Work Text:
There comes a time in a man’s life when all the stars will align, the universe will conspire, and he will be struck by this one very specific, life-changing realization.
Seokjin finds himself in the middle of it, seated across Yoongi over one of their usual weeknight dinners. There’s nothing special about this night per se—they always have dinner together—but there is something different in the air that he can’t quite pinpoint. The December breeze sprinkled with some holiday magic, maybe. The cold, winter evening is offset by Yoongi’s long hair and gummy smile (a combination that never fails to make Seokjin feel warm inside), and Seokjin’s heart ba-dumps in his chest like a little drummer boy and in this instant, he just knows.
“Yoongi-yah,” He says, voice low and velvety. The man in question looks up, having no clue whatsoever about the whole internal monologue built around this otherwise ordinary moment. Seokjin takes an extra second to admire the sharp curve of his curious eyes. “I’ve been thinking…”
“That’s never good.”
“Can you be serious for one minute,” Seokjin snaps, though his voice remains saccharine sweet. Yoongi schools his features to that of seriousness and gestures for him to proceed. “I just—I’ve been thinking about us.” Seokjin reaches over the table to hold his boyfriend’s hand. Yoongi cocks a brow at him but says nothing, so Seokjin goes on, “I’m really happy where we are right now. Secure, you know. And I think it’s time we take the next step.” Yoongi’s eyes widen a little. “What I’m saying is—I’m ready. To take the next step in this relationship. With you.”
Yoongi blinks, letting the words sink in. His eyes travel from their hands, still intertwined on the table, to Seokjin’s small smile. Deceiving little thing. There must be something behind those unassuming pink lips. He looks at their hands one more time, just in case there’s a joke hidden there that he might've missed, but comes up short.
After a moment of prolonged silence, he asks carefully, “Hyung, what are you saying?”
“Min Yoongi,” Seokjin says, in the way he does when he’s purposely being dramatic, “Love of my life. Light to my moon. Music to my days. Will you…” Deep breath. Pregnant pause. Yoongi has a feeling he might know what’s coming next, but with Seokjin he can never be too sure. “…buy a boat with me?”
Yoongi bursts out laughing, the sound coming out like a big scoff.
“Hey—why are you laughing?!” This sets Seokjin off in a tirade, his voice going up an octave, “You know what! Fine! I was only asking out of politeness since this is a major life decision that involves the boat—I mean the both!—of us!” He smacks Yoongi's arm lightly, but the younger doesn’t budge. “Okay, at this point I’m not even asking. I’m announcing! This is an FYI, at most! Yoongichi, I’m buying a boat, it’s non-negotiable, we are getting on it, and we’re going to have endless good times!”
Shaking his head, Yoongi faces away from his boyfriend to catch his breath. “You are, without a doubt, the most dramatic man alive.”
“And you love me for it!”
Yoongi sighs. There’s no arguing with that. “And I love you for it.” He runs a hand over his long, black hair as a physical attempt to reel himself back into the conversation and to Seokjin’s expectant look. “So. Anyway. A boat?”
“Yes, a boat,” Seokjin repeats with a confident smile. “Our Sales Team did really well in the fourth quarter, so they’re being extra generous with our year-end bonuses. And I thought, why not take charge of our time at sea, you know? Seas the opportunity, if you will.”
“Sure.”
“We spend so many weekends fishing, anyway! No more rescheduling because Bumzu-hyung’s uncle's boat isn’t available, no sir! Not us!” Seokjin says. “And no more having to rub elbows with those know-it-all ahjussis who always have something to say about our fishing technique!”
“I believe what they said was that we had none,” Yoongi reminds him.
“Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to get away from the city for a while?” Seokjin continues, the excitement getting to him, “How about we go on a boating trip for Christmas, Yoongi? We can escape this terrible winter and sail all the way to Jeju!”
Yoongi perks up. Now there’s an idea. “I have to warn you, hyung, I’m not exactly boatman material…”
“Hyung will take care of everything!” Seokjin exclaims, recognizing the glint in Yoongi’s eyes that’s halfway to a yes. “I’ll navigate! Steer! Prep the bait! Drive!”
“Don’t you need a license to do that?”
Seokjin smirks proudly. “I actually do have one.”
Yoongi would be lying if he said he wasn’t mildly impressed. “Since when?”
“Since I decided I’d like to own a boat with you one day,” Seokjin replies easily. “So what do you say? Imagine the possibilities—fishing! Swimming! Lovemaking!”
“Please don’t call it that.”
“Point being,” He insists, “Hyung will take you anywhere. And we can do whatever we want! On a boat! Any time!”
Yoongi nods once, which is just as good as a written approval as far as Seokjin’s shenanigans go. “So if we own the boat,” Yoongi wonders, “does that mean we can get up later at 3am?”
“Haha, cute,” Seokjin chuckles, pinching Yoongi’s cheek just because. “Absolutely not.”
⚓︎
“Yoongi-hyuuuung! Are you even listening to me?!”
If Jimin has to repeat himself one more time, he is going to sprawl on top of Yoongi's equipment to demand his sole attention, expensive soundboard be damned!
“Of course he isn’t, Jimin-ah,” Hoseok laughs. From his spot behind Yoongi's shoulder, he's been watching Yoongi "work" for the past fifteen minutes. “Hyung's been scrolling through hotels in Jeju this whole time,” His eyes follow Yoongi’s cursor and he whistles low, “Filter: 5 stars only… wow, someone’s taking Christmas seriously this year!”
“Shut up,” Yoongi scowls, pulling up a random track on the screen instead. “What are you guys even doing here?”
"You were supposed to show me a demo," Hoseok mumbles.
Jimin makes an affronted noise. “Hyung!”
Yoongi finally turns to him. “What?”
“Pretty please with a tangerine on top?” He asks, pouting with both hands clasped together. “Jungkook and I are working on something really special and we really want to get it done before New Year—but all the other studios are fully booked. Can we please borrow yours?”
“I have plans for Christmas.”
“So we’ll do it before then! Or after studio hours!” Jimin urges him, “We want to do it by ourselves, so you don’t even need to worry. Ah, don't give me that look, hyung, it’s not like it’s our first time in a studio.”
“Wait, what song is this? You never mentioned anything before,” Yoongi ponders out loud, considering the logistics of it. “And do you really need to record it unsupervised? This deadline is self-imposed, anyway, why can’t you just wait until—”
“Pleaaaaseeee,” Jimin whines, drawing out his ‘eeee’s for full effect. He knows Yoongi has this habit of thinking out loud, making perfectly reasonable points each time, and the only way to defeat his sound logic is to throw him off with some good, old-fashioned whining.
Yoongi opens his calendar, “I just have a few more sessions lined up…but I guess as long as those are done—”
“Pleasepleasepleaseplease!”
“Fine, fine,” Yoongi frowns, finally making Jimin stop. “I’ll text you my schedule.”
Jimin shoots him his signature aegyo pose, “And the door code?”
“And the door code,” Yoongi rolls his eyes. “Now, can you please leave me alone? I’m in the middle of making some very important business decisions here.”
“Is that what the kids call it these days?” Hoseok teases. He trails behind Jimin who's bouncing away, texting Jungkook the good news, but then turns to his hyung at the last second. “For the record, I think the room overlooking Jungmun Beach is very romantic. Totally Jin-hyung’s style.”
“Bye, Hobah!” Yoongi says too loudly, waving him away. (That room was his first choice, too.)
⚓︎
Does Seokjin love fishing? Yes.
Does Yoongi love Seokjin? Also yes.
But does that mean Yoongi will particularly love spending an entire weekend on a boat? …that much is unclear.
Now, Yoongi isn’t exactly the world's most expressive boyfriend, so Seokjin has been extra, extra careful about making sure he hasn't just been forcing their otherwise non-existent Christmas plans to bend to his boat shenanigans.
So it’s a good sign, he supposes, when he spots Yoongi’s bucket hat lying around their bedroom, like he fished it (pun completely intended) out of his closet along with the rest of his fishing essentials he hasn’t used in a while. Seokjin hasn’t even reminded him to, and yet here he is packing on his own volition!
Yoongi's excitement pops up in little ways: it’s the open luggage that appears in their bedroom, slowly being filled with non-winter clothes; it’s the first-aid kit complete with basic medicine that Seokjin wouldn’t have thought to bring (his heart skipped a beat when he saw Yoongi packing it—first-aid preparedness can really do something to a guy); it’s the automated e-mail response letting people know he’ll be unreachable in a few days, so please only call if someone’s literally dying (metaphorical deaths don’t count).
“Hyung, look at this,” Yoongi whispers one night, right before bed. On his phone is a poster for an upcoming music event, “There’s a Jeju jazz festival when we go. Do you think we have time to check it out?”
“Of course!” Seokjin says with way too much enthusiasm for 11pm, though he’s mostly smiling just because Yoongi is. “We’ll make time for whatever you want to do.”
“I made a list for you, too,” Yoongi adds, opening a different tab.
“…Yoongi, these are just pictures of fish.”
“It’s a list of the fish you can catch in Jeju,” Yoongi explains. “The galchi should be good. If there's one fish you need to catch, I think it should be that.”
“Fresh galchi,” Seokjin licks his lips, already imagining the long, silvery beltfish. “Hmm. Shall we make it into a stew? Or grill it, maybe?”
Yoongi falls asleep that night looking through different galchi recipes, and beside him Seokjin dreams of all the fresh seafood they’ll eat while on the boat. He takes it as a good omen, one that means this trip is definitely a great idea; something they're equally looking forward to and will no doubt enjoy together.
What's not to love about a few days away from the city, and away from any real world problems? (At most, the biggest one will probably be deciding what to eat—a good problem to have, as Yoongi always says).
⚓︎
One unfortunate detail their boating trip overlooked was the fact that Min Holly was not (yet) a seasoned sailor like his parents. Yoongi isn't too sure if dogs get sea sick, but he's not about to find out.
Fortunately for them, Taehyung's newest business venture was a pet hotel that's just starting to pick up. The business model is still a work-in-progress—hotel services are only offered to a select pool of clientele (read: dogs Taehyung and Yeontan already know)—which works out perfectly since they needed someone to watch Holly for a few days.
When they ring the doorbell, though, they don't expect to be greeted by a nervous-looking Taehyung.
“Hyungs, we need to talk,” Taehyung announces as soon as he opens the door. He's being uncharacteristically serious, and it's hard to tell whether that means there's a real problem or if they've caught them in the middle of a role play.
“What, is the pet hotel closed?” Yoongi guesses, and Holly tilts his head as if sharing the confusion.
“No, it’s not that. Yeontan is very excited that Min Holly is joining us for Christmas!” Taehyung reassures them, “Holly's very welcome to the pawty! Yes you are, good boy!”
Seokjin raises a brow, “…but?”
“But Yeontan’s father…" Taehyung clears his throat and flashes them a boxy smile, "He's suddenly curious about this little boating trip of yours. And he might have said something to Bam’s dad…who said something to Mickey’s dad…and now all these dog dads plus their dog-less friend Jimin are all at home checking the group chat wondering the same thing.”
“You forgot Moni,” Yoongi says.
“Oh no, Moni’s a dignified gentleman. He has no complaints,” Taehyung clarifies. “Mostly he just judged Namjoon-hyung for not having a boat of his own, but I don't think he'd be opposed to coming along if you asked.”
"It's a small boat, Tae," Yoongi says lightly, "Not a ferry."
"Very small," Seokjin echoes, putting his index finger and thumb together to demonstrate, "Almost like a toy boat. The kind that floats in a bathtub."
"Got it," He nods and purses his lips, “So…is that a 'yes' to the group chat?”
“ABSOLUTELY NOT,” Seokjin says shamelessly, grabbing Holly’s leash and placing it in Taehyung’s open hands, “Send that to the group chat in all-caps! And throw in an angry emoji in there, too! I’ve never had a hotel offer to stay with me instead! We’re paying customers, Taehyung-ah. This is very unprofessional!”
“Hyung, you know this is our free trial run!” Taehyung protests, “Besides, what could be cuter than seven friends on the beach with their dogs?”
“My boyfriend and I. On the beach. Alone.” Seokjin replies matter-of-factly.
Taehyung looks stumped. “Please, hyung! Yeontan's never been to Jeju in December!”
“Nope! Pick a less romantic holiday to hijack!” Seokjin says with finality, and Yoongi grins from behind him.
“Try Children’s Day, next time,” Yoongi whispers to Taehyung, before petting Holly goodbye.
⚓︎
“Yoongi-yah, is your brother more a shine muscat guy or a strawberry guy?”
There’s a mountain of boxes all over their dining table and kitchen—prized fruits from Seokjin’s family farm that he wanted to share as Christmas presents. It was a nice idea at the start, but with everything being rushed to make way for their boating trip, it’s morphed into something like a cross between Santa’s workshop and an Ultimate level of Fruit Ninja.
Yoongi replies, “He’s more of a will-be-grateful-whatever-we-get-him kind of guy.”
“Okay, good, ‘cause Seokjung-hyung likes strawberries and this is our last one,” Seokjin says, scribbling Yoongi’s brother’s name on a card and taping it on a box. He picks up another card, writes down his brother’s name, and groans. “Why didn’t you talk me out of this?”
“I did,” Yoongi grabs the box and mechanically ties a bow on top. “You were very stubborn.”
“The word you’re looking for is ‘generous.’” He corrects, “Next year, we’re gifting alcohol. Less variety, no expiry dates. And no late-night deliveries.”
“Let me take care of that, hyung,” Yoongi says, lining up all the gifts ready for sending. “You’re gonna be the one sailing for hours, anyway.”
“I love you,” Seokjin says blankly. “I’ll text you the addresses—wait, speaking of addresses, are you sure we don’t want to check in somewhere in Jeju?”
“What do you mean?” Yoongi was hoping they wouldn't have to talk about this; that the idea of leaving the boat wouldn't enter Seokjin's mind at all, and Yoongi could spring up the surprise out of nowhere without having to lie his way through it.
“I know it's a boating trip, but we don't have to stay on the boat the whole time,” Seokjin shrugs, “I love fishing and the sea but not that much, and I doubt you do, too. I think the longest we've stayed on a boat is 24 hours straight, I'm not sure what'll happen to us if we stay in there for longer.”
“Is it really that bad?” Yoongi pretends to think it through. He’s treading very carefully, trying to find a way to steer the entire conversation away from the ocean-view room he’s already booked. “I mean, we’ll reach land…at some point.”
“Well, yeah, we’ll dock in Jeju. But how about getting a room somewhere?” Seokjin suggests, “Have at least one night where the floor doesn’t sway?”
Yoongi tries his best to answer without raising any suspicion. “I don’t think we need to book a room. Or if we do, we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
“And risk not having any room at all?” Seokjin turns to his boyfriend, confused. It’s very unlike Yoongi to leave basic things like accommodation to chance, and even more unlike him not to have a solid opinion whatsoever. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” Yoongi says, hoping his aloof tone is convincing enough, “Who knows? We might just end up somewhere we don’t expect.”
Seokjin gives him a look. “Why would you say that?”
“What’s wrong with what I said?”
“Who talks like that?” Seokjin says, holding back a laugh. This conversation has taken a very weird turn. “Ah, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were scheming behind my back.”
“Uh,” Yoongi freezes, accidentally letting the statement hang in the air too long before responding. “I am not.”
It’s too late—Seokjin’s eyes sparkle with instant recognition. “Yoongi-yah, are you trying to woo me?”
“No. Shut up.”
“Wait, don’t say it—are you planning a romantic gesture? You know I love big gestures!”
“Hyung, please,” It’s a losing game and he knows it. If Seokjin speaks any more, he’s going to end up randomly guessing the whole thing. Yoongi places a hand over his lips, “Please just let me do something nice for you without trying to guess what it is.” He pouts, “I mean, you bought the boat and everything. Let me do this one thing. Consider it my Christmas gift.”
Seokjin loves everything about this: the semi-botched surprise. The bargaining. The pouting. He clicks his tongue, “Yoongichi, you’re a terrible liar.”
“And you’re terrible at being surprised, so can we both just,” He gestures helplessly, “be terrible separately, but also together, in a secret location that may or may not involve a private indoor jacuzzi?”
Seokjin’s eyes widen, already feeling giddy about the possibility of a jacuzzi. He drops a quick kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, “I’ll pack a bath bomb.”
“Promise to still act surprised?”
“You can put me in a blindfold and we can do a whole dramatic reveal.”
“Oh,” Yoongi’s voice is far too innocent for the grin on his face, “I was planning to put you in a blindfold some other night.”
“Yah! Min Yoongi!” Seokjin practically yells, caught off-guard. He reaches for the nearest throwable object—a strawberry—and chucks it towards Yoongi, the tips of Seokjin’s ears turning the same shade of red.
⚓︎
Their boating trip is one day away, and Seokjin can practically feel the sea breeze in his face.
He’s packing up the last of his bags (playing holiday tunes in the background to really get into that Christmas spirit) when all of a sudden, his phone rings.
“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” Seokjin hums, checking the screen, “…a surprise call from Jungkookie?”
He doesn’t expect Jungkook to greet him super fast, speaking in one breath: “Hey Jin-hyung! How are you! How’s your health? Any plans for Christmas? Oh and for no particular reason, how familiar would you say you are with property insurance policies?”
“Hello to you, too, Jungkook-ah,” Seokjin tries to pace his answers, “One, I’m great, thanks for asking. Two, I’m healthy as a clam, and that’s an ocean pun because—three, Yoongi and I are ready to turn our backs on civilization starting tomorrow. If all goes well, we’re not opposed to extending indefinitely. And what was that last one? Oh, right, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure insurance policies aren’t a scam.”
“Oh. Okay,” Jungkook shuffles awkwardly, and the energy is somehow contagious through the phone. “That’s so—great. Okay.”
“Wait. Should I be scared?” Seokjin asks, picking up on the weirder-than-usual vibes.
“What? No! Haha. Just—wait a sec,” Jungkook’s voice fades out and instead there’s some bristling on the other line has he presumably shoves the phone into someone else’s (unwilling) hand.
There’s a little back and forth before Seokjin finally hears a third voice: “Hey, Jin-hyung! It’s me! Jiminie!”
“Hi, Jimin,” Seokjin greets warily. “What’s going on?”
“So. Uh. Here’s the thing,” Jimin starts, and the anxiousness in the call spikes up about 200%. “So…Jungkook and I…we need your help. You see, we…how do we say this? We had a little accident…in Yoongi-hyung’s studio.”
Seokjin gags. Loudly. “Ew! Like a number 1 or a number 2?”
“Not like that, hyung!” Jimin yells quickly. “Like a real, major accident.”
Oh. “Yeah, you’re on your own, buddy.” Seokjin promptly hangs up.
Two seconds later, his phone rings again.
“Seokjin-hyung! I’m not kidding!” Jimin practically wails, not losing momentum, “Please, we’re begging you! I’m down on my knees right now!”
“You know I love you both, but I’m not sure I want to get involved if it’s his studio we’re talking about,” Seokjin says in what he hopes is a convincing Stern tone. “He loves that studio more than anything. More than me, sometimes! I’m not about to be your middleman right now. Not when I’ve just convinced him that spending 12 hours on a boat with me is a good way to celebrate Christmas. To be honest, I’m not sure he knows how long it takes to sail to Jeju.”
“Jin-hyung, please, Jungkookie is writing his resignation letter as we speak!” Jimin sounds close to tears (which is saying a lot because he’s usually horrible at fake crying, no matter how many times Seokjin has tried to teach him), “Please, hyungnim, save us!”
Seokjin takes a deep breath.
Maybe this can be his last good deed for the year, before he clocks out from the role of mathyung and allows himself to be maknae-free for a good week or so. Tomorrow, he and Yoongi will be sailing along the Yellow Sea without a care in the world, and they’ll check in at some secret, sexy place that Yoongi’s booked with the private jacuzzi. Yeah, that can serve as his reward.
“Fine,” He finally gives in, and hears the maknaes’ sigh of relief on the other line. “Tell hyung exactly what happened.” Maybe someone had a paper cut, or—god forbid—deleted an important file. Surely it’s not a big issue he can’t help them fix.
“Okay,” Jimin clears his throat in an attempt to calm himself, “Well. I think our biggest problem right now is just to figure out how to get all the water—”
“What? Why is there water?” Seokjin’s got a sinking feeling about this. This isn’t at all the gravity that he expected, “Please don’t tell me you spilled water on one of his producer things.”
“Well, technically, the sprinklers did it, not us!” Jungkook points out much too calmly, “And it was a good thing, too, ‘cause if that didn’t work, then who’s to say what the fireworks—”
“Fireworks?!” Seokjin explodes. “At what point of any song would there be an actual need for fireworks? Not even Katy Perry used real fireworks! Jeon Jungkook, you better say your prayers now because—”
It’s at that exact moment that Yoongi walks out from their bathroom, towel-drying his hair. Seokjin can’t even bring it in him to appreciate the adorable sight (Yoongi’s hair curls a little when wet—it’s really the cutest thing) because the panic bubbling in his stomach is giving him an acid reflux.
“Oh, is that Jungkookie?” Yoongi calls out. He even smiles like an unsuspecting fool. “Can you ask him how the recording went? I told Jimin to send over a preview but he hasn’t replied to my message…” His voice trails off.
Seokjin looks at him, phone in hand, mouth hanging open in a non-existent reply. Even the two on the other line are dead silent.
Yoongi looks at the scene innocently. “Hyung, what is it?”
⚓︎
It's bad. It's so, so bad.
Yoongi texted a picture of the damage as soon as the two came clean, and everything is drenched. He tried to dry the hard drives and processors to see if any of the files were still salvageable (and thankfully there’s a good chance they are, plus all his files are backed up on the company cloud), but trying to turn on any of his equipment seemed to be a safety hazard at this point.
It's not that bad, Seokjin texts back in a sorry attempt to lighten the mood.
Yoongi responds not a second later. Any advice on how to save a studio that looks like it was found in a shipwreck?
Seokjin replies, Did you try putting it in rice?
As it turns out, there is no existing property insurance policy in Seoul that covers damages caused by fireworks in enclosed spaces. And as Yoongi is assessing the aftermath in his studio, Seokjin doesn’t even have to do the math to know.
The fact is, his new boat, The Wootteo, didn’t exactly come cheap. He also knows, based on a very good guesstimate, that the amount he’s spending on the damn thing might just be enough to cover the cost of Yoongi’s equipment, and any additional construction work he might need to have done.
But—the boat! He’s been dreaming of owning a boat his whole life (ever since he got that bonus, so roughly a few weeks). Also! He managed to haggle a much lower price with the seller and it would be super embarrassing to back out now! A face like his doesn’t do takebacksies!
And Yoongi—he deserves it too! He deserves to see the sun after approximately three hundred days of being holed up in his studio. The studio that, Seokjin remembers, was almost burnt to pieces yesterday and is now consequently drenched in water.
Seokjin’s phone buzzes with a crying emoji from Jungkook. That must mean he and Jimin are about to beg for Yoongi’s forgiveness—though Seokjin knows Yoongi wouldn’t be so cold. (Cold, like this winter they’re trying to escape; that’s what the boat is for! And Seokjin’s thrown into a loop once again!)
Wootteo or Yoongi?
The worst part is, it’s not even a question. Seokjin unlocks his phone and, with all his might, dials a number…
⚓︎
Seokjin and Yoongi’s Ferry Christmas Game Plan was this: have everything packed on the 24th and be in bed by 9pm, so they’re both ready to head to the docks before sunrise.
Instead, Yoongi comes home on Christmas Eve at around 8pm, looking like a deflated holiday ornament. What was supposed to be a 30-minute groveling session stretched out into 3 hours, and Seokjin can tell by the way he staggers into the apartment that he’s running on empty.
“You’re back,” Seokjin calls from the couch. “How’d it go?”
“Eh,” Yoongi says, flopping on the couch beside him. He didn’t have to say much for Seokjin to draw him closer, and Yoongi smushes his face into his hyung’s chest like a pillow. His voice comes out muffled when he asks, “You done packing?”
“I…um,” Seokjin hesitates, stroking Yoongi’s hair absentmindedly. “I got you something. Should we exchange gifts first?”
“Oh?” Yoongi looks up, “Didn’t you want to save the gift exchange for when we were on the boat?”
“I changed my mind,” He says, “I think we should do it now.”
“Okay then,” Yoongi sits up and stretches a little. “I got you something, too. Let me go grab it.”
They shuffle around the apartment and meet each other back in the living room carrying identical-looking envelopes.
“It’s like looking into a mirror,” Seokjin jokes, “Did we get each other the same thing?”
Yoongi smiles softly as they exchange envelopes, “Merry Christmas, hyung.”
Seokjin opens his first, and his eyes go wide as he quickly scans through the paper.
“I booked us a nice hotel,” Yoongi says nonchalantly.
“Nice?” Seokjin repeats incredulously, “Yoongi, this is a Presidential Suite in the most expensive resort on the island!”
“Yeah,” Yoongi wonders why Seokjin is so surprised; as if he’d settle on anything less when it comes to him. “Figured you’d like a nice break after 12 hours of sailing. We get a good view of the beach. Plus the private jacuzzi. And a sauna, too.”
“How much does this come out per night? Your studio—”
“It’s fine,” Yoongi says in his classic deadpan tone that never makes it clear if anything ever really is. “I talked to the kids, they agreed to pay me back for it.”
“You know they can’t,” Seokjin says.
“Installments,” Yoongi explains. “I asked Namjoon to help me draft a reasonable payment scheme. If his calculations are right, my studio will be fully functioning by…July.” He winces.
Seokjin frowns, too. “No, sooner than that.”
“I’m not an asshole, hyung,” He says lightly. “Any sooner wouldn’t be fair to them.”
“No, I mean,” Seokjin points to his envelope in Yoongi’s hands. “Open my gift.”
Yoongi almost forgets he was holding an envelope of his own. He rips it open right away, but after thumbing through a few pieces of paper, his face scrunches up in confusion. “Hyung, did you accidentally give me garbage? These are all receipts…”
“Yah, at least read them, dummy!”
He takes out the receipt one by one and is surprised to find that he actually recognizes these stores. A receipt for a Microphone Amphion One12, purchased earlier today. A FocalTwin6. CME Xkey. Xfer Serum Advanced Wavetable Synthesizer.
These are all the things he needs to replace in the studio—some of them even newer models of the ones he owned. And they’re all for delivery within the next working day, addressed to one Min Yoongi.
Yoongi looks at him in disbelief. “Hyung, what the hell? How much was your bonus?”
“I didn’t get the boat,” Seokjin says. “Your studio was more important.”
Yoongi stills for a moment, then shakes his head with a panicked look. “Don’t say that!” His hand shoots up to the hotel vouchers Seokjin is holding. "This is non-refundable!"
Seokjin panics right back, “Why did you book a non-refundable hotel?!”
“‘Cause I assumed you bought a non-refundable boat!”
“I did! So I had to beg the guy to take it back—it was so embarrassing!" Seokjin sobs.
Yoongi has the audacity to talk to him like he’s the one who made an unreasonable choice, “But you love fishing! Why would you do that?”
“I don't know, because you love music?! And—hey, don't yell at your hyung!”
Yoongi shakes his head and backtracks, “Wait. Did you seriously sell your boat for me?”
“Yes, Yoongi, I un-bought my boat for you! Don't make me say it again, it hurts too much,” Seokjin places a hand over his chest as proof of his aching, boat-less heart.
“Hyung, shit, I’m so sorry,” Yoongi starts to apologize, but Seokjin stops him right away.
“No, don’t be—I was sad for a good seven seconds, but because it’s for you, the sadness cancels out,” He says lightheartedly, “Besides, we can always book a flight to Jeju and enjoy the 5-star treatment!”
Yoongi grimaces. “The flights to Jeju are fully-booked this weekend…” He starts slowly, “The hotel offered to make special arrangements for us a week ago, and I said no thanks because we were supposed to travel privately…”
Seokjin looks at the voucher in his hands, then at Yoongi, and then the voucher again. It’s a useless piece of paper. Before he knows it, his shoulders start to shake in laughter. “Yah…Yoongi…”
Yoongi makes a noise in fake outrage, but now he’s laughing, too. “Ahh, hyung!” He falls forward unto Seokjin’s shoulder, burying his face into the crook of his hyung’s neck.
“Yoongi…what do we…what do we do?” Seokjin asks in between bouts of squeaky laughter, rubbing his boyfriend’s back.
Yoongi sighs, leaning into his touch while absorbing the absurdity of the damn holiday. “Jimin and Jungkook’s shine muscats are still in the fridge,” He confesses suddenly. “I might have accidentally forgotten to deliver them after I found out what happened to my studio.”
“Great! That’s perfect! We can work with that,” Seokjin says, putting his hands together. “I think we have some leftover meat in the freezer, too.”
They look at each other for a moment in a shared “well, what choice do we have?” kind of acceptance—that this is really what their elaborate Christmas plans have turned into.
Yoongi sighs in resignation. “Wine and a movie?”
“Yeah, you choose. I’ll get started on the meat.”
⚓︎
“Yoongi-yah, you know what the real gift was this year?” Seokjin asks later on, when they’re snuggled up together, sipping wine and snacking on shine muscats. They decided to embrace the irony and watch that one episode of Boys Over Flowers that was filmed in Jeju—just because.
“If you’re going to say the real gift is spending time with me, I’m going to slap you,” Yoongi says, though he’s basically dead weight right beside him and poses no real threat.
“Very bold. I was going to say it’s me,” Seokjin smirks, “I’m the real gift. You’re welcome.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Yoongi pretends to be annoyed about it.
“What, you’re not going to fight me about it?”
“Not this year,” Yoongi mumbles, throwing an arm over Seokjin’s waist, cuddling closer. “Quiet please, I like this part.”
He doesn’t say that Seokjin makes him feel like Christmas all year round, anyway. He doesn’t say that he thinks he’d be just as happy with him in a 5-star hotel as he is at home on their 2-star couch. And he doesn’t say that all those Christmas records are right to sing about how love feels warmer and the world feels brighter during this magical season—because, after the whirlwind of events from the boat to his studio, how is he having all these mushy, lovey dovey thoughts about Seokjin over what is essentially just another one of their Saturday move nights in?
Ugh. Anyway.
For Christmas next year, Yoongi is going to buy a boat.