Work Text:
It’s been six months since Wonwoo started his military service. After six weeks of basic training, which almost took all his energy, he was finally assigned as a public service worker at the Korea Post, the national postal service of the country. Wonwoo initially worked in the IT department, but after Mrs. Kim, one of the admin processing staff, went on maternity leave, he was pulled to support the financial services team and was tasked with receiving all application forms for the National Postal ID, a newly established identification card by the government. His responsibilities include making sure all necessary fields are completed, confirming the validity of the email addresses and mobile numbers entered in the forms, and confirming that all other prerequisites have been met. Applications can be submitted individually or in bulk, as applicants will still be evaluated and scheduled for biometrics on another day. He usually gets the forms from the homeowner’s association presidents or local village leaders who submit on behalf of their residents. He is still asked to assist in the IT department on occasion because the team consists of only two people, and he’s one of the youngest employees with an IT background.
Wonwoo clocks in at 8:45 AM and greets the elderly staff that morning on his way to the lockers. Most of their female staff have kids who are fans of Seventeen; thus, he sometimes receives requests for birthday card wishes or photos, which he gives in, but begs them to not share it publicly as he is not allowed as per the military enlistment rules. Some of the moms pack him lunch and other treats, which he appreciates and returns by assisting them with things like printer repair or carrying office supplies.
He fills his water tumbler first, then settles into his window cubicle to begin the day. Their branch manager has already provided some quick morning updates and announced the opening of their offices. Wonwoo looks up and notices a number of people queuing up tickets for his services from the automated ticket service machine, so he begins processing those first in line.
Already on his seventh customer, Wonwoo took a swig of water first before greeting the person on his window.
“Good morning, how may I help you today?” Wonwoo says, looking up and getting surprised, "Jun?”
“Hi!” Jun greets back, smiling widely.
“Hey, hi! What are you doing here? You don’t have any schedules today?” Wonwoo asks, trying to sound professional, but anyone can hear the happiness in his voice.
“Nope! Free for today! I’m here to submit the form for the postal ID, silly!” Jun laughs and hands his form through the glass opening.
Wonwoo stands a bit and asks Jun to move closer to the window. "Baby, you can’t apply for this since you’re not a citizen yet; there is another form that’s going to be out specifically for foreigners working and living here in a couple of months. You can apply for that instead; I’m sorry.” Wonwoo says, handing the document back to Jun.
“Oh, okay, can you remind me when it’s out? Just so I won’t forget? And… Wonu, awwwww you don’t have to be so disappointed; I’m the one who got denied!” Jun chuckles.
“But…you put in the effort, and you could’ve made better use of your time.”
“You’re so cute!” Jun adds, “Wonu, to be honest, I came here so I can see you at work! It’s fine; I had a great time watching you assist these people, and it makes me so proud!”
“Thank you, kitten... I miss you too.” Wonwoo blushes, making Jun laugh harder.
“Okay, I need to go. I promise Hao I’d go with him to get food and go on a grocery run later... but...TADA! I made you lunch! It’s not much, but I hope you like it!” Jun pushes a container through the opening; Wonwoo takes it and holds Jun’s hand a little longer.
“Thank you, Kitten. Text me about anything; I’ll read them all later." Wonwoo squeezes the other’s hand one last time before letting it go.
“Have fun at work! Fighting!” Jun cheers him up and scooches over the glass opening, “I love you! Don’t forget to eat, okay?” He whispers and waves as he exits.
Wonwoo sighs in content as he takes a peek at the food June made for him. There’s a handwritten note on the cover with his signature drawing, and inside are a variety of cat-shaped rice balls with vegetables. He smiles as he places the container inside his work cabinet and calls for the next customer.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
A week has passed, and Wonwoo is restless. He misses Jun and his members. The change in his schedule was gradual, and he appreciates being able to sleep eight hours per day. What was different was that he wasn't seeing the same people he had seen every day for over a decade. They rarely match schedules because the members frequently have shootings on the weekend, which Wonwoo has as his off days. He’s discussed this with Jeonghan, who enlisted earlier and got the same assignment, the older saying that it will get easier and that he will still be able to meet them on occasion, not like Soonyoung and Jihoon, who have been assigned to active duty and are living in camps. He had already mentally prepared himself for it, even though he knew it was a long shot due to his poor eyesight, but he'd rather be prepared than break down in the camps.
He’s had a nice lunch courtesy of the accounting ahjumma who he helps with the printer supplies. He’s got a number of applicants in his queue for his afternoon processing, and he starts to make sure he finishes by 5 PM. He doesn’t look up anymore but greets the next person in line and asks for the papers. He is handed a few forms by a hand with a familiar ring on its pinky.
“Hello, I’m submitting the forms on behalf of my members.”
Wonwoo looks up, "Junnie?”
“Hi again!” Jun smiles, melting all of Wonwoo’s worries.
“Moon Junhui, what are you doing here again?” Wonwoo asks, scratching his head.
“I brought the members’ forms; they’re all busy.”
“What?! Did they put you up to this because they were too lazy to do it themselves?” With irritation in his voice, Wonwoo reaches out for his phone to send a message to their chat group.
“No! I asked them for it and figured I could help. It’s allowed, right?” Jun laughs sheepishly.
“But why? If you don’t have schedules, you can use this time to rest, kitten. And how in the world did you even get Soonyoung’s form??”
“ I visited him the day before yesterday and brought him some kimchi.”
“ Did you visit him just because of the form??” Wonwoo gasps.
“ Of course not! I’m a good friend, Wonu! I missed Soonyoung and had free time so I went and saw him for lunch. I just happened to have a blank form on me so I had him fill it up. He says hi, by the way, and says you need to take care of yourself because he has really gained some muscles and can finally win over you in battle, or something like that.”
“ I didn’t say you were a bad friend, Junnie.” Wonwoo frowns, “ It’s just that his camp is almost 3 hours away and the drive is very tiring so you should’ve scheduled it on a weekend or something. And Soonyoung will never win over me because he has bad luck.”
“ Bokdeongeori! “ Jun laughs, “ Are you angry? I just want to see you, that’s all.” Jun pouts; Wonwoo knows he can’t win over the pout.
“Baby, it’s not that... It’s just that…” Wonwoo sighs; he tries to calm down. Jun is here because of him; he should be happy. “I’m not mad; I just wish you wouldn’t get into all this trouble just to see me; you barely have days off; I’d rather have you rest.”
“But you’re my powerbank! Seeing you already recharges me way beyond one hundred percent!” Jun blushes.
Wonwoo cracks up, "Didn't you say that about Carats as well?”
“Well yeah… Can it not both be Carats and you??? I need all the power I can get!”
"Okay," he chuckles. “Tell the members they will be receiving a text message appointment for their biometrics schedule. You don’t have to go with them for that, okay?” Wonwoo says firmly, stamping the forms and issuing a claim stub back to Jun.
“Yes, sir!” Jun salutes, smiling like he won the argument. "Very nice service, sir, if I may add!”
Wonwoo shakes his head. "Take care on your way home; I’ll text you later!”
Jun waves goodbye, and Wonwoo feels recharged.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
For the next few days, Wonwoo cranes his neck whenever a line forms in his queue to ensure Jun is not on it again. He’s been reminding his boyfriend to stop gathering forms and tells him they can do video calls instead as long as their schedules permit since he doesn’t want Jun sacrificing anymore of his rest days. Unfortunately, even scheduling video calls has been a challenge.
After a week, Wonwoo is back to his routine; he only has two more hours before clocking out. He sees only one more pending customer, which he is thankful for as he needs to get done with his filing duties. He calls out for the last applicant and immediately asks for their form with his hand.
“Good afternoon. I’m submitting these forms on behalf of our managers.” The guy says, clearly trying to lower his voice a few octaves. Wonwoo's brow arches before warping into a surprised expression.
“Junnie…” Wonwoo sighs deeply, receiving a laugh from Jun to his dismay.
“Don’t get mad! I came here to ask you to dinner with the members because we’re shooting GoSe nearby, and the managers already filled this up, and I just told them I’ll drop them off since I’m coming to get you anyway.”
Wonwoo laughs, “I’m not mad,“ he licks his lips and takes a deep breath. “Are you really picking me up for dinner?”
“I promise!” Jun raises his palm to clearly show he is telling the truth.
“I still have an hour or so to go.”
“I’ll wait; we finished up early, and they are hanging out on the set until it’s time to go; they have the reservations at 5:30.”
“Okay, thank you, Junnie… tell Manager-nim they will be receiving a text message appointment for the biometrics schedule.” Wonwoo passes the stubs to him, making Jun laugh.
“Such a hard worker, our Wonungie!” Jun teases.
Wonwoo scrunches his nose and just laughs softly, gathering his documents to prepare them for scheduling. He winks at Jun and points to the waiting area, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“I’m just gonna be right here, love you!” Jun responds, phone already out to entertain himself while Wonwoo completes his task.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Public Servant Jeon Wonwoo
Hyung, can you please talk to Jun? He’s been going here to my branch
And submitting forms for everyone whenever he doesn’t have any schedules
I’m worried that he doesn’t get enough rest!
Leader Coups
Sorry, Wonwoo, he insisted on our forms
He just misses you. 😉
Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.
Are you doing good? No issues with work?
Is Junnie getting you in trouble?
Public Servant Jeon Wonwoo
I’m fine, getting along with my co-workers
No, it’s not like that, he follows the rules and everything
But today, he just submitted forms for his neighbors
His neighbors in the dorm building, Coups!
I mean, I understand, because they’re senior citizens and all
But he’s not the building president or leader, he barely checks
the bulletin board association for activities
And now, he’s suddenly doing social work 🤦♂️
Leader Coups
He did what???! 😲
How many forms did he have?
Public Servant Jeon Wonwoo
6 forms, including the halmeoni from across the dorm.
Remember the one who gives us injeolmi?
Junnie is too kind, but sometimes I’m worried that he’ll be taken advantage of.
Leader Coups
He might get voted as the new president of the building association
If he keeps up with this 😂
I remember the injeolmi, that was so good!
Maybe I should visit the old dorm to say hello
Is there a store that delivers those?
Jun is very smart, he’ll know if someone is taking advantage of him
He’s just really nice, that’s all.
Public Servant Jeon Wonwoo
I don’t know, you might need to ask Jun or Myungho, or maybe Dokyeom, they usually
Have the largest network of take out restaurants
Anyway… about Jun
I know that his schedule is tough and I don’t want him getting sick ☹️
He should be resting between filming and flying back and forth to China
Leader Coups
Well, you know how he is when he misses you
But yeah, I’ll talk to him.
Take care of yourself
let’s have lunch one of these weekends with Jeonghannie
Public Servant Jeon Wonwoo
Sure! Your treat! 😜
Thanks, Hyung.
Wonwoo tries to divert Jun’s attention by sending chat messages whenever he can, and for a while that worked, until the group became busy again with shoots and endorsements, and it was also time for Jun to promote his movie and drama while Wonwoo became busy as well with his tasks. Things have simmered down after some time for the ID processing so Wonwoo is able to help out with different departments and gets exposed to other tasks. Lately, he’s been helping out with the newsletter by taking photos of their office and day to day routines.
Wonwoo is about to take his afternoon break in a few minutes so he checks his queue and finds out he only has one last customer that Friday afternoon.
Perfect! I can call Jun during my break! He thinks. He becomes motivated and welcomes his last customer with his right hand, asking for the form, while his eyes and left hand eagerly begin working on the online record, typing the regular responses into the system. After receiving the form, he scans the names and does a double take on it.
It’s his father’s and aunt’s forms who live almost two hours away.
He looks up and sees Jun, smiling like crazy.
Wonwoo sighs and gestures Jun to come closer. “Meet me at the cafeteria on the third floor, I’m about to take my break.”
“Okay, but don’t you want to process the forms first? It’s your dad’s!” Jun says, enthusiastically.
“ Third floor, Junnie. I’ll be there in 5 minutes.” Wonwoo frowns, gets up from his seat, and stops by his supervisor's table first to explain where he's going, leaving Jun speechless.
He finds Jun at the corner most booth, facing a huge window. He’s already bought them snacks and is quietly sipping his lemonade.
“ Moon Junhui, what’s this?” Wonwoo asks as he places the forms on the table and takes his seat.
“ It’s your father’s and aunt’s forms, I was in the area–”
“ Junnie, they’re in Gangwon, how were you in the area?! Did you just go there to get them to sign the forms?” Wonwoo takes his glasses off and wipes them before placing it back on his face. He sighs and looks directly at Jun across him, he seems so small for a man of his stature.
“ No, Wonwoo–”
“ Junnie.I told you to stop doing these field trips and just rest, is that so hard to do?? I don’t want you to use your free time on me. I want you to be healthy and not get sick. ”
“Hear me out for a second, I don’t understand why you’re angry! We were filming for GoSe, and the members and I went to dinner with your father after the shoot, okay?! He asked us to go to your house for a drink, and we also played with Seol. They had already completed the forms, and Dad was supposed to submit them, but he always forgets, so I said I would take care of it.”
“ The truth, please… Junnie…”
“ That is the truth, Wonwoo!” Jun retorted. “ You already told me to not ask for these stupid forms and I listened! I stopped asking everybody! I only did it this time because it’s Dad! I only helped because it’s your father and I only wanted to see you again after months of constant work and stress and sleepless nights! “ Jun, obviously frustrated, begins to stand up. ”If you want to make a big deal out of it, then fine! I’m not doing this for fun or to just tease you, I don’t care about the stupid forms anyway! I only care about you!” Jun takes his jacket and tries to slide out, but Wonwoo grabs him by his wrist.
“ Junnie, wait! I’m sorry, please don’t go…” Wonwoo pleads as he pulls Jun towards his side of the booth, making them sit side by side. He maneuvers his body to face Jun who’s trying his best to not look at Wonwoo.
“ Baby… please look at me… I’m sorry…” Wonwoo holds Jun’s hand and rubs his thumb in a circular motion. A habit he picked up from their trainee days whenever he feels Jun is getting anxious.
“ Wonwoo.. what do you want?” Jun faces him with sad eyes.
"I just want to sit next to you all the time and feel you under my skin and breathe you and look at you all day and dance with you, and if that's not enough, maybe do more tiktok challenge videos with you, and it pains me that I'm not able to do this because our schedules don't match, and I should make time because you're definitely trying to make time for me, which is unfair to you.” Wonwoo takes a breath as Jun turns his palm over and tightly interlocks his fingers with Wonwoo's. “ It’s complicated, what we have right now, because I just want you to rest and take care of yourself but I didn’t realize that I was also pushing you away when all you wanted was to spend time with me, no matter how short it was.”
“ I miss you.” Jun says.
“ I know… and I miss you too.” Wonwoo tucks a stray hair behind Jun’s ears. “ We’ll get through this, I promise to not get mad when you visit me here, but please, don’t force yourself because I know how hectic your schedule is.”
“I told you I’m fine, I get recharged more seeing you than sleeping all day at home.” Jun smiles. ”I promise to not solicit forms for you, Jeon Wonwoo.”
Wonwoo laughs and places a chaste kiss on Jun’s lips. He touches their forehead together, mumbling, “ and I won’t get mad again if ever you do. I love you, Junnie.”
“ I love you too, like a lot, more than all the forms in the world!” Jun chuckles then looks at him straight in the eyes, “Are we good?”
“ Always.” Wonwoo rests his palm on Jun's cheek and gently caresses it. “ Let me make it up to you — if you’re free tonight, do you want to get dinner together?”
“ After your shift?” Jun perks up.
“Yes, after work, we can go to that mala tang place you love. Hmmm…”
“No! I’ll cook! Let’s spend it at home, just us, together! But I need to get groceries first! Oh my, what time is it? Is it too late to get fresh meat?” Jun checks his phone and googles the nearest supermarket in the area, “ Okay, great! There’s a supermarket a block from here, I can go there now and buy ingredients!”
“Baby, slow down!” Wonwoo snickers. He gets pulled up by Jun who immediately drags him towards the building exit.
“See you around five thirty-ish or six PM? Do you want to go home first? You still have clothes at my place, you can just use those and we can wash your uniform! Maybe sleep over??” Jun widens his eyes and pouts. Wonwoo groans, he can never win with this combo.
“Okay, see you at six.”
Jun beams and places quick but sweet kisses all over Wonwoo’s face before giving him a full one on the lips at the end. “ I love you!” Jun adds before descending the main stairs of the building with little hops.
“Be careful! Text me!” Wonwoo exclaims, shaking his head, as he sees his boyfriend wave at him as he exits the gate. He takes a deep breath before returning inside to his desk since he wants to process his family's paperwork and finish before their agreed time.
He stamps the forms with a smile on his face, certain that everything would work out and anticipating a great weekend with Jun.