Work Text:
It starts when Wonwoo notices a new face in the cafe that he frequents. The man is tall, handsome and playing with the stray kitten that’s made its residence by the front of the shop. He’s kind of cute in a puppy-ish sort of way. Wonwoo doesn’t normally pay attention to the people around him but it’s been a habit of his to pet the kitten as he enters and right now, she is otherwise occupied.
He’s waiting for his coffee when the new guy comes in from playing with the kitten. He greets everyone brightly before ordering an iced americano and a slice of strawberry cake.
“It’s my first day at work,” the guy tells the barista. He’s bouncing on his toes and smiling wide enough to expose his sharp canines. Wonwoo thinks if this guy had a tail, it would be wagging vigorously right now. “So I’m treating myself.”
Wonwoo ducks his head and smiles. Cute, he thinks. This guy is really, really cute.
*
Later at lunch, as soon as he joins Wonwoo at the table, Soonyoung reports that there is a good looking new hire who’s stealing everybody’s hearts.
“He helped Yongsun carry all the manuals back to HR and he’s, like, super tall,” Soonyoung says between bites of Wonwoo’s chicken. Wonwoo’s long since made sure to order two servings of his meal whenever he and Soonyoung can take their breaks together. Soonyoung brings him energy drinks so it all works out.
“Taller than me?” Wonwoo asks, so Soonyoung knows he’s listening.
“Mm, yeah.”
“Huh.”
*
It’s another two weeks before Wonwoo realizes that the cute guy in the cafe and the new hire Soongyoung was talking about are one and the same.
Wonwoo will never admit out loud that he has favorites in his team but if he had to, it would be Vernon. So when he asks Wonwoo to help out someone named Kim Mingyu with some printer trouble, he goes easily. He’s free, after all and Vernon’s neck deep in solving a code issue that’s been bugging them for days. It’s no trouble at all.
When he gets to the fifteenth floor, he sees the cute boy from the cafe staring at the printer like it’s offended him deeply. He jumps when Wonwoo calls his name. He’s a little bit more rumpled than when Wonwoo saw him at the cafe earlier and instead of his usual dazzling smile, he’s pouting something fierce. He explains the problem and the urgency and that he’s really sorry he didn’t create a ticket first. Wonwoo reassures him it’s fine.
Wonwoo can see him from the corner of his eye trying not to hover over him while he’s looking over the printer which Wonwoo appreciates. There’s nothing more annoying than someone calling IT over something urgent and being a pain about it. Kim Mingyu bows at him and thanks him very sincerely once he gets the printer up and running.
Kim Mingyu has only just gotten cuter in Wonwoo’s eyes.
And now Wonwoo knows his name.
*
Since then these are the things that Wonwoo has learned about Kim Mingyu: He’s very friendly and sometimes flirty but never inappropriate (his interns all gush about him in the break room). He’s also clumsy if the number of times he’s spilled food on his laptop is any indication (Wonwoo has seen the incident reports and even watched him enter the IT room, shamefaced with a ruined laptop and snacks for everyone in the department as an apology). He’s incredibly good at his job and whenever he’s come up with a particularly clever campaign, he buys a slice of strawberry cake from the bakery.
Everything Wonwoo knows about Kim Mingyu he’s heard from other people except that last one. He comes upon this by accident when he and Mingyu end up in the elevator at the same time when Wonwoo’s coming back from 7-11 with his 2nd Monster can of the day and Mingyu has the cafe’s signature paper bag in his hands, quietly humming a tune to himself.
It’s one of the highlights of Wonwoo’s day, bumping into him.
*
Kim Mingyu is also friends with Vernon.
Wonwoo finds out when he sees Mingyu sat on Vernon and Seungkwan’s couch with a bottle of beer in his hand, talking to Jihoon.
It seems like ever since he learned Mingyu’s name he pops up everywhere.
Wonwoo is not complaining.
There’s a round of introductions when everyone has arrived and at dinner, Wonwoo sits at the far end of the table with Jihoon and Soonyoung while Mingyu is at the other end. He’s taken over from Vernon over the grill and is expertly cutting up the samgyupsal while deep in conversation with two other guys whose names Wonwoo will eventually remember.
He can’t keep his eyes off Mingyu for most of the night.
Here’s the thing: Wonwoo knows he’s a bit timid. He leans into his introvertedness when it involves things that aren’t his career. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want things though. Mingyu is bright like the sun, warm like a summer afternoon and hot like fire.
Perhaps the metaphors are getting away from Wonwoo. But it feels true. And so he finds himself, unexpectedly, wanting.
He can admit to himself, easily enough, that he likes Kim Mingyu.
*
Wonwoo watches Soonyoung and Mingyu stumble back to the rest of the marketing team. Mingyu barely has time to sit down before Seungcheol approaches them and pulls Mingyu back toward Wonwoo’s table.
“This is Mingyu,” says Seungcheol. There’s a smug smile on his face as he motions for Mingyu to sit down next to Wonwoo. It’s the face that Wonwoo has recognized as Seungcheol being especially pleased with himself.
“I know Mingyu.” Wonwoo replies. He really can’t imagine anyone not knowing who Mingyu is.
Mingyu must recognize Seungcheol’s expression too because he shimmies (actually shimmies!) to escape from Seungcheol’s grasp. Wonwoo can’t stop the smile that takes over his face. Wonwoo is so glad he put on contacts today no matter how many drops he has to reapply because he can see Mingyu’s red ears with perfect clarity.
Mingyu’s voice had been uncharacteristically soft when he’d greeted Wonwoo just moments ago when Soonyoung had brought him over. But now his voice is loud and he’s talking so fast as he sprints away from the table like he’s being chased. Mingyu is too cute for his life.
Wonwoo watches Mingyu down two shots of soju when he gets back to his table before laying his head on the table. Minghao and Seokmin are laughing at him in that same conspiratorial way Wonwoo recognizes in Soonyoung and Jun when they’ve come up with a prank for Jihoon.
Meanwhile, Seungcheol sits down across Wonwoo and grabs a bottle of Terra and pours a glass for himself. “I don’t know why he ran away. I was doing him a favor.”
“What favor?”
“He thinks you don’t remember him,” replies Seungcheol before taking a swig of his beer. “He likes you but won’t make a move because he thinks you don’t remember meeting him and so have no idea who he is.”
Wonwoo stares at Seungcheol. This whole time Wonwoo had been sure he’d been the one who didn’t leave much of an impression on Mingyu. But also -
“He likes me?”
“Who likes you?” demands Soonyoung, who’s back from the marketing table but this time with no Mingyu in tow. He crawls back over the bench and leans his full weight on Wonwoo.
“Mingyu?”
“Yah, he talks about you all the time, Wonu. He likes you sooooo much.” Wonwoo hands Soonyoung a glass of water, who chugs it down before he continues, grabbing Wonwoo’s face. “But you want to know something?”
“What?”
“He said you don’t know him!!” Soonyoung shouts in his ear. Wonwoo winces. “So of course I had to introduce you!! He! Has! Been! Pining!”
Soonyoung emphasizes his point by hitting Wonwoo on the arm for each syllable.
And well. Wonwoo wouldn’t say he’s been pining for Mingyu. Sure, he’s appreciated Mingyu and his looks and has, on occasion, only just barely missed walking into a wall when Mingyu was wearing a particularly devastating outfit to work. But he hasn’t been pining.
So when Wonwoo gets home from the company dinner, he considers the facts before him.
1. Kim Mingyu, the guy he’s been casually admiring since he started in the company, apparently likes him.
2. Kim Mingyu has spent all that time thinking Wonwoo hadn’t remembered him at all - a concept still so baffling Wonwoo has to shake his head in disbelief at the thought.
3. Kim Mingyu will be leaving the company in a week’s time.
He’d never really planned on doing anything about his feelings for Mingyu. He’d been happy to admire from afar, and in his more honest moments, he’d also let his shyness take over him and chosen not to make a move.
Now, despite his shyness, Wonwoo has bursts of bravery, too. He’d auditioned to be an idol and even trained for a year. And when that didn’t work out, he picked himself back up and built himself all over again. He wouldn’t have gotten this far in his own career if he hadn’t been brave and made opportunities for himself.
So, it isn’t that there isn’t much to lose, seeking Mingyu out now. It’s that he’s been given a chance to chase a joy he’d previously not known was available to him. It really doesn’t take that much to feel brave again.
*
Wonwoo drops by the cafe by the office for a slice of strawberry cake and hangover cure to present to Mingyu. He might have an advantage of knowing that Mingyu likes him back but he wants to be armed with all the help he can get.
He finds Mingyu at his desk, head buried in his arms. Minghao and Seokmin are both looking at him with wide-eyes as he enters their room. They both give him a wide berth as he approaches Mingyu. He’s starting to get a little nervous but he pushes on.
“Mingyu-ssi.”
“Being polite isn’t going to make me forgive you, Seok,” Mingyu says, without looking up.
Wonwoo places the cake and the hangover cure he got for Mingyu on his desk.
Mingyu looks up from his arms and sees Wonwoo’s offerings first. It doesn’t seem like Mingyu particularly needs the hangover cure. He looks great.
“Don’t think you can bribe me with baked goods - ” Mingyu starts to say, turning around. He doesn’t quite finish though when he locks eyes with Wonwoo. Wonwoo tries to speak but Mingyu suddenly stands, knocking his chair over in his haste. Wonwoo’s starting to understand why this man’s always in the IT room then. He can’t even bring it in himself to be annoyed. Mingyu’s just too cute.
“Sorry, sunbaenim. I wish I could say I’m not always this clumsy but I’m kind of always this clumsy.” He bends over to pick up the chair and Wonwoo tries not to be distracted by the pull of his clothes against his muscles. He has an objective.
“It’s my fault for startling you,” Wonwoo replies. “I just wanted to drop these off for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, I thought you might need it and you seem to really like this cake.” Wonwoo smiles and rubs the back of his neck. He’s starting to feel butterflies in his stomach. He’s got to make his move or else he’s going to lose his nerve. “And I was hoping I could ask you something, too.”
“You wanted to ask me something?” Mingyu’s looking right at him with wide, curious eyes.
Wonwoo shores up his courage, suddenly very aware that Mingyu could still say no. He asks, “Yeah, do you want to go out with me?”
“Really?” Mingyu turns to his friends. Wonwoo absolutely does not think about how they have an audience for this.
“I like you, Kim Mingyu.” Wonwoo steps even closer to him and pastes on a winning smile - a habit he’s picked up from Seungcheol that he hopes works in his favor now. “And I want to date you.”
Mingyu opens his mouth to answer but Minghao beats him to it. “He says, yes!”
Wonwoo glances at Minghao and thinks about how much he and Jun would get along. He turns back to Mingyu only for their eyes to meet again from where they’d both been looking at Minghao. Mingyu’s got that adorable pout on but he nods. “I really do want to go on a date with you, sunbae.”
Wonwoo thinks he could simultaneously collapse with relief and float away with giddiness. Whatever spirit of courage that’s taken over him again is bolstered by Mingyu’s confirmation.
“Great. Does Saturday work?”
Mingyu nods again and Wonwoo’s smile feels a lot more natural now. The relief makes him honest. “I wasn’t sure if you remembered me, you know. So I’m really glad we were introduced again, Mingyu-ssi.”
“What! I wasn’t sure if you remembered me!”
“I couldn’t forget someone as cute as you, Kim Mingyu.” He pulls out his phone from his pocket. “Give me your Kakao ID so we can discuss where I’ll pick you up?”
Mingyu hands over his phone so Wonwoo can scan his QR code. He leaves with a little wave and a “see you on Saturday!”
*
When he gets back to his own desk, Wonwoo can’t help but stop and marvel at what just happened.
“Wah, where did that come from, Jeon Wonwoo?” he asks himself out loud, shaking his head. That was smoother than he expected of himself. He’s kind of really proud about it.
Soongyoung chooses that exact moment to make his presence known.
“Well?” he demands. “How did it go?”
Wonwoo smiles. “I have a date on Saturday.”
*
What Wonwoo completely forgot to anticipate is that Mingyu still works at the company and therefore still goes to the same cafe as him in the mornings and there are still a few more days until their date.
Mingyu almost barrels into him as he’s entering the cafe while Wonwoo is exiting.
“Ah, sunbae! Sorry!!” He grabs Wonwoo by the waist to steady him and his iced americano.
Wonwoo blinks up at Mingyu a couple of times before he recovers. “You know, we’re going out this Saturday, you can call me hyung.”
“Hyung,” Mingyu says. He doesn’t say anything at all after that. Mingyu looks at him and Wonwoo looks back. Mingyu has a mole right at the tip of his nose. Wonwoo feels the craziest urge to bop it then kiss it.
They both don’t realize that they’ve been blocking the way until a sharply dressed woman clears her throat. They both shuffle back into the cafe and Wonwoo walks with Mingyu back to the line so he can order his own coffee.
“Hyung,” Mingyu says as they wait in line. “I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask why you’d want to go on a date with me. I didn’t think I was your type.”
Wonwoo considers Mingyu. His hair is styled down today. He has a striped button up and a skinny black tie. He hasn’t rolled up his sleeves yet for the day, which Wonwoo is grateful for. It’s too early to be devastated by handsome men, especially this handsome man in particular.
Wonwoo is glad that Mingyu is being straightforward with him. Wonwoo really doesn’t have the patience to act coy when he’s literally asked Mingyu out on the word of a friend and they’d barely had a conversation so he decides to repay that straightforwardness with honesty.
“I like what I know about you and I’d like to get to know you better.” Wonwoo smiles at Mingyu, whose ears have turned pink. Wonwoo tamps down the impulse to just chomp on him. “Can I ask why you said yes?”
“Ah, I’m going to sound so shallow now,” Mingyu whines. There’s a light flush of pink on his cheeks now too.
Wonwoo raises a brow at him. “Why’s that?”
“I think you’re handsome,” he mumbles, just as he steps up to give his order to the barista. His voice was just loud enough for Wonwoo to hear him and he’s fighting back grinning outright.
When Mingyu finishes his order he stands beside Wonwoo who can’t help but tease a little.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said earlier.”
Mingyu pouts something fierce. Wonwoo wonders what it would be like to squish his cheeks together. He hopes they date long enough for him to find out.
“Hyung, you heard me.”
Wonwoo’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “I did but it’s nice to hear.”
Perhaps Mingyu heard something in Wonwoo’s voice because he straightens up to his full height and smiles back at him, confidently. “I think you’re handsome and cool and I want to get to know you too.”
It’s Wonwoo’s turn to blush a little but turnabout is fair play, he supposes.
After Mingyu picks up his coffee, he reaches for Wonwoo’s hand and squeezes. It’s brief but Wonwoo feels the phantom pressure on his palm.
*
The date, Wonwoo thinks fuzzily, is going well.
Wonwoo had opted to dress up a little more than his usual button up and slacks. He’s glad for cold weather because he thinks he looks especially good in a turtleneck so he layers that up with a leather jacket. He even has his hair permed, which he’d kind of fretted over being too much but it’s a first date. He wants to make a good impression.
He’s glad he made the effort though because when Mingyu steps out of his building, he looks like a model. His bangs are styled to frame his face just so. He’s in a black suit that has to be tailored. His shirt collar is unbuttoned to reveal a hint of a silver chain on his neck. Wonwoo’s mouth goes dry at the taper of his suit jacket at his waist
“Wow,” he says, as Mingyu approaches him. “You look great.”
“You’ve seen me spill coffee on myself.” Mingyu looks down at himself and dusts off an imaginary bit of dirt from his jacket. “I wanted to look good for you.”
Mingyu looks at him and winks. It’s honestly hard to look away from Mingyu right now.
“You look really good too, hyung.” He runs a hand up along the smooth leather covering Wonwoo’s arm. Wonwoo shivers.
“Thank you.” Wonwoo opens the taxi door for Mingyu instead of drowning in Mingyu’s eyes the way he wants to. They do have a date to get to.
They have dinner at one of the fancier restaurants in Seongsu-dong. Wonwoo may or may not have promised Seungcheol a favor if he could give up his reservation with Jeonghan and give it to Wonwoo instead. He may have also promised Jeonghan he’d ban Seungcheol for a few game nights so Jeonghan wouldn’t get mad about losing out on a fancy meal for their date night. (“I’m allowing this in the name of love, Wonu-yah,” Jeonghan replies over the phone after Wonwoo asked for permission.) Mingyu gets abalone and miyeog while Wonwoo has a duck and mulberry combination he wasn’t too sure about but pays off in the end.
He surprises Mingyu by confessing he doesn’t like seafood but gamely takes a bite anyway when Mingyu offers him to try the abalone. Mingyu responds that he will eat anything and happily steals some of Wonwoo’s duck.
Mingyu talks so animatedly about everything - from the way he tells Wonwoo about the time Soonyoung was so drunk he kept slapping Mingyu while complimenting him to the poja ahjussi who gives Mingyu a discount on his tteokbokki. Mingyu prefers soccer over basketball but likes sports in general though he isn’t much into e-sports. Both he and Mingyu have a shared interest in photography, film editing and, surprisingly, ballads. There’s a moment when they both break into song and Wonwoo can’t help but laugh along with Mingyu when it happens.
There’s something about Mingyu that’s confident and shy in turns. He flirts shamelessly with Wonwoo now that he knows that it’s welcome but gets giggly when Wonwoo teases him back. Wonwoo is enjoying this back and forth, surprised by how comfortable he is already around Mingyu when they’re still really only just getting to know each other.
Mingyu loves to cook when he has the time and Wonwoo can’t help but praise him when he finds out all the snacks he used to bring to the IT room to beg for forgiveness were his own cooking. He also regales him with a few tales of his own kitchen disasters to make Mingyu laugh with disbelief.
“Hyung, how can you mess up bibimbap!” Mingyu exclaims. “You just have to arrange banchan on the rice!”
“I was in game!” Wonwoo replies in his defense. “And my rice cooker was faulty!”
He has such a cute giggle and everything new he’s learned about Mingyu has only really endeared him more.
He can also hold his liquor a lot better than Wonwoo can. They’ve moved to a jazz bar a few streets over and have gone several rounds. They both have a preference for whisky though Wonwoo admits that he isn’t really much of a drinker. Wonwoo’s face is starting to go a little numb.
“Mingyu-yah,” he says. “I’m having a really good time.”
Mingyu blinks at him, caught off guard by the non sequitur. He’d just finished a story about how he was almost street-casted in middle school. “I’m having a really good time too, hyung.”
He rests his chin on his hands and watches Mingyu take a sip from his drink.
“I’m having a really good time,” he says again. “But if we don’t stop drinking now, I might not remember this the next day and I’d very much like to remember our first date.”
The smile that blooms on Mingyu’s face is definitely something Wonwoo wants to remember. “Hyung, you’re so cute.” He reaches forward and pats Wonwoo’s face lightly. Wonwoo might not be able to feel much but there’s definitely more warmth on his face now. Perhaps he’s blushing. “We can go for a walk, if you want, so you can sober up.”
Wonwoo definitely wants that. He wants this date to last for as long as it can. He nods at Mingyu and pays for their last round of drinks. They both stand and it’s funny because Wonwoo’s sure he’s the less sober one between the two of them but Mingyu manages to trip on his own feet and Wonwoo catches him by the waist. Mingyu looks just as surprised as Wonwoo feels. Wonwoo’s even more surprised that they haven’t toppled over. It’s a reversal of their moment in the cafe just a few days ago.
“I feel like I’m in a drama right now,” Mingyu whispers, while he looks up at Wonwoo from where he’s cradled in his arms. Wonwoo can feel the muscle underneath the thin layer of Mingyu’s shirt.
“If you wanted me to hold you, Mingyu, all you had to do was ask,” Wonwoo says in reply, pitching his voice even lower like he’s the cool and aloof lead in a drama. They stare at each other another moment before they both burst into laughter. Mingyu almost falls again from laughing so hard. It feels so good to be able to be silly like this.
Mingyu rights himself up, wiping tears away from his eyes. “Hyung, what was that.”
“It made you laugh,” Wonwoo replies. “I like making you laugh.”
“You’re funny, hyung.”
“Thank you. Not a lot of people think that.”
The evening is pleasantly cool when they step out of the restaurant. Mingyu sticks closely to Wonwoo and Wonwoo leans into Mingyu’s warmth.
They walk in comfortable silence until they find themselves by the Han river. It’s much cooler here and Wonwoo finds himself shivering a little. He startles a little when he feels Mingyu’s arm around his shoulder.
“Is this okay, hyung?” Mingyu asks. “I don’t want you to be cold.”
That’s another thing about Mingyu. He rivals Soonyoung over how tactile he is. Throughout the night he’s peppered Wonwoo with light touches - rubbing his knuckles against Wonwoo’s wrist across the table, a hand on his arm when they’d moved from the restaurant to the bar, and now an arm around his shoulder. Wonwoo has mostly trained himself out of skinship after an ex-girlfriend had called him stickier than fly paper but it’s nice to have someone initiate touch like this.
“More than okay,” Wonwoo replies, putting his arm around Mingyu’s waist and pulling him closer. “Is this okay?”
“More than okay,” Mingyu says back.
They spend the rest of the walk like that, chatting idly about nothing in particular. Wonwoo is getting tired but he doesn’t want the date to end. His body ends up deciding for him though when he yawns mid-sentence.
Mingyu giggles at him before also yawning.
“Time to go home, I think,” Wonwoo says, even though he really, really doesn’t want to yet. Mingyu nods and Wonwoo books a taxi for them. He’ll drop Mingyu off before heading home himself.
In the taxi, Mingyu rests his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder. Wonwoo takes Mingyu’s hand and rests it on his lap. Mingyu is telling him about the last project he’s working on with the company and his plans for the week he has off before joining somewhere new. Wonwoo is nodding along and hums to make sure Mingyu knows he’s listening.
The taxi is idling outside Mingyu’s apartment building. Wonwoo steps out of the car after Mingyu for a final good night. He wonders if he’ll come off as too eager if he asks if they can go out again tomorrow.
Mingyu beats him to it.
“Hyung, can I take you out tomorrow?” He runs a hand through his hair. “I really want to see you again.”
“I’d like that.” It’s so nice to have someone so in sync with him.
Mingyu beams at him and then leans in for the fastest kiss of Wonwoo’s life. The tips of Mingyu’s ears and the apples of his cheeks are red again and Wonwoo is sure he looks particularly stunned.
“See you tomorrow, hyung!” Mingyu wink and turns to the building door and Wonwoo is not ready to let him go yet.
Wonwoo reaches for his wrist and tugs Mingyu back before he can get too far. He cups his hand behind Mingyu’s neck and presses his lips against Mingyu’s again. Still fast and just shy of acceptable in public but longer than the lightning quick peck Mingyu had given him. Mingyu’s lips are chapped from the cold but still soft and a little sweet from dessert earlier. Mingyu’s cheeks are even redder when he pulls back and Wonwoo grins at him.
“See you tomorrow, Mingyu.”
Wonwoo steps back into the taxi, hand pressed against his smiling mouth. He puts his head against the cool glass of the window and watches the lights flicker past him on his way back home.
He can’t wait for tomorrow.