Baekhyun was sitting in his room, his sketchbook laying on the desk, trying to finally come up with something slightly relevant for the new project his professor gave them for his Illustration class. His mind was anywhere but in it, still wandering over the collaboration and the lack of answer from Mintblueish. It clearly meant he screwed this up, he thought. His work was not good enough and they did not want him to be a part of it. He let his head fall on the desk, whining against his sketchbook. The only good side of not being chosen? He wouldn’t have to see Park Chanyeol ever again — hopefully. Still, being a part of the collaboration was something he really wanted, and if the price to pay for it was to work with Park Chanyeol, then he would have been more than okay to do it. He ruffled his hair, frustrated and disappointed in himself.

 

A sudden ring of his cellphone pulled him out of his thoughts. Startled, Baekhyun took the device in his hand only to see an unknown number on the screen. He frowned, picking up the call.

 

“Hello?” He said, straightening on his chair. “Who’s this?”

 

“Hello, this is Park Chanyeol from Mintblueish. I’d like to speak to Mr. Byun Baekhyun.”

 

“Y-Yes! It’s me! I’m Byun Baekhyun!” he stood up, walking around his room nervously.

 

“Well, Mr. Byun, I’m glad to hear you. We decided to call you directly as my boss would like to see you personally,” Chanyeol said in the low voice that Baekhyun would probably find y if it didn’t belong to him. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

 

“Y-Yeah! It’s fine! When should I come?” he asked quickly, suddenly stopping in the middle of his room.

 

“Is Wednesday at 6 PM okay for you, sir?”

 

“It is! I’ll be there!” Baekhyun answered, shivering slightly under the man’s tone. He ignored it and focused on his words.

 

“Great. Please ask for me at the reception desk a quarter before 6 PM and I’ll give you further directions. I expect you to display the same amount of enthusiasm during the meeting,” Chanyeol said, sounding a bit amused by Baekhyun’s nervousness. “Well, we want to hold the meeting because the team is really conflicted between you and another one of our candidates. My boss, Ms. Ahn Hyejin, decided to meet both of you and make the choice personally. You don’t have to prepare for it in any way, it’s supposed to be a conversation regarding your views on the collection that we’re going to present to you,” the man explained calmly. “Is that clear?”

 

“It is,” Baekhyun was trying to sound calm and relaxed, Chanyeol’s comment rubbing him the wrong way, like always. “I’ll be there, and I’ll answer her questions, properly. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Park.”

 

“My pleasure, Mr. Byun. Do you have any questions?”

 

“Is it going to be a group meeting or is it individual?” he almost asked him if he was gonna be a part of it, but the question was a bit offensive to Park Chanyeol, so Baekhyun kept mum. It was stupid too, he was a part of the team, so he had to be there, right? He rolled his eyes at the thought.

 

“Ms. Ahn would like to talk to you individually,” Chanyeol answered, still in the same matter-of-fact tone. “Well, if that’s all, then see you on Wednesday, sir.”

 

“See you then… sir.” The student said, trying to add the undertone to his voice, just so Chanyeol would understand the effect he had on him — pissing him off. The call ended, leaving Baekhyun dumbfounded by the sudden call, annoyed by Chanyeol, and excited and nervous for the meeting. He ran to his best friend’s room, opening the door without knocking, and he jumped on him, ready to tell him everything and ignoring his strangled scream.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Yixing smiled widely at Baekhyun entering the Mintblueish headquarters. He sat behind the reception desk in a perfectly pressed navy-blue suit, organizing piles of papers, but stood up when Baekhyun came up to him. Jongdae being busy, the illustration student had come alone, his heart pounding in his chest yet looking confident like always.

 

“Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Park Chanyeol?” he announced, trying to ignore the fact that Yixing had heard him trash talk his coworker — his friend.

 

“Yes, he’ll be here in a minute,” Yixing nodded. “So, you’re really back. You must be as good as your friend had claimed.”

 

Baekhyun couldn’t actually enjoy the compliment. It sounded more like Yixing was mocking him for what he had said, clearly passing the message that he would not be here anymore if he was just the slightest less talented.

 

“Jongdae tends to have taste usually,” he answered, an urge to get the receptionist’s smile off his face tickling him. Yixing smiled and waved to the person behind him. Chanyeol ran up to him excitedly but slowed down when he noticed Baekhyun. He was wearing black again and Baekhyun was pretty sure he didn’t know any other colors at this point — which, in his opinion, was a problem when you were working in fashion.

 

“Hi, Mr. Byun. It’s nice to see you,” he said automatically, bowing slightly.

 

“Hi, Mr. Park,” he answered, and he wanted to add an I can’t say the same, but he wasn’t going to risk everything now that he was so close to his goal.

 

“Yixing? Minseok says we’re meeting at 8, will you be there?” He turned his head to the receptionist, who nodded, giving him a thumbs up. “Fu… That’s great,” he stuttered and turned around smoothly, walking as if nothing happened and motioning for Baekhyun to follow him. Truly a mess, Baekhyun thought to himself, hiding his smirk.

 

As soon as they entered the lift, the man changed his expression to his practiced small smile.

 

“Ms. Ahn will be a little late, but she'll be here in fifteen minutes,” Chanyeol pressed the button and ran his fingers through his black hair. “You’ll wait in the office, okay?” he glanced at Baekhyun and led him to the familiar room, opening the door with a magnetic card.

 

“Okay, works for me,” Baekhyun answered, just the slightest cold, not even glancing at Chanyeol as he entered the room. The man raised an eyebrow, his eyes following him.

 

“Great. Would you like some tea or coffee?” he asked, going around the room and collecting the papers scattered around the main table. Baekhyun noticed that two of the five booths were occupied this time.

 

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” His eyes were taking in every detail of the room just so he wouldn’t have to look at the man. The booths were messy, and he could see tons of different sketches pinned to a board in two of them. He quickly wondered who the booths belonged to.

 

“Okay, then. I’m gonna leave you alone,” the man muttered, his polite smile gone. He placed the pile of papers in one booth and went to another to come with another stack. Baekhyun caught a glimpse of the printed versions of the works he sent to Chanyeol earlier. He was glad to see it did look good on paper as well. Park Chanyeol bustled around for a while, preparing everything for the meeting, taking a phone call in the meantime, and scribbling notes in between until he finally settled down in his booth. The small room was so full of stuff that fitting all of his long limbs inside seemed to be a solid achievement.

 

Baekhyun looked at him for a while, still wondering how people could not see the real Park Chanyeol behind the cute smile and the handsome face. He couldn’t deny it any longer, and it pissed him off even more. He rolled his eyes, sitting down and watching his every move, just because he could. You never know when you needed to know your arch nemesis’ habits – he could hear Jongdae’s voice in his head calling him a . Baekhyun called him a jerk and ignored him, still watching Chanyeol do his job. He seemed to curse a lot under his breath and find a weird balance between his professional appearance and the absolute mess that surrounded him.

 

“Yeol?” The door to one of the booths opened and Baekhyun saw a pretty young girl with long, silver hair. “Oh, hello,” she bowed and popped her head into Chanyeol’s workspace. “Your designs are going to be incorporated in the next winter collection, Mom just texted me.”

 

“Are you kidding?” the man turned his head. “She’s supposed to be here in three minutes, why did she…”

 

“I don’t know, she probably couldn’t wait to tell us,” the girl smiled and ruffled his already messy hair. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at the scene. “Our baby is finally gonna get noticed!” The student tilted his head a little, watching them talk and smile to each other when another girl went out of her booth, a cute smile on her face and her long brown hair tucked behind her ear.

 

“What did I just hear?” she asked excitedly. “Yeol, I’m so proud of you!”

 

“Oh, my god, stop it,” he groaned but smiled at the girls. “You’re gonna make me blush.”

 

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do though, I don’t see the problem?”
 

“Moonbyul, I swear to god…” Chanyeol leaned back in his chair, pretending to faint. The other girl giggled, coming closer.

 

“We have to celebrate! Are you free tonight?” she was smiling widely, her eyes glimmering. She had what seemed to be a chocolate stain on her round cheek and Moonbyul wiped it off with her thumb. Baekhyun couldn’t actually believe his eyes. Park Chanyeol acting so freely and dramatically. He scoffed. He clearly was good at pretending.

 

“I was supposed to meet Minseok and Yixing for the movie night,” the man sat up straight with a boyish smile and tilted his head “but we can make that into a little party at my place I guess?”

 

“Only if there’s good food!” The brown-haired girl added, pushing her fringe away from her eyes.

 

“You do realize that it’s gonna be just pizza, right?” Chanyeol gave her a lopsided smile and turned his head when he heard the main door open. “Mom!”

 

“Exactly what I meant,” the girl said with a smile before looking at the door. She turned her head again when she heard a bang and saw Baekhyun picking up his phone from the floor. He smiled, embarrassed. Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at him and stood up to greet their boss together with the two girls.

 

“Hi, Mom.”

 

Baekhyun looked at them, still wondering what kind of team they were. The nicknames seemed to say that they were all very close to each other. Park Chanyeol seemed to have them all around his little finger. Baekhyun shook his head, disappointed.

 

The woman at the door nodded to her team with a smile and turned to Baekhyun, shaking his hand.

 

“Hello, I’m Ahn Hyejin. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Byun.”

 

“It’s really nice to meet you too Ms. Ahn, thank you so much for the opportunity. It means a lot.” He smiled, shaking her hand just firmly enough, giving off a confident and happy vibe. The complete opposite of what he was in front of Chanyeol. The woman smiled, sitting down on a place prepared for her by the black-haired man. She was nice, very straightforward and after a few minutes of conversation, Baekhyun somehow understood exactly what Chanyeol meant by saying she didn’t like people wasting her time.

 

The team went back to their booths as soon as Ms. Ahn sat down, going back to work in silence. Baekhyun could swear he could feel someone’s eyes on him from time to time but he didn’t have time to ponder over it. Just as Chanyeol told him during their call, Ms. Ahn asked Baekhyun to elaborate on his pieces, making some notes, and presented him several items from the past collections, asking about his opinion. If Baekhyun’s first thought was that he did not know anything about fashion — except for what he learned thanks to Jongdae — he quickly realized that it was the entire point of this collaboration. They weren’t looking for a designer. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves and giving his honest opinion as an artist. Apparently, it worked – the conversation going smoothly between them. The manager seemed interested and asked him several additional questions, listening carefully to his answers.

 

“Great. That’s all.” Ms. Ahn smiled at Baekhyun, leaning back on the backrest of her chair. “How did you like working on the designs?” she asked in a much more relaxed tone than before. Baekhyun smiled, and his shoulders relaxed as well.

 

“I really liked it. Like I told Mr. Park before, I had to do a lot of research for it, but it opened so many new possibilities, and it made me think in a completely different way. It was really rewarding.”

 

Baekhyun saw her raising an eyebrow. So that’s whom Chanyeol learned it from?
 

“Is that an honest answer? This is off the record, Mr. Byun. You can relax,” she gave him a smile and glanced at Chanyeol who came out of his booth, mouthing something. “Yes, we’re done.”

 

“Oh, great.” The man let out a relieved sigh and dragged himself to the coffee machine in the corner of the room. Baekhyun watched him before he turned to her again and smiled genuinely.

 

“I know it sounds like a practiced answer, but it is actually the truth. I’ve never worked on something like this before and it was really great to learn so many new things. I did struggle sometimes but it just made me try even harder and I’m really happy I did. I was satisfied with my work and that’s what matters.” He was a bit scared he sounded too confident, but it really was a great achievement for him.

 

“I see. Have you ever thought about working for a clothing brand?” He wondered if he should be honest. She said it was off the record but Baekhyun wasn’t stupid enough to think it was actually the case. One wrong word and he could definitely say bye-bye to the collaboration.

 

“To be honest,” he started, “I never really did. You see, my best friend has always been dreaming of working for a brand like yours, but me… I think the last two weeks really sparked my interest.” He straightened up a bit on his chair. “I hope I’ll be able to discover this even more.”

 

“Me too. Well, team, what do you think?” Ms. Ahn asked a bit louder, organizing the papers in a neat pile again and handing them to Chanyeol who passed by with his coffee in hand.

 

Baekhyun looked at him, earning a smirk from him, and then back at Ms. Ahn.

 

“I actually think that he’d do a great job if we give him the opportunity. And we’d all be there to guide him if necessary,” the brown-haired girl said, standing at the entrance of her booth and smiling cutely at their ‘mom’. Baekhyun smiled, thanking her silently.

 

“Yeah, I think we can all agree that the previous candidate’s behavior was… unfavorable in the work environment,” Chanyeol added, overdoing the monotone businesslike voice and making the girls chuckle. Baekhyun frowned, wondering what could possibly have happened. Also, Chanyeol was not funny, he wanted to say to the girls.

 

“Yes, I agree,” Moonbyul muffled laughter and Ms. Ahn smiled widely.

 

“Well, then, I think we can all agree on that. Mr. Byun, welcome on board!”

 

Baekhyun seemed to be lost for a few seconds, his eyes running from Ms. Ahn, to Chanyeol, to the girls, and back to the boss, until he finally understood what she just said.

 

“W-What? Are you… Are you serious?” he asked, eyes wide and barely believing what she had just said. He heard Chanyeol snort.

 

“No,” the woman chuckled softly. “But I do welcome you to the team, if you’re still interested, of course.”

 

“O-Of course I am, it would be amazing!” he smiled, wide and thankful. The brown-haired girl looked happy for him.

 

“Great! Well, Chanyeol will take care of you, he’s in charge of the organizational side of the project, so expect him to contact you. He’ll explain everything and will contact you regarding the projects but, of course, we’d like you to visit us from time to time and take part in the designing process. Is that okay with you?”

 

Do not roll your eyes, Baekhyun said to himself when she mentioned Chanyeol. Instead, he smiled, nodding at her.

 

“More than okay,” he answered, “it sounds great, I can’t wait to work with him.” he really did not.

 

“Us,” the small girl whispered, now standing next to Moonbyul, chuckling silently. Chanyeol glanced at them, holding back a laugh and quickly turning away, so Baekhyun couldn’t see his face. His shaking shoulders betrayed him anyway.

 

“We’re surely not that interesting, Wheein,” Moonbyul whispered back to her friend, quietly enough for Baekhyun not to hear her. “Just, you know, two regular girls next to our handsome talented brother…”

 

“Oh, shut up,” Chanyeol grinned and put a hand over his mouth when he realized that he was a bit too loud. Baekhyun glanced at them, wondering what was happening over there. The girls seemed to have a lot of fun and Chanyeol’s back was still facing him. He could hear them laugh and bicker, but he had no idea why. He looked at their boss again, to see if she was going to react to Chanyeol’s outburst. Ms. Ahn just shook her head at them.

 

“Can you please not scare away our new team member?...”

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

From Jongdae: hey! i’m looking for a photographer for my photo session for the credit. Anyone you can recommend?

 

From Chanyeol: yeah, i got a friend who’s working as a professional photographer. he lives near the school, should find time for a quick shoot :)

 

From Jongdae: damn, that would be great! can you please ask him if would squeeze me in somewhere at the beginning of October?

 

From Chanyeol: sure thing, i’m meeting him for a drink in a few hours :)

 

From Jongdae: celebrating new addition to the team? :D

 

From Chanyeol: nah. my pieces were accepted for fw21!! we have a table at phoenix if you wanna join

 

From Jongdae: i’m gonna celebrate the collaboration thing with byun but i’ll make sure to congratulate you in person!! don’t forget about the shoot!

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Baekhyun thought he should probably wait to get home to tell the news to Jongdae. In the end, he was too impatient and called him while he was on the bus, his best friend screeching in his ear as soon he told him. Jongdae was as happy as Baekhyun was, if not more, and they were already planning on how to celebrate the news before Baekhyun was even home. He did not even have the time to properly take off his shoes before Jongdae was already pulling him to his bedroom, shoving an outfit in his arms and ordering him to put it on. Baekhyun did exactly that, knowing he could trust his friend to make him look delicious. He had no idea what was waiting for him tonight, but he planned on having fun and celebrating like crazy. He deserved it, with the all-nighters he pulled to work on the project.

 

Jongdae knew how to make him look y, but never too provocative. With his striped grey and black jacket, his shoulders definitely seemed broader. The blonde decided to couple it with a simple black graphic tee and a pair of black skinny jeans. What mattered were the details. From the thin rings on his long fingers to the pretty and elegant choker around his neck, Baekhyun looked ready to kill anyone with one look, and the peach makeup on his eyelids just accentuated the vibes. Jongdae was proud of him. Working with Byun Baekhyun as a model was easy. Both his face and his body were stunning, and he wore the clothes like his second skin. He couldn’t wish for a more graceful model than his very best friend who more often than not gave him a free hand as it came to his outfits.

 

After what seemed like an hour, Jongdae and Baekhyun finally left the flat, ready to party and have fun. They called an Uber and arrived at the bar 10 minutes later, Baekhyun going to order a drink right away, Jongdae in tow. They walked up to the bar and smiled at each other excitedly.

 

“I can’t ing believe you got the job,” the blonde let out, adjusting his loose black jacket. “I’m so damn proud of you.”

 

“I honestly couldn’t have done it without you, Dae, thank you for everything,” he smiled genuinely, feeling lucky to have a friend like him.

 

“You’re welcome. I did nothing,” he chuckled and handed Baekhyun his drink, clinking their glasses. “Wanna dance?!”

 

“Do you even need to ask?” he answered cheekily, swallowing down his drink in one go. Jongdae laughed at him, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

 

“Then go, I’ll join you in a minute!”

 

“‘K babe, I’ll be up there on the dance floor!” he winked and left him, his body already moving to the rhythm of the loud music. Jongdae followed him with his gaze, smiling from ear to ear. As soon as Baekhyun blended into the crowd, he took a quick walk around the club, finding Chanyeol’s table. He congratulated him on his success, clinking their glasses and stayed there for a small chat, eventually going on the dance floor and dragging several people with him. He maneuvered through the crowd to find Baekhyun and tapped him on the shoulder to announce his presence with an innocent smile. Baekhyun turned around, smiling widely, his cheeks already slightly flushed.

 

“Come on, dance with me !” he shouted, drinking his second glass already.

 

“You’re gonna spill it, you dumb !” Jongdae shouted back and joined him with a smile.

 

They danced for about an hour until they finally decided to drink more and Jongdae pointed to the bar, leading Baekhyun out of the dance floor. It was too loud to even try to speak and they both were panting, exhausted.

 

“Oh, , I love this so much. Two strawberry shots, please,” he smirked at the barman. He was never too tired to flirt.

 

“You’re a ,” Baekhyun giggled, pushing Jongdae a little and grabbing the shot in front of him. It felt good to let loose after the nerves taking over him all day long. He needed this, and he planned on relaxing all night long.

 

He was coming back from the bathroom and walking towards the bar when he saw a familiar face in the crowd. The man was sitting at a table, another guy by his side, their hands grossly intertwined between them, and Baekhyun wanted to roll his eyes so badly, but his body refused to do so — or maybe it did, he was too drunk to even know. He was about to walk away when a tall man joined them, smiling at Professor Do and sitting down, looking all kinds of perfect. Baekhyun groaned and stomped over to him, determined to ask him why he was there, ruining his life on a day like this one.

 

“Hey, Park!” He shouted over the music, his eyes dark and his eyebrows furrowed. The guy next to Mr. Do looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and Moonbyul smirked from her seat next to them. Chanyeol lifted his head and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Byun. Hi?”

 

“Oh, so that’s Byun?” the tanned boy asked, turning his head to Professor Do, smiling at him. The man just rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

 

“Why the are you here, Park?” he asked, taking a step closer, stumbling over his feet a little. Chanyeol stood up, giving Moonbyul a look and holding back a smile.

 

“It’s a public place, Byun. What seems to be the problem?” he tilted his slightly.

 

“It was supposed to be my night!” he whined, “and you’re ruining it! Weren’t you supposed to have pizza at your place with your “friends” like the loser you are?”

 

“That’s… Is he always like this?” The tanned guy asked, looking at Kyungsoo.

 

“Never seen him out of school before today. I miss those times,” the professor snorted.

 

“You’re really drunk,” Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist and pulled him to the bar near the table. “Listen, you little . It’s a ing public place and I booked a table here for a party with my friends. I have no idea what you’re doing here, and I’m not interested in finding out,” he snapped and looked at him with his calmest and most professional expression, bending down a bit. Baekhyun felt his breath tickling his neck. “Is that clear?” he asked, lowering his voice.

 

“Don’t touch me, you er,” he answered, pulling on his arm and looking straight into Chanyeol’s eyes. “I can do whatever I want, sir.” he mocked him, not really impressed by his voice. It definitely was the alcohol talking. Sure, he hated his guts, but he also wanted to keep his job. As if calling his team member a er would help, whispered his slightly sober self.

 

“Then go. Why the have you even come to me? Just go anywhere else if my presence is bothering you that much,” Chanyeol narrowed his eyes, his features hardening.

 

“How about you stop telling me what to do?” he took a step closer, thinking it could be intimidating at least a little bit. It wasn’t. Baekhyun was too short, too drunk, and probably a bit too cute with his red cheeks and fluttering eyelashes.

 

“Oh, , stop being dumb.” the man rolled his eyes. He was towering over Baekhyun, who had to lift his head to actually look him in the eye. “ off now and I’ll try to forget about this, okay?”

 

“Or what, Park? You’re gonna go cry to your mom?” he said, his brain somehow granting him the memory of this very afternoon in the office.

 

“Oh, actually, why not? She may be interested in finding out the cute Byun is being a little after work.” Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, still looking up at him.

 

“See, that’s why nobody likes you.”

 

“What the is your deal?!” Chanyeol groaned, pushing him away and stepping in the direction of his table. His friends couldn’t hear them, but he could see them watching the scene. Baekhyun stumbled on his feet, grabbing onto the bar to not fall and watching him leave, rolling his eyes as he sat down with his friends. He turned around, ordering another drink, huffing. Damn you, Mr. Perfect, Park Chanyeol.

 

“What the…?”

 

“Don’t even ask me, he’s drunk and has a problem with me, God knows why,” Chanyeol shook his head, confused. “I don’t know why but the hates me.”

 

“Did you do something to make him hate you or is it just your general existence that pisses him off?” Jongin asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I think it’s the second option. I don’t even remember doing anything out of the ordinary…” he looked questioningly at his office friends. “Have you noticed anything today?” Wheein chuckled, looking at Moonbyul and then back at Chanyeol.

 

“Nothing really, he seemed impatient to… work with you.” She smiled mockingly before taking a sip of her drink.

 

“Oh, come on,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “I have no idea what to think of it,” he raised an eyebrow, turning to Hyejin. “I think he hasn't noticed you there, Mom.”

 

“Yup,” she shrugged. “I think we’ll give him a chance anyway. He’ll be mostly working from home anyway. Unless…?” she gave him a look, tilting her head.

 

“Nah, whatever. He’s okay at work so I think I’ll manage,” he huffed out a laugh. “But what the .”

 

“How mature of you,” Jongin said, chuckling a bit.

 

“I don’t know, man, he’s 20. That’s a full-on baby.”

 

“Who’s a baby?” Minseok asked, coming back from the bathroom with Yongsun and the both of them sitting down.

 

“Yeol’s new boyfriend,” Moonbyul answered, winking at them.

 

“Oh my god, Byul,” Chanyeol widened his eyes, looking at her in disgust. “I’d rather you than date this creep.”

 

“Don’t know if I should feel honored or disgusted,” she raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“Probably a bit of both,” Wheein said, smiling happily. “He’s leaving his gay life behind for you. He’s your baby brother though.”

 

“You guys have a weird relationship,” Minseok added, looking at the team.

 

“Possibly,” Chanyeol admitted, making a face at the girls. “Can we make a toast for me now and praise me and talk about how talented I am?” he pouted, raising his glass, his friends laughing and following him.

 

“You’re great, Chanyeol!”
 

“Congrats!”

 

“We’re so proud! But you !”

 

“With pleasure!” They clinked their glasses, downing their shots. Chanyeol smiled happily, frowning a little when he caught a glimpse of Baekhyun looking in his direction.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Baekhyun felt like dying. His legs hurt, his mouth was dry as a desert and he felt like his head was going to explode any minute now. The only good thing was that after a quick inspection he noticed that he was lying in his own bed. Sleeping with his shoes and jacket still on, lying on the duvet but at least it was his own room. Still, Baekhyun felt horrible and for a second he wished he had not been out the night before. He couldn’t actually regret it though, Jongdae and him had the time of their lives, dancing all night and although they did drink a bit too much, Baekhyun clearly remembered not making out with anyone weird — what surely was a big plus.

He stood up slowly, feeling like his body weighed 200 pounds, and he walked to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with his fists and looking for a mug in the cupboards. He wanted to die, and he wished there was a miracle cure for hangovers. There wasn't, and he just filled his mug with cold water, drinking it in one go.

 

After his third glass, he heard groaning from the other room. Jongdae seemed to have ended up in a similar condition.

 

"Baaaeeekhyun?"

 

He let out a groan, his head hurting and his entire body hating him. Nevertheless, he grabbed another mug — the glasses were too far from him — and filled it with water before heading to his best friend’s room. He grabbed some pills on the way, just in case Jongdae needed them later in the day, and he sat on the side of his bed, slightly slapping his roommate’s and handing him the mug.

 

“Stop being so loud,” he said, painfully.

 

"You stop too," Jongdae muttered, downing the glass in one go. "Oh, ." he plopped back on the bed with a painful whimper. "How did I get home?"

 

“ I wish I knew,” Baekhyun lay down, closing his eyes to fight against the sunlight which was killing him. “Last thing I remember I was dancing on the dance floor and you were with me and we were having a blast. I also remember not kissing anyone, which is a good point.” he put his leg around Jongdae, who nodded his head in response. “I brought painkillers if you want some later.” he sighed. “Also, I hate you, everything hurts and I wanna die.” he breathed out, whining when a car noise outside sounded way too loud.

 

", same," Jongdae glanced at his phone and closed his eyes with a deep sigh. "It's ing noon. I skipped all my classes today," he whined, failing to sound regretful. "What about yours? Are you going anywhere?"

 

“Well, I’m supposed to have my oil-painting class this afternoon buuuut…” He definitely was not in the right state to get scolded by professor Do.

 

"Yeeaah… Well, hear me out. We take showers, lie on the couch, and order pizza," Jongdae muttered in his pillow. "Cool?"

 

“, I am so ing in,” Baekhyun answered, turning his head towards Jongdae. “Even though I feel like pizza will definitely be regretted.”

 

"Oh, shut up. Do you wanna cook a meal yourself?" The blonde scrambled to get off the bed with a groan. Unlike Baekhyun, he managed to take off his shoes and change before falling asleep. "I wanna eat but I wanna throw up," he sighed, dragging himself to his closet. "Dear god…"

 

“What are you even doing?” Baekhyun felt like dying and he cursed at his phone which was pushing into his hip in his pocket. He pulled it out and threw it on the bed next to his face.

 

“Looking for my comfort clothes,” his friend grunted, pulling out a washed-out hoodie from his neatly organized closet. It looked old, was oversized, and even had a hole on the elbow but the boy didn’t seem to care. Baekhyun knew the hoodie – Jongdae had it since junior high and wore it every time he felt bad, claiming that it was the most comfortable piece of clothing he ever owned. Baekhyun thought it was the most disgusting piece of clothing he owned but there was nothing he could do about it.

 

Jongdae went to take a shower and Baekhyun’s phone lit up with a message notification.

 

 

From PCYuck: Hi. Did you get home safe?

 

“What the ?!” Baekhyun read the text and sat up quickly, regretting it instantly when his head started pounding. “Why the would he text me? How did he even know?!”

 

“What?” Jongdae’s head popped out from the bathroom door. “Who?”

 

“Park ing Chanyeol!” he exclaimed. He was about to answer the text when it all came back to him. His colorful words and the way he acted. His face was livid — more than it already was anyway — and he suddenly wished he was dead. Jongdae parted his lips to answer but didn’t say a word, looking at Baekhyun’s horrified face instead.

 

“Dude?” he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips. “Did… did something happen?”

 

“ me, Kim Jongdae! I’m so ing dumb, why the hell am I like this?!” He ran his hands in his hair and ruffled it with frustration. “I ing told him that he was a loser and that he was ruining my ing night!”

 

Jongdae looked at him, dumbfounded.

 

“W-What? You did… what?” he said quietly and shook his head, perplexed. “This is off your normal dumb spectrum! Why the would you tell him that?!”

 

“I don’t know! I was drunk and he was there looking oh so ing happy to ruin my ing life!” Baekhyun looked at his phone again, groaning and pondering whether he should answer or not. “And why the does he care about me getting home safe or not?!”

 

“I don’t know…” Jongdae furrowed his brows. “But why does it bother you so much that he was just sitting with his friends drinking beer? Why does suddenly this ruin your life?”

 

“You’re so ing useless Jongdae, it hurts,” he answered, typing angrily on his phone.

 

From Baekhyun: i did. thank you.

 

From Baekhyun: why?

 

From PCYuck: just making sure. you both went quite hard yesterday and we were a bit worried about you.

 

From PCYuck: i’m going to call you around 3 PM to talk about technical details for about an hour so i hope you’ll be ready.

 

“!” he shouted, falling back down on the bed. Jongdae winced, going back into the bathroom and leaving him alone in his misery. “Of course, you ing will! You’d do anything to ruin my ing life, you jerk!”

 

From Baekhyun:  i will. don't worry.

 

The rest of the day passed in a blur of Baekhyun and Jongdae self-hating themselves and the decisions they made the day before, eating pizza and watching random dramas on TV while Baekhyun was complaining, once again, about Park Chanyeol. He cursed him a lot, hating on a guy who actually did nothing — except exist. Jongdae gave him a few judging looks accompanied by deep sighs and unamused grunts.

 

“I don’t get what’s your problem with this guy, he’s cool. You’re only supposed to work with him anyway,” he murmured, stuffing his mouth with another slice of pizza.

 

“You’re just in love with the guy because he’s like your number one idol in the fashion world.” He let his head fall back on the backrest of the armchair. “He’s always mocking me, he’s a jerk.”

 

“He’s not. He’s quite funny, intelligent and talented. got a diploma with honors, did you know?” Jongdae raised his brows. “Of course, I like him, I’d totally want to be in his place in a few years. How old is he anyway?”

 

“I don’t know, like a hundred years old?” Baekhyun ignored the part about the honors. He couldn’t actually let himself admire Park Chanyeol. The boy clearly did not deserve Baekhyun’s admiration.

 

“He looks like he's 18 and 30 at the same time,” Jongdae pondered and winced when they heard Baekhyun’s phone ring way too loudly.

 

“Seems like the love of your life is at least punctual.” He stood up, rolling his eyes at his phone, and answered. “Hello?”

 

“Hello, Mr. Byun. What a pleasure to hear from you so soon,” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun could almost see him smirking.

 

“The pleasure is all mine.” It was clearly a lie and Baekhyun didn’t even try to hide it. He had already screwed up everything anyway, so there was no point in pretending anymore. Jongdae quirked an eyebrow at him.

 

“Hi, Chanyeol!” he shouted and Baekhyun heard Chanyeol snort.

 

“Tell Jongdae I said hi,” he cleared his throat. “Okay, can we start? I need to talk to you about the contract regarding the collaboration, the deadlines and tell you how we are going to work. That’s gonna take a while and you’ll probably need to make some notes. I’m going to send you an email with the essentials anyway but, you know, just in case.” Baekhyun left for his room, grabbing a notepad and sitting at his desk. He was ready to listen to him, ignoring his annoying voice. It wasn’t easy with his head pounding and his stomach acting weird. It could easily be the worst hangover of his life, he decided.

 

Chanyeol talked to him for about an hour, his voice a bit too monotonous for Baekhyun to stay focused the whole time. Mostly talking about the boring stuff regarding the contract, he got Baekhyun’s attention only when he mentioned that the boy was gonna get paid for his work and almost made him gasp when he heard the final amount he was going to earn. Besides that, they went through Baekhyun’s calendar, setting the few deadlines they needed for the project and he described the whole designing process to him so Baekhyun would understand everything well. Chanyeol was very particular and asked many questions, quickly making the boy dizzy and even more tired than he already was.

 

“Okay. Mr. Byun, are you with me? I think we’ve covered it all. Thank you for your time, I’m gonna send you the draft of the contract soon. Is everything clear?”

 

“It’s all clear…” Baekhyun was doodling on his notepad, wondering if he should ask the question turning in his head for a few hours now.

 

“Great. That’s all from me, then. Anything you’d like to ask?” Baekhyun sighed. Oh, what the hell, he thought.

 

“What did you mean by we went hard yesterday? It’s like, I’ve seen you for 5 minutes max, how do you even know that?”

 

Chanyeol fell silent for a minute and then hummed quietly.

 

“So you don’t even remember?”

 

“What? Yes, I remember. We talked, you pulled me away from your table and towards the bar, and then you went back and that was it.” Also said he was a loser, but he deemed it not necessary to talk about it.

 

“Oh, so you probably do remember what you told me,” Chanyeol said sarcastically, resigning from his practiced professional tone. “Well, that’s great news. For your information, you came back two hours later to do the same, face drunk, almost fell on me, and then I called you and your friend a cab home. You were so out of it you didn’t even protest.” He snorted with disgust. “Me, on the other hand, I remember every ing word you said to me. So, I hope you’re looking forward to working with me because I must say that I’m very excited, Mr. Byun.”

 

Baekhyun felt his heart drop at his feet, his face suddenly livid and his will to die bigger than ever. He did remember what happened earlier in the night, but drunk Baekhyun had done even worse and there was nothing he could actually do to fix that. Should he even apologize?

 

“It was… outside of the workplace…” he murmured as if it was a valid excuse.

 

“Of course it was,” Chanyeol laughed in his ear, unbothered. “But you know, the whole team was there. And I will try not to treat you any different just because you called me a er and a loser and told me that I’m ruining your life merely with my presence. I’m not so sure if I’ll be able to though, you know?” he mused. He clearly knew how Baekhyun felt and seemed more amused by it than actually bothered by all of the insults.

 

“I just… I… I was drunk, it’s not…” he tried, he clearly had nothing to say to get Chanyeol to understand him. Baekhyun should have known to keep his mouth shut. He definitely would not drink ever again.

 

“Yeah, I was too and you didn’t see me going around and telling people I hate them, kid. Well, if that’s all, I’m going to send you an email too. And you can get to work.” Kid. Baekhyun scoffed.

 

“I’m not a kid.”

 

“You’re acting like one, Mr. Byun. I need to go back to my actual work, they don’t pay me extra for arguing with our dear collaborators,” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun heard the rustling of papers on the other side. “It was a pleasure to talk to you, Mr. Byun,” he said, not even trying to sound like he didn’t lie, and hung up.

 

Baekhyun threw his phone on the desk, his head thrown back and his eyes on the ceiling. He still had a headache, his eyes stung, and he wanted to scream. He hated himself for the way he acted, but Park Chanyeol’s response was just a bit exaggerated. Acting as he had never been drunk and did a stupid thing. The old man was pissing him off and Baekhyun wondered how he was supposed to stay calm and professional when they’d be working together. He did scream, alarming Jongdae who came quickly into his room, rolling his eyes at his dramatic .

 

“Are you being dumb again or did something happen? , you talked for almost an hour and a half, what the hell?” Jongdae found an empty and considerably clean place on the floor to sit on. He ditched the unmade bed just in case.

 

“Jongdae, I wanna ing die,” he looked at him, begging him to kill him with his eyes. His friend smiled lopsidedly and tilted his head.

 

“Understandable.”

 

“You’re not helping, you jerkface.” Baekhyun stood up, walking to his bed and falling on it, face first, and started to explain everything to his best friend, his voice muffled by the pillow it was in. Jongdae listened to him carefully, playing with the dry brushes scattered on his side at Baekhyun’s easel. When Baekhyun was done, he sighed deeply.

 

“So, uh… how about… I make some tea?”

 

“Hm…” Baekhyun only said. He was actually worried, even if he acted like he was pissed off by the man, Baekhyun was wondering how things were going to be at work on Chanyeol’s side when the guy clearly hated him. Baekhyun knew how to behave well, or at least just enough, but his behavior the night before had put him on the spot, and there was no way his boss would trust him now. Not after seeing him talk like this to his teammate. Chanyeol’s opinion didn’t really count. Ms. Ahn’s opinion though, that’s what Baekhyun was worried about.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

After the unfortunate phone call, Chanyeol was back to his professional self. Baekhyun got an email as promised with the contract draft and all the necessary information and could start the work from the company. The only prospect of seeing the man was the meeting on which he was supposed to sign the contract but that, compared to his classes with Mr. Do, seemed a less pressing matter at the moment.

 

Baekhyun shouldn’t have been surprised to hear Mr. Do call for him at the end of his oil-painting lesson. He did miss a class with no excuse whatsoever, and if Mr. Do was nice enough to let it slide sometimes, it was Baekhyun, and the guy hated his guts — insulting his friend surely didn’t help either. He sighed, rolling his eyes behind his canvas, and put all his stuff in his backpack before walking up to his professor, his hands still stained from his paint. The rest of the students from his group packed and left, some of them glancing at him curiously.

 

“Well,” Mr. Do raised his brows slightly, looking at Baekhyun with his usual, emotionless expression. “Do you have any excuse for your absence from my Thursday classes?”

 

I think you know exactly why I wasn’t there, Baekhyun wanted to say. He didn’t though, he couldn’t possibly be too much of a brat with Professor Do, the guy was one of the best, and failing his class could put anyone in a really bad position.

 

“I wasn’t feeling well…” That wasn’t a lie, per se. The man just nodded.

 

“That’s what I suspected after seeing what state you were in the day before.” Baekhyun scrunched up his nose, not having any excuses anyway.

 

“I’m sorry…?” he said, almost asking if this was what his professor wanted to hear.

 

“Better than nothing,” Mr. Do sighed and looked at Baekhyun. “I really wish you’d treat your classes more seriously. As for the missed class and the, let me check,” he glanced at the paper on his desk “seven times you were late to my classes since the beginning of the semester, I would like you to attend two of the anatomy lessons that I conduct. Possibly, if it fits your schedule, the ones this Tuesday at 1 PM and on Friday, at 2 PM. You don’t have classes in these hours so I hope you can make it.”

 

“W-What?” Baekhyun asked, frowning at him. He did not have class, but he had a busy life now, working for Mintblueish and having to finish his art projects for uni. When was he even supposed to do that if he had to take two more classes, because what? He was late? He definitely hated life. “Mr. Do, I know that I tend to be late a lot but I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to attend those classes, you see I have a job now, and all those projects in my other classes.”

 

“This is just two times, Mr. Byun, I don’t ask you to attend for the whole semester. And your job surely isn’t that time-consuming for now. Coincidentally, I know exactly what you’re doing and I’m sure that four hours of your precious time won’t make a big difference,” Mr. Do leaned on the desk, pressing his lips in a tight line. It was really obvious to Baekhyun that he wouldn’t budge, and there was no point in arguing. He was the kind of guy who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Baekhyun stopped himself from rolling his eyes, his hand holding onto his backpack.

 

“Ok, I guess,” he answered, clearly pissed off. Professor Do must have forgotten what it was to have a life. Baekhyun definitely knew why Park Chanyeol and he were friends. They both were jerks.

 

“Great. See you tomorrow at 1 PM then.” The man turned away, giving Baekhyun a signal to leave.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

The first class Baekhyun had to attend wasn’t as bad as he expected it to be. The second, however, turned out to be his worst nightmare.

 

If the model from the first one was hot, had a stunning set of abs, and could definitely kill with his smile – he also seemed to be Mr. Do’s supposed boyfriend that Baekhyun had seen at the bar, which was great because it gave Baekhyun another thing to talk about when complaining about his professor. How dares he bring his boyfriend to class? On the other hand, the model from the second class was, for a lack of better words, Baekhyun’s worst nightmare. Standing there, in all his half- glory, the old man smiled sweetly at the students walking in and Baekhyun wanted to stab him with one of his sharp pencils.

 

“Our model, Ms. Lee is, unfortunately, absent,” Mr. Do announced when all the students took their places behind the easels. “Mr. Park will be filling in for her today,” he gave the group a small smile. “Mr. Park?”

 

Chanyeol nodded with a smirk and got in the pose possibly discussed with Mr. Do earlier on. He sat down on the floor on one knee, his elbow rested comfortably on the other knee and the other placed on the floor behind him. His muscled stomach was clearly visible but Baekhyun’s attention naturally went to his bare, flexed shoulders. The professor gave the students several tips on the perspective and sat behind his desk, letting them start the work.

 

Baekhyun was definitely not ready to draw him. He threw a dark look towards his professor, grabbing his pencil furiously and thanking whatever God existed for Park Chanyeol not being entirely . He hated this class, this day, and the two men in front of him more than ever, and started drawing Park Chanyeol, his eyebrows forming an unhappy frown and his lips puckered in the slightest pout. He wished he could die right now. Bleach his eyes. Disappear. But he couldn’t and he was reminded of that when he looked at his model again and met his gaze. Chanyeol raised a brow, looking at his deep frown, and shrugged almost unnoticeably, fixing his gaze on the wall in front of him. The student rolled his eyes again — he could almost hear Jongdae telling him to stop doing that — and focused on his canvas, watching Chanyeol’s figure take life on it. He hated seeing it becoming more and more realistic because he had now two Park Chanyeols when one was more than enough. He sighed to himself, slightly scratching his cheek and leaving a dark coal smudge on it. Professor Do stood up after fifteen minutes, walking around the room and giving advice and comments about the students’ work. Baekhyun hated the guy, but this was always the best part.

 

“You’re doing really well,” Baekhyun heard from behind. “You should pay more attention to the shoulders, though, they look too uneven,” Mr. Do nodded to him, moving on to the next student.

 

Of course, they did. Baekhyun was despising this class and clearly avoided looking at the man’s shoulders. They were too broad, too flexed, too delicious-looking. He sat up straighter, his eyes once again on Park Chanyeol’s body, looking at all the details. The muscles, the imperfections, the moles on his skin, and the scar going down his chest. He wondered how it got there, looked at it for a bit too long, and felt two round eyes looking at him, the chest slightly turning away from his view. He watched the toned shoulders lifting the slightest bit when the man sighed.

 

“Do? What time is it?”

 

“One more hour,” the professor smiled at his friend, glancing at his watch. “I told you it’s gonna take a while.”

 

“I feel like I’ve been here for a month already,” Chanyeol groaned, trying not to move too much. “I’m bored.”

 

“Shopping list?”

 

“Made already.”

 

“Plans for the next two weeks?”

 

“Done.”

 

“Then how about your life goals or making a list of your top ten favorite fruits?” Mr. Do gave him an amused smile and they both laughed quietly. The students seemed to be charmed as well. Baekhyun snorted, putting his pencil down and rubbing his smudged hands against one another. Honestly, he just wanted to escape Park Chanyeol for a few minutes. He also desperately needed to text Jongdae about it. He stood up and went out of the room, taking a deep breath, sighing at the end of it. He took his sweet time walking to the bathroom, pulling his phone out of his pocket after rubbing his hands on his shirt — it was already ruined anyway — and he typed a quick text to his roommate.

 

From Baekhyun: life’s definitely got something against me. it hates my guts.

 

From Jongdae: spill it sis

 

From Baekhyun: know how Do’s boyfie was the model for the anatomy class the other day?

 

From Jongdae: yeah, why?

 

From Baekhyun: he invited another friend today

 

From Baekhyun: wait are they friends?

 

From Baekhyun: they’re so old i’m just wondering if they’re hanging out together because they’ve got no one else

 

From Jongdae: they’re like 30 that’s not even old

 

From Jongdae: what’s with the friend

 

From Baekhyun: they’re ancient.

 

From Baekhyun: fart face is here

 

From Jongdae: park chanyeol????

 

From Baekhyun: the one and only

 

From Baekhyun: it’s like he’s following me

 

From Baekhyun: oh god what if he is

 

From Baekhyun: he’s one of those old s isn’t he

 

From Baekhyun: a creepy old ugly stalker

 

From Jongdae: or maybe your professor is his friend and he’s doing him a favor by modeling for his class??

 

From Jongdae: why would he follow such a dumb

 

From Baekhyun: have you seen me?

 

From Baekhyun: i’m a walking piece of art

 

From Baekhyun: i’m hot AND cute. one in a million babe.

 

From Jongdae: yeah sure someone is def delulu here but whatever

 

From Jongdae: wait is he

 

From Baekhyun: i’d be out there puking my guts out if he was

 

From Baekhyun: it’s already enough that he’s half-, i am: disgusted.

 

From Jongdae: disappoint

 

From Jongdae: your gay is probably dying here good luck

 

From Baekhyun: it’s dying of boredom and disappointment, nothing good to see.

 

From Jongdae: why the you lying

 

From Jongdae: we both know it’s not true so go and draw a nice pic for me to hang on the refrigerator

 

From Baekhyun: i’d rather live in the streets than have park chanyuck hanging on my fridge.

 

From Jongdae: then get out of my house

 

From Jongdae: leave the pic tho

 

From Baekhyun: watch me do it

 

 

Baekhyun knew he couldn’t possibly stay in the bathroom for hours, so after a few minutes, he washed his hands and walked back to the classroom, sitting in front of his easel. He grabbed his pencil, looked back at Chanyeol, and he started drawing again, hating the situation a bit more every minute. Mr. Do sat back behind his desk again, smiling at Chanyeol on his way from the other side of the classroom. The man seemed more and more bored, his eyes wandering around the faces of the students. The girls blushed immediately, the boys seemed a bit more perplexed than they should and Baekhyun frowned even more, his expression twisted with anger. He knew that Chanyeol was observing him quite openly now. He thought the scar was properly due to someone trying to kill him. He was an annoying jerk and that wouldn’t be surprising.

When Mr. Do finally announced the end of the class and nodded appreciatively at Baekhyun’s work, he felt so relieved he almost wanted to laugh. Chanyeol stood up, turning away from Baekhyun and stretching with a groan.

 

“Ugh, that was awful,” he muttered, grabbing his t-shirt. Another black piece, as Baekhyun noticed.

 

“Oh, don’t whine. It’s just two hours. And I’m very grateful.”

 

“You’re honestly lucky I love you.”

 

Baekhyun glanced at them from the corner of his eye, noticing Chanyeol already putting on his shirt and caressing his chest through the fabric at the exact place the scar was. The student raised an eyebrow. The man took a deep breath and he came up to Baekhyun with his best professional smile.

 

“Hi, Mr. Byun.” Baekhyun frowned, turning to him and wondering why the hell did he come to talk to him.

 

“Hi, sir.”

 

“I actually wanted to call you today but since you’re here… I wanted to ask when you are free.”

 

“Free?” he repeated after him. “Why?”

 

“I still need you to sign the contract. Have you read it already?” Chanyeol raised one brow, giving him a quick once-over. Baekhyun looked down at his backpack, his hands still full of pencils. He put them back in, and almost scoffed at Chanyeol’s question. He did read it. As soon as he got it.

 

“I did,” he zipped his bag, “several times,” he added, wanting to prove Park Chanyeol that he was not a kid. Chanyeol held back a smile, blinking.

 

“Is everything okay with it? Since you’ve gone through it several times…” Baekhyun breathed through his nose, his teeth clenched. He wondered how it was possible for Park Chanyeol to be more and more condescending every day.

 

“Just wanted to make sure it was okay for me. Nothing’s wrong.”

 

"Does that mean you want to sign it, then?"

 

“Yes, of course, I do.” He raised an eyebrow, looking up at the guy.

 

"I'm actually heading to the office right now. So if you're free now, you could come with me and we could both get it over with," Chanyeol offered. His tone was neutral, friendly even, but Baekhyun could see his slightly narrowed eyes and the way he looked at him as if he dared him to say something mean.

 

“I mean, I guess?” Baekhyun answered, glancing at the time on his phone. He didn’t have anything to do for the rest of the day, but he wasn’t going to tell him that. He pretended to be busy, thinking about whether or not he had enough time to go with him — he did, but the man did not need to know. He wanted Park Chanyeol to think he was a professional adult, and those people had a busy schedule. “Yeah, I should be able to join you.”

 

"Oh, thank you for sacrificing your precious time, Mr. Byun," Chanyeol smiled and curtsied slightly, motioning to the door. "Can we meet at the main gate in five minutes? I need to talk to Kyungsoo real quick," he said in his normal voice, an amused smile still lingering on his lips. Baekhyun’s eyes fell on his lips for a few seconds. He then looked back up again, meeting Chanyeol’s eyes.

 

“Yeah, we can. I can take the bus too.”

 

"No need. We're going to the same place anyway," the man observed him carefully. There was no way he didn't notice the quick glance and he seemed just a tiny bit confused by it. He turned to Mr. Do and Baekhyun left the classroom, stomping slightly, almost huffing at the idea of sharing a car with Park Chanyeol. It did mean being alone with him for way too long with no escape whatsoever. Baekhyun didn’t like the idea.

 

Chanyeol arrived a couple of minutes after Baekhyun and motioned for him to follow him to the parking without a word. He fished out a remote from his pocket and pressed the button. Baekhyun saw a large jeep blinking its lights and Chanyeol opened the door, throwing his bag on the backseat.

 

"Hop in."

 

Baekhyun did exactly that. Taking off his backpack, he sat down on the passenger seat, fastening his belt and keeping his bag in his lap as if it would protect him from Park Chanyeol in any way. Why did he have to be with him again? Baekhyun felt out of place next to the man. His clothes were covered in paint, his hands and probably face too — he knew he had a tendency to touch it a lot when he was painting or drawing, Jongdae pointed it out a lot — and his hair was a mess from running his fingers in it way too much. He thought about how he was dressed the very first time he went to Mintblueish, and he realized everything was probably ruined now. He sighed, glanced at Park Chanyeol, his black shirt hugging his figure perfectly and his pair of ripped blue jeans — for once it wasn’t black — making his legs look longer than ever — as if the jerk needed it, seriously?

Baekhyun was a mess and all his efforts from the very first meeting — Jongdae’s efforts really — were now ruined.

 

"You look… distressed," Chanyeol murmured, fastening his seatbelt and starting the car. "And you have coal on your face. I probably got some wet wipes in the glove box if you need them." There was no reason for Baekhyun to be so pissed off by Chanyeol saying this. He just felt like the guy was mocking him again. He opened it, fished out the wipe, a few other items falling from it at the same time. He went to gather them when his eyes fell upon a bottle of lube, rather used if you asked him. He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Park Chanyeol. He was playing the confident card, but his cheeks were already blushing the slightest at the idea of Park Chanyeol ing in his car. He cleared his throat, putting everything back in slowly, the lube still between his fingers together with the packet of wipes. Was Park Chanyeol even ually active at his age?

 

"Sorry, it's a mess," Chanyeol smiled lopsidedly, focused on driving. He glanced at Baekhyun's hands when he stopped the car on traffic lights and blinked, seemingly a bit embarrassed for a second, but quickly plastering his best smile on. "Well, you can take that too, if you need it, I guess."

 

“I don’t see anyone I would need to use that with right now so I guess I’ll just leave it there, you know, rotting.” He added, putting it back in the glove box and pulling on a wipe to clean his face.

 

"Rotting? Now that's an insult," Chanyeol scoffed, muttering something under his breath.

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes behind the wipe and rubbed his cheek with it, trying to get rid of the coal smudge.

 

"I saw that."

 

“Crazy, you have eyes,” he muttered under his breath.

 

"You really don't need to be talking so much , you know," Chanyeol sighed, making a turn and turning the wheel with one hand.

 

“Just trying to get to your level so you’d feel less alone, you know.” All hell broke loose, Baekhyun realized suddenly.

 

"And what do you think is my level, kid?" Chanyeol’s voice remained calm but Baekhyun could see his brows furrowing slightly.

 

“Really low, sir.”

 

"Could you please elaborate on that, Mr. Byun?"

 

“I would rather not, Mr. Park.”

 

Chanyeol pressed his lips in a thin line, his frown deepening.

 

"Well, okay. But don't get angry over me calling you a kid if you act like one," he snapped. Baekhyun scoffed.

 

“‘K, old man.”

 

"No way. You think I'm old?"

 

“You’re like a hundred years old.”

 

"I'm 27. That's just seven years difference," Chanyeol glanced at Baekhyun and rolled his eyes.

 

“You were a full-on grown man with a diploma when I was in high school. You’re old.”

 

"That was like 3 years ago!" Chanyeol bridled, irritated.

 

“Excuse me, Mr. Park, I didn’t mean to trigger anything.” he smiled proudly.

 

"Yeah, sure, you little . Get out, we're here," the man groaned, parking the car in one move. They were in an underground parking below the headquarters building. "Damnit, why are you trying so hard to piss me off?"

 

“I’m not trying, I’m succeeding.” he smiled, opening the door and getting out of the car. Chanyeol grabbed his black bag and locked the doors, giving Baekhyun a look. He parted his lips to say something and then just closed them, turning away. He didn't even check if Baekhyun was following him, going through the parking in long strides. The student had to jog to actually catch up to the tall man.

 

Baekhyun was actually kinda proud of himself for shutting the man up. He walked behind him, a proud smile on his face and a trot in his steps. When they finally arrived in the building, Chanyeol directly went to great Yixing who was sitting behind the reception desk, a smile on his face as he saw them. His smile faltered a little when he met Chanyeol's eyes.

 

"Hi, Yeol, everything o…"

 

"Give him the badge," the man grumbled, interrupting his friend. "Later."

 

"Okay," Yixing nodded seriously, passing Baekhyun the Guest badge and raising his eyebrows a little. "Good morning."

 

“Good morning,” Baekhyun smiled happily, grabbing the badge and putting it around his neck. Chanyeol led him to the office, looking straight and ignoring Baekhyun completely.

 

"Hi, babe," Chanyeol smiled happily when he saw Wheein making coffee. "Could you please…"

 

"Yeah, of course," the girl chuckled, grabbing another mug as soon as they came in.

 

"Love you!"

 

Baekhyun looked at them, raising an eyebrow at their interaction. They really were close.

 

“My baby’s finally here!” Moonbyul said happily, walking towards them. “How was it? Did they all drool over your hot bod’?” She put her hand on Chanyeol’s arm, winking at him.

 

"Hi, cutie," Chanyeol smiled lopsidedly. "Well, can I not answer that question? I don't wanna make you jealous." He squeezed her hand lightly and went to his booth to go through the papers on his desk.

 

"Oh, hello." Wheein tilted her head slightly, looking at Baekhyun. She seemed friendly but a bit reserved at the same time. Placing an extra mug in front of the seat next to her, she sat down with her coffee, looking through a set of colorful sketches.

 

“Hello,” Baekhyun smiled politely, bowing a little.

 

“It’s fine, you’re still mine anyway,” Moonbyul added cheekily, making Chanyeol laugh, and turned to Baekhyun. “Hi, it’s nice to see you again. Hope you’re not drunk this time, though,” she smiled, winking again.

 

“I’ll behave,” he smiled politely again, even though he obviously wanted to roll his eyes at the girl. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”

 

"I wish you'd act the same like 10 minutes ago." Chanyeol scoffed, taking his place next to Wheein and sipping his coffee.

 

“I wish you’d deserve it,” he whispered to himself and heard a small laugh behind him. There stood a girl he had never seen before, her long blond hair falling on her shoulders beautifully. Baekhyun guessed she was the last member of the team.

 

"Hi, you must be Baekhyun? I'm Yongsun," she stretched out her hand.

 

“Yes, it’s me. It’s nice to meet you.” He shook her hand with his almost clean one, smiling softly.

 

"Nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you," she smiled in return and went to sit by the table. "Hey, don't stand here, come sit with us!"

 

"Hi, baby! Yeah, Mr. Byun, your contract is ready," Chanyeol raised a brow and smirked to Yongsun, passing his coffee to her.

 

Moonbyul sat down, crossing her legs and pushing her hair behind her shoulder. She smiled at the student, inviting him to sit with her eyes. He nodded, ignoring Chanyeol, and went to sit down as far as possible from the man, who snorted, shaking his head.

 

"Moonbyul, darling, could you please pass the documents to Mr. Byun for me?" Chanyeol asked, handing the girl the papers.

 

“Anything for you honey, you know that.” She took them and handed them to Baekhyun, offering him a smile.

 

"Mr. Byun, there's your contract, NDA, and the personal information clause. Could you please sign that for me?"

 

“Yes, sir,” Baekhyun answered, taking one last look at the contract. Chanyeol exchanged a look with Moonbyul, clearly annoyed and trying his best to stay calm. The student thanked her for handing him a pen, and he signed the papers carefully.

 

"Marvelous," the man sighed quietly when she handed him back the papers. "Here are your copies signed by Ms. Ahn and our dear boss. Questions?"

 

“I don’t think I do…” Baekhyun was thinking for a moment, realizing how big this really was. He bit down on his lower lip. Wheein frowned a little, looking at him and then glancing at her teammates. Chanyeol cocked up his eyes.

 

“Is everything okay, Mr. Byun?” Yongsun asked, tilting her head a little.

 

“Y-Yeah,” he smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, I’m fine.”

 

"You seem really stressed. We don't bite, you know," Wheein gave him a small smile, lifting her head from her sketches.

 

"Speak for yourself," Chanyeol muttered, taking the papers and going into his booth. He would have been pissed at the guy if it was any other moment, but Baekhyun looked up from the papers, seeing the girls smile at him. “I’m just… I just realized that this was real and… I mean… it’s a really big opportunity.”

 

The girl smiled at him reassuringly.

 

"I know, it must've been a big decision for you, right? How old are you, actually?"

 

“I’m twenty,” he smiled at her, “it’s actually the first time I’m making a big decision like this one.” Moonbyul glanced at Chanyeol.

 

“Ooh, you’re so young!” Yongsun cooed. “Yeol told us you’re a student. What’s your major?”

 

“Illustration. I really like working with different supplies and techniques.” he smiled.

 

“Illustration? That sounds great!”

 

“It really is, it is super fun and challenging.”

 

“What’s your favorite technique?” Wheein chimed in, smiling.

 

“Oil-painting, definitely!” he seemed excited just thinking about it.

 

"Oh, you must show us your other works sometimes, then. Would you like a coffee?"

 

“Oh, I don't want to bother you, you must have a lot of work…” he glanced at Chanyeol, thinking he wouldn’t care that much about annoying him.

 

"No, no, it's okay. Yongsun and I are quite free now anyway," she smiled and stood up to come up to the coffee machine. "Black or white?"

 

“White, please,” he smiled. So much for having a busy schedule, a voice on the back of his mind said. He ignored it; it was part of the job to get to know his teammates. Chanyeol glared at him from his booth and went out of the office, a thick file in hands. Baekhyun looked at him go, proud to know he pissed him off almost as much as Chanyeol pissed off Baekhyun.

 

"So… About Chanyeol…" Wheein began, making his coffee. Moonbyul glanced at her.

 

“What about Mr. Park…?”

 

"What do you… think about him? You've got to know each other a little, haven't you?" Baekhyun raised an eyebrow.

 

“He’s… good at his job…?” At least the guy had that going for him, he thought. Moonbyul laughed.

 

"Oh, and how would you know that?" Wheein giggled. "But apart from that...?"

 

“He’s been really clear about what you guys want and about what I need to do. There is no confusing point, he explained everything properly.” Baekhyun looked at her, “I don't know much more about him,” except for him being a jerk and owning a tube of lube that he put in the glove box of his car. Who does that?

 

Wheein glanced at Moonbyul, raising her brows a little. Moonbyul smirked discreetly.

 

"Not a talker, are you?"

 

“I mean, I usually am, I just really… have nothing to say about Mr. Park…” He could say a lot of things, but he wasn’t sure they’d like that.

 

"I'm disappointed, I was counting you for a little gossip", Yongsun pouted cutely. Moonbyul pinched her cheek, cooing at her. Baekhyun chuckled, she was adorable, for sure.

 

“What kind of gossip are you looking for?” He clearly wouldn’t mind telling them about the lube.

 

"Everything! Also, you know, we're just curious, since he… I mean, just curious," Wheein shrugged and placed the mug in front of him. "Here you go, darling."

 

“Thank you… hm… I’m sorry I don’t actually know your name?” Yongsun smiled at him when he glanced at her, being the only one who introduced herself to him.

 

"Haven't we introduced? I'm so sorry, I'm Wheein," she smiled sheepishly. "And this is Moonbyul." The said girl lifted a hand, smiling at him.

 

“You can call us by our names, don’t worry,” Yongsun added with a smile.

 

“Thank you, Yongsun.” He answered cutely.

 

“So, you were saying, about Yeol?” Moonbyul asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking a little.

 

“Actually, I wasn’t saying anything… I only know a few things about him… some of them he wouldn’t want me to talk about, probably,” he added, secretly hoping it would spark their curiosity. Yongsun joined him by the table, placing a huge file full of pictures on it, and started organizing them, nodding.

 

"Oh, really?"

 

“Some of them I only learned about today…” he took a sip of his coffee, innocently.

 

"Don't tease, just spill!" Wheein chuckled, looking at the boy.

 

“Are you sure you're ready for that…?” he asked, playing with the pen he used to sign the contract.

 

“Oh, Mr. Byun, we’re ready for everything,” Moonbyul answered, tucking her hair behind her ear. He looked at the other girls, waiting for their answer. Both smiled appreciatively.

 

“Well he kindly offered me to clean my hands and face with wet wipes in his car,” he added a tone to the kindly, making sure it was ironic enough, “since I was leaving anatomy class I had coal all over them. There were a lot of things in the glove box, that aren’t supposed to be there…?” Moonbyul raised an eyebrow and Yongsun leaned in his direction.

 

"Has Yeol put his toys in here again?"

 

"Oh, he must've scared you!" Wheein shook her head.

 

“It actually only was lube, I’ve seen worse.” He straightened a bit on his chair, looking at them with interest. “What do you mean, his toys?”

 

"Oh, you know, just stuff.” she turned her head to Moonbyul. "You should scold him for scaring our dear collaborator."

 

“I’ll punish him, baby, don’t worry about it.” She winked again, looking at Baekhyun and smirking. At the same time, the door to the office had opened and Chanyeol entered again, this time with empty hands.

 

"What?" he blinked when he saw everyone's eyes on himself. He made a face when he got no answer and went to his booth, taking his unfinished coffee with him. Moonbyul stood up and walked up to him. She slid her hand on his arm, her other hand going up to his sticking-out ear and pinching it.

 

“I thought I told you to put away your toys and lube, honey?” She scolded him.

 

"Byun, you snitch!" Chanyeol groaned and made his best puppy eyes to Moonbyul. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It was just the lube though, I think. The kid's not traumatized."

 

“Not a kid,” Baekhyun added.

 

"Then stop acting like one," Chanyeol murmured loud enough for him to hear and gave the girl a peck on the tip of her nose. Baekhyun frowned at the sight. Moonbyul smiled sweetly, kissing Chanyeol’s cheek from the tip of her toes.

 

“You’re just so old that you think everyone who is younger than you is a kid. You’re ancient.” He groaned, taking a sip of his coffee. Yongsun looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

 

"You do realize you're insulting all of us right now?"

 

“They’re all looking young and beautiful. They could be in my class as models or students, nobody would notice.” He looked at him pointedly. “Unlike you.” He muttered under his breath.

 

“You’re flattering us,” Yongsun answered, blushing a bit.

 

"You're such a ," Chanyeol sat by his desk, waving at Moonbyul. "Leave the old man, darling, he needs to work. I'm almost dying anyway," he said dramatically, throwing his head back and taking out a sketchpad.

 

“Ha, I’ll leave you for now, but don’t die on me, we would all be sad.” She put his hair away and kissed his forehead sweetly. Baekhyun was watching them, his mug still in his hand and his frown deepening slightly.

 

"I'll try but I don't think my poor heart can take your beauty."

 

“I know the feel, I think mine will explode one day because of your handsome face.” Baekhyun scoffed, Yongsun glanced at him.

 

"Oh, stop this, you two," Wheein giggled and turned to Baekhyun, exchanging a look with her friend. "They're always like this, you'd get used to that."

 

“How great,” he put on a fake smile. Seeing Park Chanyeol was one thing, watching him flirt like a teenager in love for the very first time was another one. It was annoying, the slightest disgusting, and honestly, he thought Moonbyul deserved better.

 

“I’ll let you work, you’ve got a lot to do and for you to do your best and show us how talented you are, you need to stay focused.” Moonbyul smiled, ruffling Chanyeol’s hair. The man smiled that boyish smile of his, starting his sketch.

 

"Well, tell us more about yourself, we'd love to get to know you more."

 

“Oh… I don’t know, what would you want to know?” He glanced at Chanyeol one last time before smiling at the girls.

 

"Everything you want to tell us!"

 

“I…” He thought about it for a bit. What could he really say about himself? Who he was had already been tackled; a 20-year-old student in illustration, who lives for his art and likes to piss off his coworker — boss? What even was Chanyeol to him?

 

“Since when do you paint?” Yongsun asked, smiling softly at him.

 

“Oh. I’ve been painting since I was about 14? I was used to only using a sketchpad and a pencil but when I discovered what paint and brushes could do I just fell in love with it.” he was passionate and it showed in his voice and the glimmer in his eyes.

 

"What do you like to paint the most?" Wheein sipped her coffee, tilting her head. They were all friendly to Baekhyun and although he saw them sharing a few looks he didn't exactly understand, it was nice to sit in this nice, clean office with the crazy booths in view and the smell of coffee in the air.

 

“Usually I like to paint people, I really like to portray emotions with my art.”

 

"Oh, so you must've had fun drawing our Yeollie today," Yongsun grinned. "You study illustration though. What would you like to make illustrations for the most?"

 

“I don’t know yet, I’m honestly just having fun with learning all those techniques, that’s mostly why I chose this major. Maybe I’ll find something that I like later on…”

 

"Oh, you sure will! You're still young and you have lots of time to choose!" Wheein smiled. Chanyeol came out of his booth, walking up to what Baekhyun thought was a wall panel and opening it. He found a mannequin that he was looking for and placed it in the corner of the room.

 

"Aaand there goes our clean office," Yongsun let out a fake sigh, glancing at the man taking out a few fabric sheets.

 

"Sowwy," he murmured with colorful pins in his mouth, draping the fabric on the mannequin, checking the colors. Baekhyun noticed his own cloud pattern printed on one of them. He felt weird, yet there was pride flowering in his chest. It was the first time he had a chance to see his piece out there.

 

"Anyway, it's great that you're trying out new stuff. You can make plans but never actually know, where you’re gonna end up. Like me. I always thought I was gonna be a lawyer and look at me now."

 

“You wanted to be a lawyer?” Baekhyun asked, frowning. He had a hard time believing that. She looked in her element here.

 

"Yeah, my parents are both lawyers and I really wanted to carry the legacy, you know?" Yongsun smiled, shaking her head. "Chanyeol was supposed to be a musician and Wheein here… Well, she almost became a model but decided to get on the other side instead. So, you really never know," she chuckled. He was a bit taken aback when she mentioned Park Chanyeol almost becoming a musician. He could easily imagine him on stage, a guitar around his neck and his long fingers running on the cords. He pulled a face, hating the image invading his brain so suddenly, and he tried to focus on everything else she told him.

 

They talked for almost another hour and the girls told him their stories, laughing and joking around. Behind them, Chanyeol walked around the mannequin, taking pictures, adding details to his sketches, and sometimes just standing there, frowning with pins stupidly sticking out of his mouth, pressing on his plump lips. Baekhyun glanced at him from time to time, his eyes wandering all over him and the mannequin he was working on. He was a bit starstruck by how fast he was working, and how good it was looking. Baekhyun had only seen Jongdae working on designs, and if his best friend was really good at it, it was far more fascinating to watch Chanyeol’s expert hands work. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing, and it was hard for him to tear his gaze away from the slim fingers caressing, draping, and folding the pieces of fabric. The theme for the collection was sky and clouds in shades of white, light blue, and purple and so Chanyeol worked on matching the fabric with colors and shapes. He finally joined them, wrapping a strip of fabric with a print of lilac clouds that Baekhyun painted in oil around Moonbyul’s forearm. She was wearing a simple black denim jacket and Chanyeol fished out his phone out of his back pocket to take a picture. The girl didn't even react when he positioned her hand in the way he wanted it, wrapping the fabric around the seam.

 

Yongsun chuckled softly and looked up at the man. His hair was disheveled and he still had some pins sticking out of his shirt here and there. He met her gaze, smiling happily.

 

"I like the theme so much, look at it," he pointed to Moonbyul's arm and kissed his model on the top of the head. "Thanks, babe."

 

“I’m here for you, Love.” She smiled.

 

"I know, what would I do without you?" he smiled softly in return, sitting down next to her and taking the colorful pins out of his shirt. He raised a brow, when he noticed Baekhyun, still sitting here with the girls.

 

“Find someone else and regret it for the rest of your life probably,” she chuckled.

 

"That's never gonna happen, babe. Who would sew all my stuff as well as you?"

 

“Is that the only reason?” She raised an eyebrow.

 

"...and be that beautiful, funny, clever, and cute at the same time?" Chanyeol laughed, earning a smack on the shoulder. Rolling her eyes, Wheein nudged him on the side. "Oh, Mr. Byun. I thought you were very busy today and hardly found time to meet me," he blinked at Baekhyun, faking shock.

 

"Oh, give the boy a break…"

 

"Never. That's a valid question, Miss." He rested his chin on his hand, looking all kinds of innocent. "Change of very important plans, I believe?" Baekhyun looked at him, breathing through his nose.

 

“My plans were canceled. It happens.”

 

"Oh, were they?" the man asked with exaggerated interest in his voice. "Truly curious coincidence," he stated, placing his sketchpad on the table, pencil in his hand.

 

“Had to, when Professor Do forced me to attend his anatomy class.” he looked Chanyeol in the eye, “A very boring one at that.” Wheein’s eyes went from him to Chanyeol.

 

"I'm sorry I wasn't too entertaining, sitting in one pose for two hours. Also, you told me you were busy after the class, so I believe Mr. Do had nothing to do with that." Chanyeol smirked, his eyes not leaving Baekhyun's. The student thought fast enough to not look like Chanyeol had caught him.

 

“Jongdae texted me that he was too busy working on his project for us to hang out.”

 

"Still not Mr. Do's fault," the man noticed, humming lowly. "But okay, sure, Mr. Byun. Next time I want you to sign a thousand-dollar contract with my company I'll be sure to ask if you don't have plans to hang out with your friends instead. Plans of undeniable importance."

 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” he looked at Chanyeol, a glimmer in his eyes. The man tilted his head, his features softening a bit.

 

"Yeah, you are," he said slowly, finally tearing his gaze away and going back to his sketch. Wheein blinked, looking at Moonbyul, seemingly a bit perplexed. Moonbyul chuckled, grabbed her phone, and typed a rapid text, making Chanyeol’s phone chime a few seconds later. Baekhyun looked at the both of them.

 

Chanyeol unlocked his phone, raising a brow.

 

From Byullie: are you gonna him right here right now or…?

 

"Byul, what the actual ?!" Chanyeol blinked, looking at the girl in surprise.

 

“What? I’m sure we’re all wondering here,” she smiled innocently, Baekhyun looking at her and not having a clue about what was happening.

 

"You're awful, all of you," Chanyeol shook his head, typing on his phone.

 

∆Office∆

 

yeollie: i love you all but

 

yeollie: what the

 

hyejinnie: what's happening there

 

byullie: yeollie’s hungry :)

 

yongsunnie: moon!

 

byullie: just sayin’ it like it is

 

yeollie: I'M NOT I HATE THIS GUY HE'S AWFUL

 

wheeinnie: but you said he was cute like one week ago??

 

yeollie: IT WAS BEFORE THE CLUB AND NOW I HATE HIM

 

byullie: who’s the kid now

 

yongsunnie: stop ignoring him, he’s gonna think we’re talking about him

 

byullie: we are babe

 

yeollie: HE KNOWS WE ARE

 

yeollie: YOU TALK TO HIM HE'S NOT MY GUEST

 

Yongsun held back a smile.

 

"I'm so… sorry, Baekhyun. Urgent issues," she said, a bit embarrassed when she realized they've been ignoring Baekhyun for a bit too long.

 

“Oh… it’s okay,” he said and then look at the time on his phone, “I should probably go anyway…”

 

"Don't worry about this, okay?" Wheein smiled at him. "And come by when you're around again, hm?"

 

“I don’t wanna be a bother,” he said slowly, looking at the two girls.

 

"You're really not. We'll always be happy to see you, darling," the girl reached through the table to squeeze his hand lightly. "And it was great to meet you, really."

 

Chanyeol looked up from his sketchpad, tilting his head and biting his lower lip. His expression unreadable, he watched Baekhyun for a while, shook his head, lowering his gaze when their eyes met. Baekhyun looked back at Wheein and Yongsun, their pretty smiles still in place and a slim feminine hand still holding onto his.

 

“Thank you so much, it was really great meeting you too… I’m so glad I’m gonna be working with you.” The girls smiled at him and Wheein pinched his cheek on her way to the coffee machine.

 

"It was great to meet you too. And I'm serious, come by whenever you want."

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Baekhyun stayed for probably another hour, chatting with the girls and glancing at Park Chanyeol’s sketchpad. He hated to admit it, but the guy really was talented. Apart from the fact that he obviously knew how to work with different patterns and fabrics, Chanyeol’s sketches were really good and he genuinely liked the clothes slowly coming into shape on the paper. Delicate yet powerful. There was something so perfectly discreet in them, and Baekhyun loved it more than he’d like to say. He looked at the guy drawing on his paper, everything coming to life before his eyes. This was what he loved the most about watching people drawing. The slow and so perfectly magical moment when the drawing finally made sense. Chanyeol’s sketches were more than good and he realized it wasn't surprising that the boy graduated with honors.

 

When he finally arrived home, Jongdae was in his room, working on his project and not even sparing a glance at Baekhyun who came in to greet him. He was used to it and he simply smiled, quickly putting together a snack and a cup of tea and placing them on Jongdae’s desk so the boy would have something to eat. Then he went to his room, shrugging off his clothes and putting on a comfortable pair of a bit too long sweatpants, which, once upon a time, belonged to his brother. Baekhyun looked around the room, searching for something — he wasn’t really sure what — and he finally walked to his easel, putting on it a brand-new canvas and grabbing his brushes and acrylic paint. If he usually would first draw the outlines, today Baekhyun just went with the flow, letting his hand conduct the brush on the canvas, his mind still wandering over the afternoon in the Mintblueish office. He had fun, a lot of it, and even if seeing Park Chanyeol for so long did piss him off at times, there was something so different from the Chanyeol he had met in the car and the one holding a pencil over his sketchpad. He couldn’t keep himself from thinking about it. He was glad to have met them all. The girls were nice, fun and even if there were times he did not understand their inside jokes, he barely felt left out, Yongsun and Wheein always trying to make him a part of the conversation. Actually, the weirdest part about this afternoon had to be seeing Moonbyul and Chanyeol flirt shamelessly, touching hands and kissing cheeks, throwing pet names here and there and all in all being all lovey-dovey with each other. Again, Baekhyun thought it was funny how they seemed to get along so well when Moonbyul was so nice and adorable, and Chanyeol such a condescending jerk. He had never really imagined that Park Chanyeol could have a lover or any type of life out of work. It was weird, and Baekhyun didn’t know what to do with this information. He quickly grabbed his mug and started drinking from it, spitting it back into it as soon as the paint water touched his tongue. It wasn’t the first time it happened, yet it always pissed Baekhyun off. He went to rinse his mouth, came back and look at his mugs properly, picking up one of them and drinking his warm tea from it before looking back at his canvas and starting painting again, his mind on one certain giant and his petite girlfriend.

 

He snapped out of his painting trance only when Jongdae stomped into the room. He knew that his friend was finishing his pieces already – he had told him that but Baekhyun was never allowed to see his works unless Jongdae thought that they were worth showing. He hadn't seen much of the clothes he was supposed to model yet, guessing the progress by the silence and dark shadows under Jongdae's eyes.

 

"I'm almost ready for the final fitting," the boy murmured. "I ed up the sleeves and I had to sew them all over again today, can you believe?" He sighed, putting a piece of fabric to Baekhyun's leg. "Perfect."

 

“I’m sure it’ll be great anyway, you really have a good eye for these kinds of things. I’m a bit scared about what you’re gonna make me wear but I know it’ll look great,” he chuckled.

 

Jongdae stood up, glancing at the canvas in front of Baekhyun. It was almost completely covered in paint, a predominant beige color covering most of it, forming a broad pair of toned shoulders. He wasn’t used to Baekhyun painting things like this. Faces, and emotions – these were his favorite, usual themes. A pair of broad shoulders, a firm chest, and, for some reason, a scar visible along the line of muscles. All of that was new to him and what he found even weirder was how capable Baekhyun was of putting so many emotions in something so simple. In the way, the chest was holding itself up, turned to the side a little bit. Still, he was a bit taken aback by Baekhyun’s sudden desire to paint this. It was not a school project, that he knew. Baekhyun and Jongdae would always talk about their projects and this wasn’t a part of it.

 

"Baek…? What's this?" Jongdae asked carefully, looking at the painting behind him.

 

“Hm?” He turned around and looked at his painting. “Oh, this?” He tilted his head a little. “I don’t know, I just got… inspired out of the blue…” He observed the canvas, his eyes following the scar, and they widened a little.

 

"Oookay? It's a bit different, I think."

 

“Yeah… It really is, isn’t it?” He bit down on his lower lip, his fingers fumbling with his brush.

 

"So, who's that? Are you gonna go full gay and draw guys now?" Jongdae snorted, waving his hand before Baekhyun's eyes. "Hello, Earth. Damn, you look like a maniac when you paint like this."

 

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun finally turned to his friend, blinking. “You were saying?”

 

"You mean the part on gay ?"

 

“Gay ?” He raised an eyebrow.

 

"I asked if you were gonna go full gay and paint guys now. Who is this anyway?" Jongdae sighed deeply, looking at Baekhyun turning to the canvas and putting his brush into his cold tea.

 

“No one?” He looked up at the painting again, sighing silently. “It just came up to me. It's supposed to show the struggles in your battle against your own insecurities, doubts. Your inner demons, and your reluctance of accepting what is already a part of you.”

 

"Oh. Okay. Mine was funnier but okay,' Jongdae smiled happily. "I really like it, you should hang it here somewhere. We still have a free space in the kitchen," he offered. Baekhyun blinked, once or twice.

 

“Hanging it? Hm, it’s not even finished yet…”

 

"Then finish it and then we'll do that. I love it and I think it would look great in this space above the table," Jongdae looked at the piece, tilting his head. "Also, daaamn. Now can you come for a fitting before I start drooling over smeared paint?"

 

Baekhyun chuckled and looked at himself. “I should probably take a shower first, I don’t want to ruin your creations.”

 

"Do that. I need you to actually wear them today," Jongdae took a deep breath. "This is gonna be a big moment, so get ready. By the way, have I told you that Chanyeol found me a photographer? His friend is gonna help me and take the pics for us. He didn't even want money, I'm just supposed to treat him to a dinner in exchange, can you believe it?!" he smiled, relief clearly visible on his tired face. "I'm so ing grateful."

 

“Oh, really?” Baekhyun exclaimed, ignoring the fact that Chanyeol was the one, who had found someone for him. “I’m so happy for you, Dae, this is so great!”

 

"I know, right? This is gonna be amazing! I'll show you, just get in the shower already and I'll prepare everything!" Jongdae got to his room in a few quick steps, loud music still playing inside. His work was much more organized than Baekhyun's – he cleaned all the scraps from the floor and had all his designs and projects were neatly stored in colorful binders. The only mess that was present in his creative process was the music. Baekhyun knew he could expect anything from EDM to traditional Chinese music playing in the room when he passed the door. This time it was loud rap in a language he couldn't quite recognize but he couldn't even say he was surprised. He looked around the room, standing in his half- glory.

 

“So, what should I do now?” He smiled.

 

"Wear this," Jongdae passed him a light blue kimono and wide black pants. "Oh god, I can't wait."

 

“I’ll do what I can to make it look somehow okay,” he chuckled and took the clothes. “Damn it Dae, I love the fabric!” he said, putting them on carefully. The kimono flowed around his slim figure, contrasting with the black pants. The pants were straight, cut below the knee, and matched the wide silky t on the upper piece, cool on Baekhyun's bare shoulders. Jongdae sat in front of him on the floor, smiling from ear to ear.

 

"How do you feel?" Baekhyun moved comically, testing the feeling of the fabric against his skin.

 

“It’s really comfy, a bit cold you know, but it feels good!” He looked down at the pants. “I think the pants are just a bit too big on me though?”

 

"They're supposed to be big. You look great," Jongdae sighed contentedly. "But I'm a bit disappointed, I was expecting a reply like, you know, like a y wife on a warm Sunday morning or like the that I am. Doesn't the kimono give you that vibe?"

 

“Oh, sorry, I thought you wanted a serious answer!” he chuckled and looked at him. “I definitely would get ed a whole lot more with this. Can you imagine? Wet hair, black eyes? I’d make them fall for me, and they would want to rip this out of me,” he smirked.

 

"You don't even have to rip it to take it off, that's the magic," Jongdae's lips stretched in a satisfied smile. "I actually think I may give you this after I get my grade. Not my style but it suits you perfectly.”

 

“What? No, Dae, you should keep it, it’s way too beautiful and you worked hard on it! I’m sure it’d suit you too. Don’t you want guys to drool all over your body?” he winked.

 

"I sure do but it's suits you better. I've done it especially for you anyway," the blonde smiled mischievously. "Now, change into this. I can't ing wait to see you."

 

Baekhyun put on the next piece in a beautiful pastel shade of minty blue. He looked in the tall mirror standing in the corner of the room and saw his slim body almost drowning in the long sleeves and scarily wide skirt of the flower printed dress he wore. It had a large V cut in the front and was definitely made for a man.

 

"What a lucky I am to have you as a friend. You look stunning!!" Jongdae sprung from his place on the floor and started adjusting the sleeves on Baekhyun's shoulders. "Incredible! I hope this gets good marks so you can walk the runway in this. Beautiful. Fantastic. I love it." He definitely looked like he was about to cry. Baekhyun smiled softly, looking at his best friend being so passionate. He loved how Jongdae was always so excited about his art.

 

“I only look stunning because you’re a ing artist, Dae.”

 

"So you agree?! Not pissed that it's a dress?" Jongdae asked carefully.

 

“I look hot thanks to your dress, so whatever floats your boat,” he winked again and looked down at the dress, playing with the flowy fabric of the sleeves. “You really are talented, Jongdae, I am amazed.”

 

"Well, that's great, because I have another one," Jongdae chuckled and took another hanger from his closet. This time, the fabric had a deep purple color and was even thinner and most definitely translucent on top. "There's a lot of tulle, so be careful. Wait, I'll help you change."

 

“Okay, I’m all yours, go ahead.” He chuckled and spread his arms, letting Jongdae take care of the clothes. After a few minutes, he had another long dress on. The translucent front exposed his chest and transformed into a dark purple tulle skirt with a small train at his waist. There was more tulle by the sleeves, which created a small wing-like shape.

 

"Dior silhouette. This was a ing to sew, I cried so much it's embarrassing. But I wanted to do something harder since the kimono is so simple… Oh god, the color suits you perfectly. I just wish your hair was a bit darker…" Jongdae came up to him and ruffled his hair. "And with make-up? Awesome," he sighed, pinning a bit of material by Baekhyun's waist. "Just a few corrections and it's gonna be perfect. Oh god," he repeated and hugged his friend, careful not to touch the dress too much. Baekhyun thought for a second before murmuring.

 

“How darker?”

 

"Like two tones? Because it's rather light now, I'm thinking dark brown," Jongdae said absent-mindedly. "Okay. Okay. So the shoot is on Thursday afternoon next week. The photographer comes, you change three times, pose like a motherer and we go home. I mean you go home, and I go for dinner with him. Okay?"

 

“Just dinner, hm?” He smirked.

 

"I have never even seen him. All I know is that he's Park Chanyeol's friend. And I've seen his photographs, of course. So, yeah, a dinner," Jongdae smiled lopsidedly. "Okay, get out of the clothes and I'll work on them a bit more. Damn, I'm so ing proud."

 

“Okay, then I guess I’ll leave you alone? I’m probably gonna go back to my painting. You did a really great job Dae, you can be proud, and I’m really proud of you too.”

 

"Thanks, hoe," the blonde smiled again, carefully straightening the material of the dress and hanging it back in the closet. "Go and paint some more men for our kitchen," he snorted.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

He moaned loudly, the sound muffled by a strong manly hand on his mouth. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized he couldn't quite recall feeling that good for a long, long time but the thought quickly escaped when he felt another deep inside himself. The hand on his throbbing moved up and down in a painfully slow rhythm and he felt like he was going to lose it if it didn’t move faster. He moaned again, tears pooling in his eyes and slowly falling as he closed his eyes, feeling the familiar heat below his stomach. He tried to say something, but the hand on his mouth prevented him from opening his lips and breathing properly. A few painstakingly long minutes had passed until the slim fingers started moving faster, making him desperately catch each of the shallow breaths. Feeling a bit dizzy from the multiple sensations and a slight lack of oxygen, he came moments after, one hand gripping the car seat backrest and the other one placed on the man's chest, feeling the scar underneath. He took a deep breath when the man withdrew his hand and went in to kiss him, the tears still glistening on his cheeks. He had never felt better. He wanted to stay there forever. Lying down comfortably, and letting his leg slide onto the mat behind the front seat, he lazily opened his eyes to meet the gaze of…

 

"Chanyeol..."

 

Baekhyun woke up, his hair stuck to his forehead and his heart pounding against his chest. He was a bit disoriented, looked around the room, and finally realized the state he was in. His was still throbbing between his legs, taking him back to what just happened in his subconscious, and Baekhyun suddenly felt angry. He pushed the covers away, stomping his way to the bathroom and throwing his pair of now stained boxers in the laundry basket. Walking into the shower, he the ice-cold water to punish himself. His teeth were clenched, his fists rubbing on his face to calm himself down. He couldn’t believe he had just dreamed of that, still remembering the feeling of the man’s hands on his skin and hating himself even more for wishing it was true. He could feel Chanyeol’s scar under his fingers, his thighs still trembling and his heart beating painfully fast in his chest. Baekhyun wanted to scream. He sighed with anger, cleaning himself and cursing under his breath. He stayed under the cold water for long minutes, almost wanting to push his head against the shower door. Baekhyun went out and walked back to his bedroom, a towel around his hips. He changed his sheets, still pissed, and went back to bed, almost stopping himself from falling back asleep in fear of seeing him again.