Text 07 Online Dating

@Xiao Dejun Joohyuk couldn't help but laugh. Dejun was too desperate, too clingy, and Joohyuk wouldn't exchange it for anything. "Alright, come send me off," he said, holding the door open for Dejun to step out, seeing as his arms were quite full. He wished Dejun left behind one so he could at least hold Dejun's hand, but he settled for one more chaste kiss after he packed his belongings in the trunk. "I have to go," Joohyuk reiterated, more for himself than for Dejun. "I'll text you as soon as I'm home, alright? Love you. Don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone."

@Nam Joohyuk Joohyuk's kiss was like an oasis washing upon Dejun's parched lips. His entire body felt cool to the touch with the older's relief and he melted against Joohyuk in comfort. Once again, his happiness ended all too soon, and Joohyuk was drawing closer to the door again. "Let me walk with you down to the parking lot," Dejun tried to convince the older, stepping into his shoes and blowing puckers to call the dogs towards him, "Come on babies! We have to say good bye to appa! Let's go together!" he said, picking one up with each arm.

@Xiao Dejun Joohyuk wasn't sure if Dejun could handle two, but Joohyuk had friends in Seoul to take over if Dejun felt like he was drowning with two dogs. He helped Dejun arrange everything, then when he was met with another sniffle from Dejun, Joohyuk relented without another word of complaint and drew Dejun into his arms. They kissed softly, tenderly and full of longing, but in the end, Joohyuk forced himself to break away. "I have to go," he murmured, his thumb brushing the skin over Dejun's high cheekbones. "I'll come back soon, okay? Gobsoon and Gaeul will take care of you."

@Nam Joohyuk "What!" Dejun gasped, shocked that Joohyuk could even suggest to split their two babies apart. "I thought that was the plan to begin with - they're /both/ staying with me hyung!" Lowering himself to unlock Gobsoon's kennel, he let her out to run, then straightening up to face Joohyuk again, "Yes you have to leave both of them hyung! I'm going to take care of all three of us, just watch hyung!" He sniffled again, coming down from the high of his consolation reward. "Hyung...one more kiss. I'm gonna feel so broken when you leave me."

@Xiao Dejun "I will, don't worry." Once Dejun agreed to the tradeoff, Joohyuk physically felt the tension leave his body. He let go of Gaeul, but when Gobsoon saw her running free, he barked from his kennel. Gaeul and Gobsoon had never been apart a single day in their lives, Joohyuk realized with a guilty weight in his chest. They had been away from him, but not each other. It would be cruel to separate them now, and they wouldn't understand why. "Actually... if I leave both of them with you, would you be able to take care of them?"

@Nam Joohyuk Dejun glanced down at their two dogs when Joohyuk suddenly made an offer. It almost sounded like his boyfriend was doing a ritual exchange to placate Dejun. Dejun huffed as he was forcibly kept at armslength away from Joohyuk. "But...but..." he faltered, peeking once more at Gobsoonie's wagging tail and Gaeullie's raised ears. It was like they were eagerly anticipating an extended vacation. "I guess..." he relented slightly, "But you have to come back soon to bring them food and toys hyung!" he argued.

@Xiao Dejun "Not right now? Then when can I leave?" With great difficulty, Joohyuk peeled Dejun's hands off his waist, holding them tightly so Dejun wouldn't have a chance to hook his claws over Joohyuk's shirt again. "I need to get ready for tomorrow, I can't leave any later." Holding Dejun still, Joohyuk planted a light kiss over his forehead, hoping it would tide him over. Dejun's very specific wording did get Joohyuk thinking, though, and although he wasn't so sure about it himself, he figured his suggestion might tide Dejun over enough to let Joohyuk go. "What if I left Gaeul or Gobsoon here with you? Then you won't be alone."

@Nam Joohyuk 'But that's only because you were here with me last night hyung!" Dejun whined, unwillingly to accept the reality that Joohyuk was really about to be on his way out of the door in a matter of minutes. "Well...how about you can still leavve, but just not right now?" he bartered, hoping that if he extended their time togrther, something would happen so that Joohyuk was magically going to stay with him. "Hyunggggg I'm gonna miss you so much! How can the three of us survive without you?!"

@Xiao Dejun Just as Joohyuk was about to cram Gaeul into her kennel, Dejun ambushed him from behind, and Joohyuk loosened his grip on the dog. He frowned when Dejun tried to whine again, but they had already been over the topic once the night before. As much as Joohyuk wanted to stay, there was just no way for him to do so. "Baby, we talked about this. I have a conference tomorrow, and I can't miss it. I've already been here all week, and my boss didn't really like that..." He tried not to look Dejun in the eyes, since he knew he would cave and throw everything down in favour of staying another day with the younger. "You'll be fine. You slept well last night."

@Nam Joohyuk Over the course of that week, Dejun grew accustomed to the comforting presence of Joohyuk in his apartment. Every day after class he would abandon all his other commitments to hurry home, feeling a surge of warmth upon opening the door to find Joohyuk working diligently on his laptop, a gentle smile on his lips when he looked up to see Dejun returning. Their evenings felt romantic and domestic with all the dinners they shared together, the walks they took with their dogs, and the cuddling at night as Joohyuk helped Dejun fight his demons away as he drifted off to sleep.

But all too soon, Sunday approached, and Dejun dreaded with each passing hour, the idea of parting with Joohyuk. So as the older finally finished packing up his belongings, Dejun had to speak up. "Hyung...don't go so soon! I'm gonna miss you so much...can't you just stay, a few more days? " His voice trembled with vulnerability, and he looked at Joohyuk with pleading eyes, eventually resorting to throwing his arms around Joohyuk's waist as the older tried to tend to their dogs. "Just oneee more day!"

@Xiao Dejun Looking at Dejun in the eyes now, Joohyuk knew he couldn't refuse. After all, he already knew from the beginning, which was why he packed his laptop and his work documents in the first place. Maybe he only wanted to see Dejun whine and struggle the whole morning, but by now, Joohyuk was ready to give him some reassurance. "I'll stay, baby," he said quietly, not wanting to attract too much attention. With Dejun in a better mood, their day passed happily—and then the next, and then the next, until Joohyuk ended up staying a week. It was not his intention, but he just couldn't help it when Dejun clung to him with a wide-eyed, innocent expression. After the second weekend together, though, Joohyuk's mother was getting worried, and Joohyuk was due to make an appearance in the Busan office soon. He packed up his things on Sunday morning, and after lunch, he tried to coax his dogs into their kennels. "Jun-ah, help me get the dogs into the cages. I want to get back to Busan before the sun sets."

@Nam Joohyuk Dejun was impressed by Joohyuk's thoughtful suggestion to share their meals. "Good idea!" he chirped, feeling his stomach rumbling in eager anticipation as the mouthwatering aromas from the kitchen wafted over. Joohyuk always had a knack for making everything they did together feel even more special than it already did. As they waited for their meal, another important thought crossed Dejun's mind. "You know," Dejun began, his voice warm and inviting, "So you'll stay tonight hyung?" he asked, wanting to confirm with Joohyuk that the laptop and extra clothing he packed was not going to be in vain. He glanced up, catching Joohyuk's eye, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Hyungggg, you know I love you right?" The thought of another cozy evening together filled him with contentment. Once the food was brought over, they wasted in no time in picking up their utensils to begin eating. Dejun sighed romantically at how detailed Joohyuk was, even predicting the movements of their dogs before they happened. "Did you hear that Gobsoonie? Gaeullie?" Dejun asked, peering under the table, "Be patient. It's your turn soon." He took a sip of his soup first. It was hearty and rejuvenating, exactly what he needed after such a rough night. "Hyung! Have some, it's soooo good!"

@Xiao Dejun "You get your samgyetang, I'll get something else and we can share," Joohyuk said, giving the menu a quick scan before waving the sole ahjumma in the store over. He decided on a doenjang jjigae for himself, and while they waited, Joohyuk cleaned their self-serve utensils at the table before laying them neatly in front of Dejun. Their food arrived quickly, and Joohyuk motioned for Dejun to dig in. "Gobsoon and Gaeul will start begging now," Joohyuk warned. "Don't give them any. We'll give treats later."

@Nam Joohyuk Dejun wanted to interject and ask if that meant he would be able to meet Joohyuk's friends next time, but he supposed that would naturally come up into conversation later. They were seated right away in the middle of the empty restaurant, and Dejun lightly tapped his feet under the table, already ready to order. He looked at the older, expecting Joohyuk to order for them. "Hyung what are you getting?" he asked, "Samgyetang also?"

@Xiao Dejun Joohyuk counted the opinions from Dejun's friends, but there was one comment missing, and Joohyuk was pretty sure he knew who he had completely failed to impress. Luckily, he didn't seem close enough to Dejun that Dejun would weigh his opinion too heavily, so Joohyuk let it go. "Good, good. I'm glad your friends had a good time. I had a good time too." Gobsoon and Gaeul finished their business, and after Joohyuk cleaned up the area, they continued their walk. "We're here. Samgyetang." Joohyuk opened the door for Dejun first. "Get in."

@Nam Joohyuk Dejun thought that everything their doggies (yes, theirs) did was endearing, even if they were humping up a fire hydrant. He was tempted to just whip out his phone and start recording, but then decided to afford them their privacy. Instead, he was eager to chirp about his friends when prompted, "Well Hendery already knew about you! He said you're really cool. He wants to hang out with you again. Hendery is my best friend, so you'll see him more often. Gyubin and Taerae said you're handsome...so you're a good fit for me!" he giggled, "And Yangyang and Winwin said thank you for the meal. They were really thankful that you let them tag along." Conveniently, Dejun didn't name the one friend who didn't have anything to say about Joohyuk, assuming that his boyfriend wouldn't recall anyways.

@Xiao Dejun Since Gaeul was being curious, Gobsoon decided to join her, so they stood by the hydrant while the dogs did their business. Although Dejun had already reassured Joohyuk, he wasn't able to get the judgmental stare from that one boy off his mind. He shuffled closer to Dejun and nudged him in his side, wanting to sound as if he wasn't that invested in what Dejun's friends thought about him. In reality, Joohyuk was as nervous as he was when he met Dejun's parents. "What exactly... did your friends say about me?"

@Nam Joohyuk "Of course that won't be a regular thing!" Dejun exclaimed. He may have enjoyed showing his boyfriend off, but there was no way he was going to let his boyfriend foot every bill. Even if they did go out again, it was going to be on him, or they'd split it. He beamed at what was essentially a compliment: Joohyuk had never called him the quiet type before! "I just like to listen!" he emphasized to the older. He stopped as Gaeul stopped to sniff at a fire hydrant on the street. "Hyung wait!" he pulled at Joohyuk, "Gaeullie needs a break."

@Xiao Dejun "Are you sure they liked me for reasons other than me paying for dinner?" Joohyuk teased, but he did have a worry at the back of his mind that a few of Dejun's friends might actually think that, especially the one that held his nose high and stared at Joohyuk with the most menacing look Joohyuk had ever seen. "I hope they won't think it's a regular thing." While Joohyuk wanted to make a good impression, he wasn't rich, and he couldn't afford this every single time. "Right, baby, you were borderline silent next to those- next to them."

@Nam Joohyuk They were well on their way to the restaurant when the memories of last night, before the movie fiasco, came back to conversation. Dejun beamed proudly and squeezed Joohyuk's hand as he said, "But they were so impressed hyung! A bunch of them told me how lucky I was to have find you!" Dejun felt like he was the lottery winner when Joohyuk not only made an amazing impression by covering the /entire/ bill (not even the other boyfriends joining them had done that) and then also offered to give some rides to the train station to two of his friends after karaoke. "Hehe, but yes they are pretty wild. I'm calm around them though!"

@Xiao Dejun The samgyetang place near the apartment was dog friendly, and Joohyuk was familiar with the ahjumma who worked there, so they brought the dogs. Joohyuk held Dejun’s hand in one and held Gobsoon’s leash with the other, letting Dejun hold Gaeul’s leash. It was a bright but cold morning, and Joohyuk was quick to pull Dejun’s hand into Joohyuk’s own coat pocket, holding it still there. “Your friends were… rowdy last night.”

@Nam Joohyuk "Let's get samgyetang," Dejun decided as he took Joohyuk's hand and lurched forward to get out of bed. Subconsciously, he was still trying to stay as far away from the edge of the bed as possible. They washed up and got dressed rather quickly that day, since the usual shower that followed was cut out. Once they were out of the apartment, things returned to normal and the fears of the movie ebbed away from his mind.

@Xiao Dejun “You wanna go out?” Joohyuk yawned, letting go of Dejun when he calmed down. “Get up and get ready, then.” Wanting to set a good example as the older one, Joohyuk rose first, the sheets pooling around his waist when he sat up straight. It was rare he went to bed with all his clothes on when he was visiting Dejun, but his boyfriend had truly been too afraid to even blink last night after the movie. Joohyuk slid out of bed first and turned to pull Dejun up. “What do you want to eat?”

@Nam Joohyuk Dejun felt very much aggrieved when Joohyuk accused him of faking his fear. "Don't say that hyung," he huffed, stilling against Joohyuk in bed to convince Joohyuk that he was truly meaning every moment of his anxiousness. Just as Joohyuk had predicted though, Dejun was cranky when he wasn't well rested. "I /feel/ the eyebags under my eyes!" he said, touching his face gently and pressing his palms to his eyes. It was only safe to envelope him in this darkness because Joohyuk was here. "Anyways...let's go out today. I wanna get food."

@Xiao Dejun “I remember what I said.” Joohyuk took the opportunity to lock his arm around Dejun’s neck when Dejun spun into the right position, laughing as he tightened it and choked Dejun into quieting down. “But you look just fine, baby, you’re fighting and screaming and doing all of this. Are you sure you’re actually scared, or are you just faking it now?”

@Nam Joohyuk At first, Dejun really considered agreeing with Joohyuk to just keep Gobsoon and Gaeul with him, but then upon realizing that the older had been prepared to stay longer because of the laptop and work briefcase that he brought along with him, Dejun decided it was a lowball offer. "No!" he wailed at the injustice, "Hyung you made a promise! It was in our text, I'll show you-" he said, though he couldn't make a single move since Joohyuk kept his arms around so tightly. "Ahnggggg hyung, you can't leave! Say it or I won't lay back down!"

@Xiao Dejun Joohyuk, unable to help his grin, turned his head to hide his face against the pillow. Dejun was... too cute, and Joohyuk wanted to hear even more of his whining, although it came at the expense of more strain on his boyfriend's weak heart. "Eo... then Gobsoonie and Gaeullie can stay with you, and then I'll go back to Busan. That's a good idea, right? Then I'll come back next weekend to join you guys and pick them up." He tightened his arms around Dejun so he couldn't struggle too fiercely. "Baby, calm down. It's too early for this."

@Nam Joohyuk Already from the tone of Joohyuk's words, Dejun could tell what the older was trying to imply: he wanted to go home sooner rather than later. "No, it was so hard!" he wailed again, throwing himself against Joohyuk and thrashing about freely now that there was light in the room, "Hyung you can't go home yet!" he declared urgently, "You promised you wouldn't until I feel better about sleeping on my own." At the edge of the bed, Gobsoon was stirred awake too, which Dejun jumped on to say, "Gobsoonie! Tell appa he can't take you guys home yet! I need you!"

@Xiao Dejun Joohyuk was already in a state of wakefulness by the time the sun rose thanks to Dejun's kicking and squirming, so when Dejun suddenly jerked up, Joohyuk was right there to pull him back down again. Dejun was warm, almost feverish, but they had really made it through the night. "Eo, baby," he murmured. "Didn't I tell you there was nothing to be afraid of? You did such a good job, baby. You're gonna be able to sleep by yourself tonight at this rate."

@Nam Joohyuk Since Joohyuk's hand against his bottom was a testament that the older was waiting for him to fall asleep. It did give him a sense of reassurance and eventually lulled Dejun to sleep. He didn't register it as the hours passed by, but he did lash out a few times and kick the sheets as he fidgeted throughout the night in response to the nervousness that popped up here and there. By the next morning, Dejun woke with a start, gasping as he sat up in bed, his body warm and sweaty. "Hyung!" he cried out, "It's morning...we made it-"