Work Text:
On a hectic day on set, with the boys simply not behaving and him trying not to tear his hair off, Seong is observing them and Huntr/x interact during filming. This whole thing, them even being on the same stage, was made possible by one crazy, extremely energetic, and stubborn man named Bobby.
Yes, Bobby, Huntr/x's manager. The lovable goof Seong has taken... interest in as of late, for strategical purposes. Yes, strategical.
The man is a fountain of knowledge regarding the hunters the demon king, Gwi-ma, is after. Of course, he's also a source of entertainment in this bleak, colorless human world. Certainly, after hundreds of years, hungry for souls and being bored to death by the overwhelming silence of the demon world, Seong will take anything. Anything.
At least, that is what he tells himself. Obviously, this isn't the whole truth, but he refuses to acknowledge anything beyond a mere way to cure boredom.
He stares at the man as he dances along to the girls' choreography, chuckling now and then to the small faces the other makes as he concentrates.
"How amusing", he thinks. "He even learned their godforsaken dance." His eyes crinkle in a smile without his approval, as he stares down at the small man beside him.
Despite the obvious...hatred? Tension. Between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys, Bobby seems hyped, hugging the three girls, and giving them snacks and water. He even fistbumps his own rowdy bunch of boys, who reciprocate, just as confused as Seong is at the gesture.
This certainly wasn't something Seong had ever seen during his time as a general.
Back to the man himself, he realizes with a slight terror to his thoughts, that he was left alone with Bobby, and a few crew members in the very back.
Bobby approaches him, timid. He doesn't quite look up, seemingly distracted by Seong's outift? What's wrong with it? Jinu had said it would be a "hit" with Bobby. Whatever that had meant. Where did he even learn this stuff?
Sure, his abdomen is slightly exposed, given the revealing top he was pushed into by Abby, but he can't see why.
It was normal for men to fight without shirts before, when desperate in war. What has changed?
Does he look bad?
Is it disrespectful now? Perhaps showing one's softer, more vital parts of the body is considered a proposal to fight?
He's popped out of his thoughts by Bobby finally looking him in the eyes. His eyes glimmer as the light from the stage lights hit them. Beautiful pink, then gold and so on reflects in them.
He shakes his head, only by a fraction, almost unnoticeable by any.
"Yes?" he speaks up.
"So..uh..Seong! Hello! Great work today, you and your boys! Hopefully this collaboration will bring our kids together and make them be less, uhm... tense around each other? I mean, not that's it's necessary, but you're very nice to talk to and I want the girls to have more friends in the industry, given the toxicity, but it's fine if it doesn't happen, and I guess...what was I saying?" he finishes with a small, nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.
Seong blinks a total of 6 times, all rapid movements as he stares at the man in front of him.
"Indeed. I'd also appreciate them bickering less. Hopefully this collaboration will bring more fans for both teams. Thank you,Bobby, for reaching out." he says, respectfully as he nods slowly. Hopefully, this is enough to dispell any bad air between them, after he naïvely trusted in the Saja Boys. How could he blatantly ask the people around him to a duel like this?
How shameful.
Bobby seems to go a couple of shades redder in the face. Is he angry? Perhaps that wasn't the way to go about this. Should he simply feign being from a different country prior to coming to Korea and ask directly or should he continue to...as Jinu put it, "fuck up" his bond with the man?
He places what he thinks is a calming hand on the other's shoulder. "Are you alright? You are quite red. Do you need to drink something? I can pay for it, my treat." Hopefully the last line was right. Jinu had said he should say so, ask to go drink something, pay for it himself. Say specifically "my treat" at the end. Odd, but he hasn't much else to go off of, despite the way he has already messed up.
Bobby seems to go even redder.
Oh,dear. What now? He must be blowing with anger.
That's when Bobby hugs him. "Of course! Why didn't you say so?!" the other says hurriedly. "Let me get my things and let the girls know, okay?
Befuddled, but pleasantly surprised, Seong nods waving as the man retreats to do as he had said.
He returns a minute or so later, a small smile on his face. Seong leads him to his own car( which he only recently learned to drive), even opening the door for the other to get in, as Romance had instructed. Bobby seems to like it, given the small, almost soundless, giggle he makes. "Adorable", his thoughts betray him. Enemies shouldn't be adorable.
Nonetheless, Bobby gives him directions, they end up in a place that sells something called "Boba Tea". What is "boba", and how is its' tea made? Moreover, where does it originate, why can he only see small, round balls in the other people's drinks?
He and the bubbly man end up at the counter and order ,as Bobby had put it, two simple fruit teas, with those little balls at the bottom of the cup.
He had let Bobby know he'd never tried the drink before, so the man had picked for him. It smelled nice, at the very least.
As Bobby had instructed, he had poked the flimsy, plastic lid with the sharp end of the "straw" and drank. Or, tried to, before those nonsensical "tapioca pearls" —as Bobby had called them in his short explanation — tried to choke him.
Seong is certain, Bobby is trying to subtly kill him after the disrespectful display of his abdomen.
That is what he thinks, until said man pats his back to help him out. "Not used to it at all, huh? Sorry, probably should've brought you to a café better, huh? Seeing as how you'd said-" he is stopped by Seong's palm placed in front of his face. "Sorry."
Seong coughs, shaking his head. "No, I'm sorry, you did explain and I sort of ignored how you'd said that it is a small chocking hazard. My apologies."
Bobby smiles. Seong smiles, though a smaller smile, back.
That's how, though Seong thinks they'd started off bad, they end up talking for hours and hours there.
Bonus:
Rumi gets shoved by Mira, who is trying to see better. "Ugh, Mira!-"
"Sorry Rumi, but that demon is near Bobby and I swear, if he touches even a strand of his hair wrong I will strangle him here in public-" she gets stopped by the sight of Bobby laughing, smiling. He's happy. Oh God, what have they done, agreeing to the collab?
Zoey squeals " That's so cute! Look how happy Bobby is!" she stops in her tracks, then, too, realising the problem. "Wait..oh,no!..." she says whispering, voice full of sorrow.
"Yeah." says Rumi, dejected.