Hello~ I have to admit, I'm laughing so hard at some of your comments xD;; I kinda think I should point out that, compared to Woohyun, Junhyung's been much more straightforward thus far and, since Gyu's a somewhat oblivious Tibetan fox, he needs that. Also, because he's a stubborn kinda guy, there was never any real possibility of him not going to the gig with Junhyung - he just didn't want to admit to himself that it was a romantic thing or deal with the fact that it might cause conflict. 

Anyway, bring on the Christmas party |D

The women of the office are quite remarkable, Sunggyu decides. He never notices them preparing for the Chistmas party. Nevertheless, their appearance transforms throughout the day. It's the normal, daily work outfits in the morning. From somewhere, a much fancier pair of heels emerge. Hair gains a loose perm or a new colour. Skin becomes a shade whiter. When Bora sets herself down in Junho's vacated chair that lunchtime, her regular white blouse and black skirt have been augmented with rhinestone encrusted stilettos, rose-patterened fishnets and hair glitter. 

"Hey, Sunggyu-sshi."

He raises a hand by way of greeting, busily biting into a cheese sandwich from the vending machine by payroll. Once he's swallowed, he adds, "I'm not telling you about the gig." Just because he's admitted to himself that it was a date (a good one), doesn't mean he's going to say so to Bora in the middle of the office. 

"What?! Why not?" she exclaims, grinning. She seems to understand him though, because she comes closer and asks far more quietly, "Well, look - good or bad?"

"Good," Sunggyu grunts, eyes unfocused on his monitor.

"Then you're seeing him again?" 

"I guess so."

"You guess so?!" Bora's lost control of her volume dial again. Sunggyu shoots her a glare and she has the decency to look sheepish. "Is it Dishy Chef Guy?" she whispers. 

"He has a name," Sunggyu mumbles in response. 

"So it is Dishy Chef Guy."

A sigh escapes Sunggyu's lips. 

Bora and he talk a few minutes more. Unexpectedly, he's able to get her on to less confusing subjects without much difficulty. It sounds like she's got someone she's looking to impress at tonight's party. However, she's too wily for Sunggyu to extract a name from her. When she's about to leave, she puts a hand on Sunggyu's and leaves him some advice. 

"It's not good to let opportunities pass, you know? Life can be lonely if you don't go out and grab your chances by the scrotum." 

Sunggyu freezes in surprise at the pretty accountant's turn of phrase. He watches her leave, hips swaying and heels clicking. Picking up the last of his cheese sandwich, Sunggyu munches contemplatively. 

~.~

The dinner at their party that night is delicious. Sunggyu wonders which parts Woohyun had a hand in - although, mostly he simply enjoys a little of everything that comes his way on the lazy susan. 

From Sunggyu's perspective, it grows awkward as the food winds down. There are so many people here whom he just doesn't know the name of. His shyness flares up. All he can seem to bring himself to do is sit at a quiet table and people watch. Couples have migrated to the small dancefloor and singletons have, in large part, migrated to the bar. Sunggyu's only company at this dark table is Park Dambi from HR who informs him that she has put on 12 kilos since her divorce. From the way she's stripping away her chicken wings, Sunggyu assumes she's looking to put on 12 more. 

He sees Yongguk and his girlfriend, sporting her new white gold necklace. On the dancefloor, Jiyoon and Hyunah are bouncing around to some song about ice-cream. Near the bar, Keumjo is turning blue as she struggles to breathe in her new dress. Across the room, a flash of glitter and orange catches his attention. Dongwoo must have interpreted the dresscode as 'more expensive/clean jeans than usual' because he looks much the same as he always does. His hair is a little shorter and slicked back and he has more accessories adorning his arms. Sitting beside him, Bora doesn't seem to mind if the way she's throwing her head back in laughter at Dongwoo's jokes is any indication. She completed her look with a devastating, figure-hugging red dress and bold, exotic nail art. 

Wow. When did that happen? Am I blind or what? Sunggyu questions himself. A smile tugs at his lips. Something else tugs at his heart. All this obnoxious coupling, the terrible Christmas songs, the plastic mistletoe - none of it irritates him like he thought it would. (Although, he still believes this is all ridiculous). Instead, it bathes him in a certain feeling. Something he rarely noticed in himself before. Something which has been following him like a shadow this past week. He feels so lonely it's almost unbearable. He misses his uni friends, as mad and terrible influences as they were. He misses his family. He misses Christmas mass in their freezing cold church where he'd known 90% of the congregation since he was a kid. He misses having someone to hold him. He misses having someone he could trust to spill all his bull to. 

Sunggyu's gripping the table top tightly. He desperately tries to push these thoughts aside. Crying at the Christmas party with no one but the fat divorcee to comfort him is certainly not the sort of memory he wants to see out the year with. He jumps out of his skin when his phone suddenly vibrates noisily by his empty plate. 

Ur still around, right? Want 2 come out front? =‿=v 

"What's with him and that face?" Sunggyu scoffs, roughly wiping the bristling tears from his eyes. He pockets his phone and makes his way outside. Woohyun waves to him from a bus-stop across the street. The chef's back in his civvies - skinny jeans and familiar puffy jacket. He has two skewers of something in one hand. Dodging the traffic, Sunggyu trots over and slides on to the freezing metal bench beside him. 

"Hey. You're off work already?" 

Woohyun hums, handing a skewer of food to Sunggyu. It's spicy fried tofu, aromatic and greasy. 

"How much food did I eat and you're offering me this?" Sunggyu jokes. 

Woohyun grins bashfully. 

"I heard the path to a man's heart was through his stomach. Go on, Hyung - I bought it for you, you should take it." 

"Yeah, yeah," Sunggyu acquiesces, smiling secretly at Woohyun's embarrassment. They've always eaten together. Perhaps Woohyun figured it was tradition. Sunggyu plucks a skewer from Woohyun's hand and Woohyun catches his wrist. Sunggyu looks up at him in surprise, immidiately wishing he hadn't. Woohyun's gazing into his eyes intently. 

"Are you OK?" 

Well, obviously Sunggyu can't look away now. That would be like admitting, no, I'm not OK and I'm so stupid that I didn't realise I wasn't till about five minutes ago. So he holds Woohyun's gaze and tries to make his voice as calm and breezy as he wants it to be. 

"I'm fine. I might be coming down with a cold. Must have been working too hard." 

"Take care of yourself, Hyung," Woohyun says, playfully poking Sunggyu's temple, "Seems it's a good thing I keep feeding you." 

"How is feeding me fast food helping me stay healthy?" Sunggyu argues, mouth full of fried tofu, gesticulating with his skewer. 

"Tofu contains essential amino acids and the spices are good for the lungs," Woohyun shoots back, "See? I'm not just a pretty face, Gyu-hyung. I know exactly what I'm doing." He has his chin up like a petulant kid. The cold is making Woohyun's ears and the tip of his nose red and he punctuates his outburst with a sniffle. Giggles burst out from Sunggyu's chest. 

"Why are you so cute, Woohyunnie?" 

He reaches out and ruffles Woohyun's hair. It might be how his spirits have been so suddenly lifted from when he was inside. It might be that weird effect Woohyun has on him intensifying. Either way, Sunggyu can't bring himself to be embarrassed. He watches in amusement as Woohyun's eyes widen momentarily before his features melt into a relaxed and happy expression.

~.~

Upon the realisation that he'd already spent 30 minutes at the frozen bus-stop, chatting with his friend and losing feeling in his backside, Sunggyu figures he may as well say his goodbyes to the boss. He gets the formalities done with as quickly as possible, claiming that his hometown friend is waiting and he's very sorry to leave so soon. Woohyun waits for him outside, whistling a old tune under a streetlight, sniffly nose and all. Like a model or an actor in a lunchtime drama. Gosh, you're annoying, Sunggyu tells the man, but only in the confines of his own head. His lips form a pout as he bustles over to his friend - Woohyun makes him confused by his own thoughts. 

Woohyun greets him with a warm smile. He takes Sunggyu's elbow to lead him a certain direction. Sunggyu assumes they're heading towards wherever Woohyun parked his bike tonight. He'd better not be thinking to feed Sunggyu more delicoius food. Sunggyu opines that, should he eat any more, he will, in fact, explode and he'll make sure that all the grisliest bits get on Woohyun's expensive clothes. 

They stroll along in a comfortable silence. A memory occurs to Sunggyu and, without thinking, he pulls out his phone. 

"What did you mean by this?" He shows Woohyun the text the chef had sent him on Saturday. Save a dance for me. 

Woohyun laughs. A redness not caused by the cold dusts his cheeks. 

"That's where we're going now, actually. I hope you like it. It's OK if you don't. Kibum and Dongwoon said the idea's stupid, but I think you might enjoy it." 

"Are you calling me stupid?" Sunggyu deadpans. He's having fun watching Woohyun excitedly, shyly rambling. 

"No no no! I'm saying you like me even though I'm stupid, so I feel like my odds are good." 

Sunggyu guffaws, nudging Woohyun's shoulder. 

"Who says I like you?"

"I do. And Kibummie and Cheolyongie agree with me. It's three against one, Hyung." He looks up at Sunggyu with eyes full of mock sincerity. 

"I didn't say anything," Sunggyu defends haughtily. 

"Well, then it's three ayes to one abstention. I still win." 

Sunggyu cracks up all over again. He playfully punches Woohyun's arm. (Well, it's quite a hard punch, in reality, but Sunggyu sure thought it was a playful one).

"You're right about one part - you are stupid."

"Guess so," Woohyun giggles. His fingers wrap around Sunggyu's wrist and he changes direction, dragging the chuckling man up a few concrete steps and into a well-kept park.

"Is this where we're going?" Sunggyu enquires, his laughter dying down. There are scarce lights to illuminate the paths and neat hedgerows. Sunggyu can't help a shiver running up his spine. The path they're walking is winding up to something unknown. They pass by shadowy pagodas and wooden benches with teenage couples kissing, willow trees and babbling brooks. A sinister atmosphere hangs over them all in the darkness. Or rather, Sunggyu imagines it does. Woohyun never lets go of his wrist. Is he a psychopath? Am I about to be knocked off? It's so cold. Why am I following this guy?

It takes some time to penetrate his scattered thoughts, but soon Sunggyu hears it - a strange, unanticipated sound from above. Sunggyu hears ballroom music. 

~.~

"Told you I can't dance," Sunggyu mutters after treading on Woohyun's toes for the second time in as many minutes. 

"And I told you it doesn't matter," Woohyun giggles, "If you'd stop staring at your feet, you'd have better balanced." 

Sunggyu merely grunts. He acknowledges the correctness of Woohyun's statement, but where else is he to look? There are mere inches of space between them. Woohyun has one of Sunggyu's hands in his and a loose hold on Sunggyu's waist. (Sunggyu placed his free hand on Woohyun's shoulder, not knowing what else to do with it). If Sunggyu looks up, surely he'll be looking into Woohyun's eyes. For whatever reason, that's really too disconcerting to contemplate.

Sunggyu cranes his neck, pretending to be interested in the people near them. He and Woohyun are standing on a tree-lined path under a dim light. Just off the path is a sort of courtyard filled with 30 or so people - none of whom look to be younger than 60 - dancing. When they'd arrived, Western ballroom music had been playing from a battered, plastic speaker on a stool. At that point, there had seemed to be some order to proceedings. Elderly couples whirled around, lightfooted in the limited space. Woohyun had asked him to dance, but Sunggyu preferred to watch. (Besides, the senior citizens would easily show him up). The music soon changed to an assortment of trot and old ballads and the order broke down. Some couples still danced together. A few men retired and busted out a baduk board. Some women had traditional fans in bright colours and were practising their own steps in one corner. Sunggyu wasn't quite sure when Woohyun had inveigled him to dance, but here he was. (Although, frankly, 'dance' was an inaccurate term. 'Rhythmic shuffling' would be more exact). 

"How was your date?" The words spill from Woohyun's lips in a rush. Sunggyu feels how the chef takes a deep breath. He chews his lip a little before replying. 

"It was OK," he says, eyes following an old woman with a scarlet fan as she demonstrates some complicated steps to her friends. 

"Hmm? It's just that you didn't mention it. I thought maybe something happened." (Woohyun's voice, when it's rich and serious, makes electricity crackle through Sunggyu's veins. Sunggyu bites down on his lower lip a smidgen harder than necessary). 

"Something? No, it was good," he confirms, finally meeting Woohyun's piercing black eyes. 

"Will you have another date with him?" 

Sunggyu hesitates. As so often, he feels compelled to hold Woohyun's gaze. However, all he can come up with is,

"I don't know."

He notices Woohyun's hold on him tighten a little. Sunggyu resists the urge to shake himself free and push Woohyun away. 

"Do you want to?" the chef asks curiously. 

"I... I'm not sure." Which is stupid. Why shouldn't he be sure? Junhyung is interesting, attractive and clever. Why must Sunggyu hesitate? Is it all Woohyun's fault? Annoying. So annoying. 

"Can I be selfish?" 

The question pulls Sunggyu back from his bewildering thoughts. He lets his eyes wander, down Woohyun's sharp nose, his cheekbones and.. 

"How'd you get this?" Sunggyu mumbles, gliding one finger over a pinkish scar on Woohyun's neck. It feels rough and warm and the irregular, round shape makes Sunggyu think it's a kitchen injury. 

"Don't. Don't go out with him, OK?" Woohyun continues as if Sunggyu hadn't ignored his question. He lets Sunggyu keep inspecting his scar, waiting patiently for the man to respond. 

After a few seconds, Sunggyu does pull his hand away and take a step back from Woohyun and the intense atmosphere surrounding the chef. The music changes to a highpowered trot song that Sunggyu remembers as one of his dad's favourites. He snorts at how inappropriate it is as background music. 

"You've never met him," Sunggyu points out. 

"Don't need to." 

The childish answer makes Sunggyu smile a lop-sided smile, so Woohyun smiles back at him. This isn't right, Sunggyu thinks. He needs to be mature. Reasonable. 

"Woohyun-ah," he begins. 

"Can I kiss you?" 

"OK." Oh hell, he curses as the word comes out too speedily for his brain to stop it and as Woohyun closes the distance between them. His arm is tight around Sunggyu's waist, one hand in Sunggyu's hair. The kiss is strong and possessive. It takes Sunggyu by surprise and it takes him a moment to remember how to use his limbs. He pushes Woohyun back. The chef obliges, loosening his hold, but doesn't stop kissing him. Softer. Savouring his mouth. Tongue on tongue. Sunggyu's hair. Tracing warm circles on his hips. This is how Sunggyu feels himself melting. He whimpers - either because he's distressed at himself for how Woohyun seems to know exactly how to handle him already, or because Woohyun removed his mouth for a breath too long and Sunggyu wants more. Woohyun grins against his lips. 

Gradually, the raucous trot music fades back into Sunggyu's consciousness. He becomes aware of two old women aww-ing at them. One is telling the other how it's good that young men can have the gayness these days and not be ashamed of it. Her grandnephew has the gayness and he's a lovely boy. She doesn't like his boyfriend, however, because that child doesn't go to Church. Sunggyu starts cackling. He hides his face in the crook of Woohyun's neck. He can feel the chef's chest shake with his own laughter.