The trail to his apartment was like traversing a horror house. The nervousness of seeing something unexpected was there. He had only known him for a short time but knowing his personality, he was a man of multicolors--a kaleidoscope of possibilities. Sometimes, he thought he already knew all of him, but the reality was no. No one could.

He was thinking too much that he didn't notice the door opening. It was a tall man, hair all wet, half with just a towel draping on his lower half. He stood there dumbfounded in front of the stranger, like a lost child with no idea where his home was. It's fine that he wouldn't see him even after flying miles from China to here. But seeing him with another man, that's just...

"Who's that?" a faint familiar voice echoed from behind. 

This was it, he thought to himself. After a year of avoiding him, more likely cutting any forms of connection to him, this was the time. He had to face his greatest fear. It was now or never.

"Kim Minseok, I'm looking for Kim Min--seok..."

"Why?" another man with enthusiastic voice appeared from behind the tall man--his posture was small, teeth encased in a bright smile, and round bright eyes crinkled delightly. His hair was also dripping wet, soaking the white shirt he was wearing. Not to mention that he was only wearing boxers underneath. "Who is--" the bright mood suddenly dropped seeing the person in front of their door.

"Minseok-hyung..."

Sometimes he was wondering why he kept opening the door leading to him when all he ever encountered were disasters.

###

"You're an intern from the Lee Corporation and you've work in Choi Group of Companies. You have a good track record. And I heard that you're from the same university as Kris," an old lady, probably in her mid-fifties, spoke as she stared on Minseok's resume, scanning each bullet points that he, himself, took hours to paraphrase, soaking each points in words of sugar and honey. He should nail this job interview. After this, flying all the way from Korea could probably be his life's greatest mistake or a one time big time lucky pinch hitter.

"He's my friend, ma'am—Yifan."

He saw her crunched her face in disbelief—probably because of the distate that Minseok just called Kris by his real name. Why wouldn't she be intimidated? After all, Kris was the son of the owner of the company. Calling him by his name meant that they were really close, which was the truth anyway. She just couldn't believe it. Maybe because he didn't appear like someone who would be close to their heir. Well, woman you're wrong. We're close mates--remembering those times he had to treat Kris for patbingsu after the poor boy was rejected to join a college fraternity. 

"You're friend..." she said with a doubt.

"Close friends," Minseok corrected confidently, crossing his fingers tightly in front of her face, emphasizing their closeness.

"Okay. Wait here while I call my boss...and Kris," she said as she rolled her eyes.

Yeah, call him so you'll know that I'm saying the truth. 

Watching her closed the door, Minseok immediately stood up and examined himself in front of the lone mirror at the corner of the huge meeting room. He wiped the leather shoes he borrowed from his father at the back of his pants, making sure they stayed the mirror-like shine on them. his index fingers only to run them slick on his thick eyebrows as he pulled out the lip balm to apply to his already chapped lips, he brought his phone out, positioning it in place to capture this once in a lifetime entrance to adult life. He was never the type to wear formal suit much more tux and seeing himself right now, he couldn’t hide the narcissistic grin on his face.

“I couldn’t believe I’m in China,” he breathed deeply. “, Hong Kong—Wu Corporation—Hong Kong, !” burying his head in his hands as he squealed, still carrying with him in disbelief that he was indeed in the place he wanted to go the most. Finally, all the years of carrying a Chinese pocket dictionary and watching hours and hours of movie and listening to the music of Leslie Cheung finally paid off. The power of the Wu family, “This is Wufantastic!” he shouted, idiotically fist pumping as his voice bounced off to the soundproof glass walls of the meeting room.

Standing in the middle of the room located in the second top floor of the Wu Corp. building, he felt like he was now the center of the universe and everyone was revolving around him. He could clearly see from the window a clear view of Kowloon, Hong Kong. On the other side of the glass wall were the rows and rows of tables outside with computers as employees were busy running errands here and everywhere. They looked chaotic at this time. He wondered where he would be located if he worked there and if his life would be as equally challenging and exciting as theirs. 

He found the leisure to scan and observe the whole office that he failed to notice a group of men approaching his room. The other employees seemed alerted by their incoming presence that they immediately bowed as these men passed by them. He noticed that one person in front was Secretary Kim—or Jaejoong-hyung as he called him whenever he would go to the university to fetch Kris when they were still in Korea. Then another man, an old man in his mid-fifties, was talking with furrowed eyebrows. He knew perfectly who that old man was since he had seen him attended the university graduation when he and Kris graduated together. Observing him, Minseok couldn’t help but admire the old man carrying his finesse of authority flawlessly. He was none other than the president of the company and Kris' father.

Knowing that they were almost near the room, he instantaneously went back to his place, glancing at the mirror one last time to straighten the crease on his clothes (if ever there was). The glass door finally opened and the first face he saw was Secretary Kim's followed by the president. He immediately stood up and sent them a courtesy bow. 

"Mr. Kim, it's been a while since the last time we saw each other," the old man said as he extended his hand. Minseok immediately took it for a handshake. Surprisingly, despite the age that brought creases to his body, the president’s hand was soft as if it was soaked in lotion all his life; the power of money indeed.

"I believe it's been two years, President Wu," he spoke with pure elegance, standing high as he could because no one could hide the fact that Kris was tall mainly because his parents were. At least, he could also appear tall with the way he speaks. Confidence was the term.

"Has it been that long?" the man pondered. He nodded. "Well, it's really good to see you again," he smiled. "Can you call Kris for me, Secretary Kim?" he commanded Secretary Kim who greeted him with a nod. "Please have a seat, Mr. Kim."

Following the president's request, he sat on the same seat he occupied earlier. The president sat at the very end of the huge rectangular table, the usual place for the kings and such. But if they were that apart, they wouldn’t definitely hear each other unless Minseok shouted from his seat, so the boy embarrassingly stood up to sit a little closer to the man who didn’t seemed to mind. After a while, Kris entered the room, giving him his gummy overly excited smile before it morphed into his usual blank expression when he turned to face the president. He gave Minseok a small pat at the back as he passed by him and sat beside his father. 

"So, Mr. Kim, do you know how important this job you're applying for?" the president asked.

Minseok could only stare at the creases on the president’s forehead; his mind seemed to have skyrocketed somewhere. Honestly, he didn’t know the answer to that—

“The real question is, does he even know why he was here in the first place?” Kris added with a smirk.

—and even that.

"My father already explained to you everything. I have nothing to add," Kris said as he plopped into his swivel chair, playfully turning into circles.

After the small talk with the president, the old man instructed Kris to tour Minseok around the office. At first, the boy was ecstatic because who wouldn’t be when the building had sixty-seven floors. Just imagine the jungle of dreams within those floors and the possibility of opening a new world when you reached each floors. He was too giddy that he couldn’t hide his grin while walking behind Kris. More than greeting his friend after two years of not seeing each other, he’d rather explore the place first. They had all day, he believed. What Kris did instead was to bring him to his own office so he could boast about his newly found adult world (more like a playground to him). No one really knew about this but Kris always skived off work and almost all of their projects were passed to him. The only help the lazy bum could give was financial and moral support. "Basically, your job is to increase the sales revenue and reach the quota or even beyond that."

"I know. This is the easiest job you know," Minseok said sarcastically, approaching a lacquered finished antique cabinet yet when he opened was actually a refrigerator. He couldn’t help but stare jaw-dropped because it was full of expensive liquor which most of it he hadn’t seen before, never in his whole life. "I never pegged you for the type who drinks this kind of stuffs,” he said, gently skidding closer.

"I don't. It's just my father's or sometimes my aunt. Whoever higher authority going to my room is basically served with those drink. It's easier to get out of the argument when they're drunk."

"Clever, very clever.” Turning his body so his he was facing Kris as his hands expertly traveled to the bottles, he continued the conversation as if there’s nothing happening. “So, are we going to stay here forever or are you going to show me my new workplace?" he asked as he grabbed one sophisticatedly styled bottle of whiskey and hid it behind his back. Kris was looking blankly to the ceiling.

"Fine and make sure the guards won't find it suspicious that you have a huge bottle inside your bag," he said as he looked at Minseok with a smirk.

He shrugged nonchalantly. He wasn't surprised anymore as he stuck his tongue out to him then smiled. "Thanks. This will be helpful for my survival," he said, shamelessly shoving the bottle straight to his huge bag. Thank goodness he brought his huge bag. 

They went a floor down and Minseok immediately spotted the difference as compared to the floor above it. The floor earlier was occupied by the Finance Department. They looked busier and focused on their work—people with exceptional and admirable work etiquette, all in for the sake of earning. The floor where they were now, however, exactly reflected the head of their department.

"No wonder why you're stats are experiencing landslide—" he muttered with a straight face.

"It's not what you think it is," Kris defended.

Minseok huffed as he crunched his nose in disgust. "—Marketing Department looks exactly like their head—lazy, idling, lethargic, slack,” words left him in rapid succession. “Is this how you lead your team, Yifan?" he chided.

If he counted the number of people in this department, he'd say he only saw a few that he could really consider ‘employee’. The Marketing Department was a larger group compared to the other departments as President Wu and Secretary Kim explained to him a while ago. But for Minseok, it didn't need to be populated given that it had adequate self-sufficient well-learned individuals and most importantly if there was a very responsible leader who would connect the plot points to reach their climactic sales quota. However, seeing the rest of the people, whose eyes were at Minseok and Kris as the former called Kris by his real name, this department would need a massive cleanup.

He saw Kris' face turned cold but obviously not because he was angry. He knew that Kris was only showing his face to show his employees that he was still the authority here. But since a part of Minseok’s job was to make sure that the sales go up, he also had to show his iron fist if needed—well not to Kris, of course; he's just a simple man with a gifted face but with a brain as small as a flower bud that needed proper training to bloom. 

"I'm just kidding!" Minseok as he poked his side. He tried to ease the tension but the other people in the room glowered at them, showing faces of annoyance but more than that were their questioning looks.

Clearing his throat, Kris gave Minseok a glare before speaking to everyone in the room. "Every—everyone, please stop what you are doing,” he commanded with a broken voice. Minseok tried to suppress a laugh. Kris loosened his tie a bit as he took a deep breath before continuing, “I'm here to introduce a new part our team." 

Since all of them stood up, Minseok could clearly see their facial expressions, reading them one by one. He observed as wary eyes looked at him as if they would his soul anytime sooner. Do I appear intimidating? As far as I'm concerned, I look perfectly friendly—baby face even.

"Good morning, I am Kim Minseok," he said in Chinese in a way that he knew they would understand. Even before flying here to China, he already made sure that his Chinese was close or even as perfectly sounded as the natives speaking it.

"Daebak!" a man, who appeared equally tall as Kris, stood up and approached them. Seeing his face morphed a grin, Minseok couldn't help but remember the recurring nightmares of his childhood. He had perfect rows of white teeth but they were showcased in a smile that could surely kill anyone who had seen it, he meant literally. It was bloody creepy. He was sure he had to take sleeping pills tonight.

What surprised him was that the tall man spoke in Korean, his mother tongue. Well, he didn't look Chinese anyway with those big eyes of his but neither did he look Korean. Alien would. 

"Go away, Chanyeol or better, always stand approximately five meters away from him. He looks scared, don't you see?" another tall boy warned; even he was speaking in Korean but his face wasn't shouting 'I'm Korean, too,' at all especially when he had sun kissed skin that appeared glowing even indoors. Not to mention, he had a beautiful sculpted face. Dark fringe covering his forehead but not his eyes which crinkled when he smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake. “Kim Jongin.”

Were all of the people under Kris' department this good looking? If it was, he’d surely appear like a walking crossbreed of minion and hamster as his friends in Korea would always . He'd be the thorn among the roses. How pitiful. It is okay Minseok, your mother still loves you, he mentally consoled himself.

Reaching his hand to reciprocate the shake, Minseok sported a thin smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Kris’s eyes were on him as he munched the bagel sandwich Kris specially ordered from a fancy café below. Now, there were breadcrumbs on the freshly cleaned carpeted hallway. But who he was to complain when it was Kim Minseok walking and eating beside him. He could only let out a disappointed sigh.

“But it’s needed,” Minseok said, sipping from his ice coffee like a child. There was mayo stuck on his straw, like he cared. Well, Kris cared as he removed the straw and replaced it with another.

“It’s too early to fire people especially by someone who just landed here in Hong Kong for less than a day,” he said pressing the elevator doors. He watched as the number on the display went up slowly.

“Well, it’s too late to raise your sales if you’re like that. It’s not like they have a choice, do they? They’re dragging your company down,” Minseok was saying it nonchalantly as if it wouldn’t hurt someone who still had a heart of a child like Kris. He’s right anyway but still, it hurt.

All Kris wanted to hear was the ding sound of the elevator. Please, get here as fast as you can. Unlike his cute child-like demeanor, no one knew how frightening the monster could be hiding inside the man beside him. It was all just hearsay when he entered college—especially that time when he ran to the older to find comfort when he was rejected to join fraternity. Some said being closed to Minseok was worse than being in a group full of notorious frat men. He didn’t know what they meant by that but now he was slowly getting a clue.

“Anyway, I have to meet who will be my teammates for this project so we can start planning,” Minseok said enthusiastically. “Your father said I’ll be working with people.”

Before he could reply, the elevator doors opened, giving him a chance to breath. However, what he didn’t expect was another problem.

“Not here, what if someone sees us—” Standing in the middle of the elevator was a couple (at least, in Minseok’s eyes) but Kris knew better. His sent glares to the two people who hurriedly fixed their disheveled hairs from who knows what they did.

Minseok didn’t seem bothered by it as he walked inside the elevator, still munching the sandwich in his hand. “So tell me, who are the people I’ll be working with? Are they great?” the man asked excitedly, not knowing the cold sweat dripping from Kris’ forehead. “I remember Secretary Kim talking about Oh Sehun. Who was he talking about?”

Kris stood frozen, not knowing what to do as he looked to his left; to that person he knew he was talking about. Showing he was concerned before closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and spoke, “Well, the person standing to your right is Kim Joonmyun, a member of the research team and the head of the research team, the one to your left, that’s Oh Sehun.”

“Oh.”

First of all, I have to apologize for the delay. This has been hidden in my files for days and weeks and it's still not finished. Nope, it's not. This is supposed to be one-shot but clearly it's long and not yet finished so I decided to just post this wip part since it's been long since I posted the foreword. To be honest, I'm not touching it for weeks now. Really sorry. I don't know if I can finish it. The plot and the ending is already planned. I just need motivation to write. Give me time.

Anyway, since it was originally one-shot, I assumed this will only take as long as 5 to 10 chapters most likely. Just be patient guys because I have a lot of stories to update. It's my fault. I'm really sorry. And this is not really angst.

By the way, the number of upvotes scared me. *chills* Why?