Y/N

I knocked on the door and waited for the cue to know that I'm allowed in. Once I heard it, I shyly peeked through the crack I made before taking small steps towards Sooman's desk like a student called for detention.

"I guess you're here to talk about-"

"The spreading rumor," I interrupted him. "I got into another scandal with Baekhyun, I guess it's time for you to kick me out of this job." it was followed by a wide, confident grin from me.

He finally lifts his gaze from his laptop screen up to my face and forced his brows to meet in the middle. "Are you trying to leave your job?"

"Uh n-no, I mean, sort of?" I scratched my nape shyly. "I just don't want to stain Baekhyun's image any longer. This is the second scandal he had and it's because of me, I wasn't being careful and I'm a girl."

"So you really want to leave your job?"

"Sadly. It's to protect Baekhyun."

Sooman nodded with his face showing a relaxed expression. Is he going to agree?

"You know you're paying for breaching the contract if you leave your job?"

My eyes bugged out. "What?" I blinked rapidly. "I thought I could leave my job anytime when I could no longer handle Baekhyun?"

"Oh, Y/n. You must've been excited about the salary part and didn't read the entire contract," he pulled a drawer of his desk and took out a familiar paper that I haven't seen in a while now: the original copy of the contract. Sooman cleared his throat as he scans the paper to look for something. "You were allowed to leave your work with the reason that you can no longer handle Baekhyun, within a week. You stayed with him for months now and the fact that you know about Jian is making it hard for me to fire you."

I'm so desperate to leave the job that I thought I could just blurt out whatever to achieve that. "I'm paying."

"Very well," Sooman puts the contract on the table. "You know you're paying an amount that's way more than what you've been receiving."

"What?!" I quickly shook my head. "Nevermind, I'm still-" I was cut off mid sentence when someone literally kicked the door open.

"Don't listen to whatever she's saying!" Baekhyun strode towards Sooman's desk. "She's currently out of her mind." I shifted my head to give him a look of disbelief, he made me sound like I'm crazy.

"I wasn't suspecting her of dating you." Sooman casually answered.

"Not that! Don't fire her."

The elder narrows his eyes at us. "You two are acting suspicious."

By the last word of his sentence, an idea struck my mind. If I can't leave because of the contract, might as well confess and blow my own cover. My hand unintentionally raise itself up in the air to get Sooman's attention. "Suspicious it is! You should fire me because I like-"

"Pizza!" Baekhyun awkwardly chuckles after interrupting me, his palm pressing harder on my mouth. "Aren't netizens too sensitive nowadays? Just because we both like pizza doesn't mean we're something else." I struggled on prying him off me but his arms around my shoulders only tightens.

Sooman stilled his squinting eyes at Baekhyun. "I don't understand what you're saying and how you two being suspicious is going to do with pizza." he sighed, "You can go now. I'm reaching out to the one who posted about the Paris dinner, leave everything to me."

"Thank you," Baekhyun pushed the back of my head so I could bow to Sooman along with him and then he drags me with his hand still covering my mouth, it was like I'm being kidnapped, again. I was whimpering and he sure does know the probability of getting bitten by pressing his palm on my mouth in a way that I could never open it.

He only lets go of me few steps away from Sooman's office. I quickly distanced myself from him and took deep breaths as if this is my first time to experience breathing in my entire life. His hand covering my mouth was blocking my nostrils!

Baekhyun decided to start a conversation once he's sure I've had my breathing back to normal. "Why are you trying to leave?"

"I'm embarrassed, Baekhyun! Can't you see that? Haven't you been in my shoes before?" I frustratingly grunted. I forgot, he used to be the one being chased by girls, he can get any girl he wants so why would he confess to someone and be embarrassed right after it when he can literally date whoever in a snap of his fingers?

"Then can you see that I'm not teasing you?" his voice sounded like he's trying his very best to make this conversation normal and for us not to end up fighting. "I won't tease you, Y/n. I'm not even acknowledging it."

That statement froze me for a second. It is supposed to be a good thing. He's pretending like I never said I like him, like the confession never happened at all or that he lost his recollections of it. But why does it hurts?

He just straight up rejected me when I'm not even asking him out. That's what it feels like.

I am: smiling through the pain.

I looked away from him, feeling something in my chest stinging. "It's not just that... Why I wanted to leave. You're in another scandal because of me. Get yourself a male manager."

"No," I returned my gaze back to his face, looking at him nonchalantly. "I can't, okay? You had me grown accustomed to the feeling of having a female manager sticking around me and if I suddenly have a new and male one, what do you think I would feel?"

Why would I care about how you feel when you don't even care about mine? I fired back at him through my mind.

"And I breathe by fighting with you, I'm living off of it."

Knowing that I already lost in our little argument, I annoyingly groaned and went on my way back to the practice room without saying any word.

Baekhyun seemed calmer than before, looking like he's finally freed from doing something that he was not allowed to. I don't know how I depicted his expression and how he tried not to argue with me that way but I've never seen his eyes so free since I told Jian's manager to never let her meet him again.

Now that Jian had crossed my mind, I wonder what she and Baekhyun talked about for an hour in his apartment. I was seriously trying to figure it out when someone barges in the practice room and called out my name so loud that it distracted Baekhyun and the other dancers from practicing. It was Jongin, holding a bouquet of flowers in his arms.

"Y/n's got an admirer," he sang in a teasing manner as he made his way towards me. I followed his movement through my gaze until he stops right in front of me and hands the presents he's holding. "From Paris, with love."

"Huh?" I confusedly hummed and reluctantly accepted the flowers and the small paper bag.

"It says 'France' maybe it came from Paris." Jongin pointed to the card somewhere in between the flowers. "Ooh, Baekhyun hyung's quick schedule in Paris brought you an admirer. Is this the time I accept that my ship is sinking?"

"Shut up, Jongin." I playfully rolled my eyes at him and chuckled while picking up the card to read what's written.

You have been casted to play as the leading lady in the movie called "My life"

Let me know if you're accepting it ;)

- France

An airy laugh breaks out from me after reading the cheesy message scribbled on the card, my blood quickly gathered themselves in my cheeks that I could literally feel how they painted them red.

"Hey," Jongin pokes my cheek with his forefinger, then withdrawing it as if he just touched something painful. "I can't believe this! My ship is sinking! You're blushing because of other man!"

From the corners of my eyes, I saw someone moved to look at me but they were left ignored as I proceeded to check the small paper bag Jongin had handed me. Inside of it was a small, black leather box that's usually meant for jewelries. I took it out and opened it, a necklace comes into my sight. It has a pendant, one looking like a tiara or something but is actually Aphrodite's symbol as what the letter along with it said.

Aphrodite - for being the goddess of love and beauty, for me.

"Baekhyun hyung could never." Jongin whispered from behind me, I didn't know he has been peeking. "I mean, actually I don't know since I've never seen him be romantic-"

I cut him off when I shifted my gaze from the necklace to his face only to glare at him. "Jongin, he doesn't like me and I don't like him. Your so-called 'ship' never sailed, the end." I pulled the necklace from the box and handed it to him. "Can you?"

He pouts and took the necklace from me. "I'm shipping you to Baekhyun hyung and now you're getting a love life." Jongin places the necklace in front of me and pulled it's ends together at the back of my neck to secure it. I caught the pendant in between my fingers and silently giggle at the thought that I received this as a gift.

"What's that?"

I moved my eyes to meet his. "A gift, from France." then I beamed at Baekhyun. Jongin seems struggling with locking the necklace as he's still fidgeting it from my back and when he's finally done, he cheers excitedly as if he just won a race. "Thanks, Jongin." I gave his head a gentle pat and he purrs.

Baekhyun scoffs at the sight and rolled his eyes before moving it back to his phone screen. Aside from being abnormally calmer than usual, he's also on his phone most of the time when he used to spend his free time dissing me or complain about everything I do just to start a fight. Ever since they met again.

Now I think I should be up for an investigation.

We're finally down to the second not-really-a schedule for today. We were just waiting for the bleach to work its wonders so the hair stylist stepped out for a bit while I'm eyeing Baekhyun through the mirror in front of his seated figure. He's on his phone again, fingers rapidly tapping against the screen, that restraint smile didn't escape my eyes either. Those confirms my suspicion that he's connected with Jian again.

I really shouldn't have let them be together in his apartment that night! I should have been around distracting, loitering around and not respecting the together time they wanted.

And I think that's why he has been more relaxed and looking free.

Catching my bottom lip in between my teeth, I thought of words to ma