Chapter 2: You don't dip your pen in company ink One should avoid romantic relationships in the workplace.  

“Yes, sweetie. I will. Don’t worry.” Wooyoung smiled at the phone in his hand, pressed to his ear. “Alright. Now, you tell Sojung I said ‘Goodnight’, and don’t forget, or else she gets mad at me… Okay, hun. Goodbye! I love you!”

 

He hung up and stared at his background wallpaper until his phone idled out. It was a picture of her, and her two fathers.

 

There was a knock on the door. “Come in!”

 

His secretary came in with a pile of files for review. “Good afternoon, sir.”

 

Wooyoung nodded in acknowledgement. “Good afternoon. What is this?” he asked, taking the papers from her.

 

“The one at the top is Lotte’s new contract with JIG Entertainment,” she said.

 

“Finally,” Wooyoung mumbled.

 

“Under that is a proposal from Samsung for a CF with WoonByul.”

 

“But they have an exclusive contract with LG…”

 

“They do. It expires next month, and we haven’t received any offers to re-sign.”

 

Wooyoung placed the folder into a separate pile.

 

“Lastly, there’s a request from Hyundai for legal rights to use one of EXO’s songs in a commercial.”

 

He handed the folder back to her. “Take that to Park Chanyeol.”

 

The secretary hid her surprise well, and professionally took the folder back. “Do you need anything else, sir?”

 

“No, thank you,” Wooyoung said absentmindedly, beginning to read the first document.

 

***

 

Chanyeol was in the studio, crunching in last minute edits on some songs in their new album, which was due to come out in three months. His bandmates were bustling around like busy bees, preparing themselves for tomorrow’s MV shoot.

 

With the knock on the door dissolved an idea he’d had to fix the one piece that kept bugging him at exactly 2:47, but he wasn’t too dismayed. “Yes?” he called.

 

Wooyoung’s secretary opened the door. “President Jang told me to give this to you,” she said, handing him a folder.

 

“Why is he giving me this?” Chanyeol asked after reading the title of the paper. “He owns legal rights of that song.”

 

The secretary could only shrug. “Maybe he wants you to look it over and see if you agree with it?”

 

“Weird. Thank you,” Chanyeol said, and smiled at the woman. She bowed and retreated.

 

“Hey, whoa. We’d even get a car out of this. Holy-- shut up,” Chanyeol muttered to himself as he read it over.

 

He set the document aside for the time being, and tried to focus on the computer again, remembering what he was going to try with the song.

 

As he listened to the track again, looking for places to fix, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

 

«Did you get the file?» It was Wooyoung.

 

«I did. Why did you send it down to me?»

 

«Come up, let's talk about it.»

 

«You just miss my face, don't you?»

 

«Well, that too.»

 

 

Chanyeol felt a smirk creep up. He grabbed the document, saved the song he was working on, and shut off the computer. He practically ran to the elevators going up, and then had to wait patiently to get inside. It was a much harder struggle than he’d expected.

 

When he finally walked into the office and shut the door behind him, the first words from Wooyoung’s mouth were, “People are getting suspicious of us.”

 

Chanyeol blinked. “You mean they’re catching on? They think we’re dating?”

 

The older man nodded, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. “That’s why I sent you that document; so that you could have a reason to come up here.”

 

Chanyeol leaned backwards and crossed his arms. “So… What does this mean? In terms of us..?”

 

“Chanyeol, you’re making it seem like we’re breaking up. For goodness’ sake, be rational. We have a daughter to parent. This just means we need to be… more careful.”

 

“Careful…” Chanyeol repeated, nodding. “Okay. We can do that.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah we can.”

 

***

 

No, they really couldn’t.

 

For days they tried, and just barely managed to be careful.

 

As if “careful” was the cue word for their hormones to mess everything up, it suddenly became so much harder for the two men to stay away from each other. They were each other’s forbidden fruit. And like Adam and Eve, they couldn’t hear their better judgement.

 

“I need to talk to Mr. Park Chanyeol,” Wooyoung said to his secretary on his way into the office. He saw her pick up her phone before he entered and closed the door behind him.

 

Within minutes, Chanyeol materialized in the office. “Christ, this is harder than I thought it would be.”

 

“I tell my brain, ‘You see him every night. You live in the same house. You sleep in the same bed,’ and my brain goes, ‘I know.’” Wooyoung lifted a hand and pointed at his chest. “But my brain can’t send the messages here.”

 

Chanyeol let out a shaky breath. “Love’s not rational, hyung.”

 

“Oh, don’t I know it…” Wooyoung crossed the office in three long strides and into Chanyeol’s open and expectant arms.

 

“I can just hear the OST in the background,” Chanyeol joked.

 

“We are being dramatic, aren’t we?” Wooyoung whispered sheepishly.

 

“Love’s never calm, either.”

 

“Apparently.”

 

They’d been stranded in the desert for days.

 

Chanyeol took Wooyoung’s face into his hands, and kissed him like he was a river.

 

The door burst open and Taecyeon, the loud and intrusive man he was, himself inside. “Holy sh--”

 

Wooyoung groaned. “The one ing day we see each other at work, of course this happens.”

 

“Holy shi--”

 

“Just say it, Taecyeon, get it out of your system.”

 

“Holy !”

 

“There, doesn’t that feel better?” Wooyoung smiled sarcastically. His face cleared in an instant. “What makes you think you can enter my office without knocking?”

 

Taecyeon was still speechless.

 

“For Christ’s sake, at least close the door, don’t make your stupidity a public cry.”

 

Chanyeol, who was also stunned to silence, now tried to make himself as small as possible. That was pretty tough for a man with a 6”1’ frame.

 

Taecyeon closed the door and took a cautious step towards the two men he’d just witnessed kissing. “What the hell was that?”

 

“Hidden camera prank!” Wooyoung said. “The camera is up your . Wave!”

 

“I’m being serious, Wooyoung. What was that?”

 

“What did it look like?”

 

“It looked very much like you were making out with EXO’s drummer.”

 

“O-kay!” He made the sign with his hand.

 

“Wooyoung, have you gone mad?” Taecyeon asked.

 

“No. But I am very mad at you.” He took a step towards his longtime best friend, and the latter flinched. “Sit down, we obviously need to talk.”

 

He managed to get the two men, one of whom still hadn’t said anything, to two couches facing each other, and sat next to Chanyeol. “You’ve probably got questions,” he invited.

 

Taecyeon scoffed. “Do I ever. Okay, let’s start here. Are you gay?”

 

Wooyoung winced at the term. He still didn’t like it. “Yeah.”

 

“Since when?”

 

“Since I was born. But I only realized in university.”

 

His friend nodded. “No wonder you never dated any girls.” Then he frowned. “Did you date any men?”

 

“Never seriously. Never anything past the second date.”

 

“Oh. Okay.” Then Taecyeon looked at Chanyeol. “So how about you two?”

 

“We’ve been together for… one and a half years… ish..?”

 

Taecyeon’s eyes widened. “And you never told me?!”

 

“It’s not your business,” Wooyoung said with a shrug.

 

Don’t be fooled; best friend isn’t much, considering Wooyoung doesn’t have many friends to begin with.

 

Obviously this comment hurt Taecyeon. “To think I named you in my will.”

 

“Why am I in your will?” Wooyoung asked.

 

“I don’t have anyone else to give my things to,” Taecyeon shrugged.

 

“Oh my God, you need a girlfriend so bad.”

 

All of a sudden, Taecyeon’s face lit up. “Hey! With you out of the market, that’ll be so much easier!”

 

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “Sure, whatever.”

 

***

 

If they thought Taecyeon was bad with reaction then, they were in for a groan-fest when Chanyeol brought Byulha to work one day.

 

“Daddy,” she whispered. “This place is huge!”

 

The tall man smiled. “I know, right? You should tell Appa that when we see him.”

 

“Ooh, ooh! Let me lead the way!”

 

With the tiny four-year-old hand that wasn’t holding her beloved doll, she took her father’s finger and led the both of them to the elevators.

 

She knew where the office was, she’d been here many times. People had actually started to recognize her, yet no one had come up to ask who she was.

 

“You remember what you’re supposed to say if someone asks who you are, right?” Chanyeol asked his daughter.

 

“Yes, Uncle. I remember. I’m supposed to call you Uncle, and Appa is Mister.”

 

“You know you can call him Appa in his office, don’t you?”

 

“I know.”

 

“Good. You know I love you, right?”

 

“I love you, too, Uncle.” The girl giggled. Chanyeol couldn’t resist picking her up and giving her a big sloppy kiss on her cheek. “Ewwww~!” she shrieked, scrubbing at her face. “Daddy!”

 

“You’re too cute, what can I do?” Chanyeol asked her.

 

She took his face into her hands and placed a kiss almost as sloppy as her father’s on his smooth cheek. “There. We’re even!”

 

“Ewww~!” Chanyeol pretended to whine. “Gross!” He set down his little girl and let her keep leading them.

 

Soon enough, they were in front of the office doors. Chanyeol knocked on it, and they heard a faint and curious, “Come in.”

 

Byulha opened the door and ran in, cheering, “Appa!”

 

When Chanyeol walked in, though, all he saw was Wooyoung’s panicked face and then later, Taecyeon’s eyes bulging out.

 

“Hold up. I only just wrapped my head around you two dating.”

 

“I wanted to start working on a family soon.”

 

“You’re 26 years old! There is no way you have a child!”

 

“...She’s adopted…” is the only answer Wooyoung can manage.

 

“Oh my God, Wooyoung.”

 

“Byulha,” Chanyeol beckoned. He still felt uncomfortable around Taecyeon, but the worst of it had subsided. “Remember, you have to make sure no one else is in here. This time we were lucky, but other times we might not be, okay?” he said, crouching to his daughter’s height.

 

“Yes, Daddy.”

 

“Oh my God, Chanyeol.”

 

The drummer shrugged. “It was Wooyoung’s idea. I was just the first to fall in love with Byulha.” He winked at the girl.

 

Byulha sauntered up to her Appa’s friend, and offered her hand in a very business-like manner. “Hello. I’m Jang Byulha. What’s your name?”

 

Taecyeon crouched down and smiled softly. “I’m Ok Taecyeon,” he said, shaking her hand. Then he ruffled her hair. “You’re cute. You’re lucky you have these two as fathers, you know that right?”

 

Byulha frowned. “I know a lot of things, but people keep asking me if I know them. It’s annoying.”

 

“You’re right. But we just want to help you remember.” Taecyeon said. Then he stood back up to his full height and stared at Wooyoung. “This girl needs to go in my will. Let me be her godfather.”

 

“I don’t need you to put me or my daughter in your will, for Christ’s sake,” Wooyoung groaned.

 

“Appa? What’s a godfather? It sounds cool! Can Mister Taecyeon be my godfather?”

 

“Byulie, you already have one,” Wooyoung said.

 

“I do?”

 

“She does?”

 

Wooyoung pointed tiredly at Chanyeol, who waved. “I’m your godfather, Byulha.”

 

“But you’re my Daddy!”

 

Taecyeon shook his head. “Your family is so dysfunctional.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Wooyoung laughed.

 

***

 

Taecyeon wasn’t one known to have a safe mouth. When he found out, Chanyeol and Wooyoung had to prepare themselves for people to slowly learn about them from him.

 

“I don’t worry about the employees, they’re under contract not to leak any personal details about any other employee, that includes both of us,” Wooyoung said one night in the kitchen. Byulha was upstairs, sleeping in her room. “What I worry about is him saying something to someone outside of the company.”

 

“He wouldn’t, would he?”

 

“It might accidentally get out there.”

 

They figured they’d go talk to the older man the next day, but on the way they passed by Nichkhun and Kunpimook, who was carrying a stack of WoonByul CDs.

 

The former kept his cool after a brief knowing smirk.

 

The latter gawked. “So it’s true,” he whispered to his superior. “They’re dating?”

 

“Shut up,” the Head of International Marketing muttered.

 

His assistant did not take his advice. “But they could just be handling business right now.”

 

By then, curious to see how far Bhuwakul would take it, Wooyoung had stopped to listen. This made Nichkhun fidget nervously.

 

“What if the business they’re handling has to do with them dating?”

 

The older Thai man looked about ready to claw someone's eyes out. “Do you not see him right now?” he warned through the corner of his mouth.

 

Kunpimook glanced at the CEO again, and his eyes widened to the size of the discs in his hands. He bowed, and stayed down until he noticed the stack start to tilt, at which point he came back up but avoided all eye-contact. Wooyoung uncrossed his arms and simply left, beckoning for Chanyeol to follow. It was more worrisome to the young man than if he had said something. He knew that.

 

Wooyoung barged into Taecyeon’s office, hoping to catch him in a compromising situation. At least he’d learn his lesson about door knocking etiquette. Surprisingly, the scene before the young boss was pretty tame; Taecyeon was simply looking over some files Wooyoung's secretary had sent him.

 

“Jjang!” he cheered. “Have you come to save me from this tsunami of paperwork?”

 

Chanyeol looked around as he entered the room for a hidden stock of more files somewhere, but all he saw was the tiny pile on the desk. It was smaller than the eternally refilling one on Wooyoung’s desk.

 

“Oh, Chan-Chan! You’re here too! The more help the better!”

 

“Please don't call me that.”

 

“Jesus, Ok Taecyeon, I’m about to fire you on accounts of abysmal lethargy. Straighten up your act.”

 

“How about I gay up my act?”

 

“I’m not joking. Chanyeol, please close the door.”

 

Chanyeol followed the order and then joined his boyfriend, staying silent.

 

Wooyoung could now see the fear strike in Taecyeon’s eyes like a match. He sat up straight and then stood up, unsure what to do in his panic.

 

“Please, sajangnim, I need my job! I have an honourary goddaughter. What will I pass on to her if I don't have a paying job? And who will hire anyone who got kicked out of JIG Entertainment? Especially--”

 

“Byulha isn't your honourary anything. She isn’t your anything period. She can survive with what I’ll pass on to her just fine.”

 

Taecyeon got on his knees and looked up at Wooyoung. Hands together, he pleaded once more. “Sajangnim! Please don’t fire me! I’ll be a better employee. I’ll stop being lazy. I’ll stop wasting time! I’ll start going to the bathroom at home and not at work, so I’m not being paid for those minutes. I’ll do anything! Please!”

 

Wooyoung smirked with a glance thrown at Chanyeol before returning to his stone face. “Anything?”

 

“Yes! Anything!”

 

“Don’t you dare tell anybody about Chanyeol and my relationship. Don’t you dare mention Byulha to anybody. Do you understand me? Are we clear?”

 

“Crystal, sajangnim!” Taecyeon said, but shortly after, he groaned. “Oh, wait. Is this starting now?”

 

The CEO rolled his eyes. “Depends on who you’ve told.”

 

“I told Nichkhun. And Bambam--”

 

“Bambam?”

 

“Horvejkul’s assistant.”

 

“Kunpimook, Taecyeon. Kunpimook Bhuwakul. God, you’re worse than me. Who else?”

 

“Bae Suji--”

 

“Why?” Wooyoung asked, more out of genuine confusion than anything.

 

“I was trying to test if she liked you.”

 

Chanyeol bit the insides of his cheeks to stop himself from groaning.

 

“Okay. Who else?”

 

“Umm, I’m pretty sure she told her actor boyfriend. I don't know if he told anyone else.”

 

“Anyone outside of the company?”

 

“My mom.”

 

“Oh goodie, I like Mrs. Ok. How is she, by the way?” Wooyoung smiled, which threw both other men off.

 

“She’s doing fine, thanks…” Taecyeon replied hesitantly.

 

“Good. What did she have to say?”

 

“She said she called it. She said you were way too touchy with boys as a kid to be straight.”

 

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Wooyoung offered. “No one else?”

 

“No one else.”

 

“Wow. I’m surprised. You held back on the gossip.”

 

Taecyeon shrugged. “It actually felt awkward talking about it. Like I was infringing on someone's privacy or something.”

 

Wooyoung looked like he was about to blow steam out of his ears. “Is that not what all gossip is?!” he wheezed.

 

The oldest shrugged again. “Can I get back up now?”

 

“Yes,” Wooyoung said, and Chanyeol let out an inconspicuous breath.

 

“Alright. Now that that’s done, you can get back to work. And work efficiently and effectively, Ok Taecyeon. I didn't name you Head of Domestic Marketing for nothing.”

 

The couple left the office side by side.

 

“Why aren't you worried about Taecyeon’s mother?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“She hates literally every person in her life. Including Taecyeon, to a certain extent. Trust me, she won’t be in anyone's presence long enough to let it slip.”

 

Chanyeol chuckled. “How can a mother not love her own son?”

 

“You’re mistaken. You think hate and love are opposites, and can't be together?”

 

“Well, yes,” Chanyeol replied with a confused frown. “They’re the opposite ends of a spectrum of feeling.”

 

“I hate you enough to sometimes consider never seeing your face ever again,” Wooyoung confessed. “But I love you much more.”

 

“What? Why do you hate me?”

 

“Your personality reminds me of someone I’d much rather not remember daily. And you are lying to yourself if you say that you don’t hate me, too. At least a little.”

 

Chanyeol thought for a little while. “Well, you are pretty reserved. And you keep secrets. Even from me… Okay, you’re right. I do hate you a little.”

 

Wooyoung smiled. “If you wanted a relationship without secrets, you shouldn't have picked a businessman.”

 

“Let me remind you that you picked me. I had no choice in falling for you.”

 

***

 

“Appa! Daddy! Look what Minyoung-unnie and I did today!” Byulha said at the door. She took her fathers’ hands and led them to the kitchen, where Minyoung was placing plates on a table.

 

Byulha made Wooyoung and Chanyeol close their eyes while she struggled to open the refrigerator. “Ta-da!” she said, finally. “Open your eyes!”

 

The men opened their eyes to see a skillfully made black cake. Minyoung hurried over to take it out of the fridge to show off the writing on the top, a little obviously done by the youngest member of the family. “Thank you for being my parents!” it wrote, most likely spell-checked by the nanny.

 

“It’s beautiful, Byulha,” Chanyeol gasped. He picked up his daughter, who squealed. “Just like you.”

 

“Appa? Do you like it?” the little one asked.

 

“No,” Wooyoung said. Byulha’s face fell while his swept up in a smile. “I don’t like it. I love it.”

 

Byulha groaned, shoving her face into Chanyeol’s neck. “Appa~!” she whined. “You scared me!”

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry baby,” Wooyoung apologized. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and his daughter.

 

“Well, let's eat the cake already!” Byulha said excitedly.

 

“Ah ah. Byulha. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Minyoung asked, gesturing to the dinner table.

 

“Life’s too short to have dessert last, Minyoung-unnie!” Byulha reasoned.

 

“Well, you’re obviously rubbing off on her,” Wooyoung noted.

 

Minyoung laughed. “And you’re too short to have dessert first. You have to be Daddy’s height to do that.”

 

“But nobody is Daddy's height! He’s the tallest man in the world!”

 

Chanyeol snickered. “There are plenty of people taller than me, Byulha. What Minyoung-unnie means is that you have to be a full grown up to have dessert first.”

 

“You mean not almost grown up like me, but grown up grown up like you guys?” Byulha asked.

 

“Exactly,” Wooyoung nodded.

 

Byulha sighed dramatically, and wiggled until Chanyeol set her down. “Fine. I guess we can have dinner first.”

 

Chanyeol and Wooyoung shared a look of awe at how adorable their daughter was.

 

The three of them sat down at the table and Minyoung brought out the food, tomato soup, a linguini made of homemade pasta and bits of lobster meat, and three types of salad. Then she retreated, promising Byulha that she’d be back the next day, as she did every night.

 

“Why doesn't Minyoung-unnie ever eat with us?” the little girl questioned.

 

“She has a home to take care of, as well,” Wooyoung answered.

 

“I want her to eat with us one day.”

 

“Yeah, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Chanyeol agreed.

 

***

 

The doorbell rang way too early for it to be Minyoung. Besides, she knew not to wake anyone up.

 

One of the staff opened the door. Chanyeol could hear talk about how the homeowner was sleeping, and that she couldn't let him in.

 

Deciding he was already too awake to go back to sleep, he untangled himself from Wooyoung and Byulha--the latter of whom had joined them partway through the night after having a nightmare.

 

“Yes, I know you’re Mr. Jang’s friend, sir, but--”

 

“I swear I won’t cause any trouble.”

 

Chanyeol creeped down the winding staircase. “Nayeon-ssi, who is it?” he asked sleepily.

 

“It’s Mr. Ok, sir.”

 

“Kick him out,” Chanyeol said with a chuckle, climbing down. “I’m joking. Let him in. He’s louder when he’s not getting his way.”

 

Nayeon left the two men with a bow, and returned to the kitchen.

 

Taecyeon rolled his eyes. “Now I see where Wooyoung’s been getting his new sense of sass.”

 

“My proudest achievement, believe me.”

 

“What are you even doing here?” the older man asked, walking into the house and setting his briefcase down by a couch before sliding into it.

 

Chanyeol stared blankly at him, and that was the only thing he could do for a minute. “I live here.”

 

Taecyeon froze. “You… You live here? What? Since when?”

 

Chanyeol sighed. “I am so curious about what in God’s name you thought our living arrangements were. Especially since you know about Byulha being in the picture.”

 

The room fell into a thick silence. Chanyeol broke it by calling out to the recently hired kitchen staff for two cups of coffee. Then he took a seat next to his superior in business.

 

“So, what are you doing here?”

 

“I thought I may as well stop by for some breakfast with my friend while he’s still happy.”

 

“What?”

 

Taecyeon looked up. “Oh. . You don’t know. Never mind. I thought he might’ve told you. I’m not allowed to tell anyone about it.”

 

“We’re in the same company. The same confidentiality rules apply to us,” Chanyeol reasoned.

 

“This isn’t a contractual restriction. It’s personal.”

 

The younger man would’ve prodded further, but Wooyoung came downstairs, carrying Byulha.

 

“Taecyeon? What are you doing here?”

 

Chanyeol faintly heard the kitchen staff speak briefly. It was the only sound in the grand house.

 

“Just wanted to have some breakfast with you, friend. Is that a crime?”

 

“Showing up unannounced should be,” Wooyoung grumbled, but he smiled. He gave the sleeping Byulha to his boyfriend, and offered his friend a hug.

 

Chanyeol grinned, but kept a watchful gaze on Wooyoung.

 

Nayeon came back with three cups of coffee.

 

Chanyeol watched his cool down.

 

Taecyeon suggested that they go to the kitchen.

 

Wooyoung argued that they should wait until breakfast was ready. “Our house staff are still kind of new.”

 

Chanyeol patted Byulha’s soft hair.

 

Nayeon came back to invite them to the breakfast room.

 

Chanyeol couldn’t remember a time when they used the breakfast room for breakfast.

 

And then there was the phone call.

 

***

 

Wooyoung was dressed and out of the house faster than his 19 second conversation with his secretary. He left Chanyeol and Taecyeon to entertain his daughter this morning.

 

He wondered what they would talk about when their only common point-- himself --wasn’t there. Chanyeol wasn’t a business person. Taecyeon wasn’t a creative person. Maybe they would still talk about him behind his back.

 

Wooyoung shook the thought out of his head. In fact, he cleared his head completely. Completely blank now, he was able to filter out what he did want to think about instead on his drive to work.

 

His secretary met him at the door and rode with him on the elevator to his office, filling him in on the urgent details.

 

“She’s really pissed about the contract. About how you acted about it.”

 

“I only sign off on things, I don’t come up with things!”

 

“Yes, that's what she means. She thought you would have protected her from something like this.”

 

“Who the hell is she? Why would I protect her?”

 

“She deems herself an important part of this company, sir.”

 

“Maybe when my father was running it, she was, but all I’ve seen of her is temper and rude behaviour.”

 

“For your own sake, sir, please try not to anger her.”

 

“I know what I’m doing. I won’t.”

 

He burst into the office with such a force that it propelled the woman sitting leisurely on his sofa to gasp and jump to her feet. She regained composure soon enough, and walked with her chin in the air to the desk Wooyoung was now behind.

 

“Close the door,