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“Oh – pardon me.”
With the way his day has been going, Jaemin isn’t so much surprised as he is resigned when he reaches for the last bottle of champagne in this dingy supermarket, only to have his hand knock into someone else’s.
Just his luck, he supposes.
Suppressing his brief flare of irritation, he turns and puts on a polite smile for the man next to him. “I’m sorry, were you going to get that?”
The man beside him side-eyes him, hand still outstretched as he stares Jaemin down. He’s doing a pretty good job of it too, despite being a few inches shorter, but with that weary look that’s almost a mirror image of his own, Jaemin isn’t so much intimidated as he is sympathetic.
“I was, actually,” the other man says. “But if you were going to…?” He sounds almost hopeful, like he’s waiting for Jaemin to drop his hand and be the bigger person here, and that’s enough to make Jaemin’s sympathy evaporate.
“Yes, sorry,” Jaemin says flatly, and grabs the bottle, but before he can pull it off the shelf the other man stops him by placing a hand on his wrist.
“I’ll buy it off you for higher,” the man says. “How does that sound?”
Jaemin wrinkles his nose. He gives the man a once-over, taking in his rumpled clothes and hair in disarray. The man is in a dress shirt that’s unbuttoned at the top, with a trenchcoat draped over one arm – his hair looks like it had started off neatly groomed, but then had been messed up by a hand running through it repeatedly in frustration. Jaemin feels sort of sorry for the guy, he really does, but dear lord after the week he’s had, he’s rather adamant to have things go his way for once.
“I’m quite set on this one,” he says, fully aware he’s being rude. “Maybe you could get a beer instead?”
The other man looks like he’s going to actually fight Jaemin for the champagne – he’s drawing himself up to full height (Jaemin resists the urge to look down to check if he’s tip-toeing) when he suddenly deflates and sighs.
They spend a few moments in silence and Jaemin wonders if the man is going to move at all. He keeps his hand completely still, suddenly feeling awkward at the way the other’s palm is loosely covering his wrist. Completely unbidden, Jaemin feels himself flush and he very nearly pulls his hand away.
“You keep it,” the other man finally sighs. “Happy new year, I guess.”
He’s off and out the supermarket door before Jaemin can react, and Jaemin is left completely nonplussed. He stares after him for a good while, and is finally jolted to his senses when another shopper pushes past him to get to the rest of the alcohol section.
It’s nothing, really, or it should be nothing, Jaemin tells himself as he makes his payment at the cashier. He’s regretting his curtness, now, and a strange sense of guilt creeps up on him no matter how much he tells himself there’s no reason to get so upset over a random encounter. But Jaemin knows that if it had been any other day, he’d have gladly given up the champagne with a smile.
He’s still attempting to quash his conscience when he steps out into the chilly winter night, and so he nearly runs into someone’s back when he exits. Jaemin bites back a swear, but stops short when he realizes it’s the man from earlier.
“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry about me,” the man is saying, and Jaemin belatedly realizes he’s on the phone. “Why are you even calling me? You’re supposed to be counting down with your boyfriend, aren’t you?”
A pause, as the person on the line replies, then the man visibly holds back a sigh. “Look, Donghyuck, I appreciate it, but I’m fine, I just finished up at the office and I’m heading home now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
A few more beats as the reply comes. “Yes. Yes, I know. Thanks. I’ll catch you later.”
Jaemin’s still standing behind him when he ends the call, so he smiles sheepishly when the man realizes he’s not alone and nearly jumps backwards. “Sorry,” Jaemin offers placatingly.
“No, sorry, I shouldn’t have been blocking the way,” the man says, his voice wavering a bit. At first Jaemin thinks it’s because of the cold, because the man still hasn't put on his trenchcoat, but then he sees that the other man’s eyes are rimmed with red.
“It’s fine,” Jaemin says, guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach. He takes in the other man’s appearance, really looks at him, and without the washed-out fluorescent lighting of the supermarket’s interior, the other man looks less frazzled, just… tired, and a bit sad.
It takes Jaemin a split-second to make up his mind when the man starts walking away, and he opens his mouth before he can second-guess himself.
“Hey!”
The man halts in his tracks, and turns around confusedly. He looks straight at Jaemin and it feels like it’s the first time they’ve made eye contact the entire time. “Yes?”
His eyes are very pretty, Jaemin catches himself thinking. Even when he’s crying.
“There’s a park just a five-minute walk from here,” Jaemin says. “What say you we head there and share the champagne?”
Whatever Renjun had expected to happen on the last day of the year, it definitely wasn’t this – sitting on a park bench in the cold with a complete stranger, fiddling with a champagne bottle and trying to open it beneath the dim lighting from a nearby lamppost.
He isn’t completely sure what made him agree to the honestly outrageous proposition – it should have set off warning bells in his head, because who just invites somebody they’ve just met to drink champagne by the river? Serial killers?
But Renjun’s had a shit week at work navigating some completely unnecessary political minefields, and it’s not even that he minds covering for the other colleagues who managed to snag some time off, but working until eleven at night on the day before the new year does things to a person.
And it’s only been a week, but Renjun misses Donghyuck so much. They’ve only known each other since they both entered this company, but they had become fast friends after the initial employee orientation, and that friendship had only grown after they made it a habit to lunch together weekly. Renjun knows he should get out more often and make more friends, but between work, inertia and natural aversion to most people, Donghyuck is pretty much his only close friend in Korea.
His only close friend in Korea who just got a boyfriend, Renjun thinks sourly, but immediately backtracks, because Jeno is a genuinely nice, kind-hearted guy who never had a bad word to say about anybody. Donghyuck and Jeno had invited him out tonight, but no way was he going to third-wheel on their countdown date by the Han River.
So when Na Jaemin – as the other man had briefly introduced himself – had asked, Renjun had thrown caution to the wind and agreed.
It wasn’t anything to do with the way the street lights had accentuated Jaemin’s features, cheekbones all angles and his sharp jawline visible just above his scarf. It definitely wasn’t anything to do with the way Jaemin’s expression had morphed into a cautious smile when Renjun had agreed, cutting through the complete misery Renjun was feeling at having to spend the new year alone.
It wasn’t, he tells himself, even as he studies Jaemin’s broad shoulders as the man intently works on getting the corkscrew to work.
Still, Renjun isn’t a complete idiot, so he fishes his phone out of his pocket and sends to Donghyuck: If anything happens to me, some guy called Na Jaemin did it. He then drops it back in his pocket before reaching over to grab the bottle.
“You can’t even open the bottle right?” he tuts, popping the cork with ease. “You should’ve just let me have it.”
Jaemin twists his lips into a semblance of a pout and Renjun gives him a flat look before wrinkling his nose at him. “What are you, five?”
“In my defense, the lighting is better where you’re seated,” Jaemin mutters, taking the bottle back from him before swearing. “I forgot we don’t have any cups.”
Renjun sighs, patting the bottle. “We’ll just drink from the bottle, I guess. This poor thing deserves better than just us swigging directly from it, though. There, there.”
Jaemin stifles a grin. “Do you go around talking to all inanimate objects, or is this one special?”
“It’s the one that got away, after all,” Renjun says.
“Not anymore, it isn’t,” Jaemin replies, grinning at him with pearly whites that make Renjun dizzy just by looking at him. Renjun may be tired, but he’s not blind, and Jaemin is very good-looking.
Instead of replying, Renjun chooses to avert his gaze, and instead takes a whiff from the open bottle. The sweet smell calms him down, even if he still feels slightly off-kilter. “So, Na Jaemin,” he says.
“Yes, Huang Renjun,” Jaemin says, still grinning.
“It’s…” Renjun checks his watch. “Forty minutes to the new year. Most people are celebrating with their loved ones. What are you,” he gestures vaguely at Jaemin. “Doing here, out in a park, in this freezing weather, with a stranger?”
“Well, for starters, you’re not a stranger, you’re Huang Renjun.”
“I was a stranger ten minutes ago, last I checked,” Renjun says. “I’m pretty sure I’m still sober, and if anything life-changing had happened between us in the time it took us to get here, I’m sure I’d remember.”
“Well, that won’t do,” Jaemin replies. He takes the bottle from Renjun’s grasp, and their fingers brush. Renjun decidedly does not look as Jaemin tips his head back and drinks. He peeks a bit at that hint of collarbone that’s showing from beneath the loosened scarf, but that’s it, he swears.
“I’m maybe fifty percent less sober now,” Jaemin jokes. “Your turn.”
“You lightweight,” Renjun says. “Should’ve just let me have the bottle in the first place.”
Jaemin laughs. “That’s getting old reaaal fast,” he says, dragging out his words before changing the subject. “Anyway. Where were we? Ah! Why we’re here, yes? Well, for starters, I,” he gestures to himself. “Just got promoted at work.”
“Mm, thought you’d buy a bottle of champagne to celebrate, did you?” Renjun quips.
“Nah, the opposite, actually. You know how the Titanic sank?”
“What?”
“Icebergs,” Jaemin says, waving his hands grandly. “You know how they’re like… there’s more mass below than you can actually see?”
Renjun nods, which Jaemin takes as a cue to continue. “Yeah, so apparently my predecessor left behind an even bigger mess than I thought there was.”
“Ooh, ouch,” Renjun winces, and he’s not entirely faking. “That sucks.”
“Tell me about it! I’ve been trying to clean things up the entire past month,” Jaemin sighs, gesturing wildly. “I haven’t been out to meet my friends in ages, it’s been so long since I’ve had a proper call with my parents, I’ve been working weekends and ugh,” he groans. “Feels like the more I do the more I uncover that’s undone! And this entire week!” He shakes a fist. “I thought the year-end would be quieter but apparently getting promoted means having to go out drinking with upper management every night and I,” Jaemin slumps back on the bench, sliding down slightly from the force of it. “Am so tired of it all.”
Jaemin is so dramatic. Renjun is trying and failing to hold back his laughter. “I don't mean to laugh, but, it’s just…”
“Ah, sorry, I get carried away when I’m annoyed,” Jaemin apologises.
“No, that’s not it,” Renjun assures him. “It’s just, that explains why you looked like death warmed over when I saw you in the supermarket earlier.”
“Was it really that bad?” Jaemin says, before wincing. “Sorry about that, by the way. I’m usually not that rude.”
“’Maybe you could go get a beer’,” Renjun mimics. “Why would you want champagne, anyway? Haven’t you been drinking the entire week?”
“Look, if you’d been drinking cheap-ass beer the entire week, you’d want to regain some standards, too,” Jaemin shoots back, before retorting, “Hell if I'm drinking another sip of beer tonight.”
“Fine, that’s understandable,” Renjun accedes. He nudges the bottle at Jaemin, and Jaemin readily takes another drink. “I guess you’re now indebted to me, since I let you have the bottle.”
“You were going to buy it off me for higher!” Jaemin retorts. “I’m surprised you let me have it, to be honest, you looked like you were going to punch me.”
“I would never,” Renjun shakes his head. “Sorry. I wasn’t really in a good mood then.”
“You’re in a better mood now, then?” Jaemin asks, oddly sincere.
“I am,” Renjun says, and is surprised to find that he means it. His chest feels lighter, and he’s not as upset as he was anymore. It’s impossibly easy to talk to Jaemin, and he’s surprised even himself tonight at how casual and open he’s been with the other man so far.
“Your turn,” Jaemin pushes the bottle at him. “What’s your story? What made you think, ‘Woe upon whoever gets in between me and this champagne?”
“Shut up,” Renjun laughs, but he accepts the bottle and drinks. “Something similar, I guess. You probably could tell from my name, but I’m from China, so I don’t have family here and I agreed to cover for my colleagues who went back home for the new year. Sorely regretting it now. Can’t believe how much there is to be done even during this down period.”
“I completely understand,” Jaemin nods, turning his body slightly so he’s facing Renjun properly.
“My family has been asking me to visit because I haven’t been back at all, and I got upset when my cousins started to bug me as well so I’ve been ignoring them for a few days. Didn’t really help with the homesickness,” Renjun continues. “And tonight my best friend’s off with his boyfriend for the countdown and I didn’t want to intrude, but then I just… felt lonely, I guess.”
“Mm,” Jaemin hums sympathetically. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but…”
“You’re probably wondering why I don’t have more friends,” Renjun guesses, and Jaemin grins sheepishly, shrugging with one shoulder. Renjun purses his lips and takes a long drink from the bottle.
“I’m… not that good with new people, to be honest. Donghyuck’s the only exception, especially considering when we first met at work orientation he asked if the seat next to me was taken and I looked him in the eye, said ‘yes’, and put my bag down in the seat.”
Jaemin splutters with laughter. “That’s so mean!”
“I know!” Renjun half wails. The memory used to make him flush with embarrassment, but now it’s become a point of hilarity between him and Donghyuck. “I just don’t like talking with people I don’t know! But Donghyuck was an ass just like I was, because he pushed my bag back at me and just sat down and bothered me the entire time. Who does that?!”
“Pot and kettle,” Jaemin says. “You two were made for each other.”
“Kind of,” Renjun says, grinning wryly. “Couldn’t get rid of him, after that. Donghyuck was always the exception, though. I haven’t really felt like meeting new people and, well, most people don’t hang around too long after they experience my prickliness. You would know what I can be like at first meetings.”
His voice fades into a mumble towards the end, and Renjun feels like he’s revealed a bit more than he intended. It’s what had set him off earlier, when talking to Donghyuck on the phone. He wishes he wasn’t quite so hard to get to know, so hard to open up to new people, if only he were friendlier, more outgoing… then maybe he wouldn’t be alone on New Year’s eve.
It’s almost as if Jaemin can sense his thoughts, and a nudge to his shoulder from the other man jerks Renjun from his thoughts.
“If it’s any consolation,” Jaemin offers. “I know it’s only been a few minutes, but I’m still here, aren’t I?”
Renjun feels his cheeks heat up. That smile should be illegal on this man. “That you are,” he agrees, smiling.
It might be the alcohol, or the fatigue from work, but Jaemin finds that he doesn’t have it in himself to care that he’s becoming increasingly chatty, more than he would be around someone new. He normally reins it in a bit, but the conversation flows so naturally that he barely has time to pause.
They talk about their families, and growing up, and their studies in university. They talk about Renjun’s move to Seoul – wanted to challenge myself, he says – and how he had trouble fitting in at first. They chat about Jaemin’s experience moving from the country into his apartment in Seoul (“I forgot that I didn’t have a lift and I live on the fifth floor, I think the mover wanted to kill me with his bare hands…”), before they then swap tips on household hygiene and clearing the laundry while on a busy schedule.
Jaemin tells Renjun mournfully that he’s yet to decorate his apartment, and Renjun offhandedly comments that he put some art up as decoration. When Jaemin manages to pry it out of him that they were self-drawn, they end up commiserating over how pursuing their passion had never really seemed like a career choice and was better left as a hobby.
“I just didn’t want something I loved doing to become a chore,” Renjun says. “I love drawing, it’s a good distraction from work, but making it a career feels like it’s no longer something that’s just yours, you know?”
Jaemin nods vigorously. “I get that, it’s great having my own time and target. Speaking of which,” he continues, before launching into a spectacular retelling of his search for a long out-of-stock camera lens that he had finally tracked down for a decent price.
“So it’s two days before Christmas and I’m like okay, my paycheck is coming, I just need the owner to wait for me, right? I even told the owner that I’d be coming in early on Christmas to buy it and could he save it for me, pretty please? And then!” Jaemin clutches at Renjun’s arm. “I get a call in the morning saying I need to be in the office! But why!”
“Oh no,” Renjun shakes his head.
“Exactly! And by the time I got to the store – near closing, may I add – the lens was gone and the owner was like,” Jaemin makes a shrugging motion.
“Can’t you just buy it elsewhere?” Renjun asks. “There are tons of second-hand camera shops around.”
“Yes, but they’re more expensive,” Jaemin whines.
“Just by a bit right? I mean, law of supply and demand means that if it’s out of stock then surely you have to be prepared to pay a bit more for it.”
“Why are you so logical? You’re mean,” Jaemin sighs.
“Get used to it,” Renjun replies, but he’s smiling as he drinks from the bottle again.
They’ve worked their way through a good two-thirds of the champagne, and maybe they shouldn’t have drunk this much, this fast – but that’s all well and done now. Jaemin feels a good kind of tipsy, and he’s having a lot of fun here. Renjun is nice to talk to. He’s funny, and sarcastic, and also extremely easy on the eyes, if Jaemin has to be completely honest with himself.
Renjun’s eyes aren’t red-rimmed anymore, Jaemin notices – he’s pretty even when he’s crying, but when he’s like this – relaxed and cheery – he looks sweet, softer at the edges.
Jaemin wonders if he’s drunk. He watches as Renjun licks his lips, and hurriedly changes the topic before Renjun notices he’s been staring.
“So, what do you normally draw?”
“Scenery and landmarks, mostly,” Renjun thinks a bit. “When I first arrived in Seoul I wasn’t too into sightseeing, but it’s kind of a waste if you’re here and you don’t even visit any of the palaces, right? So I made myself go out to one tourist spot every weekend, and just sit there to sketch.”
“You must be really good,” Jaemin praises.
“I’m all right,” Renjun shakes his head. “Scenery is easy, I find, but I don't really like drawing people that much, I find it hard to, I dunno, capture their vitality, I guess?
“That’s a pity. I love taking photos of people,” Jaemin sighs. “You know when you’re aiming a lens at someone and they suddenly notice you, there’s this moment where they start laughing and telling you to cut it out? Some of my best photos were taken that way.”
Renjun shoots him an amused look. “Why are those the best photos?”
“Because that’s when their smiles are natural!” Jaemin points out. “I once did a freelance job for a friend’s wedding, that was such a good day, everybody looked so happy.”
“You seem like you’d be a really fun photographer to work with,” Renjun laughs. “Any models that have caught your eye?”
“You?” Jaemin says without thinking, but he can hardly regret it when he’s rewarded with a light flush to Renjun’s cheeks.
“Save the compliments for your girlfriend or something,” Renjun counters. “You’d make an excellent Instagram boyfriend.”
“I’m single, actually, and I’ll compliment whoever I like. Right now, that’s you,” Jaemin replies cheekily, then realizes he might have come off as a bit creepy, and immediately backtracks. “Unless, uh, you tell me to stop, then I will, of course.” He fervently prays that he hasn’t blown it all.
“I, uh,” Renjun says. “No, it’s uh, it’s not unwelcome. It’s welcome. I mean, it’s fine! I mean, damn it, ugh, stop laughing!” He hits Jaemin’s arm repeatedly, and Jaemin is too busy quashing the victory fireworks going off in his chest to duck out of reach.
“I’m glad,” Jaemin tries not to look too relieved, and decides to further try his luck. “And how about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, are you also-”
“Oh, single? Well, yes,” Renjun tilts his head to one side, looking pensive. “I came over to Korea right after university and then got swept up by work immediately after. Donghyuck keeps telling me I should get out more, but you already know how I am with new people, and I’ve told him I don’t like it when he sets me up with his friends.”
“Why not?”
“It feels like,” Renjun purses his lips. “Like it’s arranged, or staged. I mean, it works for some people, which is good for them, but it’s not for me, I guess. I like a bit of spontaneity – which I know doesn’t make sense, seeing how long it takes me to open up.”
“No, no,” Jaemin hums. “I get it, I think. My friends tried to set me up in university, too. I tried it for a while, but it got tiring pretty quickly. I must have gone on tons of dates, but they never really amounted to anything.”
“Oh,” Renjun returns. He’s fiddling with the hem of his sleeve and it’s slightly oversized for him, Jaemin can’t help but notice. Cute, his brain supplies helpfully. “Why not?”
It’s not an unexpected question, but somehow it gives Jaemin pause. “Why not, what?”
“You, well,” And there’s no doubting it, Renjun’s ears are red, and Jaemin is willing to bet it’s not all due to the cold. “You seem like a really easy person to like? Or were you not able to, mm, hit it off with anyone?”
Jaemin picks at his fingers a bit. His hands are almost as dry as his lips are chapped, he thinks. He’s tried to vocalise this before, but only to Jeno, and he’s known Jeno for almost his entire life. He’s never had to open up to a stranger before, but strangely, he’s not worried.
“People build up an image of you they have in their heads,” he tries. “And once they have that image of you, it’s pretty hard to let go. I was… kind of popular, back then, and when you’re popular, people have expectations, you know?”
“So humble,” Renjun teases, but he’s still listening.
“Yeah, well,” Jaemin continues. “Different people have different expectations. Some expected me to go drinking with them every night. Some thought I’d be all grand gestures and romantic dates. Some thought I was a straight ‘A’ student, et cetera, et cetera.”
“But you’re all of that, and none of that,” Renjun says, and Jaemin blinks in surprise before nodding.
“And I’m a terrible people-pleaser, so I was trying to live up to all these expectations, but the only thing I managed to do was tire myself out. I like the occasional night out, or maybe a romantic picnic, but sometimes I just want to be a homebody and hide at home, you know? Or just play games with my best pals, or watch endless videos on YouTube, and it got to a point where I decided I needed to be able to be all versions of myself and not have anyone judge me.”
He happens to turn as he finishes his sentence, and he meets Renjun’s eyes. Jaemin’s suddenly too aware of the distance between them – or lack thereof. When did they shift to be that close to each other? The few feet of distance between them at the start had melted away to nothing, with their shoulders pressed against each other and breaths intermingling.
Jaemin tries to tell himself they’re just supporting each other so they don’t fall off the bench in their slightly inebriated states, but Renjun isn’t pulling away, and Jaemin leans into the warmth as well.
A few voices yell from somewhere far to their left, “FIVE MORE MINUTES!”
They jerk apart like they’ve been burned, and turn as one to look. A few youngsters are running around on the grass, chasing each other and whooping loudly.
Jaemin clears his throat, face burning as he checks his watch. “Five more minutes, they said.” He studies the bottle of champagne – there’s considerably less there since the last time they checked. A few more mouthfuls and it would be empty.
Renjun chuckles sheepishly. “That was fast. It didn’t feel like forty minutes at all.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun?” Jaemin suggests boldly, and is glad to see that Renjun smiles and nods.
“Since we’re pretty much counting down here – let’s talk about New Year resolutions!” Jaemin urges. “What leftovers do you have from this year that you’re carrying over to the next?”
“Don’t call me out like this!” Renjun complains, but he puts his fingers up to count. “Meet new people – that’s been on the list for the past two years.”
“Third time’s the charm,” Jaemin says encouragingly.
“Um… Eat healthier? I tend to fall back on instant noodles whenever I can’t eat out or don’t have the time to cook, which is… often.”
“Eyyy, no wonder you’re still sho- never mind,” Jaemin backtracks hurriedly, when he sees Renjun make a fist at him.
“And make a trip home, I suppose,” Renjun concludes. “But that’ll probably be the year after, since it’s too late to apply for leave to go home this Chinese New Year.”
“All right, my turn,” Jaemin says. “First, I resolve to learn how to say ‘no’ to people. My bosses, mainly, because my stomach can’t take much more beer on a daily basis.”
“It’s an important life skill,” Renjun agrees. “Next?”
“… Save more?” Jaemin says meekly. “I guess I might have gone overboard with my camera collection.”
“Or you could sell them for cash – I’m kidding!” Renjun laughs, when Jaemin gives him a horrified look.
“And uh… work less hours! I work way too much to be healthy.”
“Same,” Renjun admits. “I can probably steal that one for my own list.”
“But then,” Jaemin adds. “If I hadn’t worked late today, I wouldn’t have met you.”
He’s expecting a sarcastic retort, but is rewarded with a small smile. “Yeah,” Renjun agrees, looking straight at him. “I’m glad.”
“TWO MORE MINUTES!”
“We have our own personal alarm, that’s nice,” Jaemin says, grinning at the rowdy partiers. “Okay, so that’s new year resolutions covered. What are you going to do tomorrow?”
Renjun rolls his eyes. “Sleep the day away?”
“That won’t do!” Jaemin exclaims. “The first day of the new year is very important! It sets your habits for the rest of the year!”
“Yes, mom,” Renjun laughs. “Well… I might visit my friend, he’s invited me to a lunch gathering at his boyfriend’s place since we all can’t visit home over the New Year. They told me they invited someone else, though, and I’m not really up to meeting new people.”
“That sounds pretty cosy! Four of you should be a comfortable number,” Jaemin sighs. “My friend’s actually organizing something similar, but I haven’t decided whether I’m going yet. Honestly, I was going to sleep the day away.”
“How about this,” Renjun says. “I’ll go for my friend’s gathering if you go for yours. Start the new year off the right way, right?”
“Mm. I like the sound of that. Deal!” Jaemin says. “You get to eat healthier and meet new people, I get to save money by not eating out… wait, should I be practicing saying ‘no’ instead?”
“No!” Renjun shoves him good-naturedly. “No backing out!”
“Okay, okay,” Jaemin holds his hands up in surrender. “What’s to make sure you’ll hold up your end of the deal, though?”
“Mm… how about if we…”
“THIRTY SECONDS!”
They jump, and both glance at their watches. The second hand inches closer to midnight.
“What if I meet you here again in a year’s time, and we’ll report on how the year has been for us,” Renjun jokes, eyes crinkling prettily. “Wouldn’t that be poetic?”
“Eyy, I can’t wait that long!” Jaemin shakes his head. “What if you forget?”
“I wouldn’t forget,” Renjun says. “You can’t forget this sort of thing. Unless…”
“Unless?”
“We could, well,” Renjun looks visibly nervous. He looks like he’s about to suggest something, but the nearby shouts distract them again.
“TEN! NINE!”
“We could?” Jaemin prompts.
Renjun stammers. “Nothing! Forget it.”
“EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX!”
“No, go on!”
“I don’t want to jinx it and have this be the last thing that happens this year!”
“FIVE! FOUR!”
“Jinx what?”
“Just wait, okay?” Renjun begs. “Three!”
“Two!” Jaemin acquiesces.
“One!”
“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” they cheer in unison, grinning at each other like schoolboys. The youngsters nearby start whooping and running around the park, and a few telltale pops indicate they’ve brought their own stash of alcohol.
“We should’ve kept the champagne for now instead of finishing it all,” Jaemin realizes. He eyes the remaining champagne and takes a drink. “Here, you take the last bit.”
“Thanks,” Renjun says, and finishes it in one gulp before standing up and stretching, wincing when his joints pop. “Ugh, my back is so stiff.”
He turns around, intending to take a few quick steps around the bench to loosen his limbs and warm himself up, but finds that Jaemin has grabbed his wrist. Renjun furrows his eyebrows at him. “What?”
“N-nothing!” Jaemin says, a bit too loudly. “I just. You weren’t going to just leave, were you? You were going to say something earlier.”
Renjun can’t help it, he throws his head back and laughs. “I’m just standing up to stretch! What do you think I am, Cinderella?”
“No, you’re definitely prettier than Cinderella,” Jaemin counters.
“You!” Renjun splutters, caught unawares by the compliment, and blurts out without thinking, “You are too!”
“Am I?” Jaemin grins widely at him. “You think I’m pretty?”
“No! Shut up!” Renjun turns and tries to cover his face with his hands, but Jaemin’s hand is still wrapped around his wrist, and the taller man is playfully angling his head to try and get a glimpse of his beetroot red face. “Don’t look at me like that!”
“Like what?” Jaemin teases, but his voice is soft. He fidgets a bit, out of Renjun’s sight, and loosens his grip. Renjun could easily pull away, but he doesn’t.
“Okay, I’m going to be serious here,” Jaemin says finally, after a moment or two. Renjun looks up, and Jaemin looks like he’s steeling himself. He’s silent for a long moment. Neither of them move.
Renjun shifts a bit. “Did you fall asleep?”
“No,” Jaemin groans. “Wait, I’m trying to do this right.”
Renjun waits.
“I…” Jaemin audibly gulps, before straightening up. “Huang Renjun, I’d really like to see you again, if that’s okay with you.”
Seeing a lack of reaction from the other man, Jaemin hurriedly continues. “I… I really enjoyed this. Talking with you. I know, it’s weird, we’ve only known each other for less than an hour, but I’d… really, really like to get to know you better. When we’re both not half drunk. And at a nicer place than this, I’m so sorry it’s in the middle of winter and we’re both freezing our asses of here, oh, but don’t feel like you have to, okay? I know you said you’re not good with new people, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so just let me know if you want me to just fuck off, or, uh.”
“Jaemin,” Renjun says, turning to look squarely at him.
“… yes?”
“I was going to ask for your number. Just now, during the countdown.”
“… …oh? Yeah?” Jaemin’s smiling. “Gonna call me regularly to check up on whether I’m keeping my resolutions?”
“Don’t make me regret it,” Renjun answers, but he’s smiling too. His heart is beating at a hundred miles per minute and blood is rushing in his ears, but he turns his arm so that Jaemin’s grip on his wrist slides down over his palm and their fingers intertwine.
They’re facing each other now, so close that Renjun can count Jaemin’s eyelashes, and for a brief millisecond Jaemin’s gaze flickers ever so lightly to his lips. Renjun swallows, unconsciously mirroring the action, before he looks up to see Jaemin quietly panicking, wide-eyed.
“Sorry,” Jaemin begins. “Please don’t feel like you have to do anything. We’ve both had a lot to drink tonight.”
Renjun’s not nearly as drunk as Jaemin might think he is – but he nods anyway. “Let me just… do this.” He leans in, giving Jaemin ample time to back away, and when the other man doesn’t move, gently presses his lips against the corner of Jaemin’s mouth.
Jaemin’s frozen, Renjun can tell even with his eyes closed, and for a moment Renjun is kicking himself over his sinking feeling in his chest – stupid, stupid, he just wanted to go out with you again, that’s just being friendly – but then Jaemin’s entire frame relaxes, and the curve of Jaemin’s smile against Renjun’s tentative, chaste kiss reassures him in turn.
There are no fireworks, no orchestral crescendo, no sudden burst of doves – just two young men, on a hard wooden bench in the middle of a cold park with rowdy youngsters yelling out well-wishes for the New Year in the distance.
But it’s perfect. This is perfect.
Renjun’s heart swells as he pulls away slightly, and he dares to raise a hand to Jaemin’s cheek, but knocks into Jaemin’s hand on its way up.
“Sorry,” Jaemin mumbles, his eyes soft and playful. “Were you going to get that?”
“Shut up,” Renjun laughs, shifting his hand so it’s resting on Jaemin’s shoulder instead. His other hand is still linked with Jaemin’s, and he melts a bit when Jaemin’s other hand finds its way to his waist.
He’s therefore puzzled when Jaemin starts patting him down lightly with a puzzled look on his face. “You’re vibrating.”
“What?” Renjun says.
“There’s this kind of buzzing sound…”
Renjun listens. He presses a hand to his pocket – sure enough, he can feel his phone buzzing beneath his hands. Glancing apologetically at Jaemin, who shrugs ruefully, Renjun draws his phone out and is greeted by an incoming call from Donghyuck.
“… Can I ignore him?” Renjun jokes.
Jaemin peers over his shoulder. “He’s already made… 23 missed calls though.” He laughs when Renjun grimaces and makes to answer the call, and laughs even harder when a very loud, “YAH!” bursts from the phone even before Renjun can put it to his ear.
“What?!” Renjun yells back, still holding the phone some distance away.
“HUANG RENJUN! I’ve been calling you for the past ten minutes!”
“What for?!”
“You idiot! You message me some cryptic shit and leave me thinking I’m going to have to make a police report for a kidnapping? You’re lucky I know who you’re with right now!”
“I didn’t feel my phone ringing! Wait,” Renjun stops. “What do you mean you know who I’m with?” He exchanges a look with Jaemin, who looks just as confused.
“Put me on speaker mode, you silly boy,” Donghyuck sighs, and Renjun complies.
“Jaemin-ah,” Jeno’s voice is next to come over the phone, sounding exasperated.
Renjun and Jaemin make confused sounds simultaneously.
Jeno tsks. “This is not how I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend, you know? He was nearly convinced you were someone shady out to kill his best friend. He nearly convinced me.”
“And you! Huang Renjun!” Donghyuck shouts. “’If anything happens to me, some guy called Na Jaemin did it’?! Context, Renjun! Give me context!”
Renjun winces and gives Jaemin an apologetic look. “I might have sent a text to Donghyuck just in case you were, you know, someone shady.”
“It’s fine,” Jaemin shakes his head. “Sorry, Jeno. It’s, uh, nice to meet you, Donghyuck.”
“We haven’t actually met, but you’d better watch out when we do,” Donghyuck snarks, and they can almost hear him physically batting away Jeno’s attempts to placate him. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on Renjun, I’m warning you!”
“Might be a bit too late for that.”
“What did you say?!”
“You’re both coming over for lunch, right?” Jeno yells over Donghyuck’s angry squawks. “You can’t get out of this one! Renjun, Jaemin is literally the only other person we’ve invited so you can’t say you don’t want to mingle with new people now!”
A beat, then, “The lunch gathering!” Jaemin gasps, realization dawning upon him.
“Why do I feel like we’ve been set up,” Renjun complains.
“Fat lot of good that’s done, now that you’ve gone and become friends all by yourself,” Donghyuck shrieks.
Renjun’s had enough. “You’re breaking up, Hyuck, I can’t hear you.”
“I have four signal bars on my phone!”
“What? Hello? It’s no good, I’ll call you back later!” Renjun sing-songs into the phone, and cuts the call.
The stillness around them is a stark contrast to the brief chaos that had invaded their little bubble, and they both break into uncontrollable giggles.
“Well,” Jaemin wheezes. “I guess we’re both going for that lunch tomorrow.”
“Today, technically,” Renjun’s shoulders shake violently as he tries to stop laughing. “I think Hyuck might murder me on sight.”
“You? How about me?!” Jaemin cries, but sobers up when he remembers how they had been rudely interrupted. “Did you actually think I would turn you down, by the way?”
“What?” Renjun gives him a puzzled look.
“Giving you my number,” Jaemin says.
Renjun groans. “I just! Just in case, you know? It would suck to be rejected on New Year’s Eve.”
“To be fair, I was going to ask if you were interested, and then ask for your number, but you skipped a few steps ahead, there.”
“I don’t see you complaining,” Renjun scolds. Jaemin merely laughs, pulls him in and boldly presses his lips to the back of Renjun’s hand, and is rewarded by an answering flush to Renjun’s cherry-red cheeks.
They stay there for a while more, until the other occupants of the park get decidedly drunk and start getting louder and rowdier, and they decide to finally call it a night.
“What say you we meet at the station tomorrow and walk over to Jeno’s place together?” Jaemin asks tentatively as they head out of the park.
“Okay,” Renjun agrees easily. He’s got the empty bottle of champagne tucked under one arm, and Jaemin takes it from him and slips it into a recycling bin as they walk past. They haven’t stopped holding hands yet, and Jaemin slips their interlinked hands into his jacket pocket for warmth, pouting when Renjun tells him he’s about an hour too late.
With Renjun’s place just a short walk from the park, they agree to part ways in front of his apartment, where it’s near the main road and convenient for Jaemin to hail a cab back. “I’m just two stops down,” he reassures Renjun when they reach the latter’s lobby.
“Text me when you’re back,” Renjun says.
“I will,” Jaemin replies easily, throwing a hand out at first sight of the next taxi. “See you tomorrow?” He phrases it like a question, and Renjun bravely leans in to give him a peck on the cheek, to soothe away both their remaining doubts.
“See you tomorrow.”
He watches as Jaemin gets into the cab and waits until it’s out of sight before heading into the lobby, and he’s barely pressed the button for the lift when his phone, on its last vestiges of battery, buzzes.
Renjun takes a look at the text message and smiles.
Hi there stranger. :)