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He’s picked a nice place.
Soft lighting paints the room with neat tables of rich red cloth in a few rows. A bottle of wine on each table and there’s slow, practiced, romantic music playing in the background. It’s expensive, yes, but he really likes this guy.
His date specifically asked him to find the most secluded table — anxiety reasons he explained — and so that’s why Minho’s in the absolute corner of the restaurant, staring out into the long stretch of city buildings. He came an hour before just to make sure to get to the corner with the window of the most jaw-dropping view.
Quite the effort for a guy he’s never seen in his life. But Felix swears upon his whole lineage that Minho will love his date. And Felix seemed pretty determined to get Minho to understand that this date had to be amazing because the guy’s rich.
Worst case scenario, he’s getting a hot sugar daddy younger than him.
Cool.
Him and Han had chatted a few times — not much though — but they both had a lot in common. And Minho likes him, he’s cute and shy and he can’t wait to tease him till he melts into a puddle in front of his eyes.
His speciality, if you will.
Felix had given the number of a random Han guy, who – funny enough — had the same name as his bias in 3racha. But there’s a lot of Han Jisungs in Korea. Though he wouldn’t quite mind if his bias walked in.
All he’d do is run away. No biggie.
He takes out his phone from his formal pants, and opens the camera to fix his blonde hair. It’s a new style he’s tried, and one he surprisingly likes.
His date is fifteen minutes late. While he’s been on this table for thirty minutes – long enough for the waiters to start giving him a few sorry, empathic looks. He doesn’t need it; it’s stupid. Maybe he’s too eager, but his date better be here soon because he’s spent a good buck for the table.
He’s considering killing Felix.
Finally, after the third waiter asks him if he’d like anything he heads to the bathroom.
After a few rings Felix picks up.
“Hey! How’s~ the date~”
“Yeah I don’t think he’s coming. So now you owe me hundred bucks and seven batches of brownies.”
A pause.
“What?”
Minho frowns, “Okay. So the only way I’m staying here to wait – and kill my pride – is if you tell me who this guy is. You and him both won't tell me anything about his job or anything about him because he’s like ‘Felix told me not to’ . I don’t even know what he fucking looks like I–”
“You do,” Felix says quietly. He sounds almost sad, worried. Minho’s anger simmers.
Minho sighs, he continues, softer, “Can you please explain.”
Felix groans, “Wait! I’ll– I’ll ask Chan to call him– shit.”
Minho’s stomach drops.
His eyes widened.
“Chan?”
Felix hesitantly says, “Um, yeah. I’ve been dating Chan. From…3Racha.”
Minho’s face turns pale. “So you’re telling me. That you set me up…with my BIAS?!”
Felix doesn’t respond.
Minho pinches the bridge of his nose and he looks at himself in the mirror. He doesn’t look good enough. His hair’s in all directions and his makeup isn't enough. Why didn’t he do more makeup?! Fuck. He can’t leave the bathroom.
“Felix, sweetie, thank you for acknowledging that I like him a lot and he knows nothing about me, and trying to set me up. But you could have at least told me?”
“I thought it would be a surprise for you...I’m sorry yeah I should have told you but don’t lie to yourself– you would’ve backed out if you knew.”
“I-” Minho sucks in a breath. He lets it go. “Okay yeah true but.” He groans.
Felix gasps. “MINHO! He’s here, he’s there! Chan texted me saying that Jisung’s worried he’s too late. Come on, Minho…give it a shot.”
Minho can’t move. He’s staring at himself. It’s not that he finds himself ugly, he doesn’t look too bad, but it seems like now every insecurity is now punching him in the face.
“Felix.” He says almost breathlessly.
Felix sighs, “Okay. Minho? Just act confident. I know you have it in you to act fine, you’ve done it before. Jisung tells Chan he likes you, so please,” Felix pleads, “Just give it a try.”
Minho breaks eye contact from himself and stares at the glossy tiled wall. A deep blue.
“Okay.”
Felix squeals. “Good luck~!”
He hangs the call. He sucks in a breath and opens the door and his eyes fall on the back of Jisung’s head, burgundy, as expected. Minho supposes Jisung’s picked the seat across the wall so that no one else notices him.
His feet feel wobbly as he reaches his table and he tries not to gawk at Jisung’s face. Instead he intently stares at the chair across Jisung, a wall behind it. He schools his face.
He pulls out the chair and sits.
He lets himself finally look at Jisung.
And regrets it.
Jisung’s in a black suit with a black shirt, his hair’s done well. Minho almost curses when he notices Jisung’s done a smokey eye. He loves when Jisung does smokey eye makeup.
Jisung’s hands are clasped and his expression is apologetic. “Hey, Minho, I’m so, so sorry. I was just overthinking about my outfit and my makeup and then it took forever to- forget it. What I’m trying to say is – sorry.”
And normally Minho would act cold about it, but this is Jisung, staring at him with his signature boba eyes.
Minho smiles, “It’s…fine.” Minho looks out the window and Jisung’s gaze follows. “Like the table I picked?”
Jisung gushes, “Yes! Oh my god I was just thinking about that when I was waiting. No date has ever picked such a perfect spot. I usually get recog-” He stops and looks at Minho, “It’s just really good. The view is gorgeous.”
Minho’s heart does a backflip at the compliment and the hour he’s wasted for this table suddenly feels not a waste at all. It gives him enough confidence to continue on. He answers, “I’m...glad.”
The waitress walks up to them, handing them menus. She was the same waiter who’d given him a smile instead of a pitying look, so Minho’s quite happy. He looks at Jisung, “Anything you want?”
Jisung’s eyes scan over the menu.
“Pasta,” Minho offers. “You like p- You seem like the type to like pasta, you know?”
Fuck.
Jisung’s eyes study his face, not for too long.
Jisung looks up at the waiter and nods at her, “I’ll have the pesto pasta.” She notes it down.
Minho scans the menu and says, “A steak, medium-rare.”
She nods, and she leaves, her eyes lingering over Jisung a bit longer than really necessary, but she quickly walks away. Minho hopes it’s not what he thinks it is.
The silence after that was…awkward at best.
Jisung clears his throat, “So, we’ve never seen each other before, so this is kinda like a blind date huh?” He gave a small, nervous laugh.
Minho nodded, chill out, bring out that confidence.
“Yeah.” Minho agrees, “You look really, really nice. Shouldn’t have done any overthinking, you’d look good in anything.”
Jisung’s cheeks flush and he looks away with a smile. Oh my god, too much? Fuck what’s he supposed to do? He’s flirting with the Han Jisung.
Jisung clasps a hand behind his neck, “You look really hot, like more than me, you can’t be saying that.”
His gummy orange slice smile comes out.
Minho scoffs, impossible.
Minho still feels the compliment burning on the tips of his ears, “Thank you…”
Jisung’s demeanor changes, Minho feels it. He waits.
“So uh, I think I should tell you-” Minho’s heartbeat quickens.
The waitress walks up. Minho thanks the gods.
“One pesto pasta.” She gives Minho a small nod, “The steak will be done soon.”
Minho nods back in understanding.
Jisung stares at his plate, and at Minho, he says nervously, “I’ll just wait till they give you the steak.”
Minho shakes his head, “No, no, eat it. It’ll get cold.”
Jisung still seems hesitant. Then he looks at Minho, “Oh! how about we both eat it?”
Minho looks at him.
“Please?”
Minho shrugs, “Okay.” What the fuck even is today.
Jisung pushes the plate to the middle and grabs a spoon, Minho follows. But even before he can do that Jisung goes to feed Minho, the spoon right in front of his face. Minho looks at the spoon and Jisung's face. Then the spoon. Then his face.
“Come on…eat it..” Jisung tilts his head to the side teasingly.
As he leans in and takes a bite – he wonders if he should kill or hug Felix.
Jisung’s gummy smile returns, “Ah- Hyung you’re so cute.”
Minho freezes, trying to kill a smile.
“You’re always cute Jisung-ah.”
It makes Jisung blush and chuckle but it turns into confusion. His eyebrows knit together.
Jisung clears his throat– “What do you mean ‘always’?”
Minho’s smile drops. He needs to tell Jisung. It’s the right thing to do-
“Here’s your steak, sir.”
The glossy buttered steak arrives on the table, but Minho can't feel too hungry for it when he feels like he’s about to throw up.
“Thank you.”
They both sit in silence for a few seconds.
“So-”
“Why-”
They both start at the same time.
Jisung shakes his head. “Sorry, say what you were going to.”
“No, no, you can.”
Jisung raises his eyebrows at him. Minho sighs.
“Fine, okay…so I hope Felix told you that…I actually know 3Racha.”
Jisung’s lip twitches. “...You’re a fan?”
His tone sounds…defeated. Disappointed. It makes Minho want to pull out his hair.
“You’re…you’re my bias.” Minho whispers. “I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this but Felix hadn’t said anything and he had only told me before the date. I tried to bring it up but I wasn’t sure how-”
Jisung’s eyes turn big. He interrupts “You didn’t know?”
“To br- What?” Minho says out of breath.
Jisung continues. “You didn’t know who I was before this date?”
“Uh, no. I’m sorry.”
Jisung laughs, tension easing out of his shoulder. He relaxes back into his seat. He teases, “Not even after I told you I was Han Jisung?”
Minho scoffs holding up his hands like Jisung’s holding a gun, “Look there’s a lot of Han Jisung’s in Korea. I’m not gonna automatically assume I’m gonna go out with my bias!”
Jisung lets out an amused huff. And his eyes have a glint of ‘stage Han’ in them. He rests his head on his hand, “So I’m your bias, huh?”
Minho whines, “Ahhh- leave me aloneee….” Minho’s heart surges when it makes Jisung giggle into his palm. He sits up straighter. “I thought you’d be more annoyed about that though.”
Jisung shrugs, playing with his pasta, “I was going to be. But I really liked you from our texts, and it seemed like we were super compatible. I just was scared that…you did all that because you already knew what I liked.”
Minho breaks off a piece of his steak, mumbling. “You did get me into spy x family when you mentioned it in an interview, but I was already into anime by then.”
Jisung gasps, his top teeth biting into his bottom lip, and Minho’s chest somersaults. “I can recommend more to you!”
Minho smiles at him. “Of course.”
Jisung’s smile disappears.
“But, I mean. Since you didn’t know…” His spoon makes a small clink with the plate. “You can still back out. You don’t have to date me. Nor do I want you to date me only because I’m famous or something.”
Minho pauses. “I-” He takes a deep breath. “I…really like you. You aren’t like Han Jisung on stage. You’re…better. You’re different behind the scenes, more quite timid, a little crazy. I felt it too when we were texting. ”
Jisung hides behind his palms, “God- Hyung you cant just say all that-!”
Minho winks at Jisung when he peeks through his fingers, smirking. “You’re not the only one who knows how to flirt.”
—
The date goes amazing. Jisung can tell that after the talk, Minho became more confident, which Jisung slightly regrets because Minho’s ability to fluster him is too good.
When the waitress thanks them for the food and they both stand up. Jisung’s about to put a mask on his face when she offers, “I have a way you can get to the bottom with less of a crowd?”
Jisung knows, she knew who he was. His company is going to have to deal with dating rumors and his heart picks up pace. But she looks nice and her offer is quite kind.
“Yes, thank you.”
When they reach down. She hands Jisung a note and he feels a boulder being pushed off his shoulder with each line he reads. He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
—
I knew who you were, big fan <3
Tried to keep as many visitors from your table so i dont think anyone recognised you.
I won't tell a soul, because I know that you deserve personal space!
I hope you enjoyed your time, and I served well ! <33
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