019

Push & Pull
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| CHAPTER NINETEEN|

Flirting: According to Him

 

 

Unexplainable excitement rushed through her chest as she stepped out of the car. She had an amazing week. She got all her done, the workload off her chest, the meeting with M.S. Entertainment was the highlight. She handled it like a real boss . They were happy with their presentation, including Baekhyun’s design and decided to use some of it for the official album.

Today was a Monday and it means it was Hara and Kyungsoo’s pre-nup photoshoot.

It also means … Baekhyun was back.

Jiwon cleared as a familiar rush of emotion flooded her inside. She was going to see Baekhyun again after, like, five days since Tuesday? Counting the days made her realize it was quite a lot. But why did it suddenly matter that she didn’t see Baekhyun for five days? The last moment she had shared with him would technically be that little highway drive they did.

The following days, he continued texting her like normal. They have discussed things about the meeting and so on and so forth. He was back to his usual self of being goofy and flirty on her—not aloof anymore. She was quite relieved. Him being aloof made things incredibly awkward between them and she couldn’t even explain it clearly well.

A voice called her making her turn to her left. Hara and Kyungsoo had just arrived the same time as she did. They walked away from their car to her direction. “We’re early, the crew isn’t even here yet so we can walk around the shore.” Hara invited, already locking their arms together like they were besties—technically, they kind of were now.

The location for today’s shoot is a beach in Incheon.

“Hello, Jiwon. How was your drive to get here? Went okay?” Kyungsoo asked, patting her arm in a friendly way. She nodded and gave them a thumbs up. “I’ve been improving in terms of driving here, I had some practice when I went to Daegu on Tuesday.” She laughed but immediately regretted ever bringing that up when Hara gasped in excitement. “Oh my god, how did that go by the way? You haven’t told us anything these past few days but I can’t blame you. You were busy, girl.” She received a light nudge from the model.

Jiwon shrugged. “Eh, it was okay. We got the work done. It’s … it’s good, his dad was awesome.”

Kyungsoo nodded eagerly. “I’ve met him a couple times and he’s like totally different from Baekhyun. Yes? No?” He asked. Jiwon remained silent. Were they really different though? A part of her wanted to agree but a tiny tiny part of her was screaming—“No, they’re totally alike, you saw it! You felt it!”

Again, she shrugged. “Hm, kind of.” Her little white lie felt suffocating, for some reason. It shouldn’t have been, right? They really were different. Baekhyun wasn’t caring like his father. He wasn’t sweet. He wasn’t friendly. He wasn’t passionate about life. He wasn’t lovesick like she noticed his father was when he was talking about his ex-wife.

Yup, they were definitely different.

“You guys talking about me?” A familiar beam echoed behind her.

Her heart skipped a beat, or two, or three. She stopped counting after that, it was pointless. Her chest tightened as well as her grip on the strap of her bag. Excitement gushed through her veins uncontrollably and she couldn’t explain it. The hyperbole ‘my heart jumped out of my chest’—she used to think it was silly, so as other hyperboles, but now it all made sense. She felt that ing heart jump out of her chest.

It was him. It was Byun Baekhyun. Was she going to turn? Was she going to acknowledge his presence? Say hi? Say you for fun? Say …

I missed you.

An arm rested on her shoulders making her shudder. He did not just—

“Hey, ‘sup munchkin?” He asked while wiggling his eyebrows down to her. “Okay. Shut the up?” She lifted an arm and grabbed his and threw it away from her shoulders. However, a smile grew on her face as their eyes met. He let out a literal ‘hehe’ laugh before pouting his lips into a kissy face, even making that smooching sound. “Drove okay here?” He asked.

Her heart dropped in a very good way again. Driving. His anxiety about driving. The way he followed her on the highway to make sure she was okay. She could still clearly remember the feeling it gave her. Moved? Touched? She didn’t know exactly what to call it but she liked the feeling of being taken cared of like that.

She nodded. “Yeah, you? Highway was okay for you?”

Baekhyun looked away, laughing out loud all of a sudden. What the ? “Highway was awesome, I ing loved it. Okay, talk to you later, beautiful.” He answered before throwing his arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder this time. He didn’t even look at her again, almost felt like he avoided her gaze. “Okay, let’s go buddy. We need some catching up to do. Did you miss me? When will you leave Hara for me? Let’s elope, bro.” He dragged the man away as he said the most random things. What was that? Why did he … suddenly walk away when she asked that? “Wow, I guess the vacation was good for him. He looks very happy right now. Actually, almost overjoyed? Like he’s in a manic episode, I feel like. Like he just got laid or something.” Hara chuckled while shaking her head in amusement

Got laid? Hm, it weirdly made sense. He did look like he just got laid—she hoped it wasn’t the case. But there was something more to it.

There was something about him today that she felt but couldn’t figure out.

What was it?

“No, it’s—” Jiwon sighed in absolute confusion. “Fake.”

 

 

“I thought you want to catch up? You’re not even talking. Should I go back?”

Kyungsoo stood there awkwardly while watching Baekhyun throw rocks by the shore. The confused man looked over to his fiancé far away who was still with Jiwon. “Is everything okay?” He asked, hesitantly walking closer to peek at his friend’s face. Baekhyun’s eyes were laser-focused towards the early afternoon horizon. “How was work while I was away?” The man finally spoke but somehow, his voice wasn’t as jolly as when he just arrived.

Baekhyun stopped picking up rocks and turned to his friend. “Did … the meeting with M.S. go well?” He asked.

Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders with uncertainty. “I’m not sure, I didn’t go. Why don’t you ask Jiwon? She’s right there.” He answered, unsure of what else to say at this point. Baekhyun looked towards the water again. “Maybe later. I ordered flowers for her; it hasn’t come yet.” He picked up another rock and threw it to the water. Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up. “Wow, you guys … I noticed when she came back to work on Wednesday, she seems more energetic and, I don’t know, jolly? Did something good happen in Daegu? And now you’re buying her flowers? Is this getting real now?” He asked in between stupid giggles.

Baekhyun scoffed. “Psh, no. Still in the game, bro.” He paused for a moment before looking at Jiwon’s direction afar. His heart pounded hard but he dodged the feelings away, pressing his chest twice with his knuckles. “If she’s changing then it means I’m … I’m ing killing it, dude. What did I tell you? I’m going to win this. She’s … getting there.” He forced a grin, winking at his friend who was now frowning in disappointment.

He collected all the lies back into his system, feeling pained for letting them slip out. He managed to keep the truth to himself only.

He had to.

It didn’t matter what he actually felt, it only mattered that he won. He was going to make his point; he was going to make her give in to him because he was Byun Baekhyun. She was going to fall in love with him, love him to death and once she was all under, he was going to withdraw himself away and make her feel like the most worthless, most unlovable woman he had ever met.

Except she wasn’t. , how much he wished she was so things would have been easier.

She wasn’t worthless. She wasn’t unlovable. She was the total opposite. Baekhyun was so close to losing. In fact, at one point, he had completely fallen in but managed to get back out—well, sort of—thanks to his father triggering the crap out of his ed-up brain.

He had accepted that it was going to be a challenge considering all these uninvited feelings she had marked on him permanently but he was in, he was so in for the challenge. He was going to win, make Jiwon feel like for ever trying to win over him—something he had always dreamt of making his mother feel and make even. They deserved it; all women deserved it. As Baekhyun got out of his head, he realized Kyungsoo had already left his side and back to his fiancée. He also noticed that the crew had arrived and were already starting to set up. Jiwon—his eyes immediately searched for the woman.

“Where is she?” He mumbled, squinted his eyes smaller to see better.

A light tap on his back made him open his eyes widen again. He turned his head behind and finally met eyes with her, Kim Jiwon. A bouquet of flowers on her hands. “What the ?” She scoffed but he could see the hint of smile that was curving on the side of her lips. Gotcha. “What do you mean what the ? Flowers. Least I co

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Ba3ks-cheekies #1
Chapter 40: This fic is such a comfort fave 💕✨ I always find myself coming back to read it
KeepWritingFairy
#2
Chapter 20: Oh. This part breaking my heart again
KeepWritingFairy
#3
Chapter 19: Not the author shading her own character in the A/N 😂
KeepWritingFairy
#4
Chapter 18: Just wanna say I'm proud of you, Otornim.
KeepWritingFairy
#5
Chapter 15: Otornim, if you lose your breath everytime you see Baekhyun, I'm pretty sure Jiwon did too
KeepWritingFairy
#6
Chapter 14: I don't know how to respond to your Author's Note after Baekhyun chickening out of that kiss
KeepWritingFairy
#7
Chapter 12: I'll pretend the last sentence isn't there.
KeepWritingFairy
#8
Chapter 11: If this were real life and my boyfriend did that to me, it's over as soon as Mr. Cheng's out of the office. That's some grade-A level of pettiness
KeepWritingFairy
#9
Chapter 9: I'm happy that as the author you love your characters. It just shows how passionate you are about writing
KeepWritingFairy
#10
Chapter 8: Two clueless idiots being cute and dumb at the same time. Poor Yeolie!