Work Text:
1.
"What would you do without me, hyung?"
Seokwoo stops fiddling with his earpiece and stares at him. If he could, he would drop everything he's doing at this very moment—which includes an interview, a music show stage, a radio show appearance, and zero time to level up on that new mobile game he just installed—to answer this question in depth, starting with how ridiculous Chanhee sounds. Maybe he should rescind that salary increase he gave him last month? "I—"
"At this rate, I'll have to take care of you on your 80th birthday too," Chanhee continues, sighing, long-suffering.
Seokwoo's mouth is still open in shock. "I don't even—"
"—Seokwoo!" A voice calls from outside of his waiting room. "You're on!"
Chanhee's grin spreads. "Don't embarrass me out there, Seokwoo-sshi." He's so insufferable.
"You're the worst manager ever," Seokwoo hisses as he walks out the door, but finds himself laughing as soon as he's out of Chanhee's sight.
It's a good thing he's cute.
2.
"How did you get hired again?"
They are speeding on a highway—Seokwoo on the driver's seat, Chanhee on the passenger's. Chanhee's drama shooting starts in half an hour, they're more or less an hour away, and Seokwoo is trying to do the impossible. It's ridiculous. Seokwoo isn't even supposed to be driving, he just got his license three weeks ago. Chanhee's mother wouldn't have this.
"Because I am good at my job which includes turning off your twenty alarms and lovingly kicking you off your bed in the mornings until you're 80," he replies, eyes never leaving the road. "Today was an exception," he adds shortly. "I didn't know my vet would be late, I'm sorry, but I don't want Choco to keep suffering from his gum inflammation." Seokwoo has a tendency to explain things at length. "He hasn't been eating, Chanhee! I was so worried!" Chanhee doesn't mind, he kind of likes it.
Chanhee continues reading the script in his lap. "80 is a long time, hyung," he tsks, touching his chin. "Who dies first—the manager or the talent?"
Seokwoo takes one hand off the steering wheel to hit Chanhee on the chest. His eyes remain on the road. "Is that a challenge?"
Turning his body to face his manager, Chanhee clears his throat. "Do you, Kim Seokwoo, promise to take care of me, Kang Chanhee, until my 80th birthday?"
"I, Kim Seokwoo, have nothing to worry about because unlike you, Kang Chanhee, I eat my veggies and exercise at least three times a week."
When Seokwoo steals a glance at him, Chanhee slaps his cheek the other way. The wheel is the only place Chanhee doesn't trust Seokwoo at.
3.
FADE IN:
EXT. MINI FANMEETING, M COUNTDOWN - AFTERNOON.
All nine members stand in a straight line. Chanhee is holding a megaphone, body turned slightly towards Seokwoo, who is standing at the other end of the line.
CHANHEE
(Into the megaphone.)
I will take care of you on your 80th birthday too, hyung.
THE REST OF THE GROUP, FANS, SOME STAFF MEMBERS
(Cooing.)
SEOKWOO
(Quietly.)
You don’t even remember when my birthday is.
4.
There aren't a lot of things Chanhee lives for. After university, life is an uninteresting lull of social constructs, like working for money to feed yourself, putting aside some of that money to pay rent, being a good neighbour to the new couple living next door. On some of the more exciting days, he gets to play the part of being an object of affection for—
"Seokwoo-hyung!" Chanhee calls, lifting his arm to shield his eyes from the sun. In one hand is Seokwoo's iced americano, in the other is Seokwoo's favourite kimbap from the joint down the street, a 5-minute walk from their office buildings, which happen to be a stone's throw away from one another.
Seokwoo skips towards him with a smile, name tag bouncing against his chest. "Gosh," he starts, dry-heaving. "That was the worst presentation of my life."
Chanhee returns the smile belatedly, handing Seokwoo his lunch after briskly taking off its wrapper. "Worse than the meeting with Director Oh on your birthday last year?"
Seokwoo grimaces at the name. "You're right, that one was humiliating and unsalvageable." He takes a bite of the kimbap and shoots Chanhee a smile with his eyes. Chanhee responds by shoving Seokwoo's americano into his free hand. “Sorry for the negative greeting—how was your morning?”
“It looks like," Chanhee says, clasping his hands, "I passed my probationary period with flying colours.”
Seokwoo perks up and his lips immediately grow into a smile that reminds Chanhee of the plants he used to take care of for his Biology core courses back in his first year. “That’s amazing, Chanhee, really.” Steady, calming.
The weather is great. So is Seokwoo.
There is something about having a constant figure like him in his life. One who used to stand up to playground bullies when they were in primary school and today helps Chanhee with his financial modelling projects. Seokwoo studied Business and understands a lot more. Chanhee is a disoriented Psychology degree holder who looks up to Seokwoo, and, against his better judgment, would blindly follow him into battle.
But if by battle they mean a 9-to-9 corporate job with not much to offer aside from the illusion of stability, well, he already did.
“Who knew we’d end up here?” Chanhee asks in a small voice. Seokwoo always has a way of making himself the bigger person, literally and figuratively.
“You won’t be seeing the last of me for a long time, Chanhee,” Seokwoo responds heartily, wind in his hair. He's sipping on his coffee, content. “Looks like you're stuck with me until we’re old and grey and celebrating your 80th birthday," he says with conviction.
And Chanhee, yeah, he can totally picture that.
5.
"Hi?" Chanhee tries. "Excuse me?" He tries again, raising his volume.
There are 3 paper bags hanging off of him, dragging his entire body weight down, along with his hopes and dreams: a custom birthday cake with an unnecessary large fondant figure of Youngkyun he has to make sure is kept straight up (Taeyang's idea), five bottles of soju (Sanghyuk's, this one), and some stupid last-minute party decor Inseong threatened him into buying through text.
The cashier finally turns around to look at him, all sympathetic doe eyes. "Sorry! Yes!"
Chanhee's seen a lot of deadly attractive strangers in his life. None as tall, unfortunately, and Chanhee isn't the best at maneuvering around tall people.
"Are you sure you don't want to put those down first?" The cashier continues, nodding at Chanhee's increasingly red palms around the bag handles.
"Ah, I'm good," Chanhee's voice cracks a bit. He could technically put them down, but you must never do what the attractive stranger asks you to do. He focuses on his original intention for coming into the bookstore.
"Could you help choose a birthday card for me and write in it?" He asks back, jutting his chin out at the revolving countertop. "I can't feel my arms," he grits through his teeth.
Deadly Attractive Cashier laughs, and Chanhee wishes he sounded hostile so he could have something against him and forget about this exchange forever by the time he gets to the dorm, but he's laughing with his whole chest and Chanhee can see his teeth. He looks handsome even with the teeth.
"Just pick any, I don't really care," Chanhee tells him.
The cashier stares into Chanhee's eyes for approximately two seconds and then at his paper bags for another, before choosing a card and swiftly grabbing a pen. He cocks his head at Chanhee. "What should I write?"
"Please write, uh," Chanhee hesitates, clearly humiliated. "Happy birthday, you jerk, let's be friends until we're 80," he says, dragging his syllables, getting a chuckle out of the person writing.
When the cashier looks up, there's a playful smile on his lips. "Lucky friend, they are."
6.
"Happy birthday,” Chanhee says as he nuzzles into the crook of Seokwoo’s neck. “Let’s have more and more and more and more mornings like this,” he whispers, pressing his lips onto Seokwoo’s.
“Until we’re 80?” Seokwoo smiles into the kiss sleepily.
Normally, Chanhee would snort in his face and call him a sap, but maybe he'll give Seokwoo a break today. “However long this lifetime allows.”
Love is a funny thing, because it grows faster than their physical bodies possibly could. It’s taken up space in every empty corner of Chanhee's heart. But Seokwoo's heart is bigger, and Chanhee's afraid he can't keep up.
"One day at a time?" Seokwoo whispers, rubbing their noses together.
"One day at a time."
For now, at least that's what they can promise each other.