Chapter Text
“You what?”
Donghyuck smiles sheepishly under Renjun’s glare. They’re huddled in an alleyway behind a bakery where the owner was known to take pity on them. She was an older woman who took care of the street kids in her area. She would send her employees to the alleyways with boxes of freshly baked breads, muffins, and croissants for the children that did show up. It was the only steady meal that Donghyuck and his two friends could count on. Now, Donghyuck is slathering scoops of butter on a piece of bread, Jisung is tearing out the inside of a croissant, and Renjun has paused in the midst of digging the blueberries out of his muffin to stare in disbelief after Donghyuck finally told them about the events of the previous night.
“I may have told Mark Lee and Lee Jeno that I’m Jung Jaehyun’s gardener.” Donghyuck repeats, this time a bit more timidly.
“Are you insane?” Renjun replies finally, and Donghyuck almost feels bad being on the receiving end of his scolding gaze, “You do realize what this means, right? If they even so much as mention that they met you, they’ll eventually find out that Jung Jaehyun doesn’t have a gardener named Lee Donghyuck.”
“But what if Jung Jaehyun did have a gardener named Donghyuck?” Jisung asks casually from where he’s crouched against the wall, picking at a peach muffin.
“What are you-“ Renjun starts, face scrunched in confusion, only to be interrupted.
“Jisung is right!” Donghyuck exclaims, wiggling his eyebrows with a mischievous expression, “What if Jung Jaehyun did have a gardener named Donghyuck?”
“Yeah right,” Renjun snorts, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous idea, “Like he would hire some street kid to take care of any part of his precious, million-dollar mansion.”
“But I’m not just any street kid.” Donghyuck claims, motioning to himself with a proud smile, “I am the multi-talented Lee Donghyuck. I have a lot of skills up my sleeve, just so you know. I’ll start off as a gardener, but I just know I’ll become one of them… you know, I can see myself standing under the chandelier lights, on the big screen… it’s my dream, and it will come to be, I just know it.”
Donghyuck concludes his statement by holding up his buttery piece of bread in a cheers to himself. Jisung smiles in amusement before holding up his peach muffin and bumping it against the bread, making Donghyuck smile as well before both boys take big bites of their pastries. Renjun merely shakes his head.
“Let’s focus on becoming a gardener first.” He says, always the more realistic one of the three.
“Well, Jeno did mention that Jaehyun really was searching for a new gardener.” Donghyuck informs them before shrugging, “So, all I have to do is show up and apply for the job, which I’m sure I’ll get and then boom, I’m one step closer to the grandiose lifestyle.”
“What makes you so confident that they’ll hire you over the hundreds of other people dying to work in Jung Jaehyun’s infamous estate?” Renjun questions, crossing his arms over his chest to regard the other boy with a serious look.
“Just look at this face. Doesn’t it scream ‘I belong on the nations televisions’?” Donghyuck replies, propping a hand under his chin and flashing a charming smile, “Who wouldn’t hire me?”
“You have a piece of pickle in your eyelash.” Jisung informs the brunet, pointing at the torn off piece of pickle that probably had gotten stuck from their earlier dumpster diving adventure. Donghyuck huffs, snatching the offending pickle from his eyelash before attempting his charming smile again. Jisung smiles in amusement, “Much better. You’ll get hired in no time.”
“See! Jisung gets it!” Donghyuck exclaims, motioning to the blond enthusiastically, “He supports me!”
“Jisung will support anything that indirectly promises money for food.” Renjun says dryly, rolling his eyes at his friend’s dramatics.
“True” Jisung mutters, snatching the rest of the buttered bread from Donghyuck’s hand and shoving it in his mouth.
“And believe it or not, I support you too. You were made for great things. I really do believe it.” Renjun adds, reaching over and ruffling Donghyuck’s hair with a fond smile, “Besides, this might be good for all of us. You would be getting paid, and if Jung Jaehyun’s limousine driver became a millionaire after a year, I can only imagine what the salary for being Jung Jaehyun’s gardener is. This could mean so much – money for food, and after a while, a place to stay. So we shouldn’t waste any more time. We need to get across the harbor and get you that job.”
Donghyuck takes in Renjun’s words of encouragement and the way Jisung nods in agreement, and he can only smile. He was thankful for his two friends. But most importantly, he was thankful for the opportunity. He had a shot to not only improve his life, but the lives of his friends as well. If he got the job, he would spoil them rotten. He’d buy Renjun all of the artsy supplies he was eyeing in the stores and he’d buy Jisung an entire chain of restaurants to fulfill his food obsession, if the younger so desired. He wanted to do all of these things, but first, he needed to make it across the harbor to Jung Jaehyun’s estate before someone else beat him to it.
__________
Two hours later, Donghyuck finds himself standing in front Jung Jaehyun’s estate. Jisung and Renjun had decided to wait at the docks in the harbor, but not before splashing water in Donghyuck’s hair and smudging the dirt off his face as best as they could, in effort to make the Lee boy look somewhat presentable. Now, Donghyuck’s hair is a mess of damp and dry brunet strands and his face is the most dirt-free it’s ever been. Renjun had allowed him to borrow his white button down and Donghyuck already had on his usual tan, twill pants that were always rolled up a bit, Jisung had forced him into a pair of burgundy suspenders, and his shoes were a bit rundown, but they would have to manage. Donghyuck’s heart is hammering in his chest. He’s never been this nervous. He imagines this is what stars like Mark Lee and Lee Jeno probably felt like at their first audition. And technically, that’s what this is, his first audition of many into high society. He wants to buy Renjun all of the art easels in the world, he wants to buy Jisung every pizza shop in all of New York, but most importantly, he wants to witness one of Jung Jaehyun’s parties standing beneath the bright chandeliers instead of through a small window, he wants to meet famous designers like Ten Chittaphon and talented record producers like Johnny Seo, and he wants to live in the same world as Mark Lee.
So, Donghyuck takes a deep breath before walking up the marble pathway leading to the mansion.
A limousine is parked outside near the fountain and the front door is swung wide open, making Donghyuck frown until someone nearly comes stumbling out. It’s a blond with a clipboard in his hand and a stressed look on his face. He seemed to be checking things off the list, though clearly not enough if the way he kept mumbling things to himself were any indication. Donghyuck smiles slightly when he recognizes him as Kim Jungwoo, Jaehyun’s assistance. He had seen the man with Jaehyun on a few red carpets, and bits and pieces of the man’s face in random paparazzi photos. From what Donghyuck had gathered from tabloid articles, Jungwoo went to a university in hopes of pursuing a career in writing, but for now, he settled for being Jung Jaehyun’s assistant. Donghyuck hesitates before finally approaching the other male. Jungwoo doesn’t even notice him, too busy still fussing over his steadily growing to do list.
“Uhm, excuse me-“ Donghyuck starts timidly, but it proves fruitless when Jungwoo jumps and screams, the clipboard flying out of his hands. Both he and Donghyuck watch as the object tacked with multiple papers goes flying directly into the fountain, where it is then soaked to oblivion. At the sight, Donghyuck panics. He definitely wouldn’t get hired at this rate. The brunet boy is quick to apologize, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!”
“No worries.” Jungwoo assures with a sweet smile before he lifts up his sweater slightly and pulls an entire clipboard from beneath it, holding it up with a bright smile, “Rule number 689 of the assistant handbook, always carry back up clipboards.”
Jungwoo clicks the pen in his hands before checking off all of the items he had checked off on his other clipboard. Meanwhile, Donghyuck gapes in awe, torn between believing he was dreaming and wondering about the other 688 assistant handbook rules.
“Now-“ Jungwoo says, placing his pen on the top of his clipboard before looking up at Donghyuck with a small smile, “How can I help you?”
“O-Oh, well I’m here about the gardening position.” Donghyuck stammers out nervously, to which he quickly cringes, standing up straighter and restating more confidently, “I mean, my name is Donghyuck, Lee Donghyuck and I am here to apply for the gardening position.”
“I just sent word to the press about the opening less than half an hour ago. Woah, they work fast!” Jungwoo exclaims with an awed expression to which Donghyuck merely smiles nervously. The press hadn’t even printed the story yet, Donghyuck only knew about the opening because of last night’s adventure, but he wouldn’t be telling Jungwoo that.
“Well, here I am.” Donghyuck says, flashing a charming smile that makes Jungwoo giggle.
“So cute! I think I like you already.” The blond assistant says, motioning for the younger to follow before turning and heading back into the house.
Donghyuck hesitates, pressing his hands to his cheeks to cool them before following the older boy. He walks up the small set of stairs, steps into the threshold, and almost faints. He couldn’t believe it. He was inside Jung Jaehyun’s mansion! It felt unreal. Donghyuck’s eyes strain as he struggles to take in all of the expensive portraits on the walls, the thousand-dollar grand piano in the foyer, and most importantly, the million-dollar glass chandeliers above him. He couldn’t wait to see them lit up – then he would know that he really made it. Jungwoo leads him across the threshold into a room with marble floors, glass counters, and exotic plants – the kitchen. Jungwoo sets his clipboard on the counter before digging through a cabinet beneath the sink. Donghyuck watches as he seems to pull out a pair of gardening gloves, a water pale, and bag of fertilizer, setting them all on the glass counters.
“Does this mean I got the job?” Donghyuck asks hopefully, already filled with excitement. The brunet boy grins before joking, “Shouldn’t you like, test my plant knowledge or something to make sure that I’m qualified?”
“Hm, I guess you’re right. I should give you a little test, at least.” Jungwoo agrees after a small bit of thought, making Donghyuck instantly regret opening his mouth. The blond assistant seems to think a bit more before clapping his hands together with an excited grin, “Okay, what’s the difference between a rose and a carrot?”
“Uh-“ Is Donghyuck’s unsure response as he struggles to come up with a proper answer. Jungwoo stares at him expectantly, making the brunet boy blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, “One is edible and the other isn’t, unless, well you’re like a hardcore herbivore.”
He knows his answer is terrible. And he’s expecting for Jungwoo to laugh and send him away. He’ll have to go back to Renjun and Jisung at the harbor and tell them that he blew it all. But instead, he watches as Jungwoo smiles brightly.
“Wow! That’s a really good answer. You’re pretty plant smart.” Jungwoo exclaims with an impressed look before tilting his head and asking as an afterthought, “What’s a herbivore?”
Before Donghyuck can question the upper-class educational system, the sound of footsteps and voices catches his attention.
“I’m telling you, it’s been a field day with the press ever since I released that story. One of New York’s most famous actors and a rising, rookie actress. It looks great on paper, and it’ll look even better when Mark finally realizes just how much this will benefit his upcoming movie. Imagine if they show up together on the red-carpet premiere, it’ll be on every magazine stand before the night is over with.”
“I don’t know, Doyoung. It all seems to be a bit much. And you know how Mark is, fake press makes him nervous.”
“Ah, but in general, when is that kid not a nervous wreck?”
Donghyuck muffles his snickering with his hand, only to freeze entirely when the two people he never imagined meeting enter the kitchen. Jung Jaehyun is ethereal. He stood there in a freshly pressed gray suit with his brunet hair neatly styled. When he spots Jungwoo and Donghyuck, he smiles, revealing the dimples that made the nation swoon when they saw them on their televisions. Donghyuck himself has to resist the urge to swoon and faint. He was really standing a few feet away from New York’s most famous actor and he wasn’t dreaming. He couldn’t believe it.
Beside Jaehyun is someone else that Donghyuck had a strong admiration for. Kim Doyoung is, without a doubt, one of New York’s most established journalists. He had the scoop on everyone and everything. His articles were always the first in every magazine and newspaper. His publishing company was the most successful in the city. But his esteem in journalism had gained him quite a few enemies, especially among the socialites that he wrote about. According to the tabloids, he and Jung Jaehyun had quite the feud going on, but Donghyuck takes in the way the two men are standing comfortably next to each other, speaking as if they were old friends, and he figures that all of the press among the upper-class really is fake.
“Doyoung! How was the press conference?” Jungwoo greets, smiling the brightest Donghyuck has seen in the few minutes of knowing him.
“I’m here too.” Jaehyun pouts, plopping down at the kitchen table and loosening his tie.
“As good as could be expected for a musical.” Doyoung replies dryly, clearly not a fan of musicals. But he makes sure to return Jungwoo’s smile afterwards, an action that makes the blond assistant duck his head shyly and Jaehyun shake his head. Doyoung grins, sitting down before pushing his specs further up his nose and peering at Jaehyun, “The promotional dinner for the musical is in three days. I had planned on attending, but apparently everyone needs a plus one. I’m a journalist, we don’t do entourages. But I assume you’ll be there mister lead role.”
“Actually, I’m not sure if I will.” The actor admits, doing his best to look remorseful though his tone hinted that he could care less about the musical as well, “I have to start shooting for that California surfer boy movie that I’m filming with Sicheng.”
“That’s too bad.” Doyoung says with false sympathy before leaning back in his chair with a smirk, “Because I hear that a certain CEO of Seo records will be in attendance.”
Donghyuck can’t help but to feel amused when he watches Jaehyun’s head shoot up, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“You’re joking.” The actor says, but Doyoung merely pulls out a folded newspaper from his pocket before flipping it open and pointing to an article at the very top.
CEO OF NEW YORK’S TOP RECORD COMPANY, JOHNNY SEO, SAYS HE’S EXCITED TO ATTEND THE PROMOTIONAL DINNER FOR THE LOST PRINCE – “JAEHYUN IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ACTORS!”
The article had clearly been written by Doyoung himself, if the way he was smirking were any indication – he had been sure to include the quote for added emphasis. True enough, Jaehyun seems to pause, his dimpled cheeks turning the faintest hint of pink.
“I-I have to go call Ten.” Jaehyun says suddenly, scrambling from his chair to leave, but not before motioning frantically to his assistant, “Jungwoo, please make sure my schedule is clear for Friday night.”
“Of course!” Jungwoo beams, but his boss is already gone. The blond assistant shakes his head before crossing off an entire row of writing on his clipboard. Meanwhile, Donghyuck tries not to gape in awe. Ten as in Ten Chittaphon, one of New York’s top fashion designers – he wondered if he would be so lucky as to meet him too one day. He could only hope so. He’s brought from his thoughts when Jungwoo looks up, smiles a bit mischievously and says, “A thousand dollars says he’s going to ask for a custom suit.”
“Two thousand says he’ll ask for it to be made from scratch.” Doyoung snorts, “Three thousand says Ten will go overboard with cheetah print, silk, and glitter, four thousand says that Jaehyun will be his usual polite self and not complain, and five thousand says that he’ll still look good in the monstrosity of a suit anyway.”
Jungwoo seems to consider Doyoung’s bets before he realizes he’s lost. He watches in disbelief as the assistant writes on the to-do side of his clipboard “withdraw $5,000 for Doyoung hyung”. Donghyuck was in disbelief. It was a lot of money, more than someone like him could imagine what to do with, and yet, they were betting it over it so easily. And Jungwoo seemed to just have to it to give away in a playful bet. Is this what it meant to be elite, to waste away thousands on playful bets? Donghyuck wonders, and he wants to have even the smallest taste of this lifestyle. He could only imagine what it was like to live life that carefree, to have money to spend however you liked. He really could only imagine.
“By the way, who are you?” Doyoung asks, finally noticing Donghyuck’s presence, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. I’m Kim Doyoung.”
Donghyuck’s eyes widen at being addressed by one of his favorite journalists. He wants to say that he already knows who Doyoung is. How could one live in New York and not know who Kim Doyoung was? But instead, he merely freezes up at the attention.
“I-I’m Donghyuck, Lee Donghyuck.” He replies finally, adding with a small smile, “The new gardener.”
“Lee Donghyuck, the new gardener.” Doyoung repeats, making Donghyuck’s heartrate speed up from hearing his name being spoken by someone so famous. He watches as the journalist cocks his head to the side and mutters to himself, “Hopefully I remember that when I write the article tomorrow.”
At this, Donghyuck freezes. Doyoung would be writing an article about him? But he was just a gardener, and he was one that had only been hired a few minutes ago. Jungwoo seems to sense his surprise. The blond boy squeezes Donghyuck’s shoulder gently.
“It’s okay if you’re nervous about your name being in the press. It will probably only be mentioned briefly at the end when they provide updates about the small things in Jaehyun hyung’s life, like the estate.” The assistant informs the brunet boy with a small smile, “It’s a journalism tactic to keep the article focused on its intended topic.”
“Would you look at that, that ten-thousand-dollar scam that they call university is actually paying off.” Doyoung comments dryly, though he does pause in picking at his nails to give Jungwoo a proud smile, one that makes the blond assistant look away shyly once more. The journalist sighs before adding, “But yes, the article will mostly be about this God awful musical. I mean, seriously, who cares about a prince that wakes up one day as a lobster-“
“I thought it was a dolphin.” Jungwoo interrupts with a confused look. Doyoung pauses, thinking something over before he seems to realize that Jungwoo is in fact right, it was a dolphin.
“Oh God” Doyoung mutters, looking down with a horrified expression, “It’s even worse than I thought.”
Jungwoo and Donghyuck share a look then before bursting into fits of laughter. As he takes in Jungwoo’s bright smile and the joy he felt swelling in his chest, Donghyuck couldn’t help but think about how this would be his life from now on. Maybe there would be more days in the kitchen with Jungwoo, Doyoung, and laughter. Donghyuck can only hope. When their laughter dies down, Jungwoo checks the gardening supplies he’s found so far, only to frown.
“There’s trowel somewhere around here.” The assistant says, “I’ll be right back.”
He gives Donghyuck a small smile before walking out of the doorway that Jaehyun had left out of moments earlier. Donghyuck is nervous about being alone with Doyoung, but only a brief second passes before footsteps sound from outside the kitchen door. Donghyuck looks up with a smile, believing it to be Jungwoo – but the smile on his face is quickly replaced with a shocked look when Mark Lee enters the kitchen. What was he doing at Jaehyun’s home at this time of day? The actor doesn’t seem to notice his presence. Instead, he heads directly to the table where Doyoung looks up from scribbling notes in worn notebook.
“Mark Lee” The journalist greets with a smile, “It’s nice to see my favorite actor since I haven’t seen you in a while. It’s almost as if you’ve been avoiding your hyung. How’s the acting school coming along?”
“They’ve just done the finishing touches on it today. I’ll be doing a final walk through tomorrow and then, by the end of the week, I’ll start auditioning potential students.” Mark replies, and from the smile on his face while talking about his school, Donghyuck could tell that he was proud of his work. But then, the dark-haired boy’s smile drops slightly when he pulls out a chair and sits across from the journalist. He clears his throat before starting hesitantly, “Actually, hyung I wanted to talk to you about an article that was printed earlier this week.”
“The one about you and Soyeon dating?” Doyoung guesses, resting his chin on his fist with his elbow on the table, “It was genius. It sold out on all of the newsstands! Can you believe it?... You know Mark, we live in a society where everyone claims to hate each other but they love, love. There’s a fascination with it, two people in love. Maybe it’s because we’re all lonely deep down inside and we want to experience love in the only way we can, through others.”
“Yeah” Mark murmurs, the somber look on his face letting Donghyuck know that, even as a wealthy, successful actor, Mark probably related more to Doyoung’s words more than he let on. The actor seems to struggle to come up with words. Donghyuck watches as the dark-haired boy clears his throat once more, seemingly forcing himself to speak, “But hyung, do you think you could end it soon? I mean, Soyeon is okay, but I don’t know… it just isn’t real.”
“Nothing I write is real.” Doyoung reminds him, looking over at the actor with his brows furrowed, “I write what people want to hear, what makes people like you and me, who already filthy rich, even richer.”
“I know, but…” Mark stumbles over his words, and Donghyuck thinks he sees the faintest bit of red gracing the actor’s ears, “Soyeon is nice and all… but what you wrote… It just isn’t what I’m into, I guess?”
“Then by all means, please tell us what you’re into, Mark Lee.” Doyoung scoffs, looking as if he were on the verge of losing his patience with the younger.
“W-Well… I guess I like-“ Mark trails over, looking away nervously. But in doing so, he finally catches sight of Donghyuck, who had been standing by the counter, watching the entire interaction. The dark-haired actor recognizes him immediately, making him blurt out a startled, “D-Donghyuck!”
“Hi” Donghyuck says, feeling somewhat awkward with being put on the spot.
Doyoung watches the interaction closely. He takes in Mark’s red ears and the way the actor seems to scramble out of his chair to approach the gardener.
“Oh, I see.” The journalist mutters to himself with a knowing smirk before flipping to a new page in his notebook and jotting down things quickly.
“I didn’t know you were working today.” Mark says, pausing to take in Donghyuck’s appearance before his eyebrows furrow and he asks, “Have you been to the garden already?”
And that’s when Donghyuck remembers that he’s just some street kid pretending to be anything but. Despite the quick bath, which mostly consisted of being splashed with water, that Jisung and Renjun had given him at the harbor, he was still dirty. Now, he felt a bit self-conscious. He knew there was probably still dirt smudged on his cheeks. As a poor street kid, there was always dirt on his cheeks, but now he actually felt bad about it. Donghyuck felt bad about who he was. But Mark didn’t know that, he didn’t know anything, which is why Donghyuck simply smiles in response.
“Um yeah, actually, I just came back in because I needed a new trowel.” He replies, watching Mark nod in response.
“Do you need any help?” The actor asks suddenly, rubbing at his ear and adding shyly, “I mean, I don’t know a lot about gardening, but I could learn.”
“Oh, I’m sure you could.” Doyoung comments to which Mark turns and attempts to give him a look, but Donghyuck can’t help but grin at how he resembles a pouting puppy.
“That’s okay. I think I’m finished for the day.” He says, deciding that he would go and find Jungwoo. He needed to get out of the room with Mark Lee, it was really overwhelming, and he was afraid he would say something embarrassing. He tries to give an easy-going smile as he adds, “Maybe another time?”
“O-Oh, sure, anytime!-“ Mark blurts out quickly, eyes widening in realization while Doyoung snickers behind them. The actor fixes his expression then, to one that Donghyuck seen him wear numerous times in movies. But his voice still relays just how much of a nervous wreck he is when he says quietly, “I mean sure, maybe another time.”
Donghyuck is sure to give Mark Lee one last smile before he walks out of the kitchen. His heart is beating so loudly in his chest that it makes him feel a bit dizzy. As soon he steps out of the kitchen, he looks around for any signs of a door leading to the garden. He spots a hallway beyond the piano and he decides to head towards it. As soon as he does, he spots glass sliding doors at the end that he knows can only lead to the garden. He tries to get his mind to focus on other things, but all he can think about is how close he had been to Mark just now and how the actor had gone out of his way to offer him assistance. Did Mark Lee think he was okay? The thought made Donghyuck delirious. He pulls back the sliding door and steps outside where he spots Jungwoo rummaging in a shed. The assistant looks back at the sound of the door sliding shut behind Donghyuck. He steps out of the shed, holding up the trowel.
“I found it!” He exclaims happily, but Donghyuck is too busy walking forward in his bliss. Jungwoo watches as the brunet boy walks forward, only to stumble a bit, making the blond man frown and rush over to steady him, “Oh no, are you okay?”
Donghyuck nods. From there, he can see the sunset painting the flowers in its burnt orange hues. He can see the rest of the city across the harbor reflected in the water. He can see the shadows of two boys skipping rocks near the boats as they wait for their friend to return. He can see his dreams coming true.
“I’m just happy.” Donghyuck admits quietly, the gratitude swelling in his chest, “I’m just really happy.”
“Me too.” Jungwoo says, pulling Donghyuck into a side hug so that their heads rest together. It’s comfortable, so Donghyuck relishes in the warmth of the gesture.
He closes his eyes and thinks of how this is only the beginning and he still has so much more left to go. But at least now, Lee Donghyuck is on his way.