❪ DEADLOCK ❫
🍒🪽
a jeongcheol fanfiction

chapter one

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★

it's a cool evening, the kind where the city hums quietly and the office lights cast a soft glow across the pavement. jeonghan steps out of the building, shoulders sagging under the weight of the day. being the personal assistant to the ceo of a multimillion dollar company isn't easy, meetings, schedules, a dozen things screaming for his attention every hour. he exhales, finally free, already dreaming of his bed and the next episode of kaguya-sama: love is war .

he doesn't get far.

"jeonghan, wait for me!"

he pauses, glancing over his shoulder. seungcheol's voice is always easy to recognize. the ceo strides toward him, loosening his tie with one hand, a fond glint in his eyes.

"you're leaving without saying goodbye?" seungcheol teases as he catches up.

jeonghan smiles tiredly. "you were still in a meeting. figured you'd be another hour."

"wrapped it early. i saw you walking out and thought, 'there goes my favorite person, trying to escape without a ride.'"

jeonghan laughs softly. "i'm perfectly capable of getting home, you know."

"i know," seungcheol replies, gently, "but let me drop you off anyway. it's late, you're tired. consider it ceo privileges."

jeonghan raises an eyebrow. "ceo privileges sound suspiciously like excuses to baby me."

"maybe they are," seungcheol says, already leading him toward the car. "humor me?"

and jeonghan lets himself be led, warmth blooming in his chest that has nothing to do with the evening chill.

seungcheol had always flirted with jeonghan. always had, probably always would. it was just... his nature. smooth words, charming smiles, the kind of teasing that made people feel like they were the center of the universe,even if only for a second. jeonghan had learned not to take it personally. seungcheol was like that with everyone. it didn't mean anything.

so when he leaned over to open the passenger door of his obscenely expensive mclaren and said, "your chariot awaits, princess," jeonghan just rolled his eyes and slid in.

they merged into the evening traffic, the city glowing around them, music low in the background. jeonghan rested his head against the window, eyes half-lidded, mind already halfway to his nest.

but the universe had other plans.

a massive accident had shut down most of the main road. red taillights stretched endlessly ahead of them, horns honking in frustration. what was supposed to be a ten-minute drive turned into a slow crawl, inch by painful inch.

"sorry," seungcheol muttered, fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. "should've checked the traffic updates before we left."

jeonghan yawned. "not your fault. not like you crashed those cars yourself."

seungcheol huffed a small laugh but didn't reply. the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, it never was, but it lingered a little longer than usual.

by the time the road finally cleared, it was past 8.

"you haven't eaten, have you?" seungcheol asked, glancing over. his tone was casual, but there was a slight crease between his brows. "come have dinner at my place. i feel responsible for you getting home late."

jeonghan blinked. "you don't have to- "

"i want to."

that gave him pause.

jeonghan looked out the window for a beat, then back at seungcheol. "only if you're cooking."

"deal," seungcheol said, grinning as he turned the wheel. "hope you like pasta."

seungcheol's place was big, not cold and echoey like some rich people's houses, but warm, lived-in. soft lighting, a few plants that somehow weren't dead, a record player in the corner. it smelled faintly of rosemary and something sweeter, maybe the pasta sauce.

they ate in the kitchen, seated across from each other at the marble island, plates of creamy pasta between them. jeonghan laughed when seungcheol got sauce on his cheek, and seungcheol retaliated by flicking water at him from the sink. it felt... easy. familiar. like any other evening they'd spent together, except quieter.

after dinner, seungcheol put their plates in the dishwasher, wiped his hands on a dish towel, and turned to jeonghan with a strange look in his eyes.

"hey," he said, voice lower now. "can i talk to you about something? it's... kind of important."

jeonghan sat up straighter, suddenly alert. "uh. sure?"

seungcheol hesitated. then, slowly, "i'm in love with you."

everything stopped. jeonghan blinked once. then again. "what?"

"i'm in love with you," seungcheol repeated, firmer this time. "i have been. for a while."

jeonghan stared at him. it felt like a joke. had to be. this was choi seungcheol . the guy who flirted with their intern just last week. who winked at the barista every morning. who could charm the entire boardroom and make the janitor blush on the same day. "you flirt with everyone," jeonghan said, almost accusingly. "how is this... how am i supposed to believe this means anything?"

"i get that," seungcheol said softly. "i know how i come off. but i don't flirt with you the same way i flirt with everyone else. and even if i did... it's always been you, jeonghan. i've only ever held you in my heart."

jeonghan opened his mouth, then closed it again. he felt warm, then cold, then... sad.

"seungcheol," he said gently. "i'm really sorry. i... i don't feel that way about you."

there was a beat of silence. seungcheol's shoulders sagged just the tiniest bit.

"i hope this doesn't ruin anything between us," jeonghan added quickly. "i care about you. i respect you. i like working with you. but i don't want things to get weird."

"no."

"no?"

"no, you can't do this. you can't say that you don't feel the same way."

seungcheol crossed the space between them in a few quick steps, backing jeonghan up against the wall.

"sorry, jeonghan, but you can't say no."

"what the fuck- no, let me go- "

"sorry, baby, i can't. i love you so much, why can't you see that?"

"you're freaking me out- "

"i won't flirt with anybody else. i'll give you everything you want."

"seungcheol, no, please just let go- "

but seungcheol didn't listen. he kissed him hard, swallowing jeonghan's protests as he flailed against him, hands pushing uselessly at his chest.