“—due to technical issues with the plane, the flight will be postponed. But I'm confident it won't take too long, and I'll be back in Seoul in two days. How is Jongin? ”

Sehun peered through his lashes at Jongin's sleeping figure on the bed opposite from him. Even though it's past midnight, he's still awake, attempting to finish reviewing the important documents that the resort's managing director handed him a couple of hours ago. Hyejin was on the other line, wide awake since the sun was high in Florida at this time.

“Sleeping,” was Sehun’s monotonous answer as he flipped through several pages more, marking them with his signature. Hyejin hummed on the receiver.

“I take it you’ve already received the rings I sent you?”

Sehun let out an exasperated sigh. “I got it yesterday.”

“Make sure you wear it,” Hyejin said, a hint of warning lacing her voice, though Sehun seemed unconcerned. “It’s already late. You should call it a day, dear.”

Sehun looked down at the several paperwork that had yet to receive his stamp of approval. His eyes were heavy with fatigue, and he was tempted to sink into the luxury of his queen-sized bed, but he resisted. He hung up after bidding goodbye to his grandmother with a quiet sigh. His energy was fully depleted as a result of today's events. He hadn't felt this exhausted since forever.

ehun's gaze swept over the room before returning to Jongin's motionless body. The other had already gone to sleep by the time he reached their room earlier after dealing with some intoxicated customer demanding a stupid refund because he caught his wife cheating on him by one of the pools.

From Sehun's vantage point, Jongin seemed so fragile. Under the warm shade of the night lamp, the silver band on his ring finger shone. Sehun looked at his own bare hand, then at the navy blue velvet box that sat idle in the middle of the table where the other ring was, just waiting to be worn.

Too bad though, because Sehun wouldn’t. He had yet to take this engagement seriously, and he would never do so. Nothing his grandmother did could ever change what he felt about this whole ordeal. Jongin might be wearing the blasted thing, but it didn’t mean he had, too.

Just staring at the paperwork scattered across his desk was giving him migraine, so he got up and decided to call it a day. He took the bathrobe that hung beside the open wardrobe and stepped into the bathroom, stripping off his clothing and taking a hot shower to calm his nerves.

He spent half an hour inside trying to figure out what he should do tomorrow, yet his thoughts were digressing to just the most random of things. When he was done and all dressed up, he passed by Jongin’s bed, only to stop once he caught sight of the younger’s arm. Although faint, he could still distinguish the red marks splayed on Jongin’s skin. Sehun bent a little for a closer inspection.

Images of Jongin struggling and crying today flooded Sehun's mind. Although the marks appeared to be painful, they did not appear to leave severe bruises over time. Even yet, looking at it was a little...unsettling. Sehun couldn’t articulate what he felt, observing Jongin now and how frail he looked.

That little fiasco earlier about Jongin being accused of theft simply annoyed him. Yes, he despised Jongin, but unlike what happened earlier, he wouldn't actually lay a hand on him and harm him simply because he considered the kid a nuisance in his life. It disturbed him to see a grown-up man, his employee nonetheless, manhandle Jongin like that. Not just because they hurt somebody, but also because they were not professionally addressing the matter as they should have been. This gave the impression that their personnel were under-trained. He didn't even have to guess what the customers' reviews would be after watching today's happenings. This trip gave him nothing but headaches on top of even more headaches.

Sehun’s train of thoughts derailed at the three beeps breaking the silence of the room. It was already twelve, signaling the end of the day.

Means this kid’s birthday is over. Sehun sighed again, inwardly punching himself. He'd been more than a saint to Jongin today, so there was no reason to be so concerned about the markings on his arm. It wasn't like it's his problem; he had nothing to do with the boy. He'll survive.

Sehun trudged away from the foot of Jongin’s bed without so much as another glance, settling on the soft bed sheets. Sleep seized his senses more quickly than he had anticipated.

-

-

The resort was alive and already bustling with tourists and staff alike even though it was just half past seven o'clock in the morning. Jongin stood on the terrace of his and Sehun’s room, enjoying the early rays of daybreak and the cool ocean breeze. The sky had spectacular variations of orange, purple and pink, a picturesque scenery of the sunrise. Jongin took in everything with boundless fascination, trying to commit every single detail to memory.

Sehun had already left when he awoke earlier owing to the cold nipping at the tips of his nose and toes, and all he saw was a housekeeper silently changing Sehun's bedsheets. He was offered a cup of hot chocolate before the maid dismissed herself out of the room. Now here Jongin was, indulging the sweet drink with his thoughts adrift.

Oh Sehun...was so awfully nice to him yesterday.

Last night too, Jongin was simply flabbergasted at the bizarre behavior Sehun showed. It was so unlike the older to address him by his first name, assist him in resolving his sudden crisis, and refer to him as his fiancé in front of his employees when he'd made it explicitly clear from the beginning that he didn't regard him as such. What got into him, seriously?

Despite the fact that Sehun holding his hand and wiping his tears undoubtedly triggered something profound inside him, Jongin knew better than to hope. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach at the prospect of Sehun being polite to him since it's simply impossible. Of course, he did that only because he was constantly under pressure from Hyejin's orders. There was just no way in hell he'd do that willingly.

Jongin took a closer look at the unadorned ring on his finger. With a single gesture, his feelings for the older male that he had been suppressing simply broke through all of his logic. Sehun slipping the ring onto his finger awoke all of his repressed emotions.

He'd been pushing himself to stop liking Sehun since it would all be unrequited no matter what. Sehun was born to hate his existence, and he was doing exactly that. Jongin should resent him too, but his foolish heart wouldn't listen to his brain for some reason.

It really was awful to be hopelessly in love with someone so far away.

-

-

The day passed by like a blur. Dawdling around his room didn't exactly seem productive for Jongin, neither did watching tourists checking in and out of the resort. While the general picture of the beach and the many holidaymakers delighted him, being alone by himself proves to be wistfully boring. There wasn't much he could do with his alone time, not while Baekhyun’s busy with school and was not answering his texts.

Maybe he could amble by the shoreline again? That could ease the boredom. It’s better than resting in the doldrums of this hotel room.

Jongin was ready to take his phone and do just that, but his plans were thwarted when three knocks came at the door in quick succession. Jongin stood still, hesitantly approaching it. He assumed it was Sehun, but confusion filled him when he was met by a beaming bellboy.

“Taemin?” The younger was obviously surprised with this unexpected visit. Said male’s smile stretched broader, if possible.

“Good afternoon, Jongin!” came Taemin’s cheerful greeting. He had made a mental note not to address Jongin as ‘sir,' since the teenager appeared to be uncomfortable with the term. Jongin looked bewildered as he stood there. “The boss told me to fetch you.”

Jongin grew anxious, all of a sudden. “Boss...the managing director?” who nearly hauled my body into a police car last night?

“No, not him. It’s Mr. Sehun!”

“S-Sehun?” Jongin's gut churned with nervousness. “Is...there a problem?”

He couldn't figure out why Sehun wanted to see him at this time of day. The dude refused to even breathe the same air as him. And he already had lunch, so it's not like—

“Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry,” Taemin reassured with another charming grin, seeing the younger's eyes flicker with questions. Jongin relaxed marginally. “Shall we go?”

Jongin walked out of the room with a nod. He followed the older employee all the way to the end of the corridor and down to the lobby. Jongin felt the afternoon breeze against his skin once they were out. It was fantastic, especially the heat of the sun. He had no idea that one of Korea's islands could actually provide such a tropical climate.

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