[team four] bean sprout soup
a bit late, sorryy! continuing the privé!au once again. nothing's really happening in this one though, lol. OH WELL.
Chanyeol, Baekhyun + Jongdae, PG, 2486 words
“You’re kidding, right?”
As per usual, Chanyeol hears Kim Jongdae’s voice long before he sees the man himself. He steps into the office lobby and heads towards Baekhyun’s office, where he sees Jongdae on the phone walking back and forth. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to be there.
Chanyeol stops in the doorway and nods at Jongdae, looking questioningly at the other man’s pained expression. Jongdae waves him inside before heaving a withering sigh at whatever’s going on on the line.
“Okay, I see. I will come by now and we’ll sort it out, okay? Give me, I don’t know, 20 to 30 minutes.”
Jongdae ends the call and ruffles his hair in a very frustrated way. Chanyeol almost feels bad being there, disturbing him.
“Um, is everything okay?”
“Not really,” the other huffs but gives Chanyeol a small smile, and Chanyeol has to admire the way Jongdae keeps himself so composed and calm and friendly despite everything.
“I’d have to be in two places at the same time and I’m not managing. But why are you here?”
“Oh, I was supposed to come and sign some documents related to that LA trip,” Chanyeol explains. “But Baekhyun doesn’t seem to be here now?”
“No, he’s not,” Jongdae sighs. “He’s a bit sick so I told him to work from home today, otherwise he’d just be here stressing out and infecting everyone else. And I was actually supposed to deliver some contract papers to him now but, as it happens, there’s some problem at the office and I have to go there to sort it out now. You know, at my actual job.”
“Ah.” Sometimes Chanyeol forgets that Jongdae indeed has that Actual Job aside from helping Baekhyun out with Privé. It often seems like a full-time job already.
“If he didn’t live across the damn city I could’ve dropped these to him on the way to the office but nooo, he doesn’t care about convenience no matter how many times I’ve told him to move closer to this office and the store.”
Jongdae’s voice rises a bit and starts to sound whiny. Chanyeol doesn’t really know why, but he steps closer and blurts out:
“I-I could take those instead? If that’s okay?”
“What? No, no, I can’t make you go all the way there…”
“No, it’s fine,” Chanyeol insists, and is still not quite sure why. “I have a free evening so I have time. So you can go to work and not worry about it.”
Jongdae ponders it for a couple of seconds and then apparently decides he has no reason to decline the offer and hands Chanyeol a folder from the table.
“Thank you, really. Let me text you the address, and I’ll let Baekhyun know that you’re coming.”
“Sure,” Chanyeol says and slips the folder in his backpack.
“And when you go, you can also say that I told him to take it easy and stay home tomorrow too if he’s still feeling sick. That man doesn’t know what’s best for him sometimes…”
“I’ll... do my best, but don’t expect too much,” Chanyeol says. “We’ve just started to be somewhat friendly with each other.”
“And I’m thankful for that,” Jongdae says while grabbing his coat and scanning around the office like checking that he hasn’t forgotten anything else. “And I’m super thankful for this. I’ll treat you a meal later, or something.”
“Nah, no need.”
“No, I shall! But now I really need to run. Thanks, and text me if anything happens, like if Baekhyun doesn’t let you in or something.”
Chanyeol waves at Jongdae when the other rushes out and wonders if the last part was meant as a joke or not.
--
Chanyeol rides the subway to the East and gets off at a station that Jongdae told him. He heard that Baekhyun still lives in the same area he did when he was in university, rather near the campus. The area is full of bars, restaurants and small stores that sell clothes, cosmetics and accessories. Chanyeol turns away from the main street, following the blue dotted line in Google maps on his phone. The further he walks, the less people he sees. On the last corner before Baekhyun’s apartment, he quickly stops by at a convenience store to grab something with him. Judging by Jongdae’s words, housekeeping and taking care of himself aren’t Baekhyun’s fortes, so Chanyeol thinks it’s better to prepare himself just in case.
He checks the address given by Jongdae multiple times before walking into an older, mid-rise apartment building. He climbs up to the 5th floor and stands behind Baekhyun’s door a few moments before finally pressing the doorbell.
The door opens and Chanyeol bows quickly as soon as he sees Baekhyun behind it.
“Hi! Jongdae sent me here-”
“I know, he texted me a while ago. Come on in.”
Baekhyun waves at Chanyeol before turning around and walking further, leaving Chanyeol to close the door and take off his shoes in the small entrance area. He feels weirdly relieved and almost victorious. Jongdae’s last words had stayed in his mind and he’d already imagined Baekhyun grabbing the contracts from the crack of the door and then driving him away. So this development is positive.
Chaneyol sees no guest slippers so he just pads onwards in his socks, following the short hallway to the combined living room/kitchen space. Baekhyun stands there waiting for him and Chanyeol hurriedly opens his backpack and digs out the contract folder Jongdae gave to him. He passes it to Baekhyun, who takes it to the dining table without even looking at it. The table seems to be serving as his temporary working spot, judging by the laptop, coffee cup and scattered papers and folders on it.
“Thanks for bringing those,” Baekhyun says. “Jongdae sounded quite busy and annoyed even over text.”
“He was,” Chanyeol admits. “He also told me to tell you that you shouldn’t go to work tomorrow either if you’re still feeling sick. He insisted.”
Baekhyun snorts. “Of course he did.”
“How are you feeling?” Chanyeol eyes the other and tries to determine the state of his flu. Baekhyun’s voice does sound a bit stuffy, his nose is red and he can see a few tissue boxes scattered around the room. The other also looks rather tired, his hair a bit messy and wearing big, checkered pajama bottoms and a sweater.
Baekhyun shrugs. “It’s just a flu. I think I had a bit of fever earlier but I took medicine and now I feel better already.”
Chanyeol isn’t convinced. “You’ve been working the whole day?”
“Of course. I’ve been trying to settle the LA things and had a couple of meetings.”
“And have you eaten anything?” Chanyeol’s really starting to see what Jongdae was talking about earlier.
“I did...” Baekhyun trails off and automatically eyes an instant ramyeon cup that’s left on the table. It looks sad there in the middle of the small chaos, and to Chanyeol is the epitome of the current situation. He sighs.
“Okay. May I?” he gestures towards the kitchen, walks over and lifts the convenience store bag on the counter.
“What’s that?” Baekhyun asks and points at the bag.
“Again, Jongdae’s wishes.” That’s not completely true, but Baekhyun doesn’t need to know that. “He was worried that you’re not resting and eating properly, which seems correct. Could I make you something? Something that’s good for the flu.”
“What? You don’t have to.”
“So what are you going to eat? More instant ramyeon? Or are you going to cook for yourself?”
Chanyeol raises his eyebrows and Baekhyun pouts, crossing his arms over his chest, again looking so much younger than his actual age.
“I don’t… really cook,” he mutters lowly, which Chanyeol could somehow guess.
“So let me cook something. I’m good at it, so I can guarantee you it’ll be tasty. Much better than your ramyeon.”
Baekhyun’s eyes move between the bag and Chanyeol. He looks a bit sceptical. “This is not exactly part of your job description. Why would you waste your time with me?”
That’s a good question that makes Chanyeol’s neck and ears go warm. He’s not really sure himself why he’s so eager to do that. He just is. Maybe it’s his way of still trying to prove that he can be something else than a total prick. That he’s actually a good person.
It’s his turn to shrug and try to make up something believable. “Like I said, Jongdae insisted and I promised to help him. So I’ll be Jongdae’s substitute now and help you. Okay?”
Baekhyun leans against the counter and looks thoughtful. “Jongdae would never cook for me though. He’d just order some fast food and make me take loads of some weird herb medicines his mom recommends to him.”
Chanyeol laughs a bit. “Well, my plan is to just cook, is that ok? And I don’t know anything about herb medicines.”
“Good,” Baekhyun says and then throws his hands in the air like giving up. “Okay, if you insist, you can cook. Use whatever you need freely.”
“Thank you.” Chanyeol starts opening the cupboards and drawers looking for all the utensils he’s going to need. He takes out a pot, chopping board and knife.
He then looks over at Baekhyun, who’s still standing in the same spot, eyeing him and looking somewhat uneasy.
“Um…”
“What?” Chanyeol asks.
“You don’t... need any help, or?”
He looks quite helpless and not like he actually wants to help but is just trying to be polite. It’s almost endearing, though Chanyeol has to wonder how Baekhyun has survived so long with zero kitchen skills.
“No, I’m fine,” he smiles. “But if you want, you can set up the table. Do you have any side dishes? I didn’t bring anything for those.”
“I-I think I have some kimchi in the fridge,” Baekhyun says and hurries to check. He then does as Chanyeol asked and cleans the table of his work and sets up bowls, spoons, chopsticks and glasses.
Chanyeol googles a simple recipe and follows that to make sure he doesn’t mess up anything. Baekhyun hovers behind him, watching him chop the garlic and wash the sprouts, and when Chanyeol starts to stir the soup, waiting for it to boil, Baekhyun cranes his neck over his shoulder to get a better look at the dish.
“What is it?”
“Bean sprout soup,” Chanyeol says and sprinkles some pepper powder in. “My mom used to make it for me when I was sick and I think it helped.”
When the soup is done, Chanyeol carries the pot to the table. He’s also made some rice and Baekhyun’s set up the kimchi he had in the fridge. It’s a simple meal but still a lot more inviting than plain instant ramyeon. When Chanyeol puts down the pot, he suddenly realizes that Baekhyun has set up the table for both of them. Oh well, he sure didn’t plan everything this far ahead. Did he think he’d just sneak home right after he’d be done with cooking? Probably.
Baekhyun walks up with a water bottle.
“Um, do you want me to eat with you?” Chanyeol asks carefully, his ears on fire again. Damn it.
“If you want,” Baekhyun says. “I thought since you’re here already… It’d be nice to eat with someone rather than alone.”
“Ah yes, of course,” Chanyeol agrees quickly and sits down with Baekhyun wondering how much weirder the evening can get.
Baekhyun scoops himself some soup and takes an experimental spoonful. “Oh, it’s spicy! But good.”
He raises his gaze at Chanyeol and looks rather impressed, which strokes Chanyeol’s ego just the right way.
“I said I was good, didn’t I? I’m glad you like it. The spiciness helps with the cold.”
“I can’t remember when was the last time I had homemade food like this,” Baekhyun says and slurps some more soup. He seems to eat with good appetite, letting out small appreciative noises every now and then, and Chanyeol is surprised how happy it makes him. It’s been a while since he’s cooked for someone like this.
They eat in silence for some time, until Baekhyun starts to sniffle between his mouthfuls, quietly at first but then more and more. It’s probably the pepper kicking in, and Chanyeol swiftly gets up and fetches him one of the tissue boxes.
“Ah, thank you,” Baekhyun says and pulls out a tissue before blowing his nose. “And sorry.”
“Why sorry, the soup is clearly working,” Chanyeol says easily. He catches himself thinking that Baekhyun looks kind of cute sniffling and sitting there in his bed hair and homewear, and retreats himself in the kitchen quickly. That’s his boss, he can’t be cute. To busy himself momentarily, he boils some water and mixes it with a vitamin powder pack he also got from the store. He brings the cup to Baekhyun.
“Here. It’s the vitamin powder thing. Drink up.”
Baekhyun glances up at him. “Thanks, mom.”
Chanyeol rolls his eyes and starts picking up the used bowls in order to clean up the table but Baekhyun raises his hand and stops him.
“You don’t have to. I can clean up myself later.”
“But-”
“No buts, it’s fine,” Baekhyun says firmly. “As your boss, I tell you to go home now. You’ve done more than enough. I don’t want too big of a debt.”
“There’s no debt,” Chanyeol mutters but packs up his stuff as Baekhyun seems pretty determined to get him to go home now. He thinks he should feel relieved, but he weirdly doesn’t.
Baekhyun walks him to the entrance and watches as Chanyeol puts on his shoes and finally straightens up.
“If you’ll need something...” he starts a bit awkwardly.
“I will let someone know,” Baekhyun assures, giving him a lopsided smile. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine. No more work today. Or tomorrow, I guess. We’ll sign that LA contract on Thursday when I’m back in the office.”
Chanyeol smiles back. “Alright.”
“Good night, Chanyeol. And thank you.”
Chanyeol rides the subway home and feels weirdly light and content, his mind full of Baekhyun’s last soft smile before he closed the door after him. He also answers Jongdae’s multiple texts that are worrying over him.
Later in the evening, for his surprise he gets a message from Baekhyun. The message consists only of emojis, and Chanyeol smiles to himself trying to decipher it. It looks like a story of someone who’s sick and eats a pot with pepper and garlic, then goes to sleep and in the morning is feeling all healthy and powerful.
It’s his first message from Baekhyun that’s not short, matter-of-fact and work related. It’s the total opposite of that. Chanyeol sends back a superhero and a party popper.
He goes to sleep with a smile on his face.
amaxingbaek, you're up!
Chanyeol, Baekhyun + Jongdae, PG, 2486 words
“You’re kidding, right?”
As per usual, Chanyeol hears Kim Jongdae’s voice long before he sees the man himself. He steps into the office lobby and heads towards Baekhyun’s office, where he sees Jongdae on the phone walking back and forth. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to be there.
Chanyeol stops in the doorway and nods at Jongdae, looking questioningly at the other man’s pained expression. Jongdae waves him inside before heaving a withering sigh at whatever’s going on on the line.
“Okay, I see. I will come by now and we’ll sort it out, okay? Give me, I don’t know, 20 to 30 minutes.”
Jongdae ends the call and ruffles his hair in a very frustrated way. Chanyeol almost feels bad being there, disturbing him.
“Um, is everything okay?”
“Not really,” the other huffs but gives Chanyeol a small smile, and Chanyeol has to admire the way Jongdae keeps himself so composed and calm and friendly despite everything.
“I’d have to be in two places at the same time and I’m not managing. But why are you here?”
“Oh, I was supposed to come and sign some documents related to that LA trip,” Chanyeol explains. “But Baekhyun doesn’t seem to be here now?”
“No, he’s not,” Jongdae sighs. “He’s a bit sick so I told him to work from home today, otherwise he’d just be here stressing out and infecting everyone else. And I was actually supposed to deliver some contract papers to him now but, as it happens, there’s some problem at the office and I have to go there to sort it out now. You know, at my actual job.”
“Ah.” Sometimes Chanyeol forgets that Jongdae indeed has that Actual Job aside from helping Baekhyun out with Privé. It often seems like a full-time job already.
“If he didn’t live across the damn city I could’ve dropped these to him on the way to the office but nooo, he doesn’t care about convenience no matter how many times I’ve told him to move closer to this office and the store.”
Jongdae’s voice rises a bit and starts to sound whiny. Chanyeol doesn’t really know why, but he steps closer and blurts out:
“I-I could take those instead? If that’s okay?”
“What? No, no, I can’t make you go all the way there…”
“No, it’s fine,” Chanyeol insists, and is still not quite sure why. “I have a free evening so I have time. So you can go to work and not worry about it.”
Jongdae ponders it for a couple of seconds and then apparently decides he has no reason to decline the offer and hands Chanyeol a folder from the table.
“Thank you, really. Let me text you the address, and I’ll let Baekhyun know that you’re coming.”
“Sure,” Chanyeol says and slips the folder in his backpack.
“And when you go, you can also say that I told him to take it easy and stay home tomorrow too if he’s still feeling sick. That man doesn’t know what’s best for him sometimes…”
“I’ll... do my best, but don’t expect too much,” Chanyeol says. “We’ve just started to be somewhat friendly with each other.”
“And I’m thankful for that,” Jongdae says while grabbing his coat and scanning around the office like checking that he hasn’t forgotten anything else. “And I’m super thankful for this. I’ll treat you a meal later, or something.”
“Nah, no need.”
“No, I shall! But now I really need to run. Thanks, and text me if anything happens, like if Baekhyun doesn’t let you in or something.”
Chanyeol waves at Jongdae when the other rushes out and wonders if the last part was meant as a joke or not.
--
Chanyeol rides the subway to the East and gets off at a station that Jongdae told him. He heard that Baekhyun still lives in the same area he did when he was in university, rather near the campus. The area is full of bars, restaurants and small stores that sell clothes, cosmetics and accessories. Chanyeol turns away from the main street, following the blue dotted line in Google maps on his phone. The further he walks, the less people he sees. On the last corner before Baekhyun’s apartment, he quickly stops by at a convenience store to grab something with him. Judging by Jongdae’s words, housekeeping and taking care of himself aren’t Baekhyun’s fortes, so Chanyeol thinks it’s better to prepare himself just in case.
He checks the address given by Jongdae multiple times before walking into an older, mid-rise apartment building. He climbs up to the 5th floor and stands behind Baekhyun’s door a few moments before finally pressing the doorbell.
The door opens and Chanyeol bows quickly as soon as he sees Baekhyun behind it.
“Hi! Jongdae sent me here-”
“I know, he texted me a while ago. Come on in.”
Baekhyun waves at Chanyeol before turning around and walking further, leaving Chanyeol to close the door and take off his shoes in the small entrance area. He feels weirdly relieved and almost victorious. Jongdae’s last words had stayed in his mind and he’d already imagined Baekhyun grabbing the contracts from the crack of the door and then driving him away. So this development is positive.
Chaneyol sees no guest slippers so he just pads onwards in his socks, following the short hallway to the combined living room/kitchen space. Baekhyun stands there waiting for him and Chanyeol hurriedly opens his backpack and digs out the contract folder Jongdae gave to him. He passes it to Baekhyun, who takes it to the dining table without even looking at it. The table seems to be serving as his temporary working spot, judging by the laptop, coffee cup and scattered papers and folders on it.
“Thanks for bringing those,” Baekhyun says. “Jongdae sounded quite busy and annoyed even over text.”
“He was,” Chanyeol admits. “He also told me to tell you that you shouldn’t go to work tomorrow either if you’re still feeling sick. He insisted.”
Baekhyun snorts. “Of course he did.”
“How are you feeling?” Chanyeol eyes the other and tries to determine the state of his flu. Baekhyun’s voice does sound a bit stuffy, his nose is red and he can see a few tissue boxes scattered around the room. The other also looks rather tired, his hair a bit messy and wearing big, checkered pajama bottoms and a sweater.
Baekhyun shrugs. “It’s just a flu. I think I had a bit of fever earlier but I took medicine and now I feel better already.”
Chanyeol isn’t convinced. “You’ve been working the whole day?”
“Of course. I’ve been trying to settle the LA things and had a couple of meetings.”
“And have you eaten anything?” Chanyeol’s really starting to see what Jongdae was talking about earlier.
“I did...” Baekhyun trails off and automatically eyes an instant ramyeon cup that’s left on the table. It looks sad there in the middle of the small chaos, and to Chanyeol is the epitome of the current situation. He sighs.
“Okay. May I?” he gestures towards the kitchen, walks over and lifts the convenience store bag on the counter.
“What’s that?” Baekhyun asks and points at the bag.
“Again, Jongdae’s wishes.” That’s not completely true, but Baekhyun doesn’t need to know that. “He was worried that you’re not resting and eating properly, which seems correct. Could I make you something? Something that’s good for the flu.”
“What? You don’t have to.”
“So what are you going to eat? More instant ramyeon? Or are you going to cook for yourself?”
Chanyeol raises his eyebrows and Baekhyun pouts, crossing his arms over his chest, again looking so much younger than his actual age.
“I don’t… really cook,” he mutters lowly, which Chanyeol could somehow guess.
“So let me cook something. I’m good at it, so I can guarantee you it’ll be tasty. Much better than your ramyeon.”
Baekhyun’s eyes move between the bag and Chanyeol. He looks a bit sceptical. “This is not exactly part of your job description. Why would you waste your time with me?”
That’s a good question that makes Chanyeol’s neck and ears go warm. He’s not really sure himself why he’s so eager to do that. He just is. Maybe it’s his way of still trying to prove that he can be something else than a total prick. That he’s actually a good person.
It’s his turn to shrug and try to make up something believable. “Like I said, Jongdae insisted and I promised to help him. So I’ll be Jongdae’s substitute now and help you. Okay?”
Baekhyun leans against the counter and looks thoughtful. “Jongdae would never cook for me though. He’d just order some fast food and make me take loads of some weird herb medicines his mom recommends to him.”
Chanyeol laughs a bit. “Well, my plan is to just cook, is that ok? And I don’t know anything about herb medicines.”
“Good,” Baekhyun says and then throws his hands in the air like giving up. “Okay, if you insist, you can cook. Use whatever you need freely.”
“Thank you.” Chanyeol starts opening the cupboards and drawers looking for all the utensils he’s going to need. He takes out a pot, chopping board and knife.
He then looks over at Baekhyun, who’s still standing in the same spot, eyeing him and looking somewhat uneasy.
“Um…”
“What?” Chanyeol asks.
“You don’t... need any help, or?”
He looks quite helpless and not like he actually wants to help but is just trying to be polite. It’s almost endearing, though Chanyeol has to wonder how Baekhyun has survived so long with zero kitchen skills.
“No, I’m fine,” he smiles. “But if you want, you can set up the table. Do you have any side dishes? I didn’t bring anything for those.”
“I-I think I have some kimchi in the fridge,” Baekhyun says and hurries to check. He then does as Chanyeol asked and cleans the table of his work and sets up bowls, spoons, chopsticks and glasses.
Chanyeol googles a simple recipe and follows that to make sure he doesn’t mess up anything. Baekhyun hovers behind him, watching him chop the garlic and wash the sprouts, and when Chanyeol starts to stir the soup, waiting for it to boil, Baekhyun cranes his neck over his shoulder to get a better look at the dish.
“What is it?”
“Bean sprout soup,” Chanyeol says and sprinkles some pepper powder in. “My mom used to make it for me when I was sick and I think it helped.”
When the soup is done, Chanyeol carries the pot to the table. He’s also made some rice and Baekhyun’s set up the kimchi he had in the fridge. It’s a simple meal but still a lot more inviting than plain instant ramyeon. When Chanyeol puts down the pot, he suddenly realizes that Baekhyun has set up the table for both of them. Oh well, he sure didn’t plan everything this far ahead. Did he think he’d just sneak home right after he’d be done with cooking? Probably.
Baekhyun walks up with a water bottle.
“Um, do you want me to eat with you?” Chanyeol asks carefully, his ears on fire again. Damn it.
“If you want,” Baekhyun says. “I thought since you’re here already… It’d be nice to eat with someone rather than alone.”
“Ah yes, of course,” Chanyeol agrees quickly and sits down with Baekhyun wondering how much weirder the evening can get.
Baekhyun scoops himself some soup and takes an experimental spoonful. “Oh, it’s spicy! But good.”
He raises his gaze at Chanyeol and looks rather impressed, which strokes Chanyeol’s ego just the right way.
“I said I was good, didn’t I? I’m glad you like it. The spiciness helps with the cold.”
“I can’t remember when was the last time I had homemade food like this,” Baekhyun says and slurps some more soup. He seems to eat with good appetite, letting out small appreciative noises every now and then, and Chanyeol is surprised how happy it makes him. It’s been a while since he’s cooked for someone like this.
They eat in silence for some time, until Baekhyun starts to sniffle between his mouthfuls, quietly at first but then more and more. It’s probably the pepper kicking in, and Chanyeol swiftly gets up and fetches him one of the tissue boxes.
“Ah, thank you,” Baekhyun says and pulls out a tissue before blowing his nose. “And sorry.”
“Why sorry, the soup is clearly working,” Chanyeol says easily. He catches himself thinking that Baekhyun looks kind of cute sniffling and sitting there in his bed hair and homewear, and retreats himself in the kitchen quickly. That’s his boss, he can’t be cute. To busy himself momentarily, he boils some water and mixes it with a vitamin powder pack he also got from the store. He brings the cup to Baekhyun.
“Here. It’s the vitamin powder thing. Drink up.”
Baekhyun glances up at him. “Thanks, mom.”
Chanyeol rolls his eyes and starts picking up the used bowls in order to clean up the table but Baekhyun raises his hand and stops him.
“You don’t have to. I can clean up myself later.”
“But-”
“No buts, it’s fine,” Baekhyun says firmly. “As your boss, I tell you to go home now. You’ve done more than enough. I don’t want too big of a debt.”
“There’s no debt,” Chanyeol mutters but packs up his stuff as Baekhyun seems pretty determined to get him to go home now. He thinks he should feel relieved, but he weirdly doesn’t.
Baekhyun walks him to the entrance and watches as Chanyeol puts on his shoes and finally straightens up.
“If you’ll need something...” he starts a bit awkwardly.
“I will let someone know,” Baekhyun assures, giving him a lopsided smile. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine. No more work today. Or tomorrow, I guess. We’ll sign that LA contract on Thursday when I’m back in the office.”
Chanyeol smiles back. “Alright.”
“Good night, Chanyeol. And thank you.”
Chanyeol rides the subway home and feels weirdly light and content, his mind full of Baekhyun’s last soft smile before he closed the door after him. He also answers Jongdae’s multiple texts that are worrying over him.
Later in the evening, for his surprise he gets a message from Baekhyun. The message consists only of emojis, and Chanyeol smiles to himself trying to decipher it. It looks like a story of someone who’s sick and eats a pot with pepper and garlic, then goes to sleep and in the morning is feeling all healthy and powerful.
It’s his first message from Baekhyun that’s not short, matter-of-fact and work related. It’s the total opposite of that. Chanyeol sends back a superhero and a party popper.
He goes to sleep with a smile on his face.
amaxingbaek, you're up!