Chapter Text
“Oh? Daniel?”
Daniel stops in his track. It’s a familiar voice.
“Kang Daniel!”
Takes a cautious turn to his right, where the voice came from, and there he is.
Sungwoon hyung.
‘Huh?’ Was the first thing that popped up in Daniel’s head. There Sungwoon was, sitting at the corner of the café alone, and waving up at him. Daniel had actually randomly entered this café to relief his liver of the crazy amount of alcoholic drinks his colleagues had been offering him (just because he could hold his alcohol the most out of everyone), in hopes of trying to wash the liquor off with some sweet drink or any drink that doesn’t involve the word ‘alcohol’. And all of a sudden, he’s met with the guy he almost forgot about.
Let’s rewind a few months back.
Work has been a bitch ever since the whole fiasco happened; week-by-week Daniel kept being swamped by continuous workload, since it’s nearing the end of the year and there’s a lot of targets needed to be met, so it’s expected of them to have to grind even harder then. It’s a good and a bad thing; good that he has something to keep his mind off what had happened, bad because he barely had time for himself. It became worse when his department head just so happened to finally see the potential in him, and gave him a massive workload to handle – not just one big project under his hand, but a whole three.
At one side, he’s thankful of the opportunity that has been given to him, the opportunity letting him to fill up his portfolio even thicker, but at the other end, one can only handle so much. He tried his best to grit his way through, and fortunately, his colleagues cooperate well with him, even Jaehwan. Talking about Jaehwan, the guy finally spoke with him again like normal after a few weeks, all these while maintaining a strictly business only conversation with him. But as he said and had expected, he’s back to the old Jaehwan he knows, just that both of them are always cautious on the topic of relationship. It’ll take some time, but it’s understandable.
And so after a grueling four months of working simultaneously on three projects, things ended with a good note – well actually, it ended with a blast, because their boss was so satisfied with the outcome that he decided to reward them all with huge lump of bonus pay.
Which goes forward to this company dinner they planned for on a Friday night, at the barbeque restaurant a few blocks away from their office.
Jaehwan’s again with his drinking game, though he’s always cheating but no one actually bothered to sound it out because he’s Jaehwan after all, and with his loose mouth informing everyone of Daniel’s amazing alcohol tolerance, the poor man is now being forced all sorts of drinks down his throat. Yes, Daniel likes drinking – really loves it, honestly, but with the pace everyone’s demanding him, he’s getting sick of it as he picks up yet another glass of some weird concoction.
At last, Daniel excuses himself from the party, ignoring the protests coming from his other colleagues, and leaves the suffocating restaurant.
He didn’t think much as he strolls aimlessly around the streets, didn’t even think about what could possibly happen when he skips the first café and decides to enter the one beside it instead; his mind only focusing on wanting a nice sweet drink to takeaway and maybe take a taxi back home after.
So when he sees the familiar glint of the eyes shining back at him, he wonders, is this really a mere coincidence?
“Oh, Sungwoon hyung...!” His heart is racing as he walks towards the said man. He’s not sure if the alcohol’s part of the reason behind his rapid heartrate. He hasn’t seen the man in so long; there’s so many things running through his mind right now. His smile is shaky, and he thinks Sungwoon might notice it.
As he gets closer, he sees the way Sungwoon takes a whiff and crunches his nose.
“Whew, strong. Were you drinking a lot before this?” Sungwoon asks, smiling up at him.
Daniel nods in reply, albeit shyly, and takes a seat in front of the older when gestured to do so. Now that they’re eye to eye, it feels kind of weird, for some reason.
“Sorry,” He apologises. “They were all forcing different kinds of drinks down my throat.”
Sungwoon shakes his head. “It’s okay. I know you’re how much of a closet alcoholic you are, anyway.” He chuckles. “What was that? A company dinner?”
“Yeah,” Daniel replies. “We just finished some huge projects so... it’s a reward party for all of us.”
Sungwoon hums. “Great. Wish I could continue joining all of you for future company dinners, but alas.”
Things goes quiet between the two of them, Sungwoon taking a sip of his tea, while Daniel’s peering at the menu board, trying to make up a decision on what drink he should buy.
And then, Sungwoon drops the question.
“How’s life, Daniel?”
The intermission between their previous conversation to this question is so sudden. Sudden like being hit with a gush of strong wind, taking him aback without any warning. It takes a while for Daniel to answer, because all that’s on the tip of his tongue are words he’s biting himself from saying.
‘Different without you.’
How is it that he’s always bringing out this... this whatever annoying emotion inside him? Goodness, Sungwoon, really. If only he could say those cheesy words to him.
Instead he heaves out an exasperated sigh in dramatizing his exhaustion. “Well, I had a lot of work to do... so that’s one thing about me looking like a zombie right now.”
Sungwoon immediately cackles at Daniel, and calm waves wash over him, feeling relieved.
“I was gonna comment on those heavy eye-bags of yours, but I felt pitiful for you.”
The conversation then continues on a lighter note, and Daniel takes it upon himself to enjoy the moment.
“Sungwoon hyung, you can be honest with me. Minhyun is your boyfriend, right?”
In the span of ten minutes or so their conversations have ranged from Seongwoo, to how Daniel got dumped (in a way, well, because Daniel kind of forced it on Seongwoo), to the frustrating yet adorable dumb and dumber duo interns in Sungwoon’s new department. They’re talking like they’ve been friends for a decade or so with how smoothly their conversations are flowing, and that’s when something popped up in Daniel’s head, a question he has been wanting to ask – dying to ask, if he were to be dramatic.
Sungwoon pauses, frozen.
And then he laughed maniacally.
“You’re still bent on that question?” He’s laughing between words, so hard that people around them are turning heads to see what has happened.
“I mean? It’s so suspicious that day between you and him?” Daniel didn’t mean to be such a busybody, but it’s the only time he can talk about this with him. Sungwoon’s still laughing at him, those annoying cute little crescents hanging above his cheeks.
“Thinking back, the way you showed your green horns to me that day is still amusing to me. Phenomenal.”
“My jealousy is amusement to you?” Daniel scoffs and crosses his arms. “What a jerk.”
“But really,” Sungwoon says in defense, leaning forward to grab Daniel’s arm, and Daniel had to suppress himself because somehow, it still stings. Almost six months in and he’s still not over him.
“Really,” He reiterates. “Minhyun is merely a friend. He has someone he truly likes already. I’m just there for him when he needs someone, and well, we’re just having fun anyway. He’s– he’s kind of like you in a sense.”
Daniel’s quick to reply. “But I don’t do it with you for fun.”
Sungwoon pauses. “Okay. Correction: it was fun and games for you in the beginning. Anyway.” He senses the similar change of air that has happened before – Daniel’s already sulking like a spoiled child, but nonetheless he continues talking. “You know, Daniel, you kind of remind me of my ex-boyfriend.”
“Huh? How so?” Daniel frowns, before he squints his eyes teasingly. “Wait, you once had a boyfriend?”
The older rolls his eyes. Daniel sure knows how to mock him especially when he’s sulky. “You,” He goes back to the first question. “You wore your heart on your sleeves like him. His eyes mirrored every emotion of his. It doesn’t take much for me to know that he’s thinking of someone else, even in front of me.”
Daniel visibly backs down, and Sungwoon leans back on his chair. He knows he has never spoken of his past lovers before with Daniel, but maybe he deserves to know at least tiny bit of a back-story of one of them.
Daniel’s and Seongwoo’s relationship is a repeated history of Sungwoon’s past relationship. He used to think that he could hold on to even the last tiny piece of hope until the end, very similar to how Seongwoo had probably initially had tried for too. How coincidental; their names are even similar. Sungwoon couldn’t forget how Seongwoo looked that morning, because it’s a mirror of his on a particularly rainy day one time ago. Honestly, he isn’t sure if that relationship is the trigger to everything, because he didn’t remember crying, nor feeling extremely broken when he had officialise their breakup; having caught them red-handed on their hanky-panky business. Maybe he was already numb. Maybe that was how the thrill of seeing people caught came about. Was it fun? Was it exciting? Was it an utter shock for them? He likes seeing the look of guilt plastered on their faces, because who do they think they are to continue keeping disgusting secrets off him? It’s kind of sadistic of him in that sense.
Maybe, the built-up of past events caused him to throw everything away. Sometimes people change, and they themselves never realised when the exact change was, how did it came about. It was like that for Sungwoon. Suddenly things changed, and he couldn’t view ‘like’ and ‘love’ the same way again. It was one of his past lover who kept reassuring him that he likes him, he loves him, you are my everything. That fucker. Because of him he throws up whenever he hears ‘love’. It’s definitely getting better these days, though.
“Though at least you knew you were at wrong – kinda at first,” He continues. “Still got some conscience behind that lusty mind of yours. He’s got none of those.”
Daniel keeps silent at Sungwoon’s remark.
“I know you like me way before you even told me that night,” Sungwoon mentions slowly, observing how the younger is squirming in his seat. “Like seriously, you keep being so obvious, Daniel.”
The younger merely hangs his head low. “I know,” He mumbles.
Sungwoon sighs. “Anyways, sorry for that day. I believe you needed a break.”
Daniel does nothing but raise his head and stare at the older. ‘He must be cursing me inside his head right now,’ Sungwoon thinks to himself.
“So... if I were to ask you out right now, would you accept me?”
“Huh?” Daniel’s abrupt question caught Sungwoon off-guard that he’s puzzled.
“You said I needed a break. The break is over, I suppose?”
Sungwoon titters. “You’re still on that topic?”
Daniel laughs along with him. The way his eyes crinkle in sheer delight is one thing, but his eyes are telling a whole other story. “I mean,” He starts reasoning. “You don’t have anything to lose, Sungwoon hyung. If anything, it would be me.”
Sometimes the things Daniel says startles Sungwoon. “And you’re willing to sacrifice that just for me?” He asks, dumbfounded. “Experience the feeling of pain again when you fully know you can avoid it?”
The younger doesn’t seem too bothered by whatever that has been laid out to him, merely nodding in acceptance. “Yeah.” He hums.
“Is it because you couldn’t get me, so you’re not giving up until you finally get me and then you’ll just throw me away?” Sungwoon squints his eyes at him.
The accused man immediately jumps, waving his hands around in defense. “No, no, no,” He argues. “Who is teaching you these kinds of stuffs?” He huffs out, shaking his head in disagreement. “Hyung, if I thought of you only as low as that, I wouldn’t even want to see your face. Remember how you oh-so-painfully rejected me that night?”
Sungwoon doesn’t get it. “Then why are you so bent on wanting to be with me?”
“I told you.” Daniel lays out his heart on the table. “I like you.”
It takes a while for Sungwoon to grasp the whole situation, but he finally breaks the short silence with a question. “Daniel, do you know that you’re being selfish?”
“Yeah,” Daniel instantly laughs, almost expecting it. “I know.”
With how the older is responding, Daniel is ready to say his farewell to Sungwoon, probably a one long hug with him before he totally cuts the man off (well, what’s the use of hanging around him anyway? He’s only hurting himself) and accepts the outcome. He knows how this will eventually end. It’s not like he hasn’t been expecting this. But to actually witness it upfront? It stings. He instinctively grabs his sling bag.
“Okay,” Sungwoon says suddenly.
Daniel halts, clutches his bag harder.
Sungwoon notices the tense face Daniel’s wearing now, and repeats himself, smiling at him. “I guess it’s an okay from me.”
“What?” Daniel instinctively asks. What is happening? He turns to a corner, flustered. Shakes his head in an attempt to keep his mind together, and turns back to the older.
“Really?” He was so ready to sprint off earlier, but right now his whole body feels so heavy. “Really?” He asks again when Sungwoon does so much as to keep smiling at him. He couldn’t believe his ears, and he couldn’t stop his stupid ass from peering into his space like an idiot.
Sungwoon shrugs. “Yeah, you said I don’t have anything to lose.”
The younger throws his bag aside, abruptly extending his hand out for Sungwoon with the older just looking at him confused. “Welcome to the lover’s club, exclusively and singularly owned by Kang Daniel.” He forcefully grabs Sungwoon’s hand. “Invitation extended only to Mr. Ha Sungwoon.” Sometimes when you’re too blinded by your own happiness, you do stupid stuffs, just like what Daniel just did.
“What the–” Sungwoon snorts. As usual, Daniel’s childishness never changed. “I would like to decline this invitation.”
“Unfortunately, you can’t,” Daniel singsongs, swinging their hands together.
“Don’t say I never warned you, because you can’t blame anyone for your decisions,” Sungwoon reminds him while trying to rip Daniel’s hands off his, holding his hands like some treasured item, and grinning up giddily at him.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Daniel reassures him. The older can only roll his eyes.
Sungwoon’s probably regretting his decisions right now, Daniel supposes at the back of his mind, but he can’t seem to think about anything other than his own elation. Sometimes unexpected things happen, like what’s unveiling in front of him now. It’s like a random burst of fireworks into the sky. It’s surprising, frightening to some, but most importantly, beautiful; wonderful. It’s odd to even grasp around the idea of them being together again, but well, it kind of works out in the end anyway, right?
“Breakfast together tomorrow?” Daniel suggests. He likes that they’re still holding hands even when they’re heading out of the café.
“You don’t want to spend the night together with me again?” Sungwoon mocks him, but Daniel only laughs heartily at him, shaking his head.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” He says instead. “I’ll send you home now.”
Sungwoon stops in his tracks. Why is he plunging himself in this situation again? He can’t seem to comprehend why, but the warmth coming from the whole being of Daniel is getting to him – giving him things he hasn’t… thought of in a very long while. He looks up, and he thinks he can see the stars in Daniel’s eyes. Cliché much?
“Okay,” He answers, and pecks him on his cheek, gripping their hands tighter.