A/N: 

I promised more interaction between ChanBaek but oops, sorry. Hope you like it even though there isn't much ChanBaek, again. BUT I PROMISE that there is going to be more ChanBaek in the next chapter because I re-wrote it so it won't be boring like this one. :)

Again, thank you for all your support, it's making me very happy and I always feel great about posting the new chapter!! Love you guys! 

--

"What are you doing here?“ Baekhyun asks, surprised. He blinks and his head to the side, narrowing his eyes a little, wondering if he’s really seeing the person in front of him or if he’s daydreaming. Baekhyun doesn’t remember telling Chanyeol where he works, and he certainly doesn’t recall telling Chanyeol when his shift ends today. Actually, Baekhyun hasn‘t even mentioned anything to Chanyeol about his life, so how come that the guy is standing just a few steps away from him.

"Aren’t you happy to see me, babe?“ Chanyeol smirks, clearly amused by the way Baekhyun cringes at the nickname. While Chanyeol thinks that Baekhyun just doesn't like being called babe, there is so many more reasons why Baekhyun hates being addressed by the awful nickname. 

"Not really, no,“ Baekhyun answers, holding eye-contact as if this is a contest and the one who looks away first loses. They stand in the same position for a while just staring into each others‘ eyes, not caring if people around them are giving them weird looks. „Why are you here?“

"Just wanted to see you, talk to you,“ the CEO pushes himself off the railing he’s been leaning against the whole time and steps closer to Baekhyun, who instinctively takes a step back, not wanting Chanyeol invading his personal space.

"Why would you do that?“ eyeing Chanyeol cautiously, Baekhyun questions.

"Because you picked me interest, obviously,“ Chanyeol says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, like Baekhyun should know the answer already. The proximity between Chanyeol and him is making Baekhyun feel slightly uncomfortable, to be honest, and Baekhyun wonders if personal space even exists in Chanyeol’s vocabulary because judging by the way the taller is standing so close to Baekhyun when they don’t even know each other, it doesn’t.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, or whatever, but I have to go. So... uh, bye,“ Baekhyun mentally slaps himself for stuttering over his words. Without another word, he turns around and starts walking in the direction of his home, hoping Chanyeol won’t follow him. It seems that luck isn't on his side today because merely three seconds later, Chanyeol uses his long legs and catches up to him.

"Where are you headed?“ Chanyeol asks lightly, like they are friends or something. Baekhyun doesn’t spare him a glance before replying home. His voice is cold and distant, and Baekhyun prays to higher powers that Chanyeol is smart enough to understand from his curt reply that Baekhyun doesn’t want to talk to him.  

"I’ll walk you, then.“

"No need to do that, I can take care of myself just fine,“ Baekhyun says, still not looking at Chanyeol. He watches the road ahead instead, noticing how people – mostly women – silently gape at the tall man that is walking by his side. Baekhyun doesn’t blame them for staring at Chanyeol because if he was one of them, not knowing that Chanyeol is just a  with a handsome face and fancy clothes, he would probably stare at the man too.

"I’m not doubting you. I’m walking you home because I want to,“ the words make Baekhyun chuckle. Like the CEO of one of the biggest companies have so much free time on his hands that he walks a complete stranger home because he wants to. Does Chanyeol think that Baekhyun is stupid enough to not understand his true intentions?

"If you think I’m going to invite you inside, think again,“ Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol from the corners of his eyes because he wants to see his reaction, but he also  doesn't want to get caught. However, Chanyeol catches his gaze immediately, as if he could feel Baekhyun’s eyes on him and smirks. And god, how much Baekhyun hates this smirk. It’s like Chanyeol is mocking him with the way the left corner of his mouth twitches upwards slightly, like he was waiting for Baekhyun to look at him.

"Feisty,“ Chanyeol remarks. Baekhyun is instantly opening his mouth to say something back, but Chanyeol quickly continues. „I actually have somewhere to go in half an hour, so I don’t have time to play around now, sadly enough. However, if I should be honest with you, I was thinking of a quick make out session, but the thing is, when I take you I want to enjoy myself to the fullest, that means not being worried about the time, and–“

"You can’t say things like that in the middle of the street!“ Baekhyun exclaims, punching Chanyeol in the arm while covering his face with the other hand. isn’t something new for Baekhyun, but combine the fact that there are tons of people around them with Chanyeol’s deep voice, and it’ll make Baekhyun a blushing mess. Baekhyun hears Chanyeol laugh, and he hates himself for not being able to hide his red face from Chanyeol’s eyes.

"Since I’m a gentleman, I’m taking you out for dinner first, though,“ Chanyeol says, averting his eyes from Baekhyun’s blushing face. It’s been a while since Chanyeol was walking through these streets, if he doesn’t count Wednesday. He always goes to work with his car – without a driver, he doesn’t like other people riding his car – and takes a different road, so Chanyeol wants to look around a little, find out if something changed from the last time he was there. On Wednesday, he didn’t really have a chance to take in his surroundings, since he was in hurry and then too angry to look around after the encounter with Baekhyun.

Chanyeol almost loses Baekhyun when the shorter turns left suddenly, but he looks in Baekhyun’s direction just in time. He catches up with Baekhyun in a few long strides.

"I don’t know if you didn’t get the hint on Friday, but I don’t want to go anywhere with you,“ Baekhyun says angrily. It’s beyond him how someone can be as full of oneself as Chanyeol is. It’s like the guy thinks that everyone will just fall to his feet because he is good-looking and rich. Talking about how he’ll take Baekhyun after a dinner without Baekhyun agreeing to any of it, what an egoistical jerk.

"Are you still angry about the coffee accident? Look, I’ve already forgiven you–“

"–You’ve forgiven me, are you in–“

"So the least you can do is accept my offer,“ Chanyeol continues without paying frustrated Baekhyun any attention. „Or are you angry because you want to skip the dinner, is that it? Getting right to the business?“

"Okay, that’s it,“ Baekhyun suddenly stops, looking up at Chanyeol with flames in his eyes while the other is still smirking at him like everything is alright. He is glad that he took the shortcut and there aren’t many people who can witness the upcoming conversation.

"Leave me be,“ Baekhyun starts. „You’re an , and I don’t want anything to do with someone as egoistical as you. Maybe if you started treating people with more respect, you would score a date and get laid, but if you talk to others the way you're talking to me now, I wouldn’t even be surprised if every single person in the world turned you down.“

The few people that are passing by throw the two males a weird look, but don’t bother stopping to listen to the whole argument.

"Stop playing hard to get,“ is Chanyeol’s response, and Baekhyun almost punches the guy. He isn’t the violent type, but if he could, Baekhyun would throw the guy under a bus without feeling guilty about it in the slightest, that's how much Chanyeol pisses him off. 

Baekhyun has to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

„How can you–“ the iPhone’s characteristic ringtone interrupts Baekhyun in the middle of the sentence, and Chanyeol rolls his eyes before pulling the phone out of the pocket in his long coat. He answers the call with a sharp what, and Baekhyun thinks about how ‘lucky‘ the people that come in contact with Chanyeol frequently are.

Baekhyun turns on his heel and starts walking away, not caring if Chanyeol is following him or not because this is his chance to escape. The sooner he gets away from the jerk, the better.

"Do I have to be there? Okay.. fine, wait,“ Baekhyun hears Chanyeol talking on the phone in the distance as he continues walking away from the CEO, the tall man's voice getting more quiet with every step Baekhyun takes in the direction of his home. „Baekhyun!“

"I’ll come again!“ Chanyeol says loud enough for Baekhyun to hear. Is Chanyeol ignoring the hints about Baekhyun not being interested in him even after everything Baekhyun has said to him? What the actual is wrong with the guy?

"Please don’t!“ Baekhyun yells back, not sparing Chanyeol a single glance as he turns the corner and disappears in the crowd, leaving the giant pouting in the alley with a frown on his face.

--

"Thank god, you’re finally here!“ Jongdae exhales loudly and closes his eyes, thanking higher powers that Chanyeol decided to show up in the end. He was starting to lose the last bits of hope already.

Jongdae’s been talking to Minseok the whole time in the corner of the room and hasn’t noticed that Chanyeol wasn’t at the event at first. The realization that the CEO wasn’t here downed upon him when people started asking about Chanyeol’s whereabouts every five minutes, completely ruining the conversation between Jongdae and Minseok to the point Jongdae decided to call his friend himself. When Jongdae found out that Chanyeol really wasn’t at the party and that the guy didn’t even know that he has to be there the whole time and not just show up for five minutes and then go home, he started panicking immediately, afraid that Chanyeol won’t make it in time of the speech and Jongdae will have to do it instead, being the second in charge.

Fortunately, fifteen minutes after Jongdae talked to Chanyeol on the phone, the man shows up in all his 185cm glory, and Jongdae’s heart rate starts returning to normal.   

"Chill, Jongdae,“ Chanyeol pats his shoulder once he takes off his coat and hands it to one of the waiters standing by the door. He acts like he didn’t nearly give Jongdae a heart attack.

"Where were you?“ Jongdae hisses and swats Chanyeol’s hand away, smiling like everything is alright when other guests glance their way. They walk together to the table where the food is served, Jongdae needing to eat in order to calm himself down. Food is the best cure, after all.

"Trying to score a date with Baekhyun, but then you had to call and ruin it,“ Chanyeol accuses him and pouts. Jongdae looks at him with raised eyebrows while choosing what to eat, surprised at what his friend just said.

"What do you mean?“ Jongdae questions, not knowing if he really heard correctly. He hopes he did.

"Exactly what I said,“ Chanyeol takes a plate too, looking over the offered food. He’s pretty hungry and everything on the table looks really delicious, and that’s the problem. How is he going to choose when there is so many things he would gladly eat?

"He won’t go out with you,“ Jongdae says simply, turning his gaze back to the food. The statement makes Chanyeol feel a bit uneasy because his friend sounds so sure about it, and it’s making Chanyeol question his ability to seduce Baekhyun a bit. Isn't Jongdae supposed to be Chanyeol's best friend? He should cheer him on instead of ruining his plans with those comments.

"Wanna bet on that?“ Chanyeol challenges with a smirk that is supposed to hide his insecurity, but if Jongdae was looking at him instead of giving heart eyes to all the dishes on the table, he would see right through Chanyeol’s bull.

"Huh, what?“

"I bet you I can get him to sleep with me within two weeks,“ Jongdae turns to him once again, staring into his eyes with so much intensity that Chanyeol wants to run away, hating how those eyes seem to be looking right into his soul. The silence between them stretches, and Chanyeol isn’t sure what Jongdae is thinking about, but this silent staring contest is making him feel quite uncomfortable.

"No way,“ Jongdae says after what seems like forever, shaking his head at Chanyeol’s stupid idea.

"Why not? Afraid that you’d lose?“

"Actually, I’m sure I’d win, but making a bet that childish about one of my really good friends isn’t something that I approve of,“ Jongdae replies with a frown, his tone almost angry. Chanyeol knows how over-protective Jongdae is about his friends, and suddenly he feels so stupid for even voicing out the idea about the bet. Of course Jongdae wouldn't go along with it.

"Hey, don’t get angry at me now, it was just a joke,“ Chanyeol tries to save the situation even though both of them know that Chanyeol was serious about the bet. Jongdae, being a good friend, doesn’t comment on it and lets it go.

"Whatever. Do you have a speech?“ he changes the topic, trying to get as far away from topic-Baekhyun as possible.

"Yeah, my secretary wrote something about being thankful for the chance to work together, how much work me and my team put into this project because we wanted to give the product the justice it deserves, and so on... Same thing as every time,“ Chanyeol says in a disinterested tone, clicking his tongue in distaste.

"I’m so glad we’re done with this ad,“ a relieved sigh escapes Jongdae’s mouth and Chanyeol laughs, agreeing with his friend. He is glad that they are finally able to get rid of the annoying client, leaving this ad behind with only a memory of how stressful it was to get it done.

In the end, Chanyeol managed to please the client after he made some changes in the ad, but dealing with the man was literal hell, and not just for Chanyeol. Poor Jongdae, being in the charge of dealing with finances and budget, had to discuss the price of the ad with the client, trying to explain to him that it’ll be more expensive, since the employees working on it had to work overtime. Discussing the price was pain in the , but they managed to make a compromise and close the deal.

Chanyeol hopes that this night is the last time he will ever have to deal with the client.

"What about the situation with Minseok, by the way? Did he flip out when he saw his face in the news? Did your parents give you a hard time? Are your parents coming today, or are they here already?“ the amount of questions thrown at Jongdae is overwhelming, Chanyeol knows, but he wants to know how it turned out in the end. After Jongdae's outburst in the office the other day, Chanyeol truly felt like the tiest friend in the world, and he promised himself that day that he's going to make sure to know everything about Jongdae's troubles, even if he can't help in any way. 

"Well,“ Jongdae smiles, but it’s a sad kind of smile. When Chanyeol sees it, he feels like something is squeezing his heart painfully. „I tried to tell my parents that it’s nothing, but you know how they are. They started interrogating me about Minseok, and I had to tell them who he is, where he works, you know the drill. My mom is already looking through a list of potential wives, and my father told me that if I keep being a disgrace to this family, he will disown me. And no, they aren’t here at the moment, but they will come later.“

"I’m so sorry–“

"On the bright side, Minseok doesn’t seem to mind the article and keeps talking to me like nothing happened, so there’s that,“ Jongdae chuckles humorlessly, putting a small piece of cake into his mouth and the cream from his fingers afterwards. Jongdae turns his head to the side and Chanyeol follows his line of vision, his eyes falling upon the small figure of Kim Minseok. The receptionist is talking to one of the waiters with a big smile on his face, but he probably senses that someone is staring at him and looks around himself, catching Jongdae and Chanyeol in the act. Minseok’s smile changes from amused to gentle in a second when his and Jongdae’s eyes meet, and Chanyeol can almost feel the affection radiating from the gesture. Jongdae averts his gaze after returning the smile, and Chanyeol does the same after giving Minseok a small wave of his hand as a greeting. 

It's kind of strange that Minseok is here because this event is only for the people from higher society - not like he has anything against Minseok, Chanyeol actually likes the guy. Chanyeol makes a mental note to ask about it later.

"My parents were so shocked when they found out that he’s working in the company... They wanted to talk to the board about firing him, but I somehow convinced them not to,“ Jongdae says, making Chanyeol frown.

"The board would never fire him. Minseok is a good employee and does his job well, there is no reason to fire him,“ Chanyeol tells him seriously, but Jongdae just snorts. He knows what’s going on in Jongdae’s head and adds quickly. „No, I mean it, Jongdae. The board isn’t going to fire one of the best employees of this company just because your father says so. He can be a part of the board, but you need more than one vote to accomplish something, so stop worrying so much.“

"That’s easier said than done,“ Jongdae murmurs and eats a small chocolate muffin, stuffing his mouth with it like a hamster.

"Over-eating won’t solve your problems,“ Chanyeol laughs and flicks Jongdae’s cheek, earning a low growl from his friend, which only makes him laugh more.

The muffin is eaten in a few seconds, and after Jongdae gulps it, he says, „It won’t, but at least I won’t be sad and hungry, only sad.“

"That is some good thinking, I have to admit.“

"I know.“

"Have you seen my parents, by the way?“ Chanyeol asks and takes one small strawberry from a bowl, dipping it in chocolate before he puts it into his mouth, admiring the sweet taste on his tongue.

"I have, but I don't know where they are now. Let’s find them,“ Jongdae grabs his arm and drags him away from the table with food, chuckling when Chanyeol tells him that he needs one more strawberry otherwise he will be die. What a drama queen. Jongdae doesn’t listen and continues to look for Chanyeol’s parents while Chanyeol keeps protesting like a child, but follows Jongdae like a dog.

The party is more or less boring, like every other event like this. Chanyeol gives a speech with a fake smile on his lips, thanks everyone for their hard work and ends it with hope we can work together again in the future while looking at Jongdae who grimaces visibly at the thought.

Jongdae and Chanyeol spend the whole evening in each others‘ company. They talk about Jongdae’s new favorite drama with a glass of champagne in their hands, laugh at some of the terrible dress choices of the guests, and argue about the most pointless things that come to their minds. Chanyeol does his best not to bring up anything that could possibly ruin the good mood Jongdae seems to be in, trying to keep Jongdae away from the negative thoughts even if it’s just for a while. So far, everything’s good.

The two of them eat at least eighty percent of the food that is offered on the party, earning a lot of dirty looks from other people who didn’t even get to taste what they’ve wanted, since Jongdae and Chanyeol are stuffing their mouths like they haven’t eaten in weeks.

Chanyeol’s parents come to scold him somewhere in the middle of the party, telling him to act more appropriate and not make a fool out of himself in front of the potential clients. The funny thing is, Jongdae’s mouth is as full of food as Chanyeol’s when his parents approach them, but Chanyeol’s mother doesn’t care and instead of scolding Jongdae too, she tells him how cute he looks when he’s eating everything that is on the table. What a joke, his own mother is biased towards Jongdae instead of her son. Chanyeol supposes his friend could use some love if Jongdae’s parents aren't giving him enough.

They expect to see Jongdae’s parents at the party too, but fortunately, they decide not to come. Jongdae’s mother calls Jongdae about not being able to make it ten minutes after Chanyeol’s parents leave them alone again, saying that she feels sick and his father doesn’t want to go without a date, so they are both staying at home. Before hanging up, Jongdae’s father takes the phone from his wife and warns Jongdae to be at his best behavior, or else he’ll have a big problem. After lecturing him, he ends the call without a goodbye, like Jongdae isn't even his son.

After the the call, Jongdae’s good mood disappears immediately. When Chanyeol asks him if he wants to try the strawberry dessert, Jongdae declines and takes another glass of champagne from the waiter passing by instead, not sparing the table with food more than a glance. He doesn’t know what to do to cheer Jongdae up, but he hopes that keeping the shorter male company is enough for now, until he figures out how to bring his good mood back.

An idea crosses Chanyeol‘s mind when he catches a glimpse of Minseok in the crowd. He doesn’t know if what he has in mind will work out or if it’s a good idea given the circumstances, but Chanyeol sets his plan in motion after he takes one last look at sad Jongdae by his side.

"Ugh, my stomach hurts so bad,“ Chanyeol says in pained voice, bending over to give his fake stomachache a realistic vibe. He crouches his face a bit too, using his amazing acting skills he has learned from watching dramas with Jongdae.

"You shouldn’t have eaten so much,“ Jongdae replies automatically, but offers to bring Chanyeol a glass of water. Chanyeol declines politely and looks at Jongdae with a pout.

"I have some painkillers in my desk, can you get them for me? Second drawer,“ Chanyeol asks pleadingly, giving Jongdae his best puppy eyes. He doesn’t even wait for Jongdae’s reply as he ushers him to go, saying that he left his office open. Jongdae looks at him weirdly, asking if he really left his office open because Chanyeol always checks twice if his office is locked or not before going home, and there is no way in hell Chanyeol would just forget to lock up.  

"U-Uh.. yeah, I am sure. I went to get something before I came here, and since I was in hurry I forgot,“ Chanyeol lies through his teeth and hopes that Jongdae will just let it go and believe him this once. His friend raises one eyebrow and his mouth opens to interrogate Chanyeol more, but in the end Jongdae doesn’t say anything and just sighs loudly, visibly irritated by the request. Chanyeol knows that this is the sign of Jongdae’s resignation, meaning that he agrees to get him the painkillers, and the CEO thanks him before Jongdae starts walking toward the entrance door, mumbling something under his nose that Chanyeol can’t make out. Probably a long line of insults directed at Chanyeol.

When the door is closed behind Jongdae, Chanyeol’s eyes start searching for Minseok. It doesn’t take him long to find the receptionist, since Minseok is just a few meters away from Chanyeol, talking to a person Chanyeol doesn’t recognize.

"Minseok!“ Chanyeol calls, and the man turns around right away, his big eyes searching for the owner of the voice that called out his name. Chanyeol gestures with his hand for him to come over once he has Minseok’s attention, and Minseok politely excuses himself from the conversation and starts walking toward Chanyeol.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Park?“ he asks nervously, not knowing what could possibly his boss want from him.

"My stomach hurts, and I need to get my painkillers, but they are in my office and I don’t feel like walking there alone, so can you accompany me?“ Chanyeol questions and hopes that Minseok will say yes without Chanyeol having to persuade him more. 

"Yes, of course,“ Minseok says quickly and gives Chanyeol a small smile as he helps him stand up from the chair, trying to ease Chanyeol’s non-existent pain by helping him walk. „Where is Mr. Kim? Wasn’t he with you just a second ago, if it's okay of me to ask?“

Chanyeol wants to laugh at how formal Minseok is, calling Jongdae Mr. Kim when they are clearly on first names bases for a while now. Has Minseok forgotten that Chanyeol was present at the club on Friday night when Jongdae and Minseok were talking like childhood friends while looking at each other with heart eyes or what? Maybe the formal approach is here because if someone heard them, Chanyeol thinks. Minseok would probably get in trouble for being unprofessional or whatever. 

"No need to be formal,“ Chanyeol assures him with a smile as they exit the spacious room full of people. When the door is closed and Chanyeol doesn’t see any other person in the hall, he grins and straightens up. cracking his back. Minseok blinks at him with confusion when Chanyeol is no longer crouching in pain and looks like his stomach doesn’t hurt anymore.

"I feel a lot better now, guess I was just feeling sick because of the bad air inside the room,“ he lies. "But I need those painkiller just in case, so let’s go.“

Chanyeol grabs Minseok by the arm, dragging him toward the staircase because he doesn’t have time to wait for the elevator. Minseok follows him – not like he has any other choice – with just mild complaining as they practically run down the stairs in order to get to the ninth floor where Chanyeol’s office is. Minseok almost falls down, since keeping up with Chanyeol’s big steps and speed is rather hard, but when Minseok trips over the last stair, Chanyeol is quick to catch him.

He opens the door leading to the hall, tugging at Minseok’s arm lightly to make him move. The receptionist walks beside him without a word until they get closer to Chanyeol’s office and Jongdae who is struggling to open the door comes to the view.

"Jongdae?“ the name falls out of Minseok’s mouth before he has time to think about it, and Jongdae turns around when he hears the familiar voice. His brows furrow in confusion, and then his eyes fall on Chanyeol, who is grinning at Jongdae as if he won some award.

"I-I don’t understand,“ Minseok mumbles and looks up at Chanyeol with question marks in his eyes, the whole situation too much for him to comprehend.

"The party was boring as hell, don’t you think? So, I decided that the tree of us shouldn’t waste our precious time there,“ Chanyeol explains and walks over to his secretary’s table while Minseok and Jongdae stare at him with wide eyes. He opens the last drawer and touches the roof, looking for the spare key to his office that should be taped to it. When Chanyeol feels the texture of the key under his finger tips, he pulls it and smiles victoriously when the key appears in his hand. He closes the drawer and takes three long steps until he’s standing in front of the office door, getting rid of the tape and putting the key in the lock.

"So you aren’t in pain?“ Minseok asks like everything still hasn’t sink in.

"I can’t believe you fooled me. How could I fell for it when your acting is so bad...“ Jongdae facepalms himself without waiting for Chanyeol’s answer, knowing very well that the CEO was never in pain to begin with.

"Are you hungry, should I order something? I’m in a mood for jajangmyeon,“ Chanyeol says as he steps into his office, throwing the key on the small glass table. He trows himself on his couch – which is not as comfortable as Jongdae’s, but still good enough – and turns on the 39 inches LED television with the TV remote Chanyeol almost broke because he hadn't noticed that it was on the couch when he jumped on it.

"I heard that channel nine is streaming some good horror movie tonight,“ Minseok wonders out loud and sits next to Chanyeol with grace, but the taller can still feel nervousness radiating from him. „And I’m fine with jajangmyeon.“

"Are you for real, Minseok? How are you okay with this?“ Jongdae questions, gesturing with his hands.

"I didn’t feel good at the party, anyway. Too many people with judging looks asking why was a receptionist invited to such a big event, you know?“ Minseok answers in a light tone, but Jongdae and Chanyeol know that there’s sadness hidden behind those words. Neither of them comment on it though.

"Then you two can stay, but I have to go back. My parents–“

"Jongdae, chill. If someone asks, I’ll tell them that I felt sick and you took care of me,“ Chanyeol interrupts, pressing the button with number nine on it on the TV remote. He switches channels in the most inconvenient time though, because there is a jump scare right when the channel nine is comes on. Minseok and Chanyeol let out a frightened ‘jesus‘ at the same time while Jongdae just shakes his head, not getting scared even a little.

"I’m leaving,“ Jongdae turns around and takes the first step towards the door, but stops dead in his tracks when he feels warm fingers circling his wrist. The hold on his wrist isn't strong in the slightest, and if Jongdae wanted he could easily free his hand, but he doesn't. When he turns around, Minseok’s looking up at him with his big eyes with a pleading look.

"Stay... please?“ Minseok asks in a small voice as he stares deeply into Jongdae’s eyes, and Chanyeol smirks at his friend’s shocked expression. Jongdae opens his mouth to say something and closes it like a fish two times before finally nodding and silently letting himself be pulled down on the couch. Minseok then retracts his hand and looks away from Jongdae immediately, too embarrassed from the bold request and touching Jongdae. Chanyeol wants to laugh because seeing both of the men beside him with faces flushing red is just too amusing, but he holds the laughter in, not wanting to ruin their moment.

"Order the damn noodles already,“ Jongdae murmurs after he collect himself.

"Haven’t you eaten enough?“ Chanyeol teases, but he’s already pulling out his phone from the pocket.

"Chanyeol–“

"Okay, okay,“ Chanyeol dismisses Jongdae’s fuming as he dials the number for the shop with the best noodles in this part of town, the number already saved because Chanyeol orders from this shop way too frequently. He should probably have it saved as one of the speed-dial contacts.

Chanyeol thought that Minseok will be awkward around him and not talk much, being too shy to say whatever he wants when his boss is sitting next to him, but he was mistaken. Minseok is shy just the first few minutes, but then the food arrives, and the receptionist is like a changed man. Chanyeol thinks that the saying about people bonding faster when they eat together is true, after all.

The movie isn’t as scary as it looked at the first sight and there are tons of plot holes in it, which Jongdae isn’t afraid to point out – every single one of them. Chanyeol tells him to shut up and just focus on the rest, but Jongdae being Jongdae, doesn’t listen and acts like a commentator thorough the whole movie. That makes Chanyeol more than irritated and he is ready to throw Jongdae out so he can enjoy the movie, no matter how ty it is, but Minseok looks like he’s having fun listening to Jongdae’s complaining, so he lets Jongdae off just this time.

When the disaster that the television dared to call a horror movie ends, Jongdae starts switching between the channels, trying to find another movie that he could talk about while watching it. He stops when an episode of his new favorite drama appears on the screen, excitedly explaining that the next episode will air tomorrow, so for those who want to remind themselves what happened in the previous one, they stream it just one day before the new episode arrives. Chanyeol groans and wants to find something better to watch, since he isn’t in the mood for sappy romance dramas, but Minseok joins Jongdae’s side, saying that he’s watching this drama too, and that there is no way they are changing channels because he wants to see the episode one more time. Being outnumbered, Chanyeol begrudgingly agrees to watch it. 

It’s kind of a paradox that the two of them were so hyped to watch the episode one more time, but fell asleep somewhere in the middle of it. Chanyeol supposes it’s because they – thank god – got tired from talking so much and simply dozed off when there was a particularly boring scene. Of course, Chanyeol has to take a photo of Jongdae and his definitely-not crush sleeping soundly together with Minseok’s head resting on Jongdae’s shoulder. His friend might act like he doesn’t care about the photo at first, but Chanyeol sends him the photo later anyway, knowing that Jongdae will be more than happy to have a picture like this one saved in his own phone. What a good friend Chanyeol is.

While the two lovebirds are sleeping, Chanyeol returns to the big banquette room where the party was two floor above and looks for their coats that should be somewhere in the back, in the coatroom. The things that nobody comes to get at the end of the party simply stay here every time, so the person who forgot them can come back and retrieve them personally without having to wait til the next morning, the guards accompanying those people until they are otu of the building again. Chanyeol takes the only tree coats that are left and goes back to his office, calling two taxis on the way – one for Minseok, and the other one for Chanyeol and Jongdae – when he remembers that even though he didn’t have much to drink, the police wouldn’t be happy to see that he’s driving a car with alcohol in him. He can always pay them to let him go, true, but Chanyeol just wants to get home and sleep already.  

Chanyeol was thinking about Jongdae’s parents and how would they react if their son came back so late when both his mother and father know that the event has ended an hour ago already, and decided that it’s better if Jongdae stays in Chanyeol’s home for tonight. If they ask why, Chanyeol will lie about him being sick and that Jongdae was such a good friend that he took care of him. A bulletproof plan.

He wakes Jongdae up first, just to have the pleasure of seeing his friend’s expression when he realizes that Minseok has fallen asleep on him. It’s just as priceless as Chanyeol expected, maybe even more, and the CEO curses himself for not snapping a picture or recording it all. But despite the seemingly endless teasing, Chanyeol is still the best friend Jongdae could have, and with that in mind Chanyeol tells Jongdae that he’ll wait outside, wanting to give them some privacy because the two are probably going to have a moment again, and Chanyeol doesn’t feel the need to be part of it this time.

After ten minutes, the taxis are here and Chanyeol walks over to one of them, handing a generous amount of money to the driver and telling him to keep the rest because he doesn’t know where Minseok lives. The man beams and thanks Chanyeol for his kindness, and the CEO just smiles politely before stepping away as he continues to wait for the two.

Another five or so minutes pass, and Minseok and Jongdae are walking out of the company building together. Chanyeol’s are fall lower so he can see if they are holding hands, but sadly, they aren’t. They are still pretty close to each other, though.

He tells Minseok that the taxi is already paid so he doesn’t have to worry about it, and the receptionist bows deeply and thanks Chanyeol for everything before turning back to Jongdae. Minseok gives Jongdae a hug, which Jongdae returns as he buries his face in the crook of Minseok's neck, and whispers a goodnight in his ear before pulling away and stepping into the taxi.

The ride home is quiet, mostly because they are both tired and just want to sleep. Chanyeol tells Jongdae that he wants him to sleep over tonight, and Jongdae being already half asleep doesn’t complain and just hums in response.

When they get to the Park residence, the lights are already out, meaning that Chanyeol’s parents must be asleep. Good.

Jongdae doesn’t even bother asking if the guest room is available at the moment, making his way straight into Chanyeol’s room without thinking and falling onto Chanyeol’s queen sized bed with a loud thump. Before Chanyeol does the same, he quickly strips himself, leaving only his boxers on and tells Jongdae to the same as he climbs under the covers. Jongdae groans and throws his clothes on the floor, tugging at the blanket to let Chanyeol know that he should share it. When Chanyeol ignores Jongdae’s pleas because he is too tired to move, Jongdae moves closer and sighs happily when he’s completely shielded from the cold.

"Thank you,“ Jongdae says with closed eyes into the darkness of the room. Chanyeol hears it clearly even though it was barely a whisper, but he doesn’t say anything back. Jongdae shouldn’t even thank him for this – that’s what best friends are for, after all. They fall asleep not even five minutes later, both of them falling into dreamless slumber.

--

The restaurant is rather quiet today and there are not many people either. Baekhyun firstly thought that there are almost close to none people because it’s still morning and there usually aren’t many customers on Monday mornings, but the lunch hour comes, and there is hardly any chance that that's the reason. There is just one other waiter sharing a shift with Baekhyun, and both of them are playing with their phones almost the whole time. Kyungsoo joins them when he’s done with cooking the orders for the few people that are here, and when Baekhyun serves the food to customers with his bright smile, he returns to the counter and talks to Kyungsoo until the cook’s ears are about to fall off.

The routine repeats itself for many times until Baekhyun’s shift is over and he is free to go. He changes to his own clothes and makes his way to the kitchen, walking over to Kyungsoo who is currently chopping vegetables with such speed and ease that Baekhyun can’t understand why his friend isn’t working in some five star restaurant instead of this place.

"Your lunch is over there,“ Kyungsoo says before Baekhyun can ask about it, and gestures with his head to a plate with full with bolognese spaghetti with two chopsticks lying beside the plate. Baekhyun’s eyes light up and his mouth waters as he sees it, the amazing scent traveling right into his nose.

"You’re the best, thank you!“ Baekhyun would hug the cook but he doesn’t want Kyungsoo to get hurt while chopping the vegetables – or alternatively, hurt Baekhyun with that big knife he’s holding. He takes the plate in his hands and starts eating, loudly when he gulps down the first piece. It's super delicious, as expected of Kyungsoo.

"Can you keep the noises down?“ Kyungsoo sighs and turns his eyes to Baekhyun, who looks like he’s just tasted heaven. Although Kyungsoo acts like he doesn’t appreciate Baekhyun’s moans of pleasure while eating the food cooked by him, Kyungsoo is secretly happy that Baekhyun likes his cooking so much. Not that he’s cocky or anything, but people have many times told him that his cooking skills are amazing, but hearing the words have never made him as happy as when Baekhyun expresses his feelings with loud moans and compares the food to god-given gift to the Earth. Sometimes the moans are accompanied with Jongdae’s when the guy finally decides to show up, but most often than not, it’s only Jongin and Baekhyun who praises him on daily basis like that. "Someone might get the wrong idea.“

"Afraid of Jongin thinking that you’re cheating on him with me?“ Baekhyun wiggles his eyebrows at the cook, but stops when he sees the killer look in Kyungsoo’s big eyes and remembers that the man is still holding a knife. Of course, Kyungsoo doesn't like these kind of jokes.

"That wouldn’t happen in million years,“ Kyungsoo says as he turns back to his precious vegetables, snorting.

"What? Don’t you find me attractive?“ Baekhyun asks as he stuffs his mouth with spaghetti. Kyungsoo sometimes wonders how big Baekhyun’s mouth is because a person with normal mouth can’t just show so much food in them and not start choking. Well, Byekhyun’s future boyfriend will endlessly be happy for the big mouth and lack of gag reflex.

"Do you want me to stab you,“ it’s not even a question, and the monotone and emotionless tone Kyungsoo chose to use is making Baekhyun think that the cook wouldn’t even feel a bit of remorse after throwing the knife at him.

"Please don’t,“ Baekhyun answers with his mouth still full, the sauce all over his mouth from his messy eating methods.

Please don’t, he used the same phrase when he turned down Park Chanyeol yesterday, again. The guy said that he’ll be back again, but was he actually serious? Baekhyun hopes with all his heart that he wasn’t because the man gets on his nerves so much that he is probably going to steal Kyungsoo’s big knife and murder Chanyeol with it the next time he sees him. The thing is, if we put aside the coffee accident, Chanyeol is exactly Baekhyun’s type – as Jongin observed before – and if the first time he met him was in the club on Friday, Baekhyun doesn’t know if he would think too long about accepting Chanyeol’s offer to go home with him that night, even if it would mean breaking the promise he made to himself two weeks ago.

The promise was about taking a break from around and sleeping with everyone that catches his eyes, since he's had enough one night stands in order to forget about his ex-boyfriend, but had enough of them even before the guy that broke his heart half a year ago. To be honest, Baekhyun feels so dirty for spreading his legs for so many guys after the accident with his ex-boyfriend that he just wants to drown himself in holy water, hoping that he would get rid of this disgusting feeling.

Siwoon - his ex-boyfriend - was kind enough to point out exactly how disgusting Baekhyun was, and how much Baekhyun reminded him of the s he could see around the corners of the clubs every night when he broke up with Baekhyun after a three months long relationship. It was the longest relationship Baekhyun has ever had, but he had known from the start that it wasn't going to work out between them. Long story short, Baekhyun was always at work and hadn't had enough time to spend with Siwoon, to which his ex-boyfriend hadn't reacted very nicely. The first weeks had been great and Baekhyun had felt that he can actually fall in love with the guy as the days passed, but it didn't take long for Siwoon to start ing about he wants more attention from his boyfriend. Soon, it was all about when they finally managed to meet, and after three months, Siwoon broke up with him, saying that he can't be in a relationship with someone like Baekhyun.

His ex-boyfriend had said a lot of things, but Baekhyun remembers every single word. He remembers how Siwoon called him useless for not even trying to make the relationship between them work. He remembers how Siwoon said that Baekhyun is selfish for always thinking about himself, not caring about anyone beside the money he will be payed if he stays over-time. He remembers being told that nobody will ever love him, because who would love a person who can't give the same amount of love back? All the insults that were thrown at him are still occupying his mind every night as he goes to sleep, and Baekhyun can't bring himself to forget every single word that Siwoon said to him the day they had broken up.  

Even while being in a relationship with Siwoon and some other guys during his school times, Baekhyun has never felt truly loved by anyone. And maybe Siwoon was right when he called Baekhyun heartless because Baekhyun has never been in love either. Every time someone broke up with him, he felt sad, yes, but he didn't feel like crying over something as simple as a break up and stay inside his room because he was too heartbroken to live his every day life.  

One of his previous boyfriends from high school told him that he would find true love if he opened his eyes for a second and stopped concentrating on work so much, but Baekhyun didn't listen. None of the guys that were with him couldn't understand the importance of working because they had enough money to live their every day life without only minor problem, their parents providing them with everything they need. But Baekhyun didn't have parents that would give him the money to survive, he had to get them himself.

Time to time, Baekhyun would fall into depression while thinking about all the cruel things people said to him in the past, cursing his life for making it so hard on him when there are people who smoke joints rolled in banknotes. He hated his life because he wanted to work less so he could make his relationships work for more than just a few weeks. He wanted to find true love, at least once in his life.

Maybe he truly was heartless, and useless, and ty, and many other things. Maybe all of his ex-boyfriends had been right about him and he will never find true love. Baekhyun will most probably die alone, with nobody by his side, forgotten because there will be nobody to remember him. 

And so, bitter that what people say about him might be true, he started sleeping around even more. Baekhyun was looking for every bit of love he could get, spending nights in different beds with a different man every time. He loved being looked at when he walked into the clubs and didn’t realize that even though he likes having with hot strangers, this fooling around is just to hide from the harsh words that were thrown at him by his ex-boyfriends.

His friend, Jongin, used to have a lot of insecurities in the past. No matter how hard Baekhyun tried, he couldn’t convince Jongin that the fears he has are untrue. And then, Kyungsoo appeared and swept Jongin off his feet, making him turning into a love sick puppy. As the time passed and the two got together, Jongin’s insecurities slowly started to drift away. Baekhyun asked him what Kyungsoo told him to make him believe in himself more and get rid of his stupid fears, but Jongin just shrugged and told him the same things you did.

And finally, Baekhyun finally understood. It wasn’t about the words that were spoken, but about the person that spoke the words. He thought, that maybe, just maybe, if he finds himself a boyfriend and falls in love like Jongin did, his self-hatred will go away too. How selfish Baekhyun even is to want boyfriend just because of that? It makes him hate himself even more. Nobody would want him, what does he even keep trying?

Baekhyun turned down every guy that approached him after making the promise about not sleeping around anymore. And after two weeks of successfully holding a celibate, Chanyeol barged into his life with his stupid big ears, cocky smile and the worst attitude Baekhyun could imagine. Baekhyun had an unwritten rule about not sleeping with jerks, but Chanyoel was oh so attractive that Baekhyun almost broke the damn rule. When he was teasing Chanyeol on the dance floor, he had to hold himself back just so he won’t jump the man right there and then.

But, Baekhyun being a man of his word, turned him down and didn’t expect to see him ever again. Luck isn’t on his side though, because his intention of never seeing the man again was ruined when the showed up after his shift with his perfect face and awesome body – that Baekhyun has the pleasure of feeling when he touched the man’s chest that Friday night while dancing.

Baekhyun didn’t and still doesn’t want to have anything to do with the man, but if Chanyeol keeps pushing like this, Baekhyun doesn’t know if he can restrain himself longer. That’s why he would be really thankful if the man just decided to forget about him and leave Baekhyun be.

"Baek, are you listening to me?“ Kyungsoo’s voice and the pain when the cook flicks him on the forehead brings him back to reality. He blinks a few times and wants to lie that yes, he was listening, but Kyungsoo clearly saw that Baekhyun was in his mind palace for the past minutes and lying would be useless.

"I was saying that the spaghetti are going to be disgusting when they get cold, so eat it and go home already,“ to a stranger it might seem that Kyungsoo is being unfriendly toward Baekhyun, but Baekhyun knows the grumpy man good enough to know that he’s not unfriendly, he just has his own way with words.

"Oh, yeah, of course,“ Baekhyun nods and starts eating again, pushing his thoughts away as he eats his delicious lunch.

"I haven’t seen you so in thought for a while, is something bothering you?“ Kyungsoo asks while Baekhyun eats, giving him a worried look. Jongin had told him close to nothing about Baekhyun having a hard time again, deciding to tell him about the argument they had on Saturday over some stupid movie instead.

"Hm? No, no... nothing like that, don’t worry,“ Baekhyun says with way too cheerful voice, but Kyungsoo doesn’t push. Baekhyun talks a lot and when he doesn’t want to talk about something than it’s better not to pry. At least, he’s not going to be the one who interrogates Baekhyun. Kyungsoo will tell Jongin about Baekhyun acting weird and his boyfriend will get all the information that is needed, providing them to Kyungsoo later.

"As you say,“ Kyungsoo resigns and throws the vegetables into a pot, mixing them together. The comfortable silence follows and Baekhyun turns to his plate of spaghetti, giving them heart eyes. If there isn’t a man that he would look at lovingly, at least he can give his love to food.

"Okay, I’m going. Thank you once again. See you soon, Soo,“ Baekhyun says and puts the empty plate and chopsticks into the sink, giving Kyungsoo a little peck on a cheek to say how thankful he is. Kyungsoo doesn’t even flinch because he was expecting it, but he still tells Baekhyun to stop kissing his cheek because his co-workers might get the wrong idea.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye!“ he waves at the rest of the kitchen stuff and says goodbye to the waiters that are having shift now on the way out.

Baekhyun almost turns around to take the back exit when he sees the familiar figure of Park Chanyeol outside the restaurant, but it’s too late to do that now. Chanyeol is looking right at him through the glass window of the restaurant, with the cocky smile on his lips again.

Baekhyun wants to cry.