[fic] Minho/Key - SHINee - High Maintenance - Chapter 1/10
Title: High Maintenance; Chapter 1/10
Author: fonulyn
Rating: NC17 (overall)
Pairing: Minho/girl!Key (Minho/Gwiboon)
Other characters: Jonghyun, Onew, Zhou Mi, Boa, girl!Taemin (some are around more than others)
Warnings: --
Wordcount: 47 200 (overall); 4222 for this part
Disclaimer: I own no one, only my dirty imagination.
Summary: When Gwiboon's car breaks down she expects the repairs to be an annoying hassle. Not in her wildest dreams had she hoped for an illegally hot mechanic to be there to ease her hardships.
Comments: For koukaiaru, who roped me into writing this in the first place :3 this was supposed to be a short oneshot but you can see how well I can control myself. I hope you'll like it :D
Also, big thanks to the anon on tumblr who suggested the title! Otherwise this'd be called "mechanic!ho" and no one would like that, right. Also thanks to koukaiaru the summary isn’t only “Minho is hot, Gwiboon is fabulous, stuff happens.”
If there’s one thing Minho hates about his job it’s the heat. No matter how many fans he sets up in the garage the air remains stagnant and unbearably hot, making him feel like he lives in the middle of a desert at the mercy of the burning sun. Even if he’s wearing a white tank top, the sleeves of his work overalls hastily tied around his waist, he’s sweating so much he’s surprised there are any liquids left in his body.
Thus far it’s been a slow day and he’s only been working on some low-stress projects and routine check ups, as several customers seem to have deemed it too hot to do anything at all. It feels like it’s almost a waste to have two men working on a day like this, but then again, they can just take their time and make slow progress at their own pace.
The garage is something Minho is incredibly proud of. Had it not been for his stubborn perseverance and Jonghyun’s surprising cunning business sense, they wouldn’t have made it this far. Now they’re known for their quality service and have a steady income from a loyal group of customers. On good days, they have so much to do that they’ve been considering hiring a third person to work with them. Thus far it’s only firmly in planning stage, but it might become reality sooner than they expect.
With a sizzling pop the fan closest to Minho decides to give in to the impressive heat. Minho curses under his breath and reaches out to tug the plug out of the socket, making a mental note of having to buy another one as soon as he can. He takes this as a sign to have a lunch break, finally, and heaves himself up to head for the break room that doubles as their office. He can already sense the delicious scent of coffee, when his attention is caught.
“Can you, or can you not?” It’s a female voice, clearly irritated, and Minho has to hold back a snort as he imagines Jonghyun standing there, exasperated and trying to deal with a difficult customer. He makes no hurry of getting into the front hall, even if he does abandon the thought of having his coffee right now.
“Patience, little lady,” says Jonghyun, clearly more amused than anything else. “It’s not that simple. You do know that a car has multiple functioning parts that form a logical whole, right? It’s not like I can wave my magic wand and your car is immediately fixed. It takes time.”
The female voice sounds again, in form of a huff, and that is when Minho reaches the doorway. He stops in a mid-step, as this is definitely a view he’s going to appreciate while he can. The woman is young, a short red summer dress hugging her figure in all the right places, with a cascade of chocolate curls reaching all the way to her waist. Her features are sharp, not quite what passes as an average Miss Korea face, but incredibly attractive nevertheless.
Minho knows he shouldn’t stand there, creeping on a customer, but he figures there’s nothing wrong with appreciating the sight when it’s presented to him. It’s not like he’s going to be a dick about it.
“I actually do know that a car has multiple functioning parts.” She clearly refrains from making air quotes with her fingers, glaring daggers at Jonghyun. “And you can stop talking to me like I’m an idiot. Your magic wand-” She pauses and pointedly throws a long glance at the general direction of Jonghyun’s crotch area. “-however small it may be, does not make you any better than I am.”
Jonghyun actually gapes, obviously frantically trying to come up with a reply, so before he can do any more damage Minho steps forward and clears his throat. The woman turns to look at him, surprised, then questioning, and he offers her the friendliest smile he can manage. “I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but it’s time for Jonghyun’s coffee break so I could take over?”
His words are met with an incredulous huff from Jonghyun, though he doesn’t resist further. He shoves the clipboard he’d been holding at Minho and in a frustrated gesture runs his fingers through his hair, marching away.
As soon as he’s gone, Minho offers the potential customer another smile. “I’m Minho. What seems to be the problem?”
It turns out that the woman, Kim Gwiboon, is actually very informed in her opinions and suggestions. She knows her Chrysler Crossfire well, and although Minho is well aware of the model he patiently waits until she’s done with her monologue. Apparently this garage had been recommended to her after her car had decided to not co-operate anymore, and since her regular garage had shut down earlier this year she had decided to give it a go.
Eventually, Minho promises to look at the car as soon as he can, and thus Gwiboon scribbles down her phone number so he can call her as soon as he knows something more. Chances are that parts will have to be imported, seeing as the car isn’t manufactured anymore and getting parts for it can be hell. Gwiboon seems to know all of that already, judging by the way she’s nodding at Minho’s explanation, seeming sort of unfocused.
As she leaves, Minho congratulates himself on a job well done, as he heads back to the break room. Jonghyun has kicked his feet on the table and while it still makes Minho cringe, he doesn’t say a word about it. He knows it won’t do any good. Not after he’s been nagging about it for all their lives by now.
“Did you manage to score?” Jonghyun asks, grinning. “Another customer, I mean.”
Minho snorts. “I did. Although you did your best to piss her off and chase her away. Are you allergic to money or something?” He reaches for the coffee maker and pours himself a generous mugful, before collapsing in the worn armchair next to the fridge.
“No.” Jonghyun shakes his head, “But she was a total bitch.” He’s not usually bad with customers, in fact, he can be incredibly charming when he wants to be. But if someone rubs him the wrong way, or somehow manages to set him off with a sharp word or two, he doesn’t hold back either.
“I wouldn’t say so,” Minho counters, grinning. “She’s just feisty.”
“Feisty?” Jonghyun looks disbelieving. Then, a slow smirk spreads on his lips, before making way to a full laughter. “I suppose if you like the challenge!”
Truthfully? Minho does. He really, really does.
“I’m serious, Jinki,” Gwiboon sighs as she tries to balance the phone between her shoulder and her cheek, tying her hair up into a high ponytail. “I don’t have time for your lovelife right now, I’ve barely got one of my own.” She pockets her mp3 player, figuring that she can start off with brisk walk while she’s still on the phone and only start the proper run after. She hates running, with burning passion, but she’s made a deal with Jinki and she’s not going to be the one breaking it. Even if it means a weekly torture session.
She toys with the chord to her headphones as she waits for the elevator, absently listening to Jinki’s explanations from the other end of the line. “I’m not kidding,” she defends herself, “the most action I’ve gotten in months was seeing this super-hot mechanic at the garage where I left my baby the day before yesterday. Mmh.” She nods, and as if on cue the elevator doors open with a ping, allowing her inside. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna call them today and ask how it’s going.”
“No,” she laughs, a moment later, “I’m not calling to ask him to sleep with me! I’m calling to ask about my car.” Despite the annoyed huff she fakes, she’s grinning into her phone and it’s probably audible in her voice. “Goodbye, Jinki. I’ll call you later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” She quickly hangs up before he can get a comeuppance in between, as she knows one was definitely on its way.
Jinki is her best friend and partner in crime though and she knows she will end up calling him in the evening after a relaxing shower, to share all the gossip they’ve missed after not talking for a while. Or maybe she will ask Jinki to come over and they’ll share a glass of wine over a nice long chat. The mere thought of that makes her smile as she finally jogs down the street, listening to the upbeat playlist she has compiled just so she won’t end up jumping off a bridge during one of her runs.
Gwiboon doesn’t consciously think about her car, nor the hot mechanic she saw at the garage, but somehow her thoughts end up circling back to that whether she wants it or not. She blames it on the fact that she really hasn’t had a relationship in what feels like forever, so now the sight of a gorgeous man instantly gets to her.
Whatever it is, before she’s back home she’s already decided she will drop by the garage in person instead of calling.
Mirroring Gwiboon’s first visit to the garage, the first person she sees is Jonghyun, idly sipping coffee while leaning against a convertible he’s apparently been working on. Gwiboon is a little disappointed by that, eve if she firmly pushes the thought away. What was she expecting anyway? Minho might’ve been hot, but it’s not like she should look forward to seeing him again like a stupid little girl.
Objectively, Jonghyun is an attractive man, too, with his platinum blond hair, tanned skin and muscular form, even if he is a little vertically challenged. Yet Gwiboon simply distantly notes that, without giving it further thought. She stops as soon as he notices her approaching, even offers him a polite nod as a greeting. “Did you already get to all of those multiple functioning parts of my car?” she asks, unable to resist the possibility of taking a jab at him.
To her surprise, Jonghyun doesn’t seem to take offense, but instead laughs heartily, even throwing his head back. “No, sorry.” He smirks. “I can’t go near that car, for fear of hurting Minho’s ego. He wants to fix that car for you.”
For some reason that makes Gwiboon feel flattered, oddly nice, even if she would never admit it, ever. “Where is he?” she asks, trying not to sound too eager about it. She did spend a good moment curling her hair before coming here, and it would be awful waste if she didn’t at least get to talk to the man she’d been thinking about. She just wants to check if the mechanic is as hot as she remembers, okay? Nothing wrong with that.
“He’s in the back hall,” Jonghyun says, nodding towards one of the big doors that’s supported slightly ajar. “Probably working on something since he’s not here yet.” Gwiboon doesn’t react to the words instantly so Jonghyun makes a vague hand-gesture at her, huffing in mock-impatience. “Go on!”
Gwiboon doesn’t deny herself the pleasure of rolling her eyes, but does as she’s told, even if there’s something akin to an annoyed demonstration in the way her heels clink on the concrete floor. It seems to finally capture Minho’s attention, too, because by the time Gwiboon steps into the second room Minho is next to the small sink attached at the wall, washing his hands. He’s looking at Gwiboon, though, a hint of a grin dancing on his lips.
Maybe that’s what makes Gwiboon feel like her stomach suddenly drops, and despite her best attempts not to, she ends up staring. Minho is wearing the same get up as the first time, a white tank top, the sleeves of his work overalls loosely wrapped low on his hips. He’s obviously been working since there are dark smudges not only on his clothes but also all the way down on his strong arms. Sweat is glistening on every inch of exposed skin, droplets caught in the hollow of his collarbones.
It’s a sight that Gwiboon knows will keep her entertained. For numerous lonely nights, thank you very much. Even if she could swear up and down that uncultured working class men aren’t her type, at all, there is something about Minho that she hasn’t seen in anyone she’s met during one of the fancy dinner parties her parents so like to arrange.
Only when Minho clears his throat, Gwiboon realizes she might’ve paused for a bit too long, just standing there. She ducks her head, fighting the blush of embarrassment she’s certain is rising already, much to her dismay. As if the whole situation wasn’t bad enough already, she doesn’t need the extra humiliation. “How’s the car?” she asks bluntly, skipping all formalities and greetings.
It seems to only amuse Minho, who stretches as he straightens to his full height, as if he’s slightly showing off. That bastard. “You could’ve called,” he points out, but gestures for her to follow him as he heads into the office.
“Well I didn’t,” Gwiboon huffs. It’s a little bit less sharp than she’d prefer but she can’t really be blamed for being distracted by Minho’s glorious bottom. She sort of wants to run her palms down Minho’s back until she gets all the way down to his butt, as squeezing it seems to be a high priority right now. The urge is so strong she balls her hands into fists to make herself snap out of it. She decides she really, really needs to get laid. This level of obsessive staring isn’t even funny anymore.
The door closes with a thud right behind them, and Minho gestures for Gwiboon to take a seat next to the table that is loaded with stacks of paper. “I can get you the detailed info,” he begins, “but summarizing: the clutch is broken, and it’s not even the only part that needs to be replaced.” He leans against the counter opposite of her, crossing his arms across his chest. “And seeing that I have to get all the parts imported, it’s going to both cost a lot and take a while.”
Gwiboon shrugs. It’s not really anything new, she knows her car and the fact that it stopped being manufactured several years ago doesn’t really help. “How long?” She leans back, tapping the side of the chair with her nails impatiently. “I need the car back before the end of the month, latest.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that,” Minho chuckles, shaking his head. “It’s not really up to me when they’ll deliver what I need. I can’t work miracles, you know.”
“You could always try,” she shoots back with a grin. Briefly she considers making a comment about how Minho does look quite heavenly, so maybe miracles aren’t that far from his reach. She holds back, though, as even if she’s unable to control her thoughts she can still somewhat control her mouth. Instead, she sits back and crosses her legs. The movement draws Minho’s attention, and for a split second he’s staring a little too obviously.
Gwiboon’s grin widens, ever so slightly, as she realizes she’s not the only one doing the ogling here. She stretches, just a tad bit, and as Minho’s eyes follow the line of her bare legs she counts it as a success. “So,” she says, “wanna give me the detailed info?”
Partly, she’s just playing for time, as she’s quite fond of her current companion. It doesn’t hurt to know exactly what’s wrong with her precious vehicle, and if she gets some flirting to go with the information, well, she isn’t going to complain. Except when she finally stands to leave she realizes she’s forgotten all about the technical jargon, and that somehow they’ve ended up talking about everything else but the car repairs.
She’s grinning as she leaves, though, and if she gets into such a good mood just by chatting with the handsome mechanic, well, she is going to count it as a win.
Two days later Gwiboon is at the garage again. She doesn’t even have a good excuse for it, she doesn’t offer one and Minho doesn’t ask. And as it happens to be Jonghyun’s day off, it’s just the two of them. Not that they do anything that would require secrecy. Minho works on the cars like he normally would, except now he has Gwiboon there to keep him company. She sits on the side-counter, flipping through a magazine she dug out of her bag, occasionally making remarks that Minho either answers or not.
It’s sort of relaxing, and after a while Gwiboon takes out the book she’s supposed to be reading for one of her classes. She doesn’t comment much, as she doesn’t know if Minho would appreciate random business talk while he’s working, so they lapse into a comfortable silence only filled with the sounds of the tools Minho has to use.
At some point Minho has ended up underneath the black Camaro he’s working on, one he’s pretty much restoring from scratch. It looks drop dead gorgeous even now that it’s not even nearly done yet. He breaks the silence, clearing his throat before addressing Gwiboon. “Could you give me the wrench?”
Easily, Gwiboon jumps down from the counter, sets her book aside and crosses the room to the tools. “Which one?”
“The biggest one, it’s on the left side I guess.”
“Alright,” Gwiboon says, and reaches for the wrench that promptly drops from her hold and lands straight on her ankle. It hurts like a bitch and Gwiboon can’t hold back the cry and the following row of curses. That’s probably going to leave a friggin’ bruise, she’s going to have to forego wearing skirts for ages.
She bends down to pick the tool up, and when she straightens she almost drops it again since Minho is standing right in front of her. How did he move so fast and so quiet? He looks worried, a concerned crease between his brows. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m fine,” Gwiboon huffs angrily. “It’s just so fucking hard!” she adds, waving the wrench for emphasis.
The second she sees the grin spread on Minho’s lips she notices her slip. Oh my god that sounded so wrong, especially combined with the way she’s holding the thing, letting it slide down a bit in the circle of her fingers. She’s really not the girly-girl blushing type, but she can feel the heat rise to her cheeks and her neck, and she’s unsure of what to say.
Minho doesn’t comment on that, though. Instead he reaches for the wrench, grabbing it so that he’s holding Gwiboon’s thumb hostage too. “It’s pretty big, too,” he says, tilting his head, and the teasing smirk gets even wider. For a second Gwiboon is so distracted she doesn’t realize she should actually let go, but then pulls back her hand like it’s been burned.
“C’mon,” Minho laughs. “I’ll get this part done and then we can share my packed lunch. Deal?”
Grateful to be saved from any further mortification, Gwiboon nods quickly. “Yeah, sure. Lunch sounds good. Sure.” She still isn’t quite sure what the hell just happened.
Some days just don’t come with a break. Tuesdays are like that for Gwiboon, as she has classes from eight am to four pm and hardly has time to grab lunch in between. Add a study group she couldn’t give a shit about but really needs to attend, and she’s home only after seven on the worst days. And now that she doesn’t have a car, she has to hitch a ride or turn to public transportation.
Translation: Tuesdays are Hell.
After a long, hot shower and ordering some Thai food Gwiboon feels a little bit better but she’s still in a whiny mood. She drops down on the couch, kicks her aching feet over the backrest and dials Jinki’s number. He’s not at work now, he’d better be in the mood for listening to her rant. At least he picks up after three beeps. “What’s up?”
“Remind me again why I went back to school for a boring business degree instead of staying at my perfectly nice internship and becoming a journalist?” Gwiboon asks, even though she knows the answer very well. She closes her eyes and rolls her shoulders, attempting to get rid of the leftover tension. She really needs to book a massage.
“Because your parents threatened to kick you to the curb and your internship couldn’t have paid for the apartment, or the car.” Jinki dutifully informs her. “And because you’re so used to living on their money that you couldn’t have handled being poor.” That’s probably true, too, but it still stings. The thing is, Gwiboon could have handled it, but she would have also hated it and since she didn’t have any undying passion for her internship either she had decided to yield to her parents’ blackmail.
“Okay I’m a miserable case with overly controlling parents, what else is new?” Gwiboon aims for a bitter tone of voice, but somehow it turns into a giggle instead. They’ve talked about these things so much, it’s nothing but a routine. “Tell me, how many times they’ve asked you this week if we’re getting engaged soon?”
“Only twice,” Jinki answers, laughing. “Your mother called me earlier to ask about my new promotion, and coevally managed to mention the prospect of marriage. And I bumped into your father, who asked me if you’re finally going to settle down after you’ve gotten your degree.”
“How nice of them to ask.” Gwiboon resists the urge to roll her eyes. “They’re suffocating me slowly and won’t even notice before it’s too late.” Suddenly she feels like eating a whole tub of ice cream, maybe that’d make her feel better and less like a failure. Her parents do a wonderful job in showing her she’s not living up to even a single one of their expectations.
It’s as if Jinki knows her thoughts - he probably really does - and he speaks up softly. “C’mon Gwiboon. They think you’re a beautiful, brilliant woman and they just want what’s best for you. That it happens to be a boring business job and a marriage to a rich, respectable man, before having a bunch of babies... well, that sucks.”
“Sometimes I do wish I could marry you,” Gwiboon says. For the first time during the call she’s genuinely smiling. “But it would be one sad, sexless marriage since I lack everything you’re interested in. Unlike someone I had lunch with yesterday~” she practically sings the last sentence.
“So the hot mechanic finally managed to ask you out?” Jinki laughs. “Does this mean that from now on, whenever your parents ask you’re hanging out with me and definitely not with some working-class guy?”
“Well no and yes, in that order.” Gwiboon re-considers that ice cream deal. “I went to the garage and studied while he, you know, did his thing, and then he offered me half of his lunch. It was nice of him, right?”
“Yeah that sounds nice. So you really like him?”
“Well, that’s the other thing,” Gwiboon drawls, “I am attracted to him. Gosh I want to rip his shirt off and pull his zipper down with my teeth, so yes definitely attracted. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been lying in bed thinking of hi-”
“Kim Gwiboon!” Jinki almost shrieks. “I’ve known you since you were born, I do not need to know your masturbatory fantasies.”
“Okay, okay!” She laughs. “The point is, I like him a lot, I lust after him a lot, but I don’t want to marry the guy. C’mon, it would never work out. I just want to have some fun.” Jinki hums in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything to it, so she decides it’s time to pry. “So tell me, anything new on the romantic front?”
“No,” Jinki answers, a touch too quickly. He sighs, as he knows he’s going to get called out on that, and thus goes on unprompted. “Maybe.”
“Oh my god it’s been ages! You need to tell me everything? What’s his name? Is he good looking? What am I thinking of course he is, but do you have a photo you could text me?” She babbles on until Jinki forcibly interrupts.
“Gwiboon, no, I am not telling you his name or his occupation or what he looks like naked. I don’t even know half of those yet,” Jinki insists. “He’s such a nerd, he gets my stupid sense of humour and he can be as awkward as me on a bad moment.”
“He sounds perfect for you,” Gwiboon sighs dreamily.
“Maybe.” Jinki is forever the more cautious one of them. “Let me just first find out if it’s just me, okay? I don’t want to get my hopes high and then find out he’s just been awkwardly trying to be friends and isn’t into me at all.”
“Fine. But you’ll tell me everything later, promised?”
“Promised.”
Chapter 2
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\o/
the chapters are basically written and only need some editing so I should be able to update fairly regularly. I hope :3
@DW.
Author: fonulyn
Rating: NC17 (overall)
Pairing: Minho/girl!Key (Minho/Gwiboon)
Other characters: Jonghyun, Onew, Zhou Mi, Boa, girl!Taemin (some are around more than others)
Warnings: --
Wordcount: 47 200 (overall); 4222 for this part
Disclaimer: I own no one, only my dirty imagination.
Summary: When Gwiboon's car breaks down she expects the repairs to be an annoying hassle. Not in her wildest dreams had she hoped for an illegally hot mechanic to be there to ease her hardships.
Comments: For koukaiaru, who roped me into writing this in the first place :3 this was supposed to be a short oneshot but you can see how well I can control myself. I hope you'll like it :D
Also, big thanks to the anon on tumblr who suggested the title! Otherwise this'd be called "mechanic!ho" and no one would like that, right. Also thanks to koukaiaru the summary isn’t only “Minho is hot, Gwiboon is fabulous, stuff happens.”
If there’s one thing Minho hates about his job it’s the heat. No matter how many fans he sets up in the garage the air remains stagnant and unbearably hot, making him feel like he lives in the middle of a desert at the mercy of the burning sun. Even if he’s wearing a white tank top, the sleeves of his work overalls hastily tied around his waist, he’s sweating so much he’s surprised there are any liquids left in his body.
Thus far it’s been a slow day and he’s only been working on some low-stress projects and routine check ups, as several customers seem to have deemed it too hot to do anything at all. It feels like it’s almost a waste to have two men working on a day like this, but then again, they can just take their time and make slow progress at their own pace.
The garage is something Minho is incredibly proud of. Had it not been for his stubborn perseverance and Jonghyun’s surprising cunning business sense, they wouldn’t have made it this far. Now they’re known for their quality service and have a steady income from a loyal group of customers. On good days, they have so much to do that they’ve been considering hiring a third person to work with them. Thus far it’s only firmly in planning stage, but it might become reality sooner than they expect.
With a sizzling pop the fan closest to Minho decides to give in to the impressive heat. Minho curses under his breath and reaches out to tug the plug out of the socket, making a mental note of having to buy another one as soon as he can. He takes this as a sign to have a lunch break, finally, and heaves himself up to head for the break room that doubles as their office. He can already sense the delicious scent of coffee, when his attention is caught.
“Can you, or can you not?” It’s a female voice, clearly irritated, and Minho has to hold back a snort as he imagines Jonghyun standing there, exasperated and trying to deal with a difficult customer. He makes no hurry of getting into the front hall, even if he does abandon the thought of having his coffee right now.
“Patience, little lady,” says Jonghyun, clearly more amused than anything else. “It’s not that simple. You do know that a car has multiple functioning parts that form a logical whole, right? It’s not like I can wave my magic wand and your car is immediately fixed. It takes time.”
The female voice sounds again, in form of a huff, and that is when Minho reaches the doorway. He stops in a mid-step, as this is definitely a view he’s going to appreciate while he can. The woman is young, a short red summer dress hugging her figure in all the right places, with a cascade of chocolate curls reaching all the way to her waist. Her features are sharp, not quite what passes as an average Miss Korea face, but incredibly attractive nevertheless.
Minho knows he shouldn’t stand there, creeping on a customer, but he figures there’s nothing wrong with appreciating the sight when it’s presented to him. It’s not like he’s going to be a dick about it.
“I actually do know that a car has multiple functioning parts.” She clearly refrains from making air quotes with her fingers, glaring daggers at Jonghyun. “And you can stop talking to me like I’m an idiot. Your magic wand-” She pauses and pointedly throws a long glance at the general direction of Jonghyun’s crotch area. “-however small it may be, does not make you any better than I am.”
Jonghyun actually gapes, obviously frantically trying to come up with a reply, so before he can do any more damage Minho steps forward and clears his throat. The woman turns to look at him, surprised, then questioning, and he offers her the friendliest smile he can manage. “I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but it’s time for Jonghyun’s coffee break so I could take over?”
His words are met with an incredulous huff from Jonghyun, though he doesn’t resist further. He shoves the clipboard he’d been holding at Minho and in a frustrated gesture runs his fingers through his hair, marching away.
As soon as he’s gone, Minho offers the potential customer another smile. “I’m Minho. What seems to be the problem?”
It turns out that the woman, Kim Gwiboon, is actually very informed in her opinions and suggestions. She knows her Chrysler Crossfire well, and although Minho is well aware of the model he patiently waits until she’s done with her monologue. Apparently this garage had been recommended to her after her car had decided to not co-operate anymore, and since her regular garage had shut down earlier this year she had decided to give it a go.
Eventually, Minho promises to look at the car as soon as he can, and thus Gwiboon scribbles down her phone number so he can call her as soon as he knows something more. Chances are that parts will have to be imported, seeing as the car isn’t manufactured anymore and getting parts for it can be hell. Gwiboon seems to know all of that already, judging by the way she’s nodding at Minho’s explanation, seeming sort of unfocused.
As she leaves, Minho congratulates himself on a job well done, as he heads back to the break room. Jonghyun has kicked his feet on the table and while it still makes Minho cringe, he doesn’t say a word about it. He knows it won’t do any good. Not after he’s been nagging about it for all their lives by now.
“Did you manage to score?” Jonghyun asks, grinning. “Another customer, I mean.”
Minho snorts. “I did. Although you did your best to piss her off and chase her away. Are you allergic to money or something?” He reaches for the coffee maker and pours himself a generous mugful, before collapsing in the worn armchair next to the fridge.
“No.” Jonghyun shakes his head, “But she was a total bitch.” He’s not usually bad with customers, in fact, he can be incredibly charming when he wants to be. But if someone rubs him the wrong way, or somehow manages to set him off with a sharp word or two, he doesn’t hold back either.
“I wouldn’t say so,” Minho counters, grinning. “She’s just feisty.”
“Feisty?” Jonghyun looks disbelieving. Then, a slow smirk spreads on his lips, before making way to a full laughter. “I suppose if you like the challenge!”
Truthfully? Minho does. He really, really does.
“I’m serious, Jinki,” Gwiboon sighs as she tries to balance the phone between her shoulder and her cheek, tying her hair up into a high ponytail. “I don’t have time for your lovelife right now, I’ve barely got one of my own.” She pockets her mp3 player, figuring that she can start off with brisk walk while she’s still on the phone and only start the proper run after. She hates running, with burning passion, but she’s made a deal with Jinki and she’s not going to be the one breaking it. Even if it means a weekly torture session.
She toys with the chord to her headphones as she waits for the elevator, absently listening to Jinki’s explanations from the other end of the line. “I’m not kidding,” she defends herself, “the most action I’ve gotten in months was seeing this super-hot mechanic at the garage where I left my baby the day before yesterday. Mmh.” She nods, and as if on cue the elevator doors open with a ping, allowing her inside. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna call them today and ask how it’s going.”
“No,” she laughs, a moment later, “I’m not calling to ask him to sleep with me! I’m calling to ask about my car.” Despite the annoyed huff she fakes, she’s grinning into her phone and it’s probably audible in her voice. “Goodbye, Jinki. I’ll call you later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” She quickly hangs up before he can get a comeuppance in between, as she knows one was definitely on its way.
Jinki is her best friend and partner in crime though and she knows she will end up calling him in the evening after a relaxing shower, to share all the gossip they’ve missed after not talking for a while. Or maybe she will ask Jinki to come over and they’ll share a glass of wine over a nice long chat. The mere thought of that makes her smile as she finally jogs down the street, listening to the upbeat playlist she has compiled just so she won’t end up jumping off a bridge during one of her runs.
Gwiboon doesn’t consciously think about her car, nor the hot mechanic she saw at the garage, but somehow her thoughts end up circling back to that whether she wants it or not. She blames it on the fact that she really hasn’t had a relationship in what feels like forever, so now the sight of a gorgeous man instantly gets to her.
Whatever it is, before she’s back home she’s already decided she will drop by the garage in person instead of calling.
Mirroring Gwiboon’s first visit to the garage, the first person she sees is Jonghyun, idly sipping coffee while leaning against a convertible he’s apparently been working on. Gwiboon is a little disappointed by that, eve if she firmly pushes the thought away. What was she expecting anyway? Minho might’ve been hot, but it’s not like she should look forward to seeing him again like a stupid little girl.
Objectively, Jonghyun is an attractive man, too, with his platinum blond hair, tanned skin and muscular form, even if he is a little vertically challenged. Yet Gwiboon simply distantly notes that, without giving it further thought. She stops as soon as he notices her approaching, even offers him a polite nod as a greeting. “Did you already get to all of those multiple functioning parts of my car?” she asks, unable to resist the possibility of taking a jab at him.
To her surprise, Jonghyun doesn’t seem to take offense, but instead laughs heartily, even throwing his head back. “No, sorry.” He smirks. “I can’t go near that car, for fear of hurting Minho’s ego. He wants to fix that car for you.”
For some reason that makes Gwiboon feel flattered, oddly nice, even if she would never admit it, ever. “Where is he?” she asks, trying not to sound too eager about it. She did spend a good moment curling her hair before coming here, and it would be awful waste if she didn’t at least get to talk to the man she’d been thinking about. She just wants to check if the mechanic is as hot as she remembers, okay? Nothing wrong with that.
“He’s in the back hall,” Jonghyun says, nodding towards one of the big doors that’s supported slightly ajar. “Probably working on something since he’s not here yet.” Gwiboon doesn’t react to the words instantly so Jonghyun makes a vague hand-gesture at her, huffing in mock-impatience. “Go on!”
Gwiboon doesn’t deny herself the pleasure of rolling her eyes, but does as she’s told, even if there’s something akin to an annoyed demonstration in the way her heels clink on the concrete floor. It seems to finally capture Minho’s attention, too, because by the time Gwiboon steps into the second room Minho is next to the small sink attached at the wall, washing his hands. He’s looking at Gwiboon, though, a hint of a grin dancing on his lips.
Maybe that’s what makes Gwiboon feel like her stomach suddenly drops, and despite her best attempts not to, she ends up staring. Minho is wearing the same get up as the first time, a white tank top, the sleeves of his work overalls loosely wrapped low on his hips. He’s obviously been working since there are dark smudges not only on his clothes but also all the way down on his strong arms. Sweat is glistening on every inch of exposed skin, droplets caught in the hollow of his collarbones.
It’s a sight that Gwiboon knows will keep her entertained. For numerous lonely nights, thank you very much. Even if she could swear up and down that uncultured working class men aren’t her type, at all, there is something about Minho that she hasn’t seen in anyone she’s met during one of the fancy dinner parties her parents so like to arrange.
Only when Minho clears his throat, Gwiboon realizes she might’ve paused for a bit too long, just standing there. She ducks her head, fighting the blush of embarrassment she’s certain is rising already, much to her dismay. As if the whole situation wasn’t bad enough already, she doesn’t need the extra humiliation. “How’s the car?” she asks bluntly, skipping all formalities and greetings.
It seems to only amuse Minho, who stretches as he straightens to his full height, as if he’s slightly showing off. That bastard. “You could’ve called,” he points out, but gestures for her to follow him as he heads into the office.
“Well I didn’t,” Gwiboon huffs. It’s a little bit less sharp than she’d prefer but she can’t really be blamed for being distracted by Minho’s glorious bottom. She sort of wants to run her palms down Minho’s back until she gets all the way down to his butt, as squeezing it seems to be a high priority right now. The urge is so strong she balls her hands into fists to make herself snap out of it. She decides she really, really needs to get laid. This level of obsessive staring isn’t even funny anymore.
The door closes with a thud right behind them, and Minho gestures for Gwiboon to take a seat next to the table that is loaded with stacks of paper. “I can get you the detailed info,” he begins, “but summarizing: the clutch is broken, and it’s not even the only part that needs to be replaced.” He leans against the counter opposite of her, crossing his arms across his chest. “And seeing that I have to get all the parts imported, it’s going to both cost a lot and take a while.”
Gwiboon shrugs. It’s not really anything new, she knows her car and the fact that it stopped being manufactured several years ago doesn’t really help. “How long?” She leans back, tapping the side of the chair with her nails impatiently. “I need the car back before the end of the month, latest.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that,” Minho chuckles, shaking his head. “It’s not really up to me when they’ll deliver what I need. I can’t work miracles, you know.”
“You could always try,” she shoots back with a grin. Briefly she considers making a comment about how Minho does look quite heavenly, so maybe miracles aren’t that far from his reach. She holds back, though, as even if she’s unable to control her thoughts she can still somewhat control her mouth. Instead, she sits back and crosses her legs. The movement draws Minho’s attention, and for a split second he’s staring a little too obviously.
Gwiboon’s grin widens, ever so slightly, as she realizes she’s not the only one doing the ogling here. She stretches, just a tad bit, and as Minho’s eyes follow the line of her bare legs she counts it as a success. “So,” she says, “wanna give me the detailed info?”
Partly, she’s just playing for time, as she’s quite fond of her current companion. It doesn’t hurt to know exactly what’s wrong with her precious vehicle, and if she gets some flirting to go with the information, well, she isn’t going to complain. Except when she finally stands to leave she realizes she’s forgotten all about the technical jargon, and that somehow they’ve ended up talking about everything else but the car repairs.
She’s grinning as she leaves, though, and if she gets into such a good mood just by chatting with the handsome mechanic, well, she is going to count it as a win.
Two days later Gwiboon is at the garage again. She doesn’t even have a good excuse for it, she doesn’t offer one and Minho doesn’t ask. And as it happens to be Jonghyun’s day off, it’s just the two of them. Not that they do anything that would require secrecy. Minho works on the cars like he normally would, except now he has Gwiboon there to keep him company. She sits on the side-counter, flipping through a magazine she dug out of her bag, occasionally making remarks that Minho either answers or not.
It’s sort of relaxing, and after a while Gwiboon takes out the book she’s supposed to be reading for one of her classes. She doesn’t comment much, as she doesn’t know if Minho would appreciate random business talk while he’s working, so they lapse into a comfortable silence only filled with the sounds of the tools Minho has to use.
At some point Minho has ended up underneath the black Camaro he’s working on, one he’s pretty much restoring from scratch. It looks drop dead gorgeous even now that it’s not even nearly done yet. He breaks the silence, clearing his throat before addressing Gwiboon. “Could you give me the wrench?”
Easily, Gwiboon jumps down from the counter, sets her book aside and crosses the room to the tools. “Which one?”
“The biggest one, it’s on the left side I guess.”
“Alright,” Gwiboon says, and reaches for the wrench that promptly drops from her hold and lands straight on her ankle. It hurts like a bitch and Gwiboon can’t hold back the cry and the following row of curses. That’s probably going to leave a friggin’ bruise, she’s going to have to forego wearing skirts for ages.
She bends down to pick the tool up, and when she straightens she almost drops it again since Minho is standing right in front of her. How did he move so fast and so quiet? He looks worried, a concerned crease between his brows. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m fine,” Gwiboon huffs angrily. “It’s just so fucking hard!” she adds, waving the wrench for emphasis.
The second she sees the grin spread on Minho’s lips she notices her slip. Oh my god that sounded so wrong, especially combined with the way she’s holding the thing, letting it slide down a bit in the circle of her fingers. She’s really not the girly-girl blushing type, but she can feel the heat rise to her cheeks and her neck, and she’s unsure of what to say.
Minho doesn’t comment on that, though. Instead he reaches for the wrench, grabbing it so that he’s holding Gwiboon’s thumb hostage too. “It’s pretty big, too,” he says, tilting his head, and the teasing smirk gets even wider. For a second Gwiboon is so distracted she doesn’t realize she should actually let go, but then pulls back her hand like it’s been burned.
“C’mon,” Minho laughs. “I’ll get this part done and then we can share my packed lunch. Deal?”
Grateful to be saved from any further mortification, Gwiboon nods quickly. “Yeah, sure. Lunch sounds good. Sure.” She still isn’t quite sure what the hell just happened.
Some days just don’t come with a break. Tuesdays are like that for Gwiboon, as she has classes from eight am to four pm and hardly has time to grab lunch in between. Add a study group she couldn’t give a shit about but really needs to attend, and she’s home only after seven on the worst days. And now that she doesn’t have a car, she has to hitch a ride or turn to public transportation.
Translation: Tuesdays are Hell.
After a long, hot shower and ordering some Thai food Gwiboon feels a little bit better but she’s still in a whiny mood. She drops down on the couch, kicks her aching feet over the backrest and dials Jinki’s number. He’s not at work now, he’d better be in the mood for listening to her rant. At least he picks up after three beeps. “What’s up?”
“Remind me again why I went back to school for a boring business degree instead of staying at my perfectly nice internship and becoming a journalist?” Gwiboon asks, even though she knows the answer very well. She closes her eyes and rolls her shoulders, attempting to get rid of the leftover tension. She really needs to book a massage.
“Because your parents threatened to kick you to the curb and your internship couldn’t have paid for the apartment, or the car.” Jinki dutifully informs her. “And because you’re so used to living on their money that you couldn’t have handled being poor.” That’s probably true, too, but it still stings. The thing is, Gwiboon could have handled it, but she would have also hated it and since she didn’t have any undying passion for her internship either she had decided to yield to her parents’ blackmail.
“Okay I’m a miserable case with overly controlling parents, what else is new?” Gwiboon aims for a bitter tone of voice, but somehow it turns into a giggle instead. They’ve talked about these things so much, it’s nothing but a routine. “Tell me, how many times they’ve asked you this week if we’re getting engaged soon?”
“Only twice,” Jinki answers, laughing. “Your mother called me earlier to ask about my new promotion, and coevally managed to mention the prospect of marriage. And I bumped into your father, who asked me if you’re finally going to settle down after you’ve gotten your degree.”
“How nice of them to ask.” Gwiboon resists the urge to roll her eyes. “They’re suffocating me slowly and won’t even notice before it’s too late.” Suddenly she feels like eating a whole tub of ice cream, maybe that’d make her feel better and less like a failure. Her parents do a wonderful job in showing her she’s not living up to even a single one of their expectations.
It’s as if Jinki knows her thoughts - he probably really does - and he speaks up softly. “C’mon Gwiboon. They think you’re a beautiful, brilliant woman and they just want what’s best for you. That it happens to be a boring business job and a marriage to a rich, respectable man, before having a bunch of babies... well, that sucks.”
“Sometimes I do wish I could marry you,” Gwiboon says. For the first time during the call she’s genuinely smiling. “But it would be one sad, sexless marriage since I lack everything you’re interested in. Unlike someone I had lunch with yesterday~” she practically sings the last sentence.
“So the hot mechanic finally managed to ask you out?” Jinki laughs. “Does this mean that from now on, whenever your parents ask you’re hanging out with me and definitely not with some working-class guy?”
“Well no and yes, in that order.” Gwiboon re-considers that ice cream deal. “I went to the garage and studied while he, you know, did his thing, and then he offered me half of his lunch. It was nice of him, right?”
“Yeah that sounds nice. So you really like him?”
“Well, that’s the other thing,” Gwiboon drawls, “I am attracted to him. Gosh I want to rip his shirt off and pull his zipper down with my teeth, so yes definitely attracted. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been lying in bed thinking of hi-”
“Kim Gwiboon!” Jinki almost shrieks. “I’ve known you since you were born, I do not need to know your masturbatory fantasies.”
“Okay, okay!” She laughs. “The point is, I like him a lot, I lust after him a lot, but I don’t want to marry the guy. C’mon, it would never work out. I just want to have some fun.” Jinki hums in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything to it, so she decides it’s time to pry. “So tell me, anything new on the romantic front?”
“No,” Jinki answers, a touch too quickly. He sighs, as he knows he’s going to get called out on that, and thus goes on unprompted. “Maybe.”
“Oh my god it’s been ages! You need to tell me everything? What’s his name? Is he good looking? What am I thinking of course he is, but do you have a photo you could text me?” She babbles on until Jinki forcibly interrupts.
“Gwiboon, no, I am not telling you his name or his occupation or what he looks like naked. I don’t even know half of those yet,” Jinki insists. “He’s such a nerd, he gets my stupid sense of humour and he can be as awkward as me on a bad moment.”
“He sounds perfect for you,” Gwiboon sighs dreamily.
“Maybe.” Jinki is forever the more cautious one of them. “Let me just first find out if it’s just me, okay? I don’t want to get my hopes high and then find out he’s just been awkwardly trying to be friends and isn’t into me at all.”
“Fine. But you’ll tell me everything later, promised?”
“Promised.”
Chapter 2
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the chapters are basically written and only need some editing so I should be able to update fairly regularly. I hope :3
@DW.