"Ok, hold on Baek, I don't understand anything you are saying" - Chen said while laughing on the other side of the phone 

When you think about how people establish a friendship, simple things come to mind, such as 2 people who share the same likes, customs and opinions that leads them to strike up a friendship, or perhaps people who have a friend in common and this friend does everything possible for them to get along so that they can post on their facebook wall: "Here having a cappuccino with my new besties”, or simply on your first day of college where you don't know anyone and you are forced to start a conversation with the person next to you so you don’t get the “antisocial pal of the classroom" nickname and it turns out that person was not as unpleasant as they seemed and while time passes by, you become friends. Well no, remove any similar ideas from your heads, because the BaekCHen did not start like that.

On Baekhyun's third day living in his apartment, the shower drain broke down, and while trying to fix it with what he learned from some YouTube videos, he ended up breaking the pipe that connects his shower to the building's main water pipe. Just to make things worse, five minutes later a boy with a cat's smile drenched from head to toe knocked on his door demanding an explanation as to why he had woken up with a jet of water falling over him and why his room was practically flooded and from the ceiling, water was leaking from his room.

From then on, Chen and Baekhyun had to live together in his apartment for the 3 months it took to repair their neighbor's home. At first it was a bit difficult, they had completely different schedules. Baekhyun worked from 8am to 5pm, when he got home he spent almost all his time finishing work and doing housework, the only moment he had to relax was during night time, at least it was like that until Chen arrived.He got up very early to visit cafes and small shops and fix technical problems like a dropped connection, or a program that had suddenly stopped working, since Chen was a Computer Engineering pro. After that, he went home and slept all day until nightfall, where he began his second work shift: customer service. Chen handled many calls from clients who belonged to the company where he worked, so he dedicated to trying to solve any problems with the mobile devices that these people had. Obviously, hearing a voice repeat all night: "Customer support, this is Kim Jondae (his first name), how can I help you?" was not one of the plenty meanings of peacefulness according to Cambridge dictionary, which is what Baekhyun needed at that time of day, but he had no choice, he had created the problem so now he had to put up with it.

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun says, while gripping the phone cord tightly. He doesn't feel like himself right now, the cheerful and optimistic boy, the gaze-catching guy, the one who can make the grmpiest person smile, decided to leave his body. Right now he's just a nervous wreck with a horrible tachycardia since Friday. He doesn't like to feel vulnerable and weak, but he isn't able to calm the lump in his throat, much less the storm that is his heart.

"You know, you remind me of those pregnant women who call me in the middle of the night shift because their water broke, thinking that they called an ambulance"

"Chen sometimes I hate you"

"I know you love me" - says the one with slanted eyes

But he does not receive any response from the minor. He still doesn't understand what the situation is but he knows it must be something serious if Baekhyun is in that state. The last thing he wants now is to upset the little one even more, so he carefully thinks about the next words that will come out of his mouth.

"Don't listen to my stupidities, just take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong "

“...I...well...my boss, he received a job offer from a major company. He wanted us to handle the advertising. So, Mr. Shim offered the position to me…”

''That's good, isn't it?" Chen asks with a tone of doubt at the end of the sentence.

"Yes, of course, it's just that, the CEO of that company is... him"

"Him? You mean that boy you once told me about?”

The silence coming from Baekhyun is enough for Chen to know the answer to his question.

“Baek, if this makes you feel bad, just talk to your boss, you don't have to tell him the real reason, just tell him that you are not the man for the job or that you're not comfortable working for another company. You are very good at what you do, I am sure that a better opportunity will soon come to you”

"I tried." Baekhyun takes a long breath before continuing.

“That Friday I don't even know how I got home, I only realized where I was when I felt my back against the mattress, and I layed there, for hours, looking at the ceiling, as if it were the most interesting thing I had ever seen in the world. I only decided to move when hunger took its toll on my stomach. I tried it on Saturday too. I try to call my bos several times; and every time I grabbed the cellphone with my hands I let it go, it's as if it was made of fire, at the slightest contact with my skinI just dropped it. When I managed to dial the number and I heard the first beep, I had a panic attack and hung up right away. But to my dismay Director Shim called me back."

"Did you pick it up?"

“Yes, Chen, and I swear I had all the time in the world to tell him I didn't want to go, to have him send someone else, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was "sorry, Mr. Shim, I dialed the wrong number, have a good afternoon " . I just couldn't. 

I didn't want to, that was the real answer that Baekhyun had to say but Chen didn't dare say that to his friend, today he would have to swallow all his opinions and just listen.

“Okay, Baekhyun, who was speaking at that time was your heart, not you; and we all know that a heart does not always make the best decisions.”

"So I've been making a plan since I woke up"

“About what?” asks a curious Chen.

“About how to avoid him. I read the entire company information file: how many floors does it have, which department works on each floor, the name of all the workers and managers, their schedules... If I manage to draw up an effective strategy, there is a 92 percent probability that we never meet"

"Baek, he is the CEO of the company, the chances of you two not seeing each other are very low, it's like meeting a human being who has never eaten chocolate"

"Chen, your comparisons are very strange, you know?!" - says Baekhyun with a shy smile

"I know, you're talking to Kim Jongdae, if in a conversation I don't say something absurd then get scared"

"Yeah sure, who are you and what did you do with my friend!? I should ask that, right?"

"Oh, you should better call an exorcist"

Baekhyun can't stop laughing. That's one of the consequences of exposure to a dangerous disease called VirusDae, which can only be acquired if you spend enough time hanging out with Chen. He will always find a way to make you smile, no matter what the situation might be. So, despite all the fights and inconveniences they had at the beginning, Baekhyun can only feel blessed for having Chen in his life.

"Look on the bright side, at least you laughed a little."

“Yes, I think I needed this… to talk to you… I know that no matter how bad things can get, hearing your voice will always cheer me up. Thank you DaeDae.”

"Don't even mention it Baek, you are my best friend and I never turn my back on the people who are important in my life."

They were both silent for a long minute. It wasn't an awkward silence, they just wanted to find the right words to start a conversation,a fun and casual chat, and that it wouldn't end up with the topic Park Chanyeol making a mess of Byun Baekyun's life: part 2.

“So… have you helped your uncle with the bar or have you just been a couch potato as usual?”

"Hey, I'm not like that"-says Chen making a fake angry face-"But I seriously wonder where Canadians get the strength to leave their house with this cold weather. My uncle practically had to drag me to the bar, because I didn't want to leave the fireplace in the living room. I swear, Baekhyun, there we're parts of my body that froze that I didn't even know I had them."

“At least you were hanging out at the bar, gossiping and getting into every fight”

"Sure, you know I'm the the party animal"

“Yes Mr. Kim Party”

“By the way, when are you being transfered to the new company? I'm gonna go back to Korea this week, and I wanted to accompany you on your first day in ELID ​​​​​"

"Chen, I don't need a chaperone."

"Oh come on, it's going to be fun, it's going to be like the "take our kids to work day" "

"That doesn't exist in Korea"

“But in Canada does! It is quite adorable to see the happy faces of the children”

“And what about the parents?”

“Well, they are happy too”

"Oh yeah?"

"In their own way"

"Let's forget that Dae" - Baekhyun says between laughs and a bit more cheered now - "According to the schedule they gave me, tomorrow I have to go pick up my things at the company and sign some papers, no task or appointments on Tuesday and on Wednesday I start at ELID".

"Ok, My plane is landing on Tuesday night, I'll pick you up on Wednesday morning"-says Chen full of confidence.

"But don't you think you'll be too tired?"

“No, you know I'm like an owl; Also if you want to be early to work in a building that is right in the heart of the city on your first day, you will need someone like me”

“Crazy and daredevil?”

“Wrong answer”. “With a fast car and contacts with the traffic police”

"I don't even want to imagine how you got those contacts"

“Living an adolescence as a badass motorbiker and troublemaker kid has its advantages”

“Thank God I never saw that phase of you. So Wednesday at 7? "

“At 7 is perfect. I'll be waiting for you downstairs. Hey cheeks, I need to hang up; it's already dawn here and if I don't sleep I won't have the strength to pack my stuff tomorrow”- Chen says with a long yawn

"OK, sleep well DaeDae and thank you very much for everything"

Chen doesn't even have to ask the reason behind Baekhyun's thanks. He has never been in love and he prays to all heavens that it never happens to him. Love is like a rose with thorns, no matter how careful you are, at some point you will end up getting pricked and Chen is not sure if that pain is something he wants to experience in his life.

"You are welcome, tiny bean, hope you have sweet dream"

___________________________________________________________________________________

“So our rookie is going to a new company to represent Mainos*?! Gosh, this decade children are very lucky. When I started working here all they let me do was buying coffee and fill out forms.” - says Cheongsan

“Hyung, don't take this to heart. It's not like I was sent there to organize the president's election campaign. It will only be drawing a few logos, making calls and schedule meetings, it is not a big deal”.

Ever since Baekhyun arrived this morning, he ha noticed the way his co-workers look at him and whisper behind his back. It is a great surprise to everyone that someone who has been sent to do a job like that is a recent graduate and not someone who has been working in that field for years. Baekhyun wouldn't be surprised if at the end of the day a coffee is accidentally spilled on his short or a foot magically appeared in front of his while he is going downstairs sobre he trips and falls down.

"So will you give a farewell party?" asks Miraem, his cubicle mate

“Guys, I'm staying there just for a couple of months. It's not like I'm going to be transfered to that place for good."

“The future is not written, Byun. Who knows what decisions you will make later” - says Cheongsan

"Trust me. I will not stay. Nothing ties me now or will tie me to that place in the future”

"Maybe-"

San's sentence becomes incomplete when he sees Director Shim entering the room.

“Mr. Byun…It's good to be able to see you before you leave. I wanted to tell you that if you have any problems you can always call me. You are still an employee of this company so we will be aware of anything you need”

"Thank you director Shim" - Baekhyun says while bowing a little

Before Baekhyun turns to finish packing his things on the desk, Director Shim's question makes him stop.

“Are you sure you want to go? There is still time to reject the offer. If you don't feel comfortable, we can find someone else. I won't be mad about it."

Baekhyun takes a deep breath before replying, "No, I'm fine, I can do it."

"Have a nice day Mr. Shim"

“You too, Mr. Byun”

___________________________________________________________________________________

It could be said that afternoons in Korea are not as busy as mornings. It's easier to catch a bus without being hitted by suitcases , you're also less likely to get caught up in a crowd while strolling through the plaza or queuing for hours at department stores.

The sound of tiny bells is the first thing Baekhyun notices as he walks into the M&T motorcycle store. On his way home, he decided to stop by and get a gift for JongDae. His friend always buys him things and it would be very rude to receive the kitty-eyed one with empty hands tomorrow. He has never visited that Car store, nor the mall it belongs to, but the Google reviews were pretty good so at least it was worth a visit.

The site is full of gloves, helmets and other motorcycle items, from the way the place looks and the quality of the products it displays, everyone can tell it is a luxury store. The saleswoman is a young lady, probably in her 20s, which surprised Baekhyun. It's not that he's ist, it's just that it's very rare to see a woman working in a car shop.

A pair of gloves and a keychain would be fine, right? - he mutters as he approaches the cash register

"Good afternoon, I would like to buy some black leather gloves and a dinosaur keychain"

"The T-Rex one?"

"No; that one over there, the green one from Toy Story”.

The face the woman made was priceless. But he wanted to take one that looked like Chen and of course the T-Rex was not the right choice.

"We have this offer of Seinz brand helmets on sale, would you like to take one?" - Asks the saleswoman as she takes the gloves and the keyring to put it in the shopping bag.

"OK?!" Baekhyun says with a bit of doubt in his voice. He takes his credit card out of his wallet and puts it on the counter to pay.

It's 1.5 million won, are you going to pay by credit card or cash?”

Baekhyun just relax, don't yell, don't tell her that price is a scam; Kindly ask her to remove the helmet from the shopping list to see if the purchase is not so expensive - he tells himself mentally in an attempt to calm himself down after hearing what he has to pay.

"Miss...eh um... I think I won't take the helme-"

The sound of doorbells interrupts him. Baekhyun turns to see who it is but he really wishes he hadn't. In a matter of seconds his hands are sweating and if what he feels in his stomach are butterflies then they must be from a very wild species, because the tingling in his belly is evolving very quickly to a pain a little strange to describe. Right now he has to think of something to get away from that situation, and playing dead doesn't seem like a very effective strategy.

, ,

He looks around for a door or window to escape through or a stranger to talk to as he waits for Chanyeol to fade from sight; But it seems that luck is not on his side right now. As his desperate eyes scan the room, he remembers the helmet the saleswoman wanted to sell him.

Ok, it's not the best solution but at least it's something

He quickly grabs the helmet and puts it on his head, just in time, because Chanyeol is already at his side.

"Good afternoon, I would like to know if you have an engine like this, I need it to be compatible with my motorcycle" - requests the newcomer

When did his shoulders become so wide? Did he always have that hoarse voice? What's up with him, why is he wearing such a tight shirt? - Baekhyun's head is being bombarded with these questions right now as he watches as the saleswoman drools over the 1.85 meter high customer in front of her.

The young woman seems to have forgotten the existence of Baek since the conversation she is having with Chanyeol seems to never end.

What kind of pistons do you use? How many cylinders do you want the engine to be? Do you need me to recommend good brands of oil and antifreeze liquid? What the hell?! Since when did that young lady become so expert in motorcycles? Baekhyun can feel his blood boil and it bothers him, because he shouldn't be jealous of Chanyeol, they're not dating or anything like that.

"I really need to get out of here" - mutters still a little angry

But right now he is stuck in a predicament, he can't just walk out the door with the helmet on like a wierdo and hey, he still has got to pay for Chen's gifts; but he can't let Chanyeol see him either. And none of the plans he comes up with seem to be the right one, but he has to choose quickly, because standing there all afternoon doing nothing like a bloody traffic light is not a solution either.

Plan A: Return the helmet and let Chanyeol see me. 

Plan B: Pay 1.5 million won so that Chanyeol doesn't find out about me but then I will have no money to eat for the rest of the month. 

Well, the second option, of course, everyone knows that Plan A always fails, that's why you have to go with Plan B, don't you?

Baekhyun coughs lightly to get the saleswoman's attention, also getting unwanted attention from the person next to him.

"I'll pay. The card is on the counter” - points to the plastic rectangle that he placed on the wood furniture a few minutes ago

"Please give me your ID card"

Baekhyun carefully takes out his ID from the wallet trying to avoid the other's eyes at all cost and he hands it to the young woman.

“Thank you for shopping at M&T. I hope you come back soon” - says the young woman

Hope is the last thing to lose, so good luck with that- Baek says to himself, as he quickly leaves the shop with his shopping bag and puts his headphones on full volume because he really needs to relax, he's had enough of the Park Chanyeol drama within a week and he hasn't even started working in his company.

But maybe if the music hadn't been so loud, he would have heard someone behind him shouting his name…

Author's Note:

I want to apologize for the super delay with the update, I already had the chapter ready a long time ago but school kept me super busy. Chapter 3 is almost ready so I think I will update soon

Thank you for reading

Extra notes

Mainos: It is the company where Baekhyun works, its name means advertisment in Finnish 

1.5 million wons would be about 1051 dollars approximately