Guys, i'm truly sorry for updating so late. A lot of life stuff happened to me recently, so it got harder to write. I'm not here to make excuses though, but to deliver 2 chapters in a roll. I can only hope that you'll like them. One chapter to go. I'll do my best to have that done and posted ASAP.

As always, thank you so much for the love you've given this story and my writing<3

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Much like the main course, Jinyoung decides their desert as well much to Jaebeom’s surprise. He wonders if Jinyoung always imposes his food choices on other people. Jinyoung goes ahead and orders cake for hem without asking Jaebeom’s preference, and it so happens that Jaebeom hates cake.

Jaebeom is both surprised and impressed by the amount of endurance he has tonight on this date with Jinyoung. He quietly eats his cake without any qualms because in truth it’s actually good.

After the restaurant, Jinyoung invites Jaebeom on a chopper ride over the city of Seoul. Having the time of his life, Jinyoung smiles the entire time, holding Jaebeom’s hand and totally oblivious to how uncomfortable Jaebeom is what with his fear of heights. 

Finally they retire to Jinyoung’s yacht to drink wine and end the night on a relaxing note. Jaebeom’s belly is still churning from how nervous he was all throughout the chopper ride, so the burning sensation of alcohol is very welcome. Like a true wine enthusiast Jinyoung is, he talks to Jaebeom a little more about the private wine tasting tours he has been on, all the different interesting locations he’s been to as he visited vinyards to see the cultivation of grapes, his hope that Jaebeom will join him someday soon. Jaebeom isn’t sure he is listening. He is too busy trying not to throw up because putting alcohol is a churning stomach is a big mistake. Now he knows.

Jinyoung stops and puts his wine glass down because something is definitely wrong here. Jaebeom has said a word for 5 minutes, maybe more, his face is pale and there is sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jinyoung asks Jaebeom.

Jaebeom offers a rather tight smile. “Yeah.” He lies and then he thinks better of it. “No.”

Jinyoung’s eyebrows shoot up in concern. “Oh?”

“I think I should get going.”

The abruptness of the suggestion surprises Jinyoung. “Suddenly? Did I do something wrong?”

The wounded look on Jinyoung’s face makes it almost hard for Jaebeom to go on but he realises he has to put an end to this. “Like I said before, I’m not…into you.” He finishes a little weakly at the end there because it’s honestly a mean thing to say even if it’s true.

Jinyoung swallows the thick lump in his throat. “I thought everything is going so well tonight.”

“For you maybe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I didn’t exactly enjoy anything we did tonight, the luxurious restaurant, the chopper, the wine, the yacht- I’m not into any of it.”  

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“You didn’t ask. Apparently it was easier for you to assume.”

“I was only trying to impress you, to do nice things for you.”

“Your effort is sweet and all, but I think I’ve had enough of this. We both tried to make this-” Jaebeom pauses to point at Jinyoung and then at himself. “-happen, but I just don’t think it’s going to work.”

“We could try again. This is only the first date. We can look forward to so many more better ones.” Jinyoung pleads, not paying a single mind to how broken and desperate he sounds because now he knows that Jaebeom is worth any embarrassing gravelling and so much more.

“I’d rather not.”

***********

Jaebeom tiredly pushes his door open and walks in, steeping into a surprise when he finds the lights on inside his apartment. He already knows who it is, so he calmly puts his coat and his shoes away before he proceeds into his great room. Unsurprisingly, Youngjae is stretched out on his back on Jaebeom’s couch with a bowl of snacks on his belly, watching TV.

“Oh my God, are you here again?” Jaebeom drawls

“You have a nice place, great TV and plenty of food. What can I say?”

Jaebeom merely shakes his head and tosses his phone onto a random couch before proceeding to the kitchen. “I’m starving.” He mutters to himself mostly.

It takes a moment for what Jaebeom just said to sink into Youngjae and it when it does, Youngjae abruptly sits up with a frown on his face, turning towards Jaebeom’s general direction. “Didn’t you just eat?”

“The menu wasn’t my taste.” Jaebeom mutters while skimming through his fridge for something to eat.

“You should have ordered what you like then.”

Jaebeom finally settles for dumplings. His mum brought them along with a bunch of other food a few days ago. Jaebeom can cook, but he is certainly not complaining about eating his mother’s delicious food. “I couldn’t get what I wanted. It’s such a long story.” He finally replies as he goes to pop the bowl of dumplings into the microwave.

“How was your date overall?”

“Let’s just say it won’t happen again.” microwave well on, Jaebeom walks back to the living area to sit down next to Youngjae

Youngjae winces and hisses at the same time. “That bad huh.”

“Yes.” As soon as he’s seated, Jaebeom takes a handful of popcorn from Youngjae’s bowl

“What’s this Park Jinyoung guy like?”

“Suit and tie type. Rich. A little stuck up. Conceited definitely.”

“Do you like him?”

“Do the qualities I just mentioned sound like someone I’d normally date?”

“You agreed to go on a date with him, so you must find something attractive about the guy.”

“Well, he is hot. Really hot and he always smells great.”

Youngjae grins. “And?”

“That’s it. Literally the guy is so off-putting. Looking at his handsome face is what got me through our date tonight. I guess he did say some compelling things too about the passion he has for his field of work.”

“So you like his looks and his work ethic. I think that’s a lot to work with.”

“No it’s not. I’m done with this guy.”

“Does he know you feel that way?” Youngjae asks quite seriously

“I made it clear at the end of our date. Jinyoung seemed disappointed but I think he’ll get over it.”

“So it’s totally over between you two?”

“Totally.”

********

“This is far from over.” Jinyoung huffs out a short, entirely humourless and slightly wicked laugh.

Yugyeom shakes his head, watching Jinyoung pace the expanse of his own living room is disbelief and fury because he got rejected.

Yugyeom rolls his eyes, wishing he didn’t have to hear this. About 30 minutes ago his boss turned up at his doorstep looking scruffy and holding bottle of champagne. It’s past 9pm for goodness’ sake and Yugyeom could be doing a million better things than sitting here listening to his boss go on and on about his failed first date tonight. On a regular day Yugyeom would get a kick out of taking pictures or teasing his boss at the very least, but tonight Yugyeom would rather just be in bed talking to his own boyfriend.

“Like I said before, people get rejected sometimes, hyung. It’s normal.” Yugyeom finally decides to contribute to what’s mostly been a Park Jinyoung monologue for the past 20 minutes or so.

“No.” Jinyoung immediately dismisses like the possibility isn’t even at the table.

“No, you never get rejected?”

“No I won’t let Im Jaebeom walk away just like tha