The ride with Chanyeol to the company was a quiet affair, that even when they were alone Baekhyun didn't break character as he continued to not acknowledge the man he loved. It may seem childish, but if Baekhyun showed even the slightest break in his usual cold and dismissive demeanor it could mean a uproar within his company. All those years ago when he had lost his boyfriend, his father had stepped in to run his company with the help of his older brother, Baekbeom, and when Baekhyun had come back to run his business they hadn't been so gracious about stepping down from their temporary positions as acting CEO's.

Baekhyun knew his father and brother would take any opportunity they could get to steal his successful company out from under him, and ever since he lost his lover, he vowed to be cold and hard so not to allow anyone to slip inside his heart. But then Chanyeol came along and his plans blew up in his face. If his father and brother saw him acting vulnerable once again, they would rip Baekhyun's company away from him. There was nothing sane about it, but Baekhyun just simply couldn't allow them to steal away his life's work —- especially when he's had to sacrifice so much to obtain it.

When they finally reached the top floor, Baekhyun left Chanyeol without so much as a backwards glance, and it broke his heart but at the same time he deemed it necessary. He wouldn't give his father and brother the power to overthrow him because they no longer saw him as competent. So he had to walk away and pretend the man on the elevator ride with him, didn't leave his skin tingling and his body warm at the meer thought of them so closely contained inside a small space within no one around to watch them. He had to maintain his flippant behavior towards his employee, and pray no one discovered them for what they truly were. It was much more dangerous than before, when all Baekhyun had done was chase Chanyeol around.

The elevator ride with Baekhyun was painful, but Chanyeol just kept reminding himself that he didn't mean any of it. Baekhyun was simply playing a role, and Chanyeol had to remember that as he watched his secret love affair walk away. He had to keep them a secret, and he had to start by convincing Kyungsoo that there was nothing going on between him and Baekhyun.

Chanyeol sighed as he watched Baekhyun walk away, and shouldered his bag before stepping off the elevator as he slowly walked to his desk.

As Chanyeol was settling down and preparing to start his work day, somebody suddenly appeared behind him and hushedly asked, "Can we talk, it's important."

Chanyeol felt his blood run cold as he slowly turned around and nervously replied, "Talk about what?"

Kyungsoo resisted the urge to strangle Chanyeol as he rolled his eyes and snappily replied, "Us, obviously. I need to know how long I've been stupidly loving you while you've been off fucking our boss."

Chanyeol immediately jumped to his feet and hushed Kyungsoo as he hissed, "It's not like that, Soo. Baekhyun and I are just . . . I work for him, and I use to run his errands so, of course I know what his car looks like, and the accident was shocking. How could you expect me not to worry if the guy who signs my checks died or not?"

Kyungsoo scoffed and shouldered away from Chanyeol as he said, "Your horrible! Clearly there's still something between you both and you pretend as if there isn't and flippantly joke about your boyfriend dying right in front of you! I loved you, Park Chanyeol! And you've just decided as if that doesn't matter! As if I meant anything to you that day you asked me to move in; or when you talked about our future together? How am I supposed to let that go!?" Kyungsoo yelled.

Chanyeol was internally warring with himself as he listened to Kyungsoo yell at him, and he knew he deserved it but never in his life had he imagined he would mean so much to another person. And to see Kyungsoo near tears yelling at him for breaking his heart, had Chanyeol mystified and mute.

Maybe Baekhyun had been a bad idea, and he wouldn't even allow them to go public with their relationship. And what would happen if Chanyeol suddenly got down on one knee, expecting happiness from the latter only to see a look of petrification? Baekhyun isn't the safest road to travel, there are bumps and gapping holes. And then with Kyungsoo . . .

He was safe. He wouldn't leave Chanyeol in the middle of night wondering what he did wrong. He would talk about his feels and seek help because he was set on getting better. But with Baekhyun.... He's just disaster after disaster, and that wouldn't be stable ground for a new and fragile relationship to prosper and grow. It would end painfully, but as Chanyeol looked at Kyungsoo and saw all the possibilities of loving him neatly laid out before him, he didn't want something safe and predictable.

He wanted the untamable.

Word count: 873