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Making his way through the crowd, Joonghyuk was nervous. There were tons of booths lining the walkway sides, along with hundreds, if not thousands of people roaming the convention itself.
Admits all of these people tumbling around, he stuck out like a sore thumb. The crowd mostly consisted of teenagers and women, a few grown men passing by him with their partners and only a handful alone.
It was embarrassing. The feeling was only amplified by the reason why he was even here in the first place.
Gripping the straps of his tote bag for comfort, he was starting to regret bringing it instead of his backpack.
His shoulder ached and his head was pounding from the noise around him. Trying his best to ignore the constant mumbling and chatting of everyone around him, he attempted his best to search through the thick crowd.
There was a reason he was here.
Surprising to many people, Joonghyuk is a huge fan of male romance stories. A big shocker that a guy enjoys such stuff, even though it shouldn’t be.
By male romance he means stories about gay men. You know, boys love, men loving men, yaoi—you get the gist. Truthfully he had never been much of a reader beforehand, but after dipping his feet into a few comics, he found himself smitten such stories.
Not only were they fun and sweet, they had amazing writing and illustrations. If before he wouldn’t even spare a glance at smut, now he reads such scenes with fervour, beyond amazed by the author’s ability to write them.
While he did have a large shelf full of books and comics, his collection wasn’t old, per-say. He had started reading only a couple years ago.
Like clockwork his space started filling up with books, which made him buy a whole bookshelf for it.
To say it simply, he loved such stories. He wouldn’t necessarily say that he himself liked men, but he definitely does like reading about it.
Because of his love for those stories, he had gotten into a habit of attending events where the authors would visit and set t booths. Without fail, he’d always attend those conventions as it gave him a chance to buy official merchandise and find new similar books.
This time it was the same yet vastly different. This convention might be the most important one of them all.
Why? Because there was a certain author attending it.
Throughout his years of reading, there was always one author that stuck out to him the most. Be it their fantastic writing, their unique plots or their crazy ideas—he loved them all every time.
He loved their work so much in fact that all his top favourite books were by the same author, Guwon.
Could you blame him? Each and every story they wrote was like a breath of fresh air.
Personally, he would consider himself a fan, if not one of their biggest fans. He had all of their books and official merchandise, even the limited edition ones.
So you could bet your guts that when he heard Guwon was making an appearance for the first time, at this exact convention, he had to see them for himself.
He had thousands of praises and compliments prepared in his mind, all ready to be set free to the poor author as soon as they met.
Not only that, he made sure to hold his spending to the minimum these few months just so he could be sure he could buy all of the merchandise the author was selling at their booth.
Relaxing his shoulders, Joonghyuk took a deep breath. He’s been excited for a good while, that much was obvious.
Gripping the tote bag closer to his body as he pushed through a denser part of the crowd, he silently cursed the crowd. He had brought one of his favourite books.
He was not looking to get it ruined before he got to that point, which made him guard his bag like an alert lion. Deep down he was a little bummed he couldn’t get them all signed, but oh well.
He’ll have to stick to the second best option.
Walking and walking, Joonghyuk finally caught a glimpse of the author’s name on a banner. With eagerness he pushed his way to the booth, completely done with how many people are cramped into a small area.
Really, couldn’t this be done somewhere bigger? He’s here early and already people are stacked like sardines in a can.
Once he reached the table, he was surprised to see that there was no one standing behind the table. Only things there was some merchandise laid out along with a new book.
Marvelling the new official art, Joonghyuk jumped and nearly stumbled onto his butt when a man suddenly popped out from underneath the table, holding a book.
“Oh, I, uhm— …Hello?” he offered, rubbing his nape in an awkward manner.
The man looked around his age, dark hair just short enough to not cover his brown eyes. He looked a little on the paler side, but he made it up with how handsome he looked, especially smiling.
“Hello,” Joonghyuk cleared his throat, “Do you manage the booth?”
“Yeah, I mean— I guess that— Yesss?..” the man stammered out, his cheeks blushing slightly.
Joonghyuk must’ve shocked him by suddenly appearing, he felt bad.
“This booth is for Guwon, right?” Joonghyuk asked, trying to sound happier.
“Oh! Yeah, you’re in the right place.”
The slightly shorter man offered him a smile before murmuring an apology.
“I’m sorry, the booth wasn’t supposed to be open yet, you caught me off guard.”
“Ah. I can le—“
“No, no! It’s okay, you can look at them freely.”
Nodding, Joonghyuk attempted his best to give the man a small smile before stepping closer to the table and looking at the different things laid out.
Like always, the items were incredibly cheap compared to other authors. It was always a surprise to him since the quality of them was just perfect.
Letting himself take in the different art prints and stickers, Joonghyuk caught his eyes on a keychain. It was the symbol the author usually used when changing between scenes, a really detailed and pretty one.
He always admired it in the books, taking a good few seconds to stare at it before continuing his reading.
“That’s from—“
“The books, I know. I’ve read them all,” Joonghyuk said, feeling proud of himself over that fact.
“Really?” the man asked, looking very interested.
“Yes.”
Joonghyuk took a moment to look at the new book, loving the beautiful illustration on the front with the rather exciting name.
“Can I touch it?” he asked, curious to see what the new was about.
“Of course. It’s for display anyways.”
Picking the book up, Joonghyuk turned it around, reading the quick summary. It turned out to be office romance with a mix of a dating app. See, once again Guwon has a nice idea.
Placing it back down, he mentally added up how much everything would cost. He’ll easily be able to get everything without straining his wallet.
Happy, he turned his eyes back to the man who had been standing and watching him the entire time, fidgeting with his hands.
“I was told Guwon would come here as well. Will they come during the actual booth opening time?” Joonghyuk asked, hoping the author would come soon.
After all, the actual time was supposed to be in an hour and a half from now. Spending that in this stuffy hall was torture.
“I’m here. What would you like?” the shorter man offered, smiling crookedly.
“I’d like an autograph from them,” Joonghyuk explained.
“Oh— Yeah, sure, where would you like it?”
With that, the man picked up a marker and uncapped it.
“No, I’d like it from Guwon.”
“Yeah. I am Guwon.”
…
What?
Face flushing, Joonghyuk took a second to collect himself and his words.
“Oh, I— I’d like it in a book,” he mumbled, reaching to take the book out of his bag.
He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t expect the author to be a man. It really caught him off guard, especially when the realisation that he was the one who wrote all that smut.
Swallowing thickly, Joonghyuk handed the book over.
“Inside on the cover, please.”
Taking the book, Guwon let out a nice sound of surprise at the book choice.
“Did you enjoy the book?” he offhandedly asked, crouching over to write his autograph.
“I loved it,” Joonghyuk immediately replied without a thought.
“That’s good to hear.”
Clenching and unclenching his jaw, the taller of the two felt weirdly nervous, sweat starting to form on his back. Shaking shoulders to relax them, he stilled when Guwon stood up, handing the book back.
“There you go. I added a little note in it.”
“Thank you,” Joonghyuk nodded, putting the book away joyfully.
Tapping down the front of his shirt, he silently cleared his throat once more before speaking.
“I’d like to buy one of everything.”
“Everything?” Guwon asked, surprise written in how his eyes widened.
“Yes, everything. Including the book.”
Chuckling, the shorter man crouched down, grabbing a bag and other stuff, starting to pick out the items.
“You liked the new book?” he asked to pass the time as he was busy.
“I love all your books,” Joonghyuk answered with a straight face, staring at the man.
“…Really?” Guwon asked, voice oddly high pitched before he coughed into his shoulder.
“Yes. I’m— I’m a big fan. I have all your books and merchandise.”
“All of the merch too?” the other murmured quietly, seeming shocked.
“That’s— I’m happy you like my work.”
“I don’t like it, I love it.”
Taking a step forward so his thighs touched the table, Joonghyuk took a brief breath, gearing up to spill his compliments out.
“I love your writing. All of your plots are extraordinary, always new yet catchy with their uniqueness. Your plot twists are like a breath of fresh air with how good they are, so shocking even if someone spoiled it beforehand.”
Clenching his fingers into a fist, Joonghyuk continued his bombardment.
“Every one of your characters are so perfect and none resemble another one. Their designs are beautiful and your writing style makes their thought process and talking so nice to read. I love every single work of yours, the books and the comics.”
Taking a shaky breath, Joonghyuk felt his heart thump loudly.
“Everything from your writing to the minuscule details are fantastic. I feel like I’ve reread your stories more times than I have fingers, yet I could never bore of them. I love how you write their struggles and how you explain their thoughts and understandings on topics.”
Wetting his lips, Joonghyuk smiled softly.
“Guwon, you’re the best author I’ve ever gotten the chance to read from. It feels like a blessing to be able to read your stories. I love y—I love your work,” Joonghyuk rambled out, stumbling over the last sentence.
Feeling breathless, he stood there, watching Guwon. Said man had stilled a while ago, hands stuck in the air as he looked back at Joonghyuk with such wide eyes and parted lips. Handsome crossed the latter’s mind as he waited for the other to speak.
“…I— I’m… Uhm— I just— Wow.”
It was like an explosion of fireworks with how Guwon’s face turned red, eyes playing ping pong with Joonghyuk’s face and the bag.
“That’s— I’m sorry it’s— God, you’ve flustered me…” the man groaned as he fixated his eyes down to the table.
Silently, the taller watched the shorter man regain his composure, his ears redder than cherries by now. With a shy expression, the author picked his head up, averting his eyes.
“It…means a lot to me that you enjoyed my work. I’m happy you read my work.”
“I’d gladly read them all again a thousand times. They’re simply astonishing. I really love your stories.”
Letting out a choked sound, Guwon covered his eyes with a hand.
“…You’re flattering me too much.”
“That’s false. I haven’t even gotten to say all the thoughts in my mind. You deserve far more than I can tell you,” Joonghyuk countered, serious as ever as he leaned two hands onto the table.
With a shallow sigh, Guwon suddenly crouched down, hiding his face in his knees. From where he was standing, the taller couldn’t hear what the man was muttering.
“Guwon?” he asked, concerned.
Did he insult the author? He tried his best to convey his feelings towards him and his work, but maybe it wasn’t enough.
The shorter raised a hand, waving at him in a dismissive manner. It took a couple of seconds before the author finally stood up, his redness travelling down his neck and under his creamy coloured shirt.
“Oh my— Okay, I get it. Please, no more,” Guwon begged an embarrassed smile on his face.
“I’m happy— Really happy you love my writing. I’m glad to have a reader like you. I— Haa…”
Slumping his head between his shoulders, the man put a few freebies into his bag before handing it over with a trembling hand.
“There, thank you for purchasing. I hope you enjoy the book,” he said, voice croaking in the end.
Taking the bag eagerly, Joonghyuk nodded.
“I’ll read it as soon as I get home.”
“Good.”
Fidgeting behind the table, Guwon took a couple glances at Joonghyuk who realised he should probably leave now.
But, before he could even turn around, the former crouched down again and popped out with a warm and an excited smile.
“Uhm… I think you deserve this,” he said as he pulled out a small plush of one of the main characters from the book Joonghyuk had brought.
“I—“
His brain short circuited as he stared at the adorable plushie. It was the cutest thing ever. Grabbing it gently, Joonghyuk stared at it in awe as the other man crouched and took out the other main character.
“There you go. Do you like them?” he asked, his hand going backwards to rub at his neck like he did before.
“They’re perfect. How much?”
“Ah— They’re free. They’re a gift from me,” Guwon explained, smiling widely as he turned his head away.
It was glaringly obvious the man was embarrassed.
“…I’m very grateful for them. Thank you, author-nim,” Joonghyuk said, carefully putting the plushies into the bag.
“Author-nim? You can just call me Kim Dokja,” the shorter said, immediately making a face like he regretted saying it.
“Kim Dokja?”
“Yeah. It’s my name.”
“Ah… It’s a nice name. Though it goes against what you do,” Joonghyuk tried joking, yet he sounded very rigid.
Nonetheless, the shorter man laughed, shaking his head dismissively.
And still, instead of moving away, Joonghyuk stood there, watching the man practically melt like butter in room temperature.
“You’re handsome,” he ended up saying, not wanting to seem weird for staring.
Though, it might be stranger to say that…
“Thank you. I could say the same about you.”
Mumbling a thank you himself, Joonghyuk went quiet. He was opening his mouth to say goodbye when suddenly it was as if he was hit in the head with a hammer by the words leaving the other man’s mouth.
“Are you single?”
Immediately, he could see the author’s soul get sucked out of him as he realised the implications of what he had said.
“I’m so sor—“
“I’m single. Do you want my number?” Joonghyuk said, as if it was completely normal.
He didn’t feel normal, he felt like he was gonna implode any minute.
Did he practically get asked out by his favourite author? Feeling his own face heat up, he gulped when the other nodded, taking out his phone.
Looking around them, Joonghyuk made sure no one was actively listening to them, no people having started standing behind still.
Hushedly, he said his phone number, waiting for the shorter man to write it down.
“I’m Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“Yoo Joonghyuk,” Guwon repeated, smiling that crooked smile.
“It’s a nice name.”
Nodding, the shifted back and forth, thinking of what to say.
“I’m—“
Just then, he realised people started to gather behind him. It must be the official time for the booth opening. Snapping his mouth closed, Joonghyuk felt sweaty. He feels like he committed a crime.
“I’ll call you,” Guw— Well, Kim Dokja whispered, winking at him.
“Alright. I’ll see you?”
With that, Joonghyuk turned around, taking a few steps before he turned into full sprinting mode.
It was only when he had gotten back inside his car did he calm down, deciding to clear his mind with looking through the stuff he had bought.
Having calmed down a lot, he decided to lastly open the book and look at the signature. It looked flawless, but his attention was grabbed my the words written underneath it.
“You’re breathtaking.”
Groaning, Joonghyuk hid his face into the book. Like timed, his phone tinged, showing an unknown number with a simple message.
“When are you free for a date?”
This felt wrong, but his heart disagreed fully with how strongly it was beating in his chest.
Is he really going on a date his favourite author? Staring into nothing, he could feel his lips quirk upwards.
With what Kim Dokja writes, Joonghyuk should definitely expect himself to be swept off his feet on their date.
That bastard, flirting with a fan. He couldn’t say he hated it…