Still Late

It was a busy Tuesday morning at the subway, most people waiting for the next train to come. Majority of the population were students, hurrying to get to school on time and it was the same to the middle aged ones in suits with briefcases, making sure to punch in to their office early. The male in his early 20’s was one of the people in suits, holding a briefcase in hand and the other was raised up closer to his face with a silver wrist watch.

A familiar, tall, tanned and handsome figure stood out from the crowd, making his way towards the male waiting beside the subway benches. He also wore a suit and carried his own case in his hand.

"Didn't we agree to meet at 6:30?" Kyungsoo asked as the taller male approached him. "It's 6:42 now."

Jongin snorted, standing next to the shorter male. "It's just 12 minutes."

"I've been here since 5:10 and you came late!"

"It's not my fault you came here that early." The taller male defended. "Too early, actually."

The doe eyed male sighed in frustration. "Time is precious to me, Jongin. You know I don't like wasting it and I'm very strict about it. It's like a bomb that was set 6:30 today and would explode at the exact, set time."

"Then you die alone because you're here at the time when the bomb explodes while I'm still on my way here, safe and sound."

Kyungsoo clicked his tongue and bit his lower lip. “We missed the 6:35 train because of you.”

“The next train comes at 6:50, hyung, and we can still make it to the office half an hour earlier than our punch in time,” the taller male pointed out. “We can’t be late even if we wait for the 7:05 train.”

“Still, the earlier the better.” The shorter male let out another sigh. “Why did you even force me to go with you? You’re always late for appointments!”

“It’s not like I cause harm to anyone if I’m late.”

“You don’t understand the importance of always being on time and unlike you, I have a routine to follow and I make sure I do things according to my schedule.”

Jongin just smiled. He would never understand the other male when it comes to time management, doing the same things every day and it meant no fun at all. In spite of the shorter male being so OC about his schedule, he still feel so attracted to the said male.

It was the way the older male would nag at him for always being late even just for a few minutes but still waits for him until Jongin arrives at the venue and do things together like getting on the train to work or eating lunch at a fancy restaurant near their office.

It was the way the older male would keep a bored face when he tells a lame joke but would still acknowledge his effort by saying, “Better luck next time, again.”

It was the way the older male would give him a call, asking how he was feeling, when he called in sick and visit him at the end of the day even just for ten minutes because a scheduled routine can’t be broken and that the older male should be at home before it strikes 6:00 in the evening.

He had wanted to ask Kyungsoo out for a date but because of the schedule that the shorter male had, he can’t manage to do so. He knew he was just going to receive an answer like “Sorry, I have planned things already.” So their every weekday lunch was considered as a date for him. He felt sorry for himself.

After punching in, they both separated ways. Kyungsoo’s cubicle was located on the east side of the room while Jongin’s was at the west.

When Jongin sat down on his swivel chair after placing his briefcase on the desk, a head popped out from the next cubicle. “So, did you ask him already?”

The male looked up from where the deep voice came from and saw a hopeful grin plastered on the other male’s face. Before he could reply, another head popped out on the cubicle from the other side.

“Does he look like he did, Channie?” another voice asked in sarcasm.

“Shut up, Byun,” the owner of the deep voice retorted, his grin disappearing. “I was just being so hopeful.”

Jongin leaned back on his chair and stared at his computer screen. “Do you think it’s really a good idea to go to his place and ask him out?”

“Of course,” the male called Channie answered. “Just make sure you go over to his apartment with plenty of time to spare.” He looked over to the other side of the room, glancing at the other group of males chatting like what they were doing at the moment, standing and looking over at a certain cubicle. “Luhan said Kyungsoo goes to bed at 8:00 sharp!” He watched the male in the middle sigh in despair.

“I agree,” the other male nodded. “You will need a lot of time to persuade him.”

Jongin gave his two office mates glances before focusing his eyes back on the black computer screen. “Wish me luck then.”

The door opened with a loud bang and it was the signal that their boss just arrived and they all sat down and turned their computers on, opening their briefcases and started working their asses out.

The male shook his head, trying to focus in his work and decided to think about his future with the older male later.

He paced back and forth the long, narrow hallway, thinking of the possibilities of being rejected which he estimated to be 99.9 percent sure of pure rejection. How long he had been passing by the older male’s unit will be kept a secret, he lost track of the time.

Finally gathering all the courage, he pressed the doorbell and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a Do Kyungsoo in his robe and hair was still dripping wet. “Hyung.” He managed to smile his nervousness out.

The older male looked at him with a confused look. “I don’t remember having an appointment with you at this hour.”

“Well,” he fidgeted, looking away from the other male, hoping to see the answers on the walls. “I didn’t really plan to visit but yeah, I’m here.”

“Do you know what time it is?”

He quickly raised his hand up and glance at his watch. “7:57.”

“You have three minutes before I close this door and go to bed.”

“What?” He thought about what Chanyeol had told him earlier that day. “Are you serious? Is this how you treat a visitor?”

“I’m serious and to be honest, this is not how I treat my visitors because first of all, I don’t allow visitors past 7:00.”

What. The. Hell.

“If you don’t have anything else to say, you can go now and visit next time. Visiting hours is around 5:30 until 7:00.” The door was about to be closed but Jongin pushed it open.

“Wait, hyung!” I can’t believe this. “Uhm…” His mind was blank. He had totally forgotten why he was there because of the awareness of the time he had left.

“Two minutes.”

“Wait!” He sighed to calm himself, not wanting to hear the countdown. “I was just curious if you have some spare time?”

“When?”

“Whenever you’re free?”

“Give me a specific day or date.”

He started contemplating on his own schedule. He can’t go tomorrow and Thursday because he had promised his college friend to hang out with their other friends. On Friday, his nieces and nephews will be coming over to his apartment and stay overnight. Saturday, he is free. “Saturday?”
“Which Saturday?”

“This coming Saturday.”

“I’m busy.”

Sunday, he is going to his grandparents’ house.

“50 seconds.”

What the ? “Monday afternoon?”

“Next week’s Monday?” Kyungsoo inquired and Jongin hesitantly nodded.

“Yes.”

“Busy.”

“How can you even be sure? You can memorize all your schedules?”

“Of course.”

“Why don’t you just give me your free time schedule?”

The older male just stared back at him with a bored expression. “30 seconds.”

He let out a frustrated groan and looked up on the ceiling. What should I do? He couldn’t think properly because of the continuous reminder of how many seconds he had before the door closes right in front of his face.

“10 seconds.”

He snapped, looking at the same, bored expression of the older male. “Hyung! Can you stop being so obsessed with time even just for now?”

“No. You can leave now.”

“We still have a lot to talk about.”

“5, 4, 3…”

“Hyung, I’m serious!”

“…2, 1. Goodnight, Jongin.” Kyungsoo flashed a genuine smile before slamming the door close.

Failure.

“He slammed the door in front of my face after a countdown,” he told Chanyeol the next day.

The other male laughed and high-fived with the male on the other side of the cubicle. “I told you to spare a lot of time.”

Baekhyun followed with a snicker. “So what did he tell you earlier?”

Jongin shook his head and sighed. “It was like nothing happened last night.”

“Channie and I have thought of an idea last night.”

The male’s expression brightened up as he looked over to his office mate. “You’ll help me?”

“Actually, this plan would only work if Luhan would agree to help us.”

“What is it all about?”

Kyungsoo, after taking a short break by the water dispenser, came back to his cubicle and his Chinese office mate on the next cubicle peeked over the wooden divider. “So, Kyungsoo, are we still on this Saturday?”

The shorter male looked up, raising a brow. “Why? Did something come up and we had to cancel it?”

Luhan shook his head. “There’s a friend who’s joining. Would it be okay?”

“Sure. There will be four of us in total?”

“That’s right.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks, Soo.” The Chinese male sat back down on his seat and took out his phone, sending a message to someone on the other side of the room.

Chanyeol picked up his phone that vibrated in his desk and opened the message. He shot up and leaned over to the next cubicle, surprising the tanned male. “Byun! He replied!” he called out in a whisper just enough for the other person to hear it from the next cubicle.

Baekhyun immediately popped his head in an instant. “What did he say?”

“He said Kyungsoo is fine about it!” He and Baekhyun grinned mischievously at the person between their cubicles. “Good luck on your first date with him, Jongin.”

A little late on realizing it, Jongin beamed and gasped. “Wha-What should I do?”

“Just don’t be late. You know how much he hates it," Baekhyun said. “You have to impress him by coming on time!”

Kyungsoo frowned after receiving a text message that Luhan and Minseok won’t be able to make it that night but was informed that the other friend would still go with him so he didn’t have to cancel it. He thought it would have been better if he was with Jongin. He arrived at the club an hour earlier than they planned and when he checked the time, five more minutes left before their agreed meet up time.

He had no idea who that friend was but in case they don’t meet, he didn’t plan to leave anyway since he had prepared for that night. He was drinking his third shot when someone tapped him his shoulder. He was surprised to see Jongin sitting on the bar stool next to him.

“Hi, hyung.”

There was a spark of happiness inside him. “What are you doing here?”

“Making it up for Luhan and Minseok hyung’s absence.” He smiled innocently and called the bartender’s attention, asking for their special.
The shorter male just huffed, assuming that Luhan and Minseok had planned to ditch him alone with the younger male and he was somehow thankful about it. Those two knew he had hots for the younger male. He never had the courage to ask the younger to go out, afraid to be rejected because he was a weird freak, obsessed with every second that ticks by.

He glanced at his watch. “You’re two minutes late,” he muttered and the younger just chuckled.

“Two minutes is not that bad.”

“Still late.”

“Fine.”

“But still better than 12 minutes late.”

They just stayed there for about an hour before deciding to dance together in the crowd. Both were already tipsy by the time they walked towards the dance floor, grinding their bodies together with their hands unconsciously exploring each other.

After a while, they went back to their stools and drank another set of drinks, talking about random things that cross their minds, mostly about the people they notice around the place, commenting about the clothes and stuff.

Another hour passed and both were still, somehow, on their right state of minds. They were pretty good with drinking.

“I have to be home before 2:00.” Kyungsoo suddenly said, glancing at his watch and it said 1:15. “I should be going now.” He slid down from his stool only to be pulled closer and he found himself between the tanned male’s legs. He squinted towards the other male.

Feeling the younger’s hand on his neck, his heart started to palpitate faster as he swallowed hard. He didn’t know why he was feeling so nervous.
At the back of his mind, he could hear himself yelling that he had to go home so that he could rest and wake up at 10:00 to prepare for his appointment with his old friends in high school. His feet were aching to move and walk out the club but the gorgeous, younger male in front of him was too enticing in his eyes. He didn’t want to miss a moment looking at Jongin wearing a smirk on his lips while leaning closer to him. When their lips finally met, Kyungsoo lost it.

Jongin was more than satisfied when the shorter male returned the kiss almost immediately though a little roughly that he expected. He suddenly felt a tug on his shirt and noticed the sudden absence of warmth. He was being pulled into one of the private rooms at the back of the club and he let himself drop on the couch with the shorter male straddling him, attacking his lips.

Kyungsoo sat on one of the empty tables in the restaurant and glanced at his watch. Almost half an hour left the clock strikes 12 for lunch. While waiting for his friends, his mind wandered back to what had happened hours ago, when the sun was far from showing up.

He closed his eyes, embarrassed that he could clearly remember that he initiated the . He was glad he woke up and was able to leave quietly before the younger male woke up.

But he was so damn y that time.

He wondered how Jongin reacted about waking up alone in that room. He also wondered if the younger male remembered what happened. He would just pretend that nothing happened in case the younger would tell him that he didn’t remember anything.

But what if he remembers? How should I face him? I’m not even sure if I still like him like I did before.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly answered the call without looking at the caller’s I.D. “Hello?”

“Hyung, where are you? Why did you leave me alone?”

. He gulped hard, not knowing what to say. “Uh, I’m going to meet some friends.” He said, not adding more to answer the second question, quite hoping that the other would just forget about it.

“You just left.”

His heart clenched hearing the younger’s soft voice that sounded like he was… sad.

“Did you regret what we did?”

He hated himself for not having the right words to say.

“It’s okay, hyung. I understand. We were drunk and it’s not like there’s something between us.” The last four words were too soft that Kyungsoo almost didn’t hear.

His lips parted, trying to say that he didn’t regret it but nothing came out.

“I’ll… just hang up. Sorry for disturbing you and your friends.” Without waiting for a reply, even if there wasn’t going to be one, the call ended.
He clutched hard on his phone, trying to attain the same pain his heart was giving him.

The next day, Jongin purposely went to work very late, earning a nag from their boss but he didn’t care. He was more embarrassed to face the older male. He didn’t leave his cubicle for lunch either and his two neighbors, Chanyeol and Baekhyun, knew that something was up.

After having their lunch as fast as they could, the duo came back to their cubicles and found Jongin staring into the wooden barrier in front of him.
Chanyeol inhaled to relax himself to ask what happened but before he could utter a word, the tanned male spoke.

“We had .”

The two should have felt enormously happy and proud but by just looking at the tanned male’s expression, they knew there was something else so they just shut their mouths.

“Then he left me,” he sobbed, slouching in his seat. “It’s hopeless. I’m hopeless.”

It went on for the rest of the week, the two of them avoiding each other. Jongin thought Kyungsoo had been doing well when he sees the older male laughing and enjoying other’s company. He didn’t know he was just deceived by chance. Every time he turns away, he misses the sadness in the other’s look.

“Soo, what’s stopping you?”

It was their lunch and Kyungsoo looked up from his plate to the Chinese male. “What do you mean?”

“It’s so obvious that you and Jongin need each other’s company. I mean, you saw him, right? He looked worse than just !” Luhan raised his voice a little at the last statement.

Kyungsoo lowered his head and sighed. He saw the younger male earlier that morning after being nagged at by their boss for being so late than ever. He was a mess, going to work unshaved and with disheveled hair.

“Jongin likes you, Soo. He needs you too.” Luhan paused for a moment, waiting for a reaction from the other male. “Not all men are the same. If Hyunsik left you, why would you think Jongin will so the same?”

“I don’t want to get hurt again, Lu,” the shorter male softly said.

“You’re hurting right now, Kyungsoo. You were a lot better when you were with Jongin. Can’t you see that?”

He knew he was playing safe and during the past few days he started to realize he regret sleeping with the younger. If only it didn’t happen… we’re still fine by now.

Jongin called in sick the next day and when Kyungsoo was informed, it was like out of habit that he reached out for his phone to dial the younger’s number but before he could do, he realized they weren’t in good terms. He thought maybe it’s his chance to make things up after a lot of thinking the night before. He was happier around the younger male.

After work, he dropped by a fruit shop to buy some fruits that Jongin liked the most. Ringing the doorbell once, he didn’t receive an answer. He pushed the doorbell again and still, there was no answer. On the third, he heard faint shuffling noise and a loud thud from the inside.

After a few seconds, the door swung wide open, revealing Jongin with a pained expression with a hand rubbing his hip. A blanket trailed down on the floor towards the bedroom so Kyungsoo assumed that the younger was sleeping minutes ago. “Hyu-Hyung.” He looked even worse than yesterday.

“Can I come in?”

“I…uh…” Jongin panicked. He never expected a visit and he was a mess and even his whole apartment was a mess. “Sure.”

Kyungsoo watched the younger turn to the side with a groan while rubbing his hip. He assumed the thud he heard earlier was caused by Jongin stumbling down on the floor while tripping on his blanket. He heard the door close behind him and the younger picked up the blanket from the floor and headed to the bedroom.

Jongin peered from the bedroom and excused himself for a while to take a quick shower.

The older male just nodded and placed the basket of fruits in the coffee table and started cleaning up the mess that the other left. He headed to the kitchen and found the dirty dishes piled up on the sink and the trash can was overflowing. He can’t imagine how Jongin felt and lived through a week with his apartment in a total mess. The laundry was piling up as well and some clothes were even scattered around the laundry room.

The younger’s apartment had been messy ever since and Kyungsoo would clean it up when he visits but it was never like what he was seeing at the moment.

When Jongin got out of the bathroom, all dressed up neatly, hair combed to the side and he had shaved. He wasn’t at all surprised to see his place cleaned up and the older male was in his laundry room, separating the clothes by color.

He checked his hip, lifting his shirt and rubbing the part that was hurting earlier.

“Does it hurt?”

Startled, he pulled down his shirt and quickly responded with a shake of his head. “Uhm, what are you doing here?” He looked at the older male in front of him who was smiling like it was the most usual thing to do.

“You called in sick. I always go here, don’t I?”

All he could do was blink in confusion. Aren’t they trying to avoid each other? But Kyungsoo was there, in front of him, smiling genuinely like nothing happened. Maybe, he thought, the older male wasn’t affected at all while he had been acting like a lovesick teenager.

“I brought you something.” Kyungsoo pointed at the basket he left on the coffee table and the younger looked at the direction without a word. The younger’s silence made his heart clench once more, even painful than the last time. He thought it was like how the younger felt the last time they spoke through the phone when he didn’t say a word. “I’m sorry, Jongin,” he finally said, the younger’s head snapping towards him with a surprised look. “I didn’t mean to leave you that morning without telling you anything.”

He felt his eyes starting to swell but he doesn’t want to let a tear escape his eyes. “I was just scared.”

“Is it about Hyunsik?”

The older male’s breath hitched as he tried to suppress his tears. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, hyung. I understand.” Jongin mentally blamed himself for being so blind about it. He knew he should have known why the older male tried to distance himself from him. He was a little late to realize it. “It’s okay,” he whispered, more like trying to convince himself. He didn’t want to make the other feel burdened but he didn’t want to lose him either. “I’ll wait for you.”

In a swift movement, Kyungsoo pulled him closer until their lips met, both of them melting into each other’s warmth. They both realized it was what they had wanted, to be with each other that close.

Their feelings all came out through their not-so-gentle make out session, biting and each other’s lips like it would be their last kiss. Short gasps and moans emitted from both the entire time.

The moment was interrupted when Kyungsoo suddenly pulled away with a gasp, looking over the taller male’s shoulder to the wall clock. The time was 5:30. “I have to go!”

“Wha-What? Why?” Unsatisfied, Jongin frowned as his eyes followed the shorter figure head towards the front door.

With a groan, the older male looked back at him. “I can’t break my routine.”

“It’s only…” He glanced back at his wall clock. “…5:30!”

“And I have to be at home before 6!”

“But—!”

“Tomorrow, 6:00. Sharp!”

“That’s too early!” He managed to complain.

“Fine, 6:30! By the time the 6:35 train comes, I will go whether you’re there or not!”

“Okay, okay!” He chuckled, watching the other open the door.

“I’m serious!”

The door slammed close and he just stood there, replaying in the back of his mind what had happened moments ago. It was a failed drama romance but he didn’t mind.

All that mattered at the moment was the fact that he wasn’t rejected.

“Hi, hyung!” He greeted cheerfully but the older male sent him a glare.

“It’s 6:40!”

“I know. I did it on purpose to see if you’re going to leave me if I came late,” he chuckled. “You didn’t.”

“Shut up.”

EPILOGUE

Three years later…

Kyungsoo sighed in disappointment. The agreement was 9:00 and it was already 9:00 and 2 seconds. He can’t believe his fiancé is late for their civil wedding.

Luhan, Minsekok, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were their witnesses. They all watched the doe eyed male, looking forward to the reaction when the tanned male comes in. The judge stared at them in confusion but said nothing and his curiosity was answered after a few seconds.

The door swung open with a grinning Jongin. “I made it, right?”

“7 seconds!” He hissed, throwing daggers to the taller male.

“Better than a whole minute late, am I right?”

“Whatever.”