seonghwa had been on hongjoong's mind the entire week for a reason he didn't know. it distracted him in ways he didn't want it to distract him; he couldn't focus on work. he had given people their wrong order twice in one day and his manager was a little disappointed to say the least.

no matter what he was doing-- cleaning the house, making dinner, bathing yechan or for god's sake he was even taking a shit, seonghwa would be on his mind. the man's smile and his gentle demeanor that was so welcoming and comforting always lingered in his mind like an annoying tape record that wouldn't stop playing songs.

it was extremely frustrating since he couldn't do one thing properly that week. he wanted some peace. the male tried to convince himself that it was just his kind and supportive attitude towards him that made him feel like this, and that the weird fluttering in his heart was because he loved how sweet seonghwa was to him.

meanwhile, seonghwa on the other hand was preoccupied with other work such as filing the reports for his new patients, taking miso to the vets for her routine check up. yet every time he looked at his phone a thought popped up in his mind, reminding him to message hongjoong. he didn't only because he didn't want to seem unprofessional or give off a bad impression, because why would someone want their crush to have a bad impression of them?

after arguing with himself back and forth, on a quiet thursday night he decided to message the male. every single time he crafted a message, he deleted it, thinking it was too bad and then crafted it again. this cycle repeated until he finally wrote a proper message and hit send, now anticipating a response from him.

seonghwa: hey it's me, dr park. you can just call me seonghwa. i hope you and yechan are doing well. was thinking about our conversation and decided to check in on how you're feeling. hows yechan feeling? any improvement?

hongjoong wiped his hands on his apron and furrowed his eyebrows at the message from the unknown number on his phone. 

"oh," he said, his heart skipping a beat when he realized who it was. 

"what? who is it?" san asked from the other side of the kitchen as he fried some chicken 

"nothing. it's just chanie's doctor, he messaged me asking about him." 

a shit-eating grin formed upon san's face, giving hongjoong a knowing look and it was quite obvious about what was going on in his little head. 

"you have his number?" he asked as a smirk tugged on his lips 

"tsk-- it's only so that it is easier to set appointments and record progress, that's all. he probably has the numbers of other parents too," hongjoong replied. deep down he knew it was maybe something different, but he decided that he should think professionally. his finger hovered over his keyboard, eyes flickering over the message that he had sent again and again. 

hongjoong: uh hi seonghwa, thanks for checking in :)) baby is feeling much better now, i sent him to daycare since i'm at work. 

he received a response much quicker than he had expected. 

seonghwa: i'm glad to hear that he's doing better. i was wondering when you're free to bring him over for another therapy session next week, or even this week if you can. maybe we could even relax a bit at the end of it?  

hongjoong's heart fluttered at the thought of meeting seonghwa again and he didn't know why. he was surprised how much he wanted to see him again but then again he reminded himself that everything had to remain professional. 

hongjoong: this saturday morning should be good. thanks for being flexible with us 

seonghwa: no problem, it's my pleasure. also, if you need any help with anything, please feel free to message me :D 

the truth was that seonghwa usually didn't work on saturdays, yet here he was willing to go to the hospital for a therapy session on saturday just for yechan, all only so that he could meet hongjoong. 

meanwhile the redhead thought this was something really sweet done by the doctor. nobody had ever been flexible with him and due to his work schedule, everything was usually cramped or rushed. nobody had also ever offered help other than san or yunho, and those were the only two people who treated him like a human. he felt a rush of emotions while reading the message, emotions he didn't identify; emotions he didn't want to identify. 

hongjoong: oh thank you so much, i definitely will 

seonghwa: i have to go now, but have a good day! see you on saturday :) 

hongjoong was a slightly disappointed that he had to end the conversation now but he pushed his thoughts down and replied nicely. he felt a warmth spread through him whenever he thought about the male and he didn't know why. 

he shook his thoughts away and got back to work. he couldn't like a man, he could not possibly like a man. he was straight.  

---

it was late at night, around ten at night and it was almost closing time. today it was san's and hongjoong's closing shift, yechan sleeping soundly on a chair, his lips cutely jutting out. there weren't many customers at the restaurant but there were a few-- around three. san was standing outside at the billing area and was shouting orders for hongjoong to make and send out. they did that when it was only the two of them and didn't have more than ten customers. 

hongjoong knew another customer had arrived when he heard the bell above the door clinking, indicating that someone had walked in. 

"two korean fried chicken sandwiches and two chocolate milkshakes for table number three!" san shouted, his voice reaching the kitchen. 

hongjoong got right on to the job, sweat beading on his forehead and the tips of his loose hair that hung over his face. the kitchen environment was really hot and he was hoping this was his last order. he went to wipe his face with a cold cloth so that he could feel a little bit fresher than he was. he felt like shit. 

he quickly finished making the food, prettily decorating the food on the plate. hongjoong placed two small bowls of their signature sauces on each of the plates and sprinkled shaved chocolate on top of the cold milkshake. he liked how it looked. 

he then placed the food on the tray and walked out with the order, smiling while walking to look a little presentable. just as he walked out, he noticed the familiar hair bun sitting on table number three, a hair bun he knew too well. sitting with someone else but of course-- there were many other people who wore such buns, not just him. yet why did only he pop up in his mind?

he placed the order on the counter, standing for a few seconds there waiting for san to call out the name, hoping it would be the one male he was thinking about. why was he even thinking about him? he was his son's psychiatrist, he should be a mere doctor, not someone that lingered in his mind all the time. 

"order for which table?" san asked him

"number three," he whispered back, eyes trailing off to that table.

"order for seonghwa is ready!" san announced 

he was right, it was seonghwa. 

he approached the counter to pick up their order, and he immediately recognised hongjoong. he flashed him a small smile along with a 'hi' and then left with the food. the redhead was happy for no reason, seeing the doctor there. his hair was in a bun and his bangs smoothly cascaded over his forehead. 

no. he wasn't supposed to think like this. 

well, to his luck, san interrupted his train of thoughts. 

"that guy sitting with him is cute, isn't he?" san said, pointing to the guy sitting in front of seonghwa. 

"shut up, focus on your work," hongjoong said as he pointed to the notepad in his hand, san rolling his eyes at the comment. 

--|--

feeling motivated to write recently jdcdkjfnvksksdnk