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mingissmile1117 · 2 years

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Chapter 2, Dimly Lit Alleyways

2796 words

Waiting so long for cheap watered down coffee every morning was something Seonghwa was also getting tired of. But, Seonghwa would rather drink free shitty coffee that his apartment complex offered early in the morning than wasting 7 dollar's for a sugary ass drink at Starbies.

Seonghwa had a lot to do today (you know, other than his appointment with the "matchmaker"), and was in need for some energy. Since his roommates both had morning shifts, he was the one to always keep the apartment in check. It's not like he was complaining though, keeping everything organized and clean was his thing.

After chugging down his not so tasteful coffee, Seonghwa walked out to his car and ready to go on with his day.

Just as he was about to open the driver's side door, Seonghwa spotted a short man dressed in all black and an awfully familiar buzz cut.

"Oh? Seonghwa? Good morning!" Hongjoong waved his hand at the red head, holding a bag over his shoulder, clearly on his way somewhere.

The taller blushed softly, embarrassed that he was caught staring. Excitement sparked inside him; he was happy to get to see the other again, especially after not having a proper goodbye last night.

"Good morning Hongjoong! Where are you headed to?" Seonghwa asked, leaning on his car as the other walked over to him.

"On my way to run some errands. I'm gonna be busy with some work later so I figured I should get my stuff done early. What about you?"

"Same! My roommates both have morning shifts, so I'm the one always running around getting stuff done before I clock in at the bar. What time do you work later? Maybe we can get our errands done together and hang out for a bit?" Seonghwa asked trying to be smooth, biting his lip while anxiously waiting for an answer.

"I would love to! I have a awhile, I don't have to go until 4." Hongjoong smiled softly. "We can take my car. You can put your bag in the backseat."

Seonghwa held a bag of off brand laundry pods as he looked over the ingredients.

"I wouldn't get that kind, they suck." Hongjoong walked over to Seonghwa, putting a bottle of bleach in his basket.

"Oh have you used this kind before?" Seonghwa asked, putting the bag back on the shelf. His eyes grazed over the many options he had to choose from, his hand reaching out.

"Yeah, I did. It made me and my roommates clothes really itchy." Hongjoong scrunched his nose.

Seonghwa remembered, the man from last night that took Hongjoong away. He swallowed dryly, "Roomates? Is one of them like your boyfriend or something?" Seonghwa tried to say as nonchalantly as possible with an airy chuckle.

Hongjoongs head whipped over to look at the taller. "No, no way. My roommates? Mingi, Yuhno? There both dating eachother. Plus they're not my type." Hongjoong shrugged his shoulders.

Seonghwa let out a deep breath, good. That's good.

After getting a few groceries, Hongjoong gave Seonghwa a ride back to his apartment. The two bid their goodbyes, because Hongjoong had other plans that he couldn't bring Seonghwa to. Seonghwa wanted to ask what, but prying for answers he didn't need wasn't his thing.

When Seonghwa went to put his key in his apartment doors lock, he was surprised to find it already unlocked. He guessed someone was home early, but why? Neither of his roomates had told him about having a day off.

"Hello?" Seonghwa dropped his groceries off at the door as he hung his keys up.

"Oh! Your home?" Yuhno yelled, which was what Seonghwa figured was from the kitchen.

"Of course I'm home. Why are you here so early?" He asked, slipping off his shoes. Seonghwa walked over to the kitchen archway, leaning on the hard wood.

Seonghwa watched amusingly as he saw Yunho cutting up vegetables and spices and throwing them into a large pot filled with water.

"You're making broth? What for?"

"Soondubu jjigae." He answered quickly, stirring the pot with a wooden spoon.

"Really? Do we even have any tofu?" He asked, walking over to the oven.

"Ah- don't get any closer." Yunho put his hand out, keeping eye contact with the broth. "This is my working space right now. And yes, we do now. I went grocery shopping for ingredients."

"You went shopping?" Seonghwa asked, surprised. "How long- when did you get off work?"

"About an hour and a half ago."

"Why?" Seonghwa asked, his eyebrow high.

"The schedules got mixed up. Apparently they weren't supposed to have me in today."

"Oh... so you decide to take hours slaving over the stove instead of resting." Seonghwa smirked, folding his arms.

"Yeah, I need something to focus on. Anyways, where were you?" Yunho placed the lid on the pot and turned up the heat on the stove. He rested his hand on his hip, dusting the other off on his apron.

"I went shopping with a friend." Seonghwa smiled, his teeth showing.

"Oh? And who's this friend?" Yunho asked, "You don't tell me and Mingi about your friends very often."

"This guy I met at the bar last night." Seonghwa diverted his eyes. "He's really nice..."

"Damn, you only met him last night and you already like him?" Yunho chuckled, licking the his teeth.

Seonghwas head shot up, making eye contact with Yunho. "Like him?!" He held up his hands defensely, frantically shaking his head. "No- no I don't like him... Well I do but not like that."

Yunho looked at him, tilting his head without saying a word. Seonghwa blushed softly, relaxing his arms in defeat.

"Am I that obvious? Plus it's not like I... like like him. It's just a little crush." He scratched his head, looking down at his feet

"Yeah suuuure." Yunho said, throwing an apron at Seonghwa. "Since you're gonna be home for a while, you're gonna help me."

"Fine..." Seonghwa sighned, tying the apron strings behind him. He glanced at the little clock that was hung next to the cabinets. He noticed it was only a few minutes after 1, which gave him only 4 more hours until his meet-up.

"How long is this going to take?" Seonghwa asked, pulling the apron down a bit.

"Well we should let the stock simmer for 5-7 hours. We can prepare the other ingredients and leave them in the fridge while we wait."

Seonghwas eyes widened. "Huh? 7 hours just for some flavored water?"

"Yes, Seonghwa, just for some flavored water."

Seonghwa wiped a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, "Who knew cooking could be so draining. We're done for now, right?" He asked Yunho, rushing to take his apron off without waiting for an answer.

"Yes, yes we are Seonghwa. Go ahead, go do whatever you want now, I won't keep you." Yunho waved his hand at the other, playfully rolling his eyes.

Seonghwa folded the apron, placing it on the counter for Yunho. He walked to his room without a second thought, getting on his computer.

He noticed a message on discord as it was the first app to startup. Seonghwas eyebrow lifted, it was a message from that matchmaker dude. He didn't remember giving them his discord when be sighed up, he barely ever used it.

"I had something come up, therefore I'm going to have to move your appointment from 5 to 3 pm. Sorry for the inconvenience, I hope to see you soon." Seonghwa read outloud, squinting his eyes as he read the bright computer screen. The messager had also sent him the location of the meeting, which was only a few minutes away.

"3?" He mumbled, looking at the time on the computer screen.

It read 2:48

"Shit!" Seonghwa shot up from his chair, hastily grabbing his phone that was charging on his nightstand.

He swiftly ran to the front door, fumbling to get on his shoes.

"Where are you going? The-" Yunho started, cleaning something in the kitchen.

"I'll be back soon!" Seonghwa interrupted the younger, grabbing his car keys. He slammed the door behind him, sprinting to his car.

It was bright outside, and the sun sat neatly behind the clouds. The standard time that the sun set in Korea was around 5 pm, which Seonghwa figured why his appointment was supposed to be at that time. But 3 pm? Seriously? Everyone that was out would be able to see Seonghwa and whoever the messager was. Seonghwa wasn't sure if he would be meeting in a dark alleyway or in a suspicious building. Between those two options, people would be able to clearly see him either go into a rundown building or talk with a most likely suspicious man. That made him worry a bit, he didn't want his reputation to be tarnished.

He tried to take a deep breath. What he was doing wasn't bad, right? So why should he have to worry so much. He must've have been zoning out the entire time he was driving, because before he knew it, he was at the designated address.

He parked his car at the side of the road. As he slowly got out of his car to look around him. On the way, Seonghwa had to use Google maps, as he had never really been in this area of town before. Tall, rundown looking apartment buildings cluttered the street. Some of their windows were covered with boards, and plants crawled up their sides.

Seonghwa pulled out his phone, looking at the time. It was only 2:56. Thankfully, he wasn't late.

He went through discord on his phone, texting the messenger that he was there. Well, not quite. He was in the area, but he wasn't sure exactly which building he was supposed to go to.

Seonghwas heads snapped over to the sound of a door clicking open. On front of his eyes was a tall 8 story building. None of the windows were knocked out like the others and the outside looked like it was frequently kept clean. Luckily, he was parked right across from the residence.

A tall, slender man walked out, holding the door wearing all black. On on his head was a flat top hat with a wide rim, and his was adorned by a plain black mask. He wore a matte black suit and tie with shiney black formal shoes.

He stood at the door without a word, as if waiting for Seonghwa.

Hastily, the red head made his way to the door, bowing at that man to thank him. The man closed the door, and held his hand out, gesturing down the long hallway that was in front of them. He started walking, again, without a word. Seonghwa figured he was supposed to follow him, so he did.

The floors were hard oak wood, and the walls were a meek white. The hallway was filled with doors, alternating on each side. The door wear labeled with the word "office" with a letter and number. The place was quite organized, which Seonghwa liked.

After an elevator trip and a few more hallways, the man had led Seonghwa to a tall double door. The man inserted some sort of card into a scanner on the front of the door. After a long beep and click, he opened the door, and gestured for Seonghwa to walk in.

Seonghwa hesitantly took a step into the room. Instantly, a warm smell if vanilla hit his nose, it made him release his shoulders for a moment. The door slammed shut behind, which put his guard back up. As he slowly walked forward, he noticed the space around him. Expensive looking paintings hung neatly on the white walls. There were no windows, so the only light coming in were from the dim wall lamps.

Looking in front of him, he noticed 4 lanky pillars, with black curtains on all sides, almost like a makeshift room.

His fingers grazed over the silky fabric, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to touch them.

"You may walk in." A clear voice spoke, obviously from behind the curtain.

Seonghwa did so, pulling back the heavy fabric to reveal a man in all black sitting behind a dark wood desk. He nodded his head to the single chair infront of the desk. With a nervous glance, Seonghwa sat down, but not with bowing first.

He sat stifly for a moment, taking a good look at the man in front of him. He wore the same clothes as the man that brought him here, but he was covered in expensive looking jewelry.

Since he was wearing a mask and his hair was covered by a hat, all Seonghwa could make out was his eyes. They were brown, with long dark lashes.

The man infront of him stayed devoid of any emotions, raising his eyebrow.

"Ah- sorry for my incompetence," He bowed in his seat, as his hands stay folded over in his lap. "Hello, my name his Park Seonghwa. We both know why I'm here. I'm a little embarrassed to say it outloud..." His eyes darted to the side.

"Hello, Seonghwa." The man spoke clearly. "You can call me Mr. Pyeonghong." He shoved a few papers and a pen towards Seonghwa. "Once you sign these papers and we talk about payment methoda, we can start the true discussion." The man sat back in his chair, spreading his legs with a hand resting on his thigh.

Seonghwa picked up the pen solemnly. "Payment?" He asked.

"Well so you think you were going to get this for free?"

Seonghwa shook his head as he scanned over the papers. After signing his name a few times, he set the pen down. He stared at Mr. Pyeonghong, his boba like eyes were filled with an undistinguished emotion. Excitement? Worry? Regret?

He wasn't too sure himself.

After talking about a few more things and what the service he was going to get would look like, and when it would happen. Seonghwa was told he would get updates through his phone number now, instead of discord, which was good to say the least.

"And for the final question... who is your crush? This is the entire reason your here, and the most vital information you will give."

Seonghwa hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath. "His name is Hongjoong... I'm not sure of his last name... I think it's..."

"Kim." Mr. Pyeonghong looked at Seonghwa for a moment.

Seonghwa head shot up at the man curiously. "How did you...?"

"I know everything." Mr. Pyeonghong said in a monotone voice, trying to keep his emotions in check. He looked down at his watch briefly. "I see it is time for the end of your appointment, Seonghwa. You may leave my office and someone should be out there to escort you."

Seonghwa stoop up with a nod and bowed at the man. "Thank you for your time." Hs smiled.

As Seonghwa left the man's office, he felt kind of weird. Now that he though about it, that man had a sense of familiarity about him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Hongjoong slammed his hand on his desk angrily. "Yeosang!" He yelled for his assistant, ripping of his hat and mask. Hurried steps instantly followed Hongjoongs voice, coming out of a door from the side of his office.

Yeosang lifted up the curtain so he could greet his boss with a meek bow. "Yes sir." He kept his eyes glued to the floor, hunching his back.

"What did I tell you about sending in clients files late!" Hongjoong stoop up, a look of anger on his face. He might not have been taller than his subordinate, but his powerful demeanor made up for it.

"I'm sorry sir, the department that-"

"I don't care about all of that! I gave you this position because I thought you would be able to handle it! Since that last clients file that I just had came in late, I wasn't able to decline it. I know that man personally. Don't you know my number one rule?!"

"To not let anyone you know figure out about your company, sir." Yeosang said, standing.

With an angry huff, Hongjoong wVed his hand. "Just- leave. You're dismissed." Hongjoong sat down in his chair as his subordinate walked away.

It's not that he didn't like Seonghwa back, he really did. But how would he be able to explain, well, everything. He figured Seonghwa was a smart guy, it wouldn't be long until he connected the pieces.

Hongjoong grabbed his phone, dialing up his good friends number.

"Hello, Seonghwa? Do you mind hanging out next week?"

#ateez #ateezfanfic #ateezff #hongjoong x seonghwa #honghwa #seongjoong #8 makes 1 team #kim hongjoong #park seonghwa #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #The match-making devil and his secret crush

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mingissmile1117 · 3 years

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Hello! I decided to post this ff on here as well! It would really mean a lot and help me out if you could also check it out on my wattpad:)!! Don't feel obligated to though.

Chapter 1, Late Wednesday Nights

1574 Words

Seonghwa didn't want to work at this damned bar for the rest of his life. Smelling vomit and having to drag heavy limp body's outside really does something to a person's sanity. He swore, if he had to mop up sticky alcohol residue on the floor from clumsy drunks spilling their drinks one more time he was doing to snap his own neck.

The night was coming closer, and so was Seonghwas shift. Since it was a Wednesday night, almost everyone that was here from the evening had left, by their own will or forced to from security. The tired man stared off into space, mindlessly wiping off the soapy shot glasses behind the counter.

He came to when the bell from the door chimed softly. Annoyed, he groaned quietly. Who comes to the bar this late on a Wednesday night?

When he looked up, his breath hitched, stuck in his throat. Standing at the entrance was a man of short stature. He adorned a blonde buzz cut. His chin was slim and complimented by a sharp jawline that could cut through diamonds. The man's eyes were beautiful; deep chocolate brown irises and long, black eyelashes. His lips were the perfect shade of pink and deliciously plump. Overall, he was quiet the pretty man.

"Hello!" Hongjoong waved his hand, trying to get Seonghwas attention.

Seonghwa blinked, swallowing dryly. "Sorry- sorry. Welcome! Have a seat." He said with a smile, throwing his towel over his shoulder and resting his hand on his hip. "What can I get for you?" He asked the man across the counter, eyes taking in all his sharp features.

Hongjoong sat down on the barstool and rested his hand on the counter, slowly tapping his fingers. "Give me a minute to think." He asked politely.

Seonghwa nodded. He looked down at Hongjoongs hand, taking note of his panted nails and multiple rings.

"Woah... that's hot..."

Seonghwa thought to himself, a soft blush spreading across his cheeks. He cleared his throat, going to the counter behind him pretending to do something to distract himself.

"Sir?" Hongjoong softly raised his voice.

"You can just call me Seonghwa." The man said, looking back at the blonde with a playful smile.

"Well, Seonghwa, I'd like a margarita, if you don't mind."

"One margarita for?" Seonghwa turned around, looking at the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

"Hongjoong." The shorter man smirked.

"One margarita, coming up for Hongjoong!" Seonghwa said brightly, his hands getting to work as he started to whip up the drink.

"So hongjoong-" Seonghwa averted his gaze. "What brings to here at this time of night?" He asks.

The blonde sat back in the barstool, the three undone buttons on his flannel exposing a sliver of his chest.

"Got bored while taking a nightly stroll and decided I had some cash to burn." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't you have work in the morning? It's a Wednesday after all." Seonghwa looked up at the other.

"No not really..." Hongjoong bit his lip.

"Well you have to make an income somehow, what do you do?"

"I guess you could say I'm a freelance artist." The blonde titled his head, smirking as he bit his tongue between his teeth.

"Well Mr. Freelance artist," Seonghwa slid a cold glass across the counter, "You're drink is ready."

Hongjoong raised his eyebrow, chuckling softly as he set a 10 on the counter. "Thanks." He picked up the glass, his rings clinking against the surface.

The blonde stared into his drink, spinning it softly and watching the ice clash with eachother. "So Seonghwa, what do you do? Ya know like out of this bar?"

The red haired man blushed, looking down at the counter he was leaning on. "I like to make YouTube videos, they're really nothing much though. I live with my two roommates though who are pretty interesting. One of them really likes to cook, so I get to taste test his food all the time!" Seonghwa stopped himself before he starting rambling too much. "Ah sorry..." He scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed.

"It's alright. I like hearing you talk." He said with a playful grin, "I also like people who can carry a conversation by themselves, I'm not that much of a talker." He took a sip of his alcohol, tipping his head back sensually.

The night carried on as Seonghwa talked to his hearts content while Hongjoong listened adoringly.

The were in their own little world, one at a barstool and the other behind the counter. Stars filled the dark sky as the moon shone brightly over the tall buildings. Crickets chirped softly in the grass between the cracks of the sidewalk.

They were brought back to reality when the apple watch on Seonghwas wrist started beeping frantically. "Oh- it's closing time already?" He said disappointed, tapping the screen on his watch to turn off the alarm.

"How about I give you a ride home after I clean up the place a bit?" Seonghwa immediately offered, not losing the chance to get this man more. "You said you walked here right? Plus it's pretty late out, I don't think any of the cab places will pick up." He said with a knowing smirk.

"I'm sold." Hongjoong sat back in the stool, crossing one leg over the other. "I'll wait for you then." He smiled.

Seonghwa grabbed the blondes empty glass and began to clean up the back of the counter.

Seonghwa opened the car door for Hongjoong, letting him in the passengers side. "Wow, what a gentleman." The shorter man joked, getting into the car.

Seonghwa got into the driver's side with a huff. He stretched his body, relaxing into the seat. As he stuck his keys into the ignition he asked, "So whats your address?"

"The apartment building on Dongyo Street. You know the one above the 7-Eleven?"

Seonghwa stopped suddenly and looked over at Hongjoong. "No way, really?" He asked, mouth agape with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" The blonde asked, a little confused.

"I live in that same building! How come I've never seen you before?"

"Oh!? Well I just moved in to the 5th floor a few weeks ago."

"The new floor they just got done building? Makes sense why I haven't seen you yet." He stated as he stepped on the gas, driving out of his parking spot.

Seonghwa had insisted on walking with Hongjoong to his apartment. He wanted to get this mans number so badly, but he was nervous and wasn't quite sure how to ask. "This is your room? E300?" They stopped walking and stood in front of the door. "Mhm, sure is." Hongjoong reached in his pocket, searching for his keys.

"So uh," Seonghwa started awkwardly, completely contrasting from his earlier subtle flirting. "Since we live in the same building and all, I think it would be pretty convenient if we had eachothers numbers."

"Oh well-" Hongjoong was cut off by the door opening, a 6 ft tall man with black hair behind the frame.

"Dude, where have you been?! Get in here! Mingi is literally destroyed our kitchen earlier trying to make dinner since you weren't here- come help clean up!" Yunho pulled Hongjoong inside and slammed the door shut.

"Wait but-" Seonghwa whined. He wasn't that disappointed that he didn't get Hongjoongs number since they lived in the same building, but it was going to be a lot harder now.

He walked all the way downstairs to the second floor, sulking. He opened the door to his apartment, room B6. It was quiet dark as he expected it to be Wooyoung and San were already asleep in their rooms. The read head slid of his shoes at the entrance, trying to be as quiet as possible. He looked in the fridge quickly, trying to see if anything would appeal to his stomach, but nothing did. With a sigh he walked off to his room and sat down at his desk rather than laying im his bed.

He played some random games mindlessly, but he couldn't get that blonde off of his mind. He also thought about that tall man. What if Hongjoong was dating him? Or that Mingi that the dude mentioned? What if Seonghwa made up everything in his head and he didn't even have a chance?

Out of curiosity, Seonghwa typed something into the search bar

"How to know if your crush likes you"

That sounded absolutely childish, he knew that well, but he couldn't help it.

He scrolled and scrolled down the pages past a bunch of wiki how's and reddit pages. Until, he saw a link for a Craigslist added titled

"Spice up your love life and give your soul to this matchmaking devil"

"Oh?" That sounded quite interesting to the man and so, he clicked.

"Feeling lost in love? Not so sure how to win the heart of your crush? Make an 'deal' with this matchmaker and gain you're deepest desires. You'll surely find the treasure you're sought after. " Seonghwa read out loud, an amused smile on his face.

He scrolled down the page, seeing you could "book an appointment" with the "matchmaker".

"You know what? Fuck it."

After typing in some info he really shouldn't be giving out on the internet, he pressed enter.

Man, he was so desperate.

Tomorrow at 5 pm was his "appointment". What a perfect day to be off work.

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