Work Text:
Prompt: Kyungsoo met an old friend. This old friend is set to meet another friend. When the latter friend comes into picture, Kyungsoo can’t take his eyes off of Jongin (the latter friend) but when he asks his friend about Jongin, it turns out that Jongin is already taken and worse straight.
-----
Coffee breaks were a staple for Kyungsoo. It was the time of the day when he can escape from the confinements of his stifling 8 hour job. He frequented the coffee shop just across his office; the barista even knew how he took his coffee without even asking.
Kyungsoo was sitting on the bar stool near the counter when he heard his name being called out. He turned to see who it was, and found out that it was Oh Sehun his close and somehow cherished underclassman from college. He immediately stood up and made his way to the said acquaintance.
“Oh Sehun, it’s been so long, great to see you!” Kyungsoo was then enveloped in a one-armed hug.
He was met by Sehun beaming widely before the younger man stated, “It’s great to see you too hyung. Do you want to stay for a bit and chat?”
Encouraged by the prospect of catching up, Kyungsoo readily agreed.
The two men sat in one of the many tables of the café with two cups of coffee sitting in front of them. They talked about a lot of things, mostly about what each have been up to and the nature of each other’s work.
“So, are you moving back here for good?” Kyungsoo asked then took an appreciative sip of his steaming macchiato after.
“I guess I am. I’m actually here to meet the department manager, to see if we can come to an agreement.”
It was then that a man who’s just about their age approached them and said, “There you are Sehun, how can you actually leave a colleague just to get coffee?”
Sehun stood up and lead the newcomer to stand beside him. “Relax Jongin, our hotel is just around the corner. By the way, this is Do Kyungsoo he was a very doting senior when I was in college. Kyungsoo this is Jongin, he’s in the same company as me and he is the bastard who received the honor of being transferred here with me.”
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Kyungsoo stands up and offers his hand in greeting, which the newcomer gratefully accepts. “Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Jongin and Sehun is glad he has me to accompany him with the transfer.” Kyungsoo laughed at Jongin’s jab.
“So, what do you do?” The latter asked the former when they have finally sat down.
“I work in the brokerage firm across the street.” Kyungsoo replied while pointing at the building where he was working.
Jongin nodded his head then remarked, “You must be really good at making numbers work in your favor.”
Kyungsoo can’t help but chuckle at the younger man’s remark, “I take it as some sort of job perk.”
The three of them talked for quite some time. All throughout the exchange Kyungsoo was trying to figure out if Jongin was flirting with him or if that was just how the man usually was. Nonetheless, he still enjoyed the company and left the café with a smile on his face.
---
It was curious how Kyungsoo cannot take his mind off Kim Jongin. He’s not sure if it is just the thrill of meeting someone new or if he was truly captured by Jongin’s handsome face and witty remarks. He decided to let a few days pass to see if can forget the other man. But the time he had given himself to think was proven futile; he could not stop himself from imagining how he and Jongin would meet again. He felt like he was some teenager encountering his first love, he felt giddy and excited to meet the other man again.
It was after work when Kyungsoo decided to call Sehun. He did not know how to go about asking information about Jongin but he knew in him that he had to try. With all the courage he can possibly gather, he dialed his friend’s number, his hope getting slowly extinguished the longer the dial tone sounded.
“Hello?” Kyungsoo released the breath he was unconsciously holding upon hearing Sehun’s voice.
“Sehun, it’s me Kyungsoo. I want to ask you something.”
“Okay shoot.”
“Um, about your friend… Jongin? Is he um- taken?”
Kyungsoo heard Sehun click his tongue and the sound disheartened the former completely. “Hyung, Jongin does not really swing that way. I don’t really know how to say this without hurting you but Jongin is straight and he has girlfriend.”
The older man’s response was one sad “Oh”
“Hyung, you wanna go and meet up at the bar tonight? You know the one we frequented in college?”
“Yeah sure, why don’t you join me while drink this funk away?” Kyungsoo replied in a faux upbeat tone.
“Okay, bye hyung. See you then.”
“Bye”
After that conversation, all Kyungsoo did was slump in his chair and berate himself for misreading Jongin’s actions. After a fair amount of moping, Kyungsoo decided to put his head up and find another man. At least he did make a fool out of himself in front of Jongin.