Stepping inside the building, they walked up the stairs to the first floor.

Sehun stopped at the door to his office and struggled to get his key in, trying another, then another, then another of the ten keys that he had. 

“Why do you have so many keys, are you a prison guard?” 

Ignoring Chanyeol Sehun tried the next key.

“Damn they did it again. Come on” saying Sehun started climbing up the stairs. His office was on the first floor of a three-storey house which was owned by his family. 

Sehun’s dad and his brothers were sitting around the dining table as they entered. 

“Oh lookie. Sehun has already met a guy” Jongdae snapped his fingers as soon as he saw Chanyeol “How is boring old Dohyeon going to compete with him?” 

Sehun sighed “Hey everyone” then he said “This is Chanyeol...my client. Chanyeol this is my dad and the other two slobs are my brothers, Jongdae and Baekhyun” 

“So where did you meet Sehun?” Baekhyun asked pulling a chair for Chanyeol to sit. 

Chanyeol looked at Sehun who just shrugged tiredly and then he sat

“On the Hangang bridge” 

“Oh that’s romantic” 

“Not really, He stopped me from jumping off the bridge two nights ago” 

“Ugh Sehun has always been a killjoy” Jongdae accused him. 

“He wasn’t jumping for fun” Sehyo un explained.

Hearing the words they all turned their head in unison to look at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol fidgeted under the three pair of eyes staring at him, unsure of what to say next. Sehun knew he was probably regretting that he had mentioned the incident. But his family had an ability to make people feel that the important stuff wasn’t really important and right now that was what Chanyeol needed. 

“The Hangang bridge isn’t even that high” Jongdae scrunched his nose in dissatisfaction. 

“What are you talking about?” Their dad enquired. 

“That’s hardly a fall at all” 

“He wasn’t trying to kill himself with the drop, Dae” Baekhyun chimed in “I think he was trying to drown himself. Were you?”

They all looked at him again. 

Chanyeol didn’t know how to answer, his surprise was so great. Sehun was used to a range of reactions when he brought people home. It was hard to imagine that both his brothers and father were serious lawyers who loved engaging in childish banter.

Chanyeol seemed to be content in observing the unusual rhythm of their talk. 

“I said I think you were trying to drown yourself?’ Baekhyun repeated more loudly.

“He doesn’t have water in his ears, Baek” Jongdae interrupted “Sehun saved him, remember?”

They all chuckled a little at their own joke. Chanyeol gave Sehun a surprised look. 

Sehun mouthed a sorry, and Chanyeol shook his head smiling as if there was no need for him to apologise. 

“So Changmin did you hurt yourself on the bridge?” Their dad asked. 

“It’s Chanyeol, and no I didn’t” Chanyeol replied politely. 

“So what are you two doing?’ Baekhyun asked Chanyeol resting his chin on his hand as if he were about to spill some gossip, “Is Sehun going to place you in a new job and send you away like he does with his clients?”

Chanyeol gave a slightly amused look, his eyes glinting “Sehun has to convince me to like my life by my twenty seventh birthday” 

They were all silent. They didn’t need to ask what would happen if he didn’t like his life by that deadline it was understandable. 

“When’s that?” Jongdae asked.

“Two weeks” Sehun replied. 

“Twelve days” Immediately Chanyeol corrected  him. 

“Are you having a party?” Baekhyun probed. 

‘Yes” Chanyeol nodded slightly puzzled by the direction they were taking.

“Can we come?” Jongdae asked flatly. 

“I think you should get one of those cheese cakes instead of the normal ones, they are so much better” their father suggested thoughtfully. 

“You look sad” Jongdae pointed out, staring at Chanyeol. “That’s because he is sad” Baekhyun answered this pouting. 

Not wanting his brothers to interrogate Chanyeol anymore, Sehun said hurriedly “We have to go, I want the key to the new lock and can you guys stopping changing my locks every time?” He groaned at his two elder brothers. 

Jongdae and Baekhyun both looked at their Dad in confusion. He started laughing. ‘Sorry I couldn’t help it. Sehun takes it so badly, it’s funny. I’ll get the key.”

“He’s the best prospect you’ve ever brought home” Baekhyun murmured quietly as Chanyeol left the office

Sehun followed Chanyeol down the stairs, “I’m sorry for my brothers.They are always joking about everything but they didn’t mean any offence” Sehun explained “Most people avoid visiting our house because they can’t cope with their sense of humour. They were happy to see you” 

Sehun heard Chanyeol give a small laugh, the lovely sound that he barely got to hear. 

“So I was like a fresh meat to your brothers?” Chanyeol smirked “Don’t worry, I liked them they actually made me smile” 

The first thing that Sehun did entering his office was to cancel all this appointments for the next two weeks since he was on a mission.

By the time Sehun had finished delegating all his schedules and meetings to his other two colleagues, Chanyeol shouted for him from across the room “Forty-two Tips on How to Think Positive Thoughts When Everything Is Going Wrong…” a book title from Sehun’s collection. “Thirty Five Ways to Think Positively” He snorted mockingly “These numbers intrigue me. Why so specific? Why forty two and not forty? 

Chanyeol moved along the shelf, He held a book in the air “Sixty six Ways to Solve Your Money Problems. Sixty-six? I know just one, go to work” Chanyeol said to the book, and continued to browse.  

Chanyeol was obviously enjoying himself ridiculing Sehun’s self help books but Sehun didn’t mind he watched Chanyeol pulling out more books to vent about, it was kind of entertaining and nice to see him laughing. 

Finally feeling tired Chanyeol felt plopped himself on the armchair. After a few minutes he looked uncomfortable, he was squirming in his chair looking around the room. 

“So how are you feeling?” 

Finally his gaze came to rest somewhere out of the window, after a few minutes he replied “I am feeling...pissed actually” 

“Why?” 

“Because my best friend is ing my girlfriend?” He laughed but it looked too forced. 

Not the answer Sehun was expecting but he nodded urging him to continue. Chanyeol was rather unpredictable that much Sehun had known by now. 

“I don’t blame her you know, I understand why she did it. I was so distracted that everything else kind of fell away. I haven’t been in a good place for so long. But I want to tell that I changed so she can change her mind too” 

“When are you going to tell her that you changed, the bigger question is have you changed?” 

“I don’t know” Chanyeol remained staring at the floor “But it will change, you promised me you will help me. Otherwise I will—“

Sehun quickly cut Chanyeol off “Until your birthday, you’re mine” Sehun said sternly. Realising what he had said Sehun paused for a moment, Chanyeol wasn’t his, but he wouldn’t take the words back. 

“We have a deal. For the next twelve days I will do my very best to keep my side of the deal. You will have to keep yours. Stay alive. That is your job” 

“Fine.”

                                                   ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅

According to Thirty Ways To Enjoy Life eating food and enjoying it was the first step. Hence Sehun decided to take Chanyeol to a restaurant. 

“What do you suggest?” Sehun asked the waitress after not being able to understand what to order, from the countless dishes on the menu card. 

“I really like the baked marinated salmon fillet on a bed of Mediterranean vegetable ratatouille and creamy mash” She suggested. 

Chanyeol looked as if he was going to vomit in his mouth.

‘He’d love that, thank you.”

“When did you loose your appetite?” Sehun asked as the waitress left. 

“I don’t know a months ago, what about you?”

“I haven’t” Sehun lied, he needed to be motivated, “Food. Fun. Eat” he added cheerily. 

Chanyeol raised his brow, “You had black coffee for breakfast” 

Sehun sighed, “what I am saying is we should look at your diet, it will help. You are obviously fit, I mean you work out a lot” Sehun could feel his face heating recalling the shower incident, shoving the thought aside he added “I don’t see you eating, where do you even get energy from?” 

“It’s from when I’m stripping, you know? When I’m on stage, dancing with the boys.”

Sehun laughed at that, Chanyeol was smiling too. It felt nice. 

The enormous plate of food looked quite dreadful. Sehun picked up his fork and knife unsure where to even begin with. 

“Mmm, this is good. Is yours good?” Sehun remarked. Don’t just eat your food, taste it. ”Is your mash creamy?