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Seonghwa was practically buzzing. "…and then, I swear, Hongjoong looked right at me during the meeting and winked. He winked at me!" He giddily recounted to his best friends, Wooyoung, Jeonghan, and Joshua, nestled in their usual corner of their favorite café.
"Oh my god, Seonghwa, this is it! It's happening!" Wooyoung gasped dramatically, fanning himself with a napkin.
Jeonghan, ever the pragmatist, furrowed his brow. "Winking could just be a nervous tic. Maybe he had something in his eye."
"Don't be ridiculous, Hanni," Seonghwa scoffed, "It was a romantic wink."
Joshua patted Seonghwa's shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Hwa. I'm sure he meant it in a romantic way. You deserve some happiness."
The conversation drifted, as they often did, to each other's romantic escapades. "You wouldn't believe what San brought home the other day – a cat!" Wooyoung exclaimed, launching into a hilarious anecdote about San's surprise feline companion. As they laughed, Joshua's gaze drifted across the café. Suddenly, his smile faltered slightly.
"Uh... guys?" he said, subtly motioning to the back. "Mingyu's here..."
Following his gaze, they saw Mingyu, Joshua's long-time crush and Seonghwa's younger brother, sitting at a table near the window, looking flustered while talking to a woman they didn’t recognize.
Wooyoung's eyes widened. "What is that idiot doing here? Is... is that a date?"
Seonghwa frowned. "Mingyu? With... a girl? What in the world? He knows Joshua is single and ready to mingle! Why is he trying to mingle with a woman?" He turned to Wooyoung, a warning in his voice. "And if you call my brother an idiot one more time, Woo, I'll skin you." Wooyoung just cackled in response.
Meanwhile, Joshua desperately tries to look anywhere but in Mingyus direction.
"She's pretty," Jeonghan observed. "Maybe a bit old for Gyu, but hey, I don’t judge."
Seonghwa, placing a comforting hand on Joshua’s arm, offered, "Don’t jump to conclusions, Shua. Maybe it’s just a friendly get-together."
Wooyoung chirped in, "A friendly get-together with that much nervous laughter? I think not."
As they watched with interest, Mingyu stood up, accidentally knocking over his glass of water. The woman laughed, and Mingyu looked mortified. A collective cringe rippled through their group.
"Why is he always so awkward? That face and body for nothing," Jeonghan mumbled.
Joshua shot him an unimpressed look, and Seonghwa snapped, "Hey! Stop it you two! Only I am allowed to make fun of him because of my sibling rights!"
Mingyu suddenly spotted them – Seonghwa, Joshua, Wooyoung, and Jeonghan – caught like deers in headlights. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, then a shy smile spread across his face. He excused himself from the woman, who waved him off cheerfully, and started heading their way.
"Oh god," Joshua muttered under his breath, nervously fiddling with his straw.
"Here he comes, prepare for awkwardness," Wooyoung whispered, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Wooyoung!" Seonghwa hissed.
Mingyu approached their table, looking sheepish. "Hey, hyung, guys! Fancy seeing you here."
"Hey Mingyu! Spilled any waters recently?" Wooyoung quipped, ever the agent of chaos. Mingyu's ears turned red. "Oh no, you guys saw that?"
Seonghwa sighed dramatically. "Must you, Wooyoung? Seriously? Mingyu, sit down before you cause another natural disaster." He motioned to the empty space beside him. Mingyu borrowed a chair from a neighbouring table and sat down between his brother and Joshua. They exchanged a look and awkwardly smiled at each other. "Hi, Shua," Mingyu whispered, smiling.
"Sooo," Wooyoung drawled, leaning back in his chair. "Big date, huh? She seemed… enthusiastic about the waterworks. Who is she?"
Mingyu looked from Wooyoung to Joshua and back again. "Oh no. No! It's not a date. She's my new boss. Very nice, very married, very not my type, very not my date." He gestured vaguely back towards the table while looking at Joshua again. "Definitely not a date."
Joshua's face relaxed slightly, a hint of color returning to his cheeks. "Oh," he said softly, fiddling with the straw in his matcha. "Your boss. That makes more sense." He suppressed a smile.
Mingyu cleared his throat, suddenly very aware of the attention he was drawing. "Yeah, I'm starting an internship at her firm next week. Just wanted to introduce myself beforehand and... well, it was going fine until the water incident." He chuckled nervously, glancing at Joshua again. "So, uh, what are you guys up to?"
Wooyoung leaned towards Jeonghan, whispering something. Jeonghan stifled a giggle, nudging Wooyoung with his elbow.
Seonghwa shot them both a warning glare. He turned to Mingyu, "We were just gossiping about work and love lives. You know, the usual."
Mingyu perked up. "Oh? Love lives? Anybody got any exciting news?" His eyes flicked towards Joshua, lingering just a fraction too long.
Wooyoung, never one to let a golden opportunity pass, piped up, "Well, somebody might have received a wink from their boss today. Said it was romantic." He winked pointedly at Seonghwa. Then he stopped abruptly. "Oh god, please don't fall in love with me too."
Seonghwa groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Wooyoung, I swear..."
Mingyu's eyebrows shot up. "A wink? From your boss? That's... good. Good for you, Hwa. Hongjoong-hyung will surely come around." He patted his brother's shoulder.
He looked back at Joshua, a playful glint in his eyes. "What about you, Shua? Any winking going on in your life?"
Joshua’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink. "No winking," he said quickly, then added, "Just... uh... paperwork."
Jeonghan snorted quietly, earning another glare from Seonghwa. He whispered to Wooyoung, "Paperwork? Is that code?"
Mingyu chuckled, his fond gaze fixed on Joshua. "Paperwork, huh? Sounds thrilling. Maybe I should volunteer to help you with some. I’m surprisingly good at organizing."
"Since when?" Seonghwa asked with a confused look on his face. "Since ever, hyung. I organized mom's home office." Mingyu answered, proud of himself. Seonghwa snorted, "You broke her copier, that's what you did." Mingyu glared at his brother.
"Okay, okay, I might have slightly damaged the copier attempting to fix it, but the filing was impeccable!" Mingyu protested, throwing his hands up in mock defense. "Besides," he continued, turning back to Joshua with a hopeful smile, "I promise I won't break anything at your place. Just think of the possibilities! Alphabetic filing, color-coded folders, a perfectly optimized workspace..."
Joshua chuckled, a genuine, warm sound that made Mingyu's heart do a little flip. "Color-coded folders? You're really selling it, Mingyu." He paused, considering. "I mean... my desk is a bit of a disaster zone..."
"Say no more! Consider it done. I'll even bring my label maker," Mingyu declared, practically bouncing in his seat. "We can label everything!"
Wooyoung and Jeonghan were practically vibrating with suppressed laughter. “Ok,” Joshua smiled softly, “if you insist. I’m looking forward to it.”
At that moment, the café door opened and none other than Kim Hongjoong, Seonghwa’s boss, walked in. A collective intake of breath swept across their little group. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on Seonghwa, and he smiled warmly.
Hongjoong winked, that familiar, heart-stopping wink. "Hi Seonghwa! What a coincidence!" Seonghwa, flustered but thrilled, beamed back. "Hongjoong! Hey!"
Jeonghan whispered to Wooyoung, "Someone's nervous tic must be acting up."