Work

It was what consumed him 24/7, 7 days a week.

Christmas was no exception.

                Kyuhyun let out a tired groan as he walked inside his dark hotel room; the lights opening at the flick of the switch. He had been smiling and posing for pictures all day and all night long and it was too exhausting for him. He missed the times when those simple actions weren’t tiring at all. Those times were long gone.

                He was exhausted enough to just want to throw himself on his bed and sleep right away but he fought against the exhaustion; a yawn escaping his lips as he took the time to remove his coat and hang it properly in the closet. From what he could see past the windows of his hotel room, the whole city was lit up by lights as was usual for the season. It already said much for Taiwan wasn’t a Christian country and it basically meant that they were not required to celebrate Christmas.

                A sigh escaped his lips as he walked over the windows and pulled the curtains shut. The lights he was seeing from below wasn’t helping his already sullen mood. Kyuhyun fished out his phone and made sure the volume was at its loudest before he threw it on the bed. He was expecting his family to call from Korea anytime from now and he didn’t want to miss it. Some of his friends had called already to wish him some holiday cheer; Heechul leading his bunch of friends as per usual.  

                Tugging on his tie, he idly wondered how we was going to celebrate Christmas Eve. The hotel he was in had a party downstairs but he was too exhausted to go down and join. He could have food brought to his room but Kyuhyun easily decided against it, not wanting to eat on his own during Christmas Eve.

                He found it ironic how, on a usual day, he easily thought of Taipei as a second home; a home away from home, if you will. But tonight, Taipei was anything but. He was homesick. He was alone… and all that during Christmas Eve. Kyuhyun frowned, deciding that sleep was the better option. The faster he slept, the faster Christmas day was going to arrive and he could go home. So much for wanting to have a good Christmas in Taiwan

                Checking his phone one last time, disappointment flooded through him as the blank screen greeted him. Not even a single message from those that mattered most. Maybe they were too busy celebrating Christmas back home to remember that he was all alone in Taiwan. Letting out a sigh, he placed his phone on the bedside table, finishing up with changing his clothes as fast as he could.

Once he was ready for bed, he was about to pull off the covers when the doorbell rung throughout the hotel room. His head snapped up as he glared at the door. If someone was out there with more work for him, he was just going to lose it. Grumbling his way to the door, he in a sharp breath as he composed himself before opening the door. All his preparations rendered useless as his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock at the scene he was met.

“SURPRISE!”

“What…” Kyuhyun gawked at the member of his family, who were all standing outside his bedroom in cocktail attire with their suitcases in tow. “What are you all doing here?”

“What kind of question is that?” His older sister, Ara, rolled her eyes. “It’s Christmas, Kyu. What makes you think we’re going to let you celebrate it on your own?”

“How…” He struggled to find the words. “I-I thought you were in Korea.”

“We were, honey.” His mother smiled kindly before she moved aside, finally revealing their guest. “But she convinced us to surprise you this Christmas.”

                If he was shocked to see his family outside his hotel room, the word didn’t do justice to how he felt when he saw Choi Sooyoung standing outside with them. She was supposed to be in Japan, wasn’t she? She was residing there, right? So how was she in Taiwan and not in Japan?

“Heechul oppa called me.” She said out of the blue, as if she was able to read his thoughts. “He told me that you were celebrating Christmas on your own and it was enough to get me on a plane.”

“Enough talk and let’s put out stuff inside first. The party downstairs is going to start soon!” Ara said before Kyuhyun could say anything; the women making their way into his hotel room without another word.

                Kyuhyun stood frozen, shell shocked at how the evening turned out to be something better than he expected. When he, along with many of their friends and her family, brought Sooyoung to the airport on the day of her departure, he was so sure he was never  going to see her again… subsequently, he was sure he was never going to get the chance to tell her he loved her. But then again life was full of surprises; another one coming when his father dragged him outside the room, closing the door behind him.

“Son, I can tell that girl is one amazing woman.” His father spoke so seriously and yet his eyes held a lot of mirth. “Make sure she’ll be my daughter-in-law one day, alright?”

Amazing Christmas in Taiwan, indeed.

Prompt: Taiwan

Happy Holidays to all Knights out there!