The rain is hitting the rooftop loudly when Sanghyuk slams the door to the break room open rather harshly, earning a squeak from Hongbin who is curled softly in the corner with a steaming cup of hot coffee. He doesn’t pay him any mind, instead going directly for his locker, ripping off his uniform in record time to slip into his more comfortable street clothes. Today was hell, every day is really, but today especially.

“Was it Jaehwan again?” Hongbin asks cautiously from behind a magazine about grandeur hotel living.

Sanghyuk doesn’t dignify that with an answer, instead snapping the air in front of him like a dog out to bite a trespasser’s face. Hongbin shushes down after letting out a meek “well, you shouldn’t bother him like that then–” as Sanghyuk slams his locker very loudly and glares at him through angry slits. Hongbin is so unhelpful.

It’s the same spiel from anyone who has never spent more than three seconds alone with Jaehwan. None of the others understand, they all get the ‘special’ treatment, whereas Sanghyuk believes Jaehwan’s true colors seem to leak whenever it’s just the two of them alone. Which it to say, Sanghyuk has hardly ever been around Jaehwan with any other employee anyways. Jaehwan rarely spends any of his time at the hotel, it’s only the occasional check up and during his free time when he decides to call for room service, specifically asking for Sanghyuk to be brought up to him. Hongbin, the regular concierge, doesn’t question it. He’ll send Sanghyuk right up and go back to his usual business, which sometimes includes staring at a bell boy’s .

Jaehwan is a textbook sociopath, at least to Sanghyuk he is. He has a work mask, the one where he’s big and scary, a looming tower of despair if you cross him. Most of the employees steer clear of him, afraid of losing their job or worse, having him take you in as his personal slave. Which is what they all think has happened to Sanghyuk, him being the only one ever asked for personally, which diverts most of them away from him too. It’s troublesome, but Sanghyuk just seems to have the worst luck, months of trying to find another job bearing no fruit and only Jaehwan’s (not-so) enthusiastic words of “just come home with me and be my personal pet” fueling Sanghyuk to continue his job at the hotel. Like hell if he’s going to let Jaehwan be his sugar daddy or something. It’s already enough of an annoyance that the other has deemed Sanghyuk to be the poor bastard to submit to his other self, the one where he takes off the work mask, the regular Jaehwan.

He’s almost like an entirely different person like that, when the two are alone and Jaehwan is nothing but childish smiles and silly faces. Making jokes and whining while trying to vy for Sanghyuk’s undivided attention. It’s sometimes hard to register that Jaehwan is a successful business owner with over one-hundred chains of hotels across the whole of South Korea. It’s even harder whenever Jaehwan clings onto Sanghyuk like a child and begs him to make him some chocolate milk.

“You need to let me do my job,” Sanghyuk will scold and Jaehwan will pout.

“This is your job!”

Sanghyuk feels like screaming sometimes, especially when he first divulged into it with Hongbin, who of course, did not believe him. The concierge had only frowned then, telling Sanghyuk not to spread such rumors or he could lose his job. It pisses him off all the more.

But, it all goes down in a few months. Jaehwan has flown out of the country, ‘expansion of the empire’ or something like that he had said during his last visit, the one that ends with Sanghyuk angrily slamming his locker and frightening Hongbin.

He had invited Sanghyuk to come with him.

“Wow,” Hongbin says, voice tired as he hangs the phone receiver. “It’s been almost four months?”

“Four months since what?” Sanghyuk asks, idly reading a magazine by the front desk. It’s been a slow day at the hotel, most of the patrons leaving their rooms empty as they explore the city for the summer holiday. Sanghyuk wishes he could do a little street shopping himself, he misses getting tteokbokki and patbingsoo with his older sister in the crowded shopping districts.

“Since Jaehwan went on that business trip, two more months and it’ll be half a year.”

Sanghyuk sniffs indignantly, flipping the magazine in his hands shut and furrowing his brow in Hongbin’s direction. “Why are you telling me this?”

Hongbin shrugs, “Just thought you might wanna know.”

That’s exactly the problem though, Sanghyuk already does know. He ing knows it too well, has felt the empty void of the other’s presence so much that it literally aches in all his bones. Has Jaehwan captivated him too much? Used all his charm to get Sanghyuk under some sort of spell where he can hardly stand being out of touch with the other? It’s silly, ridiculous, annoying. Sanghyuk barely knows Jaehwan, has only been in his company under the guise of him being some kind of personal slave and their time together is always short, limited in the spaces of a private room, Jaehwan’s fingers always lingering in his hair for far too long whenever he moves in to pat Sanghyuk’s head. They haven’t even done anything, just simple chatter, just Jaehwan gently holding his hand and whispering sweet words into Sanghyuk’s ear, voice like honey and milk, making Sanghyuk’s stomach flutter in anticipation.

“I like you,” were the words Jaehwan had said first. A confession out of the blue, Sanghyuk was sure he had been called up to get fired or something. But, Jaehwan had been shy back then, it was a little unorthodox– it was cute. They kept meeting like that afterwards, Jaehwan moving slowly, waiting for an answer from Sanghyuk, teasing him while at the same time indulging himself. Totally selfish, rude even, completely unfair of Jaehwan to be this big shot, a glamourous CEO who wore italian suits and had a professional hairdresser do his classic updo everyday. And here he was, flirting with Sanghyuk, buying him gifts and making him promises and pressing sweet little kisses to the side of his head whenever they would have to part ways. Nothing but talk, Sanghyuk thinks as he painfully counts the days of Jaehwan’s trip.

They aren’t even a couple. Sanghyuk hasn’t given him a proper answer, hasn’t agreed to anything really. Who cares that Jaehwan has been gone for so long? That he hadn’t even thought to ever give his number to Sanghyuk or even try to reach him at all? Surely, Sanghyuk doesn’t care, not when all he has to think about is how annoying and inconveniencing Jaehwan is. That usually does the trick.

He throws the magazine on the counter, shrugging away as he he takes a call to one of the top tier rooms, an order of lunch to be delivered. Sanghyuk at least has work to distract him (which is insanely hard to do because everything about the hotel belongs to Jaehwan) and he feels the imprint of the other on him, the lack of fingers in his hair and the empty silence of the elevator as he rides up in it. It’s lonely, he realizes.

“Room service,” he says, announcing his presence and knocking lightly on the door. It’s only a moment or two before a lean male opens it, shirtless and tufts of black hair covering his face. He looks sleepy, as if he’s just woken from a nap and Sanghyuk averts his eyes away.

“Hey!” Someone shouts from inside the room and then another male appears at the entrance, skin tan and fully clothed, thank God. “Don’t answer the door like that.”

The one with the dark hair only mumbles something before turning to reside back in the room, leaving the second male alone with Sanghyuk. “Sorry about that, Taekwoon never seems to think before he does stuff. Anyways, do I need to sign something, or–”

“Oh, right,” Sanghyuk suddenly remembers and pulls out the small pad from his pocket, handing it to the guest as he briskly signs it. Sanghyuk pushes the lunch cart forward. “I’ll just be leaving this here then.”

The male (Hakyeon, says the squiggly signature that Sanghyuk spends twenty minutes trying to decipher) grins and waves him off, closing the door after Sanghyuk.

It’s more than an assumption, but Sanghyuk is pretty sure those two are a couple. A gay one. In the hotel. Possibly having . Or more accurately, having lunch after . His face colors from the thought as the elevator takes him back to the main lobby, eyes glued to the floor in embarrassment. There’s nothing particularly strange about couples enjoying their private time in their rooms, Sanghyuk has seen other couples in that state before. But this is entirely something else, this was two guys in the middle of the day. He has nothing against homouals, of course not, not with the way he lets Jaehwan flirt with him and endlessly announce his affections towards him. But, this was two guys. Sanghyuk and Jaehwan are two guys. Would they be doing something like that in the middle of the day too?

His face only seems to emit red steam as his thoughts get carried away and not even the soft ding of the elevator is enough to stir him. It isn’t until a familiar voice rings in his ear instead that Sanghyuk is ruthlessly tossed back down to the Earth.

“Are you having naughty thoughts?” Jaehwan mumbles, arm perched against the elevator door as he leans on it. “You’re in the middle of work, Hyuk-ah.”

His voice is light, teasing and Sanghyuk’s heart beats embarrassingly loud in the cavity of his chest. He missed this sound.

“S-Shut up,” he stutters, completely caught off guard and if possible, the heat to his face only increases. Sanghyuk nearly trips on his way out of the elevator, passing Jaehwan and barely avoiding the brush of their arms. Jaehwan barks out a laugh.

“Glad to see you haven’t changed in all the time I’ve been gone,” he says, turning away from the elevator as the doors close and the machine rolls away to some other floor. “Though, to be honest, I was hoping you’d be a little more soft.”

But how can he? Jaehwan is nothing but surprises, an enigma that spouts words of a paradise taking sleepy walks on the beach and spending all their days playing in the sun. He’s a distraction is what he is, and Sanghyuk is sure to keep his edges sharp. “I didn’t even notice you were gone,” he says instead, keeping his voice level, his head up high.

Jaehwan grins. “Well, that’s disappointing.”

“You don’t look disappointed,” Sanghyuk says, eyeing the other cautiously.

“I’m too happy right now,” he says, the grin on his face only getting wider and Sanghyuk recognizes the anxiety in the other’s tone. “I didn’t think the first person I’d see when I get back is you.”

He has to look away after that, afraid that all his emotions will spread out on his face in a flash, revealing everything to Jaehwan. Sanghyuk straightens himself. “That’s a lie. You saw your driver.”

Jaehwan laughs again, louder this time, the sound clear and somehow soothing to Sanghyuk. “That’s right, sorry. I’m still really happy to see you though.”

He’d be a liar if he said that he hated Jaehwan. In fact, Sanghyuk is pretty sure it’s the opposite. It’s all too confusing to him now. Jaehwan is just too much. “I have to get back to work,” he blurts in a hurry, taking long strides to get as far away from the other as he can. Jaehwan doesn’t stop him, doesn’t say anything as he lets Sanghyuk walk away, smiling softly at the other. Sanghyuk gets breathing room like this, when he wants to be alone, Jaehwan allows him that. He’s too nice, too considerate of others and Sanghyuk could easily take advantage of that. He could use Jaehwan to his own devices, the other overflowing with money and so eager to waste it all on Sanghyuk. It’d be so easy. Sanghyuk can feel the other male already wrapped around his finger, pulling in tighter and tighter, his hold too strong to escape from and Sanghyuk is already caught in it.

The following day, Sanghyuk is being called up to Jaehwan’s private suite.

“It’s been too long,” the other sighs, burying his nose deeply within the crook of Sanghyuk’s neck. “I’ve missed you, Hyuk-ah. Did you miss me?”

“No,” Sanghyuk answers immediately, keeping his voice flat, his expression artfully blank.

Jaehwan whines softly. “Really? You weren’t bored without me?”

“The opposite, actually. It was so peaceful without you around.”

If possible, the other whines even more. “You’re always so mean,” he says, hitting Sanghyuk’s arm lightly before rubbing his nose against Sanghyuk’s smooth skin. “You’d have liked Japan. They have so much katsudon and manga in all the book stores. Your kind of heaven, right?”

“Hm,” Sanghyuk hums, imagining walking down the busy streets of Ikebukuro with Jaehwan, both dressed in regular day clothes and drinking calpis under the hot sun. It sounds a little nice.

“Next time, I’m taking you with me for sure,” he mumbles, voice almost drowning out in the fabric of Sanghyuk’s uniform. “I’ll set you up in the best room, with the best service and have you driven wherever you want to go and–”

“Stop,” Sanghyuk says, voice hard and he pushes some space in between the two. “Stop trying to buy me or something.”

“Buy you? I’m not trying to–”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re kidding anymore,” Sanghyuk feels like his whole body is trembling with how annoyed he is right now. “You can’t keep talking about spending your money on me, like you’re trying to buy my love or something and I hate it. I’m not so simple, you know? You can’t just figure out a few of the things I like and try to bribe me with it in hopes that it’ll get me to like you back.”

Jaehwan seems lost, his eyes scanning Sanghyuk’s face in an unreadable foray that frustrates Sanghyuk to no end. Jaehwan is driving him insane. “I’m not doing any of that.”

“Then why are you always bringing it up?” Sanghyuk asks, desperation in his voice. He feels a little pathetic right now. “Are you gloating?”

“I would never gloat about my success,” he says, hands coming out to cradle Sanghyuk’s face and the younger male is too enveloped in the feel of Jaehwan’s hands that he doesn’t push them away. “I just want to spoil you. I like you so much, Sanghyuk. I’m not trying to buy your love, I just want you to know that all of it – all my money and merits – mean nothing. I could dispose of them all just for you, just for your pleasure, just to allow myself to be able to do something for you.”

That’s enough to get Sanghyuk’s cheeks to flare, his fingers curling into the fabric of Jaehwan’s finely pressed suit without even realizing it. Why the hell is Jaehwan so good at talking? Everything he spews from his ridiculously plump lips is nothing but sweet talk, sugar coated honey dipped in chocolate and melted across Sanghyuk’s skin like a disease that Jaehwan is inflicting upon him and his immune system is failing to keep up. “Well, I don’t like it,” he says, voice tiny but his resolve still strong. “It makes me feel useless. I don’t want to be spoiled, especially by you. I like working hard– earning my worth. I don’t want to be viewed as lower, I want to be able to stand on the same level as you. I’m still years behind, but I want to be viewed as your equal.”

“As my equal? Sanghyuk, this sounds kind of like a confes–”

Immediately, more so out of embarrassment than anything else, Sanghyuk clamps his hand over Jaehwan’s big mouth. “I was just about to get to that part.” He darts his eyes around the room, trying to figure out the words in his head first, afraid of a rejection he knows will never come. “But first, you were gone for four months.”

There’s incoherent mumbling being pressed against Sanghyuk’s palm and he removes his hand to allow the other to speak properly. “I was busy,” he says, “plus, you told me not to talk to you for a while.”

“Four months is too long,” Sanghyuk frowns, unimpressed. I thought you got bored of me, he excludes to add. I was so lonely, is also swallowed down with an array of attention calling phrases that he doesn’t want to admit to. At least not out loud to Jaehwan. Sanghyuk still has a lot of his pride left.

“I won’t do it again,” Jaehwan promises, leaning closer to Sanghyuk. “I just thought you wanted some space.”

“I did but,” he chews nervously on his bottom lip, “four months? Really, Jaehwan?”

The other male lets out a soundless laugh, leaning his forehead on Sanghyuk’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Hyuk-ah. I won’t do it again.”

And the next words spoken are something that Hongbin would never believe, Sanghyuk himself is finding it near impossible too.

“Good, because as your boyfriend, I won’t be as forgiving,” he says while trying hard to not bite down on his own tongue.

“My boyfriend?” Jaehwan perks his face up. “And when exactly did this happen?”

“Five minutes ago when I said I like you,” Sanghyuk mumbles softly, looking anywhere but at Jaehwan’s eyes.

“I’m gonna need a memory refresher, can you say it again to me?” Jaehwan brushes his fingers lightly at the base of Sanghyuk’s nape, feeling little pricks from his hair. His eyes are hooded, sparkling, amused and the smile breaking on his lips is the dead give away. Jaehwan is definitely captivating Sanghyuk.

He mumbles, out of embarrassment and Jaehwan smiles deviously, pressing his plump lips against the corner of Sanghyuk’s in an encouraging kiss, but it only flusters Sanghyuk even more. “I. Like. You.” The words are stammered out with his cheeks flaring hot and hands clinging uselessly to Jaehwan. For good measure he adds on, “too” in a more diluted tone. The other male is delighted, grinning for ear to ear, so much that Sanghyuk thinks the handsome face of his idiotic boss would easily tear. He tugs on his shirt, insistent– impatient. “Are you going to kiss me for real now?”

“Need a memory refresher for that too?” He says, but Sanghyuk has no time to retort as Jaehwan captures his parted lips in a kiss, a real one, gentle and warm and everything Sanghyuk has been craving in the empty pits of his heart that only Jaehwan can seem to fit into.

There’s a soft whine escaping Sanghyuk and he presses closer, feeling a deep tendril wrap around him and Jaehwan, encasing them in a glossy little bubble, all of their own. When they break apart for air, Jaehwan is a giggling mess.

“I knew you missed me, it’s written all over your face. You’re completely whipped for me, aren’t you?”

Sanghyuk only takes a brief moment of sheer befuddlement, before blinking the lust away and he scoffs as naturally as he can. “You’re the one who’s whipped for me. Way to ruin the moment by the way,” he huffs, releasing Jaehwan and folding his arms across his chest.

Jaehwan barks out a laugh, carding his hand through Sanghyuk’s hair loosely and pecking him lightly on the lips, forcing the other to smile back. “At least let me spoil you a little bit. When’s your next day off? We can at least go to Myeongdong and–”

“Oh my God, if I let you buy me like, a t-shirt, will you let this go?”

“But–” Jaehwan starts, completely dejected before lighting up in a split second. “We can get couple t-shirts, I’ll wear mine everyday to remind me of you. It’ll have to be white because most of my dress shirts are white. You’re fine with that, right? I mean, of course you’d have to wear your’s everyday too, but–”

“Stop talking,” Sanghyuk sighs and the other stops his ramble to give him a muddled look.

“We’ll be so cute, Hyuk-ah.” Jaehwan has gone back to smiling softly at him. “I’ll let you treat me to patbingsoo. Though, in a way, it’d be me paying.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Sanghyuk laughs. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

That gets something to gleam in Jaehwan’s eyes and it’s enough to settle any worries he may have had earlier. There’s still a lot to process in their relationship, awkward hurdles to overcome and possible misunderstandings that Sanghyuk is sure will be 100% Jaehwan’s fault. He has to admit though, he’s happy– excited even, at the prospect of their future together. Something in him feels full, satisfied and no longer like he’s missing a limb. The loneliness fully subsides.

“Me either,” confesses Jaehwan, pressing his forehead innocently against Sanghyuk’s.