Part IV

Key sighed, he was currently sitting on the patio chair in the backyard area, sipping some tea and reading a book. The sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing, helping the chef relax from a days work of doing nothing. Exactly. Nothing. Jonghyun had gone on a 5 day business trip to Europe, giving the younger absolutely nothing to do. He's been trying to keep busy by making breakfast and lunch for the cleaning lady whenever she came around, and sometimes he'd convince her to stay for dinner, which she gladly did.

The younger was grateful he had someone like Mrs. Kim around, he learned more about her the more days went on; how she had a daughter who was a bit older than Jonghyun at home. She would come help the CEO whenever she could because she always said it was her duty, almost as if a mother would say about a son. Key smiled, the older woman was trulyone of the sweetest and most nurturing humans ever. Jonghyun must be like a son to her, Key thought. 

He remembered the conversation he had with her yesterday, it made him smile gently just thinking about it.

"Kibum-ah, your friend Taemin is right. You should celebrate your birthday, take the day off. I can tell Jonghyun youll be having a day for yourself, he should be able to survive less than 24 hours without you. No matter how much he thinks he cant." Mrs. Kim said, laughing at her own joke in the end.

Tonight was one of the nights the cleaning lady decided to stay back and have dinner with the chef, they were both seated at the dining table, eating, chatting and laughing, it was always a good time with Mrs. Kim. Taemin had also grown attached to her since clearly he's been talking to her about Keys birthday, the chef rolled his eyes and smiled.

"I really dont think I should. Jonghyun will be back the day of and he's probably expecting me to do my job, its been a long trip after all..." The chef said.

"Well thats what his mother is for, a meal or two is not difficult to do. You deserve to go and celebrate with your friends Kibum-ah." She smiled gently at him as she reached out from across the table and squeezed the chef's hand in reasurrance. Key felt it was weird that Mrs. Kim was talking about Jonghyuns mother like that, but they must be close so he shrugged it off.

"But—"

"—No buts. You're going and thats final."

Keys birthday was tomorrow, which was the same day Jonghyun and Minho got back from Europe. He could say he almost missed the CEO, just a bit, but he'd be convincing himself otherwise. Plus, Taemin had been on cloud nine, always calling Key, rambling about the 'super hot assistant' as Taemin would like to call him. Apparently the two have been talking quite a lot now, the chef didnt even realize they exchanged phone numbers. 

He was happy though, the chef was glad his best friend found someone who matched him perfectly, someone who could support him and be there for him when he needed it the most. The chef had a good feeling about Minho and he was dying for the moment the younger couple would fess up and get together. But for now, he'd just have to let fate do its part. 

With that in mind, he wanted to invite the assistant out to his birthday. Key felt like they've already grown close as friends, plus Taemin and him were obsessed with one another, so the assistant was definitely invited. However, Key didnt know whether or not it would be appropriate to invite Jonghyun. Maybe he should wait and see what mood the older was in first, Key thought.

It was getting close to 6 o'clock and the chef needed to start making dinner; standing up, he grabbed his mug and made his way back into the villa. As he slid the glass door open and walked in, he bumped into a hard body, arms wrapping around him to stop Key from falling.

Jonghyun.

"W-what are you doing here?" Key asked wide eyed, the older male wasnt supposed to arrive right now. Not today at least.

"I live here." Jonghyun said, narrowing his eyes.

"N-no...im sorry...I mean, youre home a day early. I havent even started dinner..." The younger stuttered, he hoped he didnt miss a call from Minho about an early arrival back home. Key went to grab his phone from his pocket, but noticed he couldnt move. Jonghyuns arms were still wrapped around his waist, he couldnt help but blush and push the older away, his hands feeling the hard muscles of Jonghyuns chest.

Jonghyuns eyes wavered, "That's alright. We finished early today. Minho has already went home. Take your time with dinner."

Key nodded slowly, "Is there anything you'd like to request tonight?"

"No."

"O-okay." Key noticed the older didnt seem to have anything else to say, so he moved to walk towards the kitchen, back now facing Jonghyun who was still looking out the glass doors to the backyard.

"Kibum."

The chef stopped in his tracks and turned around, "Yes?"

Jonghyun moved to turn back around, facing the chef as he walked towards the younger and stopping just a few inches from him. "Have you been cleaning?"

"W-what?" Key hated how much he stuttered around the older male.

"Have you been cleaning the house?" Jonghyun questioned sternly.

Key didnt know where the CEO was going with this. "Not the whole house." He whispered, but Jonghyun heard each word.

"Stop doing that. Focus on your duties as a chef, youre not a housekeeper." Jonghyun said in a sharp tone.

"But I dont mind, I just wanted to help Mrs. Ki—"

"Kibum, how do you think I found out? You seem to be getting along with my mother pretty well."

Mother? Key didnt remember meeting Jonghyuns mom, he wouldve known if he met someone as scary as his boss. "Im not sure what you mean. I dont think ive met your mother yet."

"Yes, you have. In fact, youve been cleaning with her during your breaks, in which you should have been taking. If I needed a cleaner, I wouldve hired one. My mother comes here to clean on her own downtime while im at work, she has a lot of time to spare. Ive tried telling her to stop, but she continues to come. So im telling you now, stop cleaning. Youre a chef."

Key gulped...what did he just hear? The cleaning lady is Jonghyuns mother?! His bestie?! Mrs. Kim?! The chef was baffled, he shouldve put two and two together. Both their last names were Kim, but either way, Key couldnt have just assumed. Especially a sweet and kind older lady like her couldnt be the mother of this...this...handsome devil. Even the chefs last name was Kim. "I...Im sorry."

Jonghyun sighed in defeat, "Youre not in trouble so dont apologize. My mother seems to have taken a liking to you, she just couldnt say no to someone as pretty as you are."

The chef froze, did his boss just call him 'pretty'?

"Anyways, ill leave you to it." The older said, giving Key a smile as he walked away.

Key felt like he was dreaming, he pinched himself and winced in pain. Okay, he was definitely awake. His hands went up to his face, feeling the heat coming off his face as he slapped his cheeks, calm down, Kim Kibum. He's your boss. It was just a compliment.

Dinner was a bit quiet, only the sound of utensils hitting plates were heard, awkward glances here and there, and a confused Minho watching the silent couple. Key was still feeling flushed from the whole conversation he had with Jonghyun. First finding out he wasnt allowed to clean anymore, then he found out he had become best friends with his boss' mother, to finally Jonghyun calling him pretty. It was a lot to take in all at once.

"So Key, what are you doing for your birthday?"

Oh right...he completely forgot about his own birthday. But...he felt like the way Jonghyun called him pretty, was better than any birthday gift right now.

"Its your birthday?"

Key looked up, Jonghyuns voice interrupting his thoughts, eyes meeting as they couldnt help but stare; then breaking eye contact when Minho spoke.

"Its tomorrow, Taemin actually told me. You should have said something, Key!" Minho exclaimed. "We would have planned something!"

Key smiled, chuckling at the assistants childlike whining. "'I honestly wasnt even going to do anything, but...Mrs. Kim convinced me so..." The chef gulped as he slowly looked at Jonghyun. Maybe this would be the best moment to ask about tomorrow. "Mr. Kim, I would like to ask if I can have the evening off tomorrow. Would that be okay?"

Jonghyun was silent for a moment until he spoke up, "You can have the whole day off."

"N-no...thats alright. I wont be doing anything too crazy, just the evening would be fine." Key blushed, gently smiling at his boss; the thought of inviting Jonghyun to his birthday still running through his mind.

"Its already decided. Youll have it off and be back to work on Monday. Make sure you celebrate and have fun with your friends." Jonghyun said, no emotion in his voice, just a boss giving him a few days off.

Key sighed, maybe he shouldnt invite Jonghyun. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

They continued eating, Minho chatting happily with Key as they talked about what they did that day. Jonghyun couldnt help but think back at his conversation with his mother that morning.

"Why didnt you tell me earlier that he was cleaning? That isnt his job!" Jonghyun said into the phone, his mother on the other line.

"Relax, Jonghyun-ah. He's a sweet boy, I cant say no to that face."

Jonghyun sighed, his mother was just like him. A simp for Kim Kibum. "From now on, he wont be doing any cleaning. The house is usually clean already, you dont need to be cleaning either. Please enjoy your retired life."

"Jonghyun-ah, you know im getting older and older every day. I dont want to be stuck at home all the time, so dont tell your mother what to do."

"....fine. Im sorry. But please take a break, once a week is perfect. You dont need to come every day, I moved out 10 years ago and it still feels like I live with my mother." The CEO complained, he didnt want to hurt his mothers feelings, but sometimes she didnt understand boundries.

"Alright, alright, stop your wining. I thought you were 31 already, you wont even find someone to love."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes, here we go again. His mother never stopped talking about finding him someone to marry, trying to set him up on blind dates that always ended in disaster. At first he would always reject his mothers proposals, but Jonghyun ended up giving in and going on a few dates to please her. However, they always ended in Jonghyun letting down his dates gently. Or at least he hoped he did.

"Please drop it mother, you know I need to focus on my career right now." Jonghyun said, aggitated. 

"What do you think of Kibum?"

"Kibum? My chef?"

"Yup. He's kind, knows how to cook, is beautiful; I think he's perfect Jonghyun-ah. I would love to have him as a son-in-law."

Jonghyun was silent, he had a feeling of where his mother was taking this conversation.

"He's single and is right in front of you. What more do you want?"

"It...Its not that easy."

Jonghyun sighed, his mother must have forgotten to mention Kibums birthday; or it could be the fact that he hung up too quickly to let her say anything. Continuing to eat, he noted in his head that he needed to pay more attention to the chef. He didnt like being the last one to find out about things involving Key.

"Hey, Minho. Can I ask you something?" Key asked, trailing after Minho as he was leaving to go home for the day. 

The assistant turned around and faced the chef, "Whats up?" 

"Do you want to come celebrate my birthday tomorrow?" Key smiled at the assistant.

"Sure! Thanks for inviting me! Taemin invited me too, but I said I'd wait for your invite instead since it was your birthday."

Key laughed, "Of course he did. Anyways, im glad youre coming. Its usually just us three every year celebrating, itll be a nice change!"

"The three of you?" Minho narrowed his eyes in question.

"Yeah, Taemin, Onew and me. Im excited for you to meet Onew, hes the nicest guy ever." Key beamed, clapping his hands together.

Minho nodded, intrigued. He definitely needed to bring this up to Jonghyun. He had an idea. "Jonghyun should come too!"

Keys face turned crimson red, "J-jonghyun?"

"Yeah! He'd love to be there."

"O-okay. Ill invite him." Key almost hesitated to say. Now he had to invite Jonghyun.

"Awesome! Okay goodnight Key. See you tomorrow!" Minho beamed, waving goodbye to the chef and walking away.

"Goodnight, Minho." Key sighed as he locked the door behind the assistant. He wasnt going to invite the older since he was his boss, and Key definitely didnt want to make things more awkward between himself and Jonghyun. But now, he needed to find a way to bring up the invite to the older. 

Walking up to the stairs, Key slowly peeked his head up a bit before reaching the top to see if the olders bedroom door was open. Luckily, it was closed. He made his way to Jonghyuns door, standing in front of it, he took a deep breath. He didnt know why he felt so nervous. They havent had a proper interaction since the moment they bumped into one another, other than the two words Jonghyun spoke at dinner, this was going to be their second time really talking. 

Taking another few deep breaths in and out, Key finally had the courage to knock on Jonghyuns door. Raising his hand, he slowly knocked three times and lowered it back down. He felt like he was shaking and sweating like no tomorrow.

"Come in."

Jonghyuns voice came through the door. Key widened his eyes, maybe he wasnt ready yet, he thought. But it was too late to run away now, it was all or nothing. Key gave his body a good shake to get rid of his anxiety and opened the door. The lights were turned off in the room, only the sunset creating strawberry skies, bringing an orange and pink hue into the room. Looking around, Key didnt see Jonghyun anywhere. Walking into the room some more, he heard some noise coming from the bathroom, Jonghyun must be in there.

Key stood near the balcony door, he couldnt help but admire the colours in the sky. It was turning dark soon and Key was feeling sleepy, his eyes almost drooping but quickly opened when he heard the bathroom door open. Turning around, he saw Jonghyun walking out shirtless with some black sweats on, towel wrapped around his neck and water dripping from his hair to his chest, and sliding down lower to his...

"What can I do for you, Kibum?"

Almost coughing out his nerves, he stopped checking out his boss and looked into his eyes. A smirk glowering Jonghyuns face as wacthed Key's face turn red.

"U-um...sorry for bothering you. We can talk tomorrow!" Key stuttered, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Youre not bothering me. What did you want to talk about?" Jonghyun said, smiling gently and making Keys heart skip a beat.

"Actually, I wanted to ask if you wanted to...come celebrate my birthday tomorrow?" Key hesitated before asking, Jonghyun was going to say 'no', he just knew it.

"I'd love to." Jonghyun replied. Minho's exact words. Wow, Key thought, maybe his birthday this year wont be so bad after all. He was turning 30 years old and he didnt want to celebrate getting old, however, if Jonghyun was there, maybe he can kind of enjoy it.

"Okay." Key smiled, trying not to show too much of his excitement.

"Okay."

They gazed into one anothers eyes, their stare turning tense but in an almost relaxing way. The tension of wanting something more yet the feelings of home continued to penetrate Keys mind, and it felt like Jonghyun could penetrate something else too if he asked nicely.

Jonghyun slowly walked towards the younger, keeping their gazes locked. Key stayed put in his spot, frozen and unable to move as Jonghyun stood a few inches away. Key gulped, a nervous mess was what he was.

The olders hand raised, slowly brushing Keys hair away from his face. "You seem tired. Barely keeping your eyes open."

"I...Im okay, ill sleep soon." Key said shyly. He didnt know why he's been acting this way since Jonghyun started being nice to him, maybe he was just a er for attention. Mostly from a certain puppy eyed man.

"I wont keep you long then. Make sure you sleep in tomorrow, take all the rest you need."

Key nodded gently, "Thank you." He paused for a moment before moving to walk towards the door, his arm brushing Jonghyuns along the way.

"Kibum."

Key stopped and turned around before reaching his hand out to the door handle. "Yes?"

"Happy birthday." Jonghyun said.

Confused, Key glanced at the clock which indicated midnight. Wow, did the older wait until the last minute to wish him a 'happy birthday'? Key smiled, "Thank you, Jonghyun."

A small blush krept up on Jonghyuns face, yet it went unnoticed by the younger as the chef walked out, closing the door behind himself. Key let out a breath he didnt know he was holding until he closed the door and leaned back against it. He finally did it, he asked and Jonghyun said 'yes'. Sighing, he walked to his own room, he needed to sleep. The chef felt like it was going to be a very, very long weekend.

Happy Birthdayyyyyy Betch! You're finally 30 and thriving! Cant wait to celebrate your flirty thirties with you *kissy emoji* <3

            - Taebaby

Key smiled at the text he recieved from Taemin. Usually the younger was always the first one to wish Key a 'happy birthday' but this time...Jonghyun was the one to wish him one first. He couldnt help but blush at the thought.

He replied back with a sweet 'thank you' to Taemin and got up from bed. It was only 9 in the morning, he should be sleeping in but he really couldnt. His routine was always waking up early and getting ready for the day; Key could definitely say he slept in at least 2 hours so he was pretty proud of himself.

After washing up and getting changed, he decided to go downstairs and make some breakfast. However, when he walked out of the bedroom, an aroma of delicious food filled his senses. Did Mrs. Kim come over and make breakfast? As Key climbed down the stairs, he noticed the dining table was all set up with food. "Mrs. Kim?" He called out.

There wasnt anyone in the kitchen nor the living room, weird. Key slowly walked over to the dining table, not sitting down but just admiring the display of breakfast.

"Youre awake. You shouldve slept in some more."

Key turned around, his eyes falling on a very handsome Jonghyun in a white dress shirt and black slacks. The chef loved it when the older wore suits, but Jonghyun didnt need to know that. Key smiled, "I got lots of sleep, im a little hungry now." His tummy growling a bit when he spoke.

Jonghyun chuckled, "Have a seat. Eat your breakfast."

Did he just laugh? There was a lot of many firsts happening with Jonghyun, it made Key feel tingly inside, butterflies filling his stomach everytime he was around the older male. Maybe the chef can bring out a few more firsts with the CEO, maybe get him to joke around sometimes, stop being so uptight, Key thought. He chuckled to himself as he went to sit down.

"Was Mrs. Kim here?" Key glanced at Jonghyun who was walking towards in him, making his way to sit on the chair in front of the younger.

"No, why?"

Key pouted, "Hmp...did you hire someone to make breakfast?" Now that he thought about it, Minho was also not here, And wasnt Jonghyun late for work? Its was way past 9 am.

Jonghyuns eyes went down to glance at the youngers pouting lips, "I cooked breakfast."

"Y-you...c-cooked breakfast?" He didnt know the older could cook, he just assumed he didnt since he always had private chefs.

Jonghyun nodded, "I thought you could use a break. Stop asking questions. Eat."

Key blushed and lifted the spoon to his mouth, eating the breakfast the older made. Wow, the food wasnt that bad actually. He must be incredibly too busy to make his own meals, especially since their interractions were usually a minute long, maybe less. "Its delicious, thank you for making breakfast." Key said, almost whispering.

"Its no problem."

The chef saw a small smile creep on Jonghyuns face when he said that, making Key smile even more. It felt almost contagious, the calmness, the comfort and the sweetness of each moment they spent together. No matter how short the interraction, those butterflies never went away. Key felt a sense of fear almost, he felt the tension, yet he didnt know if these words Jonghyun was saying were sincere or not. Key really hoped they were.

"Will you be home early again today?" Key didnt know where the confidence to ask that came from, clearly Jonghyun didnt need to tell him.

"No, I'll be coming back a bit late. I'll meet you guys tonight, just text me the location." Jonghyun replied.

"Okay." Key smiled, he was really happy the older was coming. They continued to eat in silence, it was comfortable like always. The younger noticed Jonghyun didnt really talk much, maybe he was just an introverted guy. Key was starting to realize he misjudged Jonghyun a little bit...maybe a lot. Jonghyuns only ever been kind to him, other than the stoic attitude, it was great living with the older. 

Key started feeling a bit dejected, the thought of one day leaving the villa made the youngers heart ache. He was starting to grow attached, and it wasnt the villa he was getting attached to. 

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Hiiiii!! Hope yall liked this chapter! 

I finally figured out how to attach the teaser poster I made for this fic! I've added it to the foreward as well!

Let me know how what you think about everything so far! I LOVE reading your guys' comments,

they make me the happiest girl ever & give me so much encouragement.

Look forward to Part V!

Love you all! <3

xoxo