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“Welcome back viewers to another episode of, Match Me! ”
Baekhyun learned long ago how not to blink the second that the bright lights switched on and the swarm of cameras focused on him. He learned how to plaster a dazzling smile on his face, charming enough to make any viewer swoon. But most importantly, Baekhyun learned how to tune out the roar of the audience in favor of the MC’s smooth voice reading out lines as if they were natural.
“On tonight’s episode, we have a special interview prepared to get to know our most eligible bachelor and his thoughts on each contestants. So please, put your hands together, for the most handsome, wondrous, Byun Baekhyun!”
Baekhyun once again flashed a bright grin, as if saying “I’m handsome and I know it and everyone else does too”. Confidence, composure, and communication. The three core things that were drilled in Baekhyun by the show producers from the moment he applied to be known as “The Most Eligible Bachelor”. Luckily, Baekhyun practically oozed confidence from the first episode, and his snarky humor was enough for critics to dub him as “The Asian Heartthrob” which was a nickname that Baekhyun gladly embraced. All it took was a few words and Baekhyun had fans practically falling out of the sky. It seemed everyone loved him, well, all but one.
“Baekhyun, please say a few words to all your lovely fans!” Baekhyun snapped out of his momentarily stupor when he realized that he was being spoken to. He turned to the MC, who was already giving Baekhyun an expecting look.
“If I’m not mistaken, I would think that you want me to say a couple words to you, Jongdae.” Baekhyun replied with a casual wink. Jongdae only laughed, brushing off Baekhyun’s flimsy flirting with an easy smile and a joke to the audience. Baekhyun concealed his pout by turning away from the camera and glancing at the large screen behind him, hoping that the cameras didn’t catch his brief expression of frustration. He started to examine the photo of him. Definitely not his best, the technician Kyungsoo was still probably pissed from when Baekhyun spilled his latte, (but in all fairness, who the heck leaves a latte in the middle of a walkway anyways).
“So Baekhyun, I know it’s a bit earlier to be asking this,” Jongdae started, a cheery expression on his face, “But is there anyone so far that has caught your interest in the show?”
Baekhyun didn’t think, he was still reeling from his fail of a flirt.
“You.”
Oh shit.
-----
Baekhyun remembered his first meeting with Jongdae as a life-changing event, because it was. It made Baekhyun re-evaluate the true meaning of his bisexual personality and recall memories of stolen kisses with another boy back in high school. Jongdae was like the forbidden fruit, made for looking, not eating.
“Hey! You must be Byun Baekhyun right?” Baekhyun heard his name being called as he walked toward the filming set. He turned and was met by Cheshire eyes, curly lips, and raven black hair. Another man, a tad shorter than Baekhyun, was walking towards him with an excited look on his face.
The man stopped and stuck his hand out. “I’m Kim Jongdae, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” Baekhyun took his hand in a small daze, mesmerized by how Jongdae’s eyebrows seemed to have a life of his own and how his smile practically radiated joy.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Jongdae.” At Baekhyun’s reply, Jongdae seemed to bounce up and down on the balls of his feet, his eyes flashing with excitement.
“I heard only wonderful things about you, Baekhyun! And I look forward to working with you.”
Baekhyun’s brain paused when he heard Jongdae. He realized two things: he would be working with Jongdae in the show, and Jongdae was too cute for his own good. But before Baekhyun could say another word, Jongdae clapped his hands together as if he realized something.
“I have to go now! I’ll see you soon!” Jongdae said, walking quickly past Baekhyun and waving cheerfully. Baekhyun tried to stop him but it was like his voice just died inside his throat. He was left in the hallway, an imprint of Jongdae’s curly smile in his mind.
When Baekhyun finally arrived on set, he immediately went to the first person he saw, which happened to be the head of the producers, Chanyeol (if Baekhyun successfully remembered from the dredges of his mind).
“Chanyeol, do you know someone named Kim Jongdae?” Baekhyun asked, masking his burning curiosity with a smile. Chanyeol looked up from his tablet and replied,
“Oh! You already met Jongdae?”
Excited by his response, Baekhyun pushed forward. “Is he a contestant?” But rather than the confirmation nod he expected, Chanyeol gave a hearty laugh at Baekhyun’s question.
“Contestant? No way, Jongdae is the complete opposite. He’s the MC!”
And at that single revelation, Baekhyun understood how amazingly screwed he was. Jongdae was the MC, aka the one person in the entire damn show that Baekhyun was not allowed to take home.
Forbidden fruit indeed.
——
Baekhyun sat there in a moment of blind panic when he realized what just came out of his mouth. He rushed to correct himself before it was too late.
“You...would like to know wouldn't you?” Baekhyun said with a very loud (and nervous) laugh. He breathed a silent sigh of relief at his quick thinking.
Luckily, Jongdae was an excellent MC and knew how to deal with any awkward situation. “Ah you just love keeping the suspense don’t you?” Jongdae joked.
“Of course! It means I can spend more time with this wonderful audience!” Baekhyun exclaimed to the crowd’s cheer of “I love you!” and the occasional “Marry Me!” To that, Baekhyun could only think, “in your dreams hun, in your dreams”.
“Alright folks, right now we prepared a special video with recaps from previous episodes, so kindly direct your attention to the screen!” Jongdae said, signaling the technicians to switch to a video and darken the lights.
When their microphones were off, Jongdae leaned towards Baekhyun and Baekhyun caught a whiff of Jongdae’s lavender cologne.
“Everything alright? You looked a bit off there,” Jongdae whispered, his eyebrows twisted in the middle of his forehead.
Baekhyun swiftly shook his head. “Just a lapse of attention, that’s all.” He said, praying that Jongdae would accept the excuse. To his luck, Jongdae seemed satisfied and patted Baekhyun’s hand with a promise that Jongdae would always help him, and turned towards the screen.
When Jongdae wasn’t looking, Baekhyun caressed the spot where Jongdae touched him with a fond look. Baekhyun just didn't understand how Jongdae could possibly be so perfect. He was nice, handsome, humorous, and perpetually cheerful. Jongdae was literally everything that Baekhyun ever wanted in a significant other.
“It’s a shame the real contestants can’t say the same.” Baekhyun thought, also directing his attention to the video, where currently he was dining with a contestant (some girl named Sooyoung).
Baekhyun had to consciously stop himself from cringing at the romantic scenes playing. Him serenading a blonde named Taeyeon with a guitar song that he learned how to play an hour before. A scuba diving lesson with Joohyun (who reminded Baekhyun too much of his favorite cousin). A summer picnic with Sooyoung with perfect-looking food that had too dry rice and not enough salt in the pasta. To make things more tolerable, Baekhyun imagined that instead of the contestants, Baekhyun was doing all the activities with Jongdae. That always managed to put a happy smile on Baekhyun’s face. Jongdae smiling at him as they toured botanical gardens. Jongdae’s laugh as they rode roller coasters together and ate cotton candy. Jongdae kissing him on the cheek as they watched the sunset on a picturesque beach.
When Baekhyun first was chosen to be on the show, he was so excited and convinced that he was going to find his perfect someone. Many of his friends had been pushing him to go on a couple dates and finally date someone. Baekhyun figured that if he was going to find a significant other, he might as well do it in front of a million people.
So when Jongdae came barreling into his life in the form of a cute ball of sunshine, Baekhyun was so ready to call it a day and choose Jongdae as his favorite. But alas, the universe wanted to see him suffer and placed Jongdae in the most unattainable position, where Baekhyun could only look, but not touch.
But despite the setbacks, Baekhyun still tried his best to flirt and grow close with the other. Sometimes Baekhyun would think that Jongdae would actually reciprocate his playful advances, but that fantasy was shattered whenever Jongdae would switch back to the perfect MC, making jokes about Baekhyun’s relationship with each of the contestants.
So Baekhyun had no choice but to play along with the show. As each filming passed, and the dreaded day where Baekhyun would have to choose someone grew closer, Baekhyun felt himself getting more and more desperate. There was no way that he could just drop out of the show. There would probably be a massive outrage (not to mention Baekhyun would be breaking his contract and he did not want to deal with those consequences). Choosing a winner was Baekhyun’s best option. But Baekhyun didn’t want to choose one of the girls; as pretty and talented they were, none of them were Jongdae.
And for Baekhyun, that’s the only person he ever wanted.
----
The video was decently long, plus a commercial break, so Baekhyun had time to mentally prepare himself for the torture that was to come. He had managed a glimpse of the questions, courtesy of Chanyeol, so he knew what to expect. But with Jongdae, the MC always managed to throw Baekhyun off in some way that made things infinitely harder whenever they were filming live.
“It's those damn lip curls.” murmured Baekhyun as makeup artists swarmed around his couch. One of them paused but Baekhyun waved her to continue. On the other couch, Jongdae was also getting his own personal pampering and if Baekhyun shifted his seat, he could just catch a glimpse of Jongdae’s eyes tightly closed, his long eyelashes grazing his cheeks as an artist applied a thin layer of eyeliner. Baekhyun could see Jongdae’s tinted lips as he practiced lines to himself.
How Baekhyun longed to touch those lips and claim them as his own.
At least, the break was over and the swarm of artists disappeared as quickly as they came. Jongdae, looking positively refreshed, had started to excitedly announce the next segment; interviews with each of the contestants about their opinion on Baekhyun and why he should choose them. The first contestant was Sooyoung, who emerged from the back in a silk green dress that exposed her shoulders and lower back. She graciously sat down next to Baekhyun, practically draping herself over him while flouting her low neckline. Baekhyun forced himself not to grimace as the smell of her generic perfume wafted towards him like a scent cloud of desperation. He wondered if she just poured the entire bottle on herself, rather than using the spray like a sane person.
Jongdae seemed unaffected by Sooyoung’s seductive dress and her flirtatious eyes, fluttering at the slightest breath. With a broad smile, he started asking the first few questions. They were all generic in the beginning, with menial phrases like “What was your favorite moment?” or “What is your favorite thing about Baekhyun?”. As the interview passed, Jongdae started asking more personalized questions, such as “During your picnic, was there anything that stood out to you?” and “Why do you think you would make such a wonderful girlfriend?”
Sooyoung answered the questions like a teleprompter was stuck to her eyes. Perfect answers without a hint of hesitance. The only hint of emotion she showed was the smile she kept on (Baekhyun felt sympathy for her jaw muscles) and the foxy gazes she sent towards him. A total TV personality. Baekhyun thought Sooyoung as the more flirtatious and shameless of the three, and unfortunately for her, she was probably Baekhyun’s least favorite.
At last, Sooyoung’s part was over and Baekhyun could finally stop holding his breath from her perfume (not nearly as calming as Jongdae’s lavender). She exited the stage after a gracious bow and plenty of winks. While Baekhyun could already feel exhaustion creeping over him, Jongdae was already announcing the next contestant; Taeyeon.
Unlike Sooyoung, Taeyeon decided to dress in a more conservative, but elegant, way. She wore a short, pastel pink romper that complimented her blonde hair and bright eyes. If there was one thing that Baekhyun enjoyed about Taeyeon, was her talent. She was a true performer, preparing for the stage since the moment she opened her eyes. It showed in everything; how she answered Jongdae’s questions with natural ease, how she subtly placed her slim hand over Baekhyun’s, and how she sang a song made for Baekhyun that made the crowd roar with affection.
But that’s all she was, a talented stud with a knack for the show business. Baekhyun didn’t really see any traits in her that would make her a good girlfriend. He suspected that she wasn’t really invested in him, she was more like using the show as a platform to gather attention for her and her music, which Baekhyun didn’t mind at all. Just meant one less person to disappoint.
After Taeyeon’s sweet love song (Baekhyun swore he saw someone crying in the crowd), there was another break, giving Baekhyun ample time to calm down. Jongdae didn’t say anything to him during the period, much to Baekhyun’s disappointment. At his attempt to make a light conversation, one of the makeup artists immediately shut him up so she could apply a thin layer of B.B cream on his cheeks.
Baekhyun could not wait for the interviews to be over, and finally, it was the last one. Joohyun stepped up from behind the curtains with a shy smile on as she waved to the crowd. She was dressed in an elegant blue dress that fell to her ankles and exposed her sides. She sat carefully down next to Baekhyun, the perfect picture of ladylike poise. Baekhyun had to admit, Joohyun was probably his favorite out of the three. She was calm, sweet, and knew how not to overstep her limits.
But Baekhyun thought of her more as a little sister than a girlfriend. Her mildly introvert personality reminded him a tad too much of his cousin. Joohyun’s answers were much more personal than the others. Baekhyun felt much more at ease with her and he could tell that Jongdae sensed his relaxation, so naturally, Jongdae had to throw a curveball at him.
“Baekhyun, how do you think Joohyun fits your ideal type?”
Baekhyun paused for a fraction of a second while his mind rewinded what Jongdae just said. “Ideal type?” Baekhyun thought urgently. He had no idea what his idea type was. No, that was a lie. Baekhyun knew exactly what he looked for in a significant other and before he knew it, he was opening his mouth and answering the question as Jongdae peered curiously at him.
“Well I always imagined my soulmate as having raven black hair,” Baekhyun says. He could already see some people in the crowd drinking in every word and comparing themselves. Joohyun smiled at him and he took it as a sign to continue. “I love bright smiles and people with a nice sense of a humor and who can appreciate my jokes.”
Before he knew it, Baekhyun had formed a very clear image in his mind’s eye about who exactly he liked. “I hope they have a cheerful and kind personality. And I imagine their eyes to sparkle like a galaxy and they have the most beautiful cheekbones and-“ Baekhyun abruptly stopped before he said the last thing, lip curls.
He smoothed over his hesitation with a well prepared phrase of, “But it’s ok if my significant other doesn’t match my type because either way, they are perfect for me.” Baekhyun could bear the swoons as he spoke.
When he turned back to Jongdae, he was met with a puzzled expression that made Baekhyun freeze. Jongdae was looking at him with an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes, his hands clasped tightly on his notecards. But the moment went as quickly as it came and Jongdae was back to being he perfect MC.
“Well, That was a very nice description Baekhyun. Let’s move on to our next question,” Jongdae said, prompting Joohyun to flash another smile. Baekhyun relaxed into his chair, carefully examining Jongdae’s face. He swore that Jongdae looked just a little happier after Baekhyun’s answer, but Baekhyun shook it off.
“Stop imagining things,” Baekhyun thought, “Focus.”
——-
The episode was over and the audience dispersed away. Sooyoung had confronted Baekhyun after the show but a quick call from one of the producers was enough for Baekhyun to make an excuse and escape. He passed by Taeyeon and Joohyun, thanking them and complimenting them on their hard work before his manager took him aside.
“I know Jongin, it was a weird day for me ok?” Baekhyun said before his manager could say anything. Jongin gave him a long look before shaking his head and pressing a bottle of Baekhyun’s favorite matcha tea into Baekhyun’s hands.
“I know, and I’m here in case you need to talk about anything,” Jongin said, casting a worried gaze over Baekhyun who was taking long sips of his tea. “You looked off back there and I just want to make sure that you’re not feeling pressured or anything.”
“Pressure? What pressure?” Baekhyun joked sarcastically, a sudden wave of emotions crashing over him, “I just have to choose a girl that I want to date and make sure that an audience of more than a million people stay happy with my choices.” Baekhyun handed the tea bottle back to Jongin with a small smile. “I’m perfectly fine.” And with that, Baekhyun walked off, probably to go change into something less flashy. Jongin didn’t follow, choosing to stay and watch Baekhyun’s retreating back.
One of the producers snuck up behind Jongin and spoke in a low whisper, “Trouble with the star?” Jongin nearly jumped out of fright and whipped around, giving the man a slap on the arm.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that Sehun!” Jongin scolded, his heartbeat racing (either from the scare or Sehun). “And no, there’s no trouble with Baekhyun,” Jongin continued as Sehun let out a loud laugh.
“Are you sure? He wasn’t acting like his normal cocky self today,” Sehun said. Jongin grumbled something about noisy producers and turned away to find Baekhyun. Sehun easily fell into step with him and continued to speak, “And aren’t you suspicious of Baekhyun’s ideal type?”
At that, Jongin paused and gave Sehun a suspicious look. “Why would Baekhyun’s ideal type be suspicious?” he carefully asked.
“Doesn’t it remind you of someone?”
At Jongin’s curious expression, Sehun looked around the room before grabbing Jongin’s arm and turning him around. “Doesn’t it remind you of someone?” Sehun repeated with emphasis on the last word.
Jongin’s gaze scanned the room and he scoffed. “What do you mean? I don’t see anyone that rem-” Jongin paused. There, dead center of the room, was Jongdae who was chatting happily with Chanyeol. Quickly, Jongin’s mind made a checklist and compared Jongdae to it. Raven hair? Check. Sparkly eyes? Jongin definitely remembered seeing something sparkly so check. Bright smile? Check, Jongin was still a bit cautious about looking directly at Jongdae (he was afraid he would be blinded). Sense of humor? Big check. Jongin still thanked his lucky stars that he never fell victim to one of Jongdae’s many jokes. The final item on the list: cheekbones. Jongin scanned Jongdae’s face and-
“Holy shit.”
Sehun nodded, his mouth in a “I told you so” expression. “So,” Sehun said, clapping a hand to Jongin’s shoulder. Normally Jongin would brush him off, but at the moment he was in a slight state of panic. “What are you going to do now, manager?”
“Do you think that-Baekhyun will ch-, uh, what?” Jongin stammered, his words fumbling out of his mouth. Sehun smiled sympathetically, as he had an idea of what Jongin was trying to ask.
“I think that’s why he’s been down lately, he clearly doesn’t want to choose any of the girls,” Sehun said. Jongin closed his gaping mouth, his mind going into damage control mode.
“But he has to, it’s in his contract,” Jongin remembered. To that, a small smirk appeared on Sehun’s face.
“Well actually, my dear Jongin, the contract just states that Baekhyun must choose someone at the end of the show. It technically didn’t specific who and what gender that person must be.”
“Are you saying..”
“Baekhyun might just be lucky.”
-----
After his conversation with Jongin, Baekhyun had wandered off in search of his favorite makeup artist. He wasn’t paying attention to where we was going and apologize several time to some confused employee. At last he saw his friend in the dressing room, cleaning up traces of spilled powder and black smudges.
“Minseok!” Baekhyun greeted happily. Minseok looked up and smiled.
“Hey, you haven’t gone home yet?” Minseok asked.
“Not yet, wanted to pop by and say thanks for making me look fabulous as usual.” Baekhyun said with a wink of gratitude. Minseok merely snorted and continued to clean the counters.
“It’s a shame that Jongdae didn’t seem to notice anything,” Minseok commented, but that was enough for Baekhyun to freeze up.
“J-Jongdae? What does he have to do with anything?” Baekhyun said with a clearly nervous laugh. At that, Minseok fixed Baekhyun with a pointed gaze.
“It’s amazing how wonderfully obvious you are,” Minseok said. He chuckled suddenly, covering his mouth with his hand, “And it's even more amazing that Jongdae doesn’t do anything about it.”
At Minseok’s statement, Baekhyun felt a sudden bubble of anxiety burst inside him. “Am I really that obvious?” He asked quietly, more to himself than Minseok. His friend detected the welt of emotions and hurried to sooth over Baekhyun’s nerves.
“Ah no Baek, it’s not obvious. It’s just because we’re friends that I saw anything,” Minseok said with a placating smile. Baekhyun felt a little more reassured and placed his hand over his chest, taking short breaths.
“Good,” Baekhyun responded, his usual snark back in place, “I don’t want anyone to expose me to Jongdae just yet.”
Minseok nodded emphatically at his friend’s words. “But what are you going to do?” Minseok asked, “Don’t you technically still have to choose one of the girls at the end of the show?”
His friend blew a jet of air that fluttered his styled hair. “I was about to look into that,” Baekhyun said in a low voice, looking around to see if there was anyone listening in, “Maybe there’s some sort of loophole in the contract that we didn’t notice before.”
At that moment, Jongin popped his head into the makeup room, his hair mildly disheveled and a look of exasperation on his handsome face. “There you are Baekhyun,” he said with an air of relief, “Come on, it’s about time we left the studio.” With that, Baekhyun waved goodbye to Minseok and hurried off after his manager.
Alone in the makeup room, Minseok resumed his cleaning, his eyes narrowed with thought. “A loophole, huh?”
-----
The next day, Baekhyun had to wake up at an ungodly hour to pack his numerous suitcases with his clothes and other essentials. The next couple of filming days would occur at a luxury resort, and Baekhyun had naturally neglected packing till the last minute. The flight wasn’t actually till later in the day, but Baekhyun took an exuberant amount of time to pick, so he had to get an early start.
Jongin, in a rush to leave Baekhyun’s flat, threw random articles of clothing and bottles of makeup product at Baekhyun’s suitcases.
“Jongin, you realize I don’t need any makeup right? The studio will take care of everything.” Baekhyun said cautiously, occasionally doding stray products. Jongin, with his hair standing slightly on edge, look positively frazzled as he gripped his own suitcases.
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” Jongin lectured before zipping up the cases and ushering Baekhyun into a waiting car. The ride to the airport was quick, with Baekhyun’s heart beating rapidly in anticipation. He was both excited and nervous for the resort. Excited, because he would finally go on some sort of vacation with Jongdae. Nervous, because the show was coming to a close and Baekhyun had to choose a winner soon. He was still formulating a plan to properly ask out Jongdae, but he had no idea how to bypass the show’s contract. Jongin, who noticed Baekhyun’s distress, got out his phone and texted Sehun, telling him to make sure that Jongdae and Baekhyun sit near each other.
At the airport, there were swarms of fans, eager to catch a glimpse of Baekhyun's acclaimed face. Luckily, the guards did a good job of pushing the crowds, letting Baekhyun and Jongin pass through with relative easy. Once they were safely pass airport security, Baekhyun promptly lounged on a couple of chairs near their gate, waiting patiently for the rest of the crew to arrive.
He was on his phone, checking his SNS, when he heard the voice of his angel.
“Ah, Baekhyun! You’re here early.”
Baekhyun looked up to see Jongdae, dressed in a comfortable sweatshirt and jeans, walking towards him with his suitcase trailing behind. Baekhyun stood up immediately (to Jongin’s amusement) and dusted off the imaginary dust on one of the chairs, offering it to a grateful Jongdae.
“I’m just excited to see the resort,” Baekhyun said, sitting gracefully beside the MC. “It’ll just be like a vacation.”
“Minus the whole filming part.” Jongdae playfully bumped Baekhyun’s shoulder with his own, his eyes sparkling with mirth.
“Well, filming with you, Jongdae, is always like a vacation,” Baekhyun smoothly said. Across from him, Jongin coughed loudly in his hand. Baekhyun scowled before turning back to Jongdae with an angel like face.
“Aw, thanks, Baekhyun. I feel the same,” Jongdae responded with a sweet smile that made Baekhyun’s heart leap through his chest. He could feel his ears turn a tinted pink, but luckily, he was saved from any embarrassment by the crew arriving. Baekhyun caught Minseok’s eye, who winked at him suggestively while Baekhyun scowled. He regretted exposing himself to Minseok, although the clairvoyant makeup artist already knew. Chanyeol, like a true leader, rounded up all the crew and hurried them over to the gate as soon as boarding was called. Baekhyun, Jongdae, the girls, and members of the essential crew were able to obtain the pricey business class tickets. Baekhyun couldn’t stop his sigh of contentment when he walked onto the plan and saw the spacious chairs, the HD T.V., and fluffy down pillows. He chose a window seat (wanting to be basic and take some aesthetic photos) and set down his stuff.
Baekhyun bit his lip as he watched the rest of the crew walked past him. He was hoping that a certain raven haired male would sit with him. Baekhyun saw Sooyoung try to make a move to sit next to him, but Minseok managed to steer her off to sit with a disgruntled looking Taeyeon. He thought Jongin would sit with him, as responsible managers do, but the other simply winked and in the chair, deposited a bright eyed Jongdae.
“Is it alright if I sit here?” Jongdae asked, his small hands gripping his carry on bag and his ticket.
“Oh yeah, of course,” Baekhyun fumbled with his stuff to make more room and Jongdae smiled graciously.
“Smart, you chose the window seat. I was planning to take a couple photos myself,” Jongdae said, settling down in his chair and pulling out his earbuds.
“You can take a few whenever you want.”
“Thanks, I’ll take a couple right now!”
Baekhyun tried not to inhale too deeply when Jongdae leaned over to snap photos of the airport. He could see every detail on Jongdae’s face, from the constellation of moles on his neck, to his long eyelashes that dipped and curled. When Jongdae leaned back, Baekhyun blew a breath of relief. He had no idea how he would be able to handle the flight with Jongdae sitting next to him.
Baekhyun looked over at where Jongin and Sehun were sitting, across from them. Sehun did a big thumbs up, while Jongin winked. Baekhyun felt a sudden surge of confusion at their actions, until Sehun texted him, telling him to enjoy his time with Jongdae. Baekhyun glared at the two as they silently laughed.
Jongdae noticed his expression and asked, “Everything alright?”
Baekhyun immediately switched in a placating smile and nodded, before going back to giving Sehun and Jongin an evil eye.
Flight attendants started to walk around, checking up on the passengers for the proper safety procedures. Baekhyun was pretty sure that one of them started to flirt with him, but he was too distracted by the way Jongdae fiddled with his sleeves and hummed quietly under his breath to care. When the plane started to move, Baekhyun looked over to see Jongdae tightly closing his eyes and gripping the armrest.
“Jongdae,” Baekhyun whispered, “Are you scared of flying?”
Jongdae opened one eye and grimaced. “Not really, just scared of turbulence.”
Baekhyun hesitated for a moment, before offering his hand. “You can squeeze my hand if you want.” Baekhyun didn’t know where the sudden confidence came from, but it payed off when Jongdae smiled his usual Cheshire cat look and softly placed his smaller hand into Baekhyun’s slender one. Jongdae gripped Baekhyun’s hand for majority of the flight, and Baekhyun was extremely distracted by the way Jongdae’s hand fit perfectly into his.
He was disappointed when, roughly an hour or two later, the plane started to land and Jongdae gave a final squeeze, before letting go. Baekhyun’s hand was cold from how tightly Jongdae gripped it, and it was sweaty from Baekhyun’s nervousness, but Baekhyun felt as if the universe finally decided to reward him.
Stepping off the plane, Baekhyun walked with Jongdae and talked about anything that came across his mind. In the bus that the show rented, Baekhyun tried to sit next to Jongdae, but a stubborn Jongin pulled him to sit with him.
“I thought you were on my side, helping me,” Baekhyun hissed as he saw Jongdae sit down next to Chanyeol, who immediately pulled out a folder of papers.
“Can you forget about your painful obvious crush for once and remember that we have a job to do? Chanyeol needs to talk to Jongdae about the filming tonight, so suck it up until the hotel,” Jongin rolled his eyes before forcing Baekhyun back into his seat. Baekhyun pouted like a child without candy, and stuck his headphones in, his eyes not leaving Jongdae sitting in the front.
At the hotel, Chanyeol read out a list of rooming assignments. Baekhyun barely had time to hope for the best before his name was called out with Jongin’s. The manager grinned before nudging Baekhyun to not look so downtrodden.
In the lobby, the cast’s luggage was already there, having been set by the airline. Baekhyun found his comforting large silver suitcase, decorated with various stickers. He pulled it to one of the several elevator, pausing for Jongin and a couple of their staff members to enter, before punching in the floor.
The room was spacious, with a balcony overlooking the picturesque beach. There were two beds, one of which Baekhyun promptly collapsed on with a groan. Jongin set down his luggage and poked Baekhyun’s head.
“Hey, we have a meeting in a couple hours so you have to freshen up and get ready.”
“No,” Baekhyun’s voice was muffled by the pillows and covers. “I just want to lay here and die in peace.”
Jongin snorted and walked over to his suitcase, unzipping it and starting to organize his stuff. “Would Jongdae like that?”
Jongin’s comment was enough for Baekhyun to flip over and stare at his manager suspiciously. “How did you even find out about Jongdae?” he asked.
“Your ideal type,” Jongin replied simply. “Also, now that I think about it, you’re always trying to grab his attention and flirt with him.”
Baekhyun covered his face with his hands and asked, “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”
“Mm, well, maybe not,” Jongin mused, hanging up his clothes in a closet and folding his pants neatly. “Sehun and I think there’s a loophole in your contract.”
Baekhyun flipped over and practically leaped off the bed. “What did you say?” He demanded.
“Well, I don’t know yet, we still need to check,” Jongin explained, hesitating to elaborate any further. But Baekhyun strolled over, grabbed him by the shoulders, and spun him around.
“Jongin,” Baekhyun said, looking dead straight into Jongin’s eyes. “I did not suffer through five months of this fucking television show, constantly flirting with Jongdae, for you to get my hopes up and crush them like a bug. Tell me.”
Jongin gulped in fear when he saw the determination in Baekhyun’s eyes, but he relented. “Alright, Sehun thinks that the contract only specifies that you choose a member of the show to date, there’s nothing about the gender or anything.”
“But isn’t that a little too convenient? And what will the producers think?”
Jongin gave a dry chuckle, and went back to cleaning. “We have a meeting with Chanyeol while you’re filming tomorrow, so we’ll have to see.” He shut the closet doors and pushed Baekhyun over to the bathroom. “Now hurry up and get ready for bed, we have a long day of filming tomorrow.” Baekhyun managed to snag his pajamas out of his case before Jongin pushed him inside.
——
Baekhyun, for the tenth time that day, cursed whoever thought it was a brilliant idea for him to wear the most scandalous shorts while on the beach. Usually he loved the sand, but with beach shorts that practically are nonexistent, Baekhyun just wished he was back in his sandless room. There was sand in certain areas that Baekhyun really didn’t want to think about.
It didn’t help either, that Jongdae was wearing white cargo shorts and a button up, looking like a model for polos. Baekhyun had tripped at least three times, trying to catch a glimpse of the way the shorts accented Jongdae’s ass perfectly.
He was in the middle of building a sand castle with Taeyeon, only it was less of a castle and more of a formless blob. Baekhyun wasn’t sure why the producers seemed hellbent on making him do mindless (in his opinion) activities with the contestants, but whatever made them happy. With Sooyoung, Baekhyun splashed around in the shallow area of the water, waves lapping up merrily. With Irene, Baekhyun was able to stroll up and down the boardwalk, browsing various stalls and trying street food. All the while, Jongdae followed him with the rest of the camera crew, taking notes and occasionally commenting. Baekhyun tried to flash a couple charming smiles in his way, but he was quickly shut down by one of the producers, who told him that he should be charming the contestant, not the audience.
Beach activities and filming took a grueling five hours, with the final scene being Baekhyun being chased down the short by the girls. He felt stupid, running across the sand, laughing his head off as if he was actually enjoying being chased. But unfortunately, Sehun not Jongin were there to convince the producers out of it. Baekhyun knew they were in a meeting with Chanyeol about his contract, and he prayed that they would be able to find the loophole he needed.
——
Jongin couldn’t surprised a laugh when he looked outside the lobby window to see Baekhyun being chased by the contestants. “What are they trying to have him do out there? Thought this is a dating show, not a zombie movie.”
Chanyeol glanced over and rolled his eyes. “Seriously, I’m telling you, these other producers can’t do shit without my help,” Chanyeol muttered, his large hands shuffling through the papers laid out on the desk. Across from him, Sehun was engrossed in reading a laminated sheet.
“Then why did you hire them?” Jongin asked, turning away and yawned with his hands over his head. He had to wake up early that morning to ensure that Baekhyun rolled out of bed ready for cameras to be zoomed in on his face for the rest of the day.
“I didn’t,” Chanyeol sighed. “It’s the damn network, they did all the hiring. I just do, you know, everything else and get paid less for it.”
“So if Baekhyun were to choose Jongdae, what do you think the network would say?” Sehun asked.
“I don’t think they would be exactly happy, but I could spin it as a LGBTQ+ awareness thing. That usually shuts people up and it’ll make the public happy and the network seem actually caring.”
“But we have to see if the contract even allows it first,” Jongin ran his fingers through his hair, staring at the paper filled with text in front of him. “Do you think it’ll be in the fine print?’
“Probably, that’s the one part I didn’t bother reading,” Chanyeol turned on his laptop and pulled up the electronic copy of the contract. He zoomed in on the first line of the fine print. “Let’s get to work.”
The trio started to meticulously comb over every line of text, reading out loud interesting points that they thought would help. It wasn’t until Jongin read the last couple of lines of fine print that he let out a triumphant “Yes!”
“You find something?” Sehun asked, rubbing his blurring eyes.
“I think so, listen to this; the bachelor, at the end of the show on the last episode filming, must choose on which member of the show he will date. Dating must occur for at least one month after the show episode has aired. Member of the show is obligated to accept the bachelor’s proposal.”
“That doesn’t sound much of a loophole to me,” Chanyeol said. “It sounds more like the network wants to ensure that the bachelor and contestant stay together so it doesn’t look too fake.”
“And there’s the loophole,” Jongin wagged an eyebrow while pointing at the line. “It doesn’t say contestant, it says member of the show.”
There’s a silence in the room as Jongin’s words sink in, until Sehun clapped his hands. “Jongdae is a member of the show!”
“Exactly,” Jongin pointed at Sehun for emphasis. “As long as Jongdae agrees to date Baekhyun, the contract is technically fulfilled.”
“That’s amazing!” Chanyeol exclaimed, but a thought crossed his mind which caused him to sober up. “But, how do we know that Jongdae will date Baekhyun?”
“Leave that to me,” Sehun announced, a smirk on his face. “I think Jongdae has the hots for Baekhyun as well, but I can find out for sure.”
“Alright, then Jongin, tell Baekhyun that all he needs to do now, is woe Jongdae like the Prince Charming he was made to be.”
-----
Baekhyun was extremely exhausted after filming, if him collapsing on the bed and passing out for an hour without even changing out of his film clothes was anything to go by. He was awoken by Jongin slamming the hotel room and jumping on his bed excitedly.
“I have great news for you!”
“Really? That’s nice,” Baekhyun rolled over and pulled the covers up, clearly disinterested in whatever Jongin had to say. “Tell me later.” Jongin rolled his eyes and jostled Baekhyun’s shoulders.
“Fine, then I guess you’ll never know if you are allowed to date Jongdae, and you’ll just have to date one of the girls instead.” There’s a pause before Baekhyun roughly kicked Jongin off his bed and sat up.
“What is it?”
Jongin broke into a big smile. “The contract has a loophole! You’re allowed to date Jongdae!”
“What?” Baekhyun bounced off his bed, a smile lighting up his handsome features. “So, I don’t actually have to choose one of the girls?”
“Nope,” Jongin responded, popping the “p” like a bubble. “The only catch is, Jongdae has to agree to date you for at least a month. But we all think he will, so you just have to come up with an excellent proposal.”
“I can ask the girls to help me,” Baekhyun thought out loud. “I was already writing a song, I can use it for Jongdae. Oh, and all the flowers and decorations as well.”
Jongin raised his hands and said, “I’m with you all the way, whatever you need.” Baekhyun gave Jongin a grateful hug.
“Thanks for helping me, Jongin, seriously,” Baekhyun smiled gratefully.
Jongin patted Baekhyun’s back, before wheeling Baekhyun around to the door. “Did you forget you have the dinner to film? This will be the perfect opportunity for you to talk to Jongdae, one-on-one.
“Oh, shit, you’re right,” Baekhyun glanced in the mirror and fixed his messy bed hair. “I got to run, bye.” He grabbed a jacket before running out and shutting the door.
He arrived to the film site, an elegant restaurant with names that Baekhyun probably won’t be able to pronounce, right in time. Chanyeol was waiting for him, clipboard in hand, with a stern expression but a twinkle in his eye betrayed how excited he was. He steered Baekhyun over to the makeup artists, where Baekhyun saw Jongdae already getting dolled up.
“Hope I’m not late,” Baekhyun said, settling down in the chair next to him. Jongdae opened an eye and smiled at Baekhyun, before turning his face so one of the makeup artists could get his cheekbones. Similarly, Minseok instructed Baekhyun to close his eyes so he could redo his makeup.
“Nah, you didn’t miss much,” Jongdae replied. “Are you ready for tonight?”
“Hell yeah. I’m always ready for free fancy food.”
Jongdae let out a soft chuckle, sending butterflies spiraling down into Baekhyun’s stomach. “Me too. Filming should be relaxing, especially since it’ll just be you and me.”
“Yup, don’t go too hard on me, alright?” Baekhyun gave Jongdae a friendly nudge as Minseok blatantly rolled his eyes at Baekhyun’s goofy smile.
Jongdae opened his eyes and winked, saying, “No promises” with his signature cat-like smile. Jongdae was then ushered over to the changing room, leaving Baekhyun with Minseok’s judgement.
“You try so hard,” Minseok commented, working a soft brush across Baekhyun’s face.
“I’m allowed to, there’s a loophole in the contract,” Baekhyun happily said. He was in good spirits from the news, and intended to make the most of his night.
“I heard, Sehun screamed my ear off in excitement,” Minseok does the finishing touches and sent Baekhyun off with a smile. “We’re rooting for you.” Baekhyun does a thumbs-up before heading to the dressing room. The stylists hand him a lavender button up with black slacks and dress shoes. Baekhyun felt like he was dressing up for a date, the way he carefully examined himself in the mirror. Once he was satisfied, he headed out and sat down the the reserved table.
In the restaurant, a majority of the tables were bought out, to give Baekhyun and Jongdae some privacy during the interview. Baekhyun waited patiently, playing with the hem of the pristine white tablecloth, until Jongdae sat down in front of him. The MC, like Baekhyun, was dressed in slacks, but with a cozy looking green turtleneck and a coat. Baekhyun thought he looked divine. The atmosphere had a romantic tone to it, with the lights dimmed and small candles on each table. There was a centerpiece vase with a single delicate rose that Baekhyun admired, comparing its beauty to that of Jongdae. At the other tables, Baekhyun could see couples enjoying themselves, only adding to the idea that Baekhyun was on a date.
Jongdae started the interview as a waiter came out to pour drinks. He asked basic questions first, with the cameras zooming in on him as he spoke. Baekhyun did his best to answer the questions, even though they were all pertaining to the contestants and the filming. He desperately wanted to steer the conversation away from the dating show, but Jongdae, being the good MC, stayed adamant on his topics. When the questions started probing more into Baekhyun’s relationship with each of the girls, their main courses arrived. Baekhyun was more than happy to shove a bite of tender steak in his mouth as an excuse to stop talking, chewing slowly and savoring the flavor. However, Jongdae waited patiently until he swallowed before restarting the interview. Baekhyun had no choice but to answer the questions like a model bachelor. He tried to keep his tone light, as if he was interested, but as the dinner passed by, Baekhyun was getting more and more tired of answering bland questions with generic answer.
“Hey, do you think that’s enough footage?” Baekhyun asked, in lieu of answering a question. He turned over to Chanyeol, who checked the cameras.
“Uh, yeah, with some editing, that should fill the episode,” Chanyeol responded. “Why?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, Jongdae,” Baekhyun turned to the MC. “But I just kinda want to enjoy my food now, and forget about all those annoying questions.”
At Baekhyun’s bluntness, Jongdae’s eyebrows rose but he grinned and told the camera people to stop and relax. The rest of the production crew milled around, unsure of what to do, until Chanyeol shooed then away to have some free time. He subtly winked at Baekhyun before telling the crew to leave them be. At last, Baekhyun and Jongdae were alone. Baekhyun breathed a sigh of relief, an action that did not go unnoticed by Jongdae.
“Got tired?” Jongdae asked gently.
“Yeah,” Baekhyun let out a breathless chuckle and pushed his hair out of his face. “Barely got any rest after the beach filming before I came here.”
“Oh yeah, all that running must have been tiring. But you looked like you were having fun with the girls,” Jongdae wanly smiled before taking a bite from his plate. Something in Baekhyun’s mind nudged him that this would be the perfect time to clear up any misunderstands with his relationship with the contestants, and hopefully further woo Jongdae.
“I guess it was fun, but I wish you could’ve joined me.” Baekhyun leaned forward ever so slightly and flashed the smile that he knew made millions swoon for him. He was rewarded by Jongdae’s ears turning the palest pink, and the MC coughing awkwardly before taking a sip from his water.
“You shouldn’t say things like that so lightly,” Jongdae finally responded, after seeming to calm down a bit.
“Why not?” Baekhyun rested his chin on his hand and gazed at Jongdae. “It’s true.”
“Someone might misunderstand, and you can get in trouble.”
“Me? In trouble? No way,” Baekhyun waved a hand dismissively. “Let people think whatever they want, I know what I’m saying.”
“Oh?”
“Mmhm, and I know what I’m saying what I tell you that,” Baekhyun leaned forward once more, his voice dropping an octave as he delivered a line that crossed over into true flirting territory. “You look stunning in that turtleneck.”
For the first time since the show started, Baekhyun saw Jongdae get flustered, the other male grasping at words that wouldn’t come out. Jongdae bit his lip while he stared down at his plate. Baekhyun resisted the urge to coo at Jongdae’s cuteness.
“Thank you,” Jongdae finally said. “You look really nice too.” Baekhyun inclined his head and smiled. There was a silence as both of them ate their food. Baekhyun was thinking of what else he could talk about, until Jongdae’s voice broke through his thoughts. “So, after the show is over, what do you plan on doing?”
Baekhyun looked up thoughtfully. “Huh, I don’t actually know,” Baekhyun shrugged. “I used to be a barista, but I guess after the show is over, I’ll have enough money to travel or something.”
“Travelling with your significant other?” Jongdae teased, his fork resting in his hand.
“Sure,” Baekhyun agreed. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun. And what will you do?”
“More MC jobs, I assume. Whatever the network wants me to do,” Jongdae responded easily. “I just talked to Sehun and he said that I’ll probably be the Match Me! MC for a while.”
“Look at you, the true matchmaker.”
Jongdae laughed at Baekhyun’s comment. “Is it a bit ironic that my job is to match up couples, but I haven’t even had time to focus on my own love life? I feel like there’s nobody out there for me sometimes.” Jongdae shook his head ruefully. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to unload on you.”
“No, no, it’s okay!” Baekhyun waved his hands as reassurance. “Besides, you never know, you might be surprised. I guarantee there’s at least one person out there, waiting for you right now.”
“Really? Who is it?”
“That’s a secret, but I promise you’ll find out soon.”
Jongdae leaned back his seat, slightly pouting but silent. Baekhyun felt a twinge of guilt and was about ready to profess his undying love for Jongdae, right then and right there. But he held back, knowing that in a couple of days, he was going to give Jongdae the most amazing proposal ever.
The rest of the dinner went smoothly, with conversations filling the awkward silences. Baekhyun felt like it was one of the rare moments that he actually felt like he was bonding to Jongdae, because there were no cameras around them nor any distractions. He was free to admire Jongdae as much as he wanted, without coming off like a creepy fool. Baekhyun made Jongdae laugh and blush more times than he could count, and Baekhyun was loving every second of it. A couple times, Baekhyun noticed that Jongdae would even throw him a line that could come off as flirtatious. So when the end of the dinner came, Baekhyun was feeling thoroughly disappointed, and had half a mind to ask Jongdae if the other would like to get a drink. But Jongin took a firm grip of Baekhyun’s arms and led him away, so Baekhyun was forced to say goodbye and good night to the pleasantly smiling MC.
Back in his room, Baekhyun decided to formally message the contestants, explaining his decision and asking for their help on the proposal. As expected, Joohyun and Taeyeon were all for the idea, as both of them recognized that Baekhyun was much more enamored with Jongdae than any of them. Sooyoung was a tad harder to convince, but Baekhyun’s promise to set her up with one of his friends had her agreeing to help. Baekhyun laid out the framework of the plan he had in mind. Jongin peeked over his shoulder as he was texting and gave a few tips, and told Baekhyun that Chanyeol would let the rest of the producers know that filming for the final episodes would have some changes, as Baekhyun would not be choosing one of the contestants.
Meanwhile, Sooyoung and Taeyeon were discussing in the chat over what type of flower Baekhyun should give. Sooyoung wanted the traditional red rose, to keep it classy, while Taeyeon opted for a stalk of lavender, a symbol of LGBTQ+ love. Baekhyun chose the rose, because he explained that considering he was already breaking so many traditions by choosing the MC, he should at least keep one thing consistent. Joohyun asked Baekhyun if he was finished with the song he was going to sing. Baekhyun said yes, but asked if the girls could go over the lyrics, considering they were much more invested in the notion of love than he was. They agreed that the lyrics were romantic enough, and Taeyeon asked Baekhyun if he knew the melody. He replied yes, and then thanked the girls for all their help, and apologized for leading them on for this long. They responded with reassurances that nothing was wrong, and wished Baekhyun good luck.
Baekhyun fell asleep that day, his thoughts light and his heart pounding with anticipation.
------
The last filming day had everyone up and running in a flurry of excitement. Producers were rushing to get the last couple of shots in, and cameraman ran around with their beetle-like cameras strapped to their backs as they went for the perfect angles.
Baekhyun was stressed, to say the least. He was filming solo shots; walking on the beach, eating breakfast, the like. Chanyeol put a new concept for the last episode; Baekhyun was not to meet nor see any of the contestants during the last episode. It seemed like the rule was to increase the suspense, but Baekhyun knew it was to give him time to focus. At every second of a break, Baekhyun was rehearsing his song, mouthing lyrics and his fingers strumming an air guitar. He barely saw Jongin and Sehun the entire day, as the manager and producer were busy setting up everything for the Choosing dinner. Jongin would pop onto the filming site sporadically, asking Baekhyun questions like “What color do you think would suit your eyes the best?” or “Is this type of arrangement ok?” Baekhyun answered each one as best as he could, but he told Jongin that he trusted his judgement. Occasionally, Baekhyun would see Jongdae lurking around the film site. Jongdae would catch his eye, and give him a merry wave, before heading off. Baekhyun would have liked Jongdae to stay longer, but he knew the MC had his own host of duties to attend.
Finally, the fated dinner arrived. Baekhyun spent an hour getting ready with his makeup and suit before heading out to a secluded courtyard on the beachfront. When he arrived, Baekhyun stopped in awe at the beauty of the decorations. Fairy lights, emitting a soft rose gold glow, were strung up across the roof. Bouquets of fresh flowers were set up all around the edges, making the courtyard seem like a magical garden in the middle of the sandy beach. In the center of the site, were four chairs; one for each of the contestants and Jongdae. Even in the dim light, Baekhyun felt as if Jongdae’s smile, aimed at him, was bright enough to light up the entire site.
“Hey, are you ready?” Jongdae greeted him as he approached.
Baekhyun rubbed his mildly sweaty palms on his lap and grinned. “Yup, let’s do this.” As he settled down in his seat, directly next to Jongdae, he caught Jongin’s eye who winked and pointed to a guitar next to him. Baekhyun bit his lip and nodded, his mind reviewing his lyrics. Before he knew it, Chanyeol was counting down before they were to start filming, and Baekhyun put on a winning smile.
Jongdae started by explaining the Choosing, and how Baekhyun would be choosing the person he would like to date by giving the person a rose. Then, Jongdae began to introduce each of the contestants. Romantic violin music played over the speakers, as Jongdae called each of the contestants by name. Sooyoung was first, dressed in a strapless rose red formal gown. She did her usual smile and wink at the camera, but only gave a tight lipped look to Baekhyun. Jongdae didn’t seem to notice anything off, already happily introducing Taeyeon, who walked out with as much grace as she had before. She was in a sparkly long sleeve gold dress, that rippled with every movement and gave the impression that she was dressed in tiny lights. Finally, Joohyun came out, shyly smiling, in a body fitting midnight purple dress. The contestants sat in a half circle across from Baekhyun, slightly tilted to face the cameras.
Jongdae smiled at Baekhyun, one he graciously returned, before announcing to the cameras that Baekhyun will now select his significant other. He nodded to Baekhyun, who signaled to Jongin to bring him the guitar.
“I wrote a song,” Baekhyun explained, “That I would like to play to my significant other.” The guitar was already tuned, so Baekhyun started to strung the opening cords of the melody. It was a self composed piece, a song that Baekhyun had been working on since the start of the show. He had his entire performance planned out; as he sang each stanza, he would walk around and gaze at each of the contestants. The cameras focused on his every move, as Baekhyun moved around the courtyard, his melodic voice and the soft strums of the guitar floating through the air. The girls smiled beautifully as he looked at them, with Taeyeon winking and Joohyun glancing over at Jongdae knowingly.
At the final couple of lines, Baekhyun suddenly turned to Jongdae, and started to walk closer to him. Jongdae was surprised, his eyes grew wide and his hands gripped his cue cards as Baekhyun approached him, singing softly. When Baekhyun stopped, and finally kneeled in front of his chair, Jongdae looked around in shock. But when none of the producers nor contestants made a protest, Jongdae looked back at Baekhyun, who smiled and sang the last lines of the song.
“We’ll always be together
You and me, forever~”
Baekhyun set down his guitar and pulled out the rose resting in his lapel. “Kim Jongdae,” Baekhyun said, holding up the rose in his hands. His eyes were sincere and hopeful as he gazed up at Jongdae’s face. “Would you do me the absolute honor, of being my boyfriend?”
There was a pregnant silence as Jongdae stared, unsure, at the rose. Baekhyun felt his worries rising as every passing second, and he bit his lip while Jongdae looked lost in thought. But his worries vanished in an instant, when Jongdae took the rose in a shaky hand.
“I’d love to.”
Cheers erupted around the set as Baekhyun stood up and hugged Jongdae tightly. He took a deep breath of Jongdae’s soothing lavender aura, and sighed in contentment. He felt pats of congratulations on his back, with the girls chatting excitedly in the back. He pulled away and smiled at Jongdae, who was beaming with happiness.
“I did tell you that there was someone waiting for you, didn’t I?” Baekhyun teased. Jongdae laughed and raised a hand to Baekhyun’s cheek, causing Baekhyun’s heart to sputter.
“I suppose, although I’m glad that it was you,” Jongdae responded, his fingers cold against Baekhyun’s blushing skin. They sense the cameras focused in on their faces, and turn to face the crowd, Baekhyun’s arm easily looping around Jongdae’s waist.
“This has been the final episode of Match Me!” Jongdae happily announced. “Thank you for watching and we’ll see you next time!” Jongdae rested his head on Baekhyun’s shoulders and waved at the camera. There was a chant of “Kiss! Kiss!” that grew louder every second from the crew. Baekhyun grinned, before turning his head and pressing his lips swiftly to Jongdae’s. Jongdae flinched, but quickly melted into the kiss with his arms wrapped around Baekhyun. There’s a chorus of catcalls and whistles when they break away a couple seconds later. Jongdae let out a breathless laugh, before touching his lips with his fingers.
Chanyeol called an end to the filming, enabling Baekhyun to weave his fingers through Jongdae’s and lead him towards to a waiting car. The girls and film crew congratulate them as they pass. Sehun and Jongin stand side-by-side, spotting identical smirks and flashing Baekhyun a thumbs up. Baekhyun smiled at them and nodded in thanks, before opening the car door for Jongdae.
“So, was that the best ending to the show, or what?” Baekhyun asked, once they were inside the car. Baekhyun immediately leaned on Jongdae, his hands holding the other’s. Jongdae hummed in thought and fiddled with Baekhyun’s fingers. Jongdae leaned his head on top of Baekhyun’s softly.
“I think it’s definitely my favorite.”
Fin