𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 @wheeintaer - Tumblr Blog

name your price

pairing: kihyun x reader wordcount: 8.1K summary: you and kihyun have a comfortable arrangement. not quite professional, not quite personal, but it's enough. at least until someone comes poking around for clarity and drives you to wonder if this could ever be more than just in between. genre/themes: plot with smut, MDNI, i think i was implying sw-er/sugarbaby-ish situation for reader, afab reader, jealousy, angsty, possessiveness. they're emotionally constipated as HELL. kihyun has a kiddo (brief mentions). idk this is not good but also not bad?

a/n: not me back with a fic after a several year break, lolol. full disclosure, this is an old WIP that felt finished enough to post. i'm not exactly back in my writing bag, but thought this would be fun to share at least.

“Anything else I can get you all?” you smile at the group of clients after offloading their whiskeys from your service tray.

“You, here,” a particularly confident one of the men smirks at you while patting his thighs. Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you smile with your lips pursed.

“I think I’m out of your price range, hon,” you reply smoothly. As you walk away, his friends jump to tease him mercilessly.

“I’ll never understand how you manage to burn them so smoothly,” the bouncer standing near the bar chuckles as you return.

“Practice makes perfect!” you chuckle at him, your nose wrinkling slightly. Wonho smiles at you, crossing his muscular arms across his chest. For a moment, you pity the fabric straining around his mass, before the bartender brings you the next round of drinks.

“Table nine,” Hyoyeon smiles at you before you leave.

With practiced steps, you walk across the lounge and bring a variety of cocktails to what looks like a bridal party. The girls titter excitedly and you indulge them in their request for some pictures to document the night.

Handing back the phone, you turn to the bar and your eyes catch the gaze of one of the men in the group you’d served earlier. Like the rest of his party, he was wearing a suit, but his calm demeanor made him stand out. You’re not sure how long you’ve been staring when he raises his eyebrows at you, teasing you for your gaze. Nervously, you shift your eyes away and continue on your path back to the bar, ignoring his shit eating grin.

“Why’s your face so red?” Hyoyeon probes nosily upon your return. “Did you do something embarrassing?” her eyes light up, always more than ready to tease you.

“You’re so annoying,” you laugh, shaking your head.

“I mean of course,” she grins cheesily, taking advantage of the slight lull to wipe down the bar. You laugh, returning a few empty glasses to her before setting up to roll silverware. The task passes quickly as you listen in on the bachelorettes’ very juicy gossip. You’re in the middle of exchanging glances with Hyoyeon when a customer flags you down.

“You better remember every damn word that they say,” you hiss to your bartender before returning to the group of men.

“Hi folks, what can I help you with?” you grin kindly.

“We’ll settle up please,” the quiet customer you’d caught yourself staring at early nodded at you.

“Of course. Any shots for the road?” you wink at some of the younger men playfully. They glance hopefully at the apparent hyung, who’d signalled for the bill. The face that he makes while contemplating his dongsaengs’ wordless request makes your heart flip flop. “I’ll be back with those and the check,” you smile cheekily at him after he relents.

Kihyun chuckles to himself. He had to hand it to you, you were an excellent server. Truth be told, he had not been particularly eager for tonight’s outing. It was his younger sister’s fiance’s bachelor party and he had been invited mostly as a formality. Kihyun had been expecting an awkward night of drinking, but you’d shown up as a blessing in disguise. You managed to pop in often when there was a lull in conversation and ask fun and interesting questions, which helped the night pass faster than Kihyun would’ve guessed.

“Here you are, sir,” you smile at him, breaking him out of his reverie. Glancing around, he noticed that the younger men had already finished their shots and were milling towards the door. You smiled at him kindly, presenting the check with a slight bow.

“Thank you,” he smiled, brushing your fingers lightly as he took it from you. You turned to leave, but a pair of fingers caught your wrist.

“Yes?” you regard him, heartbeat quickening.

“Earlier, you joked that he couldn’t afford you,” he spoke in a calm and metered pace. “I find myself curious...do you have a price?”

“I-, uh,” you blink, taken aback at the question.

“Uh-uh-uh, what?” he teases with a mischievous grin.

“Doesn’t everyone?” you finally gather yourself enough to answer. He smiles, eyes shifting into crescents as he signs the receipt.

“I’m interested in you,” he says simply as he stands up from his seat. “I hope to hear from you if you’re interested in me too.”

“What’s your name?” you find yourself asking.

“Yoo Kihyun,” he smiles.

“LN FN,” you offer up, accepting the check presenter from him. He smiles before turning to rejoin his party. It isn’t until after they leave that you realize his phone number is written on the customer copy of the receipt along with an absolutely unreasonably large tip.

...

Kihyun smirks into his glass of wine as he watches you work the room full of lawyers, city officials, and other rich folks. Tonight’s event was a fundraiser co-sponsored by his firm for an organization suggested by you. As a result, you were more motivated than usual to put on a good show. Kihyun doesn’t bother to squash the feeling of pride rising in his chest as you managed to lock down yet another sizable donation.

“Doing well?” he whispers in your ear as his hand slides to rest on your hip.

“Very,” you beam up at him, grinning from ear to ear. “I think we’re almost at our goal for the evening!”

“Good girl,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss against your temple. You glow at his praise and you find your mind wandering to the way that the evening will, hopefully, end.

“Mr. Yoo, may I steal her from you?” another voice calls out, causing you to step back from each other. You turn your eyes to see Kim Youngkyun, the CEO of the tech startup that was co-sponsoring the evening. Kihyun nods graciously so you don’t catch the way his jaw clenches.

Youngkyun smiles, extending his hand out towards you to usher you to the dance floor. As he guides you, you marvel at his handsome face, wondering what you had done to garner this attention.

“You move so gracefully,” Youngkyun smiles, pulling you towards him.

“Thank you,” you giggle, blushing at his earnest statement. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Well it helps to have a great partner,” he winks.

“May I ask why I seem to have caught your attention?” you ask after a few moments.

“Well,” his brow furrows as he gathers his thoughts. “I suppose I admired the way you’ve been working the room tonight. If I’m not mistaken, you’re responsible for probably half of the donation commitments alone,” he laughs, “Which is really quite embarrassing for Mr. Yoo and myself.”

You giggle at his compliment. His nose crinkles as he smiles a gummy smile and your heart does a flip inside your chest.

“So tell me about yourself,” he prompts, turning you gracefully for a spin.

Kihyun grips his glass as he watches you glide across the floor with tall, dark and handsome Kim Youngkyun. The wine suddenly tastes bitter as he sees you blush and giggle at whatever it was that Youngkyun had just whispered into your ear. It reminded him of the way you were when you’d first entered into your arrangement with him. Always flushing nervously under his gaze in such an attractive way.

“Whoa, you grip that thing any harder and it’ll shatter,” Kihyun’s associate, Minhyuk, walks up with a laugh.

“Ah, yes,” Kihyun placed the glass on the bar, trying to act nonchalant.

“Night’s been quite the success,” Minhyuk remarks, following his partner’s gaze to the dancefloor. When his eyes find you and your dance partner, he smirks knowingly.

“Yes,” Kihyun nods, forcing himself to shift his gaze off of you and meet Minhyuk’s eyes.

“What’s it been now, three months?” the slightly older man asks, feigning nonchalance.

“Five,” Kihyun answers, not that anyone’s keeping track or anything.

“Ah,” Minhyuk nods vaguely.

“Say what it is that you want to say,” Kihyun snaps, sharp eyebrows furrowing at his longtime friend.

“I just...think she’s neat,” Minhyuk shrugs, downing the rest of his whiskey. He’s known Kihyun long enough to read his moods and tonight he’d prefer to be out of the line of fire when he snaps.

...

You chew your bottom lip as Kihyun drives smoothly towards your apartment. You weren’t sure why, but his mood had soured towards the end of the event and you could almost feel the waves of anger rolling off him now. You didn’t speak until he had pulled into the parking garage of your apartment.

“Did-, do you want to come in?” you ask nervously with your hand on the door. Kihyun’s jaw tenses before he answers.

“Yes.”

You smile, a slight tension in your stomach building as Kihyun parks the car and follows you up to your apartment. As you ride the elevator, you lace your fingers in his, wanting to feel close. He still doesn’t speak, but gives your hand a soft squeeze.

“Thank god,” you breathe a sigh of relief as you slip off your heels. You smile up at Kihyun as you smooth your hands over his lapels. “You look so good in this.”

“Ah, do I?” he arches an eyebrow at you as his tongue teases the corner of his lips.

“Yes,” you nod, grasping his lapels to pull him down towards you. “I was on the receiving end of quite a few jealous stares tonight,” you whisper, your warm breath just barely teasing his lips. His eyes flicker to your soft lips and he takes some solace in the fact that he wasn’t the only jealous fool of the night.

He grins and graces you with a small peck, even though he knows you want more. Your brow creases in confusion when he pulls away and your lips settle themselves into a pout. He doesn’t meet your gaze as he traces his fingertips across the low neckline of your dress, teasing the sensitive skin. You moan softly, fisting your hands in his expensive suit.

“You can be rough tonight,” you suggest, wanting to help relieve the stress that you can sense in him.

“Fuck,” Kihyun swears, face breaking into a genuine smile, “You’re so good for me,” he slides his hand up to grip your jaw firmly. Your stomach tightens at the pressure, neither too hard nor too soft, and you tug him towards your bedroom. He laughs and picks you up, carrying you towards the bed.

“I was looking forward to this all night,” you admit shyly as he sets you down on the edge.

“Oh really? I couldn’t tell with how cozy you got with Kim Youngkyun,” he sneered.

“Oh?” you respond, mostly focused on undoing the buttons on his vest. Kihyun grips your jaw again, directing your attention to his intense gaze. “I’m yours,” you reassure him before closing your mouth around his thumb, wet and warm.

“Show me,” he demands, shrugging off the jacket and vest. You nod, almost embarrassingly eager, working on the column of buttons on his crisp dress shirt. As the buttons come undone one by one, you press a kiss to each newly exposed area of skin. Eventually, you’re left kneeling before him and he towers above you.

You stare up at him with wide eyes as you trail your fingertips across the waistband of his pants. He’s already straining against them, but you know Kihyun to be extremely restrained when he wants to be. Purring contentedly, you flick open the button of his dress pants and pull down the zipper, placing a kiss on each hip bone as you tug them down.

“So pretty,” he remarks, stroking your hair gently.

“Your pretty slut,” you smile, stroking him through his satiny boxers. He laughs and nods in agreement, enjoying your teasing pace.

His erection flexes against your palm and you relish the throbbing heat before unsheathing it from its covering. You bite your lower lip as you stare down its veininess with anticipation. You stroke gently with your hand, enjoying the sensation and the way it knits Kihyun’s brows into a knot. Seeing his patient mood tonight, you continue teasing, planting soft kisses from his knees to inner thighs.

“Fuck,” he curses, fisting his hands in your sheets as you close your mouth around his cock. You grin. You always love when you get him to unravel like this. Humming with satisfaction, you bob your head up and down his shaft at a leisurely pace. Occasionally, you tease the tip, swirling your tongue around the hot, throbbing knob before swallowing back down to the hilt. “Enough,” he finally decides and pulls you off of your knees.

“You want to play? Let’s play,” he chuckles darkly as he carries you to the armchair that is conveniently located opposite a full length mirror. He plops you on his lap and spreads you open, directing your gaze to your own reflection. Your dress bunches up around your hips as his hands wander around your sensitive inner thighs. Your back arches into him when he finally strokes through your folds.

“Ki-Kihyun!” you gasp, gripping onto his thigh for support as his fingers explore your wetness. You move your head towards him, but he catches your jaw and forcefully redirects you to the mirror.

“Watch,” he instructed, “I want it imprinted into your brain exactly who you belong to.”

“Ah,” you pant, wide eyes watching as his fingers return to stroke dangerously close to your clit, but never quite close enough, “Please!”

“Please what?” he asks, making eye contact through the mirror.

“Kihyun,” you whine, blushing. One brow raises at you and you know better than to dally any longer. “Please, anything,” you beg, swallowing nervously.

“Anything?” he teases, his other arm snaking around your waist to secure you against him. His eyes twinkle as he raises his hand. For a moment you think he’s going to leave you hanging, so when he brings his fingertips down in a firm slap against your pussy, it sends you reeling.

“Ah!” you cry out at the stinging sensation. Your nipples tighten as you look at him, slightly bewildered and pupils dilated. He breaks out into a wide smile as he follows with a few lighter taps until you’re squirming against him.

“So good,” he whispers in your ear as he brings down another hard smack and the sound of the wet impact only serves to turn you on more. You’re gripping his knees desperately when he whispers, “I want to see you cum for me, just like this.”

Your turn panicked eyes towards him and he smiles and returns to work. He continues raining down slaps and taps on your swollen clit and despite your struggling and squirming, his arm keeps you firmly anchored down against him. Your head falls back against him a few times, but Kihyun is dead set on you watching your own unraveling so he redirects your eyes with a firm grip every time.

“Kihyun, please,” your voice breaks as you stare down his reflection. Even at this distance, your pupils look dilated and you let out an incoherent scream as you finally cum hard, squirting onto his fingers and the ground beneath you.

“So fucking good,” he smiles proudly at you, eyes turning into crescents as his tongue presses against his teeth. You slump against him, tired, and he picks you up suddenly.

“Kihyun!” you gasp as he throws you back on the bed. He looks at you kindly as he finishes undressing. Your eyes don’t know where to look as more and more of his body is revealed to you.

“I like when you look at me like that” he says contentedly as he climbs into bed with you. He pulls you against his chest and strokes the back of your hands softly as you relish in his warmth.

“You’re nice to look at,” you blush and you hear Kihyun chuckle behind you. As your breathing evens out, his hands start to wander. One strokes idly at the underside of your breast as the other teases the sensitive skin of your inner thighs

“Please just fuck me,” you finally gasp after a while of teasing, grabbing desperately at him.

“Ah? My little slut wants me to use her?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow at you.

“Please!” you beg, thighs squeezing together. Kihyun breaks out into a genuine smile. There’s nothing he loves more than seeing you out of your mind with desire. Desire for him.

“What is it that you want?” he teases cruelly, hands digging painfully into your hip. “Who do you belong to?”

“You,” you breathe, answering both questions simply. You press your hips back against him, trying to guide him towards your center, but he doesn’t cave. “Yoo Kihyun, please,” you try again.

“Good girl,” he rewards you with a big smile before lining himself up to drive into you deeply. You cry out at the welcome intrusion, relishing how you stretch to accommodate him. “Fuck, so good,” he murmurs, pumping at an unforgiving pace.

“Kihyun!” you moan, grabbing his wrist as he strokes into you. “May-, may I cum?” you ask when you feel yourself approaching the edge.

“No,” he stills suddenly, which makes you want to punch him. You pout, but you know it’s of no use. This man has a resolve of steel when it comes to orgasm denial. He pulls out of you completely before instructing, “Hands and knees.”

You’re visibly frustrated, but you comply, presenting yourself to him, hips high up in the air. You expect to feel his hands on you, but he surprises you by regarding you for a second and deciding he wants you down on your forearms instead.

“So pretty,” he smiles proudly as you lower yourself, hips angled upwards in an even more obscene way than before. You flush at his praise and your heart swells when you feel him behind you, pulling you against his shaft by your hips.

“Yours,” you encourage him, desperate to feel him inside of you.

“Oh?” he chuckles, tapping his length against your clit, “Mine?”

“Yes, your pussy,” you breathe, dropping your forehead to rest on your hands. “Use me, Kihyun.”

His pupils dilate at your words before he pulls you down on him, splitting you open again. You start to lose focus as he strokes into you, hard and deep. You’re almost glad to be face down so your neighbors will hear less of your absolute defilement. Kihyun’s grunts match his pace as he rams into you, toeing the line between pain and pleasure with skill.

“I wish you could see yourself, split open around my cock,” he sighs appreciatively. You squeak at his words, clenching tightly around him.

“So good,” he growls, spanking you with his free hand. “I’m gonna cum in that pussy,” he warns.

“Please,” you squeak, relishing his firm grip. Kihyun groans as his pace stutters slightly. He curses under his breath as you feel him unloading deep inside of you.

You purr happily as he slumps over you before pulling you both to your sides. You curl into him and he strokes your hair calmly as you both recover.

“You’re welcome to stay the night if you’d like,” you offer. You always offer, but he never takes you up on it. Tonight is no different. You pull on a light robe as he dresses and a question from earlier in the night pops into your head. You contemplate asking while walking Kihyun to the door.

“Kihyun?” you finally murmur, “Youngkyun asked me what the nature of our relationship was. Personal or professional...I wasn’t sure how to answer. How would you like me to answer moving forward?”

“Whatever you think is best,” Kihyun answers, fixing you with an unreadable gaze.

“Professional is probably most accurate, right?” you feign a smile, though your heart is screaming in your chest. Kihyun nods wordlessly before turning towards the elevator. He’d never admit it, but hearing you call Youngkyun by his first name makes his blood absolutely boil.

You rest your forehead against the door after closing it and sigh. While you knew that this was, technically, a professional arrangement, you’d be lying to say that you hadn’t grown attached. You knew you were a fool to keep asking him to stay the night, but that little bit of ‘what-if’ that welled up in your chest each time made it hard to stop. Slapping yourself lightly on the cheek, you willed yourself to snap out of it as you walked back to bed.

...

“YN!” Hyoyeon calls for you in the stockroom.

“Ah? I’m here!” you call back, hoisting a flat of beers to restock. Wonho was off today, so you were doing your best to fill in as the barback.

“There’s someone here to see you!” she told you excitedly, “He’s so hot!”

“Huh?” you furrowed your brows. Hyoyeon knew about Kihyun, so what other handsome visitor could it be? You set your load at the end of the bar before turning to see Youngkyun’s broad back. “Oh, ah!” you gasp.

“Oh good, I remembered right!” he turned to you with a wide smile.

“Ah, Mr. Kim, what are you doing here?” you bow at him, completely taken by surprise.

“Please, call me Youngkyun,” he blushed at the formality. “I told you I’d come visit you at work, right?”

“Oh yes, I just figured you were kidding?” you laughed.

“Why would I be kidding?” his brow furrows in a devastatingly handsome way. Behind him Hyoyeon eyed you with two thumbs up.

“People say things they don’t mean all the time,” you giggle.

“Ah, well I was being serious,” he reinforces, lifting his glass of beer to his lips.

“I see that,” you smile, glancing around the mostly empty lounge. No one seems to need anything at the moment, so you take a seat next to Youngkyun. “Did you need something specific?”

“No,” he shook his head, “Just was hoping to see you again. I enjoyed our dance the other night.”

“Me too,” you smile shyly. He flashes you a breathtaking smile.

“Ah, actually, I lied. I was wondering if you had found out the answer to the question that I asked you the other night.”

“Oh, ah yes,” you chewed your lip as you recalled the conversation with Kihyun. “Yes, professional.”

Youngkyun’s face split into a wide grin at your answer. You blushed, his transparency was something you were not used to yet, but you were more than flattered at his interest in you.

“Could I see you outside of work sometime? Personally,” he joked, thumb rubbing the glass. Hyoyeon’s eyes bugged out of her head as she began to nod furiously. The thumbs up were back in the air and you struggled not to laugh.

“I think I’d like that,” you nodded before exchanging contact information with him. Youngkyun beamed and downed his beer before leaving for other meetings.

“Okay, spill now,” Hyoyeon demanded before the door even closed behind him.

“To be honest, I’m not even sure I’m clear on what’s happened,” you murmur, never having been pursued so straightforwardly before.

“Well let’s start with who the fuck is he and how did you meet him?”

“I met him at that fundraiser thing that I went to with Kihyun last week. His company was co-sponsoring, so we chatted and danced for a bit. He’s the CEO of the startup,”

“Oooooh!” Hyoyeon squealed, fists shaking with excitement. “But you went home with Kihyun, right?” she asked, knowing about your current arrangement.

“Yes,” you nodded. “But that’s just...business?”

“Is it though?” she rolled her eyes at you.

“It is! I even asked, because Youngkyun had asked about my relationship with Kihyun and he confirmed that it’s just professional.”

“Did he really say that?” her jaw dropped.

“Well, I mean, I told him that professional was probably more accurate and he didn’t disagree.”

“Girl,” she planted her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes even harder at you than before.

“What?” you asked, feigning confusion.

“Well, what are you gonna do? Because Mr. Eligible Bachelor is coming in hot.”

“I don’t know,” you bemoaned, burying your face in your hands. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t sometimes think of something more serious with Kihyun, but he’d given you no indication that that was even on the table. Maybe it was time to make a change, you couldn’t be a sugarbaby forever, after all.

...

Kihyun glared at his phone after receiving your text. This was the first time in recent memory that you’d been unavailable for an evening. Of course, you had your life and things to keep up with, but you were usually free on Wednesdays.

“Stare at that any harder and your eyeballs might pop out,” his assistant, Changkyun, teased his boss nervously.

“Ah, are those the files?” Kihyun clears his throat, placing his phone face down.

“Yes,” Changkyun nods, handing him the packet of papers. “KimTech is asking for a response by the end of the week.”

“I think that’s do-able,” Kihyun nods, eye twitching at the mere hint of a thought of Kim Youngkyun. It frustrated Kihyun that he didn’t seem able to keep his cool, as they’d had a perfectly amiable business relationship prior to the fundraiser. Changkyun smiles and turns to pen an email back to Mr. Kim’s assistant.

“Changkyun?” Kihyun’s voice catches him before he leaves, “May I ask you something personal?”

“Of course?” the younger man nods, not letting on how surprised he is by the request. In all their years of working together, Mr. Yoo had always been fairly private.

“If you-, I mean, have you ever? No.” Kihyun stumbles over his words, trying to sort out his thoughts. “Do you think YN cares for me in a serious way?”

“Ah,” Changkyun breaks into a genuine smile, thinking of the woman that he had become friendly with over the past several months. “I do think she cares for you, sir. Although, if I may be honest, I don’t think you make it very easy for her to do so.”

Kihyun’s brow creases, which Changkyun, by now, knows is because he doesn’t understand but is also too proud to ask.

“I mean, your interactions are so superficial. I don’t think she knows about your ex-wife or Eunjun, and I don’t think she can really care about you because you don’t let her.”

Kihyun remains wordless and dismisses his assistant with a wave. Changkyun hopes he hasn’t overstepped his bounds, but reassures himself that if Kihyun had wanted to scold him, his ear would have already been bent.

…

You chewed your lip as you read and reread the text from Youngkyun. He had invited you to his place for dinner, wanting to avoid potential paparazzi that were likely to tail you if he were to take you out as he would prefer. Truth be told, it was preferable for you as well, since you hadn’t spoken to Kihyun since Youngkyun had visited you at work. It didn’t make you any less conflicted about it all.

You knew you were being childish in avoiding Kihyun, but you couldn’t bring yourself to see him in person again. You had yet to make up your mind about what you wanted, much less pull together what you would say to him anyways. You always seemed to lose your rational mind when you saw him anyways, he just had that effect on you.

‘That sounds great!’ you finally respond to Youngkyun’s request. You should’ve been excited to be having dinner with “The City’s Most Eligible Bachelor”, but there was a terrible pit of guilt sitting at the bottom of your stomach.

...

“Fuck, what are we gonna do about this?” Changkyun hissed frantically at Minhyuk, clutching one of the daily rags.

“What?” Minhyuk asked, alarmed. Kihyun’s assistant was typically level headed and calm, so this was definitely out of the ordinary.

“This!” Changkyun whisper-shouted, thrusting the newspaper into the older associate’s hands. Minhyuk’s eyes scanned the paper before the color drained from his face.

“Oh fuck, this is not good.”

“You don’t think I know that?! I’m asking for your help!”

“I can’t fix that!” Minhyuk gaped, his mind racing. Whilst this particular news publication was practically known for being unreputable, he didn’t think that would particularly matter to Kihyun when he saw the picture of you with the headline “Unidentified woman seen leaving KimTech CEO’s apartment…Romance in the air?”.

“Good morning,” their boss’s voice rang out from behind them, nearly scaring them out of their skin.

“Good morning!” they reply a little too loudly, Minhyuk struggling to hide the paper behind his back.

“What’s so interesting this morning?” Kihyun asks, noting their strange behavior.

“Oh nothing,” Minhyuk chuckled, “Just another garbage newspaper publishing garbage, filling our streets with garbage. You know it really is such a crime that they’re allowed to waste precious paper. It’s a nonrenewable resource I think,” he chatters, crumpling the paper furiously.

“Let me see,” Kihyun stretches his hand out. Changkyun briefly contemplates eating the paper before Minhyuk hands it over. Their boss unfolds the newspaper and scans the headline. The slight clench of his jaw is the only reaction they see before he walks into his office and shuts the door behind him. Minhyuk and Changkyun glance at each other nervously, expecting a scream that doesn’t come.

...

‘When are you available? We need to talk’

Your face paled as you read this most recent message from Kihyun. After your picture had been plastered on the Daily Newz you weren’t surprised, though you had hoped he’d maybe come across it later in the day or even week.

‘Yes. I’m free tonight.’ you reply, hands shaky.

Kihyun instructs you to expect a car at 7pm. You send back a brief confirmation before setting your phone aside. You were already a ball of nerves and knew that sitting around hoping for more messages would do you no good. Instead, you got changed into gym clothes. If nothing else, going for a run would help you work off some jitters in the meantime.

The day passed quickly and it was almost seven before you knew it. You were dressed casually, in a pair of high waisted, black jeans and a cropped cardigan. You pulled on a coat before heading to the lobby to wait for the car. Eventually, Changkyun pulled up in a black town car and waved at you.

“Ah, Changkyun-ssi!” you smile. At least it was a friendly face driving you to your doom.

“YN,” he smiles back.

“Is he very mad?” you ask after he gets back on the road.

“He’s not...happy,” Changkyun answered after giving it some thought.

His boss had been in a very odd mood today. He had expected anger, yelling, or any sort of more severe reaction, but he and Minhyuk had been handling a very sulky Kihyun, which was new to the both of them.

You sighed and continued to wring your hands together. You had spent your day trying to sort out what you truly wanted. Where you had finally landed was this: you wanted to be more than just his sugarbaby, but if the feeling wasn’t mutual, you’d rather just end things now. As Changkyun pulled up a winding drive, you hoped you would have the strength to actually say that to Kihyun when you saw him.

“Hold on, I’ll let you in,” Changkyun held one finger up to you, so you waited for him to open the passenger door for you.

As you followed the young man up the steps, you felt dwarfed by the size of the house. If anything it seemed fitting. While you’d never been here before, everything about Kihyun’s life was extravagant, so it stood to reason that his house would be too.

“I’ll let him know you’re here,” Changkyun smiled encouragingly at you after leading you to a room that looked like a study.

You waved softly at him before turning back to explore the room. Your eyes widened as you realized just how impressive it was. The dark, wood bookshelves spanned the entire area of the back wall and were filled with tomes. In front of that sat a large wooden desk and a few framed pictures on it caught your eye. You drew closer and were surprised to see photos of Kihyun with a small child. Your jaw dropped slightly as your eyes scanned images of him carrying an adorable little boy. The one where he was wearing a winter hat with bear ears particularly made you smile. Tucked away behind a few other items, you noticed a framed photo of Kihyun and a beautiful woman. Your heart sank as you jumped to conclusions. While Hyoyeon had certainly brought up the possibility of Kihyun being a married man, you had always insisted that you knew better than that. Perhaps you were wrong.

The sound of footsteps drew towards the door and you moved away from the desk in a panic, not wanting to be caught snooping. You were able to make it to the bookshelves a few feet away and were feigning exploring the titles when the door opened. You turned to see Kihyun entering the room. You typically saw him in a full suit, but today he had lost the jacket and tie with sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“Hi,” you greeted him nervously, stepping away from the bookshelves and clasping your hands behind your back.

“Hi,” he nodded solemnly at you before moving to pour himself a whiskey at a side table. You swallowed hard, not knowing what to do with yourself until he gestured for you to sit down on one of the armchairs.

“How have you been?” he asked, not unkindly, after a sip of liquor.

“Okay,” you sighed, answer honestly. Your eyes searched his face for an indication of his mood unsuccessfully.

“Just okay?” Kihyun raised one eyebrow at you. You could tell that he wanted to make a snide comment about your date with Youngkyun, but had decided against it.

“Yea,” you answered softly, one hand rubbing the other wrist nervously.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he finally spoke after watching you closely. As angry as he was about your absence, he knew he didn’t technically have a claim to stake.

“Ah, yeah, a bit,” you bit your bottom lip, a little surprised that he was cutting to the chase like this.

“Why?”

“I-,” your voice dried up in your throat as you tried to answer. “I-, um, I’ve been doing some thinking and I’m-, I’m not happy being your sugar baby anymore,” you blurted out in a jumble.

Kihyun’s eyebrows raised at your statement. He supposed it made sense. It was a fine arrangement until a more age appropriate Kim Youngkyun came along to sweep you off your feet. Still, it surprised him to hear you say it so bluntly.

“I see,” he answered, maintaining a cool facade. “Well, you’re welcome to terminate our agreement at any time. Perhaps that’s now.”

You swallowed, a little surprised and disappointed that he hadn’t even asked why you were unhappy. Blinking back tears, you pressed your lips together and nodded with a shrug. Kihyun blinked, downed his whiskey, and left the room. Shortly after, Changkyun came to usher you back to the car. You were at least able to take pride in the fact that you made it home before crying outright, but that was really not how you expected the evening to go.

Kihyun sat at the edge of his bed, pressing his fingertips against his closed eyes in order to relieve the pressure. He’d spent all day rehearsing the way he had planned to ask you to date him in earnest, but when those words had spilled out of your mouth, it had wiped that idea clear off the table. He had been deeply in denial about the level of attachment he felt to you and the intensity of distress he was feeling now came as a genuine surprise.

…

You nodded your head and smiled politely as you mentally cursed Hyoyeon for dragging you on this double date. The endless mansplaining about fintech had you seriously considering scooping an eyeball out with your spoon. If you were reading things correctly, dinner was at least drawing to an end and you hoped to make an escape.

“Are you all interested in grabbing a few drinks?” Hyoyeon’s date, Sungho, suggested. Her eyes lit up at the suggestion.

“I need to run home, but you all should definitely keep the night going!” you responded with a weak smile.

“I should get going as well,” your date, Kyungsoo shrugged apologetically. While he hadn’t been the right date for you, he did at least seem able to pick up on your hint.

Hyoyeon and Sungho shrugged and smiled at each other peachily, neither too crestfallen about the turn of events. You made your farewells and as soon as you turned away from the group, your smile fell, reflecting your true mood. Heaving a sigh, you walked towards a nearby cafe and ordered a black coffee before walking towards the library. Slapping yourself lightly on the cheek, you tried to perk yourself up without success. You’d been in the same hazy funk for nearly two months now and it was getting truly embarrassing.

You fingered through titles as you sipped your coffee. You’d been reading voraciously, mostly because you were avoiding reality. As you skimmed the inner jacket of a promising romance novel, you felt a pair of hands grab at your pant leg and you jumped in surprise.

“Shh! I’m hiding!” the small figure whispered up at you insistently while peeking around the corner. You giggled and shifted so that your other pant leg aided in his attempt.

“Eunjun-a!” a soft voice called out from a few aisles over and the little boy behind you giggled uncontrollably. When they finally rounded the corner, both you and Eunjun looked at them with playfully guilty eyes and the woman laughed exasperatedly before bowing to you in apology. “I’m so sorry about this, miss,” she sighed, grabbing for the little boy successfully.

“Ah, it’s okay,” you laughed, “I don’t have anywhere to be. I’m YN, by the way.”

“Ah, I’m Miseon,” the young woman laughed, “And this is Eunjun.”

You shook their hands, delighted to have a distraction this evening.

…

Kihyun ran his tongue across his teeth as he fiddled with his cufflinks. He wasn’t nervous, per se, but this was the first fundraising event that he had attended without YN in many months. To add to the discomfort, it was another partnered event with KimTech and, truth be told, Kihyun was not looking forward to seeing YN on Youngkun’s arm. But it couldn’t be helped, he supposed.

“Ready, boss?” Changkyun asked from the doorway.

“I think so,” Kihyun answered, taking a mental inventory. “Eunjun is-,”

“With Miseon for the evening. She’s aware that it will likely be a long night.”

“Good. Then I think I am ready,” Kihyun shot a small smile at his assistant. Changkyun nodded and the pair headed to the car. The drive was silent until Kihyun inhaled deeply before stepping out of the car. There was a slight media presence that he entertained briefly before entering the venue. He was immediately offered a flute of champagne and he couldn’t help but scan the room.

“Mr. Yoo,” Youngkyun approached genially, blissfully unaware of Kihyun’s long simmering resentment towards him.

“Youngkyun,” Kihyun shook his hand firmly. His eyes flitted to the date standing slightly behind Youngkyun and his eyes widened just slightly when he did not recognize them.

“Ah, this is my date, Jiyeon,” Youngkyun introduced, mistaking Kihyun’s eye contact for interest.

“Ah, nice to meet you,” Kihyun bowed politely before turning to greet other guests. As he made his way through the crowd, his mind wandered. Had Youngkyun tossed you aside after a few dates? Had you, perhaps, been the one to cut things off? Kihyun found his curiosity eating at him as the night went on and eventually he couldn’t keep himself from asking.

“Ah, that,” Youngkyun chuckled, “We just had that one dinner,” he scratched his head awkwardly. “Between the unfortunate media coverage and…your relationship, it just didn’t work out,” he shrugged genially. Kihyun blinked at the statement. Despite being several years his junior, the way Youngkyun smiled knowingly made Kihyun feel like the rookie.

“Ah, I see.”

“Shall we head home, sir?” Changkyun asked after settling in the driver’s seat.

“Where is Eunjun now? I’d like to pick them up, if they’re not already home.”

“Of course, sir,” the younger man nodded, sending Miseon a few texts before pulling out of the lot. Kihyun tapped his fingers against the car door as Changkyun drove. More than once, he pulled up a draft text message to you, but couldn’t quite think of what he wanted to say.

“Miseon said that they’re at this bookstore,” Changkyun pointed to the building after parking the vehicle. Kihyun cocked his head as he regarded the signage, it wasn’t a place he recognized but it seemed to be a book and toy store geared towards young children.

“Do you have children?” Miseon asked you inside the store as you watched Eunjun play.

“Oh no!” you laughed, waving your hands, “I don’t even have a boyfriend!” you were surprised at how okay it felt to say that to her. After spending the afternoon together, you found that Miseon had a very comfortable presence and you wondered if you could be friends in the future.

“Ah, but you like children, it seems?” she asked kindly.

“Yes, very much,” you smiled, “Though they wipe me out! I can barely keep up!”

She giggled, her eyes creasing into semi-circles as she nodded in agreement.

“Appa!” Eunjun shrieked suddenly, hurtling towards a man that had walked through the door. Curious to see what Eunjun’s father looked like, you craned your head and were stunned to see Yoo Kihyun.

“Ah, I should go,” you panicked, moving to sneak away while you still had a chance.

“Mr. Yoo,” Miseon stood to bow to the man, causing Kihyun to catch your eye mid-turn. The air seemed to still and your heart pounded into your throat as you stared. It had been months since you had last seen him, but he looked largely the same. His skin glowed and his suit cut a sharp silhouette, even with Eunjun cradled against his side.

“Ah, Mr. Yoo, this is YN. We met at the library, she’s been great with Eunjun,” Miseon smiles generously, gesturing to you.

“We know each other,” Kihyun finally spoke. His gentle and deep voice brought a flush to your cheeks, as it always had.

“Ah, what a small world,” Miseon laughed, sensing the tense energy between you. “Well, will you be needing me the rest of this evening, sir?”

“No, thank you Miseon. Would you like a ride home?”

“Ah, no need, sir!” she chuckled, “I don’t live too far from here, I’ll just walk!”

Typically, Kihyun would’ve insisted, but the opportunity to speak to you alone was too great to pass up, so he just nodded. Miseon said her farewells and before long, it was just the three of you.

“Are we going home?” Eunjun inquired, growing restless in Kihyun’s arms. Kihyun nodded before directing his gaze to you.

“Come with us,” he said, a gentle request.

“I-,” you swallowed nervously, “Your wife,” you probed.

He shook his head with a wry smile before turning to leave and hoping you’d follow. Without thinking, you fell in step behind him and rode quietly to his house once again. Eunjun spoke colorfully about his day with you and Miseon and Kihyun beamed at his son. You couldn’t fight the bubbling warmth in your chest as you watched the father-son pair together, almost painfully domestic. This was a side of Kihyun that you had not been privy to before.

“Wait for me in the study?” Kihyun asked. You nodded, so he moved to shepherd Eunjun to bed.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vu, you’d walked to the study again. It looked the same as last time, but your emotions were different. Your heart pounded as you waited for Kihyun and you found that you could not sit still. To calm your nerves, you stood up and browsed the bookshelves, interested to see what Kihyun read. You were browsing an unfamiliar title when the door creaked open. You finished the sentence before turning to face him.

Like last time, he poured himself a drink before turning to regard you. You clutched the book to your chest as his eyes bored into you.

“It’s good to see you,” he finally spoke, moving to place his glass on the coffee table. You nodded, still at a loss for words, as he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Your heart was pounding so loudly that you didn’t hear his invitation to sit the first time.

“Ah, right,” you blushed after he repeated himself. You sat gingerly across from him, tapping your fingers against the book nervously. “Did you-, did you want to talk about something?”

“I thought I would see you tonight, but at the event, not with my son,” Kihyun remarked, his lips quirking up into a lopsided smile.

“Ah, why would I be at the fundraiser?” you furrowed your brow at him, “I thought you would’ve found someone else by now,” your round eyes showing genuine confusion.

“Hah,” Kihyun laughed bitterly, “Do you really think that?”

“I-, I,” you floundered for words, suddenly deeply regretting your choice to come here.

“I thought you’d be there with Youngkyun.”

“Why would I-?” you started to wonder before recalling your lackluster date from months ago. “Oh, we only had dinner the one time. Nothing else happened,” you chuckled. “Plus I wouldn’t-, I wouldn’t put you in that uncomfortable position.”

Kihyun cocked his head at you, visibly chewing his lip. Without a word, he reached out his hand, which you took without a thought. Using it, he guided you around the coffee table and onto his lap. You were surprised to find that it didn’t feel strange, despite the gap in time.

“I owe you some explanation,” he exhaled sharply.

“No, you really don’t,” you brought your hands up in protest.

“No, I really do,” he chuckled, looking askance.

“You asked about Eunjun’s mother. She’s out of the picture, has been for a while.”

You nodded wordlessly.

“I wanted more with you,” he continued, “But, it felt like too much to ask of you, so I just let things continue as they were.”

Your eyes met his.

“Wanted?” you asked, wondering if it was truly past tense.

Kihyun’s lips curled up into a sheepish yet wicked smile.

“This is cute,” he murmured, not answering you directly as his fingers toyed with a button on your cardigan.

“Ki- Mr. Yoo?” you squeaked, shifting slightly as your body reacted to his touch.

“Mr. Yoo?” he cocked an eyebrow at you, smirking darkly.

“I-, I don’t-,” you stuttered, thoroughly flustered.

Kihyun struggled to hide his smile. As adorable as you were when flustered, the more overwhelming feeling for him was the sense of relief at the fact that you were still affected by him. It was like letting out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Say it again?” he whispered against your neck, fingers keeping at the buttons.

“Mr. Yoo?” you flushed, turning away from him.

“Uh uh,” he teased, fingertips cupping your jaw possessively. He pulled your face towards him, his breath whispering against your lips. “May I?”

He was asking for tonight, tomorrow, and all the nights after too.

You nodded with embarrassing eagerness and he pulled you in. During a quick separation for breath, you scramble so that you’re straddling him so you can kiss him in earnest. He chuckles at your desperation, but his grip on your hips mirrors it.

“So eager,” he teases you, pulling back slightly to look into your eyes. You flush, but don’t break his gaze before rolling your hips against him seductively. “Oh?” he laughs, eyes twinkling dangerously as he presses up against you, generating a delicious friction.

“Kihyun!” you gasp, hands gripping his shirt collar as he undulated beneath you.

“I need you,” he finally admits, hands sliding underneath your cardigan and across your smooth skin.

“Take me,” you consent, thrilled at his words.

Silently, he stands up, holding you against his chest as he carries you up a flight of stairs and into a bedroom. Your legs are wrapped around his waist until he deposits you on the bed and you grab his shirtfront to pull him down for a kiss.

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