Chapter Text
Another afternoon, another business meeting. The gentle hum of the fluorescent lights in the conference room lulling Seokjin to sleep. It was his third meeting of the day and all of the conversations started to run together. Sure, there are perks to being owner and CEO of your own company, but at what price. Jin finds himself asking that question every day. His days are filled with meetings and people, that he can only describe as sycophants, clawing to get in his good graces and, ultimately, gain a piece of the fortune and reputation he has gained for himself. It’s exhausting and Jin is too young to be feeling this type of burnout.
“Excuse us everyone, can we have the room please?” Namjoon asks from next to Jin. He realizes he hadn’t heard the last bit of the conversation and is lost as to what has transpired. He watches as his top level employees bow and make their way out of the conference room, leaving him with Namjoon and Yoongi.
“Hyung, what the fuck is going on?” Yoongi stares at him from across the table, “You were so spaced out, I think you and your chair took off into orbit.”
“I’m sorry,” he looked apologetically at both his friends, “What did we conclude for the Wang project?”
“We’re gonna move forward, but with the stipulations that we talked about last week,” Namjoon started. He was the brains of the whole operation and Jin knew that the past four years would have never been as successful if it weren’t for Namjoon and all of his thoughtful strategy about growth. “I’m sending Yoongi over tomorrow to negotiate the final price point, but I think we should come in 15% over our estimated profit.”
“Let’s be clear, you’re not sending me anywhere, it’s my job to negotiate with these assholes who think they can get over on us because we’re young.” Yoongi piped up causing Jin to smile. Yoongi, much like Namjoon, was essential in the success of the company, but for vastly different reasons. Yoongi was tough in business and had negotiation skills better than anyone Jin had ever met. His poker face was undecipherable, and he was not shy about telling someone to ‘fuck off’ if he felt they were offering them a shit deal.
“What would I do without the two of you?”
“Just be another pretty face in the crowd,” Yoongi said getting up and walking towards the door. “Are we still on for drinks tonight?”
“Yes, please,” Namjoon said smiling, “Jimin has been asking when we were all going to get together again. He hates being a housewife, says it’s crushing his soul.”
“He’s not a housewife...he’s not even a house husband. The two of you are just playing house-” Yoongi started.
“It’s not like we can legally get married,” Namjoon interjected.
“Tell Jiminie he can always come back to work here,” Jin added.
“Yea, tell that brat to get a job, then his soul won’t be crushed. Hobi says he’s at the studio at least four times a week, giving pointers and tips to the students. Why doesn’t he just work there? It’s not like Hoseok’s gonna turn him away.” Yoongi looked at Namjoon.
Namjoon shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to the eldest, “so yea, hyung? Drinks tonight?”
“I’m so tired of being the 5th wheel with the four of you. And I always end up picking up the tab for everyone-”
“You insist!” Yoongi started.
“Yea. And you always end up finding some young guy or girl who wants to cozy up to you,” Namjoon adds, “you’re never the 5th wheel for too long.”
“You should get on that app I registered you for,” Yoongi said.
“The prostitution app?” Namjoon questioned.
“They are escorts,” Yoongi corrects, “nothing sexual has to happen. And before you talk about who you are and your reputation, there are NDA’s that both parties have to sign and agree to. It might be worth it, just to find some comfort in another human being. Me and Namjoon are always here for you, but I know how lonely you are.”
“I’m not lonely, Yoongi,” Seokjin finds himself pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, as his friends look at him, “I’m just- I dunno...what makes you think you know what I’m feeling?” His go to question when he can feel the pressure of their gaze.
“Hyung, the three of us have been friends since juice boxes and mud pies. I think we know you better than anyone else. And we can tell when you’re spending too much time alone caught up in your thoughts.”
He looked up and saw Namjoon nod in agreement. Finally, he agreed to drinks tonight and watched his two best friends and most senior level VPs leave the conference room. He sat for a while longer, softly smiling and bowing his head as employees walked passed the glass wall, faces turning to shock as they noticed their CEO sitting alone in a room staring at the ceiling.
Once he arrived home, and started pulling the ingredients he’d need for dinner out of his refrigerator, Jin picked up his phone and looked through his texts with Yoongi. His finger hovered over the link to the app Yoongi had already registered and created a profile for on his behalf.
“What kind of name is ‘Seoul of the City’ for an escort app?” Jin asked himself clicking the link. He typed in the login information that Yoongi sent and started to scroll through the site and the people on it. His breath hitched as he stopped over a profile. A man, early 20’s with somewhat shaggy brown hair and almond colored eyes. His features were so soft, Jin thought to himself.
“He’s pretty, almost as pretty as me,” Jin chuckled. He continued to look at the man’s profile and pictures and asked himself what he had to lose by sending him a harmless message.
Hi, Tae. I’m Jin. I just wanted to let you know that your pictures took my breath away. You are incredibly handsome and I thought you should know that. I hope you’re having a good evening.
‘What the fuck?’ Jin thought to himself. ‘Did I just tell an escort I hope he’s having a good night? What does that even mean in his line of work?’ He sighed and threw his phone on the counter needing to get dinner going if he was gonna make it out with his friends.
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“Seokjin-hyung!” Jimin yelled across the bar running over to trap Jin in a tight hug. “I’ve missed you! How’ve you been?”
Jin smiled and hugged the younger back, “Jiminie I saw you last week. I’m the same now as I was then.”
“I know, but I’m so used to seeing you everyday. I feel like I’m out of the loop since Joonie made me quit.”
“I did not make you quit, stop telling people that’s what happened!” Namjoon said, as the others made their way over to the table.
“You made me fall in love with you. And as head of HR I knew how much we frown at interoffice romances, therefore you made me quit.” Jimin retorted, hand on his hip.
“Jimin, you didn’t have to quit-” Jin started.
“Oh no… I definitely had to quit. Either me or Namjoon. Not good optics, trust me.”
“Drink?” The server asked making her way to the table.
Jin ordered a whiskey neat and another round for the table. They were at their usual bar, a members only bar where all the employees were painfully beautiful and all the drinks were potent but ridiculously overpriced.
“Hoseok, how are the newest enrollees of the studio?” Jin asked, finally settling into the sofa next to Namjoon.
“It’s great Hyung. The kids this time around are so damn talented, I swear. I think we are gonna have a good class and put on some great performances this year.”
“That’s great! I can’t wait to buy all the tickets for the shows!”
As the conversation continued, Jin feels a vibration in his pocket. He pulls his phone out and notices a message from ‘Tae’, clicking it open immediately.
‘Hello Jin. Thank you for the compliment, it’s always nice to hear sweet things from very pretty men like you. Let me know if you’re ever in need of company, I wouldn’t turn my nose up to a dinner and a few drinks with you. Xo’
Jin reread the message, trying to decipher if this ‘Tae’ was flirting with him or if he was imagining it. And even if he were flirting, that’s a part of his job, to get clients. Right?
“Hyung, WTF- Why The Face?” Namjoon asked, soliciting a groan from everyone but Jimin.
“That was cute, Babe!”
“Thanks Minnie,” Namjoon said kissing him lightly and then returning his focus to Jin. “Seriously. What is it. Did you just an email about the project?”
“No…” Jin looked at his friends, all of their eyes on him, “I got a message from a guy on that app Yoongi signed me up for.”
“No shit, lemme see.” Yoongi said putting his drink down and reaching across the small table.
“Oooh, Joonie, told me about this. That is so exciting,” Jimin started, “is he good looking?”
“Fucking hell,” Hoseok said looking over Yoongi’s shoulder, “he is pretty damn hot.”
Nodding in agreement to his boyfriend’s comments, Yoongi chimes in, “invite him out.”
“What?” Jin felt panic spread over him.
“Yea! Invite him out,” Hoseok said cosigning Yoongi’s terrible idea, “it’s just us and this way it won't be too awkward because the two of you won't be alone.”
“I’ll even cover whatever his fee is,” Namjoon said.
“No, that’s crazy. This is supposed to be our night out…” Jin looked at his friends, all of them smiling at him and then he realized, Yoongi still had his phone and was texting furiously on it.
“Yoongi! What are you doing!? Please hand me my phone back.”
“Sure. Here…” Yoongi tossed the phone across the table and Jin realized the damage had been done.
‘Hi Tae. What about a drink or two tonight? I’m out with some friends and I would love to meet you in person. We’re at Marvel, and will be here for some time. I’ll pay whatever your rate is for a couple of hours and any inconvenience fee for the last minute request. -Jin’
“Yoongi, I’m not ready...I-” Jin found himself speechless, just as his phone vibrated in his lap.
‘Jin, that sounds wonderful. I know the place, but have never been (I’m not a member). My rate is 270,000won/per hour. I can be there in 45 minutes...should I wear something special? Oh- and how will I get in the door?- Tae’
“Shit,” Jin muttered under his breath. “He’s coming. He asked if he should wear something special.”
“Well should he?” Hoseok asked, smiling wide.
“Yea, do you want to see him in anything in particular?” Jimin chimed in.
“I- no… I dunno… fuck. I wasn’t ready for this.”
“Hyung, it’s fine. We’re all here. It’ll be great. It’s just like a blind date and maybe you’ll get to get your dick wet tonight,” Yoongi said smiling as Hoseok smacked his arm.
‘It’s pretty casual here, no jeans though. I’ll meet you at the door and have you signed in as my guest. See you in 45.- Jin’
“This is so exciting! Hyung’s got a date,” Jimin said practically bouncing in his seat.
“It’s not really a date. I’m paying him to pretend like he likes me…”
“Actually, I’m paying him to pretend like he likes you,” Namjoon added.
“What are we gonna talk about?”
“Just ask him about himself, like any other date,” Yoongi shrugged.
“Here,” Hoseok said walking back to the table and handing Jin a shot, “drink this and calm the fuck down. You are overthinking this whole thing.”
They all toasted and threw their shots back, and as the liquid warmed Jin’s core he couldn’t help but feel the excitement in his stomach. Tae was very handsome, and from the few messages he’d received from him, he seemed really laid back. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It’s not like Jin could get into any type of real relationship any way. He could never tell when people were with him for his money and status or because they actually liked him. This way, he knew what Tae wanted and didn’t have to question every action. He could enjoy himself without the nagging feeling that he was being taken advantage of.
Before Jin knew it, one of the bouncers approached him and said that he was requested at the door.
“Shit, ok, I think he’s here.”
“Oh yay!” Jimin said clapping his hands together.
“Do you want someone to go out and meet him with you?” Namjoon asked.
“No. I’m good. This is fine. This is totally normal. I got this.” Jin stood and smoothed the front of his shirt that was tucked into his pants.
He made his way to the door, feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement rise in his chest. As he walked through the darkened corridor to the private entrance he saw the figure standing with his back to him in front of the door.
“Seokjin, sir, this gentleman has requested your attention,” the bouncer said pointing at the man in front of the door.
Jin watched as said man turned and faced him, a wide smile spread across his face, the corners of his mouth reaching so far it looked as though they touched the corners of his eyes.
“Hello Tae.” Jin said, feeling himself return the smile while looking at the younger.
“Hi Jin. Glad you invited me out tonight.” Jin was taken aback by the deep richness of the younger’s voice, but managed to collect his thoughts and wave him over to small desk.
Jin motioned for the bouncer to present the guest book for Tae to sign in and then recited his member number for the additional charge. Once the business was taken care of, Jin turned to Tae and motioned him to follow him back through the corridor into the larger bar area.
“So, before we go in there,” Jin started, “I want to give you a heads up that my friends are here.”
“Oh, did you not want them to know that I’m an escort? I can come up with a backstory if that helps…” Tae started.
“No, no, that’s not necessary. They know. They are just really excited to meet you, so I wanted you to know there will be a lot of questions.”
“I see,” Tae said, “are you not excited to meet me?”
Jin stopped and turned towards Tae, “I’m- yes. I’m just- I’m nervous.” He finally managed. “I’ve never done anything like this and you are way more attractive than your photos lead...and- fuck, your photos are attractive as hell.”
Tae smiled again, “cute.”
Jin’s eyes shot up, “what is?”
“You.” Tae placed his hand on Jin’s shoulder, “c’mon. Let’s go meet your friends. I’ll let you buy me a drink and I’ll tell you all about myself. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds great.”
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“It was great to meet you, Taehyung. Thanks for coming and hanging out with us on such short notice,” Jimin said hugging the man.
“It was so much fun. You guys are awesome. Thanks for being so open minded about me and my line of work.”
Namjoon and Jimin left the bar after Yoongi and Hoseok had already called it a night, leaving Jin and Tae to sit in comfortable silence on the bar’s sofa.
“So, it’s finally just us,” Jin said fidgeting with his hands in his lap.
“Yea. I feel like I know a lot about you, even though you and I barely spoke,” Taehyung started. “Your friends are hilarious. They are quite the fun bunch… but you…”
Jin looked at Tae, “What? I what?”
“I dunno. You seem so reserved. So different than them. Not that it’s a bad thing,” Taehyung quickly commented, “I just noticed the difference.”
Jin thought about Tae’s words for a moment. He’s the oldest of his friends and has always taken care of them. Even now, though Yoongi and Namjoon are prominent figures in the company, ultimately all the decisions sit on his shoulders. He is the one who employees 250 people. He’s the one who spent his early and mid 20’s locked in a room coding and programming and developing app after app and dealing with failure after failure. Maybe he was a bit more reserved with the weight of his responsibilities. But Jin loved hanging out and drinking with his friends. And though he wasn’t spectacular at it, he loved to dance and support Hoseok’s studio and his students. Why wasn’t he able to show that person to Taehyung tonight? Why did he care?
“I’m sorry I’ve been quiet tonight. I’m not usually like this. We have a huge project in the works right now and I’m spending way too much time thinking about it.”
Taehyung smiled at him and scooted closer to Jin on the sofa. He placed his hand on his thigh and leaned in to his ear, “Can I help you relieve some of that stress?”
Jin felt the heat rise in his cheeks, knowing they were probably dusted a nice shade of pink. “Sure. Do you want to get out of here?”
Taehyung sat back and smiled wide again at Jin, “I thought you’d never ask”
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Jin keyed in the code to open the door to his building, leading Tae through the lobby and towards the elevator bank.
“I’ve always wanted to see what one of these apartments looked like,” Tae said, looking at the opulence of the decor, “I bet you have a fantastic view of the city. What floor are you on?”
“The top,” Jin replied as the elevator doors closed and he push the ‘PH’ button.
“Penthouse?” Tae asked, eyebrow quirked in curiosity.
“Yea,the whole floor is mine….”
The elevator doors opened to a small hallway in front of two deep brown wood doors. Taehyung leaned against the wall as Jin entered the door code and welcomed him into the apartment.
“Wow, it’s beautiful,” the younger said walking through the doors. “A lot more homey than I thought it would be.”
Jin laughed, “thanks. I like it. You can make yourself at home… do you want some wine?”
“Yea, that sounds wonderful- red if you have it.”
Jin walked into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses. He made his way back to the living room and sat the wine glasses down before walking through a door adjacent to the large eat in kitchen. Taehyung looked around at the art on the walls and the photos framed around the room. He smiled at how genuinely happy Jin looks in all the photos, recognizing many of the faces from the bar in them.
Jin returned, out of breath with two bottles of wine, “you ok?” Tae asked.
“Yea, just ran back up the stairs, didn't want to keep you waiting.” Jin opened the first bottle and began to pour as he sat on the sofa.
“Stairs?” Taehyung asked confused.
“Yea, the floor below this is mine too… I have a wine room down there.”
“Oh…”
“Sooo, did you eat? Are you hungry? I could fix something for you-”
Taehyung took a long sip of wine and moved closer to Jin sensing his nervousness, “You’re so cute. You’ve really never done anything like this before, have you?”
“No. I mean, I’ve had sex, just… not…
“It’s alright. We can do whatever you want to do. Tell me about this project that has you carrying so much stress.” Taehyung folded his legs underneath himself, placing his hands on Jin’s broad shoulders, starting to gently massage them.
“There is a huge retail giant that wants us to develop an app for its shoppers, and the competing company, their CEO is old classmates with the heir to the company,” Jin started. “So, even though we know we can make a better product, cronyism is threatening our contract.”
“But you do have the contract, right?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid we may be over asking regarding the cost; Yoongi is going tomorrow to deal with the negotiations on that, and I don’t want them to get upset and terminate the contract because of our price point.” He sighs, closing his eyes and leaning back into Taehyung’s touch.
“Is this project gonna make or break the company?”
“No, not really, but it has the opportunity to help us grow and do more philanthropic work.”
Taehyung hums and continue to rub the tension from Jin’s shoulders, “you trust Namjoon and Yoongi, right?”
“Of course. I trust them with the company, with my secrets, ...with my life.”
“...secrets?” Tae asked laughing. “Seriously though, if Namjoon thinks you can push for that price point, and Yoongi is gonna go in there armed with every trick to make sure they know they are gonna get the best product from you, I think you have to have faith in them and in your decision making to put them in charge. You’re smart, you put them in their positions for a reason. Trust them and yourself.”
They sat in silence for a moment as Taehyung continued to work his hands over Jin’s shoulders. Jin thought about his words and felt himself relax, knowing that Namjoon wouldn’t suggest something if he hadn’t done research on and thought through the topic. And he knew Yoongi would do everything possible to close a deal with the company’s best interest at the forefront. He just needed to be reminded of that and Taehyung had known him for all of 5 minutes and was able to remind him.
“What about you?” Jin asked. “Tell me about you. I mean, whatever you’re comfortable talking about.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything you want me to know.”
“Well, I studied photography in school, and really love it. But I couldn’t find anything that would pay my bills on a regular basis, so I got into this. It was supposed to be temporary, but the money is good and I get to make my own schedule and be my own boss.” Taehyung paused and took another sip of wine before he continued with his massage. “So, I’ve been doing this for a year. I volunteer at the local animal shelter, that’s my other passion. I love animals, so on my chosen days off, I go down and spend hours helping clean cages and bath animals, sometime I take some photos for the website to help them get adopted.”
“That sounds really nice. I need to get more physically involved in the community. It seems like I only write checks...which is necessary, but I’d like to know the community better.”
“You’re always welcome to come along with me to the shelter.”
They fall into a silence again.
“Taehyung, I don’t expect us to do anything tonight. You’ve already exceeded my expectations.”
“I know,” Tae chuckled, “I could tell. I’m enjoying this though. Just talking. I don’t always get to talk about the things I love or have clients look at me like something other than a fuck toy.”
Jin visibly winced at the term, “I’m sorry that’s how people treat you.”
“Don’t be. It’s my job. I don’t necessarily enjoy it, but who likes work? It keeps my bills paid and me living a happy life, so I can’t really complain.”
They settled into a comfortable conversation, finishing the first bottle of wine. Taehyung reached for the second. “If we keep it up, I won’t be able to drive you home,” Jin said.
“Oh, ok. Well, I guess I can be ready to leave now.”
“Ok,” Jin hesitated wondering if he’d said something wrong.
He got up and made his way to grab his keys and wallet heading towards the door to slip his shoes on. Taehyung followed him and soon they were out the door heading down to the parking garage.
The car ride was silent, save for Taehyung giving Jin directions to his neighborhood.
“Right here is fine,” Taehyung said as Jin pulled over.
“Is this you?”
“No, but I don’t usually let people know where I live… it’s a professional precaution.”
“Right, that makes sense…. Ummm… how much do I owe you?”
“Why don’t we just call it two hours? The time at your place was lovely and I really enjoyed myself. It’s on me...a beginner’s discount of sorts.”
Jin reached in the center console to retrieve his wallet and pulled out the amount for all four hours they’d spent together. “I appreciate the discount, but I want to respect your time and pay you for it. You were working and I know I would hate it if I didn’t get paid for my work.”
Taehyung took the money and smiled. Opening the car door he looked over his shoulder at Jin, “thanks for the invite out tonight. It was a lot of fun and you are a really great guy. Let me know if you want to do it again.”
“You’re pretty great yourself…” Jin responded grabbing Taehyung’s shoulder, “hey, umm… would it be alright if I kissed you?”
Before turning his head, Taehyung smiled to himself at the thought, “of course.” He turned to face Jin again, as the older placed his hand on the back of his head and pulled him into a soft kiss. It wasn’t hurried, and Taehyung hummed at how soft Jin’s lips felt on his. Jin’s heartbeat in excitement at the noises Taehyung made in his mouth. And as soon as it started, Taehyung was pulling away and exiting the car.
“Thanks for a fun night, hyung , I hope to see you soon.”
Jin watched as Taehyung walked up the street and made a turn, “did he just call me hyung? Fuck. I’m screwed.”