Today was rather cold and the brunet was thankful that his old yet sweet and caring grandmother forced him to wear his coat instead of his favourite denim jacket that he’s been longing to wear. She was treating him like a little kid when he in fact was in his mid 20’s. But still, he was somewhat glad that she threw her slipper at his head (even though it hurt), and took his denim jacket off, forcing him to wear the coat, otherwise she’d hide his games and never give them back to him. And since his grandmother was undoubtedly scary, he gave in and listened to her. As if he had other choices…

Baekhyun walked down the streets, digging his hands deep into his pockets to prevent his fingers falling off due to the cold weather. The weather was annoying him deeply. This kind of weather only made people sick, and sick was the last thing Baekhyun wanted to be. He felt awful when he was sick, like he was dying or something. He’d lie in bed and do absolutely nothing other than being on his phone or computer the whole day when he was sick, and that was tiring. Plus, the feeling of not being able to do anything was a feeling the brunet hated passionately. It made him feel useless and weak. And useless and weak were very unpleasant feelings that the brunet would rather not feel.

His phone went off when he was about to cross the road. Puffing his cheeks, he answered his phone, which he wished he didn’t because he nearly got deaf by the person on the other line yelling his greeting into the phone. Typical Jongdae…

”What do you want?” He said rather harshly, checking his left side, then his right side before crossing the empty road. Mornings around his neighbourhood were always peaceful and quiet, especially during summertime, since people were often away.

“Is that how you greet people? Shame on you.” Jongdae clicked his tongue purposely multiple times, annoying the brunet. Because he was clicking his tongue too loudly into the phone and the obnoxious sound that came out was annoying, he had to hold his cell phone away from his ear until the other was done being irritating.

“Is making me deaf your life goal?”

“Maybe.”

“You sure are a sadist. I should keep myself away from you.” The brunet joked and checked the time on his phone. Seeing the time, his eyebrows formed into slight frown. This morning he had stressed to get to work. He woke up in a panic, because he had somehow seen the digits on the digital clock as a different time and rolled off his bed, rushing to the bathroom and accidentally slipped, falling to the floor with a thump. His back hurt, but it wasn’t too serious. And when he was eating his sandwich, he somehow managed to choke on the bread and coughed for forty seconds straight. His grandmother sent him a weird look when she entered the kitchen— which he had turned upside down— wondering what he was doing up.

“I’m late, Granny! I’m late!” He washed his hands in the sink when he had finished his breakfast, drinking a glass of water before washing it.

“When do you have to be there?” The old lady asked, putting the butter back in the fridge.

“9 a.m.”

“Baekhyun, dear.. It’s barely 8.am.”

Hearing his grandmother say that, he groaned, banging his head on the wall too hard that as a result his forehead was still aching. He was in pain and he stressed for nothing, basically. Why he was being like this was a big question mark to the brunet. Maybe someone had cursed him? But who would do that?

Probably Jongdae. He’s been trying to make me go deaf for—

“Baekhyun, are you still there?”

“Speaking of the devil...” He mumbled, casually kicking a small rock across the pavement.

“Huh?”

“How are you today?” He asked the other, quickly changing the subject.

“Uh pretty fine, thank you. Oh! When’s your shift over today?” He asked, his tone hinting of excitement. The brunet had no idea how someone could be this alert early in the morning. His friend could go to bed late on a workday, like around 10 or 11pm and yet be so hyped in the morning. Baekhyun always wonders where he gets the energy from, so that Baekhyun himself could borrow some extra energy when needed.

“5 p.m, why?”

“Amazeballs! Let’s go eat something after you’re finished with work!” He chuckled into the phone, making Baekhyun wonder if he actually was a human being. Who can be this happy in the morning?!

“Did you just say... amazeballs?”

“...Yes?”

“That’s the stupidest word I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Oh, shut up. It can’t be that bad.”

“In fact, it is. And I’ve arrived to work, so talk to you later?”

The brunet pulled out his card from his backpocket and entered the code before holding up the card in front of the magnetic reader, unlocking the door.

“Yeah, sure. Don’t forget to call! Bye!”

“I won’t, I won’t. Later.” Baekhyun said before hanging up. He made it to his locker, taking his time to change into his uniform. He had enough time to get ready, so he took off his sweater, exposing his milky chest and quickly put on his shirt, slowly and carefully buttoning his shirt. He had to do it slowly because otherwise he’d just mess up with the buttons. And that was no fun.

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Baekhyun put the new tomatoes on the display shelf, doing the same thing he did almost everyday. What bothered him though, was the man who watched him while walking around in the fruits and vegetables department. He had been doing this for almost a week now, and it was creeping the brunet to the core. He’d even start talking to him, asking him how he was doing and if he was having fun on this department. Baekhyun would reply with simple answers and make him leave. Though he wanted to tell him to off and leave him alone, he couldn’t. Since he was a customer, he had to be nice to him and as a worker at a supermarket with a good reputation and hardworking employees, he couldn’t be rude to him. He couldn’t be rude but he was definitely going to tell him off, because he had had enough. Although he hadn’t done anything bad, he was disturbing him.

Whenever the male smiled at him, Baekhyun had a burning desire to punch the smile off the male’s face, because Baekhyun wouldn’t let anyone— especially a ert— watch him like that. Jongdae always complained about Baekhyun being too difficult, but that wasn’t the case. He just wasn’t a piece of meat to have someone watch him with hungry eyes. Plus, it’s rude to stare.

Putting the last tomato on its place, with the man still watching him with those eyes while putting some carrots in a plastic bag, the brunet had finally had enough. He exhaled loudly before dropping the empty basket to the floor and walked towards the man who resembled the Eiffel tower (honestly, he wasn’t that tall. Baekhyun was just exaggerating like he usually did).

“You.” He said sternly, his index finger in the air, “Do you have a problem?” The other watched Baekhyun with annoying, wide eyes. But what annoyed him more was that unexpected smile the taller flashed him.

“Hi, Baekhyun! You remember me, right?” He chuckled, pointing at himself. Of course Baekhyun knew him, he’d been visiting him almost everyday since that they Baekhyun fell on top of him. But the brunet pretended not to know him.

“Firstly, you’ve been watching me like a creep for about one week, which is really odd in my opinion. And don’t start conversations with me while I’m working. Secondly, I don’t care and I don’t think I remember your name—”

“—It’s Chanyeol—”

“— And thank you for saving me that day, I guess. My bum is thankful. But could you leave me alone?”

Chanyeol giggled rather loudly, which attracted an unwanted attention from other customers that the brunet didn’t like. He just wanted those old ladies to mind their own business (he had grown tired of them after weeks of working at this department)

“You’re really cute.”

“Thank you? Wish I could say the same about you but you look more like a ert than cute to be honest.”

“Hey! I don’t!” He protested, receiving judging looks from people. Baekhyun gave up and continued putting the stuff onto the display shelves. But Chanyeol didn’t give up either. Just like a puppy, he followed the brunet around while he was working. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if the other knew that he was busy working or if he simply chose to not care about it and annoy him endlessly.

“Could you please leave me alone? I'm working and you following me around like a lost puppy isn't helping.” He told the other, his tone serious. How could a man, who was probably in his mid 20's be this childish?

“Ah, I'm sorry for interfering with your work. I just wanted to talk to you, I guess.” He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, giving the other an apologetic smile.

“Yeah, well, anyways. If you'll excuse, I have to return to my work now.”

“Alright then! Have fun working?”

“Oh, I’ll try. Thank you.” Baekhyun gave the taller a weak smile, which Chanyeol returned with a wide smile. It was the first time the brunet smiled at him and Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel the butterflies flying around in his stomach intensively, making him feel weird.

“Bye, Baekhyun!” He waved to the brunet with his free hand and swung the plastic bag of carrots with the other.

Baekhyun grabbed another basket before waving goodbye to the taller.

“Bye, Chanyeol.”

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Though the brunet was hungry quite a while ago and couldn’t wait for lunch, he didn’t feel like eating anything now that he had the time to eat. Instead, he was staring at the white wall and thinking about that Chanyeol guy.

He sure is annoying.

But Baekhyun didn’t understand how he could be so happy and friendly when Baekhyun was being nothing but rude to him. He didn’t even understand how someone could be as positive as that guy. Though he was far from scary, the brunet couldn’t help but feel somewhat scared.

What if he’s following me because he was ordered to and when he gets the chance he’ll kidnap me and kill me?

But, he doesn’t seem like someone who’d do… that kind of thing. He looks too innocent to be a murderer.

Hey, who knows. He might be a psychopath.

And before Baekhyun had the chance to get up and get something to eat, his lunch break was over. The brunet drank a glass of water before walking off to his department hoping that his shift would be over without any problems.

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“Yo.”

“Is your shift over?”

Baekhyun nodded, quickly muttering a ‘yes’ into the phone before putting his sneakers in his locker. He scanned around the place in case he forgot to put it in his locker before closing the locker and locking it.

“Then come to the restaurant by the clothing store— What was it called again? Uh, ‘blue’ something but I’m not sure.”

“You idiot, just text me the address and I’ll be there.”

“Oh.. Yeah. Ha. I’ll text you the address now then. See ya!” He dragged on the ‘a’ and chucked, hanging up the phone before Baekhyun could say something. Jongdae really had a problem keeping his voice low. He’d yell no matter where he was, who he was with or what time it was. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he didn’t care or if he had hearing problems and couldn’t hear himself.

Baekhyun sighed and entered his code before stepping out in the cold, the unexpectedly cold air hitting him hard in the face, his brain freezing for a second. The brunet covered his chin with his coat, his nose and ears exposed to the cold air. He regretted not bringing a beanie just in case.

“Hey.”

The brunet’s head shot up, his eyes spotting a tall male leaning against the brick wall. It was Chanyeol. Again.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, rubbing his numb nose before rubbing his cold hands together other to warm them up. That was when Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyuns hands with his warm and big ones. Although it felt good, Baekhyun jerked his hands away from him and put his hands in his coat pockets to keep them warm without having someone else doing it for him. It was uncomfortable since Chanyeol was nothing but a stranger to the brunet.

“I was waiting for you.”

Was Baekhyun right when he accused him for being a psychopath who’d kidnap him and kill him just because? Baekhyun found himself panicking but tried his best not to show it. He’d just casually talk to him and try to make a run for it.

The shorter frowned. “Should I be flattered?”

“Hm, yeah. Probably. I waited in the cold for you.”

“Oh, you’re so romantic.” Baekhyun faked a smile, his tone hinting of sarcasm which Chanyeol noticed but chose to ignore.

“I thought we could go grab something and walk and just, talk? What do you think?” He smiled.

“Look, Chanyeol.” He started, shivering slightly, “I have other plans. My friend is waiting for me and he’ll kill me for being late.” He explained calmly, hoping that the guy would understand and leave him alone. He even crossed his fingers that Chanyeol would just go without trying anything, even though he didn’t believe that it helped. God, please be nice to me once and answer to my prayer.

Chanyeol’s smile fell. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He gave the shorter an apologetic look, which Baekhyun returned with a weak smile. He was still wondering whether the Eiffel tower was a psychopath or just a naïve and weird guy. Probably both.

“I can take you wherever you’re headed to.” He suggested, pointing at a black moped at the small parking lot.

That would be quite nice since the shorter had always wanted to ride a moped, but he declined the other’s request for several reasons. “It’s OK, I can walk by myself.”

“No, please. It’s dangerous for you to walk around at this time. There are many alcoholics and erts out at this hour.” Baekhyun checked the time on his phone and frowned.

“Chanyeol, it’s just 5:30p.m and I’m an adult. I can take care of myself.”

“No, I insist!” He raised his voice, hoping that the shorter would agree. But to Chanyeol’s luck, he didn’t.

“I’m going to be late and it’s all your fault.” He said, starting to walk. Although Baekhyun didn’t know the taller well, he figured that Chanyeol was very stubborn since he wouldn’t just let the brunet be. Also, he was still following him like a puppy.

“Let me take you wherever you’re going!” He protested, jogging up to the brunet’s side.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Are you stupid?” Baekhyun snapped and stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the taller who had a confused look plastered on his face.

“Firstly—”

“—You always start off with ‘firstly’—” Chanyeol added with a chuckle.

“—I don’t know you. How can I know whether you’re a psychopath who’s trying to kill me or not? Plus, you’re being really clingy. You’ve been following me around for a week and it’s weird, alright? It’s not romantic or anything. This isn’t a movie, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun sighed, blowing into his hands and rubbing them together to warm them.

“What would you think if a stranger showed you interest out of the blue? I don’t know you, nor do you know me. So please understand.”

Chanyeol frowned. “I’m sorry for being clingy and for trying to talk to you. And I’m sorry for having an interest in you, I guess. I just wish you could trust me instead of judging me.

“But I understand; there are many psychopaths around who kidnap and kill people, but I’m not one of them. I wish you could grasp it instead of imagining things.” He said, a look of sadness flashing in his normally lively eyes. Baekhyun felt slightly guilty, yet he didn’t stop himself from muttering, “I-I don’t care.”  under his breath.

“Yeah, of course you don’t.”

And with that, Chanyeol turned around and walked to his moped. The brunet frowned and turned around, walking as fast as he could to get away from there. His feet were numb, which made it harder for the brunet to walk but he tried to ignore it and jogged across the road until he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

“I’m sorry, I’m s—”

“Look, I’m a nice friend so I’ll wait for ten minutes. No more. If you don’t show up in time, I’ll kill you. The waiter has been watching me for a while now and it’s annoying plus, I’m starving to death. So hurry up.” His voice was calm, which was a first in many years. But Jongdae speaking calmly meant that if he didn’t do as Jongdae told him, he’d be dead. And before the brunet could explain himself, he line went silent. Baekhyun checked the time on his phone, which showed that it was 5:43p.m. Baekhyun could probably get there in ten minutes— only if he ran all the way there. Which he didn’t know if he could, but he tried anyways.

He arrived at the restaurant two minutes late, so he quickly ran inside and searched for his friend which he couldn’t find since the restaurant was packed with people. Standing on his tiptoes, he scanned through the whole restaurant thoroughly and spotted his friend by the corner of the restaurant, playing on his phone with a deeply focused look on his face. The brunet instantly made his way to the table and slumped into the chair, exhaling as he sunk down on the table.

“I was about to leave anytime soon if you hadn’t come. So what’s your excuse for being late, Mister?”

“I’ll tell you later…  When my breathing... Is steady.” He managed to say between panting breaths and looked up at the other from the table, his heart beathing rapidly against his ribcage.

“Anyways, what do you want to eat?”

“I’ll take what you’re having.” He mumbled, straightening himself up when he waiter walked up to their table. His friend ordered for the both of them and the waiter nodded before leaving them alone.

“Now, tell me what made you late.” Jongdae watched the brunet, his chin resting on his hand.

The brunet groaned at the image of Chanyeol that popped up in his head and clenched his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the said male’s image in his mind. “Chanyeol...”

“Who’s Chanyeol? Your boyfriend?” Jongdae smirked.

“No. He’s that guy that you were talking about. That guy who’s been disturbing me for a week?” He explained while taking off his coat and hung it neatly over the back of the chair beside him.

“Ah, that handsome guy? I’m jealous.”

The brunet wrinkled his nose. “There is nothing to be jealous about.”

“There is. He’s hot.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “He’s annoying and clingy. Plus, he gives me the creeps.” He groaned, looking out of the window.

“He seems nice to me.” He shrugged his shoulders, not understanding why Baekhyun was being so harsh towards the poor guy who had done nothing but show his affection.

“If you’re so interested in him why don’t you ask him out? That way he’d leave me alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Baekhyun gave his friends the thumbs up. Jongdae chuckled, giving his friend thumbs up too. Then they talked about Jongdae’s day. He apparently spent his morning cleaning the whole house (which shocked the brunet because Jongdae rarely cleaned his house) and watched four episodes of his favourite reality show afterwards. Baekhyun didn’t understand why his friend would waste his free time watching rich women— with faces filled with plastic and other chemicals— fight about stupid stuff and cry whenever things didn’t go as they wanted. Though the brunet hated those kind of shows, it was quite entertaining watching people fight. Their stupidity entertained him, but infected his friend.

When their foods arrived, their conversation died and they began eating their food in a comfortable silence. Baekhyun shamelessly stuffed himself with food, not caring about how gross and unattractive he looked. He was starving. Not even Jongdae giving him judging looks could stop him from stuffing himself like a pig.

“Take it easy, you’ll choke.” Jongdae warned his friend who ignored his friend and kept on stuffing himself.“Or you could continue eating like a pig.”

“Shut up, Jongdae. I’m hungry.” He managed to say, his mouth full, “I haven’t eaten anything for about eight hours or something.” He took a big bite of the chicken leg although his mouth was full and pointed at his friend with the bone.

It went silent again not long after. The only thing that could be heard was adults chattering and kids yelling and crying. When Baekhyun was done eating, he glanced out of the window while cleaning his hands with his napkin, his mind drifting back to Chanyeol.

He didn’t even say bye to me. He always says bye to me before leaving.

Was I too harsh to him this time? He did look hurt, actually.

One of the many things the brunet hated was rude people, and he was becoming one himself. We often become the people we hate, and we can’t help it. Baekhyun couldn’t help it either. So instead of thinking about Chanyeol, he tried to forget about the Eiffel tower and have fun with his best friend instead.

A/N: I'm finally back ha. Hope you liked this chapter! Don't forget to subscribe, upvote and comment!

And ugh Baekhyun is so rude to Chanyeol :/ But let's see what'll happen between them in the future ;)) hehe lol take care!