A/N:

This chapter might be slightly rushed, but I hope it'll ssatisfy you guys!

 

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“Yeol, baby?” Myungsoo peeked his head into their shared bedroom. “You done yet?”

 

It had been two weeks since Sungyeol’s older sister, Chaerin, came back to her home country. As a surprise to that, she also brought home a fiancé. The Lee’s had welcomed Kwon Jiyong into their family with open arms. Myungsoo was also one of them, despite him not being family, but Sungyeol had insisted that he kind of was, since he’s a huge part of him now.

 

“No, I am absolutely not!” Sungyeol whined as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, his hands frustratingly fixing his tie.

 

Myungsoo entered the room with a frown. Sungyeol looked like he was ready to go, save for his tie. The younger male came up to his boyfriend, removing his slender fingers from his tie and fixing it himself. “What’s wrong?”

 

Sighing, the taller of the two let his boyfriend fasten his tie properly. “Is it a legit reason to say that I’m lazy?”

 

The shorter male chuckled. “Not really.”

 

It was early in the morning – say, 8 o’clock?— and both boys were getting ready for work. Any other day, Myungsoo would’ve been late if he still stayed home at this time, but he had informed Seunghyun that he’d be coming in a bit later than usual (“I need to help Sungyeol, sir. Please understand.”). Much to his relief, his boss gave him the permission. He had been coming in on time the last few weeks, and it gave Seunghyun no reason to not grant him this permission just one time.

 

If you’ve not realized, Sungyeol hasn’t been working since the first chapter.

 

“What am I supposed to do in the hotel? Stack papers?” Sungyeol groaned and dropped his forehead on Myungsoo’s shoulder.

 

“Lighten up,” the shorter male patted his boyfriend’s back soothingly. “Your parents will be there the entire time to guide you, to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. Or you can just sit at the reception’s desk and do nothing,” he laughed lightheartedly, earning him a weak punch to his chest.

 

One important factor not mentioned: Sungyeol’s parents own a hotel in Seoul. Which would explain why Sungyeol never worked before because he knew a spot would always be open for him, being the son of the hotel’s owner and all. Basically? A hotel heir.

 

Chaerin didn’t want her baby brother to become a couch potato, rotting his life away and never doing work, so she lectured him on how it was a necessary thing to do and well, all Sungyeol heard after that were ‘bla-bla-blahs’ and ‘work’ and ‘potato’ and more ‘bla-bla-blahs’.

 

“You’re kind of like a boss there, Yeol,” Myungsoo said, placing his hands on Sungyeol’s shoulders and looking at him from an arm’s length. “You can do whatever you want.”

 

“I know that, but –“ Sungyeol pouted and looked down at their feet. “I’m just nervous is all.”

 

Myungsoo grinned at Sungyeol’s adorableness as he squeezed his boyfriend’s shoulders supportively to prevent his hands from pinching those oh-so-adorable cheeks. “Come on,” he held the other’s hands tightly in his. “We better go,” he leaned forward and kissed the taller male on the lips.

 

---

 

 

Sungyeol stared at the hotel’s entrance door – gaping, to be exact. Sure he’d seen the building countless times before this, but he never thought he’d be here for reasons other than simply visiting (or bothering his parents).

 

Myungsoo smiled fondly at him from the side as he wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him closer to his body. “You’ll be fine on your own now?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I have to go now, Yeol.”

 

“What? No,” Sungyeol frowned, giving his best pout. “Stay with me the whole day, please?”

 

“As much as I want to, you know I can’t,” Myungsoo cupped Sungyeol’s face in his hands. “You’ll do fine, love.”

 

“But –“

 

“Tell you what,” the younger male pursed his lips. “I’ll pick you up for lunch later, okay?”

 

Sungyeol’s eyes seemed to have brightened at the offer. “Really?”

 

“Yes, really.”

 

The taller male bit his lower lip. He was just extremely nervous on the first day of his job, and even though this hotel partly belonged to him, if Myungsoo wasn’t by his side, he’d still feel like a total foreigner to this place.

 

“O-okay,” he breathed out, not even realizing he had been holding his breath the entire time.

 

Myungsoo pecked Sungyeol’s lips once more. “I’ll get going now,” he smiled against his lips. “You’ll do great today.”

 

Sungyeol nodded. “See you later?”

 

“Definitely,” Myungsoo grinned and turned around to walk away to his car.

 

“You promise?” the older male half-shouted when his boyfriend opened his car door.

 

The younger one frowned a little. “That’s like asking if I’m wearing my boxers today, Yeol.”

 

Sungyeol’s face flushed in embarrassment, and Myungsoo chuckled before waving and getting inside his car.

 

The older male stood by the entrance, wanting to wait for his boyfriend to leave before actually going through the automatic doors. He rolled his eyes when the younger male threw him a small heart with his fingers, a cheesy smile on his face before speeding off.

 

“He really shouldn’t be hanging out with Woohyun anymore,” Sungyeol snorted, a smile playing on his lips as he proceeded to enter the hotel. “The cheese is too much to handle.”

 

As he made his way inside the lobby, the staffs that were present immediately bowed and greeted him politely. Sungyeol wasn’t exactly used to being greeted in that way, and all he could do was smile (not his huge gummy-looking one though, but rather his refined tight-lipped one). He was trying hard to keep his chin up, at the same time making an effort to look as sophisticated as possible, and hopefully not end up face-planting himself on the shiny marble floor.

 

“Good morning, Sir.”

 

“Holy mother –!“ Sungyeol nearly jumped out of his skin when a man appeared beside him. “Do not scare the bejesus out of me!”

 

The man winced, but smiled nonetheless. “My apologies, Sir,” he cleared his throat. “My name is Im Hyunsik, the Manager of this hotel.”

 

“Manager?” Sungyeol tilted his head. “Ah, so you’re in charge, huh? A bit young, aren’t you?”

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

Sungyeol frowned. “Is this gonna become a habit of yours?” he motioned with his fingers. “Calling me ‘sir’ whenever we’re talking?”

 

Hyunsik seemed confused at his words, but his expression remained composed. “It’s one of the rules, Sir.”

 

“And I take it that every one of the staffs will do the same?”

 

“That’s right, Sir.”

 

Sungyeol inwardly groaned. It’s annoying enough to be called ‘Sir’, and to be addressed as that every single time killed him. One of the perks of being the Boss’ son, he sighed. If only Chaerin were to be here as well, let’s see how she’d like it if she were to be called ‘Ma’am’ everytime, Sungyeol thought.

 

Hyunsik was staring at him, and Sungyeol raised his eyebrows as if questioning him.

 

Im Hyunsik was his name, he said. And Sungyeol can’t help but to wonder why that name rung a bell in his head. Have they met before? Maybe it was during highschool, or maybe college. He had a lot of friends back then. Maybe he had been his lab partner for Biology, or maybe…

 

Sungyeol gasped out loud, pointing a finger at the younger man before him. “Im Hyunsik from Woollim High! Am I correct? You were my lab partner!”

 

“Took you long enough, Sungyeol.”

 

“Oh, wow,” the taller male gawked. “How long has it been since we last met? And you’re like, a boss here. Well, I’m the boss, but you’re…I mean…ah, forget it.”

 

Hyunsik laughed. “I’m sure we can catch up later. Though I think you should go up now, where your parents are waiting for you. Sir.”

 

“O-oh. Up, huh? Okay then, I’ll see you later!”

 

Sungyeol walked over to the elevator, and pressed the up button. When the doors opened, he went in and took out the keycard from his jacket, the card that’ll take him up to the floor his parents were in.

 

“Hmm, pretty nifty, I’d say,” he chuckled to himself once the doors closed.

 

He had been extremely nervous about working here, and he’s still anxious about it. He wouldn’t know a thing about being assertive, but he’d give it a shot. His parents had told him that on his first day, he’d only be getting to know the place just a little bit better, and then meet the staffs. No heavy and complicated work would be given to him, in which he’s really thankful for.

 

---

 

 

Sungyeol sat on the lobby chair comfortably, though his finger was furiously tapping on his iPad screen to get his character to dodge obstacles and evade fire or fallen tree branches, trying to not get eaten or killed by rabid monkeys. A stupid game, he thinks, but it helped to pass the time. Plus, it was a little bit entertaining.

 

“Huzzah, new high score!” he pumped his fist up in the air when he set a new record, despite his character falling deep into an abyss.

 

Okay, maybe very entertaining.

 

“Gee, is it that fun, hyung?”

 

Sungyeol immediately looked up to see Hyunsik standing in front of him with an amused expression.

 

Clearing his throat and locking his iPad, Sungyeol grinned as he stood up, the gadget tightly in his hand by his side. “Are you going out for lunch, Hyunsik-ah?”

 

“Yeah,” the young male looked down, and if Sungyeol wasn’t hallucinating, he seemed to be blushing.

 

“What’s up with the blush there, young man?” he couldn’t help but ask, a grin threatening to stretch across his features. “You going out with your girlfriend or something?”

 

Hyunsik blushed even more, bumping his shoulder against Sungyeol’s purposely. “Not really. I like her, but she doesn’t know. We’re just friends.”

 

Sungyeol chuckled, patting him on the hair. He remembered how close he was with Hyunsik, despite merely being lab partners back in highschool. The boy amused him, then and now. He had an adorable smile, and his eyes lit up when he did. Sungyeol briefly wondered if Hyunsik’s crush, this girl he was going to lunch with, was the same girl he had a crush on years ago.

 

“And you?”

 

“Hmm, what?” Sungyeol glanced at the other before looking back to the front as they walked.

 

“Are you going to go out for lunch, too?”

 

Sungyeol smiled to the front. “Mm, you could say that.”

---

 

 

Myungsoo parked his car in the parking lot, keen on seeing Sungyeol. He couldn’t quite concentrate while at work early in the morning, and Woohyun kept side-glancing him with furrowed eyebrows. Even when he held his camera, he had to fumble with the buttons, just about forgetting which buttons clicked which.

 

He was relieved Seunghyun wasn’t around to witness his near-failure. He could simply imagine the older man eyeing him and shaking his head with derision.

 

Nevertheless, the morning session was over and done with, and he had nothing much to do in the afternoon.

 

Once he had locked his car, he walked at a leisurely pace towards the hotel’s entrance. He finished his schedule earlier than he expected, so he supposed coming to pick Sungyeol up immediately after that would be too early. He figured the other would still be busy, or not out yet, but needless to say, he still came to the hotel right after he was done with his work.

 

Trying to not grin like a creep while making his way there, Myungsoo kept a straight face. He walked through the automatic doors, his eyes looking around the huge lobby.

 

He finally spotted the person he’d came here for, and he’d smile and wave at him if not for the stranger right beside his boyfriend. The stranger stood too close for comfort, but Sungyeol didn’t seem to mind, and the unknown man had an arm around his shoulders.

 

Myungsoo’s eyes burned, and he had a feeling he was glaring, but he didn’t care at that moment. What mattered was why that man had an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. His hands balled up into fists by his sides, and his jaw tightened. He grinded his teeth behind his closed mouth, and that’s when he realized he’d stopped walking the instant he saw Sungyeol with the stranger.

 

Sungyeol still hadn’t noticed his presence by the door, and he’d liked to have it be that way, at least to give him just enough time to turn around and pretend he never saw anything. Then he’d come back few minutes later, and tell a lie to Sungyeol that he had too much work in his hands and he’s sorry that he’s late.

 

He was about to do just that, until he heard his name.

 

“Myung!”

 

Unclenching his fists, Myungsoo forced a smile and met with Sungyeol in the center of the lobby. The taller male gave him a tight hug, and his arms instinctively found their way to his middle. While doing this, his eyes found the stranger standing behind Sungyeol, and the man seemed unaware of the glare pointed towards him.

 

“You’re early!” Sungyeol giggled as he pulled away, and Myungsoo immediately replaced his glare with a loving gaze before the former noticed.

 

“I got off work early, so why not come here,” he caressed the older male’s cheek tenderly. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”

 

Sungyeol planted a soft kiss to Myungsoo’s lips. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now. I couldn’t wait to see you, too.”

 

Someone cleared his throat, and Sungyeol jumped slightly, as if just remembering that there was another presence with them. Myungsoo cursed inwardly when his boyfriend grinned at the stranger near them.

 

“Oh, Hyunsik!” Sungyeol said to the man. “This is Myungsoo, my boyfriend. And Myung,” he then turned to look at him with a smile so sincere, he couldn’t stay mad that long. Maybe. “This is Hyunsik, he’s the manager of this hotel.”

 

Myungsoo’s arms around Sungyeol’s waist tightened  even more when Hyunsik extended his hand for a handshake. No way was he going to touch that hand. He opted to just give the other no more than a nod, and he had a feeling his gaze was piercing through the man because he withdrew his hand back with an awkward smile.

 

“Umm,” Sungyeol eyed the two when the atmosphere began to get tense, and he let out a small cough behind his hand.

 

“We should get going, Yeol. We don’t want to waste anymore time here,” Myungsoo spoke sharply, his dark orbs still on Hyunsik.

 

Sungyeol frowned at the tone. That tone only meant one thing, and it’s not a good thing. He could only nod his head, and the next thing he knew, he was being dragged out of the hotel.

 

His wrist hurt at the force, but he knew well enough not to resist a seemingly angry Myungsoo.

 

“Get in.”

 

Sungyeol wanted to comply, overlooking the fact that Myungsoo just pushed his wrist away and going over to the driver’s side. He watched every move the younger male made apprehensively, wondering what he was mad about. Once Myungsoo got inside the car, Sungyeol shook his head and instantly followed suit. He wouldn’t want to add more fuel to his boyfriend’s fire.

 

The ride to the restaurant in the city was filled with silence, and Sungyeol didn’t like it one bit. He willed himself to look at Myungsoo, who was focused on the road in front of them.

 

When they stopped at a red light, Sungyeol saw Myungsoo’s hand gripping the gearshift, and he slowly placed his own hand on top of his. He watched the side of Myungsoo’s face go from tense to slightly relaxed, but the younger’s eyes still held the bitterness that wasn’t discernible on his visage.

 

“Soo,” Sungyeol said in a soft whisper.

 

“Not now, Sungyeol,” Myungsoo responded in a low voice, still not looking at him.

 

Sungyeol removed his hand when the light turned green, then kept his focus downcast on his lap, not wanting to further make the other irritated. He knew he’d look foolish if he cried now, so he bit the insides of his lower lip as he blinked repetitively to suppress the tears that threatened to escape.

 

By now he should already be used to Myungsoo’s behavior like this, it’ll come and go, but he just can’t seem to get used to it. The fact that his boyfriend had changed this much, he couldn’t fathom why. The Myungsoo he first met had a calm (in a self-controlled way) exterior, and he had a goofy grin everytime Sungyeol joked about silly things. He wasn’t always angry at trivial matters, and he was always eager to listen to Sungyeol’s problems. Being a possessive man wasn’t in Myungsoo’s nature when they first met, Sungyeol presumed, but that all changed two years into their relationship.

 

“Hey.”

 

Sungyeol blinked once and shook his head, as if trying to get rid of the thoughts that suddenly flooded his mind. He looked to his right and saw Myungsoo standing outside the car, peeking his head inside.

 

“Come on, we’re here.”

 

He unbuckled his seatbelt and went out of the car, dusting the non-existent dirt on his dress shirt. Myungsoo went over to his side, and now that his boyfriend was standing before him, Sungyeol didn’t know what to do. He wanted to hug the other, and apologize for doing something that made him mad, but that’d look unusual to the eyes of an onlooker.

 

Myungsoo grabbed Sungyeol’s hand and entered the nearly packed bistro, telling the waiter that greeted them his name. With a pleasant smile, the waiter led them to a table by the window. After handing them the menu, the waiter left, saying he’d be back to take their orders.

 

How can I choose what I want, Sungyeol thought as he stared at the cover of the menu.

 

Sungyeol took in a deep breath, knowing he can’t keep what’s bothering him inside for too long. “Why are you angry at me, Myung?”

 

Myungsoo stopped skimming through the pages, and he slowly placed the book on the table. He looked up to see Sungyeol frowning at him, chewing on his lower lip.

 

He wasn’t mad at him, no. He could never be. That other man, however, made him like this. “Not at you, I’m not.”

 

“Then? You’ve been glaring at everything since…earlier on. I just want to know why, Myung. Was it something I did? Have I done anything to upset you? Please, Myung. It’s been a while since you’ve acted like this.”

 

“S-stop, Yeol.”

 

“Hi, are you ready to order?”

 

Sungyeol smiled weakly at him. “Can you give us a few more minutes?”

 

“Sure.”

 

When the waiter left them once again, Sungyeol gave Myungsoo a questioning look. “It’s not…Hyunsik, is it?”

 

Myungsoo clenched his jaw as he tried to gather his breathing. On the inside, just the name made him fume. “The manager of your hotel? When did you guys meet?”

 

“Soo, please. I want you to listen to me very carefully. Hyunsik was my lab partner for Biology in highschool, nothing else. I didn’t even know he’d be working with me until today! Hyunsik is just the manager of the hotel. We aren’t as close as you think we are. From now, he’s simply an employee, or maybe a friend, like Sunggyu hyung. I don’t…I don’t know why you’d be worked up over that. I wouldn’t do anything to upset you.”

 

Myungsoo’s eyes were on Sungyeol’s the entire time, and he felt bad (more than bad, really) for acting the way he did. Sungyeol’s voice in the last sentence had cracked, and he had tears welling up in his eyes. And once more, he had made his boyfriend cry. I need to learn to control myself, he crossly thought to himself.

 

Sungyeol turned his head to face the window, trying to inhale as much air as possible. His vision began to blur, and before he could move a hand to wipe them, a thumb wiped it away for him. He knew whose hand that belonged to, but he just couldn’t bring himself to look at the owner’s face.

 

“Yeol, please look at me.”

 

Myungsoo placed his hand on Sungyeol’s cheek, and only then that the older male realized his boyfriend had moved from sitting across him to sitting beside him. He eventually turned to the younger, but he kept his focus elsewhere.

 

“Please, look at me, baby.” Myungsoo lifted Sungyeol’s chin, making him look him in the eye. “I don’t know how many times I’ve done this to you, and I don’t know how many more apologies I need to say to you, but I want you to know that I really am sorry. I – I love you, you know this, don’t you?”

 

Sungyeol’s tears in the end cascaded down and he threw his arms around Myungsoo’s neck. “Why am I in love with such an idiot?”

 

Sungyeol thinks that he’s too forgiving, but that’s just a part of him. He thinks that maybe, just maybe, his boyfriend needed someone to understand what he’s going through. Whatever that was. Or maybe, he thinks again, he really needs to talk to Chaerin about this…problem. His sister may have an idea on what to do to help their relationship, so talking to her might lift the heavy weight on his shoulder all this time.

 

Myungsoo wrapped his arms around Sungyeol’s waist and kissed his shoulder blade, chuckling a little. “Maybe it’s because we’re both idiots.”

 

When the reverberating sound of Sungyeol’s soft chuckle was felt on his collarbone, Myungsoo smiled upwards to the ceiling, grateful for having an understanding boyfriend such as Lee Sungyeol. “I love you, too, Myung.”

 

---

 

 

A/N:

 

Yes, you guys have the right to (virtually) push me off a cliff. I apologize for not updating for sooooo long! I had some personal problems to deal with and it kind of affected my mood to write and post up a chapter.

 

I’ll still be updating this fic in a turtle-pace, but fear not! I’ll not leave you guys hanging for more than 4 months like I usually do.

 

Thank you for subscribing to this fic and please do comment okay? C’mon, there at least 1 of you subbies. Tell me how this story is going.