COWORKER .ᐟ gyuvin x GN .ᐟ reader GENRE .ᐟ enemies to lovers, fluff TW .ᐟ none WORD COUNT .ᐟ 2.5k

When your grandfather asked you to work at his convenience store for a change, the hardest thing you convinced yourself to be doing was stocking up on inventory. You didn't expect it to be getting along with your coworker, Kim Gyuvin, who, and you have the right to say it, was a complete jerk.

While you did trust him with the heavy lifting and dealing with customers, as your grandfather also did, everything else about him was just a nuisance to you. His laugh. His personality. The way he kicked his feet up on the counter when he thought that you weren't looking. Who cares if he cleans up the store better than you ever could? To you, Gyuvin would always be the nuisance you'd try to pretend to get along with. But try as you may, if there was another thing Gyuvin was good at besides working there, it was annoying the hell out of you to the point of complaining.

"You want to do what?"

"I want to file a complaint against Gyuvin," You repeated for the fifth, sixth (?) time already. You didn't know if your grandfather's age was getting to him or if he was making you repeat yourself to sound stupid. He always liked to see you get upset. A lot of people seem to do, apparently. "Or at least make me stop working here. I know you're not technically not forcing me to work here and I know that you like Gyuvin but, come on, all he does when he comes in is get on my nerves. I need you to do something."

Your grandfather hummed, sort of an acknowledgement. But you knew from the way that he kept looking out of the door during your conversation with him that he really wasn't paying you that much attention. You blame it on choosing the storage room to even get this chance to talk to him. Outside, you could hear Gyuvin pressing away on the cash register. He could probably eavesdrop on this if he wanted to but you weren't that cautious to find out. In fact, you'd be more than happy to say all of this in front of his face, but your grandfather insisted on figuring things out before that happened.

"What do you want me to do?" Your grandfather sighed.

"I don't know, make it a rule? I thought employees needed to have good chemistry with each other. If someone's making that impossible, what's the point?"

"I just don't understand how you would think Gyuvin was being impossible."

When you said your grandfather liked Gyuvin, it wasn't an overstatement. Sometimes you even believed he liked Gyuvin more than you. You couldn't blame him. You never really hung out with your grandfather the way Gyuvin has. You hadn't even hung out with your grandfather at all before you started working there and Gyuvin's been, what, an employee for around 2 to 3 years now? Gyuvin really must love minimum wage that much.

"Can you give me an example?"

"Of what?"

"Of all the times Gyuvin has been impossible."

Where do you even start?

You started by telling him about the one time got hurt inside the store. It was your turn for inventory that day, and while Gyuvin had already brought the boxes inside to make it easier for you, you were still to carry them around the aisles to place them on their corresponding shelves. The chips went together, the toiletries sat on one aisle, the condiments sat on another; besides the general strength needed to make the entire thing work out, you never really had a problem with inventory, at least, that's what you thought before you moved to the beverages.

If anyone has ever worked in a store before, they'd know soft drinks, when plastic, didn't come in cases. They were usually delivered in bundles of nine, twelve if smaller, and were wrapped together in, guess what? More plastic. It made moving them around such a bother because they either had to be brought out individually or by bundles in a way that made you look like you were carrying a newborn. There was also the threat of dropping them. Soft drinks should never, ever, be dropped. It made stocking them even harder, and what did you do?

Drop them.

You didn't exactly drop them, but it was your fault. You were moving things around the storage room and there was barely any space around there to spread your arms out, and when you did, out of reflex as you lifted a box up on your arms, you felt it. If anyone has ever worked in a store before, they'd probably be used to being hit and to have things falling on them all the time. For you, in that moment, were the soft drinks. You felt the first one crash against your shoulder and hit the ground, followed by a second, and you weren't even registering what was happening until Gyuvin burst into the room and found you there, frozen as you stared at the soda that was by your feet.

"What did you do?" It was never 'What happened?' or 'Are you okay?' with him.

"I'm... I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure? You knocked the soda down. What if they blew up? You'd have wasted good soda."

"It fell on me." You were shaking. You didn't know if it was from anger or the fact that you'd just been, if Gyuvin hadn't realized it, hit by at least 27 kilograms. You could already feel your shoulder getting and you were not about to start arguing at Gyuvin after it.

"So? Could've dodged it. You know what? Go to the register. I'll finish stocking. Can't you knock everything down on here."

"And then what happened?"

You told him that it ended there. Gyuvin yelled at you for a minute over a mistake. You didn't tell him that Gyuvin would head on over to the register a while later with some ice and some chips, (Honey Butter, you're favorite), and practically shoved both of them in your arms as he was finished paying for them. "Move, I'm handling the register." he told you. "Go to the back, business is slow, anyways." Your grandfather didn't need to know that Gyuvin would be the reason for your warm face despite the air-conditioning running.

"I don't think Gyuvin was wrong there." When you glared at him, your grandfather shrugged. "I mean, he had no right to yell at you but you made a mistake, he didn't know what to say. That doesn't make him impossible to be with."

"I can't believe you."

"Give me another example."

"Fine, but this is my last one."

You didn't want to say it. It has never been a problem to you but it's been bothering you since the day that it happened.

A week ago, Gyuvin took a day off to go on a date. You weren't even kidding. Your grandfather had called to let you know. You didn't know if you felt more angry at the idea of Gyuvin leaving you; on a weekday, especially, and the store was always busy during the weekdays; or if you felt more surprised that Gyuvin was on a date. Kim Gyuvin. The man of no one's dreams. The... asshole... was on a date? You didn't know how to feel about that one, honestly. You couldn't describe it as surprise. It was more of shock. He was out there, abandoning his work hours to go on meet-cutes with someone (which you assumed was not a girlfriend because a girlfriend could literally make Gyuvin less obnoxious than he is right now), while you were in the store, grinding yourself to dust because the people never stopped coming. (She blamed that on his grandfather's uneasiness with employing new people. She really needs to talk to him about it.)

At the end of the day, you were beat. Physically and mentally. You could've cried. Sometimes people made unnecessary comments... as they always did, and you could've cried but you didn't. Aside from the security cameras, you just didn't have the energy to try to cry. You knew it sounded like you were overreacting but you just couldn't help it. The day had been hard. There was no time for a break when there was no one to cover for you. No lunch, either. But you were tired. So instead of crying, after locking up the store from the inside, you fell asleep by the counter.

"And so?"

"And so?"

"You didn't finish your story."

"There's nothing left to say."

"There is," your grandfather insisted. "Gyuvin came for you."

Right.

You weren't planning on telling that story, but the only reason she managed to wake up and get home that day was because of Gyuvin. You don't remember him getting in, he must have come inside with the spare key your grandfather gave to both of you, but the next thing you knew, you were looking up to Gyuvin staring down at you before he forced you to pack your things up and close for the day.

"I'm taking you home."

You've never realized you could turn your head as fast as you did during that moment. "What? Why?"

"Your grandfather's orders."

"Okay, I might have told him to come back for you, but he took you home, right? You were safe that night, right?"

You were more than safe that night. You had more to say but you didn't know if you could say it. So instead, you just sighed and stood up, surprising your grandfather and causing him to do the same. "You know what, forget about what I said about Gyuvin, I think I'm just being petty."

"Are you sure? You know, I can tell him to be kinder to you, but that's the best that I can do."

"No, it's alright. You're right. I just realized I don't have much to say about him. I'll just... Look, I'll be back at this when I come up with more reasons to complain about him, alright, grandpa? I'll go and help him out in the front now."

"Okay." Your grandfather kept his eye on you as you started to head out to the door. You knew that he knew that you were hiding something. He didn't need to know about that. "Just... tell me when you're having trouble. I'll tell him to be nicer."

"Thank you, I'll let you know if he does anything but be nice."

When you headed for the counter, you couldn't help but wrap your head around the night that Gyuvin and you had walked together. It meant nothing, Gyuvin had told you. Your grandfather had seen that you were sleeping from the cameras and decided to call him to make sure that you'd get home on time. You thought that was fine. You spent more hours with Gyuvin at the store. A couple of minutes of walking wouldn't hurt, right? Except the two of you didn't have anything to say.

You were lucky that Seoul was never quiet. Never empty. It saved you from the obvious awkwardness of the situation. It was never awkward between you two. Gyuvin always made sure of that, until you realized Gyuvin hasn't talked since the both of you left the store.

"So." You hated starting conversations. You never knew what to say. "How was your date?"

You saw Gyuvin stiffen beside you. Was it a sensitive topic? He seemed pretty confident enough to have it as his reason for absence.

"It wasn't exactly a date," he mumbled.

"Then, what was it?"

"Just... not a date. I just told your grandfather to tell you that so you'd be upset. He was on it."

Silence, again. You got to give it to Gyuvin. He always had the energy to keep the conversation going. You didn't even have the energy to get upset at him for setting her up like that. Or at your grandfather for encouraging the lie. You hate to say it, but you missed talking to him, at least enough to just talk with him through the walk. You don't want to go further than that.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Of what?"

"Of where I was. Come on, I've been missing for the entire day. You're not going to ask me where I was? You don't miss me?"

Again, you hated to admit it, but you did miss him. A little. Just enough to be kind to him. The day felt a little slower when he wasn't around, and definitely twice as busy. You never realized how convenient it was to have Gyuvin work with you until that day. He knew how to clean. He knew how to handle customers. He took care of the heavy lifting. A day without Gyuvin felt like a day without a limb for the store. Some regulars even pointed that out to you, although you were more offended at them for basically saying that the store could live without you. But they were right. Working wasn't the same without Gyuvin and you missed him for that.

"I'm not talking to you about that. You left me hanging on a weekday. We're the busiest on weekdays."

"Besides that, you don't miss me?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

You could see your home from where you were walking. Was it just you or did walking feel... slower when you were around Gyuvin? You always only took 5 minutes to come home. You guessed company slowed things down for you. And having someone to talk to. It has always felt lonely to walk home at night. Korea's a bit safer at night compared to other countries, but it didn't hurt to want someone to walk you home. Especially if it was Gyuvin.

"I guess..."

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over all this traffic."

You rolled your eyes. "Fine, Gyuvin. I did miss you." When you saw him start to smile, your heart started pounding inside your chest. "Don't get your hopes up. You still left me alone for the day."

"Don't worry. You won't be alone starting now. Not when you're with me."

"God, is there something on me or did you just miss me?"

You blinked. You must have been out of it, but that did not give him the right to make fun of you for that night. "Move, it's my turn on the counter." You shoved him aside, having to squeeze yourself between the counter and him as you paid attention to the cash register. "Someone spilled a cup of noodles on an aisle up ahead so I suggest you go clean it."

"Alright." Suddenly, Gyuvin leaned forward, reaching his hands out to the counter so you could be trapped in his arms. You could hear how fast your heart was going. Could he hear it, too? Gyuvin pressed his chin against your shoulder and whispered, just near your ear, but enough to have you feel his breath against your skin. "Don't start missing me now."

And just like that, he left. And just like that, you almost convinced yourself that it was a good idea to tell him that you missed him. A little. Just enough to have him work your heart up like that, again.

NOTE .ᐟ and that's a wrap! this was supposed to be about a tumblr ask i received and they gave me a prompt and everything but i forgot about it while writing and this was made.