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xiubaek-13 · 2 years

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The Busiest Night Manager in Seoul - Part 2

Part of the Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa collaboration

Genre: Hotel AU, eventual smut.

Pairing: Night Manager Baekhyun x Hotel Guest Reader, Head of Security Lee Jihoon x Hotel Guest Reader

Word Count: 10,230

Warnings: More terrible Christmas themed innuendo, roleplay if you squint, effects of drink spiking, lots of sexual tension, alcohol use, smut.

A/N: Remember last time when I said I was breaking the fic up so that I didn't drop a 15k monster on you? Well my finger slipped and now you get 10k. There is still Part 3 to come! Whoops! I hope you enjoy this.

The downside of the plan you’d formulated was the complete obliteration of your normal sleep schedule. Messing with the night manager kind of relied on you being awake… at night. The more days that passed, the later you stayed up. You knew you were in for a hell of an adjustment back to reality once the end of the week came and you had to return home, but for now, you were free to make poor decisions in regards to your sleep.

You’d frequented the bar, making note of how there were actually a few staff members around until midnight. After that, it was just Baekhyun and his many disguises. It confused you how you seemed to be the only person who noticed that the man at the front desk, the bar, the piano, room service and waiting tables were all the same person. To you it was blindingly obvious but he did it with such speed and charm that if you weren’t noticing him, then maybe you’d never pick up on the ruse. The real question was why were there no other staff? Why was he all alone during such an incredibly busy time of year? Wasn’t this hotel meant to be swanky?

Your phone chimed, notifying you that it was almost 10pm which meant that his shift would be starting soon. You weren’t sure what game you were playing at but you felt a pull to him and you hadn’t noticed him flirting with anyone else. So, on your third night at the hotel, you decided to test the waters. You were going to stay up late and see if you couldn’t get him to talk. Also, you needed to make another guess about his favourite ornament. Last night you’d left a napkin at the front desk with your guess on it, figuring he’d know what you meant. When you woke up this morning there was a reply waiting for you at the front desk which simply said guess again.

It was Christmas in July Eve, if that was even a thing, which meant that the hotel was busy. You stood in front of the tree in the lobby and stared at the ornaments as guests and staff rushed past you. You had three more nights to guess the correct ornament and more than the promise of free drinks, you just wanted to get the right answer. You didn’t think it would be one of the baubles. It had to be one of the odd ornaments, the kind that were only classified as a Christmas decoration because they had a Santa hat on or something trivial like that. You moved closer, slowly making your way around the tree.

“You’re getting warmer.” His playful voice sounded from behind you.

You smiled as you heard him speak. Something about his voice was so warm and inviting. You still hadn’t shaken the feeling that you knew him from somewhere. You were pretty sure you’d remember that face if you’d seen it before but you had this strange sense of deja vu every time you laid eyes on him. Not wanting to appear too happy to see him lest you give up your ruse, you placed your hands on your hips and huffed as you turned to face him. “I don’t recall asking for any hints.”

He chuckled softly at your response. “Good evening to you too.” He glanced at the tree, scanning it to make sure his favourite ornament was indeed still there. “How was your day?”

You hummed as you followed the spots of the tree where his gaze had lingered, making note of the ornaments in those areas, hoping he wasn’t successfully tricking you. “Tedious if I’m honest.” You replied.

He frowned slightly. “Why so? Aren’t you on holiday?”

“I am, but it was a reward from work so it included a one day conference, which was today. Let’s just say I’m not sure this trip was a reward anymore. I think it was a punishment with a 2 day buffer on either side to soften the blow.” You were complaining. About your all expenses free trip because for six hours of your day you’d been stuck in a conference with people who were passionate about selling insurance, and all of the ways to convince clients to sign up for extras. You hated it. You sold their insurance, yes, but you sold it when you were approached by clients. You never tried to give them more than what they needed. You really didn’t believe in ripping people off and in your town, this had resulted in everyone coming to you for their insurance needs because they knew you weren’t going to do exactly what every person in today’s conference was trying to do.

Baekhyun sucked in a breath. “That bad huh?” You nodded, a small pout forming on your face. “What do you do for work?” He asked.

You sighed. You hated the look you got whenever you told someone you were an insurance salesperson. It was always as though you’d just ruined a perfectly good interaction. “I work for an insurance company as a salesperson.” You replied.

“I used to work for a bank.” He replied, a small grin ghosting his features. “You can look less scared of me judging you harshly now.” He chuckled. “Business meetings are rarely enjoyable. There’s always those corporate lapdogs who descend upon us mere mortals to instruct you on how to make more money for the company at the expense of the little guy.”

“Exactly!” You said a little too loudly. The echo of your voice startled you which only made Baekhyun laugh. “I’m not that by the way, I just work in a small town and because I don’t follow what the higher ups try to push on us, I have more sales. Go figure.”

“I’m glad you aren’t a slimy sales rep, I’d have to stop speaking to you if you were.” He grinned. Before you could reply to that jab he once again glanced at the tree. “Have you got a guess for me? I’ll be run off my feet once the staff who are kindly working overtime go home so it’s probably best if you guess now.”

“Tell me one thing.” You started.

“I thought you didn’t want hints.” He smirked.

“I never said that. I just hadn’t asked until now.” He shook his head as he laughed. “Is the ornament somewhere I can see it? Like it’s not up near the top of the tree or anything like that is it?” You asked.

He shook his head. “No, it’s somewhere where I can easily spot it every day.”

You pondered his words as you took one more lap around the tree. You were conscious of the fact that Baekhyun was following you as you walked. You stopped in front of an ornament you’d spotted the previous night. It was at the front of the tree so it was visible from most of the lobby area as well as if you were to walk past the tree. It was cute, and only just Christmassy enough to be acceptable as an ornament. “This one.” You said as you pointed at the small corgi who was holding a snow globe in its mouth. The small figure had a wrapped gift and a candy cane next to it but the focus was the expressive corgi.

Baekhyun stood right behind you, just far enough back that it could be passed off as professional and that he was simply explaining an ornament to you but you could feel the space between your two bodies. You just knew that if you took one step backwards you’d bump into his chest. You face heated up at the closeness and you were glad he couldn’t see the effect he was currently having on you. There was just something about this man. “Ah Mongryong, that adorable rascal. His happy little face just makes my day.” His voice was low as he spoke, still cheerful but only loud enough for you to hear. “One drink voucher coming right up.” You knew the exact moment he stepped away from you, the closeness of him vanishing, and you released a breath that you hadn’t realised you’d been holding in.

It didn’t take long for Baekhyun to return with your drink voucher. You could see staff members beginning to dissipate and head home for the night which meant your time with Baekhyun was probably over for the night. You’d still see him and talk to him, you were sure of that, but he’d refuse to admit it was him as he played his various roles. “It’s a pity.” You said as he handed you the voucher.

He tilted his head in question. “What’s a pity?”

You sighed dramatically. “It’s a pity that you have to work. I’d ask you to have a drink with me otherwise.” You smirked. “I hear your bartender makes an excellent cocktail.”

He stared at you, as though he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “That is a pity, truth be told. However, I’m sure our resident bartender Taemin will keep you company. His specialty is a Love Me Right.”

“I’ve never heard of that one before.” You replied.

He shrugged. “Well this is a classy establishment so we had to change the name.”

“What was it before?” You asked.

A knowing smirk appeared on his face. “Something far more explicit.”

“Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to deduce it myself?”

Baekhyun moved closer to you, a move that to you felt like it was in slow motion. He was so close to you, you could smell his cologne, could feel the heat radiating between your two bodies. You were just two people standing close together to an outsiders gaze but in your small sexual tension filled bubble there was a whole lot more going on. Surely he could feel this electric pulse that moved between the two of you. Surely that wasn’t just you. His tongue darted out to wet his lower lip as he leaned down to whisper in your ear. “Lick her Right.”

Then he was gone. Whisked away to perform his job. You just stood there in front of the tree and tried to collect your thoughts from the depths of sin that they had rapidly descended to. You didn’t go directly to the bar. That felt desperate after what had just conspired between you and Baekhyun. Especially since you both knew that he was the bartender in question.

Instead you took a walk around the grounds to cool your head. The hotel was thoroughly decorated and you kept hearing parents telling their children that Santa might even make an appearance. Your thoughts drifted back to the Night Manager. You planned to spend time away from your room tonight but you also didn’t want him to think that he was the sole reason for you being out of your room at this hour (even if that was mostly the truth of the matter. Apparently you were that person now). He intrigued you. You enjoyed the albeit short conversations you’d had with him, the flirting was fun, plus it didn’t hurt that he was very, very attractive. And now all you could think of was that damn drink and its double meaning.

***

You were watching Baekhyun Chanyeol play piano as renowned jazz singer Zhang Yixing performed an impromptu set, a mixture of his songs and Christmas carols. The singer was surprised when the pianist had announced that he had agreed to do a small set for the very special occasion that was Christmas in July. The woman he was seated with had an expression on her face of confusion and annoyance. Though once Yixing began to sing her face lost any negative emotions and pure unfiltered adoration replaced it.

You were surprised at how adept at piano Baekhyun was and how well his playing, and occasional vocal harmonies, complemented Yixing’s voice. Between the two of them they held the room in the palms of their hands. It was as though they had cast a spell on their audience as all noise ceased to exist outside of the music being performed. Even children stopped to sit in silence as they were bewitched by the two men on the small stage. Baekhyun Chanyeol had donned a black velvet jacket with tails and white gloves, completing the look with a santa hat to hide most of his hair. No one seemed to notice that the bar was left unattended for the twenty minutes that they played.

Applause broke out the moment they concluded their set, Baekhyun Chanyeol bowing then quietly disappearing while the crowd praised Yixing’s voice and thanked him for the very intimate performance. By the time you turned your attention from the scene in front of you, Baekhyun Taemin was back at the bar chatting about whiskeys with a couple of men. He was fast on his feet, you had to give him that.

So far you’d seen Baekhyun fulfil three roles, night manager, bartender and pianist. How many more could he possibly manage?

***

“How long have you been a bartender?” You asked.

“Hmm” He pondered, mentally calculating the years in his mind. “About 5 years I think.”

You wondered if anything Baekhyun Taemin said was true or if it was all made up for this character. It was feasible that he had worked as a bartender before, that much was easy enough to deduce just from watching him work. He had an easy smile and effortless way of making anyone who walked up to the bar calm. He could pull off the flourishes that you’d only seen cocktail bartenders in movies do. He gave the guest in front of him his full attention, smiling warmly once he finished their order. You were enamoured.

“What is your best cocktail?” You asked.

He chuckled as he cleaned a glass, putting it away before repeating the action with the next one. “Define best. Best looking, best tasting, best at getting you blackout drunk? So many options.”

You smiled. “You’re the bartender, how about the best cocktail for me?” His fingers tapped the counter as he stared at you, assessing you.

“For you. Ah but what if you judge me harshly off what I select for you? How could I live with myself?” He said dramatically.

“I’ve been at this bar a few nights in a row now.” You said as you swirled your straw through the last remnants of your drink. “You know my taste in drinks by now and you’d also have some idea of me as a person unless you are the worst bartender in history.”

He stared at you for a few more moments, his eyes laser focused on you. Then without uttering a word he began to mix a drink. You couldn’t work out what he was making, it wasn’t too intricate but he made sure to conceal the ingredients from you. The only thing you were certain of was that there were apples in it because you saw him put the fruit through the juicer.

To your surprise he placed two drinks in front of you. One was in a short glass, a cloudy green colour with something coating the rim of the glass. The other was in a hurricane glass and was a mixture of white and pink colours with two cherries as a garnish. “Are both of these for me?” You asked.

He nodded. “I think they represent you well. At least, the parts of you that I’ve gotten to know this week.” He slid the green drink towards you. “This is an Apple Pie. It’s tequila mixed with fresh apple juice with a small amount of cinnamon dusting the rim of the glass. It barely tastes like alcohol but it is potent. It’s an intriguing drink that makes you come back for more because it’s sweet like a dessert but a little tart as well. It’s easy to have until it hits you like a truck. It’s subtle and gets under your skin.” You hung off every word, even when some of those words could be misconstrued as insults. You lifted the glass to your lips and took a sip. The cinnamon and apple complemented each other so well that you never even tasted the tequila. It was delectable, you couldn’t fault him on that. Not too sweet, but not too sour either. A perfect balance.

He slid the second drink towards you. “This is a Pickled Tink. It's an odd concoction of raspberry vodka, pina colada and strawberries. It is sweet, unsuspecting, creamy, and gives the feeling of escapism. It looks relatively easy to read but there’s an underlying alluring quality about it.” The coy yet suggestive smile on his face made you feel like you were blushing as he described the drink. You took a sip through the straw and were gobsmacked. You were expecting more of a pineapple taste due to the pina colada mix but it was like drinking strawberries and cream with a little kick at the end to remind you that there was indeed vodka in it. Both of the drinks he’d made were ones you were adding to your list of cocktails that you absolutely loved. You weren’t really focused on how well they represented you but more how well they fit your taste. If you focused too heavily on his descriptions of the cocktails then you’d have to process the fact that he alluded to you being under his skin, alluring, intriguing as well as unsubtle, a tart and potent. Those were descriptors to unpack another night.

“They are both wonderful and dangerously easy to drink.” He laughed at you as you took another sip of each.

“I don’t recommend mixing them unless you want to be sick so I’d just pick one and stick with it.” He glanced down the bar as guests approached. “I’ll return shortly to see which drink is the victor.” You watched as he chatted with guests, flirting playfully with some of the women which kept them at the bar spending money. He brushed off their advances with ease, not hurting their feelings but ensuring that they were aware that whatever it was that they were hoping would happen, it would not be. The rejection was so smooth that they kept returning for the banter. He had this knack for making a person feel heard and seen. You couldn’t blame them for trying. Baekhyun Taemin was incredibly attractive. He fell somewhere between boy next door handsome and bad boy you know you shouldn’t get involved with even if you knew the sex would be worth it handsome and that was a deadly mix. The silver hair and eyeliner didn’t hurt either. For a fleeting moment you wondered what the real Taemin was like. That train of thought was interrupted by someone approaching you.

***

“Ma’am are you ok?” A stern but concerned voice sounded above you.

Your response was immediate. “I’m fine. Please don’t call me ma’am either.”

He sighed. “Ok then random lady who can’t get up off the floor, are you sure you’re fine?”

You were on the floor? Why were you on the floor and why was said floor concrete? Rather than attempting to focus on your surroundings you instead took umbrage with how he referred to you. “Random lady?”

He replied in a tone that suggested he was growing tired of the discussion about how to address you. Like that wasn’t the important thing to be focusing on. “I don’t know your name, hence the use of ma’am earlier.”

Well fair, the stranger had a point. You tried to stand but your ankle screamed in pain as soon as you put pressure on it. What had you done? The last thing you remembered was sitting at the bar in the hotel. You hadn’t even had that many drinks. “You’re not fine.” He said matter of factly. “Let me help.”

Strong arms helped you up to a standing position, he placed your arm over his shoulder as he supported your weight easily. It dawned on you at that moment that this man was a stranger and that you should probably be a bit more concerned about the fact that you were outside in a poorly lit area with a strange man who was easily stronger than you. “Who are you?” You asked, struggling to remain focused on anything other than the feeling of pain radiating from your ankle and the fuzz coating your brain.

“I figured the uniform would have given it away but I forgot how many drinks you’d had.” He saw the look of fear and confusion on your face and quickly corrected himself. “I’m Jihoon. I work security for the hotel.” He used his free arm to hold up his ID badge. “I was scanning the cameras, doing my job to keep an eye out for anyone in trouble or anyone who looked like they were going to cause trouble when I spotted you at the bar.” He stated.

“How flattering yet still creepy Jihoon.” You mumbled.

He scoffed. “Well not you, more I watched you because you were the perfect mark. Alone and easily distracted, not a smart mix on a busy night where everyone is absorbed in their own festivities. I kept an eye on you and sure enough I caught what you missed.”

“What did I miss?” This was probably important. You should probably pay attention to this. But your brain was tired of dealing with everything. So you leaned into Jihoon’s side, your mind drifting to the feeling of his body next to yours.

He repositioned himself to adjust to supporting more of your weight. You weren’t heavy but the weight was unbalanced. His tone became softer as he spoke. “The guy who approached you, who seemed less than willing to leave. Used lots of hand gestures to distract you from the fact that he slipped something into your drink. It’s not about you, it is my job to ensure the safety of our guests and correct me if I’m wrong but having your drink spiked generally compromises one's safety.”

You gripped his shirt as the realisation came crashing down on you, the fog over your brain alleviated for a moment. “What, I’ve been drugged?!”

“Yes, I don’t know what he laced your drink with though.” He started to slowly help you walk back towards the lobby of the hotel. “I had another member of my team watch the cameras while I went to deal with the person who sees no problem with spiking drinks - he is in police custody now by the way. Then I came to find you.”

The shock of what could have happened to you started to set in and you started to cry. Jihoon stopped to try and comfort you, rubbing your shoulder softly. “Hey, no, you’re ok. Let me get you back to your room and I’ll have someone come and check on you.” You were too lost in your thoughts to really hear him. You remembered a guy approaching you at the bar, offering to buy you a drink but you’d politely refused. He’d seemed fine with that and only stuck around for a few minutes of conversation. He did have a habit of talking expressively with his hands but you’d been distracted. You’d half listened to him and half watched Baekhyun Taemin as he kept glancing over at you to make sure you were ok. Then the next memory is when Jihoon found you. You were injured, had the man done anything to you? What if he had? The fear of how vulnerable you were was overtaking you. Jihoon shook you to bring you back out of your thoughts. “Hey, don’t do that.”

“What?” You choked out.

“Fall deep into the realm of what ifs. Let me tell you this much, you were drugged but we got to him before anything happened to you. I know the thoughts will play on your mind about what would have happened if we didn’t but I can assure you that I’m exceptional at my job and my team were hand picked by me. We do not miss. Your ankle is injured because when that creep tried to tell me that you were his girlfriend and I didn’t believe him, he let go of you and you fell. He let go of you to try and fight me,” Jihoon smirked. “But he underestimated my skills. He’s got a cracked rib and a broken nose but he brought that on himself.” He pulled out a small packet of tissues and handed them to you. “I cannot apologise enough for the fact that that piece of shit was even inside of this hotel.” You were in no state to chat, quietly wiping your tears and taking deep breaths to calm yourself. Your body moved on autopilot as Jihoon guided you through the lobby and to the elevators.

Jihoon got you back to your room and onto your bed before he radioed down to the front desk to request a doctor to assess your injuries as well as the effects of the drink spiking. “The doctor will be up soon. I also ordered some room service for you, courtesy of the hotel of course, but food can only help as far as I’m concerned. Do you want me to stay with you until they arrive?”

You shook your head. You’d calmed down considerably once reaching the safety of your room. You were doing your best to not dwell on the terrifying possibilities that could have taken place this evening if it weren’t for Jihoon and his team. “I’m very grateful for all that you’ve done for me Jihoon but I think I need a few minutes to myself to process.”

He nodded and gestured at your ankle. “Just doing my job but you are welcome all the same. I’ll let room service know to knock then enter with your food and I’ll have the front desk escort the doctor to your room so they can let them in.”

***

Baekhyun POV

He struggled to remain calm when he got the call from Jihoon. His only reassurance was the knowledge that the head of security would not have let that creep go unscathed before handing him over to the authorities. Baekhyun had enquired about your injuries, feeling guilt over the fact that he’d failed at watching over you at the bar tonight. He’d seen the man approach you and talk to you but his attention was torn between watching you and serving the other guests. He’d missed the vital moment where your drink had been tampered with and the subsequent moments where you’d been removed from the bar by the man.

He called the GP service that the hotel used and spoke with a medical professional. They were swamped with all kinds of holiday mayhem and wouldn’t be able to get to the hotel for hours. Baekhyun had asked if he could do anything. The doctor on the other end of the line told him how to check your ankle and determine if it was just a sprain or if you’d broken a bone. She also gave him an incredibly fast run down on signs to look out for with drink spiking, and at what point he needed to call them back with a list of symptoms. Most likely you were going to be lethargic, fuzzy and compliant, but he was to keep you awake until you became clear headed.

He took his notes and grabbed a first aid kit from his desk. Jihoon had said that you were upset but that keeping you calm was important as well as distracting you from thinking about what could have happened. With that in mind Baekhyun decided to don a white doctors coat, which was just a white coat from the kitchen staff but it looked close enough to the real thing, and a stethoscope, hoping to make you feel so ridiculous that you forgot about earlier in the night.

He’d been enjoying the night, with you playing along every time you spotted him. Like you were in on his little secret but you weren’t going to tell anyone. He was lucky that Van hadn’t killed him when he stole her date and got him to perform, Yixing was too nice to say no to something like that but the daggers that Van shot his way were the opposite of kind. It was a good thing she was utterly smitten with Yixing because she seemed to forget about Baekhyun as soon as Yixing started to sing.

The night had been insanely busy, as he knew it would be, but he’d found time to chat with you. He wanted more than just fleeting moments with you. He wanted to be able to talk to you without knowing that he’d have to leave if a guest appeared. He was enamoured by you which is why it pained him to know that something unspeakable almost happened right under his nose. He was now determined to make it up to you.

***

Your POV

Even though there was a knock at the door you still jumped slightly. Your mind was cloudy and it was difficult to keep focused on any one thing for more than a few moments. You were hesitant to call out for the person on the other side of the door to come in but then you remembered that they had to have a key to get in. “I’m going to open the door now.” The muffled voice said. It was familiar in a way that put you at ease.

“Okay.” You responded meekly.

Unfamiliar fear spiked as the door began to open. What if this person was untrustworthy? As far as you were aware there were no cameras in the rooms so how would Jihoon or any of his team be able to help you? You were supposed to be safe but what if you weren’t?

Then Baekhyun spoke.

His soft voice broke through your terror filled thoughts. You took a moment to look at him. He wasn’t in his night manager uniform. For some utterly baffling reason he was dressed as a doctor, and was holding a tray with a cloche covering whatever he was holding. You were pretty damn sure that he wasn’t a doctor and that you were in need of a real life medical professional, one with a degree and memories of their residency. “Um, Baekhyun, what are you doing?”

He looked at you, worry etched on his face. It eased slightly after his eyes roamed your form and found you still in one piece. They lingered on your ankle. It was covered with an ice filled hand towel to reduce the swelling. You waited but he just kept looking. “Uh, Baekhyun?”

Your voice finally reached him and he shifted on his feet. “I brought fries because Jihoon said you should eat.” He set the tray down on the edge of the bed and removed the cloche, the smell of warm fries filling the room, causing your stomach to rumble. “Please have some.” He said quietly.

You pulled the tray closer to you and grabbed a fry. “Thank you, but the fries, whilst very much appreciated, don’t answer my question.” You knew your head was fuzzy but you were certain that he was wearing a doctor's coat. Why?

“Oh right. Uh, well I rang for a doctor like Jihoon requested but they are swamped because of Christmas in July, go figure, so the very helpful doctor I spoke with told me what to look for so that I can assess you to see if you just need rest or if you need medical attention.” He replied.

“Again, that does not explain why you are dressed as a doctor.” You stated in between mouthfuls of fries. “These are excellent by the way.”

“I guess I kind of wanted to lighten the mood.” He sighed. “I’m only admitting this once, but you have been correct that I’ve been pretending to be different members of staff at night, going by different names and personas. I’m waiting for my boss to finish hiring more staff and I didn’t want it to look like the hotel was lacking. Until you, no one noticed. So I guess I thought that doing the same thing now might help keep you calm and comfortable? You’ve played along perfectly so far. I don’t know about you, but I’ve really enjoyed it.” His hands toyed with the stethoscope as he spoke, the only sign of his nerves.

“Oh so you mean to tell me that I haven’t been enjoying the company of Taemin or Chanyeol?” You said lightly. “You mean to tell me that I was right when I said you were everywhere?”

“If I was everywhere this wouldn’t have happened to you.”

“It’s your fault as much as it is mine, which is to say that neither of us is at fault.” The food was helping you keep focus. “Jihoon told me that guy watched and waited for his moment. If it wasn’t me, he would have targeted someone else.” That didn’t appear to make him feel any better. “I mean, it’s why you have Jihoon and his team right? It’s their job to see what everyone else might miss. And they didn’t miss. I’m a bit shaken up and will be a bit traumatised but I’m ok.”

“It must have been scary though.” He mumbled.

You paused your eating and looked at him. His guilt was eating at him, his posture making him appear small and defeated. You didn’t want to think about it because you knew that would spiral you back into terror. You wanted to sit and eat fries with Baekhyun, even let him pretend to be an actual doctor if need be. “Honestly I don’t have any memory. One minute I was at the bar, the next Jihoon was helping me up off the floor. I’m trying not to let my thoughts drift into what might have happened if Jihoon’s team hadn’t been there. He told me not to dwell on it either, that it would do me no good and only slow the process of moving forward. That all it did was give the creep power over me. He said it would be a very different situation if something had happened to me but since it didn’t, not giving that person the time of day in my mind was the best outcome I could aim for.”

He said nothing in response.

“Eat a fry.”

“What?” He asked.

“Eat a fry.” You repeated. “Eat a fry, and do what the nice phone doctor told you to.”

“Okay.” He said as he took some off the plate and ate. Fries were a magical food, you decided. They had kept you relatively coherent throughout this albeit brief conversation. You kind of hoped Baekhyun was ready to take over and do most of the talking because you were tired of concentrating on your words. Listening still wasn’t the easiest talk in your current state but it was far easier to do than to form consistently coherent sentences. “By the way, it’s Dr. Byun.”

You giggled. Actually giggled at the title he had given himself. It was one thing to assume multiple roles whilst working but in the confines of your room, Baekhyun trying to be a doctor was funny to you. He ignored your reaction as he moved to sit next to you.

“I’ll need to check your vitals first.” He placed the small first aid kit on the bed next to him and opened it. He quickly checked the contents and then returned his attention to you. He used his first and second fingertips to press gently against your throat as he checked your pulse.

“I think it’s obvious that I’m alive, Baekhyun.” You deadpanned.

He didn’t remove his fingers as he watched the seconds go by on his watch. “Dr Byun.” He corrected. Once a minute had passed and he was satisfied with your pulse he pulled out a small device and held it to your forehead. After a few seconds it beeped and he made a note in his phone of the reading.

“What was that for?” You asked.

He glanced up from his phone to reply. “Checking your temperature.” He put the earpieces of the stethoscope in his ears and gestured for you to sit up. “Now I need to check your breathing. If you could sit up for me.” He held the chest piece in his palm to try and warm it before placing it just above your collarbone. “Now take a deep breath in and slowly exhale for me. Keep doing that until I tell you to stop.” He moved the stethoscope to the same spot on the other side of your body, then moved closer to your sternum, pausing once he realised that he’d have to place the stethoscope on the swell of your breast. “Here, hold this,” He handed you the end of the instrument and tapped a spot just to the right of your sternum. “Hold it there.” You placed it in the spot he asked and took a deep breath, moving it to the other side when instructed. You followed the places his hands indicated on his own body as you moved down and under your breast. He took the instrument back off you when he was ready to move to your back to repeat the process.

“You didn’t need to get me to do that Baek.” You breathed.

“Dr Byun.” He once again corrected. “And it felt improper given the circumstances. Deep breath in” He was quiet as he listened to your lungs. “I only want you to feel comfortable.”

He wasn’t going to let the doctor thing go. Your brain still found it funny to think of Baekhyun as a doctor. Doctors weren’t fun. Baekhyun was fun. Doctors were all clinical and closed off. Baekhyun was warm and conversational. “I feel comfortable with you Baek Dr Byun.”

He cleared his throat as he finished up listening to your breathing. “I’m glad that you feel comfortable with me, even though we’ve only just met.”

You smiled. “You look too young to be a doctor.”

He grinned. “That’s very kind of you to say.” He placed the stethoscope back around his neck as he turned his attention to your ankle. He removed the makeshift ice pack which made you wince. “Your ankle is a bit swollen. I’m going to have to manipulate it a bit so please tell me when it hurts. I need to check if it’s just a sprain or if you need an x-ray.” You nodded which prompted him to add. “I need verbal consent.”

“Ok Dr Byun.” You replied. The fuzz in your brain liked the feeling of being touched but the small rational part of you was not welcoming the pain that you knew you’d feel once he started to move your ankle about.

He gently pressed his fingers around your foot and ankle, asking if it hurt when he pushed certain points. Most of the spots he touched elicited a dull ache but not the sharp pain that you felt when he hit one particular spot. He made a note of it and then moved on to rotating your foot which hurt a lot less than you had anticipated. However, when he applied pressure to your heel and pushed upwards the pain returned. It was enough to cause you to yell out but it wasn’t unbearable.

“I think you just have a sprain so I’m going to wrap your ankle and elevate it. We’ll apply cold to it periodically to help reduce the swelling. I can’t give you any medication until I hear from the police about what exactly your drink was laced with. Your temp is a little high and your heart rate is a little high.” You hummed, not really paying attention to him as he spoke. You just wanted him to keep his hands on you, they felt nice.

He watched you and sighed. You were clearly under the effect of something and the sooner he knew what it was, the better. He liked coherent you, the you that would happily volley with him in conversations. This you was still cute and endearing but you were drugged and so he was having to fend off the fact that you seemed to be happiest when his hands were on you. If you still felt that way when you were in control of yourself then it would be a different story but for now, he would only provide PG rated comfort. With nothing else to do he grabbed some of the tape and a bandage from the first aid kit and began to wrap your ankle. Once he was satisfied with his handiwork he put your foot back down on the bed.

You frowned when his hands left you. The action definitely not lost on him. He ignored it in favour of dialling Jihoon to check for an update. He answered on the second ring.

“Boss, how is she?” Jihoon asked.

“Her ankle is ok, I’ve just wrapped it but she’s clearly drugged. Any leads on what is in her system?” He replied.

“I was actually just about to call you. The police rang to let me know that she’s been drugged with a low level dose of MDMA. She’s likely to be a bit incoherent and uh a bit uninhibited. It’s been in her system for a couple of hours now and they said normally it could take up to 12 hours to be fully absorbed but given the low dose she was given it’ll be closer to 4 hours.”

“So we’re halfway through it then.” Baekhyun replied.

“Seems that way. Do you need me to come back and watch her so you can return to the front desk?” Jihoon asked.

“No, I’ve got Jinki watching it. I’ll let you know if I need to leave so you can keep an eye on her. I think we’ll be fine though, most of the guests have turned in for the night. Funny how the threat of Santa not visiting can make everyone go to bed even when they’re adults.” He chuckled.

“Alright, well I’m here until you clock off so let me know.” With that Jihoon hung up. Baekhyun looked at you on the bed, your hands playing with the quilt cover, almost stroking it. That would be the tactile fixation from the drug.

He stood and moved from the bed to an armchair on the other side of the room. You whined at the distance he created, not understanding why he didn’t want to be near you. You thought he liked you. “Baekkkkhyun.”

“Dr Byun.”

“Ugh whatever. Dr Byun, don’t you like me?” You whined.

“I have to keep an eye on you until the drugs are out of your system. You need to drink more water as well.” He replied.

You rolled over onto your side to face him. “I thought you liked me.” You sulked. “But you don’t want to be anywhere near me. Am I so repulsive to you?”

He leaned forward in his chair, his hands raking through his hair. “You are not repulsive. You are, in fact, so not repulsive that I had to move to the other side of the room so that we don’t do something we’ll regret when you’re sober.” He sounded frustrated. You wanted to help him be less frustrated.

You looked at him, confused about what he meant. “What do you mean?”

He held his head in his hands. “Right now being touched and touching things feels amazing to you doesn’t it?” You nod and hum in agreement. “That is the drug talking. I can’t allow you to touch me or me to touch you until it wears off. It would be highly inappropriate.”

“You like me?” You smiled at him.

He laughed. “That’s what you took from this? Yes, I like you. Quite a lot I think.”

Your smile grew. “I like you too, whatever version of Baekhyun you are right now. You’re a bit weird, with all of the role play stuff, but I kind of like it, and I like you.”

He smiled to himself, warmth blooming in his chest. Drug induced or not, he knew your words were sincere. “Try to rest, we’ll talk more later.”

“I’m tired but I can’t sleep.” You replied.

Baekhyun turned on the TV and selected an animated kids movie. He watched you zone out completely before you eventually drifted off to sleep. He glanced at his watch and saw that the time read 1am. He cursed himself for the last job he had to do as it meant leaving the room.

He stood and texted Jihoon before scribbling down a small note and placing it on your bedside table.

I promise I’ll be back before my shift ends. There’s one more job Jinki and I need to do for the night. Don’t worry if you wake up and I’m not here. This is my number if you need me. If you can’t reach me, this is Jihoon’s number… he should be ok with me giving it to you.

Dr Byun, Not Taemin, Not Chanyeol, but most importantly - Baekhyun.

[1:02AM] Baekhyun: I have to leave to help Jinki with the presents before the guests wake up. Can you keep an eye on her door?

[1:02AM] Jihoon: You got it, boss. Go be merry old St Nick.

***

You wake up feeling groggy and a bit disorientated. As you rub the sleep out of your eyes you notice the piece of paper on the bedside table. You can tell it has writing on it but your eyes have yet to catch up with your brain so the words remain blurry. Your mouth felt like cardboard and you knew you looked seedy. Thankfully you’d memorised the route to the bathroom and didn’t need your eyes to work properly in order to get you to the shower and toothpaste you desired. Once you stood up, your ankle reminded you that you were injured. You limped your way to the bathroom and decided to run a bath, that way you could keep your bandages dry and your foot elevated. While the bath filled with water you went about brushing your teeth, determined to get that cardboard that had been left by the garbage bins in the rain taste out of your mouth.

You sink into the divine warmth of the bath, lathering yourself with scented body wash and allowing your body to relax. You remember everything that happened to you, bar that period between you being at the bar and being outside the hotel. You remembered Jihoon helping you and then Baekhyun looking after you. Was he still in your room? You hadn’t brought a change of clothes to the bathroom. You couldn’t walk back out there naked, but you didn’t want to put that dress back on. You noticed a bathrobe hanging on the door and thanked past you for leaving it there.

Once you’d finished washing away the feeling of the night before (even if it was only 4 or 5 hours ago) you drained the tub and carefully got out, making sure not to put too much pressure on your bad ankle. You dried yourself and donned the robe before limping your way back out into your room. Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen. Wait there was a note by the bed. He must have left that there for you. You made your way over to the bed and sat down, reading the short but sweet note he’d left. He liked you. Like actually liked you. You couldn’t help but smile, glad that the drugs in your system hadn’t embellished the details of his feelings towards you.

The sound of your door unlocking chimed. This time you were only fearful for the briefest of moments before the logical part of your brain kicked in to remind you that only Baekhyun, Jihoon & Jinki knew where your room was and that the man who had preyed upon you was in police custody with one hell of a shiner courtesy of Jihoon.

A red coat with white trim and a black belt with matching red pants came into view. You shook your head. Maybe there was still something knocking around in your system because the sight before you was ridiculous. Baekhyun shuffled into the room, smiling when he saw you sitting up. “How are you feeling?” He asked, completely ignoring the elephant in the room which was his outfit. He was not dressed like that earlier. You momentarily allowed yourself to visualise that doctor getup again. You wouldn’t be mad about it if he turned up in that in the future… but that wasn’t what was important right now.

“Am I still high or are you dressed like a slutty Santa?” You replied.

He chuckled as he finally seemed to remember how he looked. “Ah this.” He walked further into the room, glancing at his note which was still in your hand. “This was the last job Jinki and I had to do for the night. Junmyeon, my boss, wanted Christmas in July to be special. It’s not normal for anywhere in the Northern hemisphere to celebrate it since we have Christmas during winter but he wanted all of the children staying here to wake up to presents from Santa. So Jinki and I had to dress up - Jinki makes a ridiculous elf by the way - and place presents in front of every room that has a child staying in it.

“I get the Santa part but why the vaguely male stripper version of Santa? How is that child friendly?” You retorted.

He shook his head as he moved to sit on the bed next to you. “I had the belly and beard, I just took them off and left them in my office before I came back up here.” He didn’t miss the way your eyes roamed up and down his body.

“Good. I’d hate to hear about how you scandalised poor innocent children looking like this.” You cooed.

Baekhyun pulled you onto his lap, his arms wrapped around your waist. “What about you? Have you been a good girl this year?” He asked suggestively.

You batted your eyes at him, running a finger down the white trim of his coat that covered his chest. “Yes Santa, I have.”

He smirked. “Then Santa should pay you a visit and give you a present on Christmas morning.”

You leaned in closer, until your mouth ghosted over his ear as you whispered. “But if you ask nicely I might be bad for you. Santa Bae-k”

You heard the hitch in his breath as he swallowed thickly, his grip around your waist tightening as he shifted you so that you were straddling him. You pulled back and let your eyes roam over him, the ridiculous Santa costume that he somehow made sexy, the slicked back hair and look on his face. The tip of his tongue slid out to wet his bottom lip and something within you snapped. Maybe it was from all of the flirting, or the residual lack of inhibition you felt but you couldn’t hold back any longer. So you let go.

Your lips crashed into his messily, surprising him momentarily before he returned your kisses with equal fervour. He pulled you closer to him as your kiss deepened, feverishly passionate. The kiss was borderline sloppy, releasing all the tension built up in the past few days but neither of you cared, you were both too busy devouring each other. You kissed him like he was your lifeline and you could feel the passion coming from him as his tongue entered your mouth. You moaned as your hips involuntarily bucked into his.

Baekhyun broke the kiss to catch his breath and stare at you, his eyes filled with unchecked lust mixed with something else, gone before you noticed it. “You’re so beautiful.” He said, his voice lower than before. “Like a present ready to be unwrapped.” He winked at you.

You groaned. “Oh my god. Why are you trying to ruin the moment with lines like that?”

“Did you or did you not say Bae-k?” He countered. Well shit. He wasn’t wrong…

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.” You rambled. Your brain could not keep up with your mouth because you just kept talking while your brain was still incredibly conscious of Baekhyun’s hands gripping your hips and incredibly kissable lips which were within reach and now that you knew how sweet he tasted you only wanted more. “You could try to find some witness statements but I fear that it will just be your word against mine and in circumstances such as these I think you’ll find that -”

“Oh my god, shut up and let me kiss you.” He groaned, cutting you off as he reconnected his lips with yours. The kiss felt hot and wet and so unbelievably wonderful. He kept you guessing, giving you soft sensual kisses one moment and rough, animalistic ones the next. He was wrestling with his own desires as he tried to retain some sense of composure, and was quickly failing to do so. You ground your hips into him, desire pooling within you as your need for more grew. He moaned into your mouth, biting down on your lip as his hands began pushing your robe open.

“You are so fucking hot.” He whispered against your mouth as his hand slipped beneath your robe, ghosting over where you wanted him the most, making you gasp into the kiss, your arms now wrapped around his neck.

Baekhyun slid his fingers through your wet folds, kissing you harder as your hips moved with a mind of their own. You’d never felt desire like this before. Your pussy clenched around nothing. “Holy fuck, you are so wet baby. You want me this much?” His voice was rough with want.

You gripped his shoulders tightly, your nails leaving small crescent shaped marks on his skin, even through the fabric. “Baek. I need.” Your brain could barely function. You needed him to touch you properly, to finally cross that threshold. Coherency was swiftly making its exit from your being. “Want you to touch m-”

Riiiinnnnggggg

He glanced over at his phone before deciding to ignore it. He inserted a finger, slowly beginning to pump the digit into you. You were practically vibrating with desire which would be embarrassing if you weren’t so turned on and if his finger didn’t feel so heavenly inside of you. You gasped at the sensation as his thumb brushed against your clit before he inserted a second finger, preparing you for what was to come next. You moaned loudly as he scissored his fingers in you, stretching you out for him.

Riiiinnnnggggg

He froze, his fingers stilling in their ministrations. You whimpered at the lack of friction, grinding your hips into his hand until his free hand held your hips still, grunting at you to stop.

Riiiiiiinnnngggg

“Fuck.” He exhaled, torn between what he wanted to do and the fact that his work phone was ringing and no matter how much he wanted to continue drawing those delightful noises from you, he was the one in charge of the hotel at this moment in time. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew he had to answer it. “Hold on.” He grumbled, removing his hands from you and shifting you on his lap so he could reach for his phone.

His head dropped as he let out a deep sigh of frustration. “It’s my boss.” He frowned. “I’m so - you have no idea how sorry I am but I have to take this. He will just keep calling.”

“His timing is terrible.” You complained.

Baekhyun leant in to kiss you again, much softer this time. “Beyond terrible. Let me see what he wants, I promise it won’t take long.” You nodded, climbing off his lap and curling up on the bed as he adjusted himself and took a deep breath before finally answering the phone.

“Yah, what took you so long!?” A loud voice sounded down the line.

“I was busy.” Baekhyun said flatly, not in the mood for explaining himself further. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a burst pipe on the fifteenth floor which has leaked into one of the rooms on the floor below. I need you to get a plumber out as soon as humanly possible, no matter the cost, and stop that leak.” Junmyeon’s voice rambled through the phone line, listing the plumbers that he refused to let step onto the premises and why. Baekhyun didn’t have the patience to listen to his boss, not when he had been so rudely interrupted from the incredible feeling of you beginning to lose yourself on his fingers.

Baekhyun tried to cut him off. “Ok, I’ll get on it now. Talk to y-”

Junmyeon interjected. “Not so fast, what is with you tonight? There’s more.”

“What?” Baekhyun asked, wishing his phone had broken so that he’d never answered this call. He was technically still on the clock for another three hours but the universe owed him. He’d gone above and beyond the call of duty for the past month. He deserved uninterrupted time to learn every inch of your body. Instead the universe had decided to cockblock him.

“I said it’s leaked into a room on the floor below. You’ll need to relocate the guests in that room.” He said.

“But we’re fully booked!” Baekhyun said exasperatedly.

“You’ll figure something out. You always do. I’ll be there in the morning for the Christmas in July breakfast so you can debrief me then.” The line cut out. Junmyeon had a bad habit of never ending a call properly when it was late at night. That had always irked Baekhyun.

Baekhyun walked back over to the bed, grabbed a pillow and crushed it into his face and yelled. You could hear the muffled sounds as you watched him, dumbfounded by the action. You knew that he had to leave the room and from the sound of the call, it was going to be very soon which meant you weren’t going to get to see his face as you gripped his length in your hand and guided it to your mouth tonight. But you were here for a couple more days. There was still time to show him all of the wonders your body could perform and in turn, experience all that he had to offer you.

He didn’t notice you as you crawled over toward him until you were tugging at the hem of his ridiculous jacket. He paid his vocal assault on the hotel pillow but did not remove it from his face. “How about you call to wake me in the morning? The hotel offers that service, don't they?” You offered.

He slowly lowered the pillow from his face, raising a brow at you. “You do realise my shift finishes at 6am right? That’s only a few hours from now.”

“No one said I have to stay awake… I just want your voice to be the first thing I hear. For it to bring me back to this moment so that when I inevitably fall asleep again my dreams will be of you and all that you’ve promised to do to me.”

“I’m pretty sure that I’d be fired for leaving you the wake up call that I would actually want to do.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “I really wish I didn’t have to go now. Fuck. You have no idea the effect you have on me.”

You nipped at his neck, eliciting a groan from him. “I’m sure you’ll show me, hopefully sooner rather than later.” You placed one more kiss to his lips, a kiss that promised so much, before stepping away from him and watching him reluctantly leave your room.

He paused before walking through the door and smiled to himself. Not entirely believing what had almost transpired in your room. He felt a sudden need to make sure you knew he wasn’t just acting on desire, that he felt more for you than that. “I like you, like quite a lot so mark my words when I say I’ll make this up to you.”

“I like you too Baek.” You smiled sweetly at him, trying not to blush as the man who was knuckle deep in you a few minutes ago was now making you feel shy. You felt shy because he liked you, for more than just a one night stand. Why that made you feel more naked than you already were, you weren’t sure of. You’d unpack that another time. “Don’t forget my wake up call.” You added.

He beamed at you. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He pulled the door closed behind him as he left, already planning what he was going to say when he had a conversation with Junmeyon at breakfast.

Part 1 | Part 3 (coming soon)

A/N: Thanks for reading and enjoying this collab. Please don’t forget to check the other writers out @myeoning-call @leewalberg @yourkeeperoftherunners @taem-min @ouvuo @dreamylittlesugarcube @jxstadaydreamer & @sojuri

#exo fic #baekhyun fic #baekhyun smut #exo imagine #exo scenario #exo smut #baekhyun scenario #crimson aurora hotel collab #baekhyun imagine #baekhyun x reader #jihoon fic #jihoon scenario #jihoon imagine #woozi fic #woozi imagine #woozi scenario

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xiubaek-13 · 2 years

Text

The Busiest Night Manager In Seoul Part 1

Part of the Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa collaboration

Genre: Hotel AU, eventual smut.

Pairing: Night Manager Baekhyun x Hotel Guest Reader

Word Count: 3,932

Warnings: Christmas tree innuendo? Roleplay if you squint. Nothing really for this chapter, its mostly an intro to their characters.

A/N: I hope you enjoy this. There will be 3 parts to this short fic. I wanted to break it up a bit rather than drop a 15k monster on all of you.

You checked your booking information one last time before leaving for the airport. You’d gotten ready too early, a trait your mother had ingrained into your subconscious, at least you weren’t as extreme as her - she’d be at the airport 8 hours before the flight boarded, you were only a couple of hours ahead of schedule. Still not quite believing that you were off on an all expenses paid trip to Seoul, you shut the door behind you and rolled your suitcase towards the taxi that had just pulled up in front of your building. When you’d topped the sales board for most insurance policies in your branch last year you had been gifted a $100 voucher for dinner so it had come as a huge surprise that this year instead of a gift voucher, you received an envelope through the internal mailing system that contained a plane ticket, a 5 night hotel booking confirmation and details of a one day meeting that you were to attend on behalf of the company.

After confirming that the trip was indeed real and not some sort of joke you’d looked the hotel up online and it was fancy with a capital F. You just knew you’d look out of place there. The Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa was a top tier, very expensive, luxury hotel. You had this image of all of the guests in their designer clothes, nary a hair out of place. Your personal style did not scream ‘I have lots of money’, not that you cared. You liked your style, it wasn’t bad, it would just stick out like a sore thumb in a place like that.

The hotel had recently been renovated. You’d spent a decent portion of your flight to Seoul reading up on the new and improved Crimson Aurora. They offered a wide range of services, more than you’d seen on any hotel list that you’d stayed at before: 24 hr room service, on-site pool, spa, sauna, gym with personal trainer, yoga sessions, cocktail bar, celebrity chef, top of the line security, tour guides, live music. The list went on. Surely they were offering too much? How many employees did it have? It would have to be a lot to accommodate all of those services.

You were due to arrive late at night, checking in around 11:30pm due to your flight times. You had been given instructions from one of the very helpful receptionists on how to contact the night manager once you arrived so that he could check you in and see you to your room. While the taxi from the airport took you to your destination you rang the number you’d been provided with. After two rings the night manager answered.

“Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa, Night Manager Baekhyun speaking. How may I be of assistance to you this evening?” His voice was soothing, the tone of it comforting. It made you feel like you were speaking to an old friend which kind of startled you.

Pulling your mind from the odd tangent it was headed down Do I know him? Surely not right? But his voice…it feels familiar… “Oh hi, I was told by one of the daytime receptionists to call this number when I was on my way to the hotel. I’m in the taxi from the airport right now.”

“Are you checking in for a stay with us?” He asked.

“Yes. I got stuck with a late flight. Christmas in July and all that. The driver says we’ll be arriving in about 15 minutes. Can you let me in once I arrive so I can check in? I’m sorry to be arriving so late at night.” You apologised. You knew that check in had technically finished hours ago but you’d specially organised the late check in after realising at the airport that your flight was delayed.

“It’s a very busy time for tourists, that's for sure.” He replied, not at all fussed by your late arrival. “Ma’am if you could provide me with your booking reference I’ll have most of the check in process completed by the time you arrive.” He said kindly.

“Ok great. My booking reference is CHS-01004099.” You replied.

“Thank you ma’am. I’m just bringing the booking up now.” He hummed softly as he pulled up your booking information. The sound was pleasant to your ears but was not doing anything to help keep you awake. “You’re going to be spending a week with us. On behalf of Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa I hope you enjoy your stay.” You could hear the smile as he spoke. “Now when you arrive, walk up to the glass doors and press the white button on the left hand door frame. That will notify me of your arrival and I will come out to assist you with your bags and finalise the check in process.” He stated.

You nodded, then realised that duh, you were on the phone so he couldn’t see you, and spoke. “Thank you. See you soon then.” You hung up, stifling a yawn as you made sure you had all of your bags ready for when you pulled up to the hotel.

***

“Ok you are all set,” He smiled warmly at you as he handed you your room key. “I’ll have Jinki, our bellboy, bring your bags up to your room in a moment. You’ll need to use the room key to access floors above the restaurant level, which is level 3. On behalf of the Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa I’d like to welcome you and hope that your stay is everything you wish it to be.” He guided you through the hotel lobby and stood with you while you waited for one of the three elevators to arrive.

You don’t know what you expected the night manager to look like but it sure as well wasn’t what had greeted you when you had arrived. In head to toe black his ash blonde hair stood out almost as much as his incredibly warm smile. He’d greeted you and helped you inside, his ring clad fingers taking your bags from you as you followed him to the reception desk. It had been difficult not to just stare at him, there was no denying that this night manager was handsome. If he’d noticed your lingering gaze on his face and the few too many undone buttons of his shirt, he made no comments about it. Maybe it was the jet lag setting in or maybe it was just him but you continually found yourself stealing glances at him during the entire check in process. Baekhyun had remained a consummate professional so either you weren't staring as much as you thought or he was ignoring it.

He grinned and waved after you stepped into the elevator. "Sleep well. Just call the front desk if anything in your room isn't right." You nodded in thanks, a small smile creeping onto your face.

The bed in the room was so incredibly comfortable that as soon as your head hit the pillow you fell asleep. You didn't even hear the knock at the door when the bellboy arrived with your bags, nor the way he quietly opened the door and placed them just inside before leaving. The long flight coupled with the huge comfortable bed meant that you slept a lot longer than you had planned. You managed to wake up right before breakfast had finished for the day. One hurried shower later you arrived at the restaurant just before the breakfast buffet closed. You’d read about this buffet on the flight over and the way it had been described made it a must on your ever growing list of things to see and experience while you were here.

The review you’d read had been correct, if anything it had undersold on just how unbelievably good the food was. Every single thing that you had off that buffet was delicious to the point that the food was making you mad. Whoever they’d hired as the chef and kitchen staff were worth every cent, possibly more.

Once you finished eating you took yourself on a tour around the hotel grounds, past the gym where you saw a few people taking a class with a very enthusiastic instructor, the pool; manned by a seemingly disinterested pool boy, the massage parlour; which was manned by one overconfident man who winked at you as you wandered by, the yoga studio where a class had just finished, the beautiful gardens and a second restaurant spot. You found your way back to the main area of the hotel and passed through the bar lounge and games area before you came to a stop in the lobby. The hotel was beautiful and whoever had redecorated had done an amazing job. You had read in the information pack that the Kim Kibum (better known in the art world as Key) was the mastermind behind the interior decorating.

The rest of your day was not very busy. You took yourself on a tour around Seoul, taking in all of the sites, doing some shopping and eating some local foods. Tomorrow would be the day of your actual meeting so you worked out the building that you had to go to and the most efficient route between it and the hotel. You went back to your room to look over the schedule for the day as well as key points and topics to be covered. Most of it was boring pseudo sales crap but you made sure to read all of it, not wanting to be under prepared. You are an excellent sales person but you also like to be prepared for these sorts of things, not wanting anyone to surprise you and make you look like a fool.

***

Baekhyun POV

“Yah Junmyeon! When are you gonna hire more staff? I can't keep doing this on my own every single night. There's too many jobs, too many guests and I'm the only one apart from Jinki who works the night shift.” He half whined down the phone at his friend and boss. He was tired. Tired of demanding shifts with little to no thanks. He needed at least one more staff member and one more security officer before his job could become smoother. He also needed the damn bartender and the musician to start already. He was being run ragged and if the issue didn’t resolve itself soon, he’d be in danger of burning out.

Ever since the refurbishment of the hotel Junmyeon had been busy searching for and hiring new staff. He only wanted the best - he had a vision of what his hotel could be and this was his chance to get it right. So far he had hired a world class celebrity chef, an incredibly attractive pool boy, a masseuse who was good at his job but would steal your heart, a flashy bartender and a new musician. However, not all of these hires had commenced work yet. Some were still in mandatory training and others weren’t due to start until August. He couldn’t have pulled this difficult period without his events coordinator who was a true lifesaver almost as much as Baekhyun was. Junmyeon truly didn't know how he would have continued to run the hotel without Baekhyun's help. He was willing to do a shift that no one else wanted to, giving up his nights to cater to the whims of tired, grumpy, drunk and handsy elite guests. He was always available to work, was never sick and Junmyeon was pretty sure he hadn’t had a day off in at least three months. It was something he wanted to change but it would have to wait until after the Christmas in July period because he couldn’t trust anyone else to keep up the charade to children in the night when Santa was concerned.

“Soon Baek, I’m interviewing more candidates today.” He sighed, the pressure to get his staffing issue solved quickly weighing down on him. “I’m doing my best to find more staff to cover the nights and we’ve got others starting next month. We’ve just got to get through July.” Junmyeon couldn’t risk hiring the wrong people so his screening process was lengthy and demanding.

“I know you are hyung. It’s just been a lot this past week. Christmas in July has made my shifts incredibly busy and while I’m amazing, arguably the best night manager there ever was or ever will be, I’m only one man.” He said.

“You know how much I value you Baek. I’m going to find you the staff you need but I can’t rush it. We’ve gotta trust the process.” He paused. “I’ve gotta go, the first candidate for the day has arrived.”

Baekhyun hung up and continued his journey to his room. One of the perks of being Night Manager was a suite on the eastern side of the hotel. His suite was lovely, he’d done his best (much to the chagrin of Key) to make it feel like home. He accepted all of these shifts, as well as the title of Night Manager, because he loved working for the hotel. He considered Junmyeon to be one of his closest friends, he didn’t even mind that his close friend was his boss.

He loved his job, he just wished that he didn't have to wear so many hats at the moment to please the guests that they had. As it was newly refurbished they were trying to bring in new clientele and in order to do that it had to seem like the hotel was fully staffed at all times including the night shift so not only was he night manager but he was everyone else during the hours of 10 until 6. To say that this was exhausting and kind of boring in the beginning was not an understatement but he turned it into a game to keep it interesting for him.

Behind the reception area where no one could see he had a coat rack full of the other uniforms that staff would wear to fulfil their various roles and when it was called for he did a very quick costume change, disappearing and reappearing as someone new. For him the most fun was when he impersonated the staff that weren’t there.

Most of the guests were so full of themselves or the business that they were there for that they didn't really pay much attention to the staff as long as the staff member was good at their job and present so Baekhyun had gotten away with his ruse for quite some time. He had it down to a fine art. Until you. You saw him and he didn’t know how to feel about that. At first he was scared that you’d make a complaint to the hotel about him, but you seemed to enjoy watching him play his many roles. He wasn’t sure why the thought of that thrilled him as much as it did.

It had been quite some time since a guest had stared at him the way you did, as though you were transfixed by him. He was used to people looking through him, just seeing a staff member that they needed for something, which was fine with him, but you looked at him. That first night when you checked in he hadn’t had time to change back into the suit he wore for his main role. He’d been serving drinks at the bar right up until you buzzed the front door. He hadn’t missed the way that your eyes kept drifting to his lips, chest, hands, and thighs. It felt good to be looked at like that, as someone desirable, but he kept quiet about it. He didn’t want to make you embarrassed as he was pretty sure you weren’t aware of how unsubtle you were being after having been in transit for most of the day. He hoped he’d get to know you better during the course of the week.

***

Your POV

After two days at the hotel you’d come to know a few things. 1. During the day, the place was bustling with both guests and staff. 2. At night, it was still bustling with guests but the staff… well the staff seemed to just be Baekhyun and Jinki. 3. Baekhyun denied this vehemently.

The first night after your arrival you headed down to see the Christmas tree in the main lobby and grab a drink at the bar, maybe even listen to the dulcet tones of their newly hired pianist. You saw Baekhyun at the reception desk, giving him a small wave as you passed by. He smiled and waved back as he continued to assist the couple in front of him with directions.

You stood in front of the large tree in awe. You’d never seen a Christmas tree of this magnitude before. It was lit up, well like a Christmas tree, the red and gold baubles accenting the green of the tree beautifully. It was a lot grander than your small tree at home. Granted, yours was a real tree and you had to keep it alive (something you wouldn’t say you were excelling at but the thing wasn’t dead).

“I’ll give you a drink voucher if you can spot my favourite decoration.” His voice startled you. You turned to your left and found Baekhyun grinning as he stood next to you. “Sorry, I thought you’d have heard me walking over. You must have really been immersed in the tree.”

You nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never seen one this big before.” He laughed. “It’s huge! Who has a Christmas tree that’s at least three storeys high and isn’t amazed by it?!”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m just used to it. I see it every day so its size doesn’t distract me.” He fought the urge to wink as he spoke. “Anyway, my offer for a drink voucher stands. You just have to find my favourite decoration. I’ll give you one chance per day.” The distinct ring of the bell at the front desk sounded and he sighed. “I’ll be back. Go get up close and personal with it.”

Not one to pass up a free anything, you moved closer to the tree as Baekhyun went about doing his job. At first glance you’d only focused on the red and gold baubles but the longer you looked, the more decorations you noticed. There were ornaments spread across the entire tree. You spotted a candy cane, a nutcracker, various glittery pine cones, some snowmen, some varied Santa ornaments, and angel or two, a range of coloured balls with odd symbols on them, random animals with vaguely Christmas themed objects; like the corgi with a snowglobe.

You decided to pick the European gnome style Santa ornament, with his hat covering all of his face except for his nose and beard but when you turned around, Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen. You decided to go to the bar, figuring you’d see him on your way back to the elevator when you were ready to return to your room for the night.

***

“Why are you everywhere?” You asked, pointedly.

The bartender, who was without a shadow of a doubt, Baekhyun replied. “I don’t know what you mean.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You served me a drink then disappeared, only to suddenly be over at the piano accompanying the jazz singer who’s here tonight, and now you’re back serving drinks.”

“You’re mistaken.” He gestured to the tag on his shirt. “I’m Taemin, as you can see from my name badge and the pianist is Chanyeol. We’ve got similar hairstyles so I could understand why you might confuse the two of us.” He pointed at his attire. “But as you can see, I’m wearing completely different clothing. Maybe you need your eyes checked. We staff aren’t all the same, you know.” He smirked as he shook a cocktail for another guest, expertly adding little flourishes as he worked. You were not convinced. This man tending the bar, as far as you were concerned, was Baekhyun and he was doing a terrible job of convincing you otherwise. Maybe the other guests didn’t notice him the way you did but you had memorised the features of his face, and apparently some other features as well.

You leant forward on the bar counter. “You both look alarmingly similar to the night manager…”

He chuckled as he shook his head at you in disbelief. “So our CEO has a type. How is that our fault?”

“Baekhyun…” You started.

He tutted at you as he moved to stand directly in front of you, only the bar counter separating the two of you. “I might have to cut you off little lady, I just said my name was Taemin. How could you get that so wrong?” He tilted his head, a mischievous glint in his eye. It felt like a challenge, one you were willing to play along with for now.

“My apologies, er Taemin was it?” He nodded, happy that you were playing along. “Your drinks must be stronger than I anticipated. You see I was talking with the aforementioned Night Manager before I came in here. He offered me a free drink voucher if I could guess his favourite decoration on the Christmas tree.”

He leant forward on the bar, his closeness almost distracting you. “Did you guess correctly?” He asked, a knowing smile forming on his face.

You shook your head, pouting. “No. He was nowhere to be seen when I was ready to make my first guess.”

“Ah, he is a busy man.” Not-Baekhyun offered. “I’m sure you’ll see him before you return to your room.

You sighed. “True, but I wanted to make my guess. I really stared at that huge, girthy tree for so long and got so close to it to inspect all of the details.”

He cleared his throat. “Now I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone describe the Christmas tree like that before.”

Before you could continue your innuendo another guest arrived at the bar which demanded Not-Baekhyun’s attention. He offered you a slight shrug as he turned to focus on the guest’s order. You couldn’t say that you minded though, you enjoyed watching him tend the bar. He was remarkably good at it, flipping bottles and providing easy banter. You weren’t sure why he was pretending to be someone else, changing his shirt, jacket and sometimes his hair wasn’t enough to fool you. Clearly it worked for the other guests as you’d spotted quite a few people who you’d seen speaking with him at the front desk not even take a second glance at him as they ordered their drinks.

The whole bit with the size of the tree? You’d picked up on his suggestive yet playful tone when he’d first mentioned it. You were here for a few more days and there was absolutely no harm in flirting with the very attractive man who seemed to be doing everyone’s jobs. He seemed interested so even if nothing came of it, you could both have your fun until you left.

As you sipped your drink, a devious little plan formed in your mind. One that would achieve a few goals for you. It would catch him out on pretending to be others and explore the extent of the wardrobe options he had on hand. If it went really well, then you both just might get to have a very Merry Christmas…in July.

Part 2

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