Boss

[yunnieberry]

Length: Oneshot
Rating: PG
Genre: romance, humour, non-au
Summary: Jaejoong had some complications with his boss. [based on this twitter fic prompt]

Jaejoong let out a satisfied sigh, a hint of a smile curling at his lips. After approximately thirty minutes of absolute restlessness, he had found himself something to do. Cleaning his entire desk space and organizing his laptop folders by alphabetic order had not been enough. He was close to ripping his hair out in pure frustration at having nothing to do until he had happened to realize, with utter joyous glee, that none of his (understandably busy) co-workers paid much attention to the little plants that littered the windowsills of their workplace. Some were gifts from visitors and happy clients, while the rest were bought from Mr.Jung’s money for decoration purposes. But if Jaejoong squinted hard enough—he could see the green of the leaves diminishing, and the way the once pretty petals began to slightly shrivel in the middle. 

 
And so, understandably—and honorably, Jaejoong decided to take the little pots under his care. They were going to be his children until the day was over, a way to pass time and to naturally freshen the appearance of their workplace (despite Changmin rolling his eyes at his behavior and disagreeing completely) where Mr.Jung decided that merely throwing in some dull grey and brown furniture was visually enough for their surroundings.

The plants were a rare pop of colour, and Jaejoong delighted himself in walking around the room while pouring fresh filtered water on their weakening shoots over the rim of his favorite mug. He couldn’t wipe off the smile on his face, finding joy in doing the simplest act—for he was the type of person who had no desire to sit still with his thoughts. Thinking was done when needed, not forced upon him by lack of clients. And the particular reason for that very lack of clients was not for any negative reason—like him being incompetent or generally having no unique selling point in his work—but simply because the head manager had decided that the new batch of workers at DyaneCo needed their induction and on-the-job training right away—and so why not take half of Kim Jaejoong’s clients as a test trial? Jaejoong curled his free hand into a fist unconsciously—more than irritated with the ridiculous decision.

Being the top worker of the Gwangju branch of DyaneCo had several perks—and of course, most of it were the financial and non-financial rewards that came with it. Jaejoong was able to move into a better and more spacious apartment due to his good stable salary being a web advertisement designer. He found independence and job satisfaction—and there wasn’t a lot that could make him happier after having an awfully rough relationship with one of his sisters back at home, and a past that was ridden with constant obstacles. He had finally found his joy, his peace—a job he genuinely liked with a friendly working environment which had really settled everything into place, and the advantages of being such a skilled worker constantly went into play every day he came into work.

But one of the worst parts of it was that the branch Jaejoong worked in was fairly new, and therefore wasn’t at the level of the rest of the DyaneCo network spread across the country. Due to it’s renowned brand image for producing the trendiest and most ideal advertisements, the Gwangju branch was doing rather well already considering the opening date—but still not enough to gain higher attention. Jaejoong happened to lead in the workplace, with the highest percentage of loyal clients because his reputation for creating the prettiest and chicest ads spread through business to business. And unwilling to take away the clients of the other workers who weren’t doing as well—Mr. Satan Head (aka branch manager) had decided that the best option would be to take Jaejoong’s golden list of clients and split them evenly amongst the new workers.

“It’s just a temporary measure, you have to understand. This branch has the least attention and we need to train our workers fast.”

“But then what if my clients don’t like what those newbies make for them?! I’m the one that knows their tastes!”

“If they’re dissatisfied, the workers will keep on trying for them. Now please, focus on your remaining clients and find something to do.”

Jaejoong scoffed aloud at the remembrance of that horrid conversation. He almost wished that he was apart of the Seoul branch instead—the most successful and professional branch of all. But Seoul was too crowded and he knew far too many people from there that he preferred to forget. And so with a sad, frustrated sigh, he continued to water the little hibiscus plant in front of him and wished time would pass quicker.

 

And miraculously it did, because the next thing he knew—he had reached the last plant of the workplace, a pale green cactus by Junsu’s desk that was just asking to be touched.

“Don’t.”

Jaejoong huffed, squinting his eyes at his friend, his finger in mid air.

“I know you’re bored and have nothing to do, but don’t do it,” Junsu advised, shaking his head. The small male went back to work and Jaejoong puffed his cheeks out, leaning against the wall of his friend’s cubicle and deciding then that he’d watch the younger male work for a bit.

Five minutes of silence passed, and then,

“Clients prefer less harsh tones. If you’re advertising for cosmetics, especially targeted at females then you shouldn’t use those colours.”

“Thanks,” Junsu frowned, quickly undoing his changes. 

“And also. Don’t use that font. Just—don’t. Nobody likes that font.”

“Thanks,” came the repeated response, this time a mere gruff and a loud click of the mouse.

Jaejoong tried to keep his mouth shut after that, but watching the choices Junsu began to make on an advertisement on fairness cream of all products had him squirming inside. His flared his nostrils in his agonizing attempt to be quiet and let the younger male just learn by himself—but the second Junsu chose a harsh, vivid highlighted orange for the background, a panicked squeak passed his lips and he rambled,

“You know there’s a demographic guide right? The research charts and all that on what you’re doing. Don’t you have them? Everyone has them! The blue file thingy that they gave out last week. It’s updated always, Junsu-ah! You should really look at them before making your decisions. I’m sure that your advertisements will be wonderful, but—“

“Jaejoong.”

Jaejoong stopped mid flail and turned to look over. Mr.Jung stood there, arms crossed against his chest. “We need to talk. My office now, please.” And without a second, he turned on his heel and walked away, obviously expecting to be followed. Jaejoong slapped a hand over his face and let out a miserable groan.

“Why does he hate me so much?”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Junsu replied distractedly, eyes focused on his computer screen.

“Yes he does,” Jaejoong whined, “Why else is he only scolding me for everything then. It’s so unfair.” Just last week, Mr.Jung had told him to stop bringing in baked goodies every Friday, because apparently, “workers are getting distracted and the sugar is not good for them.” and the week before that, “you have to stop becoming so friendly with people, because now I’m getting requests from other employees who want to sit closer to you.” Hell, he had even been yelled at for being communicating with the head manager to know about his own progress. He had the right to talk to whichever senior he wanted! Mr.Jung could not yell at him for that.

He was sure their boss had something personal against him. Why else was he like that then? He would reprimand a few lousy employees with the calmest tone but when it came to him, Mr.Jung would always act as if he had done something absolutely awful each time! How on earth, would bringing cookies to work damage their business? As irritating as it often was, Jaejoong kept himself in check and never raised his voice back to his boss. He didn’t want to lose his job, and besides, nothing so far had made him genuinely angry enough to file a complaint.

“Yes, Mr.Jung?” Jaejoong stepped into the man’s office before quietly closing the door behind him. Mr.Jung was sat on his chair, fingers folded, his eyes looking distant and deep in thought. With a frown, the blond walked forward and cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

“Oh,” the boss looked up at him, and then swallowed thickly. He leaned back in his chair and was quiet for a moment, and then spoke, “You’re being distracting. To the workers. You and I both know this.”

Jaejoong pursed his lips, but was unable to deny it, “I do pester them a little. But just a little.”

“You can’t do that,” Mr.Jung shook his head, “What you were doing just now—with Junsu. I know you’re just trying to help, but let him learn by himself. You’re not his mentor.”

“Well,” Jaejoong began, and couldn’t help but place a hand on his hip, “I wouldn’t have to do that if I actually had some work. You know, work to do... at my job.” He wasn’t afraid of Mr.Jung, but he just generally preferred not to get on the man’s bad side out of not wanting to get caught up in some negative relationship with his boss. However, he had to defend himself here and he was rightly going to do so.

“I understand that you’re upset with Mr.Lee’s decision, but it’s not a permanent decision and—“

“I’m sorry, but I’ll stop you there,” Jaejoong leaned over and placed his hands on the mahogany wood of Mr.Jung’s desk, eyes slightly narrowed, “He told me the same thing. I’d rather not hear it twice. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s an unprofessional decision, don’t you agree?”

“I have no statements to make regarding your work, that’s not my duty but his,” Jaejoong didn’t miss the way the man ever so slightly rolled away from the desk, and squinting his eyes, the blond leaned in a little more closer. Mr.Jung’s voice seemed strained when he continued, “So—so unfortunately, you’ll have to wait at least a week or two to get your full list of clients back.”

Jaejoong clenched his jaw, more than unhappy. He stared at Mr.Jung for a good full minute until he could visibly see the man become uncomfortable, and delighted by that fact—he decided to keep his eyes coldly fixated on his boss. He knew technically it wasn’t Mr.Jung’s fault, but he was still dissatisfied by the treatment of his boss on every one of his harmless actions.

Mr.Jung cleared his throat, his small eyes looking anywhere but at Jaejoong. He then picked up what the blond assumed was a random stack of papers on his desk and began to organize them, before muttering, “Anyway. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Please stop distracting your co-workers.”

Jaejoong huffed, pulling away from the desk. He let a hint of a whine seep into his voice when he responded, “But I have nothing to do….” before an unconscious pout crept upon his face. Mr.Jung happened to glance at him at that moment and then abruptly, his fingers tightened on the sheets of paper he was holding. Creases formed immediately and Jaejoong frowned, “Boss. Your papers are getting ruined.”

The man did not say anything, merely staring at him while the papers miserably began to bend in his hands. “Are those important?” the blond’s eyebrows furrowed, and he walked over, trying to take them out of silent Mr.Jung’s hands, “Hey. Don’t do that. You might need them, right?”

Their hands touched, fingers sliding over each others as Jaejoong successfully yanked the papers out of Mr.Jung’s torturous grip. “What’s wrong?” The blond tilted his head, “You’re acting a bit strange.”

“I—“ Mr.Jung coughed, and then loosened his tie with an almost pained expression, “Nothing. No—thing. Please go back to work.”

Jaejoong couldn’t stop himself before he rolled his eyes. He took a moment to place the papers neatly on the desk before the hand on his hip returned. He then shot a look at his apparently very forgetful boss, “Me not having any work is the reason I’m in your office right now.”

“Then go home if you want. Just. Just go home. I’ll allow it. This is temporary anyway.”

Jaejoong sighed, running a slightly frustrated hand through his blond locks, “I don’t have a car. You know I usually go home with Junsu since we live close by.”

Mr.Jung looked up at him, their eyes meeting again, but just as their gazes joined—the man glanced away. Jaejoong cocked his head in slight confusion. “What.. what about a taxi?”

The blond puffed his cheeks out at the suggestion and twiddled his fingers shyly together, whispering, “I—I spent all my money today on the vending machine.”

The look his boss then gave him made him feel slightly ashamed, and this time it was Jaejoong who let his gaze trail away, focusing on the grey carpet of the office instead. It wasn’t his fault that the chocopies in the vending machine were so awfully good. Plus, combined with the lack of work and unbelievable restlessness, snacking on machine chocolate was one of the things he had then taken up as a hobby.

Mr.Jung bit his lip a moment later, seeming as if he was hesitating for a moment, before he mumbled with a rather awkward tone, “I’ll—um, I’ll give you some money.”

Jaejoong blushed. That was a rather surprisingly nice offer coming from the man who judged his every move. His lips parted and he wasn’t sure how to respond. Going home would at least give him a chance to take a long warm bubble bath—but at the same time the suggestion was too kind for him. “That’s okay. I’ll just wait it out here until Junsu is done,” he licked his lips a bit nervously, feeling the earlier tension of the room settle into something more gentle—more.. delicate? “But thank you,” he added, his voice barely above a whisper.

“No problem,” came the responding grunt, and they stared at each other for a moment, the fact that leaving the room would be the suitable thing to do slipping right out of Jaejoong’s mind. Instead, he stood there, his mind not present as he stared at Mr.Jung’s face without a hint of subtlety. He had always taken a fascinated liking towards the little mole above his upper lip. In fact, whenever he was getting reprimanded or having any kind of warning, it would be his center of focus—preferring to stare at the pretty beauty mark instead of listening to nonsense words. He also was particularly interested in the scar near the man’s eye.

Admittedly, a lot of things about Mr.Jung had him interested since the day he walked into the Gwangju branch, but the reaction of his boss to any little one of his actions dismissed any urge to ask questions.

“Jaejoong?”

“Yes Yunho?”

It took about a good six seconds for Jaejoong to gasp and realize the soft words that had tumbled out of his lips in automatic response. Immediately, Mr.Jung’s mouth dropped and the brightest red crept up the blond’s neck, and he couldn’t think of anything to say. Who could blame him really, when his boss had such a nice name and Jaejoong had always secretly wanted to call him that? It wasn’t his fault. It absolutely wasn’t.

Yet he almost melted into the floor, mortified at the way his boss seemed more than shocked. “I—I’m sorry. Tha-that was a mistake,” he breathed, eyes panicked as his hands flailed in mid air, trying to defend himself in an almost incoherent ramble, “It’s just that I heard the seniors call you that one time and I just—I called you that, and I should—shouldn’t have called you that, Mr.Jung. Not Yunho. Sorry, Yunho. Oh—oh I said it again! Oh my gosh.”

Mr.Jung was almost gaping at this point, and absolutely humiliated, Jaejoong wasted no second in shutting up and scrambling straight out of the office, ignoring the curious looks of his co-workers. He squeaked when bumping into a bookshelf in his haste in rushing out, and flew into the breakroom to hide himself in shame.

 

Jaejoong stayed inside the breakroom for exactly thirty minutes in self-pity before Yunho walked in. His cheeks pinked and he swallowed the nervous lump in his throat as he tensed up. His boss gave him a brief nod of greeting before turning to the vending machine, and the blond let out an immediate audible sigh of relief. He had assumed he would get in trouble for using the man’s first name instead of the proper term of address—but it seemed like Mr.Jung didn’t seem to mind too much.

Wiping the sweat forming behind his bangs, the blond let himself relax a bit now that he knew it would be okay. He eyed Yunho’s still figure in front of the machine, clearly contemplating on what to buy for himself. After a moment of hesitation, Jaejoong mumbled, “The chocopie is good.”

Yunho turned to look at him, and Jaejoong tried to smile, but it came out painfully awkward. “Is it?” the taller male fiddled with his wallet.

“Yes,” the blond replied tentatively, biting his lip, “It’s—it’s my favorite.”

“Okay. I’ll get that then,” Yunho turned back towards the machine. Jaejoong was surprised at the fact that he couldn’t feel the heat of his cheeks diminishing—but rather increasing instead. What was up with him? He had never felt so flustered around his boss but it seemed like simply calling the man by his first name had affected him in some odd way.

He watched his boss slide some coins in, and then press a button before the desired snack came out. Yunho bent down, picked it up and stared at it for a moment.

“The.. the plants. They’ve all been watered,” Yunho spoke, tone unreadable, “Was that you?”

“Y-yeah,” Jaejoong pursed his lips, absently tracing a scratch on the table he was sitting at. Was he about to get a warning for doing that? He braced himself, eyes focused on his lap. But his boss was quiet, and the blond looked up at the noise of another snack falling out of the vending machine. Yunho then bent down, picked up the second chocopie and walked over to him.

He gently placed it on the table and murmured, “That—that’s for you.”

Jaejoong’s lips parted in astonishment, and he couldn’t deny the strange fluttering sensation of his heart. Blushing, he took it gently into his hands and gazed down at the red and white wrapper. It oddly felt much more meaningful having being bought by his boss—the last thing Jaejoong would have expected him to do. He didn’t even deserve it, did he? “Thank you,” he breathed timidly.

“You’re, um. You’re a great worker. One of the main reasons our branch is still doing well.. so yeah,” his boss scratched the back of his head in what seemed like shyness, “Thank you, actually.”

The biggest smile crept upon the blond’s lips. That was the first time Yunho had ever genuinely complimented him. It was usually Mr.Satan Head, branch manager who did the appraisals. He watched Mr.Jung leave after saying that, and Jaejoong bit his lip, trying to wipe off the goofy look on his face. Strangely, he felt different being praised by his boss than compared to anyone else who had said nice things to him. And oddly it wasn’t an accomplished feeling he would have expected from being complimented by a superior—but something else. Something much more different.

He—he felt like they had just flirted.

“So you’re telling me,” Junsu leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms against his chest, “you merely exchanged a few words in the breakroom and you’re convinced he was flirting with you?”

“Look, I know we didn’t say a lot to each other,” Jaejoong agreed, eyebrows furrowed, “but.. but there was something different. The feeling. He’s usually so stern with me, he started the day off like that when he called me into the office. But then everything—just changed.”

Junsu frowned, stroking an imaginary beard as a thoughtful expression fell over his face, “It is indeed weird that he bought you a chocopie out of nowhere,” he pondered, “maybe he just feels bad for always reprimanding you? And wants to patch things up?”

“I don’t think it’s that. It’s too sudden,” the blond shook his head, crossing one leg over another. He sipped his cup of tea and then hummed, “what an interesting day.”

About twenty minutes later, the two packed up their things to go home. Slinging his side bag around his shoulder, Jaejoong followed Junsu towards the front door and then happened to see Mr.Jung at another employee’s desk, seeming to be focusing on some papers. Their eyes met at that moment however, and to Jaejoong’s utter surprise, the man lifted a hand up and waved, the softest, most barely noticeable smile tugging at his lips—and then Jaejoong gasped and slammed right into the water filter.

Junsu steadied him immediately, and not wanting to see Yunho’s reaction to that embarrassing display, Jaejoong yanked his friend out of the building to leave right away with flaming cheeks.

---

The next day, Jaejoong woke up in a good mood. He wore a pretty light purple shirt and his favorite dress shoes to work. He walked into the building with the aim of finishing his work at a suitable pace, watering the plants, delivering some freshly baked cookies to his co-workers (despite the constant disapproval of his boss), and hopefully striking up some nice conversation with Mr.Jung. He liked the mood of yesterday—how his boss seemed so different from how he usually was, and was not going to deny that it made his heart tingle a little. Heck, last night he had whispered the man’s name aloud before going to sleep with a smile on his face. But he didn’t think too much of this desire of his, and wanted to focus on reducing the distance of their relationship and getting on better terms with his boss.

However, to his utter dismay—the day went absolutely poorly. Firstly, out of his love for his job—he ended up finishing his client’s requests in the first two hours of work, being overly speedy and energetic. As if that wasn’t enough, he then found out that Heechul, one of his superiors, had decided to water the plants the first thing in the morning. Jaejoong felt offended at the fact that the plants had their daily nourishment and that he was no longer required. At that point, unhappy and in a general bad mood—he knew that giving out his well liked chocolate chip cookies would make himself feel better.

But then Mr.Jung came out of his office, scolded him loudly in front of the entire workplace and made him feel like a kicked puppy, sore and humiliated. It was no different from the last Friday where he got yelled at—but this time for some reason it hurt. It actually hurt. Last time, he merely rolled his eyes and continued distributing them without a care the second his boss went back inside his office—but his heart panged now, and he bitterly dumped the box of cookies on Changmin’s desk and went to sulk inside his cubicle instead.

Yoochun came over about ten minutes later to comfort him and convince him that he should just file a complaint if he was so upset, but Jaejoong refused. Sure, Mr.Jung was being a hardcore jerk but he didn’t want the man to lose his job. Yunho was still an incredible boss and guided them exceptionally well—in fact, several of the handy tips Jaejoong kept in his mind when doing his job were given by the man. He most likely wouldn’t be in his top position without the guidance of his boss in the first place, and he was sure the other employees felt the same.

So Jaejoong decided to keep that in his mind, and gradually over the hours—his sour mood faded. Maybe Mr.Jung had heard some rumors of him, which could explain the way he acted towards Jaejoong. Or maybe his boss was just having a hard time outside of work—and decided to take out his anger on the best worker of the branch? There were a lot of possibilities, and soon enough the blond readied himself to attempt to achieve his last goal of the day. He still wanted to talk to the man.

And so he approached his boss at the right timing—when Mr.Jung was at the water filter, pouring himself a cup. Swallowing nervously, Jaejoong walked up to him with his hands crossed behind his back and shot his boss what he hoped was a charming smile, “Hello.”

The taller male raised an eyebrow, and gave a brief nod in response. Immediately, Jaejoong’s eyebrows furrowed at the reaction, but he did not allow himself to be sad over that. He watched his boss take a languid sip, and not completely gathering his thoughts in his head, the blond grinned, “Drinking some water, eh?”

“Um. Yes,” Mr.Jung gave him a look, pausing midway before taking another sip.

“How is it?” Jaejoong eagerly shifted a little closer.

“How is what?” Yunho frowned, taking a step back. Jaejoong pouted internally.

“The water.”

At this point, his boss seemed baffled. He didn’t say anything for a good moment, eyebrows scrunched, and then muttered, “It’s water.”

“Silly me,” Jaejoong giggled, waving a hand in dismissal, “anyway, Mr.Jung I was thinking—“

Yunho threw the plastic cup into the dustbin, turned on his heel and left. Jaejoong was left at the filter with his jaw open in disbelief. Did—did his boss just really walk off? Without listening to what he had to say? Had he just been ignored? He couldn’t believe it, but Mr.Jung simply closed his office door without a glance at his direction and the feeling of rejection settled heavily and abruptly on the blond’s shoulders.

 

He did give it another attempt—a polite smile sent to the man’s way when they were at the weekly branch meeting, but Mr.Jung only glanced at him blankly before looking away in complete indifference. Jaejoong then slumped in his seat, crossing his arms against his chest unhappily as he watched his boss be polite and gentle to all of his co-workers throughout the rest of the meeting. Heck, Yoochun got a pat on the shoulder! A pat. On the shoulder. Changmin got a cheeky grin from the man. And what did he get? Absolutely no praise, not even a second of interaction. And then when he finally watched Mr.Jung oh-so-kindly compliment the workplace’s weakest employee, he began to fume. He just fumed. He sat there in his chair, blood boiling.

What was wrong with that man?! Jaejoong had received a chocopie yesterday. Now Mr.Jung was acting like he didn’t exist. Was it wrong of him to expect more because of the previous day? He didn’t think so. He thought they were heading into a good direction because it was such a positively surprising change, but it seemed like Yunho had completely forgotten everything. He felt offended, hurt, upset—everything that made him storm out of the meeting the second it was over.

 

When Jaejoong went home that day, he was determined to not care anymore. He had one nice day with the man, and that was it—Mr.Jung would continue to be an inconsiderate jerk until the end of time, and he had to merely accept that fate. He was ashamed of himself for even wanting more and expecting different. His ego was completely bruised, and he continued to sulk at his apartment—even a fragrant bubble bath and watching kitten videos online could not help his mood.

 

 ---

And so the next day, Jaejoong decided to start afresh. He wanted to shed the bitter emotions (he was still admittedly feeling) and act like nothing had ever happened, just like what Mr.Jung was doing. They would go back to the strained relationship they had before, and that was that. It didn’t matter.

Starting new for Jaejoong meant dressing nice. And on that day, he really wanted to look and feel good. His usual attire for work consisted of pastel dress shirts, fitting slacks and shiny dress shoes. He had always been generally comfortable with that, but he wanted to mix it up a little just to feel on top of his feelings and the day that was ahead.

And so after a careful rummaging through his closet and deep consideration—he had decided to throw on a white ruffle shirt, two buttons undone with a silky cream jacket on top. These two articles of clothing had been rather expensive at the mall—and Jaejoong did not think he’d ever actually wear them out because they seemed quite too fancy. But he had bought them regardless due to the fact that they looked so visually appealing to his eyes and the mannequin at the store was pulling it off. So why couldn’t he?

Standing in the mirror, Jaejoong grinned at his reflection. He was glad about the purchase. Although he donned his usual slacks and shoes—he was very satisfied with the outfit due to the new additions and was sure this newfound confidence of his would help him successfully get throughout the day without a single care. Ruffling his hair up a bit, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the house with a little bounce in his step. Who was Mr.Jung anyway?

 

He felt rather pleased about the immediate whistle Junsu gave him when he hopped into the car, and the way the mouths of his employees fell to the floor. He liked to think he looked a bit like a prince and hoped that was the visual image his outfit was sending. To his dismay—he didn’t see Mr.Jung around in the morning, but pushed the thought away after telling himself that the man was the last person he wanted to see anyway. He only came to work, give a wonderful impression of himself to those around him and then leave. The plants could go to hell too.

Earning several compliments over the course of just his first two hours of working was a very satisfying feeling. He could not wipe the smile off his face, and ended up being a lot slower and gradual with his clients with the help of taking a few breaks then and there. What delighted him even more was the fact that he was promised he’d get his full list of clients the next day. Everything was settling into place once again—it really seemed like only a snazzy outfit was needed to fix things.

However, not everyone thought the same.

 

Jaejoong was lazily sipping on his cup of tea and flipping through the latest release of his favorite celebrity gossip magazine when Changmin walked into the breakroom, looking rather amused, “Boss wants to see you in his office.”

The feelings that hit him at that moment were a bit strange. Initially, the little flutter of excitement that ran over his skin at the prospect of being able to see the man up close all over again was warm and welcoming. But then came the anger, the hot red bitterness that boiled in his blood when the horrid remembrances actually flew into his mind, although a second too late. Stubbornly, the blond muttered, “Who cares. Probably for another stupid reason. Not going.”

Changmin then looked at him with an expression of pure bewilderment, “Are you kidding?” the tall male walked closer, crossing his arms against his chest, “I agree with the ridiculousness of him getting mad at you for trivial matters—but this time its actually understandable.”

“Excuse me?” Jaejoong frowned, “I didn’t do even do anything.”

The younger male immediately looked at him like he was stupid, and Jaejoong narrowed his eyes. He puffed out his chest defensively, “What?”

“That.” Changmin looked directly at the sliver of skin that was peeking out from his ruffle shirt. Yet, the blond was still rather confused. What was wrong with his chest? It wasn’t like he had some strange rash that was unappealing to see.

“Huh?”

The tall brunet slapped a hand across his face, “How are you even the top worker of this branch,” he groaned, shaking his head, “absolutely ridiculous. I’m not wasting anymore time, just go and see him before he yells at me instead for being unable to send you there.” With that, the younger male left the breakroom and the blond squished his cheeks together in frustration.

He really did not want to see the man and endure another mini speech about something he was apparently doing wrong, but he did not want Changmin to get in trouble with either. With a heavy heart, the blond got out of his seat and trudged out of the room—but mentally preparing himself to show a bit of an attitude.

 

“Yes? What did I do wrong now?” Jaejoong resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he walked into the office before closing the door behind him a little too loudly. Mr.Jung was wearing a black suit today, with his hair styled in a luxurious looking way, a different way—looking a bit more formal than usual, and the blond could feel his breath hitch. He could feel the steady but gradual way his heart began to beat a little harder, and momentarily, the confidence left him all at once. He leaned against the door, unable to do anything but stare.

Mr.Jung was quiet for a long time too—staring right back at him, and Jaejoong felt like they would end up not saying anything for a good hour until the man finally spoke, his voice slightly strained, “You must know the reason why I have called you in here.”

The blond held his head high with pride, “No, Mr.Jung. I do not. I have done absolutely nothing wrong today.”

The look his boss gave him was eerily similar to the look Changmin had, and Jaejoong huffed. He crossed his arms against his chest, tapping an impatient foot against the floor, “Why are you looking at me like that? Please do tell. I have a lot of work to do, you see.”

“Are you serious?” The man frowned, crossing his fingers together in front of him, “This isn’t a joke. You have to know what you’re doing wrong.”

The blond threw his hands up in frustration, groaning, “Oh my god just tell me because I don’t know, okay?! Is it because I ate a cookie from the fridge today? Huh?! Or is it because I drank water from the filter? Tell me, boss, because I’d love to know what I did wrong, and I’ll make sure to learn. You know, like all those other times. Should I stop using the vending machine, or maybe walk with my back a bit straighter? Tell me, really—“

“Your outfit!” Mr.Jung roared, slamming a fist down on the table. His mug of pens shook, papers shifting a little to the left, and the noise vibrated around the room. Jaejoong was quiet for a split, split second before he squinted his eyes and stomped closer, nose slightly scrunched in irritation.

“Excuse me?”

His boss let out a deep breath, looking awfully fed up, “You heard me.”

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Jaejoong almost whined, but he managed to hold it together. Seriously, it seemed like not everyone was a fan of the pink and white going together. It was either that or the ruffles—he was sure.

“You cannot wear that to work.”

“Look, I know the ruffles may not be for everyone, but the mannequin at the store—“

“Jaejoong. It’s violating the dress code.”

The blond frowned, pausing to look down at it. He stared at it for a good full minute, thought about the policies of the dress code for another good full minute, but nothing clicked in his head. He looked back at his boss, all too confused.

“And you’re the best worker of this branch,” Yunho shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face. Jaejoong pouted right away—did Changmin and boss discuss lines to throw at him together? “Your shirt is revealing too much of your chest,” the man then opened one of his desk drawers, rummaged it through it for a second before throwing a thin book onto the surface, “please read this again and understand what you have done wrong.”

The blond was speechless—and this time due to him not being able to defend himself. Rules were rules, weren’t they? Visibly deflating, he tentatively took the book from the desk and opened it almost hesitantly. He could feel the earlier confidence and ease melting away with each passing second that Mr.Jung stared at him. His shoulders slumped as he began to read it, mood slowly pouring down into the drain.

“You can take that with you to your cubicle. You just have button your top two buttons. Thank you.”

It was so frustrating. The day he convinced himself he was going to stop caring about Mr.Jung and his stupid lectures—was the day he actually got in trouble for something that was his fault. Sure—he had honestly not seen anything wrong with his outfit the second he walked out of his front door (it was fashion, come on), but if it was printed on paper he could not argue. And he had readied himself to argue. He was prepared to stand up for himself and show the man his own ridiculousness.

But today—he felt like he had lost.

This brought upon him a little spark of self-pity, a touch of sadness, but slowly with each second he stood there, that spark fused something else in him. It began to grow brighter, angrier inside him. Every single time Mr.Jung had yelled at him came rushing into his head. Every single time he had to nod and accept what was being said to him even though it made no sense. Every single time he had to watch his boss be all polite and dandy to the other employees—but treat him completely different.

“I’m angry.”

Mr.Jung’s eyebrows furrowed, “What?”

“I’m angry,” the blond repeated, trying to keep the tremble of animosity in his tone calm, but failing.

The man straightened a bit, “And why is that?”

“You have reprimanded me for so many trivial things,” Jaejoong whispered, fists clenched, “And I have not once said anything back to you because you are my superior and I just let it go. But today—I’ve really had enough, Mr.Jung. I understand what I’ve done wrong today, and the time that I bothered the others when having nothing to do. I’m thankful you pointed those mistakes out to me. But what about all those other days? All those other days where you’ve showed me some negative attitude for absolutely no reason?”

A look of shame suddenly fell over the man’s face, and Jaejoong walked a little closer. They were both silent— with the blond impatiently expecting an answer.

“Well?”

“I apologize if you thought that it was unnecessary,” he finally said, looking away. Jaejoong’s jaw dropped, and without a second he slammed his hands down on Yunho’s desk in pure agonizing frustration, leaning close with his eyes pierced.

“I do not like that answer. Please explain. I have the right to know why. Can I just assume you hate me then?” He cocked his head.

“No,” Mr.Jung breathed, slightly rolling away from him, “I do not hate any employee.”

Jaejoong let himself roll his eyes this time and running a hand through his hair in irritation, he muttered, “You say that but I think otherwise. You know what, nevermind,” he dropped his hand, and then turned around. “I’m sick of this. I’ll just let you do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter,” he began to walk towards the door, wanting nothing but to go home and sleep for hours and hours. He just suddenly felt so tired. All the emotions buzzing inside him were different and physically did not sit well with him, resulting in exhaustion that tugged at his body.

Just as his hand touched the doorknob, Mr.Jung spoke.

“I don’t know why I do it.”

The blond shook his head, “That is not the reason,” his hand twisted the knob, and the second he did so—the man stood up in a frantic rush, and Jaejoong would never have prepared himself for the following words.

“I’m—I’m in love with you!”

Jaejoong’s lips parted. He stared at the door for a good full second before he whirled around, his eyes wide, “What did you say?!”

Yunho could not meet his eyes, and Jaejoong breathlessly slammed the door shut with his back before walking forward again, “What did you say?” he repeated in a trembling murmur, stunned to the tip of his toes.

The man took a deep breath, and the blond watched him swallow thickly before meeting his gaze. And Jaejoong couldn’t feel the ground anymore. Mr.Jung’s eyes were a mixture of everything—worry, shame, sincerity, hesitance, but most of all love. His boss had never looked at him so.. so gently like that. “I’m in love with you,” he whispered.

The blond could feel a little tingling begin to pad at his heart. His cheeks bloomed with color, and the only instinct he had at that moment was the one that told him to lunge over the desk and hug the man tight. The room was beginning to feel warm, and Jaejoong’s fingers itched to touch Yunho. He would have never expected such an answer, ever, really—but then everything snapped out of him, hands curling into fists as he yelled, “You liar! You’re just trying to get away with it! You’re a jerk!”

Yunho groaned loudly, pushing away the accusing finger aimed right at him, “I am not lying, dammit!”

“Oh yeah?” The blond challenged, squinting his eyes fiercely, “Then explain everything! I bet you can’t!”

His boss was quiet for a second too long and Jaejoong laughed bitterly, shaking his head, “There we go. You are a liar.”

“It’s just too embarrassing for me to explain,” Yunho scratched the back of his head in obvious discomfort, and the shorter male frowned, uncurling and curling his fingers in irritation.

“What do you mean by that?” he grumbled, looking suspicious, “Just hurry up and explain before I think you’re nothing but a jerk. I’m fed up already. If you don’t explain now, I’m outta here.”

Jaejoong waited for an exact moment, and then when his boss seemed to have no sign of talking, he sighed tiredly and made to move. And then Yunho spoke, sounding soft and ashamed all at the same time.

“I yell at you for getting too close to workers because they’re taking advantage of you,” he muttered, unable to meet the blond’s gaze, “and I don’t like that. I’ve seen them copying your exact methods and several of them have come up to me asking for your client list—offering money to keep it a secret. They may be nice to your face but you have no idea what they’re saying behind your back. Many of them have made up nonsense rumors about you to try and get you fired.”

Jaejoong blinked.

“I yell at you for sitting in the breakroom too much because you’re often there when certain employees are there,” he mumbled, fingers running over his desk, “they’re like cliques. I’ve heard that a rumor that they’re trying to form a trade union and go against the company—god knows why. I was worried they’d try to convince you too because you’re good friends with them and I don’t want you to get caught up in that mess and risk losing your job if the headquarters hear about that. They won’t spare anyone.”

His mouth was agape, unable to say anything.

“I yell at you for constantly communicating with Mr.Lee by yourself,” the man ran a hand through his hair, lips pursed, “because you have no idea about the type of man he really is. I know you have the right to because he’s branch manager and does your appraisals, but you really shouldn’t, Jaejoong. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about him, I can tell you that. He never tells you about your full potential in this workplace and always leaves you out of other opportunities. Remember last month’s business trip to Hong Kong that you wanted to go on? I put you on that list but he replaced you with someone else at the last minute before I was able to object.”

A tremble followed his breath.

“That decision of his to take your old clients—I never agreed to it. He talked to HQ about it behind my back, and you know they’re above me and so if they agree, I have no choice but to let him do as he pleases. You know he was planning on never giving them back? He wanted you to earn new ones. It was never temporary, but I ordered him to stop the foolishness, which is why thankfully you’ll get your list back tomorrow. I’m trying to get him out of this branch, because of his unprofessionalism and the way he treats you so unfairly.”

He could hear the noise of the lump in his throat being swallowed.

“This is a very flawed, messy branch, Jaejoong,” he breathed, finally lifting his head and looking at the blond straight in the eyes, “I’m sorry for always scolding you. But I hope you understand now. I was trying—trying to.. protect you. Protect you from all these people who are being so horrible to you for no reason other than envy. I don’t want your talent to go to waste… I’ve been thinking of asking the headquarters to reassign you to the Seoul branch instead, where you’ll be treated a lot better by those around you.”

Tears began brimming in Jaejoong’s eyes, and he sniffled slightly, fingers intertwined in front of him timidly as he mumbled, “What—what about the cookies?”

“What about them?” Yunho cocked his head.

“D—did you yell at me for giving out cookies because I’m giving them to a lot of bad people too?”

“Yes,” the taller male muttered, and then seemed to hesitate before whispering, “Can I ask you something?"

The blond nodded, trying to uselessly wipe away the tears that only grew at the soft and gentle way his boss was looking at him.

“Why didn’t you ever give any cookies to me?”

Jaejoong’s mouth dropped open, “What?”

Yunho swallowed thickly, looking away. His voice leaked with hurt and rejection, “You—you um, never once gave me any.”

Jaejoong gasped before he began to wail, and lunging over the desk to hug his boss tight, he sobbed into the taller man’s chest. Yunho gasped in alarm, touching his shoulders tentatively, “Hey! Don’t cry, it’s okay! You must have forgotten.”

“That doesn’t excuse it,” the blond cried, sliding off the desk to stand and wrap his arms around the man’s shoulders instead as he hiccupped into Yunho’s neck,  “Oh my gosh, I’m—I’m so sorry! It never came to my head, because you’re—you’re,” his nose scrunched as the tears grew heavier, “always, hic secluded from the rest of the hic workplace!”

“It’s okay,” his boss hugged him tight, and Jaejoong felt his heart pang when he realized that all along—the only personal thing Yunho had with him was being in love, and that he had completely misunderstood. Yunho had been protecting him, his job—everything and the blond, despite knowing that he would have realized the true situation if his boss hadn’t told him, still felt horrible. It was not okay, and he pushed impossibly close, sniffling into the taller male’s neck.

“You should have told me, Yunho,” he breathed, not hesitant on using the man’s first name anymore, “you really should have told me,” and he was sure that if this had happened—everything would be a lot different. He had always been attracted to the man, the only thing that had stopped his interest in the first place was the cold attitude—which now had been completely explained. Jaejoong’s eyebrows furrowed, feeling as if the pain that Yunho had most likely felt the past year was transferring to him with the contact of their bodies. Tremors wracked his body as he continued to cry, but everything began to make sense, and Yunho’s arms around him soothed him more than anything else.

The taller male stroked his hair comfortingly, mumbling into his locks with the words being slightly muffled, “I’m not good with feelings at all, and I’m sorry if I came off a bit cold due to that,” he sighed, “I was convinced you hated me.”

Jaejoong shook his head, removing his head from the crook of Yunho’s neck and cupping his cheeks. He knew he didn’t look pretty with a mess of snot and tears over his face, but he really didn’t care at that moment, “I could never hate you. Never. You’re an amazing boss.”

The smile that tugged at the taller male’s lips was the most breathtaking sight Jaejoong had ever seen. “But when you called me Yunho.. something stirred inside me. The second you left my office that day, I wanted to tell you so bad how much I felt—and I had been preparing myself since then to do a proper confession. I ignored you last Friday because I was afraid that if I looked into your eyes too long, I’d become a tongue-tied mess and let everything out. But you deserved a better than a ramble.”

His boss then paused, hesitated—before murmuring, “why do you think I’m so dressed up today?”

The blond gasped softly, and a touched smile fell over his features, “you wore this… for me?” and when Yunho nodded, he pouted, pulling away slightly to smoothen the wrinkles he had caused on the stunning black suit, “And you were going to tell me today. If only I hadn’t worn this stupid outfit.”

“Why did you wear it, by the way?”

“I really liked that change you showed me last Thursday,” the blond bit his lip shyly, looking at the taller male through his eyelashes, “and when you went back to normal after that, I was so disappointed. I couldn’t stop thinking about it… and I just wanted to dress up nice to make myself feel better, really.”

He knew Yunho would apologize but he cut the man off before he could do so, with a little timid smile and red cheeks, “You know… um, this links to your confession. I—I really like you Yunho. I want to get to you know better. Please—please let me. I promise I’ll make you happy.”

He loved the slightly dazed look that fell over his boss, and he giggled fondly, poking the man’s cheek, “Well? Will you let me be yours?”

“That is an obvious yes,” the taller male breathed, blinking several times as if unable to believe what he was hearing before pulling him closer, “but you have no idea how often you’ve said that in my dreams.”

Jaejoong blushed, his heart skipping a beat as he let his tears get wiped away. He then grinned, slightly leaning up on his tip toes to gently kiss the tip of Yunho’s nose, “well, I’m happy that I can make your dreams come true, boss.”



A/N: hiiiiii! okay wow my first time actually posting on dw! yay

first of all. thank u dyane for letting me write that prompt! <3 second. i know its pretty unrealistic and almost crack-ish and all but heeeey its a fanfic right?! hehehe also pls excuse my nonsense business lingo. none of it prob makes sense XD

i didnt expect this fic to get so long ;_; thank u so much read if you even read this because i dont think much people will LOL either way i enjoyed writing it. 

i will also be posting this on my AFF account and probably ao3 (will link once ive finished the acc) too cuz i know everyone is everywhere~ if you want, you can follow me on twitter to get any other fic updates. 

thank you so much for anyone who read this long ass fic! im not expecting any comments cuz i dont know if any of my usual readers are on here LOL but still thank u! i love u <3333333333