Work Text:
Jaemin loved his job. The pay was not something most would be jealous of, but the salary allowed him to live comfortably. He had gone to university for a bit studying business, but had ended up going into retail, finding himself after a few years in the industry, offered a job as a bridal consultant. He hadn’t thought much of it, only took the interview because he was recommended and it had a higher pay than his current job. It didn’t hit him, not even when he entered the store gleaming in white and sparkly jewels till the farthest depths his eyes could see. It didn’t hit him even when he had passed the interview with flying colours, his energetic and friendly personality something his now boss found important to help consult a bride.
He was nervous of course, the first time that he got to pick out the dress for the after watching from the sidelines for the past two weeks for practice. He had studied beforehand, what would look good on a bride based on their body type, how to keep the customer in a good mood. Yet nothing would have prepared him for the reality. And the reality was so much more than he would have expected.
He usually was not this nervous, even on the first day of jobs, yet for some reason, that day was different. Maybe it was because wedding dresses was something new to him, maybe it was because he was being watched by his cute coworker who had told him the ropes of the industry. He didn’t know. He just knew it was different.
Then, it hit him.
It had been the fourth dress. He could see the bride liked his choices, but none of them truly clicked, none of them were the one. Jaemin would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little bit nervous. It was his first time, but messing up this quickly into the job would not look good on him. So he listened to what the bride had to say, listened and watched the expressions of her entourage and thought deeply.
What would she truly want? What would suit her best?
He continued to deeply think, eyes raking over the multitude of dresses until one in particular brought attention to his eye and he smiled. If this wasn’t the perfect dress he didn’t know what was. Well, the bride would be the one to judge.
He entered the dressing room again, wedding dress slung across his shoulder and a certain sparkle in his eyes. He helped the woman get into the gown, he could see she was nervous as well. Her eyes had been closed, maybe she was afraid that she wouldn’t find the perfect dress, maybe it was because she felt something special about the one currently across her skin. Jaemin had hoped it was the latter.
Then she opened her eyes, and Jaemin directed her to look at her reflection in the mirror.
She had let out a small gasp, and suddenly, tears were brimming at both of their eyes.
“Do you like it?” He hadn’t realized he had whispered the words so softly.
“Yes… this one, this one I absolutely love.”
He had guided her back out and the look in her entourages eyes, the way that they had all simultaneously burst into tears. Of course, she was beautiful in the dress just as she had been in the other three, but this one was different. In this one, her eyes shone with happiness, love and confidence. And suddenly Jaemin felt like he had found the perfect place, the perfect place to work, the perfect atmosphere. Because nothing could have beaten this moment, the look in the brides eyes, the look on her family, and the look of pride that Huang Renjun, his fellow bridal consultant that was supervising him, was giving him as well.
“You did a great job Jaemin,” Renjun had said to him, finding his way next to the younger boy who was now shaking in excitement. “It’s beautiful isn’t it? It feels like in this place filled with white dresses and gems, the room has suddenly gotten impossibly brighter.”
Jaemin didn’t think it was possible to smile any wider than he already was but he managed to do the impossible. “It really is beautiful.”
Jaemin had ended that day with a smile, the bride and her family had thanked him more times than he could count and he couldn’t help but melt at the compliments. Thank you for being here he had said back at them with that charming smile of his.
“You’re really quite charming aren’t you, Na Jaemin?” Renjun had told him when they had just about finished packing up the shop for the day.
“I’d say it’s necessary for such a job. Don’t want to scare anyone away right before their wedding day.”
“Does that mean you think I’m charming as well?” Renjun asked the younger, a joking smile placed on his lips. His lips. Jaemin couldn’t help but stare.
“Oh Huang Renjun you are so much more than charming.” Jaemin had replied, a cheeky grin on his face.
Despite having initiated the flirting(?) Renjun couldn’t help but blush. He was adorable Jaemin thought.
They closed the shop, parting their separate ways home, Renjun still slightly flustered from the ordeal and silently beating himself up for being so weak to the younger boy’s presence.
Jaemin could only smile on his way home, humming the song that had been playing in the shop when the bride had walked out in that dress, for some reason he couldn’t get that song or that exhilarating feeling out of his body. It had only been week three, day one, on this new job of his but he knew he would enjoy it. From choosing the dresses, to helping the client, to getting to see Renjun’s cute face every day, he didn’t think life would get any better than this. He was wrong of course, because with every day he spent filled with happy brides and an adorable Renjun, life only got better.
~ ~ ~
“Jaemin,” the familiar and calming voice of his Chinese coworker called out to him, and he turned his head to be greeted with that usual small smile of his. (He had learnt a few weeks into the job that it was quite rare to see the older sport such a sincere and thoughtful smile, as after getting comfortable with him he had begun to show more of his true personality, which give or take, was slightly more aggressive in nature (read: choke holds when he doesn’t get what he wants)). It was a smile usually reserved for when he had picked out the perfect dress for a bride and felt an overwhelming amount of happiness, a smile that tugged at only the corners of his lips and placed upwards, eyes sparkling in adoration for his job and face relaxed and happy.
Yet, here Renjun was, sporting that exact smile for him. Does he even know what he does to me?! Jaemin usually complained on a daily basis after being victim to Renjun’s angelic looks for the past few months. Though he couldn’t really complain. It was a beautiful sight.
“You did a great job today.”
It was small things like this that really got Jaemin’s heart going. Renjun was always attentive, taking note of the smaller things and always reciprocating his appreciation in small gifts. Whether it be placing a four shot espresso from Jaemin’s favourite coffee shop on his desk when Renjun had gone out to get food for himself. Or when he had plugged in the website of the latest wedding dress trends into his work computer after he had dealt with a particular picky customer in fall with an obnoxious neon pink post it note placed onto his desk that read “Jaemin Fighting!” with a small doodle of Ryan, his favourite cartoon character. (See what he meant by noticing the small details!! Jaemin had only told him once about his fascination with the bear when they had gotten into the topic of cute characters after Jaemin saw Renjun’s Moomin phone wallpaper. It was such a Renjun thing to remember such a miniscule detail even though it had been at least three months since they had that conversation).
“Do you remember you said that to me the first time I consulted a bride on my own.”
“Of course. How could I forget the way you lit up the room?”
“Me?” Jaemin questioned puzzled before letting out a small chuckle at Renjun’s antics. “I think you mean the bride. I still feel all warm and fuzzy thinking of her expression.” He let out under his breath with a warm smile from the fond memory.
“The bride was beautiful, yes, and so was that look in her eyes when she realized that dress was perfect for her,” Renjun began and Jaemin could only nod in agreement.
“But even at that time I would be lying if I said that I remember that day so clearly because of her. I think that everyone’s first consultation is special. It’s a special moment for the bride, and it’s a special moment for us. Nothing makes my day like when I make someone else that happy. But everything I felt about that day, every small detail I remember, from the time of day it occurred, to the way one of the lights at the back began to flicker and needed to be changed, to the song playing in the store,” The older hummed a bit of it to prove a point. Jaemin had remembered the tune of course, he had it saved in his spotify playlist when he got back home that day, not wanting to ever forget that moment.
“I didn’t remember it because of her. I remember a black suit and tie, the slight shake of hands and a cute tuft of pink hair that led straight to sparkling brown eyes filled with pride and wonder. I remember a smile, an outrageously beautiful and addictive smile that I to this day cannot get off of my mind. And I remember feeling the warmth in the room, the joy that you had caused Jaemin, you.”
If Jaemin could breathe he would. But at this point he thought breathing would make what he thought was very much a dream, a hallucination, disappear before his eyes. And as Renjun moved closer to him, closer than what would be deemed acceptable for two employees that were meant to be closing up shop, Jaemin couldn’t help but stare down at his lips that looked so incredibly soft.
“It had always been you, Jaemin.” A blush spread across Renjun’s face as he took a deep breath, he wouldn’t be nervous, he wouldn’t back down, he had been backing down for months and if Jaemin wasn’t going to be the one to make the first move he would. “It had always been you.”
Renjun was hesitant despite wanting to be confident, but he couldn’t help it. It was unfair how beautiful Jaemin was. It was unfair how every second he spent with the younger boy made his heart race. It was unfair that even from their very first meeting he felt himself fall deep into those brown eyes of his, and only fall impossibly deeper on that fateful day, and every day he got to know him after that. But Renjun was no wimp (even though the only reason he was being this forward was because he made a bet with his best friend Hyuck that he’d finally make a move on the irresistibly cute coworker he would talk about every time he finished work, meaning not only was his pride on the line, but also twenty dollars of hard earned money he was not willing to give away. Not in this economy).
“Can I… Can I kiss you Jaemin?” He had said under his breath, if the soft music that played across the entirety of the now empty shop were any louder he wouldn’t have heard it. But he did. And Jaemin could only nod, completely starstruck.
Renjun didn’t need any more permission than that. He had leaned in, hesitantly at first, but from some power unbeknownst to him (he was praising the “gay gods” when he had gotten to his shared apartment like some mad man that made Hyuck think that maybe he needed to pay Renjun not just twenty dollars but forty just to treat himself cause he looked like he needed a break), and he allowed his lips to touch Jaemin’s.
It was soft, it was shy but above all it was absolutely perfect. Jaemin felt himself melt against the kiss, his hands had indistinctively found themselves to Renjun’s face, cupping his soft cheeks in his hands like an expensive vase, precious but like it could break from too harsh of a touch. Renjun felt his cheeks warm, and Jaemin smiled against him, their faces moving slightly so they could kiss deeper. Renjun felt like he was drowning in Jaemin’s arms, if not for the younger boy holding him up by his cheeks he thought he would have fallen flat on the ground.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but they were a few seconds that they both treasured deeply in their hearts.
They pulled away from each other, out of breath despite the short kiss and eyes staring at each other with an undeniable amount of affection. “Wow Huang Renjun,” Jaemin began, bringing a finger to his lips and brushing it gently with a wide smile on his face, “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Renjun could only smile in reply, suddenly feeling cocky despite the quite obvious blush that spread across his whole body. (Curse the air conditioning for making it so hot in this room! (it was truly not the air conditioning)).
“What can I say Na Jaemin. I’ve been told I’m quite charming.”
Jaemin had only lunged at the smaller boy in retaliation (because how dare he do that to my heart!!) peppering the boy in kisses that made the other giggle. They had stayed that way for a bit, an hour already having passed since they were meant to close shop but they didn’t seem to notice, or really care, when they had the other in their arms. The last of the day, (now night) ended with Jaemin and Renjun walking hand in hand to the bus stop Renjun took home.
“So what are we?” Jaemin had asked, holding Renjun’s hand firmly and caringly which only made Renjun smile. Their hands intertwined perfectly (despite Renjun’s hand being significantly smaller than the other).
“Jaemin I didn’t take you as the type to kiss and forget!” Renjun exclaimed with a laugh, making Jaemin laugh beside him.
Renjun turned so he was fully facing Jaemin, that same adoring smile on his face as he looked deeply into Jaemin’s eyes. It was difficult for him to not look away from embarrassment.
“I’ll gladly be your boyfriend. If you would take me that is.”
Jaemin only playfully rolled his eyes followed by an exasperated, “of course!” which made the older only smile wider.
“Good. I’ll text the plans for our first date to you tomorrow, which I have of course already planned.”
Renjun, on his tippy toes, leaned up and placed one last kiss onto the younger boy, leaning up only for a second longer to whisper in his ear.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, love.”
And with that, Renjun dashed to the bus entrance with a slight skip to his steps, not even bothering to look back. He of course did when he finished boarding the bus and thought Jaemin was no longer looking. He was wrong. Because when he looked back he saw Jaemin staring right back at him, a shocked face, completely pink and heart beating out of his chest. Renjun studied every detail of his face despite the distance, he wanted remember it forever.
Jaemin watched as the bus drove away, Renjun never tearing his eyes away from him until he was flowing away from him like a distant memory. Jaemin had gotten home, humming the tune to the song that had played in the shop only a few minutes prior, making sure to save it in his spotify playlist to listen to ever day. He never wanted to forget what he felt in that moment.
The things you do to me Huang Renjun…
(It took about five minutes after that encounter as Renjun was still shocked and blushing from Jaemin’s adorable face that he realised he had boarded the wrong bus. Renjun immediately stepped out, calling Hyuck to pick him up from the street he was stranded in and Hyuck shouting in annoyance and worry since he hadn’t picked up any of calls despite him calling ten times as it had gotten so late and he still wasn’t home.
Renjun would have laughed at the shocked look on Hyuck’s face when he finally reached him (it had only been a short three minutes despite living far away from where Renjun was stranded. Hyuck, the caring best friend he is, was already on his way to Renjun’s shop to see if he was still there or if he missed the bus and was waiting in the cold outside.) Renjun looked like a mess, his hair messy and his face red from the cold, the embarrassment, and the lingering marks of Jaemin’s peppering kisses.
“What happened to you?!”
“I won twenty bucks and a boyfriend.”
“Huang Renjun you suck.”)
~ ~ ~
It was times like this, when Jaemin saw the pure happiness emit from the bride and her entourage in the form of tears upon tears, that he knew why he loved his job.
And when he turned to the side, looking at Huang Renjun, a wide smile on his face (which was a contrast to his usual sassy mood) and starry eyes brimming with tears and bursting with joy, that he knew why he loved that boy with all his heart.