"Oh my god! Finally!" squeals Baekhyun in a fit of excitement. He currently knows exactly how someone dying of thirst in the desert feels when they chance upon an oasis. (To him, finding a parking lot is an infinitely more serious matter though.)

After what seemed to be hours (when literally only ten minutes have passed), Baekhyun finally manages to spot a car about to leave its occupied parking lot. The previous car hasn't even left for one second before Baekhyun drives forward in record speed and gets into position to reverse his car.  

Baekhyun honks. An obnoxious, gleaming white Mercedes is behind him, blocking his way. He's already shifted into reverse gear, waiting to back up into the parking lot. It's just that the damn Mercedes doesn't back up an inch and instead honks back at Baekhyun. Through his rear view mirror, he can vaguely make out the driver motioning for him to drive forward, and it pisses him off. He's rushing for time, dammit, and the parking lot wasn't easy to come by so he won't let any random Mercedes driver steal it from him.

But the arrogant prick of a driver just impatiently honks back. It's like they're participating in this honking conversation, both of them pretending to understand the other when in reality they have no freaking idea what they're even honking about. Baekhyun briefly wonders if there is a possibility that the other driver is honking to him in Morse code. Finally, though, Baekhyun blows his top. The Mercedes won't budge and his patience is wearing thin. He doesn't want to waste time honking to the driver behind (like they even understand each other). So, he steps out of his car, the other driver following suit. 

If Baekhyun had felt small in his Mitsubishi hatchback, he feels even smaller now, standing face to face with a man who towers above him by more than a head. The man throws a condescending glance at him, and Baekhyun feels himself wither under his gaze.

"You. Back up. This is my parking lot and you're blocking the way. And I have a really important meeting to attend," Baekhyun says in his best Important Voice. It comes out whiny and demanding, and Baekhyun winces, feeling his self-confidence slowly sap away with every passing second.

"Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I saw this parking lot first," replies the giant without missing a beat. He has a surprisingly deep voice, Baekhyun notes. Coupled with a wild mop of hair and a lot of teeth, he looks sort of creepy. Baekhyun is now even more intimidated than he already is. Mustering up the last bit of courage in him, Baekhyun warns, "Move. I saw it first. If not, then―" he pauses, searching his mind of a reasonable thing to threaten him with, "―I'll complain to your boss. Yeah! He won't like it, I'm sure," he declares confidently. To his utmost surprise (and mortification), the guy just laughs, his right eye twitching scarily. He wheezes a few times, then finally stops. 

"Oooh, I'm terrified," he mocks in an accent. Baekhyun grits his teeth and feel his temperature rise―he really can't put up with this snob any longer―and it takes all his self-control not to lash out at the man. "But I am the boss."

Baekhyun's eyes widen exponentially. "Y―You are?" he asks, tongue-tied. The man just nods smugly. Baekhyun stares, dumbfounded. 

"Well, are we just gonna stand here all day or are you actually gonna move your car out of the way?" The man's voice breaks the terse silence, and Baekhyun fumes.

"I don't know if you think you can just order me around cos you're rich or what," he snaps, "but thing is I saw this parking lot first cos I was in front of you, and I'm running late right now so if you'd just take the trouble to shift your precious million dollar car out of the way before I break." There is a menacing edge in his voice. He hates how calm and composed the other guy is, while he's practically steaming from his ears.

The guy crosses his arms and taps his feet, silently daring Baekhyun with his eyes. Baekhyun reverses, till he's just millimetres away from crashing into the Mercedes. He's about to reverse some more when out of the corner of his eye, he spots another vacant parking lot. He smirks and rolls down the window. 

"LOL bye loser," he says, before (sassily) driving off towards the parking lot and leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. 

The guy coughs from the smoke and gets into his car, cursing at the lithe hatchback in front of him. 

-

Baekhyun returns and is horrified to see the front bumper of his precious black Hyundai Eon smashed into oblivion.

" the damn idiot who did it!" he curses, stomping his foot. "Now I'll have to pay to get it fixed and it's gonna cost two months of my salary! Ugh!" He mutters under his breath, infuriated. He then spots the piece of notepaper pinned underneath his windshield wiper. 

I'm terribly sorry about your car. Charge me with all your repair costs.

-Park Chanyeol

Behind the note is a string of digits, which Baekhyun recognises to be a telephone number. 

At least this guy has the decency to leave his contact number, Baekhyun thinks. He dials the number and waits patiently through the dialtone. 

He's about to hang up when an eerily familiar "Hello?" passes through the speaker. It reminds him of someone, but Baekhyun can't pick out who exactly, so he gives up. It's probably just a coincidence anyway.

"Hello, this is Park Chanyeol. May I know who's on the line?" Baekhyun hears a deep voice through the speakers. He furrows his brows. That voice sounds eerily familiar somehow. Had he heard it somewhere before? Hmmm... probably not. He probably just imagined it. Baekhyun's pretty sure he never knew a Park Chanyeol before in his life.

"Chanyeol-ssi, I'm Byun Baekhyun."

"Okay, Baekhyun-ssi, may I know what's the reason for calling?"

"I'm the owner of the car that you crashed into and ruined," says Baekhyun.

"The car... oh!" Realisation dawns in Chanyeol's voice. "You mean that Hyundai Eon hatchback? I'm really sorry about it, Baekhyun-ssi, but it's just that my car was too long and it was rather a squeeze to park in that narrow parking lot. I'm not usually careless like this, but it's just that your car was so small and I didn't check my blind spot and I didn't really pay attention to the beeps coming from my parking sensor and before I knew it I crashed into your car." Chanyeol rambles on, lapsing into a series of apologies.

"It's fine, really... I just called since, you know, you left your number and asked me to charge the repair costs to you. So do you mind if I give you my bank account...?"

"Oh no problem... But wait. I shouldn't do it this way. Let me treat you to dinner. Take it as a way of saying sorry on my part," Chanyeol suggests. "And we can settle the more... unpleasant stuff later."

"Sure, sounds good," agrees Baekhyun. There's no harm really, and he isn't one to miss a free dinner without a really good reason.

"Are you free tomorrow? How about I pick you up from your apartment at 7? Is that okay?" 

"Sure!" Baekhyun then proceeds to give Chanyeol his address. He doesn't know why he's so eager for that date (at least, Baekhyun thinks it's a date) tomorrow. Maybe because Chanyeol sounds like the perfect gentleman, and Baekhyun has been single for a long, long time now.

That night, Baekhyun falls asleep listening to SNSD's Gee.

-

The day of the "date" arrives and Baekhyun can be found angrily rummaging through his closet.

"There's nothing to wear!" Baekhyun shouts in frustration, staring at the pile of clothes strewn all over his bedroom floor. After about an hour of worthless efforts, Baekhyun gives up. He decides to go simple and wear a casual shirt with jeans. After all, that Chanyeol guy wouldn't really bring him anywhere expensive, right? Even if he does underdress for the occasion, it probably won't mean more than one night of embarrassment. Because he wouldn't ever be seeing Chanyeol again. 

With some eyeliner applied, Baekhyun is all set and ready to go. Just in time as well, because barely five minutes later, he hears the sound of the doorbell.

"I'm coming!" he yells, giving himself a quick onceover in the mirror before deciding it's okay and practically sprinting towards the door.

He opens the door and promptly receives the shock of his life.

Plot twist: The guy you've been fantasising about all day turns out to be the same douchebag who fought with you for a parking lot and smashed your car.

"It's you?" Baekhyun and Chanyeol ask in unison. Their faces mirror each other―eyes wide, mouth agape, in a mixture of shock, horror, and surprise. Baekhyun notices that Chanyeol is wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants, much more formal than his own casual wear. He bites his lip. 

Baekhyun is the first to recover. "Well, so stealing my parking lot wasn't enough, huh. Now you have to crash my car with your big- Mercedes," Baekhyun snaps, folding his arms. "Do you have some kind of grudge against me?"

"Like you're one to say anything. I told you already, it was an accident, and I've already apologised," Chanyeol retorts just as snarkily. Both of them were fuming, still unable to get over the previous two incidents that made them cross each other's paths.

"Forget it," Baekhyun huffs. "I'm not going out to dinner with a rich snob like you. I'd rather my shoes, thank you very much."

"Huh. You think I actually want to take you out? Anyway I don't wanna waste a perfectly good reservation and I don't have any other plans for dinner, plus I drove all the way to your apartment. Do you have any idea how far it was?" huffs Chanyeol indignantly. "I guess I'll have to make do with you."

"Wait a minute. Back up. What did you say? You? Putting up with me? Isn't it more like the opposite?" 

"No, I know what I'm saying. Yes me. Putting up with you. I feel a chill running up my spine now that I'm taking you to The King's," Chanyeol says flatly, rolling his eyes.

"The King's? Wait, did you just say The King's?" asks Baekhyun, eyes wide open. Chanyeol grunts a 'Yes', fully annoyed. But Baekhyun is too astonished to say anything. The King's is literally the snazziest restaurant uptown, and Baekhyun didn't expect Chanyeol to actually bring him there. Maybe Chanyeol isn't that bad after all. 

"So are you actually gonna get out of the house now?" Chanyeol says impatiently, tapping his foot.

Baekhyun takes it back. Chanyeol is a devil incarnate from hell. 

Baekhyun considers. Well, he really does not want to go out with the annoying guy who's at least a head taller than him, but if he refused, then he'd have to starve. Furthermore he had already told his friends that he was going out today. And secretly, Baekhyun has always dreamed of dining at the high-end snazzy restaurant, only he didn't bear to part with the money.

Finally, with a sigh, Baekhyun agrees. 

"Why do you make it seem like you're the one doing me a huge favour, when it's exactly the opposite?" 

"You're the one who smashed my car's front bumper," Baekhyun reminds him, and Chanyeol winces.

"You never cease to talk about it for a single second, do you." he laments.

"Nope," Baekhyun sticks out his tongue, happy that he's found Chanyeol's weak spot. 

"For a short guy, you do have a lot of attitude," Chanyeol comments.

"Thanks for the compliment," replies Baekhyun haughtily, rolling his eyes. 

"Get in," Chanyeol says gruffly, holding open the door of the Mercedes. Baekhyun eyes him distrustfully, before sliding into the posh sedan. Chanyeol closes the door and gets into the driver's seat. (Baekhyun is actually a tad surprised that he didn't slam the door in his face.)

"You didn't have to do that, you know, since you so obviously didn't want to," remarks Baekhyun, sliding his hands across the smooth leather seats. It's a far cry from his own hatchback, which is worn, dirty and has stray food crumbs hidden in the seat crevices. 

"Well, but at least I know my manners, unlike a certain someone," says Chanyeol. "Would appreciate if you could keep your hands to yourself, thank you very much," he adds, and Baekhyun removes his hands which had been feeling up the window in haste.

He simply scoffs and folds his arms, turning away to look outside the window. The street lights are a blur outside, and Baekhyun watches the late night scenery pass behind him as Chanyeol drives to a more bustling area in Seoul. The journey to The King's is uneventful and quiet. Too quiet. Chanyeol keeps his eyes on the road at all times and Baekhyun keeps his hands to himself.

This is the awkwardest car ride ever, Baekhyun thinks, fiddling with his (extremely long and beautiful) fingers and twiddling his thumbs. Thankfully, the awkward car ride doesn't last for too long and Baekhyun practically jumps out of the Mercedes as soon as it comes to a stop. Chanyeol glances at him and says flatly, "I didn't know you loathed even being in the same space as me."

Baekhyun opens his mouth to shout "No!" but realises that if he did that it would mean that he actually liked Chanyeol, which he absolutely did not, so he shuts his mouth.

They enter the restaurant, and Baekhyun cannot suppress a small gasp of wonderment as he looks around. There are chandeliers hanging from the roofs, the lighting is questionable, and it seems like a very very expensive place to eat. (Not that Baekhyun's not aware of that already, but still, the fact that Chanyeol actually can afford to dine here and treat Baekhyun is making him very impressed.) 

"Hey!" Baekhyun yelps in surprise as Chanyeol grabs his wrist and drags him to a table by the window, with a "Reserved" sign placed right smack in the middle. He pulls out the chair and plonks Baekhyun harshly down on it before seating himself on the opposite side. 

"I did not need your assistance, Park Chanyeol!" the latter huffs indignantly, rubbing his bum. Chanyeol's treatment had not been very gentle.

"I still chose to give it though, so be thankful," hisses Chanyeol. "So be quiet."

"I was walking pretty fine myself though," sulks Baekhyun, making a face, but Chanyeol just ignores him and gestures for the waitress. 

"Any recommendations?" Chanyeol inquires, when the waitress comes over and hands them a menu. She smiles before flipping through it and pointing at a specific dish. Baekhyun leans forward and strains his eyes to see which dish it is.

"You should try our new invention, Fall In Love. It's perfect for sharing between lovers, and it also symbolises―"

"What?!" yell Chanyeol and Baekhyun simultaneously, immediately springing apart. The entire restaurant is staring at them, and Baekhyun thinks he can make out an old lady tutting.

"We're not dating!" Chanyeol hurries to clarify, and Baekhyun joins in by nodding vigorously.

"He's only treating me to dinner because he owes me for smashing my car," Baekhyun elaborates. 

The waitress merely quirks an eyebrow, uninterested. She shrugs. "A pity that. You two look rather cute together."

Chanyeol makes sure to glare at Baekhyun extra hard, and Baekhyun responds by leaning as far back as he possibly can in his chair (which is not very far) and folding his arms. It's only when the waitress coughs that Chanyeol realises he has yet to order anything.

"Um, I'll have a samgyupsal and bulgogi, thank you." Chanyeol orders two dishes, priced in the middle range. Baekhyun raises an eyebrow. Chanyeol seems like the type to flaunt his wealth and Baekhyun is surprised he hasn't gone and ordered the most expensive thing in the menu already.

"What about you, Baekhyun-ssi?" Chanyeol asks while handing the menu over to him, a fake smile on his face. Baekhyun gags and reaches for it. He scrutinises the menu even more closely than he does to his shopping receipts. There's a wide variety of interesting food items (oh my God! Are those escargots?) and Baekhyun longs to try every single one of them. In the end though, he just settles for―

"Abalone hotpot, please." The waitress jots down the order and glides off. Chanyeol stares at Baekhyun.

"What," he deadpans.

"Ouch."

"What was that?" asks Baekhyun smugly, checking out his (perfect as always) cuticles.

Chanyeol glowers. "You know perfectly well what! That was like the most expensive thing on the menu! I know I'm a CEO and all, but that doesn't mean I'm made of money!"

"You never told me what I couldn't order," Baekhyun retorts. "Plus coming here is a once-in-a-lifetime thing so I want to make it as memorable as possible. Even if it's with you."

Chanyeol is allowed to mope about unhappily and he attempts to glare fiercely at Baekhyun but merely ends up looking mildly retarded.

An excruciating fifteen minutes later, their first dish arrives. Baekhyun and Chanyeol stare at each other, then at the steaming hot bulgogi in front of them, then at each other again, daring the other to make the first move.

Baekhyun lasts for about ten seconds before his stomach growls. He gives up and reaches for the bulgogi. 

"Ha. I won," smirks Chanyeol as he bites down into a piece of beef. Baekhyun ignores the obnoxious giant and instead chooses to focus on the melodious sound of his own chewing. He had to admit that The King's food was mindblowingly good even though its service . (Normal restaurants don't have waitresses shipping people together.)

The rest of the dishes arrive soon after, and Baekhyun is even more won over with each dish. He decides that when he gets rich, the first thing he'll do is to dine at this restaurant again. 

"Wow. This abalone hotpot is really good man," Baekhyun says, ferociously attacking a chunk of abalone.

"Eww. Have the sense to swallow before you talk," grimaces Chanyeol at the unsightly image of Baekhyun with his mouth full of abalone.

"Sorry," he apologises, and ends up spraying rice all over the table. Chanyeol shudders, but he decides to be ever so helpful and hands him a pack of tissue. Baekhyun, mortified, mumbles a quiet thanks (after he has swallowed the abalone, thank god) and cleans up the table to the best of his ability. 

"You're gross."

"And you're stuck with me for the rest of the night."

Chanyeol inhales deeply and sighs before resigning himself to fate.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully. They eat and eat and sometimes shoot witty insults at each other. (Chanyeol is witty, Baekhyun is insulting.) Afterwards, when they're absolutely stuffed and Baekhyun swears that oh my god if just as much as one more grain of rice enters my mouth I'm gonna explode, Chanyeol calls for the bill.

The same unamused waitress walks over and hands it over. Chanyeol looks at the bill and cries a little. Baekhyun snorts at his demise, and Chanyeol threatens to charge him half of the cost of the meal, and effectively stops Baekhyun from laughing. 

Although immensely annoyed, Chanyeol is still gracious enough to drop Baekhyun off at his doorstep, while he mutters something about the amount of petrol that he's wasted today.

"OH MY GOD," Baekhyun's eyes widen in horror and realisation, after Chanyeol's Mercedes drives off. "I FORGOT TO ASK THAT FREAKING PARK CHANYEOL TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGES TO MY CAR!"

A/N:

This is Baekhyun's car:

Cute right? I can just imagine Baek driving this 8D

And this is Chanyeol's:

Chanyeol is unawkward here. Yay! (I feel sorry for him because his persona is always this tall, gangly, awkward teen in fics.) He can be cool and manly and dapper you know. 

And yes. Baekyeol are snarky and mean to each other (other than weirdness, I rock at being insulting too yay) This is my first non-crack fic. And so I probs at it because crack and I are meant for each other. 

Part 2 will be up soon when I figure out how to end this D: Writer's block you .

Also working on the sequel to Cannibal (if you've read it already, I love you <3)