Chapter Text
Warm, yellow lights in this overly hipster bar flicker above Minho as he sips from his drink. He’s barely listening to Seungmin and Hyunjin arguing as they wait for the rest of their friends to arrive for their weekly trivia night. This bar has an offer that if any team of two gets a perfect score, they’ll win a free cruise. However, their trivia is so obscure that no one has ever managed to pull that off; it’s been 46 weeks of the competition and the cruise still hasn’t been won. The winning team does get $100 cash each week, though, so that's worth it. Now that he thinks about it, this bar must be funded by the mob or something. There's no other explanation for why they can afford all of this.
His friend group tends to swap partners from time to time to see if a certain combination of brains will somehow hit that perfect score, but nothing has worked so far. Though Minho does his team every week; he’s got so much useless knowledge in his brain since he reads entire wikipedia pages whenever he’s bored.
Jeongin joins their table, asking, “So who’s going to be whose partner this week?” He cradles his apple-tini close to his chest.
“I figured you and I would team up since last time we kinda killed it," Seungmin says, prompting Jeongin to nod in agreement.
"So I'm stuck with Hyunjin?" Minho complains.
Hyunjin scoffs. "Nope. Not gonna happen. I'm teaming up with Felix."
"What? Why? Also, Felix is coming?" Minho asks, affronted by the rejection but pleasantly surprised to hear Felix could finally attend.
"Well, for one, last time you told me if I missed one more question you were going to take the filter out of my Brita so that I would die slowly of lead poisoning, and when I said there's not even that much lead in our water, you threatened to add more."
"Okay, to be fair, you had just missed the question about the origin of human dentistry. Like everyone knows that happened around 7000 BC."
"No one knows that, hyung! Not even dentists! Just you, because you're a freak!" Hyunjin cries.
Minho pouts and crosses his arms like a petulant child. "What, so I'm just not playing this week? You guys all know I have the most trivia in my head. They don't call me Lee Know for nothing!"
"No one calls you that," Seungmin deadpans. He's right, though. It's a nickname Minho made up and has tried to get to catch on, but his friends refuse to use it.
"What's hyung whining about?" Felix asks, joining the conversation as he slides into a chair next to Hyunjin.
"No one wants to be his partner since he acts like missing one question means you're going to be burned at the stake," Seungmin answers. Felix hums in understanding, thinking for a moment before saying, "Oh! My friend Chan is coming from work, and he said he's gonna bring his two close friends. Since that's three people, you can just partner with one of them."
"A stranger?" Minho scowls. "What if they're dumber than Hyunjin?"
"Hey! I just have a different range of knowledge than you," Hyunjin defends while Felix pats him on the back comfortingly.
"This is what happens when you're an unbearable partner. You get stuck with Felix's random Australian support group friend," Seungmin adds.
"It is not an Australian support group, it is a way for other Australians who live in Korea to meet each other. More like a club or something," Felix answers.
"That sounds exactly like an Australian support group," Jeongin says, to which Felix rolls his eyes.
"Alright, I will do my best to not murder your Australian friend's other friend. But if he's stupid, then I will make no promises." Minho gets up to grab a refill after making his final declaration, pretty much ready to resign himself to his fate of not winning tonight.
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Initially, Jisung is beyond excited to learn he's going to a trivia night tonight with Chan and Changbin. But when, just moments later, he learns that teams are only duos, and that Chan and Changbin plan to work together, he's bummed (and feeling a little left out). Chan promises that Felix has a friend he can partner with, but Jisung is not optimistic. For all he knows, this friend could be the biggest air-head in Korea.
"Do I have to partner with the stranger? Why can't you just partner with Felix since you already know him, and then I can be Changbin's partner," Jisung whines to Chan, trying to give his best puppy dog eyes to convince his hyung. It doesn't work, though; Chan just shakes him off and pulls the door to the bar open.
The only word that Jisung could think of to describe this bar is "artisanal," and that's not necessarily a good thing. The three of them walk into the bar and barely fifteen seconds pass by before a deep voice calls out Chan's name. Jisung's eyes snap to a table of four men, and he immediately registers that he might not even have a partner after all, since that's an even number of people.
Nevertheless, he trails after Chan and Changbin, only dragging his feet a little .
"Hi, hyung! So glad you could make it," one guy, presumably Felix, says in accented Korean. He's got blonde hair and freckles and is astonishing to look at, and Jisung has to fight the urge to reach out and touch his face. Then Jisung's eyes drift one seat over to a lankier man with longer hair who might be a legitimate model based on how good he looks, and now Jisung is fearing he's going to be the ugliest person in this group. Ugly and partnerless. God, it sucks to be Jisung.
Introductions are made, and Jisung learns the model guy is named Hyunjin. He also learns the names of the two others at the table, and the configuration of their teams. He can't help but notice it still looks like he's going to be flying solo tonight.
"Jisung-ssi, you can partner with our friend Minho. I will warn you that he's kind of… intense when it comes to these things. He just ran to the bar for a refill but he should be back soon," the one named Jeongin says.
"Please, no need for such formalities! Any friend of Chan's friend is a friend of mine as well."
Jeongin giggles cutely at Jisung's comment before his eyes seem to lock on something behind Jisung.
"Hyung! Your partner is here! Come meet Jisung!" Jeongin calls out.
When Jisung turns around, he feels like he is going to throw up his heart onto the floor. He is met with what might be the most attractive man he has even seen in his entire life. If he thought Hyunjin was beautiful, this man is stunning . Like, so stunning that Jisung would commit any crime if he just asked.
"Jisung-ah, this is Minho!" Felix says from across the table. Minho extends his arm to shake hands with Jisung, and his hands are so strong and soft and Jisung wants to swallow his fingers whole.
"Are you stupid?" Minho asks, but he sounds genuinely curious instead of insulting. Jisung lets out a shocked laugh at his bluntness, but answers, "Uh, I hope not. I love trivia, so I might be able to kill it tonight. I don't know, though. Don't wanna get too cocky."
"For your own sake, I hope you are a genius,” Hyunjin chimes in. “Otherwise, Minho-hyung is going to go to jail for murder when he strangles you for missing a question.” Jisung watches Minho glare at Hyunjin for the comment, before replying, "I prefer a slow murder. Like crushing up small bits of glass and putting them in my friends' food when I cook for them so that they slowly ingest more and more glass and eventually die."
Everyone is quiet for a moment. Hyunjin looks legitimately afraid.
"Okay! You're going to scare off our new friends. Why don't we try to be civil for, like, three minutes," Felix suggests.
Jisung feels like a deer caught in headlights when Minho then turns to him and gives his full attention. His gaze is suffocating; Jisung feels like an ant being burned by the reflection of the sun in a magnifying glass.
"So. You like trivia?" Minho asks after staring for a moment.
"Uh, yeah. I watch a lot of documentaries, so. That kinda knowledge adds up over time."
"I hope we win. Just to stick it to our stupid friends for making us each partner with a rando. Not that I don't think you're adorable and definitely smarter than Hyunjin, at least. But that doesn't cancel out the fact that they've all hung us out to dry…"
"Stop being mean to me!" Hyunjin cries from across the table, and Jisung didn't even know anyone else was listening in on their conversation.
He sees Minho turn to say something back to Hyunjin, but then the MC is announcing that the game is about to start, so everyone redirects their attention to preparing for the competition. The group of eight separates into four small tables of two as per the rules. Minho grabs their team's white board where they're supposed to write the answers, and Jisung is honestly glad he's taking the lead on writing. And that's only partially because Jisung likes to watch how Minho's fingers wrap around his marker.
"You ready?" Minho asks, and his demeanor is even more intimidating than before. Jisung might shit his pants.
"Let's do it," Jisung answers, instead putting up a confident front.
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Minho is no longer mad at his stupid friends for making him partner with the stranger. He was already a little less mad once he actually laid eyes on Jisung, considering the fact that he is the most beautiful person on the entire planet, but now that the game is about halfway through, he's also confident he's going to ask Jisung to come back next week.
They haven't missed a question yet. Anytime Minho doesn't know the answer, Jisung does, and vice versa. It's like they're a match made in heaven.
"What is the average length of an adult male tiger?" the MC asks, and he starts the 30 second clock for answers to be written.
Minho has already started writing when Jisung whispers, "Eight to ten feet." They're being very careful as to not accidentally help their other friends; this is a competition, after all. Jisung sees that Minho was writing that exact answer, and whispers, "Nice, hyung." He hopes his ears aren't flushing since they feel quite warm.
They get ten points for the correct answer, raising their score to 160 points. There are fourteen questions left, and Minho thinks they might even pull off a perfect score. It briefly crosses his mind that it would be very weird to go on a cruise with a guy he just met, but then he considers the fact that Jisung is extremely fun to be around and drop dead gorgeous and decides it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
The next question is, "What is ephebiphobia ?" Minho is stumped at that one, but has nothing to fear because Jisung is already whispering, "Fear of adolescents."
They get another ten points for that one. They nail the next bunch of questions, too.
What is the study of stamps?
Jisung scoffs. "Easy. It's called philately. I remember that because it reminded me of the word fellatio."
“Pervert,” Minho snorts as he writes down Jisung’s answer.
What is Scrappy Doo's relation to Scooby?
Minho doesn't hesitate as he scrawls out "nephew" onto their whiteboard.
How long can a snail sleep?
"3 years. Which, by the way, I'm very jealous of," Jisung jokes.
What job did "knocker-uppers" have in Great Britain?
Minho knows that one easily, and is quick to answer, "Waking people up."
What are the only known monotremes in the animal kingdom?
"I know platypus is one," Minho whispers, but he can't remember the other and relays as much to his partner. He needn't worry, though, because Jisung replies, "It's the echidna." They truly complete each other.
By the time they get to the last two questions, Minho and Jisung still have a perfect score. He's hoping that these last two questions are things they know, mostly because he just wants to know if this cruise vacation is even a real thing or if it's just a lie to draw in customers.
Jisung seems to be killing it with animal-related questions, which is lucky since question twenty-nine is "What is the largest single celled organism on Earth?"
"It's the ostrich egg," Jisung answers as if it was obvious. Minho smiles as he writes it down.
They get that one right, too, and now it's time for the moment of truth.
"Look at this! We just might have a grand prize winner tonight… we've got Team Minsung with 290 points… so far, a perfect score! If you guys get this one, you win a free cruise to Japan!"
"Hold on, we could win a cruise ? Why did no one tell me this?" Jisung’s jaw drops. He's so excited and it's so adorable.
"But don't start planning your vacation yet," the MC interrupts, "because I've got a hard one to finish us off… Where was the cartoon cat Garfield born?"
"Okay, I remember it was at an Italian restaurant because that's how he developed a taste for lasagna… but I can't remember what the name was," Minho admits.
"Oh, come on. Be so serious right now. He was born in the kitchen of Mamma Leoni's Italian Restaurant." Jisung says this with an undeniable air of confidence, so Minho writes it down without question.
When their answer is deemed correct, the two of them shout in excitement and embrace. Then they realize they just met, so they separate quickly and awkwardly.
“Wow! It’s been 46 weeks and no one has managed a perfect score, but tonight, you guys did the impossible! And because of that, you win the grand prize: an all-expenses-paid cruise to Japan!”
Minho can see his friends staring on in disbelief as the bar owner takes down his and Jisung’s information with promises to contact them with more details soon. Honestly, he’s not really expecting to be contacted. It seems kind of far-fetched that this cruise would be real, but hey, crazier things have happened. He's just glad that he and Jisung stuck it to their friends and made this competition their bitch.
Before parting ways, Jisung and Minho make sure to exchange numbers. Minho asks under the guise of needing a solid trivia partner for the future, but really he also just wants this cute guy's digits.
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“So, are you really gonna go on a cruise with a guy you just met?” Chan asks Jisung as they pile into Changbin’s car. Jisung shrugs. “I dunno, I know it’s crazy but it would be crazier to turn down a free cruise, right?”
Changbin and Chan hum in agreement, but Jisung realizes that he does need to think this over. As cool as a free cruise is, he doesn’t really know anything about Minho. Hell, he didn’t even get around to asking the guy what he does for a living.
And then there’s the stupid matter of Jisung’s tiny crush. It’s not his fault that Minho is everything he could ever want. Even without knowing much about him, Jisung at least knows that.
He figures he’ll just wait and see if this cruise is even real. Minho seemed doubtful, so maybe it was just a ploy to get more customers and they’ll never be contacted. Jisung vaguely registers that he’s pretty sure that is illegal, but whatever.
The next morning, he wakes up with an email from the bar and a string of texts from Minho. He reads the email first, which is a surprisingly detailed account of everything they need to do to prepare for their cruise, as well as information on the dates they can book it. He thumbs over to his messages app next and sees what Minho has said. He snorts when he sees the name Minho had given himself in his contacts.
minho (trivia god): holy shit i didn't actually think we were gonna get a cruise
minho (trivia god): this is kinda really exciting
minho (trivia god): when do you wanna go????
minho (trivia god): assuming you want to. i know you don't really know me or anything
jisung: u think i care at all about how well we know each other???
jisung: this is a mf free cruise!!!!!!
jisung: only a certifiable idiot would say no
jisung: and i'm sure u remember that i am NO idiot
minho (trivia god): ok so
minho (trivia god): cruise when????
minho (trivia god): i've been on the cruise site all morning and it looks dope af
minho (trivia god): they have a breakfast buffet!!!!!!
jisung: idk cruise whenever
jisung: i probably should give at least a week's notice that i'll be missing work
jisung: but other than that. idc
minho (trivia god): omg can i please book it for two weeks out
minho (trivia god): so that we can go asap
minho (trivia god): i NEED a margarita in my hand rn
Jisung laughs at Minho's enthusiasm, and responds affirmatively.
The next week passes in a blur. He lets his work know he's going to be gone for seven days for a cruise he won, and they don't really care. He didn't expect them to in the first place.
He and Minho text nonstop. Jisung wakes up every morning to a text counting down the days to the cruise, which is adorable. Minho has been sending him information on all the stuff they can do on the vacation, and it was beyond exciting to see what kind of fun awaits them.
For the most part, Jisung had been trying to shove the feelings that had blossomed for Minho away. As great as the guy is, it just doesn't seem smart to pursue a guy you're about to go on a week's vacation with, especially when you barely know him.
Before Jisung realizes it, it's the night before they're supposed to meet at the port. He's nervously packing his last minute essentials when Chan and Changbin get back from the gym. They watch Jisung scurry around the apartment for a few minutes before Changbin finally says, "So, million dollar question. Are you gonna fuck him?"
Jisung stops in his tracks. He had pointedly decided not to tell his friends about his little crush, knowing they would be unbearable about it. It seems he was not slick, though, because both Chan and Changbin are looking at him expectantly.
"No. That would be a bad decision to make. Plus, I don't even know if he's into guys," Jisung answers quickly, still moving around and grabbing random items.
"You met Felix, right? It's cute that you think he would have any straight friends," Chan replies.
"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to fuck the guy I barely know but am spending an entire week's vacation with, because that just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."
"Eh, from the looks Minho was giving you, though… it seems he might be very interested in you. Like, I'd be willing to bet you at least crossed his mind when he jerked off these past two weeks."
Chan and Jisung whip their heads to Changbin in disgust. Chan cries out, "Gross! I don't want to think about that!"
"Well that just sounds like a lie," Changbin says.
˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚
Minho had agreed to meet Jisung at the port, despite the fact that he really wanted to hire a limo to pick him up. Jisung deserves only the finest things.
The past two weeks have mainly consisted of Minho reminding himself that Jisung is just his friend and that he needs to not freak the guy out by making a move on him before or while they are on their free cruise. It would be kinda shitty of him, anyways, considering Jisung wouldn’t have anywhere to go to truly get away from Minho on the boat, either.
Despite this, his friends have been teasing him endlessly. Felix even offered to learn calligraphy so he can address their wedding invitations. And unfortunately, Minho incriminates himself every time he blushes at their jokes. He can't help it, Jisung was molded from clay to be the perfect man for him.
Minho is currently listening to Felix's stupid playlist of love songs that he made for the drive to the cruise terminal. Even though Minho made it quite clear that he wasn't going to use this trip to try and date Jisung, not one of his friends believes him.
When they pull up to the cruise terminal, it is not what Minho expected. It seems like an airport but instead of planes, there's a giant ship. Since he's never been on a cruise, he's kind of lost on what he's going to have to do to board. He even read an article on the steps to boarding a cruise ship.
Minho's phone buzzes as Felix pulls up to the drop off lane.
jisungie: i'm here!!!
jisungie: waiting just inside so we can go through security together
minho: i just pulled up
minho: gimme just a second and i'll be in
Felix helps Minho pull his suitcase from the back of the car and then gives him a huge hug goodbye. He ignores Felix's last comment about how sex on a cruise ship is probably really fun, because Minho knows if he gives it any attention, Felix will find a way to bring Jisung's name into this.
When he walks through the front door, he's greeted by a very vacation-y looking Jisung. He's got sunglasses and a hat on, and even has a fanny pack clipped across his sinfully small waist.
"Hyung! You ready to set sail?" Jisung asks excitedly when Minho approaches him, and there's so much happiness in his voice that Minho wonders how he's going to survive a seven day cruise without doing something stupid like proposing.