tears & raindrops mingle
In which you bump into the CEO of a nearby bar when you are just as heart-broken as him, and it doesn’t seem to go well at first.
♦ Pairing: bar CEO!Yunhyeong x jewellery shop CEO!reader/you
♦ Genre: fluff, light angst
♦ Words: 4.1k
♦ Warning: mentions of cheating (on other characters’ parts)
♦ Dedicated to: @flora-jimin for the Spring Fic Exchange based on the spring rain prompt! I really hope you enjoy my story as I’ve really enjoyed writing it! 💖
Song Yunhyeong had the most horrifying day ever. It wasn't enough that he got to know that the girl who had been his girlfriend for 3 years and to whom he had proposed a month ago was with him only for his money. He even eavesdropped that she was planning to hijack the success of his business using his weakness (aka her) against him. She knew that he would do as much for her as he could do within his power, but he would have never thought that she would want to ruin the image of his bar by a scandal. She said that she would gladly be found humping with another man in Yunhyeong's office, caught by a gossip magazine's journalist who was hungry for any juicy details in the CEO's life.
The young man couldn't believe his ears. Where did it go wrong? Was she a traitor from the beginning? How could he not see it? It's true that Yuri and him had almost the same opinion of everything and had almost the same preferences but was it all for just to seduce him? Was it all fun for her? While he knew from the beginning that Yuri was nowhere near as rich as him, it never bothered him. He didn't have a say in which family he was born into and she didn't have a say in it either. So why? Why did she do it? Was she really that heartless? Was Yunhyeong that terrible at reading people?
He was raging, feeling like a volcano that could erupt anytime soon, as he walked down the corridor from his office to the security guards and IT guys' office, bursting in without knocking on the door first. Everyone assumed that he was in a bad mood if he wasn't being dead polite.
"Do not let Kang Yuri into the bar ever again! Not today. Not tomorrow. Never!" He yelled frantically, and his fervent reaction was enough for the guys to shut their mouths and don’t ask about the reason behind his command. He shot another glance at them before he turned on his heels and shut the door behind him, listening to the echoes while he walked down the corridor.
He pushed the emergency exit door with all his power as he stepped into the chilly midnight air. The moment he stood outside, he was showered by rain, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind that his expensive suit was about to get totally drenched, he didn't mind that he would look like a fool who got caught in the sudden downpour that was so common in spring. He didn't mind. He was used, he was betrayed, he was being played. He couldn't care anymore. He wasn't going to go home anyway; he needed some time to himself to decide on the least problematic and most peaceful way to end whatever was going on between him and Yuri. Even if she didn't deserve it.
While he was just standing there in the rain, inwardly enjoying being hit by the merciless raindrops, you bumped into him and murmured a quiet apology. No matter how gentle he usually was, he couldn't take it today.
"I don't think I've heard what you said," he blurted out coldly, the air becoming even chillier around him. The equally soaked you was about to walk away, then suddenly turned around to face him. You were examining him, eyebrows furrowed in question, looking all businessy in your black women's suits, stylish high heels and designer bag. You wore an expensive necklace that stuck to you like second skin due to the raindrops claiming their place on your exposed neck.
Yunhyeong had no idea if you were always this stern, fierce flames dancing in your eyes, or it was the situation that made you uncharacteristically frustrated.
"I've said I'm sorry," you repeated again, lips in a firm line. "There must be something wrong with your hearing." You fixed the bag on your shoulder as you shot him a glare and was about to turn around again if Yunhyeong's words wouldn't have stopped you.
"Are you really trying to play this game?"
"I wasn't the one who started this," you stated matter-of-factly, the dancing flames in your eyes starting a more fervent routine than before. You seemed unfazed by the rain that was pouring onto you, not caring about the condition of you expensive dress. Funny how you seemed all tight and rich (and annoying), yet you let your designer bag get soaked in the rain. Not to mention your perfectly braided hair.
"You bumped into me," he pointed out as he took a step closer to you. He didn't seem to intimidate you though. Maybe it's because you were as tall as him with your high heels, or maybe you had just enough pride in you not to be swayed by a man like him.
"That was accidental. Haven't you heard about accidents?" You got back at him immediately and took a step closer to him, so that you would be even closer to him, your faces only an inch away. Yunhyeong could hear the erratic beating of your heart and wondered if he had played a role in its state.
"Oh yes, I did. I certainly did." He nodded nonchalantly, bitterness scratching his throat. "I've accidentally eavesdropped a conversation today that made me realize that my fiancée's with me only for my money. You can tell that I don't like accidents," he confessed straightforwardly, not caring if you knew who he was or if you would pass on the news. He didn't care. After all, his fiancée has wanted to do something similar to him.
"Today, I've accidentally walked in on my best friend having sex with my boyfriend of four years whom I've thought would marry me soon. And if that's not enough, they did it in our apartman, on my birthday, before I was supposed to go out for dinner with him. So you can tell that I don't like accidents either," you told him without a blink of an eye, without being ashamed of the past events. It's not like Yunhyeong thought that you should be ashamed. After all, it wasn't you who had cheated on your boyfriend.
On the other hand, the fact that you got to know about it today and you seemed so composed surprised him. A lot. On top of that, he was convinced that boyfriend of yours must have been either completely dumb or just another chaebol who didn't care how much money he lost by such a scandal. If it was ever going to surface.
"You look like you need a drink," Yunhyeong said quite emotionlessly, even though his grudge against you wasn't so powerful anymore. He began to understand you a bit more.
"Oh yes, I do." You nodded, half-laughing and half-snorting.
"I'll buy you a drink."
It was a mere offer on his part. If anything, it was a kind one. He knew you both had your own hardships to deal with, so he assumed that a drink or two may come in handy for you. On the other hand, you didn't take his side.
"I don't need your pity."
"If not for your douchebag boyfriend, then for your birthday. I'm the CEO of Full Moon, and I would need a drinking buddy anyway. You can join or you can go home drinking alone." He shrugged, his vision getting blurry because of the raindrops that got into his eyes. The rain didn't bother him though, it felt like as if it was going to wash away all the events from the day, all the bad that had happened. Even though he knew a mere spring downpour couldn't solve his problems, at least it wasn't sunny to make him feel even worse.
You weren’t bothered either. You were standing fierce and tall, clothes getting soaked and hair looking like a lost girl’s.
"I'm not going home," you blurted out after a few seconds of complete silence, except the sound of rain.
"Exactly." Yunhyeong bobbed his head agreeingly, and waited a bit before he headed back to his own bar. He wasn't surprised when you followed him, it wasn't that hard to imagine after seeing the flames in your eyes that became more powerful when you declared that you wouldn't want to go home. Considering that you had mentioned having a shared apartment with your boyfriend, he could understand why you didn't want to go home.
So you did. You followed him into his bar, taking a seat on the black leather seat beside him, elbows resting on the cold surface of the wooden counter. You enjoyed the slight jazz music that was playing from the speakers, the dim light that illuminated only what was needed to be illuminated and the rest was left in mysterious darkness, the chic yet somewhat fitting design of the whole place, black and burgundy being the dominant colours. There were only a few people at this hour, but considering that Yunhyeong had introduced himself as the CEO of the bar, you weren’t afraid that you would find yourself outside the place because of closing hours.
He ordered himself a drink and so did you. You seriously needed something strong, hoping that the euphoria that the alcohol would bring would be enough to erase the picture of your best friend getting down on your boyfriend, or at least to help to ease the pain. Anything but to face the consequences.
"So did it happen to you today, too? Getting to know about your fiancée's true intentions?" You couldn’t help but ask since the young man himself seemed so easily annoyed by a simple act of carelessness on your part. He must have gotten to know about it lately or he must not have been over it yet.
"Yes." He nodded, an aghast sigh escaping his lips. "I wish it didn’t happen today though. I should have known about it before. I wouldn’t have proposed to her then," he explained, eyes staring far ahead, breathing more erratic than it should have been. You looked at this heartbroken young man and wondered if he was really that blind to not see the signs or his fiancée was that good of an actress. After all, you couldn’t see things coming your way either. Maybe you were both too lost in your own feelings that you didn’t catch up to what was going on around you. Maybe you both just wanted to be loved and feel loved.
"It’s still better that you got to know about it now than if it happened later," you pointed out with a tilt of your head, thinking of the consequences of a later revelation. They hadn’t gotten married yet, so at least he didn’t need to worry about that part if he decided to leave his fiancée for good.
"Maybe." He nodded hearing your words, and you could definitely feel the sorrow in his words. It soaked through his voice, his shirt, his actions. He was a heartbroken man, his confessions dripping rawness and desperation. No matter how much he tried to hide it, you could see the real man behind the mask, you noticed his intense gazes and momental daydreams.
You soon fell into a comfortable silence that only the light music from the speakers interrupted. Your drink was ready in no time, and the barista put down both your order and the man’s order at the same time. You exchanged a glance with the CEO as you reached for the glass.
"Cheers!" He said, holding up his shot of vodka.
"Cheers!" You emulated his actions and consumed the soju in one-go. You immediately felt the warmth spreading through your body, the alcohol making its way through your system. It wasn’t a very familiar feeling as you didn’t drink a lot. In fact, you only drank if it was socially required at parties or other events that were more about your money than you personally. Sometimes you really hated your life. Sometimes you were thankful that you could start your own business because you were born into a rich family. Sometimes you imagined being just an ordinary woman, sometimes you enjoyed the glamour. It was nothing new though; the chaebol life had always been ambivalent.
"Oh, and happy birthday!" The CEO added after he gulped down his own drink and visibly flinched when the taste hit in. You bobbed your head as a sign of gratitude.
"Maybe it’s not my day but it can be my year," you added with a bittersweet smile as you looked at him, his lips also curling upwards. It wasn’t a friendly smile though, it was more like an empathetic, an understanding one. It was genuine and raw, it was all you could have asked for in such a situation.
"You’re right. You deserve better."
You had no idea what to say. You didn’t even know each other, you had met half an hour ago, and he was already talking about you as if he had known you all your life. It was weird, this kind of act right at the beginning of your conversation when you were so used to people sugarcoating their words or outright lying to you, keeping their distance from you when they got to know who you were. He either didn’t care or didn’t know how it was supposed to be.
"You don’t even know me," you remarked rather confusedly, hoping that he wouldn’t take your words the wrong way. He didn’t though.
"No one should be cheated on," he mused out loud, keeping the eye-contact for another minute or so before he turned back to order another round. Then, he casually loosened his necktie and stared far ahead.
You assumed that you two had more in common that you would have previously thought, and this night was enough to prove you right. More than enough.
The next morning you woke up at the exact same spot you talked to Yunhyeong the day before. You probably dozed off after your fourth bottle of soju because you had no recollection after that, hence the location seemed fitting. You didn't mean to stay the night, you didn't even mean to drink so much, but through the shared sorrow and compassion somehow you found talking to the CEO quite enjoyable. He was a breath of fresh air after meeting so many lifeless, two-faced rich people you had the chance to encounter. He was intelligent, not the obvious one, not even the fake one, yet the way he connected the dots and looked at the world was saying it all. He was kind and considerate too, not the pushy type though, he had just the right amount of curiosity. He was also a lot kinder throughout the night than compared to the way you met. Maybe it was because you went through kind of the same, or maybe he was usually this kind. You didn't know, you knew only a tad bit about him.
When you opened your eyes, you needed a minute to realize where you were and why you were there.
You stood up, but you immediately knew that it was a horrible idea when you needed to hold onto the bar counter, so that you wouldn't fall down.
"Easy there," a familiar male voice suggested gently, yet you could detect a bit of amusement behind his words. You could already feel him smiling even without properly looking at him.
"I'm perfectly fine," you tried to reason as you turned around to face a perfectly sober Yunhyeong with a neatly ironed shirt and clean cotton pants. So you were the only one who got knocked out last night. Good to know.
"Your reflexes wouldn't say the same." He giggled to himself before his features became solemn again. You eyed each other for a few seconds before he made his way around you and got behind the counter, filling a glass with water. "Here. You must be dehydrated," he added while a faint smile was dancing along the edges of his mellow lips. You knew that he was right as your throat was as dry as a desert, yet you needed a moment before you reached for the glass to gulp down its content in one go.
You put it down with a satisfied sigh, and looked back at Yunhyeong.
"Thank you." You bobbed your head as a sign of gratitude, hoping that he wouldn’t expect too much of you in such a state. You wouldn’t say that you had a headache or that you were that hungover. However, you definitely felt the heaviness in your body and you were definitely thirsty like never before. You should have eaten the night before, too, you reckoned as your stomach growled loudly.
"Seems like someone’s hungry," the CEO commented with a lopsided smile that you wished you could swipe off his face. You weren’t used to such cheekiness, especially not from someone who was your age (as you had discussed that you were the same liners). Yet, there was something childishly innocent about his playful behaviour you couldn’t quite pinpoint. He had this duality, and you weren’t sure when to take him seriously and when not to.
"It’s okay." You shook your head. "I’ll grab something on the way to work," you declared as you looked at your watch and realized that it was time you headed out for work. Even though you were the owner of your very own jewellery shop, even though you could have come by any minute and you could have skipped any day without notifying anyone, you weren’t one to abandon what you’ve been working for years, and you were definitely not one to call in sick just because you had a drunk night.
"Are you sure you don’t want to eat here?" Yunhyeong inquired with a quirk of an eyebrow, but you nodded anyway.
"Yes, I’m sure. You’ve already done enough."
"It was nothing, really." The CEO shrugged like it was really nothing when it was more than you could have asked for. Even though it wasn’t intentional, at least you had somewhere to sleep, at least you didn’t need to face neither your boyfriend, nor your best friend, and at least Yunhyeong kept you company. Come to think of it, it wasn’t that bad of a night despite the horrible events that led you to the bar.
"Thank you, Yunhyeong," you repeated with a grateful smile for which the young man just shook his head.
"No problem. You can come by anytime," he offered with a soft smile, and you felt odd under his stare. Maybe it was because you were still very much affected by what happened the day before, or maybe it was because you had lost all faith in males, and there was this gentle young man showing you that not all guys were as much of an asshole as your boyfriend was. Or ex-boyfriend. Whatever. There was still something left to discuss with him.
"I will," you promised equally casually, and headed out of the bar with a lighter heart and a newfound acquaintance in the same district you had your own shop.
As both your shop and Yunhyeong's bar was on the same shopping street (which was said to be the most chic in Seoul), you didn't hesitate a lot when you finished with work in time, and didn't feel like going straight home. Yunhyeong even paid for your drinks every time you were there even if you insisted that you earned enough, so you could pay for your own order. When it came to business, he was as serious as no one you had met before, yet when he was off-work, he wasn't so stern. He joked around a lot and whined like a child even though he was already in his mid-twenties. He seemed like such a brat sometimes. He was also very enthusiastic and curious, so when you showed him around your shop for the first time, he looked around like Alice in Wonderland. It was odd seeing him among all those fancy rings and necklaces you were selling, and it was even more weird because he was a male. You didn't like stereotypes but males were rare to find in your shop.
Truth to be told, you weren't used to having a companion almost every day. You tried to be on good terms with your employees, but none of them were close to you. Not to mention your family. You didn't hate them, but you didn't even fancy spending time with them when it wasn't necessary. You were thankful for what you had, yet you had such different mentalities that it was difficult not to pick a fight with them whenever you spent time together.
With Yunhyeong, you weren't lonely even if you had just broken up with your boyfriend and had also lost contact with your best friend after what had happened. You knew that it was over, but you decided to give a chance for both of them to explain themselves, and it didn’t go well, to say the least. You ended up drinking at Full Moon yet again, complaining to Yunhyeong about what those two had dared to bring up as their excuses.
You didn’t keep count of the weeks and months that passed by because you were always looking forward to each and every day to meet Yunhyeong, to get to know him a bit more. Despite your initial dislike towards him, he turned out to a very gentle, attentive and incredibly funny young man, and soon your days became filled with his contagious laughter and self-made meals because the CEO loved nothing more than cooking.
This is how you actually ended up in his house one day after he had insisted that he would want to teach you how to cook one of his favourite meals. It was about half a year after your first encounter and also your first time to visit his house.
It was all going well as Yunhyeong was a very patient chef, and he didn’t make you feel completely useless even though he did most of the actual work. You weren’t a kitchen fairy, but you’ve tried your best, and worked as diligently as you would do at your own shop. It wasn’t until a careless turn on your part and his closeness that the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. You had just turned around to look at him and ask what else you could do, but he was already behind you, so you practically bumped into him and almost lost balance but he caught you in time. He grabbed you by the waist, and even when he could see for himself that you were stable, he didn’t let you go. You didn’t care though. You were more focused on his face. To be precise, on his eyes.
You didn’t even dare to look away, you didn’t feel like you knew how to do so. You were mesmerized, stuck in the moment, in the fantasy world that the situation created. You had never been this close to Yunhyeong ever before, and the close proximity did odd things to the state of your heart. You found it difficult to breathe properly, and your lips were parted because you were about to say something, yet nothing seemed right.
Then it happened. All of a sudden, only for a moment, your lips touched his, and you were even more mesmerized than before. However, your rational part made you back away and apologize immediately.
"I’m sorry. I really didn’t…" You started immediately but he cut you off.
"It’s okay, it’s really okay." He shook his head, then a lopsided grin started stretching on his lips. "I was just about to ask if it’s okay if I kiss you," he added with a nervous giggle and sheepishly scratched his temple.
You were so shocked than you didn’t even know what to say for the next few seconds. Your heart was racing so wildly that you were afraid that you would have a heart attack soon. Luckily, Yunhyeong saved you.
"Then, it’s my turn next," he declared as he hovered over you and waited for you to push him away, to reject him. Needless to say, you did neither, and so he kissed you while you could feel him smiling to himself. You did the same as him, your insides melting.
What an interesting turn of events when it all started with an innocent little cooking session.
