"Jong." Sehun nudges him, snapping the CEO out of his thoughts,

"I warned you." The younger states, getting comfortable on the couch and turning on a gaming console.

"Yeah, yeah." Jongin brushes him off, barely managing to catch the controller tossed at him.

"You're attracted to Heeyoung." Sehun comments, shocking Jongin into missing a shot,

"What the hell, Oh Sehun." Jongin yells, smacking Sehun across the face with a pillow,

"You said it yourself, you find yourself looking at her and even yesterday, you kept sneaking glances at her. We all saw the look on your face when she was swooning over Myeon." The disdainful look appears on Jongin's face at the reminder, before the CEO schools his expression,

Sehun rolls his eyes, looking over his slow best friend before focusing on the game, while Jongin finds it difficult to concentrate.

"Fine. I think Heeyoung is beautiful, but that's all."

"Then why the hostility towards Unit 6?" Sehun asks, internally cackling as Jongin keeps missing the shots, giving Sehun a shot at victory.

"I wasn't hostile." Jongin denies, but Sehun kicks him,

"The day after the engagement, I went to visit her at work cause I wanted to take her out for lunch and at least try to apologize for my rudeness, but she completely ignored me. She treated me like a nobody. I even took the two out to lunch, but she only talked to Unit 6 and after, she refused to let me pay for her." Jongin fumes, quickly glancing towards the entryway.

"Now you're simply looking for excuses." Sehun snorts,

"Excuses for what?" Jongin asks, glancing at his phone,

"Excuses to dislike Heeyoung." 

"And why would I be doing that?" Jongin snorts, imitating the younger,

"Because you're still trying to hold onto Jihyun." Sehun tells him, stunning Jongin into silence.

Heeyoung storms out of the apartment, but she doesn't know where she's going next. Though she's lived in the city for the past couple years, she's never made an effort to actually go explore, her life revolving around work and home and sometimes the park across her former apartment. She gets into her car, trying to decide where she can drive off to, when she glances at Baekhyun headed down the stairs. Not wanting to face him, she quickly drives off, leaving the destination for later.

As she's driving, she sees a familiar pet cafe, the one Minhyuk introduced her to.

Placing her order, she heads over towards a table close to the play area. She's eating when a puppy jumps into her lap, surprising her.

"Can I join you?" Looking towards the deep voice, she's once again surprised at the familiar face of Park Chanyeol smiling down at her.

She nods her head, seeing as he's waiting for her permission, before sitting across from her. As soon as Chanyeol sits down, the puppy jumps on the table, heading straight for Chanyeol.

"She seems familiar with you." Heeyoung notes, seeing the puppy yip at the male.

"I spoil her too much." Chanyeol says, making faces at the pup.

"You come here often?" Heeyoung asks, looking around the cafe,

Chanyeol snorts, earning a confused look from Heeyoung before he clarifies, "I practically live here."

"Is this your cafe?" Heeyoung carefully asks, looking at the taller male, remembering him mentioning owning a cafe.

"Got it at first try." Chanyeol beams,

"It's an amazing place." Heeyoung compliments,

"Thank you. It wasn't this grand when I first started." Chanyeol sighs,

"It's cute, and there's not many pet cafes in the area, so I'm sure business is good." Heeyoung nods,

"Business is much better now, but when I first started, people were slightly reluctant as they didn't think combining food and pets would be a good mix. They were worried about hygiene and all." Chanyeol informs her,

"But the kitchen is isolated and it's just like having a pet at home." Heeyoung frowns,

"Exactly." Chanyeol smacks the table, surprising the puppy to jump on the table and knocking down Heeyoung's half empty coffee mug. Chanyeol hurries to get wet wipes. Heeyoung tries to salvage the mess from getting on the floor, not too concerned about her clothes, since the coffee had cooled down and quickly stuck to her clothes.

"I'm so sorry." Chanyeol apologizes, handing her another pack of wipes.

"It's fine. Let's clean up the floor first, don't want the pups getting into this mess." She gently says, 

"You don't have to." Chanyeol tries to protest, seeing Heeyoung take the mop from his employee and clean up herself, but she shakes her head and meticulously cleans the mess.

Chanyeol picks up the used plates on the table and heads to the kitchen, returning to see Heeyoung place a wet floor sign and gathering her things at the table. She frowns, feeling the stickiness on her car keys and phone, before looking at her clothes.

"Follow me." Chanyeol says, heading towards the employee only door, not even waiting to see if she follows behind him.

Past the 'employee only' door, there's a hidden staircase, leading to a lone door. Chanyeol makes sure she's following him, before unlocking the door and holding it open for her.

"Welcome to my hideout." Chanyeol says, shutting the door behind him and getting her a pair of house slippers.

"Wow." Heeyoung voices, admiring the beautiful interior, radiating a homey feeling.

As she's looking around, Chanyeol returns with a change of clothes,

"This is all I have, sorry." He states, handing her the clothes,

"At this point, even a sack would be fine." She winces, feeling the clothes sticking to her,

Chanyeol chuckles, pointing her in the direction of the bedroom with an en suite.

Heeyoung returns to a delicious aroma wafting through the apartment,

"Whatever you're cooking smells wonderful." She comments,

"Can I borrow a bag or something?" She asks for her stained clothes, though Chanyeol has her put them in the washer.

"Food will be ready in a few, feel free to explore." He tells her, 

She walks past the bedroom towards a slightly opened door. Peeking inside, she sees a recording studio. Exploring for a few more minutes, she returns to the living room, heading straight for the piano at the corner of the room.

She takes a seat on the piano bench, asking Chanyeol for permission to play before she lets loose.

"I know you play but wow." Chanyeol claps his hands, leaning against the dining table.

"Thank you." She chuckles, getting up and heading towards the table.

"I hope you're fine with fried rice." Chanyeol says as they're sitting down.

"This tastes wonderful." Heeyoung beams, happily stuffing herself, not minding her manners in front of the other.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it." Chanyeol watches with a fond smile, 

Chanyeol is telling her about his hobby of composing, when Heeyoung stops eating, feeling nauseous. She barely makes it to the bathroom in time, puking her stomach out. As she's cleaning out, her head starts feeling fuzzy, her vision starts spinning and her knees give out, causing her to collapse, scaring Chanyeol as she turns blue.

"My bag, epi-" She manages to get out, before her world darkens.

"Sorry......... called a doctor........Didn't know.........."

Her head feels heavy as she tries to sit up, but her body isn't cooperating and she can't see as the room is dark. The oxygen mask on her face tickles slightly, while her left arm itches but even trying to move her other arm feels like a struggle. She tries to call for help but is sore and her eyes close.

~

A loud ringing sounds through the room, disturbing the lady's sleep. She reaches towards the noise, but finds it out of her reach. Blinking her eyes open, she slowly sits up and moving her limbs no longer feels impossible, just slightly heavy.

After a trip to the bathroom, she wobbles her way to the living room. Sighing at the sight of her cleaned clothes, car keys, phone and wallet set carefully on the coffee table. She tries to look for something to leave Chanyeol a note, but is unable to find one, choosing to text him after she gets home.

Picking up her things, she heads towards the exit, but is stopped hearing a door open.

"Where are you going?" Chanyeol worries, hurrying to her side,

"I've imposed on you for too long." She frowns, refusing his help,

"No, no. I'm so sorry for getting you sick." He hangs his head,

"It's not your fault. I should've been more careful. I'm sorry for not asking." She retorts, letting him lead her towards the couch.

"Don't apologize. I was terrified when you passed out. I made sure you received proper medical help, because you caught it early and the epinephrine was given quickly, you shouldn't have major side-effects, but try to be extra careful and stay hydrated." He tells her, making sure she's comfortably seated.

"I know. I've been through this process a few times, unfortunately. As long as I get the epi injection within 30 minutes of the reaction, I don't need to go to the hospital." She says,

"I'm not sure what caused your reaction." Chanyeol scratches the back of his neck, listing out the ingredients of his dish, "Eggs, peas, carrots, bacon, onion, sesame oil, gochujang, soy sauce."

"Bacon? I didn't smell or see it." Heeyoung asks,

"I cut them into tiny pieces and gochu usually mutes other smells." Chanyeol nods, pausing as he realizes, "You're allergic to bacon?"

Heeyoung deeply sighs, "Not only bacon but I'm allergic to red meats and even shellfish and certain fishes. Which is why I tend to just stay away from them."

"That's sad." Chanyeol says, "I haven't heard of anyone being allergic to red meat, though."

"I wasn't born with the allergy, unlike my seafood allergy." She informs him, his eyes widen at her words,

"Explain."

"For a friend's 11th birthday, he wanted to try camping and turned it into a family trip. The night of his birthday, we children, decided to sneak out to go hang out by the lake, more like me, but one of my other friends accompanied me, and with him the others followed, save for two-"

"Hana and Taehyung refused to go, while Jaemin followed and because of him Seol and Haechan agreed to go with you as well, after which Eddy and Bomi followed along, right?" Chanyeol excitedly asks, while Heeyoung's face darkens,

"How do you know them?" She frowns, seeing as the male has not only identified her friends, but was able to accurately pin their personalities.

"Hyunjin hyung." He simply says,

She observes him for a brief moment, before continuing, "Sometime during our time by the lake we were bit, but we didn't realize until after we got home. In fact it was a couple weeks later, when I woke up feeling extremely itchy and I couldn't stop scratching. When Hyunjin came to check on me, he started yelling, alerting the elders since I was covered in huge red rashes. Mom called the other parents and took all the kids to get checked, even if it was just the 6 of us who had sneaked out. I'm not sure about the other's symptoms, other than Heechan constantly sneezing, but we thought Bomi and him had just caught a cold, since they always hang out together, but it was symptoms from being bitten by the lone star tick, which resulted in an alpha-gal allergy." She informs him,

"At first, we didn't think it was serious, so Jaemin and I once ate some bacon, not surprising but hours later we woke up at the hospital. Our parents were angry, but we confirmed the seriousness of our allergy, so it was a successful experiment." She ends on a chirpy note, causing Chanyeol to chuckle and pat her head.

"I'll be extra careful next time." He seriously says, while she nods along.

A ringing gets their attention, seeing Chanyeol's phone ring with an incoming call from a ByunBaek.

Heeyoung scrolls through her phone, while Chanyeol answers the call.

"Why don't you give him a call? He's worried about you." Chanyeol gently advices,

"Why is he worrying?" She scoffs,

Chanyeol sighs, "Because you're his sister, he doesn't need another reason."

"As his best friend, I'm sure you're aware about the true nature of our relationship." She huffs, overestimating herself and standing up suddenly, thankfully Chanyeol manages to save her from a fall,

"I do, which is why I'm asking you to not take your anger out on the wrong person. You're angry at your father, not your brother. I saw how you treated Mrs. Byun, why can't you extend Baekhyun the same treatment. He does his best to protect and care for you without you knowing, because he fears you'll reject his help. The usually confident Baekhyun, turns meek in front of Hyunjin hyung and you because he feels guilty before you. Baekhyun is an amazing friend and brother and trust me when I say, if you miss out on having him in your life, you'll regret it. " Chanyeol declares, 

"Why do I have to trust you? We're practically strangers." She half-heartedly teases, because the taller has always given her a safe feeling. Being with Chanyeol, she's never felt she needs to be guarded as the male makes her feel comfortable.

"Impudence. After saving your life, this is how you treat your savior?" He loudly gasps, clutching his chest,

"Would I have needed saving, had it not been for you?" She mocks, though her words kill the playful mood as Chanyeol loses the smile on his face to a frown,

Heeyoung berates herself, before trying to comfort Chanyeol, "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"But you're right, had it not been for me...."

"It's not your fault. I should have checked. I know I have a rare allergy and I'm in a primarily carnivorous country." She argues, but the smile on his face deepens,

"If I call Baekhyun, will you let this go?" She negotiates, Chanyeol looks ready to argue, but thinks better and nods his head.

"Heeyoung." Baekhyun's surprised voice rings through the room,

"Hey, Baekhyun." Heeyoung greets,

"Where are you? Are you okay? You can't just storm off when you're upset, especially when you're not even familiar with this city." Baekhyun scolds,

"I'm fine, I'm sorry for not informing you, but I met a friend and lost track of time. I just called to tell you not to worry over me. I'll see you at work tomorrow. I'll pack some lunch for the both of us." She states, hanging up.

She stares at the phone screen, before looking at Chanyeol, who seems extremely proud of himself, causing the lady to roll her eyes.

"You trust me." Chanyeol declares, poking her arm,

"Whatever." She brushes him off, "It's too late. I need to head back." She says, trying to stand once again but her knees are still weak and she finds herself plop back on the couch.

"Tsk, you can't stand properly and you're thinking of driving back yourself?" Chanyeol teases,

"Are you underestimating me?" She narrows her eyes at him,

"I wouldn't dare, but Ms.Park, let me drop you off, for the safety of my mental state." He pleads, causing her to reluctantly accept. She didn't want to trouble him further, but if he insists.

As they're leaving, Heeyoung hands him her phone with the gate access pulled up. She's passed out when they arrive back. Even after shaking her, Heeyoung doesn't wake up, being a good friend Chanyeol carries her to her unit. Walking into the house, the smell of alcohol and fried food hits his nose. There's empty beer cans, bags of chips along with boxes of fried chicken and pizza littered around the coffee table while Sehun and Jongin are passed out carelessly.

Chanyeol drops Heeyoung to her room first, making his way to the living room. He debates letting them suffer or toss them a blanket. Either way, Jongin and him need to talk soon.