Will o' the Wisp
And Then There Were Three
The office was lonely. There was much noise coming from outside of it, sure, and that meant there were people just a door away, of course, but the office was lonely. It was lonely because Chanyeol wasn’t in it.
Hell, Chanyeol wasn’t even in the country. Currently, he was in Japan, holding a charity concert for earthquake relief. He’d just left two days ago, and was due to be back in another two days, but good God, Wooyoung missed him.
As if alerted by the pain in the young CEO’s heart, his phone buzzed. «I miss you, too :*» Chanyeol sent.
Wooyoung would’ve been convinced that Chanyeol was as psychic as he claimed not to be had he not sent a message earlier, telling the famous drummer, «From now on I forbid all overseas promotion.»
His secretary knocked on his door. “Sir, you have an appointment in an hour with Phoenix Group.”
“Right. More people,” Wooyoung mumbled as he sat up in his chair. “Thank you,” he told the woman, who left shortly thereafter.
«Am I allowed to skip this rendez-vous?»
Chanyeol’s reply was quick. «And do what? Sit around and drink all day? From what Minyoung tells me, that’s basically what you’ve been doing since I’ve been gone, anyway.»
«You’ve been talking to my house maid?»
«OUR house maid, hyung. Don’t forget, I’m moving in as soon as I’m back. ;) Besides, I need to know what you’ve been up to so that you don’t get yourself into trouble.»
«I am NOT the troublesome one between us.»
«Right, right. Go do your job, hyung.»
Wooyoung sighed and pocketed the phone. He stood and walked gingerly to the coat hanger beside the door, grabbed his coat, and stepped out of the office.
“Jang sajangnim, your ride will be here soon,” the secretary said.
“Thank you,” Wooyoung replied simply. He busied himself with putting on his jacket.
She watched as he put one arm into a sleeve, and the other followed suit. His slender fingers buttoned up the front almost robotically, and she was about to point out the standing collar he’d left behind when he flattened it out himself.
Her desk phone rang and she picked up, listened to the message, and set it down. “Your chauffeur is here, sir,” she informed.
“Thank you,” he said, for once offering a tight-lipped grin. He left.
“He never says anything else to you,” her coworker and cubicle-neighbour noted. “Maybe he forgot your name.”
“He didn’t,” the secretary protested.
And he certainly hadn’t, he knew each and every one of his employees’ names -- but very rarely any more than that. It was a very large company, sure, but one thing that separates a leader from a boss is just that -- separation. He would be the leader of this agency, not only a name on a plaque.
In the vehicle, he marveled at how much Chanyeol’d been able to change him over the course of the last few months. Without his influence, Wooyoung would never have this crazy idea of not attending a previous appointment.
“We’re here, sir,” the driver announced.
“Thank you,” the boss replied. He got out of the car and straightened out his jacket. Holding his suitcase in one tight hand, he made his way into the large building.
A secretary greeted him in the front lobby, and led him to the conference room. Right in front of the doors, Wooyoung’s phone beeped.
«Don’t forget: I love you.»
Determined, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and let himself in.
***
“Cheers!” Chanyeol called. Seven glasses were raised up to meet his in the air.
“Dude, that crowd was sick! You know? They knew all our lyrics!” Jongdae said.
“Hell, sometimes I don't know all our lyrics,” Minseok added, getting the entire room to laugh.
Kyungsoo stared at his drink, tapping his pinky nail on the glass rhythmically. “It’s baffling. That many people care about our music. About us. They love us.”
Baekhyun snorted, less than gracefully. “What’s not to love? We’re young, we’re hot, and we're insanely talented.”
“Don’t forget humble,” the band’s manager quipped. Again, the room erupted.
“I, for one, am going to say that no matter what happens, I will be your first and last fan,” Jongin said. “The band could be disbanded and forgotten twenty years from now, and I’ll still hold my lightstick as a prized possession.”
“Alright, boys, smile!” said Sehun, their recently appointed promotions manager. At the time of his joining the team, Jongin had protested, saying there was no better promoter than him. But when the two actually met, they clicked instantly, and no harsh feelings were left behind. Right now, the blond kid was holding up his smartphone, and the other boys were posing for the camera.
Sehun sat back down and Jongin pointed out what steps to take in filtering the photo. “No, you can’t just use an Instagram filter! That makes them look cheap. They’re better than that. God, how did you get hired?”
Never mind, maybe there were some harsh feelings.
As the youngsters debated over how to edit the photo, the others went back to discussing what there was to discuss.
“Just think. What were we doing around this time, a year ago?” Kyungsoo asked.
“We’d already debuted by then,” Jongdae said.
“Two years, then.”
Chanyeol his chin pensively. “At this time of day, I’d be closing up the auto shop.”
“The record dealers would be at it’s peak of the day. Especially it being a Wednesday,” Kyungsoo said. “‘Cause we had the Wednesday-Weekend thing.”
“Yeah, Jongdae’s bookstore would have those, too,” Minseok remembered.
“Minseok would be waiting inside for me with two cups of coffee, since he’d get off earlier.” Jongdae smiled at a memory. “They’d always be cold by the time I was done my shift. One time he brought cold drinks instead, and still, they melted during the wait.”
“Throwback to when literally everyone thought Jongdae and Minseok would end up dating,” Chanyeol pointed out. The others laughed.
“Throwback?” Jongdae asked. “Oh, honey, I still think we’re dating.” He threw his arm around Minseok’s shoulders.
The older boy playfully made the most disgusted face his kind heart could manage, and reminded everyone, “I have a girlfriend.”
“Yeah, nice beard,” Jongdae snickered.
Kyungsoo sighed wistfully. “Ah, the times were simpler then.”
Baekhyun started laughing. “You former retail workers are cute. Meanwhile, I had a real job,--”
“I do see the realness of sitting on your in front of a computer all day,” Minseok said.
“--with real crazy people,--”
“I’m over here,” Sehun said, referring to their previous colleagueship in the same company.
“--and real stress. For me, this is the simpler life.”
“Two years ago, I was a manager for May. Man, the tantrums that girl could throw! Eventually the company got tired of her and decided to wait out the rest of her contract.” Joonmyun took a chug of his drink. “Then they transferred me over to you guys. Best promotion ever.”
The band cheered. “We’re an upgrade!” Chanyeol said. “Yeah!”
Again, the glasses were raised, and they all emitted a friendly clink.
***
“That was a success,” Wooyoung said in his car on the way home.
His chauffeur blinked in surprise. “Congratulations, sir.”
The boss smiled. “Thank you.” He his chin, deep in thought. “How often do I thank you?”
“Every day, sir,” the chauffeur replied.
“Ah. Good. As I should.” He looked out the window, and of course no one could see him, but he could see all the people walking on the sidewalk. No one was interacting. “You know, I fear that as JIG Entertainment grows, I neglect some employees. Maybe this is what having many kids is like. Do you have kids?”
“I-- no, I don’t. Not yet, at least. We’re expecting.”
“Ah. Then the real congratulations are due to you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Wooyoung eyed the chauffeur. He was a young fellow with attractive features. It wasn’t very surprising that he was married. With a sigh, Wooyoung looked away. “I would love to have kids.”
“I hope you do, sir. They’re a blessing.”
Wooyoung smiled. The chauffeur, obviously,had no idea.
He entered his home -- a different password now. Chanyeol had eventually gotten creeped out by the coincidence that happened to be the old code, and now it was EXO’s debut date. The young CEO was surprised to find Minyoung in the kitchen.
“Welcome home, sir,” said the woman, wearing the apron Chanyeol wore usually. Sure, it was one of two aprons in the house, and nowhere did it say Chanyeol’s name on it,but something stung in Wooyoung’s heart.
“What are you doing here? It’s not your working hours,” was all the man could muster.
Minyoung picked up the pot in front of her and carried it to the stove top next to it, to cool. She turned to face her boss. “Mr. Park requested that I make sure you don’t go without a proper meal ready to heat up in the refrigerator.”
Wooyoung scoffed, but the corners of his mouth tugged upwards, defying gravity. “Well, then Mr. Park can pay your overtime.”
“He said he’d take me out to dinner when he got back,” she said with a sparkle in her eye that Wooyoung didn't quite catch.
“He said that?! Oh, I see. I see how it is.” Wooyoung kept nodding, the jerking of his eyebrows and the side-to-side movement of his jaw getting more and more aggressive.
Minyoung laughed. “I’m kidding, sir. It’s funny to see you get jealous.”
“I-- I wasn’t jealous.”
“Mmhmm.” Minyoung nodded knowingly. “Anyway, here’s tonight's supper. I’ve got to go. I have a date.”
“Ooh, exciting.” Wooyoung smelled the kimchi stew as Minyoung rushed around, taking the apron off and collecting her things.
“Funnily enough, his last name is Park, too.” Minyoung cackled. “Oh, and, I was instructed to tell you not to drink yourself silly so often, but we both know it’s not going to happen. So can you at least do it in your bedroom so that you don’t end up sleeping on the couch and waking up with back pain?”
“I’m young, I can handle it.”
“Hmm, I didn’t realize youth was a subjective concept.” With a wink and a wave, Minyoung was on her way out. “Have a good evening, sir.”
“You too, Minyoung.”
Chanyeol had even gotten him to open up more to his maid. What a magical man.
***
At 2 AM, Chanyeol was sitting in his hotel room with a martini glass and a bottle of Bourbon.
The other bandmates were all sleeping. So was the rest of the staff. And Chanyeol was surely tired, but he just wasn’t sleepy. He could sleep all morning, they weren’t scheduled to leave the room tomorrow until noon.
It was around then that his phone began to buzz loudly against the wooden table top. He didn’t have to check to know who it was, but he did anyway.
He answered directly with, “You’re a horrible influence.”
Wooyoung laughed. “In many ways, but which are you referring to now?”
“I’m drinking whiskey out of a martini glass.”
“Classy. I poured wine into a shot glass, then I made a game out of it.”
“Yeah? What are the rules?”
“Drink whenever the glass is empty.”
Chanyeol chuckled. “We both need professional help.”
There was a pause, and then, “Dinner was lonely.”
“What did you have? Tell me so I can feel like I was there.”
He could hear Wooyoung smile. “It was kimchi stew, followed by rice and honey lemon salmon.”
“Classic Minyoung. You ask her to make some food, and she makes your favourite while you’re away.”
“And here I thought I was your favourite.”
Chanyeol chuckled and poured himself some more to drink. “How did the meeting go?”
“It was great. They signed.”
“Your terms?”
“Our terms.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah…”
Chanyeol frowned. “You sound tired. Are you okay? You aren't overworking yourself, are you?”
“No, no. I’m not tired at all. Just… thoughtful.”
“What are you thinking about?” Chanyeol asked, biting his bottom lip. When there wasn’t any reply, he prodded. “Hey, I can’t read your mind over the phone.”
This made Wooyoung laugh, but only briefly. He was going to keep prying when the CEO started talking. “Just… Do you ever think about our future? Like, what’s going to happen?”
“I… No, not really? I mean, I’d like our future to involve the both of us, but that’s all I’ve got worked up.”
“Can you imagine having kids?”
“Adoption or surrogacy?”
“Adoption.”
“Yeah, I guess so. In the future, sure.”
“How about now?”
“Hyung, isn’t it a little rash to make a decision like this? I mean, we’re not talking about a puppy here.”
Wooyoung sighed and Chanyeol felt a whole bucket of boiling water drop over his head. “I guess you’re right…”
“Hey, tell you what. We can talk about this again when I get back. We can work something out.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. Goodnight.”
***
The plane was due to land in 3 hours and 38 minutes. Wooyoung knew, because he checked online every minute.
3 hours and 37 minutes.
He couldn’t go to greet them personally, a) because of how that would look to the media, and b) because he had another appointment to go to.
He reviewed the files of discussion; the profits, the decisions, the project propositions. Sure, he trusted all of his employees, but if he let them run the show, the company would go nowhere. The chairmen wanted expansion, while certain other departments feared that if the company didn’t downsize a little, they wouldn’t survive the next crash wave. For what it was worth, Wooyoung wouldn’t downsize, not because that might take its toll on EXO’s activities, but because he would rather suffer through the next crash wave than step down even half a notch.
There was a knock on the door, and upon admittance, Taecyeon walked in. “Sajangnim…” he started, which instantly got Wooyoung on his toes.
“What did you do?”
“I-- For the record, it wasn’t actually me, but one of my subordinates. Err… He kind of, sort of, lost a major CF deal for all entertainers under this company.”
“Which deal?”
“Lotte.”
Wooyoung sank his head into his hands. “How did he manage that idiocy?”
“He divorced Lotte’s heir-apparent. It was a rough case, he says.”
“Well, I don’t blame him, she’s one tough devil to deal with,” Wooyoung muttered under his breath. “Alright. I’ll get my lawyer to work out a letter.” With that said louder, he dismissed the Head of Domestic Marketing.
He opened his e-mail to shoot a message to the aforementioned lawyer, and got distracted by something else in his inbox.
Orphanages need help desperately!
It wasn’t the e-mail itself that intrigued Wooyoung; he was sure it was spam. It was more a reminder. In a new tab, he searched for local orphanages. That led to a search on whether to go through a public system or a private system.
He glanced at the clock in the corner of his screen. 3 hours and 24 minutes.
Wooyoung found himself deep in research; the laws of adoption, legal rights for gay men (Although he hated the term. It felt distant from him), and tips on being an adoptive parent.
3 hours and 18 minutes.
He remembered he had to e-mail his lawyer about Lotte, and he closed the fifteen tabs he had open to focus on that.
Right on time, too, because Taecyeon came back in a rush of excitement and practically leapt around the large mahogany desk to hug Wooyoung. The younger one, wide-eyed, tensed up. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Why are you hugging me?”
“I just wanted to say thank you for being a great boss.”
“Wait a minute… I haven’t given you a raise, you haven't requested for vacation time, and I haven’t transferred any cute girls to your section. What’s the deal?”
“See, you almost got it, only you completely didn’t. I’m thanking you for hiring the hot girls in the first place. What does it matter which section they're in? I transcend sections.”
“So… who are you talking about now?”
“Bae Suji!”
“Bae Suji?”
“Yes!”
“She looks like a high schooler!”
“Yes, but she’s not.”
“Also I’m pretty sure she has a boyfriend.”
Taecyeon blinked. “How do you know?”
“It was scandalous. I listen to company gossip sometimes.” In honesty, it had been Chanyeol who had told him about it, but he wasn't going to admit that and raise suspicion.
“Oh… who is it?”
Wooyoung shrugged. “One of our actors, I believe.”
Taecyeon’s face fell. “Way to kill my mood, boss.”
Wooyoung shrugged. “Just doing my job. Besides, should I have let you get involved and have your heart broken later?”
Taecyeon smirked. “Aww, you do care about people. It’s not a frozen wasteland in there,” he cooed, patting the right side of Wooyoung’s chest.
“Yes, I think I would be worried if my lung was frozen. I am pretty young.”
Taecyeon awkwardly slid his hand to the center, and then slightly to the left. Then he pulled his hand away altogether. “You get the point.”
“Yes. I’m not an ice cold yeti. Amazing.” Wooyoung chuckled. “Or should I say… cool.”
Taecyeon gasped. “You just made a pun! I always thought you were born with the humour part of your brain missing.”
“Get out of my office,” the CEO said, almost playfully. He meant it, though. “I have a meeting to go endure.”
***
When Chanyeol landed in his home country, the first thing he did was take a deep breath of air. He decided that airports all smelled the same, no matter where they were.
Then he followed his bandmates through the exit doors that hid their security. He could already hear a crowd outside, even before he walked out. He took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other.
The crowd went wild, almost as wild as they would at a concert. People took photos, and asked for signatures. The security kept them a safe distance away, but the group still signed things they stuck out to them and even posed for selfies over the guards’ shoulders. Some held up signs announcing their love for EXO. It made Chanyeol smile.
Baekhyun had the idea of using his own phone to take a video with the fans. To get his phone out of his pocket, he handed Chanyeol, who was closest to him, his water bottle and passport. The leader took a sip, even though he knew Baekhyun hated it. The older caught him and pouted, eliciting a chuckle from the taller one.
Finally, after taking the video and thanking the fans for coming, they were able to move on and out of the airport. A van waited for them, and half of the members fell asleep as soon as they got on.
Chanyeol debated calling Wooyoung, but he knew that he should be busy. Instead he decided to send him a text. «Hey, just wanted to let you know we made it back safely, and I can’t wait to see you.»
One by one, the members were dropped off to their homes, and finally it was Chanyeol’s turn.
His little downtown apartment was nice and cozy, but the rent was much too high. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it. (Even if he couldn’t, Wooyoung would’ve helped him.) It was that it just wasn’t worth that much. Besides, there were other factors playing into moving out.
Chanyeol dropped his luggage at his bedroom door and opened the front pocket. He took out his charger and plugged his phone in. Once that was taken care of, he plopped onto his bed and fell asleep.
***
Wooyoung came out of the meeting feeling better about his company than before. That wasn’t unusual.
He checked his phone and smiled when he saw a text from his loved one. He called back, because he missed his voice, but was disappointed when he got no answer. He must be asleep, he thought.
He decided he could take a break from work and take off early, instructing his secretary to call him if he was needed.
Again, his house was empty, but it was reassuring to know that it wouldn’t be for long. Soon enough, he’d have someone to come home to. Except when he was in the building. Or on tour.
He shook his head. Chanyeol was going to live with him, and that was all that mattered.
Again, and not for the first time that day, Wooyoung thought of orphanages.
He passed by a couple sometimes. They were sparse in the area.
Maybe Chanyeol was right. Sure, it had been the only time they’d talked about it, but he made a valid point. What if they were rushing? Or, maybe not the both of them. Maybe it was just him, just Wooyoung.
And then he thought of what Minyoung had said. “I didn’t realize youth was a subjective concept.” She was right. Sort of. Other CEOs his age-- well there weren’t any. But other CEOs had already had young children by his age.
Wooyoung took out some food from the fridge--vegetable stir fry--and heated it up. He also pressed a button on his coffee machine and made himself a pot. He took his dinner and his drink to his room, and sat in bed with a laptop perched on his lap, legs sprawled lazily about.
Again, he looked up orphanages. He made a list of orphanages he thought were credible and reliable. He came across a useful loophole in the law about gay men adopting.
He looked into fostering, because maybe that would be a better way to start. To give them an idea, to gauge their ability.
By the time Taecyeon called to make sure his friend and boss wasn’t drunk to oblivion (he was surprised to find out he was even sober) Wooyoung had a narrowed list of five orphanages to check out, and had ruled out foster care after some research. And that was midnight.
Surprisingly, despite drinking an entire pot of coffee over the span of five hours, he felt drowsy. He hadn’t been able to sleep without alcohol in a long time, so this was a welcome feeling.
He knew this was what he wanted to do. He could only hope that Chanyeol agreed.
---
Chanyeol let himself into Wooyoung's house early the next morning and got busy preparing him breakfast. He felt almost like a teenager sneaking back into the house way past curfew. Nothing felt weird, though, as if this was normal practice.
As if everyone did this.
He knew it wasn’t, but he kind of liked what they had. Their own set of norms, their own routines.
When the pancakes were all flipped and stacked, he made some coffee and headed upstairs.
At the bedroom door, Chanyeol prepared himself for the worst. He imagined empty bottles all around him, and irremovable stains colouring the bed sheets. What he found was remarkably tame, enough for him to wonder if he was even in the right house.
Wooyoung was sleeping peacefully on the bed. Sometime during the night, his laptop must’ve slid off his lap, because it was balancing on its side, vertically. On his bedside was a dirty plate with chopsticks, and a mug. Chanyeol smelled the cup. Coffee.
As he stepped closer to the bed, he even noticed a pen stuck on the spiral of a notebook--closed--halfway under the sleeping man.
“Hyung,” he coaxed gently. “Wooyoung.”
Wooyoung hummed, eyes remaining shut.
Chanyeol tried something else. He stacked the laptop and the notebook, and set them aside. Then he crawled in under the covers and snuggled
Comments