Chapter Text
Yushi’s morning started just like any other. He got up as soon as his alarm sounded, put on the clothes he meticulously chose the previous night and ate a quick breakfast before heading out – it had all been adjusted to perfection a long time ago. He liked routines, liked the consistency they provided him. Ever since he started living alone in Korea, he realized how much he valued having his day neatly planned out.
He's been here for a few years now. It all started as a short exchange program, an opportunity for him to be immersed in a new culture while gaining even more independence. Soon, it turned into an internship, which later became a serious job offer. At first, his family had protested, saying that it would be a shame for him to live outside of Japan permanently, that they would miss him too much. But he paid them no mind. He liked the life he had carved for himself in this bustling city, even if it meant feeling lonely or eating too much take-out from time to time.
He grabbed one of his favorite scarves, along with a pair of gloves, and left his apartment, ready to face the freezing temperatures outside for the first time that day. The commute to work was chaotic, as usual, but thankfully it went without any hitches. Most of his colleagues preferred driving to the office, but he couldn't be bothered with the traffic, especially during rush hours. It was way more convenient to use public transport, at least to him.
As he got out of the subway station and started walking towards his office, he couldn't help but start thinking about the tasks he would have to complete that day. One of his projects was slightly delayed because they kept running into issues with the client, he would need to try to–
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by his phone vibrating with an incoming call. He frowned as he fished it out of his pocket, wondering who was bothering him so early in the morning.
As soon as his eyes landed on the bright screen, the word Mom stared back at him. Great, just what he needed to start the day.
He had a feeling about why she was calling, but the fact that she did it so early in the morning was strange. She was familiar with his schedule, so usually she only called towards the end of the afternoon or at night. Could it be that something happened back home? Or was she just changing tactics, tired of Yushi avoiding her calls? Sometimes he'd give excuses about being busy, while other times he would straight up ignore his phone. Each lie made him feel heavier than before, the guilt of lying his mother weighing on him.
Deep down, he knew that he couldn't postpone this conversation for much longer, so, taking a deep breath, he accepted the call.
“Hi mom,” he greeted, adjusting the scarf around his neck with his free hand.
“Yushi, how are you doing sweetie?” He had expected her to be a bit mad, but she sounded as sweet as always.
“Good mom, what about you and dad?” He asked back out of habit.
“We've been doing okay, your dad finally went to the doctor because of that back pain he's been feeling, so he's doing much better now," she informed him. “Now, I'm calling because of your sister's wedding. Have you managed to find someone to take as your plus one?”
I knew it, he thought. This was exactly what he had been dreading.
“No mom, not yet,” he politely replied, hoping that something, someone, would come up and force her to hang up the call.
“Oh Yushi, it's been months, have you even made an effort?” Besides sounding disappointed, Yushi could also detect a hint of sadness in her tone. “There's not that much time left until the big day…”
“I've been busy with work mom, besides, who cares if I go alone or with a plus one.” He had told her these same words before, but she was stubborn. Yushi knew that repeating himself again probably wouldn't help, but he needed to try anyway.
“Well, I do. So if you don't find someone, I'll take care of it for you.”
Wait, what?
“Mom, you can't do that,” he said, panic bleeding into his voice. Just who exactly would she go around asking? The neighbors with unmarried sons? Perhaps some of her friends? Or worse, would she use those god awful matchmaking websites he had caught her browsing in the past? He shuddered just thinking about the possibility.
“Oh I can and I will,” she stated. “You're almost thirty, do you know how many of my friends have asked me if you have a family yet? If you have started settling down? It's about time you start considering–”
Yushi rubbed the bridge of his nose as he listened to his mother's rambling, wondering how the hell he would get out of the situation.
“Mom,” he interrupted, “just give me some more time, I promise that I'll try to meet someone suitable,” he pleaded.
In theory, it sounded easy, but in reality, he had no idea where to even start looking.
“Okay, I'll give you one last chance. You have two weeks. If me or your sister don't receive any confirmation from you once the time is up, I'll take matters into my own hands.”
“Mom, I'm an adult, you can't just–” he started arguing, only for her to end the call, not even giving him time to finish his sentence.
He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen in disbelief.
☆
Later that morning, as he was having lunch, he couldn't help but ponder the different options available.
Currently, he wasn't seeing anyone, so he would definitely need to meet someone new. Dating apps had proved to be a failure in the past – the few times he tried them, he hadn't been able to meet anyone interesting. Inviting someone from work was obviously out of the question. His family wasn't super familiar with his friends, but his sister definitely recognized their names and faces from the few times Yushi posted on social media, so he couldn't just ask one of them for a favor. Maybe he could try to meet someone organically, at a café or a similar place? Although taking them to a family wedding right away was a bit too much… Seriously, why was it so hard to meet people nowadays?
He knew that he was quite privileged when it came to his family. He had come out to them years ago, and they had never gotten mad or resented him for it. Yushi knew that some people his age weren't as lucky, he had seen it first hand while he still lived back in Tokyo – parents throwing insults at their kids and completely ostracizing them from their relatives. His family still had a bit of a traditional mindset, but in the sense that they expected him to follow the typical adult life – meet someone, date for a few years, get married, maybe adopt kids.
Yushi had grown up as an awkward introvert, and even though he had been trying to work on it throughout the years, it still took him some time to warm up to strangers. In the past, he's dated a few times, but it was always very brief, never a serious, committed relationship. He truly made an effort, but the people he had been seeing simply didn't match his expectations. Those ephemeral relationships never felt worth pursuing, Yushi always had the feeling that something was still missing. Eventually, he gave up on trying and accepted that he was going to be single for a long time, maybe even forever.
In his opinion, his family insistence stemmed exactly from that. Since he had always been a very independent person and spent a lot of his time alone, they probably assumed that he felt lonely. Which he did, sometimes, but that wasn't for them to know. He knew that his family didn't have bad intentions, but their insistence when it came to his dating life was still troublesome.
“Ugh,” Yushi groaned as he rested his head on the table, his forehead pressed right against the cold surface.
“What is it, Yushi? What has that pretty face of yours so stressed these days?” Riku asked, looking inquisitively at him.
Of course, if someone noticed the change in his behavior it would be Riku. They had joined the company at around the same time, so they spent their training period together. What started as regular office acquaintances soon turned into a real life friendship. Whether it was to try new restaurants after work, go shopping together or watch romcoms at Riku’s apartment, they loved spending time in each other's company.
“It's my family,” he said, letting out a sigh. “My mom's been helping my sister plan her wedding and they've been nagging me about a plus one for months.”
“I don't get why that's a big deal. Can't you just, you know, go alone?” Riku inquired before taking a bite of his food.
“No, apparently I'm getting too old and it's concerning if I don't show up with someone,” Yushi explained, rolling his eyes. It would always blow his mind that people could still be so superficial nowadays.
“Well, maybe if you insist or if you say you didn't meet anyone worthy of your time–,” Riku suggested.
God bless his innocence, he had no idea how intense Yushi's family was.
“You don't get Riku, if I don't find someone my mom is going to resort to desperate measures,” Yushi said. “Remember those weird matchmaking websites I've caught her using in the past? She threatened me with them.”
His friend looked at him straight on for a couple of seconds, his expression unusually serious, before a small chuckle escaped him out of nowhere. That small chuckle turned into two more, and suddenly he was fully laughing.
“Riku, it's not funny,” Yushi said as he tried to playfully swat him, “my dignity is at stake, she even said I only have two weeks.”
Somehow, that only made Riku laugh even more. He tried to muffle it with one hand, but to no avail. He was so loud that some colleagues started looking in their direction, probably wondering what the commotion was all about. To make it worse, Riku had that deep type of laugh that made him sound like a dad, the same laughter that easily echoed in big spaces.
“Does hyung need help with anything?”
Yushi almost jumped out of his seat at the sudden question, not expecting their conversation to be interrupted out of nowhere. He had been so focused on trying to get his friend to calm down that he hadn't noticed anyone approaching them.
Turning around, his gaze met with Kim Daeyoung's, who was standing right behind his chair, towering over him. He was one of the interns that had started working for the company last year. With his height and broad shoulders, his kind and polite demeanor, and his seemingly infinite patience, he turned heads everywhere he went in the office. Not to mention the way he usually dressed – dark slacks that accentuated his long legs, white shirts that hugged his frame in all the right places, and sturdy black frames that gave him a bit of a nerdish look.
Yushi had eyes. He had obviously noticed how good looking and efficient he was when he first joined the company. But besides the difference in seniority, he figured it was better to not raise his hopes. Judging from his looks, Daeyoung most likely had a sweet and loving girlfriend at home. Any less appropriate thought that Yushi might have harboured was immediately pushed to the back of his mind, never to be touched again.
They had worked together for some projects ever since, but apart from that, they weren't close. Their interactions were limited to greetings on the elevator or small talk before meetings, maybe a joke or two if someone managed to break the coffee machine right before they were going to use it.
“I– no, it's okay Daeyoung, you don't need to worry,” he immediately assured, “thank you for asking though.”
“Are you sure, hyung? You look stressed, I really wouldn't mind,” Daeyoung insisted, looking a bit like a kicked puppy for having his first offer refused.
“Yeah Yushi, are you sure you don't need any help from Daeyoung?” Riku said in a teasing tone, raising one eyebrow towards his friend.
This little shit, Yushi thought. Riku was a menace on most days, but usually he had the decency to control it during work hours.
“Yes, I'm sure Riku,” he said, making sure to kick his friend's foot under the table. Turning back towards Daeyoung, he added, “Sorry if I made you worry, some things have just been weighing on my mind lately. It's related to my family though, not to work, so you really don't need to worry.” Yushi hoped his tone was convincing enough.
“Okay, if hyung says so,” Daeyoung accepted, still eyeing him with some doubt. “If you change your mind, just let me know," he added, smiling at Yushi before moving away.
Once he was out of sight, Yushi let out a small sigh in relief.
“Were you trying to embarrass me or something?” He then asked Riku.
“Sorry Yuu-chan, the opportunity was too good not to take,” Riku said, shrugging. “Besides, it's not every day that a guy like him comes running over offering to help,” he added, winking at Yushi.
“Get your head out of the gutter and help me brainstorm some ideas, I'll need to return to my desk soon,” Yushi said, leaving no room for argument.
☆
Almost a week had gone by, and Yushi still hadn't met anyone.
He had tried the things Riku suggested – going to his favorite bookstore and lingering for a while, browsing through the shelves as he tried to spot someone to make small talk with. Instead of his usual run he opted for going to the gym, since the chances of interacting with other people were much higher. But so far, nothing has worked.
It was starting to weigh on him. Outside of work, he was no longer able to focus on his favorite pastimes. Reading became impossible, his mind wouldn't settle for more than a few minutes without thinking about the dreadful wedding. Even working out wasn't helping.
His sleep was also affected. Every morning, the shadows under his eyes would look darker, deeper, contrasting greatly against his pale skin. He tried his best to conceal them with some make-up, but he was afraid they were still noticeable to other people.
Yushi was in the elevator, waiting for the doors to close, ready to go home and try his best to decompress. After having meetings back to back for the entirety of the day, he was exhausted. The doors were just a few centimeters apart when someone stopped them and rushed inside. It was Daeyoung.
There was a flush high on his cheeks, he had probably come running from his office – who knows, maybe he was late for something. Noticing Yushi looking at him, he apologized, “Sorry, I didn't mean to run in like that."
“It's okay,” Yushi said before averting his gaze, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable.
They were halfway down when Daeyoung's voice broke the amicable silence.
“I can do it,” he said out of nowhere.
“You can do what?” Yushi inquired, looking at him in confusion. Was he talking about leading any of the projects from today? Maybe one of the presentations scheduled for next week?
“I can be your plus one,” Daeyoung replied, the blush on his cheeks intensifying.
Yushi's brain blanked. What?
“You– you want to be my plus one?” He couldn't keep the bewilderment from his tone.
“Yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude or anything, but I overheard part of the conversation the other day and I really wouldn't mind, only if you're okay with it obviously,” Daeyoung rambled, seemingly worried about accidentally offending Yushi. “We would just go as friends of course, but no one else needs to know that, and your family would probably leave you alone–” He just kept on going, gesturing while trying to explain his thoughts.
This tall, smart, beautiful man was offering himself up to be his fake date for a wedding?
“Wait, let me see if I got this right,” Yushi said, wanting to make sure he hadn't misinterpreted anything. “You're offering to be my fake date for my sister's wedding?”
“Yes,” Daeyoung replied with zero hesitation.
They had stopped on a random floor without Yushi noticing, and the ding of the doors opening startled him out of his thoughts. More people were waiting to enter, which meant the small space was about to be crowded, not only with people, but also with ears, ready to find out about the most recent office gossip.
“Wait, do you mind if we discuss this somewhere else?” He asked Daeyoung in a small voice, afraid of being overheard.
“No, is hyung free after work? We could go grab something to drink,” Daeyoung suggested.
And so they did. Once the elevator stopped on the ground floor, they got out and moved towards the exit together, although with a respectable distance between them.
“Are you okay with milk tea?” Yushi asked once they were outside.
“Yes,” Daeyoung replied.
Yushi couldn't tell if he really was okay with it or if he was just lying out of politeness, but either way, he started leading them towards their destination – a small milk tea shop located a couple of blocks away. It was a tiny place, but the inside was super cozy and the owner was lovely. Whenever Yushi had a rough day, he'd always stop by for a drink. Plus, it was distant enough from their office, so they wouldn't risk running into nosy coworkers.
As they entered and moved towards the counter, the owner immediately recognized Yushi, her face brightening up.
“I assume it's the usual?” She asked, smiling gently at him.
“Yes please,” he replied. “What do you want, Daeyoung? I'll pay for both,” he said, pulling out his card.
“What? No, Yushi hyung, I was the one that–” Daeyoung immediately said, as he tried to take out his own card.
“Daeyoung,” he warned in a stern voice, not in the mood for pointless arguments after such a long day at work.
“Okay, but I'll treat you back in the future,” Daeyoung relented before turning towards the owner and placing his order.
Yushi didn't miss the way she glanced at Daeyoung. It was the first time he was coming here with someone else, so it was natural that she'd be curious.
When they received their drinks, they finally moved towards the corner of the store, wanting to sit by the window. Yushi removed his scarf and the winter jacket before sitting down, with Daeyoung mirroring him from across the table. Snow had started falling again outside, the tiny flocks of white slowly drifting down as they got comfortable in their seats.
Yushi let out a sigh of contentment as soon as he tasted his milk tea, it was prepared exactly the way he liked it – a perfect balance of flavors with a hint of fragrant tea that slightly stood out.
“You better not tell any of our coworkers about this place,” he joked, trying to distract his mind from the conversation that was about to happen.
“Don't worry hyung, your secret is safe with me,” Daeyoung promised, a soft smile on his lips.
Yushi went back to sipping on his drink, wondering what would be the best way to go back to where they left off. As the older one, he should have been more wise and refused the other's offer right away. Not only was Daeyoung younger than him, but they also worked for the same company. What if this affected their workplace environment in the future? Or worse, what if something went wrong and things became so terribly awkward between them that even other people noticed? Not to mention–
“Don't you have a girlfriend?” The question was out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think it through. Embarrassment immediately flooded through him, his brain scrambling to think of ways to salvage the situation, but Daeyoung beat him to it.
“No hyung, if I did I would have never offered,” Daeyoung retorted, looking amused.
“Sorry, I shouldn't have asked it like that, I just assumed…” Yushi trailed off, embarrassed. He knew that making assumptions about other people based simply on their looks was wrong, but who could blame him. “Are you sure about what you said in the elevator? I don't know if it's a good idea, because of work and everything,” he said, feeling genuinely conflicted. As much as it could solve his problems, it could also lead to even bigger ones.
“I really wouldn't mind hyung, I already spent a few days thinking about it and what it would entail," Daeyoung replied with ease. “Just think of it as a task or as a fun side quest, there's no need to worry. We've worked together on some projects before and everything always went smoothly.”
Well, that was true, and he said it with such easy confidence too… it made Yushi feel silly for overthinking.
“What would you even get out of this though? You'd be going out of your way to attend a wedding of someone you don't even know, with a work colleague on top of that.” He couldn't fathom why someone as popular as Daeyoung was offering him his free time like this, especially when they weren't even that close.
“Hyung has been looking more tired lately, and I know the work load hasn't increased that much, so I deduced you've been worrying about the wedding,” he sheepishly said, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, hyung has been so kind and helpful ever since I joined the company, I feel like it's the least I could do in return,” he added with a smile, his eyes crinkling in that adorable way that Yushi was used to seeing only from afar.
So Daeyoung had noticed how tired he's been looking… that made Yushi feel a bit self conscious, he really thought he had managed to conceal it from other people.
He was taking another sip of his milk tea when a different question came to mind.
Hesitantly, he asked, “This is not any sort of joke or prank, right?”
To Yushi, Daeyoung didn't seem like the type of person to play with other's feelings like this, but the rest of their colleagues… Some of them weren't exactly nice people. Yushi had spent years during his youth being awkward and having difficulty with social cues, so he knew first hand what it felt like to be mocked.
“It really isn't hyung,” Daeyoung said, a small frown in between his brows. “I don't know why you'd think that, but I genuinely just want to help.”
Daeyoung's words sounded sincere, and his expression didn't betray anything other than honesty. Now, there was only one other detail he had to ask about.
“The wedding is in Japan, would you be okay with the trip? You'd probably need to take a few days off,” Yushi warned, wanting the other man to be fully aware of the circumstances.
“That would be no problem,” Daeyoung assured. “I haven't been to Japan in a while so I'd actually look forward to the trip.”
“Even if the wedding is in Tokyo? I know some people have a love hate relationship with the city.”
“Yes, even then.”
He sounded so confident in his answers… What other arguments could Yushi use? Realistically, he didn't have that many options, and trying to meet a stranger to take in such a short amount of time was proving to be an impossible task. This way, at least he was a bit familiar with the person that would be by his side.
“Okay, then I accept your offer,” he reluctantly said, sealing his own fate. “But if you change your mind in the meantime, you have to let me know immediately,” he added, just to make sure.
Daeyoung seemed relieved.
“Don't worry hyung, I won't let you down,” he assured. “Do you wanna exchange numbers? So you can send me all the details and stuff?”
Yushi acquiesced, so they quickly exchanged numbers in order to keep in contact outside of work. As he looked at Daeyoung typing on his phone, he could only think, What even has this day become?
“When's the wedding? I'm assuming it will take place during the spring?” Daeyoung asked, looking up from the phone.
“Yeah, at the end of April to be more precise,” Yushi replied. “Do you want to meet up on another day to discuss the rest of the details? My family is kinda big so it will take a while, plus, we'll need to come up with a story for us, they'll surely want to know how we met.” To be completely honest Yushi was starting to grow tired – the weight of waking up early and having a stressful day at work was finally catching up with him.
“No worries hyung, just text me whenever you want to meet up. Or, if you prefer, just let me know in the office. I promise I'll be discreet,” Daeyoung said.
They made a bit more of small talk before deciding it was time to head home. As they approached the door, Daeyoung opened it for Yushi, letting him step out first.
“Are you going towards the metro station?” Yushi asked, wondering if they would be walking in the same direction.
“No, I need to catch a bus today,” Daeyoung replied, his tone apologetic.
“Well, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow,” Yushi said in lieu of goodbye.
“Bye hyung, take care,” Daeyoung said before they finally parted ways.
As Yushi walked towards the metro, he had the urge to look back. Coincidentally, Daeyoung also turned back at the same time. He waved at Yushi from a distance. Yushi waved back, a soft smile on his lips. Maybe things would be okay after all. Maybe everyone just needed a coworker as nice and reliable as Kim Daeyoung.
Once he finally made it home, he called his sister, not wanting to waste any time. It would be a disaster if he procrastinated the call for too long and his mom found someone by herself. Yushi felt a shiver go down his arms just from thinking about the possibility. He might as well do it now and get it over with.
He had always had a good relationship with his sister, but god knows she could get overly excited about certain things.
She was only younger than him by two years, so they grew up being pretty close. Unlike him, she started dating during high school. What started as a silly crush and her first relationship turned into the typical high-school sweetheart story that most people dreamed about. After dating for many years, she was finally tying the knot with the man she loved the most.
He felt grateful of her being so open minded and insisting on him taking someone to the wedding. But at the same time, he felt suffocated. This is exactly why he had chosen to live abroad. It was easier to dictate his own life without being constantly bombarded with outside opinions. Just because he didn't date, it didn't mean his life was any less worth it.
He dialed her number and pressed call.
“Onee-san,” he greeted once his sister picked up.
“Yushi, it's so nice to hear from you, it's been a while!” She exclaimed.
“Yeah, sorry for not calling super often,” Yushi apologized. He genuinely liked catching up with her, but his schedule was just too hectic sometimes. “I'm calling because of the wedding, the plus one situation–”
“Oh, mom said that she had already talked to you about it. If you need help just let her know, I'm sure she could–”
“It's not needed,” Yushi interrupted, not wanting to hear the same discourse all over again. “I just called to let you know that I have a date for the wedding, so you and mom don't need to worry anymore.”
The line went silent, before his sister shrieked, “What? Yushi, do you really have a date? You're not lying, are you?” Somehow each word sounded louder than the previous one, her excitement was extremely evident.
“No, I'm not lying, and calm down please,” Yushi asked. Trust his sister to always get carried away by the smallest things.
“I'm so happy for you Yushi, it's about time you found someone,” his sister said, her tone gentler. “You'll have to tell me everything about him!”
She sounded so sincere. He knew that, deep down, his family was just worried about him. Worried about the many extra hours he worked and the loneliness he might feel. Suddenly, he felt guilty for deceiving them, his throat closing up with the weight of his lie.
“I definitely will, but do you mind if I call you another time? It's been a long day and I'm dying to go to sleep,” he said.
“Of course, I won't keep you for too long,” she was quick to say. “Call me whenever you have free time, I miss talking with you.”
“I will,” he promised. Now that the whole plus one situation was resolved, he didn't need to avoid his family's calls so often, dreading the repetitive questions about his personal life.
Feeling like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, he said his goodbyes and went to take a hot shower. Now, he'd only need to update Riku about the situation. His friend was totally going to lose it once he heard the news.