A few days passed and Taeyong was called by Taeil reminding him to drop off the dry cleaning and grab breakfast for Jaehyun.
Being the weekend, it was known that Jaehyun wouldn't be leaving his house unless for an emergency and with their new product launch coming up this week it was a given he wouldn't even budge except to use the restroom as emphasized by the secretary.
Taeyong collected the dry cleaning and folded it careful in the compartment under his motorcycle seat. He then went to the nearest restaurant to Jaehyuns place and got the breakfast that Taeil suggested.
He made his way to the CEOs house. Once he arrived he parked in the underground carpark and retrieved the goods and chattels from his motorcycles compartment and headed straight to the front door of the building.
When Taeyong got inside he saw the elevator on the left and pressed the button to go up. He rode it to the top floor where the penthouses were located. Next he scrolled through his phone to find the text Taeil had sent him earlier with the door number and passcode.
Eventually he found the door and entered the code into the doors lock keypad which beeped and clicked. Inside he glanced around appreciating the furniture which were monochromatic and of similar fashion to the ones in Jaehyuns office.
There were lots of glass fixtures and a large window in front of the couch. A few paintings which looked like they belonged in a gallery were hung on each wall he could see. The kitchen was adjacent to the living area with a marble countertop and swivel stools.
He's rich, alright.
Taeyong waddled over to the couch to place the things which were occupying his hands. He laid the garment bag across the couch and placed his helmet down on the cushion. He then went over to the kitchen island to rest the bag with food down on it.
Just when he was about to get his helmet from the couch he heard steps approaching. He turned towards the sound and saw Jaehyun, his face slightly paled at the sight.
Jaehyun had been rubbing his eyes as he walked down the stairs, he was solely in his boxer shorts and had assumed he was alone. As he'd walked the stairs multiple times, he kept his eyes shut from the tiresome feeling and made his way down without a stumble.
Taeyong watched as the younger then scratched his head while he yawned causing his eyes to shut tightly and as Jaehyun was about to turn to the kitchen he opened his eyes and saw a stunned look on Taeyongs face.
"T-Tai? How are you here? H-How'd you get in?"
The olders eyes immediately darted up to the level of the others. "Uh... Secretary Moon called me and asked me to bring you some things... He also gave me the door code..." his voice trailed off.
Jaehyun nodded slightly. He then realized what he had been wearing, "I'll be right back..." he said as he turned to rush back up the stairs.
Taeyong could appreciate that Jaehyun was well built, his muscular torso was the complete opposite of his. Also, Jaehyuns hair was unstyled and his bangs nearly covered his eyes, Taeyong thought it made him look more like a normal person and not a coldhearted CEO.
Minutes later, Jaehyun returned with a white long sleeved shirt and plaid pyjama bottoms. He then took a seat at the kitchen island and pulled the food bag towards him.
"Thanks for the food" he said turning around to see Taeyong seated and checking his phone.
Taeyong looked up from his phone at the younger, "Sure, no problem. Mr. Moon said that you may want dinner as well, what do you want to eat?"
Jaehyun started eating his breakfast burrito as he thought of what to reply with.
At that point, a loud clang could be heard and rain started to pour outside. Both men gazed through the large window to see the water cascading along the walls of the building.
"Looks like that'll have to wait" Jaehyun chuckled.
Taeyongs mouth fell agape at the sudden downpour and the mere fact he was stuck in this place, and for how long?
A flash of lightning followed by the rumbling of thunder was heard and it was clear this was no weather to be riding in. Taeyong had no choice but to stay put.
"Can you cook?" Jaehyun asked, catching Taeyong off guard, as he finished eating his breakfast and turned the stool to face Taeyong.
"Somewhat, are there things to cook here?"
The younger shrugged his shoulders which caused Taeyong to get up from his seat.
He walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge to assess what was inside. And then checked the pantry nearby.
"There's a few things for spaghetti at least" he commented and turned towards the younger, who had been staring at him.
"I-Is that alright?" Taeyong asked when Jaehyun didn't speak, he was starting to feel self-conscious.
"Yes, that's fine. Well, make yourself at home, I'll get to work" Jaehyun gave a bright smile.
He then got off the stool and walked to the couch. Pulling out a briefcase which had been leaning on the side of it, he took out documents and spread them across the coffee table.
Taeyong looked at his watch, it was only 11am. He stared outside the window once more and wondered how long the rain would last.
Deciding to sit on the further end of the couch, he took out his phone to play a game, not wanting to disturb the other by asking if he could turn the television on.
Two and a half hours passed and the rain did not die down. Taeyong was beginning to get bored, his phone was also starting to die at the continuous use.
He made up his mind to start cooking dinner and went to the kitchen to start boiling the water.
Jaehyun had been too focused on the work at hand to notice the absence of the other. He stretched when he began to feel cramped for sitting in the same position for too long. That's when he noticed Taeyong in the kitchen with his back facing him. Jaehyun smiled briefly at the sight before resuming his work.
Taeyong drained the pasta in the colander and rinsed the pot he was about to use to stir it all. After that, he opened the can of spaghetti sauce.
Once everything was done, he tasted the sauce and was satisfied, putting the lid on for it to simmer. Cooking was one of Taeyongs past times, he used to help his grandma with their meals and sometimes had to cook their dinner when she was out trying to sell her trinkets or too ill.
Jaehyun could smell the sweet but tangy flavour as it danced through the air. He gazed over at the older to see him washing the dishes. The sight was very foreign, he'd never had another person in his kitchen before nor someone who made him dinner, in a long time.
As soon as the meal had been prepared, Taeyong dished it onto some plates he'd found in the cupboard and set them down on the kitchen island. He took another glance at the time and saw it had been 4pm already and the rain still had not stilled, but it was slightly less violent.
"Sir, the food is ready" he said, while taking a seat in front of a plate which Jaehyun hummed in response. Soon after, he was joined by the younger who sat beside him.
"It doesn't only smell good, it's also visually pleasing" Jaehyun said with a smile and picked up his fork to twirl the noodles. He took a bite and his face lit up. "Wow, five stars!"
"I appreciate it, but you're exaggerating" the older grinned as he ate his portion.
"No, I'm not even kidding. I haven't had a home cooked meal in a really long time...."
"Why's that?" Taeyong turned his head to him.
"I don't visit home much..." the youngers voice softened and Taeyong could sense a pained tone behind it, not wanting to question further.
They sat in silence for a few minutes as they ate. The showering of rain was all that could be heard in the four walls of the penthouse.
"So, why do you work so many temporary jobs?" Jaehyun asked which almost startled the older.
"I gotta make money somehow" he replied coolly.
"What about you, why don't you work for your fathers company? I think I saw that his company is one of those well off ones"
Jaehyun stiffened at the mention of his father, unsure of what to say. He sighed heavily, "he has a set plan for me and I didn't want to follow it" he said simply.
"Oh, I see..."
He continued, "he didn't want to accept that his only heir was gay.." Jaehyun felt the need to share, after all, Taeyong would've found out at some point.
He's gay? He doesn't look it..
Taeyong felt a little uncomfortable with the new information. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you" he smiled sensing the others uneasiness.
Taeyong chuckled slightly trying to lighten the mood and continued to eat.
"So what about you, any relationships?" Jaehyun asked.
"Uh... I've only had one relationship in high school. But it ended quickly after the girl said I was too poor for her." Taeyong grinned as he remembered the scene.
"What a bitch, I'm sure she'd regret it now" and they both laughed together and continued their meals in comfortable silence.
After they finished eating, Jaehyun settled back on the couch to finish reading the documents on the table. Taeyong shortly joined him after he had washed the dishes.
Taeyong awoke feeling a warmth swarming his body, he opened his eyes taking in the sunset view through the window. He quickly glanced at his watch and saw it had already been 6pm. He had no idea how and when he fell asleep and noted a blanket had been thrown over him.
Getting up, he figured it was time to head home as the rain had finally stopped. He immediately caught sight of the younger who sat on the floor and had his head on his outstretched arm on the coffee table asleep. Taking the blanket that had just been over him he placed it over the other before taking his helmet and exiting the place.
As soon as he got to the carpark he hopped on his bike and rode back to his apartment. Inside, he opened his laptop and began making note of the information he had on the CEO so far.
Suddenly, the thought of their small chat on family replayed in his mind. He felt compelled to call his grandma to check how she was doing, and so he did.
"Taeyong-ah, have you been eating properly?" His grandma asked on the other line.
"Yes grandma, don't worry about me. How about you? Is everything alright?"
"Yes I'm fine, just these old aches every now and then."
Taeyong proceeded to question his grandma of her health, making sure she spend the money he sent on medication she needed. He also reminded her not to strain herself.
As he hung up he heard a knock coming from his front door. He got up to answer it, trying to recall if he'd ordered takeout.
When the door was opened, Taeyong was met by a drenched Hyunjin supporting Sicheng by the shoulder, who was equally soaked and appeared to be bruised and bleeding.
"Hyunjin? What the hell happened???" Taeyong exclaimed as he moved his eyes from one to the other.
With a swift move Taeyong stepped back when Hyunjin brought himself and Sicheng into the apartment.
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Welcome to
cooking with Tae