Work Text:
It starts with a “hi.”
The first time Choi Han meets Cale Henituse is next to his house.
Having grown up with an empty lot beside his family home, it’s an interesting sight to see a house being built in that empty space.
It takes no more than a month, with workers working on it each day with amazing speed and diligence. It’s probably for a rich family, his mother theorizes next to him as they watch the construction work through their window. After all, they must’ve paid a hefty sum to the construction workers, enough to hire lots of people and make them work this hard. Choi Han simply slurps his cold noodles, not responding verbally to his mother.
Time passes, and eventually, the house is finally built. And true to his mother’s words, Choi Han can feel the ‘rich family’ vibes coming from it. Choi Han’s own house is pretty big--what with it being connected to a family dojang (도장/ 道場 ) and all that--but it’s rather traditional looking compared to the one freshly built beside his house.
Rather than a normal house, it fits more to be called a small “villa”. Is that even a swimming pool built behind the house? Sheesh.
Choi Han wonders if this place will become some rich family’s vacation house, instead of a place a family lives in 24/7 like his own house is.
--
His thoughts are proven incorrect when trucks carrying various furniture and cardboard boxes stop in front of the mini villa.
There are some men standing around keeping watch as the process is ongoing, and Choi Han almost chokes on his cut pear as his mother blurts out from beside him, the both of them have been spying on the new house through their window as per usual. “Is that a butler? Woah. They have something like that?”
Choi Han sees an old man in butler suit standing next to a red haired young man, and wonders if all of them will be living together in that mini villa. Then, he will have a “young master” as his neighbor, perhaps.
--
His mother sometimes is a menace, Choi Han grumbles in his head as he walks to the mini villa with a basket of fruits in his hands. Neighbors must know and be nice with each other, his mother says often, and Choi Han does not refute. He’s lived in this town since he was born, and in this town that is more rural than anything, he likes his neighbors a lot.
He wonders if the rich people in this mini villa would love to play nice, though.
Knowing that only pondering about it will not solve anything, Choi Han holds the basket of fruits snugly in one arm while he rings the mini villa’s door bell.
He waits a few seconds to no response.
He frowns. Did they only put their belongings in and leave immediately?
Is this really a private vacation villa, after all?
Ringing the doorbell again, Choi Han startles at the raspy voice coming out of the mini speaker just above the doorbell.
“Yes. Wait a minute.”
The voice sounds young, Choi Han notices.
Then, the sound of the front door opening. Footsteps. The gates lock being opened, the gates being pulled open, then--
A redhead beauty peering out from the little space open between the gates.
Choi Han stares.
This must be the red haired young man he saw standing beside the butler. He seems to be around Choi Han’s own age, yet Choi Han can say with utter conviction that he is the most beautiful--and handsome--man Choi Han has ever seen in his whole life.
The redhead’s hair is rather short, with the little telltale of a mullet possibly forming if he doesn’t cut his hair for the next months. Yet his bangs are not cut nearly evenly above his brows like Choi Han’s, instead his bangs are styled in a way that showcases his red eyebrows and striking reddish brown eyes.
His eyebrows are furrowed, a frown palpable on the young man’s face. He seems to look almost like a delinquent, though the delinquent aura is useless considering the soft green pajama set with little frogs drawn on it that he’s wearing.
Beautiful, Choi Han’s mind supplies. Also, rather cute.
Though, who wears pajamas this early in the evening? It’s barely even 4 PM.
“What is it?” The young man asks, his voice gruff and laden with sleep. Choi Han can’t help but to stare more. Was he asleep? This early? “If you don’t have anything to say to me, I will go back inside.”
Wait, no!
“Hi!” Choi Han blurts out, though he winces a moment later, fearing that his tone may come as too pressuring or too enthusiastic. “I, um, my family lives next door. We want to give these to you,” he shifts the basket to hold it securely with his two hands, a smile forming on his lips when he sees the young master’s eyes sparkle at the sight of food.
“Oh, thanks,” the young man says, gingerly accepting the fruit basket, though the enthusiasm in his eyes does not abate for even one bit. He stares at Choi Han for a little while, an eyebrow raised. “Do you want to come in?” There’s a reluctance in his voice, and Choi Han remembers that the redhead was sleeping in his cute pajamas just awhile ago.
“Ah, no, no, I just want to give this to you,” Choi Han confirms, in which he sees the redhead’s shoulders slumping in relief. “My parents want to say welcome to the neighborhood, um…”
The redhead blinks at him, casual in the way he speaks, “I’m Cale Henituse, nice to meet you.”
A foreign name. It does explain his exotic looks, obviously different than Koreans.
Choi Han smiles anyway. “I’m Choi Han. It’s nice to meet you too, Cale-ssi.”
--
“Isn’t the Henituse that super big conglomerate family? I think they own a lot of banks and stores in Seoul,” his father drops that to him during dinner when Choi Han reported his encounter with Cale Henituse.
Choi Han’s chopsticks clink noisily as they fall to the table.
“Really?” His mother sounds interested, taking out her phone--despite her “no phone when eating” rule for Choi Han. How unfair--and tapping a few times. “Oh. Oh wow, you’re right. They have about 20 trillion won?” His father spits out his water, and his mother makes a face. “Oh, that’s gross, honey. Wipe your mouth and the table. Han-ie, is this the person you met?”
Turning the phone towards Choi Han, the black haired young man blinks as he sees the sight of a family picture, something obviously taken by official media workers. A young man with a stoic face staring at the camera, standing just beside a man he presumes to be the redhead’s father, as well as two younger looking teen and child.
“Yes, that’s Cale Henituse,” Choi Han confirms. “The tall redhead.”
“Huh,” his mother hums, “what’s the son of a powerful conglomerate doing here?”
Choi Han and his father shrug. How are they supposed to know?
It’s probably just vacation, if Cale really does come from such a rich and powerful family.
--
Choi Han starts to think that maybe his assumption about “vacation” is wrong.
Or maybe it’s the heat of the summer affecting him, because what is Cale Henituse the first son of a powerful conglomerate doing in his school?
“He will be your classmate from now on. I know this transfer is sudden but I hope you all can get along,” his teacher says neutrally, totally unaware of how Choi Han’s brain is bluescreening on his seat.
What is happening????
--
“Oh, hello,” Cale Henituse says to him, when their eyes meet during break. He is unruffled and very casual, though dressed rather impeccably tidy as befitting of his status as a rich young master. “Choi Han.”
“...Hello, Cale-ssi,” Choi Han answers after a while, his eyes glued to the way the sun seems to shine brilliantly on his red hair. “Looks like we’re in the same class.”
From this angle, he looks nearly like an angel, if Choi Han were to be trusted to describe an angel.
“It seems like it,” Cale nods, a small smile forming on his lips. Choi Han’s breath catches at the sight of it. It’s not a wide smile, nor is it a grin. But somehow, he thinks this kind of smile fits him indeed. “Let’s get along well, I suppose. We’re neighbors too after all.”
“Yes,” Choi Han says, extending a hand towards the other. Cale Henituse grabs it easily, shaking his hand in answer. “Nice to meet you again, Cale-ssi.”
Cale’s eyes crinkle as he smiles. “Likewise, Choi Han.”
It’s the start of something new.