14 | PAINKILLER

Baekhyun

I am down the storage basement to get the backup juicing machine we have since mine upstairs is acting funny. Kyungsoo said it should be at one of these tall storage shelves together with some other cooking devices.

If I don’t find it, I’m ed.

Good thing I decided to come to work earlier. This gives me a lot of time, hopefully, to find this and then start the prep. Honestly, I have a manual juicer upstairs but I’m too lazy for that . It’s going to take me forever to do all of the citrus fruits I need to juice for the day. So, no thank you. I want the electric ones.

“Baekhyun? Have you found it?” I hear Soobin’s echoey voice from the stairs, followed by her slow but heavy footsteps on the wooden stairs.

I stand straight and prop my hand on my waist while I wipe the sweats that have formed on my forehead. “No. Is it a different brand? Because I don’t see the box.” I tell her when we meet eyes. “Can you call him? Tell him to help me find it. He’s the one who organized the basement.” I add.

“He’s in a video call meeting right now, so I’m here instead. I’ll help you.” She replies before rushing towards me.

As much as I want to stay professional and focused during work, I allow my eyes to linger down at her as she bends down to the lower tier of the shelf. This morning was … something I never thought I’d ever experience with her. I slept in the same room as hers and it was the worst sleep that I have ever had but it was also the best one. I simply can’t explain it.

We didn’t even sleep on the same bed.

We didn’t do anything naughty.

Nothing happened between us.

But for some reason … it was unfailingly enough to make a permanent imprint in my brain that I kept rerunning over and over again. She has the most beautiful sleeping face. Eyelids gently shut, jaw in its most relaxed state. Her lip slightly puckered. Her eyebrows twitching once in a while. And even her light snores with different intensities depending on her position.

It was a side of her that I don’t mind seeing every night and every day.

I could have easily woken her up last night to tell her to go home. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I wanted her there. With me. Was it too much of me? I don’t think so. She is the first girl I have ever brought home—obviously, not in a way men would usually quote this line, but still. It’s a big deal for me.

I even changed my sheets with a fresh set so that she could be as comfortable as possible before I took her there. I also adjusted the heater in our room. I usually blast it because I get cold easily. Luckily, Jaehyun has the same cold tolerance as me so it works out for the both of us.

But I know that the kind of heat that comforts me, would not comfort her.

She’d wake up drenched in sweat.

Also, just in case, I kept the lamp . She’s not familiar with the place and without glasses on, it would have been harder for her to get up if she ever needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Not that she actually did—I don’t think so. Otherwise, she would have left earlier than she did.

No. She seemed very comfortable. She was asleep all night.

Good for her.

Cause I barely did. One, cause the light was on and I can’t sleep with the light on. And two, Choi Soobin is sleeping on my ing bed, duh. I believe I had just finally fallen asleep when she woke up around six-ish and tripped on one of Jaehyun’s toys.

“It’s not here, I don’t think.” Soobin turns to me, looking up, still knelt down on the cement floor.

I want to brush those loose strands of hair away from her face. So badly. But I keep my hands in my apron pockets to control myself. “Maybe he meant a different shelf.” She gets up and walks to another corner. I silently follow her.

I was about to help her when she takes off her blazer, leaving her in her white button-up shirt that was thin enough to show the subtle outline of her bra. Too bad, it’s buttoned all the way up to .

It would have been even ier if she had some loose buttons. Two or three would be enough for me. Oh, it. Just lose all the buttons. Even better.

The shirt is tucked-in in her black pencil skirt that moulded her hips really damn well.

Her sheer pantyhose that shows enough of her real skin which makes me think she doesn’t even really need the pantyhose at all. I don’t know why she has it. She had flawless milky-white legs underneath them.

And don’t get me started with those black velvet pumps that have ankle straps with bows on the back, a small detail that makes the whole look even more triggering for me.

I get stirred from my dirty trance when Soobin starts lifting—obvious struggle in her face—one of the big boxes to move it out of the way from the fourth tier of the shelf. “Stop—it’s going to fall on your head, silly goose.” I raise both arms to support the bottom of the box that she had already pulled out.

Holy , this is heavy.

Uh-oh.

“.” Half of the box is already at the edge when I realize just how heavy it seems to be. “No no no, I’ll push it back. I think it’s one of those big mixers—get out of the way.” I push her off while she still insists on helping me pull it. “No, I think the both of us can carry it down. The juicer might be somewhere behind it.” She tells me with determination. 

And our push-and-pull system eventually resulted in the box falling off to the other side of the shelf, away from us.

“No!” I instinctively try to catch it with one hand because I’m a . But Soobin is quick to jump over me and grab my arm away. “What are you doing!” She yelps back in worry.

Thud. THUD.

The box drops to the ground. And we collapse beside it. I am crushing Soobin beneath me. Oh my god. She makes a high-pitch groan, a sign of intense pain. “Sorry, I’m gonna get up.” I look at the box and realize one of her fingertips is caught right under the box. Just the tip. She just almost missed it.

“Holy —” I push the box away as much as I can and grab her hand. I get off her and pull her up. She starts shaking her affected hand relentlessly as if it would help ease the pain.

I kneel to the ground as I stop her from shaking. “It’s okay. Calm down. It’ll be okay.” I squeeze her finger tightly so that she doesn’t feel it as much.

, her middle finger’s gonna turn purple later. I just know it.

I continue to ease her down and now I am blowing on her finger although I do think it’s not making a difference. “I’m sorry—, this is my fault.” I grunt under my breath but I don’t stop blowing on it. Soobin continues to take heavy huffs of breath and a big part of me is freaking out.

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