Chapter One: The Heir and The Philosopher

“Happy birthday, son.”

Junmyeon looks at the royal blue velvet box on his desk, just next to the blinking clock that’s showing it is, in fact, exactly midnight.

It really is his birthday now. Twenty-five years and his father never fails to be the first to greet him.

He opens the small box and inside is a key to yet another brand new car, an Aston Martin this time. His friend Chanyeol might have helped pick out this one, with his cousin Minseok off in Europe for business and Sehun currently on his secret quarterly vacation somewhere in Asia. Junmyeon was given an invite to join Sehun too, but he knew his father wouldn’t approve with how busy they somehow always are this month, so perhaps this was also his old man’s way of saying he appreciates his efforts.

Truth be told, he’d be happy with just a round of golf with him or dinner with his family. But it’s been years since his brother made an appearance to his parents.

Junmyeon closes the box and smiles gratefully. “Thank you, father.”

The pat on the shoulder is a surprise, with Kim Yongha only ever extra affectionate during special occasions and a few holidays. “Clean up your things and take your new ride for a spin. Go out with Park’s son or something. You can take the day off.”

Now that’s another shock to Junmyeon. His father has always been wary of the heir of Park Media, only approving of Junmyeon’s friendship with Chanyeol as another business partnership. But he couldn’t really blame the man with the way Chanyeol behaves, living like the stereotypical chaebol with his debauched, and sometimes deprived, lifestyle.

But at this point, questioning him would be a mistake. Junmyeon could use the rest anyway, having pulled several all-nighters in a row. He covered up the beginnings of a yawn with a nod before doing what he’s been told. “Do you need me to drive you home or call for the chauffeur?”

“That’s all right. Your mother has already done it.” Another pat on the shoulder. Junmyeon is close to chuckling, wondering if Christmas or Chuseok has been moved to May. “But you go and have a drink for your old man too, okay?”

The image of his father smiling and waving Junmyeon off is ingrained in him, something he’s used to doing because he doesn’t know when the next one will grace him. There’s a high chance it would be when Kim Enterprises closes the material production deal they’ve been working on with China’s Wu Incorporated, but that could take months.

The elevator doors open and Junmyeon steps out into the parking lot where his yearly gift awaits him. He takes a picture of it with his phone, shaking his head with a smirk as he sends it to Chanyeol, following it with a message.

Thursday, May 22

[To: Chanyeol]

Thanks for helping dad. It’s nice. And thanks for picking black instead of red or orange, Iron Man.

12:32 AM

A video call from Chanyeol soon followed, and Junmyeon holds his phone away with the blaring club music coming off it. “Junmyeon hyung! Come out and play!” Chanyeol has his arm wrapped around a random woman with a beer in his hand. Such a chaebol. 

Sometimes he wonders how the two of them have managed to stay friends all these years, always coming to the conclusion that it was most likely the convenience of proximity. He’s the tall playboy’s first call for help whenever he ends up staying with his stranger for the night and the alcohol in his system makes him forget where the hell he woke up in. Junmyeon knows the tipsy blonde clinging desperately to his friend would be no exception this time too. 

Chanyeol starts showing the chaos surrounding him, the unopened bottles of liquor he bought for the birthday boy, and the beautiful people surrounding him. Junmyeon recognizes some of them from business school, fellow heirs to ridiculous fortunes, and the kind of people that money lures like magnets.

Part of him wants to just go home and sleep. One part worries for Chanyeol because the son of Park Media would need a trusted driver to take him back home to avoid headlines and accidents, and only Junmyeon is available from their small circle of trusted friends. But the biggest part of him does want to let loose once in a while. And what better time to do that than tonight?

Junmyeon gets inside his shiny new toy, not denying the thrill he feels when the engine comes to life. The silent purr of the car causes goosebumps on his skin. “All right. Where are you?”

Chanyeol comes back into view, the neon lights flickering on his already sweaty face. “This new club Hun’s company gave a loan to, Déjà Vu.”

Impressive. Junmyeon already found the club on the car’s GPS. The owner must have paid a fortune to get his establishment literally on the map this early on. “Meet you in five.”

The last thing he hears is Chanyeol’s loud cheer before speeding away.

Maybe it was his birthday, maybe somehow it was his incredible luck and fortune being at play again, but every stoplight Junmyeon runs to keep turning green. Perhaps the universe thought he could use some relaxing too and is helping him get to where he should be tonight. 

With the windows down, the cool fresh air against his crown is refreshing, waking him up for another crazy night with the Park heir. And by the time he stops in front of the club, clearly climbing to its peak with would-be patrons reaching the next block over, he’s more than ready to celebrate.

Being the son of one of the biggest companies in South Korea has a lot of perks. One common example would be is that he never has to wait in line to enter the most exclusive of places. Junmyeon removes his suit jacket and slung it on his shoulder before throwing the keys of his car to the valet, calmly striding past faces eager to get in or are in awe of Junmyeon himself.

He walks faster when the camera flashes start.

Thankfully Junmyeon is just another face in the crowd inside Déjà Vu, with the rich and famous scattered here and there. It’s also not difficult to find his friend with Chanyeol’s incredible height towering over those around him, and his obnoxious drunk laughter overpowering the music just now.

Chanyeol’s voice got louder the moment he spots Junmyeon, letting go of the blonde he saw earlier to offer his signature sweaty but charming hug and chilled champagne as well. Where that suddenly came from, the birthday boy doesn’t know.

He almost chokes on his glass of Dom when Chanyeol screams, “How does it feel to be half of fifty?!”

Junmyeon pushes the man away with a laugh. “How about I ask you next year and you could tell me?”

Chanyeol slung his long arm around him and proceeds to ignore his question. In their circle, turning ‘half of fifty’ is often when your parents either further groom you into taking over the family business or the start of them scouting potential spouses for an arranged marriage.

As of now, Junmyeon’s parents settled on training him as the next CEO of Kim Enterprises. And he is also grateful for that. The fact that his brother ran away six years ago to make his own way through life and because of the incredible amount of pressure has a lot to do with the couple backing off on Junmyeon’s relationships.

Come to think of it, his brother Jeonha hasn’t called him yet. Junmyeon wonders if his hyung is staying in some country with very little internet connection again; another playful insult to being the original heir to a top tech company.

Every now and then, Junmyeon would imagine what his life would be like if his brother accepted his birthright. Maybe right now he’d be celebrating his day in a gorgeous city or breathing in the fresh air of the countryside somewhere; trade the dark sensual corners of Déjà Vu with its spinning dancers in the ceiling for bright blue skies and wide open spaces.

He’s brought right back to the club when Chanyeol starts jumping to the beat of the new song, dragging Junmyeon to the dance floor.

Not even a second later and a pair of bodies come to join them, trying their damnedest to seduce a rich bachelor that could spoil them rotten more so than they already are. Junmyeon played along, used to it all. The song is good anyway, and Chanyeol buzzing with energy next to him has always been contagious.

He allows the music to wash over him, lets the alcohol lower his inhibitions, and doesn’t stop the wandering hands of the woman with the luscious lips in front of him.

Junmyeon starts forgetting work and his responsibilities, forgets that from today onwards, his life will be set in stone. Tonight, he’s just a man getting a teasing taste of freedom.

But once they come back to the booth reserved just for them and the illegal substances come out, the birthday boy starts to sober up.

Now, Junmyeon isn’t exactly innocent, having smoked the occasional joint in college when the school workload and the pressure from his father became too much, and there was one time Chanyeol convinced him to take ecstasy during his high school graduation afterparty. He didn’t like how it made him feel and so he stuck with the natural stuff and only whenever he really needed it.

Junmyeon figured Chanyeol would stop with the hard stuff the same way Minseok hyung and Sehun did after they’ve graduated college, but the man’s circle of tall friends still seem to have a big influence on him. Him, Minseok, and Sehun often joke around that Chanyeol and his tall friends often get as high as their combined heights.

He started to look away when his friend bent down, about to inhale the row of pure white on the glass table when Chanyeol stops midway and eyes something more interesting back on the dance floor.

Junmyeon follows his line of sight and sees another striking blonde with smokey eyes, dancing like there’s no tomorrow and making heads turn without even realizing it. The guy was exactly Chanyeol’s type, and by the look on his friend’s face, the blonde is already off-limits to everyone else tonight.

The giant straightens out his leather jacket before running a hand through his tresses, ready to pounce on his next target. Maybe the birthday boy is a little grateful to the blonde for stopping his friend, show Chanyeol that he didn’t need to get high to have fun.

But even if his friend leaves the booth, Junmyeon is still surrounded by people who had no problem with anything given their way for free. There’s no judgement, but he knew he’d be left alone the rest of the time unless Chanyeol decided to ditch the little sunshine he found for him. Junmyeon searches for the giant chaebol amongst the sea of strangers trying to no longer be strangers in a few hours.

Lo and behold, Chanyeol already has his lengthy limbs secured around the blonde’s waist, and the other looks only happy with his own tapered fingers running through his dance partner’s hair. Junmyeon smiles seeing Chanyeol almost innocent like this, purely enjoying the company. Though it only lasted for a moment with his friend swooping in to the corner of the smaller man’s neck, and Junmyeon looked away before he sees sunshine turn to sin.

Dusting off his pants, the man of the evening walks among other people he knew in the crowd, and he feels grateful that they remembered his turning a year older. Growing up, these were the same faces he saw in lavish parties their families needed to attend, whether for social events or for business. To be perfectly candid, Junmyeon couldn’t tell the difference anymore. But once upon a time, they were all just little kids trying to get treats from the buffet tables or the waiters, running around chasing one another in designer suits and dresses.

Junmyeon looks on at the crowd he spent most of his life in, missing his brother, Minseok, and Sehun even more. Chanyeol is preoccupied at the moment, but he knew the man would be a better friend when the sun comes up later.

Between the ages of eight and thirteen, all five of them would kid around about how they would one day rule the world together. When Jeonha turned sixteen, he stopped joking about those things with them, and maybe Junmyeon should have known back then that his brother would give up all the riches in the world to follow his heart. Instead of controlling the globe, his hyung wanted to live in it, to experience it, to let it leave its mark on him instead of it on him.

Now, there were only four of them on their way to conquering South Korea and Asia, with their families’ influence growing in the West as well the older the heirs get.

Sehun may be on vacation at the moment, but with the way his younger friend worked, taking Oh & Partners Finance beyond banking and corporations to investing in media with the help of Chanyeol, startups that his friend saw potential in before anyone else, and expanding their company outside their country, the heir to Oh’s fortune deserves all the breaks he takes. Knowing him though, Sehun would still be networking like crazy no matter where he goes. Money never sleeps and all.

With his cousin Minseok, Junmyeon wanted to fly out to Europe with him. The heir to Kim Food Corporation is traveling the North West to bring more culinary goods, with a focus on coffee beans and tea leaves, to the East. He wouldn’t mind going on a tasting trip instead of tripping out in this club tonight.

Maybe he really is getting old. Junmyeon might not have paced himself right with the drinks earlier, and now the heavily-packed room is making him quite claustrophobic. The air is getting too thick and his head is starting to spin. It could also be his body telling him to slow down.

Luckily, he sees a familiar face. Gently tapping the man’s shoulder, Junmyeon raised his voice over the music, “Hey!”

“Junmyeon! Happy birthday, man!” Minho’s eyes light up before a hug soon follows, and Junmyeon’s guilt creeps up. The guy was his best friend in business school but they haven’t been able to keep in constant contact because of their respective family responsibilities. But maybe their friendship is still intact when Minho gave Junmyeon’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You okay, bud?”

He wants to say that he is. That’s to be expected from people like him. And how can he not be okay today of all days? So he nods like he’s supposed to, widening his smile. “Yeah, yeah. I just need a breather. Was wondering if you know where the back exit is?”

“Ah!” Of course he gets it. The heir to Choi Textiles & Fabrics understands that their kind of people needed to be smart and quick when leaving certain places. After all, Chanyeol’s family may be leading the media industry, but they don’t own it completely. None of them can afford a scandal, more so now when Junmyeon will take over his father’s company in a few years.

Minho waves to one of the guys observing the club from behind several bouncers. A man dressed in avant-garde from head to toe makes their way over, quirking a shaven eyebrow at them both and frowning slightly when Minho drapes a friendly arm over his shoulder. “Show us the way out, Key!”

At this, Key shrugs off Minho’s arm, not wanting his ensemble to get ruined. Though he offers Junmyeon a polite handshake. “Mister Kim, this way.” He nodded to Minho in assurance. “Mister Choi.”

Junmyeon starts to feel slightly better being led towards the exit. He just needed to get out of there. “Thank you.” Still, he didn’t want the club owner to feel like his establishment was subpar, knowing his thoughts on the club will definitely affect it should he say anything negative about it to anyone. “Your place is quite something. I can see why Sehun became an investor.”

Key seems grateful, appreciating the compliment. “Thank you, sir. Be sure to come back with Misters Oh and Kim next time.” The owner stops in front of an obscure door, using an access card to open it. “We have a valet attendant waiting should you wish to get your car now, or you can also talk to the bouncers if you wish to come back to the club.”

It should be worrying how a stranger could read him so easily, but Junmyeon knows the owner is just doing his job. The man steps outside with him, pointing to the streets. “There are a few restaurants that way, but if you’d like some peace and quiet, there’s a great coffee shop three blocks away when you go right from here.”

The thought of sobering up with coffee and resting his back on warm cushions is so appealing, especially when Junmyeon would be picking up Chanyeol later anyway, rescue the chaebol from his nightly conquest.

The heir and owner shook hands again before parting ways. Key gives a subtle signal to one of the bouncers stationed at the exit to keep an eye on Junmyeon. They can’t have one of their most high profile guests be harmed after coming from their club.

A few steps away from the noise and coupled with the cold wind brushing his hair are already doing wonders against his oncoming headache. It’s close to three in the morning and there are very few souls left in the streets. But one can’t be too careful.

Junmyeon picks up the pace and heads for the coffee shop that the club owner recommended. As far as he knows, Minseok hasn’t opened a coffee shop near the area, be it his own coffee chain or their company’s partnership with Starbucks.

But he figures his cousin would forgive him for visiting a competitor, seeing as it’s his birthday and all.

For some reason, the tinkling bell when he opened the door makes Junmyeon smile. Being so used to silence whenever he comes home, it was such a nice warm welcome.

The heavenly smell of roasted coffee with the sounds of cups and keyboard tapping only made him feel more at ease. Just to be on the safe side, Junmyeon subtly makes a sweep of the place. With no questionable patrons that could be the tabloids in sight, just a couple on a date in one corner, a few students cramming for a test, and someone who was busy typing away on his laptop, he took his time to just enjoy being someone of no importance.

Junmyeon nods back at the friendly barista patiently waiting for his order before he eyes the menu board above. Seeing as he intended to fully sober up, he orders a hot cup of Americano.

“That would be 5000 won, please.” The barista smiles once more, lips turning to what looked like a heart.

Junmyeon is taken aback by the deep voice, never expecting such a tone to come from such a boyish face. He offers a smile back along with his black card.

But maybe his luck for today has already run out. No one can have everything after all. The barista’s smile slips a little, an apologetic look blending in. “I’m sorry, but we’re only accepting cash for now because our card machines are being fixed.”

One thing that Junmyeon and his friends have in common is that they rarely carry actual money anymore. They pay for everything with either cards or their phones, that or someone takes care of it for them.

Now that he thinks about it, perhaps he could talk to the business owner of this particular coffee shop and see if he could convince them to add the online cash transfer app system of Kim Enterprises as one of their payment methods. He could see it being helpful to anyone who might be short on pocket money or prefer to go cashless like he does. Minseok also offers it to all their coffee shops and most of their restaurants too. Besides, people are more likely to forget their wallets than their phones these days.

The barista’s eyes go comically wider, remembering something. “There’s also an ATM two shops over.”

Before Junmyeon can ask the barista for the café owner’s information, a couple of won is handed to the man behind the counter.

“Here, Kyungsoo. I got this.”

The corner of Junmyeon’s lips twitch a little. He never really liked being interrupted, especially by someone who seems to be boasting about the fact that he was paying for a helpless stranger at this ungodly hour.

But the man’s dimple seems to have taken whatever bite Junmyeon wanted to let out. Instead, he finds himself blinking. The barista, Kyungsoo, seems to be relieved, accepting the cash with no further questions and setting off to work on Junmyeon’s coffee after closing the till.

“Would you like something to eat to go along with your coffee?”

Junmyeon’s eyes hone in on the dimple becoming ever more prominent. There is something different in the man’s tone of voice. He is trying to detect if it was mocking or condescending, tones usually used on him and his friends by people who don’t really know them, brushing them off like any other spoiled self-entitled offspring of the elite, but when the man in his bright red sweater tilted his head a bit to the side, Junmyeon’s mind goes blank again. “Ah, no. That’s okay.”

The man hums, smile growing wider, cheeks pushing his rounded gold specs higher on his gentle face. “You sure? Kyungsoo’s a great barista, but he’s an even better cook.”

They quickly glance at Kyungsoo who was waving away the man’s compliment, face brushed with a tinge of color, “Stop it, hyung.”

Junmyeon can’t help but chuckle. He has to give it to the guy, he’s persistent. “I’m sure. But thank you for the coffee.”

The guy nods before leaving, going back to his table to type away what he’s been doing before, like helping out a stranger was a daily occurrence.

Staring is rude. That’s what Junmyeon has been taught since he was a child. But he couldn’t help himself, stealing glances at the man who seemed to have the ability to look mesmerizing with a laptop’s unflattering lighting.

Even when the barista gave Junmyeon his coffee and he was already sitting on one of the comfiest armchairs he’s ever rested on, trying to be one with the cushions to hide what he was doing, his eyes are drawn to the man in red, the steam rising from the cup in his hands seemingly adding a veil of mystery.

The way he went on about his work, switching from typing to writing on paper every few minutes, taking sips of his iced coffee, and sporadically checking his phone as if waiting for a message or a call, he seemed to do it all with a bit of grace and dignity. Maybe he had a teacher for proper etiquette too when he was young, like Junmyeon did.

After finishing about a third of his coffee, Junmyeon starts to wonder if he’d ever look as good with glasses like the guy, but he quickly put that thought to rest as he recalls Sehun calling him ‘aunty’ when he started wearing black-rimmed glasses to correct his poor vision. He underwent Lasik instead, thankful that Chanyeol helped him post surgery.

He could feel disappointment when the man stood up from his seat and started fixing his things to leave, but it was immediately replaced with dread when the object of his incessant staring is now making his way towards him.

Junmyeon watches in horror as the guy places his bag on the floor and almost empty glass of iced coffee on the table. He sits comfortably on the armchair across his, fluffing out his sweater before summoning that damn dimple again. “You know, if you’re just going to look at me until the sun comes up, you should have just joined me at my table.”

Again, one would think the man would come off as cocky, but he simply sounded… happy. A hint of teasing, sure, but other than that, nothing else. Junmyeon is getting annoyed with the fact that he isn’t getting annoyed.

“I was not.” For someone who just turned twenty-five, Junmyeon sounded awfully like a petulant child right now. “I just get lost when I’m in my head too much.” And it wasn’t exactly a lie. Who could blame him when there’s nothing else interesting to look at in this coffee shop?

The man leans on the table between them, hands clasped together innocently, completely the opposite of how his sweater dips a little to give Junmyeon more places to stare. “Maybe we should get you some tea next, to help you relax.”

“Do you often spend your money on people you don’t know?” They might have something in common after all, spending a bit of coin or maybe even do favors for people to like them more quickly.

“Well.” The way his lips upturn a little make Junmyeon’s own naturally follow. “Maybe.” He might be imagining it, but Junmyeon swears the man angles in just a tad bit closer. “But why don’t we introduce ourselves then to remedy my problem?”

Oh.

He’s quick to stop the grimace before it appears on his face. One more thing that Junmyeon hates is how vastly different people would treat him when they find out who he is, who his family is to be exact. They either fall all over themselves to impress him, be intimated of his last name, or loathe him because of it.

Junmyeon decides to sip his coffee instead of offering his name, the heavenly roast seeming to taste bitter just then. 

He must have looked coy instead of apprehensive, because the guy simply hums again, thinking of what to say next. Junmyeon is just glad he didn’t come off as rude. He can’t be rude to someone who bought him one of the best cups of coffee he’s had in a while. Minseok would not be pleased if Junmyeon ever admitted that last part out loud.

“Okay, so no names. How about we just talk to pass the time?” The man gently pushes up his glasses higher on the sharp bridge of his nose, making Junmyeon wonder if it was a nervous tick. “I’m actually just waiting for a friend, and I thought waiting with someone else would make it a bit more pleasant.”

Junmyeon quirks a brow at him, “You’re waiting for a friend at this hour?”

“Just waiting to see if he gets home okay or if he needs me to pick him up.” He looks out the shop window, perhaps checking if the person he’s waiting for is on their way here. But his focus went back to Junmyeon at the sound of another chuckle. “What?”

“I’m waiting for a friend too.” This time, it was him who leans closer on the table.

The man laughs gently, eyes closing in amusement, dimple as deep as ever. “That is funny.” When their eyes meet again, there’s a look of fascination in the stranger’s gaze. “I was supposed to wait somewhere else, but my usual hangout is closed for a week.”

Junmyeon wonders if he could still be feeling tipsy with how light he’s feeling, like tasting his very first sip of alcohol, the fizzy warmth starting to make his vision pleasantly fuzzy around the edges. “I guess we can wait for our friends at the same table.”

If they move less than an inch closer, their fingers would touch. In all honesty, Junmyeon wonders how the man’s fingers, holding his iced coffee for some time now, would feel against his warm ones.

“So, if you won’t tell me your name. How about we talk about your friend?” Little droplets of cold condensation slowly drip down on the man’s glass, just about to reach skin.

Thankfully the guy wipes it away with his own fingers before Junmyeon completely lost what little common sense he had left and did it himself. That, and he has perfected listening to people even with his mind occupied. “He’s tall, loud, and is a danger to the people around him.”

The man hums again, and it could be exhaustion from being overworked and the late hour talking, but Junmyeon’s quickly becoming used to the little melody. “Interesting. Mine seems to constantly find himself in trouble.”

Junmyeon picks up his cup to toast it with the other’s drink. “May they never meet.”

Making the stranger laugh again feels akin to an achievement, seeing as Chanyeol and Sehun never really get nor appreciated his jokes, going so far as saying that Minseok only humors Junmyeon because they’re related or have a weird bond with their fondness for mathematics. “May they never.”

With their coffees back on the table between them, a small smile makes its way to his face. “You’re very kind to wait for him, even if you looked so busy earlier.”

“Ah.”

. He no longer feels light. He’s dropping. Dropping. Dropping like the small bead of sweat betraying him and running down the side of his face. Junmyeon knows what’s coming next.

“So you were staring.”

Junmyeon simply sips on his cup again, draining it until it was empty.

“Well, thank you.” And it’s strange how he seems to relish the simple compliment from a stranger, being used to getting them from people who usually want something from him. But before he could ask, the guy gazes out the window again, perfectly content. “Sometimes strangers can read you better than anyone you already know. And I’m happy that you think I’m nice.”

To look that perfectly content, people spend most of their lives to feel that way. It makes him wonder if he has ever looked that way at points in his young life, his very blessed life where he could want for nothing.

“So this friend of yours, why aren’t you with them tonight?” He turned to look back at Junmyeon, a curious expression on his face. “My work kept me from joining mine, but how about you?”

Junmyeon chuckles, the sound a mix of amused, tired, and just a little hurt. “He’s the type to drop everything when he finds something that interests him more. And I guess… I’m here for when he’s had his fill of fun, make sure he gets home in one piece too.” He drops his gaze to his empty cup, wishing he could have more. “Plus I think I’m starting to enjoy the quiet more than the chaos.” 

From the corner of his eye, he could see the man in red nod in understanding. “His loss is my gain.”

He may have finished off his coffee, but Junmyeon could taste something sweet again. He nods towards the worn out leather bag. “So what were you working on earlier, if I may ask?”

“Since we’re not exchanging names, I assume we can’t also give out too many details about ourselves?” Again, there was no hint of judgement. But he could tell that the guy was enjoying the anonymity nonetheless, especially with the hint of a smile when Junmyeon nodded. “I’m grading papers. Or trying to. My chosen subject isn’t exactly the easiest to tackle because it’s too… subjective and objective at the same time, so it’s quite difficult to put a score on a student’s interpretation of the questions.”

A teacher. Subtly eyeing the man once more, with his gold specs perfectly framing his face, mess of black hair, a teasing curtain to his eyes that seemingly bala