Being called to Kim Sanghoon's office was a regular occurrence for Jeonghan, though the reason why he was summoned was never the same. The brunette could never make any predictions when it came to the CEO of 'RQ&S,' the man was unpredictable. Jeonghan adjusted his tie and checked his shoes for any visible scuffing before he walked through the open doors of the older man's office. He was immediately greeted by the sight of Kim Sanghoon who had a glass of amber liquid swirling in a glass -- whiskey on the rocks was always the man's drink of choice. Jeonghan had prayed for the man's liver every single day, the man drank like a fish.

"Did you need me for anything, sir?" Jeonghan asked as he approached his boss.

"We've had to increase production for almost all items in our winter collection since the launch in Tokyo. Our manufacturer is having trouble keeping up with demand, Jeonghan," the older man said as he set down his glass.

"I'll go and sort that out immediately, I'll make sure we find an appropriate manufacturer to meet demands by today, sir," Jeonghan immediately apologised as he turned to leave.

"Hold on there, my boy," Sanghoon grabbed Jeonghan's shoulder forcing the brunette to freeze.

"That wasn't a complaint, Yoon Jeonghan," the older man gave a hearty chuckle. "I'm praising you."

"Oh?" Jeonghan asked.

"You're a miracle worker for this company," Sanghoon gave Jeonghan's back a pat. "Our sales haven't been this high since last year's Spring collection."

"It wasn't all my doing, sir. 'RQ&S' have a very reliable team," Jeonghan wasn't the greatest as accepting praise.

"You give yourself too little credit."

"I had Mingyu to help me as well, sir," Jeonghan said.

"I doubt he was of much use to you, that boy doesn't have the same knack for business like you and I. He's just like his mother, too soft and trusting to survive in this business," Sanghoon sighed.

"He's a very hard worker, sir," Jeonghan defended, the man was being a little too harsh on his son.

"Oh? You're praising him now? Did you two finally click?" Sanghoon cocked a bushy brow at the brunette.

"You could say we're civil," Jeonghan answered, he wasn't going to tell the man that he and Mingyu bumped uglies.

"I hope you continue to stay civil, the deadline for your project is getting closer and I'm looking very forward to seeing what you and my son have come up with," Sanghoon picked up his glass and downed the remaining liquid.

"I won't disappoint you and neither will Mingyu," Jeonghan nodded.

"I'll take your word for it," Sanghoon said.

Jeonghan left the CEO's office and turned to go back to the elevator. He didn't make it five steps before a disgruntled looking Mingyu appeared just outside by the secretary's desk. He had a hand his pocket and his teeth were gritted.

"Eavesdropping?" Jeonghan cocked a brow.

"Does it really count as eavesdropping when my dad's practically shouting?" Mingyu asked with a displeased tone.

"You heard what he said about you?" Jeonghan guessed.

"Nothing I do can please that man," Mingyu pursed his lips as they walked into the elevator.

"That's just how he is, Mingyu. The man is a firm believer in tough love, you can't expect him to just hold your hand through everything," Jeonghan reasoned.

"I'm still his son, I would at least expect him to give me a pat on the back -- I'm not even asking for praise, hyung," Mingyu let out a sharp exhale.

"Give it time, he probably just wants to see you keep up the good work, you know, just to make sure this success with the Japanese launch isn't a one time fluke."

"Why are you trying so hard to defend him? You heard firsthand what he thinks about me. He said I was too soft to survive in this business, he has absolutely no faith in me at all!" Mingyu stormed out of the elevator.

"I'm not defending him, I'm just trying to be rational," Jeonghan followed the younger man into their meeting room.

"Well, stop being rational and be a little more sympathetic," Mingyu shot Jeonghan a look. "Put yourself in my shoes for a second, unlike you I'm not the golden child who can do no wrong. Everything I do is not good enough in his eyes."

"Mingyu, calm down," Jeonghan furrowed his brow.

"What do I have to do to get a little credit around here?!" Mingyu slammed his hand against the table.

"Can we leave this conversation for after work? We have things to do, Mingyu," Jeonghan picked up the fabric swatches that fell from the impact.

"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Mingyu gave the brunette an accusing gaze. "You don't give a at all."

"Mingyu, we just started getting along, don't do this," Jeonghan rubbed his temples.

"Don't do what, Jeonghan?" Mingyu frowned. "Embarrass you? Bother you? Be a hindrance to you?"

"You're jumping to conclusions and I don't appreciate it," Jeonghan was not happy.

"You don't appreciate a lot of things, me included," Mingyu scoffed as he stormed out of the room. "Pretend I said nothing, just like my dad does."

Jeonghan was left standing in the room by himself, the ticking of the wall clock being the only audible sound. Something Mingyu's father said definitely hit a nerve with the younger man, he was sure of it. The brunette took a seat in one of the swivel chairs and started chewing on his lower lip, he'd been wrong about his original deduction regarding Mingyu. The twenty-five year old wasn't a daddy's boy. From what he'd gathered from the interactions between the father and son, he was now convinced that Mingyu had an inferiority complex -- most likely brought on by his father.

"What a mess," Jeonghan breathed.

He knew that there wouldn't be any easy sailing when it came to him and Mingyu but he didn't expect a hiccup to come so soon. It had only been a week since their little heart to heart in Japan. Jeonghan rubbed a hand down his face and pulled himself up from his chair, he needed to get his down to the advertising department. The Christmas break was coming and he had to get all promotional material finalised...with or without Mingyu.

"Are you sure it's around here?" Jeonghan asked Dokyeom as they walked down the street.

"I swear it's around here," Dokyeom nodded as he scanned the surrounding restaurants.

"We've been looking for twenty minutes now, Kyeom," Jeonghan said as he squinted, his vision was bad but it was twice as bad at night.

"Siri, find Hubert French restaurant," Dokyeom resorted to using his phone for support.

"Sorry, I don't speak Korean," Siri's monotone voice replied.

"This ," Dokyeom gave his phone a flabbergasted look.

Jeonghan broke out into laughter.

"I swear I walked past it a few days ago, hyung," Dokyeom pouted.

"It's fine, I'm not too picky. Let's just head out for barbecue, you never get full eating at those fancy places anyway," Jeonghan said as he Dokyeom's back and fixed his dongsaeng's scarf.

"Sorry, hyung," Dokyeom apologized as they made a u-turn.

"No harm done," Jeonghan ruffled his younger brother's hair before he went in with his favourite question. "Whose idiot are you?"

"Jeonghan-hyung's idiot," Dokyeom answered with a smile.

"Come on," Jeonghan pulled his dongsaeng along.

Just as they were about to enter their favourite barbecue place in Hongdae, Jeonghan stopped dead in his tracks. A solemn l