Eyes wide, Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol as his ears became a deep red color. For one thing, he had said his thoughts aloud. For another, Chanyeol had just called him perfect. They had only known each other for two and a half days, and Chanyeol was already calling him perfect. Something was most definitely wrong. Looking around, Baekhyun expected someone to pop out of the bushes and yell something about being pranked. However, nothing like that happened and Chanyeol kept looking at him with a serious expression.

"I'm not -- no -- what?" Baekhyun fumbled with his word, at a loss for words.

"Baek --"

"Here's your salad, Chanyeol." Sehun coughed and set a small plate in front of Chanyeol. With a small bow, Sehun left the two in an uncomfortable silence.

Before Chanyeol was able to say anything, Baekhyun stood up quickly, "I-I have to go to the powder-wash-bath-toilet room!" Now even more embarrassed, he hastily walked away and towards the large, wood sign that read "Bathroom."

When inside, he hurried into a stall, locked it, and began to tug at his hair. What was going on? He wasn't ready for this -- to be called perfect -- and it was overwhelming. For a moment, he stood there, hand cupped over his mouth with a few tears pricking at the edges of his eyes. Baekhyun was nervous, scared, and just wanted to be at home with Haru watching TV. The aspect of going on a date with Chanyeol was exciting at first, but actually doing it was a whole other story for Baekhyun's social anxiety. He took multiple deep breaths and closed his eyes. When he could no longer feel tears, he unlocked the stall and walked to the sink and began to splash water on his face. As he did so, he felt soothed and calm once again. Dinner couldn't take to long, so he should be able to make it through.

Walking out of the restroom feeling refreshed, Baekhyun was suddenly stopped when someone from behind a potted plant caught his wrist. He yelped in surprise, and turned around. Unbeknownst to him, he had also caught the attention of a few customers nearby. Baekhyun jumped back when a strange woman with a camera appeared. She wore unflattering jeans, a wrinkled button up shirt, and her creepy smile was unsettling.

"You're Byun Baekhyun, fiancée of Park Chanyeol, right?" She snorted and took a picture. When she took her camera down, she began to mull over the photograph and laughed. Now afraid, Baekhyun began to shake, his vision became blurry with tears, and he couldn't move as his chest tightened.

"It's such a wonder how you did it. I mean, you aren't even that attractive." She sneered. With another unattractive snort, she wiped her nose on her sleeve and began to take more pictures.

Soon, there were whispers floating about the restaurant and it became quieter. Eventually, this strange quiet reached Chanyeol who was already suspicious of why Baekhyun was taking so long.

Chanyeol set his napkin onto the table and walked hastily to the bathroom where he saw Baekhyun frozen as a woman was taking photos. Sudden anger overtook Chanyeol and he stormed over. He put a hand slightly in front of Baekhyun as an indication for him to get back. Happiness washed over Baekhyun and he hid behind Chanyeol, but then began to noticed the stares he was receiving. As his breaths became labored, he turned to Chanyeol’s back and moved close, covering his face with his hands.

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol asked in a cold voice, one Baekhyun had never heard before and never wanted to hear again.

“Ah! Park Chanyeol! It’s you!” The woman batted her eyelashes and tried to hug Chanyeol, but he just stood tall and held up his hand, causing her to stop.

“Tell me,” he said in a firm voice. “What were you doing?”

“Oh Chanyeol! I was simply asking questions.” She smiled.

“With a black camera? I highly doubt it. Did you receive permission to do so?”

“N-no! But Chanyeol, how can you be with someone so--”

“Then get out.” Chanyeol growled.

“Chany--”

“Don’t speak to me as if you know me.”

With a frustrated humph, she stomped out, but not before stopping at the door and yelling, “You will rue this day, Park Chanyeol. You won’t be able to protect your precious fiancee for long!” Then she slammed the door and all was silent. Soon, though, the talking began again and most of it was about the scene that just went on.

Ignoring every whisper and look, Chanyeol turned around and lead Baekhyun from the restaurant and to his car. Once in the passenger seat, Baekhyun covered his face and began to sob quietly. Every time he was with Chanyeol, he always ruined it with his social anxiety. If he weren’t so scared of people, he could’ve had a normal lunch with an attractive person. If it weren’t for his constant breakdowns, he could’ve had a normal lunch with Chanyeol. If it weren’t for the media, he could’ve had a normal lunch with Chanyeol. If he was normal, he could’ve had a normal lunch with Chanyeol.

After hearing the driver side door close, Baekhyun felt a gentle hand on the back of his neck running a thumb back and forth. Chanyeol’s warm hand and kind touch was soothing as Baekhyun composed himself. With a sigh, Baekhyun sniffed and rubbed the remaining tears from his cheeks.

“I’m sorry…” He murmured and took deep breaths to prevent himself from crying again.

“Stop apologizing for something that wasn’t your fault. I should’ve thought about it more instead of pushing you like that, so I’m the sorry one.” Chanyeol said softly and dropped his hand to the armrest, to Baekhyun’s disappointment.

“Well, you thinking about me is more than enough.” Baekhyun said under his breath.

“What?”

“N-nothing!”

There was a moment of silence until Chanyeol spoke again, “Baekhyun, to make up for my mistake, can I treat you to a more private place to dine?”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he looked at Chanyeol, shaking his head, “Oh no, no, no! I-I wouldn’t want to burden you any further!”

“You aren’t at all, Baekhyun. Don’t think so lowly of yourself because you’re better than what you assume.” Chanyeol looked to Baekhyun who was having a difficult time keeping his emotions in check including his wide smile, which he covered with his hand. “So, what do you say?” Baekhyun nodded and Chanyeol smiled widely before pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

*

To Baekhyun’s surprise thirty minutes later, Chanyeol pulled into a gated driveway that led to a luxurious house. At first, he didn’t understand what was going on, but once he realized that it was Chanyeol’s house after seeing the plaque on the gate, he nearly fainted. So that’s what Chanyeol meant by private dining. He meant his house -- more like mansion. As Chanyeol pulled into a grand garage, Baekhyun couldn’t help but stare in awe. Everything was gigantic and expensive.

“Ready?” Chanyeol asked as he unbuckled and stepped out of the car. Baekhyun nodded and slowly reached for the handle, but suddenly the door was opened for him by a man in a crisp suit with gloves on his hands who bowed when he stepped out.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun returned the bow, but was discouraged from doing so when the man shook his head and smiled. Then, he bowed toward Chanyeol and left the garage. Walking around the car, Chanyeol held out his arm and indicated for Baekhyun to take it. Feeling giddy, Baekhyun wrapped his delicate hands around the sturdy arm and was led into the mansion.

Entering the threshold took Baekhyun’s breath away. From where he was standing, there was a humongous living room with a dark, leather couch that was positioned around a glass coffee table and a TV that was mounted on the wall. To the right of him was an archway that led into a modern kitchen with an electric stove top, sparkling ovens, a large sink, and a fridge that was probably the size of his own bed.

As Chanyeol led Baekhyun farther into the mansion, he noticed many decorations from various countries and their culture. They all seemed to be organized by hallways; one hallway they walked through was India, while another was entirely from Rome. After passing through many doors, and through various hallways -- which Baekhyun wondered how Chanyeol kept track of it all -- they eventually ended up in a more normal looking part; it had a family room stemming off of it, the kitchen was moderately sized, and there was a circular dining table.

Once inside, Chanyeol sat Baekhyun down on the more home-like, fabric couch that wasn’t as expensive as the leather one. It seemed tattered, almost, and used. With a small smile, Baekhyun sank into the couch, feeling more at ease than ever before. While settling down, he heard Chanyeol walk into another room that was also attached to the living room. When he returned, he wore blue sweatpants, a purple hoodie, and fluffy slippers with hair that made him look like he just woke up -- which was still highly attractive, in Baekhyun’s opinion. In his hands, he held two sets of clothes. One had a black sweatshirt and grey sweatpants, while the other held a forest green t-shirt and jeans that probably were a few sizes too big.

A lopsided smile graced Chanyeol’s gorgeous features and he held out both sets of clothes, “Take your pick. You can mix and match, if you please. Just go into the next room to change.”

Heart racing, Baekhyun chose the t-shirt and grabbed the sweatpants. He clutched them tightly and walked into the room Chanyeol had exited and shut the door. With a squeal, he buried his head into the clothes, which smelled deliciously like Chanyeol, and screamed with delight. No matter what he looked like, Chanyeol was always perfect. Seeing him in casual clothes instead of a suit was thrilling.

“Is everything ok, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol called.

Shaken from his thoughts of Chanyeol, he quickly ed his shirt and tossed on the t-shirt which was slightly big, but not by much. As he straightened it out, he noticed that the front said “The Love in Life” and he almost died. How embarrassing. Turning it around, he saw that the tag read “Women’s medium.” He wasn’t even wearing a guy’s shirt, but he didn’t exactly want to ask Chanyeol for another. With a shaky sigh, he took his jeans off, and slipped on the sweatpants which were too big, but fit comfortably at the same time. Then he folded up his own clothes and opened the door to find Chanyeol reclining on the couch with the TV on. For some reason, seeing laid back Chanyeol only calmed his nerves and he quickly walked over to the couch and sat on the other side -- not too close, but not too far.

“Hey, want me to have the chef make pizza?” Chanyeol asked, sitting up. Baekhyun nodded and watched as Chanyeol pulled out his phone and dialed a number. They waited a few minutes, exchanging small glances before the chef picked up. A few minutes later, Chanyeol hung up and moved closer to Baekhyun, a smile on his face.

Awkwardly, Baekhyun glanced around the room which was much more normal looking than the rest of the house and asked, “Why is this different?”

“The room?”

Baekhyun nodded.

“Ah, it’s because,” A pained look crossed Chanyeol’s face. “It’s a replica of my grandmother’s.”

“I-I won’t press. It seems… personal.” Baekhyun said quietly and twiddled with his thumbs. What to do… what to do. There wasn’t much, really, except for watching TV, which was playing an extraordinarily cheesy drama, or talking. Baekhyun definitely didn’t want to do the latter, so instead, he turned his attention to the TV. On the screen, the female lead was being held tenderly by the male lead which caused Baekhyun to feel butterflies in his stomach. For some strange reason, he replaced the two leads with himself and Chanyeol. Oh how wonderful it would be!

“I’ll be right back, ok?” Chanyeol said with a sigh when his phone began to ring. Baekhyun looked up, catching the other’s eye before turning his attention back to the screen. At this point in the drama, the girl and the boy were having an intimate moment full of cuddling and confessions. As he watched, Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel like he was in a drama. He was with Chanyeol, and he even got to see the casual side of the CEO! How wonderful. Feeling happy, he curled up into a ball and rested his head on the armrest and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, Chanyeol came back with a gloomy look, but was followed by a cheery chef who was holding a steaming hot pizza. The chef greeted Baekhyun with a bow and set the pizza on the glass coffee table in front of him and set out two plates. Then he put two soda cans down and bowed again to the both of them before leaving. Not once did he say a word, which was strange to Baekhyun. However, he didn’t have long to dwell on it because Chanyeol sat down and began to serve the pizza.

“Here,” Chanyeol smiled and handed the plate to Baekhyun who took it gratefully.

For a minute, the two didn’t say anything and ate their pizza. As he ate, Baekhyun couldn’t help but be curious. How come Chanyeol acted like he was thirty, but then showed Baekhyun his twenty three year old side. It seemed strange. And what else was strange? Everything that had happened over the past few days.

“Ch-Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said quietly, mustering all the courage he could and gained the attention of Chanyeol.

“Is everything alright?” Chanyeol asked, slipping back into his CEO mode.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked in a small voice, somehow afraid of the answer he would receive.

“Hmm?”

“Y-you’re so kind… and doing this and everything… I-I mean, not that it’s a bad thing! I just mean that -- I don’t know… I haven’t even known you for all that long, and I mean, I’m at your house. Your house! Can you believe it? Me? At the house of the CEO of Park Records! It’s so surreal; a nobody at a somebody’s house. I just… I think I… I don’t… It’s not… Why? Why? I mean, you can -- anything, and sheep.” Baekhyun blurted and laughed nervously before covering his face which was slowly becoming red.

“Sheep?” Chanyeol asked with an amused smile.

“Did you know that sheep have amazing memories? I didn’t until a few days ago! And they can remember a lot of faces of sheep and humans for years. I mean, I don’t really know how they remember the faces of sheep because they all look the same, and it’s amazing, the intelligence of animals we take for granted and--”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said and put his plate down before putting a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to go on a rant about sheep because they’re boring, right? No one wants to hear facts about sheep. Plus, you’re a CEO and probably have better things to worry about than my sheep facts. Speaking of which, I have a sheep I have to take care of at home -- I mean my cat. My cat isn’t a sheep, but he could be just because he’s so fluffy and fat and he’s a Scottish Fold and really cute. You should meet him some time. I would really -- I mean he would like that.” Baekhyun stopped talking and stared wide-eyed at Chanyeol who was trying to hold in a laugh. Great, because of his nervous ranting, he would be the laughing stock of the night. Just wonderful. Chanyeol probably thought he was such an idiot for blurting things out like that.

“Baekhyun, I’ll tell you, as long as you talk about your cat-sheep later, ok?” Chanyeol laughed. Baekhyun covered his face and nodded.

Chanyeol took a deep breath and moved closer to Baekhyun so they only sat a few inches apart. “I… I lied.”

“What.”

“In the beginning, with the ring. I lied. It’s my ring. I had seen you in the window of the Internet cafe multiple times and didn’t know how to approach you. I was really… enamoured. You are perfect, in my eyes. I’m sorry I have put you in the news and on many gossip sites. I didn’t intend for that and I simply needed a reason to say hello that sounded plausible.”

Heart racing, Baekhyun backed up slightly. It couldn’t really be happening. Chanyeol was professing his love? What was going on? Suddenly, Chanyeol put a gentle hand on Baekhyun’s face and he automatically leaned into it. What was going on with him? Slowly, Chanyeol leaned in and pressed his lips against Baekhyun’s forehead. At this moment, his vision started to fade and all he saw was black. Maybe he was fainting from the overwhelming amount of excitement his heart was going through.

*

“Baekhyun, I’m sorry,” came a soft voice from the dark. Baekhyun shook his head.

“I shouldn’t have forced you to be there.”

Baekhyun began to hear the sound of a beeping machine and panic settled in. Was he dead?

“Please forgive me, and wake up.”

It was Chanyeol.