Work Text:
“This wouldn’t work,” one of the executives, Hanjou, frowned as he stared at his laptop’s screen. “This function is useful, but it wouldn’t work for a long-term since it's too difficult to execute. Users would get confused and the support team will be dealing with explaining how to do it all the time. We have more important things to work on.”
Sehun and Junmyeon looked at each other. The executive was right, in a sense. They understood his concern.
It was a fine afternoon. The weather was bright and sunny outside. And there are about twelve people sitting around a long oval desk with their respective laptops open, turning their heads to the end of the table where Sehun and Junmyeon were sitting. Their head of department, who was sitting at the other end, didn’t even look up from her laptop as she kept scrolling her mousepad.
Junmyeon cleared his throat. “We can do a training day for the users, split them into groups accordingly. They can ask questions during the presentation and we would take consideration of their opinions. We will also record the entire training and add additional notes for the questions.” He paused and looked around the meeting room. “How does that sound?”
There's a murmur of agreement between the executive staff.
“In the long run, this function will ease their extra work as everything will be automated. They will get used to it after a while. It will bring benefits to the advancement of the company.” Sehun said, and a couple of the executives nodded their heads.
"No further questions?"
Some of them shrugged, while the rest relaxed when Hanjou seemed to find that solution is fine with him.
The head of department clapped once, bringing the meeting’s attention to her. “Well, I think that went well.” She smiled widely, satisfied. “Junmyeon-shii, please make the function manual note and send them to the team. Discuss with the team leaders and managers when is the most suitable time for the training as well.”
Junmyeon nodded. “Of course, Sunmi-shii.”
They wrapped up the meeting, and one by one left the room. Hanjou nodded at them on his way out. Some of them lingered around to ask Sehun and Junmyeon about how to divide the groups and and congratulated them on the finished project.
“That’s a good presentation, Sehun.” Joonie, the team leader for the development team approached him and patted his shoulder. “We will be very busy for the next quarter it seems,” he laughed as Sehun smiled at him apologetically.
“I’m sorry in advance, we will be relying on your team’s power to develop this new function.”
Joonie shrugged. “I’m not worried since I’ll be working with you two. You guys did great. You made a good team.” Then he turned to the side to make way for a woman in her thirties to step forward. "This is our new staff for the testing and analysis team, by the way."
Junmyeon extended a hand towards her. “This is your first meeting, right?”
“Yes, my name is Hana,” she accepted the handshake with a smile. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Join us for lunch? The others and I are showing Hana all the delicious places to eat around here.” Joonie nudged Sehun’s ribs, moving his eyebrows. Sehun rolled his eyes, knowing well what he wanted. They had been good friends since their first day at the job four years ago, and raised to their current position together as team leader and manager while supporting each other.
Sehun narrowed his eyes to the grinning team. “You want me to treat you guys to lunch, isn’t it?”
Joonie scoffed. “No, we know you’re stingy.” He ignored Sehun’s gasp. “We are trying to make Junmyeon join us. Pretty please with cherry on top?” Joonie fluttered his eyes towards Junmyeon’s direction, and Junmyeon laughed out loud at the ridiculous flirtation.
“Why would you ask me then?” Sehun bristled.
“We all know Junmyeon wouldn’t go unless we drag you along, unfortunately.” The other guy from the development team spoke up, sighing heavily.
Sehun clamped his mouth. It’s true, though.
“Sure, give me five minutes to clean my desk and we will join you guys. Meet us at the elevator?”
“Yes! See, Junmyeon is still the best.” Joonie gave a thumbs up as the others cheered. Happily, they walked out of the meeting room, chattering about choosing a place to go for lunch, leaving Sehun and Junmyeon by themselves as the door closed behind them.
“That went better than I expected.” Junmyeon said when the door closed, as Sehun stretched his arms, letting out a loud groan. “You’ve worked hard, Project Manager.”
“I really couldn't have done it without you,” Sehun turned to him, eyes going soft. “Thanks for helping me out.”
Junmyeon leaned close, then pressed his lips over Sehun’s. “No problem, boyfriend.”
Sehun kissed him back. “We shouldn’t do this at the office, right?”
“You freaking confessed to me in this very spot six months ago.” Junmyeon rolled his eyes, before getting up and closing his laptop. “Come on, I’m starving.”
Sehun got up and groaned. “Why are you treating them to lunch? I thought it’s just going to be just us.”
“We went out just the two of us too much nowadays. You don’t want them to suspect something, are you?” Junmyeon turned to him, eyebrows raised. “It’s only for today, cheer up.” He reached up and gently patted Sehun’s cheek. He glanced at the closed door and then went on tip-toe to peck him again. “Last one for today.”
“Hope not,” Sehun smiled at him. “You’re coming home with me tonight.” He chuckled when he caught Junmyeon’s red ears before walking out of the room.
“This is really as hard as I thought,” Sehun muttered, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. He really needed a haircut.
“I’m not giving you more coffee, this is the eight cups you’ve drank this evening.”
Sehun looked up from his screen to watch Junmyeon. His hair and face was a bit wet after coming back from the bathroom, probably trying to freshen up from working overnight. They practically lived at the office for the last two days. Six months of hard work are finally coming to an end. The final presentation for the project is just three days away and there’s still a lot of preparation to do.
Joonie walked by their office, poking his head in. He looked just as bad as them. “What are you guys still doing here?” he asked, raising his arm and tapping his watch. It was already 9pm and apparently they’re the only ones left in the office. “The project is all done, the system is running fine as we intended, you guys should go home.”
Junmyeon waved his hand at the door. “I’m preparing the manual guide for the teams.”
“Don’t worry about that, Hana already looked over the system and she’s preparing it for our team. We can just copy it for the other teams as well,” Joonie grinned at Junmyeon’s shocked face. “We can’t let you guys do all the work.”
“Oh, Joonie, bless you. And Hana too.” Junmyeon sighed and tugged on his loose necktie. “That saves us a lot of work.”
Joonie winked and did a finger gun towards them before walking away and disappearing into the elevator.
“He’s right, you know.” Sehun stretched and closed his laptop. “We should rest, you haven’t slept in two days.”
“You too,” Junmyeon eyed the empty paper cups all over Sehun’s desk. He smiled faintly. “Should I sleep at your place?”
“Yes, please.” Sehun got up and went in to press a kiss on Junmyeon’s cheek, knowing full well how his breath stank with coffee.
Turning off all the lights in the office, they rode the elevator and silently went down to the carpark basement. A sleepy security guard noticed them and nodded at them. Without saying anything, they both got into Sehun’s car after checking Junmyeon’s car is locked and safe.
A comfortable silent covered them as Sehun drove across the quiet night road.
“Do you want to get into the shower first?” Sehun asked once they arrived at his apartment. It was a modest two bedroom apartment with modern furniture and Sehun had lived there long before he even transferred to the company, but since they started dating, it slowly became a joint apartment– with Junmyeon’s clothes strewn over the couch and books on the desk, his snacks in Sehun’s fridge, his toothbrush on Sehun’s bathroom sink, and Junmyeon’s Netflix account on his flat screen.
“No, you go ahead. I’ll make something for us to drink.” Junmyeon stretched his arms and walked straight into the kitchen, opening cabinets and taking out mugs like he knew where everything was.
Sehun couldn’t help but smile.
When Junmyeon first came into the company two years ago, they both didn’t like each other. Junmyeon and Sehun were so different in any way possible. Sehun was tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp, strikingly handsome features and a low, tenor voice while Junmyeon was shorter (he would like to insist that he’s on average height, thank you), a handsome but soft face paired with gentle voice. They liked different kinds of food, no shared hobbies, and even the opposite type of MBTI. Everyone who knew them would say they made an odd pair.
But unfortunately, they had the same kind of competitive streak and were stubborn to the point it’s hard for them to come to agreement on any matters. That is, until they both were put in the same department and in the same project, forcing them both to work together with the same goal.
(People said someone in the management thought it would be funny).
Surprisingly, despite all the arguments and different opinions (that gave their acquaintances massive headaches after every meeting), they both worked well together. Working on the project was the only time they could be decent and tolerable with each other. Their first project ended up being a success and complemented by the stakeholders that made them well-known in the company as the ‘powerful duo’ (of course, those compliments come with a promotion and raise).
Begrudgingly, they started getting to know each other. It’s hard not to when they both worked so closely together and spent most of their weekdays together. Sehun found out that they both could literally talk about anything despite their differences. Their non-work conversation ranged from talking about the latest design of a branded pair of sneakers to the possibility of extraterrestrial beings in the universe. Junmyeon even knew Sehun’s favorite food, as they had eaten together all the time. They also liked movies (a typical favorite), and had gone out to the cinema a couple of times after working hours.
In no time, they found themselves seeking companionship with each other more often even outside of work schedules, and Sehun found himself falling for his co-worker despite how they used to get on each other’s throats.
Except their company had a strict “No Dating Co-worker” policy.
It was an old and outdated policy, but there were people who got demoted or fired because of it. A union of employees had protested and appealed to revoke the rule, but no approval had been made yet (as far as Sehun heard) so he tried to conceal his crush, taking in stride that maybe Junmyeon didn’t feel the same way anyway.
Sehun walked out of the shower wearing a towel around his waist, with another towel over his wet hair. He was greeted with a wonderful smell of something warm once he stepped into the living room.
“There you are, I thought you fall asleep in there,” Junmyeon appeared, holding two mugs of warm milk fresh out of the microwave. Half of his shirt button was opened, exposing his chest. “Finish yours, I’m gonna take my turn.”
Sehun pulled Junmyeon into his arms when he walked past, and happily kissed him on the mouth. Junmyeon stumbled but held himself up by Sehun’s arm, and smiled into the kiss before pushing Sehun back, grumbling about his own coffee breath over Sehun's minty fresh breath before continuing his way to the bathroom.
“I’m in love with you,”
It was around five months and sixteen days ago when Sehun blurted out those words. It was half an hour past ten at night, they were alone in the meeting room trying to finish their overtime before the golden week holiday, and Junmyeon had came back from the pantry with two mugs of warm milk.
Sehun had frozen in place, staring at Junmyeon who just stood there, holding two steaming mugs, blinking down at him.
Before Sehun had time to panic, Junmyeon carefully put the mug into Sehun’s hand, and sat down. He sipped his drink, contemplating, and turned to Sehun.
“I think I’m in love with you too.”
Sehun went over to his– their shared bedroom. He looked over and realized they badly need to start doing chores. They had been so busy for the past weeks and it started to show by the amount of laundry and the waste they needed to throw away in the fridge. Sehun sighed, and thought about whether they should hire a housekeeper. He kicked some of the clothes on the floor to the side of the room, got a pair of sleepwear that he swore were clean, and put them on the bed. He made sure to dim the light and fluffed the pillows before settling in and put their drinks on the nightstand. Putting a tv in their bedroom was probably one of the best investments Sehun ever made, as he laid back and chose one of the series they had been watching (and tried to finish).
Junmyeon walked in ten minutes later, smelled of coconut shampoo, and picked up the sleepwear Sehun laid for him. He didn’t bother to do something with his hair, instead he crawled under the comforter and nestled himself against Sehun’s side.
They weren’t actually living together; Sehun’s place is just a lot closer to the company and easier to get to when they’re both too tired to function or drunk out of their asses. Junmyeon got his own apartment on the other side of the city, pristine and stylish and admittedly not much in use since they started dating.
And Junmyeon liked Sehun’s place. It’s homey, he said.
Sehun thought Junmyeon should just let go of that apartment and move in with him. He had voiced it out three months ago and Junmyeon had declined, saying what if the company finds out about them when he changes his home address on his employee’s profile? Sehun never brought it up again after that.
“Do you want to continue watching this one?” Sehun muttered into Junmyeon’s hair, holding a remote control.
“This show is too complicated to catch up at this time of night,” Junmyeon replied, yawning into the back of his hand. “Let’s watch something easy.”
Sehun was aware they wouldn’t finish even one episode before falling asleep, but he clicked on it anyway, and settled into the mattress with both arms around his lover.
“Congratulations on another successful project!” Joonie toasted his beer, with a resounding cheer from other colleagues. “The powerful duo did it again!”
Sehun grinned at the people around the table, with Junmyeon sitting beside him sipping his beer before the toast even ends. The presentation was a success, the CFO was very pleased with the outcome, and now the team were out celebrating (and this time, they managed to convince Sehun to pay the tabs) at one of the old barbeque restaurants near their company, with beers and soju and samgyeopsal and beef.
Sehun turned and put a hand over Junmyeon’s thigh, leaning close to whisper to his ear. “You don’t want to get drunk too fast.”
“Why not,” Junmyeon glanced at him as if it’s a challenge, and smirked before making a show of throwing his head back while drinking. He got halfway into the big beer mug before slamming it down on the table. “It’s our win today, baby.” His eyes dropped from Sehun’s face to his opened collar shirt, then lingered on the skin before making eye contact.
Sehun suddenly felt his throat dry.
Junmyeon’s eyes were twinkling in mirth.
Sehun loved this man so much.
“Let him drink! There’s plenty of it since you’re paying, boss!” One of their co-worker shouted from the end of the table, as the others laughed loudly at his obnoxious shout. Another mug of beer appeared in front of them, and Junmyeon nodded in approval as his attention went back to the party.
Sehun poured himself a shot of soju. The grilling meat suddenly smelled nauseating.
Junmyeon was talking with Hanjou when he noticed that Sehun wasn’t at his seat. He looked around the busy and robust restaurant, trying to locate his boyfriend, and failed.
“Sehun-shii is outside,” Hana, who was sitting opposite him and looked quite red on the face, chimed in. She was clearly drunk. “I saw him– I saw him walking that way just now.” She pointed to the door.
Junmyeon smiled and subtly pushed a glass of water in front of her. “Thanks, Hana.”
Making sure that everyone else is preoccupied, Junmyeon left the table and made his way to the door, sliding it open. On the other side, under the flickering light of the restaurant’s front, stood Sehun, gazing over to the dark street with a lit cigarette between his fingers.
Sehun looked surprised when he saw Junmyeon, trying to hide his hand behind him. “Junmyeon, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” He stood closer until their arms were touching, looking out at the empty street as well. “Are you smoking secretly again?”
“Again? You—“ Sehun sighed. He thought he hid it well from Junmyeon all this time. “How long have you known my shameful secret?”
Junmyeon smiled at him. “From the beginning. I knew you smoked at the back of the building every time we had our clashes in the past. You didn’t do it much after we got together though.” He said. Sehun let go of the butt of the cigarette and ground it with his heel until the red light faded. “Is something bothering you?”
Sehun shook his head.
“Liar,” Junmyeon replied immediately. “You only smoke when you’re stressed out. I know it’s not about work because we just close a successful project. Is it—“ he softly gasped, turning a concerned look to Sehun. “I went too far, am I? Earlier at drinks; I teased you and called you ‘baby’. Is that why—“
Sehun huffed out a laugh, holding him by the shoulders, trying to soothe him. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry, I don’t think they notice that.” Sehun smiled at him, thumbs drawing a comforting circle on his shoulder blade. “But I would be lying if I say it’s not related.”
Junmyeon titled his head, confused.
“It’s our stupid company’s policy,” Sehun sighed and slowly dropped his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder. His comfort place. “I just— I overheard what Hanjou said to you.”
“Ah,” Junmyeon figured Sehun would hear them. “When Hanjou said he want to set me up for a blind date with a friend of his wife? It’s okay, baby. I already said no.” Junmyeon patted Sehun’s back.
Sehun shifted on Junmyeon’s shoulder, feeling too comfortable to move. But they’re standing in front of a public place where their coworkers can walk out at anytime so he willed himself to pull away from Junmyeon.
“I’m sorry,” Sehun muttered. “I didn’t mean to whine about it. I know you wouldn’t accept it. But,” he put a hand over Junmyeon’s cheek, caressing the soft skin. “I love you, Junmyeon.” He whispered softly. “I really do love you. And I am proud to be with you. It’s painful to not be able to say that you’re mine and—“ Sehun closed in and tapped Junmyeon’s forehead with his. “I am yours.”
Junmyeon knew that Sehun was right. He was hurt too, not being able to show off Sehun as his boyfriend. Slowly, Junmyeon leaned up and kissed Sehun, lightly nibbling on his lips and decided that the cigarette’s taste wasn’t that bad, but he would prefer to taste Sehun himself. “I love you too,” he whispered as he pulled back, watching Sehun’s expression. “Let’s wait just a little bit more, okay?” He wrapped his arms around Sehun’s back, pulling him closer. “We’ll find a way.”
Sehun nodded, feeling his cheek rubbed against Junmyeon’s clothes. “Can we go home now? I don’t think I am in the mood to party.”
“Sure, baby.” Junmyeon smiled a little. “You go on ahead and wait in the car. I’ll go pay the bills with your credit card and get my coat.” He pressed a sound kiss on Sehun’s cheek before walking back into the restaurant.
Sehun sighed. He patted his pocket and took out the pack of cigarettes he just bought from the vending machine. Throwing it in the bin, he put his hands in his pocket before walking towards the car park.
“We should go somewhere.” Junmyeon suddenly commented.
It was Saturday and their first day of a long holiday, and they had spent it doing all the neglected chores they missed when they were busy working. Junmyeon had done mopping the floor and had picked the laundry out of the dryer to sit crossed-legged on the floor in front of the tv, folding the clothes. Sehun had just finished washing the dishes and taking out the garbage and now was lying down on the sofa, watching the television mindlessly.
“What do you have in mind?” Sehun muttered, eyes turning to see the back of Junmyeon’s head.
“We have three days’ holiday, and we’re not gonna spend it sitting around the house doing nothing.” He said as he pushed the pile of laundry to the side and scooted closer to the sofa, leaning back on it. “I heard there’s a hot spring resort just two hours away. It’s newly open and quite private.” Junmyeon turned around to look at Sehun. “Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”
“A hot spring in the middle of summer huh?” Sehun raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that definitely sounds nice.”
Junmyeon frowned at him and Sehun let out a chuckle. “Don’t make fun of me. We’ve been working so hard lately; don’t we deserve a nice holiday?”
“Of course I agree with you,” Sehun replied. “But a hot spring in the middle of summer, Junmyeon? Don’t you rather go somewhere colder?” He paused to think. “Maybe Australia?”
Rolling his eyes, Junmyeon stood and then unceremoniously climbed over Sehun on the sofa, making Sehun shriek in surprise. Junmyeon pinned him down with his weight and held Sehun’s face, grinning down at him.
“I would love to go to Australia with you, baby. Or Tokyo, or Paris and New York.” His voice turned low and raspy, eyes flickering down to Sehun’s mouth. “Unfortunately our holiday this time is quite short to make such a trip.”
Sehun blinked. “Really?” he asked. “You’re willing to go to the other end of the world with me?”
“I will go anywhere with you.” Junmyeon said, matter-of-factly. He didn’t seem hesitant at all. “But let’s make a proper plan for that when we have a longer holiday next time. Maybe in October when it’s warmer in Australia?”
And Sehun’s heart was about to burst from happiness, feeling like it was going to consume him alive. “I love you,” he muttered, reaching up to tuck a hair behind Junmyeon’s ear. The weight of Junmyeon’s body over him felt like a blanket of security and promises. “I love you, Junmyeon.”
Junmyeon didn’t reply, just bent down and kissed him, mouth opened to taste each other. His fingers wrapped around Sehun’s back, pulling him in as if they couldn’t get closer. Sehun brought his hand to Junmyeon’s thigh, caressing the exposed skin beneath the shorts and bucked his hips upwards to feel Junmyoen’s hardening length.
He smirked when Junmyeon let out a moan. His lover never knew any shame.
“Are you still sore from last night?” Sehun asked, kissing Junmyeon’s neck.
Junmyeon tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck more to the kisses as he ground his ass down to Sehun’s front desperately. “Doesn’t matter. Just–” he cried out when Sehun bit on his sensitive spot, just below his ear.
Turning them around, Sehun pushed Junmyeon into the sofa and kissed him senseless.
The sun was shining brightly when they got out of the car, the sound of crickets welcoming them as they both stood in front of old-wooden gate with wild ivy falling over the ominous-looking sign.
“Are you sure this is the place? I thought you said it was newly open.” Sehun said after two minutes of silence. Junmyeon scooted closer to him and looped an arm over Sehun’s elbow. "This place looks like it has been here for at least fifty years." It was an exaggeration, of course.
“That’s what I heard. And this address is correct. It’s the only hot spring resort in this area.” Junmyeon bit his lips, looking nervous. Sehun took pity on him. He knew Junmyeon wasn’t very good with scary things. They couldn’t even watch horror movies because Junmyeon would be too scared to go to the bathroom.
“Maybe they’re just keeping the outside more traditional to be more appealing. Let’s go inside.” Sehun said, patting Junmyeon on the arm to ease the tension.
Junmyeon nodded. They both got their bags from the trunk and slowly walked into the building, the door making a loud screech sound as they pushed it open.
What’s lacking outside the resort, is made up with the interior. The lobby was polished with gleaming tiles and mosaics, and the wall was made of varnished dark woods. There was a huge, candle chandelier in the middle of the room, and at the back of it was a marble counter with a sweet-looking ahjumma sitting while listening to the radio.
“Well, this is unexpected.” Sehun grinned as he felt Junmyeon immediately relaxed beside him. “Maybe your information was right all along.”
They went to the counter to check in with their booking, and the ahjumma greeted them warmly as she assigned their room. She explained that the resort was his husband’s property, and the renovation was made by his grandson to attract more visitors to the village and apparently they are one of the first two customers after its re-opening. Junmyeon chatted about how he had heard about the hot spring resort from a friend and would definitely help in recommending the place.
When they reached their room, they were surprised at how spacious it was. There’s a couch and a table in the middle of the room with a huge window and a balcony overlooking the garden, while there’s a queen bed on the other side with a wardrobe and a bathroom. They both thanked the ahjumma as she left to let them settle down.
“One bed?” Sehun raised an eyebrow at Junmyeon who just shrugged.
“We’re not in the office,” Junmyeon said as he went to open the window. “She doesn't know who we are, who cares what she thinks.”
Junmyeon was right, of course. Sehun went to stand beside him, staring out at the scenery.
It was peaceful.
Later on, they changed their clothes into bathrobes and towels, and went out to seek the hot spring. It was an outdoor hot spring with tall fences and trees surrounding the area to give it complete privacy. They washed themselves and helped each other’s backs before indulging themselves in the hot spring. Sehun leaned his back to the stone ledge, pushing his hair back with his wet hand. He watched in appreciation as Junmyeon moved to the middle of the spring, back glistening and pink from the heat. He could feel himself getting hard but he’s too relaxed to move, and it’s a bit inappropriate doing sexual things in a public place while sharing public facilities (Sehun wasn’t that insatiable), so he just laid back and enjoyed the view.
After paddling a few times around the spring, Junmyeon turned and made a bee-line towards him, smiling gently. Sehun smiled back and reached out until Junmyeon settled on his lap, leaning up for a kiss.
“You seem excited,” Junmyeon muttered into his mouth, rolling his hips down.
“How could I not when you look like this,” Sehun chuckled as he pecked Junmyeon on the cheek. “Now get off of me, don’t start something we can’t finish.”
Junmyeon laughed at him, shoulders shaking in amusement as he stood and pushed himself off his boyfriend. He went back to the other side of the pool, wetting his hair and leaned against the edge of the pool, sighing in bliss.
When they were done with the bath, the sun almost set. They walked back into the resort feeling refreshed as one of the attendants came to fetch them to the dining hall. Dinner was prepared with a spread of traditional Korean cuisine with a lot of side dishes and soju.
“How much did you pay for this exactly?” Sehun whispered to Junmyeon as they sat at the table, his hand was already reaching for the bottle of soju. “The room is big, the hot spring is good, and now the dinner.”
“Not much to get a five-star service,” Junmyeon replied flatly and waited for Sehun to pour his drink. “Kinda feel like we’re on a honeymoon.” He chuckled as their hand brushed when he’s reaching for the cup.
Sehun stopped on his track, staring at him.
“Too much?” Junmyeon asked, blushing while glancing at Sehun. Sehun just shook his head.
“No,” he said, smiling. “I’m just surprised you thought I would bring you to a hot spring for a honeymoon. I thought we already agreed on Australia.”
Junmyeon burst out laughing, titling to the side while clutching his stomach. Sehun took pleasure in that.
The dinner was delicious, and Sehun felt like he had never eaten so much in one setting. He laid spread-eagle on the bed, ignoring the way his bathrobe opened at the chest. He watched as Junmyeon moved around the room, his bathrobe primly tucked in and he fussed over when the attendant came to bring them their snacks. Sehun sat up, pulling his bathrobe close when the attendant left and the door shut close; as Junmyeon came back from the kitchen pantry and carried two bottles of soju to the balcony.
Sehun followed him and sat on the floor cushion. The night breeze felt cooling on his heated skin. The leaves rustled and the sound of crickets was music to his ear. It was peaceful. And Sehun was happy. Just Junmyeon and a bottle of soju on a summer night. Life was perfect.
“Let’s go take a walk in the village,” Junmyeon suddenly said. “It’ll be good for digestion.”
“Why don’t we just lie and moan from being too full instead?” Sehun replied, pouring soju for himself. He chuckled when Junmyeon rolled his eyes.
“I would rather moan for something else, baby.” Junmyeon paused, then leaned over the table placed between them. “I’ve been thinking.”
Sehun turned to look at him. “About what?”
“Our dating situation.” Junmyeon went straight to the point, not giving a doubt or a chance for Sehun to second guess himself. “I’m thinking about sending in my resignation letter.”
Sehun almost spilled the soju all over himself.
“What?” Sehun burst out, too shocked to even coherently reply. “What– What are you– Junmyeon??”
Junmyeon reached out and held his hand, trying to calm him. “Relax, it’s still just a thought.” He smiled. “When I saw how hurt you were last time about us secretly dating and not able to tell our friends; I feel sad. I never want you to feel hurt just for dating me. But I don’t want us to break up, that’s the one thing I can’t give up.” His fingers were warm in Sehun’s cold hand.
“Then why–?”
“If we’re not in the same company anymore, we can openly date without any consequences. It’s a win-win for us, Sehun.”
Sehun. Junmyeon called him Sehun, not ‘baby’. This is serious.
“Why do you have to leave?” Sehun finally asked. “Why not me? I’m the one whining about it, you should not take responsibility for how I’m feeling about the situation. Besides, you love the job.”
“You do too,” Junmyeon protested. “You said to me long ago how this is the best job you ever got.”
Sehun chuckled weakly, remembering that conversation. “Well, technically it’s the best job because I got to meet you.”
Grinning widely, Junmyeon leaned over to kiss him on the lips. “You’re sweet, but I can’t let you do that when you might be promoted soon.”
Sehun really loved the job. After years of struggles with his past company, being cheated out of pay and horrendous bosses, he finally got his dream job at a prestigious company with good pay, good bosses and coworkers, and meeting Junmyeon. It was all he ever hoped for, but–
“Let’s resign together then.”
Junmyeon went quiet, his mouth agape, not expecting the outcome.
“I don’t care about the promotion if it costs your own career, Junmyeon. And you know what, when we got back from the restaurant the other day, I was thinking. It didn’t matter that we have to hide our relationship and not tell anyone from work. I realize I don’t need to do that to be happy. At the end of the day, I still got to go home with you. Just being with you is happiness enough for me.” Sehun moved so he could kneel in front of Junmyeon, holding his hands. “Next holiday, let’s come home with me. I want to introduce you to my family. Then we’ll decide when we should resign, together.” He brought Junmyeon’s hand to his lip, kissing it tenderly.
Junmyeon sighed heavily, but he was smiling while staring at Sehun with gentle eyes. “Someday, I’m going to propose to you, Oh Sehun.”
“You can try,” Sehun grinned. “Not if I propose to you first, though.”
Junmyeon jumped on him, kissing him on the mouth while wrapping his arms around Sehun’s neck. Sehun kissed back just as hard, and was grateful how loose the bathrobes were.
3 months later-
The atmosphere in the office was quiet and serene that day as everyone went on with their work.
Two days ago, Sehun had called his parents and informed them that he’s going to bring home someone to introduce to as his future spouse. He didn’t technically propose yet, but it’s good to give his parents a heads up. His parents had been excited and before Sehun hung up, he could hear his mother saying something about cooking Junmyeon’s favorite meal.
They couldn’t possibly know, right? His parents had only met Junmyeon twice when they came by the city for his father’s birthday and parent’s day. And both times Junmyeon has been known as just his “co-worker”.
He also intended to tell his family about their decision to leave the company. It’s such a pity but they could always find another job rather than losing each other.
Sehun was just about to go back to his work when someone knocked on his door loudly. Before Sehun could tell the person to come in, Joonie was already inside the room, looking breathless and a bit excited.
“Sehun, Sehun. I got big news.”
“Is this about the system patch project?” Sehun went back to typing on his laptop. “The management already informed us. Junmyeon is going to lead it so if you’re looking for him, he’s downstairs meeting with the consultants.”
“Not that! Who cares about that?” Joonie slammed his hand over the desk, his grin was so huge it almost creeped out Sehun. “Don’t you hear it from the management? About the new policy?”
Sehun just stared at him blankly.
“The union, silly! The anti-policy union! The management has signed off that the “no-dating-co-workers” policy has been banned! It’s no longer in action. The old management has been replaced and they voted off the policy and now no one can get fired just by dating co-workers anymore! Isn’t it great?”
For a few seconds, Sehun just sat staring at Joonie with wide eyes. Standing up, Sehun quickly ran over to his friend and shook him by the shoulders. “Are you serious?! Where did you find out about this?”
“Just five minutes ago. They’re going to send the newsletter this evening. But they approved and signed it yesterday.” Joonie replied, trying to get Sehun's hands off of him. “And stop shaking me!”
Sehun ignored him and grinned, his heart was beating fast. “Joonie, do me a favor and don’t tell Junmyeon about this yet.” He said, looking down at his watch. “I still have time before the jewelry store closes.” Without a second thought, he left the room and dashed off to the elevator. Waiting for the elevator seemed too long for him, so he decided to just take the stairs.
His parents would be meeting their future son-in-law in two days with Junmyeon wearing an engagement ring. He would make sure of that.
Hana approached Joonie as he walked out of Sehun’s office, after witnessing Sehun running out of the office with a huge grin on his face. “Didn’t you already tell Junmyeon-shii on your way up here?”
“Yup, but he didn't need to know that.” Joonie shrugged, crossing his arms smugly. “By the way, Junmyeon also told me not to tell Sehun and he’s on the way to a jewelry store too, apparently.”
A person who was on his way to the copy machine overheard him and paused, raising a thumb up at him.
“I’m still mad that no one told me they are together all this time.” Hanjou huffed out. Beside him, the rest of the people in the department have gathered around to share the news.
“How are we supposed to know that you didn’t know? It was obvious to everyone.”
“No matter, but it makes sense I guess. They do look good together.”
Someone clapped Joonie on the back. “Well done, we didn’t know you could finally convince the management to uplift the policy.”
“We have a lot of people involved in this union, it speeds up the process.” Joonie said. “And now they owed me twice.” His eyes gleamed.
“Twice?”
“He recommended his grandmother’s resort to Junmyeon,” Hana interjected. “And he told his grandmother that she should let them have the place to themselves.”
“The pros of being the grandson of a resort’s owner, heh.”
“Sweet. Hey, Joonie, give me a discount. I want to bring my girlfriend to your grandmother’s resort.”
“No.”
“Stingy!”
Hana ignored the commotion and turned to the rest. “They both must be very happy now.”
“You said they both are going to jewelry stores? Aww, are we going to get good news soon?”
“Congratulations to them.”
“I just hope they remember to invite us to the wedding.”
end.