Chapter Text
kim doyoung is a good person, he really is. he helps mrs. kim - the elderly woman down the street - to cross the road, he gives his sandwich to the frowny newspaper vendor occasionally and he tries to volunteer at the nearby children’s home every now and then. he’s always had a heart of gold, trying to help everyone the best he can.
but bad things happen to good people
and that’s what doyoung thinks as he finds himself getting fired after a whooping record of five days working at universe café. he had been doing such a great job, serving customers with their orders, reacting quickly to their requests and trying not to break anything in his vicinity. which is why he doesn’t stand why he has to hand over the worker’s apron (which he was getting quite fond of, despite the horrendous flower patterns) back to the diner owner, kim jongin.
“you’re a nice guy, doyoung. but kyungsoo back at the kitchens doesn’t exactly appreciate you breaking every plate and glass that you have in your hands. not to mention customers are now afraid to come in ‘cause they think you’re a serial killer with that expression on your face,” jongin says, but not with a kind smile. “i’m sure you’ll find another place to work, doyoung.”
“thanks, hyung. help me apologise to kyungsoo hyung? please?” doyoung sighs.
jongin nods with another small smile on his face. he tells doyoung he’s welcome to the diner anytime to have a cup of coffee, just not to work. the elder hands him a box of the diner’s best muffins and bids him goodbye with a wave of his hand.
aw, jongin hyung’s nice. doyoung would miss him.
“you’re telling that you just got fired from a job you just got five days ago because of your clumsy tendencies and resting bitch face? holy fuck, doyoung,” taeyong chuckles at his best friend’s predicament as he throws another plus four card.
doyoung can only sigh as he takes another four cards from the draw pile, saying, “alright, laugh at me all you want. here i was, expecting a little emotional comfort from my two best friends,” he plops to the floor dramatically, eliciting eye rolls from both taeyong and yuta.
“you know we love you, do. and we know you’ll be fine. you’ll find another job in no time,” yuta ruffles doyoung’s hair and tries to comfort him.
“i know, i know. i just wanna find a stable job y’know? it sucks that gongmyung hyung is already out there being a lawyer, helping people. i just wanna make mom and dad feel proud, for once.”
“you already know your parents, you do. they understand. and you know that they’re not ashamed of you.”
“i do know that. it’s just, i would like to make them not worry about my future so much.”
“you’ll be alright, doyoung. have faith,” taeyong smiles at his worrying best friend and abandons the card game, opting to cuddle with yuta instead.
doyoung tries to smiles back, but a wave of worry flips his stomach. he fidgets with the hem of his shirt and cards his fingers through his hair. yuta notices this, and tries to reassure him. “look, i’ll have a photoshoot gig tomorrow. i can ask around the client’s company for any vacancies, alright?” yuta asks doyoung.
doyoung’s eyes instantly light up at yuta’s promise and he flashes a gummy smile at him. yuta and taeyong chuckle at their best friend’s enthusiasm. “thank you, thank you! i knew i could trust you, even after you almost broke taeyong’s heart two years ago and made me want to kill you.”
“one, yes, i was an asshole. two, did you really have to remind me? three, you’re welcome, you little shit,” yuta rolls his eyes as he settles back into taeyong’s arms and his boyfriend pecks him on the cheek.
“disgusting.”
yuta fiddles with the lens of his camera while waiting for the model to finish his makeup. it’s an important gig for him today, shooting a model from one of korea’s most famous agencies - regular inc. - for a sports brand or something. he reckons it won’t be too tough, since the agency’s models were generally quite good already.
soon enough, a graceful boy walks into the studio and greets yuta. there’s a slight accent to his words, yuta notes, but his korean is fluent nontheless. the japanese soon learns that the model’s name is sicheng, and he’s all the way from china.
“alright, sicheng. think you could pose for me nicely?” yuta asks jokingly.
sicheng nods with a soft smile on his face and starts to pose, and yuta immediately starts doing what he does best : capturing every single edge of sicheng’s beauty in seconds. the studio is filled with the countless clicking of yuta’s camera and his shouts of praises as one by one, the photos pop out on the computer.
“alright. and that was the final shot! you’re amazing, sicheng!” yuta compliments the younger model, chuckling at the sight of the latter’s blush.
“thanks, yuta-ssi,” sicheng says while unlocking his phone.
suddenly, yuta remembers his promise to doyoung and scratches his neck. “uh, do you happen to know any job vacancies? my friend’s looking for a job right now and he really needs help,” yuta looks at sicheng imploringly.
“no, not at the moment at least. but i’ll email you if i do!” sicheng shrugs apologetically.
yuta thanks him anyway and starts to pack up his equipment. he waves goodbye to sicheng, who’s still texting someone, and loads his countless things into his car. he can’t wait to drive home and see taeyong again. he still has no job prospects to deliver to doyoung though, and he feels bad.
“for the last time, i am not going to invest in that shit company! i do not want my own company that my grandfather built up from scratch to lose money over some shoddy company that is barely stable!” jung jaehyun slams his hand down on the tempered glass desk while shouting into the phone.
“but, jaehyun-ssi we beli-”
“no, i said fucking no. now stop trying to convince me or the next thing you know is that your ass is gonna get kicked out to the curb,” jaehyun ends the fustrating conversation by slamming down the receiver.
he sighs as he threads his fingers through his ash lavender hair, already tired from the argument. why does the board keep on arguing with him? he’s already good at what he’s doing now, and his intuition never fails. ever.
“you good there, jae?” a head pops in from behind the door, and jaehyun recognises it as seo youngho from the seo banking group, also known as his best friend for a steady nine years now.
“yea, yea. you know how those old geezers get,” jaehyun chuckles mirthlessly as he tidies up the papers on his desk. he checks his phone for updates, sighing when two clients are requesting for meetings again. guess he’ll have to sort out his schedule tonight and pray that he gets enough sleep.
“y’know, you should really get an assistant. it’s not the first time i’ve said this, i know, but you’ve got way too much on your plate right now to deal with alone. think about it, jae,” youngho cocks an eyebrow at jaehyun.
jaehyun just sighs and plops himself on the couch next to his desk. he closes his eyes for a bit, contemplating over what youngho said. he’s right, jaehyun begrudgingly agrees. he’s gotten so much busier with upcoming fundraisers and meetings, maybe an assistant could be some help. it’ll be easier to sort out his schedule anyways.
“fine. i’ll ask HR to put out some notices,” jaehyun says, rolling his eyes when youngho fist pumps the air.
“what notices?” another familiar person steps into the room. it’s another one of jaehyun’s best friends, dong sicheng. he’s known sicheng ever since childhood, and they’ve been through thick and thin over and over again.
sicheng’s face is still stained with makeup, but the chinese still looks as adorable as he is. his hair is dolled up and pushed back to show his forehead, and jaehyun understands why his best friend managed to snag the nation’s heart with just a shy smile at the airport.
“notices for an assistant. jae finally woke up,” youngho waves around his arms to emphasise his point, making jaehyun want to kick him out from the office.
sicheng wolf-whistles at this, clapping sarcastically and slowly for his best friend. “congrats, jae. you’ve finally grown brain cells and made good decisions!” he teases.
jaehyun only groans and throws a pillow at his two friends, missing them by inches. sicheng just chuckles at this while youngho acts frightened at the offending pillow. jaehyun seriously wonders why he’s still friends with them.
“you’re back! doyoung’s back at the kitchen,” taeyong greets yuta with a peck on the latter’s lips and a hug.
yuta tugs his boyfriend’s hand as they walk into the kitchen, where doyoung is making his signature sweet potato wedges. the sight of it reminds yuta of their college days, making him reminiscence for a while about how so many memories were made in that cramped dorm room, both good and bad.
“how was the shoot today?” doyoung asks as he slides the plate onto the counter towards yuta.
“it was good. sicheng’s an amazing model,” yuta says while tucking into the snack, flashing doyoung a thumbs-up at the delicious treat.
“sicheng? as in dong sicheng? oh, he’s new at the company. he’s so adorable, you should have seen how much taeil hyung was babying him on the first day he came in,” taeyong giggles as he remembers the actions of his manager towards the younger chinese boy, all clingy and loving.
yuta and doyoung laugh at this, knowing how attached taeil gets to new models, especially the cute ones. they haven’t seen taeil in a while, maybe he can come over for dinner, doyoung thinks.
“any job chances?” doyoung asks yuta with furrowed eyebrows.
“im sorry, doie, but sicheng said he would ema-” yuta says before getting interrupted by a ping! from his phone. “hold on, just a sec.”
he unlocks his phone, confused at why someone is contacting him at night. an email notification appears at the top of his phone screen and he feels his heart stop beating for a single millisecond. fingers quivering, he taps on it, eyes widening further when the sender is sicheng. he already knows what it is, and he excitedly shoves his phone into doyoung’s face, startling the latter.
“huh? why are you showing me this?” doyoung looks from yuta’s phone to him questioningly, not getting the point. yuta slaps his forehead and gestures to the device, mouthing sicheng and job.
doyoung figures out what he’s trying to say, and he covers his mouth with the palm of his hand. hand shaking, he taps on the icon and exhales loudly.
yuta-ssi, it’s sicheng here! i just found out there’s a brand new job opening at my friend’s company. it’s neo culture technology corp., the one that makes games and stuff. anyways, the ceo, jung jaehyun’s looking for an assistant to help him and stuff. i think maybe your friend could try? jiayou!
doyoung finishes reading the email the same the couple finally understands it. they smile at doyoung widely, happy to see the hopeless eyes of their best friend become lighted up again with giddiness and hope.
“should i apply?” doyoung bounces on the balls of his feet repeatedly, excitement oozing out his being.
“of course!” taeyong exclaims, “you’d be stupid not to!”
yuta only smiles at his boyfriend’s words and his best friend’s happiness. he feels accomplished, finally managing to repay doyoung for everything the latter has done for him, including giving love advice, letting him copy off his homework, doing the laundry and all that. doyoung’s one of the people he loves the most and it was painful for him to see his best friend struggle for so long.
doyoung-ah, you’ll be alright. tae and i will make sure you’ll never be too unhappy again.