Interns

Chapter 05: Hot

A couple of weeks had passed. At the office, rumors were spreading like wildfire that Baekhyun and their manager Yunhee were dating, because what was a workplace without drama, right? But he was no less charming when he was with Naeun, and he continued to be flirtatious when he was around her. She was not sure if he was just playful like that by nature or if he was only like that to her.

What Naeun did notice and know for sure, however, was that almost every time Baekhyun was talking to her, Yixing would secretly pay attention to the exchanges between her and Baekhyun, even though Yixing liked to pretend that he was engrossed in his work and was not at all trying to eavesdrop. And when she asked him if he was jealous or uncomfortable to see her and Baekhyun like this, he laughed it off and denied it immediately. She guessed there was no reason for him to be jealous anyway, since there really was nothing going on between her and Baekhyun who, by the way, was now convinced that she was not allergic to prawns but still insisted it would be nice to grab coffee sometime.

At the same time, Naeun had found herself increasingly attracted to Yixing. The initial awkwardness in the early stages of their acquaintance had pretty much been defeated. She had developed a habit of having breakfast with him, so even on weekends when she did not have to go to work she would still think of him when having breakfast on her own. He would make her send him snaps of her breakfast so that he could make sure she was eating properly. In return, he would send her a selfie and it always made her day. She was also convinced that it was impossible for him to not look good. She saved every single selfie he had sent and, boy, did he just wake up like that? Handsome and flawless? Without even trying? This man should be illegal.

There was this one time Yixing was just in a lazy mood, so he sent a pic of him shirtless and just lying in bed, clutching a pillow. It almost gave Naeun a heart attack, and it definitely turned her on. Without her permission, her mind had presented to her each and every single possibility of what she could be doing with him if she were in that bed with him. She liked all of these possibilities but it also frustrated her a little to think that it was never going to happen. She would remain colleagues with him, it was going to stay a professional relationship, and no boundaries would be crossed.

Although it was easy for Naeun to be flustered when she was around Yixing, especially when he looked so damn good in a suit and even better when he was not wearing a suit — or in fact anything — she did notice that toward Yixing she felt something more than just physical attraction. No, it was not romantic love or anything like that, but more like the need to protect him. Not that he actually needed her protection, because for goodness' sake he was a full-grown adult and could most definitely beat her up. She just found this feeling so weird and she did not know what to make of it. But as she saw Yixing more often and was naturally getting closer with him, she got to know him better too and she just thought she liked him more and more the more time she spent with him.

It was another ordinary workday on which Naeun and Yixing were preparing a report for Minseok. Naeun was surprised she was able to get anything done at all, considering how hot it was in the room. And this time it was not entirely because of Yixing. The air conditioning was out of order but the repairmen would not come around until the afternoon. So she was sweating heavily and so was Yixing. As a result he undid a few buttons of his shirt, and she just felt like screaming and hyperventilating because how dare he show so much of his perfect, milky skin? What was he trying to do? She was feeling so attacked right now.

"I'm gonna die," she groaned, fanning herself.

"Yeah, I know how that feels," he smiled at her sympathetically. At the same time he sat straight and she noticed that because of the sweat, his white shirt was sticking to his abs. She swallowed a scream.

"I can't take this anymore," she whimpered. "This is too much. I might pass out anytime."

"Oh, no, don't faint!" He said, alarmed. "I'm gonna go get some water for both of us. Just stay put, alright? Don't want you dehydrated. Can't let anything happen to you."

"You mean I'm not going to let anything happen to you," she replied immediately, meaning every single word she said. Yep, it must be that protective streak in her talking.

He looked a little lost. "I feel like I've heard this before from somewhere. Did you steal that line from a drama?" He giggled.

"No, I just..." she voice trailed off as she was suddenly frozen in a flashback.

~

"Yixing! Don't go to them!" She shouted at him frantically. She was sweating heavily, except she was in a place much worse than an office without a/c. The houses around her were burning down — in fact the entire town was on fire — yet her eyes were on him and him only. He was the only one that mattered to her.

"I have to! Or they'll come after everyone and everything that I love," he hollered, tears streaming down his face.

"Just come back to me! I won't let anything happen to you," she insisted, screaming at him hoarsely. "I'll protect you! I will!"

"You can't," he croaked brokenly, shaking his head. He was scared; he could not hide it. "It's too late. There's nothing you can do anymore."

"No! Listen to me! They're demons; they don—"

~

Whoa, that was way too cinematic to be true, even though it felt so real, as if Naeun was right there to experience it all: the fear, the helplessness, the frustration...and most prominently, the heat.

"Yeah, it must be one of the K dramas that I've been watching," she uttered the first excuse that came to mind.

Yixing nodded, buying Naeun's lie, and popped to the pantry. She could hear him open the drawer to take out two cups. Since he was not in the room, she could take a moment to recompose herself because hot damn. She had almost forgotten what it was like to breathe normally.

Soon a commotion in the pantry had drawn Naeun's attention again. From her seat, she could not see anything but she could hear what was going on as someone was speaking quite loudly. She frowned instantly. Why was Yixing getting yelled at? She practically leaped out of her seat and rushed to the pantry to see what was happening. But before she could make her way there, she was prevented from rounding the corner by none other than Baekhyun, who grabbed her urgently, pulled her in only to push her against the wall, and placed a firm finger on her lips.