Chapter 4 - Flying Pigs

The Millionaire Matchmaker

hi everyone! i'm allowed back from this stupid two week thing at the weekend, and i dont have to go back until tuesday (which is tomorrow morning forme at the time of posting!) so i managed to polish off this chapter for you all! because its kinda rushed its probably going to be very bad and theres probably going to be a lot of mistakes in it... sorry about that. i didnt want to rush it but im a little bit in love with writing this story so i cant help it! >.< 

on friday i'll be back home again, but the next two weeks after that are also likely to be very busy for me, but i will be at home with a laptop and wifi etc etc in the evenings and things so hopefully updates shouldn't be too slow (especially as things are getting interesting now /wink wink/) 

honestly, i cant thank you all enough for being so lovely to me. i really dont want to do this thing im doing, but all of your lovely comments and subscribes and upvotes never fail to brighten my day no matter how bad its been. so thank you x 1 million youre all super super super babes <3 

so here's the chapter, again im sorry if its not too good. 

i'll see you all very very soon, 

keep smiling, look after yourselves and enjoy this update (hopefully!)

/throws all the sarang in the world at you/ 

****

 

CHAPTER 4 - FLYING PIGS 

beware of the cliches as ever! 

It’s raining again. Kyungsoo clucks his tongue as he scrambles from his bed, wincing as he notices that he is very very late.

His alarm has failed to go off. Well, it hasn’t, Kyungsoo has just forgotten to set it correctly the night before, and now the flashing time mocks him as he scurries to get dressed, a piece of burnt toast in his mouth. He’s lucky he had a shower the night before, as he can just about get away with not having a wash this morning. He gulps a cup of too hot coffee as he whisks out of the door, and startles Soojung as he hurries through reception.

Kyungsoo has no time to walk; he has an important meeting at Super Enterprises this morning, so he hails a cab and slouches in his seat as soon as he’s climbed inside and yelled the address to the driver over the loud crappy song on the radio. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and checks his phone, briefly skimming over the messages of support from Junmyeon and the wild rants from Baekhyun about not being able to catch up with Pretty Little Liars. He snaps his phone into his briefcase and mentally curses Kim Jongin.

Yesterday’s meeting with the man was already starting to cause problems in Kyungsoo’s life. His precious morning routine had been broken, and all because of Kim Jongin. If Kyungsoo had been able to remove the image of the taller’s smiling face from his mind, he would have remembered to set his alarm clock and inevitably not be in this mess. Kyungsoo feels irrationally angry about the whole situation and of course at himself. He can’t believe what a teenage girl he’s being, getting distracted by a pretty face he only formally met yesterday and who was a complete to him a week ago.

The cab driver coughs and Kyungsoo is snapped out of his reverie. He unclenches the hand on his thigh and hands the money over to the driver, stepping out of the car with his briefcase held in a sweaty grip.

***

By the time he makes it through the lobby, into the elevator and outside Mr Kim’s office, Kyungsoo is nearly one hour and forty five minutes late.

Miss Kwon (“Call me Yuri, dear”) On reception pats his back reassuringly before he goes in, wiping his glasses for him on the edge of her skirt in a motherly fashion.

He desperately starts to ramble and apologise for his lateness, concocting all manner of excuses until Mr Kim lifts a wrinkled hand and stops him.

“Mr Do, please, there is no need. I understand that things happen in lives that call for us to be late. I trust that you try to be here on time usually, so I have no problem on this occasion.”

Kyungsoo nods silently and turns to the seat offered to him. There are two other people in the room with them, which is unusual as Mr Kim is usually so keen to keep the meetings private. The first is Kim Hyoyeon, the secretary. She wears a smart black and white dress, a notebook in her hands. Her blonde hair is styled up neatly, and she smiles prettily and inclines her head when Kyungsoo bows to her.

“Good Morning, Miss Kim.” He says, and Hyoyeon returns the greeting pleasantly, her warm smile calming Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo turns to the second person in the room. He bows again, a full 90 degrees to apologise for his lateness. “Good Morning—“

A handsome and oh-so-familiar face greets him with raised eyebrows and a cocky smirk when Kyungsoo stands and makes eye contact. Kyungsoo briefly chokes on his own spit as Jongin grins with his arms folded, smart suit tightened attractively across his chest.

“Good Morning Mr Do. Fancy seeing you here.”

Kyungsoo nearly turns purple through blushing, and scolds himself repeatedly. He wills himself to stay calm and to act like the grown up that he is, and to stop blushing like a school girl who’s just seen her crush. Because Kyungsoo has not just seen his crush. Of course not. He met Jongin yesterday. He does not have a crush on Jongin. Fortunately he is saved by Mr Kim who announces the reason for Jongin’s presence.

“Mr Do, I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it would be easier if we discussed the matchmaking with Jongin here, as he will be assisting you through it.”

“Of course, that’s absolutely fine.” Kyungsoo replies. No no no that is absolutely 110% not fine at all I have major issues with that can he please leave now.

Mr Kim nods in affirmation and dismisses Hyoyeon from the room with a smile and waved hand. Jongin slinks his way over to the chair beside Kyungsoo and sits down, pulling his suit jacket around him. His knee brushes Kyungsoo’s under the table and Kyungsoo jerks away immediately. In the process, however, he thuds his knee sharply against the side of the table, right on the bone. He hisses in pain and Jongin snickers beside him, his smile subtly covered by his hand.

Mr Kim regards them both oddly and Kyungsoo gets the feeling that this meeting will not be over soon enough.

***

Kyungsoo leaves the meeting half an hour later like a shot. Jongin hadn’t tried anything funny whilst they were in the meeting room, but Kyungsoo wouldn’t expect him to. Kyungsoo had resolutely listened to Mr Kim’s wishes and ignored Jongin entirely, for fear he would turn into an overripe tomato.

Kyungsoo frowns irritated; Jongin seems to turn him into a hormonal mess that is very unprofessional and entirely unlike Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo rants about this in his head as he marches down an empty corridor, gnawing his lip and cursing under his breath. His eyes are glued to the floor as he rounds a corner and—

SMACK! He walks straight into Kim Jongin. The younger looks devilishly handsome, especially in his smart work suit. He observes Kyungsoo with a raised eyebrow and looks him up and down a couple of times, bottom lip between his teeth. His gaze is intense and Kyungsoo falters a little.

“W-What?” He asks, turning his eyes to the floor again. Jongin is silent for a while.

“I thought we agreed to be friends?” He replies eventually, causing Kyungsoo to snap his head up and possibly get terrible whiplash.

“W-we did, yes.” Kyungsoo says, recalling the conversation outside the cafe the previous day.

“Then why are you ignoring me, hyung?” Jongin pouts, looking for the all the worlds like a petulant four year old.

“I’m not ignoring you Jongin, I’m just... busy.” Kyungsoo says, making a move to walk past Jongin. He still can’t bring himself to look the taller in the eye, because those pouty lips are just too damn distracting and Kyungsoo isn’t sure he’d be able to control himself and he’d probably end up jumping Jongin and doing something highly inappropriate and most definitely unwanted in Jongin’s fathers office and—no. 

He moves to walk past, but a strong hand grasps his wrist before he can leave. Kyungsoo stares at the hand for a second and then back up at its owner. Jongin is staring intently at Kyungsoo, an unfathomable expression in his eyes. He appears to realise he is still holding Kyungsoo’s wrist and drops it with a small ‘Oh.’

“Kyungsoo hyung, look. I’m really really sorry for last week.” Kyungsoo looks like he’s about to say something, but Jongin raises a hand and stops him. “I know you’re going to argue and say you’ve forgotten all about it and everything, but I really want to apologise properly. Let me take you out somewhere. My old dance company’s having a performance next weekend. I’ve got a couple of spare tickets and I just thought it would be...” Jongin has turned an odd shade of red now, and he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, eyes downcast. He pulls himself together though, and looks up again, his voice taking a professional tone. “My dad thinks it would be good to help us get to know each other, so we can work better together.”

Kyungsoo can only nod dumbly, his mind still trying to catch up with all the information being thrown at him. “Um... y-yes, of course.” He says at last. One half of his brain is screaming at him because Jongin invited him on a date whereas the other half is yelling that it’s ok because it’s purely for business purposes and that it’s fine to accept because there will be nothing strange in it.

Jongin smiles slightly. He flicks a white card out of his pocket, with a number scribbled on it, along with a date and time. “Next Saturday, be ready at your apartment at half past six. This is Huang Zitao’s number; he’ll arrive to pick you up. Call him if there’s a problem. See you around, hyung.”

With that, Kim Jongin turns and breezes away, leaving only the sweet scent of his cologne behind him. Kyungsoo stands there for a while, until he decides that maybe he should go home.

***

Kyungsoo ensures he stays busy in the next few days. No one knows about Jongin’s invitation to see the dance show except for Luhan, who had caught sight of the card with Zitao’s number on and interrogated Kyungsoo until he spilled all the juicy details of the meeting.

If Kyungsoo left even a second to consider the situation with Jongin, he would get carried away in dreamland before having to pull himself out as quickly as possible to avoid the possibility of one of his colleagues catching him daydreaming. That would surely lead to awkward questions as everyone knows Kyungsoo only daydreams when there is an attractive guy on his mind.

 

 

When the Saturday arrives, Kyungsoo is inexplicably nervous, and has of course invited Luhan round to assist him. The Chinese boy sits cross legged on Kyungsoo’s bed, pawing through a collection of his clothing and giving a few sounds of approval.

Kyungsoo is spending as much time in the bathroom as he can, taking a relaxing shower. The strawberry shampoo he borrowed from Soojung is calming to the senses, and he is grateful for that as he can’t ignore the hammering of his heart in his chest. He knows it’s irrational; he’s been alone with Jongin before. But that little voice in the back of his mind keeps taunting him, telling him that he’s never been quite this alone with Jongin before, in the dark of a theatre. Kyungsoo forcefully tells the voice to shut up, and Luhan sticks his head into the bathroom door as he hears the noise. Ah, didn’t mean to say that out loud.

“Are you done yet, Soo?” He asks, swinging on the door frame like a little child. “I’ve picked out the perfect outfit; you are going to love it but more importantly,” he wiggles his eyebrows for effect “Jongin is going to love it even more!” He claps his hands with glee at Kyungsoo’s faintly murderous expression.

“Luhan how many times do I have to tell you, I’m not going to impress Jongin. It’s a business matter, getting to know him, better for the job et cetera, et cetera...” Kyungsoo whines.

Luhan gives him that irritating look, the one he only gives when he’s right and he damn well knows it. “Hey, Kyungsoo, would you look at that!” He says, pointing vaguely in the direction of the fogged up bathroom mirror.

“What?”

“It’s a flying pig.” Luhan has breezed away before Kyungsoo gets the chance to retort.

***

“Ooh, hello.” Luhan says, a satisfied smirk crawling up his face. Kyungsoo has at last got washed and dried, and he is now fully styled with his hair up and his body propped into the clothes Luhan chose.

Kyungsoo runs his hand through his hair nervously; it was the only thing he’d had permission to do himself.

Luhan stalks over to Kyungsoo’s wardrobe and whips off the cover from the mirror beside it. “Ta daaaaaaa!” He says, making jazz hands towards Kyungsoo’s reflection.

Kyungsoo stands for a  moment in shock. As much as he hates to admit it, Luhan is good. He is very good indeed.

The dark skinny jeans are tight and leave nothing to the imagination, especially with the revealing rips across the thighs. They hug his and hips well, accentuating Kyungsoo’s figure and giving him a killer silhouette. His shirt is also snugly fitting, which Kyungsoo is grateful for as it makes his tiny shoulders look just that little bit broader. The neckline scoops low just beneath his collar bones, leaving a teasing sliver of porcelain skin on show.

His hair is up in a ruffled quiff, looking neat but just messy enough to look casual. Kyungsoo smiles.

“I gotta admit Lu, you did well. Not my usual choice but—“

“But you look hot and damn Jongin’s eyeballs are going to roll out of his sockets.”

Kyungsoo throws him another withering glance, before a firm press of a doorbell alerts them both to someone’s arrival.

Kyungsoo calls a quick “I’m on my way!” as he heads towards the door, slipping his black shoes on as he goes. Luhan sneaks off into his kitchen.

“Xi Luhan where are you going?” Kyungsoo hisses.

“I’m house sitting for you.”

“House sitting? Since when did I need a house sitter?”

“Since now.” Luhan replies, marching towards Kyungsoo’s living room with a bag of popcorn and a tub of popcorn in his hand. “Now go, Sweet Kyungsoo, and get your man.”

Kyungsoo frowns and opens the door again. “I’m really sorry I kept you waiting I’m—“

“Do Kyungsoo. I know.” The guest at the door says. “I’m Huang Zitao. If you’re ready, we’d best be going. You little meeting is going to be starting soon.”

***

Zitao’s car is black and sleek. It’s already dark outside when Kyungsoo steps into the vehicle, so he has to feel around and realises that the seats are a smooth leather. The car is almost immaculate, but almost entirely black and the light does not switch on when Zitao opens the door.  

Zitao himself is a somewhat terrifying man. He’s tall, with dramatic black eyeliner and black clothes that make him look like a panda but without the cuteness. He shows little emotion to Kyungsoo as they begin driving, no hint of a smile on his face.

That changes however, when Zitao spots an advertising board with a basket of baby rabbits on it. “Oh my gosh Kyungsoo! Look at that!” He squeaks adoringly. “Aw, I really want a pet rabbit, but I can’t have one. Bodyguard duties, ya know? I have to waste my life looking after Sehun, I wouldn’t have time to care for one.” He looks wistful, before turning to Kyungsoo with a wide smile on his face. “If you could have a dream pet, what would it be?”

Kyungsoo is momentarily astounded by Zitao’s change in personality, but a slow smile spreads across his face as he thinks about it. “A shark of course!”

***

Once Zitao has parked his car, he insists on walking Kyungsoo to the theatre. The journey was lively and colourful; Kyungsoo realised that Zitao was just a shy person who needed a bit of warming up.

After the ice breaker of the dream pet question, Zitao had rambled on about his life to Kyungsoo, and they found they had loads of things in common. Kyungsoo discovered Zitao had a naughty sense of humour, and if he had any tension in him before the car ride, he certainly didn’t now as it had all but dissolved into giggles.

They round the corner of the street where the theatre is arm in arm, squealing and laughing like little girls at a car that honks its horn at them for crossing the road dangerously.

Jongin is waiting outside the theatre.  His eyes are locked on Kyungsoo’s arm looped through Zitao’s. “You two seem close already.” He states, face blank.

Zitao frowns at him questionably. “Me and Soo found out we have loads in common. Problem, Jonginnie?” He says before turning to Kyungsoo. “I’ll text you ASAP and we’ll meet up for that coffee, ok?”

“That’d be great. I’ll see you then Tao!” Kyungsoo exclaims, hugging him tightly. The hug is ended swiftly however when Jongin decides to almost crush his body between them, breaking them apart.

“That’s nice and everything Zitao, but you’ve done your job. Kyungsoo and I need to go and watch the show now. Goodbye.” He drags Kyungsoo through the lobby by his arm, grumbling under his breath about pet names and phone numbers until he has managed to find their seats in the auditorium.

“I checked us in earlier. We should have a good view from here.” He said, jaw still a little tight.

Kyungsoo settles in his seat and turns to look at Jongin. The younger looks so effortlessly handsome that Kyungsoo feels a little insecure for a moment. Jongin certainly knows how to dress himself judging by the elegant dress shirt and slacks he is wearing. His hair is styled well as usual, just the right balance of formal and casual. He must have some absolutely killer genetics. The though makes a question pop into Kyungsoo’s mind and he voices his query without really thinking. “What was your mother like?”

Kyungsoo slaps his hand over his mouth suddenly, the gentle hum of people in the background buzzing in his ears becoming louder as his face heats up. He has gathered from his previous meetings with Mr Kim and Jongin that Jongin’s mother is a sensitive topic. “I-I’m sorry that was really personal you—“

Jongin takes a deep breath and rubs his palms across the tops of his thighs. “No, it’s fine. She was... nice. She and Dad met when they were sixteen, and they barely left each other’s sides for all the time they were together. She was clever and funny, but she kept my dad grounded. I doubt Super Enterprises would have been as successful if my father had married anyone else. Running the company at a young age gave him pressure. He was only a year older than I am now, and Mum knew he could get carried away with his grand ideas. She made sure he always ate well, slept well, and lived well really. My dad always seemed so strong with her somehow. I’ve only ever seen him cry twice, the first time being when mum was diagnosed with... with the cancer. The second time was when she... when her time was up. He cried for days then, solidly. He just didn’t stop. In my mind, I always saw him as my powerful, intelligent dad, but I didn’t realise how old and fragile he seemed until mum... passed away. It’s like only half of him is here now. He doesn’t take care of himself; he gets too caught up in his work. Every time I see him looking tired or ill it kills me a little inside because I know, I know for definite that if mum was here he wouldn’t be like that. It makes me feel like a... failure I guess. My own father wasting away just because I’m not man enough to take on the company yet. Sometimes I think I’m not the best son in the world.”

Jongin takes a deep shuddery breath. “My mum. Mum was, is and always will be my dad’s everything. I have faith in you Soo, but you’ll never be able to replace her entirely. I just—just think it’d be better if he had someone. If I can’t do it properly, I just want him to... be happy. I want us both to be happy.”

Kyungsoo sits in silence, processing. Jongin looks young now, under the dimming lights of the theatre. The cocky, gets-all-the-girls smirk is replaced by a mellow and reminiscing smile, features soft and vulnerable. He looks like a little boy lost. On one hand Kyungsoo’s heart thuds slightly louder because Jongin called him by a nickname, but on the other hand it breaks a little seeing how low Jongin’s confidence in himself is. The poor boy feels ten feet under, and unlike his father there is no one there to hold his hand through it. So Kyungsoo does the one thing he can think of, knowing that words will be of little comfort.

Jongin’s hand is lying palm up on his lap. Kyungsoo reaches over and grasps it, slotting their fingers together and letting their paired hands lie on the armrest between their seats.

Just before the lights black out and the dancers appear on stage, Kyungsoo just has time to see the soft smile blossom on Jongin’s face as he feels Kyungsoo’s palm against his own.

***

Kyungsoo doesn’t let go of Jongin’s hand throughout the entire dance show, or in the taxi ride home, or in the short walk from the taxi rank to Kyungsoo’s building. He keeps them entwined until he is standing outside his own front door. Jongin doesn’t comment, and makes no move to release his own hand.

They didn’t speak much on the journey home, just enjoying each other’s presence and the comfort of having someone to hold your hand. Kyungsoo sensed that Jongin was probably emotionally exhausted after talking about his mother, so when they did chat it was about silly things like children’s cartoons and American sitcoms.

Kyungsoo likes hearing Jongin laugh, or seeing him smile. He likes how it makes him look his age, rather than like a grumpy old man before his time.

“I had a lovely evening Jongin. Thank you.” Kyungsoo says, looking at the floor shyly when they reach his apartment. He reluctantly releases Jongin’s hand; if he holds on for much longer he knows he won’t have the willpower to let go.

“It was my pleasure.” Jongin says. “And thank you.” He makes eye contact with Kyungsoo then, his gaze deep and intense, looking right into Kyungsoo’s eyes. He senses that Jongin is not just thanking him for his company that night, but for something more, something inexplicable.

“We could—text or something. To arrange meetings, for your dad and things...” Kyungsoo says, and Jongin nods excitedly.

He pulls out his phone and hands it to Kyungsoo, letting him tap in his number. Kyungsoo does the same, and they both smile as they awkwardly slide their own phones back into their pockets.

“Um, I guess I’d better get back.” Jongin says, rubbing the back of his neck with a free hand. He glances up at Kyungsoo through lowered eyelashes.

Before Kyungsoo realises what he is doing, he is up on his tiptoes and pressing a warm kiss on Jongin’s right cheek. He gasps a little and steps down. “Good night Jongin.” He squeaks, dashing into his apartment and slamming the door swiftly. He’ll probably feel ashamed at himself tomorrow for being so rude and shutting doors in people’s faces, but right now his heart is beating too fast for him to care.

Outside, Jongin stands motionless, blush on his face and a burning patch on his cheek. He smiles softly.

“Good night, Kyungsoo.” He whispers. 

 

 

 

***

unedited. i'll come back at a later date ( i always say that i know >.<) 

love to you all <33333

 

 

 

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timefortea
so... after 2 and a bit years since I started writing The Millionaire Matchmaker, aka my baby, it's been featured. I'm now ridiculously emotional and I love you all very much, thank you for being here for the ride and I'll see you all very soon <333

Comments

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12hlui #1
Chapter 15: i love it
ayayita12
#2
Chapter 5: I just exploded. OMG this was so perfect.. a slow burning of one flame burn to ashes with one kiss from the intensity of desire and love....aaaahhh love it.. thank.
Jkloey
#3
Chapter 13: Typical group chat with friends
Jkloey
#4
Chapter 6: U have some interesting chapter titles :)
Jood34
#5
Chapter 15: Love this story so much ♥️
Nicole121314 #6
Chapter 15: Finally i finished the story hahaha... it took me days because i only read whenever I can hehe. Sorry for that dear... but thanks for the cute story. Love it.
Nicole121314 #7
Chapter 14: KaiSoo are so cheesy especially Jongin hahaha
Nicole121314 #8
Chapter 13: Ohmygashhhh ..
Their group chats are all weird hahaha. Like its original and real group chat of my little boys hehe
Nicole121314 #9
Chapter 12: Best friends are so cute haha. Like a real life paparazzi chsing the idols hehe