He Left Me Breathless

Punishment

“And here I thought you finally grew a conscience Mr. Byun” he drags the sentence lazily.

"Mr. Oh Seonsaengnim I -" I start while nervously fidgeting with my fingers, about five feet away from him.  I carefully shielded myself from any punches he may decide to throw after tackling the infamous talent of mine in aggravating people effortlessly.

"Seiza" he interrupts, his expression so bored that I believe he probably hasn’t said anything. He could have been reading a damn newspaper for all the emotion he displayed.

"What?" I inquired not having heard him properly.

"Seiza Mr. Byun" he repeats just as blankly and I wonder, completely dumfounded. The phrase seems awfully familiar for some reason and I stress the cells in my brain not occupied in virtually stripping him to go through the extensive list of animated movies I had binge watched to decipher what it meant. Suddenly a scene from Naruto Shippuden flashes before me.

Was he…?

Did he…?

He wants me to sit kneeling on the floor? Well this was unexpected. I contemplate pretending to be ignorant to the term but the mood in the room conveys that I would only invite his fury hundred folds stronger.

Well, I suppose this was all ‘part’ of the process.

I quell my raging pride and follow his indifferent command, folding my knees and resting my entire weight upon them. If embarrassment had a brand ambassador I would undoubtedly qualify for the post, having easily made a fool of myself in the span of 48 hours in multiple scenarios. I cannot look up at him or respond to his attitude. My humiliation rose to its peak.

"Do you know I hate gifts Mr. Byun?" he questions slowly and I am beyond dazed.

"No…" I eventually answer, realizing he's actually waiting for an opinion. Was this a test? Is the trap he is laying elaborate enough to trip me head on?

"Never quite understood their purpose or appreciated the idea. Do you perhaps consider it the same way Mr. Byun?” he demands analyzing the documents in the folder marked by the Oh Enterprises logo. What the hell should I say in return?

“I’m not s-su-sure” I stammer hurriedly as his presence scares my judgment. The room was boiling hot and it was surprising since there were three air conditioners functioning in lowest temperatures. Please don’t let me faint. Please don’t let me faint.

 “The only person who I accept them from is my mother and those instances are between rare and almost never" he offers conversationally.

"She must give great gifts then" I retort and smack myself mentally. Yes Baekhyun yes. Please keep provoking him. That’s a fantastic idea. He will definitely remain calm and deal with this situation patiently.  What on Earth has possessed me? Not only was I being utterly embarrassing but impolite to top it all off.

"She does. Her taste is flawless. But the point is, how am I supposed to feel when the one time I go outside wearing the gift she so graciously selected, someone decides to bathe it in cheap, trashy alcohol? The seats in my Bentley are permanently ruined due to your stunt" he observes eyes glinting dangerously and it dawns on me that maybe I'd never leave in the shape I came in.

"Seonsaengnim I am extremely ashamed of what happened" I declare glaring at my thighs intensely and the guilt is brutally harsh for ruining his occasional, valuable gift. I had no clue and I certainly hadn’t considered anything besides my wounded ego back then.

"Mr. Byun I am a very busy man, unlike you my schedules are accounted and compensated for" he states sternly and it feels as though I am running on eggshells. He was obviously not cutting me any slack for the level of stupidity I had exposed.