Chapter Text
It’s been six months since Moon Bin, son of the CEO Mr. Moon, has entered this hotel. It’s also been six months since Lee Dongmin has cried himself to sleep, because he only did it on the day Bin went home.
Dongmin was doing fine now, he had gotten promoted to senior bellhop, despite his young age, and Jinwoo cut him some slack after Bin left. He did have the new trainee to deal with, a lanky kid named Yoon Sanha, but other than that life was going smoothly. He still talked to Bin occasionally, never more than a few messages. If he every typed ‘I miss you’, it was quickly erased and replaced with ‘I hope you’re well’. Bin always gave him a smiley face and left it at that.
But this month was different, and it was just T-5 hours until Bin was coming over. It was nerve-wracking to think he was finally going to be reunited with him face to face, and the poor furniture had to endure his excitement in the form of aggressive dusting. Dongmin was enduring the suffering so he was sure the furniture didn’t mind too much.
The boy was going to be staying in the Sweetheart Suite, of course, the same one he was at the six months prior. Dongmin wondered if it was going to be a tradition from then on. Either way, his heart was swelling as he cleaned off the pre-prepped room and added the mint (scratch that, two mints) to the pillow with care. He was excited and it was getting progressively harder to hide it.
T-4 hours and Dongmin was checking himself in the mirror. Was his hair alright? Did he smell weird? He did try that new perfume Myungjun suggested, after saying it was how he got Jinwoo to like him. If you asked Jinwoo, he hate the perfume and liked him despite it. “Moon Bin, it’s been so lonely without you.” He slapped his cheeks gently. “Moon Bin! I hardly recognized you.” There wasn’t a right thing to say really, but he felt like there was something he was missing. If he was honest it would be way too familiar-
T-3 hours. Jinwoo was running over things with Sanha, and the boy was like a newly born horse. He was wobbly and easily distracted, and every time he lifted luggage he made that ‘oof’ sound. Dongmin didn’t know what to do with him. Jinwoo finished explaining who Bin was, what an important customer he was, and the utmost respect he deserved. But, suddenly, he walked through the doors and looked around. If Dongmin was reading his clock correctly, he was supposed to arrive at ten, but it was seven in the morning and the bright and vibrant boy was pulling his luggage behind him, doe eyes unchanged. Dongmin stood planted in his spot and at a loss for words.
“Hi everyone!” He handed the luggage off to the bellhop that insisted on taking it, shaking hands with some staff before meeting eyes with Dongmin. A sudden surge of excitement caused him to run down the carpet and jump into a hug, holding him tightly and swaying. “Best friend Dongmin! I missed you.”
There was a sputter before he choked out a “I missed you too.” Bin pulled back and rested his hands on Dongmin's shoulders, examining his face and gently patting his cheek before turning to shake Jinwoo's hand. Dongmin adjusted his hat carefully and glanced at Sanha who looked rather startled. There was a pause before Jinwoo handed him the key card and Sanha the suitcase to take him up. That was strange. It was Dongmin that should take Bin up. Then again, senior bellhops had other responsibilities. He started feeling like he regretted the promotions, but at least he had a longer lunch break.
He took advantage of that, however, and decided to have lunch with Bin that afternoon. Myungjun made sure he came up to serve them himself, glad to meet the boy that Dongmin wouldn’t shut up about (“Don’t you dare,” he had already warned him before coming up). Bin assured him that Sanha helped him settle in quickly and that it was fine that they met only a few hours after he arrived. Dongmin was nervous to talk to him, especially since they hadn’t messaged nearly as much as he wanted, and he felt like after Bin left there was so much unresolved. For example, what the heck was Dongmin supposed to do about his crush?
They sat in silence for a bit instead, eating and exchanging a smile if they met eyes. Finally, Bin broke the awkward cycle.
“Are you not a bellhop anymore?” He took a sip of his drink and stared curiously. “You don’t have a hat on, and your hair is up.”
“Oh, gosh, I can’t believe you noticed.” He covered his hair quickly, suddenly self-conscious. He wasn’t even sure if it looked good. “But yes, I got promoted to senior bellhop. Hence why I couldn’t bring you up.”
Bin smiled and took another bite, and the silence fell between them again. It felt a little uneasy to Dongmin, but he had to admit that Bin didn’t look uncomfortable. Maybe he should just bring up the kiss (or, the two kisses) and get it over with. As he opened his mouth, though, Bin’s phone went off and he excused himself and got up to take it. He felt his face heat up and he hid it in his hands, embarrassed at even the thought of that interaction. Bringing it up wasn’t a good idea.
***
It’s halfway through the summer and Dongmin hasn’t gathered the courage to bring up The Kiss to Bin. He has learned a lot about his life lately, though. Bin was now attending a college and getting a degree in business management. He was also minoring in dance, and told Dongmin he was really enjoying it. He could tell Bin wanted that to be all he studied, but he was still grateful to have gotten a compromise with his father.
Other than that, he was hoping to move to Seoul University for his graduate program, and he had already made plans on where he would live. Hopefully close to the hotel, Dongmin told his heart. He also had made a lot of friends at school and had easily gained a lot of popularity, but he understood that a lot of it was very skin-deep or about his money. “They aren’t really like you, Dongmin,” he explained. “They just wanna use me for my money and my dad.”
One of the boys that didn’t do this, however, was named Park Minhyuk and Bin had nothing but good things to say about him. He was younger than Bin, Dongmin gathered, and had joined the dance club while still a high school student. He was also very smart and was enrolled in some of the college courses. He was also very charismatic, and how could Bin forget attractive?
Dongmin didn’t like him.
He didn’t like how he was nicknamed “Rocky”, because he was a dependable rock.
He was jealous.
“Rocky is really such a nice guy, he’s always there for me. It’s really nice since there really isn’t anyone else who cares.” Bin smiled at Dongmin and mussed with his hair in the mirror a bit before facing the seated boy and leaning on the dresser.
“Am I not here for you?” He felt it slip out with such an ease and slight bitterness that he was surprised at himself. Bin didn’t even flinch, though, and he just kept smiling.
“Not physically, you live in a different city.” He turned and kept doing his hair.
***
Two in the morning and they’re both sprawled on the roof of the building, a view of the lit up Seoul under them and the stars above them sparkling, cushioning them in light. It was beautiful, it was relaxing, and it was absolutely Dongmin’s favorite…especially since he got to share it with Bin. His eyes were steadily focused on the flickering cars under them, a soft smile resting on his features that left Dongmin’s eyes glued to him.
He had a bittersweet feeling as he watched him, something serene about the relaxed features and hair just softly blowing in the wind. Maybe right now wasn’t the best time, but he was suddenly unsure if there was a good time. If he go it out of the way, there was a possibility that he could get over Bin a lot quicker.
“Hey, Binnie?”
“Mm?” Bin turned and looked at him, dazed still from the lights.
“Can we talk about something? Like, when you left.” He could see Bin tense up and turn to face the lights again. There was hesitation in his nod. “Sorry…maybe it’s weird.”
He watched the younger boy shake his head and lay down completely, his focus on the stars now. Dongmin took a few seconds to gather courage and laid down as well. His eyes were covered by his hand now and he spoke slowly.
“When we…kissed. Did you really mean to?” He heard nothing from Bin and paused again. “Did you do it out of pity?”
Another awkward silence that left Dongmin with a flushed face and a jumbled mind.
“I don’t know.” A star shot across the sky and disappeared with a twinkle. “I like Minhyuk, though.”