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The doorbell rang just as he straightened out the sofa cushions.
"Coming!"
Yeonjun romped up to the door and checked his reflection in the hallway mirror before opening the door.
Soobin stood there in his pristine form, with the animal print t-shirt he had gotten him, hair tucked in, usually making him look younger than usual.
"Hello," Soobin greeted politely with a short bow.
Yeonjun returned the gesture with his own small bow and stepped aside for the elder to get in. Soobin handed him a plastic bag, and upon opening it, four cans of beer were staring back at him.
"I didn't know what else to bring," Soobin uttered nervously.
"This is perfect, I have ordered chicken, and it should be here shortly," he replies, leading them to the living room.
"Make yourself at home; I'll get some side dishes for the drink," Yeonjun says, padding over to the kitchen after noticing that Soobin was getting familiar with his surroundings.
Just then, the doorbell rang. "Do you mind getting it, the money is on the table," Yeonjun shouts from the kitchen, and Soobin was already on his way, ignoring the second part of whatever Yeonjun said.
When Yeonjun returns from the kitchen and notices the money on the coffee table, Soobin hurries up, "It's my treat, okay? You are letting me here, and I want to treat you at least that."
Yeonjun smiles and nods, making himself comfortable on the couch with the remote.
"You wanna watch anything in particular?" he asks.
"No, anything is fine," Soobin shrugs.
After scrolling, they sit on a random show and watch it silently, occasionally making remarks, joking, and laughing at the same scenes.
When Yeonjun finishes his chicken, Soobin places some of his on his place and hands him a newly opened can when the first can is done.
It was really kind of nice for Yeonjun. He sometimes has his friends with him, but they are kind of chatty, making it difficult for him to enjoy the show. Soobin was a good companion.
As the movie finishes, he stares at the empty plates, chicken takeout, and beer cans. He can't remember the last time he had so much fine in the comfort of his own house.
He felt so full, and just as he looked at Soobin, he could see he felt the same too. "Stuffed?" he chuckles, asking Soobin.
"Mhmm, I can't remember the last time I unconsciously ate so much that I couldn't move."
Yeonjun chuckled again, "Do you want some dessert? I might have some ice cream."
"Sure," Soobin laughs.
When Yeonjun returns from the fridge, Soobin is no longer seated. He is around looking at the pictures on the wall, many from Yeonjun's and Yeji's childhood to their engagement.
"We couldn't afford a large engagement," Yeonjun says as he remembers how much they had to think about every expense because they wanted to save up to build a mansion for themselves.
"You looked so happy," he finally stated.
"We were," Yeonjun nods.
"My wedding was elaborate," Soobin continued. "Mine and Ryujin's parents went all in, sparing no expense. The entire business and entertainment being invited with elegant decorations and amazing food."
"Sounds like a dream," Yeonjun commented.
"I guess," Soobin agrees before turning to look at him. "Why did you ask me over Yeonjun? Is this another plan of yours?"
Yeonjun grins, "As a matter of fact, it is!"
"Let me ask you this question, are you jealous of Yeji spending more time with Ryujin?"
"I suppose?" he wasn't jealous, maybe annoyed.
"Well, I was thinking maybe Yeji lost interest now, but maybe she would be jealous if there's any sign of me paying attention to someone else?"
"I see.... so why am I here?"
Yeonjun grinned, "Well, I'm going to leave signs that someone else was here. I'll be all mysterious about it, and hey, if we keep hanging out together, she might get suspicious that I might be having an affair, and she'll try to confront me, and then we'll talk about this and maybe fix this?"
He expected Soobin would applaud him, maybe even compliment his brilliant plan, but maybe it was too much to expect.
Soobin stood there just staring at him, the expression saying that he wasn't quite sure if he should take Yeonjun seriously.
"So... you invited me over to use me and not actually hang out with me?" Soobin sounded a little hurt.
It made Yeonjun guilty. Maybe he should have just said it in the first place.
"I.. sorry..."
Breaking into a grin, Soobin chuckled and reached over to playfully ruffle Yeonjun's hair. "You should have just told me your plan."
Realizing that Soobin had been teasing him, Yeonjun shrugged.
"Well, what do you think? Will it work?"
Soobin took a thoughtful sip from his coffee before answering, "You... have the craziest ideas." He chuckled. "I think you're... onto something there. But... wouldn't it be simpler if you just confronted Yeji now?"
Yeonjun blinked. "If I do that, will you confront Ryujin?"
Soobin appeared to hesitate then sighed. "Point taken."
He rolled his shoulders before smiling at Yeonjun. "Alright, then, Choi Yeonjun, I give you permission to use me as you will." Then, he winked. And, just like that, Yeonjun felt his cheeks flame red in embarrassment at the unexpected cheesy gesture.
He thought Soobin was beyond such behavior, but it turned out that the stuffy CEO had a few secret tricks up his sleeve. Coughing, he turned his gaze away and concentrated on the lone strawberry on top of his cake.
"Thanks," he managed in a steady voice before picking up his fork and began shoveling cake into his mouth to avoid talking further. He wasn't sure exactly why he suddenly became tongue-tied but the CEO didn't seem to notice anything as he too dug into his cake.
Soobin stayed for another hour before bidding him goodbye to head for home. Yeonjun promised to get in touch with him again to plan their next phase, whenever that would be. Leaving the box of chicken on the dining table, Yeonjun cleaned up a little before heading to the living room and sprawling on the couch, the excitement of the day finally catching up to him. He was tired and stuffed with food.
