Work Text:
"Kim Dokja."
Joonghyuk's voice isn’t enough to have him stop on working on the homework he’s currently doing.
"Mmhh?"
"Go out with me."
Dokja drops his pen, the paper in front of him left still blank. "Out? Like, like on a date?"
Joonghyuk throws him a look of annoyance.
"Yes."
"Oh, okay. Well, I mean, yes, I yes, I would like that."
"Good."
"Does Saturday in the afternoon works for you?"
"Yes."
Well, looks like he has a date now.
***
1
In the middle of the summer the flowers are all in bloom, a rainbow of colors in every direction one looks at.
In the top of the trees, in the vines that grow on the trunks of the trees, in bushes, and growing over the ground.
Today has been a productive day, not only are Dokja and Joonghyuk out on another date, but at the same time the chosen place for their date has allowed them to complete their biology project.
All of the samples of the flowers and plants that they needed have already been collected, and the time that they still had could have been used to walk a little bit more around the park or find another thing to do to make their date last more, but sadly today the weather is not on their side.
What just some minutes ago had been a sunny and warm day, is soon replaced by violent winds that brought heavy rain clouds with them.
And the rain descended quick and without mercy over them while they were walking in the park, and to make things even worse they were only able to find a place to shelter themselves after minutes of running down the torrential rain.
And so now cold, soaked to the bones, shivering, and with no doubts with a fever soon to fall upon them they can do nothing else but to wait until the rains get less strong and once again run until they arrive home.
“But, seeing the good side, if we do fall sick, we will be free of having to take part in next week’s festival.”
Joonghuyk just throws an annoyed glance at him, but thanks to looking like a wet sock his glance doesn’t have the same bite as usual.
***
2
“And then professor Woo screams to Jiwoo, you either tell me the truth about why you didn’t bring your homework or I’m failing you at this moment, you’re already a high school student that is months away from graduation and you are still making ridiculous excuses like my cat ate my homework.”
In front of him, Joonghyuk says nothing and to anyone else, it may look like he’s ignoring all that Dokja is saying, but that’s just because they don’t know Joonghuyk.
But Dokja does, and what he knows is that right now he has all of Joonghyuk’s attention. And he knows this because ever since Doka started talking Joonguyk forgot about the 5 chocolates with vanilla and orange and mandarin flavor limited edition cake, that was the whole reason as to why the chosen place for their current date was a coffee shop that Dokja usually just stepped in once a month, and always only when Joonghuyk wanted one of their deserts.
“And, so, picture this, where all silent, professor Woo is all angry and red, everyone is shocked, professor Woo never gets angry or screams and Jiwoo always hands in his homework. And as the silence remains and none one says anything I’m starting to feel bad for Jiwoo, you know? Like, he’s the only one in my classroom that is a decent human being. And as he remains quiet I start to think if there’s a way in which I can get the attention away from him.
And then he just takes out his phone, looks for something, shows it to the professor and after seeing it, professor Woo apologizes and dismisses Jiwoo.
Later he showed me, and it was the security footage of his house, where it shows his cat eating his homework. He actually sent me the video, look here.”
Dokja searches for the video and passes his phone to Joonghyuk, he laughs as he sees his boyfriend’s eyes open with shock, but then a call arrives on his phone.
“Who is it?”
“Annoyance 27.”
“Wait, sorry I need to take it.”
What Joonghuyk hears next is Dokja angry and insulting whomever it is that called, and then Dokja simply hangs up on them. After finishing the call he says nothing and instead lets his head fall and hit against the table.
“Have I ever told you how much I hate the fucking piece of shit that Kang is?”
“Your classmate?”
“Yes.”
Then yes, Joonghyuk has been subjected to many rants about the disgusting piece of human garbage that Dokja’s classmates is.
“Isn’t he one of the members of your team for the final project?”
“Was. That’s why he just called, he decided that he no longer wants to work on the project and dropped out of it.”
“Dropped out? For the project that will decide if you graduate high school or not?”
“Yes! And I swear to the God that I don’t believe in that the next time I see him I will deck him directly in the face!”
Fuck it all!
I’m sorry but I will have to cut our date, I will have to call Park” (the other member of his team) “And also I will need to email Professor Lee.”
And as they say, their goodbyes and Dokja leaves in a hurry, already on another call, Joonghyuk can only think, fuck Kang, and he promises himself that even if Dokja doesn’t do it, he doesn’t have to worry about Kang never being hit in the face.
Joonghyuk will make sure that that fucker feels only but pain.
***
3
“So you have already applied to Central University, and to the University of Sciences, technology and communications. And your exams are in two months, are those 2 your only options, or are there others?”
Today’s ‘date’ place is the floor of Dokja’s apartment with boxes of takeout and a lot of pamphlets of different universities surrounding them.
They are just thrown all around with no order or category, universities that Joonghyuk is considering or not, all of them go to the floor.
Dokja is laying down on the floor, sometimes he’ll grab a pamphlet ogle it, and then throw it away. Joonghyuk at least is sitting with his back against Dokja’s bed, and actually bothering to read them.
“Maybe UCS.”
Now ignoring the pamphlets Dokja goes for one of the takeout boxes, “you should apply,” he says while stuffing his mouth full of kimchi “they have many courses and classes centered around video filming, and editing and all of that. Would really help with your streams”
“I think I’ll do, but lately the one that has been catching my attention is-”
The ringing of Dokja’s phone interrupts him, he takes it out of his pocket, and Joonghyuk watches in silence as Dokja’s eyes fill with surprise when seeing the caller.
“I have to take it. It’s professor Yoon.”
“Hello? Professor Yoon?”
“Yes.”
“No I haven’t.”
“Really!”
“No way!”
“I mean, are you serious?”
“No, no, no, yes I want it.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Wait.”
“Right now, like right now?”
“At seven!”
“It’s 5: 30”
“Only today?”
“Okay.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, I will be there.”
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
“I will be there.”
“Thank you so much Professor!”
“Yes, no.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
He hangs up and then starts to panic, he looks at his clothes and despairs, Joonghyuk can’t even ask what it was all about when Dokja bolts to his closet and starts taking out clothe left and right.
“Is everything okay?”
“Oh, Joonghyuk everything is better than okay! Remember that friend that Professor Yoon sometimes talked about?”
“The one with a work related to something about and editorial house?”
“Yes! That one! Oh, Joonghyuk, his work is a little bit more than something related, he’s the fucking head of StarStream Editorial House. And Professor Yoon showed him some of the stories that I have written for his class and talked to him about some of the stories that I have told him I would like to write. And he thinks that I could make it!
Joonghyuk! The head of StartStream believes that my stories could be good books, like really, really great books!
But apparently, he will only be available today, because he leaves tomorrow. And, and, and.
Joonghyuk. This is my chance, I could. I could really make it.”
“Then better get ready, you said they appointed you at seven right? Where do you have to go?”
There’s a little of annoyance at the fact that his time with his boyfriend is cut short, but the feeling is quick to shrivel thanks to the smile and the happiness that now adorns Dokja’s face.
***
4
“And so, if everything goes well, the sequel will be out in a year.”
Pride blooms inside of Joonghyuk as they walk alongside the mall, and in every bookstore, there’s a poster announcing the book that Dokja published, to this day it is still among the most popular even though it came out almost 5 years ago.
And the sequel is all completed and just in need of some small details to be polished before its release.
They keep on walking, their arms joined together, and only parting ways when they make a purchase.
It’s nice, it has been quite a while since they had had the opportunity to gout on a date, Dokja always busy with the deadlines for his work, and Joonghyuk who is just less than a month away from his graduation goes days with barely any time for others things that aren’t studying for his upcoming exams.
They walk and pass by a jewelry shop, Joonghyuk throws a quick glance at Dokja, and when he sees that he’s busy watching the store across the, he seizes the opportunity to take a quick look at the rings that can be seen through the display window.
Some of them catch his eye, and as he decides to come back later alone and take a better look, his thoughts are interrupted by the buzzing of his phone.
He takes his phone out of his pocket, Dokja watching him. Right now he wants nothing more than to reject the call and continue with his outing, but the name that appears on the screen has him answering in no time.
While he talks Dokja guides him to a less concurred place.
And by the time he finishes, the look on Dokja’s face tells him that by that point his boyfriend already has an inkling of what is going on.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes, it’s just that. The representative from Supreme Tech called to tell me that they wanted to do a collaboration. Apparently, they found one of my streams and liked what they saw.”
“Joonghyuk that’s amazing!”
“Yes, but, they said currently they are too busy with some other things, so I could go today to talk about it, or wait some months until a date could be established.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Come on, come on, let’s go!”
***
5
Joonghyuk never thought that a small thing would ever feel so heavy. The small black box is hidden safely in one of his coat pockets, away from prying eyes, and yet he almost feels as if it was weighing him down. With every step and shuffle of the coat, he feels the box move inside his pocket and he feels like at any moment he will simply drop to the floor.
Still, he manages to make it through the dinner with no problems, but the correct moment never arrives, still, he’s not close to giving up.
After all, dinner is not the end of the night. The plan was to leave the restaurant and then after that go to a nearby park, currently having a nocturnal exposition.
And so once again, with the little box feeling like a weight that will make him fall at any moment dinner arrives at its end, and soon they are getting in the car. And they begin the journey to their next stop.
The conversation is easy, yet the nerves never leave him, and the closer they get to the park the more his hands tremble, and currently, the only thing he can do to help himself is hold the steering wheel with an almost bruising grip.
And then Dokja chokes on his words.
“Joonghyuk, I need you to pull over!”
And then the next thing he knows is that Dokja has left the car and is now throwing up on the side of the street. In seconds he also leaves the car and goes to stand at his side.
“I told you the shrimps tasted a little off.”
“You did.”
After Dokja finishes emptying up his stomach they drive back into their apartment, previous plans now abandoned.
The little box in his pocket is still a heavy weight that he has to deal with, but for now, there are more important things for him to do.