"What do you think about Jiwon?" I said in between bites.

"She's a really efficient worker, based on what I see." Lay pointed to the side of his mouth. "You have something in here."

I wiped the left side of my mouth. "Not as an employee, dumbo."

"Wrong side." He reached over and wiped the side of my mouth with his thumb. “I don’t have a reason to think of her any other way.”

“You’re such a party-pooper, Lay,” I made a face at him. “Don’t you see she’s into you?”

“If I remember correctly,” he pretended to think, index finger tapping his chin, “you’re the one who’s so against hooking up with co-workers.”

He had a point. “But she’s had the hugest crush on you ever since… I don’t even remember! I think it could actually work.”

“Look, Ms. Matchmaker, remember whose crush didn’t work out so well?”

Ouch. I don’t have anything to say to that.

“I’m sorry. That was low.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just think you’re getting ahead of yourself. How do you even know?”

“’How do you not know’ is the real question here, buddy.” I shook my head at him, trying to physically shake off his words. It wasn’t as if he was wrong.

“Whatever. We’re dropping the subject.”

“Oh, come on, Lay-lay!” I only called him that in private. “You haven’t even thought about it.”

“And you’re thinking too much about it.” The last bit of his hotdog disappeared, and with it came the end of the conversation. I let it go, for now.

-

“Can we just go back to the hotdog stand?” I halted mid-step, turning around to walk the opposite direction only to smack into Lay’s sturdy chest.

“Nope. Just try acting as normal as you can, okay?” Lay gave me a pat on the arm before turning me back around to the conference room.

“How can I? It’s awkward as hell and I don’t know what that word means and this is just horrible can I just drop out of the project?” I babbled at Lay, not stopping to take a breath, trying to get rid of the histrionics before having to play calm for the next few hours.

“You can do it, alright? This project won’t work unless you’re part of it.” He smiled at me, that cute dimple calming me down as we took our seats beside each other.

I nodded, taking deep breaths. It’s going to be alright. I tried the reasoning my high school teacher taught me: two years from now, this wouldn’t even matter. Except I’m one to live in the present, thank you very much, Mrs. Lim.

“Hi, y’all!” I am not in the mood to hear that velvety deep voice. Not now, not ever. And honestly, I hate it when he says that. Seriously, he isn’t even from the South. Apparently, it’s his way of expressing his position on gender equality. Whatever. I’m all for feminism, but he could tone it down a notch. He could definitely start by dropping that gender neutral pronoun on the closest trash bin.

Besides, can he seriously not curb the enthusiasm? It’s like he didn’t just go through a break-up. I choose not to analyze what that implies.

“Right, Shiyoung?” Chanyeol suddenly turned to me, his full set of perfectly whitened teeth flashing at me.

“What?”

“I was just saying how all of us working together means it’s already a done deal. We’re the best this firm has to offer.” The sincerity in that smile almost knocked the breath out of me. How could that smile still leave me breathless? But more importantly, how could he act so normal right now?

“Oh.” I can’t just pretend that we’re all chummy again. It’s already taking up all my concentration just to be civil.

Lay laughed awkwardly, trying to fill in the silence my response brought. Bonus points for trying, my friend. I took a mental note to buy him something fancier than hotdogs.

Chanyeol cleared his throat before sitting down next to me. Really, now? There were plenty of seats far away from mine. No need to invade my personal bubble, you bastard. Okay, so maybe I’m a little bitter. Or a lot bitter.

He leaned his elbows onto the table, and that slight movement was enough to spread his cologne my way. It’s still the same sandalwood undertone, light enough to smell pleasant without overpowering the senses.

Why am I suddenly thinking about the way he smells? My thought process really needs to be re-prioritized.

The meeting started right when our boss came in. Lights dimmed as the projector illuminated the slides. The company’s planning a merger with our long-time competitor. It’s information I’ve already read on my files, but I kept my eyes trained on the boss, careful to avoid seeing Chanyeol at all. I see him on my periphery anyway. In fact, I’m all too aware of his presence, his handsome side profile, his perfectly stylized hair, his crisp dress shirt.

I turned to Lay to clear my thoughts.

‘Help me,’ I pleaded with my eyes.

He raised his eyebrow, as if asking me how.

I raised a shoulder slightly, wanting to say ‘I don’t know. Just do something.’

He mimicked my gesture but took a post-it from his suit’s pocket. I watched as his skilled fingers manipulated the tiny square into intricately small folds under the table. After a few seconds, he handed me the finished product, smiling at his little handiwork.

I put my hands together (also under the table) into silent claps of appreciation. It’s so pretty. ‘What is it?’ I mouthed to him.

‘A tiny dragon. To keep your heart safe.’ He smiled, his dimple showing again. I almost chuckled. If only we weren't at the meeting right then I would have hugged him.

I twirled the little dragon in my hands, realizing that he didn’t even ask why I needed help. Instead, he asked how he could. He definitely deserves a fancy meal later.

--

A/N: I personally have nothing against the word "y'all" haha in fact, if you've read my commentary on my other fanfics, I use it quite a bit. It's a gender neutral term unlike "guys," which seems inclusive to a gender. I only added that in to give the OC character and dimension, but I seriously prefer "y'all" irl. LOL

Also, as you've noticed, it's a bit Lay-centric this chapter. What do you guys think? Who do you guys like so far for our Shiyoung? Chanyeol, Lay, or nonexistent Sehun? (I promise to give him some love in the next chapters. All in good time, my dears.) I'd love to see which team you're supporting. hahaha omg I'm so weird.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for subscribing, all seven of you. You're awesomeness personified! (But what'd be more awesome is if you commented. Seriously, those are the bestest best. hahaha) <3

OH! I wanted to ask you guys for help. As you guys can see, the title of this fanfic donkey . (sorry. was that a bad image?). It's because my mind's not creative enough to actually make decent fanfic titles. So can you guys think up a less generic title to replace this tentative one? Which brings me to say this: I know the title isn't exactly engaging, so your subscription and comments are all the more meaningful to me. Y'all are seriously the best. :)