ATEEZ Imagines

Hongjoong ✦ Secret Santa

Word count: 3,170

DO NOT read or interact if you're under 14

You sat at your station, your half-finished sketch left abandoned and forgotten, your eyes following Hongjoong as he made his way through the massive room, collecting different fabrics for his next masterpiece. The outfit he wore was flawless, as usual—he was flawless. His choppy mullet was tousled perfectly, he wore a black bleach-stained shirt; the collar had been cut, making it hang lower, showing off his beautifully sculpted collarbones and that adorable mole at the base of his neck. On top of the shirt was a leather jacket paired with ripped black jeans and chunky boots.

A pair of hands slammed onto your desk as a body blocked your view. Glancing up, you saw your coworker, Minghao, with a Santa hat in hand.
"Move." You waved your hand in a shooing gesture. "You're blocking the view."
"You can stop staring at Hongjoong long enough to put your name in the hat."
"What?"
"Put your name in the hat. It's for secret Santa."
"I'm not into the whole secret Santa thing."
"Come on. You get three gifts, one on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, plus we're having a big party to end the week."
You gave an indifferent hum in response.
"Hongjoong signed up for it." Minghao mentioned in a sing-song voice.
"If I put my name in the stupid hat, will you let me continue staring at him?"
"Of course."
You quickly scribble your name down on a small piece of paper, dropping it into the hat.
"Thank you." Minghao grinned, sauntering away.

Once he left, Hongjoong had already returned to his station, which wasn't a problem because you had a perfect view of him.
You'd always admired Hongjoong for his killer style and out-of-the-box ideas. You admit, you've only spoken to him a handful of times, so you don't know him that well, but every conversation you've shared with him has been a good one.

Later that day, the names in the hat were shuffled around and every employee drew a slip of paper from the hat. You unfolded your paper seeing the name Taehyung scrawled on it. You were familiar with Taehyung and knew he would be pretty easy to buy for. In fact, you already had a few things in mind.
"Alright." Your boss clasped his hands together. "Now that everyone has drawn a name, I'll go over the rules. Gifts will be given Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We have a ₩60,000 (about $50) limit on each gift. You don't have to spend that amount, but try not to go over if you can. The presents will be collected under the Christmas tree over here and distributed to everyone at the end of the work day. Sound good?"
Everyone nodded in understanding.
"Okay, good. Secret Santa starts in two weeks, so you've got time to shop. Have fun."

•

A couple weeks passed and you had purchased three gifts for Taehyung and had them all wrapped neatly. You carried gift number one into work with you, placing it underneath the tree before heading over to your station. You stopped when you saw a gift sitting on your desk. You picked up the small box, examining it.
You wondered why the gift was on your desk and not underneath the tree and why your secret Santa would put it there. Glancing around, you decided to go ahead and open it.