Work Text:
"I can take him," Kim Seokjin proclaims extremely loudly at nine in the fucking morning, which isn't uncharacteristic of him in the slightest. He tends to be this way: honest with his opinions (appreciated in the operations department), and very aware towards the other employees working under Bangtan Corporation. Individually, these are great traits to have! Productivity has authenticity at its source and being aware of your coworkers means open communication.
Combined, it means he's honest about his opinions towards his other coworkers. Seokjin says whatever he wants, whenever he wants, unwarranted or not.
Jimin pauses from where he's standing in front of the projector screen. The slide that is currently being presented has the words YOONGI MIN in bold lettering, with a nice blown-up picture of Yoongi's LinkedIn headshot. This is a presentation about some recent hires in their branch; Seokjin is the chief operating officer, so Jimin figured it would be a good idea to debrief him on the new faces.
More fittingly, it was a presentation about the aforementioned subject. Jimin reconsiders his position as HR manager. Maybe he's not doing such a good job if that was Seokjin's first main comment on the whole slideshow.
"That's," Jimin starts to say, then stops. Purses his lips and clicks his laser pointer a few times. He has to choose his next words very carefully. "Seokjin, I'm not sure if that's an HR-approved thing to say."
"Aren't you HR?" Seokjin tilts his head to the side. Today, he's wearing a classic suit getup, save for his tie, which looks like a tuna fish.
Jimin nods. "I am, yes."
"Don't you make the rules? You can let this one slide."
That statement is certainly not HR-approved. The thing is that Seokjin takes him out for bagels every so often and they have lunch every Friday together. Is it even possible to file an HR complaint if Jimin is, in fact, the HR guy? Wouldn't that just be an email chain back and forth with himself, to which Jung Hoseok (current IT director) would probably be notified of? Jimin can't take any more humiliation from Hoseok via Slack. Really, he can't.
Jimin takes a breath and remembers the everything bagel with scallion cream cheese Seokjin bought him two days ago. He's the company's most rational hire. He can handle his chief operating officer thirsting over the new sales director. He really can(not.)
To many more corporate slop bowl runs that are covered by Seokjin's massive fucking wallet, Jimin hopes. And prays. Mainly prays.
Naturally, because Jimin is a great HR manager but sucks at actually mandating gossip, he makes the Kim Seokjin slash Min Yoongi agenda someone else's problem.
Jeon Jeongguk, current marketing director, wraps his knuckles against Jimin's open door an hour after the private presentation with Seokjin. As soon as Jimin looks up to see who the visitor is, Jeongguk gives him his softest smile, closing the door behind him with his foot, and hearing the click of the automatic lock before shrugging off his suit jacket. Jeongguk is kind of the hottest person to ever wear a basic white button down: the sleeves are tight around his biceps, and the top button is unbuttoned, allowing his tie to sit low around his shoulders. His hair is parted nicely, leaving two thick strands to hang stylishly over his forehead.
Jimin lets out a relieved exhale and tables every single task he had planned for the next two hours. He also turns on the privacy glass for every window in his office.
Oh, yeah. They fuck sometimes. By sometimes, Jimin means every day. By fuck, he means they're dating. The rest of his HR department certainly don't know about that one.
"Hey." Only two seconds pass before Jeongguk is standing behind his chair, large hands atop Jimin's shoulders and thumbs digging into his back. Jimin lets out a small sigh of pleasure. "How'd it go?"
"Fuuuck–ing amazing," drawls Jimin between curses of satisfaction. Jeongguk smiles, because Jimin is just so cute, and he also sounds similarly to how he did last night. Not that Jeongguk remembers or anything. He might need a refresher in, like, twenty minutes. Preferably with him under the desk.
He rests his chin on top of Jimin's, wrapping his arms around his coworker slash boyfriend's shoulders. Jeongguk is relatively likeable when he's not being Public Annoyance Number One. His team members won't say a thing because he's the reason why they all have matching hoodies with their last names on them. "Wanna tell me about it, honey?"
"Mmm, yeah." Jimin sounds so blissed out from Jeongguk's massage, eyelids fluttering to a delicate close. Jeongguk loves him so much; he'll always remember the day they met, also known as the day Jimin interviewed him for his current position. Real professional, he knows. "Did you know Seokjin has a thing for the new sales director?"
Jeongguk's eyes bulge out of his skull. "Does he, now?"
Jimin's hands reach up to rest on Jeongguk's cheeks. "Yeah, he does. Would I ever lie to you?'
No, he wouldn't. Jeongguk kisses the top of Jimin's head and breathes in the smell of vanilla and citrus. His lips part into a smile, retaining the information for a very fortunate later, because he remembers when Seokjin used up the ink in his favorite Japanese pen from his Japan 2026 trip. Jeongguk isn't mean, or anything, and his boyfriend is HR manager. This'll stay on the down-low.
He just… wants to do some digging, is all.
A hot cup of black coffee, two creamer singles, and a handful of sugar packets are placed gingerly on Min Yoongi's desk the morning after Jimin's presentation. Jeongguk makes himself comfortable, settling down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. The surface is spotless, and his laptop is closed, connected to the complementary monitor the company provides. He might need some decorations; Jeongguk will peruse Amazon later for some funny snow globes.
"Oh?" Before he knows it, the sound of a closing door echoes throughout the private office. The first thing Jeongguk notices is how crisp Yoongi looks. His suit jacket is off and it's folded over his arm, but everything else is ironed. Hugs his limbs perfectly—not as seductively as Jeongguk's, for sure. Jeongguk can practically smell the steam coming off of the business professional.
The second thing is the hair. His hair is fairly long, reaching the nape of his neck, and it's curly.
Jeongguk only needs a millisecond to clock him. He's got a knack for these things, considering it took him a while to recognize himself. Well, at least there's hope for Seokjin.
"Good morning," he says good-naturedly while getting up, and extends a hand to Yoongi once he approaches the desk. Yoongi cocks an eyebrow, then takes the handshake firmly, giving it one or two shakes before letting go. That was respectable enough in Jeongguk's eyes, so he sits down. "I just wanted to introduce myself: I'm Jeongguk. Marketing director here."
Yoongi looks him up and down. "Nice to meet you. Yoongi, new sales director."
There's an extended period of complete silence, then Jeongguk clears his throat. "Anything you'd want to know about the company? People are great, we go out for drinks sometimes. Sales is easy to get along with. Getting into the iMessage group chat during your first week might be pushing it, though—"
"Can you tell me about the current chief operating officer?" Yoongi cuts into his babbling without much effort at all.
Bingo. Jeongguk smiles to himself. "What about him? Seokjin's great."
"Just…" Yoongi seems to mull over his word choice, eyeing the cup of coffee emitting steam on his desk. "I wanted to ask him about his background. I tried when we met, but he seemed to be busy with something."
Jeongguk is nosy. He usually can't help it. It's how he found Jimin's Instagram fifteen minutes after the interview ended and how he eventually climbed the corporate ladder and landed the director position. The nosy part of Jeongguk considers, briefly, instigating into whatever is happening here. However, he's looking at Yoongi and looking at the way his coworker's eyes flit from inanimate object to inanimate object, and thinks, huh. This could actually work.
The thought of Seokjin becoming a lesser evil… He's sold.
"I can send you his full CV. I'll forward you a few email chains I have with him regarding some papers he wrote as an undergrad," Jeongguk politely adds. Internally, he cannot wait to get back to his desk and log into his computer.
Seeing Yoongi visibly relax and flash him the ghost of a smile in the meantime makes the wait worth it.
To: it@bangtan.com
From: [email protected]
Subject: yoongi eyes emoji
hoseok do u think love island but bangtan corp but the only participants are seokjin and the new sales director is a good idea? send email
Jeongguk Jeon
Marketing Director
To: [email protected]
From: i[email protected]
Subject: Re: yoongi eyes emoji
Jeongguk,
Please refer to Slack if you have any non-IT inquiries you would like to bring up with me!
Best,
Hoseok Jung
IT Director
This Slack conversation is just between Hoseok Jung and you.
Jeongguk Jeon: my bad
Hoseok Jung: YEAH YOUR BAD
Hoseok Jung: EVERYONE IN THE IT DEPT CAN SEE YOUR EMAIL, JEONGGUK
Jeongguk Jeon: LMAO
Jeongguk Jeon: okay, but guess who spoke to yoongi today
Hoseok Jung: ehh did you really??? how is he???
Jeongguk Jeon: super serious looking, BUTTT
Jeongguk Jeon: think hes interested in seokjin… professionally at least
Hoseok Jung: so this is a ploy to get Seokjin to unclench his ass a little with a new workplace relationship?
Jeongguk Jeon: mmmmyes
Hoseok Jung: dude we all know you and Jimin from HR fuck, like it's fine. Seokjin won't find out
Jeongguk Jeon: hmm. idk what ur talking abt!
Jeongguk Jeon: n e waysssss so just dont tell anyone i said that about yoongi ok we gotta keep it a secret
Hoseok Jung: real smooth
Hoseok Jung: yeah yeah I got you :)
The vibes in the break room are lowkey a little weird. Okay, they've been a little weird since they replaced the Keurig with some other evil-looking coffee machine, but Hoseok thinks they're super weird today.
Since he walked into the dreary room with white walls approximately ten minutes ago, he's decided to take it upon himself to solve this mystery issue. His allotted lunch time is around forty-five minutes—sixty, if he decides to feel bold, and he's not going to spend his forty-five minutes in an awkward environment. (Actually, he's not sure why he's confining himself to the walls of the corporate building when there's a perfectly good public park down the block.) Hoseok's sandwich today is perfectly toasted! He has a busted toaster at home! It never ends up like this!
These are all very valid reasons to preserve the Good Day he's been having. Nobody was having technical issues, there weren't any incriminating uploads to Google Drive, yes, it's happened before, and he only had a few questions from some of the departments. Relatively simple shit he learned back in freshman year of university.
Hoseok leans back in the chair that has a full view of the break room, taking a huge bite out of his, again, perfectly toasted sub sandwich. Eyebrow raised, he suspiciously peers at everyone who enters, exits, and lounges: the administrative interns are gossiping about a brand pop-up a few streets down, someone is making extremely aromatic tea at the sink, and—
Kim Seokjin is staring blankly at the wall with a cup of coffee in front of him. Where people see normality, Hoseok sees a Seokjin that is not as alert as usual. Where others see a break, Hoseok sees stocks!
"What up, big boss." His lunch is tucked in his hand when he slides into the plastic folding chair across from Seokjin's. In a practiced fashion, he crosses a leg over the other and shoots Seokjin an Incredibly Normal Wink. God, his charisma is insane. He should become a K-pop idol. "What's the haps today? The sitch? Th—"
Very slowly, Seokjin raises his cup to his lips. Very slowly, Seokjin takes a sip. Very slowly, Seokjin blinks once, twice, three times—then, he finally seems to register Hoseok in front of him. "Oh," he murmurs gently, which can't be right because Seokjin is hardly ever gentle. He offers a soft smile. "Hi, Hoseok. How are you?"
"H–how am I?" He nearly chokes around a bite of fucking amazing sub sandwich. Seokjin never asks. Seokjin always demands. Straightening himself out at inhuman speeds, he swallows down the challenging bite of sandwich and regains his composure. "I'm doing great, boss! How are you? Have you been… feeling alright? Maybe even a little, hm, experimental?"
"Ah." Seokjin is readjusting his posture in his plastic folding chair and taking another long sip of lukewarm bootleg-Keurig coffee. "I'm okay. It's a little warm in here. I might just have to leave," he murmurs. He looks quite pensive. Hoseok hadn't seen such a heartbreaking emotion openly placed on Kim Seokjin's face since the 'Accounting Stapler Situation'—officially shortened to 'ASS'—of 2024. (Don't ask.)
Hoseok actually thinks the AC is cranked up unnaturally high, but he pretends like he agrees, because he's kinda living for this tamer side of Seokjin. "Right, right. Enjoy break, Seokjin."
Seokjin nods and stands up with a pained sigh. Then, using a crooked finger, he pulls at the collar of his dress shirt and fans himself, still mumbling something about the heat.
Hoseok's perfectly toasted sub sandwich falls to the plastic break room table.
People would call him crazy. (Okay, fair.) Hoseok swears to all that is holy, to any and every heavenly being that will listen, that he sees a bright red mark on Kim Seokjin's neck.
The bathroom stall door bursts open once Namjoon has finished peeing at the fifth urinal from the sinks.
"Kim Namjoon," booms a voice that is undoubtedly Jung Hoseok's, and Namjoon sighs, because he really doesn't have the time nor the patience to do this, "I have exciting news that you must listen to. Immediately. As in—right now."
"Did you have to jump me in the bathroom," Namjoon says plainly. It is a great observation to make that he doesn't ask this. He has to tell Hoseok this, or it won't go to his head. Inform him, even.
As expected, Hoseok completely ignores his polite appraisal: he hops up onto the bathroom counter with the sinks and crosses his ankles, hands planted on the counter while he leans his weight onto them. Namjoon is trying his best to focus on rubbing the weirdly-scented hand soap between his hands so it can form suds. This task seems to be ten times harder when one (1) Jung Hoseok is boring holes into the side of his face with his wide eyes.
"Don't you want to know the news?" Hoseok asks him. He hasn't blinked in a few seconds and counting.
Kim Namjoon is the vice president of operations at Bangtan Corporation. He will argue to the higher-ups and to the founder of Bangtan himself that he ultimately is not paid enough for this. Not for watching the premium coffee creamer he bought run dry, not for the stack of paper airplanes Jeon Jeongguk flies into his office, not even for Jung Hoseok to jump him in the bathroom and announce that he has news that Namjoon must know.
Namjoon is about to contemplate speaking to Park Jimin from HR about this matter when Hoseok adds, "There's a big red thing on Seokjin's neck."
He might actually get paid enough to listen to Hoseok.
"Elaborate."
"I was speaking to him yesterday in the break room—dude was acting straight-up odd, by the way…" Hoseok is moving his hands wildly to his words. He really, genuinely feels enthusiastic about this. Granted, Hoseok is enthusiastic towards just about everything he lives with, but Namjoon recognizes the slight change in his enthusiasm this time. "… I think it might be mosquito season, 'cause it was a huge mark."
Okay, so, apparently, Namjoon learns a lesson here. Don't zone out for more than one second when Hoseok talks to you. How did he even draw that conclusion?
"I regret to inform you that it's not mosquito season," Namjoon kindly tells him. He walks away from the sink and takes one of the cardboard-textured paper towels from the dispenser.
Hoseok pauses. Slides off the counter and trails behind Namjoon, out of the bathroom. "Are you sure? It's warm outside. Maybe you're right."
"Maybe I am."
"Anyway, let me tell you about that new coworker we've got. Yoongi? He's got an insane taste in music. Like, in a good way…" Hoseok is still talking as they're rounding the corner to Namjoon's office; their resounding footsteps and the sound of clicking keyboards are nice background noise amongst the thoughts in Namjoon's head. If it's true that Seokjin has a, quote unquote, mosquito bite on his neck, Namjoon wants to see it for himself.
Mosquitos are quiet, but can be quite greedy in their marks, after all.
Yoongi has a tendency to tap his pen rhythmically against his leg under the table.
Through some flick of fate's wrist, Namjoon has miraculously been placed next to new hire Min Yoongi in one of their boring corporate meetings about company financial success or a related, drab topic. He smells of something clearly ocean-inspired, with hints of fresh grapefruit. It's a strong smell, something that would certainly nag Namjoon's senses, but it isn't anything quite like the generic masculine cologne most of their coworkers buy. It actually feels… quite pleasant.
His fingers are occupied taking notes about PowerPoint Slide Number Fifty-Four, but Namjoon's eyes and mind are trained on Yoongi beside him. Yoongi is listening. That, or he's very good at looking like he cares about something that won't affect him in, say, two hours.
Min Yoongi's pen is topped with something one would get from a cute trinket shop and looks like a cartoon sheep.
Namjoon cracks a smile. Not so serious after all, is he?
A few more minutes pass. The corporate jargon is getting incomprehensible; they're remarkably on PowerPoint Slide Number Fifty-Five. One would expect a numbness in their fingers from typing so much nonsense, but Namjoon has practiced this routine since he got two promotions in the span of thirteen months of working at Bangtan.
Really, he's waiting for something to happen—boy, does it happen.
Yoongi is very intentional with his movements, because he quietly and methodically begins to slide his phone out of the back pocket of his slacks and places it on his lap. (There are small cats peeking out from where Namjoon can see the side of his phone case. Cute.) His screen brightness is turned all the way down, which is a smart move to anyone else but Namjoon knows better. He waits, and waits, and waits with his fingers mindlessly hitting the keys.
To no surprise, Yoongi's phone lights up with a notification on the screen. Then another. And… one more. The little green icon next to the notification indicates that it's a text message. Namjoon squints as hard as he can with his prescription contacts, and—
The contact name he can see to the best of his ability reads '여보.' Yeobo. A name full of clear affection, devotion, and an obvious sign that Yoongi is involved with someone; for the office gossip, this is huge.
Before Namjoon can crane his neck to look at the profile picture, his coworker is briefly glancing down at his lap and smiling softly at his phone, then hitting the power-off button with his thumb and sliding it back into his slacks. The rest of the meeting participants have yet to move on to PowerPoint Slide Number Fifty-Six. Namjoon has effectively slowed down the speed of his fingers against his keyboard by milliseconds because his mind is elsewhere.
Either Kim Seokjin's corporate situationship is already committed to another… or, there's something going on.
Someone calls on Namjoon with a question that was answered around PowerPoint Slide Number Twenty-Three. He straightens his tie, and answers with no lack of corporate jargon.
The Porsche is immediately filled with the scent of cedarwood, leather, and green tea once Kim Taehyung opens the passenger door and slides into the shotgun seat. His glasses sit politely on the bridge of his nose, his suit is ironed and crisp, and his briefcase has not a single physical flaw—he's the embodiment of corporate royalty, the pride of the accounting department as its manager.
As soon as he clocks out at five PM, he plays the role of Namjoon's passenger princess.
"No hello?" Namjoon teases, both wrists relaxed on the steering wheel.
Taehyung sighs. Dramatically, as if he'd rather be anywhere but by Namjoon's side. "Hi, Namjoon-ssi."
"What's ruffled your feathers today, Taehyung?"
"I work in accounting, hyung," Taehyung deadpans. Finally, he looks up from his phone and fixes a bored stare onto his coworker. It's more of a blessing than a punishment: with thick eyelashes and devastatingly dark eyes, Taehyung's looks could kill. Namjoon wouldn't mind a murder in his Porsche Panamera.
He pulls the car out of the company-reserved underground parking lot, reaching over with one hand to dig his index and middle fingers into the back of Taehyung's neck playfully. "That's better."
A comfortable quietness develops, between Namjoon humming the melody of some old tune and Taehyung flicking fingers against his phone screen. This is normal–a moment of decompression after work is what Taehyung wants and what Namjoon expects, considering the company culture of Bangtan. Everyone talks, and some days, there isn't any silence at all.
So he lets it draw out for a little longer. A few minutes after they've left the parking lot, he brings it up at a red stoplight.
"I've been hearing some stories about Seokjin and the new hire, Yoongi," Namjoon says conversationally.
Taehyung glances at him. His eyes flit to Namjoon's eyes, then to his torso—the white button-down stretches tight over his chest, forgone suit jacket neatly resting in the backseat of the car. Namjoon watches Taehyung's eyebrows raise, interested piqued temporarily.
"What kinds of stories?" Taehyung asks.
"People—alright, just Hoseok. He told me he saw a hickey on Seokjin's neck, and I'm sure he got a lead from another employee. So I looked into it."
"And?"
The light turns green. Namjoon lets his tongue swipe once over his bottom lip knowing Taehyung's eyes are still trained on him. "And… Yoongi's got someone, certainly. Just don't know who."
Taehyung hums; he turns his phone face-down on his thigh, his other arm resting leisurely on the center console. It would usually bother Namjoon, but he has a soft spot for Taehyung. "Rumors like that are always open-ended, hyung," he tells him softly.
"I've gotta strong gut feeling about this one. Trust me," he adds in English.
"Trust you?"
"Don't you?" The Porsche slows with the onslaught of traffic in front of them, so Namjoon takes this golden opportunity to look sideways at his companion. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't, Taehyung."
Something shifts in the air: Taehyung's eyes drift over to the window, where the sky is cloudy and they're caught in the stillness of slow traffic. He doesn't remember how long he's had this arrangement with Namjoon. He does remember entering Bangtan as one of Namjoon's subordinates a few months ago, being trained with him personally, and feeling comfortable enough to work his way to the top because of him. These are rumors. It'd be damn near a lie to say Taehyung wasn't interested.
His gaze focuses back on Namjoon. Most of the time, he's locked in on working. Taehyung, who knows him well enough to have dinner with him most evenings after work, doesn't usually participate in the office's circle of drama unless it's serious.
"I have a meeting with Yoongi tomorrow," Taehyung decides on saying. Vague enough to keep the conversation going, but purposefully targeted. "If that comforts you at all."
Face full of dimples and delight, Namjoon reaches over with a hand to brush a strand of Taehyung's hair away from his ear; Taehyung closes his eyes and indulges him, if only for a little bit.
Taehyung's usual fun drink from the overpriced boba shop next to the Bangtan office was not made properly. It is well-known amongst the employees that if he doesn't get his usual fix of strawberry milk tea during lunch break, the accounting department goes into lockdown mode (also known as 'pretend to be busy whenever Mr. Kim makes his rounds' amongst the interns) for three hours.
His usual favorite barista was not there.
Maybe it was off-putting to see a man with the face of a Vogue model fully dressed in full business professional and standing grumpily inside the quaint little cafe. But he has matters to attend to. Things to look busy doing.
Soft lips close around the teal straw, and he's walking out of his private office to Min Yoongi's. Taehyung runs into a few familiar coworkers while taking his stroll—they all wave hello before noticing his tea being a shade lighter than usual, then grimace—and decides not to be a total asshole. He's still waiting on that alleged 'tea' that Namjoon spoke so highly of. He probably wouldn't have been investigating if it were anyone else, excluding Jimin from HR, because he quite literally works in HR.
Speaking of Jimin from HR, Jimin from HR is standing near the printer with his perky ass in business slacks (how the hell is that possible), hip cocked out to the side while he waits for a stack of papers to print. He's got some spare time, so Taehyung pushes his boba pettiness aside and approaches him.
"Ah, Taehyungie," Jimin greets him pleasantly. His eyes look down at Taehyung's drink and gauge the exact color shade and texture of the tea before he continues. "How are you feeling?"
Taehyung naturally feels himself relax, being next to Jimin. They probably hired him because he has the calming effects of an angel. Plus, they're close, and Jimin is really fun to go to karaoke with. "Good, given the circumstances." He gestures to his lackluster drink. "You?"
"Mmmm. Just peachy! Where are you off to?"
Right, he has a meeting soon. Taehyung glances around, down a few hallways, and finally finds a sign outside of a private office with the words YOONGI MIN. SALES DIRECTOR. "I've a meeting with Yoongi from sales. The new one."
Jimin's eyes go wide the same way they do when he's about to say something incredibly riveting. Three, two… "You know, I'm pretty sure Seokjin has a thing for him," he says in a hushed whisper. There we go.
"What have you heard?"
"I was briefing Seokjin on the new hires and he straight-up wants to bone him."
Well. Taehyung has to bite down on his straw to keep from laughing.
"Namjoon told me Seokjin has a hickey. Guarded, bossy Seokjin… can you imagine?" Taehyung leans up against the copier, thoughtfully chewing on the plastid straw. "Boning him is a huge jump from that, Min."
"I know what I heard," his coworker says with a gentle laugh, blond bangs falling in front of his crinkled eyes. "But you're right. Surely they're not actually fucking."
"Surely not," Taehyung agrees. He steps away from the printing machines, gives Jimin a small wave, then walks back towards the hallway where Yoongi's office is located. His straw is scraping the bottom of the cup and attempting to suck up all of the tapioca boba that have sunk. He's feeling slightly better, thanks to a nice conversation with his friend, but Taehyung doesn't really know what to expect. Namjoon has said one thing, Hoseok (reportedly) said another, and Jimin told him something on another level; Yoongi could be any of these things. All of these things. None of them.
The blinds are drawn in front of Yoongi's office window. Taehyung is about to walk right past them—he stops, because there's a sliver of light shining through the blinds. If it were anyone else, anyone unsuspecting and moseying about their business, they likely wouldn't have caught it. This is Kim Taehyung, however: the accounting manager of a very successful Bangtan Corporation, who deals with the nitty-gritty details of rows upon rows of financial information.
Also known as: someone intentionally searching for a mistake.
Taehyung stops, and in the smoothest way he can, he looks inside.
The backlighting is harsh, but the lights are off, so he can still make out two silhouettes inside of Yoongi's office. One of them has a rather broad back and black curly hair that stops just around the nape of his neck, wearing a crisp button-down tucked into khakis. That's all he can see when it comes down to that silhouette, but the other one—the one whose legs are wrapped around the black-haired person's waist, eyes shut tightly as his neck is being absolutely attacked—
It's irrefutable evidence. The other person is sitting atop Yoongi's desk, wearing a tie that looks like a tuna fish.
Taehyung cracks a smile and takes a sip of his tea, then pivots on his heel.
He's not unkind, really. He told Namjoon he doesn't regularly participate in provoking office drama because he truly appreciates all of his coworkers. Sure, Namjoon planted the seed when he became an employee, but Taehyung gets along with everyone and everyone gets along with Taehyung. He knows his interns look busy whenever he comes around, and takes them out for lunch twice every week. He was the one who initiated a friendship with Jimin, and is now proudly the first person Jimin will call if he's got personal troubles. The accounting department has won 'Best Chemistry' at every quarterly office party because of him.
Taehyung is trustworthy. A good employee and a better mentor all around. Sure is a good thing that conclusive facts are a different case, and he's very close with his coworkers.
He opens Slack and sends Min Yoongi a very nicely-worded message: getting backed up with work, we can circle back at a different time. He opens iMessage and sends something a bit more… honest.
seokjin fans KOREA
3:57 pm
boba tae gnarly
they're actually fucking, like For Real
seokjin and min yoongi
wise guy
see? i told you, taehyung ;-)
#1 ass kisser
WHAT
aaaand… we're in 🤓
UR JOKINH
#1 ass
LOL
Wait
How do Hoseok and Namjoon know abt this… i only told jk and tae
aaaand… we're in 🤓
IT WAS JEONGGuk
JEONGGUK TODL ME
wise guy
i mean, i guess my perspective isn't as important if i heard it from hoseok…?
#1 ass kisser
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHH
boba tae gnarly
deserved. i was a good friend
#1 ass kisser
jimin baby i can explain
pls i'm trustworthy
DID U CHANGE UR RELATIONSHIP STATUS ON FB TO SINGLE??
Given the things that could've gone horribly about his first week at Bangtan Corporation, Yoongi feels pretty comfortable about his job. Sales is something he's worked in for a while: he hopped around companies but wasn't a big fan of the respective cultures. Bangtan is a fresh look on the typical corporate environment. His coworkers are competent, his department seems to like him and feels okay working with him as director… things are looking great.
It's just—
His coworkers have been acting a little weird, recently.
They're not complete oddballs or anything. (Actually, maybe that's too kind? Yoongi has been in the breakroom before. Therefore, Yoongi has heard some of their conversations. But perhaps it's brash to assume entire personalities from one or two, uh, vulgar conversations.) Making small talk is something he's conditioned himself to tolerate—plus, the occasional deep conversation is reassuring enough for him. On his fourth or fifth day, Kim Taehyung rescheduled their first meeting; the makeup was productive and included a particularly long talk about how he's been warming up to the company.
Recently, things have been different.
He'll walk near the marketing cubicles and although Jeongguk is maybe the friendliest guy on Earth, he speaks like he's waiting for Yoongi to admit something Very Specific. The last time he sent in an IT inquiry, Hoseok showed up to his office thirty seconds after he sent the email, clearly out of breath but overly enthusiastic to be helpful. And Namjoon… oh, Namjoon. Everything he says is poised and should be polite but his eyes say much different things. Yoongi will breathe wrong and Namjoon's eyes will dart to his phone, for some reason. (Not his phone. Yoongi's phone.)
Yoongi isn't a liar. They've been pretty fucking weird recently.
It's not a huge deal—based on how he's talked to some of them, the Bangtan employees seem to be full of life most times. Maybe it's the addition of a new hire that throws them off for a few minutes, or hours, or in this case, days.
The seventh day of his new job comes to a close; he stayed at work later than usual to finish up some paperwork. Once he's sitting in his car, Yoongi lets out a deep breath and starts the commute back home. He lives just around the main city and past the bridge in some upscale suburbia. It's a quaint home with a beautiful view of the city's skyline at sunset. He was lucky enough to be able to secure it with his partner—really, it's all they both could have wanted from a house.
As if on cue, the center display in his car lights up with an incoming call from contact name '여보' (or, yeobo.) Speak of the angel.
"Yah," says the other end of the call a split-second after Yoongi accepts it. "When are you coming home?"
"Soon. You have my location." He stifles a smile with the sleeve of his button-down.
The call goes silent. Then… "Oh."
"Mm."
"Don't say anything."
"I wasn't saying anything, love."
The caller sputters. "I—you—"
"Take your time," Yoongi teases. His heart is so full of love it could burst. Which isn't exactly ideal, since he's driving over a large man-made bridge with several tens of cars behind him.
"Anyway, just come home soon. I'm making dinner. Okay, bye."
It's so obvious to tell when his partner is embarrassed. Being hung up on really is a blessing when it comes to being Min Yoongi in a relationship with—
HONK HONK. Yoongi clears his throat and speeds up a little more; he was cruising under the speed limit simply thinking about the love of his life. Granted, he has everything he could want at the moment, except for the love of his life, so… yeah, maybe he should be speeding up.
He gets home half an hour later and doesn't waste any time parking his car perfectly, collecting all of his possessions from said car, then walking up to the front door and pushing his key into the keyhole. It opens without much effort on his end, and he enters to the sight of his foyer. There's a pair of fancy shoes at the door, a suit coat hanging on one of the clothing hooks near the hallway closet, as well as a carabiner full of keys and funny-looking trinkets sitting on the entry-way's table.
It's cheesy and it's messy and maybe a bit too cheesy for past Yoongi's taste, but for the present Yoongi, it's home, and home is whatever his partner desires.
The routine is simple: take his shoes off at the door and place them right next to the other pair. Fold his jacket neatly, so he can hang it up without any worry about wrinkling. Pick up the strewn carabiner and other trinkets and drop them quietly into the bowl they bought just to hold things of that sort, but his partner tends to rush home and consequently forgets it exists. Things like these are simple. Yoongi doesn't mind.
Once the routine is finished, he runs a hand through his dark hair, stepping away from the foyer and into the kitchen, where the love of his life is currently standing at the stove.
"I'm home," Yoongi says.
Seokjin turns.
"Why were you being embarrassing when I called you—?" he whines, wrinkling his nose with one hand on his apron-clad hip. (It was a gag gift from Taehyung at the annual office Christmas party: bright yellow, unexpectedly durable, and embroidered with the words 'stand back daddy is cooking.') His other hand is carrying the wooden spoon he's using to make the sauce for jjajangmyeon, their dinner. It's higher up on Yoongi's list of favorite dishes—Seokjin figured it would be a kind gesture to celebrate Yoongi's first week at Bangtan Corporation.
Yoongi laughs, moving to stand beside him with his back against the counter. His face has softened immensely from when Seokjin had visited him at his office earlier today: his eyes are crinkled upwards at the corners, his smile is wide and gentle. "We were just talking. I don't know where you got that from."
"Ugh, I hate how nonchalant you are."
"Hate is a strong word," Yoongi hums, already opening his arms, and Seokjin falls into them, inhaling the smell of deep patchouli and jasmine. Their height difference isn't astronomical, enough to be felt; Seokjin feels Yoongi's arms come up to wrap around his waist, digging his thumbs into his sides and rubbing them in circles. He feels every bit of jitter in his bones leave through simply existing.
"Did you have a good day today?" asks Seokjin, tucking his face in Yoongi's thick hair.
"I did. Nothing special. Work is work, but it's definitely more entertaining than my last job." Yoongi backs away from their embrace to smile something fond up at him. Seokjin could stare at him all day. He could, but he won't—cherishing the time they have together is much more valuable. Plus, Yoongi would probably be a little sad if all he did was stare at him. "Your coworkers… they're interesting."
That's like, the biggest understatement Seokjin has ever heard. His coworkers are weirdos, especially the higher-ups. In fact, it always comes as a surprise that Bangtan Corporation dominates the other companies on their street when it comes to succeeding, because he's pretty sure all his coworkers do is fuck around every day. Maybe even whip out a coloring book and color outside the lines if they get bored of doing fuck-all.
Gosh, being chief operating officer is great. Seokjin can say all of this and be right in one way or another. He doesn't say it though because he feels kind and his partner is beside him and all is dandy and great in his professional life. "How so?"
"Well." Yoongi pauses, shifts his weight from foot to foot. His hands are still on Seokjin's sides, two comforting weights that keep him grounded. "They've been acting weird. Since, I don't know. A few days ago? Maybe the day I was supposed to meet Taehyung from accounting."
Seokjin squints. Everything clicks into place.
His partner stares back. "Do you need a reenactment?"
"No, silly!" Absolutely, yes, and that's probably what they'll end up doing after dinner. Seokjin digresses—bigger issues at hand or some shit. "I think I know what's happening. They're instigating. They think we're in some secret workplace relationship, and I bet it's because I indirectly told Park Jimin from HR that I'd let you fuck me."
"You—okay. Sure. Are we not in a secret workplace relationship, though?"
"We're literally LinkedIn mutuals."
Silence falls upon their kitchen.
"Is that your indicator of a relationship," deadpans Yoongi.
"No, like… we're LinkedIn mutuals, you're on my Instagram profile, for heavens' sake… I'm not sure why none of those idiots thought about looking up my socials." This is all so ridiculous. He has zero faith in Bangtan Corporation's employees when it comes to the drama component. Honestly, Seokjin hasn't been doing his job as chief operating officer correctly, if there isn't a constant stream of gossip that can't be disproved by obvious facts. He should feed Jimin more random bits of controversy and watch the chaos unfold. That should do it.
Yoongi's fingers tap rhythmically against his hips, and he casts a sideways glance towards the pot of jjajangmyeon sauce simmering on the stove. "Have you considered," he starts to say, in the tone of voice he uses when Seokjin knows he's going to be right, "that they're too scared of you to do such a thing?"
Gosh darn it, Yoongi!
Seokjin frowns, to which Yoongi beams, reaching up to poke his cheek. "Come on, yeobo, that means you're being a good boss and establishing boundaries. Real important stuff."
"I'm tired of them being idiots. I'll handle this later."
"Sure you will."
"Shut up, Yoongi."
In lieu of a reply, Yoongi interlocks their fingers. He pulls Seokjin's hand softly towards him, closing his eyes and leaning forwards to kiss the platinum wedding band on his ring finger, then the other knuckles. Every gesture from Yoongi has him swooning and remembering the day they met in university, but this one especially weakens Seokjin's knees. Yoongi is the perfect husband, has been for years. Seokjin doesn't know anyone who would be able to handle him better, and wouldn't want to annoy or cook for anyone else but his lovely Min Yoongi.
Life was just… easier with him. Is easier with him, because for every headstrong thing Seokjin initiates or for every three steps forward he takes, Yoongi keeps in step with him. Seokjin has always been confident in his actions, for good reason—having someone who compliments it was a challenge for most of his life. All of his past partners have dimmed his light, or tried to compete with him, and that's a little bit exhausting on his psyche. Not to mention, flat-out annoying.
Yoongi is different. He makes Seokjin's light ten times brighter. And Seokjin hopes, from the bottom of his heart, that he helps clear the haziness in Yoongi's conscience whenever he's tired or unravel the constant, tangling strings of his thoughts if he's frustrated.
They work perfectly together. As husbands, and as, well… coworkers, Seokjin supposes.
"I'll set the table," Yoongi murmurs with a final, chaste kiss to his wedding band before making do on his promise. It's the simple things—complimenting his cooking by easing Seokjin's mind with a different task—that remind Seokjin of why he's married to Yoongi. In this case, any reminder (even an annoying Microsoft Teams reminder) is a good one.
DONT USE COMPANY EMAIL FOR GRINDR LOGIN
10:05 PM
Seokjin added Yoongi to the chat.
jeongguk
only a week in and he's alr in the imsg gc ok WOW
Taehyung
hi Yoongi, welcome
Seokjin
everyoneee this is min yoongi from sales now say hi
yoongi
hey
wtf is this gc name lol
hoseok
DONT ASK DONT ASK ITS A LONG STORYDONT
Jimin
Omgg heyy! :) nice to see u
U and seokjin must be close loll
yoongi
u could say that. yeah
Seokjin
i mean hes my husband after all LMFAO
hoseok
WHTGKJTL@l3t,4.
NO FUCKVING WAY
ur shitting me ur both shitting me
namjoon
oh, wow. did not expect that one
taehyung
honestly i can Kinda see it ?
yoongi
lol lol lol
Jimin
OMG awwww u guys are sooo cuteeee
U still have to file an HR disclosure but omg so happy for u
jeongguk
lol jiminie still locked in
v cute seokjin n yoongi
Seokjin
that aside
im so surprised you guys didnt bother looking into this more
considering its public info im married??!
namjoon
simple answer: we're scared of you
yoongi
told u, love
hoseok
LOVE
ELL OH VEE EEE
im sick IM SICK
Taehyung
i still cannot believe this is real
but i'm so so So happy seriously
about time we have another workplace couple
Jimin
There are others ?
jeongguk
there are others ?
hoseok
ok dont piss me off RN
Seokjin
nothing is going to change ok?? lets keep that in mind
yoongi
we'll be normal at work
namjoon
this is all fun and lovely and cute and stuff
it's nice we got our suspicions confirmed
but doesn't that mean this is basically nepotism?
End.