Chapter Text
Euijoo wants to preface everything by saying he's not usually this awkward. He might not be the best at social interactions, but he never remembers being quite this bad.
Now that that's out of the way, let's get into the reason for Euijoo's current meltdown.
"So you just— left?" There's some rustling on the side, probably from Fuma adjusting his position so he's more comfortable while listening to Euijoo's bullshit.
"I didn't know what to say!" Euijoo defends himself. He's currently laying star-fished on his living room carpet, phone on speaker next to his head, jacket still on. He should put his groceries away. The ice cream he bought because he knows it's Yihyun's favorite must have melted by now.
This tiny loss is nothing compared to Euijoo's dignity.
"You could've answered his question?" Fuma suggests. "Seriously, Euijoo-yah. Why would you just leave?"
"The doors opened and I panicked!"
What happened was actually really simple. Euijoo walked into his apartment building after stepping out to quickly grab a few things from the convenience store when he saw someone walking into the elevator, doors about to close. He didn't want to wait and was too lazy to take the stairs, so he ran up to the elevator and managed to get in.
Only once the doors closed did he lift his gaze up to look at which one of his neighbours was there with him. The greeting died on his lips when he saw—
"Euijoo-ssi, right?" His next door neighbour spoke. "No Yihyun today?"
Nicholas Wang, apartment 503. A bit shorter than Euijoo but well built. A scar on his arm, which Euijoo hasn't yet had the chance to ask about (not that he was ever able to form a proper sentence in the presence of his neighbour, but alas). His hair used to be bleached blond a few months ago when he first moved in, but now it was dark, longer pieces curling around his neck, bangs almost reaching his eyes.
"Yeah," Euijoo finally muttered after a prolonged silence, technically an answer to both questions. He should've said something else but he couldn't stop staring at the way Nicholas' shirt hugged his upper body, accentuating every muscle.
Nicholas frowned a bit and nodded silently. His phone pinged in his pocket and as he took it out to check it, they arrived on their floor. It dawned on Euijoo that he completely forgot to click the button. Good thing Nicholas did it.
Euijoo shoot out of the elevator and only heard Nicholas' steps walking over to his door once he was already inside his apartment, door shut to protect him from the sexy man probably wondering what the hell was wrong with Euijoo.
"He can't be that intimidating," Euijoo is not sure when Kei joined them, but whatever. Fuma's husband has already heard enough about his pathetic crush. One more overheard conversation won't change anything.
"He's not! I mean, sure, he has perfect features and—"
"Not the point," Kei interrupts. He has much less patience for Euijoo's bullshit than Fuma.
"He's perfectly nice. Great guy. Even when I struggle to utter a single word he makes conversation with Yihyun, asks her about kindergarten and stuff. He even gave her candy the last time!" Euijoo whines. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just get really nervous around him."
"Clearly," Kei hums. Fuma whispers something to him, the phone not picking it up. "Someone will have to force you into a situation with him." Kei finally says, loud enough for Euijoo to hear.
He snorts, "Like what?"
"Oh, Nicholas-ssi!"
"Jiwon-ssi, hi."
Euijoo opens the door to the sight of his ex wife and neighbour slash crush slash the person occupying his every thought talking.
He knew it was fishy when Jiwon insisted on coming to pick up Yihyun's shoes even though Euijoo assured her he could drop them off on his way to work the next day, but she claimed they needed this specific pair right this moment. He can't believe Kei and Fuma actually put her to this.
He nods in Nicholas' direction as a greeting.
"Were you on your way down?" Jiwon asks.
Nicholas pats his bag, "Yeah, I have a few errands to run."
"Perfect! Euijoo-yah, do you have the shoes?" she turns around. Nicholas is still standing next to his door. He's listening in to their conversation, Euijoo realizes.
"Yeah, here." He tries pushing them into Jiwon's hands but she doesn't even take her hands out of her pockets.
Instead she motions for him to come out, "Walk me downstairs, okay?" she mutters through her teeth.
Euijoo has no idea where this whole thing is going, but he steps out anyway.
Once the electronic lock on his door beeps, there's no turning back. Jiwon struts to the elevator like she owns the moment (she technically does), Nicholas and Euijoo following behind her like lost puppies.
"So, Nicholas-ssi. I don't think we've ever really had a chance to talk," Jiwon says while they wait for the elevator to arrive.
Nicholas hums. He's looking at Euijoo like he doesn't understand the situation either. "I guess not."
"I asked Euijoo about you but this guy is terrible at making conversation, he had nothing to tell me," she laughs, Nicholas following. Euijoo looks away, pretending he didn't hear the blatant insult.
"No, no. I've always thought he's a nice guy. Great dad too."
Euijoo whips his head up at that. Nicholas doesn't look at him, gaze is fixed on Jiwon instead, fingers playing with the strap of this bag. Cute.
"Oh, yeah, that I can't complain about." Jiwon agrees, patting Euijoo's shoulder. He feels like a showpiece in a museum, the conversation floating around him, not involving him but somehow revolving around him all at once.
The elevator arrives. They get in.
"I don't know if it's okay for me to ask but— you're divorced, right?"
"Yes," Euijoo responds before Jiwon can say anything. If he's reading this right, Nicholas is asking because—
"Oh, okay. I was just wondering because you know, you don't live here together and sometimes I see Yihyun around. But you also seem to be on really good terms, so—"
Jiwon dismisses his explanation. "No, no. It's okay to ask," she assures. "I guess we lucked out in this department as well. We were married for two years before we had Yihyun, but there was never much between us, you know? So for the good of her childhood and our own futures, we decided it would be best if we split up."
Euijoo wishes it was as simple as she's making it out to be. Sure, they were forced into the marriage, sort of urged into having Yihyun as well. But it's not like Euijoo ever minded. When his parents found out he was dating Jiwon in college, they were ecstatic. They were both way too young and dumb to actually understand the implications of getting married this early on into their relationship (but maybe Euijoo also didn't have the best examples around him, with Kei and Fuma getting married that same year, although they were a bit older than him — he still took it as confirmation. If people as perfect for each other as these two decided to tie the knot after dating for barely a year, maybe he could too? Maybe love could arrive later?).
It's not that he never loved Jiwon. He still loves her, he thinks.
Which is why he was so conflicted when Jiwon, two years after Yihyun was born and following multiple conversations about whether they could make their marriage work, told him she met someone.
"It's not serious," she assured him. "He knows I'm married but I told him that it's complicated. Nothing happened between us. I just— It feels right so I wanted you to know."
But apparently it was serious, because now Jiwon's ring finger glints with a giant stone that Minjae put there. The same finger that previously was occupied by a wedding band, the twin one on Euijoo's hand.
Sometimes, with how weird Euijoo's feelings about his ex wife having a new partner are, he thinks he never got over the divorce. Maybe he should've fought harder. Maybe he's now forcing whatever he feels for Nicholas to be bigger than it is. Maybe he just needs a distraction.
"Well, enough about us," Jiwon decides. "Tell us something about you, Nicholas-ssi."
"Uh, okay," Nicholas agrees, although he looks a bit taken aback by the request. "I don't think it's as interesting as your story. I moved to Korea from Taiwan for university and ended up staying. Now I work as a stylist, mostly during magazine shoots. It's been a few years since my last serious relationship, it was— not good. And no kids, obviously."
"Sorry, but I couldn't help but notice— your name. Where does it come from?" Jiwon asks.
Honestly, Euijoo is impressed. She's good at this, getting information out of Nicholas when he in all this months only found out the man's name, age (on accident) and ethnicity (also kind of on accident).
"Oh. I used to stay with my extended family in America during the summers as a kid. My birth name was too hard for other kids there to pronounce, so my uncle came up with Nicholas. I got used to it so after coming to Korea I always introduced myself with it and I guess it stuck," he explains, encouraged by Jiwon's nods and various ahs and ohs.
"You must be great at English then!" she exclaims.
Nicholas waves her off, "I'm not that good. Just average," he reasons. "But it did come in handy back in university. I could make some extra cash teaching kids. Most parents didn't mind that I wasn't even doing a teaching degree."
Jiwon suddenly lights up at the information. "Oh my god, this is perfect!"
"Perfect?" Euijoo mumbles under his nose.
The elevator stops and they step out. Euijoo feels bad for holding Nicholas back. He said he was busy.
"I was just telling Euijoo how I thought we should sign Yihyun up somewhere, have her learn English while she's still small. So many moms at the kindergarten told me they were taking their kids for classes in the evenings. But now that I think about it, one-on-one lessons would be even better, don't you agree Euijoo-yah?"
Suddenly both of them turn to him. "Y-Yeah, I mean— it sounds good." Euijoo is going to be honest, he hasn't heard one word from Jiwon about getting their daughter into English classes. He would assume she just forgot to tell him, but he can see where she's going with this. "But Nicholas-ssi said he only did it in college—"
"I mean, I could do it," Nicholas interrupts. "Sorry. It's been a few years but if you're seriously looking for a teacher, I could help. Maybe until you find an English academy for her or something?" he proposes.
Jiwon nods enthusiastically. "Yes, absolutely! And it's even better that you live right next to Euijoo. You can just schedule the lessons for when she's here. I'll leave you guys to handle that on your own, okay? I have a wedding venue to look at! Bye, Euijoo! See you around, Nicholas-ssi."
"Bye," Nicholas responds, watching Jiwon walk out of the building. He looks just as confused as Euijoo feels.
Euijoo clears his throat. "Um. You don't actually have to agree to this. I'll look for someone else if you're too busy."
"It's okay. I want to do it. Yihyun seems like a smart kid and I miss working with children," Nicholas admits, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"Not a lot of those at your current job, huh?"
The next minutes pass by in a blur, Euijoo and Nicholas exchanging numbers and agreeing to have Nicholas come in for a trial session next weekend. They have trouble agreeing on a fee, Nicholas stating a price Euijoo can't accept. He figures he'll just give him more without saying anything about it.
He texts Jiwon when he's back up in his apartment.
Euijoo what the hell was that?
you forgot hyun's shoes btw
Jiwon oops
drop them off tomorrow please
Euijoo 🙄
Jiwon you're welcome btw
It's embarrassing that Euijoo's ex wife had to help with getting him into a situation where he and Nicholas can actually talk.
It's even more embarrassing how nervous Euijoo is for it to actually happen.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Fuma assures him. "From what I heard from Jiwon, he seems eager to get to know you as well."
"I still can't believe you guys planned this behind my back."
Fuma lifts up his hands, "I swear I wasn't even there. It was all Kei and Jiwon."
Euijoo narrows his eyes. "Sure it was."
"I'm serious!" Fuma punches his arm.
Euijoo suddenly regrets ever letting his ex wife and friends meet. He should've hidden them from her. Maybe then—
The sound of his phone pinging with a message startles him so much he nearly jumps out of his seat.
"What? What?" Fuma perks up. "Is it him?" he asks, acting like Nicholas is Voldemort or something.
"Yeah…" Euijoo hums. When he finally opens the message, his eyes widen, "He's asking if it's alright if he comes by an hour earlier than we agreed."
Fuma stands up. "So like— now?" He quickly grabs all his stuff while Euijoo panics internally.
"In less than thirty minutes…" Euijoo mumbles. He looks around. He saved the cleaning for last minute because it was safest with Yihyun's abilities to make a mess out of nothing. The living room is a mess, piles of papers he brought from work to look through over the weekend, Yihyun's toys littering the whole floor and dishes from her breakfast still on the table, crumbs and spilled juice and Euijoo's dirty coffee mug.
"Well, you better get ready to charm the pants off this man," Fuma says, then stops. "Okay, maybe not right now, with Yihyun here. But at least start it off!"
Seeing Euijoo's distressed state and eyes running all around the living room, he sighs, "Get changed, Euijoo-yah. You have a stain on your shirt. And tell Yihyun. I'll take care of this," he gestures around them.
Euijoo just nods and goes off to make himself presentable. Apparently his nervous system can't tell the difference between being in a life-or-death situation and exchanging a few words with a man he finds attractive.
Yihyun doesn't seem as put off by the news of Nicholas arriving early as Euijoo feels. She has no problem abandoning her toys and even requests to change her leggings for a twirly skirt. Euijoo supposes he's not the only one charmed by Nicholas, eager to impress him.
With both of them cleaned up and the apartment looking a lot better thanks to Fuma, Euijoo finally has time for pacing.
"Get a grip," Fuma whispers to him. Yihyun is sitting next to them, hair bouncing as she flings her whole body on the couch. She's restless, just like Euijoo.
"Okay," he stops. "Yihyun-ah, you'll ruin your outfit."
She pouts but obliges. Euijoo knows she'll forget what he told her in less than a few minutes.
"I'll better get going," Fuma tells them. "Be good during your lesson, Yihyun-ah!" he waves at the girl. When Euijoo walks him to the door, he pats the still nervous man's arm, "It will be okay. Just be yourself."
"Are you that excited for the lesson, baby?" Euijoo asks Yihyun once the door shuts behind Fuma, attempting to distract himself.
The girl nods, still jumping up and down on the couch, "The last time I saw Nico oppa, he gave me chocolate!"
Euijoo frowns, "You can't expect him to bring you snacks every time. He's coming here to teach you, so don't ask about it and don't sulk if you don't get anything, okay? Just focus on learning."
"Okaaaay," she responds.
Nicholas surely had a way of making people like him. Euijoo seemed to be an extreme case, pulled to the other man like a magnet, but even Yihyun was strangely fascinated with him. He remembered all the random things she told him during their short talks and at some point started carrying sweets with him, sneaking them into her hands when Euijoo acted as if he wasn't seeing it. He had to pretend to be mad when he was actually endeared.
Less than five minutes later, the man in question is in their apartment. Yihyun is glued to his side from the moment he enters, to the point where Euijoo has to pull her back so Nicholas can take his shoes off.
"I thought you could sit down in the kitchen, it would be the most comfortable with the table there. I'll be in the living room, so if anything happens, don't hesitate to call for me," Euijoo explains, leading Nicholas (and Yihyun attached to his leg) further into the apartment. "If you need the bathroom, it's right there. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Just water is fine," his neighbour responds, setting the thick folder he brought on the table.
"And for the princess?" Euijoo turns to Yihyun.
"Orange juice, please!"
He gets everything ready for them and after getting assurance from Nicholas that if anything is wrong, they will tell him right away, he leaves them be.
He settles on the couch, suddenly unsure on what to do with himself. He should look over those files he brought home specifically because he knew he'd have some time to kill, but when he picks up one stack of documents, he gets distracted by Yihyun's voice. He can tell they're introducing themselves in English, then Nicholas must pull out some game because he starts explaining the rules to Yihyun.
Euijoo has thought his voice was beautiful since the day they first met. Even after exchanging just a few words, he had a grasp of what kind of person Nicholas could be. Gentle, for one. He's patient when explaining the game rules to Yihyun, his voice more high-pitched than when he talks to Euijoo without his daughter there. Euijoo knows he's down bad because he even finds the way Nicholas pronounces Korean words and then switches to English endearing.
There's something so intimate about hearing Nicholas talk like this. Euijoo suddenly wonders what he sounds like when speaking his mother tongue. Does his voice get even deeper? Is he a fast or slow speaker?
Euijoo already knew Nicholas was good with kids, even just from his short interactions with Yihyun, but it still surprises him when an hour goes by and he doesn't get called by them even once. He didn't even hear Yihyun whine, argue or talk back like she usually does when she gets too invested in something or bored of her task.
Nicholas must be an angel, sent just for her and Euijoo.
"She's really smart," Nicholas tells him once they're done, Yihyun back in her room after telling them she had to quickly check up on her toys since they surely missed her during the time she was gone. "Picked up a lot of words already. Here, I wrote down what we learned today. You can try testing her later or just keep it as a way to track her progress," he hands Euijoo a piece of paper, their fingers brushing briefly, causing goosebumps to erupt on Euijoo's skin.
"Thank you. It seems like she had fun," he pulls out a bill from his pocket. "I know it's more than we agreed on, but I can't just—"
"No, no," Nicholas waves him off. "This wasn't a real lesson. I'm not taking anything from you."
"Seriously, Nichol, just take it," Euijoo huffs, then catches his mistake. "I mean, Nicholas-ssi."
"I-It's fine," the other man stutters suddenly. "We're the same age, right? We can drop the honorifics."
"Okay," Euijoo agrees. His cheeks burn anyway, probably visibly pink. He can't believe he just blurted that out. "Please take the money, Nicholas."
"No, thank you," Nicholas takes a step back, already reaching for the door handle. "And I liked Nichol. Nico is fine too."
Getting to know Nicholas is better than Euijoo could ever imagine.
Since Nicholas started coming over to teach Yihyun at least once a week when she's staying with Euijoo, they've had a lot of occasions to talk. Sure, most of it revolved around Euijoo's daughter, with the girl usually also being present, tugging on Nicholas' pant leg or interrupting their conversation, adding whatever she thought was important.
It's not like they're suddenly best friends, but Euijoo finds himself more and more comfortable around the other man. He doesn't run away when Nicholas approaches him in the hallway or the elevator. He even initiates the conversations himself, catching up to Nicholas when he sees him entering their apartment complex a few meters ahead. They run into each other in a nearby grocery store and walk back together, Nicholas going out of his way to accompany Euijoo while he picks up his prescription at the pharmacy.
Euijoo's going to be honest, it's nice. It's really fucking nice.
It's enough to make him imagine things, their potential future together, get ahead of himself.
Which is why it's really hard to act normal when he's invited into Nicholas' apartment one afternoon.
It was Jiwon's week to take care of Yihyun, so Euijoo found himself with nothing to do after coming back from work. He always felt a bit restless the day after handing Yihyun back to Jiwon and Minjae. And it's not that he didn't trust them with her.
He and Jiwon's new fiance met a while back, with the couple becoming official shortly after the divorce was finalized. It was true love, as Jiwon called it. Euijoo had to force himself to keep smiling when she broke the news to him and resist the urge to, best case scenario, walk out on her.
Were we not real? Did I miss anything? Were you that eager to leave me?
He spent the last three years forcing himself to be cool about this. He just nodded and hugged Jiwon when she cried in front of him, telling him she couldn't do it anymore. He watched a smaller version of Yihyun sleep and wondered how everything would impact her. He knew that no matter what he did, he would be miserable. But what about his daughter? Was it worth it to force Jiwon to stay with him and have Yihyun grow up with parents that ended up resenting each other? Or should he willingly let everything he knew, the life he built, walk away from him?
Could he handle it? Being alone, picking up the pieces, rebuilding himself?
Being with Nicholas served as a nice distraction.
Euijoo's apartment, despite the man living there for nearly three years, seemed bleak when compared to Nicholas'. The space was full of his personality, revealing everything about the man and his interests. It was just so him, to the point of taking Euijoo's breath away.
"That's you?" he pointed to a photo of a small boy hugging a girl a bit taller than him, both of them smiling with their missing teeth showing.
"Yup. And my noona. I think I was a bit older than Yihyun here," Nicholas explains as Euijoo leans in to inspect the picture closer.
"Cute," he mumbles to himself. He straightens up, hoping Nicholas didn't hear it.
"So. I wanted the painting in my bedroom."
Right. The painting. The reason Euijoo got invited inside.
Nicholas came knocking on his door a few minutes earlier. I know this might be a reach, but do you perhaps own a drill, Euijoo?
And best believe Euijoo went searching for the drill his father forced him into buying a few years ago. He was suddenly grateful for the man's stereotypical mindset. Every man needs to own at least a few tools. You'll remember this and thank me one day, son.
Euijoo is surely thankful right now. Except his father probably imagined he'd be using these to fix something up in a house he shared with his wife, not to help his male neighbour he crushed on hang a painting. Figures.
"I usually ask my friend Maki to let me borrow his dad's stuff because I never bothered to buy my own, but they're all visiting their family in Germany, so you're literally a godsent right now," Nicholas explains, leading Euijoo to his bedroom. Their apartments' layouts seem to be the same, but he still appreciates the gesture. "I got this yesterday and couldn't wait to have it up."
"I told you, it's no big deal," Euijoo responds, hoping to sound nonchalant. "I wasn't doing anything important anyways."
The painting is nice, but that's about as much as Euijoo can say. There's some flowers and abstract shapes that he can't really make sense of, then something resembling a face. He never had much of an eye for art, but Nicholas is definitely the more creative one between the two of them, with his job in fashion and all that. If Nicholas thinks it's nice, Euijoo is sure that must be the case.
There's not much to do, so Euijoo makes quick work of drilling two holes, pushing the hooks in and then securing the painting on the wall. Nicholas stands behind him through the whole ordeal, hands on his hips, gaze fixed on Euijoo's hands. No, the painting. He must be making sure I didn't do anything wrong with the painting, Euijoo tells himself.
Euijoo cleans up the mess he made with a vacuum Nicholas provided him with. "Looks good?" he asks, turning to the other man.
Nicholas is leaning on the wall by the door now, hips pushed out. The neckline of his shirt is stretched out in a way that must be planned, some stylish holes littering the rest of the fabric. Euijoo tries not to pay much attention to the bits of skin he can see through these gaps and instead focuses on Nicholas' face.
He takes a second to respond, his own gaze now fixed somewhere below Euijoo's face. His face is flushed slightly. Euijoo can feel himself getting hot too.
"Yeah. Really good," Nicholas finally says, eyes moving up Euijoo's body to his face. He's not looking at the painting, Euijoo's brain supplies unhelpfully.
Nicholas pulls him back into the real world, the sound of him clearing his throat almost startling Euijoo. "You said you had nothing planned for today?"
"N-No," Euijoo stumbles through a short response. "I was just going to chill at home, maybe order takeout."
"Wanna go out to eat, then? On me. As a thank you for helping with this," Nicholas gestures vaguely in the direction of the painting Euijoo just hung up.
"You don't have to, seriously, I barely did anything," Euijoo shakes his head. "B-But we could still go somewhere together?"
Nicholas nods, satisfied. "We'll see who ends up paying."
It's not a date, Euijoo tells himself when he's back in his apartment. He told Nicholas he wanted to just pop in, change into something that didn't have a food stain on it. He really wasn't expecting to go out anywhere tonight.
Normally he'd call Kei or Fuma (or both, because they're usually together anyway) and ask them for help with picking out an outfit, but it's not like he has time for that. Nicholas must be waiting for him.
Truth be told, Euijoo hasn't been on that many dates. His last one might've been around a year after the divorce, when he couldn't see Yihyun for a full month because Jiwon took her to meet Minjae's extended family in Australia.
He had way too much time to think back then. Aside from missing his daughter, he missed his marriage. He started dwelling on the fact that Jiwon seemed to be doing so much better after splitting from him. That Yihyun must've preferred staying with her mom and rich step-dad who took her on luxurious holidays.
It wasn't his best moment when he ended up downloading some dating app. If he were to explain it now, he would say Kei and Fuma forced him to do it, but in reality, Euijoo was the one who created the profile and started talking to people. After less than one week, he agreed to meet up with some guy who, in retrospect, must've lied about his age. There was no way he was actually twenty-three. And he got weirdly freaked out when he found out Euijoo had a kid.
So after that date went worse than Euijoo expected after spending the last five years committed to one person, he gave up. Deleted the app. Stopped looking for anyone to date.
Until Nicholas. Nicholas, who's now waiting for Euijoo just outside his door.
Nicholas, who looks good in anything he wears. Nicholas, who actually likes Euijoo's daughter, is good and patient with her. Nicholas, who looks intimidating on the outside but once he opens his mouth, is the kindest person you'll ever meet.
Nicholas, who…. asked Euijoo out on a date?
"Sorry, I didn't know what to wear," Euijoo apologizes after locking his door. Nicholas leads him to the elevator and they step in once it arrives.
"This is great," he eyes Euijoo up and down. "I thought we could get Taiwanese food? There's a great restaurant like ten minutes from here. Or if you're not up for that, I also know a good burger spot—"
"Taiwanese is good. I'll have whatever you recommend," Euijoo assures him.
Nicholas nods, cheeks flushed.
The walk, just like Nicholas said, is short. They're about halfway there when Euijoo notices the other man shivering, hugging his flannel around himself. Underneath it he's still wearing the same shirt as before.
Euijoo looks down at his clothes. He quickly pulled on the first sweater he was in his closet and grabbed his leather jacket by the door. He would probably be okay without the second layer.
He pulls the jacket off and taps Nicholas' arm, "Here. It's really windy."
Nicholas' eyes widen and he shakes his head. "I'm fine, you can—" he motions for the other to put it on.
Euijoo just rolls his eyes. He stops Nicholas from walking away and pries his arms away from his torso, then forces his arms into the sleeves.
Nicholas likes oversized clothes. Euijoo knows that, because he saw him wear those a lot. So with their height difference, Euijoo's jacket technically fits Nicholas like one of his own. But just the knowledge that Nicholas is wearing his clothes, practically swimming in them, makes Euijoo hot, wind completely forgotten.
"It's just a few more minutes, I'll be okay," Euijoo finally mutters and grabs Nicholas by the wrist, leading them.
Nicholas looks a bit confused for a bit, eyes wide and cheeks flushed (be it from the wind or whatever else, Euijoo doesn't have the mental capacity to think about it now), but soon he has to focus because Euijoo actually doesn't know where they're supposed to go.
"T-Turn left here," Nicholas mumbles, tugging Euijoo in the right direction, the taller's hand still clasped around his wrist.
The restaurant is small and packed, warm light casting over the room. Nicholas takes off Euijoo's jacket when they find a free table.
"Wear it on the way back, too," Euijoo says, seeing Nicholas trying to give it back.
Nicholas nods and hangs the jacket on the back of his chair.
They order three dishes that Nicholas picks out, agreeing to share. Euijoo doesn't even look at the menu to see what they are. He's too entranced by Nicholas' voice as he talks to the server in Mandarin.
"You come here often?" Euijoo asks once the man leaves to forward their order to the kitchen. "Sorry, that sounded weird."
Nicholas giggles into his water. "I do, actually. It's probably one of the best Taiwanese spots in Seoul. I'm so glad it's within walking distance."
"You don't drive?"
"I know how to, but I don't own a car. I'm not very patient, so I feel like I'd be screaming at people on the road and getting frustrated trying to find parking. I also work in a new place almost every day. It's more convenient to get a cab or take the subway."
Euijoo tilts his head, "I think you're really patient."
"Am I?" Nicholas asks.
Euijoo nods. "With Yihyun. With me, too. I wasn't exactly the best neighbor at the beginning."
"You were fine, stop." Nicholas huffs.
Euijoo obediently drops the subject. "So— Fashion. How did you get into it?"
Euijoo honestly doesn't expect him and Nicholas to suddenly start hanging out.
The not-date was fun. Euijoo liked the food Nicholas picked out. They talked a lot. Argued about who was going to pay or whether they would split the bill but in the end Nicholas won, staring triumphantly at Euijoo as he handed the server his card. Then when they walked back to their apartment complex, Nicholas put on Euijoo's jacket again. Euijoo forced his gaze to not linger too long on the view he made.
After that day, Nicholas started texting him about random stuff, so Euijoo did the same. It's not like his job was much fun, anyway. Whenever Nicholas came over for a lesson with Yihyun, he usually lingered around a bit longer, talking to Euijoo or playing with his daughter. Once they even had dinner that Euijoo prepared while watching the two of them.
Today Euijoo had nothing planned for the evening. Yihyun was with Jiwon. He saw her briefly one afternoon a few days ago when Jiwon had some last-minute work stuff and Minjae was away on a work trip.
Besides that, Euijoo didn't have much to fill up his time. Kei and Fuma's wedding anniversary was near, so they flew to Japan for a vacation and to see their families. He didn't have many friends to begin with, so with them gone for the week, life felt empty.
He ended up filing up his time with Nicholas.
Nicholas would send him updates throughout the day. Food he ate, random selfies, photos of the outfits he put together. He couldn't tell Euijoo who was actually going to wear it, but it still felt nice. Being involved in Nicholas' life like that.
As much as his crush grew, he had no expectations.
Which is why he was so dumbfounded when they ran into each other in the hallway.
"Back from work?"
"O-Oh, yeah. You too?"
Nicholas was wearing shorts. Euijoo tried not to stare too hard.
"Yeah," he breathed out. "A shoot got cancelled so I got to leave early. Hey, are you doing anything tonight?"
Euijoo tugged at his dress shirt. He always felt so dumb running into Nicholas in his work clothes. The other man was always so stylish. Euijoo's light blue shirt and slacks suddenly felt too formal. He wanted to undo a few buttons, take off his glasses, loose the damn bag he had to carry every day. Anything to look less like an absolute idiot when compared to Nicholas, dark denim shorts and some band tshirt, his tussled hair making him look like he never even had to try to look good. Like it came naturally to him.
"No, I don't think so," Euijoo shook his head. Maybe they could get something to eat again. Maybe he could convince Nicholas to go see a movie, take a walk. Make it feel like a date.
"Me and my friends are meeting up. Just for a few drinks and to catch up. Wanna come?"
"I- Yeah, sure!"
Which is how he ends up in his apartment less than ten minutes later, already speed dialing Kei.
"Hyung!"
"You never call me. It's always Fuma-kun. What the hell happened, Euijoo-yah?"
Looking back at it, Euijoo might've been a tad dramatic. It felt as if his nervous system couldn't tell the difference between being invited by his crush to a night out with a few friends. Luckily, his hyungs knew how to handle him when he was in such a fragile state (after all, he probably would still be beating himself up over the fact that Jiwon decided not to put up with him anymore; thanks to their help, he now only did it about thirty percent of the time).
Euijoo leaves his apartment five minutes before he and Nicholas agreed to meet. They're going to share a cab to the bar where Nicholas' friends, Yuma and Maki, will be already waiting for them.
Euijoo spends the next few minutes pacing around the hallway, hoping his steps aren't disturbing his neighbors. Or worse, that Nicholas can hear them. He tugs mindlessly at his shirt, pulling it lower to cover his stomach. It's probably one of his impulsive buys from the period right after the divorce, when he was desperate for anyone to pay attention to him and thought that going clubbing every weekend would help him find a long-term partner.
He's not sure he even went more than twice, and both attempts were very much unsuccessful.
So now he had a whole section in his closet dedicated to what could only be called manwhore clothes. And unfortunately for him, while facetiming Kei earlier he made the mistake of not hiding those, pushing them deeper into his wardrobe or even better, completely throwing them out.
Kei took one look at the sheer, tight-fitting shirt and leather pants before declaring they were Euijoo's best options and he had to wear these, no place for discussion.
He's never seen you in anything like this, has he? Kei prodded during their call, ignoring Euijoo's whines and heating cheeks. He'll fall to his knees, Euijoo-yah. Take hyung's advice.
Euijoo had no intention of taking Kei's advice when it involved going outside, especially somewhere Nicholas would see, in something like this. But somehow, he still finds himself standing outside Nicholas' apartment in those very clothes when the man in question emerges from behind the door.
"Eui— Woah," Nicholas stops in his tracks. The door shuts closed behind him, lock beeping. Euijoo winces at the thud. Or Nicholas' reaction. He's not sure. "You look—"
"Sorry," Euijoo cuts in without thinking. "I'll go change, just give me a second."
"No! No, don't. I wanted to say you look very good." Nicholas assures. "Not something I would expect you to wear, but it's really— flattering. On you," he adds, gesturing to Euijoo's body.
"Ah. Thank you," Euijoo mumbles. "I still feel a bit… weird. My friend told me to wear this but it's really out of my comfort zone, so…"
"But you still had it in your closet?" Nicholas asks, tone light, to which Euijoo just shrugs. "Look, I think you're just lacking some confidence. Come inside for a second, I'll make you feel better about it."
He opens his apartment and walks in, holding the door for Euijoo, who's still confused and unsure on where this is going, but follows inside anyway, probably looking like a lost puppy.
Nicholas' apartment looks the same as the last (and first) time Euijoo got invited in. It might be a bit messier - as if last time Nicholas, expecting Euijoo, took the time to clean up a bit. Something in Euijoo's stomach stirs up at the thought.
"I thought maybe some makeup would complete the look and make you feel like it makes more sense? Not that it currently doesn't, I'm just trying to ease up the worries in your head," Nicholas explains, leading Euijoo into the bathroom. "I used to experiment a lot with self-expression back in high school, so I know a thing or two about eyeliner and stuff."
"That— That sounds really nice, actually," Euijoo responds.
He never thought of himself as someone who would wear makeup, but he's not entirely against it, and again, it's not like he ever actually considered going out in those exposing clothes he bought on a whim a few years back, yet he's about to walk out of the building and let people see the outfit Kei practically forced him into. It's not like a bit of eyeliner will make a difference.
Nicholas smiles at him and pulls out a small bag from one of the cabinets. "It would be best if you sat down there," he says, gesturing to the closed toilet seat. "You're too tall for me to do it comfortably while you stand."
Euijoo does as instructed. Nihcolas sets the makeup bag on the sink next to them and moves in between Euijoo's legs, making him spread them. He then grabs Euijoo's chin and lifts it up, forcing him to look up.
And listen, Euijoo is roughly one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall. He has always been considered taller than average when compared to his peers. He can count on one hand the amount of times when he felt like someone was towering over him. Not once has he had to look up at someone to this extent, throat completely exposed and head tilted.
A scenario suddenly pops into his head, one where he's on his knees in front of Nicholas, the other man looking down at him. Euijoo wonders if he would enjoy the view. He can feel his cheeks flushing at the thought.
Nicholas gives Euijoo a long stare, which makes him feel as if his feelings are transparent, written all over his face. But after a second he hums approvingly, "You have really good features for this." He pulls away briefly to retrieve whatever supplies he needs, Euijoo chasing after the action, gaze locked on the other man's hands. "I'll do something simple. If you don't like it, we can wash it off, alright? No hard feelings."
Euijoo can only nod shortly before Nicholas' left hand is back on his jaw, the right one holding what Euijoo assumes is an eyeliner or something of the sort. He takes off the cap with his teeth to reveal a dark pencil, not quite black, more of a dirty brown.
Euijoo forces his gaze to unfocus while Nicholas works the pencil around his eyes, obediently closing them when he's told to. After a few minutes he feels Nicholas pull away, his body's warmth gone. He hears him rummage through the bag.
He opens his eyes to watch Nicholas, finally. Back in the hallway, he was too embarrassed by his outfit to fully take in Nicholas' look. He has a leopard print shirt on, a few buttons at the top undone, exposing his chest, the fit cropped, showing his back now that he's leaning to get a better look inside the bag, short sleeves exposing his toned arms, one of them marked with the scar Euijoo loves looking at. He also notes that the fabric is a bit sheer, only the pattern helping it with concealing the shape of Nicholas' body underneath it. His pants hang low on his hips, a studded belt holding them up, the Chrome Hearts underwear band Euijoo has seen one to many times on Nicholas peeking out. The pants are really elaborate, with lots of rips, the fabric stitched together in a way Euijoo has never seen before.
It's truly amazing how good Nicholas is at making anything he puts on look nice, as if it was made for him to wear. Euijoo looks down at his own clothes, the all black top with a sheer long sleeve and a tank underneath, the pants hugging him in ways he has never experienced before.
"I wasn't lying earlier," Nicholas breaks the silence. Euijoo looks up to see him leaning on the sink with his hip. "You really look good in this."
"Thanks," Euijoo forces the words out, swallowing the you look way better, like, all the time trying to leave his mouth.
Nicholas must've put some effort into his hair, too. His black strands are spiky in a way, the mullet growing out, curling around the nape of his neck. His own eyes are highlighted too, the eyeliner making them appear sharper than usual.
"Aren't your friends waiting for us?" Euijoo asks after what felt like years of staring at Nicholas, taking in his features.
The other man shakes his head, "I wouldn't worry about it. They're running late too. We'll probably be first anyway," he says, pushing himself away from the sink. "You good to go?"
"Ah. Yeah," Euijoo nods.
He stands up and leans over to look at himself in the mirror. The sight that greets him is, obviously, unfamiliar. But he can't say he looks bad. Nicholas is probably incapable of creating anything bad.
"You like it?"
"Yeah, I do. Thank you."
Nicholas waves him off, "Don't mention it." He pulls out his phone and clicks around, then turns it to Euijoo, the app showing their ride will be here in five minutes. "Let's head down."
They wait outside, Euijoo thankful that the weather got warm enough that he's not freezing without a jacket. He's reminded of the time he lent his to Nicholas that first time they spent time together without Yihyun around. It's only been a month, yet so much has changed between them already.
They talk a bit in the cab, Nicholas doing most of the work because Euijoo, for whatever reason, feels nerves overtaking him. He has no idea why he's so anxious to meet Nicholas' friends. In theory, it should be nice. Nicholas probably wouldn't be friends with mean people and getting to know them will in a way feel like getting to know him through their experiences, the history Euijoo is sure they have.
Maybe he's nervous to find out something that will further establish his belief that any chance of his and Nicholas' relationship progressing past anything but just friendly doesn't exist. Has Nicholas even told them that Euijoo has a daughter, that he's teaching Yihyun? What if he's ashamed of that part of Euijoo's life, the part of him that got divorced before thirty, the part of him that has nothing more important to do than take care of Yihyun? That she's his whole world?
What if they decide that Euijoo doesn't deserve Nicholas?
What if he agrees with them?
"We're here," Euijoo feels Nicholas tap his thigh lightly. He thanks the driver and gets out, Euijoo following closely behind.
"They should be here any time now," Nicholas says. "Let's find a table."
Euijoo just trails after Nicholas, letting the shorter man pick a spot. When they sit down, Euijoo slides into a seat next to Nicholas, figuring it would be better than sharing a side with his friends he's never met before.
"I'll order for us. What would you like?"
"I'll have whatever you're having," Euijoo mutters. Nicholas looks at him weirdly before nodding and walking off.
God, Euijoo has to focus. This is not the time to question Nicholas and his intentions, get too far ahead while thinking about what the future holds for them. The air around them already feels off. Euijoo doesn't want to fuck it up further and make Yuma and Maki dislike him, then have them tell Nicholas how they think Euijoo is a freak and he should never talk to him again.
"I hope this is fine," Nicholas says, sliding a beer towards Euijoo, the same one in his hand. When he lowers his body into the seat, Euijoo forces his body to relax.
He takes a sip. "It's good," he mutters, smiling at Nicholas.
"That's good," Nicholas returns the smile.
"Nico-chan!"
Both Nicholas and Euijoo turn at the sound of a high voice, which as Euijoo finds out, belongs to a short man walking towards them, his features cat-like, hair bleached blond and falling into his eyes. Behind him is a taller man, short dark hair, shoulders broad even under the leather jacket he's wearing.
"Hey, guys," Nicholas responds.
"Hey," the dark-haired one says. Once they're close enough, he extends a hand to Euijoo. "Nice to meet you, I'm Maki."
"Euijoo," he shakes the other's hand.
"And that's Yuma," Nicholas points to the blond guy, who waves at Euijoo.
"I heard a lot about you, Euijoo-hyung," he smiles slyly.
"Yuma, we talked about this—"
"No, no, it's fine," Euijoo puts a reassuring hand on Nicholas' leg. He realizes a bit too late that the touch can be seen as inappropriate, so he takes it back. "Call me hyung, both of you," he gestures to the guys sitting in front of them, hoping the flush on his cheeks isn't visible in the dim room.
"Nico-chan, I really like this guy," Yuma hums, to which Euijoo flushes some more. "Why did you hide him from us?" he whines.
"Because you don't know how to act around people," Nicholas sneers at him.
Yuma pouts. Maki smiles at that and puts a hand around his shoulder, bringing them closer. He's taken off his jacket, the sleeveless top showing off his arms, muscles visible even with the lack of lighting. "Don't pout, Yuma-kun."
"I heard from Nicholas that you're Japanese," Euijoo clears his throat. He wants to make a good impression and not just sit around and listen to the three friends talk.
"We are! Maki's half German, though," Yuma wrinkles his nose. "It's why he's so tall. And that face!" he exclaims, grabbing the taller man's jaw and bringing it close to his own face, as if to inspect it.
Maki forces him to pull away. "Do you know any Japanese, Euijoo-hyung?"
"I do, actually," Euijoo responds, which earns him a gasp from Nicholas. "My best friends are Japanese, too. I learned it in university because it was easier while having someone to talk to," he explains.
"That's how Nico learned too," Maki adds.
"They forced me to," Nicholas rolls his eyes, making Euijoo laugh. "But they never bothered to pick up any Mandarin in return."
"Maybe Euijoo will do it for you," Yuma teases.
Euijoo stutters, "I-I mean— I probably could!"
Nicholas giggles, "Let's stick to English for now."
That brings up Yihyun. Euijoo is fully prepared for the younger guys to get weird about the topic of his daughter, much like everyone else does. You're a dad? But you're not married, right? Why did you get divorced so soon? But it seems like Nicholas already told them everything about Euijoo's situation, because they don't ask any invasive questions. Euijoo can focus on the good moments, telling them about how Yihyun is doing in kindergarten, the friends she made, her current favorite cartoons and toys. Nicholas cuts in every once in a while, praising Yihyun for being so smart and quick to pick up a foreign language.
"She could easily be trilingual in a few more years," he says, smiling brightly at Euijoo.
Yuma and Maki seem to be actually interested in Euijoo's daughter. He even gathers the courage to show them a few pictures and videos, making all of them coo at her cuteness (Nicholas included, nevermind he's seen Yihyun countless times in person).
The alcohol helps, too. It's not like Euijoo is actively trying to get drunk, but Maki seems to have a high tolerance and whenever he asks if anyone wants another drink, Euijoo responds affirmatively, even when Yuma and Nicholas tell him they're done for tonight.
Which is how, with ten other topics discussed, including what Yuma and Maki's occupations, how their relationship started and how they met Nicholas, Euijoo ends up as the drunkest one of them all, Maki somehow barely buzzed despite drinking the same amount.
He feels a lot more relaxed now. He feels Nicholas' warmth on his side, but he doesn't shy away from it like he did earlier, instead leaning into the other's side. Even through his buzzing brain he registers Yuma and Maki sending Nicholas a few amused looks.
"We should probably get going," Yuma decides, forcing a cuddly Maki to stand up. "This overgrown puppy is going to be even worse if we don't get home soon."
"Gross," Nicholas sneers at them.
Yuma shows him his tongue, "Stay bitter, bitch!"
And with that they leave. Euijoo lifts his head up from where he laid it on their table among the empty beer pints and shot glasses and a few others from whatever sweet cocktail Yuma had.
"I didn't get to say bye," he whines.
"It's okay, Euijoo-yah. I'm sure they'll understand," Nicholas assures him.
Euijoo stays seated at their table, still pouting, while Nicholas goes to retrieve his card from behind the bar, closing the tab.
"You didn't have to pay for everyone," he murmurs after coming back.
Euijoo just shrugs, head dropping to the side, "Wanted to make a good impression."
"You did," Nicholas sits down again despite knowing they should leave as well. He pats Euijoo's leg, "I'm sure they liked you."
"And— you?" Euijoo hiccups. "Do you like me too?"
Nicholas smiles. "Of course. I'm glad we're neighbors," he says, then pauses, seeing Euijoo's frown. "What is it?"
"Neighbors," Euijoo hums. His eyes are only half open, but he can see Nicholas' expression turning confused. He's too drunk to hold back. "I've thought of— more. With you, you know."
"You have?" Nicholas lifts his eyebrows. "Like what?"
"Like— You're really pretty, Nichol. And you're good with Yihyun, and you seem okay with my whole fucked up situation and the way my life is just— permanently weird."
"I wouldn't call if weird or fucked up, but I am okay with it," Nicholas says. "Is there anyone who isn't?"
"Yeah," Euijoo hums. "A lot of people." His parents, people at work, strangers he wanted to get to know to distract himself.
"Well, then they don't know what they're missing out on," Nicholas concludes.
"You're nice, too," Euijoo adds, belatedly. "And patient."
"And pretty, apparently," Nicholas teases.
"Don't act like you didn't know it."
There's a moment of silence between them. Euijoo blocks out the noise from other drunk people around them, the music the staff keeps playing that has been bothering him all night.
They don't know what they're missing out on.
He slides closer to Nicholas on the leather seat. The other man's eyes widen at the action, but he doesn't move. Doesn't push him away. Doesn't say anything.
"I really, really think about you a lot, Nichol," Euijoo breathes out into the space between them. The world suddenly seems still, as if time stopped around them.
"What exactly?" Nicholas prods, eyes searching for something on Euijoo's face.
"Right now, your lips," Euijoo reveals, brain to mouth filter gone completely.
Nicholas stills. He doesn't pull away, but he tenses. "You're drunk, Euijoo."
"It's been like this since you moved in. Even more since you started coming in to teach Yihyun," he breathes out, grabbing the other's hand. "It's— you're constantly on my mind, Nichol."
"And if I said that you're on mine too?"
Now it's Euijoo's turn to freeze.
"Would that be okay?" Nicholas prods. He moves a bit closer, squeezing Euijoo's hand.
Euijoo leans in.
Nicholas makes a surprised noise at their lips making contact, but he doesn't pull away, doesn't cuss Euijoo out for being weird. Instead his hands travel over Euijoo's body, over his sides, onto his shoulders, then finally finding their space in Euijoo's hair, tangling in it. Euijoo groans into Nicholas' mouth at that. His own hands grab the shorter man's waist, slipping under the flimsy fabric of his shirt, pulling him even closer.
"You're something else, Byun Euijoo," Nicholas huffs into his mouth and then goes back to kissing Euijoo.
Euijoo knows this is a bad moment to be doing this. The worst possible moment, probably. He's too drunk to lead this situation in any direction (he briefly asks himself what direction that would be, had he the choice - taking Nicholas to his apartment? confessing his feelings?).
He can't do anything about it, because soon Nicholas is almost on him, squeezing Euijoo's in a way that does something weird to the alcohol inside him, makes his stomach turn.
"—joo?" he hears Nicholas ask, confused.
Euijoo's a fucking idiot.
He feels his dinner and every single drink he's had rising up to his throat, and the next thing he knows he's vomiting onto the floor, miraculously missing Nicholas.
And then he blacks out.