Archive of Our Own

Despite being Single Since Birth, Yoosung would like to think he has a fairly decent understanding of the female population. This is why he feels justifiably confused when a pretty brunette joins him in line at the movie theater and loops her arm through his.

"Sorry I'm late," she says in a low whisper.

Yoosung blinks once, then twice. "Um. Do you have the wrong person?"

"Nope~" The girl replies cheerfully, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her long locks cascade down her shoulders, onto the soft fabric of her white dress. A sunhat frames her face and a familiar set of pretty golden eyes- wait.

"Seven-hyung??!" Yoosung yelps, then hisses when Seven tightens his grip on Yoosung's arm. "What are you doing?!"

Seven bats his lashes, and Yoosung is vaguely aware of the fact that Seven is wear mascara. This is all very confusing. "I'm your date for tonight."

"I-" Whatever Yoosung had to say is interrupted when the clerk calls for them to move up to the ticket window. Awkwardly, Yoosung orders two tickets when the clerk looks between Yoosung and his “date”.

When Yoosung steps out of the line, Seven snatches his own ticket out of Yoosung's hand. In an impressive impersonation of Zen, he winks and says, "Thanks Honey~"

"Please don't do that," Yoosung whispers as his cheeks heat up. Seven has always had a strange sense of humor. Still, that doesn't explain the way Yoosung's eyes linger on the faint pink of Seven's cheeks and the pink of his lips. Is he wearing makeup?!

Seven hip checks Yoosung and says, "Close your mouth." He then tugs on Yoosung's arm towards the general direction of their theater, the heels of his shoes making small tapping noises on the floor.

Yoosung is alarmingly aware of their height difference and the glances sent their way. He's pretty sure an ahjusshi is checking Seven out, but Yoosung would rather delete his LOLOL account than point that out.

"Don't be so stiff," Seven says when they're seated. "Just think of this as your practice date."

"Practice," Yoosung repeats duly.

Seven pouts. "You're the one who said being single is like being a potato salad with mayo."

"And you're the mayo??!"

"Be careful where you're going with that metaphor," Seven giggles . He leans in until his wig is falling onto Yoosung’s arm. "Want to bet whether I can get phone numbers from the high school boys staring at me from the front row?"

"No!" Yoosung tugs desperately at Seven's arm when he pretends to stand up, earning them looks from other people in the theater. Still, Yoosung feels himself shaking in quiet laughter when Seven blows a kiss at a small girl sitting next to her mother two rows above them. The girl waves back happily.

The movie ends up being pretty good, although Yoosung does hide his face in Seven's shoulder several times. When Yoosung nervously grabs Seven's arm during the scariest part of the film, Seven just laughs and squeezes Yoosung's hand.

All in all, it's a pretty good date.

The week leading up to the opening show is usually the busiest for Zen, but he enjoys the feeling of satisfied exhaustion at the end of long rehearsals. Another positive aspect of this period is that fans tend to understand the importance of space and wait outside the theater less, although Zen still gets regular visitors who deliver fan letters and words of encouragement.

It's already late when Zen leaves the theater today, so he's surprised to find a handful of people gathering at the back door and huddling in the cold. Zen recognizes a few as fans of his costars, but he still greets them goodnight when they part way for him.

One of Zen's long time fans is there as well. He spots her immediately and walks over. Next to her is an unfamiliar girl in a short skirt, her long red hair pulled into a side braid as she bounces her on heels. "Oppa!" She cheers upon sighting Zen, thrusting a bouquet of paper flowers at him.

"Thank you," Zen says as he looks down. The roses are made with red origami paper, but the leaves are neatly folded with what appears to be fake paper bills. Upon closer examination, the paper money seems to have... Han Jumin's face on them???

Zen snaps his gaze up and meets devious golden eyes. Seven's not wearing his ridiculous glasses today, but the red wig should have been a dead giveaway. "You-"

"Is anything wrong?" Zen's fan, a college student name Hyemi, asks. "Seohyun-ah worked really hard to make that bouquet, Oppa!"

Seven grins innocently at Zen. "I hope you like them!"

Years of acting enables Zen to school his face into a passable smile. "Thank you for your hard work. It's late. Can I walk you to your train station?" It's something he always offers, even though Hyemi’s university is only two stops away. Zen's not remotely surprised when Seven joins them.

"Seohyun-unnie told me that she also runs a tripter bot for you, Oppa!" Hyemi says as they cross the street. "I've seen it before. It's really good!"

"Thank you." Zen tries his best not to glare at the grin on Seven's face. "I hope you're doing well in school."

Hyemi blushes at this, and Zen is glad he took the time to remember small things about his fans. Hyemi is one of the more civilized ones, like Rika, although the thought of her still makes his heart ache.

"And what about you?" Zen turns to "Seohyun", who gives him a sheepish grin.

"I spent two days making that bouquet. My boss yelled at me for slacking off, but it was worth it!"

"Don't get in trouble for me," Zen says and means it. Coincidentally, they arrive in time at Hyemi's stop. He reminds her to be careful as she takes the stairs into the station, Hyemi waving them goodbye.

As soon as Hyemi disappears from view, Zen turns to his companion and glares. "What were you thinking?"

"I was in the area." Seven shrugs and drops his fake voice. "Weren't you pleasantly surprised, Oppa?"

Zen groans. "Please never call me that again. What did you tell that poor girl?"

"Nothing but the truth. I'm a huge fan, you know." Seven spins around on his white sneakers, his skirt highlighting the lean muscles in his thighs. Not that Zen is looking. "Were you surprised?"

Zen runs a hand through his ponytail. He really needs to shower tonight. "What's with the disguise?"

Seven gasps mockingly. "I'm a secret agent, don't you know? I can't just walk out in the open!

"What about this?" Zen holds up the bouquet. It's dark enough on the street that no one gives him a second glance. If anything, they probably look like a bantering couple.

Seven has the audacity to wink. "A personal gift~ I worked hard on it. Do you think I can sell the extra paper bills I printed? Jumin-hyung's admirers will probably buy them. His fanclub isn't as big as yours, but I can probably infiltrate it... Mmm."

"Are you okay getting home by yourself?" Zen asks, the exhaustion from rehearsals now catching up to him. Seven probably detects this, because his body languages changes quickly from flirty to bored. "I hope you didn't have to wear that for a job."

"It’s a secret," Seven says. "And of course~ I just have to take two trains, a bus, jump over two walls, and hitch a ride home on a plane."

Zen doesn't know why he asked. He looks down into the station. This isn't his line, but he only has to transfer once. "Well. Get home safely, okay?"

When Zen looks up, he finds that Seven is already gone.

The annual Christmas party at C&R Inc. has always been the highlight of their corporate calendar, but this year's event has been unprecedentedly troublesome for Jumin. Assistant Kang is efficient as ever, but clients and employees alike continue to make the planning process difficult. Two vendor changes, three guest list revisions, and countless meetings later, Jumin is ready to be done with the entire thing.

It doesn't help that ever since Rika's death, Jumin has lost of all his patience for corporate events. Celebrations of large sizes simply feel ingenuine now.

Still, Jumin does his best to be professional during the party. He greets guests and listens to corporate partner's inane conversations with feigned interest. Assistant Kang disappears halfway through the event to take care of a disturbance, leaving Jumin to fend for himself against the wife of a business partner.

By the time Jumin politely excuses himself to find his father, his headache is already growing. Absently, he passes by a pair of waitresses handing out champagne flutes and takes one for himself.

Jumin takes a sip of his champagne and is almost at the door when he pauses. He turns around, spots the waitress, and watches her move to the back of the ballroom. Quietly, Jumin follows her. It's a miracle no one tries to stop him, because his target has managed to slip into an adjacent hallway when Jumin grabs her arm.

Jostled, she turns around. The bow of her uniform sits perfectly at the base of her back, effectively distracting people from her face. Thankfully, Jumin has never had wandering eyes. "Can I help you, Mr. Han?" She asks.

"Luciel," Jumin says. "What are you doing?"

Seven tsks and slips his arm out of Jumin's grasp. "It took you long enough to notice. Did you know that the waitresses here all gossip about your ass?"

"Don’t change the topic," Jumin says as he glances from Seven's slim shoulder to the fullness of his chest. That can’t be real, he thinks.

"You're the one checking me out." Seven covers his chest up dramatically. "That's so indecent, Mr. Han!"

Jumin squints. "How are you-"

"You only get one question," Seven sing-songs and checks his watch. "I gotta get back to work soon."

Something tells Jumin that Seven doesn't mean the waitressing job. "Are you doing something illegal?"

Seven taps his chin. "Is that the question you really want to ask?"

Jumin considers this. "No. Tell me, are you doing anything that will adversely affect C&R Inc.?"

"Nope~ So don't fret your handsome head, Mr. Han."

While this satisfies Jumin, it still leaves him with more questions than answers. Jumin is about to complain when Seven lights up at the sight of one of Jumin's corporate competitors.

"See ya." Seven waves before heading back into the ballroom. He makes it perfectly towards the man before spilling a tray of drinks on him. The fuss that ensues involves Seven patting the man dry with a handful of napkins, his hand hovering dangerously close to the man’s suit pockets. That's when Jumin stops watching.

The less he knows, the better.

By the time Jaehee crosses the street, she's pretty sure that she's being followed. Running into unsavory characters isn't an uncommon occurrence for her, which is why Jaehee keeps pepper spray in her purse.

This is why she regrets running out of her apartment for food without it. It's her fault, probably, for also leaving her phone at home. She's made this midnight food run countless times, but today is the first time a man jumps out of the alley behind the Chinese restaurant to block her path. Jaehee can probably outrun him. The two additional men following her, however, make this a difficult task.

"You can have my wallet." Jaehee sighs, dropping it on the ground.

"You need to come with us," the man says instead.

Jaehee should have listened to her boss's complaints about her area of town, but she had been living here since graduating university and gotten used to the low rent. In retrospect, money is probably less important than her safety, but it might be a little late for that. "What do you want from me?"

Another man picks up her wallet and flips through the contents. He picks out her business card and ID, then grins. "Bingo," he says upon double checking Jaehee's photo.

"We have a score to settle with Han Jumin."

Jaehee sighs. She's really not getting paid enough for this. "I don't think he'd pay a ransom for me."

One man steps closer to her. "We won't hurt you if you behave. Come take a ride with us to your office." He flashes her the C&R Inc. ID embedded with her security access to the building, then yelps when she checks him in the stomach with her elbow. With some effort, she flips him over her shoulder with enough force to knock into the third man.

The ringleader descends on her, but Jaehee is fast enough to dodge a punch. She swipes at his legs until he goes tumbling down, and Jaehee snatches the contents of her purse from the ground before making a run for her apartment.

This, in hindsight, is a mistake. A hand grabs her by the leg and sends her to the ground. Jaehee rolls away in time to kick someone in the face, and she really regrets changing out of her office shoes. Three-inch heels are a pain to wear but a much better weapon than what she has on.

Panic doesn't settle in until all three men loom over her. The security system at the building is complicated enough that they probably won't hurt her too badly, but Jaehee still feels herself shaking when the first man lifts his hands.

Jaehee closes her eyes, but the pain never comes. All she hears is a soft hissing sound before three bodies drop to the ground.

Standing over Jaehee's attacker is a tall woman holding a taser. Her dark hair is tied into a neat ponytail that cascades onto the back of her dress. There's something telling about the way she grins and says, "Phew, that was a close call!"

"Seven?" Jaehee asks, even though she already knows the answer. "What are you doing here?"

"Being your knight in shining armor… Or maybe your Princess? Oh well, same difference!" Seven tugs Jaehee up and quickly inspects her for injuries. With practiced ease, he touches a spot on her inner arm and frowns when she hisses in pain. "We gotta get this treated."

Jaehee has many questions: What is Seven doing here? Why is he in disguise? What is happening? She settles with "What should we do with these men?"

"I already alerted Jumin-hyung," Seven says and gives the ringleader a swift kick in the gut. Given the heeled boots Seven is wearing, Jaehee is not surprised when the man grunts in pain. "He should be sending people here."

As if on cue, three black cars pull onto the street. Jumin's head of security steps out, takes in the scene, and profusely apologizes to Jaehee.

"It's fine," Jaehee says while watching her attackers get thrown into the back of a company car. She doesn't know where they're taking them, and quite frankly, she doesn't want to know.

"Let's go back to your place," Seven says quietly. "You have a first aid kit, right?"

Jaehee nods, and says nothing when two guards escort them back to her apartment. When Jaehee refuses their offer of staying on guard for the night, they insists that they're following Jumin's orders.

"Thank you," Jaehee says at last, when they're setting back on her couch and Seven is applying a cream on her developing bruise. "But why were you here?"

Seven hums, the bangs of his wig falling artfully into his eyes. Jaehee has always known that Seven is brilliant, but his ability to disguise himself is quite frightening. "You won't like the answer," he says with a pout.

"Please tell me."

"Well." Seven looks up at her with uncharacteristic seriousness. "I've been monitoring everyone at RFA."

Jaehee takes a moment to digest this. "We're under surveillance?"

"From me, yes." Seven lets go of Jaehee's arm and sits down on her rug. "Ever since she appeared, things have gotten complicated."

Jaehee frowns. "You mean the guest in Rika's apartment?"

Seven looks up at the ceiling. "Yep~ I hacked into the CCTV in everyone's buildings just to keep an eye out. I noticed that people have been camped outside of your building three days in a row. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the hacker, but I decided to drop by when they showed up today with a van."

"Why didn't you just notify me?"

"Because sometimes you leave your phone in Jumin-hyung's car, or at home." Seven nods at Jaehee's phone on the table. "See? God Seven is right again~"

Jaehee understands that Seven's disguises are necessary preventative measures, but even makeup can not hide the dark circles under his eyes. Sometimes Jaehee wonders exactly what Seven is protecting himself from.

"Well~ I should get going! My maid will kick me for being out so late."

Jaehee knows enough not to question the change in the conversation. "Take care of yourself," she says when Seven stands up.

"I always do!" Seven grins, but Jaehee can't help but smile back.

Saeran's therapist says that with time, acceptance will come in increments. He's not sure if finding a box of women's clothing in the back of his brother's closet falls under that category. "Hyung?" Saeran says slowly. "It’s not here."

Saeyoung's head pops up from his corner of the room, where he's busy assembling a shelf for the master bedroom. "What do you mean? It's in that box right here."

"This box," Saeran says and lifts a black and white maid dress. "Does not contain sweaters."

"Oh," Saeyoung says.

Saeran throws the maid dress on top of the bed, then picks a white sundress. The entire box is filled with clothes he's never seen Saeyoung's girlfriend wear in the months they've all lived together. By the time he finds a leopard dress, Saeran is starting to get the gist. "Why do you have these?"

"Why not?" Saeyoung flops down on the bed. He pats the space not covered by clothes and grins when Saeran joins him.

Saeran frowns. In the early days of their childhood, their mother had insisted on buying them matching clothes, including dresses. He has an inkling that she wanted to have daughters, and occasionally they'd wear dresses when they didn't have enough coins to do laundry. This was before the rapid alcoholism and the screaming, and Saeran sometimes forget there was a time in his life where he wasn't afraid of her. "Is it for your job?"

"In the beginning, yeah." Saeyoung says, his head pillowed by one arm. "But then I decided it was fun, so I never stopped." This is logical enough. Saeyoung has always been one to do whatever he wanted.

"But why?"

Saeyoung rolls over so he's facing Saeran. "I guess I got tired of people telling me what to do and who to be. Think about it. Dresses are cute. I'm cute. Why can't I wear them?"

Saeran doesn't have an answer for that. Instead, he asks, "Does your girlfriend know about these?"

Saeyoung just laughs and points at a lacy black skirt. "She bought me that one."

"Ew." Saeran scrunches his nose up. "Gross."

"Is it?"

Saeran frowns, then looks at the pile again.

"Want to try some on?" Saeyoung asks.

Saeyoung's girlfriend comes home an hour later, just as Saeyoung finishes putting clips into Saeran's hair. They both turn around at the sound of something dropping on the floor.

"Oh," she says, face unreadable when she spots them in matching dresses.

"Welcome home!" Saeyoung dances towards her and picks up the take-out bag. Thankfully, nothing spills out, and Saeyoung skips off to the kitchen with their food.

Saeran pulls at the hem of his dress and frowns. "Don't stare."

"You look very nice," she says kindly. "But I won't look if it makes you uncomfortable."

Uncomfortable isn't the right word, but Saeran stills sighs in relief when Saeyoung returns and drapes himself over his girlfriend's back.

"Who's cuter?" Saeyoung demands. He preens when she pats him on the cheek.

"You both look lovely."

Satisfied, Saeyoung curtsies, his leg pale and slim against the black of his high-high socks. Judging by the way her eyes linger on him, his girlfriend has noticed too.

"I'm going back to my room," Saeran declares and picks up Robotcat, who's made a nest for herself on top of a pillow.

Saeyoung hooks his jaw over his girlfriend's shoulder. "Aren't you gonna change?"

Saeran looks down at his dress, then shrugs. "I'm keeping this."

"Stop fretting," Zen says as he redoes the tie that Saeyoung had loosened in his nervousness. "You two already saved the world together. What do you have to be nervous about?"

"What if she changes her mind?" Saeyoung says rapidly as anxiety burns in the pit of his stomach. "What if she comes to hate Honey Buddha Chips? Or if she-"

"This is ridiculous," Jumin cuts in, looking impeccable in his suit. "Your concerns are unwarranted."

Yoosung gives Saeyoung a pitiful pat on the back. "Yeah~ You and Noona have essentially been married forever! This is just a formality anyway!"

Saeyoung responds by tugging at the sleeves of his tux. This earns him a tsk from Zen, who slaps his hand away. He wonders if his fiance is having the same nervous conversation with Jaehee in her dressing room. Probably not, Saeyoung decides. She's always been so decisive and aware of what she wants, and Saeyoung is infinitely glad that the one she wants is him. "This tux is so stiff," he whines.

"Well, she offered to wear the suit if you wear the dress," Saeran says absently without looking up from his phone. His comment is met with various degrees of exasperation.

The truth is that Saeyoung couldn't give up the chance to see the love of his life smiling in a wedding dress. The thought of it brings a grin to his face, and he feels light and bubbly. "I'm so happy."

His friends must share the sentiment, because Yoosung pulls him into a hug. Zen joins in and laughs when Saeyoung starts shouting about wandering hands. Against all odds, even Jumin joins them in a half-hug, half pat. "Come on, Saeran-ah!" Saeyoung says when Saeran rolls his eyes at them. "Come join us!"

When Saeran reluctantly obliges, Saeyoung add, "By the way, you only got half of the story. I will be wearing a dress later tonight."