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“I think we should see other people.”
It was too early for this.
The van motor hummed as staff loaded Sungwoon’s wardrobe and performance necessities into the back of the car. Daniel’s black Ray Bans concealed his tired eyes from the painfully bright 8 AM sun. Despite the nonsense the shorter was spewing, Daniel found Sungwoon ridiculously cute in his white baseball cap and circular glasses.
“I haven’t even had a cup of coffee. What are you talking about?”
Sungwoon casually stretched his neck and adjusted the pillow above his shoulders. “I just think… this isn’t working out, right? Between us?” He asked glancing upwards at Daniel beneath his lashes.
In his exhausted state, all Daniel wanted to do was grab the handsome singer in his arms and kiss him good morning.
But alas.
“Maybe,” Sungwoon continued. “Maybe it’d be best if we went our own ways.”
At that moment Sungwoon’s manager emerged from the building so Daniel put some distance between the singer and himself. Both professionally and romantically. “If that’s what you want, Sungwoon.”
His nonchalant answer came unexpectedly seeming by the way Sungwoon stared into Daniel’s face for a second as if waiting for some sort of rebuttal.
The singer collected himself however and looked away nodding his head. “Yeah. I think that’s best.”
Honestly, Daniel didn’t think much of Sungwoon’s statement. In regards to their relationship, the singer was very disorganized. Sometimes he could behave and keep his distance but other times he was uncontrollable to his heart’s desires. One day he’s pleading with Daniel that they could runaway together and the next he’s telling him they should see other people. Although Daniel knew deep down where he was coming from, Sungwoon was too unreliable and too turbulent of a man for Daniel to take seriously.
So when Daniel was asked to escort Sungwoon from an appearance on a variety show one evening he was surprised to see him with a taller and handsome man in tow. Uncertain if perhaps Sungwoon actually meant what he said for once, Daniel felt threatened.
The man was at least six feet tall, a few inches above Daniel, with a Roman numeral tattoo that started at his neck and disappeared into the collar of his baggy printed button up. He seemed harmless enough with his hair covering his eyes but when Daniel saw the beginning of a tattoo on his left collarbone he decided the man was dangerous.
“He’s coming with me, Daniel. My manager is going to drop us off at a restaurant and then we’ll just go home so you can have the evening off.” Sungwoon explained as if Daniel were in fact just his bodyguard and not the man he exchanged kisses with in secret.
Daniel was internally appalled (he chose to wear his best poker face on the outside.)
There were very few times in Daniel’s life where he’d felt like a fool. His career allowed for development of awareness and keen judgment in order to keep everyone safe yet the celebrity beneath his supervision easily bypassed those well acquired skills and left him feeling, well, like a fool. Of course as a man with feelings, Daniel responded to Sungwoon with just as much animosity the next time he could.
“I’m off hours, Sungwoon.” Daniel said removing his blazer after completing his bodyguard duties for the day. It was going to be seven in the evening and he had plans. There was no way he was going to cancel them when he was dead set on spiting Sungwoon.
Sungwoon gripped the chair in the lobby of his entertainment building with one hand while the other sat on his hip impatiently. “Well I need you right now.”
“You have your manager.” Daniel argued. Brat. “He can handle it. You don’t need me. Plus, I have a date.”
“Yes I do need you. I-” Sungwoon paused, furrowing his eyebrows. “What?”
Daniel loosened his tie, removed it, and unbuttoned the first button of his shirt as Sungwoon began to brood. “She’s waiting for me right now so I’ll be leaving first.”
The sudden fire burning in Sungwoon’s eyes at his mention of not only a date but a female date gave Daniel the upper hand. Good, he thought. Two can play at this game.
“Who is she?” Sungwoon asked practically spitting out the pronoun.
Daniel ran a finger below his fringe and leveled Sungwoon with a stare he usually used on people who were grating his nerves. “It’s personal.”
Leaving a scoffing Sungwoon in the lobby, Daniel jumped into his car with no intentions of actually getting serious with his date but hoping to enjoy the night regardless.
Daniel returned to his loft at a quarter to midnight, somewhat buzzed and a lot tired. Of all the things he expected, he did not expect to see someone waiting at his door at that time of night dressed in all black.
“How nice of you to return at this hour when you have to be with me at 7am tomorrow.”
Daniel sighed. When Sungwoon was angry he had a tendency of sounding like a scorned lover waiting to exact revenge. All that anger in that small body could not be healthy.
“What are you stalking me now?” He asked lowly as he tapped the code into the pinpad of his door. Sungwoon followed him in and lowered his hood.
“No,” The singer snarled. “I’m not stalking you. I’m making sure you don’t ruin my reputation by hanging with the wrong people.” Daniel rose an eyebrow at that and tossed his blazer onto the couch. “So who is she?”
“Why do you need to know?”
“I just told you. I need to make sure she’s not a hazard.”
“Wait, I forgot.” Daniel interrupted, scratching his head. “Are you the bodyguard or am I?”
Sungwoon pursed his lips unamused. His eyes drooped a bit signifying how tired he was and Daniel pondered how dedicated Sungwoon was to sacrifice sleep in order to pry into his business.
“Go home. You’re tired.” Daniel advised but the singer shook his head.
“Not until you tell me who she is. You have to run everyone by me.” Sungwoon said, crossing his arms.
Daniel’s face twisted disbelievingly. “Who are you? My psycho ex boyfriend?”
“No. Your employer. And part time psycho boyfriend.”
“I thought you wanted to see other people.”
Sungwoon shook his head defiantly. In the middle of Daniel’s living room he was declaring himself owner of everything once again and Daniel was not surprised. “Not anymore. Not since you actually started seeing someone else. You can’t anymore.”
Any other day Daniel would defend his right to a personal life but tonight he was tired and putting up a fight with Sungwoon was like arguing with a brick wall. “I don’t want to deal with you right now.” He said instead and gestured towards the front of his apartment. “You know where the door is.”
“Oh,” Sungwoon scoffed, blatantly offended. “You don’t want to deal with me but you have time for that woman, and staff, and everyone else and-”
Fed up with the singer and throwing all the rules out the window, Daniel pushed Sungwoon against the wall, effectively knocking the wind out of him and silenced him with his mouth. Their lips battled it out with Daniel unceremoniously kissing the singer with all the desire he had been harboring since earlier in the week. Since he couldn’t get through to Sungwoon with words maybe he could physically show him.
“Enough already,” He breathed roughly, flexing his grip on Sungwoon’s waist. “This is something you can’t control. You can’t control love, so stop trying to control us.”
Sungwoon’s eyes were pinched shut as he regulated his breathing. His hands clutched the front of Daniel’s dress shirt.
“When the time is right,” Daniel continued, because he knew he had the power right now. “We’ll be together, but for now, let’s just be. No more nonsense about seeing other people. It’s just you and me.”
Peering down intently into Sungwoon’s face, Daniel could see the wash of emotions. Desire, impatience, desperation, understanding.
“You, me and management in between.” Sungwoon said, voice just above a resigned whisper.
“For now.” Daniel responded accidentally planting a seed of hope.
“For now?” Sungwoon’s eyes widened in interest and Daniel stepped away truly done for the evening.
“Don’t read into it.” He said kicking his feet into his slippers. “Go home.” If the singer could arrive on his own he was sure he could get home on his own.
“But what do you mean for now? Don’t get my hopes up! Bodyguard Kang, come back here and answer me or you’re fired!”
“Then fire me. I’ll be able to see other people.” Daniel jokingly tossed over his shoulder as he headed to his bedroom.
“No! That’s not what I meant! Daniel! Daniel!”