Chapter Text
The empty document stared back at him, almost mockingly, taunting him with unwritten lines and pages to be filled.
Seonghwa had written and published plenty of books, and usually his struggles were based around finding the perfect setting to fit his ideas. But this time, he had a whole different problem. The fantasy worlds he had created for his story were by far the best ones yet, but for the first time in his career, he simply couldn't come up with an actual plot.
“This is so frustrating. I don't know what to do with this and my publishers expect me to hand in a finished manuscript in two months. I just don't know what to do. This is the worst writer's block I've had in years…” Seonghwa said, but his complaints fell on deaf ears.
“Mingi?”
He turned around in his chair only to find his friend deeply asleep on his couch, a half eaten bag of Nachos next to his head.
“And of course you left crumbs all over my carpet again. How often have I told you to be careful? This carpet is so hard to clean…”
Seonghwa sighed and went over to his friend, covered him with a blanket so he wouldn't get cold, then he took off his glasses and placed them on the coffee table together with the rest of the Nachos. A little part of him wanted to just let Mingi sleep and ignore the crumbs for a little while, but he also knew it would be much more effort once they had fully fused with the carpet. When he had bought that shaggy rug he had done so because it had been soft and looked pretty, but by now he regretted buying it. Especially because Mingi would manage to ruin it sooner or later.
Without much of a choice, he went over to his storage room and got his hand-held vacuum cleaner, since it wasn't as loud as the normal one and went back to the living room. To his surprise, Mingi actually didn't even stir at the sound, and Seonghwa figured it was probably because he was so used to it by now; after all, he was cleaning after his friend more often than not.
“Sleep well, Mingi-ya~”
Again, a sigh escaped his throat as he sat back down at his desk. There it was again, that unbelievably strong urge to just run away and start over somewhere new. It was a feeling he often had when he became frustrated, but so far he had never followed through with it. Usually, it went away again as soon as he overcame his writer's block, but this time it was just a little worse. Somehow, it felt like he had fallen into a slump.
Theoretically, he could whip up another book in a few days, one that people would enjoy just as much as his usual stories, but he was so sick of writing pure romance novels by now, bored even. Mind him, he was good at writing those, but the more he wrote, the more he felt like these stories were draining his soul. No, his next story needed to be different. He needed something that made him believe that there's actual magic out there again. But so far, his mind was as empty as the blank page in front of him.
“This isn't working. Maybe something sweet will help.”
For the second time today, he got up from his desk to walk over to his friend, not caring if he woke him up this time.
“Mingkiiiiii. I'm frustrated. Wake up, we need to get bubble tea and some fried chicken,” he complained and just threw himself on top of Mingi to hug him tightly.
“Why is there bubble bath on the chicken? That's so random,” Mingi mumbled through his haze, blinking himself to awareness. He was at least awake enough to comfort Seonghwa, gently patting his hair a few times.
“Mingi pabo. Bubble tea and chicken. Where is your brain?”
“Oh. I'm tired. Yeah, I could eat. I thought you wanted to work on your story?” he asked, still mumbling a little since he was obviously still tired.
“Aish, I wish. I have no ideas left. And I physically cannot write yet another pointless romance novel. I want to do something new, something fresh. I wanna explore new genres and it frustrates me that I don't have a muse.”
Again, Mingi patted his head, slowly awake enough to have an actual conversation. However, he wasn't necessarily very helpful when it came to topics like this.
“How about you write a story about me? But as a princess, yes? Princess Mingi and the Dragon! And the plot twist is that the dragon gets the girl,” he suggested, making Seonghwa reconsider their whole friendship for a moment. He loved Mingi to death, especially because he was his only friend, but sometimes he wanted to hit his stupid little head.
“Ani, that's not something I would write. Ever.”
“Ah, right. I forgot you don't do straight romance. Then make it Prince Mingi and the dragon.”
Seonghwa rolled his eyes so hard it hurt his head, before he got up from the couch and straightened his clothes.
“Absolutely not. You're out of your mind. It was hard enough to find a publisher who would allow me to publish my books. If I write your dragon idea they probably cancel my contract, and then I'd have to move out of my little rooftop apartment because I won't get paid anymore, and then you would have to take me in. Do you want that?”
Mingi seemed to actually consider this for a moment, then finally shook his head.
“No. I like your rooftop apartment. All the stairs sucks but the view is nice.”
Seonghwa smiled. “See? So stop suggesting dragon romance. You don't even read books.”
“I would read that one though. If it's a bit spicy.”
Seonghwa squeezed his eyes shut and tried to forget the pictures his mind conjured up at that statement. Still, he couldn't refrain from letting out a chuckle. This was exactly why he liked Mingi so much. He never failed to make him laugh, even if some of the things he said gave him nightmares.
“You know what, Mingi-yah? If you ever learn how to read I'll write that book for you,” Seonghwa teased, earning himself a flick on the head from his friend.
“Ey! Don't be so mean to Princess Mingi~ but seriously, you should write that book.”
Again, the older one shook his head and dragged his friend off the couch. This conversation was over for him and he never wanted to think about it again.
“Where should we go? Addictea or Tiger Sugar?” he changed the topic in the hopes that they could finally get past that whole dragon thing. However, Mingi's answer didn't make him feel any better.
“You said you're stuck with your story. I'm no author, but going to the same places over and over again won't give you new inspiration. I vote we go somewhere new today.”
While he knew Mingi had a point, he dreaded trying out something new when he was feeling down already. Not that he didn't enjoy finding new places and especially trying new foods, but right now he was more in for some comfort, something he knew he'd enjoy.
“Yaaaa, Mingi-yah… Please let's just go where we always go. I will cry if something else goes wrong today. Today has been bad enough already…” he complained, but his friend was already set on finding something new for them to do.
“Come on, Hyung. I know a place you'll like. It's called Hangaram–”
“No! Seriously I just wanna go out and eat some fried chicken… Why can't we just go where we always go? I don't need to experiment today. I'm upset!”
Mingi stepped closer to his friend and wrapped both of his long arms around him, gently patting his back to calm him down. And then, he said the single sexiest sentence anyone could have said to Seonghwa.
“There's a Lego store close by. Let's go there after lunch and I'll buy you a set as a reward.”
Seonghwa slowly retreated from their hug and looked at him, his big brown eyes a little pleading.
“You're bribing me.”
“Uh-huh. Is it working?”
He let out an overly dramatic sigh, rolled his eyes, but finally relented with a nod.
“Ne. Let's go. I already know what I want. Oh, and Mingi? It won't be cheap.”
His friend gave him an honest smile and then shrugged. “That's alright. I'll let you pay for lunch then.”
***
Seonghwa couldn't deny that the food had been amazing. They'd both decided to try the grilled spicy pork belly, and for now this meal had definitely filled the hole in his stomach, and patched the one in his heart as well. All he needed now was a new Lego set, and maybe he would feel less stressed by the time he came home.
“Feeling better now, babygirl?” Mingi asked after Seonghwa had sat there, smiling contentedly for a while, absolutely ripping him out of his food-related coma.
“Don't call me that. We're not dating. But… yes. The food helped. Thank you for suggesting this, Mingki~”
His friend let out a stupid, kinda cute chuckle and got up from the table, offering Seonghwa his hand.
“I used to call you that, why can't I now? It's fun!”
“You– it's– Aish, do what you want. As long as you buy me Lego, I don't care. But I'm not holding your hand. If I ever meet a boy who's actually into men, unlike you, I don't want him to think we're dating.”
Mingi stared at him blankly for a while, making Seonghwa wonder if there was a single thought in his head. Maybe he also hadn't really heard him, he wondered, but when he suddenly shrugged and just started walking, he assumed that he had received the message.
“I was thinking,” Mingi started saying right in front of the Lego store, “if you want a boyfriend so badly, why don't you try online dating again?”
It was a good question, but it was just as easily answered.
“Because, dear Mingi, online dating is the worst.”
“But you met me there! And we're best friends now!”
Seonghwa smiled. Yeah, that was true. He had finally found a friend. But that was absolutely not why he had signed up for online dating, and Mingi was just a bit of an idiot sometimes.
“Oh Mingi-yah… Whatever, you can buy me that Lego pirate ship now. I wanted that for years, and it was always sold out. But on the website it says they have it here. Come on.”
Seonghwa dragged him inside by the sleeve of his sweater, only letting go once they had gone through the door. He had known there was a store here, but so far he had never gone inside. Which, in retrospect, had definitely saved him a ton of money because they had everything .
“Woah. Look at that, they actually have the Death Star on display! I always wanted to have that one!” Seonghwa raved, but his attention was already pulled to the next display a moment later.
“Ohhh! And they have all the Animal Crossing sets! They're so cute when they're all displayed together,” he went on, not even noticing that Mingi had wandered off in an entirely different direction.
For a while, he walked aimlessly through the store – having already forgotten that he actually wanted that pirate ship – and every last thought he might have been able to have was deleted from his brain a second later.
“Hello. Can I help you with something?” a voice behind him said, and when Seonghwa turned around he was suddenly looking into the face of the single most handsome man he had ever seen in his life. His friendly dark eyes and his bright smile captivated him in a way nothing ever had before, and he couldn't help but stare at him with his mouth hanging slightly open.
“I– I– Uhhh,” was all he got out, noticing that his mouth suddenly felt dry while his hands were sweating like crazy.
Oh god, what do I do? Just act normal. You can do it, he tried to tell himself, but how could he be normal right now?! Even the boy's hair was cute; with one side bleached and the other one colored black, he looked like a fucking idol! God, he was beautiful…
“I… so uhm, I actually, I searched, you know, and I saw on the website, I wanted it for very long and– and the pirate ship,” he muttered like a complete idiot, wishing for nothing more than for someone to shoot him right in the face. That hadn't even made any sense, but the cute boy – his name tag said Hongjoong – didn't seem to mind.
“Oh, if you have trouble with Korean, I can also speak Japanese and basic English if that helps,” he offered, making Seonghwa want to die a little bit more. He felt himself blushing furiously, and he desperately hoped someone or something would get him out of this embarrassing situation.
“I'm– I'm Korean. I just…”
Seonghwa paused and cleared his throat, taking a deep breath to calm himself down before he continued.
“... My mouth is faster than my brain sometimes. I'm very sorry. I'm actually looking for the pirate ship, the website said you still have it in this store,” he finally managed to get out, handing Hongjoong his phone with slightly shaking hands.
“Ah, I'm so very sorry, I just sold the last one twenty minutes ago. But I could order it for you, if you like I could also–”
Suddenly, they were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of Lego bricks dropping to the floor, and it was so damn loud that Seonghwa's ears started ringing. And almost immediately, he could only think one single thing.
Please don't let it be Mingi who dropped it. Please, don't let Mingi be the cause. Not now. Not today.
And naturally, when the two men hurried closer to the source of the sound, Mingi was standing right in the middle of a pile of scattered pieces of the Death Star, looking both confused, shocked, and embarrassed at the same time.
“Oh no, Mingi pabo! How often did I tell you not to touch anything!” Seonghwa yelled, immediately regretting having admitted he knew this man.
“My store… my display…” Hongjoong complained with resignation in his voice, and Seonghwa felt even worse now. This was his store. This heaven sent, beautifully cute boy was the manager. Oh God, how embarrassing. Why was this always happening to him, especially when he met someone he found so unbelievably cute??
“I'm so sorry for my friend! I'm so, so sorry! Forgive him please, he is… He's… He's an… he's just Mingi. We will help you clean this up. I will rebuild the display for you. I apologize!” he said while bowing to Hongjoong several times, hoping he wouldn't get thrown out of here any second.
But to his surprise, he heard the store manager laugh instead. And by God, this laugh must have come from an actual angel.
“Ah, this is the third time this week that one of our displays hit the floor. But usually, it's kids knocking them over. Or Wooyoung. I'll have one of my employees rebuild it, don't worry. Oi, Choi San-ssi! Please come over and help me with this!”
For a moment, Seongwha stood there completely thunderstruck, watching Hongjoong pick up several pieces of the broken up Death Star. This was so embarrassing. Should he just make a run for it? But then he could never come back here! And he needed to come back, he needed to get to know this beautiful boy…
So he took all his courage and crouched down right next to him, starting to pick up some pieces as well, but apparently this was not what the manager had wanted.
“You are a customer, it's not your responsibility to help me,” he said with a smile, but Seonghwa politely disagreed.
“It is. This is my fault, so I should help.”
Hongjoong looked slightly amused, then he turned his gaze up to Mingi who was still standing there like a confused looking statue.
“Are you his guardian?”
“No.”
“Then it's his fault, not yours. If someone should be helping, it's him.”
Seonghwa chuckled, picking up a few more pieces before he noticed he couldn't carry anymore.
“Maybe. But he doesn't usually bring his brain with him, so he's a bit slow to process what just happened. We'll be done before he realizes he should help. Right, Mingi?” Seonghwa teased, and finally his friend started to move.
“Yeah. Right, sorry. Okay, I'm here, I will help. And… I'm really sorry, sir.”
Hongjoong raised his eyebrow at Mingi but didn't comment on it.
“Come with me, I'll show you where to put all of this,” he instead said to Seonghwa who had his hands completely full, and he nodded and simply followed. This entire situation was still utterly embarrassing, especially because the other people at the store were all looking at him in disbelief. Right now, he simply wanted to melt into a puddle or just die. Here he was, meeting the most handsome boy he had ever seen, and he had screwed it over completely. No, actually it had been Mingi! He would definitely kill him for this later.
Hongjoong brought him into a rather large backroom behind the checkout counter, and not a second later, Seonghwa had nearly forgotten about this whole mess.
“Woah! I wanna work here too! You get to build so much Lego here!” he exclaimed, mesmerized like a child as he saw all the tables full of bricks.
“Ha, I wish. It's mostly San-ssi who is here to build. The rest of us have other responsibilities,” Hongjoong explained, making Seonghwa blush a little as he noticed his emotional breakout.
“You can just put it all on the free table over here. Choi San can take care of that another day,” he added, already turning to leave again to pick up the rest, but Seonghwa held him back.
“Please. Let me make up for my friend's mistake. I'll repair it for you.”
“No, it's alright, really. There's no need–”
The taller one grabbed his arm and squeezed it gently, giving him an encouraging smile.
“I want to! I could never afford to buy the Death Star, and I love Star Wars, so you'd actually be doing me a favor!” he reasoned, and the expression that suddenly appeared on Hongjoong's face almost made his knees weak. Whatever this expression meant – Seonghwa sucked at reading faces – it was hot and he wanted Hongjoong to look at him like this forever.
“Oh~ and you think you deserve a favor for what exact reason?” he replied teasingly with a playfulness in his eyes that made the taller man almost drop to his knees.
This is like straight out of one of my books. Oh god, what do I do?
“Uhhh. I– I– I–”
“I'm kidding! Just a joke! If you really wanna repair the whole thing, I won't stop you. But I can't pay you for it.”
Seonghwa nodded, and before he could reply anything, the door opened again. Mingi and a man – Seonghwa guessed it would have to be San – walked over to dump the rest of the bricks on the table as well.
“That's all of them,” the muscular black haired man said, giving the embarrassed looking Mingi a scolding look.
“Again, I'm really sorry. I just touched it and then the whole thing fell!” Mingi argued, but San looked utterly unimpressed.
“And what did the sign underneath it say, huh?”
Mingi looked positively startled and a little bit scared, so Seonghwa stepped in to save his friend. More or less.
“Don't scold him, like I already told Mr. Manager, my friend here doesn't actually have a brain. He's like a cat sometimes, he just touches things and they break. Don't be angry at him.”
Mingi looked absolutely beaten by now and Seonghwa did feel a little sorry for his best friend, but at least he managed to make the slightly scary looking San laugh.
“Ah, it's alright. My Wooyoungie throws down the models more often than I wanna admit, and he works here. Anyway, I gotta head back out. Bye.”
After San had left, Seonghwa actually gave Mingi a big hug and patted his back a few times apologetically.
“You're a pabo, but you're still my best friend. How about you go home now, I'll repair that thing and you just… lay down and nap, mhm?”
Mingi nodded into his shoulder, returned the hug for a second, and then let go of Seonghwa all together.
“Yeah. Sounds good. Sorry again. I'll buy you that pirate ship another time. Gimme your key. I wanna crash at your place.”
He did give Mingi his key, hoping he would be awake again once he came home, but even if not, he'd just knock on the door until he woke up.
After his friend had left, he stood there awkwardly for another moment, staring at Hongjoong who had just quietly waited next to them the entire time.
“So…? Can I get the instruction manual?” he asked, and for some strange reason, it looked like the manager was blushing all of the sudden.