Being a pharmacist was a very hard and taxing job, as Baekhyun comes to realize after working in his new job for his third month. As soon as he walks into the apartment his roommate and long time friend Chanyeol greets him. Taking off his blazer, Baekhyun plops onto the sofa next to Chanyeol who is watching the latest season of Game of Thrones.

 

“Why do you watch that? You don’t even understand it.” He asks but Chanyeol graces him with no response, just a snide roll of the eyes. As soon as Baekhyun asks his phone goes off signaling a message just came in.  Hoping to god it was from her, he opened his phone just to be disappointed that it was an email from his boss.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, Taeyeon is too busy staring at her phone to notice that her roommate and best friend, Soonkyu, just walked back into her bedroom after getting out snacks from the fridge.

 

“You’ve been staring at your phone for hours! Are you waiting for a miracle?” Soonkyu asks her best friend. Taeyeon just rolls her eyes and throws her phone on her pillow in frustration.

 

“Why hasn’t he texted me? He should’ve already got off work!” She complains while reaching for the potato crisps in her roommate’s hands.

 

“You sound like a stalker, and really creepy. Just relax, if you know him like I do, he’ll message you.” Giving her best friend an odd knowing smile. Which Taeyeon ignores in favor of checking her phone again for the umpteenth time.

 

***

 

“Dude are you going to send the message or not? You look like a lovesick puppy!” Chanyeol exclaims. Baekhyun shoots him a dirty look and looks back to his phone screen as if uncertain whether the content of the message was good enough.

 

Tired of his friend’s lovesickness, he grabs Baekhyun’s phone and presses send. His roommate moans and kicks and shouts that his life is now over and that he should hide in a hole because his giant of a best friend doesn’t understand his life. Basically Baekhyun being Baekhyun.

 

***

Taeyeon, who has given up on the text message (not really, she’s really hoping he sends the message) is on the other side of the bedroom when a ping notification is heard from her phone. She has never run so hard in her life. She dashed to her bed, picked up her phone and read the message.

 

 

From: Baekoong<3

7.23pm

Are you free? Do you want to watch a movie with me tonight?

 

 

“That’s a really late movie.” Soonkyu snorts as Taeyeon hushes her best friend.  Soonkyu could see the happiness dancing in Taeyeon’s eyes as she read the message over and over contemplating what to reply.

 

When her best friend finally responds to the text message she is mildly horrified and doesn’t hesitate to call her friend out on it.

 

“You’re doomed.”

 

***

 

Baekhyun who is now whining about Chanyeol being the worst roommate ever, much to his annoyance, doesn’t fail to pick out the sound his phones makes when a notification comes in.

 

 

From: Taenggu<3

7.40pm

Tonight? I don’t think so, I have plans tonight.

 

 

Now heartbroken and sad Baekhyun feels like crying and tears well up in his eyes. Chanyeol who reads the message over his friend’s shoulder groans at the response and is cursing Taeyeon inside his head. He feels even worse when he takes in Baekhyun’s expression and he looks like a kicked puppy while he responds to the message.

 

***

 

“Why am I doomed?” Taeyeon asks her roommate cluelessly. She grins at her friend in triumph when her phone pings with another notification. And then proceeds to throw her phone again once she reads out loud the content of the text message.

 

 

From: Baekoong<3

7.45pm

Oh you have plans? It…can’t be helped I guess.

 

Soonkyu clucks her tongue at her roommate in disappointment with a smug face full of I told you so. She looks on entertained with her best friend as she tries to look for ideas to salvage the situation and smiles when Taeyeon shows her the message she’s about to send, giving her an approving nod.

 

***

 

Baekhyun has moved on from whining to full on wailing, much to the distress of his roommate that is trying to calm him down (who’s pretty sure that they’re going to get a warning that Baekhyun’s being too loud). He groans again when he hears that Baekhyun has received another message.

 

 

From: Taenggu<3

7.58pm

Well…I guess I can meet the other people another time. What time should we meet?

 

Baekhyun blinks, and blinks again trying to comprehend the message. When he finally understands it, he reads and rereads it again just to make sure he read it right. He jumps up and down the couch and grabs Chanyeol by the hands and does his happy dance. Baekhyun now has a wide smile adorning his face that would crack it if it got any wider, much to the discomfort of his roommate.

 

“You have the weirdest mood swings.”

 

***

 

Taeyeon cheers after she picks up her phone and reads the message. She then shows her roommate the message with a triumphant grin.

 

 

From: Baekoong<3

8.05pm

Okay! Awesome! Let’s meet at 9.30pm in front of Tabby Mall in Myeongdong? It’s a date!

 

Taeyeon reads the word date over and over again and squeals with excitement. Soonkyu, who supposes Taeyeon’s excitement is contagious, squeals with her too. They then begin to raid her closet to find the perfect outfit to use on her date, the outfit that will wow Byun Baekhyun.

 

It takes them an hour of doing a fashion show in their room before they finally decide that Taeyeon is currently wearing the perfect outfit. She then grabs her phone to send a reply to Baekhyun. Soonkyu, who read the message over her shoulder, groans again and thinks about how the last hour was a complete waste of her time.

 

***

 

Baekhyun is on his way to Myeongdong, in his car, and is nearly there when he receives the text message from Taeyeon. He opens the message and is crushed. He’s so flustered he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do.

 

 

From: Taenggu<3

9.07pm

Date? Don’t overreact! We’re just going as friends!

 

 

He pulls over the side of the road and replies to Taeyeon’s message. His message sounds exactly the way he feels. Horrible. His excitement drained out of his body, he feels tired and annoyed and he doesn’t know what to do.

 

***

 

“You’re not supposed to push and pull yet!” Soonkyu says exasperatedly. Trying for the last five minutes to explain to her friend that she just screwed up her date and is probably going to die alone and a hermit. She rolls her eyes when Taeyeon’s phone pings and pretends to ecamine her nails while her best friend reads the message.

 

 

From: Baekoong<3

9.12pm

Oh it’s not date? Yeah, I shouldn’t overreact. Hey I just got a message and something came up, I don’t think I’ll be able to catch the movie with you. Sorry!

 

 

Taeyeon groans and her tears well up and she looks like she’s about to break down in front of her best friend when she reads the message. Then she proceeds to punch her pillow and take all her frustration out on the innocent pillow that’s been abused with a phone, and now with fists.

 

In the middle of all the abuse, Taeyeon finally thinks of something and apparently it’s something good with the way her face lights up in determination. She gather her coat and clothes and leaves the apartment with a I’ll be back.

 

This time Soonkyu sends a message to Baekhyun.

 

***

 

Baekhyun is at home kicking off his shoes when he receives another message. Hoping its Taeyeon, he opens it only to be disappointed.

 

 

From: Lee Soonkyu-ssi

9.45pm

Heads up, Taeyeon is on her way to your apartment. Just thought you should know.

 

 

He reads the message, and his eyes widen at the contents. She’s going to come here! He panics and runs over to Chanyeol who is still watching Game of Thrones and wails that he doesn’t know what to do. His roommate rolls his eyes and suggests waiting for her downstairs in the lobby.

 

With the way Baekhyun’s face lighted up, it was like the suggestion was made out of pure gold. He nods his head vigorously and excitedly and runs out of his apartment, coat in hand. Chanyeol looks at the now closing door with a fatherly smile.

 

When Baekhyun reaches the lobby, he ends up waiting for another thirty minutes before he receives a message from Taeyeon. And from where he is, he can see Taeyeon approaching the lobby too.

 

 

From: Taenggu<3

10.18pm

Hey! Frustrating guy! What are you doing? Are you busy?

 

 

He grins as he sees the worried look on Taeyeon’s face when she approaches the doors. She’s apparently so focused on her phone the she doesn’t even notice that Baekhyun is there waiting for her. He smiles as he sends her a reply.

 

***

 

Taeyeon looks completely and hopelessly worried as she continues to check her phone every three seconds, not even noticing that Baekhyun was in the lobby when she walked through the main entrance. When she hears the notification, she immediately and excitedly opens her phone to read the message.

 

 

From: Baekoong<3

10.20pm

Yeah I’m kind of busy right now. I’ll message you later.

 

 

Taeyeon looks defeated as she reads the message and her shoulders deflate. She turns around to leave the building, still not noticing that Baekhyun was in the lobby grinning at her.

 

Baekhyun, who’s had enough of the teasing and is really very happy, whistles at her and tries to catch her attention. As Taeyeon turns around to see who whistled at her, her eyes widen in surprise. She looks at him grinning, then looks at the phone and then looks back at him again. A dawn of understanding finally passes through her face as she walks toward with a mock angry expression.

 

He opens his arms wide to hug her and is startled when she pushes him away and gives him a good smack to his shoulder. He looks at her again and opens his arms again, hopeful this time. She smiles at him and walks into his embrace. Both of their hearts swelling and growing too big for their chests.