Chapter Text
Let it be known that Jungwon fucking hates clubs.
He hates the low lights, the pulsing music with so much base that it makes his heart shake, the sweaty bodies emanating uncomfortable heat, and the bathrooms that are too occupied with people sucking each other off to be useful. What he hates the most about clubs, though, is the fact that Sunoo, his best friend in the entire world, ditches him as soon as he finds someone he knows because, somehow, he knows every single person in the entirety of Los Angeles. Jungwon, by contrast, only knows one — it’s easy to guess who that is.
Currently, Jungwon is standing on the fringes of the dance floor unusually packed with people for a Wednesday night. The place where he stands is close to the bar, which is perhaps the only good thing about the club. If he bats his eyes sweetly, the bartender will give him a double in his rum and coke. So far, it’s worked out in his favor; the drink in his hand is strong, just how he likes it.
He feels a hand at his elbow, and Jungwon whips his head around, ready to rip into whichever person decided to grab him without his permission, but his glare dies down when he sees Sunoo smiling at him. He carries some sort of fruity drink in his hand complete with a little yellow umbrella.
“Are you having fun, Wonie?” Sunoo asks cheerily. He takes a sip of the drink in his hand, lips in a smile even as he sips from a straw.
Jungwon blinks at his best friend, his face impassive. “We’ve been here for, like, half an hour at most.”
Sunoo gives him a look that easily communicates a well, duh. “That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in that time! It’s your celebration, a last hurrah before you start your new job.”
“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when you dragged me out to ‘celebrate’,” Jungwon responds through gritted teeth. It’s true, evident purely from the outfit he’s wearing: a black t-shirt hugging his upper arms tucked into black jeans, two simple silver chains hanging from his neck. Hell, he even has his glasses on, his eyelashes brushing the black frames with every other blink. It looks even worse compared to Sunoo who’s wearing a sheer white shirt, his favorite pair of jeans that he swears hugs his ass just right, and glitter stuck to his cheekbones. Sunoo looks like he belongs here. Jungwon looks like he should be the bouncer.
“Come on,” Sunoo whines, “You should let loose and have fun! Plus, you’ll need to get used to it with your fancy new job.” He giggles into his palm.
Right, okay. “I’m going to be their manager, not their bodyguard.”
“Still, you’re going to be with an honest to god emo band with a bunch of twenty-something-year-old guys. If you think you’re staying out of whatever parties they’re getting into, you’re insane.” Sunoo takes another sip of his drink.
“Well, I can have hope.” Jungwon wants to down his entire drink in one go. He could do it, realistically. He used to do keg stands in college. “And, the correct term is pop punk.”
Sunoo rolls his eyes. “Just promise me you’ll try to have fun, at least?”
Jungwon gives him a half-smile. “I promise.” His fingers are crossed in his pocket.
“Will you come dance with me?” Sunoo asks, fluttering his eyelashes, “I want to go so bad.”
A strange look crosses Jungwon’s face. His friend must be tipsy already if he’s giving him his puppy eyes. They’ve been friends long enough that Sunoo should know that it doesn’t work on him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s a new method I’m trying,” Sunoo says, his gaze turning back to normal. “Is it working?”
“No,” Jungwon deadpans. He takes another sip of his rum and coke, but really, it’s more like a gulp.
Sunoo huffs, pouting as he crosses his arms. His glass dangles in his fingertips. “Come on, Wonie. Just one dance? I promise I’ll leave you alone after.”
Jungwon does not point out that he’ll just do that anyways. However, if he does, in fact, go now, Sunoo will eventually find someone to flirt and go home with, and Jungwon will be free to leave and watch dramas until he falls asleep. He glances down at his drink, the glass already half-empty.
“I’ll come until my drink’s finished, but once I go get another, I’m done,” Jungwon offers.
Sunoo grins like the cat who got the cream — or should it be fox? That’s probably more accurate. “Yes! I thought it would take at least three more drinks before you said yes.”
Jungwon doesn’t plan on dancing again once he has more drinks in his system. In fact, his plan is to get like half a song in before he chugs the rest of his drink and leaves. Sunoo will complain for a second, but he’ll get over it. He likes to go to the center of the room to dance, and Jungwon does not.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Jungwon says, but he lets himself be pulled to the dance floor anyways. He has to raise his glass over his head to avoid his drink spilling as they make their way through the crowd. People are bumping into them left and right, and his glasses jostle on a particularly hard push. If he knew he was coming here, he would at least have put his contacts in.
When Sunoo stops in his tracks, satisfied with their location, Jungwon quickly brings his hand down to protectively cradle his drink to his chest. Sunoo is still holding his hand, and he uses it to spin himself, swinging his hips to the beat of some pop EDM song he doesn’t know. Jungwon takes a sip of his drink and shuffles. He can dance perfectly fine but not when one sway would cause him to knock into the guy behind him or the girl beside him. Sunoo seems to have taken the only bit of space on this part of the floor.
Still, Jungwon tries. He rolls his shoulders and moves his hips up and down to the beat. He lets Sunoo use his hand and arm to do whatever he pleases (which is mostly to use as a lifeline when he strays too far). He smiles at his friend as he takes sips of his drink. Really, Jungwon can grumble and be annoyed all he wants, but he does love Sunoo, and he does have fun with him when he forgets the headache-inducing environment surrounding him.
Jungwon makes it through three and a half songs before he downs the rest of his drink. It’s the most he’s stayed on the floor the past dozen or so times Sunoo’s dragged him out, so he doesn’t feel bad when he shakes his glass to indicate his time is up.
“Aw, boo, Jungwon Yang!” Sunoo says, pouting. He stops his dancing for just a moment to give him a pleading look.
Jungwon just smiles. “Take what you can get, ‘Noo. I’ll be at the bar if you need me.”
Sunoo huffs, “Oh, fine, but you’ll be missing out! I’ll get you on the floor later, trust me.”
“Whatever you say,” He replies with a laugh. If Jungwon had to guess, he’d say it’s maybe an hour and a half before Sunoo either shows his face to beg him to come back to the dance floor or texts him to just go home without him. Jungwon thinks that he can squeeze in a couple more drinks in that time and still leave without risking a hangover for his first meeting with his new charges.
Sunoo sends him a half-hearted glare, but Jungwon grins as he blows him a kiss goodbye. As Jungwon turns, he raises the arm in the air to wave his glass as a last send-off. He pushes through the crowd back towards the bar. Unsurprisingly, the floor is even more packed as time goes on. Jungwon feels gross as the sweat from people’s hair and arms drip on him. He’s going to smell gross now, too, and Jungwon hates smelling bad even more than he hates clubs. Sometimes, he’ll even double layer deodorant if he’s really paranoid (though it’s not like his job requires heavy lifting or braving the California heat; previously, he’s spent most of his time stuck in a tiny office shared with an intern — an intern).
Jungwon holds his breath at one point while moving through the packed bodies, and he only notices it because he lets out a breath as he finally gets to the empty space before the bar. Once he’s in the clear, he uses one hand to straighten his glasses before combing through his fingers in his hair to reset the strands that have traded sides over his part. He shakes his head after, brushing the hair until he’s satisfied. He holds the empty glass in a circle of his thumb and index finger, the leftover ice cubes clinking. With his free hand, he pulls his phone out of back pocket to check his emails: spam (delete), agenda for the meeting (tomorrow’s problem), the intern asking if he can borrow his charger (no), reminder to review his health insurance policy (also tomorrow’s problem).
Sighing, Jungwon goes to close out the app and open something else to mindlessly scroll on when he feels a pair of eyes on him.
Now, Jungwon is used to people looking at him; he considers himself pretty decent-looking most days, but there’s just something different about this feeling that has him pausing. It almost feels like someone’s eyes are practically boring into him rather than simply looking or staring — intense, unusual. The feeling is strong enough to make Jungwon pocket his phone again, and he takes a moment to look around the room. He scans the room from the left room to the bar to the right wall, but he sees no one. He’s about to just chalk it up to a mistake and head to the bar and —
Oh.
Jungwon locks gazes with the sharpest, deepest eyes he’s ever seen on the prettiest face to match. Sculpted eyebrows containing a slit and silver piercing on the left one, perfectly sloped nose, plump pink lips slightly parted, and a scattering of moles on his face. Jungwon freezes as he stares at the man. He’s gorgeous, breathtaking, and it’s alarming him greatly.
Needing to avert his eyes before he does something embarrassing like turn red, Jungwon takes the opportunity to appraise the rest of him. His eyes trail up to see dirty blonde hair pushed up and out of his face, dark roots bleeding through, and piercings lining both ears. Flicking his eyes down, he takes in a hodgepodge of an outfit complete with at least five silver necklaces layered over each other, a black shirt covered with a short-sleeved flannel with a black jacket hanging down by his elbows. His baggy jeans sag low enough that Jungwon can see the waistband of his Chrome Hearts underwear. Lower, he sees silver chains dangle from his belt loops, and finally, there’s the black laced up high tops on his feet.
When Jungwon finally looks back up, he sees the man’s lips curl up into a smirk, his eyes glinting with amusement… Wait — Is that eyeliner? Of fucking course it is. He needs a drink.
Jungwon breaks eye contact with the man and turns his head around sharply. He straightens, determined, and makes his way to the bar. Since he first got his drink, the bar has gotten considerably busier. All the seats are occupied now, and most of the standing room between them is full. Jungwon manages to squeeze himself in a space just as a couple leaves with their drinks, and he spreads his elbows across the countertop to reserve himself a little bit of breathing room as he sets his empty glass on the counter.
It takes a minute for him to catch the attention of the bartender, standing on his tiptoes as he leans over the counter. The bartender approaches, a look of exhaustion on his face. Jungwon can sympathize; he wouldn’t want to be doing this either.
“Rum and coke, please?” He asks, a polite smile on his face. The bartender looks relieved with the simple order, and he rushes off to make it. Jungwon stays in his position, eyes tracking the bartender’s movements. He brings in his elbows some and he taps his fingers on the bartop, and his polite smile turns genuine as the drink is set down in front of him.
“Nine dollars,” The bartender tells him.
Jungwon is about to tell the man to put it on his tab when he feels a presence behind him. There’s an arm sliding to join his on the counter, and a warm body nearly pressing into his side.
“Here,” A deep voice purrs. Jungwon watches as a couple bills are placed on the counter. “For the drink and anything else he’s got on his tab.”
The bartender takes the money and leaves, ready to serve the next person. Jungwon frowns.
“I can buy my own drinks, thank you,” He snaps and turns around. However, his annoyance falters when he comes face to face with the handsome man from before. The amused look in his eyes is still there, but the smirk from earlier is replaced by a matching smile.
“I never said you couldn’t,” The man says, “But can’t I buy a pretty boy a drink?”
Fucking holy shit damn motherfucker. The man’s voice is illegal, or at least it should be with how insanely attractive it is. It’s actively making Jungwon angry. “That’s a really sleazy line,” he deadpans.
The man laughs at that, his eyes scrunching as he does so. He laughs with his whole body, his shoulders turning in as they shake. Jungwon wonders if he always laughs like that or if he’s trying too hard to get in his pants, because his comment really wasn’t funny.
“Sorry,” He says once he sees Jungwon’s unimpressed look, “It’s just… you surprised me, that’s all.”
“What, you expected me to just swoon? Does that typically work for you?” Jungwon presses. He’s got his drink in his hand now, but he doesn’t leave — rather, he really can’t with the man partially blocking his way.
The man raises an eyebrow. “Why do you think this is something I do often?”
“Look at you,” Jungwon says. He gestures up and down the man’s figure with his glass.
“Look at me?”
Jungwon narrows his eyes. Attractive men fishing for compliments, per usual. “You know what you look like.”
A shit-eating grin spreads across his face slowly. “And what do I look like?”
“What is this, twenty questions?” Jungwon grumbles. He takes a sip of his drink. He’s lucky: it’s a double.
The man tilts his head. The hanging earrings in his lobes jingle. “If this was twenty questions, I’d ask you for your name first.”
Jungwon looks at him for a moment. He looks relaxed, yet his eyes sparkle as if he’s hanging on to every word or look Jungwon deigns to give him. He chooses his words carefully. “And if I don’t want to play?”
“Then I’ll walk away,” The man responds simply as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
Okay. Points to this guy, it seems. Jungwon has standards, and he deems this guy worthy enough to move past a simple interaction. “Jungwon.”
The man smiles, and he leans forward. It’s the first time Jungwon notices just how tall the man is; he practically towers over him. “Riki.”
Riki. It suits him. Jungwon takes another sip of his drink. “Hm, thank you for the drink, Riki.”
He’s grinning, eyes shining. “How kind of you,” Riki purrs through his low voice. While the sound may be unnatural when done by others, it sounds so incredibly innate to him. Jungwon wonders if he even notices he does it.
“The proper response is ‘you’re welcome’,” Jungwon responds. His drink is clutched in his hand, and he swirls the contents around.
Riki’s eyes move from Jungwon’s face to the glass back to his face. “I’ll say it if you come dance with me.”
Jungwon’s eyes widen. He didn’t expect that, and really, he doesn’t want to go back into that madness again. “I’m not done with my drink.”
“When you finish, then.” Riki doesn’t even blink an eye. Instead, he looks at Jungwon with unbridled want even when he’s wearing his plainest clothes and glasses. It’s disarming, really.
It’s so disarming that Jungwon actually nods as he looks into Riki’s eyes. Though the place is dim, they’re close enough together that Jungwon can see how dark his eyes are and how the black eyeliner smudged around them only draws more attention to how alluring they are.
“Yeah? You gonna dance with me?” Riki repeats, a cheeky grin on his face.
Jungwon blinks, drawn out of his stupor. “If you insist.”
“Oh, I insist.”
Jungwon cannot stop looking at Riki, and it’s kind of getting embarrassing for him at this point with the way he’s hypnotized by his presence. His eyes drift again, and he notices a flash of silver on Riki’s bottom lip. There, a small silver ring sits on the far side. How Jungwon didn’t notice the lip ring in the first place, he couldn’t tell you, especially when it seems it’s all he can look at now.
Riki clears his throat, and Jungwon’s eyes snap back up. “You gonna finish your drink?” He asks.
Jungwon grips his glass in his hand as he eyes drop to look at the contents. He’s already made a sizable dent in it, but there’s still a considerable amount left. He contemplates taking normal sips for a moment, but that thought quickly drifts out of his mind. He doesn’t know if he can handle being the subject of Riki’s silent attention for much longer without the pleasant buzz of alcohol in his system.
Decided, Jungwon brings the glass to his lips and tips it back, his head falling back as he downs the contents like he wanted to do earlier in the night. He only pulls the glass away from his lips when it’s empty, and he sets it down on the bar with a clink. He looks back at Riki to see the man staring at him with his lips parted and eyes wide.
“What, surprised?” Jungwon teases, a small smile on his face. “You should’ve seen me in college.”
Riki shakes his head, but he’s grinning. “You’re something, aren’t you?”
Jungwon hums. “That’s one way to put it.”
There’s a moment where Riki just smiles at him, eyes searching his face, before he straightens up. His arm leaves the bartop, and he steps away. Jungwon feels a little cold without his body hovering over him.
“Come on, then. A deal’s a deal,” Riki says. He extends his hand out towards Jungwon, and he takes it. Riki’s hands are rough with calluses on his fingertips. It’s a stark contrast to Jungwon’s soft hands, but it’s one that sucks him in even more.
Riki leads him away from the bar. Jungwon has to walk behind him to move through the throng of people, but Riki doesn’t let go; he squeezes his hand tighter and glances back every few seconds to make sure he’s still there. They duck and weave over to the dance floor, but Riki doesn’t pull him through to the center. Instead, they go towards a far edge of the floor with less people and shrouded even more by darkness. Though this part of the floor is still packed, there’s space to breathe here. Jungwon is grateful.
The music is still going strong, fast dance beats echoing through the building. Riki uses his hold on Jungwon’s hands to pull him close, and once he’s close enough, Riki’s hands go on his hips; Jungwon can feel the warmth of them through his jeans.
The hands help sway Jungwon’s hips to the beat. The song is too fast for two people to dance together, but Riki doesn’t seem to care. He hooks his thumbs in Jungwon’s belt loops and pulls him closer until there’s barely any space between them. Jungwon throws his head back as they move, his hands trailing up his own sides, through his air, and up over his head. His back arches with the movement.
Jungwon looks up at Riki through his eyelashes as he runs his fingers through his hair. Riki’s eyes are half-lidded as he watches him, tugging his lip ring with his teeth. It’s insanely attractive, and it causes Jungwon to burn on the inside.
The song changes then, and instead of the fast EDM and pop, the next song has a slowed beat. The bass pounds and people cheer as a woman’s smooth vocals ring through. Riki grins before he uses his grip on Jungwon’s hips to spin him and pull his back flush to his chest. Their bodies move in tandem now as Jungwon’s hips sway, one of Riki’s hands sliding up slowly to splay over his stomach.
With this position, Riki’s body practically engulfs him, especially when he leans down to whisper in Jungwon’s ear, “Much better, don’t you think?”
That deep voice does something to Jungwon. A chill runs down his spine, causing his back to arch and his hips to rut back into Riki. He makes a noise in the back of his throat, and it’s Jungwon’s turn to smirk now.
“Much,” He says, and reaches an arm up behind him so he can cup the back of Riki’s neck to keep him close.
Jungwon feels bold now — bolder than he has in months — and he takes an experimental roll of his body against him. Riki’s grip on him tightens, the hand on his hip tightening while the one on his stomach keeps Jungwon pinned against him. He feels hot, so hot, but the feeling is addictive. It’s been a long, long time since he’s felt a desire like this.
When he does it again, Riki matches him in earnest. They’re not really dancing at this point; rather, they grind against each other, filthy and messy. Jungwon tilts his head so the back of his head hits his shoulder. With his head craned, Riki leans down to run his nose up the column of his neck until he reaches his pulse point and nips at it. Jungwon’s breath hitches, and he holds back a moan.
Riki smirks against his skin. “Look at you, all hesitant to dance with me, but here you are pressed against me.”
Jungwon lets out a strangled noise of protest. He doesn’t particularly like getting caught. “It’s just a thank you.”
“Oh yeah?” Riki challenges. The hand on his stomach moves lower to grip the fabric of his shirt right above the waistband on his jeans. His fingertips knock against his belt buckle. “So if I do this…” He pulls up until Jungwon’s shirt is untucked. Riki’s hand slides up, threatening to press against his bare skin. “You won’t react?”
Jungwon shakes his head. “No.” He’s a liar.
Riki hums as if he sees right through Jungwon’s bullshit; maybe he can. “Are you willing to test that theory?”
If there’s one thing about Jungwon, it’s that he doesn’t step away from a challenge. He’s too prideful, too competitive. Even though he knows he’ll most likely lose, he doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction. “Yes.”
Riki chuckles. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, baby.” His tone is teasing, and it sends Jungwon’s head into a tizzy.
Riki’s hand disappears under Jungwon’s shirt agonizingly slowly, every drag of his rough fingertips making Jungwon melt. His hand is warm while the rings on his fingers are cool, and Jungwon has to hold back a shiver at the sensation. Riki’s face is still in his neck, and Jungwon’s fingers drift up until they scratch at the hairs on his nape. Riki’s hand drags up and down the lines of his abdomen, and they spend extra time trailing down the hairs below his belly button before they disappear under his jeans. His fingertips dip just below the waistband then, and Jungwon whimpers, canting his hips back to rut against Riki’s.
“I win,” Riki whispers, and his lips brush against Jungwon’s jaw.
“That’s not fair. You cheated,” Jungwon pushes back with a huff.
Jungwon feels Riki smile against his skin. “I don’t remember setting up any rules.”
“I feel like it was implied,” Jungwon grumbles, “No pulling dirty moves.”
“I can show you dirty moves.”
Jungwon frowns, making an unpleased sound. “Sleazy again.”
Riki chuckles, and the feeling of his breath on Jungwon’s skin is intoxicating. “Let me make it up to you then.”
The hand on Jungwon’s hip slides up his side, across his chest, and up his neck until Riki’s cradling his jaw. He uses his hold to turn and tilt his head up. There’s only a second of Riki’s eyes drifting to his lips before he connects them in a kiss that is slow and sensual to match the movement of their hips. Jungwon’s skin feels like it’s on fire, electricity shooting from his lips to every nerve of his body.
Riki’s hand disappears under Jungwon’s shirt again, and this time, his touch is firmer as drags his palms higher up his abdomen. His blunt nails scratch against the muscles, and Jungwon shudders. Riki’s lips are soft, and the cool metal of his lip ring makes a delicious contrast against the heat between them. It’s so easy for Jungwon to lose himself in the feeling, so he doesn’t even notice the hand on his stomach moving down again to toy with the waistband of his jeans. Jungwon gasps, muscles twitching, and Riki takes the opportunity to slip his tongue in his mouth.
God, Riki tastes so good. He tastes like whiskey and mint, the combination strange but addicting because it’s Riki. Jungwon finds himself wanting more; this simply just doesn’t feel enough. For a second, he thinks it’s the effects of the alcohol making him feel this way, but that doesn’t feel right — he’s much too aware of every piece of Riki in his senses.
Jungwon pulls away when the oxygen in his lungs dissipates, and when his eyes flutter open, he sees Riki’s dark eyes staring back at him, pupils blown wide and blush on his cheeks.
“Do you live near here?” Jungwon asks suddenly.
Riki’s eyes widen, but he smiles. “Close enough.”
Jungwon hums, slipping his arm down so he can turn around in Riki’s hold. He stands on his tiptoes so he can whisper in his ear, “Take me there?”
Riki presses an open-mouth kiss to his neck then his jaw. “Anything you want. My car’s parked down the block.”
“Lead the way,” Jungwon replies. Riki’s hands are on the bare skin of his back now, fingers pressing into the dimples at the base of his spine. It makes him want to melt into the floor.
Riki grins at him, and his hands slowly slip away from Jungwon’s skin, fingertips trailing the skin of his waist. Instead, he slips an arm around his waist, pulling him into his side. Riki leads them off the floor, dragging him in close as they push through the crowd. He makes quick work of pulling Jungwon out of the door too, and the warm, humid early April air hits him. Still, it doesn’t even compare to the heat sparking between him and Riki. Jungwon can feel it in the way Riki doesn’t let go of him the entire trip to his car, the way Riki pushes him up against the side of the car to kiss him senseless, and the way he fixes Jungwon’s glasses from where they fell askew.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” Riki murmurs, his hand on Jungwon’s cheek. He’s still pressed against the passenger door, Riki caging him in. Jungwon can understand. It’s different seeing each other without the haze of the club, and up close, he can practically count every mole dotting his face.
“You’ll be able to see where else I’m gorgeous if you actually get us to your place,” Jungwon says.
Riki laughs. “Impatient.”
Jungwon smiles, looking up at him through his eyelashes. “I just know what I want.”
“Then who am I to deny you?”
Riki opens the passenger door for him (really, actually, surprisingly), and Jungwon is quick to climb in. The car is clean, but it’s cluttered with things — CDs littering the passenger side floor and dashboard, three pine tree air fresheners hanging from the mirror, what looks like some sort of guitar strings and tools in the backseat, and stray jackets and shirts on the floorboard. Riki slides into the driver’s seat, and his hand falls on the stick shift. Riki knows how to drive stick. Riki’s car is stick. God, that’s hot.
“You like Fall Out Boy?” Riki asks, his eyes still heated as he looks at Jungwon leaning his head back against the headrest.
“I like them enough,” Jungwon responds. His eyes lock in on the moles on his neck. He kind of wants to bite them.
Riki lets out a satisfied noise before he presses play on the radio system, and heavy guitars burst through the car speakers. He backs up out of his spot then, and his right comes to rest on the passenger seat as he looks out of the back windshield. Jungwon watches as he uses his palm to spin the wheel, and then his hand drifts to the stick to shift gears as they pull out. Riki taps his fingers on the stick as he hums along to the song playing. His voice is deep, husky, and smooth, and it sends tingles down Jungwon’s spine.
Jungwon keeps his gaze on Riki the entire ride, and Riki meets his eyes at every red light and stop sign. Electricity sparks every time their eyes meet.
That electricity only grows stronger when they arrive at Riki’s apartment complex. It crackles as Riki leads them through the front doors and to the elevators where he doesn’t even touch Jungwon. It’s maddening as Riki brings him into his apartment. Jungwon doesn’t even take in the state, quickly kicking off his shoes before he pouches.
Jungwon fists the material of Riki’s shirt and pulls him down until their lips meet in a bruising kiss. There’s no pretenses in the slightest; Jungwon immediately pries Riki’s lips open with his tongue, and this time, it’s his chance to lick into the man’s mouth. Riki shrugs his jacket off before his arms come to wrap around his waist. Jungwon takes the opportunity to lift a leg up and wrap around Riki’s hip, grinding against the taller man. They both groan at the contact, their mouths parting for just a moment before connecting again. Jungwon’s glasses are fogged up.
Riki’s arms unwrap so he can push Jungwon’s shirt up and over his head. The neck of the shirt gets caught in Jungwon’s glasses, and he laughs as he goes to remove them so Riki can finish pulling off his shirt. Jungwon puts his glasses on just as Riki moves down to hungrily kiss down his neck, every kiss warm and wet. He bites at the juncture of his neck and his collarbones as his hands travel over every piece of bare skin he can. Jungwon whines at a particularly hard bite on his shoulder.
With swiftness, Jungwon’s hands go to the buttons on Riki’s shirt, but it’s taking way too long. He wants to see him now. So, he clenches the fabric in his hands and pulls until the shirt rips and the buttons pop off, clattering to the ground.
Riki dislodges from Jungwon’s neck, and he’s breathing heavily as he shoulders his ruined shirt off. His pupils are blown so wide that it’s hard to see his irises. “Fuck, baby, you want me that bad?”
“I need you that bad.” Jungwon’s hands immediately attach themselves to Riki’s skin, and he traces over the warm skin. When his eyes flicker down, he can see swirling black lines on his ribs, and on his hipbone, there’s a tattoo of a kissmark. He groans at the sight.
There’s a brief pause where Riki stares at him with parted lips before he stays fumbling with Jungwon’s belt buckle as he steps backwards. He follows easily, his own hands going to the loose waist of Riki’s jeans to push down.
They continue like that, stripping each other as they stumble to what Jungwon assumes is Riki’s bedroom. He’s proved correct when Riki slams open the door and pulls him into an open-mouthed kiss as soon as they step through the doorway. They’re just in their briefs now, and Jungwon’s glasses keep sliding down his nose as their kisses turn breathless and Jungwon’s hands run over Riki’s body.
“Can you see without your glasses?” Riki murmurs against his lips.
Jungwon shakes his head, one of his hands coming up to grip Riki’s short hair on the back of head. “No. I can still take them off, though.”
“No,” Riki practically growls, “I want you to see exactly what I’m about to do to you.”
Shit. Jungwon actually moans at that, but in his defense, that’s probably the hottest thing someone’s ever said to him. He doesn’t even feel an ounce of shame since he’s rewarded with one of Riki’s hands sliding up his abdomen and chest until his thumb flicks against one of nipples. Jungwon shudders and arches his back as Riki does it again and again.
Riki’s other hand comes to splay on the small of Jungwon’s back, his pinkie finger dipping just below the waistband of his underwear. “Sensitive.” He chuckles.
Jungwon manages to grit his teeth even as he writhes in Riki’s hold. Every touch has him twitching. “S-Shut…” A gasp as Riki’s thumb and index finger roll the bud. “Shut up.”
“Gladly,” Riki purrs before he leans down to capture his nipple in his mouth, flicking it with his tongue, while his fingers continue toying with the other. Jungwon lets out a high-pitched whine, and he tangles a hand in Riki’s hair.
“Uh, Riki,” Jungwon moans as he switches sides, the sensations sending everything straight down to his cock. He didn’t even notice he was this hard, but now that he’s aware, his hips buck in search for some friction. He wants and wants and wants.
Riki must take pity on him because he pulls away for a moment to push him onto the bed. Jungwon hits the mattress with a slight bounce, and he pushes his way up so his head is on a pillow as Riki crawls over him. He brackets one arm by the side of Jungwon’s hair while the other trails down Jungwon’s side to hold his waist. He slots one knee between his legs, and Jungwon almost sighs at the relief he feels at having something to rut against.
Jungwon wraps his arms around Riki’s shoulder and pulls him down to kiss him once again. Though, the kiss turns into nothing more than huffs of breaths against each other’s lips as Jungwon begins rolling his hips against Riki’s thigh. He’s moaning as he does so, but they turn into an annoyed sob as Riki grabs his hip and pins it to the mattress.
“Can’t even wait for me to get you naked,” Riki coos, “You’re so cute.”
Jungwon glares. “I wouldn’t have to do that if you would actually touch me.”
“If you ask nicely, I’ll give it to you.” Riki sits up on his knees then, and both of his hands come to rest on Jungwon’s waist. His hands are so big that his fingertips can almost touch. Jungwon is totally normal about that.
He swallows the saliva gathering in his mouth as his eyes drift down Riki’s body to the bulge in his briefs. “What happened to giving me anything I want?”
Riki smirks, and his thumbs run circles on his skin. “I’ll still give you what you want. Just say it.”
Jungwon huffs. He wants to push more, but he’s getting antsy at this point. He takes a deep breath, and gives Riki a pleading look. “Please.”
Riki cocks his head to the side. “Please what?”
His cheeks burn. “Please touch me.”
Riki’s hands trail up his stomach. “I am touching you, baby. Be more specific.”
“Riki,” Jungwon warns. He digs his nails into Riki’s arms. “Are you going to fuck me or not?”
That seems to do it. Riki’s gaze turns heated, and he grips Jungwon’s sides hard. “Yeah, baby. I’ll fuck you real good.”
Finally, he gets what he wants. Riki peels Jungwon’s underwear off, and he hisses as the cool air hits his dick. Riki stares at him hungrily, and his hand wraps around the length. Jungwon gasps, a strangled noise leaving his throat as Riki pumps it once.
“Prettiest cock I’ve ever seen,” Riki muses, “Everything about you is so pretty, Jungwon.”
Jungwon squirms. He’s getting impatient again. Thankfully, Riki lets him go to go fumble through the drawer on his nightstand. He sees him take out a condom and a bottle of lube and set them down on the bed. Then, Riki takes off his own underwear. Seeing the precum beading at the tip makes his mouth water.
Jungwon parts his legs for Riki to go between, but the man just shakes his head. “On your stomach.”
He does as told and flips over. He crosses his arms to rest the side of his head on as he slides his knees up. Jungwon’s practically presenting himself to Riki. It should be mortifying, but with the way Riki curses, he considers it to be a job well done. There's the sound of a cap popping, and Jungwon’s cock twitches in anticipation.
After a moment, Jungwon feels a wet fingertip prod at his rim. Even through the lube, he can feel the callus there. The texture is maddening, especially as Riki thrusts his middle finger inside him. He sighs contently; it’s been so long since he last slept with someone that Jungwon forgot how good it feels to have someone else’s fingers drag along his walls — though, it feels extra good this time for reasons he can’t quite place.
When Riki inserts another finger and begins scissoring them, Jungewon lets out a drawn out moan, and he thrusts his hips back. Riki chuckles at the reaction. “Feels good?”
“What do you think?” Jungwon spits back, but his body jolts as Riki’s fingers curl up into the sweetest spot. He swears all the air exits his lungs as he clenches down on Riki’s fingers. “Shit, there.”
Riki lets out a groan of his own, and his fingers double down on the spot. “God, your body doesn’t want to let me leave, baby. Just sucking me in.”
Jungwon eyes roll back into his head as Riki fits a third finger in to stretch him out fully. He hits his prostrate dead on now with every thrust of his fingers, and his brain goes numb. He can’t think, can’t register anything except for the feel of Riki all around and in him.
“You’re so loud,” Riki purrs. Oh. Jungwon didn’t even know he was making any noises. “You sound so fucking good riding my fingers like that.”
Jungwon’s surprised his glasses haven’t completely fallen off yet, especially with the force of Riki’s fingers pushing in him combined with the erratic movement of his hips to meet every thrust. It’s heavenly, and the coil in his gut swirls and tightens as he waits for release.
“Hngh, Riki,” Jungwon moans, “I’m gonna cum.”
“Untouched? That’s so hot, Won.” Won? That’s a new one, but he likes it so much. “Go ahead. Cum for me.”
It’s as if Jungwon’s body was just waiting for the say, because as soon as Riki utters those words, he cums with a whine, dirtying the blanket below him. He doesn’t even bother with caring; that’s the least of his concerns right now.
Riki pulls his fingers out, and Jungwon hates the emptiness that follows as he clenches around nothing. He unconsciously pushes his ass back, but he receives a light slap on one cheek, one meant to surprise him rather than cause even so much as a sting.
“What, one wasn’t enough for you?” Riki teases. He grabs Jungwon to roll him onto his back now before he collapses into his own release. He fixes his glasses from where they were hanging off his nose.
“I’ve been waiting for you to fuck me all night.” Jungwon pouts. “Nothing is ever going to be enough until I can cum on your cock.”
Riki groans, his eyes closing for a moment as he shudders. Jungwon feels satisfaction grow in his chest at seeing how much just his words are affecting him.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” Riki rushes out before he’s leaning over to kiss Jungwon senseless. His hands grip his waist until he kisses down Jungwon’s neck, pausing to lick and suck a mark on the juncture of his neck. The feeling makes him gasp, and it’s only intensified when he feels Riki’s hand on him again to stroke him back to full hardness. Jungwon’s oversensitive, but the sensitivity makes his entire body tingle.
Jungwon pants as Riki bites at his collarbone, and suddenly, an idea pops in his head — one that makes his heart skip a beat. Oh, he wants to do that real bad.
“Can I ride you?” Jungwon asks, breathless.
Riki stills, and he pulls away from his spot on Jungwon’s neck to let their eyes meet. “Jesus yeah. Yeah. Please.”
Jungwon grins, pleased, and he pushes on Riki’s shoulders to get him to move. They shift positions, Riki sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard while Jungwon straddles his thighs with the condom and the lube in his hands. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, Jungwon sets the things down so he can wrap his hands around Riki. His cock is hot and heavy in his hands, and when Jungwon starts moving his hands, he’s rewarded with the sweetest moan. It makes him yearn for more, and he does take more as he leans down to lap at the precum beading from the tip.
“Jungwon,” Riki moans. Jungwon would give good money to hear Riki say his name like that for the rest of his life.
He wants to keep going, but he’s on a mission. Jungwon straightens back up before he grabs the condom package, rips it open, and slides it on Riki’s cock. He takes the lube next, drizzling it on his palm before he strokes his dick, twisting his wrist as he moves up and down to coat it all. Riki’s letting out a string of curses and whimpers, and Jungwon wants it all.
Mind set, Jungwon wipes his hands on the sheets before he places his knees on either side of Riki’s hips. He places one hand on his shoulder, and Riki’s hands fall on his hips. They’re both quiet in anticipation as Jungwon reaches behind to line them up, and then, Jungwon drops his hips slowly. He lets out a pleased sigh as the tip slips past his rim. He’s slow as he moves to take him in bit by bit.
“There you go, baby,” Riki purrs as he tightens his grip on his hips, “Taking me so well.”
Jungwon would glare at him if the stretch didn’t feel so good and his voice didn’t stir something in him. As it is, though, he slides down until his ass meets the top of Riki’s thighs. They both moan at the feeling, and Jungwon relishes in just how good he feels with Riki inside of him. He whimpers as he circles his hips to get used to the feeling, and that knocks a strangled sound out of Riki.
It’s natural that Jungwon starts to move after that, lifting himself up slowly until just the tip remains in before he drops down just as slowly. He repeats the motion until he’s maintaining an agonizing rhythm. It takes a lot of control on his part, but Riki’s pretty lips are parted in a silent gasp as his dark eyes, half lidded, glaze over. Riki may like to whisper filthy praises to him, but Jungwon likes this the most: the control, the pleasure on his partner’s face — especially when they’re as beautiful as Riki.
Riki seems to have enough of it, though, because he then uses his grip on Jungwon’s hips to guide him to a quicker pace. Jungwon complies anyways; the first quick snap pushes Riki in deeper, and it makes him moan.
Everything snowballs from then. Jungwon uses his hands on Riki’s shoulder and chest as leverage to move faster, harder while Riki’s nails dig in his skin. Each thrust punches a new sound out of Jungwon as he dives into the sensation of Riki dragging against his walls, and his hips buck every so often. His moans grow especially louder when Riki’s mouth attaches itself to his neck.
“God, Riki,” Jungwon gasps, “You feel so good.”
Riki chuckles against his throat, nipping and sucking at the skin. “Yeah? You’re feeling every inch of me, sweetheart?”
Jungwon whimpers in response. His neck has always been quite sensitive, especially when he’s getting fucked. Everything is exactly how he likes it, as if Riki knows every single string to pluck to make his knees weak.
There’s a shift in Riki’s hold on him, and suddenly, his cock is brushing against that special bundle of nerves inside of him. A high pitched moan escapes Jungwon’s mouth, and his body stutters as he slams back down, clenching.
“You’re a fucking vision on top of me,” Riki groans, “So tight, so warm, so perfect for me.”
Jungwon stutters again, his head going dizzy from the pleasure. His thighs are shaking now from a mixture of pleasure and soreness, his pace slowing down. Riki — because he’s a goddamn mindreader or something — exhibits a frankly ridiculous amount of upper body strength to flip them so Jungwon is lying on the mattress while Riki hovers above him. He grabs Jungwon’s right leg and hikes it high around his waist, and he grabs his wrists in one hand to pin them over his head before he thrusts back in sharply, hitting his prostate dead on. Jungwon practically screams.
“Gorgeous boy,” Riki says lowly as he sets a frankly brutal pace, hard and fast. Every snap of his hips causes his cock to brush against his spot with every move in and out, his head going in deep. Jungwon can practically feel him in his throat with how full he feels. His back arches as his mouth hangs open to voice a string of gasps, moans, and Riki’s name.
Riki leans down to connect their lips in a messy, deep open-mouthed kiss, their tongues brushing and breaths mingling. Jungwon lets his tongue run over the silver ring on his lips, the hard metal perfectly surrounded by plush lips. He’s addicted to it.
Much too soon for Jungwon’s liking, Riki pulls away, his lip ring shining with spit — Jungwon’s spit. That thought has him preening, and his breath goes shallow. “Riki.”
“Fuck, I love how you say my name,” Riki breathes out. His thrusts speed up at the same time they take on an erratic rhythm, and Jungwon’s moans turn into sobs as Riki’s hand releases his wrists in favor of fisting Jungwon’s neglected cock. He writhes against the bed as the dual sensation, and his eyes roll back as his body tenses up.
Jungwon orgasm approaches so quickly that he can’t even give Riki a warning before he cums in white ropes on his stomach, the man above him jerking him off through every wave. As the ebbs of pleasure fade away into oversensitivity, Riki keeps going, but it only takes a few more thrusts before he’s coming in the condom with a drawn out moan. Selfishly, Jungwon wonders what it would feel like to feel it inside of him.
As they still, Riki drops to his elbows to kiss him properly this time, unhurried yet still as intense. It causes Jungwon to relax, melting into the bed under him. When he opens his eyes as they part, Jungwon notices smudges on his glasses. That’s a problem for later, though, especially when he feels his eyelids start to get heavy.
Riki notices, and he pulls out slowly. Jungwon whimpers as he feels both the emptiness inside him and the cool air as Riki pulls himself away.
“I’ll be right back, baby,” He coos, placing a kiss on his forehead, “Give me a second.”
Jungwon nods, and he closes his eyes for a second as he focuses on his breathing. He feels satiated, boneless. He can hear the sound of footsteps, a door opening, and running water. When the water shuts off, he cracks an eye open to see Riki come back in with a wet towel. He’s wearing boxers now, and Jungwon feels a little disappointed to see him covered again. Oh well.
Riki kneels over the bed to wipe at the mess on Jungwon’s stomach, thighs, and ass. He’s gentle and thorough, and it’s so sweet that it makes him want to throw up a little. He feels nauseous as Riki grabs clothes (underwear, sweatpants, and a t-shirt — all black, of course) that he pulls on him, and he feels lightheaded when Riki pulls off his glasses to gently clean them before setting them down on the nightstand.
Jungwon shuffles under the covers of the bed, burrowing himself. He shivers, frowning; he usually likes to have at least three more blankets on him when he sleeps, but this isn’t his bed, is it? He has the thought to leave and go home, but then Riki’s arms wrap around his waist and pull his back flush to his chest. Jungwon is not normally a cuddler in general — least of all after sex — but Riki is warm and comfortable, and he’s so tired. So, he relaxes in the hold and welcomes the soothing ministrations of Riki’s fingers on his stomach as he falls asleep.
_____________________________
The sound of birds chirping and a beam of sunshine peeking through a dark curtain wakes Jungwon up the next morning. It’s a pleasant sort of way to wake up: natural, slowly, and without the blaring of an alarm which is just so nice because he remembers setting it so he can have enough time to get ready for work and prepare for his meeting with —
Shit.
Jungwon’s eyes snap open, but he’s immediately met with the realization that: (1) he, in fact, cannot see without his glasses; and (2) his mobility is restricted by the fact that there’s something warm wrapped around his middle. He shoots an arm out to search for anything to help him, and on the top of something, he feels the familiar frames of his glasses. Grateful, he sighs as he puts them on. As his vision comes back to him, so do all the memories of last night.
First, Jungwon is in someone’s bed, and that someone is Riki, whose arm is wrapped around him in a possessive hold.
Second, his phone is not in this room, and if he had to guess, it’s probably scattered in the hallway with his pants.
Third, because he doesn’t have his phone, he doesn’t know what time it is, and he really should know what time it is.
Fourth, he needs to get out of there before Riki wakes up because while he just had the best sex of his life, he is not in the position to do anything but have one night stands for the rest of his miserable existence.
Jungwon closes his eyes for a moment, cursing his past self, before he carefully lifts Riki’s arm off of him so he can quietly slip out of bed. Thankfully, he doesn’t wake up, so Jungwon is safe to get his stuff and get the fuck out of there. He grabs his briefs off the floor of the bedroom, and he forgoes the opportunity to snoop around the room in favor of carefully opening the bedroom door and stepping out.
He affords himself a bit more wiggle room as he leaves the bedroom and heads into the main area of the apartment. This time, though, he lets himself look around as he tries to find the rest of his clothes. The living room and kitchen are together in some form of small open-floor plan, and the appliances are standard enough. All of the furniture — sofa, chairs, stools — are all some form of faux leather, and there’s a television hanging on one wall. Instead of pictures, the walls are lined with posters of bands and framed vinyls. Jungwon doesn’t recognize a single one except for Michael Jackson’s Thriller and a signed copy of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.
There’s no time to look more, though, because when Jungwon grabs his pants and fishes out his phone, he’s met not only with at least thirty messages and six missed calls from Sunoo, but also with the information that he currently as an hour and a half to get his ass to his and Sunoo’s place, shower, and get to the office. Hurrying now, Jungwon puts on his shoes and exits the apartment. He’s already got his best friend on call.
“Jungwon Yang,” Sunoo answers on the second ring, “Where the fuck have you been?”
Jungwon walks quickly down the hall and to the stairwell. He’s fine with walking down several flights of stairs if it means he doesn’t have to wait for the stupid elevator and remember the way Riki looked at him with hungry eyes the night before.
“Um… Having fun like you told me to,” He replies as he descends the stairs. He shifts his hold on his clothes as he speeds down.
Sunoo is silent for a moment. “Did you get fucked? You left to get some dick without telling me?”
“Maybe?”
“Jesus Christ, okay.” Sunoo huffs, and Jungwon can practically see his look of exasperation which, in his opinion, is completely unwarranted.
“Why are you so upset? You do the same thing every time we go out,” Jugwon grumbles. He’s got only three more flights left to go, thank goodness.
“That’s because I tell you where I’m going every time, and I make sure my location is on in case something happens. Both things you conveniently forgot to do.”
Well, Sunoo does have a point there. Still, Jungwon is Jungwon. “I’m fine, though. Nothing happened.”
“That’s what the girl in a slasher flick says before she gets stabbed.”
Jungwon snorts, and he puts his phone on speaker for a second as he scrolls to order himself a car. He’s relieved to see a driver two minutes away as he finally gets to exit the complex. “You watched Scream again?”
“Maybe…” Sunoo mumbles, “But my point still stands! If you’re going to be a slut, be a safe slut.”
“I’m not going to do anything else, Noo. This was a spur of the moment kind of thing,” Jungwon sighs. He taps his foot on the cement as he waits for his ride to pull up.
“Your self-imposed celibacy is tragic.”
Jungwon hums, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s not celibacy,” He defends, “It’s just nobody up to my standards wants just a one night stand these days. It’s annoying.”
Sunoo clicks his tongue in disappointment. “That’s because you’re twenty-six years old and refuse to even entertain a half-assed date. At least I go get coffee with my hookups after. It’s the nice thing to do.”
They’ve had this conversation many times before, and Jungwon still feels like a scolded child every time. Thankfully, he can see a small black car pull up. “Hey, my Uber’s here. I gotta go.”
“Whatever. See you at home.”
“See you,” Jungwon echoes before he hangs up the phone. He smiles politely as he climbs in the back of the car, and the driver returns it before she rolls off. He’s thankful she doesn’t comment on the fact that he’s carrying his clothes in hands or the fact that he’s wearing sweatpants and a shirt that is big on him. She’s quiet the entire twenty minutes it takes for them to traverse the residential streets to get to the house they rent.
Now, Jungwon does not make townhouse money. With his current salary, he could maybe afford a studio on his own, but Sunoo garnered a substantial following on social media for his beauty and lifestyle videos. He’s got millions of followers on YouTube and Instagram, and he’s gotten sponsorships from a ton of different brands. If his best friend didn’t make a shitton of money, he’d be living on instant ramen and prayers.
When Jungwon enters the house, Sunoo is lying on the living room couch, black hair fanned out like a halo on the armrest as he types something on his phone. He looks up when he hears the door close, and he looks him up and down. Jungwon squirms a little bit as he slips off his shoes.
“You stole his clothes?” Sunoo asks in lieu of a greeting, raising an eyebrow.
Jungwon frowns, looking down at his outfit. “He gave it to me to sleep in. I didn’t have time to change before I left.”
“Hmph.” Sunoo’s eyes are sharp as he studies his face and neck. “You let him mark you up too, I see. You look like you got bit by a vampire with all those teeth marks.”
At that, Jungwon’s eyes widen as he uses his free hand to cover his neck. He didn’t think it would be that bad, but he was a little distracted. God, that’s going to be a bitch to cover up.
“It was good,” He mumbles.
Sunoo smirks. “I see that.”
Alright. Enough of this conversation. “I need to go get ready for work.”
Sunoo waves a hand, and Jungwon huffs as he leaves the living room.
His first stop is the laundry room so he can deposit last night’s clothes in the hamper. Then, he heads to his room to finally shower; he can practically feel every piece of dried sweat and grime in his skin.
Jungwon showers quickly, not wasting any time to wash his hair and scrub his body. As he dries off and gets dressed in an office-approved outfit — gray v-neck sweater, black pants, and a nice belt — he frowns as he sees the various bruises and bite marks on his neck and collarbones. It takes time for him to apply color corrector and concealer on them, but by the time he’s done, the marks are barely noticeable. He looks somewhat put together.
He thanks his past self for having the foresight to pack his work bag the night before because it takes him less than five minutes after drying his hair to grab his things and head out the door. By then, Sunoo is out of the living room, and Jungwon’s grateful for that; he couldn’t handle any more scrutiny before he would scream and punch one of their perfectly decorated walls (courtesy of Sunoo of course).
Travelling to work is uneventful as well. There’s no big traffic jams, blocked roads, or long lights interrupting his journey from his home to Decelis, the record label he works for. It’s a pretty large label, signing artists from multiple genres and notoriety. Outside the building, banners brag over how many of their artists received number one hits or Grammy’s, which Jungwon thinks is a bit egotistical considering they don’t pay him that much. Really, that’s kind of his fault though for joining the label as a simple entry-level assistant upon graduating with his music business degree before going through all the training and certifications necessary to manage talent. Even though he’s now been asked to manage his own act, the pay still isn’t too much, but he at least gets all his travel and meals comped when on official band business. Small wins, he guesses.
Luke, the intern, is already in their office when Jungwon gets there. Internally, he scowls. After four years with the label and a year and a half since his initial promotion to manager-in-training, he’s rewarded with a shared office with an intern. The desk isn’t large by any means, and it makes him feel suffocated with the way Luke likes to crowd him. Jungwon doesn’t even know why Luke even needs an office; most of his tasks include printing copies, getting coffee, and taking minutes at meetings. Jungwon knows for a fact that he spends most of his time on his laptop playing Fortnite.
“Jungwon!” Luke greets, “You’re finally here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this late in your life.”
Jungwon has half a mind to strangle Luke with how loud he’s talking. Sunoo says his grudge against the kid is a little ridiculous, especially when he acts more like a big brother than anything else, but Jungwon is nothing if not a petty bitch, and he’ll deny it until the cows come home. “It’s only been an hour.”
“But don’t you have a meeting soon, Mr. Bigshot Manager?” Luke reaches over to poke his side. Jungwon sends him a glare as he sits down in his chair and boots up his computer.
“Don’t you have actual work to do?” Jungwon grumbles.
Luke shrugs his shoulders. “I mean, yeah, but these guys aren’t paying me. They can’t complain when they get free labor.”
“You’re getting class credit,” Jungwon points out. He checks his emails, and he’s relieved to see an email from his boss with a meeting agenda and briefing on Sweet Venom.
“Reeves signs off on anything, and my professor doesn’t actually do the weekly check-ins.”
Is this what the new generation is coming to?
“Whatever,” Jungwon says, waving him off, “I have work to do, so please keep your hoopla to a minimum.”
Luke snorts. “Hoopla. Did you watch a lot of SpongeBob as a kid?”
“Luke,” Jungwon warns, and thankfully, he leaves him alone for the time being.
Jungwon forgoes the meeting agenda in his emails in favor of opening up the briefing of his band.
The information provided to him is pretty standard. He learns that Sweet Venom is made up of four members: Jay on lead guitar, Jake on rhythm guitar, Ni-ki on bass, and Sunghoon on drums. Interestingly enough, they all seem to split vocals, which is something not super common in the pop punk genre. The label says it gives them a unique competitive edge, but that’s yet to be seen for Jungwon. He refrained from listening to their music before meeting them in order to keep a fairly unbiased opinion. Still, he sees that in the six years that they’ve been together, they’ve released three EPs — Sweet Venom, Go Big or Go Home, and Walk the Line — independently on Spotify to pretty substantial numbers for an underground group. The label’s got them contracted for a full-length studio album, and if it garners them enough success among widespread audiences, they’ve got the option to sign to a full record deal.
Jungwon comes in because the band’s never hired their own manager or agent before. It seems that they’ve handled everything themselves — producing, promotion, shows. He wonders why he’s even needed at this point since the group seems to be almost entirely self-sufficient, but it’s pretty much industry standard to have a manager handle the operations of the whole ordeal, especially as a group gets bigger. He only hopes that they’re open to him being involved, but maybe that’s the whole reason why Reeves chose Jungwon as the manager: give him a trial run with a difficult group.
He sighs and laces his fingers on top of his head. Jungwon wasn’t even given anything in the briefing on any potential schedules or shoots the band might do. It’s a little agitating to be left in the dark about his actual job, but whatever. Hopefully he’ll be given the already scheduled events before he has to start making his own calls on behalf of his clients. That would be ideal, but Reeves is a difficult, difficult man with shit management ideas that magically yield good results (one hundred percent because of the people below him scrambling to put together something coherent and presentable, which Jungwon is now a part of).
By the time he finishes reviewing the briefing and thinking about what a hot mess this could be, Jungwon has five minutes to get his ass to the small conference room where he and Reeves will be meeting Sweet Venom. He stands, cracking his back, and grabs his tablet to take notes on.
As Jungwon leaves the office, Luke stops him.
“Hey,” He says, “If you guys make it big, can I be your PA?”
Jungwon levies Luke’s pleading blue eyes without so much of a blink. “Actually graduate first, and then we’ll talk about it.”
Luke boos him, but Jungwon just rolls his eyes as he leaves his — their — office.
He makes it to the conference room right on time, but when he enters, he sees Reeves and three others turn to face him.
“Ah, here he is! Jungwon Yang,” Jonathan Reeves booms. He’s an older man in his early 50s, grays peeking through his dark hair. He’s dressed like a man boasting more money and power than he actually has, but when you’re one of the heads of the Artist Development division, it’s easy to get drunk with that kind of power. Jungwon just wishes he’d be a little more likable about the whole thing.
“Sorry. I hope I haven’t been keeping you guys waiting,” He says politely. Jungwon quickly moves to sit next to Reeves on one side of the table across from a man with shaggy blonde hair and a kind smile.
“Don’t worry about it. We’re still waiting for our bassist, anyways,” The blonde-haired man says. His voice is warm and inviting, and it matches the way his eyes sparkle on his soft features. “I’m Jake.”
Oh, one of the guitarists. When Jungwon looks down at his hands, he notices the calluses on his palms.
“This is Sunghoon.” Jake points to the man directly to his right. The man is strikingly handsome, Jungwon notes, with a perfectly chiseled face, dark hair, moles on his cheeks and nose, and strong eyebrows. He doesn’t have the same warm smile as Jake, but his posture is relaxed and turned towards Jake as if drawn to his presence.
Jake then reaches behind Sunghoon to point to the man on the other side of him. This man is also ridiculously handsome with silver hair, tan skin, and a strong jawline. Like Jake, his smile is kind, but there’s a hint of fire in his eyes. Is it a requirement for everyone in this band to be attractive? That seems a little unfair.
“That’s Jay,” Jake introduces. Jay gives him a small nod.
They all seem decent enough as he hasn’t been met with outright hostility yet. Even if they never grow close, politeness and niceties will help them out a whole lot. “It’s nice to meet you guys. I’m looking forward to working with you all.”
“We are too,” Jake responds with a reassuring grin. He’s kind, Jungwon thinks.
“How old are you?” Jay asks. He’s leaning his elbows on the conference room table. “I didn’t think we’d get a manager this young.”
That’s a pretty fair assumption. “I just turned twenty six in February.”
“Wow,” Jay says, his eyes wide with surprise, “You’re younger than all of us except Ni-ki.”
Sunghoon pipes in. “Do you have experience, though? Have you even worked with a band before?”
Jake sends a glare to him and elbows him in the side as he mutters a “not cool dude”, but Jungwon’s not upset or offended in the slightest. He knows he’s young, and he knows he’s not what most expect when a label assigns a manager. He’s seen some his age, but they’re all artist-hired as agents. He waves Jake’s concerns off, shrugging.
“Jungwon’s been with us since he graduated with his music business degree,” Reeves interrupts, “He’s gone through extensive training, certifications, and shadowing programs. There’s a reason why he’s been able to rise in such a short amount of time.”
Wow. That’s the nicest thing Reeves has ever said to him or about him in his entire time working here. He feels touched.
“Of course, if you ever feel like he’s doing a subpar job, let me know and we’ll get rid of him. He’s not irreplaceable.”
There it is. Jungwon has to refrain from rolling his eyes so hard that they get stuck in the back of his head. Fuck the company.
Jake’s eyes widen, panicked, and he shakes his head. “That’s really not necessary. I’m sure we’ll be just fine.”
“Good,” Reeves responds, a cheery smile on his face.
There’s an uncomfortable silence after that between the band and Jungwon, but Reeves seems to pay no mind. It’s just like him to be ignorant of the bad vibes he caused. He really wants the last member of Sweet Venom to arrive already so they can get to business. The less amount of time he spends in Reeves’s presence, the better. Jungwon opens his tablet and starts messing around on there to appear like he’s doing something to pass the time. He’s just gotten through a level of one of those water sorter games he downloaded from an ad on Candy Crush when the sound of the conference room door opens.
“Sorry I’m late. Parking was terrible.”
Chills run down Jungwon’s spine, the same reaction he had when that deep voice purred in his ear last night.
He whips his head up, and sure enough, he’s met with the sight of Riki smiling sheepishly as he enters. He’s dressed down today — covered in loose sweatpants and a gray hoodie with black appliques half-zipped to show a white undershirt — but he still makes Jungwon’s heart constrict. Riki’s chewing on his lip ring, and it reminds him of the way he tugged it between his teeth.
“Oi, Ni-ki!” Jay clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “This is why you should’ve taken up our offer to carpool.”
Jungwon disagrees. If he had seen Riki when he first walked in, he would’ve immediately turned around and walked back out. The only reason why he hasn’t bolted out of the room is the fact that he’s already here with his boss seated next to him.
“I value my sleep,” Riki responds, mirth in his eyes as he looks at his bandmates.
“Sure,” Jay says flippantly, “Be polite and say hi to our new manager.”
Riki hums before he turns to face him. When he meets Jungwon’s eyes, a brief look of shock appears before his lips curl into a smirk. His eyes sparkle. “New manager, huh?”
Jungwon has to fight every cell in his being to not react. He plasters a polite smile on his face and pretends he doesn’t know what it feels like to have that smirk pressed against his neck. “Jungwon Yang, nice to meet you.”
“Riki Nishimura.” He walks over to the empty seat beside Jake and catty corner to Jungwon. Before he sits down, he extends a hand out. There’s a certain sharpness in Jungwon’s eyes as he reaches over to shake Riki’s hand. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Riki’s hand lingers a little too long in his hold, and his fingertips brush along Jungwon’s pulse point as he pulls away. Jungwon wishes it was more acceptable for adults to throw tantrums because all he wants to do is scream and bang his fists on the ground. This meeting is going to be hell.
Jungwon glances around at the others as he pulls the hand Riki held close to his chest and sits down, but everyone looks unphased. Well, everyone but Sunghoon who glances between Riki and Jungwon with calculating eyes. Jungwon shifts in his seat, and the tips of his ears burn. He turns to look at Reeves, but he can feel Riki’s eyes boring into him all the same.
“Now that we’re all here, we can get down to business,” Reeves says, his voice casual and friendly despite the stern nature of his next words, “Now that you’ve met Jungwon here, it’s best to go over your obligations for the next few months. Remember, in your initial contract, you owe us an album, and we would like it soon. The higher ups and I want to see if their investment is worthwhile before we decide to commit, since your act is not typically meant for our kind of audience.”
Jungwon’s lips purse, sour. He can see Sunghoon’s frown deepen and Jay’s jaw clench. Jungwon doesn’t even turn to look at Riki. If he does, he doesn’t know if he’ll come back to focus.
“How long are you giving us?” Jake asks, his voice calm despite the flippancy Reeves is showing them.
“Three months to write and record. We’re looking for ten to twelve songs and at least two singles we can submit for radio play and promotion.”
Jay leans forward in his chair, a frown on his face. “That’s not a lot of time.”
“You’ll manage,” Reeves responds, “We’re sending you to Seattle to work with Charlie and Sam Hayes. Their team will be producing the album for you in their studio. I trust that they’ll be able to help you make an album up to our standards.”
Jungwon is hit with a wave of secondhand embarrassment on behalf of his idiotic boss. Privately, he wonders why Sweet Venom even signed with Decelis Records if Reeves was among the first people they met. Maybe he wasn’t, and they were led into a false sense of security. He just hopes that this disaster doesn’t reflect badly on him, but it probably does.
“Charlie and Sam Hayes?” It’s Riki who speaks this time. Jungwon turns to face him, when he does, he sees a hint of awe sparkle in his eyes. Thankfully, he’s not looking at Jungwon; his entire attention is on Reeves.
“Ah, you know them,” Reeves hums, surprised.
Riki snorts. “It's hard not to know them in our world; you’d probably know that if you knew a bit more about it.”
Reeves straightens in his seat.
“What he means is that we know them, and we respect them a lot,” Jake jumps in, placing a hand on Riki’s arm, “Thank you for the opportunity.”
Jungwon sees Reeves relax, the same easygoing smile on his face never wavering. “Of course. You’ll be leaving in a week. Jungwon will accompany you, of course.”
Well, Jungwon would have liked that information a bit more than a week in advance. He doesn’t even know if he has enough clothes or items to practically move to Seattle for three months. One week is not enough time to order everything he might need unless he begs Sunoo to pay for express shipping for him.
“Jungwon will be your point of contact for all your schedules now. You’ll start with a shoot tomorrow so we can officially announce your signing as artists, but after that, you are no longer my responsibility. If you need anything, want anything, do anything, it goes through Jungwon. Treat him as an extension of me, if you will.”
Oh, he definitely does not want that. Reeves makes it sound like his job is to be a warden rather than a manger, and that rubs Jungwon the wrong way. He doesn’t plan on keeping that promise.
“Sure,” Jake says diplomatically.
Reeves nods, satisfied. “Ah, great.” He looks down at his watch then, humming. “Well, that’s my time for today. I’m a busy man, boys, but I wish you all a good rest of your day.”
No one returns the kind words, especially when Reeves just gets up and saunters out of the door. Instead, when the door to the room slams close, Jungwon winces. He sets his tablet down on the smooth wood of the conference table as he looks at the band members. His eyes scan from Jay’s crossed arms to Sunghoon’s impassive expression to Jake’s slight fidgeting to Riki’s unreadable expression. Jungwon’s eyes stay on Riki for a moment too long, and it causes the bassist’s lips to quirk up.
It takes a lot of Jungwon to avert his gaze, but he does. “So, do you have any questions for me?” It’s trouble to keep his voice light and professional amidst the torture that was a meeting with Reeves, but he thinks he manages decently.
There’s a couple beats of silence before Jay speaks up. “Is he always that much of an asshole?”
“Yes.” Jungwon fights the laugh that bubbles up in him, but he can’t help the small smile that tugs at his lips. “I’m sorry you guys had to deal with that.”
“The same could be said to you. He wasn’t very nice to you either,” Jake adds. He drums his fingers on the top of the table before he tries to dig his nails in the cuticle of his thumb, but Sunghoon reaches over to snatch his hand away. He doesn’t let go of the guitarist’s hand, and Jungwon decides to file that information away.
Jungwon hears the squeak of a chair, and he turns his head to the right to see Riki closing in on Jake’s space as he leans over the table. He looks like he’s about to jump over the furniture.
“He said something to you, too?” Riki asks, eyes locked in on Jungwon. There’s a slight pout on his face, and it reminds him distinctly of a baby duck’s beak.
“He threatened to fire him if he doesn’t meet our standards, whatever that means,” Sunghoon says, and Riki’s head swings over to look at his bandmate so fast that Jungwon wonders how he didn’t suffer whiplash
“What a fucking asshole,” Riki says with venom, “Can’t even treat his own people with respect. How has he not been fired?”
Jungwon chuckles. “Nepotism. His wife is the daughter of one of the board members. He talks about it, like, every time there’s a board meeting.”
Jake tilts his head, blinking his wide eyes at him. “Isn’t that an ethical violation?”
“Capitalism doesn’t care about ethics, Jakey,” Sunghoon placates. His eyes and voice are softer when he speaks to Jake, but neither Jay nor Riki react, meaning they’re either together or Sunghoon is in love with an oblivious Jake. Whichever it is, Jungwon is intrigued both from a professional and personal standpoint.
There’s a lot of questions he has for Sweet Venom, but he doesn’t want to ask — at least, not right now — so he changes the subject. “Considering everything, I do want to say that I don’t intend to keep you guys on a leash. Obviously, for any official activities or potential sponsorships or things like that, talk to me, but I really don’t care what you guys do on your personal time. If there’s any problems that come up, we’ll address them then. I’m your manager, not your babysitter.”
Jungwon feels the tension in the room ease, and it makes it easier for him to breathe without the need to run.
Well, until Riki opens his mouth again. “What if we want you to be our babysitter, though?”
Every pair of eyes in the room turns to Riki. While the rest of the band has a mixture of surprise and confusion on their faces, Jungwon has a displeased expression on his.
“We or you?” He retorts. Riki only grins. “You’re a grown man. I’m sure you’ll be okay.”
“I’m grown in a multitude of ways,” Riki purrs.
Jay groans, scrunching his nose. “Stop being gross, Ni-ki. He’s going to report you to HR.”
Riki hums, and his eyes never leave Jungwon as he responds, “He won’t.”
“You can’t possibly know that,” Jay scoffs.
“It’s just a hunch,” Riki muses.
The room is quiet as Jungwon and Riki stare at each other, the former with a stony stare while the latter has amusement coating his features. It reminds Jungwon of the easy banter the night before, how Riki seems to poke and prod and challenge every pushback he gives him. Jungwon hates how it causes heat to flare in him.
Jake breaks the silence. What an angel, truly. “If there’s not anything else, we should probably go. It seems we have some work to do before we go to Seattle.”
“Not that I know of right now. I haven’t gotten any schedules yet, but I imagine I’ll have something by the time you guys come in tomorrow. We can talk more then,” Jungwon assures with a polite smile as he tears his gaze away from Riki.
Jake returns the smile as he gets up from his chair, and Sunghoon and Jay follow. Riki, however, stays in his seat.
“Riks, you coming?” Jay asks as he stops in the doorway.
Riki shakes his head as he lounges in the chair. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a sec. I wanted to ask our lovely manager something.”
Jay frowns. “Dude, don’t bother him like that. I’m sure he’s got important stuff to do.”
Jungwon does have things to do, but he thinks talking to Riki would be a good idea, actually. If he’s going to be seeing Riki every day and have a single chance at acting normal, he needs to clear some things up, set some boundaries.
“It’s fine,” He says, “I’ve got some time.”
Riki beams, and Jay sighs. “Alright.” He turns to his bandmate. “ We’re going to Sunghoon and Jake’s place, so just meet us there.”
Riki flashes him a thumbs up, and Jay is gone with a click of the door. They’re alone now, and tension fills the air again. His eyes follow every movement as Riki stands up from his spot and walks around the table. Knowing where he’s heading, Jungwon gets up and attempts to put some distance between them. Riki, almost a whole head taller than him and 80% legs, is quick enough to grab Jungwon’s arm before he can get too far.
Jungwon turns to face Riki, and his breath hitches when he sees how close they are. He takes a step back. Riki lets him, but his hand stays wrapped around his bicep.
“No running away from me again, Won,” Riki says, a cheeky smile on his face, “What will everyone think if my own manager can’t stand to be near me?”
Jungwon narrows his eyes, and he focuses on keeping his gaze anywhere but his lips. “They’ll think that I’m a manager with a professional relationship with his clients.”
Riki hums, and his sharp eyes glint with amusement as if this was nothing more than another volley. “I think we’re already past a professional relationship.”
“That doesn’t count,” Jungwon protests.
“No?” Riki’s eyes flick down, and he lets go of Jungwon’s bicep in favor of running his fingers over the skin right below his collarbone, exposed from where his sweater slid a fraction. “The evidence is still there.”
Jungwon lets out a hiss as Riki presses his thumb over a bruise he must have missed. “I wouldn’t have slept with you if I knew who you were.”
The bassist grins as his fingers trace the line of his neck up to his jaw. Jungwon’s eyes follow the movement, and his gaze lingers on the ring pushing against his pink lips. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Why? I’m being perfectly honest.”
Riki’s hand is cradling his jaw now, and his thumb brushes over his bottom lip. “I see the way you’re looking at me, Jungwon. It’s not hard to figure out that you want me.”
He should pull away. He should step back and put some distance between him and Riki, but he finds that he can’t. Jungwon is unfortunately pulled into Riki’s orbit, and that’s all the more reason to stay as separated from him as possible.
“It doesn’t matter what I want or not,” He says, “I have a job to do, and so do you. We are a manager and an artist, and that’s it — nothing more, nothing less.”
Riki is staring at his lips, his hand still on his jaw. He slides it down until he’s got his chin between his forefinger and thumb. Jungwon is breathless as Riki tilts his head up and leans in until their lips are a breadth away. Jungwon’s eyes flutter close as he waits.
“I can be professional for you, baby,” Riki whispers against his lips, and then he’s pulling away completely. His hands drop to his side as he takes a couple steps back. Jungwon blinks up at him, dazed. His skin burns from where Riki’s hands just were.
Jungwon is still staring in disbelief as Riki rounds the table, satisfaction written all over his features. Jungwon’s eyes follow every move as he retreats to the door of the conference room.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Manager Yang,” Riki teases, and then he’s gone.
As the door shuts, Jungwon feels like he can finally breathe again. His shoulders droop and he runs a hand over his face, groaning. He could really use a fucking cigarette right now.
_____________________________
Jungwon has never been so happy to be home in his life. He didn’t even change out of his sweater and slacks before he grabbed a pack of Marlboro reds he keeps hidden in the drawer of his nightstand and sat in one of the grated metal chairs on their back porch. The ashtray sitting on the outside table already has two stubs in it.
He lights up his third as he watches the sun go down, the tip clenched between his teeth. The rush of the nicotine does wonders to calm him after the hellscape that’s been the past twenty-four hours. Realistically, he’s not that calm yet. Jungwon would have stopped after one if it was a normal shitshow with Reeves, but every time he lets his guard down, he thinks of Riki, thinks of him in ways he shouldn’t.
Sighing, Jungwon takes a drag and focuses on the burning in his throat. He doesn’t think about how Riki’s tongue touched every place the smoke brushes in his mouth.
The backdoor slides open, and he doesn’t even have to turn behind him to know it’s Sunoo.
“Jungwonie.” Sunoo sounds exasperated, but that isn’t surprising. He’s been trying to get him to quit for years, but he’s never been successful. Their agreement is for Jungwon to keep it outside which is something he’ll gladly do; he’d have a breakdown if the smoke lingered in the vanilla smell of his room.
“Hmm?” Jungwon responds as he taps the end of the cigarette on the ashtray to get some of the lingering ash off.
Sunoo comes to stand in front of him, a soft pout on his lips. He’s got a fluffy white headband pushing his auburn hair out of his face, and his skin is dewy. He must’ve just gotten done taking off whatever makeup he had put on for filming. His eyes flick down to the ashtray, and his frown grows.
“What happened? This is more than usual.”
Jungwon sighs, and his eyes zero in on the smoke emanating from his mouth. He takes another drag.
“The first one is because I had to deal with Reeves’s bullshit,” He says, rolling his eyes.
Sunoo huffs out a laugh, the corners of his lips upturning. “What’d he do this time?”
“Called me replaceable, was ignorant to the clients, made everyone uncomfortable, the usual.” Jungwon shrugs.
“Asshole,” Sunoo mumbles, but he doesn’t sound surprised. He knows by now the absolute horror that is his boss. “What about the others? One for each member of your band?”
“Nope.” Jungwon purses his lips as he stubs out the butt of the cigarette in the ashtray. He resists pulling out a fourth. “It’s all for one.”
Sunoo crosses his arms over his chest as he peers over Jungwon. Curiosity bleeds into his expression. “Oh? Is he like a total diva rockstar or something?”
Jungwon looks up at him. “Worse. The bassist is the guy I hooked up with last night.”
“No. Fucking. Way.” Sunoo giggles. He’s quick to take out his phone and quickly type away. “What’s the name of the band again?”
Jungwon almost deflates when that question is asked. Mostly, it’s because once Sunoo is set on something, he doesn’t let it go. If Jungwon were to deflect, Sunoo would be on his ass about it. With any other person, it wouldn’t matter, but Sunoo doesn’t forget.
So, sensing defeat, Jungwon mumbles, “Sweet Venom.”
Jungwon closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the metal railing of the chair back. He listens to Sunoo’s focused hums and tapping as he waits for—
“Jungwon Yang. Jungwon fucking full government name Yang.”
Hearing his name, he cracks an eye open to see Sunoo staring at him in pure disbelief. “What?”
Sunoo turns his phone around to reveal a photo of Riki posted to Sweet Venom’s instagram. It has to be at least a few months old because the bassist has bleach blonde hair in the photo, the ends curling down his neck. His lips are parted as sweat beads down his face. Riki is wearing a t-shirt that he must have cut the sleeves off of himself because the holes hang low enough to expose his ribs and the tattoo trailing along his side. The muscles in his forearms flex as he strums the guitar, an action shot clear as day. Seeing the picture makes heat flare in Jungwon’s gut.
“This is the man you slept with? This god of a man?” Sunoo presses, “This is the man you planned on ghosting?”
Jungwon’s eyes leave the phone and flicker up to Sunoo’s, but the process is slow. His gaze inevitably goes back down to look at the picture again. “Yes.”
Then, Sunoo laughs, a hand reaching up to cover his mouth as he does. He laughs and laughs and laughs, the phone disappearing from Jungwon’s line of sight as he doubles over.
“What?” Jungwon demands, frowning.
It takes a few more seconds before Sunoo answers him. “Wonie, honey, you can’t be serious.”
Jungwon blinks. Sunoo takes it as a sign to keep going. “This guy? Ni-ki? He’s hot. Like, he’s more than hot… he’s the exact description of your dream guy from freshman year of college.”
Sunoo is not exactly wrong. When they were eighteen, freshly friends, and trying to avoid studying, they shared their dream guy, the one person that could walk into a room and change the entire trajectory of their life. When asked, Jungwon described someone the complete opposite of him: tall, fashionable (when compared to Jungwon’s low effort jeans and pullovers), sharp eyes, pretty smile, tattoos and piercings preferred. Above all, Jungwon said he couldn’t be with someone that wasn’t interesting, that didn’t have passions or interests or a love of something, though he hoped music would be one of them.
Jungwon hadn’t thought of the list in years. Riki checks every box.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Jungwon says, “I obviously think he’s attractive; I wouldn’t have slept with him if I didn’t, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want anything more. One night was enough.”
Sunoo snorts as he looks from his phone to Jungwon back to his phone. “Sure, whatever you say, babe. Just know that when you come crawling back to me saying you slept with him again — or better yet, when you say you have feelings for the guy —, I’m going to laugh in your face and tell you I told you so.”
Jungwon rolls his eyes as he shakes his head. “That’s not going to happen. I’m still his manager at the end of the day.”
“So if you weren’t his manager, you’d see him again?”
“What are you even talking about? That’s a whole new sentence.”
“Denial is a river in Egypt,” Sunoo giggles. He steps away then, and as he steps back through the sliding door to their house, he calls, “Remember, I told you so.”
Jungwon, again, rolls his eyes before he slumps against the chair. He closes his eyes yet doesn’t reach for another cigarette. Instead, he hopes and prays he can make it through three months in Seattle with Riki Nishimura alive.