Chapter Text
~WINTER~
New year, new him. That’s the cheesy motto Seok Matthew had going into the biggest move of his life. He had been given a heck of a business opportunity through the connection of his older sister, and landed a new job at a growing graphic design studio in the heart and capital of South Korea, Seoul.
As a young child, Matthew loved art. He was fortunate enough to have supportive parents that funded his dreams, and let him get all types of mediums; sketchbooks, canvases, you name it… but the one he fell in love with in the end throughout his artistic journey was the drawing pad. Matthew loved designing and drawing digitally, whether it be creating posters for the clubs he was involved within high school, to drawing commissions or birthday presents for his friends, you could always see Seok Matthew with a drawing tablet, a pair of headphones, and a creative mind that was always running.
And with another supportive boost from his parents, both mentally and financially, Matthew tried to kickstart a business during his college years, where he pursued a degree in the arts.
But even after graduating, and extensive networking, Matthew realized not everyone makes it out of the art world successful, even with hard work and determination. His small business hadn’t been successful, with little to no returns. He had failed, and he felt as if his whole life had amounted to nothing. His parents believed in him, but he wondered if he just wasn’t good enough, and had let them down.
So when his sister, who had been very empathetic throughout his journey, offered a connection to a new business opportunity under a small growing label, Matthew took it, even if it meant leaving his country and home of 30 years to somewhere he is completely unfamiliar with besides a few vacations spent there.
At the age of 30, single, with a failed business, and still living with his parents, Matthew would do anything to be able to pay back his parents for their failed investment, pursue his passion, and make his parents proud.
He had a tearful goodbye with his family, his mom ending up with tears and sobbing hysterically at the airport while his sister and father, with a more somber demeanor, gave him long hugs before he got on his flight.
The twelve hour flight did numbers on his now aching back and bum, and it didn’t help that his soles started hurting after running around the subway for a few hours as he got lost trying to find his way to his new apartment… Nothing about the lines helped when he didn’t know any of the locations he was supposed to get on and off the subway; all he knew was that he was at Incheon, and he had to get to Seoul. It also didn’t help to have three large luggages of essentials he had to carry around by himself.
Maybe he should’ve just taken a cab, but he didn’t know how to hail one of those very large cabs his mom always seemed to find for cheap prices to be able to carry large luggages.
It was the middle of January, and although it wasn’t snowing, it was still cold as Matthew walked from the nearest train station to his apartment building. The cold nipped at his uncovered ears as he put his hands into the pockets of his puffer jacket that he thankfully remembered to pack on with his carry-on prepared for cold weather.
When he made it to the front of the apartment building, he looked up to see the twenty story building tower over him. This was where he was going to be living from now on.
After getting a bit sentimental and sending pictures to his family of his new home, he made his way to check in with the owner of the apartment, to get his key and paperwork regarding guidelines, rent, etc. Luckily, he had just made it in time before the owner had headed home for the day, realizing the extra hours at the train station almost cost him missing the check in time and not having a place to stay for the night.
But that’s how he eventually finds himself at the doorstep of his new apartment complex, #303.
Matthew put his luggage to the side as he approached the keypad attached to the door. The owner stated that his four number code would not be installed until the next morning when the designated technician for the building drops by, but Matthew was given a physical key card to be able to access his apartment home as well so it was no big deal.
He tapped the key card to the device on the handle and heard a little jingle alongside the sound of a lock being opened. Matthew put his hand on the handle and let out a deep breath before turning the handle to reveal his apartment.
He had already seen most of the interior via online pictures, but it was definitely different seeing it in person, especially with it being barren as the pictures online had furnishing for decor that had been vacated for his move in.
Going right into the apartment, a small kitchen with a peninsula style design stood to the left, three counters connected together with a small stove, oven and dishwasher. There was a space left for a fridge, and the floor was conveniently tiled incase of spills and liquids that are usually present within the kitchen. He knew there was a closet that held the laundry machine and dryer, which was conveniently included, across from the kitchen by the front door, so he opened to see that they were both there with no issues. They seemed fairly new and in great condition, so he was glad about that.
Matthew dragged his luggage into the kitchen, where he would worry about it later, and he put his key card on the kitchen counter as he continued to explore his new home.
The floor transitioned into laminated hardwood and past the kitchen was a small living room, with large windows that overlooked the city past the apartment. Or well, somewhat looked out into the city, as he was on the third floor. He could imagine putting the small coffee table with some seats and a couch that he had ordered, alongside a television set against the wall.
He moved into the first bedroom on the right, beside the living room, which had a small bathroom with a shower, no bathtub, although he wasn’t anticipating taking baths anyways. This room also had large windows that overlooked past the apartment, and Matthew liked how the apartment had lots of entry for natural light to come in; he’d rather open some curtains than turn on a light.
The last room of the apartment was a spare room, usually for an office, play room, or nursery; for him, it would probably be a design studio alongside being a spare room for storage and what not. It was on the inner side of the apartment, so it had no windows, and was just a small square room that could fit a desk or two comfortably.
Matthew stepped back out into the living room and looked at his phone for the time, seeing it was around 7 PM now. He hadn’t had anything to eat since the meal served on the plane many hours ago, and was starting to feel a bit hungry. However, he knew he couldn’t leave his apartment to eat out or anything because he was waiting on his new furniture to arrive; he couldn’t bring anything from home as it was all too big, so he and his parents had done lots of online shopping for a new bed frame, couch, table, etc. for his new apartment. He hadn’t got a fridge yet as he wanted to be sure about the dimensions, but he felt safe ordering a bed frame and couch with the given measurements online. They would be out for delivery until 9 PM, so he still had 2 hours left, and they luckily hadn’t stopped by earlier as it would mean they would have to come another day as he couldn’t sign off on it.
Matthew was done checking out the flat and thinking of ways to pass the time when he heard a knock at the front door. He approached the front door and tiptoed to look out of the peephole, which was blurry and very unhelpful. There, he saw the silhouette of a man. Must’ve been the delivery guy or something.
Matthew opened the door, and started with a greeting when his mouth hung open, a bit star dazed at the sight.
“Hello-”
A young man, most definitely not the delivery man, stood there; jet black hair and eyes that shone by themselves, a perfect smile that could be used in a dental commercial, and sharp facial features that left Matthew speechless.
He only snapped out of his trance of awe when the other man cleared his throat and extended his hand out towards Matthew.
“I’m assuming you’re the new neighbor I heard was moving in. Just wanted to come by and say hello and introduce myself. I’m Kim Jiwoong, nice to meet you.”
“Oh, hi, nice to meet you too. I-I’m Seok M-Matthew.” Matthew stumbled out. He was stuttering and nervous as he hadn’t expected anyone besides the delivery person to knock at his door, and wished he had some time to prepare if he knew he was going to interact with his neighbor; especially if he was conventionally and objectively very attractive.
Moreover, his Korean, although fluent, was pretty rusty, and he found himself already slurring some of the phonics together.
Jiwoong brought his hand up to initiate a handshake, which Matthew reciprocated as he continued to blink at the other man in awe.
“I’m on your left, #304, so don’t be shy to stop by and ask for anything if you need something.” Jiwoong offered kindly with a smile as he retracted his hand back to his side. “I’m guessing you just got into the apartment because I didn’t hear any movers or don’t see any furniture behind you.”
“Yeah… I got caught up in the trains and I’ve been waiting for my furniture to be delivered but it hasn’t come yet...” Matthew replied.
“If you need help with the furniture later, I’m free to help you if you need an extra hand.”
“Oh, no no no, it’s okay, really. I really appreciate you coming by to say hello and being so friendly, but I wouldn’t want to bother you this late at night.” Matthew refuted, flustered at the generous gesture.
Already off the bat, Matthew could tell the man was very extroverted and friendly, offering to help Matthew move in and such. He was glad to know that he already had one friendly face in this new country, and one that was right next to him if he did need anything.
Jiwoong was about to reply to Matthew when Matthew heard his phone buzzing. Matthew gave the other man a gesture of a finger to indicate “one second please” as he took the call at the front door.
“Hi… yes, this is Seok Matthew.” He answered.
…
…
…
“What? Are you serious?” Matthew questioned as he saw Jiwoong perk up in his peripheral vision at his change in tone. “When is the soonest it’ll come by?”
…
“Tomorrow… alright, I suppose the one day delay isn’t too bad.” Matthew responded, defeated. “Thank you for letting me know… yeah… bye bye.”
Matthew hung up the phone as he let out a deep sigh.
“Everything okay?” Jiwoong asked the slouched figure.
“Yeah, just the delivery service for my furniture got held back so they couldn’t deliver my stuff today. But it’s okay, they said they’ll just come tomorrow morning.” Matthew explained.
“Ah, darn, I see.”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I was anticipating sleeping on the floor anyways for a few days in case something got delayed.”
“The floor? That’s no place for someone to sleep. I got an air mattress, you can borrow that for the time being if needed.”
“Oh no, it’s okay, I have a blanket.”
“Just a blanket isn’t going to suffice for your back on the floor, and then you won’t have anything to cover yourself with in this cold weather. Please, I insist.” Jiwoong pushed as he flashed that smile again.
“Ah, alright… thank you so mu-” Matthew responded appreciatively, until his stomach had grumbled loudly, probably loud enough for the whole building to hear.
Matthew felt his cheeks turn hot, and his ears burning as he avoided eye contact with the other man in front of him.
“Have you not eaten?” Jiwoong asked teasingly.
“No, I didn’t have time to eat anything on the way here, and I was about to wait for the furniture to come and then get something to eat after everything was sorted out, but it’s coming tomorrow anyways.” Matthew responded. “I’ll probably head down to the convenience store nearby and eat an instant meal.”
“Whatttt? That isn’t how your first meal at your new home should be. You know the tradition of eating jjajangmyeon when you move, right?”
“Oh, I think I’ve heard about it, yeah.”
“Well, how about you come over, I’ll order some for us to be delivered. You don’t have a table to eat comfortably anyways, and I can also give you my air mattress after the meal before you leave.”
“Ah, no… I really wouldn’t want to trouble you or anything. I can go out and eat anything myself, it’s really okay.” Matthew kindly rejected it.
“No, I really insist. Think of it as a housewarming gift, a treat from your friendly neighbor as a greeting. I was craving some hot noodles and greasy food anyways.” Jiwoong kept kindly insisting. “It’s cold and you must be tired from walking and everything that’s happened all day, enjoy your first hot meal indoors in a comfortable place.”
“Oh, alright.” Matthew finally accepted, convinced by the man. He was right, he was tired and did not want to walk around again to find somewhere to eat in this cold weather when he was starving. “Can you give me a few to change and then I’ll come on over?”
“Yeah, I’ll go ahead and order the food, I know this killer place that fries the best tangsuyuk and hand makes their chewy noodles. You just knock on my door when you’re ready, #304.”
“Alright, thank you, see you in a few Jiwoong.”
Matthew closed the door as he waved goodbye at his neighbor. He took in another deep breath and then shuffled to open his luggage to change into something more comfortable, and presentable. A puffer with a long sleeve shirt that he had worn for more than a day through his flight to Korea was definitely starting to get wrinkly and musty.
He eventually just decided on a beige hoodie and black cargo pants. He took a few minutes to wash his face and touch up his hair, and then found himself leaving in a hurry as he didn’t want to make Jiwoong wait, or feel as if he was purposely taking time to stall.
He was excited if he was being honest; having a “friend” already, and eating jjajangmyeon, which he hadn’t had in awhile. Things were looking a bit up besides his feet aching from walking around, and his furniture being delayed.
He knocked on the door that had a metal plate labeled “#304” and waited a few seconds until the door opened to reveal Jiwoong.
Matthew was once blown away again at the appearance of the man. He was no longer wearing a jacket, and Matthew could see his build and physique more clearly now. The black shirt outlined his defined chest and arm muscles, his waist thinning down perfectly. Matthew felt a bit self conscious at how objectively attractive his new neighbor was.
It wasn’t that Matthew romantically liked Jiwoong in any way, they had just met; but he knows how to give credit to good looking people when credit is due, and admired him for his looks.
But something, or someone else, had caught his attention besides Jiwoong’s conventional good looks; a little boy was attached to the other man’s leg, who looked up at Matthew with something people back in Canada like to call puppy doll eyes.
“Ah, this is Yujin, my youngest child.” Jiwoong explained as Matthew waved at the boy, who detached himself from the older man’s leg now. “Say hi to our new neighbor Yujin-ah.”
“Hello.” Yujin said as he bowed the respectful 90 degree angle greeting to Matthew.
“Nice to meet you Yujin, I’m Matthew.” Matthew replied, smiling at the boy’s cuteness.
“And this is my other son, Hanbin.” Jiwoong moved aside to show an older, but still quite young, boy. He wore glasses, and seemed to be holding a book to his side as he bowed to greet Matthew.
“Hello.” Hanbin said politely.
“Hey, nice to meet you Hanbin.” Matthew returned.
“Alright, with the greetings out of the way, come on in and sit down. I just ordered the food so it’ll only be a few until it comes.” Jiwoong offered, moving aside so Matthew could step into his apartment.
“Thanks.” Matthew stepped in and looked around the home. The layout was the exact same, but it was definitely cozier, especially since it had furniture and decor. There was a couch and a coffee table with a television set just as Matthew had planned on setting up, where Jiwoong led them to sit down.
“Want anything to drink?” Jiwoong offered.
“Uh, water would be great, thanks.” Besides food, he hadn’t had anything to drink since the plane as well. He couldn’t tell if it was his nervousness or lack of liquids that made his throat and mouth dry.
“Alright, I’ll get that for you.” Jiwoong got up to rush to the kitchen to dispense a cup of water. He came back as soon as he left, handing Matthew a cup with some water with two hands. “Here.”
“Thank you thank you…” Matthew said as he took the cup and drank out of it, gulping it down in one go.
He put the cup down on a coaster that was set on the table and cleared his throat as he watched the kids settle down next to his father.
“I didn’t know you had kids.” Matthew started the conversation. “They seem so cute and lovely though.” He complimented.
“Thanks, I’d like to think I raised them pretty well.” Jiwoong prided. “Was worried that without a mother figure they would have problems or something like that, but being a single father isn’t that hard or problematic at all.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…” Matthew said, wondering if the topic of kids had raised the sad topic of a passed mother or such.
“You’re good, nothing to be sorry about. I love my kids, and they’re being well taken care of, that’s what matters most in the end.” Jiwoong replied, making Matthew feel a bit better.
He was surprised to find out that Jiwoong had kids, but also, was a single dad. Nothing wrong with being a single parent, just he didn’t see any signs that showed that there were kids in the house. It was relatively tidy and clean, and Jiwoong looked as young as Matthew himself…
The atmosphere seemed to pick up a quiet, but awkward mood after that discussion. But thankfully, the youngest, Yujin, was naive and curious enough to break that tension with some questions.
“What kind of name is Matthew?” Yujin blurted. “I’ve never heard of that kind of name.”
“Yujin!” Jiwoong lightly scolded the child, Matthew chuckling at the youngin’s question. “I’m so sorry, he doesn-”
“No no, it’s okay.” Matthew laughed back. “I’m not from Korea, so I have a foreign English name.” He replied.
“Oh, English?” Yujin cocked his head to the side.
“Are you from out of the country?” Jiwoong asked.
“Yeah, if you couldn’t tell by my terrible Korean. I’m from Canada.” Matthew answered, getting an “o” and nods from Jiwoong.
“Is Canada America?” Yujin asked.
“No Yujin. Canada is in North America, but it isn’t America. That’s the United States.” Hanbin replied matter of factly, looking up from the book he was reading, talking for the first time since he’s given his greetings to Matthew.
“Yeah, that’s right Hanbin. You’re so smart, how old are you?” Matthew asked.
“I’m 10.” Hanbin replied, pushing his glasses up with a serious face as if to exude energy that he was old and mature. Matthew internally cooed at the boy.
“Wow, you’re pretty smart for your age.”
“I study a lot.”
“A little too much. A boy your age shouldn’t be studying so much, you should be enjoying your youth.” Jiwoong commented as Hanbin mumbled something about enjoying life later when he had success in his hands.
“What about you Yujin?”
“I’m five!” Yujin cheered as he clutched onto Jiwoong’s arm and giggled.
“He’s my little baby.” Jiwoong cooed, as he patted the younger’s hair.
“Does that mean you speak Cana… Canada?” Yujin asked, curious as ever.
That got a laugh out of both Jiwoong and Matthew, with a scoff from Hanbin.
“Canada isn’t a language.” Hanbin replied matter of factly, getting a pout from Yujin. “They speak English there too, dummy.”
“Appa! Hyung called me a dummy!” Yujin whined as he hid in Jiwoong’s arms.
“Hey, don’t call your younger brother a dummy.” Jiwoong lightly scolded, but with no bite at all. Hanbin rolled his eyes at his younger brother’s over dramatic reaction.
“But I’m right, aren’t I?” Hanbin retorted as he looked at Matthew for an answer.
“Uh, yeah, we do speak English there.” Matthew answered as Hanbin held his head up a bit higher at being right. “But I bet you didn’t know we also speak French in Canada too.”
This got a curious look from Hanbin, “I didn’t know that actually…”
“French is from France!” Yujin spurted out.
“Yes it is, you’re so smart our little Yujin.” Jiwoong cheered.
“I knew that it’s from France too…” Hanbin mumbled out.
“I know you know Hanbin, you’re my little genius too.” Jiwoong said as he pridefully opened his arms to invite Hanbin to sit next to him closer.
Surprisingly, despite his studious and somewhat nonchalant demeanor towards his younger brother, Hanbin seemed to melt into his father’s arms alongside Yujin.
“Now say sorry to Yujin.” His father gently prodded.
“Sorry Yujin, I didn’t mean to call you a dummy.” Hanbin obeyed.
“Thanks hyung.” Yujin replied.
Matthew looked at the scene in front of him, and cooed internally for the hundredth time that night. They were such a wholesome family, and as a single father, Jiwoong took great care of his children. They were both very smart, curious, and full of love.
The scene was interrupted when a knock was heard on the door.
“Food’s here!” Jiwoong cheered as the other two got up and cheered as well.
“Yay!” Yujin cheered as Hanbin quickly got up to set the table as Jiwoong retrieved the food from the delivery person in front.
The meal was nice, and paid for by Jiwoong, which Matthew profusely thanked him for, insisting on paying him back which Jiwoong kept denying. Matthew had a great time eating and conversing with Jiwoong and the boys over dinner, getting to know each other more and more.
It was also adorable to see how as Jiwoong talked to Matthew and involved himself more in conversation, Yujin would pull at his father’s sleeve time to time, as he struggled to cut big pieces of the tangsuyuk and other sides Jiwoong had generously ordered alongside the jjajangmyeon.
Hanbin seemed to be pretty independent and continued to read his book as he ate pretty cleanly, contrary to his sibling who had jjajang sauce all over his mouth, which Jiwoong wiped with a napkin as Yujin whined and protested.
The night went on as the adults talked, and Matthew got to know Jiwoong more. Jiwoong was the lead director of a marketing team of a small company, and had some experience in working with some graphic designers, which Matthew was pursuing. They talked about work, especially Matthew’s new opportunity, which Jiwoong helped to explain how to ride the train there and which cafes and restaurants were best in that area.
The kids also asked questions here and there, and Matthew entertained them thoroughly by listening and asking them questions as well, including them within the conversation here and there before they fled to the couch, where Hanbin continued to read his book out loud to Yujin leaning against him.
And when it was finally time to say goodbye, Matthew found it a little hard to get out of his seat. He wanted to keep talking with Jiwoong; they seemed to hit it off right away.
It was around 10 PM when Yujin had started to pull at Jiwoong’s shirt, rubbing his eyes.
“I’m sleepy Appa… tuck me in…” Yujin whined as he tried to pull his father to his bedroom.
“Ah, sorry Yujin-ah. Appa lost track of time.” Jiwoong said as he saw how late it was for the children. “It’s way past your bedtime. Hanbin, you get ready for bed too.”
“I’m about to finish reading this book though!” Hanbin complained as he visibly got more immersed into his reading.
“That book isn’t going anywhere Hanbin, I already let you stay up past an hour of your bedtime because we had a guest, but it’s time for you to sleep.”
“Okay fine…” Hanbin replied with little to no resistance, getting up to go to the restroom with Yujin to brush their teeth and get ready for bed.
“Sorry I kept you guys up late, and the kids past their bedtime, I lost track of time.” Matthew apologized as he got up and started cleaning up the table.
“You’re good, I lost track of time as well.” Jiwoong said as he smiled kindly. “Yujin can’t sleep unless I tuck him in, and I promised to sleep beside him tonight so I’d love to just tuck him in and come right back out, but that won’t be possible.”
“No no, really, you’re good. I had a long day and I should start heading back anyway to get ready for tomorrow with all the furniture and stuff coming in.”
“Right, you’ve had a long day, need to get you back and fully rested for tomorrow. I’ll go get that air mattress for you.” Jiwoong said as he scurried into his bedroom to fetch the air mattress.
Jiwoong came back out a few seconds later, “We should do this again sometime, have a meal with the kids and stuff whenever you feel lonely or something by yourself.”
“I’d love to. You’re a lovely family and I had a great time.”
After cleaning the table, which just involved wrapping all the trash into a trash bag and leaving it outside, they both headed towards Matthew’s apartment. Jiwoong had got the deflated air mattress and helped Matthew to his door with it.
“Really, I can blow it up by myself.” Matthew insisted, saying it was really cold and that Jiwoong didn’t need to come all the way to his door, whilst Jiwoong kept suggesting it was only a few steps and seconds for him.
“Trust me, the kids kind of messed it up so it doesn’t inflate unless you hold it at a specific angle and it's hard as one person to do it.”
Matthew reached into his pocket to get his key card, until he realized…
He had left it in his house. On the counter. He had locked himself out.
“Oh my god…” Matthew said as his face fell pale and he looked at Jiwoong with his jaw held open.
Jiwoong looked at him with a confused face, to which Matthew stated, “I forgot my key!”
“Don’t you have your code to open the lock?” Jiwoong asked.
“They haven’t installed the code into this digital lock yet… I can’t believe I already locked myself out within a day of moving in.” Matthew groaned out in defeat, knocking his head against his locked door. “I guess I’ll have to find a hotel or somewhere to stay at for the night until tomorrow morning when the owner comes by.”
“It's gonna be hard to find a vacant hotel around this area without taking a taxi. Why don't you just stay at my place tonight until the owner and locksmith comes tomorrow morning.” Jiwoong offered.
“No no, you’ve already done so much for me. The meal and me keeping your kids up- I really couldn’t.”
“I wouldn’t want you to pay for a cab and wander around for another few hours trying to find a hotel. Really, I insist. You can use the air mattress and sleep in the living room. I’ll give you a blanket, spare toothbrush and everything.
Matthew bit his lip, considering his options.
He ended up giving into Jiwoong, and that’s how he found himself sleeping on the floor with an air mattress in his neighbor’s apartment on the first night in Seoul.