Archive of Our Own

It was a miracle that happens only once in one hundred years — and if you were lucky enough to be able to see it, then it’s said that destiny has something in store for you. At least, that is what all the news were saying when they began to describe the phenomenon of meteorites burning their way through Busan’s night sky. 

As he leaned back, the still slightly damp grass from the morning rain pressed up against the small of his back, Yunho thinks they forgot to mention just how pretty the actual sight would be. They were so busy pushing the fact that the sight was so rare that they never thought to share how they would be able to see the bright yellows melting like the summer’s trendy watermelon popsicle sticks into deep purples and softer pinks while the stars took a backseat for once.

“It’s pretty isn’t it? I wish I had one of those fancy cameras they use for documentaries so I could take relapse photos,” he muttered, gaze still locked onto the sky above them. “It would have been so nice to have my art project be about this.”

“They only found out about this happening over Korea like a day ago, didn’t they?” The words are filled with quiet wonder even as slightly calloused fingers searched for Yunho’s own. They intertwine, easy and familiar, together between their bodies. “I bet all the art teachers are losing it knowing that it was too late to set up something cool.”

Yunho thinks of the way Mr. Park had scrambled into his middleschool’s homeroom in the morning with his stuttering words and a large telescope in its case carefully propped up behind him.

‘It’s a once in a lifetime chance! So if you can, ask your parents for permission and take a walk right before midnight and see if you can see it for yourself. Even if it’s not as clear in your area because of the clouds, it’s a moment you don’t want to miss!’ Mr. Park had gestured excitedly with his hands, large movements and fingers pointing outside the classroom’s windows even though it was barely past eight at the time. 

‘There’s even a folklore that says if you see it with someone special and make a wish, you’re bound to see it come true — as long as the both of you are together. Why not try it out?’ 

Half of the class had giggled, hearts in their eyes and cheeks flushed from both the excitement and embarrassment that came with the beginning of puberty. The other half pretended not to care and scoffed or snorted in derision over the childishness of the idea.

But Yunho who sat at the very back, near the corner, had a great view of his classmates and he saw the way they kept stealing glances here and there. Maybe they weren’t as freely vocal about their excitement or the idea of making a wish but they were looking forward to it all the same. 

“Yeah, I think so too. But it’s cool, right? I’m glad both our parents didn’t mind us staying up late!” 

Yunho laughed and nodded. It helped that they were just hanging out in Yunho’s backyard instead of somewhere like the park a few blocks away or at the school rooftop — where the teachers had offered any students to join them if they pleased. 

“Look! That one is huge!” Out of all the ones flying through the sky, one in particular burned so brightly that it almost shone white. The hand holding his own squeezed him excitedly. “Let’s make a wish on that one, Yunho!” 

Again, Yunho could only grin and nod. He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath until it felt like his lungs were expanding with the energy of the moment around them. There is only one wish he had in mind that he really, really wants to come true. It was so easy to decide what he wanted to ask for  — who he wanted to always be with. 

He doesn’t know how long it had been between them making a wish but when a thumb softly, lovingly caressed circles against the side of his hand and he opens his eyes, the meteor was gone and the rest of the sky was starting to darken again back to their usual painting of small but brightly glittering sparks amongst a shade of black and dark blue. Other than the grass around them and the leftover rain, there’s still their shared milk scent. Yunho thinks if he could, he’d like this moment to go on forever.

Instead, Yunho turns his head to his side and blinks through his messy curtain of bangs at him. The crooked toothy smile the other boy gives is a little shy, a little — something else. Pretty, he thinks. So very pretty and soft. 

“So what did you wish for, Yunho?” 

He opens his mouth to share and —

Yunho blinks himself awake with the taste of last night’s alcohol still coating his tongue, bitter and disgustingly dry. He hasn’t had that dream in a while and even now, as he rubs the sleep away from his eyes, the vestigial memory is already losing all the details until he can’t even remember more than a few specific moments. Nostalgia always tastes a little bittersweet when it comes straight from his teen years — making it feel like the moment happened just yesterday. 

As if he was still fifteen, sixteen, and then seventeen instead of the 28 year old man he is now. 

Based on the sunlight spilling in from the windows, it must be just a little after dawn. It wasn’t bright enough yet to burn and demand its presence to be acknowledged with a wince, but in just an hour or so, it’ll evolve into it so he might as well get up now. Summer days wait for no one, especially not for an omega who has long outgrown his lazy pup years. He sighs and groans tiredly as he places a hand on the wall to pull himself up from the bare mattress he had used for his bed. 

Moving is hard but moving across cities was a challenge that Yunho is beginning to think he underestimated greatly. Everything had gone wrong from the get go starting with the movers being delayed several hours past the original appointment. It meant that by the time Yunho had left his old apartment to head to the train station, they had still been loading things up onto the truck. 

The goal had been for everything to arrive a little bit after he got the keys and signed the final sheets of paperwork for his little Hongdae shop and connecting apartment. He hadn’t planned to explore the neighborhood so early on since Yunho was really hoping to start unpacking and setting the furniture up. 

Unfortunately, by the time the movers actually arrived at the front of his little shop, it was almost eleven and he had been too exhausted to try building his bed frame and unpacking the boxes to pull out the bedsheets and the comforters. In the end, Yunho had accepted his fate and threw down his mattress and used his sweater as a makeshift pillow. 

It was discomforting to sleep in a space that smelled like nothing at all. Most apartments once the previous tenant moved out usually do a full scent cleanse and Yunho had expected to have most of his things to combat that odd hospital bleached smell before he slept.

But the only things he could get out before he passed out were one set of cups, plates, and utensils, his two-in-one shampoo, and a singular umbrella in case it rains in the morning. Maybe that was why he had his dream. The mind does its best to comfort even when physically there was nothing that could help.

The one good thing is that the electricity and water was already set up and properly running in the apartment. It meant that even in the end of July, with the air conditioner on, life was liveable. He imagines spring and fall to be lovely too with the floor to ceiling windows — one of the reasons why the omega picked this little shop and apartment despite said apartment being the size of a one bedroom — prop open.

“Things change, everything changes —” This time when Yunho groaned, it was because he had no idea where his phone was. A bit of patting around reveals it managed to get caught between the wall and the edge of the mattress overnight. A quick swipe of his finger unlocks it and Yunho quickly slides up to accept the call. 

“Hey,” he croaks out as he shuffles to the kitchen. He gives the yesterday him a little imaginary pat on the back as he fills the only cup he pulled out with water to sip. “What’s up, Yeosang?” 

“You sound like you went through the ringer, Yunho-yah.” The amusement leaking through his phone’s speaker makes Yunho grumble and pout even if his old college roommate can’t see it. Screw him, Yeosang wasn’t the one who had to move by themselves from Busan to Hongdae just to start his new business. He ignores the little spike of unhappiness he releases –  like cotton catching on fire at the edge and getting a little burnt for no reason.

“I kinda did, remember? The movers took so long I basically ended up sleeping on the floor.” 

“Really? I thought they had a really low chance of something like that happening though? It’s the same company I used when I moved from our hometown to live with San and Wooyoung.” 

Ah, San and Wooyoung. Yeosang’s two true loves. Yunho had wondered before if it was actually going to work out between them, considering how Yeosang had fell into Iike with Wooyoung during his high school years only for the other boy to move for college and then fall in love with San. 

(Yunho still remembers the romantic awakening his roommate had gone through after that one particular video call where Wooyoung spent the whole time bragging about how cute and squishy his intro to biology partner was to Yeosang. There had been a round of crying and drinking that resulted in a fully demolished tub of Costco’s miniature chocolate cookies and an empty bottle of some of the worst tasting vodka Yunho has ever had a pleasure to swallow.) 

But things had worked out in the end and Yeosang, a rather beautiful beta with a heart of gold, found himself visiting Wooyoung and San so often that it became a little throuple by the time they were in their senior year of college and university. He still enjoys teasing his old roommate about his love story but watching him love and be loved in return by the two alphas filled Yunho with a sort of joy that he couldn’t really name.

(And if it was laced with a little bit of envy, no one needed to know except Yunho himself.) 

“Maybe it’s just my half luck. You know what my father used to say,” Yunho muses.

Yeosang and Yunho laugh together as he refills his cup again. Hydration is a very important way to start the day and knowing him, he’ll need it to cover the next two cups of Americano coffee he’ll consume before meeting up with his friends. 

“Isn’t that just hoping you’ll have something really good coming for you since you just suffered through something shitty?” Yeosang quips back, never one to ignore a chance at teasing especially when Yunho isn’t there to physically tickle him in response. “You know, that does seem to match with so many things that happened to you just this year. Not everyone goes through two internships at once during university only to get fired from both because the fashion companies or the professor stole your work. It’s crazy that they didn’t credit you for both your ideas and your photos.” 

Before he can reply, he hears the sound of a scuffle happening in the background and Yunho can easily predict what is about to happen in the next minute as the phone changes hands. 

Yeosang’s soft voice is replaced with a higher pitch one, sharp in all the way it teases but as friendly as can be. 

“Hey, Yunho! How is our favorite countryside omega doing on his second day in Seoul?” 

“It’s not all that different from living in Busan, Wooyoung, but it’s nice of you to ask.” 

One big city isn’t all too different from another. Most of the time, the difference comes from the community — in how they talk to others, the culture in the workplaces and the main industries, and whether or not the primary residents were of the older and more stricter generation or younger. 

Busan was a little bit of both with more growing families than singles trying to make a name for themselves. The expectations had been simple but the obligations were enough to drown an omega to death if they had dreams of anything other than a simple and traditional life. Yunho, already standing out since he was in highschool with his less than common omega build and very competitive personality, made more enemies than friends when it came to his work.

Passion, in an ideal world, is enough to keep going. For Yunho, he needs a little more than just an opportunity to work on the projects he likes.

He wants credit too and that is a little harder to swallow for the older alphas in Busan’s fashion industry which lead him to leave it all together and go into marketing instead.

Leadership, like society, continues to be patriarchal despite the ongoing protests and movements for change. Alphas are still seen as the best in seats that required directing and decision making. Betas, with their flexibility and naturally calm dispositions, excelled in management positions. 

Omegas —are great in the entertainment industry as artists, singers, and actors. The stereotype insists they don’t enjoy corporate work and very few, rightfully, would even want to attempt going through the struggle of discrimination while career climbing in corporations. Undeniably, there are simply more freedoms for omegas in industries where they could network, grow their skills, and gain a following that support them along their career. The more public facing it is, the easier apparently.  

Yunho, in that sense, is a bit of an anomaly, being horribly stubborn and competitive in and outside of work. He might have gotten compliments earlier on in his career for his sweet disposition but that quickly changed to complaints about his argumentative nature once he began pushing back on coffee requests and doing only meeting prep work.  

“You’ll notice the difference soon enough. Your shop is in Hongdae, isn’t it?” He could already hear San mumbling the answer to Wooyoung but Yunho answers it anyways, just in case. 

“Yep. Right smack dab in between the smaller stores just a few blocks up from the train station. It’s not as close as I’d like to be but the cost of rental is a whole different world once you pass a certain block and there are plenty of small businesses that might want a hand with marketing.” 

He tried his best to get as close to the mainstreet as possible but more so for the convenience of future clients and less so because he needs people to actually walk past for work. The type of projects he intends to take and search out will most likely require NDAs and more private meetings. He’s hoping to work with celebrities and leadership more so than the average person.

But he won’t be picky for the first few months. Until he can really get things running, he’ll take any project for the exposure. 

“We’ll have to visit sometime!” Another mumble, this time sounding more like Yeosang, before Wooyoung continues. “Like Yeosang and San said, I wish we had time to come visit now and help you unpack and everything but work is killing us. It’s the kids’ debut album and it’s a whole mess because the budget ended up being smaller than what they originally promised.” 

“That’s right! You’re all working in the same company now, right? What was it again? KQ Entertainment?”

All he remembers is that it is considered a small company with a lot of big fish and talent swimming in it. They had started in Hongdae too before the company moved to the Gangnam area. They had pride in their recruitment process. Something about talent over looks and passion over pure experience. Most importantly, they cared a little less about biological designations than the big four so anyone can do what they wanted as long as they were passionate and had the talent.

Again, Yunho is a little bit envious. 

“Was it Yeosang who interned there or was it San?” One of them did and the others got pulled into it slowly from their own work. Yunho would joke and tease them about it being nepotism but there is truth in that and there is also truth in their own talents.

“Mhm. It was Sannie who got in first as a choreographer – one of their firsts too! – before he introduced Yeosang as a substitute makeup stylist. They ended up keeping Yeosang and then when KQ finally expanded to have an in-house team for shooting and recording, I got hired!” 

Yunho can’t imagine working everyday with his partners but he knows that the three do rather well together. They’ve always managed to balance both their boundaries and their needs even during university days. With no distance and all the time, they must be living a personal paradise.

“It must be crazy now then if you’re all prepping for a new group to debut. The very first boy group in like…three years? Four?” 

He moves toward the sink and rinses his cup, finally satisfied with the amount of water he drank. After a quick shower, he could always grab his bag and head out to the local coffee shop to grab something small and quick before returning to unpack. 

“It is.” Wooyoung admits reluctantly, “And it’s actually been five years since they tried debuting the previous group. That one ended up with the group splitting and doing solos instead so the stakeholders really want this to go well.” Money that goes in has to be made back, Yunho muses to himself. A company may love what they do but going into the red too many years just means they risk not being able to open the doors the next.

“The kids have been working so hard for so long too that it kind of feels like a ‘do or die’ situation with this debut. If we keep putting it off, there are going to be younger kids debuting as competition next year and we can’t risk that with all the work we’ve put in.” 

Yunho makes a vague sound of understanding and reaches to switch the shower on. Wooyoung continues speaking without a care even though he knows that the alpha can hear the water start. He places his phone right against the small window sill and sets it to the speaker before slipping under hot water.

“Things would have been fine if it weren’t for the project losing a bit of sponsorship but KQ really didn’t want to do direct advertising in the debut MV, you know? Luckily, we got a really good in-house music production team so everyone is confident that the songs are going to chart and payment isn’t an issue. It’s actually the rest of it that’s a problem.”

“You mean manufacturing the goods or –?” 

“No, it’s the marketing direction. Originally the team handling the ad placement from the sponsor was going to also do it for free but now, y’know. They rescinded the offer and we don’t have anyone in-house to actually set up campaigns or direct.”

Yunho winces mid hair wash as he immediately realizes what kind of issues the KQ team might be facing. “And all the ones you’re working with are quoting too high?” This late in the game, priority fees and consulting fees would be crazy too.

The sigh from Wooyoung makes him laugh considering he knows he’s heard the same sigh in a different font from some of his old clients. 

“It’s a capitalistic world, Young-ah. I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone who can do what you want but still offer you a good quote.” 

“Easy for you to say because you actually do these things! You know how much things would be worth from the shoots to the work behind the scenes!” Wooyoung whines as Yunho laughs a little louder, even as he has to close his eyes and step into the shower to scrub his shampoo off his hair. 

“Tell you what, if you really can’t find anyone else to help you out, tell your company to reach out to me,” he jokes. “I might be a little bit of a no-name in your industry even after everything that happened but you know I’ll do you right – for a livable price and a decent amount of exposure.” 

He really ought to be a little concerned about the way Wooyoung (and everyone else apparently) goes silent at his words on the other end of the line but hindsight can be a bitch. 

“I’ll even help set up the online ads and campaigns for you with my own accounts so your company doesn’t have to pay for the licenses. Just make sure to give me a shout out in the speech when your debut group wins – I don’t know, Music Bank or something.” 

“You’re serious?” 

Yunho, distracted and amused by his own imagined moment of fame, of being given thanks on a big tv show, just hums in agreement. Conditioner goes right on once the shampoo slips down the drain.

“So serious. Just give me a call if you need me. What are friends for, right?” 

And who knows? Maybe it’ll be the foot in the door he needs to make sure he’s getting somewhere in his new home. 

They spend the rest of the shower catching up on everything else and making proper dinner plans. Apparently there were a few people the throuple really wanted him to meet because Wooyoung was so sure that the current head of the project on the music side is totally Yunho’s type. He’s a tall alpha to boot and criminally single for reasons unknown to the rest of the team.

Yunho thinks to himself that he can’t blame the mysterious alpha as someone who didn’t even bother looking for a partner as soon as he hit university. Besides, he had always thought about one person in particular – and that person was long gone. 

It’s his fault though for losing his phone to the river during a bike ride to highschool. He should have learned to memorize some phone numbers or at least the last Kakaotalk id from his first best friend but things had gotten so busy that by the time it happened – he could only remember the last message they shared at their middle school graduation. 

Mingi is going to end up eating all his notebooks and then his actual computer at this point. To think that they have almost all of the debut album done and approved except for the title track. It doesn’t help his anxiety with the downward ticking clock either which meant he had been staying later and later in his studio the last few weeks. 

It is at a point where the producer is staring at his screen and everything looks like too much and wrong . Not exactly the ideal when they need to send the finalized track for the digital drop and music video soon. 

“You look like you’re both constipated and experiencing diarrhea at the same time. You smell like it too – all mold instead of moss.” 

He twists around in his seat, shock turning Mingi’s eyes wide behind his black framed glasses. He splutters when he sees Hongjoong leaning against the doorway with his arms partially crossed and a bag of takeout hanging from a curved index finger. It smells delicious. 

“What – hyung, what are you doing here? It’s late!” 

“I could say the same to you!” Hongjoong doesn’t even ask, not that he ever had to ask in the first place, before taking a seat on the long futon couch in Mingi’s studio. He had been so proud when he found the thing in a local thrift store since it was one of the few that the alpha could actually stretch out on and didn’t feel his ankles dangling off the edge. His studio wasn’t very big but with his favorite records framed on the wall, his actual work station set up right below it, and a few hanging cabinets for little knick knacks just above the couch, it was cozy. Well loved and well lived in. 

Quite literally as of late. 

“You know, you’re going to burn yourself out if you keep forcing yourself to look at the same thing over and over again.” The smell of fried chicken from Mingi’s favorite restaurant across the street wafts through the air. His stomach grumbles, as if waving a white flag in the face of work. Mingi is fully invested now in getting an extra crispy honey drenched thigh. He reaches for one before Hongjoong even gets the paper top fully ripped off the rest of the container. “As a fellow perfectionist myself, this is me telling you to go home, get some rest, and like – shower. You stink .” 

The taste of fried chicken and grease exploding across his tongue has Mingi groaning. The beta merely smiles, knowing he’s right in bringing food, and knowing that out of everyone they know – Mingi is most likely going to listen to him when he tells him he needs to go home. 

“I know, hyung. It’s just – I’m so close, you know? But it just doesn’t feel right. Like I’m not done yet which is stupid because this fucking song has been done for weeks.” Everyone had approved it but it was just Mingi who had taken one final listen right before sending who decided that no, it wasn’t ready yet. It just wasn’t at the quality that would justify it as the Title Track . 

And did his opinion make a difference? Absolutely, considering how he’s the one leading the debut album this time unlike the last project where Hongjoong took lead. And KQ is always willing to let their talents grow and make mistakes to a degree.

This includes the talents in their in-house music production team. 

“What do you think is missing?” 

Mingi sends him a little furrowed frown midchew. Hongjoong just shrugs and waits. He has the patience for it. 

“Well,” Mingi lowers his fried chicken for a moment. “It sounds pretty shallow. Lyrics wise, it’s passable but it feels like any other love song on the market right now. It’s about a pretty face, a pretty name, but pretty and forgettable. I don’t want that to be Xiker’s first title track.” 

Writing love ballads was hard when one’s first and only crush was their middle school turned high school ex-best friend. Mingi had tried to move on per his few friends’ insistence after a drunken cry once upon a time and did enjoy a few experiences after, especially in his college days, but work has since overtaken his life after getting into KQ post graduation. 

He should feel a little sadder knowing that he doesn’t really mind. First love is hard to forget and that is something everyone can agree upon.

Either way, lack of time, a slightly bad memory leaving things more faceless and foggy than detailed, and projects with painful deadlines just meant that while Mingi might not know exactly what needs to be added to the track, he can tell it’s missing something important. 

If he was smart, he’d just let it go.

But he’s not exactly the type that picks the easiest route in life.

“And you think you can fix it by remixing it for hours on end in your studio?” Mingi sends Hongjoong a pained look and one that’s a little flabbergasted. The hypocrisy! 

“You literally did the same thing for your album!” His senior producer merely waves his hand, as if it changes the fact Hongjoong also spent more days rotting in his studio while both Seonghwa and Maddox stood outside and wringed their hands with the due date coming fast. 

“That’s different. I knew how to adjust Maddox’s song because it was a technical issue, not an emotional one.” 

“Ouch, hyung.” 

“You know what I mean, Mingi-yah. We both know this is about inspiration – or lack thereof when it comes to the song. If it was about the composition of it, you would have already fixed it days ago.” Mingi can’t argue with that. He seldom struggles with the actual technical aspects of putting instruments and samples together to create the melody. 

It’s just his lyrics that usually take flight on their own and in this case – comes crashing and burning instead of soaring gracefully in his mind’s eye. 

“Go home,” Hongjoong softly insists with fingers ruffling at Mingi’s hair. The alpha can’t help the little purring rumble that vibrates from his chest – a habit that he long gave up trying to hide after coming into a better sense of himself. Such amazing things age can do for a person. Hongjoong chuckles and nudges the box closer to the younger producer. 

“Eat up and then go to sleep in a proper bed. Get at least seven hours and then hopefully by the time the meeting starts tomorrow, you’ll be more alive to talk about how you want the music video to go and what kind of teaser shots you think would work best.” 

Ah, right. He forgot about volunteering to take the lead on that too. Wooyoung will be directing but since Mingi is still working on the song itself, he needs to be there to help things go along. The meeting coming up is meant to get them all on the same page. 

While it’s not that alphas automatically fight all the time – they’re much too old for that now being in their late twenties, early thirties – tensions still tend to get rather high when deadlines are due. Outside of Mingi’s own work forcing the song to take longer than normal to finish, he’s heard a lot about the budget getting tighter too.

And everyone knows how a tight budget can make or break a debut when it comes to getting the word out to potential fans. His vetiver scent turns a little more musty at the thought, only lightening up when Hongjoong places another chicken wing into his greasy hands.

“They still have to hire a marketing service, right? I still don’t get why we can’t just have Wooyoung do it since he’s right here and he already has a camera. It can’t be too different from what he’s doing right now.” 

Hongjoong shakes his head and pops a piece of fried chicken skin into his mouth. He talks in between chewing, making Mingi scrunch his nose at him. “He can’t. With all the work he has to do filming and editing, since the boys also have vlogs to upload right as the MV drops, he doesn’t have the bandwidth . That’s why the company is trying to outsource that too.” 

They split the last fried chicken, with Hongjoong getting a little piece of meat and a good chunk of skin while Mingi devours all the rest of it. He was hungrier than he thought and Hongjoong smells strawberry sweet of satisfaction with Mingi’s contentment. It’s so odd to think that out of everyone in the company, only the two of them – along with Wooyoung and San – opt out of scent blockers. 

But everyone has their own preference when it comes to scents. He wonders what his scent was now. Years ago, they still had the baby-like smell – milk and baby powder. 

Mingi shakes his head to clear his thoughts and the odd sadness sinking in after catching sight of the clock on his monitor. 

“You should go home first, hyung. I’ll head out soon.” 

They both know it’s a lie but Hongjoong stands up anyways with a roll of his eyes. 

“You’re lucky that the only reason why I’m not going to call your bluff by staying here until you do is because Seonghwa would kick my ass if I’m home any later than this.” 

Mingi can only pout at the subtle flex. “You don’t have to brag about your lovelife when I’m struggling with a love song. That’s cruel and unjust punishment when I’ve been good all year round.” A flick of a finger against his forehead has him whining, hand immediately coming up to slap against the sore spot. 

“Don’t be a baby,” Hongjoong says while wagging the same index finger that flicked him even as he tugs the studio’s door open and steps out. “We both know there are plenty of people waiting to see if you’ll flirt back and start a relationship with them in and out of this company. You’ve just been too busy with work to get started on one.” 

“There’s just no one I’m interested in.” Half truth, half lie but one hundred percent denial. 

“Sure, kid. Either way, just make sure you’re fresh and clean for the meeting tomorrow or else you might get banned from the studio for health purposes, yeah? I don’t know which stakeholders are going to be there but I know at least Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang will be dropping in so we can all talk things out before the social media accounts and teasers are made.” 

Rather than answering, Mingi just gives Hongjoong a two finger salute while the man closes the door behind him. Moments later, stomach full and mind a little more awake and willing, he swivels right back to his computer and cracks his knuckles. 

He’ll definitely sleep and shower for the meeting tomorrow. There isn’t a reason why he can’t just pop back home before noon to freshen up before the meeting. For now, it’s back to work. 

“We need to get KQ to hire Yunho.” 

Wooyoung pretends not to see the way both San and Yeosang immediately side eye him from where they’re waiting for the vending machine to drop the bag of stale chips. He can’t, however, act like it doesn’t make him bristle up anyways. Ten minutes until they go back into the meeting with the company’s main stakeholders. 

That’s ten minutes to convince the other two to side with him fully.

“You know it’s a good idea!” 

“Yeah, if we had money ,” Yeosang says in amusement while he leans back against the wall, legs stretched out comfortably, while San bends to grab at their pre-dinner snack. He is reorganizing something in his backpack and there is no doubt in the cameraman’s mind that his cute stylist boyfriend is trying to see if he’s forgotten a key piece from today’s shoot. They were all here just to update everyone on progress, after all. 

“And Yunho just moved too. He’s not going to actually be ready to get to work and we need everything to be finished by the end of the week.” The sound of a bill slipping into another vending machine echoes in their momentary shared silence as San reaches around Wooyoung to press a button. Banana milk as always – Wooyoung grumbles even as he pulls it up from the bottom plexiglass and stabs the straw through.

“Which is in five days!” 

“Five days is too short of a turnaround time, Woo.” Yeosang having given up on whatever he was doing leaned in between the two. He rests his head against San and sends Wooyoung a smile before leaning in to kiss his cheek. 

It doesn’t stop Wooyoung from puffing up but it’s a good attempt.

”You guys remember how he did his projects even with the tight deadlines!” 

“In university, Wooyoung, where the only thing is a bad grade and not like — the end of a whole project.” 

“Yes, but he’s also been working hard after graduating too. All those magazine spreads, all the photoshoots and even the stuff for social media. His portfolio is thicker than most of his peers and you know he wouldn’t charge us an arm and a leg. He said if it came down to it, we could call him.” Desperation meant pulling out the big guns and Wooyoung turns slightly widened eyes and a jut out lower lip at both his boyfriends. 

He sees the moment they straighten and crumble just enough to push. 

“Think about the boys! And we were planning on trying to get him to take some projects anyways. Those future projects will never be as much of a burning fire as this one!” San and Yeosang share a smile before Yeosang rolls his shoulders in a shrug. There is no denying that. 

“He’s right.” San’s laugh is muffled by Wooyoung’s excited whoop. 

“Might as well give Yunho a call and see if he would be willing to drop by. I mean, this meeting is going to continue for a few more hours at this point with all the things we haven’t even touched yet on the agenda,” Yeosang wriggles his fingers for the banana milk in Wooyoung’s hands. He only continues after he takes a long sip. “And Seonghwa hyung and Hongjoong hyung invited us for dinner. Mingi is probably going to join us so we might as well invite Yunho to that too. We were hoping to set them both up in the future so why not make it now?” 

Wooyoung’s smile is as bright as it could be – the taste of victory – and he quickly presses a kiss on both of his boyfriends’ cheeks. The next moment is him on the phone, chattering a mile a second to their omega friend while San and Yeosang watch affectionately. 

By the time the banana milk and the bag of chips are emptied, Wooyoung is flushed with glee and grabbing hold of San and Yeosang to tug them toward the meeting room.

”Yunho is already on his way! He was actually working on updating his website nearby after furniture shopping so he’ll be here soon with his stuff. Now that's what I call fate , boys!” 

Yunho is definitely not dressed for a corporate meeting with those directing the project personally. Then again, his whole plan for the day had been to get coffee and work on updating his portfolio until his stomach said it was time for dinner. 

The first step in understanding the general audience is to better know what is already fed to them though and with that thought, he had made his way out to Gangnam to see just what sort of advertisements were splattered across the many large billboards, bus stops’ sides, and train stations. 

Fashion ads from local and international brands touted beautiful faces and magnificent body lines in bright colors, geometric shapes, and opulence. Every single ad talked about perfection and glamor – the kind that requires paying a hefty fee to achieve. Even the plastic surgery ads he passed on the walking escalator only showed an omega’s perfect v shape jaw, clear skin, and a promise of “this could be you at the discount of 500,000 won or more.” 

If he wants to stand out, he’ll have to go against the mold a bit – and focus on imperfection instead. Rather than putting things or people on pedestals that most can’t even achieve without the power of editing software, he could brand himself as someone who could always work with what his clients already have while elevating them to something more photo ready . 

Nothing was more depressing than looking at what people wanted out of you, shaped by lassos and liquify and printed on paper, and then glancing back at the mirror. To make a person a brand, a feeling an item, he could be the soft and the personal in a sea demanding the same streamlined silhouettes and unrealistic expectations. 

Determined, Yunho had spent his afternoon clicking through his website, tweaking the text here and there, switching his original dark blues and bold yellows to softer grays and peony pink. He had almost finished the entire thing when Wooyoung called him and begged for a hand. 

Needless to say, he had packed up quickly enough with a flustered smile to the barista when he nearly stumbled out of his chair at the counter before heading straight to the nearest convenience store. He always wore a little scent blocker patch to keep a better poker face at first time meetings and he wasn’t about to change that habit now. The ready-to-wear patches were great for emergencies and Yunho makes sure one is firmly attached to his neck’s gland before slipping into the subway. 

Two stops and a minute walk and then – he’s checking in at the front desk. “Jeong Yunho, guest. I’m here to meet with Wooyoung?” The omega gets waved to the elevator and told to head to the top floor. The little adhesive sticker stood out glaringly from his plain black t-shirt as he tried to make himself look a little more professional by tucking the ends into his jeans while the elevator went up to the eighth floor. 

They’ll understand, surely, since this was more of a sudden request for him than it is for them. If they do want him to work with them, Yunho will come back next time looking a lot sharper – and maybe with contacts instead of his large glasses that his mother likes to say makes him feel more like a librarian than the owner of his own marketing company. 

The walk to the near opaque glass doors with people already deep in conversation feels much longer than it should be. Yunho’s hands are sweating even as he gives it a quick knock, laptop bag pressed tightly to his side in an effort to comfort himself. He gives everyone a moment to pause the conversation before coming in with a sweet smile. 

“Excuse me? I’m Jeong Yunho from Hatyu and I’m here to see if I can lend a hand for a project. I hope this isn’t a bad time.” 

He smells the surprise before he hears the sharp gasp from one of the men at the end of the rectangular table. Warmth from sandalwood basking under a sunny day and tinged a very earthy musk – what a lovely scent.  

“Yunho?” 

The chair squeaks as it’s pushed back and when Yunho’s gaze moves up from the length of strong arms, broad shoulders, and plump lips to the wide eyes of his best friend from middle school, it’s his turn to give a little gasp in recognition. 

“Mingi?” he squeaks and immediately wishes he said nothing. The telltale burn along his cheeks and his ears are enough to show that he’s embarrassed even without his own scent pumping it out but somehow Mingi only grows happier at the look of it. The smile on the other man’s face is enough to sear itself into Yunho’s mind and override some of the blurrier memories he has. 

So the lanky, pouting, and quiet boy has grown into a fine man after all. An alpha at that! And to think they would meet up not at any of the reunions their middle school sometimes throw for fundraising but at a Gangnam entertainment company for idols.

“It’s been so long! When did you get to Seoul? What are you doing here? Are you staying?” The questions are seemingly endless and while Yunho feels like he should respond, there are six other men looking straight at him and the scent blocker can only do so much if he’s sweating out his emotions to this degree.

He tries not to acknowledge Wooyoung, Yeosang, or San and their flabbergasted expressions. He’ll be interrogated later but that’s for later Yunho to deal with and not the current Yunho standing just a foot from the doorway with his heart in his throat. 

Wasn’t first love supposed to be fleeting and somewhat forgettable with time? So how ? 

“Calm down, Mingi-yah, or you’re going to scare him out the door before he can even answer you,” the smaller of the two men sitting closest to the door chuckles as he stands to offer Yunho his hand. They clasp and shake, firm but not intimidatingly so, and share a smile together. “Welcome to KQ, Yunho-ssi. I’m Hongjoong and I usually take the lead on most album productions here for our idols and soloists.” 

He waves a hand toward the taller man he had been sitting with whose beauty is stunning and Yunho has to wonder what he’s doing here at KQ in management rather than as a model for someone like Isabel Marant. 

“This is Seonghwa who is in charge of managing Xikers in particular – the idols debuting soon.” Seonghwa gives him a wave, features softening with his smile, and Yunho returns it. “The four over there are Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang who you know so I won’t bother giving them more time.” 

“Hey!” 

Laughter echoes lightly in the room with Yunho joining in as well. “Jongho is sitting next to San and he’s in charge of the boys’ vocal training. He’s also technically an artist as well so if you catch him stressing over things later, it’s because he has his own single coming up.” 

The petulant ‘hyung’ that comes from the sweet looking man between San and Mingi makes Yunho smile wider. They all seem close unlike the other teams he’s worked with before. Comfortable, open, but willing to communicate and keep to the goals. 

He could imagine himself working well with them if there aren’t any red flags. 

“And as you know, the last but not least is our Mingi-yah. He is currently the lead for this entire project – musically. The Xikers’ album is his baby so he’s also in charge of helping direct the visual themes and campaigns as well. Out of everyone, you will probably need to work with him the most.” 

Yunho, who had been avoiding meeting Mingi’s eyes until that moment, has to swallow once more when their gazes connect. When they were younger, he recalls the younger boy being far more introverted – the type to avoid confrontation unless absolutely necessary and the one who usually sat by himself, eating his lunch slowly, while the rest of the kids in their grade were raucous and loud with their friends. 

But the one thing that clearly hasn’t changed is that once he decides he truly likes you, Mingi goes all in . There is not a single thing hidden in his gaze and his heart is on his sleeve. Yunho swallows and tries to will down the flush he knows is traveling down the length of his length at this point. 

“It’s been a while, Mingi. You look really good .” 

Oh, a little too honest, perhaps, but what can Yunho say? Mingi looks like a whole meal and if the man hasn’t changed personality wise over the years of coming into himself as an adult, Yunho is facing what is his dream partner. 

With the past to match. 

He’s horrified at the knowledge he’s going to be self-incriminating with his embarrassing actions.

“Thank you. You look amazing too. I’m glad that you’re here.” The weight at the end of Mingi’s words has Yunho glancing at him again, uncertain when he dropped his gaze, with surprise. But the near heart shaped smile, the little crooked teeth no different from when they were ten, eleven, twelve – is still sweet as ever. He mirrors the smile with his own, shoulders relaxing, a moment later. 

Mingi and Yunho.

Yunho and Mingi. 

Perhaps some things don’t change even when a few pages are missing in between the chapters. 

“Now that we all know each other, let’s get started with the meeting. You can sit next to Mingi.” The moment is broken and the sound of amusement from Hongjoong makes his heart skip a beat for a completely different reason as he stutters out his own agreement. Too busy with pulling out his laptop and hooking it up to the projector, he misses the growing besotted look from Mingi and the devilish grins from everyone else in the room. 

“Right, right! Let me pull up my portfolio so you can see the work I’ve done previously and we can discuss if it’s in line with what you want for this project. I’m willing to experiment as well so please feel free to ask any questions you have regarding styles, expectations, and needs.” 

He likes to think the meeting goes rather well, all of them turning on the professionalism even if Yeosang is wiggling his left eyebrow at Yunho the entire time he’s asking questions and Wooyoung’s furtive glances between Mingi – who has not once looked away – and him are growing by the second. 

In the end, even Mingi had asked his questions and the brainstorming properly began between all eight of them. They are going with an actual theme that’s a bit of a niche within the industry. While everyone is opting for soft crushes and AI, they’re opting for horror and modernized folklore. Surprised, Yunho had mentioned that it was a bit of risk in an industry with an ever growing set of unspoken rules. 

“True but the boys want to be different and impressionable. The music they like to make and want to make in the future won’t be cookie cutter either so why not start it from the beginning, right?” Mingi had shrugged lightly. “And they’ll stand out because they’re different, for good or bad. It’s up to us to make sure it leans toward the good for them.” 

And Yunho, who had spent the hours earlier telling himself the kind of branding he wanted for himself, had readily agreed to support them to his best abilities. 

“So we’ll shoot one teaser tomorrow featuring the mascot and the boys doing a bit of choreo. I think we can take the photos from that same shoot and create an interactive campaign on social media.” If the budget didn’t allow for a longer campaign with multiple teasers for each idol, then they’ll have to make do with just one and maximize the returns on it. 

He points out the different releases from other companies where the focus is on photos of each idol in the group and then several concept photos as a group, released over time from announcement to actual debut date. 

“We should do something different. Have one of the boys, maybe the leader, narrate a bit of the story for the teaser and then end it with a hint for locations in Seoul while they hide all their faces like the ghost.” He pulls up one of his older projects which had utilized one of the older flier designs of finding a tutor with the little strips of tearable info. 

“We’ll print fliers with QR codes and put them at these locations that let people save a piece of the main concept photo. If everyone scans all of them, they’ll be able to put it all together to see all the boys and maybe the tracklist?” 

Seonghwa hums in thought. “It’s a good idea but what if no one notices or cares to do it? Then it'll be a bit of a waste.” 

“True, but we can make it so they want to. The hint at the end of the teaser can be more of a how-to as well. It only takes a dedicated group of fans, even if they’re small, to get things rolling with interactive campaigns. If it goes viral, then more people will join in just because they’re curious.” 

“I like Yunho’s idea,” Mingi mutters. “It’s like a game and it fits the theme too. If we put them in the subway stations, it’d probably garner attention and those don’t cost anything. The majority of the cost would be the teaser which we already budgeted for and then our own work to post these fliers everywhere.” 

Yunho nods, trying not to puff up a little at Mingi’s agreement. He doesn’t think it works so well because he sees Mingi straighten a moment later, grin on his lips. 

“And I’ll be traveling here and there for a bit to explore for my own work too. I don’t mind posting the fliers at the stations I go through.” 

“I’ll come with you.” Yunho can’t help the little blink he makes at Mingi and from the sound of the chairs swivelling around, he has a feeling everyone else is also a little surprised. 

“You don’t have to –” 

Mingi shakes his head. “They’re my debut group and it’s only fair that I do the work too. Besides, I don’t mind if it means we can spend more time together.” He jerks up from his seat a moment later, prompting Yunho to reach out and rest a hand on Mingi’s arm in concern – which is definitely firm and a lot thicker than when he was younger and when compared to Yunho’s own now , oh god. Don’t get distracted. Focus, Yunho, focus.

“Are you alright?” He clears his throat. “Have you been sleeping well? Do you need a break?” 

Yunho watches as the other man places one hand to rest right on top of Yunho’s own. The warmth between their hands seems to spread rather quickly between their bodies, adding to Yunho’s ever resilient heat in his ears and cheeks.

“No, I’m fine. Just got a bit of a leg cramp is all! Don’t worry about it.” A snicker from somewhere else in the room that gets shushed rather quickly. 

“Hyung, I think we can call this meeting closed, right? It’s almost dinner time anyways and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Another brief interruption, this time from Jongho, and both Mingi and Yunho are turning away from each other to face the rest of the group with their knowing grins. When Yunho kicks in the general direction of Wooyoung and Yeosang in particular, landing perfectly at Wooyoung’s shin, he realizes that Mingi’s own ‘leg cramp’ most likely was from the same action. 

“Yeah, I agree.” Hongjoong, the culprit, stifles his snickering and continues. “Besides, it’s the perfect day to celebrate Yunho’s addition to the team. Thank you again, for joining us and being able to work with us even though the budget that we can give you and the hourly wage for the project is much lower than I’m sure you usually would agree to.”

Yunho is waving one hand in the air as he gets up with everyone else, ready to pack away his laptop. “No worries, Hongjoong-ssi. I told Wooyoung that I would be willing to help and I mean it. I’ll do my best to meet the expectations of the team and the boys.” 

“No need for the honorifics here, Yunho-ssi. If you want to, you can call me hyung but addressing me so formally gives me hives,” Hongjoong says with a little click of tongue. Seonghwa, who slips an arm around Hongjoong’s waist, nods. “The same goes for me, Yunho-ssi. Everyone calls me hyung more than not so hearing it is more comfortable for me.”

“In that case, then please just call me Yunho.” 

Both of them beam at him and he once again has to wonder why Seonghwa and now Hongjoong were working in management or production when they could fit a runway with their long legs and sharp jawlines. He knows plenty of models who would kill for Seonghwa’s features and Hongjoong’s charisma. 

“Will do! Then, will you join us for dinner? We usually go to BBQ just down the block after these meetings.” 

“I –” 

Mingi is the one who he looks at and the hopeful pleading look is enough for Yunho to immediately crumble. 

“Yeah, I’d love to.” 

The seven grins from his newest, albeit temporary, team are all equally blinding this time. 

“So, Yunho, huh?” 

Mingi can’t help but flinch when the bathroom door opens and Hongjoong slips in. His friend is clearly not here to use the toilet or wash his hands but just to interrogate him while the rest of the group continue grilling meat on the other side of the restaurant. 

“What about him?” He knows his attempt at nonchalance fails him when Hongjoong merely arches a pretty slit eyebrow and wiggles it. Mingi sighs, loud and – lovestruck. 

“He’s an old friend of mine. We knew each other from when I was really young and still living in Busan.” Thirty seconds minimum to soap up and wash his hands under near boiling water. He makes sure to scrub under his nails too though it also makes him wish he redid the polish. He would have if he knew he was going to meet his first love – who has grown up from his chubby cheeks and all too big feet to someone with a jawline that can cut diamonds. 

And nevermind the scent ! 

Just thinking of the moment the door opened has Mingi taking in a deep breath only to wrinkle his nose when all he gets back is bleach and the sourness of lemons from the cheap bathroom soap rather than clean, fresh, Yunho . 

“I doubt that’s all, yeah?” From where Hongjoong is leaning, Mingi can catch his expression through the mirror right above the sink and there is both concern and judgement warring for first place. His friend is worried and while Mingi immediately bristles at the thought of Yunho being the source of either, he can’t help but also understand. 

Has it been a decade since they’ve met? If not more? And since that time when Yunho and him parted ways, Hongjoong had filled up the empty space beside Mingi in all the same ways that counted. The beta is undoubtedly someone Mingi trusts and while others may look down on him for it, Hongjoong is also the only person that the alpha has shown his insecurity freely. 

The man knows him and all his wounds. 

“He’s someone that I really cared about when I was younger, I’m not lying about that,” he mumbles as he turns the faucet closed. He lets the drips count for him before he adds a bit more, shy but so sure . “Yunho was always good to me when we were schoolmates. We hung out all the time because we lived so close to each other. It’s just, you know, with life and what we wanted to do, we kinda lost contact when we started high school.” 

Mingi had tried to find him after. Before his final move to university for music production and business, he had tried to see if Yunho could meet up with him one last time. But when he logged into Kakao, it was clear his friend’s account hadn't been active for years and there was no way he was going to see Mingi’s message in time before he dipped. 

In the end, he never found the courage to press send. Getting a “sorry, can’t, busy” as an answer back was somehow worse than not getting one at all. So on the bus, he simply left the message in the draft and forever pending. 

“So this is pretty much a little bit of fate coming in then.” It’s Mingi’s turn to quirk a brow at Hongjoong as he sticks his hands into the air dryer. He’s tempted for a moment to keep turning it on every time Hongjoong opens his mouth but childishness is probably not going to save his ass from this conversation. To be fair, it is a bit overdue. “You’ve been lacking inspiration for the title track, which you decided to make into a love song,” Hongjoong points out, lips pursed as if to avoid smiling too widely. 

“And who was it that said that they weren’t interested in anyone?”

Mingi mumbles his agreement but does his best not to make eye contact anyways. He wasn’t lying at the time. He really wasn’t interested in anyone – except for Yunho. Or someone like Yunho anyways with his soft puppy-like personality, his sweet smile, and his warm hands that always held everything gently. 

“So – seeing you basically trip yourself up trying to talk to Yunho as soon as he walked in explained a few things. You should have seen how fast Seonghwa’s head snapped side to side because of how much joy you were basically pumping out in front of an omega.” 

Now that earns Hongjoong a groan from Mingi as he hunches over and covers his face with his hands, the lingering lemon and bleach in the bathroom overpowered suddenly by a little burst of sticky  embarrassment. The beta only laughs and reaches over to smack Mingi hard on his back. “Luckily, you drove today, right?” The question barely has Mingi looking up as he groans an affirmative again.

“When I was getting up from the table, I’m pretty sure the demon trio were scheming to get him a little drunk so he could share his side of the story. Since Seonghwa and I usually take a cab together home, why don’t you drive Yunho back to his apartment?” Once again, Hongjoong sounds a little smug – but Mingi only has one thought and that’s to rush out of the bathroom. 

“You left him alone knowing they’re going to try to drink him under the table?!” 

It takes less than half an hour before everyone is calling it a night with Hongjoong paying the bill with his card. To his surprise, Yunho is already smiling and waiting for Mingi at the restaurant’s entrance as if he knew the alpha was going to be bringing him home. When he asked right after getting Yunho into his car and his address, Yunho had only said it’s what Yeosang recommended he do. The fifteen minute drive from the restaurant to Hongdae is filled with chatter about everything and nothing.

What did Mingi do? He produces music, mostly for other people but sometimes for himself. Since when did Yunho decide to get into marketing rather than fashion? Since his own professor stole his designs and attempted to call him out for plagiarism. Does Mingi usually dye his hair? Sometimes. The pink buzzcut was mostly the end result of accidentally bleaching his hair too much in an attempt to look like a popular anime character. Why? Does it look bad?

“It fits you. Fits your face, makes you look cute and squishy even when you’re concentrating.” 

“Are you saying I have resting bitch face syndrome, Yunho?” 

Laughter echoes between them as Mingi parks the car and unbuckles himself. Yunho’s new home is quaint but modern. The little white shop with big windows both on the second floor and on the first floor is eye-catching without being intimidating. He goes to the other side to help Yunho out and slides a palm between the top of his head and the roof of his car. 

“Woah, careful, big guy,” Mingi mumbles as he tugs Yunho’s arm over his shoulder again while he wraps his own around his childhood friend’s waist. Even with his brown bangs covering his face with how the omega is slumped, Mingi could feel how flushed Yunho is with just the heat radiating off him. A part of it could just be Mingi’s own flustered state with being so close to someone he missed for so long, denial a river in Egypt or not, but he’s pretty sure three out of the ten soju bottles are in Yunho at the moment.

Yeosang, the true mastermind with an innocent face of the three, better be planning on baking some apology cookies if Yunho pops up the next morning with a hangover. 

A tinier voice in Mingi’s head said that if not, he can always be the one baking the goods to bring over as an excuse to visit. 

“Me? You’re the big guy, Mingi. Look at how much you’ve grown!” Slender hands squeeze at Mingi’s wrist before they travel upwards along his arms. Yunho’s voice is so full of wonder that it makes Mingi puff his chest in pride instinctively. “You used to be smaller than me,” Yunho says to him wistfully. “And I was taller than you by like – an inch. Or two. But that was so long ago, wasn’t it?”

Mingi’s grip tightens on the omega as they start walking slowly to Yunho’s apartment building, words a little stuck in his throat. The shopfront on the first floor is closed with a little golden retriever mascot saying to return in a week. He curbs his curiosity to look into the windows and instead waits at the doorstep for Yunho to pull his keys out. 

“It’s only been about nine years, Yunho.” He sighs and gently begins patting around Yunho’s jacket when it was clear the other man wasn’t going to do it himself. “And I’m pretty sure you’re still taller than me. You just haven’t gotten rid of that habit of slouching.”

He finds the keys in the inner pocket. The door opens with a twist and a push. All Mingi can think about at that moment is the way he can feel Yunho’s lips jut out in a pout against his shoulder as they both shuffle past the doorway, squished together like two peas in a pod. He tries not to startle even when Yunho presses closer like he doesn’t want to step away for even a second if he doesn’t have to while they both take off their shoes. 

“You’re definitely bigger than me though. You can’t deny that when you look – you look like this, like someone who could actually carry me if you wanted.” 

Mingi inhales deeply, trying to push down the desire to jump about and shout about how he can and he will but only after Yunho is sober and they’ve had a proper talk. It only becomes a mistake when he realizes that Yunho’s home smells only of him, a scent that he hasn’t had a chance to take in since they were pups and still growing into their personalities. 

It only thickens when they step into Yunho’s bedroom. The omega’s bed is clearly still not properly set up. There is only a mattress on the floor, several open boxes, and a cute sun lamp haphazardly plugged into a wall. It makes Mingi ache, seeing how nothing was set up just yet. It can’t be comfortable for Yunho to sleep on the floor, mattress or not. And it most definitely can’t be comfortable in the way it counts most – with no nesting blankets, no extra pillows. 

But there is nothing Mingi can do about it right now so instead, he does what he can. He takes off Yunho’s jacket and leaves it to the side after folding. He helps the other man stretch himself out on the mattress, tucks the singular blanket over him, and then sits down on the floor beside him while Yunho watches him do all of it with a smile. 

“I’ve missed you, Mingi,” Yunho whispers while turning onto his side, knees pulled up to his chest. Without curtains, the windows let the moonlight through and the cast makes Yunho look dreamlike. The blanket wrinkles around the omega’s long legs and Mingi can’t help but immediately tug the edges down in an attempt to help him stay comfortable while avoiding direct eye contact. His heart is already on his sleeve. 

He doesn’t need it in his throat and ready to spew all the swirling thoughts in his mind too. Not like this, not when Mingi is the only one without a sip of alcohol in him.

“I missed you too, Yunho. I missed you the moment we went to different highschools.” 

He never blamed him, considering how it was Mingi who ended up moving away from their little suburb to a bigger city. As a kid, it just hurt a bit more starting somewhere new without the person he’s grown up with all those earlier years by his side. ‘Friends forever’ sounds like an impossible promise to break as a child but reality wasn’t so kind. 

“I would have followed you if I could,” Yunho admits with a little laugh. He slips a hand out from under the blanket to curl it with Mingi’s own. Their intertwining fingers fit perfectly with one another. That hasn’t changed from when they were six, ten, twelve, and now. “But apparently, we couldn’t just up and leave Busan just because I threw a tantrum.” 

The image of a preteen Yunho sulking and refusing to talk to his family or being extremely short and moody just because Mingi was gone is funny enough to bring a smile to Mingi’s lips. “If it helps, I also threw a tantrum when my mom told me that she got a promotion but we had to go because the office is in a totally different place.” 

“All those years, huh?” Yunho squeezes gently at their hands and tugs them closer to his chest. The pillow is pressing hard against his cheek but the omega doesn’t even seem to care or notice with his attention fully drinking in Mingi. “But here you are, right back in front of me again.” 

“I’m planning to stay in front of you this time – if you don’t mind.” Mingi thinks he’ll be dreaming of the way Yunho laughs later, soft and clear and delighted . “We have a lot to catch up on and I’ve missed you. So much more than you know and this time, I’m not planning to let this chance go.” Not like the message that’s still a draft in his Kakaotalk. Not like the letter he never got to send to Yunho’s family home to ask if he wanted to visit Seoul and come to Mingi’s graduation. 

“Good,” Yunho whispers as he brings Mingi’s hand to press a soft kiss against his knuckles.  “That’s exactly what I want and you can bet that even if you wanted to run, I’ll be chasing you properly this time.” His eyes slowly stay closed longer and longer. 

“Sweet dreams, Yunho. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

There is no answer but Mingi doesn’t mind. For just a few moments, before he starts feeling a bit more like a creep and less like a lovesick fool, he allows himself to enjoy the chance of seeing Yunho at ease at home. The alcohol flush is easing away, leaving Yunho’s cheeks a soft warm pink rather than the harsh red in the beginning of the car ride. 

Once again, Mingi leans down to tuck the blanket closer around Yunho when he realizes the omega’s scent is only growing stronger. He had noticed the other man was wearing a scent blocker earlier but it must have already run out of the deodorizer. Contentment, like freshly washed laundry inside the dryer that just popped open all warm and soft and loved, fills the air.

He did that. 

And something about that realization, that it wasn’t just one of the two missing what they had, settles a ball of anxiety in Mingi that never quite left from his childhood. They’ve missed a lot of each other in the past but he knows that there is a future now. 

Fate really came in and said she was going to give him the chance of getting something he always wanted. The alpha wasn’t going to let it go this time, not without a proper fight. 

He makes sure to leave a glass of water on the counter right before he leaves. He would have left an aspirin too but he couldn’t tell where the medicine was or if Yunho even had a bottle around since he clearly still hasn’t fully unpacked yet. That’s another thing that Mingi could help with, he thinks, as he closes the front door. 

But tonight, he’ll head home, shower, and sleep. Tomorrow, he’ll take another look at the title track for the kids. 

Something tells him that he’ll be able to fix exactly what he needs to finally make it perfect .

The next few days are spent focusing on the full album release. Each team found themselves getting busier and busier to the point where even Mingi and Yunho could only meet up for lunch and dinners while all the smaller details got hammered out. While the fliers got printed and the posts all set up for publication in one of the most unique campaigns they’ve had so far, Hongjoong had dropped by to take one last listen to the latest version of the title track. 

He was expecting compliments but Mingi wasn’t sure what he had signed up for when Hongjoong turned to him at the very end to give him one of the biggest smirks he had ever seen on his friend’s face. 

“It sounds really good, Mingi. Looks like we’ll have to prepare the kids for their first music show win and debut.” It takes Mingi slapping at the beta’s shoulders with a gasp that has them both giggling together in his studio’s creaky chairs. It’s a wish and a dream – to have the debut come out with good sales and a music show award but what’s the point of being in the creative industry if they don’t aim high? 

“Don’t tell Minjae that or the poor guy is going to end up stressing out over one more thing!”

Hongjoong snickers and rolls his shoulders as a half-hearted attempt of a shrug. They’ve all gone through the anxiety of releasing music and waiting for the results. It never gets any better or any easier with time or experience. “With the way the rest of his members are running around and screeching, I doubt he actually has any time to stress.” 

The alpha was just about to retort when someone knocked on the door. A moment later, it pushes in and Yunho is peeking through with a smile and a take out bag swinging in his hand. It smells like hamburgers and fries, the type of greasiness that tastes the best after hours of staring at the screen and drinking Mingi’s weight in coffee.

“Hey, hope I’m not interrupting something?” 

Hongjoong and Mingi both shake their heads with the former beckoning the marketing specialist to come in. “Nah, we’re just looking at the final version of the title track. Mingi and I were just betting on whether or not it’ll get the kids their first win,” Hongjoong says while placing his wired headphones down onto the table. “But I’m pretty done here so why don’t you help me make sure Mingi takes a break this time?” 

Yunho places down the plastic bag on the couch where usually the guests or the waiting idols sit for their turns and swivels to stare hard at Mingi. The alpha watches as he props both arms at his waist, accentuating the difference between it and Yunho’s shoulders. Pretty, pretty, pretty . 

“Weren’t you supposed to take a break half an hour ago?” 

And apparently a little unhappy. Mingi barely stops himself from baring his neck, full bottom lip jutting out in a pout. He wonders if he imagined it but it felt like Yunho’s gaze stayed a little longer on him for a moment before he searched for Mingi’s eyes. “I was! But then Hongjoong hyung came by so technically, he’s the one who made me get back to work!” 

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t get me in trouble with your man just because you don’t want to get scolded!” 

“Hyung!” 

Mingi splutters, half out of his seat and ready to reach for Hongjoong and shake him down, when said beta lifts both hands in the air. 

“Woops, look at the time! I think I’m going to head back to my own studio so why don’t the two of you enjoy lunch together?” There wasn’t even time given for Mingi or Yunho to retort back; Hongjoong had already grabbed his laptop bag and was half out the door. “We’re pretty much done with everything and it looks like Wooyoung already got all the assets he needs anyways from Yunho’s shooting sessions. Take the rest of the day off if you’re done with everything else!”

The door swung closed – and then reopened just for the beta to say, “And happy early birthday, Mingi-yah!” 

In the end, while Hongjoong bounced off to god knows where, Mingi is left a little embarrassed but also unwilling to deny the truth behind what his friend was insinuating anyways. He was just – expecting a bit more time and a better place to talk about it. His studio wasn’t exactly that. 

“Your man, hm?” 

Yunho is still watching him and suddenly it feels a bit like a test. The space between them is still new despite its familiarity. They had just been friends before and neither had been interested in romance much less in each other before time pushed them apart. But now, standing in the room with Yunho looking like a dream, Mingi thinks he wants to take a chance. 

“... Would you be willing?” 

Yunho takes a step forward and Mingi stays where he is with his fingers twitching against his sides, showing that he’s willing to wait as always but eager if the opportunity is given. 

“Willing to?” 

“Be my man.”  

The moment of silence is filled with the internal beating of his heart – becoming louder and louder and overtaking all his thoughts as he waits and waits for Yunho to give him a hint. It comes in a smile and a touch when the omega tugs Mingi toward the couch. 

“Ask me again later tonight. After we have a proper talk somewhere private.” Yunho hums as he pushes Mingi down next to the takeout bag. He takes his own seat next to the alpha and pulls out one of the burgers to hand to him. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want Wooyoung or Seonghwa to try to give us a ‘talk’ or ask questions.” 

Oh, definitely not. One smug questioning and hinting session was enough and knowing Hongjoong, he definitely told everything to his alpha boyfriend. While Seonghwa and Mingi shared many similarities especially with how they hold themselves, he’s not sure if he wants to get tips and advice from his hyung about love and seduction just yet. 

“Agreed. Then maybe, do you want to come over and have dinner tonight? I can cook you something and we can just spend time together?” 

Yunho takes the sandwich back from Mingi’s slack hands to peel the wrapping away. This time, he presses it against Mingi’s lips who parts them in surprise and bites down. “Good boy.” Mingi nearly chokes as he swallows. Yunho smells like contentment again and something – spicier. Hotter than just a little fresh warmth and more like the little bursts of static when someone tugs a sweater out too fast. 

“I would love to, Mingi. But first, let’s eat, yeah? I know you’ve been working hard to finish everything on time.” 

And so they do with Yunho pouring the fries out of their own separate container and onto his burger wrapper while they talk about the differences between restaurants and flavors. Busan’s more popular cuisine uses a lot more seafood while Seoul makes new combinations by the hour. They laugh over the latest – hot cheetos and cheese. But as usual, Mingi is left with still a good quarter of his meal left while Yunho is finishing up the remaining fries.

“Sorry, it’s taking a bit for me to finish.” It’s not as embarrassing as it was when he was younger. As an adult, he’s more often eating out by himself or getting takeout and eating at home in the peaceful solitude of his living room. With a show playing or music on the mind, eating slowly was never an issue. The rest of the team had gotten used to it too, usually opting to order more drinks and talk while Mingi finished up his plate. 

But it’s different with Yunho, somehow, even though it really shouldn’t be when he’s the one who really knows . 

“You don’t need to apologize, Mingi.” Yunho leans forward, arms folded across his knees as. “I never minded waiting for you when we were kids either. Watching you eat and enjoy your food makes me happy too, you know?” 

The alpha, still smelling that scent of contentment seeping from Yunho, can’t help but wonder if he knows just how much those words mean to someone like him. “Thank you, Yunho.”

“You’re welcome, Min. Just take the time you need, alright?” Mingi watches as Yunho slides the tips of his salt-coated fingers between his lips to lick off before the same fingers go ruffling into Mingi’s pink hair. His nose wrinkles as he whines about it playfully.

“Seriously?!”

Yunho’s laughter still sounds the same – like sunshine after a long cloudy day. And he soaks it all in while he continues eating as Yunho fills up the space with the sort of easy joy and energy that recolors all the old memories Mingi has. 

After cleaning up and locking the studio behind them, they take Hongjoong’s recommendation and head out to the nearest station. Gangnam luckily has plenty of buses and trains running to Hongdae all hours during the day and evening so neither of them feel like they need to rush to catch a particular one. Yunho happily tugs the zipper on his crossbag open to show off the latest fliers to Mingi. 

“These are the ones with the big QR codes. Yeosang was the one who drew all the little ghost mascots for it! Isn’t it cute?” 

‘ Not as cute as you ,’ Mingi’s mind supplies to him immediately. He hums in agreement. “Yeah, it’ll be a good mascot for the album and the group. It makes it easier that a lot of the music videos are taking place in the subway too.” 

Enough that half the team went about to tape and staple fliers all over Seoul train stations. The only one left was actually Hongik University station since Yunho had wanted to do it himself and Mingi’s own Gongdeok station. They had decided to drop by both sometime today or tomorrow so Mingi had left his car back at the garage. 

Though it’s a bit more of a bother since he disliked being in crowded spaces, being able to spend more time with Yunho made it all worth it. He kept a hand around Yunho’s waist after he tapped past the gates as the number of commuters grew around them. 

“Funny how we never usually get out during rush hour, right?” Yunho whispers as he shifts back and forth in the line to enter the train car. Mingi leans closer just a bit to hear him better as conversations pop up all around them. He wonders if anyone else is looking at the two of them and wondering . “We’re usually out late or just right after the rush.” 

“The rush hours here are the reason why I got my car,” Mingi admits with a shake of his head. “It’s one thing if there’s no delays but the commute is always hell one way or another. Either kids are screaming, someone is playing loud music, or we’re all sardines.” 

Yunho snickers and leans into Mingi’s space. Neither of them acknowledge the way Mingi automatically curls himself closer as if to become the very bubble between Yunho and the rest of the world. Even with the smell of everyone else – various scents, the scorched rubber of the trains, a little bit of trash that came from being in a public space – Mingi could focus easily on Yunho’s own. Once the omega stopped wearing the scent blocking patch, it was like Mingi’s nose created a singular homing skill. He can only hope that his own scent of wood and greenery offers a bit of reprieve the same way Yunho’s does for the alpha. 

“At least we only have to do it today. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you from using your car too often.” He wants to tell Yunho that he really doesn’t mind but the train doors open and the flow of people begin moving. They keep up so they don’t have to wait for the next train and also so they don’t get trampled. 

But even with all the careful pushing they do, it’s beyond packed inside the cars. Every seat is taken and the space between the two rows of seats don’t look like they could fit two men comfortably. And if Mingi could, he would very much like to avoid having Yunho and himself shoved between gaggles of giggling students or against a shopping cart. 

The one good thing about Mingi’s apartment was that it’s nice and close, between Yunho’s own and the company office. The other good thing about Mingi’s apartment is that it was surrounded by plenty of good stores including a nice market. The worst thing is that it also means people are often coming and going with their groceries for the week. 

“Here, Yunho.” 

If they’re going to be pressed up together anyways, he’ll make sure that at least Yunho has the most comfortable spot at the moment. It leaves them chest to chest with the omega’s back against the little sliver of space between the first seat by the door and the door itself. Mingi keeps his hand against the handle and his other hand on Yunho’s waist in case the train jostles. 

His thumb slips into one of Yunho’s jeans’ belt loops and tugs as the train moves to the next stop. To be fair, Mingi had been too busy counting the number of stops to their station to notice the way Yunho’s eyes widened at their lack of space. He only pulled back when the omega’s scent gets a little bit sour – anxiety and worry. 

Immediately, Mingi is closing the inches between them and pressing the tip of his nose right under Yunho’s ear. Concern bursts from the alpha, smoked wood musky in the space as the people next to them murmur and continue to talk as if they don’t care at all about the fact Mingi is scenting Yunho in public. 

He drags his cheek gently but firmly along Yunho’s neck and jawline and lets their scents merge together. The worry that he smells on the omega melts away into surprise and joy and it just might be one of Mingi’s favorite scents from now. 

But it was enough to truly make him realize just what he did . Horror is far more clear than embarrassment. He doesn’t care that no one else cares but it was considered beyond rude to scent someone in public without permission . Before he can even open his mouth to stumble an apology out, one of Yunho’s hands is reaching up to cup along his cheek. A thumb presses along the bottom of Mingi’s trembling lips. 

“Relax, Min,” Yunho says. “It’s alright. I’m alright.” 

He swallows and though there is noise all about them, Mingi can’t help but think the action is particularly loud – like proof that he did do something wrong. Yunho merely shakes his head before leaning forward and pressing his own cheek against Mingi’s shoulder. From there, he nuzzles along his neck and lets his hand settle on the alpha’s shoulder. 

A reassuring squeeze has all of the tension Mingi gathered at his spine and back lifting. 

“I don’t mind. You can tell. Describe to me how I smell like right now, Min.”

Two stops left. Mingi swallows once more and wraps both of his arms around Yunho’s waist. The way Yunho just chuckles and drapes both of his own arms over Mingi’s shoulders like a confirmation of permission .  “You smell like – you’re happy. Like you just got a surprise but it’s a good one.” 

The tip of a finger drags down the back of Mingi’s neck and it sends a shiver down his spine. From the way Yunho immediately smiles at him, their noses touching, it’s clear that the omega knows why. “You’re right,” Yunho confirms what Mingi is thinking all along.

“I smell happy – like I finally got something I always wanted. Like I got you .” 

One stop left and Mingi couldn't help but wish the doors were already open. He wants to pull Yunho even closer and slide their lips together in a kiss that has been long overdue by the years but, like being at the company, there are far too many eyes around them. As much as they want the first taste of affection, Mingi doesn’t want to share it with the world. 

They deserve to take their time together. They deserve to do it without an audience, without any worries, without having to stop until they’re both breathless. 

“You always had me, Yunho. Even if we never saw each other again, I think I would have always had a special spot in my heart reserved for you.” 

Yunho presses their foreheads together, eyes closed for a moment as he takes a shaky little breath in. Mingi thinks he wants to be part of that little inhale – to be part of everything going forward that fills Yunho from head to toe in all the ways that count now. 

“You can’t say that to me right now when you know we can’t do anything about it. It isn’t fair , Mingi-yah.” 

The doors open and Mingi is the first to tug Yunho out of the train. The omega can’t help but burst into giggles as they both practically run to the exit closest to Mingi’s apartment. They must look a bit like fools, giddy with affection bursting in their veins despite being far older than those experiencing first love, as they head out into the streets. 

Mingi keeps a hold on Yunho’s hand and it feels like this time, neither will be letting go any time soon. As soon as they head up the elevators of the condominium and finally step through the slightly messy doorway of Mingi’s home, they’re tugging at each others’ clothes. Breathless and wanting, they leave a trail as Mingi leads them to his bedroom. Yunho tugs him in for a proper kiss, both bursting into laughter when their teeth click together accidentally in their haste. 

“I think I always wanted this. I always hoped we would meet again, somehow, somewhere. I just didn’t think you’d be available like this,” Yunho admits as he nudges Mingi into bed. He enjoys the given opportunity to see the man sprawl out without any shyness, thighs spread and back against the pile of pillows. A hand beckons and the omega slips out of his own remaining clothes, leaving socks and underwear on the floor. He straddles the younger man and traces along the lines of firm muscles from his lean arms to Mingi’s tiny waist and lovely pecs. 

An alpha of his dreams, quite literally, and so willing . So full of mutual want and hardening right under the fullness of Yunho’s bare cheeks. 

“No one else ever clicked.” Mingi busies himself by feeling Yunho’s weight on him. Thumbs press along the omega’s inner thighs and Mingi’s breath hitches when it earns him a little twitch and Yunho’s legs spreading a little wider before his eyes.  “I tried but it never lasted and then I just gave up,” he whispered as he rubbed along where pelvis and thigh met. Yunho's attempt to close his legs speaks of a kind of sensitivity that has Mingi’s mouth salivating. The other man is perfect and so willing. Mingi is in love and he thinks Yunho might be in love too.

“Work was easier to focus on and if I wanted to go out, I could just go to clubs or have flings,” he said while curling his fingers around Yunho’s chubby cock. “But I didn’t want that. I want something else instead. I want to help you build your bed and cabinets and cook you your favorite dishes while you draft up designs.” He drags his thumb along the slit and watches as a little bit of precum makes the slide easier the second time. Yunho’s soft sigh as he grinds forward in a wordless effort to ask for more makes Mingi twitch right under him. Their shared look of amusement softened with Yunho’s next words. 

“I know that we have a lot to really talk about. Boundaries, expectations, what you want and what I want but – I know that I want to see where we can go together.” And if it didn’t work out and they couldn’t compromise, couldn’t grow together now that they’ve grown up individually, then at least they could say that they tried. “Are you willing, Mingi, to take that chance with me? To see if we can fall in love?” 

Later on, Yunho might cover his face and cringe into their messy sheets and complain about how cheesy he was. Later, Mingi might just tug him into his arms and press a kiss against the series of bruises and bite marks he had left on Yunho’s skin and tell him that he happens to like cheesy things. They were both romantics at heart, after all.  But for now, in this moment as Mingi slips a wet hand behind Yunho’s waist to press the tip of a finger against his equally wet rim, he knows there’s only one thing he wants to say.

“Yunho, I think I have always been in love with you.” 

Morning comes and goes and by the time they’re actually ready to get up, the clock on the wall was ticking closer to noon. Today is an off day for both of them so there was nothing to worry about and no trains or projects to catch up on. Yunho was still sleeping by the time Mingi blinked open his eyes so he headed to the bathroom first to freshen up. In the minutes of brushing his teeth, washing his face, using the toilet, and getting a fresh pair of boxers, Yunho is finally stirring. 

The bed dips as Mingi slips back in and kisses Yunho on the cheek as a morning greeting. There’s a mumble of morning breath but Yunho is smiling brightly up at him with mussed hair and the pillow’s imprint on his cheek. The view is breathtaking and Mingi makes sure to let him know exactly that. 

“You’re just saying that because you’re still enjoying the afterglow,” Yunho teases. 

“Only if the afterglow you mean is you , then yeah. How are you feeling though? I feel like I went a little rough yesterday.” Control is a little hard when instinct demands him to be greedy but Mingi liked to think that he did pretty well anyways. “You look good though, all in my bed. You smell good too – like me, like us .” 

Yunho snorts before half rolling right into Mingi’s lap and kicking the blankets off. “You would say that,” he said while playfully biting at a leg and making the alpha yelp. It’ll bruise just the same as the other bite marks Yunho had left on the alpha’s pecs and thighs. “Considering how much you pumped out yesterday, I feel like you should carry a warning.” 

“Are you saying I’m pent up?”

“Are you saying you weren’t waiting for my ass to open all these years?” 

Mingi shrieks, cheeks bright red, and they end up wrestling and messing up the bed even more. It doesn’t really matter since they’ll need to wash the sheets anyways after last night. They end up sprawled together, breathless with their limbs tangled and hands touching. Even after the hours spent together last night, it was like a pandora box had been opened and they couldn’t get enough of each other. 

“We should get ready soon though. For our birthdays, Seonghwa usually insists we have dinner together.” Yunho hums, amused at the idea of everyone getting together to be rowdy and share wishes. “You’re all like a big family,” the omega teases. “You mean we’re like a big family. You’re counted in it now,” Mingi teases right back. 

Before Yunho can wiggle away, Mingi is rolling right on top of him fully to keep him squished under. They share another soft kiss though Yunho did attempt to turn his head, once again mumbling about needing to brush his own teeth before they start swapping spit again. 

 “Oh, and happy birthday, Mingi! What are you going to wish for when you blow out your candle?” If Seonghwa is going to insist on a birthday party or dinner, there’s no way there wouldn’t be a cake involved. Even if there isn’t one, Yunho knows a quick search will get him a bakery close by that he can slip into quickly. 

But he’s not prepared for the way Mingi smiles, gums peeking and eyes crinkled. The amount of love in his gaze has Yunho wanting to hide and bask in it the entire time anyways. 

“The same thing you wished for all those years ago, Yunho. That we’ll always be together.”