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Chapter Text

Mingyu wouldn't call himself a recluse. A recluse is someone that avoids human interaction and likes to be in solitude. 

Mingyu isn't someone like that. 

He interacts with people. He has an obnoxiously loud mouth and loves chewing peoples ears off. However that side of him only appears to the people that he's close to. And Mingyu isn't close to anyone. Hasn't been for the past few decades.

Ok so maybe he is a recluse.

But it's not like Mingyu would complain. He quite liked being avoided. It gave him more time to think solely about himself rather than be surrounded by numerous bodies, unable to tell whether he's said anything offensive or not. Or whether he's picking the right social cues. 

But just because Mingyu didn't interact with anyone didn't mean he was ignorant of all the rumours surrounding him.

He was well aware that he had been branded as some sort of 'untouchable' person; and although he thinks it's an exaggeration, he equally does feel like the term suits him in some way. However he didn't really appreciate this weird pedestal that people seemed to have put him on, since Mingyu was convinced that he had only received this title from other employees in an attempt of mockery and envy, two things that Mingyu despises in humans. 

He was sure they thought he'd feel isolated for being branded as someone like that.

But that was all ignorable. Mingyu's purpose here was to work, not to create a bunch of meaningless connections that served him no benefits. 

Work is not a place of gossip, that is meant to be done in one's free time. Yet whenever Mingyu tunes into someone's conversation, there is always a mention of another persons name. 

Always with negative comments if he must add. 

Other times, it would be of things that Mingyu wouldn't describe as things smart to be dedicating one's work time on.

"Go on. Just ask Mr Kim out on a date. The man is a literal Adonis, anyone else can and will try to snatch him up. So just go and shoot your shot."

Mingyu's hearing is one thing he loves about his vampire features. He could hear everything people said about him when they were in the same room as him, even if they were speaking in hushed tones to avoid being heard. 

Seeing someone approach him, Mingyu looked up from his computer, face-to-face with a blushing colleague. 

"Mr Kim, i was just wondering if..."

Mingyu just stared, the woman starting to feel nervous with those dark eyes locked onto her. "Right, I was just wondering, well i really like you sir, so i was thinking"

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes, looking Mingyu in the eye. "Would you like to go out on a date with me?" 

Mingyu didn't even have to give the question any thought before he replied with a curt "No. I'm not interested."

The woman's shoulders sagged, no doubt feeling embarrassed about being rejected in the workplace. Bowing slightly, she walked away, speeding up a bit probably to get away from Mingyu and get over the brutal rejection. 

And that was another reason why Mingyu was named as unattainable. He was known for having not been in a relationship since he started working there. While he wasn't too bothered about the fact that people liked to gossip about his love life, he was slightly pissed that they found out his dating history. Finding ways to get Mingyu on a date wasn't even a big deal, how people found out about his lack of a dating history was the real mystery. 

But the more he thought of that, it sounded so ridiculous in his mind. Pursuing a relationship was one of the things on his mind, he just hasn't met anyone that caught his interest. His work has also not given him the liberty to try and score a date.

So for him to reject a fellow colleague isn't rude on his terms, he'd rather do that instead of be a jerk and give the chance to someone he knows he won't ever like, because he's not interested in a relationship with a woman.

Another thing about Mingyu. He's gay. So obviously a relationship with a woman is nothing close to his ideal relationship. Mingyu didn't actively hide his sexuality, but he didn't go to any extreme lengths to express it either. He guessed that people saw his muscles and had immediately assumed that he was a ladies man. 

Which he simply isn't. Women are beautiful, yes, Mingyu has a pair of working eyes, he personally wasn't interested in them. Men are where his tastes lie. And if he were to pursue a relationship, it would be with a man.

"Have you heard we're getting a new member in our department today?" Mingyu's train of thoughts were broken by the comment.

New hire. Today! Mingyu slumped back in his seat. He absolutely detested when new poeple came over to work. 

New people meant he had to introduce himself. And that meant Mingyu had to be nice only for that person to avoid him like the plague two days later.

While he could try and make sure that person dislikes him right off the bat, he doesn't like the idea of being rude to someone who just started, when that person had done absolutely nothing to wrong him and deserve that impudent behaviour.

But now Mingyu was interested in who exactly this new person is. Because he has never seen the arrival of a new team member cause such a buzz in the office since the day he arrived to work here. So it only meant one thing.

This person was objectively attractive. 

Mingyu had often thought people were dramatic when a new attractive person joined office, but turns out that he was wrong. Because his thoughts were proved right just a few seconds after.

"I've heard he's really pretty. Like pretty pretty."

"If he's a man and he's pretty, then he better be worth having a conversation with. The last gorgeous person we all met was Mr Kim, and look how that turned out. For someone with a face card like that, he sure as hell likes being grumpy all the time."

Mingyu was feeling the sudden urge to punch some people. Humans had the capacity to gossip about someone without backchatting about another. Yet it seems as though comparisons are the way the world likes to work. 

There is no satisfaction in promoting someone's wins without emphasising another's loss.  

Mingyu wanted to ask around, someone, anyone, for more information on this person. But who on earth could he turn to? Moments like this made Mingyu realise that while he has achieved solitary peace, he has become lonely in the one aspect of life that should be catering to his socialisation. 

The chatter around him only seemed to increase, now pretty much everyone in the two departments starting to talk about this mystery person. 

"Is he actually like drop dead gorgeous? Because i'm open to fainting after seeing a pretty boy, but i will start fighting for him if he turns out to be my type. I love you guys but i need a date, so why not the new guy you know?"

Of all the stuff he's heard, Mingyu has only deduced two things: one is that the new hire is a man; second is that this person is really pretty. 

Mingyu was holding everyone accountable to the second part. Beauty is in the eyes of the holder, obviously, but objectively attractive people existed, and Mingyu was sure that this person fit under that category.

While he wanted to wait around for the arrival of this person, Mingyu had no information on what time they'd be arriving, so just sitting there and doing nothing would be a waste of his time. 

So he turned his attention to his computer, seeing the cursor of his word doc just blinking, not moving an inch. That was what Mingyu felt like. He really didn't want to do his own work, but Mingyu didn't really have anything else that he could do, so work it was.

That was easier said than done, however. Binge stuck with arguably two very nosy departments, Mingyu should've known better than to assume the conversations would stop that quickly.

"Anyways does anyone know what his name is?"

If Mingyu was being honest, then that was a question he also wanted to know the answer to.

He heard silence, assuming that the gossipers were trying to remember if they ever learnt the guys name. Eventually someone spoke up, drawing the attention of eveyrone present in the room, Mingyu included. 

"I think his name goes along the lines of something -oo?"

"His name is something -ooh? So like something like onew"

"Yeah. Maybe that's the name i heard the boss talking about."

Mingyu tried his best not to react, but internally he had many questions.

'Who willingly names their kid a name like Onew?' Mingyu couldn't help but wonder. That doesn't even sound like an actual name. Maybe it'd fit better as a nickname of some sorts, but as a birth name!!

Mingyu was already feeling bad for the new person. He could sense a huge wave of tormenting from both departments once he introduced himself. Already envisioning the countless name jokes that would be made, Mingyu shivered in his seat. 

Humans can truly be very ruthless. He would just have to look out for this guy and make sure everyone is treating him fairly. The last thing he wants is for someone to be bullied out of their job. 

Mentally claiming himself as the guardian angel (vampire) for the new hire, Mingyu resumed to going over some emails, grabbing his notebook as he jotted down the main complaints or requests that were written.

30 minutes had passed before Mingyu looked away from his computer, having fixed some unedited presentations and sending a few emails about necessary resources the department would need. Stretching his neck slowly in a circle, he sighed in relief when his neck felt less cramped than how it was a few seconds ago.

 He then heard some people start to whisper. 

"Oh my god. The new guy is here everybody."

He saw everyone scurrying to their seats, trying their best to fix their desks. Mingyu was well aware it wasn't in an attempt to impress the new person, but rather to avoid being scolded by the manager, since the new hire would be introduced by them anyways.

The door opened, effectively stopping everyone's chatter and their movements. Two figures walked through the door, one being (unfortunately) a very familiar face, while the other was very unfamiliar. But unfamiliar in a very pleasant and refreshing way. 

The first thing Mingyu thought when he saw the new hire was "pretty". Because it's the objective truth. The new hire is honestly the prettiest person Mingyu had ever seen, and for someone like him, that said a lot.

Nonetheless, that didn't mean Mingyu could ignore the obvious chatter around him. 

'He's so pretty'

'Forget pretty, he's drop dead gorgeous'

'He doesn't look real'

'Boy what i'd do to kiss those lips'

That caught Mingyu's attention. He was too engrossed in the man's face as a whole he didn't really dissect the features yet. 

He took a brief look at the new hires lips, and indeed, Mingyu did think they were kissable. But that was the least of his concerns, he was more interested in the eyes of the man. His eyes were a nice shape for his face structure, not necessarily wide eyed but not too small either. They resembled that of a fox, and as Mingyu gave the man a once over, he did feel some of those vibes coming from the male. 

But that was it. Mingyu refused to look at the man any longer, aware that he was already a creep for gawking at the new employee, regardless of the fact that everyone else was starting too. 

Just because everyone did it doesn't mean it's right.

Mingyu was chiding himself mentally that he didn't realise when a hand was in front of him, stretched out for a handshake. "Hello. I'm Jeon Wonwoo. I'll be working in the marketing department. I'm pleased to be working with you."

"Jeon... Wonwoo." Mingyu repeated slowly, getting himself used to the name, while Wonwoo nodded to indicate that Mingyu was correct. 

Jeon Wonwoo. Not Onew!! Mingyu felt like an absolute idiot now. So much for excellent hearing... He should know better than to believe the words of his colleagues. 

Mingyu regretted paying attention to what everyone was saying, because then at least he'd be spared this internal embarrassment of knowing that he somehow managed to have butchered the man's name before he even entered the office. 

On the other side, Mingyu was internally grateful that the pretty boy had a very nice name. Not just a nice name though, the name itself was satisfying to hear, he liked the way Wonwoo's full name just rolled off the tongue with ease. 

It is indeed a beautiful name. A beautiful name for an even more beautiful being.

Mingyu retuned the handshake, smiling at Wonwoo. "I'm Kim Mingyu, I work in the sales department, pleased to be working with you Mr Jeon."

Wonwoo smiled, and before Mingyu could react, his hand was (quite aggressively) removed from Wonwoo's hold.

He caught a glimpse of the other's expression, confused on what happened. "Sorry, it's just that, you have a very strong grip, so i removed my hand. I'm sorry for startling you."

Mingyu nodded in understanding, apologising to Wonwoo for holding his hand too tight. Wonwoo just shook it off, saying that it was fine. Mingyu didn't think it was fine though. He still felt bad, so he reached in his pocket to reach for a lollipop and gave it to Wonwoo who still had his hand stretched out, palm facing towards the ceiling. 

Wonwoo simply looked at Mingyu, head bobbed forward to point at the lollipop in an attempt to ask Mingyu what that was for. Mingyu, feeling the embarrassment creep up on him, tried to sound natural when he spoke "I guess it's to apologise for hurting your hand. I really didn't realise that i was hurting your hand" 

Mingyu was going to say it was to take his mind off the pain, but he remembered he was talking to a grown ass man, and not a literal child.

Wonwoo didn't react verbally, simply closing his hand as he pocketed the lollipop. Mingyu took that as a mini win for himself. "Thank you" Wonwoo muttered, looking down but Mingyu could see the tip of his ears were suddenly a very pigmented shade of red, the colour starting to transfer to Wonwoo's cheeks as well.

Mingyu slightly sniffed the air, detecting some sort of scent from Wonwoo. He moved a few steps closer to Wonwoo, letting himself smell the other male a bit clearly.

"You smell... nice." Mingyu couldn't help but comment, leaning back to his old position, waiting for a reaction from Wonwoo. 

The other male just smiled, but years of human interaction was enough to tell Mingyu that the smile was clearly forced. 

Great social skills Mingyu. You've creeped out the poor dude.

Mingyu just prayed that Wonwoo didn't think of him as some sort of pervert. He can deal with many things, but he can't deal with being called a pervert.

Luck seemed to be on Mingyu's side, though, since the man soon after smiled a lot wider, obviously not faking it this time. "I'm actually delighted you think i smell nice. I was just a bit skeptical that it was strong since you were able to smell my perfume. I was sure i didn't spray that much."

Wonwoo's lips were jutting out a bit, his bottom lip a bit more than the top. Mingyu was internally shocked.

Was Wonwoo... pouting? Why was he pouting? Why does he look cute while doing it? Were grown humans even allowed to look cute while doing such a childish expression? 

He couldn't even answer his own questions, noticing Wonwoo was looking at his direction, probably waiting for a response.

"Ahh, about that, well i guess i have a sensitive sense of smell, so i'm able to detect scents a lot easier than other people. Your perfume isn't actually that potent, so you really shouldn't worry about overpowering someone's nose."

Mingyu wasn't lying, being a vampire enhanced a lot of his senses, particularly his ability to smell. So that was probably the reason he could smell Wonwoo's perfume. The latter was right though; he really didn't spray that much. 

He just hoped Wonwoo didn't think that he was a creep now. 

And the man just laughed at that. Well done Kim Mingyu. He couldn't help the smile that showed itself on his lips. Good to know he's not a complete loser.

That didn't stop the weird feeling in Mingyu, the idea that he has unintentionally made Wonwoo uncomfortable. He thinks that the whispers starting to emerge from the other employees would only get worse for the both of them the longer he stayed around Wonwoo. 

Bowing slightly, Mingyu dismissed himself, wanting to get away from the chaos as soon as possible. He walked as dignified as he could, but it was obvious he didn't want to remain in the room any longer. While walking he noticed that people were looking at him, and he mentally chided himself for acting so rash.

He had one job, not to give people reasons to avoid him, and then he goes ahead and does the most embarrassing human acts.

At least he succeeded in making it easier for Wonwoo to avoid him. If the new hire never spoke to him ever again, Mingyu would completely understand. He honestly could.

If someone did those things to him, he, too, would avoid them like it was his lifeline.

He opened the door to his office, almost shutting it behind himself. Grabbing his chair, Mingyu sat down, covering his fac with his palm. 

'Why can't i act normal for one day?' Mingyu was now wondering whether people really didn't approach him simply because they didn't perceive him as someone normal, and not because they called him unapproachable. 

Regardless what the real reason is for that, Mingyu couldn't even deny that he didn't act in a dignified manner just then. But could he really be blamed? Wonwoo was looking at him with an innocent expression, like he himself doesn't know how to interact with people. 

And Mingyu isn't a complete jerk, not yet, so he simply tried being friendly. But it seems as though his vampire side decided to be a menace and wreak havoc. 

Thinking of what to do, Mingyu stared at his screen. He knew that he a had a lot of pending things to respond to. But did he really want to do it? 

He should do it, he's getting paid for doing tasks like this obviously, but he didn't find the motivation to actually move his mouse and actually do his work.

Deciding to start on his emails, he clicked the link in web browser, mentally cursing himself for letting over 100 emails pend. He was starting to question his competence in doing his job.

He scrolled down, starting to reply from the earliest emails, thinking they might be of some urgency. In all honesty, Mingyu had only let the emails from the day before pile up, so for that many people to have emailed him in the span of 24 hours is both concerning and impressive in some sorts. 

After replying to around 10 emails, Mingyu heard a knock on his door, not bothering to look up as he told the person to come in.

Hearing someone clear their throat, Mingyu didn't look up until he heard the person speak. "Sorry to disturb you Mr Kim."

The voice wasn’t all too familiar, but it was enough for Mingyu to recognise whose it was, looking up to see Wonwoo looking at him, expression morphed into one of hesitance.

Mingyu was honestly surprised that Wonwoo approached him first, but he couldn't say he didn't like it.

"Hi Wonwoo. Do you need anything?" Said male nodded, clearing his throat once more "Yeah, i was told to come over and get some files from you. Apparently i need to put some data into the system, because i'm meant to send a report on all the sales we've made."

Mingyu frowned, already preparing for a visit to HR. "No, you shouldn't be doing that. You're part of the marketing department, and while the sales and marketing departments both work really closely, at the end of the day they're two different branches of the company. So no Wonwoo, you aren’t making that report since I won't be giving you those files. You're going to have to ask someone else to do that job instead, someone from the sales department" Mingyu tried his best to mask his anger, it wasn't dedicated to Wonwoo so the latter isn't going to be the recipient of Mingyu's anger. 

Bowing slightly, Wonwoo apologised "I'm sorry Mr Kim, i was unaware that these tasks were not catered to me." It was quite obvious Wonwoo felt slightly embarrassed from asking for a stupid task, but that didn't stop him from speaking further. "But then what can i do? I have no other tasks assigned to me, and i kind of don't want to ask anyone for anything to do either, no one really seems to want to talk to me for some reason. So if you have anything that you think i can do, can i just do that instead?"

Opening his mouth to decline, Mingyu closed it again. Wonwoo was looking at him with a hint of hope on his face. He looked a bit out of place, slightly distressed, and from experience Mingyu knew that it'd probably be best if Wonwoo had a few tasks to do on his first day, no matter how mundane some of them end up being.

Mingyu cleared his throat "I guess you could help me with boosting the sales of some of our products. Can you make a powerpoint that i can use in the next meeting. I can use your strategies and using your ideas might end up giving me a new perspective on how to improve the quality of our selling skills as a company."

Wonwoo beamed at that, nodding his head rapidly "Yes. Of course i can do that. That's honestly the best task i've been given in my life." Mingyu didn't stop the smile forming on his face, feeling a sense of protection form in his chest, wanting to keep this cherry side of Wonwoo. 

He is, after all, Wonwoo's unofficial guardian vampire. 

"You can go back to your desk Wonwoo. I'll email the stuff i need to you as soon as i can. And i'm going to need the presentation by Thursday, so if you could send it to me before you clock out on Wednesday at the latest, that'd be great. If you can do it earlier it'd be a lot more helpful, but i can deal with Wednesday."

Mingyu was lying through his teeth, there was no way he would be able to have memorised all of those points off a powerpoint the night before he had to deliver it. But he didn't want to frighten Wonwoo in any way, and putting too much stress on him would be downright rude and unfair. 

Snapping him out of his thoughts, Wonwoo replied "Oh no Mr Kim, i can probably get this done by the end of the day or tomorrow by the latest. I'll try my very best to get this sent to you as soon as possible."

Mingyu didn’t want to show it, but he was really happy with what Wonwoo just said, hoping that it turns out to be true. He couldn’t completely hide his joy, feeling the corners of his mouth start to move up.

Luckily for him Wonwoo didn’t really want to stay any longer, bowing before he simply walked out of Mingyus office, leaving Mingyu to process what on earth he had just done. Feeling some heat rush to his skin, he quickly fanned himself, trying to forget that he almost embarrassed himself in front of Wonwoo. Again!

He would be grateful for Wonwoo unknowingly doing him a favour and leaving the room before Mingyu opened his mouth to embarrass himself.

That wasn't his problem right now. He still had to send an email of what he needs on the powerpoint to Wonwoo. Typing that up, taking his time to actually go over what he wanted Wonwoo to do, Mingyu clicked send. 

Mingyu then sat there for a few minutes, once again having lost the motivation to actaully do something prodcutive. He didn't have many emails left to respond to, and he had checked the brief contents of the remaining mail, and it didn't seem as though they were of any urgency. 

Exiting his emails, he went to his powerpoints, keeping a separate tab of his notes for what he had to present at the meeting. He just needed to double check whether the stock meeting was taking place this week or not. 

Confirming that it was happening this week, Mingyu started preparing his speech, writing a brief outline of what to say, excluding the information on the actual products. 

Mingyu closed his eyes for a bit, feeling tired from just staring at his screen. When he opened his eyes, he reached over for his phone and checked the time, groaning when he realised barely any time had passed from his nap. 

Getting frustrated, he simply got up and decided to walk around the office. Once he got out, he was a bit surprised to see Wonwoo was outside, talking with the team members. 

Correction - they were talking to Wonwoo while said male was trying his best to leave. Mingyu found himself walking to Wonwoo's direction before even thinking, aiming to help Wonwoo escape the nosy workers.

"Hi Wonwoo." Mingyu was happy when he saw Wonwoo's expression brighten a bit when he saw Mingyu. 

"Hi." And that was all before the two of them started engaging in a conversation, both males began walking away from other employees to the window where they continued to converse. 

Everyone around them were staring at the duo, mostly in shock. They had never seen Kim Mingyu interact this freely with anyone since the day they met him individually. While Mr Kim had been welcoming to everyone on the first day, he was never one to start building any rapport with them, kinda of just keeping to himself. The tall man was always nonchalant around others, preferring to stay alone despite being a natural at holding conversations. 

While most of them were shocked, others were looking at the pair in slight disgust with obvious hints of jealousy; they had been trying to get Mingyu to talk like that to them for years, while the new hire just had to exist for Mingyu to be all over him.

It was now very easy for some of them to put Wonwoo at the top of their hate list. 

There was some sort of air around the two at their first meeting, it was something akin to comfort. Not to mention that Mr Kim looked so... free???

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was happening, but it looked at though Mr Kim might make more rounds around the marketing department. While the sales and marketing departments were almost combined, the heads still chose to separate themselves from their teams.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Mingyu was having his own internal struggle. Wonwoo was talking about something, but his lips were jutting out quite often, half scaring and half enticing Mingyu.

He actually wanted to know how Wonwoo kept talking like that, being able to maintain a soft look while talking about something as atrocious as monthly reports.

That was a topic he could wholeheartedly ignore. 

Mingyu just nodded along, soon feeling their conversation naturally die away, Wonwoo excusing himself before he walked over to his desk. Mingyu just walked over to the printer, tapping his card as he waited for his pending papers to be ready.

He grabbed those and walked back to his office, haphazardly closing the door with his foot.

Putting the pile of paper on his desk, Mingyu clicked his tongue when he noticed the papers weren’t stapled. He walked over to his cupboard, opening it to take out his stapler before going back to fix his papers. 

While doing this task Mingyu felt no more than a clerk, slightly pouting at the idea of having to do something as boring as stapling his papers simply because the printer wouldn’t do it. Stupid technology. Once that was all settled, Mingyu typed out an email asking for the printer to be checked. 

Once again, Mingyu found himself having nothing to do, mind involuntarily going back to his talk with Wonwoo. 

He closed his eyes, letting his mind wander a bit. That was a wrong move. Because his mind was fixated on Wonwoo’s appearance. 

And while Mingyu wasn’t completely opposed to that, he didn’t like the constant appearance of Wonwoo’s lips. He felt like some weird pervert.

Maybe all those years of celibacy was making Mingyu act up. Because why on earth was he getting this sudden urge to actively look for someone to date after meeting Wonwoo. He felt a bit weird that all it took was one meeting with Wonwoo for him to all of a sudden want to look for someone to date.

Does he want to date Wonwoo? No. They've just met, it'd be impossible to tell. Perhaps Mingyu is feeling this way because of the lips comment some people threw out earlier. 

Yeah! That sounds about right. That revelation made Mingyu feel disgusted with himself, acknowledging that that is a very creepy and perverse thought to have. He needed to get his mind out of the gutter, since no one would like to be around someone that's openly thirsting after their body. What Mingyu needed to do was to make friends with Wonwoo.

Possessing inappropriate thoughts about someone is the worst way to start a friendship. It's literally the reason many friendships break beyond repair. 

And honestly all he wanted was to make friends with Wonwoo. Depending on whether Wonwoo accepts, the latter would end up being Mingyu's first friend in the office.

He couldn't help but feel a bit excited, he hadn't made a friend in a while, and something tells him that Wonwoo would become much more talkative once he's comfortable around people. 

And Mingyu wanted that. For Wonwoo to be comfortable around him, that is. Not for someone to chew his ear off, Mingyu thinks he has enough of that skill for 6 people.

He didn’t want a repeat of their earlier conversation, one that consisted of only work related topics. No. He wanted the random rants and stupid jokes that came in a friendship.

So without thinking, he quickly walked over to Wonwoo's desk, using his height to be able to spot Wonwoo a lot quicker before tapping his desk. He would've opted for the shoulder, but he had no clue how Wonwoo would react to physical touch from a stranger. Wonwoo looked up, eyes widening once he realised Mingyu was in front of him. 

"Mr Kim. What are you doing here?" The use of his surname hurt Mingyu, feeling a bit dejected at the formality between the two. He had left Wonwoo for a few hours and suddenly there was some sort of wall of conduct between the two, blocking out any way for them to be close.

Now that he thought of it, Wonwoo also did address him with his surname earlier in his office, but he was too stumped over the fact that Wonwoo had spoken to him first, he forgot to focus on how Wonwoo spoke to him.

But that didn't deter Mingyu, if anything, it seemed to have strengthened his resolve, his ambition to be friends with Wonwoo even higher than it was before. "Would you want to have lunch with me?" From the corner of his eye he could see a few people mumbling something to each other, no doubt ready to start some rumours about Wonwoo and him.

He would deal with that another time, right now he was going to give all his attention to Wonwoo, and Wonwoo only.

Wonwoo himself had his eyes widened, looking at Mingyu as though he was dropping a proposal on him. "Excuse me what? You would like to have lunch with me?"

Mingyu simply nodded, feeling the anxiety creep up on him. Maybe this was a very bad idea after all. "Yeah, i think it would be nice to introduce you to the office a bit more." Mingyu didn't say that he wanted to explicitly be friends, hoping Wonwoo would get the underlying message. Wonwoo had his mouth slightly open, the left side side of his face relaxing while the his right cheek was pushed up against his eye. 

Wonwoo took a few steps forward, now inches away from Mingyu's face, his own face now relaxed. "I'm sorry, i meant to say something and then i ended up saying something else." Wonwoo shook his head. "Of course i would like to have lunch with you. But is it alright if i can come over to your cabin during the lunch hour then? And then we can go from there."

Mingyu was quick to answer, perhaps a bit too quick for his own liking. "Yeah sure, i'll be waiting inside my cabin. Just remember to arrive there within 5 minutes okay Wonwoo." He felt a bit bad for giving Wonwoo a time limit, but seeing the smile on Wonwoo's face, he felt as though he had already gotten on the other man's good side. 

"Deal" sticking his hand out again, Mingyu was questioning what Wonwoo was trying to do until he realised a few seconds after, lifting his own hand and shaking on it. They let go, and Wonwoo walked over to his desk while Mingyu walked back into his cabin, closing the door.

The rest of the people in the room still refused to budge, definitely not being able to process what had just went off. 

Kim Mingyu. Just. Interacted. With. The. New. Hire. Willingly

Twice in the span of a few hours.

One of them pushed their hair back, sighing "Someone mark the date. We're experiencing a once in a lifetime opportunity. The unapproachable Kim Mingyu talking to someone out of his own free will."

In the background some of the employees were huddled up together, talking amongst one another.

"Wait so does that mean Jeon is off the market."

Someone scoffed "How did you deduce that from a simple interaction. Mr Kim isn't gay. And neither is Jeon. If anything, maybe we can get Jeon to get Mr Kim out of his grumpy persona and maybe, he might end up dating someone."

Everyone dispersed at that, the next time everyone joining in one place was at lunch. Mingyu however stayed in his office, waiting for Wonwoo to come over. He wasn't necessarily hungry, being a vampire meant that he didn't really need to eat actual food in order to survive, but Wonwoo is a human.

And Mingyu has heard that a way to a man's heart is through their stomach. So if he was to try to become friends with Wonwoo, food should be the perfect medium for the two of them. 

Two minutes later, Mingyu hears a knock on his office, not needling to ask who it is since he knows that it's Wonwoo. He was proven right when, upon receiving permission, Wonwoo entered the room slightly guilty. 

"Sorry i'm a bit late. I was busy writing that i didn't notice the time, and then i forgot what i promised." Mingyu wave off Wonwoos apology, standing up to walk out. "It's fine, let's just go and eat yeah."

Wonwoo was behind Mingyu, the latter leading them to the restaurant. They reached it after a few minutes, Mingyu making a beeline for his usual table while Wonwoo walked a bit slower, taking the time to just look around the inside of the place.

He joined the table, picking up the menu in front of him. Mingyu already knew what he wanted to order, but waited for Wonwoo to decide. 

Once Wonwoo indicated he wanted to order, they both gave out their orders, sitting in silence as they waited for it to arrive.

Mingyu wanted to say something, but he could sense that Wonwoo wasn’t in the mood to converse just yet. So he just let it be.

Once the food arrived, he noticed the dull look on Wonwoo’s face disappear, seeing him get happy at the sight of food. That made Mingyu smile a bit.

Starting to eat, Mingyu cursed himself for eating something while it was still piping hot. Now he’d have to deal with a burning tongue.

Wonwoo looked at Mingyu, opening his mouth after he chewed down his food. “Thank you for inviting me for lunch Mr Kim.” There was a shy smile on his face, expression making it quite obvious that Wonwoo as still feeling a bit hesitant around Mingyu.

Mingyu wanted to fix that somehow. 

“Mingyu.” Wonwoo frowned his brows. Mingyu repeated himself. "Just call me Mingyu" Wonwoo made a noise, and Mingyu wanted to coo. Wonwoo resembled a cat with his confused expression, lips coming together to form a small pout. 

"I don't think i can do that." Wonwoo simply said, continuing to eat. Mingyu didn't want to dismiss their conversation, wanting to ask Wonwoo what he meant by that, but stopped himself last minute when he sensed the slower than average beating of Wonwoo's heartbeat.

Mingyu was aware that a normal heartbeat would be calm, and since Wonwoo was sitting down it would beat a bit slower, but at least it was better than having a fast heartbeat, since that would definitely indicate he felt nervous or scared around Mingyu. 

Even if Wonwoo didn't want to address Mingyu on a first name basis, Wonwoo himself couldn't even deny that he felt calm with Mingyu. His relaxed heartbeat was living proof of that. Mingyu could take that as a win on his side.

"So, what can i call you? Since you seem insistent of addressing me formally, i should do that too right? I think that should be alright, don't you think so Mr Jeon." Wonwoo just looked at him with slightly widened eyes, not saying a word as he resumed eating. 

Mingyu narrowed his eyes, lightly glaring at Wonwoo. He expected a reaction, any reaction. It didn't matter if it was a positive reaction or a negative one, Mingyu just needed Wonwoo to react the way a human being should.

But he simply shrugged it off, he couldn’t expect someone to be completely comfortable with him on the first day. 

They continued eating in silence, Mingyu occasionally starting a conversation. While talking, Mingyu couldn’t help but notice the size of Wonwoo’s bites, concluding that Wonwoo is a slow eater.

Mingyu himself started eating a bit slower, not wanting Wonwoo to feel as though he’s too slow. Even though he really is quite slow. But Mingyu knew better than to address that, knowing Wonwoo would stop talking to him completely. 

They finished their food, silently deciding to split the bill, Mingyu had no intentions of coming off as a showoff to Wonwoo. Walking back to the office, Mingyu decided he would start a conversation. 

“So how do you find your first day so far? Most of it had passed by, so i think you can technically say something.” Wonwoo chuckled “It’s alright i guess, it’s hard to talk to people but i’m not too fussed about that. I’m new here, it’s obvious i won’t be able to make friends easily. But i don’t mind being alone.”

“Doesn’t that get a bit lonely Wonwoo?” Mingyu couldn’t help but ask. Wonwoo shrugged “Depends if you ask me, being alone and feeling lonely are two different things. You can be surrounded by many people and feel lonely, but you can be alone and still feel content. I guess it depends on the person and what they want at that exact point.” 

Mingyu could agree with that, nodding to Wonwoo’s words. “I guess you’re right. Depending on how someone wants to interact, their preference may change.”

Wonwoo smiled. Entering the building, they went inside the lift, engulfed in a silence. 

But this one felt less awkward, both men being a bit tired from eating. Waving Wonwoo a small bye, Mingyu walked back to his own office, sitting down on his seat.

Step one complete.  

Mingyu had successfully had lunch with Wonwoo, and judging by the calm atmosphere they were in, Mingyu didn’t screw up. 

Although he wasn’t sure on how to communicate with Wonwoo, Mingyu was a bit excited to talk more with Wonwoo.

He’d need some more thought out plans however, remembering how Wonwoo’s face lit up at the idea of getting a time slot to arrive. Mingyu did think that was a bit strange, but it wasn’t that bad.

Deciphering Wonwoo’s personality would take time, but Mingyu had that time to give.

Once thing is for sure, Wonwoo is both interesting and weird. Mingyu can definitely work with that combination.

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Hi, so unfortunately, this plot will not be finished since when i first started this, I had no clue what the plot actually was. And I’ve been pondering this for a while, but I just couldn’t get into this plot and idek where this is headed. 

I’ve written over 10k for this, but it just shows no real development, so I’m sorry for any disappointment. However, I do have ideas for other plots that will still follow the general plots points of:

• Mingyu being a vampire
• older Mingyu
• and I think that’s it?

So, here are the plots, please read over them and I’d appreciate comments voting on it😁

A) For the entirety of the Kim family Rule for three centuries, wampires hadn’t been spotted at all, they were simply a spooky legend. But when a frantic villager reports having seen red eyed beings ruining the nearby livestock, it’s up to the Royal Kim Family to take charge to secure their lineage and bring peace to their kingdom. The soldiers are now tasked to get to the bottom of this. Jeon Wonwoo, second in command of the royal guard, is determined to get to the bottom of all this, even if it meant losing his life. 

B) After a long break post high-school, Wonwoo finally decided to go to university and pursue a degree in acting. And he was currently housesharing with someone, which worked out for his budget. Everything is alright, except Wonwoo had a roommate, Kim Mingyu, who was… weird, to be nice. He was into odd things, did odd things, and while Wonwoo didn’t judge, it didn’t make him interested in being friends with him. But he was very useful in helping him practise his scripts, especially for their upcoming dracula performance. Mingyu was good. A bit too good.

please do comment on which one you’re interested in :)

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Hey, so b was the winning prompt and i shall start on it as soon as i can✊ i just have to work around work and university lol but ill try my best. Do comment on here lol for motivation or whatever idek man i fear ao3 lost its moral support