part 2.

Chanyeol did not realize how absolutely ape the combined parties would be, but then again, Baekhyun was paying for all the booze somehow and Park Go-Bum was there, taking up the majority of the party’s attention before Baekhyun introduced a drinking game that involved doing “missions”. They take turns going around the group.

Kyungsoo’s turn eventually came around and Baekhyun grinned, looking at the application on his phone. “Well, I guess it’s now your turn. Let’s hope for something spicy.”

“Mildly spicy!” Jongin added.

“Yeah, yeah.” Waving him off, Baekhyun waited for the app to generate a new dare. Judging by the look of mischief on his face, Chanyeol could only guess that it was anything but “mild”...

“Okay, Soo. It says right here that you have to kiss the person on your right or take a shot.”

It took everyone a second to register, but when it became clear that Jongin was to Kyungsoo’s left and Park Go-Bum was to the right, a minor argument between both parties suddenly erupted.

“That’s cheating!” Sehun stood up, grabbing Baekhyun’s phone. “You can’t do that-- Ah, Park Go-Bum, we’re sorry. That man’s a little--”

Go-Bum shook his head, amused at the bickering. “No! It’s fine! I’m okay! Really, so--”

Jongdae, who had been quietly observing up until that point, laughed. “Come on. Jongin’s going to get his turn in a few days.”

“But maybe Baekhyun can pull up another dare?” Yixing said, trying to find a compromise. “Maybe refresh the app?”

Jongin didn’t say anything. Seeing your fiance kiss someone else for his bachelor party wasn’t ideal, but also… he’d also probably kiss Park Go-Bum because… Well . Who’d pass up that opportunity. “It’s fine,” he finally ended up saying. “He has my--”

Before he could finish, Chanyeol interrupted with his voice booming over the others. “I’ll take the dare for him.”

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked.

“I’ll kiss the person on my right or take the shot.”

Everyone stopped arguing and looked at him. Suddenly, Chanyeol could feel his face feeling warmer than before now that a handful of drunken faces were staring him down.

“Wow…”

Chanyeol turned his head to the right.

“I didn’t know you liked me that much.” Baekhyun smiled at him before he leaned over and took a shot for himself. “I’ll pass on the kiss, but I’ll take the drink for you as a reward for your bravery...”

After the empty glass was placed back on the table, Baekhyun pointed at Jongin. “So, since Kyungsoo’s turn was forfeited, that means it’s your turn!”

Kyungsoo looked bummed. On the other hand, Jongin rubbed his hands together, ready.

❁ ❁ ❁

“Where the hell did you find an app like that?”

Chanyeol was practically yelling just to be heard. The music was louder on the bottom floor than it was upstairs where their VIP room was located. He had followed Baekhyun all the way down to the lower-level bar under the excuse that he needed to use the restroom.

“Uh, the App store?” Turning to the bartender, Baekhyun slid over his card. Chanyeol noticed that it was one of those cards with no limits… “Need something sweet. Can I get a long island? Do you want one, Chanyeol?”

“What? Uh, no--”

“Make that two.” Baekhyun ignored the look Chanyeol gave him when he turned back around. “Oh, before I forget! Thanks for, you know, going along with it. The party thing.”

“Yeah.” Glancing up at the balcony, Chanyeol couldn’t see their friends, but he could tell they were all probably using the ooportunity to take selfies with Park Go-Bum and asking him pointless questions… Not that Chanyeol wasn’t starstruck himself. He just had too much anxiety about being responsible for everyone that he couldn’t really enjoy it.

And that was something he knew Baekhyun could sense the moment the latter ed the drink in his hand. “Are you always this stiff?”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol gave in and took a sip. It wasn’t bad; though it definitely wasn’t something that could get anyone drunk. He wondered why Baekhyun ordered this particular drink.

“I don’t know. You kind of remind me of…” Baekhyun trailed off but the smile on Baekhyun’s lips does nothing except make Chanyeol more curious. “Flowers in the Rain.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you overthink a lot-- Kind of like the main character of that dumb book you like so much. And you overanalyze things. Listen, I know you’re worried about this unconventional double bachelor party and all, but relax. Everyone’s having fun. You barely took any shots during the games.”

“That’s not true. I took a few.” Leaning against the wall, Chanyeol looked at the drink in his hand… then back to Baekhyun. “What’s up with you mentioning that book anyways?”

“What?” Baekhyun pointed at his ear. “Chanyeol, I really can’t hear you. The music, it’s too loud!”

“I said--”

Grabbing Chanyeol’s hand, Baekhyun pulled him off the wall and led him to a sparsely occupied area before letting go. Then, he started swaying from side to side, all the while taking sips of the Long Island drink he was balancing well in between his hands. “Dance with me!”

Was it even considered dancing? They were doing side steps while drinking… But still, Chanyeol was buzzed enough to think it was actually kind of--a little bit--fun. Stupid, but fun. And for a second, he forgot about the people they had left upstairs, too focused on Baekhyun trying to instigate a dance off that definitely wasn’t going to happen on Chanyeol’s watch.

❁ ❁ ❁

This time around, it was Kyungsoo and Jongin who had to be piled in the back of the taxi. Surprisingly, Baekhyun wasn’t as wasted as he was before. Then again, Chanyeol only knew that wasted Baekhyun liked to cry and, so far, there weren’t any tears involved yet. That was a good sign.

“Why didn’t you let me kiss Park Go-Buuuum!” Kyungsoo sniffled, hitting Jongin on the chest. “That would’ve been the best wedding gift ever!”

“I said it was fine!”

“You should’ve said it louder!”

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun who was sitting in the middle of the arguing bachelors and gave him a lopsided grin. Then, he turned to the driver and gave him the address to the hotel.

❁ ❁ ❁

Once they had tucked the two in the suite that originally held Kyungsoo’s bachelor party, Chanyeol managed to drag his tired feet back down to their hotel room floor with Baekhyun trailing behind. Despite all their wasted energy, Baekhyun still found it in him to hum down the corridor. The tune was unfamiliar, so Chanyeol figured that he was just making it up as he went.

“Well, that was fun,” Chanyeol said, taking his hotel card out of his wallet. When he didn’t hear Baekhyun say anything in response, he peered behind him and saw Baekhyun with his head against his hotel door. “Um, hey. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just thinking.”

“Oh.” Suddenly it doesn’t feel right to just go into his room and leave Baekhyun out in the hallway to think… “So, are you going in?”

“In a minute.”

Chanyeol taps his card against the reader. Then he heard a click when the lock indicator began to flash the color green. Yet he doesn’t go in. After a while, he turned around again. “Look, if you feel like throwing up, just say something. I’d rather help you into your room than have you vomit out here.”

“That’s not it. I’m just thinking.”

“Well, can’t you think inside your room?”

“If I move right now, I’ll lose my train of thought.”

The logic doesn’t make any sense, and Chanyeol didn’t bother asking for an explanation on it. Instead, he just took Baekhyun’s word as the truth. “Fine. I’ll stay here until you’re done.”

It was a weird night anyways. As Chanyeol slid down to the floor, he thought about things that he could do while waiting for Baekhyun to finish his...unconventional form of meditation. However, he didn’t have to wait very long. A few minutes passed before he heard Baekhyun clap his hands together.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah. I think I figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” Chanyeol grunted as he pushed himself off the floor.

“You.” Baekhyun was beaming… though, Chanyeol wasn’t exactly sure why.

“What?”

“I think that you’re a really good character model, Chanyeol.” Pressing his index finger against Chanyeol’s chest, Baekhyun nodded to himself. “Awfully inspiring, too. I mean, a romance novel enthusiast who’s at his best friend’s wedding… who he may or may not have a crush on. Then, on top of all of that, you also stress a lot, which is kind of cute, but also a bit relatable.”

“What the hell are you doing an entire character analysis on me for?”

Chanyeol moved Baekhyun’s hand away. For some reason, it made him nervous… He knew for a fact it wasn’t the alcohol either. Maybe this was Baekhyun’s way of making fun of him. Then again, he had no reason to mock Chanyeol. Didn’t they just have fun together?

“I’m not doing an analysis. I just think you’re interesting. It’s a compliment, Park.” Scoffing, Baekhyun reached into his jacket and took out his wallet. It was small, only carrying a few cards, which made it easier for him to simply slide out the hotel key and have it scanned. “If it makes you feel better, you can do one on me.”

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Analyze me. Come on. I know you have to say.” The grin on Baekhyun’s lips was enough to tell Chanyeol that he was in a good mood.

“I don’t want to.” Chanyeol walked back to his door and took out his keycard again. “Anyways, if you’re all done with the whole ‘train of thought’ thing, then good-night, Baekhyun.”

When he pushed the door open, Baekhyun’s voice stopped him from stepping inside any further.

“Are you scared of hurting my feelings or something?”

Sighing, Chanyeol closed his eyes before turning around. “Why?”

“To make it even.”

Chanyeol stared at the floor. They were both one step into their respective rooms, yet there they were, still talking to each other across the hall. It might’ve looked a little childish to an outsider.

Probably because it was.

“Fine,” Chanyeol eventually said, defeated. “You mutter a lot, and you have a weird tendency to always have the last word when you’re having a conversation with someone. Speaking of conversations, you at them. I don’t think you can go a second without being subtly insulting.”

“Keep going.” Baekhyun crossed his arms, leaning against the door frame. “What else?”

“You’re always wearing black. It makes you look unapproachable, but I guess that’s the vibe you go for anyways since you basically are unapproachable. Also, I don’t know if anybody’s ever told you this, but you’re either really chill or really chaotic.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Depends on the occasion.”

But Chanyeol wasn’t done. “When you’re drunk, you’re less tense. It’s easier to talk to you, even if you get a little on the crazy side.”

“That’s so sweet of you to notice.”

“But I also feel like you being drunk is an excuse to act out and let loose. Kind of like… you’re coping with something.” Chanyeol knew he was wandering into territory he had no right to be wandering around, but he was drunk and couldn’t help himself. it. “Back at LAX, you said something about your exes-- something like that. And when Jongin was explaining the hotel room situation, he said that he took care of some kind of special arrangement. It looked like he did it for you… One of your exes is here, right? For the wedding? Is that why you’ve been--”

Laughing, Baekhyun straightened his posture and put a hand on the door. The smile he was giving looked different. It felt different, too, but before Chanyeol could say anything else, Baekhyun decided to end their night on his terms.

“You really are a dedicated reader,” Baekhyun said softly, almost as if he was making a note of it to himself. “I can’t say I enjoyed being put on the spot toward the end there, but your analysis wasn’t half bad. I’ll give you an A+ for the effort. We can call it even now. Good-night, Chanyeol.”

And with a small wave, Baekhyun disappeared, leaving Chanyeol in the hall still staring at his door.

❁ ❁ ❁

Baekhyun was gone for a considerable amount of time doing the most mundane task: making a waffle.

The hotel’s breakfast was considered buffet style, but when Chanyeol kept looking up to see where on earth Baekhyun could be, he kept seeing the man standing by the waffle maker.Ten minutes passed and Chanyeol’s own plate was nearly cleaned. Meanwhile, there Baekhyun was. Still standing and staring at the waffle maker.

Sighing, he got up from their table and walked over, coming up from behind.

“Do you not know how to work it or something?”

“It’s almost done.”

“Uh, it’s only supposed to take a minute. Let me see it.” Reaching over, Chanyeol tried to open the waffle maker only to see a half-done squishy creation inbetween the plates. “Um… That’s not right.”

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun slapped his hand away and closed the maker. “I told you it was almost done.”

“Well, are you sure it’s even plugged in?”

“Chanyeol, look. The light’s green. It’s on.”

“Maybe it’s broken.”

“It’s fine.” Baekhyun continued to stare at the waffle maker. “I’ll just wait for it to finish.”

In total, the waffle took twenty-five minutes to make and Chanyeol ended up getting another plate just to keep Baekhyun company.

“This better be a ing good waffle,” Baekhyun muttered as he aggressively cut it into four pieces. Then, after he took a bite, he shrugged. “Eh.”

❁ ❁ ❁

They don’t talk about Chanyeol’s analysis the night before. Baekhyun gave him no indication that he was bothered by it and he didn’t bring it up either, so Chanyeol just followed his lead. However, their relationship seemed better. At least, it was easier to talk to Baekhyun, even without any alcohol involved.

That afternoon, decorators, friends, and family arrived at the hotel to survey the venue and begin the process of slowly setting up the reception area. Although the wedding planner brought her own people to help move things arround in accordance to the setup that she and Kyungsoo had agreed on, Chanyeol did his best to help out wherever he was needed. Yet, there was only so much that he could do. Even Baekhyun, who had the task of helping create the silver and gold balloon arrangements looked bored out of his mind from the repetitive task.

It wasn’t until they both heard an argument outside in the hallway that they stepped out and saw Jongin trying to console Kyungsoo. Worried that they were about to have a break up right before the wedding, Chanyeol quickly rushed over to Jongin’s side. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?"

“Huh? Oh, nothing major,” Jongin started, but was quickly cut off by Kyungsoo.

“The chocolate wall doesn’t have any chocolate!” Kyungsoo groaned, face buried in the palm of his hand. “We forgot. Well, Jongin forgot. I thought you ordered from the ChocoDaes Chocolateers months ago!”

“I already said I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Jongin glanced at Chanyeol, then to Baekhyun before turning back to Kyungsoo. “We can run down to the store. Maybe get some Hershey’s--”

“Jongin. What the .”

“I--”

“Your family’s friends and family are going to be here and I think I’d rather lay down and die than put Hershey’s up on the chocolate wall.”

Baekhyun, seemingly the most composed out of all of them, raised his hand. “Sorry, but what’s the chocolate wall?”

Taking in a deep breath, Kyungsoo put his hands on his hips. “It’s like… a dessert section. But it’s just chocolate. I mean, we have other desserts, but we wanted guests to be able to take these small paper boxes and pick out flavors that they wanted to take home. That was the plan.”

“How about we change the section? We’ll make it, uh… the photo area?” Jongin suggested.

However, it was rejected almost immediately.

Kyungsoo looked frustrated, but did well to keep his annoyance contained (for now). Not that the chocolate wall really mattered all that much, but with everything going on and with all the things they needed to finish doing, the stupid wall became his punching bag. “If we make it into the photo area then it’ll be right next to the desserts, which would inconvenience both the guests trying to take photos and get desserts.”

“So, then what do you want to do?” Jongin finally asked. He looked just as tired and annoyed, despite being completely understanding. “We can just take it out. It’ll leave an ugly gap but--”

Baekhyun raised his hand again. “I can get the chocolate. I know a guy.”

Chanyeol glanced down at him. Of course Baekhyun would know a guy-- a chocolate guy. Just like he just happened to know Park Go-Bum.

Both Jongin and Kyungsoo seemed to lighten up. The air around them suddenly seemed less tense and more lifted. Chanyeol was a bit surprised.

“Really?” Kyungsoo said, pausing for a moment. “I mean, if you can-- That’s great. Actually, more than great. Um, Jongin’s willing to pay extra for the inconvenience. Isn’t that right?”

Jongin laughed nervously but nodded. He avoided the glare Kyungsoo was subtly sending his way. “Right. We’d owe you, Baek.”

“Okay, so then I’ll go make the arrangements right now. You two can go back to decorating the rest. Chanyeol, come with me.” Baekhyun started to walk down the hallway that would eventually lead to the hotel lobby, leaving Chanyeol behind, flustered and confused. When he didn’t hear shuffling behind him, Baekhyun turned his head and gave the latter an impatient expression. “What’re you waiting for? Come on.”

“Uh.”

When Chanyeol took a second to get the other two’s opinion, he saw that Jongin was already pulling Kyungsoo back into the reception hall. Both of them waved them off.

“Have a safe trip!” Jongin said, giving a thumbs up. “Thanks!”

“And get a variety of flavors, okay!” Kyungsoo added before Jongin pulled him closer and whispered something in his ear. “We owe you guys one! At the next wedding, okay?”

Chanyeol didn’t get the chance to ask what he meant by that. Baekhyun was already calling him again.

❁ ❁ ❁

They take a cab over to Hongdae where ChocoDaes is supposed to be, and Chanyeol doesn’t really ask why Baekhyun dragged him along at first... But he eventually does when the driver drops them off a few blocks from the actual shop. The walk is straightforward until they stray from the main road and begin walking down alleyways.

“So, did you want me to come along because you were scared of walking here by yourself?” Chanyeol muttered.

The alley wasn’t really that scary at all. There were a few cute cafes sparsely located every so often, it had more of a vibe that college kids would probably be into, but Chanyeol didn’t know how else to bring up the question casually.

He was walking behind Baekhyun (dressed fully in black--again), so he couldn’t take a peek at whatever expression he was making. “I’d probably be the one to protect you if someone tried to mug us right now.”

That was an interesting response. It made Chanyeol amused.

“Really?”

“Yup.” Baekhyun turned his body around and talked to him while walking backwards. It almost made Chanyeol a bit anxious since the latter could easily trip on a cafe sign or something. “I used to take Hapkido classes when I was younger. No one’s messed with me since I got my black belt and everything.”

“When’d you get it? Primary school?” Chanyeol scoffed. “That’s cute.”

“Everyone calls it cute until I kick them in the face. Want to have a go at me?”

“Not really-- !” Chanyeol barely side-stepped a quick kick from the (rather insane) man in front of him. If he hadn’t moved, he would’ve gotten a boot print right across the chest of his gray sweater. “What the , Baekhyun!?”

“Still cute?” Baekhyun asked, wheezing from laughter as he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes away. “You should see your face. That’s exactly what you get for doubting m--”

Just then, Baekhyun walked into a large, wooden cafe sign outside a shop, causing him to fall back on his -- not to mention the loud crash it created that even the workers inside had to ask if he was alright.

Chanyeol faked his concern in an attempt to stop himself from laughing. However, Baekhyun saw right through it and kicked him lightly on the side of his leg when they left the cafe. Even though it left a bit of a mark, Chanyeol didn’t mind so much.

❁ ❁ ❁

For someone who seemed unapproachable, Baekhyun knew a lot of people. People who weren’t out to kill him. People who actually liked him. This surprised Chanyeol...despite knowing that Baekhyun wasn’t as insufferable and rude as he initially thought. In some ways, he still was, but the edges in his words were gone and Chanyeol didn’t take them to heart as much.

The man who owned the shop was Junmyeon (as Chanyeol gathered from his nametag and the way Baekhyun addressed him). He was extremely nice and friendly to the point where Baekhyun was acting as an entirely different person.

“When did you say you needed all of the orders done?” Junmyeon asked politely, jotting down notes on a pink little sticky note with bunny prints all over it. “So that I can prepare in advance.”

“We need them tomorrow.” Baekhyun smiled, ignoring the fact that he just dropped a deadline bomb. “Freshly made if possible, but honestly, you can throw some day-old chocolates in there, too. I don’t think the guests will be able to tell.”

For the first time since they walked in, Junmyeon frowned. “Baekhyun, I can’t do an order like this on that type of notice.”

“They’re willing to pay extra.”

“Still--”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said quietly, touching his arm, “maybe it’s not possible--”

“It is,” Baekhyun insisted. Then. to Junmyeon, he said, “Kim, I know you own three other chains in Seoul. Would it not be possible to make the order using all three kitchens combined? We’ll only order 3 variations so each shop can focus on one item. It’ll be efficient that way.”

“I suppose you’re right. But the cost of resource and employee overtime would be…”

“He’s right.” Chanyeol agreed. “We can probably convince Kyungsoo and Jongin to change it to something else.”

But Baekhyun doesn’t budge. “Okay, what if you close your shops for the rest of the day? Junmyeon, please… It’s Jongin’s wedding. Both of you guys were on the University Volleyball club. Consider it a gift.”

Junmyeon gives him a blank expression for a minute before sighing. “You’ve always been the unrealistic one.”

“But…?”

“Fine. Three variations. How many guests will be there?”

“About 150-200.”

“And what variations did they want?”

Baekhyun paused, glancing up at Chanyeol. “Did they ever tell us?”

Inwardly groaning, Chanyeol shook his head. “No… but I know Kyungsoo likes dark chocolate and so does his family.”

“Then please surprise us. But make one of the flavors about… 98% dark. Well, that might be pushing it,” Baekhyun muttered to himself. “Maybe about 72%. The rest can be milk chocolate.”

“Alright,” Junmyeon nodded. “Simple enough as long as you don’t want fillings and added products like nuts.”

“I think they can live without it.”

“Alright… Well, normally I wouldn’t even bother doing this, but since it’s Jongin…. Fine.”

“Great! We’ll come by tomorrow morning to pick it up.”

Chanyeol didn’t need to ask. By ‘we’, he already knew Baekhyun meant him included.

❁ ❁ ❁

Initially, Chanyeol thought they’d make their way back to the hotel to help around some more, but Baekhyun looked deep in thought as they were making their way back to the main street; he was quieter than usual. Just as they were about to pass the cafe where Baekhyun had his minor accident, Chanyeol felt two hands grab onto his left. Soon, he was being dragged inside.

“I don’t want to go back yet,” was what Baekhyun said to him before letting go when a worker who recognized them came out for the greetings.

Seated in the back corner, Chanyeol felt distant from the other customers, but was relieved they’d have privacy.

“So… Why don’t you want to go back just yet?”

“According to your analysis, I have an ex-boyfriend in the midst,” Baekhyun muttered under his breath, distracted by all the cake options on the menu. “So, I would like to avoid him for as long as possible.”

“Is he there at the venue right now? I thought he was a normal guest.” Or, at least, that’s what Chanyeol guessed. The hell did he actually know.

“I caught a glimpse. He didn’t see me, but I’d rather not sit there blowing up balloons like a sitting duck-- Ah, do you want to share some strawberry cake with me?” Baekhyun pointed at a photo and Chanyeol didn’t deny that it looked tempting. Even if he knew it’d taste a little artificial.

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

“Great. Now, what do I want to drink…” Baekhyun hummed.

Chanyeol already knew what he wanted; brown sugar milk tea. His favorite-- not to mention, a consistent staple in every cafe in Korea.

“I’ll just get regular milk tea.” Baekhyun raised his hand to get the waitress’ attention. Once they had ordered, Baekhyun clasped both of his hands on the table and smiled. “Doesn’t this feel like a date? Something out of a shoujo manga?”

“Uh--”

“Or maybe it’s Boys Love,” Baekhyun said thoughtfully, laughing at his own joke; even more so when Chanyeol rolled his eyes as an attempt to shake things off. “Maybe even… Flowers in the Rain-ish, wouldn’t you say?”

“That’s not-- You don’t even know what it’s about. They never-- Ugh.”

Chanyeol rubbed the bridge of his nose. He needed to chill. It was a book; a goddamn chicklit book. And Baekhyun was only trying to get on his nerves again with the teasing. Still, he could feel himself turning red, though he wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or something else.

Baekhyun laughed. “They never what?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“Tell me.”

“No, you’re being annoying,” Chanyeol grumbled, keeping his expression neutral when the waitress came back to drop off their drinks and cake slice. Fortunately, it gave him something to focus his eyes on besides Baekhyun’s teasing face. “Anyways, stop bringing it up.”

“But it’s your favorite book,” Baekhyun snickered, taking a tiny piece of the cake’s edge. “Why wouldn’t I bring it up?”

“Because every time you do, you end up making fun of it!”

Shrugging, Baekhyun grinned. “That’s true.”

“See what I mean? Exactly like that.” Chanyeo took a piece of the cake into his mouth and was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t taste all that artificial. He took this chance to glance up and sneak a peek at the latter but was met with Baekhyun looking straight at him.

“Yes?” Baekhyun tilted his head to a slight degree. He looked like he was being playful, but Chanyeol didn’t trust it. “You look like you want to say something.”

“Tell me one thing…” Chanyeol’s voice trailed off. He hesitated for a split second before changing his mind and rushing the rest of his words out before he could feel anything about it. “Tell me one thing that you like. Make it even between you and me.”

“Even?”

“You know I like romance novels, so… You know. Give me something I can make fun of you for!” It sounded childish--because it was. Chanyeol did his best to keep a straight face, but Baekhyun snorted. “What?”

“Isn’t it obvious already?”

“Huh?” Drawing his brows together, Chanyeol frowned. “What’s obvious?”

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun groaned, stuffing more cake into his mouth. “You!”

“I’m obvious? What the does that even mean?”

“The hell do you think it means?” Baekhyun took a long sip out of his milk tea, but didn’t bother breaking eye contact.

“I don’t--” Chanyeol stopped when he saw Baekhyun’s lips curve into a subtle grin.

Oh.

Oh….

“Stop joking around.”

“I’m not,” Baekhyun insisted. Yet, he still had that smug look on his face. Chanyeol couldn’t read him. “But since you’re being rude, I take it back.”

Chanyeol pursed his lips together. Baekhyun didn’t look bothered or offended, so he couldn’t tell how to assess the situation. Maybe it was best to move on from it and pretend he never asked that stupid, childish question. It seemed like the best way out of the confusing mess he landed himself in.

“I’m going to change the subject,” Baekhyun said, speaking up and breaking the brief, painful silence. “Tell me what you do for a living. Since you probably like reading and you hardly let loose, I’m going to take a fat guess that you’re a lawyer.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at the description of himself, but he appreciated how the question drew both of them away from the previous one. It felt like a good loophole. “I’m an illustrator. I do freelance work, but I usually work for a variety of studios and all that.”

“Ohhh, like Disney.” The expression on Baekhyun’s face looked like he was genuinely impressed. That was the first. It didn’t make Chanyeol feel as embarrassed as he thought Baekhyun would try and make him feel. “I didn’t expect that from you. Then again, you do like reading, so I suppose a job that involves visual storytelling isn’t far-fetched. Are you, like, famous?”

Chanyeol scoffed. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Who the hell’s just casual friends with Park Go-Bum?”

“You can befriend anybody if you have a good personality,” Baekhyun replied dismissively. He pointed at the cake. “This is really good, don’t you think? Maybe we should bring some back.”

“Stop changing the subject.”

“I was just telling you that I like the cake. You don’t like it?”

“I do--”

“See? I’m really good with picking out good flavors. I think I have an eye for these types of things,” Baekhyun said, laughing to himself.

It was clear that Baekhyun was trying to sidestep away from the conversation, but Chaneyol didn’t want to budge.

“What about you?” Chanyeol asked, glancing at his milk tea. It seemed easier to watch the boba at the bottom of the glass than to watch Baekhyun eat. “What do you do?”

“Mmm…” Baekhyun paused, the corner of his lips first before taking a sip of his drink. “I work in entertainment, I guess.”

“Like what? An actor?”

“No.”

Chanyeol waited, but when it became obvious that he wasn’t going to get a clear answer unless he kept asking questions, he sighed. “Then what? Do you make films? Are you a producer or something? Casting director?”

“Well… How do I say this… Let’s just say that, yeah. I’m a producer.”

Noticing the (slight) hesitation and indecisiveness in Baekhyun’s voice, Chanyeol glanced up and saw that Baekhyun had diverted his eyes back to his phone. Though, this time, he didn’t look like he had anything particularly productive to accomplish. More like he was using it as a distraction.

It hit Chanyeol a few seconds later that, in some ways, maybe Baekhyun was embarrassed by his profession. A producer in the entertainment industry seemed like something out of a Hollywood dream, and yet…

Chanyeol almost choked on his boba.

Maybe Baekhyun worked in that industry…

.

“Are you okay?” Baekhyun looked concerned as he reached over, but Chanyeol moved his hand away, avoiding him.

“Yeah-- Uh, sorry. I just… You know, spaced out.”

“Right. Anyways, we should get back. Kyungsoo’s wondering if we’ll be back before dinner-- You want the last bite?”

Chanyeol looked down at the piece and shook his head.

“Don’t mind if I do, then.” After shoving the cake in his mouth, Baekhyun called the waitress over again and ordered another piece to go.

And maybe Chanyeol noticed the way the cake icing had tinted Baekhyun’s lips ever so slightly red-- or maybe he didn’t.