With U // YunGi

Unspoken Thoughts

There was a knock on the door, and Mingi saw, in the mirror of the vanity table at which he sat, Jongho coming in.

"Hey, what brings you here?" With the stylist removing the make up from his face, Mingi couldn't move his head and had to speak to Jongho through the mirror.

"Waiting for you to finish so I can guide you through this labyrinth of a building and bring you to the exit." The director leaned against the wall of the small waiting room. He had changed out of his suit and into a more comfortable outfit, but Mingi saw that he had kept his earrings on. "How long have I been working here? Yet I still have trouble getting to my father's office at the top floor."

Mingi gave a rueful smile, wishing for the stylist to hurry up. He didn't understand why there was such a big fuss over his appearance when it was his father who represented the hospital at the inauguration ceremony, not him.

If Jongho was also impatient with the slow movements of Mingi's stylist, he didn't show it. In fact, he was glad to use this time to chitchat. "By the way, hyung, how was your call with Yunho-hyung earlier?"

Mingi was no longer surprised that Jongho knew about his conversation with Yunho on the phone before they went on stage. He met eyes with Jongho through the mirror, wanting to warn him of intruding into his hyung's private life, but eventually relented when he remembered how much the younger had helped him.

Mingi relayed the general exchange he had with Yunho, but left out the minutiae, especially how he told Yunho that he loved him.

"Aha, so thanks to me, you have your father's approval and you guys can date happily." Jongho smiled smugly. "You owe me one."

The stylist had finally finished and Mingi stood up. "Of course, and I'm very grateful for what you've done so far, but I'm still older than you and that fact won't change no matter what so be careful of how you talk." He turned around to tousle Jongho's hair, who in return stuck his tongue out childishly.

The two of them left the room and entered the backstage, where they had to pass through a narrow corridor before leaving the auditorium and returning to the main hallways of Nebula Group's headquarters.

Jongho was about to suggest that they had lunch, but Mingi stopped in his tracks abruptly, forcing the director to do the same.

"What's wrong?"

Mingi sighed. "I know you helped a lot with getting my father to approve my relationship with Yunho, but there's something else."

Jongho nodded, showing that he was listening with patience.

Mingi sighed again, feeling sorry and helpless. He told Jongho about Yunho's own concerns about graduating and losing his job as a With U boyfriend if they wanted to get together. "Basically, he needs a new job, otherwise we'll still both be single."

Jongho puckered his lips, his way of showing that he was tackling a tricky problem in his mind. After a long silence, he placed a hand on Mingi's shoulder and said, in a soft voice, "Come on, let's have lunch, and then go to With U. I'll talk to Yunho-hyung."

✧ ✦ ✧

Wooyoung was just finishing off the last few dirty dishes from lunch in the kitchen when he heard the door open. He shouted for San to see who it was. "If they are customers, tell them the owners are out and will come back in an hour."

San traipsed to the entrance, but was delighted and surprised to see Mingi and Jongho at the door. "Hey, what brings you two here?"

"Jongho! We just saw you on TV! And you too, Mingi!" Being nosy as ever, Wooyoung had abandoned his post and materialized behind San.