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“Attention passengers for Korean Air flight KE659. Boarding time for the flight has been pushed back to 3 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.”

❁ ❁ ❁

Chanyeol glanced at his watch. The delayed boarding would only push his arrival time about 30 minutes, which wasn’t entirely too bad. It could’ve been worse, plus with the wedding party being on such a tight schedule, he didn’t want to burden Kyungsoo and Jongin with having to wait at the airport unnecessarily long. The two were getting married and despite the fact that they offered to pick him up, Chanyeol still felt like somewhat of a burden.

Sighing, he set aside the book in his hand on the seat next to him and quietly texted his friend about the delay. Looking on the bright side, it meant he could continue on with reading in peace until the attendants announced boarding.

Not a minute passed after he took his book off the seat that somebody sat down in its place. Usually, Chanyeol wouldn’t mind, but considering how there were plenty of empty seats around them, a little personal space would’ve been nice. Nonetheless, Chanyeol politely smiled, even going as far as giving a small nod.

Much to his hatred for all things awkward, the man didn’t return the same gestures. Inside, he looked down at the book in Chanyeol’s hand and had the nerve to scoff. It wasn’t even discrete, which made it worse. The lack of discretion really rubbed Chanyeol the wrong way, but since confronting strangers wasn’t exactly up his alley, he decided that it’d probably be best to just try and ignore him. After all, maybe he was just imagining things. Traveling can sometimes do that to a tired mind.

“‘Flowers in the Rain’...”

Chanyeol paused when he realized the man next to him was referring to the book in his hand. Regardless of his growing irritation, he still managed to offer up a small smile because… it was the only polite thing to do. Clearly.

“Oh, this?” Laughing, Chanyeol turned the book around and began awkwardly patting the cover. It was just too goddamn awkward. “I, uh, actually read this before-- like, a bunch of times. It’s one of my favorite books.”

“Hn.”

For a second, Chanyeol could’ve sworn he felt his own face twitch.

But he brushed it off. Again.

“Have you heard of it? I know it sounds tacky and all, but it’s actually really--”

“I’ve read it. It’s not that great.”

Biting down his tongue, Chanyeol stopped himself from impulsively (and sarcastically) responding. First of all, he lied. Flowers in the Rain isn’t tacky at all. Second, it’s not one of his favorite books. It is his favorite book.

Which makes the man’s remarks a lot more insulting.

Damn.

He really couldn’t stop himself after all.

“If it’s not that great, then why strike up a conversation about it?”

The man stared back at him for a moment before heaving a sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you...”

For a split second, Chanyeol felt a little guilty for (mildly) snapping on the man. To be fair, aside from the cut-throat responses, the guy wasn’t trying to be intentionally rude. A bit harsh, but nothing too…bad.

And yet he spoke too soon.

“I guess we all have our guilty pleasures. Even if it’s cheap romance novels for isolated housewives.” Before the words could even begin to sink into Chanyeol’s weary skin, the man’s phone rang, drawing his attention away from their conversation. Curtly, he picked up, leaving Chanyeol gaping and wondering if he should just move to another seat just to move away from the prick. “Hello? Yes. Same terminal… That’s fine. I’ll see you soon.”

Placing his bookmark between the pages, Chanyeol shut the book and set it on his lap. For various reasons--one, in particular, being the person beside him-- he didn’t feel like reading anymore. The atmosphere was slightly tense, but he couldn’t get himself to move away either, even if he didn’t owe the man anything.

He eyed the gate and airline attendants again, silently hoping there’d be a change in the schedule and that they’d announce boarding right away. But fat chance on that.

“So,” Chanyeol said, speaking up first despite feeling as though he was just shooting himself in the foot by starting another conversation with someone who was clearly unpleasant to be around. “What’s your guilty pleasure?”

The words left his mouth before he realized how awful it sounded without any context. It almost seemed too inappropriate to ask in public, but he couldn’t do anything about it now. He had already said it.

The man blinked, almost confused yet slightly amused, but it wasn’t enough to crack the stoic aura around him. At this point, Chanyeol wondered if it was even possible for this stranger to smile at all… Maybe he had some issues that Chanyeol didn’t know about so perhaps judging him was too much.

“Oh.” The man looked down, seemingly thinking as to what he should reveal. Like he had so many secrets that he had to carefully choose while one to put under the spotlight, but Chanyeol was just grateful that he seemed to want to respond to his question at all. “I don’t have any.”

The conversation hit a dead end as soon as it started. Chanyeol bit his bottom lip, fighting the urge to laugh at how stupid he was for even trying to be nice.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the man turn his eyes back to his phone, writing an email that seemed to consume his entire attention and thought process. Thinking that this might’ve been his chance to go back inside his bubble, Chanyeol nodded to himself and replied dismissively, “Ah, that’s an interesting response...”

A few minutes passed and not another word was said between them until the man suddenly stood up. Chanyeol looked up and saw him shove his phone in his back pocket.

“Actually,” he muttered under his breath as he grabbed the handle of his carry-on. “I guess my guilty pleasures involve annoying exes. God, I need a drink.”

Chanyeol’s jaw slacked as he watched the latter curtly walk away, headed back down the food stalls of the terminal. Then, he looked at the time, wondering if the man would make it back in time for boarding.

❁ ❁ ❁

The entire flight from LAX to Incheon, Chanyeol couldn’t stop wondering about the stranger and if he managed to board on time… And what the hell was that thing about exes? It must’ve been something personal, so he tried not to let his mind wander off too deep into it. Yet, he couldn’t stop himself from eyeing every passenger that passed him during boarding, casually searching for him. For some reason, it bothered him.

Even as he stood in the line for customs, his eyes subconsciously searched for that familiar face. It wasn’t until he had his electronic receipt that Chanyeol decided that he was being an idiot. Not that he wasn’t fully aware of it before, but he just needed to draw the line before losing his sanity over a curiosity that would never be satisfied.

As he took the elevator down to the baggage claim area, he heard two overlapping voices calling out his name. It didn’t take long for his eyes to notice the people at the bottom, waving their hands in an attempt to get his attention (which it did).

“Kyungsoo!” Laughing, Chanyeol threw an arm open and gave his best friend a tight hug. Turning to the taller man beside him, Chanyeol smiled. “How’ve you been, Jongin?”

“Eh, pretty great!” Jongin gave him a pat on the back before gripping onto his shoulder. “How was the flight?”

“Not too bad. I was more worried about being an inconvenience to both of you since you still have a lot of things to do for the wedding--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kyungsoo said, dismissing him. “Besides, we’re here to pick up someone else, too. He’s Jongin’s best man. You guys were on the same flight! Go figure.”

“Oh? Then maybe I’ve seen him before. Where is he?”

Jongin scratched the back of his neck. “He said he needed to use the restroom real quick, so he should be back pretty soon--”

“I’m sorry. Did I keep all of you waiting for long?”

Chanyeol turned around at the sound of the voice, but he couldn’t get himself to say anything at all… Meanwhile, Kyungsoo filled the void with his reassurance.

“Not at all! Chanyeol just got through customs a few minutes ago.” Chanyeol watched as Kyungsoo, his best friend, grabbed the hand of the man who single-handedly insulted Flowers in the Rain. “Baekhyun, this is Park Chanyeol. And… Chanyeol, this is Byun Baekhyun. He’s Jongin’s best man.”

They’d already met before… but judging by the way Baekhyun gave him a tight smile, Chanyeol took it as a sign that the latter didn’t want to mention it at all.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.”

Baekhyun extended a hand… which Chanyeol took hold of as a courtesy. “It’s nice to meet you, too. It’s really a weird coincidence that we’d be on the same flight, isn’t it?”

“Small world.” Short and curt… but what did Chanyeol expect?

Interrupting, Kyungsoo couldn’t help himself from joining the conversation. “Oh, Chanyeol! I have a fun little fact for you. Did you know that Baekhyun over here is also--”

Baekhyun was quick to stop him by politely squeezing his hand. “Kyungsoo… You know how much I hate being the center of attention. Since we’re both here for your wedding, shouldn’t we focus on the two of you instead?”

He said it so smoothly that Chanyeol was mildly impressed.

Scoffing, Kyungsoo shook his head. “Please. We all know that this wedding ceremony’s entirely Jongin’s idea. His whole family’s been looking forward to it. I would’ve been fine with a court wedding just to get it over with.”

As they started walking to the pathway exit for the parking garage, Jongin asked, “Are you guys hungry? We can stop somewhere. It’s going to be an hour or so before we get to Seoul-- if traffic isn’t bad.”

“It’s up to you guys! I can wait until we get to the hotel,” Chanyeol replied.

Kyungsoo turned to Baekhyun. “What about you? Are you hungry?”

“I don’t have much of an appetite right now.”

“Okay, if you guys say so.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Well, once we get to the hotel, we’ll get you two set up before heading to the venue. There’s still a few things that we need to do in terms of decorating. It’s actually driving me a little crazy.”

“Oh, the joys of organizing a wedding. How romantic.”

Chanyeol glanced at Baekhyun from the corner of his eye following the latter’s obvious sarcastic remark. It seemed a little rude considering the soon-to-be-newly-weds were right beside him, but he was surprised to see Jongin take it lightly.

“You’re right. It’s not romantic until Kyungsoo has to look me in the eyes and say he loves me in front of everyone we know.”

Groaning, Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. That reason alone was enough for him to dislike his own wedding.

❁ ❁ ❁

Chanyeol couldn’t help but wonder when (or if) they would ever stop pretending like they didn’t already meet prior to landing at Incheon, but there wasn’t much he could do. The entire drive to Seoul, he was busy making conversation with the two people in the front while Baekhyun seemed glued to his phone, seemingly writing an email that never had an end. From the look of it, the man, himself, was frustrated every few minutes, deleting and rewriting whatever needed to be said.

❁ ❁ ❁

Kyungsoo and Jongin worked relatively normal, middle-class lives; however, it was almost comical to Chanyeol how filthy rich the Kims were. Having invested in the right type of stocks at the turn of the 21st century (including real estate gambles and residual tenant income), Jongin’s parents had more money in their accounts than they could possibly spend for the rest of their lives. Each one of their children received an extravagant wedding, and Jongin was not an exception to the tradition.

It might’ve given Kyungsoo a headache, though… Knowing him, Chanyeol could only guess how much the man probably had to argue and fight with the Kim family’s wedding planner about everything. For someone who constantly complains about how he doesn’t “care about a dumb wedding”, he still wanted control over everything.

Once they arrived at the hotel, Chanyeol could only guess that Kyungsoo’s first feeling when he heard the Kims had booked the Four Seasons as his wedding venue was nothing but “excessive”. From what he gathered on the car ride over, they also booked an entire floor just for guests who were coming in front outside Seoul, which…

Chanyeol almost died in the car.

And if he did, he had to wonder what Baekhyun would do. Judging from what little he knew of the man, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to open the side door and kick him out of a moving vehicle.

Maybe that was an exaggeration.

When Chanyeol looked over to the man next to him, he saw that Baekhyun was still hyper focused on his phone. It wasn’t until they reached the front desk to check in that he finally gave the device a well-deserved break.

“Hi, reservation under the Kim family,” Kyungsoo said to the woman over the counter. “They’re for two of our guests. Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol. The rooms should already be pre-assigned.”

“Pre-assigned? That’s fancy,” Chanyeol heard himself say.

Jongin managed to catch it. “For precautionary reasons, you know. Not everyone in the family likes each other.”

“Makes sense.”

Chanyeol couldn’t help but glance at Baekhyun again, except this time, the latter had turned to him simultaneously and they ended up locking eyes. Instinct told Chanyeol to look away, but he figured he’d stick his ground. After what felt like forever, Baekhyun broke the air.

“So, how do you know Kyungsoo?”

Did he always speak so in that monotone?

“We met in college as roommates. After that, we became housemates with two other guys until we graduated.”

“Hm.” Baekhyun looked ahead, watching as Jongin stepped forward to help assist with the check-in. “You’re not in love with him or something, are you?”

Collapsing on his knees at that point would’ve been valid, but Chanyeol just gripped onto his luggage handle even harder than before. To say that he was shocked was a bit of an understatement, but he needed to keep his composure.

Was he that transparent about his past feelings?

No. He didn’t even do anything that would suggest the idea, first of all. And on another note, how could Baekhyun have come up with something that absurd when his face was plastered to his phone the entire drive there..? How could he even have seen anything? It wasn’t like it was tattooed on his goddamn forehead.

Scoffing, Chanyeol rolled his eyes. It was the first time he dropped the whole “be polite” facade. “Honestly, I’d say you’re the one who’s reading ‘cheap romance novels for isolated housewives’.”

Initially, Baekhyun said nothing in return… Then he laughed. “Not bad.”

Drawing his brows together, Chanyeol’s frown deepened. What the hell did that mean?

“You paused a little longer than I thought you would,” Baekhyun said in a quiet tone that only Chanyeol could catch. “It must’ve been my imagination, yeah?”

When Baekhyun smiled, Chanyeol couldn’t help but notice how it made him look more lively (and handsome?). Yet, the undertone in his words did nothing but make Chanyeol feel like he was mocking him. There was no time to respond. As soon as he said those words, Kyungsoo and Jongin walked back to them with hotel keycards in hand.

Kyungsoo handed one to each of them.

“You guys are going to be right across from each other since you’re both our best men. It’ll probably be easier to plan with each other about what to do with the wedding parties on each side if you’re in close proximity.”

Baekhyun looked at his room number without commenting on that particular arrangement. “And what about…?”

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Jongin gave a sympathetic smile. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

Chanyeol gave the two of them a curious eye.

Nodding, Baekhyun looked up. “What’s the itinerary from here?”

“We’re having lunch with Jongin’s family in an hour. Would you two like to join us?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I don’t want to intrude,” Baekhyun replied, giving him a small smile. “You two can go ahead. I have some work-related things to finish doing.”

“Okay. And what about you, Chanyeol?”

Despite how he did feel a bit hungry, he wasn’t about to be the fifth wheel. Politely declining, Chanyeol shook his head. “I’ll pass, too. I think I’m going to call my family since I’m back in Seoul for now. I may meet up with them.”

“I don’t know why I forgot your family’s here,” Kyungsoo muttered, slapping himself on his forehead. “Seeing them would be a good idea. There’s really not much to do except this evening. We’ll be taking a look at the ballroom and scouting out where the decorations should be placed within the following days. Will you guys be alright?”

“They’re not kids, Soo. I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Jongin said, scoffing. Turning to Baekhyun, he grinned. “Play nice.”

Baekhyun gave him an unamused expression.

“You’re my best man so be on your best behavior!”

Their exchange was somewhat interesting to Chanyeol. Jongin seemed like the type of person who enjoyed poking a baby lion with a stick.

❁ ❁ ❁

Although there wasn’t much to do on a plane besides sit down for 10 hours, Chanyeol was exhausted. As soon as he got inside his room, he plopped on the bed and closed his eyes. It was only the sound of his phone’s Twitter notification ring that made him reopen them again. Glancing at the screen, he read the announcement.

B. Jang-Mi Tweeted:

Hello my dear readers! I’ll be hosting an impromptu Q&A tonight at 10pm~~ Ask me anything! Please use the hashtag #BJangmiQA so it’ll be easier for me to interact with all of you! Hehe ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ !! 

As Chanyeol smiled, another notification popped up.

B. Jang-Mi Tweeted:

I will also be giving away signed copies of Flowers in the Rain to 3 lucky readers who retweets this Q&A tweet! I’ll see you all soon! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡ 


Rolling over on his stomach, Chanyeol opened the app and dedicatedly replied under the thread a couple of heart-filled emojis because for someone who loved reading words, he could never find the right ones whenever he’s responding to his favorite author.

He’d been reading B. Jang-Mi’s work for a little over five years, having first discovered the author’s small paperback debut on the floor of Yoora’s room when he visited her during his third year of college. Despite being a short piece, Chanyeol really found himself in love with the writing style, especially how Miss B. Jang-Mi captured authentic emotions, almost as if she was projecting her own experiences through the eyes of her characters. Seemingly venting, seemingly distraught, yet hopeful… Her work was tragically beautiful and resound, if not bittersweet and happy.

Thinking that he might forget to tweet later, Chanyeol sent one out in that moment--just in case.

❁ ❁ ❁

That evening, Chanyeol decided to accompany Kyungsoo and Jongin down to the hotel ballroom with Baekhyun nowhere to be seen. It made him wonder how in the world he was Jongin’s best man in the first place. Their personalities seemed so incompatible. As someone’s best man, shouldn’t he be there as support for his friend?

Chanyeol didn’t understand, so he didn’t bother thinking about it any further.

It wasn’t until around 6:30 that he finally saw Baekhyun again, dragging his sluggish body out of his hotel room around the same time Chanyeol stepped out in a new set of clothes (since they were going to be dining at the 5-star restaurant). In contrast, Baekhyun was still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing all day, even all the way back to when they first met at LAX-- black leather jacket mixed with black jeans and a black turtleneck. A very lively combination--not.

Noticing the gaze that Chanyeol was giving him, Baekhyun shut the door behind him and frowned. “What? Are you in love with me or something?”

Chanyeol almost choked on air. His immediate reaction was to say something--anything--back, but he couldn’t find any words. He was left flustered and too stunned to respond. Yet, it was his lack of a comeback that made Baekhyun smile in the end. It was only then that Chanyeol realized that was the latter’s original intent.

Thinking back to Baekhyun’s relationship with Jongin, Chanyeol began to realize that the two of them were essentially just two sides of the same coin. Both liked to tease, but Baekhyun was a bit more of the type to say things with an underhanded tone. And judging from his past comments, he also liked to be blunt.

Annoyed, Chanyeol turned first and started walking down the hall. Baekhyun followed behind him, yet made no effort to catch up. As soon as Chanyeol reached the elevators and hit the button to go down, he kept praying a door would open before Baekhyun got to him. But as luck would have it, one became available as soon as Baekhyun stood behind him. Without much of a choice, they both got into the elevator together.

Inside the elevator, Chanyeol saw their reflection on the mirror-like doors. Baekhyun had his arms crossed in a defensive manner, but after a closer look, he looked like he had just awoken from a long nap. If that was the case, that might’ve explained why he was missing earlier. Inwardly sighing, Chanyeol turned his eyes to the floor.

Shouldn’t he--in the very, very least-- try to be friends with Jongin’s best man?

Then again, he had been trying, and they hadn’t made any progress. It was clear that Baekhyun already had some kind of grudge against him. For some reason, it made Chanyeol curious to ask as to why that was… It wasn’t as though he had done anything malicious other than read Flowers in the Rain in public. And in his defense, it wasn’t a crime for him to do that.

Crossing his arms together, Chanyeol bit down on his bottom lip, lost in thought. It was only when Baekhyun spoke up that he raised his eyes again.

“What’re you doing? Copying me?”

“What?” Looking down at the man beside him, Chanyeol noticed they were both crossing their arms and leaning against the elevator railing behind them. Immediately catching it, he dropped his hands off to the side and took a side step away from Baekhyun. “No!”

The expression of Baekhyun’s face didn’t change. “Hm.”

Shortly after, the doors opened and they arrived at the lobby with Jongin and Kyungsoo standing not too far away.

❁ ❁ ❁

“Sehun!” Chanyeol was met with a rough hug that almost took him right down in the middle of the restaurant, but he didn’t care. Relief had swept over Chanyeol when he heard there’d be some familiar faces at dinner, and seeing his old friends was nothing short of exciting. “Can’t believe you actually spared the time to be with us ‘normies’.”

Playfully sticking a finger in his mouth, Sehun gagged. “Stop or I’ll vomit for real.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “Please don’t.”

“Yixing, you too? When did you arrive in Seoul?”

“A couple days ago!”

As Sehun sat back down in his seat, Chanyeol followed his lead and chose to sit across from his friends.

Grinning, Jongin put an arm around Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s shoulders and started herding the two of them to their seats. “Come, come. Baekhyun, you can sit next to Jongdae.”

Waving his hand in the arm, their old mutual friend made himself known. “Baekhyun~”

Baekhyun warmly smiled and pleasantly sang back, “Jongdae~”

Although Chanyeol was conversating lightly, he couldn’t help but notice the way the two exchanged their words. He was left speechless--again. Even if it wasn't at his (embarrassing) expense. Jongin’s best man really was complicated and...puzzling, at best.

❁ ❁ ❁

There were four levels of ‘drunk’.

The first level was Yixing; a man who couldn’t even finish a cocktail. Halfway through it, he could barely keep his head up. However, when the servers brought over his steak, he perked up a little bit and mustered up a bit of sobriety to enjoy the meal.

The second level was Sehun. Having been to his fair share of grand openings and business-friendly gatherings where drinking was considered a must, he kept his liquor down well enough. When he started to feel tipsy, he stopped because he didn’t want to risk looking like an idiot in front of other people. God forbid his shame somehow ending up on the trending page of Weibo.

The third level was everyone except Baekhyun, because despite the fact that Baekhyun knew how to deal with his liquor consumption on a god-like level when they were in the restaurant, the second Jongin and Chanyeol threw him in the backseat of the SUV, he started bawling. At this point, the only one completely sober was Jongin (the designated driver). Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were moderately tipsy, but far better off than Baekhyun who had turned his back away from Chanyeol and stuffed his face in the corner where the car seat met the door.

“Baekhyun~ Come on. Stop crying.” Jongin tried to sound sweet, but he could barely keep himself from laughing. “It’s not good for the leather seats.”

Upon hearing this, Baekhyun turned his body facing forward and stared at the car roof. “I apologize,” he said, sniffling. “It’s just that… I’m sooo happy for you two. True love and everything. A big fat wedding. Fuck…”

Jongin snorted, pulling the car out of the parking lot. “Then why’re you crying? That’s not very happy of you!”

“I am very happy!” Baekhyun insisted. “So happy… Like, really happy. I’ll write about you guys one day. You two are so cute.”

“Aw, Baekhyun!” Kyungsoo tried to reach his hand all the way from the front passenger seat but couldn’t. “Write me in as a cool character.”

“I will.”

“Don’t make me the bad guy!” Jongin scolded. “I won’t support you! That’d be slanderous.”

Chanyeol had no idea what they were rambling on about. His head hurt so he stayed on his side quietly. Checking the time, it was barely turning 9pm and he still wanted to be on Twitter by the time B. Jiang-Mi started her Q&A on Twitter. By then, he’d like to have already finished showering…

A shower sounded really nice. Probably not the safest thing to do while buzzed, but he couldn’t go to bed feeling gross either.

By the time he listened back into the conversation, Baekhyun had buried his face in his hands. Drunk Baekhyun was a talkative Baekhyun, but his personality still showed. The only difference was that he spoke more freely and was less secretive about the thoughts running through his mind.

“I’m thinking about retiring.”

Chanyeol frowned. Retirement? At his age? Baekhyun must’ve only been about 26 or somewhere along that numeral line. In any case, it was far too early to even think about retirement.

“Career change, maybe? Go back to school to figure something else out…? I don’t know. I’m stressed. It feels like I’m having a mid-life crisis in my 20’s.” Baekhyun heaved a loud sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m babbling. Probably ruining everyone’s eardrums by now.”

Turning to Chanyeol, Baekhyun looked at him for a moment without saying a single word. There was a brief split second where he almost looked sober, but then he slapped a hand on Chanyeol’s knee like they’d been friends since primary school. “Park Chanyeol. I’m sorry.”

Kyungsoo looked at the two of them, confused. “What are you apologizing to him for?”

However, Baekhyun ignored him. With his eyes still locked on Chanyeol, he slapped the knee again.

“I have every right to say that you have a shitty taste in books. Every. Right.” With each word, he slapped the knee again and again. “But you remind me of a little puppy dog willing to love anything that moves, even if it’s a shitty book! So, I apologize if I hurt your feelings. Okay?”

And just like before, he slapped the knee, only this time, he hit harder.

Finished with his point, Baekhyun fell back on his side and seemed to have tired out. Giving no chance for Chanyeol to respond, he sighed, “Are we almost there?”

“In 10 minutes,” Jongin answered. “Are you okay, though?”

“I’m fine… Kind of want another shot of vodka or whatever.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Chanyeol looked over. Looking right back at him was Baekhyun’s frowning expression. “Maybe water would do you better.”

“You’re probably right, Chanyeol, but drinking sounds more fun.”

Clearing his throat, Kyungsoo tried handing Baekhyun an unopened bottle of water. “Here. Chanyeol’s right. You’ll feel better tomorrow if you just drink water instead,” he said, smiling. “You can thank him tomorrow morning.”

❁ ❁ ❁

After he finished his night routine, Chanyeol managed to drag his tired body on the bed and tuck himself in. And just to keep his future self happy, he also put a glass of water on the bedside table for that morning hangover. When B. Jiang-Mi began her Q&A exactly at 10pm--very prompt and professional-- she started it off with a photo of a finger heart gesture against a glass window overlooking Seoul. It’s an aesthetic photo. The mole on her thumb is prominent, but it was essentially part of her brand. A lot of fans thought it was cute-- Chanyeol included.

B. Jang-Mi Tweeted:

It’s Q&A time~~ Don’t forget that I’ll be announcing the winners for the signed books at the end! Let’s get started, okay? (*^^*)♡ 

B. Jang-Mi Quoted A Tweet:

Tracer-85 was sending memory data to the central system the whole journey. Perhaps if A-Xian can find the central system, then maybe he can… make a new Tracer? Heheh (^.~)

@cqlmxtx: Hi authornim ^^ I was wondering what happened to Tracer-85 at the end of your short story ‘Stars of Metal’? Was he really stuck on the Stardust planet after sending A-Xian off in the last escape pod? Please tell me they have a happy ending :( #BJangmiQA 

B. Jang-Mi Quoted A Tweet:

That’s so hard! I’m not really sure, but since my editor is telling me to promote it more, I will say Flowers in the Rain!

@xlkslb_ccdtks: Of all your stories, which one’s your favorite? Thanks #BJangmiQA 

B. Jang-Mi Quoted A Tweet:

It’s very exciting, Chanyeol. Would you like to visit the set when filming begins? ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_ Hahah

@pcy1127: Congratulations on Flowers in the Rain getting a tv drama adaptation. It’s my favorite. Are you excited since it’ll be your first tv adaptation since your debut? #BJangmiQA 

Chanyeol had to rub his eyes a few times and sit up, finding it difficult to process that his tweet was actually noticed. Considering the large pool of tweets under the hashtag, he considered his luck for a moment, somewhat doubtful that this was real, but after refreshing his notifications again and again, he concluded that his favorite really did respond. Yet, for some reason, the response felt different than the other ones B. Jiang-Mi was tweeting. It was most likely due to the fact that he was the only one addressed by name, but at the same time, he did write his full name on his handle, so then…

He liked and retweeted her response.

Figuring that she probably wouldn’t see it, he decided to reply back: That sounds fun lol ^^ Please introduce me to Suzy!.

A few minutes later, B. Jiang-Mi liked his throwaway tweet.

❁ ❁ ❁

The morning after, Baekhyun looked angry and annoyed, but maybe Chanyeol was reading him wrong again. It was most likely due to a massive hangover, but he had to give the guy props for waking up early. As they were waiting for the elevator to reach their floor, Chanyeol asked, “So… How’re you feeling?”

Baekhyun raised his head, but continued to keep his eyes on the elevator doors. “Fine.”

By now, Chanyeol was used to short responses that always felt a bit distant. It didn’t bother him as much as it did before. Considering he witnessed the other faces Baekhyun put on for different people around him, this was just one of them. They were acquaintances now at best, so Chanyeol didn’t have a problem trying to have a more amicable relationship.

“How was the hangover this morning?”

Although he didn’t receive a response immediately, Baekhyun eventually shrugged, quietly muttering, “Shitty.”

When they entered the elevator with Baekhyun leading the way, Chanyeol stayed close. “They’re going to have their bachelor parties later tonight, right? What’re you planning for Jongin?”

Baekhyun shrugged again, taking out his cellphone a few seconds after feeling a short vibration. “The other groomsmen are arriving later today, so I thought about taking everyone to a bar, then later a Casino. The uncles wanted to take him to a strip club so I had to fit that into the itinerary.” He paused. “Jongin doesn’t want to go to the strip club, though.”

“Can’t you find another thing to do?”

“His uncles are using him as an excuse to go, and he can’t really say no, so that’s just how it is.” Baekhyun silently stared at his phone for a second before quickly locking the screen, more pissed than he was before. Yet, he kept his tone even when he spoke. “What about you? What do you have planned for Kyungsoo?”

Chanyeol looked away, a bit embarrassed. His plans weren’t extravagant. It didn’t involve anything provocative like naked strip teases or drinking games. In fact, it seemed a little on the cheap side despite the fact that he tried to tailor it to Kyungsoo’s taste. “Sehun booked the presidential suite in the hotel, so we’re going to have a movie night.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, Sehun pulled some strings so he invited one of Kyungsoo’s favorite actors to come by and surprise him-- but that’s a secret. Don’t tell him.” Chanyeol smiled. “Soo’s always been a homebody, so I think seeing everyone get together for the first time in years is enough for him.”

“Hm.”

Turning his eyes over to the man beside him, Chanyeol nudged him with his elbow. “What do you mean ‘hm’?”

“Nothing in particular. It’s a cute idea.” Baekhyun glanced at him; his eyes suddenly showing a hint of interest. “Are you ever going to tell him?”

Drawing his brows together, Chanyeol could only stare back. “What--”

As he cocked his head, Baekhyun leaned, grinning. “Or… are you saving it for the ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ part of the ceremony?”

This man was toying with him, and Chanyeol didn’t know why. Baekhyun played around like he was observing other people’s lives, but he was the first person in Chanyeol’s life who seemed that way. No matter how hard he tried, Chanyeol couldn’t figure out why Baekhyun operated the way he did.

Maybe to Baekhyun, it was interesting to poke other people for a reaction.

However, Chanyeol was still suffering from a minor hangover, so he wasn’t entirely in the mood to be provoked. He glanced at the floor numbers, seeing that they were nearing the ground floor. “What about you?” Chanyeol asked, turning the question back at him. “Do you plan on being drunk this whole wedding to cope with the fact that one of your exes was invited as a guest?”

The elevator began to open, but Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol’s wrist before he could even begin pulling away. At first, Chanyeol thought he had made him angry, but when he looked, he saw that Baekhyun was… laughing.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun let go and gave Chanyeol a quick pat on the arm on his way out. “Come on-- unless you want the doors to close on you.”

❁ ❁ ❁

Gradually, more guests began occupying the floor the Kim family had reserved. By the time they were starting to prepare the presidential suite, Chanyeol was already well-acquainted with everyone in the party, both old and new faces. Sehun brings the hard liquor into the suite despite knowing that if there was going to be drinking involved, at most, everyone was just going to get buzzed. The atmosphere and mood of the bachelor party didn’t exactly call for being wasted drunk.

They played a few friendly games with Kyungsoo-- the kind that was meant to embarrass him-- before Chanyeol started preparing the movie. Sehun’s actor friend (the one Kyungsoo was obsessed with--much to Jongin’s dismay) hadn’t arrived on time as planned, but they had a strict itinerary to follow if they were going to finish around 11pm and allow Kyungsoo to get his beauty sleep. Otherwise, he’d probably be too tired to start the day early tomorrow and Chanyeol didn’t want to get blamed for that, considering he’s the best man and this whole party was his responsibility.

After glancing at his watch, he figured they should start the movie soon since it was nearing 8 p.m. and the movie was about an hour and 20 minutes. Down to the literal tee.

❁ ❁ ❁

Around 9 p.m., a knock on the door disrupted the (very quiet) bachelor party. Sehun yawned (possibly bored out of his mind) and looked over at Chanyeol. “Hey, it’s probably-- you know.”

Frowning, Chanyeol excused himself from the area and made his way to the front door. If it really was the actor Park Go-Bum, then Chanyeol would be sorely disappointed in his lack of timeliness. At this point, that man was 2 hours late already… But then again, it was Park Go-Bum. Chanyeol didn’t have any room to scold him; he simply didn’t have the right.

He mentally prepared himself to face the actor before opening the door-- only to see no one in the hallway until he lowered his eyesight. There, in front of him, was Baekhyun.

And Baekhyun was smiling at him… which he never does.

“Hi, Chanyeol.”

Confused, Chanyeol closed the door just enough so that the others wouldn’t see Baekhyun or hear their conversation. “Hey… Uh, what’re you--”

“I have an idea and since we’re supposed to be the best men at this wedding, I thought we should collaborate.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be at Jongin’s bachelor party? The one you’re in charge of?”

“I left them at the strip club.”

Chanyeol was still confused, except this time, he can smell the faint scent of alcohol coming from the man in front of him. “Are you drunk?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Then what’re you--”

“Jongin doesn’t like the strip club, and neither do the other guys.” Baekhyun tried to peer inside the suite, but Chanyeol moved his body to block him. “So, let’s all go to this club in Gangnam. Both parties. It’ll be fun.”

Chanyeol realized Baekhyun was trying to hijack his bachelor party plans. Albeit it’s not as loud or crazy as what Baekhyun planned for Jongin’s party, this quiet and moderate setting was very much fitted for Kyungsoo’s preferences and--

He stopped.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that half of the people they had invited for the party were either dozing off or thinking of some way to excuse themselves for the night… In truth, after they played the games and took a shot or two, the party itself had peaked and could Chanyeol even call it a party anymore? It seemed more like a movie gathering post-funeral.

He looked back at Baekhyun who never took his eyes off the giant.

The chaotic air around him was…

Ugh.

Chanyeol’s grip on the door tightened. Baekhyun may be a hot mess when he drinks but at least he knew how to plan a good time. Despite his quiet demeanor on a typical day, Baekhyun was actually quite clever, judging from his snarky comebacks. So, when it came to good ideas, Chanyeol felt like he should give the man a chance to sell him on the idea.

“What club do you have in mind?”

Seeing that he had won the giant over, Baekhyun clasped his hands together. “I can’t believe you’re agreeing with me so easily, Park.”

“Get on with it,” Chanyeol muttered… Then he added, “Please.”

“Club Answer. It’s in Gangnam.” Baekhyun pulled out his cellphone. “Give me your number. I’ll text you the address.”

“Can’t we all just take a cab over there together?”

“I’d love to, but I have to go back and save Jongin from the strippers, silly.”

Ah, right.

Baekhyun had ditched his party at the strip club.

After giving him back his cellphone, Chanyeol took the time to look over Baekhyun from head to toe. As usual, he was dressed primarily in black. For a moment, he wondered if Baekhyun owned clothes that were… not black. The thought must’ve slipped out.

“Why do you always look like you’re dressed for a funeral?”

In the midst of typing out the address, Baekhyun raised his eyes at him. The smile on his face grew softer. “Well, why’re you always looking at me?”

“I’m not.”

“I can tell when people are lying, you know.”

Chanyeol hated when Baekhyun did that thing.

The thing where he twists his words around… Or when he throws back the question without answering it first.

Leaning against the door frame, Chanyeol crossed his arms. He might’ve seemed a little defensive, but it wasn’t far from the truth either. “I mean, by default, I kind of have to look at you every day. Like you said, we’re their best men.”

“Well, I guess that’s logical.” After he sent off the address, Baekhyun slid the phone back into his back pocket. “Anyways, I’ll see you... and the rest of your party at the club. Call me when you’re on the way. I reserved a private room and I got Park Go-Bum to come.”

Park Go-Bum?

“He was supposed to come to this party--” Chanyeol stopped himself when he saw Baekhyun turn his head off to the side, trying to hide a laugh… But he wasn’t doing a very good job at it. “Are you kidding me? You stole our celebrity guest?”

“I didn’t steal him, Chanyeol. You can’t steal a person-- Well, I guess you could. But that’s another subject, isn’t it?”

Glaring at him, Chanyeol reached out and gave Baekhyun a light shove on the shoulder. Nothing too serious, but enough to get the point across. “Who are you? Sehun had to pull connections just to get him to agree to come here.”

“I have my ways.”

That much was obvious, but Chanyeol decided that even if he wanted to keep pushing for an answer, Baekhyun would probably just run circles around him. “Fine. I’ll text you when we’re there.”

“I’ll see you later, then.”

❁ ❁ ❁

Chanyeol did not realize how absolutely apeshit the combined parties would be, but then again, Baekhyun was paying for all the booze somehow and Park Go-Bum was there, taking up the majority of the party’s attention before Baekhyun introduced a drinking game that involved doing “missions”. They take turns going around the group.

Kyungsoo’s turn eventually came around and Baekhyun grinned, looking at the application on his phone. “Well, I guess it’s now your turn. Let’s hope for something spicy.”

“Mildly spicy!” Jongin added.

“Yeah, yeah.” Waving him off, Baekhyun waited for the app to generate a new dare. Judging by the look of mischief on his face, Chanyeol could only guess that it was anything but “mild”...

“Okay, Soo. It says right here that you have to kiss the person on your right or take a shot.”

It took everyone a second to register, but when it became clear that Jongin was to Kyungsoo’s left and Park Go-Bum was to the right, a minor argument between both parties suddenly erupted.

“That’s cheating!” Sehun stood up, grabbing Baekhyun’s phone. “You can’t do that-- Ah, Park Go-Bum, we’re sorry. That man’s a little--”

Go-Bum shook his head, amused at the bickering. “No! It’s fine! I’m okay! Really, so--”

Jongdae, who had been quietly observing up until that point, laughed. “Come on. Jongin’s going to get his turn in a few days.”

“But maybe Baekhyun can pull up another dare?” Yixing said, trying to find a compromise. “Maybe refresh the app?”

Jongin didn’t say anything. Seeing your fiance kiss someone else for his bachelor party wasn’t ideal, but also… he’d also probably kiss Park Go-Bum because… Well shit. Who’d pass up that opportunity. “It’s fine,” he finally ended up saying. “He has my--”

Before he could finish, Chanyeol interrupted with his voice booming over the others. “I’ll take the dare for him.”

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked.

“I’ll kiss the person on my right or take the shot.”

Everyone stopped arguing and looked at him. Suddenly, Chanyeol could feel his face feeling warmer than before now that a handful of drunken faces were staring him down.

“Wow…”

Chanyeol turned his head to the right.

“I didn’t know you liked me that much.” Baekhyun smiled at him before he leaned over and took a shot for himself. “I’ll pass on the kiss, but I’ll take the drink for you as a reward for your bravery...”

After the empty glass was placed back on the table, Baekhyun pointed at Jongin. “So, since Kyungsoo’s turn was forfeited, that means it’s your turn!”

Kyungsoo looked bummed. On the other hand, Jongin rubbed his hands together, ready.

❁ ❁ ❁

“Where the hell did you find an app like that?”

Chanyeol was practically yelling just to be heard. The music was louder on the bottom floor than it was upstairs where their VIP room was located. He had followed Baekhyun all the way down to the lower-level bar under the excuse that he needed to use the restroom.

“Uh, the App store?” Turning to the bartender, Baekhyun slid over his card. Chanyeol noticed that it was one of those cards with no limits… “Need something sweet. Can I get a long island? Do you want one, Chanyeol?”

“What? Uh, no--”

“Make that two.” Baekhyun ignored the look Chanyeol gave him when he turned back around. “Oh, before I forget! Thanks for, you know, going along with it. The party thing.”

“Yeah.” Glancing up at the balcony, Chanyeol couldn’t see their friends, but he could tell they were all probably using the ooportunity to take selfies with Park Go-Bum and asking him pointless questions… Not that Chanyeol wasn’t starstruck himself. He just had too much anxiety about being responsible for everyone that he couldn’t really enjoy it.

And that was something he knew Baekhyun could sense the moment the latter thrusted the drink in his hand. “Are you always this stiff?”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol gave in and took a sip. It wasn’t bad; though it definitely wasn’t something that could get anyone drunk. He wondered why Baekhyun ordered this particular drink.

“I don’t know. You kind of remind me of…” Baekhyun trailed off but the smile on Baekhyun’s lips does nothing except make Chanyeol more curious. “Flowers in the Rain.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you overthink a lot-- Kind of like the main character of that dumb book you like so much. And you overanalyze things. Listen, I know you’re worried about this unconventional double bachelor party and all, but relax. Everyone’s having fun. You barely took any shots during the games.”

“That’s not true. I took a few.” Leaning against the wall, Chanyeol looked at the drink in his hand… then back to Baekhyun. “What’s up with you mentioning that book anyways?”

“What?” Baekhyun pointed at his ear. “Chanyeol, I really can’t hear you. The music, it’s too loud!”

“I said--”

Grabbing Chanyeol’s hand, Baekhyun pulled him off the wall and led him to a sparsely occupied area before letting go. Then, he started swaying from side to side, all the while taking sips of the Long Island drink he was balancing well in between his hands. “Dance with me!”

Was it even considered dancing? They were doing side steps while drinking… But still, Chanyeol was buzzed enough to think it was actually kind of--a little bit--fun. Stupid, but fun. And for a second, he forgot about the people they had left upstairs, too focused on Baekhyun trying to instigate a dance off that definitely wasn’t going to happen on Chanyeol’s watch.

❁ ❁ ❁

This time around, it was Kyungsoo and Jongin who had to be piled in the back of the taxi. Surprisingly, Baekhyun wasn’t as wasted as he was before. Then again, Chanyeol only knew that wasted Baekhyun liked to cry and, so far, there weren’t any tears involved yet. That was a good sign.

“Why didn’t you let me kiss Park Go-Buuuum!” Kyungsoo sniffled, hitting Jongin on the chest. “That would’ve been the best wedding gift ever!”

“I said it was fine!”

“You should’ve said it louder!”

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun who was sitting in the middle of the arguing bachelors and gave him a lopsided grin. Then, he turned to the driver and gave him the address to the hotel.

❁ ❁ ❁

Once they had tucked the two in the suite that originally held Kyungsoo’s bachelor party, Chanyeol managed to drag his tired feet back down to their hotel room floor with Baekhyun trailing behind. Despite all their wasted energy, Baekhyun still found it in him to hum down the corridor. The tune was unfamiliar, so Chanyeol figured that he was just making it up as he went.

“Well, that was fun,” Chanyeol said, taking his hotel card out of his wallet. When he didn’t hear Baekhyun say anything in response, he peered behind him and saw Baekhyun with his head against his hotel door. “Um, hey. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just thinking.”

“Oh.” Suddenly it doesn’t feel right to just go into his room and leave Baekhyun out in the hallway to think… “So, are you going in?”

“In a minute.”

Chanyeol taps his card against the reader. Then he heard a click when the lock indicator began to flash the color green. Yet he doesn’t go in. After a while, he turned around again. “Look, if you feel like throwing up, just say something. I’d rather help you into your room than have you vomit out here.”

“That’s not it. I’m just thinking.”

“Well, can’t you think inside your room?”

“If I move right now, I’ll lose my train of thought.”

The logic doesn’t make any sense, and Chanyeol didn’t bother asking for an explanation on it. Instead, he just took Baekhyun’s word as the truth. “Fine. I’ll stay here until you’re done.”

It was a weird night anyways. As Chanyeol slid down to the floor, he thought about things that he could do while waiting for Baekhyun to finish his...unconventional form of meditation. However, he didn’t have to wait very long. A few minutes passed before he heard Baekhyun clap his hands together.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah. I think I figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” Chanyeol grunted as he pushed himself off the floor.

“You.” Baekhyun was beaming… though, Chanyeol wasn’t exactly sure why.

“What?”

“I think that you’re a really good character model, Chanyeol.” Pressing his index finger against Chanyeol’s chest, Baekhyun nodded to himself. “Awfully inspiring, too. I mean, a romance novel enthusiast who’s at his best friend’s wedding… who he may or may not have a crush on. Then, on top of all of that, you also stress a lot, which is kind of cute, but also a bit relatable.”

“What the hell are you doing an entire character analysis on me for?”

Chanyeol moved Baekhyun’s hand away. For some reason, it made him nervous… He knew for a fact it wasn’t the alcohol either. Maybe this was Baekhyun’s way of making fun of him. Then again, he had no reason to mock Chanyeol. Didn’t they just have fun together?

“I’m not doing an analysis. I just think you’re interesting. It’s a compliment, Park.” Scoffing, Baekhyun reached into his jacket and took out his wallet. It was small, only carrying a few cards, which made it easier for him to simply slide out the hotel key and have it scanned. “If it makes you feel better, you can do one on me.”

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Analyze me. Come on. I know you have shit to say.” The grin on Baekhyun’s lips was enough to tell Chanyeol that he was in a good mood.

“I don’t want to.” Chanyeol walked back to his door and took out his keycard again. “Anyways, if you’re all done with the whole ‘train of thought’ thing, then good-night, Baekhyun.”

When he pushed the door open, Baekhyun’s voice stopped him from stepping inside any further.

“Are you scared of hurting my feelings or something?”

Sighing, Chanyeol closed his eyes before turning around. “Why?”

“To make it even.”

Chanyeol stared at the floor. They were both one step into their respective rooms, yet there they were, still talking to each other across the hall. It might’ve looked a little childish to an outsider.

Probably because it was.

“Fine,” Chanyeol eventually said, defeated. “You mutter a lot, and you have a weird tendency to always have the last word when you’re having a conversation with someone. Speaking of conversations, you suck at them. I don’t think you can go a second without being subtly insulting.”

“Keep going.” Baekhyun crossed his arms, leaning against the door frame. “What else?”

“You’re always wearing black. It makes you look unapproachable, but I guess that’s the vibe you go for anyways since you basically are unapproachable. Also, I don’t know if anybody’s ever told you this, but you’re either really chill or really chaotic.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Depends on the occasion.”

But Chanyeol wasn’t done. “When you’re drunk, you’re less tense. It’s easier to talk to you, even if you get a little on the crazy side.”

“That’s so sweet of you to notice.”

“But I also feel like you being drunk is an excuse to act out and let loose. Kind of like… you’re coping with something.” Chanyeol knew he was wandering into territory he had no right to be wandering around, but he was drunk and couldn’t help himself. Fuck it. “Back at LAX, you said something about your exes-- something like that. And when Jongin was explaining the hotel room situation, he said that he took care of some kind of special arrangement. It looked like he did it for you… One of your exes is here, right? For the wedding? Is that why you’ve been--”

Laughing, Baekhyun straightened his posture and put a hand on the door. The smile he was giving looked different. It felt different, too, but before Chanyeol could say anything else, Baekhyun decided to end their night on his terms.

“You really are a dedicated reader,” Baekhyun said softly, almost as if he was making a note of it to himself. “I can’t say I enjoyed being put on the spot toward the end there, but your analysis wasn’t half bad. I’ll give you an A+ for the effort. We can call it even now. Good-night, Chanyeol.”

And with a small wave, Baekhyun disappeared, leaving Chanyeol in the hall still staring at his door.

❁ ❁ ❁

Baekhyun was gone for a considerable amount of time doing the most mundane task: making a waffle.

The hotel’s breakfast was considered buffet style, but when Chanyeol kept looking up to see where on earth Baekhyun could be, he kept seeing the man standing by the waffle maker.Ten minutes passed and Chanyeol’s own plate was nearly cleaned. Meanwhile, there Baekhyun was. Still standing and staring at the waffle maker.

Sighing, he got up from their table and walked over, coming up from behind.

“Do you not know how to work it or something?”

“It’s almost done.”

“Uh, it’s only supposed to take a minute. Let me see it.” Reaching over, Chanyeol tried to open the waffle maker only to see a half-done squishy creation inbetween the plates. “Um… That’s not right.”

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun slapped his hand away and closed the maker. “I told you it was almost done.”

“Well, are you sure it’s even plugged in?”

“Chanyeol, look. The light’s green. It’s on.”

“Maybe it’s broken.”

“It’s fine.” Baekhyun continued to stare at the waffle maker. “I’ll just wait for it to finish.”

In total, the waffle took twenty-five minutes to make and Chanyeol ended up getting another plate just to keep Baekhyun company.

“This better be a fucking good waffle,” Baekhyun muttered as he aggressively cut it into four pieces. Then, after he took a bite, he shrugged. “Eh.”

❁ ❁ ❁

They don’t talk about Chanyeol’s analysis the night before. Baekhyun gave him no indication that he was bothered by it and he didn’t bring it up either, so Chanyeol just followed his lead. However, their relationship seemed better. At least, it was easier to talk to Baekhyun, even without any alcohol involved.

That afternoon, decorators, friends, and family arrived at the hotel to survey the venue and begin the process of slowly setting up the reception area. Although the wedding planner brought her own people to help move things arround in accordance to the setup that she and Kyungsoo had agreed on, Chanyeol did his best to help out wherever he was needed. Yet, there was only so much that he could do. Even Baekhyun, who had the task of helping create the silver and gold balloon arrangements looked bored out of his mind from the repetitive task.

It wasn’t until they both heard an argument outside in the hallway that they stepped out and saw Jongin trying to console Kyungsoo. Worried that they were about to have a break up right before the wedding, Chanyeol quickly rushed over to Jongin’s side. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?"

“Huh? Oh, nothing major,” Jongin started, but was quickly cut off by Kyungsoo.

“The chocolate wall doesn’t have any chocolate!” Kyungsoo groaned, face buried in the palm of his hand. “We forgot. Well, Jongin forgot. I thought you ordered from the ChocoDaes Chocolateers months ago!”

“I already said I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Jongin glanced at Chanyeol, then to Baekhyun before turning back to Kyungsoo. “We can run down to the store. Maybe get some Hershey’s--”

“Jongin. What the fuck.”

“I--”

“Your family’s friends and family are going to be here and I think I’d rather lay down and die than put Hershey’s up on the chocolate wall.”

Baekhyun, seemingly the most composed out of all of them, raised his hand. “Sorry, but what’s the chocolate wall?”

Taking in a deep breath, Kyungsoo put his hands on his hips. “It’s like… a dessert section. But it’s just chocolate. I mean, we have other desserts, but we wanted guests to be able to take these small paper boxes and pick out flavors that they wanted to take home. That was the plan.”

“How about we change the section? We’ll make it, uh… the photo area?” Jongin suggested.

However, it was rejected almost immediately.

Kyungsoo looked frustrated, but did well to keep his annoyance contained (for now). Not that the chocolate wall really mattered all that much, but with everything going on and with all the things they needed to finish doing, the stupid wall became his punching bag. “If we make it into the photo area then it’ll be right next to the desserts, which would inconvenience both the guests trying to take photos and get desserts.”

“So, then what do you want to do?” Jongin finally asked. He looked just as tired and annoyed, despite being completely understanding. “We can just take it out. It’ll leave an ugly gap but--”

Baekhyun raised his hand again. “I can get the chocolate. I know a guy.”

Chanyeol glanced down at him. Of course Baekhyun would know a guy-- a chocolate guy. Just like he just happened to know Park Go-Bum.

Both Jongin and Kyungsoo seemed to lighten up. The air around them suddenly seemed less tense and more lifted. Chanyeol was a bit surprised.

“Really?” Kyungsoo said, pausing for a moment. “I mean, if you can-- That’s great. Actually, more than great. Um, Jongin’s willing to pay extra for the inconvenience. Isn’t that right?”

Jongin laughed nervously but nodded. He avoided the glare Kyungsoo was subtly sending his way. “Right. We’d owe you, Baek.”

“Okay, so then I’ll go make the arrangements right now. You two can go back to decorating the rest. Chanyeol, come with me.” Baekhyun started to walk down the hallway that would eventually lead to the hotel lobby, leaving Chanyeol behind, flustered and confused. When he didn’t hear shuffling behind him, Baekhyun turned his head and gave the latter an impatient expression. “What’re you waiting for? Come on.”

“Uh.”

When Chanyeol took a second to get the other two’s opinion, he saw that Jongin was already pulling Kyungsoo back into the reception hall. Both of them waved them off.

“Have a safe trip!” Jongin said, giving a thumbs up. “Thanks!”

“And get a variety of flavors, okay!” Kyungsoo added before Jongin pulled him closer and whispered something in his ear. “We owe you guys one! At the next wedding, okay?”

Chanyeol didn’t get the chance to ask what he meant by that. Baekhyun was already calling him again.

❁ ❁ ❁

They take a cab over to Hongdae where ChocoDaes is supposed to be, and Chanyeol doesn’t really ask why Baekhyun dragged him along at first... But he eventually does when the driver drops them off a few blocks from the actual shop. The walk is straightforward until they stray from the main road and begin walking down alleyways.

“So, did you want me to come along because you were scared of walking here by yourself?” Chanyeol muttered.

The alley wasn’t really that scary at all. There were a few cute cafes sparsely located every so often, it had more of a vibe that college kids would probably be into, but Chanyeol didn’t know how else to bring up the question casually.

He was walking behind Baekhyun (dressed fully in black--again), so he couldn’t take a peek at whatever expression he was making. “I’d probably be the one to protect you if someone tried to mug us right now.”

That was an interesting response. It made Chanyeol amused.

“Really?”

“Yup.” Baekhyun turned his body around and talked to him while walking backwards. It almost made Chanyeol a bit anxious since the latter could easily trip on a cafe sign or something. “I used to take Hapkido classes when I was younger. No one’s messed with me since I got my black belt and everything.”

“When’d you get it? Primary school?” Chanyeol scoffed. “That’s cute.”

“Everyone calls it cute until I kick them in the face. Want to have a go at me?”

“Not really-- Shit!” Chanyeol barely side-stepped a quick kick from the (rather insane) man in front of him. If he hadn’t moved, he would’ve gotten a boot print right across the chest of his gray sweater. “What the fuck, Baekhyun!?”

“Still cute?” Baekhyun asked, wheezing from laughter as he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes away. “You should see your face. That’s exactly what you get for doubting m--”

Just then, Baekhyun walked into a large, wooden cafe sign outside a shop, causing him to fall back on his ass-- not to mention the loud crash it created that even the workers inside had to ask if he was alright.

Chanyeol faked his concern in an attempt to stop himself from laughing. However, Baekhyun saw right through it and kicked him lightly on the side of his leg when they left the cafe. Even though it left a bit of a mark, Chanyeol didn’t mind so much.

❁ ❁ ❁

For someone who seemed unapproachable, Baekhyun knew a lot of people. People who weren’t out to kill him. People who actually liked him. This surprised Chanyeol...despite knowing that Baekhyun wasn’t as insufferable and rude as he initially thought. In some ways, he still was, but the edges in his words were gone and Chanyeol didn’t take them to heart as much.

The man who owned the shop was Junmyeon (as Chanyeol gathered from his nametag and the way Baekhyun addressed him). He was extremely nice and friendly to the point where Baekhyun was acting as an entirely different person.

“When did you say you needed all of the orders done?” Junmyeon asked politely, jotting down notes on a pink little sticky note with bunny prints all over it. “So that I can prepare in advance.”

“We need them tomorrow.” Baekhyun smiled, ignoring the fact that he just dropped a deadline bomb. “Freshly made if possible, but honestly, you can throw some day-old chocolates in there, too. I don’t think the guests will be able to tell.”

For the first time since they walked in, Junmyeon frowned. “Baekhyun, I can’t do an order like this on that type of notice.”

“They’re willing to pay extra.”

“Still--”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said quietly, touching his arm, “maybe it’s not possible--”

“It is,” Baekhyun insisted. Then. to Junmyeon, he said, “Kim, I know you own three other chains in Seoul. Would it not be possible to make the order using all three kitchens combined? We’ll only order 3 variations so each shop can focus on one item. It’ll be efficient that way.”

“I suppose you’re right. But the cost of resource and employee overtime would be…”

“He’s right.” Chanyeol agreed. “We can probably convince Kyungsoo and Jongin to change it to something else.”

But Baekhyun doesn’t budge. “Okay, what if you close your shops for the rest of the day? Junmyeon, please… It’s Jongin’s wedding. Both of you guys were on the University Volleyball club. Consider it a gift.”

Junmyeon gives him a blank expression for a minute before sighing. “You’ve always been the unrealistic one.”

“But…?”

“Fine. Three variations. How many guests will be there?”

“About 150-200.”

“And what variations did they want?”

Baekhyun paused, glancing up at Chanyeol. “Did they ever tell us?”

Inwardly groaning, Chanyeol shook his head. “No… but I know Kyungsoo likes dark chocolate and so does his family.”

“Then please surprise us. But make one of the flavors about… 98% dark. Well, that might be pushing it,” Baekhyun muttered to himself. “Maybe about 72%. The rest can be milk chocolate.”

“Alright,” Junmyeon nodded. “Simple enough as long as you don’t want fillings and added products like nuts.”

“I think they can live without it.”

“Alright… Well, normally I wouldn’t even bother doing this, but since it’s Jongin…. Fine.”

“Great! We’ll come by tomorrow morning to pick it up.”

Chanyeol didn’t need to ask. By ‘we’, he already knew Baekhyun meant him included.

❁ ❁ ❁

Initially, Chanyeol thought they’d make their way back to the hotel to help around some more, but Baekhyun looked deep in thought as they were making their way back to the main street; he was quieter than usual. Just as they were about to pass the cafe where Baekhyun had his minor accident, Chanyeol felt two hands grab onto his left. Soon, he was being dragged inside.

“I don’t want to go back yet,” was what Baekhyun said to him before letting go when a worker who recognized them came out for the greetings.

Seated in the back corner, Chanyeol felt distant from the other customers, but was relieved they’d have privacy.

“So… Why don’t you want to go back just yet?”

“According to your analysis, I have an ex-boyfriend in the midst,” Baekhyun muttered under his breath, distracted by all the cake options on the menu. “So, I would like to avoid him for as long as possible.”

“Is he there at the venue right now? I thought he was a normal guest.” Or, at least, that’s what Chanyeol guessed. The hell did he actually know.

“I caught a glimpse. He didn’t see me, but I’d rather not sit there blowing up balloons like a sitting duck-- Ah, do you want to share some strawberry cake with me?” Baekhyun pointed at a photo and Chanyeol didn’t deny that it looked tempting. Even if he knew it’d taste a little artificial.

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

“Great. Now, what do I want to drink…” Baekhyun hummed.

Chanyeol already knew what he wanted; brown sugar milk tea. His favorite-- not to mention, a consistent staple in every cafe in Korea.

“I’ll just get regular milk tea.” Baekhyun raised his hand to get the waitress’ attention. Once they had ordered, Baekhyun clasped both of his hands on the table and smiled. “Doesn’t this feel like a date? Something out of a shoujo manga?”

“Uh--”

“Or maybe it’s Boys Love,” Baekhyun said thoughtfully, laughing at his own joke; even more so when Chanyeol rolled his eyes as an attempt to shake things off. “Maybe even… Flowers in the Rain-ish, wouldn’t you say?”

“That’s not-- You don’t even know what it’s about. They never-- Ugh.”

Chanyeol rubbed the bridge of his nose. He needed to chill. It was a book; a goddamn chicklit book. And Baekhyun was only trying to get on his nerves again with the teasing. Still, he could feel himself turning red, though he wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or something else.

Baekhyun laughed. “They never what?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“Tell me.”

“No, you’re being annoying,” Chanyeol grumbled, keeping his expression neutral when the waitress came back to drop off their drinks and cake slice. Fortunately, it gave him something to focus his eyes on besides Baekhyun’s teasing face. “Anyways, stop bringing it up.”

“But it’s your favorite book,” Baekhyun snickered, taking a tiny piece of the cake’s edge. “Why wouldn’t I bring it up?”

“Because every time you do, you end up making fun of it!”

Shrugging, Baekhyun grinned. “That’s true.”

“See what I mean? Exactly like that.” Chanyeo took a piece of the cake into his mouth and was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t taste all that artificial. He took this chance to glance up and sneak a peek at the latter but was met with Baekhyun looking straight at him.

“Yes?” Baekhyun tilted his head to a slight degree. He looked like he was being playful, but Chanyeol didn’t trust it. “You look like you want to say something.”

“Tell me one thing…” Chanyeol’s voice trailed off. He hesitated for a split second before changing his mind and rushing the rest of his words out before he could feel anything about it. “Tell me one thing that you like. Make it even between you and me.”

“Even?”

“You know I like romance novels, so… You know. Give me something I can make fun of you for!” It sounded childish--because it was. Chanyeol did his best to keep a straight face, but Baekhyun snorted. “What?”

“Isn’t it obvious already?”

“Huh?” Drawing his brows together, Chanyeol frowned. “What’s obvious?”

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun groaned, stuffing more cake into his mouth. “You!”

“I’m obvious? What the fuck does that even mean?”

“The hell do you think it means?” Baekhyun took a long sip out of his milk tea, but didn’t bother breaking eye contact.

“I don’t--” Chanyeol stopped when he saw Baekhyun’s lips curve into a subtle grin.

Oh.

Oh….

“Stop joking around.”

“I’m not,” Baekhyun insisted. Yet, he still had that smug look on his face. Chanyeol couldn’t read him. “But since you’re being rude, I take it back.”

Chanyeol pursed his lips together. Baekhyun didn’t look bothered or offended, so he couldn’t tell how to assess the situation. Maybe it was best to move on from it and pretend he never asked that stupid, childish question. It seemed like the best way out of the confusing mess he landed himself in.

“I’m going to change the subject,” Baekhyun said, speaking up and breaking the brief, painful silence. “Tell me what you do for a living. Since you probably like reading and you hardly let loose, I’m going to take a fat guess that you’re a lawyer.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at the description of himself, but he appreciated how the question drew both of them away from the previous one. It felt like a good loophole. “I’m an illustrator. I do freelance work, but I usually work for a variety of studios and all that.”

“Ohhh, like Disney.” The expression on Baekhyun’s face looked like he was genuinely impressed. That was the first. It didn’t make Chanyeol feel as embarrassed as he thought Baekhyun would try and make him feel. “I didn’t expect that from you. Then again, you do like reading, so I suppose a job that involves visual storytelling isn’t far-fetched. Are you, like, famous?”

Chanyeol scoffed. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Who the hell’s just casual friends with Park Go-Bum?”

“You can befriend anybody if you have a good personality,” Baekhyun replied dismissively. He pointed at the cake. “This is really good, don’t you think? Maybe we should bring some back.”

“Stop changing the subject.”

“I was just telling you that I like the cake. You don’t like it?”

“I do--”

“See? I’m really good with picking out good flavors. I think I have an eye for these types of things,” Baekhyun said, laughing to himself.

It was clear that Baekhyun was trying to sidestep away from the conversation, but Chaneyol didn’t want to budge.

“What about you?” Chanyeol asked, glancing at his milk tea. It seemed easier to watch the boba at the bottom of the glass than to watch Baekhyun eat. “What do you do?”

“Mmm…” Baekhyun paused, licking the corner of his lips first before taking a sip of his drink. “I work in entertainment, I guess.”

“Like what? An actor?”

“No.”

Chanyeol waited, but when it became obvious that he wasn’t going to get a clear answer unless he kept asking questions, he sighed. “Then what? Do you make films? Are you a producer or something? Casting director?”

“Well… How do I say this… Let’s just say that, yeah. I’m a producer.”

Noticing the (slight) hesitation and indecisiveness in Baekhyun’s voice, Chanyeol glanced up and saw that Baekhyun had diverted his eyes back to his phone. Though, this time, he didn’t look like he had anything particularly productive to accomplish. More like he was using it as a distraction.

It hit Chanyeol a few seconds later that, in some ways, maybe Baekhyun was embarrassed by his profession. A producer in the entertainment industry seemed like something out of a Hollywood dream, and yet…

Chanyeol almost choked on his boba.

Maybe Baekhyun worked in that industry…

Shit.

“Are you okay?” Baekhyun looked concerned as he reached over, but Chanyeol moved his hand away, avoiding him.

“Yeah-- Uh, sorry. I just… You know, spaced out.”

“Right. Anyways, we should get back. Kyungsoo’s wondering if we’ll be back before dinner-- You want the last bite?”

Chanyeol looked down at the piece and shook his head.

“Don’t mind if I do, then.” After shoving the cake in his mouth, Baekhyun called the waitress over again and ordered another piece to go.

And maybe Chanyeol noticed the way the cake icing had tinted Baekhyun’s lips ever so slightly red-- or maybe he didn’t.

❁ ❁ ❁

They’d only been gone for a few hours, but the venue was already looking better than when they had left it. Baekhyun had gone up to his hotel room to put the cake slice away, giving Chanyeol an opportunity to catch up with some of his old friends that had arrived to help out with the decorating. After a while, he noticed the chocolate wall and realized that for all the fits and hoops Baekhyun had to jump through for something that--in concept-- sounded more ridiculous than odd, it was actually nice to look at. He could only imagine what it’d look like once the ChocoDaes order came in the next day.

It probably wouldn’t even be possible with Baekhyun and his antics. Speaking of which--

“The order went through smoothly, right?”

Chanyeol turned his head and was surprised to see Kyungsoo suddenly standing beside him. He must’ve finished speaking with the people in charge of the audio and sound while Chanyeol was spacing out again. “Huh? Oh, yeah. It did.”

“I was beginning to worry. I didn’t know if you guys got lost or something..”

If Chanyeol wasn’t mistaken, Kyungsoo spoke in a light, playful tone. Almost like he was insinuating something, but Chanyeol ignored it, thinking it was just his overactive brain reading into things again.

“We took a little detour,” he said, shrugging. A very sweet detour, but he left that part out. “The order will be ready to pick up by tomorrow morning. We’ll stop by after breakfast.”

“Hmm… Well, I’m glad you two are getting along.” Kyungsoo smiled. “I was kind of worried since you looked pissed every time he came around! Even at the airport!”

“Uhhh, we got off on the wrong foot,” Chanyeol admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. However, that initial airport memory felt like it was already in the distant past. He didn’t know when he started getting used to having Baekhyun around all the time, but it just happened that way-- not that it was unpleasant.

“But you’re okay now?”

“Yeah. I think we are.”

“That’s good. Who knows? Maybe Jongin and I will have another wedding to attend in a year? We’ll be your best men.”

The heat rose to his face faster than Chanyeol could even realize it was happening. He rolled his eyes in an attempt to brush things off, but after a few seconds, he muttered under his breath. Drawing a hand up to his face, Chanyeol covered his embarrassed expression.

“I wouldn’t bet on that.”

“Why not?”

Why?

Because Baekhyun was a fucking nutjob. Albeit, sometimes it was entertaining and fun, but the only reason Chanyeol could even keep up with him was because he had long fucking legs.

And Chanyeol can’t stand his gaudy wardrobe fashion… Sometimes he felt like begging the latter to add something other than black to his outfit. As an illustrator, Chanyeol couldn’t help it. He only used the color black sparingly in his work because it’s a bold color. It draws the viewer’s attention.

So whenever Baekhyun entered a room, he always stood out because that’s what his wardrobe does. It brings all of Chanyeol’s attention to him.

Realizing where his thoughts had wandered, Chanyeol blinked and turned his head to Kyungsoo.

“Did you hear me?” his friend asked.

Flustered, Chanyeol shook his head. “Sorry, um-- It’s just that I don’t think... I don’t see Baekhyun and I being compatible.”

There was an attempt to make it sound convincing, but Chanyeol didn’t know whether he or Kyungsoo bought it.

“Oh… Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, he makes fun of my hobbies and I don’t know how I’d feel dating someone working in his kind of profession. I think it’d be rather difficult.”

Kyungsoo frowned. “You don’t like his work?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen it, but I’m sure there are people who do like his things.” Chanyeol turned his head away to hide the blush that had swept through his cheeks. “I can’t judge it for myself.”

For a while, Kyungsoo said nothing. Then, he touched Chanyeol on the arm. “Sorry, but what exactly do you think Baekhyun does for a living?”

Wasn’t it obvious?

“Doesn’t he make… you know.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “Make what?”

Chanyeol dropped his voice. “Porn?”

“I make what!?”

Jolting, Chanyeol whipped around and saw Baekhyun striding over their way. Kyungsoo had dropped to his knees in a fit of laughter and Chanyeol didn’t know whether to run away or turn back around and pretend like he didn’t just embarrass himself.

“We spent all day together and somehow it ended up with you thinking I’m an x-rated porn star.” When Chanyeol tried to hide his face, Baekhyun grabbed his hand and forced him to look at him. “And to think that we had something!”

Kyungsoo slowly got up and wiped his tears away. “I’ll let you two argue it out. We have a reservation for our party at the restaurant on the top floor so be there in 30 minutes.”

“Wait--” Chanyeol didn’t actually want Kyungsoo to leave. “Um, what else can I do?”

“We’re actually done decorating, so you guys can just hang out if you want until it’s time.” Of course Kyungsoo would leave them alone together. “I have to go tell everyone else about the reservation so I’ll see you two soon, okay?”

Once Kyungsoo had left, Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a light punch that landed in the middle of his chest before drawing away. “When I said I worked as a producer, I meant… publishing. I work for a publishing house.”

“Well, why the hell didn’t you just say so?”

“I didn’t think you’d go around thinking I did porn.”

“You looked like you were embarassed. What was I supposed to think?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “Anything but porn.”

❁ ❁ ❁

They initially planned on going up to the restaurant floor together, but when a man Chanyeol hadn’t seen before called out to Baekhyun, the latter had muttered something under his breath and left the elevator just as the doors were closing. He had sent Chanyeol off on his own and it was probably the first time Chanyeol wished Baekhyun was there with him since it didn’t appear as though it was about to be a happy reunion.

He looked at the floor buttons on the elevator and contemplated--possibly--getting off at a sooner floor and taking another elevator back down to the lobby. Maybe it’d help. For some reason, he knew that man was the one person Baekhyun seemed the most agitated to encounter; the one he wanted to avoid so badly.

It was natural to feel that way toward an ex, Chanyeol figured, but something bitter must’ve happened for someone like Baekhyun to act that way.

Not that Chanyeol knew him that well, but he knew him well enough.

❁ ❁ ❁

When Baekhyun entered the restaurant, the smile on his face was clearly fake. Waving him over, Chanyeol removed the jacket he had used to save the seat beside him and, without a word, Baekhyun sat down and nodded, acknowledging the effort. The man he came with sat on the other end of the table, far enough that he wouldn’t be bothering them.

From what Chanyeol could gather, he looked exactly like the type of guy Baekhyun would be into. His hair was slicked back and the air around him was evidently charming judging by the way everyone around him were conversing so easily. An arm was wrapped around the woman beside him and Chanyeol figured that must be his wife. The ring on the finger said it all.

Baekhyun was busy looking over the drinks menu, but Chanyeol slid his hand over and took it away from him.

“What the hell, Chanyeol,” When Baekhyun made an attempt to grab it back, Chanyeol moved it to his other hand, farther away from the latter.

“I already ordered you something.”

His words surprised Baekhyun. “Really? What’d you get?”

“A ‘Pineapple Sunrise Mimosa’.”

“Chanyeol, I’m trying to get wasted by the time we’re done here, not go on a stroll by the goddamn beach.” Still, he didn’t sound too angry or upset. The words were spoken gently enough that Chanyeol knew Baekhyun wouldn’t argue any further.

“I know that, but we have to be on our best behavior. All our friends are here, even if you don’t like one guest in particular. Here.” Chanyeol dropped a slice of bread the waiters had given them as appetizers. “Chew on this until our food arrives.”

“I didn’t even order yet.” Baekhyun paused, narrowing his eyes at the man beside him. “Let me guess.”

“I wasn’t sure when you’d come up to join us.”

“Then I better like it.”

It was a five-star restaurant. How bad could any of their food options be, regardless of Baekhyun’s taste?

Chanyeol smiled. “I went with something safe and ordered you their steak option. Medium rare.”

Heaving a sigh, Baekhyun leaned back against his seat. “You’re just lucky I’m a man of simple taste… Why’d you have to order a Mimosa? It would have been better if you ordered something like a Moscow Mule. It gets to the point.”

“True,” Chanyeol agreed. He wasn’t as enthusiastic about drinking as Baekhyun, but he still knew his drinks. For some reason, it was helpful to know a thing or two about it whenever Baekhyun was around him. “But… let’s just keep off the harder liquor for now. It’s a dinner party, not a weekend night at a frat house.”

“Oh, boo.” Baekhyun pressed his lips together. Chanyeol could see him taking a quick glance over to the man again.

“Listen—”

It was then that Baekhyun cut him off. “Do you want to do something after this? We’ll be done and out of here by 8pm.”

Chanyeol gave him a careful expression. “What’d you have in mind?”

“The club.”

“But the wedding’s tomorrow.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “And?”

❁ ❁ ❁

Chanyeol made the ultimate decision to tag along because he, in all honesty, didn’t think that Baekhyun was fit to keep himself out of trouble. For all he knew, the last thing Kyungsoo and Jongin needed was for Baekhyun to get arrested trying to pick a fight with any guy that looked like his married ex-boyfriend—who ended up being a lot more of an ass that Chanyeol thought.

Five shots of vodka for each of them ended up being the gateway key to a lot of Baekhyun’s pent up emotions. Ignoring the loud commotion from the crowd on the bottom floor, Baekhyun leaned against the bar counter with a half-empty beer loosely in his hand.

“We dated for two years before he decided to tell me that he’d met someone—some girl his parents had introduced him to—and that he wanted to be conventional. Take a guess what he meant by that.” Bitterly laughing, Baekhyun pushed his hand back, combing through it with his fingers. “Shit move if you ask me.”

“I can see that.”

“He’d been seeing her behind my back for three months before I found the photos on his phone. Then he had the audacity to compliment the sex. Can you imagine!?”

Chanyeol shook his head. He’d only had a few relationships in his life, but they all ended rather plainly. None compared to what the latter was describing, seemingly close to the verge of angry tears.

Baekhyun scowled at the floor. “I mean, if your boyfriend tells you ‘Hey, I’m sorry. I’d rather be in a straight relationship, but the sex is still super great!’...? And for him to contact me two years later like I would meet with him--”

Chanyeol mulled over Baekhyun’s words as the latter went silent. After a while, he said, “Sounds like a god awful book.”

Breaking out into a grin, Baekhyun laughed, hitting Chanyeol on the thigh. It was exactly as he had done numerous times their first night together in Kyungsoo and Jongin’s car. A hazy memory for Baekhyun, but one that was clear as day to Chanyeol. The difference this time around was that Chanyeol didn’t mind it so much. He found himself smiling back.

“You’re right! It honestly fucking is! It’s just a big fat headache, but he’s completely unavoidable since he’s…” Baekhyun paused before leaning closer to Chanyeol, laying his head against his shoulder. “He’s Jongin’s cousin. So, he’s family. Clearly, he was going to get invited, but…”

“But what?”

“Nothing.” Ignoring the question, Baekhyun closed his eyes and sighed. “Sorry for dragging you around these past few days. You don’t even know me and here you are. Listening to me talk like you haven’t been doing that this entire time.”

That was true.

Chanyeol didn’t know when he naturally fell into place with Baekhyun and his constant movement from place to place. Even more so-- how he even got used to being around him almost every waking moment of the day. It was hard to believe that there was even a time when he couldn’t stand talking to him and how Baekhyun just had to get the last snarky word before leaving. It was like a constant competition that Chanyeol never signed up.

Yet there they were. Leaning against each other at the bar inside a packed club, staring at the flashing colors that swept across both of their faces.

But Chanyeol didn’t mind it. He didn’t mind it at all.

“Listen,” Chanyeol found himself saying, “if reading has taught me anything, it’s that the main protagonist always gets up after a shitty break up and they move on.”

“I havemoved on. Seeing him just pisses me off,” Baekhyun muttered. He finished the last sip of the bottle and placed it on the bar. “Jongin doesn’t know why we broke up. I think he just figured it out. But, whatever. I’m just glad he arranged the rooms so I wouldn’t have to see that sorry bastard.”

Chanyeol chuckled. “I know. Unfortunately, you ended up getting stuck in a room across mine.”

Baekhyun didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then he lifted his head and met Chanyeol’s eyes. “Why is that unfortunate? I happen to like you. It’s a bit upsetting to hear you don’t feel the same enthusiasm about me.”

This again.

Swallowing dryly, Chanyeol avoided the stare, turning his eyes down to the floor. Luckily, the club was dark. It managed to hide the way his face looked flushed; either from the alcohol or Baekhyun’s bluntness… Chanyeol couldn’t say which it was, but he had a feeling it was for the latter reason.

Maybe Baekhyun was playing with him, like he always did. He always did tease around like it was some kind of game that he had to win, and Chanyeol was used to his antics thus far. But something about the way he said it…

Baekhyun’s tone indicated he was teasing but in a way that meant as though he was only teasing as insurance… That if Chanyeol were to reject him, he could easily play it off as a joke. There was no definite commitment in his words, but Baekhyun did well enough to put his feelings out there in the same way he had always been: upfront and unapologetic.

“You should stop joking around like that.” Chanyeol really wished he had a drink in his hand. Anything to distract himself. He knew he was brushing it off, but still… “It might really give someone the wrong idea.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What wrong idea?”

“The kind that you shouldn’t be giving to people.”

“You’re talking in circles, Chanyeol. I’m more drunk than you and you’re still not making any sense.” Baekhyun threw his head back and laughed. “But I can take a hint when I’m given one. Maybe I’m just being a stupid drunk right now, sorry.”

“I wasn’t giving you a--”

“I’m going to go dance,” Baekhyun abruptly interrupted, slapping a hand on the bar countertop. The smile on his face was nothing more than an attempt to brush Chanyeol off. He didn’t want to hear it--whatever it was. “Thank you for listening to me ramble about me and my train-wreck love life. It means a lot, Park. To be honest, I feel like we’ve become pretty good friends over these past few days! Really.”

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun leaned away from the bar and began taking small steps to distance them away from each other. “Wait.”

But Baekhyun didn’t listen (or he couldn’t hear above the music). “I’ll be fine so you can go ahead and go back to the hotel. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

He waved at Chanyeol before disappearing into the crowd, leaving the latter stunned. And a little pissed.

Pissed that all Baekhyun does is confuse Chanyeol. Then, in the same breath, he assumes the worst without letting Chanyeol have the chance to say what he wanted to say. Was it entirely Chanyeol’s fault that he didn’t know what was real or simply teasing when it came to their relationship? They were just strangers a few days ago, yet it felt like they’d been a pain in each other’s asses for years.

It almost didn’t matter at that point how long they’d had actually known each other. Being together all the time made it feel natural already.

The idea of Baekhyun developing an interest in him wasn’t entirely impossible. Neither was the wild idea that those feelings could be reciprocated, which… maybe they were. To some degree, it was. Whether it was the alcohol or not, his sober thoughts were finally realized the moment he saw Baekhyun disappear down the staircase in the midst of all the people surrounding them.

Cursing to himself, Chanyeol left the bar and followed after him.

❁ ❁ ❁

Chanyeol eventually found Baekhyun with some random man’s hands gripping his waist. They were pressed against each other with Baekhyun’s back up against the man’s chest like he didn’t even want to look at who he was dancing with. Scowling, Chanyeol approached, feeling more annoyed than usual (or, at least, more annoyed than he was a few seconds ago). Coming up from behind them, Chanyeol was quick to use his arm to shove the man away and before either of them could utter anything, Chanyeol was pulling Baekhyun more into the crowd and farther away from the man.

Eventually, when Chanyeol felt like they were far away enough that they’d lost him, he turned around and saw that Baekhyun was grinning up at him looking slightly entertained.

“If you wanted me for yourself, you didn’t have to push him off like that,” Baekhyun teased.

“Yeah, well, I wanted to make my point clear.”

Baekhyun put the palm of his hands against Chanyeol’s chest, traveling up his shoulders. “And what point was that?”

❁ ❁ ❁

When his back hit against the bathroom stall, Chanyeol could feel the club music booming through the walls, but that was the last thing on his mind when Baekhyun knelt down in front of him, eyes hooded and hands focused on undoing Chanyeol’s belt buckle.

All of this was new. Chanyeol had never done anything like this before. Blow jobs, sure. College had its wild times, especially during weekends at noisy, crowded frat parties. But in a club bathroom stall?

Chanyeol reached over and combed his hand through Baekhyun’s hair just as the latter grabbed onto the waistband of his underwear and pulled down enough to release Chanyeol’s half-hard cock.

“Are you sure?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, gripping the member in his hand and slowly fisted it as he teasingly dragged the tip of the cock against his warm, wet tongue. “Are you?”

“Yeah.”

Swallowing, Chanyeol clenched his jaw because-- yeah. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wanted this. In the midst of all the haziness, he was sober enough to know that he wanted to see-- to feel-- his cock wrapped around Baekhyun’s cherry lips. Throwing his head back, Chanyeol groaned when Baekhyun took all of him while caressing the underside of his balls before putting a hand to his mouth when they both heard the restroom door open.

Smirking, Baekhyun began bobbing his head; his rhythm slowly picking up pace with every second that passed. He looked like he enjoyed the challenge of getting Chanyeol’s moans to expose them.

Like the cocky bastard that he was.

❁ ❁ ❁

B. Jang-Mi Tweeted:

A very pretty night in Seoul. I’m happy~~~ 

❁ ❁ ❁

Chanyeol wanted to talk about it. They needed to talk about it.

But Baekhyun was more or less acting like nothing ever happened, leaving Chanyeol frustrated. He thought they’d discuss it on the way back to ChocoDaes to pick up the chocolates, but there was a last minute change in plans. Junmyeon was kind enough to drop off the wedding orders by the hotel before rushing to his family emergency. Chanyeol was happy for the new uncle, but he would’ve been lying if he didn’t admit to himself that he was actually a bit disappointed.

The day of the actual wedding was more hectic than the previous days and Chanyeol’s hangover was unrelenting despite pushing through it. The start of that morning was busy, leaving no time or room for him to speak with Baekhyun in private, and it seemed like Baekhyun had no interest in remembering the night before.

Chanyeol needed to stay by Kyungsoo’s side and, respectively, Baekhyun had to be by Jongin’s, so they only saw each other in passing the entire morning. While Kyungsoo had his groomsmen dressed in classic black suits, Jongin went with navy blue. It was the first time Chanyeol saw Baekhyun in anything else but black.

And he looked… good.

Baekhyun caught him staring in the hotel lobby as they were waiting for the rented cars to arrive and take everyone to the church for the ceremony. Chanyeol couldn’t get himself to look away when their eyes met. But when Baekhyun smiled and walked over (casual as ever), Chanyeol couldn’t remember the things he had memorized wanting to say that morning.

“Hey.” The greeting was simple. It shouldn’t have made Chanyeol that nervous--but it did. “You cleaned up nicely. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to get up this morning. How’s the hangover?”

“Pretty shitty, but I’m handling it.”

“Same here. I feel like gouging my eyes out right now,” Baekhyun said, chuckling. He looked out at the street, watching as taxis and cars went by, picking up and dropping off other hotel guests. “So, I was thinking...”

Chanyeol paused, glancing down at the man beside him.

“Thinking about what?” he asked, despite having a hunch.

“I wanted to apologize for… you know. Doing that.” Baekhyun had his lips pressed tightly together and he wasn’t making eye contact. Chanyeol got the sense that he was embarrassed to some degree. “I’m not saying I do that all the time. Club restrooms aren’t really, uh, my preference when it comes to things like that, so I’m sure it’s not yours either and…”

Baekhyun’s voice trailed off for a second. “And, um, if you regret it or if you feel like I overstepped the lines, then I’m sorry. That’s why I was thinking maybe we should just pretend nothing happened. It might help us get through the rest of this wedding trip, yeah?”

Chanyeol didn’t know how to navigate most of the loops, twists, and turns Baekhyun threw his way, but he knew for a fact that he didn’t want to pretend like nothing happened. That would’ve been impossible. Baekhyun had been the only thing on his mind since the very beginning of that trip, from the airport all the way up until then.

Hell, he was the first thing Chanyeol thought of that very morning despite the annoying hangover.

“Is that what you want?” Chanyeol found himself asking. “To pretend?”

More than that, he was surprised to hear himself sound a little more than simply upset. For all the times that Baekhyun openly toyed with him, flaunting casual confessions like he was throwing pennies in a fountain without a second thought… and now that they were two feet over that line, it suddenly dawned on Chanyeol that maybe that was all this was. A game.

But the look on Baekhyun’s face said otherwise, even if he was deliberately keeping his eyes locked elsewhere. “That’s not it. I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable if you regretted it somehow.”

“If I had any regrets, I would’ve already said something about it,” Chanyeol told him plainly. His tone was steady but firm. “And if I didn’t want it to happen in the first place, I would have just left.”

“You don’t have to say all of this just to be nice--”

Chanyeol cut him off. “For fuck’s sake, can you stop dismissing what I’m saying? I’m not saying this because I’m trying to be nice. I’m saying all of this because I--”

“Baekhyun!”

They both turned around and Chanyeol immediately recognized him as the man from the dinner party; the ex-boyfriend. He looked down at Baekhyun’s expression and found the latter frowning, but still seemingly affected. A short wave of annoyance washed over him and Chanyeol took a step forward, putting Baekhyun just slightly behind him; it was enough to make a point.

“The vans haven’t arrived yet?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No.”

The difference in the way Baekhyun spoke to the man compared to when they were speaking with one another was very apparent. Toward this man, Baekhyun was cold and distant, similar to how he used to speak to Chanyeol in the beginning. But now, Chanyeol had growned accustomed to the lively, mischievous voice that never failed to attract his every attention.

The man smiled, then turned his eyes to Chanyeol. “I don’t believe we’ve met. My name’s Kim Daehyung. Jongin’s my cousin, but I’m also an old friend of Baekhyun’s.”

Baekhyun made no comment on the introduction.

As he shook Daehyung’s hand, Chanyeol gave a curt nod. From behind, he could feel Baekhyun tugging him back, subtly showing his displeasure with their interaction. Taking the hint, Chanyeol let go. “Park Chanyeol. Kyungsoo’s best man.”

“Best man?” Daehyung’s eyes darted between the two of them. Then, a slow smile crept on his face. “I thought you two might’ve been together. You seemed close when I saw you last night.”

“I don’t see how that’d be any of your business,” Baekhyun spoke up, sounding annoyed. “Park and I aren’t--”

“Ah,” Chanyeol put a hand behind Baekhyun’s back and gripped him by the shoulder. It was enough to shut Baekhyun up. “Baekhyun and I… How should I put it? We haven’t been together for very long yet.”

That much was true. They’d only known each other for less than a week.

But that most definitely did not mean that the trip wasn’t already feeling like a whole eternity already.

“Oh. My apologies. I suppose it really isn't my business.” The remark was aimed at Baekhyun despite Daehyung’s eyes being locked with Chanyeol. “You two make for a nice couple.”

“Thanks.” Chanyeol smiled, but he could feel Baekhyun tugging again. This time, it wasn’t as gentle. Much to Chanyeol’s relief, one of the wedding vans had pulled up and a hotel employee began calling for their party. It was also around the same time Kim Daehyung’s wife approached them with a few other family members following behind her. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Daehyung said as his wife came up from behind him. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he diverted their direction to their designated driver.

Chanyeol moved to do the exact same, but the second Daehyung had turned, Baekhyun pushed away from him and began walking to their van by himself. Frowning, Chanyeol followed after, only taking a few strides to catch up.

Before he entered the vehicle, Baekhyun nodded, greeting their driver. He ignored Chanyeol altogether until Chanyeol chose to sit right next to him despite the other empty seats. The other guests and the Kim family members who they were supposed to be sharing the van with hadn’t arrived yet.

After a minute or two of silence, Chanyeol figured Baekhyun wouldn’t be the first one to break the ice, leaving it up to him whether to say something--anything at all-- or just forget about what just happened (and the things that went on the night before). And he didn’t want to do that.

Exhaling deeply, Chanyeol leaned back in the seat, keeping his eyes on the boring, grey van ceiling. “He’s a pleasant guy, isn’t he?”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

Chanyeol stopped for a second, registering Baekhyun’s words. “Do what?”

“Pretend like you and I weren’t just acquaintances.” Baekhyun crossed his arms across his chest. “Should’ve just let him be stupid on his own. Like I care what he actually thinks about me.”

Shrugging, Chanyeol leaned slightly to his left until their shoulder’s bumped.

With Baekhyun sitting closest to the window, the latter’s only other option was to shove him back the opposite way, making Chanyeol laugh.

❁ ❁ ❁

The wedding ceremony itself was simple. Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Kyungsoo blushed from all the eyes that were on him, but it was cute the way he seemed even embarrassed to kiss his now-husband despite the two being together for more than two years. PDA was never Kyungsoo’s thing and, despite it being his own wedding, the ceremony was still no exception.

As the couple made their way down the aisle together to exit the church, Chanyeol followed after them just as they had practiced. Baekhyun walked beside him, smiling and shouting cheers as they trailed behind the couple. In that moment, he looked the happiest he'd ever been during the trip.

❁ ❁ ❁

“I thought I’d take away all the attention here, but I guess I can’t compete with Kyungsoo at his own wedding.” Sniffling, Sehun wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye. They watched as Kyungsoo and Jongin mingled with their parents and siblings at the main table. “It never gets any less weird seeing my friends get married.”

Scoffing, Chanyeol lifted a cocktail in his hand to his lips. “One of these days, it’s going to be you.”

“I think I’ll be the last one of us to walk down that scary aisle,” Sehun grinned. “I don’t think I can get married until I’m in my late thirties. It’d upset the fanbase, you know! Well, unless I elope. That’s kind of a cute idea, too.”

“Call me if you need a witness.”

“Hm… I like being the center of attention and all, but what about you? All this talk about weddings and getting married, when is your turn, huh?” Nudging him with his elbow, Sehun raised his brows. He looked around the reception area for a quick second. “You’re always holed up at home doing projects. You should open Tinder every now and then.”

“Eh…” Chanyeol looked off to the side. Neither the app nor its premise ever interested him, so the suggestion felt bland. “I’m not interested in meeting just anybody.”

“No offense, but I think anybody who gets out of the house more than you will do.”

Chanyeol thought of it for a quick moment. “That’s not true. It’s not like I’ve never had any interest in anybody before.”

“I don’t think Kyungsoo counts anymore.”

“I wasn’t referring to him.” Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol shook his head before adding: “I haven’t thought seriously about Kyungsoo since college so you can stop joking about that.”

Maybe some of his feelings resurfaced for a little while during their reunion, but nothing past anything than just pure nostalgia. Chanyeol had stopped thinking about it soon after, only remembering whenever Baekhyun jokingly teased and poked fun at his obliviousness… In fact, Chanyeol wasn’t entirely sure if Baekhyun knew at all or if he was just throwing punches in the dark (pretty accurate ones). Or maybe, Baekhyun really did read him like a book the entire time.

But if Baekhyun was so good at reading him, why did it seem so difficult for them to be on the same page?

Glancing down at the drink in his hand, he wondered for a minute if Baekhyun had already begun taking advantage of the open bar. Thinking about the devil himself, Chanyeol raised his head and looked around. He realized he hadn’t seen Baekhyun since they separated upon entering the venue and went on to greet other people. They were assigned to the same table so it wasn’t the fact that Kyungsoo had organized their best men to be seated apart from one another.

Sehun’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Who are you looking for?”

“Baekhyun.”

The name slipped from his lips before Chanyeol could register what exactly he was doing by telling Sehun that particular information. As expected, the sly teasing began.

“Oh, you already have someone in mind for your wedding hookup?” Sehun covered his mouth with a hand, laughing behind it. “Which one is he again? Jongin’s friend, right? The one from the club? Was it the guy you were going to kiss? Ah, I think it is!”

Rolling his eyes as he listened to Sehun answer all of his own questions, Chanyeol set his glass aside and stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

❁ ❁ ❁

The ballroom was quite large, making it possible that Chanyeol could’ve just missed him by chance, but Chanyeol eventually found him on the patio, leaning against the wooden railing that overlooked the hotel garden with a man standing beside him. It didn’t take long to realize it was Kim Daehyung. Frowning, Chanyeol’s initial reaction was to impose. But there could’ve been a reason why the two were talking alone with Baekhyun seemingly unbothered by the latter’s presence.

Chanyeol turned to leave--maybe to saunter back into the reception area-- but a notification alert from his phone only drew the men’s attention to him. Freezing in his spot, Chanyeol raised his eyes and saw Baekhyun looking back at him with his head cocked.

Before either of them could say anything, Daehyung cleared his throat and gave Baekhyun a curt smile. “I hope you consider what I’ve said… It was nice seeing you again. Really.”

Baekhyun replied with silence, waving the man away with a hand. His attention focused back at Chanyeol who slowly approached with a half-amused look on his face, unsure of what to make of everything. For one, he could ignore the whole thing, but Chanyeol thought that they’d been doing too much of that-- ignoring things and all.

“Surprised you didn’t sock him in the face,” Chanyeol said, lightheartedly.

“That’d involve touching him,” Baekhyun replied, shrugging. “And if I did that, I think I’d vomit.”

“A bit extreme.”

“So is punching someone in the face… I mean, even if he does kind of deserve it.”

“What did he have to say?” Chanyeol found himself asking. He was curious afterall, but he never expected Baekhyun to give him anything less than a whole runaround.

Baekhyun shrugged again, grinning up at the man towering over him. “Well, you won’t catch me in a bathroom stall with him later-- if that’s what you’re wondering about.”

It was meant to be a joke, but Chanyeol didn’t find it funny in the least. He could feel his face becoming slightly flushed. Luckily, they were outside and he was facing away from the light coming from inside the hotel, but he could see Baekhyun’s face clearly. Despite being alone with the so-called ex-boyfriend just a second ago, Baekhyun looked like he was in a good mood. Though, Chanyeol didn’t know if that was because of him or…

The possibility annoyed Chanyeol.

The possibility that Baekhyun’s smile wasn’t because of him, but rather because of some unfortunate news like Daehyung getting a divorce and being newly single. Or whatever the fuck is considered “good news” to Baekhyun. Not that it should even matter, but--

Chanyeol jolted when he felt two hands cup his face. His eyes darted back down until they locked eyes with the man who was nothing more than a stranger just a few days ago. Surprise overtook him when Baekhyun stood at the top of his feet and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

It didn’t even last a full second before Baekhyun pulled away. He drew his hands back, but slid one down Chanyeol’s arm until they were barely--just barely-- holding hands.

“Let’s go take advantage of the open bar!” Baekhyun laughed, dragging Chanyeol to the door. “It’ll be nice to get drinks without paying for it, right?”

Chanyeol didn’t say anything in return, still in a daze over the kiss on his cheek that barely lasted long enough for him to replay it back in his mind. However, by the time they re-entered the ballroom, Chanyeol got a hold of himself and paused, jerking Baekhyun back when he suddenly stopped complying with the latter’s leadership.

Looking back at him, Baekhyun wore a confused expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

When Chanyeol responded, he didn’t directly reply to the question. Rather, he made a statement: “Dance with me.”

Baekhyun contemplated for a moment, possibly wondering about the possible consequences of being seen dancing with the other best man. It was the sort of hesitation that Chanyeol hadn’t seen from him before; like there was a hint of shyness.

But the brief squeeze Chanyeol felt on his hand was enough.

Smiling, Chanyeol led them to the dance floor and away from the direction of the open bar (much to his surprise, Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind at all).

❁ ❁ ❁

The night felt like it lasted forever, yet at the same time, it ended too quickly. At least, in Chanyeol’s opinion. Looking down beside him, Chanyeol scoffed at the sight of Baekhyun holding onto his arm as they walked down their floor hallway, nearing both their rooms. It wasn’t that the latter was completely wasted. In fact, Baekhyun probably drank less that night than the whole time they were there that week. But weddings were exhausting and Baekhyun was popular amongst all the guests. From catching Kyungsoo’s wedding bouquet and having a dance battle with the girl who caught Jongin’s flower pin--not to mention that, for some reason, there seemed to be many people who wanted to take photos with the man himself-- Baekhyun was dead-beat exhausted.

But he looked happy and having him close by made Chanyeol feel content to the point where he wanted more. The night was still young, but he wasn’t sure where the boundaries were.

When they reached their rooms, Chanyeol hesitated. He felt Baekhyun hesitating, too, but he eventually let go of Chanyeol’s arm and staggered over to his door.

Turning back around, he offered a small smile-- one that said he didn’t want things to end just yet either. “I had fun,” he said quietly. “I actually take it back. Maybe you actually do know how to let loose every once in a while. I don’t think I’ve ever seen those dance moves.”

Chanyeol brushed off the comment, but he could feel his face getting hot again. He could tell that Baekhyun was teasing him and his freestyle dancing. It wasn’t something that he was proud of, but he figured that he’d leave his pride at the door. They were celebrating their best friends’ wedding.

Still, he was embarrassed now that the high was finally settling down and the night was coming to an end. “Yeah, well you’re not too hot at dancing yourself.”

“Ah, true. But I am hot, in general.“

“Yeah, you are,” Chanyeol found himself saying.

Baekhyun paused as he tapped his hotel card against the lock. There was an audible click that passed before Baekhyun realized the door had unlocked. Quickly, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

He stopped for a split second, seemingly unsure, but in the end, he took a step inside and gave Chanyeol a small grin. “Thanks for being the loveliest wedding date a man could ask for.”

Nodding, Chanyeol swallowed dryly. “My pleasure... I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Sure.”

“Good-night, Baekhyun.”

“You, too.”

After Baekhyun went inside and closed the door, Chanyeol did the same, but he stood inside his room, leaning against the entrance wall for a good fucking while. Just staring at the opposite wall, practically memorizing the way patterns on the wallpaper.

Shit.

Something didn’t feel right and Chanyeol knew exactly what it was. He felt it and he also saw it in Baekhyun’s eyes. The same thing was on both of their minds and yet they both hesitated. And for what? Baekhyun had always been upfront about everything, yet Chanyeol could feel the latter cowering away with every step that Chanyeol took that closed the distance between them even more.

But one thing was for sure; they’d keep going in circles unless someone stopped the perpetual motion that they were on.

Fuck it.

Chanyeol pushed himself off the wall and grabbed the handle on his door, swinging it open. Just as he was about to rush out and march across the hall, he came to an abrupt halt when he saw Baekhyun standing in front of his door with a hand halfway through the air like he was just about to knock.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Chanyeol reached forward and pulled Baekhyun inside by his dress shirt collar. Standing up on his toes, Baekhyun pulled him down for a kiss just as Chanyeol maneuvered him until they were back up against the wall he had just been on, contemplating all of this--practically wasting time.

Pulling away briefly, Baekhyun cupped his hands against Chanyeol’s face, long enough to ask, “Listen, are you sure? Because I know I come across really strong and pull you along to things so if you’re just trying to be nice and--”

Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol muttered against his lips, “Yes, I’m sure. Now shut up.”

❁ ❁ ❁

The sound of consecutive notifications ringing off his phone woke Chanyeol up the next morning. Rolling over his bed, he grabbed the device off the side table and peeked one eye open to see that it was nothing more than Twitter sending the most useless push notifications. Groaning, his hands fell back on the bed and he closed his eyes again--only to open them when he remembered what had happened on the night before.

Gasping, he sat up and looked to the other side of the bed, which had been completely made. The comforter was set, the pillow was fluffed… but there was no one there. Rubbing the back of his neck, Chanyeol threw his legs to the side and got up to dress himself. After splashing some water on his face and changing into new clothes, he left his room to knock on Baekhyun’s door. He felt nervous again, but it was a different type of anxiety than the one he felt the night before when he had done the exact same thing.

Taking in a deep breath, he knocked three times and stepped away from the door. After waiting for a minute and hearing nothing, Chanyeol knocked again.When no one came to the door a second time, he pulled out his phone to call. There was the slight chance that Baekhyun might’ve accidentally gone back to sleep in his own hotel room, but…

Chanyeol had his doubts.

And those doubts were confirmed when a hotel staffer came from behind him. “I apologize, sir. But may I get through?”

Thinking that the man only needed him to step off to the side so he could walk through, Chanyeol moved against the wall, but felt shocked when the staff member used an all-access key to get inside the room. Before thinking, Chanyeol put a hand on the door to prevent it from closing shut and peered inside.

The room didn’t look occupied at all. No suitcases, no clothes strewn around-- There was nothing. It looked like Baekhyun never even resided in the room; almost like he just left and vanished.

Chanyeol looked at his phone again to see if he had gotten any new messages, but none of them were from Baekhyun.

Fucking hell.

There was nothing he could do when the onset of regret started washing over him. Cursing to himself, Chanyeol began walking down the hallway to the elevators. If he was going to be upset about things, he might as well eat his goddamn feelings.

Once inside the small space by himself, he leaned against the railing and stared at the floor numbers.

Fuck.

He really did get sucked into the whole wedding mood. There was a chance that Sehun was right all along-- and Chanyeol really hated to fucking admit he was right about anything. But maybe Chanyeol’s feelings really were just from the high of being there, away from his usual life. The whole trip felt like a mix between a fever dream and a dream vacation all in one. The whole whirlwind romance cliche was even included at no extra cost.

Groaning, he stepped off the elevator once it got to the lobby, fully intending on making a beeline straight to the breakfast dining area, but--by pure luck--he found Baekhyun sitting in the lobby in front of the concierge desk with his legs crossed and face fully focused on his phone. There wasn’t a hint of remorse or regret on his face (his body language wasn’t saying anything much either). It was then that Chanyeol lost what little composure he had in the midst of his angsty thoughts, post-wedding hangover, and empty stomach.

Striding over to the man (his one-night stand?), Chanyeol stood in front of him within mere seconds, gently pushing the phone down until it was on Baekhyun’s lap.

When they locked eyes, Chanyeol half-expected Baekhyun to blush or shy away. In truth, he didn’t really know how someone would act in a situation such as being caught running away after a night of really good sex, but what does Chanyeol know. None of this shit ever happened in his books.

To his surprise, Baekhyun gave him a smile, almost like he was excited to see him, which didn’t make much sense in Chanyeol’s mind.

“Well, aren’t you a big ray of sunshine this morning?” Baekhyun chuckled, covering his lips with his fingers to hide his laugh. “Your hair’s sticking out everywhere. It makes you look a little naughty, if I really have to be honest with you.”

Chanyeol made no comment on that. His eyes caught sight of the suitcase next to Baekhyun’s legs. “Really? This is how you’re going to act?”

Curious, Baekhyun tilted his head slightly to the right. “I don’t understand.”

“I think you and I have wasted enough time going back and forth this whole trip.” Chanyeol muttered something under his breath before cursing. “I’m going to say this once. I’m fucking interested in you.”

Baekhyun blinked. “To be fair, I think sleeping with someone means you are interested in them to some extent--”

“Listen, I’m pissed.” His tone stopped Baekhyun from speaking any further, “because you went around stringing me along this whole time. Couldn’t you have gone and found someone else to mess with? I’m pretty sure you could’ve found other ‘gentlemen’ to spend your nights with. You’re fucking good-looking. It wouldn’t be that hard, believe me.”

“Well, thank you for validating my sex appeal.”

“Didn’t I say to listen?”

Exasperated, Baekhyun’s shoulders slanted, easing on the tension. “I didn’t string you along for shits and giggles, Chanyeol. I actually do find you cute and charming, but I just don’t think… Well, in your words--not mine-- ‘we’re not compatible’.”

“When the hell did I say that?”

“To Kyungsoo. The day before the wedding.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Baekhyun groaned. “Also, can you sit down? I’m getting tired looking up at you.”

Looking behind him, Chanyeol spotted a circular ottoman and dragged it over until it was right in front of where Baekhyun was sitting on the sofa. After Chanyeol sat down, Baekhyun glanced down at his phone again and showed Chanyeol his flight information.

“I have a flight back to Los Angeles this afternoon. It’s urgent, that’s why I didn’t, you know… bother with the whole morning routine thing. I thought I’d save you the trouble, anyways. Let’s face it, this was fun but it’d probably be easier for you to just pretend this was a one-time thing and--”

“I’m convinced you’re deaf and dense.”

“Huh?”

“Did you not hear what I said? I’m interested in you, Baekhyun. Granted, yeah, I’m pissed off, too, but if you haven’t noticed, I don’t want to pretend this was just a fluke on some wedding trip.” Chanyeol paused. “I did say that we weren’t compatible, but I only said that because I didn’t know how I felt at the time because you were constantly on and off!”

“On and off? I’ve been nothing but clear--”

“I’m sure that you’re convinced that you were clear, but let me just tell you-- you weren’t.”

Baekhyun drew his brows together. “Well, it doesn’t matter. You said we weren’t compatible and it’s true. Maybe we just got caught with everything else that was going on this week.”

“So, then let’s see each other... Outside all of this.”

“What do you mean?”

Chanyeol ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. “I know you’ve only been annoying the little hell out of me for, like what? 5 days now?”

“That’s--”

“But I wouldn’t mind if you bothered me… some more back in the States.” That part was the hardest to say. Not because he was opening up about what he wanted, but because Chanyeol felt it in his bones: he was being fucking corny as hell. Surprisingly, Baekhyun didn’t laugh at all. “I do like you. You’ve been on my nerves this whole time, but… also on my mind. Seeing you again in the future doesn’t sound so bad.”

Baekhyun pursed his lips together. “I’m going to give you, like, another minute to think about what you just said because if you’re only doing this to be nice, then I’d rather not.”

“I’m not being nice. I’m telling you I want to see you again. I won’t have my flight until next Saturday, but when I go back to the States, let’s meet up. Drag me along to places that’s not a club because I feel like we’ve done enough of that in the past week.”

Snorting, Baekhyun looked away for a second before crossing his arms. He said nothing immediately, lamenting over the thought, but the way he was tapping his fingers on his arm seemed like a decent sign to Chanyeol. It only meant that the latter was seriously giving it some thought. For some reason it was almost comical to him that he was there, sitting on the world’s most uncomfortable ottoman, asking to see the one person he never wanted to see again at the beginning of their trip.

But, for all the uncertainty Chanyeol felt throughout the whole thing, he was sure that this was what he wanted.

“If you’re actually being serious… then yeah. I’d… also like to see you and your, um, face again. In the future.” Baekhyun cleared his throat but didn’t dare make eye contact just yet. Despite being brave and brazen before, being open about his own feelings without using jokes and sarcasm as a cover seemed to be Baekhyun’s achilles heel…

Which Chanyeol thought was cute.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… I mean…” Baekhyun raised his eyes and gave a short, subtle shrug. “You are my number one fan. I suppose I could give you a chance. Isn’t this, like, every fan’s wet dream?”

It sounded like a joke… It probably was.

But Chanyeol didn’t get it.

Confused, Chanyeol cocked his head. “Huh?”

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back on the sofa. “Flowers in the Rain, stupid. Your so-called beloved author-nim.”

Still, it doesn’t register.

“I don’t understand.”

Baekhyun looked at him as if he was trying to decipher if his leg was being pulled or not. When he came to the conclusion that Chanyeol was genuinely confused, Baekhyun found himself appearing dumbfounded.

“I’m convinced you’re the one who’s hard of hearing! And extremely dense!”

“Well, if you’re not going to just say it outright, then how the hell am I supposed to know what you’re talking about!”

“Mr. Byun. Your taxi is right outside.”

Both of them raised their heads to the hotel staff member. For a moment, Chanyeol forgot about that Baekhyun was in the middle of leaving for a flight and they were sitting in the lobby.

Smiling, Baekhyun nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

Once the man left, Baekhyun reached for his luggage and set it on the floor. Kneeling down, he unzipped one of the bag’s front pockets and pulled out a small photocard with a nostalgic scenery design printed on the front. Along with it, he got out a sharpie pen.

Chanyeol recognized the print. He’d seen it before as promotional print for--

Baekhyun popped the cap off the sharpie with his teeth and scribbled something on the card. After he finished. He stood up and handed both to Chanyeol. “I’ll keep in touch, dummy.”

Smiling, Baekhyun leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Chanyeol’s cheek. When the giant looked up startled and in a daze, Baekhyun laughed as he pulled away. “See ya.”

Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun walked away, following the hotel staff out the door-- then back to the card.

And then back to Baekhyun again.

Like always, Baekhyun had to have the last word… and with Chanyeol being left speechless, Baekhyun got what he wanted after all.

❁ ❁ ❁

Flowers in the Rain

To: Park Chanyeol,

Thank you for supporting me! Please look forward to my future works. You’re quite the inspiration!

Best,

B. Jiang-Mi