Work Text:
gyuvin lived a normal—well, more like boring—life. he worked 5 days a week, 9 to 5, and had a couple friends. his days followed a simple routine: wake up, go to work, come back to his apartment, eat, shower, sleep, and repeat. there was nothing exciting about it, nothing that would make him feel like anything was out of place. everything was just... normal. or at least, it seemed that way. because deep down, gyuvin knew something was off, something that clung to the edges of his mind like a shadow he couldn't quite shake off. he could ignore it, sure, but could he really move on from it? or was he just telling himself it was okay to leave it all behind?
today, however, was different from his usual, monotonous routine. gyuvin went to work, came back to the comfort of his apartment, ate, showered, and was getting ready to sleep, when his phone buzzed. it was a text from gunwook. gunwook had been his best friend since middle school. they were practically inseparable during high school—people used to joke that they were dating, which they both vehemently denied, of course.
gunwookie 😡
kimgyu!!!!
can we meet up on saturday at noon?
before you say no, i know you do nothing
but lay in bed and play games 🤔
well... there it went. the cover of his "normal" life was slipping away. because sure, gyuvin went to work, followed the same routine every week, but weekends? weekends were reserved for his cave—his apartment, where he stayed hidden away from the world, only really interacting with gunwook and yujin.
gyuvin
ok fine you got me 🙌
where do you want to meet up though…
gunwookie 😡
there’s a cafe that looks good on instagram
how about there?
gyuvin
ok send me the location
gunwookie 😡
710 xxxx-xxxxxx, xxxx, seoul, south korea
gyuvin stared at the address for a moment, wondering why gunwook couldn’t just tell him whatever it was he needed to say over text. but, maybe it was just an excuse to get him outside... maybe gunwook had his reasons. or maybe he was just trying to get gyuvin to experience something other than the inside of his apartment. either way, it was a good enough reason to step out.
🥭🍓
saturday came around, and gyuvin, didn’t really bother to look nice for gunwook. after all, gunwook had seen him at his lowest moments—he’d looked worse than this in high school, and he didn’t feel like putting up a front now. gyuvin figured it wasn’t that far from his apartment, so walking there would be fine. as he stepped out, he glanced at his phone: 11:56. yup. maybe he should speed walk.
when gyuvin finally reached the cafe, it was already a few minutes past 12. but it was gunwook, so he wouldn’t mind. and sure enough, as soon as gyuvin walked through the door, gunwook spotted him and waved him over to the table he’d saved. the cafe had a unique vibe, almost like stepping into a little piece of the rainforest, with fake trees scattered around and a light rain sound playing in the background. it was refreshing to gyuvin, and for a moment, he let himself admire the plants and the ambiance before joining gunwook at the table.
“do you want anything to drink or eat?” gunwook asked, passing a small menu pamphlet over to gyuvin.
the menu was decorated with leafy designs, and the drink names were cute in a way that made gyuvin smile. “yeah, i can pay for mine though,” gyuvin replied, glancing over the options.
“i was going to make you pay anyway,” gunwook laughed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
that menace, gyuvin thought, but smiled anyway. looking over the menu, he finally decided on a ‘rainforest breeze’—a mango drink—and a ‘jungle cocoa delight’—a soft chocolate cake.
“i’m going to the counter to order now,” gyuvin said, standing up and grabbing his phone before walking away.
🥭🍓
gyuvin returned to the table a few minutes later, carrying his order. gunwook, who had been scrolling on his phone, looked up and immediately zeroed in on the cake. his eyes practically sparkled with excitement as he reached for the fork and took a bite without a second thought.
“hey, i paid for that!” gyuvin exclaimed, half-laughing, half-annoyed.
“eyyy, gyuvin! we’re best friends! best friends share food, right?” gunwook said, grinning.
“the food i paid for… whatever, eat up, gunwookie.” gyuvin rolled his eyes before sipping his drink. the mango tasted so fresh and sweet, like a burst of sunshine. he'd definitely be coming back to this cafe again.
"oh, right," gyuvin said after a moment, setting his drink down. "what did you want to tell me?"
gunwook leaned forward, his expression suddenly serious. “gyuvin, you better not run away while i’m saying this,” he warned, eyes narrowing.
“uh... okay…” gyuvin braced himself, his stomach tightening. he had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever gunwook had to say.
“so… there’s a high school reunion coming up. and i was wondering if you wanted to come... well, not wondering, i want you to come,” gunwook said.
“so, classmates from high school will be there, right?” gyuvin asked, already dreading the thought of seeing certain people again.
“gyuvin! do you not know what a reunion is? of course there will be classmates!!” gunwook replied, looking almost exasperated.
the idea of going made gyuvin tense up. there was someone from high school he never wanted to see again, and the thought of running into them made his stomach churn. “no, i’m not going,” gyuvin said firmly.
“gyuvinnnn!! why not??” gunwook pouted dramatically, making puppy eyes at him.
“ew, never do that again, gunwook. and i have work that day.”
“i never said what day it was on…”
shit.
“gyuvin, be honest with me. it’s because you're worried you’ll see him there, isn’t it?” gunwook's voice was suddenly serious, his gaze piercing.
🥭🍓
FLASHBACK
grade 11. that was when everything changed.
“alright, everyone! settle down! we have a new student joining today. he’s not from south korea, so treat him well,” the teacher announced.
gyuvin turned to look at the door as it opened. the first thing he noticed was the pale blonde hair.
“introduce yourself, ricky,” the teacher said.
“hello, i’m ricky. i hope we can be friends,” ricky said. his voice was soft, but it had this calm warmth to it that instantly caught gyuvin's attention. when their eyes met, gyuvin’s heart skipped a beat. ricky looked like he had stepped out of a dream, and gyuvin couldn’t look away.
“ricky, you can sit next to jiwon,” the teacher said, gesturing to the empty seat beside her. ricky smiled as he walked to it, his backpack hanging casually over one shoulder, looking almost too cool for school.
gyuvin couldn't stop staring. this new student, ricky, was absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful.
after class, gyuvin, heart racing, walked up to him and sat in the empty seat right in front of him.
“hi, i’m kim gyuvin!” he chirped, a little too eager.
ricky glanced up from his sketchbook, gave him a soft smile, and nodded. “nice to meet you, qubing.”
gyuvin was taken aback. “qubing?” he repeated, trying not to laugh. the way ricky said his name sounded so cute.
“yeah. it’s your name,” ricky replied, looking genuinely curious. “how old are you?”
“i’m 16... i’ll be 17 in august,” gyuvin grinned.
“me too. but i turn 17 in may,” ricky said, returning the smile.
"have you been to south korea before?" gyuvin asked, suddenly switching to honorifics.
“yea, i used to visit a lot because my parents had business here. but why are you using honorifics? we’re the same age, right?”
“right!" gyuvin grinned, his face lighting up.
🥭🍓
days passed after their meetup on saturday. gunwook kept bringing up the reunion, but gyuvin refused to budge. deep down, though, now that the idea of seeing him had lodged itself in his brain, gyuvin couldn't stop thinking about it. he kept zoning out at work, messing up simple tasks. his team leader noticed the mistakes but brushed it off. it wasn’t like gyuvin was a slacker—he was just... distracted.
later, when gunwook texted him again about the reunion, gyuvin felt a sense of dread rise up in his chest.
gunwookie 😡
gyuvin!!! please come to the reunionnnn!!
there’s no guarantee that you know who will be there!
also, remember hanbin hyung?
he’s going to be there!
don’t you want to see him?? 🥺
gyuvin paused. hanbin hyung was someone who had always taken care of him, made him laugh during the hard times. they had lost touch after high school, but seeing him again, along with the possibility of reconnecting with other familiar faces... maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
gyuvin
ok fine, i’ll go.
only because you keep pestering me about it.
when is it?
gunwookie 😡
YESS KIMGYU YOU'RE COMING
heheh, it’s this sunday at 7 pm
and just like that, it was decided.
🥭🍓
the chattering of the restaurant felt different from what gyuvin would normally hear. he joined gunwook and a couple faces he used to know at a table. gyuvin was happy to see hanbin hyung after so long. the table laughed and recalled the memories of their young highschool years. gunwook excused himself to the bathroom while hanbin left to talk with his boyfriend zhang hao. everyone had their own circle of friends, so gyuvin was alone.
gyuvin was taking a sip of his beer until he saw a familiar someone. the hair that used to be blonde was now dyed black. they locked eye contact, it almost brought gyuvin back to highschool.
🥭🍓
FLASHBACK
gyuvin and ricky had quickly become close. the two were sitting under a tree on a warm spring day with the soft breeze blowing in their faces. ricky was concentrated on drawing in his sketchbook while gyuvin was playing games on his phone.
“what are you drawing, kim ricky?” gyuvin questioned. the nickname had become normal as they became close in eleventh grade and the summer leading to twelfth.
“it's a secret. i can show you when i’m done,” ricky replied while staring at his sketchbook as if examining it.
gyuvin had long forgotten about his game while staring at ricky’s face. the way his blonde hair fluttered in the soft breeze, his cute tiny mole under his eye, and… his soft, pink lips. the thought of kissing him makes gyuvin feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“ricky,” gyuvin said.
“yea?” ricky looked up from his drawing into gyuvin's eyes.
“i think i like you.”
ricky stared at gyuvin astonished.
“it’s ok if you don't like me back. you know what, let's forget what i just said. i don't want to lose y-..”
gyuvin was cut off by something soft on his lips. gyuvin was frozen in shock as ricky pulled away.
“idiot… i think i like you too.”
that day was the happiest day of gyuvin's life. it marked the start of something deeper than friendship.
🥭🍓
“hey qubing. it’s been a while right?” ricky smiled. he still carried the same rich aura.
fuck. the way ricky says his name is the same. gyuvin tries his best to stay composed and not run away.
“oh hey. i haven't seen you in a while.” gyuvin smiled—well at least tried.
ricky’s phone buzzed with a call. the raven haired pulls out his phone snd excuses himself. “i have to go. it was nice seeing you qubing.”
“oh i have to go. it was nice seeing you qubing,” ricky said before turning around and walking away.
a suffocating feeling creeps into gyuvin and he can only think of one thing. get out of here. gyuvin grabbed his coat and phone before he dashed out the door. he doesn't care if anyone sees him. he just needed to get out of there.
gyuvin settles under a bus stop before breathing heavily. inhale. exhale. deep breathes gyuvin. this isn't helping him. he needs to go as far as he can from that restaurant. the reunion was terrible. he should've never agreed to go.
when gyuvin gets back to his apartment, he immediately pours a glass of water before chugging it. it's a miracle he didn't break the glass while he was pouring water into it with his trembling hands. why did ricky have to be there?
🥭🍓
the next day, gyuvin woke up late for work. he dressed up as quickly as he could, not having the time to check the mirror. gyuvin nearly tripped out the door before running to get a taxi. he missed the bus he usually went on.
when gyuvin arrived at the office, it looked like he had gotten mauled by a bear and ran 10 miles on a treadmill. his hair was sticking out in places and his tie had been messily tied together. the worst part? he was wearing a black sock and a yellow sock since he just threw on clothes before running out the door. at least he was wearing clothes.
“woah. what happened. you look… different than usual!” matthew said, passing by with a stack of papers in his hands.
“yeah thanks. i know.” gyuvin replied, scratching the back of his neck.
“maybe you should fix your hair and stuff in the bathroom… we have someone important coming in today.” matthew advised.
gyuvin noted that information and set his bag on his office chair before marching towards the bathroom. gyuvin stared at his reflection. gunwook would for sure tease him about this for ages if he saw how he looked right now. that reminded gyuvin, he never told gunwook that he left early. oh well, his best friend is smart, he should be able to connect the dots. before his mind crept towards the memory of a certain raven haired, gyuvin got to work. flattening his hair with water and retying his tie. as for his socks… gyuvin just tried folding them into ankle socks.
after some time of sitting at his desk checking emails, his team leader, jiwoong, announced that the important client would be coming in ten minutes. gyuvin took a deep breath, worried if his current appearance would impact the team's impression on the client.
when the important client arrived, everyone stood up, including gyuvin. as everyone was greeting then bowing in respect, gyuvin recognized the client.
shit. him again. gyuvin stood there stiffly as he stared at ricky. the latter also seemed surprised to see gyuvin here. matthew quickly tapped on gyuvin’s shoulder signalling for him to bow.
gyuvin bowed, head hanging low. the familiar suffocating feeling returned.
“this is mr. shen everyone. he will be working with us on our latest project. we should be grateful we were able to bring him on this!” jiwoong announced.
gyuvin never wanted to be swallowed by a hole more in his life right now. the words jiwoong said echoed in his head. maybe gyuvin should just turn in his resignation letter and open a mango farm far from the city. can mangoes even grow in south korea?
the work day felt longer than normal and gyuvin longed to clock off work. when his wish was finally granted, he gasped for air when he stepped out of the office. facing ricky was like someone choking gyuvin. gyuvin hastily reached for his phone before texting his group chat consisting of gunwook and yujin like rapid fire.
gyuvin
GYUS. i saw ricky at work todya.
should i just quit?? why did he have
to syow up at my workplace out of all the companies.
the spelling errors were ignored by gyuvin as he typed faster than he ever had in his life.
baby 🐰
first of all calm down
are u serious kim gruvin?
did u actually see him?
gunwookie 😡
KIMGYU
are you ok??!!
do you want want me
and yujin to come over?
btw you better explain later
why you left me at the reunion.
gyuvin
im serious. i saw him.
he's going to be working with
my team for a while😞
don't bother coming over
i'm still standing outside the
office texting you guys
i think i’m going to go home now.
baby 🐰
if you need anything, text us!!!
gunwookie 😡
don't stress too much gyuvin
not stress too much??? he was doing the opposite.
the thought of seeing ricky again sends shivers down gyuvin’s spine. however, deep down, gyuvin knows he will have to face him sooner or later. he can't just affect his team because of some personal reason. seperate work and personal life kim gyuvin. aghh i hate this job. correction, i hate ricky.
🥭🍓
it had been several days since ricky was announced to help design the promotional posters for the new project. gyuvin felt he is doing better at staying professional and avoiding ricky. just a few more days and ricky will be gone from gyuvin’s life! gyuvin should be happy, but for some reason, a small piece of his heart disagreed.
getting off work was like a magical sensation. once the clock struck 5 pm, gyuvin grabbed his bag and skipped out the door. he was thinking of what to eat once he got back to his apartment until someone interrupted his thoughts.
“qubing.”
gyuvin knew who it is. the voice. the way of saying his name. as much as he didn't want to turn around, he did.
“oh hey ricky,” gyuvin greets.
“i have to talk with you,” the raven haired stated while fiddling with his rolex watch.
the last thing gyuvin wanted to do right now was talk with ricky. “oh i’m busy right now… we can talk later.” gyuvin says, starting to walk away.
he felt someone grab his wrist. gyuvin looked back at ricky and ricky let go of his hand. the 500 won eyes made it hard for gyuvin to resist. “ok fine. we can talk.”
🥭🍓
FLASHBACK
it was the last day of twelfth grade. everyone was excited and holding flowers they got from friends and family. it was gyuvin and ricky’s 100th day of dating—not like gyuvin had been counting. totally. gyuvin prepared flowers for the blonde haired as he smiled brightly at them. a bouquet of red roses. ricky’s favorite. gyuvin skipped cheerfully towards ricky while hiding the flowers behind his back.
“oh qubing there you are. i was about to look for you,” ricky says.
there was no smile on ricky's face like he usually did when he saw gyuvin. gyuvin just brushed it off, thinking ricky was just tired.
“did you need to tell me something?” gyuvin asked.
“yea actually…”
gyuvin’s smile slowly fades, as he realizes the serious mood.
“so uhm,” ricky sighs, “i think we should break up.”
gyuvin’s hands drop to his sides, dropping the bouquet too. “ricky- you're joking right? hahah that was a nice one, you got me.”
“qubing i’m serious.” ricky says, avoiding eye contact.
“ricky… why..? all of a sudden..? did i make you upset?”
“no it's not about you, qubing. you did nothing wrong.”
“then why…”
“i’m sorry qubing.” ricky says, handing an envelope to gyuvin before walking away.
gyuvin’s grasp on the envelope tightens, crumbling it a bit in the process. he's not sure if he wants to know whats in there. his heart aches. his vision is blurry. a choking feeling arises. what's supposed to be a happy graduation day along with 100th day of a relationship ended with getting dumped by his boyfriend. ricky was gyuvin's first love.
after dragging himself back to his room, ignoring his mom's worried questions, he lets the gates open. tears trail down gyuvin's face as he coughs for air. the choking sensation won't go away. he lets himself cry until he has no energy to do anything.
it wasn't until two months after the break up gyuvin opens the envelope ricky gave him on that day. it was a portrait of gyuvin. there's a date written at the back of the paper. the day they first kissed. the same day their relationship started.
🥭🍓
“i’m sorry, for everything. for hurting you past repair,” ricky confessed. “you never deserved what i did qubing.”
gyuvin felt his chest get tight as his breaths slowed. “why… did you break up with me? i thought our relationship was going well.”
ricky sighed. “i- i was forced to break up with you, qubing. my father wanted me to learn to take over his company and move back to china. i never wanted to. i loved you so much…”
gyuvin took long deep breaths. the lock had come loose from the back of his mind. all the memories he worked so hard to forget came flooding his brain.
“when i came back to korea a year ago, the first thing i did was call your phone number,” ricky laughed softly, trying to ease the tension, “but you changed your phone number. i know you might think this is an excuse, but i'm telling the truth qubing. i am truly sorry and i still love you.”
gyuvin felt water on his cheek. was it raining? no, his hands felt perfectly dry.
“q-qubing. don't cry,” ricky said while wiping the tears on gyuvin's cheeks.
oh. he was crying. ricky walked closer to gyuvin, closing the gap between the two with a hug. despite being taller, gyuvin tucked his face in ricky’s shoulder, wetting his coat that looked like it costed a whole month’s rent of gyuvin's apartment. gyuvin let out choked sobs occasionally. it was like time stopped. the familiar warmth and scent of ricky was comforting. it had been four years since they held each other close like this.
🥭🍓
gyuvin came to work the next day in a better mood than ever. when he saw ricky, he turned away, embarrassed for crying like a mess into his shoulder. the way he saw ricky was different now, though. instead of bad memories and feeling suffocated, he felt shy, almost like when he was 16 and fell in love for the first time.
work seemed to pass by quicker than ever, in the blink of an eye, work was over. gyuvin was on his way to the bus stop, until a car stopped him. the owner of the car rolled down their window. it was ricky.
“qubing-ah, are you hungry? want to go for dinner?” ricky asked.
the thought of a free meal was cool, but the idea of being next to ricky made gyuvin's heartbeat quicken. his brain argued for a quick second before gyuvin got into the car with ricky. when gyuvin thought of a free meal, he thought of a cheap fast food restaurant like they used to go when they were in high school. instead, ricky brought him to a classy fine dining restaurant with waiters that took their coat and served them champagne.
“uh. ricky, this place looks expensive. and i kind of feel… out of place here,” gyuvin whispered.
“qubing, don't worry. i’m paying for everything. just sit back and eat to your heart's content. we have a lot of missed time to make up for… right?” ricky said, whispering the last part.
after gyuvin's stomach felt like it was going to pop from how much he ate, ricky paid for the meal and dropped gyuvin off at his apartment. (gyuvin kept insisting for ricky to not take him home, until ricky said gyuvin would have to pay him back for the meal if he didn't. don’t worry, ricky didn't drink alcohol before driving.)
when gyuvin and ricky were standing outside the taller’s apartment door, it was quiet and awkward.
“it was nice to eat with you qubing. reminds me of our high school days, right?” ricky smiled.
gyuvin was sure his face—or at least his ears— were red. “thank you for taking me out for food, ricky.”
ricky clears his throat. “uhm- well, qubing. i was wondering if you want to, try it again. you know—dating, staying next to each other, supporting each other. this time will be different though. i promise i won't leave you and make you cry empty tears because of me.”
yup, gyuvin's face was definitely red by now. “hmmm… uh- let me think about it. for now, let's trade numbers..?”
ricky handed gyuvin his phone with no hesitation. gyuvin smiled mentally at how cute the raven haired was being. the latter types his number in gyuvin’s phone and gyuvin typed his in ricky’s. they parted ways sooner or later.
gyuvin had a hard time faling asleep, but not for a bad reason. he shifted in his bed until he laid there, face in the pillow. he screamed and kicked his feet excitedly. gyuvin reached for his phone and changed ricky’s contact name.
kim ricky 🐱
gyuvin was smiling like a happy puppy when it got a treat. he caught himself though and put down his phone and set off to dreamland.
🥭🍓
it’s been a couple days since ricky and gyuvin traded numbers. for now, they have just been talking and getting to know what changed during the time they were separate. on their fourth day of talking, gyuvin gives in and agrees to try dating ricky again.
gyuvin finds it crazy how it wasn't too long ago that he hated the idea of seeing ricky to dating him. i guess things change quick!
ricky kept his promise and had been treating gyuvin nicely, saying good morning everyday, and texting him whenever he was free. it felt weird to have ricky text him everyday, but gyuvin liked it.
one day, gyuvin shows up to work and ricky’s not there.
“oh matthew hyung. where's… ricky?” gyuvin asked. the fear of ricky not being next to him slowly crept into him.
“don’t you remember? he was done designing the posters, so we don't need him in the office now.”
if gyuvin had ears and a tail, they would flop down sadly. the eight hours gyuvin was at work felt like the longest hours of his life. he dragged himself out of the office when it hit 5 pm.
gyuvin was reaching for his phone to text ricky until someone called for him.
“qubing!”
gyuvin’s face slowly lit up as he recognized the owner of the voice. gyuvin ran to ricky and threw himself into a tight hug.
“i thought you disappeared again,” gyuvin mumbled.
“qubing, i made a promise, remember? now come on, let's go get food. you must be hungry from worrying about me~” ricky teased.
“w-what! i wasn't worried!!”
ricky smiled before pecking the taller’s lips. gyuvin was like a deer in the headlights after the quick touch on the lips.
“cute. c’mon let’s go!” ricky said.
“wait,” gyuvin held ricky’s hand and pulled him into a proper kiss.
the lips he had missed for so long. it was like the missing puzzle piece in gyuvin’s life. gyuvin is certain he found the happiness he needed in his life. ricky.
🥭🍓
gunwookie 😡
KIMGYUU
WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL
ME YOU WERE DATING RICKY!!
i only just found out from taerae!!!!!!