work is a four letter word
work is a four letter word
baekhyun/kyungsoo, pg-13, general/crack idk
the sinking magazine kyungsoo works for gets an extra team member to pull off a Titanic save, who seems only to encourage kyungsoo to gallivant around during work. you'd expect kyungsoo to know better.
originally written for chinguline
When Kyungsoo jerked awake drooling into his pillow to what does not sound like his regular morning alarm, he should’ve gotten the hint that today wasn’t going to go great.
Reason one being that the message that woke him up is from his executive editor, Minseok, demanding that he be in the office in twenty, which leaves Kyungsoo a grand total of two minutes to get ready. His tie is rumpled when he makes it out of the door, which is never a good omen. Kyungsoo had had Chanyeol trip and spill an entire cup of instant coffee, undissolved lumps and all over his newly annotated and sketched draft for Issue 75 the last time it’d happened.
Kyungsoo makes it to the office two minutes late, but Minseok shuffles him in grimly. Reason number two, Kyungsoo finds on the red line cutting jaggedly across the powerpoint slide, is that their sales have been falling for the third month running, and they are all on the brink of being shit out of a job if they don’t do something drastic, Minseok informs the room. Kyungsoo sees Jongdae, journalist, barely awake enough to keep his nose out of his paper cup of coffee, Chanyeol, photographer cum marketing department cum welfare representative, whose eyes are puffy enough to look like he’s been stung by a bee, Lu Han, other journalist who’s staring straight at the table seemingly insentient, and Minseok. Kyungsoo’s always wondered why their boardroom is so big when the entire team behind this magazine is about five people large, with Minseok being the entirety of management and editorial department. Quite fitting a team for a magazine that’s had only dwindling readership since it started three years ago, when Kyungsoo was fresh-faced and earnest looking for a job fresh out of college. Three years later Kyungsoo’s figuring out how fit an ad for Hot Singles in the Area! next to Chanyeol’s picture of the next best café in town to visit and wondering if this is what he’d signed up to do.
Of course not, but sometimes the more you envision a shiny big office and a pay raise the more the world hands you the exact opposite. In all honesty, he’s proud of each issue he formats - fitting each piece the articles department churns out next to Chanyeol’s pictures like a jigsaw puzzle, then topping it all off with classy graphic design, if he must say so. It’s just that, for reasons that are beyond Kyungsoo, EXO has as much takeoff as a slowly but surely deflating balloon. The articles are engaging, his artistic design is plenty appealing and the content is solid, but here they are facing impending extinction.
There’s one last person looking a little too chipper for 7 AM that Kyungsoo doesn’t recognize, matching a leather jacket with a white shirt and skinny tie. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes a little - what is this, the 70s mafia? It probably would look fetching on the guy if Kyungsoo didn’t have his astigmatism contacts on, but it’s still ridiculous for an office setting. Minseok sits at the head of the table with his elbows propped up and his fingers laced.
“We’ve been handed an ultimatum,” Minseok says. “We get one more issue to pull ourselves out of the nosedive our readership has been going in, or EXO is going out of print. Dead. Kaput.”
It’s quite possibly the worst news Kyungsoo’s heard in his entire artistic directing career. It wakes him right up to stare at Minseok, who meets his eyes with pursed lips.
“So we’ll have to go all out,” Minseok continues, reaching over to pinch Lu Han awake. “We have Baekhyun here - management’s pulled him here from Lightyear to give us some help, and he’ll be working with us all very closely.”
Baekhyun grins from his end of the table, all veneer-white teeth and crinkly eyes. “Nice to meet all of you. I’m very excited to help!” Baekhyun seems more amused than anything else at their set-up and it irks Kyungsoo, just a little. Small as it may be, the magazine’s still what Kyungsoo calls his second home.
“Maybe you can start with what you think of EXO,” Minseok gives him a tired little smile.
Baekhyun smiles. “The writing is pretty solid, and whatever’s new in town is always good gimmicky content, but I think the design lacks just a tad. Especially the cover - that’s what people see first among the newsstands, and EXO’s not gonna show next to the bikini babes and gossip magazines. Brighter colours would be nice, for one.”
Kyungsoo’s miffed, not going to lie. Baekhyun might be good at what he does, but every issue is painstakingly put together by Kyungsoo to look as professional as he can make anything look and to hear it straight from a stranger - it pinches. Like an ant bite - hurts a little too cuttingly for something so simple. He keeps his face straight.
Minseok nods. “This is Jongdae and Lu Han, journalists,” both Jongdae and Lu Han give a little wave as Minseok points to them, “Kyungsoo, artistic department.” Kyungsoo can see Baekhyun’s raised eyebrows at artistic, and then the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth quirks up a little, unskilfully suppressed, when he catches Kyungsoo’s rumpled tie. Kyungsoo tugs on the tip of his tie as surreptitiously as he can.
“And Chanyeol who does everything else.” Kyungsoo’s pretty sure that’s not a good thing, but Chanyeol’s grin seems to suggest he thinks otherwise. Baekhyun stands to shake the hands of everyone around the table, and Kyungsoo’s not sure if he’s imagining it when Baekhyun extends his hand with his smile looking a tiny bit too shark-like for Kyungsoo’s tastes. His canines are sharp, if nothing else. “Nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo manages, and this close Kyungsoo has to cut his eyes upwards just a tiny bit to meet Baekhyun’s.
Baekhyun smiles, shakes Kyungsoo’s hand and dusts some pretend lint off Kyungsoo’s tie, and turns to Minseok. “Shall we start in your office, then?”
Kyungsoo exchanges a look with Jongdae as Minseok leads Baekhyun out of the boardroom, and Baekhyun realises reason number three blazing through their office with unbearable cologne is also the reason why his entire future isn’t looking too peachy.
----
Baekhyun’s waiting for Kyungsoo the very next morning, fiddling with his phone on the chair opposite Kyungsoo’s.
“Good morning,” Baekhyun’s smile is maybe genial, maybe territorial. Kyungsoo gingerly takes a seat at his chair as if Baekhyun has it strapped to several explosive devices.
“Good morning?”
“Just here to watch you do your thing, don’t mind me,” Baekhyun grins as he leans back across Kyungsoo. “Pretend I’m not here.”
As if Kyungsoo is supposed to suspend all realities in his office as he works. Kyungsoo looks at Baekhyun just a second too long - he’s been told by multiple people that this gets unnerving and sometimes he brings it out just to shut Chanyeol up - then starts up Photoshop. Baekhyun seems unfazed out of the corner of his eye, the edge of his lips turned up ever so slightly. Kyungsoo wants a bruise to blossom at the exact spot and he would be rather willing, in all honesty, to deliver it. He hasn’t forgotten what Baekhyun said yesterday.
Chanyeol and Jongdae haven’t given him too much to work with so far for this issue - nothing, really. Mostly Kyungsoo comes up with a rough sketch of each page while waiting for Jongdae to do god knows what in his office, for Lu Han to do god knows what in Minseok’s office and for Chanyeol to go on “assignments” doing god knows what, then lives on coffee and adrenaline in the days up to print deadline trying to fit Jongdae’s too many/too little words into his outline, or sifting through Chanyeol’s million and one pictures choking his inbox full to find one that’s suitably related to the article. Lu Han’s stuff comes in, predictably, twelve hours before print.
Baekhyun watches the back of his monitor for a while, quiet, then pushes his chair right over next to Kyungsoo. His presence is overpowering. Kyungsoo has never felt more uncomfortable in his office that’s usually his safe haven from the people he works with. Chanyeol has learnt the hard way not to traverse the invisible, but very much bolded line the front edge of his table makes. The hairs on Kyungsoo’s neck shoot up immediately, bristling in consternation and discomfort.
“Maybe I should take you through what I do,” Kyungsoo says slowly. Baekhyun’s shit-eating grin is back and god, what is it about obnoxious people and personal space? What is it about Kyungsoo and his apparent fate with obnoxious people who have no concept of personal space?
“Don’t trouble yourself on my expense,” Baekhyun says.
“It’s no trouble,” Kyungsoo says, though it is, but he has manners. Turning his monitor so Baekhyun can see, Kyungsoo pulls up the page he’d done yesterday.
“This is what I do while journal and images work on the articles and photography for the issue,” Kyungsoo blows it up like he’s presenting to senior management in SM Holdings, clears his throat. “Work out a rough outline when I get the article ideas from Minseok and set out spaces for each article and accompanying picture.”
“How do you know how much space the articles and pictures will take up?”
“I don’t,” Kyungsoo says. “But I don’t want to scramble when the articles come in - the first few issues were a mess.”
“That’s… interesting,” Baekhyun says, “Do you read the stuff when it comes in?”
“Of course,” Kyungsoo says indignantly, much more defensive than he would like to be. “What do you think I do before print?”
Baekhyun holds his hands up. “Whoa there, didn’t mean to be rude. I just haven’t seen anyone work this way before - then again, I guess journal and images don’t stick to how regular publishing places work either.”
No shit, Sherlock. It’s a five-man team; it’s luck on their side that they manage to get anything out by print every week. Kyungsoo probably also owes Starbucks a spot in his thank-you speech for his work life. “It works well enough for us.”
Baekhyun looks less than convinced. “Besides, I need a plan to show Minseok before I put everything together.” The words spill out of Kyungsoo’s mouth on their own. Apparently he doesn’t wear defensiveness gracefully, but Baekhyun’s clearly not the most tactful either, so they’re even. The point that Kyungsoo is getting all up in arms about an imaginary competition is not the point.
Baekhyun still has his eyebrows slightly raised. Kyungsoo immediately sets up a staring competition across his armrest, and Baekhyun leans in just a tad so Kyungsoo goes slightly cross-eyed, but he rights himself and Baekhyun’s eyes are pretty magnetic - magnetically pretty? Kyungsoo realises belatedly that he forgot his astigmatism contacts today - anyway, so -
“Ummmmm,” Jongdae’s voice comes from the door and Baekhyun jumps (blinks first). Kyungsoo turns.
“Sorry if I’m disrupting anything,” Jongdae’s eyebrows have disappeared into his nearly receding hairline, “I need to borrow your printer.”
“You aren’t disrupting anything,” Kyungsoo says loudly, his cheeks heating up for some absurd reason, “and why haven’t you fixed yours yet?”
“Because I can just come use yours,” Jongdae replies and sets up shop at the other chair across from Kyungsoo. “What are you guys up to?”
“Just understanding more about the way you work,” Baekhyun smiles. Kyungsoo takes a deep, measured breath.
“Maybe you should find out more about how Jongdae works,” Kyungsoo says, eager to get annoying colleagues and frustrating attractive consultants out of his sight so he can work in peace.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Baekhyun says and stands up, grinning at Kyungsoo. “I’ll see you soon, don’t get too frazzled in the meantime. You seem a little stuffy. It’s gonna turn out fine.” Kyungsoo is well aware that it’ll turn out fine. Baekhyun’s grand sweep of his arm makes him look plenty ridiculous.
“I’m not stuffy,” Kyungsoo manages, and Baekhyun has the cheek to reach out and tug on the knot of his tie to loosen it. Kyungsoo’s tie has only been this loose when he’s matched Chanyeol shot for shot to have Chanyeol passed out under the table. Kyungsoo’s pretty sure his blood pressure is off the charts, whether at the crescents forming Baekhyun’s eyes or at the sheer boldness Baekhyun has while delivering a sort-of insult. Probably mostly the crescent eyes. Kyungsoo’s not stuffy.
“Sure,” Baekhyun says, following Jongdae out of the room and Kyungsoo gets a glimpse of Jongdae’s waggling eyebrows before the door shuts.
Kyungsoo doesn’t manage to work on much of his outline even when his office is as quiet as he needs it to be, but it’s not because of the crescent eyes. At all.
---
Baekhyun’s waiting for Kyungsoo again when he gets in the next morning, legs crossed and scrolling through his phone. Kyungsoo shudders to think about how he might deal with this turning into a daily affair - it’s not like he lay awake last night still bristling about his tie and the dented upturned corners of Baekhyun’s mouth. He’d had a very good night of sleep last night, thank you very much.
“Good morning,” Baekhyun greets him brightly. “I’ve figured it out.”
This is probably not great news. Kyungsoo’s starting to regret taking the risk of deviation today by not wearing a tie.
“Figured what out?”
“What you need to do.”
Not even Minseok has walked into Kyungsoo’s office and told him what to do. Kyungsoo is flabbergasted at this point.
Kyungsoo probably doesn’t look as offended as he feels, because Baekhyun barrels on. “Forcing yourself - and journal, and images, and editorial - is the problem. Your stuff is good - really good on its own, but it just feels…” Baekhyun gestures vaguely. “Tight?”
Kyungsoo will not let his mind read that in the millions of ways it can be interpreted. “Tight is good. Neat.”
Baekhyun makes one of those faces that could similarly mean a million things, but probably really means lol no. “Maybe you should wait for everything to come in and see what happens. Tell a story with your layout.”
“And what do you propose I do while I wait for everything to come in,” Kyungsoo makes sure to slather on the sarcasm, “because then I’ll have literally 12 hours to finish a week’s work.”
“Go to a café or something,” Baekhyun shrugs, “Go bowling. Take a shit. Drive down Hangang and feel the wind on your cheeks, I don’t know.”
Kyungsoo would’ve laughed at the ridiculousness of the suggestions if Baekhyun wasn’t totally the type of person that would think it meant he was hilarious. “In the middle of work?”
“There’s nothing to work on if you’re waiting for it to come in,” Baekhyun says, “look, I’ll even buy you a coffee.”
The rebuttal- Kyungsoo doesn’t even know what - that had come up before he’d actually heard Baekhyun chokes Kyungsoo’s throat. “Are you asking me out?”
Baekhyun waggles his eyebrows, that infuriating smile denting his cheek again. “If you want me to.” What the fuck.
“We’re two-day-old acquaintances,” Kyungsoo manages. Baekhyun shrugs again.
“Maybe you can think of it as a blind date.”
“All the blind dates I’ve been on have been disastrous,” Kyungsoo tells Baekhyun. They have. God knows the number of times he’s told his brother you tried, which is coincidentally the number of times he’s been set up minus the times he begged off. The last time he’d turned up at the restaurant to meet Jongdae’s friend of a friend of a friend he’d found Chanyeol, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re not Jongdae’s friend of a friend of a friend,” Kyungsoo had said.
“Technically, I’m your friend and you’re Minseok’s friend, who is Jongdae’s friend, so yes,” Chanyeol had said.
“We’re not friends,” Kyungsoo had told him, and you can guess how that had turned out. So Kyungsoo thinks he’s well allowed to be rather wary of blind dates.
“There’s always a first time for everything,” Baekhyun says standing up with a twinkle in his eye, and maybe Kyungsoo just wants to prove himself right.
“I get to choose where, then.”
“After you,” Baekhyun pulls Kyungsoo’s door open, and before Kyungsoo can protest that this is his office that Baekhyun has so rudely assumed as his own, Baekhyun slings his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and they’re off to gallivant in cafés in the middle of work.
---
School Coffee is a cozy café that Kyungsoo spends weekend afternoons at sometimes, curled up with a nice book and the café’s specialty Americano. When Kyungsoo greets the barista Jonghyun and sees his eyes dart to Baekhyun, Kyungsoo immediately regrets bringing Baekhyun here. In his defence Baekhyun’s ability to talk incessantly about nothing at all is very distracting - he hasn’t had his eardrums assaulted this badly since Chanyeol. Kyungsoo promises himself never to be in the same room as Baekhyun and Chanyeol together.
“Charming,” Baekhyun comments, taking a seat at the low table in the corner. “This feels like meeting the parents. Didn’t expect that for a first date.”
Kyungsoo whips his head over. “What?”
“You know, like taking me home… you obviously come here often.”
“This is a …work discussion,” Kyungsoo manages, “not a date.”
Baekhyun nods seriously. “I can do euphemisms, no problem.”
Kyungsoo takes a deep, deep breath. “Jonghyun will know my order.”
While Baekhyun makes his way to the counter, Kyungsoo pulls his notebook out. Baekhyun’s in for a ride if he thinks Kyungsoo will actually squander today away - he’s got to have a plan to present to Minseok tomorrow and he’s only halfway through the pages. Page eleven will have Jongdae’s supposed article on the up-and-coming hip street in Edae, twelve for a recipe by one of the chefs, and thirteen for Lu Han’s review on this new hamburger place. Maybe a border around -
“I thought we said to wait,” Baekhyun’s voice comes startling Kyungsoo out of concentration. The Americano that he sets down smells heavenly.
“I have to show Minseok something tomorrow,” Kyungsoo says. He’s already thinking about the fonts - the up-and-coming street will probably need something jazzier, maybe a three colour contrast palette.
“Don’t worry about that,” Baekhyun says with an airy wave of his hand. “I talked about it to Minseok and he agreed to cancel the outline for this week.”
That gets Kyungsoo ramrod straight in his chair. “What?”
“Try something different this issue, it’s your last chance anyway,” Baekhyun takes a sip of a creamy-looking drink. Figures he’d drink Mickey Mouse coffee. “Live a little. Procrastinate for once. Try some rainbow sprinkles with your Americano.”
“I live plenty.” Kyungsoo shudders a little at the thought of rainbow sprinkles in his coffee.
Baekhyun reaches over to pluck Kyungsoo’s notebook out of his hands and tuck it right under his butt. “Cheers!”
Kyungsoo takes a sip of his non-voluntarily clinked paper cup. Baekhyun grins.
“You know, I didn’t mean to say that your stuff is bad the first time, because you’re good. Really.” Kyungsoo braces himself for the but, but it doesn’t come.
“You just need to let yourself loose a little,” Baekhyun continues, foam staining his upper lip, “Don’t draw circles around yourself. I’ve seen the stuff you submitted way back in your resume, that was amazing. Exactly what EXO needs.” Apparently flattery gets Kyungsoo harder than he’d expected. Suddenly the foam on Baekhyun’s upper lip looks very inviting.
“You’ve -“
Baekhyun smiles another of those smiles that makes the foam look terrifyingly inviting. “Minseok showed me, you should do more of that.” Kyungsoo remembers the stuff in his resume - a portfolio of the stuff he’d done in university, picking his topics and putting exactly what he’d felt
like down in pixels. Work deadlines don’t go very well with Kyungsoo’s heart.
“I have deadlines to meet.”
Baekhyun shrugs, the corner of his mouth dented. “Procrastination is a stellar way to live, by the way. Just a tip.”
“How would you suggest I procrastinate, then,” Kyungsoo asks, folding his arms. Baekhyun doesn’t even blink an eye, to his credit.
“We could play twenty questions?”
“Why would I -“
“It’s fun,” Baekhyun grins, “and that’s one. Now you have to answer one of mine. Why have your blind dates always gone disastrous?”
Kyungsoo looks at him. “I’d like to know too. Do you always ask questions this forward with acquaintances?”
“Yes, and we’re colleagues now, so less degrees of separation. Why design?”
“Why not?”
Baekhyun breaks into a big grin. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type. Why Americano?”
“It’s strong enough for the people I have to deal with in the office. What type?”
“You know. More like the accountant with coke-bottle glasses type. What’s your favourite movie?”
Kyungsoo shrugs. “I like fantasy movies. Did you think I was EXO’s finance department or something?”
Baekhyun squishes his lip around in thought, then nods. “I guess, maybe editorial or something. What about fantasy movies do you like?”
“They’re interesting. I don’t even wear glasses to work.”
“That’s not a question.” Baekhyun’s leaning forward now so the only thing Kyungsoo can see is his face, and he’s stumped. The only question that comes to his mind is: “What’s your favourite movie?”
“Pirates of the Carribbean. Is this your favourite café?”
Kyungsoo nods. “It’s quiet the way I like it. Where’s your favourite café?” Kyungsoo figures there’s no need to be too creative with Baekhyun.
“I don’t really have one - I don’t go to cafes that much. Who do you usually come here with?”
“No one. Why?”
“Nothing. So I’m the first person you brought to your favourite place?”
This gets Kyungsoo a little when he realises Baekhyun is. What the fuck. He hasn’t even come here with Minseok, who is the most acceptable of his colleagues. “…yes.”
Baekhyun still has a hint of the foam on his upper lip, now curved in a frighteningly unnerving smile he’s seen on Sehun’s cat when she catches a rat. Kyungsoo feels like the rat backed into a corner, but for some strange reason his adrenaline is firing his veins up. A fine example of the animalistic flight or fight response - Kyungsoo’s high school biology teacher would be proud. “Your question,” Baekhyun prompts.
“What are you going to do after this issue if we don’t manage to bring sales up?”
“I don’t entertain the possibility of us not bringing sales up,” Baekhyun tells him, and with no preamble, he continues: “Do you wanna go out with me?”
For the third time in his life, Kyungsoo is stumped. He’s sensing a pattern here. “….what?”
“We could hang out again tomorrow here, I’m pretty sure Jongdae and Lu Han will get their stuff in by the end of tomorrow. And then you have one whole day to work on the layout! Imagine that.”
“I…” Kyungsoo has no idea what to say, especially when he finds himself following Baekhyun’s maybe slightly nervous lick of his lip and discovers that he’s not too opposed to the idea of making out with Baekhyun, but probably rather opposed to the idea of romancing Baekhyun under candlelight. If that makes sense, because he’s not sure it does. “This isn’t a date.”
Baekhyun shrugs like yeah, so. “We could go on one tomorrow. “
“In the middle of work?”
“You already said that about today,” Baekhyun’s twinkle of his eye is again infuriatingly charming. “We could call it team bonding or something.”
“Euphemisms are dumb,” Kyungsoo says before he can help himself, “I’ll see you at the bowling alley in Yongsan tomorrow morning.”
Kyungsoo can’t decide if Baekhyun’s grin in return erases or adds to his immediate cringing regret.
---
Baekhyun turns out to be a pretty good loser. Kyungsoo just edges him out with five points after a game despite being a bowling virgin (though by the looks of it, Baekhyun is probably one in self-denial as well) and gets to finish the table of bowling bar snacks Baekhyun buys.
“You said you’ve never bowled before,” Baekhyun accuses as he hands Kyungsoo a plastic tray of nachos.
“Like once or twice,” Kyungsoo admits. “But that was a long time ago.”
“Still,” Baekhyun says, “you were pretty good.” Instance Two of flattery getting Kyungsoo in the gut. It’s almost embarrassing that he’s so easy. He’s not. This isn’t a date.
“Will Jongdae and Lu Han really get their stuff in today,” Kyungsoo says to distract Baekhyun from his obviously heating cheeks.
“Yes,” Baekhyun says, “affirmative. Or at least, that’s what Minseok told them, and I can bet you Lu Han will. Ready for the day of your life tomorrow?”
“…yes,” Kyungsoo says, much more apprehensive about delivering on time than he’d like to admit. Baekhyun reaches over to pick a nacho chip right under Kyungsoo’s nose.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have me by your side,” Baekhyun crunches loudly and sprays chip bits into Kyungsoo’s face, “I’ll even run coffee errands for you.”
“Why was I expecting anything more,” Kyungsoo mutters to himself, but Baekhyun hears it and waggles his eyebrows.
“Well, I’m up for more,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo finds, with horror, some affection in his laugh that makes its way out of his throat.
“You ready for the day of your life tomorrow, then?”
“Game on,” Baekhyun grins and bowls Kyungsoo’s empty Coke bottle over with his crumpled hotdog wrapper.
---
Baekhyun really ends up delivering Kyungsoo a coffee every two hours. It’s more than anyone has ever done for him, and Kyungsoo’s in a fragile emotional/mental/physical state after a good eight hours straight of Photoshop. He’s allowed to want to kiss Baekhyun on the mouth after he trots in and sets his cup of Americano down with a paper bowl of curry ramyeon.
“How did you know I liked curry ramyeon?”Kyungsoo whips up, probably looking like his college self cramming for three finals at the same time. That hadn’t been a pretty sight.
Baekhyun just grins. “Maybe I’m your soulmate.” Kyungsoo can’t even feel angry when Baekhyun starts on his curry ramyeon, but holds a spoonful out to Kyungsoo. It feels like true love.
“Thanks.”
“How’s it going?”
“I have three more pages to fit,” Kyungsoo says, the panic slowly creeping back now that he’s torn his eyes away from Photoshop to look at the clock ticking down on his computer, “and ten minutes to do them.”
Baekhyun shoves the entire curry ramyeon bowl at Kyungsoo, looking entirely calm. “Deadlines are meant to be broken.”
“Pretty sure the phrase doesn’t go that way,” Kyungsoo says, eyes and mouse-clicking finger already working on overdrive.
“Close enough,” Baekhyun says. “Seriously, don’t sweat it. An hour late isn’t going to make a difference.”
There’s a knock on the door just then. Minseok sticks his head in. “You guys ready?”
“No,” comes Kyungsoo’s slightly strangled whisper, but Baekhyun cuts over him loudly. “In a second, we’re working on it. Might be a liiiiittle late, that’s okay right?”
Minseok glances at Kyungsoo, then Baekhyun, then back at Kyungsoo. “If you think the extra time is worth it, then by all means. I’ll call the printers.”
Kyungsoo looks bug-eyed at Baekhyun when Minseok closes the door. Baekhyun smiles. “He’s a pretty cool boss, actually. I told you it’ll work out.”
“But -“
“Nineteen minutes, now,” Baekhyun looks pointedly at his watch, and Kyungsoo shuts up. It’s a lot of text for this article on a beach that Jongdae’s recommending for a quick vacation, but Chanyeol has taken a beautiful picture of it and there’s no space.
“Break it up into two pages,” Baekhyun says, “you chose good colours, use all the white space you have for them.”
“I only have three more pages to finish the hundred and twenty for the issue,” Kyungsoo says, but he can already visualise the two pages in his head. Baekhyun has an uncanny ability to iron things out in Kyungsoo’s head, even if he wrinkled it in the first place.
“Rules are meant to be broken,” Baekhyun says with a sip of his Mickey Mouse coffee, and Kyungsoo’s laugh that slips out is definitely, definitely affectionate this time.
Eventually when Minseok breaks into a big smile after going through Page 121 on Kyungsoo’s laptop and pats both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun on the backs for a job well done, Kyungsoo sinks into his chair completely boneless as Minseok hurries out to send the issue to the printers. Baekhyun grins and kicks back on his chair that’s been on Kyungsoo’s side of the table for the entire week. Kyungsoo doesn’t even remember what it’d felt like with just his chair here.
“So,” Baekhyun clears his throat and Kyungsoo looks over. “Now that you’ve submitted the ballest issue this magazine has ever seen, is it time for the more?”
There is nothing left to say, especially when Baekhyun has a new moustache of foam over his lip. Kyungsoo laughs and drags himself up for the last step. “Get over here, then,” he says, and fists Baekhyun’s collar to pull him in.
---
The Hangang breeze on Kyungsoo’s cheek feels sublime when the sales figure for the weekend comes in. It edges just past the previous week’s. Kyungsoo has to punch Baekhyun on the mouth to shut the smug I told you sos up. Baekhyun negotiates it down to using teeth.
baekhyun/kyungsoo, pg-13, general/crack idk
the sinking magazine kyungsoo works for gets an extra team member to pull off a Titanic save, who seems only to encourage kyungsoo to gallivant around during work. you'd expect kyungsoo to know better.
originally written for chinguline
When Kyungsoo jerked awake drooling into his pillow to what does not sound like his regular morning alarm, he should’ve gotten the hint that today wasn’t going to go great.
Reason one being that the message that woke him up is from his executive editor, Minseok, demanding that he be in the office in twenty, which leaves Kyungsoo a grand total of two minutes to get ready. His tie is rumpled when he makes it out of the door, which is never a good omen. Kyungsoo had had Chanyeol trip and spill an entire cup of instant coffee, undissolved lumps and all over his newly annotated and sketched draft for Issue 75 the last time it’d happened.
Kyungsoo makes it to the office two minutes late, but Minseok shuffles him in grimly. Reason number two, Kyungsoo finds on the red line cutting jaggedly across the powerpoint slide, is that their sales have been falling for the third month running, and they are all on the brink of being shit out of a job if they don’t do something drastic, Minseok informs the room. Kyungsoo sees Jongdae, journalist, barely awake enough to keep his nose out of his paper cup of coffee, Chanyeol, photographer cum marketing department cum welfare representative, whose eyes are puffy enough to look like he’s been stung by a bee, Lu Han, other journalist who’s staring straight at the table seemingly insentient, and Minseok. Kyungsoo’s always wondered why their boardroom is so big when the entire team behind this magazine is about five people large, with Minseok being the entirety of management and editorial department. Quite fitting a team for a magazine that’s had only dwindling readership since it started three years ago, when Kyungsoo was fresh-faced and earnest looking for a job fresh out of college. Three years later Kyungsoo’s figuring out how fit an ad for Hot Singles in the Area! next to Chanyeol’s picture of the next best café in town to visit and wondering if this is what he’d signed up to do.
Of course not, but sometimes the more you envision a shiny big office and a pay raise the more the world hands you the exact opposite. In all honesty, he’s proud of each issue he formats - fitting each piece the articles department churns out next to Chanyeol’s pictures like a jigsaw puzzle, then topping it all off with classy graphic design, if he must say so. It’s just that, for reasons that are beyond Kyungsoo, EXO has as much takeoff as a slowly but surely deflating balloon. The articles are engaging, his artistic design is plenty appealing and the content is solid, but here they are facing impending extinction.
There’s one last person looking a little too chipper for 7 AM that Kyungsoo doesn’t recognize, matching a leather jacket with a white shirt and skinny tie. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes a little - what is this, the 70s mafia? It probably would look fetching on the guy if Kyungsoo didn’t have his astigmatism contacts on, but it’s still ridiculous for an office setting. Minseok sits at the head of the table with his elbows propped up and his fingers laced.
“We’ve been handed an ultimatum,” Minseok says. “We get one more issue to pull ourselves out of the nosedive our readership has been going in, or EXO is going out of print. Dead. Kaput.”
It’s quite possibly the worst news Kyungsoo’s heard in his entire artistic directing career. It wakes him right up to stare at Minseok, who meets his eyes with pursed lips.
“So we’ll have to go all out,” Minseok continues, reaching over to pinch Lu Han awake. “We have Baekhyun here - management’s pulled him here from Lightyear to give us some help, and he’ll be working with us all very closely.”
Baekhyun grins from his end of the table, all veneer-white teeth and crinkly eyes. “Nice to meet all of you. I’m very excited to help!” Baekhyun seems more amused than anything else at their set-up and it irks Kyungsoo, just a little. Small as it may be, the magazine’s still what Kyungsoo calls his second home.
“Maybe you can start with what you think of EXO,” Minseok gives him a tired little smile.
Baekhyun smiles. “The writing is pretty solid, and whatever’s new in town is always good gimmicky content, but I think the design lacks just a tad. Especially the cover - that’s what people see first among the newsstands, and EXO’s not gonna show next to the bikini babes and gossip magazines. Brighter colours would be nice, for one.”
Kyungsoo’s miffed, not going to lie. Baekhyun might be good at what he does, but every issue is painstakingly put together by Kyungsoo to look as professional as he can make anything look and to hear it straight from a stranger - it pinches. Like an ant bite - hurts a little too cuttingly for something so simple. He keeps his face straight.
Minseok nods. “This is Jongdae and Lu Han, journalists,” both Jongdae and Lu Han give a little wave as Minseok points to them, “Kyungsoo, artistic department.” Kyungsoo can see Baekhyun’s raised eyebrows at artistic, and then the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth quirks up a little, unskilfully suppressed, when he catches Kyungsoo’s rumpled tie. Kyungsoo tugs on the tip of his tie as surreptitiously as he can.
“And Chanyeol who does everything else.” Kyungsoo’s pretty sure that’s not a good thing, but Chanyeol’s grin seems to suggest he thinks otherwise. Baekhyun stands to shake the hands of everyone around the table, and Kyungsoo’s not sure if he’s imagining it when Baekhyun extends his hand with his smile looking a tiny bit too shark-like for Kyungsoo’s tastes. His canines are sharp, if nothing else. “Nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo manages, and this close Kyungsoo has to cut his eyes upwards just a tiny bit to meet Baekhyun’s.
Baekhyun smiles, shakes Kyungsoo’s hand and dusts some pretend lint off Kyungsoo’s tie, and turns to Minseok. “Shall we start in your office, then?”
Kyungsoo exchanges a look with Jongdae as Minseok leads Baekhyun out of the boardroom, and Baekhyun realises reason number three blazing through their office with unbearable cologne is also the reason why his entire future isn’t looking too peachy.
----
Baekhyun’s waiting for Kyungsoo the very next morning, fiddling with his phone on the chair opposite Kyungsoo’s.
“Good morning,” Baekhyun’s smile is maybe genial, maybe territorial. Kyungsoo gingerly takes a seat at his chair as if Baekhyun has it strapped to several explosive devices.
“Good morning?”
“Just here to watch you do your thing, don’t mind me,” Baekhyun grins as he leans back across Kyungsoo. “Pretend I’m not here.”
As if Kyungsoo is supposed to suspend all realities in his office as he works. Kyungsoo looks at Baekhyun just a second too long - he’s been told by multiple people that this gets unnerving and sometimes he brings it out just to shut Chanyeol up - then starts up Photoshop. Baekhyun seems unfazed out of the corner of his eye, the edge of his lips turned up ever so slightly. Kyungsoo wants a bruise to blossom at the exact spot and he would be rather willing, in all honesty, to deliver it. He hasn’t forgotten what Baekhyun said yesterday.
Chanyeol and Jongdae haven’t given him too much to work with so far for this issue - nothing, really. Mostly Kyungsoo comes up with a rough sketch of each page while waiting for Jongdae to do god knows what in his office, for Lu Han to do god knows what in Minseok’s office and for Chanyeol to go on “assignments” doing god knows what, then lives on coffee and adrenaline in the days up to print deadline trying to fit Jongdae’s too many/too little words into his outline, or sifting through Chanyeol’s million and one pictures choking his inbox full to find one that’s suitably related to the article. Lu Han’s stuff comes in, predictably, twelve hours before print.
Baekhyun watches the back of his monitor for a while, quiet, then pushes his chair right over next to Kyungsoo. His presence is overpowering. Kyungsoo has never felt more uncomfortable in his office that’s usually his safe haven from the people he works with. Chanyeol has learnt the hard way not to traverse the invisible, but very much bolded line the front edge of his table makes. The hairs on Kyungsoo’s neck shoot up immediately, bristling in consternation and discomfort.
“Maybe I should take you through what I do,” Kyungsoo says slowly. Baekhyun’s shit-eating grin is back and god, what is it about obnoxious people and personal space? What is it about Kyungsoo and his apparent fate with obnoxious people who have no concept of personal space?
“Don’t trouble yourself on my expense,” Baekhyun says.
“It’s no trouble,” Kyungsoo says, though it is, but he has manners. Turning his monitor so Baekhyun can see, Kyungsoo pulls up the page he’d done yesterday.
“This is what I do while journal and images work on the articles and photography for the issue,” Kyungsoo blows it up like he’s presenting to senior management in SM Holdings, clears his throat. “Work out a rough outline when I get the article ideas from Minseok and set out spaces for each article and accompanying picture.”
“How do you know how much space the articles and pictures will take up?”
“I don’t,” Kyungsoo says. “But I don’t want to scramble when the articles come in - the first few issues were a mess.”
“That’s… interesting,” Baekhyun says, “Do you read the stuff when it comes in?”
“Of course,” Kyungsoo says indignantly, much more defensive than he would like to be. “What do you think I do before print?”
Baekhyun holds his hands up. “Whoa there, didn’t mean to be rude. I just haven’t seen anyone work this way before - then again, I guess journal and images don’t stick to how regular publishing places work either.”
No shit, Sherlock. It’s a five-man team; it’s luck on their side that they manage to get anything out by print every week. Kyungsoo probably also owes Starbucks a spot in his thank-you speech for his work life. “It works well enough for us.”
Baekhyun looks less than convinced. “Besides, I need a plan to show Minseok before I put everything together.” The words spill out of Kyungsoo’s mouth on their own. Apparently he doesn’t wear defensiveness gracefully, but Baekhyun’s clearly not the most tactful either, so they’re even. The point that Kyungsoo is getting all up in arms about an imaginary competition is not the point.
Baekhyun still has his eyebrows slightly raised. Kyungsoo immediately sets up a staring competition across his armrest, and Baekhyun leans in just a tad so Kyungsoo goes slightly cross-eyed, but he rights himself and Baekhyun’s eyes are pretty magnetic - magnetically pretty? Kyungsoo realises belatedly that he forgot his astigmatism contacts today - anyway, so -
“Ummmmm,” Jongdae’s voice comes from the door and Baekhyun jumps (blinks first). Kyungsoo turns.
“Sorry if I’m disrupting anything,” Jongdae’s eyebrows have disappeared into his nearly receding hairline, “I need to borrow your printer.”
“You aren’t disrupting anything,” Kyungsoo says loudly, his cheeks heating up for some absurd reason, “and why haven’t you fixed yours yet?”
“Because I can just come use yours,” Jongdae replies and sets up shop at the other chair across from Kyungsoo. “What are you guys up to?”
“Just understanding more about the way you work,” Baekhyun smiles. Kyungsoo takes a deep, measured breath.
“Maybe you should find out more about how Jongdae works,” Kyungsoo says, eager to get annoying colleagues and frustrating attractive consultants out of his sight so he can work in peace.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Baekhyun says and stands up, grinning at Kyungsoo. “I’ll see you soon, don’t get too frazzled in the meantime. You seem a little stuffy. It’s gonna turn out fine.” Kyungsoo is well aware that it’ll turn out fine. Baekhyun’s grand sweep of his arm makes him look plenty ridiculous.
“I’m not stuffy,” Kyungsoo manages, and Baekhyun has the cheek to reach out and tug on the knot of his tie to loosen it. Kyungsoo’s tie has only been this loose when he’s matched Chanyeol shot for shot to have Chanyeol passed out under the table. Kyungsoo’s pretty sure his blood pressure is off the charts, whether at the crescents forming Baekhyun’s eyes or at the sheer boldness Baekhyun has while delivering a sort-of insult. Probably mostly the crescent eyes. Kyungsoo’s not stuffy.
“Sure,” Baekhyun says, following Jongdae out of the room and Kyungsoo gets a glimpse of Jongdae’s waggling eyebrows before the door shuts.
Kyungsoo doesn’t manage to work on much of his outline even when his office is as quiet as he needs it to be, but it’s not because of the crescent eyes. At all.
---
Baekhyun’s waiting for Kyungsoo again when he gets in the next morning, legs crossed and scrolling through his phone. Kyungsoo shudders to think about how he might deal with this turning into a daily affair - it’s not like he lay awake last night still bristling about his tie and the dented upturned corners of Baekhyun’s mouth. He’d had a very good night of sleep last night, thank you very much.
“Good morning,” Baekhyun greets him brightly. “I’ve figured it out.”
This is probably not great news. Kyungsoo’s starting to regret taking the risk of deviation today by not wearing a tie.
“Figured what out?”
“What you need to do.”
Not even Minseok has walked into Kyungsoo’s office and told him what to do. Kyungsoo is flabbergasted at this point.
Kyungsoo probably doesn’t look as offended as he feels, because Baekhyun barrels on. “Forcing yourself - and journal, and images, and editorial - is the problem. Your stuff is good - really good on its own, but it just feels…” Baekhyun gestures vaguely. “Tight?”
Kyungsoo will not let his mind read that in the millions of ways it can be interpreted. “Tight is good. Neat.”
Baekhyun makes one of those faces that could similarly mean a million things, but probably really means lol no. “Maybe you should wait for everything to come in and see what happens. Tell a story with your layout.”
“And what do you propose I do while I wait for everything to come in,” Kyungsoo makes sure to slather on the sarcasm, “because then I’ll have literally 12 hours to finish a week’s work.”
“Go to a café or something,” Baekhyun shrugs, “Go bowling. Take a shit. Drive down Hangang and feel the wind on your cheeks, I don’t know.”
Kyungsoo would’ve laughed at the ridiculousness of the suggestions if Baekhyun wasn’t totally the type of person that would think it meant he was hilarious. “In the middle of work?”
“There’s nothing to work on if you’re waiting for it to come in,” Baekhyun says, “look, I’ll even buy you a coffee.”
The rebuttal- Kyungsoo doesn’t even know what - that had come up before he’d actually heard Baekhyun chokes Kyungsoo’s throat. “Are you asking me out?”
Baekhyun waggles his eyebrows, that infuriating smile denting his cheek again. “If you want me to.” What the fuck.
“We’re two-day-old acquaintances,” Kyungsoo manages. Baekhyun shrugs again.
“Maybe you can think of it as a blind date.”
“All the blind dates I’ve been on have been disastrous,” Kyungsoo tells Baekhyun. They have. God knows the number of times he’s told his brother you tried, which is coincidentally the number of times he’s been set up minus the times he begged off. The last time he’d turned up at the restaurant to meet Jongdae’s friend of a friend of a friend he’d found Chanyeol, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re not Jongdae’s friend of a friend of a friend,” Kyungsoo had said.
“Technically, I’m your friend and you’re Minseok’s friend, who is Jongdae’s friend, so yes,” Chanyeol had said.
“We’re not friends,” Kyungsoo had told him, and you can guess how that had turned out. So Kyungsoo thinks he’s well allowed to be rather wary of blind dates.
“There’s always a first time for everything,” Baekhyun says standing up with a twinkle in his eye, and maybe Kyungsoo just wants to prove himself right.
“I get to choose where, then.”
“After you,” Baekhyun pulls Kyungsoo’s door open, and before Kyungsoo can protest that this is his office that Baekhyun has so rudely assumed as his own, Baekhyun slings his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and they’re off to gallivant in cafés in the middle of work.
---
School Coffee is a cozy café that Kyungsoo spends weekend afternoons at sometimes, curled up with a nice book and the café’s specialty Americano. When Kyungsoo greets the barista Jonghyun and sees his eyes dart to Baekhyun, Kyungsoo immediately regrets bringing Baekhyun here. In his defence Baekhyun’s ability to talk incessantly about nothing at all is very distracting - he hasn’t had his eardrums assaulted this badly since Chanyeol. Kyungsoo promises himself never to be in the same room as Baekhyun and Chanyeol together.
“Charming,” Baekhyun comments, taking a seat at the low table in the corner. “This feels like meeting the parents. Didn’t expect that for a first date.”
Kyungsoo whips his head over. “What?”
“You know, like taking me home… you obviously come here often.”
“This is a …work discussion,” Kyungsoo manages, “not a date.”
Baekhyun nods seriously. “I can do euphemisms, no problem.”
Kyungsoo takes a deep, deep breath. “Jonghyun will know my order.”
While Baekhyun makes his way to the counter, Kyungsoo pulls his notebook out. Baekhyun’s in for a ride if he thinks Kyungsoo will actually squander today away - he’s got to have a plan to present to Minseok tomorrow and he’s only halfway through the pages. Page eleven will have Jongdae’s supposed article on the up-and-coming hip street in Edae, twelve for a recipe by one of the chefs, and thirteen for Lu Han’s review on this new hamburger place. Maybe a border around -
“I thought we said to wait,” Baekhyun’s voice comes startling Kyungsoo out of concentration. The Americano that he sets down smells heavenly.
“I have to show Minseok something tomorrow,” Kyungsoo says. He’s already thinking about the fonts - the up-and-coming street will probably need something jazzier, maybe a three colour contrast palette.
“Don’t worry about that,” Baekhyun says with an airy wave of his hand. “I talked about it to Minseok and he agreed to cancel the outline for this week.”
That gets Kyungsoo ramrod straight in his chair. “What?”
“Try something different this issue, it’s your last chance anyway,” Baekhyun takes a sip of a creamy-looking drink. Figures he’d drink Mickey Mouse coffee. “Live a little. Procrastinate for once. Try some rainbow sprinkles with your Americano.”
“I live plenty.” Kyungsoo shudders a little at the thought of rainbow sprinkles in his coffee.
Baekhyun reaches over to pluck Kyungsoo’s notebook out of his hands and tuck it right under his butt. “Cheers!”
Kyungsoo takes a sip of his non-voluntarily clinked paper cup. Baekhyun grins.
“You know, I didn’t mean to say that your stuff is bad the first time, because you’re good. Really.” Kyungsoo braces himself for the but, but it doesn’t come.
“You just need to let yourself loose a little,” Baekhyun continues, foam staining his upper lip, “Don’t draw circles around yourself. I’ve seen the stuff you submitted way back in your resume, that was amazing. Exactly what EXO needs.” Apparently flattery gets Kyungsoo harder than he’d expected. Suddenly the foam on Baekhyun’s upper lip looks very inviting.
“You’ve -“
Baekhyun smiles another of those smiles that makes the foam look terrifyingly inviting. “Minseok showed me, you should do more of that.” Kyungsoo remembers the stuff in his resume - a portfolio of the stuff he’d done in university, picking his topics and putting exactly what he’d felt
like down in pixels. Work deadlines don’t go very well with Kyungsoo’s heart.
“I have deadlines to meet.”
Baekhyun shrugs, the corner of his mouth dented. “Procrastination is a stellar way to live, by the way. Just a tip.”
“How would you suggest I procrastinate, then,” Kyungsoo asks, folding his arms. Baekhyun doesn’t even blink an eye, to his credit.
“We could play twenty questions?”
“Why would I -“
“It’s fun,” Baekhyun grins, “and that’s one. Now you have to answer one of mine. Why have your blind dates always gone disastrous?”
Kyungsoo looks at him. “I’d like to know too. Do you always ask questions this forward with acquaintances?”
“Yes, and we’re colleagues now, so less degrees of separation. Why design?”
“Why not?”
Baekhyun breaks into a big grin. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type. Why Americano?”
“It’s strong enough for the people I have to deal with in the office. What type?”
“You know. More like the accountant with coke-bottle glasses type. What’s your favourite movie?”
Kyungsoo shrugs. “I like fantasy movies. Did you think I was EXO’s finance department or something?”
Baekhyun squishes his lip around in thought, then nods. “I guess, maybe editorial or something. What about fantasy movies do you like?”
“They’re interesting. I don’t even wear glasses to work.”
“That’s not a question.” Baekhyun’s leaning forward now so the only thing Kyungsoo can see is his face, and he’s stumped. The only question that comes to his mind is: “What’s your favourite movie?”
“Pirates of the Carribbean. Is this your favourite café?”
Kyungsoo nods. “It’s quiet the way I like it. Where’s your favourite café?” Kyungsoo figures there’s no need to be too creative with Baekhyun.
“I don’t really have one - I don’t go to cafes that much. Who do you usually come here with?”
“No one. Why?”
“Nothing. So I’m the first person you brought to your favourite place?”
This gets Kyungsoo a little when he realises Baekhyun is. What the fuck. He hasn’t even come here with Minseok, who is the most acceptable of his colleagues. “…yes.”
Baekhyun still has a hint of the foam on his upper lip, now curved in a frighteningly unnerving smile he’s seen on Sehun’s cat when she catches a rat. Kyungsoo feels like the rat backed into a corner, but for some strange reason his adrenaline is firing his veins up. A fine example of the animalistic flight or fight response - Kyungsoo’s high school biology teacher would be proud. “Your question,” Baekhyun prompts.
“What are you going to do after this issue if we don’t manage to bring sales up?”
“I don’t entertain the possibility of us not bringing sales up,” Baekhyun tells him, and with no preamble, he continues: “Do you wanna go out with me?”
For the third time in his life, Kyungsoo is stumped. He’s sensing a pattern here. “….what?”
“We could hang out again tomorrow here, I’m pretty sure Jongdae and Lu Han will get their stuff in by the end of tomorrow. And then you have one whole day to work on the layout! Imagine that.”
“I…” Kyungsoo has no idea what to say, especially when he finds himself following Baekhyun’s maybe slightly nervous lick of his lip and discovers that he’s not too opposed to the idea of making out with Baekhyun, but probably rather opposed to the idea of romancing Baekhyun under candlelight. If that makes sense, because he’s not sure it does. “This isn’t a date.”
Baekhyun shrugs like yeah, so. “We could go on one tomorrow. “
“In the middle of work?”
“You already said that about today,” Baekhyun’s twinkle of his eye is again infuriatingly charming. “We could call it team bonding or something.”
“Euphemisms are dumb,” Kyungsoo says before he can help himself, “I’ll see you at the bowling alley in Yongsan tomorrow morning.”
Kyungsoo can’t decide if Baekhyun’s grin in return erases or adds to his immediate cringing regret.
---
Baekhyun turns out to be a pretty good loser. Kyungsoo just edges him out with five points after a game despite being a bowling virgin (though by the looks of it, Baekhyun is probably one in self-denial as well) and gets to finish the table of bowling bar snacks Baekhyun buys.
“You said you’ve never bowled before,” Baekhyun accuses as he hands Kyungsoo a plastic tray of nachos.
“Like once or twice,” Kyungsoo admits. “But that was a long time ago.”
“Still,” Baekhyun says, “you were pretty good.” Instance Two of flattery getting Kyungsoo in the gut. It’s almost embarrassing that he’s so easy. He’s not. This isn’t a date.
“Will Jongdae and Lu Han really get their stuff in today,” Kyungsoo says to distract Baekhyun from his obviously heating cheeks.
“Yes,” Baekhyun says, “affirmative. Or at least, that’s what Minseok told them, and I can bet you Lu Han will. Ready for the day of your life tomorrow?”
“…yes,” Kyungsoo says, much more apprehensive about delivering on time than he’d like to admit. Baekhyun reaches over to pick a nacho chip right under Kyungsoo’s nose.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have me by your side,” Baekhyun crunches loudly and sprays chip bits into Kyungsoo’s face, “I’ll even run coffee errands for you.”
“Why was I expecting anything more,” Kyungsoo mutters to himself, but Baekhyun hears it and waggles his eyebrows.
“Well, I’m up for more,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo finds, with horror, some affection in his laugh that makes its way out of his throat.
“You ready for the day of your life tomorrow, then?”
“Game on,” Baekhyun grins and bowls Kyungsoo’s empty Coke bottle over with his crumpled hotdog wrapper.
---
Baekhyun really ends up delivering Kyungsoo a coffee every two hours. It’s more than anyone has ever done for him, and Kyungsoo’s in a fragile emotional/mental/physical state after a good eight hours straight of Photoshop. He’s allowed to want to kiss Baekhyun on the mouth after he trots in and sets his cup of Americano down with a paper bowl of curry ramyeon.
“How did you know I liked curry ramyeon?”Kyungsoo whips up, probably looking like his college self cramming for three finals at the same time. That hadn’t been a pretty sight.
Baekhyun just grins. “Maybe I’m your soulmate.” Kyungsoo can’t even feel angry when Baekhyun starts on his curry ramyeon, but holds a spoonful out to Kyungsoo. It feels like true love.
“Thanks.”
“How’s it going?”
“I have three more pages to fit,” Kyungsoo says, the panic slowly creeping back now that he’s torn his eyes away from Photoshop to look at the clock ticking down on his computer, “and ten minutes to do them.”
Baekhyun shoves the entire curry ramyeon bowl at Kyungsoo, looking entirely calm. “Deadlines are meant to be broken.”
“Pretty sure the phrase doesn’t go that way,” Kyungsoo says, eyes and mouse-clicking finger already working on overdrive.
“Close enough,” Baekhyun says. “Seriously, don’t sweat it. An hour late isn’t going to make a difference.”
There’s a knock on the door just then. Minseok sticks his head in. “You guys ready?”
“No,” comes Kyungsoo’s slightly strangled whisper, but Baekhyun cuts over him loudly. “In a second, we’re working on it. Might be a liiiiittle late, that’s okay right?”
Minseok glances at Kyungsoo, then Baekhyun, then back at Kyungsoo. “If you think the extra time is worth it, then by all means. I’ll call the printers.”
Kyungsoo looks bug-eyed at Baekhyun when Minseok closes the door. Baekhyun smiles. “He’s a pretty cool boss, actually. I told you it’ll work out.”
“But -“
“Nineteen minutes, now,” Baekhyun looks pointedly at his watch, and Kyungsoo shuts up. It’s a lot of text for this article on a beach that Jongdae’s recommending for a quick vacation, but Chanyeol has taken a beautiful picture of it and there’s no space.
“Break it up into two pages,” Baekhyun says, “you chose good colours, use all the white space you have for them.”
“I only have three more pages to finish the hundred and twenty for the issue,” Kyungsoo says, but he can already visualise the two pages in his head. Baekhyun has an uncanny ability to iron things out in Kyungsoo’s head, even if he wrinkled it in the first place.
“Rules are meant to be broken,” Baekhyun says with a sip of his Mickey Mouse coffee, and Kyungsoo’s laugh that slips out is definitely, definitely affectionate this time.
Eventually when Minseok breaks into a big smile after going through Page 121 on Kyungsoo’s laptop and pats both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun on the backs for a job well done, Kyungsoo sinks into his chair completely boneless as Minseok hurries out to send the issue to the printers. Baekhyun grins and kicks back on his chair that’s been on Kyungsoo’s side of the table for the entire week. Kyungsoo doesn’t even remember what it’d felt like with just his chair here.
“So,” Baekhyun clears his throat and Kyungsoo looks over. “Now that you’ve submitted the ballest issue this magazine has ever seen, is it time for the more?”
There is nothing left to say, especially when Baekhyun has a new moustache of foam over his lip. Kyungsoo laughs and drags himself up for the last step. “Get over here, then,” he says, and fists Baekhyun’s collar to pull him in.
---
The Hangang breeze on Kyungsoo’s cheek feels sublime when the sales figure for the weekend comes in. It edges just past the previous week’s. Kyungsoo has to punch Baekhyun on the mouth to shut the smug I told you sos up. Baekhyun negotiates it down to using teeth.