Work Text:
“Whoa, Jung Hoseok is frowning. What did the boss do this time?”
Hoseok looked up from the mail on his desk to see his oh-so-friendly coworker Namjoon smirking down at him. “He didn’t do anything. Is it really that big of a deal for me to be frowning?”
“Uh, yes, because you never stop smiling and when you do it usually means the boss is being a giant piss head.” Namjoon perches his ass on the corner of Hoseok’s desk. “I need to know in order to alert the rest of the company of the shitty day they’re going to have.”
“I’d watch what you say Namjoon. Just because you two go way back, doesn’t mean he won’t fire your ass. Plus he is literally right past this door. Probably listening to you.” Hoseok jabs his thumb towards the door about three feet to the left from his desk.
“Eh, he can say what he likes, but his mother would chew him up and spit him out before he could fire me.” He gives a cocky grin, his dimple taunting Hoseok.
“Wish I could say the same for me.” Hoseok grumbles, casting a wary glance to his boss’ door.
“He needs you to live, so I don’t think you have to worry about being fired anytime soon. And if he threatens it, just bring up the countless times you’ve saved his ass during meetings.” Namjoon reaches over and pats Hoseok on the back. “Anyway, why exactly were you frowning?”
“I got an invitation in the mail this morning to go overseas for my high school reunion. It’s at a resort in California for three days.” Hoseok sighs and stares down at the brightly colored invitation asking for his attendance.
“And that’s something to frown about?” Namjoon arches an eyebrow. Hoseok sighs once more. “Just go, enjoy yourself. Oh, are you worried he won’t let you take off? I can see why he wouldn’t. Like I said, he needs you.”
“No, I’m not worried about that. I can easily prepare him for three days without me. It’s just that I don’t have much to show for since I graduated. I’m a measly assistant who doesn’t get much pay and I don’t even have anyone to take with me. I’d be at a resort practically by myself and surrounded by those who have it better than I do.” Hoseok prattles off. “See?” Namjoon nods.
“Yeah, you’re lonely and kind of a loser, but you’re our loser. And our loser would suck it up and go reconnect with old friends to have a good time.” And with that Namjoon hops off of the desk and saunters down the hall to go woo over a new intern with his ‘charming dimple.’
Just as Hoseok gathers his files for the day and reaches for his mug of coffee, his name is being called through the door next to him. He stands and mentally tosses everything not related to work out to the dusty corner of his mind. He plasters his best smile on his face and enters the room.
“Good morning, Mr. Min. Did you sleep well?” Hoseok greets as he approaches the large mahogany desk. His boss looks up from the remnants of his bagel that Hoseok had dropped off a half hour earlier before his boss had arrived.
“No as usual. And I see you have that unnecessary smile as usual, too.” He grumbled before motioning for the files lodged between Hoseok’s arm and side. The assistant handed them over, the forgotten invitation falling out onto the desk.
His boss stared down at the frilly lettering and cutesy pictures of a resort. “What’s this?” Hoseok bit back a curse and snatched it off of the table as fast as he could.
“It’s nothing, I’m sorry, sir. I must have mixed my personal mail into the files somehow.” That’s the first mess up Hoseok has done in the past few months and it had to be that stupid invitation. His boss is looking up at him, face twisted in amusement.
“A high school reunion, huh? Just a gathering to brag about achievements and show off life partners. I remember mine two years ago. I was the highlight of the event even though I went alone. Are you planning on attending, Hoseok? Show off how you’re an assistant?” Mr. Min’s sharp eyes lazily made their way to settle on Hoseok’s face.
How embarrassing. Hoseok’s smile vanished and he shook his head. “And why not?” Why do you care? was how Hoseok really wanted to respond to this question, but he stuck with a more appropriate answer.
“As you put it yourself, sir, it’s a time to brag and show off. I have nothing of the sort and no one to take, either. I could use those three days to be of use to you instead.” Hoseok attempted to put his smile back on, but it was difficult under the scrutinizing gaze that was focused on him.
“Go, Hoseok. You deserve a vacation anyway. You work too much, it’s made you too serious.” Mr. Min opened the file at the top of the stack. “Find someone to go with you. How about Namjoon, I’d love for that little shit to get out of my hair for three days.” He mumbled the last part.
“No thank you, sir. I’ll just stay here.” Hoseok says, watching the older man flip through the paperwork.
“When is it?”
“I’m sorry?” Hoseok blinks, confused by the words still hanging in the air. Mr. Min looks up at him, face still set in his usual grumpy state.
“Answer the question, Mr. Jung.” Hoseok swallowed. He only ever says his name like that when he’s pissed.
“A month from this weekend.” Hoseok answers softly, nervously squeezing the handle of his mug. Mr. Min looks down and tilts his head thoughtfully.
“It said California, correct?” Hoseok nods. “Perfect. Turns out I have a business meeting with one of our branches out in that state. It works for the both of us. I get my assistant to do all my work and you get your reunion. I’ll even humor you by being your plus one.” Mr. Min continues to flip through the next file, signing at the bottom of one of the papers.
Hoseok gapes like a fish, reaching for air, for words, for something. “What?” is all he can strangle out. Mr. Min looks up at him again.
“Don’t look like that, Hoseok, it’s not appealing. And why not, it’ll be interesting to know how my little assistant grew up. Anyway, take these please. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes with a client, if I recall correctly from your agenda this morning. I need to prepare for that. Dismissed.” Mr. Min reclines in his plush leather chair, straightening his suit jacket. Hoseok nods rather dumbly before turning and walking out as calmly as possible.
Namjoon breezes by him but backpedals when he catches sight of his face. “What, did Yoongi ask you on a date?”
Hoseok looks at him. “That’s Mr. Min to you.” He says quietly before slowly making his way to the bathroom.
Namjoon stares after the poor assistant, utterly confused.
. . .
With an invitation sent with a response of a yes plus one and a month later, Hoseok finds himself sitting next to his boss on a plane in first-class seats with a classy meal in front of them. Mr. Min is idly scrolling through his emails on his phone and Hoseok is slowly chewing his steak, still utterly confused at how he ended up in this situation.
“Sir, you really don’t need to accompany me to the reunion.” He says once he swallows the hunk of meat. Mr. Min stops scrolling, puts his phone down, and turns to look at Hoseok. His eyes feel like they're boring into his soul.
“You already put a plus one, correct?” Hoseok nods slowly. “Then you’re going to have a plus one. Another word about it and I really won’t go and you’ll have to explain what happened to your plus one.” Hoseok looks down at his food, exhaling heavily through his nose. “You’ll introduce me as your partner and from there, I’ll take the reigns.”
Hoseok whips his head towards his boss who has resumed his scrolling. “What? No, no way.” Hoseok shakes his head rather violently.
“Then what am I going to be? A cousin, just a friend? That’s awkward. No one takes friends to a reunion, especially when they didn’t even go to that school. Besides, I’m known worldwide, being your fake lover is an extreme compliment. Everyone will remember you as a rich man with the lifetime benefits of the music mogul of the world.”
“So you’re going to portray me as a man who can’t live without someone supporting me? I’ve done just fine on my own, I always have.” Hoseok feels a bubble of irritation growing around the hunks of meat he had just consumed. He’ll admit that maybe his snappish tone of voice was not the best choice, especially with the look he’s getting right now.
“I’m not saying anything of the sort, Jung Hoseok. I’m simply offering my employee a favor and however you want to take that is up to you. If you wish to mock me by saying such absurd things, please take the next flight home. I may not be the nicest of bosses, but I’m not so insolent as to say you need my financial support to live.” Mr. Min raises his voice enough to let Hoseok know he’s furiated, but not so much as to alert other passengers or flight attendants.
Hoseok bites his tongue and sinks down into his chair. He puts his fork down and pushes the plate away, his appetite fleeing from the plane along with any shred of positivity for the weekend.
“Get some sleep. You’ll need it to combat the jet lag.” Mr. Min says, the anger fading from his tone. Hoseok scoffs, but obeys nevertheless. All of the anger he isn’t used to has left his body as a tired shell. So he curls up against the window, letting the endless black scenery lull him to sleep.
At one point, he momentarily gets jostled awake when something lands on top of him. He’s barely able to crack his eyes open, but he’s sure it’s his boss’ face and those are his hands putting a blanket over him and lifting his tray out of his way.
But he’s so tired, he can’t find it in him to comment about it. So he remains quiet and lets sleep coax him back into slumber.
. . .
“Hoseok, we’re here. Wake up.” Comes a voice from above him. Hoseok groans softly, fingers clenching around silky fabric.
“Five more minutes.” He mumbles, burying his nose against warm skin emitting such a wonderful smell. Wait. That smell is familiar. He lifts his head and attempts to blink the sleep from his eyes.
Mr. Min is looking down at him, face contorted with amusement and irritation. It takes a moment for the realization to kick in and Hoseok is reeling back from the inviting smell and warmth. He clears his throat ever so awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, sir.” But to his surprise, Mr. Min chuckles softly.
“Figures you would be a cuddler. If your personality wasn’t a dead giveaway.” He comments before unbuckling the strap and moving to the aisle for Hoseok to do the same. The assistant decides to keep from saying anything out of sheer embarrassment.
As they wait for their luggage, Hoseok steals a glance at Mr. Min. He’s glad that he seems to have let their previous conversation go. Hoseok decides to let it go as well and promises himself not to bring such situations like that upon them again.
He digs in his suit pants pocket for his phone and sees a message from their driver Hoseok ordered that he is there and waiting outside of baggage claim. Another glance at Mr. Min and he sees him struggling with his luggage. Hoseok dashes over and easily takes the bag from his hands.
“Let me get this for you, sir.” He says, reaching for the other bag on the belt. Mr. Min huffs and nods, fixing his suit after dusting his hands off. He mumbles a shy thank you, heading off towards the doors already. Hoseok finds his smile slipping back into place, quickly dashing to catch up with Mr. Min.
In the car, Mr Min is enraptured by the outside world, barely listening to the agenda for the day Hoseok is rattling off. “Let’s see the beach.” Mr. Min says, causing Hoseok’s speech to stumble to a halt.
“But we aren’t properly dressed for the beach.” Mr. Min looks down at his fifty thousand dollar Italian made black suit. “We’re going to the hotel first anyway, so if you’d like I could clear-”
“Yes.” Mr. Min resumes his sightseeing, leaving Hoseok to smile softly at his boss.
The driver delivers them to the hotel and Mr. Min looks up at the grand building with a lazy smirk. “You always know how to pick them.”
“Only the best for the music mogul of the world, correct?” Hoseok answers and it really isn’t a question because that’s exactly what Mr. Min had told him on the first day of his job. But Hoseok can’t take all of the credit. This is the resort his old high school committee had chosen after all. Mr. Min lets out a sharp laugh before following Hoseok into the building.
“Mr. Yoongi Min, pleasure to have you stay at our hotel. Please, allow me to show you where you will stay. There is a tray of refreshments being set up in your suite as we speak. If you would like, I can have my assistant give you a tour of the hotel. Or if you prefer, I will do it personally.” Hoseok watches the exchange being taken in English, processing the words before translating them to Mr. Min when he tilts his head back slightly to Hoseok.
Mr. Min smiles before declining in only mildly less perfect English, something Namjoon is still teaching him. He had always complained about how he should have paid more attention to it in high school and college. The hotel manager nods politely before leading the way towards the elevators.
“Excuse me, Mr. Min would like to go to the beach today. Which location would be preferable?” Hoseok says to the manager. The manager smiles in response.
“No worries, I can arrange a driver to take you to the best places in the city. He knows it like the back of his hand. Just say the word and he’ll take you there.” Hoseok smiles and thanks him for his generosity. “Oh it’s the least I can do. Mr. Yoongi Min is practically royalty.” Hoseok glances at Mr. Min to catch him smirking.
The manager shows Mr. Min to his large suite and Mr. Min nods in complete approval, thanking the manager for his hospitality. They meander around the lounge area and make their way into the large bedroom. Afterwards, the manager offers to show Hoseok to his own room.
“No that’s alright. I’m sure I can find it on my own, sir.” Hoseok smiles widely and the manager smiles back just as friendly. As he turns to leave, Mr. Min halts him.
“You can cancel the other room. He’ll stay with me.” Mr. Min says, half in Korean and the other in English. Hoseok looks at him confused, but Mr. Min gives him an impatient stare and Hoseok translates for him. The manager arches an eyebrow before nodding and then he’s gone to make arrangements for a personal driver.
When the doors shut, Hoseok turns to look at Mr. Min who is casually unpacking his belongings. “What was that about?” He asks, baffled by his boss’ rash and sudden decision. Mr. Min looks up from his clothes like he’s done nothing out of the ordinary.
“Why waste company money on two rooms?”
“I paid with my own money.” Hoseok blurts out. Mr. Min stops what he’s doing and looks back up at Hoseok. “It is my vacation, right? I should be the one paying for it.” Mr. Min blinks before his bossman mask is back on.
“Make sure you add to Monday’s agenda for me to reimburse you entirely.” Now it’s Hoseok’s turn to blink. “This is only half of a vacation, the rest is business. You are my business, so it’s one hundred percent my duty to pay for this trip.”
Hoseok feels the tip of his ears sear. His business? He decides to drop the conversation, not wanting Mr. Min to see him flustered and bright red. He makes his way to the lounge area’s couch with a slight pout. He’d rather sleep on a bed, but it’s too late now.
Hoseok is done getting ready for the beach, dressing down from his suit to a simple tee and shorts, typing away at his miniature office which is a tablet he always carries with him. Mr. Min shuffles out of his room to tell him he's ready to go. Hoseok looks up and outright stares at the man in front of him.
Mr. Min has a classy white button down tucked into jean shorts adorned with a stylish black hat. But Hoseok is enraptured by Mr. Min’s legs.
“What?” He asks, shifting to rest a hand on his hip. Hoseok shakes his head, blinking away from the new image of Mr. Min’s soft looking skin and thin legs. “It’s obviously something. I’ve never seen that look before.”
“It’s just that… Has anyone ever told you that your legs look better than most women’s, sir?” Hoseok adds the formality on softly, averting his gaze quickly. There’s a period of silence before Mr. Min is laughing. Like actually laughing.
“I have, but not since I graduated high school. I got that all the time on the basketball team. My teammates always tried to get me into a cheerleading uniform because my body is so feminine.” Mr. Min shook his head as he recalled the memories. “Namjoon was always behind those idiotic plots.” Hoseok smiles as he tries to imagine a younger Mr. Min enthusiastic about basketball but shy about his legs.
“They look nice, Mr. Min.” Hoseok chuckles. Mr. Min looks at him almost on the brink of fondness before he speaks up.
“Call me Yoongi. Just for this trip. You need to refer to me as Yoongi in front of your old classmates, so start now.” Hoseok’s eyes widen at the new privilege being handed to him on a silver platter. “Well, Hoseok, let’s go to the beach.” Mr. Min, Yoongi, walks past him towards the door.
“Coming.” He says quietly.
. . .
Hoseok can’t believe his eyes. His boss is playing in the sandy water, watching his footprints get washed away, picking up and inspecting seashells. Yoongi yells out when the water splashes too high up his calves and hits his shorts. Hoseok bursts out laughing and Yoongi narrows his eyes at him, before kicking and throwing water at his assistant in retaliation.
Hoseok ends up tripping over his feet and falling face first into the water. When he resurfaces, he’s met with a concerned face. It’s only brief because then Yoongi is laughing when he notices that there’s seaweed in Hoseok’s hair. He shuts up when Hoseok peels his soaked shirt off of his body to reveal a surprising set of abs.
They’re sitting far up on the beach enough for the waves to lick their feet, but not drench them again. Hoseok sighs softly as he allows his skin to dry and soak up the California sun. Yoongi is next to him, camera in hand after he sent the driver to retrieve it from the car. Hoseok hears the clicking of the shutter and the grunts of approval from Yoongi, but he doesn’t see past his eyelids that Yoongi is taking pictures of the serene scene Hoseok is presenting him with.
“When is the dinner?” Yoongi asks once he’s filled up his memory card of the sea, the sky, the sand, Hoseok’s beautiful figure, the water drops in his hair, the soft curve of his lips as he basks in the sun. Hoseok finally opens his eyes.
“It’s at seven.” He looks out at the setting sun in front of them. “We should get going to wash up and get ready.” Yoongi agrees and he’s getting up already. He drinks in the sight of the tanned and toned skin before Hoseok puts his shirt back on.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get the sand out of my mouth.” Hoseok mumbles bitterly, sticking out his tongue. Yoongi laughs as they walk back up to where the car is parked.
“I’m sorry. But not really.”
. . .
Hoseok is nervous. And that’s saying something, because Hoseok is the type who loves attention, the type to willingly speak to an audience of two hundred people about random things they don’t care about and still love it.
“You’re nervous. Something I haven’t seen in a long time.” Yoongi says idly, buttoning his suit in front of the full length mirror. He looks towards where Hoseok is standing by the bed, not sitting for fear of too many wrinkles. “Not since I interviewed you last year actually.”
“You’re very intimidating.” Hoseok says with a sigh. Yoongi turns and walks over to where Hoseok is standing.
“You’re going to be fine.” Yoongi’s long fingers reach up to fix Hoseok’s tie. The assistant finds himself holding his breath. “You are dating me after all, right?” Yoongi’s eyes glint with something mysterious and then he’s gone with traces of his cologne lingering in Hoseok’s senses. “Plus you’re my assistant, the best one I’ve had. You have all of my faith in you. If I wasn’t sure you could do anything, I wouldn’t have kept you by my side.”
Hoseok lets out a shuddery breath. Have they started the fake dating thing yet? Because these words sound far too intimidate even when referring to a boss-employee relationship. “Thank you.” He says and his voice is so small and quiet that Yoongi barely hears him.
“Now let’s go show off how in love we are.”
And a show is what they put on.
Yoongi treats him like a prince the entire night. He opens the door for him, pulls out his chair for him, keeps him close to his side, demonstrates small affectionate touches, and is Hoseok’s heart fluttering?
They’re given name tags and flutes of champagne when they enter. Yoongi smiles confidently to no one in particular, curling his arm around Hoseok’s waist. As they make their way further into the room, people turn and gasp softly at who Hoseok is next to. Yoongi leans in to whisper into Hoseok’s ear.
“Don’t look so scared. Be confident. This is just another fancy business event.” Yoongi smiles lovingly as he pulls away. Hoseok returns the smile to the best of his abilities. Sure, he’s been to so many of those fancy luncheons and dinners and fundraisers with Yoongi, but never had they been together portraying a couple. Never had Yoongi kept Hoseok glued to his side. Never had Yoongi held Hoseok in such a protective way or in any way at all.
“Hoseok!” Someone called and the two turned towards the source of the voice. Hoseok smiles in recognition, peeling from Yoongi to hug the newcomer and the person next to him.
“Jackson, Mark, I’ve missed you guys.” Hoseok smiles fondly as he takes in the appearances of his two old best friends. “Wow, emails and phone calls really don’t do justice to how much you’ve changed.”
“Speak for yourself. You look like a million bucks.” The guy who had initially called Hoseok’s name practically shouted.
“We haven’t been in Korea much the past year, but we plan on taking our business there to the next level. We’ll be able to meet up with you more often.” The other man speaks up for the first time upon arrival.
Hoseok is reminded of Yoongi’s presence when an arm slides around his waist. “Oh, guys, this is my b-boyfriend, Min Yoongi.” Hoseok stumbles over the word boyfriend, almost saying boss. “Yoongi, this is Jackson, he’s super loud, and Mark, his other much quieter half. They were my best friends in high school.” Hoseok says fondly. Yoongi holds out his hand and politely greets the two men.
“Min Yoongi… Oh, you’re the CEO of the best music company in world, holy crap! Mark! We’ve met a celebrity!” Jackson cries out, causing many people in the room to turn towards their little group. Mark smiles apologetically towards Yoongi, slapping Jackson hard on the back. “I’m sorry about him.”
“It’s quite alright.” Yoongi smiles, turning his charm up one hundred percent.
“It happens all the time. Especially when he’s dealing with new customers during business deals.” Hoseok chuckles. Jackson gives him a confused look.
“You work for him?”
“No, I tell him about those kinds of things. Over dinner we usually discuss our day’s events.” Yoongi slides in smoothly and Jackson is nodding in understanding before cooing and hitting Hoseok on the shoulder.
“You found yourself such a steal.” Jackson wiggles his eyebrows.
“Heads up, Seokjin is here.” Mark says quietly, his eyes trained on a newcomer near the entrance. Hoseok sighs and casts a glance towards the door, he looks away when their eyes catch.
“Seokjin is Hoseok’s ex-boyfriend. Oh wait, you probably already know. Though it was a bad breakup so maybe you didn’t know. Shit, I said too much. Sorry Hoseok.” Jackson blurts out rapid fire to Yoongi. Mark hits his back again and bids Hoseok farewell as Seokjin approaches.
Yoongi turns Hoseok around in his arms and looks at him with a loving gaze. “Was it really that bad that you look like this?” Yoongi reaches a hand up to thumb over Hoseok’s frown. The younger male inhales sharply at the contact. “You don’t need to think about anything other than me.” And Yoongi’s leaning down and pressing a gentle to Hoseok’s lips.
Before Hoseok can close his eyes to at least enjoy the kiss or even process what they hell Yoongi is doing right now, there’s the sound of a throat being cleared and Yoongi is pulling away. He smiles once more at Hoseok and this is when he realizes just how great of an actor his boss is.
“Hoseok, it’s nice to see you again.” Hoseok barely registers the voice, his stare on Yoongi, his eyes, his lips, the tongue that’s flicking out to wet those lips. “Hoseok.” The voice is louder and it startles Hoseok out of his confused haze. He turns to look at Seokjin. He’s gotten more handsome, Hoseok will admit that, his hair perfectly styled and his lips stretched in a smug smile.
“Hello, Seokjin.” Hoseok mumbles softly, not sure if he’s still dazed from the male next to him or intimidated by the one in front of him.
“Min Yoongi, huh?” Seokjin says, giving Yoongi a slow once over. “How did you manage that one? After you told me you couldn’t live without me, too.” Seokjin chuckles and shakes his head. Hoseok is startled by the laugh that comes from his boss.
“He didn’t have to do anything. His smile did all of the work for him and I was enchanted by it. I approached him and by some unknown force he accepted my proposal for a date. I’m the one who doesn’t know how I obtained the privilege to be by his side. And he lives just fine without you.” Yoongi smiles and it’s cocky and typical for him.
Seokjin scoffs. “I’m sure he does. He is your assistant, correct? I’ve been to a few of your events. You never seemed to care for him then.”
“You’re right, he is my assistant. In more ways than one. And just because it seemed like I wasn't caring for him then, doesn’t mean I didn’t. There’s more than one way to care for a man, Seokjin. And I use every single method for Hoseok.” And with that, Yoongi whisks Hoseok to the miniature dance floor.
“You dated that garbage?” Yoongi mumbled, pulling Hoseok flush against his body. Hoseok nodded reluctantly.
“He was sweet once. Trust me. I do have standards, you know? He just likes flings more and is all about sex. He can be...crazy at times.” Hoseok lets out a heavy sigh. “You know he’s going to leak this to press back in Korea. Anything to ruin me and now you.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard to handle. Besides, he deserved it. You should’ve seen the look on his face when I kissed you.” Yoongi laughed, spinning them along the floor. Hoseok flushes at the recollection of that action.
“Why the hell did you do that, Yoongi?” Hoseok sputtered out, mentally swearing at his voice for failing him and making him sound embarrassed (even though he was).
“I knew he was bad news so we had to step up our act a bit more. It worked. He’s fuming in a corner by himself.” Yoongi chuckles, but Hoseok doesn’t think it’s as funny. He’s worried about the impact their act will have in Korea. “Was he your first boyfriend?”
Hoseok tumbles out of his thoughts and gives Yoongi a confused look. “Yes, but I’d rather not talk about it.” Yoongi nods and respectfully drops the topic, opting to move onto a better one.
“My business meeting is early in the morning tomorrow. So afterwards, we can do a little sightseeing before the next event your school is hosting.” Yoongi offers. Hoseok smiles and nods, hoping for the night to come to a close fast.
He’s not sure if he can handle Yoongi’s gaze and warm embrace much longer.
. . .
“I’m impressed, you behaved yourself in the meeting today. What’s got you in a good mood?” Hoseok asks when they’re in the car heading back to the resort. Yoongi turns his head away from the scenery outside.
“I wanted it to end fast so we could go see the sights.” Yoongi looks excited and Hoseok is finding many of the things Yoongi has done so far on this trip to be cute. Namjoon would literally piss himself if he heard that word used to describe Yoongi.
“Driver, do not take us to the hotel. Take us to the sights.” Yoongi orders the driver and receives a nod in response. Hoseok arches an eyebrow. “What? So I’m a bit impatient, but I earned this. You yourself said I was good.” Yoongi pouts and Hoseok finds himself smiling and giving into his boss’ charm.
“Sightseeing in suits, how stuffy are we?” Hoseok mumbles more to himself because Yoongi is already back to staring happily outside.
They get taken to a farmer’s market and Yoongi is apparently bent on trying all of the food there that he’s never seen before. Hoseok interprets when needed but he is right next to him the entire time, eating whatever gets fed to him.
“What is this?” Hoseok asks the lady at the stall, covering his mouth so chunks don’t fly out when he speaks.
“Pepino melon.” The lady responds, cutting up another fruit for them to try. She had snatched them up when they had first entered because they screamed foreigner so loud she couldn’t ignore them.
“Pepino? Never heard of it.” Hoseok comments, nibbling on another piece as Yoongi chomps away at star fruit.
“It’s not a popular fruit.” The woman shrugs.
When they finally leave the market, Yoongi has a new hat and a bag of different fruits to eat later. “Where to next?” He shouts in English as they approach the car and their driver. Hoseok laughs hard because it’s pretty overwhelming to his boss act like this.
An aquarium is the answer and Yoongi is petting rays that seem to have taken to him. Hoseok takes a picture of the scene with his phone because he really can’t help it.
“Can this go in the company newsletter?”
“We don’t have a newsletter.”
“Well if we did, this would be the cover.” Hoseok grins down at the picture. Yoongi comes over to inspect it only to see that Hoseok had zoomed in on his face. Hoseok quickly shoves his phone in his pants pocket. “They have otters here, let’s go find them.” He says to distract his boss and it thankfully works.
After spending about two hours in an aquarium, they’re taken to a fast food joint and then they head back to the hotel.
“That was so much fun.” Yoongi says, content as he sprawls out on his bed. Hoseok takes something out of the bag of stuff he bought at the aquarium and sets it on Yoongi’s head. His boss sits up and reaches to touch for it but Hoseok smacks his hand away and readies his phone for a picture.
“Watch yourself, Hoseok, I’m your boss.”
“And you control my paycheck, yeah, yeah. But you’re super cute so your threats have no effect on me.” Hoseok takes three pictures just in case. Yoongi scoots over to look at them when Hoseok gives the okay. He’s sitting on the bed with a grumpy expression but there’s a cute shark hat eating at his head. He can’t help but burst out laughing.
“What kind of hat is this?” He takes it off and shoves it on Hoseok’s head, laughing even more as Hoseok makes cutesy noises and poses as if he’s on a runway for high couture fashion.
“Vogue.” Hoseok says very seriously and poses like his life depends on it. Yoongi laughs so hard that his face is on the verge of turning purple. Hoseok sits next to where he’s fallen back on the bed.
“Breathe, boss, breathe!” Hoseok is nudging Yoongi’s face with the shark hat and Yoongi can’t seem to get enough.
When the laughter finally dies down, Yoongi is looking at his assistant with a twinkle in his eyes. Hoseok smiles at him before he looks at the large clock mounted on the wall above the bed. “We should get ready.”
Yoongi’s smiles fades a little before he nods. “We should.” And he’s getting off of the bed and rummaging through his closet to determine which suit he should wear. Hoseok gives his advice and then goes to match his suit with his boss’, something he’s had to do for business occasions.
Tonight it’s Hoseok’s turn to straighten out Yoongi’s tie. “Thank you Hoseok. I realize I don’t say that enough.” Hoseok arches an eyebrow.
“I don’t expect you to. It is my job after all. I should be the one saying thank you.” Hoseok fixes his boss’ collar. “There, you’re all set. Oh wait… You’re never good at doing your hair.” Hoseok laughs and messes with the soft layers of black hair in front of him. Yoongi takes Hoseok’s wrist in his hand and trails it down to his cheek.
“I think it’s fine.” He whispers. Hoseok lets his mouth fall open slightly, his gut wrenching towards his throat, knocking into his heart on the way. He clears his throat before pulling away from the grasp.
“Let’s go, shall we?”
“Yeah.”
. . .
“I was wondering if our little bundle of hope and joy made it.” Comes a snide voice from behind Hoseok.
They’re playing a game where people break out from each other and guess the word on their backs. Hoseok has long been split up from Yoongi, but he himself is close to getting his word right.
He turns around to look at Im Jaebum and Hoseok feels his blood drain from his face. “Jaebum.” The other male steps closer to Hoseok.
“Long time no see. Seokjin tells me you’re a grown up rich man now. Hanging off of some poor guy’s arm.” Jaebum laughs, but it’s anything but comical. “Min Yoongi to be precise. You always were an attention whore so it figures that you’d go for the famous ones and leech the life and money out of them.”
Hoseok flares with anger. “I’m not taking anything from Yoongi, Im Jaebum, so I’d watch my mouth if I were you.” This only seem to make the other more amused as he steps closer to enter Hoseok’s personal space.
“Look who’s big and bad now. You really are grown up now.” Jaebum practically whispers and it takes all of who Hoseok is to not deck the guy in the face.
“Jaebum, stop it.” There’s a voice interjecting and the class committee leader Park Jinyoung is strutting over. Jaebum frowns and backs out of Hoseok’s face. Hoseok bites his tongue from making a whipped remark.
“Is there a problem over here?” Hoseok turns to see that Yoongi has joined them, looking as pissed off as he does when Namjoon licks his bagels and lets Yoongi eat it without telling him until it’s too late.
“Not anymore. I’m sorry Hoseok. Jaebum has changed for the better, but Seokjin acts like poison. We really are sorry. Please, help yourself to the bar. Drinks will be on me.” And Jinyoung is yanking Jaebum away by the ear, his whines of pain echoing through the event hall.
Hoseok’s shoulders droop and he starts walking away. “Hoseok, where are you going?” Yoongi says, quickly catching up to him.
“I need that drink and I need it now.” Hoseok feels the tears stinging at the back of his eyes. He closes his eyes briefly and exhales. Yoongi nods and places a reassuring hand on his lower back, guiding him to the bar.
Three drinks of whatever the hell the bartender handed them and they’re both slurring words.
“Who was that guy?” Yoongi asks, sucking down the rest of his draft beer. Hoseok sighs and orders another round.
“Seokjin’s best friend. Together they terrorized me for years.” Yoongi frowns deeply at this piece of information.
“But you’re so wonderful, how can anyone bully you?” Yoongi mumbles, sipping at his new drink. Hoseok snorts rather unattractively.
“Hell if I know. I guess they wanted to see me break. They got their wish.” He bites his lip, squeezing his eyes shut before knocking back his drink. Yoongi looks at him with sincere empathy before he takes Hoseok’s hand and pulls him off of the stool. “Where are we going?”
“We’re getting out of here. To the room, to the roof, to wherever that’s not here.” Yoongi says and he’s already tugging Hoseok past the other people who are giving them looks. Hoseok figures they must look like shit, which makes sense because that’s how he feels.
They end up at their suite. Hoseok sheds his jacket and Yoongi is quick to follow. It seems as if the hotel manager must’ve known, because there’s a cart of refreshments and top class wine in the lounge area. Yoongi pours them a glass and finds Hoseok on his bed, sprawled out with his tie hanging loosely from his neck.
“Here, cheer up.” He hands Hoseok the glass of wine and his assistant gratefully takes the offer, sucking it down without bothering to appreciate the fancy taste it brings. Yoongi settles down next to him. “You may not be a CEO or a top notch lawyer or even a celebrity, but you are still a fine person. I’m glad to call you my assistant.”
Hoseok looks at Yoongi with a pout. “Is this your version of cheering someone up? It could use some fine tuning.” Yoongi rolls his eyes.
“Say what you will. The past is the past, Hoseok, focus on the present to create a more meaningful future.” Hoseok stares at his boss and he might actually cry, because that’s such good advice and Yoongi is being so caring right now.
An order of vodka and several shots later, Hoseok really is crying. Yoongi is in his briefs, jamming to a popular English song and Hoseok can barely breathe past the bubbles of laughter escaping him. The song ends and Yoongi falls down onto Hoseok’s lap. The younger male gingerly pats his face.
“You know why I agreed to be your plus one?” Yoongi mumbles, his eyes closing from the sudden wave of exhaustion. Hoseok shakes his head and even in his drunken stupor he’s still curious. “Because you looked so sad. You stopped smiling. My Hoseok always smiles and I’ll do anything to make that be so.”
Hoseok smiles until the words process completely through his slow brain. His heart rate spikes and he flushes more than he already was. “Don’t be silly.” Yoongi clutches his heart in mock pain, opening his eyes to stare at Hoseok in horror.
“I’m serious. I may be drunk, but drunks speak the truth, right? And that time I kissed you? I haven’t stopped thinking about it. And I really want to do it again. When I’m not drunk though. I want to be sober so I can remember every little detail. Goodnight.” And Yoongi promptly falls asleep, leaving Hoseok alone to digest all of this information.
. . .
Hoseok remembers it all very vividly. How could he not? He spent most of the night thinking about it and all of the connotations that those words carried with it. He thought about all of the times where Yoongi would do or say weird things and how suddenly all of this made sense.
But he doesn’t say anything to Yoongi. Not when Yoongi wakes up to Hoseok pressed against his side, not when Yoongi groans over a pounding headache, not when they pack up all of their things, not when they’re on the plane to South Korea, and not on Monday morning at work.
“What’s wrong with you man? Your vacation turn sour?” Namjoon’s ass is perched on the corner of his desk again, but as per usual Hoseok doesn’t care. Hoseok looks up at him with a soft smile. “Oh, didn’t want it to end, huh? Now you’re back under control of the big boss.”
In a way, Namjoon’s right on the bulls eye with his assumption. There were aspects of the vacation he wanted to end, but for the most part he wanted it to continue. He wanted to remain with Yoongi, to learn all of the sides to him. Hoseok doesn’t know him as well he had thought he did. And now that Hoseok knows how Yoongi feels, he wants to take the time to explore all aspects of Min Yoongi.
But he can’t now that it’s back to Mr. Min and daily agendas with a side of bagels and coffee. Hoseok knows he could approach the topic with Yoongi, he could do it now in about five minutes, but he’s not sure how to approach it. Would Yoongi deny it and say it was the alcohol, does he even remember saying it? He had acted just the same yesterday during their flight.
Hoseok sighs, shooting a glance at the office door.
“Just talk to him.” Namjoon offers and he walks away just as Yoongi shouts his name from within the confines of his office. Hoseok nods, perhaps he really just should. Maybe he’ll get to keep his job if it backfires. Maybe he’ll find himself in a relationship with his boss. Either way, he doesn’t want to refer to him as just Mr. Min anymore.
Hoseok gathers his things and wits before standing tall and strutting into the office.
“Good morning, Mr. Min. Did you sleep well?”
Yoongi is looking at him with a smile. “No as usual. And there’s that smile as usual, too.” Hoseok finds it ironic how they fall so easily back into their morning routine after a weekend of a fake relationship. His boss truly is impressive.
“Are those the files you’ve prepared for me?” Yoongi points to the files wedged between Hoseok’s arm and side. Hoseok nods and hands them over to his boss.
Yoongi catches his hand before he gets the chance to withdraw it. This isn’t part of their routine.
“Do you ever wonder why I don’t sleep well, Mr. Jung?” Hoseok gulps at the use of formalities. He quickly rushes through his mind. Did he get the coffee wrong, was the bagel hard? “Answer the question, Mr. Jung.”
“No, sir, not particularly. I assume it’s because you’re a man of high regard with many intricate things on your mind.” Hoseok answers. He always thought it’s because he just never sleeps, too engrossed in what he does. Too passionate that he forgets to even take care of himself.
“No. Well, not all of the time.” And he’s tracing his thumb over the back of Hoseok’s hand. “Do you remember what I said two nights ago?”
Hoseok’s heart races. This is it, Hoseok, tell him how you feel. Let him know you feel the same. “I do. And I’ve thought a lot about it.” Yoongi’s eyebrows raise. He slides his hand from Hoseok’s and puts his together, folding them over his desk. He gives a patient look, prompting Hoseok to say what needs to be said.
“And I’m a tiny bit confused, a bit weirded out that it’s you of all people. Like if you think about it, I should really hate your guts and Namjoon always asks why I don’t pee in your coffee every morning. So I suppose there’s something weird about me too.” Hoseok rambles, deciding to tease Yoongi only just a little.
It seems to work though, because Yoongi is standing and before long he’s got Hoseok pressed against the back of his desk. “Mr. Jung, you really need to answer questions properly.” His voice is low but there’s no threat lingering in it. He’s simply amused that his assistant is playing around with him.
Hoseok smiles sweetly and leans forward to brush his lips against Yoongi’s, moving them to press against his ear. “Now you can memorize every detail, Mr. Min.” And Yoongi decides right then and there that Hoseok, the epitome of sunshine, is actually the devil.
“Fuck yeah.”