Work Text:
When Minho isn't in the airport lounge, hunched over his laptop and glued to his phone on an international conference call, he can be found at the quietest Starbucks at the terminal, reviewing their seasonal drinks for the anonymous Frappuccino critic Instagram page he runs with Jisung, or floating from one duty free shop to another in an attempt to find hand gifts for his people back home. Along the way, he consistently manages to discover new things worth noting down about the airport, such as the strongest free WiFi access points, discounted pastries for when he lands past dinnertime, and the best shops for last-minute traditional souvenir shopping. And in the spirit of sharing, he lists all the notable spots (along with how much iPhones cost in that country, because Changbin would always ask) on the shared Google doc between him and his closest friends from work, complete with tables listing their pros and cons and all. He's good at being organised like that.
If Minho wishes though, he's always welcome to stay in the exclusive lounge until boarding time like all his fellow consultant colleagues commonly do. It's a perk of the job after all—but Lee Minho is 25 and treats his pet cats like his siblings; calls his parents only to ask them to angle the camera just right so he can watch Soonie and Doongie play on the overhead cat playground he’d bought for them last summer. He maintains a routine to make every city (or, alright, airport) visited feel purposeful and personal, especially since his job requires him to travel twice a week at minimum; it’s second nature to fabricate a sense of familiarity in the strangest of places, just to keep himself sane.
Today isn’t one of those more adventurous days, unfortunately. He’s seated in a lounge at Schiphol in Amsterdam, a looming deadline over his head and a fully-charged laptop in front of him. He has another 2 hours of layover before he has to board his flight to Seoul, leaving him about an hour and a half to get this deck completed and sent to his senior, and just under 15 minutes to get something for Hyunjin from the snack aisle. A few packs of stroopwafels should do—Hyunjin always inhales those in the blink of an eye.
Next to his plate of Greek salad, his phone buzzes.
HYUNJIN
sry doble chekcing
u land at 4pm?
MINHO
Yeah
Don’t you have a project debrief?
HYUNJIN
woa stop stalkign my claendar?
MINHO
You were literally the one who sent me a calendar sharing permission request
HYUNJIN
seungmn can take over
i jus t wont hve lunch outside
its all good
MINHO
Thanks man
It’s 2am, go to sleep
HYUNJIN
np djde
nah i was jus finishng up this issue tree
whybdidn t u tell me mr park was a btich
oops
said that as a feriend, not a mentee btw
ok
NITE
u kno wher to find me tmr!
11 hours and 2 completed PowerPoint presentations later, Minho finds Hyunjin’s car outside Gate 9, as per usual. He’s surprised that Hyunjin arrived just in time considering it’s a Friday and the streets are normally jam-packed at this hour. He raises a hand to wave at Hyunjin, who remains seated in the driver’s seat. Hyunjin smiles back, bright and welcoming against the sunglasses perched on his nose. It’s a familiar sight.
As if on cue, Hyunjin pops open his trunk as Minho approaches closer. Minho lifts his carry-on suitcase into the car, moves over to the passenger side and throws himself onto the seat.
“Hi,” greets Hyunjin, beating him to it. Also as per usual. “You look awful.”
“Didn’t get any sleep on the plane,” Minho huffs. “Had to work on my decks because they’re moving up the timeline.”
“Do you want to go to the office then? Or should I take you home?” Hyunjin asks as he begins driving, eyes on the rear-view mirror, tongue sticking out his mouth. Minho looks away to put on his seatbelt.
“Home would be nice,” Minho ponders, pursing his lips. “But what about your debrief?”
“Seungmin’s taking over,” Hyunjin says airily. “I just need to make some expert calls, and then I’m done for the day.” Hyunjin is big-boned, tall, so even as he leans back in his seat, he still looks dignified. A sight that, without fail, always reminds Minho to sit up and fix his own posture.
“You can come over,” Minho offers. “Driving back to the office would just be an extra hour of traffic.”
“Right?” Hyunjin replies, tapping his fingers on the wheel. “It wasn’t this bad when I was on my way here.”
It’s natural when Minho’s hand finds its way to Hyunjin’s head. “So? My place?”
Laughing, Hyunjin nods at him. “Sure, I’m gonna need to use your Polycom though.”
See, being a management consultant is not a bad job at all. It’s pretty terrific, in fact. You get to fly business class sometimes, and upon joining, Minho was soon registered under five different luxury hotel chains’ rewards programs. It goes without saying that the work hours can be terrible and the social functions exhausting, but Minho finds enjoyment in cataloguing the best wines he’s tasted on the job for him to later forward the names and years to his father. He buys his mother a new handbag or perfume every now and then as an apology for not visiting often enough, and she’ll receive them with a smile as she asks, "Another excuse to not come home next month?"
He never knows how to respond; just laughs quietly and hugs her one more time before heading back to his apartment downtown.
Which is why, on rare Saturdays like this, he chooses to sleep in and have his food delivered, conserving his energy for the endless meetings and revisions he has to plow through next week. He eats his dinner in bed, accidentally leaving it in the cold of his room when he’s reminded of the half-finished pre-read he has yet to populate.
And he still needs to pack for Sunday’s flight.
It’s not a routine for everyone, but Minho, who has mastered the art of biting his tongue and faking a convincing smile, is always one step ahead of reality before it can swallow him whole. Or so he believes.
Minho spends the following week in Dubai, avoiding the scorching heat by staying indoors for the most part. He’s overseeing a new system implementation, which means he’s attached to the hip with his client counterparts, who seem to have no problem communicating in English, rendering the assigned translator useless. During lunch on Tuesday, he strikes up small talk with the translator to stop himself from feeling bad for her. He buys her a lamb kebab the next day and lets her know, with a pitiful grimace, that they won’t be needing her services anymore.
MINHO
Why does everyone
Keep wasting money on translators
When the clients speak perfect English????
HYUNJIN
having translaotrs
is a dumb intiative tbh
like jsut make the smummer analysts do it
MINHO
Says you who were a summer analyst once
HYUNJIN
why do uthikn i made the sugggestion???
Minho laughs at the reply. At least he has Hyunjin who’s 5 hours ahead and still up preparing for his Business Analyst performance review.
MINHO
How’s your prep going?
HYUNJIN
ca n we have a call tmr?
need 30m of ur time
Being the good mentor that he is, Minho has no other choice but to say:
MINHO
Of course
Two seconds later, his inbox pings with a notification for a new calendar invite.
HYUNJIN
booked!
Their call only lasts for 15 minutes, to Hyunjin’s dismay. Minho is in the middle of advising him on how to structure his problem statement better when his client calls him on his local number, begging him to drop a visit because they can’t figure out why the software isn’t booting up. He apologises to Hyunjin briefly, promising a quick call on his way to the airport tomorrow.
“Aw,” he can hear Hyunjin pout on the other end of the line. "Talk to you tomorrow, then.”
Four floors down from the client office, that for some reason is located inside a mall, is a pet supply store. Having only a 15-minute window between his last meeting of the day and his scheduled departure for the airport, Minho runs to the store and purchases a dog harness with Hyunjin’s pet in mind. He picks one that has 'I ❤ Dubai' embossed on the side, convinced that Hyunjin is cheesy like that, which is why it’s so easy, getting him gifts. If it was difficult, Minho wouldn’t have made half the effort. As the cashier returns his card at the checkout, Minho thanks himself for being so good at time management.
Many hours later, when he hops in the car that's waiting for him at Gate 9 and hands Hyunjin the box, he tells him, “For Kkami.”
Under the streetlights, Hyunjin’s smile is akin to something a little more than adoration. Minho tries to ignore it.
On Sunday night, Minho receives a short memo in his inbox stating that he doesn’t need to travel the following week due to an urgent board meeting. He’s mostly happy about not needing to head to the airport at dawn, but also slightly annoyed because he already packed.
MINHO
Hey
I’m not flying out
HYUNJIN
OMG?
YES
thats graet
lets run ovr my slides 1 more time?
MINHO
Sure
Lunch? Tomorrow?
HYUNJIN
it’s a date!
MINHO
I’m blushing!
HYUNJIN
ur also paying !
He takes Hyunjin out for lunch at the burger joint on the basement floor of their office building, making sure to order extra cheese on Hyunjin’s fries, just the way he likes them.
Hyunjin beams when their order arrives, his screen illuminating his face. He moves his laptop aside to make room for the food, slurps loudly on his coke while he looks Minho straight in the eye. “Do you think I’ll do well?”
Minho chuckles, taking a bite of his burger. “You pretty much have everything down to the last detail,” he says earnestly. “Do you think you’ll do well?”
Hyunjin’s eyes twinkle, and Minho wants to blame the bad lighting. “I think I’ll just have to try my best.”
“You’ll do fine. You’re good at thinking on your feet.”
“You’re better.”
“I know.”
Hyunjin’s eyes turn into crescents at that, making Minho feel small. “I’ll kick ass tomorrow,” he says conversationally. And then he tacks on, “For you.”
For all Minho knows (okay, he might’ve eavesdropped a little when he passed by the assessment room as he beelined for the communal pantry), Hyunjin did incredibly well in his performance review. Minho wasn’t allowed to be in the room, of course, because he’s a mentor. He did send a glowing feedback for Hyunjin to his Partner prior to the presentation though, commending him on his negotiation skills and analytical thinking, supported by a dash of dazzling client testimonials.
Mr. Song from the client’s corporate strategy team has told me many times that Hyunjin continuously brings clarity to their work even during the most complicated of transitions, which I think is an incredible achievement given he’s only starting out, it said.
So when he spots an upset-looking Hyunjin at his desk, his hand automatically reaches out to ruffle Hyunjin’s hair as a way to break the ice.
“Only one of us is getting promoted,” Hyunjin starts, “I didn’t know it was a competition.”
Minho's hand stops at the nape of Hyunjin’s neck. “Come again?”
Hyunjin turns his wheeled chair to face Minho. He sighs, “They only have one Associate spot open, so it’s either me or Seungmin.” Hyunjin looks kind of scary like this, forehead furrowed and eyes unsure. “I always thought we’d make Associate together.”
“And if you don't?”
“It’s not the same,” Hyunjin almost pleads. “Won’t it be embarrassing?”
Minho stares at him, confused. “Why would it be embarrassing?”
“I don’t know,” Hyunjin says defensively. “Won’t you be embarrassed?”
Minho wonders loudly, “And why would I be embarrassed?”
Hyunjin looks at Minho’s hand that’s wrapped around his wrist. “I don’t know,” repeats Hyunjin. “Don’t you hate falling short of people’s expectations too?” he asks, voice low. He’s tinkering with Minho’s bracelet, cupping Minho's hand in his. His shoulders are slumped, a minuscule dip.
Minho, like many others, has had his fair share of failures. His time in university wasn’t exactly a smooth one, nor was the process of landing this job. He prides himself in his ability to compartmentalise, though. He might drink his sorrows off one night, but by the next morning, it’ll be a new day, a blank canvas. And here's the thing about the industry: you’re not supposed to get attached.
“We all do,” Minho says in the end, knows that sugarcoating doesn’t work on Hyunjin. “Success isn’t linear, Hyunjin.”
The next week, they find out that it’s Seungmin who’s been promoted. Minho’s heart sinks when he reads the email, and he wonders why, so he tries to mask his confusion as too many espresso shots in his morning coffee. They announce the good news again at the weekly townhall, at which Minho arrived late from his meeting all the way on the other end of the city. Minho walks up to Seungmin to congratulate him, but his eyes are frantically searching the room for Hyunjin.
The day drags on, a heavy mass in his already packed calendar. He knows he’ll get over it tomorrow, but as of this moment, the guilt of failing to set Hyunjin up for success is a big distraction. He keeps glancing at his phone, expecting a text. Nothing happens, and he ignores the disappointment in his chest.
When he spots Hyunjin waiting for the elevator far later into the night, he runs for him but misses his chance by a fraction. He still takes the next elevator down, continues running to the parking lot and to the area he knows Hyunjin has his car parked in. It’s not his day, because Hyunjin drives away before Minho could get to him, leaving Minho out of breath and feeling like he is, in fact, being avoided, for being the terrible senior he is.
After every project, Minho gets 2 weeks off. He hasn’t seen or heard from Hyunjin ever since the one-sided run-in; decides it would probably be best to leave him alone for a while. He books a last-minute return ticket to Bali, because they say the beaches are great there—he doesn’t know yet, he’s never been. When he lands, Woojin and Chan are there to pick him up. Friends-from-college duties. In the car, they tell him about the startup they’re building and how Minho should join them one day, and Minho laughs lightly at that, even though deep down he’s thinking about how weird it would be, having a job that doesn’t involve Hyunjin waiting for him by the arrival gate.
Minho kisses exactly 2 girls that weekend and has too many drinks, as expected from a break well spent with Woojin and Chan.
On their last day, they head to the beach club, and Minho figures it was only a matter of time until the dam would break anyway, so he spills it all on them: the good and the bad, the way Hyunjin’s mole disappears when he laughs with eyes and the random text messages Minho is missing greatly.
“Is it my fault? It’s my fault, right?” Minho ventures wistfully after a long monologue.
Woojin takes a sip from his beer bottle. “Had you not specified who Hyunjin is, I would’ve thought you were having relationship problems.”
Minho groans and the sun hits him right in the eye, mocking him.
“Same here,” Chan chirps from the bean bag behind them. “You sound like you care an awful lot about this guy. And not just because you want him to succeed on the job.”
“Of course I care about him, he’s my friend.”
Woojin and Chan share a questioning look. “But you wouldn't mind if he were more, would you?”
Minho, against his better judgment, folds himself further into his seat and refuses to answer.
(And what Woojin and Chan, those nosy motherfuckers, don’t need to know is that Minho stops by a famous souvenir shop on his way to the airport to buy an 'I ❤ Bali' t-shirt for Hyunjin, more because he cares about Hyunjin’s growing collection, less because of how good he thinks Hyunjin would look in it.)
It’s a Monday when Minho gets back to the office, ready to dive into a new project he’s staffed on, confused as to why he can’t seem to find Hyunjin. He asks around, and grows increasingly shocked as he keeps getting Hyunjin’s in Mumbai, he got posted to a new project, didn’t you hear? as a response. Why Hyunjin didn’t tell him a single word about it is beyond him. He opens his reminders app and inputs text Jinnie before he kicks off his team charter meeting.
He’s almost ashamed of how distracted he is during it—all he manages to catch is that he’ll be with Jisung and Changbin this time, their client is a healthcare giant and therefore the project is highly sensitive with a lot more traveling involved than usual as they have to take care of several sites of operations, they’ll fly to Istanbul next week to spend some time with the clients on-site, which—wait, is when Hyunjin will be back, which means Minho won’t get to talk to him face to face before he leaves, which kind of puts Minho in a sour mood.
As soon as he leaves the room, he pulls out his phone and taps on his keyboard briskly.
MINHO
You're in India?
HYUNJIN
last time i chexked mumbai is in india
yes
MINHO
Have fun
10 minutes pass, and then:
HYUNJIN
bali wasnt on ur clanedar
why wasnt bali on ur calendar
MINHO
Eh
It was a last-minute thing
HYUNJIN
>_>
MINHO
How did you find out I went to Bali?
HYUNJIN
so i wasnt supposd to kno w??
MINHO
I’m sure you know that’s not what I meant
HYUNJIN
wtvr
asshole
As it turns out, Mumbai is on Hyunjin’s calendar. Minho simply didn't notice and he wishes there was another explanation besides he’s a horrible friend. No wonder Hyunjin called him an asshole. Hwang Hyunjin doesn’t call people assholes.
Minho figures he’ll return the favour this time. He double-checks Hyunjin’s schedule and the next thing he knows, he’s driving his car to the airport and pulling up outside Gate 9, a view that makes Hyunjin stand still, shocked, while Minho's heart bangs loudly against his ribcage.
“Shared calendar, remember?” Minho tries to explain levelly. His hands are shaking, though, so he hides them under his thighs as Hyunjin clicks open the door and takes his seat.
“This is awkward,” Hyunjin mutters under his breath once they’re on the road. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to avoid you.”
Minho manages a shaky, “It’s cool,” and smiles, because he means it. Something inside him doesn’t want to lose Hyunjin to a miscommunication like that. It’s not worth it.
“I just…” Hyunjin hesitates, frowning, “was really embarrassed.” His lips are in a straight line. Minho knows he’s overthinking his next sentence. “I hope you don’t mind that I switched mentors.”
“Oh.” That was unexpected.
Hyunjin visibly deflates next to him. “No hard feelings, right?”
“Hyunjin,” Minho calls out softly, because he realises he likes the name on his lips, “of course not,” he says, reassuring, somewhat relieved even though this change is a testament to how unreliable he was. “I was terrible, wasn’t I?” he asks sheepishly.
“No no no, you were great.” Hyunjin twists his body so he’s facing Minho. It looks ridiculous but it’s one of his habits—Minho recognises this one as his apologetic mode. “I just need a mentor I don’t continuously want to impress.”
Minho cocks his head, puzzled. “Impress?” he stresses. “You wanted to impress me?”
“Yogurfhg,” is what Minho hears next. He looks at Hyunjin with a smile, shoots him a look that says, I can’t hear you. Hyunjin doesn't say anything in response, just fixes his eyes on the highway, which is truly ridiculous, if you ask Minho.
It’s a comfortable silence, and Minho decides not to pester. He knows a thing or two about people like Hyunjin, those who end up sympathising for a client’s sob story more than they let on, those who don’t mind staying up just to teach the summer interns cool Excel shortcuts. Or, now that he thinks about it, maybe just a certain Hwang Hyunjin, who will come out of his shell eventually. And it instantly registers in Minho’s head, that yes, for him, he has all the time in the world.
HYUNJIN
omg
Sent a photo: [2910837.jpg]
why didntu give me it in the car
MINHO
I only found out when you’d be back after I mailed it!
Sorry
HYUNJIN
pls!!!
Sent a photo: [2910838.jpg]
hehe doesnt it lok good on me
:))))
MINHO
Stop smiling at your phone
HYUNJIN
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thx!!!!!!!!!!!!
i love it
<3
MINHO
But yeah
Yeah you look good
HYUNJIN
???????
:D
Minho's time in Istanbul passes by in a blur, and he’s been unable to ignore the growing restlessness in his chest. It’s similar to anticipation, but he can’t pinpoint for what.
“Oh my gosh,” Changbin exclaims out of nowhere. They’re at the airport waiting for their flight back to Seoul, and both have their laptops open at a Starbucks, having chosen a table that's closest to their boarding gate. They're having Turkish delight special drinks this month. “You’re in love with Hyunjin.”
Minho stares at him, perplexed, not exactly understanding. “What the fuck?”
“You’re in love with Hyunjin. It’s why you’ve been giving really shitty ideas—”
“—excuse me?”
“—because you were so distracted! You’re not in control and it’s bothering you! Because if you were, you would’ve told him the truth, that you want something more.” Changbin is saying all of this without sounding apologetic in the slightest, and it embarrasses Minho how well he’s reading him. This is why people, mostly clients, fear Changbin. “But you didn’t, because you’re afraid you’ll make things awkward, especially since you were his mentor.”
Minho sits frozen in his chair uncomfortably, searching Changbin’s face for a conclusion. He hates not being able to predict where the conversation is going.
“Oh, Minho…”
“Don’t oh Minho me, Bin.”
“I hope you’ll soon realise how whipped he is for you, too.”
“What.”
Changbin continues sipping on his drink, eyebrows raised at Minho. “Go, I know you want to get him something.”
“How do you know I always get him something?”
Changbin's jaw goes slack as he says, “For someone so smart, you really are, excuse my language, a fucking idiot.” He shakes his head, appalled. “Out of your numerous trips, do you remember how many times you got me a gift?”
“Um.” Minho can’t even feign confidence at this point. “Three?” he suggests in a quiet voice.
“One, Minho,” Changbin hisses. “You got me a graphic phone case with a Union Jack on it. And what did you get for Hyunjin that time?”
Minho remembers exactly what. “A set of Jo Malone diffusers,” they end up saying simultaneously. “He was moving into his new studio apartment, it was a housewarming gift," Minho adds, defensive.
Changbin's eyes go wide, still appalled. “And you got Seungmin an IKEA bathroom rug for his. You literally spoil Hyunjin.” First of all, Changbin has no business having such a good memory of things. Second of all, Minho is horrified at the apparent bias he has towards Hyunjin. “You want to woo him, fine, understandable, but please go get him another one of your personalised gifts before I drag you out of this Starbucks myself.”
It’s not a surprise when Minho locates Hyunjin’s car as he exits Gate 9. Changbin has left on another flight to wherever he’s spending the long weekend in, Minho can’t remember. His thoughts are full of Hyunjin, and it’s worrying, how his heart feels like it’s increasing in size the more he pictures Hyunjin’s crinkled smile.
He drops the bomb before Hyunjin could say anything. “Changbin said I’m in love with you and he might be right.” It’s one of the things he’s aiming to get better than Hyunjin at.
Fear, surprise, and everything in between are painted across Hyunjin’s face. “Hyunjin, I think you know me really well, from the way you’ve been keeping up with how I work and move and go about my business,” Minho tries. “I don’t think I know you as well, but I promise I'll work on it.”
Hyunjin looks terrified. The radio is playing a soft tune in the background. “What?"
“You…” Minho starts, praying to no one in particular. “You’ve been working on your sleep talking because it’s embarrassing to do it in a room full of other consultants. Instead of hugging them you prefer to put your chin on someone’s shoulder when you want to comfort them. You stick your neck out when speaking to clients and they think it’s because you’re a great listener but really you just have terrible hearing. Actually,” he corrects himself, “you are a great listener but you also have terrible hearing. You always order half a portion because you never finish your meals. You stick out your tongue whenever you try to concentrate on a problem which, by the way, gets incredibly distracting,” Minho says in one breath. “I'm trying to say it's very easy for me to want us to date.”
At this, Hyunjin’s eyes widen. Minho feels sorry. “But I was your mentor and it wouldn’t have felt right. And I assumed it's not what you want, with the thought that if we ruin this friendship, we would never be able to live past that regret,” continues Minho. “And maybe I’m just looking too much into it, but I think that’s why you never asked, either. Because you cared about us, too.”
The car in front of them switches on their tail lights, and Minho can see Hyunjin’s face grow pale. “So I'm putting myself forward and asking you, even though I’m scared shitless.” Minho thinks, if all else fails, tomorrow is a new day. “Will you go out with me?” he finally asks, a lull to his voice. Hyunjin’s eyes are glassy. “As someone I’m very much attracted to, not as an ex-mentee.”
It’s quiet for a few seconds, and then Hyunjin laughs, and Minho's judgment may be clouded but it's melodic in his ears. “You’re a loser, Lee Minho.”
Minho laughs too, weight off his chest. “Fine by me as long as I have you.”
In the end, it's a cumulative list of things. Fixating his attention on Hyunjin when he was a newly promoted Associate and the other was an intern, helping Hyunjin with his application for the full-time position, going through countless nights of problem-solving together even when they’re staffed on different projects, developing a certain attachment to Hyunjin’s car interior, and the list goes on.
And if Hyunjin has chosen to stay, who’s Minho to deny the warm feelings it gives him.
Beaming, Hyunjin pulls him closer by the arm in one quick motion and whispers, very seriously, “I hope you like kisses on your first date.” Hyunjin’s face is so close Minho's head is spinning. “Or, you know, even before that, because I’m gonna kiss you now.”
Minho kisses back, hands in Hyunjin’s hair, the only way he’s imagined how.