Chapter Text
Jeong Jihoon gets everything he wants in life. All he must do is declare it and it's his. If he wants to transfer universities, then that is exactly what he will do. It’s not like he’s dropping out (thank you very much appa), he only wants a change in scenery. After all, his old hunting grounds have gone stale. The desperation was no longer amusing, let alone bearable.
He walked onto his new campus as if he owned the property (which he very well could), loosely following behind his tour guide who pointed out the main academic buildings he needed to remember. Just this alone had people staring at him, and it was quite gratifying even though he was basically fresh meat.
Jihoon was wearing a simple t-shirt tucked into the waistband of his washed-out jeans. It wasn’t anything fashionable, but still, they stared after him. A smirk tugged at his lips, but he paid them no mind. They’ll get acquainted soon enough.
He continued following after his guide, despite already being checked out. It was a good idea to know where he’d be spending his next couple of years, but he’d forgotten how long these tours went and how long they actually talked during the duration of it.
Jihoon tuned out whatever spiel the tour guide was going on and seemingly his surroundings as well.
Shit.
It was a particularly crowded area, ruling out it being an academic building.
Were they in the dining hall? Yet before he could assess his surroundings further, his ears perked up. That voice sounded familiar, but how—
“Hey, isn’t that Jihoon?” He turned towards the direction of that voice, but that was all he was allowed to do as a body came barreling into him.
Momentarily confused, he stood frozen before he heard another familiar voice say, “Minseokie, you can’t just run at people.”
Minseok—I forgot how tiny he was—detaches himself from a still unmoving Jihoon to face Hyukkyu. “Minhyung lets me.”
“That’s just because he’s smitten.” Hyukkyu’s smiling face turned towards him, “How are you doing Jihoon?”
Jihoon’s mood brightened immediately, a grin splitting across his face at the sight of his old friends. “Relieved now that I don’t have to track down either of you.”
Minseok took that opportunity to punch Jihoon in the shoulder. “A heads up would have been nice.”
“Would you believe me if I said I wanted to surprise you?”
Hyukkyu’s gaze lingered on the tour guide over Jihoon’s shoulder and met Jihoon’s eyes, brows raised. “No.”
“It's not like it was a secret anyway,” Minseok pinched the skin on Jihoon’s arm this time. “Your father let it slip during one of our many family dinners.”
He frowned. “And when was this?”
Minseok hesitated, eyes darting between Hyukkyu and him, but Hyukkyu was already gesturing for the tour guide to move along with a dismissive wave of the hand. He’d forgotten how many people respected Hyukkyu despite his soft voice and it seemed like he had that same appreciation here as well. Yet, Minseok’s words sent him reeling. So it was a business dinner—and he didn’t even bother informing Jihoon about it, but he had no problem airing out his business.
“I see,” he smiled, knowing it was believable enough. “Where are we anyway?”
Hyukkyu laughed. “You haven’t changed one bit, Jihoonie,” he threw an arm over his shoulder, guiding him towards their table. “We’re in Towers Bistro, a dining hall that will be very familiar to you in the next couple of months.”
“Ah,” the smile turned sheepish and real. “Sorry. Still getting used to all of this.”
Hyukkyu’s knowing smile unnerved him slightly. “No worries happens to the best of us.”
The dining hall was quite spacious despite all the people within its confines. Apart from the obvious buffet-style spread of food, there were several square tables arranged into private booths, and light fissures hung from the ceiling, casting a warm light throughout the entirety of the hall.
There was a table in the corner that had someone already sitting at the table, but Jihoon didn’t have an opportunity for an inquiry (yet again), Minseok saved him the words.
“Guess who we found Hyeonjoon-hyung?” The other man looked up at them, cheeks puffed with food, glasses skewed slightly.
Hyeonjoon looked confused before his eyes landed on Jihoon. Even behind his glasses, it was noticeable how his eyes crinkled.
“That school didn’t work out huh?” Hyeonjoon teased once he swallowed his food, and he patted the seat next to him. “You ended up slumming it here with us anyway.”
Jihoon shrugged, taking the offered seat. “It got boring,” in more ways than one.
“It’s university,” Minseok pointed out as he slid in on the other side. “It’s not supposed to be enjoyable.”
“You know he didn’t mean it that way, Minseokie,” Hyukkyu calmly took a sip from his coffee cup, but Jihoon wasn’t fooled. He’s seen that look in his eyes before. What else has he heard?
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Minseok and Hyeonjoon leaned in closer, grins stretching across their faces, but it was Minseok who said, “You’re the talk of the town, Jeong Jihoon and it's not because of who you are related to.”
Jihoon’s cheeks tinted pink, avoiding their prodding eyes. “It’s not fair,” he whined. “You’re all ganging up on me.”
In his avoidance, his eyes snagged onto a table in a nearby corner. Three bodies were sitting at the table, two of which opposite a young man in circular frames. Now, Jihoon has never believed in love at first sight, but lust?
The other man was ungodlily pretty, beautiful, whatever adjective there was in the book, he was it. He could just about make out sharp catlike eyes, a soft pouty mouth, and an expansive amount of pale skin that was begging to be marked up and bruised.
Jihoon knew he had to have him. Who lets a temptation like that walk away? Jihoon almost didn’t want to blink. Who knew if he’d ever see that man again, let alone know how good his slender fingers would look curled around his—
“—seriously?” Minseok’s foot connected with his ankle. “It’s not like it was kept a secret.”
“Minseokie,” Hyukkyu interjected, “you really need to stop hitting Jihoon. He just got here.”
His eyes returned to the pretty angel he had just discovered only to be disappointed by an empty table. He’d left that fast? Jihoon didn’t even have the opportunity to ask anyone at the table about him, not when he was no longer there for him to point out.
The frown that pulled at his mouth was genuine, not at all light-hearted like the conversation that was currently taking place, but he forced himself back into a good mood.
“What I do in my personal life should not concern you,” he added to Hyukkyu’s statement, brushing off the way his heart squeezed.
“But—”
“Who’s Minhyung?” he asked with a sweet smile.
Minseok looked like he was asked to suck on a lemon, looking as forthcoming as Jihoon. Which was not at all. Hyeonjoon-hyung did not have such qualms.
“Lee Minhyung?” Hyeonjoon repeated, as if Jihoon should’ve known who that was. “Doesn’t Lee Sciences ring a bell?”
Anyone who was anyone knew what Lee Sciences was. Not only were they incredibly influential, but they were the leading corporation in the medical field that headlined the creation of prosthetics. Rumors have been circulating about who the heir to the throne was as his face has not been actively announced despite the CEO growing older with age.
“Of course it does,” he snapped. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“He belongs to the second branch,” Hyukkyu said (because of course, he would know). “Works closely with the main family too.”
Jihoon leaned on his elbows, hand reaching up to ruffle Minseok’s hair. “Aw, is our little Minseokie climbing up the ladder?”
Minseok slapped Jihoon’s hand away, but nothing could conceal his flushed cheeks, nor the reddening of his ears. “It’s not like that.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“… I hate you.”
“I’ve heard that one before.”
“Then you know how sincere it is.”
Hyeonjoon and Hyukkyu exchanged amused glances but did nothing to break up the battle of barbs. The two of them could talk to the other in circles and would not stop until either of them won. So, if they slipped away, well, that was their business. Whoever emerged as the victor of that argument wouldn’t have the opportunity to retaliate once they noticed.
—
Apparently, hatred doesn’t last forever seeing as Jihoon is now sitting in the library across from Minseok nearly a week later. His laptop is cracked open in front of him, running his program simulation, leaving him with nothing to do but stare aimlessly at the tall bookcases that housed books he’d never pull from their shelves.
Jihoon has settled in at the university quite nicely, even if his social life was left to be desired. It’s not like it had hindered him before, but ever since that day at Towers Bistro, he never saw that pretty angel ever again. He was so caught up on this one man that he could not function properly, more often than not leaving his partner of the night high and dry. Jihoon had his eyes locked on his target, and he had let him go without getting a closer look. Having something so close that you could almost taste it, only for it to be ripped away after a moment’s notice. It was maddening to say the least. Then his gaze wandered lower, and his lips twitched in satisfaction.
The nameless man was alone this time, his glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose as his pretty eyes focused on the novel laid out in front of him. Unlike the rest of the students in the library, his laptop was not in sight, nor was there a notebook. He seemed to be there simply for the ambiance despite not actively working on assignments. Serenity fit him well, but most people looked better when they were stoic, the real beauty was when you were able to dismantle them. That was when they were their true selves and Jihoon has yet to find that in a person. It’s always been a performance with others, never a genuine emotion.
“Jihoon-hyung, are the stacks that interesting?”
He hummed absently; eyes too transfixed on his new target to say anything more coherent. He wonders what his face would look like bare. Would he be able to see Jihoon’s face as he takes him apart?
“Do you think your father will replace you as heir if I ask?”
He hummed again, then realized what he just agreed to. Jihoon’s eyes snapped towards Minseok whose own stare bore into Jihoon’s soul. If he weren’t so embarrassed about being caught out, he would notice how Minseok’s mouth curled at the corners.
He pointed towards his laptop. “Your simulation is done.”
Jihoon scratched his neck, an awkward smile settling on his lips. “Ah, right.”
Minseok’s attention returned to his worksheets and Jihoon thought that would be the end of that conversation until Minseok said, “Who were you staring at?”
To Jihoon’s credit, he didn’t falter. “What makes you think I was staring at someone?”
“You answered that pretty fast.”
“Can’t hide something that didn’t happen.”
“Okay then.” Jihoon narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t like Minseok to give up that easily, if it weren’t for Hyukkyu, Jihoon is sure he would have found a way to hit him. So why now?
“What are you playing at?”
“Nothing. You said nothing happened.”
He had a feeling Minseok knew exactly who he was staring at but chose not to show his hand like the minx he is. He wanted him to ask.
Jihoon battled with himself.
Since when did you ask for anything?
That voice sounded suspiciously like Siwoo, and he wanted to tell it to shut up, but it was right. He doesn’t like to beg, but that’s exactly what Minseok wants him to do.
He sighed, gaining Minseok’s attention and his eager eyes. “Who is that?”
Minseok, following the path of finger, landed on the glasses-wearing angel perched in the corner of the stacks. When he looked back, there was a different kind of resignation, as if he was going to regret his next couple of words, but clearly had no problem leading him to his doom.
“Oh, that’s just Sanghyeok-hyung.”
Just? There’s a beautiful man just tables away and he’s reduced to another peer?
“You know him?”
“Who doesn’t?” it was a statement said so flippantly that it disoriented Jihoon for a moment. Just when he thought he had a strong lock on this university, another curve ball is thrown and he’s left swinging over it.
“But you’re familiar with him. You called him hyung.”
“That’s because he’s like Minhyung’s uncle.”
There he goes again about Minhyung—but if this “Sanhyeok-hyung” is Minhyung’s uncle doesn’t that mean he’s also part of Lee Sciences?
“Huh?”
“Distant uncle,” he corrected, as if he detected the cogs whirring in Jihoon’s brain. “I don’t even know if that’s true—anyway—it doesn’t matter. If you know what’s good for you, stay away.” Jihoon stared at Minseok. “I’m serious! Nothing good ever happened when people decided to mess around with Sanghyeok-hyung.”
Jihoon snuck another glance at Sanghyeok.
He looks so innocent. What harm could he possibly do?
“He’s the one I have to stay away from?”
Minseok sighed. “You have such much to learn.” He looked at him with pity, but something else twinkled in his eye. “You’ll find out soon enough, just like everyone else.”