The next morning, the warm feel of the sun peeking through the curtains upon Hongjoong's face slowly awoke him. He opened his eyes, immediately squinting from the intensely bright light. Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, he pressed the power button to turn on his screen, seeing his phone had flooded with notifications. Confused, the red-haired male slowly sat up in bed, resting his back against his headboard.

Most of the notifications he had gotten were local news updates from Twitter, so of course, that was the first thing he decided to investigate. It probably wasn't anything too important, a robbery went wrong, housefire, it could've been anything, but being an investigative reporter, he was compelled to keep up with any kind of news.

Opening the app, he began scrolling through his newsfeed, immediately freezing when he came across a certain article. The thumbnail that was displayed was a picture that must've been snapped that one night at The Alley because it captured the exact moment Seonghwa Park had Hongjoong against his chest after he fell off of the barstool. The article was titled, "Seonghwa Park, Notorious Businessman, Reportedly Involved With A New Male Partner?"

"Oh no... No, no, no, no..." He said in a panicked tone, pressing on the article to see what it said. "You've gotta be fucking joking."

As he read through it, he saw that there was a video that someone had taken of Seonghwa as he was leaving Hongjoong's apartment building just the day before. Hongjoong rubbed his face, then stumbled out of bed quickly.

"This cannot be happening right now," Hongjoong said to himself, quickly throwing on a change of clothes, not even bothering to fix his messy hair.

Hongjoong needed to confront Seonghwa as quickly as possible, he couldn't allow these articles to keep circulating the internet like a viral plague, and Seonghwa was the only person he knew that would possibly be able to fix that. Once he'd gotten ready, he grabbed his car keys from the bowl on his coffee table and grabbed his jacket as he threw it on. He left his apartment quickly, darting down the hallway to the elevator.

Once the elevator reached the bottom floor, the soft ding rang and the doors opened. A flood of reporters was waiting down in the lobby area, and once they caught sight of Hongjoong, he could feel his heart sink.

"Fuck..." Hongjoong muttered under his breath.

They came rushing at him, flashing their cameras in his face and asking a million questions at once. He didn't have time for all of this, he just shoved through the thick crowd of reporters to get past them. Once he had gotten through the crowd, he broke into a sprint towards the doors of the lobby and burst through the doors onto the sidewalk. Hongjoong had to dodge around a fellow pedestrian on the sidewalk to avoid colliding into them, then continued running down the street towards the parking garage just a block down from the apartment.

Once he got to the parking garage, he didn't have time to take the elevator, he just bolted up 5 flights of stairs before ever getting to the floor that his car was parked on. He made way to his car, quickly getting inside, turning on the engine, and typing Seonghwa's address into his navigation system. He pulled out of the parking space, making his way down each level to get to the ground floor. After he pulled out of the parking garage, the tires of his car made ear bursting squeals as he sped off down the street.

About an hour of weaving in and out of traffic, he finally made it onto the private road that leads deeper into the mountains, and to Seonghwa Park's estate. Another thirty minutes went by, and Hongjoong came to a halt in front of a large golden gate. He was shocked to see how elegant and massive the estate was. It was a modern looking home, with large windows that seemed to replace all of the walls, white rose bushes planted all over the place.

Two large men strapped with guns began approaching the car, and this made Hongjoong panic even more. He gripped ahold of his steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were starting to turn white. One of the men rounded the car to the driver's side as the other one seemed to check to see if anyone else was in the car.

The man tapped his pistol on the glass of the driver's side door, signaling for the red-haired male to roll down his window. Hesitating momentarily, Hongjoong finally decided to roll down the window as he was instructed.

"What are you doing here? Mr. Park doesn't have any appointments until later today. You need to leave." The man barked, a look of intensity on his face.

"Wait, wait! I-I was given this!" Hongjoong said as he quickly pulled the black business card from his jacket pocket, handing it to the brute guard. "I-I'm Hongjoong Kim. I'm supposed to be working with Mr. Park."

The guard inspected the card, then shot a look at the other guard when he heard the red-haired male say his name, they both seemed to laugh upon learning this.

"Oh, you'll be working with him, alright." The guard said through amused laughs. He then brought a walkie-talkie to his face to order for the gate to be opened. "You can enter."

Hongjoond frowned slightly at the guard's remark, having no clue what he meant by that. Just then the gates began to slowly open and Hongjoong was able to pull through. He came to a large circle drive, parking his car and turning off the engine. Hongjoong got out of the car, shoving his car keys into his pocket as he made his way towards the large front doors of this gargantuan home.

"God... How much money does this guy have? There's no way all this money is just from modeling and nightclubs." Hongjoong muttered to himself as he stopped at the doors.

Hongjoong reached out, pressing the doorbell softly and hearing a faint ding from the inside. Soon enough, a small woman came to the door tilting her head.

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Park?" The woman questioned, tilting her head.

"Uh... Yes. I was supposed to come to see him about some work. Is he around?" Hongjoong asked with a bit of nervousness.

The woman nodded, opening the door wider as she stepped to the side. "Yes, I'll take you to him, please come in."

Hongjoong stepped inside, and the woman closed the door behind him. As he looked around, he seemed awestruck of the elegant decor of the home. It was something straight out of those luxury home catalogs. Every piece of decor had to be over one thousand dollars or more.

"Please, sir. This way." The woman insisted as he began walking down a large hallway.

"Ah, sorry. I'm coming." Hongjoong called after her, quickly following up on her heels.

Hongjoong couldn't help but glance around at everything as he followed. Finally, she led him outside to the back where a large in-ground pool laid. It even had one of those bars that were inside the pool, set dead center in the water.

The woman then left him there, heading back inside. Hongjoong tried to stop her to ask where Seonghwa was, but she'd already gone. When he turned back around, he took notice to a tall male stepping out of the water, quickly realizing it was Seonghwa. The red-haired male swallowed dryly as he couldn't help but notice just how flawless this man really was. His body was beautifully toned, and his proportions were so well balanced. Hongjoong quickly cleared his throat as he looked away.

When Seonghwa came out of the water, he'd noticed Hongjoong standing there patiently. He couldn't help but smirk a little bit, grabbing his towel from the lounge chair, and laying it across his shoulders as he approached the smaller male.

"When I said don't be late, I wasn't expecting you to be THIS early," Seonghwa said with a chuckle, stopping just a foot away from Hongjoong.

Hongjoong let out a small scoff when Seonghwa got close, quickly taking a step back. This man had no respect for personal space whatsoever.

"Have you even seen the articles that are out right now? Do you know what people are saying about us?" Hongjoong said as he looked up at Seonghwa.

"That you're supposedly my new lover? Of course, I have." The blonde-haired male said with an amused laugh. "Lovely, isn't it?"

Hongjoong blinked a few times before a deep frown grew on his face. "No, actually, it is FAR from lovely. I just got mobbed by bloodthirsty reporters at my own apartment. How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. "And? I don't see how that's a big deal for you. You clearly LOVE attention regarding your website. Thousands of people support you and the work that you do."

"I do my work strictly anonymous for my own safety so that things like this don't happen, and I don't paint a target on my head." Hongjoong was quick to snap back. "You need to take care of this. Get these articles taken down now."

Seonghwa shot an intense look at Hongjoong, his whole demeanor changing in a snap. He got closer to the smaller male, his face just inches away.

"You don't tell me what I need to do. If you give me an attitude like that, I'm afraid I'll be forced to nullify our agreement." Seonghwa lowered his voice, a wicked smile curling upon his lips. "The ice your treading on is incredibly thin. I'd watch where you take your next step."

Hongjoong stared up at him for a while, seeming to flinch slightly at the taller male's threat. He was shocked by how quickly this man could change from moderately tolerable to down-right terrifying.

The red-haired male decided to rethink his approach here. He couldn't risk blowing everything he had planned.

"I-I... I apologize. I seemed to have forgotten my place." He said as he did everything in his power to avert the taller male's gaze.

Seonghwa's demeanor shifted once again and he backed off. He put on a charming smile, pleased with the response he got.

"I'm glad you understand where you stand," Seonghwa said as he took in a deep breath. "Follow me inside, we'll continue this discussion after I've changed into something more appropriate."

Hongjoong gave a subtle nod, following behind Seonghwa as they both went inside.

"You, um... You have a beautiful home, Mr. Park." Hongjoong began with a quiet voice. "I've never seen anything like it."

Seonghwa let out a chuckle. "Well, of course, you haven't, I designed this place myself." He said as he led the red-haired male to his bedroom.

His bedroom was darker than the rest of the house, not a single window in sight. The decor of the room had a red and black theme, even the very walls were painted a shade of crimson. A large oak desk sat diagonally in the corner. It almost looked like a vampire's torture chamber.

The taller male removed the towel from around his shoulders, tossing it onto the black satin sheets of his bed before making his way to his closet, which seemed to take up one whole wall itself.

"Uh... Should I leave you to-" Before Hongjoong could finish what he was saying, the blonde-haired male faced him and shamelessly dropped the swimming shorts he had on.

Hongjoong dropped his mouth open in utter shock, gasping loudly. He couldn't help but stare for a moment, the man before him was definitely packing a lot down there. He suddenly snapped out of it, letting out a loud groan.

"Yah! What the hell? Let me know when you're NOT naked!" Hongjoong cried out, deciding to leave the room quickly.

Seonghwa busted up with a laugh, clapping his hands together.

"I genuinely enjoy playing with this one. So pure." Seonghwa muttered to himself, then turned back to his closet as he put on a decent pair of clothes.

"Alright, you baby. I'm clothed, come back in here." Seonghwa barked, brushing back his damp, blonde hair.

Hongjoong hesitantly crept back into the room, letting out a sigh of relief once he saw that the taller male had clothed himself.

"Did you like what you saw before you ran out so quickly?" Seonghwa taunted and turned to Hongjoong with a cocky smirk on his lips.

Hongjoong frowned slightly. "Was I supposed to? I don't have an interest in the same sex." He protested the remark Seonghwa made.

"Oh... You don't? Then why is it that you look at me like I'm a tasty snack any time you see me bare?" Seonghwa pestered with a shrug, slowly coming close to the smaller male. "Besides, that's what they've all said before they've had a taste of what I have to offer."

Hongjoong could feel his cheeks flare-up, nearly choking on the air he breathed. He opened his mouth to protest once again, but nothing came out.

"Look, now even your cheeks match your hair color." Seonghwa chuckled lowly, reaching out a hand to hook a single finger beneath Hongjoong's chin. "You're so cute..."

Hongjoong suddenly backed away, gradually becoming angry with Seonghwa's unnecessary behavior.

"I mean no disrespect, Mr. Park, but I-" Hongjoong was cut off as he spoke.

"Please, cut the formality. Call me Seonghwa. Mr. Park is my father, for Christ's sake." Seonghwa said with an eye roll.

Hongjoong let out a sigh. "Seonghwa... You wanted to use me as an asset, to help you track down information, correct? I'm not here to play games with you, I'm strictly here on a professional level."

Seonghwa made a playful pout, placing one of his hands upon his hip. "You truly are no fun... But alright, I'll respect you on a professional level then." Seonghwa said before walking away to his desk.

He sat upon the leather chair at his desk, grabbing a pair of reading glasses before opening his laptop. Seonghwa snapped his fingers, pointing to the chair across from him for Hongjoong to sit.

Hongjoong then walked over to the desk, running a hand through his messy hair. He sat down in the seat slowly, leaning back into the chair.

"You're in luck because I already have a job that needs to be done for me," Seonghwa said quietly, seeming to be pulling up something on his computer.

"Alright... Well, what is it then?" Hongjoong questioned, observing the male with his hands folded in his lap.

"There's a man by the name of Kendrick Downes, a well-known attorney for the Downes & Smith law firm downtown." Seonghwa began, printing something from his computer.

Once the printer was done, he removed the piece of paper, handing it over to Hongjoong, looking at him with a serious look. The paper had a photo of the man and a basic background report.

"I want you to track him down for me. He owes us a big lump sum of money, and we're tired of his excuses." Seonghwa leaned forward on his desk. "And I need that information before the end of today."

Hongjoong looked at the paper, his brows furrowing slightly before he looked back at Seonghwa.

"Who's "us"? And why by the end of today? It could take at least a few days to get the information you need." Hongjoong tried to reason with the blonde-haired male.

"You don't need to worry about that. That's information you don't need to know yet." Seonghwa sighed out softly, the pointed a finger at Hongjoong. "You're the best at what you do... If you can't get me this information by tonight, I WILL be forced to move on to better sources. Which, means you'll be nullified immediately. Do you understand me?" Seonghwa barked, flashing an unsettling smile.

Hongjoong flinched slightly, then nodded in understanding. Every threat Seonghwa made on his life made him more and more uncomfortable with working for him.

"Alright, fine. I'll have it to you by the end of the day." Hongjoong agreed. "BUT, in exchange for you calling off the press and the rumors."

Seonghwa tilted his head as he stared at the red-haired male for a long time. Normally he would've snapped off, but surprisingly he didn't this time.

"Alright. We have a deal then. Now, get out." Seonghwa said with a simple shrug, turning back to his computer.

Hongjoong smiled slightly as he got up from the chair. "Thank you." He said softly before making his way out of the room quickly.

Seonghwa looked up from his computer as he watched the smaller male leave. He let out a soft sigh as the room was filled with silence. Resting his elbows upon the desk, he held his head in his hands, shaking his head softly.

****THE STORY WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****