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Uchan got his title of top class psyker not too long ago. It’s what he wanted, he worked for it, trained, studied, did the most challenging missions and never stopped doing paperwork or organizing meetings or tracking down people in his own free time twenty-four seven, twelve months per years for it.
He didn’t get the title of the youngest, but he got to be second. He doesn’t complain since he can’t change it, literally, his goal was, anyway, to be top class psyker one day. And he got what he wanted. All he did was speed up the process a little bit.
Of course he fuck up.
Since the first day as an official psyker all he did was to go up the ladder the fastest possible(twenty-four seven, twelve months per years like said previously), now he was expected to keep up the speed of his work with the added top class psyker duties.
He was exhausted, and he kept it up.
Naeun told him he was killing himself, his old trainer told him to slow down, ma’am who was his trainer boss told him it was a bad idea, heck even Seongtae Bang, that bastard , started to look at him with a mixture of pity and worry and probably satisfaction(Uchan out did him on all their psyker duties(he was probably happy Uchan was putting himself out by himself)).
Of course he fuck up.
Because guess what you get with a caring boyfriend who always supports you and is always there to help mixed with a sleep deprived psyker?
Well you get a psyker who needs his boyfriend to sleep. Because you created without realizing it a pavlovian response.
So now, of course, you realize what you’ve done when you’re in a hotel room at five am in America who is, by the way, very very very far away from Korea.
Uchan groan, realizing all that. The worst part is that this little trip is a full week -minus the first two days of only plane travel, eating and finding the hotel (they left pretty late the first day)-.
Instead of lingering around trying to sleep when it clearly wasn’t coming, Uchan decided to start getting ready. He thought he could take more time to look presentable. He didn’t sleep after all.
Uchan managed to make himself look presentable. He was finished at six thirty and the breakfast was at seven, so he went to a pharmacy.
Walking back in the hotel, he quickly found his superiors all seated in a secluded part of the breakfast room. No one acknowledge him. He may have come after everyone else but he wasn’t late to anything.
On the schedule for today was, meeting. Uchan, his colleague and the higher up were here for -mostly- two reasons. Mandatory meetings with the other branches of Lampas, this year was the U.S., and recruiting.
Because for some reason people take kid for their country from other countries. Uchan never understood why so he concluded that the other country sent the rich kids who wanted to start fresh and in counterpart they sent orphans. Or maybe it’s because the best psyker academy was in the U.S. and the kids decided to stay there with the people they know.
Well anyway, meeting means listening people ramble about important this between each other without including the ‘young’ recruits.
Uchan generally doesn’t like meeting, today was different. He was running on -if he was lucky- a few minutes of sleep and all those hours just seating gave him the opportunity to daydream. Just a bit. Because even though he’s part of the ‘young’ he still a top psyker. So he takes notes.
His boss asked him why he took notes, specifying no one really cares about those since they’re mandatory and were mostly them giving away statistics.
He burned them.
Unlike last night, Uchan is now well aware he won’t get sleep easily. So he took two pills from the little box of melatonin he got at the pharmacy.
He got comfy in his relatively large bed and close his eyes. He took every precaution he new of to help him sleep.
At midnight, he was still awake. It reminded him of his first year working at Lampas. Before Gangu.
At that time, he was also awake. His solution? Melatonin.
It worked fantastically well. And before he knew it, he was talking seven pills per night. And losing lots of money.
Psyker were in some way athlete. Lampas was well aware of that and had put in place mandatory doctors appointments every six months.
They paid for everything so they made their psyker do every test they could. It includes brain scans and talking appointments.
Now psyker had access to their results, by being summoned or not by their boss. Uchan wasn’t summoned by his boss, but the chairman of the Korean branch, in other words his boss’s boss.
Ma’am looked even more stern than usual, his trainer was here and the chairman was sending murderous glaires towards him.
"Sit." They went trough the same question the doctor had ask; 'How are you feeling?' 'Any pain?' 'Recent problems?' 'How do you sleep?' 'Recent illnesses?' 'What about your entourage?' 'Anything weird?'
When he was asked to discuss his results he didn’t think much about it, but now that the entire thing was reviewed he was even more confused, especially considering the faces of the three people in front of him.
"Uchan Kim," the chairman started "Do you know why we made the doctors appointments two months earlier?"
He had noticed the change and didn’t asked why, mostly because he didn’t care. "No."
"June is in two months." They saw his confusion. "Uchan" his trainer showed him the 'Recent problems?' And 'How do you sleep?' questions.
He saw Uchan expression after rereading those and took the document back to read it aloud.
"
'Do you have any recent problems? Like little annoyances?'
‘Mostly headaches and stomach pain.'
'How do you sleep?'
'I take melatonin.'
'You have trouble falling asleep?'
'Yes.'
'How many?'
'Seven'
'Do you feel sleepy during the day?'
'Yes'
"
This time they didn’t ask him, they told him what was going on.
"Your brain relies on melatonin, since you kept giving it to your brain, it stopped producing it progressively, forcing you to take more and more.
The results show you are addicted to it."
He was about to talk back but ma’am didn’t let him. "Melatonin is something that already exists in your brain, the pills you take are supposed to be supplements for short-term use."
"You can’t sleep without it, and it could become worse. So you’re off duty until it’s manageable, then you will still work on it until you don’t need it anymore." The chairman let him leave after that.
Uchan realized later the state of the chairman. If he wasn’t hooked to drugs, he would have gotten the title of youngest top class psyker and his predecessor would have disappeared.
That’s when Gangu joined in. It’s not a secret that before he was his boyfriend, Gangu was one of Naeun best friend. Even though it doesn’t mean anything since it’s either stranger or best friend (if you somehow got the enemy, how did you do it?).
Gangu had walked in them having an argument. Naeun kept telling him to go see a professional while he kept reassuring her he could do it alone.
None of the siblings had noticed his presence, so he opened the door and slammed it. It made them stop.
Naeun immediately began telling Gangu to help her to put some sense in her brother obvious empty head while Uchan reached for his training gear.
It was took, relatively easily, from his hand. He looked up to see Gangu putting it on the table and keeping his hand on it.
"I’m moving in."
Uchan bedside clock started screaming at seven. It made him snap out of it.
He didn’t sleep, he’s sure of that. He probably just zoned out for a couple of hours.
The morning was the same as yesterday. With the exception of Uchan looking worse. No one commented on it.
The academy was as shiny as possible, including the students, teachers and other various staff members. This school was the most prestigious for future inspiring psyker and that means expending.
Korea had a problem with outers for a while now. Ever since a leak in Lampas system mad it possible for the public to see basically everything, they saw what kind of people were in the vilzone, admission dropped, just a bit.
So they decided to take ‘inspiration' in the most prestigious school of the whole world. Surprisingly the U.S. were the one who suggest it. Looks like they didn’t really like villain.
Or traitor, because ever since the whole Cassian Lee thing was discovered, they were lots of new security controls. Including the school.
They were here to look around and see what to keep and what to add. And the other reason for being here, well, Uchan, being a top class psyker, was now required to have an apprentice, or three.
His boss’s boss had told him to look at recruits when they passed in front of the all glass room of small kids. Of course the actual getting to know them and bla bla bla was for tomorrow.
Apparently some psyker just know whose their gonna pick just by seeing them. It wasn’t the case for Uchan.
The day flew by, he probably snoozed a bit during the tour guide. He retrieved to his room the fastest possible.
He wasn’t fan of taking melatonin, especially because it wasn’t helping, but what else could he do?
Naeun didn’t like modeling anymore. She had told her brother and Uchan wasn’t surprised about it.
Naeun had to leave though, since her best friend was in the same modeling agency and also wanted to quit they both accepted to do a last shooting together. So she had to leave for a week. Two max.
The day before she had to leave was the day Uchan got laid off. She knew her brother so she call backup.
Unfortunately for her, Gangu is as work alcoholic as he is, unfortunately for him, Gangu doesn’t really like psyker.
…for some reason.
Theirs collocations were, well, a collocation. With Gangu keeping an eye on him. Uchan knew he was stubborn and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to stop, it was just easier with it.
And Gangu was pretty convincing went he wanted to be, he somehow got him to try the brut force method. And it somehow worked.
Not the first days or the first couple of weeks.
He felt like he had to sleep but couldn’t. And then he fell asleep.
"What the fuck is that." Uchan peak an eye out of his room to find Gangu cursing at the film he was watching. "Why are you awake?"
"I should be asking that." He had planned to take one or two melatonin, Gangu had hidden the box and said to try his method for at least a month.
Uchan went to sit next to him on the air mattress. "No, you’re the one who needs to be babysat."
"Say the guy who’s awake at three watching a movie and-" He look at Gangu laptop to see that he’s "-working." He was genuinely surprised. "You’re worst’s than me. And I poison my brain for my job."
"What can I say, business is everywhere. If I don’t keep an eye on it, it gonna go off my control before I know it."
"It’s the same with crime." Maybe Gangu is right, the guy is rich at his age because he’s good with money after all.
"Of course I’m right." Did he say it out loud? "Yeah, you did." Uchan groan.
"You should seriously got to sleep." Uchan snapped back. "Then maybe you could give me back the melatonin."
"That’s not going to happen." Uchan must had been extremely tired than he thought because he started to pouting.
Gangu watched him silently. "Then how about watching it with me?"
"Oh yeah, and listen to you cursing at it? No thanks."
"Okay, I’ll stop cursing so you can relax, and you’ll probably fall asleep."
"Relax? You’re watching an action movie!"
"Look, you either try this or go back to bed." It’s between a new thing you can try, or the old one that doesn’t show results yet.
"Fine. Put your laptop away." Gangu didn’t asked questions and obey.
The next morning, he was ,in facts, awake, he didn’t fell asleep. But on the bright side he did manage to relax, looking at a quietly sleeping Gangu, he realized that being babysat could be fun. Sometimes.
He looked like a zombie. That was the first thing that came to mind when he looked in the mirror. And there’s three days left. This time he couldn’t hide his fatigue written all over his face.
"Only three days left." He tried to reassure himself by saying it out loud, "Only three days left." it wasn’t working.
Today was the recruiting day unfortunately.
He had to evaluate kids. Like eleven and under kids. …it’s gonna be a long day.
At least there was traffic to help him prepare mentally.
The morning was like the other two, literally, and they got stuck in traffic on the way to Lampas building.
The sun was shining, the sky was blue, birds were singing, and all of that gave Uchan a bigger headache. That’s without mentioning all the little noises a building full of machines and people it could make.
They went underground, where they apparently build brand new training things for ‘inspiring' and 'talented' young (orphans) children, whatever that meant.
And what it meant was their determination, or lack of for certain kids, to become future psyker.
It’s unreal how much their schedules are packed. The worst one was from two little girls, Clara and Brielle, as well as three little boys, Max, Robin and Alex.
These five kids had no time off. They’re scheduled starting at six and end at eight pm. They’re day mostly consisting of alternating between training and test. Not to mention they are ten.
Uchan remember having wanted to tried was those kid were doing at their age, only to be reprimanded because you won’t be able to keep it up, you’ll retire early.
He left as soon as he could to make the kid leave the earlier possible of that place.
Okay, so the max of kids he could take under his wing was limited. To two.
The worst part? With him, there was one other new psyker who could take apprentice. And that meant leaving one of the five kids behind. Which was not possible.
Clara, Brielle, Max, Robin and Alex had become close friends because of their strict schedule, leaving one behind would distressed the five of them.
So he called Gangu.
What? It’s always his first reflex in a complicated situation.
"So Clara, Brielle, Max, Robin and Alex was it?"
"Yeah."
"Which one is left behind?"
"None."
"I mean which one of them wasn’t chosen by you or your colleague?"
"None!"
Gangu shifted. "Uchan if you want me to help, I need a name." Uchan didn’t respond.
"All right then, Clara." Wait what. "Huh?"
"Don’t worry I took care of it." What did he do? "Bye bye." Then more quietly, "I love you."
He woke up to a steady sound surrounded by warmth. Naeun was right, those weighted blankets were comfortable. He didn’t think more and felt back asleep.
He snapped awake, only to realize Gangu had just moved Uchan's body to the side. Gangu looked at him unimpressed "Next time you fell asleep on me, make sure not to crush half of my body under your’s."
"Sorry." Gangu expression didn’t change. In the end, he left to probably go make breakfast.
It wasn’t the first time he had fallen asleep on Gangu. In fact, it was ‘planned' from the start.
It wasn’t planned literally. More like a mix between tiredness, and wanting to wake up the other (by jealousy), and the pretty face next to him, and all the muscles that could, probably, make a good pillow.
So he just, put his head on the other shoulder on their now daily movie nights, was it creepy? Yes. Did it work? No.
He did it again and again, and straightening once it was five am. (He still doesn’t think Gangu realizes it.)
And one morning, he woke up. On Gangu chest.
Gangu himself didn’t care until he had to get up for bathroom in which he woke up Uchan. He had told him to go back to sleep and of course, he couldn’t. He didn’t think too much about it at the time. And now, he always woke up on Gangu.
Uchan understood what his dear boyfriend had done the morning after when the five kids were approved to leave for Korea.
Gangu had made Lampas itself adopte her. Thus, Clara was sent to Korea to learn under Uchan and his companion.
As for the adoption, Gangu had registered uh… well, kind of forced Lampas,…a bit. Okay he threatened them, by saying he got confidential things the media would really like. He apparently had a whole folder for blackmail named: ‘urgent situations who include Lampas', he had texted Uchan later. Granted the phrase in itself was weird but it got the five kids to stay together. Huray?
(That’s what happens when your boyfriend is one of the richest and powerful people of Korea)
Psyker had privilege, in that case it was to fly first class. Okay, it’s not a privilege in the literal sense, more like the I-work-for-a-really-big-company type.
Moreover, they got to borde the plane first and sit in those special seats that can become bed.
The kids also got to be in first class, they were being him chatting away quietly.
On a whim, he decided to change it to bed mode. All he did the last week was to lie in bed thinking, he got to enjoy remembering all those things, it got him to think how one bad decision would change his life for the better.
So he closed his eyes as soon as he could, and let his memory flowing freely.
Naeun glaire was unmistakable. She was thinking of something. Something Uchan didn’t notice and she will give him a whatever-she-thinks-he-should-receive later.
So there she was at a dinner night with him and Gangu and Gangu’s sister, Yuri. Her cheek was deep in her hand looking between him and Gangu interaction while giving glances towards Yuri.
He was tempted to ask her a dry 'what' but stopped before the idea had even blossomed in his mind.
He almost forgot all of it by the end of the dinner, keyword; almost, until Naeun got between them went they were doing the dishes. "Come straight to the living room after this." She didn’t even glance at him, just said her phrase to Gangu and left.
Gangu gave him a questioning look at him and he could only shrug.
Naeun immediately took Gangu hands in her own and looked at her best friend insistently.
She let go of his left hand to pick something out of her back pocket before slamming it in Gangu hand she was still holding. "Would you be my brother-in-laws?" That was about the time Uchan’s brain stopped functioning. "Did- did you just ask Gangu to marry me?"
"Well someone has to do it."
His foot was slightly kicked. "Move." Uchan didn’t react. "Move." This time he was shook.
"Your breathing is irregular, I know you’re awake." How did he notice that? Oh yeah, darkness users see better in the dark, duh. He rolled over, just a bit. It may have been a little petty or childish but he didn’t care.
"Thanks." And he climbed in the bed.
It was quiet until Gangu moved. To spoon him. Uchan didn’t react, he could feel his partner arms closing around his waist and a chest on his back.
Then Gangu kissed him. Kiss his neck.
He felt Gangu grin on his skin. "I can feel you heating up you know." Why was he annoyed again?
Gangu stop, nuzzling in his neck as his arms squeezed him slightly. "I’m sorry."
"For what." It was his time to tease the other. "Not respecting our agreement, staying late, being a hypocrite, missing your big day because of my boring, pushy little client who doesn’t understand that I’m in a happy relationship."
"Hypocrite?"
"I told you, you shouldn’t put your work before our relationship and I did exactly that."
Uchan uhm. "I forgive you if you gave me a kiss." His boyfriend didn’t waisted a second before manhandling him, turning him to be able to give a slow long kiss. Could this be considered a make out session?
They parted slowly, Uchan having his gaze fixed on his boyfriend. He talked with deliberations. "Next time you have a meeting with that little-"
"Don’t swear."
"I wasn’t going to." Gangu gave him a look. "As I was saying before I was rudely cut off-" Gangu scoffed. "You will tell me the hour and I will call you and speak loudly about our plan."
"What plan."
"Date plan."
"We don’t have time to go out."
"I’m talking about night date in our bedroom."
"Oh."
"Look who blushing now."
"Sleep Uchan."
"Only if you agree."
"Why not, could be fun."
They didn’t get married, mostly because it’s a lot of money down the drain to satisfy unimportant people.
What they did is skip the whole 'being shy' thing. They kissed for the first time right after acknowledging each other’s feelings then establishing what they wanted in the relationship and boundaries. Their first make out was right before bed.
And, no, let’s not talk about their sex life.
And as for being fiancé, yeah not now. Gangu had given back the box to Naeun without opening it.
It was a good decision, because they broke up.
Uchan never realized how much Gangu likes to spend more than average time staying in bed.
Well more like it took him a while and a long day at work to realize it. Gangu always wakes up before him. Playing with him hair, playing with his face, caressing his arms, chest, neck, back again and again until Uchan internal clock would wake him up.
He realized what was going on when he woke up for the first time before Gangu. His ear wasn’t closed to Gangu heart.
In a split second, he realized, Gangu was also starting to wake up and immediately closed his eyes.
Gangu didn’t do anything for a while, so he started to just come clean with it. That was went Gangu pulled him closer and started playing with locks of hair while caressing his arme. It was great, comforting, he felt like time had stopped. He was surrounded by warm.
He fell asleep thinking of that.
Gangu is Cassian
Cassian is Gangu
It’s still weird to associate them as one person.
Uchan got caught. Now everyone wants answers.
He hasn’t been really careful, getting exited at the end of the day, being always on his phone on break, smiling at said phone, basically thing that are unusual for him that his colleagues pointed out.
Of course they wanted to meet her and it’s to bad that she doesn’t exist.
Now, Lampas is a compagnie with employees so they do what companies do, a party. Yeah it’s mandatory and employees can bring their partners. And everyone wants to meet other colleagues partners so Uchan got pestered again and again about bringing his.
He wasn’t going to and drill it in those people head. They whine about it for a while until it goes quiet. Suspiciously so.
A week later it was announced that this year party was allowing people to show up with a mask, which is stupid. Some people turn to look at him ‘directly'. He learned later that they made a petition for this.
So he complained to Gangu, "They made a petition just so I could show up? They’re determined."
"Yeah… I still told them off though."
"Well shall we?"
"You want to go?"
And so they went, Gangu was right saying that seeing their jaw fall to the ground was pretty fun. Gangu spent the entire party ignoring people and only talk to Uchan. They arrived just enough late not to be frowned to and left the same way. No we’re not taking about the rest of the night.
Back at work Uchan got mostly side glances and awkwardness for a week.
He felt awful, it didn’t change much from the past couple of days but at least he was sure to have a good night sleep tonight.
He felt awful, and his mood was going up by the hours.
"I’m home." His mood immediately dropped went he heard no response. It dropped further went he noticed the little sticky paper on the fridge.
Hey, I forgot to charge my phone. This is in case I can’t text you in time; I have some last minute business, I’ll come back in two days max.
They’re the ingredients to make Bibimbap in the fridge.
God damn it.