✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
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✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . reheating btl’s nachos with the date montage ig story thing but make it more discreet since they are #private
"you know what he just said to me?!" your voice shrills at the other end of the line. chenle winces at your voice, even pulling his phone away from his ear
he squints as he double checks the id caller. oh, it's you
"he was all like 'you're so damn rude'" you rant, not even caring if chenle was actively listening right now at god knows what time is it
"and i was all like, boy does it look like i care?! i couldn't even care less about you!"
"ahuh.." chenle mumbles, putting his phone on loud speaker, "and then what happened?"
"and then i bailed from our so called date" you finish, "met up with the girls and now i'm here calling you"
"at three in the morning?"
"at three in the morning" you agree, smiling even if he couldn't see it
there was a brief pause mid call. chenle thought you had ended it but he sees that you were still connected. before he could say anything, you speak up
"i miss you"
chenle is suddenly fully awake and he doesn't know why
"y/n—"
"i know. dumb move on my part for calling you in the midst of everything. i just miss... you or us or i don't even know anymore" you rant. "just had to get it off my chest"
chenle sits up from his bed, ready to go wherever you are. just to be sure you'd get back home safe
"where are you?" chenle asks, rushing to his closet to find a jacket and his car keys
"no it's okay. i'm already on the way home" you murmur. "just had a moment of weakness back there. must be because its cold and i don't have your jacket on me"
moment of weakness? ouch
"just kidding!" you muse, laughing at the awkward silence you had caused. "but seriously. i miss you, le. things aren't the same with other guys. guess no one could handle me but you" you add
maybe ending things on a good note wasn't a very plausible idea
"anyway, i'm home now. sorry for bothering you. goodnight"
"wait—!"
but you already ended the call. chenle blinks, slowly pulling his phone away from his hear as he stares at your contact id that still had his favorite picture of you and your contact name that he couldn't bring himself to erase,
your head snaps up when you hear his voice. all day today he has been doing nothing but doting on you. for a moment, you actually believed that he ditched his entire work load for the day to just loiter around you
now that you think about it, you haven't seen him go back to his floor at all. he has just been at your floor, lingering around your cubicle. if he wasn't, then he was probably terrorizing hyuck or jisung nearby
you narrow your eyes at him before nodding silently. still partially giving him the silent treatment again. all because of a name that you won't think about right now just in case your mood worsens
you're not gonna lie to yourself right now. chenle being a whole different person today is rubbing you off the strange way. not wrong. definitely not the wrong way because who are you to refuse free everything?
from the moment he picked you up in the morning, there was your usual coffee order and your typical breakfast bagel that you two buy sometimes before clocking in the office
chenle had also opened every door for you too. nothing too out of the ordinary but just enough to raise your eyebrow because what is going on right now
did he magically catch on your attitude? that's why he's doing damage control?
wait a second, does he know the reason?
you didn't really bother to tell the girls anymore because you know you're just going to get an earful for not actually telling chenle the real reason of your "moodiness" as you'd like to call it
but you're just too stubborn with yourself and you know that. at least now you understand the way you feel right now
you're jealous. it's normal and it was most likely bound to happen
but you never thought it would happen so soon
before you could say anything else, chenle just grabs your work bag and waits for you to accept his hand that he was holding out
reluctantly, you grab his hand and he smiles for the nth time today. you let him pull you up from your chair and guide you to the elevator. you take this time to look at your intertwined hands. he was doing that thing again he does where he rubs his thumbs on the back of your hand
a part of you wanted to stop this cold front already and just admit to him what you truly felt for the past few days but as usual, embarrassment gets to the best of you and partially shame as well
how are you even going to word it out that you suddenly got jealous of their long time partner slash friend because you felt like an outsider between them? that you suddenly felt like you had no place in whatever table they were at just because they knew each other longer?
you scrunch your nose at the same time the elevator doors open. chenle catches you in the act but doesn't press just yet
not yet. chenle thinks to himself, pressing the basement button so you two could go straight down to the parking lot where a surprise awaits
chenle wiggles out of your hand to move his arm around your waist, pulling you against him
"long day?" he asks softly, looking down at you. he only gets a huff as a response to which he chuckles. he pulls you to his side even closer, nuzzling against you
"we're still at the office" you murmur, voice still stoic and robotic
"nobody's watching" chenle counters, leaning down and smirking when he feels you resist
"still. get off" you huffed, breaking free from his grip. chenle watches as you fix your hair and clothes. he shakes his head as he holds in his laughter. still not breaking under pressure?
the goddamn elevator doors finally open again at the basement where the parking lot is at. before you could step out first, chenle wraps an arm around your shoulder, still making sure that you two are walking out together
he feels you stiffen but you eventually just let him do whatever since there was no point anyway. you're still going to be stuck in the car with him either way
when his car comes to view, chenle unwraps his arm around you. you take this as a sign to bolt towards the car first but chenle being quick with it, locks the car again
"open" you say, hand already on the passenger door's handle
"eager are we?" chenle retorts, ignoring your demand to open the car. "be patient. good things come to those who are patient" he adds a random proverb in the midst of everything
you let out another huff, letting go of the car handle to cross your arms like a bratty child. you don't even know what you're doing anymore. you wouldn't normally act like this around him but jealousy is a green monster and it might as well have possessed you right now
"chill. i was just going to open the car door for you" chenle teases, squishing your cheeks. he puts his hand on the car handle before he actually unlocks the car. just so he can beat you to it
once chenle opened the passenger seat, you give him an irritated look before getting in but you stop in your tracks when you see a humongous bouquet of flowers sitting on your seat
you stand there stunned. what the fuck was going on today?
"are you not gonna get in?" chenle asks feigns innocence like he didn't just prepare all this, holding the passenger door wide open
you give him a look before pursing your lips together. you lift the bouquet of flowers from your seat but my god, were they heavy. chenle immediately comes to your aid by helping you hold the flowers while you slide in his car. when you were comfortable and buckled in, chenle places the flowers by your feet before closing the door and running off to his side of the car
you stare at the red roses in front of you. your heart is seconds away from bursting because this is the very first time you were given flowers. a humongous bouquet at that
chenle promptly slides in his seat and immediately starts the car and not even a moment later, you were out of the company and onto the highways of seoul
it was silent inside chenle's car again just like how it was this morning. he didn't comment on it though which you found strange because usually you two would be talking about whatever but this time it's just the hum of chenle's bmw engine purring softly to fill the car
you hands twitch on the sides of the bouquet when you turn your attention back at the roses. what was the exact reason for this? everything that happened today isn't adding up anymore
hesitating for a moment, you break the silence
"what's this for?" you ask, voice clipped in attempt to sound like you were disinterested (when you were actually feeling butterflies)
chenle hums, glancing towards your direction before back onto the main road
"nothing. just felt like giving you 'just because' flowers" chenle shrugs, leaning on his side of the window as he drives with one hand
he himself too is trying not to combust right now
you immediately feel the blood rush to your cheeks. just because flowers, huh. you think to yourself. you slowly caress a rose petal as silence falls over the car again
you mentally curse yourself for melting already with just his words and probably bodacious actions. sometimes you forget what chenle is truly capable of. sometimes you just forget he's a ceo with money and that things like this comes easy to him
"... okay.. weird" you murmured, deflecting the topic because chenle can't know that one. you're blushing and two. your cold persona for today is already melting. you look out the window to distract yourself because you feel chenle glance towards your away again
chenle shakes his head as he bites back a smile. he already knows you're melting without even having to take a look at you. he knows you like that
he then takes a left turn instead of the usual right. in an instant, you're suddenly on high alert because this wasn't the way to your house
"this isn't the way home" you say out loud, seeing unfamiliar infrastructures down the road
"i know" chenle hums, like he meant to take the left instead of the right (he did)
"we're grabbing dinner first before i drop you home. my treat" chenle turns to look at you again. he still has that stupid smile plastered on his face. as much as you wanted to give up the act already, your pride isn't letting you
so you do what you do best. you huff and deflect. your roll your eyes as you just lean back down on the seats, staring at the window and avoiding any conversation with chenle whatsoever
chenle waggles his eyebrows since he knows how stubborn you are. so he just turns on the aux so it wouldn't be too awkward in the car on the way to the restaurant
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
tonight's dinner is at a high end skyrise rooftop deck
from what you've heard with the receptionist, chenle had booked the entire rooftop in advanced so he can have this dinner with just the two of you
you refrain from reacting since you're still supposed to be cold with him but god fucking damn. what's the occasion? is there a celebration that you didn't know about?
you should've saw it coming when you two arrived at the building, there was a valet and chenle just simply tossed his keys onto the valet boy before checking in with the receptionist for his reservation
"got the place just for us" chenle says, smug, walking you to the table that was right in the middle of the rooftop
with money, you can just do anything and everything
"should i be worried?" you ask, sitting down at the fancy set up table
chenle shakes his head no. "nope. more like, get used to these type of things" he says
you raise an eyebrow, challenging him to say more but he just raises his hands up before staring at you. your face being illuminated by the candlelights around the table, casting a golden glow all over your face. making your features pop
"you look beautiful by the way" chenle comments, his head propped on his hand as he stares at you
it was a good thing chenle told you to bring the bouquet of flowers with you because you were now using it to hide your face
what was up with him today? this is getting weird
but you drop it when food immediately comes. seems like chenle had ordered before hand so all you had to do was eat
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
dinner was relatively short and romantic if you will. you were slowly melting as the hours pass by because of how romantic the setting was
candlelit dinner in a skyrise rooftop deck? these aren't your usual dinners so that was a plus. food was divine too. chenle had ordered steak and wine so obviously you had to hold an actual conversation with him while eating. it would've been rude if you were just silent the entire time
chenle was grateful that you were actually talking to him and not just clipped words and phrases. this was the first time since yesterday that he got a full conversation out of you
now you were on the way home
as usual, silence fills the car again but there was a certain weight to it this time around like words are yet to be spoken
your stomachs might be full but your hearts aren't just yet
and you just feel like the question can come at any second now because its not all the time chenle has all the time in the world to practically skip a day's worth of work despite being at the office and not to mention renting out a whole rooftop deck for a couple of hours just to have dinner?
"you've been jealous all week, haven't you?"
and there is the golden buzzer question you've been waiting for. hell, you couldn't even prepare for— wait what?
did he say jealous?
you slowly turn your head to give him a incredulous look. he did not just say that. did he?
"jealous?" you scoff, "what do you mean? i'm not jealous. who said that?"
chenle chuckles, shaking his head. he had caught you right where he wanted you to be
"took me a while to figure it out what was wrong with you but it's all clear as day to me now. you've been jealous that's why you've been giving me the cold shoulder for the past few days" he continues
your mouth drops open when you realize that he had read you like an open book. were you that obvious in the first place?
no. you weren't going to give him the satisfaction of admitting that you were in fact jealous. he can't know why you were even jealous. he just can't
"who said i was? can't i be moody since we have a lot of work to do? maybe i'm just tired and i don't want to be bothered" you reason, crossing your arms
chenle glances to check your reaction. of course you'd deny it. he knew you would because you aren't the type to actually tell people what you actually felt
"you think you can fool me by deflecting and blaming work but i know better. i know you like the back of my hand. it's okay, i won't make fun of you. i told you remember? tell me when you feel things so i know what to do" chenle says softly. he moves his hand from the gearshift to rest them on your thigh
your eyes immediately dart towards his hand that was holding your thigh firmly but still gentle enough to make you melt yet again. no. he can't win. you're taking this to the grave
so you deflect. again
"who even said i was jealous? jealous of who exactly? because i can assure you i'm not" you say defensively, voice shaking a little
you were surprisingly putting up a good front but your voice is slowly betraying you
chenle shakes his head, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud. he's not sure if you can even hear yourself anymore. so he just squeezes your thigh. hoping you'd get the message but you ignore it
since you aren't budging. might as well use reverse psychology on you
"are you sure it's not because of shuhua?" chenle suddenly brings her name up. he steals a glance at you and lo and behold. you were now frowning. there's a crease in between your eyebrows at the slightest mention of shuhua's name
"oh, i'm sure its not because of her" you say so sickeningly sweet that it actually sounded venomous
luckily there was a red light up ahead so chenle can actually face you properly but you were fuming again at this point. just the mention of their name could get you fired up like this. you don't even notice yourself that you were pouting and staring intently at the dashboard til chenle calls your name
"hey. look at me" chenle says, grabbing your chin to actually force you to look at him since he knows damn well you wouldn't be looking at him any time soon
"you don't have to be jealous. she's just a close colleague of ours. of the company, not me. okay? so you can stop pouting now" chenle reassures, looking at you deep in your eyes. his hand moves from your chin to your cheek to cup them, caressing your cheek with his thumb
you almost give in to it but you manage to push those thoughts out. you slowly remove his hand from your cheek before huffing
"i know that she's a close friend okay? you don't have to keep reminding me. i. know. it's just that—" you stop yourself before you could even expose yourself. wow, that really did something to you
chenle clicks his tongue in annoyance when the light turns green since he couldn't be looking at you properly. he manages to find your hand and intertwines them together, squeezing them hard despite your fingers not fully curled around his.. yet
"it's okay. let it out. let me hear you" chenle says softly, prompting you to just tell him everything right there and then
you decide for a moment if this was all worth it but fuck it. since we're already this open and vulnerable despite it being against your will, why not just let loose
taking in a deep breath, you angle your body to look at chenle. ready to make up some bullshit to escape whatever this talk was about
"first of all, i was not jealous. it's just that i felt... i don't even know what to say and you expect me to tell you" you cut yourself off, chickening out again
chenle shakes his head and motions you to continue. "spill it out. i'm listening"
you were getting a little annoyed at where this was going
"i already told you that i'm not jealous. that's literally it. it doesn't have to have any explanation"
"okay fine. lets say you really aren't jealous. okay, that's that. but you giving me the cold shoulder, that needs an explanation. because i didn't even do anything and here you are giving me the cold shoulder" chenle counters, now trying to negotiate with you
you let out an irritated huff. this is so hard. you really have no way around this with someone like chenle. there really is no escape from this dreadful question, is there?
"you won't get it chenle" you exasperate, leaning back onto the seat, suddenly feeling tired. you haven't even explained your side and yet you're already exhausted from thinking about it
"how will i not get it if you won't tell me? that's why i'm asking you to tell me right here right now. i won't know if you won't tell me, y/n" he says, "please.. tell me"
you stay quiet. mind all of over the place from being cornered like this. you were now regretting that you didn't tell him the first time when you apologized. maybe karina and giselle were right. maybe you should've told him from the get go through text so it wouldn't be as embarrasing as it is now to say it out loud
"so now you're not saying anything? what? cat got your tongue?" chenle asks
your eyes furrow in annoyance. you were getting there! just gathering whatever courage you have left
but all of that goes out the window when—
"baby, i hope you know that i don't like anyone else but you"
all the air had been knocked out of your lungs. he called you what now?
baby?
as in b-a-b-y?
chenle noticed that you had stopped talking completely. he takes a glance and sees you staring at him, eyes wide open
what? did he say something wrong?
"what?" he asks, putting the car in neutral as there was a red light
"did i say something..?" chenle cocks his head to the side as he looks at you. should he be worried that you had just stopped talking?
"you just called me baby.."
he called you what?
now it was chenle's turn to freeze. like literally. hands frozen and all that as your words process in his head. he called you baby?
what the fuck did he just call you?
blood rushes to chenle's head. he physically feels himself burning up. this was meant to fluster you by confronting you into admitting that you were jealous and definitely not the other way around!
"oh" chenle squeaks, breaking out of his trance when he hears the car behind him honk, ".. i did?"
"you did.."
"oh.. nice"
why the hell did it become awkward in the car. you were just being held gunpoint for your actions and now chenle had dropped a baby bomb that completely turned the whole situation around
what the hell is going on anymore
before you two could continue, your phone suddenly rings. you fish it out of your bag and checked the id caller that reads 'uncle jae'
you stare at it with your eyebrows raised since why would your uncle be calling at this hour? nevertheless, you answer
"hello uncle jae?" you answer, glancing at chenle who mouths 'what's going on?'
"hey kiddo! just checking in. it's been a while since we had a chat" your uncle chirps, "wanted to check up on my one and only favorite niece. how's your work going?"
you look at chenle again before responding to your uncle. "it's fine, uncle jae. i'm fine. work has been one rollercoaster. how about you? how have you been?"
ah you're talking to jaehyun, chenle thinks to himself. oh yeah, he did recommend you for the job. he makes a mental note that he should thank jaehyun in person if they ever get the chance to meet again because without his recommendation, he wouldn't have met you and you two wouldn't be where you are right now
"hahaha i've been doing well. going on business trip with johnny like usual. i think we're going to hit the states again soon. want anything?" jaehyun asks
you laugh sheepishly, "no, i'm okay uncle. thanks for checking in on me"
"of course! i recommended you for the job so obviously its my responsibility to check up on you. how's chenle as your boss? has he been good to you? he's a good kid"
chenle and good kid in one sentence? you beg to differ
you glance at chenle before scoffing. "hah! if only you knew uncle but he's fine. he's an.. okay boss i guess"
chenle realizes you were talking about him. he gasps out loud that it actually picked up on jaehyun's end
"are you with someone right now, kiddo?"
your eyes widen as you glare at chenle. chenle stifles in his laughter that you just blew your non existent cover. you gulp, trying to think of some lie that won't be too suspicious on jaehyun's end
"uhh yeah. i'm in a car with my bo—"
"with your boyfriend?!" you get cut off by jaehyun who also gasps out loud
"what?!" you yelp
and as if things couldn't turn for the worse, chenle snatches your phone off of you and puts jaehyun on loudspeaker
"hey jaehyun hyung!" chenle grins even if jaehyun couldn't even see it
everything is happening so fast. you barely register that chenle got a hold of your phone and is talking to jaehyun who had mistaken that you were in a car with a boyfriend (well, he's technically not wrong)
"wha—? chenle, is that you? what are you doing in car with y/n?" jaehyun asks bewildered
"oh, i'm dropping her home. no biggie, hyung" chenle hums, winking at your direction while you just sit in the passenger seat with your mouth agape
what is he doing?!
"you are? wow. are you her boyfriend or something?" jaehyun continues to ask. you actually can't believe how dense your uncle is somethings like jaehyun please
"i guess you could say that" chenle responds cooly. so cold that it gave jaehyun whiplash
"what the hell?" you hear jaehyun say over the phone
"give me that!" you snatch your phone back from chenle who starts cackling like a mad man. "uncle, i can explain!"
"hahaha no need to kiddo. i hear you both loud and clear. looks like i have to pay an overdue visit at zhong inc." jaehyun teases, "take care of her will you, zhong?"
chenle leans over your seat, making sure he's facing your phone. "of course, mr. jung. you have my word"
"hahaha. kids these days. i'll get going now kiddo. don't want to disturb your date further"
"uncle wait—"
"i'll see you guys soon. bye bye" and with that, your uncle jaehyun hangs up
when the coast was clear, chenle starts cackling out loud.
"i can't believe that just happened" chenle says in between laughs while you grumble and cover your face in embarrasment. out of all people, it had to be your uncle
"i'm dead meat to him.." you whine
chenle reaches over to uncover your face with your hands before he starts cackling again
"don't be. it's me who's dead because dare i date jaehyun jung's niece. i actually forgot you two were related"
you huff, rolling your eyes. "obviously i don't exercise my nepotism enough"
"oh you'll be utilizing that nepotism real soon. i can tell you that" chenle teases
"just drive me home, zhong"
"yes ma'am"
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
despite arriving at your apartment complex, you were still in the car with chenle, who still doesn't want to let you leave til you tell him that you were jealous
"chenle, i already told you"
"nope. i didn't hear shit from that explanation" chenle shrugs, leaning back against his seat, his hands thrown over at the headrest. "i'll stay here all night til i get it out of you"
you groan, your hands flying to your hair. he really can be insufferable when he wants to be
"come on. just tell me. i'm not gonna bite your head off or anything" chenle persuades, looking at you intently. he was just parked on his usual curb and wouldn't let you go like a hostage because he wants to finish this right. no more loose ends
after a beat of silence and him just watching you. he speaks up first
"i meant what i said earlier" chenle starts, now reaching over for your hand. "that i don't like anyone else but you"
your eyes follow your hands first and they slowly trail up to his face. he was looking at you so intently that you just had to look away because you couldn't withstand the intensity of his gaze
"and i thought i made that very clear with the way i act around you so you being jealous over her just doesn't make sense to me. at all"
you let his words sink in as you go over it again and again
baby, i hope you know that i don't like anyone else but you
you close your eyes, heaving a heavy sigh. you hate to admit that he's right. this is exactly why you don't want him to know
"so if you could please tell me what bothered you then i'll know my boundaries. i'm sorry that i didn't figure it out sooner and let it simmer like this. i should've known but i didn't and that's on me"
your eyes snap open when you hear chenle start apologizing. it should be you who should apologize and not the other way around
chenle didn't do anything wrong. you were the one who got jealous. you were the one acting weird to the point he noticed but you're not the one apologizing
"if you want, i can cut her off if it's bothering you so much—"
"that's exactly what i don't want you to do" you cut him off, now facing him
chenle is slightly taken a back at your sudden outburst. okay then. so if that's not what you want, then what?
you suck in a deep breath before you sheepishly admit the phrase chenle has been waiting to hear since yesterday
"fine. maybe i was... jealous" you mumble the last part
you feel your cheeks burn with embarrassment. you're not even looking at chenle in the eye as you start explaining yourself
"i actually don't know why i was jealous but seeing you act all carefree like that with another person. someone you have history with just bothered me a lot. i don't know how to explain it because i'm new to this, to you, to your lifestyle. technically i am an outsider so seeing you being chummy chummy with people who belong to your lifestyle just rubbed me the wrong way..." you rambled
chenle sits there, listening intently at your words. trying to understand everything
"... i'm still new to all this relationship thing and i'm still adjusting. i know it's childish and very unlikely of me but i just can't help it, you know? i was literally just an employee of yours a few months ago before whatever we are now—"
chenle suddenly holds his hands up, motioning you to stop. you look at him weirdly but everything you said just made sense for chenle that he didn't need to hear more. especially the part where you mention that you were just an employee of his because it's all different now
entirely different
"i'm gonna stop you right there. i've heard enough to know where this is going" chenle says before he cups your face with his hands, "i want you to know that i don't care about anyone else. and i mean everyone. i don't care about who they are, their status in life, or whatever the fuck. there is only one person i care about and that is you"
you stare up at him as your hands cover his. "but–"
"ah. no buts" chenle shushes. "there is no exception to this. to me, it's only you and you alone"
"i also want you to know that you have to tell me these type of things, okay? tell me when you're bothered. you're sad. you're happy. just tell me. don't hide anything from me from now on. it's my duty to make and keep you happy. understand?" chenle's voice is soft but firm. like he wants you to instill this in your mind
you only blink at him, letting his words process slowly
"i don't ever want you to feel like you're second to anyone because you're not. you'll always be my top priority. okay?" he adds, making damn sure that you were understanding all this
"so, i'm sorry again for making you feel like this. it was never my intention and i will do better next time now that i know that you felt this way. okay baby?"
without hesitation, chenle presses a gentle kiss on your forehead to seal his words to you, catching you completely off guard. you feel him caress your cheek with his thumb again as he pulls away
"do you feel better now?" he asks but by the looks of your blushing face. you probably do feel much better. you don't even have to say a word to answer because you know that he knows
chenle smiles wide, "that's my baby"
though at the mention of what seems to be your new term of endearment, you immediately pinch his chest
"ow!" he yelps, "what the hell was that for?"
"for calling me baby and locking me in here"
"but you like it— ouch!"
"walk me to the door, zhong"
"will do madam baby— oww! stop pinching me!"
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . apparently this is 5.2k words.. and the 80th chapter of business proposal! i hope u guys enjoy this as much as i did writing it!! genuinely reached flow state i love them so much. enjoy and let me know what yall think per usual <333
you all gather at a nearby restaurant after hyuck wanted to have lunch with everyone
your voices all drown out the restaurant noise as everyone talks over one another. on your right, giselle was talking about some insider she had heard through the grapevine while hyuck and karina were adding more credible information about whoever they were talking about with jisung chiming in here and there
on your left, chenle and mark were still talking about business. some client businesses or possible future targets or predictions on what could be their next big move
while you were just in the middle of everything, two ears listening to the two different conversations going on
you were sitting next to chenle per usual. you didn't even have to look through the menu earlier since you know that chenle would order you something you'd like and he has never once failed in that aspect
every once in a while you can feel his hand on your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. in return, you put your hand on top of his
it's still a little awkward after last night. he wasn't technically lying about you crying during the call. it was more of you tearing up as you apologized since you were giving him the cold shoulder all day and you've never felt so bad for chenle. it might be the first time you ever felt that way towards him. boss or whatever you call your relationship was wise
after a bit more of chatting here and there, you take a sip of chenle's drink while everyone was preoccupied
but turns out hyuck catches you in the action
"you guys are so parents. i feel so giddy whenever i see the two of you act like a couple" hyuck suddenly gushes, cutting whatever conversation he had with giselle, karina and jisung
all heads turn to you, including chenle who was smiling
"that's because they are a couple, idiot" giselle waves a hand, now also gushing while karina giggles beside her
"chenle isn't even denying it" jisung chimes in
you give everyone a weird look before returning the glass onto it's place, shrugging. no point of denying it now. you technically are a couple. just without the label yet
chenle, who decides to turn this into a whole show, fake yawns and stretches his arms out. only for one of his arms to fall right onto your shoulder before he pulls you to his side
the target audience being hyuck, giselle and karina all start squealing
you immediately shake yourself off chenle and even scold him a little for doing that unprovoked. chenle simply batts his eyelashes and shrugs, now keeping an arm around you while the group winds down from both the squealing and the food
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
you were all back at the office since lunch break was ending soon but you were all just mingling around the hallway, slowly parting ways with each other
giselle and karina went back to their cubicles to work on their own thing while jisung already left to go back to his office. that meant you were now left with chenle, mark and hyuck
you were just chatting with hyuck for a little just some life updates with chenle since he kept asking you about some juicy info while mark and chenle were back to talking about business again the moment they stepped foot into the company building
"oh right, shuhua had sent in an email about reevaluating the partnership? she even asked if she could visit in person. don't know how that ended up in my email but you should get to that" mark informs chenle
shuhua.
there she is again. this time only mentioned in passing but it made your stomach churn in a indescribable feeling
you immediately make a sour face but you revert back to normal because you just remembered you were talking to hyuck
"she said that? but i'd rather not meet up with her again" chenle laughs, probably at the thought of shuhua. "an email would suffice. forward it to me or i'll get y/n to handle it" chenle adds, suddenly turning to you
"you got shuhua for me?" he asks, a playful smile on his face
instead of responding you just nod your head. not wanting to hear anything else about her, you take this time to leave. you subtly tell hyuck that you'd be heading back to your cubicle, cutting your conversation short
you didn't even say bye to chenle or mark, just walked passed them to head back to your cubicle
chenle stands there stunned at your sudden silent exit. did he say anything wrong again?
he hears mark say "uh oh" while hyuck was busy putting two and two together before he clasps his hands together
"oh my god" he reacts, covering his mouth
chenle turns to them with a bewildered look on his face. "did you guys just see that? what the hell did i say this time?"
and like lightning had just struck, it finally hits chenle
shuhua.
you are bothered by shuhua. no wonder you had started acting weird after the meeting with her. because there was no other plausible reason for you to be acting like this. you don't even normally act like this out of the blue
now it all makes sense for chenle that even the slightest mention of her name is making you turn a whole 180. you were just fine hours ago and suddenly when shuhua's name was said in passing, it's suddenly square one again for chenle
"i get it now.." chenle murmurs, loud enough for mark and hyuck to hear
"what's going on guys?" mark asks, looking around while hyuck might as well pass away because of cardiac arrest
"confirmed. she's jealous. oh my god this is so goood!" hyuck celebrates, jumping around chenle who is standing with his feet planted onto the carpeted floor. he was looking over at your cubicle where you're now at. typing away on your laptop
he finally understands your cold attitude yesterday and the night before. no wonder you acted like that out of the blue. so your whole reasoning about being stressed from all the meetings was just a white lie
chenle doesn't know if he should be a little mad that you lied about something like this since it could've been addressed immediately by him but he also understands why you would deflect instead because you don't want him to know something like this is bothering you
but ultimately, he gets it now
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . GET IT NOW
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . cat is out of the bag. day 4 bbina streak lets keep the fire going yall
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . i love a man who knows how to talk his shit
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . double update because the chapter is looking good,,, anyway! we love relationship advice from friends <33 props to yn for admitting that shit cus i could never
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . not my usual update schedule but its here now
from what you've heard, the client that you are meeting for lunch today is a previous client of zhong inc. or a close business partner
you're not too sure which is which since it was only brought up by kun right before you and chenle had left the company to head to where you two are at right now
you don't think too much of it and you can already assume the outcome of today's meeting if its someone they already know
though you're not too sure why they need to meet up for lunch if they've already had a partnership or some sort in the past
"wait, if you've already partnered with them before then why are we still here to meet up with them?" you ask chenle, who was playing with your hands under the table
"hmm?" chenle hums, turning to face you. "shuhua said she wanted to catch up for lunch and she's going to introduce me to her new team"
hold on, did he just address the client by their first name?
"... shuhua?" you ask, tilting your head to the side
"oh that's who we're meeting today. sorry i forgot you don't know her" chenle sheepishly laughs. "zhong inc. had partnered with her brand in the past. i'm guessing she's going on another business venture hence we're here" he explains
you slowly nod your head. okay. that's that, you guess. you try to remember if the name shuhua rings a bell with the files that were given to you by mark earlier today. either you completely skimmed through it or you had completely missed it
before you can say anything else, a loud voice echoes through the restaurant
"zhong chenle!" a voice speaks
chenle unintentionally drops your hand as he stands up, looking at the direction where the voice called him from
"yeh shuhua!" he smiles wide
you turn to take a look and there shuhua was. strutting to your table like she did not just grab the entire restaurant's attention
chenle respectfully gives her a side hug as they both laugh at what they just did. shuhua even smacks his arm when he tells her that it's been a while
well, for the record, you had completely blocked their voices out because what was that?
you only return to your senses when you feel chenle's hand on your shoulder. you abruptly stand up and greet today's client which is shuhua
"this is y/n. she will be presenting our end of today's meeting. y/n, this is shuhua. the owner of Lumière" chenle introduces you to shuhua
shuhua eyes you up and down for a second before smiling and even offers her hand out
"hi! nice to meet you! i think i've seen you somewhere before.." shuhua says, tapping her finger against her chin, "but i can't put my finger on it.."
"oh i think you must be mistaken" you awkwardly laugh
she shakes her head rapidly. "no i remember! i think it was during the collaboration with just do it co? you were the model, weren't you?"
you scrunch your face. unsure whether to be embarrassed or what that you could be remembered like that
chenle suddenly cackles at the memory of you being the face of their rebrand. how time flies
"what? the great shuhua star struck that you met my model?" chenle teases, his hand now moving from your shoulder to the small of your back
shuhua squints and puts her hands on her hips. "excuse you! i'm just saying! because i actually sent that teaser back to just do it co.. i kind of want my products to be commercialized like that... give me their number will you?" she suddenly tugs on chenle's arm
okay.. you're not too sure why that just went all slow motion in your eyes because what?
"jesus you have not changed" chenle yanks his arm away. he then ushers her to sit down while he pats on your shoulder. slowly, you sit down, still unsure what's up with yourself since you suddenly feel like you're not up to this meeting
the rest of her team shortly follow, filling up the seats chenle had reserved
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
as the meeting progresses, you had completely went auto pilot mode. you were just letting his words in the ear and out the other. barely even processing anything he said
professional, as you'd like to call it
something about this meeting is bothering you and you can't quite pinpoint what just yet
chenle had basically taken over the meeting after a while since he and shuhua just somehow clicked with all their ideas and numbers and you just let him
some banter here and there since they were once business partners as what he said. only him and shuhua laughed at their memories. you were completely out of the loop
though chenle made sure that you'd understand by explaining briefly what they meant. even shuhua who even spilled some secrets she knew about chenle
you never wanted a meeting to end til now for reasons you don't even understand because it's not the usual "it's boring" or the repetitive talk about numbers and graphs
its entirely a different reason
you can't help notice the little things about chenle this time around. how he just lets her casually hit him or tug on his cufflinks. how they seamlessly joke around like old pals reuniting after years of not seeing each other
you hate how easy it is for him to be all like.. this with another person
"lele!" shuhua shrills, smacking chenle repeatedly after he reveals some insider information about her or her other business ventures, you're not even sure anymore since you haven't been listening
chenle drops his head back as he laughs at the memory. something about rookie numbers or some shit
you resist the urge to roll your eyes so you just focus on the small plate of macarons in front of you. chenle had ordered it for you earlier when he saw you looking at it on the display
huffing quietly, you poke the colorful macarons in front of you. just so you could do something while you wait for this dreadful meeting to practically end
since they're just talking about memories or some shit..., you thought to yourself
"y/n"
you look up to see chenle staring at you. how long have you been disassociating?
"yes, sir zhong?" you say abruptly, voice all cold and professional
chenle's eyebrows shoot up at the sudden formality. sir zhong?
before you two could say anything, shuhua laughs
"sir zhong? seriously? that sounds so pretentious even for the likes of you" she laughs, nudging chenle with her hand, "anyway ms. y/n! as he was saying, he was asking if you still kept just do it co's contact number or contact person? could you give it to me please" she then looks over to you, who's behind chenle
chenle turns away from you to look at shuhua. he opens his mouth to correct her. something about how you don't actually call him that but you beat him to it
"sure thing, ms. shuhua. i'll send it to your assistant immediately" you smile politely
"awwe thanks babe! ugh your assistant is so cute and polite. i can't believe she works for.. you" she grimaces, cracking a joke
chenle simply rolls his eyes. "renjun said the same thing" he chuckles
okay for some reason why did that hurt. why didn't he correct her? why are you suddenly an assistant all over again?
were you overthinking things? in retrospect, you technically are still his assistant. you made it very clear to him that you didn't want him to start telling everyone with ears who you are to him. after all, that was your only request
that you keep whatever your relationship with him private
but for some reason, it bothered you this time around
before you can think of more things that could only worsen your mood even more, you suddenly feel his hand on your knee under the table
usually, you'd feel relieved or grounded but all you feel right now is the ick
which in your opinion, is not a good sign. at all
. . . ᝰ.ᐟ
the godforsaken meeting or should you call it a catch up during brunch is over
you and chenle were now on the way back to the company
"great business per usual" chenle smiles, glancing towards your direction for a brief moment. he moves his hand from the gear shift to rest it on your thigh
you hum, leaning against the window as you close your eyes. you almost forgot back at the restaurant that you two went there together and you can't just ignore him for the rest of the ride
chenle does a double take on your figure. did the meeting take that long for you to rest in the car on the way back?
"tired?" he asks, switching lanes
"yeah" you murmured, suddenly turning your body away from him. hoping he won't notice
he doesn't
"you didn't eat the macarons i got for you. had to get them out for take out" chenle pouts
"wasn't that hungry" you say. at this point, your body was now completely turned away from him. feigning that you were getting some sleep
(you weren't because you couldn't sleep after whatever that was and now it's bothering you)
"i'll just let you get some sleep. we're going to be on the road for a while.. seems like there's an accident up ahead" chenle mumbles, checking on the gps as it calculates an alternate route
ugh. could this day get any worse?
not only you had to sit through that, now you're going to be stuck in traffic with him for god knows how long?
turns out it was just a fluke. chenle found a shortcut and before you know it, you were already back at the office
now usually when you and chenle return to the office, normally you two would stay a little longer in the car to debrief about what went down during the meetings so it would all be coordinated with everyone else inside
but today, you got out the moment he set the car to park, grabbed your bag and the macarons at the backseat and walked inside the doors without even sparing chenle a glance
chenle is stunned at your actions as he stares at your disappearing back. how did you even get out of his car so fast when you were 'sleeping'?
when chenle finally went up to your floor, he sees you sharing the macarons with karina and giselle. they were listening intently with what you were saying. he then sees you shake your head as you roll your eyes
what's going on with you?
before he can walk up to you girls, kun steals him away
"how was the meeting with shuhua?" kun asks, "any new business venture that needs us?" he jokes, laughing at himself
"yep. seems promising too" chenle nods, walking with kun
"let's talk about it in my office so we can get mark to handle it as well as the other clients this quarter" kun says, walking with chenle
as him and kun were walking to kun's office, chenle actually passes by giselle's table where you were at along with karina. he hears you laugh for the first time today and decides to poke some fun with you since you weren't really responsive all day
chenle deliberately passes by your way and grazes his hand on your waist, hoping to see a reaction from you
only for you to raise an eyebrow at him with bored look on your face before smiling politely at kun before you turn back to your girls, possibly gossiping about god knows what
weird.. what the hell is that about
BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . WEIRD
✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.
[ PREV / NEXT ]
✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . surprise early update!! wrote this like 3 days ago but i didnt have the panels ready lol and soz if im a lil rusty with the writing portions but i miss them so hence this.. HAIIIIIII
