unconditionally • yunhwa [COMPLETED]

N

"You remember the first time we met?" the younger mentioned.

"How could I forget? You were so handsome. Too bad you weren't mine then..."

*6 months ago*

Seonghwa had gotten off the bus at the wrong stop. And he was late. Now, desperately juggling an umbrella and his phone, with google maps pulled up, he plodded out from under the covered bus stop and into the cold, wet rain. It wasn't an easy journey, but eventually, he made it to his destination. From his position directly across the road, he could take in the full structure of the building. It was not very tall, maybe two or three stories high; he would have to see once he got in, and it did not look beautiful. The exterior had been roughly plastered and the single coat of white paint was scratched off in patches at some areas. What made up for the atrocious exterior was the interior. Through the big glass window beside the door, he could see much of the store. Rows and rows of boxed shelves, lined up in perfect parallel, lit above by a soothing yellow light. "Your destination is up ahead."

He closed the app and tucked his phone away in an inner, hidden coat pocket. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out onto the road, only to retract his foot immediately as a car's horn sounded. Less than a second later, a sports car zipped across at an unimaginable speed, mere millimeters away from him. Unfortunately, of all the places Seonghwa had to be standing, there was a decently sized puddle on the road at his feet. As the rogue vehicle zoomed past, a hefty amount of rainwater was projected onto his clothing, soaking him in seconds. It was freakishly cold. The car sped away. As quickly as its arrival, it disappeared, leaving the victim standing there shell-shocked. An incredulous expression made its way to his face as he stared in the direction that the car had taken. Lifting his fist and shaking it at the nothingness before him, he cursed. "F-f-fuck you, Mr. reckless driver."

There was nothing to be done, he had only this set of clothes at hand, unless he wanted to do the interview stark naked, which would not earn him any brownie points. His clothes were, albeit wet, but he was already here. Might as well make the most of it. Sighing, he made his way across the street, safely this time, and entered the shop, sending the bell hanging above the door jingling. "Welcome to Tiny Records- oh... You must be the new guy, judging by your attire. Hurry up, the boss is waiting for you upstairs." Letting the door swing shut behind him, Seonghwa daintily stepped off the rough fabric of the "welcome" mat onto the hardwood floor, desperately praying that he wouldn't get droplets everywhere. "Don't worry, I'll mop up after you, no big deal."

"I feel bad for troubling you though... Any chance I could get you a coffee later?"

"As I said, it's not a big deal. I'll let you in on a little secret. The first time I came here, similarly for the interview, I also got caught in the rain. And I didn't have my umbrella, so I was even more soaked than you were. But, hey, see, I'm still hired. So don't worry. Although," he paused. "Wouldn't say no to a coffee, especially on a day like this," he spoke while glancing out the window. "I do like a good americano now and then. Americano, 좋아 좋아 좋아..." He sang in an attempt to lighten the mood. Not wanting to seem rude, Seonghwa cracked a smile, but his inner feelings had not gone unnoticed by the other. "You're still nervous. Relax. Besides, if I may let you in on another secret, the boss will be smitten with you in no time cause you're handsome. Don't take my word for it though. Now, go!" He winked at Seonghwa as he turned away.

Hurriedly, Seonghwa strode up the stairs in a mad rush, calming his rapidly beating heart and relieving the blush on his face.

There wasn't anything really attractive about that guy, but why did he feel so attracted?

Flinging those thoughts aside, he climbed up the second flight of stairs. Turns out, there were three stories in this building, but the head office was located on the second floor, as he had been told in the email. The hallway he was walking down had many doors, but only the one at the end had a wooden plaque hanging upon it, engraved with the word "BOSS". It would have looked intimidating, had someone not drawn with sharpie on it. Instead, it looked like "BOSS 😊". Even so, he still took another deep breath as he gingerly knocked on the door. "Come in."