Chapter Text
There is something in the way the morning sunlight twinkles on the infinite expanse of clear windows. It is by far not an extraordinary sight in the middle of the business district where never-ending skyscrapers reach for the blue sky all around, yet it carries a steady calmness. The warmth of the early September breeze makes Felix’s skin tingle, enjoying every second of his break he can spend soaking up the sunshine on the rooftop terrace.
Well, sunbathing isn’t the only thing occupying him right now, but he can multitask.
“I just don’t understand what happened,” Jisung throws his arms up, his voice far too loud for a work setting.
Felix sips on his drink, eyes straying towards the watch on his wrist. There’s still twenty minutes to the staff meeting, which is a huge blessing considering the current situation.
Seungmin and Jeongin fidget in their seats, slumping further into the sofas. Some people cast curious glances towards them as they finish their smoke breaks by the railings, everyone keeping a wide berth from the outdoor lounge area because of the loud voices echoing around.
It’s not that unusual for them to meet during work hours for lunch break – Seungmin’s office is just a couple of blocks away, Jeongin has been frequenting the Magazine a lot lately as he’s photographing for one of their columns, and Jisung has the most irregular working schedule known to man. However, today’s just really not a good time for Felix, not with the meeting less than half an hour away. But Jisung sounded genuinely distraught over the phone, which is why Felix sits there, listening to his friend’s rambling.
“Everything was going so well,” Jisung insists. “We had a connection. We had mutual understanding. We had–”
“Half a song you wrote to him after five days of being in a relationship?” Seungmin interrupts.
Jisung still has his mouth open, cut-off mid-sentence, but instead of continuing, he just grumbles, crossing his arms across his chest. “That’s called being romantic!”
Felix purses his lips, leaning back against the cushions. He slurps his drink, eyes flitting between his two friends who are both desperate to avoid his gaze. The traitors. Neither of them seem very up to break the illusion to Jisung, so with a long sigh he takes the task upon himself.
“Ji,” he starts slowly, straightening. “The guy broke up with you yesterday evening, and you’ve already sent a package to his workplace with everything he’s given you during your fourteen days of dating, paired with a “Hope you find happiness in the future” card.”
Jisung splutters. “Well, yes, because I’m a considerate ex! Imagine he gets into a new relationship, and I only return all those things to him then!”
Felix narrows his eyes. “You don’t actually have to give him back the stems of the roses with their fallen petals.”
Seungmin snorts, while Jeongin tries to hide his grin. A couple of guys in suits give them amused looks over their shoulders. Jisung grumbles something incoherent, downing his peach tea in one go, the ice cracking under his teeth forcefully.
“This is all such bullshit,” Jisung complains grumpily. “It seems dating isn’t in the cards for me.”
“Oh, come on.” Felix rolls his eyes, hitting Jisung’s arm. “Now you’re just being dramatic.”
Jisung spins towards him so fast Felix reels back, blinking confusedly at the blazing look his friend gives him. Jisung points an accusing finger at his chest, his words coming out sharp, yet a little petulant.
“Oh, what would you know? No guy has ever broken up with you!”
Felix’s jaw drops, shaking his head fiercely. “That is so not true! I’ve been dumped a lot of times!”
“Your hook-up leaving without a note doesn’t count as a break up.” Seungmin raises a stern brow.
A denial is on the tip of Felix’s tongue, but he doesn’t find the right words. Because looking at it like that, no one has actually broken up with him. He winces, shrinking in on himself under the pointed glares of his friends.
“That’s just semantics!” he protests. “The point is that I haven’t found a single guy worth my time either.”
“Well, that’s all on you and your unreachable standards!” Jisung snaps back. “But you could do the most atrocious shit to a guy and he still wouldn’t leave you!”
Felix gapes. “That is absolutely incorrect. Any guy would leave, even if I broke down crying the first time we had sex.”
Jeongin’s brows jump. “You cried during sex?”
“It was an accident!” Jisung throws his arms up desperately. “It happened once, why is that such a big deal?”
"Ji,” Felix purses his lips, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Sex simply just isn’t that good.”
“Okay, can we let that go?” Jisung groans miserably. “I just got into my feelings for a second there!”
Their loud voices attract curious gazes, Felix’s coworkers peeking over their shoulders to see the commotion. He inhales a deep, calming breath, pinching the bridge of his nose, while Jisung sinks down the cushions with his arms crossed.
“Well,” Felix starts, his voice even, placating. “Guys these days are terrified of the tiniest hint of commitment, not to even mention feelings. You can’t just… Do this, if you want them to stay.”
“Oh c’mon, I knew you wouldn’t understand me! You don’t even believe in love,” Jisung rolls his eyes.
Felix straightens in offense, shaking his head rapidly. “I do believe in the concept of love!” he argues. “I don’t, however, believe in the male species out there.”
Felix understands the overwhelming beauty of love perfectly. Just like anyone else, he’s also been dreaming about surprise bouquets of his favourite flowers, soft smiles and shared laughs, mornings made easier by a coffee waiting for him on the kitchen counter and long nights spent in the arms of a lover between the sheets. During his teenage years he devoured every romantic book and movie, then spent his early twenties searching for that exact feeling when the protagonists confess their love under the pouring rain.
Except, he only found himself in the rain when a tardy boyfriend arrived late for their date, and quickly learnt that the tender sparks died down easily enough. Dating was hard – and it only became more daunting with the passing of time. Because soon, sleeping over at each other’s dorm rooms turned into the prospect of sharing a place together, of every morning and night spent together. It held a vow of forever Felix was scared to promise to the wrong person.
Jeongin snorts. “You two make a great pair.”
Felix rolls his eyes, slurping up the last of his drink. But then his eyes catch onto the watch on his wrist, ice tea going down the wrong way as he coughs desperately. Jisung startles, hitting his back to free his airways.
“Fuck,” Felix grumbles, jumping up from the outdoor sofa. “Shit, meeting is in eight minutes.”
With that he tugs on Jeongin’s arm, making him almost choke on his coffee as well. They don’t even have time to say a proper goodbye to Jisung and Seungmin, because Felix just bulldozes his way through the office, Jeongin following in tow.
He curses when he arrives at his desk, combing every of his papers and folders together. Except, the most important one is still staring back at him from the screen of his computer, opened like he left it before his break.
Praying to any God that resides above, Felix hastily clicks on print, then immediately goes back to rummaging through his notes before the cursed machine manages to sniff out his fear and decides to stop working just for fun.
A relieved breath rips out of him when he hears the mechanical sounds, running over to collect his still warm papers. For nearly the first time in three years he manages to get something printed out on the first try – the occasion should call for celebration. Sometimes he fails because the printer somehow loses connection with his computer, or maybe it’s low on fuckass cyan, which is obviously essential to a black and white paper, or possibly the machine is just a temperamental bitch, who isn’t in the mood to do its damn job.
They tumble into the meeting room just three steps ahead of his boss, flashing her a bright smile, then throwing themselves down on the first available surface. Warm, glowing sunshine pours in through the spotless windows, liquid golden slipping onto the polished floors, the fluffy sofas. The room comes alive with the bright light catching on the vibrant posters, fuzzy carpets and colorful flower bouquets. His colleagues pile onto the couches, some seating themselves around the glass table on the rugs. Their boss takes the only armchair, manicured hands clasped on her lap, an elegant smile pulling on her blood-red lips.
“Good morning everyone,” Hyewon announces, breezy, lilting voice stealing everyone’s attention. “Shall we begin?”
Felix barely listens to the reports of his coworkers. His eyes row over the information on his notes, words and sentences forming, tumbling, building in his head about how to pitch his idea in the most sellable way. He knows that, objectively, it will be a good article. But good isn’t enough, not this time – he needs perfect, he needs that final push of view numbers.
Exclusive pieces on the newest collections, Fashion Weeks and events, insights into the latest trends, all in his grasp if he just manages to snag the position opening soon. It’s everything he’s been working towards in the last years. Even before that, what made him pursue his degree at all. With Miss Lee retiring, his chance is finally within sight to fill in her place – provided he manages to hit the threshold in views first.
He’s so lost in his head, twisting catchphrases around that he doesn’t notice Jeongin nudging him. Only when he pinches his thigh does he raise his affronted gaze to him, yet Jeongin’s eyes are wide, fearful, staring straight at his colleague across them.
At last, the haze clears from Felix’s mind, voices reaching his ear. Immediately, the air gets lodged in his chest at what he’s hearing.
Because Jiwoo is currently pitching his idea – down to every single detail, exactly how he typed it out on his computer – to their boss, who is listening with sharp eyes and a curious smile on her lips.
Felix can’t breathe. He can’t move, can’t think, brain turning into a jumbled mess. He isn’t even able to open his mouth to speak. He just sits, rooted to the spot while his coworker steals his work, presents it with flourish, then gets praised for it endlessly.
And Felix sees it. How the gears turn in Hyewon’s head, plans falling into place one by one. Their boss has always been partial to Jiwoo. She has been here longer and she is a great writer, having one of the most viewed columns. Her biggest downfall has always been performing under too much pressure, though.
Jeongin nudges him again, but Felix can’t react. Jiwoo finishes after getting showered with praise for how original and new her idea was, how much Hyewon is waiting to read it. Felix deeply regrets not having thrown himself off the rooftop before.
He doesn’t even get a moment of reprieve. Hyewon’s gaze lands on him, a challenging edge sharpening her eyes as she tilts her head.
“What about you, Felix?”
Silence rings around the room. Or maybe it’s only in Felix’s ears. He blinks, crumpling the paper in a white-knuckled grip. Jiwoo won’t look at him.
“I, uh…” he croaks out.
Hyewon waits for him. Felix clears his throat, gaze falling onto his lap where his discarded papers lie. He swipes through them with a shaking hand, pushing his treasured notes onto the bottom of the pile. His eyes catch onto different phrases, half-sentences colliding in his head, highlighted words and italics melting, swirling in his vision.
“I thought, uhm… Well, I thought I would do like a… new collection predictions with the uh… Fashion Weeks coming up soon…” he mumbles, pushing the words through the lump in his throat.
Slowly, he raises his eyes, but averts it immediately when he catches his boss’s expression. Hyewon has a perfectly trimmed brow raised, disappointment burrowed deeply into the frown on her face.
“Well… I suppose that would suffice.” Displease cuts sharply through her voice, and Felix tries not to drown in it.
It’s as simple as admitting defeat without even stepping onto the playing field. It’s a recycled idea, one he guesses some relatively newcomer was supposed to write, no originality, no creativity that would catch anyone’s attention. Felix has played his chance – even if by some miracle he manages to get the view numbers, Hyewon would never consider him for the position after barely scraping a single sentence together for the proposal of the most important article in his career.
Hyewon gives him a last pointed look before simply glossing over him. Getting ignored is worse than being reprimanded after working himself to the bone for the past months to get her to consider him. She was finally ready to give him a chance. Now Felix might never have an opportunity like this again.
He tries desperately to swallow down his tears.
His boss doesn’t miss a beat as she moves on. “Miyeon, what do you have?”
Hyewon’s question finds his colleague unprepared, her wide eyes flitting aimlessly around the place. She looks a bit rumpled, dark bags hanging heavily under her eyes, face pale and ashen. Miyeon stares at her papers, rummaging through them clumsily until they spill over, flowing down to the carpet in her haste.
“I… Yeah, so I…” she stammers, tucking her silky locks away from her face.
“Have you been crying?” Hyewon interrupts, a furrow between her brows.
Miyeon looks up in surprise, blinking rapidly at their boss. All of their colleagues inspect the poor woman curiously, who lets out an awkward giggle, offering a delicate shrug.
“Yeah, sorry, I’m just a bit all over the place.” She waves dismissively, sparkling bracelets tinkling around her wrists. “I uh… Just had a break up.”
A collective, sympathetic sigh echoes around the room, everyone turning to her with sad frowns. Felix almost rolls his eyes. God, why is everyone breaking up lately? Miyeon laughs weakly, bowing her head to shield her face from the prying eyes.
“Oh, poor girl,” Hyewon shakes her head in condolence. “But I must say, you are looking fabulous today! Doesn’t she?” She looks around to find encouraging smiles and rapid nods. Felix’s brows pinch together.
Miyeon’s lips twitch into a smile, but it ends up as a grimace. “Yeah well, I’ve barely been eating lately…”
“Good for you!” Hyewon cheers approvingly. Felix’s brows disappear into his hairline. “Write about it!”
A concerned, surprised furrow creases his forehead, while Miyeon just stares for a second, her body rigid, mouth agape. “Oh, I… I’m sorry, Hyewon but I can’t just use my personal life for a story…”
Their boss nods in agreement. “I totally understand that.” Miyeon purses her lips, offering a grateful smile, only for Hyewon to turn towards their colleagues and ask. “Well, who would like to write about Miyeon’s break-up?”
Everyone blinks in surprise, peeking at the shocked woman. A couple of hands rise, the newcomers huddling close together at the edge of a couch. Felix frowns at the three of them, but Hyewon just points at one of them, and nods.
“Perfect, go for it!”
The words are rushing out of Miyeon immediately. “Oh no, wait a minute… Hyewon, I’m so sorry, but I can’t just… Let a stranger meddle with my personal life, I mean it’s… It’s private.”
Hyewon raises a placating hand towards her, probably ready to offer a good-for-nothing consolation, but then Felix speaks faster than his mind can catch up to it.
You could do the most atrocious shit to a guy and he still wouldn’t leave you.
Jisung better be right for once in his life.
“I’ll do it,” he announces.
Every pair of eyes finds him, Miyeon’s panicked, angry stare burning his profile. Jeongin blinks at him silently, and Hyewon’s calculating gaze falls back onto him, a single brow raised in challenge. Felix inhales a deep breath, offering a fleeting smile to his colleague in reassurance, his gaze snapping back to their boss. He can control this situation. At least he hopes.
“I mean, I… I’ll sort of do it,” he corrects. Hyewon tilts her head, urging him to talk, and Felix straightens his spine to steel himself. “Well, you see, dating is… Hard. Navigating a relationship is a really tough task, and no matter how charming, pretty or smart the person is, there are so many mistakes one can make. It’s something our readers struggle with as well.”
Hyewon’s brows are furrowed, confusion hiding in the tight lines by her lips. Felix swallows.
“So, I’ll date a guy. Make every mistake to drive a man away,” he says, waving his hand to add a little flourish. “It’ll be like a dating how-to in reverse. Everything… not to do basically,” he squints, bravery running out by the end.
Except Hyewon’s eyes glint calculatingly, a sharp, hint of a smile tugging her crimson lips upwards. Felix’s fingers dig into his thighs. He knows that look – that look means Hyewon already sees the article in her head, and if Hyewon likes his idea that equals money to her, which to him equals a high number of views.
“I like it,” Hyewon nods approvingly. Felix’s chest floods with warmth, his breath flowing easily into his lungs. “It’s original, it’s exciting… It’s something new. How to lose a guy in 10 days,” she announces dreamily. “Perfect. Go.”
Felix bites down on his smile. Miyeon huffs out a relieved breath, giving Felix a grateful look, having saved her private life. His heart drums dangerously against his ribcage, careful hope setting the rhythm alive.
Then, Felix’s brows settle into a frown. “Uh, sorry… Why ten days?”
Hyewon shrugs. “Seven days is too short to be credible and the deadline is in thirteen days. Make sure to use your time wisely.”
Felix nods immediately, scribbling down the title in capitals onto a blank page.
“It’s not your usual forte, though,” Hyewon points out.
Felix looks up at her. “I supposed I would try something different this time.”
Hyewon’s lips twitch. She looks him up and down with a tilt to her head. Then his boss gives a single, curt nod.
“Good. I have high hopes for it, Felix.”
Lightheadedness hits Felix, his body slumping into the couch bonelessly. Jeongin huffs out a relieved breath beside him. Felix catches his eyes to match his hidden grin. Maybe he can still salvage this. Maybe not everything’s lost yet.
For the rest of the meeting his brain refuses to cooperate, instead coming up with plans and ideas in rapid succession until he gets dizzy from all the information. His vision is still fuzzy even when they’re finally descending the stairs.
He only comes back to his body as he almost collides with Jiwoo’s back. Blinking away the daydreams, Felix’s eyes flit around the room. The office is still as much of an organized mess as it always is, a whirlwind of colour, silks and glitter, clothing racks taking up room at every corner, piles of shoeboxes thrown about everywhere, fabrics overflowing atop desks and the quick clicks of stilettos echoing around the place.
He looks around for Jeongin, finding him consulting with one of the editors he’s working with on his photoshoot, then his gaze lands on the unfamiliar woman greeting his boss.
“Oh, how fast time runs! My next appointment, people, Lim Soojin from VIORA Couture,” Hyewon announces, waving her arm towards her. They offer their welcomes, while their boss continues. “And here we have Lee Felix and Choi Jiwoo.”
Soojin’s attention turns to them, her eyes landing decisively on Felix. He gives a polite, curious smile.
“Felix, right? I always make sure to read your articles, they’re such gems in the fashion field!” she grins, making Felix laugh shyly. “Can I get a preview of your next piece?” She raises a teasing brow, but before Felix can open his mouth to reply, Hyewon swoops in.
“Oh, it’s such an original idea! How to lose a guy in 10 days,” she recites the title, which Felix isn’t exactly sure she’s supposed to do. “He’s going to date a man, then drive him away with all the classic annoyances people do in a relationship.”
Soojin lets out a surprised laugh, amusement twinkling in her eyes. “Sounds quite interesting. I’ll be sure to read it.”
They part ways, Hyewon leading Soojin up the spiral staircase, while Felix waits for Jeongin. He makes sure to ignore Jiwoo as she passes, although the woman is working hard on staring through him as well.
Finally back at his table, he slumps into his chair, a completely blank page of Word document blinking down at him from his computer. He lets out a huge sigh, burying his face into his hands.
“I cannot believe Jiwoo would dare to steal your work. I don’t even understand what she was thinking,” Jeongin whispers sharply as he hovers by his table. “I’m so sorry, Lix. I know how much you’ve worked on that proposal and your idea was so brilliant.”
A humourless snort bubbles out of him. “Yeah well, right now that’s kind of disadvantageous for me, considering she will be the one to gather the views for it. I don’t even understand how she stole my notes. God, I have no chance.”
Felix has never been one to praise his own work too much, but he spent a month and a half perfecting his plan, using all of his connections and resources to make the article as exclusive as possible. He only had one goal in mind, pushing through all-nighters, rekindling old acquaintanceships, even asking a favour from one of his stupid exes, which was to win the position whatever it takes. He never thought he would have to compete against his own idea.
“What?” Jeongin gasps. “Don’t say that! Have you seen Hyewon? She seemed excited!” He shakes his shoulder until he has no chance but to raise his head towards him. Jeongin’s eyes gleam with determination. “She’s only excited if she sees money, and money means views, Lix! You can still do this, c’mon!”
Felix groans. “I know it’s not a totally bad idea, but it’s not as good as my original one. It doesn’t even fit into my profile, it’s nothing like I’ve done before…”
“Exactly, it’s something new!” Jeongin interrupts. “It’s something exciting, entertaining. It could show Hyewon you’re multifaceted and always up for a challenge!”
His voice bleeds with earnestness. Jeongin doesn’t know much about how journalism works, but his genuine enthusiasm and support alone is almost enough to convince Felix. He sighs, straightening in his chair. His computer glares at him from the middle of his desk, surrounded by exclusive sketches from designers, scraps of fabrics spilling over everywhere, post-it notes stuck to every available surface. He twists his fingers around a lilac piece of silk.
Jeongin nudges his shoulder. “Come on, Lix. Don’t give up. You could make a very fun, but helpful story out of this. It could be a perfect balance between silly and instructive,” he insists. “You can ask Ji to tell every bullshit he’s done to make a guy snap before.”
Felix laughs quietly, setting his grateful gaze on his friend. Inhaling a deep breath, he nods, crumbling the silk in his fist.
“Yeah, okay. I can do this.”
“Of course, you can!” Jeongin cheers with a bright smile. “If there’s anyone who can, it’s you, hyung.”
Determination courses through him, heating the blood in his veins. His fingers run along the keyboard, big, bold letters reading How to lose a guy in 10 days in the middle of the page.
He can still do this. He will do this. He’s not going to just give up on his dream so close to the finish line.
“So, what’s the plan?” Jeongin asks.
“The plan?” Felix raises a brow. “Well, the first step is the hardest, I suppose. I need to find the guy.”
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The heavy scent of floral perfumes carry through the air, people mingling about with twinkling glasses in their hands. From above the crystal chandeliers shed golden light, wristwatches and bracelets glinting blindingly. The murmur of conversations blend into the jazz music floating through the space, underlined by quiet laughs, the tinkle of alcohol bottles by the bar.
Felix sips on his Pornstar Martini, the sweet, fruity liquid spreading on his tongue. In front of him a quiet sigh slips out of Seungmin, raising his gaze from where he’s massaging his forehead.
“So, let me go over this again,” he says measuredly. “Your coworker stole your idea, so now you’ve gotta find a guy to date for ten days, do atrocious things to him in order to scare him away, then release your little… Experiment for the whole world to read?”
Felix rolls his eyes. “I doubt the whole world knows Korean.”
Jisung squints at him. “Do they pay you enough for all this?”
Felix snorts unattractively into his glass, making his cocktail bubble. “They will, once I manage to get my promotion.”
The bar thrums with life, the perfect place for him to find his target. Stilettos click on polished tiles, the low lights catching on sleek blackwood counters. The women are draped in jewellery and elegant dresses, expensive suits tailored to the men’s frames. A polite, unwavering smile is pinned onto every waiter and bartender’s face, crisp white shirts unblemished under black waistcoats.
“Can you even do this?” Jisung wonders, making Felix look at him questioningly. “Isn’t this like seriously messing with someone’s head? Is this even allowed without consent?”
Felix shrugs, waving a dismissive hand. “Come on, it’s not that serious.”
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t this count as a social experiment?” Seungmin asks thoughtfully. “Like you know, the Stanford Prison Experiment for example.”
Felix’s eyes widen, reeling back in surprise. “What? No, of course not–” he shakes his head hastily, interrupted by Jisung’s vehement nods.
“Yeah, shouldn’t you get approval from, I don’t know, like some psychological ethics committee or something?” he adds. Seungmin opens his mouth to agree, but Felix cuts in sharply.
“Oh my God, stop you guys! This is just a silly little article, I’m not about to close him into a Skinner box,” he snaps with an eye-roll.
His friends still look unconvinced, and Felix can’t exactly blame them. He doubts Sports Central would ever task Seungmin with a report about his dating life instead of a baseball match, Jeongin’s worst jobs entail haughty models who can’t pose for his camera, and Jisung basically works as a hermit in his studio. Even back in university where they all met, it was Felix who had to do the most impossible tasks for assignments, like snag an interview with an upcoming designer presenting at Fashion Week. It seems, he has an incomparable luck when it comes to stupid jobs.
“Instead, let’s focus on the task at hand,” he advises.
Seungmin arches his brow, taking a sip from his drink. “Which is?”
“Finding the guy,” Felix emphasises, before turning around. Their table, tucked into one of the corners, offers a perfect view of the entire room, every man up for scrutinisation.
Jeongin lets out a defeated sigh. “Alright, what are the requirements?”
Felix’s gaze swipes over the selection, catching onto golden watches, wide shoulders hidden beneath expensive suits. He narrows his eyes, someone too short, another with a weird laugh, or maybe just too old.
“Not too much, to be fair,” he replies. “Just someone with a calm temperament who won’t kill me for all the bullshit I’m about to do. Also, mildly attractive at least.”
Jisung huffs, looking around curiously. “How about that one in the burgundy suit? He looks eager.”
Felix finds the man the moment Jeongin does as well, judging from his snort. The guy’s suit clings desperately onto his bulky frame, flexing his muscles underneath the fabric intentionally, and licking his blindingly white teeth repeatedly.
Felix rolls his eyes. “Ha-ha. Please focus.”
“Oh, what about that gentleman in the corner by the flower arrangements? He doesn’t look too argumentative,” Seungmin suggests.
Felix’s forehead wrinkles in his search before landing on the colorful bouquet. His glance trails lower, and indeed, there’s a lone chair half-hidden beneath the enormous vase. Felix snorts.
“No surprises there, considering he’s probably been decomposing since prehistoric times.”
The old man slumps into the armchair with closed eyes and mouth opened in his slumber. Or maybe he is actually dead, and everyone just forgot about him.
“Then what do we think about–” Jeongin starts with a grin, but Felix shakes his head.
“Come on, guys,” he whines. “This is serious, I need to find someone tonight.”
Their shoulders deflate at their entertainment being ripped away, but they focus back onto the crowd.
Felix keeps looking, fighting down the panic slowly climbing up his spine. He has gone all out tonight – light highlighter twinkles on his cheekbones, dark, curled lashes framing glittery eyelids. Rosy blush dances amidst his freckles, soft, blond hair falling to his shoulders. The golden light glints on his necklace peeking through the cut of his white blouse.
He needs to find a guy today, and he needs him charmed enough in approximately two, maximum three days, so he wouldn’t dump him right after the first bullshit he has planned. Felix wasn’t above using his appearance for his goal, which is why he dressed up in his tightest fitting dress pants.
“What about him?” he asks, settling his sights on a man by the bar. Dark hair parted at his forehead, a calm kindness hiding in the corner of his eyes. “The one at the bar next to the lady with the terrible hair.”
“He looks… Nice,” Jeongin shrugs.
“Quite average looking,” Jisung decides.
“You could do worse,” Seungmin offers.
Felix sends him a glare before downing the rest of his cocktail. Springing up from his leather chair, he pats down his clothes, runs a hand along his hair. He turns towards his friends.
“Okay, here I go. Wish me luck.”
They echo the sentiment, and then Felix is on his way. He maneuvers between tables and mingling people, offering apologetic smiles to the waiters he crosses paths with. Yet, he keeps his eyes on the man by the bar as he gets his wine refilled by the bartender. With a deep inhale Felix steps up next to him.
“A Pornstar Martini, please,” Felix orders politely, accidentally knocking his elbow against the man when he raises his arm to sip at his drink. Turning his wide-eyed gaze at him, Felix blinks up at him under his lashes, lips tugging upwards shyly. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
The man gives him a kind, passing smile. “It’s okay, you’re fine.”
He turns back, swishing the bright red liquid around his glass. Felix’s hands tighten on the edge of the counter, his mouth pressing into a thin line.
Then, an idea strikes him. “Sorry. Is that Barolo?” he asks, eyeing the wine.
A surprised expression pulls on the stranger’s face. “Oh, I– Yes, it is,” he says, blinking wildly. Felix fights down his grin. “How did you know?”
Felix hums thoughtfully, while the bartender slides him his cocktail and shot glass. He perches onto the edge of a barstool, raising his glass to take a slow slip. The man’s gaze settles firmly on him, following the shape of his lips.
“Well, I could pretend I can tell by look and smell alone,” Felix begins, “but honestly? I just caught the label while the waiter was pouring it.”
The man laughs at that, earning a quiet chuckle back from Felix. His eyes glint with amusement as he nods. “That’s fair.”
“To be honest, I’m not much of a wine drinker myself,” Felix admits, making the guy’s brows jump.
“Oh, really? How come?”
A sly smile curves his lips upwards, his gaze flitting between the man’s face and the glass in his hand. Felix tilts his head, blond hair caressing the bare line of his neck. He can see the stranger’s gaze following.
“Maybe I just haven’t tasted a good enough one yet. I could potentially be swayed.”
The stranger laughs, a bright smile stretching across his face. “Well, I'd be glad to help you with that.”
From then on, the man gets into a long talk about reds and whites, the difference levels between sweet and dry wines. Felix listens to dates and names, stories about distillations, although halfway through, his mind disconnects, the man’s voice a quiet buzz in his ear. He can only hope he ohhs and ahhs at the right places, nodding along to whatever’s being said.
His head drops into his hand, sipping leisurely on his drink. The man isn’t necessarily bad-looking, but he’s certainly not hot enough to stare at him for this long and not get bored. However, Felix keeps his glance on him, noting how he has a couple of rogue eyebrow hair he’s ought to pluck or how a slight lisp sneaks into his words sometimes.
He swirls his cocktail around the glass, the dried flowers float atop the orange liquid. The sugary taste coats his tongue as he takes a sip, but then it almost ends up going down the wrong pipe.
“…so when we went to Italy with my girlfriend–” the man is saying, while Felix tries and fails to choke down his coughs at the words.
He clears his throat, straightening on his barstool. “Yeah, yeah, uh, sorry, seems like I’ve got to go,” he announces hastily, jumping up and blending into the crowd without waiting for an answer or sparing a single glance backwards.
Girlfriend. Right.
Anger boils hotly in his veins, his blood scorching his skin. He slips between the people, pushing through determinedly. He’s just wasted valuable time listening to stories about goddamned Italian wine-growing regions, instead of securing himself a man.
Felix stops excusing himself for bumping into people, cutting ahead straight towards their table. His friends are waiting, curiosity evident on their faces.
“So? How did it go?” Seungmin asks as soon as he is within hearing range.
“You were gone for a long time,” Jeongin adds.
Felix scoffs, stepping up to the table. He downs the remaining half of his cocktail in one go, but the fruity concoction doesn’t offer enough burn to match the flames raging inside his chest. Slapping down the empty glass onto the blackwood surface, he sets his blazing gaze on his friends who wince in synchrony.
“I’ve just spent the last… God knows how long listening to that man raving about grape fields and fermentation,” he grumbles. “Just to find out he has a fucking girlfriend.”
Jeongin and Jisung hiss, a grimace pulling on Seungmin’s features. Felix sighs heavily, throwing his head back to squint against the dimmed lights hanging from the ceiling.
“I need something strong,” he announces. “Something that’ll make me forget about the last minutes.”
With that, he’s spinning around and heading determinedly towards the furthest corner of the bar. He shoves his way in between people, leaning his elbows onto the counter. His gaze flits between the men in the room while he waits for the bartender to step up to him, then finally orders a whiskey on the rocks.
“Now that’s a surprising choice.” A voice, steady and tinged with a slight rasp, calls behind him. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”
Felix steels his spine before he turns, keeping his expectations at bay. A good voice doesn’t necessarily mean good-looking, he reasons with himself. Moreover, attractiveness doesn’t mean a good personality at all – he had interacted with his fair share of beautiful models to find that out.
But this time, as Felix ends up facing the stranger, he really, really hopes he isn’t about to fall victim to the halo effect.
Because he’s currently staring at the most gorgeous man he has seen in his entire life.
Shadows pull a veil over him, the dull lights trickling down the defined edges of his face. He stands out against the dimness of the bar, dripping in liquid gold, utterly unreachable and distant, the cold marble of his skin carved by a talented sculptor’s hand.
Felix’s head tips to the side, one brow raised curiously. “Oh? What would you have expected?”
The man pushes forward then, the heat of his body brushing against Felix’s side with how close they’re standing. Immediately, he is embraced by the scent of breezy woods and something strangely familiar akin to sea salt, wrapping around him in a heady, dizzying hold. The man’s arm skims against his side, a shudder running up Felix’s spine as he has to tilt his head up to face the other.
From closer, he’s even more gorgeous, so much so that Felix’s breath lodges inside his lungs. Black hair pushed back from his forehead to reveal a teasingly raised brow, a smirk tugging at his plush lips. Molten silver swirls inside the depth of his dark eyes, watching, studying Felix with such intensity it crawls under his skin in scorching flames, heats up the blood thrumming through his veins.
“Something sweet,” the man replies. He considers Felix for a long moment, gaze straying down the unblemished line of his neck, lingering on the necklace glinting between his collarbones. “Light and fruity,” he adds, slowly meeting Felix’s glance again. “Definitely a cocktail.”
Felix chuckles. “Hmm, you’re not far off,” he admits, blinking up at the other through his curled lashes. “Maybe next round. Sorry to disappoint this time, though.”
The man smiles. “Quite the contrary, actually.”
Felix’s glossy lips curl, leaning forward slightly. “Let me guess for you, then,” he offers.
It earns him a light laugh, the stranger inclining his head towards him. “I’m all ears.”
Felix allows his gaze to travel leisurely along his features, trailing along his strong nose, the line of his lips. A low heat simmers inside his midnight eyes, a dangerously tempting glint beckoning him closer. Dark lashes veil a faint beauty mark under his eyes, and Felix momentarily wonders how it would taste under his tongue. The lamplight drips down the stranger’s soft cheeks, shadows illuminating the cutting edge of his jaw.
“Definitely something strong,” he ends up saying. Tickling the collar of his dress shirt, the man’s hair curls around his nape. Black silk ripples like waves along his broad shoulders, fabric stretching over strong arms. “Elegant. And…” A white gold chain, a single pendant gleams against the man’s chest where the top buttons remain opened. “Classic.”
A glass of whiskey is pushed towards Felix over the bar. The stranger’s eyes never leave him as he accepts it, only his smile widens, a quiet chuckle rumbling out of his chest. Slowly, his gaze flits towards the bartender to order a whiskey, neat.
Felix smiles into his glass.
He watches as a bottle is grabbed from the top shelf, poured quickly, then placed in front of the man. Long, slender fingers wrap around the crystal, rings shining in the lights. Felix follows its path when the man swirls the amber liquid around, raises it to his full lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing with his sip.
“Seems like I’m much too easy for you to read,” the stranger figures with a raised brow.
A soft, coy smile spreads across Felix’s face. “I wouldn’t say that,” he argues. His body tips forward, edging closer, easily excused by the crowdedness of the bar, instead of blaming the blazing heat coiling tight inside his chest, tugging him forward into the man’s orbit. “There are still a lot of things I would like to find out about you.”
The man’s eyes flash, flitting to his shimmering lips wrapped around the rim of his glass before intertwining with Felix’s own, the weight of his gaze stealing the breath from his lungs.
“Right now I’m most interested in your name.”
He lets a giggle slip through. “Felix. Lee Felix.”
The stranger’s lips twitch into a smile. “Felix? Interesting.”
This time, Felix laughs quietly. “What about yours?”
“Hwang Hyunjin.”
“Alliterating? How thrilling.”
Hyunjin’s laugh is loud and tinkling, and it softens his entire face. Fierce eyes tilt into crescent moons, cheeks curving joyously, dimples carving deeply into his golden skin. It’s beautiful, achingly sweet on Felix’s tongue, passionfruit and vanilla melting down his throat.
“May I order your next round? I’m quite curious what your choice will fall on,” Hyunjin offers.
Felix bites his lip.
Seems like he has just secured the guy.
Cheers erupts inside his head. He hides his overjoyed grin with a sip, answering with a coy smile once he manages to school his expression. Hyunjin’s answering gaze is burning, fervent.
A broad, warm palm finds the small of his back, the heat searing his skin under his flimsy blouse. Long fingers span out along his spine, a heavy, purposeful weight to lead. His heart thrums sharply against his ribcage, a fluttering tingle blooming over his body.
Hyunjin steers them easily across the room, his hand never leaving. Felix sneaks a covert glance towards the table tucked in the corner, meeting the wide-eyed stares of Seungmin and Jeongin, Jisung noticeably absent. He gives a quick wink, a smile shining brightly on his face.
They end up on the terrace, the loud chatter of the bar falling behind closed glass doors. The light, early autumn air strokes Felix’s cheeks, the soft quiet easing the loud buzz in his head. Mostly couples sit outside by candlelight, bottles of wine between them.
Hyunjin finds them a table in the corner, looking over the backyard. A waiter immediately jumps to their side, wine menu in his hand which Felix politely declines. He would rather not look at wine tonight. Hyunjin follows suit, assuring they will signal if they’d like to order.
“I’m not that big on wine,” Felix says bitterly once Hyunjin asks about his tastes. “Honestly, I think it’s been pretty much ruined for me as a teenager, I’ve drank too much of those terrible, cheapest kinds that caused a raging hangover.”
And I’ve just listened to a speech about the difference between natural and synthetic wine corks, he adds in his mind.
Hyunjin laughs. “And I’m the ‘classic’ and ‘elegant’ one, when you started with wine?” He quirks a brow, quoting his words. A faint blush paints Felix’s cheeks in a rosy hue, a smile hiding in the corner of his mouth. “What happened to soju?”
“Well, that wasn’t quite common back in Sydney,” Felix shrugs.
“Sydney, huh?” Hyunjin tilts his head. “When did you move here?”
Felix squints towards the darkness, taking a moment to count. “I came here for university, so… I guess, it’s been about ten years now,” he replies, the number too big for even himself to believe it for a moment.
“What did you study?” Hyunjin asks. Orange flames flicker and twirl with the shadows in an endless dance, the candlelight playing across the lines of his face.
Felix lays his head onto his palm, knocking the melting ice from side to side in his crystal glass.
“Journalism with a focus on Fashion Communications.”
Hyunjin’s brows jump, leaning forward over the table. His eyes twinkle with an amused edge, a smile twisting up his lips.
“Oh, really? Is that what you do for work?”
“Yes,” Felix says, not quite understanding the humour in the situation. “I write for Mystique Magazine.”
Hyunjin nods, impressed. “Biggest fashion magazine in the country.”
“That’s the one,” Felix agrees. “What about you?”
Hyunjin’s grin stretches across his face, leaning back on his chair. He stares at Felix silently for a moment. Then he says, “I’m an art director at VIORA.”
Felix’s eyes widen, his hand stilling immediately. Huffing out a surprised laugh, he can only blink before nodding deeply.
“Wow. I have to admit, I’m quite impressed.”
Hyunjin just smiles at him, taking a leisure sip from his whiskey.
“I’ve written a couple of pieces about VIORA. Anything new I need to look out for?” Felix asks.
Hyunjin bends forward at that, candlelight illuminating his teasing smirk. “Why? Are you gathering some intel?”
Felix laughs, tilting forward as well. His voice comes out quietly, almost a whisper. “And if I was?”
This close, Felix notices another beauty mark on his cheek, close to his nose. Hyunjin’s eyes are set ablaze by the orange flames, his tongue darting out to wet his full lips. Felix’s gaze follows the motion, his breath stuttering.
“Are you trying to flirt your way into an exclusive?” Hyunjin asks.
Felix giggles. The candlelight burns hotter in the space between them.
“Is it working?”
“You might wear me down by the end of the night, angel,” Hyunjin admits hoarsely, the pet name rolling off his tongue in a seductive caress.
The blush spreads violently across Felix’s cheeks, licking up his skin feverishly. His heart stumbles for a second, the next beat echoing around his whole body. Hyunjin slumps back in his chair, robbing away the dizzying blend of rainy woods and salt water in his cologne.
Felix knows that he’s here for an assignment – but it still feels good to be flirted with by a stupidly gorgeous man. He supposes, if he wasn’t already armed with the constant disappointment in ridiculously attractive models with charming words, he would have been swept off his feet immediately. But as it is, he knows to keep his expectations low.
“Well, you know what they say,” he replies instead. Hyunjin arches a brow, sipping from his drink. Felix narrows his eyes, clicking his tongue. “Actually…” His head tilts to the side. “True or false. All is fair in love and war?”
Hyunjin considers him for a second wordlessly. Something hides inside his eyes, some kind of honed sharpness. His smirk starts out slow.
“True.”
Felix’s smile blooms, glitter dancing across his cheeks, inside his gaze. “Great answer.”
“Good question,” Hyunjin answers.
And for the rest of the night Hyunjin keeps giving great answers and even better questions. He tries to make him laugh at every chance, and seems genuinely curious about what Felix is saying.
Felix finds that it’s an intimidating thing to be the center of Hwang Hyunjin’s attention. A simmering intensity hides in his gaze, studying him closely, almost reverent in the way his eyes trace the glitter dancing between his freckles, the soft curve of his lips. It’s what artists do, Hyunjin replies upon being asked. His careful stare follows the delicate lines of Felix’s face, etching them behind his lids to recall once his lashes flutter close.
It’s also in the way he listens with intent, engraving every word into his memory. His questions sound intrigued, coaxing so much, so easily out of Felix.
And somewhere along the conversation he stops focusing on whatever Hyunjin is saying only because he is doing his job – he is pulled into the other’s orbit quietly, almost unnoticeably.
Because Hyunjin grew up by the seaside, and he still spends most of his summer by the water. And Felix misses the ocean back in Sydney dearly, the sunshine gleaming on the endless blues, the soft crashing of the waves against sandy shores. Felix should’ve guessed, with the way the black fabric of his shirt stretches across his wide back, pulling around the line of his strong shoulders, that Hyunjin used to be a swimmer – he has the perfect build for it. And apparently, he also used to play soccer before.
He learns that Hyunjin laughs with his whole body, the sound so boyish and sweet, Felix’s heart beats to its rhythm. It would have been quite easy to let himself be enamored, to be swept up by the orange candlelight and the other’s raspy voice.
But Felix has a mission – making Hyunjin fall for him before sending him running straight for the hills.
And judging from the way the other is acting, it shouldn’t be too hard. Not really, because Hyunjin simply seems to be a lover. He keeps making Felix laugh, talks about the soft pastels in Monet’s landscapes with overflowing excitement, and Felix wasn’t even allowed to take a peek at the check as they were leaving.
He knows, as he follows Hyunjin through the dimly lit corridor towards his flat, that it would all be decided once they step over the threshold. Felix had listened to enough sweet talks about the stars in the sky, the beauty in flowers and whatever bullshit pretty boys thought to be charming. All that sweetness lasted until the moment of sex, though. After, he was just another quick fling, an easy lay never to be bothered with again.
However, this time Felix has to make sure Hyunjin will call him tomorrow.
In the end, it’s quite beneficial that men are so easy – dangle the bait a bit, a couple of heated kisses to make them tempted and frustrated enough to guarantee another meeting until they finally manage to score.
In theory, it sounds easy. Then Hyunjin is turning towards him with a slight smirk that makes him go weak in the knees, and Felix hopes that he, himself is strong enough not to go all the way.