unknown number

hello. is this choi siwon?

yes, this is choi siwon.

may i ask who this is?

unknown number

this is ryeowook.

kim ryeowook.

from jongwoon-hyung’s wedding…

ah!

kim ryeowook-ssi!

yes, i remember you.

kim ryeowook

yeah... i’m sorry for texting you so suddenly.

i just wanted to ask if…

?

kim ryeowook

if you’ve eaten yet…

ah

no, i haven’t.

kim ryeowook

what???

but it’s already past 2 in the afternoon???

i’ve been so busy, i forgot to eat…

kim ryeowook

well, we can’t have that now.

wait for me there, i’ll bring you some food.

oh, and

no worries, i know where your office is.

uhh... ok? O.O

but really, you don’t have to do this T_T i feel embarrassed…

kim ryeowook

no, i insist!

i always bring my friends food, don’t worry.

wait for me there, ok?

okay O.O

thank you for the kind gesture!

Siwon puts down his phone and scratches his head. He really doesn’t want to burden Ryeowook, but the younger man seems to be a stubborn person, so Siwon decides to just let it be. Besides, he hasn’t eaten lunch today and he’s already famished.

However, he still needs to go over his patient’s documents and analyze the symptoms and progress once more since they have an appointment scheduled for later.

So, burying himself in his work, Siwon soon forgets about Ryeowook’s messages.

***

One hour later, there’s a knock on his door.

“Come in,” Siwon says automatically, and his secretary promptly walks inside.

“Dr. Choi, someone is here to see you,” she informs him.

Siwon looks up from his pile of documents. “Is it Mr. Hong?” He glances at the clock on his desk. “He’s early… we’re supposed to be meeting in approximately 50 minutes—”

“Ah, no, it’s not a patient,” his secretary clarifies, and a confused expression crosses Siwon’s face. “This young gentleman tells me that he has an appointment with you at this time but I don’t recall writing his name in the schedule book.”

“What’s his name?”

“His name is Kim Ryeowook-ssi.”

Siwon’s eyes light up in recognition. “Ah! Right, right. Please have him come in here.”

His secretary bows in affirmation and walks out of the room, calling Ryeowook’s name. Siwon puts down his pen and stands up from his desk just as Ryeowook appears in the doorway wearing a shy expression on his face.

“Sorry for disturbing you,” he says sheepishly.

“No, no. Apologies. I forgot you were coming here. It’s my fault,” Siwon assures, leading the younger man inside and closing the door behind them. “Please, have a seat.”

Ryeowook gladly obeys, and Siwon sits back down on his desk.

“So… um,” Ryeowook begins hesitantly. “You really haven’t eaten yet or…?”

“Ah, I normally don’t eat lunch during work days,” Siwon admits in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head as he averts his gaze. “I get too immersed in my work to pay attention to the time.”

Ryeowook leans forward with a curious look in his eyes. “Don’t you have friends who ask you to eat out during lunch time?” he asks, surprised.

Siwon shakes his head. “I don’t have any friends… yeah, sad, I know.” He laughs it off, almost mellowly. “All of them already have their own circles and apparently I’m too serious and hardworking for their groups, so…”

“That’s nonsense,” Ryeowook interjects, frowning. “Back in Jongwoon-hyung’s wedding, we met for the first time but you were very caring and fun to talk to.” He glances behind him towards the direction of the door and the transparent windows. Then he looks back to Siwon and whispers conspiratorially, “Are you sure they’re all doctors? Because they must be blind and deaf to not notice how much of a great person you are.”

Siwon blinks, then lets out a laugh.

At first he acts innocent and demure and then he suddenly reveals his sharp tongue… This man seems to be full of surprises, Siwon muses in his head, his interest in Ryeowook growing by the second.

Ryeowook grins brightly as though he accomplished a mission of making Siwon laugh. He fumbles inside the paper bag he carried with him into the office and then places a lunchbox on top of the desk.

“Here. I cooked some food for you. Eat it well and return the box to me later,” Ryeowook says as he prepares to get up.

Blinking rapidly, Siwon’s mind starts to run a mile per second. “Wait, you made me a lunchbox…? I—I thought you were gonna order takeout or—”

“Haven’t I ever told you that I’m a good cook?” Ryeowook grins at him again, this time wider than before. Siwon stares at it, mesmerized. “I made you some meat and vegetables with a few side dishes you might like, since I don’t know what your favorites are. You better return this lunchbox to me empty without even a single crumb or else…” Ryeowook gives him a mock-threatening glare and an accusatory finger, to which Siwon stares at, unable to process the situation before him as quickly as he’d like.

“W—Wait, where are you going?” Siwon says, standing up from his seat as Ryeowook begins to walk away.

“Oh, I still need to visit my friends at a café since we’re all meeting after a long time.” Ryeowook turns to him with a smile. “And I don’t want to keep you from your work, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“Wait, uh…” Siwon’s eyes dart towards the clock, seeing that he still has time before his next appointment. “Let me thank you for this nice gesture. Would dinner later tonight be appropriate…?”

Ryeowook’s lips part slightly, eyes widening in surprise. “...Are you asking me out on a date?” he voices out curiously.

Siwon’s cheeks start to burn. “I—I…”

Ryeowook observes him for a moment, seemingly studying his features and searching for something. A sign, perhaps?

Then he smiles. He really smiles a lot, Siwon thinks to himself absently, enchanted by its continuous appearance.

He’s really good-looking.

At that moment, Siwon briefly remembers the time when he first met Ryeowook, when the latter unabashedly burst into tears during Jongwoon and Hyukjae’s wedding. Siwon had offered him a handkerchief back then, to which Ryeowook accepted graciously. Siwon had thought that Ryeowook was a considerate, empathetic, and modest guy who was happy that his two friends ended up marrying each other.

But now, Siwon is slowly discovering some new sides to Ryeowook, a few layers from that pure soul that only adds to the younger man’s natural charm.

And his heart starts to race.

“If it’s a date…” Ryeowook winks at him. “Then I accept.”

Siwon watches with wonder as Ryeowook reaches the doorway.

“Text me the details later,” Ryeowook tells him with a sly smile. “Also, remember to show up on time and bring me flowers, or else…” He makes a threatening motion with his hand as though slicing his neck. Siwon is speechless at the gesture, and the priceless expression on his face is enough to make Ryeowook burst into laughter.

“So cute~” he says in a sing-song voice as he waves goodbye before finally leaving.

Siwon sinks back into his seat, and when he relaxes a bit, he realizes that his heart is still beating like crazy.

What a guy.

He opens the lunchbox and gazes at the contents. Sure enough, there’s meat at one side and below it are pieces of broccoli, carrots, and lettuce.

The cutest thing, though, are the sauce toppings on the rice that form a few words.

Siwon-ssi,

Fighting!♡