Neo Caffeine

Jaemin’s secretary blinked slowly at him, as if to process what she had just heard. “You are… firing me? Did I do something?” 

“No, I just needed a change of scenery! And I’m not firing you, I am just relocating you to a different department” He chirped in response, his voice cheerful though his eyes were dark and expression firm.

Jaemin turned his back to her to head into his corner office, “oh. One more thing.” He turned, one palm pressed firmly against the door frame as he leaned back. “I need all your things moved by tonight. My new secretary starts tomorrow morning” He winked before slamming his door closed.

-

Today could not have been off to a worse start. First there was the hole in your favorite pair of stockings, then your coffee machine decided to have a meltdown, and finally you had missed the bus that would allow you extra time to grab coffee on the way to the office. As far as first day’s go, this was not your best. Having to settle for a pair of plain sheer black tights to wear under your skirt and ordering a taxi, knowing full well the extra money was well worth having time to grab a cup of coffee. You hurried out the door, laptop bag and purse in hand, just hoping as you hustled into the back of the cab that the day wouldn’t get any worse.

The line at the coffee shop was surprisingly not horrendous, it only took about 10 minutes before you were holding your iced coffee and making your way through the entrance to Neo Dream. Jaemin’s office was on the 20th floor, you remembered this from your interview. As you moved to get off on your floor a solid chest made contact with your cup, spilling coffee all down the front of yourself and the stark white dress shirt in front of you. 

“I am so sorry! I was in such a rush, I should have paid better attention” You rambled, hoping that this stranger wouldn’t chew you out for such an accident.

“Miss Y/n?” You looked up to see Jaemin smiling down at you. “First day jitters?” He asked, a playful tone in his voice.

Your cheeks flushed with heat, “I am very sorry Mr. Na. I will clean this up right away” 

“Don’t bother, I will call the janitorial staff to clean up. We should get started with your tour, after we get changed” He tilted his head, indicating for you to follow.

The view from Jaemin’s office was stunning to say the least, the sun was almost up now but you could imagine the sunrises and sunsets that could be viewed from these windows.

“Yes, the view is lovely isn’t it?” You turned to find Jaemin, a sliver of his chest just barely exposed to you as he buttoned up a black dress shirt. “I apologize, I seem to have run out of women’s blouses, but I do have a knit sweater that may work” he jested while handing you a gray wool sweater. 

It was clearly men’s, but this would have to make do for today. Just as you were about to slip the sweater on over your stained blouse a hand stopped you. 

“If we don’t send these off to the drycleaners, the stain will set and ruin your shirt. I can’t have that, and I don’t want you to either. Just wear the sweater and I’ll send your shirt off with mine” His smile was charming, almost knee weakening. 

“Oh okay… but is there somewhere else for me to change?” Your head tilted in question.

Jaemin’s eyes widened with realization “Yes, oh gosh I’m sorry, I will turn around. You let me know when you’re decent”

You turned your back to him and began unbuttoning the shirt. Unbeknownst to you, Jaemin could make out the reflection of your chest in the window beside him. Not much could be seen, but the way the black lace of your bra held you had him wishing you allowed him to watch. Just as Jaemin’s dress pants started to get a little too tight for his liking, you cleared your throat, snapping him back from his thoughts.

“Thank you for the sweater! What should I get started with today?” You asked, whilst handing over your stained shirt. 

“You can get started on unpacking your desk and setting yourself up. I have some afternoon meetings that I will be in today, so I doubt we will see eachother very much. Just answer the phone if it rings and book in meetings for this week” You nodded at the instructions and headed out, closing the door behind you.

You paused to lean on it, breathing slowly as the picture of that small sliver of Jaemin’s defined chest floated around in your head. In the office behind you, your boss sat down at his desk, taking all the effort in the world to not call you back in to help him deal with the situation beneath his desk right now.

-

Days had turned into weeks, and though nothing of note had happened after that first eventful morning. You had settled in wonderfully, making friends with people on the finance floor, accompanying Jaemin to the occasional meeting to take notes for him when he didn’t feel like it, and canceling meetings he had with Mark just because it was funny to watch them squabble. There was lots of extra chatter throughout the office as everyone buzzed with excitement for the first annual company gala. A newer finance colleague had asked you to the gala a few days ago, and you had gladly accepted, assuming that it was a friendly gesture from one newbie to another. Excitement filled your chest as you thought about how much fun it would be to attend this company gala. The excitement was cut short however, when the door to Jaemin’s office swung open. Your boss stood there staring daggers at you, dread rushed in as you mentally went through every file you placed on his desk today, every meeting you had booked. What could you have possibly done wrong?

“Y/n. Come in here please.” Jaemin’s voice was deadly cold as he strode back towards his desk.

You slinked in, he gestured for you to close the door. “Did I do something wrong?” You asked, hesitating to turn around to face him.

“Have a seat, we’ll talk about it” He nodded to the chair in front of his desk for you to sit.

Despite sitting, the load on your shoulders felt ten times heavier under Jaemin’s stare. He slid a small pink envelope across the desk to you, your name scrawled in ink on the front. 

“What is this?” He tapped the envelope with his middle finger.

“I’m not sure, I haven’t seen that before” You answered, and truthfully you hadn’t seen it before.

“It was in the files you brought me this morning, just tucked between some reports. Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found out my trusted secretary is having an office romance with one of my junior finance employees” the smile that hung on Jaemin’s lips did not reach his eyes. 

Your eyes widened “office romance? No no you’ve misunderstood. He just asked me to the gala last week, that's all. I have no idea what the letter is and I- wait. You opened it?” 

The smile faded as he processed your words. Oh Jaemin would not have his secretary on the arm of anyone other than him, and he would make sure of that. Despite the other women around the office, who Jaemin had been making his way through, you managed to get under his skin in all the right ways.

“Sorry, I thought you knew” He started, propping his head up on his hands “secretaries are required to escort their managers to the gala. Mark’s rules” Jaemin grinned lazily.

“Oh! So I’ll still be working, right?” you thought about all the extra things you would need to prepare in this case, starting with a much bigger clutch to keep all Jaemin’s business cards in.

Jaemin smirked, “That’s correct Y/n. You have to be by my side all night. Make sure you let me know the color of your dress so I can plan my tie accordingly”

You nodded, your boss’ phone began to ring echoing throughout his large office. “I’ll bring you a swatch tomorrow morning” You spoke softly as you stood to leave the room.

Jaemin only nodded in response before picking up the phone “Mark!! How goes it over in-” His sentence cut off as the door shut behind you.

“What an odd day” you pondered while sifting through the hundreds of emails in your inbox. Mark had taken the liberty to have Haechan set up all Jaemin’s emails to duplicate so you had copies of important things as well. Unfortunately this also meant you got to see all the emails that lovestruck employees sent him without knowing you could see the confessions as well. After deleting what must have been the 20th email love note, you came across a thread that caught your eye. The email was from another female employee, detailing things she and Jaemin had done the previous night. From the sounds of it, you weren’t the only one engaging in an alleged “office romance”. There were quite a few more like that email, all talking about how they loved it when Jaemin did that “thing”. You weren’t sure what the “thing” was, but from the way he had these ladies begging for him via email correspondence you couldn’t help but be curious. It didn’t help that some had described certain acts in such detail, it was only natural that your head drifted away from work causing you to think about Jaemin’s head between your-

The thought was cut short by a loud thud from the elevator. Upon inspection you could see the finance junior who asked you to the gala had dropped a box of their belongings on the floor. The security guard who was with them helped gather their belongings back into the supply box before giving them a reassuring pat on the shoulder. You thought about going over to ask what happened, but a ping from your inbox beat you to it. ‘I WAS WRONGLY FIRED BY NA JAEMIN” was the subject line, there was no body to the email. Just that one subject line that left chills down your spine. You glanced to your boss’ door then back to your computer screen, the email was sent to everyone on the finance floor. It wasn’t long before chatter began amongst your colleagues on the floor. Everyone was curious to know about their former colleague scorned, making incredibly obvious passes by the now barren desk that once housed the junior finance employee. Jaemin seemed unbothered by the office bustle, opting to send you a teams chat asking for you to accompany him out of the office for his suit fitting for the gala. 

-

The interior of the store was full of mannequins decked out in name brand clothing that had your bank account near tears. Though you were only here to keep an eye on Jaemin’s emails and schedule for the day, he kept asking for your input on the suits he chose. The swatch you had at home would have to wait for another day, though he assured you it would be no hassle to have a tie ordered into the office in the correct color. 

“Well? Does this make me seem intimidating enough?” He turned his head over his shoulder to ask you. 

There was simply no denying the fact that Jaemin WORE the clothes, they did not wear him. He looked stunning in everything, so much so that you kept catching your mind slipping off to imagine the things he could do in the dressing room. Your eyes must’ve lingered for too long without speaking, as Jaemin chuffed a laugh. 

“I’m so sorry, yes it looks great!” you smile warmly at him, just as another ping comes through on his work phone. An email from Mark asking about the firing of the finance colleague and why he is now receiving multiple emails from the distressed former employee.

Jaemin cocks his head, one brow raised in question “Something the matter?”

You lock the phone quickly and look up at where he stands on the pedestal for his fitting. “Just Mark asking about an employee who was fired earlier, apparently he is now receiving emails stating that he was wrongfully terminated.” You stare, waiting for a reaction from him that never comes. 

“Ah yes, he was fraternizing with other employees. Can’t have my department become a cesspool now, can I?” His answer is cold as ice, his face revealing no indication of what he is thinking.

You can’t help but laugh at his reference, as if he hadn’t been sleeping with multiple employees from different departments. “What seems to be so funny, Y/n?” 

“Oh, nothing. Just your cesspool reference was funny” You roll your eyes, not expecting him to continue prodding. But he does just that.

“And why, pray tell, is it funny? Is my finance department a joke to you?” His eyes narrow, the shop steward who was pinning the suit even stops momentarily to give you a glance.

You need a moment to collect your thoughts. To try and decide just where you should begin with this. “You know Haechan set up my email so that I get duplicates of all the emails sent to you, right?” 

Jaemin nods thoughtfully, before his eyes widen in realization. “You get all my emails?” 

You bob your head “every single one of them. Mark insisted it was set up that way so you can never say you just missed a meeting invite in your swaths of emails.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes closed in frustration. “Y/n, what have you been seeing?” his foot tapping against the stained wood of the pedestal.

“Just the usual. Multiple emails from Mark about meetings, Renjun sending gala updates, Haechan providing timelines for software updates, Jeno sending memes that he has made instead of marketing campaigns, Jisung sending you meeting schedules with investors for the week, Chenle sending selfies mostly.” You shrug, pleased with your answer. 

“That’s it? Nothing else?” His tone is tense and his eyes are fixed on you, gluing you to the spot on the bench.

“Finance employees sending you updated reports too. Oh! And just the casual love confession, or excruciatingly detailed emails from your lovers” You smirk at him.

“I see.” Jaemin steps down, shooing the shop steward away as he strides towards you, “and tell me, Y/n. Do you read all of those excruciatingly detailed emails?” He leans down slightly, your faces mere inches apart.

You wet your lips, noticing Jaemin’s eyes flick down to your mouth before coming back up to meet your gaze. “Yes.”

He straightens back to his full height, now towering over where you sat. “Interesting indeed” he mutters before turning back to the shop employee to continue with his fitting.

-

The next morning you had a large iced americano sitting on the edge of your desk for your boss, along with the fabric swatch. It was odd, seldom did you beat Jaemin to the office. But today you felt extra jittery, especially after how hot his eyes had felt on you yesterday during his fitting. In fact, it was a shock that you managed to get a few hours of sleep. You had tossed and turned all night, thoughts of Jaemin taking you in the dressing room after your conversation had taken your mind hostage. A few times throughout the night you had awoken in a cold sweat, finally deciding to just get up at 5am instead of trying to get a few more hours of rest. That was how you ended up at your desk at 6:30, a large cup of tea clutched in your hands as you sifted through more meeting invites and emails. 

“Good morning Y/n. You’re awfully early.” Jaemin smiled warmly, a glint of something else shone in his eyes.

You gestured lazily to the cup of coffee on the edge of your desk “That’s for you, the swatch too”

His smile dropped as he stared at the coffee and the swatch “your dress is red?”

“Yes” you nodded before adding “I hope that’s alright”

“That will be just fine, I just so happen to have a tie that I think is the same color.” Jaemin fixed a tight smile before heading into his office and closing the door.

A few hours later a gorgeous intern from accounting came by, stopping at your desk “I have an appointment with Mr. Na” She smiled.

“Sure, just a moment” you returned her smile while getting up to knock on your boss’ door. 

“Send her in.” Jaemin said through the thick oak door before you could even let him know his one o’clock was here. 

-

She left an hour later, hair messier than it was when she arrived and her stockings had noticeable runs down both legs. All you could do was cock a brow as she breezed past with her blush stained cheeks. ‘I’m sure I’ll get an email about that later’ you thought, mentally rolling your eyes. Moments later your boss appeared at his door, fixing his tie nonchalantly. 

“Y/n, take the rest of the day off before the gala tonight. I’ll pick you up at 7 tonight, alright?” His voice was cold and detached, much like it had been at the store.

“Sure, thank you. I will see you then” It was no use putting up a fight. And it was certainly no use to ask him what had been on the tip of your tongue since yesterday. All you wanted was to know why that employee had been fired, and if their claim had any merit.

-

True to his word, Jaemin arrived at 7 on the dot. A swanky black car pulled up outside, the driver meeting you by the door for you to get in. After the door was shut you noticed Jaemin’s eyes fixated on you, suddenly the tight red dress you opted for felt all too revealing. 

He licked his lips slowly before speaking “I get the feeling there’s something you want to ask me, Y/n?”

“Why did you fire that employee that asked me out and gave me that letter?” You asked, Jaemin just stared at you in shock, clearly not expecting that to be the question.

“I- well. He had falsified a few reports so I was going to let him go anyway, but…” He trailed off, turning to look out the window instead of at you. “I thought you were going to ask about the escort from earlier” 

You nearly choked on your own breath “Escort? I thought she was from accounting!”

Jaemin hung his head in defeat “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I was never good at processing things. Instead of thinking though the issue I jumped straight to numbness, and I apologize” 

You simply could not believe your ears, you had figured that’s what was going on. But somehow it still took you by surprise. “Wait, why are you telling me all this?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“When I interviewed you for that sales role, I had such bad thoughts. I decided to tell you I needed an assistant instead. But I had one already. I fired her to give you the role. I just wanted that pretty little ass outside my office. I wanted to rub it in everyone’s faces that I had the hottest secretary. But then you got that letter, and I noticed you starting to get a little too much attention than I liked. And I didn’t expect to like you this much and-” He rambled on before stopping abruptly to look at you. 

Tears welled in your eyes, threatening to fall “two people lost their jobs because of me?” Your voice felt raw.

“Technically only one, the other guy was getting fired for fraud anyway. It was just a coincidence. And I didn’t fire my former secretary, I relocated her to another department. That was poor phrasing on my end” Jaemin reached for your hands, you foolishly let him hold on.

This was an enormous pill to swallow. “So let me get this straight.” You squeezed Jaemin’s hands. “You removed your secretary, hired me because you think I’m hot, got jealous when I was getting attention, forced me to be your date for this gala, and then hired an escort to take out your frustrations instead of just coming clean and talking to me?”

“That’s about it, yeah” Jaemin nodded enthusiastically.

“I quit.” You pulled your hands back to your lap.

Jaemin’s smile fell, his eyes showing the panic he was feeling. “No, no you can’t quit. Who’s going to read my emails to me and copy down all the meeting notes that I don’t feel like doing?”

You shrugged “I’m not sure, Jaemin. I just know it won’t be me.” 

The timing was lovely as the car had pulled up to the venue, the driver was already opening the door to help you out. Jaemin clutched your hand desperately. “Please, Y/n. Please just give me the night to make things right.”

You brushed him off “I will accompany you tonight, but tomorrow morning I will be packing my things. I’m sorry”

Jaemin led the way into the gala, his shoulders slumped in defeat. To anyone else, you were sure he looked angry, but you knew the truth. The first hour of the gala was spent greeting fellow colleagues and investors. You stopped to chat with Renjun, praising him for how incredible the party turned out, to which he agreed with a small smile and flushed cheeks. 

“He’s into the party planner he hired” Jaemin leaned down to whisper in your ear.

The sudden closeness took you by surprise, but you couldn’t help but slightly lean back into his chest. The countless champagne flutes did not help the situation, no matter how much you wanted to not be around Jaemin right now, your other desires had taken over. Jaemin’s hand was placed firmly on your hip, holding you in place. 

“I think it’s time we get you home sweetheart” He spoke softly, looking around to find the nearest exit.

You could only nod, agreeing that it was in fact time to head home. Jaemin kept his grip on your hip as he escorted you through the crowds of people, stopping only once to whisper something to Mark before continuing to the exit. Just as it had been when you arrived, Jaemin’s car and driver were stationed out front. The car door was already open for you two to get in, he helped you into the car and you slumped against him.

-

Sun had streamed in through the large windows of your bedroom bright and early. You cursed yourself for not remembering to shut the curtains before getting into bed last night. Wait, you didn’t have curtains, or the luxurious silk bedding, or a king sized bed. Realization hit you, Jaemin must’ve taken you home. But when you looked over to the other side of the bed you found it still untouched. You were thankfully still in your dress from last night.

After gathering up some courage and taking the Advil that was conveniently left on the nightstand you took off down the hallway of the apartment. On the couch you found your boss, drinking a cup of coffee while leisurely flipping through reports.

“Good morning sleepy girl” He cooed at you.

You squinted back at him “lest you not forget, I quit last night. And you upset me.”

“I recall. I also recall you chirping at me in the car that you wanted me to bring you here and ‘do the things from the emails’ to you” He chuckled, blush crept across your cheeks. 

“I am very sorry. I will head out now.” You started towards the door.

“Y/n. Wait.” Jaemin rose from his place on the sofa, his long strides reaching you quickly. “Now that it’s not a conflict of interest, I was wondering if you would allow me to take you on a date?”

You stared at him, dumbfounded. “A date? Jaemin, you only hired me because you thought I was hot! I’m so pissed off at you! I thought I had merit, I thought I was good at my job!” You were stopped short by Jaemin’s lips on yours.

The kiss seemed to have surprised you both. Both of you stood in shock, just staring at each other. 

“You are” His voice was soft.

“I am what?” Your brows furrowed.

“Good at your job. Mark requested we send you off to another department that needs a manager. I said no, because I need you to keep me organized. I have never made it to so many meetings!” He grinned at you, placing his hands on your shoulders.

“Could I move to a different department to be a manager?” Your head tilted in question.

Jaemin breathed a sigh of relief “Yes, you absolutely can. I can always bring back my old secretary in your place”

“Then I will.” You beamed happily.

“You will what? Move departments?” Jaemin’s hands squeezed your shoulders in anticipation.

“Well yes obviously.” you rolled your eyes. “But also, I’ll let you take me out.”

Jaemin pulled you into another kiss, this one much less abrupt than the last. His lips were soft against yours, and his hands worked their way down your body. Your fingers combed through his hair, stopping occasionally to tug slightly. 

“Oh we have to stop. I still think about your first day when you had to change in my office.” He confessed.

You smirked at him, “That’s alright. I think about it too.”

“I’ll have the driver take you home and I’ll pick you up tonight. Wear something red again. It looks stunning on you.” He kissed you one last time before sending you off.

-

The next week was a do over of your first day, but this time as a manager for partner relations. But instead of taking an Uber, you arrived with the CFO in his personal car. 

“I’ll see you after work sweetheart. Let me know if I need to fire anyone for you” Jaemin winked before placing a kiss on your lips before exiting the elevator onto the finance floor. 

“Ugh, you are so lucky” another employee in the office wined before exiting at the next stop.

It was a typical Tuesday afternoon in the office. You were stretched out across the plush leather sofa in Chenle’s corner office, while he took up residence at his desk. Discarded coffee cups littered almost every surface in the room from the hours you two had spent locked up in here coming up with ideas. The first live stream was to take place this Friday night, and a YouTube video needed to be uploaded Saturday morning. It was all Jeno’s fault for suggesting livestreams and videos to make Chenle more recognizable and relatable. 

You, on the other hand, had an impressive resume of previous social media management experience. However, this was quite different. Your job was to write the script and make your boss sound as casual and natural as possible. It wasn’t exactly easy. Especially like right now, trying to brainstorm content ideas while replying to the hundreds of thirst comments on Chenle’s latest Instagram post. 

“You still alive over there? All I hear is aggressive typing” Chenle looked up at you from over his laptop screen. 

An exasperated sigh left your lips “I swear the same person commented different pickup lines on this post like fifty different times. How can people be so attracted to someone they’ve never met?” You tossed the phone to the opposite side of the couch. 

Your boss snorted a laugh “Have you seen me? I’m like, irresistible to these people” You rolled your eyes at him. 

“I’m sure the tune would change if they had to spend every waking moment with you like I do. I developed an immunity to your charms after I asked you what your hidden talent was and you decided to burp the alphabet” Chenle clutched his heart at your statement, seemingly at a loss for words. 

All of a sudden and oddly familiar jingle echoed out of Chenle’s computer and he laughed “Yo, five-minute crafts are so dumb but so entertaining to watch” 

That gave you the perfect content idea for the first video. You jumped into rambling it off to Chenle, as you always did. Explaining how he would be attempting to recreate five-minute crafts tutorials while making jokes and being as authentic as possible. After you got the greenlight from your boss, it was time to compose an email to send off to Mark for him to approve the project. It was one of the conditions of your employment here and the CEO, Mark, made it very clear upon your hiring. Your job was to keep Chenle in line and out of trouble, which according to Mark, the young President was very good at finding. In turn, you got a handsome salary and a boss that felt more like a best friend than the company president. 

“What kind of questions are you thinking of for the live?” He asked, resting his chin on his hands. 

“Haechan said he’s got something to filter questions to be whatever we want, so Mark sent him a list of approved topics” you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the control freak CEO. Of course, Mark meant well, but it was frustrating having your every move controlled. 

The rest of the day consisted of firing questions off at Chenle for him to practice answering exactly how he’s supposed to. When you accidentally dozed off for a few minutes, Chenle sighed as he took in your sleeping frame. He strode across the office to cover you with the decorative throw and lower the blinds, before leaving the office to allow you a bit of undisturbed rest. You would need all you could get with everything coming up. 

- 

You’d think at this point Chenle would be unable to surprise you. But when he emerged from his room in a pair of grey sweats that hung low on his hips and that tight black tee that didn’t quite cover his entire abdomen, you just about fainted. “That’s what you’re wearing?” you sputtered. 

He cocked a brow at you “Quit eye-fucking me. It’s very… what word did you use earlier?” He thought for a moment “Unbecoming! Yes, it’s very unbecoming of you” Chenle drawled while winking obnoxiously. 

“Oh whatever” you turned away from him, hoping he didn’t see the obvious flush that dusted your cheeks. 

The live was to be set in the kitchen and take place while Chenle was cooking dinner, the thought was that it would make an easygoing setting for the first Q&A. Everything seemed to be going well, you were positioned behind the camera as Chenle stirred pasta and answered the generic questions from Haechan’s filter. Occasionally having to stifle a laugh as Chenle got too invested in storytelling and let the water boil over or the sauce burn slightly.  

Suddenly his eyes widened before shooting to yours, indicating something was starting to go wrong. “Who am I looking at? No one. I’m just looking at my goldfish, Kun.” Chenle’s lie was easy to see through, and his panic was evident.  

Clearly this live was no longer premeditated, and it was time to roll with it. You slid into the frame next to your boss and picked up the spoon for the pasta sauce. “Thanks for inviting me, so sorry I’m late” an award-winning grin plastered across your face.  

The tension in Chenle’s shoulders eased slightly and he returned your smile with ease. “Everyone, this is my best friend, (y/n). She’s here to supervise and make sure I don’t burn the house down” He bumped your shoulder playfully. 

“We both know you have had plenty of close calls with cooking” you joked, shoving him back with the same energy. 

The two of you fell into such an easy banter between questions that you hadn’t even noticed the time. The alarm you’d set at the beginning of the live chimed to signal its end, both of you waving goodbye to the thousands of viewers you’d amassed. After ending the live you felt like you could finally breathe a little bit. Chenle handed you a glass of ice water before putting on the kettle, presumably to make tea.  

“Thank you.” he whispered “For stepping in. I really needed help. And that could have been so bad if you weren’t here”  

His words made you grimace “I’m sure Mark will have something to say about it later” you were shocked when Chenle pulled you into a tight hug, his arms holding you against him.  

“Leave Mark to me. Everyone on that live loved you, and so do I. You have nothing to worry about” He continued to assure you, as if you hadn’t just directly violated the first rule on your contract. To not be seen.  

Both of you curled up on the couch in Chenle’s apartment with a cup of chamomile tea to watch cheesy reality TV. But alas, even the Kardashians couldn’t get your mind off the shit show you would have to face on Monday morning. 

- 

After spending the weekend holed up on your boss’ couch vegging and crying about how you were so totally getting fired, Chenle managed to drag you to the office. Lo and behold, there sat Mark at Chenle’s desk, arms crossed and lips tight.  

“Good morning, Markie! Happy Monday” The boy chirped, either choosing to ignore Mark’s blatantly foul mood or being completely unaware of it. 

If looks could kill, you would be long gone. He did not make CEO for being nice, sure he had his moments, but outwardly he was cold and cunning. Your spine straightened and cheeks flushed under his gaze, none of it in a good way.  

“Your ratings have improved greatly after the live. Especially thanks to (y/n). I’ve hardly read a bad thing about you two.” It felt like a massive weight had been lifted as Mark spoke. “People seem to like you two together so much, Jeno thinks it might be a good idea to date.” of course, as soon as it had lifted the weight came back twice as hard.  

“Like, fake date?” Your brows knit together and your eyes darted to Chenle, who seemed to be frozen in place. His usual cocky grin replaced with something unreadable. 

Mark stood up to leave “Just think about it, alright. (Y/n) seems to be very good for your image.” The rest of his statement was too quiet for you to hear as he leaned closer to Chenle’s ear.  

“Alright.” He swallowed slowly “We’ll do it.” a confused look etched itself into your features as he agreed on your behalf. Whatever Mark had said must not have been good for you if it pushed Chenle like this. 

Mark nodded to you before leaving you and Chenle alone. The rather large space suddenly began to feel unbearably small. “What did he say to you?”  

He said nothing as he walked to his desk, unable to meet your eyes. “Chenle. What did he say?” you pressed him again. 

“That he’d fire you if I said no.” He choked out. You weren’t shocked, in fact you had anticipated that. This seemed to be the better alternative.  

“Guess now I’ll have to admit that your alphabet burping did charm me” An attempt at lightening the awkward tension in the room, but Chenle didn’t so much as smile.  

Leaving you to take up residence on the sofa and comb through the thousands of tags Chenle had gotten over the weekend. To your surprise, there was so many screenshots of the live that featured yourself. No one was able to see your private social media, but that didn’t stop the speculation of who you were to Chenle. Theories of your identity ranged from those who fully believed you were just best friends, to the unhinged theory that you were married with eight children. That one made you snort loud enough to catch his attention.  

“What’s so funny over there, babe?” The word was slipped in so casually you might not have noticed, it was the blush that dusted Chenle’s cheeks that gave it away.  

“There’s a theory that we’re married with eight kids. How ridiculous is that?” You laughed, hoping to clear the gloomy mood he had earlier. 

To your surprise he laughed with you “That is ridiculous. I want at least twelve” You looked at him in horror, which only caused him to laugh harder and louder than before. 

Mark had a schedule for couples' appearances drawn up and sent over, detailing everything you’d need to be doing together for the rest of the week. “God, it’s like we don’t spend enough time together as it is. Pretty soon he’s going to start making us use the bathroom together” You couldn’t resist the urge to roll your eyes.  

Chenle shushed you “Please. Don't give him any ideas” he pleaded; you patted his head with mock sympathy. 

At the end of the week was the Charity Gala, an event that you were required to be at. Not only as Chenle’s fake date, but also as per your contract. Everything had been planned down to the second you were to arrive. Your dress made to match Chenle’s sleek and fitted black suit, there was no doubt all eyes would be on you two.  

As the week progressed, the fanbase for your ‘relationship’ grew. And unsurprisingly, so did your feelings for your boss. You couldn’t help but notice how he kept going the extra mile for you, regardless of if there was anyone who would actually see. From picking you up for work in the morning, to ensuring you’d eaten lunch, Chenle really did appear to be the perfect boyfriend. The fact that it was fake was the only thing you could cling to in order to keep yourself from falling further. It certainly didn’t help that you’d really started to look at him like someone other than your boss. How could you not when he shed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves as he worked. At this point you were starting to think it was on purpose.  

- 

When Friday night rolled around you found yourself tucked under Chenle’s arm as he led you through the gala. Introducing you to high profile clients as his girlfriend rather than as his friend or assistant like he used to. You’d both used the age old ‘well we met at work and just fell in love’ story that everyone gushed over. A short while later while Chenle was caught up in taking business with the other senior leadership members, you excused yourself to head to the lady's room. Really all you needed was some fresh air out of that stuffy room and a place to take the god forsaken heels off your feet.  

The stairwell in the back of the building seemed as good a place as any to rest without having to worry about keeping up appearances. Tall windows allowed you to get a good look at the storm that was starting outside as rain began pelting against the glass. Taking the time to rest your forehead against the cool surface in an attempt to ground yourself. Just then the door to the floor above your landing opened and two familiar voices echoed through the space.  

“Well? Aren’t you glad I suggested it? (y/n) seems pretty into it.” Mark must’ve taken the chance to talk about the fake dating scheme with Chenle while everyone was watching the live band. 

“I am. It felt so good introducing her as my girlfriend tonight. I just wish she knew how real that story I've been telling everyone tonight is” your breath hitched, Chenle wasn’t lying about how you’d fallen for each other? 

Suddenly the door in front of you opened and Mark’s secretary walked in “Oh hey, (y/n)! You needed some space too?” She smiled warmly and you could feel the air get sucked from your lungs.  

Silence from the landing above, then Chenle’s voice “(Y/n)?” 

“Yeah... I’m here” You called up to him “I just got here I didn’t hear anything, I swear” 

“That sure sounds convincing” Mark chuckled as he descended, patting your shoulder before looping his arm around his assistant to lead her out of the stairwell.  

When you looked up, Chenle was halfway down the staircase, his expression weary as he approached. “I know you heard...” 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” You inquired, he continued down the steps and dropped down next to you.  

His fingers threaded together and his knuckles were white “I was afraid of ruining something good. You didn’t see me as Chenle the company President. You saw me as an equal, and more importantly, as a friend.” 

His words wound their way through you to tug at your heartstrings “You are the dumbest smart person I have ever met.” you reached over to rest your hand on his knee, brushing your thumb across the starchy material. 

“Is this where I ask you out for real?” Chenle’s lips twisted into that familiar cocky smirk of his and you giggled. 

“I think we’re closer to the point of married with twelve kids” you leaned to bump his shoulder, but Chenle had other ideas.  

He caught your jaw in his hands and pulled you into him. Your lips melding together in a slow yet passion-filled first kiss. One that left you feeling dizzy and craving more. “How about we compromise, and you stay with me again this weekend?”  

Your heart fluttered “How could I ever say no to you?”  

“Pretty easily actually. You do it like twice a day, every day.” Chenle deadpanned.  

- 

Making it Instagram official for the second time was somehow more nerve wracking than the first. You'd spent hours on hair and makeup, only for your boyfriend to saunter down the stairs in those same goddamn grey sweats.  

“You cannot be serious.” You eyeballed him before gesturing to yourself and the obvious difference in effort. 

“You act like I’m not going to ruin all your hard work immediately after the photo” Chenle winked, making you forget about the photo entirely.  

And ruin it, he did.