Welcome Back

The guy who hired Hyunwoo was a well-known political candidate and after the sudden surge of some controversy in which the blame was pinned onto him, there were a lot of people out to get him, competitors and even some past allies. In that sense, it would be understandable for him to up security for his own safety so imagine Hyunwoo's surprise when he found out he wasn't acting as his bodyguard, but his son's. 

The man who met him at the airport introduced himself as Allen and also the son's assistant on their way to a hotel. The closer they got to their destination however, the more surprised Hyunwoo became because of how grand it looked. 

"If he wants to stay out of attention, shouldn't he stay in a less extravagant place?" 

"You would think, wouldn't you... But the young master isn't, as he said in his own words, the type to hide." The assistant trailed off, it was clear he thought it was stupid but he was in a powerless position. "Oh and," an awkward expression appeared on his face as he parked the car, "I apologize in advance for his behaviour..."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't exact want... a bodyguard."

They quickly got to the hotel room soon after that, and although Hyunwoo wanted to ask what he meant, he wasn't exactly in the mood to chat. Besides, he would find out soon enough. The assistant went in first as Hyunwoo waited outside. After a few minutes, the door opened again and he was told to come in.

The moment he stepped foot into the room, a dart came flying towards him. Hyunwoo caught it and locked eyes with a guy sat crossed-legged on a table on the opposite end of the room. The guy still had pyjamas on and his hair was slightly scruffy but he looked wide awake. He clicked his tongue as if disappointed by Hyunwoo's reflex then hopped off and strolled to the bedroom.

A few seconds later, he shouted something in an impatient tone. Hyunwoo turned to Allen who was pointing at the dart and handed it to him. He quickly went to return it and continued talking with the guy for a while then peeked his head out. 

"You can rest for a bit. Rafael said he's going to take a nap."

Contrast to the assistant's gentle tone, his boss seemed to be less than pleased as he shouted again. 

"What did he say?" Hyunwoo asked.

"Ah, he said not to tell you his name."

Hyunwoo looked around the room for a bit before sitting down and suddenly perked up as his phone rang. He quickly answered it with a big smile on his face, "did you miss me already?"

"..." The other line remained silent.

"Seojun?"

"... Yeah?"

"Why did you call?"

"I don't know." Seojun muttered. "I just.."

Hyunwoo chuckled as he stopped talking. "It's late, go to sleep."

It didn't look like Seojun appreciated the idea as he didn't reply again.

"Unless you want to talk for a bit."

"Mm."

Even though Seojun hadn't answered Hyunwoo's question earlier, it seemed as though he really did miss him. Sometimes he would stop halfway through his sentence until Hyunwoo spoke again as if he wanted to hear his voice. They stayed on call until Rafael woke up and even as he got ready to go out.

Hyunwoo and Allen accompanied him to a nearby shopping mall where he spent the rest of the day strolling around without buying much. There was a point where a mannequin caught his attention and Hyunwoo became a doll under the excuse he had a similar build to Rafael's friend. 

"You must think this is boring, right? Sometimes I feel like I'm being paid to be a full time babysitter." Allen said as Rafael started to wonder around the clothing store.

"No, I get it. I know someone whose just like him." 

"Really?"

"Yeah.. and she's my boss too.."

They both shared a knowing glance and sighed. 

The rest of the week was equally as uneventful so when the final day had come, Hyunwoo was ready to be done with the mission. He didn't mind the boredom but for some reason he felt some kind of impatience to go home. He knocked on the hotel door and waited a few seconds before letting himself in and was surprised to find Rafael had already gotten up. Like the first day, he was sat on the counter-top, waiting for Hyunwoo, except today, he didn't have his dart in hand. 

Hyunwoo walked over as he held up his phone in an attempt to show him something. Without Allen there, this was the only way they could communicate. The screen displayed the route to a coffee shop, walking distance from the hotel. Hyunwoo gave him an acknowledging nod and pulled out his phone, wanting him to type the location in. Rafael simply stared at him then shook his head. He grabbed a coat and headed out of the room as Hyunwoo followed behind. 

"He's coming too?" Hyunwoo muttered.

Rafael turned to him with a confused face then rolled his eyes as if he didn't want him to talk. The walk there took less than ten minutes and Hyunwoo only realised when they got there, he had came along today because Allen was waiting for them. He drove them back and started to unload the car filled with things Rafael had ordered at the start of the week. 

Hyunwoo stood by the side as Rafael answered a call and got increasingly annoyed at the caller. He looked around them idly then suddenly straightened up as his eyes caught the silhouette of someone on a rooftop. The flow of red entered his eyes as he activated capillary perception to confirm their location and quickly moved in position to block their line of aim. Hyunwoo ushered Rafael inside without much effort as he didn't seem to make a scene whilst on the phone though it seemed like the caller's response to the situation was nowhere near as calm as the two of them.

"You can't leave! My son had a sniper sent after him so you need to stay! I hired you people to keep him safe not run when there's danger!"

Hyunwoo sighed, "sir--"

"Mister Klein," Haneul interrupted, her voice coming from the laptop on the man's desk. "I believe we made our terms clear when you sent in the commission. If you want to extend the contract, that is something we can discuss but I would appreciate it if you can keep some level of professionalism and refrain from yelling at my people."

The man hurriedly nodded with an irritated look.

"Hyunwoo, wait outside."

Hyunwoo did as he was told and was more than happy to leave the room. Haneul during a negotiation of any sort was not something he wanted to witness. It only took a few minutes until Haneul sent a message that he was free to go. Instead of heading straight to the airport however, Hyunwoo stopped by an antique store.

He decided to call Seojun again before getting on the plane; throughout the week, they'd call once a day when Seojun woke up which meant it was always during the middle of the night for Hyunwoo. Since it was now afternoon, he didn't have much hope Seojun would pick up so when the call went to voicemail, Hyunwoo brushed it off and boarded the plane. 

By the time he got to the hospital, it was a little past midnight so getting past the visiting hours restriction was tricky.

The receptionist muttered a 'hello' with a yawn as Hyunwoo approached the desk and had begun to recite the restrictions without even looking at him. He waited for her to finish then smiled. 

"Auntie, it's me."

The woman looked up and gasped, she quickly stood up and looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh my goodness, Hyunwoo. You're back? Are you here to see your mum?"

Hyunwoo blinked, "mum? Is she... here?"

"Ah, no sorry, I misspoke. She came in for a check-up a few days ago, that's all. I'm so tired I can't even remember anything." She suddenly squeezed his shoulders. With a hearty laugh, she looked at him again but this time her gaze grew pitiful. "Ay, you've grown so much. Who are you here to see? Auntie will make an exception."

Hyunwoo slowly opened the door to Seojun's room and tiptoed in. His carefulness was all in vain however as the bed was empty. At first he thought maybe he was so tired he was hallucinating but after turning the space upside down, he began to get anxious.

"Where could he have gone this late... Come on, pick up.." Despite his desperation, all the calls went to voicemail and the clock had now hit one am.

His phone suddenly vibrated. Hyunwoo let out a sigh of relief as Mii's message confirmed Seojun's phone was still at the hospital. Knowing he couldn't check the other rooms, Hyunwoo headed outside and the first place that came to mind seemed to have been a common thought for them both.

Seeing a figure under the gazebo, his heart finally calmed down. He exhaled deeply as he stepped onto the wooden flooring. 

"I need to keep a leash on you with how often you keep disappearing."

Seojun's hands that were fiddling with the plushie's suddenly stopped, he looked up at Hyunwoo as a gust of wind hit them, a small smile appeared on his face as he spoke, "... You came back."

"Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"Huh? Oh," he looked down at his phone. "My phone died earlier."

"Then you should've stayed inside. It's late."

"I was waiting for you."

"You seriously..." Hyunwoo sighed, "give me your hand."

Seojun held out his hand as he reached for something in his pocket. Hyunwoo placed a vintage looking heart-shaped lighter in his palm as his thumb brushed the scar. 

"What… Why are you giving me a lighter?"

"I'm quitting."

There was a moment of silence as Seojun was lost in disbelief. He looked at the lighter then at Hyunwoo and let out a small sigh mixed with a sarcastic laugh. "You expect me to believe that? It's not that easy.."

"I know, but if it's you..."

Seojun pressed his lips together. He stared at the part of the lighter that was reflecting the moonlight and suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotions. "Hyunwoo." He spoke quietly, almost in a whisper. "What do you classify as love?"

Hyunwoo chuckled at the sudden question. All the anxiety he felt dissipated as he looked into Seojun's eyes and his brows relaxed, "hmm... Acts of service?"

"Not spending time with them?"

"Well, I guess that too."

Kang Seojun took a deep breath, "do you love me?"

"Yeah, I love you."

Then let me be selfish, even if it's just for a bit.

"Then why did you leave?"

"Huh?"

"That mission, you could've said no. Why didn't you?"

"That's because…" Hyunwoo paused. He didn't have an answer. He didn't have an answer because he couldn't understand why he didn't either. At that moment, he could only try to avoid answering like a habit. "What.. Were you scared I wasn't going to come back?" Hyunwoo asked half-jokingly. The small forced smile on his face faded as quickly as it appeared as Seojun looked at him with an expression hurtful to them both. Tears suddenly started to fall from his eyes as he hung his head low. His hands squeezed the lighter and plushie as hiccups mixed in with the quiet sobs escaping from his mouth. 

"Seojun."

"..."

"Look at me."

He shook his head, "I don't want to."

"Kang Seojun."

It took a while for Seojun to compose himself and catch his breath. He lifted his head and through the tears was a pained look on Hyunwoo's face like his heart was being torn apart. Hyunwoo reached his hand out and cupped Seojun's face, his fingers trembling. As a drop of tear fell onto his hand, something in him snapped. 

Seojun's eyes widened as Hyunwoo pressed their lips together, aggressive yet tenderly like he was trying to control his impatience. He felt all the strength in his body melt away with each passing moment as his warmth embraced him.

"Mm.."

Seojun winced as a teardrop fell between their mouths. Hyunwoo quickly licked it up before pulling him closer. It was only when he felt a light tap on his shoulder followed by a desperate moan from a breathless Seojun did he pull away.

Seojun wrapped his arms around him and chuckled as Hyunwoo pecked him again. He blocked Hyunwoo's mouth with the plushie to stop him from kissing all over and smiled. "I missed you. Welcome back, Hyunwoo."

Hyunwoo stared at him then grinned. "Mm. I'm back."