Minseok sits at the restaurant booth, teetering on the edge of impatience as he glances at his watch once more. He’s been waiting for ten minutes now, ten precious minutes that he certainly could be spending somewhere that’s not here. He lets out a sigh, glancing out the window and pondering on which mistakes he’s made that have led him to this very moment.

He hears the front door open and the welcoming bell go off, but Minseok’s too pressed to look at the newcomer, wanting to spare the spike in his blood pressure in case it isn’t the person he’s waiting for. He sharply exhales through his nose, fingers drumming on the smooth table as he watches the cars speed by.

Minseok is twenty-nine years old. He’s old enough to hold a prestigious position at his family’s company. He’s old enough to have two little nieces who hang off his legs every time he visits them. And he’s certainly old enough to make his own decisions when it comes to his personal life.

Except, he’s a Kim. Well, he’s the second son of the Kims, the family whose money flows through the veins of Korea’s economic system. The family that has been around for generations, pumping and trading oil from faraway lands and helping the country thrive as a result.

Yeah, one of those Kims. “Old money”, as his father likes to refer to their status.

Minseok can’t help but feel—once again—the overwhelming burden of being a part of the Old Money Kims. It’s because of them he sits all by himself at a small restaurant booth, taking turns between counting the minutes on his watch and counting the number of red cars that drive by.

Seems like all the Kims have been doing a lot of counting lately, as his father so graciously pointed out the dwindling days before Minseok turns thirty.

Exactly thirty days. Heh, the irony.

Apparently it’s also the amount of times he’s seen the disappointed look on his parents’ faces when he tells them how he rejected yet another suitor.

“I will literally set myself on fire if I have to sit through another one of your set-up blind dates,” Minseok says to his dad, who’s shaking his head in his usual response to the rebellious nature of his son. “I’m serious, dad.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, son? It’s about the principle. The Kims have always done things this way. The Kims have…”

Minseok rolls his eyes as his dad launches into another spiel about the Kim and their ways. About how they all attend the same esteemed boarding school, take a position at the family corporation, and get married and start a family by twenty-seven to keep their lineage alive and well. It’s the same lecture he gets every time, and he wonders if his dad even notices him mouthing along to the words.

At this point, all Minseok wants to do is tell his dad to shove those principles somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. But he can’t. That’s his dad after all.

Minseok counts the thirteenth red car that has passed within the fifteen minutes he’s been sitting alone. In his mind, he’s already rejected the next suitor because fifteen minutes is a long time to keep him waiting. And Minseok rarely waits for anyone.

Plus, the whole idea of arranged marriage is total crap. Well, at least for him. Minseok doesn’t think he can settle down so easily like what his brother, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents—basically his whole genealogy—have done. He’s not traditional, old-minded, set in the old ways…he’s a free spirit, well, as much he can possibly be given his family background.

“You must be Kim Minseok?” asks a gentle voice, effectively ending Minseok’s silent fuming session and gaining his attention.

Minseok rakes his eyes over the man’s form, slightly taken aback with what he sees but he’s careful not to let it show on his face. Instead, he straightens up and gestures to the empty seat across from him. “Nice of you to finally show,” he says, eyes following the man carefully as the other takes the seat offered.

“I apologize,” the male starts, “I went out for a run and I got lost. By the time my secretary found me and picked me up, it was already time to meet you. So…yeah, sorry I look like such a mess.”

Minseok stares at the other quietly, taking in the disheveled blonde hair, flushed cheeks with sweat running down the side of his jaw, the red lips that looked like they were thoroughly chewed and abused by their owner, and of course the black hoodie and sweatpants to match.

All in all, it’s a sight Minseok had not been expecting. He was expecting a tailored suit with a matching tie, polished shoes similar to his own, and neatly combed hair with not a strand out of place. The situation is unfamiliar, and Minseok can’t decide how he feels about it.

“It’s fine,” he replies, “Let’s just get this over with.”

Minseok is once again taken aback as the other lets out a good-natured laugh before grabbing the menu from the table.

“What do you recommend from here?” he asks, flipping through and reading each option carefully.

Minseok grabs his own menu and begins reading off the different choices. “The Classic Burger, The Magic Shroom Burger, El Diablo Burger, Buffalo Bill Burger, The Thunderbird Burger—”

“You’re just reading down the list.”

“Just choose any, I don’t really care.”

“Well, are they any good?”

“Sure. Yeah.”

Minseok narrows his eyes at the other male, who is looking up at him and chuckling.  

“What’s so funny…” he mumbles as he diverts his attention back to his menu so he can make a selection.

“Oh!” says the male, “I forgot to introduce myself.” He reaches his hand forward for Minseok to shake, only for the other to stare at it blankly. “Ah right…my hands are probably still sweaty. Sorry. Well, my name is Lu Han. I’m currently on a business trip from China and I’m not too familiar with the area, so that’s why I got lost earlier.” Lu Han grins at Minseok sheepishly before rising from his seat. “I’m going to go wash my hands…”

As Minseok watches the other leave, he quickly whips out his phone. Lu Han. The name seems familiar, and now that he really thinks about it, so does his face.

He quickly inputs the name into Google and sure enough, the hits are instantaneous. He lips quirk slightly upward as he thumbs through the different articles. Once his periphery catches sight of the male returning, he pockets the device and goes back to choosing a burger.

“Have you ordered yet?” asks Lu Han as he settles himself down.

Minseok shakes his head in response, a small smile still resting on his lips from what he’s discovered about the blonde.

“You have eaten here before, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, why else would I choose this place?” answers Minseok, trying hard not to roll his eyes at the obviousness.

Why would the son of Old Money Kims be sitting at a restaurant that sells $5 burgers? They’re just that good.

“Well then, I’ll let you choose my lunch for today,” says Lu Han, sending him a grin. “I trust you.”

“Is that what you said to the person you were caught sleeping with?”

Wait, what?

Minseok’s eyes widen as he resists the urge to slap his mouth close in shock. That was not supposed to come out. It was such a fail slip of the tongue that Minseok cannot believe he just said what he did.

He can feel his ears heating up from the mortification while he tries to direct his eyes downward, but he can’t escape Lu Han’s steady gaze.

“What happened? You look like your family just lost all their wealth,” says Lu Han calmly, focusing back on the laminated sheet.

“Um,” starts Minseok, struggling to find words to escape his speechlessness. “I didn’t mean to say that. It just came out all wrong.”

This has seriously got to be the most bizarre lunch he’s had thus far. Nothing has gone the way he has planned, and now Minseok seriously doesn’t know what to make of it. It’s completely out of his comfort zone.

He sees the waiter approaching and quickly chooses between the options.

“Welcome, are you guys ready to order?” says the waiter.

“Yeah, I’ll have the El Diablo and he’ll try the Continental Club sandwich,” says Minseok, handing his menu off to the waiter as he reassures that the food will be right out.

“Continental Club, huh? I was actually thinking of getting that too,” says Lu Han, looking at Minseok once more.

“It’s, uh, pretty good,” he responds, bringing his hands together under the table and twisting them uncomfortably. “Look, I’m really sorry about what I said earlier. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Minseok, I’m not going to attack you across this table if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Lu Han laughs again. “Besides, I was wondering when that topic was going to come up.”

Minseok holds the other’s gaze, a sudden curiosity sparking the need to elaborate on the matter. “You were?”

“Considering how it’s been all over those trashy tabloids for about a week, I’m not surprised.”

“It doesn’t bother you?” Minseok asks out of genuine wonder, “Doesn’t it affect your company and reputation as well?”

Okay, so Minseok really wants to know.

He wants to know how the only son of Lu Airlines can be caught in a scandal and still walk around with his head on his shoulders. If it were him, his dad would’ve mounted his head above the fireplace to use as an example for the rest of their future generations.

“What bothers me more is how the person I thought I could trust exposed me like that,” answers Lu Han, speaking calmly as though they’re discussing the weather.

“Right…” mumbles Minseok, scrunching his eyebrows together.

Now, he’s really confused and more curious than ever. He wants to know the full story, not just the speculation written in the papers. But he knows he’s already crossed far too many lines in the span of five minutes, and he doesn’t want to make the other annoyed.

“If you’re still wondering how my dad didn’t run me over with one of his jets, this is my punishment of sorts,” chuckles Lu Han as he gestures between them. “So don’t worry too much about this date. I’m doing it to appease my father and you’re doing it to please yours.”

“What?” Minseok says, feeling slightly caught off guard by the words. “Wait, a date with me is your punishment?”

Before Lu Han can answer, the waiter finds his way back to their table with their order.

And if Minseok wasn’t the prim and proper soul he was raised to be, a slab of deep fried beef patty would certainly be making its way into Lu Han’s bird nest blonde hair.

“Anything else I can get you guys?” asks the waiter as he settles Lu Han’s plate in front of him.

Minseok continues glaring at Lu Han, while the blonde simply shakes his head no with a small smile. “No, thank you.”

“So?” asks Minseok after the waiter leaves. He’s still in disbelief and needs an explanation now.  

After all, how can someone use him? He’s Kim-freaking-Minseok, anyone would be privileged to spend even a minute with him.

“Well, yeah,” replies Lu Han, not wasting another second before biting into his sandwich. He lets out a small moan, clearly savoring the taste. “Oh, we definitely need one of these restaurant chains in Beijing.”

“Well, yeah?” Minseok repeats in an admonishing tone, ignoring the small noises Lu Han is making in order to get to the bottom of this whole situation. He is the one who rejects others, so he simply cannot accept Lu Han’s blatant denunciation of their date. “Lu Han, I don’t think I quite appreciate being used like this.”

Lu Han pauses mid-bite, lowering his sandwich as his cheeks are poofing out with already chewed food. “It’s not that big of a deal, right Min?”

Minseok makes a face of disgust firstly at the use of a nickname—Min? Seriously?—and secondly, Lu Han talking with his mouth full. What sort of uncouth delinquent did his parents set him up with?

“It’s actually a huge deal. My parents are hounding me to settle down with someone before I hit thirty next month, and I can’t have idiots like you wasting my time!”

Before Minseok can even comprehend the action, Lu Han reaches over and grabs his burger, bringing it up to his mouth slowly. “Take a bite, Minseok.”

“I don’t want to take a freaking bite,” he huffs out, nudging the burger out of his face but Lu Han places it right back.

“Relax, breathe, take a bite. I promise it’s really good,” says Lu Han, smiling as he continues to hold the burger against his lips.

“I know that, I always eat this one.”

“Good, then take a bite.”

Minseok begrudgingly bites into his favorite burger, enjoying the taste but still sporting a glare on his face.

They sit in silence for a brief moment, neither of them bothering to speak as they work on filling their stomachs instead. Once Lu Han finishes his last bite, he finally breaks the tense atmosphere.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time,” he says in a low voice before grabbing the glass of water beside him and taking a few small sips. “I guess I got kind of curious after my dad brought the blind date thing up. You know, you’re all over the news too for rejecting so many suitors. I wanted to see for myself what kind of prick goes through thirty guys and manages to find something wrong with each one.”

Minseok remains quiet, taking a few sips from his own glass to help wash down El Diablo.

“Not that I ever counted myself as having a chance with you. I just wanted to meet the serial dater,” smiles Lu Han, a genuine smile that reaches his eyes and it has Minseok fighting back a grin of his own.

“It’s not my fault those guys couldn’t keep my attention. Imagine trying so hard not to roll your eyes as ten guys in a row tell you how they graduated top of their class,” says Minseok. “I’d rather someone teach me how to mix a mean martini.”

“You don’t know how to make one?” questions Lu Han in disbelief.

“Of course not, I’m a wine kind of guy.”

“Whew, and you say the other guys were the boring ones,” jokes Lu Han, causing Minseok to scoff at his words.

“Excuse you, I’m not boring,” Minseok rebuts, “I just don’t have a preference for the lesser drinks.”

“Well, you would definitely say otherwise if you ever get a chance to taste my Espresso martini.”

“Espresso? As in coffee?”

Okay, so maybe Minseok’s interest is slightly piqued. He freaking loves coffee.

And just like that, two hours fly by as the two throw jokes and insults at each other while simultaneously exchanging opinions on topics ranging from stock prices to Pokémon Go.

As soon as he steps outside the restaurant after bidding Lu Han goodbye, his phone rings.

“Hello?” he asks, already knowing the first thing out of his dad’s mouth—

“So, how was the date?”

Minseok bites his lip, gripping his fingers tighter around the phone as he carefully chooses the words he wants to say.

He wants to say that the date was unusual, weird, bizarre—which it definitely was. He also wants to say that Lu Han was definitely not the type of person he was expecting to be sitting across from. He wants to tell his dad that Lu Han was fifteen minutes late to their date, and that the male showed up in sweatpants. He wants to find something to complain to his dad about.

“When can you set up the second one?” he says instead, closing his eyes as he feels his heart begin to race.

“What? Are you serious, son?”

Minseok pulls the phone away from his ear with a grimace as his dad lets out a loud cheer. He can hear his mother hooting loudly in the background, and Minseok face palms as his parent begin singing to him through the phone.

“Okay, okay, dad, mom! I’ve got to go, I’ll see you guys later,” he says as he quickly hangs up and pockets the device.

He knows his face his flushing bright red, but he keeps telling himself that he only wants to see Lu Han again so he can harass the other male—and perhaps get the full story behind the scandal. Also, maybe to try that Espresso martini that Lu Han talked so highly about.

That’s it. Nothing more, Minseok says to himself even though he fights hard to keep a smile from blooming on his lips.

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a/n - that little sneaky does wanna get married :3 it's not much, but i hope it was somewhat entertaining! thank you!