Chapter Text
Jongdae elbowed Baekhyun sharply in the ribs to snatch the pot of glitter out his hands and he nearly toppled off the chair they were both occupying. The dressing room was packed and the main dancers and performers were given preferential space while the waitrons were only given a small section in which to get ready. Everyone was bustling around adding the finishing touches to their looks and Sehun was helping Junmyeon apply his eyeliner.
“Hey! We can’t both be sparkly!” Baekhyun wailed. Jongdae ignored him as he smeared the glitter across his cheekbones and under his eyes.
“We match well, Baekhyun,” Jongdae chuckled. “And we look really different anyway, so I won’t be stealing your favourite customers.”
Although they wore the same white shirts and black leather pants, their style was very different as Baekhyun had expertly styled silver hair while Jongdae had kept his black with a neat undercut. Baekhyun kept his accessories to a simple fake earring in his left lobe while Jongdae enjoyed wearing two pairs of studs and a choker.
“Are you guys ready?” Junmyeon asked. “It’s busier than usual tonight.”
“Must be month-end,” Baekhyun joked and he added the final touches of a peach tint to his lips.
“Do we have to dance tonight?” Jongdae asked. Junmyeon shrugged.
“It depends on the performance schedule,” he said.
Jongdae hadn’t danced in a while but he felt prepared. It was the same type of music every time anyway so it was easy for him to do the one and only dance he knew as it was easily adaptable.
Jongdae had started working at Two Moons last year in order to pay off the remainder of his tuition. His friend Junmyeon, who got his job there through Sehun’s friend-of-a-friend, had recommended Jongdae to the owner, and he in turn brought Baekhyun with to his second shift. He had expected it to be an average dinner and entertainment club, but he was very surprised on his first day at the place. While he worked at the club on Friday and Saturday nights, Jongdae had another part-time job as a waiter at a restaurant close to his apartment.
It was situated in the heart of Gangnam and it was very exclusive. The patrons were always impeccably dressed and tipped handsomely. The alcohol was expensive and the food was imported. Jongdae knew that it he was very lucky to have landed a job there and Junmyeon assured him that it was mostly due to his looks. All the waitrons were attractive enough to be a part of the main entertainment and that was another surprise to Jongdae entirely.
He initially thought the entertainment at Two Moons was nothing less than classy erotic dancing, but after seeing all the routines he realised that it was far more than that. There was singing, live music, and all types of dance stages. Sehun was one of the most popular dancers, along with his friend Jongin, and Junmyeon had taken it upon himself to watch over them in the club.
Junmyeon sometimes sang but he was in charge of managing the waitrons to make sure that they did everything they were supposed to do to keep the customers happy and the club running smoothly. The waitrons were also required to occasionally entertain guests in the absence of stages, and so Jongdae and Baekhyun had quickly learnt some basic dancing after they started working at the club.
So even after graduating and paying off his tuition Jongdae had decided to continue working at Two Moons. It was a very comfortable job even though it was part-time and he needed the money.
“Alright, time to go,” Junmyeon said. Jongdae glanced at his reflection one more time and adjusted his choker so that the circle centre was placed right over his Adam’s apple.
Baekhyun shouted some words of encouragement to Jongin and Jongdae smiled at him as they filed out the dressing room. The club had an elaborate system of walkways hidden by curtains and screens for waitrons so that they remained unseen by the patrons. Jongdae followed Baekhyun down the dim walkway and they emerged at the back of the club by the bar. There was an audible hum of conversation in the place and it was louder than usual. Jongdae grinned at the thought of the tips he would make that night.
“Oh, this is new,” Baekhyun said as he examined the bottles of wine that they were to distribute amongst the tables.
“Hopefully I can have a sip later,” he added with a mischievous wink, completely ignoring Junmyeon’s disapproving frown. Another privilege of working at Two Moons, mostly for the waitrons anyway, was that they could often sneak a taste of the luxurious food and alcohol. Junmyeon disapproved entirely, but he would never inform their boss, so Baekhyun was content to steal small sips of untouched wine and soju.
Jongdae never understood why Baekhyun insisted on trying all the alcohol as he was a dismal lightweight who didn’t even like alcohol that much, but his reasoning was that it made him feel fancy so he couldn’t resist.
He took up a silver tray and carefully balanced the bottles as he left the bar and made for the left side of the club. He approached the tables with a polite smile and greeting and they happily welcomed the wine. Before taking up the job Jongdae had often struggled with simple tasks like opening bottles but now he did it effortlessly and never spilled a drop when he filled up glasses. Once all the waitrons had distributed the wine they retreated to the back to watch the opening performance.
The lights dimmed and Jongdae heard the unmistakable sound of the stage curtains being drawn back. Then a single light appeared and illuminated a figure seated at a baby grand piano.
“It’s Yixing tonight!” Baekhyun whispered excitedly.
A hush fell over the crowd and Yixing started to play. Jongdae loved hearing Yixing perform, but now he was even happier as he often didn’t get to watch. Yixing was like the club’s best singer Kyungsoo in that they weren’t employees. They had thriving solo careers and often performed in the most exclusive venues in the country.
When Jongdae had first met Kyungsoo he had been a babbling mess because he had been so excited. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the singer was soft-spoken and the most polite person he had ever met. Jongdae kept his autograph on the dresser in his bedroom. The guest performers often didn’t meet with the club’s employees, but Kyungsoo and Yixing were good friends with Jongin and Junmyeon.
Jongdae was momentarily spellbound by Yixing’s performance before he remembered that he was at work and had to be ready to serve appetizers as soon as the song ended.
He entered the kitchen, the doors of which were concealed behind a lavish screen, and piled up his silver tray. As soon as the performance was over and the warm lights illuminated the club Jongdae set out with the same polite smile and greetings. There were a few regular customers who knew Jongdae by name and they tended to give the best tips. Every regular customer had their favourite waitron.
Then once he and Baekhyun were done they retreated upstairs to the small balcony that overlooked the entire club. It was only for employees and they weren’t supposed to hang around there for too long as it looked unprofessional, but Jongdae and Baekhyun enjoyed spying on the patrons and fashioning elaborate backstories for them.
“He’s definitely in the mafia,” Baekhyun said as he pointed to a man directly below them.
“You say that about everyone,” Jongdae chuckled.
“Look at him, though,” Baekhyun persisted. “His girlfriend is at least half his age.”
“Nothing new there. She’s probably the youngest customer,” Jongdae said. “Who’s after Yixing?”
“A singer, I think,” Baekhyun said. “Someone new.”
They chatted for a while as they watched the customers before they heard footsteps behind them. Fearing that it was their boss Jongdae whirled around but he instead saw Junmyeon. He looked thoroughly stressed.
“You two have to come now,” he said quickly. “The singer bailed last minute so we need floor dancers.”
“Why?” Baekhyun asked as they hurried downstairs after Junmyeon.
“Diva issues,” Junmyeon sighed. “Anyways, there are these new customers who apparently need to be impressed so you two should go to them.”
They peered through the curtains and Junmyeon pointed across the room. There was a cluster of tables in the corner which were entirely occupied by elaborately-dressed men. Jongdae pulled a face.
“Ugh, they’re not even good-looking,” he muttered.
“It’s not like you have to touch them so don’t complain,” Junmyeon laughed. “They’re from some big conglomerate apparently so if they like it here then they’ll hopefully become regulars.”
Jongdae was grateful for the club’s strict rules but he would complain nonetheless. Junmyeon turned around to look over Baekhyun and Jongdae’s appearances.
“Tuck in your shirt,” he said with a tug at the long tails of Baekhyun’s shirt.
“These pants are tight enough,” he muttered as he started tucking the hem into his waistband.
“They wouldn’t be if you didn’t pilfer all the desserts after every shift,” Jongdae said with a smirk and Baekhyun hit him on the shoulder.
The lights started to dim and were replaced with a low purple glow. Jongdae hoped that he wouldn’t trip over anything because it was darker than usual. The music started and the bass reverberated through Jongdae’s chest.
“Alright, go and impress them,” Junmyeon said before giving him and Baekhyun reassuring pats on their backs.
Jongdae and Baekhyun emerged at the same time as the other waitrons. Junmyeon was some distance from them and going in the direction of another table.
As they approached the group their faces became clearer and Jongdae nearly stopped in his tracks. The two men sitting in front caught his eye because they were distinctly handsome. Their hair was neatly swept back in identical styles and they were dressed in all-black. Baekhyun must have noticed too because he elbowed Jongdae in the side.
“Dibs the big one!” he hissed out the corner of his mouth.
The man Baekhyun was referring to was absorbed in a game on his phone. He was obviously very tall judging by how his long legs were folded but Jongdae hardly noticed because at that moment his companion glanced up and their eyes met.
Jongdae nearly forgot about his job and the music blearing in his ears because the man was the most beautiful man he had ever seen. His dark curved eyes held Jongdae’s attention and he felt as though he was being pulled towards him.
He and Baekhyun approached the pair and Jongdae was glad that Baekhyun spoke because his mouth felt rather dry. He willed himself to maintain eye-contact with the man and flashed his signature cat-like smile.
“Good evening. Would you two like some entertainment?” Baekhyun asked. He bent forward slightly so that they could hear him over the music. The man tapped his companion on the arm and he glanced up from his phone and came face-to-face with Baekhyun. He looked slightly dumbstruck for a moment and his eyes widened and Jongdae repressed a laugh.
“What kind of entertainment?” the other man asked. His eyes momentarily left Jongdae’s to look at Baekhyun. He did not smile and he looked rather bored. As he moved the studs in his earlobes glinted in the dim light.
“We’re just dancers,” Baekhyun said.
The man sat back in his chair and regarded them with a raised eyebrow. Jongdae suddenly felt slightly shy under his strong gaze but he maintained his composure.
“Alright,” he said with a nod.
Baekhyun immediately approached the other man and Jongdae responded a second later. The song wasn’t too fast-paced and the steady beating of the bass allowed Jongdae to easily fall into his dance.
He started swaying his hips and rolling his shoulders as he got closer to the man. His eyes briefly scanned over Jongdae’s body before returning to his face and now he looked slightly interested as his eyes widened ever so slightly. But there was only slight interest as the rest of his face remained impassive. Jongdae wanted to get a reaction out of him so he put all of his energy and concentration into his movements.
Jongdae softly murmured the words as he danced and slid his hands down over his thighs, bending lower so that he stood over the man’s legs. His eyes were fathomlessly dark and the sultry purple light from above reflected on his skin and accentuated his bone structure. Jongdae was nearly straddling him as he moved with the music and he dared to place a hand above his shoulder to grip the back of the chair. The man’s lips twitched with the ghost of a smirk and Jongdae maintained eye-contact all the while.
He leaned in even closer so that the man would nearly hear his whispered lyrics before pulling away and turning around in the same position. He ran his hands up his sides while swaying his hips and me made sure to pull his shirt taught against his torso before glancing over his shoulder to meet his eyes again. As the song drew to an end Jongdae turned around again and mustered his most stunning smile before bending forward for one last time in such a way that their thighs brushed together.
He pulled away, but with the flick of two fingers the man motioned for him to bend closer again. He was now sporting a lopsided smirk that reached his eyes and Jongdae couldn’t resist bending closer once more and tilting his head to the side.
“What should I call you?” he said in a soft yet clear voice.
“Jongdae,” he replied, trying not to be too loud in his ear. “Do you have a name?”
He knew he was being rather bold in his friendliness seeing as the man was a new customer.
He did not seem taken aback though and his smile widened.
“Xiumin,” he said before reaching into his pocket. Jongdae just managed to contain a gasp as he pulled out a thick wad of notes.
“Thank you, Jongdae,” he said as he handed it to him. But Jongdae remained dumbstruck and was about to protest until Xiumin took Jongdae’s hand and pressed the wad into his palm. His fingers were cool and his rings felt like ice against Jongdae’s skin.
“I really enjoyed that,” he said. “Have a good night.” His fingers lingered for a moment before pulling away.
Jongdae was at a loss for words but luckily he was spared from saying anything by Baekhyun tugging at his arm to steer him away. Baekhyun shot a smile and a small wave over his shoulder as a goodbye to the two men before he and Jongdae hurried behind a screen.
“Baekhyun!” he exclaimed. “Look at how much he tipped me!” he said before Baekhyun could attempt to speak. He held up the notes and Baekhyun’s jaw dropped.
“Seriously?” he exclaimed, taking the wad of notes and flicking his thumb over it. “I was about to brag about mine but damn.”
He produced his own fistful of money but it was only a quarter of Jongdae’s.
“We got really lucky with those two, hey?” Baekhyun said. “I finished dancing before you did and I managed to catch some of your moves and I’ve got to say well done, Jongdae!”
Jongdae grinned shyly and Baekhyun playfully ruffled his hair.
“I would say the same but I didn’t see you,” he said. Baekhyun smirked at him.
“Yeah, I could see how preoccupied you were,” he said. “But my guy – his name is Chanyeol – he nearly had a stroke when I straddled him,” he laughed. “He was really cute, actually.”
Jongdae did manage to catch a glimpse of Chanyeol’s face before they walked away and he had looked thoroughly mortified. Baekhyun’s dancing was far more daring than Jongdae’s and he was never afraid to actually touch the customers if they permitted it. Baekhyun was someone who was always able to disregard rules and get away with it.
But what stuck in his mind was Xiumin’s expression. He looked as though he were watching a mildly entertaining performance and not as though he had been receiving a rather conservative lap dance. He had even looked slightly amused.
“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Baekhyun said. Jongdae blinked and came back to reality. He didn’t even realise that they had been walking upstairs to the balcony.
“Oh, sorry,” Jongdae said.
“I was asking what his name was,” Baekhyun said as he leant over the railing. Jongdae followed his eyes to Chanyeol and Xiumin. They were talking to each other and Xiumin appeared to be laughing. His expression wasn’t so cold anymore and Jongdae smiled.
“Xiumin,” he said softly.
“Is he foreign?” Baekhyun asked. Jongdae shrugged. He really wished that he could have spoken to him for longer. He had been able to break through his cold expression of disinterest and the thought made him feel slightly giddy.
But he had to gather himself. There was a possibility that he would never see Xiumin again, and even if he did, he would have to remain professional. He was a waiter and the occasional dancer. Socialising with customers beyond polite greetings and light small talk was strictly forbidden for employees in Two Moons. Even main dancers like Sehun and Jongin who often got requests for private rooms had to maintain a strict distance from patrons. That’s how Two Moons remained a reputable club. There were no rumours of sex work of any kind or any shady business concerning the dancers. Customers who tried to do anything that the dancers did not allow were swiftly escorted out and banned from the club but such things rarely happened.
“Put your eyes back in your head, Jongdae,” Baekhyun chuckled before flicking him on the forehead. He jumped and hit him on the arm in retaliation.
“He’s really handsome,” he said.
“And really rich, apparently,” Baekhyun chimed with a smirk. “Let’s get back to work before Junmyeon scolds us. We can ogle at them later.”
For the rest of the night Jongdae tried to steal glances at Xiumin as he waited on tables. He observed the club and the stage with the same look of indifference that he had when Jongdae had first approached him. He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair and it was obvious that he was bored with the place. Jongdae desperately wanted to get close to him again and perhaps even meet his eye.
Jongdae saw an opportunity when Junmyeon was trying to avert some disaster in the kitchen and he took over his side of the club. He approached the group with new bottles of soju and he noticed how Xiumin’s eyes widened slightly when he approached.
He smiled at him but he served the men behind him first as they were older. He greeted them politely but they were slightly dismissive and seemed to be engaged in a serious conversation.
“I didn’t know you were also a waiter,” Xiumin said as Jongdae set down a bottle of soju on his table. He sounded slightly surprised.
“All of the waiters are dancers if needed,” he said as he set down a bottle for Chanyeol and he muttered a brief thanks.
“I might come back here, then,” Xiumin said before taking a sip of his drink. Jongdae didn’t know how to react but he managed to maintain his smile and eye-contact.
“My boss will be pleased to hear that. Enjoy your drinks,” he said with a small bow before leaving.
As per every Friday night, Jongdae’s shift ended in the early hours of the morning. When he had finished cleaning up he and Baekhyun took their usual spot on the balcony and watched Jongin’s closing performance. Jongdae had seen it many times but it never failed to make him gasp in wonder.
“I wonder how many requests he’ll get tonight,” Baekhyun mused.
“He’s never taken any,” Jongdae scoffed. “But people keep asking.”
“Hey, look,” Baekhyun said suddenly. Jongdae looked to where he was pointing and he saw Xiumin and Chanyeol getting up along with the rest of their party.
“Chanyeol’s taller than I expected,” Baekhyun said without even suppressing his grin of delight.
“Xiumin’s shorter than I expected,” Jongdae laughed.
“He’s probably shorter than us!”
“But he’s better-looking,” Jongdae added and Baekhyun scoffed.
“Speak for yourself,” he said.
Jongdae grinned while watching Xiumin chat with Chanyeol before they started to make their way out the club. Then Xiumin happened to glance up and Jongdae wasn’t prepared when he met his eyes. Xiumin stopped in his tracks and all Jongdae could do was stare with a slightly dumbstruck expression. They stared at each other for a moment before the right side of Xiumin’s mouth curled up in a smile and he nodded. Then he walked away out of sight, leaving Jongdae craning his neck to try and follow him.
“Hey!” Baekhyun yelped as he grabbed the back of Jongdae’s shirt to stop him from leaning too far over the railing.
“Sorry,” he said. He remained there for a moment before deciding to return to the dressing room with Baekhyun.
They congratulated Sehun and Jongin and the other performers while removing their makeup. The glitter was always difficult to remove and Jongdae always had remnants of it in his hair, something he struggled to explain to his parents on the rare occasion if he saw them the day after working.
His family knew that he was a waiter in an exclusive dinner club in Gangnam, but that was all they knew. He preferred not to tell them about the dancing as they were rather conservative and would probably be a bit shocked. They had been thankfully been understanding, albeit slightly confused, when he had come out to them when he was eighteen, but he didn’t want to cause them any unnecessary worry.
“Junmyeon! Check out the tips Jongdae and I made!” Baekhyun said loudly. Jongdae proudly revealed the wad of cash along with Baekhyun’s and Junmyeon gaped at them in disbelief.
“Seriously? From who?”
“Those cute guys you sent us to impress,” Baekhyun said, carefully stowing the money away in the innermost pocket of his bag.
Junmyeon frowned in confusion.
“You said they weren’t good-looking, though,” he said.
“That was before we saw them properly,” Jongdae said. “It was the two younger ones in the front. They were probably our age and they were so handsome.”
Junmyeon pulled a face of exasperation.
“Guys…you were meant to go to the men behind those two,” he said.
Baekhyun and Jongdae exchanged nervous glances and they were silent for a moment.
“We didn’t mess up that badly, right?” Jongdae asked slowly.
“No, but I think that those two you entertained were company juniors,” Junmyeon sighed.
“Well, their seniors didn’t seem very interested in us anyway,” Jongdae scoffed. “So it’s not a total loss.”
“Right. I’m not telling our boss about this,” Junmyeon said with a firm nod.
Baekhyun and Jongdae made their way from the club to the subway station and the area was bustling with nightlife. Despite the cold air and the onset of winter there were still droves of people hanging around outside.
Jongdae was glad to finally reach the warmth of their apartment. Although it was outside of Gangnam it wasn’t too far and he was happy that he had Baekhyun to travel with. They had been lucky to find a two-bedroomed apartment that wasn’t too tiny at a decent price.
“Dibs showering first!” Baekhyun chorused as he shoved past Jongdae in the direction of the bathroom.
He laughed when he heard Baekhyun shrieking from the water temperature as he ambled to his bedroom. Despite his tiredness, Jongdae felt very content with his life as he stowed his tips away in a jar he kept on his dresser. He had two good part-time jobs and one was with his best friend. They were able to afford a nice apartment together that wasn’t too far from work. He had met an extremely handsome man and had managed to coax a few smiles out of him. He thought that he was slightly silly to let his brief encounter with Xiumin to make him so happy, but he allowed himself to feel giddy at the thought of his last smile because he would most likely never see the man ever again.