Work Text:
“oh shoot, i’m late”
Jeon Wonwoo is running down the train station when he realizes that he has exactly 10 minutes left before he supposed to turn up at his workplace, a publishing company where he works as an editor, a job he landed when he graduated from university. The pay is good, and he loves his job and his colleagues are all nice and friendly, that’s why he can’t afford to taint his perfect record of being a nice employee by coming late to his work for the first time.
“Urgh this is why i shouldn’t stay up late watching that stupid show”
Wonwoo rarely stay up late to watch show on television yet he did that because well, who can resist the latest episode of Sherlock series?
The luck must be on his bad side today, right when he was walking down the stairs in hurry, he accidentally trip on the last step of the stairs and fall down facing the hard, cold floor. He immediately tries to get up as fast as possible to save himself from the embarrassment of being stared by other people nearby him but then he sense a sharp pain on one of his knee, he rolls up his trouser and can see that there’s a bit of blood probably because of the harsh friction between his knee and the rough texture of the floor of the train station. He tries to get over the pain and walks in hurry noticing that there’s only 7 minutes left before the clock turn to 9.00 AM.
Just then, he can feel someone’s hand tapping on his shoulder. When he looks behind him, a guy around his age coloured in the sweetest golden caramel skin while wearing the most adorable smile ever, dressing in black dress shirt and ripped jeans makes a hand gestures as if he’s asking Wonwoo if he’s okay with a concerned expression on his face.
Wonwoo is baffled at first, before he realizes that the guy in front of him is waiting for his answer. Forgettting the fact that there’s only few minutes left, Wonwoo immediately say “ah i’m okay, just a minor injury on my knee” with a small smile dedicated to the guy who seems to be few centimeters taller than Wonwoo.
As in return, that unknown guy give Wonwoo a small smile too before he takes out something from the bag he carries on his side, and pass it to Wonwoo. Turns out it’s a band-aid with a cute little cartoon characters on it’s cover. That stranger makes a small gesture pointing to Wonwoo’s knee before he bow down and walk away, not forgetting to give Wonwoo that radiant smile that Wonwoo has come to love eventhough they only had meet each other for less than 5 minutes.
A flustered Wonwoo suddenly realizes that, that stranger is walking away from him, “Thank you for this band-aid!” He shouts a bit so that he can hear him. The stranger turns around and only give Wonwoo a small smile and nod.
Entering the office with a sigh, he immediately go straight to his boss, telling him the reason on why he’s coming late. He thinks, there’s no use for him to lie anyway, might as well be honest and tell him that he woke up late because he watched the television until late AM.
“It’s okay Wonwoo, you’ve been good this whole time, so it’s fine for you to cut some slack once in a while” His boss, Jeonghan laugh a bit while saying that. This is why Wonwoo loves working at his company, his boss is very nice and understanding, and all his colleagues are fun to work with too.
“Thank you, Boss, you’re the best”
Walking back to his desk, Wonwoo keeps thinking about that guy who gave him the band-aid just now. He was undoubtedly, one of the most gorgeous person Wonwoo has ever met and Wonwoo wants to know that person better. He regrets not asking for his contact number or anything, if he did, maybe he can use an excuse like a coffee date to repay that tall guy’s kindness and also to get to know him better.
“Oh well, maybe i’ll bump into him again someday”
Few days after that, at the same train station, Wonwoo bump into the gorgeous stranger again. That guy is walking in opposite direction of Wonwoo’s path so he immediately turns around and head to the said person.
“Excuse me”
The tall gorgeous guy turns around. Today he’s wearing a white tshirt with a navy blue outer coat, and a skinny black jeans, a style that Wonwoo really adore.
Wonwoo is a bit nervous at first, he’s not used to be the one who starts a conversation first, but then he takes a deep breath and -
“Ah i’m not sure if you remember me? last few days i fell down and you gave me a band aid for my knee?”
The handsome stranger gives Wonwoo a big smile and nod. Wonwoo wonder why he didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry that i didn’t give you a proper thank you that day, i was rushing to work at that time and completely forgot my manners. So.... if you’re free today, can i treat you to a coffee or something? i..i mean you can say no if you are not comfortable... but i really wanna repay your gesture that day..”
Wonwoo hope that guy will finally say something but then he takes out what looks like a notepad from his sling bag and write something on it:
“Its okay, it wasn’t a big deal”
That ticked something in Wonwoo’s mind, “is he a mute person?” no wonder Wonwoo hasn’t heard his voice up until now.
“No, please let me, it’s the least i can do” Wonwoo said with a small smile, he don’t want to seems awkward for just noticing that the gorgeous guy in front of him is mute, not that Wonwoo minds or anything.
That guy respond with another writing on his notepad “Okay then :)” that little smiley was so cute it makes Wonwoo’s heart flutter a bit.
“What’s your name? my name is Wonwoo”
“Mingyu”
Mingyu, what a beautiful name.
—-
After exchanging contact number, they both agreed to meet at the small coffee shop in front of the train station after work hours. Wonwoo is a bit excited because for some reason, he really wants to know Mingyu better. So so excited that he feels time was running low at his office.
After 5.00 PM, Wonwoo finished his job and head straight to the coffee shop. When he arrives there, he notices that Mingyu is already there, waiting for him.
“I’m sorry, am i late? have you been waiting long for me?”
Smiling, Mingyu write something on his notepad,
“Nah i just arrived too!”
Wonwoo wonder if it’s bothering for Mingyu to keeps writing on his notepad. He wants to ask Mingyu if he’d like to just type it on his phone or anything yet he don’t want to seem rude for asking that. Truthfully, Wonwoo has never had a friend or family with a speaking disability, so he don’t know what is okay, and what is not to ask and converse with them.
While Wonwoo’s in a deep thought, it must has caught Mingyu’s attention so Mingyu write something on his notepad and place it in front of Wonwoo.
“are you okay? you seem troubled”
Wonwoo immediately say, “ah no, no i actually was thinking... that if it was easier for you to just type it on your phone instead of using your notepad? i mean, i don’t want you to waste your paper for me...”
Mingyu burst out a silent laugh, and that makes Wonwoo’s heart blooming like baby’s breath and Wonwoo suddenly decided that was the cutest thing he has ever seen.
“Its okay, i’m more comfortable like this. Don’t worry”
Mingyu proceed to to give Wonwoo a big smile showing his cute canine teeth after writing that.
And just like that, they converse and talk about lot of things all night long. Wonwoo knows now that Mingyu is a year younger than him, working part time as a florist while studying architecture at a nearby college. He likes the colour red, and his hobby is cooking. His favourite food is fried chicken and he’s a big fan of sweet things.
In return, Wonwoo also tells Mingyu a lot of facts about himself. That he’s now 24 years old, working as a writer, likes to read a lot of literature stuff and allergic to seafood. Wonwoo also tells Mingyu that he’s actually an introvert person and rarely will make the first move to know someone but something about Mingyu makes him wanna do so, and Wonwoo can’t help but notice a small blush on Mingyu when he said that.
Wonwoo also has come to known a new fact that night- that he himself has developed a small crush on this guy named Mingyu.
-
After their first coffee date, they didnt stop at that and keeps messaging each other through Kakao Talk. Wonwoo then learned that despite of Mingyu’s disability, Mingyu is actually quite a big talker and a big child at heart. His random cute texts always makes Wonwoo’s day becomes brighter when he reads them.
“Did you saw that cute fox mascot at the station? HE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU”
“help me - my best friend, Minghao said he’ll ignore me if i talk about my favourite manga again, what did i do to deserve a friend like him? ;-;”
“i managed to bake a perfect opera cake today. it’s so delicious! looks good right?? (Mingyu send an image)”
Sometimes, Wonwoo will visit Mingyu at his workplace and then they will go to have some coffee or ice cream together.
They will talk about a lot of random things, after that Mingyu will teach Wonwoo few basics of sign language and then Mingyu will proceed to laugh silently everytime Wonwoo tries to horribly repeat what Mingyu has taught him.
Wonwoo then decided that this newfound friendship, is the best thing that ever occurred to him.
Day after day, Wonwoo realizes that Mingyu has truly makes him happy and he intended to be more than just a friend with Mingyu. The only problem is he doesn’t know whether Mingyu will reciprocate his feeling or not. He knows Mingyu sometimes blush because of what Wonwoo said, or he won’t pretend that he didn’t notice that comforting smile Mingyu gave to him whenever Wonwoo came to meet him but Wonwoo can’t decipher whether if it was Mingyu being himself or Mingyu having feeling for him.
One day, after gathering all the courage he has, Wonwoo invites Mingyu for another usual coffee date and they meet at the coffee shop where they first have drinks together.
After ordering their beverages, Wonwoo man up and call for Mingyu -
“Mingyu, i.... wanna say something to you... i know we just know each other but.. i think i... like you? no, no i’m sure that i like you” said Wonwoo while closing his eyes because he’s so nervous to see Mingyu’s reaction.
After realizing that Mingyu hasn’t said anything, Wonwoo open his eyes and then he see that Mingyu has shed a few tears. Mingyu then proceed to write something on his notepad -
“I’m sorry”
and then Mingyu wakes up from his seat and go away, without saying anything.
And Wonwoo thinks that time was his lowest point of his pathetic life.
-
After being dumped by Mingyu without any explanation, they both stopped talking to each other. There’s no more random texts that Wonwoo always received from Mingyu, and Wonwoo thinks that his confession to Mingyu must be the stupidest thing he’s ever done because he can deal with only being friends with Mingyu if it means that they can still meet and talk to each other but no, Wonwoo has just to ruin it just because of his stupid feeling.
Sometimes, Wonwoo has this urge to pop up at Mingyu’s workplace or college just to apologize to him so that they can continue being friend but he’s not sure if Mingyu wants to see him again and it irritates Wonwoo because all he wanna do is to see Mingyu again. To watch him smiling, to see the sun shines on his golden caramel skin, to see him writing every words he wants to say to Wonwoo on his cute notepad, to watch Mingyu burst the cutest silent laugh whenever he manages to make him smile and most importantly, he just wants to be near Mingyu.
But Wonwoo knows he’s too late.
—
Three weeks after they stopped contacting each other, Wonwoo is surprised when a guy named Minghao that Wonwoo knows is Mingyu’s best friend is waiting for him outside his office after work hours.
“Hello, i’m sorry for randomly appearing here. I remember Mingyu told me that you work here. Can i talk to you? It’s about Mingyu”
Wonwoo is hesitant at first, he thought that there’s something wrong with Mingyu.
“Sure... what’s wrong?... Mingyu is ok right?”
“He’s okay but... he’s actually not okay. Look, i know you confessed to him few weeks ago. He came to my house crying about you and i know he rejected you but please believe me, he actually likes you so much. You’re the only one he kept talking about for the past few months”
Wonwoo is shocked when he hears that, he takes a few seconds to process what Minghao said to him - it sounds so unbelievable considering how Mingyu react when Wonwoo confessed to him.
“Why did you tell me this? i think Mingyu has made it pretty clear when he rejected me last time...”
“Because, ever since that time, he’s never put up a smile again. He’s always mopping and seems so down whenever i talked to him”
“But if he likes me.. then why did he run away? he told me that he’s sorry when i confessed to him, isn’t that means he can’t return my feeling for him..?”
Sighing, Minghao then proceeded to say,
“You see, Mingyu is actually quite insecure with his disability... he thinks him being mute will be a burden to anyone who will end up together with him. Last 2 years, there’s this guy that he’s dating that dumped him after few weeks just because he can’t stand all the silence when they’re together. It took quite a toll on him and that’s why he thinks he didn’t deserve you. He’s scared the same thing will repeat again”
Wonwoo’s heart shatters into pieces when he heard that, he can’t believe despite Mingyu’s bright personality, he’s actually very insecure about himself. Wonwoo didn’t realize it because Mingyu has never shown him any sign that he’s struggling with his inability to speak.
“Here, i’ll give you his address. Just go and talk to him, please give you and him a chance again. I know you both deserve each other”
After thanking Minghao, Wonwoo then head straight to the given address. In his minds was, he just wants to hug Mingyu now.
—
When he arrives at Mingyu’s house, he takes a few moments to calm himself and then he gives a few knocks on Mingyu’s door.
When Mingyu opens the door, he seems very suprised to see Wonwoo.
“Mingyu, hey, hello. Look, please just hear what i wanna say. I like you, a lot and i know about your past relationship and i want to assure you that i’ll never treat you like that. Ever since you came into my life, you’re the only companion that i’ll ever need. You make my day brighter and i love everything about you, i love your random cute texts, i love your cute canine teeth, i love your charming smile, i love everything about you and that includes your disability. Eventhough it’s silence all the time, my life has never been louder other than whenever i’m with you”
After saying that, Wonwoo then try to regain his breath and then he realizes that Mingyu is crying with the goofiest smile ever plastered on his face and he then immediately comes to Wonwoo to hugs him.
Wonwoo hugs Mingyu back and oh god, how he has been missing him so much. He missed being near to Mingyu, being able to sense him and see him. He miss everything about them and that time, that moment he thinks, Mingyu is the only one he will ever love.
After hugging for a while, Wonwoo let Mingyu go and takes a few steps back
“So... i have confessed to you twice already, don’t you want to give some sort of response..?”
Mingyu shrugs, he then say something to Wonwoo in a sign language :
“I like you too, idiot”
“What’s that means? is that you like me too? but you said i’m idiot too? i remember you taught me a sign for idiot that day!” Wonwoo whines adorably.
Mingyu burst a silent laugh, he then takes a hold of Wonwoo’s waist and bring him closer, he lift Wonwoo’s chin with his hand and gives Wonwoo a meaningful stare. Wonwoo is startled at first but still he leans up and stares at Mingyu’s puffy lips. They both are unsure on what should they do, but after that they both move closer at the same time and then...
And then they kiss.
And somehow that kiss turns into kisses and leads them to their most unforgettable night, spending in Mingyu’s bedroom.
—
The next morning, Wonwoo wakes up and he looks at Mingyu who is sleeping next to him, they both are naked and cuddled closer so that they can get warm from the cold air around them. Wonwoo stares at Mingyu’s sleeping face, with his hair tousled around them. He looks so perfect to Wonwoo, he then lift up his finger to grace it on Mingyu’s cheek and that gesture seems to make Mingyu up from his sleep.
“Morning”
mouthed Mingyu with his shining smile.
“Morning, gorgeous”
They both continue to stares at each other, looking at each other longingly, knowing that this will be the start of their life together.
And because they seems to can’t get enough of each other, they started their morning with a kiss, that turns into lot of kisses too.