[fic] How to dress well: Start walking and adjust your tempo [II]
∞
It’s almost disgustingly hilarious how completely self-absorbed everyone in the fashion industry is. Because it takes Sungyeol no effort at all to slink upstairs to the host’s office unnoticed.
This job was fairly low profile. A new-money owner of a growing clothing chain with some sketchy past contacts, those sketchy contacts that might bring them to a collection of stolen printing presses. All Sungyeol had to do was insert the chip that he’d been given before the show and it would do the job for him, copying everything for them to look over after.
But nothing is ever easy and Sungyeol leaves the office annoyed and dissatisfied, looking around the decadently decorated lounge for either Sungjoon or Min Kyu.
He finds Min Kyu fairly quickly, being chatted up by a significantly older lady by the entrance. Min Kyu was always popular with the noonas and ahjummas, with his glinting eyes and charmingly boyish smile. Meeting the other boy’s eyes, he gestures for him to meet up by the bathroom.
“Someone got there first, Min Kyu.” Sungyeol grits out when they’re alone in the dark hallway outside the bathroom. “Someone that wasn’t us knew and got there before I did. They wiped all the files clean.”
“What do you mean “wiped them clean”? You think someone on his side knows we’re after them?” Min Kyu whispers, looking around like someone might jump at them at any time.
Sungyeol sighs, “I don’t know. It might be an outside job or- I just don’t know. However,” Sungyeol continues “there might still be hope yet. Even erasers leave some traces after them.”
Right now all Sungyeol wants is to get drunk and forget this whole headache. So he voices the thought.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go get drunk and forget about this whole headache and scolding I’ll most likely be getting tomorrow for fucking up.”
“Don’t do anything too stupid now!” Min Kyu calls after him.
He’s on his fourth glass of overpriced champagne when he starts craving for a smoke. It’s a bad habit, he knows. One he would normally wrinkle his nose at whenever Sungjoon indulges in it at home, but sometimes Sungyeol can’t help himself.
The current mix of alcohol and frustration makes him more receptive to a cheap vice. He doesn’t waste his own money on them though, but 98% of the model population does so all he needs to do is go outside and find someone to bum off from.
The April evening still holds some residual winter chill, goosebumps rise up on his arms and neck when it hits the perspiration and the greasy film of make-up remover on his skin. His jacket is trendy, but way too thin for this weather.
A boy stands a couple of feet in front of him, a loose black T-shirt being the only thing hanging off his thin shoulders, wispy clouds of smoke surrounding him. Sungyeol doesn’t seem to see anybody else around so he’ll have to do.
“You have an extra you might wanna share?”
The boy turns around and only half his face is illuminated by the streetlights, but it’s enough for Sungyeol to see who it is.
“For you? Not likely, but play nice and I might change my mind.” Myungsoo moves close enough for the smoke to tickle his nostrils, but not close enough for him to inhale.
Any other time, (by this he means ‘any time had he been sober’) Sungyeol would have just told him to forget it and went home, taking his pride with him. But Sungyeol is not sober, especially not when he decides to empty the contents of his fifth glass as he shifts closer to Myungsoo.
“C’mon now, you know we don’t get much to eat before shows. Can’t blame us for getting a little bitchy.”
Myungsoo snorts “Why should I care? It’s your day job, not mine.” So sungyeol had been a little too mean. “I’m a good person though, I might just give you this.” Myungsoo holds up a single cigarette between his forefinger and thumb, smile teasing. “For an apology, of course.”
Sungyeol chuckles at the sass, the boy is something still shiny, his eyes hasn’t yet been shaded with the cracks and apathy that inhabits some of the more seasoned models. He’s naive and it’s something that’s going to cost him sooner or later, but right now it’s so delightfully refreshing for Sungyeol.
“Isn’t that what I just did?” Sungyeol tries to make an attempt for the stick, but Myungsoo’s reflexes are pretty quick, hiding it behind his back and out of Sungyeol’s reach. “Ah-- but that wasn’t one. That was a shitty excuse, not an apology.”
“And if I don’t?” Myungsoo takes a long drag, closing his eyes in contentment and blowing a big cloud right in Sungyeol’s face that makes his eyes tear a bit. “Suit yourself.” He merely answers with a shrug.
Myungsoo is really good at this game, but Sungyeol is better and has played it longer, so he knows to give in for now. “Well then, if feelings were hurt. Apologies then, really, very and sincerely.”
Sungyeol plasters on the friendliest smile he can manage. He knows the other boy won’t buy it, but this isn’t a real apology, this is flirting and Sungyeol hasn’t gotten laid in a while and if he pushes the right buttons, Myungsoo might just be really interesting to get on his back.
“I didn’t figure you’d be the type to bother with this scene,” It isn’t quite a question Myungsoo delivers as he hands Sungyeol the slightly battered cigarette and digs in his pockets for a lighter.
“All part of the gig. Besides,” Sungyeol shrugs “it has it it’s advantages.”
“Oh yeah?” Myungsoo’s eyes follow the movement of Sungyeol’s fingers as he carefully puts the cigarette between his lips, pouting slightly to keep it firmly in place. “And what’s that?”
Sungyeol grins around the stick, “Free drinks, some networking, free smokes if I bat my eyelashes really prettily for boys like yourself.”
Myungsoo scoffs and waves his lighter teasingly, “Don’t get cocky now, you still need this.” he flicks the lighter to make a tiny flame dance around above his fingers.
Sungyeol decides to step up the game a little and start going in for the kill, so he ups the pace a little. He starts by moving closer to Myungsoo and crowding in on the boy’s personal space, leaning down a little and grabbing his hand to steady the lighter. He tries to hold eye contact for as long as possible before shutting his eyes to let the tip of the white and green stick burn hot by the small flame. When he’s done, he leans back only slightly, the smoke escaping Sungyeol’s mouth surrounding them both.
“Boys like you aren’t always necessarily a bad thing.” He says after opening his eyes. Myungsoo’s eyes are focused somewhere around his mouth when he speaks next. “Boys like me? You mean boys you tell to fuck off, but then proceed to check out their asses?”
“Caught that, did you?” Sungyeol doesn’t even have the audacity to be embarrassed right now, not when Myungsoo observes him with a hungry curiosity rather than looking offended. So Sungyeol decides to feed that curiosity, because he’s just as hungry for it himself at this point.
Myungsoo’s lips are cracked and dry to the point of serious dehydration, but his tongue is warm and wet and tastes strongly of the menthol cigarettes that are probably also clinging to his own mouth. Sungyeol’s champagne glass cracks somewhere on the ground below them as it’s dropped with the glowing butts of the smokes, they roll down the pavement forgotten as Sungyeol decides to occupy both his hands with burying themselves in Myungsoo’s hair.
The hands teasing his hips and neck are hot, too hot and Sungyeol understands a little now why Myungsoo didn’t a jacket to keep him warm.
“Your place?” Sungyeol manages to gasp out between kisses. Myungsoo shakes his head against Sungyeol’s mouth and moves in on his jaw, leaving a wet trail that makes him shiver whenever left to the cold air. “Your place.” Myungsoo just states and continues to mouth the underside of his jaw as his hand slips further up under Sungyeol’s jacket.
“I have roommates--” Sungyeol tries. The boy’s got a great mouth on him and he’s just the right height to comfortably and successfully manage to get the spot right above his adam’s apple that makes his knees buckle a little.
“I have a sister,” Myungsoo mumbles against his neck “so trust me on this. Your place.”
A small stray thought flashes across the back of his mind, telling him there’s something odd sounding about that particular fact.
They could have continued this in the bathroom upstairs for all Sungyeol cared, but that earlier thought he had about Myungsoo on his back is too good for him to give up.
He bites down on Myungsoo’s cracked bottom lip and smothers down the premature feelings of regret.
∞
Sungjong’s life is trading one inhalation of industrial fumes for another, the most variety he gets being a couple of lungfuls of stale airplane air in between.
Right now though he breathes in nothing but the aroma of ground beans, the distinct smell of coffee making him feel a little perkier already.
Sungjong sets down his backpack on a barstool and hoists himself up on the one next to it, surveying the high end interior of the expensive airport coffee bar. Around him businessmen struggle with several take-away cup holders as they bark orders into their shiny phones, the only one seated is him and he’s lucky it’s still early in the morning, he doesn’t have to wait long for the barista behind the counter to notice him.
“Sungjongie!” Howon’s face lights up when he spots the younger, “How was Thailand?”
And Sungjong’s glad to be home, he shows it by flashing a rare smile that few have ever seen, but one that isn’t too rare for Howon. “Humid,” he sighs and settles more comfortably on the stool, “and a letdown.”
Howon’s frowns. “Nickhun didn’t come through?” Sungjong answers with a twitch of his shoulders. “Nickhun didn’t show. Bailed a month ago and been missing since.”
Something resembling worry and something else flickers in Howon’s expression before he goes blank again, “Huh,” he just says. “That’s odd.”
Sungjong doesn’t ask, if it concerned him the Howon would tell him. Howon might be a secretive friend, but he’s a friend Sungjong knows he can trust.
“Well I have a job coming up for The House Company-- you don’t happen to have a more domestic supplier for me from your bottomless bag of contacts hyung?” Howon chuckles in amusement “A little demanding are we? Didn’t take you long to ask me for a favour already.”
Sungjong’s grin widens and he’s about to reply, but Howon’s attention is caught by a customer nearing the counter next to Sungjong. The older boy flashes him a “hold that thought” gesture and dons his most charming smile for the female customer.
“The medium Panama roast please? Two cups, to go.”
She looks young, the diamonds in her ears real and the trench coat on her is worn, but classic Burberry. Sungjong’s guess leans somewhere between heiress or personal assistant to a very appreciative boss, maybe that’s who the coffee was for. Rich people have very particular tastes.
“A sweet girl?” Sungjong almost rolls his eyes. Trust Howon-hyung to lamely flirt with the pretty customers. The girl takes it with good humour though, smiling sweetly and making the slight fullness of her upper lip to flatten against her teeth. “Some might say so,” She playfully answers.
“Here on business?” She tilts her head patiently, probably too polite to tell the barista to mind his own business. Sungjong can’t help the snort that slips out when Howon turns his back. It’s not as quiet as he thought it was though, because the girl turns to him. He imagines the corners of her eyes crinkling behind the designer shades.
“Family business.” Her answer is directed at Howon, but her body is turned toward Sungjong as she continues the wait for her order. She slips off her shades and Sungjong notes the warm brown eyes that are checking him out under the shadow of her neat bangs. He meets her eyes briefly and they share a mutual amused grin over the enthusiastic man on the other side of the counter.
Howon breaks the spell by setting two paper cups on the counter, “There we go, hope you enjoy your stay!” The girl uncrosses her legs and pushes off the bar, hiding her face behind the sunglasses again and picks up the two cups. She pays and nods in thanks, only sparing Sungjong a last glance before fully turning around to leave. Sungjong watches her until she’s out of hearing distance before turning back to Howon.
“So-- you got something for me?”
Howon sighs and looks thoughtful for a moment. “I might have someone in mind.”
Sungjong grins. Perfect.
∞
There’s an obnoxious crunching sound registering in Sungyeol’s ears somewhere.
“Christ Sungjoon, will you chew with your mouth closed?”
“This is too priceless! I need photographic proof.”
There’s something hot suffocating him from the front, everything is still a heavy fog cushioning his head.
“Don’t take out your phone! Are you actually-- turn off the shutter sound! He’s gonna-- oh great, he’s waking up.”
Sungyeol blinks through the crust making his eyelashes stick together, ignoring the dull pounding behind his forehead and looks up to find Sungjoon and Min Kyu looking down on him a foot away from the bed. Sungjoon notices he’s awake and grins, making the rainbow coloured cereal he’s stuffed in his mouth spill from between his teeth.
“Morning princess!” They both look so incredibly amused with themselves, “You really outdid yourself with this one.”
Sungyeol’s momentarily confused until he hears a small grumble and looks down on the furnace plastered to his front. The very naked human furnace.
It all comes rushing back then. Sungyeol desperately trying to fend off Myungsoo’s wandering hands during the short subway ride home, finally getting through the door and Myungsoo tripping over Sungyeol’s mess in his eagerness to get to the bed, Myungsoo’s mouth against Sungyeol’s collarbone and the sound he made when Sungyeol hooked a hand in the crease under his left knee and pushed up---
Sungyeol stops his train of thought and groans at the soreness of his muscles and the state of his head. He needs coffee before dealing with any of this, so he shoos away his asshole roommates and begins the near impossible task of trying to untangle himself from human sloth Kim Myungsoo.
“What time is it?” Sungyeol finishes pulling up his boxers before turning around and facing the bleary eyed boy on the bed. And this is the part he hates, the morning after. The really awkward morning after.
“Eight-ish, maybe? I have to be at work by ten, but if you need a shower or some coffee...” He trails off, getting awkward again when Myungsoo stands up and stretches, giving Sungyeol a full frontal view.
“No, I have to get going as soon as possible. My sister will worry.” Something reminds Sungyeol of a similar thing he heard last night. “So it’s true then? You switching companies?”
Myungsoo slows down a little in search for the rest of his clothes and looks thoughtfully at Sungyeol, it’s the same look he gave him when Sungyeol was being mean and the same one right before Sungyeol closed in on his personal space. Like he’s making important decisions regarding Sungyeol.
Sungyeol doesn’t really understand. He’s not really important enough to make any decisions about. He figures it might be Myungsoo’s suspicion about selling him out and he hopes Myungsoo gets that his career would be just as fucked if he decided to blab to the public, (same-sex hookups aren’t hot gossip in the way people wants) so there’s no need for him to worry.
“I’m not telling anyone.” He adds just to be sure.
Myungsoo looks confused- like that wasn’t what he was thinking at all -and shakes his head. “No-- I mean, yeah. I’m switching companies.”
“Really? Woollim’s biggest money money maker?” Sungyeol chuckles in surprise “What on earth would make them let you go?”
Myungsoo finishes pulling on his shirt and sits on Sungyeol’s bed to tie his shoes, pausing to flatten his hair. “A good offer.” He says and tightens the laces.
“I put my number in your phone when you were asleep. It’ll come in handy one day.”
Sungyeol doubts it’ll come that in handy, unless if he was drunk and horny again, but he says “okay” and lets Myungsoo slip past him and outside with a smile.
“Sungyeollie got himself a taste of fame, did he?” is the first thing he hears when he joins the others in the small kitchen.
“Wow okay, that was gross Sungjoon.” Min Kyu remarks, but he’s doing a poor job of hiding his laughter.
“What?” Sungjoon looks offended, “Minki was the one who thought of the joke, I’m just the messenger”.
That earned Sungjoon a hard slap from Min Kyu. “Ow! What was that for?” Sungyeol has been through this too many times to care, so he busies himself with coffee and toast.
“What for? What for? We talked about this!” Min Kyu’s voice sounds exasperated “We don’t communicate with the enemy!”
Sungjoon snorts, “Wow, get over yourself. By the way, Sungyeol-” Sungjoon turns to him, “You woke up Changmin last night coming in and you let loverboy walk inside with his shoes. Prepare for lots of damage control.”
“Okay girls! Ah In just texted me to say we’re needed at HQ now. So pack it up and get moving.”
“Congrats on the sex, Yeollie.” Min Kyu adds “Gods know you needed it.”
Sungyeol seethes for a full five minutes on the subway into work.
∞
“So you might be wondering why I all brought you all in on such short notice.”
“Oh cut the crap Ah In, this isn’t Clue! Just give me the statement and I’ll read it.” Ah In tightens his jaw flashes Min Ah a tight smile, handing her the folder.
Min Ah takes a deep breath before addressing them, “As you guys know, Yoon Eun Hye and The House Company has been trying to compete with The Walrus Agency for the past two years, introducing and scouting new and interesting faces,”
“You mean the borgs?” Changmin mutters loud enough for them all to hear. Min Ah chooses to ignore him and continues. “This here is a statement that’s being spread around on every social networking and news site as we speak. It deals with her ne--”
“Min Ah?” Ah In interrupts and goes to grab the remote, “Joong Ki just texted me. They’re airing the press conference now” he turns on the television screen in the conference room.
Sungyeol’s breath catches a little. Because on that screen, standing silently next to Yoon Eun hye, is Kim Myungsoo with the headline “Idol/Actor Kim Myungsoo terminates Woollim contract for The House Company” rolling by under him as the older woman speaks.
“Myungsoo had approached me with the idea of going into modeling for quite some time. He was very eager to follow in the same footsteps as his sister, but it wasn’t until my company had established a solid ground that we could start planning on buying him out of his contract with Woollim.”
“Sister?!” Sungyeol hears from somewhere in the room.
Myungsoo stands with his face blank next to the Supermodel CEO, hair neat and crisp blue shirt tucked in and wrinkle free. Not a single thing on him giving away last night’s indiscretion.
“Why have we never been aware of your family relations until this moment?”
Eun Hye looks remorseful and sighs, “We only reconnected after our parents’ divorce some years back. Myungsoo is a very independent boy, likes to work for his own achievements, he never wanted our familiar bond to be known out of worry that he’s only get free passes because of my name.”
“Bull shit.” he hears Changmin scoff from the front of the table.
The press conference ends and the siblings leave the screen. Sungyeol is still not quite sure what just happened, there’s an insistent buzzing of vibrations going off against his thigh, but he’s a little too dazed to notice it.
“Oh my god!” Sungyeol feels the hot breath against his ear, “You fucked the enemy! You fucked the enemy’s brother!”
And that’s the last thing Sungyeol registers before his brain drowns in a litany of ohshitohshitohshit.
∞
A/N: Basically what happened was that me andpenny_lane_42 had this great(!) idea of how Sungyeol should be casted in a onderful n badass drama bout supermodels who also work as spies! Each story would be like an episode! And there would be bonus fics that would serve as deleted scenes etc. As you can see there are many cameos (and there will be SO MANY MORE) from various already famous Korean entertainers (some unnamed, can you guess who they are?).
I hope you enjoyed it and that you plan to stick around for the future installments!