Chapter Text
“Y/N, you have a visitor.”
You wondered as you pranced back to work from lunch. Light steps made you seem unaware with your surroundings, till a certain scent caught your attention. Slowly making your way to your office, a smell that reminded you of your youth made your heart spiral as your eyes caught the first glimpse of him…
“Oh wow, y/n… it’s really you.” His voice was soft, like always. His eyes were shining like the sun which stood outside your office window. It was a pleasant radiating aura which made your heart flutter.
“H-Hongjoong. Long time no see…” your tongue made you seem like a fool as you stuttered before him.
He smiled, pleased with your reaction as his eyes fully took you in.
“I’ve .. been busy.” He replied nonchalantly, it may seem his eyes didn’t waver from yours for a beat. Maybe it was the flooding memories of a past love you thought was dead or the way your heart would speed up every time his eyes would fall to your frame, making a sudden welcoming warmth spread all over your skin. But now, as he stood before you in all his glory, you couldn’t help but fall right back into those moments once again.
A pause was prolonged as the both of you just admired one another, it somehow didn’t click that he was still standing in your office mid day.
“Oh, oh my, how rude of me… take a seat, please.” Your voice was back to a professional tone as you watched him sit in your chair. A sly grin grew on his handsome face as he crossed his legs in a very confident way.
You smiled, clearly enjoying his banter and letting him take your seat instead. Hongjoong was a man full of adventure and freedom, so who were you to stomp on his parade. But even though those memories were from many many years ago… the familiarity was the same.
Hongjoong remained unfazed, still smiling your way as you continue to wait for whatever his glorious mind had set up for you. It’s been so many years… yet, his beauty was like no other. His mysterious secrets hidden behind his dark eyes were now screaming for your attention just as he cleared his throat.
“Come back to Korea,” his quick statement made you blurt out in laughter but the way his face didn’t falter made you stop.
“You’re kidding, right?”
You questioned, fully concerned for him. You were an army brat growing up and would go to wherever your parents would be stationed at, and it so happened that one of those many places; South Korea was once your home as a child.
He lifted a brow, as a scowl came about his features. He wasn’t clearing the air, which only made the hairs at the back of your neck stand tall.
“I haven’t been back to South Korea for almost ten plus years, why would I do that now?” You say.
“For me.”
Point. Blank. Period.
It was evident he hasn’t changed not one bit, whatever he wanted- he got.
“Ha. I have my job here, a career that I love and my family and friends. I don’t have anyone over there…”
“You have me.” His quick witted replies were finally taunting you to a point of no return. Your mouth slightly opened, needing to shut the whole idea down but something was missing; actually, the whole conversation had blanks.
“Listen, I’ve … I’ve been keeping tabs on you. Following some of your socials, wondering and missing you. I’ve noticed you don’t have a ring on your finger, and you never post sappy love quotes anywhere, so I’m assuming that you’re single?”
He paused, letting you soak in his words. You quickly cocked your head, worried if he had suddenly turned into a crazy stalker. You’ve seen the news and heard the stories, and it’s always the ones you least expect.
“So what if I’m single, that still doesn’t justify me actually going back to Korea for you.” You had to awkwardly giggle only to let the strange vibe settle between the both of you.
“I see you’re in the journaling world, I take it you only do local pieces ?” He suddenly asked, you nodded.
“So, you probably have no idea what happens in Korea or around the world, huh?”
“I’m too busy with work to be in everyone’s business, I’m not a stalker like some.” You gesture towards him, to which he rolls his eyes in a teasing manner.
“Woah there,” his hands go up faking pain, “I only know what I can see, it’s social media… everyone puts something out there. It’s not hard keeping up with someone if they’re constantly posting about it, I just do what millions of others do too.”
He justified himself and honestly, he was right. You do sometimes check up on ex partners or ex friends, only because curiosity gets the better of people and then you end up sad in your apartment at two in the morning on your third bottle of red wine wondering why you couldn’t take a trip to Cancun like Hannah from middle school. It happens…
“Anyways, I have a proposition for you. Can we do dinner tomorrow night? Please…” his tone suddenly changed, it wasn’t the rough conniving one that was great for arguing. No, it was a softer tone that made your knees weak.
You thought about it for a bit, needing more time because something felt off about everything but even as the idea bounced around in your mind, you couldn’t help but agree.
“Okay, but no funny business, understood?” You finalize, pointing your finger his way as he grinned widely like he had just won the lottery.
“I make no promises.”
His smirk was all you needed to know that whatever the hell he had in mind, was going to be a roller coaster of emotions and you were not ready.
———
You reminded yourself to have an open mind and open heart to whatever he had to say, it’s been so long and even though all you have are pleasant memories with him, you still couldn’t forget the pain it left in your heart once you moved back to America. A heartache you thought you would get over with in due time, yet here you are… years later sitting in a sushi restaurants vip room.
The lights were lightly dimmed as soft folk music played in the far background, the table was obsidian stone giving a strong intimate aura to the room itself, along with the paintings which hung from the walls depicting historical eras. You swayed gently on your knees as you sat waiting for the man of the hour, who was surprisingly… late.
A knock then sounded, the bamboo doors slowly slid open to let a feast of sushi trays make their way towards the table. You sat in awe as plates with food were being orchestrated on the table like they all had a specific place to be set. It was art, the bright colors and the fragrant aromas continued to take over the room as the waiters brought large fancy bottles, filled with some sort of alcohol.
Your stomach growled, in a trance with such tasty scents making your mouth suddenly salivate. But even with such beauty before you, HE was still late.
You wondered if he had stood you up, maybe he went back on his word and regretted coming to you in the first place ? Your mind thought all sorts of silly things but the voices soon went silent when the door slid open once again …
Hongjoong stood front and center, large smile commanding attention; but behind him were seven others who had their eyes on you ready to attack.
——
The air was thick, heavy and hot as it coursed through your veins. Feelings of nostalgia seemed to cloud your vision as your eyes bounced from each man which sat before you. Their eyes struck you with a strong domineering essence that was now taking over your soul, swimming in your subconscious of wild ideas. Your skin prickled as the words rushed back to you, like a blood rush to your brain.
“You all want to sleep with me?” Your voice cracked a tiny bit at the end, letting the truth sink deeper. It was nonsense, to be honest. An idea that would drive anyone away or, maybe straight to their beds to do whatever they desire. But … why you ?
They all nodded in unison, reminding you that this indeed was not a dream but a strange reality. Words; you had many but speaking them into existence could either break this newly found reconnection you wanted with Hongjoong or… maybe-
“Before we get farther into this and we completely lose you, let me give you a quick rundown of who we are exactly. My name is Seonghwa, Hongjoong and myself along with our dear friends here founded the One Day At A Time foundation. We organize fundraisers to help kids in need around the world, we’ve built homes for homeless and gave an education to those who can’t afford it. We help our youth and guide them to a better future.”
“With years of planning and sleepless nights, our hard work had finally paid off, taking us worldwide. Opening help centers and hospitals wherever they were needed, we learned very early on that this would flourish, making One Day At A Time a multi billion dollar organization.”
“Now, we don’t wish to fluster you with our money, we do wish to do it in other ways but what I’m trying to say is… we’re booked and busy and as crazy as this may sound, you fit the image we all have of a lover.”
Seonghwa’s voice seemed to match his outer appearance, warm enough to approach him yet could burn you. His eyes exude such trusting brown embers that it was hard to look away, but you were still slightly confused with his statements.
“I’m sure you all have been watching way too much 50 shades,” you trail off in an awkward laugh, trying your best not to make eye contact but a quick huff of annoyance made you raise your line of sight instantly.
“I told you she would bring up that ridiculous movie,” one says under his breath, eyeing Hongjoong with an intense look. Dark brown hair slicked back seemed to compliment his soft tan skin, his beauty mark accentuating his thick neck made you take a double look only to find his shirt had two buttons missing.
“Y/N, what Jongho here meant to say is; no, we are not trying to portray some sick rich ceo bdsm fantasy. I mean, to be completely honest only two of us take part in those sort of activities, the rest of us just like to fuck.”
Hongjoong spoke up, covering for Jongho like he was an angry puppy. He might be the youngest, hmm… with youth comes stamina- wait, no, shut up.
You panicked suddenly, why was it all sounding good. Too good to be true? Was that it? Was it the single lifestyle that was making you crave this? Maybe the lonely nights constantly flicking the bean made you seem desperate?
No, get yourself together.
HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!!
Maybe …
“Listen, we can explain in more detail as we go on. Give us a chance. Here, how about this, come back to South Korea and let us show you what we’re talking about. In a month, if you’re not pleased, you can leave.”
Seonghwa seemed to be the voice of reason in this group, trying his best to convince you but even as your body shook with an internal embarrassment, you couldn’t walk away from this opportunity.
No matter how out of this world it sounded, something deep within your gut told you to do it.
“Mmm, okay. I’ll try it out… but only for a month.” You replied shortly, making them smile from ear to ear. They were pleased, well… some were.