Fic: Of Affairs and the Like 2/6
Title: Of Affairs and the Like
Author: kayevelyn
Fandom: Super Junior
Pairing: ShiMin
Rating: +17
Summary: Businessman!AU My life has gone way down hill since I met you.
Notes: For black_goose
Chapter 1
They were greeted at the airport by a car and a handsome young man. He introduced himself as Kim Kibum, head of the finance department at L&K Bankings. The ride from Incheon to the apartment in downtown Seoul was quiet. Only Geng and Siwon had come to Korea, and neither were in the mood to chat. Kibum didn’t seem the type either.
Kibum left them in their shared apartment with the line that they could get settled in before meeting with Heechul and Sungmin. Geng and Siwon thanked him and began to unpack after looking around the two bedroom apartment.
“Look Siwon. There’s a safe in this room.” Siwon nodded, too busy hanging up his suits in colour order. “We should probably put important stuff in here.” Geng muttered.
Siwon had folded his last pair of slacks and hung them up when he heard Geng behind him.
“Siwon. What’s this?”
Siwon turned around. Geng was holding a sheet of paper. “I had Kyuhyun do a favour for me.”
“This is Yeunja’s current address and phone number? You were going to call her, immediately?”
Siwon shrugged. “I didn’t want to wait too long. If we make as big of splash as we think she’s bound to hear I’m back.” Geng was already shaking his head and heading towards the safe. Siwon trailed off his thought process and followed after him. “Hey, what are you doing with those?”
“Locking them away.” Geng said with a resigned sigh as he put the papers in the safe.
“That just seems immature.” Siwon said, tugging on Geng’s shoulder to pull him back. “What harm can come of it.”
Geng turned around looking annoyed. “Do you remember History? 3rd year of college? Do you remember how you almost failed? You. Choi Siwon. Failing a class.” Geng locked the papers in the safe. “I won’t let this get in the way of our hostile takeover.”
“Now you’re just being over dramatic.” Siwon crossed his arms. As Geng continued to glare at him he finally raised his arms up. “I won’t see her until after we have things settled here.”
Geng didn’t blink away.
“Geng, what am I, six? I won’t do anything.”
“I’m just looking out for our company’s interest. You want to have a fat paycheck to raise your precious child.”
“Now you just sound like a scorned lover.”
Geng and Siwon’s heads snapped up to see Heechul standing in the doorway admiring his nails. His smirk was evil.
“Mr. Kim.” Siwon stumbled over his words trying to put back on his happy business face. “We weren’t expecting you.”
Heechul paused, it was obvious that he was thinking about whether to pursue his original thought or follow Siwon’s. “First. It’s Heechul. Seccond. I decided to drop by. See how you both liked your accommodations. We know they are good enough for overnight stays but we wanted to make sure you would comfortable enough here long term.”
“It’s fine.” Geng said.
Heechul looked between the two of them, back and forth, as his smile grew. “I also came to extend an invitation to lunch with my business partner and me. Nothing fancy, I promise.” Heechul seemed to want to say more but he kept his mouth shut.
Geng gave Siwon a look. The look said "say no".
Siwon turned to Heechul. “We’d love to.” He heard Geng audibly sigh behind him.
“I’ll be in the living room then.” Heechul’s eyebrows were arched as he turned heel. “You can come when you’re lover’s tiff is over.” He walked out before either of them could respond.
Geng’s head flipped to Siwon. “I can’t believe you agreed to lunch with that, that man.”
Siwon had turned to change coats; dark blue looked better on him than black he had heard. “It’s the smart decision for the business. I’m also sure Mr. Lee can keep him in check.”
“I doubt that.” Geng huffed. “He seemed to have no problem eavesdropping on a private conversation. Nor did he seem to have any problems insinuating that we were in a relationship.”
Siwon chuckled. “Out of context you do sound like a jaded lover.”
“More like a worried mother.” Geng tried to glare at Siwon’s back. It was difficult when Siwon was wearing a happy mask. “It’s still rude. Beyond rude in fact.”
“Mr. Kim is known for speaking his mind. It should come as no surprise.”
“Hey! Are you two coming? I can hear you speaking!” Heechul called from the living room.
Geng gave Siwon another look.
“You aren’t really as annoyed as you think.” Siwon said with a bright smile. “You’d already be back on a plane to China if you were.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Geng said as Heechul gave another shout.
Heechul took them to a hole in the wall bistro. Neither Siwon nor Geng knew what Lee Sungmin looked like, so when Heechul raised his hand and called out his name before approaching two men, they didn't know which one was Lee Sungmin.
The two men were seated at the bar. One of the men, the larger of the two, had already finished his meal and was flirting casually with the waitress as she cleared his plate. The other man, girlish pretty while still screaming male in his expensive suit only had a glass of water. He was sitting ankle on knee and grinned at the sight of the three of them.
“Heechul. How lovely of you to join us.” He said.
“Blame these two. They were having a lover’s tiff.” Siwon subtlety elbowed Geng into silence.
The other man finally looked away from the waitress and greeted them with a smile and a mock salute. “You must be my new rivals. I’m Shindong, and I work for Bumo Bankings.”
Siwon knew all about Bumo Bankings. They were L&K’s rival if such a thing existed. Bumo Bankings had been rumored to be thinking about merging with L&K but obviously with Han & Choi in the picture that was no longer the case. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
Introductions were finished quickly. They sat in silence as Shindong paid his tab.
“I’ll see you around then.” He started to leave after saying goodbye and then he stopped and looked at Sungmin. “Hey Sungmin, Kangin wants you to remember that the offer is still open.” Shindong paused and laughed. “But you knew that already.”
Sungmin waved him off.
The four of them were seated, Sungmin and Heechul across from Siwon and Geng, and only then did Sungmin turn to address Heechul. “I’m not accepting.”
Heechul arched a brow. Ignoring both Geng and Siwon he took a sip of water. “I know.”
Siwon looked at his hands, not wanting to be rude. He was teetering though because technically he was Sungmin and Heechul’s boss and he deserved to know what kind of deals were running under the table.
Geng luckily had no such reservations. “Bumo Bankings want you?” He asked Sungmin.
Heechul snorted, his mouth forming words that Siwon could only guess were the ones Geng just said. Siwon was just glad Geng had enough self control not to kick him under the table.
Sungmin nodded, not caught up in the power play between Heechul and Geng. “I went to school with the boss, Kangin. Him, Heechul and I actually. That’s usually how it works in businesses like ours though. We all go to school together and then end up trying to kill each other in the stocks. I chose to go with Heechul instead of Kangin though for personal choices though.”
Heechul rolled his eyes. “You like being second instead of third.”
“Something like that.” Sungmin said lightly.
“Bumo Bankings is probably waiting to see how we fair.” Geng muttered leaning back.
“Then we better disappoint them by succeeding.” Heechul shot back. “That’s why I chose you two.”
Geng hummed in his throat, finger to his chin.
Siwon leaned forward, looking dead in Sungmin’s eyes. “May I ask you a personal question?” Sungmin’s eyes widened as his nodded. “Would you ever abandon us for Bumo Bankings.”
Sungmin’s eyes turned dark and he leaned forward as well, arms resting on the table. “Never.”
Siwon smiled a boy-child smile. “I’m glad that we are going to be working together then.”
“What did you do to piss off Hankyung?” Heechul and Sungmin were back in his apartment after escorting Geng and Siwon back to theirs. The question had been burning in Sungmin’s mind the entire lunch. They both seemed well enough, but Geng’s dislike for Heechul was palpable, and while Sungmin was well aware of how polarizing Heechul was, no one usually hated him this quickly. Sungmin’s mouth fell open. “You hit on him! Oh god. You hit on our new boss.”
“Business partner.”
“Whatever. You hit on him.” Sungmin began muttering to himself over and over again.
“Oh stop being a drama queen. I never hit on him. Yet. And if he thinks I did it wasn’t on purpose.”
“Then what did you do. You know what? I don’t want to know. I just want you to fix it.”
“How can I fix something that I don’t know I did?”
“I don’t know. You’re you.” Sungmin walked into the bathroom, closing the door.
“Hey! What does that mean?” Heechul threw the bathroom door open.
“Privacy!” Sungmin shouted as he grabbed a towel and threw it at Heechul.
Heechul caught it, stared for a moment and then tossed it away. “Listen. As much as I like Kangin and Eeteuk I’m in the same boat as you. Neither of us wants to see this business go under, or lose its name. So don’t give me that act like I don’t know how important keeping the two foreigners happy as pie is, because as much as I hate kissing ass, I’ll do it if that means I get to run my company again my way. But I have a hard time kissing the ass of someone who already judged me off one meeting and refuses to look past that.”
“Heechul.” Sungmin said with the upmost patience. “I love hearing you spill your innermost feelings with me and come to revelations about yourself. That’s why I was your roommate in college. That and the fact that you were always someone I could count on to get rid of clingy one night stands without me looking like an ass. But please. Get the fuck out of the bathroom while I’m in here.” Sungmin shoved Heechul out and slammed the door in his face. The door locked. “And while you’re at it can you please stop being you for a moment and consider apologizing even if you don’t know why?”
The merger was all the magazines could talk about. Siwon was actually surprised by the way it filled the papers. Every magazine that was a magazine was buzzing about it in some way. Siwon noticed this as he stopped at the newspaper stand to pick up a paper.
Siwon did have to admit that it was odd walking into an office building and not seeing Zhou Mi chatting away with one of his friends, or Kyuhyun glaring at the copier while Henry laughed and tried to fix it. Instead he saw Kibum behind a desk, glasses on as he typed away as if possessed. Across from him Donghae was asleep, head down on the desk.
Siwon paused. He looked at Kibum, dressed down considerably from yesterday, and finally saw the takeout food on both of their desks. “Have you two been here all night?”
The sound woke Donghae. He went flying back, the wheels on his chair not stopping his momentum until he crashed into the filing cabinet behind him. Siwon’s eyes widened and he rushed over to help Donghae get up and make sure nothing was broken.
One of the doors to the main office flew open and Sungmin came out looking flustered. He looked different without the jacket and tie and dressed instead in just a black beater and slacks. He looked relaxed even as he started fussing over Donghae and the bump the assistant had on the back of his head.
Siwon stood back and waited to question Sungmin until they were sure that Donghae was fine. When Sungmin offered him a smile and an invitation into the larger office.
“You have been working all night.” Siwon pointed out as he watched Sungmin collapse back into his seat. His desk was just as messy as the reception area, and there was takeout food here as well.
“Kibum gave me a tip about a European investor. I had to take it.” Sungmin explained. “I wanted to have something for us to work with on our end besides just a mess.”
Siwon nodded as he listened to Sungmin go into the details of the tip and what it meant for everyone involved. Siwon spotted a coffee machine and began to make a cup, always listening.
When Sungmin was finished Siwon placed the cup of coffee in front of him and looked him in the eye sincerely.
“That’s very thoughtful, but you don’t need to run yourself ragged over all of that just yet. This is supposed to be a group effort after all. And we also need to consider that we’re building from the ground up. Investors are all well and good but if we don’t have somewhere to put them, it defeats the purpose.”
Sungmin leaned back in his seat with a huff. “I understand you.”
Siwon flashed Sungmin a smile. “Then like I said earlier, we can work together.”
Sungmin couldn’t help but look away.
The weeks passed on slowly. Siwon found himself working like he had never worked before. It felt good. Everyday they were promoting Han & Choi (they had changed it officially for Korea) and reminding the public that L&K made this new company possible. It was all team work.
They emulated that in their work. They bounced ideas off each other, and fed each other information. True to Siwon’s warning they pulled all nighters with bad takeout and Heechul bitching the whole time. Geng would always glare; Heechul and him had not worked anything out.
Siwon would find himself laughing with Sungmin about how Heechul was intentionally pushing all of Geng’s buttons. And it seems that when it came to Heechul, Geng had a lot of buttons.
“You are obviously the one who needs to get something fixed because my Korean is just fine!” Geng shouted across the room.
Siwon buried himself deeper in his readings. This kind of fight was daily by now. Next to him Sungmin was sliding down his chair; he’d already tried to get in the middle of these fights. It hadn’t worked out too well.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Could you repeat yourself? You seem to speak gibberish when you’re flustered.”
Siwon winced as he heard Geng drop the folder he was holding and all the contents spilled out. Out of the corner of his eye Siwon saw Donghae mentally weigh the pros and cons of picking up the files before they got mixed up even more and damaged in the crossfire.
Geng turned to Siwon. “I can’t work with him.” He pointed to Heechul.
“Oh great. Call me names in a language I can’t understand. Very mature!”
Siwon put down his own set of papers. He saw Sungmin looking at him furiously, probably trying to will him not to enter the screaming match but this had gone on much too long. Siwon took off his reading glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose.
“Geng. Take a walk with me.” Siwon said in Korean.
“Hey! Don’t take him away from me.” Heechul snapped, but didn’t stop either of them as Siwon dragged Geng out of the room. Once they were in the corridor Geng visibly relaxed.
Siwon was silent until they got outside and were greeted by dusk. They had been in the office since this morning working on the budgets of both companies. The filings that Kyuhyun made didn’t match Kibum’s and so someone made an error somewhere.
“I’ve never seen you so mad.”
“Can you blame me Siwon? That man is clinically insane.” Geng was tense again.
“Geng, just because he makes you mad doesn’t make him insane. Just frustrating.”
“I can’t work with him any longer. I really think I need to go back to Beijing.” They were stopped out by a couple of benches. Geng was pacing.
Siwon blinked and shook his head. “You can’t go back. It’s rash. We need you. Your decisions, your calls. They are important. If you aren’t here, if you weren’t here what would we have done in that meeting with the man who wanted to buy us out. Heechul is blunt but only you can be blunt and polite. With you we were able to tell him we weren’t interested in selling but still keep him interested in the company. No one else could have done that.”
Geng sighed and looked at up, staring. “I’m really impressed with you Siwon. I mean that.”
Siwon didn’t follow Geng’s logic and let him to know that.
“We’ve been here for almost three months. And you’ve been completely involved in the company. We all have.”
“Even Heechul.”
“Yeah. Even Heechul. I just didn’t expect that. I thought for sure one of us would end up leaving.” Geng looked at Siwon. “I’m really glad though that didn’t happen.”
Siwon left Geng outside. He needed to think. Geng was right; he had been completely invested in the company. Three months in Korea and he’d been invested completely in the company. His name, his words had been quoted in every newspaper. He’d been back in Korea three months, been plastered everywhere and hadn’t called her.
Siwon sat down and put his head in his hands. He felt like a fool. He probably looked like a fool. She probably saw his quotes, wondered why he didn’t come say hi. Catch up.
He looked up. Why didn’t she call? Did she try? Was she too upset?
“This is bad.” He muttered to himself.
“What’s bad?” Siwon jerked up. Sungmin was standing in front of him, mug in his hand. “Talking to yourself? Yeah, that is pretty bad. It’s a pretty bad sign of stress.”
Siwon laughed at that as Sungmin took a seat next to him. “It’s nothing. Just. This whole thing with Geng and Heechul.”
“Tell me about it. We’re lucky Heechul has some manner of control or else that whole office would be in tatters. Instead the only thing that is, is a pen, and the new shirt that Heechul bought yesterday.”
Siwon couldn’t stop himself from laughing again. “You’re kidding.”
Sungmin shook his head. “Nope. Snapped it in half. Ink all over the brand new shirt.”
“That’s horrible.”
“I wish I could have video taped it and given it to Hankyung. He probably would have enjoyed it.”
Siwon shook his head.
Sungmin smiled at Siwon. “Come get coffee with me.”
Coffee turned into something of a light dinner. Siwon remembers his phone going off a few times but he ignored them because he was fascinated with Sungmin. The man was smart, no doubt, but asides from business they were both similar and had similar interests. Sungmin loved foreign language too, though his specialty was Japanese, and he had studied abroad during high school.
“I actually met my fiancée there.”
Siwon glanced at Sungmin’s hand but didn’t see a ring. Sungmin laughed as he flexed his fingers. Siwon watched Sungmin stare at his hand. “You’re… engaged?”
Sungmin shook his head. “Not anymore. It was really impromptu. We were both in Japan. We were both young. Tokyo sorta just sucked us in. I proposed on a whim in a jewelry store. We broke up once I came back to Korea for business school.” Sungmin laughed. “It was my way of rebelling. Heechul has his attitude, I almost married someone.”
“Sounds adventurous.” Siwon said. He rested his chin on his palm. “I wish my formative years had been half as exciting.” He was silent. “Do you miss her?”
“Miss her?” Sungmin laughed. “I can hardly miss her.” Siwon just gave him a confused look. Sungmin laughed again and looked around them. He leaned over to the empty table that had a magazine on it. Grabbing the magazine he flipped to an ad and turned the magazine around. The ad was for some brand of jeans and the woman modeling them was exotic looking with short hair. “I see her everywhere.”
Siwon blinked and looked between Sungmin and the magazine. “You. You were going to marry her?”
“Yup. I went to school with Choi Sooyoung.” Sungmin flipped the magazine closed with flippancy. “And she gets to say she went to school with Lee Sungmin. Well, when she gets interviewed at least. After she snapped at that one guy for writing false facts about her people don’t want to interview her. But I understand her frustration, they were pretty vicious.”
Siwon laughed. “You live a different life Sungmin.”
“I’m sure your life isn’t half bad.” Siwon laughed again. “I’d love to hear about it.”
“Maybe some other time.”
Some other time turned into that weekend. Sungmin may not have found out much about Siwon’s past, but he was sure learning a lot about his present; like the fact that Siwon had a love for period pieces and action films. Or that he wore sandals with his comfortable clothes. Or that spicy foods weren’t his specialty which is why he always preferred Chinese food to Korean.
Sungmin could see him liking someone like Siwon. If Sungmin was totally honest with himself he already was liking someone like Siwon. But that didn’t mean that Siwon even noticed. He seemed to be oblivious to even the most obvious of innuendos. This was proven to Sungmin as Heechul and Geng’s fights began to be filled with them.
“Heechul are you done with that file?”
“Fuck you.”
Geng sighed. “Heechul.”
“Fuck you.”
“You aren’t my type now hand me the file.”
“I said fuck you, not fuck me. Learn Korean.” Heechul snapped as he tossed the file across the table.
Sungmin wanted to laugh at the look of utter confusion that crossed Siwon’s face as he tried to work out Heechul’s train of thought. When Sungmin had explained later Siwon had looked torn between laughing and possibly running back to check on Geng and Heechul to make sure they weren’t at each other’s throats.
Either way, Sungmin knew anything would be an uphill battle.
“Hey Siwon.” Sungmin stopped by Siwon’s chair as they headed out for the evening. Geng was arguing with Heechul as usual as they both left. Kibum was shutting off his computer and glancing at Donghae who was fast asleep at his desk. Again. “I saw something you might be interested in in the paper.”
Siwon looked confused. Sungmin continued quickly. “It wasn't in any of the sections you usually read. It was in the film section. This little theatre is playing that movie you recommended to me a few weeks back.” Sungmin blushed a little. “Can’t say I remember how to pronounce the film though. Figure it would be cool to see it with you, since you came with me to my Japanese film.”
“Oh!” Siwon’s smile lit up the room. “Sure! We should probably go out to eat too, don’t you think.”
Sungmin mimicked Siwon’s face. “Yeah, make a night out of it. I know the perfect restaurant.”
“That sounds great. How about this weekend?” Siwon asked, flipping through his calendar.
“I couldn’t think of a more perfect time.”
“It’s set then.” Siwon grinned. “Here, let me walk out with you.”
Sungmin was glad he could hide his blush so well as he passed Kibum waking up Donghae and offering to drive him home. Siwon never noticed though, and Sungmin was thankful for his obliviousness for once.
“Where are you going all dressed up?” Geng seemed wary and Siwon saw him flick his eyes towards the safe.
“I’m going to see a film. With Sungmin.” Siwon flashed his smile. “So you have nothing to worry about.”
“And a film requires getting dressed up?”
“We’re also going out to dinner.”
Geng made an “oh” face and turned back to making his own dinner. Siwon was putting on his shoes when Geng put down his spatula with a sigh. “Siwon I’m sorry I got accusative. I really am. I shouldn’t have. You’ve kept up your end…”
“I know Geng. You’re just trying to look out for me and the company. I understand.” Siwon smiled. “It’s fine. Really. I’ll see you later tonight.”
Geng crossed his arms as the door shut.
Sungmin was trying on different clothes. Something not too formal, but dressy enough, and good looking enough to draw eyes. Sungmin tossed down the last shirt he had in his closet. This was a lot harder than he remembered.
“You’re disgusting. Falling in love with the enemy.”
“Oh shut up Heechul and stop reading bad romance novels. They pollute the mind.”
Heechul kicked his foot up against the door. “So you’re going out with Mr. Choi.”
“Yup.” Sungmin said as he ruffled around for his favourite pair of socks.
“Dinner and a movie?” When Sungmin didn’t do anything but hum Heechul continued. “And such a fancy restaurant too. So who asked out who?”
Sungmin paused. “It’s not what you think at all Heechul and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make it out to be.”
Heechul looked down at Sungmin. “Not what I think? I thought it was nothing but a business meeting. You and I do it all the time. And what with you and Siwon being so buddy buddy it should be no surprise that you would as well. The film you’re going to see is an action movie?”
Sungmin tossed a shirt onto the bed. “Yes. In a way. It’s a period piece from China that Siwon recommended. I happened to see it in the local listings and thought he’d want to come with me.”
“So it’s not a one sided date.”
“It’s not a date at all.”
Heechul took a few steps until he was in Sungmin’s breathing space. “You like him.” Heechul frowned and then picked up a pale blue shirt. “Wear this. It looks the best.”
Sungmin was used to Heechul’s mood flips so he thought nothing of it. “Thanks Heechul.”
“Just remember when he’s fucking over the car top that I was the reason. Me and my choice of a hot shirt.”
Kibum worked late hours. Donghae liked to call him a workaholic. Kibum seemed to prefer the word proficient. Either way Siwon knew where to find him right around a late dinner time.
“Kibum.” Kibum glanced up from his computer and Siwon spotted a game of Minesweeper hidden under the mass of files that were open but Siwon couldn’t blame the guy. “I need you to find me the address of this person.” He handed Kibum a piece of paper.
Kibum thought nothing off it as he opened the paper and read the name. “Park Yeunja? I’ve never heard of him.” Kibum said as he put the name into his database.
“Actually, it’s a woman. And no, you probably wouldn’t have. It’s a more personal affair.”
Kibum was silent, mouth set.
Siwon turned up the smile. “Please?”
Kibum huffed out a breath. “I never asked before, guess I won’t start now. I’ll have your information by tomorrow.” He paused. “She is just a regular person, correct?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t put your life in danger with the likes of gangsters.”
“When you work under Heechul you learn to expect everything.”
Dinner with Siwon had been beyond enjoyable. The restaurant had been delicious, as expected, and just the right amount of upper class and casual that both of them could be comfortable with. The movie had been just as good as Siwon had made it out to be.
They walked back side by side, Sungmin chatting away about the ending while Siwon listened, voicing his opinion every time Sungmin was finished. Siwon finally stopped when they got close enough to Sungmin’s apartment and far enough away from him.
“I should be heading back. Geng is like a mother to me sometimes.”
Sungmin laughed, covering his mouth. He pulled his hand away when his inner voice told him he was acting too obvious. His inner voice sounded like Heechul. “We don’t have work tomorrow so we could always just go back to my place, or yours. If you’re worried about Hankyung getting upset.”
Siwon laughed. “Well he’s not my mother, so I’m sure I can go back to your apartment without him getting too worried.”
Sungmin’s grin lit up his whole face and he clasped hands with Siwon, excitedly leading the way. It wasn’t until they were halfway down the block that he even realized he what he was doing and he tried to subtly switch to Siwon’s wrist, but their hands were already clasped and Siwon wasn’t putting up too much of a fight. Sungmin let himself squeeze Siwon’s hand and the warmth that swept him with Siwon squeezed back was enough to colour him from cheek to collarbone.
When Sungmin looked back Siwon was grinning at him. “I haven’t seen someone so excited in a while. You’d think you never get visitors.”
Sungmin laughed. “Heechul is about it. And he doesn’t really count.”
They had reached Sungmin’s apartment. Siwon shook his head. “I don’t understand why everyone picks on Heechul. He isn’t bad at all.”
Sungmin laughed. “Heechul likes you. He doesn’t like us. You get treated differently.” He was reaching inside his pocket for the key when Siwon’s cell phone beeped.
Siwon fumbled behind him and let out a laugh at whatever he read. Sungmin looked up curious.
“Geng is apologizing in advance for any mess and blaming Heechul for it.”
Sungmin unlocked the door and fell into the corridor of his apartment from laughter. “Those two are really bad for each other.”
Siwon agreed as he took off his jacket. “If I have to hear Geng go on about how annoying Heechul is one more time I might slap him.”
“Or we could just toss them in a room together. I’m sure that would do wonders.”
Siwon paused and Sungmin actually stared at him in worry. Maybe he had gotten this all wrong. Maybe Siwon wasn’t interested. Maybe Siwon wasn’t even bisexual. Maybe Siwon was the biggest…
Siwon tossed his head back in laughter. “That would be a sight to see.”
Sungmin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He needed to collect himself. Things could move slow. Slow wasn’t bad.
“Actually, I’m getting a little tired. Sorry for dragging you all the way here.” Siwon blinked and suddenly he was a rush of apologies. Sungmin shook his head quickly. “You don’t have to go!” He gushed out. “I would never condemn you to spending the night with a drunk Heechul and Hankyung. I’m just going to go to sleep. You can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. It has a pull out bed.” He added before Siwon could say anything else. “Really. It’s no problem.”
Siwon protested. “I can’t just take your bed. I’ll go home.”
“No!” Sungmin grabbed Siwon’s wrist and tugged him back. “You’ll spend the night. I told you, I would never curse anyone spending the night with Heechul and Hankyung. Who knows what they would get up to. Well, I know what Heechul is like and that’s bad enough. No, you’re staying right here.”
Sungmin couldn’t sleep at all that night.
Chapter 3
Author: kayevelyn
Fandom: Super Junior
Pairing: ShiMin
Rating: +17
Summary: Businessman!AU My life has gone way down hill since I met you.
Notes: For black_goose
Chapter 1
They were greeted at the airport by a car and a handsome young man. He introduced himself as Kim Kibum, head of the finance department at L&K Bankings. The ride from Incheon to the apartment in downtown Seoul was quiet. Only Geng and Siwon had come to Korea, and neither were in the mood to chat. Kibum didn’t seem the type either.
Kibum left them in their shared apartment with the line that they could get settled in before meeting with Heechul and Sungmin. Geng and Siwon thanked him and began to unpack after looking around the two bedroom apartment.
“Look Siwon. There’s a safe in this room.” Siwon nodded, too busy hanging up his suits in colour order. “We should probably put important stuff in here.” Geng muttered.
Siwon had folded his last pair of slacks and hung them up when he heard Geng behind him.
“Siwon. What’s this?”
Siwon turned around. Geng was holding a sheet of paper. “I had Kyuhyun do a favour for me.”
“This is Yeunja’s current address and phone number? You were going to call her, immediately?”
Siwon shrugged. “I didn’t want to wait too long. If we make as big of splash as we think she’s bound to hear I’m back.” Geng was already shaking his head and heading towards the safe. Siwon trailed off his thought process and followed after him. “Hey, what are you doing with those?”
“Locking them away.” Geng said with a resigned sigh as he put the papers in the safe.
“That just seems immature.” Siwon said, tugging on Geng’s shoulder to pull him back. “What harm can come of it.”
Geng turned around looking annoyed. “Do you remember History? 3rd year of college? Do you remember how you almost failed? You. Choi Siwon. Failing a class.” Geng locked the papers in the safe. “I won’t let this get in the way of our hostile takeover.”
“Now you’re just being over dramatic.” Siwon crossed his arms. As Geng continued to glare at him he finally raised his arms up. “I won’t see her until after we have things settled here.”
Geng didn’t blink away.
“Geng, what am I, six? I won’t do anything.”
“I’m just looking out for our company’s interest. You want to have a fat paycheck to raise your precious child.”
“Now you just sound like a scorned lover.”
Geng and Siwon’s heads snapped up to see Heechul standing in the doorway admiring his nails. His smirk was evil.
“Mr. Kim.” Siwon stumbled over his words trying to put back on his happy business face. “We weren’t expecting you.”
Heechul paused, it was obvious that he was thinking about whether to pursue his original thought or follow Siwon’s. “First. It’s Heechul. Seccond. I decided to drop by. See how you both liked your accommodations. We know they are good enough for overnight stays but we wanted to make sure you would comfortable enough here long term.”
“It’s fine.” Geng said.
Heechul looked between the two of them, back and forth, as his smile grew. “I also came to extend an invitation to lunch with my business partner and me. Nothing fancy, I promise.” Heechul seemed to want to say more but he kept his mouth shut.
Geng gave Siwon a look. The look said "say no".
Siwon turned to Heechul. “We’d love to.” He heard Geng audibly sigh behind him.
“I’ll be in the living room then.” Heechul’s eyebrows were arched as he turned heel. “You can come when you’re lover’s tiff is over.” He walked out before either of them could respond.
Geng’s head flipped to Siwon. “I can’t believe you agreed to lunch with that, that man.”
Siwon had turned to change coats; dark blue looked better on him than black he had heard. “It’s the smart decision for the business. I’m also sure Mr. Lee can keep him in check.”
“I doubt that.” Geng huffed. “He seemed to have no problem eavesdropping on a private conversation. Nor did he seem to have any problems insinuating that we were in a relationship.”
Siwon chuckled. “Out of context you do sound like a jaded lover.”
“More like a worried mother.” Geng tried to glare at Siwon’s back. It was difficult when Siwon was wearing a happy mask. “It’s still rude. Beyond rude in fact.”
“Mr. Kim is known for speaking his mind. It should come as no surprise.”
“Hey! Are you two coming? I can hear you speaking!” Heechul called from the living room.
Geng gave Siwon another look.
“You aren’t really as annoyed as you think.” Siwon said with a bright smile. “You’d already be back on a plane to China if you were.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Geng said as Heechul gave another shout.
Heechul took them to a hole in the wall bistro. Neither Siwon nor Geng knew what Lee Sungmin looked like, so when Heechul raised his hand and called out his name before approaching two men, they didn't know which one was Lee Sungmin.
The two men were seated at the bar. One of the men, the larger of the two, had already finished his meal and was flirting casually with the waitress as she cleared his plate. The other man, girlish pretty while still screaming male in his expensive suit only had a glass of water. He was sitting ankle on knee and grinned at the sight of the three of them.
“Heechul. How lovely of you to join us.” He said.
“Blame these two. They were having a lover’s tiff.” Siwon subtlety elbowed Geng into silence.
The other man finally looked away from the waitress and greeted them with a smile and a mock salute. “You must be my new rivals. I’m Shindong, and I work for Bumo Bankings.”
Siwon knew all about Bumo Bankings. They were L&K’s rival if such a thing existed. Bumo Bankings had been rumored to be thinking about merging with L&K but obviously with Han & Choi in the picture that was no longer the case. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
Introductions were finished quickly. They sat in silence as Shindong paid his tab.
“I’ll see you around then.” He started to leave after saying goodbye and then he stopped and looked at Sungmin. “Hey Sungmin, Kangin wants you to remember that the offer is still open.” Shindong paused and laughed. “But you knew that already.”
Sungmin waved him off.
The four of them were seated, Sungmin and Heechul across from Siwon and Geng, and only then did Sungmin turn to address Heechul. “I’m not accepting.”
Heechul arched a brow. Ignoring both Geng and Siwon he took a sip of water. “I know.”
Siwon looked at his hands, not wanting to be rude. He was teetering though because technically he was Sungmin and Heechul’s boss and he deserved to know what kind of deals were running under the table.
Geng luckily had no such reservations. “Bumo Bankings want you?” He asked Sungmin.
Heechul snorted, his mouth forming words that Siwon could only guess were the ones Geng just said. Siwon was just glad Geng had enough self control not to kick him under the table.
Sungmin nodded, not caught up in the power play between Heechul and Geng. “I went to school with the boss, Kangin. Him, Heechul and I actually. That’s usually how it works in businesses like ours though. We all go to school together and then end up trying to kill each other in the stocks. I chose to go with Heechul instead of Kangin though for personal choices though.”
Heechul rolled his eyes. “You like being second instead of third.”
“Something like that.” Sungmin said lightly.
“Bumo Bankings is probably waiting to see how we fair.” Geng muttered leaning back.
“Then we better disappoint them by succeeding.” Heechul shot back. “That’s why I chose you two.”
Geng hummed in his throat, finger to his chin.
Siwon leaned forward, looking dead in Sungmin’s eyes. “May I ask you a personal question?” Sungmin’s eyes widened as his nodded. “Would you ever abandon us for Bumo Bankings.”
Sungmin’s eyes turned dark and he leaned forward as well, arms resting on the table. “Never.”
Siwon smiled a boy-child smile. “I’m glad that we are going to be working together then.”
“What did you do to piss off Hankyung?” Heechul and Sungmin were back in his apartment after escorting Geng and Siwon back to theirs. The question had been burning in Sungmin’s mind the entire lunch. They both seemed well enough, but Geng’s dislike for Heechul was palpable, and while Sungmin was well aware of how polarizing Heechul was, no one usually hated him this quickly. Sungmin’s mouth fell open. “You hit on him! Oh god. You hit on our new boss.”
“Business partner.”
“Whatever. You hit on him.” Sungmin began muttering to himself over and over again.
“Oh stop being a drama queen. I never hit on him. Yet. And if he thinks I did it wasn’t on purpose.”
“Then what did you do. You know what? I don’t want to know. I just want you to fix it.”
“How can I fix something that I don’t know I did?”
“I don’t know. You’re you.” Sungmin walked into the bathroom, closing the door.
“Hey! What does that mean?” Heechul threw the bathroom door open.
“Privacy!” Sungmin shouted as he grabbed a towel and threw it at Heechul.
Heechul caught it, stared for a moment and then tossed it away. “Listen. As much as I like Kangin and Eeteuk I’m in the same boat as you. Neither of us wants to see this business go under, or lose its name. So don’t give me that act like I don’t know how important keeping the two foreigners happy as pie is, because as much as I hate kissing ass, I’ll do it if that means I get to run my company again my way. But I have a hard time kissing the ass of someone who already judged me off one meeting and refuses to look past that.”
“Heechul.” Sungmin said with the upmost patience. “I love hearing you spill your innermost feelings with me and come to revelations about yourself. That’s why I was your roommate in college. That and the fact that you were always someone I could count on to get rid of clingy one night stands without me looking like an ass. But please. Get the fuck out of the bathroom while I’m in here.” Sungmin shoved Heechul out and slammed the door in his face. The door locked. “And while you’re at it can you please stop being you for a moment and consider apologizing even if you don’t know why?”
The merger was all the magazines could talk about. Siwon was actually surprised by the way it filled the papers. Every magazine that was a magazine was buzzing about it in some way. Siwon noticed this as he stopped at the newspaper stand to pick up a paper.
Siwon did have to admit that it was odd walking into an office building and not seeing Zhou Mi chatting away with one of his friends, or Kyuhyun glaring at the copier while Henry laughed and tried to fix it. Instead he saw Kibum behind a desk, glasses on as he typed away as if possessed. Across from him Donghae was asleep, head down on the desk.
Siwon paused. He looked at Kibum, dressed down considerably from yesterday, and finally saw the takeout food on both of their desks. “Have you two been here all night?”
The sound woke Donghae. He went flying back, the wheels on his chair not stopping his momentum until he crashed into the filing cabinet behind him. Siwon’s eyes widened and he rushed over to help Donghae get up and make sure nothing was broken.
One of the doors to the main office flew open and Sungmin came out looking flustered. He looked different without the jacket and tie and dressed instead in just a black beater and slacks. He looked relaxed even as he started fussing over Donghae and the bump the assistant had on the back of his head.
Siwon stood back and waited to question Sungmin until they were sure that Donghae was fine. When Sungmin offered him a smile and an invitation into the larger office.
“You have been working all night.” Siwon pointed out as he watched Sungmin collapse back into his seat. His desk was just as messy as the reception area, and there was takeout food here as well.
“Kibum gave me a tip about a European investor. I had to take it.” Sungmin explained. “I wanted to have something for us to work with on our end besides just a mess.”
Siwon nodded as he listened to Sungmin go into the details of the tip and what it meant for everyone involved. Siwon spotted a coffee machine and began to make a cup, always listening.
When Sungmin was finished Siwon placed the cup of coffee in front of him and looked him in the eye sincerely.
“That’s very thoughtful, but you don’t need to run yourself ragged over all of that just yet. This is supposed to be a group effort after all. And we also need to consider that we’re building from the ground up. Investors are all well and good but if we don’t have somewhere to put them, it defeats the purpose.”
Sungmin leaned back in his seat with a huff. “I understand you.”
Siwon flashed Sungmin a smile. “Then like I said earlier, we can work together.”
Sungmin couldn’t help but look away.
The weeks passed on slowly. Siwon found himself working like he had never worked before. It felt good. Everyday they were promoting Han & Choi (they had changed it officially for Korea) and reminding the public that L&K made this new company possible. It was all team work.
They emulated that in their work. They bounced ideas off each other, and fed each other information. True to Siwon’s warning they pulled all nighters with bad takeout and Heechul bitching the whole time. Geng would always glare; Heechul and him had not worked anything out.
Siwon would find himself laughing with Sungmin about how Heechul was intentionally pushing all of Geng’s buttons. And it seems that when it came to Heechul, Geng had a lot of buttons.
“You are obviously the one who needs to get something fixed because my Korean is just fine!” Geng shouted across the room.
Siwon buried himself deeper in his readings. This kind of fight was daily by now. Next to him Sungmin was sliding down his chair; he’d already tried to get in the middle of these fights. It hadn’t worked out too well.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Could you repeat yourself? You seem to speak gibberish when you’re flustered.”
Siwon winced as he heard Geng drop the folder he was holding and all the contents spilled out. Out of the corner of his eye Siwon saw Donghae mentally weigh the pros and cons of picking up the files before they got mixed up even more and damaged in the crossfire.
Geng turned to Siwon. “I can’t work with him.” He pointed to Heechul.
“Oh great. Call me names in a language I can’t understand. Very mature!”
Siwon put down his own set of papers. He saw Sungmin looking at him furiously, probably trying to will him not to enter the screaming match but this had gone on much too long. Siwon took off his reading glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose.
“Geng. Take a walk with me.” Siwon said in Korean.
“Hey! Don’t take him away from me.” Heechul snapped, but didn’t stop either of them as Siwon dragged Geng out of the room. Once they were in the corridor Geng visibly relaxed.
Siwon was silent until they got outside and were greeted by dusk. They had been in the office since this morning working on the budgets of both companies. The filings that Kyuhyun made didn’t match Kibum’s and so someone made an error somewhere.
“I’ve never seen you so mad.”
“Can you blame me Siwon? That man is clinically insane.” Geng was tense again.
“Geng, just because he makes you mad doesn’t make him insane. Just frustrating.”
“I can’t work with him any longer. I really think I need to go back to Beijing.” They were stopped out by a couple of benches. Geng was pacing.
Siwon blinked and shook his head. “You can’t go back. It’s rash. We need you. Your decisions, your calls. They are important. If you aren’t here, if you weren’t here what would we have done in that meeting with the man who wanted to buy us out. Heechul is blunt but only you can be blunt and polite. With you we were able to tell him we weren’t interested in selling but still keep him interested in the company. No one else could have done that.”
Geng sighed and looked at up, staring. “I’m really impressed with you Siwon. I mean that.”
Siwon didn’t follow Geng’s logic and let him to know that.
“We’ve been here for almost three months. And you’ve been completely involved in the company. We all have.”
“Even Heechul.”
“Yeah. Even Heechul. I just didn’t expect that. I thought for sure one of us would end up leaving.” Geng looked at Siwon. “I’m really glad though that didn’t happen.”
Siwon left Geng outside. He needed to think. Geng was right; he had been completely invested in the company. Three months in Korea and he’d been invested completely in the company. His name, his words had been quoted in every newspaper. He’d been back in Korea three months, been plastered everywhere and hadn’t called her.
Siwon sat down and put his head in his hands. He felt like a fool. He probably looked like a fool. She probably saw his quotes, wondered why he didn’t come say hi. Catch up.
He looked up. Why didn’t she call? Did she try? Was she too upset?
“This is bad.” He muttered to himself.
“What’s bad?” Siwon jerked up. Sungmin was standing in front of him, mug in his hand. “Talking to yourself? Yeah, that is pretty bad. It’s a pretty bad sign of stress.”
Siwon laughed at that as Sungmin took a seat next to him. “It’s nothing. Just. This whole thing with Geng and Heechul.”
“Tell me about it. We’re lucky Heechul has some manner of control or else that whole office would be in tatters. Instead the only thing that is, is a pen, and the new shirt that Heechul bought yesterday.”
Siwon couldn’t stop himself from laughing again. “You’re kidding.”
Sungmin shook his head. “Nope. Snapped it in half. Ink all over the brand new shirt.”
“That’s horrible.”
“I wish I could have video taped it and given it to Hankyung. He probably would have enjoyed it.”
Siwon shook his head.
Sungmin smiled at Siwon. “Come get coffee with me.”
Coffee turned into something of a light dinner. Siwon remembers his phone going off a few times but he ignored them because he was fascinated with Sungmin. The man was smart, no doubt, but asides from business they were both similar and had similar interests. Sungmin loved foreign language too, though his specialty was Japanese, and he had studied abroad during high school.
“I actually met my fiancée there.”
Siwon glanced at Sungmin’s hand but didn’t see a ring. Sungmin laughed as he flexed his fingers. Siwon watched Sungmin stare at his hand. “You’re… engaged?”
Sungmin shook his head. “Not anymore. It was really impromptu. We were both in Japan. We were both young. Tokyo sorta just sucked us in. I proposed on a whim in a jewelry store. We broke up once I came back to Korea for business school.” Sungmin laughed. “It was my way of rebelling. Heechul has his attitude, I almost married someone.”
“Sounds adventurous.” Siwon said. He rested his chin on his palm. “I wish my formative years had been half as exciting.” He was silent. “Do you miss her?”
“Miss her?” Sungmin laughed. “I can hardly miss her.” Siwon just gave him a confused look. Sungmin laughed again and looked around them. He leaned over to the empty table that had a magazine on it. Grabbing the magazine he flipped to an ad and turned the magazine around. The ad was for some brand of jeans and the woman modeling them was exotic looking with short hair. “I see her everywhere.”
Siwon blinked and looked between Sungmin and the magazine. “You. You were going to marry her?”
“Yup. I went to school with Choi Sooyoung.” Sungmin flipped the magazine closed with flippancy. “And she gets to say she went to school with Lee Sungmin. Well, when she gets interviewed at least. After she snapped at that one guy for writing false facts about her people don’t want to interview her. But I understand her frustration, they were pretty vicious.”
Siwon laughed. “You live a different life Sungmin.”
“I’m sure your life isn’t half bad.” Siwon laughed again. “I’d love to hear about it.”
“Maybe some other time.”
Some other time turned into that weekend. Sungmin may not have found out much about Siwon’s past, but he was sure learning a lot about his present; like the fact that Siwon had a love for period pieces and action films. Or that he wore sandals with his comfortable clothes. Or that spicy foods weren’t his specialty which is why he always preferred Chinese food to Korean.
Sungmin could see him liking someone like Siwon. If Sungmin was totally honest with himself he already was liking someone like Siwon. But that didn’t mean that Siwon even noticed. He seemed to be oblivious to even the most obvious of innuendos. This was proven to Sungmin as Heechul and Geng’s fights began to be filled with them.
“Heechul are you done with that file?”
“Fuck you.”
Geng sighed. “Heechul.”
“Fuck you.”
“You aren’t my type now hand me the file.”
“I said fuck you, not fuck me. Learn Korean.” Heechul snapped as he tossed the file across the table.
Sungmin wanted to laugh at the look of utter confusion that crossed Siwon’s face as he tried to work out Heechul’s train of thought. When Sungmin had explained later Siwon had looked torn between laughing and possibly running back to check on Geng and Heechul to make sure they weren’t at each other’s throats.
Either way, Sungmin knew anything would be an uphill battle.
“Hey Siwon.” Sungmin stopped by Siwon’s chair as they headed out for the evening. Geng was arguing with Heechul as usual as they both left. Kibum was shutting off his computer and glancing at Donghae who was fast asleep at his desk. Again. “I saw something you might be interested in in the paper.”
Siwon looked confused. Sungmin continued quickly. “It wasn't in any of the sections you usually read. It was in the film section. This little theatre is playing that movie you recommended to me a few weeks back.” Sungmin blushed a little. “Can’t say I remember how to pronounce the film though. Figure it would be cool to see it with you, since you came with me to my Japanese film.”
“Oh!” Siwon’s smile lit up the room. “Sure! We should probably go out to eat too, don’t you think.”
Sungmin mimicked Siwon’s face. “Yeah, make a night out of it. I know the perfect restaurant.”
“That sounds great. How about this weekend?” Siwon asked, flipping through his calendar.
“I couldn’t think of a more perfect time.”
“It’s set then.” Siwon grinned. “Here, let me walk out with you.”
Sungmin was glad he could hide his blush so well as he passed Kibum waking up Donghae and offering to drive him home. Siwon never noticed though, and Sungmin was thankful for his obliviousness for once.
“Where are you going all dressed up?” Geng seemed wary and Siwon saw him flick his eyes towards the safe.
“I’m going to see a film. With Sungmin.” Siwon flashed his smile. “So you have nothing to worry about.”
“And a film requires getting dressed up?”
“We’re also going out to dinner.”
Geng made an “oh” face and turned back to making his own dinner. Siwon was putting on his shoes when Geng put down his spatula with a sigh. “Siwon I’m sorry I got accusative. I really am. I shouldn’t have. You’ve kept up your end…”
“I know Geng. You’re just trying to look out for me and the company. I understand.” Siwon smiled. “It’s fine. Really. I’ll see you later tonight.”
Geng crossed his arms as the door shut.
Sungmin was trying on different clothes. Something not too formal, but dressy enough, and good looking enough to draw eyes. Sungmin tossed down the last shirt he had in his closet. This was a lot harder than he remembered.
“You’re disgusting. Falling in love with the enemy.”
“Oh shut up Heechul and stop reading bad romance novels. They pollute the mind.”
Heechul kicked his foot up against the door. “So you’re going out with Mr. Choi.”
“Yup.” Sungmin said as he ruffled around for his favourite pair of socks.
“Dinner and a movie?” When Sungmin didn’t do anything but hum Heechul continued. “And such a fancy restaurant too. So who asked out who?”
Sungmin paused. “It’s not what you think at all Heechul and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make it out to be.”
Heechul looked down at Sungmin. “Not what I think? I thought it was nothing but a business meeting. You and I do it all the time. And what with you and Siwon being so buddy buddy it should be no surprise that you would as well. The film you’re going to see is an action movie?”
Sungmin tossed a shirt onto the bed. “Yes. In a way. It’s a period piece from China that Siwon recommended. I happened to see it in the local listings and thought he’d want to come with me.”
“So it’s not a one sided date.”
“It’s not a date at all.”
Heechul took a few steps until he was in Sungmin’s breathing space. “You like him.” Heechul frowned and then picked up a pale blue shirt. “Wear this. It looks the best.”
Sungmin was used to Heechul’s mood flips so he thought nothing of it. “Thanks Heechul.”
“Just remember when he’s fucking over the car top that I was the reason. Me and my choice of a hot shirt.”
Kibum worked late hours. Donghae liked to call him a workaholic. Kibum seemed to prefer the word proficient. Either way Siwon knew where to find him right around a late dinner time.
“Kibum.” Kibum glanced up from his computer and Siwon spotted a game of Minesweeper hidden under the mass of files that were open but Siwon couldn’t blame the guy. “I need you to find me the address of this person.” He handed Kibum a piece of paper.
Kibum thought nothing off it as he opened the paper and read the name. “Park Yeunja? I’ve never heard of him.” Kibum said as he put the name into his database.
“Actually, it’s a woman. And no, you probably wouldn’t have. It’s a more personal affair.”
Kibum was silent, mouth set.
Siwon turned up the smile. “Please?”
Kibum huffed out a breath. “I never asked before, guess I won’t start now. I’ll have your information by tomorrow.” He paused. “She is just a regular person, correct?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t put your life in danger with the likes of gangsters.”
“When you work under Heechul you learn to expect everything.”
Dinner with Siwon had been beyond enjoyable. The restaurant had been delicious, as expected, and just the right amount of upper class and casual that both of them could be comfortable with. The movie had been just as good as Siwon had made it out to be.
They walked back side by side, Sungmin chatting away about the ending while Siwon listened, voicing his opinion every time Sungmin was finished. Siwon finally stopped when they got close enough to Sungmin’s apartment and far enough away from him.
“I should be heading back. Geng is like a mother to me sometimes.”
Sungmin laughed, covering his mouth. He pulled his hand away when his inner voice told him he was acting too obvious. His inner voice sounded like Heechul. “We don’t have work tomorrow so we could always just go back to my place, or yours. If you’re worried about Hankyung getting upset.”
Siwon laughed. “Well he’s not my mother, so I’m sure I can go back to your apartment without him getting too worried.”
Sungmin’s grin lit up his whole face and he clasped hands with Siwon, excitedly leading the way. It wasn’t until they were halfway down the block that he even realized he what he was doing and he tried to subtly switch to Siwon’s wrist, but their hands were already clasped and Siwon wasn’t putting up too much of a fight. Sungmin let himself squeeze Siwon’s hand and the warmth that swept him with Siwon squeezed back was enough to colour him from cheek to collarbone.
When Sungmin looked back Siwon was grinning at him. “I haven’t seen someone so excited in a while. You’d think you never get visitors.”
Sungmin laughed. “Heechul is about it. And he doesn’t really count.”
They had reached Sungmin’s apartment. Siwon shook his head. “I don’t understand why everyone picks on Heechul. He isn’t bad at all.”
Sungmin laughed. “Heechul likes you. He doesn’t like us. You get treated differently.” He was reaching inside his pocket for the key when Siwon’s cell phone beeped.
Siwon fumbled behind him and let out a laugh at whatever he read. Sungmin looked up curious.
“Geng is apologizing in advance for any mess and blaming Heechul for it.”
Sungmin unlocked the door and fell into the corridor of his apartment from laughter. “Those two are really bad for each other.”
Siwon agreed as he took off his jacket. “If I have to hear Geng go on about how annoying Heechul is one more time I might slap him.”
“Or we could just toss them in a room together. I’m sure that would do wonders.”
Siwon paused and Sungmin actually stared at him in worry. Maybe he had gotten this all wrong. Maybe Siwon wasn’t interested. Maybe Siwon wasn’t even bisexual. Maybe Siwon was the biggest…
Siwon tossed his head back in laughter. “That would be a sight to see.”
Sungmin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He needed to collect himself. Things could move slow. Slow wasn’t bad.
“Actually, I’m getting a little tired. Sorry for dragging you all the way here.” Siwon blinked and suddenly he was a rush of apologies. Sungmin shook his head quickly. “You don’t have to go!” He gushed out. “I would never condemn you to spending the night with a drunk Heechul and Hankyung. I’m just going to go to sleep. You can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. It has a pull out bed.” He added before Siwon could say anything else. “Really. It’s no problem.”
Siwon protested. “I can’t just take your bed. I’ll go home.”
“No!” Sungmin grabbed Siwon’s wrist and tugged him back. “You’ll spend the night. I told you, I would never curse anyone spending the night with Heechul and Hankyung. Who knows what they would get up to. Well, I know what Heechul is like and that’s bad enough. No, you’re staying right here.”
Sungmin couldn’t sleep at all that night.
Chapter 3