Archive of Our Own

Hanbin had it all. The looks, the rising fame, almost everything he asked for, he got it. He was a go-getter through and through and passionate about his craft. From a very young age, it was clear that he was destined for greatness and extremely good at tennis. His parents were delighted; they thought he’d follow the idol path like his older brother Doyoung, who had debuted in a top boy group called “‘NCT 127” along with Hanbin’s now celebrity crush, Jaehyun, but it was evident when he was playing tennis even better than the kids around him, that he was some sort of prodigy. 

Throughout the years, Hanbin has gone through many different hobbies. Still, tennis has always stuck with him, and he never gave it up. This is how he became one of the youngest Korean-American tennis players and made waves worldwide. People just couldn’t fathom how such a pretty face wasn’t an idol or a model, but as soon as they saw him play, they could see why Hanbin was a tennis player. However, with his fame came “fans” who tried to get way too close to him, and after a few close calls, his agency decided he needed a bodyguard. 

Hanbin didn’t really have a say in who was assigned to him, but all of the bodyguards he’d had didn’t know how to do their job. The first one, who barely made it a few days, nearly let poor Hanbin get mobbed at the airport. When Hanbin nicely (passive-aggressively) asked Gyuvin what happened, his excuse was, “Sorry! I got distracted!” He was almost the color of strawberries. It matched his fiery red hair and made him stand out. Unfortunately, he didn’t even last a week. So, it was back to the drawing board.

His second bodyguard, Gunwook, seemed promising. He and Hanbin got along well. Hanbin had just finished a schedule and was on his way to catch a flight when fans tried to hand him gifts. Gunwook didn’t see the harm until Hanbin grabbed a gift, and the bag blew up. There were loud screams, and Hanbin was both stunned and frozen. It's safe to say he missed his flight, and once again, poor Gunwook got fired. The rest of his bodyguards passed in a blur: Keita (bless his heart, he was trying his best), Beomgyu (terrible idea, his bodyguard needed a bodyguard), and the list could go on, but none of them lasted.

Hanbin was currently sitting in the CEO’s office. They were discussing the prospect of Hanbin’s next bodyguard. Well, mainly the CEO. Hanbin was just sitting there. Hanbin hated being anything other than agreeable, but he had to say something. While his manager was going on a tangent about the new candidates, Hanbin bit his lip and played with his fingers in his lap. “Um… Hao-nim, what if we, maybe, gave up on the bodyguard idea? ” He squeaked. This was so embarrassing. He could already feel his ears burning red. He didn’t dare to look up at his probably disappointed boss’s face.

There was a pregnant pause. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hanbin braved a peek at his boss to gauge his reaction. As expected, he was stony-faced. Hanbin could already feel his soul leaving his body. His body was still physically there, but his consciousness was floating out of him. 

Zhang Hao gave him a tight-lipped smile. “And why is that Hambin? You haven’t even looked at the candidates I spent hours compiling just for you. Shouldn't you at least take a look?” He tilts his head like a confused puppy. 

Damn it, Hanbin could already feel his resolve weakening. Zhang Hao always played him like a fiddle, and Hanbin was helpless to stop it. Hanbin gives a weak smile in response. “Ah, I guess it couldn't hurt to take a look.” 

Zhang Hao claps his hands in delight and delicately hands the iPad to him. As Hanbin scrolled through the potential candidates, he noticed they all had something in common. “Wow, everyone is so good-looking.” And immediately, he wants to hit himself because how could he have said that in front of his boss?

Hanbin looks up, an apology ready on his lips, when Zhang Hao says, “What’s wrong with hiring someone that’s easy on the eyes?” He gives Hanbin a mischievous smile and a wink before he sips his iced Americano. Hanbin nearly chokes on his spit but decides not to dignify that answer with a response. He continues to scroll until one man catches his eye. And, of course, Zhang Hao’s keen eyes never miss a detail. “Oh? Found someone you like?” He teases. But Hanbin is in his own world. 

Minhyung “Mark” Lee

Age: 25

Learned Taekwondo, Judo, and martial arts, is good at cooking, graduated from Harvard with a 4.0 GPA-

Hanbin couldn’t stop looking at him. His features were sharp, yet somehow soft at the same time, giving him a cheeky boyish look, with big eyes that one could get lost in. Well, he was at that moment in time. He was dressed to the nines, his striped navy suit complimented his chestnut-colored hair well. He couldn’t believe this man was older than him. What would he be like? Would he be soft like his pictures? Or would he be firm? 

Someone loudly clearing their throat brings poor Hanbin back to earth. “Ah, sorry, Hao-nim. What were you saying?”

Zhang Hao just shook his head, giving him a knowing look, which unnerved Hanbin, to say the least. Again, he takes a sip of his iced Americano with a smirk, leaning back in his chair and observing Hanbin. He didn't even have to say anything, but it felt like Zhang Hao was staring into his soul. It was starting to creep him out a it. 

Finally, Zhang Hao broke the silence, “Don’t worry, Hambean, since you only have eyes for–” He gestured to the iPad that Hanbin was gripping for dear life. Flushing once again, he reluctantly hands Zhang Hao, already committing Mark Lee’s face to memory (embarrassingly fast, one might add). Zhang Hao raises a perfectly plucked brow as his slightly sweaty iPad is back in his hands as he studies the candidate that caught his Hanbin’s eye. “ Mark Lee. ” He reads, Hanbin already feels a shiver go down his spine when he hears the name. “I’ll get him. You may go now, Hanbin.” And with that, Hanbin is dismissed with another tight-lipped smile. He seemed almost a little… jealous? But Hanbin immediately shook off that thought. There was just no way.

🎾

It was probably day 127 of Mark's job search (not that he was counting or anything). He had gotten desperate, even resorting to going to supermarkets and taking his shiny resume to try and convince any of the workers to pass it on to their higher-ups and consider him. But alas, his efforts were proving fruitless. He had nearly gotten banned from several stores. It turns out a lot of businesses don’t quite appreciate his boldness. 

He had been scolded more times this week than ever before in his life. Not even his parents told him off that much. Granted, he was a well-behaved kid growing up with his head screwed on tight and a good sense of morals and justice, so there wasn't much to ever scold him for, but in times like these, he missed home. As soon as his older brother Sangyeon moved out, his parents doted on him and babied him ever since. 

Even with the birth of his little sister Hyemin, he still felt like their baby, and he liked that. His parents had told him that he was welcome to come home any time and they would never blame him or think he was a quitter for flying back from LA to his hometown, Vancouver, considering how hard it was to find a job and maintain a good quality of life with the state of the economy. But he wanted to prove to himself and his parents that he was ready for an independent life, that he could take care of himself and maybe not be on the verge of being evicted from his quaint little apartment. Sue him. He thinks he likes this little life. 

When his phone pings, he’s wandering aimlessly, thinking about going to the convenience store and picking up some ramen for dinner. Excitedly, he takes out his phone to see a text from an unknown number:

+1-(xxx)-xxx-xx-xx   now

Congratulations, Mark Lee. You have successfully been chosen as a candidate. Please come to Zero Base Enterprises on July 28 at 8:30 am for the first round of interviews. Please make sure to be there on time, as if you are anything other than 10 minutes late, you will not be considered for this role or any other future roles and will subsequently be blacklisted. Punctuality is very important for us. 

I am looking forward to seeing you then ;)

— Zhang Hao, CEO of Zero Base Enterprises

Mark couldn’t help the squeal that burst out of him. A few onlookers looked at him as if he was crazy. Maybe he was. He apologized for startling them, but this was it. This could be his big break. He immediately opened his group chat to tell his friends the good news.

Me: GUYS! GUESS WHAT!!!? 

Chenle: you set the house on fire again.

Me: that was ONE time! and it was an accident! plus it was literally years ago! i didn’t expect my roomie to leave that cloth napkin so close to the stove! 

Chenle: 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Me: any other guesses?

Matthew 🦊: u got a hot date 2nite? 👀

Yujin 🐰: Hyung… Please NEVER say that again

Me: agreed! and nooooo… who else?

Jaemin: Uhhh… You’re moving back home?

Me: wowww… praying on my downfall… ican’t believe you…

Jaemin: THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT.

Me: Ugh. You guys are no fun. I FINALLY GOT A JOB OFFER

Sohee 🐤: OMG?!!! hyung… congratulations 🥹

Me: thank youuu ddori 🫶 i’m pumpedddd

Chenle: where is it？

Me: uhhh, some place called zero base enterprises

Jaemin: Heol….

Yujin 🐰: Hyung… You hit the jackpot

Matthew 🦊: ZERO BASE ENTERPRISES?! THAT’S CRAZYYYYY WTFFF

Me: ummm… am i supposed to know who they are?

Jaemin: Only the Samsung of America… The biggest conglomerate EVER… Their net worth is crazy… They’re a really prestige organization and they dont just let ANYBODY in… Hyung, what did you do…

Me: wow, none of you guys have any faith in me 😭

Chenle: look up their net worth and then come back.

Mark rolls his eyes fondly as he makes his way into the convenience store. He’s such a regular there now. The owner greets him by name, and Mark enthusiastically greets her back before picking up his usual choice and, after paying, goes to sit at his favorite window seat. Ok, net worth. Let’s see. 

He does a quick Google search, and when he sees the number of digits, it takes nearly everything inside of him not to scream. After all, he wouldn’t want to send the owner to her early demise. She was like a third grandma to him. Looking at his screen again, Mark is still trying to take it all in. He would probably never see money like that in his lifetime. He couldn’t help but wonder why, out of all however many people had applied, he’d gotten lucky enough to be considered for an in-person interview.

Yujin 🐰: Mark hyung didn’t die, did he?

Jaemin: After seeing a net worth like that, I would be very surprised if he was still with us

Yujin 🐰: 😨

Matthew 🦊: ignore him, yujinie, i’m sure mark hyung is fine

Me: so this is what y’all get up to when i’m gone.

🎾

Mark is having the best dream of his life where he’s on the cutest date with supermodel Choi Yeonjun when buzzing wakes him up. He sits up with a start, pissed as hell. He was just getting to the part where Yeonjun was spoon-feeding him ice cream. The buzzing continues, and he realizes that it’s his phone. He feels around for it, and when he can’t find it, he realizes it somehow fell underneath his bed. He struggles to reach it and swears, looking for a hanger to drag it out. 

When he picks it up, he sees about 15 missed calls from his friends. He has no clue why they were calling him at this time. It was literally 5 am. When yet another call comes through, this time from Jaemin, he picks up and lies back in bed. “Dude, why is everyone calling me today?”

“Hyung. Did you forget what day it is today?” And suddenly, Mark felt a shiver run down his spine at Jaemin’s serious tone, almost as if an ice-cold bucket of water had been doused all over his head.

“Huh?” Mark sits up and goes to his calendar, it says, “JOB INTERVIEW AT ZERO BASE ENTERPRISES!! DON’T BE LATE!!!” He nearly drops his phone. It is now 6:15 am, and the office is a two-hour journey from him. 

“ -yung . Mark hyung, did you fall asleep again?” Jaemin asks.

“Fuck. I totally forgot, I didn’t even get anything out to wear. I’m not ready, and it’s 2 hours away. What if I get there and they hate me?” Mark drags a hand over his face as he weighs his options. “Should I just withdraw my application? I know I’d probably be blacklisted, but I dunno. Maybe it’s time for me to just pack it up and go home.” He prattles on.

“ Hyung , hyung. Breathe . First of all, maybe don’t withdraw your application? You need this job, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t panic, okay? I’m two blocks away. I’m coming over.” And with that, the phone call ends. Mark sighs. Seriously, what would he do without Jaemin? Die, probably. A voice that sounds suspiciously like Jaemin’s answers.

Before he knows it, Jaemin has already arrived, and after almost emptying all the contents of Mark’s closet on his bed, his eyes light up when they land on his navy-striped suit and brown khaki pants. He holds them up triumphantly. “Hyung. You have to wear this. They’ll definitely remember you if you do, plus these pants make your ass look great.” He wiggles his eyebrows mischievously.

“Jaemin!” Mark whines in response, hitting him weakly. Jaemin chuckles in lieu of a response. “Whaaat, I’m just saying!” He puts his palms up as if to surrender, and Mark rolls his eyes. Before long, his outfit is sorted with a darker tie to match and a striped light blue shirt to wear underneath. 

Less than 10 minutes later, they’re ready to hit the road. Mark is too nervous to eat anything other than an energy bar, his legs bounce nervously, and he is too out of it to comment on how Jaemin is driving a little over the speed limit. 

He just hopes they make it to his job interview in time. He can’t afford to potentially mess up the first job interview he’s gotten in two years. If all goes well, he’ll finally be able to stop asking almost everyone for money and feeling a sense of shame every time he does. Being financially stable for once is all Mark wants.

With 10 minutes to spare, they pull up to the company building and in one piece, too. The moment they step out of the car, the pair can do nothing but gawk. The skyscraper is so massive it practically dwarfs any building surrounding it. The unique design of metal bars arranged in waves to shade from the burning heat of the sun is nothing short of imposing. Mark then remembers he’s literally about to be late for his job interview, so he snaps out of his stupor and pulls a still-stunned Jaemin along. They’re hit with a cool breeze when they step inside, and people are bustling everywhere. The marble floors are an excellent addition to the interior, and the two feel like fish out of water.

Someone must have pity on them because a kind-looking woman approaches them, an iPad already in hand and an award-winning customer smile plastered on. “Hi, can I help you?”

Jaemin pushes Mark forwards, “Not me, but him.”

The woman — Jaejae, looks at him expectantly. 

“Uh, I have an interview today? It’s at 8:30? I received a text from Zhang Hao-nim,” he says meekly.

Her eyes widen. “Oh?” She checks her watch. “You’re just in time. A minute later, you would’ve been turned away. Congratulations on being one of the lucky 1,277 candidates to make it. Follow me. Unfortunately, due to our privacy policies, I’m afraid your friend will not be able to go any further than reception.”

Mark looks at Jaemin helplessly. “Ah, that’s fine. I understand. See you later, Markie. Fighting!” And with that, it’s just Mark and Jaejae, who he now needs to practically run after like a headless chicken as she walks surprisingly fast. He follows her into the elevator, and she presses the 17th floor. As the elevator music starts, she turns to him and looks him up and down. He already feels intimidated. He wants to go home, but this elevator is surprisingly fast, and they’re already reaching the 9th floor. “Your friend is nice.” She says.

Mark rubs the back of his neck shyly; “Ah, Jaemin? He’s my best friend. I wouldn’t have been able to make it today if not for him.”

She nods and smiles at that. “It’s nice you have someone like that.” The elevator finally reaches the 17th floor, and thankfully it’s just a short walk to the waiting room. There are loads of people sitting and waiting, Mark can’t help but feel intimidated and, once again, feeling like he should’ve just stayed his ass at home.

As if sensing his nerves, Jaejae smiles and says, “Don’t worry, kid. You’re already doing a great job, and your resume looks good. Just have confidence in yourself and your abilities, no need to be nervous.” She pats him on the back and says, “Good luck, you got this.” And without waiting for a response, she leaves. Mark can feel eyes on him, and it makes him extremely uncomfortable. He tries to make himself as small as possible and finds a seat at the back. He sinks into his chair and prays for time to go by quickly. 

And fast it does go. He’s woken up to the sound of someone calling his name, and when he looks around, he can see that he and two other people are now the only ones waiting. He checks his watch, and the time reads 1:27 pm. He raises his hand, and the person who calls him says it’s now his turn to go in. As the person who escorts him walks him to the meeting room, Mark goes over his answers in his head, praying that this interview will go well and he won’t somehow manage to stick his foot in his mouth with his answers. 

The person knocks, and when they hear a soft but firm, “Come in,” they push the door open. They nod at him and gesture for him to go inside. As soon as he does, he notices that this interview room is quite big and looks quite personable. There are a few massive bookshelves dotted everywhere, medals on the walls, and pictures everywhere, and it isn’t until Mark’s eyes literally land on the desk and he sees the nameplate “Zhang Hao, CEO of Zero Base Enterprises” that he realizes that the CEO himself is the one conducting his interview. Mark cannot understand why the CEO is doing this, but beggars can’t be choosers. He also realizes that someone else is sitting at the desk, his back turned to him. 

“Well? Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to take a seat so we can get this interview started?” Mark’s eyes finally land on the CEO and he nearly gasps when he sees how beautiful he is. Zhang Hao smirks, clearly pleased by his involuntary reaction, and cocks an eyebrow as if to tell Mark to get moving. 

Mark practically sprints to sit down. “Sorry.” He replies weakly.

Zhang Hao waves a hand to dismiss him. He picks up his iPad with dainty hands and scrolls, hm-ing, eyebrows furrowed. “Ah, by the way, I hope you don’t mind my client sitting in on this interview. If things go well, he’ll be in your care, and due to some… Well, let’s say, some incidents in the past, we both thought it would be best if he were to sit in on some interviews. He will simply just be observing, so try not to be too intimidated.” Mark dares to peek and sees a guy around his age with striking blonde hair. He can’t really see much as a mask obscures his face and comically abnormally large sunglasses, but he gets the feeling he’s pretty. Mark feels dazed, and his head spins slightly. 

“Ah, that’s fine.” 

Zhang Hao nods. “Ok, so shall we get this interview started then? I have your resume here, everything looks quite good. You have a lot of skills and talents that my client would definitely benefit from.” He then puts his iPad down and leans forward, his gaze suddenly turning sharp and leaving Mark feeling like a fly caught in a spider’s web. He’s already starting to sweat when the next question comes. “So tell me, why do you think we should pick you out of the one thousand, two hundred and seventy-seven others?”

Mark surprisingly breezes through the interview, and CEO Zhang is clearly impressed by his answers. Before long, they’re wrapping up. “You’re very well-spoken and eloquent, Mark. I like that. It was a pleasure meeting you. Please expect to hear from us within the next two weeks about whether you were successful and should attend the second interview.” He beams, holding out his hand to shake. Mark shakes it and smiles back.

“It was, umm, nice to meet you too.” Mark turns to address the stranger, extending his hand out to him. The man startles, much like a hamster, as if he wasn’t expecting to be addressed at all. When they shake hands, they both feel a spark that leaves them staring at each other in shock. Zhang Hao looks between the two, a smirk on his face. Hanbin sees it from the corner of his eye and suddenly feels a sense of dread. He clears his throat and coughs, “Likewise, Mark.”

🎾

It is finally D-Day and Mark finds himself back at the company building, which looks even more intimidating today than it did on the first day. His stomach is lurching (although he’s not sure if it’s from Jaemin’s rocky driving, which had him gripping onto the grab handle above the car window for dear life), and he almost doesn’t want to go in, but it would seem like both fate and luck were not on his side because the fiery red-haired woman that he saw a week ago seems to just be clocking into work and sees him internally panicking on the sidewalk and yells to him. “Oh, Mark! You’re here!”

Mark smiles nervously and jogs up to her, “Ah, noona. You were here…”

It had to have been humanely impossible the way her smile got even more prominent, taking up half of her face, but she managed it anyway. “Of course! You know where you’re going, right?”

“Umm…” Mark grimaces.

“Oh, it’s fine! I was going there anyway! Follow me, Mr. Lee.” She says with a fake mysterious air that has Mark letting out an unexpected chuckle. She smiles at that. “You smiled.”

“Ah, I’m not really in my best condition today, I was honestly thinking of going home.” He confides.

She gasps. “What? You can’t go home! Mark, you have this in the bag, follow me.” Her tone is no-nonsense, and she starts walking quickly and Mark, helpless, has no choice but to follow. He swallows down the bile that threatens to crawl up his throat as he follows her to the elevator of doom once again and adjusts his tie. He can’t help but worry that he’s about to fuck a good thing up. His phone starts pinging incessantly and he bows to Jaejae in apology as he checks, making sure to put his ringer on silent so he doesn’t mess up in the second round of interviews.

Yujin🐰: Hyung,,,, I can hear your overthinking from here.

Me:… ah, really? sorry yujinie 🥺

Jaemin: You have nothing to worry about, fr… They loved you, especially the notoriously difficult Zhang Hao, you know these second round of interviews are just a formality 🫡

Me: i hope so…

Matthew 🦊: what happened to my absolutely capable hyung?

Me: idk… he’s not here rn lol

Chenle: you got this in the bag, man

Chenle: let’s play basketball after today

Me: deal 🥺

Jaemin: Still no idea what the role is for?

Me: nopeeee, but the pay looks good and beggars can’t be choosers, haha

Jaemin: Real…

Sohee 🐤: hyung!! i just woke up!!! good luck with your interview today!! fighting!! ꉂꉂ(ᵔⰙᵔ*)

Me: thank youuuu 🫳🫳🫳

Yujin 🐰: Good luck (not that you need it)

Someone clearing their throat scares Mark and suddenly he’s scrambling not to drop his phone. Thankfully, he catches it. At times like these, he’s thankful for his superhero-like senses.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jaejae starts sheepishly, “It’s just… We’re here now.”

Mark pales as he pockets his phone. “Oh man…”

“Don’t worry! You have this in the bag!” Jaejae smiles as she walks him to the waiting room and promptly takes her leave. Surprisingly, the waiting room is almost empty. Jaemin’s words come back to him, ‘They loved you, especially the notoriously difficult CEO Zhang Hao’ , Mark forgot how involved he was in the recruiting process, but then again, they were probably prestigious for a reason. As he looks over the 12 others sitting there, he can’t help but hope Jaejae, his friends, and everyone else are right and that he really does have this in the bag, because right now, he really wishes he could just give up and go home.

Before long, he’s almost falling asleep when his name gets called. He stands up, cracks his back, and stretches his neck, ignoring the weird look he can see from the corner of his eye, and discreetly sweeps his eye around the waiting room. There are only 3 people left, and they’re all asleep. Just like that, Mark gets a feeling that maybe this is his day.

He walks to the familiar office that he remembers is the CEO’s, and he waits for the secretary to knock and hear the quiet but firm, “Come in.” The secretary gestures at the door, iPad in hand, and gives him a once over, “Good luck, Mr. Lee.” Then she scampers off after she gives him a small smile. Mark breathes out. This is it, his last shot. Don’t mess this up, Mark Lee. And after he counts to three, he pushes the door open, ready for whatever fate will throw at him today.

Zhang Hao smirks at him, face tilted as he leans on his interlinked fingers. “Ah, Mr. Lee. We meet again.”

Mark realizes that the masked figure from a week ago is once again sitting there, with a different pair of large sunglasses today, his outfit looks a little less ordinary, definitely some kind of designer brand. Mark tries to think about what this job could be for. A manager for a model? An idol? He’s still trying to go over the list of different jobs in the entertainment space when someone clearing their throat snaps him out of his reverie.

Mark realizes he hadn’t acknowledged the CEO’s words when a pretty pout overtakes his features. Immediately Mark is scrambling to remember his last words. “Ah, so we do.” Mark rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, eyes darting around the office once again. 

When he manages to get the courage to look back at him again, Zhang Hao has that same mischievous look on his face like he did when they first met and Mark can already feel the sweat dripping down his back. “Well, don’t just stand there.” Mark nods and sits down at record speed and sits up straight like a meerkat in the zoo, wanting onlookers attention. Zhang Hao naturally giggles at this and Mark relaxes his posture, humiliated.

Zhang Hao clears his throat, clearly back to professional mode as he picks up his iPad and scrolls in silence for a while before he says. “So, Mark. Thank you for coming today. I’m sure you’re curious about the role you would be undertaking if you were to be successful in these second round of interviews.”

Mark nods. “Ah, I was a little curious, yes.”

Zhang Hao nods, “Binnie, say hi.”

Mark almost snaps his neck as he turns to look at the other person sitting next to him. His breath catches in his throat when he removes his mask and sunglasses. Zhang Hao takes note of this and smiles to himself.

“Woah, dude you’re like, super pretty. How are you not like, a model or something?” And slaps a hand over his mouth, how could he have let his impulsive thoughts win like that? Mark had always prided himself on his self-control and wondered what kind of message this was sending (little did he know Zhang Hao loved it, and Hanbin was naturally endeared).

Binnie turns to him and smiles, Mark can’t stop thinking about how cute he is and how his smile resembles cat whiskers. “Thank you, you’re too kind. I wish I could be a model, but unfortunately, I have no interest in it.” He says with a pout. Why is everyone pouting? Mark wants to scream. “Anyway, my name is Sung Hanbin, nice to meet you.” He sticks out his hand for a handshake, which Mark immediately returns, overthinking if his handshake was the right amount of firmness or not. That name sounds familiar, he thinks, but can’t place why.

Zhang Hao seems to sense his inner turmoil because he cuts in, “Our Hambean is one of the youngest Korean-American tennis players.” He says with pride.

Mark gasps, his hands flying to his mouth. “No way! My friends are super huge fans of yours! I have this friend called Yujin and-” And then he catches himself, he’s losing way too many aura points today. HE NEEDS TO LOCK IN… “Ah, sorry.”

Zhang Hao and Hanbin share a look and laugh. “Mark, you don’t have to look so constipated, it’s okay to be a fanboy.” Zhang Hao reassures.

Well, Mark actually had no interest in celebrities, but it was easier for them to think that he was a super fan (if it got him the job), so he just smiles and nods.

By the time the interview is finished, Mark is dazed and exhausted. He now has both Zhang Hao and Sung Hanbin’s personal numbers as well as a huge sum of money sitting in his account. He’s no longer in the minus numbers, and he no longer has to go back to Vancouver. He can’t believe his luck. He wants to scream, but he’s in public. Jaejae, always having impeccable timing, sees him slumped in the waiting room. “Maaarrrrkkkkkk!” She sings. He internally moans, he doesn't think he can deal with his right now.

But still, he forces himself to sit up and plasters his best customer service smile on his face as he stands, “Jaejae noona!” He isn’t expecting her to almost knock him off his feet as she barrels into him for a hug.

“I heard the good news! Congrats, Mr. Lee! I can’t wait to see you!” She pulls away and shakes his hand up and down. The way she shakes his hand with such ferocity almost makes Mark dizzy.

“Thank you, noona. It means a lot to me.”

After engaging in more small talk and desperately trying to find a way to leg it out of there, his distraction comes in the form of the secretary, and he dashes away. He calls his parents and lets them know the good news. He also lets his sister and brother know the good news, who are more than overjoyed.

Me: guys,,,,,,

Sohee: hyung!! what happened?

Jaemin: You got the job, right? I will gladly commit arson if you didn’t.

Yujin 🐰: Hyung is so scary,,,, O_O

Chenle: i’m with jaemin 😁 *four seasons orlando baby gif*

Yujin 🐰: I’m surrounded by crazy people….

Matthew 🦊: YOOOO,,, sorry i’m late! what’d i miss? hyung! you got the job, right?

Me: it’s over…

Jaemin: Wait for me.

Me: wait, what?

Sohee 🐤: hyung…. they didn’t deserve you…. i’m so sorry:(

Yujin 🐰: It was a long shot, but you tried your best. I hear Dunkin’ Donuts is hiring

Matthew 🦊: yujin, now is NOT the time!?! 😭

Yujin 🐰: Just saying, I don’t want Mark hyung to go back to Vancouver either 🤷‍♂️

Me: wow

Chenle: he’s so touched he doesn't know what to say….

Me: i was literally JUST about to say i got the job 😭

Jaemin: I was already nearly there:/

Me: it hasn’t even been 2 minutes?

Jaemin: I don’t play

Sohee 🐤: MARK HYUNG… YOU’RE SO MEAN

Sohee 🐤: anyway, congratulations T0T i always believed in you:3

Matthew 🦊: YEAHHHHH MY MAN IS JOBFUL 🔥🔥🔥

Yujin 🐰: Congrats 👍👍👍

Jaemin: Did I not say you had this in the bag?

Me: thank u guys, really… i love u all 🫳🥺

Chenle: drinks on you tonight, too?

Me: you’re lucky i love u man, even tho ur pushing it

Matthew 🦊: you should treat us to a meal and drinks next time too

Me: wowwwww

Jaemin: It’s for my emotional distress.

Me: 🙄

Zhang Hao - CEO   now

One thing I forgot to mention is that under no circumstances can you fall in love with Hanbin, I know that’s easier said than done, but don’t.

Mark suddenly feels more awake than he had in months as his blood runs cold. What the hell did that mean?

He tries to pay it no mind, but clearly , it’s affecting his basketball performance because Chenle hits him on the side of the head with the ball , and he doesn’t even react, he just goes down like a bowling pin. “Alright, what gives, man.” Chenle says, picking up the basketball and leveling Mark with a measured look.

“Nothing! I just, got a lot on my mind.”

“You just got a brand new job, I thought you’d be jumping for joy.”

Mark hesitates, “Okay well, I got a crazy text and it’s lowkey been driving me crazy, haha.”

Chenle’s eyebrows furrow as his expression completely changes, “Spill, but first, let’s get some ice for your head.”

Mark holds the ice bag to his head and hands Chenle his phone, open to the text.

“This is lowkey kinda crazy. Does Hanbin know he sent you this? Still can’t believe you’re working as his bodyguard by the way.”

Mark pockets his phone and looks down. “I didn’t tell him. To be honest, I’m not sure if this is some kind of test? I know that Hanbin-ssi had a lot of issues with bodyguards in the past, so maybe he’s trying to test my resolve.”

Chenle hmms, “I mean, do you think they’re dating?”

Mark shoots up, “Dude, no way.”

Chenle puts his hands up in surrender, “My bad, man. Just asking. I dunno, he’s kinda giving off jealous energy.”

Mark re-reads the text again, “You think?”

Chenle scoffs, “Dude, trust me. I know.”

🎾

Today is Mark’s first day on the job, he hasn’t been able to get a good rest, considering Zhang Hao’s text has been plaguing his mind like a mosquito that won’t stop buzzing in his ear. He has to accompany Hanbin to practice for the US Open, and he has to admit, he’s not really bringing his A-game today. But he’s trying his best.

He made sure no one mobbed him once he opened the door for Hanbin, and they disembarked, but he was functioning on auto-pilot. What he didn’t expect, though, is that once they made it to the court and Mark sat down, not even 5 seconds later, a bottle of Sprite was entering his peripheral vision. He looked up to see Hanbin’s concerned gaze and tried to school his expressions. “Ah, thank you Hanbin-ssi.” He bows and goes to take the bottle, but Hanbin’s firm grip stops him from doing so. “Um?”

“Something happened.” His tone is accusatory.

“Uh!”

“Are you okay?” Hanbin sits opposite him, his eyes filled with genuine concern as he puts the bottle of Sprite in front of Mark.

Mark smiles weakly, “Yeah, not too bad.”

“You don’t have to lie, I know you’ve been out of it all day.”

Mark looks away, the eye contact suddenly a little too intense for him to bear. “It’s nothing. Just not been sleeping well.”

Hanbin frowns, but thankfully doesn’t push it. “You should try and sleep better.”

“Yeah, I’ll try my best.”

They sit in silence for a while and then Hanbin looks at his watch. “I should get back to practice, but feel better soon! You should watch me.” After a reassuring shoulder rub, Hanbin bounds off. Mark is stunned, but tries to shake it off. He’s on the clock, he’s a pro, he can do this. He won’t fall in love with Hanbin and keep his job.

Three hours later, Mark has come to accept that it just might be over. It turns out watching someone who you think is really pretty sweating it out on the court and groaning while he hits tennis balls is not great for one’s sanity. Mark has to try and think very depressing thoughts to try and keep his head in the game. After a while, Hanbin whips out a hand towel and dabs at his face, and then he’s back in front of Mark again.

“Having fun?” Mark asks weakly.

“Yeah!”

“Do you… Need any help? Like someone on the other side of the net?”

Hanbin’s face lights up. “Hyung! Really?”

Mark flushes. “Haha, of course.”

”I can call you that by the way, right?”

“Call me what?”

“Hyung. Mark hyung.”

Mark just smiles weakly. “Oh sure! Of course, haha.”

“Then, you can drop the formalities too, right?” Hanbin peers at him from under his lashes and Mark is already feeling his resolve weaken. This was bad. He might be out before the end of the week. Zhang Hao would definitely know somehow that Mark broke his golden rule. Literally the only rule he set for Mark in fact, albeit a weird one.

“Of course, Hanbinie.” Mark tries, it feels strange, but seeing the way Hanbin lights up makes it feel worth it.

“Hyung, I won’t go easy on you, hehe. Is Mark hyung sure he can keep up with me?”

"I guess we’ll see!”

They play a few games, and Mark is starting to feel like he’s out of shape, he’s barely keeping up and hits the ball every other turn, eventually holding up a hand and flopping down on the court, closing his eyes as he breathes heavily. He’s not alone for long, he feels a presence obscuring the hot summer sun and cracks an eye open to see Hanbin grinning at him like a Cheshire cat. “I guess you couldn’t keep up with me, huh.”

Mark feels his competitive spirit ignited but immediately tamps it down. He has to remind himself that Hanbin is the professional tennis player, not him. He also really wants to keep this job. “Well, at least I tried.”

🎾

Mark is constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and be fired. He can’t help but feel like this job is too good to be true, even though he’s more than qualified enough on paper, he doesn’t feel qualified enough in real life. He’s constantly terrified that Zhang Hao will suss out his crush like a shark hungry for blood and then he’s without a job again. He can’t let that happen, so he’s been trying to limit his contact with Hanbin, which the other observant as ever has clearly noticed, but doesn’t do more than pout and Mark is really glad that Hanbin isn’t pushing it. Maybe he thinks Mark will confide in him when he’s ready (he would rather be struck by lightning than talk about his feelings).

🎾

Mark is currently out drinking with his friends (minus poor Yujin who has been practically tearing his hair out over his final exams) and is somehow footing the bill. He can’t be too mad though, he really needed this.

“Soooo…” Jaemin starts and Mark is already dreading this, “How’s the new job?”

Chenle cackles. “His boss is a FREAK.”

Mark shushes him and looks around as if Zhang Hao would suddenly materialize in the restaurant, “Don’t say that, what the hell?”

“What? It’s not like he’s going to just appear.”

“You don’t know that.”

“What happened with your boss?” Sohee cuts through their bickering.

Mark puts his head on the table while Matthew pats his head, comfortingly.

Chenle giggles. “Hyung, you gotta show them the text.”

Mark sighs and lifts his head, takes out his phone and opens it to the text, placing his phone face up on the table. His friends huddle around the tiny screen and everyone gasps. Even Matthew decides to peer. “Oh wow, he’s really crazy.” He adds.

“I’m constantly scared Zhang Hao is gonna figure out that I sorta kinda have a crush on him and then fire me, I’ve been walking on eggshells around Hanbinie, and I feel so bad, man.”

His friends all share shocked looks. “Wait, you like Hanbin?” Sohee gasps.

“That’s all you guys are focusing on? Not that I might be jobless soon?”

Jaemin pats his shoulder reassuringly. “There’s always Dunkin’, Mark. At least your boss won’t tell you not to fall for your co-workers.”

Mark sighs and rests his head on the table again. At that moment, the entrance chimes, announcing new guests. His friends suddenly sit up rigidly, and Mark gets a feeling of dread as he sits up. Just as he feared, Zhang Hao, Hanbin (who is clearly in disguise) and Park Hanbin (his manager) walk in. Mark shoots Chenle a meaningful look, and he immediately mouths, ‘ Sorry ’.

Mark tries his best not to stare, to avoid as much contact as possible. He doesn’t want to bother Hanbin during his free time, so he pulls up his hoodie, turning a bit to the side so he’s not seen. 

His friends all shoot him a look, confused as to why he’s hiding himself. Jaemin and Chenle exchange a look, placing a hand each on Mark’s shoulder and rubbing it lightly.  

“Dude, chill. It’s not like they’re gonna come over and say hi,” Chenle says, and this immediately makes Mark flinch, causing Chenle to receive a smack over the back of his head from Sohee, followed by an aggressive whisper and a glare from Jaemin. “Chenle, have you learned nothing?!” Chenle simply shrugs, leaning back in his chair and letting Jaemin and Sohee take the lead instead.

Surprisingly enough, Chenle’s words do not come true this time, to Mark’s great relief. Mark watches from the corner of his eye as Zhang Hao, Hanbin, and his manager make their way to the back of the restaurant, to a private room, he assumes. Once they’re out of sight, Mark takes his hoodie off and lets out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in. 

It’s really not that he doesn’t want to interact with him because he likes him. He’s not avoiding him cause he has a crush on him, totally. Right? He just wants him to feel comfortable right now that he’s out for dinner. That’s all there is to it.

Mark is brought out of his thoughts by Sohee waving a hand to his face, “Helloooo, earth to Mark?” 

He quickly shakes his head, looking at his friends, who were all staring at him with eyebrows raised and small smiles on their faces. “What?” he asks, feeling a bit too seen by everyone. 

“I don’t know, man. This kind of seems like a little more than a crush to me now,” Matthew says, crossing his arms as he leans back on his chair. 

“Yeah, I agree,” says Chenle, “you sure you’re not crushing on him that hard?”

Mark groans at this, rubbing his face with his hands in exasperation and denial, shaking his head ‘no’. “Guys, I can’t afford to any sort of crush on him. He’s basically my boss, too. I gotta keep this professional, you know? Everything is fine, everything’s okay. I’m cool. I’m chilling,” he says, leaning back on his chair and running a hand through his hair, feigning innocence and acting like everything is okay. 

Jaemin does not believe his act one bit, but he decides not to push it any further.

“Okay, big guy. Come on, guys, he needs to figure this out on his own,” He says.

Just then, Mark spots a figure making their way over, and he prays with all his might that it’s not Hanbin or even worse Zhang Hao. When he turns, he sees Park Hanbin shooting him a big smile, something in him feels a little disappointed, although he can’t place why.

“Mark! Hey! Funny seeing you here!” He grins and smacks him on the back, a little heavy-handed. 

Mark nearly chokes, “Haha, yeah. What are the odds…”

“Sooo.. I’m really sorry to interrupt your private time, and I know you had the day off, but Hanbin hyung has a schedule that we really would appreciate you accompanying him to.”

Mark’s friends do their best to look busy, although they’re really just eavesdropping on this conversation. Poor Sohee is clearly smitten.

“Oh uh… Sure, man. What’s the uh… Event?”

Park Hanbin takes it upon himself to pull out a vacant chair and sit beside him, scooching closer. Mark lifts his eyes skywards and prays for this to be over quickly. “Basically, it’s this promotional event before his qualifying match on Saturday, there might be some fans showing up to get a glimpse and you know, it can get a little crazy, so if you could just keep it under control, it would be really appreciated.”

He can feel his friends stares boring into the side of his face, knowing they want him to say yes and Mark, as always, is bad at saying no, so he weakly says, “Sure!”

🎾

Saturday finally rolls around and for the first time, Mark is more than nervous to see Hanbin. He knows a lot is riding on this qualifying match, even though he really doesn’t know much about the sport, and even though Hanbin is one of the best of the best and there’s never been a time when he’s not been in the top 50, he gets a sense of dread about today. 

It doesn’t help that Zhang Hao is also accompanying them and his leg won’t stop bouncing, which also makes Mark’s legs bounce and he wants to just explode out of the van, but he has a job to do. Usually, Park Hanbin would play the radio, but every station that came on seemed to be giving some sort of commentary on how bad they expected Sung Hanbin to do and it was clearly getting to the poor tennis player, so they were driving in silence to the venue instead. 

Mark didn’t even dare to breathe in this tense atmosphere, he just wanted to go home. He couldn’t help but fantasize about catching a flight back to Vancouver, maybe spending some time with his parents, Sangyeon and Hyemin, maybe play some games and then knock the fuck out for the rest of the week.

Mark feels the van slowing and braces himself when Park Hanbin says, “We’re here.”

🎾

Mark sits in the stands with Zhang Hao and Park Hanbin and although Mark knows little to nothing about the game, he can’t help but be at the edge of his seat. It’s going well at first, Hanbin is clearly in the zone despite all the naysayers that predicted Hanbin would definitely lose today’s match. The heat is sweltering and Mark can feel the sweat pooling at the back of his neck, but the stands offer a slight shade that Hanbin doesn’t have the privilege of, so he can’t help but feel a little bad for him. 

Mark continues to watch, completely immersed and notices little things like how each step is carefully calculated, almost like some kind of choreography. He really didn’t know just how good Hanbin was until today, he regrets not taking an interest when his friends obsessed over the player. He never thought that he would end up as his bodyguard, but it’s funny the way life works out. Hanbin is clearly in the lead, until he isn’t. 

After Hanbin hits the ball so hard that Jaehyun yelps and jumps out of the way, the referee calls an out. It’s subtle the way Hanbin’s face twitches, but Mark can tell he’s starting to get ticked off. And Jaehyun, never one to miss trying to put a dent in someone’s armor, comes up to the net. “Hyung… Maybe you should just throw in the towel now. I’m not sure if you can beat me, you always struggle by this point. You start to get comfortable and think you’ve got the win in the bag, get a little cocky. But this time, I’ll make sure you lose. Can’t wait for that date, Hanbin hyung.” He says with a grin. Hanbin’s eyebrows twitch furiously, but he tries to hold it in because he’s a professional, unlike Myung Jaehyun who likes to take cheap shots and play dirty to get his wins. He’s just trying to get in your head. Hanbin reminds himself. Just shake it off. Defeat Jaehyun at all costs.  

“Mr. Myung, please refrain from trying to antagonize Mr. Sung. This is your first warning. If you do it again, I’ll have to deduct a point.” The referee calls. But unfortunately, the damage is already done. The next time Jaehyun serves, Hanbin reacts uncharacteristically late and his racket flails, almost taking himself out. Hanbin winces and rotates his wrist. Mark still can barely make heads or tails of the match, or know what any of these terminologies mean, but can tell it’s not looking good for Sung Hanbin from Zhang Hao’s tense energy and Hanbin’s constantly furrowed brows. He hasn’t smiled since the first provocation. He’s sweating more than he did in the practice games with Mark and he’s clearly losing to the opponent. He watches the ball fly back and forth and he nearly shoots out of his seat in alarm when Hanbin’s foot slides as he tries to hit the ball and misses. He’s stopped by Zhang Hao’s firm hand on his thigh. 

Hanbin’s opponent, Myung Jaehyun, smirks at him. “Yikes, looks like someone’s falling off, huh?” He taunts and Mark feels his blood boiling. 

“Cool it,” Zhang Hao whispers to him and Mark is seated once more.

“Mr. Myung, please refrain from making such comments. Point deduction for inappropriate behavior.” The referee calls, clearly bored. 

Hanbin is still trying his best not to let Jaehyun get inside his head, but he’s starting to lose it a little too. The heat is causing his white and green headband to stick to his head and it’s causing him a migraine. He bounces the ball, once, twice and breathes out heavily. 

Mark can’t help but feel extremely worried, he wishes he could go on the court to reassure Hanbin, but he knows he’s lost that right with the way he’s been distancing himself from him lately.

‘Hyung! You know so much about me already, but I know nothing about you!’ Hanbin had said excitedly after a practice game.

Mark had laughed, “Yeah? What do you wanna know?”

Hanbin tapped his chin lightly, puckering his lips as if he’s thinking very carefully about his question, “Hm.. what’s your favorite color?”

Mark can’t help but laugh at the innocence of Hanbin’s question. He mimics Hanbin’s pose, “Blue, any kind of blue.”

“What do you do to relax?”

“I like to just lay down in bed and listen to music, usually go out with my friends, too. I’m just a guy, you know?” Mark laughs, trying to ignore the fact that his cheeks were starting to flush red out of embarrassment. It’s not that he didn’t like Hanbin asking him questions, he just wasn’t used to it. He grins as he turns to look at Hanbin, “Okay, last question. Shoot.”

Hanbin smiled coyly, “Is hyung single?”

Mark’s grin had quickly turned into a frown. “Oh uh… Let’s maybe stick to practicing for your match, Hanbin-ssi.”

Hanbin frowned, but did as asked. Deflating now that Mark had brought back the formalities. He felt like he should apologize, he was only half-serious, but he’d missed the timing.

Then Mark lets his mind drift back to just before the game, when Jaehyun had walked right up to Hanbin, without a care in the world about their rivalry and boldly said, “If I win today’s match, hyung has to go on a date with me.” With a confident smirk that immediately made Mark’s hackles raise, and he had to immediately push down because he was a professional and he already knew Zhang Hao was watching him from somewhere. He was always watching.

Another missed point, and Mark can’t take it anymore. Hanbin swears and throws his racket on the ground. “Mr. Sung, that’s a rule violation, refrain from throwing your racket, please. Point deduction for misconduct.” The referee calls. Mark decides he’s had enough, he gets up and walks away, knowing Hanbin’s eyes are following him and Zhang Hao is most definitely disappointed, but he couldn’t care less. 

Mark finds out later that Hanbin blew it and didn’t end up qualifying. He feels terrible and somewhat responsible, especially when Zhang Hao finds him at the after-party later, sitting on a bench and nursing a drink as he storms up to him later, furious. “Mark, what the hell was that?” He demands.

Mark shrugs, “It was just getting too suffocating, I needed to get out of there.” He looks at his half-empty glass.

Zhang Hao, stressed, runs a hand through his hair. “Not when Hambean needed you!”

Mark reels at his outburst, as if he had been backhanded across the face (perhaps that would have been better). “What do you…” His voice breaks, and he clears his throat, “What do you mean by that?” He says in a more normal tone.

Zhang Hao gives him a look as if to say, ‘Are you fucking stupid?’  

Mark stares back. He won’t be backing down this time.

Zhang Hao sighs and pinches his brows together with his fingers. “Mark, you’re way too smart to be playing dumb at a time like this. I know maybe I’m to blame a little for the way you’ve been treating Hanbinie, but it’s clear he feels something for you, and I care about Hambin’s happiness the most. I can’t tell him not to date, he’s a grown-ass man, but his performance is suffering because you’re avoiding him like the plague. And don’t even try to deny it. You saw how badly he played today and how badly he’s been playing in general in preparation for the open. Our Hanbinie is sensitive, he gets hurt easily. I don’t want you to break his heart, Mark. So either get it together and fix things with him, or quit. I’m going to try my best to pull some strings and get him a shot at another qualifying match despite his declining performance, but if he loses another game, his career is over.”

Mark feels sick to his stomach, he didn’t know it would get to this point. “Is Hanbin going on that date?” He blurts out, his brain-to-speech filter once again going against him.

Zhang Hao looks at him bewildered, “Did you even hear anything I said? Don’t you realize how dire this situation is?”

Mark gives him a pleading look, so Zhang Hao relents. “No. You’re lucky that Hanbin turned him down. Said he just wanted to get some rest.” He examines his nails as he adds, “I personally think he should’ve said yes.” 

Mark breathes out a sigh. “I think I want to try with Hanbin… but I’m worried. He’s loved by so many people, what if his fans kill me for taking him off the market when he’s so desired?”

“Mark, you need to learn to be a little selfish too. It’s not your job to worry about that.”

Which is how Mark finds himself at Hanbin’s apartment complex at 2 in the morning, wearing a cap underneath his massive green hoodie and black ripped jeans that Zhang Hao assured would look good on him, topped off with a mask and carrying a massive bouquet that could put anyone to shame. He was just glad no one was about to see him and prayed he wasn’t plastered all over Dispatch a few hours later. He looks around cautiously to make sure no one sees him before he dashes to the elevator and thankfully doesn’t run into anyone by the time he calls it, and it comes. 

On the way up, Mark tries to rehearse what he’s going to say a million times in his head, but everything that comes to mind just feels stupid or cringy. ‘Hey Hanbin-ah, these are for you. Sorry for being a dickwad by the way, my feelings for you were consuming me from the inside out and I didn’t wanna lowkey lose my job, haha.’ Mark shivers. Hanbin would definitely slam the door in his face if that came out of his mouth. Next scenario: He rings the doorbell and turns his back to the door. When it opens, Mark turns around all cool and suave. ‘Heyyy, Hanbin. Fancy seeing you here! I was just trying to visit one of my friends around here and it turned out you lived here. Oh, here you go. I had some extra and thought you’d like these flowers, haha.’ Stupid ass excuse, Hanbin would never buy that. 

He’s running out of fake scenarios when the elevator chimes and announces the 119th floor. He straightens up, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. Only instead of trying to impress some unknown higher-up at an interview, he’s going to beg for Hanbin’s forgiveness  and (try to) ask him on a date.

His footsteps feel heavier as he approaches the end of the long corridor; he feels like he’s getting closer and closer to his impending doom, and everything inside him screams to just turn back and forget about it. But he doesn’t want to have that on his conscience, he knows how much tennis means to Hanbin and doesn’t want to be the one to ruin that for him. And maybe he cares about the man behind the professional title a bit more (just a little bit more than most).

When he finally gets to the door, he takes a deep breath and before he can even knock, the door flies open. Hanbin’s shocked face greets him, his eyes wide open and his mouth dropped comically wide. “Mark? What are you doing here?” The lack of ‘hyung’ stings a bit, but Mark knows he deserves it, he doesn’t deserve Hanbin’s respect. 

“For you.” Mark thrusts the bouquet in his hands. 

Hanbin’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Oh? Thank you.” He sniffs them. “Smells good.” He pauses and looks around, a hopeful expression on his face. “Was that… Was that all?”

Mark clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck, now that his arms are no longer busy, he feels extremely stupid. “Uh, not exactly. Is it okay if I come in? You don’t have company over, right?”

Just then, he hears footsteps and a familiar voice say, “Babe? Who’s at the door?” Wrapping his arms around Hanbin’s waist. And it’s none other than Myung Jaehyun. Mark’s hands clench into fists at his side. 

“Oh, hyung!” He beams at him. Fake ass smile . Mark thinks. He can see how strained his smile is and how constipated it makes him look. “Fancy seeing you here! Did you need something?” He side eyes the bouquet in Hanbin’s hands and his eyebrow raises in challenge, eyes sharpening and smile getting even more strained.

“Ah, I didn’t know Hanbin was busy. Enjoy your time together.” Mark tips his hat and walks away, cursing himself in his head for being too late. That was so fucking humiliating. Aura loss: -1000000 and fuck ass Myung Jaehyun just had to be there to witness it. He wishes lightning would just strike him down or the ground would swallow him whole. Mark is pressing the elevator call button desperately, tears falling as he angrily wipes them away. Stupid Zhang Hao setting him up. Why won’t this elevator come any faster? He would die if a celebrity he knows were to catch him. He’ll write his letter of resignation tonight and book the next flight home to Vancouver. His friends will understand if he ghosts them for a bit. Maybe something tragic will happen to— Ok. Too far. He rebukes himself and prays for forgiveness for the morbid thought that crosses his mind. 

Too caught up in his own head, he doesn’t hear the flip flops running on the marble floor until he’s nearly knocked over by arms enveloping his shaking frame. When he looks up, Hanbin’s eyes shine with worry and concern. “Hyung…” He gently thumbs his tears away, “You were crying?”

Mark chokes, “Haha, whaaat.. No, I just got something in my eye.” He tries to look away but Hanbin stops him by moving it back.

“Look at me.” 

So Mark does and Hanbin is suddenly a lot closer than he expected. Mark holds his breath. Is Hanbin really about to kiss him right here? Where there are cameras? What about the fans? Is he really about to throw away his whole ass career? His spiralling thoughts are interrupted by a gentle pressure in his eyes. Mark is stunned as Hanbin pulls away. He nearly whines like a puppy, and his knees buckle like a fawn struggling to stand on its legs for the first time. He needs to stop embarrassing himself in front of Hanbin. And Hanbin catches him, because of course he does. “Are you okay?” His eyes searching.

“I’m good,” Mark replies weakly, his heart beating double time.

Hanbin worries his lip. “I think hyung got the wrong idea. You should come in, Jaehyun is gone.”

Mark can’t help the sigh of relief that escapes him like a deflated balloon. He’s about to try and explain it away, but Hanbin gives a small smile and Mark just lets it be. He lets himself be led back to the apartment he fled from, tear tracks drying embarrassingly fast as he sniffles. “Ah, this is so embarrassing.” He mutters. 

Hanbin laughs but covers it with a cough. He doesn’t dignify his comment with a response. 

Mark now sits up straight on Hanbin’s couch, his eyes roaming over the decor. It feels very him, lived in and just Hanbin to the core.

“Tea? Coffee?”

“Just green tea is fine.” Mark says. The atmosphere is awkward, the TV is on low and Mark really wishes they weren’t about to have this conversation. He’s brought out of his thoughts once again by a steaming mug of green tea being placed on a cute hamster placemat. Cute, it looks just like him. 

Hanbin sits across from him legs crossed. “We should talk.”

Mark sighs, “Yeah, I guess we should.”

“Why did you—”

“I’m sorry—”

“Oh? Hyung should go first.”

“No you can go, it’s fine.”

“Why were you avoiding me? It really hurt my feelings, you know? Even if you don’t like me, you’re my bodyguard, we should have a good relationship. You’re the only one that lasted this long, is it so bad for me to want to get to know you?” Hanbin’s cheeks puff out as he huffs out his rant, losing his confidence and picking at his hang nails.

Mark starts to scramble to explain, “Hanbin-ah, it’s not that, it’s not that like at all it’s just-” 

“It’s just what, hyung? ”

“Look, I just like.. Didn’t wanna make things more complicated, like… My job and my love life were on the line here. I didn’t wanna have to choose, I thought that by keeping you at arm’s length it would be better for me, better for you too.” 

“What do you mean by that?”

Mark breathes out, overwhelmed.  “Okay… I’m about to say something that sounds kinda crazy, but you can’t say anything. You can’t tell them, especially since they’re the reason why I came tonight. Okay, so basically—”

Hanbin’s face changes in understanding. “Is it Hao.”

Mark’s face falls and Hanbin looks stony faced. “H-how did you know?”

Hanbin sighs and picks up his own mug of coffee, blowing on it before he takes a sip. “Had a feeling.” He says with an angry smile.

Mark can’t help but feel like he fucked up. He should really get started on that resignation letter… Zhang Hao can’t get him banned from the States, right? He’s so screwed, Zhang Hao is going to kill him and make jewellery from his bones. It’s so joever…

Mark peers into his face to gauge his reaction, “You aren’t… Mad , right?”

Hanbin stirs his coffee harder than necessary and laughs, nearly hysterically. “Mad? Pshh.. Why would I be mad? I’m perfectly fine right now.”

“Please don’t be mad at him. I shouldn’t have told you, I’m sorry. It’s just… My situation is a little tricky and I thought I’d have to leave forever if I had you. But Hao-nim was the one who told me to make things right with you. He was actually pretty mad that I was treating you the way I did and threatened to fire me, actually.”

Hanbin whips his head to give him a scrutinizing stare. “Really.” He says flatly, unimpressed.

Mark nods like a bobblehead, “Scout’s honor!” (Mark was never a scout, so he’s not quite sure why he said that).

Hanbin breathes out and nods. “Ok, if you say so.”

The room falls silent and nothing but the wall clock ticking obnoxiously loud can be heard. Mark feels his legs start to bounce again nervously, sweat starting to drip down the back of his neck and he can’t stop the anxiety that rolls in his stomach in waves or stop looking around. He keeps feeling like he’s fumbling bad and fucking this all up.

“So…. What are we gonna do now?”

Mark’s head snaps up like an overeager puppy. There’s a we. He didn’t fuck it up. WE ARE SO BACK…. “Umm… Do you maybe like… Wanna go out? With me… Like… Like on a date. Like, a date , date.”

Hanbin lets out a shocked laugh and shakes his head. “Yeah, I guess I do. Wanna go out with you, like on a date, date.”

🎾

Hello, this is Zero Base Enterprises.

We are releasing a statement about our athlete SUNG HANBIN. 

We would like to confirm that SUNG HANBIN is dating a non-celebrity. We ask that you please look on their relationship with kind eyes and support them as they take this new step. SUNG HANBIN will also be taking a break from tennis for a while. While he is on break, we ask that you do not bother him and his partner. Any targeted harassment towards SUNG HANBIN or his partner will result in legal action. 

Thank you,

ZERO BASE ENTERPRISES

Hanbin sighs as he puts his phone down on the table after reading through the statement that his company has just posted onto their SNS. “I guess this is it.” He says to Mark, they’re on a date at a cute cafe that’s meant to be devoid of nosy onlookers and a hidden open secret that celebrities come to when they’re trying not to be photographed.

Mark laughs. “Dude, don’t look so scared. You earned this break, babe. I’m proud of you.” He reaches across the table to hold Hanbin’s hand and squeezes it reassuringly. “Besides, I’m still your bodyguard, right? I’ll always protect you, Hanbin-ah.”

Hanbin squeals. “What the hell… Did you just call me dude and babe? Not cool…”

Mark giggles. “I’m sorry, princess. But it’s me and you now. You’re stuck with me now.” Mark then notices that Hanbin has a little bit of whipped cream on his nose.

“What… What’s with that look?” Hanbin glares at him, suspicious.

“You have a little something…”

Hanbin’s face flushes. “Where?”

“There.” And Hanbin’s scream is muffled when Mark’s lips collide with his. 

Hanbin pulls away quickly looking around and hits him, Mark yells and rubs his shoulder. “Hyung! You’re so embarrassing! What if someone saw?”

Mark rolls his hand, “Silly, you’re allowed to date now.” He puckers his lips for another kiss. Hanbin looks around again before kissing him quickly and is stopped by Mark’s arms caging him in. They both smile into the kiss, completely unaware of the camera flashes going off in the background and the loud squeals from fans clamoring at the window.