Accidental Rental

4 Floors

Baekho opened his eyes and smiled smugly to find Minhyun sleeping beside him. It was little moments like this that reminded him that he was just someone who wanted to be loved too. To find someone who would tolerate him and play along with him. He gasped when he realised it was almost time to leave. There was no time to appreciate the man beside him as he rushed out of bed, waking Minhyun up in the process and dashed for the bathroom. Minhyun rubbed his eyes and yawned. He looked at his phone and sighed. Time to get to work too.

"So I'll see you after two weeks?" Minhyun asked while holding Baekho's hands outside the apartment door. Baekho grinned and nodded.

"Okay. Good luck with work! My phone is always open for complaints," Baekho replied jokingly and Minhyun chuckled, kissing his lips before letting him go.

"You too. I'll see you around," Minhyun whispered apologetically. Baekho didn't catch his change of tone before the other rushed off to get his car and Baekho went to work.

~~~

"Huh?"

Baekho was confused when a letter of commendation was handed to him. Although he had tough through another week of hellish work, he didn't think it was enough to get such a letter. He bowed and thanked his boss, leaving the office with a head filled with questions and confusion. He sat down at his cubicle and looked around. His other colleagues glanced at him and he lowered his head, unsure what was going on. He wracked his brains, trying to figure out why he deserved such praise when someone tapped him on the back and made him flinch.

"Ah. You got a letter of commendation?" a sparkly voice belonging to one of his colleagues he remembered as Dahyun said. Her bright smile and sunshine outlook earned her a lot of fans in the workplace and Baekho himself was stunned that she was speaking to him.

"Uh... I guess?" he replied with a shrug. She beamed.

"Congratulations then!"

"Ah... Yes? I mean, thank you?" Baekho became uncomfortable with the stares that he was getting just from talking to the star of the office and decided to pretend to start working so she would take the hint and leave.

But it didn't stop her from appearing again during lunch.

"Hey, Baekho sshi?"

He looked up from his cubicle, realising the office was already mostly empty right now and turned to get shocked by Dahyun's bright smile. "Oh. Hi?"

"Would you like to go for lunch together?" she chirped and Baekho was stunned for a moment.

"Lunch?"

"Yeah! You and me."

"Uh... Don't you have your own group for that?" Baekho asked and noticed the change in her expression as she lowered her gaze.

"Oh well..."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh no. It's just that well, things happened and I'm eating alone most of the time now a-and I don't mean to sound all stalker like but I noticed that you always eat alone too so I thought..."

"Oh." Baekho ate alone by choice. He never really wanted to get along with anyone in his workplace, at least not to the point where they were buddy buddy. "If you need the company just for today."

"I would be very happy!"

"Ah... Okay."

Not wanting to make her feel bad, Baekho followed her down to the food court in the lower levels of his office and they both ordered their own food before taking a seat together. Some glanced over at them but maybe it was because Baekho had hung out with Minhyun a couple of times by now that he was mostly unfazed and unbothered when people stared at him in public rather than a confined cubicle space.

"So, Baekho sshi-"

"Just Baekho is enough."

"Ah alright! Baekho, pleasure to be of acquaintance."

"Same here, Dahyun."

"Oh? You already know my name?"

"Who doesn't? You're quite well known in our floor."

"Eh. I thought you were the kind who wouldn't be bothered with that."

"I'm not really... Its just that my cubicle neighbor might beg to differ."

She giggled and Baekho tilted his head. He wasn't really expecting to be this casual with her but in a weird way, she reminded him of Minhyun. The way they were both rather popular yet weren't particularly friends with any one person. Baekho knew that Minhyun's relation with Minki was also quite shallow, neither dared to stick a hand all the way in. They ate quietly as she started to pay more attention to her phone, scrolling through social media and watching short clips. At a certain point, something caught attention of Baekho's ears.

"-welcome back the Hwang siblings to the picture. So, Minyeon sshi, how was working with your brother after all these years like?"

"Oh, Minhyun is just a delight to work with. He knows exactly what to do and we pair so well together."

"That's wonderful. What about you, Minhyun sshi?"

"I had a great time. Its been awhile since I had such a big shoot and all the staff were wonderful too."

Baekho looked up from his food and unintentionally peered over when he heard his boyfriend's voice. Dahyun took notice of his action and tilted his phone so he could watch as well. It was him and a lady he didn't recognize in an interview. "You're interested in the Hwang siblings too?"

Baekho raised his brows at Dahyun. "What do you mean?"

"Huh? Hwang Minyeon and Hwang Minhyun. That's the two of them."

"Wait. What's this? Where is it from?"

"They both did a shoot together in England. The magazine is said to be out next month. Baekho?"

Baekho was already standing up, having scoffed down the rest of his food. "Sorry, Dahyun. I suddenly remembered there's someone I have to call. You can go on ahead without me."

Baekho took off to a safe area where he could call a certain someone. He fumed internally as he dialled the number and put his phone to his ear, waiting for the other to pick up.

"Bae-"

"Hwang Minhyun!"