Jongin dragged himself all the way to Luhan’s apartment. Once he arrived, he stared at the familiar building that was completely dark. I slowly walked up the stairs and held his fist up near the door. He hesitated for a while, contemplating whether he even wanted to see this new Luhan anyway. He slowly connected the red door and his fist making a small knocking sound. He waited for a while for an answer but no one came to open the door. He knocked harder this time and waited patiently. After a couple of seconds he started to become impatient and just twisted the doorknob, letting himself in. He looked around the empty apartment, listening for any noise but it looked like an empty apartment. The picture frames that were once placed around the TV and the table were gone. He walked over to Luhan’s bedroom, hoping to see a lying figure on the bed but he was met with an empty bed instead. He walked around looking for any sign of Luhan coming here after he was, changed.

Jongin turned around, concluding that no one was here, and headed toward the door. Once he stepped out of Luhan’s room, the door bursted open. He waited in the living room for a figure to walk in. It was Luhan.

Luhan’s hair was no longer blonde, but brown. He was wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses hung from his neck. As he stepped in, he took his shoes off and began to undo the tie around his neck. It took him a while, but he finally noticed Jongin. Jongin stared at him, unable to process what was happening at this moment. Luhan stared right at Jongin, confused as to who this person was. Jongin noticed that Luhan’s eyes did not shine like they did before. They seemed dark now. Luhan was the first to break the silence.

“Who are you and why are you in my home?” Luhan demanded.

That small question was enough to break Jongin apart. Luhan had no idea who he was anymore. He was the one who was stuck with all the good memories, while Luhan had been completely wiped of anything and everything from his previous life.

“My name is Jongin.” Jongin mumbled and quickly ran out of the apartment. He couldn’t stand to be around him any longer. All this time he had been in denial as to what had happened, but now everything was real.

He ran until he reached his house. He quickly attended to the wound on his elbow, wrapping a white cloth around it. He sat on his white couch, rewatching the movie that he and Luhan had watched when he came over. He longed for Luhan’s presence on the other side of the room. He stared at that empty spot for a while until the doorbell woke him up from his thoughts. He stood up slowly and opened the door. He was greeted by his coworker, Sehun.

“Hello. I am here to inform you that showing up to work tomorrow is mandatory or else you will be fired. We work under an organized system, please continue to show up for work and do not complicate things. CEO Tao sent me to deliver this message. That is all.” Sehun turned and walked away out through Jongin’s gates that were supposed to be locked.

CEO of the company? Since when? Jongin had never met the CEO in person, but he had was sure that it was not Tao. He worked there for 3 years, he would’ve noticed him at some point. Still, Jongin had no choice but to show up for work tomorrow, despite the circumstances. Once again, he had become their puppet.

The next day Jongin woke up with thoughts of Luhan. He was worried but most of all he was confused. How will he save Luhan? Even though he had managed to save himself, he cannot assure the same for Luhan and he doesn’t even know if the system is still working the same. Mei at the coffee shop was enough to know that they changed a lot of things. He couldn’t just go in and try to cut it out the same way he did to himself.

Jongin stood up and put on a random t-shirt and pants. He searched his drawer for his old notebook that he used to carry around often. Once he met Luhan, he had stopped using it because he had someone to share his thoughts with. Now, he would require of its blank pages once more. He placed it in his shoulder bag and walked out of his home. It was a bit chilly that morning but he was feeling a bit more relaxed than he did the day before. His bandage was still on his elbow but it seemed to be healing quickly. For once, Jongin didn’t feel those eyes watching him 24/7.

Slowly Jongin walked toward his old desk where he would spend his days before Luhan came around. He looked at the stack of papers on his desk and sighed deeply. He had fallen incredibly behind during this whole time. He sat down on his large black desk and searched the drawers for his glasses. He put them on and began to sort the files on his desk. He was about halfway done when Sehun walked up to his desk. It was a while before Jongin noticed him as he was so invested in his work. When he felt a presence he looked up and waited for Sehun to speak. A while passed and he still hadn’t spoken. It reminded him of the times when they were in high school. Whenever Sehun was mad or upset he would just stand there staring with that frown on his face.

“Yes?” Jongin finally asked.

“What are you doing here?” Sehun said in a rather cold tone.

“Working. You told me yesterday that I had to come to work.” Jongin said annoyed.

“This is no longer your job. You work in the mail room now.” Sehun pointed down. The mail room was located underground and it was the worst job you could have in the whole building. The level of position was determined by the floor you were on the building.

“What do you mean?” Jongin was still trying to process that information.

“What I mean is that someone else has your job now.” Sehun smirked and walked towards the hallway. Jongin thought he wouldn’t come back but in less than 10 seconds he walked back out with someone following behind him. Jongin tried to take a closer look at the person who was replacing him and once he caught sight of who it was his eyes widened and he stood up abruptly. The person who was replacing him was Luhan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone. Please forgive me for making you wait so long ;;;;

I cannot promise a new chapter soon but I will try my best I swear. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for waiting again!