Chapter Text
Mingyu has never, not even once, thought of falling back on violence to solve anything in his life. Yeah, from the way he's built, people would assume that he would, but he likes the satisfaction of proving them wrong as much as he likes to keep out of any kind of confrontation. But right now? Yeah, Mingyu is one comment away from finally figuring out just how much his workout sessions with Seungcheol has actually helped in building up his punching strength.
"What about you Mingyu?" That got Mingyu to take all of his anger and flush it out of his system in one go.
"Mingyu?" Jia speaks out,almost as if she didn't even acknowledge the fact that Mingyu is here. And, honestly, Mingyu won't be surprised if she can even see anything past her obviously fake bangs.
"Mingyu's been awfully quiet since we started. I wanted to see if it's actually because he's thinking or if he's just still asleep." Mignyu loves Architect Jeon. He's like a father Mingyu had never had. Not that he doesn't love his own father but it's just, Mingyu really would have wanted a father who doesn't crack a joke every passing minute even if he's the only one who finds it funny.
"The project is about a commercial establishment, though. Doesn't his expertise lie more on residential?" Jia, again, speaks out unprompted.
"Isn't that the point of being a senior architect? Having a grasp on every field?" Mignyu asks back, surprising everyone including himself, and Jia flushes so hard in embarassment that Mingyu almost feels bad.
Almost.
"Actually I was thinking about something." Mingyu says, holding in his freak-out to keep himself look calm. "Which is?" Architect Jeon asks, encourages Mingyu, and Mignyu clears his throat. "If the concept would fit the project." Mingyu says and he hears a particularly annoying snort somewhere in the table. "Which concept is that? Sustainability?" Jia asks, smiling, and Mingyu smiles back. "That's a design consideration. And i guess i can see how some people could still mistake that but no. I meant modern architecture." Mingyu says and the whole table turns quiet. Great. His biggest and most prominent fear after heights has finally happened.
A quiet room with all the attention on him.
Great. Fucking spectacular.
"Can you elaborate on that?" Architect Jeon says, giving Mingyu the most help he can by actually entertaining his thought and Mingyu swallows before clearing his throat.
"Well, for one, the green strategies are nice. They fit commercial establishments, yes. But it would seem out of place. The building itself, I mean."
"They're green strategies, Mingyu. They're meant to stand out."
"Not necessarily." Architect Jeon adds and Mingyu smiles a bit at the support.
"Like, old korean houses are built with the stone fire palces right next to the bedroom so the heat would reach under the bedroom, right?"
"So a design that's not too modern to make it stand out but modern enough to still apply the building strategies we proposed." Architect Jeon says it like a statement. Summarizing what Mingyu's struggling to say, and Mingyu nods.
"I like it. It's definitely gonna be a challenge to execute but the idea sounds wonderful." Architect Jeon says and Mingyu can feel at least three pairs of eyes glaring at him.
"I guess no one would argue if I add Mingyu to the candidates of architect who could handle the project, then." Architect Jeon says and Mingyu feels like crying. Both the good and bad kind of crying.
"Handle the... in Jeju?" Mingyu asks and architect Jeon smiles at him softly while he cries on the inside.
Mingyu isn't really one for attention. He feels uncomfortable and a bit annoyed by it to be honest but he can't live with his job without even a little bit of attention always on him. "I really am honored. I am. But i think it's a bit too much for me. And my team just finished the lowcost HDB a week ago so we don't really need a new project so soon." Mingyu says and architect Jeon just watches him from where he's seated in his desk. "You're doing the rambling thing again." Architect Jeon says and Mingyu sighs. "You're making me nervous, sir." Mingyu admits and he laughs. "Look, I'm just adding your name there so Jia would get off your case. Now she doesn't have anything over you and yu two can continue on your normal bickering." Architect Jeon says and Mingyu sighs. "But I have another offer to you." Architect Jeon says and Mingyu feels even more anxious now.
"Please tell me it's true. That you're coming to Jeju." Seungcheol says before Mingyu could even take his seat and Mingyu sighs.
"Boss said I can answer tomorrow and honestly i feel like he wants me to say yes." Mingyu admits and Seokmin sits next to Seungcheol infront of him and looks confused.
"How is that a bad thing? Isn't it good that your boss trust you with a project? Is this an architect thing?" Seokmin asks and Mignyu frowns. He always asks if this is an architect of engineer thing when talking to both of them and Mingyu can't honestly blame him. Mingyu's ranted enough to both of them to receive this kind of response.
"No. It's a Mingyu thing. He can't say no to Architect Jeon because he feels like he's his master Yoda or something." Seungcheol says and Mingyu frowns at Seungcheol and then goes back to frowning at his menu.
"You did that a lot to your Design prof back in college too, by the way. Seokmin thought he was your sugar daddy for a while." Seungcheol says and Mingyu brings down his menu to gawk at them.
"I said that in secrecy. And I only thought you were for, like, a day. I swear."
"That's gross." Mingyu says and Seokmin sighs.
"My point is, you can say no. I'm sure boss man would understand. It's all the way to Jeju, Mingyu." Mingyu sighs at Seungcheol's words and he brings down the menu completely and slouches in his seat.
"It's not just the commercial strip, hyung. He's asking me to design his son's house if i don't get the project." Mingyu says and Seungcheol lets out a surprised choking sound.
"What?!" Seungcheol screams and Seokmin looks around and smiles at the stares they're starting to get.
"See? My reaction was totally normal." Mingyu says and he sighs.
"Dude!"
"Again, how is this a big deal." Seokmin asks and Mingyu smiles.
"Think of it this way. Mingyu's boss is probably one of the best architects in this part of the country, right? "
"Right."
"And now he's asking Mingyu to be the architect of his son's house."
"Oh. Okay?" Seokmin asks, still obviously confused.
"Plus. If his son actually does not like my design i'm sure architect Jeon is never gonna see me as an architect ever again."
"You're being dramatic." Seungcheol says.
"He's being himself." Seokmin adds with a sigh at the end and Mingyu just slouches lower. Just then the waiter coems up their table and ask what would they want. Mingyu asks for a better life and Seokmin smiles at the waiter and adds "He'll have the Tokantsu combo with the ramen."
Mingyu has spent majority of his young adult and adult life with Seokmin. And by default, he's spent majority of his adult life with Seungcheol as well. And he can't really blame anyone for that but himself, seeing as he's the reason they met in the first place, but Mingyu still thinks about how ugly his life would've turned out if it weren't for them. Seokmin has been with him since high school, draggin him along to wherever he goes, introducing Mingyu to everyone and figuratively grabbing him by the neck and ripping off his shy shell with just one hand. Mingyu appreciates it, really, but sometimes he's just too much. Even for Seungcheol.
Seungcheol, on the other hand, is the only friend Mingyu's made that wasn't because of Seokmin. He was couple of years older but only a year ahead of him in college. He found Mingyu sleeping on the book he was looking for in the library and he was nice enough to sit next to Mingyu when he breaks down, realizing he's slept through almost the entire day and that he's gonna end up failing and being a disapointment in everyone's life and he's gonna end up alone and old and homesless.
Yeah, so Mingyu has always dramatic. But he thinks he was way off balance back then.
"Hey." Seungcheol says, driving, and Mingyu looks up front to see him glancing at Mingyu through the rear view mirror. "Whatever you choose, i'm sure boss man would respect it as your decision." Seungcheol saysa nd Mingyu smiles. "Plus if you do say yes then you have me there, too." Seungcheol says and Seokmin laughs. "He's trying to con you into joining him because he doesn't want to be around all of those old people." Seokmin says and Mingyu laughs. "I really don't." Seungcheol adds and Mignyu thinks he has an answer now.
Well he did.
But seeing architect Jeon's son and said son's husband, Mingyu thinks the amount of freaking out he did to think of an answer was pretty much irrelevant.
"Long time no see, Gyu." He says and Mingyu once again wants a better fucking life.