hanseo simp ✔︎

Today was the day.

You couldn’t help but sneak another lovesick glance at him, as he skated his heart out on the rink.

Moments like that reminded you just how you learned to love him so much in the first place. Blissful eyes and smiles so wide your cheeks would hurt. Hanseo was the only person in the world who had such an effect on you.

“ Hey Y/n!” He called out, and skated over to face you. “ Join me!” He grinned, gesturing to the pair of ice skates awaiting for use.

“ I’m good,” You waved off, reflecting his heavenly smile. “ You keep skating.” You said, then adding on, “ You’re amazing at it.”

He blushed. Very profusely.

You knew how much Hanseo loved compliments and wouldn’t hesitate to shower him with them everyday. Even if your relationship was still in the friend zone, you never skipped a day with Hanseo not hearing just how great he was.

Maybe that was why you refused to join him on the rink. You sucked at skating and keeping your balance- even on trivial things. You preferred seeing him from a distance, his feet gliding on the ice as if he had known it for all of his life.

You didn’t know ice all your life, and you were scared to imagine how Hanseo would react if you were to fall so easily. His image of you was far too different from the image you had of yourself, and you didn’t want that to change.

Change, however, comes by when one expects it the least.

“ Come on, now?” You spent too much time in your thoughts, and now Hanseo was out of the rink as well, holding out the pair of skates.

“ Hanseo…” You complained in a playful whine, and he didn’t back down.

You gazed down at the skates, and it seemed too foreign to wear. Too different. But, you looked back up at Hanseo-

Only to see his signature puppy eyes.

He knew you couldn’t resist.

Letting out a sigh, you grabbed the skates and sat down on the bench to tie them on. He cheered cutely as you put them on, clapping his hands gently as his eyes sparkled at you.

Like how the ice sparkled at you, too. Maybe skating wouldn’t be too bad.

As the two of you entered the rink again, Hanseo would just not let go of your hands.

“ I- I need to hold your hands so… um… you won’t fall.” He came up with an excuse, and you bit back that knowing smile.

Minutes passed like this, stuck in a piece of time so beautiful. You looked down at your intertwined hands and your heart began to beat even faster.

Your imagination ran wild, conjuring up romantic scenarios in your head although the suspect of your dreams was right beside you.

“ You look nice.” Hanseo blurted out of nowhere, snapping you out of the depths your imagination.

“ Huh?” You let out, completely off guard.

“ O- on the ice. I meant. Skating… um, suits you.” He scrambled for words, looking at everything around him but your eyes.

You fought back a chuckle, “ Skating suits you too.” You replied, a small blush resting on your cheeks.

“ Mhm…” He nodded wordlessly, as the two of you began to skate in awkward silence.

You abruptly halted, nearly catapulting Hanseo straight into the rink’s perimeter fence. He yelped in surprise, but your locked hands steadily pulled him back to safety.

“ Jang Hanseo,” You started, and he gulped. You almost never used his surname when calling to him. “ What do you think of me?” You asked, leaning in slowly as his face flushed a bright red.

“ You’re… You’re a good friend.” He spoke in a deathly slow pace. “ You’re really nice and understanding. And kind, funny, pretty…” He stopped himself from saying anymore.

“ Pretty..?” You echoed, your heart began to pound as your whole world became Hanseo in that very instant.

“ I meant…” He backtracked himself, only to fall into the quiet again. “ Yeah, I think you’re really pretty.” He admitted, his volume lowering to a mumble.

Maybe it was the ice that froze you into place- your lips sealed as you couldn’t think of anything else to say apart from those three dangerous words.

Seeing your silence, Hanseo mustered up an smile, embarrassingly laughing at his own words. “ I… uh, didn’t mean it that way, you know?”

It was that heartbroken smile which melted you.

“ I like you.” You blurted out, and his eyes widened in shock. The both of you gazed down at your hands, which were still interlocked.

You tightened your hold, glancing away to avoid getting more flustered. “ I know that we’ve been really- really good friends but… I… I want more.” You confessed, looking straight up at him, mustering every drop of courage you had in you.

“ I want more too…” He replied, a soft smile playing on his lips. He skated closer to you, to the point you could feel him breathe down right above your ear.

It tickles… You blushed and let loose of one of your hands to caress his face. His skin was as cold as the ice you stood upon, and you let your thumb glide across his lower lip.

His breathing grew audibly ragged as he flushed a deep red.

“ Y/n… may I kiss you?”

You nodded once, and was brought into an embrace like no other before. You desperately clung onto the perimeter fence, holding it in fear you may fall.

His lips were warmer than you had imagined, contrasting starkly to the chills you felt all around.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, wishing in that very moment that humans didn’t need oxygen to breath.

The two of you parted for air, for lovesick smiles and giggles filled the space between. “ I’m…” Hanseo caught his breath, “ I’m surprised we didn’t slip and fall.” He cracked a light joke, and you laughed.

“ But we have already.” You beamed, and he blushed at your words. “ LIKE THIS!” You exclaimed suddenly, tripping him over as he fell, only for you to lose your balance next.

“ Ow! Y/n!” Hanseo groaned, lying on the ice as he rubbed the back of his head. He groggily opened his eyes again, to see you lying right beside him on the ice.

“ I really need to improve my balance…” You complained, as you massaged your aching wrist.

“ Pft-”

“ Huh? Are you laughing at me?!” You jabbed, sitting upright on the cold ice.

Hanseo fell into a chortle of laughter, wiping the fake tears from his eyes as he tackled you into a hug.

“ God, Y/n… I- I can’t believe we…” His tone grew soft as you could recognize the pure love from his gaze. “ We’re actually-”

You cut him off with a quick peck on the cheek, grinning at how flustered you had made him. “ Let’s save the cute stuff for outside the rink.” You said, standing up slowly so you wouldn’t slip again.

You and Hanseo needed a break.

And no, not that kind of break.

Chayoung watches you suspiciously this morning, her eyes narrowed as she looks like a hawk stalking prey. You’re filing through papers when she suddenly slides herself across the room on her office chair, throwing her arms up towards the sky as if she was on a roller coaster ride.

“ Y/n, psst...” She whispers, not so quietly as it was intended.

“ Hm?” You prompt, not batting an eye to her antics as she lets out a long childish huff. Resisting an immature sigh yourself, you turn and face the lawyer. “ What is it, Miss Chayoung?”

She suddenly draws a loud gasp, that shocks Mr. Nam out of his nap on the desk. His hand shoots over to an empty coffee mug, holding it before his tired eyes like a weapon.

“ Excuse me, I thought we settled on you dropping formalities!” She scolds, a hand dramatically placed over her heart.

“ And I thought we also settled on not using that chair as transportation.” You rebuttal, glancing down at the culprit before looking back into her eyes. “ It’s not safe nor worth it.”

“ I’m lazy.” She simply states, before dropping the topic faster than Mr. Nam dropped the coffee mug. “ And you’re stubborn.”

You accept the urge to roll your eyes this time, not paying much attention to the second dramatic gasp your friend made. “ The Hong Chayoung is saying that I’m stubborn?” You rephrase, raising an eyebrow.

“ Yes, and that means it’s serious.” She scoffs, taking the papers out of your hands and setting it aside. “ Y/n,” She starts, and her tone has shifted to a softer one. “ You need to stop overworking yourself. I understand it’s better than nothing but you need to take a break.”

“ And get away.” Mr. Nam chimes in, cleaning up the mess he had just caused. “ From the city in general.”

Chayoung nods vigorously at the statement, “ Plus, when was the last time you and Hanseo were on a date?” She pauses, waiting for your response.

Your lips are sealed shut when you realize that they’re probably right. “ Okay, I guess I have been doing too much.” You admit, and the lawyer claps her hands together in excitement.

“ Yes! So go text that lovely boyfriend of yours and go on a date!!” She cheers, passing you your phone that was charging nearby.

“ Alright, alright.” You sooth, trying your best not to grin out of excitement too. You turned on your phone, scrolling through your favorited contacts before clicking on the one that belonged to no other than-

“ Jang Hanseo speaking.” A voice answers immediately from the other side of the line.

“ Hey.” You greet, slightly awkward. But you remembered how he once mentioned how cute it was.

“ Y/N!” He exclaims, before clearing his throat, “ Oh uh, Y/n... hey.”

“ I’m taking the day off so I was wondering if we could...” You gazed up at Chayoung and Mr. Nam who both had two thumbs up, “ go on a date today? Since it’s been a while and-“

“ YES! I meant, yeah I think I’m free right now too.” He corrects himself again and you hold back a giggle at his adorable behavior.

“ Cool, I’ll pick you up.” You grin, and you can hear the smile in his words as he replies.

“ Can’t wait.”

The call ends and your friends are smiling widely at you.

“ You need to tidy up!” Chayoung nearly screams, scavenging her bag until she finds her brush. “ Okay, your hair’s a mess and so-“

“ OW!” You yelp, wincing at the roughness.

“ I’m going to-“

“ OW!”

“ Brush your hair nicely until-“

“ OW! OUCH! OW!”

“ Every single strand cascades down on its own.”

“ OW!”

❦

You run your fingers through your hair nervously as another hand taps the steering wheel out of boredom. After Chayoung’s ‘pampering,’ you truly felt like you had become bald and ready to join the military.

You gaze outside the window, your focus centering on the glass doors that had an endless flood of people coming in and out of.

After a couple minutes, you spot Jang Hanseo running out and how a smile graces his lips as he spots your car. He waves while giddily dashing over like a child pursuing an ice cream truck.

He opens the car door and plops down on the seat beside you, throwing his bag to the back. You take a moment to appreciate his beauty.

His eyes hold your whole world in them, and he embodies the word ‘ethereal’ in all. His nose slopes down and it leads to his lips, glistening a bit due to the chapstick he had put on in a rush when he got your call. With a blazer the color of his eyes in the sun, a plain white tee tucked into a simple pair of jeans- he pulled off every outfit perfectly.

That was Jang Hanseo for you.

“ Do... Do I look okay?” He asks, his voice wavers a bit- you notice the slight edge of insecurity it holds.

But you hold onto tighter as you intertwine your fingers. “ You look handsome.” You compliment, a warm grin to assure him.

“ You look really good too...” He murmurs shyly, and you know he loves it when your sleeves are rolled up.

“ Thanks dove.” You reply, sadly having to let go of his hand in order to start the car.

He averts your stare, easily flustered by the countless pet names you had come up for him. “ So, where are we going?”

“ Somewhere far.” You vaguely answer, leading the car out into the main street. “ You’re gonna love it.” You coax, and your gaze flickers to the back for a split second. “ You brought lunch, right?”

“ Yeah, I ordered some gimbap.” He replies, checking his hair on his phone and gently brushing it out of his eyes.

“ Does my meal come along with a side dish?” You pipe up, the car slowing down as it reaches a red light. You take this as your chance to look at him again, heart beating contently at the sight.

“ Uhm... no. Sorry!” He quickly apologizes, “ I didn’t know that you wanted-“

“ I guess I’ll just have you instead.” You conclude, watching how his confused face finally understood what you said. From the corner of your sight, you spot the light flash green and start the car again.

“ I- what- you-“

“ Shush...” You smirk, “ Don’t distract the driver, love.”

He silences himself, before looking down into his hands extremely embarrassed. The heat in his cheeks feel like it’s burning his skin off and the pounding of his heart is like it’s going to leap out of his body any second now.

He really does not know who else he could’ve fallen for except for you.

He watches your focused look on the road, hands gripped on the steering wheel and he loves the little jingle your bracelets make every time the path gets bumpy.

Hanseo isn’t one to count time so he estimates it’s been an hour when you finally stop the car. You pull up into the side of an empty street and exit out full with energy.

As he unbuckles his seatbelt, the car door beside him swings open- half a scream is let out until he realizes it’s you holding it open for him.

“ Oh- thank you.” He says, reaching out to grab his bag before stepping out into the grass. “ So... where are we?”

“ Do you have a necktie on you?” You suddenly question and his face heats up at the words.

“ Yeah, let me get it.” He unzips a smaller pocket of his bag to retrieve his emergency spare tie out. Hesitantly, he gives it to you and you smile a thanks in return.

You close the car door with your hip as you unrolled the tie, straightening it out until it was to its normal length.

“ I need you to close your eyes.” You say, holding the tie out horizontally.

“ Wait, wha-“

“ I’m gonna blindfold you.” You paraphrase, knowing that sometimes Hanseo had a tendency to panic over unfamiliar situations. “ But you’re going to be holding my hand the whole time.” You say calmly in order to sooth his nerves, “ I’ll guide you and you will be fine.”

He sucked in a deep breath and smiled. “ Okay, I trust you.” The words never ceased to make your whole being filled with warmth.

Gently, you placed the fabric over his eyes and tied it securely at the back of his head. You made sure it wasn’t too tight or loose as you stepped aside to grab his hand.

Your eyes gazed up at the sky, noticing that so far everything was going according to plan.

A few minutes passed until you halted in your tracks, with Hanseo following soon after.

“ Are... are we here?” He questions, hearing the chirping birds around him.

“ Yep,” You answer, guiding him to sit down on the grass beside you, “ you can take the blindfold off.” You say, and he passes the bag over to you in order to free his hands.

The tie gets undone and you watch as his lips part slightly.

“ Y/n... this is- this is beautiful...” He murmurs, his lips slightly parted as he falls into a loss for words.

The two of you are sitting on the side of a hill, inhabited by numerous cherry blossom trees while the sun slowly sets past the horizon before you.

The setting sun paints the grass in warm hues, as light filters through the tree branches like spotlights on a stage. And Hanseo can’t help but notice how your skin glows under this sky, and how every little blemish that graces your face reminds him just how lucky he is to have you.

“ You’re beautiful.” He adds on, his love struck eyes were not hard to miss. The compliment causes you to blush softly, an awkward smile as you hold hands with him.

“ Thank you,” You whisper, admiring the tree shadows that spilled like ink over his body. You snap out of your trance, focusing on the bag in front of you. “ Do you wanna eat?”

It was most likely a rhetorical question since you began unpacking the lunch anyways. Despite that, he nods, takes his chopsticks apart and holds them patiently.

“ Say ‘ah,’” You said teasingly, holding a gimbap against his lips.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he opened his mouth anyways, munching on the food.

“ This is nice.” He mentions soon after, slowly taking your free hand into his. “ Being here with you. And doing cheesy stuff like this.”

“ Cheesy? Excuse me-“ You exclaimed in mock offense.

“ Ah, no, no,” He quickly jumped in, “ I meant like… romantic.” Hanseo finishes, and the mood is tense once again.

You stare at your love, smiling as your eyes flicker to a grain of rice stuck on his chin.

You held back a laugh. “ You got a little something over here,” You pointed at your own chin, and watched his face contort into confusion as he wipes the opposite side.

“ No, here!” You pointed, and he missed it by a millimeter.

You sighed, “ Here, let me get it.” You faked exhaustion, as you leaned over to reach him.

Your lips kissed his chin as you ate the grain of rice. “ See? Easy.” You teased, moving to sit back down.

“ I…” He touched his chin briefly as blood rushed to his cheeks.

You grin victoriously, relaxing onto the ground after you ate your meal.

Suddenly, a shadow was cast upon you, mirroring your victorious grin from earlier.

Hanseo was holding himself up on top of you, with a smirk that threw you off guard. “ So you’re just going to leave it at that?”

You froze, this was definitely unexpected.

Silence followed as he answered himself, “ Well I won’t.”

He lowered his head until your noses were touching.

“ I love you.” Hanseo whispered.

“ I love you too.”

Hanseo doesn’t really enjoy video games. Or board games. Or any sort of game really.

He views it as unnecessary stress, tasks and missions that weren’t worth the small amount of satisfaction one receives in the end. On the other hand however, is Jang Hanseok. That young man- looks will deceive- is purely childish at heart.

Hanseok carries a pack of Haribos everywhere he goes, has Candy Crush downloaded on his phone and a penguin plushie resting in the corner of his office. His personality is so loud, so vibrant, so... annoying.

When Jang Hanseok was announced the new Chairman of Babel, Hanseo did not hesitate one millisecond to pass the position over to him.

If Hanseo didn’t enjoy video games, he most definitely did not enjoy being like a pawn amongst the wealthy elites of the country. Constantly feeling like an NPC to his own body, he might as well kiss Hanseok out of gratitude for taking the position away from him. Although, that man ended up placing Hanseo as Vice Chairman.

Not the best, considering how Hanseo just wanted to fly away and live a life full of secrecy in Malta, but Jang Hanseo will endure it. Like how he always has.

One month ago, a Korean-American man walked up to him and said they were half brothers. Two weeks ago, his new half brother moved in with him, inspecting every crook and cranny his mansion had offered. One week ago, his “hyung” had assimilated the Chairman seat and now was working in the same chair Hanseo had once resided.

If one should say, “ work at Babel is tiring,” that would be a clear understatement in Hanseo’s eyes. Working at Babel meant restless nights, empty coffee cups piling on the floor, dark circles beneath eyes, bleary vision after each all-nighter and so much more.

So Hanseo did not understand why his new hyung had seemed to be in perfect shape.

Jang Hanseok appeared to look healthy, like he got 10 hours of sleep each night and never had reeked of coffee. Maybe it was an American thing, Hanseo pondered, the ability to look completely fine.

He rested his head against his knuckles, his elbow propping his whole arm up against the sleek dark oak desk. The world felt heavy. The air, his own head and eyelids.

Just as he slipped into an abyss of sleep-

Tap! T- Tap! Tap! T- Tap! Tap!

Sharp, rhythmic taps awoke him with a start. His whole body jolted up, and his drowsiness washed away as if someone had dumped ice cold water on him.

“ My dongsaeng!” The single English word prefixing the sentence was a dead giveaway to letting Hanseo know who it was.

“ Han- Hanseok hyung.” He greeted politely, standing up to give a respectful bow.

The Chairman shook his head, “ Hey, we’re brothers. No need for all that.” He comfortably slung an arm around Hanseo’s shoulder and the younger wondered if all Americans acted like this.

Hanseok then nonchalantly sat on top of his desk, disregarding the fact he was also sitting on a small pile of papers.

He popped a gummy bear into his mouth. “ Are you tired? Your skin doesn’t have that... glow that it normally does.”

Hanseo had no clue what English word was uttered but he nodded. “ Just a lot of paperwork nowadays.” Why was he so nervous? It was like a gut feeling that made him feel afraid of Hanseok. It was odd. He barely knew his brother.

“ Do you want a break?” Hanseok followed up with a very intriguing offer.

§

Hanseo doesn’t like video games. Or any sort of games. But if he had to choose between playing games or sorting out piles of worksheets, he’d rather pick the first option.

“ Try this!” Hanseok excitedly called him over to a shooting game, the place was adorned with plushies that would be given as prizes.

The arcade his hyung had taken him to was packed, and Hanseo never relished in crowds or public spaces like these.

Hesitant as always, Hanseo gripped the plastic gun and leveled himself to the sight, moving it to align with the water ballon target. A finger on the neon green trigger, he pressed down and the fake bullet missed the balloon by the slightest inch.

“ Oh, that was close!” Hanseok pipped up, walking over to get his turn. His competitive nature seemed to bloom as he added on, “ You should’ve aimed properly.”

Hanseo scoffed, giving his brother space to take his turn.

Hanseok’s face softened as he suddenly asked, “ Which one do you want?”

His younger brother blinked in slow motion. What? “ What?” He voiced his confusion out loud.

“ I said, which one do you want?” He repeated, gesturing to the plushies that were hanging on the ceiling and walls.

He didn’t know why, but he ended up blushing. No one had ever done these kinds of things for him. Hanseo sharply turned away from his hyung, embarrassed at the red that colored his cheeks.

Hanseok suppressed a chuckle, “ Come on~” He whined in English, “ Hurry up and pick!”

“ Uh...” Hanseo faced the prizes and scanned each one of them. All of them looked boring, too vivid and childish-

“ The puppy one.” He mumbled, his eyes set on the golden retriever plushie that was beside a very colorful stuffed unicorn.

His older half brother smiled mischievously. “ Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Can you say that again?” Causing Hanseo to roll his eyes at the very obvious motive.

He cleared his throat and glanced at the floor. “ The puppy one at the top left.” He repeated clearly, and Hanseok hummed satisfied.

The Chairman raised the toy gun to his eyes, squinting as he aimed. Pulling the trigger, he had hit the first target flawlessly.

“ Woah!” Hanseo said in awe, well aware his brother hadn’t gone to the military yet so this skill was purely cultivated by himself.

Hanseok grinned victoriously, winking at the younger man. “ I’m gonna get it for you.” He clarified, pointing at the puppy plushie.

“ Hyung, you don’t need to-“

“ Oh, but I want to.” He cut the protest off, picking up the toy gun again to hit the second target.

Pop!

The second water balloon was down, meaning there was only one left. “ One more...” Hanseok muttered under his breath, placing his finger on the trigger.

Pop!

“ YES!” He cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Hanseo cracked a genuine smile, seeing his hyung act like that.

Maybe he wasn’t so annoying after all.

§

“ I did well, didn’t I?” Hanseo piped up. A couple of hours had passed by in the arcade and the two had completely warmed up to each other’s company.

“ Mhm.” Hanseok replied, slinging an arm around his shoulder, gazing down at how adorably Hanseo was clutching the plushie. “ You deserve to be my brother.” He jokingly added on and the other simply scoffed.

“ By the way, you haven’t told me where we’re going yet.” His younger brother said, lips showing the tiniest amount of pouting.

“ We’re almost there,” Hanseok replied, “ See?” He pointed to the store before them, “ An ice cream shop!” He pulled away to make dramatic jazz hands.

Hanseo grinned a cute gummy smile that the older was slowly getting used to. “ Gosh, hyung, you-“

Hanseok immediately placed a single finger on his lips, hushing him. “ Zip it, we’re eating to our hearts content today.” Boldly, Hanseok reached out to his half brother’s unoccupied hand and intertwined their fingers. “ Let’s go!”

“ AH!” Hanseo yelped from the sudden pull, tightening his grip on the stuffed animal.

The glass doors opened with a chime, and the first thing Jang Hanseo noticed was the emptiness of the place.

“ Hyung...” He began, the realization sinking in, “ Did you-“

“ Reserve this?” Hanseok finished off the question, “ Yeah, I did.” He beamed proudly, “ I kinda forgot at first that you didn’t like crowded areas. Sorry.”

Did Hanseo’s heart skip a beat? He wasn’t sure. But he did know that he felt loved. Appreciated. He felt warm inside, like something bubbling at the pit of his stomach. “ Thank you..” He said, unable to find more suitable words.

“ Nah, don’t thank me.” Hanseok waved it off, “ Come on, let’s take a seat.” He changed the topic with ease, dragging the other along to a circular turquoise table.

One of the staff walked out and headed towards them. After basic greetings, they pulled out a notepad. “ What would you both like?”

Is this a fancy restaurant or something? Why is there a waitress-

“ Hanseo-ah, what do you want?” His brother’s question snapped him out of his thoughts.

“ Uh... I’ll have the double chocolate chip ice cream.” He scrambled to pick one quickly, his social anxiety not wanting to drag the conversation on further.

“ And you, sir?” The waitress turned to Hanseok.

“ Classic vanilla. With gummy bear toppings.” He answered curtly, and the lady quickly wrote it down before scurrying away.

A minute or so passed when the Jang brothers were handed their orders. Hanseo’s mouth watered at the sight of the extra chocolate drizzle that was placed on top of it all for free.

Hanseok smiled, “ I guess you like chocolate a lot?”

Hanseo nodded eagerly as he grabbed his spoon to dig in. After wiping some ice cream off his chin with the back of his hand, he decided to reply. “ And I guess you like gummy bears a lot?”

Hanseok chuckled, “ I love them.” His smile dropped a bit though, but the sparkles in his eyes remained. “ Hey, you got a little stuck beside your lips.” He pointed at Hanseo’s face, and the younger man immediately picked up a napkin and began cleaning the wrong side.

“ No- no,” Hanseok sighed,” Come on, let me do it.” He stood up and reached over the table, taking his thumb and gently wiping the ice cream off Hanseo’s face.

Hanseo immediately tensed under such soft touch, not really knowing why he was expecting something harsh.

“ O- oh, thanks.” He stuttered, focusing on the ice cream before him.

“ Mhm.” Hanseok continued to munch on his gummy bears, before scooping one out with his spoon. “ Wanna try?”

“ No, it’s okay you can have it.” He declined, this brother of his was already giving him way too much affection than what he was used to.

“ Say ‘ahh,’” Hanseok prompted, holding the spoon in front of his dongsaeng’s mouth as if he were a baby.

Hanseo blushed- out of being flustered or embarrassed- he’ll never know. He looked up into the Chairman’s eyes and regretted it right away.

The twenty something year old man was making puppy eyes. It sort of reminded him of the plushie he got today, big and cute. Sighing, Hanseo reluctantly opened his mouth.

“ There you go.” Hanseok grinned, and watched as the younger chewed on the gummy bear.

Hanseo didn’t have the heart to tell him that he actually despised gummy bears with all his being. But then again, Hanseo didn’t really like Hanseok or games at first. Now his point of view had changed.

His wound was healing faster than the doctors had expected, and Jang Hanseo found out playing dead wasn’t as fun as it seemed in the movies.

He had to deal with watching from afar as Babel Group descended into chaos, without a Chairman or Vice; all his subordinates were at each other’s throats for the seat.

Then he remembered his wish, that he could run the company on his own without the scar of needless death. That he would not run Babel the way his older half brother did.

Through this mental storm, a clearing came in the clouds as Hanseo found the perfect candidate for the next Babel CEO.

“ Me?” You nearly exclaimed, but kept it low for your ex-boss’s sake. You were one of the few who knew that Hanseo was alive, and was not hoping to keep it that way. You wanted him to reveal himself and return to his position of power- but he said he didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. Not after everything that happened to him.

You knew better than to pry into someone’s personal business- especially if they used to be your boss- but something was different about Jang Hanseo.

How he walked like he was always being watched, the way his hands tremble when someone touches him the slightest and how his eyes shine in the smallest of praises.

“ Er- yes, you.” He confirmed, still sitting upright in his hospital bed, his hair a bit messy from tossing and turning in his sleep.

You found out he was alive by accident.

You were visiting your friend who worked in the same hospital to gift them something in advance for their birthday. As you walked past the patient rooms, you spotted the notorious Hong Chayoung you saw in the news. Intrigued, you tailed her until she entered a private luxury room that had no other than Jang Hanseo lying inside.

He screamed as you did as well. Noticing how much of a panic he fell into, you took pity and sympathized with him. Although he was now nothing like the man you had once worked under.

You didn’t know how to reply, and wasn’t sure what was appropriate to ask or say. Sucking in a deep breath, you smiled warmly and gave a curt bow. “ Thank you, Mr. Jang.”

He broke out into a gummy smile, a hand waving away the honorifics. “ It’s Hanseo, I’m not your boss anymore.”

From then on, fabricating a not-so-fake will, you took on Babel Group and started a new era as you reigned profits back in. It was harder than it looked, as you spent restless nights up without a wink of sleep.

Although through all this chaos, you still found time to visit Hanseo time to time, updating him on the company and buying him snacks.

You noticed even if you did the tiniest things- like the first time you brought in a bungeoppang you had purchased from a street vendor outside- his mood would instantly light up, his smile rivaling the brightness of the sun. He acted like you had just eradicated all his debt or something, and as confused as you were, you found it endearing. You had no idea your ex-boss was so, so cute.

Childlike wonder filled his eyes whenever he talked about his Vinny hyung or Chayoung noona, speaking just like how a little boy would ramble on about Superman.

Before you knew it, your heart was racing every time you approached his hospital room; knocking on the door was nerve wracking as you tried to keep your emotions under wraps.

That was, until, he pulled this.

You weren’t able to buy a snack this time around, as your schedule was too tight to even go slightly out of line.

Hanseo could tell you were tired, recalling his old memories as the puppet Chairman. The way you ran your hand through your hair, biting the inside of your cheek as you constantly took in deep sighs.

Months had flown and Hanseo felt so attached to you he decided he would tell the truth about everything. What happened on the night he “died”, how he was so close to that Consigliere and what his past with the late Hanseok was.

His body shivered as he spoke candidly, as if he was reliving the past in this very moment. Suddenly, arms wrapped around his waist, bringing him into a hug. You patted his back softly in a soothing rhythm.

“ You are so strong, Hanseo.” Was the first thing you had whispered to him through his subsiding tears.

Soon those sobs turned to silent cries and those cries faded into hiccups that transformed into an angelic laugh. A weight was released from his shoulders as he absorbed every comforting praise you threw his way.

Later, you had to let go of him, straightening out his blanket until his fingers weaved into a hold to yours.

“ Could- could you, stay? Longer?” He piped up, only to fall into the abyss of another panic. “ A little while! You don’t have to, I mean. I know you’re really busy with the company- which I kind of forced on you to be honest- and I’m so sorry for- mMH!”

Your lips were instinctively drawn to his, as if it lured you in.

Eyes widening in shock, blood rushed to his face as it colored his adorable face red. He melted into the kiss. Placing a hand on your face, he silently begged you to deepen the kiss as his heart pounded loudly in his chest. His heartbeat being the rhythm to the melody your lips had made, hands threading through hair and tunes spiraling out of mouths.

Seconds passed and you both parted for air, panting in the now tense atmosphere. You easily broke the said awkwardness as you whispered:

“ Don’t ever apologize, my prince.”

BONUS:

“ And- and then I got kiSSED!” Hanseo exclaimed to Vincenzo, who smiled warmly at his excited tone and gestures.

“ I’m proud of you, Hanseo.” He said, patting his shoulder as the younger grinned. “ Hopefully I’ll meet this lover of yours soon.” Vincenzo remarked, fiddling with the curtains of the hospital room. Hanseo’s gaze found itself focusing on the engagement ring that his hyung wore. His overactive imagination then wondered how it would be like to propose to you, to place a ring on your finger, to marry you, to-

Snapping out of his trance, he quickly replied. “ Me too, Vinny Hyung.” Not shying away from the lovesick look that had taken over his face, he stared down into his fidgeting hands. “ Prince...” He then mumbled under his breath, not wanting to say it loud enough for anyone else to hear.

This would be his own memory to keep- even from his dear hyung- that you had whispered into his ear, calling him your prince.