MISSION 4 – PLAYERS READY?

From Jongdae!!

YOU DID WHAT??? HAHAHAHAHA

From Baekhyunee

I know! What is wrong with me, how can I ever face him again, I’m resigning!

From Jongdae!!

Can an intern resign?

From Baekhyunee

DAE!!

From Jongdae!!

Just it up and apologize on Monday the damage is already done

LMAO I can’t believe you pushed him down on a chair

From Baekhyunee

Thanks, it’s good to know my pain makes you happy ‘best friend’ :’(

From Jongdae!!

Relax Baek, Chanyeol knows you were drunk out of your mind if you aren’t ready to fess up about how much you like him just blame it on the booze

From Baekhyunee

Okay I guess you’re right, I mean I was pretty drunk

WAIT! I DON’T LIKE HIM

From Jongdae!!

;)

From Baekhyunee

SHUT UP 

…

Monday morning and guess who Baekhyun runs into at the parking lot, yes Park Chanyeol ‘the gods are definitely against me’ Baekhyun whispers to himself before looking up at the grinning Chanyeol approaching him, he wants to kiss that smug look off his face, wait kiss? He meant smack, absolutely smack. ‘Looks like someone can’t hold their liquor’ Chanyeol teased as he walked up to the younger. Baekhyun was embarrassed, he felt his stomach drop, and he probably did seem like some hormonal teenager that night. However, all Chanyeol did was ruffle his hair, ‘it’s fine I didn’t completely hate it.’ ‘Although if you try putting your hands down my pants again I will have to report you to human resources.’

 HE DID WHAT??

Baekhyun knocks on Chanyeol’s office door later that day with a cup of coffee as an apology for what he had done, why does he feel so ashamed, he had kissed boys drunk before but it wasn’t just a boy, it was Chanyeol, the genius programmer he idolized in his first year of college without even knowing what he looked like, his boss, the creator of his favourite game and the guy he may or may not really like. Baekhyun enters to find a panicked Chanyeol scurrying about in his office, opening drawers and bending down to look under his big mahogany desk, there’s no doubt about it he lost something important.

‘I can come back later, you look busy’ ‘NO! Wait’ Chanyeol’s voice was a bit choked and out of breath as he popped his head up from under his desk. ‘Come here, give me your phone’ ‘my phone why?’ ‘Quickly Byun, I lost my phone somewhere in this office and I can’t find it, I need to call someone urgently or I’ll possibly have to postpone the deadline for Monster trial if I don’t get this ordered by today’ OH NO, there is no way that is going to happen, Baekhyun already waited too long for this game he was supposed to get his hands on long ago and with only 2 months until it’s released he is not waiting a minute longer. Baekhyun whips out his phone and gives it to Chanyeol. Once it’s in Chanyeol’s hand he stops dead in his tracks. Holy , Jongdae’s dumb text about him liking Chanyeol is on there! Before Chanyeol can go into any folder on Baekhyun’s phone Baekhyun is reaching for it like a lion ready to attack its prey. ‘What are you doing Baekhyun I have to make this order’ Chanyeol lifts the phone up and out of Baekhyun’s reach. ‘NO, I don’t have enough money for a call’ Baekhyun begins to panic ‘Huh? It’s fine I’ll buy you more minutes, I’ll text them to call me back’ TEXT?? Holy again, without thinking Baekhyun bites Chanyeol’s arm causing him to yelp in pain ‘AH what the hell Byun’ but there’s no time Baekhyun speeds out of there to his office on the way shouting for Yixing that the boss needs him urgently.

Naturally, Baekhyun avoids all possible contact with his boss for the past week and the entire office feels the tension between them. ‘Did you really bite him?’ Jimin asks somewhat amazed at this feat ‘Yeah’ Baekhyun sighs, there’s no point denying it, office gossip spreads like wildfire at PGS.

…

Baekhyun is down in the dumps yet again and he doesn’t know why. Things at the office have been rough, all this avoiding his boss is exhausting and although he refuses to admit it, he kind of misses seeing his face. The new Black Panther movie had just come out and Baekhyun being the ultimate Marvel fan is dying to go and what’s cooler is that a scene in the movie takes place in Busan, his hometown.

From Baekhyunee

You + Me + Black Panther? (**,)

From Jongdae!!

Haha sorry dude no can do, I told you Sehun and I have to work overtime this week

From Baekhyunee

You never have time for me anymore!

From Jongdae!!

Ask your boyfriend! You need to make up already!

Baekhyun was absolutely not replying to that, but he did secretly wish that he could just ask his boss out, did he even like those sort of superhero movies anyway.

‘Good morning my handsome Manager do you want to catch a’ ‘No’ Baekhyun pouts at Kyungsoo’s cold response ‘oh come on, it will make our bond stronger’ ‘I said no, please get your work done Byun’ there was that signature SatanSoo glare again, maybe he will have more luck with Yixing he can never say no.

‘Sorry Baekhyun, I have plans tonight’ Yixing says in a low register, sounding a bit sick, he wonders if he caught the cold again. ‘Please, it will be fun I promise you can bring Suho too, I don’t mind him being the third wheel’ Baekhyun didn’t want to go this far but he decided to bring out his persuasive puppy dog eyes. ‘Hmm okay fine Baekhyun, if you really want to watch it that bad’  ‘Let’s meet at the movies at 7pm tonight?’ ‘YES! Thank you, I’ll even buy you popcorn’ Baekhyun was luminous, finally he gets to watch it.’

…

‘What are you doing here?’ Baekhyun tilts his head while looking at the man before him in blue jeans and a long grey coat. ‘I’m meeting Yixing for a movie if you must know’ Chanyeol answers and instinctively grabs the arm that Baekhyun had sunk his teeth in a few days earlier as if he was out to get the rest of his limb. I didn’t bite him that hard Baekhyun thinks to himself. ‘Clearly we’ve been fooled by Yixing’, wow he is certainly spending too much time with Kyungsoo. Chanyeol is concentrating, evidently at Baekhyun’s face which is making the latter extremely self-conscious. ‘Hey, quit staring’ ‘okay, it’s settled I’ll watch the movie with you’ ‘what’ Baekhyun scoffed. ‘Consider this your apology for almost ripping my arm off’ Baekhyun couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Chanyeol’s words ‘a little dramatic aren’t we Mr Park, but okay consider it a deal’ Baekhyun actually had been meaning to apologize to Chanyeol and if it meant he could AND watch the movie he has been waiting for, all the better.

The movie was so enjoyable, so much so that Baekhyun felt like clapping afterwards, the usual solution to almost anything entertaining of course. He looked over to Chanyeol once the credits started appearing on screen but his eyes were still glued to the screen. Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh lightly, interrupting Chanyeols focus on the screen which now to Baekhyun ‘what’s with the laugh Byun’ ‘Nothing, I’m glad to know you at least know about the end credit scenes’ ‘Who doesn’t?’ Chanyeol glanced around at the empty cinema and returned to look at Baekhyun now also lightly laughing.

‘Woah that was good, even if you did finish half my popcorn’ Chanyeol teases Baekhyun ‘the movie was long okay also I’m totally getting a Black panther mask!’ after taking a few steps together towards the exit, Baekhyun suddenly stops and starts looking down at his hands now holding on to the hem of his t-shirt ‘Hey boss…I am sorry about last week, it’s just my friend Jongdae had sent me some weird texts that I didn’t want you to see’ ‘Jongdae? That sounds familiar, are you two’ there was a long pause before Chanyeol continued ‘dating?’ ‘WHAT? No way, he’s my best friend since middle school’ Baekhyun barked back then fell into a small chuckle ‘besides, he is straight.’ ‘Oh, that’s good’ Chanyeol sighed ‘that’s good?’ Baekhyun questioned with a slight smile starting to form at the side of his lips, Chanyeol’s eyes began to widen realizing how relieved he sounded that Jongdae and Baekhyun weren’t an item ‘It’s getting late, see you around Baekhyun’ he proceeded to make an X with his hands which Baekhyun followed suit, they both paused and burst out laughing before they broke the X, they really did like that movie.

…

 It was difficult to balance the intern gig and his final year at campus but somehow Baekhyun made it work granted he wasn’t able to spend much time with Jongdae anymore. Jongdae had made a new friend named Sehun who he met at his part time job at a coffee café a few blocks away from campus. Sehun was a year younger than them and Baekhyun was finally going to meet this mystery man Jongdae started hanging out with so frequently.

‘Hey, I’ve heard so much about you Baekhyun it’s good to finally meet you, how was the movie with your boss? Anything juicy happened?’ Jongdae is quick to elbow Sehun in the stomach, but it was too late. ‘Jongdae!!’ ‘I’m sorry man, you know I couldn’t keep something so scandalous to myself, I promise only Sehun knows, scouts honour’ ‘you were never in any boy scouts!’ Baekhyun flicks Jongdae on his forehead and then turns towards Sehun ‘You should stop being his friend while you can Sehun’ Baekhyun smiles at the boy, he’s taller than Baekhyun and Jongdae, not like they’re  giants or anything, his hair and eyes are dark and his skin looks remarkable as for his physique, he really could be a model.

‘So tell us about the date?’ Jongdae curiously enquires followed by Sehun nodding his head in approval of the question. Well of course Baekhyun spills the beans, talking about how he really enjoyed the movie and how handsome his boss looked, he seems to admit these things less shamelessly nowadays. Baekhyun finally comes clean about how he would like his boss to pay more attention to him and how avoiding him last week was really tough on him. Sehun and Jongdae didn’t say anything but all three of them knew that Baekhyun had fallen for his boss and fallen hard.

What was he going to do about it?

…

‘Baekhyun, I need help!’ ‘Yes my dear senior?’ Kai looked uneasy, his tie was loosened and his shirt was half out/half tucked not to mention his hair looked like he ran his fingers through it all day. ‘I can’t find Kyungsoo, I need to leave asap I totally forgot I had to pick up my niece today because my sister has a doctor’s appointment, I’m already late’ Kai starts hyperventilating ‘Relax, what do you need me to do?’ ‘Chanyeol isn’t in his office and I have something really important that he asked me to work on’ he hands Baekhyun a leather A4 file, ‘Please when he gets back hand it in to him?’ ‘Yes, sure sure go pick your niece before your sister kills you’ Kai leaves after flashing his saviour a thankful smile.

There Baekhyun was, with the leather file staring straight at him. ‘It’s Monster Trial isn’t it?’ It has got to be Baekhyun thinks to himself, there’s nothing else that could be this important and Kai is the one also working on it. Baekhyun’s hands start to tremble a little, he knows he shouldn’t, Chanyeol and Kai, the entire office in fact will lose their trust in him but…It was right there, he got into the company for this in the first place right?

And yet there he was standing outside Chanyeol’s office, leather file still sealed.

‘knock knock’

‘Come in’

Chanyeol turns around in his chair to face the guest ‘Baekhyun?’ he looks taken a back, ‘sorry I was expecting Kai’ ‘Yeah, he had to rush off to somewhere, so he asked me to hand this to you’ Baekhyun placed the leather file on the table. Baekhyun is suddenly sweating, did he just hand over Monster Trial without even taking a peek, is he dense? ‘Is it Monster Trail? Is it finished?’ he asks sheepishly wanting to know more about the Intel he let slip through his fingers. ‘Nope, it’s a new game that Kai was developing, it’s his baby – you didn’t think Kai would hand you Monster Trial?’ he laughs and wipes the tears forming in his HUGE eyes. ‘He has been working on it for a few months now looks like he finally finished it.’ ‘Oh what’s it about?’ Baekhyun’s interest is at its peak, Kai was brilliant and he was sure anything he considered his baby would be brilliant too, he gulps hard, and he wants to, no, he needs to play this game. He usually always gets to play the demos anyway so it would be okay to ask right? Sure.

‘Hey boss, as you may know I’m one of the best gamers in Seoul, I’ll be happy to demo it for Kai and write a.. report if there’s anything that needs attention’. ‘Hahaha oh really? Purely professional?’ Chanyeol starts that uncontrollable laughter again. ‘Sorry KHYUN but this game is mine to demo.’ ‘What? Why would he give you, no offense, when the best gamer is right downstairs’ (best gamer now?) Baekhyun was a bit bitter he really wanted to play this game why would Chanyeol get first pick, Loey has been out of the scene AND rankings since he left college. ‘Are you forgetting who the founder of the Gamer’s society was’.

‘OH that prestigious clubhouse with geeks sitting around trying to beat each other’s scores?’ Baekhyun rolled his eyes but the spite in his voice still revealed itself clear as day. Baekhyun was always sour about not making it into this ‘virtual’ society, he was just a freshman when he and Jongdae tried to enter, and getting turned down was partly the reason why he played to be the best. The society was obsolete when Chanyeol aka Loey had left college as far as he knew, so all his chances to ever be a part of it had been brutally terminated by his second year.

‘Someone sounds a little upset they didn’t make the cut’ and there it was that snickering again ‘Talk is cheap when you don’t have any top scores to prove your salt Mr Park, you should let the professionals handle these kind of demos’ yes, Baekhyun had had it with that laughing light pole.

Chanyeol responds with his grin fading and the most innocent smile forming on his perfect face ‘why don’t we put our skills to the test then?’ Baekhyun swallows, suddenly feeling nervous, there he was, competitive Chanyeol with that thirst to win at everything, but not this time.

‘BRING IT ON’

They decided instantly at how they would decide who would be crowned victors, Kai’s game was simple yet marvellous. A typical RPG with an in-game target to be announced at the start, player 1 would be the protector of said target and player 2 the assassin. A simple game of rock,paper, scissors had determined each of the males fate. Chanyeol would be protecting the target, while Baekhyun would be the assassin (a much cooler role if he does say so himself). ‘So what are we betting on Byun?’ Chanyeol demands ‘It’s not a real competition if the loser doesn’t have a punishment’. Baekhyun thinks for barely 30 seconds before he dishes out the deal quite seductively (looks like KHYUN has already taken over).

 ‘When I win, you have to kiss me’

 There’s a brief silence before Chanyeol breaks it with that deadly smirk

‘Agreed’