"So you were talking about a water bottle top? Not your actual shirt?"

"Well duh, I-I mean why would I talk about my clothes in such a provocative way?"

"But you said help me with my top."

"That's because," Chanmi stopped to think," I couldn't open a water bottle because the top was too tight and it burst into my lap after I managed to open it." She rolled up her sleeves and showed off her scrawny arms, "So if we go on a date next time, he would help me with my top."

Chanmi tried her best to blink innocently as her face grew red. She wiped her sweaty palms on Chen's pants as she played with her hair. Baekhyun stared at her with interest when he noticed her squirming on the couch. He's known Chanmi for such a long time that he should know when she's lying but he shook his head in denial. She wasn't the person to lie to him. After all, he's the one that takes care of her.

"Well I'm happy it wasn't what I was thinking."

"Oppa, you really are a ert."

Baekhyun scoffed and turned to the awkwardly cut fruit sitting on the old coffee table. He popped an apple slice into his mouth as he leaned back on the old couch. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned. It had been a long and hectic day keeping up with endless meetings and endless beatings from Eunji. Helping people find their soulmates can be pretty tiring. The quiet living room was interrupted by a loud growling.

"Oppa?" Chanmi frowned, "Did you eat today?"

"Huh? I didn't have time today. There were so many meetings," Baekhyun shrugged, "I'll eat something later."

"Hold on, I'll make something quick for you. Just lay down and sleep for a bit. You must be tired."

Chanmi forced Baekhyun to put his feet up and threw her favorite blanket on top of him as she raced to the kitchen. He chuckled as he dug himself deeper into the oddly comfortable couch and closed his eyes. 30 seconds barely passed before Chanmi let out a shriek. His eyes burst open and a loud sigh escaped his lips. Of course this would happen. It's Park Chanmi we're talking about.

He made his way to the kitchen and stared at the scattered ramen on the floor. Chanmi looked up and forced a smile as she dumped the now inedible ramen into the trash. The kitchen sink was piled high with dirty pots and pans. She took off her stained apron and ran a hand through her long hair.

"Take-out?"

"Yeah," Baekhyun nodded solemnly, "Take-out."

•••••••••

"What are you staring at?"

A young kid who stared at man who stared back at him with curiosity. A tall and lean man in outfit made entirely of black clothes had invaded the mall. He lowered his ridiculously large sunglasses and forced a smile.

"Are you lost?"

"Ahjussi? Did someone die?"

"No, it's called avant garde. You don't know?"

He shook his head furiously and ran away when the man pretended to hit him. The tall man sat down at a table with his coffee in his hands as he waited patiently for his date to arrive. The mall was full of young couples and old ladies desperate to find what they needed at a discounted price. He sipped as his caramel frappuccino with his pinky finger extended. He was a man of high class.

"Excuse me? Are you Tao?"

Tao turned his head to look at a tiny girl with loose waves and large eyes. She bowed and held out a hand for him to shake. He smiled widely and stood up to see her head disappear from his sight. She tapped his shoulder and he looked down to see her gape at him in wonder.

"Wow! You're so tall! You must have drank so much milk as a kid!"

She giggled when he slipped off his glasses to look at her better. Her light blue shirt and jeans complimented her pale skin and tiny frame. His entire black outfit complemented his blonde hair and deep eyes. They stared at each other, unsure of what to do.

"I don't like milk," Tao cleared his throat, "I guess I have good genes."

"Well you're lucky, I got the end of the short stick."

"Really? I find you to be quite beautiful."

"Really?" She covered her reddening face, "Thank you."

"I'm Tao, Huang Zitao to be exact. And you?"

"I'm Chanmi. Park Chanmi to be exact."

•••••••••

"Baek! Come over here for a second!"

Baekhyun rubbed his eyes as he stepped out of his office to see Eunji hitting her computer screen. Her desk was cluttered with crackers and sheets everywhere, her makeup bag sprawled all over them. She was eating ramen and was full of noodles as she played with her hair. Eunji motioned him to come over as she chewed on more noodles.

"What's going on?" He yawned, "I was taking a nap."

"Something's wrong with my computer or the network system," She explained, "I can't enter new appointments into the calendar and if I managed to save one, it automatically fills it for all the times."

"Is anyone else having a problem?"

"I don't think so."

Eunji tossed him a water bottle as he rubbed his throat. He pushed her out of her seat and laughed when she smacked him in revenge. Baekhyun tried his best to fix the problem with his limited knowledge and simple shrugged when it didn't work.

"I'll order another one so just use mine for a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Baekhyun yawned again, "I'm going back to sleep."

"Okay," Eunji nodded, "I'll call you when the meeting starts!"

Baekhyun stopped in his tracks and turned around. He made his way to her desk and tapped his slender fingers. She stared at him and crossed his arms, suspicion in her eyes. They stared at each other, neither of them ready to make the first move.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?"

"I mean," She leaned in closer, "What's on your mind? Did Chanmi do something again?"

"No," He rolled his eyes, "Why is it whenever I want to talk to you it's always about Chanmi?"

"Fine, sorry. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well... do you know where she went on her date today?"

"Who?"

Baekhyun awkwardly smiled, "Who else?"

•••••••••

"So Chanmi, what do you do?"

"Huh? Oh, my family owns a small bookstore. Technically it belongs to me now."

"Really? You must read a lot then."

Chanmi turned to look at Tao forcing her to crane her neck to look at him clearly. He bent down a bit to let her see him better, his large ice cream cone covering half his face. She reached out carefully to wipe away ice cream from his lips only to feel his tongue on her fingers, not realizing he was doing the same. He chuckled softly when she pulled her hand away.

"Well I guess you could say I read a lot. There really isn't much to do," Chanmi blurted out, diverting his attention.

"Do you write too?" Tao smirked, knowing what she was trying to do, "Like novels or anything like that?"

"I write random short stories but nothing big. What do you do?"

"Just living my life to the fullest."

"That sounds nice, not having to worry about anything."

Tao looked towards Chanmi as she glanced at her feet. Her long dark hair fell over her face, the loose waves bouncing up and down. He moved to pull her hair back and panicked when she jumped in surprise. The room moved in slow motion as he reached to grab her ice cream cone but he was too late.

"Oh no!" Chanmi scrambled to wipe the ice cream from her shirt, "I don't think it'll wash off."

She rubbed at it harder but gave up when the stain spread. She looked up to see Tao staring at her with his hands together, motioning for her to forgive him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the nearest store. The store was full of bright colors and even brighter customers.

"Excuse me," He waved to a worker, "Can you find me a shirt in this exact style?"

"What are you doing?" She frowned, "I can just clean it when I get home."

"Don't worry. I don't mind."

The worker smiled widely and motioned for them to follow her. She led them to the back and forced Tao to sit as she pulled similar shirts. Chanmi squealed as she was pushed into a dressing room with a stack of clothes following after her. She picked a random shirt and tried it on before the worker pulled her out to show him.

"This is the newest design that just came in," The worker smiled, "It's perfect for summer."

"What do you think?" Chanmi scratched her head, "I think it looks nice."

"No," Tao shook his head, "It washes you out. Pick something else."

The date went by as Chanmi struggled to find a shirt that Tao liked. He suggested dark colors whereas she preferred light ones. They bickered back and forth as the worker ran around the store to please them. Tao even went as far as slipping inside the dressing room to throw out the ones he didn't like. Chanmi went as far as kicking his shins.

"This one looks nice!"

"It's too dark!"

"And that one makes you look like a clown!"

Tao snarled under his breath as Chanmi stuck out her tongue. With twinkling mischievious eyes, he rushed to tickle her. She burst out laughing and did the same, their bodies slowly getting entwined with each other. Her arm was wrapped around his waist while his legs was wrapped around her own as he pulled her closer. They could feel each other's breath on their skin as they playfully wrestled.

"Excuse me?"

They both turned to stare at the worker as she cleared . She giggled to herself when they scrambled to get out of each other's embrace. Chanmi grabbed the dress she was holding and ran into the dressing room, her face beet red. Tao ran a hand through his hair and sat back down to grab a magazine. She stepped out in a lavender colored dress that emphasized her tiny waist. He stood up and grew red when she twirled a bit to show him.

"What do you think?" Chanmi wrapped her arms around her waist, "Does it look nice?"

"It looks perfect," Tao swallowed, "You look beautiful."

He made his way to the cash register as she grabbed her clothes. Tao smiled when he noticed Chanmi staring at herself in the mirror. He pulled out his wallet and glanced at the check in front of him.

"What!? 658 dollars!?"

The worker looked at the receipt and nodded, "It's from our spring-summer collection that came in today."

Tao closed his eyes and whimpered. His rent was due that week and he barely had enough money for it. If only he hadn't left China where he had his rich parents and that unlimited bank card. If only he wasn't so lazy and carefree. He bit his lips as he contemplated what to do. He felt a warm hand on his own and gazed at Chanmi's bright wide eyes. 

"Is everything okay?" She asked, clearly unaware of the price and situation, "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. Do you want to get something to eat? I'll pay."

"Sure, why don't you pick somewhere to eat? I'll be out soon."

Tao waited for Chanmi to leave the store before reluctantly taking out his credit card. He whimpered when the worker took it from him as she began to pay. She stopped when he grabbed her hand.

"Make it 12 payments please," Tao forced a smile, "Please."

•••••••••

author's corner; important

So I actually updated! I can't believe I actually updated. /pats shoulder/ So please leave many comments and if are enjoying the story feel free to upvote. THAT'S IT! I have finally managed to finish all 11 dates!!!! Now the story can finally start — after 24 chapters /gulp/. I hope that this chapter helps you with the whole Tao situation and SM but remember that we should support him whatever his decision is. Now that the dates are done, the calm before the storm has finally ended and the fun is about to begin. I'll try my best to update soon so stay tuned!

Please leave lots of comments and check out my new fic starring Kai and Chanyeol — It Felt Like Love

*To see it go to my profile and check my stories since the link might not work*

Thanks again!!!