"Lunch time!" Hikaru had exclaimed as she had shut her notebook closed. Even Kwanghee and the two others had cheered along with her though they wasted no time in getting up and started collecting their wallets and coats. "Kihyun you are going with us today!" Hikaru said matter-of-factly. There was no way she was taking a 'no' from him today.
"One hour, people! Don't come back so late. We still have a lot of work to do," Mr. Jung had said rather sternly as he stepped out of his own office to warn them. They had all turned to look at him, and unanimously let out a "Yes sir," in understanding. Although, Kihyun suspected that it was directed mostly at Kwanghee and his group since they had been the ones to have taken a little extra time the day before.
"He's being strict today because it's his year to plan the seminar," Hikaru had leaned over to whisper as she threw her purse over her shoulder and motioning towards Mr. Jung's retrieving back.
"What seminar?" Kihyun had asked as he turned to watch as Mr. Jung had gone to sit back on his desk to continue working. It seemed like the man was going to skip lunch in favor of putting his work first.
"You know, the one the editors take every year," Jackson had said as he finally stood up and let out "Okay, I'm ready, let's go before he comes out again to yell at us." He said half joking as he linked his arms with Kihyun and Hikaru.
"Oh," Kihyun had simply said letting himself be guided out by his co-workers, slash friend. Kihyun had never been able attend those seminars before because Wonho had been too young to leave alone, and he had never felt comfortable leaving his toddler in someone else's care for a few days. He doubted that would be the case now, considering Jin would more than happily take care of Wonho for him. Even his parents would happily take their grandson in while he went on this work trip. Being in Korea meant he had a lot more people to rely on. In a way it was nice to have all the support he had not had in Japan, but at the same time it was him who probably couldn't even phantom being away from his child.
They hadn't gone far for lunch. They had just walked across the street to a noodle shop that was new to the district. Jackson had said it was one he and Hikaru have been meaning to try out since its grand opening last month, but they never got around to going.
They had just managed to grab a table and sit down when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He couldn't help but frown a little when he saw who it was.
'Do you want to grab lunch with me?' Shownu's message had read.
He felt extremely guilty having to send yet another apology with his typical message of not being able to meet with him. The more he sent these the more he worried. Shownu, was showing up less and less around the office and he wondered if he was maybe growing tired of being told no. But how could he just leave when Jackson and Hikaru had insisted on him coming along today? He also, didn't want to reject his friends invitation to lunch.
"Did you get a chance to look at the menu, yet?" Jackson had asked before he and Hikaru were more than ready to help him overlook the menu and give suggestions.
"Not yet," he said with a smile as he put his phone back down, half hoping that this wasn't the last text. He had momentarily let himself focus on the menu and on his colleagues as they shared the menu.
"Oooh! They have Taiyaki on the dessert menu!" Hikaru had said looking through the back of the menu. "I might just order dessert for lunch," She said reading through the desserts and just feeling her mouth water a little.
"Are you sure you will be able to get through the day with a stomach full of sugar?" Jackson asked.
"You underestimate me, my love, I run on sugar," Hikaru said with a grin.
"Do you now? Then I guess I won't need t share my food with you," Jackson had joked back only to get huffed at by Hikaru who swore she would never take him out on a date anymore.
"I'll share with you," Kihyun had told Hikaru with a smile.
"Aw~ Thank you, Kihyun, it's good to know someone here still loves me," she said playfully glaring at Jackson.
----
Any person would have long been discouraged by the constant rejected invitations. He could only sigh to himself as he set his phone down on his desk after reading yet another 'I'm sorry' being sent from the other party. It was proving to be hard to get close to Kihyun if he kept staying away like Yunho had advised. Only at work did he have the chance to talk to him if he proposed it, but even that was hardly giving him any chance to talk to Kihyun if he kept staying away.
Shownu was losing his patience. He wanted to find a way to talk and be closer to Kihyun. He couldn't help but abandon the files on his desk and just lean back in his chair as he contemplated how to approach Kihyun.
If it wasn't for the knock on his door, he probably would have kept running through scenarios in his head. "Come in," Shownu projected as he straightened up in his chair and checked his watch for the time. Like everyone else, Shownu, too was on his lunch, and usually he never really got bothered during this time. So, naturally, he had assumed that either it was something urgent or it was his mother coming to visit.
When the person had pushed the door open it was neither. Instead, Mark had walked over with a look of dejection written all over his face as he made his way over to slump into one of his couches in front of his desk.
"You busy?" Mark had asked as he let his head slump further back onto the couch in a relaxed position.
"Not in particular, why?" Shownu had asked a little confused as to why the man was even here in his office. Usually, Mark took the opportunity to run down to the editing department to go grab his wife and head onto lunch together, but it seemed that it was becoming a regular thing to have him sulk around in his office during that break. "What happened? Are you two fighting?" He asked his friend.
"No, nothing like that. It seems Jackson is close to the newbie in editing. Apparently, they knew each other back in high school," Mark said with a small sigh as he waved his hand in dismissal, "So naturally, I've been abandoned."
"Jackson knows Kihyun?" Shownu couldn't help but smile to himself a little. Who would have thought that his cousin was friends with his crush?
"Kihyun?" Mark had said straightening up a little before standing up when he realized Shownu knew the younger man by name. "How did you know his name was Kihyun?" He said walking over to Shownu's desk with his arms across his chest and a look that clearly was trying to put two and two together. "I didn't think there would be a day when you'd show interest in someone else other than that kid."
"That's because Kihyun is that kid." Yunho had said as he walked into the office, hearing the last question be asked he decided to answer it for Mark. "The door was open so I let myself in." He explained.
The two gentlemen had only turned to face Yunho when he had walked in. Clearly, he wasn't in the best of moods but seemed he had managed to finish the itinerary for the seminar. "Here, I finished it as promised. Now handle the budget," he said holding the files over to Mark considering the man was the head of the financial department.
"Uh...sure," He said taking the binder a little confused by the sudden change of subject, though he had quickly turned to Shownu and said, "Wait, are you serious?! Now I'm curious in meeting this kid."
Shownu had simply nodded his head before turning towards Yunho when the man had only walked the rest of the way towards his desk.
"What did I miss?" Yunho said sitting down across from Shownu in one of the chairs directly facing his desk.
"Apparently, Jackson is friends with Kihyun," Shownu said with a smile.
"I could have told you that," Yunho said remembering back to the day they had officially welcomed Kihyun to the team. Jackson had clearly expressed missing the man and asked him about his family.
"So, why didn't you?" Shownu had been quick to ask as he lost the smile on his face, "I could have asked Jackson about Kihyun." Heck, maybe he could have had Jackson help him to try and find a way to gather them so that he could be close to Kihyun.
"First of all, Jackson isn't the best at keeping secrets. No offense, Mark," Yunho said which Mark seemed to shrug, because he knew that his spouse was loose lipped when it came to his cousin and anyone, he was close to. "Second of all, I honestly forgot. I was too busy with all the work you piled on me to even remember. Besides, it wouldn't have made much difference. You can't trust Jackson to help with this sort of thing without scaring the poor guy."
"As much as I hate to admit that about my own wife, Yunho is right. He will get too involved in playing matchmaker and I am already having a hard enough time trying to get a one on one with my own spouse," Mark had said with a small sigh. He wished his friend the best, honestly, but he, too, wanted to get some alone time with his wife. Jackson had always been the social butterfly so to Mark it seemed that he was sharing him with the entire world, and he didn't particularly like it. "When are you even going to approve Jackson's time off?" Mark had said, turning towards Yunho.
"As soon as this project is done, because otherwise, I won't keep Jackson motivated," Yunho said with a grin. He was doing it on purpose, especially when he knew his friend's spouse's personality well. Once, Jackson got excited about seeing that approval his attention would shift on planning for that vacation, and he couldn't afford to have that happen.
Shownu could only shake his head as he sighed and watched his friends bicker. He felt like he was back at square one, without a single clue on how to get some time alone with Kihyun. Maybe he should wait for him like last time.
YOU ARE READING
Bound by Love
Fanfiction'If it hadn't been for his cousin insisting on going to that party, then none of this would have happened.' Kihyun had big plans for his future, but just one night had changed his life a little, but didn't stop him from reaching his goals. He adjust...
