The next morning, Chanyeol wakes up to a pillow being flung at his head. “Ouch,” he groans as he slowly peels open an eye.

“Get up and get dressed. I have brunch with a very important potential partner and we can’t afford to be late,” Wu Fan demands.

Chanyeol blinks a few more times before getting a good look at Wu Fan. Wu Fan is already ready with spiked up hair, tailored suit, and a ring adorning practically every one of his fingers. He actually looks exceptionally handsome, but Chanyeol would never admit that to his face. Instead, he yawns. “What do you mean we? Why do I have to go with you?”

Wu Fan twitches his upper lip. “Because I said so and you’re not in the position to disobey me,” he commands before throwing a towel at Chanyeol’s head as well. “Bathroom’s to the left. The rest of your clothes are already prepared too. Hurry the up before I end you.”

Wu Fan shoots him a threatening glare before violently shutting the door behind him.  Chanyeol just tousles his hair in annoyance. He can’t do anything but oblige when he pulls himself out of bed and into the shower.

Chanyeol actually hurries (not counting the brief five minutes he takes to admire himself in the mirror since he’s never been accustomed to such fancy apparel) when he brushes his teeth, takes a shower, and suits up. He scurries outside of the bedroom only to bump into Wu Fan’s henchmen of rather vivid red hair and animalistic facial features. “Boss is waiting in the car,” the red-headed thug informs.

Chanyeol nods with a raised eyebrow and they both walk up to a black Escalade parked outside of Wu Fan’s exquisite property. The henchman opens the car door and gestures Chanyeol to enter in first. Inside, Wu Fan waits and Chanyeol is directed to sit beside him. He does so unwillingly and Wu Fan is first to speak. “You made me wait for thirty whole minutes, you know.”

Chanyeol scrunches his nose. “I got ready as fast as I can. And this shirt is so hard to button!” he whines, pointing frantically at his dress shirt.

Wu Fan covers Chanyeol’s mouth so suddenly that Chanyeol almost falls out of his seat. “Shut the up. It’s fine,” he sighs.

Wu Fan tells the chauffeur to start the engine. He turns his attention back on Chanyeol with that obnoxious and arrogant expression of his. Chanyeol feels a bit awkward in the way Wu Fan examines his attire. “Sure, you look decent. But this is a very important meeting so it highly essential that you shut that big trap of yours.”

Chanyeol scowls because he finds too much offense in that comment. “I can keep quiet. You don’t know anything about me, Wu Fan.”

Wu Fan scowls. “Don’t you dare call me by my name you insolent . I’ll beat the living out of you.”

Chanyeol clenches his fists in response, trying not to utter another word to prove his competence. He manages to keep his lips sealed and they remain quiet for the remainder of the car ride.

When they arrive at their destination, the red-haired henchman gets out of the car first and Wu Fan and Chanyeol soon follow. “I hope you like dim sum,” he states as Chanyeol hesitantly follows him through a large Chinese restaurant.

The restaurant is packed full of seemingly average looking civilians. Where they are finally seated is a private room hidden in a corner of the eatery. Chanyeol visibly gulps when he sees a good number of large and frightening bodyguards standing around a revolving table. Gaining closer, he sees that they are under the influence of the husky, balding gentleman who is sitting by himself. “Wu Fan!” the balding man chortles when he sees them approach. “Have a seat my boy.”

Chanyeol double takes when he sees Wu Fan smile for the first time. “Mr. Wang. So nice to see you again,” Wu Fan greets.

Suddenly, Wu Fan snaps his fingers. “Zitao!” he beckons before his red-headed underling walks over to pull out two chairs for them.

Chanyeol flinches when Wu Fan grabs onto his arm tightly. He pulls him in and with lips close to Chanyeol’s ear, Wu Fan instructs ‘Sit’. He pushes Chanyeol forward and he sits accordingly. Chanyeol feels anxious when they walk past Mr. Wang. He then notices the balding man’s expression briefly turn cynical as soon as Wu Fan turns his back.

Soon, waiters come serving platters of assorted dishes. Examining the plates of rice noodles, steamed rice, and aromatic lobster, Chanyeol can feel his mouth water. He’s only been accustomed to instant ramen and boxed salads his entire college career.

He’s first to dig in and he doesn’t even notice the skeptic eyebrows of all the onlookers. He takes a loud slurp out of his shark fin soup before he realizes the eerie silence. He first looks up and Mr. Wang is wearing that distrustful expression once more. Then he looks over at Zitao, and he’s avoiding eye contact completely. Lastly, he peers over at Wu Fan. Strange enough, Wu Fan doesn’t look uncomfortable like all the others. Instead, he looks like he’s holding in laughter as he wears that condescending smirk on his face. Chanyeol knows that blonde bastard is probably mocking him so he drops his spoon and remains composure.

Mr. Wang clears his throat before laughing raspingly. “Might I know who this bad-mannered little pest is?” he asks sarcastically.

Wu Fan just smiles. “Don’t mind him, Mr. Wang. He’s not even worth introducing.”

“Well, he must be of some worth if he’s seating beside you. Is he your bottom , Wu Fan? Do you swing that way after all?”

Chanyeol bites down hard on his tongue. Wu Fan starts pouring the tea into both their teacups. “I assure you it’s not like that.”

“You’re ting me!” the man laughs aloud. “This little brat can easily pass as a girl with that face of his and you telling me he isn’t a ?”

Chanyeol can feel his blood pressure rising as Mr. Wang laughs in his face. He turns over to Wu Fan to see him calmly sipping his tea. Chanyeol grows more and more enraged. “Why don’t you sell him over to me, Wu Fan? As you know, the clientele of my host clubs are attracted to his kind of face. What’s his price?”

Wu Fan takes another sip of his tea and chuckles. Chanyeol is an impulse away from smacking the tea cup out of his nicely embellished hands. “You wouldn’t want an annoying little like him, Mr. Wang.”

“Nonsense! You know how many females would want a young like him?” Mr. Wang’s gaze turns cryptic when his eyes start to dash from Wu Fan to Chanyeol. “…or maybe men would be a better fit?”

Chanyeol is shaking from his inner core as the man before him continues to insult him. It angers him even more when Wu Fan is just laughing along as if it is one big joke. As if he is a joke. And he isn’t even allowed to defend himself at all as the balding bastard continues to attack his pride and bash his very worth as a human being.

Mr. Wang continues.” A pretty son of a like him sits next to you like he’s got some leverage over me. And you have got to be ing with me if you think I’m going to believe this pretty boy isn’t a raging e-”

Chanyeol grabs an empty tea cup and throws it at Mr. Wang’s general direction. It misses, hitting the wall behind him and shattering into a thousand pieces. Mr. Wang’s underlings pull out their handguns and silencers and began to aim them at Chanyeol’s unfortunate head.

Mr. Wang doesn’t look the slightest bit phased as he gestures his bodyguards to lower their weapons. Mr. Wang folds his arms with a leer. “My, my, Wu Fan. I invite you out today to make an offer you can’t refuse and you bring this…uncivilized boy who just tried to do me bodily harm?”

“Mr. Wang, my deepest apologies,” Wu Fan stands up suddenly. “If I can just have one minute with this imbecile?”

“Not at all,” Mr. Wang chortles. Immediately after, his face turns spiteful. “One minute.”

Wu Fan bows slightly before dragging Chanyeol by the arm. Chanyeol tries to struggle free, but Wu Fan’s grip is much too strong as he drags him to the back entrance of the restaurant.

As soon as the door closes behind them, Wu Fan punches Chanyeol’s jaw so harshly that it sends him crashing down into the cement pavement. “!” Chanyeol yells aloud when he tastes the blood seeping through his mouth. He manages to get back on his feet and he pushes Wu Fan almost just as hard. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? YOU HIT ME WITH YOUR RINGS YOU BASTARD!” he exclaims.

“ARE YOU STUPID?!” Wu Fan yells back. “ARE YOU JUST A COMPLETE AND UTTER MORON?! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR TRAP!”

“I WAS QUIET! I DIDN’T SAY A WORD!”

Wu Fan punches him once more. This time, in the gut. And Chanyeol clutches his stomach as he falls to the ground. Wu Fan is pacing the floors in anger before Zitao comes running soon afterward. “Zitao! Just take this idiot home.”

“Yes Boss,” he bows.

“And you,” Wu Fan puts his attention back on Chanyeol. “You ruined things beyond repair. Don’t even expect to come out of the house ever again.”

Chanyeol doesn’t make eye contact. Still in pain, he stares at the ground beneath him that’s stained with his blood and shame. “… you,” Chanyeol mumbles.

And Wu Fan cannot control his impulses as he crouches down to grab Chanyeol by the shirt. Before he can even take another jab at Chanyeol’s face, he notices how Chanyeol’s collar is stained with blood. And Chanyeol’s iridescent skin is now tainted with purple and blue. Wu Fan bites down on his tongue so bitterly. And finally and reluctantly, he lets him go.

Wu Fan waits a brief second for his red flushed face to revert back to its default paleness. He glares menacingly at Chanyeol one last time before walking back into the restaurant. “Get him out of my sight.”

“Let’s go, Chanyeol,” Zitao says as he offers him a hand. Chanyeol feels no malice towards Zitao and he lets him help him up. On cue, the chauffeur rolls in with the Escalade. Chanyeol hops in and immediately starts ranting. “Why the hell did I have to go to that meeting anyways? It’s even worse than being held captive in a dungeon, fed three square meals of rotten meat carcass, and forced to pee in a corner of my room!”

He is so close to pulling out all his hair; he’s so irritated. Zitao just watches in mild interest. “You know, Boss never lets any of us sleep on his bed,” he adds unexpectedly.

Chanyeol his head to the right. “What?”

“Boss never lets anyone sleep on his bed. No higher ups, no family members, no henchmen. But you’re a hostage and he gives you his bed the first night. You’re special, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol wears a look of utter confusion. He fidgets in his seat in discomfort, not really sure how to respond. “I’m not special, Zitao. I’m just an average guy.” Chanyeol slumps a little lower in his seat. “Even my ex-girlfriend has made that...very clear.”

Zitao shakes his head repeatedly. “No, no, no. You’re special. It’s obvious that Boss has grown a liking to you.”

Chanyeol falls out of the car seat because he’s just that caught off guard. Zitao suggests that he put on his seatbelt. “Wu Fan does not like me! Did you see how that bald guy totally insulted me repeatedly? Wu Fan didn’t do anything to stop him! He even laughed. He laughed, Zitao.”

Zitao shrugs. “You don’t understand. Boss has come from a long line of racketeers. All he’s ever known is to keep composure when it comes to his profession. He’s instructed to never show any emotion or any weakness. That’s why he’s not really good at expressing himself through words too well.” Zitao faces Chanyeol and smiles meekly. “So trust me when I say that he likes you, Chanyeol.”

 “The bruise on my face says otherwise,” Chanyeol scoffs sarcastically.

Zitao just sighs. “Fine, don’t believe me. But let me just say… no one has ever said you to Boss and got away.”

For such a mansion-like house, Wu Fan’s house is terribly boring. There’s a leisure room, but it’s only filled with gym equipment. There’s only a computer in his office, but it’s protected under password. There’s one a television in the bedroom, but no cable channels. Chanyeol finds himself bored out of his mind when there’s not even any food to stuff his face with.

Wu Fan finally comes home around 7 P.M. He finds Chanyeol lain out on Wu Fan’s large and luxurious bed. “Hey,” Wu Fan greets.

Chanyeol rolls to his side in order to ignore him. “I said HEY,” Wu Fan’s tone rises.

He launches something and it hits Chanyeol’s back. It’s heavy, hard, and definitely hurtful when it hit impact with his spine. “OUCH, WHAT THE-”

Chanyeol gets up and picks up the object. “…a cellphone?” he questions.

“No, a Cadillac,” Wu Fan answers sarcastically.

The phone still has the screen protector on it. It’s shiny without even a speck or scratch tainting the exterior. There is no doubt that the phone is brand-spanking new. And that can only mean that Wu Fan went out and bought it for him. “…why are you giving this to me?”

“I told you. You’re not allowed to attend any meetings anymore. Instead, you’ll be checking up on me with that phone.”

Chanyeol squints his eyes. “...I’ll be checking up…on you?”

Wu Fan nods. “And it’s required too. When I’m working, make sure you call me at least once every hour.”

“Why can’t you just get one your henchmen to do it?” he whines in response.

“Because...no talking back, you ungrateful bastard.”

He talks a step closer with a look of pure spite. “The phone is expensive as hell and I went through all the trouble of getting it for you. So you are only allowed to use that phone to call me and text me and answer to me. Disobey and you’ll really face hell. Do I make myself clear?”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. Wu Fan lifts a fist threat and Chanyeol to back away in forfeit. “I GOT IT, WU FAN!”

“For the last ing time, it’s Boss! Not Wu Fan!”

Wu Fan leaves the room posthaste, leaving Chanyeol to examine his new cellphone. It’s much more technologically advanced than any phone he’s ever owned in his entire life. If it came from anyone but that blonde bastard, he would be kissing the ground in which the giver walks on. Unexpectedly, the door swings open again and Chanyeol swears he almost died from sudden heart attack. Wu Fan is peeking his head through the door. “Pizza’s downstairs if you want any,” he mumbles. And just like that, he leaves.

Chanyeol never did go down and get pizza. He falls to asleep with cellphone in hand and wakes up to it ringing wildly. “H-hello?” Chanyeol answers.

“CHANYEOL, WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING?!” screams no one other than Wu Fan.

Chanyeol pulls the phone away from his ear. “Sleeping.”

“I thought I told you to call me every hour. I called you ten million times and you didn’t pick up once!”

Chanyeol rubs his pulsating headache. “I told you I was sleeping, Wu Fan.”

“Did I say you’re allowed to call me by my name? You will refer to me as Boss, remember?”

Chanyeol just rolls his eyes. For a head of a big crime-ridden organization, he sure is ridiculously petty. And he probably has a lot of time on his hands if he’s calling a mere captive ‘ten million times’. “Yes Boss.”

Wu Fan sighs loudly over the phone. “…my schedules open in an hour. Wear the clothes I provided for you on the nightstand. You’re going to come with me to do some errands.”

“WHAT?” Chanyeol shrieks. “I thought you said you’re not taking me to any of your meetings.”

“THESE ARE ERRANDS, YOU LITTLE . BE READY IN AN HOUR. GOOD BYE.”

And Chanyeol covers his face with the pillow and screams muffled profanities.

Chanyeol is escorted down by Zitao and Jongin in exactly an hour. And in front of the house, Chanyeol is instructed to get into the passenger seat of a Mercedes Benz. He opens the car door to get bombarded by the smell of thick and putrid cigarette smoke. The culprit is no one other than Wu Fan, smoking up a storm and surprisingly seated in the driver’s seat. “You’re driving?!” Chanyeol lets out a gasp.

“No, I’m just sitting here for fun. YES I’M DRIVING. Hurry the hell up and get in.”

Grudgingly, Chanyeol hops in and Wu Fan starts driving immediately. The first thing Chanyeol notices is that it’s the first time Wu Fan’s not in his standard suit and tie. “What’s with that get up?” he raises an eyebrow when examining Wu Fan’s casual attire of blue jeans and hoodie.

“These are my street clothes, obviously. Got a problem?”

Chanyeol shrugs. “Are you trying to look younger and hip, Boss?”

“I am young,” Wu Fan states after mumbling what Chanyeol makes out to be curse words.

“How old are you?” he asks in curiosity.

“Twenty-three.”

Chanyeol jumps out of his seat. “You’re kidding! You’re only a year older than me? How did you end up being the head honcho of so many people?!”

Wu Fan opens a window to toss away his burnt out cigarette. “The sound of your voice is so irritating. Going anywhere with you is a pain.”

Chanyeol just scrunches his face. Although Wu is always repeating how annoyed he is with him, he is always forcing Chanyeol to be by his side at all times. The more time Chanyeol spends with Wu Fan, the more he’s confused out of his mind.

When they arrive at the destination, Chanyeol is skeptical once more when he examines his surroundings. They walk out of a large parking lot to enter a bustling and populated shopping center. Chanyeol’s perplexed like no other. “…we’re at a mall.”

“No, we’re at Disneyland.”

“Boss, why are we at a mall?”

“I told you. These are important errands and I need your help. Stop questioning everything,” Wu Fan explains before walking deeper into the shopping mall. “Follow,” he demands and Chanyeol hisses because all he can do is oblige.

Chanyeol doesn’t understand why Wu Fan doesn’t get one of his henchmen to accompany him. They seem more suited for the job. Chanyeol  discovers that he has no personal preference to anything when Wu Fan drags him store to store, asking him “Which one do you like better?” to each and every clothing article and accessory.

Chanyeol just shrugs when Wu Fan points to two expensive wrist watches. “I don’t know. They all look the same to me.”

“Yeah, but isn’t there one you like better?”

“Don’t you have an opinion of your own?!” Chanyeol rebukes. “You shouldn’t even ask me. I’m not into this sort of thing. If I had your money, I’d rather blow it on a really nice laptop or something.”

Wu Fan turns to look Chanyeol directly in the eye. “You need a new laptop?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol scratches the nape of his neck bashfully. “The one I have at home is so old, it’s too slow to use. I have no choice but to use it because I need it for college and I can’t afford a new one with school loans alone.”

Wu Fan doesn’t answer him after that. He just turns away from the counter, walks out of the watch store, and Chanyeol follows him to a store just across. It’s an electronic store and Wu Fan walks up to the front counter and pulls out his credit card. “Sell me the best laptop you got here.”

Chanyeol’s eyes practically bulge out of his head. On impulse, he grabs onto Wu fan’s sleeve and starts tugging at it violently. “What the hell?” Wu Fan jeers.

“Are you…buying a laptop for me?”

“What does it look like?” Wu Fan answers after commanding the cashier to go get him a boxed laptop.

Chanyeol feels like his brain is about to blow a fuse. “…WHY? HOW THE HELL IS THIS AN IMPORTANT ERRAND?”

The cashier comes back with new computer in hand. Wu Fan pays the man before he walks a bit too close to Chanyeol. Chanyeol takes a step back in surprise as Wu Fan just stares at him without uttering a word. Chanyeol visibly gulps out of discomfort and Wu Fan finally speaks. “Your face is still blue.”

“Huh?” Chanyeol touches underneath his jawline and it feels a tad too sensitive for touch. “Oh…that’s right. I have a bruise there.”

Wu Fan looks away before he starts walking through the store. For a split second, Chanyeol stands there alone and distressed. Then, Chanyeol comes to a shocking realization. “…did he buy me that laptop as apology for punching me?”

Chanyeol realizes that this would mean that there aren’t any important errands. That would mean Wu Fan actually felt guilt after what went down with Mr. Wang. That would mean that he’s actually not so bad of a guy. That would mean everything that Zitao presumed may not be such so wrong after all. And most importantly, that would mean, to Wu Fan, Chanyeol is-

“C-Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol snaps back to reality when he hears that familiar voice. Turning his back, a girl hesitantly walks toward him. “Chanyeol…it’s you.”

The pace of his heart quickens. And his breathe hitches as well. Chanyeol takes a step closer to her and a word barely escapes. “Jin…”

The girl in sundress and peep toe wedges is no one other than his ex-girlfriend. Before he can speak another word, she proceeds. “I’ve been calling you all day yesterday and today with no luck.”

She grabs hold of his hand unexpectedly. “I couldn’t get ahold of you and then I became so worried.”

Her eyes widen and there’s genuine anguish in her eyes. “I…need to talk to you.”

“J-Jin,” Chanyeol stutters. “What is it?”

There is a brief pause. Then, she looks up with a solemn expression. “I-”

Chanyeol waits on Jin’s words, but she does not proceed. Instead, he sees her takes a step back. Chanyeol can feel a shadow hovering over him and he turns around to see no one other than Wu Fan. But Wu Fan’s usual annoyed expression is entirely skewed.

Wu Fan’s facial features always made him appear as if he was constantly scowling. This time, it’s exaggerated to the point that Chanyeol is fearful. “B-Boss…”

With furrowed brows and slightly upturned mouth, Wu Fan pushes Chanyeol in back of him. He takes a step closer to Jin and raises an eyebrow. “Who are you?” he asks her.

“I-I’m…Jin.” She tilts her head in order to get a glimpse of Chanyeol behind the tall and intimidating blonde man. Chanyeol looks petrified out of his mind, and it only provokes her curiosity. “Who are you?” she asks in return.

Wu Fan just flashes her his most pompous smirk Chanyeol has ever seen. “I’m no one that concerns you,” he chuckles. “Chanyeol has some important matters to attend to. Now if you would excuse us.”

Wu Fan grabs Chanyeol’s wrist forcefully. He’s about to drag him out of the electronic store when Jin boldly takes a step in front of them. She directs her attention to Chanyeol this time. “Chanyeol. You called him ‘Boss’. Who is he…to you?”

Chanyeol wants to answer her, but words just do not escape his mouth. Wu Fan grits his teeth before tugging into Chanyeol’s wrist harshly. Chanyeol cannot do a thing but be dragged along. He looks back and Jin’s expression is too pitiful to withstand.

And Chanyeol starts feeling nauseous when he surveys Wu Fan’s cold expression. It’s a look of murder intent that only Wu Fan can ever possess. And Chanyeol prays to the heavens that nothing bad may ever happen to Jin. If she gets involved in his situation in any way, he knows he just can never forgive himself. “Boss…please let me go,” Chanyeol begs when more and more onlookers start to stare.

Wu Fan just tightens the grip and pulls harder. “Don’t call me Boss,” Wu Fan orders.

“But you told me to address you as Boss.”

Wu Fan mumbles profanities under his breath before releasing Chanyeol’s aching wrist. “Well, from now on, you are to call me Wu Fan.”

After one last stare into Chanyeol’s eyes, the blonde bastard turns around and starts to strut away. “Follow.”

And Chanyeol doesn’t follow right away. He takes a moment to look at the laptop cradled beneath Wu Fan’s other arm. When they’re back at Wu Fan’s home, that laptop will definitely become his. But besides that, nothing else is for certain.

Not his future, not his freedom, and not what will become of him and Jin.

But nothing is more confusing than Wu Fan. Chanyeol really does not know what to make of a gangster that continues to offend and affect him in the way that only Wu Fan can.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter took me forever to write, I'm sorry ; A ; (but yay a very long chapter) ! But again, thank you everyone for commenting /subscribing / upvoting ! Thank you so much ~~ they make me super happy and motivate me to try to write more and publish faster ♥ ! I hope I replied to everyone's comments asdfgjkl ! Bye bye and do have a good day ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ