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As far as Jongho could remember high school, Yunho had been with him. They were rival classmates always competing in who got the best grades and most correct answers. This rivalry did not however, deter them from coming closer and closer to each other until they both finally snapped and started kissing each other. That day had changed them forever.
Their rivalry didn’t change much but if you paid attention enough then it was clear that the words that sounded hurtful was laced with a different connotation than before. They’d graduated in June of 2018 and neither of them had known them what to do. Jongho had initially stayed with his parents doing odd jobs here and there while learning code in his own time. Yunho had taken a job as a waiter to support himself and moved out on his own after only a couple of months after graduation. They still kept seeing each other, but now that the academic rivalry was over the air between them became more relaxed and their relationship was slowly becoming more about their similarities. Jongho often spent the night with Yunho when he felt like he had had enough of his parents and when he didn’t want to be sitting at his computer the whole evening. Eventually Jongho moved into Yunho’s apartment where Yunho had a spare bedroom that could be used as an office space for Jongho.
After moving in with Yunho Jongho received far less questions about what he was doing on the computer all the time and he started to become more known in certain circles around the internet. Yunho did know what he was doing but didn’t want to really talk about it, Jongho used the money he got from those jobs to pay the rent and as long as he paid, Yunho had no problems with it. Living together also came with the perk of being able to be intimate any time they wanted, a fact that Jongho would never let Yunho forget as he occasionally walked over just to grab a handful of Yunho’s ass.
Jongho did occasionally get bored just sitting at the computer, so he spent a lot of time just walking the streets of the city not entirely sure where he was going. One day as he walked through a massive crowd someone had bumped into him and dropped their wallet. Jongho’s first instinct is to run after the man to tell him, but then he starts to think. The man dropped it, he wouldn’t even think twice with the fast pace he was using to get out of the crowd. Jongho picked it up without thinking much more and pocketed it before he could change his mind. That sparked something in him. One wallet on the ground quickly became a wallet taken from a pocket and that became another one and then another one. Eventually Jongho was so good at picking pockets that he didn’t even need the big crowds to feel secure in it.
He was out one afternoon when he spotted two men in big coats and slacks walking down the street. Big coats and slacks always meant big money. Jongho took in a deep breath and walked towards them, he was careful about it, not running but walking like he had somewhere to be soon. It worked, they barely paid attention to him and Jongho managed to grab something in the shorter man’s pocket in the meantime. He never noticed a thing, eyes transfixed on his walking partner.
When Jongho got home he checked the wallet and was delighted to discover a good amount of cash in it as well as some credit cards belonging to a ‘Kim Hongjoong’ and an interesting note. He put the cash in his own wallet and kept the credit cards in, even if he did try and use them now, and with his skill, there was a very high chance that they could be traced back to him. It was better to wait and go as far away as possible to use them. The note said something about a meeting in a private room at a restaurant and Jongho couldn’t help but be curious about it, so he decided to try to sneak in, at least enough to listen in for blackmail material.
When Jongho gets to the restaurant he found it very easy to sneak to the back and find the private rooms. He had put on some nice black slacks and a crisp white button up. To anyone not working there, he looked like he worked there. He made sure to stay in the shadows and look busy while he checked out the private rooms in the back. There was one with a couple holding hands and just looking into each other’s eyes while their food was getting cold and then there was another one with what must have been a work party as many of them seemed kind of nervous to be drinking in front of the guy at the head of the table. Jongho moved on, that wasn’t the kind of event he was looking for. The next room he came across seemed to be it though. A small group of people dressed nicely in suits and the guy he had pickpocketed earlier. Jongho kept to the wall and pretended to guard the door. He was once again lucky as a nervous girl server came to the room with a tray of alcohol. She sighed in relief as she saw Jongho obviously not thinking twice about not knowing him, “can you please take this in for me? They all stare at me so much whenever I walk in there” Jongho patted her shoulder and took the tray from her, “sure don’t worry about it” she left him as she bowed and said thank you. He took a moment to gather himself and then went inside. They barely paid attention to him as he left the bottles on the table and cleared the empty ones. The conversation they had going was something about land and regulations that could be changed to make it possible to buy that land. Jongho picked up on as much as he could as he left the room again but unbeknownst to him someone else had picked up on him listening to the conversation and he was followed out the room.
Hongjoong was glad he had taken Seonghwa with him. Some of all this talk about the law and what rules they could bend and break, was truly hurting his head. Seonghwa had spoken mostly but had kept a hand in Hongjoong’s under the table in a small attempt to keep him a little interested in the conversation. They had been discussing potential new lands to buy when a server had come into the room with more alcohol that they had ordered. At first Hongjoong hadn’t paid attention to him but then he noticed him taking a little longer than usual, at first, he thought that maybe he had been trying to seduce one of them, but he was not even looking at them in any sultry way. He took his time taking away the empty bottles making sure to check that all of them were really empty. The others didn’t seem to pay attention though and probably thought that he was just being thorough, but Hongjoong saw it. His eyes were scrunched together in concentration and his lips pursed. He was listening to their conversation. As he left the room, he bowed respectfully to them as the normal servers should but it only made Hongjoong more suspicious. He excused himself from the meeting soon after with a reassuring hand squeeze to Seonghwa and chased the boy down. He trusted Seonghwa to speak on his behalf.
Hongjoong finds the boy outside the kitchens where he had put the tray away. He looked as if in a hurry. “Busy night tonight?” Hongjoong asked as he stopped in front of the server. Jongho looked up with wide eyes and stammered “erh yeah it’s very busy sir” he tried stepping to the side to get away from him, but Hongjoong stepped with him. “I will be blunt now, I don’t believe you really work here so tell me, what are you doing here and why were you in my meeting?” Jongho tried to collect himself, he didn’t normally get caught when he did these kinds of things. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re implying sir. Now please if you could step aside so that I could get to the other guest that are waiting for their orders” Hongjoong’s lip curl up. “You’re not carrying an order though. Come, let’s take a step outside” Hongjoong puts a hand on his arm and squeezes just a little tighter than was friendly for a stranger to do. Together they go out the back door where Hongjoong seems to immediately shift personality as he pushes Jongho against the wall with a hand to his throat. “As much as it is embarrassing for me to admit, I lost- no, I had my wallet stolen today. And inside that wallet was, stupidly enough, a note containing the exact details and whereabouts of this meeting. Now tell me why someone such as yourself who is not employed here finds himself in this particular room of all the rooms that are booked tonight and listening in on the conversation.” Jongho tried to stay calm as he felt his air supply dwindle. “I don’t know what you’re talking about sir, I swear I am innocent” Hongjoong snorted, “I almost believe you, but the details match up a little too nicely for me to believe you.” Jongho is now clawing at the hands around his throat to let him go. The nice man he had seen in the meeting was completely gone and instead he saw a cold man ready to murder someone with his bare hands. “I swear I didn’t do it” he stammered. Hongjoong tightened his fist. “Try it again, maybe it will convince me” Hongjoong pushed him to his knees as he let go of Jongho’s throat. Jongho gasped for air as he fell on his hands and knees. “I know it’s you so cut the crap. I just need to know who you’re working for, if you tell me, maybe I won’t find out who you are and kill your loved ones” the last sentence made Jongho take a sharp breath in. “I’m not working for anybody,” cough, “I did it for myself” Hongjoong grabbed his hair and tilted his head upwards. “What was that?” Jongho swallowed, “I did it for myself and the money” Hongjoong smirked and let his hair go. “Guess you have someone to protect then. That’s okay. I hope he can take care of himself though, cause when I’m through with you he’s gonna have to.”
In a total surprise Hongjoong’s fist connects with Jongho’s face. Blood starts pouring out from his nose, as a bruise begins to bloom beside it. Jongho tried to wipe the blood from his face, but Hongjoong takes his arm and twists it around to his back painfully. Jongho screams out in pain as Hongjoong leans closer, being careful not to get any blood on his suit. “I can do worse than this and I will do worse to whoever it is you think that you’re protecting. Any last words before I go find them?” Hongjoong loosened his grip on his arm a little so that Jongho could stop screaming long enough to attempt an answer. “Wait. Wait maybe I could be of use to you. You saw me in there, they barely noticed I didn’t actually belong there.” Hongjoong scoffed, “if I can notice, so can others, you were just lucky these guys weren’t as attentive as I am” “okay okay, but what about your wallet, you barely noticed that right? When did you know that your wallet was gone? Hours later, right? I’m good sir, you know I am” Hongjoong quirked his eyebrow as he looked at the man. He was right, he hadn’t felt his wallet being taken, but he had chalked it up to how enamoured he was with Seonghwa at the moment and not the man’s pickpocket skills. Maybe he was useful for some things. Hongjoong let go of his arm. “So you’re a good pickpocket and a bad spy. Tell me what could, I use you for?” Jongho took shaky breaths as he tried straightening his arm. “Anything sir, I’ll do any task you ask of me” Hongjoong laughed. “You sound like you want to suck my cock. Sorry pal that’s not going to happen” in one swift move, with his lips pressed together so that he wouldn’t scream again, Jongho straightened out his arm. Hongjoong looked down at him and gave an impressed nod. “You any good with computers and reading people?” Jongho’s eyes lit up. “The best sir.” Hongjoong nodded once again, having now decided what to do. “Get to the emergency room and get that checked out. Meet me in my office tomorrow at 8 AM” Jongho shakily nods but then stops himself. Hongjoong is about to walk away when Jongho asks, “how will I get in sir?” Hongjoong smirks, “you’ll figure it out on your own I’m sure, but here’s a hint: the receptionist will not let you in” he has almost left the back alley when he looks back and says; “oh and please bring my wallet, you can keep the cash that was in it but bring the wallet itself and the cards” with that he goes back into the restaurant leaving Jongho in the back alley.
Jongho manages to get to the emergency room on his own and gets checked out by a nurse who keeps scolding him for getting into a fight, but she does her job well despite that. He was lucky his nose wasn’t broken but the bruise on his cheek wouldn’t go away easily. The same went for his arm. It was not broken but very nearly sprained, she gave him stern orders not to do anything with it for at least a week. Jongho had never been good at taking orders from medical staff so that order was forgotten as soon as he walked out of the emergency room, the only reminder being the dull pain he was in. He had called Yunho while waiting and was happy to find his car waiting for him outside. With his arm still in a sling getting into the car was not as smooth as usual and Yunho had to help him out his seatbelt on before they drove home. Yunho didn’t say anything but greeted him with a kiss on the bruised cheek. When they got home, he would ask what all this was about, but not for now, for now he let Jongho place a hand on his thigh as he drove, not teasing or anything but just there in a way of comfort.
At home was a different story as Yunho asked immediately what this whole thing had been about and why he was suddenly injured. Jongho as always, told him everything. His score with the pickpocketing, the meeting, and the blackmail material he had gotten, and the man who had beaten him. “But it’s okay, I think he has a job for me.” Yunho frowned at him, “what sort of job could a guy like that possibly have for you? Jongho you have to be careful, he’ll probably ask you to murder someone or something. Jongho I don’t want you to do that” Jongho rested his head on Yunho’s shoulder as his free arm came around him in a hug. “Don’t worry, I don’t think he will. A guy like that already has people killing for him, he wouldn’t go around and ask the guy who was sneaking into his meetings for something like that. Besides he asked about my skill with computers, so I think he has other ideas in mind.” Yunho turned his head and placed a kiss on the younger’s. “Still, be careful.” “I will babe, did you eat yet?” Jongho said as he pulled away and went into their kitchen. “Yeah, but I could eat a little bit, if you’re going to make something” Yunho says and follows.
The next morning Jongho was standing outside Hongjoong’s office building at 6’o clock sharp. He had poked around a bit online in the evening after his and Yunho’s late dinner and found an add looking for cleaners to come in before the workers arrived. Naturally he had been able to put his name on the approved list of cleaners for the offices on the top floor. As soon as everyone had been briefed on their assignments and gotten their supplies they were sent on their way. Jongho played along for a while before looking around for the CEO’s office. He found it quickly but was a bit disappointed when he found it locked. Lock picking wasn’t really his forte but as soon as he noticed the digital system it was locked with his mood perked up. He easily hacked into the lock and had it open. He would need to advice Mr. Kim to get new locks for the doors. These ones were way too easy to unlock. With that in mind he went inside and locked himself in. He hid in there and watched the other cleaners leave. By the time they were all supposed to be done he had hacked into the system and deleted his name once again so that it would appear that he were never there. From then on it was just waiting for Mr. Kim to come into work.
Hongjoong came in exactly at 8, on the phone with someone which made him that much more inattentive to the other guy sitting in a chair by the little café table he had for more informal meetings where he usually tossed his overcoat. Nothing changed about that habit and Jongho was hit with a heavy overcoat, he made a face but stayed quiet wondering when the other would notice him. Hongjoong just went on as he usually did and sat down in his chair turning his back to the door as he kept talking on the phone. “Yeah, he was supposed to be here now, guess he isn’t showing up. You know what to do, we know where he lives after all. Yes, I’m sure, if he can’t be bothered enough to show up, he better start running” that made Jongho think about Yunho. Well time to reveal himself. He shook off the overcoat and cleared his throat. It was loud enough in otherwise silent office that it made Hongjoong jump a bit and turn the chair around. “I’ll call you later Chan, seems like he showed up after all.” Hongjoong put down the phone and regarded the younger. “Choi Jongho, good to see again, how is the arm? I can see the face is still a bit battered” Jongho raised an eyebrow at the sudden kindness from the man who had done the injuries to him but answered after a bit. “The nurse ordered only rest for my arm so I guess it should be fine soon” Hongjoong hummed as he stood up, “how long have you been in here?” Jongho checks his phone “about two hours, you should really change your door locks by the way. They are way too easy to hack” Hongjoong was now right in front of Jongho. He stretched out his hand, Jongho didn’t understand at first but then Hongjoong’s eyebrow quirked, and he dug out the other’s wallet from his pocket. Hongjoong took it an inspected it. The cash was gone, but the cards and other stuff was still there. “Impressive. So, you hacked the lock to my office but how did you get into the building itself?” Jongho smirked, particularly proud of how he had managed to pull this off. “Your company is looking for cleaners, they accept almost everyone, I got my name on the list and showed up for work this morning and then when it was time to leave, I took my name off the list again. All done with only this.” He showed Hongjoong his phone in triumph and the older nodded impressed. “So I guess you would have other improvement suggestions to our security systems or?” Jongho looked at him confused but stood up to really meet his gaze. “I could take a look at it but that cannot have been the reason you asked me to come here. You said it yourselves a few minutes ago, you know where I live, if it was about the wallet, you could’ve simply gone there and gotten it back.”
“You’re right, this wallet is precious to me, and I could have just gone to your home to get it, but you have an interesting set of skills that I might like to utilize.” “You were the one who said I was a bad spy, what happened to that?” Hongjoong chuckles and goes back to his desk where he stands against it and folds his hands over his chest. “A bad spy can be trained. And though it sounds like it may have been a little too easy to get in here, you still managed to do so. I am a little impressed by that” Jongho was still confused. “So, what do you actually want from me?” “I’ve been searching for an assistant for the past few months, but it’s hard finding someone who would work well with me on the non-office related business. You wouldn’t have a problem with that though, right?” “So, you’re offering me a job?” Jongho asked. Hongjoong chuckles once more. “Offering is a very kind word to use in this situation since you don’t have the possibility of refusing it.” Jongho furrowed his eyebrows and Hongjoong continued. “See if you refuse, you will get a very nice visit by a good friend of mine, and he will not treat you as kindly as I have. Oh, and that boyfriend of yours will not be spared either. So yeah, it’s not really an offer” Jongho tried his best to remain calm as Hongjoong threatened him and he figured he did a decent job when Hongjoong had kept standing there in silence. “Well, I guess have to accept then” Jongho said. “Good. You will be my personal assistant both in the public business and the hidden one. You will take care of my schedule and any task I set of you. When we go to a meeting it is your job to get a read on the people that we are meeting with and report it to me if there’s anything suspicious about what they’re saying or how they’re acting. That is for both office and non-office related meeting’s but mostly for the latter. Any questions?” Jongho thought for a bit. “So this job, will you pay me as well or am I just supposed to work under the threat of me and my boyfriend getting killed in the middle of the night if I don’t?” “don’t be ridiculous of course you’ll be paid, you’ll even be legally employed here. But that doesn’t mean that my friend wouldn’t visit you if you were to not do your job correctly” Jongho nodded and put his hand forward. “Well then I guess I’m your new assistant now Mr. Kim” Hongjoong took his hand and shook it. “Welcome to the company Mr. Choi”