Shades (SEVENTEEN)
Title: Shades
Pairing: KyuMin
Genre: Angst, Romance, Friendship, Dark, Smut, Yaoi, AU
Rating: R
Length: Chaptered
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and the plot. This is inspired by the novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
Warning: boy-to-boy relationships, language
Summary: Behind every beautiful face lie very dark secrets.
Previous Chapters:
Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - VALENTINE
A/N: Because most of you said that they prefer 3rd person, I will use that from now on. However, I will stick to the style that only Sungmin’s view will be used. Meaning, Kyuhyun and the others’ thoughts will still be unknown unless stated by Sungmin.
He tightens the towel’s wrap around his waist as he pries the closet open, his gaze wandering on his set of pink clothes, including the formal ones. He had worn all of these already, except for that one long-sleeved pink shirt with a matching gray necktie. It was Jongwoon’s birthday gift to him two years ago, and it was most probably the most expensive gift the guy gave him since it was also that time when Jongwoon confessed to him.
He could still remember the dreamy shy smile and the blush on Jongwoon’s face while telling him that he should wear it on their wedding day.
Obviously, he didn’t give his hyung an answer, but the elder was insistent on waiting for Sungmin to fall in love with him. Sungmin did think that he was falling in love with Jongwoon especially at the arrival of Kyuhyun in his life.
Kyuhyun confuses him a lot, but Jongwoon never did that to him. Jongwoon had always been open to him that he could sometimes read the other’s mind. In his mind, he’d rather be with someone who doesn’t give him complicated thoughts, one of his best friends, one who understands him the most, rather than with someone who is way more complicated than himself. And so, he stuck in his mind that it is Jongwoon who is in his heart.
But he realized that it is only in his mind, not in his heart. That someone whom he doesn’t want in the first place was actually in there, no matter how much he denied it in the past.
It hurts to think that the wedding day his Jongwoon-hyung was talking about two years ago will not happen, most probably. And it is his fault.
He chose a pink shirt that his mom bought for him, instead.
It had been a week from that night.
Since then, he hadn’t talked to Jongwoon. The guy only sent him text messages from time to time because the singer fled to Japan the day after that was why he was allowed to see Sungmin before he leaves. If only he knew, he would have spent happier and more memorable moments with the elder for they will not see each other for a long time after that.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, did stay when he asked him to. Besides, he will not let the younger go and fly back to Busan in his condition. The next day, he confessed to Kyuhyun what really happened before the guy arrived at the apartment. Kyuhyun was not shocked since he already knew that the moment he saw the stains on the couch. Kyuhyun told him that he really wanted to burst out in anger and jealousy but he feared that Sungmin might get scared at him again.
Besides, Kyuhyun still doesn’t have the right to. Sungmin is not yet his. Yet. On a brighter side, Kyuhyun said that he felt relieved and happy at the same time that Sungmin went honest to him about that.
Well, Kyuhyun replaced Jongwoon’s mark on Sungmin after that.
He fixes his black necktie while he makes his way out of their condo unit, but Donghae, who is still in his light blue pajamas, sees him.
“Where are you going?” Donghae asks sleepily, rubbing his eyes while yawning.
He replies casually before taking his leave, “Interview.”
Two days ago, Donghae and Sungmin were able to transfer to their new condominium in Busan with the help of Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun, of course. Sungmin had a hard time while in the process. He had to resign at the Kim’s Music Store, feeling so disappointed that after years of working in that wonderful place, he will leave just like that. Kibum, who wasn’t usually open to his emotions, suddenly got too much talkative while saying his goodbyes to his hyung, that he will miss him and all. It earned him a deadly glare from Cho.
The reason why Kyuhyun was there, he doesn’t really know.
Though they are still not finished arranging their new home, Sungmin decided that he should already start searching for a job, and the first company that scheduled him for an interview is the Park Publishing Company, which is known to be the best in Busan.
Based on the job description that was given to him, he is applying to be an assistant editor for the editor-in-chief for novels. It is certainly perfect for him. That was actually his expertise.
After safely parking Sen, he sighs heavily as he grabs a brown envelope from the seat next to him. This is it. This will be the start of a new life. He is not a seller of musical instruments anymore, but he is now on his field. The field he was studying for years in College.
“Fighting,” he cheers for himself before getting out of the car.
The building was not as tall and big as the Cho’s headquarters, but it is decent enough for one of the best publishing companies in Korea. The people going in and out of the building were also clad in formal suits just like those in the Cho’s; however, the only difference is that these people don’t look so intimidating to him. In fact, they are all smiling and chatting. This is the working environment he wants.
The interior was simple. There are not too much expensive and elegant things such as a big golden chandelier. There is a chandelier on the ceiling, but it is not fancy. The walls were painted in silver, the big reception desk is perched on the center, with the ladies assigned there busy talking to someone on the phone, and the words ‘Park Publishing Company’ were embossed on the wall behind the desk. He quickly approaches the first lady, thankfully a brunette, who instantly smiles at him.
“Hello, sir, how may I help you?” The beautiful lady asks in a gentle, polite tone. He liked her in an instant. He looks over at the name tag pinned on her uniform which reads ‘Fei.’ He deduced that she is a Chinese because of her accent and her name.
“Uh, I’m here for an interview with Mr. Choi… I’m Lee Sungmin.”
He bites his lower lip as the girl named Fei browses through her computer. She then faces him with another polite smile. “Please proceed to the third floor. Another receptionist will assist you to Mr. Choi’s office.”
He gives her a bow before running to the elevator, an erotic scene months ago crossing his mind. Fortunately, his destination is just on the third floor so the trip is just short. As soon as he stepped outside the car, true enough, a tall pretty raven-haired woman goes to him, a friendly smile is on her face. She then extends an arm to an opened door, and there he walks to, suddenly feeling nervous at the sight of not less than five applicants, both men and women.
After more than an hour of waiting, his turn finally comes. His felt like his heart jumped so high when he heard his name being called. With slightly shaking legs, he comes in the room, and there he finds a truly good-looking man, more handsome than Kyuhyun and Jongwoon, actually, writing something on a paper.
Choi Siwon looks up and smiles at him, his dimples showing. Sungmin tells his inner god to slap him for getting attracted to his future boss (he’s that confident that he’ll be accepted, okay) but the little bitch is drooling over Choi, literally.
“Lee Sungmin?” It snaps him out of his reverie. Shyly, he nods in response and places the envelope on the other man’s desk, with Choi starting to scan the papers in it.
He fiddles with his fingers while watching the man.
“Let’s see… hmm… wow, Korean National University of Arts, right? You must be good…” Siwon says while going through Sungmin’s works during College.
He chuckles shyly. “I really don’t consider myself as one, Mr. Choi.”
Choi raises a thick eyebrow of his in a weird way. “And why is that so?”
“Because I might think that I’m already the best so I will not strive to be better,” He remembers a CEO named Cho Kyuhyun. “It tends to make me lazy, to be honest.”
The editor seemed impressed with his answer. “Wait, do you, by any chance, know a person named… never mind,” He frowns at the other. “When do you want to start working?”
But then, he beams and forgets what he thought about SIwon’s weirdness. “Anytime, sir!”
“Tomorrow will be good?”
He nods vigorously, “It will be splendid!”
Again, the editor smiles so gorgeously that Sungmin feel like fainting. Siwon stands up and offers a handshake to him, “Welcome to the company, Lee Sungmin-ssi.”
He also stands up and firmly holds his new boss’s hand, “Thank you, sir!”
Biting back a grin, he bows and hurriedly goes out of the room, thanking the receptionist giddily before getting in the elevator.
Knowing that Donghae will not be going anywhere for the day, he excitedly drives back to their condominium, immediately pulling the confused younger guy into a very tight hug that could crash bones.
“Whoa, whoa, take it gently! You weigh like a panda.” Donghae says while trying to push his heavy best friend from him.
Sungmin shortly glares at Donghae, “You’re even heavier than me.” It earns an amused chuckle from the brunet.
“I know. I was just joking. So, what’s the good news?” Donghae really knows how to read everything on him.
He bounces as he announces, “I got accepted to the Park’s!”
At this, the blond’s eyes sparkle. “Seriously?! That’s great! We have to celebrate!” says Donghae as he slings an arm around Sungmin’s neck and pulls him out of their abode then heads to the mall. It was always Sungmin who drives though Donghae owns the car; he just can’t entrust his life to this childish friend of his who thinks that driving is like that bump car ride in an amusement park.
Sungmin tends to space out a lot. In whatever he does, there will come a time that his thoughts will fly off to random things. His mom scolds him a lot whenever he does that. It just became a habit of his, unconsciously or not.
“Min, Kyuhyun’s there!” he hears Donghae saying while snapping his fingers in front of his eyes.
Too stunned to think, he looks around in search for Kyuhyun, frowning because the other tricked him. He sends his laughing best friend a glare before walking ahead of the blond.
The second time he spaced out was when he and Donghae are eating at a really expensive Japanese restaurant. He denied Donghae many times because he knew that the fish will make him pay for everything for this is a celebration of him getting a new job.
But his best friend is a damn journalist and was able to convince him because he totally annoyed Sungmin just for him to agree.
“Minnie!” His attention is caught. “Kyuhyun-ssi is here!”
Knowing that the guy is tricking him and will make fun of him again, he snorts and gets back to eating his food. “Shut up. I will not fall for that trap for the second time.”
Donghae whines, “But Minnie~~~ I’m telling the truth now! Look, he saw us and he’s making his way towards us!”
“Just eat, Hae. You’re so noisy.”
“Ah, hello, Kyuhyun-ssi, what are you doing here?” he hears Donghae ask someone. He seriously wants to laugh hard since Donghae even went to the extent that he’ll pretend talking to someone else just to trick him.
“Just had a meeting with investors.” He freezes after hearing that familiar husky voice. Donghae cannot imitate that person’s voice, can he? He continues eating (nervously) while listening to a chair being pulled. He doesn’t want to look up and confirm who really owns that voice.
“Yah, Sungmin-hyung, why aren’t you talking to me?”
Finally, he looks up. But, oh my bunnies, Kyuhyun fucking dyed his hair to red. He almost drooled.
He totally looks so hot in that hair color! His inner god spazzed from beside him.
Fingers are snapped in front of his eyes, but unlike minutes ago, it belonged to the newcomer who he had been ogling on the moment he saw the young fella.
“I know I’m handsome, but man, I’ll melt if you continue staring at me like that.” Kyuhyun says with a smirk, making Donghae snort before laughing.
Sungmin’s cheeks are now the same color as Kyuhyun’s hair. Puffing his cheeks in embarrassment, he gets back to eating while glaring at his food, stabbing it using his chopsticks. Kyuhyun surely knows how to make him shy.
For more than twenty minutes, Donghae was chatting with Kyuhyun. It was kind of awkward listening to them, in Sungmin’s opinion, since the two were never really close and they don’t have many things to talk about. Just to lessen the awkwardness, Donghae decided to ask Kyuhyun things about Busan, which Kyuhyun all answered coolly.
“Neh, did you know that our Minnie here will start working tomorrow?” the blond adds enthusiastically.
“Really?” Kyuhyun asks in a very low voice. Sungmin gulps and quickly takes food to his mouth. He was supposed to tell that to Kyuhyun after going home. It is not that he is obliged to inform the guy, he just felt like doing so.
“Neh!” Donghae nods. “He’s now an assistant editor of that Choi Siwon man at the Park’s Publishing!”
The maknae hums in response. Sungmin could still feel the younger’s gaze on him. He clears his throat, slowly turning to the other with a sheepish grin, “Yes, so you can stop bothering me now about working in your company.”
“Eeehh, but there are still lots of opportunities for you in my company, and you’ll-”
Sungmin shoves food in the talkative CEO’s mouth to shut him up, which is proven to be effective because he knows that the younger loves eating so much, mostly because of his ‘Feed the World’ program.
“Aish. Kyuhyun-ssi, can you accompany Sungmin? I forgot I still have a date with Hyukkie.” Sungmin’s best friend whines while preparing his backpack.
Sungmin groans at the sight of Kyuhyun’s lips forming to a slight smirk.
“Of course, Donghae-ssi. Have fun.”
He watches his best friend stand up and run outside of the restaurant, silently wishing for the guy to come back and save him from being alone with this… creature beside him.
If only they are in a planting field on a night time, they could already hear kroo kroos due to the silence between them. They are in a not-so-occupied restaurant so the only thing that they could hear was the music being played.
And then, SISTAR’s Alone played on the radio.
Awkward.
“Sooo…” Kyuhyun chooses to break the silence. “Let’s go on a date?”
“…”
“Yah.”
“…”
“Yah, Lee Sungmin, answer properly when someone is asking you!”
He sighs; he was actually trying to calm his wildly beating heart that was why he was silent since Kyuhyun asked him on a date. Technically, it will be their first proper date.
“Where do you want to go?”
He didn’t miss to catch that childish grin that formed on Kyuhyun’s lips as he said that. He doesn’t know if he should find it cute or creepy.
“Can we go to the amusement park?” Kyuhyun literally bounced on his seat. Literally.
Letting out a chuckle, he answers quite hesitantly, “That’s too… childish.”
Much to his shock, the CEO pouts. “But I’ve never been to one…”
“Ever?”
The other nods, a pout is still on his lips. “I refused to go when my parents asked me if I want to go years ago… and… my biological parents never brought me there.”
“Why?” The question came out from him too fast before he even realized that it he is already asking a personal thing from Kyuhyun. And he knows too well that the guy hates being asked about his personal life.
Kyuhyun remains silent for a while, making Sungmin totally regret asking. He is about to say that he shouldn’t answer it, but the CEO speaks softly, “I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” the younger bites his lip. “But, please? I want to go there with you.”
A blush is painted on his cheeks. “O-Okay…”
Someday, he will know more things about Kyuhyun, but hopefully, he could get to know everything about the younger man. He’s too mysterious for his own liking. Mysterious, but challenging.
~0~
Sungmin hates being in a crowd. And it just so happens that the amusement park they went to was really, really, really full of people. However, after watching Kyuhyun’s expression turn excited, he thought that maybe he should bear with this ‘fear’ of his for the younger guy.
Because Kyuhyun is known in Busan, he forced the guy to wear sunglasses so that he will not gain too much attention from others and ruin his day (also because of Sungmin’s hatred to crowds). Of course, he wouldn’t like to see Kyuhyun in the headlines being childish and free. It’s a side of the brunet that only a few chosen people were privileged to witness.
He’s really thankful that he’s one of them.
They first rode the roller coaster, which Kyuhyun enjoyed a lot that they were able to endure falling in a very long line for five times. He was actually getting dizzy due to the numerous times of repeating the ride, but he didn’t say a thing, especially when he sees Kyuhyun’s bright smile.
They mostly tried the death-defying rides in the park, with Sungmin praying so hard before each ride starts, causing for his date to laugh at him. Kyuhyun never ran out of energy.
Of course, they went to the arcades because Kyuhyun the game freak said so. He ended up trying the game ‘Dance Revolution’ alone since the younger totally sucks at dancing. He felt light whenever he hears Kyuhyun cheer for him.
He is lazily searching for games to try. His date is busy killing zombies as of the moment, and he hates horror and scary stuff, so he didn’t watch the guy murder horrible-looking creatures. Then, there was something that caught his attention. It is a game wherein you’ll control a machine, choose among the pile of stuffed toys inside and make sure to get it before the claws loosen its hold on your chosen toy.
He had watched dramas where the lead male cast will get a stuffed toy for the lead female cast. He mentally slaps himself for wishing that Kyuhyun would get a toy for him. Geez, that’s too cheesy.
He inserts a token in the slot, and then starts moving the control, aiming to get a particular pink bunny on a corner. Unfortunately, he didn’t get it on the first try.
Desperate to have that plushy, he tried again for the second time, but failed again. On his third try, he got a stuffed toy, but it’s not the one he wants. It’s a turtle plushy.
He remembers Jongwoon.
Kyuhyun chose to arrive at that moment, and saw the plushy in his hand. He told Kyuhyun once that Jongwoon reminds him of a turtle, that’s probably why Kyuhyun grabs the toy from him and glares at the innocent thing.
Pouting, he snatches it from him and hides it on his back, earning a loud whine from the other. He just rolls his eyes.
“Kyu, get me that pink bunny!” He giddily says while pointing at the stuffed toy he’s been aiming for.
“Okay!”
Just like him, Kyuhyun also failed at getting it. He already lost hope on having it, but Kyuhyun looked so determined that he just let the younger try his luck.
And yes, Kyuhyun is indeed lucky. He widens his eyes in excitement as he watches the machine tighten the claws on the bunny.
“Oh my god!” he squeals. “Don’t let go of it! Don’t let go of it! Don’t let go of it! Shoot it at the box! Go, Kyuhyun! You can do it!”
Both of them are concentrated on the game, then squealed when Kyuhyun successfully shoot it in the transparent box. Sungmin cannot contain his happiness and hugs his date really tight even after he gets a hold of the precious stuffed toy.
As a reward, he kisses Kyuhyun’s lips.
The last ride they tried is the Ferris Wheel.
They are sitting next to each other, staring silently at the night sky and admiring the beauty of the stars when Kyuhyun speaks, “What are we going to name bunny?”
He thinks while staring at the stuffed toy. “Hmm… Kyumin? Stands for Kyuhyun and Sungmin?”
The brunet smiles at him and nods. “Hey, the turtle is ugly. Don’t you think you should throw it now?” He glares at the younger, but chooses not to say anything for he might throw Kyuhyun instead.
“Why won’t you work in my company?” There he goes again with this ‘work in his company’ topic. How many times does he have to tell the guy that he is not interested in working with several blondies?
He opens his mouth to say something, but the sound of fireworks catches his attention, his doe eyes sparkling in amazement. The car they are riding is already near the top so they have a very clear view of the fireworks. Kyuhyun, who wraps his arms around Sungmin’s waist and leans his head on the older’s shoulder, is silently watching as well.
Sungmin never knew it was this nice to watch fireworks. He definitely would want this to happen again… with the same person.
~0~
It is already midnight when they reached Sungmin’s condominium. They are standing in front of the building, facing each other. None wants to go to their respective places.
“Do you want a hug?” Kyuhyun asks him out of the blue.
Chuckling, he jokingly replies, “No.”
“Did you hear what I just said?”
He nods.
“What did I say then?”
“Do you want a hug.”
Kyuhyun grins. “Hmm, if you insist…” The brunet hugs him tight, much to his surprise. He laughs while the other pulls away.
“Do you want a kiss?”
He rolls his eyes and playfully pushes Kyuhyun away. “Go home now.”
Kyuhyun adds while he is still being pushed, “You sure you don’t want to work at my place? There are still lots of po-”
“Goodbye, Kyuhyunnie~~!!!” he shouts playfully to shut the younger’s mouth.
Suddenly, a pink bunny is shoved on his chest, and then looks up at the one who gave him the plushy, his cheeks turning pink.
“Thank you for being my valentine,” Kyuhyun says with a sweet smile.
“Laters, baby.”
And then Kyuhyun walks to his car, leaving a mentally melting Sungmin staring at his back, clutching on the bunny tightly.
TO BE CONTINUED
-Unbetaed. It's already two in the morning here, so I'm already sleepy ><
-I wanted to add more fluffy scenes in the amusement park part, but my mind isn't giving me better ideas, so I'm sorry if you wanted more. I just wanted to update today since I'll be gone for like a week or more because of religious thingy and school stuff. I know, I'm too busy. Poor me. TT^TT
-Spoiler for the next chapter? It's fluffy again. I want to transform to a fluff author, okay. But don't worry, there will still be angst and smut here! :DDD
-Comments are <3333
Pairing: KyuMin
Genre: Angst, Romance, Friendship, Dark, Smut, Yaoi, AU
Rating: R
Length: Chaptered
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and the plot. This is inspired by the novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
Warning: boy-to-boy relationships, language
Summary: Behind every beautiful face lie very dark secrets.
Previous Chapters:
Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - VALENTINE
A/N: Because most of you said that they prefer 3rd person, I will use that from now on. However, I will stick to the style that only Sungmin’s view will be used. Meaning, Kyuhyun and the others’ thoughts will still be unknown unless stated by Sungmin.
He tightens the towel’s wrap around his waist as he pries the closet open, his gaze wandering on his set of pink clothes, including the formal ones. He had worn all of these already, except for that one long-sleeved pink shirt with a matching gray necktie. It was Jongwoon’s birthday gift to him two years ago, and it was most probably the most expensive gift the guy gave him since it was also that time when Jongwoon confessed to him.
He could still remember the dreamy shy smile and the blush on Jongwoon’s face while telling him that he should wear it on their wedding day.
Obviously, he didn’t give his hyung an answer, but the elder was insistent on waiting for Sungmin to fall in love with him. Sungmin did think that he was falling in love with Jongwoon especially at the arrival of Kyuhyun in his life.
Kyuhyun confuses him a lot, but Jongwoon never did that to him. Jongwoon had always been open to him that he could sometimes read the other’s mind. In his mind, he’d rather be with someone who doesn’t give him complicated thoughts, one of his best friends, one who understands him the most, rather than with someone who is way more complicated than himself. And so, he stuck in his mind that it is Jongwoon who is in his heart.
But he realized that it is only in his mind, not in his heart. That someone whom he doesn’t want in the first place was actually in there, no matter how much he denied it in the past.
It hurts to think that the wedding day his Jongwoon-hyung was talking about two years ago will not happen, most probably. And it is his fault.
He chose a pink shirt that his mom bought for him, instead.
It had been a week from that night.
Since then, he hadn’t talked to Jongwoon. The guy only sent him text messages from time to time because the singer fled to Japan the day after that was why he was allowed to see Sungmin before he leaves. If only he knew, he would have spent happier and more memorable moments with the elder for they will not see each other for a long time after that.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, did stay when he asked him to. Besides, he will not let the younger go and fly back to Busan in his condition. The next day, he confessed to Kyuhyun what really happened before the guy arrived at the apartment. Kyuhyun was not shocked since he already knew that the moment he saw the stains on the couch. Kyuhyun told him that he really wanted to burst out in anger and jealousy but he feared that Sungmin might get scared at him again.
Besides, Kyuhyun still doesn’t have the right to. Sungmin is not yet his. Yet. On a brighter side, Kyuhyun said that he felt relieved and happy at the same time that Sungmin went honest to him about that.
Well, Kyuhyun replaced Jongwoon’s mark on Sungmin after that.
He fixes his black necktie while he makes his way out of their condo unit, but Donghae, who is still in his light blue pajamas, sees him.
“Where are you going?” Donghae asks sleepily, rubbing his eyes while yawning.
He replies casually before taking his leave, “Interview.”
Two days ago, Donghae and Sungmin were able to transfer to their new condominium in Busan with the help of Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun, of course. Sungmin had a hard time while in the process. He had to resign at the Kim’s Music Store, feeling so disappointed that after years of working in that wonderful place, he will leave just like that. Kibum, who wasn’t usually open to his emotions, suddenly got too much talkative while saying his goodbyes to his hyung, that he will miss him and all. It earned him a deadly glare from Cho.
The reason why Kyuhyun was there, he doesn’t really know.
Though they are still not finished arranging their new home, Sungmin decided that he should already start searching for a job, and the first company that scheduled him for an interview is the Park Publishing Company, which is known to be the best in Busan.
Based on the job description that was given to him, he is applying to be an assistant editor for the editor-in-chief for novels. It is certainly perfect for him. That was actually his expertise.
After safely parking Sen, he sighs heavily as he grabs a brown envelope from the seat next to him. This is it. This will be the start of a new life. He is not a seller of musical instruments anymore, but he is now on his field. The field he was studying for years in College.
“Fighting,” he cheers for himself before getting out of the car.
The building was not as tall and big as the Cho’s headquarters, but it is decent enough for one of the best publishing companies in Korea. The people going in and out of the building were also clad in formal suits just like those in the Cho’s; however, the only difference is that these people don’t look so intimidating to him. In fact, they are all smiling and chatting. This is the working environment he wants.
The interior was simple. There are not too much expensive and elegant things such as a big golden chandelier. There is a chandelier on the ceiling, but it is not fancy. The walls were painted in silver, the big reception desk is perched on the center, with the ladies assigned there busy talking to someone on the phone, and the words ‘Park Publishing Company’ were embossed on the wall behind the desk. He quickly approaches the first lady, thankfully a brunette, who instantly smiles at him.
“Hello, sir, how may I help you?” The beautiful lady asks in a gentle, polite tone. He liked her in an instant. He looks over at the name tag pinned on her uniform which reads ‘Fei.’ He deduced that she is a Chinese because of her accent and her name.
“Uh, I’m here for an interview with Mr. Choi… I’m Lee Sungmin.”
He bites his lower lip as the girl named Fei browses through her computer. She then faces him with another polite smile. “Please proceed to the third floor. Another receptionist will assist you to Mr. Choi’s office.”
He gives her a bow before running to the elevator, an erotic scene months ago crossing his mind. Fortunately, his destination is just on the third floor so the trip is just short. As soon as he stepped outside the car, true enough, a tall pretty raven-haired woman goes to him, a friendly smile is on her face. She then extends an arm to an opened door, and there he walks to, suddenly feeling nervous at the sight of not less than five applicants, both men and women.
After more than an hour of waiting, his turn finally comes. His felt like his heart jumped so high when he heard his name being called. With slightly shaking legs, he comes in the room, and there he finds a truly good-looking man, more handsome than Kyuhyun and Jongwoon, actually, writing something on a paper.
Choi Siwon looks up and smiles at him, his dimples showing. Sungmin tells his inner god to slap him for getting attracted to his future boss (he’s that confident that he’ll be accepted, okay) but the little bitch is drooling over Choi, literally.
“Lee Sungmin?” It snaps him out of his reverie. Shyly, he nods in response and places the envelope on the other man’s desk, with Choi starting to scan the papers in it.
He fiddles with his fingers while watching the man.
“Let’s see… hmm… wow, Korean National University of Arts, right? You must be good…” Siwon says while going through Sungmin’s works during College.
He chuckles shyly. “I really don’t consider myself as one, Mr. Choi.”
Choi raises a thick eyebrow of his in a weird way. “And why is that so?”
“Because I might think that I’m already the best so I will not strive to be better,” He remembers a CEO named Cho Kyuhyun. “It tends to make me lazy, to be honest.”
The editor seemed impressed with his answer. “Wait, do you, by any chance, know a person named… never mind,” He frowns at the other. “When do you want to start working?”
But then, he beams and forgets what he thought about SIwon’s weirdness. “Anytime, sir!”
“Tomorrow will be good?”
He nods vigorously, “It will be splendid!”
Again, the editor smiles so gorgeously that Sungmin feel like fainting. Siwon stands up and offers a handshake to him, “Welcome to the company, Lee Sungmin-ssi.”
He also stands up and firmly holds his new boss’s hand, “Thank you, sir!”
Biting back a grin, he bows and hurriedly goes out of the room, thanking the receptionist giddily before getting in the elevator.
Knowing that Donghae will not be going anywhere for the day, he excitedly drives back to their condominium, immediately pulling the confused younger guy into a very tight hug that could crash bones.
“Whoa, whoa, take it gently! You weigh like a panda.” Donghae says while trying to push his heavy best friend from him.
Sungmin shortly glares at Donghae, “You’re even heavier than me.” It earns an amused chuckle from the brunet.
“I know. I was just joking. So, what’s the good news?” Donghae really knows how to read everything on him.
He bounces as he announces, “I got accepted to the Park’s!”
At this, the blond’s eyes sparkle. “Seriously?! That’s great! We have to celebrate!” says Donghae as he slings an arm around Sungmin’s neck and pulls him out of their abode then heads to the mall. It was always Sungmin who drives though Donghae owns the car; he just can’t entrust his life to this childish friend of his who thinks that driving is like that bump car ride in an amusement park.
Sungmin tends to space out a lot. In whatever he does, there will come a time that his thoughts will fly off to random things. His mom scolds him a lot whenever he does that. It just became a habit of his, unconsciously or not.
“Min, Kyuhyun’s there!” he hears Donghae saying while snapping his fingers in front of his eyes.
Too stunned to think, he looks around in search for Kyuhyun, frowning because the other tricked him. He sends his laughing best friend a glare before walking ahead of the blond.
The second time he spaced out was when he and Donghae are eating at a really expensive Japanese restaurant. He denied Donghae many times because he knew that the fish will make him pay for everything for this is a celebration of him getting a new job.
But his best friend is a damn journalist and was able to convince him because he totally annoyed Sungmin just for him to agree.
“Minnie!” His attention is caught. “Kyuhyun-ssi is here!”
Knowing that the guy is tricking him and will make fun of him again, he snorts and gets back to eating his food. “Shut up. I will not fall for that trap for the second time.”
Donghae whines, “But Minnie~~~ I’m telling the truth now! Look, he saw us and he’s making his way towards us!”
“Just eat, Hae. You’re so noisy.”
“Ah, hello, Kyuhyun-ssi, what are you doing here?” he hears Donghae ask someone. He seriously wants to laugh hard since Donghae even went to the extent that he’ll pretend talking to someone else just to trick him.
“Just had a meeting with investors.” He freezes after hearing that familiar husky voice. Donghae cannot imitate that person’s voice, can he? He continues eating (nervously) while listening to a chair being pulled. He doesn’t want to look up and confirm who really owns that voice.
“Yah, Sungmin-hyung, why aren’t you talking to me?”
Finally, he looks up. But, oh my bunnies, Kyuhyun fucking dyed his hair to red. He almost drooled.
He totally looks so hot in that hair color! His inner god spazzed from beside him.
Fingers are snapped in front of his eyes, but unlike minutes ago, it belonged to the newcomer who he had been ogling on the moment he saw the young fella.
“I know I’m handsome, but man, I’ll melt if you continue staring at me like that.” Kyuhyun says with a smirk, making Donghae snort before laughing.
Sungmin’s cheeks are now the same color as Kyuhyun’s hair. Puffing his cheeks in embarrassment, he gets back to eating while glaring at his food, stabbing it using his chopsticks. Kyuhyun surely knows how to make him shy.
For more than twenty minutes, Donghae was chatting with Kyuhyun. It was kind of awkward listening to them, in Sungmin’s opinion, since the two were never really close and they don’t have many things to talk about. Just to lessen the awkwardness, Donghae decided to ask Kyuhyun things about Busan, which Kyuhyun all answered coolly.
“Neh, did you know that our Minnie here will start working tomorrow?” the blond adds enthusiastically.
“Really?” Kyuhyun asks in a very low voice. Sungmin gulps and quickly takes food to his mouth. He was supposed to tell that to Kyuhyun after going home. It is not that he is obliged to inform the guy, he just felt like doing so.
“Neh!” Donghae nods. “He’s now an assistant editor of that Choi Siwon man at the Park’s Publishing!”
The maknae hums in response. Sungmin could still feel the younger’s gaze on him. He clears his throat, slowly turning to the other with a sheepish grin, “Yes, so you can stop bothering me now about working in your company.”
“Eeehh, but there are still lots of opportunities for you in my company, and you’ll-”
Sungmin shoves food in the talkative CEO’s mouth to shut him up, which is proven to be effective because he knows that the younger loves eating so much, mostly because of his ‘Feed the World’ program.
“Aish. Kyuhyun-ssi, can you accompany Sungmin? I forgot I still have a date with Hyukkie.” Sungmin’s best friend whines while preparing his backpack.
Sungmin groans at the sight of Kyuhyun’s lips forming to a slight smirk.
“Of course, Donghae-ssi. Have fun.”
He watches his best friend stand up and run outside of the restaurant, silently wishing for the guy to come back and save him from being alone with this… creature beside him.
If only they are in a planting field on a night time, they could already hear kroo kroos due to the silence between them. They are in a not-so-occupied restaurant so the only thing that they could hear was the music being played.
And then, SISTAR’s Alone played on the radio.
Awkward.
“Sooo…” Kyuhyun chooses to break the silence. “Let’s go on a date?”
“…”
“Yah.”
“…”
“Yah, Lee Sungmin, answer properly when someone is asking you!”
He sighs; he was actually trying to calm his wildly beating heart that was why he was silent since Kyuhyun asked him on a date. Technically, it will be their first proper date.
“Where do you want to go?”
He didn’t miss to catch that childish grin that formed on Kyuhyun’s lips as he said that. He doesn’t know if he should find it cute or creepy.
“Can we go to the amusement park?” Kyuhyun literally bounced on his seat. Literally.
Letting out a chuckle, he answers quite hesitantly, “That’s too… childish.”
Much to his shock, the CEO pouts. “But I’ve never been to one…”
“Ever?”
The other nods, a pout is still on his lips. “I refused to go when my parents asked me if I want to go years ago… and… my biological parents never brought me there.”
“Why?” The question came out from him too fast before he even realized that it he is already asking a personal thing from Kyuhyun. And he knows too well that the guy hates being asked about his personal life.
Kyuhyun remains silent for a while, making Sungmin totally regret asking. He is about to say that he shouldn’t answer it, but the CEO speaks softly, “I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” the younger bites his lip. “But, please? I want to go there with you.”
A blush is painted on his cheeks. “O-Okay…”
Someday, he will know more things about Kyuhyun, but hopefully, he could get to know everything about the younger man. He’s too mysterious for his own liking. Mysterious, but challenging.
~0~
Sungmin hates being in a crowd. And it just so happens that the amusement park they went to was really, really, really full of people. However, after watching Kyuhyun’s expression turn excited, he thought that maybe he should bear with this ‘fear’ of his for the younger guy.
Because Kyuhyun is known in Busan, he forced the guy to wear sunglasses so that he will not gain too much attention from others and ruin his day (also because of Sungmin’s hatred to crowds). Of course, he wouldn’t like to see Kyuhyun in the headlines being childish and free. It’s a side of the brunet that only a few chosen people were privileged to witness.
He’s really thankful that he’s one of them.
They first rode the roller coaster, which Kyuhyun enjoyed a lot that they were able to endure falling in a very long line for five times. He was actually getting dizzy due to the numerous times of repeating the ride, but he didn’t say a thing, especially when he sees Kyuhyun’s bright smile.
They mostly tried the death-defying rides in the park, with Sungmin praying so hard before each ride starts, causing for his date to laugh at him. Kyuhyun never ran out of energy.
Of course, they went to the arcades because Kyuhyun the game freak said so. He ended up trying the game ‘Dance Revolution’ alone since the younger totally sucks at dancing. He felt light whenever he hears Kyuhyun cheer for him.
He is lazily searching for games to try. His date is busy killing zombies as of the moment, and he hates horror and scary stuff, so he didn’t watch the guy murder horrible-looking creatures. Then, there was something that caught his attention. It is a game wherein you’ll control a machine, choose among the pile of stuffed toys inside and make sure to get it before the claws loosen its hold on your chosen toy.
He had watched dramas where the lead male cast will get a stuffed toy for the lead female cast. He mentally slaps himself for wishing that Kyuhyun would get a toy for him. Geez, that’s too cheesy.
He inserts a token in the slot, and then starts moving the control, aiming to get a particular pink bunny on a corner. Unfortunately, he didn’t get it on the first try.
Desperate to have that plushy, he tried again for the second time, but failed again. On his third try, he got a stuffed toy, but it’s not the one he wants. It’s a turtle plushy.
He remembers Jongwoon.
Kyuhyun chose to arrive at that moment, and saw the plushy in his hand. He told Kyuhyun once that Jongwoon reminds him of a turtle, that’s probably why Kyuhyun grabs the toy from him and glares at the innocent thing.
Pouting, he snatches it from him and hides it on his back, earning a loud whine from the other. He just rolls his eyes.
“Kyu, get me that pink bunny!” He giddily says while pointing at the stuffed toy he’s been aiming for.
“Okay!”
Just like him, Kyuhyun also failed at getting it. He already lost hope on having it, but Kyuhyun looked so determined that he just let the younger try his luck.
And yes, Kyuhyun is indeed lucky. He widens his eyes in excitement as he watches the machine tighten the claws on the bunny.
“Oh my god!” he squeals. “Don’t let go of it! Don’t let go of it! Don’t let go of it! Shoot it at the box! Go, Kyuhyun! You can do it!”
Both of them are concentrated on the game, then squealed when Kyuhyun successfully shoot it in the transparent box. Sungmin cannot contain his happiness and hugs his date really tight even after he gets a hold of the precious stuffed toy.
As a reward, he kisses Kyuhyun’s lips.
The last ride they tried is the Ferris Wheel.
They are sitting next to each other, staring silently at the night sky and admiring the beauty of the stars when Kyuhyun speaks, “What are we going to name bunny?”
He thinks while staring at the stuffed toy. “Hmm… Kyumin? Stands for Kyuhyun and Sungmin?”
The brunet smiles at him and nods. “Hey, the turtle is ugly. Don’t you think you should throw it now?” He glares at the younger, but chooses not to say anything for he might throw Kyuhyun instead.
“Why won’t you work in my company?” There he goes again with this ‘work in his company’ topic. How many times does he have to tell the guy that he is not interested in working with several blondies?
He opens his mouth to say something, but the sound of fireworks catches his attention, his doe eyes sparkling in amazement. The car they are riding is already near the top so they have a very clear view of the fireworks. Kyuhyun, who wraps his arms around Sungmin’s waist and leans his head on the older’s shoulder, is silently watching as well.
Sungmin never knew it was this nice to watch fireworks. He definitely would want this to happen again… with the same person.
~0~
It is already midnight when they reached Sungmin’s condominium. They are standing in front of the building, facing each other. None wants to go to their respective places.
“Do you want a hug?” Kyuhyun asks him out of the blue.
Chuckling, he jokingly replies, “No.”
“Did you hear what I just said?”
He nods.
“What did I say then?”
“Do you want a hug.”
Kyuhyun grins. “Hmm, if you insist…” The brunet hugs him tight, much to his surprise. He laughs while the other pulls away.
“Do you want a kiss?”
He rolls his eyes and playfully pushes Kyuhyun away. “Go home now.”
Kyuhyun adds while he is still being pushed, “You sure you don’t want to work at my place? There are still lots of po-”
“Goodbye, Kyuhyunnie~~!!!” he shouts playfully to shut the younger’s mouth.
Suddenly, a pink bunny is shoved on his chest, and then looks up at the one who gave him the plushy, his cheeks turning pink.
“Thank you for being my valentine,” Kyuhyun says with a sweet smile.
“Laters, baby.”
And then Kyuhyun walks to his car, leaving a mentally melting Sungmin staring at his back, clutching on the bunny tightly.
TO BE CONTINUED
-Unbetaed. It's already two in the morning here, so I'm already sleepy ><
-I wanted to add more fluffy scenes in the amusement park part, but my mind isn't giving me better ideas, so I'm sorry if you wanted more. I just wanted to update today since I'll be gone for like a week or more because of religious thingy and school stuff. I know, I'm too busy. Poor me. TT^TT
-Spoiler for the next chapter? It's fluffy again. I want to transform to a fluff author, okay. But don't worry, there will still be angst and smut here! :DDD
-Comments are <3333