How Not to Impress a Host [Chapter 7]
Title: How Not to Impress a Host [Chapter 7]
Pairing(s): Donghae-centric. Donghae/Eunhyuk; side!Han Geng/Heechul and Yesung/Sungmin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, a fair bit of Angst
Disclaimer: Contrary to popular belief, no one owns them.
Warning: Mild language and mature themes.
Summary: Donghae knows that ‘getting smitten with a fair-skinned host and bumbling through many attempts of courting said host’ was definitely not part of his job scope as a valet, but he won’t relent in his pursuit; even if it meant going through abject mortification and more.
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
At Guilty Pleasures, each exotic dancer possessed ownership to their own rooms for their servicing. Unlike the hosts, who sometimes worked in pairs for groups of rambunctious white-collared professionals, exotic dancers worked alone. Hence, the management decided that they ought to be delegated individual rooms. Satisfying the needs of a client effectively was a tricky business, considering how they only had their client’s shallow breathing and muffled whispers to help guide their course of action.
Recently, Sungmin had found a regular client who didn’t require much physical stimulation; in fact, this client had cut short his session by pushing Sungmin away!
The client in question, Kim Jongwoon, had consciously avoided physical proximity with Sungmin ever since the end of his first visit. On his second visit, he kept his briefcase firmly to his chest, almost as if it was a barrier to maintain distance between them. Sungmin had to admit that Jongwoon’s behaviour was really confusing; if Jongwoon wasn’t keen on physical contact, then why would he ask for Sungmin’s services, when all Sungmin could provide him with were tactile sensations from a lap dance?
When they did make contact, it was a simple, chaste gesture on Jongwoon’s part. Jongwoon had placed his hand softly on Sungmin’s. Immediately, Sungmin’s body tensed, having been unused to such a gesture for a long time.
“Sometimes, customers are more interested in a conversation.” Those were the exact words that had preceded Jongwoon’s action.
In his head, Sungmin instinctively wanted to laugh at Jongwoon’s naive statement. A client was never interested in merely holding a conversation during his session. In fact, most of the time, Sungmin only uttered two sentences throughout their session: One was of his client’s name to affirm his identification and the other an indication that their session had been drawn to a close.
So when Sungmin reacted by shifting closer to Jongwoon, he was surprised that Jongwoon hadn’t moved away in response. In a split-second decision, Sungmin brought his hand up and proceeded to fix Jongwoon’s tie. He wasn’t content with just that; he went on to Jongwoon’s collar, running the same hand over it and smoothening the miniscule crinkles in the fabric. He would have moved on to patting Jongwoon’s black hair, flattening the unruly, flyaway strands of hair into place, but he quickly regained his senses.
Retracting his hand, Sungmin clutched it shyly, playing self-consciously with his fingers as if to tell the other man indirectly that he somehow wasn’t in full control of his hand, that it had moved on its own accord and Sungmin simply entertained its course of action.
Jongwoon remained silent throughout; the blinking of his eyes was his only noticeable reaction. Then, he stretched out his own hand and placed it once again on Sungmin’s hands. It was a less straightforward action this time; the first time Jongwoon’s hand came into contact with Sungmin’s skin, it instantly jerked several centimetres into the air before gliding back down. It stayed there, and Jongwoon’s fingers curled against Sungmin’s hands, enclosing them within his own.
The neither of them said anything for quite some time, seemingly contented with this innocent physical contact. But inside Sungmin’s head were calls for more; there was deep longing that couldn’t be placated with just this simple touch.
Sungmin turned his head to finally look in Jongwoon’s direction, and he felt his eyes glossing over almost immediately when he took note of Jongwoon’s expression.
Jongwoon’s expression was passive as usual, but his gaze was strong, focusing entirely on Sungmin. His darkened pupils had swirled into enlarged circles, almost eclipsing the whites of their surroundings; it was a truly vulnerable expression which also possessed a subtle trace of yearning.
From that one look, Sungmin could already infer that he wasn’t the only one who was longing for more between the two of them. It was only a matter of which of them would take the first step.
-
It was 8.45pm and Lee Sungmin, or more commonly known within Guilty Pleasures as No. 7, was escorting one Kim Jongwoon, a senior associate of one of Seoul’s most reputable law firms, to their usual private parlour for the night.
Jongwoon had arrived late to the club, a result of yet another late night at his office. Approximately fifteen minutes had passed since the start of Jongwoon’s session with Sungmin, and Sungmin had been sitting languidly on an armchair, having been accustomed to tardy clients. He closed his eyes, head titled back, as he awaited Jongwoon’s arrival.
Then, the sudden thundering of footsteps came into the room, followed by light panting.
The person who was the cause of the sudden incursion had stopped in the centre of the waiting room, his gaze wandering about jerkily. Finally, it seemed as if he had spotted his target, for he surged forward, coming to a stop directly in front of a particular armchair.
“I’m sorry,” Jongwoon said gruffly, his briefcase pressed into his heaving chest. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Jongwoon-sshi?” Sungmin sat up in the armchair, his eyes fluttering open only when he had heard Jongwoon’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” Jongwoon continued with his apology. “I was in my office and I lost track of time, so I had rush down here and- Did you wait long? I’m so sorry-“
Sungmin leapt up from his seat, hurriedly placing a hand on one of Jongwoon’s forearms and applying light pressure.
“It’s alright, Jongwoon-sshi, I understand,” Sungmin said softly. “Let’s just continue to the parlour?”
“R-right.” Jongwoon quickly nodded his assent.
Jongwoon never fell in step with Sungmin, preferring to follow his lead as they walked along the hallway. Even though Jongwoon was a step behind, Sungmin could still feel his hand hovering near the small of his back; he could feel the fingertips grazing against his covered skin.
Sungmin made to take a longer stride but his shoe skidded against the recently-polished wooden flooring, causing Sungmin to lose his balance. Flailing his arms about desperately in the air, Sungmin cried out in shock as he helplessly crumpled onto the hard body behind him. Jongwoon cushioned Sungmin’s fall, letting out a muffled grunt as Sungmin lay above him, the both of them breathing in and out heavily.
The briefcase had been thrown aside in the confusion; Jongwoon had only a mere split-second to react so he abruptly cast aside his briefcase in a random direction. Sungmin remained in his position, his hands reaching about under him. His left hand wandered about briefly before coming into contact with Jongwoon’s hand. In the next second, Sungmin scrambled off of Jongwoon’s body, resting on his side.
With Sungmin no longer holding him to the floor, Jongwoon slowly sat up and exhaled a long, deep lungful of air. He had only regained his breath midway through the hallway, and hence, cushioning Sungmin’s fall only adding to his breathlessness. He shifted slowly towards one of the walls, slumping against it and clutching his shirt. Sungmin had also sat up and moved to Jongwoon’s side, his forehead creasing worry as he watched Jongwoon try to steady his breathing.
“Jongwoon-sshi...” Sungmin said weakly, feeling truly apologetic for landing Jongwoon in this condition.
Sungmin turned his side and began rubbing Jongwoon’s chest soothingly, hoping that his action would prove helpful. As Sungmin continued his ministrations, Jongwoon slowly titled his head towards Sungmin, regarding the latter with an almost unreadable expression.
”You...you should be more careful the next time,” Jongwoon mumbled. “I won’t...be around all the time to catch you when you fall.”
Despite the solemn tone of Jongwoon’s voice, Sungmin burst into a small fit of giggles. However, his laughter soon trailed off when Jongwoon’s eyes had narrowed on him; he was truly serious.
“You would do that for me?”
“I would,” came Jongwoon’s immediate reply.
Sungmin said nothing in response. Shakily, he retracted his hand and stood up, leaving Jongwoon staring up confusedly at him from the floor. Turning around, he offered his hand to Jongwoon and helped the older man up.
“You’re too much of a gentleman, Jongwoon-sshi,” Sungmin finally spoke up when they had reached the parlour.
“You give me too much credit, Sungmin.”
Sungmin shook his head. “I only give credit when it is truly due.”
-
On his second break of the night, Donghae was strolling back to the valet stand from the employee’s private washroom. Just as he emerged from the locker room, Sungmin appeared from around the bend. The older man smiled in greeting, as Donghae waved cheerfully at him.
“How are the cats, Sungmin-hyung?” Donghae asked, as he shifted aside to avoid blocking the door.
“Let me guess: Youngwoon-hyung poked fun at me again, didn’t he?” Sungmin rolled his eyes in response, his arms akimbo. The question was answered when Donghae grinned cheekily.
“He did, but he does that to everyone,” Donghae said genially.
“And yet he retaliates badly when I gain the upper hand in our spirited debates,” Sungmin said coolly. “He really can’t take the heat.”
“Careful there, hyung! Youngwoon-hyung always pops up whenever he’s mentioned.”
Sungmin acknowledged Donghae’s light warning with a snort; they both knew how true that statement was, however ridiculous it sounded.
“Are you servicing Jongwoon-sshi now?” Donghae’s earnest question garnered Sungmin’s attention almost immediately.
Sungmin nodded before replying, “He came barrelling into the waiting room and he woke me up from my nap. He couldn’t stop apologising for being late, mumbling about how sorry he was for making me wait.”
Donghae remembered how harried Jongwoon had looked; the older man had tossed the car key carelessly in Donghae’s way as he mumbled a quick “Good evening, Donghae” before bustling through the club doors, completely ignorant of the funny looks that Youngwoon had been shooting at him throughout.
“You know, I really like Jongwoon-sshi,” Donghae proclaimed all of a sudden, catching Sungmin unawares with his remark.
Sungmin blinked confusedly for a moment, his perplexed expression still noticeable even though his mask was blocking half of his features.
“You really like Jongwoon-shhi?” Sungmin repeated in an incredulous tone. “What do you mean by that?”
From his position against the wall, Donghae pushed his palms away from the surface, and straightened his back. He offered Sungmin a small smile, which only served to add to Sungmin’s confusion.
“I didn’t mean it in that way, Sungmin-hyung!” Donghae waved away Sungmin’s assumption with a dismissive gesture.
“He’s a gentleman, that Jongwoon-sshi. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Sungmin blinked a few more times before his gaze softened, his plump lips brought together as he bit down on his lower lip.
“I...I’d hate for your assumption to be wrong, Donghae,” Sungmin finally said. He pretended that his words hadn’t ended in an awkward tone, the effect from attempting to suppress the emotion in his voice.
“It’s more for you than for me, Sungmin-hyung.” Donghae aimed another smile, a melancholic one this time, in Sungmin’s direction before walking away, effectively ending their conversation.
Sungmin remained standing in the hallway, his posture still and vulnerable. It took him a few more seconds of silence to calm his thoughts, to steady his breathing which had quickened unconsciously.
-
“What took you so long? Did you trip on the flooring again?” Jongwoon greeted Sungmin teasingly, as the latter stepped back into the parlour.
“If you must know,” Sungmin said huffily. “I was talking to Donghae outside of the washroom.”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Jongwoon chuckled, holding his hands up in mock protest.
Sungmin pursed his lips as he sat down opposite Jongwoon, folding his arms and shooting Jongwoon a playful frown.
“Your cheeks are awfully red. Maybe you need some rest...?” Jongwoon suggested lightly, as he took in Sungmin’s flushed cheeks, frowning worriedly at the anomaly in the other man’s features.
“I-I’m fine, r-really, Jongwoon-sshi!”
“It’s definitely not my place to say anything,” Jongwoon began quietly. “But please take care of your health, Sungmin.”
If it was even possible, more colour started to fill Sungmin’s cheeks, morphing the colour from a faint peach to a distinct crimson tint.
“Did I say something wrong?” Jongwoon began to panic, bolting upright in his seat once he had noticed the further change in Sungmin’s skin. “Do you need to go to the washroom again? Do you need me to page the receptionist host for a glass of water? Or medicine? What is it that you need?”
Jongwoon was practically rambling, growing more and more flustered as Sungmin still hadn’t said a word since Jongwoon had offered him advice, and that was approximately three minutes ago. Jongwoon cast his gaze anxiously onto the glass table, searching for a miracle item to relieve Sungmin’s discomfort.
“I’m happy,” Sungmin whispered.
Turning away from the white cordless phone which he had scrambled to, Jongwoon already had the receiver to his ear, his other hand halfway to the dial buttons. Sungmin had his head bent down, with each of his hands placed neatly on his clothed thighs.
“Did you say something, Sungmin?”
“I’m happy,” Sungmin repeated, this time his voice regaining its usual strength. Raising his head slowly, Sungmin stared determinedly into Jongwoon’s eyes, his own eyes stinging from the unshed tears which were gathering rapidly.
“Sungmin?” Jongwoon questioned tentatively.
Not here, Sungmin told himself. Not now.
Not in front of him, please.
“I’m really happy, Jongwoon-sshi.”
-
A/N: I hope this appeases some YeMin fans...? I really can't write Yesung and Sungmin in the same fic without pairing them up; it's like they magically gravitate towards each other, like unlike poles. @____@
Chapter 8...has uhm, plot development, and that's saying something, considering my pace. I kinda go ;~; at myself because this was supposed to be only 7 chapters long, but... OTL
And...If anyone knows exactly what look Jongwoon's giving Sungmin, you win the interwebz- LOL JK, you don't. Just bragging rights, I suppose. XD
Comments are appreciated! (:
Pairing(s): Donghae-centric. Donghae/Eunhyuk; side!Han Geng/Heechul and Yesung/Sungmin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, a fair bit of Angst
Disclaimer: Contrary to popular belief, no one owns them.
Warning: Mild language and mature themes.
Summary: Donghae knows that ‘getting smitten with a fair-skinned host and bumbling through many attempts of courting said host’ was definitely not part of his job scope as a valet, but he won’t relent in his pursuit; even if it meant going through abject mortification and more.
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
At Guilty Pleasures, each exotic dancer possessed ownership to their own rooms for their servicing. Unlike the hosts, who sometimes worked in pairs for groups of rambunctious white-collared professionals, exotic dancers worked alone. Hence, the management decided that they ought to be delegated individual rooms. Satisfying the needs of a client effectively was a tricky business, considering how they only had their client’s shallow breathing and muffled whispers to help guide their course of action.
Recently, Sungmin had found a regular client who didn’t require much physical stimulation; in fact, this client had cut short his session by pushing Sungmin away!
The client in question, Kim Jongwoon, had consciously avoided physical proximity with Sungmin ever since the end of his first visit. On his second visit, he kept his briefcase firmly to his chest, almost as if it was a barrier to maintain distance between them. Sungmin had to admit that Jongwoon’s behaviour was really confusing; if Jongwoon wasn’t keen on physical contact, then why would he ask for Sungmin’s services, when all Sungmin could provide him with were tactile sensations from a lap dance?
When they did make contact, it was a simple, chaste gesture on Jongwoon’s part. Jongwoon had placed his hand softly on Sungmin’s. Immediately, Sungmin’s body tensed, having been unused to such a gesture for a long time.
“Sometimes, customers are more interested in a conversation.” Those were the exact words that had preceded Jongwoon’s action.
In his head, Sungmin instinctively wanted to laugh at Jongwoon’s naive statement. A client was never interested in merely holding a conversation during his session. In fact, most of the time, Sungmin only uttered two sentences throughout their session: One was of his client’s name to affirm his identification and the other an indication that their session had been drawn to a close.
So when Sungmin reacted by shifting closer to Jongwoon, he was surprised that Jongwoon hadn’t moved away in response. In a split-second decision, Sungmin brought his hand up and proceeded to fix Jongwoon’s tie. He wasn’t content with just that; he went on to Jongwoon’s collar, running the same hand over it and smoothening the miniscule crinkles in the fabric. He would have moved on to patting Jongwoon’s black hair, flattening the unruly, flyaway strands of hair into place, but he quickly regained his senses.
Retracting his hand, Sungmin clutched it shyly, playing self-consciously with his fingers as if to tell the other man indirectly that he somehow wasn’t in full control of his hand, that it had moved on its own accord and Sungmin simply entertained its course of action.
Jongwoon remained silent throughout; the blinking of his eyes was his only noticeable reaction. Then, he stretched out his own hand and placed it once again on Sungmin’s hands. It was a less straightforward action this time; the first time Jongwoon’s hand came into contact with Sungmin’s skin, it instantly jerked several centimetres into the air before gliding back down. It stayed there, and Jongwoon’s fingers curled against Sungmin’s hands, enclosing them within his own.
The neither of them said anything for quite some time, seemingly contented with this innocent physical contact. But inside Sungmin’s head were calls for more; there was deep longing that couldn’t be placated with just this simple touch.
Sungmin turned his head to finally look in Jongwoon’s direction, and he felt his eyes glossing over almost immediately when he took note of Jongwoon’s expression.
Jongwoon’s expression was passive as usual, but his gaze was strong, focusing entirely on Sungmin. His darkened pupils had swirled into enlarged circles, almost eclipsing the whites of their surroundings; it was a truly vulnerable expression which also possessed a subtle trace of yearning.
From that one look, Sungmin could already infer that he wasn’t the only one who was longing for more between the two of them. It was only a matter of which of them would take the first step.
-
It was 8.45pm and Lee Sungmin, or more commonly known within Guilty Pleasures as No. 7, was escorting one Kim Jongwoon, a senior associate of one of Seoul’s most reputable law firms, to their usual private parlour for the night.
Jongwoon had arrived late to the club, a result of yet another late night at his office. Approximately fifteen minutes had passed since the start of Jongwoon’s session with Sungmin, and Sungmin had been sitting languidly on an armchair, having been accustomed to tardy clients. He closed his eyes, head titled back, as he awaited Jongwoon’s arrival.
Then, the sudden thundering of footsteps came into the room, followed by light panting.
The person who was the cause of the sudden incursion had stopped in the centre of the waiting room, his gaze wandering about jerkily. Finally, it seemed as if he had spotted his target, for he surged forward, coming to a stop directly in front of a particular armchair.
“I’m sorry,” Jongwoon said gruffly, his briefcase pressed into his heaving chest. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Jongwoon-sshi?” Sungmin sat up in the armchair, his eyes fluttering open only when he had heard Jongwoon’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” Jongwoon continued with his apology. “I was in my office and I lost track of time, so I had rush down here and- Did you wait long? I’m so sorry-“
Sungmin leapt up from his seat, hurriedly placing a hand on one of Jongwoon’s forearms and applying light pressure.
“It’s alright, Jongwoon-sshi, I understand,” Sungmin said softly. “Let’s just continue to the parlour?”
“R-right.” Jongwoon quickly nodded his assent.
Jongwoon never fell in step with Sungmin, preferring to follow his lead as they walked along the hallway. Even though Jongwoon was a step behind, Sungmin could still feel his hand hovering near the small of his back; he could feel the fingertips grazing against his covered skin.
Sungmin made to take a longer stride but his shoe skidded against the recently-polished wooden flooring, causing Sungmin to lose his balance. Flailing his arms about desperately in the air, Sungmin cried out in shock as he helplessly crumpled onto the hard body behind him. Jongwoon cushioned Sungmin’s fall, letting out a muffled grunt as Sungmin lay above him, the both of them breathing in and out heavily.
The briefcase had been thrown aside in the confusion; Jongwoon had only a mere split-second to react so he abruptly cast aside his briefcase in a random direction. Sungmin remained in his position, his hands reaching about under him. His left hand wandered about briefly before coming into contact with Jongwoon’s hand. In the next second, Sungmin scrambled off of Jongwoon’s body, resting on his side.
With Sungmin no longer holding him to the floor, Jongwoon slowly sat up and exhaled a long, deep lungful of air. He had only regained his breath midway through the hallway, and hence, cushioning Sungmin’s fall only adding to his breathlessness. He shifted slowly towards one of the walls, slumping against it and clutching his shirt. Sungmin had also sat up and moved to Jongwoon’s side, his forehead creasing worry as he watched Jongwoon try to steady his breathing.
“Jongwoon-sshi...” Sungmin said weakly, feeling truly apologetic for landing Jongwoon in this condition.
Sungmin turned his side and began rubbing Jongwoon’s chest soothingly, hoping that his action would prove helpful. As Sungmin continued his ministrations, Jongwoon slowly titled his head towards Sungmin, regarding the latter with an almost unreadable expression.
”You...you should be more careful the next time,” Jongwoon mumbled. “I won’t...be around all the time to catch you when you fall.”
Despite the solemn tone of Jongwoon’s voice, Sungmin burst into a small fit of giggles. However, his laughter soon trailed off when Jongwoon’s eyes had narrowed on him; he was truly serious.
“You would do that for me?”
“I would,” came Jongwoon’s immediate reply.
Sungmin said nothing in response. Shakily, he retracted his hand and stood up, leaving Jongwoon staring up confusedly at him from the floor. Turning around, he offered his hand to Jongwoon and helped the older man up.
“You’re too much of a gentleman, Jongwoon-sshi,” Sungmin finally spoke up when they had reached the parlour.
“You give me too much credit, Sungmin.”
Sungmin shook his head. “I only give credit when it is truly due.”
-
On his second break of the night, Donghae was strolling back to the valet stand from the employee’s private washroom. Just as he emerged from the locker room, Sungmin appeared from around the bend. The older man smiled in greeting, as Donghae waved cheerfully at him.
“How are the cats, Sungmin-hyung?” Donghae asked, as he shifted aside to avoid blocking the door.
“Let me guess: Youngwoon-hyung poked fun at me again, didn’t he?” Sungmin rolled his eyes in response, his arms akimbo. The question was answered when Donghae grinned cheekily.
“He did, but he does that to everyone,” Donghae said genially.
“And yet he retaliates badly when I gain the upper hand in our spirited debates,” Sungmin said coolly. “He really can’t take the heat.”
“Careful there, hyung! Youngwoon-hyung always pops up whenever he’s mentioned.”
Sungmin acknowledged Donghae’s light warning with a snort; they both knew how true that statement was, however ridiculous it sounded.
“Are you servicing Jongwoon-sshi now?” Donghae’s earnest question garnered Sungmin’s attention almost immediately.
Sungmin nodded before replying, “He came barrelling into the waiting room and he woke me up from my nap. He couldn’t stop apologising for being late, mumbling about how sorry he was for making me wait.”
Donghae remembered how harried Jongwoon had looked; the older man had tossed the car key carelessly in Donghae’s way as he mumbled a quick “Good evening, Donghae” before bustling through the club doors, completely ignorant of the funny looks that Youngwoon had been shooting at him throughout.
“You know, I really like Jongwoon-sshi,” Donghae proclaimed all of a sudden, catching Sungmin unawares with his remark.
Sungmin blinked confusedly for a moment, his perplexed expression still noticeable even though his mask was blocking half of his features.
“You really like Jongwoon-shhi?” Sungmin repeated in an incredulous tone. “What do you mean by that?”
From his position against the wall, Donghae pushed his palms away from the surface, and straightened his back. He offered Sungmin a small smile, which only served to add to Sungmin’s confusion.
“I didn’t mean it in that way, Sungmin-hyung!” Donghae waved away Sungmin’s assumption with a dismissive gesture.
“He’s a gentleman, that Jongwoon-sshi. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Sungmin blinked a few more times before his gaze softened, his plump lips brought together as he bit down on his lower lip.
“I...I’d hate for your assumption to be wrong, Donghae,” Sungmin finally said. He pretended that his words hadn’t ended in an awkward tone, the effect from attempting to suppress the emotion in his voice.
“It’s more for you than for me, Sungmin-hyung.” Donghae aimed another smile, a melancholic one this time, in Sungmin’s direction before walking away, effectively ending their conversation.
Sungmin remained standing in the hallway, his posture still and vulnerable. It took him a few more seconds of silence to calm his thoughts, to steady his breathing which had quickened unconsciously.
-
“What took you so long? Did you trip on the flooring again?” Jongwoon greeted Sungmin teasingly, as the latter stepped back into the parlour.
“If you must know,” Sungmin said huffily. “I was talking to Donghae outside of the washroom.”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Jongwoon chuckled, holding his hands up in mock protest.
Sungmin pursed his lips as he sat down opposite Jongwoon, folding his arms and shooting Jongwoon a playful frown.
“Your cheeks are awfully red. Maybe you need some rest...?” Jongwoon suggested lightly, as he took in Sungmin’s flushed cheeks, frowning worriedly at the anomaly in the other man’s features.
“I-I’m fine, r-really, Jongwoon-sshi!”
“It’s definitely not my place to say anything,” Jongwoon began quietly. “But please take care of your health, Sungmin.”
If it was even possible, more colour started to fill Sungmin’s cheeks, morphing the colour from a faint peach to a distinct crimson tint.
“Did I say something wrong?” Jongwoon began to panic, bolting upright in his seat once he had noticed the further change in Sungmin’s skin. “Do you need to go to the washroom again? Do you need me to page the receptionist host for a glass of water? Or medicine? What is it that you need?”
Jongwoon was practically rambling, growing more and more flustered as Sungmin still hadn’t said a word since Jongwoon had offered him advice, and that was approximately three minutes ago. Jongwoon cast his gaze anxiously onto the glass table, searching for a miracle item to relieve Sungmin’s discomfort.
“I’m happy,” Sungmin whispered.
Turning away from the white cordless phone which he had scrambled to, Jongwoon already had the receiver to his ear, his other hand halfway to the dial buttons. Sungmin had his head bent down, with each of his hands placed neatly on his clothed thighs.
“Did you say something, Sungmin?”
“I’m happy,” Sungmin repeated, this time his voice regaining its usual strength. Raising his head slowly, Sungmin stared determinedly into Jongwoon’s eyes, his own eyes stinging from the unshed tears which were gathering rapidly.
“Sungmin?” Jongwoon questioned tentatively.
Not here, Sungmin told himself. Not now.
Not in front of him, please.
“I’m really happy, Jongwoon-sshi.”
-
A/N: I hope this appeases some YeMin fans...? I really can't write Yesung and Sungmin in the same fic without pairing them up; it's like they magically gravitate towards each other, like unlike poles. @____@
Chapter 8...has uhm, plot development, and that's saying something, considering my pace. I kinda go ;~; at myself because this was supposed to be only 7 chapters long, but... OTL
And...If anyone knows exactly what look Jongwoon's giving Sungmin, you win the interwebz- LOL JK, you don't. Just bragging rights, I suppose. XD
Comments are appreciated! (: