It's a (Pretend) Date

oh nakhrewaali

@oh_nakhrewaali

It's a (Pretend) Date

"Can't wait to see who you bring with you, Ch*nk!"

Vincenzo rolls his eyes as he reads his adoptive brother's text. Real mature, Paolo! He wants to text back something petty but decides against it and steps into the fashion boutique. 

He doesn't really like parties or socializing. But it's his (adoptive) father's birthday, and Vincenzo knows how much it would mean to the old mafioso to see him there. But he doesn't get the point of organizing a ball and his adoptive mother insisting that he find a date. 

Not that finding a date is difficult for the handsome Korean-Italian, but he doesn't have the time to find one. He doesn't do relationships or love. So, he decides to go alone to the party. It's not like they will throw him out because he doesn't have a woman hanging on his arm, is it? 

Vincenzo picks the first black suit that the designer shows him. The stuffy changing room makes him feel uncomfortable, so, when the designer offers to bring him the bill, he shakes his head and walks to the billing counter. 

That's when Vincenzo sees him - a man younger than him, he is beautiful, with his brown eyes and his sharp jawline. His work uniform hanging loosely on him, and two hair strands falling on his face. Vincenzo's gaze stops on the nametag - 'Jang Han Seo', he reads. 

Han Seo looks up to wish him a good day, and Vincenzo nods. Not that words have failed him because of Han Seo's beauty, it's just that he doesn't like to talk. 

Luca looks at him curiously when he steps out of the boutique, his head reeling with a plan. 

"Something is going on in that head of yours," He says, and Vincezo smiles. 

"Jang Han Seo, find out everything you can about him."

Luca raises an eyebrow but doesn't question him. They drive off to Vincenzo's apartment. 

______

In a few hours, Luca sends him an email about Han Seo. Han Seo is in Italy to complete his studies in engineering. Back home in Korea, he has a mother. He works part time at the boutique.

Vincenzo smiles. What he was going to do next was stupid, but as long as it shuts up Paolo's mouth for two hours, Vincenzo was ready to do anything. 

______

Vincenzo looks through his car window at the students piling out of the university gates. He sees Jang Han Seo with two other Italian students and signs at Luca. Approaching him, Luca speaks to Han Seo for a few minutes and the two walk to his car.

Han Seo looks at him in surprise for a few seconds, but Vincenzo opens the door of his car, and asks him to step in. 

The younger man fumbles out a formal greeting in Korean, and unlike his own, Han Seo's Korean isn't rusty. 

"I have a proposal for you. You have to attend a ball with me, and I will pay you 50 thousand Euro."

"Heh?" Han Seo looks at him as if he was speaking gibberish. 

"I have to go to this party tonight, and I need a date. I don't have the time to find one, and you can make 50 thousand just by looking pretty at a party."

"Is that how you pick women? Because if yes, then no wonder you don't have a date," Han Seo snaps. Vincenzo raises his eyebrow, but he is impressed. 

"Look, Han Seo, I don't have the time in the world. Are you in or out?"

"As long as I return home safely, I am in. I don't have anything better to do, and I can attend a mafia ball party."

"I am just a consigliere," Vincenzo tries to brush it off. 

"Of the mafia." Han Seo smirks. 

"Luca will give you the payment. Buy yourself something nice," He says and waves dismissively, ignoring the small victory smile on Han Seo's lips. If he feels his stomach flip because of the smile, no one needs to know that. 

______

There is a sharp knock on his door just as Vincenzo finishes applying perfume. He runs his hands over his suit, gives himself one last look in the mirror and opens the door to his posh apartment. 

Han Seo stands at the door, shuffling awkwardly, wearing black suit with a white shirt and black slacks. He has a tassel chain brooch on his left lapel. He has styled his hair back, and Vincenzo can't help but miss the hair strands covering his eyes. 

Get it together, man! 

The two step out of his apartment and walk to the parking lot. Han Seo grabs his arm and Vincenzo glares at him. He steps away, but has a goofy smile on his face. 

"We need to decide a story. What are we going to say? Why is a storekeeper like me dating the consigliere? Also, we don't even behave like a couple?"

"Do you want me to buy you flowers?"

"Why are you such a cliche? Oh, look, I am the bad boy with the attitude that gets girls kneeling for me!" 

Vincenzo rolls his eyes. He extends his hand, and Han Seo looks at it and then points at himself. 

"Just take the God damn hand!" He snaps in Korean, speaking the language after almost 22 years. Han Seo blinks, surprised at the language switch, and holds his hand. 

"We can just say that we met at the store around two months ago."

"And will your family be okay with you dating a non-mafia?" 

"It's a date. We aren't getting married tomorrow."

Han Seo looks at him, and for a split second, Vincenzo feels like he saw a flick of disappointment in his eyes but brushes the thought away. 

"Come on then," Han Seo says and starts walking fast. 

______

Han Seo seems to have his way with the older women at the party, who can't stop gushing about what an adorable kid he is. 

"Come on Mrs. Greco! You are just being nice," He brushes off a compliment. 

"Like what you see, consigliere?" Luca asks over his shoulder, and Vincenzo rolls his eyes. He hands his glass of scotch to Luca and marches towards his "date".

"Hyung!" Han Seo beams as he walks to the younger man and the crowd of the mafia wives. 

"Han Seo is telling us about your trip to Paris for a weekend date. Who knew Vincenzo had such a romantic side!" One of the ladies coos, and Vincenzo looks at Han Seo, who winks at him. 

"Can I speak to you, amor?" He stresses on the last bit, and Han Seo excuses himself. 

"Paris?" He asks, and to his surprise, Han Seo bursts out laughing. 

"They were talking about how stoic you are and that they are surprised that even you have a date. I thought it would be fun to push that cliche image of yours, a bad boy with a romantic side. Besides, it will help you when you decide to get married. These ladies will go home and tell their daughter about what an amazing catch you are, and then they'll propose to you."

"What do you think mafia ladies do all day?"

"I don't know. Have kitty parties, watch their husbands kill people, kill people, engage in gang wars and be a nuisance for the general public? "

Vincenzo's mouth drops open in shock at Han Seo's dismal of the mafia. The public is supposed to fear... Oh, now Han Seo's disdain makes sense. 

Before he replies, Paolo's voice booms over his shoulder. 

"If it isn't my elder brother and his date!" Vincenzo wants to roll his eyes but turns and gives him and his date a tight smile. 

"I never thought you had a thing for poor boys, Vincenzo, " Paolo looks at Han Seo as if he is considering him. 

"Jang Han Seo," he puts out his hand to the woman, and when she gives him his hand, he kisses her glove. 

"Claire Martinez," she introduces herself in a Spanish accent. 

"I never thought you had a thing for bigots, mam." Han Seo says and smiles a charming smile while the other three gawk at him as if he is a ghost. 

"Now, if you will excuse my parter and me, I could use a drink." He continues and holding Vincenzo's hand he pulls him away. 

"Are you suicidal?" Vincenzo asks him the second they reach the bar, and he shrugs. 

"You promised to keep me safe, so I don't care if that man has knives or bombs on him. One martini, please."

Vincenzo wants to facepalm. If this man dies on his watch, he would feel guilty, but this man has zero self-preservation, so is he even worth the trouble of protecting? 

The rest of the night goes as smoothly as Jang Han Seo's tongue allows it. He is witty (and charming) but doesn't know when to stop speaking. 

"I can't help it. My brain knows I have to stop, but my tongue doesn't want to listen to it. Sorry!" He says when Vincenzo pulls him away from a group of soldatos before he can say anything stupid. 

Vincenzo drops him off at his hostel in time for his curfew, but he can't hide the smile on his face as the now drunken man makes his way into the building. Silly boy! 

______

"I see that you are alive," Vincenzo remarks as Han Seo nods at him. It's been three weeks after the party, and he is standing in the boutique again, but there is no suit that needs billing. 

"Yes, Micheal is doing a good job at protecting me," Han Seo says and points at the man sitting opposite the boutique with a cup of coffee in his hand. Vincenzo wants to facepalm and yell at the man for not being less unnoticeable. 

"Stupido!" He mutters under his breath instead. 

"Oh no, he did a great job at being incognito. It's just that I have started noticing more people around me than usual. So I got curious and cornered him one day. Now we are friends!" Han Seo beams. 

"Now you are what?" Vincenzo asks in surprise. 

"We have lunch together, he sits with me while I study, and when my roommate isn't with me, which is, most of the days, he stays in my hostel room. But different beds, you needn't worry." He smirks suggestively.

Vincenzo wants to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Two days after the party, Paolo had cornered Vincenzo and had started making vague comments about Han Seo. Vincenzo isn't sure why he felt an urge to protect the man and had ordered his best men to keep a watch on Han Seo. 

"Were you here just to check if I am alive and if your men are competent, or was there anything else?"

"I was in the area, so I dropped by," Vincenzo says, and Han Seo rolls his eyes. 

"Just ask me out already!"

"You think I like you or something? In your dreams, Babo!"

Han Seo shrugs. 

"So you just ask your people to keep a watch on all the random people you meet every day? Someone you should just be spending one night and then forgetting about?" 

"Look, I don't care about you. Paolo threatened me with your name, so... "

"So why do you care if I die?" Han Seo asks and folds his arms across his chest. "Look, I am at my workplace right now. Whatever conflicted feelings you are having can wait. If I slack on my job, that woman there won't be hesitant to keep my payment on hold, and a person from the mafia, like yourself, would know what it is to not receive timely payments." He walks away from the counter, leaving behind a confused Vincenzo. 

______

Vincenzo opens the door of his car, and Han Seo slumps on the passenger seat.

"If the police would register a complaint against you, I would be filing one right now!" He says, without even greeting him.

"How would you like to spend tomorrow evening in Paris on a date with me?" Vincezo asks, not meeting the eyes of the younger man. Han Seo gapes at him and, for whole two seconds, doesn't reply. Vincezo looks at him.

"Please tell me you aren't messing around?"

"Nope, I am serious."

"How about we go ice skating instead?" Han Seo asks, a beautiful blush on his cheeks.

If Vincenzo loses to Han Seo at the match, it is because Han Seo has more practice at the game. It's not because he is entranced by the grace with which Han Seo skates, and it's not because Vincenzo's heart beats like crazy every time their bodies brush against each other while playing.