The next day started slower for Bomhyun as she wasn't rushing around her bedroom to get ready for office along with eating her breakfast.

 She wasn't feeling like having any breakfast today. She was aware that her decision was fuelled mostly by her supervisor's comment about her being heavy - also due to the fact that her lower tummy had gotten just slightly bigger, not to the point to be visible over her outfits, but it might be if she wouldn’t start doing something about it. So despite knowing that she wasn't overweight in any way - her best friend Kyungsoo had ensured her more than ten times last night only and she knew she should entrust his words better than that hotheaded dude back in her office since her best friend was a doctor - she still couldn't bring herself to eat the delicious smelling food that her father must've been preparing in the kitchen. Her father loved cooking, thus he mostly took the cooking duty upon himself much to her mother’s relief.

Kyungsoo was waiting just outside her home, he'd promised her last night when they hung out that he'd drop her to the office today. He'd usually provide her the service whenever he'd be free enough - which was quite rare as his profession demanded his presence even more than a newlywed wife would demand her husband's - and Bomhyun was certain if not for them being neighbors for as long as they could remember, she wouldn't even see his face once in a year let alone getting free rides from him like this. 

"Morning, Soo!" See greeted him with a smile and a container of homemade coffee of his choice - again, thanks to her father. 

Kyungsoo disregarded her presence as he glanced at the coffee with starry eyes; it didn't need an expert to say just how much he loved his coffee. Already knowing that it was for him, he had snatched the container from her hand and greedily smelled it with closed eyes. 

Bomhyun rolled her eyes, not even surprised at his antics, she only gave him an intentional nudge on the free arm before settling herself in his passenger seat. "Oi, butler Soo, stop drooling over your bitter drink and take me to my office or I'll be late!" She called out from her seat, fully settled with seat belts and all. 

"Yes, Boss!" The male gave her a sarcastic fake salute and took a sip of his coffee before finally getting inside his car.  "So, you actually took his words seriously." Then he stated instead of asking, knowing that she didn't have her breakfast today - she had texted him about not being late like usual when earlier he had whined about her habit of getting late every time she'd be going with him. He should be focusing on the goddamned road and not shove his big nose in her tiny business like he was doing, it was honestly making her nervous for uncertain reasons.

"Soo! I've told you already! I'm just skipping breakfast today so that you won't nag into my ears for being late!" Bomhyun crossed her arms over her chest and retorted defensively. 

"Shall I stop somewhere and get you something to eat then? There's still time, I can make a run for it and you won't be late!" Her best friend offered, eyeing her with his infamous scrutinizing round eyes.

The girl let out a nervous laughter, "Oh no! I won't feel comfortable eating inside a car! That even your car! You will skin me alive if I dirty your precious car!" 

Kyungsoo sighed through his nose, definitely irritated for not being able to coax out the truth from , "I won't! At least, not today?" When it still seemed like the stubborn girl had no plans to agree to his offer, he raked his fingers through his long growing dark hair, "If you keep giving his lame words this much priority, then I will also start thinking that you have a thing for your boss." 

Bomhyun's eyes went larger before she let out a loud puking noise, "Please, not you as well! I already have enough people to torment me with this stupid joke!" 

"I'm not even joking, Bomie. And you know that." Kyungsoo shrugged calmly, not even phased at her exaggerated reaction.

"He is my boss! My supervisor! I respect him and hate him altogether. There's nothing more!" The visibly agitated girl groaned and spat out for the thousandth time, if not more.

"We'll have this conversation some other day. For now, get out of my car." Her best friend unlocked the car and gestured the way out.

Only then did she realize that they were already in front of the enormous building of K&K. Forgetting about all the stupid arguments they were having, she gave the male a side hug, "Thank you for making time for me and driving me here, Soo!" 

Before she could open the door and step off the car, Kyungsoo did something unusual as he stormed out of his car first, only to open the door for her like a gentleman - but it was more shocking for the girl as her best friend wasn't used to showing his gentlemanly traits with her. Giving the girl another wave of shocking shock, he reached out to hold her purse for her so that she'd get off the car even more comfortably.

Slightly confused, she stepped down while gaping at the male before her. "Yah, what's wrong with you? Did I accidentally hit you on the head earlier?" 

Instead of answering her, the male only gave her a short but tight hug before returning her purse. He kept looking behind her for a few seconds before fixing his gaze back on her, "Take care. And tell me if anyone's being rude with you, I'm going to stitch their unfiltered mouth for you. Bye!" And without giving her any other seconds to contemplate his actions, he stormed inside his car with the same pace and drove off.

"Is stitching someone's mouth even legal? Are you sure your boyfriend is a certified doctor?" 

Bomhyun jumped and twirled around hearing the ever so cold and familiar voice. There he was, Byun Baekhyun, in his usual formal attire and blank face. He only had one of his slim eyebrows raised in her direction in a judgemental manner.  

"Umm he was just.. joking?" She tried to offer after she got over the shock of the moment. She wondered how long he had been standing there to have heard her and Kyungsoo's conversation. 

Hearing her words, the male didn't bother to reply or show any reaction as he started making his way towards the entrance of the office building. Having no better option - because she didn't want to be marked as late - she also followed behind him. Though the meaning of his second sentence settled into her mind a little too late. 

The man was walking so fast that it was getting tough for her to keep following him in her heels - like usual. But she'd have to clarify - not that she owed him any sort of explanation regarding her personal life, that even her love life; but she'd been painfully yet proudly single for years and she wouldn't let anyone misunderstand her relationship status.  "He's Dr. Do Kyungsoo! You met him once when he came to pick me up after the company dinner!" It was quite hard for her to match with his long steps, and he seemed to be now walking even faster than his ‘urgency mode’ pace. But that shouldn't and wouldn't stop her from making him listen to the facts that he seemed to be unclear of, even if she had to raise her voice a bit, she'd do it. "And he's not my boyfriend! He's my best friend! I'm single!" 

They had already reached before the elevators by the time she was done mentioning everything she wanted in order to clear her and Kyungsoo's name. But realization hit her after the deed was done, that they were in the office lobby and it was the time where employees would be rushing to punch in and catch the elevator to reach their designated floors on time. Thus, her little too loud words had caught the attention of many pairs of ears and now many pairs of curious eyes were staring at her and Mr. Byun's way. 

Bomhyun could see how her boss had stiffened before her as they stood in the waiting line for the elevator, she also didn't miss how his fists were clenched. Oh God, she ed up. She got her boss mad at her this early morning! Now the rest of the day would go like hell! 'Why are you so stupid, Bomie!' She cried inwardly, wanting nothing but to slap for blabbering out without looking out for the reachable audience. 

"Mr. Byun, I'm also single! Please set me up with someone for a blind date as well!" A familiar voice came from the front. Jongin was now facing the seemingly silent male, blinking his eyes cutely at the older male. When it didn't seem like Byun Baekhyun would provide any answer to Jongin's lame attempt to save the situation, the younger guy walked past him to cradle Bomhyun by her shoulder. "Bomie, is it fair that your boss is going to find you a boyfriend! What about me? I also want to have a partner! Can you tell him to introduce me to someone as well? Hmm hmm?" 

Thankfully, the elevator door finally opened and the three of them along with some other awaiting employees got onto it. Though the horrified girl was certain the impact of this chaos would definitely fall upon her today. Her boss didn't like to be involved in any kind of gossip - and whatever she had spewed earlier and Jongin had tried to conjure up to make the situation seem better, nothing would work to pacify the gossipers. And that only meant, she was up for a ride of her supervisor's wrath. 

“Why are there only two copies of these sets?” Baekhyun flipped through the freshly photocopied documents and waved them in front of Bomhyun’s face as if they weighed nothing.

“Because you asked for two copies?” She tiredly explained, not even having the energy to be timid at his ever so demanding exterior. 

Just as she had presumed, her boss had made her run back and forth in the whole office, giving her commands after commands since the morning, not even letting her relish a breath of relief even for a second. And now, after she had spent the past half an hour or more standing before the damned photocopy machine to complete his previously given task, he just had to start being an about it as well. Gosh, she didn't know how long she could hold herself before she snapped at him. He was testing her patience a little too much.

"I asked for two copies per set, that means four copies in total!" The male slammed the fat documents on her desk as he reminded her. “Do I even have to teach you basic math now?” Goddamnit, why the hell he was always so loud whenever he’d be scolding her? 

She wanted to remind him back that she wasn't any mind reader or fortune teller, so there's no way she would have concluded that his grumpy little 'I need photocopies' actually meant he needed two copies of each! She was certain that even a could see the frown she was wearing on her face upon hearing her boss - she knew it was unprofessional, but sometimes it was just too hard to maintain a goddamned professionalism when she had to deal with none other than the Big ing Boss. 

She silently glared at the documents, getting on her tired feet and taking them along to go on another half an hour of torture. 

"Hey there, walk calmly, will you?" Seokjin smirked at her when they almost collided as Bomhyun was busy stomping her way out of their cubicle and the male himself seemed like he'd just returned from his lunch break. 

"Sorry!" The girl muttered a halfhearted apology to her annoying teammate - why couldn't her boss see him lazing around and hand over some of her work burdens to him as well? He could've made Kim Seokjin do the other half of the photocopies, but no, why would he? And if not for any other options, then they had a few energetic interns roaming around the other side of the floor, they would've been ecstatic to do these kinds of jobs just like she used to when she was an intern.

 But Byun Baekhyun never took any help from the interns, especially ever since she'd joined his team. These tasks were her, the rookie girl, the youngest of the team. In short, she believed from the core of her existence that her evil boss enjoyed tormenting her like that.

“Bomie, how long are you planning to work without having your lunch?” Before Bomhyun could stop internally fuming at her boss and move ahead towards her destination - the photocopy room - Jihyo asked loudly from somewhere behind her. It was obvious that the younger girl did it to make everyone - especially Byun Baekhyun - listen to her.

The girl in the question turned around and glared at her colleague slash friend, desperately hoping that she’d get the message and stop whatever she was trying to do here. She knew Jihyo’s intention was not malicious, in fact, the girl only did this to make her heartless boss realize that he’d been working Bomhyun so tirelessly that she didn’t even get to have her lunch yet. But after whatever had happened back in the morning, Bomhyun was willing to sacrifice her lunch break in order to not make her boss more irritated about anything else. 

"A little birdie told me that you even skipped your breakfast this morning! C'mon, you don't need to try this hard, Bomie! You're perfect the way you are?" Jongin yapped from his seat as he munched on his pre or post lunch snacks. “You’re acting like someone has called you fat or something!”  

Bomhyun internally groaned. Of course, Jongin's little birdie was none other than Kyungsoo himself. These dudes had become close buddies ever since she'd introduced them at her small birthday party last year. And it turned out that Jongin had become so close to Kyungsoo that sometimes her busy- best friend would ignore her existence yet still reply to Jongin's texts. And of ing course, that devil little best friend of hers had to open his mouth to the younger guy about that matter regarding her boss calling her heavy as well.
 

 Anyway, this wasn't the time to sulk over her best friend almost being snatched from her grasp by her another good friend, nor was it the time to get fumed over how her best friend had betrayed her. So she simply glared at Jongin as well. "I'm fine, guys. Not hungry at all. Now excuse me!" She muttered and hurried her way towards the photocopy room. The more late she'd start the more late she'd be finished with it. So she didn't want to delay it any more.

 Though she didn't forget to text Jihyo and request that she eat alone today. They never ate alone if the other one was present at the office, it was their little tradition which they loved to maintain no matter what. Jihyo tried remaining stubborn on not having her lunch without Bomhyun, but a few more requests and lastly an order as the elder between the two had coaxed out an affirmation from the sulking younger girl that she’d go and eat something without waiting for Bomhyun. Jihyo even assured her that she’d be taking Jongin, so Bomhyun shouldn’t feel sorry about the younger girl being alone during her lunch - eating lunch alone and both of them share