Boss • l.ty & w.yh

11

"Zhong Chenle. The pleasure's all mine" He says as he and Taeyong shake hands.

"He still seems pretty young sir" Taeyong says, turning his attention to Mr. Zhong.

"Young but already ready to take over!" Mr. Zhong jokes.

Although it was a joke, Chenle visibly tenses. Luckily it goes unnoticed by the two as they converse.

Chenle always hated the idea of taking over his dad's company, although he decided not to run away from his responsibilities because he knew that it was for the best. But despite deciding that, he still really hated the idea.

~~~~~

They all settled down and talked about business first with Chenle just observing the whole situation.

Once most of the business is settled, Mr. Zhong decided to have a casual conversation with Taeyong, looking at Chenle and giving a 'here's your chance to get some tips' look.

"So, Mr. Lee, how did you become so successful at such a young age?" Mr. Zhong asked.

"Well, I started out with the right people I guess" Taeyong replies with a chuckle.

"You're a lucky man I guess" Mr. Zhong says with a chuckle "Surely, there's a lucky lady in the picture" He quickly adds with a wink to which Taeyong chuckles at and Chenle cringes at.

'Taeyong surely has someone. A handsome guy like him can get any girl' Chenle thought to himself when he got back to his senses.

After Taeyong's chuckles die down, he remains silent as he looks at the father and son, clearing his throat and looking as though he was unsure of what to say.

"Well there was someone but..." Taeyong trails off for a moment, looking as though he was reminiscing old memories with whoever he was talking about.

"...but business has been getting risky. And I assumed that breaking a heart was better than losing a life"

His voice turned from emotional to serious in a matter of seconds. From warm to ice cold just like the gaze that he was now giving.

And Chenle wondered how he could change his facade so quickly.

"Well weren't you just being selfish?!" Chenle suddenly interrupts, speaking for the first time and even slamming his fist on the table. His tone sounded mad, shocking both Taeyong and his father.

"Chenle!"

"It's okay Mr. Zhong. Let the boy speak" Taeyong says, suddenly taking an interest on the youngest in the room.

Chenle glances at his father as if asking for permission to continue. Honestly speaking, Chenle didn't know what had gotten into him. He didn't know why but he just felt so mad. He didn't know why the words slipped out of his mouth but they just did.

His father nods his head after a few seconds and Chenle takes this as a signal to continue.

"Well, there's this book that I read" Chenle didn't know if it was okay to say all of this but he couldn't help himself.

"It's about a guy and a girl meeting and falling in love. And the guy, well, he had a lot of responsibilities like you so he did what you did. And it broke the girl's heart." Chenle pauses for a moment and when no one speaks, he continues.

"She'd rather risk everyday to be with him than be safe and alone. If you and the girl loved each other as much as the two in the story, then it was stupid of you to decide to prioritize your responsibilities and her safety!

And it's selfish because I think that in reality you just don't want to carry the burden or the blame or think that you're the reason if she ever got hurt or even died!"

"So you're saying I made a mistake?" Taeyong asked, sounding a little annoyed.

But in the inside, he felt like his heart just got run over by a truck and was left on the street for dead because he knew.

He knew that everything that Chenle was saying was true. And he hated himself for the fact that a boy who he just met worsened scars that have barely healed.

"I'm sorry Mr. Lee, Chenle isn't usually lik-"

"-It's fine Mr, Zhong. Cause maybe the kid is righ-"

"-I'm not a kid" Chenle interrupts, cutting Taeyong off. Where he got of this new found confidence was a mystery but Chenle didn't really care.

"Well Mr. Zhong, it's getting late." Taeyong says, breaking the silence and getting up. Chenle and Mr. Zhong get up as well and walk Taeyong to the door.

"I really enjoyed the meeting though, your son was great to talk to" Mr. Zhong just chuckles at Taeyong's statement as they walk to the exit.

Taeyong bids his goodbyes to Mr. Zhong but before leaving, he and Chenle and look each other in the eyes.

'How does this kid seem to know so much about me despite this being our first meeting?'

'Why does this man seem so familiar despite this being our first meeting?'

Different thoughts ran through each of their heads as they locked eyes.

"That was a great story Chenle. Although I wonder what happened to the girl after" Taeyong says, not breaking eye contact. Chenle flashes the man a smile.

"Maybe I could tell you the story over another meeting if this deal pushes through"

"I'd like that"