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With a huff that lifts her fringe for a second, Taeyeon arrives at the CEO's office, slightly bent over to catch her breath. This morning, all she received was a "see me at my office, 11am" and the poor girl had to wash up at lightning speed before throwing on a simple outfit of a peach coloured pullover and a pair of black jeans. The ride to the company building was nerve-wrecking for she wondered why the CEO would text her at such a short notice.
Taeyeon raps her knuckles against the wooden polished door, and there comes a "come in" almost at once.
The first person she sees is Byun Baekhyun.
Donned in a plain black t-shirt that's tucked into denim ripped jeans, he has his back faced towards her, stance rigid and unmoving. A cap hands loosely between his fingers that are slackened against his side. His shoulders are tensed and Taeyeon recognizes it as anger rolling off him in dangerous waves. Quietly, she takes the empty spot next to him and bows in greeting.
"Taeyeon, I'll cut the chase and go to the main point." The CEO, Kim Youngmin, sits up straight in his leather cushioned chair. Taeyeon's eyes merely widen a fraction before she nods for him to continue. Her heart thumps furiously, and she doesn't know if it's due to the morning rush, the anticipation for the CEO's next few words, or because Byun Baekhyun is standing less than a hand's breadth away from her.
"The upcoming SM Station project season 3, as you know, focuses mainly on duets between main vocalists of our own SM groups. EXO's popularity is on the rise, and SNSD's comeback has been a huge hit. In the meantime, to fuel the excitement further, a duet between you and Baekhyun has been discussed for the past few months."
The boy next to Taeyeon doesn't show any reaction, and so she assumes that he has already heard the news before her. A part of her wonders if that's the reason why he's so angry, but another part of her argues that he wouldn't be that mean and cold to—
"Can I choose to opt out?"
For the first time since entering the room, Taeyeon takes a glance to her right. Baekhyun's jaw is clenched tight as he spares not a single look in her direction. If anything, it feels as if she's a horrible-looking monster that he doesn't even want to spend another second with in the same space.
His words cut a long gash along her heart, too.
The CEO merely sighs and runs a hand through his hair in frustration as if they've gone through this conversation countless times before. "Look, Baekhyun. This duet has been highly anticipated in the past few years. It'll be a huge hit, I'm sure."
"Isn't it risky, though?" Taeyeon finally speaks up, her voice ringing clear in the spacious room. It comes out as a timid squeak and for a moment, Taeyeon wonders why it suddenly feels so stuffy. It takes her a few seconds to realize Baekhyun has been staring at her ever since she spoke up, his gaze burning through the side of her face.
