Back In Business

Seeing the sun over the sky of Seoul, I realized my goodbye to Jeju was too late to be properly said. Pulling my luggage behind me, the boys and I stood to the curb of the road outside the airport. I watched people arrive from whatever place they had come from with the excited yet exhausted looks in their faces, and some saying their goodbyes to their loved ones before stepping into the airport.

“This is it, huh?” Yixing spoke first with a sad smile.

Minseok who was closest to Luhan was the first one to hug him goodbye before the rest of the group piled in and eventually I was pulled in it as well.

“Luhan, you better plan to see us soon!”

“It was great seeing you again and super awesome that you got spent the few weeks with us!” Chanyeol said to me through a wide grin.

“Sister-in-law!” I turned just in time to find Tao squeezing me to his side with a one-armed hug. “You can’t forget us, okay?”

How could I?

“Of course I won’t.” It hit me like a wave when I realized it was the last time I was going to see them. Sooner than later, Luhan was going to tell them that we had broken the engagement, like he had promised weeks ago. My voice came out coarser than I thought when I spoke again. “Are you guys still going to be in Seoul for a while?” I wasn’t sure why I asked. The result wouldn’t change the outcome of the inevitable.

“We are!” Sehun piped up. “I want to see my old high school. SOPA.”

I pulled my luggage closer to me. “Hey my cousin went to that school! She told me about this teacher named Ms. Ahn.”

Sehun wrinkled his nose at the memory. “I remember her. Whenever she talked, she sprayed spit on whoever sat at the front rows in class.”

I snapped my fingers. “That’s her.”

We joined the line of waiting taxis and it wasn’t long until one pulled over in front of us. After the boys insisted that Luhan and I should head home first, Luhan stuffed our luggages to the back trunk with another string of goodbyes and a few harsh words from his friends to remind him to call them. Luhan slipped into the taxi beside me and I turned to look out the window to where they were standing. Waving, the taxi drove off and I didn’t drop my hand until I could no longer see them.

“I didn’t get much sleep on the plane,” Luhan complained, inching closer and leaning against me.

“Yixing was getting way too excited over a Sudoku game than anyone should. I think no one could sleep.” Tilting my head to see him, Luhan chuckled with heavy-lidded tired eyes. I could have betted he was going to nap as soon as he arrived at his place.

The taxi-driver looked at the two of us questioningly as we eventually rolled off the airport and into the highway. I called out Luhan’s address first and the driver nodded curtly.

“Don’t you want to go home first?” Luhan asked, sitting up in surprise.

“Your house is closer anyway.” I shoved at his knee with mine. “Plus, I think I can ride a taxi on my own just fine.”  

I knew we were nearing Luhan’s street when I felt him sit straighter beside me and stare out the glass. Following his gaze, the apartment building came into view where he’d ride to the top floor to the penthouse. Luhan forced open my hand to reveal my palm and then he closed my fingers around something that felt like paper. It wasn’t until the taxi pulled over in front of the building that I looked at what he gave me. It was a wad of money to pay for the taxi.

“Luhan, I don’t need this much—” I protested, but he had already closed the door behind him. Circling the back, he pulled his bags from the trunk.

Hauling his bags with him, I watched from the inside as he tapped on the taxi-driver’s window with a knuckle until he rolled it down. “Could you please bring her home safely?” Luhan said, a little plead in his tone, though his stare might have said that he would write down the taxi's plate number if he needed to.

The driver glanced at me once through the rear mirror. “No worries, it's my job sir. I will.”

I heard Luhan’s goodbyes as the taxi began to slowly back away before joining the other cars at the road. Peeking out the window at him, I mouthed the same words. The taxi was a good five feet away from where it had stopped when I heard a tapping noise at my window. The driver stepped on the pedal and halted the car.

I rolled down my window this time, looking at Luhan questioningly. “Did you forget something?”

“Call me when you get home, okay?”

“I'll call.” Like a part of me had expected what he was going to do next, I was already waiting in anticipation while Luhan ducked through the window to cup a hand on my face. He stole a kiss without warning. It was endearing and sweet, though shorter than either of us wanted beside frankly the taxi was still half on the road.

When Luhan pulled away, his next words were barely a whisper against my lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow at work, boss.”

Wheeling my bag beside my staircases, I released it before throwing myself on the living room’s sofa with a loud sigh. I rolled and let my face burry within the pillow. Inhaling the scent, I realized that I almost forgot what my house smelled like. Rolling to lay on my back again, I dug my phone from my pocket and called a number that I had inevitably memorized over time.

“Sora?” came his voice.

“I just got home,” I told Luhan, obeying what he had said earlier.

“Good. I’m unpacking right now even though I feel like I'm going to pass out and...” His voice sounded a little muffled, like he had wedged his phone between his jaw and his shoulder. “I don’t remember packing underwear with me that had little hearts and rubber ducks. Actually, I don't even remember buying it at all."

An image formed in my head from his description of Junmyeon purchasing underwear from the mall and snickering to the others after saying it was going to be his present to Luhan. I couldn’t help but laugh and played dumb to pretend like I hadn’t known anything. “Little hearts and what?”

“Rubber ducks!” I pictured Luhan standing over his opened luggage, his expression crumpled in confusion and both hands at his hips. “I think it’s Kyungsoo’s—”

“It’s yours. It’s a prank.”

“What?! What kind of— Was it Junmyeon? It looks kind of expensive.”

“Yup.”

“I knew it... If I told him I ripped it apart, would it be enough to get back at him?”

I smiled at my ceiling. “If you cooked it on a stove and took a picture and then sent it to Junmyeon, it would be better.” Looking at my free hand, I realized I was still wearing the ring. Luhan's ring, to be specific.

His sudden laughter caused me to laugh as well. “You know what? I’ll wear it and tell him I love it because he’d be expecting me to do something like that anyway.”

“That’s perfect!” I sat up. I felt silly for smiling so wide at nothing because he couldn’t even see me through the phone. “But you do sound like you're going to pass out. Go take a nap.”

“Hmm...” There was a ruffling sound. “Should I? We have work tomorrow anyway. Great way to end off vacation, huh?”

“Just fantastic.” Throwing my legs off the sofa, I stood to drag my luggage up the stairs. “But don’t forget.”

He paused. “Forget what?”

“My morning coffee.”

Smoothing my palms over my skirt while I stood in the elevator, I thought that I haven’t dressed so formally in a while. It almost felt odd to have my hair styled and pinned accordingly with heels strapped to my feet. I was used to the shorts and the baggy shirts I wore on Jeju. The familiar ding sounded, telling me I was at my floor and it felt like it was welcoming me back to work.

Hanbi was the first one to stand again. “Good morning Ms. Lee.”

I guess things don’t change much in the span of a couple weeks like I thought. “Good morning.”

Changmin who was in the middle of busying himself by tossing his eraser in the air and catching it in a repetitive motion held still upon seeing me walk by his desk. He pointed with the eraser. “I expected you to come back tan!”

“The sun wasn’t listening to you.” Sticking out my tongue at him, I turned to where room 4304 was visible.

“Welcome back!”

“Thank you.” Waving at those who greeted, I hurried, remembering I was a little late for my first day back at work and if the Chief Editor saw, I’d be buried in trouble. The pressure was taken off my chest as soon as I saw Luhan leaning over Jonghyun’s desk and probably explaining his trip to Jeju with elaborate arm gestures. I opened my mouth to call for his name, but—

“Lee Sora!”

I stiffened at the voice and turned around reluctantly, meeting gazes with the Chief. “Good morning,” I practically squeaked.

“Good to see you back. Now,” she pushed back her glasses from sliding off the bridge of her nose, “A report was made for you to read over it and it’s on your desk. Get to it.” She sauntered away without another word.

“Right away. Thank you.” Frowning, I thought that I was nowhere near grabbing the promotion if I wasn’t even up to date in anything. From the corner of my eye, I saw Luhan who said bye to Jonghyun as soon as he spotted me.

“’Morning.” He sto