He was a hopeless romantic.

Jongup had been on countless dates, nearly all of them ending without what he wanted: a second date. If they did end up in a second date, he was too boring or too quiet for anyone to be truly interested in him. But he was optimistic, far too optimistic for someone who barely got called back for a second date, because he had faith that there would be someone that he could call “the one” or his “soulmate.”

Unfortunately that day would come a lot later than he hoped, and he was stuck in a countless cycle of first dates that never turned into second dates.  That was how he found himself sitting at the bar stool, finger running around the rim of a glass filled with some alcoholic beverage he didn’t much care for. He was eyeing the bar scene, hoping to run into a date from the previous week that had mentioned visiting this bar often (it was more like stalking, to be quite honest).

He waited nearly thirty minutes, checking his phone every so often to see if anyone had called him back (they hadn’t), until a certain beady-eyed bartender noticed him still sitting alone at the bar.  By this time, Jongup had finished the drink in front of him, looking down at the counter pathetically. The buzz in the room had begun to die down as people began to go home, so the dark-haired bartender decided to make his way over to the customer, placing a light beer in front of him.

“Waiting for someone?”

“Well… Yeah. I mean… Not really. Just waiting I guess.” Jongup nervously played with his tie, loosening it before moving his hand back to the bar counter, drumming his fingers along the smooth tile.

“You kept looking around the room, so it seemed like you were.” The bartender smirked at him, his hands kept busy as he cleaned a glass.

“Oh. Right… Well, can I be honest with you? I came here hoping to see someone… We went on a date last week and he said he came here a lot.”

“Whoa there, hold on a second. So he didn’t tell you to meet him here? You just kind of showed up.”

“Yeah, well he said he’d call me at the end of our date. It’s already been a week so maybe he lost my number or – “

“He’s not calling you. If he hasn’t called you yet, he definitely will not call you for a second date.”

“Well aren’t you one to spare my feelings…” Jongup chewed on his lip and let out a dejected sigh, pushing the beer back to the bartender.

“If he was into you, he would hop over the great wall of China to try to get a second date with you. Those people are the exception. You are the rule.”

“Rule? What the hell does that mean?”

“He just isn’t interested in being long term with you! Maybe you guys will go on a few more dates, make out a bunch, have some great , but once you move past that honeymoon period, there is nothing worthwhile that will keep your relationship together. So don’t worry, there are bigger fish in the sea.”

“Yeah… I know. I just thought this one was different but it’s time to just move on.” He took a longer look at the bartender, giving him a soft, yet sad smile. “I’m Jongup by the way. It’s nice to meet you…?”

“Himchan. My name is Himchan. Now, tell me more about this date…” Himchan leaned onto the counter from behind the bar, smiling at the man in front of him as Jongup recanted the details of his date. The people in the bar had been steadily leaving and soon enough, the only people left were Jongup, Himchan, and a few of the waiters that worked at the establishment. Himchan waved them off and Jongup looked at him confused, to which Himchan answered with “I own this place.”

Jongup left the bar that night back to his cozy apartment, spirits lifted ever so slightly. Although Himchan had been brutally honest with him, it was refreshing to hear the very words he had been avoiding for nearly six months. It had been six months since he had brutally broken up with Junhong, his younger boyfriend that he had been with from their college days. It had been simple: Junhong wanted a new start in his life, and that didn’t include Jongup. Needless to say, Jongup had been blindsighted by the split and was left in shambles for a good month before he pulled himself together and realized that Junhong would not be coming back, no, and he would need to move on if he ever wanted to find someone.

Himchan was right about one thing. There were bigger fish in the sea.

--

The next weekend, Jongup found himself enjoying the company of a friend of a coworker who thought the two would hit it off. His date for the evening was quite a bit taller than him, slightly more muscular (which was surprising because Jongup was quite fit), and definitely talked enough for the both of them. Jongup didn’t mind, of course, but he could not believe he had let Youngjae talk him into a blind date.

“Hey, Jongup?”

“Yeah?”

“I forgot my wallet, do you think you can grab the check this time?”

Yeah, Jongup definitely wasn’t going to be going on another blind date any time soon. After a hefty bill was paid (his date could eat for a family), they walked outside, making awkward conversation until the younger was pulled into a brutal mostly teeth-and-tongue makeout session. He made a noise as he was being kissed, trying to push the bigger man away from him, but that only caused more friction between their bodies and it made Jongup want to hurl. They finally pulled apart, said goodbye, and walked away from each other back to their respective apartments.

Except Jongup took a detour back to that familiar bar and waited for the bartender with the relationship advice, hoping that he would be able to catch him. Thankfully, Himchan was done with his paperwork and noticed the brown-haired man, appearing in front of him within seconds. There was a beer in front of them both and they hardly noticed anyone leaving the bar.

“You don’t have to try so hard to find a relationship you know.”

“I want to be happy, that’s all.”

“I’m not in a relationship and I’m perfectly happy.”

“Do you take people out on dates and give them false hope, leaving them wishing for something more?”

“I don’t know?”

“Exactly. You don’t know if you’d be happy or not in a relationship because you don’t even try to be in one! See, I had it good…”

“Must have been really good if you got dumped.”

“Shut up.”

“If I like someone enough after a date I’ll give them a call. You don’t know my life.”

“You’re right, I don’t. But I do see that you’re a workaholic, and maybe finding someone to make you happy will let you loosen up around the edges?”

“Alright buddy, that’s one too many drinks for you and it’s time to go home.”

“But I’m not even drunk!”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not… It’s time to lock up and go home anyways.” Himchan let out a chuckle and finished off his beer, washing the glass immediately before turning back to Jongup. “Look, I have a friend that I could set you up with. I know your blind date didn’t really work this time but we can meet him together for coffee or something.”

Jongup nodded and let out a small sigh. The two exchanged numbers and made their way out of the bar to their respective cars, parting ways after bantering a bit more about something or the other. And again, Jongup felt more optimism than he would normally have; glad he met and found a friend in Himchan. 

--

That next Tuesday was when Himchan had told Jongup the meeting of sorts would happen, so he younger had dressed himself casually and cleanly. He wore black button down paired with tight dark jeans and clean dark Vans, clearly having put thought into the outfit without looking too flashy. Himchan, ever the fashionista as Jongup had come to learn from the few conversations they had via text message, paired a cardigan with a deep v-neck, dark skinny jeans, and black combat boots.

The two of them met at a café at around 6PM, after Jongup got off work and before Himchan had to return back to his bar. As Jongup took a seat near Himchan at the circular table, he was greeted with fervent apologies.

“I told my friend the wrong date. I said Thursday instead of Tuesday, so it’ll just be us two tonight.”

“You could have just asked me out if you really wanted to go on a date with me.”

“Don’t joke, I gave Jinyoung your number and he said he’d give you a call in the next few days. And yes, he’ll actually call, because he’s a good guy.”

“Jinyoung… What does this Jinyoung do?”

“It’s honestly pretty boring, he works at a bank. One of the managers there.”

“That’s not boring, that just means he’s good with his money!”

“And what exactly do you do? You never did tell me.”

“I work at a wedding planning company, in charge of booking locations for all the weddings and taking care of catering.”

“That explains a lot about you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Why you’re so obsessed with being in a relationship! It all makes sense. You see all these people that look happy all the time and you want to have that same sort of feeling.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that though…”

“No, there isn’t, it’s what all human beings want. But you’re the type of person that reads the signs a little too much.” Himchan turned his head, pointing to a man and a woman on a date at another table. “Look at them. How do you think their date is going?”

The girl was smiling and staying engaged in the conversation, playing with her hair every now and then. The guy on the other hand was laughing half-heartedly, checking his phone every now and then, and looking up at her every now and then.

“She likes him and he’s kind of bored I guess?”

“Exactly, he going to probably find an excuse to try to leave the date early. The barista behind the counter though, he’s been staring at the girl from the moment she walked in.” Himchan motioned towards the counter to reveal a tall geeky barista with a goofy grin on his face. Jongup was amazed at his accuracy with the situation, especially when the man on the date suddenly got up and left, claiming he had an emergency of some sort to attend to, leaving the girl with a frown. .

“That’s a gift you must have or something, because I would have never seen that coming.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a gift, but working at a bar kind of helps my cause. I see this sort of thing every day, multiple times.”

Jongup and Himchan spent the rest of that hour talking about failed relationships (Jongup elaborated more about Junhong and Himchan told him about his past few, all of which he ended), their jobs (Jongup and Himchan both loved their jobs, Jongup wanted to have his own wedding planning company some day), and their family (Jongup’s family lived in the countryside and he needed to get out, Himchan’s parents had died while he was in college and he had an older sister who was married).

“Oh, so I’m having a party at my place this Saturday, you should come by. It should be fun, lots of drinks, food, did I mention free booze?” Himchan pulled out his phone, texting Jongup the details of said event, before finishing off his coffee.

“Sounds fun! I haven’t gone out to one of those in a long time. Since college, actually.”

“There will be a lot of people so maybe you’ll meet some interesting people? I dunno. It should be fun. I’ll see you there.”

“Of course, see you!” Jongup looked down at his phone with a smile plastered on his face as it lit up with a text, waving bye to his friend as he mentally fist pumped. It all made sense now! There was no friend that Himchan wanted to introduce him to, it was just a set up so that the two of them could go out on a date (despite what Himchan said, because Jongup reasoned that he was probably embarrassed to admit to his defeat), and why else would he invite Jongup to his house party? The signs all added up.

Jongup relayed the same information to his coworker and good friend, Youngjae, who was busy working on the table decorations and color schemes of a wedding for the coming weekend. Youngjae was used to Jongup talking about his relationship troubles, but was always optimistic for his friend, having helped him get through the break up that left him somewhat broken.

“Maybe he wants to make a move on you at the party. That would be the cutest thing, him coming up to you in the middle of a room crowded full of people and kissing you right on the lips…”

“As if that would happen! But if it did… Wouldn’t that just be perfect?”

Their boss, a vibrant woman named Hyosung, poked her head outside of her office and tutted for them to get back to work, although she was more than used to such conversations in the office. Jongup turned back to the wedding plan in front of him, laying his forehead down on the desk as he dramatically sighed.

“I don’t even know what to wear yet!”

--

Saturday approached faster than Jongup could say Saturday. In his hands was a bottle of Moscato, just a small something for Himchan as a way of saying thanks. He rang the doorbell and was greeted by a huge amount of people, Himchan pushing himself to the doorway to pull Jongup into the party.

“You came!”

“Yeah, I mean you invited me.”

“Let’s go get some drinks for you!”

“Oh that’s really – “

Himchan got pulled away by a few of his friends, one of them having a huge gummy smile, the other that looked almost as good Himchan with blonde hair. Jongup walked to the kitchen, where he was greeted with a group of giggling girls, talking about how attractive the host of the part was. A wave of jealousy was casted over Jongup as he searched for space in the fridge for the bottle of wine he brought, shoving it into a corner before shutting the door loudly.

Jongup picked up a can of beer and walked over to Himchan and his friends, being greeted with a slightly drunk Himchan throwing his arm around Jongup’s shoulder, which brought out a soft blush on his cheeks. He was introduced to Yongguk, the man that looked like he could kill someone one second and save a bunny the other, and Daehyun, who looked kind of like a model. The beer pong table opened up and Himchan instantly claimed Jongup as his partner, and he could have sworn that the room’s temperature had increased a few more notches.

The pair lost miserably to Daehyun and Yongguk, as Himchan was already pretty drunk and Jongup hadn’t played the game since he was in college (and he had at it even in college).  They had a few more beers in their system and soon enough, he was just as handsy as the bartender. It was two AM and the only people left in the apartment were himself, Himchan, and Yongguk who was filling a trash bag with empty beer cans. He was the next person to leave, leaving Jongup and Himchan alone.

The door clicked shut and Jongup walked back to the living room, a sleepy Himchan laying down on it. He really did look beautiful and Jongup just had this sudden urge…

“Jonguppieeeee! You have nice muscles, did you know that?”

“Himchan? Maybe we should get you to bed.”

“Maybe you should just take your shirt off and get into bed with me…”

“Do you like me? Am I dreaming right now?”

“I’d like it if you stopped talking and came over here right now to kiss me.”

Jongup complied of course, walking to the couch and climbing on top of him, pressing their lips together in a slow chaste kiss. Himchan’s lips tasted like alcohol, and when their lips parted, Jongup could tell that beer was not the only thing that Himchan had been drinking that night. He didn’t care though, because this was happening, this was actually happening! They were making out and it was perfect in all ways, shapes, and forms.

Until Himchan started to moan, and then it was glorious, that the things that Jongup was doing to him made him react in a certain way. Jongup’s hands began to roam over Himchan’s chest, pushing it up every so slightly before the older man caught his wrists, pulling back from him. Jongup looked at him, frowning slightly as he opened his mouth to speak.

“I really like you.”

“Wait… Is that what this is about?”

“You told me to kiss you… It couldn’t have been anything other than that!” Jongup climbed off of Himchan, sitting back on the couch with embarrassment burning in his cheeks. “There were signs… The date with Jinyoung? I bet you made that up just so we could hang out. And why did you talk to me so much at the bar? And you were like… All over me tonight.”

“This is why no one wants to be with you, you read into everything way too much!”

“So you’re telling me you felt absolutely no chemistry? Nothing.”

“I didn’t say that, I just… Look, you’re too much to handle!”

“Excuse me? At least I try to go for people that I like or have a change with! From what I see, you run away at the first sign of commitment. No wonder you’re always going home alone, you like having everything on your terms, but that’s not how the world works!”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Of course I do! I know exactly what it feels like to not want to love again but I got over it and I want to find someone. I want to be happy. But you’re just content with staying single forever because you’re too afraid to open up and actually be vulnerable to someone else.” Jongup, visibly upset, stood up and made his way to the door. “But I actually like you. And I’m willing to put myself out there because I have hope that one day, I will find that someone that.” He slammed the door as he left, a tear escaping his eyes as he went home.

Himchan was left in awe, realization dawning on him as he watched his friend storm out of his apartment. He had been pretty drunk for the majority of the night, realizing that his actions definitely did lead the younger on. He trudged to his bed and faceplanted onto the pillow, not in the mood to deal with his confused head.

--

Jongup hadn’t talked to Himchan since the incident. He got a call a few days later from someone named Jinyoung (and then he realized that Himchan actually did mess up, and that again, Jongup had read into the signs too much) who wanted to take him out on a date. Jongup accepted and met up with the older man for dinner.

Jinyoung was pretty, but not as pretty as Himchan. They both had these captivating smiles and small eyes (even though Jongup pretty much had everyone beat for smallest eyes), and Jongup saw himself laughing and smiling a lot more on this date than he had on many other dates. Jinyoung even walked Jongup home all the way to his apartment, and they kissed each other goodnight. For once, Jongup felt that he would get a call for a second date, maybe even a third. But if he didn’t, he wouldn’t worry about it, because if there was one thing he learned from Himchan it was that there would be other people.

Jongup had begun to change into his pajamas, walking around his apartment with his shirt off when the doorbell rang. He didn’t bother to put a shirt on again as he answered the door, thinking it was Jinyoung.

It was Himchan.

He looked like he was out of breath, like he had run all the way from his bar just to see him. Jongup looked at the raven-haired man in confusion, mouth opened in protest and confusion.

“What on earth are you doing here?”

“Just give me a second to explain. Please.”

“Look, I really think things might work out with Jinyoung so please don’t try to tell me that they won’t…” Jongup’s eyes widened as Himchan grabbed his shoulders and pressed their lips together in a needy kiss. The two only pulled apart from each other when Himchan pulled back slightly, tilting Jongup’s chin up so that he was looking him in the eye.

“You are my exception.”

A/N - Thank you so so so much to bangzelow & lovechaosmusic for constantly encouraging me to write and put all my feels down on paper! And to yj2464 for being the first person I actually talked to on here, you are so great and supportive! 

Readers - please comment if you like it! The next story will be Daejae, and it will be written after I finish my final exams. I'll reply to all comments too! You can follow me on tumblr and twitter as well. Don't be shy, come talk to me ;u;