Friends or Lovers [BossNoeul AU] [LoveInTheAir]

CHAPTER 2: Return

**** NOEUL ****

It's been 5 years since he's lived in Thailand.

Noeul stepped out of the airport and breathed in the Bangkok air as if for the first time.

He couldn't help but remember the time he came back for a holiday when he was just 22 years old and landed the role that changed his life forever.

Little did he know at that time that the "vacation" he had come on would change the trajectory of his life and career.

Now he had returned to expand his successful company in his home country.

He had enjoyed living in Seoul and New York, his days completely consumed with nurturing his brand, overseeing the various business lines, and actively managing all the people he now employed.

But his parents were getting older and he wanted to spend more time with them.

He had made the decision to move his headquarters here and to actually settle down in Bangkok.

He was the only child they had.

He felt he owed them so much and wanted to be around for them when they needed him the most.

And if he was being honest with himself, this was the place where he had been truly at his happiest.

He still had many friends here made during his 18 months working as an actor on a wildly successful BL series.

He also had his first real love here and he allowed the memories to seep back into his heart as he made his way to his new penthouse apartment in the heart of Bangkok.

He still kept in touch with his friends - Peat, Fort, and others from the series and his school days.

And Boss too.

Boss and he still texted once in a while to check in on each other and see how the other was doing, following each other's lives through Instagram and Twitter.

It had taken time, but they had settled into a friendship made easier with the time and distance between them.

It's been several years though since they had any deep conversation or interaction between them.

His prior trips back to Thailand to visit his family for holidays and celebrations had been very rushed as it was virtually impossible for him to clear his schedule while building his new company.

And to be honest, he had used that as an excuse to avoid spending time with Boss in person.

Stepping back into Bangkok brought back the memories between them - all the moments shared during and after the series.

The hours spent together each day, the workshops, the intense emotions that needed to be channeled for the scenes.

They had rehearsed and fine-tuned together to execute as realistically as possible - to the best of their ability as rookie actors - in order to pay back the immense opportunity that they had been given.

They had become immersed in their characters and ultimately in each other.

The time they spent together working hadn't been enough.

They had fallen into a routine of going out to eat together, watching football matches, and texting or video calling each other till all hours of the night.

The need to be with each other 24/7 felt vital to their existence.

They talked about EVERYTHING- work, family, emotions, insecurities, ambitions.