Archive of Our Own

There's a whole five bucks in Wooyoung's bank account, staring back at him challengingly, like it's laughing at the fact that he can't use it without going completely broke. As if he isn't already, as if he needs a reminder that he can't spend too much today or he won't have anything to eat tomorrow. Sometimes it's easier to ignore the single digit and pretend he's doing good, but days like today, where his first mistake is checking his account balance first thing in the morning, it dawns on him that he isn't doing so well.

He purses his lips and closes the mobile app that allows him to check on his bank account, deciding that dwelling on it won't make him miraculously rich. He also has a class to get to, one he couldn't afford to miss if he wants to graduate. He sighs, pocketing his phone as he steps out of his room, but not before schooling his facial features into something calm, just so his roommates and whoever that might be over won't question it.

As expected, San is in the kitchen preparing food for breakfast and Yeosang is on the counter, hunched over with Yunho discussing something Wooyoung probably doesn't really care about. They're missing Mingi, who would usually turn up at random with Jongho. Seonghwa and Hongjoong rarely show up these days, having to really focus for their finals and according to them, Wooyoung and San really aren't the best company to have when trying to memorise their notes. Wooyoung agrees.

"Where's Mingi?" Wooyoung asks as he grabs a piece of toast from the plate, earning himself a complaint from San, who claims he'd made the toast for himself.

Yunho answers without bothering to look up, eyes on the switch that's in Yeosang's hands. "Out with Jongho. Think they're on a date or something."

Wooyoung frowns as he leans over to see what had gotten them so engrossed, not the slightest bit surprised about Mingi and Jongho being something more than just friends. He recognized the little rose designs on the sticks of the game console and immediately knew it was San's; he has developed a thing for roses ever since he realized the scar at the corner of his boyfriend's eye is shaped like the flower. Wooyoung only knows this because San wouldn't shut up about it. He won't say it's endearing, but it is.

"We're going to be late," San says with a mouthful of toast in his mouth, shouldering his bag and grabbing the switch from Yeosang's hands. "Mr. Lee is going to be pissed if we're late again."

Yeosang scoffs at this, picking up his bag as the three of them leave Yunho behind since he doesn't have the same class as them. To San, Yeosang says, "You just wanna see your hot T.A turned boyfriend. Is that even allowed?"

San flips him the bird and Wooyoung laughs, earning himself a middle finger too. "Shut up. He's not a T.A anymore, okay? He's teaching in another campus now so it is allowed. We're not breaking any rules."

"Oh, you broke plenty of rules, alright?" Wooyoung teases just as they step out of the dorm building, grinning with his eyes squinted from the rays of the sun. "Pretty sure banging your T.A behind the bleachers is against the rules."

Yeosang guffaws and San launches at Wooyoung. It's the wonder of his friendships, Wooyoung thinks, that keeps him standing. He doesn't know what he would have done without these guys.

Hongjoong has a bad habit of spoiling the guys, in Wooyoung's opinion, though he isn't one to complain about getting free food every now and then. Especially now that his wallet is gloomy with emptiness, not even a coin stuck between the creases. Wooyoung isn't about to admit this to his friends, but god damn, it gets concerning how broke he actually is. His last resort would be to ask his parents but they weren't well-off either, which would bring him so much guilt if they spent another penny on him.

He's good at this, he thinks; he's good at hiding and pretending to be okay, at laughing the loudest when someone makes a stupid joke and being the first one to get up whenever they have plans. He's so good at it, he thinks, that it could fool almost everyone.

Almost. He just couldn't fool San.

Granted, they've known each other since they were thirteen and San could tell the difference between his genuine smile and his fake one. Like right now, as the group of them make their way back to the dorms after a good dinner Hongjoong treated them to, San is eyeing him as if he might run off and go missing. Or something. He's just lucky San knows better than to ask now.

"Yo, I think we should go catch the new spiderman movie together," Yunho suggests as he walks backwards, facing them and nearly falling back against a pole if Mingi didn't pull him away. Unfazed, Yunho says, "Maybe this weekend?"

No, Wooyoung wants to say, because he couldn't afford it and he needs the spare time to get a part time job so he wouldn't starve to death, but missing out on some good time with his friends makes him feel like crap. So he stays silent, letting the rest agree or disagree. Yeosang says he would love to, Hongjoong and Seonghwa are free and the rest of them start suggesting the time slot they should go for since everyone is going. He thinks he could have slid off unnoticed but then Seonghwa asks.

"Wait, what about you, Wooyo?" And the rest of them turn to look at him. Wooyoung wishes the earth would swallow him.

San wraps an arm around his shoulders then, speaking casually and without a hitch so it isn't suspicious and wouldn't rouse questions from the guys. "Yeah, he's coming. He goes everywhere I go."

"Aw, like a little puppy!" Yunho teases him, effectively taking everyone's attention away, which Wooyoung is grateful for, even though he does put up the act of being annoyed.

The rest of the way back to the dorm, the guys decide on the perfect showing time for the movie and, after thanking Hongjoong for the meal, they go separate ways and back to their rooms. The dormitory rooms students in threes and that's how they had met Yeosang, who was friends with Yunho since high school. Yunho was roomed with Mingi and Jongho, who knew Hongjoong and Seonghwa happened to be one of Hongjoong's two roommates. The connection isn't as complicated as explaining it sounds.

Once back in their dorm room, Yeosang claims the bathroom and Wooyoung's left to answer San's questions, since they're finally alone again. He doesn't want to talk about it but he knows San wouldn't drop it if he doesn't 'fess up. Still, he pretends to be busy in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water to drink and then washing the glass, wiping the counter as if it's what he does. San calls him out of his bullshit immediately.

"Stop pretending you're keeping the kitchen clean," San says as he drops down onto the couch, a wordless invitation for Wooyoung to take a seat as well. "You okay?"

Wooyoung cringes as he climbs onto the couch and curls up against his best friend, arms hooking around San's elbow. "No. I'm broke. I need a job."

"Why did you quit the one at the cafe?"

"Because the manager was a creepy guy who kept trying to hit on me," Wooyoung complains. It's only half true; the manager wasn't creepy, but he kept flirting with Wooyoung enough to freak him out. Also, he hates making coffee for other people.

San sighs, thinking. He's rarely this serious about things but he's not smiling or making a joke and there's a little frown on his forehead, where the single strand of hair rests in a coma against his skin. The haircut looks good on him and Wooyoung distractedly wonders how Taeyong reacted when he first saw it. He imagines their previous Teaching Assistant hadn't acted like the twenty-six year old man that he is, but he doesn't wonder beyond that.

After a moment, San says, "Okay. Taeyong mentioned this- One thing in passing the other day. One of his friends told him about it and- I actually think you'd be good at it?"

Wooyoung straightens up, crossing his legs on the couch with his body turned towards San. "A job? What kind of job?"

"Basically," San hesitates, as if trying to phrase his words properly. "You get hired to be someone's fake boyfriend? You know, in cases where they need to meet family and they're expecting them to introduce a boyfriend or something like that."

"Boyfriend for hire?" Wooyoung laughs, "Wait, that's an actual thing? I only read about it in like- Books, or something"

San couldn't help but mirror his laugh, shaking his head. "No, no. It is. One of Taeyong's friends got the gig. Taeyong told me about the whole date thing. It was a disaster. You're into that, aren't you? Disastrous things?"

"Shut up," Wooyoung laughs again but now he's very intrigued. He's good with people so the job doesn't sound so bad. "Okay, but how do you even start?"

"There's an app, I think," San says with a squeeze of Wooyoung's knee. "I'll find it out for you."

If he could kiss San, he would. Technically, yes, he could, but he likes Taeyong enough not to jeopardise their relationship over a playful kiss so instead he kisses Taeyong on the cheek after he explained about the app he needed to download. It's just like Tinder, or all those other apps where you need to set up a profile and wait for someone who's interested enough to chat you up.

"I think if you link your instagram here, it'll get you a better chance at interesting someone," Taeyong is saying as he looks through the profile draft Wooyoung has been working on in the last fifteen minutes. "You freelanced modelling, didn't you? Those pics would really help. But set your boundaries if someone hits you up. No touching without permission and all of that, depending on your own preference."

San looks over Taeyong's shoulder with a pout on his lips, "You seem to know a lot about this, hyung."

Taeyong raises his eyebrows, a smile playing at his lips. "It's setting an account up, Sanie. Just like Tinder."

"You had Tinder?"

Wooyoung snickers, adding his instagram link to the profile while Taeyong tries to explain to his lame ass boyfriend that he only made Tinder because he was twenty-two and needed to get laid, which didn't help because now San is sulking, arms crossed over his chest as he does his best to look everywhere else in the cafe but at Taeyong.

"So," Wooyoung clears his throat, "You know anything about charges?"

Taeyong returns his attention back to Wooyoung, "Right. I'm not so sure how much you should charge but I think it depends on how far you'd go? Maybe hourly if it's a date. Or you could do charges per day. If you're willing to have sex with them, charge higher. But you don't need to, obviously. You just have to be a fake boyfriend. Most of them would honestly suggest spending nights, but I honestly don't think you should if it makes you uncomfortable. The initial idea is to pretend to be their partner."

"Right," Not that Wooyoung minds getting laid and then paid for, but he isn't really the kind to sleep around. Sex is lame and not magical if you don't have feelings for the person, speaking from experience. "Okay, I'll think about charges."

"I'd suggest at least fifty bucks an hour if you do hourly," Taeyong says, ignoring the way San gives in and once again pays attention to him, resting his chin on Taeyong's shoulder. Taeyong casually pats at San's cheek even as he speaks to Wooyoung. "And nowhere less than three hundred if you do it daily. Don't be humble in these things, hm?"

Wooyoung smiles, nodding his head. "Got it."

"Do you need a lift back?" San asks, clearly eager to spend the time alone with his boyfriend.

Taeyong frowns, "No, hey. Let's just have something to eat? Wooyoung, stay. Sanie has me for the rest of the weekend."

"This is another minute less of the weekend." San sulks.

Wooyoung laughs, waving it off because he would rather be elsewhere and work on this damn app then third wheel them. He rises to his feet and presses another kiss to Taeyong's cheek in thanks. "I appreciate the help but I should go. You two have fun."

"We will," San says, earning himself a playful shove in the face with Wooyoung's hand.

He leaves the two in the cafe and makes it as far as a few stores away when his phone pings and he sees the first message on the app. He smiles, thankful for all the good shots of himself he posted on instagram because he’s pretty sure those are the only reasons he’s getting noticed this early. He ignores it for now, determined to get back to the message as soon as he’s figured out the charges he would like to put up, oddly excited for a job he thinks he could excel in.

“This sucks,” Wooyoung complains as he drops onto San’s bed, scrolling through the notification tab of the app he has been on for the past week since Taeyong helped him set his account up. San is at his table, next to Yeosang, the two of them playing a game they have been yelling about for the past hour. Wooyoung sighs loudly, “Think I should take up Mr. Willy’s offer and let him bang?”

“No!” That is both Yeosang and San, who are determined that Wooyoung shouldn’t settle for a possible client who has been clear from the first time he messaged Wooyoung that services expected would involve some nasty dick massage. San adds without breaking away from his computer screen, “I mean, no judgement coming from us, but if he wants to hook up with a cute guy he could go on Grindr or something.”

Yeosang snickers, “You’re gonna feel shitty if you give it to someone you don’t even like to look at, come on.”

They’re right, of course. Wooyoung isn’t a virgin, and he’s still figuring out if he is demisexual, but there has never been any interest in having sex with someone he doesn’t feel connected to emotionally. He sighs again as his roommates go back to playing the game, looking over his profile to see if there is anything he needs to change. He has gotten over ten messages in the last week since he first published the ad, from men and women who needed his service as a pretend partner, but most of them had offered a price for doing more intimate things, like staying the night or possibly sleeping with them. There was even a lady who said she would pay him generously if he would have sex with her occasionally until she gets pregnant. It’s odd.

He is actually considering giving up on this and maybe take up a job at a bar or something, maybe serve customers again since he is pretty good at talking. He doesn’t mind them; he just doesn’t like the working hours. Going to classes during the day and working in the evening means he would lose time with his friends and himself, as well as his youth rights to live a life, but if he doesn’t want his parents to send him another penny then he would have to do what he has to. That means saying goodbye to having enough time to rest, to study and goodbye to all the fun times he would have with his friends. It doesn’t help that Hongjoong and Seonghwa are graduating too, which means they don’t get to hang out anymore.

Wooyoung rarely stressed out about things but this calls for some desperate measures. Just today he had to borrow some of San’s money for a cup of instant noodle and he ate it with a heavy heart even though San said he doesn’t have to pay it back. If he counted the amount of money he had borrowed from San, it would mount up to hundreds. Sighing again, he places the phone face down and buries his face in the pillow, grateful that it smells like San’s shampoo and not his drool. At some point, San turns away from his computer to look at Wooyoung with a concerned expression but Wooyoung simply meets his eyes with a smile.

Just then, the familiar ping from the app goes off on his phone and naturally, Wooyoung picks it up and looks at the message he just received. It’s from an unregistered account, with an empty profile picture but he opens the chat anyway, expecting another one of those people who want his service, just not the kind of service he offers. He’s surprised, however, when the message reads something else entirely. It’s written formally, with the right grammar and punctuation marks, like the person had drafted an email instead of messaging someone to pretend to be his partner.

The message reads; ‘Good evening. I understand you are currently looking for a client for the service you offered and wondered if you would be interested in attending an event with me as a plus one. I have no trouble with however much you might charge me for this but would love to hear from you. The event is only for a night, for an hour or two, in a social setting. All transport expenses will be on me. I look forward to hearing from you.’

Wooyoung has to read it over a few more times before it finally registers. It doesn’t even have the usual ‘hey do u suck dicks’ that most of the other messages started with, despite the empty profile picture and the fact that this person hadn’t bothered creating an account. He sits up quickly, a smile stretching at his lips and his sudden movement is enough to get San curious, abandoning his game to crawl into bed and sit next to Wooyoung. He doesn’t ask questions and simply looks over his shoulder to read the message.

“Shit, what do I say?” Wooyoung asks, thumbs hovering above the keypads on his phone screen.

Yeosang comes to join them, hugging a pillow to his chest. “Start with how you should address him.”

Wooyoung nods and proceeds to ask. Not even a minute later, the reply came with a name, a simple ‘You can call me Johnny.’. Prompted now to keep the conversation going, Wooyoung replies.

me [7.20 pm]

Okay, Johnny. I would actually love to help you out.

Johnny [7.22 pm]

Great. Wooyoung, right? Would you like to meet so we can discuss further?

Wooyoung nearly screamed like a teenager about to meet their faceless online crush for the first time. His reaction prompted San and Yeosang’s excited bounces too and he calmed himself down enough to tell Johnny that he would like to do so, exchanging phone numbers and agreeing on where exactly they could meet to discuss. Yeosang suggests a cafe not too far from campus, where there are actually a lot of people so Wooyoung doesn’t have to worry, and Johnny agrees too easily. Without many words exchanged, Wooyoung already has the time and place, just lacking the information to know what Johnny looks like. When he asks, Johnny only said he would know when they see each other.

By the time the conversation ended, Wooyoung was flushed with excitement and that rush of finally getting an income after so long. He is grinning as San kisses the top of his head and Yeosang teases him about treating him to lunch later when he’s rich and he is still grinning even after they stopped playing their games and he’s back in his room. He just hopes Johnny isn’t some kind of a creep.

This feels too much like a blind date and Wooyoung’s anxiety is off the roof. San and Yeosang offered to stay around in case Wooyoung needs a rescue mission, but he told them he would be fine and now he’s regretting rejecting their offer. There are too many questions popping off in his head, too many paranoid thoughts that he blames on the number of crime podcasts he listens to while finishing up his assignments. He’s early, sitting here smack in the middle of the cafe Yeosang suggested a week ago and wondering if he should have come a little later so he doesn’t seem too eager.

Leg bouncing on the ball of his foot, Wooyoung sips on his coffee, staring at the time on his phone screen. This Johnny guy is either on time or late because it’s 2.29pm and they had agreed to meet at 2.30 sharp. Just as the clock turns 2.30, the door opens and Wooyoung looks up to find a man in a suit, underneath his suit jacket is a dress shirt with the first few buttons on top left undone, sleek black paints and a pair of dark dress shoes to go with. His hair is black, kept slicked back by minimum use of hair gel, which explains the single strand that has fallen over his forehead, just above his left eye. And he’s tall. Wooyoung doesn’t think he’s met anyone this tall besides Mingi and Yunho. Even then, he thinks Johnny is taller.

A pair of honey brown eyes search the cafe and soon land on Wooyoung and his lips twitch into an attempt of a smile as he makes his way over. Suddenly Wooyoung doesn’t know what to do. Does he stand up and greet him like he would a professor? Does he remain seated and gesture for Johnny to take a seat? In the end he rises to his feet and when Johnny offers his hand, Wooyoung takes it to shake in greeting. How lame, god. But hey, this is a professional setting, after all. This guy is probably a businessman or something from the way he’s dressed and carries himself. Wooyoung is a broke college student. This setting is starting to sound like some romance novel.

“I apologize for my tardiness,” Johnny says as he takes a seat opposite Wooyoung, making him wonder just how much of a gap they have in age. Wooyoung hasn’t used his formal language in so fucking long. “Got held back in a meeting.”

Wooyoung breathes out a nervous laugh, waving it off. “It’s fine. You’re on time. I’m just early. Drinks?”

“It’s alright, I have to hurry,” Johnny nods his head curtly, the smile he wore earlier now nowhere in sight. “So, about the arrangement. It’s a week from now and I’m expected to bring a plus one to a gala. My friends and family are irking me about bringing someone so, take it as a… Necessity to avoid too many questions about why I’m thirty-three and single.”

Right. A whole decade of a gap. That explains everything. Wooyoung offers a smile as he nods, “Not that there's anything wrong with being single at any age, but uh- I’m glad you found my ad? I’d love to help you out with this.”

Johnny offers him a small smile, “That’s great. If you don’t mind, I’ll have my driver pick you up on the day. We should probably meet up earlier to go over the story I’ll have to tell my parents when they ask about you.”

“Okay,” Wooyoung nods his head, “Do you have any idea how you want it to go? I’ll just go along with it.”

The man eyes him for a second, the corners of his lips twitching as if he’s suppressing a smile. “Yes, actually. They will ask your age and I need you to tell them you’re older than you are. Don’t mention being in college. Tell them you work as, say, a secretary or something. Avoid questions about where exactly you work because they will ask. When they do, change the subject. We met when I had a meeting at your building. Anything else they ask, don’t answer.”

Lies, lies, lies. Wooyoung forgets that this entire arrangement would be built on lies and wonders how long he could keep it up. He assures himself that it wouldn’t be longer than two hours, at most. He could do with a little lie. Nodding again, he clears his throat. “Yeah, okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”

A pause. Johnny leans back in his seat, “Is this your first time, Wooyoung?”

Crap. He emits a soft, nervous laugh, “I’m very obvious, huh?”

Johnny laughs and Wooyoung thinks it sounded pretty. “It’s fine. This is my first time too. But you’ll be fine. I won’t leave you alone for too long so my family won’t get to you. About the charges, I have no idea how much these things would usually cost, but here.”

Wooyoung watches as Johnny slides over a piece of paper that he recognizes as a cheque, signed and reading three thousand dollars. His eyes widen and he lifts his gaze to meet Johnny’s, “This is- It’s-”

“It’s okay,” Johnny assures him, standing up and retrieving his wallet from his back pocket. He places a credit card next to Wooyoung’s half empty americano and says, “The three thousand is for helping me out. This one’s to get you a nice suit for the night, and anything else you might need while you wait for the money to credit. I have another meeting to get to. Text me your address and my driver will pick you up.”

Without waiting for a response, Johnny nods once before walking out of the cafe, leaving Wooyoung stunned to silence as he stares at the number on the cheque as well as the black american express card he quickly swipes to keep in his wallet, irrationally afraid that someone might steal it. He looks at the cheque again, grinning, before the pressure to do beyond well dawns on him heavily.

“Holy- Are you for real?” Yeosang nearly screeches when Wooyoung comes home and updates them on how the meeting had gone. Yeosang is staring wide-eyed at the cheque, like Wooyoung had in the cafe, in complete disbelief. “Dude, sign me up.”

Wooyoung takes the cheque back to carefully slip it inside an envelope, paranoid that he might accidentally tear it. “Do you think it’s too much? I mean, I’m supposed to just hang around and answer some questions about how we met, for like two to three hours? And I’m getting paid 3K for it? I feel like I just scammed him.”

“He’s obviously a somebody,” San is saying, the only one out of the three of them who seemed unfazed, probably because he is also the son of another somebody. The Chois have always been well-off in the money department. San pops his spoon into his mouth to check out the black card Wooyoung took out to show them. “Mans’ super rich or something to give this away just like that.”

Yeosang opens a new tab on his laptop and Wooyoung watches as he googles Johnny Suh, the name that is imprinted on the black card Johnny gave him earlier, also widely known in the country as Seo Youngho. A bunch of search results drop down and San reads off headlines about Johnny being a CEO of some company Wooyoung has never heard of. There aren’t any other social media links or anything else about him besides the fact that he was once in the list of top 10 Forbes’ richest businessmen, some years ago, probably in his late twenties.

For some reason, Wooyoung feels guilty. He guesses it isn’t his fault Johnny decided to give him this much but he makes a mental note not to use it at least until after the job is done. Even if he doesn’t find another client, the money would be enough for him at least for the next couple of months, if he rations it well, assuming he would have to return the card back to Johnny once it’s over. Sighing again, he stares blindly into space, a little overwhelmed about how he should go about it when the day comes.

“Could you guys do me a favor?” He asks after a long stretch of silence and when Yeosang and San nod their heads, Wooyoung says. “I need to get a suit.”

As a treat for helping him out, Wooyoung bought some things for Yeosang and San and dinner that night was on him. It feels nice to be able to do it again and he had managed to go through the entire week without thinking too much about the job. But the day is here now and once again, Wooyoung is nervous, staring at his own reflection in the mirror in the suit he’d gotten for himself. His dark brown hair is fortunately on point today, the fading blond highlights still visible enough, sitting soft and perfect on his head, parted in the centre with his fringe falling over his eyes. He knows he looks good; Wooyoung has never shied away from this, but he is still nervous anyway.

Johnny mentioned over text that his driver would come around two hours before the event would commence and specifically told Wooyoung to be ready by five in the evening. It’s four-thirty but he’s nervous and anxious and scared he might screw it up so he’s already dressed, making sure to put just enough makeup to look presentable and wondering if he should head out of the dorm building so the poor driver won’t have to go and find him. Luckily for him, San and Yeosang are already out, so they wouldn’t be around to tease him about his looks and meeting some guy to pretend to be his boyfriend.

At exactly four-forty, Wooyoung decides he should make a move. Some familiar faces stop by and ask him where he’s going and he tells them he’s going on a date, which led most of them to tease him about it being a fancy date. He lets it slide so he could get to the main entrance of the campus. It’s odd to be dressed like this where he’s surrounded by college students but luckily he doesn’t even have to wait long before a freaking limo pulls up, attracting literally everyone’s attention to him. Flushed from the sudden focus on him, Wooyoung wastes no time climbing into the vehicle.

To his surprise, because he hadn’t expected it, Johnny is inside instead of waiting for him wherever the event would be. He has a glass of champagne in his hand, dressed in a black tux and his hair looks about the same as it did the first time they met at the cafe, slicked back save for the strand on his forehead. Wooyoung smiles and takes the glass when Johnny pours one for him.

"You remember what we discussed," Johnny murmurs, more of a statement than a question and he doesn't look like he's in the mood for any bullshit. His eyes are dark and Wooyoung doesn't see any hint of a smile on his lips. "Only answer questions you know the answers to."

Wooyoung nods dutifully, wondering if this guy has some sort of a mood swing issue and grateful that he doesn't have to know him for longer than tonight. He tries to come up with any questions that might help, leg bouncing again, at least until Johnny raises a brow at him and glances down at his knee, which quickly makes Wooyoung go still.

He clears his throat, "So, any particular people I should completely avoid?"

Johnny hums, sipping at his champagne, reminding Wooyoung he has a glass in his hand too. Johnny sits back leisurely, like he has all the time in the world, as he speaks. "There is a man who will probably be wearing faux fur around his neck. I don't want him near you."

Wooyoung snickers, unable to help himself. "Is he bad news?"

"He's an ex that the family can't seem to let go," Johnny sighs, finishing his beverage and setting the glass aside. "But other than that, everyone else is fine. I'll stick with you."

"Okay," Wooyoung nods, clearing his throat again because for some reason he feels like there's a frog living in his oesophagus. "So, about limits-"

Johnny gives him a curt nod, "I'll keep an arm around your waist at most. But you may do as necessary to make it convincing."

Right. Wooyoung is a decent actor. He can do this; he took up the lead role in that high school play and got to kiss San on stage, ha. San did not like it but it was a funny joke and it's still running within their group of friends now. Yunho sometimes threatens to kiss him if he won't shut up. San isn't one to shy away so most of the time it's Yunho who runs off, to Wooyoung's dismay, because why was it so awful to kiss him? He smiles at this memory, fond and funny, and reminded again how much he loves his friends. But realizing that smiling could seem a little like he has some nasty image in his head, he quickly wipes it off his face and nods his head.

"Yes, understood." He assures Johnny. "Don't worry about it. By the end of the night, your entire family will be convinced you've got a claim on this sweet piece of ass."

Johnny smirks, masking an amused chuckle and Wooyoung feels oddly motivated.

Okay, so his confidence is a little misplaced. It's okay, he tells himself. He had once stood on stage in front of the whole school body dressed in some downgraded, cheap version of Achilles' chiton without breaking a sweat. This is nothing. He's dressed like a fancy guy who's getting 3K per week, pretending to be head over heels for a man ten years older than him. Johnny never said this is necessary, but Wooyoung makes it a challenge for himself to make it seem genuine and not like he's just another gold dinner getting his cheeks slapped for money.

Technically, yes, he is getting a handsome amount of credit, but no one's dicking him down. Although he thinks he honestly probably wouldn't mind if Johnny's into it. The guy's thirty-three, not sixty. And he's hot. Wooyoung is just another human being. He guesses he isn't demisexual, after all…

Self-discoveries can be really sweet.

Right. Okay. The audience back in high school for the play about Achilles and Patroclus was another thing entirely. Fellow high school students are nothing compared to this group of people with branded, fancy clothes. He's pretty sure that isn't faux fur the woman is clutching to her chest. Diamonds, crystals, Gucci, Prada and higher ranked brands he could never afford; all of them around him. His own suit hadn't cost over two hundred bucks, and even then he felt guilty.

Johnny doesn't spare any of them a smile and Wooyoung doesn't ask. He seems to be in some kind of mood, understandably when one is surrounded by family, especially family they don't have a healthy relationship with. The fact that Johnny had to hire him is enough to tell him his parents couldn't have been the nicest about him being single, and this fact makes him a little nervous.

He's overwhelmed by the guests as they both enter the massive hall, a crystal chandelier hanging from the middle of the wall, the main attraction of this hall. People around them are faces so unfamiliar Wooyoung thinks he has stepped into some other world that isn't his. When heads turn to look at Johnny, Wooyoung's breath hitches in his throat and he thinks he stops breathing entirely when he feels Johnny's arm curl around his waist. Holy shit.

Should he even be feeling hot in his cheeks right now? This is part of the act. Johnny is supposed to convince the others they're dating and obviously a simple gesture such as this is natural, but Wooyoung's heartbeat picks up anyway. He leans into Johnny's side when the staring focus on Johnny's arm and Wooyoung puts on his brightest smile yet, hoping it would play a part in showing just how happy he is to be here.

The first one to approach them is an elderly woman who has the closest resemblance to Johnny compared to anyone else so Wooyoung assumes she's his mother. They confirm this when she greets Johnny with a grin and a kiss on each cheek, wearing a fond mother's smile one would have for their only son. Johnny keeps his arm around Wooyoung's waist, even as he shifts his mother's attention to Wooyoung.

"My mother," Johnny says this to Wooyoung and to her, he says, "Ma, this is Wooyoung."

To Wooyoung's relief, the woman's smile widens as she pulls him into a hug, repeating the act of kissing both his cheeks like she had done to Johnny. "It's nice to finally meet you! The famous Jung Wooyoung. My son hasn't stopped talking about you."

Wooyoung doesn't let himself linger in his curiosity for too long, releasing a chuckle before he shoots Johnny a fond look. This acting thing is getting too easy. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Seo."

"Oh, stop that now," She waves it off without losing her smile. "I want you to call me Ma, just like our Johnny here does. That's okay with you, no?"

"Ma," Johnny shakes his head, still missing the smile Wooyoung knows he's capable of.

He starts to usher her away when another person comes up to them, dressed in black sequin jacket to top a plain dress shirt underneath and just like Johnny had warned him, the guy has faux fur somehow sewn onto the collar of his jacket. The ex, then, Wooyoung concludes. Apparently he's supposed to avoid this one but the night has barely started and here they are.

Johnny doesn't look pleased at all, jaw clenched as he keeps his arm wound around Wooyoung's waist. Faux Fur looks Wooyoung up and down, like he's studying his profile to see if Wooyoung deserves to even be here. Probably not, with his two hundred something dollars suit as compared to all of… that. It's cool and the guy looks good. He wonders why they broke up.

"Ah, Kihyun-ah," Mrs. Seo beams as she pulls Faux Fur closer to her. "You know Wooyoung."

Kihyun gives her a curt nod, "I heard."

"Kihyun and Johnny used to date," Mrs. Seo says, addressing the strange silence that fills up the gap between them. "But that was a long time ago. You won't have anything to worry about."

"Not yet," Kihyun adds, this time his gaze flickers to Johnny.

Wooyoung, as interested as he is in family drama, thinks this might be a little too personal for him to be involved. But Johnny looks miserable and this is quite literally his job, one that he thinks he could be good at. So Wooyoung hums in response, his own arms going to circle around Johnny's waist before he leans in and noses along Johnny's jaw and leaves a kiss on his cheek.

"I think I won't," Wooyoung tells Kihyun, "Have anything to worry about, I mean. Johnny hyung is very, very loyal. Although I assume you'd know that since you guys used to date?"

The tips of Kihyun's ears are red by now and, as if on cue, Mrs. Seo gets called away so she excuses herself, leaving Kihyun with Wooyoung and Johnny. Kihyun looks mad pissed, which is a little unnerving, but thankfully when he speaks again it's directly to Johnny instead of Wooyoung.

"This is a set up, isn't it?" Kihyun asks, scoffing. "You were drunk kissing me just a month ago and now you're supposed to be in some serious relationship with a- A child? Come on, Johnny. Lie better."

A child? Oh, Faux Fur really has it coming. Wooyoung stays quiet for now, his one arm that's around Johnny growing a little too comfortable as he latches himself to the guy. He keeps his eyes on Kihyun's face and surprisingly doesn't flinch when their eyes meet. There's hurt in Kihyun's eyes that makes Wooyoung think they really haven't gotten over each other. He's almost sorry. Just almost.

Johnny sighs but he doesn't remove his arm around Wooyoung, "Even if I am lying, my mother believes it. That was a month ago, Ki. And I was drunk. I'm with Wooyoungie now."

Wooyoungie. Johnny just called him by a term of endearment, one that oddly makes him feel like all of this is real. God. Wooyoung doesn't even try to hide his smile. He makes sure Kihyun sees this, when he smirks before turning his head so that he could slot his lips over Johnny's mouth in a slow, all-consuming kiss that leaves Wooyoung a little breathless, after Johnny kisses him back and they eventually pull away.

Kihyun mutters a colourful amount of cuss words as he storms away, effectively bringing Wooyoung back to the present and the reminder that this is all part of the job, even though he hadn't meant to go as far as kissing Johnny. His lips tingle, like Johnny's mouth is still on his even though they've parted and he has to fight the urge to reach up and touch his own mouth. He clears his throat and dares a look at Johnny's face.

Johnny's eyes are dark and he doesn't look too pleased, but there's something familiar about his gaze that makes Wooyoung's insides coil like a tight cord of baseless, genuine desire. The last time someone had looked at him like this, they'd spent the night with him bent over and pounded into for hours. He finds it unsettling that he couldn't feel shame in wishing that is the case.

Wooyoung's luck hasn't run out tonight, because Johnny doesn't say anything else to him, besides the occasional query if he wants a refill of his champagne. Wooyoung declines each time; he doesn't want to forget half the night by the time he gets back to the dorm. Most of the other guests strike conversations with Johnny, some of them ask about Wooyoung. Most of them ask about Kihyun, which annoyed Wooyoung a little bit.

By the time Johnny calls it a night, Wooyoung's feeling a little sulky, maybe a little bit jealous, of how many people that Johnny knows who love Kihyun. It's funny, because he's never seeing any of them again, and Johnny's not his actual boyfriend, so there is absolutely zero reason he should be jealous.

In the limo, Johnny seems to notice his silence. Wooyoung would normally mask how he feels because he doesn't like being vulnerable, but Johnny isn't even in a good mood to begin with so Wooyoung doesn't bother putting on a facade. Maybe he should have because now Johnny is curious.

"Everything alright?"

Wooyoung looks up to meet Johnny's eyes and it's only out of habit that he lets a smile form on his lips as he nods. "Yes. That was fun. I'm almost sad it's over."

"Actually," Johnny clears his throat, "I might need you again soon. There is a wedding next month. I need you there."

Oh. Wooyoung nods with a hum, "Same couple of hours deal?"

Johnny sucks his teeth and, for the first time tonight, offers Wooyoung an amused smile. "It will be out of town."

Nodding again, Wooyoung expects it to be a full day's event. How hard could it be, right? "Okay, so a whole day then?"

"No," Johnny shakes his head, "I'd need you for three days."

It isn't mandatory but Johnny mentioned it being triple the amount he'd gotten earlier and Wooyoung can't decline. That is a nine thousand dollars cheque Johnny already wanted to sign that night if Wooyoung hadn't told him to hold it off first until at least the day they have to travel. He still hasn't credited the first paycheck into his account. He'd planned to the day after the event, but somehow those couple of hours actually exhausted him. He'd crashed as soon as he got out of his suit and didn't wake up through the morning after.

Should he have said no, though? Johnny has stayed true to his word about keeping it simple and innocent. It was Wooyoung who kissed the guy, not the other way round, so he really doesn't have any reason not to trust Johnny. But it's 9K and Wooyoung's afraid he might do things out of guilt and the need to make himself worth that much money.

It's distracting him through the week and he barely remembers today being Wednesday already, sitting in the Sociology class he shares with San and Mingi and certainly not paying attention to their lecturer. Instead he's twirling a pen in his hand, thinking about Johnny and, oddly, the kiss they shared last Saturday.

It might have been his best one yet. Johnny is a good kisser.

"Dude, you're drooling," San says as both he and Mingi gather around his desk.

Wooyoung frowns, wondering why they're gathered until he looks around to see that the other students are sitting in groups of three. Right. They must have gotten a new assignment and Wooyoung hadn't listened at all. He's screwed.

He clears his throat, flushed in the face from the memory of the kiss, and his lips tingle. Just a little. "Uh, what are we supposed to do again?"

"Did you get dicked down at the event or something and now you can't stop thinking about it?" Mingi teases with a laugh as he pulls up a chair and sits, "We're supposed to do an interview. Recorded and filmed. Someone with a lot of influence, I guess. San's dad might be able to help us out but I think we need two more guests?"

San looks over at Wooyoung with an arched brow, "You weren't listening at all, were you? What's up?"

Wooyoung grimaces, "I got a job offer with the Johnny guy again."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Mingi asks.

"Well, yeah," Wooyoung scratches at the back of his head. "And he offered a lot. But it's a three day thing out of the city and I guess I'm a little nervous. He makes me nervous."

At this, both San and Mingi look at each other with that smile on their faces that Wooyoung knows all too well. San scoots closer, all intentions to discuss the assignment gone out the window. "You kissed, didn't you? You don't get nervous until you kiss the person and it's either 'I shouldn't have' or 'fuck I wanna do it again'. Which is it?"

Cheeks hot, Wooyoung doesn't even try hiding his smile. "He was hot, okay? And he has that whole… Thing about him like he's the boss of everyone and doesn't care that he's hurting other people's feelings and that makes him so hot."

"Right, you always like it when they're mean."

San laughs, agreeing with Mingi. "Why? Are you scared those three days you might wanna fuck him?"

Wooyoung holds up a finger to pause San right there. "I'm not scared of wanting him to bone me. I'm scared I might actually do it out of obligation. He's giving me a lot of money. This whole thing wasn't supposed to involve sex."

"Did he say you have to come with or was it an option?"

Mingi hums, "Do you trust this guy?"

"I mean, he hasn't tried anything?" Wooyoung shrugs. "He tells me beforehand that the most he'll do is put an arm around me or something to convince his family, the rest is up to me."

"So you kissed him." San clicks his tongue.

Wooyoung glares at his best friend, "In my defence, his ex was calling us out on the act and I had to convince him Johnny's fucking me now and not him."

"You so wish he was," Mingi cackles loud enough to get some heads turning their way.

Wooyoung throws a pen at his chest. "Shut up. It worked. His ex was hella pissed. But everyone else was talking about him to me so I got pissed and he had the last laugh."

San lowers his voice down now as he speaks, just as their lecturer comes close enough to hear them if San had spoken louder. "If you don't get yourself out of this, Wooyo, you're gonna get more attached than you should even be and everything is going to hit you right in the face. He gave you a choice, right? Say no."

The thing is — Wooyoung doesn't want to say no.

He probably should because San is right; he's giving off that familiar energy whenever he starts caring more than he should and it's not too late to back out. He's not so gone now that it would hurt to never see Johnny again, so it's the perfect time to decline and maybe take some other jobs, even if it pays less.

But Wooyoung doesn't want to. He's fueled by the sudden need to prove Kihyun wrong, that Johnny is capable of moving on and never go back to him the way he clearly thinks Johnny would. He knows this is all an arrangement; but those three days would be enough to show Kihyun that Johnny's down bad for him and not his faux fur ass, even if it's all part of an act.

It probably isn't the best kind of motivation, but Wooyoung takes it and tells Johnny he would appreciate the money.

At least, until Johnny calls him as he's packing his bags to go away for the weekend, the ringtone blaring in the silence of the night and Wooyoung barely catches San yelling at him to answer it from the other room. Wooyoung winces, glancing at the time on his nightstand that reads half past two in the morning. What the hell is Johnny doing up this late?

"Hello?" Wooyoung whispers because the walls are thin and he doesn't wanna keep San up, or face Yeosang's bad mood.

Johnny sounds wide awake, despite the time. "There's been a change of plans."

"Oh," Wooyoung stops trying to fit this one particular hoodie into his suitcase, clutching it to his chest as if it would stop himself from feeling a little disappointed. "It's cancelled?"

"No, no," Johnny chuckles, the sound a deep rumble that goes right through the phone and tickles Wooyoung's belly. "I may need you for longer than three days. If that's still alright with you?"

Longer? Wooyoung rises to his feet, still clutching at the hoodie as he goes over to check his schedule and if he has classes on Monday. "Okay. How much longer are we talking?"

"A week."

Wooyoung chokes on his own spit. He laughs, because that's just what he does when he's nervous or scared or anything, really. "A week? Wh- That's a long ass wedding, Mr. Seo."

Johnny laughs. Wooyoung kind of wishes he could see his face. "The wedding is on Sunday. We will spend Saturday just settling down. My mother… She wants us to stay for the week. It's completely alright if you aren't comfortable with that."

He has classes. He wants to say this but the idea of getting to spend time with Johnny sounds too appealing. He settles down on his single bed, picking at the loose thread of his sheets and feeling warm in his chest, like he's fifteen again and talking to a crush. Except this crush is way, way hotter.

"I- I have classes."

"I'll write you off."

"You can do that?" Wooyoung's eyes widened, surprised because he never thought Johnny would have that much power. "I mean- Um, as long as I make it out alive?"

Johnny emits another laugh and it stretches Wooyoung's lips so wide his cheeks hurt. This need to see Johnny's face shouldn't be normal. Johnny hums, playing along. "I can't guarantee but since you made it out fine after last weekend, then I have confidence."

Wooyoung laughs a little too loudly and when he hears San yelling again, he covers his mouth to stifle his voice. "Sorry, I think I woke my friend. But uh, okay? I'll pack for a week's stay. Your driver will pick me up after class tomorrow?"

"I will," Johnny tells him, his voice laced with a kind of softness Wooyoung never thought he possessed. "Your class ends at four, right? I'll be there at five."

He nods and realizes a second later that Johnny couldn't see him, so he says, "Yeah, okay. I'll be waiting. See you soon, Johnny."

"See you, Wooyoung."

San is clingy and dramatic, so when Wooyoung told him he would be gone for a week, San doesn't let him out of his sight for the entire day, clinging to him until Johnny pulls up at the same spot his limo did last Saturday. Hongjoong expressed concern without sounding overbearing, just a casual reminder for Wooyoung to take care of himself and Seonghwa threatens that if he doesn't come back he's going to look for him everywhere.

It all feels a little funny because his friends are making it seem like he's going to be away for a long time and funnier because he got a little emotional when San squeezed him and clung to him. And then they laughed when Jongho pointed out that Wooyoung is coming back next week, not next year. He didn't realize he hadn't been away from them for more than a weekend at a time; even through winter breaks they would meet up and hang out.

He's quiet now in the car, staring out of the window as Johnny drives through long stretches of roads to where exactly Wooyoung isn't sure. Perhaps he should have asked beforehand, but they are an hour into the drive and it doesn't seem to matter anyway. They don't talk and he vaguely recalls that this might be the longest time he'd stayed quiet while awake.

"Why don't you play some music, hm?" Johnny says even though there is music playing from the speakers.

Not about to shy away from introducing Johnny to his kind of music, Wooyoung grabs the aux cord and connects his phone to the speakers, playing his favorite playlist on shuffle. He smiles when the first song comes on. Christopher's Bad is something he likes to dance to sometimes. "Do you know this one?"

"I don't listen to much," Johnny admits without looking away from the road.

It should be unhealthy to find someone doing something as simple as driving hot, but Johnny does it extremely well. Wooyoung hums, leaning back to enjoy the song. "This one is good. One of my friends and I like to dance to it."

"You dance, Wooyoung?" Johnny asks. There's a small smile on his lips when Wooyoung looks over to see his face.

He smiles, nodding as he turns his body enough to comfortably face Johnny. "A little. We do it in our free time."

Johnny hums, his lips stretched into a small smile. Wooyoung likes this, as opposed to the man Johnny was that Saturday night. "You model too."

"It pays," Wooyoung shrugs, glad that this conversation is making him feel better. "And I've been told I look good. You checked out my instagram?"

This time it's Johnny who seems a little flustered, smiling a little wider. "I didn't until the night after I sent you home. I was pissed and bored but I didn't want to get drunk, so. Don't worry. You look like you have fun. At least through what you posted."

Wooyoung giggles. He giggles, like some middle-schooler with a fat crush on a high school senior. He clears his throat but doesn't bite back his smile. "They're good memories. And good shots of me that came out of the gigs. Do you have a favorite?"

It's okay to flirt with your fake boyfriend, right? Even though they're not around anyone at the moment? In Wooyoung's books, it is okay, so he lets it slide. If Johnny minds, he doesn't show it, because instead of changing the subject, Johnny indulges in his question with an amused smile on his lips.

"Gotta be the very recent one," Johnny says, one hand on the wheel while the other rests upon his firm thigh (no, Wooyoung wasn't staring). He's not in a suit, for once, but a comfortable coat to keep himself warm. "The one where you're in yellow, with the shot of your shoulder."

Wooyoung feels the heat slowly, spreading across his cheeks and down his neck and he has to look away so Johnny wouldn't see the color in his face, lips stretched so wide he thinks this smile is frozen in place. "Right, that one. They made me go shirtless underneath. For a cologne ad. Marketing is… Not for me."

Johnny emits another chuckle, "It's how you get people to keep watching the ad. They see a good-looking guy, they stay a little longer to see more."

"You think I'm good-looking?"

Johnny smiles a little wider, "I think you're pretty."

Wooyoung thinks he might faint. This giddy lightness is so dangerous but he might be addicted to it already. "Well, then, if that's so, I think you should model."

The car stops just then. Wooyoung hadn't even noticed exactly when they got out of the road, too distracted trying not to let his heart burst out of his chest. Johnny is smiling as he manoeuvres his body enough to get a proper look as he parks the car, the sight so ridiculously attractive that Wooyoung starts questioning his sanity. What the hell? He's just a guy. Johnny's just another guy.

Is he, though? Is he just another guy?

"I would model," Johnny says then, his voice laced with a playfulness Wooyoung would have to get used to. "But only if the target audience is you."

And then Johnny is out of the car, opening Wooyoung's door to help him out, as if he didn't just say those words to him. This entire week is going to be a whole experience and the challenge is to not let himself fall too deep.

The beach house is massive. Wooyoung should have expected it to be, since this is Johnny's parents' house and they're all billionaires or something, so it's only right to have a place that could fit maybe a dozen guests or so. He's told while making their way inside that the wedding will be held at the beach and since his curiosity peaked, the first thing he'd looked for was the decor. Sure enough, as soon as he steps inside the house, he could already catch a peek of the wedding venue through the balcony.

Mrs. Seo is just as happy to see him as she was last week, pulling him into a hug and kissing each one of his cheeks. Mr. Seo, however, gives Wooyoung a welcoming smile with a firm clap on his shoulder. Johnny manages to save him from having to hear Mr. Seo dive into the talk about not hurting his one and only son. All Wooyoung focused on is the fact that mainly only two people live in this huge house. It could fit his entire group of friends, he thinks. Mingi and Yunho would love it.

"Ma, you had the helpers set up a room for Wooyoung, didn't you?" Johnny asks his mother as a change of subject because she started talking about kids.

Mrs. Seo clicks her tongue while shaking her head. "What for? You two are a couple, no? You can sleep in the same room! You did with Kihyun."

Wooyoung's smile falters just a tad. He'd almost forgotten that Kihyun exists and now he's about to spend an entire week having to hear Johnny's friends and family talk to him about his wonderful ex who they thought would have been part of the family, if only they didn't break up. Great. He kind of wants to sulk away before he remembers he's nowhere near his friends and none of them would be here to console him.

"Ma," Johnny says, his voice laced with warning that was enough to have his mother smile at Wooyoung apologetically. Johnny's smile is gone, which is such a loss, but he offers a tight-lipped one to Wooyoung. "I'll have them prepare your room."

"It's fine, actually," Wooyoung clears his throat, looking between Johnny, his parents and back again. "I don't want to trouble anyone. That is, if you're okay with it, Johnny."

Johnny smiles wider then, curling an arm around Wooyoung's waist as if it's second nature. "Of course I am, baby. Let's get you settled down, hm? Ma, we'll be out for dinner."

Baby. Baby. Johnny just called him baby. Wooyoung couldn't even hide the way he's grinning, but he masks it by directing it to Mrs. Seo, to whom he bowed in thanks. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Seo."

She beams at him and presses another kiss to his cheek before eventually letting them go. Johnny keeps his arm around Wooyoung's waist as he leads him up the flight of stairs. He can't possibly count how many rooms there are in the house, and dutily follows as Johnny takes him towards the right side, where the rooms are limited to at least three, which indicates the possibility of it being huge inside.

As he expected, when Johnny ushers him into his room, it could easily pass off as the master bedroom. It is nearly double the size of Wooyoung's dorm suite that he shares with San and Yeosang, with a bathroom attached, a door that leads out to the balcony with a view of the beach, and a king-sized bed. It's dark with dark sheets and dark shelves and doors. Wooyoung can't help but think it's perfectly Johnny's.

"You slept in here as a child?" Wooyoung blurts out instead of asking a proper question or at least give a compliment. It's okay, though, because Johnny laughs.

"No," Johnny shakes his head, "I mean, it was decorated differently but it is the same room. I used to have train tracks there, with the rest of my toys."

Wooyoung finds that endearing. It's not hard to remember Johnny being human like the rest of them, but it's a fond thing to think about. "You liked playing with trains?"

Johnny shrugs, going over to the balcony so he could slide the doors open, letting the free sea breeze into the room. "I liked a lot of things. You can have the bed."

"But what about you?"

"I can sleep on the couch."

"Or you could sleep on the bed," Wooyoung protests, refusing to let Johnny be uncomfortable in his own home. "It's big enough for the two of us. If you don't want us touching, we can put a pillow in between."

Johnny raises an eyebrow at him, the corner of his lips tugged up into a tiny smirk. He looks so goddamn good, it's insane. Johnny hums, "I assure you, Wooyoung, us touching is not the problem."

Wooyoung holds his gaze and fights the strong urge to squirm. "What is the problem then…?"

Breaking into a soft laugh, Johnny simply shakes his head. "I'll sleep on the bed as long as you're comfortable. Dinner will be ready soon. I'll come fetch you when it is. You can rest for now."

Mouthing a silent 'okay' with a nod of his head, Wooyoung waits until Johnny closes the door before he takes his phone out of his pocket to facetime San, feeling a little giddy with excitement, like he's on a vacation instead of doing a job. San picks up at the fourth ring and Wooyoung breaks into an immediate grin.

"Did you get dicked down yet?!" San shouts to be heard over whatever loud sound that is happening over at the dorm and Wooyoung has to look over his shoulder in case Johnny comes back. San laughs, his face too close to the camera.

Wooyoung grins again, "Shut up. Where are the rest?"

San stretches out his arm so the camera could catch their other friends. Hongjoong and Seonghwa are huddled up in a blanket on the double bed behind him, which means they're all cooped up in Seonghwa's room. Mingi has a console in his hand, eyes on the screen, Jongho's at the back waving at Wooyoung and Yeosang and Yunho are nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Yunsang?" Wooyoung asks, calling them by the playful combined name they always tease the two about.

San scratches at the back of his head, "Trouble in paradise. You'll probably be a little mad because Sangie announced he's been seeing this one guy after you left with your guy."

"Yunho got mad," Mingi explains, pausing his game to look at Wooyoung. "You know, because he's been crushing on Yeo for a bit. They fought a little…"

"Don't worry Wooyoung," Hongjoong butts in. "Let him work peacefully. We'll make sure everything's alright so don't worry about it. They'll make up."

Wooyoung takes about another five seconds trying to register everything he's been told in the last two minutes. In the end, what comes out is an embarrassing, high-pitched, "What?"

San sighs, "Yeah."

"All this in like- Three hours? I've only been gone for three hours."

"A lot can happen in a minute," San nods, not helping one bit as he adds, "Seongjoong are pretending to be happily married but if you look at them properly, there is tension. Mingi hasn't scored at all. Jongho hasn't talked about his vocal lessons. Yunsang are broken up."

Wooyoung raises his eyebrows, "What about you? Taeyong dumped you yet?"

"Hey!" San glares at him through the phone's camera. "Don't jinx it. We are swell. I might get a good head tonight."

Collectively, like a bunch of twelve-year-olds, the rest of them make gagging noises and disgusted faces, Wooyoung included. San rolls his eyes and mutters, "Grow up."

"How are things there?" Seonghwa asks, crawling closer so he could get a better look at Wooyoung. "Everything okay?"

Wooyoung sighs, suddenly heavy with the knowledge that his friends aren't doing so well, but a single glance at the beach brings back his smile and he turns the phone so his friends could see what he sees. "The house is massive. You guys would have loved it. The only downside is everyone here is going to be talking about his ex."

San is smiling when Wooyoung pulls his phone back, "At least you're just a fake boyfriend or that would hurt the ego."

"My ego is already wounded," Wooyoung rolls his eyes. "He called me baby, guys. I thought my ex was sweet but Johnny might be sweeter."

Mingi grins but at San instead of Wooyoung. "Told you he already caught feelings."

San groans and slaps a ten dollars note onto Mingi's palm. Wooyoung blinks at this exchange but finds it funny that they're actually doing bets. "Hey, stop that. I'm never telling you guys anything."

Just then, there's a knock at the door, causing Wooyoung to nearly drop his phone. He turns to see that Johnny is waiting and quickly bids his friends goodbye before pocketing his phone. Johnny smiles at him, offering his elbow and the only thing Wooyoung knows to do is curl his hand around it.

"Some of the other guests are here too," Johnny tells him as they slowly make their way down the stairs. "And, so is Kihyun, so I apologise if you have to deal with that."

Great. Wooyoung shrugs, "I can handle it. I think."

They fall silent as they reach the ground floor. Wooyoung could already hear the chit-chats going on in the other room, probably the dining hall, making him just a little nervous. When he said he's used to people, he meant he's used to people his age, not older ones who prefer to talk about business over wine and probably faux fur around his neck. He's not Kihyun.

"That's good, baby," Johnny says, and Wooyoung's heart skips another beat, but he doesn't get the time to recover from it because Johnny once again presses a palm into the small of his back to usher him forward. "I'll make sure he leaves you be."

Heart racing against his chest, Wooyoung nods as he schools his face into a calm expression, save for a small smile on his lips. It's the face usually reserved for when his father's side of the family comes to visit. Wooyoung hates every single one of them. As expected, the dining hall is already slowly filling in with guests, most of whom Wooyoung doesn't recognise from last Saturday.

He does, however, recognize Faux Fur. Surprisingly, Kihyun doesn't have it around his neck, instead dressed in a sweater and a long coat. Wooyoung hadn't realized how underdressed he was amongst them. Even Johnny is dressed well, but Wooyoung only has his favorite grey hoodie on with a pair of jeans. None of the clothes he brought with him has a known name. Fuck.

Johnny pays little attention to the people who bombard him with too many different questions at the same time, instead taking the time to pull out the chair for Wooyoung before taking his place next to him. He only looks up when his mother speaks, smiling when she mentions Wooyoung.

"Ah, yes," Johnny nods his head as he scoots so he's closer to Wooyoung. "I'd appreciate it if you could make my partner feel at home. He's from the city."

Technically, no, Wooyoung isn't, but Johnny doesn't know that yet and even if he does, Wooyoung is supposed to play along so he smiles at whoever that meets his eyes. Some of them offer him friendly smiles but some others aren't subtle about not welcoming him here. Wooyoung subconsciously finds himself pressing closer to Johnny, as if doing so would protect him.

Dinner ensues. Mr. Seo, Johnny's father, says grace and then about a dozen or so of their guests dig into the array of food Wooyoung heard Mrs. Seo had prepared with the help of her helpers. He isn't shy about eating, so Wooyoung helps himself to the food, laughing at whatever Johnny says to a guy he introduced to Wooyoung as his cousin, Mark. He learns in between that Mark is his age, which quickly leads to Wooyoung gravitating towards him. It's easier to, with shared interests and Mark's lack of favor for Kihyun.

"What do you do in the city, Wooyoung?"

Both Mark and Wooyoung break away from their conversation when the question arises and he sees that it was Kihyun who had asked. Wooyoung maintains his smile but Mark doesn't even bother pretending not to roll his eyes. Wooyoung parts his lips to speak, but it's Johnny who answers.

"He models," Johnny says, "Occasionally. Ma, you should see the pictures. He looks great in them."

Mrs. Seo seems to be a naturally happy person because she starts to nod and grin, but Kihyun isn't done. "He can't speak for himself now? Is that a model thing then?"

"Oh, no," Wooyoung laughs, waving it off. "I can speak. Johnny hyung is just very proud of me so he tends to show off like that."

Mark coos, "Aw, that's sweet! I don't remember him being that sweet. Hey, Kihyun hyung, remember when you're the only one talking and Johnny hyung just sat there? Man, this is good."

Kihyun grows red with anger, the hand he has around a fork clenched so tight Wooyoung thinks he might be able to bend it in half. Mark is having a laugh but Wooyoung keeps to a smile, not wanting to upset anyone else. Johnny seems unbothered, refilling Wooyoung's plate and only looking up when Kihyun excuses himself from the table. Wooyoung half expects Johnny to go after his ex, but promptly remembers he's supposed to be Johnny's current partner.

"Su-an," Someone from the far end of the table speaks up, presumably to Mrs. Seo, because she turns her head and smiles. The woman continues, "You made a big loss letting Kihyun-ssi go instead of making him your son-in-law."

Another man intercepts, agreeing with the first woman. "He has his own business, and he's already a successful man. What can you get out of a model, really?"

It really shouldn't hurt at all, because Wooyoung isn't even a full time model and there's a whole lot of options and career paths he could choose after graduation, but it does sting. It stings, even though Johnny isn't his boyfriend, even though he doesn't have to impress his family forever. It must have shown in his face, because Johnny takes his hand and laces their fingers together.

To Wooyoung's surprise, Johnny kisses his knuckles and smiles at his family members, both the ones that aren't happy with Johnny's breakup with Kihyun and the ones that seem to welcome Wooyoung's presence. Johnny says, "I think it's okay even if modelling doesn't let him bring home much. As long as he's happy. He can stay at home like most of you do too, if that's what he wants. I have the means to provide, when I marry him someday. Don't worry, though, I'll make sure we're far, far away from you. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Johnny rises to his feet, his calm demeanour betrayed by the loud scraping of the chair against the floor, the only indication that he's upset. Wooyoung follows by getting up as well, letting Johnny pull him away by their clasped hands and instead of going up into the room, he's being led out of the house through the back door, onto the beach though the opposite direction of the wedding venue.

Johnny is silent.

Wooyoung is thinking about Johnny saying he would marry him.

They're two very different people at the moment.

Granted, Johnny must have said that to protect Wooyoung's ego while simultaneously convincing the others that they are, in fact, dating, but it still makes Wooyoung feel a little giddy. It's funny because he's not the kind to think about settling down, at least not so soon, so it doesn't make sense why Johnny talking about marriage and implying that he's okay with Wooyoung being a trophy husband made him feel like there's a butterfly nest in his stomach and the butterflies are trying to spill out of his mouth.

This is not good. This is actually very bad.

"I apologize for the way my family behaves," Johnny breaks the silence after a moment. The sun is already setting, casting a shadow over Johnny like he's just a silhouette of a man. Or a god. Maybe both. "Perhaps bringing you here wasn't a good idea."

Wooyoung stuffs his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, keeping them warm from the chill. The season is already changing; he doesn't quite get why they're getting married on the beach when it's getting this cold. "I guess it's fine. They'll be rid of me soon enough. And I thought your mother wanted me here?"

Johnny winces, turning his body to face Wooyoung. He's so tall Wooyoung has to tilt his head up a little when he comes closer. "I might have… been dishonest about that. I was the one who wanted you here. I wanted to show them I've moved on from my past."

"Have you?"

"Have I?"

"Moved on."

It probably isn't wise to bring up a topic that seems to be sensitive to Johnny but the curiosity wins over. He squints against the setting sun until Johnny shields his eyes with his taller figure and his eyes are on Wooyoung's mouth, slinking dangerously close to giving Wooyoung the notion that he might kiss him. Why would he? Why wouldn't he?

"I have," Johnny nods eventually, breaking the intensity by moving away and gesturing for Wooyoung to come with. "He's a person of the past. We had a good run, but he wants too much and I'm never ready. I just wish he would let go."

Wooyoung swallows every bit of disappointment he feels about Johnny not kissing him so he could nod in understanding. He hasn't lived long enough to have a fair share of crazy, clingy exes; he's dated a total of four people since high school and the weirdest experience has been Hyunjin back in first year of college, and even that was considered normal.

They fall silent again for a long time, strolling along the beach. Wooyoung wishes he could feel the sand between his toes and realizes there are no rules that would stop him from doing so anyway, so he bends down and unties his shoelaces, kicking the pair off while Johnny watches him. He's glad he hadn't worn any socks, just because the shoes are worn out and he feels comfortable wearing them barefoot.

"What are you doing?" Johnny asks as Wooyoung starts rolling up his jeans until they could no longer go further up.

He straightens up with a smile, "I wanna play in the water. Are you not planning to swim at all?"

"No."

"For the entire week we're staying?"

Johnny purses his lips, "I don't think so."

"Well, change of plans," Wooyoung clicks his tongue, glad he'd worn a thin white tee underneath the hoodie so he doesn't have to be shirtless when he pulls the hoodie off. The jeans would have to be sacrificed for the sake of letting Johnny have fun. He smiles at the man, gesturing at his well-pressed shirt. "Your turn."

Johnny raises his brows, "What?"

"Strip."

"No," Johnny laughs, shaking his head.

Wooyoung is feeling a little crazy, maybe a little stupid or brave, because he steps forward and gestures a hand at Johnny's shirt. "May I?"

Johnny stares at him for a whole five beats of his heart before he eventually nods his head. Wooyoung keeps his gaze on Johnny's face as he starts unbuttoning Johnny's shirt, one by one until he notices the way Johnny doesn't know what to do with his hands. Wooyoung laughs, taking Johnny's hands to place them on his hips, because it's natural to do. Because Wooyoung is feeling bold, like nothing is ever going to go wrong.

He sees the way Johnny's adam's apple bobs in his throat and takes pride in the fact that he made Johnny feel this way. Still, Wooyoung holds back his smile even as he unbuttons all the way, glad to see that Johnny is wearing a sleeveless white tee to hide what muscles that could possibly be underneath all his clothes.

Then, as if he's getting back at Wooyoung, Johnny pulls that very same tee over his head and Wooyoung is gifted with the sight of a very toned, very firm and muscular abdomen. Fuck. It's his turn to swallow, but each second makes it harder for him to fight off the urge to touch so he quickly breaks the eye contact to turn towards the water, clearing his throat as he does so.

"First one in the water gets to be big spoon tonight!" He shouts over the crashing waves before setting off into a run.

Johnny laughs and only barely jogs to catch up. Wooyoung forgets it's not San or Yeosang he just asked to race with him and when he's knee deep in the water, he turns to find Johnny barely dipping his toes where the waves meet the shore. He pouts, reaching his arms out to beckon Johnny forward.

"That's not swimming, Mr. Seo."

"I'm going to get my good pants ruined."

Wooyoung beams, "So take it off!"

Johnny laughs again, shaking his head. "You're cheeky."

"Come on," Wooyoung encourages, "I ruined my jeans to get a laugh out of you."

"Or did you just want to be little spoon tonight?"

The smile that stretches at his lips is immediate and quite honestly painful for his cheeks, but it's the best feeling Wooyoung's ever had. He shrugs, face warm. "Maybe?"

"Fine, only because you're being cute about it," Johnny snickers, finally stepping deeper into the water until he was close enough for Wooyoung to splash water at him. Johnny's arms move to dodge, but it's water and it gets all over his bare body and into his hair anyway. He feigns surprise, faking a gasp before he goes after Wooyoung.

Now this, Wooyoung thinks, is fun. Sitting around surrounded by people who hate him and people who think Johnny's life decisions were up to them was the opposite of fun. Sure, Wooyoung is young. He's younger than most in his friend group, but he's never thought fun could be restricted by age.

Johnny certainly needs a few smiles here and there and Wooyoung's a little too happy to give him the reason to.

He's laughing as he tries to get away from Johnny's advance, dodging as if he could be spared from the water when Johnny splashes at him. He'd almost gotten away, if not for the restrictions of running in the water, but Johnny has longer legs and before he knows it, Johnny's grabbing him with his arms around Wooyoung's legs, causing him to screech in an embarrassingly high-pitched yell.

They're giggling away when Wooyoung spots a familiar figure standing at the spot Johnny's left his clothes, and he wonders if every kind of joy has its own downfall. In their case, Kihyun.

Johnny's hands fall away from Wooyoung's waist and their smiles dissipate. Johnny takes his hand and pulls him to shore, where Wooyoung tries to retract his hand but Johnny holds tight. Kihyun glances down at their clasped hands and then back up at Johnny's face, making it obvious he doesn't wanna look at Wooyoung at all.

"I need to speak with you privately," Kihyun says, sounding civil for the first time since Wooyoung saw him last week.

"You can speak," Johnny nods, "Wooyoung stays."

Kihyun clenches his jaw. "Youngho, please."

"It's fine," Wooyoung interrupts, not wanting to be a third wheel, especially with this relationship he doesn't quite understand. He picks up his hoodie and then his pair of shoes, trying not to clutch them to his wet chest. "I'll see you inside."

Johnny looks like he's about to say something else but Kihyun is already ushering him away. Wooyoung stares after them for a second before making his way back to the beach house, feeling weird and for some reason, a little sad. Kihyun calling Johnny by his more intimate name only reminded Wooyoung that he's here for a job, not leisure. Johnny isn't his and he knows this.

He just has to remember it.

Johnny didn't get back that night and Wooyoung wakes up to a half empty bed, with the space next to him still crisp, which means Johnny hadn't slept in. There's a bitter, green feeling in his stomach at the possibility of Johnny sleeping with Kihyun last night but he swallows it down and instead focuses on today's event. It's the wedding and Johnny has prepared a tux for him.

He expects it to be black but when he unzips the suit cover, he finds a maroon tux instead. Wooyoung smiles, because it's a pretty color, and he's never had anyone prepare a tuxedo for him, let alone go to a fancy beach wedding. It'd be very embarrassing if Johnny made up with his ex last night and Wooyoung would be sent home. How awkward would that be?

Not letting himself dwell on it, Wooyoung does a little bit of makeup on his face before putting on the tuxedo. Even then, Johnny hasn't returned, so while he waits, Wooyoung takes a couple of selfies to send to the group chat. Yeosang is the first to answer, telling him he looks good, followed by San and then the rest. All their comments hyping him up give him more than enough motivation to get work done today.

It's almost noon when Johnny finally returns, walking into the room dressed in his own black tux. When he sees Wooyoung, he pauses mid-step before a slow smile spreads at his lips. Wooyoung wants to stay a little annoyed about Johnny not sleeping in his own room but he doesn't even have a valid reason to be mad and it's kind of hard to when Johnny smiles like this.

"You slept somewhere else last night?" Wooyoung asks without actually meaning to. He clears his throat. "I wouldn't mind sleeping in a guest room. You can have your bed."

Johnny shakes his head but it takes him a second to form his words. "I- I was just outside the whole night."

Something heavy grows heavier on Wooyoung's chest. "You know, I know this is all an arrangement but if, like- If you and your ex are on and off, I think I'd rather-"

"No, what are you talking about?" Johnny frowns, standing there in his full height and looking like he doesn't know what to do with his hands. For some reason, he doesn't look like the man who walked into the cafe a couple of weeks ago with his cocksure confidence and unsmiling face. "Kihyun and I are a thing of the past. I wouldn't bring you home just to make him jealous."

Wooyoung nods, not wanting to argue or come off as something as crazy as being jealous. That would be a little too embarrassing. He parts his lips to speak but what comes out is a quiet, "You look great. How come you're not in a red one?"

"A pair comes in black and red," Johnny explains, walking over towards his dressing table to put some cologne onto himself, the scent quickly spreading through the room. It's so good and painfully Johnny that Wooyoung craves physical closure. Johnny turns to look at him. "It's the theme of the wedding. You look good yourself, Wooyoung."

Cheeks hot, Wooyoung subconsciously runs his fingers through his hair, smiling as he nods. "Thank you."

Johnny smiles, stepping so close all Wooyoung breathes in is the scent of his cologne. One of his hands lifts to fix the strand of Wooyoung's hair that got out of place, long enough now to get into his eyes. "There's no reason to be jealous, hm? I need you to do your best today in front of all of them. They need to be convinced we are not just two men warming each other's bed. We need to show them we're in love."

Captivated by this close proximity and how good Johnny smells, Wooyoung could only nod. When he tries to speak, his voice is scratchy and he has to clear his throat so he could speak clearer. "Yes. Okay. We can do that."

"We can," Johnny nods, a soft smile on his lips as one of his hands goes up again to caress Wooyoung's jaw with a thumb and then that same hand curls around his jaw, Johnny's presence so commanding Wooyoung's knees nearly buckled. "Does that mean I can kiss you, baby?"

Holy shit. Wooyoung swallows, hard, nodding his head. "Yes."

Johnny hums, his gaze flickered down to Wooyoung's mouth and stares for a couple of seconds before he tips Wooyoung's head up so he could brush his own lips over Wooyoung's. It's almost like a phantom feeling, because just as quickly, Johnny pulls away. "That is understood then. You may kiss me too, whenever you deem fit."

Nodding like an idiot, Wooyoung doesn't realize he had stopped breathing until he feels Johnny lean down once again to capture his bottom lip between his teeth and tugs, before he pulls away entirely, leaving Wooyoung a heaving mess of scrambled thoughts and a tingle on his mouth. He stands there in the middle of the room, too scared he might fall if he moved.

"Shall we?" Johnny offers his arm, "The ceremony's about to start."

Weddings are as all weddings should be. Wooyoung understands the joy of it, but he would most of the time avoid attending one. He'd thought the only wedding he would enjoy being present for would be San and Taeyong's, that's how sure he is about their relationship, but now that he's latched onto Johnny, completely staining himself with Johnny's cologne, all Wooyoung feels is joy.

Johnny has a hand on the small of his back for most of the time, ushering him here and there, fixing his hair whenever he wants to, and smiling down at him with so much fondness it's almost believable. Wooyoung wishes these feelings were part of the act but they were genuine, so he doesn't hold back his grin.

Kihyun, for the most part, doesn't acknowledge them, aside from the stolen glances Wooyoung caught from time to time. He feels a little bad now, because if he was in Kihyun's place, this would suck. Then again, if he was Kihyun, he'd have cut off any contact with his ex's family if he couldn't move on from the breakup. Kihyun had balls to be present in these events, especially after knowing Johnny is already dating someone else.

Maybe he still believes they're bullshitting it, which wouldn't be false, because they are, but it makes Wooyoung just a little more motivated to show that they are dating, if it means Kihyun would realize it and stop torturing himself.

After the ceremony, everyone is led to the reception, a well decorated open space with built-in platforms so guests don't get sand in their shoes. Wooyoung keeps himself close to Johnny, pretending to listen to whatever it is that Johnny and a cousin are discussing. From the look on their faces, and the words Wooyoung catches here and there, the topic isn't something he's particularly interested in. Something about the company and business and if this cousin of his got to see his daughter lately.

Wooyoung's attention span lacks tremendously so he doesn't bother focusing and keeping up. Instead he casually sips at his glass of champagne with his free hand curled around Johnny's elbow. Johnny's a tease because they hadn't kissed at all, which was what he had not so subtly implied back in the room.

He takes this time to study Johnny's face, making sure to look as if he's listening to him talk when in truth his words go in his left ear and out his right. Johnny's voice is soothing, at least. It's because he's staring that he notices the black dot of dust that landed on Johnny's chin and naturally, Wooyoung places his glass down to reach for Johnny's jaw, intending to remove the speck off his skin. Johnny, however, has something else in mind.

Thinking Wooyoung was trying to tilt his face towards him, Johnny curls his fingers around Wooyoung's wrist and leans down to press a full, but brief, kiss onto his lips. He's left a little stunned when they part but is forced to smile when Johnny's cousin teases them about public display of affection and how the Johnny he knew used to hate displaying affection publicly.

This peaks Wooyoung's interest, "Really?"

Johnny's cousin, a guy maybe a couple of years older than Johnny who was introduced to him as Donghae, nods with a smile. "He's a changed man now, it seems."

"Love changes you," Johnny says with a matching grin and he does so while wrapping an arm around Wooyoung's waist and squeezes him closer. "Also, he's young, I gotta keep up."

Wooyoung laughs at this, "You're not sixty, hyung."

"That's exactly what I've been telling him!" Donghae says, as if he's glad someone finally agrees with him. "Your man here acts like he's a retired old man whose wife left him and took their kids with her. That should be me, quite literally, I'm just not sixty yet."

Johnny is grinning. It's a good look on him, really. Wooyoung feels just a little giddy when Johnny noses into his hair affectionately. "I guess it's time to act my age."

"Does that involve getting married?" Donghae asks.

At this, Johnny looks at Wooyoung, who has a hard time holding his smile because this topic is getting really personal for two people that aren't actually romantically involved. Would Johnny lie so easily? Johnny looks away, back at his cousin, "I suppose we'll see. If the time is right, I don't see why not."

Wooyoung nods, just to show that he agrees. It's not like he wants to get married; he's twenty-three and not yet graduated from college, barely meeting ends meet. But the idea of it makes him giddy all the same, at least until he remembers that beyond this week, Johnny would go back to being Johnny and Wooyoung would return to his dorm, maybe a little sad about the fake breakup that they ought to discuss later.

Somehow this makes Wooyoung feel like crap. He must have lost his smile because Johnny gives his hip a squeeze and excuses them from Donghae. He has Wooyoung stand to face him, a concerned look on his face as he taps at Wooyoung's chin using the side of his index finger. "Everything okay, baby?"

That name again. God, Wooyoung is so screwed. He smiles, faintly this time. "Just don't feel so great."

"You wanna get out of here?"

"But the reception-"

Johnny shakes his head and pulls him by the hand. "We won't be missed. Come, I'll show you nice places in town."

They ended up not leaving the car because it started to rain. Johnny apologised after an array of colourful words slipped past his lips but Wooyoung found it funny, so he laughed it off and told Johnny it was okay. They stayed in the car instead, for at least two hours, and Wooyoung took the chance to show off San's songs that Taeyong wrote and composed to Johnny, who listened intently, like he was really enjoying the time.

It was the least productive Wooyoung has been, sitting in a car while the rain pours down on the hood of the vehicle, playing good music and making Johnny listen to each one. It was also, to Wooyoung, the best time he's had with Johnny.

When they got back to the beach house, a lot of the guests are now indoors, stuck here until the rain decides to stop. It doesn't help that most of them had their cars parked a little too far away. The rain is so heavy Wooyoung is nearly fully drenched even though the walk from the car to the house is only a few steps away. Inside, they share a laugh upon a single look at each other.

Johnny's wet hair has the strands getting into his eyes and Wooyoung does the only thing that feels right to do. He reaches up and brushes his hair back to keep them away from his eyes, smiling as Johnny flashes him a soft beam. His own heartbeat picked up when Johnny returns the favor. His hair had gotten long too, and he hopes he looks at least half as good Johnny does and not like a wet dog.

"Tell me," Johnny says as he helps Wooyoung out of his wet tuxedo jacket, handing it over to the helper that came to tend to them with fresh new towels. Johnny wraps one of it around Wooyoung's shoulders. "You wanna stay for dinner or should we just head upstairs and- I don't know. Do whatever that you do in your free time?"

Wooyoung doesn't actually consider staying down here for dinner but he pretends to anyway, speaking as Johnny wraps a towel around himself. "As long as you're up for keeping me company while I finish up assignments?"

Johnny emits a quiet chuckle, nodding. "I'll get some work done too while you're at it."

"That's a date then," Wooyoung giggles, apologising to the helpers when his shoes dirty the floor and make a trail of him up the stairs.

They make quick work of getting out of their wet clothes. Johnny lets Wooyoung wash up first and because it's really freaking cold, Wooyoung doesn't take very long. When he leaves the bathroom in a towel, Johnny is gone but on the bed lay an oversized tee. He smiles at the thought that it might be Johnny's and he goes to grab his pair of sweatpants before pulling on the shirt. It hangs loose on his smaller body and it smells like Johnny.

It's intoxicating, to say the least. Wooyoung shouldn't get used to it but as he sets up his laptop and settles on the bed so he could start getting some work done, he can't help but bury half his face underneath the neckline of the shirt so he could breathe in the faint and lingering scent of the cologne Johnny puts on.

Johnny comes back while Wooyoung procrastinates, watching youtube videos instead of getting his assignment done like he said he would be doing. Johnny, now dressed in a loose white top and a pair of grey sweatpants, looks over at Wooyoung and then his laptop screen, smiling in amusement.

"Assignment?"

Wooyoung doesn't hide his smile as he rolls his eyes, opening his word document to show Johnny the two lines he'd written. "I don't know what to write about human interaction."

"Aren't you good with people?" Johnny asks as he climbs into bed next to Wooyoung, not taking his laptop like he said he would while Wooyoung works on his assignment. Instead Johnny lays back against the headboard, fingers on his toned stomach. Wooyoung tries not to think about his muscles.

"See, I realize that I'm not really good with people," Wooyoung says, taking the laptop off his lap and placing it on the mattress as he straightens. "When I first met your family at that dinner last weekend? I swear I froze up and lost my cool."

Johnny hums, "You seemed to do well, at least in my opinion. The only reason they're having a hard time believing is because Kihyun refuses to believe it."

Wooyoung grimaces, failing to find anything nice to say about Kihyun so he decides not to. Instead he focuses on his opened document once again, staring at the same two lines he'd started nearly a week ago and hadn't touched since. Johnny must have taken his silence for annoyance, because he adds;

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring him up."

"Oh," Wooyoung waves it off. "It's fine. He's your ex who's still very present in your life. I can only imagine how hard separating must have been. Feelings don't go away just like that."

Johnny corrects him, "My feelings have gone."

Wooyoung looks over at Johnny, his smile genuine as he says, "Are you telling me or yourself, Mr. Seo?"

That seems to shut Johnny up, but the moment lasts barely a second before Johnny is smiling again, "I'm telling you."

"Okay then that is good to know," Wooyoung nods his head with a chuckle, shrugging as he adds. "It's just from the way I see it, you're either over him or you're going to go back to him, and if there was a good reason you guys split up in the first place then I don't think going back is healthy for you."

Johnny hums and his tone is playful when he speaks again, "I'm half convinced you're jealous of Kihyun."

Only maybe, Wooyoung thinks but he flashes Johnny a fake grimace. "I'm not jealous of faux fur. Also, I'm an empath. I feel like he's torturing himself sticking around, especially if you don't plan on taking him back. Do you?"

A snicker leaves Johnny as he moves to lay on his back, though with his head in front of Wooyoung just beside his laptop, as if he's planning to lay this way while Wooyoung works on his assignment. "Why would I go back? I have you now."

Wooyoung laughs, shameless about the sound of it not being the prettiest. It's been a running joke within the group; Wooyoung and San, best friends with the weirdest laugh. It's actually really funny. He shakes his head, pointing a finger at Johnny. "I'm serious. After this whole thing, are you going back to him?"

"I'm serious, too."

Wooyoung blinks, the smile on his lips faltering just a little. It makes his heart do somersaults in his chest but hope is a dangerous thing and if Johnny is playing with him… "Hyung, if this is a joke, I swear to god."

"Oh, so now you wanna call me hyung?"

"I'm being respectful," Wooyoung grins again.

Johnny laughs, sitting up and resting his upper weight back onto his palms, his gaze flickering to Wooyoung's mouth for a second. Johnny hums, reaching out with a hand to run the pad of his thumb over Wooyoung's bottom lip. "It'd be a shame if I don't get to kiss this mouth after 'this whole thing', as you put it."

Swallowing thickly, Wooyoung reminds himself that this is a job and he doesn't know how serious Johnny is. "Hyung…"

Johnny comes so close their mouths would touch if Wooyoung moved an inch. His breath is hot against his cheek, sending a shiver down his spine. In the best way. Johnny whispers, "I don't want to force you into this and I don't know if I'm ready for anything. I'll just have to keep my hands to myself, don't I? I think if I touched you, I might not be able to stop."

"What if I don't want you to stop?"

Another chuckle leaves Johnny, and he presses his forehead to Wooyoung's briefly before pulling away and climbing off the bed. "You tempt me, baby. But trust me, it's for your own good. You're the last person I want to hurt. Isn't it natural to stop myself from falling?"

Wooyoung thinks about this, throat dry and his groin uncomfortably tight. He looks up at Johnny, who's already halfway out the door when Wooyoung speaks up, "We don't get to choose if we fall or not, hyung. We just do."

He's afraid he might have fallen, too.

The next few days go by rather smoothly. It’s a routine of waking up in the morning, laughing at lame jokes Johnny tells him over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Johnny initially planned to take Wooyoung out and explore the town he grew up in, but the rain hasn’t stopped since Sunday, so the most they could do was drive into town to get a nice, freshly-baked croissant and a cup of hot coffee, sitting in the cafe for far too long until his butt hurt from sitting too much and they had to drive home.

It would normally drive him crazy being stuck indoors, because Wooyoung likes being outside to get some form of healing, but this experience hasn’t been so bad. Mainly he thinks it’s because they’re so close to the beach and the sound of the waves have always been comforting to him. It might also be for the fact that he gets to stay in with Johnny, who has been a great company throughout. Because the house is massive, Wooyoung doesn’t see Mr. and Mrs. Seo much and Johnny explains they like to coop up in their office when it rains. His mother likes to read and his father writes. Apparently he’s published a few books of poetry. Wooyoung feels just a tad guilty for not knowing or recognizing his name. Reading has never really been his thing.

By Wednesday that week, Wooyoung finally finished his essay and was left with coming up with questions for his Sociology class assignment. San and Mingi said they would worry about hiring camera crews and finding interested candidates for the interview. It is still raining but it’s more of a drizzle than a downpour, so Wooyoung situates himself by the balcony, enjoying a cup of hot tea that the helper prepared for him earlier with his laptop out as he wrecks his brain for possible questions. Johnny has been gone since this morning but Wooyoung doesn’t text or call to ask, afraid he’d come off as nosy.

He must have sat there for at least an hour, because the tea is cold and his ass is complaining about being sat on for too long, but that’s when Johnny returns looking for him. He looks up just as Johnny walks out of the balcony door, unsmiling and gloomy yet again like he was in the limo on the way to the gala. Upon seeing Wooyoung, however, his lips twitch into a small smile and his intense eyes relax just a tad, almost like he was relieved.

Wooyoung smiles, “Have you eaten?”

“No,” Johnny shakes his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets and glancing out at the horizon, the skies dark as it continues to rain. “Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?”

“I would love to,” Wooyoung beams and he can’t stop himself from asking. “Is everything okay? Rough day?”

Johnny softens, his smile more prominent now as he reaches out to caress Wooyoung’s cheekbone. “You could say that. I’m just glad to see you here.”

Ignoring the way his heartbeat picks up, Wooyoung’s smile widens. “Where else would I be?”

“I’m just glad to see you, in general.” Johnny corrects himself. “I have things to get done, but I’ll come and fetch you by six, latest. Is that alright?”

Wooyoung nods, “I’ll be ready then.”

Johnny leaves him to do what he has to and Wooyoung tries to come up with the questions he needs but he’s distracted by the way Johnny looked at him, by what Johnny had said. It makes him giddy in the most cringy way, his stomach buzzing like he’s never felt before. Was Johnny really glad to see him? He had made it sound as though seeing Wooyoung had instantly made his day better. Wooyoung could be delusional about this, but the feeling is nice. His cheeks hurt from grinning.

In the end, with absolutely zero questions for his assignment, Wooyoung turns off his laptop and goes to get dressed. He puts on the cream-colored hoodie he had struggled to stuff into his suitcase the other night, styles his hair enough so it doesn’t lay flat on his head, puts on a little makeup because he likes looking pretty and then he waits. Right on time, a horn goes off outside and Wooyoung looks to see that Johnny is here. He smiles, thankful that the rain had slowed to a faint drizzle before he leaves the house and climbs into the car. Johnny smiles at him and, as if it’s just his nature, leans over to kiss his cheek.

Wooyoung really shouldn’t get used to this.

Johnny drives them to a restaurant in town, luckily not a fine-dining one because Wooyoung is seriously underdressed, but a pretty chill, comfortable space with a small number of guests inside. It’s perfect for a rainy day. Wooyoung orders Johnny’s personal recommendation and falls absolutely in love with it; he almost got sad about never getting to have it again in the future. After, since the drizzling had finally stopped, Johnny shows Wooyoung places in town he used to frequent when he was much younger.

They stop by an arcade, where Wooyoung spends nearly an hour trying to score in the different games. He blames Johnny for offering to pay and the child in him refuses to decline. By the time he remembers that he isn’t supposed to spend too much time here, Johnny’s won him a little dog plushie that he clutches to his chest as they drive home. He, sadly, hadn’t scored any prize for Johnny and now he’s plagued with the thought that he would always remember Johnny and Johnny would forget him.

How fucking sad.

Back at the house, Johnny disappears again and for once, Wooyoung is a little glad. He needs time to recuperate and remember that this is a job, that he isn’t supposed to catch feelings for his client. He washes up and dresses himself in the oversized tee that still smells like Johnny and decides against working on his assignment to call it a night instead. Laying in bed that’s getting too comfortable for him, Wooyoung facetimes San just to have someone to talk to.

It’s barely ten o’clock but San is already in bed and from the sound of the voice in the background, Wooyoung knows he has Taeyong over at the dorm. San looks half-asleep, eyes barely opened, but he smiles at Wooyoung. “Hey, you still up?”

Wooyoung glances at the clock again, “Dude, it’s barely ten.”

San moves his head, as if he’s also looking at the clock, “Oof, right. Sorry, I’m out of it. Everything okay?”

“Did you just finish having sex?” Wooyoung deadpans.

“San,” Taeyong warns in the background and Wooyoung snickers when San wears that knowing smile on his lips.

San waves it off, sitting up in bed and revealing Taeyong in the back, doing whatever Wooyoung doesn’t want to know. San clears his throat, “Tell me you’re tired of your sugar daddy and are coming home soon.”

Wooyoung chuckles, “No. First of all, not a sugar daddy. Second, Sanie, I think I’m in trouble.”

“Did you kill somebody?”

“No? What the hell?”

San shrugs, “That means it’s not that big of a trouble. What is it?”

Wooyoung pauses, reconsidering pouring his feelings out, before he promptly remembers that it’s San and he tells San everything. “I think I might have… caught feelings.”

“You are unbelievable.”

“Hey,” Wooyoung frowns. “It’s not my fault! He’s just so- He calls me baby, San. Like, not even in front of the other people we’re supposed to lie to. And there’s just- A lot of other things. I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

San is quiet for a moment, though not in the judgmental silence Wooyoung knows other people are capable of. San is genuinely considering what to say, even though not everything that comes out of his mouth helps. “A little, I guess. But more if you let him hit it. Did you?”

Wooyoung flushes but he’s quick to say, “No, I didn’t.”

“May I place an input?” Taeyong interrupts, coming into the frame and smiling at Wooyoung. He doesn’t wait for a response before he speaks again. “I personally don’t think it’s bad, unless he has commitment issues or if he’s not over his ex. Is he either?”

Wooyoung grimaces. “Maybe both?”

San cackles but Taeyong slaps his arm before looking at Wooyoung again. “That’s a for sure thing?”

“I mean? I don’t know? He did say he isn’t ready for anything,” Wooyoung shrugs, chewing at his lower lip. “And his ex is still very actively present in his life.”

“In conclusion,” San butts in and Taeyong takes this moment to slink away. “You are royally screwed. Come home, it’ll be like it never happened. Tell him not to forget the cheque though.”

“Choi San, I hate you,” Wooyoung groans, annoyed that San isn’t helping him one bit but at the same time he can’t really blame the guy. They were doing stuff before Wooyoung rudely interrupted. “I’ll leave you alone with your boyfriend now. Just remember no sex in the kitchen or I’ll never go back.”

San laughs but quickly adds, “Hey, I’m serious. I’ll be here when you come back, whether or not he’s stupid enough to let someone like you go.”

Wooyoung smiles at this and he reminds San that he doesn’t, in fact, hate him. They hang up and Wooyoung spends another hour or so in bed, scrolling through his social media with nothing else to do. Johnny hasn’t slept in the same bed as him since the night they arrived here so Wooyoung knows better than to expect him at this time of night. He switches the light off after a little while, turning onto his right so he could try to sleep and it’s barely five minutes later when the door creaks open.

Naturally, Wooyoung turns to look. He finds Johnny stepping inside and closing the door, the room falling into darkness once again save for the dimmed, night light on the bedside table. Johnny climbs into bed next to him, and to Wooyoung’s surprise, scoots close enough to drape an arm around his waist. He could be dreaming but he swears Johnny kisses his shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Johnny whispers, words muffled against Wooyoung’s clothed back.

Wooyoung’s heart is racing against his chest and he wonders if he’s setting himself up for heartbreak, but the warmth of Johnny’s arm around him makes it hard to say no and all he wants is to feel Johnny’s chest against his back. So he says, “Yes.”

“I wanted to thank you,” Johnny says after a minute of silence.

Wooyoung has his eyes closed, his own hand naturally going over Johnny’s that is on his belly. If Johnny moves an inch upward, he’s pretty sure Johnny would be able to feel his racing heartbeat. Wooyoung clears his throat, “What for?”

Johnny tightens his arm around Wooyoung and presses another kiss to his shoulder, this time dangerously close to his nape. “A lot, I guess. But mainly for today. You don’t know how good it felt to see you after such a shit morning.”

“I’m sorry you had a bad start to the day,” Wooyoung murmurs, guiding Johnny’s arm up so he could hug it to his chest instead. Having his hand so close to his groin makes Wooyoung feel like he might embarrass himself, like get a boner or something.

They fall into another stretch of silence and Wooyoung keeps his eyes closed as Johnny’s mouth meets the junction where his neck meets his shoulder and the warmth of his breath sends another shiver coursing down Wooyoung’s spine. This sudden urge to feel more of Johnny on his skin is making him shake with need and Wooyoung vaguely remembers feeling this same urgency the night he gave away his virginity to a boy who only wanted in his pants. It feels like that first time again, even though Johnny is barely touching him. Johnny continues to kiss along the column of his neck, leaving a fiery trail behind each one.

“It’s not going to be the same when you’re gone, is it?” Johnny breaks the silence with another whisper, and his kisses stop but Wooyoung feels him bury his face into his hair. “I’m going to have shit mornings again.”

Wooyoung stays quiet for a long time. The idea of going back to a time before he knows Johnny seems dreadful. He opens his eyes and looks out the window, where he could see the night sky above the sea, and he says, “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“It doesn’t, does it?” Johnny mutters quietly. The arm he has around Wooyoung moves, reaching down and sliding over Wooyoung’s clothed belly until it retracts completely, to Wooyoung’s dismay. “Will you turn around, please?”

Making sure that he doesn’t actually have a boner in his pants, Wooyoung rolls over and is immediately met with Johnny’s chest. It feels natural to curl in and press himself against Johnny, whose arms wind around Wooyoung’s smaller frame and hold him close. He inhales deeply, breathing in Johnny’s scent, the faint lingering of his cologne. It’s going to sting when this is over. He doesn’t think he would back away from building something with Johnny, but if Johnny doesn’t want to commit and if his ex is still so painfully present, Wooyoung kind of already knows he’s bound to get hurt.

After a moment, he sighs, keeping his eyes closed as he speaks. “Will you let me leave you with a good memory? I don’t want you to forget me.”

“I don’t think forgetting you is possible.”

Wooyoung smiles, pulling back to meet Johnny’s eyes. “What’s stopping you?”

“Myself.”

Wooyoung can’t fight that. He nods, understanding, and thinking he’s crazy for letting this affect him so much. They had spent a total of seven days together, including the night of the gala and the three hours drive from campus to the beach house. That was hardly enough time to get so attached to someone. This isn’t some kind of a fairytale movie. So why does it weigh so heavily on his chest the fact that Johnny might simply go back to being no one in Wooyoung’s life?

“Well,” Wooyoung clears his throat, burying his face into Johnny’s chest once more. “I want to give you a haircut. And then we’ll take a picture, so you’ll remember me.”

Johnny emits a soft chuckle and tightens his hold around Wooyoung. Later, when his breathing slows and Wooyoung is certain Johnny is asleep, he hugs him tighter and whispers against his chest.

“Please remember me.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Johnny is asking, wary in his voice as he looks at Wooyoung..

They had gone out to get the hair supplies quickly, complete with a set of scissors and box-dye and hair bleach. Wooyoung has done this before, once or twice in high school and San had been a willing subject to his experiment. He was fifteen and learned it off youtube videos. Granted, San had complained about his ruined roots for a whole month but the result wasn’t so bad. It had even gotten San the girls, if he was interested in them. It certainly got him the guys.

“Trust me.” Wooyoung says after wrapping a towel around Johnny’s neck to protect his skin from getting bleach on it. Johnny hadn’t bothered wearing a shirt. “I’ve done this before. You’ll look amazing, I promise.”

Johnny feigns an exaggerating sigh, nodding his head. “Okay. I trust you.”

Wooyoung beams and he gets to work. He’s cut his own hair enough times to know the basics and while he would mourn the loss of Johnny’s long, black hair, it also pleases him to know that Johnny would remember him this way. After cutting it shorter, he gets to bleaching first, the product strong enough for him to only do it twice before he gets to dyeing the strands in brown. It’s fairly dark, just light enough to be visible. He had initially planned to have Johnny go brown but he’d picked up the free sample box dye along the way and thought it would be such a sweet addition to Johnny’s hair. He doesn’t know how Johnny feels about the burgundy red Wooyoung had just applied to the tips of his hair, but he doubts Johnny would be that angry.

Johnny seems to trust him enough not to ask anything and simply lets him do whatever he pleases. By the time he’s washed the colors off and blow-dried his hair, making sure to curl the strands and set it decently, Wooyoung’s happy with the result.

(He might have fallen a little bit more, too. Fuck.)

“Okay, you can look now,” Wooyoung says as he guides Johnny to the mirror after making him promise to keep his eyes closed. “What do you think?

Johnny opens his eyes and Wooyoung watches as he takes in the sight of him with the new haircut and color, a complete contrast to the man he was with the dark hair and an unsmiling face. When Johnny smiles, Wooyoung feels the weight on his chest leave him. They share another smile through the reflection and he waits for Johnny to say something.

“I’m surprised you’re not leaning towards this as a career?” Johnny says, turning to properly face Wooyoung. “Have you considered it?”

Wooyoung laughs, shaking his head. “No. It’s just a hobby! I do my own hair sometimes because the salons are overpriced and I can’t afford cool hairstyles so I learned to do them from watching youtube videos.”

“Well, I’m impressed,” Johnny nods, leaning over to grab his shirt and giving Wooyoung a whiff of his cologne. It’s intoxicating. He pulls the shirt on and gives Wooyoung a little chin scratch, like he’s a cat. “Dinner out with me?”

Wooyoung doesn’t know how to say no (and he doesn’t want to).

Friday rolls around too quickly and before he knows it, most of the day has gone and the sun is slowly setting. The darker it gets, the sadder he feels. He's supposed to pack his clothes again tonight; Johnny's going to be sending him home tomorrow evening so he gets Sunday to himself and starts classes again on Monday. He doesn't want to go home now, not when he's enjoying being with Johnny a little too much.

He finds himself sitting on the sand while the sun sets, hugging his knees to his chest and staring out at the horizon, seeking peace in the sounds of the waves and the view before him. He starts wondering if he's doomed to remember Johnny for the rest of his life, because the idea of ever forgetting him seems like a stretch. He thinks if Johnny continues to hire him, he would keep saying yes. San would have to physically stop him.

Pulling out the film strip they'd taken yesterday after their dinner when they stop by another arcade, Wooyoung smiles down at the picture. There's a total of four frames in the single strip; the first one was odd them trying to behave decently, a sweet, polite smile on their faces. The second was them bursting into laughter over the attempt to come off innocent. They managed to gather enough wits to do a proper one for the third, just Johnny pulling Wooyoung close enough that they're chest to chest.

The last one was simply Wooyoung planting a wet smooch onto Johnny's cheek and Johnny laughing, eyes turning crescents and focused on the camera lens.

He'd given one to Johnny so he gets to keep the spare. It's as he stares at the picture that he notices the little water droplets on the film, cursing as he pockets it and wishing he hadn't gone too far off for a peace of mind. By the time he reaches the front of the house, he's drenched from head to toe, rainwater sticking his shirt to his chest and his hair matted to his forehead.

"Shit," Wooyoung mutters under his breath, pushing his wet hair back and contemplating on how he should go inside now without giving the helpers more work to do.

He turns his head to the sound of footsteps running closer and finds that Johnny had gotten caught in the rain as well, despite actually having a car. Wooyoung couldn't help the smile that forms on his lips, waiting until Johnny gets under the sheltered space with him. He laughs upon finding Johnny's hair sticking to his face too, reaching up to brush it back as well.

"Where's your car?"

Johnny shakes his head, smiling as he sighs. "I had to drive it to the workshop and walk back."

"We're gonna ruin the flooring of your parents' house if we keep getting drenched in the rain," Wooyoung clicks his tongue, shaking his head as he tries to come up with a way to get inside. When he turns back to Johnny, he finds the older man's gaze flickering down to his chest. He flushes and clears his throat, "Should we wait it out?"

"Uh," Johnny clears his throat, looking around as if he doesn't know what to do with himself. "We should just- Go in. Maybe."

Wooyoung nods, trying his best not to look where Johnny's own shirt sticks to his muscled abdomen and failing, because his eyes fall upon Johnny's abdomen and all he sees is wet white shirt sticking like a second skin over ridges of muscles. "Yeah. Yes. We probably should."

"Mhm," Johnny clears his throat, agreeing. They fall silent momentarily but when their eyes meet again, Johnny isn't smiling anymore. There is a moment where Wooyoung feels as though Johnny is as breathless as he feels, and then Johnny says, in barely a whisper, "Wooyoung, can I kiss you?"

He swears he'd stopped breathing as he nods, chest heaving and lips parting to speak. His voice comes out steadier than he'd thought, despite the chokehold Johnny's eyes have on him. "Yes."

Johnny smiles, a slow spread on his lips, as one of his hands reaches up to brush the pad of his thumb over Wooyoung's cheek, where his beauty mark sits right on his cheekbone. His much larger hand curls around Wooyoung's nape and pulls him forward until their mouths meet in a collision of need and repressed desire, slotting together like two puzzle pieces.

It isn't even the first time they had kissed, but that spark starts a fire in Wooyoung's belly and soon he finds himself chasing after Johnny's mouth each time they part for air. His hands move blindly, pulling at wet cloth and reaching for toned muscles, slick with rainwater, and he doesn't realize Johnny is pushing him back into the house until he nearly trips backwards over the stairs, if Johnny hadn't been quick to break his fall.

They laugh into each other's mouth at this, giddy with want and giggly over finally touching each other. Footsteps coming from the kitchen have them widening their eyes in panic and they make their way up the stairs with muffled giggles, at least until Johnny kisses him again, pressing him up against the door to his bedroom and opening it without breaking their liplock.

It's impossible to explain just how good this feels, tasting Johnny on his tongue and every inhale of his breath, all he smells is Johnny's cologne, like it's stuck to his memory. Johnny's mouth feels hot on his own, slotting so perfectly it feels as though they were made to fit. When Johnny's tongue slips past his lips, Wooyoung doesn't hesitate to gently suckle onto the muscle.

"Can I have you?" Johnny asks when they break apart, foreheads pressed together. His hands pull at Wooyoung's wet shirt, lifting it up to curl his fingers around his hips. "I want you, baby."

Wooyoung leans to kiss Johnny again, tugging gently at Johnny's bottom lip. "I'm yours, Johnny. You have me."

It's apparently the only permission Johnny needs before he's pulling Wooyoung's shirt up over his head and tossing it aside. He's flushed from his cheeks down to his chest and there's a second of insecurity over his lack of prominent muscles, especially when Johnny removes his own shirt and reveals the toned torso he must have worked hard for.

It only lasts briefly because the urgent need to touch Johnny overrules everything else and there's no shame left in him as he reaches forward and splays his palms over Johnny's abs. It's at this same time that Johnny tips his head upwards so they could kiss again, this time a little slower but just as fervently.

Johnny backs him gently onto the mattress until he's laying flat upon it, legs spreading naturally apart to welcome Johnny between them. He smiles into the kiss and it stays even as Johnny's mouth trails over his jaw and then down the column of his neck before the pair meets his chest. Wooyoung makes a little sound akin to a whine, lifting his head to watch the way Johnny leaves kisses down the middle of his torso, fingers tugging down Wooyoung's sweatpants and boxer briefs to reveal his cock, already hard and leaking, flushed with the need to be touched.

"Johnny…" Wooyoung calls out, lifting his upper body up onto his elbows to get a better look at Johnny, who kisses each one of his plush thighs before taking him into his mouth. Wooyoung gasps then, surprised and aroused at the same time and his eyes roll back into his skull as he drops back down onto the mattress.

It's embarrassing how turned on he is and it shows in the way his thighs quaked as Johnny sucks him off. He whines yet again, legs threatening to close in around Johnny's head if not for the way Johnny keeps them apart. Johnny's mouth feels heavenly around his cock and there's spit and precum seeping down to his balls and Johnny uses it to circle at his hole, where he gently pushes in a single finger but it's enough to get Wooyoung's back arching off the bed.

"Shh, I got you," Johnny whispers despite doing the opposite when he pulls away. Wooyoung is about to protest when Johnny taps at his thigh, "Get on your belly for me, baby."

Wooyoung doesn't waste time doing what he's told. He rolls over to his front, giggling when Johnny manoeuvres him so his hips are lifted just enough for Johnny to have access to his most private area. A shiver courses down his spine when Johnny kisses his skin and he gasps as soon as he feels Johnny lick a stripe along his hole, sending sparks of pleasure tingling at every fibre of his being. He moans as Johnny begins to eat him out, his cock leaking, heavy between his legs.

He muffles his moans into the flesh of his forearm, making a sound of protest when Johnny pulls away yet again, though this time he returns to pour a dollop of a cold substance that could only be lube right between Wooyoung's asscheeks. The cold has him flinching but it's surprisingly nice and by the time Johnny has smeared the liquid over his puckered rim, Wooyoung is needy for more. He wants Johnny inside him.

"Please…" He murmurs, pushing his hips back to entice Johnny to do more and it works because Johnny pushes the same finger into him, the penetration made easier by the slick of the lube. Wooyoung moans shamelessly, his body welcoming the intrusion. "H- Oh my god."

There's a second finger that presses against his rim, asking to be let in and he moans a little louder, glad that he could bury his face into the sheets to muffle the dirty sounds coming out of him. Along with the finger, however, comes Johnny's tongue, circling around where Wooyoung is stretched around the two fingers. Simultaneously the long digits find his prostate and Wooyoung's hips jerk in response, panting as he tries to calm down. Johnny, however, is relentless.

He begins pumping the two digits in and out of Wooyoung, slicked with lube and made easy to move while he eats him out at the same time. Wooyoung's head hangs low between his shoulders, his body clenching around the fingers pumping inside him while he tries not to be too loud, in case anyone outside could hear him. Johnny is merciless and he doesn't stop but simply adds a third finger to curl against Wooyoung's prostate the same time his free hand corkscrews the tip of Wooyoung's leaking cock. It has him shaking with pleasure, desperate to be filled, and there is no ounce of shame when he starts begging.

"Please, please, please," Wooyoung lets out a sob, forehead pressed against the sheets as he fucks back onto Johnny's fingers. "Please fuck me. I need you in me. Now, hyung- Please."

Johnny groans as he pulls his fingers out and Wooyoung wishes he could see his face. As if he could read his mind, Johnny uses an impressive amount of strength to flip him onto his back once more. It leaves Wooyoung giggling and Johnny sharing a laugh, at least until Johnny spits into his palm and starts brushing the blunt tip of his cock against Wooyoung's stretched hole. He hadn't even realized Johnny had taken all his clothes off too.

"Fuck me…" Wooyoung murmurs, rolling his hips a little desperately. "Please."

"Yeah," Johnny nods, curling an arm around Wooyoung's waist to lift him up and then pushing his cock past Wooyoung's entrance while sinking him down onto his shaft at the same time.

Wooyoung's breathless moans bounce off the walls at this position, mind-blown over how arousing it is to be straddling Johnny's hips like this, impaled upon his girthy cock. His arms cling onto Johnny's shoulders and then Johnny is kissing him, deeply, kindly, as if he doesn't have an arm wrapped around Wooyoung's waist to keep him pinned down on his cock.

He's shaking from the pleasure and he couldn't help but laugh about it, moaning only when Johnny rolls his hips upwards, sending his cock pressing against Wooyoung's prostate. There's a little whine that leaves him as he brushes his nose against Johnny's cheek. "God, you're so- Feels so fucking good."

"I know, baby," Johnny says, sounding smug but at the same time, not. There's a sexy confidence in his tone of voice that's laced with the slightest tremor to show just how much being inside Wooyoung affects him too, while knowing at the same time that he makes Wooyoung feel good. He smiles, curling a hand around Wooyoung's throat as he kisses his mouth.

Wooyoung melts into Johnny, kissing him back until he becomes uncertain where he ends and Johnny begins. Every one of his senses is tainted with Johnny now; the scent of his cologne, his darkened honey eyes boring into Wooyoung's brown ones, the feel of his hands on Wooyoung's skin, the taste of his tongue in Wooyoung's mouth, the sound of Johnny's pleasured grunts in his ears. He is nothing and Johnny is everything.

Johnny doesn't move again, giving Wooyoung the time to adjust, to calm down and catch his breath. Their eyes meet once more and Wooyoung has never felt so small and safe next to a man, in the warmth of his embrace and he's embarrassed because he's never been this corny, never felt so soft and cared for in this way, never felt so open and vulnerable. And it doesn't help that he isn't looking his very best.

He hides his face into Johnny's neck then, masking it with his need to suck hickeys into Johnny's skin. Johnny doesn't buy it when he gently pulls Wooyoung back, fingers under his chin. "What's wrong, baby?"

Wooyoung offers a sheepish smile, "I don't think I look my best right now.. I'm sorry."

"Baby, you're beautiful," Johnny mutters and he proves it when he kisses each one of Wooyoung's eyes, his cheeks and then his mouth. "So beautiful. I'm trying my very best not to pin you down and fuck you so hard you'll only remember my name."

A shudder courses through Wooyoung's entire body and his own cock twitches at just the mention of Johnny taking him however he likes. He shifts, rolling his hips to grind down onto Johnny's cock and he bites onto his lower lip to hold back another whine. "You should… Fuck me, like that. I don't wanna remember anything else but your name."

"Fuck," Johnny groans, his own hips twitching upwards in shallow thrusts into Wooyoung's body before he's moving them again, this time guiding Wooyoung onto his back, pulling out of his head and then, none too gently, flipping him once again onto his belly. "Fuck, you're so fucking pretty, baby."

Wooyoung makes a small, needy sound as he grinds down into the sheets for some form of friction, growing desperately and feeling empty. "Please… Fuck me. Fuck my pussy, hyung."

The choice of words Wooyoung chose to speak must have triggered Johnny's ferocity because he feels strong fingers digging into his hips to pin him down and then Johnny's cock is sliding against his puckered rim. Wooyoung whines, desperate to be filled again and he gasps when Johnny finally pushes into him. He pulls out too soon but only so he could ram back inside with a wet squelch. Wooyoung's eyes roll back in pleasure, his toes curling from how hard Johnny's cock is pressing into his prostate and he doesn't hide his moans when Johnny begins fucking him.

It's mindlessly good. It's more than he could have imagined, and the emotions coupled with his body's natural response to being touched and fucked this way by someone he cares for makes the experience all the better. Johnny thrusts relentlessly, like he's waited for this moment for far too long, cock ramming repeatedly into Wooyoung's tight body.

Johnny's strength is something else, Wooyoung thinks, as Johnny lifts his hips up so that he's on his elbows and knees, though each thrust Johnny delivers sends him pressed down against the sheets anyway. Moans and embarrassing mewls leave him as Johnny's cock pounds into him, one of Johnny's hands curled around his shoulder for leverage as his body jostled forward. There's no way to explain how good it feels. How could he even form sentences, when all he feels now is that coiling in his belly, tightening with each brutal thrust Johnny delivers.

As if he isn't already driving Wooyoung to the edge, Johnny picks up the pace, the snaps of his hips now faster, delivering shallow thrusts that has Wooyoung keening, his toes curling and thighs quaking from the pleasure.

"Hyung- Oh my god," Wooyoung sobs, the squelching sounds of Johnny's cock penetrating him coupled with the smacks of skin against skin as well as Wooyoung's moans and Johnny's grunts fill his ears, pushing him closer and closer towards his climax. "Please- Please, I'm gonna cum. Please let me cum."

Johnny's hips stutter as his thrusts grow sloppy, the hand on Wooyoung's shoulder now pressing onto his back to keep him pinned to the mattress as he chases after his orgasm as well. "Go on, baby. Cum for me. Cum with me, fuck."

At this point, Wooyoung no longer cares who might hear him. He's so close he thinks he might pass out from how good this feels and the moment he feels the first spurt of Johnny's release, Wooyoung's own cock spills onto the sheets. Johnny rides his orgasm out by continuing to fuck into his heat and each pump of his hot cum inside milks Wooyoung off every drop of his own climax, until he's shaking with oversensitivity and whining in protest. Johnny stops just to lean down and kiss the knobs of his spine, gentle fingers caressing his sides.

He's pretty sure he did doze off, because the next time he's aware of his surroundings, he's clean in a new, dry shirt. The sheets have been removed and Johnny has an arm around his waist. Wooyoung smiles and moves a little closer, so he could lay his head against Johnny's chest and listen to his heartbeat. He closes his eyes, still exhausted, and inhales Johnny's scent; shampoo and body soap, a little of his cologne, and Johnny himself.

He memorises this and wishes the sun wouldn't rise so soon.

Mrs. Seo makes him promise to visit again and she wouldn't let him go until he says he would. A lie, because he knows he probably wouldn't get to see her again, not unless Johnny decides to keep hiring him. He doubts that would happen; how much longer would Johnny lie to his entire family? Wooyoung wonders what kind of a breakup story Johnny would tell them later.

He's sadder than he thought he would be and his heart weighs heavy on his chest as Johnny drives the three-hour ride back to campus. He's quiet. Johnny is quiet. They don't talk about the night before, they don't bring up the very thing that had sealed Wooyoung's fate and his sad, pathetic feelings for a man who paid him to be his partner for the week. He feels stupid.

But the silence is driving him crazy. It's too quiet despite the music and the ride is too long for him to stay quiet. He spends nearly fifteen minutes just staring at his fingers, rephrasing the words he wants to say, wondering if he should or if he should swallow them and forget this entire week.

In the end, Wooyoung couldn't bear the idea of not knowing. He turns to Johnny and the words that leave him aren't what he has been trying to form in his head. "So, this is it?"

Johnny doesn't say anything for so long Wooyoung thinks he should just drop it. Just as he's about to, however, Johnny finally speaks. "I'm sorry I wasn't being professional last night. It shouldn't have gotten that far. I got carried away."

Wooyoung frowns, "I'm not sorry. I'm sorry that you are? I thought- I didn't think of it as a- A job."

The muscle in Johnny's jaw clenches, as if he's trying to stop himself from saying something that might hurt. Wooyoung waits until Johnny speaks again. "I don't either. I just don't think I'm at a place where anything beyond that is something I can handle. I'd hoped you would underst-"

"No, I get it," Wooyoung adds quickly, looking away and out the window so he doesn't have to look at Johnny's face, afraid he would only find regret in his stupidly pretty brown eyes, afraid Johnny would see the hurt in his. He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his hoodie to keep them warm and so that Johnny wouldn't see the way his fingers trembled.

Johnny sighs, "I'm sorry, Wooyoung."

Wooyoung doesn't respond. If he does, his voice might betray him.

The real slap across his face is when Johnny stops the car in front of the campus, walks him out of the car and makes him watch as he signs a fifteen-thousand dollar cheque before handing it over to Wooyoung. He has half the mind to tear it in half and throw it, if only he doesn't need food to eat and supplies to get for the rest of his school year. Instead, Wooyoung fights the urge to crush it in his hand and slips it inside his pocket.

His hands are fucking shaking and, as if he isn't humiliated enough, the tears come before he could even wipe them away. Unfortunately, Johnny sees them as Wooyoung uses the back of his hand to wipe at his cheeks, hating that he's let emotions take over so easily, now of all times, when he wouldn't usually shed a tear for anything that is remotely sad.

"Wooyoung-" Johnny starts to say.

Wooyoung doesn't want to hear it, though, so he holds a hand up to stop Johnny from saying anything else, picking up his suitcase with a quiet laugh that is completely out of disbelief and shaking his head as he makes a move to go. "It was nice knowing you, Johnny. Thanks for the paycheck."

"Wooyoung, listen-"

"No," Wooyoung shakes his head, turning around to walk off with his suitcase clutched in one hand.

Johnny catches up to him and stops him from walking any further with a hand around his wrist. "Please. Wooyoung, I need you to know that I didn't- I wasn't paying you for last night."

"I know," He snaps, a little bitterly, and regretting it when guilt washes over him because now he thinks he doesn't have the right to be upset. Johnny did hire him. He could have said no. "I'm sorry. I just- It was a mistake letting things get out of hand. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you."

"Wooyoung…" Johnny's shoulders sag and the guilt weighs heavier on Wooyoung's chest. It isn't Johnny's fault.

He shakes his head with another sigh. "It's my fault. The agreement was clear. You just needed me for a purpose and I can't blame you. I just- I have to go before I embarrass myself even more and ask you to stay."

When Johnny doesn't say anything, Wooyoung purses his lips and gives him a curt nod before walking away. This time, Johnny doesn't stop him. It takes an immense amount of willpower for him to trudge through the buildings to get to his dorm room, thankful that it's Saturday and most students are either out or back home with their families. When he steps inside, he's welcomed by the sound of San and Yeosang bickering and Wooyoung has never felt more at home than now.

He leaves the suitcase beside the door and goes to follow the sound of his best friends' voices that leads him to Yeosang's room, where it's more spacious and they'd installed the computer for gaming purposes. When he opens the door, both Yeosang and San look up from their games, their faces morphing into an almost smile, at least until they notice.

They always notice.

Wordlessly, San gets off his seat and holds out his arms, inviting Wooyoung in. He doesn't even bother to hesitate, collapsing into San's welcoming arms as he guides Wooyoung to the bed, where Yeosang soon joins with a blanket to wrap around the three of them. They don't ask him what happened; they are just there.

And then Wooyoung lets himself cry. It's the first time Yeosang has seen him like this, and years since San saw him shed a tear.

One week. Two weeks. Three weeks.

A new month comes and goes. Wooyoung knows better than to expect it, but a part of him still hoped to hear from Johnny. Obviously Johnny doesn't call or text or do anything that would remind Wooyoung that he does, in fact, exist. The only reminders he has are the plushy, the film strip and the eighteen-thousand dollars credited in his bank account.

He hasn't used a single cent.

It feels a little wrong to use the money, like it doesn't belong to him and he hadn't worked hard enough to deserve it, even though, in San's exact words, he did fall in love and get heartbroken for it. San was not pleased, when Wooyoung finally gathered enough energy to tell his friends everything, over dinner at his favorite BBQ restaurant. It was unnerving to have everyone listen to him so intently, but he guesses it's because all of them were surprised to hear that he had been human and cried.

San is rarely angry. He sulks most of the time, instead of letting anger take over. But he was angry at Johnny and Wooyoung feels a little happy to know San cares that much. He also figured San told Taeyong, because when they met over a weekend, Taeyong had coddled him and even cooked for him. He can't say he doesn't like and appreciate the attention.

Still, it doesn't soothe the pricks in his chest whenever Johnny would randomly come to mind. The urge to drop him a message gets too strong sometimes, at least until San deletes his number from Wooyoung's contacts and when Yeosang caught him staring at the app Johnny first contacted him through, he made Wooyoung delete that too. He had half the mind to give an excuse not to, since it's the app that could get him the jobs, but Yeosang tells him he has 18K in his bank, untouched.

It isn't like him to be sad for a prolonged amount of time. He doesn't even think he's acting differently but San is apparently worried. Wooyoung's sitting down now on the stool by the kitchen counter having last night's leftovers for lunch and San is outrightly staring at him across the counter, a fork in hand as if he plans to poke Wooyoung's eyes out.

"Are you going to tell me why you're staring at me like I just killed your cat?"

San grips onto the fork tighter. "I'm about to gut a man."

Wooyoung laughs, nudging San's knee with his foot. "Stop that. I'm over it already. Just focusing on the interview and finals now. Is your dad coming down for it?"

"Yes," San sighs, finally placing the fork down before he goes to pour himself a glass of milk. "Also, no, you're not over it. Last night over dinner you mentioned his name five times. I counted. Sangie confirmed. Hongjoong hyung heard you. You are down bad for this guy, Wooyo. Do I have to gut him or you?"

His cheeks flushed at getting caught with something so embarrassing, Wooyoung places his spoon down, no longer hungry. He gets off the stool and presses a kiss to San's cheek on his way over to the sink. "Violence looks bad on you, Sanie. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll get over it eventually."

"Hey, guys," Yeosang greets them as he steps inside, having been gone for most of the morning. Apparently he was still going out with the said boyfriend he refused to let the group meet just yet. He looks at Wooyoung and offers him an apologetic smile. "Don't think you've seen but apparently it's some kind of a big deal for business students, haha."

San frowns, "What's up?"

Yeosang retrieves his phone and starts to scroll. Naturally, San and Wooyoung gather around him to get a better look. He stops on a chat and clicks a link sent by one of the students in the group chat. It opens to a news website of some sort and the headline reads, in big, bold fonts, 'Johnny Suh, CEO of Seo Enterprise, rumored to be back in touch with ex-fiance; Wedding to be announced in the near future.'

Wooyoung has to read it over a dozen times before it finally registers. When it does, it feels like his heart dropped into his belly. His eyes fixate on the picture of Johnny and Kihyun, and even though he knows it's an old one from the color and length of Johnny's hair, it doesn't stop him from hurting. He clenches his jaw and returns to the sink to wash his dirty bowl.

"Wooyo-" San starts but Wooyoung shakes his head to stop him.

He doesn't want to hear anything about it.

His friends respected his wishes enough not to ask about how he feels and Wooyoung is glad. He avoids the media but since Johnny is a big name in a whole topic Wooyoung doesn't follow, he doesn't see much about the whole thing. Apparently the students from the business major know him because he's one of the youngest CEOs known in the business world and is expected to attend a seminar on campus some time in the future and also because he's hot. Wooyoung couldn't deny that part.

Wooyoung is also nervous about Johnny coming again, so he's been actively, but very subtly, trying to find out when the seminar would take place. He hopes he doesn't have to be around and risk bumping into him. It would only reopen old wounds that he hasn't even recovered from.

He didn't even know Johnny was engaged to Kihyun. The topic hadn't ever been mentioned but it makes sense why everyone else loved the guy. He wonders what really happened between the two of them for the split to happen but this curiosity only proves to him that he doesn't know Johnny, even if he's in love with him. Everything about it feels shitty.

San is fixing the eyebrow he messed up this morning trying to fill in because he thought about Johnny and did it extra dark, so now he has one normal eyebrow and a dark brown one that makes him look different. It's the interview today and San's father as well as two other guests are coming down to be interviewed in the auditorium Mingi managed to talk the management into letting them use for at least two hours.

Because he was gone for the week San and Mingi did most of the outsourcing, expectedly Wooyoung is going to be interviewing their guests. He'd come up with the questions the week after he came back from the… job? Dwelling over his wounded heart was too energy-consuming so he had put all his effort into schoolwork instead.

"I'm gonna head to the auditorium first," Mingi announces as he glances down at his wristwatch. "Don't be late. Mr. Choi is expected to be here in like, an hour."

"Okay, boss," San mutters sarcastically before flashing Mingi an innocent smile. "We'll just take a second. No worries."

Mingi leaves and San returns to fixing Wooyoung's eyebrow. It doesn't take very long and soon, his face looks decent enough to be presentable on camera. It's a joint project with a couple of kids from Filmography, who's helping with filming the entire thing, and Wooyoung's a little excited to be working with Yeonjun, a friend he knew from high school.

"Think Yeonjun's single?" Wooyoung asks teasingly, because he knows San isn't the biggest fan of the guy.

San makes a face, "I hope not. Maybe if he has someone he'd stop trying to hit on my boyfriend."

Wooyoung laughs, "Wait, for real? He's still flirting with Taeyong?"

"I think he flirts with everyone," San rolls his eyes, grabbing the keys to the suite and everything he needs before they both leave and lock up. "But I heard he had a major crush on Taeyong when he was our T.A last year."

"Dude, everyone did," Wooyoung says as they make their way towards the auditorium. When San is silent, he looks to see that San looks surprised, like he's finding this out. Wooyoung laughs again, "You didn't know? Come on! Remember the second semester he came back in a tight ass jeans and a sweater with a low cut neckline? You weren't the only one thinking about him that night."

San grips at his arm, "You're kidding. You too?!"

"Not me," Wooyoung rolls his eyes, "Why would I do that to you? I was hanging with a bunch of them and they all confessed jacking off that night. Your T.A boyfriend was single back then. Unclench, will you?"

"Man, this is something else," San says as they climb up the stairs to the building where the auditorium is. "I'm proud and possessive at the same time."

Once at the auditorium, Wooyoung greets the guys and girls helping them out with filming and they get to hang out for a bit before their first guest arrives. He's familiar with San's dad so it isn't as nerve-wracking as it is when he interviews the other two people. Both of them are people with a great influence in the social aspect and Wooyoung is about ready to piss himself by the time the session ends and they thank the guests for their time.

He's checking his phone for messages when a new one comes in the group chat and it's Jongho, his disdain for texting reducing his text to short forms of actual words. The text reads, 'wooyo smthngs w8ing 4 u outside' and then followed by the side-eye emoji. Wooyoung frowns and looks up to find Mingi and San already looking at him and wordlessly the three of them leave the auditorium through the entrance.

The exit leads them to a hallway overlooking the piazza down below. Jongho, Seonghwa and Yunho are at the other building adjacent to the one Wooyoung is in. They wave at him and then point down at the piazza. He squints to see what they're talking about but he doesn't even have to look far to notice him.

Standing with his cocksure presence, dressed in his usual setup, a black dress pants and a white dress shirt, missing only his suit jacket. From this high up, he could only see that Johnny's hair had grown a little but he hadn't lost the brown. The red tips must be gone by now. Wooyoung cusses low under his breath.

"You go down there and give him a piece of your mind or I will actually commit my first murder," San says, though he doesn't sound serious at all.

Wooyoung grimaces and moves to make his way downstairs. He doesn't know what Johnny wants coming here and he doesn't know if Johnny's even looking for him, but he couldn't find any other reason Johnny would even come. By the time he reaches the piazza, his heart is hammering against his chest and his palms are sweaty. He hasn't seen Johnny in nearly two months.

When Johnny sees him, his unsmiling face morphs into one of surprise, like he hadn't expected for Wooyoung to show up. Wooyoung wonders if he was even supposed to show up, since Johnny hadn't messaged him or anything. Maybe he did. Maybe Wooyoung missed all the messages and only saw Jongho's. Johnny's confident posture shifts, and suddenly he doesn't know what to do with his hands.

Wooyoung swallows his pride and clears his throat. "What are you- Did you need something? Is it the cheque? I could-"

"No," Johnny stops him, reaching out before he remembers he isn't supposed to touch and then stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't need the money back. I just- I missed you."

Now, that is surprising. Johnny clearly hadn't shown it, if he's being honest now. Wooyoung purses his lips, his brain turning to find the right words to say. He feels as though giving in too quickly would be too cruel to himself; he'd spent weeks trying to get over him. And now he's suddenly back.

Assuming Wooyoung isn't going to say anything, Johnny sighs, running a hand over his face. "I want you back. I just- I realized it was a mistake letting you go. I couldn't sleep properly, couldn't eat without thinking about you. And I told myself that I just need time but everyday's the same, baby. It's like you came and you changed everything and I was stupid for letting you go."

Wooyoung stares at Johnny now, and he takes in Johnny's honey brown eyes and the way the color matches his hair. He takes in Johnny's cologne, and how he'd missed breathing it in, and he wants to be angry because he's hurt and he wants to stay away so he doesn't get hurt again, but it's Johnny and Wooyoung has never wanted anyone like this before.

But then he remembers the entertainment news about Johnny and Kihyun and he winces, heart heavy. "What about Kihyun?"

Johnny frowns, genuinely confused. "What about him?"

"Aren't you getting back together?"

"No?"

"But the-" Wooyoung clears his throat. "Was that just a rumor then?"

Johnny nods, "The last time I spoke with him was the night before he left my parents' house, if you remember."

Right. "When he interrupted our beach time. What did you guys talk about? You didn't sleep in the room that night."

This time it's Johnny who seems flustered, he runs his fingers through his hair and rubs the back of his neck. "I had a fight with him. He tried to kiss me and then insulted you. Had to defend my boyfriend, right?"

"What did he say?"

"He implied, and I'm paraphrasing this nicely, that you were being paid to… meet my needs."

Wooyoung laughs and Johnny mirrors him. He isn't the slightest bit offended, simply because Kihyun has never mattered to him. He shakes his head then, too aware of his friends watching from his peripheral vision, each one of them too curious to miss a single second of this. He wonders if they would be mad over the fact that he can't find it in him to be angry at Johnny anymore.

His cheeks are beginning to hurt again from his grinning and he feels like a teenage boy standing in the middle of the piazza and listening to his crush confessing about his feelings being reciprocated. It's giddying, really. Johnny is like his very own cloud of pure joy. He doesn't know how to explain it.

"What do you usually do when you like someone?" Wooyoung asks, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, because suddenly he's shy and doesn't know what to do next.

Johnny smiles at him and reaches his hand out, waiting for Wooyoung to take it. "I hold their hand and ask if they would like to go on a proper date with me."

Wooyoung hums, pretending to consider the offered hand before he places his slightly smaller one onto Johnny's palm. He breaks into a quiet giggle when Johnny pulls him close, their chests colliding gently and he couldn't stop the grin that's perpetually stretched on his lips. "Do you kiss before first dates?"

"No," Johnny shakes his head but one of his hands curls around Wooyoung's jaw and he dips his head to kiss him anyway, soft and slow before he deepens it with fervor. He smiles against Wooyoung's mouth and then kisses him again. Once, twice. One more time. Johnny presses his forehead to Wooyoung's, his arms wound around Wooyoung's smaller frame.

"For you, though, I'd make an exception."

"Do I have to put on a tie?" Wooyoung whines in complaint as he struggles with doing his necktie, frowning at his own reflection in the mirror because he looks nothing close to decent. He's got a good face, at least, and his hair hasn't gone against his wishes today, so it sits prettily around his features. He has half the mind to go without a tie. It’s not like it makes him look less presentable.

Except he’s going to a business event with Johnny and he doesn’t actually want to look like an amateur. It’s been at least half a year since Johnny properly asked him out and he became a proper partner instead of being paid to pretend and be one. There is a dinner and dance Johnny’s company is holding and Wooyoung’s been invited as his plus one. Naturally, he wants to be worthy of staying on Johnny’s arm tonight.

Johnny walks out of his walk-in closet looking as dashing as ever, in a dark blue suit with his hair combed back. It’s gotten longer over the months, but he hadn’t gone back to black and when he re-dyed it, it’s the same brown Wooyoung had picked for him. His lips curl into a smile when he finds Wooyoung struggling next to the mirror. His apartment isn’t as big as the beach house but it makes sense, since he lives alone. Still, it’s bigger than Wooyoung would have liked for himself if he was the only occupant.

Stepping closer, Johnny pulls the necktie off from around Wooyoung’s neck and tosses it aside. Wordlessly, he fixes Wooyoung’s collar, making sure a few buttons at the top are left undone. “There. No ties. Still beautiful either way.”

Wooyoung grins, reaching up to curl his arms around Johnny’s neck. Their height difference requires him to go on his tiptoes to fully reach Johnny’s mouth and he smiles against the pair of soft lips before kissing them. “You make me feel pretty.”

Johnny’s hands fit perfectly on his waist and he kisses Wooyoung again feverishly, chasing after his mouth each time Wooyoung pulls back with a giggle. Johnny’s chuckle reaches deep within Wooyoung’s guts. “You have always been pretty, baby.”

“Mm, right,” Wooyoung nods, pressing another kiss to Johnny’s lips before he forces himself to pull away. “We should get going or we’ll end up staying right here.”

Johnny hums, reaching over to grab his wristwatch and then his wallet and keys. “You’re right. As much as I would like to stay, it is kind of my party.”

“Exactly,” Wooyoung agrees as they make their way out of Johnny’s room, squealing when Johnny steals the opportunity to squeeze his ass. Downstairs, while waiting for the limo to arrive, Wooyoung retrieves his phone and smiles at the messages he’s getting from his friends. He turns to Johnny with a sheepish grin and says, “Hey, I wanna show you off to my lame ass friends.”

“Okay,” Johnny says simply, an arm naturally curling around Wooyoung’s waist. He’s gotten so used to Wooyoung’s constant need to take a selfie that he knows what Wooyoung meant without having to say it. Phone up, Johnny smiles at the camera, pressing his cheek against Wooyoung’s temple while Wooyoung makes a kissy face.

It’s a nice shot and he sends it to the group chat for his friends to see. He laughs at Jongho’s dramatic gagging emoji and Mingi’s thumbs up. Hongjoong reminds him to be ‘safe’ and Seonghwa says he looks amazing. San, however, replies with a picture of himself with Taeyong. They look snuggly and comfortable, probably in the safe of Taeyong’s apartment. Yunho complains about being single and then Yeosang, for the first time ever, sends a picture of him and the mysterious boyfriend no one has seen until now.

Collectively, the rest of them exploded in the group chat. It’s the first time Yeosang has ever shown a picture of the man who has been making him giggle and blush at his phone and Wooyoung can’t say he blames him. The guy is pretty. He shows the picture to Johnny after they climb into the limo, beaming as he speaks, “He finally made a boyfriend reveal.”

Johnny squints, recognition coloring his face. “I know this guy.”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened, “Really? Who is he? Yeosang wouldn’t fucking tell us.”

“That’s Yuta,” Johnny chuckles, clearly finding this amusing. “We went to school together.”

“No way,” Wooyoung laughs, thumbing at his keyboard for a message directed at Yeosang. He snickers as he pockets his phone, pretty sure he’d come back to Yeosang aggressively disagreeing with what he had proposed, but for now he would ignore all the messages he’s getting so he could spend the time with Johnny. To his boyfriend (boyfriend!), Wooyoung beams, “Told Sangie we’re going on a double date. If you say no I’m going to be very embarrassed.”

Johnny laughs, leaning over to press a kiss onto Wooyoung’s cheek. “I think you should know by now that I would do anything for you.”

Oh, he knows, Wooyoung thinks, and that’s only one of the things he loves about being with Johnny.