Baekhyun's P.O.V

The New year holiday at Luhan's and Sehun's house was wonderful despite the fact that the first night Baekhyun had a terrible nightmare. Baekhyun spent a lot of time with Luhan while Chanyeol occupied Sehun. It was a nice time and Chanyeol relaxed mostly of the time, but both Chanyeol and Baekhyun felt like going back home on the third day.

As fast Baekhyun and Chanyeol came back home, Lay and Yuri greeted them and even Kyungsoo was there. Chanyeol went straight up to his office to work while Baekhyun spent some time with both Lay and Kyungsoo. It won't be many days left before Chen and Xiumin come back and when they do come back, it's finally time to plan the wedding.

***

Baekhyun sits in the living room and stares silently at the TV screen in front of him. As usual he's sitting alone, but he usually doesn't mind the silence while watching the TV. But today he hates it. After the New year trip to Luhan's and Sehun's house, Baekhyun has noticed how he compares their big and rather empty mansion with Luhan's and Sehun's comfortable house. It was so cozy and warm, unlike this place.

A sigh escapes Baekhyun's mouth while he stares at the screen. He's bored, but he has nothing else to do at the moment. He doesn't feel like reading and Chanyeol forbid him to leave the house, especially since Baekhyun went out without his permission during New Year even though Baekhyun explained why he left. Chanyeol probably wants to “punish” him without saying it, but Baekhyun isn't that dumb to not understand what is going on.

“Why are you sighing so much today master Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun looks up to find Yuri stand and dust off the bookshelves in the room. How long has she been here? He stares at her in silence for a while before another sigh leaves his mouth: he did it again, he sighed out loud. How many times has he sighed the past hour?

“Is something bothering you master Baekhyun? Shall I consult you?”
“W-What's up with your speech Yuri? I mean, why are you talking like that?”
“Master Chanyeol told me that we need to behave better around you since you're getting back to your informal way of living.”
“Informal...? What is wrong with living normally? Must he be so picky?”
“I do not know why, but it's not in my place to speak about it either. So, is there anything I can help you with or are you just sighing because you can?”
“I... I'm just a little bored, that's all. Please don't worry, nothing else is bothering me.”
“If you say so master Baekhyun. I will continue my work then.”

Baekhyun nods and lets Yuri continue her work. She leaves the room as fast she's done with cleaning the living room and Baekhyun is alone once again. What is he supposed to do in this big empty house? He's bored, but he doesn't even dare to disturb Chanyeol. He has more than enough to do (especially since Xiumin and Chen aren't here to help him) and he didn't look to be in the mood to talk with anyone earlier this morning.

“We're supposed to be an engaged couple...? Yeah right, in your dreams...”

Baekhyun mutters irritated to himself while his eyes get stuck on the TV. Great, another stupid love story is ruining his mood even more and now he's feeling more than just pissed. Baekhyun throws a pillow towards the TV, but luckily it misses it. He's more than irritated now and he doesn't know why he feels so upset. Is it because he had hoped that something would have changed after their Christmas trip and the New Year trip?

“What are you doing? Why are you throwing pillows?”
“I'm pissed!”
“Pissed? You look rather... It was nothing.”
“What? Do I look upset or something?”
“You look like you're trying to be cute while being angry...”
“I-I'm not cute! I'm angry! Look, I'm grumpy! I'm not cute Lay!”

Lay laughs while he walks over to the pillow Baekhyun threw and puts it back on the couch. He then walks over to Baekhyun and sits down besides him on the couch. What is Lay doing in here? Isn't he busy in the kitchen? Maybe he's taking a break?

“I heard from Yuri that you're sighing quite a lot today and she said you looked upset. Is everything alright? Do you need to talk about something?”
“I'm alright... I'm... I'm just being a little ridiculous, that's all.”
“I see... Are you sure that nothing is bothering you? I mean, if... If you're nervous or anxious about the wedding or your future, you can always talk with me or Chen or Xiumin.”
“Thank you Lay, but... My concerns are far up in the sky and I don't want to share them with anyone at the moment. It's not like I don't trust you, I just... Well...”
“I understand, we don't need to know about everything. Just promise to not carry too much of your burden on your own, it won't end well if you do.”
“I promise Lay, it's... It's nothing serious, so you can rest assured that nothing is wrong.”

Lay nods with a small smile on his lips, though there is something in his eyes that is telling Baekhyun that he's not totally convinced. Despite that, Lay gets up of the couch and excuses himself before he leaves. Baekhyun holds back the sighs while he curls together on the couch. He will try to not sigh out loud for the rest of the day, he doesn't want to worry anyone just because he's being a little... upset?

***

Baekhyun runs down the stairs and hurries over to the door with a huge smile on his lips. He barely manages to reach the door before both Chen and Xiumin enters the mansion with a smile on their lips. Baekhyun nearly throws himself at them while asking them as many questions that pops up in his head.

“You're back! How was the journey?! Did you have fun?! Have you rest well?! Did you take many pictures like I told you?! Have you missed me?! Did you eat well?!”
“Calm down! We can't answer your questions if you keep screaming like that!”

Chen laughs while Xiumin struggles to not get tackled down by Baekhyun's sudden hug. After Baekhyun let go of Xiumin, he hugs Chen and makes sure that he didn't disturb Chanyeol that is still in his office. It doesn't look like he was disturbed since he's not screaming his lungs off while scolding Baekhyun.

“How have you been Baekhyun? Did Chanyeol treat you well while we were gone?”
“Actually... This might surprise you, but he has been awfully nice towards me lately. It all started in the cabin during our Christmas trip, but when we came home he was still his cold self. Though, when we went to Sehun's and Luhan's house, he became a new person again! I swear, that guy must literally be two different persons from time to time! Anyway, enough about me! I want to hear all about your trip! Was it romantic? Did you eat yummy food? Did you see anything special?”
“Haha, we will tell you all about it Baekhyun. But first, we have to go and see Chanyeol. We can talk during your afternoon tea, until then we have to talk with Chanyeol. He said he had a lot of serious business he needed to discuss as fast we come back.”
“I see... T-Then you better come and see me later! I will be expecting a great story!”

Chen and Xiumin nod with a smile each before they excuse themselves to see Chanyeol. Well, they do have a job to do so Baekhyun can't stop them. But he wonders: what is Chanyeol going to talk about that is so important? Curiosity takes over Baekhyun, but he knows very well that he's not allowed to discuss Chanyeol's business nor get involved with it. Chanyeol was very clear on that part and Baekhyun won't cross that line either.

“Well... Since they won't see me for a while... Shall I go play the piano?”

Baekhyun nods silently and walks towards the music room. He hasn't been practicing the piano for a while, it might actually be fun without having anyone staring at him. While he's at it, maybe he should try to learn a new instrument? Though, he's not sure if he will be able to do that on his own. Either way, he will start with practicing the piano.

***

“Woah! Are you serious?! They eat stuff like that there?! I can't believe it!”
“I know right?! Also, their so called Korean food wasn't that good, but I loved everything else. It's not like we expected the Korean BBQ to be good, but it wasn't bad either.”
“So Baekhyun, are you happy with our story? We even took all those pictures just for you.”
“Wait, what do you mean with that? Don't you take pictures to remember your trips?”
“Well, we don't do that kind of stuff anymore. We tried to do that in the beginning, but the older you get, the less you do it. It's not like we don't want to remember it, it's just too tiring to do that every single time we go somewhere. Don't you agree?”
“I don't agree at all! I will keep taking many photos, like a thousand photos! Ah, I know! I will start taking a couple right now!”
“You don't have to do that Baekhyun, it's just a waste of time. Though, we do understand how you feel. But like we told you, we're just too old for this right now.”

Baekhyun holds back a sigh while he nods. It's sad to hear that you get tired of capturing moments, but it's not like Chen and Xiumin won't remember their trip. That's right, they will remember it even if they didn't take a thousand pictures. Baekhyun smiles and puts down the photos onto the table before he sips on his tea silently. What a nice trip they had, Baekhyun wishes he could do something similar with Chanyeol. Though, he's not sure if Chanyeol would enjoy it or even have time for something like that.

“By the way, I must ask Baekhyun... Did you...? Did you talk with Chanyeol about his work while we were gone? He was discussing rather strange topics with us today, almost like he had gotten scolded or bumped into a huge wall that he couldn't pass on his own.”
“What Chen is trying to say is: Chanyeol asked us to become his vice presidents to his company today. With other words, we won't be his assistants anymore and he will have more free time as well.”
“H-He asked you that?! W-What did you say? You said yes, right?”
“Of course we accepted it! We know very well how much he has to do right now and having us helping him will make things easier.”
“Though... I get the feeling that someone talked to him about it before he made the decision. Was it you or was it Luhan?”
“I... I mentioned it once when I got tired of his stressed behavior and I mentioned it to Luhan as well, so he might have talked to him about it. But honestly, I had no idea that he would listen to what we had to say. He's usually so damn stubborn when it comes to his work, he didn't even let me help him out with faxing a couple of papers the other day.”

Chen and Xiumin nod silently like they're thinking about something else, but they're still listening to what Baekhyun is saying. Those two must feel strange since they just got promoted to vice presidents and not just assistants. Wait... Does that mean that Baekhyun won't see them anymore?

“Hey... Now when you're vice presidents... Will you... stop coming here?”
“Of course we won't stop coming here. Both me and Chen have been thinking and we don't think it will be healthy if we both disappear or become vice presidents at the moment.”
“That's right, both you and Chanyeol need an assistant that you can trust. You need your help with your clothes and who is going to help you plan the wedding if both me and Xiumin aren't around? We can't just drop everything right away.”
“Then... You're not going to work as vice presidents right away? Is that what you're saying?”
“Yes Baekhyun, that is what we're saying. I think I will keep being the assistant for a while since I'm not used to work with business as much as Xiumin. Besides, sitting still all day has never been a thing for me. I rather run errands and help you pick clothes.”
“You're so kind Chen! But, are you sure that you want to do that? You can get promoted to something so much better! Won't your statue go up if you take on the other job?”
“Statue isn't that important to me, besides I got Xiumin here. As long he's happy and I don't feel mistreated, I will stay as your assistant.”

Baekhyun smiles happily, but at the same time he feels sorry for Chen. He might actually want to become the vice president, but something is holding him back. Baekhyun puts down his teacup before he gets up of the couch with a smile.

“I think it's the best if you get back to work, I don't want Chanyeol to scold you.”
“Are you finished already? I honestly thought you would ask more questions.”
“I'm quite satisfied at the moment, so please don't mind me. I will be in the bedroom for a while. Call me when the dinner is ready.”

Chen and Xiumin nod to an answer before Baekhyun leaves the room. Honestly he's a little lost in his own thoughts. Chen and Xiumin are working so hard all the time, yet they have such a good relationship. He wishes he and Chanyeol could be like that. Which reminds him, isn't it about time for them to plan the wedding? It's soon time for it and Baekhyun hasn't even heard about it. Chanyeol did mention they would plan it together when Xiumin and Chen are back home, but when?

***

Baekhyun stares silently at Chanyeol who is busy with reading a book. It has been exactly two days since Chen and Xiumin came back, but Chanyeol doesn't seem the slightest relaxed. He's still stressed, Baekhyun can tell by the way he sits. His body is tensed, he's not even trying to relax and it doesn't look like he's enjoying the book he's reading. What is he even