Chapter Text
It was a normal Friday afternoon at the bookstore where Jeon Wonwoo worked. Named The Nook, the store was right outside of Seoul's bustling Hongdae district. It was a quaint little store that had the coziness of home. It received decent business that grew last spring with the addition of albums to its stock. Wonwoo wasn't an avid reader, but he sometimes found comfort in books as they provided him an escape from his sad and mediocre life. It let him clear his thoughts and pretend that his life wasn't his own for a minute. Plus, there was unlimited coffee and tea available to the staff. It wasn't a bad job.
The Nook wasn't always quiet, though, as Wonwoo's friend, Seungcheol, liked to drop by every day during their shared lunch hour. Choi Seungcheol was his friend from university. They had originally gone to high school together, but never actually knew one another due to being in separate years. After joining a literature club in university, they connected over their favorite books. Seungcheol wasn't an avid reader either. He much preferred sports and was well-built from his many years of playing soccer and swimming. He even worked next door at a gym as a trainer. However, he, like Wonwoo, could appreciate books and the escape they provided. Perhaps that was why he enjoyed hanging out there during lunch. He never bought anything and stayed past the lunch hour. If the owner, Mr. Kim, ever found out how much of a solicitor Seungcheol was, Wonwoo was sure he would be fired for letting it happen. Mr. Kim was a nice person, but Wonwoo was aware that niceness could only go so far.
Today, as if on cue, the bell attached to the main door jingled, alerting Wonwoo to Seungcheol's arrival. The older had a bag in his hand and plopped it on the counter Wonwoo was working behind with a cheeky smile.
"Is it your break time yet?"
Wonwoo gave him an annoyed look as he came out from behind the counter. "You come here every day at the same time, yet you still ask me if it's my break. I would hope you'd know by now."
Seungcheol shrugged. "It's a type of greeting at this point."
Wonwoo just sighed as he grabbed the bag off the counter. Inside was food from the food stall that was down the street. It served various snacks and lunch items that were popular in their district. Ever since they tried it for the first time last year, it had been their favorite. Now, Seungcheol always tried to get them food from there before the large lunch crowd surged.
Wonwoo took the bag to one of the multiple tables that surrounded the store and sat down. He searched through the bag until he found his usual order of rice cakes with kimchi and an energy drink. He passed it to Seungcheol, who took his kimbap and water.
"Oh yeah," Seungcheol started as if he just recalled something, "do you have any plans tonight?'
Wonwoo resisted the urge to scoff. Seungcheol knew him better than anyone. He knew without a doubt that Wonwoo's plans consisted of making himself ramen without burning the house down before playing games until dawn. Regardless, he tried to play it cool as he shrugged.
"Maybe, why?"
"Jeonghan and I are going to a new club tonight, and I thought you'd want to come along." He offered.
Maybe Wonwoo had spoken too soon. Seungcheol didn't know him at all. At what point had he ever expressed interest in going to a club? Not to mention, the idea of third-wheeling with Jeonghan and Seungcheol didn't appeal to him much. Jeonghan was Seungcheol's long-term boyfriend. They had been dating for over three years after a chance meeting in the bookstore. He was handsome with long, dark hair and gentle features. He was well-spoken, coy, and charming. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind and gave great advice. He and Wonwoo got along well, and Wonwoo regarded him as a close friend. That still didn't mean he was eager to tag along on one of their dates. Wonwoo was about to decline his friend's offer when another person's voice was heard from across the store.
"Is it that one club across from that cool clothing store that sells limited edition hoodies?" Soonyoung asked as he approached their table.
Kwon Soonyoung was Wonwoo's coworker. He was a bubbly and expressive person, and by expressive, he was constantly yelling. It was hard to believe he was an introvert who got shy around strangers. Wonwoo didn't mind him too much as long as he packed earplugs before his shift. The real problem came when there were people around whom Soonyoung was comfortable with. He couldn't shut up, much like now.
Seungcheol nodded his head enthusiastically at Soonyoung's question. "Yeah, that's the one!"
Soonyoung slid into the chair next to Wonwoo, officially inviting himself into the conversation. "I went there last weekend with my dance group and it was so cool!" He turned to Wonwoo. "You have to go." He urged.
Wonwoo frowned. If it were a place Soonyoung enjoyed, he would pass. He liked his quiet life. "Pass. It doesn't sound like my kind of thing."
Seungcheol crossed his arms. "You can't know if it's your type of thing or not unless you go." He pointed out.
"You need to get out more. You're so boring." Soonyoung teased.
Wonwoo felt offended and ganged up on. He wasn't the clubbing type. He enjoyed staying home in the comfort of his own company. Was there something so wrong with that? As a form of retaliation, he threw an empty container at Soonyoung's head, but much to his dismay, the bastard dodged. It hit the window behind him with a sad thud.
"Why do you even want me to go so badly?" Wonwoo asked, returning his attention to his lunch.
Often, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and sometimes Soonyoung would try to get him to go out with them to some loud and crowded place, claiming they wanted to bring him out of his shell. However, at Wonwoo's first no, they would drop it and leave him alone. This time, they were relentless.
Soonyoung grabbed his arm just as he was about to put a bite of food in his mouth. Annoyed, Wonwoo dropped his chopsticks and let his coworker hang off of him like some kind of monkey.
"We worry about you. You're wasting away in this dusty bookstore. The books smell musty, and between you and me, the coffee is not all that great either."
At that time, Mr. Kim, who happened to be walking around doing the monthly inventory, overheard Soonyoung.
"Replace coffee with water and pay a decrease for Mr. Kwon it is." He said, not even bothering to look up from his clipboard.
Soonyoung's eyes grew wide, and he left the table to chase after their boss and beg for forgiveness. Once Seungcheol and Wonwoo were alone once more, the older leaned forward and continued.
"They're gay-friendly." He added, hoping it would seal the deal.
Wonwoo wasn't only a recluse socially but sexually as well. He kept his sexuality to himself. The only people who knew were his friends. His family had no idea, and he intended to keep it that way. He had to admit that the gay-friendly aspect appealed to him. He wasn't the clubbing type at all, but going to a club where he could be accepted without worry did make it sound a bit better. Maybe Seungcheol did know him after all. He sighed, fully giving in.
"Alright, I'll go."
Seungcheol smiled brightly, happy he had won. "Great! I'll pick you up once your shift is over, and then you can get changed and go."
Wonwoo nodded, watching as Seungcheol left, leaving him alone with Soonyoung, who was still pleading with an indifferent Mr. Kim. The rest of the afternoon passed by peacefully, and as promised, Seungcheol was waiting outside when his shift finished.
The club was large, loud, and overwhelming, everything Wonwoo had expected it to be. Bodies were everywhere, drinking, dancing, and everything in between. Wonwoo could hardly breathe as he followed close behind Seungcheol, who led them to a group of tables in the back. Wonwoo, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Soonyoung all squeezed into one, having to huddle up due to lack of space. Once they settled on their drinks, they began to drink and play various drinking games like they were university students.
Wonwoo drank lightly, knowing he and Jeonghan would be responsible for the two bastards next to them later. By the third round of Seungcheol and Soonyoung's drinking game, which was just rock, paper, scissors, Wonwoo finally intervened. He snatched the bottle from Soonyoung, who pouted.
"You guys can't just drag me out and then ignore me by playing childish games," Wonwoo complained.
"How rude of us." Soonyoung burped.
He reached over and grabbed the bottle back from Wonwoo and lined up three shot glasses instead of the usual two. He poured even amounts into all three, handing one to Seungcheol and the other to Wonwoo.
"Here's to Wonwoo finally getting that stick out of his ass." He laughed as he thrust his glass forward.
Seungcheol laughed along with him as they clinked glasses. Wonwoo glared at both of them but drank his shot. The liquor felt hot and numbing as it slid down his throat, but he was starting to welcome it. It wasn't his ideal way of spending a night, but it was better than sitting alone at home, wallowing in self-pity. This time, Jeonghan poured one for himself after tying his dark hair back. He lifted his glass toward Wonwoo.
"To my patience. It's wearing thin."
He and Wonwoo clinked glasses this time as they gave the other two disappointed looks. By Wonwoo's sixth round and Seungcheol and Soonyoung's twelfth, Wonwoo excused himself to the bathroom. After doing his business, he clumsily swerved back through the crowd of people, wondering how he even got through the first time. He was almost halfway through when the alcohol in his system betrayed him and he tripped. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact, but instead, he felt a set of strong arms holding him up. He opened his eyes to find himself staring at a handsome stranger. He had tanned skin as if he'd been lovingly kissed by the sun. His jawline looked as if it could cut someone in half. His eyes were kind, but matched his handsome face well. This guy was perfect in every way and exactly Wonwoo's type.
"Thank you." Wonwoo slurred out shyly.
The stranger kindly smiled back as he tilted Wonwoo upright. Even his teeth were perfectly white. The man seemed to have it all. Wonwoo wasn't sure if he wanted to be him or be with him.
"No problem."
Wonwoo awkwardly excused himself and rushed back to the table. Luckily, most of his friends were too drunk to see how flustered he had become, but not Jeonghan. He followed Wonwoo's line of sight and smiled when he saw the handsome stranger. He grabbed the bottle of liquor and poured them a shot.
"He's cute. You should go talk to him." He encouraged.
Wonwoo quickly downed the freshly poured shot and held his glass out once more. "I'm going to need another one of these, then."
After another round of drinks and encouraging words from Jeonghan, Wonwoo stumbled toward the vicinity of the handsome guy he had been drooling over. His drunken brain was trying to comprehend his actions, but it was too slow. He couldn't form the words together to think of a script before approaching the god-like man. He was going to have to wing it. He found the handsome man sitting on a stool alone at the bar. Wonwoo stumbled to sit on the stool next to him, impressed with himself that he didn't trip or faceplant. He gave the other a drunken grin, trying to seem sly.
"Hi."
The stranger smiled. "Hello."
"I'm Wonwoo." He managed to slur out. "You're hot, by the way." He bluntly added before he could stop himself.
The stranger laughed a bit. "Thanks. So are you. I'm Kim Mingyu." He returned. He grabbed the bottle in front of him and tilted it toward Wonwoo.
"Would you like a drink?"
Wonwoo shook his head. He should have left it at that, but all the alcohol he had consumed was clogging his brain, and his reaction time was slow, letting his impulse lead. Therefore, his mouth acted before his brain could process what he was saying.
"No thanks, I already fell for you once tonight." He blurted out.
Embarrassed by the cringeworthy line, he snatched the bottle out of Mingyu's hand and took a large swing in hopes he could swallow his regret. After chugging nearly half of it, Mingyu reached over and gently took it back from him, afraid the other would projectile vomit at any moment.
"Okay, maybe your first answer was correct after all." He turned to the bartender. "A large water, please."
Wonwoo's head shot up. "You're cutting me off?"
Handsome or not, he didn't like a stranger making decisions for him. His friends had already dragged him out, almost against his will, and he was determined to have fun on his terms, no one else's. If that meant he drank until he blacked out, that was his decision. Mingyu seemed unfazed as he handed the ice water to Wonwoo.
"I would rather you be sober before I invite you to my place. I don't want to be a drunken impulse, and most importantly, I refuse to sleep with a drunk person." He replied straightforwardly.
Wonwoo watched the ice swirl around in the glass. He felt bad for assuming the worst about Mingyu when it was clear he wasn't a bad person.
"Oh. Thanks."
He sipped the water and thought through his options. It had been nearly five years since his last relationship. It had left him a broken and cynical man, but alcohol had lowered his defenses and shown him new options. He knew it wouldn't mean anything if he slept with Mingyu, and the logical side of his brain knew he would regret it in the morning, but Mingyu was attractive and kind. He seemed interested in Wonwoo, and that was rare for him. Who was he to waste it? He finished the glass, his mind starting to clear a bit.
"Another water, please." He asked the bartender.
Mingyu looked at him. "I take it you're accepting my invitation?"
Wonwoo couldn't look him in the eye, not without turning red. Instead, he nodded and distracted himself by downing the glass of water the bartender just handed him. Mingyu resorted to watching him, nearly making Wonwoo choke. By his third glass of ice-cold water, Wonwoo felt more like himself rather than the clumsy food sprouting awkward outbursts.
"How far is your place?" Wonwoo asked as he paid for his half of the bill.
"Just a few blocks from here." He replied. "Less than a ten-minute walk."
"Perfect."
Wonwoo grabbed Mingyu's hand and left the club with him, briefly forgetting about his friends. The rational side of his brain tried to reassure him that everything would work itself out and that Jeonghan was more than capable of taking care of Seungcheol and Soonyoung. Tonight, he wasn't going to be the responsible stick-in-the-mud friend. He was going to be impulsive and enjoy himself, damn be the consequences.
As Mingyu unlocked the door to his home, Wonwoo attached his lips to his as they stumbled inside. They nearly took out a lamp amid their heated make-out session. Clothes scattered the floor as they made their way to Mingyu's room. Wonwoo felt the soft bed beneath him as he fell back against the mattress. Mingyu hovered above him, staring deep into his eyes. His pupils were dilated due to lust, but there was something else there; it was as if he was seeing Wonwoo, really seeing him. He shivered and rushed to connect their lips again. He couldn't handle Mingyu's gaze. Thankfully, Mingyu eagerly responded and fell back into step. Wonwoo couldn't help but think the night couldn't have gone better despite his clumsiness and dumb outbursts.
--
As the sunlight shone brightly through the window, Wonwoo struggled to open his eyes. He thought how odd it was that there was sunlight streaming into his room. He always kept his dark curtains closed so he wouldn't have to wake up to such an unpleasant experience. That could only mean one thing. His eyes snapped open, and as they adjusted, Wonwoo came to the sinking conclusion that the events he thought were a dream were, in fact, reality. He did meet a handsome man named Kim Mingyu. He did go home with him, and now he was in his bed the morning after. He had no idea how to act. What would he even say? The impulsive Wonwoo had disappeared, and the boring and awkward Wonwoo was back. He had to get out in the least awkward way possible.
He turned, ready to make a fast exit if needed, but was startled by the face of a little girl staring directly back at him. Wonwoo sat up and kept his gaze on her. She was small, most likely not any older than four or five. Had she been there the whole time? Wonwoo, never taking his eyes off the little girl, reached back and gave Mingyu's bare arm a few frantic slaps. Mingyu awoke with a start, and his entire face turned white the moment he saw the little girl.
"Danbi, you're back?"
The little girl nodded while Wonwoo sat between them, trying to process everything. It was clear Mingyu knew her, but how? Who was she to him? The more Wonwoo thought about it, the more he started to feel stupid and a bit sick.
"How did you get back?" Mingyu asked next.
"Uncle Seokmin said he had to work." She explained.
"Did you just come home?" Mingyu asked carefully.
She nodded, and Mingyu ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, go wait in the kitchen. Daddy will be there in a second." He told her.
The little girl happily skipped out while Wonwoo's eyes grew wide. His heart dropped. He was a dad. Wonwoo just slept with a dad. Unable to deal with it, he leaped out of bed and ignored Mingyu's pleas to let him explain. He slept with a dad. He complicated an already completed situation. It was not what he was expecting when he followed the handsome stranger home last night.