With U // YunGi

Trusted Deal

Jongho drained half his mug of beer in one go and let out a satisfying sigh. "Why aren't you drinking," he asked Mingi, who hadn't touched his food since they arrived.

"Uh, actually, I got drunk a few days ago, and it's still early afternoon, so..." Mingi trailed off at his lame excuse.

Jongho heard the pair of schoolgirls nearby giggle. Despite already choosing a table in a semi-private corner, people recognized him. Especially the young ones, they have such keen eyes. Bringing a handsome young doctor only added to the attention they were getting, but Jongho would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

"Suit yourself. I'm going to drink to my heart's content while Yunho-hyung's not here." It was half a lie, but a good way to bring up the subject. Jongho peeked over the rim of his mug to garner Mingi's attention.

Mingi's eyes widened a fraction. "H-he doesn't like you drinking?"

Jongho gave himself a pat on the back for making it in one go. Mingi's emotions were so easy to tease out. "Look at you." The director gave a signature shake of his head in mock disapproval. "How long has it been? Two months? Do you know anything about Yunho-hyung at all?"

Mingi was again at a loss of words, not knowing what Jongho was getting at.

"How long does it take to make a friend? One week? A day?" Jongho pointed a chopstick at the plate of fried chicken as he talked, and then looked up at Mingi. "Probably less. But--" He pointed the chopstick at Mingi now. "You're probably thinking that not everyone is compatible, right? Well, you're right! Except no one is not compatible with Yunho-hyung, so in conclusion I still blame you."

Mingi licked his dry lips and stayed as still as a statue at what felt like a scolding from one of the richest heirs in South Korea. He didn't even understand half of what Jongho was blabbering about, but he didn't dare to interrupt.

"I blame you for not paying better attention to my hyung, get it?"

Mingi nodded.

Jongho cleared his throat and put a chicken in his mouth. "Now, I will forgive you because first, my hyung likes you."

Mingi was sipping on some water and almost choked at the direct statement. Jongho smirked.

"Second - and this is the reason why we're here together now - you deserve a chance to correct your mistakes." Jongho paused, washed down his food with a large gulp of beer. "Third, I'm nice."

The last one had taken Mingi aback, but he hid it by coughing into a piece of tissue.

Neither of them talked while Jongho chewed on his second piece of chicken. He scrutinized Mingi, who shrunk under the gaze.

Jongho swallowed and asked, "You don't know why my hyung was angry, do you?"

"Well—"

Jongho held up a finger. "That was a rhetorical question. I assume you don't know about his plans to start an orphanage?"

"What?" Mingi already lost track of how many times he was surprised or taken aback in the past hour. Then he remembered something Seonghwa had said almost two months ago, about how Yunho was an orphan. Suddenly the idea didn't seem as staggering as it did before.

Jongho noted the change in Mingi's expression. "Hm. Maybe you're not as ignorant as I thought. If only you'd give some effort into making friends with Yunho-hyung instead of keeping such a strict business relationship, I'm pretty sure he would've told you more about his background."

Jongho switched his empty mug with Mingi's, and continued. "He's been saving up money since he started working, first at an orphanage and then now, as a boyfriend in With U. You're right that he makes a ridiculous amount of money for pretending to be someone's boyfriend, but he tries so hard just to make sure no other kid would suffer the same fate he did - being abandoned on the streets for weeks before someone had the heart to bring him to an orphanage."