Walking into the COEX mall and being greeted by a massive Christmas tree and sappy Christmas songs blasting from the speakers, Baekhyun was reminded that it was that time of the year again. Some of his friends loved Christmas. Jongin and Kyungsoo, for example. The couple ran a small coffee shop in Mapo district and every year made sure to bring the Christmas cheer to every customer that walked in.

But Baekhyun wasn’t like Jongin and Kyungsoo. No, he actually detested Christmas quite a bit. Call him a modern time Grinch, if you will. He just couldn’t understand the obsession with such a commercial holiday and the rush to buy gifts. Or even worse – the whole mess about who gave who his heart last Christmas and who gave it away the very next day.

Utterly ridiculous.

However, despite the hatred he felt towards the celebration, Baekhyun wasn’t protected from getting involved in it. He still had to attend his friends’ Christmas parties and he still had to find some decent gifts to bring with him. Jongin had made it clear that Baekhyun didn’t have to prepare anything but the latter knew that receiving presents and not giving some back would be plain rude.

So that’s how he ended up in COEX tonight. It was only December 17 and Jongin and Kyungsoo had simply invited him to visit their coffee shop that night. He wasn’t sure if the gift giving would take place tonight or not so he decided to better be safe than sorry. It would be better to have something prepared rather than arrive empty handed.

Baekhyun didn’t have anything particular in mind but seeing a pyramid of Christmas mugs forming a Christmas tree in one of the store fronts reminded him how Jongin complained about wanting a particular set that was sold out everywhere. It was a rather elegant set with a “Mr.” and “Mr.” printed on each mug. Nothing spectacular but finding mugs that went against the casual heteronormativity was hard, they were produced in little numbers and sold out in seconds.

As he looked over the pyramid, a set of mugs with Christmas lights on them drew Baekhyun’s attention, making him scoff.

“So “Tinsel ” and “Jingle balls” are ok but “Mr.” and “Mr.” is a bit too much? ing ridiculous.”

Feeling his lunch turn in his stomach, Baekhyun quickly walked inside the shop, hoping that other pieces of ceramic wouldn’t upset him even more. He quickly walked along the shelves until he saw it. A box of Jongin’s described set neatly placed by the counter. Making quick steps towards it, Baekhyun couldn’t believe his luck.

“And here I thought it would be impossible! Jongin will be so happy!”

Baekhyun kept marvelling his find, trying to figure out what was so damn special about the set, when a large hand tried to take it. At the same time a deep voice spoke behind him.

“I’m sorry but I had my eye on this first.”

Baekhyun twirled around in a second, refusing to loosen his hold on the box. He sure didn’t expect to be met with a ridiculously tall figure but he refused to be startled by it. He had a gift to fight for.

“No, you didn’t. It was standing right here.”

“Yes, I picked it out but then I got a call and placed it there.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Even if that’s true, you basically put it back up for grabs.”

“I was standing right next to it.”

“You were nowhere in sight! You abandoned it and walked away which means it’s mine now.”

“I only took a few steps away. Sorry but I didn’t exactly expect any small midgets to sneak in here and try to steal mugs from me.”

“A midget? That’s rich coming from an overgrown elf.”

It seemed like a real fight was about to break out and so a shop assistant finally jumped in between the two.

“How can I help you, sirs?”

The taller one quickly took the initiative.

“My friend here wants the same set as I’m about to get. Do you have another one of these?”

“Sadly, that is the last one. We get calls about this set often and happened to find the last one in the back. Next arrival is expected after New Year’s.”

“How about other shops?”

“We don’t have information about it but my guess would be that it’s sold out everywhere else too.”

Baekhyun’s spirit visibly dropped, almost making the taller one feel apologetic. Almost.

“Listen, I don’t have time to argue. How about you let me keep these ones and I’ll help you select a different set?”

“You know what – keep them. Choke on your coffee or something.”

With that Baekhyun turned around and walked out of the store. This was one of the reasons he hated Christmas so much. Every year he got close to something he wanted but lost it in the last second. Be it mugs or other gifts, or even love. He always lost.

Feeling how desperation and anxiety were slowly taking over, Baekhyun decided to arrive empty handed after all. Luckily for him, no gifts were exchanged. Only the usual annoying nit-picking at Baekhyun’s private life. He knew Kyungsoo and Jongin meant well but the constant pestering could get a bit much sometimes. While Jongin was fixing Baekhyun another latte, Kyungsoo was back to it.

“So, you’ll come to our Christmas party, right?”

“I’m not sure. I still have a lot of work to do.”

“Sorry, Mr. Busy, but we won’t take a no for an answer. You already missed so many events this year due to work. Christmas must be an exception!”

“Why? What’s so special about it?”

“Well, we’ve planned a reunion!”

“A reunion?”

“Yes! Christmas seems the only time of the year when everyone we know and love are free to meet up. This year Junmyeon and Minseok will be back in town as well.”

“Oh, I haven’t seen Minseok in so long!”

“Exactly! So what do you say?”

Baekhyun pondered the thought a bit before cracking a small smile.

“Fine, I’ll try to join you.”

“Great! One rule though-”

“A rule? When I already agreed to show up?”

“Yes, one rule – you have to bring a plus-one!”

“What? That’s ridiculous!”

“How else can we motivate you to finally get a boyfriend?”

“You sound like my mother.”

“You know we are doing this only because we love you.”

“Right. So I have to find a guy to drag to family Christmas dinner, my company’s New Year’s party and now even to a dinner with friends.”

“See – that’s a lot of motivation!”

As Jongin appeared with the lattes, Baekhyun picked up his belongings and got ready to go, confusing the barista.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah, I still have some projects to finish and, apparently, a date to find. Thanks for the lattes though! No one makes them as delicious as you do!”

“That’s our speciality!”

Having bid his goodbyes, Baekhyun was already out the door. He was about to catch a taxi when Jongin ran out after him.

“Baek, wait!”

“Did I forget something again? I thought I picked up everything.”

“No, I just wanted to give you advice.”

“Advice?”

“Yeah, about finding someone to date.”

“Listen, if you want to set me up with someone, I’m grateful but not in the mood of having a relationship right now.”

“That’s perfect!”

“What?”

“Sehun told me about this new app his company is developing. It’s like a dating app but for super busy business people.”

“Jongin, I already tried Tinder. No, thank you.”

“No, no! It’s not like that! The app is not for romance or intimate meetings but for finding plus-ones for business parties. Something like… Well, platonic partners?”

“Platonic partners?”

“You know. For people like you who just need someone to show up so they aren’t pestered at parties and gatherings. Maybe give Sehun a call and ask for more details.”

“Fine, I’ll think about it. Thanks.”

Jongin answered with a wink before heading back inside the coffee shop, leaving Baekhyun wondering just why was everyone so obsessed with his love life.

***

That night Baekhyun worked till around 2AM, trying to finish a very important project. As he finally let exhaustion take over, a new unread e-mail he hadn’t noticed before finally caught his attention. It was the invitation to his company’s big New Year’s party. Saying that the line “Mr. Byun Baekhyun and a guest” made his head hurt even more than the project was an understatement.

It made him recall all previous years whenever happy couples would approach him at the party and ask about his plus-one’s whereabouts. Then the pity the couples would try to mask when saying that there are still plenty fishes in the sea.

It wasn’t like Baekhyun was asking for their compassion. He was still happy with his life. It’s just that he was too busy with his career to find anyone right now. Others should realize that it’s not that bad. It really wasn’t. Or at least Baekhyun was telling it to himself.

However, the possible solution to his issue came in the form of Oh Sehun who casually strolled into Baekhyun’s office the next day around lunch time, leaving Baekhyun in utter disbelief. The older one quickly stood up and pulled his friend into a tight hug.

“Sehun, it’s been ages! What are you doing here? I thought we would meet at Kyungsoo and Jongin’s?”

“Yes, but Jongin told me you need my help and we both knew you wouldn’t come to me so here I am. Finding a plus-one on the Christmas Day is a bit too late, don’t you think? We should start working on it as soon as possible.”

“Listen, about that – I’m good. I’ll just survive as my lonely self as always.”

“And answer awkward questions? Endure annoying remarks? Why would you want to suffer like that when there’s an app for that?”

“I already tried Tinder and it was a mess.”

“Well, if you go on an app that’s meant for booty calls, that’s what you’ll get. It’s not meant for serious stuff. However, our app is.”

“I don’t want a relationship.”

“By serious I meant business, not a relationship. Do you think you’re the only one who is struggling with explaining to people that career is more important than some ? Are you the only one receiving unwanted sympathy that can easily be avoided?”

“Well, probably not.”

“Exactly! That’s why we developed this app! For busy people who just want to get it over with. You don’t have to get into a relationship. It’s more like a business contract – he goes to Christmas dinner with your family, you go to his company’s Christmas ball and that’s it. You never see each other again.”

“And both parties are ok with it?”

“Yes, everyone who uses this app just needs a saviour for a night and the night ends as soon as you leave the party. No strings attached.”

Baekhyun couldn’t believe that Sehun’s offer was actually starting to interest him.

“I see why you work there. You know how to advertise it.”

“Why? Am I pulling you in?”

“Maybe. So how does it work?”

Sehun didn’t have to be told twice as he plopped down in one of the chairs and pulled out his laptop.

“You create a profile and put in some basic information like any other app. It then finds the best match for you.”

“Sounds like any other dating app.”

“Kind of. The exception is that everyone on this app has the same goal. You definitely won’t end up in a cheap motel.”

“How can you be so sure of it?”

“First of all, the price for signing up is set pretty high to scare off thirsty sugar babies and sugar daddies. Secondly, we also request to know your workplace and position. We use this information to pair up people who work in similar fields just to make sure you fully match.”

“So if I point out that I’m a creative director at a clothing company, the app will pair me up with other creative directors?”

“Not necessarily. But it’ll pair you up with directors and managers instead of your typical guys who flip burgers at fast food restaurants.”

“Sounds pretty shallow.”

“It’s just business. It’s for business-driven people who just want to keep up appearances. So what do you say? Shall I make you a profile?”

After pondering the thought a bit, Baekhyun finally gave in.

“Alright. But if I end up at a motel again, I’ll sue your company for emotional damage.”

“Sure.”

***

It was only December 18 but Chanyeol loved the Christmas feel Seoul was already wrapped in. Everywhere he went everything was covered in little lights and sparkly decors, making the city appear warm despite the freezing cold. The Christmas specials offered by different shops were pretty amazing too. The box with the “Puzzle of What You Want” cake from Baskin Robbins in Chanyeol’s hands was proof of it. In Chanyeol’s opinion, at least.

He wanted to surprise his employees at the studio after a very busy year and bringing loads of snacks and treats seemed like the best idea. Pay raises too, of course. Everything that his employees could wish for. They were the basis of the studio’s success after all.

As he was strolling down the street, he was texting Mingyu with one hand while carrying the box with the cake in the other. Typing with frozen fingers wasn’t as easy as one would like and required his full focus so Chanyeol didn’t even notice the appearance of another pedestrian in front of him. Until it was too late.

The smaller one’s shoulder bumped into Chanyeol’s hand that was holding the box, sending it flying onto the pavement.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t notice you! Are you- Wait, it’s you!?”

Chanyeol finally looked up from the crashed box to the man at fault. It turned out to be the same midget from the mug shop. He wasn’t alone as the man next to the short male piped up too.

“Baekhyun, why are you apologizing? He was the one buried in his phone!”

“Yeah, why aren’t you looking onto the road when walking!?”

Chanyeol was dumbfounded as he just stared at the man in amusement.

“Sorry but I don’t think I’m that hard to miss. Did you do this on purpose or something? To get revenge for those mugs?”

The male seemed offended.

“What? I’m not that petty! I was just... Well, telling a story to my friend. Maybe I got too into it.”

Chanyeol expected an apology to follow but it never did.

“Maybe that’s your karma for stealing those mugs!”

“Karma? For buying the mugs I had picked out?”

“No, for giving false hopes and then stealing the gift I had chosen!”

“I did offer you to find a new set!”

That seemed to calm the shorter male and Baekhyun was actually about to offer to buy a new cake when Chanyeol’s phone rang.

“Anyway, look where you’re going, midget. Try not to ruin other people’s day.”

With that Chanyeol answered the call and walked away whilst warning Mingyu that he will be a bit late as a new errand had popped up.

“Who was that?”

Sehun stared at the man slowly disappearing in the distance, amused by the scene he had just witnessed.

“Some idiot I keep running into. I feel more sorry about the cake than him though. Looks like it was a Baskin Robbins one.”

“You both keep running into each other and love ice-cream cakes.”

“So?”

“Nothing, just observing how match making happens in real life.”

“Match making? Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just a giant dumbo who keeps ruining my day.”

Sehun answered only with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile, making Baekhyun give in.

“Fine, a ridiculously handsome dumbo. Anyway, where were we? What kind of information do you need for the app?”

***

As the day drew to a close, the studio was almost empty, leaving Chanyeol and Mingyu the only ones still there. After a deep sigh Mingyu got up from his seat and headed towards the fridge to get a cold can of Pepsi, surprising Chanyeol. It was Friday so it seemed quite off.

“No whiskey in it?”

“No, I still need to drive tonight. Want one?”

“No, thanks. I thought you’d be jamming with me the whole night?”

“As lovely as that sounds, love life calls, my friend. You should try it.”

“Try what? Being tied to someone?”

“It’s not that bad. It’s nice to have someone to come home to and wake up with.”

“You’re probably right but that’s not what I need right now. Especially with all the projects we have on the table.”

“Was that aimed at me not doing enough?”

“No, it’s just that I can’t manage having so much work and a serious relationship at the same time. You’re pretty much Superman in my eyes for managing it.”

Mingyu released another sigh as he knew he was venturing into a territory Chanyeol didn’t exactly like.

“What about your mom’s dinner? Didn’t she tell you to bring a plus-one?”

“Yeah, but I can handle her nagging. Have done it before, will do it again.”

“And what about the Prada deal?”

“What about it?”

“Didn’t you hear what we discussed in the meeting? That the representative of the company is a family man?”

“So?”

“If you showed up to meet him with a significant other, it could increase our chances of getting a deal.”

“Shouldn’t we get the deal just because we’re actually good enough for it?”

“In an ideal world? Sure. But you know how tight the competition is. We should use everything to our advantage.”

“Ok, then you’ll be my plus-one.”

“And face dating rumours again? Hell no. My girlfriend confronted me about the couple tattoos already. I’m not having that conversation again.”

“Then I’m going alone.”

“Chanyeol.”

“What do you want me to do? Bring any random person from the street?”

After pondering the idea a bit Mingyu pulled out his phone and started searching for something, succeeding in making Chanyeol curious.

“I recently read about an app that’s meant for busy business people. The idea is that you can get a date for important stuff like business dinner or company parties.”

“Like Tinder?”

“No, this one seems better. Tinder would equal the same thing as bringing a random person from the street. This app ensures that the person is in on playing your plus-one and won’t embarrass you.”

“What’s in it for me?”

“You’ll have someone to bring to that Prada meeting and to your mom’s Christmas dinner.”

“What’s in it for them?”

“Well, they’ll have someone to bring to their boring events and a chance to taste your mom’s delicious food.”

Somehow the idea didn’t seem that bad and soon enough Mingyu offered Chanyeol to create a profile.

“I could do this without you though.”

“Oh really? You think you know me that well?”

“Easy. Born in 1992. Height – 1,85m. Interested in – men. Workplace – Studio 519. Oh, they need the level of your position. Manager? Or maybe an office employee?”

The laughter earned Mingyu a punch with a pillow.

“Aren’t we both directors?”

“I’d call you a manager but ok, let’s go with a director. Now the easiest part – interests. Obviously, music, ice-cream, dogs, travel, astrology, bowling, sky, clouds. What else?”

“Add fashion for Prada and change the dogs to puppies.”

“Puppies?”

“Yeah, if he likes puppies, he should be ok.”

Mingyu seemed a bit confused but made the requested changes anyway.

“Fine, all set!”

“Now what?”

“Now we wait until it finds you a match. The description said that the app does a thorough analysis of potential matches so it could take some time.”

“Good. I won’t get to it sooner than Monday morning anyway.”

“Fine, let’s check it on Monday morning then. You really have a passion for procrastination, don’t you?”

“Only on things I don’t deem important.”

With Chanyeol ignoring Mingyu’s glare, both got back to their newest beat. Little did they know that right at that moment another profile was being created on the other side of Seoul. After listing “music, tall guys, sky, clouds, fashion, games, ice-cream, puppies” as Baekhyun’s interests, Sehun hit “Submit”, allowing the app to start working on its magic.

***

Baekhyun had started the Monday quite early. Just as he finished updating one project’s schedule and was about to start the next one, Sehun stormed into his office just like two days ago.

“I don’t remember scheduling a lunch with you again.”

“I’m not here for that. I only dropped by to tell you that the app found you a 94% match.”

“Only 94%?”

“It’s high for someone you’re only going to go out with a couple of nights.”

“And you couldn’t tell me this over the phone because…?”

“Because I want you to remember the rules. This person will go to your schedules if you’ll go to his. His first schedule is tonight.”

“So soon!?”

“Yeah, I took the liberty of scheduling it. You need to meet him at 6.30PM by Apgujeong Rodeo Station. His schedule starts at 7PM so you’ll have a bit of time to get to know each other and develop a common story if needed.”

“A common story?”

“In case someone asks you how you met, what he is like, your living situation and so on. He has indicated that it’s an important business meeting with the goal of concluding a contract. Seems like a suit will be too fancy but you still have to look nice.”

“Sehun, I’m not a creative director here for nothing. I know my fashion.”

“Just… Don’t overdo it, alright? You’ll need to meet him again for your own needs so try to play nice.”

“Fine.”

“Here are all the details on how you can access the app and its messaging function. I need to run now but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, you know I’ll want to hear all the juicy details as soon as you get home.”

“Alright. Thank you!”

Sehun just flashed a smile and a quick wink before closing the door behind him.

***

Mingyu announcing Chanyeol having a date took the latter by surprise. Sure, he had given into all the talks about the weird app and how nice it would be to have someone stand in for the meetings. But he sure didn’t expect to have a date right in time for the meeting.

“Don’t worry, Yeol. He seems like a nice guy. A 94% match with quite a few overlapping interests. You’ll be fine.”

“I’m taking Mr. Overlapping Interests to a business dinner with a Prada representative – doesn’t it sound weird?”

“Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. You’re using a valuable business tip-off to your advantage and that’s fine.”

“What if the guy turns up in sweatpants?”

“Just take him to a store and take care of it. Although I doubt he would. The app says he’s a creative director at a clothing company.”

“Well, what if it’s a clothing company that produces sweatpants?”

“Yeol, it’ll be fine. Don’t sweat it.”

Chanyeol knew any argument he could make would fail so he just directed a death glare towards his friend before trying to get back to work. There was still some time to kill and he might as well use it productively.

***

Once the evening closed in, Chanyeol put on the all black suit he had selected in the morning coupled with black dress shoes and a black coat. Of course, padding would be more effective in the cold winter weather but it sure wouldn’t match with the company he wanted to sign an agreement with. He could only pray that his match had a good fashion sense after all.

As he approached the Apgujeong Rodeo Station, a man in a black coat similar to his caught Chanyeol’s attention. The man was facing away from him and Chanyeol didn’t really know what to do. Thus, he ended up walking up to the stranger’s back and saying a sudden “hello”, making the man jump in the process. Chanyeol was about to apologize until their eyes met and he realized that the stranger was the same midget from before.

“You?”

“No, that’s impossible!”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m waiting for some guy named Chanyeol. What are you doing here?”

“I’m some guy named Chanyeol. So you’re Baekhyun?”

“How is this possible!? There’s no way we are a 94% match! There’s no way we are even a 1% match!”

“Finally we can agree on something.”

“So what will we do? Can we call it off?”

“I guess. But then again – you’re already here. Although I’m not sure if I want to take you to dinner.”

“What? Why not?”

Chanyeol eyed Baekhyun from head to toe. Luckily, there were no sweatpants.

“You could look the part but I’m a bit afraid about how you would act. This is important and I don’t want you to mess it up. Especially with you being an expert at messing up.”

“Boo-hoo. What’s so important about this meeting anyway?”

“It’s a meeting with a representative of Prada.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he became all seriousness.

“Armando?”

“Yeah. Do you know him?”

“I don’t actually know him but I know of him. Why will you have a meeting with him?”

“Our studio wants to do the whole audio part of their new campaign. We scheduled a dinner to discuss the possible cooperation.”

“How did you even land a dinner?”

“Well, I’m kind of the new representative.”

“Of Prada!?”

“Yeah.”

Chanyeol unconsciously scratched his head while Baekhyun was now the one looking the other over.

“Hmm, you are their type, I guess. Tall, reasonably handsome, good proportions.”

“Reasonably? What do you mean reasonably?”

“Forget it. Ok, I’ll go with you.”

“Wait, what? Why?”

“Because I know how hard it is to schedule a meeting with Armando so I’m not going to let you waste this opportunity. Let me guess – you needed a plus-one because you know he is a family man?”

“That’s what my colleague said.”

“Good to know that at least someone at your company has a brain. Ok, you look well-dressed. If anything will go astray, I’ll be able to help you.”

Chanyeol wasn’t quite sure why he was giving into the plan after all but somehow Baekhyun’s confidence had charmed him.

The restaurant turned out to be a 15-minute walk away from where the two met. They spent the time to come up with a reasonable story of how they got together. The agreed version was that Baekhyun and Chanyeol had noticed each other during Seoul Fashion Week and Chanyeol had decided to make a move during the after party. The move turned out successful as they had recently celebrated six months together.

Armando and his wife greeted them quite warmly. Once Baekhyun removed his jacket, his own all black suit was revealed, making Armando’s wife clap in amusement.

“Couple clothes even in high fashion! That’s how we like it, don’t we, dear?”

“Definitely!”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol gave each other another look over and the suits indeed looked quite similar. This seemed to make Baekhyun smile and blush a bit and Chanyeol almost didn’t hold back a compliment. Almost.

The representative’s wife seemed like the chatty type, asking questions about how Baekhyun and Chanyeol met, squealing whenever she uncovered another interest the two turned out to be sharing. The couple in question would lie if they said that their own hearts didn’t jump a bit with every new matching thing revealed.

Then Armando turned the conversation towards the business direction. Chanyeol’s passion about his work amazed everyone around the table, even though Baekhyun couldn’t really express it. But he would admit that Chanyeol was good at what he was doing. At least when it came to music.

Fashion was a bit tricky topic and while Chanyeol had prepared all the important answers, there were still some details he had missed. Luckily for him, Baekhyun was right by his side to fill in the missing pieces. This allowed Chanyeol to see how well his match knew the field. However, Armando seemed to see the big picture and he was totally mesmerized.

“I’ve never seen someone fight for his partner so well.”

“Honey, I would fight for you too!”

“Of course, you would. But these two are professionals at it! I usually advise people not to mix work with pleasure but you two clearly have it all!”

Chanyeol didn’t seem to know what to reply to that so Baekhyun quickly chimed in. That’s how they worked – like perfectly oiled gears.

“No one is perfect but I’d say we’re pretty close to it. I can’t imagine not having Chanyeol by my side anymore. We’re just such a huge support to each other.”

“Who knew a designer and a musician could be the perfect match! Music truly is the universal language of mankind.”

The rest of the evening flew by and as the two couples parted their ways, Armando shook hands with Chanyeol with a promise.

“We will have another meeting about the campaign on Wednesday. I’ll definitely put in a good word for you, Chanyeol.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll be waiting to hear from you soon!”

Seeing how Armando’s wife was holding onto her husband’s arm, Baekhyun decided to take Chanyeol’s hand into his. He and Chanyeol were the perfect couple, after all. It seemed to work in their favour as Armando’s wife squealed a bit again before her husband softly pulled her towards the car. Chanyeol and Baekhyun took it as their time to leave as well.

As soon as the car vanished from their sight, Chanyeol started to jump around in celebration, thanking Baekhyun for everything and making the smaller one laugh.

“It wasn’t my doing. You were prepared very well!”

“We took a lot of time to analyse the business and see what we could offer. But we didn’t know there were so many details to still discover!”

“Fashion can be tricky that way. You’ll do amazingly well though! I’m sure of it!”

The celebratory mood decreased a bit as both realized they were still holding hands, making it a bit awkward. Not unpleasant but slightly weird. They were strangers, after all.

Having finally let go of each other, Chanyeol tried to continue the conversation.

“So, I can walk you home if you want to. Where do you live?”

“Actually, I’m from Bucheon. But I left my car at my company’s parking lot.”

“And where would that be?”

“In Gangnam.”

“That’s not too far. We can walk there. If you’re not cold, that is.”

“No, I’m alright and down for a walk.”

“Good. We need to discuss the event you needed a plus-one for. When is it?”

“This Thursday. On the 24^th. It’s a Christmas party hosted by my family.”

“Family? I thought the app was meant for business stuff?”

“It’ll be just business. To get my mother off my . She thinks I’m wasting my time with the company. That settling down and returning to family business would be better.”

“But your company is so successful!”

“Well, not for her. I think she might have the idea that fashion industry is the reason why I’m not into girls.”

“She’s bothered by it?”

“Not as much as before. But she probably thinks that returning to the family business could “fix” me or something.”

“And instead of bringing a girl home to calm your mother’s heart you’re bringing me?”

“Well, bringing someone I’m not actually dating is just a white lie. Claiming to be someone I’m not exceeds that.”

“Ok, I get it. Is there anything I need to know beforehand?”

“Not really. Just… Try to be a bit charming to maybe not make her assumptions of me even worse?”

“Alright.”

Chanyeol was about to change the topic when Baekhyun stopped in front of one of the office buildings. The sign by the door indicated it was Privé Alliance.

“Well, this is me.”

“What time should I pick you up on Thursday? And where?”

“Actually, I was thinking about picking you up. Thursdays are usually the days I meet up with our partners so I’m all over Seoul, even during holidays. But I could pick you up at 7PM, if that’s ok?”

“Sure, that’ll do. I’ll message you the address.”

“Ok. So… See you later?”

“Yeah. Bye!”

With that both started to walk in their separate directions although Chanyeol couldn’t help but check if Baekhyun got into the building safely. Noticing his attentiveness, Baekhyun flashed a smile and waved before disappearing into the doorway. That night he sent Sehun a simple message. Just a “Thank you! (*ﾉωﾉ)” but it was enough for Sehun to know that the app had worked its magic yet again.

***

Thursday came rather quickly and soon Baekhyun found himself driving from one company to the next, arranging whatever clothing the companies would need for promotional campaigns, music videos, movies and other sets. He had ticked off the third one out of six as done when his phone suddenly vibrated, signalling the arrival of a new message. He expected to see either an another exhausting business inquiry or maybe his friends sending him a meme.

However, instead Baekhyun was met with a selfie of Chanyeol wearing a Christmas sweater. The sweater was Star Wars themed with Baby Yoda’s face and “All I Want For Christmas Is Baby Yoda” written around it, which made Baekhyun snort.

[12:09] Chanyeol: Hey! Is tonight still on? We’re having an ugly Christmas sweater day at work and it gave me an idea – why don’t we wear couple Christmas sweaters to be more convincing?

The idea seemed utterly ridiculous but something about the giant’s wink and fake reindeer horns on his head got Baekhyun to actually consider it.

[12:09] Baekhyun: Hi! Yes, I’ll pick you up at 7PM, just tell me where. Not entirely sure my parents would know who Baby Yoda is though. (＾▽＾)

[12:10] Chanyeol: This was just an example! (*ﾉωﾉ) I can go out and get us something more “acceptable”. What’s your size?

[12:10] Baekhyun: Not to be rude but you don’t have to buy clothes for me.

[12:10] Chanyeol: Size?

[12:10] Baekhyun: Seriously, Yeol – you don’t have to spend money on me.

[12:10] Chanyeol: Siiize? (｡+･｀ω･´)

[12:11] Baekhyun: Is it ok if I call you Yeol?

[12:11] Chanyeol: Yes, it is. And fine, I’ll get us both the same size. Won’t be my fault if you’ll drown in it. (^.^) Anyway, 7PM it is. I’ll send the address in a bit.

People rarely bought anything for Baekhyun so this felt both kind of awkward but also very caring.

Focus, Baekhyun.

Since Chanyeol had clearly made up his mind, Baekhyun gave up on convincing him.

[12:12] Baekhyun: Oki. (◕‿◕✿)

***

Although Baekhyun would refuse to admit it, the selfie Chanyeol had sent was the only thing on his mind for the rest of the day. Until he arrived at the address, that is. Recognizing the company’s name he had heard during the business dinner, Baekhyun quickly messaged Chanyeol to let him know he was there. Much to his surprise, he received a message back that beckoned him to come upstairs.

Confused but intrigued Baekhyun obeyed and soon found himself in the lobby of Studio 519. He didn’t have to wait long until Chanyeol opened the door to one of the cabinets and invited Baekhyun in.

“Well, as I said – you’ll just have to wear my size. These seemed quite ok. Not too weird and not too out of place so I hope you’ll like it.”

That’s when Baekhyun realized that Chanyeol was wearing a beige sweater with red reindeers. He was handing Baekhyun a matching red sweater with beige reindeers. It was almost as if the reindeers had jumped from the sweater Baekhyun was holding onto the one Chanyeol was wearing. Simple and classy.

“Not bad. I like it.”

“Good! Then put yours on so we can go. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

With that Chanyeol was out the door before Baekhyun even got to answer. Without much thinking, Baekhyun quickly changed, unwilling to make Chanyeol wait for too long. The sweater felt really nice against the skin. It was soft and cosy and Baekhyun couldn’t help running a hand over his stomach. Sure, the sweater was way too big for his size but for some reason Baekhyun actually liked it that way.

Hoping that his hair hadn’t become unbearably messy, Baekhyun collected his belongings and went out into the lobby. Chanyeol was talking to one of the staff’s but once Baekhyun came into his view, the man just blossomed a warm smile and beckoned Baekhyun towards the elevator.

“I thought you would drown in it but it actually looks good on you!”

“Honestly, I like baggy clothes. Maybe my body type is just meant for them.”

Baekhyun pulled on the loose fabric a bit, making Chanyeol chuckle.

“Maybe.”

As the elevator’s door closed, both suddenly became very well aware of the fact that they were surrounded by mirrors. Baekhyun hadn’t paid much attention to it before as mirror elevators weren’t rare but now it was different. Now it wasn’t just him but a couple staring back at him. A couple with a cute height difference and pretty adorable Christmas sweaters. He almost let a smile slip but then the realization hit him.

It’s a perfect lie, Byun. That’s all.

Of course, Chanyeol noticed how Baekhyun’s face dropped. He had been observing it ever since they got into the elevator. First, he was met with the thoughts about how well he had picked out their sweaters. Then, about how cute Baekhyun looked when he was shy. But now the shorter one looked just sad.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. Just wondering how this whole thing will go.”

“Is there something I need to know beforehand?”

“Not really. I can’t think of anything in particular. Although I guess I can tell you a bit more about them. My parents run a little shop of music instruments. That’s the business they want me to come back to.”

“Not to sound rude but it doesn’t sound too profitable.”

“Oh, but it is! While the shop is small, it specializes in traditional Korean instruments. So my parents get a lot of orders from universities, theatres, orchestras and whatnot. It’s just that we don’t have much of the instruments at the shop.”

“So the shop is more for accepting orders?”

“Something like that. My father is actually making the instruments. Since they are handmade, they are a bit costly but that doesn’t affect the demand. My mother works with managing the business, stuff like accounting and scheduling. While my brother is in charge of PR and human relations.”

The elevator signalled their arrival to the ground floor and so Chanyeol followed Baekhyun to the car park.

“Sorry but what? PR for traditional instruments?”

“Everything has to have a good PR these days. Have you seen the recently published “Feel the Rhythm of Korea” advertisements? The troupe is playing our instruments!”

“Oh, I love those ads! The way they show the rhythm of each province is amazing!”

“Exactly! You’ll probably hear a lot about them tonight since my father is quite proud of them.”

As the two came close to a black Audi, Baekhyun unlocked it, making Chanyeol’s jaw drop.

“You have this beauty and your parents still aren’t happy with your job?”

“For them, this is too materialistic. But I don’t mind. I love it.”

Finally Baekhyun flashed a smile and got into the car with Chanyeol doing the same right after. As the motor started to hum, Baekhyun went back to preparing Chanyeol for the night.

“So, do you remember the story about how we met?”

“At Seoul Fashion Week? Yup. Will it do for your parents too?”

“I think so. They are pretty sure everyone in the fashion industry is gay anyway. They could come up with random questions though. Maybe we need a signal for when you need me to chime in?”

“Umm, sure. What kind of signal?”

“Probably something you don’t do often so I don’t mistake it for something. Like rubbing your nose maybe?”

“Wouldn’t that be considered rude? Besides, I sometimes do rub my nose. Umm, how about pulling on my ear? I really hate it so you can be sure I’d only do it in case of utter confusion or emergency.”

“Oh, that will do!”

They spent the rest of the ride matching some more details and Baekhyun telling a bit more about his family. The unmasked happiness rolling off of Baekhyun when he was talking about his niece and nephew warmed Chanyeol’s heart. Or at least helped him feel less worried. He wasn’t exactly an expert at meeting someone’s parents but Baekhyun needed this to work and Chanyeol promised himself to do his best.

***

Initially, the Byuns seemed rather cold. At least Baekhyun’s parents did. Chanyeol had no issues connecting with the family of Baekhyun’s brother, especially their kids and corgi. Good thing Chanyeol had decided to play it safe and take some allergy medicine even though Baekhyun hadn’t warned him of any pets.

Baekhyun’s parents, however, were two hard nuts to crack. As Baekhyun told the story of how he met Chanyeol, they seemed to hide their pained expressions. They weren’t doing a very good job though. It was clear that the fashion industry was the topic they wanted to discuss the least.

So, once the topic of their supposed first meeting was done, Chanyeol decided to clarify that he actually works with music, not clothing. He went on to explain how he wanted to write music for promotional campaigns, mentioning the new Korean tourism advertisements as a great example of music making everything better.

Finally, Baekhyun’s parents seemed to warm up as the discussion of music and instruments caught on. The list of instruments Chanyeol can play seemed to work in his favour in particular.

That’s how Chanyeol ended up sat in front of the Christmas tree with a guitar in his hands. Baekhyun’s father added to the rhythm with a small drum the sound of which was softened by Baekhyun’s mother playing some traditional string instrument. Chanyeol didn’t have the heart to admit that he had no idea what the real names of the instruments were but all three seemed to sound quite great together.

Baekhyun was amazed by how well Chanyeol fit into the whole Christmas carol singing that was so traditional to the Byun family. From then on the evening took a turn from being painfully awkward to being one of the best Christmas dinner the family had ever had.

Too bad it passed rather quickly and soon Baekhyun found himself driving Chanyeol back to the studio. Both seemed really happy with how the night had turned out though.

“You have such a good voice, Baek! Have you ever thought about going into singing?”

“Sometimes but I don’t think I can do it professionally.”

“Lies! You would nail it!”

Baekhyun just laughed it off, ending the topic right then and there. However, Chanyeol’s next statement kind of made the mood go a bit sour.

“So, it seems like our business schedules are done.”

“Yeah. For now, at least. By the way, did you hear back from Armando?”

“Yes! The deal is ours! And we definitely have you to thank!”

“Non-sense. You did the presentation so well! No wonder they decided to collaborate with you! Honestly, it made me consider hiring you too.”

“Really? That wouldn’t be a problem!”

“I might suggest it in our next company meeting.”

Baekhyun thought that they were having a cheerful conversation but suddenly Chanyeol’s smile faded.

“I hope you don’t feel obliged to do it. I know we’re doing each other favours but this isn’t a must for you.”

“Are you kidding me? I wasn’t lying when I said I liked your ideas! If Prada wants you, you should know it means you’re good!”

This seemed to make Chanyeol a bit shy but happy.

“Thank you.”

“Just stating the facts here.”

A moment of silence set in as they rolled by Studio 519 again. Before Chanyeol started to say his goodbyes or even attempted to get out of the car, he spoke up again.

“The business stuff is over and I know it’s a holiday tomorrow but… Maybe you’d like another schedule?”

“Sure! What do you have in mind?”

“Another family dinner if you’re up for it. Basically everything we did just now but with my folks.”

“Ok, that could be fun! More Christmas carols and delicious food?”

“Of course! Both of my parents are running restaurants so you can count on it! My dad is into music too.”

“Any siblings?”

“Yeah, an older sister. She used to work as a news anchor but quit before getting married. Now she’s into private business stuff. Oh, and we’ll have two dogs to play with as well!”

“Sounds tempting!”

“It’ll be a bit early though. Would 5PM do for you?”

“Of course!”

“Great! Then I’ll pick you up. And thank you for tonight! It was a blast!”

“It truly was! Thank you! See you tomorrow!”

With that Chanyeol jumped out of the Audi.

“Goodnight, Baek!”

“Goodnight, Yeol!”

Chanyeol closed the door and watched the car drive away. It had been a truly fun and warm Christmas celebration. Chanyeol could name everything – the Christmas cheer, the joy of having family time, the warmth of having a singalong. Yet there was something else too. Some other emotion he couldn’t name just yet. He kept pondering about it until the app announced the arrival of a new message. After opening it, he was met with a cute selfie of a sleepy Baekhyun who had already settled down in his bed and pulled a duvet up to his nose.

[11:25] Baekhyun: I forgot to wish you a merry Christmas! Goodnight! (*ﾉωﾉ)

The duvet looked really comfortable and so Chanyeol decided to settle down on the sofa in his office too. Maybe a little nap wouldn’t hurt that much. Having produced a blanket and a pillow from one of the closets, Chanyeol found a comfortable pose to sleep in, pulled the blanket up the way Baekhyun had in the picture and took a selfie to reply with.

[11:26] Chanyeol: Merry Christmas! And goodnight! Sleep tight! (︶｡︶✽)

Turning the lights off and settling the phone down on the nearby table, Chanyeol allowed the sleep and exhaustion to take over. He might not remember it in the morning but he had a lot of fun dreaming about a date with Baekhyun. And maybe, just maybe the latter had a very similar dream too.

***

The next morning Baekhyun woke up and was surprised to find that he actually had some Christmas cheer in him. He ate his breakfast while watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and drinking coffee from a Christmas mug his brother had gifted him. Then he decided to maybe pull out the old box of Christmas decorations and make the place livelier.

Finally, as he started to think about getting ready and eyed the sweater Chanyeol had given him, Baekhyun decided he should give something to the other as well. He didn’t have anything particularly fancy in mind but he thought that maybe a hoodie for a sweater would be a fair exchange. So he ended up choosing a Privé Alliance hoodie with clouds considering that Chanyeol had listed the sky and clouds as his interests.

With Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, Baekhyun tried to decently wrap it although it had been quite a long time since the last time he had done it. Usually he would take his gifts to be wrapped at a mall but now there was no time for that. So his own skills had to suffice.

It was a miracle in itself that he still had a wrapping paper at the back of his closet. Then he managed to find a little bow with a little card attached to it. Baekhyun stared at the card blankly before finally picking up a pen and deciding to go the easy way with simple wishes.

Chanyeollie~ Thank you for all the help! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Once it came to the signature, Baekhyun got a bit flustered. He could sign it as simply “Baekhyun” but where would be the fun in that. “Sincerely” also sounded way too formal. Hearing his phone buzz, Baekhyun became a bit more daring and wrote a simple “Your Grinch :)”.

With that done Baekhyun picked up his phone only to find a message from Kyungsoo.

[4:10] Kyungsoo: Hi! You’re coming to tonight’s party, right?

Baekhyun paled as he read the message. He had completely forgotten about the party. On the one hand, he could go after the dinner with Chanyeol’s parents. On the other hand, he didn’t really know at what time he will get home or how exhausted he will be. It was a true inner dilemma but finally Baekhyun decided to just say the truth.

[4:12] Baekhyun: Hi! I’m so, so, SO sorry but I won’t be able to make it. I’m sorry. (ノд｀)

Of course, he didn’t have to wait for a reply too long.

[4:13] Kyungsoo: Why? You better have a good reason for it! Is a typhoon coming? Zombies? Sharknado?

[4:13] Baekhyun: No. I have a date.

Baekhyun wasn’t sure what to expect but the reply he got shocked him.

[4:13] Kyungsoo: Ok, valid. Merry Christmas! And you’ll have to come for the New Year’s party for sure!

Baekhyun replied with “Merry Christmas!” while still in a daze from how easy it was to get Kyungsoo’s approval. When his phone buzzed again, he kind of expected a message from his friend, saying that the previous exchange was just a joke. However, instead he found another cute selfie from Chanyeol.

[4:15] Chanyeol: Was about to leave the studio but realized I don’t know the address. (・・?

Snapping a quick selfie with his still dishevelled hair, Baekhyun sent the address, promising to get ready soon. That earned him a quick response.

[4:16] Chanyeol: Nonsense! You already look good! I’ll be there at 5PM (*ﾉωﾉ)

Chanyeol had kept his promise and right at 5PM Baekhyun hopped into Chanyeol’s Jeep, admiring the car with a bright smile.

“And I thought my Audi was fancy.”

“I guess we both like a bit expensive stuff.”

“Sometimes. So, where are we going?”

“To my mom’s place. It’s not too far from here. She was so ecstatic when I told her I’m bringing someone with me. Be prepared to be smothered with hugs and kisses.”

Baekhyun’s chuckle made Chanyeol smile.

“Ok, I don’t mind. Anything else I should be prepared for?”

“Not really.”

Noticing the way Baekhyun was slightly fidgeting with his phone, Chanyeol took one of Baekhyun’s hands in his to reassure the other.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do just fine.”

Chanyeol turned out to be right as Baekhyun got accepted by the Parks the moment he stepped into their apartment. First, Chanyeol’s mom pulled him into a hug and thanked him for helping her son have a love life. Then, Chanyeol’s dad pulled Baekhyun into an equally tight hug, showering Baekhyun with questions at the same time. From Baekhyun’s occupation to hobbies – he wanted to know everything.

Finally, Chanyeol’s sister followed her parents with hugs and questions. Her husband seemed to be as shy as Baekhyun but that also helped them bond a bit more as they were the outsiders.

The night was as fun as with Byuns – delicious food, fun conversations, warm family bonding over singing carols and other Christmas classics. Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s answers and stories never faltered. It was almost as if they really had met six months ago and had shared many fun experiences that eventually brought them here. It was almost perfect. Almost.

As the night drew to a close, Baekhyun expected it to end the same way as his family’s dinner – just a goodbye and a drive home. However, it turned out that the Parks had a special tradition for closing the night. It was a nice walk around the snowy Seoul.

Baekhyun wasn’t so sure about it at first but even the walk was amazingly nice. As Toben and Jjareu kept playing around in the snow, the Parks admired the Christmas decorations, especially the set up statues in the nearby park. The snow kept falling slowly, only adding to the overall Christmas feel.

Everything was rather calm until Yoora noticed a Christmas sleigh that was set up for people to take photos in. No one was around as it was pretty late so Yoora rushed straight to it. Chanyeol’s mom and dad only admired the weird construction before moving on and continuing their walk. However, Yoora refused to give up so easily, pulling her husband with her into the sleigh and asking Chanyeol to take a picture.

Of course, Chanyeol couldn’t refuse. Holding Yoora’s phone, he kept snapping pics of his sister and brother-in-law making funny faces and finger hearts before moving on to posing for real. Chanyeol knew it was for his sister’s Instagram so he made sure to take the pictures well. He didn’t want to get his kicked after all.

All this time Baekhyun stood next to Chanyeol, admiring how well Yoora and her husband looked together. They had been married for a while now but the spark seemed to still be there, warming the hearts of everyone who got to witness it. From giving each other thoughtful presents to her husband giving her his desert. Baekhyun guessed they were what every couple aspired to be.

Only after Chanyeol started to complain about the cramps in his arms did Yoora finally get out of the sleigh. However, leaving wasn’t in her plans just yet.

“Hey, don’t you want a pic with Baekhyun too? This is such an amazing set up!”

Chanyeol glanced at Baekhyun who seemed equally flustered.

“Maybe next year. While our parents accepted Baekhyun so well, I doubt they would want to see any PDAs just yet.”

“Please! Our parents are pretty far away and won’t notice a thing! Don’t worry! You need to have a memory from your first Christmas together too!”

Yoora suddenly pulled out her secret move that she knew Chanyeol wouldn’t be able to refuse – puppy eyes. Surprisingly, it worked not only on her brother but also on Baekhyun.

The couple approached the sleigh quite unsurely and Chanyeol offered Baekhyun a hand to help him get in. It was quite awkward as they hadn’t been this close before and Yoora noticed it as well.

“Oh, come on! That’s not what a couple looks like! There’s no one here so feel free to just be you!”

Surprisingly, Baekhyun dared to answer with what seemed like a good reply at the moment.

“It’s hard to feel free when your is about to freeze off!”

That made everyone laugh but Chanyeol noticed that the man next to him was indeed shaking. So he decided to be a bit daring.

“Sit on my lap.”

“What!?”

“So you don’t freeze and it looks more natural.”

Baekhyun seemed really shocked at first but still obeyed. His didn’t allow him not to. So he ended up awkwardly trying to get comfortable on Chanyeol’s lap until the latter circled his arms around Baekhyun’s waist and pulled him closer. Baekhyun took it as a que to wrap his arms around Chanyeol’s neck to balance their position. This seemed to make Yoora a bit wild.

“Finally! That’s what I’m talking about! Although, Baekhyun, maybe don’t wrap both of your arms around him – it looks a bit like you’re chocking him.”

The pair laughed it off but Baekhyun followed Yoora’s instructions, ending up posing with a finger heart between him and Chanyeol. They took a few pictures like that and were about to stand up when Yoora’s eyes widened.

“Oh my God! There’s a mistletoe! Honey, how did we miss it!?”

Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked up and sure enough the damn thing had been well hidden among the other decorations. They exchanged worried looks and were about to refuse such a picture but Yoora was back to her puppy eyes.

“Come on! No one will see it! It’ll be just a super sweet memory for you two!”

The couple exchanged another glance for a moment until both sort of shrugged with playful smiles. With Yoora’s cheers in the background, they started to slowly lean in until their lips finally touched for the first time. At that moment it felt like the world spun around them, leaving only the two of them in this moment.

The kiss was calm and gentle as the two simply explored the feeling of kissing each other. Besides, they were in a public place so getting crazy and going too far was a big no-no. Both knew it and stayed within the lines. But even within the boundaries, the kiss seemed to light something that wasn’t there before. Something warm and new. Something very, very pleasant.

As they pulled apart, Yoora still hadn’t finished jumping around from happiness. Deeming the photo session as done, Chanyeol helped Baekhyun out of the sleigh and all four of them ran after Chanyeol’s parents. Although the moment had passed, both Baekhyun and Chanyeol could feel their hearts continuing to race like crazy. Not that they would admit it to each other, of course.

***

Once the night officially ended and Baekhyun was back in Chanyeol’s car, the mood was clearly awkward. Not really in a bad way but the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Noticing Baekhyun’s quietness and fidgeting with his phone again, Chanyeol tried to fix it.

“Listen. I’m sorry for what happened at the park. I should’ve known my sister would try to pull off something like that.”

“No need to apologize. It was spontaneous. She didn’t even know the mistletoe was there at first.”

“Still, she should’ve let the choice be ours.”

“What happened – happened. It can’t be changed so stop worrying about it.”

A moment of silence settled in. Although both wanted to seem fine, they clearly weren’t. Neither of them could really put their finger on it though. The kiss had been good so both quietly wondered to themselves as to why it had made them so nervous.

Then Chanyeol realized that this had truly been their last “schedule”. This was the last time he would meet Baekhyun and his sister just had to ruin it. But then again maybe a kiss wasn’t a bad way to say goodbye after all.

Or was it?

Chanyeol’s thoughts kept racing and he just wanted them to stop. Just like Baekhyun said, everything was done and couldn’t be changed. They just had to deal with it and there was no point in overthinking it.

“Baek, is it ok if I turn on the radio?”

“Sure.”

As one should’ve expected, most radio stations had taken it as their obligation to play cheesy Christmas classics. No matter how many times Chanyeol changed the station, all stations were the same. He was about to push the button one more time but suddenly Baekhyun’s hand stopped him.

“Wait! It’s Pentatonix!”

Chanyeol was amazed by how Baekhyun recognized the group just by the first accords of the song, beat boxing mixed with soft vocals in the background.

“You like them?”

“Yeah! They’re pretty amazing!”

What amazed Chanyeol next was Baekhyun carelessly joining in, singing along the lyrics he knew by heart. Baekhyun’s voice seemed to pour softly like honey, giving Chanyeol goosebumps. He couldn’t remember the last time he has heard such an angelic voice, much less live.

Sadly, the song came to an end much sooner than either of them wanted. That’s when Baekhyun realized that he had spent whole 4 minutes torturing the other with his singing.

“I’m so sorry! I just love this song so much.”

“Sorry? About what? You sound incredible!”

The adjective Chanyeol had chosen made Baekhyun blush.

“Thank you.”

As the short infomercials had ended, another song started. This time both of them recognized it. An undying Christmas classic. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carrey as indicated by the car’s dashboard.

Baekhyun was barely holding himself back from singing the intro, squeezing the hem of his padding in frustration. Of course, Chanyeol noticed it and decided to encourage the smaller one by being the first one to sing along to the radio.

Chanyeol easily sang along the line “I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know” while perfectly making a turn and looking as nonchalant as possible. However, it earned him only a wide-eyed stare from Baekhyun. Noticing that the other wasn’t joining in, Chanyeol flashed Baekhyun a smile.

“I’m not that good at high notes yet so can you at least take those?”

No reply followed and Chanyeol was getting a bit worried. However, as soon as the singing continued, Baekhyun finally joined in, making Chanyeol smile even wider. They managed to harmonize really well together although the way Baekhyun managed to belt every high note perfectly made Chanyeol’s heart race.

“Woah, Baek, you’re amazing! You really need to think about changing your profession!”

“And here I thought I could do both.”

“I bet you can! But you surely can’t waste this talent!”

“Maybe if your studio signs me, then I might consider it.”

It was clearly meant as a joke. Or was it?

“Too bad studios are only places were people record stuff. You’d have to find an entertainment company for that.”

“Haven’t you thought about expanding your studio to something more? I bet you totally could!”

“Well… Maybe we’ll think about it. If you’ll be the first artist we sign.”

Both just laughed it off as the car was suddenly filled with the accords of Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe”. They tried to sing along but every time the name “mistletoe” came up, both couldn’t help but laugh.

They didn’t get to finish the song as Chanyeol’s car rolled to a stop in front of Baekhyun’s apartment building. They became awkward again, trying to somehow find the right words to say goodbye. Baekhyun seemed to be braver this time, finally voicing his thoughts about everything that had happened in the last week.

“I guess this it. Thank you for the fun schedules and for taking care of me so well! It was fun.”

“It really was, wasn’t it?”

“Sadly, all good things come to an end. But I’ll be happy to see you around. Also, I promise not to ruin any more ice-cream cakes.”

The memory made Chanyeol smile despite how sad the moment was.

“Good to know. Thank you too! For everything.”

With that Baekhyun got out of the car and said a small “bye” before closing the door. Just like before, Chanyeol waited for the other to reach the door and, just like before, Baekhyun offered a small wave before vanishing inside.

The idea that the two of them might never meet again made Chanyeol feel quite strange. As if mirroring his sadness, the radio began to play “Snowman” by SIA. Chanyeol had never thought that lyrics on the radio could match what was happening so well. He still sang along but only half-heartedly.

“Don’t cry, snowman, not in front of me. Who’ll catch your tears if you can’t catch me, darling.”

This was what they had agreed to when installing the app. This was just a business deal like any other. Nothing more, nothing less.

Then why do I feel like I just lost a friend?

***

Baekhyun woke up the next morning, trying to stretch out the best to his abilities. He had hit the bed as soon as he arrived, hoping that sleep would solve all the conflicting emotions he had felt after leaving Chanyeol’s car. But it hadn’t. Everything was still there and as confusing as ever.

The only thing that was able to stop his thoughts from being all over the place was a ring at the door. Ignoring his messy look, Baekhyun opened the door to find Sehun on his doorstep with a Christmas present in his hands.

“What are you doing here?”

“All I heard from you this week has been a “thank you”. I came here for the juicy details, of course! Oh, and merry Christmas!”

Taking the present with a small smile, Baekhyun moved aside to let Sehun in. He knew too well that the other wasn’t going to leave anyway.

“Take off your coat and go to the kitchen. I need some strong coffee.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

***

Chanyeol was working on a new song when he was startled by Mingyu opening the door.

“Chanyeol, merry Christmas!”

“What are you doing here? It’s Saturday!”

“Thank you for your well wishes as well.”

Actually, Mingyu didn’t take any offence. He was used to Chanyeol being all over the place sometimes.

“Sorry. Merry Christmas! So, what are you doing here?”

“You forgot, huh?”

“Forgot what?”

“The Christmas party we’ve been planning since the beginning of December?”

“But Christmas was two days ago!”

“Yeah, and we decided to party after the holidays as everyone was going to their hometowns and didn’t have the time to deal with a hangover. We agreed on the 26^th since everyone would be back in town, remember?”

Now that Mingyu was mentioning it, Chanyeol started to remember such discussions too.

“, at what time is it?”

“Some will start to arrive at 6PM to help with the decorations and all. Others who live further away will come at 8PM.”

Realizing that the party might be a good distraction from his thoughts, Chanyeol finally started to feel the Christmas cheer again.

“Have you done all the shopping already?”

“Nope, I just got back from my girlfriend’s. Besides, if we’re both directors, shouldn’t we both carry the shopping bags?”

“Fine. Let’s go!”

Mingyu told everything about his holidays while the two were walking to Chanyeol’s car. It was the most spacious so it seemed only logical to take it rather than Mingyu’s smaller one. As the two got in and Chanyeol started the ignition, the radio started to play, surprising Mingyu.

“Since when do you listen to radio and not one of your playlists?”

“Well, sometimes they have something good on air too.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Chanyeol checked the dashboard to see the song that was playing. Right as his eyes landed on it, the writing changed from classic “Jingle Bell Rock” to a less well-known classic “Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas”.

“You can turn it off if you hate it. But only after this song.”

“What’s so special about this song?”

“It’s Pentatonix. They’re good. I think you’ll like it.”

***

“Oh. My. God. You kissed!?”

Sehun’s jaw was about to hit the floor.

“Yeah, but it was nothing special. We did it just because we had to.”

“Please. The Byun Baekhyun I know would never do anything he doesn’t want to do. You clearly wanted it to happen.”

Baekhyun wasn’t ready to be called out like this but Sehun’s observation did make him a bit shy with heat rising in his cheeks.

“Well, maybe a little. Just to see what kissing him is like.”

“So? What’s it like?”

“Amazing.”

Sehun kept squealing but Baekhyun knew he had to end the joy then and there.

“But it’s just business. That’s what your app is for, right? Nothing serious?”

“Well, we indicate in the user agreement that it’s for business purposes. However, we’re not responsible if a business relationship turns into a romantic one. That’s up to the users.”

“But that is the initial purpose? That’s the reason why we met in the first place and completed the schedules. It was just obligations.”

“Or maybe it was fate after all? Since you met even before installing the app.”

“Our first meetings weren’t the nicest ones. We were just mean to each other.”

“Maybe you two were like kids? Acting mean to hide the fact that you were attracted to each other?”

“Or maybe we were two adults who knew from the start that it wasn’t meant to be.”

A moment of silence set in and Sehun’s cheers had really ended.

“So… You two really won’t meet again? Just to see what happens?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t agree on anything in particular.”

Sehun was about to object again but suddenly his phone rang, making him drop the topic for a few seconds. It was a quick call but effective enough to make Sehun pack his belongings.

“Sorry, duty calls.”

“Your app? On a Saturday?”

“Yup, when investors call, you have to go. There’s no way around it. Anyway, I hope you’ll reconsider all this Chanyeol thing.”

“There’s nothing to reconsider.”

“Sure. Will I see you at Kyungsoo and Jongin’s party? You were a no-show for the Christmas one so they have high hopes for New Year’s.”

“What date?”

“31^st, of course. We will be greeting the New Year together. It would be great if you’ll make it.”

“I’ll try to.”

“Ok, bye!”

With that Sehun stormed out the door, leaving Baekhyun battling with his own thoughts. He tried everything. Cooking delicious breakfast, watching one of the Christmas movies on the TV, going for a walk, doing some shopping. Cleaning the apartment was his last hope but even that didn’t help. Not when he noticed the gift he had prepared for Chanyeol but forgot to deliver. Baekhyun could just forget it. But his heart had other plans.

Maybe it’s a sign? Maybe we just need a proper closure.

Baekhyun had no idea what “proper closure” could be but somehow the idea of seeing Chanyeol again brought him more excitement than worries. He quickly picked up his phone, wondering if showing up unannounced would be out of line. Deciding that it indeed would be so, Baekhyun sent a short message, trying to keep it as normal as possible.

[4:45] Baekhyun: Hi! Are you at the studio?

[4:45] Chanyeol: Hi! Yeah, what’s up?

[4:46] Baekhyun: I forgot to give you something yesterday so I was wondering if I can drop by today. (^.^)

[4:46] Chanyeol: Sure! (＾▽＾)

[4:46] Baekhyun: I’ll be there in an hour. See you then! (^.^)

***

Chanyeol had finished hanging up the Christmas lights when the phone in his pocket signalled the arrival of a new message. Of course, Mingyu couldn’t miss the warm smile his friend was suddenly sporting. Knowing all too well that Chanyeol wouldn’t admit to anything, Mingyu quickly snatched the phone from his friend’s hand.

“Baekhyun? That’s the guy from the app?”

“Yeah, looks like he will come by.”

“Dear God, he’s even using the same kaomojis you do. You two really are birds of a feather.”

Chanyeol took his phone back before Mingyu got to read too much (or, God forbid, see the pictures Yoora had sent him) and looked at the messages he had exchanged with Baekhyun.

“You’re right. I hadn’t even noticed.”

While knowing that Baekhyun was about to visit lifted Chanyeol’s mood up, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was all about. They had said their goodbyes and agreed that it was over. Could Chanyeol even hope that maybe Baekhyun wanted something more?

No, don’t be silly, Chanyeol. He probably just forgot something. Maybe some tips about working with Prada or something.

That’s how Chanyeol spent the next hour – coming up with all sorts of excuses as to why the smaller one could come by. He would deny it but even other staffs noticed how he kept looking at the elevator every now and then. The signal of elevator’s doors opening would be enough to know that Baekhyun was finally here. But it wasn’t enough for Chanyeol.

The 16^th time he looked at the elevator, he finally saw the elevator’s arrows light up, heard the signal of arrival ping and soon enough saw Baekhyun step out in the lobby. The eye contact was made almost immediately and both exchanged warm smiles before approaching each other. Baekhyun managed to greet the other first.

“Hi!”

“Hey! What’s up?”

Noticing all the employees decorating the place and setting up a table, Baekhyun suddenly felt quite out of place.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

“It’s ok. We’re just setting up for the Christmas party. Let’s go to my office before their eyes pop out.”

Chanyeol voiced the last part loud enough for all the curious starers to hear. That didn’t change much though as the employees still admired Baekhyun’s visuals and exchanged whispers of how good their boss and Baekhyun look together. However, as the two entered the safety of Chanyeol’s office, Baekhyun seemed to warm up again.

“A Christmas party after Christmas?”

“Yeah, everyone had gone to their hometowns or to their significant others for the holidays so we’re kind of celebrating everyone coming back together.”

“Woah, that’s pretty cool!”

“But you didn’t come to check on us, did you?”

“Umm, no.”

Chanyeol noticed the pink tone rising in Baekhyun’s cheeks as the latter took off his backpack and produced a small bundle wrapped in Christmas paper.

“I wanted to give it to you yesterday but other stuff took over and I forgot. It’s nothing much but… Merry Christmas!”

“Baek, you didn’t have to! We didn’t agree on exchanging any gifts.”

“You already gave me the Christmas sweater and I thought I should give something in return. It’s nothing much but I hope you’ll like it.”

Chanyeol didn’t waste any time unpacking the bundle and soon got to admire the hoodie.

“Oh, I love hoodies! And the cloud print – I’ve never seen one with clouds before! Not like this at least. Woah, the fabric is so soft too!”

“I hope you like it.”

“I love it! Thank you, Baekhyun.”

The genuine smile on the taller one’s face made Baekhyun smile too.

“Well, I’m happy then. I guess I’ll better go now. Don’t want to keep you back from having fun.”

Baekhyun was about to walk towards the door when Chanyeol called out for him.

“Wait! Maybe you want to stay for the party?”

“I really don’t want to mess up a corporate event. Besides, I’m not even dressed up.”

“No worries! This isn’t a corporate party. This is NNG party! Here anyone can have fun no matter what they are wearing. Besides, I’m wearing just a T-shirt and jeans too.”

On the one hand, Baekhyun really wanted to spend more time with Chanyeol. On the other, he still felt like he was intruding.

“We could also use some more help with the decorations.”

Baekhyun’s mind was telling him a firm “no”, while his heart just couldn’t refuse Chanyeol’s warm smile.

“Don’t make me beg you, Byun.”

Baekhyun pondered the thought for a few more seconds before finally giving in.

“Ok. I’ll stay. What can I do to help?”

“Great! Let’s go!”

Fitting in among NNG’s staff turned out to be as easy as fitting in among the Parks. Maybe because the staff at the studio seemed almost as close as family. There seemed to be no strict hierarchy. Everyone could talk and joke around with everyone. It was a refreshing change after the usual corporate life Baekhyun was used to witnessing.

He didn’t even notice how fast the time was flying by as soon the decorations were all set and the table was ready. As everyone started to take their seats, Baekhyun felt a bit confused. Sitting right next to Chanyeol might cause unnecessary questions while not sitting next to Chanyeol could be just plain awkward.

However, in the end it wasn’t his choice to make as Chanyeol invited him to take the seat next to him.

Awkward questions it is then.

Baekhyun wasn’t wrong. At first the staff one by one shared how they had spent their holidays – where they had went, what had they done, what Christmas presents did they receive. It was fun to hear all the different experiences. But then Chanyeol’s turn came and Baekhyun could feel the heat rising in his cheeks again. Especially since Chanyeol seemed determined not to hide anything.

“Well, I spent the first day of Christmas with Baekhyun’s family.”

This earned him a bit of teasing from the others.

“And we spent the second day of Christmas with my family.”

Now some employees were whistling, including Mingyu.

“Now, don’t be rude. It’s nothing like that. We just kept each other company and it was a really nice holiday with family. Right, Baek?”

Baekhyun could only nod along, trying to hold back from laughing. While others seemed to go into more details in their stories, Chanyeol kept it rather brief. Still, the staffs didn’t seem to mind as they just moved on to the next speaker – Mingyu.

As the evening went by, some alcohol was introduced, making everyone more relaxed and comfortable. Of course, this included Baekhyun. Luckily to him, the employees around him seemed quite interested in fashion so he could share some stories to bond with them. Either that or the staffs were just being ridiculously polite.

Chanyeol was there to encourage Baekhyun as well, asking questions and keeping the conversation going. Of course, also pouring Baekhyun something to drink every now and then. That’s how stories went from fashion and work to fun college experiences and craziest parties each had visited. This was followed by karaoke and some drinking games, making Baekhyun feel like he was back in college.

The night turned out very fun but it had to end at some point. Baekhyun realized it when the clock struck midnight and half of the people announced their departure home. From then on people started to slowly disappear and finally even Mingyu said his goodbyes, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun the only ones there.

Both were pretty tipsy, especially considering what a light weight Baekhyun was. Chanyeol had made sure not to go overboard with filling up his and Baekhyun’s glasses but some intoxication was simply unavoidable. It was a party after all.

Suddenly, Baekhyun had the bright idea that he should go home too. However, that ended with him trying to stand up and falling onto Chanyeol soon after.

“Byun, you’re staying the night here.”

“What? But I can call a taxi or something.”

“That would be a waste of money. They double the prices during holidays. Just stay here.”

“And where will I sleep? On these chairs?”

“There is a sofa in my office.”

A mischievous smile spread across Baekhyun’s face as he wrapped his hands around Chanyeol’s neck.

“Are you trying to pull me into bed, Park?”

The question made Chanyeol laugh as he looked over his drunk friend ever so fondly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to take such an advantage of you.”

“Well, what if I want you to take such an advantage of me?”

“We can always discuss it when you’re sober.”

Then Baekhyun looked up and his eyes widened like a cat’s. Following his gaze, Chanyeol noticed a mistletoe hanging right above them. As his gaze returned to Baekhyun, the smaller one’s smile had become even wider.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I don’t know. What are you thinking?”

“That it’s a sign that we should kiss.”

Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the way Baekhyun kept eyeing Chanyeol’s lips. Maybe it was both but one thing was for sure – Chanyeol just couldn’t hold himself back. He slowly leaned in but allowed Baekhyun to be the one to close the distance completely.

It was just like in the sleigh at the park. Equally soft and magical as their lips fit perfectly, almost as if moulded for each other. Too bad the need to breathe prevented the kiss from lasting the whole night. Feeling a sudden wave of confidence, Chanyeol dared to stand up, picking Baekhyun up bridal style in the process.

Getting from their seats to his office was a lot harder than Chanyeol had initially imagined. Everything became a bit blurred but he stayed focused on his mission. Somehow he even managed to keep Baekhyun safe in the process and eventually the two landed on the soft sofa. Luckily, it was big enough for the two of them to fit as Baekhyun laid on his back and pulled Chanyeol right on top of him.

The taller one hadn’t expected such a turn of events but his drunk mind kind of appreciated it. Kissing Baekhyun was heaven and he just didn’t want to stop. The other seemed equally eager, pulling Chanyeol in for a kiss.

Feeling even more daring, Chanyeol gently Baekhyun’s lower lip, as if asking if it’s ok to deepen the kiss. Baekhyun was more than happy to allow it, finally getting to taste Chanyeol.

Neither of the two knew how much time had passed but somewhere along the way Baekhyun had wrapped his legs around Chanyeol’s waist. Moreover, the taller one had decided to push it a bit further by starting to grind against Baekhyun. Their height difference was perfect for it.

Next, Chanyeol attacked Baekhyun’s neck, exploring the other’s sensitive spots and leaving soft love bites here and there. Baekhyun couldn’t believe he could give in so easily but soon he gave up on holding back and started to moan. Yes, he was that aroused from so little action but it wasn’t his fault. Anyone who had went dry for a few years would agree.

The soft sounds only fuelled Chanyeol’s desire to get Baekhyun out of his clothes. Baekhyun seemed to have the same idea as suddenly Chanyeol felt his shirt being lifted up. Releasing his hold on the smaller one for a bit, he allowed Baekhyun to take off the annoying piece of fabric and went in for Baekhyun’s shirt next.

As the sensation of skin meeting skin hit them, Chanyeol captured Baekhyun’s lips again. He could feel Baekhyun’s fingers fumbling with his belt, making Chanyeol smile into the kiss.

“Someone is quite eager, huh?”

“I just want to see you . On top of me.”

The way how Baekhyun could whisper such stuff while maintaining a perfectly innocent face was driving Chanyeol wild.

“Jesus, Byun.”

Another kiss followed, this time more desperate and needy. Both of them could feel the heat building inside of them. As Baekhyun’s attempts with Chanyeol’s belt kept suffering failure, Chanyeol took it upon himself to get rid of it.

It turned out that the belt had gotten stuck so it wasn’t a surprise that Baekhyun couldn’t undo it. While Chanyeol laughed it off and took some time to get it off, he could feel the mood dying down a bit.

The best time to get slow, Park.

Once he was finally free from the annoying accessory and his jeans, Chanyeol wanted to return to where they had left off. Only to find Baekhyun half-asleep on the sofa.

“Baek?”

“Mmm?”

“Are you sleepy?”

“What? No, come here!”

While Baekhyun did manage to wrap his hands around Chanyeol’s neck again, his eyes didn’t open even for a bit.

“Ok, let’s go to bed, Mister.”

“We’re already in bed. Take off my pants too!”

The sleepy mumbles made Chanyeol laugh.

“Right. I will take your pants off so you can sleep comfortably but that’s all, ok?”

“No, we should have !”

Arguing with a drunk and sleepy Baekhyun seemed about as productive as arguing with a child yet Chanyeol still enjoyed it. He quickly freed Baekhyun from his pants and put all the clothes on a chair. After that Chanyeol got a blanket and settled down next to Baekhyun. Luckily, the blanket was big enough to cover both of them.

Baekhyun still seemed eager to continue but his sleepy state was clear. Once Chanyeol had finally convinced him to at least have a power nap, Baekhyun fell asleep with his head resting on Chanyeol’s chest. Having made sure that the other was comfortable, Chanyeol pecked Baekhyun’s hair and dozed off.

He expected to wake up to a bit awkward Baekhyun but he had a plan to melt that awkwardness away with kisses. Those seemed to work very well for the two of them.

However, it seemed like Baekhyun had had different plans after all.

Slowly waking up, Chanyeol first noticed the lack of weight on his chest. He tried reaching out but the place next to him seemed empty. Finally, opening his eyes proved that he was indeed left alone on the sofa. He hoped that maybe the other had woken up early and went to get them some coffee. But Chanyeol’s hunch knew better.

Once he stood up and approached the table, he noticed how Baekhyun’s clothes were gone from the chair. Then his sleepy eyes noticed a small note on the table. The message was short and clear – “I’m sorry”.

Chanyeol would lie if he said he wasn’t slightly hurt. But more than anything, he was utterly confused. Sure, making out on the sofa wasn’t part of their plan when the night started. Neither was getting close to having . But it wasn’t exactly abnormal either. It was pretty clear that they both liked each other.

So what is Baekhyun sorry about?

Chanyeol tried to call the other but no one picked up the phone. Then he tried to send a message but no reply came.

Figuring that maybe Baekhyun just needed time, Chanyeol decided not to push him too much. If Baekhyun wanted to say something to him, he would know where to find Chanyeol.

***

Baekhyun was pretty much out of it for the whole next week. He couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to get THAT drunk at a party. He had hoped that maybe the regret would go away with his hangover but somehow it managed to stay behind. Chanyeol had been nothing but kind, sweet and pretty much amazing. Maybe they would’ve actually had a chance together but now Baekhyun was pretty sure that it was gone.

Why did I have to screw it up this bad?

For the following days, Baekhyun tried to drown himself with work. Luckily, Chanyeol wasn’t bothering him too much. Or maybe that was the problem? Did he maybe want Chanyeol to try a bit more? But then again – why would Chanyeol even try?

Baekhyun didn’t understand how a simple agreement had become so messy. He tried to blame the alcohol but at the same time he knew it wasn’t it. He was the one to show up at Chanyeol’s studio. He was the one who agreed to stay for the party. He was the one who initiated the kiss.

Trying to will the thoughts away again, Baekhyun tried to get back to the presentation he was currently working on. He didn’t get much further though as his phone vibrated, signalling a new message. Baekhyun was a bit afraid to open it at first but seeing Sehun’s name as the sender calmed him.

[13:11] Sehun: Hey, haven’t heard from you for a while and just wondering if you’re still alive…

[13:12] Baekhyun: Hi! Yeah, I’m ok. Just a bit too busy. Sorry.

It wasn’t entirely true but it wasn’t entirely a lie either.

[13:12] Sehun: Well ok. I’ll see you at Kyungsoo and Jongin’s tonight, right?

Baekhyun facepalmed as he had completely forgotten about the New Year’s party his friends were organizing. Heck, he hadn’t even followed how the dates had passed by and had no real clue about what day of the week it was.

Maybe the party would be an even better distraction than work?

Reasoning that his friends might help him to forget everything (and if not, there was always alcohol), Baekhyun pondered the thought a bit more before sending a quick reply.

[13:15] Baekhyun: Sure!

[13:15] Sehun: Ok, see you later!

Baekhyun knew all too well that Sehun would ask about how things ended with Chanyeol. The only hope Baekhyun had left was that either he could lie his way out of the question or he would be drunk enough by then to ask for an advice.

Either way, this night will be fun…

***

After pondering about what to wear to such an occasion, Baekhyun decided on the sweater Chanyeol had given him. It was the most festive thing he had as everything else would be just a bit too much for a New Year’s party at a coffee shop.

Having ran to a nearby shop for some quick late Christmas present in the form of two bath bombs and a shower gel (he just couldn’t resist a -shaped gift joke), Baekhyun soon arrived at the coffee shop. The place was filled with people but surprisingly he seemed to know most of them.

Almost all of their college group had arrived, including Jongdae, Minseok and Yixing. Baekhyun hadn’t seen them for years so it was really nice to catch up. It turned out that Yixing had permanently moved back to China, while the other two had decided to fulfil their military obligations. Something Baekhyun wasn’t ready to even think of.

So he moved on to the next face he knew – Sehun. The said man wasn’t alone though as he was chatting with Junmyeon. The couple seemed quite deep into some intimate chat but when choosing between military talks and interrupting something, Baekhyun went for the latter.

“Baekhyun, you actually arrived!”

“I told you I would!”

Luckily, Sehun didn’t seem to mind as he greeted Baekhyun with a quick hug followed by another hug from Junmyeon. Before the younger one could ask about Chanyeol, Baekhyun went in with his own question.

“Since when did you and Junmyeon become so close?”

Sehun seemed to blush while struggling to find words and so Junmyeon spoke up instead.

“Well, we’ve been together for a few weeks now.”

“You would’ve known if you actually called your friends sometimes, Baek!”

Sehun didn’t mean it in a rude way but Baekhyun knew there was some truth in it.

“We’re just another proof that the app works. Surely, Junmyeon didn’t expect to match with me when he signed up but here we are. Speaking of boyfriends, where is yours, Baek?”

Baekhyun knew exactly who Sehun meant but Baekhyun feigned ignorance and focused on Kyungsoo and Jongin instead.

“Oh, I see the hosts of the event! I’ll go greet them and maybe we can talk about that later.”

Sehun only murmured a quiet “ok” with a raised eyebrow, watching Baekhyun move towards the counter.

Baekhyun had planned to talk to Sehun about it but no, not now. Not yet. Not with Sehun’s boyfriend present. So Baekhyun approached Kyungsoo and Jongin who were chatting away by the counter while drinking some hot drinks.

“Hi, guys! Thank you for the invitation!”

Both greeted him back and Jongin was quick to ask if Baekhyun wanted a drink.

“Do you have mulled wine?”

“Of course! Tonight we have a wide range of stuff!”

As Jongin got himself busy, Kyungsoo kept Baekhyun company. Having placed the gift bag on the counter, Baekhyun apologized for not being able to secure the mugs the couple wanted but Kyungsoo brushed it off.

“Don’t worry about it! One of our regular customers gifted them to us so it’s actually good that you didn’t find them!”

Realizing that the mug in Kyungsoo’s hands sported the “Mr.” text and noticing that Jongin’s mug on the counter had the same writing surprised Baekhyun.

“That must be some special customer since I heard they were sold out everywhere in Seoul.”

“He is! He’s a pretty cool guy. In fact, we invited him tonight too. I bet you’ll like him.”

“Really? Why?”

“He’s tall, good looking, funny.”

“Right.”

As Jongin returned with Baekhyun’s drink, the three went on to chat about what they had done for the holidays (Baekhyun asked more questions to avoid having to give any answers himself, of course). Then about their relatives and what their plans for the next year would be.

Then the couple decided it was time to bring out some more snacks and food which was very appreciated by the guests. Since Kyungsoo and Jongin had refused Baekhyun’s help, he was left alone by the counter. He wasn’t drunk enough to go back to Sehun just yet and didn’t feel like talking to anyone else either.

Once the tables had been replenished, Jongin also turned up the music. As the first notes of “Last Christmas” started to play, Baekhyun could only snort at the lyrics. He started to feel like he should just stay at the bar, drinking his sorrow away. Trying to find another option, Baekhyun turned around to scan the room again to find something better to do. However, he sure didn’t expect to see Chanyeol chatting away with Kyungsoo and Jongin.

Regular customer, huh…

While Baekhyun’s mind told him to turn around and maybe even run away, his heart told him to stay put. As before, he went with his heart and just watched Chanyeol talk to his friends.

Ridiculously handsome Chanyeol.

Funny enough, Chanyeol caught his stare right as the air got filled with lyrics about a crowded room, friends with tired eyes and a face on a lover with a fire in his heart. Judging by Chanyeol’s reaction, that face was filled with surprise, confusion and maybe a hint of hurt. The fact that both had worn their couple sweaters only added to it.

Baekhyun didn’t move a muscle and only watched as Chanyeol wrapped up the conversation and unsurely made his way towards the counter. It felt off how familiar yet alienated they were at the same time. Chanyeol was the first one to try to break the ice.

“Hi!”

“Hey! So you are the ultra-special regular customer, huh?”

The adjectives made Chanyeol laugh.

“They said that? There’s nothing ultra-special about it. One of our employees suggested this coffee shop and we’ve been ordering ever since. So the entire studio is the regular customer, not just me.”

Realizing that he had started to ramble on, Chanyeol stopped. Both knew what was on the other’s mind but they were too scared to voice it out loud. Thinking that maybe getting away from the music and friends could help, Baekhyun offered Chanyeol to go outside to talk and Chanyeol quietly followed.

As they started to slowly walk down the snow-filled street, Chanyeol wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Listen, Chanyeol… I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I got that from the note you left. But sorry about what?”

“Sorry about ruining everything. It felt like we were actually getting somewhere and then I go get drunk at your party and sleep with you. You probably think I do that every weekend but I don’t.”

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow and was about to stop Baekhyun but the smaller one protested.

“No, let me explain! I haven’t had a serious relationship since college when my boyfriend at the time broke my heart. I made a decision to concentrate on my career and it has worked out quite ok. But my personal life hasn’t. But that doesn’t mean I get drunk and sleep with everyone I see. Even if that was the impression I gave you.”

“Nope, I had and still have a good impression of you.”

“Really?”

“Of course! You’re smart, ambitious, fun to be around. If anything… I like you.”

Finally Baekhyun made eye contact with Chanyeol as the two stopped in their tracks.

“You like me?”

“Of course, I do. I realize that we started it off as a business relationship and that maybe you don’t want to surpass that level. But if ever there’s a chance that you like me back, I think we could make a pretty good couple.”

“Even if I came onto you drunk?”

“Yeah, that’s not an issue. The party could be considered our, what, fourth date? Not counting our first encounters with the mugs and ice-cream cake.”

“So you don’t mind sleeping with someone on the fourth date?”

Chanyeol realized just how much it had meant for Baekhyun and mentally patted himself for not going through with it. At the same time he was trying to hold back his laughter as memories of an adorable drunk Baekhyun filled his mind.

“Baek, we didn’t do it.”

“What?”

“We didn’t have .”

“But… Our clothes we’re gone and I woke up right next to you! I also remember the making out part and, well, begging you.”

“I don’t remember the begging if that calms you. But yeah, you kind of fell asleep before we got to it.”

“Oh God.”

Baekhyun wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.

“Hey, it would be a lot worse if you fell asleep during it. Luckily, everything ended well. You just stayed the night, that’s all. I would’ve appreciated it if you returned my call or messages though.”

“Sorry, I thought those were booty calls or something.”

“Booty calls?”

“You know… I thought that maybe because you got me in bed that easily, maybe that’s all you wanted.”

“As if.”

Finally, Chanyeol dared to come closer to Baekhyun and pull him into a hug which the smaller one gladly accepted.

“I’m sorry for making such a fool of myself, Yeol.”

“Hey, I’m the fool here if you perceived me like some idiot who just wants one thing.”

“No, it’s not like that. I don’t know why I thought that was possible. Especially since you’re actually nice and the two dinners already proved that you have good manners.”

Although Chanyeol pulled away a bit, Baekhyun still avoided the taller one’s gaze.

“So… Would you say you like me?”

That finally made Baekhyun make eye-contact again.

“Would I kiss you and beg you to top me if I didn’t?”

This made both of them laugh but Chanyeol tried to regain his seriousness.

“No, I mean… Would you say you like me enough to… I don’t know… Try to make this work?”

“Are you asking me out?”

“Well, we’ve been out before and I’ll be honest – I like you, Baekhyun. I like you a lot. So what I meant was… Would you be my boyfriend?”

The surprise on Baekhyun’s face soon turned into a soft smile.

“Yes, I would love to!”

After a tighter hug, Chanyeol dared to lean in and capture Baekhyun’s lips into a kiss which the smaller one returned more than happily.

That proved to be only the first kiss of many that night and the second holiday they spent together of many more to come.

 

P.S. Thank you for reading this! I hope you enjoyed! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!~ (＾▽＾)