Honey Rhythm

Chapter 10

He was bored, and it was clearly obvious that Baekhyun had nothing else better to do that to sit around the bar and twiddle his thumbs. Scoffing, the musician almost felt stupid for actually thinking the brunette had any real schedules to attend to. Of course he knew that Baekhyun's job was demanding, but even the sound check crew and his manager were out sight seeing or doing something that made them look like obvious tourists. And what was the cupcake doing? Meeting with his former employer, probably discussing his wage and contract.

Just thinking about it made Chanyeol's mood even more sullen than before. He entered the hotel through the back, nodding at the men who held the door open for him and so on. The hotel was reallytoo courteous for his taste, anyhow.

The bar, as always, was dimly lit to a point, but just enough to give a comfortable feel for anyone looking to find a drink in the afternoon. There weren't many people, which was just fantastic in Chanyeol's case since he managed to spot the little shortcake immediately after walking in.

Surprisingly, however, he did have paperwork around him. A glass of scotch sat unattended off to the side, but other than that small detail, Baekhyun looked extremely professional for someone doing business inside a bar of all places.

Knocking twice on the table being used by the coordinator, Chanyeol grinned, cocking his head before pulling out out a chair and taking a seat without even being invited to do so.

"Afternoon, Mr. Byun," Chanyeol said, drawling the words. "Is this the business you were talking about?"

Rolling his eyes at the giant's sudden spark of formality, Baekhyun swatted his hand away when he tried to pick up one of the papers. "Leave the papers alone, Chanyeol. They're actually important to me."

"Hn." Chanyeol, without a second thought, reached over again, this time, practically snatching the thick packet right out from Baekhyun's hands. He thought it'd be something frivolous. Maybe papers reporting the condition of the stadium he'd be performing at in two days. However, the cover page was enough to send the musician into a fit.

"A contract with D.O Mania? I thought we talked about this."

"It's business, Chanyeol. Regardless of your history together, I actually liked working with him." Baekhyun picked up the scotch and swirled the ice around. "I wouldn't mind doing it again, either."

Snorting, Chanyeol put the contract down. His eyes darted to the latter's hand. "Are you even allowed to drink?"

"I'm well above the legal age, which you should know already. You keep mentioning how legal I am."

"Maybe it's not a good idea to sign anything under the influence."

"This is the only glass I've had and it wasn't even full to the halfway mark," Baekhyun defended. "Now, why don't you shoo along? Where is Jessica? She's supposed to be entertaining you."

"She got fed up after I sent her to get me coffee five times," the giant muttered dismissively, leaning back in his chair. "Not that I care. I'm not as interested in her as I am with you."

"You don't seem to care about hiding that fact very well."

Chanyeol frowned, glancing at the papers again. "Have you signed it yet?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"I was thinking about it before you decided to interrupt me."

Drawing his lips into a thin, straight line, the musician jabbed the documents with his forefinger. "This. Tell me what this has over, I don't know, working for my record label? Maybe under a different artist? It doesn't have to be me. I don't have new material coming out, and I might get another tour next year, but nothing too immediate. I know some older bands are going to be busy on the road soon. It doesn't have to be--"