Boss Complex

22. Things left unsaid

Kyungsoo's skin prickles with the temperatures starting to drop, his skin dotted with goose bumps even as he tries to pull his oversized coat tighter around him. The alarming text with Jongin that he needed to talk to him immediately had Kyungsoo nervous, afraid that something had happened to Baekhyun. And after several calls to Baekhyun's phone with no answer, he finally texted Jongin back and agreed to meet. 12 AM and he was standing awake and dressed in a grimy subway overpass, waiting for the man to emerge from the other side of the turnstiles. The sound of each loud shuttering screech of the subway was followed by a whir of breeze funneled through the building, trapped air searching for an exit to be released back into he open.

Kyungsoo felt that way sometimes. Like he was trapped in a dangerously fast circle loop in his life, and he wanted desperately to stay in the same place for just a while. Sweet stability, a treasure that not even money could properly afford him.

He sees Jongin's copper toned hair on the other side of the ticket receptacles and the man stops in his tracks, as if he thought that Kyungsoo might stand him up. He looks away quickly, not wanting Baekhyun's pretty boy best friend to see him caught up in his good looks. The man comes towards him in a slow gate and combs through his forward hanging bangs, puling them from his eyes.

"Is Baekhyun okay?"

Jongin's jaw tightens and he steps in close enough to Kyungsoo for him to smell brandy on his breath.

"He's fine."

Kyungsoo's eyes narrow and he tries to push Jongin back, looking for some space between them, but Jongin comes in close once more.

"I haven't been able to get in touch with him all afternoon." Kyungsoo says with a roll of his eyes.

"He left for Japan on a business trip."

For some reason, the information left him feeling suddenly less upset at Jongin. He felt lighter without explanation. Though it should have hurt, the idea that he was keeping secrets from his best friend, that he left the country without a word... but he's safe, and that meant more than enough in this moment. Or maybe it's just the knowledge that he isn't with Jongin, together, pretending they're okay...

"Is that it?" Kyungsoo starts to leave and Jongin grabs his jacket and hauls him back, pushing him against the wall.

His hands slip from his pockets and he grabs onto Jongin's wrist to try to pry him off.

"No. That's not it. You came all this way to meet me, just so you could hear about Baekhyun?"

The man's wide eyes, so full of white, leave his mind fogging with a hundred things he can't quite place. Kyungsoo's big eyes and the way he looks up and Jongin... the way his lips thin when he bares his teeth.

"He didn't go to you. You're not the one he's in love with." Jongin states matter-of-factly.

"Leave it alone, Kim. You don't know anything about our friendship."

"Friendship?" Jongin scoffs out loud and shakes his head. "Your pathetic friendship with B—"

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes again and tries to push the man off once more.

"You're drunk. Let's talk when you get your shit together because you're just pissing me off right now."

Kim Jongin, eyes steely and narrowed pushes Kyungsoo back further as he steps in closer, closing in the space between them and leaving a slightly panicked look in the smaller man's eyes.

"Get off—people can see—get off of me!" He protests.

"Then look at me."

Kyungsoo hits him in the chest and glances up at him, his face flustered as his gaze darts around.