Chapter Text
The sun is slowly sinking below the horizon, painting the sky in a myriad of beautiful colours. It's breathtaking, and if he hadn't been trying his very best not to look over to his left, he probably still would've kept looking at the sky anyway.
It's been so great meeting you, Seungmin's sister had said, smiling at him with warmth and appreciation that he really didn't expect after less than eight hours of knowing each other. Seungmin looks really happy with you around. It's really nice to see him smiling this much again. I hope you'll be here again next time.
What could he have done but promise he would, even when he's not even sure this arrangement will stick beyond the limitations that were set upon it? Even when, just three days ago, he didn't even know Seungmin had a sister, let alone knew him well enough to visit his family with him.
And then Seungmin had slid into the seat across from him, put his hands on the tabletop all proper-like and had levelled him with a piercing look.
"How much would it take for you to travel to Seoul with me, meet my family and pretend to be my boyfriend for the next three to five days?" He'd propositioned with the most even face anyone ever had when suggesting something like this. "Purely platonic. We'd hold hands, maybe the occasional kiss on the cheek. I'm not big on shows of affection, so no one will think that weird. I'm not opposed to being affectionately bullied, I know you prefer that."
And faced with such easy, matter-of-fact confidence on a Wednesday afternoon with his cup of vanilla spiced latte hovering halfway up to his mouth, Minho had been unable to do anything other than raise his eyebrows lightly and say: "At least sixty thousand an hour, including all hours I don't have to pretend, heavily depending on how numerous and annoying your family is."
Seungmin had regarded him for a long moment, apparently thinking this over, before he'd pulled out his laptop, pulled up an excel sheet and typed in several equations with lightning fast fingers on the keys. When he'd turned the computer around to face Minho, he'd found a neat little table depicting the payment based on three whole days of twenty-four hours and five whole days respectively.
"I have a relatively uninterested father who won't be hard to convince and who won't bother you much, an overly interested mother who is convinced I will die lonely and desolate if I don't start dating already and who is the reason I'm asking this, and an older sister around your age with her boyfriend of ten years and their future entirely planned out who will most likely just be happy for me if I tell her you're good to me. Will that amp up the price?"
His cup still hovering in the air, Minho had blinked slowly at the complete seriousness on Kim Seungmin's features and then back down at the excel sheet displayed for him. "Exactly how intent will your mother be on receiving 'all the details' and exactly how much improvisation do you want me to do for you so she doesn't catch you in a lie?"
"A lot," Seungmin had conceded with a single nod of acknowledgement. "And almost all of it, honestly."
Minho had nodded in return, humming pensively for a moment as he looked at the amounts displayed on the screen. "Make it a flat rate of one million five hundred thousand won a day to be paid for every day started and I'm in."
Seungmin had turned the screen back around again, looking over the currently displayed rates and then nodding as if to himself. "Alright. We leave tomorrow afternoon around four. I'll pick you up at your place. Pack a five day bag just to be sure, I don't know yet how long we'll be. If you have important things to do on Monday we can use that to help convince my mom to let us go sooner."
Seungmin's laptop had been packed away and his body pushed up from the chair again before Minho had recovered enough to finally bring his cup of coffee to his lips fully, leaving him with the strange knowledge of their peculiar but easily made agreement.
When he'd told Changbin about it after returning to their shared dorm, his best friend had laughed so hard he'd choked on it and then continued laughing after regaining his bearings. "Hyung! Why did you say yes? You've not been anyone's boyfriend since you were fifteen years old!" He'd eventually managed to bring out in between hiccups and teary laughter, and Minho had shrugged.
"Because he's going to pay me over a million won per day of pretence. Would you refuse?" Before Changbin could even reply, he'd waved it off. "Nevermind, your parents would probably give you ten million if you just hinted at needing that amount for something. Some of us could actually use more money, Seo Changbin-ssi."
Changbin had only laughed more, impervious to Minho's cold tone and clipped words. When he'd finally managed to stop giggling every time he looked at Minho, though, he'd sat up properly and given him a serious look. "Do you want to come up with the grand lines of your relationship together?"
Minho'd taken his roommate up on the offer immediately, remembering why he kept Changbin around despite his tendency towards making fun of him.
And so that's how he'd ended up at Kim Seungmin's house, smiling at his mother and bowing politely to his father, sitting on the living room couch and chatting about the economy, baseball and investment banking - all things he knew nothing about. That meeting had gone well, though, and Minho had been easily accepted by Seungmin's parents.
They'd joined them for dinner, where Seungmin's mother had shot off all of her curious inquiries and Minho had improvised the entirety of their so-called relationship, from Seungmin's bashful request to go out the first time to Minho's eventual agreement to the question of becoming official.
It was only when Minho had quipped "honestly, it's that puppy-like enthusiasm that did me in," and Seungmin had promptly flushed a dark red while ducking his head that Seungmin's mother had finally relented, looking majorly pleased with this development in her son's life.
One and a half million won had been easily earned that way, nothing but some conversation with two people who looked much too careless and open to raise a stickler for rules like Kim Seungmin, but who was Minho to complain? He'd been shown around the house by Seungmin after, and then offered a chance to wash up.
After that, they'd gone on a walk in the surprisingly pleasant neighbourhood, holding hands from the moment they exited the house until they'd gotten three blocks away, which was when Seungmin had dropped his and taken a step away to widen the distance between them casually.
"Thank you, hyung, that went really well," he'd said, all prim and proper as always. "Do you think you could repeat what you told my mom about us? I'll put it in a note to make sure we don't tell my sister something different."
"Sure," Minho had shrugged, and easily recited all the main points of his improvisation as well as the anecdotes he'd pretty much made up on the spot. With Seungmin taking meticulous note of every word, the file on his phone had grown in size quickly and their walk had lasted quite long as they hashed out a few of the details to make sure Seungmin got them all right as well.
"Thanks again," Seungmin had said, and then he'd promptly pulled up his bank app to transfer the first one and a half million won to Minho's account.
Friday morning had been the strangest experience. Not because Seungmin's family was weird or anything, but because Minho woke up around sunrise as always, rolled over and looked right down onto Seungmin sleeping on the floor next to his bed, hair sleepily ruffled, features unusually relaxed and lips slightly parted. It had taken only a few more moments before Seungmin himself had stirred, mouth closing first, eyes blinking open second and a hand running quietly through his hair to brush it out of his face last. Then, his gaze had settled almost immediately on Minho and he'd blinked once, twice before: "Morning hyung. Did you sleep well?"
"Woke up right into another nightmare," Minho had deadpanned, looking down into Kim Seungmin's sleepy face and finding it strangely adorable. Even more so when, after a brief moment of processing, Seungmin's expression had brightened with an amused little grin, before he'd lifted a fist to rub at his eyes sleepily.
"Do you want coffee?" He'd asked after, as he was already pushing his blanket down his body. Minho had nodded, and easily followed Seungmin out the door and down the stairs. His parents were clearly still asleep, but Seungmin had had no qualms about using the kitchen appliances or opening and closing cupboards, so in no time there'd been a cappuccino ready for him and Seungmin had a cup of his own preference as well.
"How do you like your coffee?" Minho'd asked, thinking that was something he should know if they were pretending to date. "And what are we doing today?"
"Plain black," was Seungmin's answer, after which he'd taken a sip and savoured it before swallowing. "And fresh from the press." He'd grinned, baring neat rows of white teeth that Minho had fixated on briefly, before shrugging. "And today we're pretty free to do anything. Mom will want us here for dinner and if we're home she'll also make lunch, but we can go visit some places in the city if you want, or do whatever."
There'd been a shrug, Seungmin clearly indicating he had no preference, and so Minho had picked the option to visit the city and look around. They'd finished their coffees first, gotten dressed and gone out.
Breakfast had been a delicious meal at a nearby hole-in-the-wall restaurant, lunch an incredible Chinese restaurant near the Han river bridge, and dinner an impressive spread that Seungmin's mother had meticulously prepared for them. Throughout the day, they'd visited a few of the more common tourist spots in the city, and revealed more little details about themselves to each other.
What Minho had learned on Friday was that Seungmin appreciated his humour, always seeming to flawlessly notice when he was joking no matter how serious his expression and tone of voice, and always smiling brightly at his jabs. He'd also learned that Seungmin preferred dogs over cats (no surprises there), was part of the baseball team at school (which explained the conversation Minho had with Seungmin's father the day before a little better) and was roommates with Han Jisung (the boy Minho knew had a crush the size of a small building on his own roommate, Changbin). When he'd mentioned the latter to Seungmin, the younger had laughed and shaken his head.
"Jisung has a crush on almost every good looking guy he meets. They're never serious, but he's always really obvious about them," he'd said. Then he'd casually leaned back in his chair and smiled at Minho. "I think it's sweet, though, how open he is about his feelings and how unapologetic he is about them. It's very brave to be like that without expecting others to cater to his emotions. It's what I like most about him, too, how in tune he is with his own feelings."
Minho'd nodded, because what else could he do? The conversation had moved on and the day had flown by until eventually they returned to Seungmin's room. Minho was so full of food and conversation at that point that he was certain he could lie down and sleep for a small week, but Seungmin had prodded his leg.
"My sister arrives tomorrow," he'd said. "She knows me best of all, probably, so tomorrow we really have to sell it well. You've really been doing great so far, though. Thank you for being so okay with all of this."
"Well, I'm obviously doing this out of the goodness of my heart and not because you're paying me more than my part of rent's worth per day, so…" He'd joked, and Seungmin had laughed again as he had been doing all day. Minho'd thrown in a wink, which only had Seungmin chortling more, before he'd given his current employer a double thumbs up.
"Don't worry, I will put on the show of a lifetime tomorrow. No one will be able to tell that we mutually operate under a set of terms and conditions."
That had seemingly settled the last of Seungmin's nerves, because he'd smiled brightly, nodded and then settled down for sleep again. It'd been his steady breathing that had eventually soothed Minho to sleep as well.
And then they'd woken up this morning, Seungmin's mother knocking on the bedroom door and sticking her head inside to inform Seungmin of the need for him to be downstairs to help out within the next thirty minutes. Unable to sleep any longer after the intrusion, Minho had gone downstairs as well, and offered up his help for the day. After a brief interrogation of his skills, he'd been put to vegetable chopping, though he was quick to graduate to preparing the entire meal altogether alongside her.
After that, they'd helped with setting the table as well, after which Seungmin's mother had insisted they both go wash up and 'go wear something nice for your sister, darling'. Hilariously, Seungmin had quipped back with an easy 'Why? She's not engaged to me, is she?" Minho had cackled before realising and slapping a hand over his mouth, turning wide, apologetic eyes to Seungmin's mother who'd luckily looked surprised but had then smiled warmly at him.
"No, she isn't, darling," she'd told her son next. "We raised her smarter than that. Minho, dear, you'll help make sure he'll look nice, right?"
He'd nodded, smiled at Seungmin's mother and dipped into a quick little bow.
"What makes you think hyung knows how to dress me better than I can?" Seungmin had protested, which his mother had waved off with a simple "Have you seen him?"
Minho's grin had been smug for sure, gloating with a single look that Seungmin had met with a brief roll of his eyes, immediately followed by a reluctant smile curling the corners of his lips. Minho had taken it as a win regardless, preceding the younger up the stairs to get first dibs on the shower.
After he'd come out, hair nearly dried, towel around his neck and ready to change into some nicer clothes, Seungmin had told him to just go ahead and look through his wardrobe to find him a nice outfit to wear as well. He'd left Minho in his room without a moment's hesitation, off to take a shower of his own.
He'd dressed himself first, putting on a nice pair of darker jeans, a looser button-up of which he liked the colour and the way it lined his frame, and then finished with his watch, a bracelet and a leather necklace with a wooden bead. Then he'd briefly hesitated before simply pulling open the doors of Seungmin's closet to look at his clothes.
Seemingly endless piles of oversized hoodies captured his gaze first, but eventually he found the shirts and pants further down. Everything was neatly folded, clearly organised by type first and colour next according to a system he had no intention to disrupt. He'd taken his time unfolding a few pieces to see what they were before refolding them exactly as they had been and returning them to their original spot.
By the time Seungmin returned from his shower, Minho's hair was dry and there were a few neatly folded outfit options waiting on the bed. When he'd turned to face Seungmin, the younger had paused in his step briefly, clearly surprised though Minho wasn't sure by what.
"Oh, sorry, you said I could look. Was that not-" He'd started, but Seungmin had immediately shaken his head to dismiss his apology.
"No, I meant it. I just didn't think you'd actually want to. Thank you." As he'd walked up to the bed, his gaze hadn't left the piles. "Oh, wow, I forgot I even had this shirt." Then, Kim Seungmin had looked up from the bed to give Minho an appraising look. "I should match with you if I can. I'll try this one first," he'd said ever so casually then, tapping a finger on the pile that was Minho's preferred outfit as well.
"Sure," he'd managed to say and moved over to check his charging phone while Seungmin changed from his own casual clothes into Minho's choices. When he'd looked back up at Seungmin's inquiry of his opinion, he'd temporarily been stunned.
It turned out that Seungmin in fitting jeans with a black button down with a dark red streak of colour across it and the top buttons open made for a much more mature looking version of himself than the oversized hoodies and baggy pants.
"Looks good," he'd said casually, because casual is what he always does well. "I'm not sure your mother would recognise you without all the extra fabric, though."
Seungmin's smile had bloomed again then, amused and bright. "I don't think I've worn either of these things in the last three years. Good to know they still fit." He'd beamed one of his dog-like grins at Minho next, then glanced at himself in the mirror. "Should I do something with my hair?"
"Mhm. Maybe slick it back a little. You'd look good with it."
As if completely trusting of Minho's opinion, Seungmin had run a hand through his hair to check how it'd look and then shrugged. "I don't know. It's just my sister visiting. I've known her fiancé for years, too. There's no need to try and impress anyone. I think I'll just leave it casual today." Seungmin'd turned around, flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you for picking my outfit, though. I'm going to try these other options as well in the coming days. They actually look nice. I'd never have thought of pairing these clothes myself."
Minho had stood there, just blinking in surprise as he'd watched Seungmin carefully picking up each pile and actually clearing a spot in his closet to put them down neatly. Then he'd turned around, smirked and said: "Let's go tell my mother she was right."
It had taken several heartbeats before Minho had been able to shake off his surprise enough to follow after him.
Seungmin's mother had approved of his outfit with overwhelming enthusiasm, almost making Minho wonder if she was overdoing it on purpose, but when she'd turned to him to congratulate him on his good eye, she'd been entirely sincere. With her approval under their belt, they'd moved to the living room while Seungmin's father went out for some last minute shopping.
"So," Seungmin had said once they'd taken a seat, both on the same couch for logistics reasons. Before Minho could say anything, Seungmin's mother had breezed past to head upstairs and prepare herself properly for her daughter's visit as well - or rather, for her future son-in-law's visit, Seungmin joked.
It was only when they'd heard a door close behind her that Seungmin spoke again. "Are we still good?" He'd asked, genuine worry in his gaze as he'd turned to Minho and studied him briefly. It had brought a crawly feeling of surprise to his stomach, though he'd returned the gaze neutrally, not giving away a single hint of his discomfort.
"I'm all fine," he'd affirmed easily, raising an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Just making sure. Would you mind if I kissed your cheek somewhere today?"
"Pfff, for three hundred thousand extra maybe," he'd blustered, and Seungmin had immediately laughed.
"Three hundred? Are your cheeks made of gold? Will I receive a year of good fortune if I kiss you?" Seungmin's expression had been full of mirth and Minho had smirked back at him easily.
"Why don't you fuck around and find out?" He'd said, which had brought out Seungmin's laugh so easily once more.
"Maybe I will," he'd retorted, before leaning back against the couch more properly. "Ah, it'll be nice to see my sister. I haven't seen her in a while and now that she's engaged that's only going to become longer."
Minho'd had a moment then, of wondering why he was being told all this, why Seungmin was talking to him like they were friends. They weren't entirely strangers, of course, not with their roommates so entangled, but they'd hardly ever spoken more than a few words before all this and he'd found himself wondering why Seungmin was sharing his thoughts with him so easily.
"Do you have siblings?" Seungmin then asked, which had made him shake his head.
"I only used to have cats," he'd admitted, "but I've been told it's not the same." Once again he'd made Seungmin laugh, and then the younger had shaken his head.
"No, indeed not. You can't take your sister, put her in a room and close the door when she annoys you without suffering the consequences," he'd agreed, chuckling happily. Minho had watched his parted lips and those neat rows of teeth with something akin to wonder, realising the sight reminded him of something though he couldn't pinpoint what exactly.
"Hyung," Seungmin had said after some time, hesitant in his inquiry. "Why'd you agree?"
Minho had raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Why did you? I could definitely use the money, I'm a broke student, and I know your family's pretty well off or I wouldn't have ripped you off like this, but you didn't even blink when I named my price even though it's outrageous. Was there no one else who'd have said yes?"
Seungmin's expression had clouded briefly. "I didn't want to go with someone I know too well. I felt like that'd make it more awkward. And honestly… I hoped you'd be careless enough about things like this to just accept. I was still surprised when you did, though."
There's another grin, a somewhat bashful thing that makes him laugh as well. "Like I said, for more than my rent's worth a day I'd do more than just parade around in your fancy house occasionally holding your hand or gazing lovingly in your general direction. Besides, your mom's cooking is delicious, I'm having the time of my life."
Seungmin had laughed, and Minho had winked at him playfully. "You told me to amp it up for your sister, though, so I'm determined to really pull out all the stops today."
Seungmin's laugh had turned into full, open delight that had bounced around the living room walls for a moment, and Minho had taken the time to just look at the other boy, taking him in fully for perhaps the first time. Eventually his staring hadn't gone unnoticed by Seungmin, who'd glanced over at him and then raised his eyebrows in question.
"I'm just practising my fondgazing," he'd said with a shrug, only to watch more chuckles bubble out from Seungmin's lips.
"You look more like you're trying to murder me with your stare, hyung," he'd protested, which had made Minho huff out a smile.
"That's how I show my fondness. Get with the program, Seungminnie. Death stares are the new kissy faces."
"Oh, my bad. Here, let me try."
Minho'd been levelled with such a glare then, that all he'd been able to do was throw his head back and laugh.
"Wow, you must really love me," he'd teased, which had surprisingly made Seungmin flush, panic and then look away. The reason for that became clear when Seungmin's mother walked into the room moments later, though, her smile bright and warm.
"You two are so adorable," she'd said, in that way only mothers can talk about their son and his boyfriend who are both above the legal adult age. "It's really nice to have you over, Minho-yah. You should come along in the future too."
"Hey!" Seungmin had protested upon spotting Minho's smug grin. "Am I not good enough by myself anymore now? Don't you want your favourite son to visit you?"
"She does, that's why she asked me," Minho had easily responded, before looking at Seungmin's mother again. "I'd love to, mom, next time I'll make sure to bring some containers so I can take more of your delicious cooking home."
He'd absolutely charmed Seungmin's mother with his smile, there, and laughed loudly at the disbelieving look Seungmin had moved between the both of them.
"Can't believe I get betrayed like this in my own house by my own mother!" The youngest had muttered in playful offence. Minho had simply thrown an arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards himself, heedless of his protests or the way that caused Seungmin to sprawl half onto his lap.
"You're still my favourite boy in the world, Seungminnie, don't worry!" He'd loudly reassured, which had caused Seungmin's mother to chuckle and Seungmin to flush such a bright red he'd immediately turned his face into Minho's stomach to hide it from all view.
It had Minho laughing, but then also reassuringly patting Seungmin's hair and back until long after his mother had walked out of the room, and the colour of his skin had returned to normal.
It hadn't taken much longer for Seungmin's sister to arrive with her fiancé. After Seungmin’s dad returned, they finished the last of the preparations with his mother, after which she'd shooed them off to the living room again so they could relax a little more. Barely ten minutes later the doorbell had rang and Seungmin's sister had breezed in.
She was a force to be reckoned with in all the best ways, Minho found. Outspoken and unafraid to voice her opinion, but always warm with her family and friendly with him. He'd been mainly silent in the beginning, letting the family catch up with each other and merely speaking a few words here and there when asked a question.
Then, as they were gathering at the table for lunch, Seungmin had leaned into his side before they were supposed to sit down and had actually pressed a kiss against his cheek. It'd caused him to look over at the younger in surprise, before almost automatically defaulting back to casual and smirking. Somehow, Seungmin's sister had noticed the interaction and had immediately jumped on the opportunity to unleash her endless curiosity.
So Minho'd found himself reiterating his story of their first meeting and how they got together, teasingly joking about being with Seungmin for his money and only putting up with him because of how much he looked like a good boy which he could use to settle his own mother's fears about his future.
As Seungmin's cheeks grew ever warmer and his chuckles ever more embarrassed, Minho found joy in sharing little, made up anecdotes about all the times Seungmin would hold the door for him and pay for their food when they went out. In the end, he'd even started to comment on how good of a kisser Seungmin really was, which had finally made the younger snap. He'd interrupted straight away with a glare capable of silencing any man. Except Minho had smiled widely and joked: "And oh, look, he keeps looking at me with this loving gaze, I always feel so cared for when I'm around him."
It'd made Seungmin's family laugh and Seungmin briefly falter before he'd redoubled his efforts at glaring and had bid his family to start with lunch.
Which had been a pleasant affair altogether, too. The family caught up while chatting, occasionally directing a question to Minho as well which he answered honestly every time. Sometimes they'd ask Seungmin things that surprised Minho, especially when the younger would answer casually that yes, he was still waiting for a reply on the scholarship to America, or no, he never went on a second date with Ryujin 'for obvious reasons'. It wasn't until far later in the conversation when the same name was brought up again linked to another person that Minho realised he wasn't the obvious reason, but rather the fact that Ryujin was exclusively into girls.
They'd moved from the lunch table to the garden after, the family apparently fond of having a glass of wine while lounging in their garden furniture. Minho had been unable to keep from thinking something particular about rich people, but he'd been offered a glass of wine all the same and none of them had given him strange looks when he'd asked for something non-alcoholic instead. Seungmin's mother's homemade iced tea had been more delicious than any chardonnay could have been anyway.
It turns out lounging on comfortable garden furniture is a blast anyway, and they'd chatted well into the afternoon. Minho got to know a lot more about Seungmin's sister and her husband, as well as discovering the playful but loving dynamic between the different members of the household. Seungmin didn't rib his father as much as his mother and sister did, but other than that they all seemed comfortable with each other and with each other's jokes.
Minho couldn't keep his mouth closed in a situation like that, of course, so he'd joined in with the joking around. Most of it he directed at Seungmin, though he had a go at Seungmin's sister as well, and her fiancé once he'd proved to be open to it as well. They'd clearly appreciated his dry, deadpan sort of teasing, something they shared with Seungmin, who'd been giggling every time he said anything at all. Minho's convinced the copious amounts of wine definitely had a lot to do with that, too, but some of it was his influence alone, because Seungmin didn't giggle half as much with his family members' comments.
After lounging, there'd been more food. Dinner had been another delicious affair, all made by Seungmin's mother's hand with some help from the two of them, and then dessert had been Seungmin's sister's creation. They'd all ended the meal with full bellies and deep, contented sighs. Of course that'd been followed by more lounging on the garden furniture, because why else did they even have garden furniture, right?
That time, Minho claimed a chaise longue together with Seungmin, pulling the younger along by his wrist and draping himself on it comfortably, before patting his chest invitingly with an easy smirk. It had taken Seungmin one surprised look, one raised eyebrow and a sudden bout of amusement before he'd joined. He'd carefully laid down, leaning in close and pressing a quick peck to Minho's cheek.
That, he has to admit, had surprised him. He hadn't let the surprise stop him from raising his eyebrows and claiming "You missed", though.
Seungmin had laughed, tapped his nose and shaken his head. "I don't think I can afford that kind of kiss," he'd countered, clearly unbothered by his family's watchful eyes. It had made Minho chuckle as well, and wriggle an arm around Seungmin's frame to keep him close.
The display of affection turned out to be contagious, Seungmin's sister joining her fiancé on his chair and even Seungmin's mother scooting close to her surprised but clearly not unwilling husband. They'd had more wine like that, though Minho noticed Seungmin's future brother-in-law stuck to drinking the homemade iced tea as well then.
For a couple more hours they stayed there, chatting intermittently, occasional bouts of silence only interrupted by the sounds of sips taken from their glasses. Then, Seungmin's sister had eventually declared the need to depart again.
There'd been the usual flurry of movement, food being stored in containers and passed along, well wishes thrown back and forth. Then Seungmin's sister had pulled him into an unexpected hug and said those words to him, so full of her happiness and clear relief as well. It's been so great meeting you. It's really nice to see him smiling this much again. I hope you'll be here again next time.
They stuck to him as the family greeted each other and waved them off, stuck to him as Seungmin's mother shooed them from the kitchen after they'd brought all the dishes in and told them to enjoy the nice weather outside, stick to him now as he sits next to Kim Seungmin, their thighs pressed together, their gazes on the brightly coloured horizon, their fingers nearly brushing.
It's really nice to see him smiling this much again.
What had she meant? When was there a time when Seungmin wasn't smiling as much? Why? Was Seungmin laughing so much today because of Minho or simply because of seeing his family again while not having to fight off questions about his dating life? Should he ask him about it? Should he warn Seungmin that his sister was worried about him to prepare him for the questions he might face once he told them they'd broken up or whatever excuse he'd give down the line?
"Hyung…"
His thoughts get interrupted not by Seungmin's voice first, but by the single finger suddenly connecting with his, brushing past his skin and gently tapping the back of his hand.
"Mhm?"
"Thank you. For today. I had a great time. You were really good with my family, too. I'm really grateful that you agreed to do this."
"Mhm. Anything for my boyfriend, Seungminnie. Now shut up and watch the sunset. You're ruining it with all your emotions."
He makes Seungmin laugh again, though it causes the finger to pull away from his hand again. "I've already seen a thousand sunsets, though, hyung, but I've only gotten these emotions recently. I think that makes them more special."
The words are said in clear jest, but Minho feels them zing down his spine anyway. Like always, his need to be casual wins over his initial surprise, though, and so he shifts almost immediately, turning until he can move to sit cross-legged facing Seungmin, his expression blank. "Alright, fine, Kim Seungmin, tell me about all your recent and special emotions, I'll listen attentively to your woes and forgo this beautiful sight for it."
"When you put it like that-" Seungmin starts, still chuckling, but Minho immediately waves him off.
"No, no, you've got my full attention now, Seungmin. Time to spill the beans. Tell me all about this immense gratitude you feel for me and how you'd like to repay me a million times over." He raises his eyebrows and motions for the younger man to speak. Seungmin only laughs more, his eyes bright and full of light, his teeth bared in the best of ways. He doesn't reply, but Minho doesn't really expect him to, instead just looking at him with fond amusement disguised as expectant interest.
After a while, though, Seungmin just shakes his head and reaches out to touch his arm. "Just thank you, hyung. You should look at the sunset, it's really pretty, I wouldn't want to rob you of the sight."
He considers saying something stupid and flirty, just to fluster Seungmin again, or to make him laugh again, but he knows he'll fluster himself all the same, so in the end he opts for simply turning his head back up to look at the sky, now a deep red with dark blue between. It's gorgeous, and it briefly takes his mind off everything else as he watches the sun sink below the horizon, slowly at first and then all at once.
They head back inside when it becomes too dark to see. After wishing Seungmin's parents a good night, they head upstairs to get changed and move to bed. No more conversation is had until about an hour later, when Minho's staring up at the ceiling of Seungmin's room and his sister's words return to him unbidden.
"Kim Seungmin," he says into the darkness of the room, speaking quietly enough not to disturb the silence too much, but loud enough to be heard.
"Yes, hyung?"
"Why were you unhappy?"
"What?"
"Your sister said she's glad to see you smile this much again. I assume that means you were unhappy before, because you smile really easily."
His words are followed by a deep silence, thick in the air of the room. He lies there waiting, gaze still fixed on the vague image of the ceiling, his fingers curled into the sheets of the bed he's lying in. Seungmin's bed. Seungmin's house. Seungmin's slow intake of breath.
"Are we unlocking the tragic backstory now, hyung?"
He tries to hear which emotion accompanies the words, but the thing is they're not friends. Seungmin sounds like he's amused and he might be, but the slight edge to his tone might be uncertainty. Insecurity. Sadness.
"Do I need to level up more before we get to that?" He offers, not moving at all and keeping his gaze fixed upwards. "Charm a few more family members, cook a whole meal instead of just helping out with one?"
He hears the breath of air that Seungmin releases in a huffed out smile, causing him to smile as well. "Maybe," the younger says then, slow but not too hesitant, sounding more at ease again already.
"Alright. Do you have an aunt or uncle we can visit tomorrow? Some grandparents in the countryside? I'm really good with grandparents. They love me and my bundle skills. I'll be level hundred in no time."
Seungmin's smile turns into a soft laugh, the sounds of his body shifting under the sheets following it. It's followed by silence, so Minho settles to sleep, thinking that's that for tonight. Just after he's turned onto his side, though, Seungmin's voice fills the room again.
"Not anymore, actually. They passed away. Grandma first, and gramps not much later. I practically lived at their house growing up, so… it wasn't easy to deal with. Gramps is the one who got me hooked on baseball. He gave me my first glove and he even got me a signed ball."
Minho's chest constricts briefly, which must have been one of those muscle contractions where your body checks if you're still alive, because what else could it be? He hums softly, and then rolls over onto his other side. He doesn't peek over the edge of the mattress to try and catch a glimpse of Seungmin's face in the near-dark, but he does dangle one arm over the edge. After a long moment of absolute quiet, Seungmin's sheets rustle again, and then warm fingers slide across his, wrapping around them in a gentle hold.
"Sorry," he says, because he's not a total ass. Seungmin's fingers tighten around his almost imperceptibly.
"It's fine, hyung. It's been a while. I got better at knowing it."
Not handling it, not dealing with it, just knowing.
Minho thinks he understands.
He leaves his hand dangling over the edge of the bed until he falls asleep, the warmth of Seungmin's fingers never leaving his.
It's sunlight that wakes him in the morning, sensitive as he is to the slightest hints of it seeping in from behind the curtains. He uses his hand to rub his nose and then slowly opens his eyes, sighing softly. His right arm feels strangely numb and cold, though his hand feels warm. When he looks down at it, he sees that Seungmin's fingers are still stubbornly curled around it, having pulled it a little closer to the younger's chest.
Wrinkling his nose, Minho slowly tries to free his hand from the grip, so that he can head off to the bathroom. It takes some coaxing, Seungmin reflexively tightening his grip at first before eventually relinquishing his treasure when Minho replaces his hand with a balled up bit of blankets.
After his trip to the bathroom, he heads down into the kitchen to make himself a coffee. He only opens the exact cupboards he'd seen Seungmin open the days before and takes only what he needs for his drink, foregoing breakfast for now so he can have it with the family later.
When he checks his bank app to transfer this month's rent over to Changbin already, he finds that Seungmin transferred him another day's fee last night along with twice the surcharge he'd jokingly mentioned for cheek kisses. Staring down at the incredible amount of money currently in his possession for a long moment, he feels guilt slowly curl around his stomach. He quickly transfers the rent to Changbin and then transfers the rest of the days minus the supposed surcharge to his savings account. He quickly exits the app after, unwilling to be reminded of his freeloading this early in the morning.
Except two minutes later he gets a text from Changbin, who must have been woken up by his bank app’s notification, because he’s never awake at this hour.
Dude, how the fuck did you just transfer me next month's rent already? Don't you only get paid in two weeks?
Found a short, very lucrative stint. Don't get used to it.
This got anything to do with you being out this weekend?
Obviously yes. Go back to sleep, Seo Changbin.
Oh, the government name, got it. No more questions.
Just tell me you're totally safe.
I'm only at risk of catching your idiocy.
Got it, hyung. Have fun. See you tomorrow.
Text me when you’re properly awake to let me know you remember what I’m doing this weekend.
Otherwise I might have to get you committed for dementia.
When he takes another sip of his coffee, he realises he's smiling and almost immediately wipes the expression off his features again. It's just in time for someone else to shuffle into the kitchen and when he looks up he's faced with the sight of a sleepy Seungmin all over again, fisted hands rubbing his face and squinted eyes peeking out at him after.
"Why are you up so early?" Seungmin asks him in a low, sleepy rumble. "Willingly. On a Sunday."
Minho smirks, leaning back in his chair as he takes in the sleep-rumpled state of Seungmin's clothes. "Hey, I should give you your money's worth, shouldn't I? Full days for full price. Speaking of which, the extra for kisses was a joke, pay me less today so it evens out. Cheek kisses and handholding were calculated into the daily fee."
Seungmin stares at him blankly for two whole seconds, before simply groaning (agreement or displeasure at being awake, Minho's not sure) and shuffling on to the coffee machine. Deciding it's better to leave Seungmin to his morning routine, Minho pushes himself up from his seat, emptying the last of his coffee.
"I'm taking a shower," he announces, receiving another grunt that has him grinning widely with amusement as he heads out the kitchen and up the stairs.
Seungmin's back in his room when he exits the adjacent bathroom, looking more awake than before though still sounding like a wreck when he looks up. "I have a problem," he says, croaking and glum, and Minho suddenly realises-
"Are you hungover!?"
Seungmin glares at him with all the conviction of a hungover person hating the other person's glee at the revelation, but then shrugs his shoulders. "Believe it or not, I don't usually drink that much wine when I'm staying at the dorms. And this wasn't the cheap kind either." He rubs a hand briefly over his forehead, yet is still frowning after. "That's not my problem, though. My sister told Hyunjin about us."
"Hyunjin?" Minho echoes in surprise, the blond haired university heartthrob from his dance classes the only one coming to mind. "Hwang Hyunjin?"
"Yes, Hwang Hyunjin. He used to live next door and we've been friends since kindergarten, basically."
Seungmin walks over then, lifting his phone for Minho to see. The conversation displayed on it is with 'Hwang Hyunjin', which is the most pragmatic and simultaneously the most Seungmin way of having his childhood best friend named in his phone. When Minho keeps reading, though, the issue becomes clear quite quickly.
"Your sister told Hyunjin we're dating and instead of telling him the truth, you affirmed it? Seems like an easy problem to fix."
"No way," Seungmin immediately counters. "If I tell Hyunjin the truth it takes five seconds for my sister to hear it as well and if my sister knows it then my parents won't be far behind. Can you just… If Hyunjin would ask anything, can you just play along and agree? It won't be for long, I'll fabricate a breakup in a month or so. Would that be okay for you?"
The genuine conflict visible on Seungmin's features is what convinces Minho this is a real concern of his, and so he hums and nods his head slowly. "Sure, yeah, I can do that. If he asks, I'll tell him we're dating and if he for some reason wants to know more I'll send him to you."
Seungmin's shoulders immediately sag with relief at Minho's agreement, his pinched features relaxing as well. "Thank you, hyung. I'll, um, you can keep the extra for the effort. I'll just pay you normal today and-"
"Kim Seungmin." He waits for Seungmin's mouth to click shut and his eyes to lift to meet his. "Believe it or not but I don't actually tend to charge people for favours that don't take any of my effort or time. If you feel really horrible about it then buy me food next week, but don't think I expect money for every single thing you ask of me now."
Seungmin's mouth stays closed, but he nods meekly and Minho hums, nodding as well. "Good. Now. Go take a shower, brush your teeth and drink a glass of water, you'll feel much better. What are we doing today?"
"Mom said something about a trip to the park, maybe bike rental. Do you know how to ride a bike?" At Minho's nod, Seungmin nods in return. "Okay. Good. Then probably that. The weather's going to be nice again today, so…" Seungmin shrugs, but he's already walking over to the closet to take another one of Minho's outfit piles. "I think she'll let us go back tonight, maybe tomorrow morning if she likes you too much and wants to keep you for dinner, too."
Minho grins, easy and a little smug. "Of course she likes me enough to want to keep me for dinner," he counters. "I'm a delight."
Seungmin rolls his eyes when he turns around to walk over to the bathroom himself. "Sure, hyung," he says sarcastically, but Minho hears the smile threatening to overtake him.
They do indeed go to the park that Sunday, after a delicious breakfast of leftovers from the day before. They rent two tandems because apparently Seungmin's mother loves unnecessary tests of relationships by making two people operate one bicycle. Somehow Minho and Seungmin manage fine enough, though, and most of the arguments happen between Seungmin's parents.
After they've returned the bikes, Seungmin's mother does ask him to stay for dinner, which he gladly accepts. They don't have wine this time, instead all drinking more of the homemade iced tea. Seungmin’s mother asks about his own, so Minho tells her the usual: she works in childcare, he goes home about once a month and for all the major holidays, they have a good relationship. Seungmin’s mother nods and smiles, and Minho returns the expression because casual is what he does best of all, always has and always will.
When the food is all gone and the conversation peters out, Seungmin eventually breaks the silence by claiming they should probably head back now, as they still have homework to finish and classes will start again on Tuesday for both of them. Seungmin's mother looks like she wants to protest, but surprisingly it's his father who speaks up instead.
"Stay another night, son, I'll drive you back after breakfast tomorrow." He gives a single, decisive nod as if that settles everything, and it seems like it does because Seungmin sighs and relents, and Seungmin's mother doesn't say anything more on the matter either.
Which is why Minho finds himself in Seungmin's childhood bed once more later that night, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the silence. Eventually he rolls onto his side so he can peek over the edge of the mattress. In the near-dark, he can still see the shine of Seungmin's eyes.
"Is your father secretly a tyrant ruling your household with his rich, iron fist?" He asks out of the blue, startling Seungmin into a chortle.
"What? Why would you- Oh, because of him deciding at dinner? No, he just doesn't usually offer things like that so when he does we all tend to just accept it. Besides, we get a lift back, which is definitely more comfortable than taking a train. Dad's probably going to want to have lunch with me before he heads home so he can talk to me without mom around, so you'll be free once we make it back to the dorms."
"And exactly what do you and your dad talk about when mom's not around?" Minho inquires teasingly, watching Seungmin's teeth gleam in the little light when he laughs again.
"Just… Guy things, I guess? He asks me if I still like school or if I want to change to something else. He tells me I should make sure I handle my money responsibly. Sometimes he asks me if I'm sure I don't want him to buy me an apartment to live in. That kind of stuff."
"Ah yes…" Minho trails off, rolling back onto his back and looking up at the ceiling. "All the regular guy stuff that mom can't know about: your happiness, money and real estate."
Seungmin's laughter is a bunch of muffled chuckles this time, and then he hears the sheets rustle as the younger sits up. "It's not that she can't know about it, it's just that my dad likes to check I'm still good but he knows mom can be too overbearing sometimes so he makes sure I can tell him without her motherly worries or whatever. Isn't that normal?"
"I wouldn't know, Kim Seungmin," Minho replies easily, casual in his tone of voice and the little shrug of his shoulders. "I've never known my father."
"Oh." Seungmin sounds strangely strangled, so Minho looks over. He sees Seungmin watching him, though he's certain there isn't much to see. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"Most people don't. You're fine. Don't worry about it. Now lie down and sleep off the rest of your hangover."
There's a huff, but Seungmin does as told and lies back down, pulling his blanket over himself properly and sighing deeply.
"Goodnight, hyung," follows not much later, making Minho's mouth curl up into a smile.
"Night, Seungminnie."
He closes his eyes and lets sleep drag him under quite easily.