Word Count: 4,758

Note: This chapter is a bit different from the rest, but it’s one that I’ve been itching to write! Finally, a fluffy chapter where Baekhyun’s soft side for Hwayoung is revealed. And as always, don’t be afraid to tell me how you feel about the story! <3

~~

Baekhyun looks over the blanket of pictures on his desk, each somewhat in a blur yet silhouetted just enough for him to make out the figures and dark settings. There are several images of him walking briskly, garbed in black as always and a cigarette hanging from between his teeth. He recognizes the other figures as some of his men- there’s Chanyeol with a bat in one photo and Jongin beside the car in another.

But the most unsettling of them all is a photo with a very familiar young female. Only Jongdae is clearly shown, but behind him is the faint outline of a small figure with straight black locks that Baekhyun would recognize anywhere.

Jongin and Chanyeol had delivered the pictures to him, telling him that they found a man spying on several members of Exo Credit Union. Apparently, he had been paid to find information and take pictures to send to another mysterious group. The man himself was not able to identify the group, for all he needed was the money.

Though they stopped these photos from reaching the mysterious third party, Baekhyun feels uneasy. Usually, he doesn’t mind these things. But the moment his eyes had laid on Hwayoung’s faint outline in one of the photos, his stomach churns quietly.

His deep thoughts shatter, however, by the sound of a loud crash coming from another room down the hall. He ignores it once, only for a loud pounding to resonate, until his ears are ringing and the thumping echoes in the depths of his mind. Baekhyun grouchily strands up and begrudgingly drags his body out of the gloom of his lonely office and down the hall to one of the larger rooms. It’s only slightly bigger than his office, but the couches and the space make it convenient for gatherings.

When he steps inside, he sees Chanyeol balancing on a stool while trying to tape a rather small banner on the wall.

“What the hell is going on?” Baekhyun asks. “And what’s with all the noise?”

“We’re setting up for the party,” Jongdae smiles. “We’re trying to put this thing on the wall and we tried using tacks. Chanyeol got angry and tried slamming them into the wall. Not to mention, he fell off the stool. Sorry about that.”

“Party, what party?” Baekhyun asks. He knows the only celebrations other than Christmas and New Year’s in the building is someone’s birthday, but he can’t recall anyone’s birthday being today.

“You’re so dense, boss,” Jongdae rolls his eyes. “It’s Hwayoung’s nineteenth birthday.”

Baekhyun doesn’t respond with frustration. Instead, a baffled expression mars his countenance and he goes blank.

“It’s Hwayoung’s birthday?” he asks.

“Yes,” Jongdae sighs. “You have to join our celebration.”

Baekhyun doesn’t really hear anything, because he’s dreading the fact that he has to do something for her birthday.

When Baekhyun doesn’t respond, Chanyeol groans, “Come on, boss. Hwayoung is our errand girl, she does everything around here.”

“She’s literally become one of us now.”

“She treats our injuries, she restocks all the cigarettes you smoke, and she even irons our suits whenever we have meetings with other groups,” Chanyeol says.

“I’ll come to the party, it’s just,” Baekhyun sighs. “Do I have to do anything for her?”

“You have to get her a ing present!”

Baekhyun is suddenly reminded of the task assigned by her father, to protect her. Baekhyun admits, he has indeed become attached to the young girl and wants to do so much for her, but he has a job to do.

“You know what, I’m not one for parties, and I’m not one for gifts, so I think I’ll just stay out of this and let all of you guys figure this out,” Baekhyun blabbers. “I always just sit in the back whenever it’s one of your birthdays anyways.”

“What are you talking about?” Jongdae nearly shouts. “You’re always celebrating our birthdays, and you do whatever we tell you to even though you act mean and say you won't do it. What's different this time? Is it because Hwayoung is a girl?”

Jongdae and Chanyeol snicker and exchange suggestive glances when Baekhyun goes silent and his cheeks burn a bright red.

“I forgot that the last time our boss saw a girl was like, four years ago,” Chanyeol laughs.

“Both of you, shut the up before I kick your asses,” Baekhyun grumbles.

Baekhyun knows he’s supposed to be putting on a cold, heartless facade with rude demeanor, but even he thinks it would be rude and insensitive to not congratulate someone on their birthday. But Baekhyun is hesitant, for he feels the mask clamped around his inner self slowly faltering as he tries to be cold to Hwayoung.

He has to get something for her without ruining his cover and looking like some flustered young boy trying to confess, yet he can't be so much of a jerk that you end up fighting on your birthday.

“Boss, I'm sure if you search somewhere, you’ll find a heart inside you,” Chanyeol insists. “Just get her something nice.”

“How about I give you guys some money and you guys get a Hwayoung a gift?”

“We’re busy the whole day setting up,” Jongdae says. “And you have to get her a gift. She’ll accept your gifts but she probably won't accept ours.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agrees, managing to prop his weight on one leg while the other rests on the window sill as he tries to tape the banner. “Come on, boss. We won't tell anybody about your soft side.”

“I don't ing have a soft side.”

“Fine, we won't tell anybody about your soft side for Hwayoung.”

“I do not have soft side for Hwayoung,” Baekhyun says angrily. “But if you want me to get her a gift then I’m going to need your help. What the hell does a nineteen year old girl like?”

“We got you, boss,” Chanyeol winks.

~~

“What the hell is this place?” Baekhyun asks while squinting through the tinted windows of the car.

“It's a jewelry store,” Jongdae says, nearly rolling his eyes.

“I'm not going in there and buying jewelry alone,” Baekhyun says defiantly.

“Why the hell not?” Chanyeol asks.

“I'm a grown man and a busy person,” Baekhyun hisses. “I'm not going in there shopping for jewelry.”

“Too bad,” Chanyeol says, opening the door for Baekhyun. “We’re leaving you here.”

“No.”

“Come on boss, we won't tell anyone,” Jongdae sighs. “Throw away your pride for once.”

Baekhyun hesitantly steps out of the car, his feet settling against the paved concrete. The moment his body is out of the car, the door is shut behind him, and the vehicle speeds rapidly down the narrow street.

“Hey!” Baekhyun shouts, nearly swearing loudly until he sees a mother with her child on the other side of the street. Instead, he throws his head back and lets out a groan.

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he whips it out, sighing heavily when he reads the message from Jongdae.

“We’ll send Yixing to pick you up soon. In the meantime, happy shopping!”

What the hell was a grown man like him doing at a jewelry shop?

Baekhyun angrily runs a hand through his hair.

He might as well go inside.

The inside is dim, soft lights glowing over shining pieces of metal and delicate chains. There's nobody inside, but he feels out of place, like a grown man in children’s clothing. His eyes scan over golden rings and silver chains with white pearls, but all he can do is stare bashfully with his hands tucked deep into his pockets.

How the heck is he supposed to know what Hwayoung will like?

“Can I help you with anything today?”

A voice chirps gleefully and the sudden emergence of an older woman, almost in her forties, from a door behind the counter has Baekhyun startled.

“I’m sorry if I startled you,” the woman laughs softly, and Baekhyun feels his pulse settling to a low thump as he is reminded once more why he’s here. “Is there anything in particular that you’re looking for?”

Though he’s not one to interact much, perhaps this interaction is a blessing in disguise, because he’d much rather be helped by a stranger who probably knows what she’s doing than fumble around clumsily.

“I’m looking for a birthday gift for someone,” he mumbles lowly. It’s been a while since he’s had a normal conversation with someone, one that doesn’t involve something about hunting down someone or brutal vengeance against enemies. “She’s a university student, and she’s turning nineteen.”

The woman nods, eyebrows knitting together as her eyes quickly dart around for something.

“Since she’s a student, I guess something that she can wear comfortably will be good,” Baekhyun murmurs. “And she likes simple things, so nothing too bold.”

“I think we may have something for you,” the woman smiles warmly, and Baekhyun follows obediently as she leads him to a glass display with a few silver chains. Baekhyun notices the deep shade of maroon painting her nails, before his eyes travel down to the necklaces.

Baekhyun isn’t one for accessories, and he definitely isn’t one for jewelry, but he has to admit- he’s captivated by the dim sparkle of the metal and the soft curve of the chain. His eyes are drawn to a necklace, with an intricately designed crescent moon charm around a small pendant with a swirling galaxy of stars within it.

“I think this one will be good,” Baekhyun mumbles absentmindedly, actually admiring the pendant.

“Alright, I’ll ring it up for you,” the woman smiles.

Baekhyun walks to the cashier, pulling out his wallet and skimming his fingers over its contents until he finds his credit card. He hands it to her briskly, and the woman hands him a velvety box.

“Is this for your girlfriend?” the woman asks with a smile, as if memories are playing through her mind like an old film.

Baekhyun is taken aback by the sudden question, quickly shaking his head and insisting, “No, it’s nothing like that. We’re not dating, and we definitely don’t like each other that way.”

“I see,” the woman says, a hint of playfulness in her voice, as if she isn’t believing him entirely.

She hands him a receipt and his card, winking at him as she tells him, “Go make her yours.”

Baekhyun turns red in the face, as he hurriedly thanks the lady before rushing out the door. With the velvety box feeling heavy in his pocket, he whips out his phone and calls Yixing.

“Can you come pick me up? Yeah, Jongdae and Chanyeol left me here,” Baekhyun mumbles. “Thanks.”

After hanging up, he kicks around some withered leaves, occasionally glancing up at the sky and murmuring, “It’s nothing like that.”

~~

“Don’t you dare come back from school yet.”

“If you do, you’re going to ruin the surprise birthday party we have prepared.”

Hwayoung can only roll her eyes at the messages that Chanyeol has sent her the past hour. She stepped out of her last class, only to be bombarded by dozens of messages from Chanyeol, a threat embedded in each one. She ignores the fact that Chanyeol has dumbly revealed the “surprise” birthday party they’ve been planning all day and instead wonders what she’s going to do.

A hand on her shoulder and the scent of musty cologne and cigarettes has her grinning from ear to ear as she greets the familiar male.

“Kyungsoo,” Hwayoung smiles.

“Hey, princess,” he smiles back. “What’s up?”

“Are you free right now?” Hw