Work Text:
Yuta definitely didn’t expect to find himself working a 9-5 desk job at the age of 27, yet here he is. The only perks of hauling ass at NeoZone is the prestige of being able to introduce himself as Accounting executive, because most people don’t actually know what the job entails and it sounds quite fancy.
As pretentious as it seems, Yuta finds no shame in rocking up to end of year family gatherings in his best clothes and pretending he’s living his best life. He relishes in his mother boasting to his aunts and his father lets him join the old people circle to talk about the economy. Little do they know, Yuta is still bumming it out in a small, two-bedroom apartment with his college roommate and self-proclaimed best friend Taeyong, who also happens to be hauling ass at NeoZone. The money is okay and is certainly enough for two grown men to move out and live alone, but again, you didn’t hear it from him, but Yuta doesn’t want to live alone. Specifically, he doesn’t want to live alone and without Taeyong. Taeyong cooks for him and stuff.
“Get up.”
Taeyong’s dusty and stained Totoro slipper lands on Yuta's head. “If we’re late again, John’s gonna have your ass.”
Johnny Suh is a six-foot-something-tall American guy he and Taeyong befriended in college. He’s gigantic and he’s good-looking, smooth as a snake with his well-endowed upper body and charming toothy grin – the fucker smiled himself up to Manager of NeoZone’s sales team. Yuta definitely isn’t insinuating Johnny in anyway slept his way to a promotion but having CEO Moon sweet for you has its perks. Suddenly, Johnny went from slumming it out at bars on Friday nights and slumming it out in his office (he also promoted from a one-by-one cubicle) instead, drowning in paperwork under his ugly, yellow-tinged lamp. And the thing about having one of your best friends as your manager, is the unspoken obligation to help him out and working overtime.
“I don’t care,” Yuta struggles to find the strength to peel his eyes open and push the gross slipper away, “He’s the one who forced us to stay until nine pm.”
“We are getting paid, y’know.”
He’s aware of that, doesn’t mean he’s excited about it.
NeoZone HQ (Taeil insists on calling it HQ, despite NeoZone HQ only being three rented office floors) sits between other high-rise buildings in the central business district of Seoul. There’s a shared foyer on the ground floor and a cafeteria that sells overpriced coffee and toasted paninis.
Yuta waves to Donghyuck from finance who’s grabbing an energy drink from the vending machine. He knows Hyuck from college, the boy constantly followed Johnny around like an eager lost puppy. He’s a fresh college graduate, and other than the fact that the kid’s a genius math whiz, he’s also CEO Moon’s little cousin. It wasn’t until half a year into working at the start-up company did Yuta realise Moon Taeil didn’t employ people on the basis of merits, instead he employs his pathetic friends who scarcely have anything beneficial to offer on paper; little to no experience and absolutely nothing to write home about in terms of academics.
Which is why Yuta is perplexed when Johnny wordlessly hands him a manila folder labelled; Recruitments.
“I’ve handpicked two potentials after screening, with no help from you guys,” he adds, glaring, “They’re fresh graduates, great academic record plus recommendations from the internships they’ve completed.”
Yuta’s metal bracelets echo through the empty conference room as he flicks through the pages, and he can’t help the frown that settles on his face. Jung Jaehyun. 25, SNU graduate finishing with a GPA of 4.2, and excellent feedback from an internship he completed with SM corporation. Johnny’s chicken scrawled notes include polite, well-spoken, confident, handsome.
“Really?” Yuta deadpans, referencing the last note.
Johnny shrugs. “What? It’s true and it helps, you know it. Anyway. They’re outside. Be gentle with him, please.”
“Hey,” Yuta doesn’t mean to squawk so indignantly, and points somewhat petulantly at Taeyong, “Why aren’t you warning him? I’m so nice.”
“You have a scratch through your eyebrow and your scalp.” Johnny tries his best to not sound as exasperated as he feels, he really does, but he gives Yuta a once over and physically grimaces at his new eyebrow slit that pairs the two sitting on the side of his head, underneath the most intense undercut Johnny’s ever seen in his life. How on earth HR hasn’t rung up his ass about his new get-up, Johnny doesn’t know.
Yuta will have him know that everyone likes his new haircut thanks. “Fine. I don’t know why we need to hire anyone new anyway.”
Taeyong snorts, “Right, because you love working overtime so much. Even my mother noticed how dull my complexion is.”
Now that he’s mentioned it, it was incredibly confronting when Taeyong’s mother fretted and sent them home with vitamin C eye serum for their new luxury eyebags. With the steady growth of NeoZone came the increase in tasks, meetings, presentations and proposals and okay fine, maybe their small sales team does need new additions. If it means no more overtime, Yuta could be down.
Johnny left the room to fetch the new recruits, leaving Yuta to flick through the rest of the file folder.
“Hey,” Taeyong kicks the side of his chair, “Hey, he’s kinda cute.”
Jung Jaehyun has a shockingly symmetrical face. The grainy identification picture sits on the top corner of the page and Yuta can’t believe someone managed to look like this in an ID photo. “Yeah… I guess.”
Taeyong shoves the folder in front of him, “Is this what youth looks like?” Taeyong’s actually pointing to the other recruit, Kim Jungwoo, but his attention is quickly diverted when he spots Johnny and an unfamiliar face round the corner.
Taeyong nods triumphantly. “Wow he’s cute too.”
“You have a boyfriend, you heathen.”
The door of the conference rooms opens, and two too-tall-for-Yuta’s-liking people follow Johnny through. The low-res, discoloured photo can’t distort the fact that yes, indeed, Jung Jaehyun’s face is shittingly symmetrical and his skin is crystal clear, and his hair quiff sits perfectly against his forehead.
“This is what youth looks like,” Yuta whispers back.
Kim Jungwoo rounds the corner, talking animatedly with CEO Moon who has the younger’s hand clutched in a shake. Jung Jaehyun stands obediently next to Johnny with his hands clasped in front. Jungwoo enters the office, greeting Yuta and Taeyong while bowing.
Johnny clears his throat roughly, “Boys, meet – the old boys.”
Yuta stretches out his arm, an instinctual polite gesture but it remains hanging in the air when Jaehyun begins to speak. “Good morning. My name is Jung Jaehyun and I am honoured to be working with you all. I hope I will learn a lot with your guidance.”
He bows a perfect 90 degrees.
“Well,” Taeyong says, after a pause that was a beat too long, “It’s a pleasure!”
It’s safe to say, they’re unaccustomed to formalities when NeoZone alone was built after Taeil had impulsively changed from his music major to business, while high as Johnny is long on some funky smelling brownies. Jung Jaehyun screams high-strung, high-achiever and even looks like a chaebol son. Kim Jungwoo looks a lot like a puppy, who chooses to bounce on the balls of his feet and smiles while maintaining intense eye contact in lieu of a greeting.
“Welcome to the team,” Johnny grins, “Jungwoo, you’ll be working with Taeyong, our sales specialist.”
Yuta has to hold back a whimper bubbling at the back of his throat. He wanted the 6-foot puppy!
“Jaehyun, you’ll be working with Yuta, our accountant executive.”
Jaehyun looks straight at him and Yuta works hard not to avert his eyes because the dude is looking at him so firmly while giving one nod in acknowledgement.
“We’ve been overloaded for a couple months, we’re glad you guys are here,” Johnny continues, ushering the four of them out of the conference room.
While that is indeed true, Yuta doesn’t necessarily like change. Yeah, he’s spontaneous sometimes, with his hair and fashion style and random, inconsistent bouts of productivity… but he likes familiarity, and he enjoys ritual and expecting the expected. He likes the dynamic he, Taeyong and Johnny and the rest of the sales team have. Yes, they’re tired and objectively overworked but they get the job done well.
Jungwoo turns to Yuta, still grinning brightly, unperturbed by his hair and eyebrow slits (that was actually supposed to be threatening - at least, that was the intent when he sat down in front of Ten, his friend and hairstylist). “Hi hyung! Can I call you that? I’m really honoured to be working here with all of you guys, I really admired you when I was a freshman.”
“Oh?” So, another one of Taeil’s underlings. “Thanks. Did we ever meet?”
“No,” Jungwoo muses, “But everyone knew of you guys, especially after that one party at Jackson Wang’s house where you –”
“Okay!” he quickly pauses Jungwoo in his fast track to recite one of the most embarrassing, yet iconic if he does say so himself, moments of his college career. “How could I forget.”
“Jungwoo!”
Jungwoo smiles at him one last time before turning and obediently rushing over to where Taeyong calls out to him. The main work area is one big space, divided with cubicles for each worker. Yuta’s cubicle was next to Johnny’s before he moved into big boss man office and it remains empty where Yuta and Taeyong dump extra paperwork and snacks.
“Hello.”
Up close Jung Jaehyun still manages to look like a descendent of Adonis, and he’s really built. Kinda my type, Yuta thinks.
“Which one is my cubicle?”
“Oh, yes, I’ll show you, it’s right over here…” Yuta’s hand hangs in the air again, when he subconsciously reaches out to grab onto Jaehyun’s arm or nudge him, he really doesn’t know, but he catches himself and lets it fall back to his side. “Uh, this way.”
They walk a few feet, Jaehyun’s new cubicle sitting a row away from Yuta’s own. “Nothing much, any problems with IT, you can contact YangYang – his info is here -, he’s just downstairs. Uh,” he glances around the 1 by 1 square cubicle and the company computer collecting dust, “Yeah, refreshments are just in the break room, I can show you that. If you want.”
“It’s alright,” Jaehyun sets his briefcase onto the table, “I’ll just start getting set-up here, if you don’t mind.”
“Right, yes, sure, you do that,” Yuta stutters before turning and leaving Jaehyun to his own devices. He doesn’t know why he’s stumbling over his words; he prides himself in his social, conversational skills especially as a foreigner but Jaehyun’s hair, clothes and mannerism intimidates Yuta and the guy has yet to crack a smile.
The rest of the day passes like any other day, except for when Kim Doyoung from human resources comes up for no reason other than to grill the new recruits in the guise of an encouraging pep-talk.
They meet up for lunch and Yuta pulls out his gourmet meal of a triangle kimbap and strawberry milk.
“So, how’s your new guy doing?” Doyoung is the guy Johnny tried dobbing Yuta in for, for his hair and everything. Doyoung only glanced at Yuta’s new look before stating it’ll help inflate sales since people can’t say no when they’re threatened. “That’s beyond unethical,” Johnny hissed. Doyoung shrugged and walked off.
“He’s alright,” Yuta hums, “Looks like the son of some hot-shot family though, he even smells rich.”
“That would be Tom Ford.” Taeyong throws his lunch bag on the table. Mirroring Yuta’s, it has a triangle kimbap and strawberry milk in it as well – they were on sale at Costco last week, “Maybe you can ask him which one he uses, I’m getting tired of your old lady Chanel no.5.”
“Hey! It smells nice.”
“Not after buying my mother the same one it doesn’t, let it go, find a new smell.”
“As much as I’d like talking about your stench hyung,” Doyoung cuts in, cheeks full of fried rice, “I wanna know about the new guy.”
“I have a new guy too, y’know.”
“Oh, right Jungwoo. I already know him, good kid, real weird, you’ll get used to it.”
“Oh, good,” Taeyong huffs, “He sang me the One-Piece intro like two minutes after sitting down.”
“It was pretty good,” Yuta adds.
“Yeah, weird. Anyway, your new guy,” Doyoung prods, “What’s he like?”
Yuta shrugs, because he honestly doesn’t know. He’d left Jaehyun to set up and he’d only spoken to the boy only once since then, to show him where the print room is. “He’s keeping to himself.”
“Yeah, and you’ve got a crush,” Taeyong says, shoving the whole kimbap in his mouth and rice grains fly everywhere.
“Very attractive-”
Taeyong chomps, “-is what you think of Jaehyun.”
“I- fuck off. I haven’t even spoken to the guy for longer than a minute,” Yuta groans, thinking of Jaehyun shooting him a tight-lipped smile after directing him to the print room, but then he thinks of Jaehyun’s small dimples that kept appearing and reappearing every once in a while, but Yuta was definitely not staring at him from his cubicle though. “He is easy on the eyes, I’ll admit.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be guiding him?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t look like he needs any help,” Yuta grumbles, “He looks like he’s got stuff figured out.”
And Jung Jaehyun does indeed have stuff figured out. Jaehyun keeps up extremely well with everything Johnny throws at them, and consequently everything Yuta throws at him. He has a slight complex that keeps him from praising Jaehyun for his diligent and careful work that’s making Yuta’s life and tasks exponentially easier than before.
“Hey Jaehyun,” Yuta stands before Jaehyun’s cubicle, a week after the pair of new recruits had arrived, and hands him a file folder, “I was thinking you could start working on a presentation we have planned next month. Y’know, you could get some practice with market research –”
“The SimonSays pitch?”
SimonSays is a new idea of an intelligent personal assistant, introduced to them by CEO Moon and the development team a few days ago. It’s a work in progress that Yuta hasn’t had the chance to mull over yet, but the idea has appealed to the whole company more than anything else so far. It might be the next big thing. He thought it would be a good opportunity to finally offer Jaehyun some guidance.
“Yes, that.”
“I’ve already discussed some points with the guys down at marketing and we’ve found some potential investors we could pitch it to,” Jaehyun says with the sort of conviction Yuta only sometimes can muster up.
“You’ve – you’ve already discussed points,” Yuta repeats; because if he repeats it to himself, he’ll process it better, “with the guys down at marketing.”
“I can forward you my outline if you’d like.”
He can forward his outline if Yuta would like. Yuta definitely thinks this is the moment that started the snowball, positive entropic effect of Jaehyun getting on his last nerve. The fucking gall of this newbie to show him up, and while Yuta prides himself (yes, he prides himself on a lot) in being an all-around cool guy with great sportsmanship in and out of the office, he hates losing.
“He is totally trying to measure dicks with me!”
“What the fuck are you talking about.”
“Uh, hello,” Yuta can only flex his forehead muscles because Ten’s got his neck in a vice grip while spreading hair dye through his blonde strands to touch up his roots, “He shared his google doc with me, and he’s got like 10,000 words outlining the entire presentation, including my designated parts.”
“Oh, a fellow co-worker helping you under load, the horror,” Ten deadpans.
“No, no, no you don’t understand,” Yuta tries to start and begins to lift from his chair since he’s now worked himself up over that dumb, stupid hair quiff and borderline pasty, flawless skin.
Ten forcefully pushes him back down, “I understand perfectly. You’re threatened by the new guy because he’s a model employee, capable even without your help, is insanely attractive and smells nice.”
“I did not say that.”
“Which part?”
“That he smells nice.”
~
A Friday rolls around, a week and a bit after Jaehyun and Jungwoo joined their small sales team and that, of course, calls for drinks at Blacklist a few streets away from HQ. The bar is slowly filling up with business people coming in for a week-end drink.
“Hey!” Doyoung and the gang from HR are seated at their usual table, menus open. Friday nights have always been Yuta’s favourite and ever since they regularly started working overtime, they’ve become even more of a Godsend.
“So, what will it be? Jaehyun?” Johnny tugs off his hefty coat, semi-shouting over the chatter and music.
“I don’t really drink,” Jaehyun replies politely, pulling out a chair. Instead of planting himself down, he looks at Yuta and doesn’t stop looking at him until Yuta has a half a mind to realise Jaehyun’s pulled out the chair for him.
“Oh, thanks.”
“Sit!” Johnny calls, gesturing towards the empty seat next to Yuta, “And c’mon, just a couple. You deserve it after your first week surviving with these guys.”
“We’re really not that bad,” Taeyong chimes, “Are we Jungwoo?”
Jungwoo shakes his head enthusiastically, “Not at all sunbaenim, you guys are the best.” Kim Jungwoo definitely still idolises them, thanks to their infamous college days. The group settles into quiet chatter, Taeyong talking animatedly with big hand gestures about his new fish tank he ordered online.
Yuta idly flicks through the menu. You can never go wrong with a few shots of soju on a Friday night. His body aches from doing nothing but sit in his office chair and going through numbers and paperwork – he fucking hates his job.
He senses fidgeting besides him and risks a glance. Jaehyun picks up the drink pamphlet and squints his eyes to read at the fine print.
“You’re really not gonna drink?” Yuta thinks this is the first time he hasn’t stuttered while making conversation with this younger boy.
Jaehyun doesn’t startle, but his head whips towards Yuta and his eyes slightly widen, as if not expecting conversation (or conversation from Yuta maybe). “No, I’m not a big fan of the taste.”
“No-one drinks for the taste silly, it’s to relax,” Yuta hums, but then straightens himself up, “But you don’t have to drink of course, no-one’s forcing you.”
He averts his gaze from Jaehyun’s face because the guy is looking at him intently again and refusing to lose eye-contact and it’s freaking Yuta out. He hears Jaehyun chuckle, “I know. I guess I’ve never been much of a social drinker.”
“How the hell did you get through college?” Yuta gapes. Damn, if it weren’t for boot-leg parties and free alcohol at Jackson Wang’s house every Saturday Yuta doesn’t know if he would’ve made it through college alive.
“Not everyone was a borderline binge drinker, Yuta,” Johnny snorts.
“I was not-”
“Oh! Remember that time-” Yuta groans as Jungwoo finally delves into the story that evidently left a strong impression on freshmen Jungwoo.
Yuta is a little buzzed after a few rounds of shots – his tolerance can’t live up to his younger days anymore. Taeyong calls a cab and waves Johnny and Doyoung goodbye as they leave in a shared Uber. Jungwoo skips away with Jaehyun who offers him a ride home, the latter having for reals not drunk a single drink.
“See you next week hyungs!” Jungwoo’s voice echoes down the street.
~
Next week comes way too quickly for Yuta’s liking.
“Who is that?”
Sana tugs him back by the elbow, stopping them on their track into NeoZone HQ.
“Who is who?” Yuta says, eyes still glued to his phone reading a string of loud messages from Ten, detailing his failed date with some guy called Kun last night.
“Who is that?” Sana shakes Yuta’s elbow forcefully and gestures towards a figure walking towards the elevators.
“Oh.” Yuta watches the broad, very broad, back press the button for up. “That’s Jaehyun.”
“Jaehyun? As in your newbie Jaehyun?”
“Yes?” Yuta frowns, knowing where this is going, “Don’t drool, it’s unbecoming.”
“You didn’t tell me your newbie is gorgeous,” Sana says, offended, pulling him closer towards the elevator where Jaehyun is standing, waiting patiently. Sana works in HR, but she’s been back in Osaka for her cousin’s wedding these past two weeks, so she missed the new recruit’s arrival.
“Because he’s not,” Yuta whispers, now that they were edging closer and closer.
“Yeah and I don’t have eyes,” Sana replies, “Are you blind? Look at him.”
“Oh, good morning Yuta,” Jaehyun turns to them, sensing their presence. He smiles politely at Sana, who grins at him.
“Jaehyun,” Yuta sighs, “This is Sana, from HR.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Jaehyun bows, “I’m Jung Jaehyun from sales.”
“Great to meet you, finally, Yuta’s told me all about you!”
“Good things, I hope.”
“Of course! I hope your first week has gone well.”
To Yuta’s dismay, Sana manages to insistently throw too many questions and flutters her eyes at Jaehyun for too long for such a short elevator ride, until she’s forced to get off on the third floor. “Bye bye now.” Yuta pushes her out.
“Sorry,” Yuta clears his throat after the doors close with a ding, and silence envelopes around him, “Don’t mind her, she gets carried away with handsome strangers.”
“You think I’m handsome?”
Handsome strangers. Fucking good one.
And Jung Jaehyun is smirking while keeping his eyes trained on the elevator doors, not sparing Yuta a glance where Yuta wants to melt down to the ropes and cogs of the moving box.
“Um.”
Yuta tries, he does, to try to find a sensical rebuttal to alleviate his embarrassment but the elevator doors open and Jaehyun gestures for him to get off first. He huffs, because Jaehyun’s still smirking as they walk into the office.
Yuta knows little shits; he’s surrounded by many i.e. Hyuck from financing, his little sister back in Osaka, Sana; he can smell their dumb-assery from miles away. Yuta knows that Jaehyun is a wolf in a sheep’s quiff and tie.
Yuta, however, is only a sheep and Jaehyun is out to get his woolly little ass.
“Alright! This is actually happening people,” Johnny announces, gathering up the team, “We have logistics from development and SimonSays is in motion. Which means we need to get down to business and have propositions ready to go. Jaehyun, Jungwoo since this is your first big project, I want you guys to stick by Yuta and Tae. Everyone else, as we have always done. Any questions come to my office. Oh, and check your emails!”
It’s like finally oiling up rusty gears as the office flitters into motion, with immediate shuffling of paper, typing, phone ringing and rolling of the chairs filling the 10th floor.
New projects are always exciting, as much as Yuta likes to complain about his job, the feeling of success brought about by the grind from everyone in the whole company is exhilarating.
“First thing’s first,” Taeyong leans against his desk and catches the attention of Jungwoo and Jaehyun, “We need an outline, a basic introduction for the cold-calls.”
Outline. That damned outline. Yuta puts his pride aside, “Jaehyun’s got a rough outline from a couple weeks ago, we can build on that.”
“Great! Secondly, we always have to do a couple of in-person presentations, although I think CEO Moon’s really investing in this one so there might be more than usual. We should get started on that ASAP.”
“This is so exciting, my very first big project!” Jungwoo claps.
“That’s the spirit my boy, stay positive! You’ll lose your shit, give it a few days.”
Yuta twirls a pen between his fingers. “Alright, how about you guys have a look through Jaehyun’s outline, and we can get started on the presentation and check back in on,” he glances at his custom Rapu-chan calendar, “Thursday.”
“Sounds good,” Taeyong nods, “Alright, let’s go puppy.” The pair head off with their laptops into a mini conference room.
To say he’s intimidated to work with Jaehyun is an understatement, it’s their first time working together so intimately. Jaehyun approaches him, rolling his chair over to his cubicle since both the mini conference rooms are occupied.
“So, where do we start?” Jaehyun keeps a safe distance away from him, but peers into his cubicle, eyes wandering, “Nice calendar.”
“Thanks,” Yuta says, because he’ll never give up the chance to talk about his puppy, “She’s Rapu-chan, my dog, full name Rapunzel. My sister got it for me. I wouldn’t make a calendar of my dog. I mean I would, but I didn’t, yeah.”
Fuck he’s got a huge mouth, doesn’t he?
Jaehyun chuckles, quiet but rumbly, “Cute.”
Yuta’s flustered and kinda heating up but manages to give instructions while Jaehyun nods, concentrating. “Just let me know when you finish your half and we can bounce off each other. And, let me know when you need any help.”
Jaehyun hums, “Yeah, got it. Thanks Yuta. For always offering to help me and everything.”
Oh? Yuta shrugs, “I mean yeah of course, no problem. I remember how hard it was when I first started.”
“I really appreciate it,” Jaehyun smiles and his cheeks look like bread before he makes his way back to his own cubicle.
Over the next few days, Johnny unprecedentedly drops more work unrelated to the SimonSays pitch onto Yuta and Taeyong and they once again find themselves working overtime every night until the weekend. They even end up coming to the office on Saturday to finish off work before the new week comes. They did end up checking in with each other on Thursday, where the cold-call introductions were completed but the presentations were still not.
“I’m so sorry guys,” Yuta apologises, “I can get it done by tomorrow.”
“Hey, it’s fine,” Taeyong claps him on the back, “As long as we can get it done by Monday.”
Monday is when they’re scheduled to present it to CEO Moon and the development team.
“Yuta,” Jaehyun pulls him to the side after their mini check-up, “If you need, I can finish your half of the presentation. I know you and Taeyong have a lot of work to do.”
Yuta shakes his head, “No, no. I’ll get it done. I’m sorry about this, we got swamped.”
“I insist,” Jaehyun refutes. He insists. Ah, now he knows what Jaehyun is doing, and Yuta won’t let him get away with it.
“No,” Yuta says firmly, “You’ve done your part and I’ll do mine.”
Jaehyun looks like he wants to continue insisting but he only nods and walks away.
It turns out Yuta and Taeyong didn’t get his half of the presentation done on the weekend because the deadline of the unrelated work was also on Monday. So here Yuta is at ass o clock in the morning, typing furiously into the shared google doc while trying to chuck everything onto a PowerPoint presentation. It’s reminding him too much of his college days.
Johnny enters the office and wordlessly hands Yuta his cup of coffee that’s half empty, but Yuta takes it with gratitude.
Jaehyun eyes him warily when he steps foot into the office looking prim and proper as always. They have little to no time to discuss basic points of how they’re going to present before being rushed into the conference room.
“Yuta!” Taeil grins but slowly starts to frown, “You look like shit.”
“Hey hyung, thanks hyung.”
The development team waltzes through, a lot of them are middle aged tech developers Taeil managed to employ, while some of them (Na Jaemin and Lee Jeno) are younger college graduates.
Na Jaemin waves to him enthusiastically from his seat. Yuta’s known Jaemin since the kid was in middle school and personally recommended him to Taeil since he’s a tech genius. Jaemin and Jeno are a buy-one-get-one-free sort of deal so Taeil had to hire them both.
Jaehyun sets up his computer and loads up the PowerPoint presentation. Yuta’s done this more times than he can count, always with Taeyong, practice pitching yet another invention or idea. It was only with CEO Moon in audience, certified most chill CEO ever, and the development team but it was always anxiety inducing, nevertheless. Even more so right now with a presentation Yuta threw together haphazardly and without glossing over speaking points. He’s pointedly ignoring Jaemin and Jeno making stupid faces to get his attention, when Jaehyun slides next to him and wordlessly hands him… a stack of flash cards?
What? He tries to ask but Jaehyun’s turned away, facing the group, tight lipped and formal. The cue cards he assumes, corresponds slide to slide, with comprehensive sentences that are supposed to help guide him through the presentation. Yuta feels this awful sense of something simmering at the bottom of his stomach when he sees Jaehyun’s empty hands, void of cue cards.
“So,” Taeil claps his hands, “Shall we get started? Impress us with our own product!”
The presentation goes smoothly, or at least looks like it goes smoothly because Yuta’s mind and body and zen were anything but smooth. Jaehyun had changed his slides, or rather, put up a version of the presentation that wasn’t their shared document. Jaehyun had put the appropriate graphs, statistics, representing demographics, admittedly everything Yuta had forego adding.
“Great! This is great guys, very thorough.”
They sit through the rest of the meetings taking pointers from CEO Moon and the rest of the team. Yuta diligently jots down notes, to overcompensate perhaps.
“Alright, listen here buddy,” Yuta tries to throw the cue cards as violently as possible on his desk but they slap like a slab of cheese, “I know you’re new and you’re eager to please the big bosses, but don’t forget that I’m your senior and elder. That means that you listen to me and do what I tell you to do. You had no right to take over my part of the presentation.”
Yuta huffs, and he’s out of breath. He watches Jaehyun’s passive face morph into one of indignance. There’s a beat of silence where he sees Taeyong peer over his cubicle divider. “Yuta. I only completed your part because you hadn’t started it yet and you were clearly too busy with other work to give this a thought.”
“Excuse me?” Yuta exhales, “I’ll have you know that even when my plate is full, I put in as much effort and energy into every task that I have. Hey! Are you smirking? Don’t smirk at me!”
Jaehyun smirks, “I’m not smirking. I’m just thinking that a ‘thank you’ would suffice, hyung.”
“Thank you? A thank you?” This insolent asshole. “Why the hell would I thank you?”
“You’re right. Never mind the fact that I saved you from giving a half-assed presentation.”
“Half-assed! I’ll have you know, hey! Don’t walk away from me while I’m speaking to you. I am your elder!”
Jaehyun turns around, employee key-card whipping with him. “See you later, hyung.”
“Hey!”
“Sit down Yuta, you’re being embarrassing.”
“Can you believe this guy?”
“I can actually,” Johnny stands in front of his door and motions for Yuta to come in. He closes the door behind him.
“I’m really sorry I put you guys under so much pressure, it’s my fault you couldn’t get it done on time.”
“Look, John-”
“But it’s why we hired the new recruits in the first place,” he continues, “They’re here to help carry the weight. Despite how lazy you pretend you are; you’re an overachiever, and you’re competitive and you kinda have a complex but Jae was trying to help.”
Yuta feels like a grade schooler every time Johnny berates him, not because he scolds him or condescendingly speaks down to him, but because Johnny always helps him put things into perspective. Perspective being Yuta acting like an 8-year-old and being unable to put his pride aside ever.
“I know he’s quiet and seems a little stuck up, but that’s just his resting bitch face, yours is even worse. We all have the same goals here ok?”
“Yeah, okay,” Yuta sighs, “Sorry for being embarrassing. I guess I’ll apologise to him.”
“You’re not embarrassing, well. Sometimes. Most times.”
Yuta can’t pluck up the courage to approach Jaehyun for the rest of the day, and he hides himself in the refreshment room, so he doesn’t have to see him as they leave for the evening. He doesn’t sleep very well that night, the guilt of yelling at Jaehyun simmers in his chest.
“Just say sorry. If you really feel bad, get him a cupcake from Jin’s or macarons.” Taeyong shrugs.
Yuta does end up walking into Jin’s Bakery and picking up a box of four red velvet cupcakes. Cupcakes are great and versatile. Happy birthday? Cupcakes. Welcome home? Cupcakes. Goodbye forever? Cupcakes. Sorry for being such a prick, throwing a fit and trying to play the superior elder card on you? Cupcakes.
He’s full-fledged about to beeline towards his cubicle, grab a sticky-note and scrawl a sorry, drop the box off at Jaehyun’s cubicle and run away but when he gets there, there’s a bagged drink setting on his desk. An iced americano with Yuta’s exact preference of sugar and espresso shots according to the sticker. A sticky-note is stuck on its side, reading I’m really sorry about yesterday, hyung. I promise to talk to you and do better next time.
And Yuta feels so fucking bad. He feels so bad he might cry because Yuta knows what it’s like to have superiors holding the simple fact that they’ve worked here for longer or that they’re older over his head to make him feel shitty and small. Even though Yuta didn’t mean it at all, Jaehyun totally held his ground (he held his ground because you were being dumb says Taeyong). So, when he sees Jaehyun sit back down in his cubicle after coming back from the refreshment room, he picks up the box of cupcakes and stalks over.
Jaehyun looks at him warily but offers a small smile.
“Hey-”
“No. Here.”
Yuta gingerly holds out the box of cupcakes, and Jaehyun looks at it, confused. He eventually takes the box and looks back up at Yuta, questioning.
“They’re cupcakes. Red velvet. I think they’re the best cupcakes at Jin’s, although the chocolate fudge is just as good, I should’ve gotten you those too.”
He forgets what he wanted to say for a moment when he sees dimples deepening into soft cheeks as Jaehyun keeps his lips tight as if trying not to laugh.
“Anyway. I’m really sorry about yesterday Jaehyun. I was being a dick when all you did was help me out. And it really was a big help, and you were right about everything, I would’ve half-assed the presentation. I’m sorry for bringing up how I’m older than you and stuff when I’m supposed to guide you, not order you around. I swear I only bring up my age to hold authority over some of the kids, like Hyuck and Jaemin but that’s yeah, it doesn’t work anyway but I’m really sorry.”
“I-, thanks Yuta, I’m sorry as well,” Jaehyun taps the box of cupcakes, “I like red velvet, thank you. I’m sorry for talking to you that way and losing my temper.”
“I was being stupid, it was warranted,” Yuta waves, “Yeah, sorry again.”
“Apology accepted,” Jaehyun finally grins.
Yuta takes a sip of his sweet, sweet holy water when he gets back to his cubicle and hums. “How did you know my order anyway?”
“Johnny told me. Here, have one of your apology cupcakes, hyung.”
Taeyong snickers somewhere in the background.
~
“Every day, I am immensely proud of your character development hyung,” Doyoung mindlessly massages the base of Yuta’s neck as he eats another triangle kimbap.
“Thanks.”
From cue card incident onwards, Jaehyun became one of the sales team's greatest assets, and consequently one of Yuta’s greatest assets. He’s finally learnt, the hard way, to put his pride aside and utilise Jaehyun to his maximum capacity and with both Jaehyun and Jungwoo hauling ass, Taeyong and Yuta haven’t had to work overtime in months.
In exchange for blissful weekends, Yuta gives up what’s left of his sanity with the collection of more little shits, namely Jungwoo. His hair is growing out rapidly into a sort of mullet and its long enough to pull into a little ponytail and Jungwoo finds joy in calling him Lion~ every half an hour and repeatedly until he growls or forcibly pushes the younger’s rolling chair across the room. He growls for the seventh time that day and Johnny glances in disgust.
SimonSays is beginning to take off, and NeoZone is bustling with new developments every day. Jaehyun sticks by him while they work together and not to toot their own horn, Yuta and Jaehyun are a dream team, verbatim Taeil. They managed to seal a deal with a big-name client for SimonSays and Johnny treats them to dinner that evening. Yuta watches Jaehyun’s cheeks rose up from the celebratory shots of soju.
“You really don’t have to drink if you don’t want to Jae,” he tries to pry the shot from the younger’s fingers but Jaehyun shakes his head.
“To relax you said hyung. And I’m gonna relax,” he knocks his head back. And back. And back a few more times.
“You look like a peach,” Jungwoo laughs, pinching said checks between his thumb and index finger.
“I am a peach,” Jaehyun slurs. He does look like a peach, as he softly leans against Yuta, head bobbing up and down. Yuta’s ears are ringing from his own intoxication, the chatter around him blending into the background. Jaehyun is so effortlessly handsome, in an unobtainable sort of sense, if Yuta had his way… he would try to get Jaehyun into modelling or acting. Jaehyun’s eyes flutter open and Yuta almost knocks the boy over in his startle.
“Alright, time to go home, I think. He’s never drunk this much before, look at him, he might die.”
Yuta stutters under Jaehyun’s weight as they stumble out of Blacklist. Taeyong tries to find their uber while Yuta tries to hail a cab.
“You guys gonna get home ok?” Johnny semi-shouts because he’s also pretty wasted, and doesn’t wait for any replies, “Alright see ya!”
“Alright, bye, bye everyone,” Yuta takes a deep breath because Jaehyun is heavy. Just a hunk of muscle.
A taxi pulls up to the curb and he struggles to open the back door, “Hey Jae, tell him your address. You’re going home.”
He gets a grumble in response and yeah this isn’t happening. God forbid the cab driver drops him off and Jaehyun falls and passes out on the street and gets mugged or kidnapped. The driver curses at them under his breath as Yuta closes the door again.
“Yuta!” Taeyong waves him over to their uber, and races over upon seeing Jaehyun almost crushing him to death.
“Help, I’m fragile.”
They drag Jaehyun’s expensive shoes across the movement because the younger can’t move his legs anymore, Yuta’s pretty sure he’s asleep, and throws him in the back of the uber. Jaehyun’s head is warm against his thigh, his long legs angled uncomfortably as he lays. Despite everything, Jaehyun’s quiff still sits nicely against his forehead. He doesn’t know what urges him to do it but it’s a strong urge, so he does it, and brushes the dark brown strands to the side. He feels a little creepy, staring at the moonlight reflecting off Jaehyun’s rosy face, and Yuta feels his breath evening out to match his.
~
“Good morning.”
Taeyong looks as shit as Yuta probably does, his hair a matted, knotted nest and eyes barely peeled open.
“Hey,” he manages to croak in reply, pouring black, black coffee into Taeyong’s mug and wordlessly hands it to him. Taeyong inhales deeply, snort echoing in the cup and gulps it.
“Oh fuck,” with a hand over his chest, Taeyong struggles to find his balance, “I forgot he was here.”
Half of Jaehyun’s limp body is falling off the couch, their big spare blanket pools around him and Yuta can’t really see his face. Yuta had some brain cells left to pull off Jaehyun’s shoes and with quick motion his tie and dress shirt, fully expecting Jaehyun to be wearing an undershirt which he was not, and Yuta got scared for being a pervert, threw a blanket over him and ran to bed.
“Is he ok?”
“Yeah,” Yuta checked if he was still breathing when he woke up, “I don’t think he’s ever drunk like that before.”
Taeyong whistles, “Well. If this isn’t peak bonding experience, I don’t know what is.”
Really, Yuta and Taeyong became friends after someone picked up his drunk ass and chucked it on Johnny and Taeyong’s weird smelling couch when they were roommates, and the rest was history.
“I’ll make breakfast.” More like lunch, it’s almost midday.
Jaehyun comes to a little bit after Yuta finally brushes his teeth and getting rid of the disgusting mix of alcohol and coffee taste and changes into some clean lounge wear. Jaehyun’s sitting up, looking around perplexed, hair wilding and fluffy and he’s got prints from where his face was pushed into the cushion, but most importantly, his naked upper torso wakes Yuta up more than black coffee and splashes of cold water ever could. His naked upper torso sits a solid set of abs, might even be an 8 pack, he doesn’t know because Yuta wasn’t looking. He can’t help, he really cannot help it, if they’re right in front of him, he’s not going to not look.
“Hyung,” Jaehyun groans, clutching his head. Yuta grabs aspirin and a glass of water.
“Here, you’ll feel better after a shower as well.”
“I’m so sorry, I don’t remember a thing. Is this your place? Thanks for letting me crash.”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Yuta motions him to ingest the tablet. Eyes up. It’s kinda cute, the way Jaehyun’s never gotten that plastered before, “Seriously, you’ll feel better after showering and eating something.”
“Do you mind?”
“Of course not, I’ll grab you a change of clothes.”
“Thanks, hyung, seriously.”
“Not a problem,” Taeyong waves a spatula from behind the stove.
“Oh, hey hyung, didn’t see you there,” Jaehyun almost stumbles when he stands, the blanket falls around him, and Yuta holds out a hand to catch him. His palm burns from where it’s gripped around Jaehyun’s forearm, straightening him out.
Jaehyun smiles, gratefully. He leads Jaehyun to their small bathroom, ignoring Taeyong’s rapidly moving eyebrows. He grabs a brand-new towel from a bulk set they got during their last Costco run, and in haste, grabs one of his own oversized shirts and sweatpants and shoves them into Jaehyun’s arms. He has to knock on the bathroom door again to rush in and show Jaehyun where the spare toothbrushes are and quickly rushes back out.
“You know, sometimes you look like you’re about to jump him because you want him for yourself and sometimes you look like you wanna introduce him to your little sister. It’s confusing me. Pick a struggle.”
“Shut up.”
~
Yuta finds a box of Jin’s red-velvet cupcakes on his desk the following Monday. A sticky note with a thank you and a smiley face scribbled on it. He can’t help the smile budding on his face, mainly because Jin’s red velvet cupcakes but because it’s sweet. He places the note into his drawer, on top of Jaehyun’s first one all those months ago.
~
It’s winter when Yuta decides to change his hair. He’s dyed it a few times since his major undercut and it's almost shoulder length when he impulsively decides to cut it all off.
“What? But I love your long hair hyung!” Jungwoo’s given up the lion thing but he taken to calling Yuta in an anime girl voice and it drives the office insane, especially since Yuta reciprocates just as enthusiastically, but they won’t let it go.
“New winter, new me Woo. What colour should I dye it?”
“Are you dyeing your hair again?”
“I’m also going to cut it,” he replies to Jaehyun, “To your length.”
“Really?” he settles down in the seat next to him and takes a good look at his hair that’s pulled up in a low pony-tail. Jaehyun reaches out and Yuta is stunned when he pulls out Yuta’s hairband and runs his fingers through it. “I like your hair right now.”
Yuta’s heart starts to beat like crazy; he hopes Jaehyun can’t hear the damn thing because it’s reverberating through his ears.
“Careful, hyung might just pass away if you keep flustering him like that. He’s gonna explode; look at him.”
“N-no,” Yuta snatches the hair tie from Jaehyun’s hands and runs away, because he’s really good at that when it comes to Jaehyun.
Jungwoo accompanies him to Ten’s salon on the weekend.
“Oh my, who is this,” Ten smiles.
“Woo this is Ten, Ten Jungwoo.”
“So handsome,” Jungwoo beams at the attention, “Are you changing your colour too?”
“Nope, I just wanted to mourn hyung’s hair.”
“What! You’re cutting it all off?”
“Yes, give me the most k-pop looking cut you can.”
Yuta leaves with a bare neck and dark blue almost black hair and Jungwoo leaves with Ten’s part-timer’s number, this really tall guy called Lucas.
He misses his long hair, his neck gets cold and his fingers stop too early when he’s running them through the dark strands but he kinda really likes it when Jaehyun stops abruptly in his tracks and tells him he looks good while blushing.
~
“Yuta!” Johnny sticks his head out of his office door, phone pressed against his chest so the person on the receiving end can't hear him shout in pure desperation.
“What? What is it?” Yuta is beyond frazzled. About 60% of their deadlines have yet to be met in order to properly launch SimonSays, and the stress is radiating throughout every corner of the company. He’s sure Johnny hasn’t showered in a few days, if his greasy hair is anything to go by, his friend most likely hitting the hay the moment he gets home and wakes up the next morning to be out the door in five. Yuta isn’t any better and neither is the rest of the team. Even Jaehyun is sporting darker circles than usual, his handsome face looking weary.
Hyuck from finance this morning hadn’t even stopped by the vending machine to get his first can of energy drink of the day, instead running to the fifth floor via the stairs, with a hey hyung, bye hyung. It’s not that the teams lacked effort and organisation, but a high volume of potential investors had begun pouring in at the last minute, the sales team having to take on a lot of paperwork from the finance department on top of getting their own shit together.
“Yuta, take this call,” Johnny says, eyes wide, motioning towards his phone.
“What? Who is it?”
“New recruit, you interview and give him the yes or no, thanks so much.” Johnny shoves the phone into his hands, eyebrows drawn together in an apologetic glance before taking out his other mobile phone and pressing furiously at it. Poor guy.
Yuta has never ever been given so much responsibility like interviewing a potential employee and determining if they get fucking hired. The absolute power he has?
Yuta takes a breath and brings the phone to his ear. “This is Accountant Executive Nakamoto Yuta speaking.”
Jaehyun snorts, watching him from his cubicle. Yuta glares at him.
“H-hello? Hi! I’m Mark Lee!”
Yuta then realises he has no information to even consider hiring or not hiring this kid and he tries to send help signals to Jaehyun, but he’s slumped over his laptop, squinting intensely. Mark chatters, and chatters and chatters in response to Yuta’s questions and it’s not the substance of his answers nor his accreditation, but his enthusiasm and the way he fumbles over Korean words, reminding Yuta of his younger self.
“Congratulations.” Yuta has always had a weak heart. “You’re hired.”
~
Hiring Mark was the number one, best decision the sales team has ever made.
“Yuta hyung!” Mark jogs over to Yuta’s cubicle, grinning too brightly for 9am in the morning. Baby-faced and Canadian, Yuta found himself taking the kid under his wing and looking after him because he’s just too endearing.
He’s holding a folder in his hands, “I thought you might want some help with the proposal for JYP? I have notes from the meeting yesterday, I tried to take down as much as I could.”
“Aw, thanks Markie,” Yuta croaks, feeling the start of a new round of mucous about to run down his nose, “I’d like-"
“No, there’s no need.” Mark jumps slightly at the booming voice that appears from seemingly nowhere. Jaehyun looks like a phantom in his dark grey suit and pushed back hair, where he’s appeared behind Yuta’s cubicle.
“Jesus Christ Jung,” Yuta holds a hand to his chest, “You scared me.”
Jaehyun ignores him in favour of throwing a file over the divider onto Yuta’s desk. “He has my notes. Yuta is fully capable of doing it himself.”
Mark sputters while waving his arms, “I didn’t mean to undermine his capabilities at all… I just thought it’d be a good opportunity for us-”
“Ok, well, you thought wrong, so.” Jaehyun doesn’t smile, his face remains passive as he looks at the younger boy.
“Jae.” Yuta squints his eyes, tone it down. “I’d like that Mark. You can leave me your notes too.” He enunciates the last part while gazing violently up at Jaehyun, who’s still glaring at his poor boy.
“O-okay,” Mark settles the folder in his hands down onto his desk, next to Jaehyun’s. He risks a look at him before scuttling away.
“Why,” Yuta pauses to cough, a wet, hoarse cough, “Why are you scaring him?”
Jaehyun finally regards him, looking down. “I-…”
Before he can continue, Taeyong strolls onto the floor, chucking a pack of lozenges at Yuta’s face. “God, you look so nasty. Oh, hey Jae.”
“Hey hyung.” Yuta can’t read the look at Jaehyun’s face before he walks back to his cubicle, leaving Yuta bewildered. Taeyong pulls an array of over-the-counter drugs and tissues and face masks.
“God forbid you get anyone else sick; you menace. I keep telling you to wear your coat,” he nags.
“But it’s heavy and one more thing I have to carry,” Yuta’s voice comes out nasally.
“You don’t carry it, because you wear it!”
“Alright settle down kids,” Johnny exits his office, walking to the middle of the room, “Yuta, you look gross, please go home.”
“No.” Johnny cringes as the room fills with sounds of violent coughs, Yuta hacking up a lung. “No, we’re already so behind, you can’t afford me not being here; I’m too important and useful.”
“What I can’t afford is you dying and or getting anyone else sick, so please go. Or else I’ll fire you.”
“You can’t do that,” he fails at raising his arm up in indignance because it aches, “Taeil would never let you let go of such a valuable employee.”
“Jaehyun, drive him home, please.”
And he’s forced into the passenger side of Jaehyun’s Porsche, driving towards his apartment wrapped in Jaehyun’s padded down jacket. “Thanks Jae,” he cosies up in the very comfortable seat. Jaehyun knows the way to their apartment, having crashed there a few more Friday evenings after the first.
Jaehyun hums, turning up the heat in the car. His voice is too soothing, Yuta can’t catch what Jaehyun is saying as he tunes out the cold and soft rain pattering on the windshield and indulges a velvet voice and Tom Ford Noir de Noir.
“Hey.”
Gentle nudges and gentle touches, Yuta’s guided into his apartment and tucked into his loving bed.
He wakes up with the blinds open, the lights of the streetlamps and cars flicker into the dark room. Winter brings with it shorter days and longer nights. Taeyong’s not home yet and he fumbles to find his phone. It’s on the bedside table, next to a plastic bag with a sticky note on it. Hi hyung, take a tablet when you wake up and one before you go to bed. Heat this up in the microwave for two minutes! Get better soon ^^
His stomach swoops. He glances into the bag and there’s two boxes of chicken congee and a box of flu meds. His stomach swoops again, and god, he’s so fucked.
~
Don’t come into work tmr pls.
Jks get better soon, we rly do need u, you’re quite valuable
But not jks, don’t come in tmr fr
From Johnny. That’s right, everyone should know his worth.
Hey hyung~ hope you get better soon! Drink lots of water!!
From Mark and Yuta sends him a plethora of heart emojis back.
HIYA HYUNG. HOPE JAEHYUN HYUNG IS TAKING CARE OF U VERY WELL. MISS U ALREADY
Yuta pretends like he’s annoyed, but he sends a heart back because Jungwoo is cute.
ugly, im coming home, im picking up soup k
Yuta types a reply. nah nah jaehyun left me congee
oh. ooooooooooooooooh. i see
A moment.
;)
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Yuta’s phone buzzes with an incoming text.
Hey :) are you feeling any better?
I am!!! thanks for leaving me food and meds uwu
lol did you just uwu hyung
yes uwu and wat about it >:(
cute~
Yuta feels like he’s being tested.
i don’t think im coming in tmr either :( don’t miss me too much i know ur gonna struggle without me
oh? :’( i’ll miss you
Very tested.
He messages Jaehyun until he hears Taeyong’s keys rattle against the lock and bids Jaehyun a goodnight. Yuta had just sent him a tiktok of a kitten clinging onto its owner's leg and dragged around the room.
“Honey, I’m home.”
He drags himself out of bed, another round of hacking about to commence. Taeyong unwraps the congee and heats it up for him.
“So…”
“So?”
“Jaehyun.”
“Jaehyun what.”
“You and Jaehyun?”
Yuta sniffs up some running snot and Taeyong grimaces. “What about me and Jaehyun?”
“Yuta. He was supposed to drive you home and didn’t come back for another hour. Turns out he went to get meds and,” he motions towards the microwave, “Congee for you.”
“So? He’d do it for you too, he’s nice like that.”
“He wouldn’t tuck me into bed.”
“How do you know he tucked me into bed?”
“So, he did tuck you into bed?”
Yuta glares. “He’s nice like that ok. He’d do it for anyone.”
“The way he gets jealous when you don’t pay any attention to him?”
“Now you’re just making stuff up.” Sure, Jaehyun gets a bit irritated when Yuta’s off doing who knows what, but that’s only because he’s being a bad partner and slacking off when he’s tired.
“Just. Watch. When you come back. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”
~
“I can do it for him, you go sit down.”
Jaehyun snatches the file from Yuta’s hands, and steadily walks away towards the print room.
Taeyong watches Jaehyun disappear around the corner and his wide eyes dart back to Yuta, who’s arms are still outreached in the air. I told you so.
“I don’t know what’s the matter with him, sorry about that,” Yuta grimaces, “It’s fine Mark, you go back to whatever you’re doing.”
Yuta is back better than ever after what ended up being two days of lots of sleep, meds and anime. He’s still a little sniffly and his muscles still ache but he’s no longer annoying everyone with wet coughs and a nasally voice. He also spent a lot of the evening messaging Jaehyun who had ubered him more congee to his door. They trade a lot of funny tiktoks, or rather Yuta sends him a lot, sometimes of dancers like this one Japanese kid he found. He was making his way to make photocopies when sweet Mark scared the shit out of him by popping around the corner and offered to copy them for him. Jaehyun, again, appeared like a fucking phantom out of nowhere.
“See. I said it.”
“He’s being nice.”
“Why are you so in denial hyung,” Jungwoo chimes in, “Aren’t you in love with him?”
Jungwoo’s cackles fill the office as he rolls away on his chair away from Yuta’s backhand. Oh my god. Does he love Jaehyun? Of course he doesn’t love Jaehyun. He doesn’t L-word anyone like that. Does he find Jaehyun objectively insanely attractive, yes. He’s still set on contacting an agency and planting a recruiter on the street to scout Jaehyun for his face. Does he feel certain questionable things when Jaehyun took the effort into downloading tiktok and created an account so he could watch the shit Yuta sends him, yes. Does his heart start beating faster when Jaehyun does that thing where he maintains intense eye contact and before looking away, he smiles a smile that puts his dimples on display, yes. Does he feel special and cared for when Jaehyun goes out of his way to get him Americanos in the morning and tended to him when he was sick, yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Shit.
“We broke him.” Taeyong waves a hand in front of his face and clicks his fingers a few times. “Yeah, broken.”
~
Three days since Yuta’s big epiphany that’s left him feeling weird and he’s taken to avoiding Jaehyun just so he doesn’t have to face whatever it is that he’s feeling head on. It feels like he’s ready to take a big dive off a cliff when they sit next to each other, when Jaehyun’s shoulder brushes against his. Jaehyun doesn’t seem to notice; that or Yuta’s not doing a very good job at avoiding Jaehyun in the first place. They work together most of the day, which Yuta can’t really avoid. They go eat lunch together, they go to the refreshment room together, they go to the vending machine downstairs together, they leave work together. And when Yuta realises that ‘shit, he really should avoid Jaehyun right now’, he finds himself drawn back into Jaehyun’s orbit like a magnetic force.
So, he doesn’t. He shouldn’t let his silly feelings get in the way of his relationship with Jaehyun. He’s not just a co-worker, he’s a great friend. So, when Jaehyun invites him Christmas shopping, he accepts. As per yearly tradition, they’d pulled Kris Kringle names a few days ago. Yuta picked Mark (yay!) and Jaehyun picked Taeyong. Yuta also needs to pick up presents for their friends as well.
“Is it sad that my closest friends are also my co-workers?”
“Nah, you guys are my closest friends too.”
Yuta stops in their tracks. It snowed a bit yesterday; the ground is slightly wet and his warm breath fogs as he speaks.
“We are?”
“Yeah,” Jaehyun scratches the back of his head, “I don’t talk to anyone as much as I talk to you. I mean to you guys.”
“Oh.”
“It’s kinda lame I know. I didn’t really go out during college, just studied, and spent a year abroad so it was hard to make and keep friends.”
Yuta hums, “In Connecticut, right?”
“Yeah, I used to live there.” The bell above the door tinkles as they step into the warmth of a gift shop. “And you guys are great.”
“Aw,” Yuta bumps into his shoulder, almost knocking him into a display, “Oops. It used to be Johnny Taeyong and me, and Doie too since the kids are too cool to hang out with us. Now we have Jungwoo and you who aren’t cool enough to hang out with them, so you’re stuck with us.”
Jaehyun chuckles, “I like being stuck with you.” Yuta hopes he can pretend his flushed face is because of the biting cold and he buries into his scarf.
Jaehyun hums along to the Christmas carol playing softly through the store, gaze wandering around at the different displays and ornaments.
“What should I get for Taeyong?”
“Hm. I guess I could send you my list of gifts. You’ll have to work for it though, I put a lot of thought into that list, he’s an extremely picky person.”
“Oh yeah? Alright, what do I have to do?”
Yuta brings a finger to his chin, thinking. “Depends on how much you want that list, you should make me an offer I can’t refuse.”
“Ok, how about Americano every day for a week?”
“You… kinda already do that?”
“Oh,” Jaehyun frowns, “Right. Hm. I’ll be your slave for a week. Printing done, instant coffee done, massage your shoulders done.”
Yuta doesn’t want to point out, again, that Jaehyun already does most of those things for him already. Shit, is he treating Jaehyun like a personal slave and neither of them are aware of it? Yuta’s managed to condition Jaehyun like this? Damn the power he has over this real puppy dog.
“Nah. Not interested.” He thinks for a moment, and he knows. “I got it. Let me ride your Porsche.”
Jaehyun pales and takes a step back from where he was leaning into Yuta, bending a bit to match his height. “Eh, I don’t know about that hyung. You don’t even have your license.”
“Oh, pretty please, Jae. I swear I know how to drive; I have my Japanese license. It’s only been four years since I last drove, and it’s second nature! Please. You’ll be next to me the whole time.”
He elongates his syllables for optimal effect and it’s working because Jaehyun is losing his resolve. “Fine.” He finally grumbles.
“Yay! Yay, yay, yay, I’ll get to drive your Porsche. Holy shit I’ll get to drive a Porsche. I’m gonna pretend it’s mine and everything.”
Jaehyun chuckles, reaching out and ruffling Yuta’s hair as if he was the older one between the pair. “Now hand over that list hyung.”
~
Yuta ends up getting a new speaker for Taeyong since his broke a few months ago and he steals Yuta’s for his shower karaoke sessions, new sneakers for Johhny, these way too expensive holographic slippers for Doyoung and Death Note, all in one edition, for Jungwoo. He picked up Mark a necklace chain and wrapped it up diligently for the Christmas party. Taeil loves Christmas so the end of year party is always held at a nearby convention hall big enough to hold all the employees in NeoZone with catering and an open tabbed bar.
They exchange gifts before heading off to the party, everyone dressed up nicely in fancier suits than their work attire. Turns out Jungwoo got Yuta for Kris Kringle and Yuta received a lion onesie, adorned with a fluffy mane and everything. Yuta really likes it.
“Wow hyung!” Mark cradles the necklace in its box, “I love it, thank you so much!”
“No worries, I hope you like it,” he takes Mark’s cheek between his fingers.
This Christmas Eve, it snows, the streets and atmosphere looking every part like a picture-perfect holiday postcard. Yuta’s wearing Jaehyun’s padded down jacket, because it’s warm and a little bit bigger than his own and he likes snuggling into it. He ended up returning it after his flu rest but Jaehyun had left it at their apartment after crashing one night so it’s Yuta’s now.
The convention hall is filled with everyone from all departments and their plus one’s, many of whom Yuta has yet to meet with the big influx of new employees. He plans to go straight to the buffet when Jaehyun tugs on his jacket and motions for him to take it off.
“Let’s go put them in the cloak room.”
Jaehyun takes his hand and it's warm against his own. They softly push past the array of people accumulating in the foyer and instead of being led back to the hall, Jaehyun tugs Yuta towards an empty hallway.
“Jae?”
“I wanted to give this to you now,” he reaches into his inner pocket and pulls out a box, “I know you’re spending Christmas with Taeyong hyung’s family, so I won’t get to see you until after the holidays.”
Yuta eyes the nicely wrapped box, tied with a gold and white ribbon, and takes it into his hands. “Wow, thanks Jae. I don’t have your gift with me right now.”
“It’s fine. I just wanted to give it to you on Christmas. Don’t open it until tomorrow ok?” He grins.
“Ok.” His voice comes out soft, soft because his heart feels caught in his throat. The chatter from down the hall permeates to where they’re standing, isolated. Yuta risks a glance at Jaehyun, who’s adorned in an open necked dress shirt with a black blazer thrown over it. Effortlessly beautiful with his quiff and all.
~
“And I’ll grab one more of these, thank you,” Jungwoo balances four flutes of champagne between his fingers and passes them around swiftly. Yuta feels Jaehyun’s gift in his pocket and it sits with a sort of heavy anticipation.
“And he didn’t hang up even after I fell asleep because he said he never wants to hang up on me ever.”
“That’s so sweet?” Taeyong inquires in confusion at the indignance in Ten’s tone. Ten is Yuta’s plus one every year.
“I snore and drool in my sleep, I was mortified.”
Jaehyun excuses himself to hop to the buffet, plate in hand, when Sana engages him in a conversation in rapid Kansai dialect.
The banquet hall has turned into a makeshift club, with aggressive EDM music pumping through the surround speakers and rapid flashing of the light displays. Mark’s yelling something into his ear, but Yuta can’t hear it through the noise and this deep, unsettling feeling that wells up in his chest when he finally spots Jaehyun again. She’s a sight for sore eyes; pretty smile and pretty strawberry blonde hair, tall and slender. Rose from marketing leans into Jaehyun as he steadies her with a hand on her arm. Yuta feels his cheeks burning, the way she fits into Jaehyun’s larger frame, like he engulfs her smaller body in all the right, perfect ways. They grin at each other and of course Jaehyun’s going to like a girl like Rose.
Yuta’s not even half as pretty and she’s very competent at her job on the occasions he has worked with her. And when Rose lifts her hand and rests on Jaehyun’s bicep, Yuta feels like such an idiot for feeling so upset, he turns and runs.
As he nears the bathrooms, the music drowns out behind him. A splash of cold water draws him out of the intense jealousy and deep-set desire that’s taken over his being. It’s just a crush. And Jaehyun isn’t his, he can talk and flirt with whoever he wants. Candidly, this is the first time he’ll admit to himself that he likes Jaehyun. He does like Jaehyun so much and it hurts to know Jaehyun doesn’t like him back.
“Yuta.”
Yuta doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to hearing his name, spoken smooth like velvet. He whips his head up in startle to look in the mirror and feels a shiver trickle down his spine when Jaehyun’s shoes echo in the empty bathroom as he steps closer. He averts his gaze back down to the dripping tap.
“Look at me?”
It comes out half a command, half a request.
“I don’t think I will.”
Jaehyun’s closer now, warmth radiating onto Yuta’s back.
“Won’t you?”
His breath fans against Yuta’s neck. He can feel the alcohol rushing through his body, inhibiting sensical thoughts and instead, the only thing he notices is sandalwood and vanilla.
“Why don’t you go back to Rose? She’ll look at you plenty.” He doesn’t know what possesses him to say it, it sounds pathetic even to his own ears.
Yuta thinks Jaehyun chuckles, by the rumble of his chest vibrating against Yuta’s back.
“But hyung,” Jaehyun’s voice drops to a whisper, “I only want to look at you.”
His heart stops in his chest, threatening to tear its way out. Jaehyun’s caught him off guard before, far too many times than he’d like to admit, and composure has never been Yuta’s strong suit. So, he turns around, face inching up to stare into Jaehyun’s dark, storming eyes.
“D-don’t say things like that.”
“Why not? Say you want me to, and I’ll only look at you. I’ll only ever look at you.”
Jung Jaehyun says it with so much conviction, so much dedication and with so much passion it pisses Yuta off. Even now he exudes confidence, the same confidence that threatened Yuta and almost knocked him off his feet almost a year ago.
“Do you even know what you’re saying right now?”
“I do. And you would to, if you just stopped overthinking hyung,” Jaehyun’s grin is lopsided, right dimple piercing into his cheek, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Jaehyun’s soft hands cup his jaw, angling his face so that he’s just a kiss away. He doesn’t lean in any further, like always, moving a step forward towards Yuta, but leaving space for him to meet Jaehyun halfway. And Jaehyun smells so intoxicating, Yuta’s so drunk off his warmth, that he does. It’s not explosions and fireworks, it’s some accidental teeth knocking and backing roughly into the sink behind him but it’s also the heat that’s been settling at the pit of his stomach finally coming to a head as Jaehyun’s body presses against his. They kiss for what feels like eternity, heavy breathing echoing through the room.
Jaehyun’s eyes are fixed on Yuta’s mouth, red and ripe and glossy. “You’re beautiful.”
“Um.”
His lack of eloquence draws a chuckle. Jaehyun pulls his arm, and tugs him until Yuta’s against his chest, wrapping around him. “I think it’s pretty obvious, but I’ve heard you can be a bit oblivious.”
“W-who said that?” Who dares talk ill on his name? Because Yuta would rather focus on that than his elevated blood pressure right now.
“Some people. When I said that I really like you and was wondering if you like me back.”
“You like me?”
“Hm?”
Yuta pushes his head against Jaehyun, until his face is no longer squished against his chest. He dares to tilt his head and meet Jaehyun’s eyes.
“You like me?”
“Yeah hyung. I really like you.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
“That’s it?” Jaehyun snorts.
Jaehyun cradles Yuta closer when he leans back into his chest, just so that his pride will hurt less with something to catch its fall, “What about Rose?”
“She’s just a friend hyung. We were classmates in uni. Plus, I think she and everyone else knows I’m really into you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
And he can’t say it back. Yuta physically can’t say it back even though it claws at his chest, “I-I…”
If possible, the arms around him tighten and Jaehyun rests his face against the side of his head. “It’s ok, hyung,” Jaehyun hums like he knows. He knows how Yuta feels and is giving him time to come to terms with it and to pluck up the courage to tell him. “I’ll only look at you and wait for you.”
~
Yuta and Johnny spend Christmas at Taeyong’s, as they’ve done every year since freshman year of university. They’re expected home for Lunar New Year, leaving them homeless for the holidays until Taeyong’s family adopted them. Yuta doesn’t see Jaehyun on Christmas day, so his present sits on his kitchen table.
He unwraps Jaehyun gift, untying the ribbon with careful movements and Taeyong urges him to hurry up. A set of emerald green earrings.
“Oh my god, they’re beautiful.”
“Yeah…” Yuta can’t stop staring at them as they glisten under the flashing Christmas tree lights.
“You know, you never told us where you guys disappeared to at the party last night,” Johnny says. He unwraps Yuta gift, “Oh hey, thanks man,” he unlaces the shoes, “I was gonna get these myself. I love them.”
“Hm.” The earrings are still taking his breath away.
“What did happen last night?” Taeyong probes.
“Nothing. Ok something, a lot of things.” Yuta remembers that Johnny and Taeyong are his best friends before co-worker and manager respectively.
“Spill.”
~
Yuta meets Jaehyun on New Year’s Eve at Johnny’s place.
“I thought my gift was good, it’s not, but here.”
Jaehyun takes the bag Yuta shoves in his hands. “I’ll love anything you get me hyung.”
“Shut up,” he blushes. Jaehyun’s taken to saying things just to see Yuta flush at the saccharine words, meaning them of course but also for his own entertainment. He mindlessly fiddles with Jaehyun’s earrings dangling from his lobes as he watches Jaehyun pull his gift out.
“Pink?”
“Pretty isn’t it? I hope you know that I’m not really planning to give you your jacket back, so I got you a new one and then I saw this pink one,” Yuta holds up the jacket to Jaehyun’s frame, “And I was right, you’d look really good in pink. Ever thought of dyeing your hair?”
“Hyung don’t think I’m not aware of your secret motives to turn me into a kpop idol. But I like this, I don’t have any colours in my wardrobe, thank you.”
“I know,” he eyes Jaehyun’s casual attire; a white shirt tucked into black jeans and while he looks delicious, Yuta’s sure the pink puffer will be the only splash of colour between his monochrome aesthetic, “You have me to spice up your fashion style now.”
Jaehyun curiously peeks into the bag as he carefully packs the jacket back into the bad, “Wait, what’s this?”
Yuta hopes he doesn’t come off as a coward, even though he is a big coward, even more so when it comes to Jaehyun because the younger boy is always armed and ready to knock him off his feet, while still being there to catch his fall. He eyes the pink sticky note in Jaehyun’s hand where he knows are his carefully written words after trashing numerous attempts.
A few seconds and Yuta’s pulled between Jaehyun’s arms, and he plants his face into the crook of Yuta’s neck. “You smell nice.” He doesn’t say any more than that.
“Right?” Yuta hums shakily (take that Lee Taeyong), “It’s Chanel no.5.”
Jaehyun holds Yuta’s hand for the rest of the night and when the countdown from ten begins, Yuta swears Jaehyun glows beneath the moonlight and looks at Yuta in a way that makes him feel like he matters. Yuta feels his heart soar like the sky is limitless and in three, two, one, cups Jaehyun’s face between his hands and presses his lips against his.
The pink post-it is tucked cautiously in Jaehyun’s pant pocket. I like you too.
~
“I’m taking you out tomorrow night,” Jaehyun declares after work as they stroll the streets and Yuta almost doesn’t hear him while trying to lick off the melting cream running down his hands.
“Huh? Where to?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Jaehyun looks at him fondly, even when Yuta’s sure he has green tea ice cream all over his face and his fingers are sticky from where it melted after leaving it for so long while trying to win a Moomin from the claw machine. Jaehyun crowds in, backing him against the claw machine. Yuta feels Jaehyun tongue sweep against his lips, bottom and top, suckling on his tongue in a way that makes him feel overheated in the cold breeze.
“Whoa,” he breathes, and he can’t help but unconsciously chase after Jaehyun’s lips as he pulls away.
Jaehyun grins, cheeky. “You had a little something there.”
“Oh, well then,” Yuta brings the almost finished ice cream stick to his mouth and swipes it over his lips and watches Jaehyun’s eyes dilate, “Let’s do that again.”
~
SimonSays officially launches a month after the holidays and it’s a commercial success. All of NeoZone’s hard work for the past year and a bit to launch a small idea finally paid off. Yuta even brings a few of them to distribute to his family members back in Osaka.
“I missed you,” Jaehyun breathes into his neck the day after he lands back in Seoul, “You should’ve let me pick you up at the airport.”
Yuta was gone for a week for Lunar New Year, spending most of it laying around in bed, taking his sisters and mother shopping and playing with Rapu-chan – all the while messaging Jaehyun throughout the entire trip. He still missed him though, even when he fell asleep to Jaehyun’s voice almost every night, so Yuta tells him that.
“It’s ok, I landed too early.”
The door of the break room opens, and Yuta almost knocks his face into Jaehyun’s, pushing him away. “Aw, you guys.”
CEO Moon looks them up and down and grins, “Don’t mind me. Just wanted some coffee.”
“Hyung, we-”
“It’s totally cool guys,” his hands are busy ripping into an instant coffee pack, “I’m glad you finally found someone, Yuta. He’s never had a boyfriend before, Jaehyun, so everyone’s just so glad, thank you for having him!”
“Hyung!”
“Ok, ok I’m going. Don’t do things I wouldn’t do. Or do.”
“I can’t believe he’s our boss,” Yuta grimaces watching Taeil leave the room.
“You’ve never had a boyfriend before?”
Right, Yuta has forgone mentioning that little detail to him, he didn’t think it would matter. What if it does? He looks at Jaehyun nervously. “I guess not. Just never,” he shrugs once, “Found the right person. Until now.” He adds the last part, quietly.
“Until now,” Jaehyun repeats, and reaches out for Yuta’s hands, grinning, “I’ll try to be the best boyfriend you’ll ever have hyung.”
~
“Delivery for Nakamoto Yuta?”
“Huh? Me, that’s me,” Yuta raises his hand and gets up from his seat to the delivery man, holding… flowers?
The man holds out what looks like three dozen red roses, wrapped in red paper and a satin ribbon. The office erupts in whistles and suggestive remarks, even Johnny peeks his head out from his office because this is NeoZone and public displays of affection are very appropriate. Yuta did actually double check that he wasn't breaking any company protocols by dating Jaehyun – evidently, they are not.
“Jaehyun?”
Yuta stalks to Jaehyun’s cubicle but his boyfriend is nowhere to be found. Meet me on the rooftop. On a blue sticky note.
“Be right back,” Yuta calls out, trying to slow his heart rate and growing grin. Yuta doesn’t exactly know why he’s the special recipient of a beautiful bunch of red roses; his favourite, but he loves flowers so he hopes Jaehyun can forgive him for whatever he’s forgotten. He's lucky Jaehyun's birthday is on Valentine's day since he can't remember one while forgetting the other.
He pushes the door to the rooftop open after riding the elevator a few floors up. The employees of the whole building have put together a sort of rest area with chairs under shade umbrellas for smoke breaks or ironically, fresh air.
“Jae?”
Jaehyun turns around when he hears the door open. “Hey, you got them.”
“I did,” Yuta nods, cradling the bouquet, “I love them, but what’s the occasion?”
“I don’t know if you remember, but we met this time last year when I first started working here.”
Oh. It has been a year since they first met, and Yuta’s suddenly reminded of his first impression of Jaehyun that he almost laughs. A whole year, and it feels like time has passed by in a blur, yet it feels like he’s known Jaehyun forever.
“I’m going to make a speech now so… yeah,” Jaehyun warns and fiddles with his suit jacket. Yuta hasn’t seen Jaehyun nervous before, not even when he confessed to Yuta or during their first date nor when Jaehyun greeted Yuta’s parents over facetime. Wait, there was that one time when Yuta rode his Porsche - that was funny.
“Um, so a year ago I was really lost. I wanted to be perfect or at least have people believe I was perfect. I gave up things that made me happy and I guess I was so obsessed with studying and grinding all the time that I forgot how to have fun. But then I met you and to me, you were and are the most perfect person I’ve ever met even with your flaws and all.” Jaehyun takes a breath.
“You made me realise that to be perfect doesn’t mean never making mistakes but making mistakes and self-reflecting. You’ve taught me how to have fun and laugh at myself and appreciate myself. You have so much love for the people around you. And I wanted to say thank you, and…”
Jaehyun shoves his hand into his pant pocket and pulls out another sticky note. Yuta shakily takes it from him, blinking away some moisture his eyeballs are producing.
I love you.
Yuta can’t help but gasp before tearfully chuckling, “You’re a sap.”
“I know it might be too early, and you don’t have to say it back hyung. But I do, and I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you. Even if you’re really stubborn sometimes and you get so competitive, that it scares everyone.”
Yuta punches him for that.
“I love that you’re not afraid to show your sensitivity like when you cry when we watch… basically anything. I love that you look after me and make me feel important and laugh at my dumb jokes and put up with me when I’m being an idiot. I love that you like me for me. Every time I see you, it hurts not to tell you that… I love you."
The bouquet is almost crushed against his chest as he holds it tightly, “You’re going to be the death of me Jung Jaehyun.” His free hand pulls Jaehyun into him by his necktie, and Yuta kisses him. He kisses him in a way that Yuta hopes can convey to Jaehyun what he feels. Yuta’s never felt this strongly about someone before; the longing when they part for the day, the fondness when Jaehyun simply smiles at him. He feels so strongly that it’s true. It does hurt not to say it, so he does.
“I love you too.”
+++
“Pull over Yuta.”
“No, what do you mean? I’m driving so well!”
“Hyung you just ran a red, please, please pull over.”
Yuta probably should be more concerned about how pale Jaehyun looks while clutching the overhead handle, but the Porsche just accelerates too smoothly for Yuta to give it up. “I did not run a red, I ran a yellow.”
“That’s very much not okay,” Jaehyun squeaks.
“C’mon you’re such a wimp,” Yuta swerves because the car in front is going way too damn slow - they could get a fine for that.
“Please, if you pull over, I’ll do anything you want.”
That gets his attention. “Oh, anything?”
“Yes, anything,” Jaehyun rushes out when Yuta tries, again, to swerve lanes and overtake another vehicle.
Yuta’s brain works 100km an hour, similar to his speed right now! What would be worth his while? “Jaehyun I will pull over, if…”
“Yes, yeah, I promise, whatever you want hyung.”
“You dye your hair pink!”