfer in his building and he’d give me a discount but I still have a few months left in my contract. However, due to my name in his pool list, I get to cut the requirements you needed to get this room. I called him before we left the building so all you need to do is to sign the contract later—after we take a look of your new home~”

Baekhyun wondered how Luhan explained all that in one breath, but his friend looked like he was the one who got a new pad and not him. Rolling his eyes, he let himself be pulled all the way inside the lift, with Luhan pressing the 7^th floor.

There were only four doors, Baekhyun noticed, once they got off the lift. Luhan hummed all the way to their destination. Baekhyun adjusted his big black backpack with his shoulders while the elder swiped the card in the electronic lock.

----------

One word that Baekhyun thought the moment his eyes fell on the exquisite interior design of the suit was—perfect. He loved the way the place wasn’t as big as Chanyeol’s, as far as he remembered it, but not so small like his previous apartment. He might not noticed it, but Baekhyun’s smile was so far, was the widest he had in a long time, and when Luhan saw it, he couldn’t help but to mirror it. Baekhyun rarely smiles so sweet and genuine like this. Most of the time he’d rather smirked or scoffed at someone.

And it felt nice to help his best friend. Baekhyun needed it, even if he didn’t admit.

Baekhyun craned his neck to see the beige and wood colored walls, and the small stairs that led him up to the platform upstairs where he sees the black bed and night stand. There was a huge pillar to where the stairs were attached, and what Baekhyun liked from it was a group of paintings displayed.

In front of him though, was a medium-sized living room with moss green sofa set and a flat screen television and theatre sound system mounted on the wall. Beside it was a four-seater black dining table, made of wood and glass and a modernized kitchen. And to the other side was the door to the bathroom.

“This one looks cozy, don’t you think Baekhyun?” Luhan grinned at him, and Baekhyun bobbed his head twice, a eating grin still etched on his face. He couldn’t express his feelings into words because the place wasn’t just cozy, but it also reminded him of home.

A nostalgic sensation somehow caressed his numb heart, his twenty two years old self remembering a room of a ten years old Baekhyun. A room where there were also beige walls, cream mattress and a wide table by the wall adjacent to the window. Then, he remembered how his mother always scolded him for being messy, and how the room reeked of oil paint. Back then he’d run and hug her, apologizing and gifting her a sketch of her smiling face saying, “Don’t be angry mom, you’re more beautiful when you smile!”

Luhan’s smile dropped when he heard a soft sniffle from the younger. He quickly closed the distance between them, noticing how Baekhyun’s eyes have turned glassy, yet instead of letting it fall to make himself feel better, Baekhyun blinked it away. It clenched his heart, truthfully.

“Thank you, Luhan.” Baekhyun suddenly wrapped his arms around his best friend. “You and your family, all of you had helped me so much, and I couldn’t even think of anything to pay you back. Perhaps I would never be able to. For the rest of my life, I’ll always feel indebted to you guys because, I—I wouldn’t be here, if it wasn’t for you.”

“Baekhyun,” Luhan could only tighten his arms around the younger male, comforting him, even when the said man was so prideful to even let his tears fall. “You’re on the step one of having your career, and I know someday, you’ll be a very successful person.” Luhan pulled away an arm’s length, smiling at the younger, cupping his cheeks and rubbing his thumb on his cheekbones, “Because you’re Byun Baekhyun.”

The said man laughed bitterly, avoiding the elder’s gaze. “It’s so sad that I even have to throw my dad’s name from mine, just for me to move on.”

Luhan pursed his lips, “I’m sure he’d understand, besides, you still use your mom’s. And he loved her right?” Baekhyun meekly nods, murmuring a soft, so much, that brought a wide grin from Luhan’s lips, “He won’t mind then.”

----------

It was seven sharp in the morning, and the bed was neatly done, blankets straightened up and pillows were back against the headboard, as if last night they weren’t scattered around the bed and the floor. Soft humming resounded from the small room in the place, the sound of the shower could be heard from the dining room. Soon, when the door opened, a pair of slim, flawless legs came out, damped by lukewarm water. Feet rubbing against the rug, they soon walked to dining table and the owner crossed his legs once seated.

In the background, a soft tune of love song played from the living room, and with it a voice hummed along. A couple of minutes later, the plates were washed and the left over bacon and eggs were placed back in the fridge. A hand reached out for the half emptied mug of coffee latte, bringing the lid to his moistened lips to drink.

Running on the wooden stairs, the man took out his old yet most decent pair of clothing, dressing himself in not so tight faded jeans, a bit loose baby blue turtle neck sweater. The last stop was by the door, where he put on his sneakers. All were turned off before he went out of the pad, nothing but a soft click following his hearing senses after he locked the door.

Monday, his first day of work and Baekhyun was simply excited. He rubbed his palms on his thighs and waited for the lift to stop by his floor. When it did, he went inside beside the three others. It was too late for him to notice that the elevator was still on its way up. He just had to wait until it reached the last stop until it went down to the lobby again.

The soft ding caught him off guard, the door of the elevators opened. He noticed that he was the only one inside, he was too preoccupied to see the others got off to their respective floors. However, when Baekhyun lifted his chin up, his mind went black seeing a very familiar figure on the far end of the hallway. One of the cleaning staffs went inside and tapped the button a floor below the current one. He prayed that the man on the other side wouldn’t lift his sight from his phone to catch up with the lift, but fate must have forsaken him because Mr. Park Chanyeol met his gaze just as the door of the lift started closing.

It was the longest five seconds of his life. Baekhyun tapped the close button numerous times, earning a scowl from the staff beside him. His heart drummed and he held his breath, when the door was about to close.

Yet a hand slipped between the small space in between. And freaking Chanyeol managed to get inside, his questioning gaze fixed on him while the elevator went down until the cleaner left the elevator.

Chanyeol was wearing suit, as always, but now it was a dark shade of gray and Baekhyun would be lying if he says he wasn’t handsome. In fact he was having a hard time controlling his blood from rushing in the veins of his cheeks.

“Is it me, or did you really just came here to see me?”

Baekhyun lifted his gaze from the ground, scowling. Chanyeol smirked at the sight. Baekhyun had this cute charm whenever he was angry or frustrated. It seemed like his teasing triggered his angry puppy face. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. CEO, my world does not revolve around you,” Baekhyun shook his head in disbelief; the guy sure has the guts.

“Well,” Chanyeol puts his hands in his front pocket and half faced the shorter man beside him with a smug grin. He leaned closer to his ear and said lowly, “I couldn’t form any coherent reason why you would be here, on the floor of my pad, where you had been before.”

“Living here is not a possible reason, then?” Baekhyun snapped.

Chanyeol raised a brow at him and the smaller male clamped his mouth shut. He shouldn’t have said that!

“So you live here now?” Baekhyun ignored the not so subtle excitement and hope in the CEO’s tone, but it was obvious that he was, and the other fifty percent of his once in a blue moon expression was shocked.

He quickly took the statement back with a sharp NO. It made Chanyeol’s face fell comically and he forced to stop himself from laughing.

“Seriously, answer me honestly. You live here or not?”

“I—“ Baekhyun sighed,  “I’m not, I’m visiting my friend here!”

“Luhan doesn’t live here.”

“I have other friends!” he weakly countered.

“What’s his floor number?”

“7^th, seriously… why are even talking about this, we’re near the lobby, Shut up Chanyeol—“

“For the record, princess,” Chanyeol smirked, enjoying their banter. “I am your employer, is that how you talk to the CEO of the company you just got hired at?”

Baekhyun wanted to slap that smug on his face off. “We’re not even in the company yet, so right now, you’re just the same annoying jerk just like how you were in Sehun’s fan meeting, so it up, giant, I ain’t calling you Mister and I will talk to you like this since, that princess thing is still on going.”

There was a pause, a moment of silence, and Baekhyun thought that the CEO finally got what his point was. However, when they were passing the 5^th floor, he suddenly asked out of the blue that ignited Baekhyun’s fire inside.

“So, where do you live now?”

“Like I said in the seventh floo—“Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shot at the same time a triumph grin made its way back to Chanyeol’s face. “Gottcha,” he chimed, satisfied.

Baekhyun, irritated that he was played with, jabbed his elbow on the man’s chest, earning a loud groan just in time the elevator opened. Chanyeol watched him with aching ribs as Baekhyun stride out of the building. He followed, wincing at his pain. “Princess wait—damn you hit me hard!”

“Good for you!” Baekhyun shouted back, ignoring the eyes of the other residents.

“Let’s go to office together—“

“No thanks!”

“I’d get you coffee and breakfast on the way.” Baekhyun almost stopped—almost. Coffee had always been his weakness and this giant goof was using it against him. But he held himself back with a, “Keep your ing coffee I don’t need it!”

Chanyeol stopped right outside the building, watched the newly hired illustrator jogged towards the bus stop. He’s stubborn…he thought. And it made him want to pursue him more, made him want to catch his eyes, and to make his heart beat for him.

Chanyeol chuckled as Baekhyun threw him a last glare before entering the newly arrived bus. Way to start the week. Way to start the day.

He thought maybe working days wouldn’t be as boring as it was before.

-beta-

5.6.16