The Devil's Lover

Chapter 12: The Second Date

If anyone had asked, Jayce would have lied and said that he did not spend an absurd amount of time planning his second date with Choi Seuljin. The investor deemed it was only fair that Jayce was the one to set the time and location of their date this time. 

Jayce had told Teressa and Miles about the development in his relationship with Choi Seuljin. Neither of his friends had expected it, obviously. Teressa even teased him about his no-dating-co-workers rule. Miles had been more focused on the fact that Jayce said yes to going out with the man who essentially owed half of Glorious G now. Thankfully, neither of them told Jayce off. 

But they had given Jayce a hundred reminders about what to look out for and what to expect, since Choi Seuljin was not only a wealthy investor, but also a highly sought-out bachelor. All of these were things Jayce already knew (and expected) to some degree.

Which brought him to now, three days after his phone call with Seuljin outside the cafe.

The investor hadn't shown his face in Glorious G the past few days, and Seuljin had clarified—without Jayce's asking—that he had been handling some terms with a business owner who was looking for another investor, among other things Jayce presumed kept a man like Choi Seuljin busy. 

But when Jayce texted Seuljin about his idea for their date on Friday, Seuljin had replied in less than five minutes, saying he looked forward to it. 

Howl of Laughter was a fairly new amusement park in Downtown Seattle, and many people were excited about it. Jayce had to double-check on his watch that it was already six, because even though the amusement park closed at ten, the lines to pay for the entrance fees were still ridiculously long. 

He's standing by the entrance, many families, couples, and friends groups have already passed by him. 

He was nervous. God, Jayce was nervous. The second his eyes had opened this morning, all he could think about was this date and the man he was currently waiting for. 

Jayce spotted Choi Seuljin before the investor could find him. It helped that Seuljin was six-feet tall, and that he looked incredibly dashing in his forest green sweater with black trenchcoat combo. Jayce felt his breath catch the second their eyes met across all the stray people hanging outside the amusement park.

To Jayce, Choi Seuljin was still quite unpredictable. And if they had met a year ago, Jayce was certain he would've never agreed to a first date, let alone a second. 

But when Seuljin smiled and waved timidly at him before heading in his direction, Jayce found that most of his nerves had turned into excitement. 

Seuljin stood in front of Jayce, smelling of a new cologne that reminded Jayce of the insides of designer stores. The investor's eyes softened upon a quick inspection of Jayce's face. "I didn't know you wore glasses." He tilted his head. "Or are those just part of your outfit?" 

Unconsciously, Jayce reached up to secure the wayfarer-style eyeglasses on the bridge of his nose. It might've been stupid of him not to expect that they'd be the first thing Seuljin noticed. Like any glasses wearer, he'd even forgotten that he had them on. "Yeah, I ran out of my prescription contacts this morning and my new order arrives in two days. It was either wear this during our date, or risk making a child cry by accidentally knocking into them." 

Seuljin's smile widened, leaning his head down to take a closer look. "Your glasses suit you well." He glanced down at the rest of Jayce's body. "And I'm torn again about which I like seeing more: you in your work clothes, or you in casual attire."

Jayce felt a blush creep up his neck, but brushed it off by clearing his throat, stuffing both hands into his bomber jacket. "You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Choi."

Seuljin winced playfully, sighing out his mouth. "Still? We're on a date, Jayce. Should I expect to be called that the entire evening?"

The reaction made Jayce snicker, biting his lip. To make it up to Seuljin, Jayce pulled out the entrance wristband for the amusement park from his jacket's pocket. He reached for Seuljin's left hand, tugging the ribbon material over his fingers and then securing it to his wrist.

"I planned to pay for our entrance fees since I was the one who asked you out again," Seuljin said in a tone that said he wasn't incredibly put-out by this change of plan.

Jayce was already wearing his own wristband. He had to compose himself for a couple of seconds before replying because, in the process of putting the wristband on, Choi Seuljin smoothly intertwined his hand with Jayce's. The casual way he had done so—like they'd done this a million times before—was quite unexpected. But also, not unwelcomed.

Jayce allowed it, saying to Seuljin, "Don't worry about that. A regular of mine at the club is one of the engineers who helped build this place." Jayce gestured to the entrance behind them. "He gave me the wristbands for free." 

For some reason, Jayce felt regret as soon as the words slipped out of him. 

He didn't know why, but a part of Jayce had expected Seuljin not to take kindly to being granted admission to an amusement park because Jayce had charmed one of his customers at Glorious G. 

But all Seuljin said was, "You use your networks well."

Jayce nearly gawked at him.  

Seuljin pulled them both along, oblivious to how stunned Jayce was by his simple reaction. The security guard stationed by the entrance allowed them to pass with a flash of their wristbands. 

The carnival was, as expected, packed. They had turned on all the lights on the stands and the rides as the night progressively got darker, generic carnival music blasting through the speakers accompanied by distant screams from people on the rides and laughter by children who found amusement in various games.

"I wouldn't have ever guessed that you'd pick an amusement park for our second date," Seuljin said to Jayce as the two of them took in their surroundings, walking further into the flurry of movements and sounds.

Their hands were still clasped together. Seuljin's palm was warm against Jayce's. 

"Well, truthfully, this wasn't my first choice either. But then I remembered what you said to me, about you going on many first dates–"

"I have a feeling you won't let me live that one down," Seuljin smirked, looking sideways at Jayce. 

Jayce grinned in return. "Nope," he said happily. "But, it did get me thinking. You're probably taking people to fancy places for five-star meals all the time." Seuljin hummed, neither denying nor confirming. Jayce continued, "So I thought it'd be a nice change for you to be somewhere that wasn't so stuffy. And where losing a bit of your composure is perfectly acceptable."

Seuljin stopped them both a few feet away from a food stall that had hotdogs and pizzas on their menu, plus brightly-colored lemonade.   

Jayce faced towards Seuljin to try and gauge his reaction to their date's location.

It was dizzying, the second Jayce realized that the soft look on Seuljin's face was back. It was an entirely new expression that he'd never seen on the investor's face until tonight. 

"So, what you mean to say is, you want to find out if I'm the type to scream on a rollercoaster?" His words may be teasing, but the effect is overshadowed by the lack of fire behind his voice.

Jayce shrugged innocently. "Maybe." He added more seriously, "I... also kind of wanted you to... I don't know, have some fun? Let loose? You said you've been real busy these past few days, so..."

It seemed that Jayce hadn't fully braced himself for this date. 

They hadn't even been inside the amusement park for half an hour, and already Choi Seuljin pulled him closer in order to seal his lips over Jayce's, his free hand cupping Jayce's jaw gently.

It wasn't anything more than a peck, but the way Seuljin looked at him once they pulled away triggered that fluttering feeling within Jayce's stomach again. 

"Of all the reasons I came up with for why you chose our second date to be here," Seuljin murmured. "I didn't expect the truth to be so... thoughtful."

Jayce averted his eyes, returning the distance between their bodies again as he cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very warm. "Should we go grab something to eat?"

When he returned his gaze, Seuljin had an unreadable expression. Not entirely puzzled, not entirely amused either.

"What?" Jayce asked. "Something on my face?" 

Seuljin nodded solemnly. "Yes." 

Jayce blinked. He had been joking, but the seriousness of Seuljin's tone made him touch his cheek. "Really?" 

"Uh-huh. This..." Seuljin leaned closer and pressed another kiss to Jayce's forehead this time. It made Jayce realize that their height difference provided the perfect opportunity for Seuljin to do that again—whenever he pleased.  

Jayce despised how his body reacted, despised the blush spreading to his cheeks. 

Seuljin laughed once he saw this, but didn't tease Jayce about it. "Yes, we can eat."

It was weird seeing Choi Seuljin eating a cheeseburger, even weirder to see him seated in front of Jayce at a flimsy table right next to the stall where they bought their greasy food. But Seuljin hadn't looked out of place at all, he appeared to naturally feel at ease wherever he might be. Like the time he sat with Jayce wearing a tailored suit at a Dairy Queen.

Jayce thought of asking, "I know you're from South Korea, but did you also grow up in Seoul?" 

Seuljin blinked a few times at the question, chewing his food thoroughly before he replied, "I did." He sipped on his drink, and when Jayce expected him to say more, the investor threw out his own question instead, "You told me before that you lived in Chicago?" 

Jayce was tempted to dig deeper into Seuljin's childhood, but maybe Seuljin was just a very private person and wanted to see if Jayce was worthy of knowing more personal facts about him. 

"South Side." Jayce nodded, grabbing his neon-colored drink and mixing the ice inside. "My mom, dad, and I moved there for a few years." Jayce pursed his lips together, trying to figure out how best to explain his next thoughts into a few simple words. "Our neighborhood was full of criminals, and a lot happened within my family. It wasn't a happy time." He kept his tone light, and his reference to his family vague. Jayce didn't want to get into it right now.

Choi Seuljin sensed this and didn't push him. "When did you move to Seattle?"

"As soon as I earned enough money to buy a plane ticket." Jayce was unafraid to talk with a bit of food in his mouth, so he took a bite of his own cheeseburger and wiped his lips with a napkin before continuing, "I knew my mother's sister lived in Seattle because I talked with her constantly when my mom passed away. Honestly, I could not have arrived here sooner." Jayce chuckled at the end.

But Seuljin frowned. "I'm sorry about your mother."

Jayce shook his head. "No, it's alright. It happened a long time ago."

Seuljin looked at his nearly half-eaten burger and said, "Mm. My parents died a while ago too."

Jayce offered a small, sad smile. The loss of their parents was a shared pain then. "Well. We both turned out great anyway, didn't we?" Jayce tried to lighten the conversation.

Seuljin returned the smile. "What do you get up to when you're not working?" The investor asked.

A particular group of rowdy kids ran past them, one of them nearly tripping near their table. Seuljin had seen the whole thing and jerked to the side as if he'd been about to reach out and catch the child before he fell, but the kid regained his balance and continued running further into the amusement park.

Jayce thought that whole scene was a green flag, and it made him comfortable to share more things about himself. "I catch up on sleep when I don't have shifts, or I hang out with my friends. I go where they want to go. But mostly, the days I don't work are when I try to rest my muscles."

Seuljin made a noise like he remembered something, swallowing his bite of food before he asked, "Speaking of. I've been meaning to ask how you learned to pole-dance? You're very skilled at it, and you're also just very mesmerizing to watch."

Jayce tried not to shy away from the wholehearted compliment coupled with that intense gaze.  

Again, Jayce did not get shy. Not with any of the men he found attractive, not even with any of his exes.

But with Choi Seuljin, it was a different story.

Jayce looked at his food as he replied, "The lady who sold my father discounted cigarettes in Chicago also danced at a local strip club. One day, she passed out near our front door on her way home from work. She'd always been nice to me, so I offered her some water. We sat on that curb for... I don't know how many hours. She kept describing her job, what she did, and how it was pretty easy money if you knew what you were doing."

The mention of discounted cigarettes and strangers passing out on the streets did not affect Seuljin one bit. He even gestured for Jayce to continue.

Jayce licked his lips, preventing his smile from the way Seuljin looked so invested in whatever he was saying.  

"Long story short, when I came here to live with my aunt, I knew I wouldn't be able to get a job at some regular office. I met Miles Gallant while I was trying to apply for work at a Starbucks." Jayce snorted at the memory, picking out a large slice of tomato from his burger and putting it on the packaging their food came with. "He took pity on me after seeing how I was rejected by that Starbucks manager right there, behind the counter. Miles offered to buy me a coffee, then we got to talking. He mentioned that his family owned Glorious G. I think he was joking at first when he suggested I go over and apply for the position of male stripper, but I took the suggestion seriously. I paid for classes on pole-dancing after I was hired by the Gallants, then worked on my dances ever since." 

Seuljin pushed the small order of fries towards Jayce. "And... do you think it all worked out for the best?"

Jayce heard the unspoken question: are you happy with your job?

"There's moments where it sucks to do what I do, and I won't lie and say I haven't thought about quitting before," Jayce answered honestly, hoping it'd inspire Seuljin to trust him with some of his own truths later if their date went well. "But I'm good at what I do. I also enjoy performing those stages you like so much." Jayce smirked. He reached out for a fry, popping it into his mouth. "Not to mention, the pay's definitely worth it." 

Seuljin gave Jayce another unreadable look. "You make me quite jealous, you know."

Jayce felt himself frown. "You want to be a stripper too?" He knew it wasn't that, but he at least wanted to make Seuljin laugh.

He succeeded. "I'm afraid I don't have the flexibility for it," Seuljin said.

Jayce wanted to say that Seuljin didn't need much flexibility, looking the way he did guaranteed plenty of eager customers just wanting a chance to get closer to his (almost) naked body. 

But Jayce held his tongue, inclining his head in question.

"You seem very happy with what you're doing. With my work, I haven't felt the same enthusiasm for it in a long time," Seuljin explained, taking a napkin. 

Instead of using it on himself, Seuljin reached over the small table in order to delicately wipe at Jayce's mouth. 

Jayce froze. 

Seuljin continued speaking and wiping like he didn't realize this. "We spoke about my predicament before, I remember. And you gave me tremendous advice with that 7-11 analogy." Seuljin crumpled the napkin and tossed it with the small pile of trash on their table, his eyes downcast. "But... I think you'd understand how it's too hard for me to simply quit doing what I'm good at."

Jayce had to take a deep breath after that sweet, seemingly unconscious gesture, in order to get in the right mindset for their current topic.

He understood, of course. Fear and unwillingness to leave the things that granted comfort and familiarity were hard to overcome, even when the person was no longer happy.

Jayce had learned that the hard way with his last relationship.  

For the first time since they met, Jayce felt sorry for Seuljin. Enough so that he reached over the table and squeezed Seuljin's hand. 

Seuljin blinked at the touch, and when he looked up, Jayce said, "I hope you find peace with what's troubling you about your work. And if one day you find it in yourself to change everything you've grown used to," Jayce shrugged. "At least you know you've got one person rooting for you."

It took a long pause before Seuljin could answer Jayce.

"You're really something,," Seuljin mumbled, but it's not in mockery. He sounded like he was in a soft state of awe. "It's a different feeling hearing those words come from you."

Jayce grinned, attempting to bring some lightheartedness back even as he retracted his hand from Seuljin's. "And why's that?"

"Your eyes, I think," Seuljin said, still not speaking in his normal voice, as if he was admitting these things without any forethought. "You said you're good at flirting with your customers, because you are good at exuding whatever expression you want them to see. And yet, I'd like to think that ever since that night we ate ice cream while it snowed outside that Dairy Queen, the expressions you wear—and the looks you get in your eyes—were all genuine and different from when you actively try to charm your clients."

One-third of Jayce's burger was completely forgotten at this point.

Jayce dared to ask, "And is that... important? Me being completely genuine with you?"

Seuljin took his sweet time answering that one. 

"It is. I think I don't just find you merely intriguing anymore," Seuljin confessed. "I think I genuinely like spending time with you. Whatever the context of our interactions may be."

Jayce was f****d. 

Not because he felt the opposite of what Seuljin was saying, but because he felt exactly the same way as Seuljin did.

And he hadn't thought it was possible to feel so connected to a person without spending that much time with them, and without knowing much about their personal life. It didn't feel like infatuation; it was a completely different feeling he had when he agreed to be in his past two relationships, wherein his emotions ran high and he was blinded by the possibility of true love. 

Jayce felt... safe. Seen. 

He had believed this was just a thing people wrote about in romantic novels, that it was nearly as impossible as love at first sight.

But Jayce was f****d—because he was certain that whether their date worked out or not, he'd seek Seuljin's presence. Even if they were solely friends. 

And Jayce didn't like the feeling of wanting to be in someone's presence; someone he barely knew.

Although at this point, the thought of being only friends with Choi Seuljin was looking less and less appealing. 

-----

The joy of the amusement park was contagious, and Jayce felt giddy, like those kids they saw earlier.

There were games of all kinds, some relying on chance, such as fishing toy ducks out of a moving circular pond, and there were games that required skills like Ring the Bell. 

Seuljin was holding Jayce's hand again as they walked.

Jayce stopped them at a shooting game, the colorful moving cut-outs in a 2D forest and the playful music attracting him. He tilted his head, watching as some people aimed their fake shotguns at the drawings of cartoon animals. 

"You think it's rigged?" He asked.

Seuljin hummed. "We can go over and figure it out?"

Jayce looked at the hanging toys being used as bait to lure in more customers, then nodded, tugging Seuljin along.

Once he was close enough, Jayce took the fake shotgun, surprised that it had some weight to it. He slid the stated price on the sign for one turn, and asked the man behind the counter, "What will it take to win that one?" He pointed at a very round and plump, cartoonish blue whale plushy on display. 

"You've got five shots in your gun." The man gestured to the moving animal cut-outs. "Knock over any three, and the plushy's yours."

Seuljin's tall presence provided a wall of warmth behind Jayce. He heard Seuljin ask, "Isn't your vision going to be a bit of a disadvantage for this game, Jayce?" 

Jayce liked the sound of his name coming from Seuljin's mouth. 

The mention of his glasses made him slide them into place, holding the shotgun properly as if it were real. Jayce aimed at a monkey cut-out at the highest tier. 

"Nope," he replied cheerfully to Seuljin. A beat later, he pulled the metal trigger, sending a pellet flying.

The moving cut-out was shot down, accompanied by recorded monkey sounds playing in the background. 

With ease, he shot down the cut-out of a pig and a tiger next.

Jayce hadn't even needed his last two pellets. 

The man in charge of the game was stunned, but he blinked out of surprise and used a long pole to take the plushy Jayce had pointed out earlier out of display, handing it over with a, "Congratulations!" 

Jayce, feeling ecstatic at being handed his soft prize, turned around with a broad grin and barely contained energy. "Hey, good news. It's not rigged!"

He took great pleasure in seeing Seuljin's agape expression, the investor's brows nearly to his hairline.

Once Choi Seuljin composed himself, he leaned closer as if assessing Jayce with brand new eyes, suspicion in his voice, "I'm sorry, but should I be scared of you, Jayce Terrell?" He's grinning though, nearly as big as Jayce. 

"That's up to your judgment," Jayce shrugged, examining the plushy. 

The whale was winking, with a kissy-face blowing out a cute pink heart. The water coming out from the hole on its head was also stuffed and looked like two stubby antennas. 

He extended the plushy towards Seuljin.

Seuljin stared at it with the corner of his lips upturned. "I can't believe you managed to win in one try."

Jayce rolled his eyes when his date made no move to take the plushy. He grabbed ahold of Seuljin's wrist and pressed the cartoony whale against the man's chest, pulling Seuljin's arm across the plushy's body.

When Seuljin remained confused, Jayce said, "I'm giving it to you."

They're now stood a couple feet away from the shooting game. Even with only the lights from the stall, Jayce could see clearly the way Seuljin's entire face flushed with a light pink hue. 

Jayce burst out laughing again.

"O-Oh my God," Jayce gasped out as he clutched at his stomach. "I didn't expect you to react this way. Oh dear Lord, your face." 

Seuljin bit his lip as he tried not to meet Jayce's gaze, his eyes on the plushy. He regarded the prize like it was a foreign object, and he made no move to hold it properly, just squishing it against his chest. 

Jayce straightened his posture and pressed a hand to his mouth. He took out his phone before he could think better of it, and quickly snapped a picture of Choi Seuljin looking absolutely clueless at the face of a plushy. 

Jayce looked at the photo afterwards. "Aw, you look just as cute as the whale." He glanced back upwards. "I'd say this is the first time you ever held a plushy in your life."

Slowly recovering, Seuljin used both hands to examine the blue whale with a body shape close to that of a fluffy pancake. He turned it around in his hands as if it was fragile, and Jayce had to press his lips together to contain another round of laughter. 

"It's certainly the first time I've ever been gifted one," Seuljin said.

Jayce wondered what other people who happened to glance at them would think about a six-foot-something grown man holding a blue whale plushy with a light dusting of pink on his face. It made Jayce snicker, and there was something like affection in his voice when he told Seuljin, "I'm glad I'm the first to see you like this then."