The only reason Yoo Joonghyuk had called Kim Dokja was because the man sent him a text saying that he wouldn't be able to meet him that Sunday.
Yoo Joonghyuk had been looking forward to it. It was relaxing, spending time with Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk always waited the whole week for his Kim Dokja therapy as Uriel called it.
He had to go through a few hectic days of meetings and now Kim Dokja was saying he wouldn't be able to show up? He wanted to at least hear the explanation from the man himself.
"Give me the keys," he said and Uriel gave him an unimpressed look.
"Why?" she said.
"Give them to me."
"Fine," Uriel flung them at his face with the intent to harm, Yoo Joonghyuk was used to this and caught it easily.
He walked around the car and got into the driver's seat instead of the passenger's as he had originally planned.
"Keep quiet. That's an order. Is that clear?" he warned Uriel. He didn't want her snatching away Kim Dokja like she always did this time.
"Yes, sir," Uriel huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
Yoo Joonghyuk let his secretary fume in silence and strapped on his seatbelt, started the engine, put on his earphones and called Kim Dokja.
"Hello," Kim Dokja's pleasant voice said in his ears.
"Hello, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Joonghyuk said. Uriel perked up but she remembered Yoo Joonghyuk's command and clenched her jaw, glaring ahead.
Yoo Joonghyuk was about to ask Kim Dokja why he couldn't make it tomorrow when he remembered Kim Dokja scolding the other stupid Yoo Joonghyuk about having no manners when he called someone.
"How are you?" he said instead. He wasn't that idiot, he had manners and he was polite.
"I'm great. How are you doing?" Kim Dokja replied.
"A little tired from work, but otherwise alright," Yoo Joonghyuk wondered if it was too much honesty. Uriel's condescending smirk told him it was, but he didn't want to lie to Kim Dokja and give him empty words of courtesy. He really did want to know how Kim Dokja was doing.
"I feel you," Kim Dokja's voice distracted him from glaring daggers at Uriel. "We can run if Uriel Noona's coming at you with a knife again."
"I wish, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't help but sigh. "I truly wish I could run."
Kim Dokja didn't say anything but Yoo Joonghyuk could imagine the expression the man would have on his face at the moment. A little pained smile with a compassionate look in his eyes.
"I just saw your text and I would have texted you back, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Joonghyuk continued. "But I'm driving at the moment, is it alright to talk?
"Oh, yeah, that's totally fine. It wasn't anything important anyway. You didn't have to call, Joonghyuk-ssi."
"I still wanted to let you know. It's alright, you don't have to feel bad or apologize too much, Dokja-ssi."
"Ah, did the text I sent you have one too many sorries?" Kim Dokja said. "Usually I just send stickers, but I tried substituting them with words this time. Was it weird?"
"Not weird, no. You just sounded really apologetic," Yoo Joonghyuk said, trying to recollect exactly what Kim Dokja had written in the text. His mind was more focused on the fact that he wouldn't be coming tomorrow.
"Not to say I wasn't apologetic, but I wasn't grovelling exactly."
"It isn't that important either, you don't have to be grovelling," Yoo Joonghyuk said. He didn't want Kim Dokja to feel pressured to meet him every time. He can cancel anytime he wants.
"Of course it's important. I enjoy coming over."
That's good.
"I enjoy you coming over as well, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Joonghyuk said and Uriel gave him a patronizing look from the passenger's seat.
"Is there a reason you can't make it tomorrow?" Yoo Joonghyuk got to the topic he wanted to talk about.
"About that, you see, my plan was I'd finish up some work today and come over as planned tomorrow, but my friends came up with an impromptu outing so we're at the aquarium now," Kim Dokja said.
Okay...And how did that matter?
"And they'd even arranged a blind date for me. I'll have to catch up on work tomorrow and I might not be able to make it."
Yoo Joonghyuk's grip on the steering wheel tightened. What?
It surely wouldn't take too long to see an aquarium. But a blind date was a different matter.
"A blind date?" Yoo Joonghyuk found his voice.
"My friends insisted. But...oh, well, you know."
Right. Kim Dokja's secret pining after that dumb cousin of his. What did he even see in that useless guy?
". . .Of course. You can't make it tomorrow because you are going on a date today," Yoo Joonghyuk said, hoping he hadn't come off too rough, but Uriel's dramatic eye roll told him he had failed.
"No? Because I have work to catch up on. I'll be spending today with my friends, the date's already tanked."
The annoying rumble in the pit of his stomach stopped abruptly. The date's ruined already?
". . .Really?"
"Quick, wasn't it?" Kim Dokja said and he could hear the man's smile through his voice. "I thought it was funny too. It was actually the shortest date I've ever had. It was an interesting experience."
"I see," Yoo Joonghyuk said, catching himself a little too late. He thought he sounded pleased.
Why was he pleased?
"Are you going to start dating someone to distract yourself again?" he asked.
"No, that sounds like a bother," Kim Dokja told him. "I don't think I need that anymore. Besides, I was planning on using work as an excuse. That works just fine, doesn't it?"
Yoo Joonghyuk felt his frown relax and a smirk tug at his lips. Of course, work should be enough distraction.
"Yes, it does."
That brought another issue to light.
"That reminds me, work? During the weekend, Dokja-ssi?"
"Ah, yes, something came up."
"Something?"
"Mm-hmm."
Something? What was that supposed to mean? Were things actually worse than Yoo Joonghyuk had thought they were? Was Kim Dokja being forced to work overtime because the rest of his team was ganging up on him?
"Why do you have work on a weekend?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked. "I don't think anything important is happening that you'd have to work during the weekends. And from home? For unpaid hours? Dokja-ssi, are you trying to make me out to be incompetent?"
"Where on earth did you even think that up from? I already told you, I have things to handle," said Kim Dokja.
"Things I don't know about?"
"Things I haven't told you about because it's pointless, really. It's about Deputy Department Head Jang. Got to get that jerk, haven't I?"
What did that have to do with working the weekends? And what was he even trying to do?
"What are you even planning to do that you'd be working the weekends?"
"It's a secret," Kim Dokja said and Yoo Joonghyuk could imagine that shit-eating smirk on his face. He felt his mouth twitch again, in annoyance or amusement, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was both.
"Seriously?"
"I'm sorry about tomorrow, Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja said softly and Yoo Joonghyuk was reminded of their original reason for the call.
"You don't have to apologize, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Joonghyuk sighed. "That's the other thing I wanted to let you know, it's alright if you can't make it tomorrow. I can just take the day to rest."
"Right, that sounds like a good idea. . .You're driving today, though? What happened to Mr Kang?"
"He's back in the country. I had to step out for a bit and took the car myself," Yoo Joonghyuk answered. There really was no need to tell Kim Dokja about the atrociously boring meeting he had to sit through earlier that day.
"Back in the country? Are you not in Seoul right now?"
"No, I'm in San Fransico right now. There was a meeting I had to attend."
Kim Dokja's response was a second later than what could be considered normal.
"Is that so? When did you leave?"
"Last Thursday."
"Hang on," Kim Dokja said slowly, a few seconds later. "Why did you say it's fine to meet tomorrow if you're not in the country right now?"
"I'll be back in the country by tomorrow morning. It does nothing to interfere with our plans."
"Tomorrow morning, you say. When exactly, may I know?"
"Around eleven in the morning."
Kim Dokja took a while to answer again and his silence was strange.
. . .Was he mad? Why? What reason did he have to be mad for?
"I say this with no intention to offend you," Kim Dokja said and Yoo Joonghyuk paid attention to his voice. "But Joonghyuk-ssi, are you out of your mind?"
"...Pardon?"
He was definitely mad.
"Joonghyuk-ssi, if you're landing at eleven tomorrow, are you not going to rest? We could have always met up some other time."
Oh, so that was the issue.
"It wouldn't have mattered," Yoo Joonghyuk assured him. "I would have gotten sufficient rest."
It was a twelve-hour flight, he could catch up on some sleep then. And it wasn't like they were planning on drinking either, since they had work the next morning, so it was fine.
"Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja sounded even more pissed than he had been a moment ago.
Why? He had clearly reassured him, hadn't he?
"If you're landing at eleven tomorrow, say you reach home by what? Noon? And the first thing you're going to do is prepare food?"
"It doesn't take that long to cook, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the road ahead.
"Don't even start," Kim Dokja snapped. "Do you think I don't know how long it takes to make shrimp tempura? Even if you were the greatest genius in this world, Joonghyuk-ssi, there's a human limit to how fast you could possibly finish all the cooking that you do."
How did he know that he was planning on making shrimp tempura tomorrow? Did he tell him that accidentally?
"How do you know that?" Yoo Joonghyuk said.
"What?"
"How do you know I was going to make shrimp tempura?"
". . .Are you serious?" Kim Dokja said, more surprised than exasperated. "You've been making it every time since I told you I liked it!"
Ah, had he? He didn't realise.