Requested: No

Genre: Canon-AU

Pairing: ? (at this stage undecided) x Reader or is it Baekhyun x Reader ?

Warnings: I guess spoilers if you haven’t seen all of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Suggestive themes, mentions of . fic, minors DNI!

Word Count: 6,938

A/N: I wanted to post something to celebrate the return of Baekhyun from the military but this chapter got way out of hand so I’ve split it. Unless this happens again, we’ve only got two more chapters before this fic finally wraps up. 

“So you haven’t told him yet?” He asked.

“Not yet. I haven’t found the right moment.” You replied. You’d wanted to tell him but things kept getting in the way of the conversation. It was something you wanted to tell him in person and you had struggled to find sufficient alone time with the guy.

Minseok sighed as he leaned back into his chair. “You know I don’t enjoy being kept waiting.”

“You tell him then.” You snapped. You weren’t just going to drop that kind of bombshell on Baek with no warning. If Minseok was going to get snippy about it then he could buck up the courage to go hang with Baek and tell him. You knew he wouldn’t though. For all of his bravado there was still the fear of rejection dwelling in him. Regardless of how many times you reassured him that none of the guys would be disgusted by the idea.

He stared at you pointedly, one brow raised. “That was not our deal.”

You stood. You had to start to get ready. “Fine. How about after my meeting with the managers and Junmyeon tonight, the three of us have dinner together and talk?”

Minseok looked at you, his expression wrought with concern. “That’s going to be really awkward if he says no.”

You shrugged as you located your make-up bag. “I don’t think he will. He seemed excited about it when he knew that was what you requested. He really wanted to know who you’d picked.”

“Why would I not be surprised to find out he’s a voyeur?” Minseok half laughed. “It won’t be weird? Like it’s pretty obvious he’s been crushing on you.”

You shook your head. “No. We talked about it a lot actually, and we’re just going to see how things progress naturally.” You shrugged. “I mean all of us care about each other and desire each other to a certain extent so it’s a bit confusing to label anything yet. I’ll review it once this tour is over since my contract is finished then.”

He nodded before adding quietly. “Will you have to work with another group?”

You grabbed the make-up bag and moved to sit in front of the floor length mirror near the entrance to the room. You couldn’t lie, you had no idea what was going to happen during the meeting. You couldn’t see why SM would keep a contract with you and EXO if the group weren’t doing any further promotions in English speaking countries. There was a very real possibility that you would be assigned to another group or another company. “Possibly. It’s part of the purpose of tonight’s meeting. Kind of a review of my work and scope for likelihood of future work for me with you guys or with other groups. If SM isn’t planning to rehire me then my boss will place me at another company.”

Minseok took a seat on the floor next to you as you applied your make-up. “It would be weird to not be able to have you around as much.” His expression was sombre as he thought about the reality of any of them not being able to spend as much time with you without it raising questions. You felt the same. You’d grown incredibly close to all nine of them and the idea that you wouldn’t be able to just drop by unannounced or attend schedules with them was difficult to think about but you also knew that it might actually be better to put a bit of distance between all of you. You’d be able to find ways to hang out with them in the future, and even if you weren’t under contract with SM you’d still be able to spend your free time with them, when they were available.

You paused. “Who knows, it might be good though. The lines between work and pleasure got kind of blurred, and that’s my fault, so separating my work from my relationships with all of you might help me to work out how this all looks moving forward.” You needed to work out what it was that you felt for each of them, and where things went from where they were now. At this point you had slept with each one of them and had deeper relationships with a few of them but you didn’t know if you wanted anything more with any of them other than friendship. You needed time to unpack all of your feelings, your time with Baekhyun had solidified that. There were feelings there but neither of you knew if they were ones that either of you wanted to try to pursue or if they were largely built off months of .

There was one week remaining before all of you headed back to Korea. You had decided that once you were back in your home then there would be no more ual encounters with any of them. Not until you made your mind up about what you wanted. Did you want all of them, some of them, one of them or none of them? You did not have an answer to the question that burned in the back of your mind. So you ignored it.

“Enough of this talk, it’s bringing the room down.” You softly chuckled. Minseok glanced at you through the mirror as you resumed putting your face on. “I believe you were telling me about the movie you were in and why I can’t watch it.”

He smiled. “You get sad when we die…”

“Do any of you act in things and not die?!” Minseok’s laughter rang throughout the room as you ranted about how you’d tried to watch a few of the things the members had acted in and every single one had ended with one of them dying.

“Cute.” He teased.

“Shut up.” Your response only made him laugh harder. The two of you continued to bicker about the dangers of watching anything any of the members acted in while you got ready. You both agreed that Soo would eventually have to remain alive during a role if he wanted to really explore acting. He couldn’t die in every role, you would threaten to nickname him Korea’s Sean Bean if he did. Minseok requested to video that particular encounter if it ever occurred.

Once your face was finished Minseok excused himself and left to go work out with Yeol and Jongin at the hotel gym. Those three and Baekhyun had been working hard on their physiques. Jongdae had joked that Minseok was Baekhyun’s trainer and Jongin was Chanyeol’s, which put all too many ridiculous images in your mind. You felt sorry for whoever got stuck training with Minseok since he was overly enthusiastic about working out. You have never seen someone get so excited about the prospect of working out.

You began to pack your room up while you killed time before the meeting. All of you were off to the airport very early in the morning and depending on how tonight went, you might be short on packing time tomorrow. You pulled out clothes that you would need for tonight and for the flight tomorrow and packed everything else. You made a mental note to not do any more shopping out of fear that your luggage would be over the weight limit at the airport.

When there was no more packing to be done you turned your attention to the self evaluation sheet that you had completed prior to the meeting you were about to have. You had made a series of bullet points regarding your achievements, work ethic, teamwork and competence. You felt good about the performance side of the meeting. Your concern was going to be about the future of your contract. At least if they didn’t choose to keep you under contract with SM it would not be difficult for you to be placed elsewhere, not after the success you’d had with two high profile groups.

The sound of your phone pulled you from your thoughts. You really hoped it wasn’t one of the managers rescheduling the meeting because as much as you were starting to feel nervous about it, you just wanted to get it over and done with. Dragging the feeling out would not do you any good.

A laugh escaped you when you unlocked your phone. You should have known who would be the one messaging you. Baekhyun had a knack for texting you at moments where you needed distraction.

[1:24pm] Baek: Do you know what I’ve been thinking about?

You stared at the message. Of course you didn’t know the answer to his obviously rhetorical question. 

[1:24pm] You: Care to share with the class?

[1:24pm] Baek: Where’s the fun in not making you guess at least once?

You made a mental note to add eternally insufferable to the list of traits that applied to Baekhyun. He could bring a smile to your face with ease only to irritate you a moment later. You decided to play his game, the earlier conversation with Minseok popping back in your brain.

[1:25pm] You: Fine. You’ve been thinking about how to best apologise to me for making me watch the episode where you ING DIE HORRIBLY alone. Even if that’s the wrong answer, you should be thinking about how to fix that.

[1:25pm] Baek: …That’s not what I’ve been thinking about, but I will consider options now.

[1:25pm] Baek: Did you cry?

[1:25pm] You: Of course I cried! It was heartbreaking and traumatising and oh my god I can’t believe you didn’t warn me!

[1:25pm] Baek: Aww, you cried that much for me? Were your eyes all puffy?

[1:26pm] You: Yes Baek. I ugly cried. Happy now?

The scowl on your face deepened as you thought of the smirk that would be on his face as he thought of you crying over his acting. At least no one witnessed you having an absolute breakdown over that episode. The story was heartbreaking and you had cried for his marriage, his family, his friend and everything horrible that was to come.

[1:26pm] Baek: Honestly? I’m not not happy about it. My acting must have been good!

[1:26pm] You: I mean yes, your acting was good but also there was the additional layer that is I saw someone I KNOW IN REAL LIFE die.

[1:27pm] Baek: Does it make you less sad to know that I was actually just asleep once I ‘died’ and was still in the scene? 

[1:27pm] Baek: Just had a nice little nap. Some of my best work.

If he’d dared say that to your face you would have shoved him through a wall. 

[1:27pm] You: I actually hate you, you know that right?

[1:27pm] Baek: Wow noona, lying is not a good look for you.

[1:27pm] Baek: Anyway, about what I was actually thinking about…

[1:28pm] You: You frustrate me so much.

It was the truth. He did frustrate you, so very much. Conversations flowed easily between the two of you but he knew exactly how to push you to the end of your rope without actually damaging your relationship. Even if he did make you want to throttle him on more than one occasion.

[1:28pm] Baek: In a good way though, right? Like ual frustration ;) Pent up need, palpable tension. 

Your mind drifted back to the morning after his reward. The soft blankets, entwined limbs, and sleepy Baek who snuggled and wouldn’t let you leave the bed because apparently you were too huggable, comfortable and couldn’t you just tell your bladder to go back to sleep? Leaving the bed had been something you’d done reluctantly. Baekhyun was an excellent cuddler and his voice when he was still half asleep just did things to you, but when nature called you were provided with little wiggle room.

[1:28pm] You: Is this what you’ve been thinking of? ?

[1:29pm] Baek: There’s a study that says people think about between 10 to 20 times each day.

[1:29pm] You: So you’ve been thinking about .

[1:29pm] Baek: Yes. It’s a normal and healthy thing to do. I’m not weird.

You checked the time before you replied. You needed to wrap this conversation up soon and head down to the conference rooms for your evaluation. In addition to your nerves about your future with SM, you now had Minseok’s reward at the forefront of your mind again, and like every other time - you had no time to bring it up and discuss it with Baek.

[1:29pm] You: You are weird, but not for thinking about . Are you planning to elaborate on this important train of thought any time soon? I’ve got a meeting to get to.

[1:29pm] Baek: Oh right, I forgot about that meeting. Well, whilst the other night was incredible, it was only half of my reward if I get to have everything I requested…

[1:29pm] Baek: We’ll discuss how I’m not weird at a later time.

, the phone . He’d requested that as well and you had not delivered on it yet. When he’d mentioned it you remembered being excited to see how skilled he was at it. The most either of you had ever done via the phone was flirting and for want of a better phrase, . ting-lite if you will.

[1:30pm] You: I had actually forgotten about that part of the request. Someone distracted me. Weird guy, incredibly hot and great in bed though.

[1:30pm] Baek: Sounds like a catch. Why’d you let him out of your sight?

You laughed out loud at his response. He never missed the opportunity to inflate his own ego or fish for a compliment.

[1:30pm] You: I can’t do this now Baek, as much as I enjoy our banter, I have to prepare for this meeting. It’s important. 

[1:30pm] You: I’ll make it up to you later by giving you the other half of your reward ;)

[1:31pm] Baek: Ah ok well with an offer like that, how could I refuse? Your meeting will be fine, regardless of the outcome btw. Unless they make you move out, then that will be awful.

[1:31pm] Baek: Forget I said that!

[1:31pm] Baek: Even if they don’t do another contract with us, you taught other groups at the company while we were in Japan so they’ll probably just have you as an in-house English teacher or assign you to another group.

[1:31pm] You: Thanks Baek, I hope it goes well. And to soothe your worries, I won’t move out. Mr Kim’s company rents the apartment, not SM.

[1:32pm] You: Oh! I meant to ask if you wanted to join Minseok and I for dinner after my meeting to debrief? About 8pm?

[1:32pm] You: And before you say it, I do not mean that as an innuendo. I’m the closest to both of you so I want to talk to you after the meeting regardless of how it goes.

[1:32pm] Baek: BUT I HAVE SO MANY COMEBACKS FOR THAT

[1:32pm] Baek: How dare you ruin my fun. 

[1:32pm] Baek: But yes, I’m free. I’ll join you both for dinner.

[1:32pm] Baek: I’d like to debrief you in person.

[1:33pm] You: Why are you like this?

[1:33pm] Baek: You secretly love it.

You refrained from replying to him. You hadn’t lied when you said you didn’t have time to banter right now. You needed to make your way to the meeting in the next ten minutes and before you left your room you needed to ground yourself. It was just a meeting. You’d had many meetings with the managers since taking on this job, and all of those meetings had gone well. This one was probably just to review the tour and schedule another one once you returned to Korea.

***

You entered the conference room on the third floor and had to hide your surprise at seeing Junmyeon seated next to two of the managers. He’d made no mention of being involved in this meeting when you’d had breakfast with him and Sehun this morning. A heads up would have been nice, you thought to yourself as you smiled and greeted each of them.

“Thank you for joining us,” One of them said. “Please take a seat and we’ll get started.” They gestured at the seat opposite them at the conference table so you did as requested and waited for someone to continue speaking.

The manager sitting in the middle began to speak. “Much like Mr. Kim, we assess you on three main areas. 1. How well the tasks were performed 2. How you worked with the clients and 3. Work ethic/professionalism. We have also added in the progress that has been made since our previous evaluation.” He gestured at Junmyeon on his left and the other manager on his right. “We will provide our feedback and EXO’s leader will also provide feedback on behalf of the group.” He smiled at you knowingly. “As you know, it is easier to have formal meetings with fewer members if you want it to be over in a timely fashion.”

You chuckled and agreed, having been involved in a couple of such meetings. They had left you wondering if you were just going to be in said meetings until you grew old and died. You’d even watched as a newer manager up and quit over not being able to settle on a takeout option in the practice room one day. The poor guy’s first mistake was asking what everyone felt like eating. After thirty minutes of heated debate between pizza, chinese and chicken you saw the exact moment they accidentally broke him. Having Junmyeon here made much more sense. He would have gathered responses from each of the members and summarised them for this meeting.

The man on the left pointed to a camera at the end of the table. “We are recording this meeting so that we can pass it on to Mr. Kim rather than holding another meeting to cover the exact same points once we return to Korea as well as sending a report to our CEO. He will review it as well as watch the final concert to see the fruits of everyone’s labour.” You nodded in response. “To begin, we would like to hear your self assessment.”

“Thank you.” You replied. “Well to begin, I’d like to address the main development request from the last meeting. I have grown closer to the members which has made it possible for me to greatly improve my tailored lessons, but also allowed us to be more informal with each other and over time has removed any residual awkwardness that was present. They treat me like they do the other staff they work closely with, almost like family. Whilst I have grown close with the members, when I am in public with them I don’t act as friendly with them to ensure that no one thinks I am too close with them or that there is a lack of respect involved. We live in the same building so we do spend time together where we can be more informal with each other but that is with the safety of knowing no members of the media or public are witnessing our interactions. The same goes for being on site for any promotional work. I may have become friends with them but they have a job to do and so do I, so none of us interfere with that. To the best of my knowledge there have been no complaints about me being too close with them or causing delays in them doing their jobs.” Junmyeon smiled warmly at you. “I think the best way to move through this meeting is for us to discuss one point at a time.”

“We can do that.” The man in the middle nodded. “It will save backtracking.” He turned his head towards Junmyeon before he spoke again. “Would you like to provide your feedback regarding this point?”

Junmyeon nodded and sifted through his papers. “I don’t have a lot to add for this point. The company requested that our teacher become closer and more familiar with us so that it would not be awkward for our working relationship. Whilst it was a little awkward in the beginning, all of our members have welcomed teacher-nim with open arms. We treat her with respect and formality in public but when it is just her and us, she is our friend and one of the valuable members of EXO’s staff.” The managers added to their own notes as he spoke.

The one on the left spoke next. “I’ll keep it short. We agree that you have succeeded in achieving what was requested of you. We no longer see the stiff student - teacher dynamic which was present during the previous evaluation. We have observed your comfort levels around other staff as well as the members and are very pleased with how well you fit into the EXO family. The closeness has allowed you to not feel like you can’t scold them when they act up or are too playful, something not every member of staff feels comfortable doing. The thing we were concerned about was if fans would think you were too close with them or if any dating rumours would appear but thankfully there have been no issues.” The other manager chuckled and added. “Some fans now know that you have been the English teacher and translator for the entire tour and think you’re great at your job.”

You smiled at their evaluation. So far, so good. “To cover the first main point, I believe the tasks set out have been completed to a high standard. The group hardly ever required me to step in and translate responses for them during their ments or various interviews. I feel that the consistent effort by each member and myself to improve their conversational skills, pronunciation and vocabulary has been successful.” Junmyeon was the only one looking at you while you spoke, the other two were busy making notes as you spoke which was relieving, it was always easier to speak about your strengths when you weren’t being stared down. You took a breath and continued. “The interviews that have been released have received a lot of love from fans, who have been impressed at how much their English has improved and how they feel comfortable enough to play around in English during interviews. There have hardly been any slip ups with their ments, and considering that before I began my lessons over half of them were not confident to say anything other than their names in English, they have greatly improved. My one on one lessons have helped each member to learn their ments and memorise them without needing prompting.” You leant back in your seat once you finished speaking. You had delivered on the first of the criteria, you felt confident about that. The two managers finished making notes regarding what you had said before they finally looked back up at you.

The manager in the middle flicked through some papers before he gestured to Junmyeon. “Would you like to provide the feedback you’ve collated from your members?”

Junmyeon nodded and adjusted his posture as he picked up the paper in front of him. He paused to put on his glasses before he began to read. “I will have to jump through the points since we are only discussing one criteria at a time. I asked different members for feedback and in the interest of time I thought I’d provide a testimonial for each point. When I asked Chanyeol to tell me about his learning experience with our teacher he provided the following.” He took a breath. “Teacher-nim was always very organised. She kept our lessons interesting so that we didn’t get distracted. She worked out which learning style worked best for me and then adjusted her approach accordingly. She gave me music and movies as homework and asked me to learn dialogue from movies to recite to her in English. She paired us up and got us to interview each other, with the aim of providing responses in English, the more ridiculous the better. I think she realised that when you put a challenge in front of any of us that we are all too stubborn and prideful not to rise to it. My private lesson with her centred around music and was conducted in my studio. I think she did an exceptional job as she allowed us to dictate when and where we would hold lessons. She seemed to always be available, even if it was a quick phone call to ask about phrasing or pronunciation. I also think that how close we have become with her helped us when we felt nervous about our skill levels as we knew she wouldn’t scold us, rather she’d find a creative way to show us the correct wording.”

You suddenly thought of another point that you had forgotten to mention. “I have addressed how I worked with the clients already but I would add that whilst I have made myself available at any time, given their busy schedules, that they have made a group effort to not abuse my availability. If they are requiring a late lesson, they buy a meal for me. I believe we work very well as a team.”

Junmyeon nodded in agreement. “She’s correct. Yixing often had to have very late or very early lessons and he would make sure to compensate her for her time if it was well out of expected working hours. He had to have one lesson at 4am so he ordered teacher-nim breakfast to be delivered at a time she requested and made sure all of us were aware so that we could avoid requesting a late night lesson on that day in consideration for her lost sleep.”

The two managers jotted down their notes regarding everything that had been said. “We agree that you have proven to be a very successful teacher for the EXO members. The end result has exceeded our original expectations of them, something that shows dedication from both yourself and them. It speaks volumes about your ability to engage them in learning a language when they have as busy a schedule as they do.”

Just one point left, then the evaluation portion of the meeting would be done. You hoped they were going to give some indication about your future before you left the meeting but after mentioning ending this evaluation to their CEO, you weren’t sure if he would reserve his decision until after the final concert. “As for the third point, professionalism and work ethic. I believe my own work ethic has improved to keep up with how dedicated to their jobs they are. I am available at all times but I ensure that I get sufficient rest and breaks to prevent burn out or provide a sub par lesson. I believe I am very professional in my interactions with the group in public, more informal when it is just them and me but I am still their teacher and they respect me when I am doing my job.”

This time Junmyeon didn’t wait to be asked to speak, he knew it was his turn after you. “I agree with the points made by but would like to add Jongin’s review.” You smiled as you thought of Nini. “Noona made time to come to my personal schedule to conduct my private lesson. She had to travel quite a distance to the photoshoot site, and then conducted my lesson with the knowledge that we would be interrupted and that I would be distracted. Nevertheless, she was incredibly polite to the wardrobe, hair and make up staff I was working with as well as the photographer. She knows each of us well enough to know our hobbies and what will motivate us. She based my lesson around lines from a book that I could read to my nieces which I found so touching. She conducted herself in a very professional manner that day, even the photographer was impressed by her adaptability and patience. She has never said no to a lesson request from any of us, nor has she not been available when we’ve had questions for her. We’ve never had a teacher like her and I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say she’s the best teacher we’ve ever had.”

The two managers smiled fondly as Junmyeon read out Jongin’s feedback. You had yet to meet a single member of staff who wasn’t whipped by that man. They were all utterly endeared by him, and you understood why. Jongin had been someone you had bonded with from the very beginning when you’d visited to keep him company while he recovered from his injury. “The members have covered your availability and effectiveness from their perspective. I would like to provide some feedback from the other staff members you have worked alongside with. Pretty much all of the staff, from choreographers, dancers, make up cordis and wardrobe team to the sound techs have reported getting on well with you. They have all reported that you carry yourself with a high level of professionalism and have been nothing but respectful towards them. Not once have you deemed your work to be more important than theirs and you have shown interest in what they do and how hard they work. You haven’t had any conflicts with staff or caused any problems for them. They have reported that the EXO members seem comfortable around you, that they take your work seriously and show you as much respect as you show them.”

The manger in the middle smiles at you. “I think it is clear that we are very satisfied with your work, the results speak for themselves. You have been easy to work with, have gotten along with everyone and done everything that was required of you. The members like working with you, and I was told by other idols at SM that you were a very good teacher from the couple of lessons you held while EXO were in Japan. We don’t get to decide about the continuation of your contract, that is up to our CEO. He will review the formal performance review report that we’ll send through today and we expect him to contact Mr. Kim next week. Speaking for us however, we hope that he will opt to sign another contract with you. It’s been a pleasure to work with you.”

The validation of all of your hard work felt good. Like really good. You knew you had done a good job, but to hear so many positive comments about everything you had done during your time with EXO was a huge compliment. “I understand that you don’t get to make the decision, and I will respect whatever decision your CEO makes. I understand that if EXO don’t have further schedules in the west that it would not make sense to re-contract me. I would like to express my interest in being assigned another group within the company, or, being hired as an in-house teacher/translator for all of the artists under the SM umbrella. I have been treated exceptionally well by this company, its staff and idols and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.”

After that the meeting naturally came to a close. You thanked everyone for their feedback and their time before excusing yourself so that they could further discuss your work without you being present.

***

You needed a distraction after that meeting. You tried to decide on an option for dinner later that evening but your mind kept circling back to the fact that your future with the company was up in the air until you got back to Korea. It left you with mixed feelings. What if you decided that ultimately you wanted to keep working with the guys only for the CEO to deny you another contract? What if they were too busy to make time for you? What if after what if, each one playing on your anxieties a little more than the last. So you left your room and went to see Yixing after texting him to let him know you were coming over. He was lounging in his room watching a movie after having done interviews all morning for a show he was filming back in China. He smiled at you when he answered the door, pulling you into the room into an engulfing hug.

The two of you curled up and watched the rest of Kung Fu Hustle, the perfect movie to take your mind off things because of how ridiculous it was. The two of you laughed at different references, Yixing even paused to explain some of the ones that went completely over your head and you had to explain some to him - both of you laughing even harder when you worked out that the subtitles you were relying on were almost a different script to the audio he was listening to.

At some point during your second movie, a drama that you couldn’t remember the name of, he fell asleep. You decided to head back to your room and annoy the person who could always distract you. You sent your first text as you left Yixing’s room.

[4:23pm] You: Did you end up working out with the others?

His response was instantaneous, something that still surprised you. He was a busy guy, and honestly you had half expected him to be gaming or sleeping. 

[4:23pm] Baek: Ugh, yes I did. When this tour is over I’m going to eat so much pizza and never take my shirt off in public again.

[4:23pm] You: Is the diet & work out program that bad?

[4:23pm] Baek: …I hate to expose myself here but in case you haven’t noticed, I exaggerate sometimes.

You laughed heartily at his confession, as though he thought he was actually divulging a secret to you.

[4:24pm] You: What!? You?! Exaggerate?!

[4:24pm] Baek: Please don’t make me laugh, my abs hurt. 

[4:24pm] Baek: Hyung made me work extra hard today. And now I can’t eat until dinner. 

[4:24pm] Baek: I’m so hungry noona.

Your mind drifted back to the dinner that was in a couple of hours. Why had Minseok made him work out extra hard? Was it his way of punishing Baek for not already knowing about the proposed ? Did he not want him to be limber for tonight if he said yes? Was he that sure that Baek would turn him down? Or was he trying to exhaust him so his guard was down? None of the options made a lot of sense to you given you would be surprised if Baek turned the idea down. 

[4:25pm] You: Poor Baekkie, you should rest your muscles.

[4:25pm] You: Does this mean I have to be careful to order healthy food for our dinner tonight?

You tried to think about healthy, protein rich, low carb options for dinner and… the options did not bring you joy. You had been thinking about ordering Mexican or Thai since you could all share everything and it was food that was still good when you woke up at midnight for a snack. 

[4:26pm] Baek: I really don’t want you to. I can have a cheat night. Minseokkie won’t get mad because you ordered the food. It’s win win.

You scoffed at his message. You had half a mind to order something that heavily featured cucumbers just to spite him but that also didn’t sound like an ideal dinner for you. 

[4:26pm] You: Using me for food is a new low even for you Baek.

[4:26pm] Baek: But you’re so useful noona.

[4:26pm] Baek: I would gladly use you in other ways ;)

Three minutes. It had taken him three minutes to steer your conversation down the suggestive path. If you indulged him he’d latch on and go for it. You weren’t against this kind of distraction… actually it could serve another purpose. One - it would take your mind off everything entirely for a little while and Two - if you really went for it, it could fulfil the second part of his reward. It wasn’t scheduled as such but you decided to see how the chips fell.

[4:26pm] You: How much is the rent?

[4:26pm] Baek: What?

[4:26pm] You: I’m just wondering how much rent you’re paying to live in the gutter.

You entered your room and flopped down on the bed, getting comfortable as you waited for his reply. He had said he was taking up residence in the gutter in the last text exchange you had but you weren’t sure how much of it he remembered given everything else that occurred that day.

[4:27pm] Baek: Oh, the gutter is rent free my dear.

[4:27pm] Baek: Why do you think I’ve taken up residence here ;)

Turns out he did remember. You smiled as you adjusted your pillows, wondering where was texting you from. 

[4:27pm] You: You’re shameless.

[4:27pm] Baek: This is not new information.

[4:27pm] Baek: You should join me down here. Like I’ve told you before, the gutter is fun.

[4:27pm] You: Fun is not a convincing enough argument for getting me to move. 

[4:27pm] You: You might have to convince me…

You’d laid down the challenge for him. Given him a free pass to engage with you however he chose to. He might go the funny route, or he might go the lewd route. 

[4:28pm] Baek: Oh? That I can absolutely do.

[4:28pm] You: You sound very sure of yourself.

[4:28pm] Baek: When it comes to the gutter, I am very confident noona.

[4:28pm] Baek: You’ve visited the gutter more than once. 

[4:28pm] Baek: It looked good on you.

[4:28pm] You: I have visiting rights, but I find my visits to the gutter more exhilarating because I don’t live there.

[4:28pm] Baek: Don’t move then, just have a holiday house here. 

That text made you laugh more than you should have. If anything you already lived down in the gutter, you just refused to admit it.

[4:28pm] You: Now that is a possibility. My visits have been more frequent as of late.

[4:28pm] You: I blame that on a certain someone.

[4:29pm] Baek: I’m flattered. 

[4:29pm] Baek: That means you’ve been thinking about me.

You had no intention of making this easy for him. He was already overly confident in himself in your text exchanges, and if you inflated his ego any further he’d be insufferable. No, you were going to make him work for it. He tended to react to being challenged by you with attempting to fluster you.

[4:29pm] You: No.

[4:29pm] Baek: No?

[4:29pm] You: No.

[4:29pm] Baek: Well that’s too bad, because I’ve absolutely been thinking about you.

[4:29pm] Baek: And to be clear. None of those thoughts have been family friendly.

There it was. The open invitation to engage in his second request, whether he realised it or not. However, unlike last time where the two of you did this in a packed room, you wanted to make sure he was alone and could fully indulge in this. 

[4:29pm] You: Are you alone now?

If he said yes, then you were going to do this. The thought of his request returning to your mind. ‘I want to read, hear and see you take instructions from me, and I you’ The reminder of his words hitting you in your core. 

[4:29pm] Baek: I am very alone in my room. Yeol is out shopping with Sehunnie.

[4:29pm] Baek: Why?

[4:29pm] Baek: Are you alone noona?

Before you could change your mind you quickly got off the bed and grabbed a couple of things from your suitcase, tossing them onto the bed as you returned, a bit more excited than you had anticipated you would be. You laid back and got comfortable against the pillows. You held your phone up and snapped a selfie of you biting your lip and hit send.

[4:30pm] You: sending DCIM052.JPG

[4:30pm] You: I am.

[4:30pm] You: I think you should tell me about these thoughts.

[4:30pm] You: In detail.

[4:30pm] Baek: . You can’t just send something like that with no warning.

[4:30pm] Baek: The things I would do to you…

[4:30pm] Baek: You are so ing hot.

You had gotten the response you wanted. He wasn’t shying away from this. You pictured him in his room, the room where the two of you had thoroughly explored each other’s bodies. Repeatedly. The room where you lost count of how many times you came. The room where, even a day later, you could still feel the ghost of his caress against your body. Desire bloomed within you.

[4:31pm] You: So tell me, what would you do to me? 

[4:31pm] You: Because I am absolutely not thinking about you in a family friendly way right now. 

[4:31pm] You: How would you touch me Baek?

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this update. I promise the next one picks up right where this one left off ;)