Work Text:
The elevator doors opened with a ding as Jisung stepped outside. If the word "done-with-everything" had a face, then it would probably be Jisung.
He was late today. Not like it was the first time, but it was the first time this month, and Jisung's mood was getting shittier with each step he took.
With a sigh, he sat at his desk and opened his laptop, pretending to work so no one would think he was late.
Everyone had seen him.
"Buddy."
"Sung."
"HAN JISUNG!"
Jisung jolted at the sudden scream.
"What the fuck, bro..." he replied dramatically, placing a hand on his chest.
"Mr. Lee is calling for you," the other male answered.
"Now what does he want?" he spoke in an annoyed tone.
The male shrugged before returning to his desk. Jisung stood up and walked across the office towards Lee's cabin.
Mr. Lee. Or Lee Minho.
An absolute nightmare for everyone. And Jisung wasn't any different. His mood was already fucked up, and now the first person he had to meet was none other than THE Lee Minho.
Sometimes fate is cruel.
No one under his team, or even the superiors, were used to him. The way he talked, the way he presented himself-it didn't feel human at all.
He remembered the first time he met Minho, in the elevator. Minho had waited for him with the elevator doors open while Jisung panicked because he was late on the first day of work.
Practically, it was Minho's first day too. They both started on the same day, in the same department, but with different positions.
Minho was practically his boss. As his team leader, Jisung had to report everything to him.
And oh God. This man was totally a workaholic because besides being the team leader of his department, Minho had been assigned to two other positions too. Which he was somehow handling greatly.
Jisung would love to call Minho an alien
if it wasn't already his nickname among friends.
He stopped at the door, looking at his
reflection. His eyes looked sleepy. Of course they did, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. He had been busy getting drunk with his one and only friend slash colleague, Kim Seungmin.
Glancing at his reflection, his gaze shifted towards the green heart floating right above his head.
Yes. A green heart.
Calling it a superpower would be weird, but as long as Jisung could remember, he had this ability.
An ability to identify soulmates by the little coloured hearts above their heads.
At first, Jisung never paid attention to his ability or the word "soulmate."
He never used to believe in all these things until his parents divorced. The hearts above their heads were different colours, and maybe that was the reason they were never each other's soulmates.
Even though it was heartbreaking to
watch his parents separate, Jisung never judged them. He just understood how much love mattered.
And how much this ability mattered to him.
It was on his eighteenth birthday that he first saw the green heart above his own head.
From that very moment, he decided to wait for his soulmate to find him. But at this point in life, sometimes he wondered if there actually was a soulmate for him or not.
Taking a step forward, Jisung knocked on the door gently.
"Mr. Lee," he spoke as he entered. Minho's sight immediately came to him.
The first thing Jisung noticed was the colour of Minho's shirt. White. Yesterday Minho had worn a black shirt, and it would be a lie to say Jisung hadn't found him hot.
Minho was attractive. Besides his cold demeanour, there was nothing imperfect about this man. At least, according to Jisung.
"Mr. Lee... you were asking for me?" he announced, taking the attention of the man sitting behind the desk.
Minho hummed as he took off his reading glasses and looked at him.
Jisung sucked in a breath. Even making eye contact with this man felt dangerous to him.
Or maybe dangerous for his heart.
But right now, his only fear was... what was this man going to ask him?
"Did you get the files checked?" Minho demanded, eyes fixed on Jisung like if he made one single mistake, Minho would transform him into stone using only his stare.
Jisung mentally smiled. So it wasn't anything serious.
"Minni- I mean, Mr. Kim," mentally cursing himself, he continued, "Mr. Kim wasn't available yesterday. He left early before you gave me the files. Should I get them checked today?"
Minho only hummed before putting his glasses back on and diving into those complex documents again.
Jisung turned with a smile, dramatically wiping away fake tears. Finally, a day where Minho didn't get on his nerves.
"Wait, Mr. Han."
Jisung stopped. More accurately, he froze.
Now what the hell did this man actually want?
He turned around again with a nervous smile.
"You were late today," Minho claimed.
And why the fuck does it bother you? Jisung thought, suppressing his irritation.
"It wasn't much-"
"Thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds, to be exact. Try to be on time from now on."
This motherfucker. If Jisung could, he would've stabbed Minho with a knife
right here.
"I apologise. I'll keep that in mind," Jisung replied before leaving the cabin.
────୨ৎ────
"Seungmin, can you-"
Entering the cabin, Jisung stopped mid-sentence, watching his friend daydream in broad daylight.
And he knew exactly why Seungmin was zoning out.
A smirk formed on his face, remembering how they had both been way too drunk last night. But compared to him, Seungmin looked composed.
Too composed.
So composed that Jisung might've mistaken it for constipation.
"Why are you here?" Seungmin asked in an annoyed tone.
"Well, I came here because these files needed to be checked," Jisung spoke, placing the files on the desk. "But I guess you're already busy missing your crush."
"Shut up," Seungmin groaned in annoyance.
Making Seungmin angry was considered a difficult mission because Seungmin was always composed, and Jisung never missed a chance to annoy him.
"Why don't you just accept that you're missing him?"
"And why don't you just accept that you've been drooling over Lee Minho ever since he wore that black shirt?" Seungmin smirked at him.
Jisung didn't know how many times he had mentioned it. Maybe once or twice... or maybe more than ten times. But it wasn't actually his fault. Minho had looked mesmerising. Like he walked straight out of a fashion magazine.
He quickly composed himself. He couldn't lose this argument. Not with such a lame excuse.
"EXCUSE ME! I was not drooling over him! I mean, he was hot. Like, so damn hot. But still not my type," he defended himself.
"You were literally confessing your love for him after two beers last night," Seungmin said out of nowhere.
Confessing love my ass, Jisung thought.
So what if he had confessed a thing or two about Minho? So what? It wasn't bad to admire beauty.
And of course, there was absolutely no way he would ever like Lee Minho, who was a complete nightmare for everyone, especially him.
And the main point was that Jisung was actually waiting for his soulmate. The one with the same green heart above their head.
But he couldn't tell Seungmin. He had never told anyone about his ability. Not because he feared people would call him weird or crazy. They already did that anyway.
But because he didn't want to give people hope he couldn't fulfill. He didn't want to become some kind of matchmaker.
The fear left behind from his parents' separation was already enough to keep his mouth shut.
But for now, he needed a comeback.
"Says the one who was crying because he hadn't seen his little crush for four days."
"Shut up, Jisung, before I kill you."
"You wouldn't be able to live without me, Seungminnie," he chuckled, waving at Seungmin through the glass door.
"Unfortunately," Seungmin sighed.
Jisung laughed as he watched Seungmin zone out again after leaving the cabin. Seungmin was definitely the comedian of their group.
Jisung didn't turn fast enough, and his shoulder suddenly bumped into someone, making him lose balance.
Minho moved quickly. He grabbed Jisung's hand, their chests colliding with a thud. Papers flew above their heads while one of Minho's hands rested gently on Jisung's waist and the other steadied his back, spreading warmth through him.
And for the first time in his life, Jisung felt no coldness in those eyes.
His heart thudded hard inside his chest.
Minho awkwardly cleared his throat, and only then did Jisung realise Minho was no longer holding him. He was the one clinging to Minho.
Jisung quickly pushed himself away with an awkward laugh, mentally slapping himself in the face.
"Tha- Thank you, Mr. Lee," he mumbled.
Minho hummed before crouching down to pick up the scattered papers. They were actually work-related. Jisung helped him gather them too.
────୨ৎ────
The evening sun had already set. Jisung stretched in his chair before closing his laptop and packing his things.
He was glad the day had finally ended. He was hella tired. Continuous work, and then that moment with Minho.
He blushed at the memory and scolded himself at the same time for thinking like that.
He's not my type, he repeated in his head like a mantra, wanting nothing more than a hot shower to clear his thoughts.
Jisung sighed and walked towards the elevator.
The doors were about to close, and Jisung tried to run.
Keyword: tried.
Sometimes he hated how many workers were on his floor. And on top of that, why the hell was his department on the fucking fourteenth floor?
Cursing under his breath, he let the elevator doors close, not having enough energy to run anymore. Besides, he didn't want to become a human
sandwich between strangers.
Jisung approached the next elevator when the doors slowly opened again.
Thank God some kind soul was there, he thought.
Until he saw Lee Minho and immediately changed his mind.
It was just like their first day. Jisung had never told Minho to wait for him, yet he waited anyway.
His eyes widened when the doors fully opened. There was actually no one else inside except Minho.
But that wasn't the strange thing bothering him.
The strange thing bothering Jisung wasn't the fact that he was alone with Minho after that awkward moment earlier.
But... why was there a pink heart glowing right above Minho's head?
And wait...
If there was a pink heart above Minho's head, then his soulmate must have one too.
So why was there a little ache in Jisung's chest?
────୨ৎ────
Minho sighed as he slumped down onto the couch in his cabin, his head pounding. Yesterday's events were still bothering him.
And the thing bothering him the most was...
"He was looking hot, like so damn hot. But still not my type."
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He was only on his way to give Jisung another envelope of files, but when he reached his desk, Jisung was already on his way to Kim Seungmin's cabin.
The words somehow stung him. He hadn't meant to listen to their entire conversation either, but at the mention of his own name, he couldn't stop himself.
But when he was just about to leave, Jisung bumped into him... leading to another awkward moment. Which felt like a joke to him after hearing those words.
Minho was never good at expressing himself. And he knew that. But somehow, he still tried every day to be a little different, so maybe... just maybe... he would get Jisung's attention.
He didn't even know why he liked Jisung. Maybe it was because of his clumsiness, his funny personality, or his purity.
But Minho knew one thing.
He loves Jisung with his whole heart.
Love.
The most problematic word for Minho. Being together with someone brought chaos and emotional instability.
And Minho hated that.
But it completely changed when he first saw Jisung in the elevator. Even though after that moment he denied his feelings for a long time, even until now, he could never completely erase them. And Minho knew it too.
Because sometimes calling Jisung to his cabin for files or coffee wasn't always work-related. They were excuses. Just to see him.
And it would be a lie to say those words hadn't hurt him.
His phone buzzed on the desk. Minho picked it up after two rings. He couldn't avoid work no matter what. Quickly returning to being professional, he started working again.
────୨ৎ────
Jisung's mind wasn't calm. His fingers moved on the keyboard, but even he didn't know what he was actually typing.
Pretending to work was useless.
Everyone could see he was spacing out, yet no one paid much attention.
Jisung's mind wandered back to the pink heart he had seen above Minho's head yesterday. At first, he thought he was hallucinating.
Minho having a crush or soulmate sounded like a joke.
That cold-as-ice man could actually have romantic feelings for someone?
Maybe yes. But the thing bothering him the most was the colour. Why pink?
And if the heart had suddenly appeared in the office... that meant Minho's crush might be someone from the workplace.
The whole pink-heart-Minho thing was making him paranoid. But if Minho's crush actually belonged to this workplace, then he had to find out who it was.
Of course, for analysis. Not because Jisung disliked the idea of Minho having a crush on someone.
He just wanted to analyse Minho and his soulmate.
His thoughts broke apart when something loudly slammed onto his desk.
"Mr. Lee is calling for you."
Jisung hummed and walked towards the office. The others watched him in shock since it was the first time he didn't react dramatically.
Jisung stopped at the door before knocking, putting on a fake smile as he entered. He was hella nervous, palms sweating.
But inside, Minho looked calm as always. The pink heart above his head didn't go unnoticed by Jisung. It only made him more nervous until Minho spoke.
"Prepare a report on these," Minho demanded as he handed him an envelope full of documents. His voice was painfully soft.
Which somehow made Jisung's breath hitch.
He nodded before taking the files from Minho, their hands brushing slightly. Jisung immediately felt his face heat up.
He turned abruptly. Everything was confusing. Especially Minho.
"Mr. Han."
Jisung stilled at the voice.
"Y-Yes, sir?" he mumbled.
"Umm... g-good luck with the work,"
Minho muttered before shifting his gaze back to the desktop.
"Y-You too... Mr. Lee," Jisung replied before running out of the office as fast as he could, locking himself inside one of the bathroom stalls.
His cheeks still felt hot. Too hot.
Minho was being weird today. But the problem was, he was being sweetly weird.
But why was he acting like that?
Because of his crush? So he could impress them?
Or because his crush actually belonged to this workplace?
Jisung's mind spun with millions of questions, but he still couldn't focus on anything with his heart beating loudly against his ribcage.
The main question should've been:
Why was Minho's sweetness affecting him so much?
────୨ৎ────
A week passed after the last incident, and Jisung's mind still wasn't at rest. His gaze shifted towards Minho's office. Lights on. Curtains down.
Such a workaholic man.
The whole week, he had tried to observe every employee in the company so he could find the other pink heart.
But he couldn't.
Even though the idea of Minho having a soulmate killed him from inside, Jisung couldn't do anything about it.
Because the problem was...
Minho had been strangely attentive the entire week. Especially towards him. Jisung had never seen him smile before, but now Minho smiled a little whenever he saw him. It was awkward for Minho too, Jisung could tell just by looking at him, but somehow he still found it cute.
He had even brought coffee for him a few days ago. Everyone in the office had been shocked to see Minho behaving like this.
He waited for Jisung every day at the elevator, and it was always just the two of them standing there in silence.
Minho even initiated conversations sometimes, but Jisung never responded much, thinking it would only become awkward.
But Minho never made it awkward or uncomfortable for him.
The sudden attention and weird sweetness only led Jisung to one conclusion.
He liked Minho. Badly.
To the point where it scared him every time he saw the different coloured hearts above their heads.
Jisung didn't want to end up like his parents. He didn't want to take someone else's soulmate.
He didn't want to be selfish.
The fact that Minho and him could never
be together ached him deeply.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Jisung arranged his desk before leaving, his mind flooded with confused feelings and questions.
As he walked towards the elevator, his gaze landed on the figure standing in front of it.
Minho.
Calm and composed as always.
Jisung chuckled softly. How could someone end up at the elevator at the exact same time as him every single day?
Minho smiled at him as they stepped inside. Jisung returned the smile, though it never reached his eyes.
Minho stood right beside him, and for Jisung, it was too close. Their hands brushed slightly against each other, and he could practically hear the sound of Minho breathing.
"Rough day?" Minho suddenly asked, probably sensing the discomfort and painful silence between them.
Jisung only nodded, closing his eyes.
Minho hummed before remaining silent again.
"Can I ask you something?" Jisung spoke, eyes still closed.
Minho hummed again.
"What kind of person do you like?" The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
Minho stayed silent for a moment, and only then did Jisung realise he probably shouldn't have asked something like that.
"I... I'm sor-"
"Someone loud... clumsy... and cute when scared," Minho replied softly while looking at him.
Jisung scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Nice."
Minho frowned, wondering how dumb Jisung could be to not understand the hint.
"Someone carefree, funny... and pure."
Jisung nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
"Actually, that person is a little dumb too," Minho added irritably.
But Jisung only laughed. His mind couldn't focus. Minho was talking about his crush. What could possibly be more painful than this?
"Someone who works here."
That caught Jisung's attention immediately. His eyes widened as he felt a sudden ache in his chest. So he was right about Minho's crush working here.
He looked at Minho with slightly glassy eyes, but Minho suddenly held his hand.
Jisung stopped breathing for a second.
Minho never knew Jisung could be this oblivious. And even though he knew he wasn't the best at expressing things or confessing, he still wanted to say this.
This feeling he had carried for Jisung for so long. It was becoming harder to keep it inside now.
Especially when Jisung was looking at him with those fragile eyes.
"Listen... Han Jisung," Minho gulped while staring into those boba-like eyes.
"If the things I feel around you are called love... then I love you."
Jisung froze. His brain completely stopped functioning.
Like what the hell was that? Minho liked him? But why? How?
Wait no-
He said he loved him.
His face flushed at the words, and just then the elevator doors opened, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Wow... I mean... how?" he laughed awkwardly.
Minho chuckled at his reaction.
"I guess... I like you too," Jisung finally confessed, closing his eyes in embarrassment before opening them again to see Minho looking at him with a fond smile.
He knew the colours of their hearts didn't match, and it scared him more than anything.
But how could he stop himself when Minho looked at him like this... confessed to him like this?
How could he think about the colours of the hearts when his real one was beating this fast?
"Stop looking at me like that," Jisung muttered, cheeks flushed.
"Like you'd devour me right here."
"Can I?"
"Shut up-"
He got cut off by Minho's lips pressing softly against his own. Minho kissed him slowly and gently. Jisung's breath hitched for a second before he kissed back.
"So still not your type?" Minho smirked after pulling away.
"Shut up," Jisung whisper-yelled before pulling Minho into another kiss.
Behind them, the elevator doors slowly closed, reflecting two matching green hearts.