The rest of the crew didn't arrive at the venue for another hour, and by then, Chanyeol had already gone through five sticks. He watched Baekhyun get out of the second van that pulled in at the back, arms occupied with some bags with contents unknown to the musician. Staff members went out of their way to help the coordinator with the boxes, but Chanyeol turned his back and went inside the designated green room.

Baekhyun walked through the door of the waiting area a few minutes after, fixing the earpiece on him, the one that gave him that signature look Chanyeol liked (and hated). His hair was tousled like he had been doing some physical work before arriving at the venue. That or he had been moving around excessively.

Chanyeol was lying on the couch, guitar on his torso as he strummed its delicate strings. His eyes glanced over at the doorway only to look the man up and down before going back to his own business.

"How long have you been in here?"

The musician almost snorted. Between them, greetings were hardly a thing. "A while."

Frowning, Baekhyun glanced around the room. "Shouldn't you be outside rehearsing?"

"I am rehearsing," Chanyeol said. "Here. On this couch."

"Mr. Park-"

"Come here." Bending his fingers, Chanyeol motioned for the coordinator to approach him. Reluctantly, Baekhyun did. "Sit down."

"I'll stand."

"I insist." Moving his legs, the musician made room at the end of the couch. "Now sit."

Sighing, Baekhyun drew his eyes down on the area and gave in, sitting away as far as he possibly could. After just a moment, he shook his head and dryly laughed. "What the hell am I doing right now, honestly?"

Chanyeol grinned. "Sitting here with me. Lucky you."

"Really." Baekhyun hung his head, looking down at the floor. Then the grip on his clipboard tightened and he turned to face Chanyeol. "I need to tell you someth-"

"Are you scared of me or are you scared of my reputation?" Watching the brunette carefully, Chanyeol cocked his head. "What happened between you and Mr. Do? Tell me."

Drawn back, Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, forgetting all about the topic he attempted to bring up. "How do you know about him?"

"He and I used to be a duo until we had a severe disagreement and we both went solo. Now we're rivals..." Chanyeol paused. "Don't tell me you're my fan when you don't even know my history, you little runt."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, exhaling a breath. "I know your history together. I was asking how you knew about us."

"Oh...Let's just say I heard it from someone-"

"Jongin. The drummer."

"Nothing gets past you, hm?"

"He helped the recording of Kyungsoo's last album. I'd remember him from anywhere. Now, why're you asking about him, Mr. Park?" Baekhyun drawled. "Does it bother you that I have connections with your so-called rival?"

"I'm merely asking if something went wrong between you two, because then, it'd make sense." Sitting up, Chanyeol put his guitar on the side and leaned over to the coordinator. "It'd explain why you're so scared to cross the line of professionalism, or why you continue to refuse to admit to the fact that there's a mutual interest between us."

It took seconds for everything to sink in. Baekhyun laughed, covering his face with a hand. He didn't speak until Chanyeol became so agitated that he reached over and pulled his hand away. "Please tell me you don't think Mr. Do and I-"

"Dated? Yes." Letting go of Baekhyun's hand, Chanyeol gave him space. "Isn't that why you left?"

"That's not why I left his management, Mr. Park," Baekhyun said. "And for the record, you really shouldn't be listening to rumors."

As Baekhyun was rising from his seat, Chanyeol gave him a look. "Why'd you leave then?"

Shrugging, Baekhyun went on to fix his shirt, wrinkled from sitting down. "You," he said simply. "I thought, well, I like Do Kyungsoo and I like his music, but I like you more and it felt like I was...what do you call it? Playing on the wrong team? So, I resigned and I joined this circus, much to your unfortunate luck. I know how much you hate the fact that I'm a bitch, or so I've heard you say."

Raising his brows, Chanyeol grinned as he stood up, towering over the brunette who was busy fixing his appearance for no reason as all. "Is this what it feels like to be flattered by you, because I like it." He laughed when Baekhyun looked away. "And Baekhyun, I don't mind if you're a bitch, but I'd love it if you were a bitch in heat once in a while, you know?"

"Park Chanyeol, I-" Interrupted by a knocking at the door, Baekhyun bit his lips shut and turned around.

"Baekhyun, Jongdae's looking for you. He's also with Yixing, the head of sound check."

"Okay, sorry to keep them waiting," Baekhyun muttered, looking at the clock. "Thank you." Once the staff member left, he waved a dismissive hand at the musician. "Go do something to take your mind off things, like, I don't know. Take a bodyguard out with you and go meet some of your fans outside the venue."

"But I'm already in here with my number one."

"Yes, well, I have a job and so do you. Now go."

Baekhyun hustled out of the room and Chanyeol followed after slowly. It was sort of a relief to know that the brunette and his ex-band member didn't date, but at the same time, if they did, that would've been a perfect explanation for Baekhyun's reluctance. Chanyeol figured that it was better off that way.

-

-

There was an ever growing pressure put on Chanyeol by his record company to create and release, at least, a new single by six months. the tour was a month and three weeks away from its final date of performance. He had more than enough time to struggle out some lyrics on a piece of paper and create a demo within the time frame, but of all the things hindering him, he sat night after night without a clue of what to write for.

Chanyeol had obvious choices. He knew he could sing an endless amount songs about his sexual frustration for his young concert coordinating perfectionist, but the more he thought of it, the less appealing it was to have his first single about Baekhyun centering around the bland subject of sex. Though relevant, the subject was something Chanyeol opted out of, preferring something deeper. However, it was easier said than done, and the process proved to be difficult.

Often times, he wondered about the point of view he'd take in his intended lyrics. Did he want to write about Baekhyun in a passionate way or call him a "narcissistic bitch with lips that love to scream my name in between the sheets"? The question always left his mind in a blank. For the most part, he enjoyed the brunette as an individual, despite his loud mouth and bitchy ways during rehearsals, and Chanyeol also knew he was attracted to Baekhyun's sexual allure.

As Chanyeol sat in his chair, turning his head for the makeup artists who had the job of fixing his appearance for the second part of the concert following the short intermission, he caught Baekhyun's gaze in the distance as the other stopped to watch from afar, standing near a rack of clothes. For a second, Chanyeol felt he needed to break away since he was supposed to be down right pissed about the brunette's constant evasion, but then he found himself grinning as Baekhyun gave him a reluctant smile and waved before heading elsewhere, taking the rack along.

If there was something Baekhyun did quite well besides barking out orders, it was giving him mixed signals. Sometimes Chanyeol wondered if there were even signals at all or it was all just part of his fleeing imagination.

After the girls finished with his face, he was pulled aside by Kris and given to two concert staff members. As they walked through the hallway in the direction of the stage, he was handed his guitar and fixed with a mic. The closer they walked to the stage, the louder the cheering crowd became.

Near the end of the hall, he saw Baekhyun holding tightly to that old clipboard of his, laughing at something someone in the passing had said to him. Too distracted by it, he was caught off guard when Chanyeol lightly grazed his thumb underneath his bottom lip.

"Where to?" Chanyeol asked before Baekhyun could get a word out.

Seeing the look on the other staff members' face, Baekhyun immediately pulled back, gripping Chanyeol by the arm. "I'll take it from here," he said tightly to the staff before dragging Chanyeol to the left, in the direction of the rising platform.

Once they were separated from the others, Baekhyun let go, pushing Chanyeol in front of him. He huffed, and when the musician tried to stop and face him, the coordinator jabbed him with his board. "Let's get a move on, Mr. Park. The band's just finishing their instrumental solos. It's almost time for you to come out from the trap door."

"Which song am I performing?"

"You can't be fucking serious, Mr. Park." Baekhyun groaned, nodding at the people who they were passing by. "We've been doing the same lineup for three shows now."

"Remind me. I'm stupid."

Unamused, Baekhyun walked with him to the platform without answering until Chanyeol called his name again. The man in control of the lift began the countdown, waiting for the band above ground to finish their solos. Baekhyun glanced up, staring at the bright light that seeped through the trap door's opening, foot tapping to the rhythm of the drums.

"Mr. Byun, tell me or I'm going out there without a clue."

"That's fine by me!" Motioning two fingers, Baekhyun ordered for the lift to begin.

Frowning, Chanyeol scowled at the operator before looking straight at Baekhyun. "Hey," he said loudly, trying to override the stadium's noise. Once Baekhyun acknowledged him with the raise of a brow, he cocked his head. "You have five seconds, honey."

"I don't care, Park-"

"Four."

"I'm not-"

"Three!"

Gritting his teeth, Baekhyun almost snapped his clipboard in two. He was embarrassed and Chanyeol could see that, as well as understand. The operator was standing right there, but that added to the entertainment.

"The song's called, Fuck Me, Darling, Mr. Park!"

Winking, Chanyeol grinned at him. "Thanks, runt."

Fuck you, Baekhyun mouthed, which had Chanyeol laughing until he was completely out and up on the stage.

-

-

Chanyeol, initially, had no intention of pursuing Baekhyun, which came from the fact that he was usually the prey of other people's desires, but after some time, he realized that pursuing him was exactly what he was doing.

Taking the pen in his hand and mindlessly hitting it against his pad of paper, Chanyeol glanced up at the sight of the short brunette purchasing a cup of coffee at a nearby cafe. The airport crowd was manageable. Few people were taking photos of him sitting near his gate, but Chanyeol didn't mind so much. He was wearing dark shades, preventing them from being curious at who he was watching.

There was an area on Baekhyun's head where a group of rebellious strands decided to stand out, and this gave the brunette a tired look. He was also wearing sunglasses, which meant he probably didn't sleep all that well. Baekhyun fumbled with his wallet in the midst of pulling out his credit card, but brushed it off with a laugh. The barista at the register laughed, too. Chanyeol was the only one not laughing, trying to ignore the feeling of annoyance churning inside of him.

After he finished paying for his drink, Baekhyun began walking back to the waiting area, but passed by a female staff worker and stopped to exchange words with her. Whatever they were talking about, it was brief and it concerned Chanyeol. He knew this because, unlike Baekhyun who kept his eyes away, the woman looked in his direction when they finished speaking.

Irked, Chanyeol leaned to one side, setting his elbow on the seat's metallic arm rest and bit at the side of his right thumb as his eyes followed Baekhyun. One way or another, the musician just knew that the short runt was aiming to prick a nerve by sitting in an area for people waiting at a different gate. Even more so, of all the people to sit next to, he had to sit with the light crew-more specifically, the director of the group.

Chanyeol was biting too hard. Jolting in his seat, he took his thumb out from his mouth and gave a small smile to the people around him who were either concerned or amused. Then he fell back to glowering behind his shades.

A few minutes later, much to his surprise, the same woman who Baekhyun stopped shadowed over him with a cup held out in front of her. She said nothing too important. "Mr. Byun said you might like it."

"Hmmm..." Chanyeol tightly smiled, taking the cup from her and immediately feeling the heat transferred to his hand. "Did he say why he was ordering you to do this instead of handing this over to me himself?"

She shrugged, laughing softly. "No. He only told me the flavor might wake you up."

"Alright. Thanks." He dismissed her, but too briskly for warm feelings. As he took the cup to his lips, he noticed her grazed expression, yet he didn't apologize. A small sip of the drink had his attention grabbed and taken.

It wasn't coffee at all. It tasted like hot chocolate with a hint of cherry flavoring, and when Chanyeol snapped the lid off the cup, his hunch was right, but he couldn't figure out why Baekhyun would give him such a thing. He was either trying to be flirtatious or obnoxiously cute, but either way, it was suspicious.