In My Next Life (A KaiSoo Fanfic)

Chapter Six

"An Appointment"

Jongin kept his word and returned to work the next morning. However, for the first time since his balancing act began, he actually dreaded it. After spending almost an entire two days with Kyungsoo, Jongin hated to be anywhere else besides with him. He was starting to fully understand what work was making him miss out on and he didn't like it one bit. The lounging, the holding hands, the never ending parade of kisses: Jongin was missing it all and he had only just realized how much it was killing him. 

This reality was like a parasite that was silently eating away at and deteriorating his insides and he was only noticing it now. But he didn't want to be a host to this parasite. He wanted to be with Kyungsoo. He wanted every day to be sucked up by him: every second, every hour, every minute. He longed for it so bad that he could practically see the images as they played in his mind if he focused hard enough. He would come home to a smiling Kyungsoo, they would talk about their days, eat whatever delicious meal Kyungsoo made, and then spend the remainder of the night in each other's arms, where they were happiest. Jongin, more than anything, wanted that.

But it wasn't easy to just remove a parasite and throw it out.

Sighing tiredly, he finished part of what he had to for the day and propped his elbows up on his desk to rub his face. He was feeling so drained of energy and motivation that he was contemplating using his one-hour lunch break to take a nap instead. 

"Hey, buddy" cheered Sehun as he knocked on the door, opened it and waltzed into Jongin's office. "How's life?" he asked, lightly slapping his hands on the dark wood of the desk before plopping in one of the chairs in front of it.

"Exhausting," replied Jongin, mumbling from behind his hands.

"Ain't that the truth," Sehun said, crossing his arms over his chest and relaxing his back into the chair as Jongin's hands broke away from his face. "Let me guess, daddy's keeping you busy?"

"Too busy," Jongin said, placing his hands on the file of paperwork he had to get through and flipping through it. "I mean, look at this, this is fucking ridiculous."

"Damn," Sehun commented, leaning forward and picking up the stack. "I guess being the CEO's son isn't as great as it seems. I think he gives you more work than the other employees."

"No kidding." Jongin rolled his eyes. "But he says it's because a CEO has to do a lot more than an average employee, so I have to prepare now."

"He's not that old, is he?" Sehun asked, setting the papers back on the desk. "Why is he talking about retiring early and forcing all this shit on you?"

"I don't know. He's not even 55 yet," Jongin said, frustration not wasting any time to take over his voice. He groaned, shrugged his shoulders, and shook his head, his face now buried back in his hands. "Maybe because he hates me."

"Eh, don't say that," Sehun said. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

"Would he be giving me all this work if he didn't?" Jongin questioned, glaring at Sehun with raised eyebrows.

Sehun went silent for a moment, staring at the papers and then back at Jongin. "Good point," he said, nodding once. Jongin repeated this movement and sat back in his chair. "So, what does Kyungsoo think about all this?" Sehun asked next, speaking more quietly, as he knew this was a sensitive area for his best friend.

"He hasn't told me, but I know for a fact he hates it, too," Jongin answered. "I mean, I didn't mind this before because I had nothing else going on in my life. But now that I do, I'm finally seeing how crazy all of this is."