It was during one of their drinking nights that happened once every couple of months.
They were gathered in Han Sooyoung's flat, just the three of them again, and Han Sooyoung had gone to the bathroom or the kitchen, Kim Dokja couldn't remember.
But it was just the two of them in the living room, Kim Dokja was on his phone and Yoo Joonghyuk was comfortable enough to take out the little ring box from his jeans pocket open the box and stare at the dainty ring with a diamond on it with a soft expression that made Kim Dokja's guts twist painfully.
Han Sooyoung's voice snapped Yoo Joonghyuk out of his trance and he stuffed the box back into his pocket, glancing at Kim Dokja to see if he had noticed and Kim Dokja pretended he was engrossed in doing something on his phone.
It didn't take a genius to connect the dots. Kim Dokja knew a lot of things about Yoo Joonghyuk, including the fact that he paid a lot of attention to special dates.
Yoo Joonghyuk's plan was apparent. He was going to propose to Lee Seolhwa on their anniversary. It had been a long while after all, almost six years since they started dating.
Kim Dokja knew he wouldn't be able to act like everything was normal, so he removed himself from the less-than-ideal situation.
The exhibition was very convenient and he jumped at the chance.
When Yoo Joonghyuk texted him, asking him why he wasn't going to be there for the dinner gathering he had called, Kim Dokja gave his well-prepared excuse.
He was busy, the exhibition was interesting, he was having fun, no time to talk, bye.
During his trip, his phone vibrated a lot with texts from everyone flying in. He ignored all of it pointedly. He was supposed to be busy, and busy people didn't have a lot of time to check their phones.
His curiosity got the better of him and he did take a little peek. The group chat had nearly a hundred unread messages and Kim Dokja supposed it had happened.
He used his phone as he normally did, avoiding the messaging app, no matter how many messages or calls came in.
He would deal with that later.
The exhibition was, as he had expected, boring.
He collected a few pamphlets and stuff from all the stalls anyway. He needed to have some evidence to forge a new story when he got back, and he was going on the company's behalf, he had to report to his manager about it.
Maybe he should resign and try somewhere else. Minosoft was a shit company and he did not want to waste his life away there.
It was a three-day exhibition with all the leading tech companies of the country and overseas establishments putting up stalls, showing off their newest projects, boasting about their innovation, giving out free pens and all that stuff.
A few things caught Kim Dokja's attention despite himself. The VR technology was pretty cool. But using it for just gaming felt like a waste. It had so much potential, that restricting it to entertainment was a shame.
None of his business though.
On the second day of his technically-a-business trip, he went to a bar. Something he didn't generally do, but the increasing number of unread texts and missed calls made him want to do something to distract himself.
Kim Dokja wasn't one for walking into fancy bars like this either, but it was the closest one to his crappy hotel and his company was going to reimburse a portion of his expenditure for the trip. He had nothing to buy, so he might as well enjoy it like this.
Walking up to the bar in his old office suit, Kim Dokja felt very out of place. He wanted to turn around and leave. Even the bartender looked unimpressed at his presence.
Kim Dokja clicked his phone on, like he always did when he felt a little nervous or lost.
Yoo Joonghyuk had called him and with his phone on silent mode, he had missed it.
Fuck it.
Kim Dokja didn't know jack shit about fancy alcohol and cocktails, but luckily, Jung Heewon had imparted some knowledge to him to be used in emergencies.
Kim Dokja watched the alcohol he had ordered shimmer like liquid gold as it was being poured onto a large chunk of ice and he muttered a tired thanks when the bartender placed the glass in front of him.
"Long day?" the man asked.
Kim Dokja smiled tightly. "Can't wait for it to end."
"Feel you," the man said with a light smirk. ". . .Never seen you around here. New?"
"Could say that," Kim Dokja picked up the glass and raised it to his lips.
It tasted the same as any other whiskey he had tasted before. What a scam.
"Business trip?" the bartender said.
"Yep."
"Any interesting adventures?"
"It was the most boring thing ever," Kim Dokja droned. "If I wasn't trying to get away from home, I wouldn't have put myself through this torture."
The bartender chuckled lightly.
"Happens to the best of us," he said compassionately. "Well, just call for me if you need another one of those."
Kim Dokja gave a weak thumbs-up in response and decided to focus on the drink in his hand instead of the vibrating phone in his blazer's pocket.
Eventually, it became too bothersome so he took the phone out and placed it upside down on the counter. Let it ring as much as it wanted. What would they do if he was sleeping, hmm?
He was trying to be a good friend. The happy news his friend was trying to tell him wasn't happy at all, at least not for him. He was being a nice friend and doing his fucking best to not ruin the whole atmosphere.
He couldn't wish the couple a sincere congratulations. He couldn't be truly happy for them.
He knew he couldn't do that, but he was still trying his best. He was doing his best to give himself some time to gather all his bearings and at least put on a convincing show when he got back.
Kim Dokja sat at the bar, pointedly avoiding looking at his phone and choosing to notice the details of the bar instead. Very chic. A bit pretentious, but he could look past it. Dim yellow lights, glassware behind the counter glinting cheekily under the lights, some faint jazz music playing. There was a faint whizzing as the doors opened whenever a patron walked into the bar.
His phone rang again. He flipped it over, saw Yoo Joonghyuk's name and let it fall back again. Kim Dokja was still in the country, so he couldn't blame the time zone either.
Damn it.
Reluctantly, he answered the call and pressed his phone to his ear.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk's angry voice said. There was nothing Kim Dokja could do to stop his heart from squeezing when he heard his voice, however pissed he may sound.
"Why are you not answering my calls? You didn't read my messages either."
Kim Dokja inhaled sharply.
"If I didn't answer it means I was busy with something else," he said testily. "Why would you spam when I'm busy?"
Yoo Joonghyuk huffed indignantly on the other side of the phone.
It was a bit past ten o'clock. Yoo Joonghyuk went to bed at this time and Lee Seolhwa was probably beside him. He was just calling him because Kim Dokja hadn't responded or read any of the previous day's messages. He must have gotten worried and called to check on him.
"What are you doing?" Yoo Joonghyuk said, the ire in his voice falling a little.
Kim Dokja closed his eyes with a frown.
Why would he ask something like that?
How he wished it could have been asked under different circumstances. And Kim Dokja would have loved to answer back like in those cheesy romances, saying 'Missing you'.
"Dying," Kim Dokja said dully.
Yoo Joonghyuk snorted.
"Was it that bad?"
"The worst," Kim Dokja muttered. "I'm pretty tired. I might just fall asleep on the floor."
"Tsk. . .Go sleep then. Don't fall asleep on the floor. Don't stay up reading your crappy novels either," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "I have something to tell you."
"Is that what the group chat's blowing up about?" Kim Dokja said.
"...mhm," Yoo Joonghyuk said humming softly. Ah, he was shy.
"Cool," Kim Dokja said staring into his glass of whiskey. "I'll read it when I get time, man. G'night, yeah?"
"You," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "Don't end up dead in a ditch somewhere."
"Hey! What do you think I am?" KIm Dokja grumbled. "Go away, now. Bye."
Yoo Joonghyuk huffed again and ended the call, saving Kim Dokja the trouble of doing so.
He put the phone back down on the counter, the screen facing downwards again. He hailed for the bartender and got his drink refilled, keeping a mental check of the tab he would have to pay later.
"Yoo Joonghyuk, damn bastard," Kim Dokja said through gritted teeth, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
The person who was sitting two seats to his left bristled a little.
Was he too loud? Crap.
He turned his head a little so that he could mouth a little sorry for disturbing their peace.
His words died in his throat and his jaw fell open, eyes widening.
For a second, his heart nearly jumped out of his throat in fear when he saw the man. He thought Yoo Joonghyuk had followed him all the way here and caught him for a second.
Then he regained his composure and saw that the man did look awfully similar to Yoo Joonghyuk, but he wasn't him. Oh, thank god.
Kim Dokja looked away immediately. Awkward? Flustered? Not sure. Very anxious, yes.
What the fuck?
Okay, calm down, he told himself. No one was turning up and demanded him to confess his feelings. He was not a jumpy frog, relax.
Kim Dokja grabbed his phone and brought his glass to his mouth again. Don't drink too fast, he reminded himself.
The bar was moderately crowded and until now, the stranger hadn't caught his attention. But now that he was aware of his presence, Kim Dokja kept track of the well-dressed man's every move from the corner of his eyes.
Kim Dokja's heart picked up pace when the man got up from his seat.
Holy fuck, he was tall.
Kim Dokja was no six-foot macho. He was a five foot seven, five-eight if he was desperate and rounded it off.
And this man wasn't a towering giant either, but he was tall. Taller than six feet for sure. And he had a large frame that cast an even more intimidating shadow.
The man took a step away from the bar and one of the many anxieties in Kim Dokja's stomach fell away. Oh, he was leaving. Cool, that was cool. Bye, Mr Scary Guy.
Kim Dokja's relief didn't even last a couple of seconds because he felt the man heading towards him.
He almost swore out loud when the seat right next to him swivelled and the man sat down on it.
Fuck!
Kim Dokja grabbed his cowardly brain and heart and tied them up in place before it could race off in a panic. What was the man going to do anyway, huh? Kill him? He would be doing him a favour, in that case.
What was he freaking out for? This was so fucking stupid.
"I'd rather you ogle at me directly instead of trying to be sneaky."
Holy fucking shit.
He sounded so much like Yoo Joonghyuk.
Kim Dokja's head turned around to stare directly at the man's face.
He felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
Kim Dokja gawked shamelessly for a few seconds before he caught himself.
"And I'd rather not," he said.
The man let out a puff of air, it was probably a laugh. Kim Dokja wasn't going to try to save the lost bits of his dignity, it was long gone, too late for it. He instead focused on taking a sip of his drink and washing down the sudden dryness in his throat.
"So you'd rather go back to sneaking glances?"
That voice was going to be the death of him. He sounded so much like Yoo Joonghyuk, it was starting to alarm him now. What the fuck?
Was it actually Yoo Joonghyuk? Were his friends going to pop up from somewhere now? Did he get lured into coming to this bar? What was going on?!
"Nope," Kim Dokja said trying to sound braver than he felt as he forced his eyes to stay fixed on his drink.
"Sorry for ruining your peace, I thought you looked like someone I know."
"Is that so?"
Kim Dokja nodded.
"And who might that be?"
Kim Dokja glanced at the man. . .Hang on, his eyes? Heterochromia, he thought it was just a trick of the light. And that scar on his face. . .
Great job, Kim Dokja. Managed to piss off a mob boss. Great fucking job.
Well, attitude was everything. He had made it so far unscathed, he'd probably get out without a knife sticking out of his torso too.
"A friend," Kim Dokja said.
Something shifted in the man's expression and Kim Dokja, out of curiosity turned his body towards the man to make it easier for him to look at the stranger.
Kim Dokja would never know if it was Yoo Joonghyuk's face that was his type, or if it became his type because he liked Yoo Joonghyuk. It was a little chicken-egg conundrum.
This stranger did look a lot like Yoo Joonghyuk. They weren't identical though.
Not just the eye or the scar on his face. His build, his facial expressions, down to the way he sat were different.
"A friend?" the man spoke, startling Kim Dokja and jolting him out of his reverie.
"Mhmm," Kim Dokja nodded.
He looked away again. He didn't know why he was avoiding this man's gaze. He usually managed to plough through. What's wrong with him now?
"And what does this friend of yours do?" the man asked.
"And how is that any of your business?" Kim Dokja said without missing a beat.
He noticed another difference. His voice was mostly similar to Yoo Joonghyuk, but there were differences again. A deeper voice? No, it was not that. It was something else. Something to do with the way he pronounced the words. The way he enunciated certain syllables, the modulation was different, sharp and clear, with gravitas.
And Yoo Joonghyuk would never talk to him politely.
That should have been the very first giveaway, really.
He felt a little calmer now.
He put on his brave face again. He propped his left elbow onto the bar counter and rested his chin on his palm, forcing his eyes to focus on the man.
"Since you've decided to start a conversation already, however weird of a conversation starter that was, " Kim Dokja smiled lazily. "I'm supposing you'll be staying longer."
No expression.
Well, what was he expecting? It wasn't Yoo Joonghyuk. It was some stranger, there was no way he would react like Yoo Joonghyuk.
"I'm Kim Dokja," he continued, as though the minimal reaction hadn't unnerved him at all.
The stranger did seem to have Yoo Joonghyuk's habit of acting however the fuck he wanted though, social conformity be damned.
Kim Dokja had to consciously resist the urge to gulp nervously when the man's eyes raked over him, looking him up and down. Was he sizing him up? Best way to kill him? He wasn't actually a mob boss, was he?
Ah, was today his last day alive? Should he drink some more then? Get the super-expensive alcohol?
"You look very different when you smile," the man said finally.
Kim Dokja's smile fell off his face.
"Wow," sarcasm was out of his mouth before he knew it. "And here I thought I was the one with the strange name."
The man stared at him, confused for a second.
Then the stranger turned his head away, an unexpected reaction since it was Kim Dokja who had avoided looking at him all this time. But even so, he wasn't fast enough. Kim Dokja caught the faint grin that had spread across his face at his words.
He was a little bit more expressive than Yoo Joonghyuk. At least that was the case for positive emotions, it seemed. Yoo Joonghyuk would have fought tooth and nail to keep that laugh in at all costs.
When the man turned back to face him, his grin was gone. Shame, he would have liked to see what he looked like when he smiled. Properly, not just a quarter of his side profile.
"Yoo Joonghyuk," he said.
Huh?. . .Kim Dokja's brain put the puzzle pieces together.
He had forgotten the original reason why he had paid this man attention. He was going to apologize for disturbing him.
"That's your name?" Kim Dokja said, a little dubious.
"Which do you think is more likely?" the man raised an eyebrow. "Yoo Joonghyuk or You-look-very-different-when-you-smile?"
A soft laugh left Kim Dokja before he knew it.
It was a little refreshing. His Yoo Joonghyuk didn't have a sense of humour. Even if he did, it was a bit screwed and only he seemed to understand why it was funny.
"I wouldn't know," Kim Dokja shrugged. "The world's a big place, it could be your legal name for all I know."
"Which Korean has such a legal name?" the man scoffed lightly.
"Oh, well, you could be mixed, or have parents from a different ethnic background. A bit embarrassing, but I'm not very well-versed in the naming cultures and trends around the globe," Kim Dokja said blithely.
The man gave him an exasperated look that Kim Dokja drank in with immense satisfaction.
"So, Mr Different smile—Ah, you don't mind me shortening it like that, do you?" Kim Dokja said cheekily.
Something in the man's gaze hardened. He looked annoyed.
Not as expressive as Yoo Joonghyuk when it came to negative emotions. This man was more controlled when it came to making facial expressions.
Yoo Joonghyuk's resting face was a dark scowl, but this guy had an unreadable, cold face. . .No, hang on, he had a tiny frown too. But it wasn't as pronounced as the one his Yoo Joonghyuk had.
Why was he even comparing the two anyway?
Kim Dokja held in the sigh he was dying to let out.
Mr Probably-a-Mob-Boss had a very blank look on his face.
He took a sip of his drink, whatever it was. Kim Dokja's knowledge of alcoholic beverages wasn't enough to know what it was that the man was drinking.
"You have a habit of running your mouth, don't you?" the man said once his glass had separated from his lips.
It was a pretty glass. . .And his hands, they were faintly scarred.
Mob Boss theory was looking very fucking likely.
"Running my mouth?" Kim Dokja mused. "An interesting phrase. Doesn't everybody run their mouth, technically? I was simply asking. Proper communication is the key to successful relationships. People won't really know what you're thinking until you actually say it. Right now, I have no clue what you're thinking. And I won't have a clue unless you actually tell me."
True. Kim Dokja had no fucking idea what this Mob Boss wanted from him. He wasn't demanding an apology either. And he was making a face with an expression he couldn't recognise or give a name to.
Then the man smirked humourlessly.
"Since you're curious," he said, his voice dropping into a quiet rumble. "I'll tell you. I was thinking you could put your mouth to use for better things."
Kim Dokja's heart froze for a second.
That was intimidating.
"Better things?" he echoed.
The man's gaze was unnerving too. As his eyes moved over his face, Kim Dokja felt like he was being scanned throughout, his soul included was being put under the search.
"Something a lot more productive than this," the man said, waving the hand holding his glass of alcohol a little, eyes never leaving Kim Dokja's.
"Hmm, that's true," Kim Dokja nodded.
He was paying for the stupidly overpriced alcohol. He was just wasting time without drinking it. He ought to make good use of the time he had that night. Kim Dokja decided to relish his whiskey.
The man shifted in his seat so that his whole body was facing Kim Dokja. He crossed his legs and stared darkly at Kim Dokja.
He was not getting used to that look. It was seriously scaring him, damn it.
"So?" the man broke the silence.
"So?" Kim Dokja said, confused.
"Your answer," the man prompted.
"My answer?"
A frown flashed across the man's face for a brief moment. His gaze hardened. He was annoyed again, Kim Dokja could tell.
What did he do now? Why was he getting grumpy all of a sudden?
Kim Dokja searched around for a topic to help lighten the mood.
"Tell me, Mr Different Smi—"
"Yoo Joonghyuk," the man cut him off.
"...Riiiight," Kim Dokja drawled slowly.
The hand holding the glass tightened around it, veins on the man's hand jutting out as he slipped his free hand into the breast pocket of his sleek suit and pulled something out.
He put a black card on the counter and slid it to Kim Dokja using a finger.
Kim Dokja, not the one to back down, mimicked the action, extending his own index finger lazily, tapping lightly on the card and even giving the card an aimless spin before he pulled it off the marble counter and into his hand.
He read the writing in silver on the card.
"Huh. . .I think I've heard that name somewhere," Kim Dokja muttered. "N'gai Enterprises."
The man gave a huff, half amused, half irked.
"You don't recognise it?" he sounded a little mad.
"No, I do, a bit," Kim Dokja said, searching his brain far and wide. "I know I have come across it before. I just can't remember where."
He continued reading the rest of the card.
The letters 'CEO' blared out at him.
Kim Dokja blinked and forced his expression to remain neutral. He didn't know what it was, but if it was his nonchalance that was keeping him safe all this while, then he should continue doing that.
CEO, yeah, that made sense. He did have the whole intimidating vibe going on . .And his name was Yoo Joonghyuk, huh?
Where had he heard the company's name, damnit? . . .He knew he'd seen it somewhere. Recently, that too—
"Ah!" It clicked. "I remember now."
The stranger looked a little eager to hear what he was going to say.
"The VR game display, at the exhibition," Kim Dokja said, taking a swig of his drink as he continued to read the card.
"The exhibit. . ." the man trailed off. He opened his mouth after a pause to say, "I see."
What was that even supposed to mean?
"You visited the exhibition?" the man asked.
"That's what I'm here for," Kim Dokja said, eyes on the card.
"Is that so?"
Kim Dokja nodded.
". . .And how did you find it?"
Kim Dokja glanced up at the man.
"Why are you asking me, CEO-nim?" he said nonchalantly. "I work in the Quality Assurance department of a no-name game company. I simply took the first chance I could get out of town."
"What does that have to do with my question?" the man said coolly.
Oh, okay, Mr Chill CEO. He didn't care about qualifications and positions now, was that it? Whatever, Kim Dokja had better things to worry his head about.
"You could always be tricking me," Kim Dokja said, placing the card on the edge of the counter and giving it a flick, aware of the other man's eyes on his hand.
The card jumped into the air, did a few cartwheels in mid-air and fell right in front of his conversation partner.
Kim Dokja cheered enthusiastically inside his head. Thank fucking god. It would have been so fucking embarrassing if that card hadn't done what it had just done. And he would never live it down if it had flopped. He had probably exchanged his luck for the next ten years with that stunt he'd just pulled off.
CEO Yoo Joonghyuk stiffened a bit. Looking thoroughly pissed, he shoved a hand into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out his wallet.
This time it was a different card that was slammed onto the counter. His driving license.
"You are Yoo Joonghyuk after all, huh?" Kim Dokja muttered. He didn't bother touching the card this time, he simply leaned forward and read the license.
. . .Ah, he was older than him. By five years.
Shame. Kim Dokja was going to ask him to treat him with respect if he ended up younger than him like Yoo Joonghyuk was. But how the fuck were they both born on the same day though?
It was just the year that was different, but both Yoo Joonghyuks were born on the third of August.
"How do I know if you're Kim Dokja?" this Yoo Joonghyuk asked.
"Who would try to impersonate me?" Kim Dokja said drolly, but he fetched his wallet dutifully and managed to get his driver's license out. He had no car to use his license, but in case of emergency errands, Kim Dokja had driven his work superiors' cars.
He put his card down next to Yoo Joonghyuk's, ensuring that it faced the man making it easier for him to read.
"Someone named you Dokja after all, huh?" Yoo Joonghyuk said waspishly.
"Don't be so petty," Kim Dokja took his card back and stuffed it back into his wallet. "It was a true worry. Identity theft isn't considered a serious crime for no reason."
Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, snatched his own card back and put it away.
"It's surprising though," Kim Dokja muttered, patting his pant pocket, a habit of his to make sure he hadn't dropped anything when he had taken his wallet out.
"You have the same name, same birthday and even look similar."
"What?"
"You and my friend," Kim Dokja told the other man. "You are both named Yoo Joonghyuk, both born on August 3. And you do look very similar to each other."
The Yoo Joonghyuk sitting across from him frowned. And Kim Dokja was reminded of something important again.
"Oh, I wasn't talking shit about you at all," he said quickly. "I was cursing out my friend. . .I can see how it would have sounded to you though. I didn't even know you, I had no reason to call you a bastard."
"I hope it didn't bother you too much," Kim Dokja bowed his head politely. "I'm truly sorry about the inconvenience."
"I. . .No, I'm not bothered," the man said, eyes darting away for a second. "An apology is unnecessary."
"You haven't answered my question," he changed the subject. "How did you find the exhibition?"
"It was nice," Kim Dokja said.
"I see," Yoo Joonghyuk nodded.
He looked at Kim Dokja questioningly when Kim Dokja didn't elaborate any further.
"Is that it?"
"What else is there to say?" Kim Dokja said.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes narrowed by a millimetre.
"Alright," he said when he finished scrutinizing Kim Dokja. "Let's hear it."
Hear what?
"What are you talking about?" Kim Dokja blinked.
"What's your proposal?"
Kim Dokja didn't understand why this Yoo Joonghyuk was getting mad at him. What had he done?
"Spit it out," the man snarled.
Kim Dokja still had no fucking idea what he was talking about. Spit what out? The exhibition? What was there for him to say about the exhibition? Overall, he would rate it a four out of ten. A few stalls were interesting, it was a bit too crowded though and the refreshments for the seminars ran out way too quickly. It wasn't planned very well.
He glared at Kim Dokja like he wanted to murder him.
"You're going to have to tell me what you're asking of me," Kim Dokja decided to speak before he got a hole put through his torso.
CEO Yoo Joonghyuk put his glass down and flexed his hand, clenching and unclenching his fist before picking up the glass again.
"What do you want?" the man said coldly.
"A peaceful conversation without violence," Kim Dokja said immediately.
Yoo Joonghyuk gave a scathing scoff.
"You have my word," he said. "Go ahead."
What the fuck was he on about, seriously?!
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to make his own understanding about Kim Dokja's silence and nodded solemnly.
"I see," he said nodding solemnly. "Let's take this somewhere private then."
All Yoo Joonghyuks were incapable of proper social interactions, Kim Dokja thought.
"Sorry, but you're going to have to be more specific," Kim Dokja said. "Explain it to me like I'm five, just to be on the safer side."
"What do you want from me?" Yoo Joonghyuk spat, his words lined with venom.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to say," Kim Dokja stared back at him. "What do you want from me?"
Yeah...Maybe today was going to end up being his last day. He was either getting stabbed to death or beaten up and judging by the size of the man's fists and all his muscle, he could probably kill Kim Dokja with one punch anyway.