A/N: 

hello! back at it again with a new chapter~ it would have been posted sooner but there was some stuff going on in my life and my mood was at zero, meaning i just didnt want to write but just sleep all day haha. it's a little better now, since writing actually helps, so yea. hope you like the new chapter :) 

also, i always mentioned that we should vote for exo on mama but honestly mama, after seeing my boiz cry i just want to slap the out of everyone that has something to do with mama lol. 

as always, thank you for your support and also thank you for answering my question in the comment last week. and to answer some of yours question about "are u gonna write something like that" or "is put in a bad light?", both yes. I will write something with dark and triggering themes, but it will be for chanbaek festival, and also DEFINITELY YES i'm putting as a bad thing. so yea, thank you very much for your answers :) 

--

"Uhm.. w-we should go," Baekhyun mumbles almost inaudibly, turning away from Chanyeol, his fingers clumsy as he wraps his scarf around his neck - or more like around his face, desperately trying to cover it so Chanyeol won't see the vibrant blush. "My lunch break is ending, so we should hurry."

And just then, Chanyeol realizes that he's been staring at Baekhyun the whole time, making the man even more uncomfortable. Quickly, he averts his gaze as well, gulping down the lump in his throat. "Yeah, let's go. Perfect idea," Chanyeol replies maybe a little too quickly, and he doesn't even waiting for Baekhyun as he flees the restaurant, completely forgetting about his pride that is being crushed with letting Jongin pay for the lunch. He just needs some fresh air right now. It has gotten colder in these short twenty and something minutes, but Chanyeol doesn't really mind. He needs to cool down anyway.

Although he wants to just run away, cowardly disappearing as quickly as possible before Baekhyun shows up in front of the restaurant too, Chanyeol waits for the midget outside. After all, the lunch can't count as an apology because Baekhyun spent the majority of it talking to Jongin, who also paid not only for Baekhyun but for all of them, so the least Chanyeol can do is walk Baekhyun back to his workplace even if it's going to be awkward as hell.

The walk is only five minutes though, he can do that.

However, Chanyeol is not so sure about that when Baekhyun finally comes out of the restaurant, eyes glued to the pavement yet again, his whole face - that is almost entirely hidden with the scarf - still red as a tomato. His stance is even more hesitant than before, and Chanyeol knows that he feels embarrassed because of what happened, not even wanting to face the taller because of his embarrassment, his flaming face being enough of a proof. 

Without glancing at Chanyeol, Baekhyun starts walking in the direction they came from, hands deep in his pockets and eyes on the ground. When Chanyeol takes a step forward in order to follow Baekhyun, the pink-haired man speaks up in a small voice, "You don't have to walk me back." 

Now when he has Baekhyun's permission, he could easily turn and walk away, go back to his apartment and finally take the warm bath he has been dreaming about since he woke up. Baekhyun wouldn't blame him for leaving; he even told Chanyeol that it's okay himself. It's like a free pass from the surely upcoming awkward five minutes walk, and all Chanyeol has to do is take the damn pass. And yet... he can't bring himself to do it, no matter how strange it is. 

"No, it's okay," Chanyeol replies, not even recognizing his own voice as the words leave his mouth. A few days ago, he would sell his soul to get rid of Baekhyun's company as soon as possible. Chanyeol seriously can't understand what's wrong with him. 

However, what's even stranger is that when Baekhyun hears Chanyeol saying that he doesn't have a problem with walking him back to the bakery, the midget speeds up, striding with his short legs through the streets as if he wanted to escape Chanyeol. It's weird because Baekhyun was always the one who insisted on annoying the hell out of Chanyeol, and now when Chanyeol is more or less willingly spending time with him, he's trying to run away. 

Baekhyun's method of running away isn't very successful though, because Chanyeol can catch up with him just fine, having - obviously - longer legs than Baekhyun. Soon, they are side by side again, Chanyeol not backing down even after Baekhyun huffs in frustration when he sees the taller following him. Their roles are somehow switched up, Chanyeol being the one chasing Baekhyun while Baekhyun looks rather uncomfortable with it. 

For a second, Chanyeol thinks about asking Baekhyun how does it feel to be followed around against his will, but decides against it, deeming the question rather unfit for the situation they are in. Instead, he just walks by the midget's side in silence, wondering how long will it take Baekhyun to understand that he can't escape Chanyeol with this speed-walk of his, since Chanyeol is keeping up perfectly fine. 

"I told you, it's really okay," Baekhyun insists, side-glancing Chanyeol as they turn the corner, brown orbs meeting Chanyeol's briefly before he turns his head away again. "I'm in a hurry anyway, since I'm late already, so..."

"Oh, and I thought that you are trying to run away from me," Chanyeol chuckles at Baekhyun's poor excuse, amused at how bad Baekhyun is in lying. The guy is truly an open book, much different from Kyungsoo who could hide his emotions so well behind a poker face, letting his true feelings run wild only after he had warmed up to Chanyeol. Thanks to having to learn how to read Kyungsoo at first, Chanyeol has become quite good in this, thus making sense out of Baekhyun's behavior when the man is so expressive proves to be an easy task. 

"I wasn't," Baekhyun tries to deny it, but Chanyeol just looks at him with raised brows, a silent and sarcastic oh really? clear in his expression. Upon realizing that his lie was a complete fail, Baekhyun mumbles, "So what if I was?" and then he adds even more quietly, probably thinking that Chanyeol doesn't even hear him. "I'm so ashamed I could die, of course I wanna get away." 

Until now, Chanyeol didn't really take into consideration that Baekhyun could be taking this so seriously. Okay, the situation with Jongin happened and it was awkward, definitely making even Chanyeol feel embarrassed upon the big realization, but that's it. It was awkward, moving on. However, Baekhyun clearly haven't reached the moving on step yet, beating himself up for this way too much. 

"Don't be," Chanyeol tells him, voice serious but holding a gentle undertone, something both of them didn't think would ever happen. Maybe that's also the reason why Baekhyun looks up at him in surprise, his small eyes going slightly wide as he blinks a few times in disbelief. Catching Baekhyun's eyes, Chanyeol continues, "It's not your fault that the walls are thin, just as it's not your fault that your..." Chanyeol struggles for a second to find a suitable word. "...partner  wanted to show off, or something."

Chanyeol saying that is a big step because a few months back seemingly everything was Baekhyun's fault just because it was Baekhyun. Because he was the one moving into the apartment that still belonged to Kyungsoo in Chanyeol's mind, and Baekhyun was just an intruder. 

"He's not my partner, or anything like that," when Baekhyun makes an amused noise in a form of a quiet huff, Chanyeol doesn't know why he feels this strange warmness spreading inside of his body. It's probably the feeling of accomplishment, Chanyeol thinks. After all, he made Baekhyun laugh - if that could be considered a laugh - and that's quite something, given how ready to fall apart Baekhyun looked.  

"I'm not saying you are dating him, I meant partner for-"

"Can you not, Jesus!" Baekhyun suddenly shrieks, regaining the blush that was already leaving his face yet again. Seeing how embarrassed Baekhyun gets at the slight mention of , Chanyeol finds himself thinking about the saying appearance can lie because, really, how is it possible that while Baekhyun looks so innocent and pure, he moans like a ing star? Chanyeol just can't seem to forget about how Baekhyun had sounded that night, even though he promised himself a day later that he would forget about it. "You are just making it all worse." 

"I just want to know who is so important that you basically ignore me during the whole lunch," Chanyeol says casually, his tone light, surprisingly not bitter at all. However, it doesn't matter what kind of tone Chanyeol used, Baekhyun still starts feeling incredibly guilty, just now realizing how rude of him it was to let Jongin join them. 

"I'm sorry," apologizing, Baekhyun clenches the insides of his coat's pockets. "I'm really sorry," deciding that such a simple apology isn't enough, Baekhyun elaborates as Chanyeol's eyes widen, the taller surprised that Baekhyun has taken his words so seriously. "I was so nervous about the lunch that when Jongin came I was kind of grateful that he saved me from a whole lot of awkwardness, you know?" Chanyeol knows, he truly understands because he felt the same about the lunch. Maybe for different reasons, but it doesn't change the fact that he was nervous. "I got too comfortable with him and forgot that I should have paid more attention to you, since, well, it should have been our lunch, not mine and Jongin's. I was so scared I'd screw up somehow that I took an easy way out," after that, Baekhyun chuckles humorlessly, adding a quiet, "In the end, I screwed up anyway so..."

For a while, Chanyeol stays silent and just walks by Baekhyun's side, his eyes never leaving the man's face. Baekhyun has this sorrowful expression on yet again, and Chanyeol starts to realize that the midget is not only extremely expressive, but truly fragile underneath this rather straightforward and confident attitude of his as well. He gets hurt easily and takes even the smallest things to heart, pondering about them as if his life depended on it, his moods switching so quickly that it takes a moment for Chanyeol to catch up.

Technically, Chanyeol has the right to be frustrated with Baekhyun because the pink-haired man made him third-wheel during the lunch that was supposed to be theirs, but as he keeps on looking at Baekhyun's sad face while walking, Chanyeol somehow can't find it in himself to be angry.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," he says, hoping that Baekhyun will sense the sincerity in his voice. If Baekhyun does, he doesn't show it, doesn't even glance at Chanyeol, too busy staring at his feet. Sighing, Chanyeol decides to continue talking, thinking that maybe it could help to make the tension in the air to disappear, "I was afraid that the lunch would be awkward too, so I was kind of glad when Jongin showed up because you seemed to be really relaxed. I was bitter for a while that you were having way too much fun with him and forgot about me, but at the same time I was happy, since you were enjoying yourself. Thus, the apology-lunch has been a success."

It's so strange, saying that Chanyeol was glad that Baekhyun was enjoying himself. Why should he even care about such stuff? Why is he even trying so badly to cheer Baekhyun up? Maybe it's because Chanyeol doesn't enjoy seeing people sad, and Baekhyun most definitely looks mentally down at the moment. 

"I'm still sorry, it was rude of me tell him it's okay to join," Baekhyun apologizes once again. "You must have felt uncomfortable the whole time, especially when... you know."

"I wasn't uncomfortable-" Chanyeol starts saying, but when Baekhyun glances at him with that look in his eyes, he rolls his eyes and decides to be completely honest. "Okay, I was kind of uncomfortable, but still... You had a good time, so that's what matters, right? Besides, it's not like you are at fault for making me feel that way; it's all Jongin's fault."

"He's not usually like that," mumbling, Baekhyun adjusts his scarf. "Jongin is actually really shy."

"That's impossible. That guy and shy? Don't make me laugh," Chanyeol shakes his head, completely denying the information. Really, there is no way that Jongin is shy and that all of this was just a pretense, Jongin putting up a tough act because of Chanyeol's presence. Just... no. Jongin was flirty and straightforward, teasing either Baekhyun or Chanyeol on every possible occasion, even being daring and shameless enough to kiss the corner of Baekhyun's lips in a goodbye. There wasn't a single hint of this all being just an act, not the tiniest break in that confident persona.

"No, I mean it," Baekhyun insists, holding serious eye-contact with Chanyeol. "He is shy. I don't know why he was like that today, but ninety-nine percent of time he is the complete opposite."

Well, either Baekhyun is utterly oblivious and doesn't know the reason why Jongin acted like the remaining one percent today, or he's just playing with Chanyeol. By the look in his eyes though, Chanyeol would say that it's not the latter, since the pink-haired midget seems to be completely clueless. But how could one miss something like that entirely? Jongin was like this because he wanted to make Chanyeol feeling not only uncomfortable and awkward, but dare Chanyeol say, even make him jealous. 

As if he would ever be jealous of someone else touching or being all lovey-dovey with Baekhyun. That night, you were kind of jealous though, his mind supplies unhelpfully, and Chanyeol is quick to shoo the thought away. That was one time, and for a completely different reason - he was just too to think properly about his actions or thoughts. However, now when he can think properly, his body free of any ual desires at the moment, Chanyeol is definitely not jealous of Jongin for how close he seems to be with Baekhyun. 

There is no reason to be jealous. 

But still, Chanyeol can't help but interrogate Baekhyun further, "You must know him very well when you say it with such certainty..." the taller muses, not really asking a question directly, but still asking. He doesn't know why he's doing this, since it shouldn't be any of his business, but whatever. People can still be interested in things without really knowing why, right?

"I've known him for a year maybe, but he's very rarely like this," Baekhyun says, turning another corner with Chanyeol following him closely. 

"He must have had a reason then," Chanyeol tells the shorter, but Baekhyun only shrugs shoulders and whispers a maybe he had a bad day or something, to which Chanyeol replies with, "Or maybe he doesn't like me."

"Why would he, Jongin only met you toda- oh," a sudden realization seems to hit Baekhyun, making him realize at least half of the reason why Jongin wanted to make Chanyeol uncomfortable as hell today. Immediately, Baekhyun starts defending himself frantically, "It's not what you think, not really. I've told him about you, true, but I haven't badmouthed you."

Little does Chanyeol know that all Baekhyun has told Jongin was that he is having a pathetic crush on his neighbour who had seemed to hate him to the core at the beginning, but actually started to be very nice to him which doesn't help Baekhyun's little crush at all. He truly hasn't told bad things about Chanyeol to Jongin, even defended Chanyeol's behavior on many occasions when Jongin had the same reaction as Sehun - telling Baekhyun that Chanyeol is simply an . 

But Baekhyun can't tell that to Chanyeol, right? 

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," Chanyeol is quick to say, realizing that Baekhyun has taken it the wrong way. It's not like Chanyeol aimed to make Baekhyun feel like it was because of the things he had said that Jongin was like this today, Chanyeol just wanted him to see what could have been the reason. Now when he thinks about it though, Chanyeol doesn't think it was that good of an idea, seeing how the hint of previous slight amusement disappeared from Baekhyun's face right away. "I'm really not, Baekhyun. It wasn't meant like that." 

The midget is quiet for some time again, and Chanyeol would lie if he said that he doesn't feel bad for ruining the atmosphere. His bad phrasing might be at fault, but still, Baekhyun is just too sensitive. He wonders how the guy lived through high school years where some people really tend to be rather cruel with their words sometimes - Chanyeol knows that first-hand, being a target for bullies many times. 

Chanyeol can see the bakery building Baekhyun works at in the distance, just a few meters away from them, and he wonders if he truly wants their lunch to end like that - with both of them feeling guilty for something. The lunch was supposed to make things better between them, not worse. Should he really let Baekhyun go just like that, with even more tension between them?

In the end, it's Baekhyun who decides their fate when he hesitantly asks, "If you have time, we can quickly get some coffee from the coffee shop nearby before my break ends..?"

Chanyeol is surprised that Baekhyun found enough courage to ask that, given how shy and embarrassed he seems to be. However, he shouldn't be so shocked because it was Baekhyun who took the first step the last time too when things were quite bad between them and Chanyeol was too scared to do something to make their relationship - friendship, neighbour-ship? - better. Chanyeol can't help but think that while Baekhyun is so overly sensitive, he is definitely braver than most. 

"Yeah, of course," Chanyeol lets the corners of his lips to be tugged upwards in a small smile, and he follows Baekhyun to the coffee shop at the end of the street. He is sure that Baekhyun is smiling too because his cheeks lifted and made his eyes smaller, the pretty spark from before returning into those brown orbs. "You said you were already late though, won't you boss scold you?" Chanyeol asks in a teasing tone when they walk past the bakery.

This time, Baekhyun actually laughs, the sound of his quiet laughter reaching the taller's ears before he answers, "I'm sure he won't."

"Does he have a soft spot for you?" Chanyeol questions curiously. He wouldn't be surprised if Baekhyun said yes because Baekhyun seems like the type that everyone likes before they even have the chance to talk to the midget, thanks to Baekhyun's soft-looking face and bright, lively personality. He just looks like someone nice to talk to, someone who could be a good friend. It was only Chanyeol who was too blinded by his own bitterness to see that. 

"Oh, definitely," Baekhyun answers and laughs again, this time louder, and Chanyeol is kind of confused as to why is Baekhyun so amused by his questions. Is there some inside joke that Chanyeol doesn't know? Is there, maybe, something going on between Baekhyun's boss and Baekhyun? 

"Are you two friends, or something?"

Seeing Chanyeol's clueless expression, Baekhyun decides to pull the taller out of the pit of confusion with saying, "I mean, I have a very deep friendship with myself, that's for sure."

Chanyeol processes the words. And processes again. And again, and again, before he pathetically lets out a, "W-What?"

While Chanyeol is glad that Baekhyun is laughing so much that his eyes turn into crescents, the scarf slipping off of his face and revealing the midget's bright smile that is so familiar to the one Baekhyun had when he was laughing at Jongin's jokes back in the restaurant, he would really like some clarification because he is confused as hell. 

As soon as Baekhyun is done laughing, wrapping the scarf around his neck again but this time not covering his whole face with it, he decides to have mercy on Chanyeol and tell him straightforwardly so no more confusion would follow, "I own the bakery, Chanyeol," he says, but when Chanyeol's eyes only widen and he gets no response, he elaborates, "which means I'm the boss, obviously."  

"Y-You own it? Like in, the ownership is yours? Entirely?" he asks, and when Baekhyun nods, Chanyeol doesn't know what more to say. 

Until now, he has degraded Baekhyun because he was working in a bakery instead of going to university, having a mediocore job that is very unstable, and now Chanyeol realizes that Baekhyun, in fact, has a very stable job, and probably a rather good pay that goes with it. Unlike Chanyeol, who is still in university, not knowing if there is a job waiting for him or not. In the end, between the two of them, it's Chanyeol's future which is more uncertain. 

Again, Chanyeol realizes that he judged too quickly, and he wants to slap himself for that. He isn't like that, definitely not. Prejudice had never been in his vocabulary before he met Baekhyun. Why is he so different when it comes to Baekhyun? Truly, what's wrong with him? 

"So... you're the owner, huh," Chanyeol muses, more to himself than to Baekhyun, feeling guilty once again for thinking so badly of his neighbour, even going as far as saying that Baekhyun is stupid for not going to university because there is no way to find a good job in Seoul without it. 

"Yeah, it's family business. My parents had really wanted me to go to uni, but when grandma died, I decided to take over," Baekhyun says, voice light and calm, unlike how it was moments ago. He seems eager to talk again, letting his true self overshadow his hesitant one now when the tension is gone. "I really like it," he adds as an afterthought, nodding his head slightly too. "I was spending a lot of time in the bakery when I was young, so I have tons of memories that are connected to the shop. Honestly, I think I had always dreamed of taking over one day."

Baekhyun truly looks happy when talking about his bakery, Chanyeol notices, his eyes sparkling more than usual and voice light and gentle. It's the same tone Chanyeol had always used to talk about his dream of getting into SNU, so he is more than familiar with it, and he is able to recognize easily it. The way Baekhyun talks about the bakery sparks curiosity inside of Chanyeol, and he can't help but want to know more, Baekhyun's enthusiasm getting to him, "When did you learn how to bake?" he asks, since for Baekhyun to realize his dream, he had to know how to bake first. 

"I don't even remember, to be honest," Baekhyun chuckles. "I guess I've baked since I had the permission to enter kitchen. My grandmother was very happy that I was so eager- oh, here," Baekhyun interrupts himself, realizing that they are already outside of the coffee shop. He opens the door and walks in quickly, happy to be able to hide from the cold weather, but he still makes sure to hol the door for Chanyeol too. 

Chanyeol follows after him, walking up to the counter with Baekhyun by his side. The cashier greets them with a smile, asking what would they like to order, and Baekhyun takes off his scarf before replying, "One large Mocha, and..." Baekhyun trails off, looking over at Chanyeol who steps closer and gives his order to the cashier as well, "Large Americano."

When the cashier nods and tells her co-workers the orders, she kindly asks Baekhyun and Chanyeol to step away so other customers can order too. The both of them thank her before walking the two steps to the right, waiting for their coffee. Chanyeol doesn't miss Baekhyun's subtle, distasteful gaze when the Americano gets placed on the pult in front of them, and Chanyeol remarks can't help but remark, "At least I drink coffee, instead of coffee-flavored milk."

"Americano is too bitter," Baekhyun comments, his expression changing into one of delight when his Mocha arrives. 

"Coffee is supposed to be bitter," Chanyeol rolls his eyes because Baekhyun is just one of those people who like their coffee unnecessary sweet. "You know, bitterness kinda goes with coffee."

Just as Baekhyun is about to say something back, his phone vibrates on his pocket and the air is pierced with the sound of message notification. Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun takes the phone out of his pocket and unlocks it quickly, his small eyes focusing on something, judging by how his brows furrow as his brown orbs scan the screen of his phone. There is a short silence between them as they make their way toward the entrance of the shop again, Baekhyun typing away on his mobile. 

Only when they are outside again does Baekhyun speak up, showing the phone to Chanyeol and urging him to read the message sent to the midget. Chanyeol looks at him questioningly, but Baekhyun just tells him to read it, and so Chanyeol does, murmuring the words under his breath as his eyes scan the words, "I'm sorry for my behavior today, I didn't want to ruin your lunch with your neighbour. I hope you're not angry."

When Chanyeol is done reading, he looks at Baekhyun with raised eyebrows, and if Chanyeol had some questions regarding the text message, Baekhyun is quick to answer them, "Jongin is truly sorry, I thought you should know. Since, well, it's about you."

"He isn't sorry that he was a jerk to me, he is just sorry because he embarrassed you," Chanyeol points out, and Baekhyun purses his lips slightly in a way that people would consider cute - but not Chanyeol, of course. 

Baekhyun puts his phone in the pocket and wraps the scarf around his neck once again, holding his coffee with both hands to warm them up. "An apology nonetheless," Baekhyun says, a little bashful. "Besides, Jongin has been kind of down lately, maybe that's why his mood changed today."

"So that's why you wanted to improve his mood that night?" it falls out of his mouth before he can think about his words better, Chanyeol blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. However, he regrets it right after when he sees how Baekhyun tenses, the coffee he was ready to take a sip of stopping an inch away from his lips. Suddenly, the light atmosphere crumbles like a house of cards thanks to just one sentence, and Chanyeol is ready to apologize for his comment, but Baekhyun doesn't let him, interrupting him the moment Chanyeol opens his mouth to speak. 

"Actually yes," Baekhyun's reply is sharp, and when he looks at Chanyeol, his eyes are full of fire as if he was ready to fight. Chanyeol is left confused because while Baekhyun is sensitive and easy to read, his reactions are different every single time even though the situation might be the same. The last time was mentioned, Baekhyun became flustered, and now he is frustrated instead. "But also - because as you could have noticed - Jongin is very good looking. I wanted, he wanted it, there was no problem."

Chanyeol doesn't say anything in reply, but there is this strange uncomfortable feeling in his gut when Baekhyun admits that Jongin is good looking. Not like Chanyeol doesn't know. Still, it makes him feel weird things when he actually hears it coming out of Baekhyun's mouth. 

"Okay, I'm glad... or whatever, I guess," Chanyeol says, nodding. His voice has this tone that kids use on their younger siblings when they try telling them not to cry so their mom won't come and check up on them, finding out that the older of them has hurt the younger one in some way. It seems stupid, but Chanyeol truly doesn't want to anger Baekhyun - the last he made Baekhyun angry, he ended up being thrown on the elevator wall. Besides, most of the things that come out of Chanyeol's mouth aren't supposed to be mocking, he just has this habit of blurting out the first thing that comes to his mind before thinking about it much.  

Seeing that Chanyeol wasn't trying to pick up a fight, Baekhyun sighs deeply after frowning at his neighbour and resumes his walk, letting Chanyeol's remark go, for which the taller is incredibly glad. While stealing glances at Baekhyun as they make their wake back to the bakery, Chanyeol thinks about how interesting Baekhyun's personality actually is. His reactions are definitely something new, and Chanyeol finds himself being not only amazed by how quickly the midget's moods change, but also interested in how Baekhyun's mind works. 

He wants to get to know him better, which is something Chanyeol would have never thought about. Life is full of surprise, he guesses. 

"Listen, I'm gonna explain it once and for all, so you can let it go from your head," Baekhyun starts again, and even though Chanyeol wants to tell him that he certainly hasn't been thinking about it at all - because he wasn't - Chanyeol lets him speak in the end. And no, not because he is interested and curious. "Jongin and me are just friends, that's where it ends. That night, he was sad because the guy he likes rejected him even though there have been some hints that he likes Jongin. I don't know his name but Jongin calls him 'Soo'. So yes, he was sad, and I was ually frustrated; it escalated from there. We are not partners, romantically or ually. Is that enough of an explanation?" 

"Definitely," Chanyeol nods, and now it's him who is blushing because hearing Baekhyun saying that he was ually frustrated reminds him very well of how Chanyeol himself was quite ually frustrated and that night. However, he isn't the only one having his face and ears all red - Baekhyun is blushing also, clearly embarrassed by his direct explanation. Again, Chanyeol is left confused as to how Baekhyun's mind and emotions truly work. 

The thing is, after Baekhyun explaines things, the tension between them somehow starts to disappeare, and Chanyeol is surprised that it was so easy. All they had to do was talking about it, Chanyeol admitting that he wants to know what Jongin is to Baekhyun as if it was any of his business, and Baekhyun explaining to Chanyeol that that night was just a one time thing with Jongin because of the ual frustration. The atmosphere between them is light as if a moment ago the tension in the air wasn't thick enough to be cut, and the last bits of the said-tension disappear for good when both of them chuckle at at each other afterwards. 

When they are in front of the bakery shop, Chanyeol is the first one to speak, surprising even himself with his question, "Since that lunch was a rather ty apology-lunch, shouldn't we have another?" 

It's strange to admit, but Chanyeol truly wants to figure out how Baekhyun works. After letting go of the stupid grudge he was holding against Baekhyun because the guy had moved in Kyungsoo's apartment, Chanyeol actually realized that Baekhyun isn't that bad. He has his downsides, like every other person, but he is quite alright, definitely far from being the person Chanyeol had had in mind. 

Also, Chanyeol has a pride to get back after Jongin paid for their lunch. 

"If you want to..?" Baekhyun's answer is more like a question, full of insecurity. Chanyeol pays attention to have Baekhyun averts his gaze, looking down on the ground again. "But if it's out of pity, then-"

"It's not," Chanyeol assures him, and when Baekhyun looks up from the pavement again, there is a smile adoring his face and his eyes have the familiar spark. It's quite nice, not making Baekhyun feel sad or even making him cry for once. 

"Then.. okay," Baekhyun nods, cheeks colored pink. Chanyeol guesses it's from the cold. "But I really have to go now. Being the owner doesn't mean I won't get scolded by Sehun if I'm taking forever to come back.. So, yeah... Bye."

Exchanging goodbyes is slightly awkward, but Chanyeol can work with that. 

As Baekhyun disappears inside the bakery, Chanyeol watches his pink-haired neighbour going behind the counter, taking off his jacket in the process after he puts his coffee on the pult. Again, he can't help but think that Baekhyun's personality, cute face and pink hair suit the interior of the shop completely, as if Baekhyun belonged there. Which he kind of does, given that he is the owner - by the way, Chanyeol still feels incredibly stupid for downgrading Baekhyun when he thought that the guy just works here instead of owning the business. 

When Baekhyun is free of his winter jacket and scarf, an apron tied behind his neck and back, just then Chanyeol decides to leave. However, before leaving, Chanyeol catches eyes of one of Baekhyun's coworkers - or rather said, employees. The tall guy with black hair is looking directly at him, frowning deeply when they make eye-contact. Chanyeol frowns slightly in confusion too, but lets it go without a second thought, turning on his heel and making his way home. 

There are still some things left unsaid, for example the fact that Chanyeol reached thanks to Baekhyun's sinful voice that night, and also that Baekhyun thought of Chanyeol doing all of those dirty things to him instead of Jongin. For now though, what was said today is enough, and Chanyeol is glad that they parted ways on good terms, their awkward goodbye holding a promise of potentially good friendship.