ABO - XiaoHyuk

@☭ Nam Joohyuk "Of course Baba, loud and clear!" Dejun squeaked happily when he got his father's approval to stay out later. He flashed Hendery a thumbs up sign off screen, then beamed as Zhan brought his mother up. "Yes please!" Dejun couldn't wait to tell his mother about their shared hobby - /winning/ competitions. "Hi Mama!" he all but yelped over the phone.

Compared to Zhan, Yibo was not so quick to get into nagging. "What have you been up to?" he asked, rubbing a towel through his hair, "What's this I hear about a competiton? Make sure you do well, hm? We're cheering you on."

Dejun happily recounted the situation to his mother, though he did add for his father to hear in the background, "There's gonna be a lot of people voting...they'll vote for us once they see our talent!"

@☭ Xiao Dejun Seeing Huang Guanheng relieved Zhan immediately. If there was a responsible alpha like his son's friend around, at least that would keep the trouble-making ones at bay. Zhan knew there was no danger with Guanheng being around. He was pretty sure Guanheng only liked girls. Call it a father's intuition. "Oh... dance competition." Zhan knew all about competitions. Dejun and his mother have the same spirit when it came to competitions, and there wasn't much Zhan could do to convince them to back down. "Alright, baobei, but as soon as this competition is over, you're going straight to bed at ten o'clock, you hear me?" He pulled his reading glasses off to get a better look at the screen. "Mama is coming out of the shower now, you want to talk to Mama?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun knew that it was nothing to be scared of when his father was nagging at him. It was simply his way of showing love. To be fair, he did recall promising to have a curfew of ten o'clock, but explaining to his Baba why tonight was an exception was not going to be an issue at all. "Aiyo baba!" he exclaimed, raising his voice to whine and pursing his lips out in a cute pout, "It's not like that! There's a huge dance competition coming up! I need to win it so that I can be the dance club representative!" He angled the camera so Zhan could catch a glimpse of Hendery (an alpha), "Besides, Guanheng is with me! I'm perfectly fine okay? Baba, guess what? There's a guy who wants to steal this position from me, but it's mine! I'm not going to lose, that's why I have to keep practicing, okay? Just a few more nights, it won't be a bad habit~" he all but singsonged to his father. His trump card had never /not/ worked.

@☭ Xiao Dejun While Dejun checked in with his parents, Hendery rolled onto his back again to think of a way Dejun could spice up his coffee. He was familiar with Dejun's parents, but he didn't have the time to get into a conversation with them at that moment.

From the other end of the phone, Zhan squinted at the screen. Bright lights, tall ceiling—Dejun was still out late. "I told you to get back to your dorm no later than ten o'clock," he said, the displeasure clear in his voice. "What are you still doing up? You're supposed to be getting ready for bed by now. You promised your mother and I you wouldn't compromise your sleep for dance. Now look at you! Ten-thirty, eleven, eleven-thirty. Soon, you'll be staying up past midnight. Is that what we let you go to Korea for?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Hendery truly made a good point, consistency was key. Dejun would make his presence an indispensable part of Joohyuk's day, even if that meant the alpha had to develop a coffee addiction because of him. Dejun snapped his fingers as he sat up again, realization striking him, "You know what I need to do then?" he asked, "I need to make the coffee in a way that /no one/ else could make it for him!" As he was saying this, Dejun heard his phone vibrating in the corner of the room. He went to pick it up, delighted to see that it was a call from his Papa! "Baba!" he greeted as soon as his father's video was , "Hi!" he greeted with a gushing smile on his face, "What're you doing, calling me at this time!"

@☭ Xiao Dejun "He's going to be disqualified in the first round," Hendery predicted, or willed. "We only have to stand him for a little longer." He was almost still as a corpse lying there talking about Hoseok, but when he heard about Dejun's latest obsession, he perked up immediately, rolling onto his side and propping his head up with his hand. "Wow!" he exclaimed once Dejun caught him up on the drama. "He actually helped you get your shoe? If I were him, I would've told you 'tough luck'. This is great news," he analyzed. "He's definitely interested. You can't back down now, because maybe he wants to test you to see how serious you are. You're gonna have to double down on your game. If he misses a single day of coffee again, bring it to the station!"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk There were truly moments when Dejun believed his best friend was a secret genius of sorts. This was the reason why he needed to bring Hendery over to South Korea with him! "That's actually such a good idea," he agreed, "He doesn't even deserve to be in the competition! You saw the way he stumbled across the room just /walking/ right? How the hell does that lunatic think he's a dancer?" Of course, Dejun spoke in complete confidence and without any regard for his surroundings. They were speaking in Mandarin - who would understand them! He grinned as he sat up, inching himself closer to Hendery's side. "You and your beautiful brain...which reminds me! I need to update you about that handsome policeman! What's my next step, Guanheng-ah?" For the most part, Hendery knew about Joohyuk and how Dejun had been chasing after him. Dejun had not, however, told him about the actual visit to the police station yet, which was what he took the time to do as they took a short break from practice.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Hendery had always been confident with his and Dejun's skill. It wasn't that he was threatened by Jung Hoseok, but the both of them were /extremely/ annoyed at his presence, and a particularly infuriating encounter with Hoseok left them unable to get their head in the game to practice. Hendery lied on the floor on his back, eagle-spread. "Do you know what we should do?" he asked, stretching out his leg out to kick the bottom of Dejun's foot. His friend wasn't lying too far from him. "If we stage an accident! I'll pretend to want to talk to him near the bus stop, and you push him just as the bus comes. We compete without having to see his ugly face."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Had Joohyuk actually not shown up to Common Grounds the next day, Dejun had already steeled his nerves to make another trip down to the police station. Luckily for him, Joohyuk did show up, and his days were back to being the bright and cheery ones that he was used to. Perhaps it was just him, but Joohyuk did look a little red in the ears as they made their small talk in the morning. Perhaps it was a sign that there was a spark between them now! Dejun reminded the older once again that he should text or call if he ever needed a drink, and he made sure to openly point out the number on Joohyuk's cup this time. There would be no excuse for Joohyuk to /not/ be able to contact him.

The following few days were a special type of busy for Dejun though, since a special event at school had been announced. There was a dance competition that Hendery had told him about, and the two of them had eagerly signed up to do it together. The winners would become automatic representatives and judges of future dance club-related events. They had a routine in the works, but it wasn't anywhere near stage-ready yet, so Dejun had to set aside time before and after his classes to practice with his best friend and dance partner. After all, they had realized that there was another freshman in the club trying to steal the position right under their noses, and there was no way in hell Dejun was going to let some squinty-eyed, "poyoyoyo" sounding bastard take away his spotlight.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Dumbfounded, Joohyuk watched Dejun walk away, until he was all the way down the street and not more than a speck to Joohyuk's eyes. The skin where the marker traced it tingled, but by the time Joohyuk lifted his arm, the ink had completely dried down. Stark black numbers stood out clearly from his arm. He pulled is sleeve back down and hauled the ladder back to the station, quite confused the entire walk back what he was supposed to make of the young omega. Dejun was extremely determined, and honestly, Joohyuk was afraid if he didn't go back to Common Grounds at least a couple days a week, this wasn't going to be the last time Dejun showed up here.

When he entered the station again, Jisoo was waiting expectantly to hear what Dejun needed help with, but it only took Joohyuk rolling up his sleeves to show Jisoo the number to send his colleague into a fit of laughter; laughter that followed Joohyuk for the rest of the day, rendering him unable to take his mind off Dejun at all.

@☭ Nam Joohyuk The entire time that Joohyuk stammered out questions, Dejun stayed quiet and smiled sheepishly. He would just pull the 'I'm a foreigner who doesn't understand you' card right now, and Joohyuk would be none the wiser. The handsome cop finally got started on removing the shoe from the tree, and Dejun's eyes naturally shifted to follow the natural curves of Joohyuk's muscular body. He wished he could whistle in that moment, but held it in as he eyed the older's firm buttocks and hard-looking thighs as Joohyuk scaled the tree to grab his shoe. The entire ordeal took less than a minute, really, but Dejun felt as satisfied as he had just frequented a delicious Michelin-star restaurant. He grinned as his shoe was returned, bowing in thanks to the older, "You're the best!" he exclaimed, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He slipped his shoe on, but then realized all too soon that their parting would be imminent once more. "I'll be more careful," he promised, though he had to think quick on his feet. Reaching into his book bag, Dejun grabbed his black permanent marker and reached for Joohyuk's arm. He forcefully pushed the older's sleeve upwards on his arm and scribbled a series of numbers down. "This is my number! If you're ever too busy to come to the cafe, text me and I'll deliver it to you! Consider it my thanks for helping me!" Funny how in this moment, he spoke like Korean was his native tongue. "Well...I'll see you tomorrow!" he exclaimed, leaving no room for Joohyuk tp refute him. "Bye!" he yelped, running off so he wouldn't be the one being left behind.

@☭ Xiao Dejun His shoe? Joohyuk looked up, and there indeed was a lone white shoe, shining bright amidst green leaves. But if Dejun's shoe was up there... Slowly, Joohyuk looked back down at Dejun, then at his feet. Somehow, the young omega walking around with one shoe on and the other merely socked had completely escaped Joohyuk. "How," Joohyuk began. He stopped himself, then opened his mouth again. "How did your shoe get up there?" He had no idea children nowadays were so... rambunctious. He shook his head with a sigh. "No... never mind. I'll get it." As Seoul entered mid-autumn, it was getting chillier, and it would do no good for Dejun's foot to be out like this. Joohyuk studied the tree. The trunk itself was thick, and so were lower branches where the shoe rested. Going back to the station for a ladder would take a while, so Joohyuk, with yet another sigh, began to heave himself up the tree, grabbing at the natural knots and divots in the trunk. It only took a little before Joohyuk was able to grab the shoe by the lace.

Once he was back on the ground, his cheeks flushed slightly pink, Joohyuk set the shoe down beside Dejun's foot. "There you go. In the future, please be more... careful."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun waited expectantly, though he was a little disappointed that Joohyuk wasn't bringing his coffee with him. He tried to reason with himself, saying that Joohyuk would need both his hands free to help Dejun with the task that he'd present to the older. The number on the cup would still be there, Dejun supposed, but maybe Joohyuk really was just that...blind! He brought the older out and down the street, a slight divot in his step, but it still seemed like Joohyuk had not noticed anything amiss. Two blocks away from the police station, where Dejun was sure that it was just going to be the two of them, he pointed a finger up at the oak tree that loomed over them. "My shoe got stuck up there..." he said, "I can't get it down..."

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk hesitated. He didn't think he should be leaving his post because Dejun wanted him to. But it was quite slow in the office, and if Dejun really needed help, then Joohyuk would still be doing his job. He glanced back toward Jisoo, who gave him a thumbs up, and Joohyuk set his latte down at the front desk. "Yes, of course," he said, deciding to put all his trust in Dejun that he was about to be shown something serious. "Lead the way. Is there something the matter outside?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun didn't want their interaction to end just like that. In fact, he would've just continued talking to Joohyuk like they were at the cafe if he could. He also realized that without the serving counter between them, Joohyuk also looked so much taller. Dejun's neck was tilted back as he tried to talk to Joohyuk with eye contact. "Wait!" he cried out, remembering his back up card for wanting to come find Joohyuk. He was so smart, he praised himself, and quickly explained his situation. "There's actually another reason why I came to find you..." he said. He smiled sheepishly, "But I need to show you...can you come with me?" he asked, not wanting to disclose the 'situation' just yet.

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@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk raised a brow. Did Dejun think he was lying about where he worked? In hindsight, Joohyuk should have, because he had no idea what to make of the boy heading all the way to Gangnam station to find him. "Oh... thank you," he said politely, receiving the coffee with both hands. The numbers scrawled in black marker on the sleeve of the cup did not go unnoticed by Joohyuk. Neither did the seven previous attempts, but as he had been doing the entire time, Joohyuk pretended not to see it. He wasn't stupid—the young cafe number was interested in him. It was part of the reason why Joohyuk stopped going to Common Grounds. It just wasn't appropriate. Little did he know, Dejun would come all the way to his workplace to give him that weak latte. "I've just been... working different shifts lately," he said quickly, "so I wasn't able to go to the cafe. Thank you for your concern. If that's all, I'll..." He glanced back toward the office. "And please don't trouble yourself to bring coffee all this way again."

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Because the officer up front seemed to know who Dejun was talking about, his hopes shot up high. That meant Joohyuk was here, and he was going to see him very soon! As he waited for Joohyuk to come out, Dejun carefully swiped a finger behind his ear, making sure his hair was tucked back and his appearance wouldn't be shocking for Joohyuk. He was also out of uniform, so he had to look extra presentable! The only thing that was out of place for him, which be his saving grace later, was the shoe missing from his left foot. It had casually been thrown atop a tree before he made his way over, just so Joohyuk would have a reason to come out with him later.

Finally! The familiar figure that was Joohyuk emerged from the back office. And it was the best feeling when Dejun heard his name fall from Joohyuk's lips. He waited all the way until the older was standing in front of him, ducked his head bashfully, and said, "Wahh...you really do work here!" he exclaimed. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you." In his excitement, he continued to blurt out, "Are you okay? I haven't seen you around lately, so I brought you this!" he said, holding the oat milk latte out to Joohyuk, "It's the same one you order every morning! I made...the way you like!"

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@☭ Xiao Dejun Of all the things the young boy could've said, it was the most anticlimactic thing. Actually, this could serve for something interesting, Jisoo realized. The boy who appeared was a juvenile, based on his faint scent. Jisoo's grin widened. "Oh, sure. I'll go get him for you." He didn't bother asking for a name, since he didn't think a young boy like that could do any damage. He retreated to the back office, immediately crowing, "There's an omega looking for Nam Joohyuk! I repeat, a young, lost, cute omega looking for Nam Joohyuk!"

With all eyes on him, Joohyuk ducked his head. The officers around him laughed, and speculation, powered by Jisoo, began to float around in titters. Joohyuk straightened his shirt before hurrying past the cubicles, his head still bowed. He didn't know any 'young and cute' omegas that would come looking for him at the station. It must be a mistake.

It was not a mistake. And it turns out he did know a young omega. "Dejun," he said, ignoring Jisoo as his partner slinked behind him back to his seat behind the front desk, ears obviously open to Joohyuk and Dejun's conversation. "Uh- hi. What are you doing here?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Dejun had always been a well-behaved kid and lived in a good neighborhood, so he had little experience with actually entering a police station. In fact, his mama and papa often warned him to stay as far away as possible. The place was rather calm, didn't smell of homeless people, and had nothing that indicated criminals were being beaten and abused like in the movies. Walking in, he was greeted by an officer with a big smile on his face. "Hello," Dejun greeted, dipping his head out of courtesy, "I'm looking for...Officer Joohyuk!" He wondered if he should give himself away just yet, but /just/ in case Joohyuk wasn't actually working here, Dejun would save himself the embarrassment first.

@☭ Xiao Dejun Kim Jisoo hated working at the front. Nothing interesting ever happened, like in the Hongdae precinct, where people were running in screaming for help all the time (rumours, but they were plausible), but Jisoo was positive /nothing/ ever happened in Gangnam, so when a young boy stumbled in, looking awkward and lost, Jisoo sat straight up, tossing his phone into the far corner of the desk. "Welcome. How can I help you?" A theft to report? A tip-off? Jisoo was brimming with excitement.

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Less was more. Dejun knew that if he didn't carry the conversation with Joohyuk for too long, it would leave the handsome man coming back for more. Well, that was what he assumed would work. Joohyuk had not given any indication that something was wrong with him after the happiest encounter of Dejun's life with him at that point, so it just made no sense when the older suddenly didn't show up to the cafe the next morning. Dejun waited in anticipation for Joohyuk's long legs to come strolling through that door. 8am passed, and he tried to cling onto some hope. Then 9am and 10am slowly crept by too, and Dejun's mood visibly soured. It was pretty safe to say that anyone who shared his shift that day was feeling bad for their poor manager, who seemed surprisingly calm as he handled Dejun's temper.

If it had just been that day, Dejun might not have gone to the extremes. But it wasn't, and so it only made sense that after a /week/ of not seeing Joohyuk in the cafe, Dejun had to seek the older out on his own. The following Monday, it was just a coincidence that it was the first snowfall of the year. Dejun may have been new to Korea, but he was totally in tune with the customs. First snow? Clearly he had to be with his true love! After yet another disappointing shift and an uneventful noon class, Dejun decided that enough was enough. He made his way back to work, ordered an oatmilk latte (that he hopped behind the counter to prepare of course) and blindly made his way to the Gangnam Police Station.

@☭ Xiao Dejun That would explain the peculiar accent. Joohyuk smiled, a little bashful and unsure of how to respond to the way Dejun was always heaping compliments onto him. "Thank you," he said, reaching out for his latte. "You too. Bye." That was the last he saw of Dejun, for a week, anyway. Although he was given a discount each time he visited, thanks to his 'regular' status, the coffee was just too mediocre to keep paying for. Joohyuk found a new cafe near the station that served a decent latte, even if it was slightly pricier than Common Grounds. It made the start of his day better, although he was quite displeased to find that the service was nowhere near as good as what that little omega, Dejun, gave him.

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Joohyuk could tell Dejun that he collected newspaper scraps and yelled at homeless people if he wanted to, Dejun would still find it to the most attractive response that he could've gotten from him. He held back a dreamy sigh, though the bout of excited pheromones that wafted from his body could not be as easily concealed. "I see," Dejun said, starting to move a little faster when Sicheng's figure appeared from the corner of his eye. He didn't want his manager to ruin his good moment! "Ah...no, I'm from China!" he answered, a little surprised that Joohyuk would ask him so directly. Was this a sign that Joohyuk was actually interested in him, even just a little bit? Dejun bit down on his lower lip, grinning as he said, "You're so smart!" Finally, the latte was done, so he reluctantly held it up to Joohyuk, still handing it off with the same bubbliness in his tone, "Here's your latte! I hope you have a very good day at work!"

@☭ Xiao Dejun Joohyuk laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Police... stuff," he said, unsure of exactly how he was supposed to be describing his job to the little cafe worker. His latte was taking a little longer today, which meant he'd have to rush to the station once he received it. "A little bit of paperwork, a bit of patrols. I don't get that much action, since I work day shifts." It took years, of course, for Joohyuk to work his way out of odd and night shifts, and he was extremely happy about it for the most part. Maybe he could finally start to look for a mate and settle down, like his family and his instincts always pressured him to, now that he had the schedule of most normal people and weekends off. "But you're not from around here, are you?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Hearing the way Joohyuk attempted to say his name, Dejun felt like this was just meant to be. His Mama had always told him to be careful of falling too hard for an alpha, since they could be nasty and abuse their Alpha Voice if they knew and omega was too attached to them. Dejun didn't know quite what that meant, but at least Joohyuk's voice was so soothing to his ears, and he just wanted to hear this alpha's voice even more. "Ehm..." he said, trying to process the questions and then answering as smoothly as he could. "I study mechanical engineering at Seoul National University!" he reported, "It is nearby!" He considered himself a fast learner for the Korean language, but in front of Joohyuk, Dejun was self-conscious. He didn't want to get tongue-tied in front of this handsome man. Seeing that there was an opportunity for more conversation, he deliberately slowed down his coffee making, taking his time to grind the espresso beans and to tamp the shot. "You work as a police? What do you do?" Dejun inquired, wanting to note down all this information about Joohyuk when he had the chance.

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@☭ Xiao Dejun "Dejun," Joohyuk repeated carefully. It tasted foreign on his tongue. "Where are you from?" he asked, confident Dejun was not Korean. It was clear from the slight lilt in the way he spoke. Some of these days, Dejun would lean a little closer to Joohyuk's side of the counter, too, and Joohyuk would catch a faint whiff of his sweet scent. He was an omega, that was for sure, though the indistinctness of it probably meant Dejun had not gone through his first heat, and that meant he was very young. Joohyuk had to be careful—he didn't want anyone to misunderstand his friendliness for flirtation. "I always see you in the morning. Do you go to school nearby?"

@☭ Nam Joohyuk Just as Joohyuk promised, he really did come to see Dejun every day! It was actually more like the older would grab his coffee and bid Dejun farewell until the next day, but those words didn't feel less special just because they were a little out of context! Dejun had grown accustomed to waking bright and early to make the morning shift at the cafe on the weekends, as he felt the gratification of a full heart every day when he saw Joohyuk's sturdy figure walk up to the glass door and open it by the metal handle. Their interactions were so sweet, as Joohyuk never ignored anything Dejun said to him, and would always return Dejun's smile with a small (charming) one of his own. Mesmerized, Dejun would have to snap himself out of a daze to go through the familiar motions of making the oat milk latte, even ignoring other orders in front of Joohyuk's if it was so called for. He had managed to make out that Joohyuk was stationed at the Gangnam Police Station through the idle chatter they occasionally made with each other. On the third week, when he was sure there were /some/ type of sparks between them, Dejun had secretly added his number on top of the cup sleeve, hoping he'd be lucky someday and get a text from Joohyuk.

While Joohyuk didn't text him, Dejun's heart soared when the older finally asked him for a name. /"You can call me yours!"/ Dejun wanted to scream at the older, but had to hold himself back to not scare Joohyuk away. Mid-steam, he paused and beamed brightly at Joohyuk, "My name is Xiao Dejun! You can call me Dejun though...or DJ if that's too hard!" He was gushing on the inside, but he tried to keep his cool on the outside, "You're the first person to ask me my name here!"