Just wanna say thank you for all your subs !
You guys are adorable, I can't take it, it's too much for my poor heart :3
LOVE YAAAA ~

(I'm posting a day earlier 'cause I have work + an exam tomorrow sooooo)

Please, take care of yourself and be safe <3

 

- K.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Baekhyun took his shoes off, acting as if everything was perfectly okay when really, his pounding heart made him feel like he was going to die at any moment. He stood there for a few seconds before walking to the living room with a frown on his face. He let himself fall on the sofa, his entire body becoming one with the cushions. He tried really hard not to think about what Park Chanyeol had told him. He put on some music during the bus ride and even texted his childhood friend Woosung to keep his mind busy, but really, how could he? The words were still ringing in his head and Park Chanyeol’s smirk still playing with his sanity. Baekhyun couldn’t stop thinking about it all. The voice, the smirk, the knee brushing up against his thigh. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way Park Chanyeol was playing with his pencil, slowly, sensually, his fingers caressing it like they caressed Baekhyun’s skin in his dreams. More than he’d like to admit. More than he should have been. Baekhyun hated him. He hated the sight of him. Even the mere thought of him. So why did his body react like that at the only prospect of Park Chanyeol wanting him?

 

His phone chimed, interrupting his thoughts. He groaned, pulled it out from his pocket and looked at the notification, sitting up as soon as he saw the sender’s name, his breath caught in his throat.

 

From PCYuck: you left your wallet at the office, mr byun :)

 

From Baekhyun: did i?

 

From PCYuck: no i'm joking because my sense of humor is as bad as your opinion on me

 

From PCYuck: yes, you did

 

From PCYuck: i'll be around your school in the morning. text me your classroom number, i'll give it back to you.

 

From Baekhyun: i could also come and get it

 

From Baekhyun: you know

 

From Baekhyun: since i’m an adult.

 

From PCYuck: that's cute

 

From PCYuck: i'll be there anyway. are you gonna give it to me or you want me to beg you?

 

From Baekhyun: hearing you beg sounds quite fun.

 

From PCYuck: it takes more than one rude kid to make me beg though

 

From PCYuck: you want it back or not

 

From Baekhyun: still not a kid, old man.

 

From Baekhyun: i’ll be in room L147 from 8:30 to 10:30

 

From PCYuck: you're being mean and making me want to go through it, do we want that?

 

From PCYuck: great, expect a dying grandpa deliver your to you on his knees, mr byun

 

 

Baekhyun chuckled and hated himself for it.

 

 

From Baekhyun: want to go through what though? care to elaborate, grandpa?

 

From Baekhyun: somehow the thought of you on your knees for me makes me wanna puke

 

From PCYuck: the wallet, you &£#@

 

From PCYuck: what else

 

From PCYuck: that just means you gotta work on your gag reflex

 

From Baekhyun: go ahead. i’m sure you’ll have fun seeing how empty it is (just like your head)

 

From PCYuck: i can't believe you're writing this and still expect me to treat you like an adult

 

From Baekhyun: oh believe me, my gag reflex is fine. i have people who could testify for me.

 

From Baekhyun: says the guy arguing with a college student

 

From PCYuck: mildly interested

 

From PCYuck: i never told you i'm not a kid, kid

 

From Baekhyun: mildly is still more than i care for you

 

From Baekhyun: because you look a hundred years old, you ancient

 

From PCYuck: is that why you keep replying

 

From PCYuck: how can such a talented artist be that blind is beyond my understanding

 

From Baekhyun: just making sure you won’t keep my wallet.

 

From Baekhyun: i’m not blind, i have common sense.

 

From PCYuck: you said it's empty, why do you suddenly care

 

From Baekhyun: still need my ID and student card. forgot how important it was? yeah, i get it, uni was like 50 years ago for you.

 

From PCYuck: the second thing would be handcuffs, so you’d stop texting and embarrassing yourself

 

From Baekhyun: it’s cute how you think i’d let you anywhere near me.

 

From Baekhyun: you clearly are not on my level, sir.

 

From PCYuck: oh, today was quite near, wasn't it

 

From Baekhyun: which is why i ran out of the office so quickly

 

From Baekhyun: your creepy old scared me.

 

From Baekhyun: might fill a complaint later?

 

From PCYuck: sure

 

From PCYuck: didn't look like it though

 

From PCYuck: sweet dreams, mr byun

 

From PCYuck: see you tomorrow

 

From Baekhyun: yeah

 

From Baekhyun: see you tomorrow

 

From Baekhyun: unfortunately

 

From Baekhyun: still gonna be a good night without you in it.

 

From Baekhyun: have a nice one too. don’t think of that picture too much, could hurt.

 

From PCYuck: how are you so sure about that?

 

From PCYuck: i have much better things to look at, don't think so highly of yourself

 

From Baekhyun: i know how i look, it’s funny how much in denial you are

 

From PCYuck: it's funny how you assume i'm into boys/you're my type/i need to look at pictures

 

Baekhyun frowned a little at the idea of Park Chanyeol not being into boys. Sure, he thought the guy was dating Moonbyul, but he never thought of him as straight.

 

From Baekhyun: i’m everyone’s type.

 

From Baekhyun: of course you need pictures. there were no computers when you were younger, you had to buy magazines to look at , didn’t you?

 

From Baekhyun: on that note, i have things to do, i’m actually quite busy

 

From PCYuck: i wasn't talking about , i meant real people, darling

 

From PCYuck: yeah, sure

 

From Baekhyun: i don’t like pet names, mr park.

 

From PCYuck: yet

 

From Baekhyun: what is that supposed to mean, sir?

 

He straightened in his seat, his eyes never leaving his screen.

 

From PCYuck: that you're young and you have a lot to discover as it comes to various aspects of life

 

From PCYuck: isn't that philosophical

 

From Baekhyun: gotta find myself a teacher then

 

From Baekhyun: i see the next kant.

 

From PCYuck: can't believe i'm wasting my time designing

 

From PCYuck: you already have one old man ruining your young flowery fresh life

 

From Baekhyun: unfortunately i have at least 2, and they’re friends. a real horror movie.

 

From PCYuck: and that's just the start!

 

From PCYuck: do you mean kyungsoo

 

From Baekhyun: i will not name anyone.

 

From PCYuck: so mysterious

 

From PCYuck: kids these days

 

From Baekhyun: you should have known i’m very mysterious

 

From Baekhyun: my glorious mysterious self is hanging over your desk

 

From PCYuck: your very not glorious self is haunting me everywhere these days anyway

 

From Baekhyun: you chose to put me there, mr park

 

From PCYuck: i chose to put the dress there, not your average face

 

The next message was a picture Chanyeol had taken in the office. Baekhyun saw one of the six mannequins which were now standing there, this one with the sleeveless jacket on, a large piece of fabric in Chanyeol's stretched hand next to it. It was the material printed with one of Baekhyun's works.

 

From PCYuck: i meant this

 

From Baekhyun: damn i’m good.

 

From Baekhyun: but i know you meant this.

 

Baekhyun typed down the message and sent it before taking a selfie.

 

From PCYuck: you really want me to tell you you're hot, don't you

 

From PCYuck: forget it, darling

 

From Baekhyun: i don’t need anyone telling me i’m hot

 

From Baekhyun: i know i am

 

From Baekhyun: still don’t like the pet name

 

From PCYuck: uh… okay??

 

From PCYuck: yeah, i choose not to care

 

From Baekhyun: see, that’s why people don’t like you

 

From Baekhyun: honey.

 

From PCYuck: they do like me but idk if there's any point in trying to explain that to you

 

From Baekhyun: hope is a good thing i guess, keep going

 

From PCYuck: you're an awful person

 

From PCYuck: third would be a rope to help you relax and manage your anger issues

 

From Baekhyun: you’re putting an awful lot of thoughts in that hypothetical situation huh

 

From Baekhyun: also how the is a rope gonna help me relax?

 

From PCYuck: nah, it just comes to me naturally

 

From PCYuck: so you don't know what it actually is? look it up, it's interesting and i don't really have time to give you lectures right now

 

From PCYuck: also i love how we smoothly went from "would" to "gonna"

 

From Baekhyun: not planning on doing that

 

From Baekhyun: just a way of speaking, big boy, don’t get your hopes high

 

From PCYuck: just read a bit, won't hurt you, darling

 

From PCYuck: not that desperate

 

From Baekhyun: didn’t i tell you i was busy?

 

From Baekhyun: sounds like you are tho

 

From PCYuck: you wish i was desperate enough to even think of you that way

 

From PCYuck: is that why you just spent an hour talking to me?

 

From Baekhyun: i wish you’d stop being a part of my life

 

From Baekhyun: and aren’t you supposed to be working?

 

From PCYuck: i am

 

From PCYuck: same, mr byun, same

 

From Baekhyun: goodbye then, mr park

 

 

There was no reply for the few minutes Baekhyun spent looking at the screen, his muscles tensed. He finally looked up from his phone when he heard a chuckle and saw Jongdae, standing at the door with a grin.

 

"Damn, boy, who's that?" he nodded at the phone, raising his brows.

 

“What?” Baekhyun frowned and looked at his phone. “No one important, why are you asking?”

 

"Are you sure? I passed the room several times and now I was standing here for like 10 minutes and you haven't even noticed. You've been typing like crazy for at least forty minutes. So, who's that?"

 

“What are you talking about? It clearly has not been forty minutes.” Baekhyun glanced at the time on his phone. He cleared his throat when he saw that it had been at least 35 minutes. “I just… It’s no one, forget it.”

 

"I want you to tell me soon, you're freaking whipped for the guy," Jongdae winked and smiled. “By the way I got my grade and I have all the pictures from Minseok printed. I got the highest note, can you believe? The pics are on your desk, go through them later, they came out beautiful.”

 

“Dae!” Baekhyun stood up quickly. “That’s amazing! I knew you could do it! You’re the best!” He walked up to his friend and hugged him tight. “I’m so proud of you! Your designs were amazing!”

 

“Thanks, hoe, I couldn’t do that without you.” Jongdae hugged him back. “I’m going to get some sleep after this ing marathon, you can go back to texting your boy,” he chuckled and dodged a hit from Baekhyun.

 

“Shut the up. And we’re going to celebrate tomorrow, you hear me?” He said, excited.

 

“Yeah, sure! Goodnight!” shouted the blonde from the corridor, going into his room.

 

Baekhyun looked at him leave, happy for his best friend yet still exasperated for his comments. Jongdae had no idea what he was talking about. Baekhyun whipped for Park Chanyeol? Not in a hundred years, he thought. He still checked his phone one more time though, just in case. The message came just a minute earlier.

 

From PCYuck: "goodbye" sounds so final

 

From PCYuck: we need to meet anyway, i gotta show you all the changes so the "out of your life" situation isn't happening anytime soon

 

From PCYuck: and you're meeting your dear mentor tomorrow, don't forget about the wallet

 

From Baekhyun: how could i

 

From Baekhyun: you know where to find me

 

From PCYuck: i will

 

From PCYuck: now be a good boy, darling, and stop texting old people at night

 

From PCYuck: i've heard you're busy

 

From Baekhyun: extremely

 

From Baekhyun: goodbye, again, mr park

 

From PCYuck: <3

 

Baekhyun’s eyes widened the slightest as he saw the text. He swallowed down and typed an answer quickly.

 

From Baekhyun: now you’re just being mean to me.

 

From Baekhyun: i’m out for real.

 

 

Baekhyun sat down properly, his back resting against the backrest of the sofa and his hands playing with his phone. He thought about a few different things for a minute. About how they had been talking for an hour. About how Park Chanyeol was nothing but professional — but again, neither was Baekhyun. About how this felt so natural in a sense. The student sighed, rubbing his face with one hand. He hated that he liked talking to him. He hated that it felt good and that he had fun. Not with Park Chanyeol. He shouldn’t be acting like this with Park Chanyeol. Still, curiosity got the best of him, and after what seemed like a few minutes, Baekhyun unlocked his phone again, ignoring the battery sign telling him to do something. He opened his browser, wondering what to type exactly, and went with the easiest option; ‘shibari ropes’. He quickly went from the Etsy offers to actually reading about , his heartbeat picking up when he realized, what Park Chanyeol was into. He was wasn't too eager to experiment in the bedroom so far and he hadn't got anyone to do it with at the moment, so everything seemed rather new to him. The techniques, the sensations… Baekhyun would lie if he said he understood, because he didn’t. He supposed people got off in different ways. Well, he liked the old fashion one. And a few spanks when the situation asked for it. He kept reading about it though, stumbling upon articles discussing the benefits of . He scoffed, and then frowned when he read it properly. As much as Baekhyun claimed to know so much about and everything, he realized there were so many things he actually had never heard of, and if was one of them, he wasn’t actually sure why he was looking it up because of Park Chanyeol. Relaxing, he said. So Baekhyun read. And he read until he was able to get it. He wasn’t sure he would be into it, but people seemed to find it enjoyable. Relaxing. And some of them would even say it helped them with their anxiety. All in all, Baekhyun realized maybe Park Chanyeol wasn’t just an old creep. Don’t get him wrong, he was an old creep, but maybe there was more to him than just that.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

The next day, Baekhyun felt like every minute lasted ten. His illustration class was interesting, but he couldn't help looking at the clock every few minutes. He knew that Park Chanyeol was going to come here to give him his forgotten wallet back and with a pang in his chest he realized he'd have to look him in the eye. It wasn't going to be easy after their two conversations yesterday and the time he spent reading about what seemed like the man's preferences.

 

The man hadn't appeared throughout the whole class and Baekhyun felt somehow uneasy. Not that he wanted to see him — actually he would be fine not seeing him ever again — but he had made a promise, and Baekhyun actually needed his wallet. At least to eat something for lunch — he missed his credit card already. He was fidgeting on his stool, glancing at the door every time there was a noise outside and getting more annoyed as time passed by. He was deeply frowning at the end of the class, Dahyun even asking him if everything was okay, not really convinced by his answer. She couldn’t ignore the guy looking so nervous — or maybe was it impatience? — next to her for the two hours, and she tried to calm him down but nothing seemed to work. Professor Han had to call his name a few times, Baekhyun barely listening to her. He sighed one last time as she dismissed the class, and he threw his stuff in his backpack, annoyed, angry, and disappointed.

 

“Baekhyun, you wanna grab something to eat? I have a free hour until my next lesson.” Dahyun asked, smiling softly, somehow trying to make him feel better.

 

“I don’t have my wallet, I can’t buy anything,” he answered, looking even more pissed, “thank you for the offer,”

 

“Come on, it’s on me,” she answered, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Baekhyun was about to say no when she turned around, walking towards the door, not leaving him any choice. He followed her, thanking her softly, a pout on his lips. Park Chanyeol definitely was the worst.

 

"Mr. Byun?" he heard as soon as he walked out of the classroom. Park Chanyeol was standing right in front of the door, leaning back on the wall behind him. The man, dressed in a black coat with a stand-up collar, his black hair unstyled, nodded to Mr. Do and came up to him with a smirk on his lips. The professor, comically short next to the tall man, just rolled his eyes and tapped his shoulder, walking in the direction of the teachers' room. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes for a second, teeth and fists clenched, looking at the man. He had no reason to be mad at him, Park Chanyeol never said exactly when or where he’d come. He still was though, and Dahyun blinked a few times when she saw his reaction. She grabbed his wrist softly, asking if everything was okay.

 

“I’m fine,” he said in a low voice so only Dahyun would hear him, “just came across a snake.”

 

"This guy?" Dahyun blinked, blushing when Chanyeol came up to them, giving her a smile.

 

"Hello. Mr. Byun, here is your wallet. I hope you weren't too impatient."

 

“More like I wished you’d never came,” he said, grabbing the wallet. Dahyun chuckled next to him. Right, she thought.

 

"Well, I wished to never hear from you again, yet you kept replying." Chanyeol tilted his head with a daring smile.

 

“It’s called having good manners, you should look it up, sir.” Dahyun felt like she should leave them alone. This was extremely entertaining, yet she was the slightest bit horrified. Park Chanyeol was his boss. She slightly tightened her hold around Baekhyun’s wrist, wishing he would stop. He could screw up such a big opportunity because of his big mouth, and he was too talented to let it go to waste.

 

"If your manners were this good, you wouldn't insult me over and over."

 

“There’s so much good manners can do.” he glanced at Dahyun who frowned. “Thank you, for the wallet,” he added, looking back at the man.

 

"You're welcome, Mr. Byun," Chanyeol held his gaze. Baekhyun blinked once, thinking about what he could say now. The man would leave soon. Dahyun looked at him.

 

“We’re going to grab a snack, would you like to join us?” she asked politely, smiling at the man. Baekhyun frowned at her.

 

"Oh, thank you very much but I need to get back to work," Chanyeol smiled at her and glanced at Baekhyun. "I'll be going now, Mr. Byun. I will call you soon to set up our meeting so we can show you the final changes of the first batch, okay? You can come earlier if you want to. We're in the middle of the process, so we can show you how it looks if you're interested. Show you the ropes," he added with his best professional expression, before nodding to the students and making his way to the exit.

 

“ jerk, I don’t give a about the ropes.”

 

“What? Baekhyun, it’s a great opportunity, you can learn so much thanks to him!” He wanted to roll his eyes, but Dahyun had nothing to do with this so he just shrugged.

 

“Let’s just go get a snack,”

 

"Yeah, let's go," Dahyun shook her head with a small sigh.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Baekhyun saw Professor Do leaving the campus in quick steps, immersed in thought and not even giving him a nod to greet him. It wasn’t like him. No matter how much he disliked the student — and God, that was a lot — Professor Do had always been a very polite man. He wondered what could possibly be going on with him, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by Jongdae sitting next to him with a very done-looking Oh Sehun by his side. In other words, nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Professor Do got in his car, driving home, still focused on one particular student, and when he finally passed the threshold, he grabbed his phone and called Chanyeol. They had planned on seeing each other that very same night anyway, and it would certainly help him keep his mind busy.

 

Jongin was not home yet, so Kyungsoo just made a few snacks for his giant friend and graded some first-year students’ projects while waiting for his friend. Having finished his work in the office, Chanyeol appeared an hour later, immediately lying down on the floor in the corridor, not even bothering to take off his shoes.

 

“Hi,” he groaned when Kyungsoo stood by his limp body.

 

“I know you’ve always been a weirdo, but we also have a bed and a sofa if you really want to lie down,” he said, softly kicking his leg.

 

“I’m not a weirdo. And I’m too tired,” whined the man, not moving a finger.

 

“Why? Did something happen or just the usual stuff?”

 

“I’m just finishing the designs. Moonbyul started with the technical stuff now, Yongsun is finishing the digital projects, Wheein talks to the companies 24/7, so you can imagine how the office looks now,”

 

“Yeah, must be a bit chaotic. Sounds like you guys have a lot to do. Do you even have time to rest or are you just staying up most nights to work on your designs?”

 

“The second one. Being a perfectionist kills me,” the man sighed, slowly getting up off the floor and taking off his combat shoes and his simple black coat.

 

“I still wish some of my students would be more like you,” Kyungsoo chuckled. “Come on, I made some snacks, it is now time for you to relax.”

 

“I think I’ll need to go back there anyway but I appreciate,” Chanyeol smiled, ruffling his hair and finally going into the kitchen and plopping down on a seat.

 

“You need to learn how to stop working for a second. You’re gonna end up a lonely workaholic, that’s not gonna be a pretty look on you.” Kyungsoo put the snacks on the table, pouring him a drink and sitting down. The tall man nodded his head, grateful and sipped his drink.

 

“Oh, alcohol,” he sighed contently, swirling the wine glass in his hand. “I know, dude, I just want to do a good job. I love what I’m doing, and I can’t this up, you know.”

 

“I know, Yeol, and you are not. You’re doing a great job, you wouldn’t be there if you weren’t,” Kyungsoo lifted his glass to his lips after offering him a smile.

 

“I guess so,” Chanyeol straightened in his seat. “Okay, but we’re not gonna talk about my poor choices and unhealthy habits. What did you want to talk about?”

 

“Oh yeah, I just have a hard time making a decision about one my students.” He straightened up. “I thought it would be a good idea to ask you what you think, you know, different opinions and all.”

 

“Oh. Okay, happy to help. Is it about the gallery admissions?” he raised an eyebrow. Kyungsoo told him already that he was asked to select several works of his students for an exhibition at the Seoul Gallery and he knew the teacher was always stressed about this, having to choose from the tens of students he taught. Despite his appearance and stern approach, he loved teaching and had a lot of heart for his students.

 

“Okay, so, I made several decisions already, selected 3 students and I’m sure they’ll do great. I have no doubt about them, they’re serious and talented.” he took a sip of his wine, “The thing is, there was one student I instantly thought about when they asked me to do that, you know? He’s great, talented, his works are amazing. He’s got so much potential and he really is hard working when it comes to his creations. I’m just not certain recommending him is a great idea. He lacks professionalism. He’s been late way too many times, sometimes he ditches class without any reason, and he talks back, a lot. What I mean is that his creative side deserves to be seen, but I’m not so sure he does, and I just don’t know what to do.”

 

“Hmm. Well, maybe if he’s good, he deserves a chance and then he’ll learn the professional part. You know, he may be cocky when talking to you because you’re his teacher that he knows and all... but there’s a chance he gets scared by how big the gallery thing is and will actually take this seriously. I wasn’t a good student either but when I actually started working, it was so much different than just going to school, you know,” mused Chanyeol, sipping his wine and taking a piece of cheese from the plate.

 

“Actually, I wanted your opinion on it, because you might know about this better than I do.” Kyungsoo straightened up, “I probably shouldn’t do this, or talk about this with you, but I really need your honest opinion, and well… Byun, you know.” he looked at Chanyeol, waiting for his reaction. The man blinked, seemingly flustered, and scratched his head.

 

“Byun, yeah. He’s a… He’s a… hard case.” Kyungsoo chuckled.

 

“Definitely. But he’s really good, and I feel like this could be a huge opportunity for him. I’m just not a hundred percent sure I should give it to him.” he sighed, “You definitely know him better than I do in some way so… what do you think?”

 

“Well, I’m… I’m not exactly professional with him, you know. And he’s very much not either when talking to me. The kid hates me for real. But he sticks to the deadlines, works with us well and is really good at what he does, you know. Just treats it a bit too personal but that might be my fault too,” he scrunched his nose. “Not proud of that.” Kyungsoo frowned a bit.

 

“What do you mean? What did you do?”

 

“I’m… I’ll tell you later. But we’re not on the best terms.”

 

“So, you think I shouldn’t recommend him?” he looked at Chanyeol, observing the way his expression changed. The corner of the man’s lips twitched when he held back a smile.

 

“I think you should. He’s awful to me and I do the same to him but as it comes to work, he’s doing well. So, do that. Plus, I love his works and I think they’re worth showing. That’s why we chose him, you know.”

 

“I know, he’s definitely really talented… I just find it a bit sad that he’s acting the way he is…”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Chanyeol looked at his friend, munching on a cracker. “But he’ll learn. He’s still a kid now, just give him some time.”

 

“I suppose you’re right…” Kyungsoo ran his fingers through his hair. “He’s such a jerk sometimes, though, I mean seriously… Ugh, I shouldn’t be saying this, forget it, I’m his professor.”

 

“I’m almost his boss and I hate the little , don’t even get me started,” the tall man snorted and shook his head. “He’s so ing rude, seriously. Talk all the time and insults me every way he can. I should’ve ignored him but well… I’m too weak and snapped back. And since then we’re just bickering all the time.”

 

“Hate,” Kyungsoo repeated, looking at his friend doubtfully, “he’s not that bad, I’m pretty sure he’s just like this with you, and I’ve never seen you act like this with anyone else either.”

 

“Yeah, he’s super nice to the girls, just gets under my skin every way he can,” Chanyeol shrugged. He finished his wine and took a deep breath, telling his story with Baekhyun to his friend. He knew Kyungsoo was probably gonna judge him, but he needed to talk to someone and told him everything, while Kyungsoo just poured more wine in his glass. He showed him the text messages from the night before, his head resting on the table, while the shorter man read, an eyebrow raised. “I’m awful,” he said after some time. “But I can’t help myself when he’s such a brat.”

 

“Yeah, seems like you guys have a pretty peculiar… relationship.” He scrolled down the texts, reading and humming sometimes, before finally looking up at Chanyeol. “So, you’re saying you’re flirting with him because he’s annoying?”

 

“I’m not… Ugh, Soo, why are you ruining everything? He’s just… It’s…” he mused for a while and squeezed his eyes shut. “Well, he toned it down a bit, so it actually worked.”

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you saying, and I quote ‘the second thing would be handcuffs’ worked a lot. You probably scared the kid for life,” Kyungsoo chuckled, “what did you even mean by that?”

 

“By what? Handcuffs? Oh, it’s because… of the rope. I told you what I said to him in the office. He blushed so hard and it was so funny and I kinda wanted to bring this up? I know it was awful, but I couldn’t help myself,” Chanyeol let out a bleak chuckle. “Holy , what the hell.”

 

“Yeah, exactly, what the hell? Listen to yourself, how is this not flirting? Telling him you’ll gag him, handcuff him, tie him up?” Kyungsoo looked straight in his eyes. Chanyeol closed them again immediately as if it would help him escape Kyungsoo’s judging look.

 

“Oh, shut the up, I’m dying here,” he groaned, almost whining. “He’s…”

 

“Giving you a ? Yeah, I figured.” He finished his drink.

 

“No!”

 

“You literally hung up his picture in your office.”

 

“Because I love the dress, haven’t you seen my office? It’s full of gender-bend stuff,” Chanyeol lifted his head, sitting straight again and drinking the wine.

 

“And yet you’re only texting one of those guys.”

 

“It’s a coincidence that I know him. And I literally just wanted to tell him he left his ing wallet. It went so far because he’s just going along with it and… Uh, it was fun,” he admitted finally, rubbing his face with one hand.

 

“Listen, Chanyeol, I’m not saying it’s bad that you’re flirting with him, hell, you can do whatever you want with the kid. All I’m saying is admit it. And also; be careful,” he rested his chin on his palm.

 

“Careful of what?”

 

“He’s a bit of a sassy jerk, isn’t he? But he’s got feelings. Just don’t take it too far,” he shrugged.

 

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed and gave Kyungsoo a weak smile.

 

“Well, I mean, he’s flirting too so who knows, hm?"

 

"Oh, come on, he just teases me and tries to piss me off as a hobby," Chanyeol huffed, rolling his eyes.

 

“Right, just like you then, hm?”

 

"Can we talk about anything else?" he pouted, and Kyungsoo chuckled.

 

“Yeah, of course. Anyway, thank you for helping me make a choice.”

 

"You're welcome, babe. So, how's life? Chanyeol smiled lopsidedly, back to his usual self. He knew Kyungsoo for years and his presence was usually very comforting but today the man was asking all the questions that he avoided asking himself for the past week.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Baekhyun was in the middle of painting a shoulder on his new oil work when Professor Do asked the students to stop what they were doing. It was weird, because Professor Do was the kind of guy who never wanted to lose time. He was standing in front of the class, a sheet of paper in his hands, and he looked at the students one by one before he started to talk.

 

"The Seoul Gallery opened their admissions for the annual exhibit for young artists," he began, clearing his throat. The students were on the edge of their seats. Everyone could submit their works, but the students recommended by the teachers always had a bigger chance to get their work displayed. "And as always, we have been asked to recommend five students, who will be asked to submit their works. The other five artists will be selected by the gallery critics from the submitted works, so every one of you has a chance. The theme this year is "The Body". There is no preferred technique, so you can do anything you want to do. The deadline for submissions is the 10th of December, so you have a full month to send your applications. The students were all taking notes, carefully listening to their professor. “Do you want me to read the names of the selected students or contact them individually?" He could hear a melody of voices telling him to give them the names. "Okay. I would like you to treat this very seriously. This is very important for you and I hope you all realize that. The selected students from the Illustration major are Kim Taehyung and Byun Baekhyun."

 

Students started to clap, giving them smiles and pats on the back, and while Kim Taehyung was smiling happily, thanking them, Baekhyun still couldn’t believe it, looking at his professor — who hated him, supposedly — as if it was a joke. He frowned a little bit as Dahyun took him in her arms. Mr. Do just nodded to him and cleared his throat again.

 

"If you have any questions, you can come up to me after the class. Now, please get back to work," he said and started his usual walk around the classroom, giving tips and pointing out mistakes to the students.

 

At the end of the class, Baekhyun took his time putting his stuff back in his bag. When everyone was out, he walked up to Professor Do.

 

“Excuse me, Professor?” he almost whispered.

 

"Yes?" Mr. Do gave him a small polite smile.

 

“I just wanted to… say thank you? For choosing me,” he looked down for a second.

 

"You don't have to thank me. You're talented and we want to give you a chance," the said professor, organizing the papers on his desk. "I just wish you'll take this more seriously than your classes." Baekhyun scrunched up his nose.

 

“I will, I can assure you I will… I’m really thankful for the opportunity…”

 

"I'm glad, then. I already forwarded an email from the gallery to you and Taehyung. Check it for instructions on admission, okay?" Mr. Do almost smiled. "Run for you next class, don't be late."

 

“Yes! Thank you again, Professor, it means a lot!” he bowed down and started running to his next class, trying to show Mr. Do he made the right choice. The professor just smiled under his nose, shaking his head at the student

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

Baekhyun was out of breath when he entered the flat he shared with his best friend. He called for him excitedly, taking off his shoes by toeing them off, and he ran through the apartment, looking for Jongdae.

 

“Damn it, Kim Jongdae! Where are you?!” he shouted, opening his friend’s bedroom door.

 

“Baek, you hoe!” Jongdae cried out, lifting his head. He was lying on top of Minseok, his shirt discarded on the floor, lips a pretty shade of pink. “Can’t you knock?” he whined, scrambling to get off the bed.

 

“, what the hell!” Baekhyun exclaimed, letting go of the door handle. He looked at Minseok, smiling, and lifted a hand. “Hi, Minseok!”

 

The man smiled, a bit flustered, sitting up on the bed.

 

“H-Hi, Baekhyun,” he smiled weakly, glancing at Jongdae, who managed to put his shirt on. They had been dating for two weeks now but it was the first time Jongdae invited his new boyfriend over. Not that Baekhyun hadn’t seen them together – Minseok picked the boy up several times when they were going out – but he didn’t expect him to come over so early.

 

“How was I supposed to know you were not alone?” he smirked, “You never invited him over before. And I called for you throughout the entire flat, you did not answer,” Jongdae scoffed and rolled his eyes in reply. “I have something super exciting to tell you! Well… probably not as exciting as making out with your hot boyfriend but you know.”

 

“Surely not. What is it?” the blonde asked with a pained expression. Minseok just blinked, not sure what to do with his hands and fidgeting with the seam on the light pillow on the messed-up sheets.

 

“Professor Do recommended me for the annual exhibit for young artists at the Seoul Gallery!” he grabbed Jongdae’s arm, shaking it a little. “Can you believe it?!”

 

“What?!” he shouted, his mouth dropping open. “Are you ing kidding me right now?!”

 

“No, he just announced it in class! Kim Taehyung and I have been chosen by him!”

 

“, what the hell!” the boy hugged Baekhyun tightly, laughing from excitement. Minseok’s eyes widened and he smiled brightly at him. “I knew you were talented but holy ! This is huge!” he rambled, pulling Baekhyun away at arm's length. “Who would think such an awful hoe would get this one in a lifetime chance?”

 

“I don’t know what’s happening this year but it’s like my life is getting better and better by the day! First the collaboration and now that?! I’m so ing happy, Jongdae!”

 

“You have every right to be!”

 

“And the subject is so ing interesting too? I can’t wait to do it!”

 

“Really? What is it?!” Jongdae sat down next to Minseok, both looking at Baekhyun curiously.

 

“The Body!” he smiled excitedly, “I love painting bodies so much! I don’t do it often but it’s so cool…"

 

“Wow, that’s great! You can do so many different things with that,” Jongdae mused. “Like the thing from the kitchen? Or like some abstract thingy like the one you painted on the first year?”

 

“Well, I’m gonna have to think about it seriously, but you know I’ll run my ideas by you anyway!” He winked at him, happy.

 

“Can’t wait,” the blonde smiled lopsidedly, and Minseok tilted his head. “Do you wanna see Baek’s art? We hung his painting a few weeks ago!”

 

“Yeah, sure,” the man stood up with a spark of interest in his eyes. The whole flat was full of unfinished paintings, sketches and notepads laying around the most unexpected places and works hanging on the walls, but the couple hadn’t yet made their way to the kitchen for Minseok to see the newest addition to the house decor.

 

Jongdae took his hand and led him through the corridor, rambling excitedly. Baekhyun was walking behind them, trying to tell Jongdae that Minseok probably wasn’t interested. His best friend was not listening to him.

 

“Most of the pieces are Baekhyun’s actually but this one is really different from the other ones, so we decided to hang it in the kitchen because we both liked it so much. Baekhyun says it represents the…” Jongdae broke off, looking at the puzzled expression on Minseok’s face, who looked at Baekhyun curiously.

 

“I had no idea you’ve already seen Chanyeol ,” he quirked an eyebrow. Baekhyun took a step back, stuttering.

 

“W-What? What are you talking about?”

 

“It looks like Chanyeol,” he pointed out, and Jongdae gasped, standing behind him. “The scar looks almost identical. Don’t let him see that by the way, he hates it,” he smiled and then frowned, looking at Baekhyun, slowly becoming a mess under his gaze. “Is everything… okay?”

 

“What?! Boy, I should’ve known that!” Jongdae bridled, giving Baekhyun an accusing look. “Are you trying to tell me we put a Park Chanyeol above our table?!”

 

“O-Of course not! It’s not him! How could it be?!”

 

“I’ve seen the scar a hundred times, it looks exactly the same,” Minseok stated. “And hasn’t he filled in for a model once? I thought Soo had no one for his classes and asked him for help…”

 

“You’re just imagining things. It has nothing to do with that!” Baekhyun shouted, a voice in the back of his mind wondering why Chanyeol hated the scar so much.

 

“Um… I’m pretty sure it does but…”

 

“I can’t believe!” Jongdae whined, plopping down on the chair by the small table. “Was it when he modeled, or have you finally ed the guy and haven’t told me?”

 

“Shut the up, Jongdae! I’m telling you it’s not him!”

 

“But Minseok says he looks the same and things add up!”

 

“Tons of people have a scar on their chest!” Baekhyun retorted, but the slight blush on his cheeks was making it so easy for the couple to see through his lies.

 

"But how many people have modelled for you half-? Just admit it," Jongdae rolled his eyes. "You're whipped for the guy, can you two just already?" he sighed and Minseok chuckled.

 

"They totally should, it's ridiculous from the very beginning," he smiled and shrugged, when Baekhyun gave him a murderous look. "I'm sorry but the first time I saw you two in one room…"

 

"I know, right? The sight-ing is unbearable to watch. Just skip the hate part and get your clothes off," Jongdae scoffed, joining Minseok.

 

“You guys have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s nothing between Park Chanyeol and me! The guy is a creepy old and a condescending jerk and I wish I’d never have to see again!”

 

"Do I have to remind you of the gag thing?" the blonde asked and Minseok snorted. "Or the time you spent an hour texting him like crazy? Or how you're always so nervous when you know you're going to see him? Boy, for real."

 

“You’re just completely ruining my announcement!” Baekhyun pouted, his cheeks still a bit red. “I hate him. He´s a stupid jerk and I clearly have better things to do than to be into him!”

 

"Oh, but you're clearly not doing them if you painted him and let me hang it in the kitchen for you to stare at every day!" Jongdae rolled his eyes. "I'm super proud of you, dude," he said with a -eating grin. "I'm just thinking… should I call Park to model for you for your gallery piece?" Baekhyun pushed him a little — apparently words weren’t enough to make him shut up.

 

“You two should just shut the up and go back to ing or whatever.”

 

"We weren't…"

 

"Are you free now?" Minseok asked, interrupting Jongdae. "This calls for a celebratory drink or

lunch."

 

"Oh, yeah! Let's go somewhere!" Baekhyun looked at them, frowning slightly.

 

“You both .”

 

"We're gay, of course we do. So, do you wanna go for lunch? It's on me." Jongdae winked.

 

“I’m just going because I’m hungry.” He answered, turning around and walking to the entrance to put on his shoes.

 

"Yeah, sure." Both Minseok and Jongdae chuckled, kissing, when Baekhyun went out of the kitchen.

 

"They're both ridiculous. I'm sure it's Chanyeol."

 

"I know. Me too. I'm just waiting for them to realize it…" Jongdae whispered back and they smiled at each other. Minseok kissed the tip of his nose. They weren't dating long but they got on so well so quick, it felt like they knew each other for a year.

 

“Are we going or are you gonna each other’s in the middle of the kitchen?” Baekhyun shouted from the entrance.

 

“Well, now that you said that…”

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

“Hi, Mr. Byun,” Baekhyun opened his eyes wide, when he heard the voice on the other side. It was 9 AM, he was still lying in his bed and he picked up the call so quickly, he didn’t even check the caller’s ID. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t have to listen to Park Chanyeol purring in his ear first thing in the morning. He sat up quickly, blinking once or twice.

 

“Hello?” he answered in a hoarse voice. He rubbed his eye with his fist, and sighed.

 

“Oh, have I woken you up?” The boy heard the beeping of the office coffee machine in the background.

 

“It’s fine,” he said, clearing his throat. Baekhyun was a tired mess. He had been working on his piece for the exhibit admission almost all night and he couldn’t get himself to sleep before 5 AM. “Did you need anything?”

 

“Of course, I need you, Mr. Byun. I wouldn’t call you otherwise,” Chanyeol murmured. Baekhyun shivered. “I want to show you the final changes we made to the first batch of the designs and present to you the final models. I thought you might want to see that before we actually send them to the sewing room.”

 

“I-It’s already done?” Baekhyun sounded surprised. “Yes! I really want to see it!”

 

“Great. So, when can we meet?”

 

“Oh…” Baekhyun closed his eyes for a few seconds. “I… I don’t really know, I’m really busy these days, it’s a miracle I even get to sleep and eat…” he stood up and went to look at his schedule. “I have an hour for lunch at 1 PM, should I come by the office?”

 

“Just an hour? It’ll take you too long to get here,” Chanyeol mused, sipping his coffee quietly. “How about I’ll join you for lunch? It’s just fifteen minutes by car and I can already wait for you when you finish your classes,” he offered and Baekhyun heard a small kissing sound followed by Hi Byul, almost drowned out by the sound of rustling of paper.

 

“I mean, I don’t wanna bother you,” he hated the guy but he knew he was busy too, he had seen him in action, “I could skip my Art history class after lunch so then I'd be able to come by,”

 

“It’s okay, darling. It’s just an hour and we wanted to do that anyway.”

 

“Okay, then… I’ll be quick when leaving Professor Do’s class.”

 

“Oh, you have class with Kyungsoo? Great, maybe I’ll come even earlier,” the man chuckled. “Well, then, I’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Byun,” he said quietly, almost whispering into his ear. Baekhyun stayed silent for a second and whispered back.

 

“And I’ll be sure to join you.”

 

Chanyeol hung up with a wide grin on his face and looked at the clock, his smile faltering when he caught Wheein’s gaze.

 

“What?”

 

“You’re just awful.” The girl shook her head with a sigh. “Byullie, tell him something.”

 

“I can’t wait for you two to finally because the tension is super heavy.” she sat down, “Honestly, Yeol, you’re faster than this usually.”

 

“It’s because I’m not trying to him,” Chanyeol frowned. “I’m just waiting for this collaboration to end so I can never see him again.”

 

“I don’t feel very convinced.”

 

“It’s… You know, he’s cute and all so maybe if he wasn’t so rude and awful…” he cocked up his eyes “then maybe.”

 

“It’s funny because you really seem to believe that,” Yongsun said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“And yet you’re still there, telling him you’re gonna gag him and everything.” Moonbyul rolled her eyes, a habit she may have picked up from Baekhyun, “You do realize it’s because he’s rude that you wanna him, right? Like, you’d be bored with a nice and polite little boyfriend.”

 

“I like nice and polite people. And the gag thing just slipped...”

 

“Yeah, totally. Remember Luhan and Jimin or you already got some weird case of selective amnesia?” Wheein chuckled. “You definitely got a type, just saying.”

 

“You do,” Yongsun added, “and it’s kind of funny that you don’t seem to realize it. All the boys with seen you with were like that except for Jimin and Luhan. There’s a reason it didn’t work out with both of them.

 

“Babe, you like them feisty.” Moonbyul smiled, sipping on her coffee. Chanyeol pouted and focused on the screen of his laptop.

 

“You’re all terrible friends and I hate you. And it’s not like I should actually do that anyway. It’s already kinda ed up, what if we actually started ing?”

 

“Hear me out,” Moonbyul straightened up in her chair, “You start ing, the tension’s gone, and we can all work in peace because you stop thinking about your when he’s around,” she smiled.

 

“I’m not doing that,” Chanyeol muttered.

 

“You do. Actually, both of you, honestly but the difference is that he’s going home to scream in his pillow, and you stay here with us,” Wheein noticed and blushed when Yongsun looked at her, startled. “I know I’m supposed to be cute but it’s true!”

 

“See what you’re doing, Park Chanyeol? Turning our pure and innocent Wheein into a monster.” Moonbyul laughed at Yongsun accusation, looking at Chanyeol with a glimmer in her eyes. The man sent her a kiss and quirked an eyebrow at the girl sitting in front of him.

 

“Sorry not sorry. And it’s not me, it’s that boyfriend of hers who’s making her work overtime.” Yongsun chuckled, glancing at Wheein.

 

“I’m pretty sure watching you eye-ing Byun Baekhyun doesn’t help though,” Moonbyul added. Chanyeol opened his lips to reply but closed them, just sighing instead.

 

"Oh, are we in the acceptance phase now?"

 

“Was about time,” Moonbyul chuckled as Yongsun nodded.

 

An hour later, Chanyeol stood in front of Do Kyungsoo’s usual classroom with his best professional smile plastered on his lips. He nodded to Baekhyun, who came out of the room, his hair disheveled and eyes still a bit puffy after the few hours of sleep he got that night. He excused himself to quickly exchange a few words with Professor Do and then joined Baekhyun, both making their way to the school cafeteria. They finally sat down after ordering their food, Baekhyun almost attacking his plate right away.

 

“Thank you for coming here,” he said, looking at Chanyeol, “I know you’re a busy man with a lot on your hands, sir.”

 

The man quirked an eyebrow, sipping his coffee and opened his laptop.

 

“Yes, the whole process can be really exhausting sometimes,” he gave Baekhyun a small smile. “Would like to see the ready models or talk about the changes in the designs first?”

 

The student frowned. It wasn’t like Chanyeol to miss an opportunity to mess with him. It felt weird. Baekhyun cleared his throat.

 

“The changes, please?” he said, observing the man. Chanyeol ran his fingers through his black hair, his coat matching the black calf-length combat boots neatly hung on the backrest of his chair. He had his usual oversized t-shirt on paired with black jeans, ripped on one knee. He never looked like the fashion designer that Baekhyun imagined he would be.

 

“Of course. I have several versions of the first cloud print that Yongsun made for us to choose from,” he opened the file, showing the laptop to the boy. They went through the graphics and Chanyeol pointed out the one he found the best for the design, presenting the few ready designs including the print. He acted very professional and calm, almost as if their little talks from earlier never took place. Something was definitely different, and Baekhyun hated the way he was ignoring every single one of his comments. He nodded at Chanyeol’s explanations about the designs, asking questions and making remarks, but the voice in the back of his head was still asking why was Park Chanyeol being so different? So unlike him? Why was he being so frustrating?

 

“I’m actually surprised you have such a good fashion sense, considering how much of an old man you are,” he tried again. The man tilted his head slightly. He had done that a lot when talking to Baekhyun and the boy was sure he won for a second.

 

“I studied design and I work in the field. My age has nothing to do with that,” he answered, his tone neutral. “Would you say the same to Anna Wintour or Karl Lagerfeld?” Baekhyun looked at him, blinking.

 

“I guess not…?” He wondered if he should ask him what was going on. “But you’re not exactly on their level now, are you?” he smirked, hoping this one would get through whatever was going on with him.

 

“Of course not. But I aspire to get to it one day.” The man gave him a small smile and glanced at his phone when he saw a notification coming. Baekhyun felt his heart drop a little at Chanyeol’s indifference towards him, not that he would admit it.

 

∆Office∆

 

wheeinnie: how is it going??

 

yeollie: he’s provoking me and i’m gonna ing lose my in a sec

 

byullie: well nobody’s stopping you babe

 

hyejinnie: i am, we don’t our collaborators???

 

byullie: oh come on mom you’re not funny

 

byullie: he’s more a friend than a collaborator now

 

hyejinnie: but still ???

 

hyejinnie: wait actually we should pay him extra for ing yeol and getting this over with

 

yongsunnie: hey don’t treat him like a e!

 

hyejinnie: pay in hugs and kisses of course

 

byullie: i’m pretty sure we don’t even need to pay him in anything, he clearly wants Chanyeol to pound that pretty of his

 

yeollie: one more word here and i’m bringing gags for all of you

 

byullie: . does baekhyun get the best of them?

 

byullie: aka your ?

 

yongsunnie: i shouldn’t be friends with you

 

yeollie: no one should but here we are

 

 

Chanyeol put his phone aside with a quiet sigh and took a sip of his black bitter coffee.

 

“I’m sorry, the girls from the office are spamming the chat again. So, can we proceed to the ready projects?” Baekhyun nodded slowly, still looking at him.

 

“Let’s proceed, sir.”

 

The man smiled, opening another file and showing Baekhyun the ready models and prototypes. It went pretty quickly without unnecessary comments and cutting remarks. They were done as soon as Baekhyun finished his food and he still had almost half an hour till the start of the next class.

 

“Okay. So as I told you earlier, the next step will be designing the packaging. You know what you have to do, right? Any questions regarding the task?” He has tons of questions, none of them really related to the work he had to do though.

 

“I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not so different on my side,” he looked at him, “I just keep creating things I think will fit with the theme and I give them to you, waiting for your reasonable and impartial judgment, isn’t that right, Mr. Park?”

 

“I wouldn’t necessarily use that word,” Chanyeol raised an eyebrow and held back a smile, the one crack in his composed self. “And it’s not like I’m the only one judging it, I’m just preparing the review for everyone else to read later on.”

 

“Still, you’re the first one giving your opinion. What a leader. Such a boss.” It should have been a normal conversation, but Baekhyun made sure to make it sound different. He wanted Chanyeol to react. And Chanyeol seemed to make it his point not to give him that satisfaction.

 

“I’m the first one but definitely not the most important,” he said, closing his laptop and putting it back into the bag. Baekhyun wasn’t surprised to see that it was black as well. Did this man even know about other colors?

 

“Yeah, not surprised about you not being important.” he looked at him in the eye, looking for something, anything. The man rested his chin on his hand, looking back at him. It was intense, his gaze piercing and focused despite his professionally friendly approach.

 

“I’m just an assistant, Mr. Byun, what can I say?”

 

“I’m pretty sure there’s a lot you can say, Mr. Park. You got quite a big mouth.”

 

Chanyeol blinked slowly and took a deeper breath.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that, Mr. Byun. I hope my flaws don’t affect the work atmosphere too much. And if they do, please let me know so we can both feel comfortable in our work environment,” he recited almost automatically. Baekhyun finally rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to tell you how annoying and condescending you are. I wouldn’t want us to get tied up in that type of mess.”

 

“I appreciate the pun, even if it’s inappropriate,” Chanyeol straightened in his seat, lacing his fingers on the table. “I’m sorry you feel this way, sir. I’ll make sure to work on it in the future.” Baekhyun scoffed.

 

“Yeah, okay, work on it.” he answered, “not like I give a about whatever you do,” he murmured to himself. The man closed his eyes for a few seconds and cleared his throat.

 

“I won’t take more of your time. I’ll write you an email two days before the deadline to ask about your progress,” he stood up, taking his empty coffee cup with him. Baekhyun frowned, straightening up.

 

“Wait! What do you mean two days before the deadline? Aren’t we gonna meet before that? Like we did before?”

 

“You’re always welcome in the office, sir. Of course we can meet but it’s not necessary until we review the second batch, which should happen around… half of December. So, in three weeks,” he smiled politely.

 

“Three weeks?! Are you kidding me?!” He stood up, looking up at the man. “So what, I’m just supposed to do everything and wait for three weeks for you to tell me if it’s okay or not?!” Baekhyun didn’t know why it bothered him so much, not seeing Park Chanyeol was what he wanted from the beginning, so why was he so pissed about this?

 

“Well…” Chanyeol’s brows furrowed. “The deadline for the packaging is in two weeks. You will get the review within 5 working days, we talked about it in the very beginning. But as for the second batch of the prints that you’re going to send us in one week, the review takes longer than with the first one, as the work is in progress… Mr. Byun, I sent you the work calendar on the very first day and we’ve discussed it in detail. What seems to be the problem?” Baekhyun took a step back. The man sighed quietly, his shoulder slouching a little.

 

“Nothing.” He seemed angry suddenly. “You can go, everything’s fine. Goodbye, Mr. Park.”

 

“Bye. And, uh… Congratulations on the gallery thing, darling.” Chanyeol murmured, and made his way to the exit in a few quick strides, not sparing another glance at the boy.

 

-*:.-*-.:*-

 

It was almost 7 PM when Baekhyun got home and even though he had the entire afternoon to calm down, it felt like punching a wall would help him more than anything. He took off his shoes, toeing them off angrily, and he threw his jacket on the backrest of the sofa, making his way towards the kitchen. He was angrily looking at his painting above the table, still wondering why Chanyeol was so different for the entire time until the very end, when Jongdae came into the room, smiling at him.

 

“Hi, jerk. ‘Sup?”

 

“Yeah, hi.” He answered, taking a sip of his drink. He didn’t know why he felt the way he did. It did not make sense either, because he hated the guy, so why did he feel so angry at him for acting so distant? Why did he feel his heart ache when Chanyeol refused to play along?

 

“You look... sad or angry, I’m not sure. But before I ask you what happened, get this,” Jongdae sat in front of him at the kitchen table. “Since Minseok is dating me now, I got invited to a party as his plus one! And guess where I’m going?”

 

“I don’t know? A club?” He raised an eyebrow sarcastically.

 

“Why would he… Boy, no!” Jongdae made a face at him. “I’m going to Park Chanyeol’s birthday party tomorrow.” He frowned, his ears perking up at the name.

 

“What do you mean his birthday party?” So the guy was turning 100 years old. Maybe that could explain his weird behavior. Baekhyun sure wouldn’t like to be so old.

 

“His 27th birthday is tomorrow. He throws a party in a club near our school and I’m going with Minseok,” he explained, happily. “I need to come up with a gift pretty quick but apart from that I’m super excited! I’m gonna meet Minseok’s friends!”

 

“A guide 101 on how to be a decent human being should do,” he murmured, but then he looked up at Jongdae and he couldn’t possibly ruin his happiness, “I’m happy for you Dae, I’m sure you’ll get along with them very quickly, they’d be dumb not to like you.”

 

“I hope so! But now, a problem: if you liked Park Chanyeol by any chance, what would you get him?”

 

“How am I supposed to know?” he said. He shrugged and looked at his friend. “He’s into gender-bending, and drag queens and so on, if it can help.”

 

“Oh. It actually does. How do you even know that about a person you supposedly hate?” Jongdae raised an eyebrow. Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

 

“The er’s got plenty of those pictures above his desk at work, one of them being me in the flowery dress you created. So obviously I asked him about it and he said he liked gender-bending, drag queens, and that it was there for inspiration.”

 

“Are you kidding me? He has your picture hanging on his desk at work?”

 

“Yeah, he’s basically obsessed with me.” Or not so much, he thought about how he would ignore his comments at lunch and he clenched his fingers around his glass. Jongdae frowned, looking at his friend.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing’s wrong, why are you asking?”

 

“Because I can see that something is wrong, you ,” he gave him a worried look, cupping his water glass in his hands. “What happened?”

 

“Nothing,” literally nothing happened, Baekhyun realized. Park Chanyeol had been professional, and mature. Unlike him. “I’m just tired, I did not get a lot of sleep last night.”

 

Jongdae shook his head.

 

“I can see it’s something. Why are you so sad? And… angry?”

 

“I’m not sad, why would I be sad?” he frowned, taking a step back. “I’m just gonna go to sleep, goodnight, Jongdae.” he added, putting the glass down in the sink. The blonde looked at him suspiciously, his slightly narrowed eyes following him.

 

“Yeah… sure.”

 

Baekhyun walked out the kitchen, grabbing his coat from the sofa and walked to his room without saying a word. Sad. Nothing made sense but being sad was even worse. And Jongdae was right, he was sad. He threw himself on the bed, his head on the pillow and his eyes unfocused. His heart was beating too fast, and his chest hurt a bit, and Baekhyun wished he would fall asleep right away.

 

He didn’t, not being able to fall asleep and coming back to his lunch break today, replaying his conversation with Park Chanyeol over and over in his head, remembering his neutral expression and that one, held back smile. The congratulations and the darling, which might have meant nothing but made his heart skip a beat.

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D A R L I N G

Will Chanyeol ever let Baekhyun live? We shall see.

 

(the answer is no)

- K.