He loved him not.

Seungri was persistent, but he was no match for Youngbae’s temper. Though the man was not one to really lose his temper, once he held a grudge it was very difficult for him to forgive. It was as though his anger was a train: It was nearly impossible to put the brakes on once it hit full speed.

Every day Seungri would appear during Youngbae’s shift to try to talk to him. In the end, he more of talked at Youngbae, who would continue working in tight-lipped silence as the blond tagged along behind him. One day, before Seungri even had the chance to go inside the diner, Dongwook met him outside. “Look, Seungri,” he had said, “I know you want to get Youngbae back. But… this isn’t the way to do it. Whatever you did or he did or whatever, that’s what you need to work through. You might as well talk to a statue for all the good you talking to him is going to do.” The man had then ground out his cigarette and headed in to start his shift as the night cook.

The blond had stood outside the diner, just staring at the familiar form of Youngbae moving inside, for another two hours before he left. Youngbae only checked around for him twice during his shift. A few days later, the brunette was walking to work when Dongwook met him at the corner – frowning. “Youngbae, I don’t think you should come into work today,” he said softly.

Youngbae raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Dongwook cleared his throat. “I just think you shouldn’t is all.”

Without a word, the brunette pushed past Dongwook and continued down the street. The sight of the diner made him stop short, his lips drawing into a tight line. His hands slowly curled into tight fists – nails biting into the soft flesh of his palms. All over the façade of the diner were spray painted words that could only be meant for him: queer, , , pansy, f’boy, , and more. Youngbae took a slow, stuttering breath before walking inside. He calmly hung up his coat, put on his apron, and started his shift. When he walked out of the diner the next morning, he stopped short at the sight of a familiar blond crouching down at the side of the building. For a brief moment Youngbae thought Seungri was adding more slurs to the walls – what a horrible way to declare their relationship thoroughly dead! – and then he looked closer. The blond was holding a rag in his hand and had a bucket of cleaning solution on the ground beside him. Seungri was standing in the cold cleaning the stains away as best he could. 

 “What are you doing?”

Seungri stopped as though the rag in his hand had suddenly burned him. His wide, dark gaze lifted to rest on Youngbae, and he seemed to drink in the sight of the brunette for a long moment. “Cleaning,” he said simply, gesturing to the walls. Youngbae glanced around and noticed that most of the slurs had been rubbed out of legibility. Seungri must have been at work cleaning for…hours.

“Why?”

Seungri cleared his throat. “It’s my fault it happened.” He wrung out the rag and went back to rubbing out the “u” he had been working on before. “I told my friends about you. That I had been dating you. Apparently they don't like gay people.”

Youngbae scoffed. “Why bother to tell them that?” He folded his arms over his chest. “It’s not like it matters now.”

“You’re wrong, Bae. It does matter now.” Seungri cleaned with renewed force. “Because I made the mistake of hiding our relationship, and it meant I hurt you. So I’m doing my best to make it up to you. I never wanted you to think that I was ashamed of you, because I wasn’t. You were the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

Youngbae scoffed. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.” He stomped the rest of the way down the stairs and stalked away down the street.

The next day, the diner had not only been cleaned but a crew had begun to remodel the outside. Youngbae raised an eyebrow at the changes and sauntered inside. He stopped short. It seemed like a whirlwind had hit inside as well: Everything on the inside was either missing or was in the process of being torn apart. Dongwook, who had been standing observing the dismantling of his kitchen, waved to Youngbae. “Hey, did you not get my message?”

“No, I had to turn my phone off. The bill was too expensive.” Youngbae made his way to Dongwook’s side. “What’s going on?”

“New management,” Dongwook said simply. “Bought the place this morning and started tearing it apart. We’re going to have a few days off while they fix it up.” He shrugged a little. “I mean, paid vacation isn’t such a bad thing. I don’t think I’ve had a day off in five years.”

“Dongwook… Who bought the diner?” Youngbae had a sinking feeling he knew who was behind this particular grandiose gesture.

The man at his side cleared his throat. “Same person that gave us all raises,” he said, doing his best to be enigmatic.

“I see.” Sighing, Youngbae jammed his fingers into his hair. “Skies, am I never going to be rid of him?”

Reaching over, Dongwook put a hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “He’s just trying to take care of you. It’s misguided, sure, but he is trying. That’s something, isn’t it?”

Youngbae shrugged his hand off. “Not really. How is renovating the diner and giving us a raise supposed to make up for the fact he lied to me?” He shook his head. “He’s a fool if he thinks I can be bought off. I’m not like his cheap .” With that, the brunette stalked back out the door; he couldn’t stand to be in the diner a moment longer.

When Seungri walked out of the kitchen, he shared a deep frown with Dongwook. “I didn’t mean it as a way to buy him off,” the blond murmured.

“I know. And he knows it too,” Dongwook sighed. “He’s just not ready to forgive you yet. Bae’s pride always gets the best of him.”

He loved him not.

Youngbae found it incredibly hard to ignore his new boss. The first day after the renovation was complete, Youngbae had walked into the now sparkling restaurant and stopped short. Instead of worn out tables and peeling linoleum, it was all polished chrome, slate floors, and bold colors – like they were some upper class joint. It was worlds apart from the worn out but comfortable diner it had been before. But, checking the menu, Youngbae was surprised: The prices were all the same. He frowned and carried the menu back into the kitchen, where Dongwook was standing like a cooking god among the new equipment. “Isn’t it beautiful,” Dongwook had declared, caressing the stainless steel like it was his lover’s hip.

“What is all of this?”

“Our makeover,” Dongwook drawled. “I would think that would be obvious. Apparently the new boss has a thing against dirt and grime. So, he got rid of it all.”

Youngbae snorted. “And, what, are we suddenly going to be the M Street Grill - a sick parody of the N Grill?”

“No,” a too familiar voice said. “This is still a diner where anyone can get a good meal for a good price. Just like it used to be.”

Turning, Youngbae gave Seungri a thoughtful look. “Why?”

“Why what?” Seungri folded his arms over his chest, trying to ignore the pain that clenched his heart at the harsh look the man was giving him.

“Why pour all this money into a place that could never make it back?”

Seungri shrugged. “I think it can make it back. With better ingredients and a better look, this place is in a good position to make good money. It’s rough appearance was the only thing holding it back, I think.” He took a slow step closer to Youngbae. “But I’ve learned that appearances are deceiving. That you can’t just assume that something a bit rough around the edges isn’t amazing at heart.”

“Right. Well, while you work on being more subtle, I need to start my shift.” Youngbae brushed past Seungri, snagging his new apron on the way out the door.

Dongwook shrugged. “Well, at least he talked to you,” he offered. “That’s progress.”

Seungri groaned.

But love would not let Seungri give up. He went in to check on the diner every day and did his best to stir up more business for the diner. By the time spring had begun to return to Seoul, Dongwook had three assistants in the kitchen and there were no less than four servers working throughout the day. Youngbae was loathe to admit it, but Seungri had actually managed to make the diner into a relatively successful restaurant. Dongwook was thriving in the new environment: Seungri let him experiment and add new items to the night menu as he saw fit. A new tradition was emerging called the Midnight Menu, where Dongwook would prepare a special item in limited quantities that would be served up at midnight to the first customers through the door. It was becoming popular enough that Youngbae frequently had to prevent a stampede during the one night a week when the special menu would be served.

And on those nights, when the newly named M Street Grill was completely full, Seungri would frequently strip off his blazer, throw on an apron, and work alongside Youngbae. It was horribly endearing to see the man work so hard for something that was worth so little in the greater economic schema. Youngbae could not help admiring Seungri’s surprisingly strong work ethic. But, whenever he found himself softening towards the man, he would think of the two women waiting in the snow in front of the museum. Immediately, he would feel himself shutting Seungri out with an all but audible snap – as it should be.

One night, though, Youngbae felt too tired to care when his gaze caught on Seungri’s figure across the room. He simply sighed and leaned against the wall – taking the chance to appreciate the blond’s beauty. It had been nearly six months since the breakup, and yet Seungri was still trying to win him over. Youngbae did not understand it. And it made him more than a little nostalgic. Going into the back, he wrote a request for time off that Friday. He figured the grill could spare him for an evening, especially since they had hired yet another new waiter the month before.

Friday night found Youngbae riding the cable car up to Namsan Tower. He paced around the wide plaza even as his mind took him back to the awkward yet enjoyable evening he had spent with Seungri there. When he closed his eyes, he could almost taste the chiffon cake the blond had insisted on personally feeding him. He laughed a little. Seungri was always so clueless. It was hard for Youngbae to hate the blond; he had practically gone to the moon and back to try to win his favor.

On a whim, he rode the elevator up to the platform where the infamous love locks decorated the fence. He moved slowly around the deck – reading some of the notes on padlocks at some moments and at others simply staring off towards the city.

“You know, it’s a shame to look at the locks alone,” a soft, familiar voice said from behind him.

Youngbae slowly turned to find Seungri standing a few feet behind him, watching him closely. He raised an eyebrow. “It’s pretty normal when you’re single.”

“Well, then it’s a shame a guy like you is single.” Seungri ran a hand through his blond hair. “Do you think maybe you’d be willing to not be single anymore?”

The brunette began to fiddle with the ring on his thumb. “I dunno. Last time I wasn’t single, the person I was dating really hurt my heart. They made me feel like a dirty secret.”

“That person was really stupid. Astronomically stupid. But…he loves you.” Seungri his bottom lip. “He wants the whole world to know he loves you.”

“What about his family obligations?” Youngbae had not forgotten, after all, what Seungri had said about his public image.

Seungri stepped closer. “He talked to his family and told them about the wonderful man he was in love with. Told them that there were other ways to get an heir than to get married. And that they could find a new heir of their own if they weren’t willing to accept it. It's amazing how fast parents can change their mind. They want nothing more than to meet you.” He held his hand out to the brunette. “The only person left to accept that I’m in love with you is you, Dong Youngbae. Will you accept me?” Youngbae looked down at Seungri’s outstretched hand; in the palm was a simple silver padlock with their names carefully engraved on the side. He hesitated.

Slowly, Youngbae closed the distance between them and kept his gaze fixed on the padlock. “Seungri…” He could see the way the blond’s hand shook; Seungri was nervous. Carefully, Youngbae picked up the lock and weighted it in his hand. “I guess this means I’ll need to find a new place to work.” Turning, he hooked the padlock onto another lock towards the top of the fence, clicking the lock home before pulling out the key. “I can’t date my boss, after all.”

Because, really, when it came down to it, Youngbae could not keep lying to himself.

He loved him.

---

And there we go. My first ever BaeRi fic is finished. Hopefully you found it satisfactory. Thank you again to meypyong for the prompt; it was such a fun challenge! Thank you, also, to each of you who read, subscribed, up voted, and left comments. Your love helped me finish this fic a lot faster than I otherwise would have. I'm grateful for each one of you. <3

Now to see if I can't make some more progress on In Heaven before launching the "yay 100 subscribers" special fic of specialness this evening.