The black Mercedes is filled with a comfortable silence as you head over to your destination. You’re sitting in the backseat beside your boss, Byun Baekhyun. At a glance, you wouldn’t think that this man, wearing an unassuming white tracksuit, is one of the biggest musical solo acts in South Korea. But his face has graced many a magazine cover and billboard, and his concerts are always sold out in seconds. He always breaks records only to beat them again the following year, and is in high demand across the world. Truly is the Beyoncé of South Korea.

You’ve been his personal assistant for the past five years, trailing after him like an eager puppy. It has been a whirlwind, being constantly at his side. But you love your job, adore the man you are honored to call your boss. Despite all the fame and money, he is one of the most down to earth, humble celebrities you have ever met.

He lets out a dissatisfied noise from the back of his throat, breaking the silence and drawing your attention. He’s frowning slightly at his phone and you can’t help but to glance at the device in his hands curiously.

Your eyes widen when you see your face smiling back at you, head tilted up towards a man that is in the photo with you. He has an arm wrapped around your neck, pulling you close to him. His chin is pressed against your forehead as he smiles brightly at the camera.

Baekhyun has yet to realize he has a spectator. You take in the way his jaw works as he studies the picture unblinkingly before he—with a bit more force you felt necessary—scrolls down to the next one.

Your jaw drops.

“Wow,” you draw. His head whips over to you in a flash, surprise widening his eyes. “Way to not like my Instagram post.”

“I—wha—why—” He’s stuttering, fumbling over his words. Finally, he collects himself to snap a, “why are you looking at my phone?”

You bark a laugh before countering, “Why aren’t you going back and liking my post?”

He sinks into the leather seat. “Since when were you so close to Sehun anyways?”

“Since we went to high school together,” you reply.

He mutters something under his breath you don’t catch.

“We’re not really that close.” You feel the need to explain. “He was a familiar face at the party we went to last Friday, and it had been a minute since we’ve seen each other.”

Your words seem to do the opposite of what you intended, only causing Baekhyun’s frown to deepen. You take in his lips with dismay. He isn’t one for pouting unless he is using it to charm his way out of something.

“It’s probably not a good idea to post pictures with other celebrities,” he finally says. “Your account is public and some people might get the wrong idea.”

Being as close as you are with the popstar, you’ve grown quite a following on IG and Twitter. Many people hoping to catch a glimpse of the popular man, while others fell for your personality and became a fan of you as well.

You shrug. “Who cares what they think? They can speculate all they like.”

The look he gives you nearly makes you laugh. It’s a mix of disgust and surprise. His mouth dangles open as he judges you.

“I care!” He nearly shouts, making you flinch.

You groan. “Baekhyun, me dating a celebrity wouldn’t damage your reputation as long as he’s a good person. Sehun is a good person.”

“Dating!?” His jaw drops impossibly further.

“Hypothetically, of course. We’re not that close… as I’ve already mentioned.”

“That’s not even what I care about!”

“Oh?” Slightly confused, you turn your body towards him. “Then what is the reason?”

“Well.” His whole demeanor changes. His shoulders slump as he averts his eyes, taking great interest in the scenery blurring past the darkly tinted window. Still, you swear you can see a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. “It’s just that—”

“We’re here, Sir,” his driver interrupts.

You both seem to remember yourselves and glance around, taking in the industrial buildings surrounding you.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun says, voice resigned.

He sighs, catching your attention again, and you watch as he goes back to your picture. His thumb hesitantly hovers over the heart for a bit, and then he’s double tapping his screen, turning your white heart red.

~*~

You enter the warehouse that has been converted to house the photoshoot Baekhyun is doing today. Once you enter, he’s flocked by the crew, being led away to his changing room. You hang back, checking in with everyone and making sure everything is to Baekhyun’s liking.

After some time, your name is called and you turn around to see one of Korea’s rising models, Oh Sehun.

“Hunnie!” You sing, rushing over and jumping into his outstretched arms. He lifts you into the air, spinning you around as you both laugh.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here!” You say when your feet touch the ground. Neither one of you pull away once you’re standing still, his arms are wound around your waist and yours rest on his firm biceps.

Sehun and you went to the same high school, same graduating class, and were friendly. You have recently gotten reacquainted since he got signed to a major modelling company, allowing your worlds to collide again. As—what Baekhyun has deemed you—Baekhyun’s shadow, you have accompanied your boss to a lot of his appearances, and recently, Sehun has been present. The both of you are obviously drawn to each other, you’re both familiar faces, remnants of your old lives, and so, of course, you have been hanging out.

And taking cute pictures together that you post on IG.

“It was a last-minute booking. I’m one of the ambassadors for the brand now.”

“Oh, so is Baekhyun! I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other!”

“I guess so.” His eyes are sparkling.

Someone clears their throat and you notice Baekhyun a couple feet away, looking absolutely stunning in a charcoal suit with no shirt underneath, hair gelled back out of his face. He stands still as he’s flocked by a few people who begin to caress his skin with brushes, applying his makeup.

He’s glaring in your general direction, and you’re impressed that he’s already getting into model mode. He can usually turn it on and off at will.

Now under Baekhyun’s intense gaze, you’re hyper aware of your position right now. Slowly, you detach your limbs from Sehun. He understands immediately and lets out an awkward laugh before also pulling away and turning to give Baekhyun a respectful bow.

“Baekhyun, it’s always a pleasure. Please take care of me.”

Baekhyun merely huffs.

“Rude,” you mouth at him. He makes a face at you before going blank again to let the artists finish their job.

You talk with Sehun until it’s time for the boys to be photographed. Both of them are ridiculously attractive, it’s honestly unfair, but there is something about Baekhyun right now that just has you going back to him every couple seconds. You can’t seem to take your eyes off of him. It has to be the suit, you think, the way it fits his dewy body should be a sin. Or maybe the way his hair is styled back, putting even more emphasis on his boyish features, could possibly be him posing in a way that demands your attention.

Whatever the reason, you are hooked. You just keep hoping he doesn’t feel it, because you will simply die if he catches you ogling over him like this.

When they’re done with these outfits, the two men leave to change, but only Sehun returns to do his solo shots.

Now that you aren’t distracted by your boss, you take notice to how well Sehun poses and just how handsome your old schoolmate is. He catches your eye at one point and smirks before throwing you a wink. You laugh and shake your head, what a cocky .

You feel a presence beside you and glance over to see Baekhyun, who looks even more handsome in this new get up. You gawk, it can’t be helped. He notices and looks down at you from over his nose, unamused. It makes you quickly turn away, back to Sehun.

“He’s really good,” you say, trying to start a conversation despite how dry your mouth is.

Baekhyun merely hums. There’s something…dark about his aura right now. You want to chalk it up to him being in work mode like you had earlier, but you’ve seen him in action too many times to know this is something else entirely.

“He’s signed with the brand you know?” You keep going, nervously trying to clear the heaviness of the atmosphere. “So that explains why we’ve been seeing him a lot lately, and why he’s here today.”

“I bet you really like that.” His voice is just as cold as his energy. Low, clipped. Angry. Despite everything you shiver at his tone, never hearing him speak in such a way. If he catches your movement, he doesn’t say anything.

Unable to resist, you peek at him and almost flinch when he’s already watching you expectantly.

It takes you a minute to realize he wants you to answer his statement.

“I mean… yes?”

His jaw clenches, eyes narrow, and he turns back to the tall beautiful boy you are discussing. His hands go to the pockets of his slacks. He doesn’t say a word.

You don’t think he likes your answer.

He’s still watching Sehun when he speaks again. “Is it not enough?”

Slowly, he turns his body to face you fully. You meet his stare and gulp at the nearly pleading way he searches you. “To only look at me?”

His words leave you confused. Is he trying to imply that you want to work with other people? Cause that’s simply not the case. Maybe he wants you to only focus on him while working? That makes more sense, you can hype him up if that’s what he wants.

The two of you stare at one another, having a silent conversation that you can’t seem to understand. He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it with a snap, changing his mind.

He closes his eyes, releasing you from his hold and you take a shaky breath. He straightens up—you didn’t even realize he had curled his body around yours—and takes a step away from you.

Sehun finishes his shoot and walks off, heading to you both.

He’s smiling brazenly and lifts his eyebrows at you. “Did I look handsome?”

You nod quickly, thankful for the distraction. “Very handsome. You were really meant for this Sehun.”

His smile becomes shy. “That means a lot coming from you. I see why you keep her by your side, Baekhyun.”

You blush. Baekhyun says nothing.

Sehun returns his attention to you. “I’m starving. Come with me to the snack table.”

You check to see if it’s all right with Baekhyun, he doesn’t make any sign to say no, so you shrug. “Sure.”

The two of you walk off. Your shoulders stiffen when Sehun throws an arm around them, but you quickly relax under the weight.

“You’re so short,” he teases.

That makes you shove him off of you. “Actually, I’m average sized! You’re the abnormal one, Giant!”

He laughs and pulls you back under him. “Either way, it’s cute.”

You blush even harder and throw him a weak ‘yah’ as you approach the table.

Sehun whines, asking you to help him make a plate since he only has one arm. When you point out that he has two fully functional arms, he claims that the one around your shoulders is busy. With a heavy sigh, you comply, piling up his plate. You swear you can feel eyeballs on you, but when you scan your surroundings to find the culprit, no one is there. You find Baekhyun now in front of the camera, getting ready to do his solo shots.

As he begins posing, you both turn to watch. Sehun is somehow able to get you to feed him. You wonder briefly who it is you work for, because right now you feel more like his assistant than his friend.

“Do I have sauce on my face?” Sehun asks you a bit later. You pull your gaze away from Baekhyun—who has been serving the coldest looks you’ve ever seen, it’s mesmerizing—and check the model’s face, spotting the gojuchang on the corner of his mouth.

“You do, indeed.”

“Can you wipe it off for me?”

“Sehun,” you whine. “Why are you being so bossy? If I didn’t know any better I would think I was your assistant.”

As you complain, you reach for a napkin and begin patting the sauce off for him.

Sehun finds your contradicting actions hilarious, and he starts laughing boisterously. “Well it doesn’t seem to me you mind all that much.”

“Habit, I guess,” you grumble.

“Hey.” You retract your hand as you finish cleaning his face, but he’s quick to snatch your wrist, holding it close to himself. He’s sobered up and is looking quite serious as he stares you down. “Thank you.”

“Y—you’re welcome,” you stutter, getting lost in his gaze. A knowing grin softens his features and he opens his mouth to say something else, but doesn’t get that chance when someone calls your name.

You turn in time to see Baekhyun storming over to you.

Before you can even say anything, he’s ripping your arm out of Sehun’s grip and dragging you away, into a deserted hallway.

“What the hell, Baekhyun?”

He’s frantically pacing in front of you, hands going to pull at the carefully placed stands of hair on his head, ruining the stylist’s hard work. You tsk under your breath, but don’t say anything, too nervous in front of this wound up Baekhyun.

After his twentieth or so lap, you finally work up enough courage to call out to him. His name sounds like a question on your tongue, and that makes him laugh drily.

“You have no ing idea how crazy you’ve been driving me today,” he growls, still walking back and forth.

You gulp.

“What are you talking about?” You ask quietly. “You’ve been acting strange since we’ve gotten here. Have I…. Have I done something wrong?”

“Have you done something….” He finally meets your gaze, the ashy kohl that rings his eyes make his usually gentle and soft face sharp and dangerous.

Slowly, he walks towards you like a predator. You counter his steps until your back presses against the cool cement wall.

There’s a sick pleasure twisting his mouth as he rests an arm by your head, hovering menacingly over you.

“I shouldn’t have to remind you,” he snarls. “But you work for me. Not Sehun or anyone else. Me.”

“I know that,” you whisper. He’s so close now that whenever you inhale, your chest rubs against his.

“I don’t think you do,” he says, whispering as well. His eyes gravitate to your lips and you them nervously. The hand that isn’t holding his weight comes up to cradle the back of your head, and when he drags his eyes back up to yours, there is an inferno burning within them. “Do I need to remind you, Pet?”

“No….” His head tilts threateningly and you have to swallow to find your voice. “No, Sir.”

A slow twisted smile blooms on his face. His hand twists to trail down your sensitive neck, fingers gripping the sides and he adds a bit a pressure.

“Good girl.”

Your eyes flutter at the feeling of his fingers slightly restricting your airflow.

“You’re mine,” he spits lowly, eyes dancing across your face as he leans in closer. “And I’m not sharing you with anyone.”

He lifts his thumb to push against your chin, tilting your head back against the wall.

“Baekhyun….” You gasp. You don’t know what you’re asking of him, not completely sure what you want, but you know it’s urgent, it’s fierce.

It’s need.

You pull at his silk shirt, dragging him stark against you and he groans as though he were in pain.

“That’s Mr. Byun to you,” he lets out in a breath. Then his nose is bumping against yours, lips close enough to dampen your own with his breathing as both his hands cup your face, holding you still for him.

You wait, letting him lose himself as he pushes forward, going to close the space between you.

Right as your lips brush, the photographer yells his name.

You both still, and he pulls back enough to share a shocked look.

“ it,” he mutters, going in again. He only gets far enough to nudge your upper lip with his, not even able to apply any pressure, when his name is being called again, more urgent.

His eyes fall shut in frustration as he lets out an annoyed growl. But he’s always been a professional.

He pulls away from you completely. Silently, you both watch each other with heaving chests, his eyes are still boiling over with what could only be lust.

You’ve seen a lot of emotions on Baekhyun’s face aimed at you: annoyance, pride, joy, admiration, but never have you seen this. It pierces you, keeping you pinned against the wall more than his body had. It is angry, heavy, and long overdue—as though he has been wanting to look at you like this for months, if not years. The longing blowing out his pupils is a warning, an admission, something he not only wants, but needs you to see. A secret he feels is time to share.

It leaves you speechless.

Briefly, you wonder what he sees in your eyes, what deeply hidden secret you’re unconsciously exposing to him, caught completely off guard by his reaction to you.

Whatever he sees must be enough. He turns away, briskly walking back to his job.

You take a second to catch your breath, to compose yourself before you head back out to a room full of curious eyes. Once your heart isn’t racing, you stumble back into the main room.

Sehun still stands beside the table. When you notice each other, he lifts an eyebrow.

Somewhere to your left, Baekhyun is being chastised for the damage he did to his hair, but you refuse to look. Your sanity can’t take it, especially with the way you can still feel his pointed stare, observing the way you interact with his colleague.

“What’s up with him?” Sehun asks. You notice the way he simply nudges his head in Baekhyun’s direction, also avoiding the brooding man’s stare.

You shake your head and slip, locking eyes with the man of the hour. Oh, he’s staring at you all right. Glaring, more specifically, but it isn’t in an angry way. No, it’s more… seductive. His expression sultry. You’re sure he’s imagining some… less then professional thoughts about you at the moment.

That idea alone causes your body to react, but you ignore it. The traitor.

The longer you both stare, the bigger his pleased grin grows.

“I don’t know,” you’re finally able to say, surprised by how composed you sound. “He’s been like that all day.”

Sehun says something you miss what with the way Baekhyun languidly his lips and lifts his head, tilting it slightly in a teasing manner.

Holy .

The stylist finishes his hair, and he’s permitted to finish up his shoot. He reluctantly returns, freeing you from his spell and you lean against the table, knees buckling.

What the hell is wrong with your boss?