Chapter Text
The Over The Moon bar always looked different before opening.
Not peaceful, it is never peaceful, but suspended. Like it was holding its breath before becoming loud enough to drown people in themselves. The lights overhead glowed dim amber against rows of polished bottles, casting long reflections across the counter that looked almost liquid. Chairs were still tucked in neatly. The speakers hadn’t started their usual pulse of music yet.
And Taehyun is in the middle of it.
He’s leaning against the counter with his elbow propped up, cheek resting heavily against his palm. His expression sat somewhere between exhaustion and vacancy, eyes half-lidded as he stared at absolutely nothing. A sigh slipped out of him, quiet but long, the kind that came from somewhere deeper than lungs. Like his body had learned how to exhale stress even when his mind stopped noticing it. He still has fifteen minutes before he plaster himself and serve people who are either there for a good time or to forget. It's either those two, because one time he got stuck there for an hour entertaining a drunk broken-hearted customer who keeps on pulling him whenever he starts to back away to serve other customers that Soobin had to interfere.
Soobin, the manager, is moving around the bar in the background doing his usual rounds, clipboard tucked under one arm as he checked shelves, counted inventory, adjusted chairs that did not need adjusting. He always moved with this calm steadiness, like he alone was responsible for keeping the place from collapsing into chaos. Taehyun watched him for a second before letting his gaze drift away again. Typical Soobin, nothing new.
Taehyun was earlier than usual today.
Not intentionally.
This morning—well, evening technically, because his schedule had long since stopped resembling normal human life—he had crouched near Hobak’s food container while half-awake after saying that he'll just have a power nap but instead slept for three hours, and realized there was barely enough left for one meal. The sight had jolted him awake faster than coffee ever could. Hobak had sat nearby the entire time, gray tail curled around his paws neatly, staring at Taehyun with the same expression he always wore: mildly judgmental disappointment.
“You couldn’t have told me earlier?” Taehyun had muttered while shaking the nearly empty container looking at Hobak.
Hobak just blinked slowly. Useful as always.
Luckily, his landlady had laughed softly when Taehyun apologized downstairs clutching Hobak, already passing his cat to leave it at his landlady’s care.
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, taking Hobak from him as she opened a cabinet full of cat food like she’d been preparing for a national emergency. “I bought extra for Hobak last week.”
Taehyun had paused. Eyebrows rising in surprise as he scans what's inside the cabinet. There were treats in there too. Multiple kinds. Organic ones. Even the expensive wet food Hobak liked.
“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, smiling shyly as he scratched his neck.
His landlady waved him off immediately. “This cat follows me around like he pays rent.”
Taehyun had looked down at Hobak, who was rubbing shamelessly against the woman’s arms.
Traitor.
He thanked his landlady because honestly… he understood it.
Living alone in the city hollowed people out slowly. The apartment was small enough that silence filled it too easily. Some nights (early morning mostly), after coming home from work exhausted enough to feel disconnected from his own bones, Hobak was the only living thing waiting for him. The only proof that someone noticed when he came home late. So maybe he couldn’t blame the old woman for getting attached. Maybe he was a little grateful for it too.
Still, he bought cat food on the way to work anyway. A big bag this time. And treats. Because Hobak was spoiled now and Taehyun had already lost that battle a long time ago.
Another sigh escaped him.
He worked almost every night. Sent money home almost every month. Rent. Bills. Groceries. Tuition support for his younger sibling. Emergencies. There was always something waiting to swallow his paycheck whole before he even touched it. Sometimes Taehyun felt less like a person and more like a bridge held together by overtime hours. His parents lived far from the city in a smaller town where opportunities dried up faster than hope did. His father’s back wasn’t what it used to be. His mother still worked anyway. His younger sister was smart, too smart to stay trapped there forever and Taehyun refused to let money become the reason she couldn’t leave.
So he worked.
And worked.
And worked.
Until exhaustion became routine enough that he stopped recognizing it as exhaustion at all. It's not like he has a choice.
The sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Hueningkai practically sliding across the floor and planted himself dramatically across the counter from Taehyun. Smiling brightly as if it's not evening already.
“You look like a divorced office worker,” Kai announced, looking at Taehyun's posture and face.
Taehyun sighed again. He's been sighing a lot today. Then he stood, still leaning on the counter. “I feel like one.”
He crossed his arms as he looked at his friend before pointing his chin to where Soobin is, still currently checking if they still have more stocks of lemon. “Go bother Soobin hyung.”
“I already did.” Kai immediately replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“And?”
“He threatened to make me clean the bathrooms.” Kai has the urge to pout like he didn't put himself in that situation.
“Reasonable,” Taehyun nodded, which made Kai glare at him.
Taehyun just chuckled, shaking his head. For a moment, they leaned on the counter in comfortable silence. The kind built from too many shifts together. Too many late nights closing the bar while half-delirious from exhaustion. Kai talked enough for three people, and Taehyun mostly listened, but somehow it worked. Like water settling naturally into cracks. And that's the reason why he's still continuing to work there to this day, thanks to Kai's energy and Soobin’s quiet support.
Then Kai suddenly gasped like he just remembered something as he glanced around before lowering his voice dramatically, leaning closer to Taehyun.
“So…”
Taehyun immediately looked suspicious as he squinted his eyes but still leaned forward to Kai's space in front of him. “What.”
Kai leaned in further, now whispering. “Guess who’s coming tonight.”
Taehyun blinked slowly, as he frowned. “Uh..Customers?”
Kai immediately shook his head before cupping Taehyun's ear to whisper, “Choi Beomgyu.”
Taehyun leaned back a little as he stared at Kai.
Ah.
That name.
Even people who pretended not to know things knew that name.
The city carried rumors about Choi Beomgyu the way dark water carried reflections—distorted but impossible to ignore. Stories drifted around him constantly. Underground deals. Violence. Fear. Men disappearing after crossing him. People lowering their voices when mentioning him like his name itself had ears. Taehyun had heard enough to know Beomgyu was dangerous. Ruthless too, apparently.
But handsome, though. Not that Taehyun cared.
Okay, maybe he cared a little, in the detached way people got curious about hurricanes.
Taehyun raised an eyebrow. “Where’d you hear that?”
Kai pointed vaguely toward the back office. “Overheard Soobin hyung talking to the other staff earlier.”
“Soobin hyung knows mafia people now?”
“I think managers automatically know all people. It’s in the contract. Also he's practically running this bar and Choi Beomgyu's name isn't really that unheard of,” Kai said as a matter of fact.
Taehyun just nodded. Honestly, as long as Beomgyu didn’t bother him, Taehyun couldn’t care less. People romanticized dangerous men too much anyway. Fear wrapped in expensive clothes was still fear. And Taehyun had enough problems already without adding organized crime into his schedule.
Across the room, Soobin finally looked up from his clipboard, “you two done gossiping?”
Kai straightened instantly, which made Taehyun laugh as he also stood up properly.
“We were discussing workplace things,” Kai said, scratching his head.
“You were discussing nonsense.”
“Same thing,” Kai shrugged.
Soobin sighed deeply like he regretted hiring either of them. Taehyun watched the interaction with tired amusement, fingers tapping lightly against the counter. Then Soobin closed the clipboard with a sharp thwap that cut cleanly through the conversation.
“Alright,” he said, voice carrying easily across the quiet bar. “Chill time’s over. Get ready. We’re opening.”
As if on cue the suspended calm inside the bar began pulling itself apart piece by piece. The overhead lights brightened slightly, amber deepening into something warmer and more inviting. Somewhere near the speakers, soft music flickered alive, low enough to blend into the background for now.
Taehyun moved behind the counter fully now, muscle memory taking over before his brain even caught up. His hands began arranging tools automatically, making sure metal shakers aligned neatly, glasses checked for smudges, garnishes stocked carefully into place. Every movement was efficient, practiced down to the smallest detail. He didn’t have to think about any of this anymore. His body knew the rhythm better than his mind did. There was comfort in that sometimes.
Not happiness, exactly. But structure, predictability, a sequence of tasks that made sense when the rest of life felt like trying to carry water in bare hands.
Soobin then walked carrying a box of liquor bottles and sighed heavily, “if either of you Tyun and Kai embarrass me tonight, I’m quitting.”
Taehyun immediately went to take the box and placed it under the counter for later use.
“You say that every week,” Kai replied. “Actually, no. Every day.”
“Yes, because you two can't keep your mouths shut. Especially you,” he pointed at Hueningkai. “And I continue suffering.”
Kai gasps in offense as he faces Soobin, but before he can retaliate, someone enters and Taehyun knows it'll be a long night.
____________
By the time midnight crawled in, the bar had fully transformed into something alive. The air was heavier now, warm with alcohol, perfume, sweat, and the faint bitterness of lime peel crushed into wooden counters. Music pulsed low through the walls like a second heartbeat. Conversations overlapped into one endless stream of noise that rose and fell in waves, sometimes laughter, sometimes arguments, sometimes confessions people would pretend not to remember tomorrow morning.
Taehyun stood behind the counter with rolled sleeves and tired eyes, moving almost entirely on instinct now. Hours into a shift always did something strange to him. His body kept functioning, but his thoughts started drifting in disconnected pieces. Time blurred. Minutes dissolved into orders and noise and muscle memory. One drink became five, became twenty became fifty.
Someone thanked him. He replied with a nod.
Someone flirted. He just stares and ignores.
Someone complained their drink was too strong and then ordered another one anyway. He moves to prepare again.
Taehyun barely registered any of it. His exhaustion had settled into him deeply enough that it no longer felt sharp. Just constant. Like carrying a heavy bag long enough that your body forgets what standing straight feels like.
Now he was wiping down the counter when suddenly the noise near the entrance dipped, not silent, just… altered. Conversations faltered at the edges, heads turning subtly before turning back too quickly. A tension slid quietly through the room like cold water under a door. He noticed it immediately.
So did Soobin with the way he straightened almost imperceptibly before walking toward the entrance himself.
Taehyun looked up and saw him.
Choi Beomgyu entered the bar like he belonged everywhere he stepped, which probably he did. Not because he demanded attention loudly, he didn’t. That would’ve been easier to ignore. Worse, somehow, was the fact that attention bent toward him naturally anyway. The room adjusted around his presence instinctively, the same way people moved around fire without needing to be told it burned.
He’s wearing all black. Long dark coat, suit and tie underneath. Rings catching dim amber light when he moved his hand slightly. Sharp shoulders, sharp posture, sharp eyes. Everything about him looked dangerously composed.
Taehyun understood the rumors instantly. It wasn’t just that Beomgyu looked intimidating. It was the stillness of him. The terrifying kind of calm that made everyone else seem louder in comparison. Like violence wasn’t something he performed but something sitting quietly beneath his skin, patient and controlled.
And yet Taehyun couldn’t stop staring for one deeply unfortunate second because—
Jesus Christ.
The man was beautiful. Not normal handsome. Not “oh, he’s attractive” handsome.
No.
Unfairly handsome.
The kind of face that looked engineered specifically to ruin people’s decision-making skills. Sharp jawline softened slightly by dark hair falling messily across his forehead. Pale skin under low lighting. Lips curved faintly even when he wasn’t smiling. Eyes so dark they almost looked unreal from this distance. It honestly irritated Taehyun immediately because no one should look like that and be terrifying. That combination felt excessive.
Soobin greeted him professionally near the entrance, calm as ever, though Taehyun noticed the subtle stiffness in his shoulders.
“Your section is ready, Mr. Choi,” Soobin said politely.
Beomgyu nodded once and Soobin guided him toward the private corner booth near the back—the expensive secluded section usually reserved for rich businessmen, politicians, or people important enough that privacy became purchasable. Beomgyu’s entourage following behind him silently.
But then Taehyun's observation got cut off when Kai suddenly slid across Taehyun so fast he nearly crashed into the counter.
“Oh my god,” he whispered harshly, eyes huge. “Oh my god.”
Taehyun then looked down to finish wiping down the counter before taking his mixer, “you’re acting like you saw a ghost.”
“That’s WORSE than a ghost,” Kai whispers shout, eyes following Beomgyu and averting immediately.
“You don’t even know him.”
“I don’t need to know him. Look at him.” Taehyun made the mistake of glancing up again. Beomgyu had already settled into the corner booth now, one arm draped lazily against the backrest. He looked relaxed. Which somehow made him more intimidating.
Kai leaned impossibly closer to Taehyun, “I’m getting actual chills now.”
Taehyun rolled his eyes, taking a slice of lemon this time, squeezing the juice, “you’re dramatic.”
“No, I'm not! You're just uncultured.”
Taehyun huffed softly under his breath but didn’t answer immediately.
Because unfortunately… Kai wasn’t entirely wrong. There was something magnetic about Beomgyu. Something difficult to look away from once noticed. Not warmth nor charm exactly.
Gravity, maybe?
Taehyun watched him again for another second too long. Beomgyu tilted his head slightly while listening to someone speak, fingers tapping once against the table. Then, as if sensing the weight of attention, his eyes lifted directly toward Taehyun. The eye contact hit him so suddenly it almost felt physical.
Taehyun froze just for a second. But long enough that dark eyes met his across the crowded bar, and something in Taehyun’s chest lurched unpleasantly hard. His heartbeat stumbled once before slamming faster against his ribs.
Because there was something deeply unsettling about being noticed by someone like Choi Beomgyu. It felt like accidentally stepping too close to the edge of a roof and suddenly becoming aware of gravity. Beomgyu’s expression didn’t change much. But his attention sharpened.
Taehyun felt it immediately, and for reasons he absolutely could not explain, his pulse kicked even harder. He looked away first, immediately dropping his gaze back to the drink in front of him as if the vodka soda he was mixing suddenly required his whole concentration. Ice clinked sharply against metal as his hand moved.
Kai then eventually peeled himself away from the counter with visible reluctance, tray tucked against his chest as though it might protect him from anything.
“If Soobin hyung tells me to serve that table,” he muttered under his breath, already backing away, “I’m actually quitting. I’ll fake my death.”
Taehyun didn’t look up from the drink. “You say that every shift.”
“This time I mean it.” Kai then finally hurried off toward another table, still muttering to himself. “I’m too young to get murdered…”
His voice disappeared into the layered noise of the bar. And suddenly Taehyun was alone behind the counter again. He could now feel the existence of Choi Beomgyu somewhere without looking directly. The knowledge sat at the edge of his senses constantly, heavy and distracting in a way Taehyun deeply disliked. So naturally, he decided not to look again. Simple, easy, and there was no reason to care anyway. Beomgyu was just another customer. A dangerous customer, maybe, but still ultimately irrelevant to Taehyun’s life as long as their paths stayed separate. Taehyun had enough problems already without developing curiosity about men who probably solved conflicts through violence and expensive lawyers.
So he focused on work. Or tried to.
“…heard he bought an entire club just because someone insulted him there.”
“…no, seriously, my cousin swears he saw—”
“…they say nobody says no to Choi Beomgyu twice…”
Fragments of conversation drifted through the air constantly. People talked about Beomgyu the way people talked about storms, with half fear, half fascination. Even customers who tried sounding casual lowered their voices instinctively when mentioning his name. Taehyun hated how effectively that kept pulling his attention back and it's not like he's listening in on others’ conversation, it's not his fault that they're talking loud enough that Taehyun can hear behind the counter.
Then his eyes flickered up before he could stop them. Just briefly. Beomgyu is leaning back against the leather seat again with one hand resting lazily near a glass untouched for several minutes now. Someone across from him was still speaking, but Beomgyu barely reacted beyond the occasional tilt of his head.
Taehyun looked away again immediately. Why was he even staring?
He grabbed another glass to polish. A minute later, his gaze drifted back unconsciously.
Then away. Then back again.
Like his curiosity had detached itself from the rest of him and started acting independently. He blamed exhaustion.
Exhaustion made people weird.
By one in the morning, his brain usually turned soft around the edges anyway. Thoughts wandered strangely. Attention slipped. Sometimes he caught himself staring blankly at shelves for entire seconds without realizing it.
Still, every time his eyes found Beomgyu again, he noticed something new. The rings on his fingers catching dim light when he lifted his drink slightly. The way people around him subtly adjusted themselves whenever he moved. The sharp line of his jaw beneath the shadows. The fact that he barely smiled, but when he did, even faintly, it changed his entire face in a way that felt dangerous for completely different reasons. Taehyun frowned slightly to himself.
At some point, the orders slowed. Not completely, but enough that brief moments of stillness started appearing between waves of customers. Taehyun finally sat down on the small stool tucked behind the counter for a second. He leaned forward slightly, forearms resting against the counter while exhaustion settled over him fully now, thick and dragging. The music blurred into background noise. Conversations melted together until words stopped sounding distinct. His eyes wandered aimlessly around the room. There's a couple arguing quietly near the windows. Kai laughing too hard at something a customer said.
Then his gaze landed on Beomgyu again and it stayed there. Not intentionally, that was the problem. Taehyun’s thoughts had drifted somewhere else entirely the moment his eyes settled in that direction. To rent. To whether Hobak had eaten all his food already. To his younger sibling’s last text asking if university applications were expensive. To whether he remembered to transfer money home this week or only thought about doing it. His mind wandered endlessly while his body remained still. And because exhaustion hollowed out his awareness sometimes, he didn’t realize he was staring.
His eyes stayed fixed forward while his consciousness drifted somewhere three cities away. Which meant he completely missed the fact that Choi Beomgyu had gone still in his booth. Missed the subtle look of shock crossing Beomgyu’s face when he looked at Taehyun and caught him staring. Missed the way Beomgyu slowly leaned back slightly like a man getting hit directly in the chest by fate itself. Missed the fact that Beomgyu glanced once toward his men with the expression of someone silently asking do you see this?
Missed him standing up. Missed him walking to the bar counter. Missed every single warning sign available to mankind. Taehyun remained in his exhausted little mental loading screen the entire time.
Until—
“Did it hurt?”
Taehyun blinked. Once. Twice. Then reality slammed back into him violently. His eyes focused.
And holy fucking shit.
Choi Beomgyu was sitting directly across from him at the bar counter.
Close enough that Taehyun could actually see details now. The faint beauty mark near his eye, the slope of his nose, his eyes that Taehyun can't read, the sharpness of his features softened slightly by the warm amber lighting. Close enough that Taehyun immediately felt every survival instinct in his body start screaming incoherently. Heart almost stopping from the scare. He jerked upright so fast the stool beneath him screeched loudly against the floor.
“—What the fuck—” He caught himself mid-whisper, nearly choking on his own panic. Smooth. Very professional.
Taehyun scrambled fully to his feet behind the counter, posture stiffening automatically. His heart was beating so hard now he could feel it in his throat. Beomgyu looked up at him calmly.
Taehyun stared at him warily, gulping his saliva. “...Pardon?”
Beomgyu tilted his head slightly, expression completely serious. “Did it hurt?”
Taehyun blinked rapidly. His exhausted brain tried desperately to catch up.
Hurt? What hurt? Did he cut himself? Did something happen?
Taehyun immediately looked down at himself in confusion, checking his hands automatically. No blood. No injury. Both arms functioning. He subtly checked whether he somehow burned himself on something without noticing. Nothing. He's completely fine. Now even more confused, he looked back up at Beomgyu with his brows furrowed tightly.
“Uhm…” Taehyun said slowly, cautiously, like approaching a wild animal with a weapon. “I don’t understand?”
Then Beomgyu suddenly smirked. It transformed his whole face instantly into something unfairly attractive and deeply suspicious at the same time.
“Did it hurt,” Beomgyu repeated smoothly, leaning slightly forward against the counter. “When you fell from heaven?”
Silence.
Taehyun’s brain stopped functioning. Just completely gone. Disconnected.
His jaw physically dropped before he could stop it because what?
What the actual fuck?
Did Choi Beomgyu, the terrifying mafia boss whispered about like an urban legend, just hit him with the most ancient pickup line in recorded human history?
Taehyun stared at him in genuine horror. Beomgyu was still looking at him with that expression too. That weird intense look like he thought this was working spectacularly.
And worse, was he… smoldering?
Taehyun didn’t know how else to describe it. Beomgyu’s eyes looked all dark and intent. His mouth curved slightly at one corner. His posture radiated this bizarre confidence like he expected background music to swell any second now. It was like watching a man actively roleplay inside a romance movie.
Taehyun felt his soul leave his body briefly. Then his eyes darted around the bar quickly in sudden suspicion. The customers were still drinking. Talking and laughing. Someone near the back was arguing over pool. Music played. Soobin was speaking to another employee near the register. Everything looked normal.
Which honestly made this worse.
Because maybe, maybe, Taehyun had finally reached the point of exhaustion where hallucinations started. Maybe he’d fallen asleep standing up behind the counter. Maybe he was currently passed out face-first somewhere while his subconscious created this deeply confusing fever dream. He looked back at Beomgyu carefully. Unfortunately, Beomgyu still existed.
Then, because he genuinely did not know what else to do, a small awkward laugh escaped him. The kind of confused, disbelieving laugh people made when reality stopped making structural sense.
“Ha—” Taehyun rubbed briefly at his forehead. “Okay. Wow.
Beomgyu watched him with alarming focus. Like Taehyun laughing was somehow meaningful.
Actually no, worse. Like Taehyun laughing was cute. Taehyun suddenly felt the primal urge to flee the country.
“I think,” he said carefully, still trying to regain mental balance, but still cautious because Beomgyu’s entourage was still standing a few feet away from his boss. “There’s been some misunderstanding here, Mr. Choi.”
Beomgyu smiled slightly. And somehow looked even more confident. “I don’t think so.”
Taehyun absolutely thought so. Before he could respond, Beomgyu leaned forward against the counter slightly, lowering his voice like he was about to say something deeply intimate instead of clinically insane.
“I noticed you staring at me for over ten minutes and keep glancing at me for almost an hour now.”
Taehyun froze.
Oh. Oh no.
His soul briefly exited his body again because technically that had happened. Except not in the way Beomgyu clearly thought it had.
Beomgyu continued smoothly, eyes locked onto Taehyun’s face with the unwavering certainty of a man who had never once doubted his own interpretation of reality.
“And,” he said, “I accept your love.”
Now it’s absolute silence inside Taehyun’s head. Not one coherent thought survived.
He stared at Beomgyu, then blinked once slowly. Then stared some more. At that moment, Taehyun genuinely felt like he was drunk because what the fuck was this conversation?
“I’m sorry,” Taehyun said weakly, “you accept my what?”
“Your feelings,” Beomgyu clarified generously, like he was helping someone slow. “You’ve been watching me all night.”
Taehyun opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Nothing came out. Because yes, technically, he had been looking. But not like that.
He’d been dissociating! Observing! Existing tiredly in the general direction of another human being!
That was not the same as whatever romance-induced psychosis Beomgyu currently had going on. Taehyun pressed a hand briefly against the counter, grounding himself before he accidentally ascended into another dimension from sheer confusion.
“No,” he said finally, voice strained with disbelief, “I think you misunderstood. I was just—”
“You don’t have to be shy.” Beomgyu still had the audacity to stare at him warmly, smiling a little.
Taehyun stared back at him. He suddenly understood how people developed stress-induced migraines.
“I wasn’t staring romantically,” Taehyun tried again.
Beomgyu’s expression softened into something impossibly smug. “That’s exactly what someone secretly in love would say.”
This could not be happening. There was absolutely no logical sequence of events that should have led him here, to being wronged by a mafia boss because he accidentally dissociated in the man’s direction for too long. And the worst part? Beomgyu genuinely believed this. There wasn’t even a trace of irony in his face. No teasing. No mockery. He looked completely sincere sitting there under the warm bar lights like they were halfway through a romantic subplot already. Taehyun suddenly understood why some animals played dead under stress.
Taehyun opened his mouth again, determined this time to fix the misunderstanding before it escalated further into whatever psychological horror this currently was. “I need you to understand—”
“I’ll wait for your shift to end.”
Taehyun stopped.
“…What?”
Beomgyu rose smoothly from the stool before Taehyun could even process the sentence fully. The movement was fluid, effortless, like every action he made had been choreographed by someone trying very hard to make him look attractive. Which was deeply irritating because it was unfortunately working.
Beomgyu adjusted the sleeve of his dark coat slightly before continuing, completely calm, “I’ll take you home.”
Taehyun’s brain blue-screened. Take him home? Excuse him?
“What?” Taehyun repeated, out of breath.
“A good lover should make sure his partner gets home safely,” Beomgyu explained patiently, like this was obvious. “Especially this late at night.”
Taehyun physically leaned back like he received a painful blow, eyes widening.
Partner?
Partner?
His soul was leaving his body in layers now.
“No— no, wait—” Taehyun nearly stumbled over his own words trying to catch up, heart beating so fast now, close to passing out. “That’s not— this isn’t—”
But Beomgyu was already turning away. Like the conversation had concluded successfully. Taehyun watched him in mounting horror as Beomgyu began walking calmly back toward his private booth, one hand slipping casually into his pocket while people subtly moved aside for him automatically. Taehyun remained frozen behind the counter. Completely motionless. His brain struggled desperately to process what had just occurred while Beomgyu sat back down at his booth like he hadn’t just detonated a grenade directly into Taehyun’s night.
Taehyun stared blankly toward Beomgyu’s table because his brain still refused to catch what happened.
Then Beomgyu caught his gaze immediately and smiled. Taehyun looked away so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.
“Oh my fucking god,” he whispered under his breath. His hands came up to cover his face briefly. Maybe this really was stress-induced psychosis. Actually, that made more sense. That made way more sense than Choi Beomgyu deciding they were entering a relationship because Taehyun had stared at him while mentally calculating cat food expenses.
His heartbeat still hadn’t normalized. Every few seconds, his brain replayed the conversation against his will.
Then a sharp movement suddenly appeared in front of him. “Taehyun.”
Taehyun nearly jumped out of his skin because Kai had materialized at the counter looking deeply alarmed, tray tucked under one arm while he stared at Taehyun like he’d just witnessed a murder.
“Are you dying?” Kai hissed.
Taehyun blinked at him slowly. “…What the fuck are you talking about?”
Kai leaned over the counter dramatically, eyes wide. “You look pale. Like haunted pale. Like your soul got extracted manually.”
Taehyun rubbed both hands over his face tiredly. “I think it did.”
Kai gasped softly. “Holy shit. He threatened you, didn’t he?”
“What?”
“I saw Choi Beomgyu talking to you all serious and smirking and then you just stood here looking like you received your own execution date!”
Taehyun stared at him, then smacked Kai’s arm immediately.
“Ow—!”
“Don’t say things like that!”
Kai clutched his arm in betrayal. “Then explain why you look one inconvenience away from cardiac arrest!”
Taehyun opened his mouth. Then closed it again.
Because honestly? How the hell was he supposed to explain the conversation without sounding insane himself?
Taehyun groaned softly and pressed his fingers against his temples. A migraine was beginning to bloom slowly behind his eyes now, pulsing steadily with each passing second. This night was ruining him biologically. After a moment, he glanced subtly toward Beomgyu’s booth again. Beomgyu was speaking to one of his men now, posture relaxed. Still terrifyingly handsome. Still somehow carrying himself with the effortless composure of a man starring in a completely different genre than everyone else around him. Taehyun frowned slightly. Then lowered his voice instinctively despite the distance between them.
“…Is he really a mafia boss?”
Kai leaned in too now, looking confused at first but then following Taehyun's line of sight, then his voice hushed despite himself. “Yeah. Apparently.”
“Apparently?”
“There’s stuff online about him,” Kai whispered. “Forums. News articles that mysteriously disappear later. Rich underground family connections. Illegal businesses. Intimidation. The whole terrifying package.”
Taehyun stared toward Beomgyu again carefully. That didn’t make sense.
Or maybe it did, but not emotionally.
Because the man sitting over there absolutely looked like someone dangerous. Taehyun would never deny that. There was something sharp about him even while relaxed, like a knife hidden beneath silk.
But that conversation earlier…
Taehyun’s face twisted slightly in disbelief just remembering it. That was not what he expected from a feared mafia boss. The stories he’d heard painted Beomgyu like some ruthless underworld prince. Cold, violent, untouchable. And actually expecting the other to threaten him earlier.
Not...
Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?
Taehyun physically cringed a little.
Kai noticed immediately. “Why? What happened?”
Taehyun shook his head. “Nothing.”
“That’s the face people make after emotional damage. Did he really say something to you?”
“Kai.”
“Kang Taehyun.”
Taehyun pointed a warning finger at him. “Drop it.”
Kai narrowed his eyes dramatically but backed off slightly. Still, he glanced toward Beomgyu’s booth nervously before whispering, “I’m serious though. Be careful.”
And then he went back to serving. Taehyun looked down at the glass in his hands, thumb rubbing absently along the rim.
After that, Taehyun made a very deliberate decision. He will not take a look over at Beomgyu's booth again. Nope, he will not do that again. So he continued working with one thought in his head.
Maybe Choi Beomgyu is already gone and this is all over. Taehyun clung to that idea like it was oxygen.
Hours passed in blurred fragments until the clock strikes 3:00 AM.
The bar started thinning out, the way it always did when exhaustion finally caught up to everyone at once. Voices became softer. Chairs scraped less frequently. The air felt slightly lighter, as if the building itself was finally letting go of its breath.
Taehyun stretched slowly behind the counter, shoulders cracking faintly as he tilted his head back.
Finally.
He hesitated for half a second. Then, against his better judgment, he glanced toward Beomgyu’s booth.
Empty.
Taehyun blinked once.
Then exhaled.
Relief hit him so strongly it almost made his knees weak.
“Oh thank fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
Maybe he had imagined it. Maybe exhaustion had fully fried his brain. Maybe Choi Beomgyu had never actually sat down and declared him romantically pre-approved in the middle of a bar like some kind of deranged fairy tale prince.
Yeah, that sounded more reasonable.
Taehyun peeled off his apron, folding it once before tossing it into the small box under the counter. His entire body felt like it had been soaked in lead and left out overnight. Every step he took toward the seating area behind the counter was slower than the last. He spotted Kai and Soobin already sitting in one of the booth seats near the wall, both of them looking equally destroyed by the night. He walked over and dropped himself down heavily beside Soobin. Taehyun leaned back instantly, head tipping against the wall with a quiet groan.
“I’m dying,” he said flatly.
Soobin gave him a tired but fond smile, reaching over to pat his shoulder once.
“You did good today,” Soobin said simply.
Taehyun’s eyes closed briefly. “Thanks.”
Then Soobin tilted his head slightly.
“By the way,” he said casually, “about earlier…”
Taehyun’s eyes opened slowly. A warning bell rang somewhere in his skull.
“…Earlier?” he repeated cautiously.
Soobin nodded toward the bar area. “Choi Beomgyu.”
Taehyun immediately sat up straighter. “It's nothing hyung, he didn't even order from me.”
Soobin looked mildly apologetic. “It’s just… Did he say anything to you?”
Taehyun froze. Kai, across them, immediately perked up too like a rat detecting gossip.
Soobin continued gently, “If anything was… inappropriate, or if you said something rude, I can apologize on your behalf. I don’t want any issues with him.”
Taehyun made a small offended noise. “Excuse me?”
Soobin blinked. “Hm?”
“You think I offended him?”
Soobin hesitated. “…I’m just checking.”
Taehyun looked personally attacked. “I am a professional.”
Soobin’s expression softened slightly, but the concern didn’t fully leave his face. “He can be… intense.”
Kai leaned forward. “That’s one word for it.”
Taehyun frowned.
“Is he really that scary?” he asked, voice lowering slightly without him meaning to. “Like… harsh?”
The question slipped out more honestly than he expected because now that the adrenaline had faded, the confusion lingered. Beomgyu didn’t feel like what people described. At least not entirely, but he still can't keep his guards down. Soobin sighed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“He’s powerful,” Soobin said carefully. “And people around him are usually careful for a reason.”
“So yes,” Soobin added, “he’s intimidating. But he didn’t seem angry earlier, so I assume everything is fine.”
Taehyun leaned back again, staring at the ceiling.
“…Intimidating,” he repeated flatly.
He let out a long exhausted breath.
By the time Taehyun stepped out of the bar, the streets had thinned into scattered headlights and tired strangers drifting toward whatever waited for them at home. The neon signs overhead still glowed stubbornly against the dark, staining the damp pavement in smears of red, blue, and gold. Somewhere far down the road, someone laughed too loudly. A motorcycle passed. Wind slipped cold beneath Taehyun’s sleeves and finally cut through the lingering warmth trapped against his skin from hours inside the crowded bar.
He exhaled slowly. God, he was tired. The kind of tired that settled directly into bone. His shoulders ached under the weight of the day, feet throbbing faintly with every step as he adjusted the plastic bag in his hand. Hobak’s cat food shifted softly inside it. At least he remembered to buy it.
Taehyun stepped closer toward the curb, pulling out his phone briefly to check the time.
3:27 AM.
His last bus route would take forever this late, and honestly, if he had to stand another second tonight, he might actually collapse in public. A taxi sounded worth the money at this point. He shoved his phone back into his pocket with a sigh and looked down the street.
Empty.
Cold air brushed past him again, carrying the faint smell of rain and gasoline. And he took a step to walk closer beside the highway. Then suddenly, three black cars rolled slowly down the street toward him. Taehyun barely paid attention at first. Probably rich assholes since the city was full of them. But then the cars slowed until all three pulled directly toward the curb in front of him. Taehyun frowned immediately.
The middle car stopped almost perfectly aligned with where he stood, while the others parked ahead and behind it with unnerving precision, blocking the road. Blocking him.
Taehyun’s exhaustion peeled away instantly, replaced by sharp alertness crawling up his spine. His brows furrowed.
What the hell?
For one brief second, genuine unease flickered through him because there was something deeply unsettling about black cars pulling up beside you at nearly four in the morning especially after spending an entire night talking about mafia bosses. Taehyun instinctively took a small step backward, clutching the bag of cat food slightly tighter.
Okay, maybe they were parking. Maybe they were dropping someone off. Maybe if he moved aside and minded his own business, this deeply suspicious situation would continue without involving him personally. So he started stepping away from the curb. Readying himself to mentally curse whoever decided to block the way.
But then the tinted window of the middle car rolled down smoothly and Choi Beomgyu leaned his head out slightly.
“Taehyun.”
Taehyun’s eyes widened faintly.
How the fuck did he know his name? His brain scrambled for exactly one second before immediately answering itself. Right, mafia boss. Of course he knew his name.
Everything inside Taehyun stopped. His heartbeat slammed violently against his ribs again. Hard enough that he actually felt breath catch painfully in his throat. For a second, he genuinely just froze there on the sidewalk because no fucking way Beomgyu was still here. Beomgyu had not gone home. And Beomgyu had apparently actually waited for him.
Choi Beomgyu was looking at him from inside a black luxury car at almost four in the morning like this was the most natural thing in the world. Taehyun stared at him in complete disbelief. Streetlights caught softly against Beomgyu’s face through the open window, shadows slicing across his sharp features. His lips slightly lifted up at the corner. He looked relaxed and comfortable. And the worst part is he looks like a man picking up his date after dinner and not a terrifying rumored mafia boss lying in wait outside a bar for an exhausted bartender he met three hours ago.
Taehyun’s brain struggled violently to reconcile those two images.
“...You’re still here,” Taehyun said weakly before he could stop himself.
Beomgyu's smile widened immediately.
“Of course,” Beomgyu replied. “I told you I’d wait.”
Taehyun’s stomach dropped. Oh, this man was serious. This man was genuinely serious.
The cold night air suddenly felt too thin in his lungs. His thoughts tangled over each other chaotically.
Then Taehyun’s survival instincts kicked in immediately.
Okay.
This was manageable. Probably.
Maybe if he handled this carefully, gently, Beomgyu would lose interest. Realize this whole thing was a misunderstanding. Laugh it off. Go home. Continue being terrifying somewhere else far away from Taehyun’s already fragile mental stability.
Taehyun forced his shoulders to relax despite the fact that his pulse was still beating like he’d narrowly escaped death. He adjusted the grip on Hobak’s food awkwardly before attempting what he hoped resembled a polite smile. It probably looked more like someone being held hostage politely.
“That’s…” Taehyun cleared his throat softly. “Really nice of you. Thank you.”
Beomgyu watched him closely from inside the car but Taehyun continued carefully, choosing every word like he was defusing a bomb.
“But you don’t have to do that,” he said, his voice shaking a little but he still smiled. “I can go home alone.”
Just as the words left his mouth, he heard a sharp gasp, and before he could even react, the car door swung open immediately.
“Oh no,” Taehyun whispered instinctively.
Beomgyu stepped out and somehow looked even more dramatic standing under the dim streetlights at three in the fucking morning. His dark coat shifted slightly in the cold breeze as he walked towards Taehyun with alarming determination, expression stricken in a way that made Taehyun instantly understand this conversation was about to become deeply more exhausting than what he already felt.
Taehyun had to physically stop himself from facepalming when he saw Beomgyu’s face clearly. Because he looked like a male lead getting rejected at the emotional climax of a romance drama.
He wanted to scream.
Beomgyu stopped directly in front of him. Too close that Taehyun instinctively took a little step back. He could now smell faint traces of expensive cologne beneath the cold night air now. Warm and sharp and annoyingly nice.
“You want to go home alone?” Beomgyu repeated quietly, gently.
“I mean—”
“How can I let the person I love walk home alone at night?”
Taehyun’s soul completely left his body. There it was again. That word.
Love.
Like they’d skipped fifteen relationship stages and landed directly into emotional commitment.
“Okay,” Taehyun said carefully, “I think we are still having two very different conversations—”
Beomgyu shook his head softly, eyes full of sincere determination that absolutely did not belong in real life. “No.”
“No?” Taehyun echoed weakly, feeling close to just pretending to pass out and sleep his way out of this conversation.
“No,” Beomgyu repeated firmly. “Taehyun, you don’t have to carry everything by yourself anymore.”
Taehyun stared at him, feeling the nerve in his eyes twitch. The cat food bag suddenly felt heavier in his hand.
“…What are you..?”
Beomgyu stepped slightly closer.
“The exhaustion in your eyes.” Beomgyu’s voice lowered gently like he was delivering a confession under falling cherry blossoms instead of beside a questionable alleyway at three in the morning. “The loneliness. The silent yearning.”
Taehyun blinked, his brain feeling mush now that he really can't understand Beomgyu's language. Silent what?
“I was just tired at work,” Taehyun said.
“And yet your eyes kept finding me.”
Taehyun looked toward the sky briefly like he was asking God for patience.
But God apparently said no.
Beomgyu continued with heartbreaking sincerity, “You don’t have to pretend to be strong anymore just because life has hurt you.”
His expression softened further which somehow made everything worse.
“You think love won’t stay,” Beomgyu murmured. “But I’m not like the others.”
“The others?!” Taehyun's voice can't help but to rise a little
“The people who failed to appreciate your heart.”
Beomgyu reached out suddenly and Taehyun froze completely. But instead of anything threatening, Beomgyu simply took the heavy bag of cat food gently from Taehyun’s hand like a gentleman helping his exhausted lover after a long day.
Taehyun stood and stared in horror.
“Why are you carrying this alone?” Beomgyu asked softly.
“…Because it’s cat food for my cat?”
Beomgyu then sighs, like the thought of Taehyun carrying something, physically pained him. “You shouldn’t have to struggle anymore.”
“It weighs like five kilos!”
Beomgyu looked at him with unbearable tenderness. “You’ve suffered enough.”
Taehyun looked seconds away from walking directly into traffic. He feels like crying or just slumping motionless on the street.
“I need you to understand,” he said carefully, voice trembling slightly from sheer disbelief, “that this sounds insane.”
Beomgyu smiled. Fondly.
“In every love story,” he said gently, “one person realizes it later.”
Taehyun covered his face with both hands immediately. “Oh my fucking god.”
At some point during Beomgyu’s speech about “sharing burdens together from now on,” Taehyun simply stopped fighting. His brain had reached maximum capacity hours ago and was now running purely on fumes and survival instinct. Trying to argue with Beomgyu felt like trying to stop a flood using papers. Every explanation Taehyun offered somehow returned twisted into romance logic again. So when Beomgyu opened the car door for him with the grave seriousness of a man escorting royalty after a ball, Taehyun just stared at the open door for a long moment before walking and entering carefully. Not because he accepted whatever delusional relationship Beomgyu thought they had. But because maybe if he cooperated quietly, the night would finally end.
Streetlights passed over them in slow intervals, gold light flickering briefly across Beomgyu’s face before disappearing again. Outside the windows, the city blurred by in half-empty roads and glowing convenience stores and tired strangers wandering home too late at night. For a while, silence settled. Not uncomfortable exactly but not comfortable either. Just strange.
As the drive continued, something inside Taehyun loosened slightly despite himself. Maybe because exhaustion dulled the sharper edges of fear. Maybe because Beomgyu kept talking like a lovestruck male lead instead of a criminal mastermind. Or maybe because Taehyun slowly realized something deeply bizarre:
Beomgyu didn’t seem dangerous around him.
Insane? Absolutely.
Delusional? Without question.
But not dangerous. Yet.
At one point, Beomgyu even adjusted the heater slightly toward Taehyun’s side after noticing him rubbing his cold hands together. Taehyun stared at the vent in disbelief for a full minute afterward.
What the fuck was this experience?
Beomgyu asked him his address in the middle of it and by the time they reached Taehyun’s apartment building, his exhaustion had settled so deeply into his bones that even confusion felt heavy now. The black cars rolled to a stop in front of the old building. Taehyun stared out the window quietly.
His apartment looked exactly the same as always. A little run-down. Paint slightly faded near the entrance. Flickering hallway light upstairs that the landlady kept promising to fix eventually.
Beomgyu then reached over first and handed him Hobak’s food carefully. Their fingers brushed briefly and Taehyun's heart skipped a bit at that slight contact but he immediately ignored that. He pushed the car door open and stepped outside slowly, cold air hitting him again after the warmth inside the vehicle. For one second, he just stood there on the sidewalk feeling like the entire night had compressed itself onto his shoulders. He looked back toward the open car door where Beomgyu sat watching him quietly.
Taehyun still managed a tired, awkward little smile.
“…Thanks for the ride.”
Beomgyu smirked softly at him. Then his gaze drifted upward toward Taehyun’s apartment building then suddenly Beomgyu winced dramatically. Like someone had physically injured him. Taehyun frowned immediately and turned to look behind himself at the apartment building in confusion.
What? It was ugly, sure, but not that ugly.
When he looked back, Beomgyu had one hand covering part of his face now, eyes lowered like he was emotionally devastated. Taehyun blinked at him, waiting for the other to say something first.
Beomgyu looked back up at him with genuine sorrow in his eyes.
“Taehyun,” he said quietly, “you shouldn’t be living in this kind of place.” Taehyun stared and Beomgyu gestured vaguely toward the building with visible disgust. “This establishment is unworthy of you.”
Taehyun’s mouth dropped open. “I—what?”
“A prince like you should be living in a mansion.” Beomgyu’s expression grew increasingly distressed the more he looked at the apartment. “Or at least a castle.”
Taehyun barked out a disbelieving laugh before he could stop himself. “A castle?”
“Yes.”
“Be serious.”
“I am serious.” Beomgyu looked genuinely pained. “The fact that you endured this suffering alone until now…”
He shook his head slowly. “My heart hurts.”
Taehyun laughed again, awkward and exhausted and halfway to insanity himself now.
“Okay,” he said quickly, backing away slightly. “Thank you for the ride. Seriously. You should go home now.”
But Beomgyu kept looking at him with unbearable pity. “I can arrange a penthouse by tomorrow.”
Taehyun’s eyes widened. “No.”
“A private estate.”
“No!”
Beomgyu sighed softly like Taehyun was refusing happiness itself. Taehyun immediately leaned forward and slid the car door shut directly in Beomgyu’s face to not give him the chance to say something insane again. Through the closed window, Beomgyu still looked heartbreakingly concerned.
Taehyun gave him one exhausted wave before turning toward the apartment building. He's really seconds away now from falling asleep.
Then the car window rolled down again.
“Taehyun!”
Taehyun froze with his eyes closed already. Slowly, painfully, he turned back around.
Beomgyu still had the audacity to smile beautifully at him. “See you tomorrow.”
Taehyun stared at him in complete silence. Then he tilted his head upward toward the dark sky above like he was searching desperately for divine intervention. His heart thumping loud in his chest.
With the exhaustion of a man realizing his life had just permanently changed against his will, Taehyun covered his face briefly with one hand. Because honestly?
What the fuck had he just encountered tonight?
Deep down, beneath the confusion and exhaustion and growing migraine Taehyun knew with horrifying certainty. After tonight, his life was never going back to normal again.