Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the building Kim Dokja had led him to.
In his utter shock, he had no choice but to follow Kim Dokja up to the front desk, where Kim Dokja asked for a room, ordered a few drinks and some snacks to be delivered and then set off to their given room.
Karaoke.
Huh?
Kim Dokja's idea of relaxing was going to a karaoke place.
"Have you tried karaoke before, Joonghyuk-ssi?" Kim Dokja asked.
"I'm a CEO, not an alien," Yoo Joonghyuk deadpanned, a little miffed.
Kim Dokja chuckled.
"Do you not like it then?" he said.
That's the thing. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't particularly dislike it.
"Should we go somewhere else?"
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk shook his head and closed the door behind him.
Maybe Kim Dokja was just into some freaky stuff. Karaoke was very unconventional. But everything about Kim Dokja was unconventional. He seemed the kind to say fuck you to the world, throwing everyone's expectations into shambles.
It was awkward until the drinks came.
Yoo Joonghyuk had a new appreciation for soju. That thing worked much better than everything he had tried earlier.
Kim Dokja took the mic and selected a song first. He gave Yoo Joonghyuk the task of picking his song in the meantime.
Yoo Joonghyuk shuffled through the list and it took him a while to find the songs he knew how to sing along. He had to read the words a couple of times over, his mind was still processing just how much of a weird idea it was.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced up when the music started playing. He had heard this song before.
And then Kim Dokja started singing.
He was surprisingly good at it. He didn't stumble once, didn't miss a single lyric and finished the whole song with a score of seventy-nine on a hundred.
Yoo Joonghyuk had to applaud that performance. It was great.
Kim Dokja jumped at the applause and turned around sheepishly.
"That was good," Yoo Joonghyuk said honestly.
"Haha, thank you, Joonghyuk-ssi," he said, walking back to the seats and handing him the microphone.
Even with the fluorescent lights of the room, Yoo Joonghyuk could tell that Kim Dokja's ears were red and it was not due to the alcohol.
Karaoke was a good idea, huh?
"It's been a while since I've done this," Yoo Joonghyuk said, clearing his throat.
"It's all in good fun, Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja said bracingly and picked up the plastic tambourine from the table in front of them.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt only vaguely self-conscious about his singing skills. But in the end, when they stripped down bare, would it even matter? Or was Kim Dokja's type someone who could sing well? How did Kim Dokja's mind work? How did singing skills make a difference for him?
The beat picked up and the music boomed in the soundproof room. Yoo Joonghyuk raised the mic and fixed his gaze on the screen to read the lyrics.
As he sang, he felt Kim Dokja shudder a little next to him.
He turned to look at him and to his surprise, he saw the biggest, most genuine smile he had ever seen on Kim Dokja's face.
Karaokes were seriously underrated, weren't they?
Kim Dokja clapped hard when he finished the song. A little out of breath, Yoo Joonghyuk turned to look at the screen.
A big ninety-three flashed on the screen and Kim Dokja laughed loudly.
"You're awesome, Joonghyuk-ssi," the man managed to say between laughs he was trying to muffle. "Would you like to do another song?"
"After you," Yoo Joonghyuk said, passing the microphone over.
"Oh, alright."
Kim Dokja took a while to choose his song. Yoo Joonghyuk sat back and listened as the younger man sang an old break-up song. Kim Dokja was pretty good at it.
". . .Seriously?" Kim Dokja said, a little annoyed at his score which had fallen to the sixties.
"The machine's wack," Yoo Joonghyuk said. Yoo Joonghyuk felt Kim Dokja's singing definitely deserved a hundred. Sixty-two? What nonsense.
It was Yoo Joonghyuk's turn again.
"Are you serious?!" Kim Dokja cried when Yoo Joonghyuk received another ninety-four for his singing.
And then it hit him. Kim Dokja was competetive.
It was a very, very strange way to build the chemistry. Darts or billiards or pool or other card games was understandable, but karaoke?
It only made Kim Dokja more interesting though.
Kim Dokja sat down with an indignant huff and Yoo Joonghyuk chuckled.
"Please, don't laugh at me, Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja said crossly, his tone wasn't one used while making requests at all.
"I think you've got a lovely voice," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "And you sing really well."
"Of course, I do," said Kim Dokja. "I've practised hard. I don't understand why you get more points than me every time."
"It's a machine, pay it no mind," Yoo Joonghyuk said bracingly. "Sirens couldn't be more enticing than you."
Kim Dokja turned his head to look at him, the light from the screen and the disco ball overhead casting odd shadows on his face.
"Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja called. "Do you need some water? I think you're getting drunk."
"Aren't both of us getting drunk?" Yoo Joonghyuk said.
Kim Dokja blinked.
". . .I think so," he muttered. "I mean, I'm tipsy for sure."
Yoo Joonghyuk could see that too. Kim Dokja's face was flushed from both the alcohol and his passionate singing.
He had practised. How cute was that?
Kim Dokja stiffened when Yoo Joonghyuk reached a hand out and touched his face.
"Your face feels hot, tipsy for sure," he said.
Kim Dokja had really soft skin. He wanted to kiss him. His thin face didn't have a lot of fat he could squeeze and pull at, but it was still soft and nice to touch.
Yoo Joonghyuk moved his hand from his cheek and caught his chin. Kim Dokja's eyes went wide when Yoo Joonghyuk started leaning in.
"Is this okay?" he asked. Was it too fast for Kim Dokja?
Kim Dokja didn't respond but sat there frozen. So Yoo Joonghyuk waited for him to come to a conclusion.
". . .oh my fucking god," was what Kim Dokja said when he finally spoke.
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned.
"What do you mean by that?"
Kim Dokja gave a nervous, shaky, nervous laugh and put his hands on his head.
"You've been flirting with me," he said in a quiet whisper. "Oh, for fuck's sake, you were flirting with me!"
"What?"
"I'm sorry!" Kim Dokja cried despondently. "I didn't realise. I—I'm really sorry."
"Did you not realise that I was asking you out on a date?" Yoo Joonghyuk said, the confusion fading away and absolute acrimony settling in place.
"No?!" Kim Dokja said frantically. "I thought—You said, apology, so. . ."
Yoo Joonghyuk closed his eyes with a frown. He knew it would come to bite him in the ass.
"It was an excuse," he kept his tone flat but Kim Dokja sensed his ire anyway and inched back a little. "What about when I asked you if you wanted to get out of the bar?"
"To a relaxing place," Kim Dokja repeated the words Yoo Joonghyuk had used.
Yoo Joonghyuk threw his head back and inhaled sharply. His secretary was right, he needed to learn how to communicate better.
Everything was gone up in smoke, the dream had ended and now they had shit to clean up. Better clean it up right away then.
First things first.
"Do you not prefer men?" Yoo Joonghyuk said.
"No—I mean, I'm—I do," Kim Dokja stumbled over his words. "I've had boyfriends before."
"You're not used to one-night stands then?"
"No, I am—Fuck," Kim Dokja swore. He let out a quiet groan and said, "I mean, I've done that before. It's just...I'm usually the one initiating, so I didn't notice it when you were doing it."
"What else did you think I was doing then?" Yoo Joonghyuk said half indignant, half confuddled.
"Having a good time?" Kim Dokja said, running a hand through his hair.
He let out a sigh and dropped his hands to his lap. "I thought—Like me—An impromptu drinking buddy."
"A what?!"
"We were drinking, the conversation was easy. I wanted to get my mind off a few things and you suggested doing something relaxing. So I thought we'd do something fun, like—," Kim Dokja tried hard to find the words, everything jumbled in his head. "Like friends or something—I mean, I know we're not really friends, but a one-night buddy stand or something, I don't—"
Kim Dokja took a deep breath.
"I thought we were having fun," Kim Dokja said defensively. "I was having fun. And I thought. . .Were you not having fun?"
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him for a long while, his glare piercing and then he got up from his seat.
Ah, well, what was he expecting?
Kim Dokja watched Yoo Joonghyuk storm out of the room.
He shouldn't have gone out to meet that man at all. If he had left, like he had been planning to when the weird CEO told him to turn up at the bar, none of this would have happened.
Kim Dokja's first plan was to laze around for the rest of the day and use the time he had to the fullest, slacking off. He wouldn't ever meet the stranger Yoo Joonghyuk again anyway.
But then he saw the pictures that Lee Seolhwa had posted on social media, just a couple of photographs with her hand held out against the sunset, a ring he had seen before decorating her hand. And there was one where she was holding Yoo Joonghyuk's hand and Kim Dokja decided he would go out.
He wasn't paying anyway, might as well make good use of it.
Now that he was thinking back to everything that had happened during the past two days. . .Damn it!
He didn't notice. It had just never crossed his mind that this older Yoo Joonghyuk would ever try hitting on him. With him being a rich, successful CEO and all that. Kim Dokja was no one in front of that. And maybe his beliefs were reinforced by the fact that his Yoo Joonghyuk didn't want him that way.
Well, it was a good thing that man left.
Kim Dokja wouldn't have agreed to go with him anyway. It would be too strange for him. With a face so similar to Yoo Joonhgyuk's and the same name, Kim Dokja wouldn't be able to do it. Even if he did, it would make him feel like a sinner.
He was already running away so that he wouldn't make it weird. Imagine how terrible it would end up if he slept with a Yoo Joonghyuk look-alike.
Guess it was just him and the karaoke machine that night.
Well, fuck it.
Who cared? He would put this away as a weird incident, something like a funny fever dream or something.
The door opened and Yoo Joonghyuk walked back in grumpily.
Kim Dokja's throat felt very dry, but he kept his cool and said, "Did you forget something, Yoo Sajangnim?"
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him.
"Why're you calling me that?" he snapped.
"...ah, that. . .I thought you wouldn't want me to—Weren't you leaving?"
Yoo Joonghyuk sat back down on the seat he had left snatched the tablet from the table and went through the song list.
"Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?"
"I went to book another slot," Yoo Joonghyuk grumbled. "You took only for one hour. We were running out of time."
"Yes?"
"I was having fun too," Yoo Joonghyuk picked another song and music filled the room.
Huh. . .Unexpected.
"I'm sorry," Kim Dokja said. "But if you—"
"I'm not," Yoo Joonghyuk cut him off. "I was, but since you've made your choice, I understand."
"I hope we've cleared that misunderstanding," Yoo Joonghyuk said, his tone a bit softer. "Drinking buddy, you said."
Maybe it was a fever dream...Maybe this whole trip was a fever dream.
"I'd like that," Kim Dokja swallowed. It did nothing to help ease the dryness of his throat. ". . .You might want to start that song again."
Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow.
"Are we having a competition?"
"No, you've done some strange stuff with the machine. It keeps favouring you."
"It's a machine. It can't do that."
"But it is doing that."
"What?"
Kim Dokja shrugged and poured both of them a glass of soju each.
"To clearing all misunderstandings, then?" he said tentatively, holding out his glass with both hands, respectfully.
Yoo Joonghyuk sighed and picked up the other shot glass. The glass let out a pleasant clink when he tapped it against Kim Dokja's.
Han Sooyoung would love to hear about this, Kim Dokja thought as he turned his face away and drank the alcohol.
"How long did you put in for, Joonghyuk-ssi?" Kim Dokja managed to say, his head feeling a little woozy.
"If we run out of time, they'll come to kick us out," was Yoo Joonghyuk's response. "Then we'll see."
"It's so unfair," Kim Dokja complained when Yoo Joonghyuk's performance got a whopping ninety-eight.
And Yoo Joonghyuk smirked smugly.
"Your singing is shit," Kim Dokja said, bitter.
Yoo Joonghyuk's smirk only widened when he passed him the mic.
"Don't be petty," the older man said.
"I'm not being petty," Kim Dokja grumbled. "Your singing is so out of tune, I have no idea how you're managing to get in the nineties all the time."
"I'm not out of tune," Yoo Joonghyuk sounded very defensive and Kim Dokja stuck by the point he was trying to make.
"You really enjoy singing, I can see that. It's fun, but your singing is truly, truly out of tune," he said. "I'm not saying that it's bad. It's just weird how you get more points."
"Have you considered that I am getting more points because I'm simply better at singing," Yoo Joonghyuk poked his arm lightly. "And that you might just be a little tone-deaf?"
"I'm not tone deaf," Kim Dokja scoffed. "My friend said I was good at singing."
"You are," Yoo Joonghyuk nodded.
"And I practised really hard."
"I can see that."
"And so, it's unfair!" Kim Dokja cried. "You really can get away with anything in this world if you're handsome, huh?"
Yoo Joonghyuk shook with laughter he was trying to hide.
"It's a machine," he said, eyes glinting with mirth. Kim Dokja huffed and turned away.
Someone came to kick them out as Yoo Joonghyuk had said and Yoo Joonghyuk pulled out a black card. Kim Dokja clapped at the impressive flex. It was a good thing that they'd come to a 24-hour karaoke.
They were drunk, even in his state, Kim Dokja could tell that much. With how Yoo Joonghyuk had taken off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves and how Kim Dokja had undone a few of his buttons to beat the sudden heat.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't try to make a move on him though. He really was a man of his word, huh?
"Why're you singing sad songs?" Yoo Joonghyuk questioned, his words a little slurred, the alcohol had affected him too.
"I'm getting my feelings out," Kim Dokja told him matter-of-factly.
"Feelings out?"
"Mhmm," Kim Dokja nodded. "Wanna know?"
"Yeah," Yoo Joonghyuk leaned back on the seat and put his head on the backrest, his eyes closed.
"I told you about my best friend, didn't I?" Kim Dokja said.
"The one getting hitched?"
"Yep."
"Mm."
"Yeah, so. . .I've been in love with him for years," Kim Dokja spilled the secret he had been keeping for so long.
The Yoo Joonghyuk sitting next to him opened his eyes and tilted his head to look at him. Kim Dokja tightened his grip on the mic he was holding.
"And he doesn't know. No one knows."
". . .Is that what you wanted to get your mind off?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked.
Kim Dokja nodded.
"Is this that—The other Yoo Joonghyuk?"
Kim Dokja nodded again.
"Why didn't you confess?" Yoo Joonghyuk said, giving his shoulder a comforting pat and retracting his hand quickly.
"I was too late," Kim Dokja said, sullen. ". . .I'm bad at these things."
"Yes, it's apparent," Yoo Joonghyuk huffed out. Kim Dokja sent him a glare that he didn't seem to mind.
"Continue," Yoo Joonghyuk pressed.
". . .By the time I realised it, he already had a girlfriend," Kim Dokja said. This Yoo Joonghyuk was going to be his stand-in shrink today. Maybe getting it off his chest would help.
"And he was happy. I couldn't do anything."
"You could, you chose not to," Yoo Joonghyuk found the need to comment, ruining his story flow.
"Should I have ruined their relationship, then?" Kim Dokja snapped.
"When it comes to it, who's happiness matters more?" said Yoo Joonghyuk. "You're going to have to live with yourself the most. If you'd done something back then, you wouldn't be regretting now."
"That's such a fucked up view you have there," Kim Dokja said seriously.
"It's not," Yoo Joonghyuk snorted. "You're a coward."
"I'm not! It's just not worth ruining a good friendship over something as stupid as romantic feelings."
"Since when are romantic feelings stupid?"
"Since I said so," Kim Dokja crossed his legs angrily.
"Stop sulking," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "Are you a child?"
"You stop annoying me," Kim Dokja snapped.
"Alright, alright," Yoo Joonghyuk shrugged. "Continue your tale."
"You're still annoying me!"
Yoo Joonghyuk moved his hand and made a motion of zipping his mouth shut.
His Yoo Joonghyuk would never have done that.
Well, Kim Dokja had someone willing to listen to all his ramblings. And it wasn't like he could ever tell any of his friends this. After tonight, he would have no reason to meet this man again.
He opened his mouth and laid down all his anguishes for the other's ears to hear.
"And—And you know what's worse? He said there was a time when he liked me! And I just didn't notice."
"Obviously," the older Yoo Joonghyuk drawled. "He kissed you. He brought up the whole thing for a reason. Your stupidity is astounding."
Kim Dokja punched the older man's arm. He didn't even flinch. At first, he glared at him, but after all the punches and hits Kim Dokja had landed over all the comments Yoo Joonghyuk deemed necessary to say, he had grown numb to it.
"I didn't know back then!" Kim Dokja cried. "If I had—I don't think I loved him back then either. He was just a friend—It was just, all at the wrong times—And!"
"Don't cry," Yoo Joonghyuk patted his arm.
"I'm not!"
Yoo Joonghyuk opened his eyes to look at the younger man.
Kim Dokja wasn't lying. There wasn't a single tear in sight. Even though his beautiful irises were swirling with despair, he wasn't crying.
"Falling in love is scary. It's so terrifying—Have you ever fallen in love?"
"I'm not sure," Yoo Joonghyuk said.
"Well, I have and it's shit," said Kim Dokja. "And you know what's worse?"
"What?"
"Being the only one in love."
"Sounds plausible."
"The way he said it," Kim Dokja was staring at the empty shot glass clutched tightly in his hand. "We were having dinner, us and our friends. His girlfriend was there, everyone was there and—I don't remember what we were talking about, but he said, 'Oh, yeah, I used to have a crush on Kim Dokja back in high school'. And everyone just laughed!"
"What did you do?"
"What was I supposed to do? I laughed too. And he said it was a good thing it had never become anything more than just a crush."
What a fucking dumbass. That other Yoo Joonghyuk sounded like a bitter piece of shit who was trying to goad a reaction out of Kim Dokja.
Throughout his story, Yoo Joonghyuk realised that Kim Dokja's awareness when it came to all things romance-related was abysmal.
That other Yoo Joonghyuk guy he kept mentioning clearly sounded like he still had some lingering feelings and was trying a last-ditch effort to see if Kim Dokja felt anything.
And when Kim Dokja laughed, obviously he gave up on it and moved on.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't let Kim Dokja know of it though.
He didn't like that other Yoo Joonghyuk a lot. Stupid coward. If he liked someone, instead of sneaking around he should have just confessed directly. Did he think people were mind-readers or something?
That bastard was aware that Kim Dokja wasn't very quick at picking up these things. He'd seen Kim Dokja go through stupid, failed relationships over and over again and he just let it happen because of his dumb pride.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't understand why Kim Dokja was still in love with him.
"Makes sense though, doesn't it?" Kim Dokja was saying. "All my relationships only ever end up in failures."
"You said that's because you're not exactly invested in it," Yoo Joonghyuk reminded him.
"Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja sighed. "You're right, I'm a bit of a coward. I'm scared of falling in love again. Even if I do actually like the person, the relationship won't work anyway because I'm too terrified of it."
He couldn't refute that.
"Why did you break up with your new girlfriend?" Yoo Joonghyuk said. "If you wanted to keep an excuse."
"It's 'cause of my ingenious plan," Kim Dokja sounded proud.
A happy Kim Dokja was better than a Kim Dokja crying over some dumb bastard.
"What plan?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked.
"Right, right," Kim Dokja sat straighter in his seat. "I saw that my friend bought an engagement ring. And I also knew when their anniversary date was—"
"Why do you know that?" Yoo Joonghyuk said, a little annoyed now.
"I've helped him plan events for their anniversary before," said Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk felt indignance flare up in his chest.
"Are you an idiot?" he groaned. "Why would you put yourself through that?"
Kim Dokja bit his lip. He felt guilty about treating himself that horribly too.
"He asked me for help," Kim Dokja muttered. "I couldn't refuse him."
Kim Dokja was another fucking idiot.
What was so special about that Yoo Joonghyuk for Kim Dokja to like him so much?
"So, anyway, my plan," Kim Dokja's mood perked up a little again. He was rather proud of this plan he had come up with, wasn't he?
"I mean, my girlfriend was cheating on me with this one assistant director anyway," Kim Dokja said and Yoo Joonghyuk let out another sigh of exasperation.
"It was alright though," Kim Dokja said in response to his reaction. "I didn't really love her. It meant nothing to me. And she's an actress. She really needed that role, and you know how fucked the entertainment industry is."
"Pathetic," Yoo Joonghyuk agreed.
"Well, I just pretended I didn't know anything until I saw the ring he'd bought."
How were those two even related?
"Then I saw the exhibition pamphlet—"
"Convention," Yoo Joonghyuk corrected.
"It was an exhibition to me," Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. "I saw the pamphlet and it made the perfect story."
"How?" Yoo Joonghyuk said, tired, but curious.
Kim Dokja giggled a little and a smile tugged on Yoo Joonghyuk's face.
That other Yoo Joonghyuk bastard was missing out on this sinister little Kim Dokja. He was cute like this. Really cute.
"All I had to do was make a time plan," Kim Dokja said brightly. "Two weeks before, I got onto my ex-girlfriend's phone, she was the one who suggested he share passwords anyway...And well, I pretended that I'd read the messages she'd exchanged with that assistant director and then acted like I would rather trust her than that."
"So she felt all guilty about it and brought up the breakup. I thought it would take her around six to eight days because she tries to avoid conflict, but she caved in a bit earlier. Even if she didn't bring it up, I could trigger an argument and storm out of the house and away for a bit. And with my manager's approval to make the business trip for the exhibition—"
"Convention."
"—I could leave on the day he was proposing and he's the kind to tell his friends about it as soon as possible, so I knew he would call us. But when he did, I wouldn't be there and I would have some time away."
"Now even after I go back, I'll just say I'm reeling from the breakup and avoid them. Even if he corners me, it wouldn't be too weird. Isn't it the perfect plan?"
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at Kim Dokja.
He was a bit...crazy, wasn't he?
Maybe Yoo Joonghyuk was a bit insane too, because he found this rather cute.
Kim Dokja's eager grin slowly faded from his face when Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer.
"Thinking back," Kim Dokja's shoulders drooped. "It's not that impressive, is it? I just got lucky."
"Yes," Yoo Joonghyuk said truthfully. "The situation was in your favour. Repeated coincidences. . .Your plan wasn't completely incompetent though. You're good at deception."
"I know," Kim Dokja sighed heavily.
"And you have a good understanding of people," Yoo Joonghyuk continued. "You did make an impeccable time plan and followed it through. . .Is that what you do? At work?"
Kim Dokja snorted.
"No," he laughed humourlessly. "I find bugs in games and fix them. Well, not exactly me, it's the whole team that does it. But yeah. . ."
"Is that what you want to do?" Yoo Joonghyuk frowned.
"Absolutely not," said Kim Dokja. "If I could, I'd be doing something a lot better. But I don't really have a lot of credentials, so I don't get better jobs."
That's a shame. He had talent that could have shined better, only if someone had fostered it.
"I had to beg my manager to just approve the stupid form and allow me to go on this business trip," Kim Dokja complained. "I had to do overtime for weeks because of that."