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To set the record straight, JL isn’t a pushover.
The task? Drive his rich kid friend’s to the mechanic shop. Simple? Not for him. Not when he’s recently only gotten his license and has almost ran over an unassuming bench near his residence. It’s not really a problem, not until said bench had a family of four sitting in it, which is why JL branded himself a public hazard after the whole fiasco.
But Shuaibo promised a boba tea date and a Melona after, and who is he to say no?
Jl puts the gear into park, and promptly checks himself for any missing body parts.
“Good morning ahjussi—” His cheerful greeting dies out as he gazes upon someone. A customer? Stranger? He doesn’t have a clue who this man is. And he should have asked. Shuaibo was a regular here, wasn’t he?
JL audibly gulps. The man was seriously pretty. With charming, fox-like eyes and a pleasing smile, he was already halfway fallen. And are those his arms?! Unreal, or so JL thinks. He’d be pleased if he’s able to hang onto those.
Woah. Thirsty much?
I want him.
He belatedly realizes that he wasn’t living in a fanfiction, and that he should have replied a bit sooner.
But the stranger takes it all in stride.
“Hi. I assume you’re Mr. Shuaibo’s friend?” The stranger says.
“H-how did you know?”
JL wants to slap himself after that awful stutter. Why is he acting like a main character who’s seen his handsome main lead for the first time?
And is that his voice? Wow, what a charmer. Would it be rough when he bends him over— JL! Have some decency!
The guy, apparently the mechanic of the shop and not just a random stranger slash customer, replies, “I’ve fixed a few issues on his car a few times. What seems to be the problem this time?”
Perhaps, he should be serious and not thirsting over this clueless, gorgeous specimen over here. And so he scours his drooling brain with the scarce information his friend provided him.
“There’s a blinking light here.” JL points to the displays near the steering wheel. Without warning, the handsome mechanic leans into JL’s personal space, trying to peer at what he was pointing at.
JL’s fanfic-pilled brain panics.
“W-what are you—”
“It’s a check engine light.”
JL blinks, “What is that?”
The stranger (he should really ask what his name was) turns his head to look at him confusedly, as if it was common sense, “You don’t know?”
“I only recently got my license… So…” He distractedly replies, trying and failing to look at the stranger’s eyes instead of his lips.
Why was it so close? One more step, and I could—
“It’s something that you need to check. Usually it’s just something minor.” And he leans on the car, smiling at him like he wasn’t lighting a fire on JL’s ass, “You should take a seat there while you wait.”
His only reply was a hurried yes.
When the handsome fox-eyed stranger leaves to open the hood of his car, JL takes the chance to dial his friend’s number. All the while, his mind couldn’t sit still. This unknown person was the man of his dreams. Literally a dream come true. The epitome of his type.
When the line pushes through, JL immediately opens in english, “ Ibo, why the fuck did you not warn me? ”
“Excuse me? Why are you cursing at me?” A voice from the other line replies, albeit confusedly.
“ It’s your mechanic! ”
“And what of him?”
He dramatically sighs, “ He’s so hot! This man is single handedly one of the most handsome man I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I wanna ride him. ”
There’s a sudden commotion of metal clanging to the floor somewhere to his left. “ Is everything okay? ”
“ E-everything is fine. Don’t worry.” Was the mechanic’s stuttered reply.
“Can you repeat that?” Shuaibo says.
“
This guy—your mechanic. He’s so fucking hot.
” He whines. In his most honest defense, this is the type that he envisions as the main leads in the books that he reads. And he doesn’t even have a name yet!
But it seems like the manhwa gods are looking at him, because Shuaibo’s next word was a name. “Steven?”
“ That’s his name? He’s really handsome…” And then Ibo’s words sunk in. That name doesn't sound like korean. Oh no. “Wait, can he speak english?! ”
There is an odd silence on the other side for a few seconds, before JL receives a reply. “Not really? But he’s fr—”
“ Oh good. I was worried he would understand me. ” JL released the breath that he’s holding. And just like that, his worries vanished. “ You don’t understand. His arms bro. They’re so jacked. Do you think he has abs? ”
“What–can you stop thirsting over the mechanic?!” He was sure that his friend’s perfect face was now scrunched up in disgust, as with most things that he talks about that are a little not safe for work.
“ I can’t help it! He’s so handsome… ” JL whines, “ Do you think he’s single? ”
“How would I know?!”
“ Well… you’re a regular right? ”
“And?!” Shuaibo screeches so loudly that JL distances himself from his phone. Good thing it wasn’t on loud speaker.
“ Don’t you find him attractive? He’s so fine. I want him to headlock me. ” He dreamily sighs. He sneaks a look to the handsome Steven leaning over his friend’s car propped hood. And even just that simple action was enough to turn JL red. How could a person be so cool and hot?!
“JL, I don’t go around asking people if they’re single.”
He rolls his eyes at his friend. Seriously? His friend never asked the handsome mechanic for his number? “ But he’s so hot! Don’t tell me he’s not your type?! ”
“No—”
“ Not even a thought of kneeling down and worshipping the ground he walks on?! ”
“No…?”
“ No thoughts of being carried by his deliciously hot body and make love on the hood of your car? ”
“What?! No!” Shuaibo screams. The horror was palpable in his voice.
“ Really? ” JL inadvertently pouts. That’s unfair. Why doesn’t his friend support his hobbies of finding other people attractive?
“No!”
“ Why not?! ”
“That’s a you problem. I think you need to get laid. You’re always like this when you find a hot guy.” JL can almost hear his friend shake his head.
“
Hey! It’s not like it would come true. I just see that he’s hot, cute, handsome and did I mention hot? And besides, he wouldn’t understand anything about what I’m saying. Which is good. It would be kinda embarrassing…
” He sighs. Truly no one understands aesthetics nowadays. No bother, he’d be the first one to lead Steven’s fanclub if given the chance.
Another silence. One that’s beginning to sow doubt in JL’s mind. Shuaibo starts, “Well… about that—”
There was a cough behind him. JL immediately loses focus on the call, ignoring whatever whispers of good manners his friend was spewing forth.
“I fixed the problem. It was something minor. It was just a loose gas cap.” Steven says. But JL was more focused on his lips. Does he use chapstick?
“Ibo, I’ll hang up.” And his friend’s protests suddenly died out. JL dons on his best natural smile he can, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. Maybe it would have worked, but he wasn’t certain. He doesn't do well with hotness. “What’s that? Uh, a gas cap?”
“When did you get your license?” Again, the mechanic looks at him in confusion.
“Last month?”
Steven chuckles, “Makes sense.” At that, JL malfunctions. How dare he laugh so dreamily? “By the way, I never caught your name.”
“Huh?” Was his response before the question settled in his head. He was being too obvious and stupid at the same time. JL, think! Quick! “It’s JL.”
“Jay-el?” He tests the syllables in his lips, and suddenly his name sounds so much better now. “It’s nice to meet you, JL.”
That voice should be illegal. He needs to leave this place before he embarrasses himself in front of his new crush. There’s already a few ideas floating in his mind, ready to be penned. He wasn’t a fan of self-insert alternate universe fanfics, but he can write one with this guy in mind.
But first, “How do I pay?”
“It’s on the house.”
“Huh?” Was again, his most elegant response. “Are you that kind to customers?”
“Only to those who find me hot.” Steven suddenly avoids his eyes. The tips of his ears are red.
It took a few seconds for JL to register those words. Suddenly, sleeping on the highway sounds much better.
“Y-you understood that?” He sputters out. His brain races with ideas to run away or get run over, but his feet stay planted and his face turning a rather fascinating shade of red.
“ Should I not? I’m from Australia. ” He’s from an English speaking country? Were that Shuaibo’s last words? The one that he cut off because he was too excited?
“Oh…” JL deflates. This was too shameful. He can’t believe he already made himself a fool in front of a handsome guy. “That means… You understood all that I said?”
“Yes?” It was poised as a question, but JL sighs deeply as a reply.
“I’m gonna kill myself.”
Suddenly, Steven looks alarmed. “Please don’t.”
“Don’t speak!” JL cups his hands over his ears, not making any eye contact. “I’m gonna die. This is so embarrassing.” And with all his might, he glares at the unsuspecting mechanic like he killed his entire family, “Forget what I all said. Forget it all. Have some amnesia. Or a concussion! I can’t do this anymore.”
“Why? Can’t we go on a date first?”
Is he hearing that right?
“What?!”
“You mentioned wanting a headlock, right? Maybe it could happen.” And then Steven had the audacity to shyly smile, like he wasn’t saying something indecent. JL is in shambles. How dare he?!
“...Are you being serious right now?” It’s now JL’s turn to look at him with confusion, but one tinged with incredulity.
At this point, Steven was smiling prettily, and his eyes were full of mirth. It’s like he’s enjoying JL’s misery. Wow. “And maybe after a few more dates I can ‘make love’ to you on the hood of—”
“I’m running away. Right now.”