06 | ANGEL’S TIP

 Baekhyun

The thin fabric inside my pocket burns my thigh. Obviously, not in a literal way. Just figuratively. It’s in there. I cannot believe that it is in there. The idea of it clumps my throat and I can’t seem to swallow down. I sit here, flashing my most handsome and professional smile, although I am freaking the out deep inside.

Sure, there’s one applicant who could potentially be behind the bar with me but he’s applying for a server position. This is not worth my time. At least, not when I have Soobin’s lingerie in my damn pockets!

Why did she have to throw it at me like a baseball though? And why did I catch it? I could have ducked or something. I could have hopped on one side to avoid it. I could have just let it fall to the ground. Or maybe if I did catch it, I could have dropped it right away and I said “Why the hell would I touch that, woman?” or something like that.

But no, I ing caught it.

And held it until Jihoon had to interrupt.

The soft cottony feeling of it lingers in my fingers. I could imagine how smooth and soft that lays across her—oh for ’s sake Byun Baekhyun. Get a grip.

My point is, I don’t get the reason why she had to show me her lingerie. Okay, fine, maybe they’re not the standard y lingerie that I’ve seen many many times. They’re literally just an underwear set, the bra doesn’t even have wires or foams in it. Which is to me is kind of … interesting. No design, no lacy details or whatsoever. It looks comfortable. I get why she got it.

So, I think it’s safe to assume that the main issue was the word y in y lingerie.

Maybe her past boyfriends didn’t find her y in them?

But I mean, that. Does that really matter? You take the god damn underwear off when you anyway. So, what’s the point of that? What matters is what she has … underneath all of that fabric; that skirt, that plain white button-up shirt, underneath that pantyhose, behind those glasses—oh my god, I am totally missing the point here.

The point is, it doesn’t ing matter because they are coming right off.

Like sure, it’s for the eyes. It’s like an add-on feature before the . It gives you a boost or whatever. I totally get it. It’s y. It turns you on. It makes a man feel hard and hot. It—

I’m completely contradicting myself now, my life.

I feel a nudge on my knee which makes me look at the person beside me, which is Doh Kyungsoo. “Baekhyun? You got any question regarding Mr. Nah’s bartending background?” He asks me.

I’d say nah, but that’s going to make me laugh and they’re not going to laugh and I’m just going to seem like a total jackass for making fun of his last name.

“You have any alcohol safety training?” I ask. The guy answers yes and starts enumerating his certifications. I have everything he said too. Pretty cool. Now, for my crucial question.

“What’s your favourite drink to make?” I ask as I coolly slip my hands in my pockets as I wait for his answer. If this dude doesn’t even try to make a good impression and just says Old Fashioned or Whiskey Highball and some of those all-time classic , I’m out of here. I want to hear the cool , the complicated drinks, the ones I enjoy making. I mean don’t get me wrong, classic is crucial too of course. You can’t be a bartender if you don’t know the classics, but all I’m saying is that I am giving him a chance to show off to me and tell me he’s better than me.

For me, interviewing is like making a cocktail.

You need the core. You need the balance and you definitely need seasoning. I need to see all three from this dude before I even start asking the real restaurant stuff that is also impo—

I adjust myself on the chair, take my hands out of my pockets so I could cross my legs like a damn motherer. It bites me back in the when the lingerie gets stuck and tangled in my fingers and comes right out. On the ground there the thin bra goes. While the lays on the tip of my dress shoe.  

HOLY .

My eyes widen and I freeze. Silence fills the entire office as eyes crowded my direction. I could feel Soobin’s hot stare on my right-hand side as well. I am so very screwed.

Do I pick it up? But then, that’s basically admitting that they came right out of my pockets.

But then again, where else could they have come out of?

I look at Kyungsoo and if looks could kill, I swear to God, I’d be buried six feet from the ground right now. I don’t even have to be dead and he’d still bury me. Most of the applicants now have their heads down while some were obviously hiding a smile behind their hands. Okay, maybe this isn’t my brightest moment but I am already here and I can’t turn back time.

So, I laugh coolly. “What the heck—what is this? Is this someone’s face mask or what?” I pretend to be just as confused as I pick them up. I lift it up to inspect “what it is” but before I could even pretend to guess “what it was,” Kyungsoo gripped my hand and pushed it down as low as he possibly could while he presses his other hand over his temples.  

“Okay, Miss Choi, please proceed with the interview.” Kyungsoo doesn't let go of my hand and without further ado, drags me out of the office.

Oh . Ohhhh . I really am screwed.

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything until we got near the storage basement, right behind the corridor leading to the washrooms. “Byun Baekhyun, you did not just bring a—”

I raised both hands, one of them still holding the underwear and bra. When I realize that, I drop one hand. “Calm down, I can explain. This is not one of my clients’ I promise.” I say softly. Although, technically … Soobin’s basically a client. But not really. Just kind of. Actually, I don’t ing know anymore.

Kyungsoo propped his hands on either side of his hips as he glares at me. “Those applicants saw them clearly and you know that automatically gives us a bad impression, right? Do you want them to think that the staff here just screw each other or something worse like uhm—keep each other’s underpants?” He exclaims although still in a mellowed-down tone to keep the conversation between us.

“Underpants—what are you, fifty? It’s a lingerie set.” I correct him, although he was technically correct. It’s just the way he said it sounded very out-of-date. I believe he’s only three or four years older than me.

Obviously, that didn’t help my case as my boss’s glare intensified. “Whose set is that even? That looks like a very young lady’s belonging—oh my god, I swear to god, Byun Baekhyun, are you doing something you’re not supposed to be doing?” He asks.

I look down at Soobin’s lingerie set again and it takes me a while to get what he meant. They’re pale blue, they’re cotton, no wire, no foams, nothing to enhance someone’s feature. Oh, for ’s sake! I cannot believe this guy’s mindset. I look at him in terror. “Look, Bilbo. First of all, no, ew. I am never going to do something like that. And second, don’t even start with me because you dated someone ten years younger than you.”

This man deadass thought Soobin’s lingerie is like a … what … like a teen set?

Oh god, I kind of get it now if ever I was right about her ex-boyfriends not finding her attractive—in that way—in these.

“She was twenty-four for Christ’s sake—oh my god, why am I even explaining to you? I am the one grilling you here. This isn’t about me any longer. This is about you, .” Kyungsoo grunted in anger. I am seriously running out of answers at this point. Should I just tell him the truth? But then, that would make Soobin feel very self-conscious if Kyungsoo ever finds out she owns these.

I open my mouth to speak but nothing but a flat tone comes out.

“Don’t tell me those are Soobin’s.” Kyungsoo beats me to it.

I find myself throwing the lingerie set back into my pocket. “Okay, I won’t. Thank you, I really didn’t want to say it either.” I nod and my boss lifts a hand to aim a hit on my head so I duck. Wow, Byun Baekhyun, so you do know how to dodge things. You should have done that earlier when Soobin threw you a mothering lingerie set.

“Nothing happened, I swear!” I raise a hand again. “She was just showi—”

Our conversation was interrupted when the door of the office a few meters away from us opened. Soobin heads out first as she motions the applicants to come out, bidding goodbye to each of them. She speaks to them professionally as she walks ahead with her head slightly turned to them.

As soon as the applicants were gone, Soobin rushes back to the office without even looking at us anymore. Honestly, smart move. I would rather handle this myself because I was the one who screwed up. She must be so humiliated right now.

“Look.” I turn to my boss again. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t intend to even have these in my pocket, I just freaked out when Jihoon came into the storage room when Soobin and I were talking and I just had to hide them and—”

Kyungsoo lifts a hand to stop me. “It’s fine. Just be careful next time and … you don’t have to explain. I know Soobin and you have some kind of history but please just stay professional. I don’t have a no-dating rule here but that doesn’t mean you all can just act however you like.” He explained, calmer this time.

I shake my head immediately. “Chef, it really isn’t like that. She was just asking for advice. As you can see, she doesn’t have the “best” taste in fashion or in this case, y attires. She’s comfortable with asking me abou