He walked up to the entrance of the hotel. Then stopped, released a long breath.

 

God, am I really about to do this? He thought as he fiddled with his silk tie. It's just for tonight, Taekwoon. One night.

 

As his thoughts battled with each other, a tap on his shoulder caused him to jump, startled.

 

Turning around, he came face to face with none other than the son of the host himself, Cha Hakyeon. who smirked as he scanned him from head to toe.

 

There was a slight fluttering in his stomach at the action, but he decided to ignore in favour of glaring at the grey-haired male.

 

"Can you stop staring at me?" He grumbled, cross his arms over his chest. It only elicited a light chuckle out of Hakyeon.

 

"I'm merely admiring the view, Woonie," and he really, really wished he could punch the growing smirk off Hakyeon's face right now.

 

Taekwoon could tell the other found enjoyment in teasing him, and he hated the fact that he seemed so affected by it.

 

"Stop calling me that, we're not that close," he gritted, looking away from the tanned male's gaze and crossing his arms tighter.

 

"You wound me, Taekwoon," the grey-haired male said, clutching his chest as an expression of mock hurt graced his face. Taekwoon merely rolled his eyes in response. "Oh come on, I'm just trying to make things more believable." Hakyeon sighed, slipping his hands into his trousers pockets.

 

"We're not even inside, so there's no need for it," he simply argued. Because there wasn't. What was the point of wasting time pretending to be a couple when there was no one watching them?

 

"You're no fun," the tanned male huffed indignantly, his lips jutting out in that ridiculous pout again.

 

"I never said I was," Taekwoon remarked with a snort. And before the other could argue further, he started walking ahead. Which caused Hakyeon to yell out indignantly to wait for him and that they were supposed to go together.

 

This is going to be a long night, he thought, sighing inwardly.

 

As soon as they entered the lounge, Taekwoon noticed it to be even more crowded than the last time he had been here. Everywhere he looked, there were businessmen, wearing their obnoxiously expensive suits.

 

(He ignored the fact that he was wearing one of them right then.

 

It's not like he'd had a choice.)

 

He could feel several eyes on him. It was like they were judging and scrutinizing him; he hated it.

 

He hoped this night would whizz by and he'd get to go home.

 

Suddenly, he felt an arm link with his own, causing him to flinch slightly. Turning to his side, he noticed Hakyeon smiling at him reassuringly. Then a gentle squeeze on his right arm.

 

He guessed the grey-haired male had noticed his discomfort. He sent a faint smile in return, feeling himself relax slightly.

 

"Thanks," he breathed out.

 

"No problem," Hakyeon replied softly.

 

He led the two of them forward, greeting everyone that passed him with a bright smile. yet somehow, Taekwoon knew that it wasn't genuine.

 

He wondered whether Hakyeon even wanted to be there, at the party. Or was it simply for show. No doubt that he was going to take over the business after his father retired.

 

It made him wondered, whether Hakyeon was happy taking over for his father. Or whether, like him, he had other dreams he wanted to fulfil.

 

Then, he found himself just - staring. Noticing the way his sunkissed skin almost glowed underneath the lighting. The way his cheeks bunched up when he greeted someone he liked. The way the suit he adorned fitted him so well, as if it had been made specifically for him. It probably was, now that he thought about it.

 

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," and he immediately snapped out of the trance. He had been staring for way too long.

 

Goddamn it.

 

Taekwoon looked away as he felt his face burning from embarrassment. He couldn't believe he'd been staring so blatantly.

 

A side glance at the grey-haired male, and he was met with that stupid smirk again. Hakyeon was enjoying this way too much.

 

Ugh. He wanted to leave.

 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Hakyeon chuckled, squeezing his arm once. He then noticed the other fidgeting with one of his suit buttons.

 

Was he nervous?

 

"Hey, are youㅡ?" But before he could ask, he was interrupted by a booming voice calling Hakyeon's name. He turned to the direction of the voice and found a man in his 40s(?), smiling widely and waving at them.

 

"My father," he felt Hakyeon whisper in his ear, and it caused a shiver in him. He hoped to God that the other hadn't noticed it.

 

They moved through the crowd and halted as soon as they reached the older man.

 

Hakyeon released his hold of his arm and embraced his father. Taekwoon couldn't help but miss the warmth. He stood awkwardly, his arms linked behind him and his feet joined together.

 

He noticed the older man's eyes on him and found himself gulping visibly. It was like he was looking right through him. He was intimidated to say the least.

 

"You must be Taekwoon," the elder said once he pulled back from his son. Taekwoon shook the hand held out to him and tried to smile as best as he could.

 

"Jung Taekwoon. It's an honour to meet you, sir," and he bowed. He sounded stiff, he knew. But this was Cha Haesun. Multi-billionaire. He practically owned every hotel in Seoul. Oh god. This made him feel even more nervous under the elder’s gaze.

 

The hearty chuckle startled him.

 

"There's no need to be so frightened, son. I'm harmless, I assure you." The elder assured with another bright smile. It reminded him of Hakyeon's smile.

 

He allowed himself to smile as the elder slapped him on the back, which caused him to stumble forward a little.

 

He heard a giggle from his right, causing him to turn to Hakyeon and send him another glare. As subtly as he could. There was nothing funny about this situation.

 

"Okay, now that you've met him, we're going to go to the bar now," Hakyeon announced, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward without a warning. He almost stumbled as he was pulled along. Geez, why did they get their strength from?

 

"Hakyeon-ah, what's the rush? We've only just been acquainted. I think I have the right to get to know Taekwoon better. He is going to be a permanent member of our family, after all," the elder remarked, causing Hakyeon to grow tense and glance at him, then back at his father. He chuckled nervously as he released his grip on his arm.

 

"How old are you, son?" Haesun asked, turning his attention back to Taekwoon.

 

"Twenty-six, sir," he answered, clasping his hands together in front of him in nervousness. Glancing at Hakyeon at his side, who merely smiled sheepishly.

 

He had no idea how he was supposed to act in front of the elder, damn it. Wished that Hakyeon hadn’t at least given him some directions on this.

 

Then again, they probably hadn’t expected Hakyeon’s father to stop them and ask him further questions.

 

"Oh, so you're the same age as our Hakyeon then," Taekwoon nodded, even though he'd just discovered the fact. "Now, Hakyeon has told me that you're a model? Which company do you work for?"

 

. He hadn’t remembered to ask about that. What should he do now?

 

"Oh, um, I work for uh," crap. What was he meant to say? He turned to Hakyeon, trying to get his sense of panic across to the grey-haired male.

 

"Oh, he works for Hongbin’s company, dad! You remember Hongbin, right?" Hakyeon blurted out. He looked at the elder for his reaction, and sighed in relief when the elder nodded, an impressed look on his aging face. And then – a look of confusion.

 

"Is that so?" The elder trailed off in thought, "That’s strange…because I don't recall seeing you on any of their monthly issues." Of course he hadn't. Because he wasn't a goddamn model. Seriously, out of all occupations, Hakyeon had to choose one where he had no relation to whatsoever.

 

Godㅡat this rate, they're going to get caught.

 

Why had he agreed to do this again?

 

"Then, tell me, how long has it been since you've worked for Surface Studios?" Again, he wasn't sure what he had to say.

 

They really should have prepared more for this.

 

"Thatㅡ" Hakyeon tried to answer for him again. But he was panicking too much. Taekwoon could see it, the other fidgeting with his suit buttons again.

 

Before he realised what he was doing, his hand reached for Hakyeon's wrist and squeezed it gently.

 

Surprised by his own actions, he looked at the tanned male, who was looking at him with his own expression of surprise. He immediately released his grasp, bring his hands forward.

 

What the hell was he doing?

 

Shaking his thoughts aside, he directed his attention back to Hakyeon's father, who was looking at them with an expression of amusement. "Actually sir, I'm new to the industry. It's been around 5 or so months since I've joined." How easily the lie had trickled out – he was at a loss.

 

"Oh! I see, well, I will be anticipating your debut on the magazine, then," the elder smiled, patting him on the shoulder. Taekwoon thanked the man with a smile of his own and bowed. When he stood straight again, he noticed that the elder, about to speak again.

 

"Okay! Taekwoon and I are going to the bar now, bye dad," and before Hakyeon's father could protest, Hakyeon pulled him forward, moving further away from the elder who was waving at him, an amused smile on his face.

 

Taekwoon tried to bow at the elder, but with Hakyeon dragging him along by the arm, he found the feat difficult. He turned back around and allowed the tanned male to take him to the bar.

 

Once they were seated, Hakyeon put his head in his hands, groaning in frustration.

 

"Oh god, what have I done? What was I thinking?ㅡNo, I wasn’t thinking at all. And now, I dragged Bean into this as well. He is not going to like this..." he watched as Hakyeon reprimanded himself, his lower lip jutting out and head in his hands. Taekwoon snorted.

 

"Well, it's too late to be panicking now. What's done is done." He remarked, leaning on the bar counter with his arms across his chest.

 

Hakyeon turned to him, the pout still prominent on his face, and his brows furrowed.

 

"You don't understand. My father will definitely be expecting to see your face on the Surface Studios magazine. He's not one to believe it by word." Another groan, and he placed his head back into his hands.

 

Taekwoon sighed, about to remark that he shouldn't have started this in the first place. But the gasp that came from Hakyeon caused him to bite his words back and jump, startled by the sudden sound.

 

"Geez, you scared me," he heard Wonshik say, hand over his heart. Taekwoon rolled his eyes; Wonshik was easily startled, to be honest. (As if he hadn’t been startled himself).

 

"Sorry, Wonshikie," Hakyeon said sheepishly. Wonshik turned to him and mouthed 'Wonshikie?', a look of confusion on his face. He shrugged, turning back to Hakyeon, who was smiling widely.

 

Well, this ought to be good, he thought.

 

"Whatever you're thinking – no," he remarked, and there it was. That ridiculous pout again.

 

"The deal was to accompany you at this party, that's all. If your father doesn't believe it, it won't even matter once he's gone on his business trip – you're going to tell him that we're not together anymore when he gets back anyways. So really, there's no need for any more complications."

 

"Oh. Rightㅡyeah, you're right. I guess I was panicking for nothing," the tanned male laughed, scratching the back of his neck as he looked away from him.

 

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say that Hakyeon sounded disappointed.

 

"Sorry...I promise after this night, you won't have to see me again. Iㅡ"

 

"So, this is where you were," an unfamiliar voice interrupted. Taekwoon looked to his right and noticed a blue haired male making his way towards them. He couldn't help but think how attractive the man was.

 

Objectively speaking, of course. He wasn't Taekwoon’s type.

 

The blue haired male swung his arm over Hakyeon's shoulder, causing Hakyeon to grunt, but there was a smile gracing his face. They must be close, he thought with raised brows.

 

His lips twitched as he watched Hakyeon lean on the other male.

 

Hold on. Was he getting irritated?

 

Wellㅡof course he was. Why wouldn't he be?

 

Hakyeon could've asked this man to be his fake fiancé, instead of him. They were already so close. Wouldn't they have been more believable?

 

"Binnie," Hakyeon whined, pouting yet again. The blue haired male sighed, looking down at Hakyeon.

 

"What happened, hyung?" 'Binnie' asked, settling down next to Hakyeon. It's like he was invisible.

 

He took a gulp of his drink and slammed it on the table, causing some of the liquid to splash onto the counter. . His eyes glanced towards the grey-haired male, who was still engrossed in his conversation with the blue haired male. He turned away and faced the bar counter.

 

He brows knitted together, confused.

 

Why the hell did he care?

 

"Ah, hyung! I just cleaned the counter a minute ago, geez," he heard Wonshik exclaim, causing him to jump in his seat at the sudden noise. He apologised, feeling embarrassed as he lifted his glass so that Wonshik could wipe the counter again.

 

"So, you’re Taekwoon," he looked up and saw Hakyeon and the blue haired male looking at him.

 

“That’s hyung to you, idiot,” Hakyeon interjected, poking the blue haired male’s side.

 

"Jung Taekwoon," he added, nodding in greeting. The other stared at him, but he couldn't tell what he was thinking.

 

He glanced at Hakyeon, who grinned at him, leaning on one hand on the counter. Taekwoon immediately looked away, no doubt a flush of red painted on his cheeks. Why the hell was he blushing like a teenage girl?

 

"Lee Hongbin, Hakyeon's best friend," the blue haired male greeted with his own nod. Hakyeon's best friend, huh?

 

He wondered if all of Hakyeon's friends were handsome like him.

 

"Oh, um, thank you?" Wait. No, he hadn't meant to say that aloud. When he snapped out of his thoughts, he noticed a frown painted on Hakyeon's face, but he didn't say a word. Why did he look upset? He had complimented him hadn’t he?

 

Taekwoon cleared his throat, turning in his chair to face his best friend instead. When he set his eyes on Wonshik, he noticed that the silver haired male was staring.

 

Following the younger's eyes, he realised that he was staring at Hongbin, who had his brows raised at Wonshik.

 

"Wonshik-ah, you're staring," and Wonshik merely hummed as if the words went in one ear and out the other.

 

Honestly, what was he going to do with this guy?

 

Sighing, he held his hand out in front of his best friend's face and snapped his fingers. Wonshik blinked, seemingly having gotten out of the trance. The younger turned to him.

 

"You were staring, you idiot." The younger scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly before clearing his throat and returning to work.

 

When he looked back at Hongbin, he had a hint of red painting his cheeks, gaze on the silver haired male behind the counter. He raised his brow in question. Was this…what he thinks it is?

 

The blue haired male must have noticed him looking because he hastily looked away and cleared his throat.

 

The younger male looked him up and down, giving him that uncomfortable feeling again.

 

Why did these people keep looking at him like that? He sighed inwardly.

 

"So, this is hyung's type, huh?" He heard the younger mutter under his breath. He couldn't help but think that Hongbin was upset.

 

Not that he cared enough to ask for a reason. This would be over soon anyway.

 

An hour more, he told himself. He looked at Hakyeon.

 

After this he wouldn’t be seeing Hakyeon again.

 

A frown made its way onto his face.

 

Was he…disappointed?

 

He shook his head, unable to understand what he was thinking anymore. So, he chose to ignore his thoughts altogether – for the moment, at least.

 

A hand was waved in front of his face, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He turned to the owner of the hand and looked at them in question.

 

"Now who’s staring, huh?" Wonshik said, looking smug for some reason.

 

Confused, he looked at Hongbin and Hakyeon, the former looking at him with an amused expression, whilst the latter had his cheeks tinted red.

 

Feeling his own cheeks burning up, he looked away and cleared his throat, "Sorry, must have zoned out for a moment there."

 

"That's okay," the blue haired male smirked, making Taekwoon even more embarrassed.

 

He wished the earth could just swallow him whole.

 

"So, Hakyeon told me that you sing here, Taekwoon-ssi?" Hongbin asked, snapping him out of his thoughts again. He nodded in response.

 

"Yes, occasionally. I work as a bar singer here." He answered, tapping the side of his glass. He'd be called at least two times a week, and the most he'd been called over is three days. But that's all he could manage. He did have two jobs after all.

 

The restaurant job did pay better, but he really enjoyed being a bar singer. And if it hadn't been for his bills and rent, he'd happily try it full time.

 

"Occasionally? Then, you have another job?" The blue haired male asked, head resting on the palm of his hand as he leaned against the counter.

 

"Yes, I work at a restaurant near my apartment on most days of the week," he replied. Hakyeon looked at him in surprise. Then realised that he hadn't told him about his other job. At least, nothing about the kind of job he did anyway.

 

Not that their conversations ever led him to talk about that part of his life (not that they’d had that many conversations to begin with). All he'd told Hakyeon was that he had a second job, and that's as far as he allowed himself to reveal. Who knew what Hakyeon would do if he found out?

 

Not that it matter much now.

 

Although, he felt relieved that he hadn't been asked to reveal the name of the place he worked at.

 

Here's to hoping that Hakyeon wouldn't try looking for it.

 

"Oh! Maybe we can drop by sometime soon," Hakyeon exclaimed in excitement. His eyes practically gleamed as he looked at Taekwoon expectantly. He snorted in response. As if he would.

 

"I'm not telling you where I work, Hakyeon," he said, eyebrow raised.

 

The grey-haired male pouted in response, which only made him roll his eyes because it was never going to work on him.

 

Hakyeon sighed loudly (and dramatically), his head falling on Hongbin's shoulder. "Why won't Taekwoonie love me, Bin-ah?"

 

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, hyung," He heard Wonshik remark. He glared at the younger, warning him to shut the hell up.

 

This caused Hakyeon to perk up, leaning forward on the counter, and looking eagerly at Wonshik.

 

"So, tell me what I should do, Wonshikie," Hakyeon practically whined.

 

"First," Hakyeon nodded eagerly, "stop calling me Wonshikie." Taekwoon snorted, pursing his lips. He watched as Hakyeon sat back, frowning.

 

Hongbin also had his lips pursed to contain his laughter too, he noted.

 

"But Wonshikie's so cute. It suits you," Hakyeon argued.

 

"If you want me to help you, you'll have to stop calling me that," Wonshik countered, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

Taekwoon scoffed. Like he'd allow it.

 

"Yeah, no. Don't even think about it," he interjected, "if you don't want a repeat of last time, that is." he challenged as Wonshik's expression turned to one of fear.

 

"I was ju-just kidding, hyung. I swear," the younger exclaimed, hands up in surrender, returning to what he should he doing in the first place – working. As he should be.

 

When he turned back to Hakyeon, he was beaming, giving a nod. With a brow raised in suspicion, he whipped his head back to Wonshik. But he noticed nothing strange, the younger merely working away with serving drinks behind the counter.

 

Hm. Maybe he was being suspicious about nothing.

 

He decided to turn around and watch the hall, taking another sip of his lemonade. Wondering when the night would finally be over. So that he could take off this ridiculously expensive suit and sleep already.

 

 

 

The rest of the night went by with a lot of walking around and greeting various stuck-up businessmen with Hakyeon. As much as he hated it, he'd promised that he would stay with Hakyeon through the whole night.

 

When the party was over, Hakyeon's father had come up to them, wishing him luck with his “modelling career”. And that he hoped to see Taekwoon when he returned. He smiled in response, bowing as he bid the elder a good night. Wondered what the elder will think when Hakyeon tells him that they've “broken up”.

 

Well, it wasn’t going to be his problem now. Hakyeon would need to deal with it.

 

He turned to his side to where the grey-haired male was leaning against the wall as he looked at the sky that was scattered with stars.

 

Just for a moment, he found himself think how beautiful he looked, under the moonlight like that. When Hakyeon noticed him looking, he turned to him and smiled. "What are you looking at?" He asked, and he could've sworn the male was blushing.

 

"You," he blurted out rather stupidly.

 

Hakyeon's eyes widen, the red on his cheeks more prominent now. He cleared his throat and tried to alter his response. "I meaㅡI mean, nothing, I'm staring at nothing. Stop assuming things." He stuttered.

 

"I wasn't really assuming anything, calm down," Hakyeon answered with a chuckle.

 

He looked away, sure that his face was burning up in embarrassment.

 

God, what the hell was that for? He's such an idiot.

 

Seconds passed by in silence, Taekwoon still refusing to look at the grey-haired male, and Hakyeon staring at him.

 

Well, until he couldn't handle being under that gaze anymore.

 

"Stop staring," he practically whined. It only made the other laugh out loud, his hand covering his mouth as he tried to contain his laughter.

 

Why did he find it so damn endearing? Damn it.

 

"I'm leaving," and he started walking away.

 

"Oh, come on! Don't be like that, don't leave yet," Hakyeon called. He turned around to glare at the grey-haired male, only to find him smiling at him.

 

And it caused something to stir inside his stomach.

 

What was happening to him?

 

"Hey," the grey-haired male said, standing straight – then paused, "can we...will I still be able to talk to you after tonight? I-I know I said that you won't have to see me after this party ends, but I-I still want to see you."

 

And Hakyeon gazed directly into his eyes, a strange smile still on his face.

 

A smile that didn't sit well with him.

 

He wanted the other to smile like he had just seconds ago. That kind of smile suited him better.

 

"Do what you want," he said, beginning to walk ahead, "I'm gonna head home though. You should, too. It's getting late."

 

He waved goodbye and walked further, his hands in his trousers pockets. It was getting quite chilly now.

 

"Bye Taekwoon-ah! I had a great time!" He heard the grey-haired male exclaim, and he could just picture him grinning as he said it.

 

His own lips curved up as he continued walking home.

 

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to keep Hakyeon around longer.

 

---

 

a/n: there's just two more chapters left until this finishes! i hope you enjoy it ;w;