─ vocal training room 'de grisogno'

@☾ hwang yeji "yes, performing is my passion." chanmi nodded a few times and led the way out of the dsf building towards a bbq place she knew of nearby, and she ran a hand through her black hair before smiling at yeji. "life coach? not quite. just...too old to mess around these days, you know? better to be close to my dream than completely give up, because it still makes me happy."

@◈ kim chanmi ᴄʜᴜɴɢʜᴀ⁻ᵛᵒᶜᵃˡ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ “Aside from being a vocal coach, do you dabble in being a life coach too?” She asked jokingly, a small smile displayed on her lips, grabbing her bag as well, following the older woman. “I should still treat you, i always believe in fairness.” Yeji hummed then her eyes widened, mouth forming an even larger o. Her respect for Chanmi was already at an all-time high, but hearing just how talented she was as an individual increased it tenfold. If Yeji was a cartoon, her eyes would be sparkling in admiration by now. “You’re an all rounder. Is this your passion? I mean performing?”

@☾ hwang yeji "of course i'm okay with it, i may be a coach but my goal is to lift you up to your highest just like any good friend would." chanmi nodded with a smile on her lips and picked up her hoodie to shrug it on, grabbing her bag as well so they could go to get lunch. "no no, not your treat—never your treat. anyway, yes i dance. i actually choreograph and that's my primary passion, but dsf doesn't have an opening for another choreographer and i did train to become a vocal instructor as well, so i filled in for what we need."

@◈ kim chanmi ᴄʜᴜɴɢʜᴀ⁻ᵛᵒᶜᵃˡ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ It was quite unexpected. The only people she had ever called unnie were the DIA members. Most of the people in the company, whether they’re her seniors or trainees that were older than her, she usually addressed in a formal way. A small smile made its way to her lips as she nodded awkwardly. “If you’re okay with that then uhm… unnie.” Yeji croaked out a bit only for to form a little o. Wow, she danced too? She only ever saw her sing during classes for vocal practice. “You dance too? Oh okay, if that’s alright with you unnie.” She said shyly, giving a sheepish grin while she nodded. “That means that we’ll have a lunch out next time and it’ll be my treat, okay?”

@☾ hwang yeji chanmi could see that yeji was obviously very nervous for this meeting, and she took a step closer before almost reaching out to take yeji's hand, stopping herself at the last minute. "we're not in class right now, you can call me unnie, it's okay. i look a mess as well, just coming out of dance practice, so you're okay! as for lunch, i haven't eaten yet. why don't we go get barbecue? you can tell me all about what caused you to text me out of the blue, and i'll pay."

@◈ kim chanmi ᴄʜᴜɴɢʜᴀ⁻ᵛᵒᶜᵃˡ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Yeji was a bit surprised, not noticing how the time passed by. She was a bit sweaty, but not overly so, just enough to make her feel embarrassed. She quickly bowed fully, stammering a bit as she rubbed her nape sheepishly. “G-good afternoon saem.” She gave a sheepish grin before fishing in her pocket for a handkerchief, and (thankfully) managed to find one, to which she used to wipe her forehead and neck as meekly as she could. “Pardon the sight saem. I just had uhm a bit of a run, you could say?” She explained before clearing . “Thank you for meeting up with me saem. Oh before that, have you eaten lunch already?”

@☾ hwang yeji chanmi stretched her arms up as she left the dance studio, waving to the other dancers before making her way to the vocal training room where she had asked for yeji to meet her at. it was a little after 1pm - practice had run over like she had thought it would, but they were preparing hard for her debut and she needed to know that she was ready to do this.

"good afternoon, yeji-ssi." chanmi greeted as she opened the door, bowing politely before shutting it behind her - nobody needed to interrupt a one on one session, after all, and it would be better for yeji to get the training without anybody barging in.

@◈ kim chanmi ᴄʜᴜɴɢʜᴀ⁻ᵛᵒᶜᵃˡ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Yeji came in earlier than their call time, not cause she was afraid of being late (which she was actually in any given appointment), but because she felt a bit more excited. She had always focused on practicing dance, and she knew that she was good at it, as far as she knew, but she felt like her other skills aren’t up to par with it, so why not just level up on that one skill to be a master at that? Why be a jack of all trades when she can be a master of one is what she meant. She didn’t think she was actually a master of it, just that she had confidence in that particular skill, after all, she had been honing it since she was little.

And so, Yeji walked around the room, humming to herself and doing some vocal exercises. The short walks then turned into a full on jog as she waited for Chungha, singing random songs she could think of. It started with their songs, from Bang, Likey, How yoh like that, until it changed to Janus songs such as Monster and Really Really.

@☼ xu minghao ʸᵘᶻᵘ Her eyes slowly moved to the lit screen of her phone again, making the mental excuse that she was just checking the time as she waited for Minghao to show up. In reality she was hoping to see a certain name pop up, no matter how selfish that sounded. She knew this was time meant to be dedicated to Minghao, and she enjoyed the time they spent together, but lately her mind had been… preoccupied.

The door suddenly swinging open forcibly dragged her out of her little moment of inner turmoil, gazing up at the man that had just walked in. “Ah! Haohao, hey!” Her thoughts were scattered all over the place until she spotted the paper bags her offered. Food had always been a good distraction. “Ain’t you a sweetheart? Do you mind me taking the savory one? I haven’t really eaten today.”

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ June sat on the step with his head between his knees, vowing to never drink again, but knowing he'd repeat this in a couple months and keep denying he had a problem. Of all the nights for him to have chosen to go on a bender, it had to have been when he met their handsome new manager. Without the alcohol to give him the boost of confidence he lacked in his sober mind, he was slowly convincing himself that he would never have a chance with their manager. Not in the way he wanted.

So, why did he want it so bad?

June dragged his eyes up as far as his spinning head would allow him, squinting at the shadow of his new manager as he unpacked their belongings. There was no need for him to be this nice, June thought, pushing the butts of his palms into his eyes to squeeze out the image of his embarrassment. Ugh. He disgusted himself. His parents were probably rolling in their graves at the thought of their one and only child, their son, pining after a man that was his senior. When June opened his eyes again, Donghun was offering him a wet tissue.

He blinked once, bringing the man into focus, and took the tissue quietly. When Donghun smiled, June felt like he was freefalling through the air, not knowing nor caring if there was anything to catch him below. No amount of intimate nights with Felix, or first times with Max, compared to the hammering in his chest from his beating heart. He took his keys from Donghun gingerly, turning the keys on the cluttered keychain until he reached a Winnie the Pooh key (one side was yellow honeybees on a blue sky background, and the other was Pooh Bear holding a red balloon). "This one," he said, and took the man's hand to help himself up.

June should have let go, but he didn't. He held onto Donghun's hand until they reached the dorm, which June led him to politely. He waited for the door to be unlocked, and shuffled in, abandoning his shoes in the entryway and standing on the small step so he could hover above his manager. "Thank you... I'm sorry..." he murmured, avoiding the other's eyes while his cheeks burned. "My room is down the hall..." June pointed vaguely to down the hall.

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ (sorry for the wait, I had a hard time with this one for absolutely no reason ;-;)

Donghun felt useless. Certainly any good manager would have been able to avoid this situation, or at the very least gotten the boy home quicker. Add it to the list of things the manager would do his best at, but ultimately fail in the end. That's how it's been ever since he could remember.

Donghun waited for the boy to recover, ever so often glancing back at the poor keys that had been luckily dropped right by his car. There wasn't really anyone around aside from the occasional cars driving by, which is why the manager wasn't exactly worried about someone stealing them.

Donghun struggled as the boy's weight fell over him, the older now mostly supporting the artist as he attempted to get both of them up. An arm comfortably wrapped around the younger's waist as the other guided the boy's arm around Donghun's neck for extra support.

The manager brought June to the front of the building, carefully dropping him on the step and making his way back to the car to get their things and the keys. Bringing everything back to where he'd left the younger, Donghun reached in his bag to hand him a wet tissue, going through the keys himself but failing to figure out which ones belonged to the building door.

"A little help?" he asked, offering the boy an apologetic smile as he reached out his hand in case the other needed the support to get up once again.

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ June needed this night to end. He needed to put as much distance between himself and the manager. They would pretend like nothing happened, and Donghun would come to realize that June was a smiling, hard working, good boy idol who did everything just as he was told. Not a drunken mess pining for a sensation he hadn't felt in nearly a decade.

The hand on his back was ever so soothing, though, and despite the raw burn in his throat, June leaned into Donghun to impress the touch deeper. A few cars streamed by behind them, their headlights emblazing the pair as they did. June and Donghun's shadows stretched across the narrow lawn and up the side of the building, and June tilted his head back to see how far they stretched before they disappeared. He fell back on Donghun entirely with a loud sigh.

"I can stand up, I think," he said after a moment, but his eyes were shut. "I think I need your help, though..." With a grunt and a groan, June used the manager's shoulders to hoist himself up, willing the world to stop spinning. "Hold me."

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ Relief washed over Donghun as June finally pulled up his keys. He would finally be able to get the other in his safe space and call it a day. Although he wasn't all too sure how the other would do on his own after the manager left, Donghun trusted he'd just be quick asleep once he laid down.

But things would never be this easy now would they?

The boy hunched over as he covered his mouth, and before Donghun knew it he was making a run towards some bushes on the side of the building. 'Oh no.'
He ran after the boy but was unfortunately not fast enough to catch him this time either. Completely forgetting about the keys, Donghun quickly dropped to his knees next to the boy, getting dirt all over his jeans as he tried his best to get a hold of the younger's hair. It would be difficult to have him shower like this, so anything Donghun could do to prevent that, he would.

One of his hands left the soft strands to rub on the other's back in a circular motion. Hoping it would help him even in the slightest, or to at least assure him there was someone taking care of him, Donghun remained by the other's side until it looked like he was done.

"The keys aren't going anywhere, we'll go grab them in a second. Are you feeling better? Can you stand up?"

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ June was crashing, and quickly. He was most grateful when the car parked on the curb. He waited anxiously as Donghun got their bags from the trunk, and rounded to his side to open the door, fingers tapping wildly over his knee. The more his body detoxed the copious liters of liquor June had fed it, the more his mind was clearing. When he jumped down to be level with his manager, his head spun. He inhaled great gulps of air to stifle the nausea, patting his pockets at the request for the keys.

There were no more games, no challenges for Donghun to find the keys himself, or any jokes of the sort this time. June wormed the key ring from the back pocket of his too-tight jeans, brandishing them with a swing. There were six keys of different size and colour, with a single keychain, a cartoon koala giving a thumbs up. The acrylic was scratched and the colours were faded, but the words were legible enough (Australian International High School).

June was ready to pass them over when he lurched forward with a hand over his mouth. The keys clattered to the pavement, rattling loudly in the dead night.

"Oh god, I'm gonna be sick," he wheezed, stumbling without a second thought to the nearest bushes so he could save some dignity by hiding in the branches. That seemed impossible as he lost balance while skidding to a halt. June careened over the bush instead. He fell with a thwunk, face first into the grass. Spitting out dirt, he scrambled to all fours just in type for the dry heaving to begin. His stomach curled painfully as it tried to force out what little was left, shoulders curling up to his ears.

A strained moan rolled off June's wet lips. "Manager-nim," he called out weakly through a cough when the spell was over. "M-Manager-nim, I dropped... The keys... They have a koala charm on them. Y-You have to find them. Manager-nim... Please!"

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ The night was dark, but those were Donghun's favorite types of night. The far stars shone in the distance as silence filled the air, the moon which appeared to be always lonely shone even harder and finally allowed the manager to give June a proper glance. 'At least it looks like he's feeling better now'.

The sound of the younger's bracelets bumping together was soothing on itself, but the flowy whistles of the wind that came in through his window and left through the other one had a way of calming him down no matter what situation he was in. The night had been his only confident in the longest time.

The gps on the tablet lost in battle to the passenger, and Donghun could only give short and quickly looks between the device and the building the younger was referring to as he didn't exactly want to take his eyes off the road too much.

As the car arrived at its destination, Donghun parked it in one of the vacant spots, turning the engine off and swiftly opening his door as he put his keys back in his pocket. Reaching for the handle on the back door on the driver's side, the manager quickly grabbed both their bags and walked around the car to open the door for the other as he handed him his own bag.

"Got your keys?"

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ June did feel sick, but it wasn't from the alcohol, or at least, not in the way Donghun probably imagined. He was only able to maintain his charade of sleepiness for a little bit before he cracked his eyes open. The enticing air rolling through the window was like a sip from the elixir of life, rejuvenating June, if only a little. When the car rolled up the ramp and out onto the open-road, and picked up speed on the main roads, June stuck his hand out the window.

The many bracelets on his wrist jingled as they were bumped together. He dove his hand up and down like a dolphin in water, riding the current. His mind drifted to Max in Australia, thinking of the times he'd watched the boy surf the waves in a similar fashion. He wondered what his first love was doing now and if they could have ever worked out if things hadn't ended the way they had. June had refused to let himself get serious with anyone after they'd broken up. It was hard not to feel like God was punishing him when his parents died the first time he kissed a guy.

June let the music do the talking until the familiar dorm building arose before them. A spattering of windows were illuminated in yellow light, and a neon sign blinked at them from the corner.

"No one's home," he remarked with a loose point in the direction of his dark dorm windows. "The hyungs always leave at least one light on when they're home."

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ Donghun didn't exactly know what he had done, but the boy finally seemed to loosen his grip around his neck, and so he quietly pulled the seatbelt over him and fastened it once again, falling back into his own seat with a muffled dry thud.

Looking back, it was probably concerning just how fast the boy's attitude had changed, but Donghun figured it was just the alcohol speaking and thanked the gods he was finally able to get their ride started. Slightly rolling down his window and making sure to do the same on the passenger's side, Donghun glanced once more at June before turning to lower the volume of the radio, focusing back on the wheel in front of him.

"Ah yes, sorry, June. Rest well, and let me know if you start to feel sick, we can pull over."

And so the manager began driving with a small huff, pulling the car out of the lot slowly as the night's chilly breeze hit the pair. There wasn't much but silence between the two, but Donghun thought it best to let the other get some sleep.

"Let me know if it's too cold, I can close the windows a bit."

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ The car's head beams created a halo of light that rimmed Donghun where he was trapped under June's arm. Through the drunken haze, he looked like an angel. Was an angel able to burn his skin with a single touch? Every area Donghun touched June burned like he'd been branded by hot coals. He must be a devil...

All sound died from June's ears. Everything except the steady thump-thump of his heart. The seat under his vibrated from the hard bass of the next song that began on the radio. Would June regret everything in the morning when he sobered up...? Maybe. Right now, all that he cared about was how alive he felt.

"You are very beautiful, Park Seonghwa."

The rest of Donghun's sentence died as June's birth name shattered his dreamy reality like a rock smashing a mirror. He'd almost forgotten who he was.

He heard his mother's reprimanding voice called to him in a muffled tone at the back of his mind, "Cut your hair already, Seonghwa. You look too girly." His father's stern voice followed, sounding like he was underwater. "Park Seonghwa! Take those goddamn earrings out! And why are you wearing makeup?"

June let his arm drop limply from Donghun's neck, averting his gaze to spare the manager from seeing the light dim from his eyes. Even as his dream crumbled back to reality, he found the strength to force that practiced smile on and shove his feelings back into the locked box he hid at the back of a metaphorical closet.

"I prefer June," he whispered, shutting his eyes. "I'm sleepy... Wake me up when we get home." He pretended to fall asleep right away, wanting to avoid further conflict, but most of all, wanting to forget everything that had just happened.

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ It was getting hard to deal with the situation. It was getting extremely difficult to not show any signs of what was happening inside his head, but at least his loud heartbeat was thankfully hidden among the loud beats and melodies coming from the radio. It had been quite a while since anyone took notice of him, an- 'Stop it. Get it together Lee Donghun, he's drunk.'

Despite all that, Donghun was determined to get the younger home and make sure he would at least try and sooth his hangover by getting him hydrated and properly rested. This however proved to be rather difficult, much as the situation he had now gotten himself stuck in.

He didn't exactly want to get any closer to the boy, but as his hand fumbled around in the air, the manager realized he was still too far from the seatbelt, and there was no way he was inching any closer to him. This was already dangerous as it was.

With his heart still pumping at the speed of light, Donghun took hold of the other's wrist, bringing it to his side as he once more pushed the boy back onto his seat. In his position, there wasn't much he could to about the arm that was now wrapped around him, but he had to at least get the other's seatbelt on or they would never get home. As he pushed him further onto the seat, Donghun boldly went for the grab, smilling victoriously as he finally succeeded in his quest. Now the issue was getting out of his hold. He could be drunk, but he was probably strong enough to hold Donghun in place seeing as to how he was in a rather unbalanced position.

Scared as he was however, Donghun was determined. He was getting the boy home, no matter what.

"You are very beautiful, Park Seonghwa. Now would you please, please, let me take you home?"

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ June leaned in a smidge closer to test how red he could get Donghun's face to be. A smile split June's face when the manager laughed. It sounded like a million church bells ringing together harmoniously while people cheered on a new couple's joy. June's hand was halfway through the air to pull the man closer when he was pushed back into his seat instead, man-handled like the belligerent toddler he was acting. With the click of his seatbelt, the bells stopped their song, but even with the radio blaring so loudly, June still enjoyed the sweetest song he'd heard all evening.

"You are very, very beautiful."

The screamo on the radio filled the silence while their eyes hung onto each other. June's heart beat painfully in his chest. He brushed some hair off of Donghun's face before grasping his chin gently in his fingers, his smile settling into a sleepy smirk under his heavy-lidded expression. His manicured thumb grazed the other's lower lip, which he eyed with desire that was as innocent as it was lustful.

"Tell me again," June whispered, his free arm sneaking around Donghun's neck.

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ Despite being worried about the younger, Donghun had already entered his driver mode. This happened only when he was driving someone else around, but he felt the need to check everything was working properly before taking off, and that's exactly what he did as he presented his enquiry, hands busy as he meticulously adjusted the mirrors and his own seatbelt, flicking the headlight switch with a dry snap as the immensity of light illuminated the otherwise dark parking floor, although little to no light actually slithered towards the inside of the vehicle, keeping it as dim as could be aside from the very few pops of red lights here and there from the mechanisms on the front panel.

What came as a reply to his enquiry weren't exactly words. As much as Donghun had been focused on adjusting every single inch of the car, nothing could be as distracting as the sudden movement that came for the seat right next to him. However, before Donghun was even able to question whether the artist was feeling okay, seeing as to how he was clinging to his chest, the boy reached for the radio and started jumping from channel to channel.

Taking that as an answer, the manager took hold of the handbrake just as the other seemed to have finally found a channel that was to his liking.

'Interesting choice of-' the muffled click of the seatbelt getting undone was somehow just loud enough to be heard despite the loudness of the music blasting through his speakers (or perhaps because it was a sound he was quite used to), and in less than a second he found the other hovering above him.

Donghun couldn't make out much of his face or his expression due to the dim environment and the way the younger's body was pretty much blocking every source of light around them, so he'd have to rely on his words to understand just what exactly was happening. Well, that would prove to be... quite difficult.

The man was unbearably close, his warm breath hitting Donghun's lips at a dangerously high speed. He smelled... well, aside from the extreme smell of alcohol, Donghun could definitely feel the faint aroma of some type of perfume and although he couldn't quite make out what it was, it felt pleasant to him. Anyway, this was surely a situation Donghun had not anticipated, but he decided to make a mental note to make sure he monitored June closely whenever he drank. It would seem as though he was one of those people that just... well, we all know, no need to describe it.

This is exactly why, even though his own heart was going at a hundred miles per hour and his face felt hotter than a summer day (and was definitely as red as it could), Donghun simply chuckled fondly, placing a hand on the other's shoulder as he carefully pushed him back onto the passenger's seat and allowed himself to now hover over the other as he once more reached for the passenger's seatbelt.

"You are very, very beautiful"

He didn't lie. He didn't need to. The other was absolutely stunning, stunning in a way not even Donghun could comprehend. But that was honestly the case with most idols these days, it would be difficult to make it in the business if you weren't considered attractive. Although... there was an aura to him that not many had, and that's probably why this whole situation was so hard on the manager right now.

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ In the pitch dark of the vehicle, June felt the heat of Donghun's body shadow his own, like the cozy blanket of the bed he longed for. The front cabin felt incredibly tight as Donghun had his turn fumbling with the stubborn seatbelt, yet June embraced it. He could have said something earlier, when the manager was so clearly panicking over the potential injury to his new charge's head, but he liked the attention. He liked the way Donghun's hands felt pawing at his face and the way they made his cheeks warm up. It was easy for June to indulge himself in the dark, drunk as he was.

He missed his chance to indulge himself more when Donghun secured the clasp of his seatbelt with a pronounced click. There was a jangle of keys and the engine whirred to life with a smooth purr. The cabin lit up with enough light that they could vaguely discern each other's features if they squinted enough; the headlights in front cut a path in the barren parking lot like a lighthouse at sea. June was too busy tracing the curve of Donghun's lips on his profile to remind himself of the circumstances of his current situation. He was lost in dreamy thoughts when the other caught his eye.

"Are you ready?"

June whipped around to face forward with a quiet gasp, his face a vivid shade of scarlet. His heart beat wildly at his and he pressed a hand over the thump to keep it in place, afraid the organ would fly away. It was the alcohol. He was drunk. He was tired. But the last time June had felt this way was on the beach with Max during his exchange year in high school. Max, who twirled June's long hair around his finger. Max, who whispered for June to be quiet. Max, who had taken June's first kiss. Every face between then and now had been blurs to dull his pain.

Donghun's face was crisp, even from the corner of June's eye.

Every shallow inhale of breath June took tasted like the liquor he'd over indulged in, with the after taste of cinnamon.

He punched at the dashboard too hard with a finger to turn on the radio, ignoring his manager's question until he found a station that pleased him. Heavy-metal blared dully out from the side speakers. He twisted the volume knob until the sharp drums and heavy bass thrummed in his ear drums, like his echo when he'd shouted in the parking lot. The beat hammered in unison with June's heart. He unbuckled his seatbelt, the strap's knocking muted by the loud music, and crawled to his knees. He balanced on the seat rest between them while he leaned forward dangerously close to Donghun's face.

When it looked like June might kiss him, he stopped, whispering, "Tell me I'm pretty."

@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ Donghun stayed back for a little longer, quietly putting his keys back in his pocket and walking over towards the passenger seat just in case the other might need help getting up or getting in. There didn't seem to be any issue and although he'd done a double take when the younger just barely missed hiting the top of the door frame, muscles tensing up for a split second, the boy managed to get in without a scratch, somehow.

A deep sigh coming from the manager echoed in the almost empty parking lot, one in which only a couple of cars remained, giving out it was already quite deep into the night and these were mostly reserved for employees of the company. Donghun his heels and made way to the driver's seat now, reaching inside his back pocket and pulling up his phone in the process, looking through the email sent to him earlier which held the current dorm information. Thank god someone had remembered to update him on these type of things, never would he have guessed he'd be the one probably driving the artists from and to schedules. Although... this wasn't exactly one of those cases.

Donghun pulled on the handle, swiftly allowing his body to fall onto his seat. It had been quite the long day, and Donghun couldn't really wait to get home. However, managers didn't exactly have your usual 'working hours', and therefore he was to be ready for any type of situation at any given time, which is why this night would turn out to be a lot longer than he had initially expected.

Once inside, Donghun threw both his and the boys' things to the back seats as he gave the other a quick glance. He was still in quite a rough shape which honestly worried Donghun. Aside from his overall worry over the boy, this car had been assigned to him by the company just a couple days ago... if he were to dirty it in any way, he'd have to be the one responsible for it. 'It's okay, I'll just drive slowly and keep an eye on him.'

Quickly rushing his mind out of his thoughts, the other's voice brought his attention to the newest problem in the long long ordeal. So much happened in so little time and Donghun couldn't quite follow or comprehend all the trouble, specially with the lack of light of the parking lot plus the dark tint of the vehicle's windows, he could only make out some type of issue with the seatbelt and that the other had somehow hurt himself. Donghun hurriedly supported himself with a hand in the middle of their seats, reaching over the boy to inspect his forehead for any injury, and at the relieving sight, Donghun stretched his body over the other as his free hand took hold of the belt, pulling both it and himself back and clipping it securely.

With the n-th sigh this night, Donghun reached for his keys once more and turned the car on, looking over towards the boy. "Are you ready?"

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ (Made a mistake last post oops **though he was sure it was obvious he didn't know anything about cars)

June was nestled comfortably on the pavement, one hand loosely dangling off the handle while he waited for Donghun to work his magic with the car keys. The car sprung to life with a blink of lights that temporarily blinded him, and he heard a soft 'chook' from inside. He tugged half-heartedly at the door, and it swung open. June nearly bonked his head for the second time that night, but dipped out of the way before contact was made.

Shooting a grateful smile at his prince, June (not-so-elegantly) hoisted himself into the seat, balancing most of his weight on the car. The new car smell was almost worse than the parking lot odour, and so, he kept his one leg dangling outside as an excuse to keep the air circulating. When he was comfortably settled, June rested his eyes and forced himself to breathe. His heart had started hammering painfully in his chest like it did when he tossed and turned at night trying to sleep. He rubbed a palm against the bum ticker with a frown.

No. He had to stop thinking. With a sudden jerk, he shot up, fumbling for the seatbelt. The strap slid out two inches, then jammed with a jolt.

"Manager prince!" June shouted after a moment of struggle. "My seatbelt is stuckkkk," he whined, giving a few harsh tugs to the strap that jammed at the dispenser. The clasp shot out of his hands, clamouring loudly against his head rest. "Owwwwwwwwww!" he shouted, despite not even having been hit. With a huff, June slumped down, muttering quietly under his breath in a solemn tone ten shades less chipper than his earlier performance. "Everything hurts."

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@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ Donghun wasn't exactly used to dealing with drunk people. Or people in general. He wasn't a loner by any means, but all his life he had one focus and ones focus only, and therefore whoever came along wasn't anywhere near his top priority. This had, of course, changed over the years, mostly because he'd allowed himself to slowly but surely accept that just maybe he wouldn't ever be able to fulfill his one dream. He had resented those who did for the longest time, but even those feelings faded and now he was only grateful to be able to at least work alongside those lucky and talented enough to stand where he wished he stood.

But still, he wasn't yet all too familiar with how people dealt with their own issues. All his experience with alcohol came from his own late nights, alone in his bedroom with multiple empty bottles scattered on the ground around him. But that's a story for another time. What matters is that exactly because of all of this, Donghun didn't know how to act, how to help; he was relying on his instincts and on his instincts only, hoping the other would indeed be way too drunk to remember anything he might do or say. He himself wished he could forget most of what happened, specially for the sake of their work relationship, but this surely proved to be hard when the other's fingers were wrapped so tightly around his own.

Donghun realized once more that it was surely his lucky day, as the boy released him just as quickly as he took hold of him and just charged towards his car. The boy was really cute when drunk, and Donghun wondered how much his personality would change once he sobered up, but that was an issue for tomorrow, for now he just had to make sure he got him home safe and made him rest properly. This was also a lot easier said than done, as the boy was now pulling on his car's handle and dramatically sliding to the ground in protest.

Donghun couldn't really help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he replied, pulling up the keys to unlock his car. "Try again now, your highness" he said as he playfully gave the younger a short bow of his head.

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ The air in the parking lot had a particular air of stuffiness combined with rubber that tickled June's nose unpleasantly. He struggled against a sneeze that won in the end, and the sound echoed piercingly throughout the parking lot. It was enough to lose the magic. June no longer felt like the queen of the world (parking lot). He was back to being a scared, little person.

He rubbed in annoyance at his ear, where his sneeze still trembled his ear drum, until Donghun gently seized his wrist to guide him through the sparse cars. As the momentum of their walk blew his loose hair around his face, June picked up the swinging finger, conducting a song that he shared by humming sections in no particular order and hopping over the lines in a game that made sense only to him.

Some time along the short trot, June shrugged his wrist out of Donghun's grasp. He curled his fingers into his manager's hand instead, lacing their hands together. He kept his face forward, the faintest of smiles lost in the corners of his mouth, to try and fool the other with his charade of drunk aloofness, until, at last, they made it to the car. June released Donghun's hand so he could clap, and whistled long and low at the car. He nodded in mock appreciation (though he was sure it was obvious, he didn't). "Nice rideeeee," he giggled anyways, tugging on the handle without confirming whether it was unlocked.

"Manager-nimmmmm," June whined quietly, resting his tired face into the window and turning his best puppy eyes on Donghun. He mewled his next words over dramatically, speech slurred only a smidge less than when he'd first been found. "Manager-nimmmmm, the door is locked... Handsome manager-nimmmm, unlock the door juseyoooo! Manager-nimmmm, I need help opening my door - Help it's stuck! I'm stuck! Oh noooo! Save me handsome princeee!" June's face dragged a print against the window as he sank to the pavement, pretending his arms were anchors.

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@♤ park seonghwa ʲᵘⁿᵉ The whole ride down felt a lot more quiet, not necessarily in decibels, but Donghun could easily tell the boy was acting a lot more calm, perhaps the diziness from the whole party upstairs wasn't allowing him to move all that much, but at least he'd calmed down, at least for now.

It felt weird to be this close to someone, let alone someone like June. The thought just very briefly crossed his mind, he was working after all, and this was someone he was not only to work with, hopefully for a long time, but also someone he was to take care for. What a disaster it would be if someone from the outside saw him in this state. 'Well, that's what I'm here for.'

It was rather hard to figure out someone's feelings, specially when you don't know the person all that well and they have been personally trained to fake and hide what they're feeling. June's words didn't really feel genuine to him, but there was probably no use in pushing the subject any further. If the moment felt right, Donghun would ask the boy about it when he was sober, and maybe it could even serve as an opportunity for them to get to know each other better. Although, he had to admit, it was quite cute to see someone as tall as he was hiccuping and acting that way.

What Donghun wasn't expecting was what came next. One minute they were simply waiting as the numbers on the screen next to them counted down to their destination, the next the boy had swiftly inched closer to what were now reddish ears. He was working yes, but he was still just a man.

Clearing his throat, Donghun got ready for the awkwardness his question of 'which pocket exactly' would bring, but luckily for him it seemed liked June had already forgotten about it and was now making his way through the park, the loudness in his voice completely obliterating the previous quiet ambience he'd felt in the elevator, but Donghun couldn't really be mad at him. At least he looked happy now, which was definitely an improvement.

Following the boy closely so he'd be able to catch him in case anything happened, Donghun guided him every so often by carefully wrapping his hand around the boy's wrist and pulling on it softly.

"The car's this way"

@◈ lee donghun⁻ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ The elevator was like a cozy room for two with how sleepy June was beginning to feel. The refreshing coolness of the mirror wall soothed the nausea where he leaned on one side, and the comforting, cinnamon smell of Donghun on his other side grounded him from the panicky feeling that overwhelmed him earlier in the night. He inhaled deep breaths of the manager's cologne, fighting the sour taste coating his tongue.

If only June could divulge even an eighth of his thoughts. He was sure he'd shed ten pounds worth of anxiety if he did. But...The things June worried about, the things that kept him up at night, he could never reveal to anyone, let alone his manager. But still, he plastered on his practiced smile, instinctual even as drunk as he was.

"Thanks, manager-nim! I'll make sure to remember that when I'm sober." His hiccup interrupted him mid-speech and June leaned his forehead against Donghun's shoulder again to stifle the overwhelming dizziness. At the key situation, however, June slowly peeled himself up with a lopsided smirk. His lips nearly grazed Donghun's ear as he whispered, "I have keys in my pocket... But you'll have to find them yourself."

The dinging of the elevator doors pulled June's attention almost immediately away. He snatched his hand back where he'd dragged it across Donghun's chest, using it to balance against the open door frame instead. "Oh, we're here!" he gasped to himself. June swayed when he spun, but he stumbled out the door without accident. His hiccup echoed in the underground parking lot, bouncing the noise back to his ears as well as his subsequent giggles. "I'm queen of the world!" June shouted loudly, throwing his arms into the air.