[omg, guys, srsl, your comments made my day. I was literally squealing in happiness. thank youuu <3]

Baekhyun was standing five steps away from Park Chanyeol's office, with freshly printed advertising plans rustling in his slender hands. 

 Baekhyun didn't know what has gotten into him. A moment before, standing calmly in Jongin's office and watching the team leader print out the papers, he was burning with excitement. Finally he was going to get somewhere from the starting point. Finally he could ask things he wanted and learn about Chanyeol from himself, not somebody else. But now Baekhyun stood there, a hand reach away from the doorknob that separated him and the other man, and Baekhyun was afraid.

He was afraid of opening the door and understanding that he has no idea what to ask or what to say to the manager. Also, he was scared of Chanyeol yelling at him to get out as soon as he knocks, and saying that Baekhyun is no one but a mere employee who has no rights of stepping into the general manager's office. Or maybe even fear of tripping over his own feet crossed Baekhyun's mind at the spur of moment.

He was now just fully going into panick mode, and didn't know how to stop himself.

"Come on, Byun Baekhyun, get yourself together," Baekhyun murmured to himself angrily. "Just open the damn door and talk. That's the only thing you're good at, blabbering senselessly, so use it for a good purpose at least once."

Yet his feet remained glued to the same floor five steps away from the "damn door".

"Byun Baekhyun!" he hissed at himself and slammed the stack of papers at his forehead.  "Ow!"

Blinded by the self-awarded ache right in between his eyes, Baekhyun felt the papers slip out of his hands and fly into the air freely. As he opened his eyes, the leaves were flying and landing all around the entrace of Chanyeol's office.

"." Baekhyun murmured, and crouched down to get the papers back in his hold.

As he picked up half of the runaways, Baekhyun turned around to reach out for others, and his gaze met with a pair of shiny black leather shoes.

"What happened here?" a deep, husky voice asked, and Baekhyun's heart dropped to his stomach.

Of course it was going to be him.

Before Baekhyun's brain could even consider answering the taller's question, Park Chanyeol was already setting down his black briefcase down at the floor, and then he was crouching beside him. Calmly gathering the escaped leaves with his big hands, and settling them on his elbow neatly.

"Oh?" his eyes widened in surprise (quite adorably, really) when he saw the introductory page. "Jongin is done with advertising project already? He's fast."

Baekhyun's brain decided that then was a good moment to finally snap out of the daze, and the male collected himself quickly with embarassingly pink dusted cheeks.

"T-they're not done yet." he stuttered, and cursed himself mentally for that. "I have to discuss them with you, general manager, and bring them back to team leader."

Chanyeol's big eyes met his again, and Baekhyun was begging internally for him to avert his gaze somewhere else quickly, because one second more and Baekhyun was going to need an ambulance. Nerves were killing him.

"Oh." Chanyeol nodded, and stood up, reaching out a hand to help Baekhyun.

Baekhyun stared at it for a second like a complete idiot, and then finally dared to reach out his own. 

Chanyeol's twice wider and bigger palm completely covered his kind of scrawny one, and Baekhyun felt himself being pulled up with considerate amount of strength. He was already standing in a second, and Chanyeol didn't even blink at the 60 kilos of weight he had just pulled casually with one hand. He was standing there, unaffected and emotionless as always.

 "Thank you." Baekhyun bowed, and tried not to let himself think about how much of a fool he had just made himself in front of the general manager of PKO.

"Your welcome." Chanyeol told him, and reached out to give back the papers he gathered. "Come on in, then."

Baekhyun followed the taller into the office, and all that time his hands were gripping tightly onto the papers he held in his embrace. His heart was beating fast, his head was dizzy, and he had absolutely nothing in his mind as he sat down on the other side of Chanyeol's desk, and met the gaze of the man himself.

"So, we're supposed to look this through?" Chanyeol asked, pointing at the leaves that were pressed against Baekhyun's chest. "Or I just have to read it and mark my notes?"

"No, we have to discuss it, general manager." Baekhyun said, and pushed the papers at Chanyeol.

This was a good time for him to pull himself together and get into the character, for God's sake. He was going to be full of life and brave, not stuttering and embarassingly awkward like he was now. So, while Chanyeol was running his eyes through the text and focusing on the flaws, Baekhyun was gathering his mind together and preparing himself for the mission. 

"Well, overall it's pretty good." Chanyeol finally said, and Baekhyun looked up at him. "I'm honestly not sure why Jongin would need my advice on his advertising plans, he's ten times better at this field than I am. But I suggest he puts some more thought into the Chinese advertisements, because they look slightly dull. And that's about it."

He was about to give papers back to Baekhyun, when the latter shook his head frantically.

"If I may," Baekhyun prayed desperately in his thoughts that these words wouldn't be the last ones he said in PKO. "I'd like to say something about those plans, general manager. If I'm not being rude."

Chanyeol tilted his head, surprised, but it didn't look like he was mad. At least he wasn't throwing Baekhyun out or scoffing at his words.

"Okay." the taller then agreed easily.

Nervous, Baekhyun breathed in, and gathered the courage to look into Chanyeol's eyes.

Damn it, he was handsome. Just Baekhyun's type, too. Those puppy-like brown eyes, squishy cheeks, plump lips. And not only that, let's not forget his height, strength and -

EYES ON THE MISSION, BYUN BAEKHYUN.

"Well, general manager, I honestly think this whole plan needs to be re-thought. It's too similar to the old ones." Baekhyun stated with a calm voice, although he was anything but calm. "People get tired of similarity in advertising, and they don't even pay attention anymore. If we want to be noticed, we have to be notable. Different."

And as Baekhyun said the last word, he was actually praising himself for sounding at least a bit reasonable.

"And to be honest, team leader said he was out of ideas." Baekhyun then created a lie at the spot nonchalantly, noting in his mind to warn Jongin about it later. "And he said that I could try myself out in this if I wanted, but with a help from someone higher. Someone who knows everything about the company and it's history. Which is no one else but you, general manager."

Chanyeol listened to him speak carefully. He didn't show emotions, didn't laugh at the absurdity of Baekhyun's words, he just listened. As if Baekhyun's words were as worthy as his own, as if Baekhyun was an equal. And that didn't fail to make Baekhyun's heart skip a beat.

Park Chanyeol was indeed admirable. He never looked down on anyone.

"I see." the taller calmly said when Baekhyun stopped talking. "I understand, Baekhyun sshi."

Now it was Baekhyun's time to widen his eyes. Did Park Chanyeol actually remember his name? Even having heard it only once? Woah.

"I trust Jongin's decisions whole-heartedly, and I kind of understand why he hired you as well. Yet he could have told me himself that he was lacking inspiration."  Chanyeol sighed heavily. "Okay, let's do so. If you create something better than Jongin's plan in two months, Baekhyun sshi, I will personally make you in charge of the advertising field. More specifically, you can be the advertising manager."

Baekhyun's lips parted in awe. He could not believe his own ears. Was his plan actually working?.. Was Chanyeol going to let him be there and ask him stuff?

"And I will help you with the questions you will have." Chanyeol approved Baekhyun's thoughts as he turned to his computer and turned it on. "So you can ask whatever you want."

Oh, don't worry, I will.

"Of course, general manager." Baekhyun nodded.

He then couldn't help but let his lips curl up into a smile. 

"Okay, then." Chanyeol glanced at him, and strangely, his gaze stayed on the shorter male longer than it should have.

There was a thing about Baekhyun's smile. It was like a ray of sunshine in the middle of a clouded rainy day, when nobody is expecting the light to come. That smile was just as unexpected, yet so warming and beautiful. So beautiful, that Chanyeol couldn't make himself to turn his eyes away from it now.

"I will be going then, general manager." Baekhyun stood up and bowed at Chanyeol, still smiling. "And I will come when I have more questions to ask you. Probably quite soon."

"S-sure." Chanyeol nodded, and turned away.

He couldn't let Baekhyun see the disappointment on his face. But wait, why was he suddenly disappointed? Because Baekhyun is leaving?

 Might be so.

It has been a while since someone smiled so genuinely and happily at him. Actually, he had a hard time remembering anyone smile at him like that for the last few years. And seeing Baekhyun smile like that to him felt..nice. Soothing. As if he wasn't that alone in the end.

"Goodbye for now, general manager." Baekhyun lastly said before opening the door and stepping out. 

When the door behind the new employee's back closed, Chanyeol leaned back on his chair and sighed. No, he couldn't let himself wish to see Baekhyun's smile. No matter how much it soothed him or made him feel happy. It was a distraction, distraction from work which he had to do, the work that was the purpose of his living.

He couldn't allow himself anything but work.

With a heavy sigh, Chanyeol gathered his attention once again and turned to his computer. Although the memory of a certain brown-haired man's smile still retutned to him unwillingly everytime he closed his eyes.

***

Exhausted after a long day, Jongin turned the keys in the lock, and, lightly turning the knob, opening the door to his apartment.

As always, it was dark and silent, no one else but him residing in the whole flat. The lights automatically. Since was a wealthy man's place, it was spacious and had more than four rooms, but Jongin lived here alone. He had moved in right after graduation, when he was promised a permanent place in PKO, and since then, he was staying there. All alone.

Jongin walked inside, took off his shoes and placed them beside the door, so that he wouldn't have to search for them in the morning. It was one of the neat habits he managed to train himself into. Honestly, he wasn't the tidiest person in the world - some of his clothes were scattered here and there, and he had always failed to convince himself to wash the