The board meeting was done and dusted without any hitch. Though they all asked a lot of questions which scared Baekhyun, Jongin handled everything well and where Jongin wasn't sure what to say Baekhyun stepped up and said exactly what Chanyeol asked him to. Thanks to them everything was finally over and Baekhyun almost ran out of the room.

“Ahh! It was a long day.”

Baekhyun exclaimed once they were back in Jongin's office. He sat down on the couch and closed his eyes for some time.

“You did well Baekhyun-ssi. Rest for a while. I'll just complete my paperwork for the day and then let's go out to eat.” Jongin said and Baekhyun could sense the seriousness in his voice. Obviously, he wanted an explanation and he deserved one, so Baekhyun just hummed a small okay in response. Once the door was closed behind Jongin, Baekhyun sighed in relief.

“You did really well today” He heard Chanyeol's voice from beside him but kept his eyes closed. “Well, I just followed the orders of the CEO. Nothing great.” He then opened his eyes and looked at Chanyeol. “But seriously speaking, those BOD are no joke. If it wasn't for you, I'd be intimidated by them 5 mins into the meeting.”

“I know.” Was all Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun gave half a smile at that response. Cocky, the human thought but decided to keep that to himself.

They fell silent after that. Chanyeol could feel the other's breathing fall into a pattern and soon enough he was sure that Baekhyun was asleep. It had really been a long day, the press conference, the board meeting, the last-minute paperwork everything was a bit too much. Too overwhelming for some who, according to Chen, avoided the limelight at all costs.  He was glad that Baekhyun handled it so well. To be honest he was Chanyeol's only hope. Baekhyun had come in his life like a guardian angel. If it hadn't been for Baekhyun he wouldn't be here at all. He could have been roaming aimlessly somewhere. Chen had told him that once the soul begins to wander around the memories start fading and it is too hard to hold on to them unless you are in your familiar environment. Chanyeol was a different case so he wasn't sure how that would work but normally that is what would happen. Chanyeol did not want to risk it. He was lost in his thoughts when something hit his left shoulder lightly. His first instinct was to shout but he somehow controlled it. He looked beside him and found Baekhyun sleeping soundly with his head resting on his shoulders. He still didn't understand how Baekhyun was able to touch him but when he tried to do the same, he couldn't. His soft snores filled the room. The descending sunlight shone brightly as it accentuated the shorter’s features. His features were soft just like his heart. Who in the world would ever imagine that such an angel-like person would have such powers? Chanyeol thought. At some places, people would still consider him to be a student instead of a businessman.

‘My Angel’ Chanyeol whispered as a smile plastered on his face.

He tried touching his hair but obviously he couldn’t do it. Maybe if he concentrated a bit he might be able to do it. But then he was too tired from all the activities as well and didn't have enough energy to try it out. Now, there were two things he could do, one gets up and let Baekhyun fall on the sofa or two, sit there till Baekhyun woke up.

.

.

Baekhyun had a dream. It had been a while since he had one. He dreamt about his high school, he dreamt about Kyungsoo. He dreamt about all the happy memories they had. How Kyungsoo, even though was just a beginner in karate had promised to protect Baekhyun at all costs. How when Baekhyun really was being bullied by the seniors, Kyungsoo had stepped in to help him out but in the end, they both had been beaten to a pulp because of lack of skills that his owl-eyed friend had and the zero courage Baekhyun himself had. He dreamt about their pizza nights, movie marathons at their dorm room and their last-minute rush at completing their assignments before their deadlines.

He also dreamt about Chen. He was there with them. All three of them having jamming sessions all night with some beer and fried chicken to go with it. Their endless discussion about everything and nothing at all and about a long lanky kid who was new to the school. The tall, lanky guy looked completely like Chanyeol to Baekhyun. Maybe in some universe, they could all be together. A world where no one questioned what he was and accepted his as is.

The dream changed quickly after that, Kyungsoo was suddenly too distant and wouldn’t even look at Baekhyun. Chen and Chanyeol stood by his side but they did nothing to stop Kyungsoo. Slowly and steadily Chen and Chanyeol started disappearing too. He wanted to make it stop but didn’t know how to. He wanted to talk to his father and ask him what was wrong, but he couldn’t move at all. The only thing he could do was stand and watch all his friends go away. There was a sudden plunge and Baekhyun was falling. Falling into a never-ending pitch of darkness. It felt like he could go on forever, but his eyes snapped open. He sat up straight and looked around. It was just a dream he realized. Only then did he breathe normally.

He looked around; it had not been long since he had fallen asleep. He looked to the right expecting to find Chen looking down at him like he always does when he is sure Baekhyun is having a bad dream but to his surprise it was Chanyeol. He looked tired too, but his eyes were wide open. He probably thought he had closed his eyes, Baekhyun figured. He smiled at that. After some time, Chen came around.

‘You had a bad dream again.’ Chen stated.

‘How do you always know?’ Baekhyun asked curiously but not surprised anymore.

‘That is because I am your best friend and best friends know when best friends are having a hard time’ Chen said with a proud smile on his face as he plopped down on the arm of the sofa he was sitting and Chanyeol was sleeping.

‘So, you are never going to tell me how you do it?’ Baekhyun asked as he looked at Chen and back to Chanyeol and then back to Chen. Did he not realize how creepy it looked? Baekhyun thought.

‘Probably not.’ Chen replied. At first, Baekhyun thought he had spoken out loud but then he realized Chen replied to his previous question. ‘Let me take Mr. Lanky legs with me. He looks tired’

Chen shook Chanyeol awake and without a word both left the room, more like popped off. All this while Baekhyun did not even realize that Chen had called Chanyeol the exact same thing Baekhyun had heard him say in the dream.

.

Jong In finished the final paperwork of the meeting and collated all the required documents that were to be sent to the prosecutor who was going to handle the case. Even though it was all happening right now he still hadn't wrapped his head around it. He had questions so many of them but before he could find the answers, he had to document it all well. Chanyeol's case was going to be handled by a new prosecutor who was recently transferred to their city. If the rumor was true, he is one of the best in the country and all Jong In hoped was he could solve this all quickly.

After completing the paperwork and sending it down to the station, Jongin made his way back to his office where he found Baekhyun staring into space.

“Baekhyun-ssi, let's go eat something you must be hungry,” he said.

Baekhyun looked up at the mention of his name and nodded at Jongin confirming that he was starving. He offered a small smile as he got up and adjusted his clothes making his way towards him.

“Let’s go!” Was all he said, and they left in silence.

.

.

.

The food was delicious or maybe Baekhyun was just too hungry to even care. He had been up all night to prepare for the meetings and only had a few packet ramyeon before coming in at the company this morning.

“So” Jongin started. “What do you do for a living Baekhyun ssi? Are you like a fortune teller or do you make people talk to their dead loved ones?”

Baekhyun stopped eating and let a chuckle slip out. “That is a really common misconception that people have about people like me. I don't blame you.  I know you're just curious. I do live like a normal person and no I am neither a fortune teller nor a talk to dead relatives. In fact, I do have a coffee shop on the outskirts of the city.  It's not that old you might have seen it sometime”

“Oh really? What's the name of the shop?”

“EXO Coffee and Bar.”

“Ahh, the one with the Cat-eyed barista?

“Yup that's the one. That cat-eyed barista is my partner. He is the in-charge of coffee while I handle the business aspect of things” Baekhyun explained.

They ate in silence after that. Making small talk and discussing what is to be done ahead. Having the last bite of his sandwich Baekhyun looked up.

“What Chanyeol told me was this, I have to keep coming to the office for a few days. I don't think the days will be more than twenty. Because after that, Chanyeol will come back. Trust me on this. I just must hold the fort until then. You carry out the work until then and I'll be here in case you need any help or need to talk to Chanyeol.”

“Twenty days? How are you so sure?” Jongin asked as he wiped the tips of his mouth with the napkin and placed it on the table.

“Just trust me. I can't tell you that.”

“Okay, I guess. I don't quite trust you yet. But since you do not look like danger, so I suppose I'll hold the fort with you for the next few days.” Jongin was still unsure and Baekhyun understood that.

“I get it. Let's just go with it for now,” he said.

_____________________________________

A short update to let you guys know that I am still alive and plan on completing this fic.

There were some family emergencies that I had come across and also had to move away from my house for studies. Between all of that, it had become difficult to focus on updating the fics. I already had some of it written but because there was no proper time I couldn't write it.