One second.

                  Two second.

                  Three second.

                  Across from the long wooden table with sunlight sometimes spilled upon portion of which Taeyeon and Baekhyun could be described as ghastly gaping at each other in silence. It was an odd scenario, her body was distancing away from the table in a defense mode as if at any time she was about to break the door out, her eyes were wide enough to flee from sockets and her lips were sealed pale. Opposite from the table Baekhyun's gaze locked with her, waiting for the response to his spontaneous caprice.

                  Do you like me? Does she like him?

                  Taeyeon can hear her heart burst literally when her whole body burned upon Baekhyun's sudden question. Blood rushed onto her cheeks filling the milky white skin with amorous color. Beside staring at him with her unbelievable wide eyes she couldn't function her body to react.

                  What kind of question is this?!

                  While Baekhyun was actually thinking the same. It was bizarre from the way he behaved since this morning and until he blurted out the voice that screaming deep inside his consciousness he finally realized the cause within his anomaly. Maybe, just maybe the reason he cared so much about her opinion on him was he liked her.

                  Baekhyun couldn't ascertain this emotion right now for there was a further need to testify himself on this, but he waited, he was anticipated for her answer and nervousness clawed onto his throat making it hard to gulp. Both of them stayed rigid, motionless, and the intense contact electrifying in between never break as none of them uttered a word.

                  Taeyeon tried to think. Does she? Who was Baekhyun to her? What was the definition of like? And if Baekhyun could read mind he would punish her for thinking in such a business-like manner. Taeyeon was stiff, that was undisputable.

                  The more she tried to figure out her answer the more flustered she was. His question was like a crossword puzzle to her, she had to carefully place the correct letter into each blank space, except it was the most difficult one she'd ever encountered so far. His words, the inquisitive tone in his voice replayed in her head like a repeater, she roamed through them trying to find a clue but nothing came out. Nothing, her brain was an unwritten paper, there was no answer, she didn't know how to answer.

                  Taeyeon opened to speak yet like her trail of broken thoughts, nothing was spoken out.

                  Some while after she closed again, quenching every flame of hope in Baekhyun's heart. The attraction of their gaze was cut off by her commencement of evasion, her eyes torn away from his and fell onto the paper her family proposed, she could see each letter typed neatly on the white texture however none of them was absorbed into her vision.

                  The silence around them was deafening.

                  "I'm sorry." After seemed like forever, Taeyeon lifted her head up, aloofness deluged the agitation of fluster in her pupils. The faint blush on her cheek was gone.

                  "I refuse to answer your question."

                  They were back to the starting point, at least that was what Baekhyun felt when she announced her rejection, as if the only existing relationship between them was none but the reserved professionalism among co-workers. Perhaps he scared her by suddenly asking such a personal thing, he understood, even she didn't know him well but he knew her, the cold mask on her face was just a self-protection and a deception to her own feeling. He should have patience, he should give her time.

                  Baekhyun flashed his a soft smile at her.

                  "I can take it slow."

                  He saw her biting her lips.

                  "There...there must be some discoordination between our...relationship." Taeyeon said, and all of the sudden she wanted to escape from here, the choking feeling plugged in her chest was stifling her. And without leaving a word her feet involuntarily brought her the exit of the breakfast hall in shaky steps and disappeared from the scene.

                  Taeyeon dragged herself slowly along the corridor, her eyes hollow as if she had experienced the most traumatizing thing in the world, the previous tension in the hall was still in her head, and the unsolved puzzle left her helpless. This was the first time she felt this ambivalent, when she faced Baekhyun back there this feeling was at its strongest, she didn't want him to act like he like her but she wanted at the same time, she felt insecure, she felt disappointed and reluctant. And with her grandmother's company, the unexpected cut short of her visit and Baekhyun's question were driving her crazy.

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