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Chapter Text

In hindsight, Kyuhyun should have known that that was the reason why he just couldn’t take his eyes off Kim Jongwoon. 

The moment contestant number 3 appeared from the curtains, walked on stage with a bashful but bright smile, dressed in a clean-cut dark blazer, baggy jeans, and a vintage graphic tee, Kyuhyun found his eyes drifting towards the man again and again, even as he tried his best to focus on his script. When it was finally the man’s turn to give his self-introduction, Kyuhyun had to pretend like he hadn’t already stole a good 23 glances at him while waiting for this moment to come. 

Kim Jongwoon courteously introduced himself as a cafe owner who likes to sing, compose, visit exhibitions, drink coffee, and watch movies in his free time. He is the loving pet mom of two puppies and one kitty, and he was on the show because his dongsaeng signed him up for it without his knowledge. Even though he got the shock of his life when the casting call actually reached him, and a round of Tom-and-Jerryesque wrestling ensued between him and his dongsaeng, Kim Jongwoon still decided to come onto the show because he wanted to see if he could learn anything new about love and relationships.

Now, Kyuhyun had been a panellist on this dating show for three seasons, and a celebrity for way longer, but despite meeting so many other attractive and outstanding individuals, he found himself unnecessarily drawn to Kim Jongwoon’s delicate features and genuine sincerity. He wasn’t sure what kind of expression he was wearing, but he must have been staring way too intently and obviously, because he could tell Kim Jongwoon was getting nervous from his attention after they made eye contact straight on every time the older peeked at him. 

It was also way out of the norm for Kyuhyun to deviate from the scripted list of questions to ask the contestants, but he just couldn’t help himself. Even his panel of co-hosts exchanged curious glances with one another as he leaned forward to speak. 

“Jongwoon-ssi, do you have an ideal type, then? Since you said that you’re just on the show to learn more about love, then do you have someone in mind that you wish to meet through the show by chance too?”

All eyes were on Kim Jongwoon, even the other participants, as everyone waited for his reply. Kyuhyun also realised that Kim Jongwoon was the kind of person to take his time with choosing the right words for his answers, because Kyuhyun loved the way Kim Jongwoon responded, despite how impromptu and random his question was. 

“I… I don’t think I have an ideal type, Kyuhyun-ssi. I think that if I’m genuinely interested and in love with a person, I’ll learn to put up with qualities and habits of theirs that I would otherwise not tolerate. I think being open to changing boundaries and fitting into a new mould of myself because of love is an important part of loving and coexisting with someone.” 

Both men held their shared gaze for a moment, as if they were sizing each other up. Then, Kyuhyun finally broke and smiled reassuringly at the older, which made Kim Jongwoon return a cautious but sincere smile too. The moment was over, and the other hosts had already started gesturing for the next contestants to speak. Kim Jongwoon refocused his attention to the other participants as much as possible, even though he could feel the right side of his body burning under the gaze of someone from the panellist area for the rest of the show. 

-

There were eight of them, four men and four women. As with the previous seasons, the show would allow the participants to interact with one another in a specific setting so that they could get to know each other better. For this episode, the participants were supposed to travel to a beachside villa together and stay for a night. 

Kyuhyun watched the segment unfold with laser focus. He found himself biting down on his lip to contain the scowl on his face whenever he saw another participant outrightly flirting with Kim Jongwoon or whenever Kim Jongwoon acted kindly to someone else. He couldn’t help the ‘tsk’ that escaped his lips when one of the girls shyly admitted to Kim Jongwoon that he was her ideal type when they were alone in the kitchen making coffee for the rest of the participants. 

Was this jealousy? Probably. Kyuhyun didn’t care. Was this rational? Probably not. Kyuhyun didn’t care. All Kyuhyun knew, was that he already took a liking to Kim Jongwoon since the moment he laid eyes on the older. And he would not let go of Kim Jongwoon when he hadn’t even had the chance to woo the other man yet. 

As the show played on, every little pieces of information that Kim Jongwoon revealed about himself were also added to Kyuhyun’s repertoire of knowledge of the other man. He knew that these would come in handy when he eventually starts pursuing Kim Jongwoon. Kyuhyun also found himself growing fonder and fonder of the other man as every bits and pieces of the Kim Jongwoon enigma slowly unravelled. 

When the episode finally ended after watching three hours worth of the content filmed, Kyuhyun thought he couldn’t be anymore enamoured by one Kim Jongwoon. So like the strategist and go-getter that he was, Kyuhyun upped and headed straight to the waiting room of the contestants the moment the director yelled ‘cut’ for the day’s filming. 

Not wanting too much attention to be drawn to him or Kim Jongwoon, Kyuhyun opted to wait quietly in a blindspot along the corridor. As he waited and watched the different participants shuffle their way out of the room, Kyuhyun absentmindedly fixed his hair and adjusted the lapels of his blazer jacket. 

The moment Kim Jongwoon stepped out of the room with his bag and jacket in tow, Kyuhyun leapt out of the corner and appeared in front of the man he had been waiting for. Kim Jongwoon yelped in surprise and instinctively landed a punch on Kyuhyun’s shoulder. When he realised who it was in front of him though, the older swallowed hard. Kyuhyun could tell that that Kim Jongwoon was trying to stifle the curse words that were threatening to spill out from his lips. The younger wondered how long it would take for him to unlock Kim Jongwoon’s first cursing directed at him. 

“Yah… Cho Kyuhyun-ssi. Do you always like to scare people like this?”

Up close, Kyuhyun could even smell the powdery scent of Kim Jongwoon’s perfume. 

“Only to you, Kim Jongwoon-ssi. Do you think I can speak to you in private for a minute?”

Kim Jongwoon nodded cautiously, and without any warning, Kyuhyun took Kim Jongwoon’s hand in his and tugged him towards an empty waiting room. A thrill of excitement shot up through Kyuhyun’s spine at the thought of this being the first skin on skin contact shared between them. The way Kim Jongwoon didn’t put up any resistance, and was just following him unresistingly, also made Kyuhyun unexpectedly satisfied. 

The pair only separated their hands when Kim Jongwoon pulled away once Kyuhyun had closed and locked the door. The older was leaning against the back of the sofa, with his arms folded, the look on his face challenging Kyuhyun to test his boundaries. 

“Cho Kyuhyun-ssi… May I know what’s the meaning of this? What is it that you have to tell me?” 

The Kim Jongwoon right now felt like a different person. Not completely. But anyone who was paying close enough attention could tell that this Kim Jongwoon in front of Kyuhyun had an air of playfulness and authority that hinted that he was not just the gentle and patient hyung and oppa in front of the cameras. Kyuhyun’s heart rejoiced quietly at unlocking a new side of this hyung, even if it wasn’t his intention to do so. This just made the younger even more intrigued and eager to pick apart the puzzle that was Kim Jongwoon. 

“Can I call you ‘hyung’? Jongwoon hyung?”

Kim Jongwoon quirked an eyebrow at him. The little action was so hot that Kyuhyun doubted for a moment if he was truly the famous celebrity that was supposed to be unphased and confident. And just because of that small micro-expression, Kyuhyun was in a dilemma — he was so flustered by how attractive Kim Jongwoon was that his eyes instinctively wanted to look away at anything but the man, but the greedy part of him couldn’t bring himself to look away from the older man that was oozing quiet sexiness. After all, it would be a waste if beautiful things weren’t admired wholeheartedly, right? 

“I don’t think my answer matters much, right? You’re going to do it anyway.” 

“You seem to know me very well? Jongwoon hyung.”

“It’s hard to not know you, Cho Kyuhyun-ssi. You’re basically everywhere. Every other variety show, every channel, every song on the radio, every billboard — even if I don’t want to see your face around, I can’t.” 

In that moment, Kyuhyun’s heart sank a little. He was suddenly hit with the realisation that, compared to him, who still had to figure his way out into Kim Jongwoon Jongwoon hyung’s heart through the process of trial and error, Jongwoon, on the other hand, already had formed his own impression of who Cho Kyuhyun was like as a person. And Kyuhyun didn’t like that. He didn’t like that he had no control over what Jongwoon already thought of him. The Cho Kyuhyun that was presented to Jongwoon so far, was only the Cho Kyuhyun that Kyuhyun wanted the public to see, not the Cho Kyuhyun that he would present to someone he wished to pursue. 

“But I’m sure… that there is a different side to you that I’m not seeing yet, Cho Kyuhyun-ssi, beneath all that award-winning entertainer persona that you’re showing everyone.” The older spoke up again before Kyuhyun could come up with a reply. This time, Jongwoon sounded so genuine and patient, none of the haughtiness from minutes before, and just like the Jongwoon in the show that was kind and warm. 

Kyuhyun caught himself before he could jerk in surprise at how Jongwoon knew exactly what he was thinking about. He didn’t think he was an easy person to read most of the time, especially after so many years of being in the cutthroat entertainment industry. 

“You…… You’re something, Jongwoon hyung.” Kyuhyun started to approach the other man slowly, as if each step was calculated to make Jongwoon feel cornered. Jongwoon naturally started backing away. The two continued their little flirtatious dance of one step forward, one step back, until Jongwoon, very predictably, hit his back against the dressing table in the corner of the room. 

Now, it was Jongwoon’s turn to panic, his eyes shifted between darting around the room and focusing on the younger who was only sauntering closer with a laser focus on himself. When Kyuhyun finally came to a halt, their shoes were touching toe to toe, and Kyuhyun had his arms resting on the table, effectively caging Jongwoon in his circle. Of course. How fucking cliche. It’s like I’m in a dating show. Oh wait. Jongwoon thought. 

“This feels like a very inappropriate distance between colleagues, Cho Kyuhyun-ssi.” 

Somehow, that only made Kyuhyun lean in further. “But I’m not dating show panellist Cho Kyuhyun right now. I’m just Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun that wants to be closer to you… the Kyuhyun that wants to pursue you, Jongwoon hyung.” 

The frankness of it all, sent a shockwave through Jongwoon. He had no idea how Cho Kyuhyun could be so brazen with his intentions. The fact that the two of them had only been properly acquainted just a few hours ago made Jongwoon all the more curious and intimidated by the younger’s forwardness. 

“Cho Kyuhyun-ssi. You. Are. Such. A. Sweet. Talker. It’s making me not want to come closer to you.” 

“This is actually very genuine of me, Jongwoon hyung. Is it really sweet talk if I’m just being truthful with you?”

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. Both men considering each other’s intentions and admiring the other’s features up close at the same time. He might not have noticed it himself, but Jongwoon started to inch his body closer to Kyuhyun too. 

Eventually, Jongwoon broke the silence. “We just met today. Literally a few hours ago. I don’t even belong to your world of glitz and glamour.” 

“That’s great. That just means I have so much more to uncover and learn about you, hyung. I’m an earnest student, you know that too. Don’t I have that reputation from my shows? You said that you wanted to learn more about love, right? You said you would learn to grow into a new mould of yourself as a lover if you’re genuinely interested in someone. Will you let me learn about you in the same way?” 

Probably a little belatedly, Kyuhyun realised that Jongwoon’s bare arms were decorated with tattoos all over the smooth and tanned skin. He blamed his earlier self for being too fixated on the older’s pretty face to notice this. But now that his eyes had strayed away and caught sight of the beautiful inked lines on Jongwoon’s skin, Kyuhyun was enraptured. 

“Your tattoos are so pretty, hyung. I would say it’s a shame that you had to cover them up when we are broadcasting, but I think I’m pretty glad that only I will get to see them instead of everyone else.”

Thrown off by the abrupt change in topic and the unexpected compliment paired with blatant possessiveness, Jongwoon could only muster up a meek “Oh. Thank you…” 

“Can I touch them?” 

“…Go ahead……” 

Kyuhyun’s fingers danced across Jongwoon’s arms with feather-like caress. His fingertips traced every inked line, even the finest ones. Jongwoon hated how he trembled under the other man’s wispy touches. The whole time, Kyuhyun’s eyes simply followed the trail of art across the canvas of Jongwoon’s skin. He was so focused on Jongwoon’s body that he was even hunched over to get a closer look at the tattoos. And Jongwoon could only stare down at the younger’s handsome face, equally mesmerised by the elegant curves of Kyuhyun’s features. 

The shared moment suddenly came to a standstill when Kyuhyun was done studying Jongwoon’s tattoos like he was in an exam. He looked up at the older, only to meet the sharp eyes of Jongwoon who was already staring down at him. Both men’s heart skipped a bit, and their throats visibly swallowed hard. 

Kyuhyun was the first to break the trance between them. His fingers that were already resting steadily on Jongwoon’s skin lingered one last time at Jongwoon’s wrist, before gliding down to catch the older’s hands. With slow and gentle movements, as if he was giving Jongwoon enough time to process and pull away from him, he held the older’s hands and brought it up to his lips. The kiss that graced the black stars on Jongwoon’s ring and middle fingers was warm and oddly intimate. For the nth time since Kyuhyun ushered him into the room, Jongwoon trembled. 

“So gorgeous… Your tattoos are so gorgeous, Jongwoon hyung.” 

“Y-You don’t pass off as the type to have an eye for tattoos, Cho Kyuhyun-ssi.”

“I don’t usually care about them. But they decorate your skin so prettily.” Kyuhyun was still holding Jongwoon’s hand close to his lips. Jongwoon wasn’t sure if his palms were growing clammy because he was nervous or because of the warm air from Kyuhyun’s mouth hitting against his skin. 

“T-Thank you.” 

“Are there any other tattoos on you that I haven’t seen yet?” 

That was as heavy as an invitation that it could get between them, and Jongwoon knew that. What Jongwoon didn’t know, was that it took Kyuhyun’s genius brain working over time to stop his mouth from blurting out something way more uncouth and way more desperate. Something like I want to kiss you all over your body, tattoo or not, hyung or Please, please give me a chance to be closer to you, Jongwoon.

They were moving too fast, especially for Jongwoon, who didn’t even know if the mole under Cho Kyuhyun’s eye was real or not until just a few hours ago after their first meeting. So even though every particle in the older was screaming at how attractive the other man was, he chose an answer that gave them both enough leeway and time to think things through, outside of the obvious cloud of lust and superficial attraction. 

“I sure do, Cho Kyuhyun-ssi. But I’m afraid you would need to work harder to have access to them. I’m not an easy guy, you know?” 

Surprisingly, instead of being upset at the mild rejection, Kyuhyun smiled at that. 

“I never said you’re easy, hyung. That’s why I said that I’m going to pursue you, right?” 

Jongwoon returned the smile. A part of him was relieved that the younger didn’t try to come on him harder, because if he actually did, Jongwoon himself wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t cave in right there and then. 

“But hyung,” Kyuhyun continued, “can’t you just call me by my name… don’t be so formal with me… and can you cut down on your flirting with the other contestants… I’ll get jealous otherwise…”

“I’m not even flirting with anyone…”

“You don’t even have to flirt on purpose! You are naturally charming!” 

“Then how is that my problem… and this is a dating show… you’re literally the panellist… you should know better…”

“I told you I’m not that Cho Kyuhyun right now! I’m Kyuhyun, hyung. Just Kyuhyun. Can you say my name, hyung?”

“……”

“Hyung!”

“Don’t push your luck…”

“Hyung~”

“I’m leaving now… See you next week for the next episode…”

“Hyung!?” 

Jongwoon was out of the door before he knew it. But Kyuhyun couldn’t even be mad about it. He had willingly let Jongwoon slip out of his arms after all. 

-

Lesson 1: Push and pull

Chapter Text

Just like Jongwoon said, the next time they met was on the set of the next episode’s filming.

Even though it was going to be his second time filming for the show, Jongwoon found himself equally nervous as before. He might even be more nervous than he was the previous time. All because of one Cho Kyuhyun. 

Jongwoon was so, so confused. The last thing he would have expected was to somehow pique the interest of the nation’s favourite Cho Kyuhyun when he agreed to join the show. And worse still, he didn’t think he would get the chance to be in such close proximity with one of his long time man crushes. 

And now, at least he knew that the mole under Cho Kyuhyun’s eye was real!! It was actually real! He finally got the answer to the age-old question that he would always mull over when he watched Cho Kyuhyun’s shows and stared at Cho Kyuhyun’s selfies! 

Jongwoon wouldn’t proclaim himself the biggest fan of the celebrity at all, but Cho Kyuhyun really just had a very nice face to ogle at. Jongwoon was simply using Cho Kyuhyun for eye-candy needs, if he could describe it himself. And he wouldn’t put it past him to admit that maybe 23% of the reason why he agreed to going on the show was to have a chance to admire Cho Kyuhyun’s handsomeness in person, instead of through the boring screens that did not seem to do justice to the regal features of the other man. 

Never in a million years, would he have even entertained the possibility of Cho Kyuhyun, THE Cho Kyuhyun, to actually corner him and boldly declare his intentions of wooing him. Like wasn’t that just crazy??? 

After Jongwoon scampered out of the waiting room last week, he decided to put himself through a self-designed plan of exposure therapy. He made himself listen to Cho Kyuhyun’s songs all morning long, watch Cho Kyuhyun’s shows all day long, and read up on Cho Kyuhyun updates all night long — all in hopes of forcing himself to be more accustomed and less jumpy around Cho Kyuhyun’s overwhelming aura for subsequent weeks of recording. 

After an hour of getting his makeup done and waiting for the right cue from the stagehands, Jongwoon finally emerged from backstage again and onto the set. He tried hard to not make it too obvious that he was very keen on looking straight at Cho Kyuhyun who was sitting in the panellist area, but it was hard. Not even a few minutes later, Jongwoon found himself trying to take a quick peek at the other man, only for their eyes to meet head on. 

Jongwoon averted his eyes away immediately like he had just seen something he shouldn’t have. Cho Kyuhyun had styled his hair down this time, and he looked like a soft puppy. It was such a departure from last week’s Cho Kyuhyun that had his hair up, forehead exposed, tailored suit clinging snugly to his body. Jongwoon was suddenly reminded of his two puppies at home. 

The show proceeded as per usual. After last week’s filming, Jongwoon had more or less familiarised himself with the tempo and atmosphere of the set, so it was also easier for him to let loose a little and joke around with the other participants more. 

It was also when he was in the midst of laughing at a joke from another participant, did his eyes stray and catch sight of Cho Kyuhyun, who was doubling over in laughter so hard that he had to lean onto the panellist beside him. Oh!

The image almost made Jongwoon somber up instantly. Oh! Okay! 

Was this what Cho Kyuhyun felt when he said he was jealous of Jongwoon interacting with other participants? Oh! Okay then!

For the rest of the filming, Jongwoon would continue to witness Cho Kyuhyun leaning in close to whisper lowly into the ears of the other panellists, let others put their arms over him, make teasing eye contact with others and laugh happily at their little inside jokes. 

So! That’s! How! It! Is!

Cut down on your flirting, he said. I’ll get jealous otherwise, he said. 

Your face! See if I’ll still let you call me ‘hyung’! 

By the time the recording concluded, Jongwoon was in a pretty bad mood. Stupid Cho Kyuhyun with his stupid double standards and stupid words. Jongwoon also knew that Cho Kyuhyun would definitely pull a stunt like last week and try to corner him again after the show. So the moment the team called for an end to the session, Jongwoon made a dash for the waiting room and scrambled to gather his belongings. 

In record time, he arrived at the lift lobby to wait for the lift. So much for pursuing me, Cho Kyuhyun. So much for getting jealous, Cho Kyuhyun. I’ll go one for one with you next week! I’ll flirt with every single participant in the room! I’ll flirt even with the panellists! I’ll flirt even with the stray dogs on the— 

The lift door opened to reveal none other than Cho Kyuhyun. 

AMAZING. JUST AMAZING. MY LIFE IS A SITCOM. JUST WHO I WAS NOT AVOIDING. Without any hesitation, Jongwoon pivoted on one foot and turned to make his way to the emergency staircase instead. 

Not even one step later, Jongwoon felt himself being tugged backwards. He had half-expected this to happen, so he didn’t even try to put up a fight when he was pulled into the lift by the younger. Jongwoon went along with it, and now, he was standing awkwardly beside Cho Kyuhyun, with Cho Kyuhyun’s arm still wrapped around his waist. 

The moment the lift door closed, Jongwoon tried to step out of the other man’s arm. Cho Kyuhyun reacted faster than he could move even a tiny bit by tightening his hold on Jongwoon. Jongwoon felt the impatience rising in him and started pushing at the other’s pesky arm. 

“Yah. Cho Kyuhyun. Get off me.” 

“You’re avoiding me. Why?”

Jongwoon didn’t even want to look in the direction of Cho Kyuhyun’s face even though it was just inches away. It would just remind him of the younger’s closeness with other people earlier. He continued to smack Cho Kyuhyun’s arm like a kid throwing a tantrum. 

“I’m not avoiding you. Get off me!” 

“You ran off so quickly after we finished filming. You knew that I would come looking for you, right? The moment you saw me in the lift, you wanted to run away too.”

“I… I’m… I’m just rushing off! I have dinner plans!” 

“With who?”

“None of your business!”

“No, with who?” 

Jongwoon was still trying to pull Cho Kyuhyun’s arms off of his waist. It was like the other time he tried to put on leather pants without any baby powder: impossible. Cho Kyuhyun’s grip was NOT budging.

“I said: It’s none of your business!”

The lift doors opened as they reached the basement level. Cho Kyuhyun dragged Jongwoon out of the lift, and into the carpark. From his peripheral vision, Jongwoon could tell that Cho Kyuhyun had his lips pursed, and even though the younger looked relatively calm, Jongwoon could feel that Cho Kyuhyun was NOT happy. And an unhappy Cho Kyuhyun really was a pretty scary Cho Kyuhyun. Jongwoon thought it felt like he was facing the calm before the storm, so he knew to not push his luck with it if he didn’t want them to start making a scene in a public space. 

Begrudgingly, Jongwoon followed along (he had to anyway, Cho Kyuhyun’s arms around him did not relent one bit) until the pair reached a black car. Without a word, Cho Kyuhyun unlocked the car, pushed Jongwoon into the passenger seat, buckled his seatbelt for him, and hopped into the driver side of the car in one swift motion. Everything happened so fast that Jongwoon didn’t even have time to consider taking the chance to run away. 

Being in the same car, in a small and confined space, sharing the same oxygen with the man he had always found attractive was making Jongwoon’s heart do gymnastics. It felt like all his annoyance and defiance from before had dissipated after the short walk from the lift to the car. Now, Jongwoon was oddly meek and awkward in the car seat as he played with his fingers. Out of instincts, he brought his hand to his mouth to bite at his nails. 

After just one singular tug at his nail with his teeth, his hand was pulled away. 

“Hyung, do you always bite your nails?” 

The reprimanding tone from Cho Kyuhyun made Jongwoon feel more wronged than expected. He didn’t even do it on purpose! It was instincts! A habit! Who did this guy think he was…! He’s the hyung! Cho Kyuhyun can’t scold him! So rude! So mean! 

So in a very hyung-like fashion, Jongwoon pulled his hand away from Cho Kyuhyun, and actually pouted. He stared at his fingers in his lap, and just pouted. Fine! First, you made me jealous. Then, you made me scamper around to avoid you like I’m the one who did something wrong, and now, you are scolding me?! As someone four years younger than me!? Cho Kyuhyun, you’re sooooo not going to woo my ass successfully!

Seeing how Jongwoon stayed mum and was just staring pitifully at his hands, Kyuhyun felt his heart soften. The unhappiness from realising that Jongwoon was running away from him dampening — how could he stay upset when Jongwoon was looking like such a poor thing? He sighed and reached over to envelop the older’s hands in his. “What’s wrong, Jongwoon hyung? Bad mood today?”

“……”

“What happened?” 

“Nothing……”

“Did something happen during filming?”

“………”

So something did happen during filming… “What happened during filming?”

“Nothing…”

“Jongwoon hyung~”

“I want to leave…”

“Jongwoon hyung~ Don’t be like that~ Tell me~” 

“Can I please leave……”

“Hyung~ What’s wrong~”

Hearing such cute pleas should have made Jongwoon cave in immediately by usual standards, no matter who they came from, but especially if they came from Cho Kyuhyun. However, the pleading tone was so reminiscent of Cho Kyuhyun’s cute antics from an hour ago when he was acting all cute  and hyper to the other panellists, that Jongwoon only felt more disgruntled. 

“Yah… Don’t talk to me like that……”

Thinking that the hyung was only blenching because of his grown man aegyo, Kyuhyun simply doubled down on his whiny voice. “Jongwoon hyung~~~ Tell me~” 

This finally got Jongwoon to break his silence. Enough!!!! ENOUGH!!! 

“Yah! Cho Kyuhyun! Are you not ashamed? Guilty? Who was the one that clung onto me last week and begged me “Hyung~~~ Hyung~ Don’t flirt with others, please! I’ll get jealous, hyung! Please, please, please, hyung hyung hyung!”? Then, who was the one that was having soooooooooooo much fun today falling into the arms of the people around him because the show was soooooo funny apparently that he had to laugh sooooooo hard and get all up in other’s space?! Is it me!? It’s not me! It’s you! You’re sooooooo sly, Cho Kyuhyun. I had enough! I will not be fooled by your big brown eyes! Pursue me my ass! I’ll laugh and fall into someone’s arms next week and show you what’s up! Don’t try to corner me again! I don’t want to talk to you anymore! Because… because you’re such a liar! And a flirt!” 

Jongwoon had to heave deep breaths after the long and continuous rant. 

On the other hand, Kyuhyun was starstruck. 

Jongwoon… Jongwoon hyung was… JONGWOON HYUNG WAS JEALOUS?!?!?!?!?!

JEALOUS? JONGWOON? ME? BECAUSE OF ME? ALREADY? SCOREEEEEEEE!!!

So extremely pleased with the concept of a jealous Jongwoon, Kyuhyun could only stare at the older giddily. He only came out of the trance when he saw the hyung trying to escape from the car. Kyuhyun managed to lock the car so quickly he surprised even himself. The loud click from the lock resonated loudly through the car. Jongwoon slumped back into the seat.

“……”

“……”

“Unlock the car!” Jongwoon was all red now after realising how embarrassing his little rant was. He should have known that he always gets carried away when he’s annoyed! Meanwhile, Kyuhyun was going to pass out from happiness. Jongwoon was jealous! I wasn’t the only one that got jealous!!! Jongwoon was jealous too!!!

“So…… Hyung was upset because hyung was jealous?” Even a deaf person would be able to hear the smugness from Kyuhyun’s voice. 

“No! Never!”

“Jongwoon hyung~ You’re so cute~ I like you~” Kyuhyun tried to reach out and pinch Jongwoon’s cheeks. His hands were slapped away immediately and violently. He was so endeared. 

“Let me go!”

“Jongwoon hyung, I thought you watched my shows? Don’t you know that that’s just how I act on shows? It’s for variety effect, hyung~ Variety! Effect! I only like you~”

“……”

“You think I go around cornering people in waiting rooms and telling them I want to chase after them? I’m Cho Kyuhyun! I only do things I’m sure of.”

“…… How can you be sure of me? We just met last week.”

“I know that too, but it just feels right to me, hyung. We won’t ever know if we are right for each other until we tried.”

“……”

“Maybe I’m coming off too strong, hyung. But a little voice is also whispering in my ear, telling me that to woo a Kim Jongwoon, I need to be upfront and honest. Is the little voice right?” 

“……”

“Is he right, hyung?”

“He’s right…”

As if Cho Kyuhyun wasn’t already all up in Jongwoon’s space, the man leaned over even further, imposing his steady presence in the older’s personal space. Jongwoon could feel goosebumps appearing on his arms from the proximity. 

“Then, first date? This Saturday night? Me and you?” 

Before Jongwoon could even consider the proposal — 

“I’ll kiss you now if you reject me.”

“WHAT.” 

“So… see you this Saturday? Or do you want the kiss, hyung?”

“Saturday! I’ll see you on Saturday!” 

What happened to not letting yourself be pursued?! Kim Jongwoon!!? You have no backbone when it comes to handsome men!? Jongwoon had to tell the voice in his head to shut up. 

Finally getting what he wanted, Cho Kyuhyun retreated back to his seat. Jongwoon wanted to wipe the stupid, giddy smile off of the younger’s face, but he knew that his own cheeks were also pink with embarrassment. 

“I’m looking forward to our first date, then!” Cho Kyuhyun started the car proper and started to get ready to move out of the parking spot. “I can send you home, hyung. What’s your address?”

“Oh. I wasn’t lying about having plans… Uhhh, can you drop me off at this cafe?”

Jongwoon was only met with silence for his question. Cho Kyuhyun didn’t even take a single look at Jongwoon’s phone that had the name and address of the cafe that he was supposed to meet his dongsaeng Ryeowook at. The half-frown-half-pout also returned to Cho Kyuhyun’s lips. 

“Who is hyung going out with?” 

???

“My dongsaeng…?”

“You sure have a lot of dongsaengs.”

“Are you seriously jealous……”

Cho Kyuhyun had his arms planted still on the steering wheel. He wasn’t even looking at Jongwoon. What the hell. Why did it feel like their roles got reversed within seconds?! 

“Cho Kyuhyun… I’m just meeting my dongsaeng for a short catch-up… He’s literally married already…” 

Instantly, Cho Kyuhyun brightened up. 

“Oh! In that case! I’ll be at your service! Send me the address~”

“……” 

After wasting ten minutes on their childish back and forth in the car, Kyuhyun finally drove off. And throughout the 30 minutes car ride, he did not miss the chance to unnecessarily put his hand on Jongwoon’s thigh and arm whenever he was braking or turning a corner. Jongwoon would slap his the pesky hands away each time, but the blush that remained on his cheeks did not fade even until he greeted Ryeowook at the cafe. 

-

Lesson 2: Jealousy tastes sweet if your attention follows  

Chapter Text

After deliberating for two hours in front of the mirror, Jongwoon settled for a denim jacket and loose black pants for his outfit. Before he stepped out of the door, he grabbed a pair of dark-rimmed glasses too to complete the look. 

With his heart skipping a few beats, he reached the apartment complex’s carpark, where a familiar black car was already parked. 

It’s just a dinner, it’s just a dinner… It’s just a dinner!!! 

Jongwoon chanted internally, with every step that brought him closer and closer to a certain someone that had been on his mind for the past few days. Since their last meeting on set on Wednesday, the two had exchanged numbers and continued to chat through texts. To Jongwoon’s surprise, despite Kyuhyun’s busy schedule, the younger was the one that was more active in their conversations. It had also been a long time since Jongwoon would wake up to Good morning, hyung~ messages on a daily basis. Jongwoon hated to admit it, but tiny gestures like this from Kyuhyun were slowly but surely making it harder and harder for Jongwoon to maintain his self-control to prevent himself from touching and hugging and sticking close to Kyuhyun more.

Through their texts, Kyuhyun insisted on picking him up from his home even though Jongwoon equally insisted that it was fine, that he could get to their dinner spot himself just fine. So that was where Jongwoon was at now — making his way towards Kyuhyun’s car, about to spend the next 20 minutes in an enclosed space with the younger, whose presence had been so consistently overwhelming since they first met. 

Before Jongwoon could even reach the car, the door on the driver’s side opened suddenly, revealing a casually dressed Kyuhyun in just a simple off-white sweater, the ends of his hair styled into slight curls that look like little commas. The pale tone of the sweater really accentuated how milky Kyuhyun’s skin was, which in turn made the tiny mole under his eyes stand out even more. Jongwoon watched as Kyuhyun strolled over to him with the happiest smile, his own feet now rooted to the ground as he tried to process how boyfriend good the younger looked. 

“Hi hyung.”

“Oh… hi. You… You look good.”

Not sure if it was even physically possible, but Jongwoon thought Kyuhyun seemed to glow even brighter at his words. 

“I was just about to say that you look very gorgeous, Jongwoon hyung. Very delicious too.” 

Jongwoon raised a hand to try and hit the other man, but Kyuhyun simply caught his hand and pulled him closer towards himself. 

“I thought I would be able to see more of your tattoos today, hyung. But you look so good in this outfit that I can’t even complain.” And as if the older wasn’t already caught off guard enough by their sudden proximity and Kyuhyun’s forwardness, the younger dropped a short kiss on his forehead. “You look so cute in the glasses too… How do you look good in everything?” 

The blush high on Jongwoon’s cheeks reminded Jongwoon that it was very unbecoming of him as a hyung to be so easily flustered by someone four years younger than him, but he could not for the love of god muster up any strength to push Kyuhyun away (he didn’t want to anyway). 

“Stop… Stop being so…” Jongwoon tried to search for the right words in his cloudy mind that was saturated with playbacks of Kyuhyun’s forehead kiss for him. “…… Stop being so much! You’re too much!” He shoved the younger away (finally) and stormed towards the car, all while avoiding eye contact with a clearly entertained Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun’s amused laughter rang throughout the empty carpark as he jogged after his hyung to open the car door for the other man.

Jongwoon’s disgrunted mumble of Stop treating me like a princess… only made Kyuhyun laugh harder as the younger even helped to buckle the seatbelt for him. 

A 20 minutes drive later with both men making small talks to hide their thinly-veiled nervousness and excitement, the two arrived at a Japanese restaurant where they were quickly escorted to a private room with a tatami-style seating. They sat down and ordered their food, with Kyuhyun making mental notes when Jongwoon shared about his food preferences. They were definitely going to go on more dates in the future after all! The food was served not too long later, and right when the door closed after the waitress left, Kyuhyun got up from his place, walked around the table, and planted himself down on the seat cushion beside Jongwoon instead. 

“… What are you doing???”

“So I can feed you better?” 

“YOU’RE NOT FEEDING ME.” 

“Oh, hyung? I just meant it would be easier for me to take food for you. What were you thinking?” 

Jongwoon gave up on trying to defend himself. Their dinner had barely started but why did it feel like he had already been teased too many times already. He hmphed, picked up a piece of food from the dishes, and dropped it into Kyuhyun’s plate. 

“Shut up. Eat.” 

Just like the car ride, both men ate their dinner while chatting comfortably. Kyuhyun would throw in teasing remarks here and there, and Jongwoon would either roll his eyes, pull Kyuhyun’s ear, push and punch Kyuhyun’s arm, or turn to glare at Kyuhyun. Bit by bit, the mental catalogue of Jongwoon hyung’s micro-expressions and habits was starting to fill up in Kyuhyun’s mind. 

“You’re so annoying!” 

At that particular remark from Jongwoon, however, instead of just letting the moment pass, Kyuhyun perked up at the keyword and leaned in closer to his hyung. 

“If I’m annoying, what are you going to do about it?” 

Thrown off by the abrupt and random question, Jongwoon sobered up from his quiet giggling. He turned to face the younger, only to realise that Kyuhyun was already inches away from him. 

“What?”

“Remember what you said last week on the show, hyung? You said you’ll learn to put up with qualities and habits that you would otherwise not tolerate if you’re genuinely interested in someone.”

How Kyuhyun managed to remember so clearly what he said, to the extent of reciting it out, verbatim, sent Jongwoon’s heart into a frenzy once again. If Kyuhyun was already this overwhelming without them being actual lovers, Jongwoon feared for his own heart when they do eventually get together proper. 

Perhaps Jongwoon was taking too long to react as he was caught up with his own thoughts, Kyuhyun took that as an invitation to move even closer, and now, with his large palm on Jongwoon’s thigh, in a bid to get his hyung’s attention. 

“So? Jongwoon hyung? Will you learn to put up with me? Change your boundaries? Even if I’m being annoying?” 

Are you genuinely interested in me? 

The unspoken question rang loud and clear through both men’s ears, a layer of ambiguous tension permeating through the air. Why did it suddenly feel so hot and hard to breath? It felt like time had stopped in the room, and it would not resume its course until Jongwoon gave an answer.

Jongwoon really wondered when he would be able to get used to how candid Kyuhyun was. 

“I… I……”

“Jongwoon hyung…” 

The heat from Kyuhyun’s hand on Jongwoon’s thigh was burning through the fabric of his pants, and spreading through his leg. It was such a stark contrast from the soft and low whisper from the younger murmuring his name beside his ear. 

“I… I’m putting up with you right now, aren’t I?” 

Jongwoon thought that response would get Kyuhyun to move away and he would finally have some space to breathe, but Kyuhyun actually shuffled closer, way too close for two men who were just on their first dinner date. The older was suddenly reminded of how he was cornered in the waiting room just last week after their very first meeting on set. Everything was moving faster than usual for Jongwoon’s usual expectations about dating and relationships, but oddly enough… he didn’t even feel that thrown off. It felt natural. Comfortable. As if the closeness between them was simply something they had long lost and found again. 

“Can I kiss you, Jongwoon hyung?”

Always so forward… Jongwoon swallowed hard, but he couldn’t bring himself to pretend like he wasn’t curious about whether the younger’s lips would feel as soft as they look. “You… You can. But not now. We’re still eating.” 

“I’m looking forward to our car ride later then.” 

So suggestive… But at that, Kyuhyun finally pulled away. The hand on Jongwoon’s thigh not leaving its steady spot though. Kyuhyun chuckled quietly whenever he would flex his hand in the slightest, and Jongwoon would have the cutest reactions of trembling through his whole body or jumping in his seat. More entries for Jongwoon hyung’s micro-expressions and habits.

The two continued with their food, and with every back and forth question and answer, they learnt more about each other. Even though Jongwoon had “known” Kyuhyun for years as a celebrity, it felt like he was unlearning and relearning many things about the other man too. Like how Kyuhyun only liked to hug people when it was on his own volition, how he had a knack for organising his necessities at home, how he liked to listen to city pop music even though he was a self-proclaimed ballad-only lover. The more Jongwoon listened to Kyuhyun share about himself, the more at ease he felt. It felt less like he was speaking to celebrity Cho Kyuhyun, but a cheeky yet mature dongsaeng Cho Kyuhyun whose hands had the tendency to poke and grab at him. 

On the other hand, Kyuhyun couldn’t stop thinking about how this was all destiny. So many years of meeting hundreds of people in and out of the entertainment industry, and it all culminated into meeting Jongwoon randomly during one of his shows. How lucky was he to trust his intuition that told him to go after Jongwoon the first time they met, right after the recording session ended. How coincidental was it for Jongwoon to know exactly how to push the right buttons to make Kyuhyun yearn for more of him. How miraculous was it for them to instantly click, as if the chemistry they shared was a product of many years of time together.

When the dinner finally came to an end, Kyuhyun almost couldn’t contain his eagerness anymore. For the past hour, he would repeatedly get distracted by Jongwoon’s moving lips as the older chewed or talked. What a cute pair of lips. Very kissable. Very delectable. The younger had no idea why he just couldn’t seem to keep his hands off his hyung. There was just an underlying attraction that was so strong — it felt like there was just an invisible force compelling him to constantly be in physical contact with Jongwoon. 

“I’ll send you home too, hyung.” 

They made their way to Kyuhyun’s car. The moment the car doors clicked shut, Kyuhyun was all up in Jongwoon’s space again. With his left hand, he cradled the older’s face, and with his right, he held onto Jongwoon’s arm, rubbing circles on the smooth skin subconsciously. 

“Can I finally kiss you now, Jongwoon hyung?” 

Jongwoon didn’t even remember his words from earlier until now. Right. He looked into Kyuhyun’s earnest and eager eyes, and tamped down all anxiousness in his throat. A part of him wished Kyuhyun wasn’t such a gentleman about this, then he wouldn’t even need to outrightly admit that he too wanted to feel Kyuhyun’s lips on him. If only Kyuhyun would just kiss him without asking and—

“Hyung, I’m gonna kiss you if you don’t say ‘no’ in one second.”

— “Yes.” 

— “One.” 

Jongwoon instinctively fluttered his eyes close once Kyuhyun’s lips descended upon his. It was their first kiss. Their mouths moved in natural tandem, complementing each other’s movements, sending giddy pleasure through their brains and bodies. Despite it being their first, there was nothing shy about the kiss — Kyuhyun’s hands were roaming all over the older’s neck and arms, Jongwoon was leaning so far into the younger that he was basically off his seat. 

When Jongwoon’s glasses got in the way, Kyuhyun swiftly plucked the accessory off his hyung’s face, threw it aside, and dived back into their kiss. Jongwoon lost himself in the softness of Kyuhyun’s lips (yeah, they were soft like he thought) as they licked and breathed in each other’s presence. Kyuhyun thought he might start clawing at Jongwoon’s thighs in desperation if he didn’t have the other man in his lap within the next minute. He needed Jongwoon’s body against his to quell the heat of desire spreading through his system.

Fortunately or unfortunately, some semblance of clarity was still somehow present in Jongwoon, even if it was tucked away far into the back of his mind. When Kyuhyun started tugging at Jongwoon to try and pull him into his lap, Jongwoon pushed themselves apart. 

Kyuhyun’s whimper in reaction to their separation almost made Jongwoon forgo his self-control. They stared at each other, forehead against forehead, still heaving, their hands still securely holding on each other’s bodies. For good luck, and because Kyuhyun looked so drop dead gorgeous with his eyes hooded and lips wet, Jongwoon rewarded Kyuhyun with one more kiss on the mouth, just a brief one, before pulling away fully. 

“We… Let’s not… We are still in public. We shouldn’t get too carried away.” 

“You can come over to my house, hyung.” 

“No… We shouldn’t. Next time. Maybe not the literal next time. Sometime next time. Another time… We have all the time.” 

We have all the time. 

Kyuhyun liked the sound of that. He had all the time to uncover his hyung’s sweet spots. For now, the imagination of Jongwoon in his room, under him, would suffice. 

“Another time… Yes. Okay.” Just to balance it out, Kyuhyun leaned in and dropped a kiss on Jongwoon’s lips too, only that his lingered longer. “I’ll wait for that day patiently, hyung. You’ll wait for me too, right?”

“Of course.” 

“One more kiss?” 

Jongwoon laughed. They kissed again. When Kyuhyun finally drove them off ten minutes later, one of each of their hands were interlocked tightly, resting on Jongwoon’s thigh. 

-

Lesson 3: What is yours, will be yours

Chapter Text

Whoever said Cho Kyuhyun was a calm and mature man was lying. 

Lying! 

Jongwoon sighed as he scanned through the inventory list of his cafe for the tenth time. He kept messing up his work at hand because his thoughts would veer off course to think about a particular man instead. 

“So Kim Jongwoon-ssi, we are mid way through this season of the show already — which contestant do you think you are compatible with? Anyone that caught your eye?” 

“Um. Well… I think everyone has been very kind to me. I really enjoy spending time with all the contestants, it feels nice to have a new group of friends that can hit it off well. Umm… as for compatibility, I think I share a lot of common interests with Hyoyeon-ssi? We both like music, and she’s always kind enough to laugh at my bad jokes.” Jongwoon chuckled awkwardly and fondly at the same time. “She’s a very sweet friend, hanging out with her is very comfortable. I don’t feel pressured to behave in a certain way to keep her entertained.”

The host quirked his brow in amusement. “Wow, Jongwoon-ssi. Sounds like you are very fond of Hyoyeon-ssi? Do you think this friendship will blossom into something more?”

“Ah… That’s too early to say. I’m just thankful and happy that we are good friends. Yeah.” 

Wasn’t that a completely acceptable and normal thing to say?! Friends! Good friends! Jongwoon literally said that they were just friends! And yet—

The moment Jongwoon’s individual interview clip was done playing, all the contestants and panellists ooh-ed and aah-ed noisily. Jongwoon had to cover his face in embarrassment as he was jostled around by others around him, while Hyoyeon was laughing her ass off on the other couch where all the female participants were seated. 

“Yah, oppa! You like me that much?” 

“No, no, no……”

“Eh? So you don’t like me? What happened to all the times I visited you at your cafes? All the money I spent on your coffees?! All the treats I bought for your dogs!? Wow, oppa, you’re seriously heartless.” 

“Yah… You were the one that insisted on paying, you even stuffed money down my shirt! I kept saying the coffees were on me! I kept telling you to stop bringing snacks for Kkomelo too! They are gonna get overweight at this rate because of you…” 

The banter between the two went on back and forth for another minute or so, and everyone else was happily cheering the pair on. Both Jongwoon and Hyoyeon knew that this was the kind of content that the producers were after to drive up viewership and engagement anyway, so they simply got more and more rowdy and loud as they egged each other on. 

Even after the whole debacle died down, Jongwoon was still reeling from all the attention that was on him and how fun it was to joke around with people he was comfortable with. As the show moved on to the next segment, Jongwoon took a quick scan around the studio, only to be met with Kyuhyun’s gloomy face. 

Oops. 

Caught up in the moment, Jongwoon had forgotten about a certain someone who was sitting amongst the panellists. Jongwoon had also forgotten how easily jealous the certain someone would get whenever he was on the show, despite him reiterating many times that it was just a show, that he genuinely did not have interest in anyone else, and excuse me, Cho Kyuhyun, you’re literally the panellist of this dating show, you would know how it works best, right!?

But alas. 

Kyuhyun’s face was very gloomy. Very dark. Way more stern than any other times that he was caught by Jongwoon for being unreasonably jealous. It didn’t take much brain power for the older to guess that Kyuhyun had been glaring at him or Hyoyeon for the past five minutes when they were joking around. 

When their eyes finally met, Kyuhyun didn’t even look like he wanted to spare Jongwoon another glance. The younger quickly looked away and avoided Jongwoon’s wandering eyes for the rest of the recording session. Jongwoon swore he even overheard one of the other panellists asking if Kyuhyun was feeling okay, since he didn’t have that many comments for that segment of the show. 

Jongwoon personally thought Kyuhyun would probably be pretty annoyed with him, but he couldn’t possibly be that upset, right? The older couldn’t be too sure either — Celebrity Cho Kyuhyun was still Celebrity Cho Kyuhyun even if he was a jealous Cho Kyuhyun, so the man still managed to power through the whole filming session professionally and wittily. If not for the minute twitch in his eye and the slight press of his lips whenever he was not speaking, Jongwoon wouldn’t even think that Kyuhyun was affected by his jealousy at all.

What made things worse was the fact that Jongwoon didn’t even have time to stay around after the recording ended. Even before he made his way to the broadcasting studio in the morning, he knew he had to rush off immediately after the session to help Jongjin with his wedding preparations. Jongwoon only had time to shoot a short text to Kyuhyun before he was quickly whisked away by his little brother to the bridal shop and subsequently dropped off at the cafes to tend to them while the rest of his family went on with menu tasting for the wedding. 

Are you upset with me? 

Was the text that went unanswered even though it had been more than seven hours since Jongwoon sent the message as he made his way out from the broadcasting building. Jongwoon would give the younger a call, but he didn’t know if Kyuhyun was busy doing celebrity things, and he wouldn’t want to disturb the busy man. 

Jongwoon sighed again. After finishing up with the stock check and closing down the register, he walked over to the cafe entrance to flip the ‘open’ sign to indicate that the place was finally closed. Then, he returned to the counter to make himself a cup of coffee to help him wind down after the long day. 

Coffee in his hand, just as he was about to make his way to his favourite corner of the room, the cafe door busted open. Jongwoon jerked and watched in alarm as Kyuhyun barged in noisily, his demeanour hasty and uncelebrity-like. 

“Kyuhyun? Yah, what are you doing? What if your fans spot you here?” 

The younger stormed over to where Jongwoon was seated. Up close, Jongwoon realised that the other man hadn’t even removed his make-up from his previous schedule. Kyuhyun came to an abrupt but decisive halt in front of Jongwoon. He was so near, but he remained standing, so Jongwoon had to really crane his neck to look up at the taller man. 

“Kim Jongwoon. I am upset with you.” 

That got Jongwoon to cower in guilt a little. He averted his eyes from Kyuhyun’s intense stare. “I… I know……” 

“You have never invited me to your cafes. And she stuffed money down your shirt?! You don’t even let me hold you by your waist! You would literally hit me when I try to do that! Neither did I buy treats for your puppies. Do you like her instead?” There was hurt in Kyuhyun’s voice. The weight that had been anchored on Jongwoon’s shoulder the whole day sank heavier on him. 

“What? No! I literally said that we are just friends! We have common interests so we have many things to talk about. That’s all. I’m dead serious! You don’t believe me? I really see Hyoyeon as a younger sister. Nothing else. I only—” Jongwoon cut himself off suddenly. 

“Only what?”

“I……”

“You what?”

“I— I only— I only have interest— in you……”

There was silence. 

Jongwoon couldn’t believe the words that just came out from his mouth. He was so embarrassed that he could only bring himself to have a stare-off with the cup of coffee in his hands instead of looking at anywhere near Kyuhyun’s eyes. Just as he was contemplating if he should make a run for his bag in the storeroom then he could dash out of the cafe to avoid Kyuhyun’s teasing that was to come, Jongwoon was startled by the other man plopping down heavily onto the chair across him. 

His own embarrassment forgotten, Jongwoon watched as Kyuhyun buried his face in his hands. The guttural noise that came out from Kyuhyun’s throat was all disgruntled and indignant. 

“This is bad… This is bad… You’re driving me so crazy and we are not even together yet… What am I going to do… Ah… Really, this is so bad for me.” 

Jongwoon swallowed hard at the blatant confession from the younger. He was heating up so much that he was feeling lightheaded. Stupid Cho Kyuhyun, stupid Cho Kyuhyun. That’s literally my train of thought too every time I’m with you! Jongwoon was at a loss for what to say in response while he simultaneously tried to navigate through all the incoherent thoughts and emotions in him. 

Kyuhyun still wasn’t coming out from his hiding place in his hands, so carefully, Jongwoon reached out to peel the other man’s hands away from his face. Now, bright red tomato Kyuhyun and bright red tomato Jongwoon were staring at each other across the table. 

Since Kyuhyun had the last word earlier, bright red tomato Jongwoon felt obliged to say something first to break the awkward silence. “Are you… Are you genuinely very upset with me? I’m sorry.”

Bright red tomato Kyuhyun simply wanted to bury his face in his hands again. Even if he genuinely was upset, every single negative emotion would have evaporated the moment his hyung stuttered out ‘I— I only— I only have interest— in you…… in his sincere but hesitant voice. The moment was so saccharine that Kyuhyun just knew he would even have the pauses and stammers from Jongwoon when he said those sweet words memorised. 

“I’m not— Okay, I was at first— But— Well, now— Okay yes, I was upset at first. But I’m not anymore.”

“Oh. Why?” 

Why? WHY? Did his hyung really have to ask why?!

“Hyung, are you doing this on purpose?”

“Doing what on purpose?”

Too much pent up fondness had accumulated inside of Kyuhyun in that short span of time, and he didn’t feel like words alone would cut it to bring the message across to Jongwoon. So he got up from his seat, reached across the tiny table, and held his hyung’s face in his hands. 

“Let me kiss you to show you, hyung.”

Just like their other kisses, it felt like every time their lips met, the rest of the world around them would simply melt away. With the table separating them but their brains increasingly sending urgent signals for them to get closer to each other, Jongwoon was somehow getting pulled up from his seat by Kyuhyun as they licked into each other’s mouths eagerly. By the end of the five minutes liplock, the two found themselves standing, both of Kyuhyun’s hands clasping Jongwoon’s hips, pressing the smaller man hard against the nearest wall, Jongwoon’s arms hooked around the younger’s neck. 

Unlike their first kiss in the car though, this time, when Kyuhyun pulled away, Jongwoon was the one that instinctively made a noise of protest in the back of his throat. The sound glided like velvet through Kyuhyun’s eardrums. He was so going to replay this moment alongside his hyung’s ‘I— I only— I only have interest— in you……’ when he gets home later. 

“Can you feel it, Jongwoon hyung? The intensity of my affection for you? It’s this affection that you’re purposefully ignoring. Are you acting dense and ignoring my feelings on purpose?”

“I’m not…”

“So you get it? You understand why I’m not upset anymore? Then tell me why.”

“Ummmmmmmm.” 

Kyuhyun dug his finger deeper into his hyung’s hips.“So why? You said you’re not ignoring my feelings on purpose. And I think I showed you well enough what you do to me through our kiss.”

“Ummmmmm. You’re not upset anymore because… because I said that I’m only interested in you?” 

What Jongwoon got in response was another kiss. Just a quick blink-and-you’ll-miss-it peck on his lips from Kyuhyun. 

“I knew Jongwoon hyung was smart. No wonder I like you.” 

“I like you too, Kyuhyun…” 

And just like that, bright red tomato Kyuhyun and bright red tomato Jongwoon were back. Belatedly realising now with a clearer head that he was still pinned against the wall by the younger in a very unhyung-like manner and wanting to stop dwelling on their embarrassing two-way declaration of mutual affection, bright red tomato Jongwoon randomly said the first thing that came to his mind to try and move on from the moment. 

“Let’s set some rules!”

“Huh?” Surprised by Jongwoon’s randomness, bright red tomato Kyuhyun loosened his hold on the older momentarily. Bright red tomato Jongwoon took the chance to slip away from the other man’s arms. 

“I mean. I think we should set some rules! So that you wouldn’t be upset with me again over the show.” 

Rules? Like we are husband and wife setting house rules? Kyuhyun almost started jumping in excitement. 

In the meantime, Jongwoon shuffled his way back to his seat and took a sip of his long-forgotten cold coffee. Ew. He scurried to the counter again to make a new cup of coffee for himself and one for Kyuhyun too. On the other hand, Kyuhyun was waiting impatiently in his seat for the older to return. He was so ready to set some rules!!! Like they were a couple!! Give him the rules now!

When Jongwoon finally set the cup of coffee down in front of him, it also suddenly dawned on Kyuhyun that this was the first time that he stepped foot into his hyung’s cafe. It was also the first time his hyung made coffee for him. Who would have known? That his sour mood from the earlier half of the day would take such a drastic turn, and now, he felt like he was cosily wrapped in Jongwoon’s warmth in Jongwoon’s own comfort place that was his cafe, drinking Jongwoon’s favourite drink that Jongwoon made himself, after the breathtaking kiss with Jongwoon and receiving the sweetest admission of infatuation from Jongwoon. 

And it was all Jongwoon. It didn’t matter if it was lows or the highs, it was still Jongwoon at the end of the day that could instigate such strong emotions in the typically collected Cho Kyuhyun. 

“I know you said that you don’t like to drink coffee, but I don’t have alcohol here. And I really think we have good coffee here because we use really nice coffee beans and I heard that even the water quality of this area is exceptionally good? I like our coffee a lot, maybe I’m biased though. You should try it! And if you don’t like it… I’ll get you tea or something?”

Jongwoon hyung likes coffee. I like Jongwoon hyung. So I will like coffee! I must like coffee! I must like everything that hyung likes! Kyuhyun excitedly took a big gulp of the drink immediately and regretted it almost immediately. It was… so bitter. How does Jongwoon like something so bitter? But seeing how much pride Jongwoon had for his coffee, Kyuhyun tried to school his grimace into a smile as much as possible. 

“It’s… It’s really good! I love it, hyung!” 

Jongwoon only laughed heartily. “Are you a pabo? You hate it! It’s so obvious.” As if he knew this was going to happen, a second cup of coffee magically appeared in his hand. “Actually, this is yours. That is mine. Yours has more sugar and cream, and I added some chocolate and cinnamon to mellow out the bitter coffee taste too. I just wanted to see your reaction to my drink. Hahahaha. You were so cute. Aren’t you cute, Kyuhyun-ah?”

Jongwoon hyung knows me so well… Jongwoon hyung is so kind to me… Jongwoon hyung thinks I’m cute… Jongwoon hyung is laughing prettily because of me… Jongwoon hyung must really like me! The dopey smile on Kyuhyun’s face widened more and more as each passing thought flew across his mind. Ahhh~ It’s so nice to be around Jongwoon hyung. I want this moment to last forever. And what better way to prolong this moment than to provoke his hyung? 

“But I want to like what you like! Give me your drink, hyung. I’ll train myself to like it!” 

“You want to be a pabo so bad? You don’t have to like everything I like.”

“But I just want to!” 

“I’m not giving you my drink!” 

“But I want it!”

The last thing Kyuhyun would have expected was for Jongwoon to touch his philtrum out of nowhere. If that was his way to silence Kyuhyun, it was effective, because the younger froze in confusion. 

?

“Rule number one!” Jongwoon exclaimed out of nowhere. “No doing stupid things to get my attention!”

That’s like asking me to not breathe, Kim Jongwoon. 

“That’s impossible! I can’t do that. I reject this rule.” 

“Why not!”

“Because just like how I know you only hit me because it’s your way to show your love to me, I only do stupid things to get your attention because I like you, hyungie~” 

“F-Fine! New rule number one! You can’t get jealous when we are filming for the show!” 

“I can’t help what I feel, hyung!” 

“Yah, you think I don’t feel jealous whenever you are joking around with others on the show? I just tell myself to not show it! And you’re the professional here, you should know how show dynamics work.”

Kyuhyun thought back to the time his hyung got jealous and wanted to avoid him because he got a little too chummy with the other panellists. The memory of a jealous, annoyed, but too-embarrassed-to-admit Jongwoon stomping around the broadcasting station grumpily to get away from him made a chuckle escape from his mouth. Ahh~ Jealous Jongwoon hyung was too cute~

Jongwoon watched as the younger giggled giddily into thin air. He didn’t even need Kyuhyun to verbalise his thoughts and he already knew what the other man was thinking of. It seemed like he would never be able to live this down. Present-Jongwoon wished he could time travel back to a few weeks ago just to smack some sense into then-Jongwoon. He couldn’t believe then-Jongwoon really did throw a mini tantrum over Kyuhyun just doing his job. Ridiculous. Ridiculous! Never again! 

“R-Rule number two! Stop staring at me so much when we’re filming! It’s very distracting.”

“I can’t do that too. And you’ve been holding up well for all the past sessions, so I can’t be that distracting, right? I don’t care, I will continue to stare at you.” Kyuhyun cleared his throat with a sip of coffee. Very creamy. Very sweet. Maybe he could tolerate coffee after all. “But hyung, why are all the rules related to work?” 

“Why not? What else would we have rules for?” 

“You know, rules for couples. Like, we must have cute pet names for each other, we must feed each other food all the time, we must sing each other to sleep at night, and you can’t get angry with me at all even when I tease you!” 

“…… You seem very well-prepared with all these rules.”

“Aish hyung, that’s beside the point. So? Thoughts on these rules? I think they are very reasonable. I was also thinking to add in another point where you have to hold my hand the whole time we are together so that I can stop you from biting your nails. What do you think?” 

“Not happening!!!” 

-

When Jongwoon finally got home around past midnight, his phone chimed. 

Cho Kyuhyun: 

Good night, Jongwoon hyungie :-) I hope you dream of me tonight

As discussed, here are our rules as a soon-to-be couple: 

1. You must call me ‘Kkuru’ whenever we are alone together 
2. We will take turns to serenade each other to sleep every night 
3. You can’t get angry with me at all even when I tease you 
4. You can’t fall in love with anyone else (IMPORTANT!)
5. And fine, I’ll try to not be jealous when you’re close to others on the show 

See you next week, my pretty hyung~ I’ll start calling you tomorrow night to sing you to sleep <3

I— I only— I only have interest— in you too~

Bright red tomato Jongwoon rolled his eyes, threw his phone to the side, and disappeared to his bathroom to wash up with a barely contained smile on his face. 

-

Lesson 4: But aren’t rules meant to be broken? 

Chapter Text

Jongwoon had just brought out Kkomelo’s breakfast and was about to get dressed to head to his cafes when he suddenly got a call.

The screen indicated that it was Kyuhyun on the line. Despite texting very often, the two would rarely call each other. Confused, Jongwoon hesitated for a split second before picking up the call.

“Hello?”

“Hyung. Don’t go to the cafes today.”

“Huh? Why?"

“Just don’t go to your cafes today, okay? Actually, keep them closed for the next few days. Tell your family and staff to avoid that area too.”

Jongwoon was starting to get worried, but more than that, he was getting a little annoyed at the younger for making him feel clueless while bossing him around.

“Yah, Cho Kyuhyun. You can’t just say things like that without giving me any context. What’s wrong?”

There was a pause on the line. Then, some shuffling noises and subsequently, the sound of a door slamming shut.

A little out of breath, Kyuhyun replied, “Jongwoon hyung, put me on speaker now and check your socials.”

Still bewildered, Jongwoon settled down into the mini sofa in his bedroom and complied. One of the first few headlines that popped up made his stomach drop.

[Dispatch: Looking for love? Turns out you don’t have to look far. Idol-Panellist Cho Kyuhyun and Contestant Kim Jongwoon of the popular Dating Show <Looking for Love?> spotted together close to midnight in the cafe owned by Contestant Kim Jongwoon himself.

Who said participating in dating shows only limits you to options available among the contestants? Contestant Kim Jongwoon for Season 4 of the popular Dating Show <Looking for Love?> proves otherwise. The cafe owner who had charmed many with his smile since his first appearance on the series has clearly captured the hearts of not just the audience, but also a certain hotshot Celebrity who just so happened to be one of the panellists on the show. 

Ballad prince Cho Kyuhyun was spotted at Cafe Armoire, a cafe owned by Kim Jongwoon, at around 11.45PM yesterday night. The two could be seen chatting quietly and intimately, despite it being past the opening hours of the cafe. Even though the pair had shown to share a friendly and civil dynamics on the dating show, one would not expect the two men to be this close — drinking coffee and laughing together at such an hour, privately in a space all for themselves. By the looks of their postures and expressions, alongside casual touches here and there on each other’s hands and shoulders, this is certainly not the first time both men have spent time together outside of the dating show.]

[Photo 1: Cho Kyuhyun, panellist for Dating Show <Looking for Love?>, spotted in Cafe Armoire at 11.45PM, chatting with Kim Jongwoon, the Show’s contestant.]

[Photo 2: Cho Kyuhyun and Kim Jongwoon smiling, while drinking coffee made by Kim Jongwoon.]

[Photo 3: Cho Kyuhyun placing his hand on top of Kim Jongwoon’s. The duo could be seen exchanging touches on each other’s hands and shoulders.]

Jongwoon closed the article immediately once he was done reading. He stared into the space for a moment, unsure of what to say or even feel.

“Hyung? Jongwoon hyung? You saw it?”

Jongwoon jerked, he didn’t even remember that Kyuhyun was still on the line.

“Y-Yeah. Yeah, I read it.”

“Hyung.”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“I-I— I actually don’t know what to feel.”

Jongwoon could hear the younger letting out a tired sigh on the other end. “Jongwoon hyung. I’ll settle it, okay? Don’t worry. Don’t be scared. Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you. But for the time being, you should stay at home, okay?”

Was he in shock? Or was it indignance? How dare the article speak of him and Kyuhyun in such… such… suggestive and scandalous ways? As if they were in a shameful affair? Did the tabloids have no shame? To barge into a private moment of theirs and twist it around to suit their own headlines?

“Yeah, I’ll stay at home. But… But Kyuhyun-ah, isn’t this much worse for you than for me? You should worry about yourself more… This kind of scandals must be very damaging for you.”

The younger laughed. “I’m okay, hyung. There are protocols and what not in the industry whenever things like this happen. I’m annoyed, yes, but whatever. I just want to settle it as soon as possible. But this is new to you, hyung. All the sudden unwanted attention……” There was a pause from Kyuhyun. “Actually, hyung, can you turn on your video? I want to see you.”

They hadn’t video-called each other before, Jongwoon had always thought it felt too intimate for them to do so. But he still found himself switching his phone camera on. Within a few seconds of loading, both men could see each other through their phones. Jongwoon rushed to adjust his messy bangs hastily upon seeing himself on the screen. Kyuhyun looked like he was already dressed for work, his hair combed and shoulders dressed in a collared top.

For a split second, neither men said anything. It dawned on them how novel and domestic it felt to be video-calling each other in their own homes, and how such a small and simple action was making both their skins crawl with warmth, despite everything that was happening.

“You’re at home, right, hyung?”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s how you look like when you’re at home.”

“What is that supposed to mean…”

“Do you want my honest answer or the answer that won’t make you blush?”

Jongwoon swallowed. Yeah, what the fuck do you want, Kim Jongwoon! Admit that you want to hear Cho Kyuhyun flirt with you!

“Um. The honest answer?”

“Ohhhhhh, but that comes with a price, hyung.”

“And what’s that?”

Kyuhyun leaned in closer to his camera and beckoned for Jongwoon to do the same. The older followed suit, leaning into his phone as if he was waiting for Kyuhyun to whisper a secret into his ear.

All of a sudden— “Muach!”

Jongwoon flinched away from his phone immediately. His face slowly turning bright red, all because of an audacious and loud and shameless and embarrassing lip-smacking kissing noise from Kyuhyun. His cheeks burnt so much that he had to cover them with his hands, as if he was really kissed by the other man.

On the other end, Kyuhyun was chortling like he had just gotten exactly what he wished for for his birthday.

“You— YOU! You are horrible. I’m going to hang up! I hate you!”

“Nooooooo, hyung. Don’t hang up~ I haven’t told you the honest answer yet!”

“I don’t want to hear it anymore! I’m hanging up!”

“You’re too cute, Jongwoon hyung. How can I not tease you?” Quickly, before Jongwoon could actually hang up on him, Kyuhyun sobered up. “I promise I won’t tease you anymore for this call, okay? But can you listen to me next? I’m just going to tell you my plans for the… errr… incident?”

Jongwoon caught onto the change in topic quickly, straightened himself and nodded.

“Like I said earlier, hyung, I’m gonna need you to stay at home for the time being, okay? This is to protect you, I don’t want to see you getting mobbed by pesky reporters, and I know you would hate to be in such a difficult situation alone too. It would be good if the cafes can remain closed for the next few days too, there will be fans and reporters there for sure, and any of your family or staff who are there will be hounded by them too.”

“Okay.”

“On my end, my company is already trying to get the article taken down. I’m also going to take today and tomorrow off to let things die down a little first. I’m speaking to my management later and I’ll try to find out who it was that took those photos. This is also a reach, but I’m going to try and sue whoever it was for leaking those photos for a breach of privacy and for defamation too. It probably won’t go anywhere, but I just want to make a statement.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“Hyung is the best. Does everything sound scary?”

“A little bit.”

Jongwoon had to admit, this was all a little too overwhelming for him. He had just eased himself into the idea of being a somewhat public figure recently, especially since the show had been doing very well. His cafes had received more footfall and once in awhile, he would even be stopped on the streets for strangers to say ‘hi’ to. But it was another thing to be catapulted into the limelight of a tabloid that painted him as some secret lover of South Korea’s favourite ballad idol. Not only was it an insult to him, he found it demeaning to think of his and Kyuhyun’s well-meaning relationship as something so scandalous and clandestine.

“Just do as I say, and you’ll be okay, Jongwoon hyung. I’ll protect you. I wouldn’t want to blow all my chances with you just because of something stupid like this too. And at least…” The mature and reassuring Kyuhyun disappeared, and his mischievous smile was back.

“… At least, they only caught us drinking coffee. They could have found us when we were kissing, you know?”

Jongwoon spluttered. Memories of him being pressed against the wall by Kyuhyun after the younger was consumed with jealousy last night flooded through his mind. “Yah… I told you! Someone might see you there… and you didn’t listen! Look at what happened.”

“Can you blame me? Hyung, I was too upset and I wanted to see you immediately!”

“You could have just replied to my text! Which you didn’t. I would have agreed to meet up with you somewhere! We are very lucky, Kyuhyun-ah. This could have turned out horribly for your career that you spent so long building up.”

“Aw. Jongwoon hyung cares about me so much. I’m so happy. Hyung, meet up later?”

“Are you crazy? No.”

“I rarely have a day off! And now, I’m free the whole day! We need to take advantage of that. Where shall we meet?”

“No.”

“I’ll send you the address, hyung~ Remember to cover up well!”

“I said ‘no’!”

-

They ended up meeting at one of Kyuhyun’s investment homes on the outskirts of Seoul. Since it would be too risky for Kyuhyun to fetch Jongwoon from his home, Jongwoon even had to trouble his younger brother to drop him off at the place even though it was almost a two hours drive away from their home.

“Please don’t ever make me meet you like this again, I hate feeling like your secret underground lover.” Was the first thing Jongwoon said when Kyuhyun opened the door for him. The older began peeling off his dark cap, mask, sunglasses, and outerwear once he was through the entryway. Just to express his displeasure, he dumped all of his belongings onto Kyuhyun petulantly and headed straight for the living room sofa. There was already a can of diet coke and a plate of kimaris on the table waiting for him.

Despite Jongwoon’s wishes, however, Kyuhyun was more than happy to be on the receiving end of his hyung’s tantrum. The younger hung up the accessories accordingly, before joining Jongwoon at the sofa.

“What’s wrong with being my secret lover, hyung? I will take care of you well~”

“I will make you experience pain in places you didn’t know could feel pain if you ever insinuate something like this again.”

The two lounged together lazily for another hour or so. Maybe the mental exhaustion of everything really did take a toll on Jongwoon, because midway through the movie that Jongwoon requested to watch, Kyuhyun found the older’s head dropping onto his shoulder. Like the opportunist that he was, Kyuhyun immediately readjusted his limbs to accommodate to the new figure in his arms. And instead of rousing awake from all the movements like he usually would as a light sleeper, Jongwoon burrowed himself further into the younger’s body heat as he continued to nap.

“Kim Jongwoon, you are such a tease.”

Kyuhyun whispered into Jongwoon’s hair. With a forehead kiss, Kyuhyun let himself drift off too. His first free afternoon after a long time. His first afternoon nap after an even longer time. His first nap with Jongwoon. His first time having Jongwoon over at one of his homes. His first time feeling like Jongwoon hyung needed his protection, and he could and wanted to protect Jongwoon hyung in return.

-

Both Jongwoon and Kyuhyun were rudely wakened by Kyuhyun’s phone ringing. While the younger picked up the call, Jongwoon was busy trying to get over the fact that he had not only fallen asleep on Kyuhyun, but he even cuddled with the other man!!! Very humiliating!!!

The older was pulled out off his own embarrassment when Kyuhyun wrapped a palm around his hands, his grip firm and strong.

“Hyung. I’m going to join an online meeting with my management. Do you want to sit in? You don’t have to, though. I’m just letting you know that you can.”

So that was why Kyuhyun called him over. And the younger must have not mentioned the meeting earlier so that Jongwoon wouldn’t get the chance to overthink or stress about it too much.  Jongwoon was once again marvelling at how the other handled everything, both in terms of his professional work and the people around him.

“I—I can sit in. But maybe I’ll just listen in from the side and not show my face on video?”

“Sure.”

Kyuhyun ushered him to his study room, and within minutes, they were in the call already. Even though he could not be seen on the screen, Jongwoon still ended up tensing and straightening up from the side. Seconds later, Kyuhyun’s hand somehow magically appeared and wrapped over his. Jongwoon readily responded to the handhold by flipping his palm around and intertwining their fingers together.

“Kyuhyun-ah, we are no strangers here. Do you want to explain yourself to us?”

Jongwoon watched quietly as Kyuhyun answered questions from the management steadily. Whenever Kyuhyun seemed to get a little annoyed from the invasive questions and unnecessary blaming, Jongwoon would give his hand a little squeeze for comfort. Eventually, they reached the question—

“So, be honest with us please, Kyuhyun— what exactly is your relationship with Kim Jongwoon-ssi?”

Jongwoon held his breath. He himself didn’t know the answer to this, let alone put a name to their ambiguous status quo for a group of outsiders to judge.

But Kyuhyun, as always, seemed to have an answer for everything. “Sure, I’ll be very honest and very certain with everyone. I’m very interested in Kim Jongwoon-ssi. In fact, I’m actively pursuing him at this moment. I hope this wouldn’t be a problem with any of you.”

The last sentence couldn’t have sounded more like a thinly-veiled, courteous threat. The words weren’t even directed at him, but slight chills still ran down Jongwoon’s spine. He had to bite his lip to prevent a throaty noise from escaping because of how sure of them Kyuhyun sounded.

Without giving himself too much time to overthink, Jongwoon picked up their joint hands and kissed Kyuhyun’s knuckles. Kyuhyun visibly jerked and shot a quick wide-eyed, surprised but delighted look at him.

On the other end, few of the management team coughed at how straightforward Kyuhyun was.

“Ah…… Is that so? I see… Um……”

“Would that be a problem?”

“Ah, no, Kyuhyun-ssi. It’s just—” One of the younger looking team member struggled to piece his words together. After awhile, a more senior looking man stepped in. “Kyuhyun-ah. We are just concerned. You have always been sensible and you have never given us much trouble. You have also been in this industry longer than some of us here, so you must know full well what are the implications and risks for this. The fact that this scandal can even find its way to the headlines is precisely because you slipped up. I don’t really care who this Kim Jongwoon-ssi is, and I don’t care what are your intentions with him, but if this happens again, you should know that there will be consequences to your fanbase and reputation. If that’s a sacrifice you’re willing to make, I can’t stop you. But please remember that our company’s reputation and revenue are tied to you too, especially with you as one of our most valuable artistes. You don’t function alone, so refrain from being selfish about this.”

“I know full well what I’m doing, CEO-nim.”

“Moving forward, at least for the rest of this week, limit your meetings with Kim Jongwoon-ssi, please. You will continue to attend the filming for the dating show next week too, as per usual — we have already sorted this out and reassured the production team about this. I’m sure Kim Jongwoon-ssi would be hearing from them soon too. As immediate damage control, we would also release a statement for you to clarify yourself. We will draft something up and send it over to you to vet through. For now, we will explain that you and Kim Jongwoon-ssi share a friendly and close relationship thanks to the show that allowed both of you to find similar interests.”

“I want to find out the person who leaked the photos and sue them too.”

“That’s a bit…..”

“It’s a bit much, I know. But it’s meant to make a statement.”

“…… Fine. We will look into it.”

The call ended soon after. Even though Jongwoon was only listening in from the side, he had to heave out a sigh of relief too. He didn’t even realise he was so stiff with worry until his shoulders sagged heavily as he exhaled.

“Hyung is okay?”

“I don’t know how you did all that… I’m not even in the call and I’m tired. You’re so good at this.”

The younger chuckled. All traces of seriousness on Kyuhyun’s face and body posture from minutes ago were replaced with playfulness. Suddenly, Jongwoon was reminded that their hands were still intertwined too. He made to pull away, but Kyuhyun only tightened his grip further and even pulled Jongwoon closer towards him.

“You kissed me.”

“Why? Why can’t I kiss you? You kiss me all the time without giving me a warning too.”

“Hyung. You need to remember, we are in my home now. You know what that means, right?”

“Yah, you pervert, where are your hands touching!?”

“Hyung~ How can you just kiss me like that and pretend like nothing happened~ Earlier on, you were asleep in my arms so cutely too~”

“Did you hear what your management said? They said we shouldn’t be meeting. I should go now. Let me go!!!”

“They also said we have a friendly and close relationship~ We should test just how friendly and close we can get~~~”

“I’m going to scream!”

“My walls are soundproof, my hyungie~”

-

Five minutes later, Jongwoon emerged from the study room with a Kyuhyun in tow, the younger dragged painfully by the ear and odd parts of his body aching. Kyuhyun finally understood what Jongwoon meant when he said that there were places where he didn’t even know it was possible to feel pain.

-

Another five minutes later, while Jongwoon was still massaging away the soreness on Kyuhyun’s back from the punches he inflicted—

“Oh, hyung, do you still want the honest answer?”

“What honest answer?”

“Remember our call in the morning~ My honest answer~”

“It’s fine. I’m good. I don’t want it.”

“My honest answer is… Wow~ Hyung looks so good in home clothes~ I can almost imagine hyung as my housewife at home~”

-

And so it turned out, there were many more places where Kyuhyun didn’t even know it was possible to feel pain.

Lesson 5: To go far, go together