post #67 [closed]
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Three days later, on his way back to Beijing after a series of mind-numbing meetings in Japan, Lu Han manages to forget his Louis Vuitton sunglasses, tucked into the seat back pocket in front of his seat. He remembers them as he's about to exit the plane - and then remembers Chen and Minseok, and keeps walking, albeit more slowly than usual.
He doesn't have time to get coffee before his next flight, but at least it's because he's busy with an armful of beagle, and an exchange of pleasantries with Chen's human. In five minutes of small talk, Lu Han realizes he's explained that his expensive sunglasses were a university graduation gift, that he has to fly a lot as a representative of his father's business, and that he'd really rather be in grad school, or doing something fun with his life. Meanwhile, all he learns that Kim Minseok's name is Kim Minseok (from the man's own mouth, at least), and that after training Chen to be his co-worker, he adopted the dog too.
And that's it.
Well, he learns that Chen is three years old. He loves people and all animals except for cats and cockroaches, and he'll do anything for chicken. He's possessive of Minseok, and cries when they're separated. He's one of the first dogs in the program, and by far the best (though Minseok admits he's probably biased).
All through this, Chen sits at their feet and eyes Lu Han with something regarding suspicion. Lu Han's not the best at interpreting dog expressions, but it's certainly not the same mix of friendliness, enthusiasm and pride that he encountered the first time.
He's probably just overreacting after hearing about Chen's clinginess, he tells himself. Still, it's hard to misread the eagerness with which the dog bounces to his feet when Lu Han opens his mouth to ask a question about Minseok and Minseok obliviously says he has to get to Gate 36 for an incoming flight.
PEK ✈ NRT
Lu Han lucks out with a direct flight to Tokyo the next time he travels. He knows it's just because he's accompanying one of their Japanese investors, but the man is pleasant enough company and the shortened travel time is worth having to wear a suit and be on his best behavior.
NRT ✈ ICN ✈ PEK
Their third encounter happens on his unfortunately indirect flight back to Beijing, when Lu Han hesitates before deliberately tucking his iPod into the seat back pocket as the plane is landing. It takes a little longer for Chen to catch up to him, probably because of the increased congestion caused by people traveling for Christmas. When he does finally find Lu Han, the dog doesn't race ahead to greet him like he did before. He's seemingly glued to Minseok's ankle, and Minseok seems both embarrassed and puzzled when he can't get the usually-friendly dog to go over and let Lu Han retrieve his iPod.
"I don't know what's gotten into him," Minseok says apologetically.
Chen pouts from behind Minseok's legs when Lu Han takes his iPod from Minseok's hand, deliberately overreaching so there's just a little bit of unnecessary skin-to-skin contact. Minseok doesn't seem to notice, but it's the closest to flirting Lu Han's come in months, so he's stupidly pleased with himself.
PEK ✈ ICN
The next time, Lu Han closes his eyes and leaves his phone on his seat. His meetings are in Seoul this time, and he makes sure to leave a conveniently easy-to-find itinerary of his trip on his home screen just in case he doesn't meet up with his phone before he has to leave.
He's almost at the end of the terminal when Chen races straight past him (Lu Han imagines the dog gives him a smug look as he flies by). He busies himself with a show of searching through his pockets and his duffel bag as if he just realized he forgot something, trying to block out the sounds of a flustered Minseok as he apologizes to the grumpy middle-aged businessman Chen incorrectly led them to. The businessman is not as taken in by Chen's cuteness as Lu Han was, and is wasting even more of his own time complaining about how much time Chen's mistake has cost him.
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When he suggests that Chen was just so excited to see him that he overshot his true target, Minseok's laugh sounds relieved, if still a little strained. But Chen just sits on Lu Han's foot, undoubtedly trying to make a point. He doesn't move when Lu Han tries to surreptitiously nudge him away, turning and staring up at him accusingly.
"I don't know how I ever thought you were cute," Lu Han mutters in low, quick Mandarin when Minseok's distracted by a radio call.
He imagines that Chen is offended by this, but when Minseok thanks him (for what, Lu Han isn't entirely sure) and excuses himself, the wag of the dog's tail as he prances away is as cheerful as ever.
PEK ✈ ICN
The fifth time, Lu Han has to go to the lost and found to get his gloves back. Minseok and Chen are nowhere to be found, but the chatty employee at the lost and found tells him that he arrived just in time. His phone had only just been brought in by their canine unit barely five minutes before.
Lu Han finds himself calculating how much time that gave Minseok and Chen to track him down (over half an hour) and has to sadly conclude that Chen is sabotaging him.
PEK ✈ ICN ✈ NRT
The sixth time, Lu Han's Manchester United scarf gets returned to him right away, and by Minseok with a dog that isn't Chen. This one has darker markings with black on his ears and around his eyes, and Minseok introduces him as Bacon ("the would-be breakfast thief") as he carefully unwinds the scarf from around the dog's neck.
"I hope my supervisor didn't see that," Minseok confides. "Making the dogs play dress-up is a little against the rules."
Hope flutters tiny, dangerous wings in Lu Han's chest, setting off a myriad of absurd thoughts, like Maybe he did that because he knew I'd like it and Maybe he's trying to get me to remember him, too. It's unusually sappy, even for him.
"But," Minseok goes on with a loose smile and a looser shrug, "it's the holiday season, so it seemed appropriate."
Oh.
"Y-yeah," Lu Han rasps, fluttery hope lodging in his throat. "It looks good on him."
(The tiny sappy voice inside oozes, Say it looks good on me, too!)
Minseok drapes the scarf around Lu Han's neck, which is probably worse than any compliment he could've given, especially when what all he says is a cheerful, "Well, don't miss your flight!"
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Lu Han doesn't leave anything behind on his next trip, just in case Chen was missing because he got in trouble for misleading Minseok before. He doesn't actually hate the dog, after all. But he sees Minseok in the airport (by chance of course, he definitely wasn't dawdling just in case maybe he'd see the mobile lost-and-found hard at work) with a third, different, dog. This one looks like maybe it's got a bit of basset hound in it, ears flying as it charges through the airport, coming to a nearly-disastrous stop against the legs of a surprised grandmother.
The intercom crackles to life then, a Korean Air staffer's tinny voice requesting that the following passengers report to their gate before the plane departs - Mr. Han Lu among them - and Lu Han realizes he's halfway across the terminal from where he needs to be. He breaks into a jog just as he notices Minseok reacting to the announcement too, head jerking up in surprise while his dog rolls over and lets the woman's grandchildren rub his belly.
That Minseok seems to remember him among all of the passengers he must see every day gives Lu Han a little bit of hope he probably shouldn't indulge. But it's easy for him to convince himself that barely making his flights is just giving him a good workout - one he doesn't have as much time for now that he's got a real job - and that, really, the airport is as good a place as any to meet someone. Therefore, if it's likely that ‘someone' knows that he exists too, he should just be more motivated to get airport exercise.
Right?
(Lu Han concedes that it's perhaps not the most logical train of thought, but it really feels like airports have become his breaths of fresh air between meetings and flying. He has to make his fun where he can, dammit.)
PEK ✈ ICN ✈ KIX
So the next time he lands in Incheon, he leaves his hat behind, a soft black beanie he's been holding on to for too many years, and pretends like he didn't purposely schedule an earlier departure from Beijing with a longer-than-usual layover in Seoul.
"You can't possibly be this forgetful," says a familiar voice, just as a familiar dog barrels into Lu Han's legs. Not as dark or as... floppy as his two temporary replacements, Chen is a strangely-welcome sight, especially since he seems to be back to his usual self. He greets Lu Han with a lolling tongue and bright eyes.
"You can't possibly be this bad at your job," Lu Han says to the dog in Mandarin, but he doesn't really mean it.
He's sure Chen can smell his lack of malice (or something like that), but Minseok's squinting at him, concentrating on the unfamiliar words. He mouths them to himself, then says, "Did you just insult my dog?"
Oops.
Lu Han gives him a guilty, and hopefully endearing, half-smile. He's not about to say yes, of course, but he generally tries to keep his untruths to board room meetings and family reunions.
"You know," Minseok says mildly, "there are people who actually forget things on their flights that I should be helping instead."
Lu Han quickly erases all guilt from his expression. "Sorry?" Obliviousness isn't lying, right?
Minseok makes a face that's probably supposed to be mock-exasperated but just comes off kind of cute and scrunchy, and hands Lu Han his hat. The look he gives Lu Han when he and Chen hurry off to yet another plane is impossible to decipher - it could be pitying, or frustrated, or annoyed, or disappointed - but Lu Han doesn't have time to dwell on it with a dinner meeting to prepare for.
("He probably knew a long time ago," Yixing says over Skype after Lu Han tells him the entire saga and demands to know what the expression on Minseok's face meant. "Seriously, I'm not even that forgetful."
Lu Han wants to insist that Yixing totally is (he really is) when he hears his friend stifle a yawn. It's well past one in the morning, but Yixing has the patience of a saint when it comes to Lu Han's woes.
"He was giving you a chance to come clean, bro. And you chickened out."
Lu Han sighs. He was afraid it'd be something like that.)
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Lu Han's flight home is on Christmas Eve. He blames the season for both his sappiness and his boldness, and leaves behind a hat again, this time a snowy white knitted trapper hat with fluffy pompoms. He writes Minseok's (and Chen's, just in case he isn't being unsubtle enough) name on the tag, and leaves it on his seat.
"What are you doing?" Minseok demands when he and Chen catch up to him at the baggage claim, where Lu Han is pretending to be waiting for luggage. He's actually exasperated this time, voice an urgent hiss and fingers curled tightly into the soft material of the hat. It's not the ideal reaction, but at least he's more flustered than angry.
Chen glances from Minseok to Lu Han, then loses interest and starts sniffing at nearby suitcases waiting for their owners. Lu Han takes it as a sign of approval that Minseok's loyal partner isn't watching him like a hawk.
"What am I doing?" Lu Han parrots dumbly.
Minseok waves the hat at him. "This! It's creepy!" He calms down a little when Lu Han's mouth falls open. "I mean... no, it is creepy. If anyone but me had found it..."
"I didn't - It wasn't supposed to - " Lu Han tries to defend himself, because he hadn't really considered that.
Minseok sighs heavily, and cuts Lu Han off with a raised hand. Chen whines in response to his human's mood, wagging his tail encouragingly. "Just ask for my number like a normal human being."
Lu Han does.
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(PEK ✈ ICN)
(It's with a certain amount of giddiness that Lu Han books a flight to Seoul without booking an accompanying hotel for the first time. He times his flight so that he arrives in the evening, not long before Minseok's shift ends.
They're greeted at Minseok's home by the sound of frantic paw-steps and a thud as someone runs into the door. "It's Yoda," Minseok laughs, and the name calls to mind the long-eared dog he'd seen Minseok with once. Chen squirms inside the second the door's open enough for him to fit, and Lu Han and his luggage are thoroughly inspected by two more beagles.
Minseok's just fostering Bacon and Yoda for now, he explains, until they get official handlers. He wants to make sure the dogs will be treated like partners rather than tools, so he's taking his time vetting applicants. He apologizes for the chaos, but after too many nights alone in expensive, sterile hotels, Lu Han is glad for it.
...at least until Bacon manages to get into his bag, and then they have to spend the night taping together the proposal that Lu Han is going to be presenting the next day.)
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OMG I.. IM JUST SO HAPPY YOU WROTE THIS IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO NOTICE THIS BUT IM JUST REALLY REALLY HAPPY!!! THE ENDING IS SO CUTE DAMNIT THE WHOLE THING IS CUTE I FEEL LIKE QUOTING EVERY SENTENCES THERE BECAUSE IT WAS SO WELL WRITTEN!
p/s do you write any other stories i need to find you and love you
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Your p/s is v. flattering, haha... I have a very dusty fic LJ - sweetdepravity - but I don't have any other EXO fic finished (yet? I hope!) and only have a few kpop things up (Infinite, SHINee, SuJu). You're welcome to lurk around ofc~
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